More Than Mary

Which ducky would you fish out $50 for?

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:01:43 -0500

Which ducky would you fish out $50 for?

Greeted at the Orange Show Ball by a host of demons.

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:58:41 -0500

Greeted at the Orange Show Ball by a host of demons.

I don’t have to toot my own horn in Houston. I’ve...

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:03:22 -0500

I don’t have to toot my own horn in Houston. I’ve only met Pixie once, and here she is not only carrying my bag, but also demanding I make more for her friends. Feels good, but not gonna happen….right now

Festari begins at the Intercontinental Hotel in Houston. Local...

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:24:08 -0500

Festari begins at the Intercontinental Hotel in Houston. Local tycoons are strutting their stuff in suits that would make Tom Ford stare. On stage, Michael Brown in a cream cashmere Festari says, “ladies love the cashmere, they can’t keep their hands off me.” According to, well, everyone, this is one of the most fun events of the year.

Despite all of his skillful strokes to accent my features,...

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:18:39 -0500

Despite all of his skillful strokes to accent my features, Edward is still prettier than I am!

Let the games begin. Tonight I’m off to the Festari event...

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:11:49 -0500

Let the games begin. Tonight I’m off to the Festari event benefitting Houston Family Services and the “Angels and Demons” ball sponsored by The Orange Show for Visunary Arts. First up, the magic of Edward Sanchez to transform my mug at Urban Retreat.

Roll Tide.

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:19:29 -0500

Rooting for Bama today. Why, you ask?

USC is too painful to watch.
Alabama v. LSU is the best game on today.
My brother goes to Alabama!
Trey (my best friend) is in Austin watching UT play UCF, a sure win for the Horns
Trey asked me if he could stay with me for the Rose Bowl (aka National Championship Game) in January. Which of course he reminds me of what happened last time UT went to the Rose Bowl. Grrr.
Trey’s parents went to LSU so that’s his #2.

Trey and I have a bit of a rivalry going on, can you tell?

Alone At home On a Friday night Catching up on my favorite...

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:18:24 -0500

Alone

At home

On a Friday night

Catching up on my favorite primetime dramas

With 3 dogs

And 2 cats…

Was perfectly acceptable

Until I started receiving tacky, expensive shoes via email.

That’s just torture.

(Pic of shoes from Charles @ Neimans who sends me pics multiple times a week so I know what’s just in. You haven’t missed much lately, but the NM in BH has some good stuff, contrary to the picture.)

A Good Man

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:12:13 -0500

Don: Do you want to dance?
Betty: I don't know.

Don leads Betty onto the dance floor.

(Mad Men)

My Friday night. Amazing. This season of Gossip Girl is so much...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:32:38 -0500

My Friday night.

Amazing.

This season of Gossip Girl is so much better than the last. Only Hilary Duff could make us forget about how much we loved Serena and Dan. And I’m not sure how they made Chuck so intuitive, but I love it. Now if Blair would just grow up already!

I needed a night of rest. A little GG, Grey’s, and Mad Men with Mason cuddled up next to me…perfecto!

I love the smell of fresh Louboutins in the…well, anytime....

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:44:27 -0500

I love the smell of fresh Louboutins in the…well, anytime. Mom just received these lovely ladies at Encore. Perfect for the gal who wants to be a diva everday. Priced at $250. I’ve also posted new winter stuff to the Encore Tumblr: www.designeraccessoriesforless.Tumblr.com - Questions? Terry@encorehouston.com or 713-334-9327

For example: Carmen Marc Valvo, never worn, size 6, perfect for...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:30:00 -0500

For example:

Carmen Marc Valvo, never worn, size 6, perfect for holiday. Original price, $305. Encore $95

— friends from high school I haven’t seen in a...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:32:00 -0500

— friends from high school I haven’t seen in a while, last night. I think I counted a total of 38 times I was asked this question from 2 guys within the hour.

Bloggers, do you find people poke fun at “your little blog” because they haven’t wrapped their mind around the concept, importance and value of digital and grass roots marketing? But despite that, they still want to be a part of it….doesn’t make sense….makes them look ignorant and naive on multiple levels if you ask me.

The same is true for people’s perception of twitter, even though every brand, restaurant, grocery store, and public bathroom tweets regularly.

Do you agree?

"So after watching you and Adrien constantly work on your blogs, I was inspired. I spent most of..."

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:31:00 -0500

“So after watching you and Adrien constantly work on your blogs, I was inspired. I spent most of yesterday designing my blog and writing a few posts. I must say, it’s extremely liberating. I really enjoy it!”

- Mike Mulhall, friend who was in Mexico with us, and owner of Merengue Bakery and Cafe

Check out Mike’s new blog about his entrepreneurial...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0500

Check out Mike’s new blog about his entrepreneurial experiences.

He has had success starting and operating 3 businesses.

If you’ve ever thought of going out on your own (which as both Mike and I will tell you is scary), it’s always smart to ask about the challenges others faced so you can prepare and plan ahead.

(BTW, Mike, love the logo!)

Last night we ate dinner at Ciao Bello, the new restaurant from...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:09:00 -0500

Last night we ate dinner at Ciao Bello, the new restaurant from the Vallone family. Unfortunately Jeff , owner and son of Tony Vallone, has more than a few kinks to work out. Review to come on Thursday.

Delicious Dish - Easy Stew

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:36:00 -0500

A hearty one-pot wonder for those of you enduring the chill of winter. As one reader wrote to me the other day, “we aren’t waiting to wear cashmere, it’s already cold here!”

This recipe from Fred Nix (Kristen’s father in law) calls for beef, but I think you could use turkey.

1 ½ lb ground beef
2 chopped large onions
2 diced potatoes
several stalks chopped celery
2 cloves minced garlic
1 can sliced carrots
1 can Mex whole tomatoes
1 can Mex or Italian tom. sauce
1 can okra
1 can Mex corn
parsley
5-6 cups water

All you have to do:

Season and brown meat.
Add remaining ingredients.
Simmer for 30 minutes

Enjoy!

What Is Your Favorite Houston Hot Spot?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:10:20 -0500

Last night I asked trendy couple Kirstin and Matt to fill me in on their favorite new restaurants in town. Here’s where you’ll find them dining:

Cafe Rabelais - French in the village
Antica - rustic Italian
Tila’s - authentic Mexican
Tinto’s - authentic Spanish tapas

Others have been recommending:

Kata Robata - Sushi
So Vino - trendy wine bar/bistro
Seppia - Wine bar
Americas - the new one
Textile - French
T’afia - named one of Open Table’s Top 50 in the US
RDG - for the scene not the cuisine

What are your new (as in the last five years) favorites?

Lose weight fast! Melt away trouble zones!

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:35:36 -0500

—By Nutritionista

I originally wrote this post last June, but wanted to repost it now on Mary’s blog to remind all of us to avoid the hype of weight loss “miracle” drugs, foods, and workouts. It can be frustrating to work at losing weight for so long and see minimal results, but slow and steady is the only healthy, safe, and permanent way to lose weight.

In the past couple weeks, I’ve received several emails from people looking to drop weight quickly. Just a couple examples:

“is it possible to lose weight in two weeks like esp in the thigh area.”

“I was planning on going on a two week diet, that I feel people I know have followed - they lost 10 pounds on it.”

This isn’t a weight loss blog, but I realize a lot of people come here looking for ways to lose weight.

Well, I just want to go on the record and say I’m firmly against any “diet” that promises you’ll lose more than 2-3 pounds per week, has you eating less than 1,200 calories per day, includes lots of weird packaged/processed food, or cuts out any major food group (carbs, fat, protein, whatever).

JUST SAY NO.

If you lose weight on a diet like that, I can GUARANTEE you’ll gain it right back and then some. Those diets look so appealing. You think to yourself, “Well, I’ll just have perfect willpower for two weeks and weigh 10 pounds less for the effort.” What’s the point of that? You’ll be miserable. It’s not sustainable and you’ll get frustrated when the weight comes right back as soon as you let go just a little. Trust me, I know from experience.

The BEST weight loss advice I can give:

BE PATIENT. Nobody wants to hear this, but there is no magic bullet. The more slowly you lose weight, the more likely you are to keep it off. Period.

Eat food (REAL food, not processed food-like substances), mostly plants, not too much. It doesn’t get much simpler than Michael Pollan’s advice here. If you want to learn more about (what in my experience are) the foundations for healthy eating/weight loss, read my Six Nutritionista Principles.

Cut out artificial sweetener. This has worked wonders for my sugar cravings and overall well-being.

Do cardio and weight-bearing exercises. Break a sweat at least 4-5 days a week. No excuses, no substitutions. How you do it is up to you, but you can’t claim health if you don’t exercise.

Filter out the food industry. The food industry doesn’t care about your health. Be suspicious of anything with “Low Fat!” or “Healthy!” on the label. Be suspicious of ANYTHING with a label and check it carefully before purchasing.

Listen to your food voice and forget the noise.

Learn and practice intuitive eating. This is something to really commit to heart for anyone trying to lose weight or just be healthier.

GetOffMyInternets - Bob alerts me when they post something...

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:33:18 -0500

GetOffMyInternets - Bob alerts me when they post something funny. This one had me almost in tears. Partypants and crew apparently are slowly realizing you get more laughs with jokes instead of knock out snark punches. Witty always wins with me. I’m still laughing at this one.