Mmmmm... M Mojitos

Q: How does one make a mojito for a Girl with a Bump (other than asking The Liquid Muse for one of her PreggatinisTM?)? It's not as if you can sub sugar water for the rum. Take that out, and all you have is lime juice and mint leaves.

A: Give her Orbit Mint Mojito gum. Apparently, I'm way behind the times, as gourmet sites have been dishing on this stuff for a while now. I discovered it through a scantily-clad Marketing Girl out in Georgetown Saturday night. Yummy. For gum, it's a pretty sohpisticated taste. I tend towards classic gum flavors, even retro, like clove or Black Jack, so something like this is a stretch for me. And I swear they snuck in a little bit of rum, just to make me feel better. Now, to find it in the stores...I can walk around the office humming Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portundo...and tomorrow I'll throw on something breezy and white...

A Big, Huge Thank You

Sugarplum and 31204ever are the bestest ever.

As are The Muse, Babsie D, AlaskaGirl, SisInLaw, Mickey, MortorCityGirl, BlueSuitGirl, MeghansMom, and the rest of the women to whom I haven't given a BlogName yet.

It was a good thing I had my grandmom's hankies. After yesterday's post, I did indeed buck up and get in the shower. Then I thought of MotorCityGirl flying all the way in from Detroit just for the baby shower, and I lost it. And on the way up in the car with MeghansMom, we were talking about the support moms-to-be and new moms get from the most unexpected places, and lost it again. I lost it again when I saw MotorCityGirl standing in the kitchen at Sugarplum's place, and again when I read 31204ever's card (she wins the prize for making me cry at the presents part).

It was a wonderful day. A truly blessed thing.

The Girls put together the most perfect non-shower shower. (I have a general aversion to showers, but baby showers are somehow ok - the stuff's just too cute.) A gently themed day (read: no bunnies or duckies, just fantastic colors, like grass green and Schiaparelli pink, flowers and fruit) with an understated, yummy menu.

Homemade chicken salad, fresh, just barely sweet rolls, crostini with asparagus and parmesean, a to-die-for spinach and strawberry salad perfectly dressed with a balsamic vinagrette (Mickey and I kept devouring it after most everyone else was gone; we just stood by the bowl putting demure portions on our plates, then another, and another, and another...), roasted red pepper and feta dip with just a hint of fresh garlic, and lemon raspberry thumbprints, and de-LISH-ious cupcakes dressed in buttery pink and green icing (baby and full-size versions). And we all fell in love with the fruit bush (can't think of a better name for it) my stepmom brought along (pieces of fruit on skewers all stuck in a floral arrangement style thingy) - especially the dark-chocolate dipped pineapple flowers, the leftovers of which are in my fridge right now, and which will be devoured later.

(I had a cupcake for breakfast this morning. After my healthy flax cereal and greek yogurt, of course.)

Drinks were perfect. Still and sparkling water, of course, and a white wine. Then italian sparkling soda...and two custom Muse Preggatinis (TM). Nat (very reasonably) couldn't fly in from LA (she must be designing cocktails for some A-lister) is just amazing and designed the Gingerly Gestating and Sparkle in Your Eye just for us. Both were delicious, but I couldn't get enough of the Gingerly Gestating...I'm a sucker for anything ginger.

Though I would have protested heartily if I'd known about it ahead of time, the Girls' games appealed to all of my competition-freak friends - with the right touch of non-cheesy cheeziness. In honor of Bob's retirement, we played the Price is Right (competition? Everyone wanted to know exactly where the items were purchased, so they could price them properly.) We won't discuss what it means that all the moms in the room lost the mommy purse game (do you have these mommy items in your purse) to two women with no children. I'm proud of my BadMommies. And as a side note, I'm not sure they would admit it, but the Girls even thought about which magazines to pass around for folks to write on: Gourmet. Somehow, completely by chance, I ended up with the one with Michel Richard on the cover - genius.

The Bean's going to be dressed well - especially with gifts from such stylish ladies as were in the room yesterday. Who knew Carter, Gerber, and Target are such design houses? It goes without saying that the marimekko and Momzillas will help. And BlueSuitGirl found the funniest nursery rhyme book - This Little Piggy Went to Prada (Amy Allen) - nursery rhymes redone with high-style, high-end labels. I laughed so hard at

It goes without saying that the ladies stepped up the style for the afternoon. Nary a sweater set in sight. I don't think there were any pearls, either. We had Pucci-esque tunics, cotton party dresses, and perfectly fitting jeans. As soon as some pics come out from the party, I'll be sure to post.

The Girls thought of everything. My two crafty Girls even made little pink and green purses stuffed with essentials like gum, tissues, cocktail recipes, and custom M&Ms (a new must-do for any event, in my book).

I can't thank you enough, Sugarplum and 31204ever. I only hope that when it comes time for the next party in your honor, I can return the favor as thoughtfully as you.

DC Fashion Week

Yours truly is too behind-the-ball at the moment to have registered on time for DC Fashion Week* (yes, we have one), but I wanted to make sure to spread the word and get the buzz going outside of the immediate fashion circles.**

Founded 6 years ago, the events highlight all that's new and wonderful (and some long-time DC fashion envelope-pushers) about DC style. It has a decidedly DC mission "to increase economic deveilment in the area of fashion design, clothing merchandishing and modeling, and to enhance the visibility of the nation's captial as a center of international fashion." Where else in the world would a fashion-centered event find a way to throw in "economic development" (especially when tired old rock stars aren't involved)?

Tonight is the launch event Fair Trade Collections - held at the The World Bank, of course(who'da thunk we would have 3 fashion events in DC on one night - this, the press preview for Cusp Georgetown, and the District Sample Sale).

The week continues with The Betsey Johnson Collection showing at Club Avenue tomorrow, The African Student Association Presents Noire on Friday, and Saturday and Sunday are home to The Washingtonian Menswear Collections (shown at the Holiday Inn Capitol at the Smithsonian) and the International Couture Collections (talk your way into the Embassy of France and their beautiful space, if you can).

I do beseech the organizers to do a little more work on the website - for example, the tag at the top of the event calendar page notes that the next fashion week is February 25 - March 4 2007. That would be now. As the events listed on the page note. It's a little clumsy, but we'll assume that doesn't reflect the collections showing.

*Thanks to Catherine Andrews and her newly launched After Hours blog at washingtonian.com for reminding me. And thanks to The Liquid Muse for linking to Catherine.

**In the meantime, I'll see if someone at their offices will take pity on me and let me register for an event or two.

Stylish Sips: Customized Cocktail for the Bride

We all know the polite how-do-you-dos, group pictures of the bridesmaids, quiche, and heartfelt, tearful thank yous from the bride. That's a bridal shower. A few of us avoid them whenever we can. Especially the Opening of the Presents.

I and five other Lovlies (with a little help from mom - thanks mom!) and a lot of help from Chef Lisa, our "family caterer*," threw a heck of a Bridal Event for my Baby Sis. Family, friends, and family friends were there, all to celebrate and toast her.

And what did we toast her with, you ask?

Well, fortunately, I happen to know this wonderful resource. Her name is The Liquid Muse. Or at least her nom de (plume?) is. Natalie Bovis-Nelson, known to the world as a lovely liquids writer via her columns and her blog. What she doesn't tell folks online, though, is that she also is a Cocktail Consultant. Give The Muse your likes and dislikes, the mood you want to set, and oila! a Custom Cocktail, just for you. For example, I gave The Muse Baby Sis' details:

she's 26, nearly 27
we're from southeast PA, near philly/wilmington, DE - kennett square, PA, is the mushroom capital of the world (i kid you not)
she went to va tech
lived in philly after school
is in marketing for a tool company
lives in chicago now
loves cosmos, loves anything bubbly
wedding colors - pink & cream. but her shoes are bright pink/red (which i wholeheartedly support)

And out came the Sparkling Sis. A brilliant concoction with blood orange bitters, grapfruit juice, and bubbly. It's refreshing, light, but full - lots and lots of flavor.

And even better, it's easily translated into an alcohol-free cocktail, 'specially for me (ok, so it wasn't just for me, but I felt like it was). The Muse built a cocktail that was smartly substitutable, and I could wander around the shower, drink in hand, and not feel that I was missing out on anything that I normally would've loved (I'm a sucker for anything blood-orange). Because I loved the booze-free version. So did my aunts and grandmother, and all of the other non-boozing guests. Literally everyone from grandma to sorority sister happily guzzled the Sparkling Sis.

So thanks, Muse, for helping Baby Sis' 'Maids give her a lovely, lovely party. Cheers!

*Not nearly as chi-chi as we sound, but it does come in handy to have a chef in the family. Chef Lisa is my step-dad's ex-wife's now-husband's daughter. See? Family connection. She also happens to make a quiche that isn't for ladies who lunch - her lorraine is to die for. And perfect with the Sparkling Sis.