Friday's Simply Smitten - Blush & Blooms

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“Have the courage to let go; for who you are becoming will catch you”

– Olivia Ann Rose

Happy Friday! It’s been a holly jolly holiday season thus far. From Hallmark movies to the Rockefeller Christmas tree, I’ve been indulging myself in the holiday spirit.

My parents were here visiting last weekend. We did all the holiday stuff New York has to offer. Friday evening we went uptown to the Carlyle for dinner at Dowling’s. I have always wanted to dine at the Carlyle, but have only enjoyed the famous Bemelmans Bar. I thought Dowling’s was worth the hype; great atmosphere, wonderful service, and delicious food. After dinner we tried to go to Bemelmans for a night cap, but unfortunately there was a long line waiting to get in.

The next morning I met my parents at one of my favorite French cafes, La Beramote, for brunch. Sometimes I want to say screw it and get one of their delicious looking pastries, gluten be damned. But I don’t. Anyway, after brunch we walked up to Macy’s to look at their window display. Then made our way up 5th Avenue to look at all of the holiday decor and to see the Rockefeller Christmas tree.

Not to sound like Ebenezer Scrooge, but the holiday window displays are not that great this year. Macy’s was the only somewhat creative one. The 34th street side at least. However, the Herald Square (the front) window displays were not the best. Saks limited their holiday budget so they didn’t have their typical light show. The window display was disappointing. Just fancy clothing on mannequins with garland outlining the windows. It really has gone downhill since the 2017 Snow White display. Anyway, I do not want to be all humbug about it, it’s still worth seeing, and the rest of 5th avenue is wonderfully decorated as always.

After walking up and down 5th we went see The Rockettes. I haven’t been to The Rockettes in a few years, so it was lovely to be there. They changed up the show a little since I last went. The Rockettes still do all of their famous routines, but the storyline with Santa was a little different. One particular performance that was new to me was the fairies. The Rockettes were dressed as fairies and they had drone-like fairies fly above the audience. I loved it! Really beautiful to see. After the performance we went back to my apartment to order food.

I have been wanting to take my parents to a service at my church, The First Presbyterian Church, for a while now. I really like the minister and find the church to be beautiful. As expected they enjoyed it. After church we walked over to Sant Ambroeus in West Village for brunch. One of my favorite brunch spots here in the city. After brunch we walked around the holiday shops in Union Square.

I made the rookie mistake of showing up to Rolf’s for dinner without a reservation. 13 years in New York and I still have never been to the famous German restaurant. It’s one of the most coveted restaurants during the holidays because it’s completely covered in ornaments. I tried for weeks to get a reservation but you can only reserve a table through the phone. They have two phone numbers on their website; one doesn’t work and the other I kept getting a busy signal with no answering machine to leave a voicemail. I figured if we went to the restaurant early enough we may be able to get in. I was wrong. The restaurant is booked solid until January, and to get a drink at the bar the wait was over a half hour. So we ended up leaving and going to LouLou for dinner- another French restaurant that I love.

The rest of my week was all work and rest. Trying to recover from eating and drinking a lot over the weekend. I was suppose to go to an event- a restaurant opening- but ended up skipping it because it was pouring down rain. And also because I didn’t feel like going.

What I am watching: Outlander is back! I love this show. I think it’s underrated. Right now they are in the middle of the Revolutionary War, so most of America is currently occupied by the British army. Personally I thought the storyline would do a deeper dive into the battles, instead of Jamie being wanted for being a rebel. However, I still find it exciting and just as good as it always has been.

I started watching Man on the Inside with Ted Danson on Netflix. People were raving about it online, so decided to give it a try. I am only on episode 3, but I adore the show already. It’s cute, heartwarming, funny, and heartbreaking. Ted Danson is a gem!

Last but not least I watched Sabrina Carpenter’s holiday special A Nonsense Christmas. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was fun, silly, and filled with lots of glamour and fashion.

What I bought: I ended up rebuying these satin pants in ivory from J.Crew. I originally bought them in the summer but they were way too big. I returned them and moved on. However, I kept thinking about them ever since and saw that they were still in stock. So I rebought a pair in a smaller size hoping it will fit better. I plan on wearing them with a sweater on Christmas day.

Next I bought another holiday romcom to read. I am devouring my current one and will need a new one to pick up right away. I decided to get In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren. It came out a few years ago and seems to always be part of holiday books to read lists. I am excited to dive into it.

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This weekend is going to be another busy one. Tomorrow my cousin’s wife and her friend are coming into the city for a fun-filled day. I will meet up with them at some point for lunch and some holiday sightseeing. Then at night I am going to out dinner and drinks with friends. I am excited to catch up and just be out on the town. Sunday I am meeting up with family friends who are in town for brunch. ‘Tis the season!

Have a wonderful weekend xo

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