Nice Article About Toronto

Who knew we were so much fun? Glad the Rebel House got a shout out, but now I am craving those spinach cheese pennies they make. Mmmmm!

Cookies

Made some cookies for a wedding shower we had for a friend at work. I was inspired by Mango and I thank her for the pictures she posted on her blog. Got the same cookie cutter at St. Lawrence Market- wedding cake with a heart on top.



Used thick royal icing to outline the cake shape.



Flooded the cookies with thinner icing- used a squeeze bottle, which made it really easy.



Here's where the student could not equal the teacher- the icing I made for the decorative piping was too thin, but I did what I could. At this point, I'm not even sure they look like wedding cakes. The BF said they looked like the Capitol Building in Washington but with a heart on top. I called him an idiot, and got back to piping :)

The final cookies. Actually, I think this cookie cutter could be used to make some pretty nice Stanley Cup cookies!

French Dressing

Yes, I have an opinion about Michelle Obama's and Carla Bruni's wardrobes.
Now, I love Michelle Obama- she is an excellent role model for young women (and men!). She is so much more than her sartorial choices that I have a hard time getting excited one way or another over her clothes.
Michelle Obama grew up in a lower middle class home, worked hard, and graduated from Princeton and Harvard. Her brother is a Princeton-alum former bond trader who gave up banking to follow his passion and become a basketball coach at Oregon State. Her husband you may have heard of as well. What I'm saying is that Michelle Obama is clearly not a woman who spends hours perusing Vogue and sitting at the front row at Fashion Week, and that's more than fine.
Carla Bruni, on the other hand, has led a very fashionable life. Born an heiress, modeled for years, and had all the rock stars she wanted. She's actually a talented musician as well. As the First Lady of France, we can all enjoy her towering over Nicolas Sarkozy (even in flats.)

The G 20 fashion face-off between these two extraordinary women was highly anticipated, for whatever reason. I guess we all need a distraction from the imploding of the world, or something. Anyway, Carla wins. There's no way around the fact that Parisian couture looks a whole lot better than Isabel Toledo and J Crew. Sorry, America.
I don't like Michelle Obama one iota less, obviously, but I must say, it's enough already with the black cardigan. You don't throw on a black cardigan to meet the Queen. And she had it on again yesterday! Is there a 2 checked bag policy on Air Force One?

The Forty Buck Experiment

This blog is called Spends 2 Much for a reason, and I think that has been amply demonstrated in these posts. But here's the thing: I have decided to see if I can live on only $40 for an entire week. This is for groceries, incidentals, lunches, and anything else that pops up during the week.
I know I should be able to do it, because I have done it. When I moved to the city in the 90s, I worked as a publicist for a small publishing company. It was my dream to work in publishing. It was not my dream to earn 28 grand a year. After rent, my Metropass, and other bills, I had much less to spend on food than I do now, but I ate perfectly well.

I have to remember how to shop as though I only have $40 on me, so I will be leaving my debit card at home this week.

I have plenty of stuff in the cupboards and freezer, so I should only need veggies and beverages. One of my problems has been that I "start again" every time I shop, rather than buy things that complement what I already have. I have a feeling that spending less will result in healthier dinners, so I'll post what I come up with.

Off to make the shopping list!

Worth It- Cole Haan Boots

These boots rock. I got them last August at Cole Haan in the Time Warner Center. Paid a bit more than I normally would for boots, but I love the Nike Air soles, so I went for it.

Vacations are the best test of soles, and a 4 day walk around New York confirmed that these boots are indeed made for walkin'. For once I didn't need to hop in a cab or on the subway because my feet were killing me. They're gorgeous, too! I will be wearing the hell out of these, with pants and skirts, until it finally warms up around here and I can whip out the ballet flats for the summer.

Thank you!

To the visitor who told me about the song Sorry Lori !- Yes, someone did finally write one. It's by Jason Collett, and I should probably have heard of him, but hey, I'm old.

This Can Only Help

Great Idea , thanks Little Bridge.