Oh the Chaos....

My dearest blogging friends,

I know I lured you all in with promises of enticing pictures and projects upcoming on this little blog. I'm sure you all feel very abandoned... You'll have to forgive me.

You see cheffie returned from a two week culinary journey to Baltimore and Philadelphia this weekend. With the return of cheffie comes the obligatory mountain of laundry, and of course the crazy schedule to catch up with all of our friends. Add to that the fact that we are leaving on Wednesday to visit his family for the holidays, and then Monday the 1st, the day after we get back, he flies out again for a culinary journey to Connecticut and New York. 

So my schedule has been slightly chaotic this weekend, I am only blogging now, b/c my work day is thankfully rather slow...

I assure you dear readers... there will be lots of upcoming delights... 

In the meantime I am planning on baking goodies for our friends and family while cheffie is away in New York... What are your favorite Christmas treats to receive?

Potting Bench...

Cheffie's mother has the most amazing home. She is an interior designer and she and Cheffie's father custom built their home and no small detail was ignored. They are both certified master gardeners and their home has been photographed, and toured by national garden societies too many times to count. Hopefully, when we are staying there over the holiday I will be able to take and post some pictures for you.

One of my favorite features of the garden is a planting bench that she's painted a light green blue, she placed it against the side of the house and then surrounded it with herbs, and she stores her collection of unique watering cans on the bench. I love this bench for its functionality and also because I love furniture outside.

So I nearly flipped when I saw this super cute little potting bench on discount at World Market. It is $40 discounted from the original price of $159 can you believe it? The picture is a link.

Great Giveaways...

The Preppy Princess is hosting another fantastic giveaway this week, a super chic pink polka dot apron and kitchen gloves, as well as the bonus prize from last week a brown and teal apron and book about Tiffany's, stop by her blog to enter!

Loving and leaving on a jet plane is also hosting a fantastic giveaway of super cute stemware that would be perfect for a holiday cocktail party. Stop by her blog and comment to enter!

Things to look forward too...

Hello readers,

So I have been remiss for the last few days. I have had lots of work, and a few social calls to make. But I wanted to check in and let you know there are good things to come. In the next few days for your reading pleasure I will feature:

Monday Flower Day ~ This will be a re-occuring event every Monday (this week its clearly late) I get the most beautiful bouquets delivered to my office every Monday. It is the highlight of my day, and I'm going to share them with ya'll every week. This week's bouquet features hydrangea's, roses, lilies, and daisies. I'll also show you the gorgeous view from my office windows.

Design projects ~ I've started collecting mismatched candlesticks, my goal is to paint them all, and to put one color candle in them (I'm thinking all white) and put them on my mantel after the holidays. I want them to look like they go together and be chic, but not matchy. I'm hoping ya'll can suggest the color I should paint the candle sticks. I will post pictures of our fireplace and mantel, and possible of the rest of our living room as well to give ya'll a feel for what would fit there well.

Design project #2~ I have a whicker rocker that my parents purchased when I was born. I love this rocker, but it has definitely seen better days. It's scratched and worn, and currently sits in all its dilapidated glory in front of our fire place. I'm hoping to update it either with paint or stain, something I've never done before. I'm afraid I'll ruin it, or paint it a color I hate or something horrid, so any input will be fantastic! Again I'd like the rocker to look chic and timeless and since so much of our furniture is dark I'd hopefully like to stay away from painting it too dark. I'd love to hear your suggestions for fixing up the rocker I'll post pictures of the rocker and our living room so you can get a full feel for the space.

Grosgrain: Commissioned Watercolor Portrait GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain: Commissioned Watercolor Portrait GIVEAWAY!!!!

These portraits are unbelievably gorgeous! If you or anyone you know would love to have a watercolor of children or grandchildren done, trot on over to grosgrain and enter the giveaway!

Follow the Leader....

Readers... as you know I am new to blogging, and I've just learned how to add the following widget to my blog! 

So if you find your life in need of common sense, style, and just a little bit of southern sass... Follow me dear readers!

What a place to spend a fall afternoon...

Fall in Texas has finally arrived, and by that I mean the temperature dropped and stayed below 70 for over 24 hours! WooHoo!

Something about fall always makes me think fondly of my past. As I was looking out my window at the green trees and cloudless blue sky of the Texas Hill Country this afternoon, it occurred to me that I miss New York. Not in the heart-achingly way that a sojourner longs for home, no... it was more of a twinge for a familiar way to spend a fall day.

This led me to want to share one of my favorite New York places with you. Now, dear readers when you read New York, don't make the oh to familiar mistake of thinking 

I mean "The City" because New York is so very much more than Manhattan. Although I worked in Manhattan, I lived up state near a charming little village "Rhinebeck." I took the Mid-Hudson Line from Grand Central Station 90 minutes north to Poughkeepsie, and from Poughkeepsie drove to my house. Rhinebeck is like something out of a vacation dream book, with gorgeous boutiques and antique shops, and sweet little victorian houses abounding down the narrow village lanes. For whatever reason, in the two years I lived there I did not take one picture of downtown Rhinebeck but in my longing for this familiar and sweet little town I thought I would share with you the Gem of Rhinebeck's mainstreet. 

(The above picture, gives you a good feel for mainstreet Rhinebeck)

It is a beautiful design store - Hammertown. They have three locations, but I have only had the pleasure of visiting the Rhinebeck store. The website features their exquisite furniture, but none of the other wonderful treasures. Trust me when I say that every nook and cranny of the store is adorned with the most exquisite and delightful items, from gorgeous jewelry to candles, to import salt for cooking, to hand made children's toys, and gorgeous linens, and books, and bags. They have an array of treasures for every budget. I have often walked in the doors and found the perfect birthday present for less than $20, and they always wrap everything so wonderfully! I have been known to spend hours absorbing every detail of the small four room store. If I could spend this beautiful fall day any way I wanted, it would be to pick up a pastry and a coffee in one of the local shops, and then to browse and shop my heart away in Hammertown.

If you could spend a fall day browsing your favorite home and design store where would you go?

Something to get out of bed for...

This morning dear readers I, woke up reached out for my cell phone to check my email... Why am I checking my email on a cell phone, you ask? I must be on some terrific vacay for which I will have wonderful details and pictures to share with you, right? Or maybe I have some important job that would of course be sending me an urgent, career changing email at 8:30AM on a saturday?

Sadly, no. No vacay, and no uber important job for Miss Complete (thank you Preppy Princess for the nick-name), in reality I have mounds of laundry to attend to this morning. When Cheffie travels for weeks at a time, he lovingly saves his laundry for me to wash when he returns. At the very moment that I feel I am caught up, he leaves, and returns again with weeks worth of laundry. Wash, Spin, Dry, Press, Fold, and Repeat.

So this morning I lay in bed looking out my window at the gorgeous fall day, but still suffering from a terrible case of the "I don't wanna's", I checked my email searching for motivation to attack (because with this much laundry an attack is what it takes to get it done). I found the motivation ladies! It came in the form of a 50% off sale at J.Crew!


The picture is, of course, a URL to the website. Enjoy!

It's a Charmed Life

What a cute conundrum I am in readers...

You see Cheffie (by means of introduction Cheffie is my darling, former college football player, now professionally trained chef, boyfriend. Readers meet Cheffie, Cheffie meet my readers.), currently holds a position that requires him to travel two to three weeks out of the month (it's very tragic).

Of his own accord, he decided it would be a great idea to pick up a charm for me in each city on his journey. I am not a huge charm bracelet fan, but how very romantic and wonderful of him to come up with such a great gift idea!

So now, I have these beautiful charms, but no bracelet to put them on. We all know that every girl in the world would love to own several Tiffany & Co. charm bracelets,


but, for the sake of dear Cheffie's pocketbook I was hoping to find an equally tasteful charm bracelet for perhaps a thriftier price?

Speaking of Tiffany's Preppy Princess is hosting a giveaway that includes fantastic Boatman Geller Stationary, Seaside Dish Towels, A fantastic and fun turquoise and brown apron, and this amazing book about the first female sales pages on the floor of Tiffany.

The Inhumanity....

Today lovely readers is the most inhumane day. I had to have blood drawn today, so I was required to fast of course, and of course the only appointment available was at 2:00 in the afternoon. I dutifully take it, and trudge through my long and stressful work morning sans nourishment, dreaming of the delicious chicken curry waiting for me in the office fridge. I rush off to my appointment, and refuse the oreos they offer me after being dutifully plucked, thinking instead of how much I will enjoy the chicken curry. 

I hurry to the office, try to walk nonchalantly to the fridge (really who's opening the office fridge at 3:30 in the afternoon?) only to discover that one of my darling dear co-workers had eaten my lunch. WHAT!?! 

It's such a shame ladies and gentleman because I work with less than ten other people. So my nutrition so far is consisting of a can of coke and some chips. Oh, delicious chicken curry how I yearn for thee!

How Very Fortunate Dear Reader...

Dear reader what great fortune you have! After posting my very first post on blog spot, I check my email and what happens to greet me? An invitation to the Kate Spade Private Sale. What a fabulous day to begin my blogging journey! I'm positive that a new clutch is exactly what I need to start this blog off on the right note!

My Very First Post

Good Afternoon soon to be readers,

I have read and followed so many of your wonderful and insightful posts for so long now, I felt it was high time I actually joined the blogging community. I'm just getting started... but am looking forward to forging many great friendships and getting to know so many of you as I share pieces of my crazy life.