Ring Ma Bell, La Jolie Grandmere

My parents were in town the other day and took me out to lunch. While at lunch the phone rang. Ordinarily, I will ignore or silence the call but I was awaiting the return of several important calls I had made earlier. I picked up my phone and when I did not immediately recognize the number, excused myself to my parents and answered the call. I apologized when I hung up after telling them who it was. I thought I was going to get to listen to a comment about my generation (my children's too, for that matter) and our disconnect (or over connect, for that matter). Manners were of huge importance in my family and I really knew better than to get that phone in ordinary circumstances. But my parents understood and a conversation about the youth and lack of respect was averted! Instead, I was told another very funny story about my grandmother.

La Jolie Grandmere, Cannes, circa 1970

My grandmother, La Jolie Grandmere, was (as you know if you are a regular reader of this blog) friends to many dignitaries, royalty, film stars, notable authors, scientist, cosmetic industry giants, just to name a few. Once I was born my grandmother traveled to the States a good bit to visit with my family. Often she would have lunch with my mother, often she would dine alone.

"Important" men would gather, dine and conduct business at their tables. If they were of real importance a telephone would be delivered to their table. This long preceded cordless phones and cell phones. To make such a phone call was quite expensive. It was almost always men who conducted such business back then.

My grandmother would always ask for a telephone to be brought to her table if she was out and dining at one of these upscale restaurants. If my mother was with her she would say "Linda, I'm trying to look terribly important. Who shall we call?" And then this terribly elegant and sophisticated woman would start to giggle. When my mother was not with her she would ring my mother up at work and quietly tell her, again with a slight giggle, that she was calling so that she could seem "terribly important!" This became a bit of a running joke between the two of them!

Even my grandmother knew not to take herself too seriously. My silliness was indeed inherited!

As a child I remember dining at a restaurant in the heart of the theater district called Ma Bells. There, there was a telephone at every table. I was fascinated!

Thursday's Thoughts...

Sometimes life seems, well, larger than life... sometimes life's obstacle's seem insurmountable... sometimes we're ready to throw in the towel even though we know that we just can't... sometimes even the smallest task seems too large an undertaking... sometimes we don't want to crawl out of bed... sometimes tears come more easily than a smile... sometimes they don't stop flowing...

We all have days like these from time to time... and when we do we should think of this marvelous quote my friend Meg sent me today. It helped the tears disappear and brought back the smile!

image via Stardust and Sequins

"Clouds came floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm,
but to add color to my sunset sky." 

Rabindranath Tagore

XOXO Jessica

‎

45 Putnam Avenue, Greenwich CT

was the site of Eddie Ross' latest Pop-up event filled with simply gorgeous and delectable antique table items.

I met up with some blogger/designer/Twitter friends to check out Eddie's delightful finds.

Hamptontoes is clearly excited about these glasses! They are magnificent though, aren't they?

I love this swan toast rack, but I envision it as a letter holder on my desk...

So many cut crystal vases, dishes, bowls of all sizes... I could find unique uses for each and every one of them!

The pink sugar rimmed flutes sat waiting patiently to be filled with Prosecco... Alas, just early afternoon I decided not to try this punch that looked equally delicious... but you know me, my motto is that "you're never fully dressed without your baubles and your bubbles!"

These little egg salad sandwiches dipped in parsley were delectable. (What? I was hungry!) I had three of them!

This would look well in my father's study in Newport...

Ordinarily I am not a fan of cut crystal, but these are elegant and yet playful.

My eyes kept roaming back to the food!

Such unique one of a kind pieces...

What a lovely sea-inspired spoon... would make a lovely hostess gift.

I wish I had taken more pictures or taken time to have gotten a picture with Eddie Ross but I was too busy chit chatting... next time!

Suddenly, I have the urge to rummage through the boxed goods in my basement to see what I can unearth!

xoxo Jessica

Design Crush...

I get to meet him and Jaithan... cannot wait!

XOXO

(Yes, of course I will return with an obscene amount of photos!)

Tomorrow...

is now today.
Just do it.

but it's cold and rainy and I've had a complete waste of time morning and now i am highly unmotivated.
so let's just say that this is Tomorrow Eve!

xoxo

Of Lilacs and Vodka

I had to dash out of the house yesterday morning to pick up something from a friend. In exchange she asked if I might have some vodka to spare. (It was 8:30, nary an alcohol store to be found open and too early to start calling around to neighbors.) But of course I did. I tend to run out of wine, not vodka. So into an old, washed out jam jar I poured more than the required amount. (I needed to allow for accidental spillage.) I wrapped my alcohol filled jar in a plastic bag and headed out the door.

I arrived at her front door with my jar in hand. and was led in to the kitchen where I retrieved what I had gone over for and noticed the KitchenAid mixer on the counter where a chocolaty batter was awaiting a final ingredient. A student of the esteemed Cordon Bleu, Ann is a fantabulous chef. The vodka, along with some Kahlua was needed in a Black Russian Cake that she was making for a fundraiser... that she would not have been able to make (properly) had I not delivered the booze.

When I arrived back home I knew that I simply had to cut my lilacs.

My lilac bushes are simply magnificent this year. Their fruity floral flavor is truly captivating. Every time I drive by them - at the bottom of the driveway, at the foot of our property - I tell myself that I simply must cut some down to bring inside the house. I keep a pair of shears in my car for such a reason actually.  Yesterday morning the sun came out and lilacs had dried out. It was the perfect opportunity and I knew that If I did not cut some soon it would surely be too late.

Have a wonderful Sunday, and if you can grab your shears or kitchen scissors and cut yourself some flowers. They'll put an instant smile on your face!

XoXo, Jessica

Well, here we are...

the world has not ended. the sun is shining and loveliest rays are shining through the now plush foliage. i have a lovely hot cup of coffee next to me. my little one is rolling around beneath the duvets. i am still here. unless this is all a dream and i'm blogging in my dreams. but i think not!

i have a great day in store. my 12 year old and i will finally get some time together. we have a lunch and mani/pedi on our agenda today! i have a few work-related phone calls to throw in there... possible new and grand, fab business idea... i'll fill you in when i can.

had yesterday really been the end of the world, i would have gone out in style! i had a wonderful workout at my gym followed by a wonderful lunch with some girlfriends who took me out (prematurely) for my birthday (which is but a couple of weeks away) and treated me to a most fabulous lunch. yes we had bubbly. and yes we had chocolate!

Chocolate decadency at it's best at Osianna Mediterranean Taverna, Fairfield, CT !
I blew the candle and made my wish(es)!

i am so glad that the world did not end... i have the best friends. Both real and "pretend"!

 Have a wonderful weekend! XOXO

Happy Friday Thoughts!

Oh what a pleasant surprise we have today... unexpected sunshine! May you too be able to close your umbrellas and put your sunglasses on... May your smile be your umbrella, your lips be glossed and your flute filled with bubbles!

image courtesy Pinterest

Image courtesy Sam Blake Photography

Image Courtesy Martha Stewart Weddings

Image courtesy diydarlings

Chin-Chin!
XOXO

Don't need any swim aids...

because I am shallow... shallow shallow shallow... shallow...

I know things do not define us... and there is so much more to life than material nonsense. (I tell my kids this everyday.) However... I really do covet... I really do love watches... I really want...

Oh bestill my beating heart... If this was on my hand I daresay time would stand still!

Have a wonderful Friday... Oh wait... It's THURSDAY! Drat... time to crawl back under my covers!

XOXO Jessica

Ladies who Lunch

Some of my girlfriends and I have this term about "ladies who lunch." Truth be told it's not really a flattering one... In our area these ladies are decked out in their jewels and fancy designer clothes, they talk (gossip) talk (gossip) and talk (gossip) all the while no one breaks out into smile and there is nary a wrinkle to be found on any of their too tight faces. I've always gravitated to girls -- I much prefer that term -- who are more like me... boisterous, fun-loving, intelligent, witty, and, most importantly, real. I'm usually at the loudest table in the restaurant. Often I am the loudest person. So I wondered what to expect when I was to meet Liz, Jane, Ridgely, and Stacy (I had already met Mindy, Cynthia and Gretchen) at the tony restaurant on the 7th Floor of Bergdorf's.

I arrived at Grand Central Station with about a half an hour to spare. I would have loved to have walked through the department store to drool  do some window shopping but my shoes had managed to tear up my toes (all ten of them) and a pit-stop at Duane Reade to pick up some J&J magical blister Band-Aids was most necessary. I met The Gracious Girl in front of the entrance and together we headed up to be greeted by The Daily Basics Editor-in-Chief Cynthia Borgart, Ridgely Brode of Ridgely's Radar and Gretchen Aubuchon. We made our way to our table and our Shopafrolic sisters Liz Lange and Jane Wagman showed up with Stacy of Quintessence. As soon as we were seated Ridgely pulled out gifts for us all, lotions, lip glosses and tights. (She heads a PR firm with clients in the fashion industry.)

Stuffy? Uptight? Stiff lipped? Quiet? Not this bunch!!! Glad to say we were indeed the loudest table on the 7th floor... perhaps in all of Manhattan? What a bunch of lovely and gracious and fun-loving girls!

(In advance, apologies for the sun glare behind everyone as alas I decided not to schlep the good camera all over town.)

Jane, Ridgely, Stacy

Jane on her purple phone! I really, really do have to have this!

Jane, Stacy, Cynthia... Tweeting and Twittering away

Liz and Gretchen

Me, they insisted... they hated my Twitter Avatar!

Ridgely's new Twitter Avatar

Goodies from Ridgely and name tags designed by Jane

I'm nosey and love to see what's in Liz's bag!

Group Shot
Coryanne (who joined us late in the game) Liz, Gretchen, me, Jane (behind me), Mindy, Stacy (behind Mindy) and Cynthia

Our favorite Shopafrolics!

After lunch everyone parted ways for a while and I needed to recharge my phone so I dashed into a nearby Starbucks and planted myself next to an outlet and started drafting up my next project. From there I headed to a bar in Grand Central Station called The Campbell Apartment Terrace where I met up with Coryanne Ettienne (Housewife Bliss), Cynthia Bogart and Maybelline Te of Snug Furniture where we enjoyed our first Mojitos of the season... and boy they were good!

I caught the 6:38 Express back home and left the city with a spring in my blistered step and a smile on my face. I got some wonderful and sage advice from so many, most especially Cynthia and Coryanne, for my next project. I cannot wait to get started!

Ladies, I love you all and can't wait to lunch again!

XOXO, Jessica

Brunch at Bergdorf's...

So excited! I'll be heading into the city later this morning for the lunch that we've been planning for well over a month. Unfortunately, the weather is not exactly cooperating... It's currently raining cats and dogs out there which makes getting around in the city pretty miserable. Cabs will all be taken. I'll pull on my polka dotted rainboots and splish splash my way over to the Upper East Side where I do plan on having either a glass of bubbly or a Bloody Mary. This you can be sure of! Another thing I am quite certain of, the girls will be my sunshine today!

XOXO Jessica

Perhaps Brimfield's most fabulous find of all!

My regular readers, and those of you who have been with me over the past couple of years know about my love and fondness and respect for my grandmother whom I refer to as La Jolie Grandmere. She was all about beauty and grace, intellect, charm, creativity, independence and living... She was my greatest inspiration and still is to this day, 8 years after her passing. For anyone who can rebound from paralysis from Polio at the tender age of 29 and survive the loss of her first husband in her 40s and still manage to see the beauty in the world around her is certainly my idol... While in her wheelchair she picked up and moved to Paris where she renovated an old brownstone to create a desirable Pied a Terre on Paris' magnificent Ile de la Cite. This magnificent transformation was photographed in Maison et Jardin. She captured the hearts of many, including famous American playwright Thornton Wilder. It is because of my grandmother - it is because she never for a moment considered herself to be handicapped... because she never for one minute stopped to doubt or to hesitate...because she knew all about living... because she truly walked (or, in her case rolled) on the sunny side of the street... that I still miss her terribly and respect her so. I think of her often, still, to this day. I often wonder what she would do if she was in my situation...and, I still turn to her for advice... There is a terrible and vast void in my heart. It is my hope and dream, as many of you know, to publish the wonderful and charming stories of her life. This is no secret.

Bettina Bachmann, @ early 1970s

Somehow, through the marvelous marketing and networking application that Twitter has become, I followed and eventually befriended the lovely Shelley Caroe aka "Wykeham Girl." Somehow, Rochester, NY must have worked its way into one of our conversations. Shelley asked me whether I had known the Durand or the Strong families. I had known the name Strong in its affiliation with the highly acclaimed hospital bearing the name, Strong Memorial Hospital. The other meant nothing to me, but I wasted not a minute and immediately sent my mother an email asking her of these families. (I had grown up on the Upper East Side, my mother in a Rochester, NY suburb.)

Both names, I was told, were established and terribly important in Rochester's history. The Durand family was responsible for bringing the railroad system into Rochester and connecting that area to the Midwest. Old society. Surely they would know La Jolie Grandmere and her family. Shelley's relatives were friends with George Eastman. So was my great-grandfather. He was George's next-door neighbor. Their lives must have crossed! Surely they must have interacted and socialized with my family!

Not long later I got a wonderful email from my mother. In it was a clipping from the local paper, a picture of  6 young women on horseback. Look closely... Can you read the captions? There they are right next together on horseback - La Jolie Grandmere (Betty Jane Hart) and Virginia Durand! Isn't it wonderful?!

A few days after sending this clipping to her, I had the absolute privilege of meeting Shelley at Brimfield in person! We hit it off immediately. She is very much like me... little in stature but huge in personality!

Below Shelley and I... she had just learned that I was there in the Benjamin Moore tent with her! Her nephew is in the background... Isn't he adorable? (The pictures could be more flattering, but alas it's all I have and I shall put my vanity aside for this!)

Shelley and I will meet up for lunch again tomorrow at Bergdorf's along with the wonderful Gretchen Aubuchon, Mindy Lockhard, Quintessence, Ridgely Brode, Liz Lange and her sister Jane Wagman... I can hardly wait!

Brimfield's kind finds - decadent eye candy

Today's journey will be a visual one... Today's journey is told through the lens of my camera and not the written word. (Oh you see, I am quite the talented one!) Please join me as we walk through the kind finds of the Brimfield Antiques show.

and we all know there is nothing cookie cutter about me ;)

my eye is drawn to groupings and collections...
I love the patterns that happen naturally within...

Such beauty in the simple and ordinary

Alexander's room is all Firehouse themed... a mix of old an new

This rocking horse Dalmation would be perfect in it!

Makes you wanna say, Oh Dear!

I just loved these old beaters...

turned into light fixtures!

Then from old to new... the lovely luxurious linens at Pandora de Balthazar!

Yes, my camera has a sense of humor too!

Well, the fabulous weekend is over... the images and memories and friendships created at Brimfield will remain with me forever... but it's time to get on the saddle again and buckle down and get to work!