SweetGirlSmirk

With only a few weeks left of summer, time is running out. If you are anything like me, you have a list of things you want to accomplish before the chill sets in. So, don't waste time mixing complicated drinks. Here are easy two-ingredient drink combinations that will get the job done, taste great, and leave you time to cross a few things off that list. Arnold Palmer Half and Half Cocktail Mix and vodka. If you love your lemonade iced teas, Arizona was kind enough to make it as a cocktail mix. It is so good, and I would buy a few. I have no idea if this is a limited time thing, so I have been grabbing a bottle whenever I see it in the grocery store. Beware: you can barely taste the vodka but it hits you pretty hard. Oh, and there is a pomegranate variation as well. Cherry lemonade. Lemonade and cherry vodka. Mix. Enjoy. ( I suggest  Veil Cherry Vodka ) Loopy Sour: 3 Olives Loopy Vodka and cranberry juice. It may be delicious enough for dessert! Pinnacle Whipped vodk...

I always try to be mindful of being graceful. I really do try. Courage is grace under pressure. -Ernest Hemingway *Reading recommendation: Hemingway's short story "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" Hey, the complete short stories are available on Kindle, too!

Today, Julia Child would be 100 years old. Many of us are only old enough to remember her as the inspiration for  Julie and Julia , but her immortality is far reaching. She was the original foodie. Before Ms. Child's cookbook,  Mastering the Art of French Cooking  hit every kitchen counter in America, we were not the most creative bunch of chefs. She taught America simply HOW to cook. She took away the mystery. Roast a turkey? Bake a cake? Make a stew that didn't taste simply like boiled mystery meat and potatoes? We could. She did not just teach us how to eat well, she gave us courage. There is not a lot that can be said about this magnificent woman that has not already been said. So to honor her memory, instead of speaking, lets go eat. The famous Beef Bourguignon recipe

Everything we do changes us. We read a book, watch a movie, laugh with a friend, drop some baggage, gain some baggage... and we are changed. Sometimes big, sometimes small, but we are always a bit different than the moment before. Appreciating art will surely help us evolve.  "I can't go back to yesterday, I was a different person then." -Lewis Carroll If you recently gained some baggage, and need to escape, have you read the original Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ? Classic escapism.

I am by NO means a movie buff. But, when the sun is drowned in rain drops and rolling thunder, I must heat up some soup and pop a few blu-rays in. Here are a few movies that have that just right amount of "snug factor" for a rainy day. Because it should be number one on every list: Casablanca . I don't need to explain it. It just- nothing quite gets to anyone like their unrequited love. Bogart and Bergman DEFINE on-screen chemistry. If you can, watch it on blu-ray. It is so crisp, but still maintains that beautiful charm that has sustained it all these years, that it took my breath away. Big Fish - The whole son trying to learn about his dying father premise may be a bit too emotional for some. And do watch this with a box of tissues. Yet, it is so aesthetically rich and beautiful, that it is a must see.  Get more info at IMDB Elizabethtown - Okay, more son/dead dad stuff. Here, though, the son is on a road trip home from his father's memorial and lear...

Here's to overcoming the Monday blues: "No matter what tears at us, no matter what holds us down, if nothing can be done, we'll make the best of what's around." - Dave Matthews Band Apparently the Monday blues are real! Interesting theory. And my favorite part- how to overcome them: 1. Watching TV 2. Sex 3. Online shopping 4. Buying chocolate or makeup 5. Planning a holiday I agree, if that were every Monday's protocol, I'd be pretty happy. For the record, I first smiled during the eleven o'clock hour.

Saturday is upon us. The sun is shining, the pool is perfect... time for a few libations! Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. -Ernest Hemingway Wine is bottled poetry -Robert Louis Stevenson I've drunk a lot of wine and I'm feeling fine! -David Bowie When cooling off in the summer, I love a fruity drink. Wine, though, always takes favor. Therefore, I vote the best summertime drink to be sangria. The Spaniards did us well! Red Wine Sangria Recipe (A summertime staple) Peachy White Wine Sangria Recipe Turn the music up, don't drink and drive!