dominican republic sisters' weekend day 2

dominican republic sisters' weekend day 1

our forth of july sister's weekend in the DR started out rough. our late night flight out of JFK was delayed and we didn't arrive in puerta plata until 5am! the hiccups didn't stop there. at our resort (this was my first and probably last all-inclusive trip) we were told that they were overbooked and we would have to go to a hotel down the street! what? infuriated! i argued and pleaded with them to give us a bed to sleep in for one hour (we were being picked up at 7am for a snorkel and sail trip). finally they showed us to a room with no air conditioning and no outdoor window. we were grateful for a place to nap and were assured there would be a lovely suite ready for us later in the day.

we managed to crawl out of bed, don our bathing suits, and grab a coffee. so tired.

we rode in the back of a safari truck to meet our catamaran. the family of five who rode with us spoke no english and stared us down the entire day. super creepy. i'm pretty sure the sixty year old man and the teenage boy were hitting on us in an unfamiliar language.

there he is! he found a prime seat to look straight at us! the boy is to his right.

we snorkeled, jumped off the boat, and played in the water when it rained. rum punch was plentiful and a dance party started with the crew on the sail home. all while 'you know who' watched from a distance.

back at the resort we ate a quick, awful mexican dinner and practically sleep walked back to our new ocean front, enormous room.

sunday dinner

most sundays the husband and i cook dinner together and most sundays we invite andrea (my sis only lives three blocks away). we usually invite her with no expectations but she typically brings a wonderful salad to add the the deliciousness of the meal. this sunday was no exception...

andrea's summer salad did not disappoint with arugula, strawberries, walnuts, and goat cheese...all organic and we dressed it with olive oil and amazing creamed vinegar we bought in italy.

rob and i made roasted lamb for the first time... 

it was scrumptious, easy, and we have tons of left-overs. the prep time was quick so we just sat back and waited for it to cook to perfection.

we rubbed the 6lb leg of lamb with fresh lemon juice

coated it with 8 diced garlic cloves and about 3tbs chopped fresh rosemary, in the oven for 30 minutes at 400 then down to 350 for an hour. next time we will do 45 minutes (we like it a bit more rare).

we reduced the 'tid-bits' with red wine, chicken broth, extra rosemary, chives, and onions for a nice sauce before serving.

what are some of your favorite sunday dinners?

kick off summer

we have been so busy...away living it up in italy! thanks so, so much to my in-laws, jeanne and pat for giving us an amazing family vacation! i will eventually do a travelogue to share more details but for now a little catch up...

back in ny for only 24 hours rob, pat, anne, and i were together again for a memorial day bbq on pat's rooftop.

perfect sunset, burgers, steak fajitas, bratwurst, salad, fruit, blue moon, dancing, dance offs, good times. 

this weekend we recruited our bicycle tour guide (dustin) and set out to ride the cyclone at coney island.

it was a bumpy ride but relatively scenic. we caught the first whiff of sea air which rob really enjoyed. ocean air is good for the soul and...so it the diversity and craziness in coney.

dustin!

we had a few beers at ruby's while relaxing and people watching then we headed to the cyclone! 

dustin was sure his hat (an italy gift from anne) would stay on but of course it flew off on the very first hill. luckily, it landed right in my hand (see the above pic)! the ride was wild, very rough, and hilly. we were on a bit of an adrenaline kick from the ride and could not stop laughing about the hat... 

a few extra pics from the day taken by the amazing hipstamatic photog, anne p.

to our moms

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.  ~Washington Irving

happy mother's day to our wonderful moms!

i can't wait to be one of you...someday.

guest post: ramsey's fashion tips

if you know me at all (in the blog world or in 'real life') you know that i am not the most budgeted shopper. i love thrifting but i don't tend to 'strike gold' like my most savy thrift friends. the truth is, i love, love, love jcrew and small nyc boutiques. if i could afford it i would buy only from mannequins and catalogs. i can't afford this luxury so i wind up having nothing to wear when i buy nothing at all...sigh.

i asked my fellow blogger and friend from , Love, Ramsey to give me some pointers on how to budget shop and mix and match (notice her in the same blue shirt in each photo?) what i may already have. check out her awesome blog...you'll see this girl knows her clothes! 

Hiya folks!  Gina asked me to stop by for a visit and chat a bit about fashion and budgets.  I’m Ramsey and while I certainly don’t claim to be an expert on the subject, I do, in fact, get dressed and take pictures of myself every day.  So I suppose that makes me a fashion blogger.  Or a total weirdo.  You decide, just don’t hurt my feelings telling me the verdict.  Anywho, I most certainly am on a budget.  Like a nonexistent one.  Nonexistent meaning there is no moolah in it.  So here we go, my tips for getting dressed in something “new” every day without having to have that something new.

Chambray Button-up: JCPenny, Plaid Button-up: F21, Jeggings: Wal Mart, Sperry's

1.        Shop your closet.  Duh.  I know I am not the first to say this but that probably speaks to how good of a point it is.  Pull out an old loose-fitting shirt and pair it with some skinnies, a scarf and a belt around the middle.  Snag the blazer from your suit and pair it with some jeans or a different skirt {or even shorts} for a different look.  A blazer automatically ups the ante of any look.  Layer.  Ok, this is a toughy when you are a Floridian like me, but seriously, layering a sweater or shirt over a maxi dress gives you a whole new look, or layering two button-up shirts together.  You get the idea.  Finally, dress it down.  I LOVE dresses and have a multitude of special occasion ones that exceed the number of special occasions I have.  Chunk on a sweater, blazer, flats, or a scarf and wear it out for the day. Challenging yourself to never wear the same exact thing twice really increases your creativity.

2.       Shop the sales.  Great stores have great sales.  Never pay full price.  And shop at odd times, like weekdays because they tend to drop prices when no one’s there.  I scored a great, classic black dress and a versatile gray one at Gap last week for forty dollars total.  Yup, $20 for a classic, work or “play” ready Gap dress.  That was originally $70.  Convinced yet?

Button Up: JCPenny, Sweater Vest: Belk, Jeggings: Wal-Mart, Belt: F21, Boots: Madden Girl, Socks: Target



3.       Make it work on the cheap.  I would LOVE to have a huge shopping budget for J. Crew and Anthropology.  Actually, if I could only shop at J. Crew for the rest of forever, I would die happy.  But, unfortunately, you can’t pay with hugs and sunshine.  So I create the look on the cheap.  It’s a challenge, but you wouldn’t believe how many similar things you can find at stores like Forever 21.  I usually pick a few pieces that I wish I could buy and search out look-a-likes at bargain prices.  Thank you iPhone.

4.       Carry clothes ‘cross season.  Since I live in such a warm climate, there isn’t really the call for major cold weather apparel.  But layering is key because you can shed ‘em as you go.  Bonus: you can wear the layers un-layered when it gets warmer.  Neutrals are also great for cross-seasoning.  You can pair neutral tops and sweaters all layered up with jeans and boots for winter and strip them down and pair with a bright skirt and flirty heels for spring.  Basically, make your closet work for you and work hard.

Button-up: JCPenny, Skirt: F21, Tights: Am. Eagle, Shoes: Rocketdog, Belt: F21, Blazer: Thrifted, Necklace: NY and Co., Shades: Target

So I hope this was helpful to you guys.  You can definitely do it without having to buy a new outfit for every occasion.  Thank you so much Gina for inviting me!

Love,

Ramsey