Month: June 2016

Middle & South Carter Hike

On By careofmonIn Hiking1 Comment

I am two peaks closer to finishing the New Hampshire 48 4000 footers! The original plan was to do Middle & South Carter and then Carter Dome but we had to turn back after South Carter. Descending from South Carter to the Zeta Pass before you head up the dome, we noticed Mizpah trying to lay down every time we stopped which is really weird for her, and then she actually limped holding up her left hind paw. We took a look at her paw and sure enough, she had a rip in her paw pad. We decided to head back, which did mean 4 miles of hiking down still. My little baby made it down ok, she sort of limped if there were rocks but walked ok on the nice packed dirt. Today she is doing better, she is tired but she did make it down the stairs ok and is eating/drinking.

The two peaks we did don’t have views! I did take some pictures of the beautiful northern Presidentials from an outlook on a little summit before Middle Carter. I guess the really nice views are on Mt. Hight which is not technically a 4000 footer in between South Carter and Carter Dome. I have to go back up to do the dome so I will get to snag those views then!

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This is the view of Lake Winnipesaukee from Mt. Major on Saturday!! We did the little Mt. Major with Jon’s parents on Saturday, it was such a beautiful day. Mt. Major was packed!
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Sunday was the ATV ride up the Mt. Washington auto road!! They shut down the auto road and only allow four wheelers up. The line of trucks and trailers was miles long in the morning.

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Above is a picture of Camp Dodge, where AMC volunteers and employees can stay in the summer. We parked at the 19 Mile Brook Trailhead because thats where we were going to end, and walked up the road a bit to Camp Dodge and got on the Imp Trail towards Middle Carter there. It was cool to see Camp Dodge!

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View of Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Madison from an outlook by Middle Carter
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Mizpah pre-pad tear
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Mizpah post-pad tear
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Little waterfall in the brook
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Really nice new bridge on 19 Mile Brook Trail.

We have some more hikes planned in the next couple months, so hopefully I will finish the  4000 footers this summer! Mizpah’s paw will heal, she just needs time. Its just so hard to watch my super athletic girl struggle and limp around. Friday was my last day of work until August 22 🙂 Let the summer adventures begin!!

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June 20- National Wear Your Lilly Day

On By careofmonIn Fashion2 Comments

Today was one of my favorite instagram days, I won’t lie. I love seeing everyone’s Lilly, all the age groups, new prints and old prints, bright colors and beautiful embroidery. Being an earth tones redhead, I will say sometimes the neon can be tough. I am very a la carte with the newer Lilly and gravitate more towards items with navy or a more neutral color and pops of the brighter colors. I love some of the older stuff- critter skirts, patchwork skirts, and the old school shifts.

Today I wore a favorite- navy blue skirt with pink embroidered crabs. I wore it with a pink gingham 3/4 sleeve shirt from LLBean. I wore the same skirt with a pink sweater for my bridal shower this past March.

Its a white label…but folks, not all white label Lilly is vintage, just remember that. My skirt is probably from the late 90s, early 2000s…I got it from an Etsy consignment shop, and just a little history and I guess a PSA…..Lilly Pulitzer retired and shut down shop in 1984. I personally feel like anything before then is real vintage. The brand was revitalized I think in 1993, and thats when we got the white label with Lilly Pulitzer in navy. You will see a lot of consignment websites, Ebay, whatever playing up the white label, and I just feel like its good be informed about just how vintage that white label is. Here is a great article about the labels.

Honestly I am trying to save some dollars this summer so the next Lilly I will buy will probably be during the After Party Sale in August. Until then, here are some of my favorite Lilly’s from the past few years. Looking back, I have actually sold some of this stuff on Ebay in order to buy new stuff- keeps the husband happy haha. Happy first day of summer and happy national wear your Lilly day!!!

 

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Stroll around historic Portsmouth NH

On By careofmonIn Lifestyle, Trips4 Comments

This past weekend we were up in NH for a cookout Saturday. It was in honor of two of the cutest kids in the world, a little boy who turns six this coming Saturday, and his little sister who turned three in May. My husband’s friends in NH are friends that he has had since high school. They are a really tight knit crew and its always fun getting everyone together for something. It poured on Saturday but Sunday was all sun! We decided to walk around Portsmouth a little bit on Sunday to just enjoy the sunshine and give Mizpah some exercise. We walked down by the Strawberry Banke which is one of my favorite areas of Portsmouth and walked around Market Square. Portsmouth is on the Piscataqua River that separates New Hampshire and Maine and empties out into the Atlantic. Portsmouth isn’t actually on the ocean, Rye and New Castle NH to it’s east have that coastal privilege. I snapped some pics of some of my favorite historic houses and a little bit of the lovely Piscataqua!

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The Governor John Langdon House, a Georgian mansion built in 1784…the portico, the balustrades, the dormers, I don’t even know what I love the most.
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Strawberry Banke.
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The Oracle House, built around 1702 it is one of the oldest houses in New England. It was the home of the first daily newspaper in New Hampshire, The Oracle of the Day, in the 18th century
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The Goodwin House, built in 1811 and owned by Ichabod Goodwin, the governor of NH during the Civil War. This house is right near the Strawberry Banke museum.
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Adorable tea setting in the gardens of the Goodwin House.
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The Treadwell Jenness House, 1818. I love the eagle above the front door.
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The Liberty Pole, standing tall right near Prescott Park in Portsmouth. Again, the gold eagle that sits atop the pole is perfect.
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Market Square 🙂
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Nice little spot to see the Piscataqua near Old Ferry Landing. Mizpah got a lot of love from kids and adults hangin out here!
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My anchor tshirt is an oldie from J Crew Factory, jean shorts are from American Eagle, Sperry Topsiders, and my very first KJP bracelet!
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The Jacob Wendell House, 1789, he was a merchant ship owner and insurance agent. The carving above the door is a whale oil lamp. I love the gabled dormers.
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So this house may not have a plaque announcing its historical significance, but I just love it! It has a cute little backyard/garden and the size is a little understated but the Georgian door! I don’t know, its a favorite for me 🙂

Portsmouth is a really dog friendly city. There is an awesome dog park, Pierce Island has an off leash area, and dogs are allowed in many of the outdoor seating areas for restaurants/cafes. Dogs are not allowed in Prescott Park which is a really pretty park on the Piscataqua, and I don’t think they are allowed in the Strawberry Banke historic area. There are so many beautiful old houses in Portsmouth, it was a perfect day to walk with my husband and pup. Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

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The Belmont Stakes & History of its Signature Drink!

On By careofmonIn Lifestyle1 Comment

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival on Long Island in NY begins today! Tomorrow, the winner of the Preakness Stakes, Exaggerator will take the field with 12 other horses to run the longest distance of any of the jewel races. The Belmont Stakes is 1.5 miles….a quarter mile longer than any other derby. These three year olds have probably never raced that long, and honestly will probably never race that long again! For this reason, the Belmont Stakes is known as the “Test of a Champion” and the “Big Sandy”.

The Kentucky Derby is a party for many, like people go and don’t even remember seeing a race. I have never been, but I have heard that the infield can get a little crazy. The Belmont seems to be a little more subdued. There is no spectator party in the infield, and no alcohol from the outside is allowed in, so no tailgating really. It’s still a fancy horse race, so I still expect lots of fun dresses/ties/hats/ and so on! Exaggerator is currently the favorite with his jockey Kent Desormeaux and and brother trainer Keith Desormeaux. The Desormeaux brothers are horse racing royalty- here is a really great article about Kent confronting and working through his struggles with alcohol. I guess he partied so hard after the Preakness win that he doesn’t even really remember the celebrations 😦 Great story, so happy he is going to be taking better care of himself! They looked great here on the 6th!

The 148th Belmont Stakes - Previews
ELMONT, NY – JUNE 07: Jockey Kent Desormeaux rides Exaggerator during a training session prior to the 148th running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on June 6, 2016 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

I knew that the mint julep and roses were trademarks of the KY Derby, and The Black Eyed Susan is the drink and flower for the Preakness, but what do we have for the Belmont? The flower for the Belmont is the white carnation. The official drink for the Belmont changed from the White Carnation to the Belmont Breeze in 1998, and from the Belmont Breeze to the Belmont Jewel in 2012! The Belmont Jewel looks pretty good, I hope that one sticks around. Here’s the recipe for each of the three Belmont drinks!

White Carnation til 1998

2 oz vodka / 1/2 oz peach shnapps / 2 oz orange juice / soda/ cream / orange

Shake the liquors and soda with ice, pour in glass and then add a splash of cream to the top! Garnish with orange slice.

Belmont Breeze til 2012

Ok this one is complicated. It was created by a mixologist named Dale DeGroff. I wouldn’t even try to make this at home hahaha.

Belmont Jewel the present signature drink!

1.5 oz bourbon / 2 oz lemonade / 1 oz pomegranate juice / orange zest

Shake with ice, serve with ice and garnish with an orange. I have also seen simple syrup and lemon juice instead of lemonade and some add sparkling water. A cherry or lemon wheel could also be a nice garnish.

I love learning the history and traditions associated with my favorite equine sporting events. I really want to go to all three Triple Crown races someday, as well as Keeneland, the Veuve Cliquot polo classic, and the Maryland Hunt Cup! Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

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Update 6/13/16- We made the Belmont Jewel for friends and watched the big race! Its not a bad drink BUT you can taste bourbon no matter what, so if you hate bourbon, even the lemonade and pomegranate juice won’t make it bearable haha

Summer Staple- The White Tank/Sleeveless Top

On By careofmonIn Fashion, UncategorizedLeave a comment

One thing that I feel like I need to replenish every couple years are the white tank/sleeveless tops. They are my go-to with printed skirts and shorts over the summer, but man, they are not the most resilient items. Between stains from drinks/food and then the oh so flattering underarm stains from our sweat and deodorant, it feels like the OxiClean spray works overtime  on these items during the summer months.

Here are some that I have been checking out!

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Drapey Tank Top with Silky Hem for $27- this one is actually ivory

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TH Harlie Eyelet-Striped Sleeveless Top for $36.99

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Charter Club Sleeveless Ruffled Top for $32.99- this one reminds me of an old classic Lilly Pulitzer tank that I love! It comes in a couple different colors too 🙂

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LLBean Embroidered Linen/Cotton Shirt  for $44.95- a little pricey I know, but I love LLBean and the embroidery is actually really nice I think!

I have found a couple this spring, one that I mention here from TJMaxx and then one that I found at Walmart for $5! Thankfully I think both are thick enough to not need a cami underneath (score!).  The perfect white sleeveless/tank can be tough to find. Sometimes the arm holes are too big, or its too boxy, too flowy, too see through and you don’t want to wear a cami under it, or they have neck/back lines that make your bra show. Having a few different styles is nice too because a white tank that wear with shorts to a cookout might not be the same white tank you want to wear with a Lilly skirt to a polo match? You also hate to spend a ton of money on one because you know its a white shirt that might not make it through the summer! The struggle is real 🙂

Anyone out there have a tried and true for good white sleeveless/tank tops??

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Mahi Gold at WPI’s Alumni Weekend

On By careofmonIn Fashion, Lifestyle3 Comments

This past weekend I attended my 10 year reunion at WPI….that’s right, I graduated college in 2006!! It made me feel really old haha. My husband, Jon, was also the class of ’06 so he came with and we had an awesome day catching up with people. We met up with a group of friends at the Boynton restaurant in Worcester to start our day, a place that we all spent much time at in college. From there we headed up the hill to campus.

WPI is beautiful. Nestled in a concentrated area in Worcester, it has the classic New England college look. I remember going to check it out in high school and just instantly falling in love with the campus. My tour guide, Nicole, was awesome and would later become my sorority sister! I got in to WPI early my senior year, connected with the crew coach, the money all worked out and just like that, I had chosen my home for the next four years.

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This is the Earle Bridge, a walking bridge over Institute Road. Freshman year during orientation, all new students walk over this bridge to symbolize their journey beginning. On graduation day, all graduates walk back over the bridge to symbolize the end of their time at WPI. Tearin up just a little, don’t mind me guys.

My husband was in the Skull society, so we hung out in the Skull tomb for a bit. Then we went to see our respective Greek houses- he was an Alpha Chi Rho, and I was a Phi Sigma Sigma. Finally we went to the Higgins House gardens (also seen here), arguably my favorite spot on campus. The Higgins lawn was my quiet spot to go with a blanket and read in college.

It was a really beautiful day Saturday, so I went with one of my Mahi Gold dresses and my navy/white Palm Beach Sandals with my white KJP bracelet. I have three dresses from Mahi Gold on the cape, and they are definitely some of my faves. They are all made from high quality cotton with a little stretch, thick enough to be not see through. The prints are all really fun and nautical.

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Not loving my hair in these pics haha, I put it in a braid wet so it has that sorta wavy look to it, ohhhh well 🙂 

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Dress // Sandals // Bracelet

Our little class reception was in the new rec/athletics building on campus which has a rowing room!! We used to have to get bused over to Holy Cross to use their tanks, but now WPI has a state of the art awesome room with tanks and ergs. We couldn’t get into the room but we did mess around on some ergs out in the hall for old time’s sake haha.

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After our little class reception, they had smores and a reception out on the quad. Its funny because Jon and I were good friends in college and have a lot of memories together from crew and social stuff on campus, but we didn’t date until after college. Being together on campus and whenever we go to crew events, its special because its something that we truly share. Actually in my group of ten best gal pals from WPI, six of us are married to WPI grads! So many WPI couples!

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It was so nice to be back on campus, we all had such a great four years at WPI, so many amazing memories. I have nothin but love for my alma mater. How was everyone else’s weekend!?

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Memorial Day on Lake Winnipesaukee

On By careofmonIn TripsLeave a comment

Jon, Mizpah, and I spent Memorial Day this year on beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Memorial Day started out rainy and dreary, but by noon, the weather cleared up and we were in for a gorgeous day! A couple of our friends just recently got a boat, so we headed to Alton Bay to meet them. We grabbed some Richardson’s ice cream at Stillwells and hung out in the sun before heading to the boat.

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The old grandstand, not used anymore, in Alton Bay
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Hangin out on the docks with some mocha chip and the Mizpah

Their boat was at a friend’s house in Gilford right on the lake. Lake Winnepesaukee is the third-largest lake in New England, behind Lake Champlain in Vermont and Moosehead Lake in Maine. There are many towns on the lake including Wolfeboro (which I love), Meredith, Moultonboro, Center Harbor, Tuftonboro, Gilford, and Laconia. Weirs Beach is a very popular spot on the lake in Laconia, also the home of Bike Week.

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Views on the Lake
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My most patiotic KJP bracelet for Memorial Day!
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Sleepy little boat derg. My skirt is an oldie from J. Crew and the shirt was an impulse buy from Walmart for $9! My silver Jacks come out a lot in the summer. They are my classy beach/boating footwear. 
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Checkin out the bow!
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Welcome to Governor’s Island, Gilford, NH. That home is probably used for maybe 2 weeks out of the year hahaha
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Lovin it! Wind in her ears!
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Scenic views on the lake 🙂
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So beautiful. I love the New England coastline, but there is something about the lake surrounded by hills and mountains.

It was such a fun day catching up and motoring around. We did hop off the boat and do a little swimming, but the lake is definitely still a little cold!!  It was a perfect relaxing day after our hike on Sunday. Mizpah was so well behaved and calm on the boat, I was really proud of her. This week is a really exciting week full of activities for the seniors at my school. The prom was last night, and their big awards night is tonight. We are in the homestretch with the last day of school on June 24th, summer is almost here!

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