Stylish Mama Picks for March

I know I am way late for this post.  But hey, the month isn't technically over yet!!!  Which reminds me that I need to spend the rest of my flex spending account before tomorrow.  Band aids?  First-aid kits?  OK, nothing of fashion there...lets move onto some of the things I am loving this month!

/Tory Burch Marisol Cluster Necklace/

I love the simplicity of this necklace...the perfect amount of color added along with the pretty single pearl...so soft and polished.

/Topshop Floppy Felt Hat/

This lightweight wool floppy hat would be a great addition to any spring outfit.  Having a bad hair day?  Even better!  

/Michael Kors Fulton Moc Flat/

Laser cut leather seems to be more and more popular now. I love how these have the laser cut look however still are very classy.  Would love to wear these with cropped white pants or jeans for dress down day at the office.  

/Michael Kors Fulton Small/

And why not pair those cute shoes with a Micheal Kors cross body purse?  I love me a big purse, but for shopping trips or girls night out, there is nothing better than a cute cross body bag.

/Bare Minerals California Bronze Kit/

I have been using this kit for the past few weeks, and it truly has given me that needed glow after the long winter of hardly seeing any sun.  I love that it has three shades of bronze...as sometimes you only need a little bit of glow...but maybe for a night time look you might want your bronze to be a little more bold. This kit will carry me through the warmer months helping me look like I am not trapped in New England!

So there are my fashion picks for this month.

Looking forward to spring picks for April...yes, I know that is in a couple of days!

Happy Shopping,

Stylish Mama

Part 1: Nursery Makeover

If you read Part 1: Walk-in Closet Makeover, you know that I'm in the middle of a major organizing project at my friends house.  The idea was to start with just their bedroom closet and their baby's nursery. That quickly turned into a room by room organization project and I couldn't be happier with how things are going.  A lot of progress has been made but still lots left to do.  I want to share with you the progress of the Nursery which use to be the Office/Catch-All Room.

We wanted to clear out the room as much as possible because the baby's gifts were arriving that same weekend.  We first started clearing out the closet and sorting the babies items that they had already purchased.

Here are the before images, again, pardon the quality, they were taken with my cellphone and poor lighting.

Quickly making room for all the gifts that were coming the next day.

And here are the gifts! Ta-da!

And more gifts came coming, like the dresser and the crib.  Between my friend and I, we were able to build both furniture pieces. I loved setting up the crib, it definitely makes things get real when you see the nursery come all together. I can't wait to show you how it looks.

Still work in progress...

It's amazing how a room can be transformed with the right furniture and organizational pieces.  It's starting to look like a nursery.  Between all the soft blankets, fuzzy socks and toys....it's hard not to be excited to welcome my friend's baby to the world.  Look forward in meeting him real soon.

Can't wait to show you the final reveal.

Happy Organizing!
Organized Chica - xox

Review of Top of the Hub, Boston Restaurant Week March 2015

Ever find a favorite restaurant in your favorite city and cannot get past it when it comes to trying new places?

This is what happened with us and Top of the Hub, Boston.  This was our second time going here for Restaurant Week in Boston, MA. Not to mention we have been several other times for their regular menu. We fell in love with the food, ambiance, and service last time we were there for restaurant week that we totally were sucked back in to going again this year.

I mean can you get over this view?  I know we can't...takes our breath away each time we see it in person.  Such a gorgeous skyline and view.

We had actually made reservations for our girls night out before the menu was posted publicly on a website we tend to stalk...for Restaurant Week in Boston.

The website for restaurant week Boston will post all the participating venues and their menus for lunch and or dinner.

About a week after we booked our reservation the menu was released for Top of the Hub...and I will admit, I wasn't as excited as I had been the last time we went as the menu was a little on the boring side for options.

First of all there was no steak option...we girls like our steak!

Second of all, the options were a little on the cheap side when it came to ingredients and the price that Top of the Hub charges for their pre-fixed meals.

For dinner they charge $38 for a three course meal.
Here is the menu posted for March 2015:


Appetizer Choice:
Tuscan Soup (white beans, escarole, Italian sausage)

Baby Kale Salad (lemon, pignoili, Pecorino, Calabria Pepper Vinaigrette)

Entree
Braised Chicken Leg
Polenta, mascarpone cheese, swiss chard, pine nuts, chicken jus

"Chicken Fried" Pork Tenderloin
Washington Apples, blue cheese, celery, upland cres, marble potato salad, mustard dressing

Linguine Alla Vongole
Tender clams, vino blanco, garlic, chillies

Dessert
Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake

Creme Brulee with Season Berries

So after reading the menu, I wasn't thrilled with the idea of not being able to pick my meal...I love when a restaurant offers so many amazing choices that I actually have a hard time narrowing down my list.   This menu did not challenge me at all!  I knew right away what I was going to pick and frankly, I felt like some of the items were not on the gourmet level it should have been for a first class establishment like Top of the Hub.

I went with the Tuscan Soup, Linguine Alla Vongole, and Creme Brulee and Organized Chica picked the same ecxept for dessert she opted for a diary free dessert.  Which I will say our waiter was willing to request the kitchen to accommodate her.  She was given the choice of either a bowl of fresh berries lemon sorbet.  She chose the fresh berries.

Course One - Tuscan Soup

Course Two -Linguine Alla Vongole (Linguine with Clams)

Course Three-Creme Brulee with fresh berries

Our meal was excellent, and we are glad we made our choices.
However our friend who was with us picked the braised chicken and she was left feeling like it was stewed chicken meat with not much flavor.

After dinner we enjoyed some live music with a jazz band and of course we made time for some laughs and great conversation.  Just love girls night out!!!

Overall we are glad we went as the food was perfectly executed and the service was impeccable just like the previous time.

I do hope they bring back a little bit more quality to the actual menu and add in more sophisticated plates as the cost of the menu was on the higher side compared to other restaurants that were only charging $28 for dinner.


Happy Dinning!

Love, Stylish Mama

Part 1: Walk-in Closet Makeover

It's March! You know what that means? Spring will be here in less then 20 days, but who is counting right? The weather may not cooperate in some areas of the country but this doesn't stop the biggest event of the year, SPRING CLEANING!!

I wanted to share with you a very big project that I have been working on for a friend.  This is not only a spring cleaning project but "hey, I'm having a baby in less then 3 months and we need to setup his room but don't know where to put all our stuff so, ahhhhh" situation.  This is where I jump in, can you hear the superhero music? Organized Chica to the rescue!!!

Let me start by saying that when you are going to tackle a job of this magnitude, everyone needs to be on board.  This is a group effort.  As a organizer you can sort, purge and put away stuff all you want, but if the systems you use, don't work for your client, then you have failed as an organizer. What make sense for some, isn't the case for others.  Your clients input is necessary if you want to have successful results.   

This is still an ongoing project but I thought I show you the progress of what I'm working on now.  Please pardon the quality of the images, I took them with my cellphone and the lighting wasn't the best.  Also I was so focused and concentrated that I didn't do a good job of taking pictures on how the closet looked when I started.  The below images are the different stages that the project went through.

The main purpose of this project was making this walk in closet efficient for both husband and wife.    Currently only her clothes were in this closet while his clothes were in another room which now is the baby room.

As you notice the left wall had all this wasted space because it was lacking a storage unit.  This was the challenge because of the entry way.  

This was after all the shoes were removed from the floor and we were in the process of clearing the shelves. 

After a couple of conversations on what they wanted and my friend being at Home Depot for about 3 hours, this is what he came up with.  The perks of your friend being an architect and my HB being a handyman.  This is why I say it's a group effort. Look at this beauty! 

I can't wait to share with you all the final images of the completed closet.  Once their room is complete, we're moving into the baby room.  I also have personal projects coming up that I'm really excited for and can't wait to share with you.  

Happy Organizing! 

Organized Chica - xox

Nutella Stuffed French Toast...ooohh la la!

I hope all you New Englanders are keeping sane with this winter we are having.  I for sure thought by March we would be saying goodbye to snow and hello to warmer weather.  But I guess winter is still kicking and going strong.

I find that winter does allow me to do one thing best.  And that's eating!  I love the idea of being snowed in and eating yummy comfort food.

I made Nutella Stuffed French Toast for house guests a few weeks ago, and it was a HIT!
Such an indulgent breakfast...that I am now in love with...I especially love how the toast is soaked in orange juice which is the perfect compliment to the hazelnut cocoa spread.  YUMMM!

Nutella Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients:

1 13-ounce jar Nutella
16 slices of good white bread (two slices for each sandwich)
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup low fat milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice (or orange liquor if you have it)
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla exract
1 pinch of salt
1/4 cup canola oil


Directions:

1. Spread 1 tbsp of Nutella between two slices of bread, repeating to make all sandwiches.  Use a sandwich cutter or a glass to press down and get 1 clean circle from each slice - cutting away crusts and seal sandwiches.

2. Mix together eggs, milk, sugar, orange juice, butter, vanilla, and salt in a large shallow bowl.  Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture until they are well covered.  (divide your batch in half so you you can manage frying the sandwiches)

3. Heat 2 tbsp of canola oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Add sandwiches and cook, turning once until both sides are browned.  Repeat with remaining oil and serve immediately.

*I dusted mine with powdered sugar to make it extra pretty!


I warn you that this is very indulgent and good. This is a perfect brunch dish or a treat to wow your house guests.

Happy Cooking!

Love, Stylish Mama