Tag Archives: HGTV

Remove brain and relax.

Now I am a sucker for reality t.v. – all the Housewives franchises and anything else that is on Bravo, I love HGTV and of course now I am hooked on American Idol again.  Gosh writing that sentence felt like part of a rehab program – I’m cringing reading it back!  Last night American Idol had their last episode covering the first round of auditions – normally the most excruciating to watch, as I hate it when they show the crappy singers for the purposes of ‘good t.v.’ – but you know what – I think I ‘appreciate’ Steven Tyler a little more each time I see him – that’s so wrong isn’t it?  It has to be said that on a Thursday evening (my ‘Friday’) there is nothing more relaxing than curling up on the sofa with Tennyson, one of our boxers, sipping a glass of vino, removing my brain and watching American Idol.

Tennyson

Tennyson, my love bug.

Friday is the first day of my weekend.  I must say if I were President (not feasible – and not only because I wasn’t born here) I would make a 4 day week mandatory.  Probably not great for the deficit or GDP – but it would be great for morale.  Working that 1 day less a week has had a huge impact on my personal happiness.  Oh, I should mention that school would absolutely remain a 5 day week – otherwise my 4 day week might not be so great!  These days my Fridays are spent procrastinating a little longer with Matt Lauer and my coffee, indulging in a long shower and taking my time deciding what to wear, then I normally run some fun errands around town like Target and Trade Joe’s, followed by a long lunch.  Even after the school bus has arrived I manage to fit in a nice short workout while my daughter does swim team.  When spring and summer come around I like to skip the errands and head off on my bike for a good ride while everyone else is off the roads and I can’t wait to get in the saddle more often again.  Mondays to Thursdays allow me to use my intellect and enjoy adult company in the office, then my ‘free’ Fridays provide some ‘me’ time, ultimately meaning that I enjoy the ‘family’ time more at the weekend.  I feel very fortunate – and sane most of the time thanks to this schedule.

So today, before heading to Trader Joe’s to sort out some food for Superbowl Sunday, I picked out my Boden straightleg wool capris, a fairly old but hardly worn Marks & Spencer Per Una pink sweater, last year’s Boden cropped washed leather jacket, Tory Burch black patent Eddies and a necklace from H&M.  Even though it is my ‘day off’ I still like to make a bit of an effort every time I head out of the house.  The wool capris keep popping back into stock in the clearance and I think they are well worth the $38.  They fit a little higher in the rise than I would ideally like but I find them very comfortable and flattering.

Boden straightleg wool crops, Per Una sweater, Boden leather jacket, Tory Burch Eddies

This week has been busy at work for both of us so tonight MM and I are having a lovely home cooked Thai curry.  I love Friday evenings when we can just put some music on, enjoy a glass of wine and cook together.  Let’s hope the children cooperate!

Be good to your customers.

I was thrilled to head home with a new pair of jeans yesterday!  I had bought a pair of Hudson Collins last April and while wearing them over Christmas I bent down and the knee completely split!  After 8 months of infrequent wear I certainly didn’t expect that for an almost $200 pair of jeans.  So being the Social Media addict that I am I left a note on their Facebook page and was directed to email their customer services.  After returning the damaged pair they sent me a completely brand new pair of jeans – isn’t that brilliant?!  It just goes to show it is always worth asking and not just accepting.  I have found more and more brands and companies are responding to customer issues via social media before any bad news travels virally.  As great as social media can be for a brand it can also kill it in an instant if you are not seen to respond to a customer appropriately.  This article clearly demonstrates the damage that can be done:)  Also doing the rounds yesterday on Facebook was this fab story regarding Sainsbury‘s response to a young customer.  As a side note, if you are also a Hudson fan, I just received and email today about their 30% off end of season sale.

The meeting with our contractor went well – first check signed and handed over – yikes!  Now the design for our new master bathroom begins.  I think I might start an ‘inspiration board’ and take a look at Pinterest for some ideas…I can’t wait to see the final design that will include my lovely soaking tub.  I’ve also subscribed to all the home magazines like HGTV and Dwell – I can see this becoming another thing to obsess about.  In addition to the bathroom all our hardwoods are being refinished and stained, and the floors in the couple of rooms that are still carpeted are being replaced with hardwoods – I can’t even bear to think about the mess and dust that this project will create – the finished product should be worth it though!

My choice of clothes today was influenced by a) the forecast of rain all day and b) a play date for the kids today – we’ve got 3 boys coming round so no doubt I will be scrambling around on the floor a lot picking things up and looking for objects.  The Clifton tunic was another clearance purchase from Boden – I actually ordered all three colors but far preferred the navy so returned the heather and pine.  Unfortunately it is now sold out so no link.  I like the fact it is a layering piece and it looks great over a patterned or plain tank.  The leggings are also Boden – the best quality leggings I have ever bought, and inside my Frye Harness boots I actually also have on my Boden stripy socks.  The necklace is an old J Crew Outlet one that I have wrapped twice around my neck.  I selected my little Tiffany Elsa Peretti diamond earrings as I don’t like wearing bigger earrings with a necklace.  It’s interesting how writing this blog has challenged me to look at my decision making criteria!  The second image shows me in the JohnnieB leather biker jacket that was one of the first items I bought when the AW 2011 season went live.

Clifton tunic, grey leggings, Frye Harness bootsClifton tunic, grey leggings, Frye Harness boots, JohnnieB jacket

So I’m now off to buy treats and paints etc…for the kids to enjoy this rainy afternoon – wish me luck for the play date:)