Joanna Gaines

Finally sitting down this afternoon and looking at the latest Magnolia Journal magazine from Chip and Joanna Gaines.  What a gorgeous photo of Joanna on the cover.  I recently read that Jo is 1/2 Korean, 1/4 Lebanese, and 1/4 German.  She is just a natural beauty!

Like a lot of people, I'm a bit obsessed with Chip and Joanna Gaines and the Fixer Upper show.  The farmhouse look is everywhere on Instagram and I love it but I don't live in a house on a farm.  Also, I am not a DIY person and won't be installing shiplap, barn doors, or subway tile anytime soon.  However, I love that they are driven by their faith and family and I do try to add some of Joanna's looks to my cottage-style decorating.
I am sad that this will be their last season but happy that I can now purchase the Hearth and Hand products at Target.

Visiting the to Magnolia Market in Waco is on my 2018 bucket list...it's just such a long drive from Georgia.  Might need to fly into Dallas or Houston.

We could stay in this beautiful rental "The Magnolia House," designed in Joanna's classic style...for a cost of $695/night.  Lord have mercy!

I have their book The Magnolia Story but still need to get off the internet and take the time to read it!  Joanna's new book The Magnolia Table, a collection of the Gaines family recipes, will be out in the spring of '18 and I can't wait for that one!

So yes, it is a cold and dreary day here in Georgia.  There is even talk of S.N.O.W. tomorrow!  Burrrr, missing the balmy days in Florida.
I will close with my favorite saying of the day from Coach Willie Taggart,
"Y'all have a great day if you want to!"

Lilly-fied Christmas Tree

I still love Lilly Pulitzer, but being honest, I just don't buy as much as I used to.  The styles are way too short for me now and are really geared for the young girls.  That's okay, because I have enough Lilly that I never need to wear the same outfit twice between Easter and Labor Day!

I have always had a Lilly-fied Christmas tree and last year I found a cute pink tree in the At Home store.  It was a display and the lights were dead, so I added the Lilly for Target gold lantern lights and also some pink flamingo lights.

I decorated it with Lilly Pulitzer ornaments and pink and green bulbs.  Of course, the topper is my monogram.

I have removed a lot of the pink in my home decor but the office is still decked out in everything pink and green.  I'll be back later in the week with more of my Christmas decor. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

In year's past, I have prepared a meal for an army of people but today we are having a low-key Thanksgiving since we are caring for our mama.  I have prepared some of her favorites and hope that she will enjoy the meal.

I'm also sharing with you some photos of our little home's autumn decor and tablesettings.

As soon as the last dish is washed and put away later today, I will immediately be in a peppermint-everything mode!  I have scaled back from the days I when I had 10-20 decorated trees inside our house.  This year I will only have four trees.  Small house = less trees/less work!

I hope everyone has a very blessed Thanksgiving.  Count your blessings, name them one by one!

Miss Coco

I would like to introduce to y'all my new dog.  We got her from a sweet family in Warner Robins.  They were looking for a loving home to adopt her because of some health issues in their family. I had a friend who heard about this and called me immediately.  

Some of you might remember my late Yorkie, who was also named "Coco."  (Yes, I name all my Yorkies "Coco," just like I have named every kitty I've ever owned "Kitty Puff.")  We had not gotten another dog since the last one died five years ago because my husband said he didn't want a dog and cat in the house anymore--one or the other, but not both.  *insert roll-eye emoji*. Well, he was out of town during the weekend this pup became available, so I took that opportunity to bring her home with me and was sure that he would fall in love with her.  I mean, Kitty Puff is 17 years old and I didn't want to keep waiting.  Of course, he loves her 100%.  She is the sweetest thing.  Not a floor dog.  No ma'am, she's a lap dog and snuggle bunny.  

And yes, I saved all the late Coco's clothes!  Here she is...

It's a dark and rainy day in Georgia.  I have gotten out my Thanksgiving decor and am now working on Christmas decor, but I'm not skipping Thanksgiving y'all!  

Count your blessings, name them one by one.  Count your blessings, see what God has done!

Hey Y’all!

It’s been a long time since I last blogged. I’m back. Who knows for how long.  Not sure I remember how to do it anymore. Not even sure I can write without using hashtags or emojis.  I definitely need to clean up the sidebar and get a new header. Might need professional help!

I took a break from blogging because life was getting a little hectic.  You might remember we left Florida and moved to Georgia—bought a little house across the street from mama’s house. My mama (Miss Pauline) has Alzheimer’s and we wanted to keep her in her own home as long as possible.  Mama is now 94 years old and doing as well as can be expected.  She has several caregivers and that helps a lot.  I spend a lot of time running back and forth across the street—the neighbors only see me wearing sweat pants and carrying bags of stuff!

We also got a new Yorkie recently.  Her family had some health issues and wanted her to go to a loving home. She is 4 years old and just precious. We renamed her after our belated Coco and just love her!

So, when time permits, I’ll be blogging about my outfits, Miss Coco’s outfits, home decor, and my barely-existent social life.

Miss USA 2016 Predictions

Hey y'all!  I haven't blogged for awhile, buy y'all know I have to stop in to give my pageant picks!  Miss USA 2016 will be crowned this Sunday evening and I can't wait to watch the girls compete!  The beautiful Olivia Jordan, Miss USA 2015 and 2nd runner up to Miss Universe 2015 will crown her successor at the show live from Las Vegas.  The pageant will be shown at 7pm ET on Fox.

Who will replace this beautiful blonde?

Olivia Jordan, Miss USA 2015

Olivia's evening gown will always be one of my favorites!

Miss Alabama USA, Peyton Brown is a former Miss Alabama Teen USA.

Miss Arkansas USA, Abby Floyd competed at Miss Teen USA in 2013.

Miss California USA, Nadia Mejia...her mother was Miss Virginia USA 1989.  California always does well at Miss USA and this girl is an early fave!

Miss Georgia USA, Emanii Davis hopes to be the first Miss Georgia USA to win Miss USA!

Miss Hawaii USA, Chelsea Hardin is stunning!

Miss Montana USA, Sibahn Doxey is a former Miss Montana Teen USA.

Miss South Carolina USA, Leah Lawson.  This girl is not only beautiful, but she has talent !

Miss Texas USA, Daniella Rodriguez is a former Miss Texas Teen USA and Texas has the most wins at Miss USA!

Miss Virginia USA, Desiree Williams is a former Miss Virginia and competed at the Miss America pageant in 2014.

And...last but not least is the girl that won an entry into the pageant with fan votes--Miss 52 USA.  Alexandra Miller was 1st runner up to Miss Oklahoma USA in 2015 (to Olivia Jordan who went on to win Miss USA).

Miss 52 USA, Alexandra Miller

Get your popcorn and tune in this Sunday evening!