3 Little Indians

Over the weekend, my friends and I took the train to Long Island to celebrate the 3rd Birthday of Levi, the son of our friends Diane & Marc. Levi is a rockstar. He is one of the most incredible and interesting little kids I've ever met, and is sure to do great things with his life (he already plays drums and puts on worship concerts in his living room). 

Diane has been planning and preparing this Pow Wow for months. All her hard work paid off, it was one of the coolest parties I've been to for a kid or an adult. Diane is a professional photographer (Spanglish Studios - I featured her as one of my "World Changers" recently), but since she also had to be hostess and mommy, I offered to take pictures for the event. 

Levi's Warrior Stance. 

Attention to detail is key to the success of a party. Skewered mini-pancakes? Come on!

How precious are these teepee ice cream cones?? Sitting pretty just waiting to be filled!

The adults feasted on a variety of french toast casseroles, quiche, and handmade pastries with dried fruit. There was also skewered bacon and fruit.

Natalie made us incredible headdresses to wear for the party...we had to support the theme! 

It was also necessary to put on our war paint to really set the mood.  

Diane said this teepee was a labor of love. It sure looked cute though, and the kids (and some adults) loved playing in it. 

Each child went home with a precious individualized coloring book and wooden pencil. She had them laying out on a little craft cart that the kids were able to pull activities from throughout the party. 

At this point Marc was telling a really great story. Diane wanted to make sure I captured it. :)

Me, the birthday boy, and my gorgeous friends. 

I learned that Diane sewed the pieces of colorful card stock together in order to create theme appropriate garland. Now that's love for a child people! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEVI!

Cake and ice cream for all. The kids were silent once the sweets were served. 

This family is a wonderful. They love each other well and do the same for the people in their life. So happy I could spend the day with them celebrating Levi. 

Peace out from the 3 Little Indians. 

d.eileen

Gifts of Love

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to do a blog about Valentine's Day Gifts. I've divided the gifts into 5 relationship type categories. I hope it spurs your imagination and inspires some loving ideas!

For the Frans in your life...

For the single ladies out there, I've always hated when people turn Valentine's Day into "Singles Awareness Day". LADIES...why do we do this to ourselves?! This only ends up drawing more attention to the fact that you are dateless on Valentine's...stop it! I try to come from the mindset that Valentine's Day is a celebration of the love in your life. Love does not just come from a boyfriend; friends are an amazing source of love and encouragement. Try your best to celebrate Valentine's Day with joy each year with or without a boyfriend, be grateful for the people around you.

That said, men and women, celebrate your friends! It isn't necessary to go all out, but everyone likes to feel remembered. My friend Lindsay is making custom cards for her friends this year. We actually had dinner and crafted some sweet notes to mail to people this week. It is a cheap and easy way to let those you are closest to know you care.

Pinterest has lots of great ideas, here are some I found! 

Sister Sister...

I have a younger sister. We usually don't exchange gifts at Valentine's Day, but this post got me thinking about what I would buy her if we decided to. Mer suggested a Birchbox.

A Birchbox is always a great gift! What girl doesn't love beauty products? The cool thing about Birchbox is it exposes you to things you might have never tried. They send samples and a few full sized beauty products once a month to your home. They also have a version for men which isn't a bad idea for the gentleman in your life. 

Will you go out with me? Can I have your number?

If you're in a dating relationship, or the "getting to know you" phase, you don't want to place too much emphasis on Valentine's Day. For some, it is a holiday that comes with a lot of pressure and baggage. My suggestion is don't do anything out of the ordinary. Go to dinner, have a laugh, see a movie, maybe even spring for some flowers.

Boyfriend/Girlfriend...i like you...a lot.

Now this is when you can get a little creative. At this stage of a relationship your expression of love on Valentine's Day is purely based off of each others personality. I'm trusting that you know the person you are dating and what they enjoy. Surprise flowers at work, tickets to a show, manicure and pedicure gift card, a fun day trip, a piece of clothing or an accessory your significant other has been lusting after are all excellent ideas.

If I currently had a boyfriend, I would want him to consider these items as gifts :)

My current obsession. Rose Gold Licorice Heels from Kate Spade.

BaubleBar is a great place to find affordable jewelry that is still fabulous.

Here are few pieces I'm lusting after. It was so hard to narrow it down.

Photos c/o BaubleBar - Pave Links Bracelet / Laquer Palm Drops / Tic Tac Drop Earrings

Here are some easy day getaways from NYC.

Visit a few wineries on the North or South Fork of Long Island. You can take the train, rent a car, or spring for a car service. Here are two of my favorites out in the Hamptons!

Channing Daughters Winery

Wolffer Estates Vineyard

Another great day gateway is Beacon, NY. The Metro-North can take you to so many wonderful quaint towns along the Hudson River. Pick one and have an adventure! 

Married...in it to win it. 

I think sometimes married people forget about Valentine's Day. They have been together for so long, the normalcy of life may have dimmed the passion flame. Use the Valentine's holiday to ignite it once again, remind each other of why you really love your life partner. I think you can be more sentimental when you are married...hand written notes, weekend getaways, sentimental jewelry pieces, his and hers massages. I love the idea of a man buying his wife a full glamorous head to toe outfit and then taking her to a show and dinner.

Gift or no gifts this Valentine's Day, I hope you all are able to spend it with people that you love. 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. John 15:13

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. Mark 12:30-31

Love & Blessings

d. eileen

The World is Your Oyster

Saturday. It got a little warmer Saturday.

With no real plans, I put on my stompin' boots and set out with Mer in search of a good Oyster Happy Hour. We love a deal, especially when it comes to good food and drinks. I was craving Oysters (it is Oyster season by the way) and the wonderful thing about NYC is there are a TON of amazing places to get fresh Oysters. 

I have a few favorite places to go for Oyster deals. The first is in Williamsburg at Miller's Tavern. They have $1 Oysters EVERYDAY from 4pm-midnight. 

The issue I run into with happy hours is they are usually only on weeknights - that can be tough to get to for a working girl. Maison Premiere, for example, has $1 Oysters, but only on Mon-Fri from 4-7pm. If you can make it, GO! It is one of the best places for Oysters in NYC. Maison Premiere is a New Orleans inspired Oyster House with over 30 different types of Oysters to try. 

My other favorite Oyster spot is Fish in the West Village. This place is always packed and has a very casual feel, but you can get a half-dozen oyster and a glass of wine or PBR for $8!

(Boots: Vince Camuto / Jeans: Loft / Necklace: JCrew / Jacket: Oasis / Bag: Michael Kors)

Brooklyn was a bit too far for us to venture this Saturday, and we didn't want to deal with the crowds at Fish, so our Oyster search took us to Soho. 

We took a gamble and stopped in at a place called Plan B (sort of a funny name). 

Plan B is a Spanish tapas style restaurant. A few friends ate there a couple weeks back and said the food was very good. They have a happy hour with $1 Oysters and variety of Spanish wines, so I was sold. 

I had a little trouble finding a white wine I liked, and they were out of Rose (which I prefer to drink with Oysters). After tasting every wine on the menu (don't drink it if you don't like it), I ended up going with a Picapoll from Catalonia, Spain. The bartender explained it as a Spanish wine with a French feel because the grape is French. It paired well with the Oysters and I ended up really enjoying it. 

The oysters were incredible. They were meaty and salty, Blue Points from Long Island. 

Once we finished we were ready to move on. We had every intention to visit another Oyster place (The Ten Bells), but my belly was craving a bit more food. After much contemplation and a pit stop at Inborn Tattoo to say hi to some friends, we settled on the Grey Lady. This LES spot has a Nantucket-inspired menu with a sophisticated feel. The menu is not very large, but the variety is. I hear the Lobster Roll is massive and absolutely delicious.

Mer opted for the Chicken Caesar Salad which had whole anchovies on top.   

I decided on the Tuna Burger. They cooked it perfectly, medium rare, and the burger was flavorful but not fishy. It was complimented by a yummy Hoisin based dipping sauce. 

If you love Oyster as much as me, the Oyster Happy Hour website is a great resource for places to go. 

Also, if you are looking to get a tattoo Jon Boy at Inborn Tattoo is the best in the business. He did my last tattoo and most of my friends'. 

The World is Your Oyster.

d.eileen