Spice and Sass

Still Kicking

2012-01-18T16:23:00.000-05:00

I have been knee deep in files trying to organize and clean my office in anticipation of maternity leave (which is scheduled to begin at the end of January, with the baby penciled in for a Friday arrival). Have y'all seen the Descendants? If not, go see it (I know, I'm late on this one). Anyway, George Clooney's character's office in the film? Very realistic depiction of a transactional real estate attorney's office in my experience. I felt rather validated in fact.

Anyway, I can now see the carpet in my office. This is a positive as I can't see my toes. . .

Back in Action (and 36 Weeks)

2012-01-06T09:45:00.000-05:00

Okay, the insanity of December in a transactional law practice is over, and I am easing myself back into social media. So, I have plenty of things to share with y'all, but let's get the scary part out of the way first.

I'm nine months pregnant.

You can really see my moon-pie face in this one. I have either begin to swell due to pregnancy, or all that country ham I ate the other day. I can't believe I am putting these pictures on the world wide web.

Anyway, I am feeling as good as one can when they have an extra 28 pounds attached to their midsection. The baby "dropped" Christmas day, and I have felt much more comfortable since.

The whole "New Year, New You" line is taking on a entirely different meaning this year. My beloved convertible has been traded in for a more car seat friendly wagon. I love my new ride, but it was a bit of a shock at Target the other day- parked in the expectant mother spot (along with eating Frito's, it's a luxury I will soon be without), and threw a bag full of toiletries for the hospital and baby stuff in the back of my mommy mobile.

Good thing it is so pretty.

Had a great (last!) appointment at the high risk doctor Wednesday- the bean is growing great! Looking like this baby is just a late bloomer like its mama (there is a reason why pictures of my adolescence are not posted on this blog, friends), and will be a normal size when it makes its arrival.

After being hammered with pre-term labor warnings, I am not dilated yet at 36 weeks, which is wonderful. My procedure is tentatively planned for the 26th, but I'm sure that will change after one of my now weekly doctor's appointments. My bag is packed, so I am ready. Nursery is not quite there yet, but hopefully after this weekend. . .

Anyway, I am so excited to catch up with all of you! Fill me in on Christmas and New Years!

No Babies Yet

2011-12-19T09:09:00.002-05:00

Don't worry- I have not given birth- just been showered, chili-ed, renovated, and worked to the bone. I can't wait to catch up with everyone as soon as I catch my breath (it's a bit difficult since this baby is pushing my lungs up into my throat!).

Now I am Iced Over

2011-12-09T10:35:00.000-05:00

No baby yet, thank goodness- just a lot of 10-12 hour days at work. Between that and sleeping, there is no time for blogging, tweeting or catching up with my favorite reads. Once I crawl out from my pile of work, I will be back with movie reviews, shower pictures, and nursery!

Snowed Under!

2011-11-30T09:24:00.001-05:00

Thankfully there is no actual snow- I believe that this will be the first year of my existence in which I am actively wishing for a clear Christmas season and NO SNOW (oh, and definitely no ice). Anyway, I have been chugging along- it's our busiest time of year at work, our mudroom renovation is in full swing, and I have been gearing up for the social whirlwind of December.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving sitting at the "kids' table" at Lou and Gaines' family's meal. Thanks for letting us join y'all! Side note- although chicken is still extremely distasteful to me, turkey was delicious.

Of course the minute my favorite late fall moment is over, the dash to Christmas begins (cue whining about can't we just enjoy each moment, etc.). I must get on my high horse for a moment and protest all that "Black Friday" has become. There were horror stories nationally, involving death and pepper spray, but more telling to me was a quote in the local paper from a woman who went to Target or Kohl's at midnight on Thanksgiving. When asked if she was offended by big retailers opening on Thanksgiving, she stated, "It doesn't offend me because it doesn't affect me. It does affect the employees, but if I can save $10, I can save $10." I'm not even going to comment, as I am avoiding raising my blood pressure. (BUT PEOPLE ARE SO TACKY!!!!)

Let's see, what else is happening? I have my big shower here this weekend and am tickled to death! Then my "adult" shower is in a couple weeks after that- hopefully this nursery will finally come together- I'm feeling woefully behind (especially with all the Braxton Hicks contractions I've been having- little reminders to get moving, so if this baby is as prompt or early as his/her mama, I will be prepared).

Also coming up? My family's annual chili extravaganza! I redesigned the invites this year since there is a new hostess with the mostess that will be wearing some antlers!

Can you decipher my depictions of myself, my SIL and my mama? (Hint- I no longer have bangs, hee)

So I will be back with mudroom pictures and nursery and showers and recipes, I pinky swear. In the meantime, fill me in! Any good deals gotten on Friday from hell? Did you run over anyone or mace them into submission? Or were you like me- comatose from casserole?

Third Trimester

2011-11-18T09:17:00.000-05:00

Good morning dear hearts! Thought it was time for some grainy iphone pics to show you how much I am showing (the lady at Dillards might have had a point. . .)

So 29 weeks. This third trimester thing, well. . .it's a little rough (I have just been a bundle of joy this pregnancy, right?). I promise the next time I do this I won't complain as much. Or at least try not to.

Sex of baby:

Still thinking the bean is a girl. Mama says I need to quit with the assumptions about the sex of the baby. Here is where I point out that for me, her and Daddy only had a girl's name picked out, and did not consider the possibility of a boy.

Size of baby: The bump.com says a squash. This seems like a widely variable comparison.
Total Weight Gained: 23 pounds. Um, so my target goal of 25 pounds gained is not going to happen.
Maternity Clothes: In these pics I am wearing maternity leggings, and normal clothes for the rest of my outfit. Take that, Saleslady at Dillards!

Movement: Baby does not stop!

Sleep: I still can't get enough. I just hate that I sleep and sleep and sleep and can't get any energy.
What I miss: My social life and a spray tan! I am pasty white! Oh, and smoked salmon. I really want some smoked salmon in my life.

Cravings: Pineapple- I cannot eat enough. Oh, and Petros. I have had a small lite Petro and big unsweet orange tea more times than I can count the last couple of weeks. Hmmm, those Fritos might be contributing to the poundage I think.
Aversions: Still can't handle chicken. I tried to eat a chicken mini from Chick-fil-a last week. Sister Schubert roll and chicken nugget? Shouldn't be an issue, yet I could barely swallow the dang thing.
Symptoms: Emotional and tired, lots of fake contractions and lower back pain. I freaked out last Friday, as I had been having cramps since Thursday night. I felt like an idiot when the doctor on call told me they weren't contractions, my tummy just was hurting. He then proceeded to tell me I was right to come in, as pre-term labor (which I am at major risk for) is "the biggest threat to my baby." Listen dude, don't use phrases like "biggest threat to my baby" to a very pregnant gal who doesn't feel good.

However, I have been sure to take their advice and sit with my feet up.

Best Moment This Week: My friend, Ella bringing me homemade chocolate chunk cookies loaded with yummy and nutritional stuff like flaxseed. They are so delicious- especially paired with the milk from a local dairy she left on my stoop. Thank you dear friend!

Random Rants

2011-11-17T09:34:00.002-05:00

I was in Dillards last week, perusing the bracelets for a fun a cuff to wear to my shower in Atlanta. A woman who looked to be in her mid-40's to 50's (difficult to tell, she was the type that wears so much makeup that it ages her), comes up and asks if I need any help. "No, thank you. I'm just browsing!" I reply with a smile. She then proceeds to ask me in a saccharine tone "When is baby getting here?" "End of January" I say brightly, then turn back to the bracelets, hoping that she will get the hint.

She didn't.

"Wow, you are really showing then!" Hmpph. I look back up and flatly state "Well, I'm seven months pregnant." I should have simply walked away then, as she then goes into this speech about how she "did not gain a single pound with her pregnancies, and didn't even wear maternity clothes!"

Good for you lady. I've gained 20 pounds. That means a lot of heft will be driving me when I punch you in the eye! I sullenly stare at her, willing her with my eyes to quit talking and leave me the hell alone. My teenager-y body language means nothing to her as she continues. "No stretch marks either!" she smugly crows.

Aha! I haven't gotten any of those yet, I think (knocking on every piece of wood currently surrounding me). I triumphantly proclaim this fact to my Dillards sales clerk nemesis.

She smiles sweetly and says "Well, when you do get them, know it is all for a greater good!"

Instead of cutting her (although I did check with MOH to make sure she could care for the baby if I go to jail), or asking if her babies were subhuman since she did not gain any weight for their fluid, or placenta, I simply swept up my planned purchases and went to the shoe department for check out. Probably not super effective, since I doubt she is commissioned, and I spent a teeny amount, but moral victory achieved! No weight gain or stretch marks. Hmmppphh.

Now, feel free to judge me on that, as I judge these ladies-

Oh, B. You know I love you. I think most of your pregnancy outfits have delightful. I hate to do this to you, but no. . .

However, it gets worse. Now obviously I do not have the same standard for someone like Hilary Duff as I do Beyonce. This is just egregiously wrong though.

Dear Hilary,

Yes, we know you are pregnant and not chunking up. However, this makes you look like a mustard colored wrinkly lumpy shiny mess. Please take it off, and put on a maternity dress or something flowy. Thanks!

Best,
A fellow lady in your condition.

Georgia Gal Shower

2011-11-15T09:47:00.000-05:00

Getting excited about some petit fours over here! So, my Atlanta shower was lovely- the girls completely outdid themselves. I was thrilled to pieces, and so thankful to have all of these ladies in my life.

Look at those booties! It's still so strange to me that I am the mama to be- when did I become an adult? I'm supposed to be laying around on couches watching Supermarket Sweep, eating massive amounts of greasy food in an effort to combat a hangover with these ladies. Discussing crushes and parties and scheming about fake ids. Instead we are thirty, and I have a massive belly that has nothing to do with beer. Time just flies.

Kinger's parents sent up some excellent Dawg gear for the baby- sorry Hubs, but this baby is half Bulldog (and we all know who ends up getting the baby dressed most of the time).

Look at the tiny baby booties on the petit fours from Henri's! Too cute to eat (well, almost).

I was so glad that Mama was able to come to the shower (and drive me to Atlanta and back!). The only thing that marred my day was having to say goodbye to the girls. There's just never enough time. Thank you so much to Kara, Kelen, Anna, Margaret, Annie, Jessie, Virge, Anne and Kinger for hosting such a wonderful shower, and thanks to all of you for the gifts and support.

Gah, stupid hormones. I better sign off before I start tearing up.

Hello Old Friends!

2011-11-10T09:50:00.001-05:00

I have been flat on my back since getting back from Atlanta. When I mentioned to the doctor Tuesday that I was worn out from riding three hours, attending a shower, shopping, then riding three hours home (where I promptly threw up, oops), she looked at me like I was insane. Apparently, that's more than I should be doing. . .lesson learned, I suppose.

It was totally worth it though. I can't wait to tell you all about my Atlanta shower thrown by my Georgia girls. It was wonderful- and I will have photographic evidence of such shortly. Mama and I drove down and back, since my original plans of spending the weekend in Atlanta weren't really feasible. Being told to bring my medical records with me while traveling does not ease a worried hormonal mind.

We also hit up some maternity shopping, looking for a red dress to wear to my Knoxville shower and our family's big annual chili party. Kate has already mentioned this, but why is everything so DRAB? I already feel like a lump- Lord knows, I don't need to look like one as well! I ended up ordering one from ASOS, which has been such a wonderful source of inexpensive and relatively normal clothes this pregnancy. Thank goodness the Brits don't believe in garbing pregnant ladies only in olive green and gray.

So I now have this dress in red and cobalt blue-

Hmmm, that is about it on my end. Our mudroom renovation is now in full swing- very exciting! I will have the finished product before the end of the year, so this baby better stay put!

I Hate To Housekeep

2011-11-04T09:17:00.000-04:00

So, my beloved friend and housekeeper has moved to the sunnier climes of the Gulf Coast and I am in mourning for my dear friend and my clean house. Especially because, frankly, right now I can't do shit. (Excuse my language, ladies. I'm rather frustrated here)

I am a terrible housekeeper anyway, without my current restrictions. I realize this about myself, and have taken steps to correct it. (i.e. hiring a housekeeper). Add in the fact that I can't lift anything, vacuum, be around cleaning chemicals or bleach. . .well, the shower is looking a little, used, and Buddy's hair is everywhere. It's disgusting. At least the kitchen is clean. I can keep up with counters and sink.

I hope Mama is not reading this- if so, I'm sorry for announcing my dirty house to the world! It's probably not as bad as announcing to our cooking class last night that I don't know how to make pie crust because my mama always uses Pillsbury. Hee.

Anyway, are y'all some of those lucky girls that love to clean? If so, please e-mail me and I will give you directions to our little stone house- you will always be welcome at my house!

On Loneliness

2011-11-02T09:41:00.000-04:00

Disclaimer- this is not meant to be a "woe is me" type of post. I want no pitying comments.

Okay, that being said, this pregnancy thing is can be tough. I can see your eyes rolling- "here goes Captain Obvious again!"

However, what I'm struggling with is the isolation. I've gone from dashing around from one event to another to crawling into bed at 7:30 on a Friday night. I never had this alleged "honeymoon" period that the pregnancy books promised me. Breach of contract! Promissory estoppel and detrimental reliance!

This loneliness is self-imposed. There are plenty of people I could be visiting with, but I just can't move off the couch. I could make Hubs stay in with me, but (a) that would be pretty unfair considering I'm conked out by nine at the latest, (b) it's football season, and (c) he will have zero social life as well in less than three months when this baby gets here. This is the point in the story when Buddy pipes in with what a loyal and furry companion he has been to me- very true, although our conversations are getting a little one-sided.

Now the truth is, I have been out of town for weddings, to a football game, for a spa weekend, lots of girls' dinners out, and parties. It's not like I have taken a vow of silence. Each of these things has then worn me out for a week. I think a lot of these blues also relate to the complications I am having with the pregnancy and ensuing restrictions. Rather than call a friend to go on a stroll, then have to be so nit-picky about where we go (I live in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, and am not allowed to walk hills- it gets tricky), I just set out on my own (Buddy has been too wild on the leash lately for me to handle safely).

Now, many of you would snort with derision at my "isolation" if you looked at how often I am seeing people. I think it is just the drop from all activity all the time, to snuggling up alone with a good book. I have enjoyed that aspect greatly- the built-in reason to stay no to things and rest and read. I am just ready to be recharged! (Please do not say "get used to being tired, you'll be tired for the next 18 years". I've heard it, thanks!).

So there is my whine. Have any other pregnant ladies felt like this? I am so envious of you girls who have been energetic and themselves most of the way through- I think that is how I envisioned my pregnant-self, so facing reality has been tough. If you are still reading, thanks for wading through my whining- and remember- no pity, please! If you have any advice though, I would be glad to hear it!

Bad Betty

2011-10-31T10:11:00.000-04:00

So I struggled into some panty hose, used a bottle of industrial strength hairspray and clipped on my earrings. Insert drink and cigarette (not shown here, but an integral part of the costume) and I became Betty Draper. 26 weeks pregnant, strutting (well, limping by the end of the night) around with a cigarette in my hand. . .it was a huge party and I got some confused looks. My obstetrician was there and thought it was hilarious, however.

When I got home, I tried to get a better picture of my dress- I think I will have it altered and sport it regularly once this bun is out of its oven. The coat had to stay on all night as during said struggle with panty hose, I bent over and heard the splitting of a already broken vintage zipper. Stiff tailored brocade dresses from the mid-sixties plus 6.5 month pregnant belly- not the best match. Who'd of thunk it?

So, I got safety pinned up, threw on a coat, and rolled with it.

I really wanted a drink though.

I hope y'all have a lovely Halloween, and eat massive amounts of candy! Fill me in on costumes please. Note- I am afraid I did not push mine far enough, as when I sent the top picture to Mama- she thought I was just going out on the town, and did not realize I was in costume. Hmmmpphh.

Comfort on Tap

2011-10-27T09:59:00.000-04:00

I recently read that the consumption of dark chocolate helps counteract the negative effects of stress on a fetus. So, I began this morning with a big plate of fluffy buttery scrambled eggs, a cup of dark hot chocolate, and a cheesy mystery novel. Breakfast was eaten in bed, and the baby kicked with delight.

Tuesday night worries were soothed with a warm bath and the new issue of Southern Living. It is amazing how the simplest pleasures give such relief.

However, I have saved the biggest cheer-me-up/stress relief for last. While perusing Target's aisles with Hubs, we happened upon dog costumes. Hubs laughed as my eyes grew wide with excitement as I flipped through the racks- envisioning Buddy chasing his backyard squirrels while wearing a squirrel costume! I mean, that would be probably one of the most delightful things to witness ever. Unfortunately, the costume selection for golden retrievers (70 pounds=XXL) ran woefully slim.

My little pumpkin! Putting this hat on was a two person operation. My role was petting Buddy (and trying not to wet my pants, as I was laughing so hard), while Hubs manfully struggled a squirming dog into a pumpkin hat.

The next step was the pumpkin collar. I had to wait until Buddy's valiant efforts to remove the hat subsided- then I attacked him with a velcro mess of tulle and fleecy material. He protested that he is a boy, but it was to no avail. Finally he acquiesced, but wouldn't look at me for the rest of the night.

"When the hell is that baby going to get here, so I no longer have to suffer this type of indignity?"

So, in summary, when I need a pick me up and can't guzzle down some wine- hide all dog costumes. Buddy begs you!

When Okay is Wonderful

2011-10-26T17:29:00.001-04:00

Thank you all so much for the outpouring of support! After a three (!) hour appointment at the high-risk doctor, the outcome was what I predicted. "Baby is small, but normal. We have to be really careful with the bicornuate uterus and two vessel cord, and we will monitor the baby's growth and the amount of blood flow every two weeks."

So. . . the status quo! Best news ever! Baby will still likely be early, but hopefully reasonably early. I will keep going to the doctor for an ultrasound every two weeks. I'm sure I will have a mild panic attack in the hours leading up to each appointment, but am peaceful and relieved for now. Basically, I have two obstacles in our way- wonky uterus and wonky umbilical cord. The baby and I can hurdle over those. Just a cautious hurdling, where we don't get out of breath or travel. . .

Giving Up Your Worry

2011-10-25T09:14:00.000-04:00

So, I had grand plans of sharing with y'all a delicious meatloaf recipe that involves three (!) types of pig, but my mind is so full right now with another matter, that comfort food will have to wait.

Yesterday, I went in for my 25 week ultrasound. Remember that I have been having scans every two weeks, due to the heart-shaped uterus. This week, the doctor became a trifle concerned about the baby's growth. The problem is not that I have a small baby (genetically, I will have a small baby- I was teeny, and am not a very big person now), but that the baby's growth has been dropping percentiles over the past couple of months. Then the doctor noticed that my umbilical cord has two vessels instead of three. In itself, this can be fairly common, and is not a huge cause for concern. However, combined with the growth dropping, and my wonky uterus, well. . .I'm heading to the high risk doctors (who I had to see about cerclage possibility in the first trimester) tomorrow.

So, I am sitting there with Hubs, trying not to freak out, a strained smile on my face as I ask what this means. I'm a lawyer- I need to know ramifications, people! If the bean is having trouble growing inside of me, they will likely pump me full of steroids to speed its lung development, and I will give birth around 34 weeks- a Christmas baby! (note, get cracking on the nursery ASAP).

Now, the reason I hesitated to post any of this is that we don't know much right now. We could check everything out tomorrow on the high-risk doc's super-duper ultrasound machine, and the baby could have completely different measurements. Especially since it's a wiggler, the measurements can be imprecise. Or, the doctor could have something completely different to say.

So, after my slight breakdown yesterday (which I am allowed, hormones and mama instincts call for tears), I feel positive! I am so blessed that I live in a city where I can go up a floor from my doctor to see the high risk doctors. If the baby has a hard time after it is born, they just whisk it under the street via a direct tunnel to Children's Hospital. Also, it's a good thing that I have the previous complications leading to all these scans- otherwise we would likely not know about any of this. So, although I did sleep a restless dream-filled slumber last night, I gave up my worry to God. I am trying to release it to him every time I feel it creeping back into my thoughts. It's difficult for sure. I want to dwell, and dissect, and scare myself with various outcomes. However, beyond knowing that it's not going to do me any good, I know it's not going to do the baby any good. Law, I think I'm becoming a mama already.

I will be sure to let y'all know what the doctors say tomorrow. Now, to end on a cheerful note, here's a picture of me holding one of Peg's triplets after their baptism Sunday (hopefully that baby's adorable smile will distract ya'll from my terrible hair)!

Milk and Cookies

2011-10-18T21:10:00.001-04:00

Today I was awake for far too many hours, waking up early to straighten up my wreck of a house, dealing with the guys here for new gutters, a busy day at work, a meeting with the curtain lady to measure for the nursery (the reason for the early morning frantic cleaning, an opera meeting which fell by the wayside, and a Junior League committee meeting.

All these mundane events and errands were punctuated by me driving over a curb at lunch, resulting in a packed patio of people (some of whom I know) staring at me in my convertible as it made that excruciatingly loud crunching sound as my front wheels, then the back wheels, went over said curb. Thank the Lord and Jackie O. for big sunglasses.

Combined with the realization that I am beginning to waddle, it was a crawl right into bed when you get home 12 hours after you left it kind of day. Bed accompanied with my laptop to pen this post, and a tray laden with milk and cookies.

And not just any cookie. Homemade carrot cake cookies. I can't stop making them. Easy and delicious, they are laden with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice- the perfect fall nibble. So the recipe before I fall out-

1 box yellow cake mix
1 scant cup shredded carrot (I bought baby carrots to use rest of the bag for healthy snack. This means it takes forever and a day to shred)
1 cups chopped pecans
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Mix together the first five ingredients in a large mixing bowl
Combine the eggs and oil in another bowl
Dump into the dry mixture and stir to combine well
Refrigerate for an hour
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper droop hefty spoonfuls of the dough about 1-2 inches apart
Bake for about 15 minutes
Cool for a couple minutes
Transfer to a wire rack for further cooling down

These were a huge hit at the UT-UGA tailgate. I made the next batch intending to give them away, but. . .

Note- the original recipe (from Southern Lady magazine, honey-chile) called for 1/2 cup of carrot and walnuts. I like both, so those got doubled. The spices were woefully underrepresented, so 1/2 a teaspoon of each got moved up to a whopping tablespoon. If you don't like cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, you can decrease the amount of deliciousness to 1/2 teaspoon. I will shun you though.

Hope you Tuesdays were full of joy and required no need for cookies. However, Thursday might, or Saturday, so get thee to the grocery store immediately.

The Help- My Thoughts

2011-10-17T17:13:00.000-04:00

So I finally got around to seeing The Help with Mama on Friday. I know I am woefully behind on this viewing, but I was overwhelmed by hype and reviews for the movie, so I held off for a bit.

Anyway, it's time for a glaringly obvious statement.

I am so thankful that the Jim Crow era has passed, and segregation is not a part of our laws.

I'm sure you are thinking, "Why in the world am I wasting my time reading this inanity? Unless one is a Ku Klux Klan member, you are obviously grateful that segregation is gone. What an idiot."

I tend to romanticize the early sixties a good deal. The clothes! The music! Gloves and hats! The cars! The lack of reality television! Yep, I really missed my era.

Now, Mad Men has done an incredible job exploring the dark underbelly of the time, especially sexism. However, I normally brush off any Mad Men induced qualms about my missed era. After all, they would not apply to me. I don't live in NYC. Hubs isn't a womanizer (he would travel eras with me as well in my imagination). I live in a small Southern city. Being a stay at home mom, homemaking and volunteering would be fulfilling- no need for affairs with older politicians. Hubs doesn't have a secret life. Idyllic!

Except not.

So much of the movie felt eerily familar to me. Certainly times have changed, but so many social interactions have not- from the young wives squealing at an old friend's arrival to baby fever sweeping said group of young wives. And we all know the domineering Hildy, whom it seems is present in every group of girls.

So I could relate. And mourn the instituationalized racism that pervaded the era- whether blatant like Southern cities, or more subtle as demonstrated on Mad Men. So I bid adieu to dreams of shirtdresses and kid gloves, woody station wagons sans car seats, and children safely playing all through the neighborhood until called in for supper.

I'm still dressing as pregnant Betty Draper for Halloween though. Complete with glass of scotch and a cigarette. Hope people get it- otherwise it's going to be a long, judgey night!

You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello

2011-10-16T21:09:00.000-04:00

Buddy and I listened to the Tennessee- LSU game on the radio, while bidding an official adieu to summer.

Goodbye wild and crazy zinnias.

Hello Mums and Pansies!

I dug the scraggly half-dead geraniums out of the window boxes, and planted Plenti-fall Pansies instead. Have any of y'all tried these before? They are allegedly going to start trailing soon. However, I suspect that an important component of the promised growth will be steady and frequent watering of said flower boxes. I have written myself imploring notes from the pansies to encourage watering and posted said notes in strategic locations to discourage their demise. We'll see if it works.

It was a sweaty and satisfying first half (well, in the yard more than on the field).

Do y'all prefer listening to the game on the radio, or watching on the TV? I'm a radio girl myself- it's actually easier for me to concentrate on the play action that way. This is probably my favorite way to spend a sunny fall afternoon- elbow deep in dirt, listening to a good game with my favorite furry companion.

Of course, this might be due the fact that tailgating ain't quite as much fun as it was six months ago- amazing what a cold beer or two does for your tailgating experience!

Bumping It Up

2011-10-12T09:37:00.000-04:00

So after a discussion about bellies "popping" yesterday evening, I was thinking that I have probably popped. This morning I looked in the mirror, and thought, "Hmmm, well, I don't look all that pregnant." (rather smugly thought this, I must add)

Then I turned to the side.

Hahahahah, I guess I do in fact look quite pregnant! Also, excuse my jerry curl hair in these pictures. It's raining, and I am too tired to tame the curls.

So, almost 24 weeks (please compare to just 2 weeks ago, in almost the exact same outfit, egads).

Sex of baby: We are holding fast in not finding out. I think it is a girl.
Size of baby: A spaghetti squash/ear of corn/foot long hot dog. These all seem vastly different sizes to me. .
Total Weight Gained: 15 pounds. Dear Lord.
Maternity Clothes: Pants and skirts. I am loving that elastic waist. All my normal flowy dresses and tops are still in use.

Movement: Baby does not stop!
Sleep: I still can't get enough.

What I miss: My energy!
Cravings: Honeycrisp apples and soup- same things I would normally be craving this time of year.

Aversions: Still can't handle chicken. We had chicken pot pie for dinner Sunday, and I could not do it!
Symptoms: My back hurts all the time, I'm even more clumsy than normal, and soooo sleepy.
Best Moment this week: Check out the fortune that Hubs received with his fortune cookie on Monday-

So January 10th- will that be the Bean's birthday? Pretty weird, huh?

A Last Taste of Summer for Fall

2011-10-10T21:18:00.001-04:00

There are the last gasp tomatoes floating through your local stores right now (well, at least in the South). Pick up as many as you can lay your hands on, and make this soup.

Roasted Tomato Bisque (adapted from The Best of Southern Living cookbook):

Ingredients:
3 pounds of tomatoes, cut in half and seeded
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 small head fennel
3 tablespoon butter
5 shallots, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
3 cups chicken broth, divided
7 fresh tarragon sprigs
7 sprigs Italian flat leaf parsley
1 cups whipping cream
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Brush the tomato halves with Olive oil, and place cut side down in an aluminum foil covered baking dish. Baked at 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. Cool to the touch, and remove the skins
coarsely chop the fennel bulb
melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat
add the fennel, shallot and carrot, cook about 15 minutes until the veggies are tender
add the 2 cups of chicken broth, tarragon and parsley
reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for about thirty minutes
discard herb sprigs (if you are a tarragon lover like mean, you might want to leave some of the leaves behind)
Add tomato halves, and puree with an immersion blender (or in a regular blender if immersion blender is not available)
process until smooth
stir in whipping cream
bring to just a simmer, and stir in the remaining cup of chicken broth salt and pepper

As a grownup twist on mater soup and grilled cheese, serve this with Barefoot Contessa's baked fontina for a perfect causual fall supper with friends gathered around the kitchen table. Don't fuss with flowers, just set the cast ion skillet of bubbling cheese down in the center of the table, and everyone can dip their hunks of French bread in, amid bites of hot creamy soup. That's a dinner party invitation one doesn't turn down!

Cozy Fall Supper-
Spiked Apple Cider
Spiced Pecans
Roasted Tomato Bisque
Baked Fontina
French Bread
Brer Rabbit Cookies

For a change from the normal chili, this would make a fun game watching menu- serving the soup in mugs, and the cheese on the coffee table. Enjoy!

Confessions

2011-10-05T09:28:00.000-04:00

1. I really don't like Coldplay. I think all of their songs sound the exact same. Not a Pink Floyd fan either.

2. In the embarrassingly bad television category, I really dig this Hart of Dixie show. Especially shameful since one of the character wore a little straw hat with some flowers on it inside last episode, like it was 1961. Attention non-Southerners, we do not dress like the movie The Help! And, I still like the show. Sigh.

3. I have long conversations with Buddy, replete with me answering myself in Buddy's "voice". This is either a sign of 1) Hubs is out of town for work too much, 2) I am losing my mind or, the option which I am leaning toward, 3) I have telepathic powers when it comes to this furry creature.

Happy Wednesday!

Broken Planes, Skeeters and No-see-ums

2011-10-03T17:50:00.000-04:00

I got eaten up down in Amelia Island this weekend for this lovely lady's wedding-

(Juhi, I ganked some pictures from your FB, as I was typically too busy yakking to take any!). Annie and Blanton's wedding was beautiful, relaxed, and a wonderful time. I got a last gasp of summer sunshine and bugs, and was delighted to visit with college friends and law school friends all in one place.

Shelley has her eyes closed in this one, but it highlights my difficulty dressing my growing midsection. I was a greeter, and was hopeful that all the guests realized that I am not terrible at dressing my figure, but instead knocked up.

The rehearsal dinner was one of the first times during my nine months of sobriety that I honestly wanted to dive into an entire bottle of wine. This is Delta's fault, not the bride or groom's.

We arose at the crack of dawn Friday morning to make a 7:30 flight, which took us to Atlanta, then Jacksonville, then a shuttle to Amelia. I dressed carefully, as I planned on getting dropped off at the bridesmaid's luncheon, while Hubs took our bags on the hotel.

This did not occur.

After sitting on the runway for about an hour, it became clear we would not be making our flight to Jacksonville. I let the bride know I would not be attending the luncheon, but was still hopeful about a little time to walk on the beach and relax.

That did not occur either.

Our plane was unable to be fixed, and they finally let us off the malfunctioning aircraft. There was a mad rush to the help counters resulting in more waiting around. Our town has a small airport. We fly to Atlanta to go anywhere. This is a Friday on a weekend with a minor football game. As you might guess, there are absolutely no seats to Atlanta on any airlines. At this point, I am starting to get a bit nervous, and there is talk about getting us to Jacksonville on Saturday, just in time for the wedding.

Then, a new idea was presented! Riding to Atlanta on a shuttle provided by Delta!

Great!

Shuttle= cab= rattly mini-van.

I am still in shock that I took a cab the three and a half hours from the Knoxville airport to Atlanta airport. Hubs shouldered the brunt of urging out driver, Skip, who was great, to step on it, while I napped. We rushed through the airport at 2:30 to make the 3:00 flight.

I might have looked rather rough, but we were only about an hour late to the rehearsal dinner, simply missing the cocktail hour. A cocktail would have been quite delightful, but some deep breathing, old friends, and delicious food helped ease my stress level.

The wedding was such a joyous occasion, and the happiness of seeing these two friends tie the knot was well worth any crazy cab rides and a host of mosquito bites! Congratulations Blannie! Love you much!

An Important Question and Some Loves

2011-09-28T09:41:00.000-04:00

Singing along with Oasis in a British accent, top down, cruising in the fall weather. Even errands are fun in a drop top. Who else besides Oasis and the Cranberries actually sings in their accent? My version of Linger in an Irish accent is rather amazing. ("Ohhhh, I thawt the wawrld of yew. . . .") Don't you want to ride around in the Barbie Dream Car listening to 90's on 9 with me now?

Finding pasteurized eggs in the grocery store. I have eaten a fried egg every morning since this discovery. Oh, runny yolks, I have missed them so much.

Big furry paws petting me, as we snuggle up to watch Gossip Girl with open windows and a cup of hot dark chocolate.

And now, since I am also digging my outfit today, some almost 22 weeks bump pictures, for those who are interested.

I got a few new drapey sweaters from TJMaxx yesterday, and I am loving them as maternity wear.

So, that's what I've been feeling in the last few days of early fall. Oh, there have been a couple pumpkin spice lattes (bought in the Starbucks drive-thru to avoid pregnancy police), but they have lost their luster for me. . .too sweet (even with half the syrup pumps).

What is floating your boat these days?

Beyonce and Me

2011-09-26T09:53:00.000-04:00

So, I'm not sure if y'all know this, but I adore Beyonce. Simply adore. I am practically as excited about her pregnancy as my own (or maybe just that we are knocked up together).

Anyway, most of my bizarre dreams of late have been rather unsettling.

Not this one.

I'm in a hotel in Dallas for a wedding, when I spot B heading to the restroom. I throw caution and coolness to the wind, and dash after her, slipping into the ladies. As we wash hands, I ask her when she is due. She sweetly replies "January 17th" and we begin to compare notes. I tell her that I am a huge fan, and we talk about my favorite songs. Of course, my mind is completely blank, and I can barely think of any of her songs, but we laugh it off to pregnancy brain.

Then she asks if I want to perform a routine to a new song with her and her dancers.

Um, yes!

She picks a ballad, since I have to take it easy, and her back- up dancers show me the moves. I didn't mess up too much, we exchanged hugs and said our goodbyes, and then I woke up.

How's that for a way to greet the morning with a huge grin?

Now your task is to find out B's actual due date. If it is January 17th, this means that I obviously have pregnancy ESP, and need to start a lucrative side business.

Preggy Sue

2011-09-22T09:26:00.001-04:00

The Road to Hell. . .

Paved with good intentions, blah blah blah. It's been almost a week since I posted. After my solemn vow. C'est la vie. I've been going to lots of yoga classes, and am going to learn to relax. This mono type exhaustion also really helps the relaxation process.

So as an appeasement measure for lack of posting, I have pregnancy pictures! Much like Kate, I had qualms about this type of posts, but after a conversation with my dear friend Miss Purvis, in which we realized that she may never see me pregnant in person, I decided it's time.

So 21 weeks.

I'm sure you love my high quality iphone pics taken this morning on my way to out the door. I, for one, appreciate their blurriness.

This was probably not the best dress to wear for this exercise, as it does a fairly good job of camouflaging the bump. Flip-side? I then look chunky not preggo. I am pulling it tight here, so you can see the goods.

My waist has disappeared, but I look slightly normal from the front (please just agree with the delusional pregnant lady, okay?).

So the rundown (I copied your headings, Melissa)-

How Far Along: 21 weeks

Sex of baby: We dunno, much to all the ultrasound techs' displeasure. I have had an ultrasound every 2 weeks because of the wonky uterus, so tomorrow's scan will be the fourth chance we've had to find out. Obviously, I am made of willpower enforced steel, no?

Size of baby: A big banana! The banana is right at the 49th percentile for size, which sounds great.
Total Weight Gained: At my estimate about 11 pounds. I don't pay attention at the doctor's because 1) my appointments are right after lunch 2) I haven't used the restroom yet and 3) I have on copious amounts of clothes. Everyone knows your true weight is first thing in the morning, after using the ladies, with minimal amounts of clothing. Obviously.

Maternity Clothes: Pants and skirts. I am loving that elastic waist. All my normal flowy dresses and tops are still in use.

Movement: All the time! Baby is most active around 3:30, and 8-9:30. It really likes yoga, and bounces all around at the end when we lay still, or after a walk or swim. Hubs is thinking that it is already taking after me in the activity levels. Maybe all that playing is why I am so dad gum tired!

Sleep: Oh, just about 9-12 hours a night. . .

What I miss: Just feeling like myself. Jazzercise and a run. Oh, and my energy.

Cravings: Pineapple and cheeseburgers.

Aversions: Chicken. I can wolf down a damn barbecue sandwich, but the thought of even Chick-fil-a makes me gag. Not loving salads either. It's so strange.

Symptoms: My back hurts, and I can't remember my last name. Literally. I was leaving a message for someone, and left it with my maiden name. I've been married for almost 2.5 years.

Best Moment this week: A pregnancy massage last weekend at Westglow on Mama and I's mother daughter spa weekend! Seriously, go there- it was wonderful!

My So-Called Life- High School

2011-09-16T10:02:00.000-04:00

So Monday of Labor Day weekend was a wet tropical storm induced drippy mess. There was also a My So Called Life marathon on the Sundance Channel.

I was pleased.

I was brought back to my time of clothes that were simply too big, sideways glances fraught with meaning exchanged between lockers, bad boys, and parental rifts.

So similar to my look- even had that Jansport backpack, which then had to be upgraded to a Northface for high school. I was in eighth grade when the show premiered, and was canceled, then a freshman in high school replete with my own Jordan Catalano to agonize over during the MTV repeats.

It's so bizarre to remember those days, when a wink or hello from an older boy in the hall could make your month, and riding around in a car with your friends was super fun, although you pretended to be bored. I had my wild child period freshman and sophomore year, running around in my vintage overalls, and thrift store jeans, flannel shirts hanging off my barely 100 pound frame. (Why, oh why did I not take copious pictures of myself in bikinis at this period, so my thirty year old pregnant self could remember how I used to be?).

And Rayanne? Did y'all have that "new" friend? One that you didn't know growing up, and maybe felt a bit nervous around? So exciting and fun, but after spending rare moments at her house, you were so secretly appreciative of your parents who were always around and imposed rules.

Anyway, I was instantly brought back to those years, filled with insecurity and anticipation. I found myself becoming a bit wistful and angsty, completely absorbed in Angela's life.

Then Hubs came in, complained vociferously, and changed the channel. This was probably a good thing, because I don't think my hormones could have handled when drunk Rayanne slept with Jordan in the back of his car while Brian filmed it.

Too much for this thirty year old to handle still. Sniffle.

Solemn Vows

2011-09-15T09:28:00.000-04:00

So we were in Savannah last weekend for Preston's beautiful nuptials. Jessie was giving me a little guff about my severe lack of blog updating lately. I hung my head in shame, and agreed. I promised that I would do better- after all my camera is loaded with pictures of yummy recipes for y'all to try, and my mind churns at night with all the things I want to discuss with you, dear readers.

But then when it comes to turning on my laptop, I fall asleep instead.

This lack of energy is just too much! I was so pleased to stay at the reception until the wee hour of ten p.m. (I'm such a party animal), but then I slept the whole way home, and twelve hours Sunday night because I was so worn out from the trip. I have time for nothing but sleep! This is really cramping my lifestyle.

Anyway, what else is going on?

1. I have been going to so yoga classes lately- normally I get way too antsy in yoga, being more of a bop around and bounce person. However, maybe I am already mellowing, because it just suits me to a tee lately!

2. Mama and I are going to the spa this weekend! I am too tickled about this trip, to celebrate our respective 30th and 60th birthdays which occurred last month. We are going here, in Blowing Rock. What should I pack? Hmmmm. Might need some suggestions on cute preggo spa wear, ladies.

3. Buddy and Hubs will be having a bachelor weekend, and I say there will much imbibing and cursing going on at our house during the UT-Florida game.

4. Buddy is a nut case as usual. We were taking a stroll around the neighborhood the other night. While I was looking at people's gutters (we're getting new ones, and I was deciding the color), Buddy took advantage and took off! Now, I am not supposed to strain too had after him, or fall trying to hold him, so I dropped the leash.

What he took off after, sniffing furiously, tail waving like a furry flag?

A damn concrete bunny.

He came back to me, dragging his leash behind him in defeat, shamefaced.

I laughed pretty hard.

So, that's pretty much it around these parts. I am renewing my vow to get back to almost daily blogging in front of all the interwebs as my witness.

I'm going to try at least. . .

Nursery Beginnings

2011-09-07T11:18:00.000-04:00

I have found that the most difficult part of not finding out the gender of the kid currently residing in my tummy is the nursery planning. When you look up gender neutral nursery ideas, everything seems to be tasteful neutrals. Which is lovely, but sooo not my style. I love color and print.

I started out with several ideas, including Khandar Jewel by Robert Allen, yellow walls, an aqua dresser/changing table, and white crib. That all changed when I found this-

Please excuse the crappy iphone pictures. So, dresser and crib will be antique white, and the walls will be Palladian Blue by Benjamin Moore.

The fabric is by Braemore, and will comprise the drapes and the crib skirt.
Bumpers are going to be a great textured yellow and white fabric, which I will also make a bolster pillow for the glider (haven't found that yet- thinking a natural will work nicely.

If the bean is a boy, I will pull out the reds, and if it is a girl (my sneaking suspicion purely based on how damn tired I still am, the Chinese disagree with me and predict a boy), I will pull out the pink.

Now all I have to do is wait for our mudroom renovation to begin (and end), relocate Hubs' office to new office in mudroom, paint, add crown molding, and have my linens made. Hmmmm.

Well, this guy is geared up and ready to relocate-

Grinning from ear to ear in anticipation already! Kind of resembles my daddy in that respect. . .

Silver Britches

2011-09-06T09:39:00.000-04:00

I know. I am terrible. It's been over a week, and I have no excuse. Well, except for work, and the fact that at 18 weeks I am still exhausted all the time. It's getting really old.

Apparently pregnancy makes me look like a zombie. Or maybe it's the lack of adult beverages in my life.

The good news is, I've been back in the kitchen and have lots of delicious goodies to share with you. The bad news is, after attending a birthday party Friday night, and having people over for the game Saturday night, I couldn't even stay up to watch the Dawgs lose. Which may not be that bad, since my retinas were seared by my alma mater's uniforms. Why, Georgia?

I can't even discuss it. How am I supposed to cheer Go You Silver Britches!?? Poor Larry Munson. Please read this article if you are bored, for a brief history of the silver britches. Obviously Nike did not. Hmmmppphh.

I am just going to continue to picture this in my head, and yearn for its return.

Funeral Food

2011-08-25T10:49:00.000-04:00

So I just returned from North Carolina after a death in Hubs' family. There were many stories told, tears shed, and of course, food consumed. I wanted to share two recipes with y'all that were just too good.

First of all, Mrs. Beall's beef tenderloin, which was the best beef tenderloin I have ever had (I'm sorry Mama). She told me to simply rub the tenderloin with salt, then roast it for 15 minutes at 500 degrees. Then turn your oven down to 375 degrees, and bake it five minutes per pound. It was perfect!

Now, on my way out of town, I rooted around my fridge, and came up with sausage, cheddar, and crescent rolls, which are all the makings of a tasty comfort food bite. For Sausage Twirls, preheat the oven to 375. Take a pound of bulk sausage (I'm partial to Wampler's special blend, myself), and mix it with a heaping cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese. I'm even amenable to using pre-shredded in the bag for this recipe, since the preservatives aren't an taste or consistency issue here, and you might be running late for Sunday school, with wet hair and an unpacked bag, an oversleeping husband, and a furry dog demanding your attention. Ahem.

Take two cans of crescent rolls, and unroll them. Divide each into four rectangles (each will consist of 2 triangles). Pinch the perforations together. Take about an eighth of the sausage mixture and spread it onto the crescent roll rectangle evenly. Roll up the dough, longways, so that you have a tube. Repeat with your other triangles, and stick the whole shebang into the fridge to chill for about 30-45 minutes.

Slice the tubes in about 1/2 inch pieces, and lay them on an ungreased cookie sheet (I like to lay down a piece of parchment paper for ease of cleaning, but I really hate to clean a cookie sheet. Seriously, I dread that job). Bake for about 20 minutes, till they are golden and the sausage is all cooked.

Now, I would use the reduced fat crescent rolls, and sausage (and cheese if you want). These boogers are greasy and delicious, and withstand the reduction of fat quite well. As you can imagine, they are really tasty. I ate practically my own weight in sausage twirls and ham biscuits. Now my fingers resemble little sausages themselves, due to all that country ham. It was worth it though!

Sorry for the lack of photos, but circumstances disallowed blogging tendencies. Hubs and his family are doing well, and we appreciate all the thoughts and prayers.

Preggo Posting

2011-08-16T10:05:00.001-04:00

I'll add the lovely requested side profile shot later today, I swear.

Anyway, if you are one of my three male readers, or someone who has no interest in the details of my pregnancy (much like I would have been four months ago), please skip this post. It will bore the living daylights out of you, I promise.

Warnings out of the way, here we go!

How I'm Feeling:

I will be 16 weeks pregnant by the end of this week. No more nausea!! Whoohoo!! I'm still tired as all get out, and feel like I have mono. I think it is time to either get my iron tested, or get on some sort of sleeping medication so I actually rest at night instead of my current ungainly rolling from side to side all night. So, if 16 weeks is not my magic number for feeling better and entering this alleged honeymoon period, I'll be calling the doctor ASAP.
My appetite is super strong, and I like everything but chicken. Which is weird, but whatever.

How I'm Looking:

I'm not in maternity clothes yet, but their time is creeping closer. I had to pack 2/3rds of my closet away since they no longer fit.
I've gained about eight pounds, I guess? I've got a belly for sure! Male readers please avert your eyes. My boobs are absolutely enormous. Just huge.

The Complications:

I discovered before I got pregnant that I have a heart-shaped uterus, which I thought sounded downright adorable. It's not. However, I was lucky to know going into pregnancy that this would be an issue. Therefore, I have not run, or jazzercised, or bounced, etc. since right before I discovered I was knocked up. I miss it dearly, but know it is all worth it!
Walking and swimming (and water aerobics, hee) are my primary forms of exercise. I am supposed to shy away from hills, which really limits your options in East Tennessee.
Originally, I was going to have to have cerclage, which is basically a stitch in your cervix to keep the baby from falling out (or you know, to prevent incompetent cervix issues, a.k.a. to keep the baby from falling out).
After a consult with the high risk doctor (oh law, that deserves its own post- it was CRAZY in there), it was determined that I don't have to have the surgery! Well, at least not yet. I get an ultrasound every 2 weeks, instead of 4 weeks for the next few months to monitor the length of my cervix. I am just thrilled to pieces about this plan!
My due date is February 3rd, but I have to have a Cesarean because of the whole heart shaped uterus thing, so we're looking at January 26th.

Hmmm, I think that wraps it up. Feel free to ask any questions! Thanks so much for all of your words of love, encouragement, and congratulation!

Thankful (and old!)

2011-08-12T09:13:00.000-04:00

Thank y'all so much for all the wonderful birthday wishes on all these various forms of social media we use- I feel so loved! I am now in my third decade of life, and feeling pretty good about it. We had a lovely ladies lunch at the Orangery, which will definitely make you feel young, as the lunch crowd primarily consists of dowagers playing bridge in the solarium. Basically my dream for my dotage, except I don't play bridge. We'll have to sub in gin rummy when the time comes.

Also, thanks again for all the congrats on the Bean! I'm now 15 weeks, due February 3rd. However, due to some complications (a heart-shaped uterus), I'll most likely have a Cesarean on January 26th. I'm feeling great now, just sleepy and longing for some gooey cheese!

Hop you all have marvelous weekends!

The End of Summer

2011-08-08T21:10:00.000-04:00

Although it will be hot down here until October at least, the official summer season is coming to an end. Now, I know everyone has had a real tough time with this ungodly heat, with good reason. However, every time I catch myself on the verge of complaint, I imagine February and a life lived indoors.

So I am celebrating instead! Celebrating the lush, verdant overgrowth of August and the cicada lullaby.

I am celebrating the humidity which makes my skin supple and peachy, and the strong sun which dries my chlorinated hair and makes my zinnias bloom. Burgers on the grill, okra and tomatoes on my plate, heat lightning and lightning bugs, feet in the lake. Once that crispness in the air hits, all become a memory.

I am celebrating with pimento cheese on saltines, and ice cold cokes in glass bottles, eaten in the shade after stripping off my worn gardening gloves with a mountainous pile of weeds beside me.

And by going inside to a cool bath, fans, and deliciously cold AC, of course. . .

Catching Up

2011-08-07T21:24:00.000-04:00

First of all, before I unload a random bunch of pictures on y'all, Buddy wants everyone to know he is doing well. I've had several conversations with him about the responsibilities of being a big brother.

So far, all he has done is up his counter surfing and obsession with watching bunnies. I'm sure when the baby gets here, he will rapidly mature into a wonderful babysitter.

So I finally found a camera cord, and was reminded of the wonderful way I started off this sultry season. Hubs and I celebrated our second anniversary with a wonderful surprise. I came home from work, and a work out to this-

The table was set! With place-mats and CLOTH NAPKINS! Well, I would have have been blown away by that, just plump with pride for my husband. Then I about fell out, as the man opened the fridge to reveal a huge platter of chilled shellfish.

We feasted on steaks, green beans, mussel, crab claws, and shrimp.

Coupled with a glass of extra cold white wine, I was in seventh heaven (I'm getting really sad over here, knowing the only part of this meal I could truly partake in presently is the green beans, but that is a temporary setback for the greater good and a happy ending).

So what else do I have for you?

A lovely baby shower we threw for this mama-to-be a few weeks ago. I definitely paid a bit more attention to all the gear than I have before. Or at least tried to before becoming completely overwhelmed and hitting up the mini-quiches.

So that's all the excitement off the camera for now. Thanks to all of you for your lovely thoughts and well-wishes! I will do a post this week to answer all your questions, although I am not sure about a photo yet. Mama and I agreed while performing a visual survey of people in checkout line this weekend at Sam's Club (during tax-free weekend, shudder), that currently I look more porky than pregnant. However, once I get over my vanity about my new emerging tummy (I believe my issues are due to the fact that this tummy closely resembles my party all the time I love college tummy that I worked quite diligently to get rid of in subsequent years) I will provide you with plenty of side profile shots, i swear!

Forgotten Pleasures

2011-08-04T14:14:00.001-04:00

I have been just too boring for words lately. The usual mix of baby showers, hanging by the pool and cruising a little on the new boat (an unsinkable pontoon, thank you insurance).

Libby's lovely baby shower Sunday.

The most exciting thing that I've done recently is sign up for a library card, and bring home a fresh stack of unread books. Just waiting to be devoured. Such promise!

When I was a child, once a week before Wednesday night supper at church, we would stop first at the neighborhood library. I would load up with my maximum amount of books each week, and simply throb with the thrill of anticipation knowing that I could read them that night. My thoughts while playing with my friends and eating Miss Eloise's pork chops would wander to which book would be the lucky one I cracked upon first.

This week my first choice was Nanci Kincaid's Balls- very timely with football season just around the corner. I also have read Eat, Drink and Be from Mississippi, as well as As Hot as It Was, You Ought to Thank Me- great reads!

So this weekend might consist of poolside reading at my parents' house, interrupted by shady porch reading and puppy petting.

Now this picture brings me to another facet of my life, that is has been,well, burgeoning in recent months. You might look at the above photo and think "Goodness! She has really let herself go!" And the truth is, I have been eating far more french fries than I normally allow myself. However, it's not because I'm chunking up (although I am), but because I'm 14 weeks pregnant!

I get so awkward everytime I tell someone that.

Luckily you cannot see me over the interwebs, because I am likely blushing furiously or tearing up. That's what happens every time I inform someone of my condition. Hormones have taken over my mind and body, ya'll!

So now I give the truth for my lack of cooking (smells are just now allowed back in our home), lack of party-attending, and lack of much of anything. However, I am getting back in my normal swing of things, or should be, like, yesterday. So glad to get this off my (absolutely ginormous) chest, readers. Please forgive my boring-ness and get ready for a storm of cooking and decorating, I swear.

A Sinking Feeling

2011-07-28T09:32:00.000-04:00

Well, you don't have to be a nautical genius to know that this isn't good.

My boat done sunk.

I bid the S&S a fond farewell- she's been there for half my life, towing me on skis or a tube, serving as a comfy tanning or napping lounge, witnessed lots of cliff jumping, rope swinging, and beer drinking, ferrying me faithfully around the lake and to football games.

But, since you are sunk, it's time. Goodbye friend. You may be replaced by a shiny new pontoon boat, but will always be my favorite.

RIP
S&S- the best Sunesta ever to grace the waters of Ft. Loudon Lake
1995-2011

Where I Have Been

2011-07-27T09:38:00.000-04:00

First off, Dolly Parton was absolutely incredible. If you have the opportunity to see her in concert - do not miss it! I considered abandoning the law to follow her around on her world tour. There was one lady who had dressed her two year old as a baby Dolly, and went to the front every song to wave the toddler in Dolly's face. Now, I may want to be a Dolly groupie, but this kind of attention seeking is just wrong. I mean, the baby looked like a down and out cocktail waitress, as she was wearing a Dolly Parton wig and sequins.

I might be biased as Baby Dolly's mama was sitting behind my friends, and jostled the hell out of them about 25 times running down the row to get to the aisle. Thank goodness Dolly finally noticed the child, or else some trips to the chiropractor might be in order!

After that excitement, I slogged through half of the week, then hopped on a plane to join Hubs' family here-

As North Carolinians, it was their first time to the Gulf Coast. We played lots of Scat, a card game which was new to me (I'm a gun rummy gal myself), hung on the beach, and ate lots of fresh seafood (oh, crab cakes at the Red Bar, how I adore thee).

I think I would be quite content to spend the rest of my summer right there on that front porch.

Harry and Dolly

2011-07-15T10:50:00.000-04:00

So, this weekend has turned out to be quite a surprise. I thought I was simply throwing a baby shower, and doing some chores. Instead, Hubs has surprised me with Harry Potter tickets Saturday night after the shower, which is shocking as Hubs has a major aversion to the following 1) seeing movies opening weekend and 2) seeing movies at night.

So Harry on Saturday AND Dolly Parton tickets on Sunday night.

Now, this Dolly thing? I am over the moon! I adore Dolly Parton. She has not played in our town in 25 YEARS (she mostly goes up the road to her own Wood). However, this show benefits her foundation- Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. This program delivers a free age appropriate book to every child under the age of five in a county. You can check here to see if your area offers this program.

So I am seeing one of my personal heroes and supporting childhood literacy, a cause so, so dear to my heart.

Thanks Hubs! You are the best!

Smoking Away

2011-07-13T10:16:00.000-04:00

So, I am having a fit of color, and ready to finally get rid of my neutrally-yellow walls (and ceilings), at least in the bedrooms of our little stone house.

Now, I've got an red iron bed, with Pottery Barn's painterly paisley bedding.

I'm thinking gray- the color combo will echo the yellow and gray in the living room and dining room, and provide a soothing place for me to get some shuteye.

I love the combination of these two colors, and the gray will provide a neutral backdrop for when I eventually grow tired of our bedding and completely switch it up.

So while perusing Better Homes and Gardens some time ago, I came across the perfect gray.

Woodsmoke by Glidden. It's gorgeous, and I am dying to attack my walls right now. Restraining myself to wait for the new crown molding, and a professional who can also paint my ceiling a clean crisp white!

Thanks to Pinterest I found several other devotees of Woodsmoke, which you can find by looking at my boards, as the site is being finicky and barring me from embedding the links.

Isn't that a lovely shade of gray? None of that institutional nonsense which bathes the battered walls of my office.

I love the name too. It just conjures up standing in front of a bonfire, cup of something bourbony in your hand, wearing a puffy down vest and baggy jeans. Well, actually that just sounds like my high school days. Did y'all have a lot of field parties? We would pack up tons of coolers, and high tail it to someone's property (usually we knew the owners), build a great fire, and either set up tents and camp, or go our merry way at the witching hour for those of us who had curfews. Kind of sounds lovely right now, but that's probably because cold is currently a completely foreign concept.

Anyway, I painted our master walls big swatches of woodsmoke, and expectantly waited for Hubs' adoration of this gorgeous color which will transform our room.

He didn't like it.

I almost cried, and started talking about pink bathrooms.

He likes it now.

Dream, Dream, Dream

2011-07-08T10:01:00.000-04:00

Oh hello! Hold on, let me grab my keys, and come on in!

Excuse the mess, I have been so busy all day painting furniture and canvases.

Why thank you so much! It's so lovely to have such a nice little hobby that pays all my bills.

Let's go into my sitting room and have a little glass of wine, and some snacks. Excuse the mess- I have been wrapping presents for my Christmas closet, veen though it is the dead of summer, because I am super organized.

Let me just pop in the kitchen, and get out this tomato squash tart I whipped up with stuff from the garden.

Have a seat and help yourself. Oh, the flowers? Thank you- I picked them this morning after gathering eggs from my chickens. My gardening shed just makes me want to play in the dirt all day long!

Feel free to hang by the lake until everyone arrives-you know I love an impromptu party in the party barn!

If you have too many adult beverages, feel free to crash upstairs in the sleeping loft!

Thank y'all so much for coming by and keeping us company on such a pretty day. Stop by my fantasy life any time you please! I'm always whiling away the hours up here in my retreat.

All images via Samma on Pinterest.

Just Plumb Tuckered Out

2011-07-07T09:22:00.000-04:00

Friday night we attended a fabulous birthday dinner for two special ladies. I had to blush, as we had been to the same restaurant a week earlier for a different birthday dinner (I adore this dining establishment, so that was lovely with me). However, when we arrived, the bartender gawped at us and looked a bit horrified that we were to be dining in the back room again. We were the very last diners to leave the previous Friday. . . or maybe it had to do with the very specific and complicated after-dinner drinks one of friends instructed the waitress to create. They involved ice cream and brandy (he was a bit in his cups, I believe).

However, we managed to leave before eleven this time, and did not become too rowdy. Quite an accomplishment, considering the number of fun-havers at our table for 24.

The remainder of the weekend was spent pooling, laking, and visiting with old and new friends. Actually, three new little friends, as I got to meet Peg and Hunt's trips. These girls are home from the hospital and raring to go! Well, they do a lot of sleeping and snuggling, and are the cutest little things I've set my eyes on in a while. I'll post pictures after I check with their mama to make sure she is down with the girls making an appearance on the interwebs.

So, thank goodness for this four day week, as my holiday weekend just wore me out! Why is it that we need vacations to recover from our vacations? I'm all in favor for a permanent four day work week, sigh.

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

2011-07-01T08:42:00.000-04:00

So glad my dog is not the only weirdo who sits on tables. That was at my brother's house- Buddy has never chosen that form of seating at our house or my parents. Better squirrel and bunny watching I suppose.

Speaking of his weird behavior, I was working last night, and he scampered off to do his own thing around the house. I come in the den to find one of my tennis shoes (no surprise), and 5 empty banana peels. What in the world? I look at ole Buddy, and sure enough he is grinning happily, emitting dog banana breath.

My damn dog jumped up on the counter, retrieved a bunch of bananas, took them to the (carpeted) den, where he proceeded to peel and eat them. FIVE BANANAS. I wish there was video of him peeling them, because I can't figure that out for the life of me.

So today Buddy will be in lockdown, dreaming of playing with bunnies. . .

Image from Pinterest.

OH HI!

2011-06-29T09:08:00.000-04:00

I'm just doing a little sun bathing.

Mysteries and Cheese Toast

2011-06-28T10:35:00.000-04:00

So you're awake at four o'clock in the morning. . .I firmly believe all that tossing and turning has burned so many damn calories, that only carbs mixed with some cheese and butter will remedy that deficit and soother you to sleep. Along with a good mystery or two. . .

Someone asked me what I have been reading lately. I have been on quite the mystery thriller kick lately, and have several set in the South to recommend to y'all.

First off- A Little Death in Dixie by Lisa Turner
Set in Memphis, this twisty Southern Gothic follows the case of a troubled, alcoholic society woman who has disappeared, and the cop who is trying to find her. I ordered this on my Kindle randomly based on good reviews, and loved it. It's an excellent balance of literary and suspense- you can't stop reading, yet you aren't losing brain cells.

Next are the novels of John Hart-
I picked up the King of Lies based on Pat Conroy's ringing endorsement, and the fact Hart is a recovering lawyer. I tore through it, took a slight fluff break (warning, Hart's books are excellent, but not without large amounts of angst), then finished up The Last Child yesterday. I liked The Last Child even more- actions, twists, and an intriguing mystery. I'm terrible at book reviews, so check the reviews on Amazon and get back to me! Hart's newest novel, The Iron House, comes out mid July, and sounds very promising.

I've been filling out my murder and mayhem with Bossypants by Tina Fey, and Rob Lowe's bio, both of which are quick fun reads.

Also, loved Spoiled by the Fug Girls, for my dose of summer YA, downloaded onto the Kindle so i can pretend I am reading works from the literary canon.

Hmmm, in other fluffy reading, I enjoyed The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin, set in the Gilded Age, and full of intriguing period detail.

Okay, that's all the insomnia fueled books recommendations I have. . .any good ones I need to check out? The lack of summertime television means I need more books than normal. . .

The Future is Now!

2011-06-27T10:06:00.001-04:00

So to celebrate Anna and Andy's return from their Watermoon, I'm sharing some of Virge's pictures of their wonderful nuptial weekend. I miss all my Georgia gals so!

Look at the tiny tiny bride at the rehearsal dinner at Farm. I had two plates of food (shhh, it was organic, and locally sourced, so calorie free, right?). We had a wonderful time laughing at toasts and each other. Hubs had to stay home, as he had to attend his godson's christening, so I was on my own (surrounded by my closest friends).

Blogger just decided to erase the remainder of my post. I have neither the time or energy to recreate my prose, so enjoy these pictures, and tell me all about your weekends! Mine was a bit more relaxed than the wedding weekend- birthday dinner, naps by the pool, and convincing Hubs to see Bad Teacher with me (victory!).

Lazy Days

2011-06-23T09:25:00.000-04:00

I apologize for my spotty posting, but I have been too boring for words. This heat has gotten to me, and my main activity has been lolling. Too hot to cook, I am subsisting on chicken salad and slices of tomato (which has been quite pleasant). The heat is making me so indolent, I can't even manage to go down to the dock and get the boat going. Nope, the pool is enough movement for me, thankyouverymuch.

I keep staring at the weeds in my flower beds. I have promised myself that when the zinnias start to bloom, I'll weed. Right now it might be too much effort to discern my seedlings from the weeds. I'm telling y'all- this heat and humidity has gone to my brain.

However, I did have a fabulous weekend in Athens last weekend celebrating Anna and Andy's nuptials. It was so beautiful, relaxed and an all around wonderful time. I can't wait to show y'all pictures of the beautiful bride- we all decided she put Kate and Pippa to shame. Right now it's just too hot to download pictures though. . .maybe I'll peruse my book then get back to y'all.

Scenes from East Tennessee

2011-06-14T10:04:00.000-04:00

So last night I decide to pop in McKay's to kill a little time. Now that it's summer, the place is always packed with hill people, as all the surrounding counties come to the metropolis that is Knoxville to do their shopping. However, I cannot blame this incident on a Cocke Countian, as the person in question had Knox County plates.

I roll in, and attempt to pull in a parking spot. Unfortunately, it's obstructed by an old Jimmy's door being held open by a barefooted leg. While waiting for her to withdraw her leg, I notice that the door is open to allow better ventilation of the cigarette the nineteen year old is puffing. I pull up, hop out, and give the leg-withdrawer a tentative smile, as to say "Thanks for unobstructing my parking spot! Hugs!" She nods back, and I notice the laminated Jack Daniels label hanging from her rear-view, cigarette puffage is continuing, and there is a newborn baby sitting in someone's lap WAILING in the front seat! Probably crying over the demise of its lungs.

I would have taken a picture for y'all, but girl was likely to up and key my car if she saw me.
I began to mourn my fellow Appalachian Americans, but then I remembered glimpses of programs on Bravo and MTV, and realize that at least the girl was out of high school (or else looked real old for her age), and wasn't screaming like a banshee or throwing a hissy like some of those Housewives are wont to do. . .I guess trashy people are just all over the place. It might be a pandemic of trash. Please don't become infected- my sense of decorum cannot handle anymore!

Poor Buddy!

2011-06-13T09:10:00.000-04:00

The is not actual Buddy, but Dug from Up. Buddy would not allow himself to be featured in today's post.

My poor little guy has been in the cone of shame for a week. He still has another week to go, and is chafing under its limitations.

As am I- the back of my legs are covered in tiny bruises from being rammed by the cone. Buddy explained that if the cone was gone he would not have to ram me, but I was not persuaded. I picture Dug here, instead of my pupster, because he flat out refused to have a picture of him in the cone of shame on the interwebs. So embarrassing!

So, let's hope those nasty allergy-induced hot spots on his cute little face heal up quickly, and some peace returns to our household. I don't know how long I can take the cone of shame. . .

Summer Nights

2011-06-08T09:34:00.000-04:00

Painting by Jim Embry

When I was little, our house was more out in the country than the present. It has not moved, but the subdivisions have slowly began to encroach, and replace the woods full of scrub pines with neighborhoods with faux English names and references to the former farms and trees. It's progress I know, replete with access to city water, but I prefer the trailers and well water myself.

So growing up without a neighbors, I missed out on the joy of summer nights running around the neighborhood. Luckily, I could have slumber parties with friends when I needed to get my dusk game of hide and go seek or sardines in, so I wasn't completely deprived.

I adore walking Buddy just before dark, when the temperature is palatable, and the lightning bugs are beginning to wink their hellos. The smell of Dale's is omnipresent, wafting from backyard steaks and burgers. I trot along, as Buddy sniffs for squirrels and bunnies, waving at people out watering their flowers, and kids zooming around on bright bikes.

Yep, summer is here, and I am joyful!

Wishing I Was Here

2011-06-07T09:11:00.000-04:00

Or rather, wishing our dream lake-house and dock was already completed. Maybe I will win the lottery (even though I have never bought a lottery ticket). If I did, you would wind down this kudzu strewn gravel road, to this. .

Instead of the current half gravel, half dirt road which end ups here.

However, the most important part is already in place-

Now we just need this-

So someday our Tideland Haven will be built, and there will be kids and dogs and boats and coolers and wet bathing suits all over the place. Sounds like heaven, doesn't it?

The Coke Cure

2011-06-06T09:54:00.000-04:00

When I was a child, a woman sitting a couple pews ahead of us in church, had a hypoglycemic attack due to diabetes. Someone rushed down to the old Coke machine in the basement and brought her a Coke upon a doctor in the congregation's orders. Once she had the sugar from the Coke, the woman perked up considerably and all was well from my child's eyes.

This experience has led to strong belief that a cold coke can cure most ailments. Especially when you got kind of woozy when the temperatures are hitting nigh 100 every day. You know that point in the afternoon when a headache comes on, and you just feel a little woozy? Or you have been out running errands all morning, and just start feeling a touch faint.

Level One is:
1. cold diet coke over ice
2. with a straw

Level Two: If that doesn't work, one must upgrade to a real coke. Poured over ice, with a straw.

Level Three: Still not well? Check your ice. Rabbit pellets might be what you need.

Level Four: If peakedness continues, a real coke in a bottle is necessary.

If all else fails, proceed to Level Five- homemade vanilla coke, with real coke, over rabbit pellet ice, with a straw. Mmmmm. I might be feeling a bit peaked right now, and have to make a run to Long's Drugstore for my coke cure.

The other Sunday morning, feeling a bit weak, after a engagement party and birthday party the night before, faced with the prospect of 10 wild 4 and 5 year old boys, I made a mad dash to the coke machine in the basement. The cokes are no longer a quarter, nor are they in glass bottles. However, it still did the trick. I was ready to face the hordes of crazed boys with a smile.

In college, my daily Diet Coke consumption was measured in gallons. I've gotten it down to one a day now, but it is a necessary part of my day. A medical necessity, right?

Looking Good and Showing off My Ass-ets

2011-06-03T09:23:00.000-04:00

So I have to impart to y'all this horrifying incident which happened to me last Tuesday. Running errands during lunch like mad in preparation for Brother's wedding, I was feeling rather spiffy. Hair was freshly done, and I was (for once) wearing an absolutely darling lady lawyer outfit. Black and white Hounds-tooth pumps, with just a smidgen of peep toe, sleeveless black dress with a stylish cowl neck collar thing, crisp white button up underneath, pearl, gold chain and black ribbon super-fashionable statement necklace, and a skinny black patent leather belt. To contrast, today I am wearing a black knit shift dress and black flats.

So, yeah, pretty darn spiffy. Others were noticing too. I was getting lots of appreciative looks as I strutted into Earthfare to pick up a salad and piece of pizza. I flipped my freshly blown out locks, just for the hell of it. Ladies- I was working it.

Until the tap on my shoulder as I waited in line.

"Excuse me, honey?"

"Yes Ma'am?" I politely respond to the nice older lady standing behind me. Maybe she is going to ask where I got my hair cut, or purchased my darling shoes.

"Do you know your slit in the back of your dress is ripped up pretty high?"

My mouth agape, and unable to speak, I frantically grope the back of my dress. I must have snagged the slit on something, because it now extended all the way to the waist of my undies (which thank you baby Jesus were grannies, and not, gasp, pantyhose or a thong).

I finally stutter out some thanks for alerting me to my situation. Still frozen with horror I watch as she fishes around her pocketbook for a safety pin, to no avail. Finally I thank her again, scurry away in a very ungainly fashion, while trying to clutch my dress closed.

Once I get into the safety of my vehicle, I take a deep breath, and burst into laughter. Thank God I was not in a client meeting, or even at work. I headed home, switched out my dress for a more appropriate look and went about my day.

If YM was still around, and I was 12 I would have written in, as this was definitely a "Say Anything" type of embarrassing incident. Any such incidents happen to y'all lately?

Wedding Weekend!

2011-06-01T09:35:00.000-04:00

So we had a glorious time down at Reynolds Plantation celebrating the nuptials of Brother and Em. Above is a sneak peek of AK's amazing photography of the occasion- I'm dying to see more.

We had a lovely bridesmaid luncheon by the pool. That's Em in the white, with the enormous hat.

Then Mama and I scurried off to complete the rehearsal dinner preparations. It rained off and on on Friday, clearing up about an hour before the dinner, so the outdoor plans had to be scrapped. This was probably for the best, since the hotel was screening a Disney movie on a giant screen by the pool, about 30 feet away from the dinner spot. Mama is deaf as a post, and rather, hmmm, lax about sporting her hearing aids. Since the movie was reportedly quite loud, she, as well as many others, would have been completely clueless as to the wise words of all the toasts (although well versed in the musical stylings of Mandy Moore in Tangled).

I'll be sure to fill y'all in on the wedding as soon as I get some pictures. It was smooth sailing, and wonderful all around. The only glitch is when Brother and Em return from their honeymoon. Some friends decided to celebrate another night, and the newlywed's home now looks like this-

Since I'm house sitting, I have got to get this cleaned up before their return. Any suggestions? I do think it looks quite bridal and magical, but think Em won't be so inclined. Hee.

Apologies

2011-05-26T09:40:00.000-04:00

For the spotty posting. I've been up to my ears in last minute stuff for my little Brother's wedding. So excited to head down to Reynolds and relax in the sun (and gain a sister to boot). So check out a fab recipe I've been enjoying over at EAD Living- it's actually helpful for bikini wearing.

Last year I was down at the Beach Barn living it up with Hubs, the Flowers and the Taylors. What are y'all doing for Memorial day weekend? Hope you are enjoying the sun and summer's arrival (but wear sunscreen!)

I Knew Before We Began*

2011-05-23T09:34:00.000-04:00

Okay, it's time for a little sappiness today on S&S. In honor of Hubs' and I's second wedding anniversary (whoohoo!), a little story about how we fell in love. I was living in Atlanta in my second year of law school, while Hubs was in Knoxville. We had slowly become very good friends over the past three years, and he was the guy I called before I went to sleep after a wild night out with my friends, or to talk about any boy problems I might be encountering.

We were both casually seeing other people that we weren't that wild about- just having fun. I started getting worried though. If Hubs started dating someone seriously, she would most likely object to my 2 o'clock in the morning phone calls, and perhaps our super close friendship. Hmmmppph.

So I was attending a wedding back home and I took Hubs as my date (as friends). AK and I formulated a plan- if Hubs confessed his love, then it was a sign and I would go for it. If not, it wasn't meant to be, and we should remain friends. I was a trifle bit nervous, because I knew if Hubs and I kissed we would probably end of getting married, and I was rather a commitment phobe at this point of my existence.

Well, the night went on. I consumed a great deal of absolutely delicious wine, had a ball, and generally was in a fabulous mood. However, no confession of love from Hubs. This was going to take a little help from me, obviously. We're hanging with all of our friends at the local watering hole, and decided to inquire of Hubs whether he has ever had a crush on me. Bright red, he stutters something to the negative effect, which I scoff at (internally I hope, though things are a little fuzzy due to the previous wine consumption (and the fact that this was almost five (!) years ago)), because I'm pretty confident that he had a crush on me (confidence of course increased by wine as well).

The night continues well into the wee hours, and we end up on Hubs' porch, talking and laughing as is our norm. Finally Hubs brings up my earlier query about his feelings for me. I play dumb, then relent a little and tell him that if he did have feelings for me it would change things. Not to sound melodramatic, but I knew at this point my life was about to change (hee, that is really melodramatic- can I once again blame the copious amounts of expensive red wine?). He said some amazing stuff to me (that would earn me a very angry Hubs if I posted them on the interwebs), and I melted. And that was that- we've been in love ever since! Seriously, very few hiccups along the way, excepting my freak out during bar study about global warming, but that is a story for another time.

So two happy years and a lifetime left to go! Happy anniversary Hubs! I love you!

*I surprised Hubs with this inscribed on the inside of his wedding band. I'm pretty sweet occasionally.

Losing Dresses and My Train of Thought

2011-05-18T09:48:00.000-04:00

I was going through random pictures last night. Don't you hate when you notice articles of clothing that have disappeared? I adored this dress, and have not a clue where it now resides.

I love this picture of my family (I wonder where I am- based on the composition, behind the lens with assistance?).

Ahh, my first Christmas as a bride. And my gift from my loving husband.

From Bill and Katie's wedding- just about a year ago. Happy Anniversary friends! Such a great time, and another missing dress.

Anner just sent me this picture, and I can't stop laughing at it- we will be at Tucker Plantation in exactly a month for her nuptials!!!!

Watercolor's geraniums from last Memorial Day Weekend. If it would stop being so dag gum cold here, I would plant some in my beds. I went a little crazy and dug up a bunch of bushes in my front beds on Sunday. Now I am left with a bunch of stalks, and a root system that I can not pull up. And cold and rain. Poor Hubs is probably going to come outside at some point on Saturday to a giant hole in our front yard, and a triumphant wife brandishing an enormous shovel.

Finally, a pic of me getting ready for cotillion. Why could Pascal not have done my hair like this? I loved this hairdo. My brother and Em's wedding is at the end of this month. I am so excited to be pampered, and get my hair did, but for the first time, I'm experiencing some trepidation on how I will fare. Insults? Touching me in slightly inappropriate places? A tri-bunion? Ahhh, Pascal I miss you already.

Happenings

2011-05-17T10:32:00.001-04:00

So I have been woefully neglectful when it comes to the dear blog and you readers. The last few weeks have been a blur of birthday parties, enagement parties, and baby showers. Above was ALE's lovely celebration for a certain big birthday.

Then we headed down to Chattanooga for an engagement party for Brother and Em, which was lovely.

Then we had a surprise birthday derby party, an engagement party, and a baby shower the next weekend.

I ripped this picture from a friend's facebook. I like it because I was telling an absolutely filthy joke (I'm center in the black and pink dress, whispering this joke to Carson).

This past weekend was relatively tame, with a happy hour that lasted into the night replete with skinnygirl margs (I feel thinner already, thanks Bethenny), a trip to Reynolds Plantation with Mama to work on rehearsal dinner preparation for Brother and Em's upcoming nuptials, having to get out the first aid kit during Sunday School class (never a good sign when dealing with a herd of 4-6 year olds) and a baby shower.

I'm looking forward to this weekend, with just a movie on the book, and time to clean out my diasasterpiece theatre of a ~~closet guest bedroom closet guest bedroom bed and laundry room~~ closet. I also need to punish myself indulge in a quick two day juice cleanse to prep for bridesmaiding with a bunch of 23-25 year olds. Maybe my almost thirty year old self should do some moisturizing as well. Hmmm.

Five is Better than One, right?

2011-05-12T14:48:00.000-04:00

Ahh, Cinque Terre I love you so. .

Even the gas stations have got style in Italy.

A little lost due to inability to read Italian street signs. Or find any as we cruised in our Renault.

Happy to see the sea in La Spezia, although Hubs once again is ruining my Euro disguise. Hee.

After exploring alleys and ocean, we picnicked on a lunch of apples, assorted cheeses, cured meats (naturally), fresh bread, olives, and tomatoes, which we picked up in our local market before leaving Florence.

I was happy to be there. Generally I have a rather buoyant, (some might say perky) personality, and proximity to a body of water increases such happiness exponentially.

I'm dying to scrap my plans this weekend, and haul out my paints. My hand is itching to recreate this scene!

Traumatized

2011-05-12T09:15:00.000-04:00

Before

After

Someone got their first haircut (buzz-cut) for the summer. His tail and head still belong to the furriest dog in the world, but his body does not. My fluffy cuddle bug is now shaved for the summer, and I am sad. He however, as an avid squirrel watcher, feels that his chances of sneaking up on a squirrel is far greater now since he resembles one. And is he is happy that he is nice and cool. . . .

How long does it take golden retriever fur to grow?

Genetics are a Scary Thing

2011-05-05T10:04:00.000-04:00

My brother and I don't look that much alike really- we have the same coloring but are faces are very different (I take after my father's side, he my mother's).

However, I was culling through my Italy pictures, and happened upon these-

Brother in Venice.

Me in Cinque Terre.

Please see the title of this post.

Do you resemble your siblings? Mannerisms or looks?

An Unpopular Confession

2011-05-04T09:30:00.000-04:00

This post is likely to offend many. I apologize in advance and urge you to remember that my opinions are my own and mean little to nothing.

I ~~hate~~ strongly dislike holiday themed decor.

Whew.

Finally got that off my chest.

I don't like elves, or bunnies, or black cats. Nor USA themed knick knacks, hearts, or reindeer. While perusing my latest Garden and Gun, I devoured an article by Julia Reed stating her distaste for wreathes made of things other than greenery and displayed at times other than Christmas.

A fellow disliker of egg festooned or fall themed wire wreathed doors? Thank goodness. I felt like I was lone wolf traversing a desert festooned with pastel, red and green, autumnal brown knick knacks. Now I have company, in the form of a fellow opinionated Southern lady who I greatly admire.

That gives me strength in the face of this-

People even theme out their cars! Does your car really need to be dresses as a bunny? Really, people?

Although I am a bit tempted by these-

And, yes, I do seasonally decorate. I'm not a complete puritan. I love nativities and greenery, and glass ornaments sprinkled about. For spring I like Easter Lilies and fresh flowers from the yard.

I think it's been a slow case of decorations fatigue, and a ever growing aversion to theme decor which has brought me to my current state of even sneering at Christmas china. Hubs calls me a Grinch, but I think I'm taking a Julia Reed- like stand.

Dear readers, are you horrified at my grumpiness? Do I have any other compatriots in my stand against knick-knackery?

Stalked by Dame Judi in Venice

2011-05-03T10:14:00.000-04:00

Canals, $30 Bellinis at Harry's Bar, lot's of boats, and secret romantic courtyards, handsome Italians in striped shirts and funny hats guiding gondolas that seem designed by Donatella Versace, and fish baked in a salt dome big as our table. And Limoncello (not quite in Danny Davito amounts).

Oh, and we saw Dame Judi Dench three times. I was in total BBC miniseries crush mode, spotting those cheekbones and flipping out- whispering to my companions- "There's Dame Judi Dench!!" , to be met with "What? Who?" Frantically racking my brain for a reference point for my brother and husband I landed out "She plays M in the Bond movies!!" hissed under my breath. She and her companion had disappeared at this point, but luckily we ran into her an additional number of times. We decided we would ask her to kindly refrain from following us upon spotting number four, which alas, never happened.

The Back of Your Head Looks Like A Face!

2011-04-26T20:51:00.006-04:00

Just realized I haven't told y'all about the massive amount of fun that was Kinger's wedding in Athens two weeks ago. I was too busy talking/laughing/dancing/drinking to take any pictures, so once some come in I'll be sure to share how completely gorgeous it was. I'm also obsessed with the table toppers, and kicking myself for not taking a picture of them since I want to fashion my own now.

Anyway, before the real pictures come in, I have to tell y'all about Pascal. Parisian Coffieur to the stars and Kinger.

Hater of all things Samma.

Seriously, the man detested me. I was in trouble for the following (1) not having my coffee (2) not bringing him coffee (3) having too thick of hair (4) straining his shoulder due to my unreasonably thick hair (5) moving my head too much (5) having too many layers and most of all, (5) having the audacity to tell him I like my hair down or half up, especially since I have bangs.

These issues led to this.

The tri-bunion. Pascal was forced to do this because of all my layers. Layers which he asked me if I cut myself. (!)

The nerve.

Well, it was quite windy, which is why the coffieur insisted on my hair being up, and was outraged when Preston and I went outside to check out the wedding preparation. I made the situation far worse when my lawyer side kicked in, and I suggested that my hair should be able to withstand wind since pictures and the ceremony would both take place outside in said wind.

Then I ended up with a rat tail.

So ladies, lesson learned. Never tell a Frenchman what to do, or you shall end up looking Gwen Stefani in the mid 90's.

And hey it could be worse!

He told NJ, whom I'm dousing with hairspray here, that her hair looked like a booger!

I'm cracking up right now thinking about it. And, the bride looked beautiful, which is all that matters! No one noticed the self-cut booger hair of her minions! Hee.

So Kinger, Congratulations and welcome back from your tropical honeymoon this week! Send me pics as soon as they come in!

Tis A Gift To Be Simple

2011-04-26T09:18:00.002-04:00

Hubs and I attended a wedding of one of his friends from high school last weekend outside of Asheville. I just wanted to share this with y'all because I just loved the setting and the darling barefoot bride.

Isn't it lovely? The bride walked down the aisle to Appalachian Spring. Hubs shocked the hell out of me by turning and saying "This is our wedding song isn't it?" Flabbergasted, I beamed with pride at him for remembering that tidbit from our nuptials. He replied, "Well, I had to listen to it for long enough waiting for you to come down the aisle!"

Hmmpphh.

Hubs went to boarding school, so it was lovely to hang with his friends who are scattered about in sharp contrast to my friends. We all scurried on home after adventures elsewhere, excepting a few stragglers who I hope will eventually make it back to good old East Tennessee.

Speaking of East TN, it never fails to entertain me to watch the change that happens when you cross the border into Western North Carolina. Thanks to the Vanderbilts, and various other fancy folk who visited the mountains of Carolina, historically there's just a lot more cash on that side of the mountains. Hubs (an Asheville native), and I entertained ourselves on the drive to the wedding by playing "Tennessee or Carolina?". Respectable, clean, well maintained little farmhouse? North Carolina! Hardscrabble trailer with a couple cars out front and some chickens in the yard? Tennessee!

Hey, at least we're authentic.

My Name is Lucca

2011-04-22T09:19:00.000-04:00

Terrible post name, I know. I couldn't think of anything else, but Lucca is amazing. It was my pick in the "where would you live in the towns we visited" game. The medieval part of the city in surrounded by a wide giant wall the grassy top of which is populated with joggers and elderly couples strolling hand in hand. And it had really good shopping (which I avoided due to spending lock-down), and we enjoyed a delightful lunch of minestrone, bread, pate, and, ahem, prosciutto.

Brother and Em. We tromped around town for a solid hour, looking for an annual flower market which Mama wished to see. You may note that my father is not in many pictures. This has nothing to do with his photogenic-ness, but rather the fact that he was likely off getting gelato when various photos were taken. The man became extremely fluent in two Italian words- cappuccino and gelato. He probably had gelato 3-5 times a day on average. Good thing he is an exerciser!

The beautiful church on the main square. I loved this statute with the golden rays.

This gate leads to my secret Italian garden where I scribble my critically acclaimed and extremely lucrative best selling novels, and drink cappuccinos which serve mainly as an excuse to eat more prosciutto. Then I'll take Buddy on a stroll, and make Hubs fantastic picnic lunches ala Ina Garten, which we eat in a romagical nook of my garden.

You can see the side of the wall snaking around in the background of this photo. So after looking for the flower market for ages, we finally found it. It was a plant sale, just like the one which happened last weekend in the park here in town. Not exactly wander around for hours material, but they were enjoyable wanderings.

So glam, no? I swear I wore different clothes every day (while only packing 2 carry-ons for myself), but my trench coat was my mainstay. Lightweight nylon, this last minute purchase from Stein-mart was clutch for the changeable Italian weather. And I felt so very Euro. Although definitely not Italian. Thank goodness Mama is blonde too. Two freaks are better than one!

Inside the Villa

2011-04-20T21:10:00.001-04:00

Buon Giorno! Welcome to my home. My dream home, when I spend a number of weeks every year in Tuscany. Of course, I only fly first class, and am not surrounded by energetic senior citizens in sweat suits on the way there.

I know I've talked about my intense love for cured meats before, but this love became rather obsessive during my 10 days. Under the guise of foodie-ness, I let my love for salamis, prosciuttos, and sopressatas to reach new heights. Seeking out glasses of wine or cappuccinos every early evening to have more antipasti? Well, I need protein right? Part of my diet. Damn straight. Oh and olives? A girl's got to have some ~~vegetables~~ ~~healthy fat~~ sodium in her life.

We can all agree that calcium is very important for bone density and good health. Hence my copious cheese consumption. As always, I am a paragon of health.

Mama and Emily obviously agree! Red wine for heart health ladies!

This is the lovely kitchen of the "kids' apartment", right around the corner from my parents' place. I made lots of frittattas from the fresh eggs and leeks left on our counter every morning. Don't worry ladies, I was very conscious to pronounce them "FREET-TA!-TA!" Giada style. I'm so damn authentic.

Our living and dining room.

And Hubs and I's 15th century bedroom with a 16th century bed. When the lovely proprietor told us that the bed had been in her family since the 1500's, Hubs looked rather askance, while I dreamed about Romeo and Juliet. Yep, just a bit romantic with the arched ceiling and chandelier.

My parents, brother and sister in law to be, and Hubs, combined with an assortment of olives, cheeses, cured meats and delightful cheap wines? Basically a dream night for me. Especially when you add Mama's homemade spianch gnudi for dinner, and sleeping off my jet lag in my romantic arched ceiling lair.

Oh, and the mysterious plant? Brussel sprouts!

Villa Il Paradisino

2011-04-19T09:34:00.000-04:00

We arrived in Florence after running through a couple airports (Charlotte and Munich) to be greeted by Mama and Daddy at the airport. After some wrong turns, we arrived at our home for the next ten days- Villa Il Paradisino.

Mama and Daddy had been making themselves at home for about a week before our arrival, and Mama was pleased as punch to show me around. Since I had been breathing airplane air for about 12 hours, I was delighted to frolic around the Italian fields, although I was dragging quite a bit. Don't let me forget to tell you about the rowdy group of 75 year olds that partied the entire flight from Charlotte to Munich. Those golden oldies were the recipients of a number of evil looks from myself and Hubs.

While I frolicked, Hubs sat on the terrace, unpacked and checked in e-mail

Although I missed Buddy horribly, Nina, my Italian dog friend who loves bites of frittata and plastic bottles, was on hand to entertain.

The villa was the perfect mix of city and country for this crew of East Tennesseans. Set in a suburb of Florence (a ten minute train ride into downtown), we were in a walled enclave of seven acres of grapevines, olive trees, vegetable gardens, chicken, geese and guinea hens.

The flowers were incredible. As were the (untrimmed) forsythia.

I loved wandering through the fields identifying the Italian cousins of out gardens back home. This one took me a while- I was entranced by the colors, and poked around a bit to discover what in the hell it was. . . any guesses?

Dress Love

2011-04-18T18:43:00.000-04:00

Thank y'all so much on the compliments on my dress! It's from Dillard's, and was inexpensive- you can find it here. Mama's was a cheapo by Jessica Howard too (I'm sure she loves that I just proclaimed that to the internet).

In non-cheap dress news I am dying for these-

Nanette Lepore

Kate Spade

Maybe the dress fairy will come to my house. If so, either or would be perfect for upcoming weddings and rehearsal dinners, thanksloveyousomuch!

Popeye Strata and Country Strong

2011-04-14T21:36:00.000-04:00

16-20 (1/2 inch thick slices supermarket French or Italian bread
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened plus extra for the baking dish
3 large shallots
2 12 oz packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup dry white wine
12-16 oz Gruyère cheese, shredded (3-6 cups)
12 large eggs
3 1/2 cups half and half

1. Adjust 2 oven racks to the upper middle and lower middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread the bread out over 2 baking sheets and bake until dry and light golden brown, about 25 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. Let the bread cool completely and then spread butter evenly over 1 side of each slice, using 4 tablespoons of th butter.

2. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook until warm, about 2 minutes . Transfer to a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the wine to the skillet and simmer over medium high heat until reduced to about 1/4 a cup, about 5 minutes, set aside to cool.

3. Butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and tightly fit half of the bread slices, buttered sides up, into a single layer in the dish. Sprinkle half of the spinach mixture, then a heaping cup of th cheese evenly over the bread slices. Repeat with the remaining bread slices, spinach mixture, and 1 more cup of the cheese.

4. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until combined, then whisk in the reduced wine, half and half, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread layers and sprinkle the remaining cheese over top.

5. Wrap the strata tightly with Saran wrap, pressing the wrap to the strata, then weigh down. Refrigerate for 8-24 hours.

6. Adjust the oven rack to the middle rack and heat oven to 325 degrees. Unwrap the strata and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Bake the strata uncovered until pulled away from the edges and puffed, about an hour to an hour and 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before servings.

So, I watched Country Strong last night- who has seen it? Thoughts? I felt like half the movie was missing- characterization, what?
Okay, in other news I'm heading to Athens to celebrate Kinger and Chas' nuptials! Hurrah! I hope y'all have a glorious weekend!

Eggs, Bread And Cheese*

2011-04-14T09:42:00.000-04:00

Jenny and I definitely chowed down some strata leftovers Sunday morning. Our husbands were quite pleased with that result of the shower.

Oh my word, this was tasty. I was a teensy bit nervous making these, since they were recipes I'd never prepared before, and I never make new recipes for guests without trying first. However, I had made the French Toast casserole, and all of these came from a cookbook I trust as much as my mother when it comes to cookery- America's Test Kitchen, which publishes Cook's Illustrated. All three of the casserole recipes came from "The Best Make Ahead Recipe", and are rather foolproof.

Breakfast Strata with Potatoes, Rosemary and Fontina:

16-20 1/2 in thick slices super market French or Italian bread (the soft kind)
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus a little extra for greasing the baking dish
3 cups cooked red potatoes cut into 1/2 cubes (I cheated and used those "simply potatoes" that come in the refrigerated section. I had an opera to get to!
3 large shallots minced
4 medium garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 cup dry white wine
12-16 oz fontina, about 3-5 cups. This depends on budget and love of cheese. My budget (and waistline) is always ready to expand when it comes to more cheese!
12 large eggs
3 1/2 cups half and half
3 heaping tablespoons of minced flat leaf parsley

Adjust 2 oven racks to the upper middle and lower middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread the bread out over 2 baking sheets and bake until dry and light golden brown, about 25 minutes, switching and rotating about half way through. Let the bread cool completely then spread 4 tablespoons of butter (nuke it to help with spreading), evenly over 1 side of each piece of bread.

Melt the remaining three tablespoons of butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes and cook until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the shallots and cook until softened about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the wine to the skillet and simmer over medium high heat until reduced to 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Butter a 13 by 9 baking dish and tightly fit half of th bread slices buttered side up into a single layer in the dish. Sprinkle half the potato mixture, then a generous cup of the cheese evenly over the bread, repeat with remaining bread slices, potato mixture and 1 more cups of cheese.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until combined, then whisk in reduced wine, half and half, parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread layers and sprinkle remaining cup of cheese over the top.

Wrap the strata tightly with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap flush to the surface. Weigh down with boxes of sugar, or whatever you have the is relatively flat and heavy. Refrigerate for at least 8 and up to 24 hours.

With rack in middle position preheat oven to 325. Let strata sit unwrapped at room temp for 20 minutes. Bake the stratas uncovered, about an hour and 20 minutes, until it's puffy, and the edges have pulled away. Cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before serving.

I'll pass along spinach gruyere tomorrow, before I head to Athens for Kinger's wedding weekend! A big thank you to all the adorable hostesses for Em's shower- y'all are the best!

Rock Around the Clock

2011-04-12T22:51:00.000-04:00

The hostesses and my lovely bride to be future sister dressed in white.

We hosted a "Round the Clock" shower for Em at my crib Saturday morning. Two of the girls made these adorable clock cookies, which I had no hand in, as precision and patience in icing is not a strong suit of the Spice and Sass coterie of skills.

However, I can put together a brunch shower with the best of them! This is one of my favorites showers to throw, as it is easy to expand depending on your numbers, can be accomplished by yourself or a bevy of hosts, and is tasty. So our menu consisted of- Ham Delights (those little poppyseed ham sammies), fruit salad, marinated asparagus, a savory strata, and French Toast Casserole. All are easily made ahead (and in case of the strata and casserole, must be made ahead), and can feed a crowd. So recipes!

For today- French Toast Casserole-

French Toast Casserole:

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) soft loaf of French or Italian bread, torn into 1 inch pieces

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

8 large eggs

2.5 cups whole milk

1.5 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (or more to taste- I adore cinnamon, and you need something to burn off the rest of the ingredients)

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping:

1 stick unsalted butter softened

1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoon Karo

2 cups pecans chopped coarsely

For the casserole:

adjust two oven racks to the upper middle and lower middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread the bread over 2 baking sheets and bake until dry and light golden brown, about 25 minutes, switching the sheets about halfway through the baking time. Let cool completely.

coat a 13x9 baking dish with the butter and pack the dried bread into the dish

whisk the eggs in a large bowl until combined, then whisk in the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Pour the egg mixture over the bread and press on the bread lightly to submerge it.

For the topping:

stir the butter, brown sugar and Karo together until smooth then stir in the pecans

Refrigerate the topping and casserole separately at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.

To serve- 350 oven, put rack in middle position. Sprinkle the topping evenly over top, breaking apart any large pieces with your fingers. place casserole on rimmed baking sheet and bake until puffed and golden about 1 hour. Serve immediately.

So, not exactly health food, but. . .it's soo delicious. Just don't eat it every day, okay?

Three Times The Fun

2011-04-11T21:45:00.001-04:00

So I'll go backwards with my weekend, and start with pictures from Sunday-

All of the hostesses and Peg at the shower for the trips! (click all pics to enlarge)

Peg showing off her bump, and adorable dress from Boden.

My favorite gift was the three teeny tiny bathing suits, so the girls can all hit the pool this summer.

This makes me laugh, because there is actually eight people in it. Five of them are in utero. Hee.

The night before we helped host an engagement party on one of the bridesmaids' parents' farm for Brother and Em.

I tricked Morgan into coordinating his clothing with me. I attempt this for every event, and it rarely works. I would like us to be like Will and Jada Smith (sans Scientology and poofy shoes), and coordinate all clothing choices. Hubs has no interest in this.

Trying to get a bunch of ladies drinking wine to stop chatting and take a picture is quite difficult, as most of us know.

My brother and some his best friends. We discussed how much I hated them when they were in middle school. No one was offended- after all, the assholery and annoyance factor of 12 year old boys is a truth universally acknowledged.

Speaking of annoyance, my dear fur ball Buddy is being a bit of an asshole himself, and burrowing between my hand and my lap top, so I'll wrap this up. Recipes and a rundown of the bridal shower will follow tomorrow, I promise!

I'm Back. . .

2011-04-05T15:46:00.000-04:00

Although after scaling the heights of the Duomo, I did have some reservations about whether I could climb back down without toppling down the medieval stone steps. Adroitness is not my strong suit.

Hubs was an excellent traveling companion (although I felt his New Balances blew my attempts at looking Euro), along with my brother, future sister in law, and parents. I'm happy to be home after extending my vacation by one lovely night in Newark, NJ (thanks Lufthansa!), and off to a running start. I'm hosting two showers, and an engagement party this weekend, and reminiscing about Italy by attending the opera Friday night. Once again, I am completely delusional about the level of activity possible for me to undertake at one time. Anyway, I'll be back with pictures of Sesto, Florence, Venice, Cinque Terre, and Siena. Just let me recover from this prosciutto hangover. . .

Oh Happy Day!

2011-03-23T22:00:00.002-04:00

The other day I was bopping along looking at all the spring blooms. At a stoplight, while listening to my gospel station on the satellite radio, I started getting really into "Oh Happy Day!". I mean, there might have been rhythmic clapping involved.

Problem is- I had my top down, (convertible not apparel). People are staying at me for a full cycle of a red light, while I gave a full gospel performance. Lovely.

How could I not get excited though when these are in my yard and out my window?

My pansies have ~~magically come back to life~~ succumbed to my superior gardening skills, and my daffodils have sprung!

The best is my saucer magnolia- I could look at these purple and white blooms for ages. I adore all these surprises popping in in my first spring in our little stone house.

Of course, these are popping up as well. . .but I'll think about those later right?

Also, thank y'all so much for the lovely compliments on my dress I wore in Dallas. It's Lilly Pulitzer, and I can't find it on the website. However, you can call Palm Village, and order it. The ladies there are awesome and super helpful- it's called the Vera Tunic Dress. Happy shopping!

How Much Is That Buddy in the Window?

2011-03-23T09:04:00.000-04:00

So like most people who love their dogs*, I sing to Buddy quite often. His new "original" (most of his songs are covers with his name and words like furry and cute and lick inserted), goes like this "Who is the furriest dog in the world? Buddy Bear [insert our last name], that's who!" The second verse goes "He is so furry, I love him so, never ever gonna let him go", then back to the first.

Back up Lennon/McCartney. Your songwriting skills ain't got nothing on Buddy/Samma!

*Based on a survey of Virge, Anner and myself last weekend. Virge does not sing to her pets. Anner songs include such tunes as White Patch Lady, which we were all picturing in the "Lady In Red" vein. It's a little peppier, but I think she needs to do a remix ballad version. R. Kelly style.

My family's old golden retriever, Marley- the biggest golden retriever in the world, had quite the musical career. His favorite was "I'm big, I'm bad, I bite you, I don't care". When he got a little soulful, he liked to sing "Hey Food" to the tune of Hey Jude. Obviously, he was incredibly talented.

So are y'all like Virge, and ~~don't truly love your animals~~ don't sing to your pups? Or are your pets musical geniuses? Let's hear it, folks!

The Big D

2011-03-22T10:47:00.001-04:00

So I had an exceptional weekend with my favorite ladies in Dallas to see our dear friend Baber get married. We rolled in a little late to make the rehearsal dinner, but had a blast at Javier's, sipping skinny margs, and meeting the wonderful Kate (hurrah!). The next day we recovered with french fries and lounging by the pool, then got all gussied up for the wedding. A lady at the hotel took this shot which cracked us up. I guess she liked our shoes?

We got to catch up with old friends from college that I hadn't seen in a coon's age, like Emily and Josh. You have to check out Josh's greeting card company- J-Dig Cards

Now, if you ~~don't have a sense of humor~~ are easily offended, please don't check these cards out. Although Josh's mom said that there was only one which bothered her. This is one of my favorites. Hee.

Hmmm, some things don't change. Here's a picture from Baber's slide show of senior (?) year of college. That was 8 years ago (maybe I need to re-read this post). I'm wearing a poncho because it's Cinco De Mayo (and it was pouring rain, so the thing ended up smelling like a wet woolly dog- lovely).

I don't know why this picture won't post right. However, I adore it, so it's staying.

Steve got the garter, and Hess caught the bouquet.

Virge and I found a Rolls Royce. Her car model skills are far superior to mine. Seems like I would have picked up some moves along the way with all those car shows I attended growing up.

We headed to the Ritz, entranced by Kate's promises of amazing people watching, and the possibility of seeing high-end hookers (we don't have those in East Tennessee, I don't think. Of course, I have no idea- they could be running rampant, and I am oblivious. Always a strong possibility).

Tron and Anner made a new friend.

While I deduced that the lady in the tight red dress with her bosoms hanging out was indeed an escort.

Well, to be fair, this deduction was based solely on her outfit. So escort, or really bad taste in clothes. I tried to convince several people to go ask her how much her hourly rate was. ~~Because they are not idiots~~, ~~have common sense~~, For some completely unknown reason, all of my friends refused. Some friends.

Hee.

Anyway, wonderful girls' trip. Congratulations to Baber on his beautiful bride and wonderful wedding!

Ladies, I will see you again in the middle of April for Kinger's wedding, then again in the middle of June for Anner's. Thank goodness- although the month break is probably good. My face hurts from talking and laughing so much.

On Aging

2011-03-17T09:59:00.001-04:00

Here's lovely MOH at her birthday party- doesn't look a day over 22 does she? Her party was fun as all get out, and reassured me that although my best friend is now thirty, we are not old yet.

The basketball game was in full swing when everyone arrived, so that was on in the den, and the living room.

While we finished setting out flowers in Leigh's favorite shade of pink.

Presiding over her table of eats- tots with Parmesan peppercorn ranch, chipolte ketchup, and honey mustard, nuggets from chick-fil-a, sloppy Joe sliders, and mac and cheese.

And a leaning tower of cupcakes, consumed post dance party. I busted up some Jazzercise moves, never fear. Paige, Darin, Surrat and Kim were awesome co-hosts.

While I was working my tail off at Bag-A-Bargain last weekend, the annual SAE boxing tournament was taking place at the building next door. We were quite amused watching the all the chugging in the parking lot, and girls wearing the skimpiest dresses I have laid eyes on with cowboys boots. Now the arena where it takes place does get brutally hot, due to all the packed in ~~drunks~~ people. However, if it's hot enough that your dress can't cover up your good china, you don't need to be wearing boots!

Okay, rant over, time for musings.

So I was laughing to myself, remembering Leigh and I at boxing tournaments while we were on college- I would come up from Georgia to attend, and ~~to drink copious amount of beer~~ cheer on my friends. 10 years later, I'm a young matron headed to my volunteer work while bemusedly watching the youngins stumble into the arena. It doesn't seem long ago that we were piling in SUV's, or loading up Leigh's Acura Legend with our coolers to attend, so it seems bizarre that I have changed and grown up in these ten years.

The thing is, if you told my nineteen year old self that ten years later I'd be passing by in my husband's SUV loaded to the brim with stuff for Junior League, I would have thought "Well, that sounds about right, how many children do I have by now?" I also would be dismayed at my ranch house, since I am a new convert to the wonders of one level living. The lawyer thing would also be a shock, but young matron on BAB committee was probably about what I had envisioned. Being on the cusp of thirty was old.

I'm glad to know that old people overserve themselves, stay up until the wee hours of the morning, bust out the Tupac, and have dance parties in their living rooms. Hmmm, not that I did any of that, of course.

I'll be back with my Mac and Cheese recipe- it's worth turning thirty for!

Kindred Spirits

2011-03-15T09:53:00.000-04:00

So after mentioning my love of reading the works of Lucy Maud Montgomery, while curled up under the heady yellow blooms of a forsythia, I was tickled to see Anne of Green Gables pop up on my Kindle. I have not reread Anne Shirley's adventures since my childhood, such rereading being long overdue. 99 cents later, I was entranced in Avonlea and longing for puffed sleeves.

I have stayed up entirely too late the last couple of nights, entranced- becoming angry when people insult poor little Anne, and getting weepy when Anne refuses Gilbert Blythe. How can you not have a crush on Gilbert Blythe? But, infinitely more satisfying than Jo's refusal of Teddy to marry some old German professor instead*, Anne and Gilbert are truly meant to be.

As an adult I can see why I loved Anne so- as a child I never quit talking, was consumed by my imagination, and loved being surrounded by trees the best.

Last night I curled up with my story, tearing through the pages, hoping Anne does not marry Roy Gardner, with a cup of tea, windows open, furry dog on the ground beside my bed, and realized that life is pretty damn nice. Now if I could only go home and read about Anne and Gilbert's wedding instead of going to work today. . .

*Little Women was in constant competition with Anne for favorite.

Little Kid Cuisine

2011-03-11T09:14:00.001-05:00

So we're throwing a shindig for MOH's thirtieth at Hubs and I's house tonight- I couldn't be more excited. Especially about the food. Closely related to Kelen's favorite genre of food, which is pool food, MOH's favorite genre is little kid food. The girl loves some grilled cheese, chicken fingers, and hot dogs. She's probably thinking right now "Pssshhh. Pot calling kettle black", because there have been weeks on end where I eat a grilled cheese and tomato soup daily. Hmmm.

Anyway, my favorite genre is probably ladies who lunch food- quiche, soup, salad etc, closely seconded by meat and three type food.

Don't you love when your best friends put pictures of you wearing little from fifteen (!) years ago on the world wide web?

So tonight we are having

Pigs in a Blanket
BLT Salad
Mac and Cheese
Sloppy Joe Sliders
Chick Fil A nuggets
Tater Tots with various dipping sauces
and
Cupcakes!

Are you jealous? You should be- I am getting sooooo pumped up about the tater tots right now! I'll share my mac&cheese recipe on Monday- it's one of my most requested, and adapted from Loretta Lynn's (so you know it is super tasty).

So ladies, let's get this weekend off to a hungry start! Favorite genre of food, and favorite little kid food!

Some Pet Peeves

2011-03-10T10:39:00.000-05:00

I just had a piece of chocolate cake for breakfast. The unexpected sugar is coursing through my veins at an alarming rate, and I'm getting a bit sassy over here. So some annoyances-

1) people who trim their forsythia in shapes. Forsythia is meant to be wild!

I used to crawl under the branches of several big forsythia bushes we had when I was a child, hiding and reading every work by L.M. Montgomery. I was a strange combination of bookish and outdoorsy as a child. Actually, I still am. . .

Anyway, this makes my eyes and heart hurt.

2) People who don't say "you're welcome" when you say thank you.

3) Now this is obvious, but strangers with a complete lack of tact. While sleep deprived me was assigning my minions tasks at Bag-A-Bargain (not really minions but provisionals assigned to my department), one of the girls, a complete stranger, grabbed my left hand and exclaimed "Whoa! Look at that thing!" in front of a large group of people. Um, thanks? Not really a compliment or a criticism, just someone being so utterly tacky she oozing glue. I turned bright red, assigned her a task far from me, and fled.

Peg was in Atlanta for market not too long ago. Her business partner informed a vendor that she was having triplets. He (of course it was a "he") replied "Wow, you're having a litter, huh?"

Um. Really? She having three beautiful baby girls! Not puppies! She is not a dog who is breeding! Only a man would say that, I swear.

4) My inability to immediately be somewhere, or morph like a sci-fi show. I would pop in Kinger's bach in Florida this weekend, and then scoot back. It would really help me with time management, and all the stuff I have going on. Can y'all invent this ASAP please?

5) I've been checking Facebook way too much lately for my blood pressure. People put up the trashiest and flashiest stuff! I swear, if people thought about or realized the image they present to the world with their pictures, there would be a lot fewer posted! I'm sure I am just as guilty of it with the blog here, but it really makes my blood boil. No need to see your designer purse, or what your husband bought you! Good chance I am just tired and bitter here. . .so if you post pictures of new jewelry or drunken nights, etc, please ignore me and don't be offended. Hee.

Okay, so what's going on in your world? Let's share some random annoyances on this gloomy day! Get it off your chests ladies!

My Booty

2011-03-09T14:01:00.000-05:00

TA DA!!

Isn't she gorgeous? Hubs, a bit disconcerted that of 55,000 square feet of bargains, I picked a chair "that will sit there in the garage for 4 years. Don't you already have one that you got off the side of the road that still needs to be recovered?"

"Why yes, honey! But that is for a nursery someday, so no need to recover any time soon. This one is for our living room!" I proudly replied.

And was met with glowering silence. Hmmppph.

So, what fabric shall I re-cover my beauteous BAB booty with? Here are pictures of my living room (please excuse the gloom- it's been raining so much that Buddy is scouting for a good looking golden retriever lady to join him on the ark soon).

Hubs' leather chair and the white chair are normally flip flopped.

Please note the profusion of pattern- couch, draperies, rug, I have a bit of a pattern addiction.

The living room opens to the dining room, which has the same rug in a different shade and the same curtains.

So ladies take a gander and please advise! My curtains are Braemore's Wonderland Jet.

Hidden Treasure

2011-03-08T09:45:00.000-05:00

So I'm back. Twelve hours of sleep Saturday night, and an afternoon spent on the couch Sunday afternoon listening to the rain, and I'm close to normal.

Do you see how squinty my eyes are? They are twice their normal squintiness, due to extreme sleep deprivation. However, look at all the good stuff my section had to offer. It took extreme willpower not to purchase a large amount of antique furniture, but I resisted, being too tired to deal with the inevitable divorce proceedings which would likely ensue if I brought home another cabinet or table that just needs a little work.

This bed was calling my name, and I refused to lower the price below a certain point. Luckily, after the sale our adorable chairwoman's mama bought it, for fifty buck above my reduced asking price!

This table and bench set just needed some paint, and was much admired.

As was the glass front primitive cabinet in the background, which I ended up selling for $125. Such a steal! And so hard to resist. . .

Sterling silver cups, and lots of crystal.

Getting ready for the preview party with the unofficial mascot of Bag A Bargain, the magenta velour Virgin Mary. People donate some interesting items.

Adult clothing and handyman.

A small portion of the children's section. There's a Bugaboo stroller down there, which got scooped into my section. I was tempted to buy it although I am not pregnant and do not currently have kids. I just can't resist a good deal. However, I decided purchasing any baby paraphernalia would result in a jinx whereby I would not have children or the like, so no Bugaboos, or adorable changing tables in need of a paint job for me!

Y'all are going to die when you see what I did spend $40 dollars on- I'll put up a picture tomorrow. Let's just say Hubs was not exactly thrilled. . .

When It Rains It Pours!

2011-03-01T11:28:00.000-05:00

Please note the parking lot of our offices yesterday, as well as the major road by which I get home. I had moved my car to the highest ground behind the brick restaurant in the last picture, which resulted in a non-flooded vehicle stuck on an island. Luckily, the waters receded quite quickly, and I was able to leave at my normal time on dry roads. What a mess!

Just like my house! I love all of your commiseration- husbands! I do have the most wonderful friend who comes once every two weeks. If I could bump her up to once a week budget-wise and without extreme guilt I would, but her schedule is jam-packed!

Speaking of a jam packed schedule (I'm really liking my smooth segues into each topic this post), y'all will not be hearing much from me this week, as my life is taken over by Bag-A-Bargain, my Junior League event which is a HUGE rummage sale taking up 57,000 square foot building. There's over 5,000 shoppers, and gets rather chaotic.

However, I am sooo excited about my section, The Treasure Chest, which is all the diamonds in the rough. Combing through everything to rescue and price up the good stuff? Basically my dream job. However, I'm a twee bit nervous since it's my first year in this position. Luckily, Peg is an old pro, and will guru me through it, thank goodness.

So, I will try to get in some good pics of my treasures, but posts might be even more sporadic than they have of late. Hope everyone is having a wonderful, dry week! Hurrah for March!

Taking Pride in Your Housework

2011-02-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

So, as y'all know, things are a bit hectic in my life this spring. A couple weeks ago, I was super stressed with work and obligations, and feeling completely overwhelmed. I was talking on the phone with Hubs, who was in Asheville for work. Staring at the clumps of Buddy hair festooning my hardwoods, and the empty Gatorade bottles laying around (take a guess- not mine!), I decided something had to go. Obviously, not Buddy or the Gatorade bottle leaver-arounder. Just picking up after the two of them.

"Hubs, I am really stressed out right now, but I know what I want for Valentine's Day and our anniversary. I want you to pick up around the house more, and run a vacuum. While you are chilling on the couch, and I am digging through the basement archives of Knoxville's oldest home on a board workday, I need you to pitch in. This would help me so much, and is all that I want"

So what do you think his response is? I'm expecting, "Of course honey. I know you are so busy, I would love to help you." Obviously this is the correct answer.

Three male readers, please make a note, if your significant other calls you almost in tears, and begs you to wipe a counter every so often, do not say the following:

"Maybe you should cut out going to Jazzercise and working out with Russ. Then you would have more time to get housework done"

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My thoughts were not fit to reply or to type in a public forum, so I gave a muffled yelp and hung up the phone, turned it off, and immediately drew a relaxing bath, hoping it would prevent me from driving over the mountain to murder my unsuspecting husband.

Y'all, I work out probably 4-5 hours a week. I wish it was more, but lately I don't have time. It is the only thing that keeps me sane when stress threatens to give me an ulcer.

Yeah, he's pretty lucky he's still alive. Have to keep him that way, so I can continue rehash the time he told me to cut out exercise so he doesn't have to load the dishwasher.

Looking Forward To. . .

2011-02-24T09:40:00.000-05:00

In addition to all the bridesmaid-ing I have coming up, the thoughts of the following things are getting me through the impending doom that is my Junior League rummage sale next week. A rummage sale which I am on the committee for, which has over 5,000 people come each year. For which I will be working at from 6 AM before work, on my lunch break, until 9 at night from next Wednesday on. Shudder.

Anyhoo, the good stuff-

First up, a thirtieth birthday party for MOH! Hurrah! It's at my home, so I will actually be back in the kitchen with tons of recipes for fun apps for y'all (I have been on a draconian diet lately, which explains my lack of cooking). We're having dinner and guest list planning session Friday night, replete with a lot of wine. Take me right back to ~~high school~~ college.

A trip to Dallas to see Baber tie the knot with these lovely ladies (from Anner's tacky ski party earlier this winter), plus Hess as well. I never get to have enough time with my dearest friends from college, but a girls weekend will help satisfy my "a-master" friend deficit greatly.

Ha, I'm dying laughing at these pics. I haven't been to Italy since backpacking around with AK and Abby Dids when we were 19. Ha, I can't believe we made it out of Europe in one piece. Well, it was a much chunkier piece than when we arrived, but we did.

So Florence with the fam, 10 days, side trips for the "kids" to Cinque Terre and Venice? Yep, I'm pretty excited. . . what am I going to pack? I'm thinking some circle skirts, black cigarette pants, and a cute trench coat. Hmmm, wonder where this vision is coming from . . .

Then upon my return, it's shower central!

First up, a round the clock at my house for Em, my future SIL, and an engagement party.

The next day will be hopefully the greatest shower of all for Peg. This gorgeous lady is having TRIPLETS! I am over the moon, and so excited to throw this shower (along with a bevy of beauties also hosting), because not only is it for three precious little babies, she is having three girls! I squee every time I think about it.

So instead of hyperventilating about the fact that I don't have a spare minute until June, I'm celebrating all the fun that is coming! Although, there's probably still some panic attacks to come.

Sitcom Musings

2011-02-23T10:19:00.000-05:00

Hello dear readers! Do you remember me? Vaguely?

I've been suffering from a case of the flu, which led to a dire case of computer phobia. I think I am suffering from exhaustion, and not in the fun Lindsey Lohan, I have spent a week at the Château Marmont partying like it's the seventies and I am every member of Led Zeppelin way.

Nope, more in a "I am so excited for all these social and volunteer events I have going on, I just wish that I could lay on the couch and read a book" exhaustion.

So less sex, drugs and rock and roll, and more showers, opera and Junior League.

I am getting old.

Anyway, once fully recovered from the flu to move myself to couch from my bed, (while being nursed by a very attentive Buddy Bear, naturally), I caught up on some favorite sitcoms which led me to a few revelations.

Namely, I still want my marriage/family life to emulate the Cosby Show. When Hubs starts eating meatball subs at odd hours, and putting on jazz while wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, I'll know we are on the right track. If our future children put on shows for my parents involving lip syncing to Ray Charles. . .well, my life will pretty much be complete.

Rue McLanahan celebrated a birthday this week. I have always wanted to be Blanche, but I am suuucch a Rose. Sigh.

Finally, why they can't they reboot something good like Designing Women. I mean don't pull a Bev Hills New Sauce, but give me a show about Southern women, why don't you? Yes, I am in a fly-over state. I don't live in California or NYC, and occasionally would like to see something where I am! (Florida doesn't count). I think Mary Kay Andrews books would make a darling sitcom! Let's get on it please!

Speaking of opera and television, I was tickled to death to note on Monday that Blair was scheming to get on the opera board. . . now if I could just have her wardrobe.

Adiós to Zumba

2011-02-10T10:07:00.000-05:00

So Mama and I, after getting all hyped up about Zumba by reading the rave reviews y'all dear-hearts gave me, tried a class last night.

Hmmmmpph.

I don't know if it was a weird class or what, but I felt like I was in a Mexican restaurant. All this fun Top 40 music y'all spoke of?

Not in our class.

Substitute college students for these seniors and you will somewhat get the picture. Part of the problem was that the class was in a dark room at the Y, with awkwardly placed columns so you couldn't see the instructor. The instructor who had to consult her notes, and who's mike didn't work.

I'll think I'll stick to Jazzercise.

The Highlight of My Weekend

2011-02-08T09:33:00.000-05:00

I had a lovely weekend jam packed with volunteer work and events. Some dear friends were nice enough to include us in their box for the basketball game Saturday, enabling me to spend the majority of the game talking to Liz. Sadly, my focus was not on the game, although the halftime show managed to fully engage my attention.

Multitudes of children!

On Unicycles!

They are jumping rope ON UNICYCLES! I can't even jump rope on my feet. I informed Hubs that these children need to be present at my 30th birthday party. Hmmmm, Skatetown USA is possibly the only venue which can contain their act. Do they sell beer at the roller rink?

So, after a busy weekend, and a wild Sunday School class consisting of TEN boys and 3 girls, with whom i accidentally incited a Superbowl chanting riot, Hubs and I decided to skip out on Superbowl festivities, and take it easy. We fell asleep just after Fergie Ferg. They should have gotten the unicycle children. I definitely would have stayed awake then.

I am adoring reading all of your answers to my survey! Keep 'em coming ladies. I might even make a graph of the results. . .