You gotta believe.

As a Philadelphian I've learned not to take anything for granted, what was once comfortably there can be pulled from your grasp rather abruptly. That lesson was refreshed this week- once when suddenly my ride to work was simply not rounding the bend, and again when we ended our year of revelry so the empire state could initiate their 27th.

Would I approach things differently if I was raised a Yankees fan? Probably. Would I feel the same sense of hope that comes with a new season if I frequented Dodgers stadium? Probably not. Would I ever wish to change my fate as a sports fan? Not for nothing.

This is the city of brotherly love, and I'll be damned if there isn't an army of fans young and old that will back me up when I say that I would have rather loved and lost than to have never loved at all.

Meet Jane and Judy.

The Aldridges are a Texas based mom/daughter fashion tour de force that have this non-threatening, non-elitest, totally approachable aspect to them. [I like <3] Holt Renfrew in a series of displays featuring influential fashion bloggers, as well as featured in this year's Vogue "Age Issue". Their blog documents their day to day fabulousness- and though they live in Austin, They take their readers on various world wide travels. It's evident that unique personal style is a product of lineage with this pairing, But that is not to say that there isn't an identifiable difference in taste between the two. 

Here! Here! -- I'd like to propose a toast to Sea of Shoes.

She's got legzzzz.

House of Holland printed tights - available at Colette. My legs are the only part of my body I feel comfortable showing, so these might be a must for fall/winter.  I obviously wouldn't wear them pants-less as shown above but I wouldn't shy away from a little borderline cheek action.

Rumi at FashionToast knows her shiz.

"I am difficult. But that's because I don't really give a fuck." 

-Amy Winehouse

I heart Jamie T

Dear Jamie,

 I don't know why it's taken me this long to discover you. My apologies, SRSLY. Keep doing what you're doing. I'm listening very intently. 

Kisses,

The Queen. 

NOTE: Jamie dear is rumored to be from a very wealthy family, and this whole cogney speak is just a front. I don't even care. It works. Don't hate. You have your alter egos, he has his. 

Royal Mac & Cheese.

I like to think of myself as a mac and cheese connoisseur. I especially enjoy making it from scratch. Here's the recipe for the batch I made the other night. 

Ingredients:

1lb elbow macaroni, uncooked.

1/2 cup butter or margarine. [that's generally the equivalent of an entire stick]

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Salt, pepper, paprika, Tabasco sauce. [I like to use Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt instead of regular salt, it offers more flavor]

5 cups of milk

5 cups shredded cheddar/cheddar jack cheese. [i use a mix of the two, you can use whatever cheeses you might see fit, but I happen to like this mix]

1 1/2 cups of corn flakes

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions on it's respective box. In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Blend in flour, Salt, pepper, a pinch of paprika [to taste] and a few drops of Tabasco [again, to taste- I use a teaspoon full but that's just me.] Gradually stir in the milk one cup at a time while whisking the sauce at a fairly constant rate. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Add the cheese, stir until it's all melted. Put elbow macaroni and cheese sauce into a large mixing bowl, and stir until the sauce is evenly distributed. Pour contents of the bowl into a buttered casserole dish, You can use a metal or glass one- it didn't make much of a difference for me. Crush the corn flakes into crumbs and sprinkle over the top. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. 

NOMMMMMM.

Phabulous.