Scaphoids, School, and Scotch!

OK ~ I'm just kidding about the Scotch but it rhymed well and seemed to describe my state of mind lately. The summer ended with my little one finally getting her blasted cast off of her poor little wrist. (She had a Scaphoid fracture and bad sprain back in June) She's now just in a splint that she can remove and is SO happy to have that gross, itchy cast off! It was a looooong torturous healing and one that I'm grateful is O~VER! And as for school it's a year of excitement and fear~~middle school for one daughter and the JR year (the year of the dreaded ACT's and SAT's) for the other! The only thing I like about school beginning is that it hearkens the ushering in of FALL!!! Cool weather and hopefully, God willing, SOME RAIN! This is the first time ever that I feel the anticipation of joy when the weather man mentions that a hurricane is headed our way....let me make this clear~~people are DESPERATE for some rain around here. It's dry as a bone. My rose bushes have been growing potpourri!! And I'm NOT kidding! So I hope you all had a nice back to school week! I look forward to turning my attention back to blogging a bit more again now that the house is quiet! Let me know how you're doing~~I love hearing from you all! XOXO

Smoke & Mirrors Fall 2011 Nail Polish Collection by Zoya

I'm SO excited about these gorgeous new colors from Zoya for Fall. I'm especially eager to get my hands on the Jem, Jana, Petra, Anja, Marina, and Neeka!! You can find these at finer Salons and Spas. (Or go to the Zoya.com website for details on where to find them!) They're safe and non-toxic. Such beautiful colors and always elegant! Let me know what your current favorite nail colors are! XOXO

Favorite Things Friday A Day Late (LOL) ~ EcoTools Makeup Brushes!!

Hi Friends~~Now that summer is almost over, I'm going to be much more available to start blogging again! I'm sorry I've been neglecting you these past few months, but it's been a bit of a mad house around here with wisdom teeth surgeries and broken wrists!! Ahh~~Summer 2011~~~not so sorry to see you go. :) But I just found out that one of my FAVORITE THINGS is having a wonderful FREEBIE PROMO I wanted to share with you guys. Now I don't know if you know this about me, but years ago I was a makeup artist for a bit while my 1st daughter was a baby. I LOVED being a makeup artist because I've always had a love of makeup and products~~they're just one of my favorite things!! I did a lot of brides, which was so fun to be a part of their special days, but eventually the hours just weren't conducive to having a baby and hubby at home that wanted me around on the weekends. So I hung up my makeup brushes but still love to dabble and play with products when time permits!!

So these brushes I'm about to tell you about are my *favorite* brushes. I've had Chanel brushes, Trish McEvoy, Bobbie Brown, you name it...I've used them and these EcoTools brushes are the BEST! They're Eco friendly, as the name implies, and have **super soft fluffy*** bristles that never fall out all over you face! I believe the handles are bamboo and they are Fab Fab fabulous!!! And best of all...they're at your local drugstore! CVS, Walgreens, Ulta....they should all be there. (But call first to be sure) And right now, on their website, they're having a promotion that's pretty fabulous called the Choose To Live Beautifully campaign. All you have to do is send in an old or new beauty product that you have for them to recycle(LOVE!) and you'll get back a coupon for an EcoTool product valued up to $7.99! And you can get 2! I'll add the link below for you guys!

And even more than the wonderful quality of the brushes, I love the company. They are an earth-friendly company (Alicia Silverstone is the celebrity endorser so I'm pretty positive they're also animal friendly~~NO ANIMAL TESTING!! Yay!) On their site they say that, "EcoTools is a brand from Paris Presents Incorporated and a leader in eco-conscious beauty products, most notably known for its incredibly soft cosmetic brushes. We take pride in offering a collection of cosmetic accessories and bath products that feature innovative, earth-friendly materials. In a continued effort to give back, 1% of EcoTools annual sales is donated to 1% For The Planet®, an alliance of businesses committed to leveraging their resources to create a healthier planet." So there you go....run don't walk. I promise you'll LOVE these brushes! I just purchased them for a friend and my teenager and they both loved them. Have fun ladies!! XOXO http://www.choosetolivebeautifully.com/howitworks.php

I Feel The Lazy Summer Days Slipping Away~

How does time go by so quickly?! We're counting down the last 2 precious weeks of summer before the girls go back to school. My eldest will be a Jr in High School and my little one will be entering Middle School as a 6th grader! It doesn't seem real. Summer is my least favorite weather due to the extreme heat where we live, but my favorite time of year because my girls are home. I'm making a list of the things we want to do these last few weeks that will make it fun and memorable before the hustle and bustle of early mornings and test schedules take over again!! I'd love to hear about your summers! Have you gotten to make some new memories for your family? Did you travel somewhere new and exciting or hunker down and home and enjoy the peace and quiet? Do tell! Now I'm off to finish up the HUGE puzzle on our kitchen table that I've been tackling with my girls! It's a really fun way to gather together and have quality time! Make it a great day friends! XOXO

I Just Love This Kid~~This is so sweet~Ronan Parke - Britain's Got Talent 2011 Audition - itv.com/talent - UK V...

Now This Kid Can SING! Enjoy Ronan Parke - Lady Gaga Edge Of Glory Acoustic Ronan Parke Sings

Soldier~Pet Reunion To Make You Smile

There's a new television show I came across the other day that focuses on soldier's reunions with their families. It's a sweet show and I love watching the happy reunions, especially those of the children seeing their parents for the first time in a long time or the animals. If you ever had a doubt that animals have memories and love us as much as we love them, just watch this! It's sure to bring a smile to your face!!

Santa Barbara or Bust!

With my little girl all tucked away in a big fancy bus this morning, waving her little bright green cast quickly in the air as they pulled away for a fun camp far, far from home, I headed straight home to begin packing for MY getaway. I'm off to Santa Barbara, just one day too late to catch a glimpse of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. ( I love that title!) I hear it's really cool there~~Highs in the 70's, Lows in the 60's!!!! I've got an array of items sprawled atop my bed waiting patiently to be stuffed into my luggage and whisked off to a new exciting locale. I'm going to exercise, take long walks on the beach, read a good book, (The Help) drink Malbec wine and eat really good food. I'll take lots of photos for you all and post them when I return. Have a great week and I'll fill you in on my travels when I return! Tootles!!

Martha Doesn't Live Here~~

Oh sweet summer time~~lazy days by the pool, fun family travels to new exciting places, housekeepers stealing valuables from under your nose and children breaking their wrists....aaaah....CALGON TAKE ME AWAY. It's not been the idyllic summer vacation this year. My new housekeeper turned out to have sticky fingers and got away with quite a bit of loot and my precious little one fell on a family vacation in Crested Butte, Colorado and broke her wrist~~just in time to leave for that amazing kids Christian sports camp I blogged about earlier. Greaaaat. Like I REALLY want to put her on a bus to a camp in another state and not be able to hear her voice for 2 long weeks with a broken wrist. They don't allow phone calls home. HATE THAT RULE.) But going to that camp is all she's been looking forward to all year and I'm not ready to break her heart as well....so she's going. I've been in touch with the fabulous staff at the camp and they have been wonderful in assuring me they have kids in casts all the time and that they will take care of her every need, every day. Say prayers for her and me next week, please friends. I just want her to be safe, have fun, and connect with God in a deep and lasting way.

She broke her Scaphoid bone...it's a bone in your wrist that if you brace yourself as you're falling and then land directly ON your own wrist, you're most likely going to break it. So don't do that. Kids are tough! We were on vacation for 4 more days as she had that broken wrist. She rode a horse and a bike but never cried once...until the entire plane ride home. We had thought it was just a bad sprain. Ahhh, those are fabulous parental moments. She's in a big old cast and on serious pain meds (which I HATE because I don't like putting pain meds into her little body but she's in too much pain and Tylenol and Advil weren't hacking it.) So as I sit here surrounded by piles of laundry to do and floors to mop and I dream of Mary Poppins swooping in to save the day, I do have good news. A friend called me the other day and said, "Hey, we need a getaway. Let's go to Santa Barbara!" Ummm...let me think....OK!!!! So I'm off for a quick girls getaway and will be seeing 2 of my very dear friends from the Miss USA pageant. One was Miss South Carolina and the other was Miss California. They were both in my wedding and I'm SO excited to get to see them and reconnect. So while I wish I was more of a Martha Stewart, need no sleep, can whip this place in to shape with a single swoop, kinda gal, I'm gonna go a little easy on myself and try to enjoy the remainder of our broken summer. I'm going to finish packing my little angel up for camp, give her lots of love and pray that her pain is better while she's away from Mommy, and then pack myself up for SB. I'll take photos of the trip for you all. I hope you're summers are going much better than our little Texan tornado of trouble here and I hope to hear from you soon. Blessings friends~~ XOXO

Trying To Keep Nostrils Above The Waterline

Yes, I'm alive, friends. It's been a crazy few weeks around here with all sorts of mishaps, injuries & dramas. Give me a day to unscramble my brain and I'll fill you in on my survival plan! I hope you're all doing well & enjoying your summer! Be back soon~~ XOXO

"He Gave His Life For Tourism!"

KING TUT IS COMING!!! When I was a little girl, living in Gulfport, Mississippi, I remember my mother going to New Orleans with a friend to see King Tut on Exhibition at a museum. I was FASCINATED by the thought of a boy Pharaoh and SOOOO wanted to go with her!! She came back with leaflets and told me all about it and I've been dying to go ever since! And now he's coming to my town!!! I just joined the MFA so we can get tickets on the first day of the Pre-Sale for my whole family!!! And here's another fella I love just as much as King Tut~~~Steve Martin! Just to make you smile! I hope a dream comes true for you today! PS~~I never noticed that Henry Winkler is the guy holding up the floating prop behind Steve Martin in the routine!! What a hoot! Gotta love The FONZ!!

Is That A Cake Boss Cake??!

As I brought out the cake for my youngest daughter's party the other day, one of the children asked if it was a Cake Boss Cake! So cute....um, no. I didn't fly a cake in from New Jersey but I'm so pleased all the kids loved the cake! I thought it turned out adorable!!

Kitty Bling

My daughter had a little fun dressing our cat, Bella, tonight in a blingy sweater! Not sure Bella appreciated the new outfit but she sure looked cute!

Happy Memorial Day!

"All Gave Some~Some Gave All"

Image Source: http://networkedblogs.com/iuOuc **********************************************************************

"How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!" -- Maya Angelou, poet

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"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty." -- President John F. Kennedy

*Now please go put an American Flag in your front yard!!!

Feeling Very Saxy!

Photo Courtsey of Ellen van Deelen http://www.redbubble.com/people/ellen

My little girl came home last week, after much thought about which elective to take in her first year of middle school next year, and announced she wants to take band and play "That thing that they play Pink Panther on!!" Ummm....I called the band director at the school she'll be attending and asked if we could come see the instruments to choose from and explained the "thing" we were looking for. The band director immediately knew she was thinking of the saxophone. He sat her down and instructed her on how to hold and play a sax, a flute, and a clarinet. She fell in love with the saxophone! Who knew?! I've never seen a girl play the saxophone but, hey, what do I know? They told her it would be a small but fun class...about 10 kids have chosen the sax and, yes, there are a few girls in there. So there we have it! She's going to be practicing, IN OUR HOME, everyday, after school, next year...the SAX!! Have you heard it? Let me describe it for you......umm...IT'S LOUD! LOL But hey, whatever my little budding musician wants to try, I'm all game! I'm just wishing we had a sound proof room in our casa. Maybe I can outfit the large closet we have near the back of our upstairs hall and make it into a studio for her! I'll keep you posted. Until then...please pass the Advil.

Puppy Love

What a day!! A few days ago my neighbor found 2 abandoned Black Lab Mix puppies at a construction site. They were undernourished but otherwise healthy. She was considering taking them to the SPCA so I asked if I could first try to find them a home. Today I spent a big chunk of the day doing a little photo shoot and sending out a mass email & posting photos on my Facebook page! Tonight it all paid off when they were adopted by a family with acreage and a 10 year old little boy who lost his 2 year old Lab a few weeks ago when it was hit by a car. I am so happy that these 2 precious little lost babies will bring comfort to a little boy grieving the loss of a pet. They will bring him so much joy and in turn they will have a wonderful new home!

God Is Good!

Moscow Mules

I'm sure you've all heard that Oprah's last show is this Wednesday. I'm profoundly sad about the whole thing. I've grown up watching Oprah and I'll miss her show. I'm having a few friends over to watch the last episode, so today I went to purchase all we need to make Oprah's favorite cocktail while watching her last show on Wednesday~~The Moscow Mule! I had one...alright~2, last night at dinner with my hubby at Eddy V's and they are DELICIOUS!! Moscow Mule Ingredients: - 1 1/4 oz Smirnoff vodka - 3 oz. ginger beer - 1 tsp. sugar syrup - 1/4 oz. lime juice - 1 sprig mint - 1 slice lime In a copper mug, pour vodka over ice. Add sugar syrup and lime juice. Top with ginger beer and stir. Garnish with mint sprig and lime slice. Photo source~~www.Tesco.com

Key Largo! Montego!! Baby Why Don't We Go?

I'm so happy that summer is approaching!! I've begun looking online for a beach destination to go for a short trip with my hubby for some MUCH needed R&R. I'm looking at St Lucia's Ladera, The Bahamas One & Only Club, and Grand Cayman's Ritz Carlton. We really wanted to return to Turks & Caicos but for some reason the flights are all looking really long and difficult. I was flipping through photos of a family trip we took a few years ago to the Bahamas. We went out at dusk to try and get a good family photo for our Christmas cards. I'm glad we did because it's so fun to see how much the girls have grown in just a few short years. This was before my eldest had her braces!! We're all a little sweaty, wind blown, and sunburned but I love these shots anyway!

Then I always love to capture a few photos of the island ~~ here are a few shots of the landscape.

While we were relaxing on a beach one day, I came across these adorable local children taking out their homemade boat!! I loved capturing their excitement!! What a gift a camera can be~~I'll be able to remember these sweet kids forever now!

Where do you like to vacation for relaxation?? I'd love to know! XOXO

Meet Bob

Meet Bob. Bob was being used by a group of young boys as a football last week when my youngest daughter caught eye of the inhumane games and rescued our little friend here. After quite an exhilarating bicycle ride home, Bob remained tucked into the safety of his shell for quite awhile. We decided to leave him in our back yard to let him calm down a little but and when we returned to check on him, he had traveled all the way across our big yard! It was good to see he hadn't suffered any injuries. We kept Bob for just that one night and then decided to free him in a neighborhood pond where we'd seen many of "his kind" living together harmoniously. We drove to the pond, set him down right at the edge and waited. It took Bob about 3 seconds to jet his head out of his shell, LEAP into the pond, and swim away at the speed of a motor boat! I've never seen a turtle so happy! It was fun to see. So this weekend we had "Free Bob" day here at our home. And as much as I know my little one gets attached to these little critter she rescues and releases...I also know she's excited to see them back in nature. She's got a big heart, that one. :)

Diane Von Furstenberg Maxi Dresses ~ LOVE!!!

DVF Desert Leaf Dress DVF Abigail Maxi Wrap ~My FAVORITE!! I DIE!! DVF Elailia Dress

I've always been a HUGE fan of DVF!! Her wrap dresses are Unique, Sexy and Gorgeous classics with BOLD patterns and billowing fabrics that make any figure look chic and stylish! And as we have ups and downs in our dress sizes, wrap dresses are forgiving as an added bonus! In my dreams, I'd have a closet full! And now DVF has come out with a slew of Maxi Dresses!! Maxi dresses are long dresses, almost to the floor, that have a sort of boho-chic style. I dress them up with heels and dress them down with flats. I LOVE them!! I especially love flowy Maxi dresses during the warmer months because nothing is really touching you...it's like a big swoosh of air that flows around you all day~~loverly! And no, you don’t have to be tall to rock a long Maxi dress! I'd say that at least one of her Maxi dresses is an essential piece of every summer wardrobe. So save up your pennies if you need to....but go get yourself one of these gorgeous dresses for summer!! You deserve it! :)