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Oct
23
A day in the life.
Filed Under Uncategorized
Thursday morning, the Shop Tart got out of bed somewhat reluctantly after a toddler tackled her while she was trying to catch a few more minutes of sleep bright and early, with a smile on her face. She sipped a delicious cup of Cashua coffee* and pondered her post for the day. Then she wrote it. She went to teach a Pilates class. (Teaching keeps her in the habit of going to the gym. She admires you go-getters who can motivate yourselves to exercise on your own; she needs a group of friends who will miss her if she ditches.) After some confusion about what to wear, she changed into grown-up clothes and met Mr. Shop Tart at the Gourmet Shop for lunch. (She had a big day ahead and needed her outfit to work for all sorts of different activities as there was no time allotted for a wardrobe change.) She enjoyed her spinach salad immensely. Although she swore she wouldn’t, she split a Heath Bar cookie with her husband after lunch. Thing is, she couldn’t help it. There was one - right there in the case in front of her face - with crispy bits of toffee around the edges. You know, when the Heath Bar melts just so while the delicacy is cooking? Lovely.
Next, she dropped by Pout to pick up Chantecaille foundation, a slightly different color now that she’s off the self-tanner for fall. Rachel Zoe recommended The Laundress Fabric Spray in a recent newsletter. She even offered a code for 15% off, which is lovely, except you can get 25% off all Laundress products at Pout right now. Ahem. According to La Zoe, “Washing clothes is not necessarily a thrilling topic, but there is still a way to glamorize the experience…with The Laundress Fabric Fresh Spray.” True. The packaging is lovely, the products smell divine without being over powering and, most importantly, they really, really work. The Shop Tart discovered them years ago after reading an article somewhere, maybe Domino Magazine. They recommended adding an aspirin or two to the wash to keep whites at their brightest. It worked and the Shop Tart became a fan.
After Pout, she met with Danielle and Brooke at Lenker Design/Printhouse45 to discuss various design and printing needs. Those ladies rock; not only do they have great ideas, they’re fun and cute. Soon, the Shop Tart will have stickers. Hooray! After that, the Shop Tart used the highway to get to Lola in Lexington. For most of you, this would not be a big deal. For her, it was huge. She gets verrah, verrah confused on the highway. She would rather go through town, adding twenty minutes to her trip, than attempt to make sense of a highway. Yesterday, she was in a hurry and decided to go for it. She even had to go on two highways. She only took one wrong exit. If you need to get from Lenker Design to Lola, call her.
At Lola, she tried on clothes for next week’s event, Fashion for a Cure. The luncheon and fashion show will be held at Travinia in Lexington on Tuesday from noon until 2 pm. The Shop Tart is modeling, so you should come out to support her and a great cause, the Susan G. Komen Foundation. She will not be modeling this necklace, but it was new at Lola. Love!
After Lola, she stopped by LaRoque to say hello to AnnaBelle and see what was new. AnnaBelle was working on a last-minute wedding dress for a recent fiancée who was eloping to Jamaica. The bride came in to get her dress while the Shop Tart was there. So sweet! The Shop Tart also spotted this chic little a-line skirt.
And this pretty party dress with a sheer overlay below the waist.
Then…poof!…she turned into a mother, ferrying various children to various activities and briefly pondering dinner before recommending leftovers. She also pondered changing clothes for her evening out and dismissed the idea because there was no time in between choir and soccer. When everyone left - Thank you, Mr. Shop Tart, for taking the soccer carpool to Ballentine. That’s right, Ballentine. - she had just enough time to brush her hair and put on some lipstick before Tracie picked her up for a trip to the northeast side of town to learn about macro-biotic cooking.
Never fear, the Shop Tart has no intention of abandoning her omnivore ways. She is, however, always interested in incorporating healthier food into her regular rotation. She’s all about balance. There was a great article in W Magazine about loving (all) food and staying thin. Eating healthy should not be a sacrifice. The Shop Tart has enjoyed macro meals before. Rosewood Market serves up some great ones. She hasn’t learned how to cook them. Macrobiotic specialist Roxanne Koteles-Smith served three things and they were all delicious. Not just good, not merely acceptable, but scrumptious, satisfying and energizing. The first was a vegan, gluten-free Shepard’s Pie, similar in taste to a hearty chicken soup or pot pie.
The next course was Roxanne’s Waldorf salad, also vegan and gluten-free. The dill was superb with the crunchy ingredients, and the dish was a perfect blend of salty and sweet.
For dessert, she served chocolate mousse, also - you guessed it! - vegan and gluten free. The mousse was tart, creamy and not too sweet.
In order to have those dishes again (and again and again), she’ll have to learn how to make them, so the Shop Tart is planning to take Roxanne’s six-week cooking course starting in January. Can’t wait!
After all that healthy food, a few of the ladies wanted a nice glass of wine. (Balance, y’all, it’s all about balance.) Solstice was nearby and the Shop Tart loves any opportunity to eat there. They do amazing, innovative things with food…and it tastes really good. The first thing to magically appear from the kitchen was a small bowl of tomato bisque garnished with Feta cheese. The soup was delicious with a light lemon taste.
The Shop Tart had butternut squash bisque, one of her favorite dishes for fall.
Tracie’s cousin had house-smoked salmon with cous cous. Yum!
Tracie herself ordered one of Solstice’s famous burgers. She chose the Steakhouse, with roasted tomato bordelaise, gorgonzola blue cheese and caramelized onion-basil pesto. Y’all. Ruh-diculous. The Shop Tart tried a bite, bien sûr, and it was even better than it looks.
Enjoying a meal with people who are really into food is always a pleasure. During dinner, they talked about a lot of things, many of which are too vulgar to be shared. One thing they discussed was thoughtful choices. Whether you’re relishing cotton candy at the fair or home-made tabbouleh made from local ingredients, you should think about what you consume. The Shop Tart tries to consider her health, the local economy and her desire when choosing a meal. It’s all good, yo.
Speaking of food you can feel good about, don’t forget the All-Local Farmers’ Market tomorrow from 8 am until noon, now at a permanent location beside 701 Whaley. All the food for sale is locally grown and produced, much of it is organic and it’s all magically delicious. Actually, it’s not magic. Fresh + Local = Delicious! And healthy, for you and the local economy. Please come out and enjoy a fab breakfast from Gervais and Vine made with local ingredients and then do your shopping for the week. Don’t forget the flowers!
Happy Shopping and don’t forget to tell them you read it on the Shop Tart!
* For those of you who follow these things, she has not gone back to her old, over-caffeinated ways, but she has decided to enjoy a half-cup in the morning. The joys of coffee in the fall cannot be denied.
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3 Responses to “A day in the life.”
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The Shop Tart Loves...
Re: balance, I made the burger choice last night knowing I’d balance it with healthy food today. Conscientious, no?
Except I forgot that I’d made plans to get lunch today at the Fair with my Dad.
Um, yeah. I guess the “healthy” is going to have to wait til after 2pm. Dang!!
Burger is still healthy–it isn’t processed or anything–you probably needed the iron, right?
Love the Lola necklace!! I really love multicolored jewelly things!
And I must point out: Tracie did order the burger with a salad in lieu of the fries. So she can have the fries today at the fair!