Patriotic Perfection

For some reason I get excited about the idea of decorating the outside of our house for the 4th of July. This week I found a new catalogue in our mailbox.....Grandin Road (if you haven't seen their site, you should take a look....really cute things at great prices). Well, lo and behold - they have a beautiful Martha Stewart Fourth of July line! Now I just have to determine whether or not it really makes sense to invest in decorations that can maybe work for one week a year.... (maybe I could plan a party so that they'd get maximum viewage....)

Wish List.....

I always look forward to bringing out my summer clothing! There's something about the bright colors, happy patterns, and carefree ease about wearing them that just makes me happy! Here are a few things that I have my eye on (and actually a few that I recently purchased too!)

I just adore the Lilly line this summer. Their colors are so "me" and I'm just drawn to the pieces below. I need to swing by the local Lilly store sometime soon!
I waited too long for this Vineyard Vines cami unfortunately :( My size is sold out....I keep checking to see if they'll replenish the various sizes, but so far no luck.This top is really comfy, and oh-so-cute! It can be dressed up for dinners out, or just worn with a pair of shorts running errands. I snapped this one up in orchid (though I was looking at the green one too, but then that one sold out).
Land's End Canvas white bootcut jeans. They fit really well, true to size - but a warning to anyone over 5'5", they are a little on the short side. They say the inseam is 32", but I'm 5'5" and I would wear these with flats (perfect for summer!).
I saw this Kate Spade hobo purse at Nordstrom, and I think it's so cute! The color is bright and cheery, and the size is just right for me.
I used to have a pair of platinum J.Crew flats and I adored them. I had them in DC, and all the walking to the metro and to work wore them out in a year. I have my eye on the pair above!
I have needed a new pair of flip-flops for awhile, and I finally settled on the Eliza B. pattern below, with the tan wedge above. Can't wait to see them in person!

Jimmy Buffett is a smart man....

"If life gives you limes, make margaritas!"
~J.B.
In other news, SB and I just booked tickets to fly to NYC this fall! Exciting!!

A new 'do!

I did it! So far, I think I really like it! So the woman I saw suggested doing a "stain" instead of a permanent color, so we'll see how/if it changes over the next two months. I think the color is a touch darker than my natural color, but since we're doing a stain she said it would lighten a bit more than usual over the course of time. The first time I saw the color in the mirror it kind of took my breath away -- it is a majorly drastic change for me! I was probably most nervous to see how SB would react, but thankfully he has said he likes it (I think he was probably saying it to make me happy....hopefully he really does like it!) The first thing he said was "You look just like your high school senior picture" - which I guess should be a compliment?

Game Over. Series Over. Season Over.

Montreal's goalie played out of his mind for games 5, 6, and 7....and as a result, the Caps' season is over. They led the entire league in regular season wins. They led the series against the Habs 3-1....and yet now they're done. I feel so badly for Ovechkin, who plays his heart out every time he's on the ice. I can only hope that they'll rebuild and rebound next year! That's the best part about sports.....there's always next year.

To highlight or not to highlight....

I have been getting my hair highlighted for just over ten years. I had bright blond hair as a little girl, but it started to darken in high school. Originally when I started highlighting I was just trying to give it a "sun kissed" kind of look, but when I lived in Atlanta my favorite colorist (Juan at Van Michael) turned "sun kissed" into like a full-out blond. I really like the way the blond highlights look when they're done right, but I haven't loved my hair ever since I moved from Atlanta 2.5 years ago. Basically I hate dealing with the roots (which are noticeable to at least me like 3 weeks after the appointment), and I don't want to go to the salon for cut/color any more than every 7-8 weeks.

I have a hair appointment lined up on Thursday with the 4th new person in the STL area since we moved here. I found the salon online and they specialize in CURLY cuts!! I've never heard of that - but my hair is naturally really curly, and ever since I started working from home I wear it curly much more (hello low maintenance!). I'm thinking I'll tell her that I'm over the highlights, dye the whole thing my natural color (which I think is a really light brown), and hope for the best! How else do you get rid of highlights? I don't think I could bear to wait for them to grow all the way out. I am beyond excited for this appointment. There's something about giving up highlights that feels really freeing because once you start doing it, it's hard to quit (but admittedly there's another side of me that worries that this is really how I look best and maybe my natural color will look horrible. Ah well it's just hair, and it can be dyed again another time).

Here's a pic from the good hair color days in the ATL (with a baby Daisy!)
And here's an AWFUL pic of me that shows the bad hair color!!!! It can only get better from here!

Being a puppy mommy...

is not as easy as it sounds!!!!! Yes, there are lots of moments when you look at your pupster and think that you have the most adorable puppy in the whole wide world......like here:
and here:
and here:
But y'all, if I'm being honest, there are definitely some times that I groan when she wakes us up at 5am to go potty and is up for the day, or leaves a "surprise puddle" by accident (potty training at this age is all about predicting when they have to go, and then taking them out.....you get it right most of the time, but it can still be tricky), or when she riles up Daisy (the addition of a new dog definitely introduces similar issues to when a new baby is added to a family.....dog jealousy is a real thing!).

Fortunately, despite all of that, the cuteness factor is huge, and her fun spirit makes this all worthwhile!

Our Trip to Captiva Island....in pictures

Trip Details....
Where: South Seas Island Resort, Captiva Island, FL
When: April 3-10, 2010
Who: my family....SB, my parents, my sis and her kids
Chase with my dad, aka Papa, on a post-dinner walk on the beach. For unknown reasons, my dad always makes that face in pictures. It makes me smile!
Muscle man.....with pink goggles. He had to wear the goggles anytime he went near water.....despite the fact that he never really put his head under.
A day at the pool beats a day at the office any day!

VIP seats on the island trolley. Chase says that when he grows up he either wants to be a trolley driver or a waiter. He practices driving and order-taking often......and he told the trolley driver Jim and waitress Gina that he loves them both. It was precious.
The sunsets were beautiful.
My sister and her sweet (energetic!!!!!!!) kids. Love them.
My guy :)

Just moments before the sun set....
My first niece is growing up!!!!

Will it BLEND???

Have any of you seen the Blend-Tek demonstrations at Costco? The blender is a work of pure genius....it's the same blender used in Starbucks everywhere, and is patented with its square design, which apparently helps it blend better because it draws food down compared to normal blenders that spray it up. SB and I looooove Costco, and saw the blender demo about 3 years ago - but the price for the blender seemed outrageous. This spring, the guy happened to be in our new local Costco, and the price wasn't so crazy. It also happened to coincide with SB's new health kick! (and when we were debating whether or not to get it - a stranger walked up who happened to be shopping there, and told us how it's changed her life and how much she loves it. I couldn't totally tell if it was a total coincidence, or if maybe they had a few plants...but it worked!) It's tough to beat a healthy smoothie made of only fresh/frozen fruit, ice and spinach! So, long story short, we bought it and have lived happily ever after. We've literally had like 50 smoothies each in 2 months. I think that means it's already more than worth the $$.
The above pics show a normal breakfast. It's awesome that you can mix in spinach and not taste it at all.
Here's an example of a soup we made. The blender even has a "soup" button that mixes and then warms soup using friction. I know I sound like a walking infomercial, but this thing is amazing, and I just had to share :)

New Member of The Preppy Mafia

Thank you so much to Bella Michelle for tagging me to join The Preppy Mafia! I'm so flattered you thought of me :)

As Bella Michelle says, part of the initiation to the PM is that you have to, of course, follow the rules!

Rule #1: Click on the above button and paste onto your blog/website
Rule #2: Answer the below questions
Rule #3: Pass onto 10 bloggers that you Love, go to their blog and let them know they've been tagged

1. Who is your style icon? Oh gosh, I always love timeless classics. I'd have to say Jackie O, Lilly Pulitzer, and some combo of Reese and Jen (I call them by their first names like I know them - ha!).

2. What is your favorite socialite lit book? I'm not entirely sure that I've read one! Does something like "Prep" by Curtis Sittenfeld count?

3. Favorite party theme? Kentucky Derby parties are my absolute favorite! I love any excuse to dress up in spring, wear a pretty hat, and drink mint juleps! Atlanta has the GREATEST Kentucky Derby party -- Derby Days. I'd love to recreate something like that in St. Louis with the Junior League one of these days.

4. Go-to Halloween costume? I have to admit that I don't love Halloween....but if I dress up, it's usually as a cowgirl. Last year SB went as John McEnroe in Vegas with his buddies. I was with my sister (sans costumes), handing out candy to trick-or-treaters in her neighborhood.

5. Extravagance you cannot live without? Dogs? Kate Spade purses? Occasional mani/pedis? Highlights? Beach vacations? It's hard to choose just one!

6. Living person you admire? I admire my parents!

7. Greatest Fear? Losing a loved one.

8. Trait you deplore in yourself? Shyness. I really wish I were more outgoing around new people!

9. Which talent would you most like to have? I'd love to have a better green thumb. We are going to be planting some new flowers in the backyard this weekend, and I always wish I could create big beautiful flower beds.......but I have no idea how to make everything work out height-wise, etc. I think we'll keep it simple for now :)

10. Greatest Achievement? I'm proud to be a Duke grad, I'm proud to have had a successful tennis career......but I'm really proud to be married to an amazing man, and to have a really happy, healthy, wonderful marriage!

I think so many of you have already done this, that I will take the easy route, and tag anybody who's a follower of mine that hasn't already done this!!