Tuesday Topics: Who Inspired You?

In nearly a year and a half of chronicling the life and times of the badger, peter-dog, and myself, I have to stop and thank those that inspired me to start my little creative corner on the Internet.

The very first blog I ever stumbled across was Magnolias, Marriage, and Manhattan. I loved reading the life and times of MMM, a 'bama belle planning a wedding, selling a house, and trying to teach her preppy pup to tee-tee on the concrete in anticipation of her NYC move. Now a year and a half later, she is no longer Miss. MMM but Mrs. MMM with a fabulous hubby and baby J.

I clicked around on her favorite reads to find Preppy Wedding, Tres Poshe Preppy, Le Petite Blog, and Grosgrain Garage. Just like that, I had my own "daily reads." After several months of lurking, I decided I wanted to join the not-so-little blogging community. I started commenting and reading more and Barefoot in the Park was born. I wanted to thank each and every reader out there for their eyes and time. I think blog-land is a pretty great place to share your thoughts, get some new ideas, and have a little virtual support. Brava Blogland!

So, who inspired you to start your blogs?

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I will accept entries for the Collared Greens Giveaway until midnight tonight, EST. The lucky winner will be announced tomorrow morning!

Tuesday Topics: Summer Supper

Magnolias & Juleps and I were discussing yesterday a lack of wanting to eat when the heat waves of Summer arrive. We concluded that the lighter (and colder) the better. What are a few of my favorites? Pasta salad, sushi, hummus, and this:
Crock-pot pulled pork BBQ with "badger slaw," corn on the cob (with butter & Jane's crazy mixed up salt), freshly picked green beans with caramelized vidella onions. Best part? Everything fits into the "localvore" movement, fresh from the Farmer's Market!

Want to try it for yourself? Here's how!

What you'll need:

• 4-6 lb Boston butt pork roast (trim the fat)
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1 T salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 3/4 C cider vinegar
• 4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1. Combine brown sugar, salt, & pepper. Rub over roast.
2. In a bowl, combine other ingredients. Drizzle 1/2 the vinegar mixture over roast. Refrigerate remaining vinegar mixture.
3. Cover & cook on low for 10 hours on Low or 6 hours on High in your crock pot.
4. Pour meat into colander to drain. Remove bones & fat. Shred & stir in 1/2 C ketchup and remaining vinegar. Put back into crock pot on low and serve!

Now you'll say, "barefoot, this is great but it makes so much! whatever will i do with the leftovers?"

More fabulous summer supper ideas: shredded pork tacos, leftover sandwiches for lunch, or my personal favorite, Guy Fieri's "Jackass" sushi roll. Enjoy!

What's in your Summer arsenal of suppers that don't heat up the kitchen too much?

Tuesday Topics: The Wii & Me

Having a "no video game" ban in my house growing up, I used to love visiting friends houses to play Mario & Duck Hunt on the original Nintendo. My childhood best friend thought it would be a great way to flex our 18 year old rebellious muscle's by giving me a Gameboy Color complete with a used copy of Frogger & Tetris (I will rule you at Tetris!) as a gift for my 18th birthday.

College brought me many a babysitting job to which the kids tried to teach me Playstation and Madden '02, but I was always miserable given that my video game skills remained loyal to SuperMario 3 (much better than 2) and Tetris. My college roommate brought back her original Nintendo to our apartment Junior year and that act brought glorious duckhunt competitions. My ace "gamer" (and by gamer I mean grew up with an original Nintendo in their house, none of that fancy Sega or computer stuff) friends would always make fun of my "leaning" style to make Mario or Luigi go more to one direction or the other (forget the buttons, if you lean into it you'll definitely win. sike!). If I had only known then that I was ahead of my time.

Enter my reemergence into the land of babysitting and the advent of the Wii. My leaning has brought me MAD SKILLS when it comes to one and only one game: Cow Racing. The 10 year old I'm with twice a week can beat me at all other Wii Sports & Games, but I prevail at Cow Racing ... and it drives her nuts!

So today's Tuesday Topic (in honor of Tetris turning 25 last week) is:

What is your favorite video game, then and now?

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A big big thanks to Becky for helping me with my new lovely 3 column layout!

Tuesday Topics: Accessories

If you've seen me on an ordinary day for about the last decade and a half, you've most likely seen my Tiffany Elsa Peretti starfish necklace. On returning from a business trip to New York in the early 90s, Mom & Dad gifted me with my favorite timeless accessory, and my first Tiffany Blue box!

What is your favorite timeless accessory?

(Leave your comments below. If you feature your own favorite accessory story on your blog, let me know and I'll ETA a link section on this post!)

Tuesday Topics: Summer Cocktails

The beautiful weather definitely has put summer on my brain! In this edition of "Tuesday Topics" I ask the question:

What is your favorite Summer drink?

I have recently discovered my summer cocktail of 2009: The Skinny Girl Margarita, of Real Housewives of NYC fame. Bethanny Frankel decided she wanted to create the taste of the refreshing lime and tequila drink without all the sugar and calories, and let me tell you it is Delicious! I've created my own twist on the drink:

Count to 3 while pouring clear tequila (I use Sauza)
Count to 1.5 while pouring Triple Sec
(She suggests Cointreau or Bols. Bols is the much more economical option!!)
1 dash of Agave Nectar (very sweet, just a couple of drops will do)
1/2 Half of a Lime, Squeezed

I serve over crushed ice. Yummy! But beware, drink slowly as they have the potential of being deadly!

Are you with me on margaritas? Do you love a "Spiked Arnold Palmer?' Is Sangria or just a Corona your choice? What's your favorite drink of Summer?


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DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY "SUMMERTIME'S CALLIN' ME GIVEAWAY!"

Tuesday Topics: Going Green

You've heard about going green and the green revolution ad nauseum recently. The buzz words of green & sustainable can be found on everything from cookies to TV's. The age of use-and-toss is over. I for one am all for recycle, refurbish, and renew/reuse (my own 3 R's).

RECYCLE: Living in a small space I don't have the luxury of a fabulous recycling organizer, but I have a bag that gets taken to the recycling center once a week filled with plastics, aluminum, and cardboard. In my mind, even one Coke Classic can counts!This fabulous personal recycling center can be found at Williams Sonoma.

REFURBISH: I love to take hand-me-down or estate sale items from "how outdated" to "fabulous." The majority of furnishings in my house represent this category!This chair was found at an estate sale. Re-upholstering with a fresh fabric and a little touch up on the legs took it from yuck to yahoo! (The hunt print pictures above were a thrift store find, and the tv stand came from a resale hotel furniture shop. A little cleaning, TLC, paint and stain made them showpieces!)


RENEW & REUSE: Over the past year I've become more conscious of my paper towel usage and replaced a lot with washable hand towels. I'm trying my hand at a garden (aside: no I did NOT jump on the Obama "recession garden" bandwagon. I planted mine way before they announced thankyouverymuch.) I support local business that support local people and places. Even the Barefoot in the Park bookswap falls into this category!

While I find some of the "greenies" out there very hypocritical (don't throw away your old TV just because there is a new "greener" version or get rid of your perfectly economical year old car for a Prius), I do think it's very important for us each to do our part. We should follow the Boyscout's motto when it comes to our planet: leave the space better than when you started.

In honor of Earth Day tomorrow, what changes have you made to be a little more green?

Tuesday Topics: You scream, I scream ...

... we all scream for ICE CREAM!


After giving up ice cream for lent, I truly realized how I love the sweet creamy delicious frozen treat. (I also realize that replacing my nightly low-fat ice cream or yogurt with a cookie, brownie or cake has caused me to gain a few lbs, but I digress...)

It all started with the Baskin Robbin's clown cone: Despite the sheer terror that runs through my body upon the sight of a clown, I loved the ice cream and icing concoction.

As my taste buds matured I realized the delight that was Colombo (does that even still exist?) frozen yogurt from the gas station near Mom's shop. Chocolate & Vanilla swirl with sprinkles from TCBY became a weekly pre-piano lessons stop. On a high school summer trip to France I discovered the M&M McFlurry. I thought I'd found a secret delight not available in the states. (Boy was I wrong as they had debuted it during my absence. Saving that different spoon only to find they had them here was such a let down.) In college, I was ecstatic to find the frozen yogurt machine in my dining hall. Then my roommates introduced me to Coldstone & "The Birthday Cake Remix." And last summer there was Pinkberry and its swirly goodness. A Rita's opened during Lent near my house and that shall be my next treat to try.

The typical "ice breaker" question of, "say your name and your favorite flavor of ice cream" is very difficult for me for I celebrate plain jane vanilla bean all the way to pomegranate lime. Oh the frozen goodness ...

What is your favorite ice cream treat?

Tuesday Topics: Let's talk Lilly

In honor of my win of some lovely Lilly stickers from the Preppy Paper Girl's giveaway, this Tuesday we shall talk Lilly. My Lilly lovin' (like most of you) started at a very young age. My mother was the owner of a children's shop in my hometown. Lilly & Lacoste was a practical uniform for we children of the early 80s. (the price tags were not nearly as high end as they are today)

The anti-preppy grunge movement of the early 90's saw these companies fade. I don't know if you remember, but Lilly was a near memory and sold at very few places during this time. (very rare outside of second hand shops and Florida) The classic shifts were mearly hanging in the backs of peoples closet, waiting for the re-emergence of prepdom.

In the year that all of my friends turned 16 (late 90s), our mothers decided to surprise us on the last day of school. 5 mothers and 5 daughters were whisked away to New York City for 5 days! It was a lovely surprise seeing as most of us had never ventured to the city before. In the airport awaiting our plane my mom bought me a copy of Vogue. On the plane ride I re-discovered Lilly in a lovely article about her juice stand and the ups and downs of her company. Mom explained to me that my great-grandmother was a Lilly lover from the beginning in Palm Beach. Almost immediately I felt a connection and just had to have a grown up version of what I'd seen in the photos of my childhood. The teeny tiny print below the article stated that Lilly was exclusively available at Saks Fifth Avenue stores. Now it may sound crazy, but I think fate brought us back together.

After a few days of sightseeing, mom and I split from the group to find my birthday dress. Up the escalators in Saks we went as I would stop for nothing until I found the teeny tiny pocket of pink & green in the city of grey. The Lilly comeback featured simply classic shifts in just a few patterns. While I loved all of the lovely piqued pink and green, I settled on this:

Pink grapefruit, green limes, & yellow lemons. The shift had 2 pockets on the front and the detail I loved the most: a thin piece of lace at the bottom of the hem that simply said "Lilly."

While the shift has been slightly altered to fit over the decade it has followed me through 2 high schools, college, and beyond ... it still remains a go-to in my spring wardrobe.

Do you have a story like mine with a particular item of clothing still in your closet or an interesting Lilly story readers might enjoy? Please share!

Tuesday Topics: Chick Lit

In the midst of the springing spring, I tend to let my reading turn a bit more lighthearted and happy. There is nothing better than sitting on my porch with a glass of sweet tea spending the afternoon reading. A few of my favorite authors are :

Meg Cabot. She embodies the lighthearted romantic comedy on paper. Go straight for her books when you want a quick (because it sucks you in!) fun read!
Emily Giffin. I'm eagerly awaiting Giffin's next installment! "Something Borrowed," and "Something Blue" were 2 of my favorites!

Mary Kay Andrews, who authored my very favorite read, "Hissy Fit." Her tales always feature a hilarious southern heroine who undoubtedly gets into a pickle due to her stubborn head. (just like lots of us!)

What are some of your favorite chick lit authors and books?

Tuesday Topics: What would you do?

What would you do if everyone around you suddenly broke into a choreographed dance like in the above video in London?

It certainly would bring a smile to my face!

Tuesday Topics: What's your pet peeve?

Molly from "Less of a Marilyn, More of a Jackie" (private blogger) suggested this week's topic:

What's your biggest pet peeve?

{image from cartoonstock.com}

Michael Scott's favorite source of definitions, Wikipedia, defines Pet Peeve as a minor annoyance that can instill a great frustration in a very small group of people, yet is experienced by everyone.

What is my pet peeve? I have a hard time understanding cabinet drawers / doors that are hanging wide open. Open, then close. Open, then close. Pull, then push. Pull, then push. HOW HARD CAN IT BE?

Does it drive you nuts when someone drives down the highway for miles with their blinker (turn signal) on? How about when people park crookedly in a parking space, taking up 2 places?

So, what's your pet peeve? discuss.

(I will post some of my favorite comments as an addition to this post)