Sips of the South: Little Belles&Beaus

Well, since you're all aware that I got a bit behind last week...it should come as no surprise to you that Sips of the South has ended for the season, & I've still got two more posts to add to it! But you know, I did start a couple weeks late to begin with, so I'm not going to beat myself up too badly for ending a couple weeks late, too!

(Y'all won't mind, will you?)

The "little belles&beaus" post is intended for us to show off our littlest Southern family members. Y'all know I can't help but talk about (& shop for) my only little belle, Pretty Little Bare Feet, all the time. But the blogosphere hasn't always been the most secure place for me. & because of that, this old-fashioned Southern lady is still a bit wary of sharing too much. That is why I'm pretty careful to guard

names,

photos,

etc.;

especially when it comes to my most important little treasure.

(Y'all do understand, don't you?)

But I will tell you that Pretty Little Bare Feet is the light of my life. She is a little mini-me, which we could tell the first time we saw her little face in a 4D-ultrasound.

She is fourteen months old now, & she is becoming such a little girly girl. She loves to sit on the counter of our master bathroom, in front of the big mirror, to watch me

brush her hair,

& teeth,

& put her little headbands on.

She also loves to watch me fix myself up each morning, & she delights in playing with my

brushes,

combs,

headbands,

makeup,

toiletries,

& things.

She also does me proud by being so, so excited about books - she loves to go to Barnes&Noble or the library. She especially loves storytime at the library, & she also loves it when one of us reads a book to her here at home.

(We even have a bathtime book tradition!)

It just warms my heart when she toddles over with a book & hands it to me; & then reaches her little arms up to be pulled up into my lap to cuddle&read together.

(Pretty Little Bare Feet, Easter 2010)

I will more readily share with you all a couple of my favorite ways that I'm already trying to raise Pretty Little Bare Feet to appreciate being a proper little Southern lady...

She has a whole little closetful of dresses&skirts.

So far, so good. I am hoping that she never declares that pants&shorts are more comfortable, or preferable, to dressing like a lady. Oh, sure, she has lots of little jeans&things, too (mostly feminine, ruffly ones, I might add!); & she certainly doesn't wear a dress every day (but she does wear one every Sunday!). But I just hope it never becomes something I have to argue with her about.

(After all, I love to wear dresses&skirts!)

I also do try to keep even her little pants outfits relatively feminine (although not always pink, believe it or not!). So much ends up being so androgynous these days, & I want to keep her a sweet little girly girl for as long as I can!

I love to find some little ruffled, smocked frock at a local boutique or shopping market show; but a few of my favorite sources of Pretty Little Bare Feet's pretty little wardrobe are:

Etsy - I can seriously spend hours!

Mirabelle Reversible Pinafore by Three Yellow Starfish

Lilly Pulitzer - of course! Lilly is perfect for the "Minnies," too!

Ralph Lauren

Chasing Fireflies - They're also great for holiday-specific clothing&gifts!

(& of course we'll monogram nearly everything we can around here!)

& of course it's never too early to start learning about etiquette&manners!

As previously covered in the Sips of the South series, these are an integral part of Southern ladyhood!

There are many ways, every day, that we find opportunities to begin teaching Pretty Little Bare Feet about these important concepts. But we are also able to sneak these lessons in with help from some of our favorite books&toys!

Laugh&Learn Say Please Tea Set from Fisher-Price

Pretty Little Bare Feet loves, loves, loves this toy! I think it was her favorite little gift that she received from playgroup friends at her first birthday party. & I love it, too. The little songs are adorable, & they're sung with a little British accent. ("Time to 'ave a spot of tea!") & in addition to all of the little learning setups with shapes&sounds, etc.; it teaches children to always say "please" & "thank you."

(& it's darling to look at, too.)

My Very First Book of Manners by Michal Sparks

Books&manners - two of my favorite things.

(Oh, & it's a board book, another of my favorite things...any of you have any insight on when Pretty Little Bare Feet might stop throwing her beloved books&toys around like they're all indestructible?)

Okay, okay, & there are still good television shows for children around, even though I probably do complain too much about the ones I dislike. I have to give credit to our friend Elmo for being really great about always having good manners, & making it a point to teach good manners, on "Elmo's World."

So, thank you, Elmo, for helping me with raising Pretty Little Bare Feet to act like a polite little lady.

Wishful Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

"I wish..."

I could splurge on the Saba/L leather shoulder bag by Jimmy Choo, without leaving a gaping hole in our bank account!

I need an oversized bag, as even though I've transitioned from the diaper bag era, I still like to be able to carry

everything under the bathroom sink,

everything Pretty Little Bare Feet could need,

plus a book,

a magazine or two,

my planner,

& the White Dog...

...you know, if I need to. ;) & this bag is made from a classic, gorgeous chocolate leather that would go with everything, & would dress up everyday mundane errands.

Honestly, though, even though we live in a pretty nice area, where a pretty substantial amount of residents make good money; there seems to be a serious lack of materialism around here.

(I would share my theory on why that is, but then I might as well broadcast my street address to the internet. =p)

Seriously, though, I think people were more concerned about status in the little one-redlight town where I grew up than they are here! I've certainly encountered more

brand,

designer,

fashion,

style

awareness in other cities I've lived in, in between high school & now. So, it's highly unlikely much of anybody would notice or recognize if we maxed out some plastic to invest in this bag.

& I'd fret about Pretty Little Bare Feet wiping her sticky little bare hands all over it!

So I'd rather stick to buying classic handbags from my familiar favorite designers,

J. Crew,

Kate Spade,

Lacoste,

LeSportsac,

Lilly Pulitzer,

Rebecca Minkoff,

Vineyard Vines.

(Although, I swear even though I have at least one item by each of those designers, I think the only labels I ever carry that get routinely recognized are Coach & Vera Bradley. Not that I dislike either of them - on the contrary! But when eleventh-graders are carrying knockoffs of my Coach handbags, I have the desire to seek out something a little more chic.)

The handbags I buy, from the above designers, are of better quality&style than the average mall chain store or Target offers. But I won't need to take a sedative if Pretty Little Bare Feet colors on one of them!

& since I missed last week's topic, I'll answer it in the briefest of brief little answers, here at the bottom of this week's post:

"I wish..."

I could win the lottery REALLY soon, & I would hope to continue to stay at home with Pretty Little Bare Feet. It surely would be a lot easier on us if we won the lottery, though, as it would obviously make it easier to budget for one salary, if we had a backup stash of lottery money to dip into!

I am educated,

& I have enjoyed working;

but I feel like being a full-time wife&mother is fulfilling,

especially right now.

I am grateful that My Prince is also dedicated to allowing for me to stay at home with our child while she is little. I intend to take the Bar exam next February (since I missed the deadline for this July, & that will be the next time it's offered), but honestly...if I won the lottery, & paid off my student loan debt, I'm not sure I would necessarily feel a need to practice law. I do enjoy parts of law practice, & I do believe there are parts of it that I am good at. But I think there are other things I'd enjoy pursuing more...

...volunteering,

writing;

maybe even opening a business one day...

if the economy ever feels friendly enough for my

candy,

coffee,

& stationery shop

to find a footing. ;)

Post It Note Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

My Style Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Sorry for the unexpected interruption in posting here, y'all.

First I got behind because we had overnight guests.

(& it's just as rude, as a hostess, to spend my entire time on the laptop, as it is to spend it watching television!)

Then Pretty Little Bare Feet got sick...& well, y'all know how it goes with a sick toddler in the house...if they ever do settle down without needing attention for a moment, Mama needs that moment to take a nap herself!

Fortunately for me, Short Southern Momma skipped a couple weeks of My Style Monday, so I'll be caught up after today's post!

(But I do hope you get to feeling better ASAP, Angie!)

This is such perfect timing for this post, as My Prince & I just sat down to discuss our new budget (thanks to a loan consolidation, & the paying off of my old car); & how best to allot money from our income tax refund.

Pretty Little Bare Feet's furniture is all new in her room,

the dining room is okay for now,

& we have new living room furniture.

That basically leaves three pressing furniture needs:

bookshelves;

a desk in my upstairs "office"

(I'm essentially just putting the hand-me-downs in the guest bedroom/office, for now,

as we acquire new furniture for our other rooms);

& most importantly,

we need new furniture for our master bedroom!

As I've said before, I've tried to be a bit more sensitive to My Prince being, you know, a guy, in our master bedroom. He lets me add some pretty serious feminine touches to most rooms of the house, & I want him to feel represented, too.

"Man" stuff also pretty much rules

the guest bathroom,

a good portion of the guest bedroom,

& one whole wall of the living room;

the yard is all his to play with, too!

So I showed y'all our bedding in that earlier post I linked to up there, but I'll refresh your memory:

"Sabrina" Bedding from Linen Source

(Our bedding is fairly new, & we both love it; so I doubt we'll be changing it anytime soon.)

Newport Queen Leather Headboard in Black from Williams-Sonoma Home

We do need a new headboard, though. & at some point, we'd like to upgrade to a king-sized bed. However, our queen-sized bed is fairly new, so that's not as much of a priority as getting new pieces of the other bedroom furniture.

We have some black&white art&photography, framed&hung on the walls, that will also stay.

Chelsea White Ten-Drawer Mule Chest at Macy's

French Country One-Drawer End Table from Home Decorators Collection

(I'd use a pair of these end tables as nightstands.)

But our dressers&nightstand are ancient, & I'd like to paint the walls. I think it's fairly easy to keep black&white from being too modern, as you can use damask&toile to give it a more classic appeal. I also think you can make cream&white work in the same room, if you have enough

accent colors,

& black,

around&between.

(source: House of Turquoise)

We already have the warm crimson red to work with, in the bedding, & I am thinking about painting the walls a pale turquoise blue. That would give me

two main accent colors to work with

(pale turquoise blue & the warm crimson red);

with a lot of

black,

cream,

& white neutrals

in the furniture & main design elements.

(Do you think that can work? It looks great in my head. =) I don't have much blue anywhere else in the house, but I know My Prince likes it.)

Alu Accent Table from Z Gallerie

Scroll Vanity Chair in White from Pier 1 Imports

Noir Pillow from Crate&Barrel

Classic Bench in Microfiber Black from Ballard Designs

I would also like to

add a nightstand

(right now we're making do with one);

consolidate down to one dresser

(I think this will be possible once I get the closet reorganized again);

add a chair in the corner where the other dresser is currently placed

(maybe even with a little table or vanity);

& eventually put a bench at the end of the bed

(but not until Pretty Little Bare Feet's Pack&Play is gone,

& we use it too much to move it out of our master bedroom yet.

Until then, it'd be too crowded to have two large items in that close proximity).

So those are some ideas I have for our master bedroom.

Here are some more photos, just for some inspiration:

(source: Good Housekeeping)

(source: Good Housekeeping)

(source: HGTV Rate My Space)

I am looking forward to

a fabulous annual tent sale,

that goes on in May,

at a great furniture store,

in the town where my mama lives.

It's where we got most of our new living room furniture last year.

The sale pieces are all in fine condition - they're usually just

parts of sets,

that have already had one piece sold separately;

& then the others get priced at lower prices,

since they're not part of a set anymore.

(It's great for me, because I don't like the matching-set look, & I do like discounts!)

Once I get a feel for what kind of furniture I can get from that this year, I can figure out what other types of things I'm going to need to buy/find from other places.

& then maybe we'll have a whole new master bedroom by summer!

What's On My Nails

So, I've been inspired by the recent nail polish & more swap I participated in, & this recent post by the fabulous Gwen over at Confessions of a Control Freak.

When we first moved into this house (which still feels like "the new house," although we've been here for almost a year now!), I did my absolute best to take my time & organize everything the way I wanted it (the right way, haha) the first time.

I had a pretty regular nail technician in the town we lived in before, & he (yes, he!) was well-aware of my ever-growing collection of OPI nail polishes. I didn't always buy them at the salon I went to (but sometimes I did), but I did always bring my own bottle of whatever OPI shade I wanted to have him apply. One day he recommended to me that to extend the life&quality of my OPI nail polish that I loved so dearly, I should always roll it between my palms (never shake!) before applying; & I should store them in the refrigerator.

What?! I knew about the rolling, never shaking advice; but the refrigerator suggestion was new to me. Sure enough, though, I did some looking around & came up with similar advice elsewhere.

So I moved some things around in the refrigerator, & moved my OPI collection in. My other bottles of nail polish had to remain unloved & left behind on my dresser.

When we unpacked everything in the new house, I took my time & found the perfect size Tupperware container to arrange them in & fit them into a shelf on the door of the new refrigerator. Our male friends come over to our house & do a double-take when they open the refrigerator, & then My Prince explains

the cost&quality of OPI nail polish over the cheap drugstore brands,

his take on the science behind the refrigerator storage theory,

& how much less he'll have to pay for if we take care of what I have.

They usually nod & pretend they get it.

(My girlfriends are usually inspired to try to convince their husbands of their need for the exact same thing. I don't actually know of anybody else that has done that yet, though. I realize I am a lucky lady. Maybe they should bake something yummy to distract their husbands from the nail polish compartment? It works for me!)

Anyway, so as I unpacked&arranged them, I catalogued them in a Word document, in alphabetical order by polish name. I included

each shade's collection in parentheses,

& I add the date each time I change my nail polish;

so I know what's getting worn most often,

what hasn't been worn in ages,

what I haven't even tried yet,

what mini nail lacquer I should just buy a regular bottle of,

etc.

(OCD much? I know. Forgive me.)

But if you'll click on that post I linked you to in the first paragraph, you'll see that Ms. Gwen has an even better system than that!

I read her post,

did the swap,

added a few new bottles of OPI to my collection,

& realized I was going to have to upgrade their housing to fit every bottle in.

I figured while I was adding on to their house, I may as well add on to my little inventory sheet.

So now, complete with color descriptions & photos, I've updated the inventory.

I've also

rearranged the collection by color&shade,

leaving the Sephora by OPI bottles on the top level;

as their lids aren't flat on top,

so standard OPI bottle lids are better suited for holding the divider between the level.

I had to move them into a different Tupperware container.

But that actually improved the visual display of the entire arrangement,

as I have a few sets of mini OPI nail lacquers,

& they now line up more comfortably&neatly along the side of the "big house."

& there is still room on the top level for a few more bottles before I have to update the system again! =)

So counting

my OPI nail polish,

my mini OPI nail sets,

& my Sephora by OPI nail polish;

but not counting my OPI base or top coats;

I currently have forty different OPI shades.

I do have a few other bottles of different brands of nail polish, stored in our master bathroom. However,

I rarely wear them,

unless I am really trying to match something,

& one of the other bottles is a better match than any of my OPI shades.

The others just never hold up as well or look as good. Other brands just aren't as fun to collect, somehow, either.

There is an exception to this...I have two nail polishes from MAC cosmetics. Yes, I'm sure you can guess what they are:

Coconut Ice (peachy sorbet) & Steamy (hot&steamy pink)

(MAC in Lillyland Collection)

(They live on the top shelf in my OPI collection because they are Lilly, & so they are special.)

So, without further rambling ado, here is my current collection:

Off with Her Red! (glowering, empowering hot red)

(Alice in Wonderland Collection)

Brights Power (brilliant orange), Green-wich Village (vivid green), & OPI Ink. (sparkling violet-blue)

(Brights Collection)

Lincoln Park After Dark* (midnight purple)

(Chicago Collection)

Barefoot in Barcelona (luscious nude), Can You Tapas This? (yummy raisin), & Give Me Moor! (stunning wine-purple)

(Coleccion de Espana)

I’m Not Really a Waitress* (vivacious chianti red)

(Hollywood Collection)

Panda-monium Pink (uproarious light pink)

(Hong Kong Collection)

Black Cherry Chutney* (deliciously dark black-red), Charmed by a Snake (charming, disarming bronze), I'm Indi-a Mood for Love* (hot pink), & Lunch at the Delhi (luscious coral)

(India Collection)

Cajun Shrimp* (spicy coral)

(Launch 89 Collection)

Magnifico Mexico (orangey terra cotta shimmer) & Strawberry Margarita* (bright pink)

(Mexico Collection)

Calendar Girl (pin-up, perfect pink-red), Peach-A-Boo! (soft peach w/ just a touch of metallic sheen), & Sea Ya Later, Sailor! (fun, flirtatious turquoise shimmer)

(Retro Fun in the Sun Collection)

Cheyenne Pepper (shimmery golden brown)

(Rocky Mountains Collection)

Kreme de la Kremlin (creamy terra cotta pink), Russian Navy* (deep-sea indigo), St. Petersburgundy* (aristocratic claret), & Suzi Says Da!* (decadently dark chocolate)

(Russian Collection)

Bubble Bath (sweet candy pink), Kyoto Pearl (shimmery white satin), Passion (endlessly enticing pale pink), & Rosy Future (shimmering, glinting rose pink)

(Soft Shades Collection)

Done Out in Deco (arty lilac), Overexposed in South Beach (vivid purple), & Suzi & the Lifeguard (not-so-innocent light pink)

(South Beach Collection)

Banana Bandana (sunny yellow)

(SUNBelievable Collection)

Don’t Go There (muted violet) & Never Enough Shoes (black w/ multi-color glitter)

(Sephora by OPI Autumn&Eve Collection)

Access 24/7 (juicy magenta pink) & IM Beauty (bright buttercup yellow)

(Sephora by OPI Digital Diva Collection)

Go with the Flow-er (bright tulip pink w/ hot pink shimmer), Handpicked for Me (light pink lilac w/ silver shimmer), Leaf Him at the Altar (metallic vine green)

(Sephora by OPI Modern Flowers Collection)

(*asterisk denotes a polish color that was originally part of a collection that has since retired, but the polish is considered a "classic," & is still readily available to buy)

& now for something new...

Y'all know how I keep y'all updated on my voracious book appetite, right? Over there on the right-hand sidebar, under my profile, I have a little "What's on My Nightstand" box for y'all, where I post a link&photo for what is, literally, on my nightstand.

I try to keep it updated as best as possible -

but to be honest,

I do sometimes get ahead of myself,

& I'll finish a book a day or two before I update the book on the blog.

(source: Country Living)

I do, however, pretty much start a new book as soon as I finish one. Even if it's just

reading the covers,

& the inside of the jacket;

opening to the first chapter;

& putting my bookmark in.

I will do that much with a new book, within a half hour of finishing a book. The longest before I'll actually sit down & start reading it will be within 24 hours, almost without fail.

(& I used to be worse than that. In elementary school on up through college, I would read several books at once. However, it took so long in law school, to read books for leisure, that I pride myself on reading about fifty pages a day now, one book at a time.)

Anyway, sorry for the sidetrack into book clubbing.

What I was getting at was, I think I'm going to add a "What's on My Nails" box over there, too.

It seems like many of y'all are as into nail polish as I am,

some even more so!,

& most of y'all seem to be big on the OPI brand, as well!

(Well, it is superior!)

I doubt I'll be so ambitious as to post a photo of my actual nails each time, but I will try to keep the link&photo updated like I do with my books. You can be sure that what you see is what is on my toenails, although I don't always keep my fingernails painted anymore.

(I just do too much with my hands these days to keep them unchipped for long enough to make it worth it with the darker shades; lighter shades I'll touch up myself, & can usually manage to keep looking nice for a couple weeks in between manicures.)

In the winter, I can sometimes go as long as a month without a pedicure &/or polish change, but summer usually requires a bit greater maintenance.

(I don't always go to the salon for it anymore either, which I do sometimes miss...but to be perfectly honest, My Prince does an absolutely outstanding job of painting my toenails, which he started doing for me sometimes when I was pregnant. When we moved, bought the house, & started owing student loan debt, it saved needed money to have him do my nails for me. Now, it's just a sweet, special time for us to share, catching up & talking to each other, while he does something so sweet for me! I appreciate him so much for being willing to do little things like that for me!)

Anyway, let me know what's on your wish list. I have only managed to find one of the four Alice in Wonderland shades, which is driving me bananas.

(I hate ordering nail polish online, since it's one of the few of my preferred beauty items that I can find locally...& I like beauty & nail polish shopping!)

So I'm currently wanting

Absolutely Alice (absolutely amazing blue glitter), Mad as a Hatter (madly marvelous black-multi glitter), & Thanks So Muchness! (red shimmer)

(Alice in Wonderland Collection)

& I'm also wanting to try a couple of OPI's longest-running classic shades that I haven't tried before:

Grand Canyon Sunset* (deep pink warmed by brown)

(Fall/Winter 1990 Collection)

Tropical Punch* (vivid coral-pink)

(Spring/Summer 1990 Collection)