bachelorette paarrtttyyy

this past weekend was my dear friend, cate’s, bachelorette party.  as one of her bridesmaids, i plotted with my fellow bridal party ladies and some close friends to craft a celebration to remember : )

me - ready for some fun!

megan, erin, cate (the bachelorette), megan, me

we convened at 13:00 hours on saturday to take care of some last minute details (like decorating the car with stickers, magnets and a flag) before abducting the bachelorette at 14:00 hours.  i was the driver (of the 8 person toyota landcruiser we borrowed from my parents).  the guest of honor knew very little of our plans and was a bit confused by some of the items we requested that she bring (i.e. a bathing suit, name tags, etc. etc.)

for any of you in the philly area, you know that saturday was freezing cold with torrential rain showers.  thus, the drive was fun : )  we finally arrived at our destination – the doubletree hotel in center city philadelphia – at 15:30 hours.

view from our hotel room.  looks like paris, non?

champagne toasts ensued as we set up camp (and a bar) in our room and readied ourselves for a night o’ fun.  we all brought several outfits (a) because we’re girls and (b) because the rain promised to get us soaked even with umbrellas, so much time was spent discussing attire for both dinner…and post-dinner fun.  wardrobe change #1.  cute dinner dresses.

pink bubbly : )

hannah, me, cate, erin (my bridesmaids)

we, luckily, we’re able to get cabs easily (despite the weather) and headed to supper restaurant on south street for our 18:00 reservations.  supper was awesome.  very cool yet simple décor and all their food is local and organic…and delicious.  we enjoyed a cheese board (that was to-die-for), 4 different kinds of deviled eggs (truffle, crab, feta & olive and bacon) and also sweet and spicy chicken wings.  for dinner, i enjoyed their roast chicken with a savory bread pudding and gravy (of course).  but the winner of the coolest entrée went to hannah, my sis, who ordered their vegetable quartet – bulgar wheat salad with pea pesto, asparagus spring roll, fennel & grapefruit salad and (omg) sweet potato cakes with flambéed marshmallow fluff and candied apples.  heaven.

after dinner, we asked the hostess to call us some cabs.  45 minute wait.  what?!  so we ventured out the door (with umbrellas) and luckily were able to hail two cabs in a matter of minutes.  the only causality, a pair of black ballet flats.

back at the hotel, we played some games, enjoyed some dark & stormies (recipe {here}) and ate some yummy homemade chocolate chip cookies made by the bachelorette, herself.  totally unnecessary but totally appreciated.  (side note: honestly, i wasn’t trying to be ironic by bringing the makings for dark & stormies (i decided to bring them a week or so back), but it was rather poignant with regard to the state of the weather.  hehe)

cate

on to wardrobe change #2.  club clothes and heels.  the bachelorette had some additional accessories – a tiara with a veil and a lovely sash indicating that she was the girl of the hour.  the rest of us sported mardi gras beads.  out the door at 22:30 hours, and again, we were lucky to get two cabs.  it might have rained, but the stars aligned with regard to getting transportation.  our 5 minute drive took us to the walnut room (on walnut street above alfa bar/restaurant).  upon entering, we were escorted upstairs to our private booth (very cool) and proceeded to enjoy (one) bottle service.  vanilla stoli, anyone?

the music was loud, but the dance beat was good.  and one by one the music “got us”, and we had a blast dancing.  after we had our fill of dancing and the vanilla stoli was no more, we decided it was time to head back to the hotel (for pjs and chips & salsa).

we went out preparing to have to hail a few cabs, again, but low and behold, the skies had cleared and the rain was no more!  finally.  we decided to walk the few short blocks back for some fresh air.  back at the room, pjs and snacks hit the spot as we wound down from our fun night.

sunday morning.

we were all up pretty early (around 8am believe it or not) and enjoyed some panera bagels & muffins and bananas in the room before readying ourselves for the day.  once dressed and packed, we decided to wander the city a bit before check-out because the sun had finally graced us with its presence.  we walked down walnut street to rittenhouse square, then back up locust street.  while out, we spotted a lovely little french style café – le pain quotidien (i.e. daily bread) – and decided that coffee…and perhaps another breakfast was in order…

the coffee was strong.  my croissant was buttery/flaky perfection.  and the apricot jam was spectacular.  everyone raved about the food, and the atmosphere transported you to a parisian boulangerie.  we reminisced about the night before and discussed cate’s fast-approaching wedding – which is exactly 2 months from today!  the perfect end to a fabulous girls’ weekend!

han's breakfast

bachelorette party words of advice:
-print out hotel/restaurant/club/bar info for everyone so they know what to tell the cabbies
-plan who is bringing what (water, food, drinks, games, etc.) and who is paying for what (dinner, hotel, cabs, etc.) – it just simplifies things
-pack snacks & water (in addition to whatever festive libations you might have in store)
-don’t let anything cramp your style…not even torrential rain

why i yoga

credit {here}

i practice yoga because:

- it makes me feel good inside & out
- it quiets my mind
- i like its simplicity and grace
- it makes me feel strong
- it challenges me (both mind & body)
- stretching feels goooood
- i <3 it
- it connects me to my body
- i stand up straighter
- it kicks my butt (sometimes)
- i have more poise & balance
- it works my entire body
- it strengthens and tones my muscles more than anything i've ever done
- it's all about practice not perfection
- it's just for me : )

credit {here}

if you're interested in hearing more about my workout routine, follow me @cailenascher.  i tweet my workouts all week long.


so, what do you do that's just for you?  have you ever tried yoga???

pizza pizza

last night i was in the mood for pizza.  homemade, yummy pizza.  my mom had just given craig & me a jar of homemade basil & pine nut pesto, so i was anxious to put it to good use : )

mid-afternoon, i mixed up some super-easy no-knead dough (recipe {here}) to use for the pizza crust.  a little bit of prep and forethought, but it's totally worth it.

pizza pizza

i preheated the oven to 400 degrees and then spread the dough on our pizza stone that i had sprinkled with cornmeal.  (i regular baking tray will do the trick too.) 

then i topped 1/2 with:

mom's pesto
muenster cheese
chopped kalamata olives

and the other 1/2 with:

vodka sauce
mozzarella
turkey pepperoni

bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.  while baking, make yourself a faux cosmo : )

1.5 oz vodka
2 oz cranberry
squeeze of fresh citrus (i like lime)
top it off with seltzer or diet 7up or sprite

sit back and enjoy your drink.  and enjoy the delicious smell eminating from your oven.  when the pizza's done baking, let it cool for a few minutes before slicing and enjoying!  mangia : )

mmm...pizza....

vision comes to life

when i graduated college, i started an interior design company, cailen ascher design.  since its inception my focus has migrated more towards living fabulously in every aspect of one's life, rather than just creating fabulous interiors.  that said, it's so much fun to see your vision come to life!  jillian from cornflake dreams is having a "decorate this space" blog crawl, so i thought it would be fun to share one of my decorated spaces : )

this is a bedroom i created for a designer show house.  each year the show house committee selects a handful of designers to overhaul spaces, and then they open the house to the public to raise money for a local hospital.  for this room i went for a 1940s hollywood glam look.

the rough space.  yikes!

my vision for the bedroom

and the room after the makeover. much better, right?

can you sense the grace kelly-esque nature of the space?  it's feminine and glamorous and a lovely place to repose.  it wasn't easy but with the help of my family (and especially my mom), we pulled it off, and i must say, i was really pleased with the final result. 

a maven revelation

do you know why we’re tired and stressed all the time?  because we’re all desperately trying to live according to externally imposed standards and ideals.  we’re instructed to work 9-5, told to eat this, not that and that we should want to make a ton of money or be super skinny (i mean really, who decided a size 2 was the perfect size for all women?).  we’re suppressed by the latest diet, the newest gadget that we need to have and the latest health study, but we rarely look inward for the answers.  (and the answers are there, believe me.  if you’re quiet enough and patient enough to listen.) 

deep down we all know there’s a better way.  a way without diets or rules or “should wants” or “should haves” or “should dos”.  we know that there’s an innate wisdom that can guide us closer to our best selves. 

evaluate your health and happiness.  are you becoming your optimal self, or just morphing into somebody else’s version of what you should be?  do you feel effortlessly fabulous and in sync with your needs?  think about it.  what do you really want for yourself?  what makes sense and feels good for you (and no one else)?  don’t worry about what other people might think or say (that’s just wasted energy).  be a little selfish (it’s ok once in a while), and think about what works best for you.

so, what can you do today to get closer to your inner maven?  the girl who doesn’t give a damn that she’s “not supposed to” eat dessert because it’s “bad” for her.  the girl who speaks her mind and follows her heart.  the girl whose vivacity and courage to be herself is completely contagious.  acknowledge her.  it’s as simple as that.

i’ll start it off to get the ball rolling : ) 

i’m a maven because i make it a priority in my life to do things i love (i.e. practicing yoga, cooking, going to happy hour : )

so, girl, what makes you a maven?

overnight oats: my newest love

i have been loving me some overnight oats.  i read about them on the blog pb fingers a while back and finally got around to trying them (and have had them for my breakfasts for pretty much a week straight).  i am hooked.  what are overnight oats you ask?  well, just one of the most wholesome, satisfying and yummy breakfasts i’ve enjoyed in a while.  and best of all, they’re super simple to prepare. (you make them the night before, so there’s no excuse for not having enough time to make or enjoy a delicious breakfast!)

my preferred (or should i say perfect?) combo:

½ quick oats (or rolled oats)
½ soy milk (you can use any milk really… skim, chocolate almond, coconut…take your pick!)
½ ripe banana, mashed
1 tsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp peanut butter (add the next day : )

mash banana in cereal bowl.  mix in honey.  sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.  stir in ½ cup milk until combined.  mix in oats.  cover and put in fridge overnight.

in the morning, heat in microwave for approximately 2 minutes on 50% power, stirring half way through.  (this will get the oats warm, but not hot.  i like them in this mid-range because you can taste the flavors better.  when they’re too hot, you lose the taste.)  put a glob of peanut butter in the middle.  sprinkle with more cinnamon if you like…i always do…

my plan of attack:  i eat the oats around the edge of the bowl first, and try to preserve as much for the pb for the last few yummy bites! 

variations:
use pumpkin puree instead of mashed banana
try a flavored milk
top with chopped nuts and dried fruit
use nutella or some other nut butter instead of pb
garnish with fresh fruit
…the possibilities are endless (and delicious!)

check out more delicious real, wholesome food {here}.

spring in my step...

despite the rainy, gray weather outside, i'm in a sunny mood.  not only is it friday (yay!), but craig and i are heading into philly tomorrow to meet with our baker (and sample wedding cakes), talk flowers with the florist, get massages (thank you groupon!) and then enjoy a fabulous dinner with my family at the cooperage, a whiskey and wine bar.  then sunday, i'm meeting up with my lovely bridemaids to look for their dresses.  pretty much weekend perfection if you ask me...

today, i give you some springy photos - all taken by my dad - to put a little spring in your step too.

so, what are you up to this weekend?