WHAT'S IN MISS JANICE'S COOKIE JAR?

The man said these were the last Girl Scout Cookies, in South Florida...I believed him!!!

When I participated in the Relay for Life event a couple of weekends ago, one of the groups raising money for the Cancer Society was selling Girl Scout Cookies. I made it through February and March, passing the young girls selling their loot at Publix, Target, and Walmart before caving in at the Relay for Life! Now they are in my cute little MacKenzie-Childs cookie jar!!!The Lemon Chalet Cremes, the Trefoils Shortbread, the Samoas, and my personal fav now--the Berry Munch. $4.50 a box...Lord have mercy, when I was a Brownie, I sold the cookies for fifty cents a box. By the way y'all, Miss Janice never made it to The Girl Scouts--the Troop Leader said I wasn't serious enough! That's okay, I loved the little Brownie outfit...wasn't so crazy about the Girl Scout outfit or all those campfires:)

Seriously, The Girl Scouts is a wonderful organization for young girls and the cookies are still worth $4.50/box!!!

So, I'm enjoying some cookies and milk this afternoon and reading some of y'all's blogs. Thank you for stopping by to visit with me and have a wonderful day!

CONGRATS TO MY GIVEAWAY WINNER!

Thank you to all the people who entered my giveaway this week to celebrate National Etiquette Week! I asked y'all to tell me what etiquette faux pas others commit that drive you crazy. Here's some of the tacky things people do everyday:

~This whole cell phone thing is out of control, Period

~Failure to R.s.v.p.--I just don't understand why people don't respond to an invitation. It's soooo easy to do!

~Not sending a thank-you note. Totally tacky. Just tacky.

~Bad table manners. I've said it before and I'll keep saying it...nothing says more about you than your table manners!

~A lot of you are not happy with the way gentlemen treat ladies and elderly people; i.e., not giving up a seat on the subway, opening doors, et cetera.

~The ladies are not comfortable with people asking personal questions about their 'biological clock.' Also, it's not acceptable to touch an expectant mother's tummy! Good Lord!

~Several readers don't like it when men wear caps/hats indoors...not proper, no ma'am!

~Applying makeup in public, not using kind words, wearing white shoes before Easter (don't get me started on this one), and not addressing people properly (yes ma'am/no sir) also made y'all's list.

This is what National Etiquette Week is all about--making people aware of the rules of civility. I believe that all y'all practice proper etiquette and know you are setting the right example to your family, friends, and co-workers.

Now y'all be ever-so gracious and join me in congratulating the winner of my giveaway ...Jo at BeesAndFleurDeLis. Jo lives waaaaaay up north in Connecticut and has a darling blog. Y'all stop in to visit with her soon.

No worries though...I'll be hosting another giveaway in June!!!

A GIVEAWAY TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL ETIQUETTE WEEK!

Yes, there is National Etiquette Week. It was established by Sandra Morisset in 1997 and will be observed May 10th - 14th. This is a time to recognize civility and good manners...and it begins with you! During this week, I hope that y'all examine and improve your etiquette skills. Here's a list of Miss Janice's top five etiquette faux pas:

~Failure to R.s.v.p....will surely get your name taken off Miss Janice's party list!
~Not sending a thank-you note...how very ungrateful!
~Talking while chewing your food...so disgusting!
~Using a toothpick in public...Miss Janice absolutely cannot stand this!
~Forgetting to say "Please, Thank You, Yes Ma'am/Sir, or Excuse Me"...a sure sign to others that you have no class!

In celebration of National Etiquette Week, I'm having a "Very Proper Giveaway." Last year I had a giveaway during National Etiquette Week and the winner received Letitia Baldrige's book, "New Manners for New Times." This year, I am offering the same book and a couple more of Ms. Baldrige's books to the lucky winner...This is Miss Janice's go-to etiquette reference book!

Another book included in my giveaway--It all starts in the home..."More Than Manners, Raising Today's Kids to Have Kind Manners & Good Hearts"

One more book for giveaway--This title says it all...it's not a question of money! "Taste, Acquiring What Money Can't Buy"

Ms. Baldrige is recognized universally as the country's leading authority on business and social etiquette. She was the White House Secretary for Jacqueline Kennedy and since that time has published more than twenty books.

Here's a photo of Letitia Baldrige at a White House State function in the 60's. Can you even imagine having such a wonderful job???

In this photo, the First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy is arriving at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Ms. Baldrige is seen emerging from the limo. November 3, 1961. I adore this photograph!

Here, you see Miss Janice with Ms. Baldrige at the Southern Lady Event in Destin, Florida. I begged the editor of Tea Time magazine, Barbara Cockerham, to schedule a sit-down for me with Ms. Baldrige. I was honored to meet her and receive her wealth of information regarding my role as an etiquette consultant in today's world.

So, here are the rules of the giveaway...
~To receive one entry, you must leave a comment and tell me what you consider to be the biggest etiquette faux pas.
~To receive two entries, please let me know if you are a follower of my site or if you are a new proper friend & follower!
~For a third entry, please let me know if you posted about my giveaway on your blog, Twitter, or Facebook.

The winner will be announced on Saturday, May 15th. Good luck to you and please remember to practice proper etiquette always!

HONOR THY MOTHER!

Mothers are the most important people in the world. If you are lucky enough to still have your mama, please honor her everyday and make this Mother's Day special for her. In the South, ladies judge a gentleman by the way he treats his mama. I can tell you that my brother loves and respects our mama and treats her like she's the Queen. He's always driving Miss Pauline all over the place (to church on Sundays, to the beauty shop for her standing appointment every Friday morning, shopping, et cetera--mama loves to scoot)!

~Make it Southern~
A sweet Southern tradition on Mother's Days in the South...ladies are given a red corsage if their mama is still alive and a white corsage if their mama has passed away.

Make your mama's day special by preparing a Brunch just for her...I used a silver plate is used as the charger plate and the china is 'Accoutrements', designed by Anna Griffin for Lenox. The goblet is the 'Alana' pattern by Waterford, and the silver napkin rings are monogrammed, of course!Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fail; A mother's secret hope outlives them all.
~Oliver Wendell Holmes


Happy Mother's Day to all y'all!

WELCOME TO THE TOP OF MY COFFEE TABLE!

Recently I purchased Paula Deen's new book "Savannah Style." I've been waiting on just the right moment to sit down and look through the pages. Doesn't the cover show how gorgeous Miss Paula is?! Look at this lady...
~Dinner and Good Book~
Excuse me y'all, while I step back a bit from the good ol' Southern-fried food and enjoy some whole grain pasta with sauteed asparagus & mushrooms, a fresh salad with Goddess Dressing from Trader Joe's, and iced cold mineral water.

I can't eat macaroni and cheese all the time...even if it is a member of the Southern vegetable food group!

"Savannah Style" was written by Paula Deen and Brandon Branch. Brandon is Miss Paula's Design Director and Personal Assistant. I am fast becoming a fan of his work...googling him like a stalker:)! Love everything he creates y'all! Here's an image I found of one of his florals--cute, cute, cute! Look at him with Miss Paula...with his velvet jacket, jeans, and a mint julep!!! Miss Janice wants Brandon as her personal assistant also!!!

This is one of his latest tablescapes...I found this on the Paula Deen website. Miss Paula is hosting a Mother's Day Luncheon for Brandon's mama and mawmaw...this is what he's working on for the Luncheon. Pretty, pretty y'all!
I say "Welcome to the top of my coffee table, Miss Paula and Brandon!" Gorgeous book, full of entertaining and decorating ideas. Love the Jane Coslick cottages, Brandon's Style Secrets, and the photos of your new guest cottages.

This would make a very special gift for y'all's mama on Mother's Day or even a nice gift for a hostess! Thank you Miss Paula for keeping it Southern!

JUST SO Y'ALL KNOW!

Yes ma'am y'all...IT'S MY RULES!!! Love this sign and of course it's perfect for my kitchen at "The Roost!"
I found this cute little sign on one of my new favorite blogs...The Classic Preppy. You might recognize her logo of the cute pink turtle from Blogland, Twitter, or Facebook... She's an eighth generation Southerner y'all! She's also a former Account Executive and Etiquette Instructor for Tiffany & Co. Goodness gracious--now that's one high-fallutin' title! Her blog is about all things preppy and refined. Be sure to check it out!

The Classic Preppy's logo...

Recently, The Classic Preppy featured some shops she had visited in Farmville, Virginia and this one caught my eye...The Sleeping Bee.
Classic Preppy even mentioned that "Miss Janice would like this store."

When is saw this photo from the store...I couldn't pick up my iPhone fast enough to call and try to get one.

Now it's on the wall of the entry to my kitchen...just so everyone knows the rules!!!
Mlle Coco Chanel says "Hey Y'all!"

A few more words...

~Before I close today, I want to say thanks to all of you who supported me during my 16-hour walk at the Relay for Life over the weekend! Thank you for your e-mails, your tweets, your comments on Facebook, your contributions, and your prayers! It was my pleasure to complete the entire event for my friend Jan Taylor, who is battling liver cancer. Today, I am attempting to answer all my e-mails and reply to comments left on my blog over the past week. I am waaaaay behind, but I promise to catch up and visit with all of you.

~Also, if you are a new follower of my blog, I say "welcome" and promise to visit your blog very soon!

~I have a giveaway coming up I believe this Sunday, so be sure to check back to enter:)

Have a wonderful week y'all!