*Remember to enter the giveaway – I’m giving away 2 $50 gift cards to The Limited – click here to enter {you have until 10pm Wednesday 11/2311}*

I recently had the opportunity to do a really cool interview. I got about 30 minutes of one-on-one time with The Limited CEO, Linda Heasley. Just after attending the ribbon-cutting for the latest The Limited store to hit town, and after checking out the new boutique-style of the store, I sat down with Linda for a quick chat. She was warm, engaging, and easy to approach, which made the interview, which I was a little nervous about, comfortable and fun.

This was my first real interview, so I guess I didn’t know all (any?) of the tricks of the trade. I just brought my laptop and took notes. I think I was supposed to record the interview, but I didn’t. So, please forgive my amateur-ness, but instead of quoting Linda word-for-word, I’ve compiled notes from the interview into the following:

I’ve been shopping at the Limited since I was in high school, and I still shop there now. The Limited has obviously been successful over the years. Tell me about The Limited brand – where you’ve been and how you’ve helped keep the brand relevant over the years.

Linda joined The Limited in 2007. The brand was getting ready to be sold. Linda wanted to get back to profitability and establish relevance. She started by setting targets based on who their customer is. She also looked into streamlining operations. She worked on non-merchandise procurement, sourcing, and production. The company started investing in market research. In 2009, The Limited became profitable for first time in 17 years, and they’re still growing. There are 244 The Limited stores now, and they’re adding 20-25 next year.

And where do you see The Limited in the future?

The Limited is always looking for opportunities. They’re adding footwear next year, and increasing stores that have shoes from there. The Limited wants to open internationally. They’re also looking at other businesses to start, including a full figure line for the plus-size customer. In fact, the new line, eloquii, is launching next week. Linda even showed me a sneak peek of the new beta web site, and I must say, it looks fantastic. eloquii will feature the same level of fashion as The Limited. They shot product on full-figured women for the web site. Sizes 16 and 18 were used to design clothes. They’ll start with two pant fits and two jacket fits. Once the fit perfected, they’ll put jacket fits in all of suiting. Fun fact – this idea started when a fashion blogger approached Linda at an event.

*Update – eloquii is LIVE! Click here to check out the site*

Highlights Linda pointed out for eloquii:

• Pencil skirts and dresses
• Models are 14 and 16. Sizes and statistics will be on site – maybe not at launch, but at some point soon
• Celebratory
• Get the look section
• Jodi Arnold
• Sign up for mailer to get invite to shop when it launches

Which projects are you most proud of and why?

Eloquii when it launches. The focus on positioning around your personal success (she’s talking about you Limited customer!). How the brand celebrates women. Every women defines success individually and personally. They can help them remove one key problem – what to wear. They want women to make friends with their closet and help her feel great so she can deal with more important things. They recently received a wonderful customer letter demonstrating this. The woman had gained a lot of weight, needed new interview clothes and went into the store twenty minutes before close to get something for an interview. The woman went in for the interview and got the job. She said she was able to focus on interview because she felt confident and felt great. She went back in the store and the associate who had helped her before asked how her interview went. She was delighted about being remembered.

Who is the ideal Limited customer?

Research shows The Limited has five segments open to them. They decided to focus on 3.

“Tyler”:

• 25-35 years old
• Old enough and sophisticated enough to appreciate fashion
• Loves fashion but also wants to be appropriate
• Well-paid
• Active
• Able and capable enough to take on more responsibilities
• Dressing for next level
• Likes to spend money on fashion
• Often in malls several times a week
• Very involved in community
• Going from work to another event – charity, business, girlfriend
• Doesn’t always have time to go home – If going from desk to dinner, she can change shoes and is good to go.

“Amanda”:

• Young girl
• 18 to 25
• Introduced to The Limited by her mother who says she can’t go to interview wearing “club-wear”
• Doesn’t want to wear mothers suit
• Age appropriate but fashion-forward

“Megan”:

• 30+ but now married, having kids, making purchasing decisions about house as much as clothes

***

Reader Questions:

{I asked you guys via my Facebook page if you had any questions for Linda, and here are two you asked. I actually did pose a third, more difficult question , which Linda happily answered – check out my Facebook page for the Q&A}

“What are your main considerations when designing for the modern woman?” (Alex)

A combination of class and trend.

Keep to Tyler for assortment. The names help them talk objectively.

For example, they have “Brand Day” where they talk about what’s going on with Tyler and research. What’s Tyler. What’s not Tyler.

Open your closet first. Go for those foundational pieces that can take you millions of miles. Bring in a fashion jacket to go with a bottom you bought last year. Get a one shouldered top or leopard print belt to freshen up your wardrobe. Don’t walk away from fashion. Balance and make it versatile. They want her to mix it up. If she has ten things in closet, they hope eight are from the limited. They want to be on her as much as possible. They want her to feel feminine and beautiful.

“When you design a new line, do you keep the “city girl” or the “suburbs girl” in mind more often?” (Cait)

Tyler is the edit point. There’s an urban Tyler and suburban – they have a lot of things in common. Tyler walks on the wild side and goes to exotic places. They bring other labels in with different design inspiration to take her across the train tracks.

***

Random Questions:

{Here are a couple non-The-Limited questions I asked}

Have you ever tried Zumba? If yes, what did you think?

Linda hasn’t yet tried Zumba but would like to. Since she frequents NYC, I recommended she do class with Tanya Beardsley.

What’s your favorite food?

Food overall – she loves to eat. Sometimes she has weird cravings, like artichokes. She likes a good hamburger. She likes to explore different cuisines: Thai, Indian, and French. She recently had some great Brazilian food.

***

Thank you so much to Michelle and The Limited for the opportunity to speak with Linda. Thank you to Linda for being so personable and easy to interview.

*Remember to enter the giveaway – I’m giving away 2 $50 gift cards to The Limited – click here to enter {you have until 10pm Wednesday 11/2311

The Limited’s New Look

I was recently honored to be invited to the grand opening of a local The Limited store. Not only did I get to attend the store opening, I saw the ribbon cutting, got a tour of the new shop look, and interviewed the CEO. The CEO guys!

(FYI – I was not paid or compensated for this post. I was invited to attend the store opening and interview the CEO, and this post contains my thoughts from those experiences. I was given 2 gift cards to give away to TCL readers, but I was not required to blog about the opening in exchange. Ok, enough boring-talk…on to the fun!)

Not sure if you’ve ever heard of The Limited, but I’ve been shopping there since I could fit into the clothes. Me and The Limited go waaaay back.

Anywho, we got things kicked off with a ribbon cutting (btw – can you tell which one is the CEO?).

With a real ribbon…

…and real (really big) scissors!

i was scheduled to do an interview with the CEO, Linda Heasley, around lunch, but since I was early, the store general manager, Michael, took me around the store to check out The Limited’s new look.

The brand has made over its showroom with a more boutique-style feel.

Our tour started at the front of the store where Michael explained they put the most fashion-forward and latest styles on display, along with accessory options and mannequins in full ensembles to give you outfit/styling ideas.

This area will be most frequently updated to stay on-trend and keep fresh options available to shoppers.

Besides the actual clothes, accessories, and mannequins, there was a lot of awesome PR material – photos with outfits and signs with fashion tips.

Most of the suit options were in the middle of the store. Michael explained that they want to provide lots of options for the busy working girl/woman so she can easily go from work to play. The Limited customer is busy with a full life and the brand wants to make that life easier on her so she can focus on her life instead of worrying about her clothes. And the clothes are trendy while still being work-appropriate.

Here’s an example of a dress that goes from day to night. The blazer next to it ups the ante for the daytime, business look, while the the dress alone would work for after-dinner drinks. Remove the blazer, do a quick change of accessories, and you’re ready to go!

And check out this travel suit – anti-wrinkle, ya’ll! It’s been awhile since I’ve had to fly for work, but there was a time where I needed to go straight from the plane to the office…this type of suit could come in handy.

They had tons of bottom options – various sizes with different lengths.

And the clothes in the back are (if I remember correctly) inspired by trips The Limited team has recently taken. The colors and fabrics are the key take-aways.

***

Overall, I was really impressed with not only The Limited but the friendly and helpful team behind the product. They seem to genuinely want their customer to be happy and have a great experience shopping with The Limited. And I love how The Limited clothes and accessories are geared towards the young working woman like me! The have a lot of options for the young, fashion-forward working girl, and they love to create simple solutions for us working women. For example, they have several sets of bottoms and blazers made from the same material. Why? So you can mix and match your pieces, even if you purchase items across different years. I can’t wait for you guys to read the interview I did with the CEO – I think that will help tell the store a bit more.

Of course, I had to try on some of the new clothes at The Limited while I was there.

I really liked this top, but it reminded me a bit of something I already have, and I’m trying to be more selective about what makes it into my closet.

They did have a 40% off sale going on in honor of the new store opening, so I picked up a thing or two.

I had fun chatting with these ladies – Marci Milito (The Limited’s director of PR – you may be chatting with her if you’re contacting the Limited via Facebook or Twitter) and Michelle Hubacher (with a local PR company who helped organize this event). Did I mention Michelle is a blog reader? Too cool! Hi Michelle!

Win a $50 gift card to The Limited

Michelle and The Limited hooked me up with two $50 gift cards, and while it was tempting to spend them at the opening day of the new The Limited shop, I saved them to give away to you guys!

There are 2 easy ways to enter (tell me what you’d buy and share the URL to that item):

• Blog entry: Leave a comment on *this post* with the URL to The Limited item you’d like to buy if you win the $50 gift card (psst – click here to go to The Limited’s web site)
• Facebook entry: Leave a comment on my Facebook wall (click) post where I ask you, “What would you buy with a $50 gift card to The Limited?” with a URL to the item you’d like to purchase.

The rules:

• You can enter until 10pm ET next Wednesday 11/23/11
• US only
• Up to 2 entries per person: 1 entry on this blog post and 1 entry on my Facebook wall
• Winner will be randomly selected (1 from this blog post and 1 from my Facebook wall)
• If winner doesn’t respond within 1 week of posting winner information, I will select a new winner

Ready? Steady? Go!

And be sure to come back soon for my interview with The Limited CEO!

As I work through editing the photos from Foodbuzz Festival, I’m realizing that there are so many that I want to share with you that many of the related posts will be pretty photo-heavy. This is one of them.

Remember that time I went to Chez Panisse? Did I mention that Mara and I went on a mad shopping spree just before dinner? Ok, not really. I only had one store I wanted to visit this trip – Zara. I’ve lusted after their clothes for a long time, but they don’t exactly have tons of Zara shops in the South. I wanted to go by this shop the last time I was in San Francisco, but by the time I swung by the store, it was closed.

This year, I was determined to make it, and make it I did.

I was like a kid in a candy store at Zara and oohed and aahed at all the pretty clothes. I haven’t had a chance to wear the goodies I bought very much yet, but so far, the store has impressed me. The clothes seem reasonably priced with up-to-date styles (that seem to be pretty well made). The huge plus is that the clothes actually fit me pretty well – especially the blazers, which is normally challenging for my wide shoulders.

Anywho, we actually really did go to Zara on Thursday, but it was too dark to take photos, so I snapped a couple when we happened to pass it Friday on our way to the Fisherman’s Wharf.

The first goal of Friday was to sleep in. We ended up waking up kind of early, but we still got to enjoy a lazy morning, which was close enough for me. No rushing to the office for me, thank you!

The second goal of Friday was to get a crab roll for lunch, thus the trip to Fisherman’s Wharf.

I had to snap a photo of Boudin at Pier 39. I really enjoyed bringing some sourdough home from my last SF trip, but since they sell it at the airport, I prefer to just get it there out of convenience.

The weather was gorgeous – i only wish we’d had enough time to go by the Golden Gate Bridge.

I got to see the famous sea lions again. Love those cute “little” guys.

Mara and I approached a row of restaurants and decided to go ahead and find a place to sit down and enjoy lunch.

We ended up going with Nick’s Lighthouse.

The interior had a funky, eclectic style.

Coca cola and a water to drink.

We each got a small cup of crab chowder. With the weather around 59 degrees F (which is cold for this Southern gal), this hot chowder hit the spot.

And we decided to share this crab roll with french fries. It was a good thing, too – do you see how big that sandwich is?!

The crab salad wasn’t at all what I expected. I thought there would be bigger chunks of crab so it more resembled potato salad or something. This crab salad had a texture and consistency like chicken salad made with pulled chicken.I actually found this to be a nice surprise, and I really liked the way they prepared it.

After lunch, we walked down to Tcho, a chocolate shop that Mara discovered on her last SF trip.

Tcho makes their chocolate from-scratch (like, from the cacao bean) right here. Love that!

Unfortunately, we missed the tour by 20 minutes (they only do two a day at this time – one around 10 am and one at 2pm – call Tcho for actual times), but there were at least plenty of samples around to taste.

We decided to bring some chocolate goodness home with us. This drinking chocolate caught my eye…

…as well as these Tcho a day containers that looked sort of like protein powder at first glance.

I got drinking chocolate, Tcho-a-day, and some cacao nibs to bring home. Gotta love an edible souvenir.

Next time on TCL – the first Foodbuzz event!

Reader question #1: Have you been to Fisherman’s Wharf? What was the most memorable place/restaurant/etcc of FW?

Reader question #2: What type of souvenir do you prefer – one you can keep forever (magnet, picture frame, etc.) or one you can eat/drink/consume (chocolate, spices, etc.)?

On Sunday, we took my parents to The Flying Biscuit for breakfast.

They’d never been before, but they loved it!

We wanted to get a semi-early breakfast in so we could hit up IKEA before it got too busy.

IKEA seems to be one of the main things people want to visit when they’re in the area, even for my parents. My dad was interested in checking out a paper lantern that he’d seen online. He’s a big fan of paper lanterns and has had them in our house for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, he didn’t like them as much in person. Fortunately, he found a couple other paper lanterns to get instead.

Hubby and I were going to scope out furniture for our still semi-empty house.

We liked this china cabinet to potentially go in our dining room.

And we need a new bed frame. I love the ones with under-bed storage, though I did see a neat roll out box that can apparently go under any bed. I’m just big on efficiently using space, and there is so much you can put under a bed!

We also liked these lamps to possibly go in our living room or guest room.

Please note that the lamp is taller than my mom.

But we couldn’t leave IKEA without one of the $1 cinnamon rolls. Yum!

After our IKEA shopping trip, my parents had to head back home…and just like that they were gone again. I’m so glad we finally have a second bed in the house because I’m hoping more people will visit us…especially our families! I’m hoping we have many more fun weekends like this one.

For lunch, we had grilled hot dogs, sweet potato fries, and steamed green beans (from my family’s garden).

And even though I had a ton of things to do, I took some time to relax with some DVR’ed Cold Case…

…a new Apple Spice IKEA candle, and some hot tea.

We had some more of my parent’s veggies for dinner in salad form. The spinach was from the store, but we sliced up a green bell pepper and some fresh tomato from my fam. Home-grown tastes so good! Maybe because they’re grown with love?

And for dinner…we actually had a hand from Maggiano’s. They’re doing a new deal on their classic pastas where if you order one to eat, you get one to go! My parent’s gave ordered lasagna as their take-home and gave it to us.

I baked rosemary focaccia to go with the lasagna.

And even though the bread took awhile overall, dinner was a cinch. Thanks Maggiano’s for helping us with dinner!

Reader question: Do you make time for relaxation no matter how busy/crazy your schedule is? How do you relax?

I’ve been shopping around for several things to update my wardrobe. I’ve been in a bit of a drought the last couple years, so now that I’m buying again, I’m stocking up on staples while still trying to incorporate a few new, trendier items to keep my wardrobe fresh.

One of the trends that I’m drooling over right now is the trend of leopard print. I love it all: skirts, pumps, belts, scarves – you name it, I want it. But, I’m trying to make a couple strategic purchases rather than filling a closet full of cat-themed clothes and accessories. And let’s face it, there are certainly enough options out there to fill more than a closet (even if you’re Cher).

Here are some of my favorite leopard print flats (most I’ve tried on, too!):

Target actually has a cute option. I’d link to them but the Missoni launch today crashed target.com, so you’ll just have to check later, or visit your local store. I actually thought they were pretty and comfy. Plus, they were suuuper affordable.

Aldo – Warnack – $70 – I tried these on and found the sides to be a bit stiff. I really like the overall style – the ballet shape and the tiny bow. I’m looking for a pair I can wear all day long, so this one didn’t make the cut for me.

Banana Republic – Anna rouched ballet flat – $89 – Online reviews claim these shoes are more comfortable than Tory Burch Revas. I don’t have any Revas, nor did I buy these shoes, so I can’t vouch for those reviews. The reviews also claimed that these flats are extremely narrow. Now, I didn’t buy the shoes, but I did try them on. The reason I didn’t get them? They are narrow! I’ve seen BR do 30% off sales on shoes several times over the last couple weeks, so look for the sale!

Banana has another flat option – the Denise bow ballet flat – $68.50 (down from $98) – I tried these on briefly. They were pretty comfy, but I didn’t like the bow as much or that weird line going around the top opening of the shoe. These could prove to be a good option.

Ivanka Trump – Magnolis – $130 (available on zappos.com and nordstrom.com) – I went to Nordstrom a couple weeks ago eagerly expecting to fall in love with these shoes. Based on extensive internet research, these seemed like the best investment with great online reviews. Unfortunately, Nordstrom didn’t have these in stock for me to try on. I may order them from Zappos in 2 sizes and see which fits and if I like the fit in person. But, in the meantime, I’m hoping to stumble upon these shoes somewhere like Belk or Macys where I may be able to use a coupon. I love a discount.

And in the event you are a Tory Burch fan, they have leopard print flats, too! They did theirs in shiny material (I’m seeing this shiny look in a lot of leopard print options for some reason, but it’s not my fave) – Eddie Ballerina Flats – $178.

Prefer designer? Then check out these uber fancy Leopard-Printed Suede Ballerina Flats by Manolo Blahnik – $645. I didn’t really research these since they’re well outside of my budget, but MB has a reputation of great shoes, so these are most likely awesome.

Reader question: Have you found some cute leopard ballet flats? Where are they and who makes them?

Note: photos in this post belong to respective web sites linked

Important question for you guys – remember to check the end of the post!

***

My friend Kayte and I made plans to hang out Sunday afternoon.

FIrst on the agenda – eats!

We hit up The Flying Biscuit. Luckily the wait wasn’t too long.

I decided to order something new-ish. I usually get the High Flyer, but I wasn’t feeling the oatmeal pancake. So, I got the Bacon and Eggs breakfast instead. I love the turkey bacon in the Southern Scramble, but turkey bacon by itself usually tastes weird to me solo. I think next time I’ll either get the chicken sausage or soysage.

After brunch, we went shopping! I’m in the market for cross body totes. I’d like one dressy one (for going out) and one casual one (for everyday as well as use on trips – needs to fit my DSLR, though!). We looked at a few gorgey bags in Nordstrom. I especially liked this Marc by Marc Jacobs.

We also swung by Neiman Marcus where I promptly fell in love with a Chanel quilted, patent leather wallet/cross-body purse. *le sigh* A girl can dream, right?

And to finish our fun afternoon – froyo!

***

Fashion Blogging

So some of you guys know that I used to run a fashion blog called Shopaholics Anonymous. I’ve really been missing fashion blogging (which I actually did before I even started The Chic Life), so I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to start doing fashion blog posts again. I’m thinking of either putting them here on TCL and making it easier for you guys to sort those in/out depending on if you’re interested. I’ve also considered just restarting Shopaholics Anonymous and picking up where I left off. Thoughts? Would you be interested in seeing fashion/shopping/outfit posts here on TCL or would you rather I link to an external blog?

So the last couple times hubby and I have been to Durham, something has been missing.

I haven’t been getting my occasional dim sum fix! And you guys know how I feel about dim sum. So, this weekend I managed to talk hubby’s family into visiting my Durham-fave – Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant.

Have you guys ever tried dim sum? I’m thinking of writing a pocket-guide or how-to for dim-sum-newbies. It is a bit intimidating if you don’t know the ropes. But, I’d be happy to help you navigate your first experience with confidence.

I always get hot tea with my dim sum. But if you can’t drink hot tea without sugar, you may want to skip it. Hot tea here is served sans sugar.

We normally go to the restaurant right at opening, but hubby and his brother were watching the new X-Men at 10:30am. So, we met at the restaurant at 1pm.

Normally, I have to wait for one of my faves – roast pork bun, but today, since we were there later, we got it first!

And though I normally get Chinese broccoli, we decided to try something new for our veg – baby bok choy. Aren’t they cute?

Yes…cute…and tasty!

Another fave of mine – har gow (shrimp dumpling).

And with a couple more orders, our lazy Susan was really filling up.

Sticky rice (I usually either get this or the lotus leaf version).

And hubby’s brother requested this tofu, which was really tasty (never seen this one before!).

At this point, I was pretty much done. lol But we still ordered a couple more things for hubby and his fam…

Fried shrimp/crab balls.

Spring rolls (I never eat these at dim sum since they’re so readily available at every.single.Chinese restaurant – why waste the stomach space when you can try something new?), but hubby loves them, so he got them.

And another hubby fave – calamari. I must admit, they have a wonderful calamari here, though I still only end up eating a couple small bites.

And for dessert, I split these sesame balls for dessert with hubby’s mom.

I’m totally eying this for next time – hot/cold soybean milk! I wonder if they make it themselves here? That would be cool!

This little Durham dim sum restaurant is turning into a favorite. The food is always wonderful and the servers are so helpful and nice.

***

After lunch, I went with hubby’s mom to a consignment shop. As we started browsing the goods outside, they stepped out to tell us they weren’t open, but they were still working and to let us know if we saw anything. Since there were a couple baskets of plateware, I had to take a look.

And wouldn’t you know my eye was drawn right to a brilliant, TCL-blue plate at the bottom of a heap of (beat-up) glassware.

Turns out it was a cup and saucer of vintage fiestaware! And upon inquiry of the price, I found out there were 2 more sets, plus 4 plates! Shibby!

I also scored a small pink Depression bowl.

Yes, only I would manage to purchase stuff from a closed consignment shop. lol. Actually, hubby’s mom bought the plate-goodies for me. Thanks!

***

Hubby and I came home, packed up and headed home. We had grand plans to grill out, but we got rained out instead by a giant storm with lots of scary lightning. We’re planning to raincheck the meal for Monday night. Instead of BBQ, we had pizza.

***

Do you like to shop at thrift/consignment shops? What do you look for there?

I didn’t get a lot of movie suggestions on my previous post (Liv did say: Love and Other Impossible Pursuits), but I keep hearing (via the blog, Facebook, twitter and friends) that the Something Borrowed book series is really good. It must be if everyone keeps saying that! Maybe I need to read them next?!

On to Sunday…

***

I’ve been having fun cooking for my sister since she keeps requesting things she’s seen on the blog. Yay for family reading your blog!

On Sunday, she requested a breakfast crisp.

Since I had just picked up some fresh peaches at the farmer’s market, I decided to do one of my fave combos – peach/blueberry!

Peach Blueberry Individual Breakfast Crisp

Peach Blueberry Crisp taste just like summer! I love using farmer’s market fruits in this simple breakfast dish. Unlike dessert crisps, this one is lighter on sugar and oil/butter. It’s also heavy on the oats so you get a decent grain serving. And did I mention this is an easy way to work fruits into your daily eats? Oh yes. I do this for you, dear reader. Bake this for breakfast tomorrow! The dish mixes together quickly and you can finish getting ready for the day while it bakes away.

*Vegan if you use vegan substitute for the butter*

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 peach – cleaned, pitted, and chopped (I used fresh, but frozen should work)
• 1-2 tablespoons blueberries (frozen or fresh)
• 1/2 tsp sucanat (or brown sugar – optional if you want your fruit mixture sweeter than the natural sweetness of the fruits)
• 1/4 tsp tapioca starch (or corn starch)
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp flour (I used spelt, but any will do)
• 1 tsp sucanat (or brown sugar)
• 1 tsp canola oil
• pinch salt
• dash cinnamon (optional)
• bit of butter (about 1/4 tsp – optional)
• sprinkling of chopped pecans (about 1 tbsp)
• non-stick spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prep baking dish with non-stick spray (I used a 4″ round ramekin).
2. In a medium bowl, mix peaches, blueberries, sucanat (if using) and tapioca starch. Pour into baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl, mix oats, flour, sucanat, oil, salt, cinnamon (I rinsed out my mixing bowl and reused it for the topping – one less dish = easier clean up!). Pour topping over berries.
4. If you’re using it, dab small pieces of butter over topping and sprinkle nuts over topping.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until top is lightly browned and peach/berry mixture just bubbles at the sides.
6. Enjoy!

Breakfast Crisps are a great and delicious way to get fruit and whole grains in your breakfast.

By the way, here’s a recipe for a mixed berry version!

***

After breakfast, my sister and I headed out to meet some girlfriends at the pool. It was glorious soaking up the sun, enjoying the cool pool water, chatting it up with the girls, and just relaxing. I forgot to take photos, though…doh!

I did manage to take some iPhone photos of our next couple of adventures – lunch at a must-see Charlotte restaurant and a preview of a not-so-new “grocery store.” Read on for dets…

I took my sister to The Cowfish since it’s awesome and I had a Living Social deal for the place that was about to expire.

Sis and I both got unsweetened mango teas and they were perfectly refreshing since we were dining al fresco.

We also tried the chicken satay. The app was great, but if you’re visiting Cowfish, I suggest getting one of their more unique appetizers. You can get chicken satay almost anywhere! But you can’t get ahi tuna tacos or deconstructed crab rangoons as dip.

I got my usual – the bento box.

I never thought I’d like sushi and burgers in the same meal so much, but it’s a match made in heaven.

As always, lunch and service were wonderful.

And for dessert on the hot Sunday, we hit up Yoforia. I got tart and pomegranate with strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, coconut and my now must-have topping – mochi!

And since we were in the neighborhood, I thought I’d pay a visit to the newly opened Reid’s Fine Foods. Reid’s used to be open uptown, but closed awhile back. Everyone was very sad as the place was a beloved establishment for the locals. But now, it’s back in business!

Inside, they had lots of fresh produce, a small frozen foods section, a small refrigerated foods section, plenty of locally made products and fancy imports.

They still have their famous butcher shop (I spotted Grateful Growers products in there!).

Plus, they have a nice selection of prepared foods.

They also have a large selection of cheeses and wines.

And they now have a wine bar. You can order wines by the glass here. They have half off glasses on a couple days of the week (I think Monday and Thursday, but don’t quote me!). In addition, they have wine tastings and cooking classes!

I’m so glad to see Reid’s back in busines, and I hope they and other small, local businesses continue to thrive. Go local!

While we were waiting for our lunch table to be ready, sis and I visited Crate and Barrel. Sis bought me these 2 mini bowls. Aren’t they cute?

She also got me a fun new food ingredient – Sweet Potato Butter! I’m thinking this is going to get mixed into some oats pretty soon. Yum-ee!!

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Inspirational quote of the day:

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” ~Oprah Winfrey

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Next time on The Chic Life – homemade BBQ sauce experimenting, Bailey and the “sprinkler”, and a June Challenge preview!!

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Reader question #1: How do you support local businesses?

Reader question #2: What’s your favorite fruit to eat for breakfast? Do you think it would taste good in a Breakfast Crisp?

Saturday was a fabulous day!

We started at one of my favorite places – the farmer’s market.

Bailey was as social as ever.

Hubby and I found lots of fresh veg to buy.

We got some organic kale, bok choy, power lettuce mix, and snap peas.

Then, I managed to talk (my meat-eating) hubby into getting a late breakfast at Luna’s Living Kitchen. I’ve been wanting to come to this place for forever! I used to frequent it back when it was called Real Food Charlotte, and I’m so glad it’s re-opened.

I enjoyed lunch al fresco with my two favorite boys – hubby

and Bailey.

Hubby got the parfait with coconut yogurt, hemp granola, blueberries, and goji berries.

I got the buckwheat blaster

“This meal is the brother of the Swiss Alps creation (Bircher Muesli). It is the perfect game of the buckwheat, dates, apple, coconut, and nutmeg.”

I was reminded how much I like this place by the yummy food. I also found out the restaurant is now open for dinner Monday – Thursday. Woohoo!

Next up – a shopping trip at Crate & Barrel! Photos of my goodies next time.

And since we were in the area, we hit up The Cowfish!

It was hubby’s suggestion, too!

I got to pick the entree, so he picked the appetizer.

Crab Rangoon dip.

For the entree, we got one of their specialty rolls. I forgot the name, and it doesn’t appear to be on their online menu.

Basically, it had shrimp tempura (with coconut flakes), kani, cucumber, with avocado and papaya and coconut flakes on top.

The roll was some sort of specialty today and by purchasing it, they donated 20% to Loaves & Fishes.

It was a good excuse to try a new roll that sounded really tasty.

Next up – a makeover! I got a mini facial at Origins. I’ve been a die-hard Bobbi Brown fan for the last 10+ years, but recently, I’ve been thinking of switching to more natural skin care. Since my mom started using Origins, I decided to check it out.

They did a scrub, a serum, a moisturizer, eye cream…plus a mineral powder, concealer, lip gloss, eye makeup, and mascara! Fun!

Ta-daaaaa! I thought it looked pretty good, but I don’t wear much face makeup day to day and probably won’t be buying the make-up products. As for the skin care, I’m a firm believer in testing before you buy. So, I got enough samples of the scrub, moisturizer, and serum to last about a week. We’ll see how my skin looks then.

The fun just kept going…next up we saw Bridesmaids. There were some graphic scenes I could have done without, but overall, I really enjoyed the movie and thought it was really funny. There were some parts I wish they would have tied up better, but it was worth watching.

And finally, we ended the day with a pizza dinner in and watching some TV at home and just relaxing. I’m feeling much better, but still dealing with some residual fatigue from being sick last week, so I didn’t really want to do anything too crazy.

Have you seen any good movies lately? What did you see and do you recommend them?

I had some retail therapy at the mall the other day.

When I was younger, I purchased clothes. Now, I purchase random kitchen goodies. I ended up picking up a few random and affordable things at Sur la Table the other day.

A sparkly, pink spatula by Le Creuset – $8.

New napkins – $1.99 each

Mini heart dishes – $1 each

A mini Le Creuset dish with lid – $20 (not super cheap, but compared to the full-size version, a steal!)

Oven thermometer – $8.

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Hubby made dinner tonight.

Earthfare cheeseburgers, Alexia waffle fries, and grilled asparagus. He even got to bust out the grill! I can’t wait till the weather warms up more and we can use the grill all the time.

Bailey says hey guys! He also wants you to visit my Facebook page (click) for exclusive Bailey photos and other fun times.

And check the bloggie around 11am ET on Wednesday for a new Work Chic post about the perfect pair of pants for (business casual) work.

Have you found any cheap-chic kitchen goodies lately? What are they?