Diary of a Doorway

Last weekend we finally installed the ACs in our apartment.

It was odd to go all of June and almost all of July without needing them! And indeed at one point we thought, maybe we won't need them at all. Wouldn't that be neat? Lord knows our electricity bill would greatly benefit. But alas a late Saturday in June we awoke uncomfortably in a steamy room and saw by the thermostat in the hallway that our apartment was 88 degrees INSIDE.

No way jose!

So we picked up two of the AC's we store at my parents' house and installed one in the bedroom and one in the living room.

Ah sweet cool relief.

Keeping the bedroom cool is no problem, just turn on the unit, close the doors and close and lock the windows. For added comfort catch a re-run of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman on GMC.

The living room is another story, given that there is no door between the living room and the hallway. And without fashioning some kind of door to close the room does not get very cool at all. Not to mention Dr. Quinn doesn't come in HD!

You have seen what I did the first year we lived here, right? The old' flannel sheet routine.


Ooooooh!


Aaaaah!

Those would be LL BEAN flannel sheets, might I add? The height of sophistication. Especially when tacked in a doorway or held aside with a Crate and Barrel linen napkin, no?

But I grew tired of this look and so the following year I purchased a "thermal curtain" and a tension rod and things got so chic, it was hard to handle.

And now for this, our last summer in this apartment we hope, I decided to go out with a bang. Well, the catalysyt was when I remembered that I I am pretty sure I threw out the tension rod last Fall and was all "F it, I will buy a new one next year" (when you have next to no storage, even the idea of finding enough space for a TENSION ROD causes the mind to reel). Then I thought, oh I will just tack the curtain up for now and go out and get a tension rod when I have time later in the week because it is hotter than am m-er f-er up in here."

Then inspiration struck.

I have this collection of table runners, since I buy them on whims as others may buy chewing gum at the checkout counter. And I was suddenly struck by how much an old table runner can look like a fabulous valance.


Ooooooh!


Ahhhhh!

So there we have it, it keeps the cool air in, the hot air out and is none too shabby to look at either.

Look for my coffee table book this fall, "Entryway Fashions for the Decadent but Doorless "

Sarah's Emporium of Undatable Dudes

I have always been somewhat of a failed Emma.

I have been trying to set people up on dates ever since 9th grade. It is probably just another aspect of my control freak personality manifesting itself but in my mind I just want my friends to be HAPPY and if their happiness involves dating someone then YES LETS GET THAT DONE.

However it has never quite worked out for me for two reasons
1) I suck at it
2) I have so many gay male friends that when I make a straight male friend I think I tend to hold them to a lower standard. And my girlfriends are fantastic people and deserve OTHER fantastic people.

Really, my dream is to have a stable of fun, nice, somewhat normal straight dudes and when one of my girlfriends is like "I would like to go on a date" and can be like "ok here fill out this form and let's get it started". That should work, right? Why not?

I got away with being so bad at it in high school because we were all dating gay men pretty much, so if it ended no one was really hurt and were still best friends. Easy peasy.

Every set up I have attempted since then though has ended dismally. Either the first date ends in joint phone calls made to me after and a "What the hell were you thinking" or maybe it goes on for a month or two before bursting into flames or ending in a restraining order.

Really I need to stop. But I can't! It's a compulsion. I want to set you up on a date with the worst guy for you ever.

So if you are a single woman in need of a date, stay far far away from me unless you want to be set up with any of the following:

1) Arrogant asshole
2) Felon
3) Deadbeat
4) Guy Who Can't Stop Sleeping with Strippers

Because that's all I got! (Can I blame the economy?)

But if you happen to be a straight, single, fun, NICE guy and want to help me turn my stable around, email me.

We Got Game

A few months ago I got the kind of email any girl would be happy to get. No, not the Ruelala alert that a Tory Burch sale is forthcoming and no, not the latest offerings from Tiffany that I can't exactly afford but can certainly drool after and maybe set as the background on my work computer (what?).


No, this was an email from a lovely woman named Justine at Brand About Town. She wanted to know if I was interested in becoming a Brand Enthusiast for a little company called Nintendo.

Now, at first glance, you may not think I am a quote unquote gamer. My dealings with video games are relegated to a deep seated love for old school Nintendo's "Castlevania", and a propensity to think I am awesome at Guitar Hero when I have a few drinks in me. So not someone you would think would be the ideal candidate to represent Nintendo.

I met with the incredibly adorable Justine at the Omni Parker House for drinks and to further discuss it and basically what it came down to is 1) Nintendo wants to appeal to the ladies who may have fallen off the Nintendo wagon around 1990 or so and 2) Nintendo is incredibly smart.

Brand About Town and Nintendo offered me the chance to throw a party at a swank locale in Boston to which I could invite 20 of my friends. Drinks and food would be provided and all we had to do was show up, and play some games on the adorable, portable Nintendo DSi. They pretty much had me at "free drinks" but after hearing about the DSi (basically the super improved, super tricked out hot sister of the Game Boy), I was equally psyched about that.

So of course I accepted their offer and immediately invited a boatload of my friends to the party, held last Thursday at the CitySide Suite at 60 State Street.

In the meantime, I was sent a Nintendo DSi and a few games to play on it. May I say that, for someone that didn't think she would be totally into it, I am in LOVE.



For one thing it has two cameras built into it which take not only great photos, but offer applications wherein the user can make the subject of the photo have, say, a mustache. Or an enormous nose. Or a forehead to rival Tyra's tenfold. These things are amusing. You can also hook onto any wifi in the area and hop on the Internet. I have twittered and emailed from mine quite easily. Not to mention the games DEAR god the games. I can play Brain Age all day long. In fact I do. And my brain age is still 36 (it should be 20) so clearly I have a tough road ahead of me.

An example of how awesome it is: While away on vacation this weekend I played Dr Mario on it while Adam was in the shower and then opened the DSi Web Browser and checked my bank balance. Could it be more convenient? The answer is no.



In any case, once the party was upon us I was so excited for my friends to get to experience the DSi for themselves. I told them they would love it but most were kind of skeptical. Again, most of us don't really play video games so why would this appeal to us?


Yet. It does.


Hardcore.


The party began in the truly decked out CitySide Suite, with a chalkboard sign where people could write why they love me (an easy list to make since I had just invited them to a free party with an open bar)





Five stations were set up around the suite, each an adoreable modern and chicly decorated little alcove and each focusing on a specific DSi game. And my girls fell upon these games and loved them more than I ever imagined they would.



Caity, Amanda and Christa, gaming out


Drinkin' and gamin'.


Jeannie + Nintendo = Love




Psyched on Nintendo!



Adorable servers circled the floor providing everyone with canapes, cheese and crackers, assorted other fabulous apps as well as trays of red wine, white wine and champagne. It was all enjoyed heartily as everyone played games and socialized.

After a few hours, when everyone had all become so attached to the DSi (as I knew they would!) and come to see how great it is to play with while your commuting on the train, or killing time waiting for an appointment, or just any old time you have some down time and want a little stimulation, came the best part of the party....



What's this?



Why is everyone so psyched?

Oh because everyone who came to the party got a free Nintendo DSi and game to take home with them!!

Seriously what a perfect end to a fantastic evening. And you should have heard everyone the next day. Girls who never though they would care about a handheld gaming device were RAVING about it. Ladies who told me they couldn't picture riding the T while playing a game suddenly can't commute without it. It was nuts. Not to mention gratifying that now when I complain about my pathetic Brain Age, others can actually relate.

So a huge thanks from me and my friends to Nintendo and Brand About Town for a fabulous evening, an eye opening party and an amazing take home gift. We all consider ourselves well versed in the Girlfriend's Guide to Gaming now!



Check out the rest of the photos from the party here!

Throwing Down The Gauntlet....The Gauntlet can F Off

I have always been a last minute kind of gal.

You've read my Christmas shopping posts. I have been known to darken the doorway of Macy's Christmas Eve sale with a long list of people I haven't gotten a gift for yet.

Food shopping is done not when we are low on food but when I am faced with serving old cheese and cereal for dinner.

I pay my bills only a day or two before they are due. If not ON the day they are due (thank goodness for rush payments, Chase!)

I wait until the absolute last minute to return invitations with my reply. Even though I know that I am probably attending the event I just have a mental block about getting my act together and sending back the invite. Ridic.

You see the theme here. I am a tad scattered and while I get stuff done, it usually comes down to the wire.

This includes wedding related paraphernalia.

I have known for MONTHS and MONTHS about my friend K's wedding in Stowe this weekend. I didn't get around to booking a hotel until last week and let me tell you, Stowe appears to be quite the hot spot during the summer. It took me a few hours of research to find a reasonably priced but NICE place to stay that was close to the wedding and didn't have a two day minimum. But this is what comes of waiting until the last minute. Luckily my research for our brew tips taught me that sometimes the perfect place is the hardest to find so eventually I did find a cute Inn down the street from the wedding. Phew.

Then there was the issue of a gift. Waiting until before the wedding usually means the registry is barren save for the odd towel or wayward serving spoon BUT luckily there was quite a bit left on their Williams Sonoma registry so with a few clicks of the mouse our gift was bought, wrapped and shipped. Phew.

That leaves the remaining item. A dress. For me.

To wear.

You see, the invite suggests "cocktail attire". I own scads upon scads of summer dresses but none are really cocktail party appropriate. I own quite a few LBDs that would be cocktail appropriate but somehow they are not right for a summer wedding. They are more for the fall/winter. So here we are, T minus two days before the blessed event and I am on the HUNT.

Luckily I work best under pressure.

In a few moments I am hitting the shops with my mom in search of the perfect summery cocktail dress. I have the luxury of NOT having a specific color/cut in mind so the world is my oyster, as far as dress shopping is concerned.

My goal is to find a dress and shoes for under $100. If I reach this goal, I am going to treat myself to a blow out.

Check back at the end of the day for my success story. Or an op -d piece on dressing up a beach coverup. Either or.

UPDATE. GREAT SUCCESS!!

The Talbots Outlet, as usual, did not fail me!

I found a sickening amount of dresses. Seriously you local ladies who are not shopping there are missing out hardcore. I tried on 5-6 dresses and liked them well enough but each had something a little "not what I wanted". Truth be told I fell in absolute LOVE with this white sleeveless shift that had embroidered daisies growing from the hem but alas I do not wear white to other people's wedding. I know some would say oh if it's white with a design on the hem maybe its ok but to me, not so much. Never mind the fact that I am a slob. But anyway. The last dress I tried on, a body skimming, v neck sleeveless bright dark blue just-above-knee-length beauty won my heart with it's flattering cut and fabulous stitching.

Please see attached horrible photo.

The photo is horrific but you can see the cute cut. It has kind of cut sleeves. It's this gorgeous soft fabric that just falls so perfectly. I love!
Close up of stitching


The dress was $99, just under my budget. Then I decided to go over the limit and buy some cute bone and gold earrings. THEN I found out upon check out that the dress was 60% off. WHAT WHAT. So my grand total for dress and earrings was $54. Thank you very much.

I am going to pair them with a bone necklace I already own and my trusty gold peep toes.




And I may not even NEED that blow out since now I am thinking a fabulous big bun updo. Since I have my trusty Bun-O-Matic it would be a cinch.

The Heat is On in Tampon*

Ever since school let out for the summer my morning commute has been a joy.

I can sleep until the decadent hour of 7:10AM (!!). I can leisurely get ready for my day. And the roads are pretty empty. I actually make it over the Neponset bridge in under 3 minutes. Can you IMAGINE? SO yes, summer commuting and the livin’ is easy.

Yesterday I was on my way to work and engaging in one of my new favorite hobbies, itching a bug bite. (Why is it that there can be what feels like NO mosquitoes in the air but the next day I wake up covered in mosquito bites. Those covert little buggers are on my last nerve). Anywho presently I feel something wet on my arm and I look down and lo, I am gushing blood from a bug bite I scratched a bit too vigorously.

Charming!

I root around with my good arm in my purse for a tissue or napkin and come up empty. Meanwhile there is a thin stream of blood snaking down my arm coming dangerously close to dripping on my dress. So I do what any girl faced with ruining a favorite summer ensemble would do, I grabbed a tampon out of my glove box (I am ALWAYS prepared), unwrapped it, and use that to staunch. What? It’s absorbent. It’s sterile. It worked even better than the Dunks napkin I was looking for would have. Very soon the bleeding stopped, the bite looked as good as new, and I did not look like a knife victim.

All was right in the world.

At work I got a band aid just in case and then promptly forgot about the whole incident. Especially because my Nintendo DSi arrived yesterday and it is the MOST fun. Although I was shocked and appalled to discover my Brain Age is 80 . But more about that later.

In any case I had a rude awakening when I left work later that day and upon returning to my car realized I had left the bloody tampon on my passenger seat.

GOOD LORD.

Do you know the depths of my embarrassment? Can you imagine what the casual observer must think of me? What if one of my coworkers had looked in my car and seen that? What kind of foul disgusto would they think I am?

So of course my only recourse is to tell everyone the story about how I used a tampon on my arm on my way to work and hope that if anyone saw it on my seat, they know it’s because I am a crackerjack first aid giver, and not a nasty freak.

Well not that much of one at least.



*Been listening to the Miss Saigon soundtrack a wee too much

Ghost-Leg's Revenge

Note to self:

When applying self tanner regularly, don't repeatedly forget to do your legs.

It's easy to do. Since you tend to apply it after you have showered and thrown on sweatpants and a tank top.

But heed this warning. Otherwise you end up strolling into work on a Friday in a cute dress, thinking you look good, then you catch a glimpse in the full length mirror in the bathroom and see your nicely colored face and arms and ghostly ass so white they are almost clear legs.

The Mean Sidewalks of Quincy

All I need to know about walking I learned from driving.


Maybe that should be vice versa.

But still, many of the same rules apply to each. If you’re going slow, move over and let people pass you. Likewise, Just because you’re in a hurry doesn’t mean anyone else is. Look both ways when crossing an intersection. Honk if you’re horny. Etc…

Yesterday I encountered the walking version of the crazy old lady driver.

Let me paint the picture for you.
I was towards the end of my après-work walk. I had kept up jogging pace (listening to Hex Hector remixes will do that for you) so I was looking forward to slowing it down for the last quarter mile back to my apartment. As I waited to cross a busy street, I noticed an older lady on her cell phone leisurely walking on the sidewalk I was about to cross onto. She was about 10 feet ahead of me when I crossed and I easily caught up to her since she was busy talking on the phone and walking pretty leisurely and I was Working It Out.

So I stepped out onto the road to pass her, so as not to bump into her, and went on my way. Suddenly she was off her phone and literally RIGHT behind me. I could see her shadow and out of the corner of my eye when I turned my head. I quickened my pace and still she was right behind me, as in like 2 steps away. So I slowed down and moved over figuring she for some reason had to get past me but she slowed too. It was freaking me right out.

It wasn't that she was keeping pace with me it was that she was RIGHT behind me. If I had stopped short I think she would have plowed right into me.

I started jogging and I swear she was jogging right up close behind me. I have no idea what she was trying to prove? That she could keep up with me? No shit I am like the least in shape person ever. And she was all f’ing with my pace so in the end I ended up pretty much running back to my apartment. And as I veered into my driveway I swear she slowed down and started walking again.

WTF!

Part of me was pissed off at her.

Another part of me wanted to ask her to meet me there tomorrow because believe you me I have never jogged all the way home.

Why Not a Meme?

Indeed, why not?
(seen also at Nat's, E's and Caity's)

1. What kind of SOAP is in your bathtub right now?
Caress Brightening Shower Gel and Suave Shower Gel for Dudes

2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator?
I wish!

3. What would you change about your living room?
I would love one of these garden seats from Ballard Designs but I am afraid a drunk person would try and sit on it too hard and it would crack. And that drunk person would probably be me.

4. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty?
Dishwasher? Pshaw! We have two dishwashers, Adam and me.

5. What is in your fridge?
Spinach, roma tomatoes, baby carrots, garlic lovers hummus, giardineira, salsa, chicken marinating in Raspberry-Pomegranate vinaigrette (for dinner tonight), soy milk, iced green tea, diet coke, sauvignon blanc, New England's Best Bloody Mary Mix, lite yogurts, and about 20 bottles of various condiments, chutneys and sauces.

6. White or wheat bread?
Whole wheat sandwich thins

7. What is on top of your refrigerator?
Radio, various CDs, wooden tray filled with takeout menus and blank greeting cards, a small Pier One wine rack.

8. What color or design is on your shower curtain?
Green, dark orange and white tile design from Crate and Barrel.

9. How many plants are in your home?
3

10. Is your bed made right now?
Yes. I try and make it as soon as I get up. And by try I mean maybe once a week this happens.

11. Comet or Soft Scrub?
Comet! I grew up with that stuff.

12. Is your closet organized?
Ummmm no. Well things are hung up neatly but I haven't seen my closet floor in a few months. I tried to clean it out over the weekend but got discouraged when I found an old (broken) laptop and two sombreros.

13. Can you describe your flashlight?
Silver and looks like an electric razor. Hence the question asked once "Um Adam why is your electric razor on top of the fridge?"

14. Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home?
Glass. I don't even think we own plastic glasses. Though given how many I break we probably should.

15. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now?
I do, made from Nature's Promise Lemon Green Tea bags.

16. If you have a garage, is it cluttered?
I do not have a garage but I do have a storage closet and yes it is cluttered. Hardcore.

17. Curtains or blinds?
Both. Blinds and curtains on all windows.

18. How many pillows do you sleep with?
There are 6 on the bed and I sleep with 3. Sleeping almost sitting up is cool.

19. Do you sleep with any lights on at night?
We fall asleep with the TV on sleep timer. I have a hard time sleeping in the absolute dark and quiet.

20. How often do you vacuum?
....... That's Adam's department.

21. Standard toothbrush or electric?
Battery powered.

22. What color is your toothbrush?
White and Pink.

23. Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch?
At the front and back door we have plain red mats...but there is a welcome SIGN on the back door.

24. What is in your oven right now?
Nothing yet.

25. Is there anything under your bed?
Yes. Luggage. Those underbed Rubbermaid totes filled with who knows what. Assorted other crap (we have bed skirts so this kind of thing is ok, right?)

26. Chore you hate doing the most?
I have most cleaning chores but I think the worst is cleaning the kitchen floor. Good god.

27. What retro items are in your home?
I've been known to hit the thrift stores so a few things. We keep our cotton balls/q tips in vintage cocktail olive/onion jars. I have some vintage cocktail glasses and serving pieces. A lot of our art is older.

28. Do you have a separate room that you use as an office?
It's an office / guest bedroom/ my boudoir (since that's where my closet is). Basically the apartment equivalent of an elementary school cafegymatorium.

29. How many mirrors are in your home?
3 for preening, 10 if you include our wall art

30. Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home?
Adam does but damned if I know where it is (probably a good thing).

31. What color are your walls?
UGH sterile rental white. I try to jazz it up as best I can though.

32. Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home?
Kentucky Justice (Adam's baseball bat)

33. What does your home smell like right now?
Lime thanks to my snazzy lime candle a'burnin' away.

34. Favorite candle scent?
I am a sucker for anything beachy/sea scented in the bedroom. I like lemony/lime/lavender in the kitchen and in the living room I like jasmine.

35. What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now?
Baby gherks!

36. What color is your favorite Bible?
No Bible up in here.Though I do have a copy of "How To Dress For Every Occasion By The Pope" thanks to Danielle!

37. Ever been on your roof?
Yikes no.

38. Do you own a stereo?
No.

39. How many TVs do you have?
2 - one in the living room and one in the bedroom. My DREAM is to have one in the kitchen but we haven't yet figured out how to have the cable work in there. Drat!

40. How many house phones?
Zero. Livin' off the grid, baby.

41. Do you have a housekeeper?
I would feel like a deadbeat having a housekeeper in our small place. Ok who am I kidding I begged Adam if we could have the service my mom uses come in and do our bathroom/the kitchen just twice a month and he was horrified. Sigh.

42. What style do you decorate in?
I'm not even sure anymore. I like classic with a punch of modern or a punch of vintage or a punch of french country, depending which room you're in.

43. Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints?
I have never owned printed furniture but I am not at all opposed to it.

44. Is there a smoke detector in your home?
It may or may not have been unhooked because certain persons set the fire alarm off whilst cooking too often.

45. In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip?
Besides obviously Adam, I can't think of anything? Is that bad? I don't have anything that I couldn't replace if I had to. I do have some things I would throw INTO a fire so I could justify replacing them though. Does that count?

In Which My Dreams Are WAY too Literal

Alternative Title: I Watch Way Too Much TV

Yesterday evening, I was watching a Law and Order:CI episode I had DVR'd. You know how if you "info" the episodes, they all have titles? This one was "Fico de Capo" which I later googled the meaning of (nerd) because I didn't know what it meant and it's fun to say. Fico de Capo. Fico de Capo. See?

(I guessed it meant "Son of the Captain" but apparently it's a variety of fig? Show's you how good my Italian is!).

Then later in the night I watched an episode of Top Chef: Masters.

So it is no wonder that last night I had a very epic, vivid dream in which I was disqualified from Top Chef because I did not provide a caponata course. And then I spent the rest of the dream trying to figure out if I could make a caponata out of pickles since that is all I had.

I know some people like to find hidden meaning in dreams.....but mine are alwas so literal it's almost sad. I dream about my teeth falling out why? Because I grind my teeth hardcore at night. I dream about a a thunderstorm why? Because it's thundering super loud outside as I sleep.

Ridic.

Who's on Fourth?

Here I sit, sipping an iced coffee and making my food shopping list for the weekend.

Question of the morning: Why can't I make decent iced coffee at home? I have tried several times and it always just tastes...off... But alas caffeine is caffeine, oui?

My work is closed on Friday for the holiday and since I have Thursdays off anyway, I have a little inadvertent four-day weekend. Woo!

I have an abominable list of errands to run today (glad I saved them all for a day filled with thunderstorms) that include food shopping, a CVS run, stopping at both of our banks, a TJ Maxx pop-in and probably an epic load or two of laundry. Then Adam and I are off to New Hampshire for a long weekend of sipping Margaritas and sunning by the Suncook River.

HA! Or in this case probably drinking wine inside and silently withering away from a Vitamin D deficiency but such is life lately!

My ultimate plan, rain or not, is to grill as much as possible (this is what ponchos are for!). I went hunting yesterday for some new burger recipes to try out and have settled on Food and Wine's Turkey Burger with Smoked Gouda and The Boston Globe's Grilled Cubano Burger.

(img from FoodandWine.com)

We are normally turkey burger eaters in this house anyway but I haven't made them on the grill in forever AND as for the cubano burger? Sounds delicioso. We're also going to hit a fantastic farmer's stand we know of in NH on the way up and buy a ton of veggies to throw on the grill as well.

Basically anything remotely edible is going on the grill this weekend.

Hope everyone has a happy and safe Fourth!!

(get the recipe for this drink here)

Virtual Beach Party!

Ok i am 'bout sick of this.

I have a sweater on.

I have my space heater on.

I have goosebumps on my arms because I am still chilly.

IT'S JULY, PEOPLE!

We have yet to have one decent beach day (on a weekend at least) and I think in total there have only been a handful or less of days where wearing a sundress or some other summery attire was possible. Even mist on tanning has fallen to the wayside because it has been so muggy and rainy that any kind of mist on tan basically melts off before it gets a chance to "set".

(Wicked hot, I know).

So I am pale and grumpy over here and what's a gal to do? I decided to throw on my swimsuit have a little virtual beach party over here.

So here we are at my favorite beach, Horseneck Beach in Westport, MA


Ahhhhhh.


I have with me my trusty tote (a gift from the fabulous Nicole).

I filled it with the must have essentials for a day at the beach:

* A beach read: preferably something thrilling or trashy. In this case it is our Book Club's selection for the month of July


And then since I am no fool, my trusty sunblock: Coppertone Sport Continuous Spray. I know it's not glamorous or a particularly trendy brand BUT it really holds up to repeated dunks in the ocean and the smell reminds me of summer.

And of course those of us that rock wavy-salt induced fro's can not attend a beach gathering without some kind of hair product handy! My go-to is Fructis sleek and shine pomade. Works wonderfully, smells fantastic, and cheap to boot.

And one wants to keep hydrated and because I am a sucker for good marketing/packaging I always throw in a large bottle of good ol' Fiji water

I also throw in some hair elastics (a necessity!), hand lotion (Bath and Body Works Coconut Lime), lip gloss (SPF 15 of course!)and a snack (usually a little bag of almonds).

Ok now let's see, I will need to have a darling beach cover up. I am partial to using Old Navy's sun dresses as coverups because 1) they are cute and transition nicely from the beach to out to lunch and since they are like $15-20 each you can stock up!

And then one wants some kind of footwear that also transitions (NB: I canNOT wear flip flops to the beach. The sand gets in between my toes where the thong is and I hate that feeling). I think a cute silver flat sandal is just more up my alley. I bought a super cute pair at TJ Maxx (shocking) last year and they are my go to beach sandal. I am also eying these because they are gorgeous.

And last but not least, a lush towel to lay out on.

This is a virtual beach party so please allow for and excuse my $500 towel.

Ahhhh now that is exactly what I needed. Now if you will excuse me I have some virtual sun to soak up but please feel free to tell me what you would bring on your virtual beach day. If it involves a pitcher of mojitos, so much the better since I am a bit parched.