Padres Visit

This post isn't about baseball :)  Mamma Kay & Dad came to visit for a week!  My Dad had a week long work conference at The Firm, Mamma Kay tagged along.

It's always so great to have family visit!  Especially when you only get to see them a handful of times each year.

Here were the highlights:

They brought the rest of our wedding presents!!!  Yay!!  How fun!!  It felt so much fun pulling them out of the car, just as much fun as opening them the first time :)  Although now our jenga tower of presents we don't have room for has doubled....  Get me in a bigger place James!!!  (I'm working on this)

How precious are these monogramed pillows?

This was a highlight for James...  his fav wedding present - the longhorns - made the trip!  This was a present from my great uncle who is a real life rancher.  When he heard James wanted a pair of longhorns he thought to himself, "I haven't seen one of my longhorns in a few years, maybe I should go find her."  He found her in the field - skeleton style- and plucked the head off for James.  TRUE STORY!  The only better part of this story was he brought the thing into our wedding reception to give to James :)  The longhorn has been named "Bubba" and until we have room for him (see above) he lives on our balcony.  Yes, several neighbors have inquired.  I am the whiskey-tango neighbor.

James & Bubba at our wedding reception

Mamma Kay & I ventured to South City to visit the Women's Closet Exchange!!  They are designer resale & currently have a reality show on the Style channel.  Mamma Kay was sweet enough to buy me a fun dress (BCBG), linen blazer (boutique label) & work/play dress (Rebecca Taylor)!  My in-person experience was different than the show, but I feel in a good way.  The show leads you to believe they ONLY take high designer pieces.  My experience was 25-30% of the merchandise was high fashion & the majority was expensive labels like J.Crew, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Coach, etc.  I will be going back more often because although snatching a great designer resale item (*cough*LVpurse*cough*) would be très fabuleux, it's much more likely I will buy a variety of higher-end pieces.

We ate some delicious French food!  It was dessert or I'm sure Dad would have objected.  (Don't get him started on French jokes...)  If you are in Creve Coeur make sure to stop by the pâtisserie La Bonne Bouchée.   Everything is so pretty you don't want to eat it!  (yeah right)  I had some lovely macarons, every time I go I make sure to try a new flavor.  My new flavor this trip was apricot!

Mamma Kay & me

Last but not least, my parents don't feel good about a visit without helping, they put up backsplash in our kitchen!!!!  I am so in love with the final product :)  It's black.  Surprise, right?

Work in progress

Finished Product

Work Trip (?)

I got back from Philly & had a wonderful time!  It was a work trip- not like you'll be able to tell from the photos :)  I do feel spoiled that I supervise such a fun place!  And we got engaged here so it is always sweet to visit :) 

 I was NOT getting sick from the airport this time!

 Wait... am I flying to Philly or Dallas?

 Satellite radio makes all the difference!! 

 Gorgeous spring day at Philadelphia Premium Outlets

 My dream house! 

 Boo!!!  Panera with only unsweet tea?!?!?

 Best restaurant ever!  Legal Sea Foods - I always hoard my per diem so I can indulge!

 King of Prussia Mall - shopping heaven! 

 Duck Soup Cafe - cute mom & pop cafe

 Salad Works - I am obsessed with this place!

Flight home with my Nook & my bright dress I'd never be able to get away with in the office! :)

We Lost a Great Lady

Rest In Peace Lilly Pulitzer

There is a great article about her Biography & Obituary on Vogue UK.  And the Lilly story is also told on the blog Lilly Pulitzer: Our Story.

In addition to gorgeous clothing I really admired the Lilly story.  I am most impressed by women entrepreneurs who take something feminine they love & turn it into a great business.  More so than women who just succeed in a man's world.  That's why there are so many "how to succeed in business" books for women.  I think you're wired for the aggressive business world of typical corporate America, you force yourself to be someone else during the work day, or you recognize the value in what you love and create something amazing with it.  Something those men at the top would not even think of.  I hope to become like Martha Stewart who made a successful career out of baking cookies!  Or Julia Childs who re-taught us how to cook & appreciate real French foods!  Or Lilly who started a juice stand & realized she needed bright prints to hide the juice stains!


Thank you for bringing such beauty & happiness in all your designs!

Photo taken 4/7/13

The Library

Not a college bar.  I am a nerd.  I love libraries!

The one by my house isn't pretty, it's kinda old, with weird lighting.  But I love the idea that I can walk to millions of books! :)  I'm pretty sure this isn't new or exciting, but with online catalogs & reservations I can browse for books when I'm bored at work & they will hold it for me at the front desk :)  That's service!  There are two designated "call to pickup" parking spots out front for the super lazy who can't even walk IN to the library to get their books.

AND the library has DVDs and all sorts of fun other material.  Like every Jillian Michaels DVD!

Where have I been????  How did I forget about the library???

Well thanks to Ms. Ashley I renewed my love with the library & got a fancy new card that fits on my keyring (like the CVS reward cards).

They even have an app where you can read ebooks for free.  Too bad my craigslist nook isn't new enough for apps...


Here were the results of my first few library trips!   For some reason I was drawn to blog/books...

1)  Young House Love by Sherry & John Petersik
This book was very fun & has great ideas.  I love how well it is organized by giving you approximate time & price to complete the projects.  The ideas are super creative!  I am glad I rented this book from the library instead of buying it because some of the projects weren't my style & most of the projects are from their experience of fixing up an older home.  I am not in that situation now, how many projects can I do in my tiny condo???  I found the projects around creating centerpieces or setting tables the most applicable.  If I ever do buy an older home that needs some fixing up this blog/book would be perfect!


2)  Cupcakes and Cashmere by Emily Schuman
This book would be a perfect present for a young lady graduating high school or college.  It was very cute and covered a wide variety of topics.  I found the subject material a little basic (hence the first statement).  For example one of the posts was how to pop a champagne cork.  Really?  I don't know if I'm friends with anyone who doesn't already know this.  Or how to set a basic table.  Really?  I'm pretty sure Mamma Kay had me doing that since I was 6.  The pictures were great & she has a very so-Cal style.  Maybe I'll buy this book for JJ.  The one idea I am planning on using was throwing an Oscar themed party, she had a recipe for fun star sugar cookies that were red & gold!


3) How to Look Expensive by Andrea Pomerantz Lustig
Or "why I spend money on the internet" :)  I really liked this book!  (<-- exclamation point!) She has a wonderful way of making the book relevant.  First she explains four "styles" Park Avenue Pretty (à la Jessica Chastain), Hollywood Boho (à la Rachel Bilson), Glam Globe-Trotter (à la Gisele) & Modern Movie Star (à la Reese Witherspoon).   Each chapter she makes suggestions of what hair, makeup, clothes, etc. based on your style.  The second awesome part of the book is for each chapter she interviews a celebrity expert & asks them how to get the best bang for your buck.  Yep, even the wax lady.  Each chapter ends with her/celebrity info on what looks expensive & what looks cheap.  I felt she was glamorous & still was in the ball park of the line between reasonable/expensive.  Don't you hate those magazines that are all "steals!" $300 skirt!  Yeah right.  Moving on ~ this book I may actually buy.  I don't know if I was blown-away by crazy new information, however this was one awesome encyclopedia to keep handy.  James would love it if I would stop hoarding old editions of InStyle....


Anyways I'm glad I liked these books so much ~ I forgot to return them & had to pay an $11 fine!! Oops :)  I wonder if that's tax-deductible...

New Years ~ Down to Business

As someone who loves change I am very excited about the New Year!  Seriously~ it has "new" in the name, so it must be a great opportunity for some excitement :)

I've been thinking a lot about New Years & resolutions...  Having spent several years as a professional coach I can't help but critique many resolutions.  They aren't in the SMART format!!!!  I sadly can remember the percentage chance of an unspecific goal's chances of achievement (not high).  Luckily I keep those thoughts to myself so my co-workers still talk to me :)

For 2013 and what it has in store for me I am excited, hopeful, and ready to hit the ground running.  I only have two resolutions (more than 3 goals at a time have a 10 times less chance of being achieved) - one couples resolution & one solo resolution.

1)  James & I have decided to be consumer-debt free by November and have $5k in emergency money set aside.  Not sure if that's the technical term, but we are paying off all of our credit cards, medical debt, lingering moving debt, Jackie debt, etc.  We started the budget to accommodate this a few months ago (to make sure it was feasible), and although it is a stretch we are making it happen.  This is extremely important to us as we try to live beneath our means, be fiscally responsible & good stewards.  I won't sugar coat it.  It does pinch.  I went from (pre-wedding) spending whatever I wanted on make-up or clothes or pretty things at Target to being on a strict budget for non-essential items.  I am becoming best friends with makeup at CVS & love their "you'll-love-it-guarantee" for beauty products!! I am also becoming better acquainted with only buying things on sale, Forever 21, etc.  (Don't worry about me, we are spending what we need to on food)  This is a great "building of character" as Dad is fond of saying, and I know it will benefit in the long run.  It is challenging though not to covet other people.  Like being on a diet & hating everyone you see eating dessert!  I will need to pray about this.  A LOT!  Especially when I visit some blogs that I love & see girls younger than me giving "outfit" ideas and they have 8 LV bags or a giant Chanel tote or 10 David Yurman bracelets...  really?  Do you really want to help others with style suggestions or just brag about your closet?  (see this is hungry-angry dieter coming out)  I know starting a marriage on good financial ground is so much more important than having designer shoes by the hundreds.  But human nature keeps pestering me!

2)  On a personal note, I am deciding to practice more self-discipline.  I find myself saying that I will do a lot more things than I actually do.  This irritates me greatly! :)  First, I am going to start by thinking about what I say I am going to do before saying "yes".  Make sure that I really do have time on Saturday to go to the office & catch up on work or meet a friend for a pedicure or volunteer.  I tend to think a lot of things are fun, but don't realize that working 40+ hours a week, cleaning house & taking care of a husband take a lot of work & time.  I am frequently exhausted & bail on things I've said I am going to do.  I need to take better care of myself nutritionally so I have the energy for important things in life.  I need to stop eating James' frosted mini wheats because I forgot to buy breakfast.  I need to stop telling myself "I'm going to eat a salad" then leaving the cafeteria with nachos & Dr. Pepper.  In addition to being more selective & better fueling my body, I am going to ask James to keep me accountable to following through once I do commit to doing something.  In our kitchen we have a calendar where we write down work schedules, trips, extracurricular activities, etc.  For this year if I bail on something instead of erase it I will mark through it - a visual reminder that I did not practice enough self-discipline.  Yikes!  I used to be known for having lots of self-discipline, I think dealing with depression several years ago was a setback, then as I was healing I had the attitude "So I didn't work out like I said I was going to, but I took a shower & went to the grocery store in the same day, that's a BIG improvement." As I was healing that was true.  But that is not me.  It is time for me to stop giving my self a break & justifying that sort of behavior.  Please pray for me, I will need lots of strength to continue to grow as a person this year.

I am so thankful for everyone dear to my heart.  Thank you for being there for me.  I wish you & your family blessings this upcoming year!  Let me know if I can help you in any way!

Chicago Christmas

This year we had great time with James' family in Chicago for christmas! We were spoiled rotten with wonderful presents, food & family!  (And my personal favorite- Christmas morning mimosas!!!!!)

I am still trying to figure out all the settings on my camera... So my pictures were partially in focus & partially blurry as everyone was ripping open presents!  :)

Here are some of my favorites...

Does Santa look familiar to you?? 

Wonder what my big present is?

Yay! I can't sit still enough for the picture! Yay Wellies!

 James' big present... some UCF stuff :)

Christmas morning!  (on my second mimosa)  The best pic of us, even though it is fuzzy :) 

Celebratory Coupons

One of my favorite Birthday traditions is spending the coupon that Anthropologie sends :)  Although their clothes are rarely my style I love a lot of their house & home items.  The books this year are fabulous!!!  Here are some of my top choices...

1. Foiled Dot Napkins
2. Eiffel Tower Ring Dish
3. Parisian Chic: A Style Guide
4. Fleur De Lys Teapot
5. 100 Years of Fashion
6. Tall Mercury Glass Jar
7. Monogram Keychain
8. French Flair: Modern Vintage Interiors
9. Hobnob Parlor Smoke Hurricane & Parlor Smoke Hurricane

So many fun options!!!  What to choose??? 

Duchess Envy

Today in church Darren asked us to contemplate some questions... one being "What do you daydream about?"  Besides asking James when I can be a stay at home wife, I usually daydream about being a princess.  Not the Disney kind, the Kate Middleton kind!!  I'm not usually the type to follow celebrity gossip or read those flashy magazines (no judgement), but I am in love/envy with the Duchess.  Mainly because she is able to find beautiful clothes with sleeves....  Still a mystery to me & I live in a climate where I need them!!  I am ardently happy she is bringing back classy style, our generation's Audrey.

While perusing one of my favorite blogs What Kate Wore I saw a link to Australian Vogue's article Kate's Best Looks of 2012...  Enjoy!

Here are some of my favorites :)

I guess the downside of being a Princess is being photographed everywhere... Ooopsy!  To my knowledge nobody documents my Lame Outfits!

One of the reasons that I love/envy Kate is she reminds me of when I was little & watching the Princess Di Biography special with my mother & hearing her tell stories about the Wedding. Mamma Kay- by the way- looks a LOT like Diana.  (Remember in the '90s when we thought William was the hot prince??)  I think when Lady Di passed away my love of royals went with her.  Until now :)