As a boutique manager and buyer it is part of my job to attend shows in NYC where we view designer’s collections and place orders for the next season.  It isn’t Fashion Week.  There is no runway; however, the shows are a ton of fun, work, and inspiration! I was just there last week buying our Fall assortment.  This time it was just me and my coworker Eva, who manages our second sister-store, and we took it by storm!  In the shop I work in we carry lines like Diane von Furstenberg, Tory Burch, Hudson, JBrand, Michael Stars, Beth Bowley, Rebecca Taylor and somebody stop me! Going down there is a treat, for sure.

As you can imagine our days there are full to the brim, lots to see and decide on, but in the evenings we usually sneak in a visit to Bendels or Saks and this time we popped in to Anthropologie! {We don’t have any of these stores this far north.} Eva and I never miss a dinner at ‘inoteca.  It’s “our place.” We always stop in to Magnolia Bakery for their cupcakes afterward.  The bellyache I fall asleep with from eating one too many is worth it!

On our last day there we had showroom appointments.  Tory Burch has such a gorgeous showroom.  Mirrors everywhere, tables and walls lacquered in her signature orange, prints of old photos taken of interiors and 60’s vacationers.

It was good to ‘get out of dodge’ for a few days and very, very good to be back.  I missed my husband and home. Aww.

Hello! This is my first post ever! I never thought I’d have a blog.  Maybe you can relate?  Having always loved to write it seems fitting that I would get into blogging, but I didn’t see this coming.  Let me blame it on all the fabulous bloggers out there who inspire me, and the voice in my head that cracks me up!  (It shows me the funny side of life and that’s worth sharing.)  It’s true: I’m a Mainer.  Maybe you don’t know a thing about this beautiful state, maybe you know a thing or two more than I do.  Either way, it is special to me and very much a part of who I am.

When I meet new people from out-of-state and tell them I’m from Maine there is this thing that happens…it’s one of two things, actually.  They get a sparkle in their eye or they give an open mouthed head-nod “ooohhh”…lets take the former (they’re my favorite)…they usually want to move to Maine.  They came here as a kid, with an old boyfriend, or maybe to a college friend’s wedding. This state speaks to them and I totally get it.

Snapshot of life here right now: mild winter, impending snowfall with inevitable sunny day to follow (hence there is hardly any snow on the ground in southern Maine).  Why am I giving you the weather? Honestly, it’s second nature, but the fact that it comes to mind immediately is indicative of the culture here…we talk about the weather. Constantly.  What else would I begin to talk about?!

My husband didn’t grow up here like I did, but he made it clear years ago that he will never leave here.  Go figure.  We live in a small town just outside of Portland.  We raise chickens, grow veggies in the summertime, and enjoy the seasons for what they each offer.  Below are a few of our chickens! We raised these little buggers from a day old in a box in our basement to the egg-laying mamas they are now…except one grew to be a rooster.  That was a surprise! For awhile we just thought that chick was growing faster than the others, but soon it became very clear. We had named them all and Ruby was the rooster’s original name. While I was tempted to call him “Lola” after the Kinks song, we just decided Ruby it is.  Remember “True Grit”? The newer version by the Coen brothers stars Jeff Bridges (the Dude!)  as Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn. I figure Ruby can be short for that.  When we first came to see what is now our new house there was a picture of ‘the Dude’ from “The Big Lebowski” on the fridge.  We took it as a sign.

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