Friday, July 11, 2014

Girl Friday

We are off to Michigan (Hamptons of the mid west) again.  There is nothing like spending time at the beach to recharge your batteries.  


Just a few of my favorites
La plage in Paris


 Kapalua, HI



Seaside, FL





Holland , MI



and what I already know I will love when I visit here in October
Papagayo, CR



Life's a beach!!

Monday, July 7, 2014

Ladies Who Lunch

We are big foodies over here, I would eat out every meal if money and weight were no object.  Lisa Vanderpump makes owning a restaurant look so glamourous but the reality is that you would probably spend every night and weekend at your place, which would really effect my social life, not sure I am cut out for that.

So what's a girl to do if she wants a restaurant but still wants her nights for herself....

Open a restaurant that closes for the day when lunch is over (brilliant)  Am I really going to open a lunch spot, no.  I will, however be more than willing to sample these types of restaurants that seem to be popping up


The Woman's Exchange
This tea room is a STL classic, it has been around for years and years.  I average at this restaurant about once a month and have been doing that for 10 years, in the 10 years I have maybe seen 1 man dining.  This place is all about the ladies.  The 2 best things about this place...


the salad

and the coveted Cherry Dress that is sold in the little shop at the front of the restaurant



The Nest
if you are going to lunch with your kids, this is the new place to go



Everything they serve is fresh, organic and healthy


and cute

and while you are noshing and checking your emails your kids are happy and well contained



Half and Half
One of my favorite lunch spots sans kids.  last year the guys that own this place decided to do pop up restaurants at night.  Every couple months they had a different theme (mexican, farm to table) and it was brilliant and wildly popular.  The problem, they no longer had their nights free so they went back to just lunch.  I totally understand guys.




Death in the Afternoon
I am actually trying this new lunch only spot today, it opened a couple weeks ago and all I keep hearing is how amazing this place is.  
This restaurant is a spin off of the "members only" restaurant Blood and Sand.  These guys are brilliant, you pay a monthly membership fee otherwise you are not eating here.  Its totally worth the fee for the truffled tator tots alone, trust me.  Anyway their new baby Death in the Afternoon is the place to eat downtown, as of now anyone can dine here but if it is as popular as its big brother, that might change real soon.


Those Parisians are onto something lunch begins at 11am ends about 2pm then a little cat nap!!


Thursday, July 3, 2014

Laid Back

Summer is all about forgetting schedules and flying by the seat of our pants, that is exactly what we have been up to.

We have been to the Hamptons of the Midwest aka Lake Michigan...




We tootled over to Chicago to see our girl Heather....

and a few other places



We hosted a baptism party weekend in our home for our niece...



and we took a quick jaunt down to Silver Dollar City..



Now we have 8 days in our city until we take off again for the Hamptons (Lake Michigan)


pack, unpack, laundry, repeat