We're off to Japan and Thailand!

To return in October.

Guess where we're staying...

See you when we're back!

Xo,
Anne

Sexiest Luggage Ever? Tumi Arrivé!

We're going to Japan and Thailand next month, and in the process of preparing for this incredibly exciting vacation, we decided to invest in new luggage.  I say invest to hint at my sales pitch to Aaron, which emphasized our dire need for head-turning luggage.

We started by looking for luggage that was creatively designed with brow raising features.  I suggested we look at Hideo Wakamatu's luggage, which is Japanese, and sold basically nowhere but his website, so it must be excellent.

We considered the Muscular Carry On: Black.  I liked it because it was light, a hardcase (so neatly contained), had four spinny wheels, as we took to calling them, and (favorite feature) didn't have a zipper; it popped open when you released the latches.

Hideo Wakamatu - Muscular Carry On - $219

Oh, and it was $219, which seemed excellent, considering the other brand name suitcases I was looking at that were all polycarbonate were a small fortune.

We assumed since it was cheaper than those bags that cost a fortune, it must have some major drawback we weren't considering, so we moved on to bags that cost a fortune.

::fast forward past 400 emails Aaron and I sent each other about Briggs & Riley, Samsonite, SteamLine, etc.::

Enter, Tumi.

We swung by the Tumi store in the Flatiron district (new!) and made a beeline for the Tumi Arrivé collection; it was deliriously attractive, a feature I placed above all others, including price! We decided on two De Gualle International Carry-On's.

Tumi De Gualle International Carry On

And oh, we didn't stop there.  We were about to shun checked baggage forever, and in doing so, we needed to carefully consider the 'topper'.  It had to have a space for a laptop, and be able to function as an overnight/two day trip bag itself ::winks at minimalism::.

Aaron got himself the Kennedy Deluxe Brief.  It's part everyday bag, part suitcase, part nuclear football.

Tumi Arrivé Kennedy Deluxe Brief

T-Pass; you can unzip the bag and lay it flat for the security car wash, and not have to take your laptop out.

We got the twins monogrammed in the store, brought them home, and propped them up by the dining room table so we could stare at them while we ate dinner.

Oh, good morning.

Oh, what lovely monograms you have there.

Hand stitching!

Call me, maybe?

And in true minimalist fashion, we're getting rid of all traces of pre-twins luggage -- the sagging checked bag, the disheveled carry on, the extra carry on that didn't match the first carry on, the handful of crumpled duffle bags, etc.  All to be donated to Housing Works.

We're elated with the new bags, and are ready to not just travel to any country but also run it, if need be.  Are you loving them as much as we are?

Zero Waste: Perelandra

I have a Zero Waste route on Saturdays, and one day I'll take you on it, but it is basically up Atlantic Ave. and involves a lot of fresh produce and replenishing my chocolate chips at Sahadis, all with the help of some muslin bags, and two L.L Bean totes.


Since becoming Zero Waste, we've stopped shopping at drug stores.  Instead, we make (almost) everything we used to buy there, including all-purpose cleaner, dishwashing liquid, and make up remover.  We've also haven't used paper towels, tin foil, or plastic bags in almost a year.  It's kind of amazing; more natural, less expensive, and less effort.

With all that being said, after almost a year of Zero Waste, Aaron sent me out to our local natural foods store (hippie central) to pick up some items we just haven't solved for yet, and ran out of, like toothpaste, shampoo...

View Larger Map

Perelandra.  A mecca of "we have the more natural version of that".  And while I was in to pick up items I knew would be packaged, I was thrilled to see a ton of Zero Waste options!

I'll call this a Zero Waste helper; essential oils, which you add to vinegar and water and you have a lovely smelling all purpose cleaner!

NEW! Hand wash, shampoo, conditioner, soaps, etc.

NEW! Dish soap, laundry detergent, cleaning spray, oh my :)

Peanut butter and syrup!

And of course, hundreds of bulk food options -- we get our popcorn here (upper right).

Granola!

And if all this wasn't fun enough, at check out they offered to recycle my receipt -- ha!

Have you found any good bulk places in your neighborhood? Any steps towards Zero Waste you want to share?

Herbing

Everyone is growing their own herbs these days, so I figured why not? I was originally inspired by Bea Johnson of the Zero Waste Home, who has an entire herb / plant covered wall.  I wonder how she waters this without getting water everywhere.

Bea's Giant Plant Wall:

Also, two happy children playing scrabble.

As a next step, I grabbed a friend with a car (because I can't carry four plants on my own), and we headed to a nursery in Brooklyn, and then to Ikea.  I don't like how plant stores are called nurseries, it seems like egregiously false advertising to me.  Nurseries are where babies are, and where my endorphines are off the carts.  I don't get the same emotional high from plants.

We grabbed basil, rosemary, chives, and italian flat leaf parsley, and got back in the car.  I was told to water them every two days.  I wonder how long it will take me to forget to do that for two weeks and then notice.

Ikea was in the midst of redoing the accessories departments; they barely had what I needed -- those little cups that hang on bars.  I scored some 'returned' inventory that was opened, ripped up, but still had all the parts.

And then came home and had Aaron install it.

We have this little nook next to the stove, great light in there, perfect for herbs.
I had aspirations of creating an entire wall of them, then I learned I had to water each one individually over the sink, otherwise water gets on the floor.  Then three was enough.

Oh my little happy campers.

Looking good! Ikea dosen't have these on their website, but we got them in this department.

I'm afraid to actually eat them because they look so nice.

We had to put the basil on the counter, because we only had three pots (counting error at Ikea), and basil can't take sunlight like the other plants.

So far, we've used the rosemary, by putting it in olive oil and infusing my olive oil (yum).  And using it one night when we threw an engagement party, and served a drink that required rosemary.

And we used the basil (really, all of it) to make a fresh pesto.

Aaron whipping up a zero waste lunch!

Stage left, fresh pesto and our cheese jar.  Yum.

All in all, we're happy with the herbs.  It has taken the number of things we need to water from 1 to 5, which is an agressive uptick, but it isn't as hard as having one kid, then having five kids.

Do you have fresh herbs? Any tips for caring for them?

Flair in Firenze!

What could be more fun than a trip to Flair in SoHo? A trip to Flair in FLORENCE, ITALY! Oh yes, you heard that right.  Aaron took me to Italia for my birthday this year, and somewhere in between some massages and a gelato binge, we found time for a little browsing at Flair's italiano counterpart.

I tried to make up for the fact that we were obviously not buying anything (I don't even want to tell you what baubles cost in this store), by being exceptionally complementary to the staff.

I'll preface these pictures by saying I brought the wrong lens with me; it only has one setting -- zoom'tastic.  So, all the pictures look rather zoomed in.  Still, it is plenty of visual eye candy.

 I have no idea where Flair sources; it is like elves have scoured the last 5 decades and put the best of the best in this store.

What is this? I need it.

I don't have enough abstract wood sculptures.

I mean really, where did you get that lamp?

Note to self, light sculpture.

I need all of this.

I want the shiny table.

I need to do more book stacking + object, next to shiny thing.

I mean where in gods name did those lamps come from, where?

Mmm, shell lamp.

We could use some more sculpture.

An expensive box.

It's like a snickers bar, but a table.

Someone get me a knife, fork and napkin.

I need this table.

Yum.

So that was a visual feast, too bad I couldn't actually buy anything.  It just didn't make sense; the euro is still about 30% more expensive than the dollar, and even then, sticker shocking!  Fun to oogle though :)