Kingsman: The Secret Service

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Colin Firth as a gentleman spy? Yes please. Kingsman: The Secret Service is just awesome, combining great actors, fine suits, comedy, and over-the-top-violent fight scenes. It’s James Bond meets Kick-Ass (basically the only kind of James Bond film I’d be interested in seeing from this point on).

Watch the trailer again and then go see it in theaters immediately.

Kitchen items that look like food

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I’m not much of a cook, but I love these kitchen accessories that look like food. They could make being in the kitchen so much more fun.


Sauced Up ravioli spoon rest – $8


Pickled bottle stopper – $9


The Cooks Carrot whisk – $15


Ham N Eggs potholder and pan scraper – $15


Swiss dish party plates – $15


Lemon tea infuser – $10


Ceramic ice cream cone – $11.95


Splash spoon rest – £8.00


Splash lid holder – £6.00


Banana bowl – $245


Avocado salt and pepper shakers – $45

Into the Woods

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Last week I finally saw Into the Woods and although I’m a huge fan of musicals and classic fairy tales, I didn’t love it. It was charming and funny at parts, but I suspect it works much better on stage than on film.

Anna Kendrick and Emily Blunt are as lovely as can be, Meryl Streep is excellent as always, but Johnny Depp is borderline annoying as the Wolf, a creepy child predator.

As much as I wish it were the songs, the true highlight of the film is the costume design. The clothing, especially worn by the women, is truly stunning. Just look at those dresses!




New Orleans

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This Christmas, Clay and I traveled to New Orleans to spend a week with friends and family. It was a first-time visit for both of us and we were excited to be staying in an 1850s home on historic Esplanade Avenue.

Our first evening in the city, we wandered through the French Quarter and down Bourbon Street. We ate jambalaya, crawfish étouffée, and fried catfish for dinner and of course had some voodoo juice from an obnoxious plastic to-go cup.




We rode the street car plenty, a fun and convenient way of traveling through the city. I especially loved the few that allowed open windows and we could really appreciate the cool New Orleans weather.


We visited Louis Armstrong Park, Jackson Square, and watched family members enjoy raw oysters (I prefer my oysters fried). We ate delicious buttermilk drops from Wink’s and beignets at the famous Cafe Du Monde, where we inadvertently cut the huge line of people waiting for a table. Oops!



On Clay’s birthday we took a tour of Mardis Gras World, a cheesy attraction to see how the mardis gras parade floats are made. It was fun seeing the huge styrofoam and papier-mâché sculptures and I felt nostalgic for the many hours and late nights I spent in the sculpture studio in college.




For lunch we tried the original hurricane at Pat O’Briens. Four shots of liquor in each drink took out a few of us!

We also visited the historic Degas House on Esplanade, just a few homes down from where we were staying. The home was owned by Degas’ uncle where the artist lived for a short time in 1872. I didn’t know Degas stayed in New Orleans in his lifetime and it was a delight to see.


One of the more memorable things about New Orleans are the above-ground cemeteries, similar to those seen in Europe. They are haunting and beautiful and reminded me of Paris. Two notable tombs we visited were Marie Laveau’s, the Voodoo Queen, and actor Nicolas Cage’s. A tomb worthy of a national treasure indeed.



The entire trip was filled with good seafood, but the most picturesque was definitely the crawfish boil at B&C Seafood Market.

And the absolute best food we had was french toast and fried chicken at a neighborhood spot called Lil Dizzy’s. Several of us agreed it was the best french toast we’d ever had.

Another great Christmas trip in the books. I wonder where we’ll go next year.