Everybody please just relax until I've finished panicking...

Well, here we are in full swing of girl's week and darn that Gustav!!!  My BFF's family (hubby and 3 children, 3 dogs and hamster) had to evacuate their home in Louisiana and drive to her inlaws home in North Carolina!  She feels guilty because she is not there, but they are being taken care of (...but of course it's hard to enjoy your vacation when you're freaking out about whether your house will be flooded and you didn't get to put all of your valuables up on top of the cabinets...and what about the fish and the turtle??)  Yikes.

Most of my family fell under the mandatory evacuation order in the New Orleans area.  Half of my family evacuated to hotels far away, and the other half crashed are staying at my sister's house in Covington, Louisiana.  Apparently all you have to do is show up on my sister's doorstep and she will take you in and fix you dinner for as long as you want.  And don't forget your pets.  spread the word.  

It's not fair.  Why does another hurricane EVER have to threaten New Orleans?  New Orleans should be exempt from all future hurricanes since the devastation of Katrina occurred.  God, are you listening??

Anyway, here we are watching and waiting so you might as well read a very funny article by columnist Chris Rose in New Orleans' newspaper -- The Times Picayune:

"Everybody please just relax..."

girls just wanna have fun

Woo-hoo! One of my BFF's is coming from New Orleans today to visit with me for a week! This is the girl who first taught me what it means to "shop 'till ya drop". Hubby knows that he won't be seeing much of me for the next week! I hope I'm well-rested enough to keep up with her. I'll be sure to take plenty of pics to share with all of my bloggy buddies.

She's also a very naturally-talented interior decorator, so she's going to help me to figure out what I want to do with the rest of the house. I've been trying to get her here for the past few months since we moved in. She has 3 children at home and her hubby actually let her escape take some time off without any of the kids so it'll be quite the vacation for her, too.

at home all day watching paint dry...

I am drooling over this fuschia Hermes Kelly bag that I saw on The Purse Forum. (The crown moulding painters were here today and dragged out the job so it lasted a solid 5 hours--ONE ROOM! 5 hours that I was stuck here with nothing to do because I thought it wouldn't take very long and I'd surely make my 12:00 hair appointment. Had to cancel said appointment. Arrrrgh!)
Anyway, I love the hot pink color of this bag and the fact that it is a classic that never goes out of style. I also love that it was named after the beautiful and elegant Grace Kelly. Loved her in "Rear Window", "High Society", and "To Catch A Thief". Here she is carrying one of her many "Kelly" bags:

Modeling a lovely pearl necklace:

I don't have a Kelly bag and possibly never will because the price seems a bit unjustified. I came across a picture of the engagement ring that Prince Rainier gave to Princess Grace. It is an emerald cut with baguette side stones. It looks like Grace and I have the same taste in rings, also, as mine is the exact style, ... but not 10 carats!! Here's a pic of Grace's stunning ring:

sugar, spice, and everything nice

I love these little cookies from Williams-Sonoma.  I am a sucker for iced sugar cookies...mmmmmm!  

The pumpkins below can be hand monogrammed!

Love this vintage jaquard tablecloth for Fall:

And these Toile towels would look beautiful in my kitchen:

speaking of ...

OK, I had a very weird day. You may want to turn back now before I continue with the gory details. Remember my post on tattoos and how I sometimes see them on my patients? Well, someone asked what particularly funny ones had I seen and I just couldn't remember a really good one that I have seen recently.

Until today.

Both of my patients had tattoos today. The first one was not something that I was ready for at 7:00 in the morning. Actually it was not something you would ever be ready for...it was a first for me. My patient was a male and guess where his tattoo was? Yes. It was on there. I'm not kidding. I was doing a procedure and kinda had to go there and in big letters it said "TOOL"! All I could think was "OUCH!". Uh, okay. Now I've seen it all.

My second patient had an angel and a rose.

There. Just knew you would want to know!!

life of a southern belle

The sweet and generous Belle has bestowed upon me the Life Of A Southern Belle award! I am truly honored to receive this! Thank you so much, Belle! Her blog is one of my regular reads, so do check it out if you haven't already.

I have been so surprised how friendly and kind my new bloggy friends have been to me in this short period of time, so...I'll take this opportunity to put some words more eloquent than my own down to describe how I feel:

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive." - Anais Nin

"A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they’re not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they’re not so bad." - Arnold H. Glasgow

"Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand." - Emily Kimbrough

:-)

{he had me at hello}

My husband has done many many significant things in his life. He could write a book. I won't tell you everything because I'd rather you buy the book when it comes out but he is a very thoughtful and selfless person. Since 2006 he has driven a Prius hybrid just like the one above. He loves the darn thing! (People chuckled at us back then when gas went up to $2.50/gallon. They all said "Oh, it's only temporary, gas prices will go back down!"--LOL) Buying a hybrid is not for everyone. Supposedly because they cost more than the same non-hybrid car, the average person driving 12,000 miles per year has to drive it for at least 7 years just to make what they saved in gas money even out with the higher price of the vehicle. Hubby drives about 30,000 miles each year, so he is the perfect customer. He watches his average mpg on the big screen on the front dash and enjoys pushing it to the limit. He was up to 65 mpg when he was first driving it just by adjusting the way he drives. Whenever I get in I "ruin" his average! I turn on the A/C and won't let him coast to stop lights because I think that the cars behind us must be getting annoyed. That's the cool thing about hubby. He does not give a hoot what anyone else thinks about him and never has. Some people are just innately cool, and I swear he is one of them. Anyway, he is still getting 55 -60 mpg even carrying the 2 Petunias around with our requisite air-conditioning and fast driving. :-)

Mamma Mia

We went to see "Mamma Mia" today with some friends.  OK, I know I'm the last one to see it, but WE LOVED IT!!   Geez--why didn't anyone tell me that I would absolutely love it so very much?  And no one told me how cute and preppy Pierce Brosnan would look in that black polo shirt and white pants!  We were dancing in our seats and if it wouldn't have horrified Lil' Petunia I would have been dancing in the aisle since we were in the last row.  I'm still singing "Dancing Queen" (me standing on chair with remote control as microphone...):

You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life

See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen

Friday night and the lights are low
Looking out for the place to go
Where they play the right music, getting in the swing
You come in to look for a king
Anybody could be that guy
Night is young and the musics high
With a bit of rock music, everything is fine
Youre in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance...

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen

Youre a teaser, you turn em on
Leave them burning and then youre gone
Looking out for another, anyone will do
Youre in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance...

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen

1. Scroll to bottom of screen and pause Van Morrison!
2. Clickety below to feel the excitement--get up and dance if you must!!

i heart

I *heart* this handbag which just arrived at Gucci this week. And just left Gucci this week. In my car.

Had to have it--it's the perfect size and there's no annoying zipper to prevent me from getting in & out easily. It's just delicious.

Here are a few of the other beauties that I was playing with during my visit:

• Loved the luscious leather color and the classic shape of this one--

• This tan Ostrich bag would have gone home with me, but for the $9690 price tag...

• Loved, loved the fabulous Hysteria bag (even love the name) in the catalog, but in person this bag is an extremely large tote bag....like Mary Poppins carpetbag extremely large. Too bad, cause I was loving the Bohemian feel of it. (Becs??)

just moved in....NOT

Ugh!  This is what my family room looks like right now.  We had the crown moulding installation scheduled for yesterday and he did a beautiful job.  What I wasn't told is that the crown moulding painter is a different person and he cannot come until next Thursday.  So, we have to live like this until then.  It took hours for us (mostly me!) to empty out the entire room and move out most everything---I'm NOT bringing it all back in again for one week!  I wish they would have clued me in on this in the beginning so everyone could have coordinated schedules...

I love the way that the moulding makes the wall color appear a little more, well, there.  There will be even more of a contrast after the moulding is painted.  I wanted the wall paint to be very subtle and calm.  The contrasting white moulding keeps it from disappearing. 

diamond award

I received this blog award from the fabulous Muffy Martini. I thoroughly enjoy reading her blog every day!
My first award--how exciting!! Gosh, I don't have a speech prepared, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank ... just kidding! I am especially tickled, though!
Here are the rules:
1. when you received a diamond, make a post about it on your blog
2. name the blogger from whom you got it
3. award the diamonds to seven other bloggers
4. link them
5. and tell them, that they got one!

I would like to pass this award on to:

• Bec's Bohemia - for being the sweetest bloggy friend ever!
• Belle In Bloom - for handing the highway patrol policeman your VISA instead of your driver's license!!! too funny!
• Life Of A Southern Belle - pecan pie & The Big Chill? We can hang out anytime!
• Bees And Fleur de Lis - a very creative cutie girl with the most adorable english Bulldog puppy!
• Mrs Preppy - another cutie-pie and can't wait to see her pictures from Sweden!
• Pretty In Pink - keeping all of us stylish and fabulous with her posts!
• Momogram Momma - creatively keeping us monogrammed and preppy--just like we should be!

Secret Confessions...

No, I do not have a tattoo. I will never have one, either. I get tired of carrying the same handbags after a while, and usually end up selling them or giving them away. I definitely get tired of wearing the same clothing all of the time, and like to see the new collections every season. I've even gotten tired of my hair color, and have been know to change that up as well.

I do not want to get any permanent adornment that I cannot get rid of at a moment's notice. But, lots of people obviously don't have a problem with them -- tattoos. I think it is one of those words on my list -- trendy.

I know that many people have them due to my line of work. I see naked people ALL the time. OK, now I've got your attention, don't I?! I am an RNFA . I assist surgeons in the operating room with many types of surgery. So, we kinda have to remove the clothing beforehand, and we are very discretionary about it, believe me. When you do this every day it is not a big deal to see a person's body parts, and we only uncover the area that we need to work on. But, we do find a lot of surprises. Tattoos on lots of people. A lot of funny ones, cute ones, spiders and tweety bird and flowers and hearts...

So, do you have one? What does it depict, and what does it mean to you? Do you regret getting it?
You can leave me an anonymous comment if it is a secret! Do tell!!!

Adorable vintage humor magnet above by Anne Taintor!

role model

I love(d) Jackie O. She was someone whose character and actions I try to emulate. Jackie Kennedy Onassis was graceful and elegant and always kind. It's hard to be like that all of the time.

Sometimes when I find a really great quote I put it over there ---> on my "quote of the day". Sometimes it becomes the quote of the "days" or "week". It's not because I haven't had the time to change it. Sometimes I find a really really good one that just speaks to me ... and I like to think about it for a few days. Ponder it. I think about the truthfulness of it and whether it applies to me or not (or whether it should apply to me).

Today's quote is thus: "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." ~Mahatma Gandhi

Forgiveness is a really hard thing sometimes. It is easier, I think, when "out of sight--out of mind" applies. But, sometimes the person whom you are trying to forgive is right there in front of you.  How easy is it to forgive?? 

Jackie endured many many difficult situations over the course of her life, some of which we know and others that are only the subject of myth or hearsay.  How did she overcome all of these trying situations?  Maybe she listened to Gandhi.  She definitely seemed to have some semblance of peace and tranquility about her. 

Here are a few of my favorite snapshots of Jackie and her family:

5 words I dislike

I've been tagged by the lovely Becs in Bohemia to come up with 5 words that I just do not like. I'm going to use my most annoying words, or at least the ones I can think of at this very moment! Hmmm...let's see:  

1. Pop – On every single one of the decorating shows on cable TV (of which I watch many) there is at LEAST one obligatory use of a phrase such as ... 'the addition of the red really makes it POP.' You know when it's coming ... you mouth it along with the decorator. There must be some other way of describing the addition of an interesting detail. Also overused in women's magazines to describe a lipstick or what a particular eyeshadow does to one's eyes. ugh!
   
2. Waalah! -- This is simply a spelling error that I come across often. The word is "Voila", people. Please spell it that way. If you don't know French, then don't write it. ;-)
3. Reality -- As in "reality TV show" -- which usually means a really dumb show that will surely insult your intelligence. It also refers to generally out-of-work actors who are desperate for a job. I don't want to burst anyone's bubble...but these shows arescripted, therefore it isn't really reality!
4. Whatever -- Also known as "whatevah!'. Not very nice.
5. Trendy -- ewww ... 'nuff said!
6. Pricey -- as in "Joshua does my hair..., but he is a bit pricey."  

Oops, that was 6.  I'm not very good at following rules.  Sometimes I make up my own.
And of course there are worse words, but I am keeping it clean!

I'm tagging Grosgrain Garage, word to your mother, Bees and Fleur de Lis, & Belle In Bloom!

more Palm Beach...

Many of the houses in Palm Beach are built in the Mizner-style. Addison Mizner's architectural visions mixed antiquities with reproductions in manufacturing the signature Palm Beach style. There are Spanish Renaissance tile details, lots of wrought iron, glorious carved doors, and a myriad of architectural details.

Here are a few beauties (just like their owners, many have had facelifts in the past few years):

C.Orrico ~~ where we get our Lilly:

The original Palm Beach hamburger joint:

The Philip Hulitar Sculpture Garden:

This book is full of beautiful pictures of interiors and exteriors if you like this style:

diamonds are a girl's best friend

I had an appointment at the Apple store today for my first one-to-one lesson. There are so many cool things you can do with this computer that we barely scratched the surface in an hour. Sooooo, since we were at the mall, we had lunch and did a little looking around. While we were browsing in J Crew, Lil Petunia pointed to the lovely wall of argyle wellie socks and said "Mommy, Look! You love those!" She was right!

From left to right they are heather/navy, navy/azalea, & chocolate/soft blush. AND 20% off when you buy 3 pairs.

Lil P has been very good this summer, so she got a special treat. A trip to Build-A-Bear workshop--probably her favorite store ever.

She chose the cutest dog appropriately named "Scruffles":

hurry hurry...

... over to Tracy Porter's website where I just noticed that everything has been reduced to at least 50% off!!! She has a beautiful selection of clothing, shoes, and accessories that you won't see on everyone else!

Here are some of my favorites:

happy happy joy joy

Woo-hoo from one happy customer! From opening up the box, unpacking, & setting up to surfing the internet took a whole 5 minutes!! The Apple Macbook laptop is so easy to use--why didn't I get one a long time ago?? (And it is so pretty.)
And there was a bonus ~~ there is a promotion right now, so it came with a free matching white printer/copier/scanner!

a room with a view

Let the sun shine in! I love this feature of the kitchen. Whoever thought of placing a window above the work area was brilliant. I don't need to turn any lights on during the day (there are also windows above the cabinets and above the sink). I highly recommend this feature to anyone planning a kitchen remodel.

go a little wild

Just love this handbag from Ballard Designs! I like a little leopard with my preppy! The face is hand needle-pointed, the handle is made of genuine bamboo, and the apple green velvet is so pretty.

I think that I kinda have a soft spot for leopard (no pun intended). I looked around the house and well, most of my decor is neutral and light with a splash of my favorite color aqua blue thrown in. But, I was able to find quite a few leopard prints all around the house. I like to see it here and there. Just in case you are starting to doubt my impeccable taste, you must know that I absolutely draw the line at leopard print clothing. I am not Peggy Bundy -- tee hee.

Well, does my favorite robe count as clothing?? (No!!):

And shoes don't count:

My favorite kitchen sink rug:

Another rug:

A cutie little lavender-scented pillow:

Why, you ask, did I include a picture of Bear? Oh, he was just sitting there wondering why no one ever takes his picture, so I included him, too! ;-)

Have a grrreat day!