Sunday Graces

This week's edition is going to be short and sweet. We had a cocktail party last night and I am recovering today. The party was wonderful and I think everyone had a great time.

I recently purchased this book and I love it! I have always been a huge fan of Junior League cookbooks. I found a used copy of Party Receipts from the Charleston Junior League. This is where this week's tip is coming from.

"The key to a sucessful party is planning and preparing ahead so that you can have as much fun as your guests." I couldn't agree more with this advice. The more I entertain, the better I get at preparing ahead of time but it's still a challenge for me. It really does make the party so much more enjoyable when I am not stressed beforehand.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and I hope that everyone has a great week coming up!

RIP Madras Flip-flops

You gave me two great summers. We saw some beautiful places and did some fun stuff. However, you've seen better days and it's time to part ways. I'm hopeful that J. Crew will reincarnate you next summer. XOXO - EC

Sunday Graces

Pictured above is the current state of my dining room. I am getting ready for our little cocktail party next weekend and I've been polishing my silver. Experience has taught me that it is much more fun and MUCH less stressful to be lighting candles instead of polishing silver right before your guests arrive. I've done both and although the smell of Tarn-X is unique (think sulfur), I prefer scented candles.

As I was polishing my tea service, I was inspired for this week's Sunday Graces. Many of you probably already know this, but I can never remember. Which pot is for tea and which is for coffee? I then thought of the old nursery rhyme, "I'm a little teapot short and stout," but I wanted to look it up just to be sure. Well, after looking through all of my etiquette books, none of them address which pot is for tea and which is for coffee. So I am going to assume that the nursery rhyme is correct and the pot that is "short and stout" is for the tea.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

The Fixer-Upper

I just finished reading this book and it was a very cute story. I like books with happy endings. Without giving too much away, the story is about a single girl who loses her job and moves to a small town in Georgia. She’s moves there so that she can fix up an old family home and get it ready to sell.

One of the story lines throughout the book are the house projects she is completing. I have to say its motivated me to get some projects done around my house! I haven’t read any of this author’s other books, but I will be sure to check them out.

New Favorite Song?

I can't decide if its Mad Men or this song that I really like. In any event, its been on repeat for a while. Check it out -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q98pbT-ok3s

P. S. it takes a few seconds for it to start or my computer is slow :)

Sunday Graces

Sorry that I missed last week's Sunday Graces. Since tomorrow is my second anniversary, I decided to do this weeks post on traditional anniversary gifts.

1st - paper

2nd - cotton

3rd - leather

4th - linen or silk

5th - wood

6th - iron

7th - copper or wool

8th - electrical appliances or bronze

9th - pottery

10th - tin or aluminum

11th - steel

12th - silk or linen

13th - lace

14th - used to be ivory

15th - crystal

20th - china

25th - silver

30th - pearls

50th - gold

We Must Never Forget

New Curtains!

Guess who just saved $300.12 on curtains? This girl! Our second anniversary is coming up on the 13th. The "etiquettely correct" gift is cotton, so I decided that we would get some new linens for our bedroom.

We originally had white curtains and while pretty, they did a poor job of blocking out the light and I love my beauty sleep. I have had great luck finding curtains at J.C. Penney's - so that's where we headed tonight. I found curtains by American Living. I couldn't find a picture online, probably because they were on clearance, but they are a really pretty chocolate brown. They have a nice button detail at the top. They were marked down from $80 to $5!!!!

I am hoping to find a pretty white quilt for the bed and I think I am going to order this bed skirt. A white bedspread is so relaxing to me. Sorry I don't have any pretty pictures for this post, but hopefully I will have some when the bedroom is all put together.

Urban Prepster

Maybe I've been away from the preppy/blogging world longer than I thought. How many people know about this website? I just found it and I am having to pry myself away . . .

A Sequel to The Preppy Handbook???!!!!

I just ordered this on amazon. I am so excited! I love the original Preppy Handbook and I am anxious to hear what the same author has to say about these crazy times we live in.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

While I am a bit sad that this weekend signals the end of summer, I am thrilled about our destination. We are headed to the Holy City! We're going to see my brother and his cute new wife. I'm sure the weekend will include lots of good food, some boating, pretty scenery and maybe a few cocktails. Hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend!