Mad Men and Barbie

Attention all Mad Men fans ... Collector's Edition Mad Men Barbies will hit the shelves this July. They are expected to retail for about $75 and can be purchased at BarbieCollector.com.

AMCTV.com reports that,

"Gracefully molded of Silkstone®, a material that resembles the look and weight of porcelain, each doll is stylized in iconic costumes from the series, and comes with accessories true to their show counterparts. Don Draper wears his classic, polished red-lined suit and comes accessorized with a hat, overcoat and brief case; Betty Draper's classic look is captured with unparalleled detail, from her faux pearl necklace to her pumps; Joan Holloway looks chic in a purple skirt suit and perfectly styled coif with her staple accessory - a pen necklace; and Roger Sterling is looking dapper in his monogrammed shirt."

Since I don't have any little girls to "give" these dolls to ( i.e. buy them because I want them and have a legitimate excuse) I'll have to find a creative excuse to get one of these beauties this summer. My choice would probably be Joan because it reminds me of the original Barbie that my grandmother had for us to play with.

I don't know about you, but I can't wait for Mad Men to come back this summer!

Mrs. SG In A New Classroom Adventure!

Obviously I have been absent for a while now ... every day as I check up on other fun blogs I feel such guilt that somehow I can't work it into my routine more consistently! Typical ... I have amassed a collection of journals and diaries that are empty minus a few entries at the beginning all starting with some semblance of the phrase "This time I'm going to write in you dear diary!!" I could never stick to it! I have done much better with this blog but could still use some improvement ...

As you might remember I finished my first long-term substitute position right before my Spring Break trip to New York. After my week-long hiatus, I started a new long-term position, filling in for a teacher who has permanently left the school. This new job is at a different school. In fact, different is an understatement ... My previous position was in one of the best school districts in the country. They have abundance in all sense of the word. Almost 100% of the students graduate high school and continue on to some of our nation's most competitive colleges and universities.

This new school (where I am currently) resides in the worst zip-code in Dallas, i.e. the zip code with the most violent crimes. Here it is more likely that a student will drop out than graduate - let alone go to college. Teen pregnancy, drugs, crime, discrimination, gangs, abuse, neglect ... these are just a few of the challenges that these students are faced with daily. There are currently Teach For America corps members at this high school, one of whom (and old friend of mine) contacted me about this position when it became available. It is possible that this school will be my TFA home starting next Fall.

I would call this past week at my new school a mind-blowing experience. I can already see what immense challenges these students and I will be facing together. What I can also see is how wonderful it will be to have a network like TFA supporting me. Furthermore, the faculty at this new school has been so warm and welcoming that it made what could have been an over-whelming, hellish week very rewarding and inspiring.

So my blogging absence has been due to starting this new position with an entirely unfamiliar set of challenges. But every late night has been a window into how important my commitment to TFA is and how potentially rewarding it can be for me and my students. Initially I was a bit sad to have to go down to Houston this summer and leave my hubby and sweet animals in Dallas, this past week has gotten me amped for June to come! I know that those 5 weeks and the rest of this summer's prep with TFA will make me an even better teacher for my kiddos next year!

"One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an exellent education."

Happy Spring

I cannot believe it has been two weeks since I wrapped up my Southern Wedding posts! My only excuse for such a dry spell is being a busy little bee. I finished up my most recent interim teaching position- those three months absolutely flew by! In these last two weeks I had some serious grading to do, an Open House and many more little tasks to keep me more than occupied.

One of the definite perks of being a teacher is Spring Break!! And ladies and gentlemen that is what I am doing right now - relaxing. This past weekend I kicked off my week of freedom by jetting up to NYC to visit my dear friend ACR and her lovely beau. Despite the psychotic nor'easter like weather, we made the best of our time together and spent Saturday hopping from one fabulous NYC location to another. I have been lucky enough to travel to NYC with family and friends enough times that there was no pressure to "see the sights" - this weekend was all about catching up with a friend I miss having in Dallas. We kicked off the day at Park Avenue Winter and enjoyed a fabulous brunch including pastries, a pear and prosciutto salad and a breakfast Risotto. I recommend this location to anyone heading up to Manhattan - it was wonderfully done.

We then headed out for a bit of shopping at the Time Warner center (William Sonoma Home - one of my all-time favorites.) I was overjoyed to find this pillow (below) which I snapped up to put on our master bed. We took a break at the Mandarin Oriental and sipped on some sparkling water, iced tea and a yummy glass of chardonnay. After soaking in these amazing views (below) we took a taxi over to SoHo to meet ACR's friends and Godparents at the ultra-chic Crosby Street Hotel.

The decor is so unique - a perfect blend of tailoring and quirkiness. This was a perfect place to sip champagne while the wind howled outside, threatening to turn our umbrellas inside out the second we stepped out the door.

While we were lounging, munching on green olive stuffed dates wrapped in bacon, ACR's Godmother said, "Look at the cute little boy in the top-hat." That statement would encourage anyone to look and so we did. This precious little boy was wearing a miniature version of a hipster hat (see below). But quickly I was distracted from the adorable mini-hipster to find that the beautiful man holding him was Matthew Mcconaughey. I have never seen him look as handsome as he did right then. The inclement weather had forced the infamous shirtless version of Matthew to put on a wonderfully cut jacket. His hair was tastefully slicked back and his skin was beautifully tanned. As we exited the bar we were within a foot of him (this bar was not packed - very intimate) - at this moment I could hear his thick, southern drawl ... oh what a delightful surprise this spotting was. I apologize for not taking a picture, just trust me when I say it would have been ridiculously awkward and I hate making celebrities like that who are just trying to relax on a Saturday afternoon with their son feel uncomfortable.

We were sad to leave but happy to get ready for our next and final stop of the day to The Modern Restaurant - A Danny Meyer creation. This delectable gem of a restaurant is at the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) and looks out onto a beautiful sculpture garden. We feasted on a 7 course tasting, finished by the most amazing chocolate cart I have ever seen. The fabulous, food, atmosphere and most importantly company made this one of the most memorable meals I have ever had.

The next day, the weather began cooperating a bit more and I took a train into Princeton, NJ to meet up with darling SVB and her sweet bf.

Though I have visited her in Princeton a number of times, I had never eaten at Witherspoon Grill. From here on out when I think of the best burger of my life, I will remember this lunch. The meat was superb, they actually listened to me and cooked it medium rare. The caramelized onions and blue cheese were the finishing touches. (Can you tell by now my priority was food ...)

We then headed off to do some shopping and SVB found a top-secret-not-to-be-mentioned-something (a gift) and I found a darling rain/spring coat that I have already worn! We met up with some of their friends for dinner and then headed back to her adorable apartment for some Sunday Night TV (Desperate and Brothers & Sisters -obviously) We were both pretty zonked and poor SVB had work the next day so we headed to bed before evening finished B&Ss. The next day I interrupted her work day and met her for Indian Food (I love Masala Grill in Princeton.) After we said our goodbye's, I headed back to pack up and her sweet bf took me to the airport. And that was that! I made it back to Dallas and here I am, blogging in my PJ's ... basking in the glory of this beautiful weather and enjoying my adult Spring Break. I already miss both SVB and ACR and cannot wait to see them again!

I hope some of you found at least some good restaurant recommendations for any upcoming travels to NYC or Princeton .... and I promise to not let so much time lapse between entries that I leave you with a novel!! Happy Spring!

Southern Wedding: Happily Ever After

Thank you for joining me in reminiscing on what was a wonderful wedding week that was really just a few months ago! I'll leave you with a pic my hubby snapped the morning after the wedding on our way out of the Honeymoon suite to meet our family and friends at the wedding brunch. The night of the wedding, our sweet wedding planner snuck up to our room to fill the vintage suitcase with flowers, stuff our suite with gifts, champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, etc ... The next day, this scene was too sweet not to capture - the dress and veil hung up to be put away, the guests were on their way home, the party was coming to an end. But we know for the rest of our lives we will keep dear to us this sweet celebration that ushered in a new phase in our life together.