What are you up to this weekend?

You have no idea how excited I was to wake up this morning and realize it was Friday. It kind of snuck up on me this week, which makes it all the better. Almost like checking the mail and finding a package you forgot your ordered.

I’m hosting my little ladies Clothing Swap Brunch Party tomorrow at my apartment, and have been spending all my evenings this week running around preparing for it. Eugene has been an absolute saint; even giving up a night out with the boys last night to help me carry packages home from Bed, Bath & Beyond and Pottery Barn. And then he happily drove me to Target & BJs on what was quite possibly the worst night EVER to go to Target & BJs due to the fact that it was both the 15th of the month (AKA the day many families in our neighborhood get their grocery money) and the Yankees were playing (our local Target & Bjs is next door to Yankee Stadium).

This means it took us two hours to, essentially, buy a ham and some grapes. Eugene was starving by the time we got home so I made us lobster ravioli in Newburg sauce for dinner. We ate it sitting on the couch while watching reruns of The Real Housewives of New York. At midnight.

Here are the things that have caught my eye this week. I hope you have a great weekend planned (tell me what you're doing in the comments, Ok? I'm nosy!) As for me, I'll be spending most of tonight and tomorrow morning in my kitchen cooking for the party (that's my kitchen in the photo up there).

xoxo

Alejandra

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I love vintage etiquette and educational videos. Here is a fabulous Emily Post video from 1947 on dinner party etiquette.

Did you love that cooking flash mob in Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution last week? Yeah, I did too. And now I can't stop listening to the song they danced to. It's called Jungle Flames by the band The DNC. Listen to it here.

By the way, you DID sign the petition to support the food revolution already, right? Right?

How to make your own lunch box ice pack. (Or "bump in the head" ice pack.)

Old fashioned paper stripey straws. (but I recommend you do what I did and get more for less by buying similar ones here)

And you should also get this adorable bakery twine. This is also the store where I buy the vintage paper ice cream cups I use when I make ice cream.

This morning I remembered just how very cool Lenny Kravitz is: (Can you believe this song is now 12 years old?)

I ordered two pounds of these Dried Chili Mangos this week and am officially obsessed. They're amazing. (This store, btw, is one of my absolute faves for ordering baking supplies. They sell all kinds of flours, and almond and other nut meals in bulk.)

When I'm looking for party inspiration, I love staring at the dessert table photos on Amy Atlas's site

Rhubarb Lime Spritzer seems like a perfect way to get through spring and summer.

And you know how much I love passion fruit!

I have this dream where I have a huge kitchen and one wall of the kitchen is just built in shelves that I fill with all kinds of gorgeous plates and dishes, with one entire shelf dedicated solely to glass cake stands. Because I just love cake stands.

Julia Child would throw cilantro on the floor!