Guest Blog at Lily Lemontree

One of my absolute favorite bloggers, Lily Lemontree, invited me to do a guest blog on a figure I consider to be a style icon. So, please stop by her site today and take a peek. Her blog is fabulous and such a joy to read. I am honored that she asked me to serve as a guest blogger. You’re the best, sweetie!

Have a great day, everyone, and be sure to stop by Lily Lemontree!
Image courtesy of http://lilylemontree.blogspot.com/

This Old House

Sorry that I’ve been MIA lately. I caught Miss E.’s stomach bug and for a while there, I thought I was going to die. But, I made it through it and I’m back among the living.

Question for my dear readers…have you or do you currently own an older home? And if so, do you like it? Is it a headache? Both? The reason I ask is that recently we’ve been looking at houses in an older neighborhood, closer to where our kids will attend school. Yes, I realize we’re renovating the kitchen and having our house painted. Part of this effort is because if we do decide to move, our house will be more up-to-date and ready to put on the market. If we don’t move, we can simply enjoy the renovations and live in a more updated home. So, hopefully a win-win on both accounts. But, I am growing a little tired of the commute and would like to be closer to the kids’ school and my work.

We’ve looked at some darling houses – lots of charm, architectural gems. But, when you start looking at homes that are 80 to 100 years old, well, there’s a lot of baggage that goes along with it. The maintenance concerns me. Hubby doesn’t like that many of these houses don’t have finished basements. You tend to sacrifice certain amenities for the location and you pay a bigger price tag.

So, maybe these house hunts are for not and just reinforce the fact that we need to stay in our current home. We’ll see. In the meantime, I’ll continue to watch “This Old House” to get some tips from the experts. Plus, I have a slight crush on the host, Kevin O’Conner. :)
Image courtesy of This Old House

Gerard Butler as Robert Burns

Have you heard? My Gerry is going to play Scotsman Robert Burns in a biopic based on the poet's life, loves and much acclaimed work.

Gerard Butler. Sigh.
Image courtesy of connect.in.com

Temporary Workspace

So, I'm working from home because our newly-minted five-year-old has a stomach bug. Not fun. Luckily, I can telecommute. Our painters are here today working on our bedroom (so long Santa Fe-inspired wallpaper!). Our contractor should be here soon to work on the framing in the kitchen and then the flooring folks are set to arrive tomorrow. (We had to postpone the flooring for a few days due to a pipe leak. Don't ask.)

In the meantime, I'm working at our dining room table, which is stacked high with kids' artwork, cookbooks, and my paperwork/electronics, in addition to my centerpieces. I like to think of it as a controlled chaos, if you will, which describes my workspace in general. I know where everything is and how to get to it. It may not be pretty, but I make it work. But, yes, it could use some organizing every now and then.

The mess around the house is getting to me a bit. I don't normally like to clean, but right now I would love to start dusting and picking up the clutter strewn about. I know dust comes with the territory when doing a renovation and our contractor warned us of this. Although, living in the midst of it quickly gets old. I'll stop complaining, though, because progress is being made and you know how much I love progress!

So, I'll look on the bright side. The lighting is good in our dining room, so it's a pleasant place to work. The sun is out today and the temperature is rising. Spring appears to be making an appearance and I welcome its arrival. And, I'm spending time with my little girl, who will hopefully feel better soon.

Have a great weekend everyone! My Kentucky Wildcats play Florida this weekend - last game of the regular season before the SEC tournament and March Madness. Go Cats!
Image courtesy of CartoonStock

The Well-Dressed Child

For those of you with kids in your life, be it your own, a niece, nephew, or a friend’s child, I highly recommend Bella Bliss. A clothing company founded in Lexington, Ky. (a shout-out to my college town), Bella Bliss features the most beautiful, classic children’s clothes. Besides its flagship store in Lexington, other boutiques across the country carry their clothing.

My son has an adorable hand-knitted sweater from Bella Bliss (the one pictured above, although he doesn’t wear a pink coat with it :). And, Miss E. just received the sundress featured above for her birthday. This will be perfect for the beach and other special summer days.

Another line of children’s clothes that I love to look at, but will likely never purchase unless I win the lottery, is Papo d’Anjo. I learned about this clothing line after reading about the founder, Catherine Monteiro de Barros, in Cookie Magazine (may it rest in peace). The business is based in Lisbon, Portugal and the clothing is exquisite. I've been invited to a couple of their trunk shows (you should see the invitations to these things - gorgeous), but I declined, knowing that I couldn't bring myself to spend that kind of money on something my kids would grow out of so quickly. (Yeah, yeah, I know I just went wild at Lilly Pulitzer, but that was for charity, so that's justified. Right??) Check out the driving shoes for six year-olds. Um, yeah.

Do you have a favorite children’s store or clothing line that you often frequent for special occasions, holidays, etc.? Sometimes it’s just nice to dress the little ones up every now and then. It may be a brief moment between the time they step out the door and into the mud, so try to snap a photo if you can. :)

P.S. – Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes for Miss E! She had a wonderful birthday, full of pink, princesses and plenty of cake. She woke up this morning and said, “Mommy, can you believe you have a five-year-old?!” No, sweet girl, I can’t.
Images courtesy of Bella Bliss and Papo d'Anjo

The Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday to our darling girl, Miss E., who turns five today. This photo was taken as we were heading out the door, with cupcakes and fruit juice in tow, for her celebration at preschool.

One of the highlights of the morning was Miss E. hearing her name and favorite song on "Kids Place Live," the Sirius/XM radio station we listen to each day. I e-mailed a request a few days ago, asking them to play "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music (she LOVES Julie Andrews as Maria), between 7:15 and 7:30 a.m. Sure enough, Kenny the morning host announced her name, our hometown and that she was turning five today. When the song came on, we were sitting in line at the Starbuck's drive thru and Miss E. was grinning ear to ear.

So, tonight we dine like kings at Red Robin, Miss E.'s favorite restaurant and then we'll head back to our house for cake and presents with the family. Hopefully there's not too much dust in the house, after the drywall application for the last two days. Our new hardwood floors go in today as well, so I'm really excited to see how they look. It's amazing to come home each evening and see the progress.

I can't believe my eldest child is five - where does the time go?? I love you, sweet girl. Can't wait for the evening's festivities!

Date Night with Leo, Mark and Scorsese

Hubby and I had a date night on Saturday and saw Scorsese's Shutter Island. Tell me, does Leonardo DiCaprio age at all? I think he's a great actor, but seriously, he's Dorian Gray. There's a portrait in an attic somewhere that's growing old while he remains youthful looking.

Great tribute to Hitchcock - I recommend seeing it. Mark Ruffalo stars as well and I think he's such a cutie (probably not the best description for him in this serious role, but I can't help it - he's adorable). We figured out what was going on fairly early in the film, but there are some moments that throw you off. It was definitely one of those films that had you talking about it well into the next day.

Have you seen this film yet? Did you like it?

We're gearing up for my daughter's birthday this week - she's turns the "Big Five" on Wednesday. Yep, five years ago at this time I was on bed rest, not knowing if we were having a boy or a girl. The big adventure was about to begin! More details on the birthday girl later in the week.

Have a great Monday everyone!
Image courtesy of New York Daily News