If I have to work on my birthday . . .

I might as well have a cute outfit, right? Here is my birthday outfit. I will be wearing the skirt and jacket. You can find it here. I have a BR non-iron pink shirt to wear with it. Being that pink is my signature color . . .

Perfect

I love this. I might have to get it.

How did I not know . . .

I love the Mad Men Barbie dolls . . . I'm not much of a doll collector, so I don't know if Santa will bring them - but I love them! Check out this article.

Egg Nog French Toast

I was off work today, so I made myself french toast for breakfast. I had some egg nog creamer that I substituted for milk. It was yummy!

1/2 cup egg nog creamer
2 eggs
teaspoon of vanilla
I added some freshly ground nutmeg

Thank You Veterans

Thank you to all of the patriots who have served and thank you to all those who will serve. I feel so lucky to live in the greatest country in the world, where freedom is protected.

CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know we haven't had Thanksgiving yet, but I am getting pretty freaking excited for Christmas. A friend had an open house at a gift shop last week and it really got me in the spirit. She had cute cocktail napkins and some great smelling candles - I have been burning the Christmas tree one.

We are having our annual Christmas party this year and I am already preparing. I need to get the invitations out. I didn't think people sent them out this early, but I have already gotten one from a friend for the same night. I looked on etsy and I found the cutest items from this seller. Check her out!

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone has a safe and happy one. Here is our little moosehead.

Fun for fall!

I love my new pants . . . you can get yours here.

A Little Perspective

I found this in the blogging world. I am sharing it here and on my facebook page. I hope any readers I may have, will take a second to read it. It's from Vicky Bell's blog and it's a letter she wrote to her daughter.

Sunday Graces & the Weekend of Nothing-ness

Sorry for missing last week, we had company in town. This weekend the hubs and I both pinky-swore to each other that we would not make any plans. It was wonderful. It was the weekend of nothing. Friday night we ordered pizza and caught up on our shows or "programs," as my grandparents used to say. Saturday we hung out around the house and did some little projects. Today, I did the weekly grocery shopping and then cooked up a storm. I'm going to freeze the majority of the food, it makes it so much easier during the week. I think hubs got it right when he said "we have enough food for a month."

For this week's edition, I am going to share part of an article from House Beautiful. In their November issue they did "101 Party Do's & Don'ts." Well our scanner isn't hooked up and I don't have the patience to type all 101. So, I decided to pick ten items that I completely agree with and ten that I don't really agree with.

10 items I am down with:

1. Don't be afraid to throw a party because you think it will cost too much. You can have a good time for $10 with a bottle of wine and a bag of nuts. Thomas Jayne, Designer

2. Music should be just loud enough so that people have to talk above it slightly. Alexa Hampton, Designer

3. Don't serve only white liquors because you're afraid of spills. Richard Mishaan, Designer

4. Don't impose a dress code on people . . . leave them to their own devices and just see what turns up. Larry Laslo, Designer

5. Don't run low on the hooch! David Jimenez, Designer

6. The host's mood sets the tone. Emily Eerdmans

7. Always start with an empty dishwasher. Chesie Breen

8. People with big personalities are best in the center of the table. They can help carry the conversation from that place. Michael S. Smith, Designer

9. Not everyone drinks alcohol. Have fresh-squeezed juices and other delicious choices so you can mix a "mocktail" or two. Preston Bailey, Event Designer

10. Turn off cell phones! Joan Michaels Designer

10 tips that I don't necessarily agree with:

1. Always do favors. Amen Wardy (I don't think favors are necessary at every party, I feel like this has gotten a little out of hand lately.)

2. Put lamps on your buffet or server. Jan Showers (I just prefer candles. I am aware of the fire risk.)

3. Have beverages visible from the moment guests step in the door. Matt and Ted Lee (I think offering to get your guests a beverage is the better approach.)

4. Don't use assigned seating - allow guests to mingle and let the evening evolve organically. Deborah Lloyd. (Those of you that have been readers for a while know how I feel about this. If you are having a sit-down dinner, assigned seating is a must.)

5. As a host, don't sit at the head of the table - presumptuous and archaic. Darryl Carter (I believe that the host and hostess should sit at the heads of the table. The hostess sits at the head closest to the kitchen so that she can better accomodate her guests.)

I have to admit, when I was reading this article last night I thought there were a few more I disagreed with. I guess not! I agree with the other 96 items. This is a really great issue if you enjoy entertaining. Happy Sunday all!

Sunday Graces - The Gracious Guest

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind full of entertaining. We're on a self-imposed hiatus until mid-November. I decided to compile, what I think are, the top ten ways to be a gracious guest. As a disclaimer, these are my personal opinions. I’m sure everyone has their own idea of what makes a gracious guest and I would love to hear from you . . . so comment away!

1. A gracious guest comes to the party on time and not a minute before, unless, you are a very, very good friend (read – bestie) or an immediate family member and you have come to help with last minute preparations. I know I am always grateful for family members who come early.

2. A gracious guest never comes empty-handed. Whether you bring flowers, wine, candy, or a baked good . . . you should bring something.

3. A gracious guest never brings their children to a party that they are not invited to. If children are invited, their parents should watch them.

4. A gracious guest does not over-indulge on either food or alcohol.

5. A gracious guest mingles with everyone at the party and does not pick and choose who they converse with.

6. A gracious guest always offers to help clean-up. However, a gracious hostess would never allow it.

7. A gracious guest does not dominate the conversation and allows everyone a chance to contribute. That being said, a gracious guest also contributes to the conversation and does not remain silent throughout the night and stand in a corner.

8. A gracious guest does not over-stay their welcome.

9. A gracious guest does not leave the hosting house intoxicated and then proceed to drive home.

10. A gracious guest always acknowledges the host and thanks the host for inviting them.

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 . . .