Happy day Archie Balmer!

I've been known, from time to time, to get things a little jumbled. For example, I thought the lyrics to Daydream Believer were "cheer up sweet Bujean". I mean, it was the 60s. Bujean could have passed for a name then...

I also thought an Arnold Palmer was an Archie Balmer (maybe I just have hearing problems?).

And although it's a little shameful to admit that, I don't think it should keep us from celebrating the better half of the Archie Balmer. Today is National Iced Tea Day. Print the coupon for half off all Snapple products, stir in a little lemonade, and celebrate this summery holiday in style.

And if you're feeling rowdy, add a little vodka and call it a Jon Daly - or, in my case, probably a Jan Dairy.

The Real McCoy

In third grade my class went to the library to learn about the term "the real McCoy". At the time, I remember being completely baffled by the fact that the term "McCoy" didn't relate to the term "decoy". The McCoy is the real thing and a decoy is a fake - and they're both coys.

How did they not come about at the same time?

In my third grade mind, I thought that there must have been an instance of something, at the time I envisioned a rubber ducky (the only explanation for this is the fact that I was nine), that was the original. It was called Coy. Then, someone created another version of the rubber ducky, but it wasn't quite right.

People looked at the new ducky and said: What is that? That is not Coy.

Then the creator said: Yes it is, it looks just like Coy.

To which the original's owner replied (annoyed): No, that's not Coy. This is my Coy. This is myCoy! This is McCoy.

And then, to really drive the point home, he said: This is McCoy and that's nothing but a dumb decoy.

And that's how the real McCoy and the lesser decoy came about.

And although I really love the McCoy version of the Lanvin Pom Pom Espadrille's, for one eighth of the cost, the decoy version from Gap is looking pretty nice.

My, how far that library lesson has taken me...

Cooking with Skippy

My dad is easily one of the most precise people I've ever met. He measures spaces before he buys furniture for them, he researches products, he tests paint colors...

And all of this creates a stark contrast to my mom and me.

So, when my dad and I decided to host a little HGC cooking show, it was bound to be entertaining. While he suggested I look at the recipe, measure, and test before taking action, I was more into the idea of just dumping in the ingredients and seeing how it all turned out.

However, while I may be impulsive, I'm not afraid to admit his accuracy typically leads to him being correct. So, I let him play chef while I played sous.

First, we made Court's Dried Fruit and Nut Clusters and, for the second batch, we tweaked the recipe by adding peanut butter and vanilla, switching out a few of the fruits, and turning the whole shabang into a dessert.

The actual rolling of the clusters was up to me and the combination of my patience and disliking of sticky hands led to the little guys looking a funny (compare them to Ashley's gems if you dare). But they still tasted decent and we got to take the old Cuisinart for a nice spin. And, of course, it was a lovely activity Skip.

Go nude this summer

Although it is hard to make horizontal stripes translate well into real life, I love how J.Crew is working them with their new arrivals today.

And while I typically prefer bright colors for summer, there is something especially appealing about the abundance of nude in the line. The black silky items mixed with a touch peach chiffon feels very fresh. For more subdued hues, check out my post on the Examiner.