Great Looking Outfit

My girlfriend attended a restaurant grand opening celebration this past weekend and, since I'm pregnant and can't wear my clothes, borrowed some cute J.Lamore duds for the event! (She should just visit the site and buy her own stuff but that's another story . . .) She put together the most adorable outfit. She paired the Weston Wear "Lexa" Top with a pair of pants very similar to the Billy Blues "Wide Tie" Trouser but in white. To finish it off she wore some beautiful gold sandals and a wide matte gold bangle and earrings. She has dark skin and hair and the contrast with the white and gold was stunning. I asked her for pics so I'll try to post them asap. Hope ya'll are doing well.

Max

DC Restaurants

Hi Julie,

I lived in DC for 2 years and couldn't agree with Amanda more, Cafe Atlantico is fantastic. I like sitting upstairs near the window. I was shocked when I checked out the menu online but they still have my favorite - scallops with coconut rice. For something a little more casual with a younger crowd, I recommend Sequoia in Georgetown. They have a classic American menu with a lot of great seafood choices. What I like best about the restaurant is the location. After dinner, you can stay at Sequoia and have drinks on the patio overlooking the Potomac. They ususally have a band and the crowd is very hip, young and professional. If you want to leave, just head up the hill to all the cool bars of Georgetown. Regardless of where you go or where you eat, you'll have a great time. I've lived all over the country and DC was definitely my favorite!

Any of the Susana Monaco dresses would be great - it's very hot and humid and the streets of Georgetown are cobblestone in many areas so dress accordingly. My personal favorite is the Susana Monaco "Halter Pocket" Dress.

Enjoy!
Max

Where does the time go????

Hi Girls,

I didn't fall off the face of the earth (even though I feel like it some days), it's just been a very busy summer. May was one trip after another and one event after another and June hasn't been much different.

It was so good to read through the blogs and check out all the new merchandise. As always, there are so many cute things on the site! Sounds like ya'll are doing well and enjoying the summer.

I'm going to stay in touch as best possible over the next few weeks but we start construction on our house tomorrow so I'm not sure how we're going to handle the set-up and configuration of all the electrical stuff. To make room for the new baby, we're converting an office/sitting room into a nursery and slightly changing the layout of the upstairs. Even though I'm excited for the end result, I'm really nervous about the process. Entertaining a 1 yr old with construction workers in and out all day should be interesting . . .

I look forward to catching up with everyone!

Max
PS the pic was taken last weekend at Hollis' baptism. That's my Mom, Dad and hubby

Happy Birthday!

We have 2 very special birthdays today - my baby girl, Hollis, is 1 and Jim McCarthy is 50!!!!!! Hope it's okay that I shared that with everyone - I don't think he'll get too mad at me . . . Hope you and Jennifer have a great day celebrating! Even though Hollis doesn't really get it, we're going to celebrate this first year with our good friends tonight. I'm planning to wear my Billy Blues "Zip It Short" - the only thing left in my closet that still fits and a little maternity tee that says "Baby You Rock". Hope everyone is doing well.

Max

Garrett Popcorn

For those that live in the Chicago area, you're probably very familiar with one of my current favorite snacks - Garrett Popcorn. As my "Daily Candy" from last Saturday claimed, "it'll pop your top!". Well, I don't have to beg my Chicago friends to send it to me anymore b/c it's finally available online. Just visit garrettpopcorn.com to pick your size and your flavor. I recommend the Caramelcrisp/cheesecorn mix or the Cheesecorn/Butter split. If you like popcorn then I highly recommend giving these kernals a try!

Max

Lookbook

Is Jim McCarthy responsible for the beautiful painting in the background of some of the lookbook shots???? It's very characteristic of his work . . . Anyway, I love the new lookbook. Great job, team J.Lamore. I can't wait to be able to wear all the cute outfits again - it'll be a while but I'm still excited! Hope ya'll are having a great weekend.

Max

Here's a recent pic of me, Taylor (my husband) and Hollis that was taken in Memphis last week.

It's been so long . . .

Hi Everyone!

Gosh, I can't believe it's been such a long since I got to chat with ya'll. This year has definitely been an interesting one and the last few weeks were no exception. I was in Memphis visiting my family (and Amanda K's) for about 10 days. I anticipated having tons of free time to catch up with friends, J. Lamore, sit in the sun, relax. Ha! My parents don't know the meaning of the word relax and neither does my 11 mo. old daughter:)! Anyway, it was go, go, go from the time I landed to the time I took off. On top of that their internet connection was down the entire time. I came home only to find that my own internet connection was lost. Just today, after nearly 4 hours of repairs, we are back up and running. YAY! I feel like a junkie for saying this but I was really starting to have withdrawals from the net. Well, just wanted to check in. I'm going to catch up on Grey's Anatomy but will definitely chat with ya'll tomorrow.

Max

Splitting Hairs

Even though I have a lot of it, I have baby fine hair. If you have fine hair then you know how fragile it can be. I feel like I'm constantly battling fly-aways and split ends. Well, a good friend just turned me on to an amazing product to help combat my issues. CM Grace Pack is a new, super-deep conditioning treatment for dry and damaged hair that you can use at home.

Developed by Shelee Maeda, a stylist at the Argyle Salon and Spa in Los Angeles who wanted to keep her naturally black hair very long and very blonde, it’s a two-step plan.

Start with C, a corrective soy protein and humectant spritz that works on the cortex of the hair to repair and add shine. Once it hardens into a hair helmet, you rinse, then follow with M, a moisturizer. The combination of pro-vitamin B5, natural oil base, and other conditioners seals in hydration, making your once straw-like mane totally manageable again.

I've only tried it once and feel like I have spun gold for hair - an amazing feeling! Not sure about the price as I just used a little from my friend's stash.

Available online at argylela.com

Max

New Greek and Roman Galleries

For those that live in the NY area or visiting the city should check out the new gallery at the Met Museum - New Greek and Roman Galleries. The opening of the new Hellenistic, Etruscan, and Roman galleries—an entire wing housing over 5,300 objects in more than 30,000 square feet—completes the reconstruction and reinstallation of the permanent galleries of Greek and Roman art. It's receiving RAVE reviews. Even though I've never been to the museum, I'm a huge fan and love to read about the exhibits and galleries. If anyone gets to go, please let me know your thoughts.

PS I can't create links right now or I would link you to the museum home page
metmuseum.org. It's an issue on my end, not J.Lamore's - sorry.

Max

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Amanda K!

I know it's Ryan's bday also but he's out of the country so you'll just have to have enough fun for 2! Hope you have a fun day with your family. Please tell them Hi!

Enjoy!

Max

Top Tips

You know I love my "Daily Candy" and thought you might enjoy this as well:

How do you cure a bad case of halitosis? What to do with the giant cold sore on your upper lip? Can you get revenge on a rude cabbie (without getting physical, of course)?

Head to Top Tips for Girls to find out. The brand new site is the brainchild of an English journalist who was hoarding a plethora of useful information sure to benefit dolls everywhere.

The site’s organized into categories like relationships, health, work, parenting, weddings, diets, and travel, among others. And once you find the solution to your issue at hand, they ask that you leave a piece of your own advice for others. (They can’t possibly know all the answers themselves, now, can they?)

You’ll find a wide span of guidance from twenty- and thirtysomethings, as well as from their mothers’, grandmothers’, and even great grandmothers’ generations. It’s the perfect place to turn when your gal pals aren’t available during your next crisis, whether it’s negotiating a raise or figuring out how to look fab in time for this evening’s blind date.

In which case, dab New Skin on that cold sore and apply makeup on top of it pronto.


Available online at toptipsforgirls.com

Dailycandy.com

Enjoy!
Max

Monday

Thanks, girls, for the dress help! Even though I should focus on a dress, I'm really leaning toward some of the new items on the site. It's all so fun - I love the new Bailey 44 stuff.

What I'm really writing about though is I know Amanda K had a special date last night and I'm really hoping she fills us in on the details. How was it?????

Max

Dress Help

My daughter's baptism is the 2nd week of June and I need help selecting a dress. As ya'll know, I'm pregnant but I haven't gained a ton of weight yet so I can get away with an empire waist. The mod dresses don't look so great on me b/c of my build but I'm open to other suggestions. Whatever dress I go with I have to be able to wear a sweater or something to cover my shoulders. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Max

Stuff

Amazing what I can accomplish in 2 hours without a baby to carry around. I had a babysitter this afteroon so I could tackle a few tricky errands without Hollis. I was able to complete more things in 2 hours than I could in 2 days in a normal week. What am I going to do with 2 kids - YIKES!

On another note, I love the story about Shane. He's such a cutey! I just mailed a stack of cards to him so I hope it helps his cause. He and Hollis share the same birthday so it was extra fun to pick out his cards.

Speaking of birthdays, I'm just starting to plan Hollis' first party so if ya'll have any fun ideas, please share. I've only been to a few kiddie parties so this is new territory for me.

Hope ya'll are having a good Thursday!

Max

Heavenly Sweets

Holey Rollers - that was the subject of a recent "daily candy" email. Naturally, I was intrigued. The email went on to explain that "The dark days of longing for sinfully decadent pastries are over. The day has come when we can satisfy our temptations with something holey. As in Holey Donuts." These donuts are low fat, low calorie, and just as pure as their name suggests. Each is handcrafted and free of evildoers like trans fats, fat substitutes, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and cholesterol. They’re even delivered fresh to your front door the day after they’re ordered.

You probably won't find someone that eats more sweets than I do and now that I'm pregnant, I can't seem to satisfy my sweet tooth - it's so bad!!! You can bet I'm going try these heavenly little treats. I'll let you know what I think.

To learn more you can go to holeydonuts.net.

Max
Gob Bless VT

Hi Girls

Gosh, I feel so out of touch! April has been a busy month for our family and I'm dragging as I try to catch up on everything. Sounds like everyone is doing well (aside from it being tax day - yuck!). I was in LA visiting family for Easter and making some minor repairs to our rental house and then in Memphis for family events. Both were fun but Memphis will always take the cake - nothing like being home with Mom and Dad (and Amanda's Mom and Dad). I'll post some pics of the trips soon.

I didn't have time before my 2nd trip to update ya'll on my tanning experience. I LOVED the airbrushed tan. I took very good care of it by applying tons of lotion and I'm happy to report that it lasted about 12 days.

As for Amanda K's pizza idea - yummy! A good friend here in Reno recently had a pizza party. She purchased the dough and the toppings for one pizza and then each family that attended brought toppings and made a pizza for the group. When all was said and done we had 4 very unique and delicious pizzas. Since we saved money on dinner, we splurged by opening some Eagle's Trace wine. I only tasted the wine but ate my weight in pizzas!!

I have lots to chat about this week but I have a crying baby so I'll check in later.

Max

I have a tan!!!

I'm going to LA this weekend and want a little tan to show off my J. Lamore duds. After lots of searching I FINALLY found a fablous medical spa and salon that has an airbrush tanning service. I just had the tan applied a few hours ago and it takes about 6 hours to set so I'm not sure what the end result will look like but I'm pleased so far. I'll check in tomorrow morning and let you know how I like it. I'm so excited to have some color!!

Max

Spring Renewal

Thanks, Amanda, for the great compliment! When it comes to good, clear skin I think it's all about hydrating and exfoliation. I drink a TON of water everyday and my second favorite drink (other than wine) is milk. I drink all kinds of milk - low fat, 2%, whole milk, it doesn't really matter to me as long as I have a couple of glasses a day. As for my skin care routine - I've tried every regimen, every product known to man and I've learned the hard way that the more simple, the better. I wash morning and night with either a dove or oil of olay bar, using a wash cloth to gently exfoliate as I go then apply some eye cream and an oil-free moisturizer. I spend money on the eye cream and as little as possible on the soap and moisturizer. It's that simple!

As for my spring renewal I'm all about a head-to-toe overhaul. My favorite things to change/update are my hair cut/color, my lip and cheek color and toenail polish and my sunglasses. I'm anxious to hear what everyone else does for their spring renewal.

Max

Weekend Plans

Hey Girls,

Any fun plans for the weekend? My hubby is out of town so the girls are coming over tonight for movies and cocktails and tomorrow night I'm going to a Final Four party. I didn't fill out a bracket this year so I haven't made my picks for the championship game but I'm still looking forward to getting out. Anyway, it's finally warming up here and I'm planning to wear one of my Sky tops - Yay! Hope ya'll have a great weekend.

Max

Handbags

I'm in desperate need of a new handbag and curious if J.Lamore plans to order or receive any new ones? I have the Treesje "Preble Mini" in black but want something new for summer. Thought I'd check to see what's coming before I start shopping.

Thanks,
Max