Entre Nous.

Santa Baby,

Part of an ongoing peek at my Christmas wish list. Another themed post.

No. 1 Yeah Dave's Guide to Livin' the Moment: Getting to Ecstasy Through Wine, Chocolate and Your iPod Playlist by David Romanelli. Romanelli, a Yahoo! blogger and co-founder of a "progressive" Phoenix, Ariz. yoga studio, shares his Zen approach to happiness in this guide to the care and feeding of a live-the-moment lifestyle: "Everyday, if you can enjoy one delicious moment...you will soon recognize a meaningful life is no further away than a box of chocolates... your walk to work, and a little... laughter."

 

No. 2 Restoring a House in the City by Ingrid Abramovitch. What do a fashion mogul, a Williams-Sonoma executive, a museum curator, and a design-savvy actress have in common? Good taste, of course, but more than that: a shared passion to "bring back," to carefully restore and artfully embellish, their houses. They are among the twenty-one real-life renovations featured in this essential resource—from stately town houses to brownstone fixer-uppers—to give the true experience of creating an urban oasis on any street.

   

No. 3 The Marchesa Casati: Portraits of a Muse by Scot D Ryersson. 'The story of the Marchesa Luisa Casati's life resembles a fable for our times. Ryersson and Yaccarino present a compelling collection of images to tell the story of Italy's richest heiress at turn of the last century, whose married aristocratic life and progeny were cast aside to indulge in a dramatically theatrical existence...She emerges a heroine, living the fantasy, all the way to the end.' Glass Magazine

   

No. 4 You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas by Augusten Burroughs. 'Burroughs is a natural storyteller... as brilliantly witty, waspish and self-deprecating as ever.' Daily Mail

 

No. 5 Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter by Lisa Patton. I could just eat this cover up. A pink knit scarf, snow, AND a peach? Talk about right up my alley. 'This sassy, lighthearted romp twists and turns toward a conclusion that is not at all foregone, but is immensely satisfying. Dixie chicks and damn Yankees alike will enjoy seeing the world through Leelee's eyes.' Kirkus Reviews

 

Happy Holly Days

I don't have any trouble getting into the "holiday spirit". In fact, I typically have to restrain myself from getting too excited about the season too early, like say October. I find the first element necessary to really set the holiday mood, is the music. This year I waited until it was precisely November 1st before breaking out my stash of Christmas music. Every year I buy a few more Christmas CDs to add to the collection. After perusing the new offerings, (Bob Dylan? No, thank you), I decided to just stick with my trusted Starbucks Holiday compilation. I will admit to attempting to coerce a Starbucks employee into selling me a CD a day early, they were released on November 17th. But I was informed that even though the CDs were in their possession on the 16th, they weren't allowed to sell them before the 17th. Talk about ba-humbug. Oh well, it was worth the wait. The CD, Making Merry, has been playing on a loop since it came into my possession.

 

After the music the next step is to fill ones home with the scents of the season. My two go to holiday candles this year are Diptyque's Pomander and Agraria's Bitter Orange. Neither are "holiday" scents per se, but both evoke the season to me.

 

Then there's the local holiday activities. Tonight is the start of Holly Days on Broughton St.. Picture Savannah's own winter wonderland. It starts tonight with outdoor ice skating, wine tasting, and shopping under the stars. Tomorrow is all about the snow they're filling Reynolds Square with. Cookies and milk with Santa. A Christmas carol sing along. Not to mention the holiday movies (It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story) by day at the Lucas Theatre, then the holiday movies (How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Elf) by night outside on the wall of Il Pasticcio. Next is the lighting of the tree ceremony. Then the finale to the day is the holiday boat parade. The parade features twinkling yachts and sailboats, navigating up the Savannah River and along historic River Street. It's just all too much. I can't wait!

Catholic Corn

My friends here in Savannah whom I've spent the last couple of Thanksgivings with make the most decadent of side dishes, something they refer to as "Catholic Corn". I'm not sure where the name originated. I suspect that one feels the need to go to confession once you taste this dish. It's that sinful. But more than likely the name stems from some inside joke. It's the simplest of dishes to make and the most rich, but without out fail it's the first to go.  It's one of those midwestern/southern dishes that you probably couldn't get away with on the west coast.

Ingredients

• 12oz of frozen white corn
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 (8oz) package of cream cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine the corn, butter and the cream cheese in a medium sized saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Serve hot. Or cook in a crock pot for 4 hours.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lost + Found

I wondered what had become of Rita Konig after the demise of Domino. She had a plum job writing the city shopping guides for the magazine and had her "Girl About Town" blog on the Domino website. I actually met her almost a year ago when she was doing an article about Savannah and she came into the store I worked as a buyer for. I stumbled across Rita's new 9 to 5, just this morning. She's writing for The New York Times Style Magazine blog The Moment. Good times are here again!

Santa Baby,

Part of an ongoing peek at my Christmas wish list. Clearly this list has a theme.

No. 1 A peacock feather preening pen from Anthropologie. "A proud peacock feather flaunts its beauty as you write love notes, shopping lists and novellas."

 

No. 2 Engraved peacock notecards from Cane & Co. "For personal correspondence that will really get their attention. This note features an intricate engraving of a stunning peacock plume."

No. 3 A peacock print sandpiper dress by Lilly Pulitzer. "A lush peacock print cascades across the front of this fine silk twill style."

 

No. 4  A peacock pattern sleeve by Kaarskoker. "True Peacock, well, vous êtes très bohème. Each kaarskoker sleeve is fully saturated with color. The matte finish gives the candle sleeve a nice hand, which adds to its refinement."

 

No. 5  A pair of peacock feather earrings from ModCloth. "Peacocks are beautiful and unique - why not invite the comparison? A classic wardrobe staple for the current fashion savvy."