Southern Living: Preppy Style

Weekend

2012-01-24T09:29:00.000-05:00

What a weekend! I feel like we've been moving into a new house! We're having the main room of our house painted today. It's two stories and has lots of twists and turns and it's just too high for Husband and I to do ourselves (plus, we REALLY dislike painting). So it's being painted by professional contractors. They are also painting the entire exterior or the house so I'm super excited about our new paint job!

However, that meant that the weekend was filled with chaos as we moved furniture out of the room and into our formal living room and dining room (which is now so cluttered, it's driving us nuts!). We removed all the window treatments and drapes, took down all the pictures and removed area rugs and decor. It was a big job! Husband then patched and drywalled all the holes and applied Kilz where necessary. We don't like painting but Husband loves to do drywall himself, because then it's done the way he likes and is to his personal liking. After all, once it's painted over, it's hard to fix the flaws if not done right the first time. I agree and am glad he found the time to do the work!

So, for the next two days, we are operating in a chaotic house and our main room, which is large, sounds like an echoing cave! It's pretty loud in there, especially when Mr. Dog barks!

And speaking of Mr. Dog, he's losing his eyesight. *tear* Now, y'all know I've never been much of a dog person, but U.K. is a member of the family and he is loved! In the past couple of weeks, some things have been strange with him. He barks at us when we're near the door, running to herd us outside of the house. Once he gets close and sees and smells us, he acts embarrassed, like he mistook us for a stranger. The other day, Husband said a bunny rabbit hopped right past his nose and he didn't even see it! If there is a piece of food on the floor, he completely misses it. Yes, he's becoming Old Dog. Other than that, he's in great health. He's still sprite and plays with his toys and that tail of his never stops wagging! So that is wonderful news and we're happy he's still with us.

That's all on the home front today! Hope y'all are having a great week!

Happy Tuesday Y'all!

Tag!

2012-01-18T09:52:00.001-05:00

It's been a while and it's a known fact that bloggers like to know other bloggers, so here it goes. I was tagged by the lovely Madras N Pearls (whom I've actually met, a delightful person!)

The Rules:

1. You must post the rules.

2. Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.

4.Tag eleven people and link them on your post

5. Let them know you've tagged them!

11 Fun Facts:

I met George Clinton in the Amsterdam airport my freshmen year of college. He drew a dog on a large piece of paper that said "Woof, Woof", spelled my name wrong and then kissed my cheek. I'm still kind of weirded out by the experience but we did take a great picture!

I was talking about this one yesterday: I have a bad habit of saying "Serious" before making a statement. Lallie has picked up on this and she'll say "Serious" but with much more attitude, look with a hand on the hip and the other in the air. It's quite cute and funny.

My hair is naturally curly (and I mean, '80s style kinky curls that get so frizzy and big, I feel like I need a large Cindy Lauper chiffon bow in my hair). I straighten it everyday and have since 8th grade.

I despised math in school. As a philosophy person in college, I needed to know WHY x-squared was the derivative of 2X (or vice versa)....I needed to understand the gazillion page proof. It just wasn't in the cards for me. So it's strange that I'm now an asset manager, managing people's money in commercial real estate as a career. Things that make you go hmmmmm.....

I LOVE Lilly Pulitzer....SURPRISE!!!

This one is about Lallie. She's super tiny. She's 4.5 years old and 27 pounds and has been stuck at 27 pounds for about a year now. She's normal, just tiny. So it's really funny when people tell me I have a very advanced two-year old. I just let them think she's a genius (which really she is.....she's just a 4.5 year old genius!) ;)

My house is FINALLY being painted starting next week! Just in time for Stella and Dot party I'm having at my house! By the way....anyone want to buy under my account? Hey, doesn't hurt to ask!

Everything on my desk is pink. My stapler, my business card holder, my box thingy that holds various items, my Lilly pencils and paper. The only items that are not pink is my computer.

I recently found an all organic farm where I buy most of our fruits and veggies among other things like olive oil, chicken etc. With more and more research out these days, we're becoming more selective as to what we put in our bodies. We still have a ways to go, but we're working on it. And BONUS - the food tastes better!

Thank goodness for blogging and facebook because I haven't printed a picture of us or Lallie in goodness knows how long. And between the two, I can catalog all of Lallie's little wittisms as well. I plan to print a book eventually.

And last but not least, one more Lallie moment.

Daddy: "Did you know you're going to lose your baby teeth some day?"\

Lallie: Cue freak-out

Daddy: "But that's okay because you'll get your adult teeth and the tooth fairy comes and leaves a dollar under your pillow!"

Lallie: Elated. "And a diamond!"

(Note: that was not a question, it was a statement).

Now, 11 questions from Madres N Pearls I'm supposed to answer:

1) What was your favorite first date?

Dinner and Johnny Cash.

2) If you could have dinner with any famous/historical figure, (past or present) who would it be?

Albert Einstein

3) What is your favorite book and why?

Sense and Sensibility. Because everyone needs a little pure romance in their lives and I just love that time period and the prim and proper lifestyle.

4) What kind of car do you drive?

BMW 530i

5) What was your first job?

A hostess at the pasta house

6) What was your major in college?

Applied Music - Violin

7) Do you have a favorite style icon, if so who is it?

Style icon would be Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis or Audrey Hepburn

8) What cosmetic can you not live without?

LUSH Tea Tree Water, LUSH Imperialis face lotion, LUSH Enchanted eye creme

9) Who is your favorite designer?

Again, surprise....Lilly Pulitzer

10) Coke or Pepsi?

I'm actually indifferent

11) How have you cultivated followers for your blog?

I haven't actively sought out bloggers. My blog was started to keep out-of-town family apprised of our family happenings and then other bloggers helped my cultivate my own blog. I started blogging about things in which I'm interested as well as the family happenings and my crafts. It's a hodge podge and I'll post what I want, when I want. It's my happy place. If this gains followers, great. If not, I'm not sad. After all, this is for me, not them! :-)

TAGGINGI tag whoever wants to follow along and let us learn a little something about you! Let me know you do so I can come check you out and see what fun things you're doing in your life! I actually like Wendy's questions that I answered above, so let's keep this going!

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

Herbed Butternut Squash Apple Soup

2012-01-17T09:08:00.000-05:00

About 16 months ago, the lovely Suburban Princess posted her recipe for Butternut Squash Apple Soup here at Southern Living: Preppy Style. Recently, I tried out a different Squash Apple Soup and here is this recipe, which varies quite a bit from Suburban Princess'.

I was introduced to the recipe through a friend a couple month's ago. I had been invited to a home cooking girls' night out where several girlfriends get together at my friend's mother-in-law's home. Mother-in-law then taught us to make a couple of dishes, this one being one of them. She purchased all the ingredients, each one of us chopped and diced and we enjoyed each other's company over a glass of wine and hot pot of Butternut Squash Apple Soup.

I later gave the recipe a whirl of my own at my in-laws over Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:

1.5 quarts chicken stock

2 lbs. butternut squash (one large squash)

2 tsp butter

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 medium Granny Smith apples. Peeled, cored and cut into 2" pieces

1 large onion. Diced.

2 medium shallots. Diced

1 tsp finely chopped rosemary or 1/2 tsp. dried

2 tsps finely chopped thyme or 1 tsp. dried

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Creme Fraise

(Ignore the lime juice, that was for a completely different recipe and I accidently added to this picture. Oops!)

Directions:

Heat chicken stock in 6 quart casserole pot until simmering.

Cut squash, remove seeds and roast at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes with 1 tsp. butter and 1 tbsp brown sugar per side.

Meanwhile, add cut apples, onion, shallots and herbs into chicken stock and simmer covered for about 30 minutes.

Cut roasted squash into pieces and add to the soup. Simmer for a few minutes.

Puree the soup with a stick blender or in a food processer. Return to pan if used food processor.

Add the half and half, salt and pepper and simmer a few more minutes, tasting for seasoning.

Garnish with spoonful or creme fraise and extra herbs and enjoy!

Now that it's cold in Florida, this is warming my bones just thinking about it!

Happy Tuesday Y'all!

Books Read 2011

2012-01-16T10:25:00.001-05:00

It's about that time for a book review! I usually give out my list in January and update the prior year. You can read 2010 and 2011 HERE and HERE.

If you don't follow me on Goodreads, please do! I love to recommend books and check up on everyone elses lists for great reads.

My goal for 2011 was 24 books and I read 34. And that includes taking a three month break from reading during the month's of August and October (I love to read but sometimes, I just need a break. Do you ever take a break from constant reading?)

I also only read 14 of the 24 books I planned to read in 2011. There were so many other books tempting my palette! The ones I didn't read are still on my list, however.

I have a five star rating, one star being the worst recommendation, five being the best. If my reviews sound a little vague, well it's because I'll admit that I am not a book review writer and am not going to put a huge amount of time into it. Also, I don't want to give away any spoilers. But maybe these will interest you enough to check them out and see if they are a book for you. Well, without further ado:

Before I Go To Sleep - S.J. Watson ***

This book had an interesting plot and it did keep me on my toes, but I did find it to be a little predictable and boring at times. About a women who lost her memory after an accident, she receives a clean slate every morning, barely remembering even her childhood.

ROOM - Emma Donoghue*****

Wow, what an interesting book. Released around the time that Jaycee Dugard had her first interviews, this book is about a young boy of age 5 living with his mother in captivity in a small room. Written from the perspective of a five year old, including verbal skills and communications, the writing keeps you detached from the real situation. This keeps you reading without having to think until the end of the book. I will leave it at that as to not release any spoilers, but I do highly recommend this emotional book.

The Paris Wife - Paula McLain****

I admit, I really did not like this book. I'm not sure if it was the style of writing or what, I'm still contemplating it (as I just recently finished it). I have found that this is either a "love it or hate it" type book. It is an interesting book about Hemingway's wife, just not my style. I would however, recommend it as so many others have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sundays at Tiffany's - James Patterson **

Just an easy read with a simple plot. If you have something else on your list, I'd go ahead and move on.

The Hunger Games Series (Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay) - Suzanne Collins *****

Loved it, loved it, loved it! Written for the teenage crowd, I absolutely loved this series and everyone I know who's read it has loved it. It's riveting, keeps you on your toes, well written and really makes you think about the world as it stands today. The plot is very well thought out and can be quite chilling at times. Read it, I know you'll love it!

South of Broad - Pat Conroy ****

I had heard mixed reviews on Pat Conroy. I've never read one of his books and was told that again, you either love or hate his books. Though this one was slightly depressing, I really loved it. It was well written and very descriptive and I just enjoyed it and the characters and the southern setting. Though there were lots of different personalities which made the core group a little over-the-top, I liked that feel. Some people do, some people don't but I love interesting characters.

Last Night at Chateau Marmont - Lauren Weisberger**

A quick and easy read and that's just about it. I didn't like it or dislike it, just indifferent.

Bride Series (Savor the Moment, Bed of Roses, Vision in White, Happy Ever After) - Nora Roberts ***

What can I say? Everyone needs to read some romantic books every once in a while. However, these are not Harlequin....a little less, well, Harlequin! I read these while working on a fundraiser since they were books I could read without having to think. I did enjoy them as they are just plain "feel good" books.

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen *****

Excellent, Excellent, Excellent! Loved everything about this book. The plot, the characters, the relationships, the thorough description of circus life, hierarchy and travel during this time period. I still haven't seen the movie, but I'm interested in seeing it! Though I am having a hard time seeing Reece Witherspoon as Marlena.

The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes - Diane Chamberlain****

A great book about the relationship between mother and daughter from birth to adult. The story line, while disturbing at times, flows very well and captures the unspoken and traumatic events of CeeCee Wilkes' life and intertwines those events with the character relationships. Sound confusing? It is because I can't say anymore without giving it away! Read it!

Barefoot, The Castaways, The Blue Bistro - All by Elin Hilderbrand***1/2

I love Elins Hilderbrand books. These are the first three I've read and I enjoyed all three greatly, especially The Blue Bistro. I love the plots as much as I love hearing about the Nantucket lifestyle.

Waking Up In Dixie - Haywood Smith***

Reminds me of the movie Regarding Henry with Harrison Ford except in a southern preppy socialite world. A woman with grown kids finds herself in a loveless marriage until a traumatic event causes her husband to have a change of heart. And from there, the story begins. An easy read, I enjoyed this book because I enjoy all southern prep novels!

The Lincoln Lawyer - Michael Connelly**

I read this book before watching the movie and honestly, I was disappointed overall. I expected the novel to have a bit more action and a more nail biting experience given the subject matter. Rather, I found it quite predictable.

Winter Garden - Kristin Hannah*****

Written by the same author of Firefly Lane, this book did not disappoint. Get out your tissues and be prepared to cry, but not for any other reason you could possibly think. Walking through the strained relationship between two daughters and their mother, this book is extremely compelling. It is well written and researched and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. I apologize for the vague review however, I do not want to give away any spoilers.

The Weird Sisters - Eleanor Brown **

I could not complete this book. I hated it. I hated the ungrateful characters, hated it. Every single person in my book club hated it as well. Sorry to the author.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Jamie Ford*****

LOVED this book! This book is about a Chinese father recounting his experiences as a boy, begrudgingly, with his son. Being Chinese during World War II, the boy lived near and befriended a Japanese girl when the Japanese were not to be fraternised with or tolerated. We often hear the Jewish side of the World War and the stories. This book takes a different spin on the World War and is quite eye opening.

The Informationist - Taylor Steven*****

Wow! The author is just as interesting as the book. About a girl who grew up overseas learning combat training, she also becomes extremely proficient in gathering information about other people. Very classified and expensive information. She is hired out to locate a missing girl, and while at it, re-discovers the life she tried desperately (and unsuccessfully) to leave behind. I am SO excited about her new book, The Innocent. If you have a chance, you should read up on the author as well. She has quite the interesting story herself.

First to Die (Women's Murder Club) - James Patterson**

I read this at the recommendation of a friend. While I enjoyed the plot, I'm not a fan of James Patterson. I've read three of his books and am just not interested in reading any more. I also leave his books feeling either disturbed or just weird (as in Sundays at Tiffany's). Also, I'm not a fan of long series.

Falling Home and On Folly Beach - Karen White****

I loved both of these books. I loved Falling Home and the relationship story between sisters and I loved Folly Beach for the same reason. Both are drastically different in plot and settings and I really enjoy White's style of writing. I read these back to back.

Sizzle - Julie Garwood***

I picked this book up at a used book store and when I shop used, I read the flaps quickly and pick up what I can in a short amount of time. I'm usually not too disappointed in my quick decisions. This book didn't disappoint. I enjoyed the plot and the mystery behind a documentary film college student who finds herself accidentally stuck in the middle of a crime. She discovers that there is a hit on her life out there somewhere and a handsome FBI agent comes to her rescue.

My only complaint is that there were a couple of extra little side stories that I feel, really didn't fit with the book and could have been left out.

Georgia Bottoms - Mark Childress**

I found this book through a recommend on Pintrest and the jury is still out. It was well written and the plot well thought out, but the story line was filled with lies and deceit, indecent relationships and mixed-up priorities. While I didn't dislike it as much as The Weird Sisters, it is definitely in that category of "I don't like the characters."

Ain't No Sunshine - Leslie DuBois**1/2

Hmmmm, what to say about this book. The relationships between father and son were strange in this book. When I finsihed the book, Ashleigh and I discussed it over email and well, it's almost as if the author was trying to play a trick on the reader. It was a quick and interesting read and I really don't want to give away a spoiler. The jury is still out.

Perfect on Paper - the (mis)Adventures of Waverly Bryson - Maria Murnane***
I picked up this book at CVS on the sale rack. A quick and easy read, a romance book about love lost and love re-gained and the journey from one to the other. It was cute. Like the Bride Series cute.

Stealing Faces - Michael Prescott****

John Cray has been stalking and killing women for twelve years without incident. Suddenly, a woman starts stalking him! As he turns the situation around, to find out who she is and why she's following him, he discovers something he couldn't even imagine.

A thrilling and disturbing book, it is very well written and definately keeps you on your toes!

Murder on the Boulevard - Kori Donahue***1/2

Written by fellow blogger, Kori Donahue, I picked up this book when she first released it on Amazon. She is self published and this is her first book. I did enjoy the book. It's an easy, thrilling and romantic read, all-in-one. And I'm interested to see what she does with her next book. I do think that the plot moved too quickly with people in love one day and not the next and clues to the mystery did show up suddenly, but I think for a first book, it's an excellent read. Honestly, I couldn't put it down because the story-line is great.

Chelsea, Chelsea, Bang, Bang - Chelsea Handler***1/2

This women is hilarious though the first few chapters of the book were (what is the right word here)....shocking, maybe nauseating. I actually put the book down and picked it back up a few weeks later. It is a collection of essays about her childhood, family, love and work. It is definatly a riot.

So, what books have you read that you would like to recommend and what's on your list for 2012? Follow me on Goodreads and I'll follow you back!

Happy Monday Y'all!

New Sewing Designs!

2012-01-13T08:54:00.000-05:00

I bought and cut up tons of new fabric for skirts, pants and shirts. Here's what I completed last weekend.

Valentine's Day ruffle skirt.

I'm also making a pair of ruffled bottom pants and a shirt with the cupcakes on it to match. The skirt can be work alone or with leggings, depending on how cool it will be down here in February.

Here's one pair of ruffled pants.

I have three other skirts and two more pairs of pants in the works! I LOVE sewing!! It's my favorite hobby!

Next project....curtains! When we purchased our house, all the window treatments were already in place however, they are nearing a decade old and are getting dirty, some are stained (but not in noticeable places). Husband and I wanted to live in the house for a while and get a feel for our decorating style before changing anything. Now that's it's been 2.5 years, we're ready to change. We are having the interior painted (fingers crossed) in the next couple of weeks and thereafter, it will be the ordering and making of curtains.

Now, we have two story tall ceilings and LOTS of window treatments. So I'm going to need 40 to 50 yards of fabric and trim (in different styles depending on the room, though our main room will need at least 20 yards)! Good thing I can sew and make these myself as the fabric alone is going to be pricey! I really can't wait to start working on them. It's really not a difficult project, just more time consuming. But we're not going anywhere so I have all the time in the world!

One Room School House Desk Renovation

2012-01-11T10:21:00.000-05:00

My mother-in-law has a one room school house desk in her home that she uses in her kitchen as decor. Her mother (Husband's Granny) had stripped and stained the desk years ago and it is just beautiful. Husband and I have always loved it and would like one of our own.

My mother-in-law came across another desk a few years ago, which has been stored in her garage until we could bring it back home to Florida for our own home. This desk was in serious need of stripping and staining as it was in not-so-great condition. We were finally able to bring the desk home this Christmas and Husband went to work right away, stripping all the old layers of paint to get down to the bare wood. I neglected to take a before picture, but here it is in pieces.

Top of desk. I love the etched letters. Gives it character and a sense of true history.

Bottom side of the desk top.

Underside of the desk seat.

Top of the desk seat.

It took Husband about two hours just to get all the pieces apart. It's a delicate process because you don't want to damage the wood and the iron legs would shatter and break if dropped. The grooves you see on the underside of the desktop is where the iron legs where attached. No nuts and bolts here, just very tight grooves.

First, he stripped the old paint using Klean Stripp Strip-X Stripper from Home Depot. You paint this on and leave it to bubble up for anywhere between five and fifteen minutes. Always use gloves when applying this as it's strong and will eat your skin (I mean....it is paint stripper!)

You can see the bubbling, the stripper is working!

Then you use a plastic scraper and strip off the paint. Husband stripped the desk multiple times, at least three that I can remember. This is the first coat.

He then gently sanded the desk to get down the the bare wood.

***Note: Is is important to take precautions when sanding older furniture or dealing with anything that has older paint. Use a respirator (not just a facemask) to protect yourself from breathing in the lead-based paint materials.***

This is why I didn't get any pictures of the sanding. Husband didn't want Lallie or I anywhere around. After he finished, he completed a thorough cleaning of the garage before we were allowed back in as dust was everywhere.

As you saw in the before pictures, the desk had been painted yellow and green over the years. Even after lots of stripping and sanding, Husband wasn't able to get the yellow paint completely off the top part of the desk.

Now you can see the bare wood on the seats. Gorgeous!

Now it was time for stain.

Husband first used Polyurethane Gloss in Dark Chestnut. The results were not to his liking as the coverage was very spotty given the inconsistent colors of the wood and the lagging yellow paint In addition, the Chestnut color was not as red as he intended as he was going for more of a Mahogany.

So he went over it again, but this time with a Polystain (not polyurethane) in Mahogany to achieve the red color. The Polystain also gave the coverage Husband desired while looking shiny and consistent.

Here is the finished product. It is being used as a nightstand in one of our guest bedrooms.

I love the shiny red color and you can still see the wood variations.

The desktop is perfect for a nightstand and the etched letters give the piece some history. The polystain made the etchings clearer and they certainly stand out. I love that!

As with all school house desks, the seat folds up. Perfect for guest rooms for an extra seat or luggage rack which can be put up for storage or during the night.

Husband originally wanted to paint the iron, but I'm glad he just cleaned it up and not paint.
I love the rustic character of the legs.

It looks great and the many, many hours Husband spent (close to 20 hours if not more) on the desk certainly paid off. Great job honey, it's beautiful! And please....correct me, honey in the comments, if I stated anything incorrectly.

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

The Art of the "Thank You"

2012-01-10T12:06:00.000-05:00

I can remember my mother sitting me down at an early age and having me write thank you cards and notes. The habit has stuck with me over the years (thus my obsession with stationary in general).

Admittedly, I've slacked over the years and have neglected to write thank you notes to close family and friends. I've always felt guilty of this even though Emily Post states it's not necessary to thank such close people. I have however, always written thank you notes to those such as co-workers or acquaintances that might purchase a gift "just because" or for weddings and baby showers. These type of hand-written thank you notes is a must, no exceptions.

Now that I'm a mother, I'm attempting to pass the art of the thank you card down to my daughter. At least for now, Lallie doesn't see it as a chore (and hopefully she never will). Rather, she sees it as an opportunity to be creative, picking out her own pink cupcake cards and writing her "thanks" in a rainbow of colors. I hope Lallie's little rainbow notes give the receiver a huge smile. Husband and I have certainly enjoyed watching her write them with such adorable enthusiasm and creativity.

Happy Tuesday Y'all!

Alive & Well!

2012-01-09T09:05:00.001-05:00

Good morning fellow bloggers. Rather, Happy New Year (considering it's been over a month since I've blogged). I'm sorry for my extreme lack of posts. December was a very hectic month with travel, plans, holidays....well, I'm sure you ALL know that drill all too well! I'm looking forward to catching up on all your blogs and seeing what y'all did during your December holidays.

As a photo snapshot, here are few pictures from our December, Christmas and early January. Please ignore my picture quality and blurriness. My camera died the week before Christmas, so all of these are from my cell phone! Not always the best quality.

Christmas Dance Recital - The Nutcracker

Taking a quick snooze on the lawn while Daddy hangs Christmas lights on the house.

Front porch (outriggers and all!)

Love decorating palm trees for Christmas!

Waiting in line at the Children's Museum to see SNOW!! (On a 75 degree day!)

Tuckered out from all the Christmas fun!

Really neat book Christmas tree at a local used book store we frequent.

Ready for an Advent service at Church (I made the skirt).

Our tree (sorry, didn't take ANY pictures of the rest of the interior house this year! I'm a slacker!)

After Christmas Eve service at Church at a friend's house. The best picture I could get of the
extremely excited Lallie!

Christmas morning....82 degrees!

Christmas dinner at a friend's house.

Opening presents with best buds.

Up north in Kentucky (in much colder weather), hanging out with cousins.

More cousins!

Back home in Florida on New Year's Day, playing Lallie's new Wii Dance Kids game. She got the hang of it but not before daddy accidentally punched Lallie in the eye while practicing Jingle Bells!

Cupcakes from the Easy Bake Oven!

Lallie's favorite princess (since they both have green eyes and blond hair). Lallie arranged
all her Rapunzel dolls to show off the different sizes.

We arrived home to LOADS of fresh lettuce and tomatoes in our garden!

Rooting for the Clemson Tigers in the Orange Bowl. We still love them though! :(

NOW, it's cold in South Florida! Down to the 30's at night! My little fashionista
in the pink sparkly CVS sunglasses Lallie picked out for me in early 2011.

I have some really exciting blog posts coming up! Over the holidays, Husband and I brought home a desk from a one-room school house, an antique. It was in pretty rough shape, but Husband has been stripping and staining it and it's gorgeous! I can't wait to show you the before and after pictures.

Also, in the next week or so, I'm going to be cooking for an entire day and making a month (+/-) of frozen dinners. All healthy too! I've researched and prepared the shopping list....so now it's just shopping and cooking! I can't wait to share the recipes and results with you.

And of course, for my fashionista followers, I'll be sharing all my latest and favorite beauty products and clothing including.....my Lilly Rue La La and New Year Cheer sale finds! I have to say, Husband didn't do too bad in Christmas Lilly either ;-)

Happy New Year y'all!

Lilly Pulitzer Dress for Sale

2011-12-07T14:26:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! I have a GORGEOUS Lilly Pulitzer Nya dress in Booty Caw, reversible to hotty pink.

Size 4. $75.00 Shipped!

It's new without tags. I'm normally a size two in Lilly so it's just too big. Perfect for a Christmas party, so scoop it up!

SLPreppy@gmail.com

Recap

2011-12-07T14:17:00.000-05:00

I know I promised to be back right after Thanksgiving however, life got in the way! The SLPS household has been quite busy with travels, Christmas preparations, guest preparations, Christmas parties, dance recitals and somewhere in there, we managed to work a little bit as well! Here are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks.

First, we traveled up to Kentucky via Princess Barbie (also known as the Suburban). We took everything but the kitchen sink! Even U.K. (our old and trusty golden retriever if you're new). It was a 14 hour car ride, leaving at 5 am and getting there at 7 pm. Thankfully Lallie is a fabulous traveler, watching movies, coloring, playing games and sleeping. She's also very hungry when we travel (note to self for our Christmas trip).

We spent this Thanksgiving with my in-laws on their farm. We usually alternate parents each year for this holiday. Here are some pictures of Lallie with her 2nd cousins. They greatly enjoyed playing tea with the dinosaurs (the dinasaur ate the cup right after I took this picture).

Husband and I assumed the typical Apres Thanksgiving position in front of the football game.

While in Eastern Kentucky, we drove through some of our favorite nature spots, showing Lallie the waterfalls.

We also got to taste one of our favorite things....a Kentucky soda staple, Ale 8.

We arrived back home in Florida to our garden completely bloomed out with lettuce (two varieties), tomatoes (three varieties) and cucumbers galore (yuck...those are Husband's). I can't wait to show you pictures of the garden itself, it's huge! I'm so proud of Husband and his garden!

On a sadder note, poor Lallie became quite ill. She was out of school for several days and wanted to do nothing but sleep. :(

Thankfully she was better by Saturday for her big Nutcracker dance recital! Lallie LOVES dancing, twirling and dancing constantly at home, making us re-play commercials she likes over and over again so she can dance to the music. I think this is her long term thing since she's been dancing for about two years.

Here she is with her fabulous dance teacher, Miss Alex (a sophomore in high school! Yes, she's THAT good of a dancer!)

Last but not least, a little chuckle for you! Husband loves practical joke type things. In fact, he recently purchased fake poop to throw in a friend's brand new pool. Over Thanksgiving, he chased me around the store with a woopy cushion loudly saying sarcastically "Jennifer, stop that!" Yes, customers were laughing at us. He almost bought the woopy cushion for his dad's chair. I talked him out of it.

Well, his most recent purchase was this...... I have NO CLUE what he plans on using this for, but Lallie loved it and played it over and over again for about 3 hours. Darn the Yodeling Pickle!

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

eShakti Dress Review - Professional Workwear

2011-11-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday everyone!

I know I said I would be bowing out of blogging for the next week but I have some time today, so I thought I would share a review with you.

Being a professional working gal, I find it difficult to blend a pop of bright color with professional work wear. My clothing must remain work appropriate especially when meeting with clients. Everyone knows I adore Lilly Pulitzer, but I can't wear all my Lilly dresses and Stephen Bonanno sandals to work. This is just the nature of my particular job. Case in point. This Lilly dress (from Jubilee 2009) and Lilly McKims would be inappropriate for my particular job. If you can wear this to work, I'm so happy for your ability to do so (I'm actually quite jealous!)

Does this mean my professional clothing should lack color? Absolutely not!

So on my quest to find professional, yet colorful and interesting work wear, I discovered eShakti.

eShakti's tag line is "You Design, We Customize." A customer is never told an item is out of stock in their size as one can either choose standard sizing OR customize, sometimes even changing the overall style of a piece of clothing.

How does this work? Measure your hips, arms, bust, waist and enter in your measurements when ordering a piece of clothing. Then customize your sleeves to be long, short, capped, sleeveless, 3/4 length. You can also choose the length of your dress or skirt. All orders, even custom, arrive on your doorstep in seven days. Their prices are also very reasonable.

The dress I chose is seen below. It is a shiny, lightweight wrap dress with pops of yellow at a cost of $59.95 (if I recall correctly). It wraps and ties on one side with buttons on both the right and left hand interior sides to keep the wrap in place. I was very pleased with this feature as wrap dresses sometimes either have a hole through the dress (which often gets torn) or there is no holding place, causing the dress to fall lose and constantly be re-tied. The buttons were also quite strong and large for flexibility in sitting and standing.

It is a great dress for professional wear, in my opinion, and something different from anything else I own in my closet (including my typical color palette). I do enjoy wearing this dress.

I am very pleased with the shipping time, which was seven days as promised, and the dress fit perfectly according to my measurements. It is comfortable for all day wear and very flattering in the fit. I received several compliments from ladies in my office with one actually going on the site to order some custom dresses for herself.

I only have two complaints and one is the length of the dress. It is longer than I expected where I would prefer it to be above the knee rather than at the knee. I also received this same comment from the ladies at my office, that the dress was a tad too long. I did enter the height into the form however, either I didn't measure correctly or the measurement I gave was interpreted to be this particular length. When I order again, I will take a couple inches off of my height for this purpose.

(As a side note, I had Husband measure me, I would not advise doing this yourself. I also read the directions given by eShakti on how to measure).

The other complaint is the bust area, which I'm sure is related only to this particular dress. The dress wraps across the bosom a little too low (without bearing too much, here is a close up). It appears eShakti recognized this and to compensate, they added a button and buttonhole to close the area. The button fits awkwardly and is quite noticeable, not being very well hidden. I found myself fooling with it much of the day so it didn't stand out. This was one of the other comments from the ladies in my office, that the button was quite noticeable and they wondered why it looked this way. Someone recommended removing the button all together and using fabric tape.

All-in-all, I am please with eShakti's selection and service and will likely be ordering from there for professional work wear in the near future.

Happy Friday Y'all and once again, Happy Thanksgiving!

So What Did I Buy?

2011-11-17T15:56:00.000-05:00

Since Ashleigh so snarkily reminded me that I'm not physically moving to Alaska and I don't need arctic weather clothing, I took it to heart and didn't go crazy with sweaters.

And being that I have little time to run to Palm Beach to my normal shopping venues of Nordstrom, Saks, Lilly, Tory Burch etc. (okay, so I wasn't planning to spend THAT kind of money, but I can dream!), I stuck with White House Black Market, Target and Ann Taylor Loft.

Now I'm not one to buy something just for the sake of buying something, so if I don't absolutely love it, I will not buy it. So, I spent a whopping 35 minutes trying to decide between two different sizes of the same pair of jeans at White House Black Market.

Here's what I picked up over the past couple days during lunch breaks. I'm pretty happy with my choices.

From White House Black Market, I purchased this striped keyhole top (keyhole on the back) and Blanc jeans (not black jeans, "blanc" jeans, which the word "blanc" means "white" in French, so not sure of the rationale here as they are clearly not white jeans).

I tried on this sweater at WHBM and LOVED it, but at $98.00 and it being a fairly heavy sweater that won't be worn often, I passed. It would look SO cute with skinny jeans and black boots (which I don't have the boots....yet).

Between BHWM and the Loft was Old Navy. I spied this cute little flannel shirt, soft as can be and scooped it up for $24.94. Not a bad deal for a casual/lounging shirt.

At the Loft, I picked up this flattering peasant top and a preppy cable knit v-neck sweater.

And at Target, I picked up this cute grey sweater to wear with black leggings and my black Revas.

Now for the shocking part! I purchased clogs! Oh, yes I did! Furry clogs at Target for $29.99 and they are comfy and super cute with cords though I don't see myself wearing them with anything but cords. I won't wear them that often, so I didn't mind not spending a huge amount of money.

So, what do you think of my finds? Not bad for some on-the-fly buys before our Thanksgiving trip. I think I was able to spend money wisely while buying versatile items that I can wear both north and south.

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

I'm bowing out for a few days but will see you the Monday after!

Fall (North) Wardrobe - A Cry for Help!

2011-11-17T09:29:00.001-05:00

Sweet, generous Husband told me to go shopping today, to brush up my fall (north) wardrobe before leaving for an extended Thanksgiving vacation.

Why, you might ask, would I call it my "fall (north) wardrobe?" Because my fall (south) wardrobe is not appropriate for fall (north) fashions as it's significantly colder up north for longer periods of time. Who knew?

And...this is the extent of my fall (north) wardrobe. I should probably mention that most of it is well over five years old. I'm surprised the sweaters aren't moth eaten (wait, do we have moths in South Florida? I don't think I've ever seen one....something to google).

I pulled out my favorite pink Ralph Lauren to which Husband replied, "Really, you're going to take that north again? Our north vacation memories are all running together because you've worn that sweater EVERY year for the last five and it's in EVERY picture!!"

After fussing at Husband a bit for saying that about my favorite pink sweater, I actually took a look at it and noticed the wearing zipper, the somewhat yellowed necklines and sleeves and the faded iconic
blue Polo Ralph Lauren horse.

Yep, time to go shopping.

But wait....I'm confused. What does one shop for when planning north outfits? You see, I don't layer and after eleven years of Florida living, I've forgotten how to layer! Not to mention, I'd like to stay in a relatively decent budget while looking adorably preppy. And sweaters, they need to be lightweight. Oh and shoes! There's another one. What type of brown flats does one wear with cords? Revas, Toms, boots? They all look funny to me (please don't say clogs....I will NOT....I repeat....will NOT wear clogs, unless those are the in thing. Are clogs "in?"

Ack! This is going to be an interesting shopping trip and I have a total of two days and maybe two hours in which to complete this.

Update tomorrow on what I purchase (so suggestions please!)

Happy Thursday Y'all!

Fashion Crushes

2011-11-15T11:43:00.000-05:00

Jamie Hoodie - Tory Burch
2814 Mid Rise Cigarette jeans - J Brand
Fit to Be Tied belt - Lilly Pulitzer
Adena Boots - Michael Kors
Ditra Dress - Lilly Pulitzer
Bracelets - David Yurman

Lexi Crew shirt by Lilly Pulitzer (I could use in every print and color) - Lilly Pulitzer
Murfee Scarf in Drama Queen (SO ME!) - Lilly Pulitzer
Murfee Scarf in Skye Blue Standing Ovation - Lilly Pulitzer
Shuffled Spade Shopper - Kate Spade
Maryanne Small - Kate Spade
Metallic Mini Ella Tote - Tory Burch
Gold Metallic Reva - Tory Burch
Truce Pump - Kate Spade
Mariel top - Kate Spade

Meeting Lilly Pulitzer

2011-11-14T10:24:00.003-05:00

Saturday, I had the unique opportunity to attend the Preppy American Brunch to celebrate Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau's 80th birthday at the Museum of Lifestyle and Fashion History in Boynton Beach.

Lilly was dressed in a Murfee scarf and a cashmere sweater and gorgeous green earrings. She was extremely gracious and warm with lots of hugs and hand holding, making time for every single person at the party. Lilly, I believe, was almost as starstruck as the rest of us, seeing all the people and children, dressed in her clothing. She was so charming and witty and complimented everyone in their lovely dresses. She was so excited the several had come from so far away to celebrate with her.

Amy from Forever 29 with Lilly Pulitzer. Notice the hand holding. Lilly is one classy and loving lady.

The party, which was much more intimate than I expected with just over 100 people, was one of the most colorful events I've ever attended. Of course, it's Lilly! So what else could one expect! The tables were all decorated in Lilly printed table cloths with Florida fruit centerpieces such as oranges and grapefruits. The brunch was catered by a fabulous local establishment called Toojay's and rum punches with adorable flamingo stir sticks were the signature drinks.

Swag bags provided by C. Orrico were filled with goodies including a preppy bracelet from Kiel James Patrick, swag from Vineyard Vines and chocolates.

The silent auction included Lilly vintage items including headbands crafted by Looking 4 Lilly and aprons from L. Whelan Designs.

Several bloggers were in attendance including Petunia In Paradise, Bethany from Maryland Pink and Green, Amy from Forever 29 and Wendy from Life is Better with a Twist of Lime. Ashley from Ashley Brooke Designs also came in for the occasion.

Kiel James Patrick also attended with his girlfriend, Sarah Vickers. Kiel toasted Lilly, thanking her for leading us in a colorful lifestyle and then led us in singing Happy Birthday.

The museum displayed several vintage Lilly pieces and models walked the reception area showing off Lilly Pulitzer fashions, new and old.

Barbara Malone, one of the organizers of the Preppy American Brunch event.

And of course, I can't forget little Lallie, who also celebrated Lilly's birthday in her favorite tunic. She was thrilled to receive the cupcake I brought home and enjoyed looking at all the pictures of the party with me.

Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau's birthday party was a once in a lifetime opportunity and it was wonderful gathering in her honor with my local friends, blog friends and new friends while celebrating decades of

colorful living!

I will be back soon.....

2011-11-07T13:33:00.000-05:00

In the meantime, I'm one busy girl with:

work-work
charity work
little four year old work (which is by far the best "work" :-)
house work (sort of, since getting a housekeeper, Husband keeps telling me to put the spray bottle down)
car work (I had to clean something!)
planning travel work (vacation is not work, but the planning is!)
Bible study work

But one thing I CANNOT wait to tell y'all about is The Preppy American Brunch celebrating Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau's 80th birthday!! It's this Saturday and I'm meeting up with a couple blog friends and local friends for a Lilly filled luncheon!

But for now....here's some pictures of what the SLPS household has been up to!

Lallie's Rapunzel Bishop dress (I'm surprised she put it on considering Rapunzel's eyes were blue on the dress, but in reality, they're green...just like Lallie's!)

Princess Fairy Rapunzel (complete with wings!)

The loot!

A week after Halloween and the goblins are still among us! Yikes!

Getting ready for Christmas already. Lallie loves the Sunday papers and all the toy flyers.

Horseback riding at the church fall festival right after dance class! She's a busy girl!

And last but not least, a little video as Lallie has managed to squeeze word invention into her busy, busy schedule!

Happy Monday Y'all!

Fairy Rapunzel

2011-10-29T10:52:00.002-04:00

Lallie received this Rapunzel wig as a Christmas gift last year. She's only recently become interested in it however, it ended up extremely tangled (huh.... Tangled... Who knew?)

This evening is our church's Trunk or Treat. So, to ensure that Lallie doesn't look like Strung-Out Princess Fairy Rapunzel (yes, she insists on wearing her fairy wings), Rapunzel received a haircut.

Here is the after picture (she's throwing away her cutting work, thus the trash can.). I don't have a before picture, but if you can imagine a big matted ball on the top her head, that would be accurate!

Body Back & Wine Tasting

2011-10-28T05:00:00.014-04:00

Body Back is going really well! Unfortunately, I had to stop attending Lisa's class (my good friend and trainer) for another one. Lisa is still the owner of our local Body Back, but she hired another trainer to complete a course closer to my home. It works great for me and my schedule, but I do miss all the girls I've been working out with since April.

The class is great! I have gained more strength, feel great and energized and I've lost four pounds!! Skinny jeans, I will be fitting back into you by Christmas! Yahoo!

Anyways, Lisa recently accomplished something very big in her life. She participated in a local charity's Dancing with the Stars competition. She spent HOURS learning the Argentinian Tango with local dance instructors. As part of the fundraiser, each dance competitor was to not only dance, but raise as much money as possible for the charity. So the winner was the person with a combination of the highest dance scores and highest fundraising dollars.

Lisa raised over $8,000 herself and over $50,000 was raised for the charity.

Lisa (blond) with her dance instructors and dance partner, Bob.

Well, the dance shoes have been put away and the money is going to a very good use, but Lisa, being the generous person she is, wanted to give back to all the people that supported her over the past few months. She held a wine tasting at our local Total Wine store. It was a lot of fun being with Lisa to celebrate her accomplishment and being with friends for a Girls Night Out (and yes, since it was a wine tasting, we only tasted the wine.....sure, sure).

Bob took each of us on an Argentinian Tango tour of the dance floor (aka wine tasting kitchen). I LOVE this Elizabeth McKay dress and I'm thrilled it's finally fall-ish enough to wear it!

My friends, Joanna and Sandy.

The wines were fabulous! We tasted four whites (none were pinot, my favorite) and four reds (my favorite being the $59.99 bottle which means, that's all I'll ever taste of that one!)
I am not a wine connoisseur, but Husband and I do enjoy the occasional glass.

And,just because I know how many of my blog followers love designer hand bags (like me)....
this is just for you! Haha!

Happy Friday Y'all!

Time is Marchin' Across my Under Eyes - HELP!

2011-10-27T08:53:00.002-04:00

"Honey, time marches on and eventually you realize it's marchin' across your face."

Truvy - Steel Magnolias

And marchin' it is! Across my particular face! Ick!

The past couple of weeks, I've noticed these lovely little age spots and discolorations under my eyes.

I've written multiple posts in the past about my makeup and skincare regime and I have to admit that I'm not always as ontop of it as I should be. I need to be better and more consistent.

But I've always been consistent with my makeup. I don't change products much because I like what works and I generally don't wear much makeup.

Mineral Powder
Blush
Powder (general use)
Mascara

And that's it folks! I don't wear eye makeup and I use the green tinted concealer if I have a break out, but other than that, I'm au naturale (well, as much as one can be).

But with the recent development of these age spots, I need something different. A time turn-around cream maybe? A concealer or coverup for underneath the eyes. Not only are there age spots but that icky blue-tinted discoloration as well.

But I don't want to look made up nor do I like the feel of makeup. When I have too much on, I feel uncomfortable and yes....I must say it....I feel dirty. Too much makeup makes me feel

like my skin can't breathe.

So my questions to you is.....

What do you use for your under eyes. Creams? Makeup? And how do you apply?

I'm looking forward to hearing your suggestions!

Happy Thursday Y'all!

Addicted to Pintrest

2011-10-26T12:56:00.001-04:00

I had no idea how addicting Pintrest could become. I've heard about the hype, I even tried it out for a little while a few months back but just wasn't interested. Low and behold, I wasn't even using it correctly.

Or maybe that wasn't Pintrest, maybe I'm confusing it with Tumblr.

....(which incidentally, Tumblr lasted a whole week before I said "I don't get it, I just don't get it." Maybe I didn't stick with it long enough or follow the right people. Who knows.)

Flip flop holders, yes!! Perfect for a FL girl!

By the way, I'll be posting some of the cool "pins" I've found.

Anyways, I like to READ blogs and get the story behind something....not just look at a picture. I want to know your story, your inspiration, your reasoning. Maybe I don't have an imagination (which my parents and Husband would attest that is just simply NOT the case!) I don't know, blogs with only pictures (like Tumblr) do absolutely nothing for me.

That's just me.

Yep, making these for my next BBQ! Why didn't I think of this?

Anyways, I never thought Pintrest would interest me either because it's just me following a bunch of people's pictures and I'm supposed to repin them if I like them. Right?

Wrong.

Hand soap, not with legos, but I'm thinking Christmas and holidays, party gifts. Yes!

Well, my friend invited me to Pintrest so I thought I'd try it out again. This time I downloaded the "Pin It" button and when I found a website with a really cool sewing pattern, I pushed that cool little button and pinned it to my "Sewing" board. And voila, I can forget about it until I'm ready.

AHA! (Yep, the Aha moment).

I don't have to print all these things out and put them in my ever expanding and disorganized folder that remains at the office and I never remember to bring it home when I want to look at the folder and so I forget again until the next time when I say "why do I even bother" yet start the whole vicious circle again the next day of printing, filing and forgetting.....

Whew! Did you get all that?

And so now, I'm addicted to Pintrest. I'm pinning like crazy from blogs with great ideas and pinning from the one person I'm following. I don't care if anyone ever follows me or if I follow other people. I just like having a place to file my blog inspirations when I want them. I can get rid of that folder and file them in Pintrest and they'll be there when I'm home and craving a new craft idea.

What kid would not LOVE to paint with marbles?

Now....onto that pesky file folder. I guess I'll start the search for the great ideas I've filed in the folders and then pin them too.

Wanna follow? Be my guest! What about y'all, do you Pintrest?

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

My Etsy Shop

2011-10-25T09:21:00.001-04:00

Good morning y'all!

I've come to a decision about my Etsy shop and I've decide not to re-open.

(Keep reading though).

Reasoning?

Well, most of the things I make are too darn cute for Lallie not to wear! :-) I'm working on Christmas and Thanksgiving dresses, skirts and shirts and I just don't want to give them up!

But the other reason is I just don't have time to build up an inventory. What am I going to do? Put one dress and skirt on the site and hope someone buys? Not great marketing. In addition, I'm not one to buy a whole bolt of fabric. I choose what I like in just enough fabric to give me variety for Lallie's closet and that's it. I don't have enough customers (or money!) to buy a full bolt and just hope someone wants me to make something in that fabric.

So what does that mean for y'all? I will customize design and make whatever you want. We can just go over it via email and pick out designs and patterns etc. etc. etc. It's super easy and that way I can make items for the few of you that have bought from me before and not worry about dealing with the masses.

After all I do really enjoy sewing but it's not my full time job.

Sew....(pun intended)....what do I have in the pipelines for Lallie? I recently completed her Christmas dress and she'll wear it in her Christmas pictures this coming Friday.

It's a reversible A-Line dress with a white frock to go underneath. Monogrammed on one side with rick rack trim....the other side simple with a cute little pocket (and Lallie LOVES pockets!)

If interested in this style, email me at SLPreppy@gmail.com!

Happy Tuesday Y'all!

Goodness Gracious!

2011-10-24T08:42:00.000-04:00

So long, no see blogger friends! Work has been absolutely insane, so it's been too much to blog lately. And at home, well you know the drill! Cook, clean, child-caring (and playing!) and of course, a lot of my extra time has been on sewing. I can't wait to show you all the cute little outfits I've made Lallie for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

In the meantime, Husband has hired a housekeeper to come in every couple of weeks to clean for me. This will be a HUGE help! It seemed that all of our free time was being spent on cleaning, mostly on the weekends, which obviously detracts from Lallie. We also weren't having much time to ourselves either. So this weekend, no cleaning (well, okay, a little), but we spent our time gardening with Lallie, going to the park, Husband went flying with a neighbor, we did the grocery shopping, we played outside, we sewed and all kinds of other things, rather than spending hours on cleaning! It was nice for a change.

So we hired a housekeeper and I have to admit, I was kind of surprised to see that it's not nearly as expensive as I thought it would be. Always a plus!

In other news, like I said, Husband went flying this weekend. Our neighbor has had several planes over the years and this particular one, he built. I have to admit, while Lallie and I were at the park, I did check the news app on my iphone three or four times for local plane crashes. Yes, I was slightly uneasy. But he arrived safe and sound back on the ground with some pretty cute pictures to show for it!

It was gorgeous outside this weekend. Lows in the 60's with highs in the upper 70s. So, we planted all our winter flowers. Impatiens, lots of impatiens. They grow like crazy down here in the winter, so in about a month, our front yard will be filled with pink and white! Lallie loves to help plant and water flowers.

Later, we got our artist skills on and painted dozens of pictures, most specifically, the horizon line. I have at least five paintings of the horizon line with the blue sky above and green grass below....and that's it. Note to self, pick up more blue and green paint. She had fun and that's all that matters! Husband even made her potato stamps with her initial and a heart.

Last but not least, things that make my heart aflutter. Lallie is writing her numbers and letters all by herself now, without having to have guides to show her. She's been able to write for a while, but either in tracing or with worksheet direction. And she's been able to write her first and last names without help for quite some time (the first thing they teach). But this is the first I've seen her make efforts on other letters and numbers and it makes me (and Husband) so happy. She's also starting to read the "at" words like cat, hat, bat, rat etc. It just amazes me that my four year old can read and write, she just seems so little and young.

So, these are the things happening at the SLPS household! I'm looking forward to catching up on a week's worth of blog posts from y'all!

Happy Monday Y'all!

Style Blueprint on White

2011-10-12T12:12:00.001-04:00

For a blogger so interested in fashion, I'm probably behind the times, but I recently discovered through my Body Back trainer the website, Style Blueprint.

I am in LOVE with this website and have been perusing it in my free time when able, catching up on all the latest and greatest from some of my favorite southern cities. Maybe that's why I've missed out? Because Florida isn't yet on their radar.

The site features just about everything from food to fashion, glitz and glamour, health and well-being....it's completely well rounded.

So.....I was shopping yesterday .....
(long story and yes, I was technically working but even my boss knows why I was shopping so....no comments from the peanut gallery).

Anyways, I ran into the Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Outlet to return some shorts that just didn't fit Husband correctly when to what before my wandering eye did appear?

A $9.99 sale rack! Shoparoonee!

And exactly what did I find on said sale rack? White jeans. I have white cotton capris, white capri jeans, white capri cuffed jeans, white leggings....I have everything white in my wardrobe except traditional long, non-boot cut, just plain old normal white jeans. So I snatched them up (with my budget money dear).

And then I started thinking back to that age old controversy about wearing white after Labor Day. Darn it, even in South Florida 90 degree October, I just can't bring myself to wear white below the waist (I was able to squeeze it in late HERE September but that was my absolute cutoff).

But I have these pretty new gorgeous white jeans! Do I really have to wait for 7 months before

wearing them?

Not according to Style Blueprint!

They did an article on wearing white after Labor Day HERE. They highlighted the Fall 2011 Paris Fashion show where whites were in great abounds both on and off the runway.

They then took some everyday fashions (for normal non-model people with busty hips and mommy bellies a/k/a ME) and put together some adorable outfits surrounding below-the-waist-whites.

Wear White after Labor Day! by lizagraves featuring high heel shoes

Black and White with Color Pop by lizagraves featuring mid heel shoes

Style Blueprint also interviewed several boutique shop owners about their below-the-waist winter white wardrobes HERE. And of course, these shop owners pull from my favorites....Lilly Pulitzer,
J. McLaughlin, Kate Spade.

Check out these articles. And I guarantee you'll be seeing me this winter wearing white jeans and I won't be the least bit ashamed.
(However, I will be leaving the Lilly Pulitzer Hotty Pink halter top safely tucked away until next May!)

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

Beach Blowout, Crafts and an Old Dog's Birthday

2011-10-10T14:41:00.000-04:00

This weekend was blustery to say the least! It was basically an undiagnosed tropical storm. Lots of wind, tons of rain and a mostly indoors weekend.

So, Saturday we ventured out to the movies and saw The Lion King in 3D. Rather, Husband and I watched it in 3D. Lallie refused to wear the glasses and I wonder how she didn't end up with a headache!
That night, we had a couple of friends over, sans children, for a relaxing and informal dinner (aka ordered out pizza) and game night! We played a couple rounds of Trivial Pursuit.....to which I won't discuss further. Next time, we'll concentrate on Scrabble :-)

Between the movie and game night, we were up in my crafting room. Lallie played with her dollhouse, colored and helped me sew and I made two dresses, a skirt and a shirt. I haven't embroidered the name on the shirt yet.

Just curious though. Have I told you how much I LOVE my new sewing machine?

If you like this skirt pattern, let me know. I'm selling them for $25.00 shipped, custom sized and fabrics. Just email me at slpreppy@gmail.com to discuss. Yes....I'm trying to build back up my inventory to reopen my etsy shop!

Saturday was also U.K.'s 13th birthday. He's an old, old dog but still as sprite as can be. That's 91 in dog years if you didn't know. Yes, that's old.

Sunday, we took "Barbie" out for a ride (that's Lallie's nickname for our 140,000 mile massive Suburban for boat towing, dog hauiling and mulch transporting).

We ventured out to the beach to watch the 11 foot waves and they were impressive! Near one particular area of the island, the waves hit some rocks and sprayed up over a house! I became soaked at one point (helping to contribute to my beach blown hairdo). Husband wouldn't put Lallie down as the sand would just pelt her poor little legs and it stings!

The picture doesn't do the waves justice, they were huge and anyone would be nuts to be out there! Even the hard-core surfers stayed indoors.

Here's a natural beach blowout hairdo in the making. As you can see, I just love the pink sparkly $9.99 CVS glasses Lallie bought for me a while back.

See, Lallie loves the pink sunglasses!

And the completion of a natural beach blowout. Is this how they do it in California? (No worries fashionistas, I had a Lilly white cardi with me as to not show the bra strap all over town! No siree, not me! However, I had to take it off at the beach for fear it would become a parachute and hoist me away with the winds!)

I'll leave you with a video of the winds. I'm not kidding, it was windy and these were sustained, so it was this heavy all weekend long.

Happy Monday Y'all!

Mixed Bas Giveaway Winner

2011-10-10T08:42:00.000-04:00

Good morning y'all! I am pleased to announce the winner of the Mixed Bag Designs giveaway!!

I used Random Number Generator and discovered that entry #5 is the winner!

True Random Number Generator.

Sorry for the poor quality of the picture. I couldn't figure out how to copy the picture to upload here, so after several attempts, I finally just copied into word, saved as a pdf and then through photoshop, turned it into a jpeg file. Sheesh! If I didn't have photoshop, y'all would have just to have taken my word for it!

And the winner is Ashleigh!

Now, I did not make that up y'all (not sure you could since the True Random thing is .... well.... random), but I'm excited she finally won something! I've had a dozen giveaways over the 500 + blogs posts I've had and she's entered every one. So yay Ashleigh!! I would say "email me your information" but I already have it!

Thanks to everyone who entered and don't forget, there is still free shipping for another couple of days! Use the code "Southern" when checking out!

Yoga and Apple Pies

2011-10-04T08:44:00.001-04:00

My second eight week session of Body Back is winding to a close and for the last week, Lisa usually finds something fun and different to do.

Last session, it was paddleboarding.

This session was yoga.

I am not new to yoga. I practiced yoga off and on for about two years after Lallie was born, but it's been at least 2 years since I've been to a class. And, I've never done yoga like this.

Well, by "this" I mean, in a park, next to the water on a cool (south Florida cool) and breezy day. We did a lot of yoga while on our backs and of course, the last part of the class is the mediation and corpse pose.

This is what I saw.

Pure relaxation.

Now....after the class, my body said "I want to stay relaxed, please don't go home to the rustle and bustle of a four year old." But obviously I did go home and was in a GREAT mood! My mind was rested, my body was stretched and my upper back no longer hurt from sitting in the office all day.

Further, how could I not be in a GREAT mood when I walked in the door to this?

Yep, Husband made a homemade apple pie (bye bye everything I've burned off these 8 weeks).

BUT, it was SO worth it! Yummy!

The statistics session is on Thursday, so we'll see if I've continued to improve in strength. My next 8 week session starts October 13th and will actually be closer to home, which will be easier on me and the family, time-wise (it took 30 minutes each way to get to my last class, now it'll be close to 5-10 minutes each way).

Hope everyone has a wonderful day and don't forget to enter the Mixed Bag Designs giveaway I posted about on Friday! It ends this coming Friday!

Happy Tuesday Y'all!

Veggie Garden

2011-10-03T09:29:00.002-04:00

Good Monday morning y'all!

It's a very busy day for Mrs. SLPS but I wanted to let you know about a couple of things coming up this week on the blog.

First, don't forget about the Mixed Bag Designs giveaway HERE. You won't want to miss out on this amazing giveaway.

Second, I will be posting about our fall garden this week! Husband spent most of the day yesterday and Saturday last weekend planting our gardens! I helped last Saturday but yesterday, I was doing indoor chores, so he worked on it by himself. It was mostly all him though as the veggies are most certainly Husband's babies. Lallie and I will just sit back and reap the benefits (no pun intended!) I have pictures coming, but for now, here is a little teaser for what we hope our garden will look like this year.

We learned a lot from the spring crop, its successes and failures, and we will share some of our newly learned tips with you. In the meantime, we hope that the tomatoes, lettuce (2 varieties), squash, zucchini, spinach, basil, cilantro, parsley, oregano, eggplant and corn all come out wonderful! (Well, the corn hasn't been planted yet as it doesn't go in the garden. I shall explain later).

That's all for now.

Happy Monday Y'all!

Mixed Bag Designs Review & HUGE Giveaway!

2011-09-30T11:07:00.003-04:00

I have loved Mixed Bag Designs since I first posted about them HERE. In fact, Ashleigh has become addicted to them as much as I have.

They are colorful, eco-friendly, versatile, lightweight and much more stylish and supportive than the typical store brand reusable bag (i.e. Publix bags). I get compliments on them every time!

Now, everyone knows my life if hectic. Let's see.....

four year old child
I work full time
member of Junior League
I blog and sew in my free time
sitting on the board of our local children's museum
facilitating a Bible study
Lallie's dance classes
Body Back workouts

It's a lot! So, in order to stay organized and considering my car IS my office (my job has me traveling 50% of the time), I have bags to keep me organized. They are all Mixed Bag Designs and I really should have taken a picture of my front seat because I have.....drum roll please.....

FOUR TALL TOTES

....in the front seat, one for each facet of my life. And when I get to my destination, I grab the necessary bag and take it with me. No disorganization here!

So, when Mixed Bag Designs asked me to do a review and giveaway of their bags, I absolutely jumped at the opportunity! I chose five items in varying designs to give everyone an idea of colors and patterns.

First, and obvious, I chose a new Tall Tote to add to my collection. I love the tall, but skinnier use of this bag. It holds all my file folders and books perfectly without them falling over or getting bunched up. And since, they are skinny, they all fit on my floor in the front seat without falling over or being squished.

Next I chose the Foodies. Lallie loves these! They are bright just like her personality and she loves eating her Annie's Bunnies or turkey sandwiches for school lunch or for snacks on-the-go. Plus, just wipe them clean and their ready for another use! She even stuffed some miniature princesses in them the other day to take to Church.

The Fold-N-Hold is a wonderful design. For the car trunk, for the laundry room, for the craft room. Perfect for keeping the necessities within reach without looking disorganized and cluttered. I mean, who wants to look at a bunch of detergent bottles on top of the dryer? But put them in a stylish Fold-N-Hold and the clutter doesn't look like clutter, but like a decoration! And then you don't have to hide everything just to drag it back out when needed. It's all right there at arm's length!

Next, I tried the Drug Store Bag. Now, CVS is one of my absolute favorite places to shop but I do so sporadically here and there when they have a great coupon deal. Which means, I don't need a large tote as I'm buying relatively little (and sometimes.....female sensitive.....). The Drug Store Bag is the perfect size for small purchases while keeping sometimes sensitive items hidden from view. So rather than getting asked by a clearly non-southern uneducated in manners person if it's "that time of the month" (which yes, this has happened to me...multiple times, sadly), I get complimented on "why, what a lovely bag!" Much more desirable don't you think?

Last but not least, my absolute new favorite from Mixed Bag Designs - the Hold Everything tote. Did you happen to notice the folded blue/brown bag in my Fold-N-Hold on my dryer?

Y'all, this bag is absolutely HUMONGOUS! It holds three loads of laundry for three people, plus towels and still doesn't fill up! It's perfect for the boat for holding beach towels because it's waterproof. AND the best part....when you're done using it, it folds up to as small and thin as a piece of paper! It weighs nothing! So instead of lugging around three loads of laundry plus a heavy, bulky and awkward laundry basket, I can carry it all in one hand and pick up other clutter on the way! Perfect for the efficient parent!

In this picture, I'm holding a couch pillow and throw in this bag and it's still not full! It literally "Holds Everything!"

Like what you're hearing.....well, here's the giveaway.

Mixed Bag Designs is giving away one of my readers a $75.00 gift card to be spent on ANYTHING on the website!! Want to enter? Here's what to do:

Put each entry in a separate comment! If you don't, your one comment will only be entered once!

Follow Southern Living: Preppy Style
Like Mixed Bag Designs on Facebook HERE
Tell me your favorite bag and design from Mixed Bag Designs
Post about this giveaway on your blog and link back here in a comment.
Announce this giveaway on twitter and link it back here in a comment.
Tell me how you would use your new favorite bag! Get creative, we want to hear those ideas!

The giveaway will end next Friday, October 7th at 5:00 p.m. with the winner announced on the following Monday.

If you can't wait until then to get a Mixed Bag, use the code "southern" in the coupon code box for FREE SHIPPING! This code is only good through October 12th!

Happy Friday Y'all!

Birthday and Embroidery

2011-09-27T12:20:00.002-04:00

Yes, my birthday was Saturday! ~~Nay thirty-something birthdays.~~ Yay birthdays!! It was a great day starting out with breakfast in bed from Lallie and Husband and then being allowed to veg in bed until 9 am. It was fabulous. Husband waited on me hand and foot and I didn't have to clean a thing!

We went to Home Depot and bought all of our seeds and plants for the garden (see another post later this week about that). We watched the Clemson game (go Tigers!) ~~and then watched that other game where my team lost their~~ ~~rear ends. (Hmph....moving on.)~~ My neighbor, Kim, made me mojitos which she refuses to give me the recipe for...they are so yummy and perfect. I restrict myself to one (okay, two glasses filled to the rim with ice, they are strong.)

And then our friends came over for dinner, sans-kiddos. We put Lallie to bed at normal time, and then hung out by the pool all night ~~watching my team lose their~~ ~~rears hmph....moving on again.....~~while eating the seared tuna, broiled asparagus and baked mini potatoes my friend made for dinner. It was fantastic. ~~We'll leave the part about them being Gator fans unspoken.~~

I got two pictures of the whole event. The cake made by Husband and Lallie and the gorgeous flowers sent to me by Ashleigh.

SO YUMMY!!!

The single pink rose is Lallie's :-)

So, what did I get for my birthday. A new sewing and embroidery machine!! Yippee!!

Husband was all worried about buying me something that plugs into the wall and sometimes I do think I would rather be surrounded by Lilly and Tory Burch packages.

...... {pause and insert "ahhhhhh....Tory.....ahhhh.....Lilly...."}.....

....but not this year! I chose the new machine and didn't look back. So pleased and happy with it!

Poor Lallie....she's going to be embroidered and monogrammed for the rest of her life. It's like the label machine Husband bought me several years ago. I labeled everything short of the kitchen sink (I do recall actually labeling Husband's name on his forehead ....as a joke.....no really!)

I can't wait to do a review on the machine. I've completed one applique and one embroidered outfit, but still working out the kinks. But here are some of the style Lallie will be fashioning over the coming season, all from Etsy shops. Have fun browsing!

"Gobble, Gobble, Gobble" from Monogram Font Store

UK pattern from My Itty Bitty Design

The following three patterns are from Shabby Chic Now

These last two are from Joyful Stitches

Happy Tuesday Y'all!

....go with the {fashion} flow!

2011-09-26T09:27:00.000-04:00

After all these years in South Florida, swearing I would never wear white, open toe shoes or halter top/tube tops after Labor Day....I finally broke the stride.

All these years, I've been thinking:

you live in South Florida
it's still 90 degrees out
we don't have fall weather (or winter for that matter)
South Floridians don't have to adhere to the rules

Yet, I haven't ever swayed that I can remember (okay...maybe on the open toe shoes, but flip-flops don't count right?)

Well, Friday night, Husband and I headed out to a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of America. The event was held outdoors on the water with probably 500 people. And it was hot and humid! Underneath the tents, everyone was sweating....but having a fantastic time (and I took absoltely ZERO pictures! Bad Jennifer!)

Knowing the event was outside and it would be hot, I wore a Lilly halter, J. Crew capris and Stephen Bonanno Sandals (notice my HUGE $9.99 CVS Pink Sparkly Sunglasses....love them!)

I felt weird and extremely self conscious as I left the house thinking that absolutely no one going to this party would break the stone-age fashion rules. I was thrilled when we showed up at our friend's house (with whom we were riding to the event) and Gaby was wearing white capris, Jack Rogers and a Lilly shirt as well! Shoooooo.....felt much better.

Arriving at the event, I clearly had nothing to worry about. Maxi dresses, tropical outfits, tube tops, halter tops and lots and lots of Lilly were present at the event. I should have known! Right? I mean, it was VERY hot out there and fall fashion just doesn't make it's debut in South Florida until at least Halloween. So, from now on, I'm not worrying with the fashion stereotypes surrounding Labor Day and just going to...

....go with the {fashion} flow!

Stay tuned this week for lots more fun.....my birthday recap and a absolutely FANTASTIC giveaway and review! You won't want to miss it!

Two spots left at my table for the Preppy American Brunch celebrating Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau's 80th Birthday. Let me know if you're interested. SLPreppy@gmail.com.

Happy Monday Y'all!

Revenge and Lilly Pulitzer

2011-09-23T11:45:00.000-04:00

Did anyone else notice the Lilly Pulitzer dresses on the show Revenge last night?

Emily Thorne's (actually Amanda Clarke) childhood character was seen wearing a Lilly Grettle bathing suit in one scene and the Shorley Blue Paint By Numbers Little Lilly in another scene with her father. She was also spotted wearing the Let the Eat Cake Lolly dress. If I'm not mistaken, I also believe I saw a couple of Lilly dresses at the Grayson's Memorial Day fundraiser party.

What do these clothing choices say about Revenge....it is the newest preppy-socialite sitcom of the season and I'm hooked! It's as if one of my socialite novels came to life on my television screen and I am loving it! With betrayal, revenge, love and vengeance all playing out on the shores of the Hamptons, this new show is bound to take twists and turns as we delve into Emily's (or is it Amanda's) past. After all she did grow up in the Hamptons, but no one, not even Victoria Grayson, dubbed "Queen Victoria" knows this is the long lost child of her former neighbor.

Husband even enjoyed it and I think he understands why I couldn't put down The Overnight Socialite

or Social Lives.

___________________________________________________________________

In other news and while we're on the subject of Lilly.

Now that I'm going to Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau's Birthday Brunch with several lovely ladies (hopefully some of you), I'm starting to think about what I'm going to wear! There are so many adorable Lilly dresses and not knowing whether it's going to be blazing hot or slightly cool (and cool to South Florida is chilly 75)....I just don't know! Here are my current favorites.

Augusta Dress via Lilly Pulitzer

Ava Dress via Lilly Pulitzer

I just love the Multi Casting Call print (in below dress and skirt).

Ros\lyn Skirt via Lilly Pulitzer

Bianca Dress via Lilly Pulitzer

So many choices! Thank goodness I have a couple months to decide

(*cue Husband saying "and you're going to pay for these 'how?'"*) Heehee.....

Happy Weekend Y'all!

I'm GOING to the Preppy American Brunch: Lilly's 80th Birthday

2011-09-21T09:15:00.001-04:00

If you're part of the "Lilly Blog Circle" then you already know about Lilly Pulitzer's 80th Birthday Brunch to benefit the Museum of Lifestyle and Fashion History located in Delray, Florida.

BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN AND SEE PICTURES OF SOME OF THE EXHIBITS.

If not, well here are the details surrounding the Preppy American Brunch!

First and most important.....

I am attending!!!

I'm so excited and can't wait to be among other Lilly lovers for a day of fun, fashion and philanthropy!

_______________________________________________

The lovely Birthday Brunch Committee ladies, Barbara Malone, Lisa Stuart and Mary Lane, contacted me to announce this to all my fabulous blog following ladies in hopes some of you will be able to attend. Of course, for anything Lilly, I am thrilled to do so!

The lovely ladies, Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau and Mary Lane (event chair).

Per Barbara Malone, Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau will be in attendance and she fondly spoke of prior engagements with the guest of honor:

"{Lilly Pulitzer}....is so lovely and gracious. It was honestly the thrill of a lifetime to meet and chat with her. She was so thrilled to see everyone dressed in Lilly."

Lilly enjoying a past brunch.

Details

November 12, 2011

Museum of Lifestyle and Fashion History

Delray, Florida

11:45 a.m.

*Gift bags, fashion show, silent auction and a special surprise from Gordon of In the Pink*

Click HERE for more information regarding tickets, sponsorships and table purchases. Also, become of fan of the Preppy American Brunch on Facebook HERE.

*Myself and several of my Lilly loving friends are attending and I will be purchasing a table very soon. If you are interested in attending and sitting with us, let me know! We'd be thrilled to have fellow Lilly-loving bloggers in which to share

this amazing day!*

Email me at slpreppy@gmail.com

__________________________________________________

In the meantime, if you can't attend....no worries! You can still wish Lilly a Happy Birthday in the official Birthday Card.

Send your good wishes as a word document (color and photos are accepted) to lillybirthday@gmail.com. Send $10.00 for each submission to the paypal account of the same address to accompany your card. All proceeds over the cost of production of the card will be donated to the charity of Lilly's choice. Any questions, direct them to lillybirthday@gmail.com.

__________________________________________________________________________

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT:

I am simply LOVING these men's fashions! LOVE!

The For the Love of Lilly exhibit has been on display at the museum since August 2010 and will remain until November 2011, until after the Luncheon.

The exhibit contains approximately 80 vintage Lilly Pulitzer items from dresses, accessories and fabrics to men's and children's fashions, galoshes and even napkins!

An exhibit any Lilly lover would certainly not want to miss.

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

Recipe: Easy Chicken Enchiladas

2011-09-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

I feel like I'm beating a dead horse, but for those new readers.....I don't like to cook. I won't say "hate" because every once in a while, I do get a whim and cook up a storm, but it's rare. But I do LOVE collecting and reading recipes, an obsession of sorts (read HERE). I even have a spam email setup for newsletters from Real Simple, Cooking Light etc., etc.

Via Real Simple.com

Well, Friday night I cooked!! (I hadn't cooked all week....Body Back, Junior League, Bible Study...there's always an excuse. No worries, Lallie always gets fed a nutritious meal and we DO sit down and eat with her, it's just "scrounging." Felt I should throw that in so you don't worry that she's starving).

Moving on. Real Simple sent a newsletter on Simply 5 Ingredient Meals and this was one of them. Husband and I really enjoyed it so I thought I would share.

I really thought that the lack of spices would make this not-so-good, but it was really good and we ate too much. Our tummies felt it later and we decided we should not eat that much in a sitting, we're not used to eating like that. Once in a while, okay.

(Lisa - Body Back trainer, I know you're reading a rolling your eyes saying All that CHEESE, all that SALT....ack!...if and when we eat this again, I will be trying to make it a little healthier. I did us about half the cheese they suggested, bu I will NOT do diet cheese or low-fat cheese. I just can't handle the taste. For those of you who do....Kudos!)

Any suggestions on homemade enchilada sauce so I can cut down on the sauce? Need to research this.

Anyhow, I guess you'd like the recipe?

Four - 6 oz chicken breasts (I used two and cut them in half lengthwise. There's only two of us)
1 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1.5 cup Cheddar cheese (I used 3/4 cup - so around 1/3 cup per person and we didn't eat it all....almost).
8 - 6 inch tortillas (I used 12, but they kept breaking, only 8 ended up in the pan)
2.5 cups enchilada sauce (I used 1 can mild and 1 can medium and whoa! It had a kick! I didn't use the full 2.5 cups as I didn't want to open another can and waste half of it) Since it's poured in the pan for flavoring, you don't actually eat all 2.5 cups.
Cilantro for garnish
Addition of mine - 1/2 cup chopped onions. Though Husband suggested I use this a a garnish next time instead of inside the enchiladas.

Sorry for the extra notes....just letting you know my experience.

Rub the chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until finished. Shred the chicken. Mix the shredded chicken with 1 cup (I used 1/2 cup) of cheese (and I threw in the onions here too).

Take the chicken mixture and roll up in the tortillas. Place in the pan seam side down (mine kept breaking but that's okay, they all still tasted the same, it just wasn't pretty).

Pour the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and top with remaining 1/2 cup (I used 1/4 cup cheese).

SERVE!

Enjoy!!

Fall TV

2011-09-16T07:00:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you, but we are READY for the fall TV lineup. Husband: I love you, but I have had enough American Pickers, Pawn Stars, Modern Marvels and How It's Made over the past few weeks to last me a lifetime.

Okay, so I like the first three, just not every night. As for the latter: I really do not care how a hammer is made. I only care that it works!

I'm looking forward to getting back to our regular programs.

How I Met Your Mother

Big Bang Theory

Parenthood (Okay, this one is mine. Husband? Not so much).

Our favorite: Modern Family

As for new shows, I'm not sure about Husband, but I'm interested in these shows.

Suburgatory

Up All Night

Pan Am

Last Man Standing

As for reality shows, no sir-ee. We don't dig reality shows in our house (except for The Next Food Network Star).

What shows are y'all interested in this season? What's your favorite returning show?

Happy Tuesday Y'all!

Mad About ModCloth

2011-09-15T09:10:00.000-04:00

I love ModCloth, specifically their dresses. They have a very wide variety of dresses for every style, body type and personality. They have trendy, classic and everything in between. They also have a very wide range of prices. From around $30.00 for sale items up to around $300.00. So no matter what your budget, you might just score some great deals. I haven't ever browsed their other categories, I never get past the dresses, they have so many.

Here are a few of my favorites (in my price range!) I had to pair down this list or I'd have 25 dresses!

I love the plum and burnt orange combination of this dress. It's very fall, perfect with either pumps or flats and a cardi for those colder office environments. It looks comfy too! $49.99.

I never really liked purple clothing and rarely wear it (though Lallie LOVES purple). However, I love the style and fit of this dress. Fitted and flirty for a night out on the town yet still professional for the work environment or for church. $54.99

What do you think? Would this color fly for fall? I'm not sure, I'm still contemplating purple.

I love the shirt dress, I have several. But not in camo green. This is cute for fall and I like the A-line feel of the dress. Substitute a thick brown leather belt for the ribbon tie-around and you have a whole other look. $59.99.

A classic dress with a trendy twist, great for the professional. Throw on a cardigan of just about any color for the daytime with pumps or flats and then take of the cardigan for cocktails with the co-workers. For the price, you really can't beat this! $62.99.

One of my favorites in navy (love this color), without the belt, it is on the dressier side. Wear it with the belt and a cardigan and flats for work. A thicker leather belt with cowboy boots, you have a casual look. This dress is SO versatile. Sadly, I couldn't find this dress this morning on the site, it's all gone (insert sad face).

It was however, I think, $54.99.

I have a couple other dresses in this fit and style and love them! They are SO comfy and again, very versatile. By itself for casual, with pumps for a night out or with a cardigan for work. And again, I'm loving the plum and burnt orange colors this season. Combined with the turquoise, this is an all around fun dress! At $47.99, the price is fabulous!

Maybe for a quick grocery store runs or sitting around the house with family while wanting to feel pretty! This cotton shirt dress looks so comfy. Not sure of the length, but maybe pair with some leggings and boots for a dressier out-on-the-town option? If only they made this dress in other colors, it'd be great for Game Day too! $54.99

Now, ModCloth does have it's more expensive options. If I had $294.99 to spare, this would be in my closet. I wore a very similar cut dress the other night to a Junior League meeting. It was a Marc by Marc Jacobs dress in light brown and burnt orange with short-sleeves and I received so many compliments on the fit and colors of the dress. Everyone called it a dressy version of June Cleaver. This dress has the same feel.

What do y'all think of ModCloth?

Happy Thursday Y'all!

She's Growing Up: A Lesson in the 9th Commandment

2011-09-13T10:28:00.001-04:00

Normally I would do a "growing up" post on Lallie's birthday (which was July 30th), but last night we hit a milestone. Well, "milestone" wouldn't exactly be the right word for this.

Last night, this sweet little innocent face.....

....lost the innocence and the first of I'm sure many, lies has begun.

She had been testing for a few weeks with little fibs here and there, sometimes I will admit, they were cute little fibs. Even then, she's been told that lying is not good or truthful and it hurts mommy and daddy, disappointing us. You know, all the typical things you would tell a young child when they start experimenting with lying.

Well, last night, during bath, Lallie repeatedly lied to me about something (I won't go into here, but about another minor issue we're having at home). When she tried to hide the evidence and I called her out, she looked me in the eyes with a big smile, shaking her behind at me and said (in the na-na-na-na-na song)....

"I didn't tell the truth."

And at that moment, Husband and I knew that our parenting just stepped up yet another notch (or multiple notches if you will).

First there were the loud voices and the crying. "We are very disappointed. Lying will not be tolerated in this house." And Lallie's privilege of three books before bed were taken away.

Lallie understood too. You could see it in her eyes and in her quivering, crying voice as she cried "I won't do it again, I promise, I'm sorry." Goodness knows, we wanted to give in and just say "OK, but NEXT time, there will be no books."

But in the interest of trying to be the best parents we could be and make a point, we stuck to our guns and she went to bed without books. To Lallie, this is worse than losing TV privileges, or not getting to swim in the pool. Not being read to is even worse then not getting ice cream for eating all her dinner. Reading before bed is her absolute favorite thing to do, so we knew we were in for a tough night.

But, she did calm down.

Lallie is really good at controlling herself when we get face-to-face and calmly tell her to stop crying (most of the time). Yes, she wimpers and she gets that unbearable (and sometimes cute) frown, where her chin pits up, but she does stop crying (especially when she knows she's in the wrong).

We took her in her room and had Lallie's first lesson in the Ten Commandments....specifically Though Shall Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor or easier explained to a toddler.....Though Shall Not Lie.

We explained that God's rules are even MORE important than mommy and daddy's rules and that lying not only hurts our hearts, but it heart's God and Jesus' heart even more.

She asked a few questions we hadn't had to explain in prior conversations.

"What does God look like? Does He have eyes?" (I explained in toddler terms that He is in our likeness).

"Where is heaven?" And when I explained that it's up in the sky and we can't see it, she asked "But, if I can't see it, how do I know it's there?"

We explained that you can't see God, but He lives in our hearts every single day and He knows us and everything we do, He is watching our every move. He is in our minds too, helping us to make the right choices such as telling the truth.

To make it even easier, we explained that no matter what, there is never any need to be embarrassed or sad about something where she feels the need to lie. Sometimes we might be a little disappointed, but never as disappointed as we might be if she lied.

And of course, we will always love her, no matter what and God and Jesus certainly love her too.

She still had questions but we calmly said "We know it's hard to understand, it is complex for a little girl, but just know that God loves you, that's all you need to know right now." (We'll get to Satan and the dying on the cross parts a little later).

Lallie understood and after a little cuddling and saying of prayers and a little fun conversation, she calmly went to sleep without any tears.

We consider the lack of tears after our conversation, a job well done in one of the first extremely serious conversation we've ever had to have with Lallie.

It certainly wasn't an easy conversation, but all-in-all, we think we handled it well (especially for me, as I tend to get quite emotional in situations like this.....I kept my cool and thought that this is about her, not about me). It may not have been the way other parents would have handled this situation, but it works for us and more importantly, for our ideals. While it's not a happy conversation, it is something she is going to have to face for the rest of her life. And therefore, we can only try to be the best parents we can be, to lead her in the right path and know that no matter what..... Jesus died on the cross to forgive her (and all of us) of the very sins in which she's been so innocent in her short years. And for that, we can give NOTHING but thanks and praise!

Have a blessed day Y'all!

Missin' Fall

2011-09-12T07:00:00.002-04:00

I've been reading lots of blogs about fall lately. How some of you are itching for fall to begin and how others are hanging on to the last little bits of summer, not ready for fall at all.

Well, here are my sentiments. Summer weather is here to stay for a while longer, even though all the activities of fall have begun (i.e. Harvest Festivals, school, Halloween, fall fundraisers).

And FOOTBALL!!

So while y'all are enjoying University of Kentucky football (go CATS!) wearing this:

I will be sporting this:

All the while, you'll be eating this:

And I'll be eating this:

And while y'all are pulling our your gorgeous fall coats:

VIA

I'll be wearing something lighter (but I will NOT wear white pants, white shoes or open toes shoes, it's just not in my Southern Belle nature):

VIA

And while you're looking at this splendor:

I'll be looking at this (and most of you will be hoping you were looking at his come December):

In Kentucky last weekend, this was our fall viewing: one lonely fall tree amongst all the green trees. (Okay, so this is probably from out west, but this is the closest I could find to what we saw).

At least Halloween will bring us a few pumpkin patches to visit.

And the fall veggies do get shipped to us

(though usually not fresh out of the garden....we're going to start working on our fall

garden soon, so fingers crossed!)

At least I can display fall decor.

And enjoy a Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Oh, how we at the SLPS do miss fall, y'all! So think of me when you're slipping on those cashmere gloves for a bonfire. We'll be down here feeling the heat!

Happy Monday Y'all!

Sire Lines in America - A Family Tree

2011-09-09T07:00:00.028-04:00

These pictures are from the Lexington Blue Grass Airport where a mosaic tile floor displays the Prominent Sire Lines in America. It is an amazing mosaic showing the family tree of sires and what makes Lexington the Horse Capital of the World.

Taken by Mrs. SLPS.

VIA

The following in an except taken from an April 2, 2010 article on the Blue Grass Airport's website.

"As an important arts and heritage component of the recently remodeled Blue Grass Airport terminal building, a floor tile mosaic in the main entry of the terminal was created to reflect the historical linage of the world’s top Thoroughbred horses. The artwork mosaic has a life of 25 to 30 years and will welcome an estimated 25 million travelers and visitors who will use Blue Grass Airport during the artwork’s life span.

For two centuries, the equine industry in central Kentucky has been a major component of the region’s economic development. The Thoroughbred race horse named Lexington (1850-1879) became the most successful sire during the last half of the nineteenth century. The bay colt was one of the reasons the city of Lexington is called “The Horse Capital of the World.” Kentucky’s equine industry has grown over the last two century’s to become a highly significant component of the state’s economy.

The sire lines in the mosaic trace Central Kentucky’s breeding history back to the mid 1800s and includes horses such as Lexington, Nasrullah, Unbridled, Seattle Slew, Mr. Prospector and Northern Dancer. More than 800 horses are included in the concentric circular art mosaic at Blue Grass Airport. The linage data were researched and designed by Prominent Sire Lines, LLC and the tile mosaic was crafted by Martina Brothers Co."

VIA

Taken by Mrs. SLPS.

VIA

I didn't realize the airport had this mosaic built. We generally fly into and out of Huntington,WV, so this was a treat to see a rich part of Kentucky's history, prominently displayed for millions of travelers each year.

Happy Friday Y'all!

Farm Food and Lightening Bugs

2011-09-08T07:00:00.029-04:00

Do I really need to say anything about this picture? I guess if you live up north and are privy to tomatoes like this, then I guess you're not too surprised. But in most of Florida, tomatoes that are so red, so ripe, so juicy, so sweet, so NOT mealy, so absolutely wonderful are a very rare thing. We can barely grow them and the tomatoes at the stores and food markets are just substandard, not sure why. The only half way decent ones are the ones Husband grew this past year.

Love those fresh Kentucky home-grown tomatoes!

Paired with some Ale 8, Aunt Patricia's zucchini bread and canned peppers....can we say "yum"?

Of course, we devoured the homemade apple pies (crust and all) so quick that I didn't get a picture. Over the course of four days, we consumed three pies. Never did get to the gooseberry cobbler. They'll be waiting for me at Thanksgiving.

AND the reason I will never eat canned tomato soup again? Homemade from home-grown veggies, this tomato soup is the most amazing soup ever.

Husband and I are going to attempt (hopefully this weekend) to make this soup. I just need to locate a 1/2 bushel of decent tomatoes. This could be a challenge.

Paired with a grilled cheese sandwich (LOADED with real butter), nothing says comfort food more than this!

We also had fresh picked corn. Grandaddy and Lallie went and picked it for us.

Then they shucked the corn for us.

Then the shucks were fed to Misty, Lizzy and Clem.

All this food reminds me of my childhood on my Grandma's farm. We always had fresh veggies and fresh eggs from the chicken coop. It was always so mcuh fun for us kids to go get the eggs for breakfast though the chickens didn't like us terrorizing them that much. We also had fresh beans and corn and we loved eating the seeds from the sunflowers Grandma always had growing in her garden. There are some mornings I wake up here and the lighting and smells remind me of those days.

It also takes me back to those same days when the adults of the family would work in the fields during the September and October corn harvest while Grandma cooked. My cousins and I would play "catch the (wild) cats" for hours, rarely ever catching one and playing down by the old railroad tracks (that had been removed), looking for old train relics. We thought finding a track stake was the neatest thing on earth. Every once in a while, we also ran across and Indian arrowhead. But, if we ever ventured into the corn, Grandma would punish us by making us wash her walls. Those were the days!

Back to the present....

After we'd risen back from our comatose food state, we ventured outside for Lallie's first lightening bug hunt. Our adult eyes must be getting old. I don't remember having that much trouble catching them when I was a kid on my Grandma's farm (and neither did Daddy or Granny). We would stand right in front of them, see them light up and then instantly lose them. We couldn't see them anywhere! Lallie of course yelled, "there's one" every single time one lit up! She was so excited. This picture is dark, but it was actually still somewhat light out.

Daddy's eyes were sharper than the rest of us.

Getting ready to take her new bugs to bed for the night.

That's a wrap up of our weekend in Kentucky!

Happy Thursday Y'all!

Clem the Donkey

2011-09-07T09:05:00.001-04:00

This past weekend, we headed up to Eastern Kentucky to visit my in-laws (a/k/a Granny & Grandaddy). As most of my long-time readers know, they own a farm with lots of animals including a donkey (Clem), two horses (Lizzy and Misty) and lots and lots of cows! Lallie has the most wonderful time visiting her pets and this visit, we even let Lallie ride Clem (or shall we say attempted as you know, donkeys tend to be stubborn!)

Clem is the sweetest mule despite his stubborn personality. He loves to be petted the ears and almost purrs....well, if you call a "hee-haw" a purr. Whenever anyone leaves the farm, he says good-bye in his honking way, making sure that he's not forgotten and someone comes home to feed him the leftover corn shucks.

Clem is actually short for Clementine. But, when my in-laws found out they'd received a boy donkey, it was shortened to Clem. Lallie loves him dearly and we have a picture of good-ole Clem framed in her room.

Clem refused to walk Lallie around. We're not sure if it was the nearby pavement or all the people, but Lallie's riding experience was more of a sitting experience. She loved it nonetheless!

We tried giving Clem carrots, but he just reached his entire body as far as he could without moving his hooves. It was the funniest thing! (See video).

Finally, maybe just a few steps.

Good-ole Clem.

Lallie just loves Clem and we do too. He certainly is a source of entertainment for everyone!

More to come tomorrow about our Kentucky weekend.

Happy Tuesday Y'all!

Guest Post-Shirtdress Sass!

2011-09-02T12:10:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday! I'm Wendy from Connecticut Cupcake guest blogging for the lovely Jennifer today! This is my first guest blogging experience and I'm very excited, so be kind with your comments today!
It's no secret to readers and friends of Connecticut Cupcake that I am not a pants-wearer. For me it's pretty much all dresses all the time. A shirtdress is a seasonless classic, flatters any body shape and can be dressed up or dressed down. Add a cardi, a belt, and jewelry, and you are out the door! Want to go casual, throw on some Jacks instead of heels.

Tory Burch-On Sale!

Anthropologie

Jcrew, comes in navy and khaki

Elizabeth McKay

Dress up your shirtdress with these finds from J.Crew:

Does anyone else love the shirtdress as much as me? Doing a mental count puts my shirtdress ownership at 10!

Guest Post - Nothing But Navy

2011-09-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

Happy thursday everyone! My name is Emily from Live, Laugh, and Shop and I am guest blogging for the lovely Jennifer today :) I would like to take a minute to thank Jennifer for this opportunity to guest post - I admire her as a mom, woman, wife, and all around Southern Belle and am an avid reader of her blog.

Somebody told me the other day that "navy is the new black" and while I agree that navy and blues are everywhere this season, I had to argue that navy has pretty much always been my black. There's something so tasteful, classic, and preppy about navy for everyday wear. However - black does have it's time too, like for going out at night, getting really dressed up (little black dress anyone?), and for Audrey Hepburn inspired chic outfits.

While I was pondering all of this I also happened to be emptying some of my shopping bags from my back-to-school shopping trip and this is what I found:

Everything is navy.

I saw tons of animal prints, tomato reds, and other neutral colors at the store, but somehow I ended up with almost all navy clothes. Has this happened to anyone else this season?

My favorite navy piece for fall is the J.Crew J.Crew Navy Schoolboy Blazer (on the left)

and on the right is my go-to navy outfit for fall consisting of the J.Crew Silkspun Sweater and the J.Crew No. 2 Pencil Skirt. It's an easy, fun outfit and when it starts to get colder all I have to do is throw on the blazer and I'll be good to go :) I love summer to fall transition pieces!

What are your favorite navy finds this season? Is anyone else loving navy as much as I am?

Calling Guest Bloggers!

2011-08-31T09:59:00.000-04:00

Calling guest bloggers!

I'm looking for a couple of guest bloggers for tomorrow and Friday! Any takers??? You can be a repeat guest or a new one. Comment here with your email address or email me at slpreppy@gmail.com.

In the meantime, A Place to Dwell posted about this lovely designer Anne M. Cramer. Loving her style! Very SLPS professional if you ask me (as in, what I'd wear to work because I can't always get away with wearing Lilly to the office).

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

Best Brush Ever

2011-08-30T09:28:00.000-04:00

I'm always running across blogs talking about hair products, hair dryers and curling irons, giving reviews and tutorials. However, I've never seen anyone talk about their actual hairbrush. As I was fixing my hair this morning, it hit me that I've been loyal to one particular style and brand of hair brush since I was a freshmen in college. I won't divulge how long I've been out of college, but it's been a while!

I am from a smaller town in Kentucky and there is a mall, but back then it was not a mall with higher end retail and fashion. So, when I first moved to Lexington, Kentucky and visited the mall there, I discovered Aveda. I had never heard of it before, but they gave me a sample of their tea (which I bought), took home a few product samples and purchased this hair brush.

Since I have gone through at least 6 of these brushes (with proper maintenance and cleaning, a hairbrush can last quite a while). By the time I'm finished with one, the wood is all beat up and chipped from my hair dryer hitting it and from travel and general abuse. I've always vowed that if Aveda quits selling this brush, I will buy a lifetime supply of them.

Now why do I love this brush so much? It's thin, flat and lightweight, easy to clean and the bristles are just far enough apart, yet close enough together to deal with my fine and curly hair on a daily basis without ripping it all to pieces (yes, I have very LARGE naturally curly hair which I rarely wear. I straighten nearly everyday. I tried to find a picture but it's so rare, I couldn't find one!). It's a special detangling brush that massages the scalp as well (and let me tell you, it does massage and it feels great! Like you're in a salon getting your scalp massaged by the shampoo girl/guy).

I will never buy any other brush for my hair. And at $20.00, it's not a huge extra expense to pay for quality versus a $10.00 drug store brush.

As a side note, I'm not saying drug store products aren't wonderful, I love drugstore products and will probably never buy expensive mascara (Maybelline Great Lash) or Powder (Cover Girl here).

Do you have a particular brush that you just love and would recommend?

Happy Tuesday Y'all!

Summer Fun Coming to an End

2011-08-29T09:37:00.000-04:00

Here's some pictures from the past couple weeks of the kiddos. Lallie and her Godcousin are in dresses I made as a trial run for Ashleigh's flower girl dresses. I wanted the extra practice and Lallie saw Sophie's (the flower girl up north) dress and wanted one. Then Lallie's "aunt" asked me to make one for her daughter and I had the extra fabric, so here they are!

Hope everyone had a nice weekend and for those up north, hoping that everyone is safe and sound and that not too much damage occurred from Irene.

Lallie-isms

2011-08-26T10:22:00.000-04:00

A list of the most recent and cutest Lallie-isms. I guess they're cuter in person when this little four year old is looking you in the eye so matter of fact, saying these things.

Lallie: "I'm the boss!".

Daddy: "Really? Who are you the boss over?"

Lallie: "Daddy and Mommy."

Daddy: "Hmmmm. Who made you the boss?"

Lallie: "God."

Daddy: "Uuuuuuhhh."

Lallie: (we were in the car) "What are these things?" I told her she was pointing at the armrests. "You mean they're taking a nap?"

"Are we driving through the piggy bank so you can get pennies?"

"If I drank pop all day long, my hair would fall out like daddy's."

Lallie loves alien movies (not Alien, but one of her favorites is Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

"I like aliens. But not hairy ones. I only like regular aliens.".

Lallie's hair bow kept falling out of her hair at school and her teacher kept putting it back in. After a few times, Lallie finally said:

"I really think my bow is just tired."

We were in the car on the way home and Lallie was whining about something and I had told her she needed to stop whining and fussing before we got home. This was her response (and we will be going to granny's in a couple weeks).

Lallie: "FINE (crossing arms and pouty face)! I'm not going to fuss and whine anymore until we get to granny's house!"

Me: "Sounds like a plan!"

Lallie: "What's a plan?"

Happy Friday Y'all!

Prayers going out to everyone up north as Irene heads your way.

Nothing causes this girl to remove her pearls!

2011-08-25T14:29:00.002-04:00

Okay, I've thought and thought and thought about posting this picture. I look positively atrocious (and goodness knows I hope I don't look like this on a regular basis)!

But let's consider the facts.

I'm working out
I'm outside in the heat working out
It's raining, very windy and my hair is frizzy (why? One word. Irene.)
Yes, our skinny trainer makes us workout even during hurricanes.
I'm balancing on one foot with a 5 lb. weight ball and squatting to make the ball touch the ground (it's a wonder you got a smile out of me at all!)
There's a camera in my face while I'm trying to complete said balance (in heavy winds), said squat (with said 5 lb. ball), smile (at said *lovely* camera) and oh yeah.....deal with the cramp that is eaking into my rear as I'm trying to do all this.

So, can you blame me for having a bad picture?

BUT, not one of these things caused me to take off my pearls. Not one!

Okay, I simply forgot to take them off and didn't realize it until I was in plank position with the necklace hanging in my face and said "huh, I forgot to take off my pearls."

Happy Thursday Y'all and to all my North Carolina, South Carolina (including Ashleigh who is there on vacation) and Upper East Coast friends: hope you all say safe with Irene. Yes, we're getting it here in South Florida, but it's slight as it's well off our coast but it is NOT pretty. It's very rainy and very windy. So please northern friends.....take heed and PREPARE!! This is one nasty girl!

Get your Low-Rider Toddler Pants Here!

2011-08-24T15:42:00.000-04:00

After all the sewing I've been doing lately, I thought I'd try making my own pattern for toddler ruffle pants rather than buying a pattern.

I will be starting to collect Lallie's winter wardrobe soon and I thought it would be fun to get some cute holiday monogrammed shirts and make ruffle pants and skirts to go with the shirts. Heck, I might even make some reversible dresses/tops and sew appliques. Cheaper than buying them from boutiques...by far!

Back to the pants.

It shouldn't be the hard right? I've got the premise down, I have the skills required, so yes....I made my own pattern and with some scrap fabric, I did a trial run.

(I thought these would be cute paired with a white tee with an appliqued initial and bow).

So, ta-da! My pants are finished.

But, do you notice anything strange about them? (and note that I haven't even added in the elastic yet).

Yes, I created Low-Rider Toddler Pants! If you're into letting your toddler strut their stuff and letting their diaper or Dora undies hang out for all the world to see? Well then.... I'm your pattern making gal! Aren't they cute?

After thinking this through for a while and absolutely loving my new low-rider toddler pants pattern, I thought "There is no way Husband is going to let Lallie out in these pants. What am I going to do?"

I cut an extra 3" of coordinating fabric and attached it to the low-rider pants for the elastic waistband casing. Much better. Of course, since this went the round-about way, they aren't attached they way they should be (and thus, up close they look a little strange), but I really like the coordinating top look.

Tomorrow, add the applique to the white shirt and then maybe Friday, Lallie will have a new school outfit (with the shirt covering my make-shift elastic waistband).

Let's hope I made the pants long enough or I'll have to re-name my pattern

Low-Rider Toddler Waders.

PS - I tried my hand at bow making. Not bad if you ask me and it cost me zilch. No $9.00 bows here, they just get lost (Lallie can't stand to wear bows and I usually have to sneak them in while fixing her hair without her noticing).

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

Lilly Endless Summer Sale

2011-08-23T11:47:00.001-04:00

Oh my, I was good. Didn't buy a single thing! Of course, the sale continues through the 25th, so I may break down (though Husband might have a few words with me!)

I would love this Jillie dress for the annual Christmas party. $39.00 y'all!!!!! This is a $328 dress for $39.00 and NO shipping! Wow (I may just break down to get this, it's a "shoparoonee"!) I couldn't buy another cocktail dress for $39.00 and certainly not Lilly!

For Lallie, I will take all the Little Lilly shifts please, thank you! Lallie loves her Lilly shifts and this Sunday for church exclaimed (for the first time) "Yay, I get to wear Lilly like you mommy!"

Husband said "Oh help me."

Happy Tuesday Y'all!

Recipes, Recipes, Recipes - My Collection

2011-08-19T16:25:00.002-04:00

I have to apologize in advance for my pictures. It is really bright in my office making picture taking quite difficult.

After all this time blogging, y'all are going to start thinking I actually do cook! I do cook, I'm just not a big fan of it and the mood usually has to strike me. But I LOVE recipes. I love reading them, clipping them, collecting them and sharing them.

Just not cooking them (okay, well maybe I cook a few).

Actually, I'd just love someone to come into my house and cook the pre-selected and researched recipes I lay out for them.

Oh, you mean like an in-house chef?

Exactly.

In.......my........dreams!

Where am I going with this?

My recipe collection. My MASSIVE recipe collection.

I clip from newspapers, blogs, magazines, friends, recipe swaps. You name it, I clip it (as long as it sounds good). And I have organized them by dish, with an index, in my recipe binder for 10 years now. To date, I have collected over 600 recipes with those that I've tried highlighed in yellow (on the index) and those that have gotten the boot marked out and deleted from the index.

I am currently updating it so I can make a copy for my anxiously waiting sister-in-law. Depending on how much it costs for me to copy this massive recipe binder, I just might have a blog giveaway. It's a whole other cookbook without any themes (i.e. The Big Book of Beef, How to Cook Raw or Meat-N-Potatoes). Nope, it's just plain ole recipes I thought sounded good over the years and have made the cut.

How do y'all organize your recipes?
(PS - I know you ALL are blowing up the pictures in your browsers to jot down all these recipes. How do I know? I would do the same thing!)

Happy Friday Y'all!

Recipes! Mexican Shrimp Cocktail & Hot Spinach Dip

2011-08-16T09:08:00.000-04:00

Good morning y’all! Yesterday was a big day in the SLPS household. Lallie went off to school for her first day of pre-kindergarten! She was the class’ best cutter, line drawer and name writer. We’re so proud! Lallie has always been in a learning environment, Montessori since she was 18 months old. However, this pre-K classroom was slightly daunting…..it looked like, well, a classroom! They will be learning so much and it’s hard to believe that she will be reading words and maybe some small books by the end of the year! It’s a lot for a recently turned four-year old (and mommy and daddy) to digest!

Over the weekend, Husband and I attended a friend’s 60th birthday party. This family is very close to us, so I offered to make a couple appetizers for the party to assist with the planning. These are both Southern Living recipes and are absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS!!! In fact, Husband called the Mexican Shrimp Cocktail One of the top ten things he’s ever eaten! A big hit and definitely worth sharing! Enjoy!

MEXICAN SHRIMP COCKTAIL

2 pounds unpeeled, large fresh shrimp
6 cups water
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup minced sweet onion
1 tsp hot sauce (I used Louisiana hot sauce)
1/2 cup fresh chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Peel and devein shrimp. Bring 6 cups of water and next 4 ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan. Add shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Drain shrimp RESERVING 1/2 cup liquid.

Stir together reserved liquid, ketchup and next 3 ingredients. Stir in shrimp, tomatoes and cilantro. Chill and serve with avocado slices, lime wedges and saltines, if desired. (We enjoyed on it’s own, maybe even as an actual dinner dish over risotto).

_________________________________________________

HOT SPINACH DIP

2 (10-oz) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained with ALL water removed
2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 small onion, chopped
1 (14-oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 (10-oz) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained
2 tsps ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder

Drain spinach, press between layers of paper towels to remove excess moisture. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Spoon mixture into a 2 – 1/2 quart baking dish and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until barely browning around the edges.

Hope you enjoy!

Happy Tuesday Y’all!

Lilly Rue La La and Fall Picks

2011-08-12T14:10:00.002-04:00

So Lilly loving ladies, what did y’all walk away with from the Rue La La sale?

I was surprised that the sale was a little more limited in selection than prior sales and that there weren’t any skirts (I love skirts!), but was still happy to walk away with a couple items.

I purchased the “Sadie” Bright Navy Curves dress and the “Paley” Cardigan in Deep Cyan Blue. Figured it was about time I took a break from the pink and green.

The things that got away were the “Shauna” and “Newport” Brewster Blue dresses and the “Norma” Hotty Pink striped wrap. Goodness knows I tried on the wrap, but it was gone in seconds!

With this Rue La La sale behind us, I’m now pouring over the NEW Lilly Pulitzer website (isn’t it cute?), looking at the fall line drooling over the “Augusta,” “Shauna” and “Adalie” dresses. The Augusta is my favorite this season with the pink and navy, such complimentary colors. All of these dresses are all gorgeous and perfect for my South Florida job (on my dressy days!) The fits are flattering, the colors are bright without being daunting in the work environment and the style will fit the South Florida weather long into the fall and winter months.

So what did y’all pick up at the sale? What are your favorite Lilly picks this winter?

Happy Friday Y’all!

Personality in Tervis Tumblers

2011-08-11T09:39:00.002-04:00

I love Tervis Tumblers. They are durable, hot and cold drink holders with loads of personality. Nowadays you can find a Tervis Tumbler in just about any icon you desire and can even have them personalized with your monogram or family name!

So, what Tervis Tumblers adorn the SLPS household?

My first set of Tumblers were given to us by Ashleigh quite a while back. A now retired pattern, I absolutely adore our Mint Julep Tumblers. Of course, this is a throw back to My Old Kentucky Home (trivia of the day: Did you know the original song title of My Old Kentucky Home was actually Poor Uncle Tom, Good Night until it was adopted as the Kentucky state song in 1928?)

Here’s another group of Tumblers I have collected (and when I mean collected, that means that they have shown up at my house from my office and go back and forth between the two. Yes, the technically belong to the office). These are perfect as they represent my current state….Florida.

Tumblers currently on their way are the Cabanas (again for the Florida lifestyle) and Southern Belle (hmmmm, I wonder why?)

Tumblers on my wish list are the Sweet Tea, University of Kentucky, the Republican Elephant, Diva and a personalized set for my family and my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. I think these all pretty much sum up my personality.

For Lallie, I love these designs:

I wonder what my Husband would choose for himself other than the Elephant and UK tumblers? (I mean, I can’t really see him drinking from a Southern Belle, Diva or Lil’ Sweetie glass, can you?)

For Ashleigh, I would pick these designs (she’s my sorority little sis, thus the sister part):

I think I could actually just do away with all the glasses I have (except the fancy good ones for dinner parties) and fill the cabinets with Tumblers. They truly last forever and if not, there’s a lifetime guaranty! They don’t leave rings on your furniture (if that guest forgets to use a coaster), they are microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe and they are MADE IN AMERICA folks!!

What is your favorite Tervis Tumbler?

Happy Thursday Y’all!