Advent Tree

Goodness gracious, I'm kinda grateful this holiday weekend is coming to a close. I have eaten my way through the whole thing! Seriously, it's was wonderful...from the crack-of-dawn Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving morning, to the who-cares that the oven died during the turkey baking, to the midnight shopping on Black Friday! I promise y'all, as soon as I click "publish" on this post, I'm off to the gym for a workout and plan to spend a couple of hours there!

This morning I attended Church..."HERE'S WHAT I WORE"

Skirt: Talbot's
Jacket: Old...Dillard's, I think

THE ACCESSORIES:

Pocketbook: 'Kelly Bag' by Ferragamo
Headband: Black velvet by Bagalicious...It's after Thanksgiving, I can wear velvet now!
Lipstick: 'Star' and 'Miss Fizz' by Chanel
Cologne: 'Mademoiselle' by Chanel
Earrings: Givenchy
Wedding band: 'Eternity' by Cartier
Ponytail bow: Black grosgrain ribbon
Shoes: 'Vara' by Ferragamo
I wore this Burberry plaid silk pochette around my neck...

Today is the first day of the season of Advent...the time of preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas and the start of the liturgical new year. Advent is a time of spiritual reflection as well as anticipation...counting down the days until Christmas!

I was thinking of making my own Advent calendar this year, then I decided to decorate an Advent Tree! I used my trusty little white feather tree that I've had for years. Then I added these little festive numbered treat cones...one for each day of the Advent season. I placed a "Christmas Bucket list 2011" tag inside each one...my list of things I want to do during the season....Attend a Christmas parade, attend a tree lighting, bake Christmas cookies, wear Christmas earrings, sip some Gingerbread latte, et cetera. I also added some peppermint candy treats!
I cut out the patterned cones and taped them together in the back, punched a couple of holes on the sides, and used red grosgrain ribbon to hang them on the three. LOVE the designs of the cones!
I found the cone printables HERE on Etsy.

I hope y'all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday weekend! Let the Christmas season begin!!!

Carrying Yourself With Grace and Poise

This morning I headed out to Church and lunch..."HERE'S WHAT I WORE"

Skirt: Sarah Campbell
Blouse: Stein Mart
Cardi: Neiman Marcus
Shoes: Bandolino
Flower Pin: Stein Mart
Tights: Stein Mart

The Accessories:
Pocketbook: Chanel 2.55
Cologne: 'Mademoiselle' by Chanel
Lipstick: 'Talisman' by Chanel
Nail Polish: 'Natural Pink' by Chanel

Shoes: Mary Janes by Bandolino
Necklace & Earrings: Pearls
Wedding Band: 'Eternity' by Cartier
Bracelet: Chanel

After lunch, I headed to the newly opened Fresh Market. I always enjoy shopping at The Fresh Market. The prices are a bit high, so I get my favorite "special treats" there...Pimiento Cheese, Spinach & Artichoke Dip, frozen party appetizers, seasonal coffees, pastries, and I just love their seafood!

After that I stopped in at the "tacky mall" to do a little recon work in preparation for Black Friday. After hitting up a few stores, I sat down on a bench in the center of the mall to tweet for a bit and take a rest. Being the people-watcher that I am, it always amazes me when I see ladies walking like a man or slumped into their chair, with their legs crossed like a man...or worse than that, sitting with their knees apart.

Your posture and the way you carry yourself is important and is as much a part of your image as your wardrobe. If you slump, it gives others the impression that you are lazy.

Standing gracefully:
~Stand with your feet slightly apart.
~Hold your head straight, with your chin parallel to the floor.
~Balance your body's weight evenly over both feet.
~Hold your shoulders up, back and relaxed.
~Keep your stomach pulled in and your bottom tucked under.
~Let your arms fall freely at your side.

Walking gracefully:
I learned to walk with a book on my head...Head up, shoulders back, bottom under, stomach in...and glide...just glide y'all!

{spoolteacher.com}

Duchess Catherine truly carries herself with grace and poise. The perfect Princess...she has perfect posture.

Sitting Gracefully:
Sit straight down on a chair, remembering to sit up straight and lean slightly forward on the chair. Cross your legs at your ankles and move your legs to the side. {If you move your legs to the right side, then the left leg should be tucked under the right leg} Keep your knees together as if you were holding a pill between them!

Place your left hand, palm down, just above your knee and place your right hand on top of your left hand.

Of course, Jackie Kennedy knew how to sit!
These ladies know how to sit...knees together, ankles crossed, hands on knees...leaning slightly forward.
Grace Kelly...sitting just like a Princess!

Church Outfit of the Day

Y'all know I like to dress appropriately when I go to church and today's outfit certainly meets all my guidelines for "Church attire."
HERE'S WHAT I WORE: The dress is by Donna Ricco and is certainly an appropriate dress for church. It has a shawl collar with 3/4 length cuffed sleeves.

The shawl collar adds to the prissiness of this dress.
I added one of my Chanel brooches...
The cuffed sleeves have pearl buttons...
The Accessories:
~Pocketbook--Ferragamo 'Lady Vara Kelly' bag
~Shoes--Ferragamo 'Vara' pumps
~Lipstick--'Star Red' and 'Miss Fizz' by Chanel

~Body Lotion & Cologne--'Coco Mademoiselle' by Chanel
~Earrings--Pearls
~Wedding--'Eternity' by Cartier

After church, I'll enjoy a quick lunch, then home to put together my Halloween treats for tomorrow night. I'm starting to get a bit nervous y'all...the weather forecast does NOT look good for the youngins! Rain and more rain for the entire week:( I'm already thinking of "Plan B" for all this candy--I have enough for the usual 500+ trick-or-treaters who show up every year. Already googling my options and it looks like there is a dentist nearby who accepts leftover Halloween candy and donates it to our troops overseas!!!

Y'all have a fabulous Sunday!

Weekend Wardrobe

Well, it's been a fun week...and I'm just now getting over "Television Finale Fatigue"! Apprentice, DWTS, Oprah, Biggest Loser...husband makes me watch 'em all. Of course, I'm a HUGE American Idol fan and sooooo happy that my favorite Scotty McCreery won. I can't wait to buy his music and see him in concert, 'cuz I LOVE HIM THIS BIG!!!!!

Thought y'all might like to see "WHAT I'VE BEEN WEARING"...

Friday, I had errands to run and did a little shopping and stopped for lunch at Bob Evan's. Hmmm, I think I've decided to only eat breakfast at Bob Evan's...no more lunch:) However, I did like their biscuits and apple butter. Anywho...I wore the 'Frisky Business' skirt by Lilly, with a white tee and green cardigan by J. Crew.

Love the pink and green print print of this skirt!
The lace trim has a palm tree motif!

I wore my orchid pink Revas, by Tory Burch, a silver monogrammed choker necklace with the matching bracelet and earrings, my rollring wedding band by Cartier, and my 'Chameleon' watch by Rolex with the green watchband. My ponytail was adorned with a hot pink grosgrain ribbon and I covered my diet caffeine-free coke with a 'Frisky Business' koozie by Lilly. My iPhone cover was green and my nail polish was 'Lovie Dovie' by Essie. My fragrance of choice for the day was 'Wink' by Lilly and lipstick was 'Laser Pink' by Chanel.

I carried my hot pink 'LePliage' pocketbook tote by Longchamp.

This morning I went to church and wore the 'Cabana Banana' shift by Lilly with the Marilyn Raspberry cardigan also by Lilly.

This is a real cute Lilly shift in the style that I love with the bows at the bottom...gotta have the bows y'all:)

I accessorized with a darker pink to accent the colors of the pattern...

I wore my magenta pink Revas, by Tory Burch and carried my Queen Bee Studio basket-style pocketbook with the magenta ribbon bow. I wore a pearl necklace, bracelet, and earrings and of course my rollring wedding band by Cartier. My ponytail was adorned with a magenta pink grosgrain ribbon bow and I used my hot pink iPhone cover. My nail polish was 'Lovie Dovie' by Essie and my lipstick was 'Laser Pink' by Chanel. My fragrance of choice for the morning was 'Wink' by Lilly.

This afternoon husband MADE me go see Hangover 2 with him. Lord have mercy, I must admit it was hilarious! Keeping it casual...I wore this green gingham skort by Lilly with a white tee.

Y'all know I love gingham...it just says "Summertime"!

The ric-rac trim makes it even cuter!

I wore my white mules by Lilly and carried this darling basket-style pocketbook with the Lilly-fied pattern on the top. I wore a silver monogrammed choker necklace with the matching earrings, my 'Return to Tiffany' bracelet by Tiffany, my rollring wedding band by Cartier, and my 'Perpetual Oyster' watch by Rolex. My ponytail was adorned with a green grosgrain ribbon bow, my nail polish was 'Lovie Dovie' by Essie, and my lipstick was 'Laser Pink' by Chanel. I used a green iPhone cover, wore my Chanel sunglasses, and my fragrance of choice for the afternoon was 'Wink' by Lilly.

Look at this darlin' pocketbook. I saw a photo of this cute thing that someone posted on the Re-Lilly site on Facebook. I commented on how much I liked it. The top is just decoupaged with a Lilly print and the green grosgrain ribbon added to the handletop and around the top of the purse. The owner said she would sell it to me if I wanted it and voila...it's mine! Isn't it cute for the summertime?!

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I do hope y'all are having a fantastic Memorial Day weekend! Now I must rush and prepare our dinner for tonight!

Weekend in Lilly

This morning I visited yet another church...I kinda liked this one and it's close to home--think I'm gonna visit again. I enjoyed the Pastor's message and...it did not hurt me one bit that he addressed the congregration as "Y'all" during his sermon!

After church, I stopped in at my usual Sunday Brunch spot...Panera Bread.

"HERE'S WHAT I WORE." I LOVE this shift by Lilly in the 'Havannah a Good Time" pattern.
Pink and green cuteness...yes it is!

The pink monogram takes the cuteness up another notch! Thanks to Monica at The Pink Monogram for the monogram job!

ADORE the pattern and the scalloped edge at the hemline!

I wore a pink cardigan by Lilly and accessorized with a white Bermuda Bag, white Revas, pearl necklace & earrings & bracelet, Cartier rollring wedding band, 'Parfait' by Chanel lipstick, 'Wink' by Lilly cologne, and 'Lovie Dovie' by Essie pedicure {oops, y'all can't see that because I wore my closed-toed church shoes}, and a white monogrammed iPhone cover. My ponytail was adorned with a light pink grosgrain ribbon and I wore my Lilly 'Beachy' readers, just so I could read the church bulletin:)


Friday, I went to the movies to see "Bridesmaids." Absolutely *LOVED* this movie. It was hilarious!!! *LOVED* all of the girls in the wedding party!


"HERE'S WHAT I WORE." Friday was a hot day...so early in May! After working in the garden all morning, I wanted to wear something cool. This skort by Lilly in the 'Worth Avenue' pattern was perfect! I paired it with a simple white tee...Large Diet Coke and Small buttered popcorn in hand, I sat down to enjoy the movie...*LOVED* it y'all!

Cute little skort...perfect for the hot days in Florida!

Love the 'Worth Avenue' pattern and I love the color also!

I carried the coordinating blue Bermuda Bag by Lilly, monogrammed of course! I wore my white Jack Rogers, rollring wedding band by Cartier, gold choker with my monogrammed charm & the matching monogrammed earrings. My nail polish...'Lovie Dovie' by Essie, lipstick was 'Laser Pink' by Chanel, my ponytail was adorned with a matching blue grosgrain ribbon, and my fragrance for the day was 'Wink' by Lilly. My iPhone cover was white w/pink monogram and I wore my Chanel sunglasses!

Yesterday, I cleaned the cottage out back ALL afternoon. Ugh! Now, I will tackle the main house:) I'm looking forward to American Idol Finale Week!!! Of course, I'm happy that my favorite Scotty McCreery has made it this far and hope that he wins. I'm also happy that his competitor is Lauren Alaina...also a Southerner. I love them both and wish them the best.

Over the Weekend

It was another beautiful weekend here in South Florida...full of yucky, nasty LOVEBUGS! Here's a notice to all y'all--DON'T COME TO SOUTH FLORIDA DURING MAY!!! These things are disgusting! They have a cute name and that's where it ends:) They make such a mess!


Sunday morning I visited a new church. I LOVE the church I attend, but I really do need to find something closer to the house. Well, this one was NOT what I'm looking for...just NOT the right fit. Ugh!

"HERE'S WHAT I WORE" {i also wore it to lunch last week and just now remembered that...oops!} The shift is 'Creme Fraiche' by Lilly and the cardigan is also by Lilly.

It's the classic shift style with the bows at the bottom--the type that I love...

Love the strawberry print...
I carried my Nantucket Lightship Basket pocketbook and wore my pink Revas, along with a pearl choker necklace, the matching pearl earrings, and my rollring wedding band by Cartier. My ponytail was adorned with a pink grosgrain ribbon and my fragrance of choice for the day was 'Wink' by Lilly.

After lunch at Panera Bread, I came home and enjoyed a long afternoon nap! Next week I'm trying one more church; it's one that I've visited before...maybe this time I might like it more:) I'm still settling in after my trip to Georgia last week. I'll post some photos later this week of my BFF Teresa Jane's kitchen redo...it's too cute.

Oh, Blogger was down for a couple of days last week, so I extended the deadline to enter my giveaway until last night. DRUMROLL PLEASE....The winner of the giveway to celebrate National Etiquette Week is Lori Stewart. Lori has a blog His Way or Her Way--Lori and her brother Pete try to outdo each other's cooking with their dish challenges. Y'all check it out.

Now please practice proper giveaway etiquette and join me in congratulating Miss Lori! Thanks to all who entered the giveaway and y'all have a wonderful week!

Just Another Posh Weekend!

It's just been too hot to blog y'all! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!!! I know a lot of y'all are savoring those last bits of summer sunshine...but not me. I'm dreaming of pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin loot all over my front porch, spice scented candles, sweaters, tights, corduroy skirts, and all things Autumn!

So, what have I been up to??? Lord have mercy, I had company AGAIN! My Yankee friend Denny was headed back up North to his homeland and stopped in to spend the night. We have known each other...well, a very long time and I always like visiting with him. Friday night we went for a tres casual dinner at Olive Garden. I know some of you might turn your nose up at the OG...but, I love it! Pasta, bread, salad, wine, cappuccino, and a delicious dessert...what's not to like?!

I must tell y'all about a new dessert they offer at the OG...Piccoli Dolci "little dessert treats', layered with cake, mousse, pastry creams, and berries. LOVE these! They are only $2.50 each. Yes ma'am, I like a deal!

"HERE'S WHAT I WORE" The skirt is the precious 'Croc Monsieur' pattern by Lilly and the lime green cardigan is also by Lilly. I wore a white blouse with a Peter Pan collar, and my monogram on the collar...in pink. Love this cute blouse from Land's End. I wore my pink mules by Lilly and carried my Nantucket pocketbook. I wore my pearl necklace and pearl stud earrings and of course my rollring wedding band by Cartier. My ponytail was adorned with a pink grosgrain ribbon bow and my fragrance of choice was 'Wink' by Lilly.

Miss Coco was happy as usual to see her uncle Denny and of course wanted to look her best..."HERE'S WHAT MISS COCO WORE" Her bandanna is the same pattern as her mama's skirt...'Croc Monsieur' by Lilly. Her little collar and leash were custom made in the same Lilly pattern. Her top knot was adorned with a pink and green ribbon bow. Now, I'd love to be able to tell y'all about a fabulous event I attended on Saturday...but, the truth is that I worked out at the gym, cleaned the front porch from top to bottom, and worked in the garden. Posh huh? I'm sure y'all think I'm a boring blogger lately, but I've been doing a lot of organizing and maintenance around the house. My goodness, I'm Spring Cleaning and it's late August!!!

Today, I went to church and "HERE'S WHAT I WORE" The boring beige shift (I don't wear this color much, 'cuz I feel so boring-looking in it) is the same style as the dress I wore to church last week and it also came from Appleseed's years ago.

I think the darling Gucci ballet flats and the Gucci pouchette pocketbook really make the shift a little cuter, don't y'all? I wore my gold monogrammed choker necklace and matching earrings along with my rollring wedding band by Cartier. My ponytail was adorned with a boring beige grosgrain ribbon bow. My fragrance of choice was Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel.
After church...lunch at Panera Bread. It has rained all day long y'all, so cream of chicken & rice soup, caesar salad, and warm bread hit the spot!!! I did a little shopping at Joann Fabrics, cruised Dillard's to check out the fall Lilly loot (of which there were maybe three dresses), then it was back to the gym for moi (hey, I'm 5k training y'all)!

Some comfort food at my dining room away from home...Panera Bread!

Organizer. Fuss Pot. Perfectionist. OCD Person. Stickler for Details. Yes, I am one of those people you may have met before...my house has to be clean and neat, as does my car, the garage, and the yard. I am a neat freak!!! Yes, I am. Sometimes important things don't get done 'cuz I'm organizing and straightening up stuff like a crazy person. I've been that way my whole life. I am almost done with my current round or organizing and cleaning around the house...with the exception of the messy garage--which is next on my to-do list. So, I hope to be back to a regular blogging schedule this week!

Thank you so much for visiting with me today. Have a wonderful week y'all!