Spring is a time for renewal. After a long winter, our skin can also use some pampering. One of my favorite products is a resurfacing peel that I use three times a week.  Skincare experts say that one should try to get a professional facial with the change of each season.

The Five-Star Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, North Carolina is one of the best places in the Southeast to get a facial, but spa experts tell me that it's also wise to use some natural ingredients at home to give your skin the renewal it needs, especially in the Spring after a dry winter.

The Umstead Spa in Cary, N.C.

DIY at-Home Spring Facial Tips from the Umstead Spa

Wash face with a mild cream cleanser, rinse well and pat dry. 
         
In a small bowl, mix half of one lemon (Organic lemon is best), with 2 tablespoons of raw honey.
       


Lemon and water. I think we can all get those ingredients easily.

Spring will be a great time to enjoy the outdoor areas at the Umstead Spa in Cary, N.C.

Skin Perfecting Facial (80 minutes, $185)

In North Carolina, we love our craft beer and our luxury spas. Well, let's rephrase that sentence. I love my craft beer and luxury spas. Luckily for me, we have some of the best craft brews and luxury spas right in my backyard, so to speak. The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary developed an NC Beer-infused body scrub for spring in honor of the upcoming NC Beer Month this April. Spa Director Carolyn Doe developed this scrub recipe using her own favorite beer, Weeping Willow Wit beer from Mother Earth Brewing in Kinston. This body scrub will help soften dry winter skin, pull out breakout-causing impurities, and even help shield against harmful UV rays.

We know the story. You couldn't secure a babysitter for the biggest romantic night of the year. Yeah, that happens. 

White Hot  Chocolate from Herons in Cary, N.C.

It's been awhile since I did a luxury hotel round up for the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. As I've mentioned before, it's important to not just think of our area's local luxury hotels as only frequented by out of town guests. With award-winning restaurants on site, our area's luxury hotels are places for Triangle residents to enjoy, too.  Here are some events that I think are exciting this summer.

The Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club in Durham, N.C. 

I look forward to kicking off the Washington Duke Inn's beer dinner series this summer. The first one will be held on June 12 in conjunction with Mystery Brewing in Hillsborough, N.C.



Next Thursday, Erik Lars Myers of Mystery Brewing Co. and author of North Carolina Craft Beer and Breweries, Executive Chef Jason Cunningham and Chef de Cuisine Murray Healy of the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club will present a multi-course beer-inspired menu on the Terrace on the Green. Erik will come to the Inn hauling kegs straight from the brewery! He’ll serve five small batch collaborative beers including one only served at Mystery Brewing’s Tap Room, as well as the Inn’s exclusive Nanaline, named after Doris Duke’s mother. I've been in Erik's company for another event, and I am really looking forward to this dinner and the opportunity to try more of his brews. This will be the prelude to my daughter's dance recital weekend, and as you'll see from what I wrote in the News and Observer, I need to kick back a little before I have to make the "donut bun." 

Other beer dinners are planned with Carolina Brewery on July 16 and FullSteam Brewery on Aug. 13. The cost is $49 per person and $39 for Executive Club Members. For more information: 919.493.6699.

Fearrington Village in Pittsboro, N.C. 

I spent some time at Fearrington Village last month, and  I am in love with the Inn, Restaurant and Spa. Fearrington has live music on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at the Roost, weather permitting.


The Fearrington Granary is a great place to have dinner in addition to the more formal Fearrington House Restaurant. While dining at the Granary, I chose the Twice Baked Goat Cheese Souflee for my entree with beets, spinach, watercress, and pecans. It was delicious. Be sure to visit the Fearrington Village calendar for upcoming wine dinners and other events.

The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, N.C. 

Hai Tran, the Umstead Hotel and Spa's sommelier coordinates a great wine tasting called Umstead Uncorked on the last Thursday of each month. Each wine tasting centers around a different theme, and Chef John Childers prepares a few small bites to with the tasting.


On June 26, Hai will have a Red, White, and You theme. I always love Hai's themes. In this tasting, you will discover American beauties to help you prepare for Independence Day celebrations. The cost is $40 per person. These events are fun, and I think it would be fun for a few girlfriends to do together. It is at least four glasses of wine so you may want to grab a burger on the terrace after the event.

The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, N.C. 

The Carolina Inn has its Fridays on the Front Porch all summer, and on June 14, the Inn will have a Moonshine tasting reception.


The special guest will be Moonshiner Wayne, cast member of the Discovery Channel's “Moonshiners,” during its Moonshine Tasting.  You will be able to sample a variety of North Carolina made moonshine and enjoy culinary delights while conversing with “Hill Billy” Wayne. One of his very own stills will be on display for you to view. My favorite distillery, TOPO, will have its Organic Carolina Whiskey Moonshine available to taste. The cost is $55 per person. A few seats are still available for this event on June 14.  Call for reservations at 919.918.2735.

I'll be back on Thursday for Instragram Travel Thursday.

How are you? You know how it is! Life is crazy when you are a parent, and I've had very little time to chat with you all here.  I've been out and about in Triangle lately. As a result, I wanted to share some things with you that I felt needed sharing sooner rather than later.

I love her new owl gown from Company Kids

First off, our owl pajamas for National Family Pajama Night arrived this week.  I love The Company Store. 

The Siena Hotel used Vietri China for the luncheon.

Last week on my TriangleMom2Mom column for the News and Observer, I received a lot of positive feedback on my column titled, "Do Really Skinny Women Eat?" You can read that post here. I'm back on the food-eating wagon, and apparently off of the exercise wagon since I wrote about my attempts to lose weight on the Denise Austin eating plan. The scale is moving up again, if I indulge at all. The "Do skinny women eat?" post idea came after I attended a fabulous luncheon at the Siena Hotel to celebrate Vietri's 30th Anniversary. I'm working on a story for Skimbaco Lifestyle about how a trip to Italy inspired the start of Vietri, the North Carolina based tablescape company. I'm hoping to sit down soon so I can devote some time it.




I am a big fan of Vietri, and am so glad I was able to attend this luncheon and meet, CEO Susan Gravely. The table setting was stunning, and I certainly ate like a queen. It will be a cold day in hell that I pass up food prepared by an outstanding chef like Executive Chef Adam Rose of Il Palio. 

I was also at the Washington Duke Inn in Durham last week for the luxury hotel's Fall Menu preview. Here, I'm enjoying the tasting with food blogger, Ron Wen of Foodalicious Follies. 




Executive Chef Jason Cunningham always seems to impress my Southern, simple taste. His menu is based on the farm-fresh ingredients that are abundant this time of year. I didn't get a photo of my favorite dish, but the Ashley Farms Sweet Tea Poulet Rouge really stood out as a favorite for me.  I also tried my first cinnamon sugar cronut. The Cinnamon Sugar Cronut was served with poached sour cherries and root beer ice cream. I loved it. 

Cinnamon Sugar Cronut

You can view the fall menu on the Washington Duke Inn website.  As the days grow shorter, the fall season's happy hour menu, served daily in the Fairview Dining Room, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., is a $30 three-course prix-fixe menu that includes a choice of appetizer, entree and a sample of sweets. 

Christopher Marley's collection is on display at the Umstead Hotel and Spa to January 1, 2014

I was also at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary to view the new art exhibit, Pheromone, by Christopher Marley. It is amazing! Actually, it is unbelievable that someone can make something so beautiful out of natural artifacts, such as bugs.



Anyone can visit the Umstead's art collection at any time, for free. The hotel has a fabulous brochure that will guide you through its remarkable permanent collection as well.  If you want to make a special evening, the fall menu is now available at Herons. I've not had anything from it yet so I can't recommend anything in particular, but I bet that pumpkin soup with marshmallow would be great on a fall evening.  You can view Herons fall menu here.  

Herons’ autumn prix fixe dinner menu offers guests the option of three or four courses.  A three-course menu is priced at $75; four courses for $85. Complementary wine pairings are also available for an additional cost.


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