Reservoir & Wood: A New High End Fashion Boutique in Town

Reservoir and Wood is Beacon's newest high end fashion boutique, and if you take a look at their blog of the designer {EM} Reservoir, you'd know that NYC fashion came to Main Street in the Hudson Valley. Yet, {EM} Reservoir the clothing line, named after founder and designer Erin Murphy, is a religion of city and country for a fashionable yet functional wardrobe, which you would not suspect from their blog, which tumbles with big style outlets like The Emerging Designer, @ShowRoomNewYork, StyleCartel, and the Hudson Valley's own Chronogram.

But take a look at the bio of {EM}'s founder, and you'll get the drift: "Erin often describes {EM} Reservoir as 'a brand for those that pot and pick their own strawberries before tossing them into a glass of champagne.' A perfect representation of her own lifestyle AND wardrobe."

I knew something was different about Reservoir & Wood when Ruby, Cole and I stopped into her shop and saw the fly-fishing inspired earrings on the wall, right across from delicate yet rustic wooden kitchen stools and jars of candles. You'll find {EM} Reservoir designs in the store, as well as collections of purses, clothing and home goods from designers she loves. There is even a line of men's clothing.

When I asked store owner and designer Erin Murphy for her card, she handed me her clothing design card, yet planted a disclaimer that her business cards for the store were being made - out of wood. Yep, Erin is a Michigander, and loves her wood. Which hooked me in even more, because she got her cards from cardsofwood.com, which is where I was looking to have our cards made at Tin Shingle.

And that's not all, Reservoir & Wood is having a 15% off sale for Mother's Day, with a sale on the many purses you can find throughout the store. Stop in! They are on the East End of Main Street next door to The Hop. Just take the family, plant your hubby and kids at Hop, and shop!

Spring! butter LONDON Nail Polish in Happy Colors at Echo

Was stopping into Echo Boutique to treat my kids to play dough and fire trucks on a Friday night,  what did dazzle my eye at the counter but all of these happy shades of butter LONDON nail polish! I have a deep eggplant purple (although it's really named after the deep, dark center of a bone....woa!) that went perfect with my sister's wedding colors. Now I think I'll try the coral pink for spring, and the yellow just for fun. I love looking at the polish colors, like the mint, but I'm a traditional color kind of gal. But man do they mix a good shade...

Thank you Echo Boutique for making this available!

High Speed Police Car Chase Ends in Crash on Verplank and Cross

This morning police cars were zooming up and down Main Street and all around surrounding neighborhood blocks. One police car flashed his lights at me to move over as I drove on Main Street at about 10am.

At 11:00am i was working in my home office near Verplank Avenue Avenue and I heard several police sirens, followed by two big booms, one or two pops, and then nothing. My cats and I ran to the basement, and my dog wanted to come inside. People were walking around the neighborhood as they usually do on a sunny day, mail being delivered, while I freaked for a moment.

I ran to my windows, but saw nothing. I made some phone calls and later visited the scene, and gathered this:

A car was driving down Main Street at super fast speed, and police cars were also driving around super fast. The driver of the car, a man, eventually turned Verplank Avenue at high speed, and hit a Lowe's delivery truck at Verplank and Cross, sending the Lowe's truck 5ft into the air. When the truck came down, it landed on the car, smashing it. The truck also hit a telephone pole, splitting the pole in half. The electrical unit on the pole fell onto the truck. Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. cut the power to the area at 11:30am, and restored it at 2:40pm.

The driver of the truck was reportedly ok, and the driver of the car was removed from the car and taken by ambulance to Memorial Park, at which point a helicopter flew him to a hospital. The driver's family rushed to the scene of the crash, visibly devastated.

Prayers are with everyone.

Ken Fox Rocks as Beacon's Handyman for Hire!

Handyman Rock and Roller Ken Fox of The Fleshtones just hung my chandelier and trash pick shelf!

The chandelier is an iron floral bouquet that is my grandmother's and I've adored since childhood, and reminds me of her. The cabinet in the foreground is a trash pick from Main Street (at least, I hope it was!! If this is yours, let me know), and I'm going to put our art supplies in it, because the art projects are currently taking over my kitchen. Which I love, but needs some organization.

Ken had a cool green ad (seen below) on the Beacon Citizen, and I called him, and he's been so handy ever since! Hanging heavy things, electrical things, pretty much anything. But really, he's a rockin roller who plays guitar in the band The Fleshtones and he just got back from touring Europe.

Here's his ad that has his number!

And here is Ken on stage as a Fleshtone. I think he's the one with the guitar cheering on the other guitarist in the air jumping. Yay for double-lives of people who pursue their passions!

60% off Sale at Cracker Barrel Happening Now

The shopping experience at the Cracker Barrel restaurants is a guilty pleasure of mine that started on road trips, and has blossomed now that we live within regular driving distance of one (oh look, you can shop online, but in-store is better)!!

If you don't know, or have driven by blindly, our Cracker Barrel for Beaconites, Fish Kill and Wappingers Falls folks is on Rt 9 next to the Panera/Starbucks/Verizon plaza right off 84 headed north to Poughkeepsie.

Cracker Barrel's annual 60% off sale is happening right now (didn't know they had one! I always hit 'em up post seasons...hint for glittery holiday decorations at 75% off), and you know I snapped up that stuffed monkey rocking chair for little Cole's first birthday, down from $69.99 to $24.99 or some such. I also snagged two couch pillows for $12 each. So yeah.

Need some birthday presents? Flower tattoo stickers? Bulldozers? Baby cloths with tutus? Yup. Inside of Cracker Barrel. And then you can slide on over to the restaurant for pancakes! (Note: I don't recommend them for dinner...a little flour-y and bland....but still good for kids if you're in a pinch).

Thank You ISAMU for Sushi and Wine

Sometimes a girl just needs to have some sushi like a lady at a table with a glass of wine in a resteraunt. And when that girl is a mom with two kids to have the flu (thank gawd not the stomach flu but the sad head a chest and fever one), a girl needs to get out and sit with adults and use chop sticks and read a magazine.

Tonight I treated myself to such a fresh sushi dinner at Isamu dinner because I was supposed to have been in the City speaking on a panel for Young Female Entrepreneurs about branding your company online, but I pulled out because of the flu and opted to Skype in instead. But the darn wifi password at the panel location could not be found! I'd curled my hair and dressed my office space for the occasion, but alas, not to be.

So? Sushi!  :)

French Press at Utensil on Main Street

The new kitchen store, Utensil, on the east end on Main Street, has a might nice coffee press for the coffee lover on your list (ahem...! I still need one despite my aero press!).

As we know, I love my new fangled espresso style coffee maker, but the ease and richness of a French press still cannot be beat. The French press is less work and coordination than the aero press, but I like them both.

Utensil has all kinds of must-haves, like a wooden pizza board thing for placing the pizza you made onto your pizza stone, which they also have.

And crepe pans, should you need one.

Head on down there!

Bicycle Xmas Tree and the Moon

Cherry Bombs: The Bomb of a Pop Up Shop in Zora Dora's

You've walked and driven by it: the amazing cuteness that is oozing out of Zora Dora's on the west end of Main Street, and if you haven't been in yet, you may have thought: "What is that really cute sign? Is Zoras open for winter frozen treats?"

As is becoming the custom with Zora Dora's, a seasonal Popsicle shop, a pop up shop springs up to warm our eyes drying the winter. And let me tell you, this picture doesn't do it justice. I'm only showing you the storefront, but how I wish I couldn't have started with a closeup of their ornamented chalkboard, or the painted fabric sign, or the yards and yards of knotted yarn that makes the pile of snow in the window. These ladies have fun!!

Ladies because it's a pop up shop that started as a vendor table at Beacon's Riverfest. It was three lady crafters selling their creations. They had so much fun, they wanted to bring it to a storefront. But a storefront is a big commitment. But a pop up shop...!

Each time I've gone into the store (because my daughter is fascinated by their Christmas lights), there are more goodies. More designers and more goodies. The first time, I found fabric flowers, which I'm a sucker for, and the artist fashioned them into clips for me to give to a friend. As I was leaving, my eye caught new ornaments at the door. So you know what I'm going back in for next. And the jewelry...really neat. I saw lots of silvery feathers and some rustic pieces, but I got out of there before I could go off budget.

You'll be seeing more pictures of what's available inside, because I can tell my shopping isn't quite done!

Really Good Cup of Coffee Espresso-Style at Home w no Machine

After Super Storm Sandy, my business partner at 'PRENEUR and I wanted to send a care package to a small business friend who had lost her house and her soap making business. Without electricity for ever it seems, she's been making lukewarm, weekly filtered coffee on her grill. A girl needs good coffee if she's going to rebuild her biz, so I walked down to Mountain Tops on Main Street in Beacon to see what sort of camping style coffee maker they had. My requirements:

- not electrical
- easy, won't break
- don't have to clean it much
- no filter.

I thought I'd be getting a French press. It's what I use, has no filter, and I can do it one handed with one kid on my hip. However, the camping pros at Mountain Tops steered me to the AeroPress, a funky little coffee maker plunger thing that makes espresso shots or style of coffee! It has a filter, but is a tiny circle of paper that didn't seem like a big deal. As for cleaning, there really isn't any cleaning because of the way the coffee gets pressed into an espresso shot, and then into trash or compost. I doubted it, but ended up buying one for our friend, and one for my dad, because he likes strange, inventive ways of making things good.

And then we traveled for Thanksgiving, and I forgot my French press at my parents. Darn! I broke open the AeroPress and made myself a latte. Yes, a latte. Why? Because it makes espresso style coffee! I couldn't believe it! I've been drinking 2-3 a day now! (Sorry Bank Square for not banking coffee money with you).

You put the grounds in, then a certain amount of hot water, then comes the press part, where you press a plunger down for about 20-30 seconds. Voila. You have an espresso shot. Pour in hot milk (or half hot water and half hot milk). And I even have mocha powder, should I want to spruce it up a bit. But normally, I only put in a 1/8th of brown or white sugar, which is far less than I was putting in my regular cup of french press coffee, which used to cause major sugar crashes for me, and I'd hunt for the nearest brownie. Literally, pounding the pavement. Which is how I know where the best baked goods are in Beacon.

I know. That's a lot of passion from a cup of coffee. But it's true. And I'm happily hooked. And got another one for my dad (since I'm using that one), and one for my brother and his wife, since they appreciate coffee as well.

Thanks Mountain Tops!

The Final Product: a blondie from my oven

So that's really good. And I have vanilla ice cream in the fridge.

Because I can't keep ordering blondies to go from Max's

Ordering dessert to go from a bar is just embarrassing. But the blondie is so good at Max's! But it's also hard to pick up with two kids in the car. I'll save my togo order for when I'm also getting their potatoe skins, which also are delish with just enough grease and cheddar cheese.

It's Going to be a Good Week

It's going to be a good week because I just got this weekly planner (with a wood cover) from Dreams in Plastic. I'd sworn off buying or using weekly planners anymore because there are so many digital ways of doing it. This was a sad decision, but I've stuck to it.

Except that...I seem to be tricking myself. I'm buying and using blank notebooks, that I buy with the intention to journal, but I'm not journalling. I'm making todo lists! Cheater!!

In my digital todo lists (yes, lists plural) in my Google Docs, I've deviated from filling in my Deadline column with numbers, and now do the days of the week. I'm on a limited childcare schedule, so I work by days of the week and hour of the day.

This weekly planner is just that - weekly, with no numbers! Just a page spread of the 7 days of the week, and morning, noon and night.

Love!!

Oh Look, Max's is Family Friendly on Football Saturday!

Being a mom these days doesn't find me hanging out at Max's, aside for an occasional take out order of potato skins that are lukewarm at best in the styrofoam when I get home. Maybe it was the three cups of coffee and intense but fun jaunt at consignment hunting at Trendy Tots that drove us to drink, but upon walking home, we took a sharp right into Max's, where they whisked us away into a corner booth, where we could corral our girls and drink Blue Moon and color with red crayons in peace.

We're sure that the 6-top of trendy, hipster cool young adults next to us weren't psyched about their new meal partners, in fact, we're nearly sure we petrified them (enjoy it while you can!) when our girls broke free of our guard and started break dancing and showing off one legged downward facing dogs on the floor.

But all in all, thanks Max's for letting us in and feeding us!

Nissan Quest to the Rescue Again

Because you never know when you're going to accidentally pass one of the biggest consignment sales in the Hudson Valley - the Be Green sale in the rec center in Fishkill.

Lugged home:
- entertainment bouncy center for baby Cole
- CVS meds for Ruby for asthma in the biggest CVS bag I've ever left the pharmacy with
- Sweaters for dry cleaning
- 12 pack of paper towels to clean dog's unfortunate smelly accident in Ruby's room.