Pinteresting Update

So you know how a few weeks ago I was musing about Pinterest & not getting excited about it?

Well...

...I got excited about it!

Follow me on Pinterest!

I've been thinking maybe I could maintain the blog better if I got rid of some other "clutter." I'm thinking about just following all the bloggers I follow on Twitter on their actual blogs...

(duh)

...& then deleting the Twitter account.

(or at least giving notice of its abandonment)

I'm not the greatest at maintaining my (personal, private) Facebook account, but I do it just to keep in touch with those I wouldn't otherwise easily keep in touch with.

So if I could stay relatively current on

blogs,

Facebook,

& Pinterest...

...I'd feel "connected" enough, I think. More so than I have been, anyway! LOL

(& I'm behind on email, as usual...)

So tell me, how do *YOU* maintain your social networking?

(while presumably having a "real life")

& do you keep your blogger identity separate from your personal contacts?

Happy (long!) Weekend!

Present

The other day Joy from All Things Refined! asked us what our word was going to be for 2012. I've decided that the best way to sum up my personal hope for 2012 is with the word "present."

Over the years I've become less & less "Type A."

(Though I'm sure My Prince would probably argue that I still have plenty enough of those qualities to still qualify for the Type A label!)

In 2012 I hope to continue becoming more relaxed about things.

I want to be able to stop & smell the roses.

It's not always easy for me to stop the constant train of thought in my head...which usually includes worries about the things I haven't done but meant to do, as well as stress about whatever is coming up next on my schedule. I make zillions of to-do lists, & I get frustrated with myself every time I see one that didn't get completed.

But in 2011 I dropped the ball in a lot of areas. & I left a lot of to-do lists untouched.

& you know what?

The most important things still got done,

we still showed up at the most important events,

& our family made many important memories together.

So my DVDs didn't get re-organized. So I didn't read as many books last year as I usually do.

(& almost no magazines.)

So I still haven't decorated every room in the house.

My Prince has always been a "better late than never" kind of guy. & I have to say I'm usually pretty annoyed by his tendency toward perpetual lateness. ;)

But I think there is a middle ground to be found between

so tightly wound that one never has any fun, due to a preoccupation with perfection...

...& so laid-back that you're irritating the ones you love because you aren't always prioritizing the same things.

Certainly, I don't think I'll ever be one of those "free spirits" who can truly relax about everything & just let things fall where they may. But I've decided that sometimes if I'm not excited about doing something on the list, it may just be because there is something more important I should be doing - something that isn't on any list.

So I hope to be present - mentally&physically - for all of the important moments that happen in 2012. & I hope that living in the present will help build a foundation of appreciation&patience for the future.

So, what is your word for 2012?

Pink&Green Thursday: It Was a Watermelon Wednesday!

So apparently August 3rd is National Watermelon Day. Who knew? A while back when I ordered a few party goods from Oriental Trading for Pretty Little Bare Feet's 2nd Birthday party, I received a 2011 wall calendar with my order. Now of course it's not as pretty to look at as the Lilly wall calendar, but I enjoy it for a completely different reason - it includes all these random little fun holidays that I'd never know about otherwise!

So even though Wednesday has come&gone, I say continue celebrating the summer fun that is watermelons. I refuse to cave to all of this back-to-school madness...

(though I do love a good tax-free weekend!)

...as it is still way too stinkin' hot&humid to be shopping for jeans&sweaters. Pretty Little Bare Feet has been on her own little watermelon kick all summer long, & I am inspired to join her in her sweet fun!

(via: Sugar&Charm)

watermelon mojito pops

Yesterday I picked up some (more) watermelon & fresh mint, fully intending to mix these delicious goodies up last night for My Prince & me. 'Til I realized they have to chill overnight, so then I figured they'd be a happy hour treat for us today. Only I can't find popsicle molds anywhere! So they may end up being a day late...

...& uh, just watermelon mojitos w/out the pops!

(But there's still plenty of fun in that!)

(via: Just Married & Cooking)

watermelon margs

I also think these look fantastic & worth a try. I've been craving a mango margarita from Chili's since I was in about week 34 of my pregnancy, & I haven't gotten one yet...

...so maybe I'll do some more at-home bartending with this watermelon I have, & see if I can satiate that fruity margarita thirst that's been nagging at me!

Watermelon Stripe Sundress by Hartstrings

I love, love, love pretty much anything Hartstrings, & I am especially grateful for them now that I have a boy - which makes it so much more of a challenge to find cute little clothes! There is still plenty of hot summer weather around these parts, so I've hit the summer sale on the Hartstrings website a couple times already, & will probably be back at it again!

(Especially with cute stuff like this on major sale!)

Watermelon Quilted Backpack by Stephen Joseph

Is Stephen Joseph all the rage in the halls of your kid's nursery school? It definitely is in ours! & in the lobby of the gym where we take her for gymnastics...

...& pretty much anyplace around here where cute little mamas bring their cute little tots!

Pretty Little Bare Feet has the cupcake quilted backpack (monogrammed, natch!) & the owl lunchbox (just a name label sticker on that one). & when she was a little baby, we loved her ladybug bib&burpcloth by Stephen Joseph.

I haven't seen this watermelon backpack in person, but came across it on the website, & now it might be on the list to replace the cupcake backpack once that one is completely worn out.

(& it's well on its way there...toddlers are pretty rough on their bags! LOL)

Laceless Watermelon Sneaker by Keds at Urban Outfitters

Although all the little watermelon-wear out there for kids is so sweet, it's not impossible to cutely incorporate watermelons into our own wardrobes. I think these little sneakers would be so fun to pair up with basic polo&shorts combinations, especially for a hot summer day outdoors!

Hmmm...

...now I see that today is Champagne Day...;)

My First Award of 2011?

So, ages ago...

(seriously, like about two whole months ago, though I can't figure out where these two months have gone)

...Kay, whose fabulous blog is Sweet Preppy in Pink, was sweet enough to award me with the Stylish Blogger Award. Now I don't know if I've done her justice, it not being all that stylish to be so late in acknowledging her kindness ;), but I am so grateful that she thought of me! I've had this post on my "to blog" Stickie on my MacBook all this time, but I swear the number of to-do lists I've been neglecting lately is at an all-time high.

(My pregnant brain is mush, & my pregnant body just gives out on me by 9pm every night. Not great for productivity, since the late-night hours used to be exactly when I found the time to tackle all the things I didn't get done during my day of full-time attention to Pretty Little Bare Feet. & should I even mention that I started this post on Tuesday?!)

Anyway, a big thank you for the award, & y'all please be sure & go check out Sweet Preppy in Pink. =)

Rules:

• Thank, & link back to, the person who gave you this award.
• Share seven things about yourself.
• Award fifteen recently discovered great bloggers.
• Contact these bloggers & tell them about the award.

1. I am addicted to those online flash/sample sale sites.

I think I have a membership (& get the daily emails) for nearly every single one of them, but the ones I frequently buy from (& recommend!) are:

Billion Dollar Babes,

Ideeli,

Rue La La,

& Zulily.

I have had a couple bad experiences (think sites that rhyme with "BoatCook" & "Dotsee")...but overall I enjoy the whole combination of

anticipating a featured designer you love,

logging in to see what's being offered,

& cheering when you find it in your size & get it into your "cart" fast enough...

...or chalking it up to fate that you didn't find it or get it fast enough, since you didn't need to spend that much money anyway!

& of course the savings can be really great - I do usually try to buy enough items at one time to offset the higher shipping costs that most of these sites charge.

(via: Hostess with the Mostess)

2. I love parties.

All kinds of parties.

Baby showers,

birthday parties,

holiday parties...

...I even like lame office Christmas parties.

I love cake (especially wedding cake!). I love decorations&invitations.

It's rare that I won't make an effort to attend pretty much any party I am invited to...& sometimes I attempt to make an average Monday morning playgroup more festive by coming up with a silly themed menu. =p

I also love party blogs. Some of my favorites are:

Birthday Girl,

Hostess with the Mostess,

Kara's Party Ideas,

Sweet Designs by Amy Atlas,

& the TomKat Studio.

3. I get up at 6:15am most mornings.

My Prince usually gets up at about 7am. Pretty Little Bare Feet usually gets up at about 7:35am.

I need my sleep, but those 45 minutes of quiet time first-thing in the morning can be vital to my having a good routine going for the rest of my day. Before I became pregnant again, I would go ahead & get in my first daily Coke Zero (of many) during that period of time.

(Now, unfortunately, just a sip or two of any dark, carbonated beverage makes me nauseated.)

But I like to take a hot bubble bath, rather than a shower, especially if it's a morning that I am not washing my hair. I like to do a quick email check & read an article or two from a magazine.

&...I am also blessed that My sweet Prince often lets me "sleep in" until after 8am on Saturday mornings, while he dozes on the couch & Pretty Little Bare Feet eat cereal & watch Saturday morning cartoons.

(via: Mom's Crafty Space)

4. I love my daughter's Montessori nursery school.

I am a room mom for Pretty Little Bare Feet's classroom, & it actually hasn't entailed as much work as I initially thought I was getting myself into. It's been nice getting to know the other parents, several of whom have become friends of both mine & My Prince's.

I love seeing all the cute little sleepy-morning faces & their cute little nursery school wardrobes.

I also love when I arrive early enough to catch some of the sweet playground action before I go inside to sign Pretty Little Bare Feet out & wait for her to come greet me in the hallway (always with a grin, a run, & a big hug!).

I love the artwork that Pretty Little Bare Feet brings home for us to decorate the kitchen (& My Prince's office) with. I love doing

book orders

& classroom holiday parties

& field trips.

I am so fortunate to be able to be a stay-at-home mama that can really participate fully in my daughter's private nursery school, which encourages so much parental involvement.

(via: Sheek Shindigs)

5. At some point very soon, I am going to have to come up with a suitable "blog alias" for the baby boy that will be joining our family this summer.

I am also going to have to be sure that a new header for this blog includes him!

6. I frequently put myself into "food ruts."

I've done this for as long as I can remember. I can go for months at a time eating the exact same breakfast&lunch, only changing it up at suppertime. I can't explain it, & I don't know what the underlying psychological cause for it is (oh, I'm sure somebody would tell me that there is one).

Examples?

In college, I went pretty much an entire year eating the exact same lunch from our campus dining: half of an omelet with cheddar, ham, & mushrooms.

My senior year, when I lived in an apartment & didn't have a meal plan with campus dining, my lunch was almost always half of a grilled tuna sandwich with a side of broccoli salad. I would eat it at my desk in the office where I interned.

In my second year of law school, during which I had an hour commute (one way), I subsisted almost entirely off of Coke Zero & cookies&creme Pop-Tarts...at least during the daylight hours.

I am also one of those people that always orders my "usual" at restaurants.

But I am actually a pretty adventurous eater. I love to cook & try new recipes. We usually eat supper as a family. & I am often much more clever&creative in fixing different breakfast, lunch, & snack options for Pretty Little Bare Feet.

Still, I personally tend to get "in the mood" for something, & then I'll just sort of keep going back to it by default until I move on to my next meal phase.

7. My "signature" drink is a Sapphire&tonic.

• 1 part Bombay Sapphire gin
• 4 parts tonic

*Pour ingredients over ice in a tall glass.

*Garnish with a lime wedge.

Fifteen stylish bloggers I'm awarding:

• All Things Southern&Preppy
• Biz & the Bungalow
• the Classic Preppy
• Classy from North to South
• the Entertaining House
• Living Well
• Miss Janice
• Natty Michelle
• Painted Preppy
• Pink Cashmere Cardigan
• Pink Champagne
• Pink Preppy Lilly Lover
• Preppy Girl Meets World
• Preppy in Pittsburgh
• Preppy Little Dress

Pink&Green Thursday, January 13th, 2011

Happy Pink&Green Thursday! I can't believe it's been so long since I've participated in my favorite link-up! But now that my dear Ms. Trishy is back to hosting it regularly, I think it's time that I am back to joining in regularly, don't you?!

(via: Wildfox Couture)

Sooo...won't you have a seat, please?

(Or as Pretty Little Bare Feet would say, "Sit down!...please?" ;))

(via: Vogue)

(via: Veranda)

(via: Alice Lane)

(via: Jonathan Adler)

(I'm a bit obsessed with Jonathan Adler lately...)

One-of-a-Kind Berr Armchair in Flourished at Anthropologie

(Also a bit obsessed with Anthropologie lately...but that's not as novel as the Jonathan Adler kick...I periodically fall from like into love with Anthropologie!)

Dearest Authors

I so enjoyed a recent post about favorite authors by one of my favorite classy bloggers, Bevy at It's a Golden Day... I have been a bookworm for as long as my mama can remember, which is even longer than I can remember. I am always delighted to find new authors or books to read, or just to share opinions about books with like-minded (or not-so-like-minded) friends. That's one reason I often sacrifice perfectly good sleeping hours to finish books for either of the two book clubs I belong to, despite my barely having the time to finish the stacks&stacks of books I've chosen to read in my own "spare" time.

(Ha!)

Anyway, you can imagine my delight when I reached the end of this post about favorite authors & saw that I had been tagged to blog about my own favorite authors! Yippee! I can't think of a better topic for a Sunday evening blog post, especially since last night was a meeting with my monthly Saturday night book club.

(It's the less-structured, wine-soaked one. My other monthly book club meets on Friday mornings & welcomes toddlers in tow. ;))

So, as difficult as it is for me to narrow my looong list of favorite authors down to fifteen, here goes...

Rules...

*List your fifteen most favorite authors.

*Tag fifteen bloggers to list their fifteen most favorite authors.

*Let them know they've been tagged.

(These are *mostly* in alphabetical order, rather than in order of importance.)

1. God

As a Christian, there is no greater, more influential Book than the Holy Bible.

From my childhood beginnings in Sunday School classes at old Southern Baptist churches;

to my hunger to learn more about God & His will for my life, upon graduating high school;

to my reliance today upon what the Bible teaches about marriage, parenting, etc...

He never changes;

He is always the same.

I have a particular fondness for the books of I&II Corinthians, I&II Peter, Psalms, & Ruth.

2. Lisa Birnbach

What can I say? Perhaps this blog would not have its preppy inspiration, & it's possible I would not properly "speak" the preppy language, without The Official Preppy Handbook.

(Or at least not so "authentically," anyway...)

Although I am certain my mama can tell you she spotted my preppy leanings all the way back in elementary school, I think most Southern preps grow up in a somewhat different environment from that which is depicted in The Official Preppy Handbook. The South has its own ways, & that extends to its preppy ways. Without the original Handbook, it could have been years before I knew about playing squash or the Top Ten. ;)

(Well, you know...preppy Southerners are more likely to play tennis, & choose between Birmingham-Southern&Duke.)

& True Prep was absolutely worth the wait, & absolutely lives up to the hype!

3. Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre was the very first novel I can remember reading that left me in tears. No other book had moved me so emotionally before that I literally couldn't put it down & had to find out what happened to characters I had come to love. I read it as a teenager, without its being assigned for anything, after catching snippets of the old black&white film on television. My interest was piqued, so I obtained a copy of the book & immersed myself in the cold British halls of Lowood&Thornfield. Truly one of the finest happy (bittersweet) endings to be found in literature.

(via: Coralie Bickford-Smith)

4. F. Scott Fitzgerald

Surprisingly enough, my favorite Fitzgerald novel is not The Great Gatsby, although I do love it dearly. My favorite is This Side of Paradise. To me there is something that seems somehow more tragic about it, or at least more deeply felt. & the biographies of Fitzgerald & his wife Zelda are fascinatingly tragic, as well.

5. Fannie Flagg

I couldn't even tell you how old I was when I read my first Fannie Flagg novel, but I can tell you it was probably "too young." My stepmama had read & thoroughly enjoyed Daisy Fay & the Miracle Man, & she had passed it along to my older stepsister.

(Who was probably at least *closer* to an appropriate age.)

My curiosity & voracious appetite for books led me to think I should read it, too. I remember that it took me a looong time to finish - in fact, I think I remember starting it once & giving up, then picking it up the following summer & plodding through it to the end. I was so proud of myself for reading that big ol' adult book. Although I'm certain there were probably some things in there I shouldn't have been reading about, what I remember best about it were

the creatively named characters,

the tales about the pageant circuit,

& the vivid depictions of Southern culture.

I should probably re-read it as an adult...I also enjoyed reading Flagg's classic Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. I've selected her latest novel, I Still Dream About You, for one of my December book clubs.

6. John Grisham

Probably one of the foundations for my interest in the law profession, the works of John Grisham were my absolute favorite novels to read during the last couple years of high school, into the first couple years of college. I enjoyed quite a few of the legal page-turners, including:

The Client,

The Firm,

The King of Torts,

The Partner,

The Rainmaker,

The Runaway Jury,

The Street Lawyer,

The Summons,

The Testament,

& A Time to Kill.

& I actually thought the film versions of

A Time to Kill,

The Firm,

The Client,

& The Rainmaker

were quite good. The Runaway Jury was a good movie...but it had virtually nothing to do with the book of the same name.

Anyway, once I got to law school, all fictional liberties Grisham had taken in his depiction of the legal profession became abundantly clear. ;) I have yet to come across any portrayal of law school, or the legal profession, that can adequately prepare you for its reality!

(via: Joshilyn Jackson)

7. Joshilyn Jackson

Although her most recent work, Backseat Saints, didn't feel up to her usual standards (in my, uh, humble opinion); Jackson's previous three novels are all stellar works of modern Southern literature. I highly recommend Between, Georgia; The Girl Who Stopped Swimming; & Gods in Alabama.

8. Madeleine L'Engle

As a child I loved the most famous of L'Engle's works, A Wrinkle in Time. I look forward to reading it again with my own daughter one day; & I think My Prince will also enjoy it, with its many scientific concepts. But years later, as a young adult in college, I realized that there are sequels to this book, so I re-read it & then proceeded to read all of its sequels. I found it all every bit as captivating as an adult, perhaps even more so. I also went on to read some of L'Engle's other fictional works, including:

A Live Coal in the Sea,

A Ring of Endless Light,

A Severed Wasp,

The Small Rain,

& Troubling a Star.

L'Engle was an immensely talented writer, & I think many young readers today could benefit from a revival of her works. Her characters could certainly hold their own amongst the Harry Potters & Lemony Snickets of this generation.

9. Ayn Rand

Although many great authors have written works that have been inspirational & thought-provoking to me, I can think of no other author of fiction that has been so influential to my life. I was introduced to Rand during my freshman year of college, by a professor that also proved to be a great influence on my life. Unlike many readers of Rand's works, I actually began with Atlas Shrugged & read The Fountainhead afterward. During my college years, I read most (if not all) of Rand's works, both fiction&non-fiction. In fact, I absorbed myself in her works, sometimes obsessively.

There are many who dismiss Rand's philosophy because of her lack of religious belief. Certainly there is no one single philosophy I can honestly say I apply to all areas of my life. & because I do try to live a life guided by Christian principles, I obviously dismiss Rand's atheism as incongruent with my own beliefs.

However, when it comes to concepts of individual rights & political theory, I think Rand's philosophy is mostly spot-on.

(I am also a big fan of Aristotle, Edmund Burke, Friedrich Hayek, & John Locke. But no single work of theirs ever actually *changed* my life in the way that Atlas Shrugged did.)

(via: Jillian Hamp)

10. Francine Rivers

At the end of my first full semester of law school, I was painfully aware that my Christmas break was going to be my last hope for getting any "reading for pleasure" done before the insane spring semester got underway. Since three of my regular law school lunch pals had insisted I had to read Rivers, especially Redeeming Love, I spent that Christmas break doing just that. & they were right! You have to read Redeeming Love, as well as the Mark of the Lion trilogy. All are fantastic.

My mama just finished the first two novels in Rivers' newest series, Marta's Legacy, & now those are also on my to-read list.

11. Dr. Laura Schlessinger

You may have been wondering if Dr. Laura would make the list. After all, I have blogged about her before. Quite frankly, I think she's fab.

(I think it's a shame that she's ending her radio show over a controversy that even a number of outspoken liberal &/or minority personalities were able to see was taken out of context. & it's a shame that the mainstream media only seems to encourage free speech for certain platforms...)

Anyway, I suppose her directness can be off-putting.

(But really, if you don't want to change anything about yourself, don't call a therapist on nationally syndicated radio, right?)

But her philosophy on family&marriage is fantastic...Analogously, I suppose Dr. Laura is to my domestic life, as Rand is to my civil life. ;)

12. Curtis Sittenfeld

American Wife is one of the best books I've read this year. Sittenfeld writes in a way that makes private people&places seem accessible&familiar - without feeling exploitative or really taking away from what makes them special. I suppose it's hard to explain, so I recommend you just read American Wife or Prep. I only wish Sittenfeld had a blog for us to follow!

13. Kathryn Stockett

I know, I know. She's only written one book...so far! But The Help is that good. I anxiously await more works from this talented author. & I admit it, I'm kind of anxiously awaiting the film adaptation...I hope it doesn't disappoint!

(Though the book *is* always better, film adaptations can be good, too. ;))

14. Leo Tolstoy

War&Peace really is a masterpiece work of literature. Yes, it is colossal in length. But it is worth every page! So is Anna Karenina. & don't ask me to choose which one is my favorite. They are both exquisite for the same attention to detail in the creation of such flawed, lovable characters & the dramatic stages upon which their lives are set.

15. Edith Wharton

My favorites by Wharton are The Custom of the Country & The Age of Innocence. I love all of the depictions of early twentieth-century high society in the city. I am vaguely aware that there was a film adaptation of The Age of Innocence a number of years ago. I haven't sought it out because I tend to fall into the "the book was better" camp when it comes to these things, & it often seems to be even harder to skillfully adapt classic literary period pieces.

(Although there are, of course, film adaptations I love...when pressed, I usually still have to admit the book was better!)

Blogs I tag, by bloggers whose bookshelves I want to take a peek at...

• Living Well
• Natty Michelle
• Painted Preppy
• Pink Champagne
• Pink Preppy Lilly Lover
• Preppy Little Dress
• Preppy Mama
• Preppy Pink Crocodile
• the Preppy Pink&Green Puppy
• Prissy&Preppy Flamingo
• Queen Bee Swain
• Sailboats&Seersucker
• Saving the Best for Last...
• Simply Said by Simply Me...
• So Georgia

Wordless Wednesday: Sniffles

Sorry, y'all, what can I say? It's Wordless Wednesday, so I won't say much...

It's that time of year when it seems like at least one person in our household is sick at any given time...& it's been me more than anybody this year. =(

Between sinus infections & tummy bugs...

(& fall festivals & trick-or-treating)

...I haven't been giving the old blog the attention it deserves.

Looking back, I actually struggled to get going with blogging regularly back when I first started this blog, which was during these crazy months last year. It was at the beginning of this year, & in the springtime, that I really picked up speed & became able to devote the kind of attention to blogging that I aim for.

So thank you for bearing with me while I attempt to balance the many commitments&tasks I've put on my increasingly over-packed schedule. I appreciate you bloggers&readers! =)

(via: Victoria's Vintage)