You Might be a Southern Lady If...

~You clean your house before going on a trip, just in case you don't come home! Well, I have been busy cleaning and straightening up everything around the house, especially placing all my personal things in order...'cuz I'm taking a trip. Do y'all do that? Mama always did that when I was growing up. She would say she was cleaning up because, "Well, you never know what might happen!" {Southern talk meaning, you might pass away suddenly and then all the church ladies bringing over the food would come inside your house and see a big mess!} Lord have mercy, you don't want that to happen.

Well, I've been doing this since I lived in my very first apartment. In fact, I'm so OCD, I was always late for work at the Courthouse in Augusta, Georgia because I got up and cleaned up BEFORE I left the house for work...just in case! I mean, I know how Southern ladies talk...it would go something like this..."Miss Janice, bless her heart, she always dressed so nice, but Lord have mercy, can you believe the way she kept her house?"

So, I'm off on a trip...to visit my mama and my best friend! My Lilly thermo is set to go and full of Starbucks VIA.

Mlle Coco Chanel's suitcase is packed with all her cold-weather sweaters and her Louis Vuitton leash & collar and she is waiting patiently on her little bed on the front seat of my BMW.

I'm wearing...something y'all are NOT going to see! No ma'am, while I'm driving for eight hours, I'm going for comfort today...sweatpants, baseball cap, and tennis shoes:)

First stop: Augusta, Georgia--to visit my best friend Teresa Jane!
Next stop: Atlanta, Georgia--to shop, must-do Trader Joe's Grocers for all my favorite staples!
Next stop: Warner Robins, Georgia--visit with mama--Miss Pauline!
Last stop: Sarasota, Florida--take mama to visit her sister, Miss Ann.

I have prepared some posts to load automatically during my time away! Hopefully, I will be able to take some time now to visit all y'all's fabulous blogs!

LILLY PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Hey y'all! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'm certainly thankful that I'm feeling better and appreciate all the get well comments and e-mails. Now it's time to bring on Christmas...but first, please take a look at my "Lilly Photo of the Week."

This snapshot was sent in by The Impoverished Preppy. She is a Prep School English teacher and mama to three children. IP was born and raised in Kentucky, but now lives waaaaaaay up North with her husband in New England. Here's her precious little "Miss E" wearing her favorite Lilly Elefrance shift. IP has had to buy this dress three years in a row because "Miss E" loves it so and keeps outgrowing it.

"LILLY PHOTO OF THE WEEK"--LITTLE MISS E!


Thanks to IP for sharing this darling photo of "Miss E"--her little prep-in-training! Thank you for visiting with me today, now I'm off to play catch up with all the things on my to-do list today!

AS WE GATHER TOGETHER...Y'ALL BEHAVE!

The big day is almost upon us...time for everyone to spend some time with the family! The old saying, "You can choose your friends, but not your family" is so very true. All families have drama and tensions can run very high when everyone is crowded into one home for the holiday.

If you are the Host, how do you handle sticky situations?

How do you handle a guest who drinks too much at a Thanksgiving Holiday Dinner?
For some people, spending time with relatives can be a very stressful situation. Alcohol sometimes helps to "take the edge off" at a social event, but when a guest has had too much to drink and is not "holding their Jack Daniels or Chardonnay well"...it's time for a social intervention! The host should delegate someone who is close to the tipsy guest to speak with them--letting them know they need to slow down on the booze! All the food at a Thanksgiving Dinner should help the situation, but of course, never let a guest who has had too much to drink drive a car! Call a cab or let them sleep over!

What happens when the tipsy person is the host/hostess?
Good heavens...this is an extremely sticky situation. The hostess has been busy as a bee in the kitchen long before the sun came up and started sippin' Chardonnay an hour before her guests arrived. Now it's two hours into the party, and she's "three sheets to the wind"...slurring her words...and still sippin' Chardonnay--while all the guests are ready to eat! Even though guests must always defer to the hostess, you might say something like "All the food looks soooo good, may I help you with something?"

What if someone brings an embarrassing "significant other" to the party?
So, the family is all gathering at mama and daddy's house for Thanksgiving Dinner. The "perfect son" is home from college and informs his parents he wants to invite his new girlfriend to the event. On the big day, all the gentlemen are dressed in preppy Ralph Lauren attire and sippin' Jack Daniels. The ladies are decked out in the latest Lilly Pulitzer fall shifts, JCrew cardigans, pearls, and Revas & tights. In walks "perfect son" with his new girlfriend. Lord have mercy!...she definitely has a smokin' hot body and is showing it off with a way-too-low-cut, club-hoppin' outfit. What to do? Etiquette dictates that she should be treated with the same respect as the most darling Southern Belle in the room!

How to handle picky eaters?
The savvy hostess will take into consideration any dietary preferences of her guests. However, when circumstances prevent the hostess from knowing the food preferences/food allergies of each guest, it is perfectly proper for guests to say "No thank you" to a dish offered, which they might not like. Of course, it would be very tacky to say "I hate sweet potato casserole!"

What to do if guests start talking about politics?
It's up to the host/hostess to initiate conversation at the dinner table. However, even in tight-knit Southern families, politics is a hot topic today! So, if the subject comes up, the host/hostess might say something like, "For today, let's all forget about politics and the economy and try to focus on all the things we have to be grateful for in this country."

If you are the Guest, here's some tips that will hopefully help you to get invited back!

~Never show up with pets {Ooops, Miss Janice is traveling soon with Mlle. Coco Chanel; however, my hosts have insisted that I bring my baby!}

~Never show up ill--if you've got the flu, STAY HOME! Please.

~Offer to help out around the house. You should not have to be told to clean up behind yourself; if you don't do it, you probably won't be invited back!

~Don't abuse the hospitality of the host. The host is not your Event Planner. Entertain yourself, and better still, offer to take the host out for dinner.

~You should always arrive with a gift, say thank you during your visit, and a send a thank-you note after the visit.

Thank you so much for visiting with me today.

LILLY PHOTO OF THE WEEK

This week's "Lilly Photo of the Week" was sent in by Jennifer at Biscuits Are Never Boring. Just in time for the holiday season, Jennifer and her little girl are featured in the photo taken last Christmas. Her precious little girl is wearing a plaid Lilly dress and Jennifer is wearing a wrap in the coordinating Lilly pattern . What a wonderful look for Mama and daughter during the holidays, oh-so Christmas-y!

"LILLY PHOTO OF THE WEEK," JENNIFER AND LITTLE MISS!

Jennifer is probably buying more Lilly at this very moment...she's at the Lilly warehouse sale, lucky thing! {Jennifer, I hope you scored that darling wrap skirt!} Y'all can check out her blog here. Thanks so much for sharing your photo of you and your little girl!

Y'all don't forget to send me your Lilly photo...e-mail it to me at Miss Janice {at} Miss Janice {dot} com. Thank you for stopping by today!

POSH NIGHTS AND PRISSY DAYS!

Busy, busy, fun times! This week husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach. Now that's a swanky place y'all! It is extremely high-falutin! "Here's What I Wore" for dinner...

The suit is by St. John's Knits. At the Breakers Hotel...

My go-to casual high-falutin outfit, by St. John...Trust me, you will never go wrong with a St. John suit!

The necklace and earrings are also by St. John. I wore my Cartier roll ring wedding band and my ponytail was adorned with a gold Chanel barette. I carried my black Chanel 2.55 pocketbook and my shoes were black Chanel ballet flats. My lipstick color was "Star Red" by Chanel and my fragrance of choice...Mlle Coco Chanel!

Earlier today, I attended a Luncheon at the Stuart Woman's Club. "Here's What I Wore"...The jacket is by Taylor G and the black A-line skirt is by Talbot's.

My gold disc-style earrings are by Givenchy, the Oyster Perpetual watch is by Rolex, and I wore my Cartier roll ring wedding band. My ponytail was adorned with the gold Chanel barette. I wore my black Vara Ferragamo pumps and carried a black Ferragamo pocketbook. Again I wore "Star Red" lipstick, by Chanel and my fragrance of choice was Mlle Coco Chanel.
Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Cuteness at Kmart!

"Attention Kmart Shoppers!" Now, that's certainly a phrase I haven't heard in a long time. I can't even tell you the last time I stepped inside a Kmart. Well, after I saw these darling rooster dishes on Manuela's blog, I high-tailed it over there, parked my BMW in the not-so posh parking lot, and ran inside to get my own! They are the "Good Food Good Friends" pattern by Country Living...Love them!

This morning I'm had a relaxing breakfast, went over the latest Christmas magazines and looked over some old ones as well...


Chose some ribbon embellishment for Christmas trees and packages....


Ironed Christmas linens...


Yesterday, I had a Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino from Starbuck's..I'm definitely getting in the holiday spirit y'all!

Lilly Photo of the Week

Oooooh y'all, I have a darling "Lilly Photo of the Week" this week...it's a guy! Griff is the son of one of my very favorite bloggers Melissa. Here he is--wearing his preppy attire, topped off with a Lilly tie! Okay ladies, tell me he's not the cutest thing ever!

"LILLY PHOTO OF THE WEEK"...GRIFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Griff...looking oh-so preppy and handsome!

I adore your hairstyle Griff!

I want to thank Melissa for sending in Griff's photos. Melissa has the best blog y'all--visit her here. She creates beautiful personalized preppy stationery and gift tags on her etsy site here.

Thank you again Melissa! Y'all don't forget to e-mail me your Lilly photo. Send it to me at: Miss Janice {at} Miss Janice {dot} com. Thank you for stopping by to visit.

Social Graces...Southern Style--in South Florida

The Stuart Woman's Club was the setting today for my Modern Manners for Children etiquette program...
Workbooks, "Miss Janice" pencils, magnolia-motif place cards, and crayons awaited each little girl...
The dining table was set and ready for the tutorial lunch...I used magnolia motif melamine plates, with magnolia motif tumblers and goblets. (The younger girls used the tumblers and the older girls used the goblets). Custom-designed laminated placemats, with an age-appropriate place setting guide, were favors for each girl to take home, along with their place card/magnolia motif menu cards--all learning tools, plus a little something for the scrapbooks.

The Southern-style place setting, appropriate for little girls... The placemats are reversible with etiquette tips on the other side!
My assistant, a puppet named "Catherine the Mannerly Cat," is dressed wearing her pearls, waiting to greet each little girl and give them their little hanging name tags.

The girls arrived, excited to learn Social Graces...Southern Style! What a sweet group they were...I loved them all!

Of course, I have to tell y'all "What I Wore." It's important to look professional when teaching etiquette, but when I teach little girls, I try to keep my outfit a little "fun & girly!" I chose to wear this bright colored "Audrey Charmed" shift by Lilly, with a black turtleneck and black tights. Of course, I wore my pearls...just like my little assistant "Catherine the Mannerly Cat!"

My ponytail was adorned with a black grosgrain ribbon bow and I wore Ralph Lauren pearl stud earrings. I wore my Cartier roll ring wedding band, along with my Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch--had to keep track of the time! To polish off the outfit I wore these darling pearl-embellished black ballet flats, they are by Cochni. They are just too cute with this Lilly shift!

I can't say it enough y'all...I love to teach etiquette, it's sooooo much fun! This age group is such an awesome age because they just soak up everything and love it all! So, I'm off now to plan my next class! Thank you for visiting with me today.

LILLY PHOTO OF THE WEEK

This week's "Lilly Photo of the Week" was sent in by Princess Freckles. Here she is posing in the "Fiesta--Pink Tiger Lilly" dress, by Lilly during a bridal shower held in her honor last August. The bridal shower had a pink and green theme and in this photo she's posing with her cousin, who was her Flower Girl and is also a little Lilly lover.

"LILLY PHOTO OF THE WEEK," HER HIGHNESS OF CUTE, PRINCESS FRECKLES!

The Princess was married on October 24th and is now enjoying the second week of her honeymoon. Here's the darling couple on their wedding day...

Y'all, the first time I clicked onto her blog, I knew that I would love it when I saw that she loves Audrey, Jackie O, and Coco Chanel! Then I saw this darling photo on her sidebar...I secretly want to "take it" and put it onto my sidebar! How cute is this?

Princess, I wish you all the best in your new life and thank you so much for sending in this darling photo.

Y'all don't forget to e-mail me your Lilly photo...send it to me at Miss Janice {at} Miss Janice {dot} com. Thank you for stopping in today!

November "Friendship Gift"

What to give visitors to my home during November?...hmmmmm, it was easy. My mother-in-law has a great recipe for Party Mix and it's sooo delish at this time of year! I gave out the party mix last year and will give it out again this year. Wrapped in Autumn theme cello and tied with a ribbon bow...very easy and also inexpensive!

Recipe for Mary Gibson's Party Mix:
2 cups corn chex
2 cups wheat chex
2 cups rice chex
1 - 1/2 cup nuts
2 cups broken pretzels
1/3 cup melted butter
2 tblsp. Worcestershire sauce
Garlic salt to tast

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Mix dry ingredients, blend melted butter and Worcestershire sauce, and pour over mixture. Stir all in a 13 x 9 x 2 pan. Add garlic salt and mix well. Bake one hour and stir every 15 minutes.

HERE'S WHAT "WE" WORE

It's definitely been a busy week for me! My friend Joy has been visiting with us all week. Joy lives in Savannah, Georgia and I promise you, the girl loves to shop more than me! Joy and I were once roommates waaaay back when we were both young girls in Augusta, Georgia, where we rented a big two-story home on Central Avenue. Then we both worked on cruise ships together for many years. Joy was a Bridesmaid at my wedding and has been a "true friend" all these years. Here she is dressed very casual, in J. Crew...
Being such a proper Southern friend, she arrived at my doorstep with a gift for moi! A Paula Deen Market tote...

She is lucky enough to be able to eat at Miss Paula's restaurant in Savannah all the time and was sweet enough to give me this cookbook, which features all the recipes prepared for the diners at her restaurant.

Here's Miss Joy's Halloween costume...Miss Fairy Girl!

Good Lord, here's husband Ken, dressed for Halloween as "Beaker!" How ridiculous does he look! He loves to dress up for Halloween...I'm not even sure who this "Beaker" character is...Lord have mercy.
Of course, we had to head to the Lilly Store at the Garden's Mall...my absolute fav store! I was so excited to show Miss Joy the dressing rooms. Here's What I Wore that day... The dress is the "Stephanie Engineered Raindrop Blue Shift" by Lilly, underneath I wore an ivory cotton turtleneck by Ralph Lauren. My ponytail was adorned with a navy grosgrain ribbon bow. I wore my "memory beads" necklace from the 70's, my Cartier roll ring wedding band, and my Rolex Chamaleon watch which has a coordinating green watchband. My navy pocketbook is by...Ferragamo.

I wore these darling "Trunk Up" ballet flats by Lilly, along with ivory stockings...

Here's Miss Joy posing in a beautiful pink casual outfit, with a brown tank top, and brown sandals...tres chic!

Okay, I just had to try on this new shift at the Lilly store...the "Worth Shift--Not So Crabby" pattern. I imagine we are all going to see ourselves coming and going in this one...it is sooooooo cute and so very Miss Janice!

Miss Janice, shopping at the Chanel counter at Sak's...I'm wearing an orange cotton turtleneck and a black Michael Simon cotton Halloween cardigan, a very inexpensive khaki skirt from Target, black Chanel loafers, pumpkin earrings, black and white gingham ribbon hair bow, and carrying my black Chanel 2.55 pocketbook. I'm writing a check from my Louis Vuitton checkbook case...

This afternoon, I drug Miss Joy out to my home-away-from-home--Panera Bread. After lunch, we headed out to see the new Michael Jackson movie, "This Is It!" It was great y'all...he sure didn't look sick, or like he couldn't handle himself...he definitely came across as a remarkable performer. I'm very glad that I went to see it.

Here's what Miss Joy wore...J. Crew--head-to-toe!

Well, it's been a fun week. Now we're sitting down to rest...having a pimento cheese sandwich and some sweet tea, and enjoying Sunday night MUST SEE TV...Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters, and Dexter. Good times, y'all!