This is where I get to say anything I feel like saying and you get to agree with me.
We will also share stories and chocolate if you have any.
Naps are also encouraged, if shopping is out of the question.

Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy 2011

Wishing you a Bright and Happy New Year !

Thursday, December 23, 2010

A Christmas Mood

This is where I would like to be right now. With a big wreath on the door , candles shining from the windows, a monster big tree in the living room and the house full of the scents of baking.
Having snow on the ground, children home or family expected for the holidays, all are such great Christmas mood makers. Just cold weather is nice.


Instead ... I am sitting in a darkened room with the air conditioning going full blast.

I love this Painting .. I hope you enjoy it too.
I hope your Holidays are Merry and Bright and Happy, be Happy !

See you in the New Year !

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The "Paris of South America"


That is what they call my new hometown.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

I Miss Paris

I miss Paris. It has been too long since we were there. I am afraid something has changed while I was gone.
This is the view from the apartment we rented on our last trip. We were down the street from the Eiffel Tower. Why am I not living down the street from the Eiffel Tower?
This is also the view from the apartment. Why is that not my view now?
D'Orsay Museum. My favorite. I think I need to go there soon.
I love the sculptures.


Amazing, aren't they ?And Pere LaChaise Cemetery. I should go back there too.
Yes, I think it is time to shake off the relaxed feeling of not having to pack and travel, not having to worry about Airport security and flying, time to plan a trip. I think my husband might be worried though, the last 2 trips we took, we ended up moving and living in those cities. .. but Paris ? what is there to worry about ?

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Christmas Shopping



Off we go to do some Christmas Shopping!
The fun part is that we shop together but we are buying gifts for each other.
Why make it easy?
Ho Ho Ho, Happy Holidays ... from a Warm and Sunny Buenos Aires.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Pup's new Hero


This is Treo. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in Great Britain, for Bravery.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

A Summers Night

While the apartment will be lightened up with less "stuff" on tables etc and the colors will be lighter, I want the bedrooms to go pale also. While still soft and cozy, I want them light and airy. This is my inspiration for the bedrooms.



images 1st Option

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

a White Holiday

Summer is here, air conditioners are running. I am thinking along the lines of White rooms .. this one is very appealing, very Zen.






It would take little work to get my rooms to look close to this .. white covers on the sofa, no rugs on shiny wood floors and I have the walls and high ceilings and french doors.. I even have the chandeliers !
Yes, must get busy, I have to go Whiten my Living room. And find a Tree ! and buy Presents !
My holidays will be White after all ..

images Lifestyle Image Library, 1st Option

Monday, December 6, 2010

When the wind blows

Rock a bye baby in the treetops, when the wind blows .......

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Street Style or What to Wear

Buenos Aires Street Style is this great website where they take photos of people in the street and post them so I can see What other people are wearing and wonder Where can I get That, Why do I never see That in the stores and Why is that man wearing that Purple Thing?
Scott from the Sartorialist was here with his beautiful wife Garance and it makes sense that Their photos are on the website .. I mean, have you seen the blog ?? Go look, it is perfect for someone ( like me) who needs to be helped along some days with What to Wear ! But this is a little offering to you so you can see what might be seen in the street, here in Buenos Aires. ( No, I have never seen anyone wearing a purple thing like that .. my dog might attack it.)



images http://www.onthecorner.com.ar/


Thursday, December 2, 2010

My hair is Hot

No, not in , wow, look at that hair, it's hot ! or wow, she is hot ... but in the sense of my hair is long and hot on my neck and there are times I just don't want to wear a ponytail or pile it up on top of my head and why do the girls all look cool as cucumbers and I am hot and sweaty under all that hair !
Long hair is the style here . Even the President has long hair .Older women wear their hair to their shoulders or longer. Some wear it very long but always up . My neighbor sometimes goes out with her beautiful outfits and her long dark hair with a white streak in it, pulled back into a low pony tail. She is so perfectly elegant and pulled together.
My hair was longer. I thought it was too much so had a few inches cut. Now my ponytail is not as long and impressive ( to me anyway) so I am waiting for it to grow longer.

When your hair is long, your clothing and your hair have to work together.
No big necklaces, turtlenecks or scarves and long hair hanging down .. too much going on there !
I admit I love the feel of my hair on my back and shoulders when I am wearing a little summer thing and there is more skin uncovered.
But then there is the Other side to long hair.
It takes longer to blow dry
You are hot and sweaty by the time you are finished. It gets hot on your neck and ends up in a ponytail anyway. You start looking at magazines and wondering how you would look in a Pixie hair cut.
But I guess I love my hair .. I will suffer with it .

I see me, years from now, an old white haired woman, with a ponytail.. it might work.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

"Nobody Cares" ... She is my hero.

I found a new blog. I love it. I read this on the first page and knew, this person is my kinda gal.

Nobody Cares
If you're over 40 and you feel you have an important message to impart to the world. DO NOT do it on a T-shirt.
You're an adult and even if you've found the world's greatest support bra, your chest is not a billboard.
It's simple: You have something to say; say it -- or write it or e-mail it.

How can you not love this blogger?


Sunday, November 28, 2010

Making up for Winter ... Part I

Had a very busy day, I am sure you will understand why I can't blog tonight.
We listened to music, went to the park , took photos, walked in the park, sat in the park and came home for a nice dinner.
Now we are listening to music and I must hurry back.
Early summer days are like this , you feel the need to make up for all those winter days that you were inside.
Chau for now ~

Friday, November 26, 2010

Dear Diary, I am Feeling a Bit ... how should I put it ?


Cranky. Yes, there is no other word that is appealing to me right now, Cranky will do.
Bitchy might come into play later and I have no doubt that there will be some Fuming and Grumbling going on but for now, we are just going to indulge in our Cranky side.
Why not ?
I am an adult ! I can do what I want ! If I feel like being Cranky, who says I can't ? ha ! I knew it .. no one can tell me what to do ...

My clothes don't fit.
Summer hit after a too short Spring and it is mucho calor and I am not happy about that.
It isn't the calor so much as the humidity. Humidad ? whatever... steamy and hot is not my Thing... unless we are talking about movies, good lookin' men and perhaps someones feelings towards oneself ... then it works.
But walking out the door into a hot steam-bath, isn't working for me today.

I couldn't find anything to wear.
Everything is Old, Out of style, Too big.
Who knew I would shrink when I moved away from the US?

I have to go now, Someone might want to do something other than hiding in a room , while the housekeeper whistles that mindless tuneless extremely annoying sound .. while she coughs ?? and scares the dog out of his wits with the vacuum.
But we love her. . she cleans our house and we don't have to .. so we love her.
She actually acts as if she loves us too .. I know she loves Pup, who wouldn't ??

OK... I feel no better sharing my Crankiness so I am off to share it with strangers in the street.

Later I will let you know if it made me feel better , if everyone else got Cranky too or if I was told to go home and don't come out til you can be nice.


Thursday, November 25, 2010

A Whiter shade of Pale


Could you live in a home where the main color ... of Everything ... is white?
After this photo was taken, the pillow was removed .. there is Nothing on the coffee table now.
Would you be able to only live with 4 dishes and no stove or oven? Only a microwave and George Forman Grill?
I like the idea, I like the clean look but after maybe a week, I think colors would just naturally creep in .. don't you? Who wants to live in a petrie dish ? Who wants to have to remember Not to get it in color !! only White !
This article in the New York Times spoke in an admiring way of how this woman lives.
I think she lives in a cold and empty environment and spends more time making sure everything is white than she does in just enjoying having a nice home.
Maybe I am just reminded of hospital rooms and laboratories .. I like my warm yellow walls and my splashes of red toile and the Oriental rug that has all those warm and alive colors. I like my Pup, he comes in Brown.
This person even has a white dog.
I think that says it all.
What do you think?

Thank you to the New York Times for my morning inspiration !

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

My Cooking Days Are Coming to an End !

We took a walk yesterday and bought a beautiful piece of Salmon , I wanted to roast it with Hoisin sauce, which makes such a delicious dish with barely any work at all. If you call smearing some Hoisin on a filet and squirting some lime juice on it Work.
But still, it is hot. Summer is here. The Cooking around here is coming to an end until Fall. ( April/May)
So tonight we had the salmon with Potato salad and The Husband picked up some ice cream for dessert.
(I am also back on antibiotics for the cough/throat thing so ice cream is practically medicine!)
So here is how I make my Hoisin Sauce Salmon and I hope you try it and tell me if you enjoyed it. If you hated it, don't tell me, I will feel awful.
Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who live in the US !



Roast Salmon w/ Hoisin Sauce

1 lb filet of Salmon
Half of a lime
1 tablespoon of Hoisin sauce
Salt Pepper
Sesame oil

Preheat oven to 350ºF

Squeeze some lime juice into bottom of baking dish.
Add a few drops of Sesame oil.. smear it around.

Put Salmon filet into oven proof baking dish.

Sprinkle a little salt, a little pepper and lime juice on top.
Spread the Tablespoon of Hoisin sauce over the filet.
Toss on some capers if you like them .. we do .

Cover dish with foil, roast for half an hour or more according to thickness of the filet.
After it looks pretty much done, take the foil off and let the top brown, I just put the oven on Broil for that..maybe 3-5 minutes will do it.



Monday, November 22, 2010

Penne with Zucchini

Yes, sometimes I do cook.

1 lb penne
3-4 large peeled zucchini - thin slices or diced
3 cloves garlic - diced
1 small red onion - diced
heavy cream
olive oil
butter
grated Parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper

*Boil penne in a large pot of water.
( I have been known to throw a bouillon cube into the water so there is a slight , very slight flavor or saltiness to the plain pasta)
*In a large skillet, saute garlic in oil
*Add red onion
*When onion and garlic are softened,add a touch ( your taste) of cream
*Add zucchini.
*Add some butter, raise heat and stir while zucchini cooks, getting a bit of browness to it.
*Drain pasta, add to skillet with vegetables. Blend thoroughly.

*Add salt, pepper to taste.
*Serve with generous amounts of parmesan cheese





Sunday, November 21, 2010

Best laid plans

It was hot and humid today.
I was not happy. I had all of these Plans !
It dampened all my enthusiasm to go to Palermo and hang out, cafe sitting, Margarita drinking, window licking, perhaps even some shopping !
All I wanted to do was to hide here with the air conditioning.
So in that case, it was a good day. I stayed home ( after a small sojourn to the park with Pup) and dallied on the computer, fiddled with my recipe books, messed about in the kitchen and basically, became a lump of contentment. Pup too.
We are waiting for the pizza to be delivered and then we will take Pup and go for a walk, in the dark , for ice cream.
Tomorrow is a holiday .. hmmm, are the shops open?



Friday, November 19, 2010

Summer clothes

We went to the movies today. Harry Potter. Excellent.
The cinema is in a very nice posh mall called Patio Bullrich. I love Patio Bullrich.
It is summer now. It is very warm and today was humid, felt like an August day back in the US.
I had a lot of trouble deciding What to Wear. This has been happening to me a lot lately. I never know what to wear.
And if I think of something, I don't have it. I have to go find it.
Which leads to the problem of where is the store I need and why don't they have it ?
My shopping here tends to be to go to all the stores and just be open to buying whatever looks good and fits, regardless of if I need it or will have any occasion to wear it.
I wore my new shoes today. They were pretty comfortable. It was just the rest of the clothes that were a problem.
I need more summer clothes. New ones.
I need clothes to wear to shop for clothes. And more shoes would be nice too.


to be continued



Thursday, November 18, 2010

Tango and more Tango

Real Tango


Our friends brought us to this place once. They are in that huge painting on the wall, a painting of all the people who are regulars at this Milonga...

this is from the Carlos Suara film, Tango

I love Gotan Project ... Mi amor !
and again

Monday, November 15, 2010

Dreaming - Italy

My very good friend back in the US, is going to Italy for her birthday. She is going to Rome and hopes to see Venice. I always wanted to see Florence the most and of course, Venice. After all, Venice has this air about it that makes you wonder, will it always be here ? I feel I must see it before it goes. I bet people thought the same thing in the 1800's !

I used to celebrate my birthdays and anniversaries in Paris or London. Paris is the best place Ever to celebrate a birthday. The entire city is one big birthday present. Every thing you eat is special, whatever you buy is special and you can walk around just oohing and aahhing over the beauty of Everything all day and night. So now my friend will do this in Italy.
Which has only served to give me the need to see Italy too .. we just had our anniversary, do I need to wait until my birthday in March ? Hmmm... this requires some thought, some planning ... and lots of dreaming...

Saturday, November 13, 2010

What is Chic ?


To paraphrase ...


What is Chic?
Chic refuses to bow down and worship fashion ..
What is Chic may be fashionable, but what is fashionable cannot be Chic.
Anyone can Wear and Do what is Fashionable .. it isn't fashionable unless a lot of people are wearing it or doing it.. and then ... it becomes Common.
Chic cannot be Common.
You cannot copy it, you cannot put it together...
If you are told that This or That is not Fashionable, and you are able to reply, "No, but it is Chic ", you have won the day.
Fashion is constantly trying to catch Chic, but Chic won't be caught.
The Bloated Blind Monarchy of Fashion is tottering ... Chic is the revolution.

The New York Times
October , 1877

I just stumbled upon this and found it to be just fantastic !
I had no idea at first how old it was , I have no idea who actually wrote it.
But after years of living in and around the world of Fashion, having been exposed to to all sorts of Fashion and now being able to browse blogs where chic and fashion are interchangeable ... this just hit the spot !
Chic is not for everyone, I think. But that is OK too.. for now .. who knows, there may come another Revolution !


1877

1977


2007


Friday, November 12, 2010

Thanksgiving Dinner in Argentina

Well, I think I have figured out Dessert.
Dinner might be something like Chicken and a Salad. By the end of November, it is early Summer here.
I am not roasting any chickens. I might buy one already roasted and my husband can make his killer mashed potatoes. But I will make dessert, it is the least I can do. Especially when there is chocolate involved.
The Above Dessert is Chocolate-Pumpkin Bread Pudding from the New York Times. .. if you still haven't thought of a good Thanksgiving dessert ~

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Where Have All the Deer Gone?

Is it just me or am I noticing an increase in the use of Antlers in home design lately?
I mean, using dead animal horns might have a certain appeal but I am beginning to worry about the deer. Are there any left ? or are they all just bald now ?





images , Alex Mcarthur, Victorial Realist , Canadian Home, From the Right Bank, My home ideas

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Summer dreams

San Jose Ignacio, Uruguay
images courtesy NewYorkTimes

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Why ?

Will someone please explain to me WHY I cannot fly to Rome to shop today?
TL180
Mine is the black one, there are plenty more left for you.