What's My Style?

This past week I received a Stylish Blogger Award from a new blog friend, Lorri from Lizards and Lollipops. She is too cute with three too cute kiddos. Be sure to check out her blog. I know you will love her as much as I do. Also, as there is absolutely no way I can chose only five stylish friends, I am passing this award along to all of you!

This award got me thinking what my style is. Not just external, but internal as well. For most intensive purposes, I am pretty much a rule follower. I think that in civilized societies, rules and guidelines play an important role. However, there are often times that as long as the desired outcome occurs, tweaks and changes are allowed. It's called being flexible and adaptable... At least that's my story!

So... I am tweaking the rules of what I am supposed to post (7 things about me) and instead, I am combining it with the Blog Bag Hop. And changing the number to 8 items. I'm guessing you will be able to figure out things about me by the contents of my bag. See... same desired outcome!

In the bag...


1. Spartina wallet (can be purchased at Tea Garden Gifts of course) with debit, credit (paid off every month!!! ), insurance, tip, and gift cards. Two cards from when Mike sent me flowers for no reason. A few bills and change. Stamps. Receipts that are stuck in are cleaned out every few days.

2. Bath and Bodyworks "White Citrus" antibacterial hand cream

3. Lilly P. aviator sunglasses

4. My school badge

5. Lilly P. (free w/purchase) key fob with gym card and car key. All my other customer cards have been downloaded on my Droid. All I do is swipe that now. No more junky key fob! Thank you Travelbug Mom!

6. Lilly P. note pad. STILL has notes from Nantucket on it! Plus, even though I am an electronic notes kind of girl, you still need to jot every now and then. But where is a pen when I need one?!

7. Droid has everything on it: calendar, photos of family and friends, grocery lists, music, parcel tracker, Shazam, Kindle, Audible, Bible, Toodledo, math and reading games for the boys, and the all important Star Wars Light Saber app.

8. Make up bag

In the make-up bag...


a. La Source cuticle cream

b. Clinique's Aromatics Elixir perfume. I have worn this for years... love that it's not too florally.

c. Bare Minerals lip gloss in Pomagranate

d. Listerine strips. My family loves them!

e. Lancome lipstick in Crushed Rose. It's the only color lipstick I wear. I buy it in bulk!

f. Pill case for my migraine meds as well as Mike's nightly Rx for his Restless Leg Syndrome. If we are out late, he can go ahead and take it before we get home as it takes about an hour to kick in. (LOL Get it? Kick in. Restless leg. OMW, I am too clever!)

g. Nail clippers

h. Emery board

So... what can you glean about me? I like MY rules ;). I'm pretty organized. I have a warped sense of humor. I don't like clutter. I'm a true tech nerd. I love Lilly. I'm never without lipstick or gloss. I like neat and well-groomed hands. And... I've got some style!

Lill-E's New Glasses

Today has been a gross and rainy day. Not only is it rainy, but it is cold. Frigid, if you will. But I did have a little ray of sunshine this morning as I walked to my class. I had an experience very much like this post from earlier this school year. A cute little girl from my class last year hurried to catch up with me in the hallway. She's in fifth grade now, so this is a big deal!

E: "Look Mrs. W. I have glasses!"
Me: "Oh! You look fabulous."
E: "Yes. And see, they are pink, green, and yellow."
Me: "I see. They look great!"
E: "And... they're Lilly Pulitzer." (Knowing nod) "And I thought of you when I picked them out.".
Me: (Returning the knowing nod) "I knew I taught you girls well!"


Precious! Thank you E for making my day a little brighter!

Cooking Helpers... Always a Good Thing

Have you ever been in the kitchen and needed to know some measuring conversion? How many cups are in a quart? How many tablespoons are in 3/4 cup? If I don't have a bundt cake pan, what could I substitute?

Well have no fear 'cause Bevy... Ok, Martha is here! Or at least her "Cooks Helpers"! This threesome includes baking pan substitutions, measuring equivalents, and candy-making temperatures.


You can find these printables here and the directions here. I can't wait to print these out! Too cute!


Maybe these will inspire me to be a little more "Martha-esque" in the kitchen. I bet it could be a good thing...

My New Friends Kate and Cassie

Don't you just love it when you buy or try something just because it's cute and it turns out to be just as cute yummy on the inside?

This week at Bunco, our hostess offered us quite a selection of reds and whites (in addition to scrumptious goodies). I am not a big white wine girl for the most part as white tends to "affect" me a bit more than it's red counterpart! So I took one look at this of bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot and knew this was the wine to try.


Just look at the black and white whimsical label! And look at that name Kate and Cassie! Don't they sound like they could be your best friends? "Hey Kate! Hey Cassie!" Even the back of the label reads "Kate and Cassie have been friends since they were small and have personalities as different as night and day. They have one thing in common... their love of wine. So from Kate and Cassie to you... Cheers!"

So I tried it. And I loved it! It was de-lish...

Today I got the biggest surprise. I was already a bit tired from the school week. I had my shoes off and was all curled up, reading on the sofa. Then my sweet friend Wendy (the Bunco hostess extraordinaire) called from her car to tell me she had something for me. A few minutes later she was standing at my front door, bottle of Kate and Cassie in her hand. Just perfect! What a dear friend!

So cheers to you Wendy! And thank you for introducing me to my new friends, Kate and Cassie!

What a Relief!

This past Sunday, Mike and I got a little giggle in our Sunday School class. It really doesn't matter what the gist of the lesson was. What does matter was one of the verses we covered. Our class uses a DVD curriculum from Andy Stanley (Northpoint Church in Atlanta). He is an amazing teacher by the way. And before he mentioned this particular verse, he snarkily (in a cool pastor-ish way) that it was the one verse that would be perfect to introduce the Bible to a middle schooler.

Anyway, the verse of note was 1 Samuel 24:3 "He (Saul) came to some sheep pens along the road. There was a cave there and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were huddled far back in the same cave." YES, you read correct. On his way to find his enemy David, King Saul had to take a pit stop and use the bathroom! He "had to go"! Bwahahahahaha! The entire class was atwitter as we became middle scholars ourselves. How had I never heard this verse?!?!?!


Last night, Mike and I thought we'd entertain the boys at dinner with our discovery. We built it up as best we could without giving it away. We were so ready to share the Holy Book's potty humor. But to our ASTONISHMENT, J knew all about it! He knew the whole story! Saul... the cave... the "relief"... David and his men hiding in the back... how David had the opportunity to kill Saul but chose not to. He knew the whole thing! Oh. my. word!

After we got over that (second) shocking revelation, Mike, the boys and I did have a big ol' knee slap. We howled with laughter as S read the passage. J got his Bible out where it said Saul "had to go to the bathroom". Of course we giggled some more at that translation.

But the funniest part was J's response when I asked him how on Earth he knew this random story. His response: "It's from the Bible, Mom. You should read it!"

Say It... It Feels Good

It always amazes me how I can get inspiration from the oddest places. This evening Mike and I were watching How I Met Your Mother. In this particular episode "Last Words", Marshall's father dies, and he has to learn to cope with what he already admitted he was “not ready” for. And his actions prove that as he obsesses over such a minute detail of the situation he can’t control: he spends the half-hour obsessing over the last words his father ever said to him. In half an hour, he encompasses exactly what anyone who has ever lost someone too soon has felt for days, if not weeks and months, on end after the passing.


No, I haven't lost anyone dear to me recently. However, it really got me thinking. What was the last thing my father and I said to each other? It was Friday afternoon and we had a wonderful impromptu visit, just the two of us. I'm sure we told each other we loved each other when I left. My mother? Well, she called this morning when I was walking out the door to go to the gym. More than likely, I just told her that as I passed the phone to S. I have no idea what my last words were to my sister. I'm sure the conversation was fun, but what were our last words?

Right now, I know I have said Good Night and I Love You at least four or five times to the boys. Both S and J have gotten out of bed for one reason or another. Every night I tell them. And every night Mike and I tell each other - even if the evening has been a bit, shall we say, stressful. And much more often than not, we all say it when we leave each other.

So I guess I'm doing ok. But again, tonight really made me think. Thank you Marshall. We all need to...

Nada. Zilch. Zero.

I love blog friends. I do. They worry about you when you've been MIA for almost a week. Town and Country Mom emailed me yesterday to say she missed me. Tickled Pink Talk called on Tuesday to see how we were doing with the big snow that covered most of the southeast. Wow! Who would have thought... Love y'all!

And I have been swamped this week: The two snow/ice days we had on Monday and Tuesday. S and J took and wheels off of old skateboards and used them as make-shift snowboards. We took photos. We took walks. We dried socks and gloves in front of the fire. And I cooked both days - all day. What is it with being cooped up that makes us think we have to simmer and bake continuously for two days? Then trying to get back in the swing of things at school on Wednesday and Thursday - AS WELL AS getting S ready for his Gifted and Talented school trip to Sea World and Universal Studios. He left at 6:30 AM on Thursday. (Oh, and both guys got haircuts on Wednesday.) Friday was a teacher workday, AND I had to get last minute things together for J's trip to the mountains with a friend for the weekend.

So now... I have my Lilly P. travel mug full of yummy coffee. I am on the sofa and ready to blog. It's been almost a week... And my brain is void. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

I need some inspiration... Oh what to do? I'm thinking a relaxing pedicure is in order.

Milk and Bread

Hoping this winter storm is not a repeat of this from 2004.


We are bracing for snow, sleet and ice down south. Operative words being sleet and ice. I've been to the grocery store and bought the requisite extra batteries, milk and bread. (Of course, I bought other goodies to ease the potential discomfort of being stuck in the house with no power.)

I understand the batteries: flashlights, weather radios, etc. But what is with it with milk and bread? I'll be honest, we just needed the milk. We were getting low. But every time there is the slightest mention of inclement weather, our town goes nuts and clears the shelves. One might think it was a shoe sale at Nordstroms! I can tell you it isn't pretty...


My friend Corey is from Iowa and gets the giggles every time. She ponders what we all do with that abundance of milk and bread. Her epiphany?

Why "milk sandwiches" of course! Yum...

Sparkling and Glistening

What a week this has been. Getting back in the swing of things really is work! But we are there. Christmas decor has been taken down, and we are enjoying the new year, albeit not quite attune to all this cold weather we've been getting down south! We even had a bit of snow the day after Christmas! We had just enough to glisten on the ground and lightly cover the trees... Which is a wonderful segue to... My Christmas gift from my husband.

I have been debating whether to write this post or not. While I enjoy reading about others' treats and Christmas surprises, I normally... Oh well, what the heck. I love my gift and have spent the past week admiring it. It makes me happy!  (Call me superficial and materialistic if you must.) And when one gets excited about something... Well, she just wants to share!  See if you can tell the difference between these two pictures...

Christmas Eve  Christmas Morning
The pictures do not do it justice. (And my old lady hands are quite distracting...)

But I was just giddy with excitement when I opened the little green box. The diamond ring guard sitting so perfectly. And after adding it to her two friends already adorning my left hand, you better believe Mike got a big squeal and humongous hug and kiss!

Sparkling and Glistening,

ATTAINABLE Goals... 8 is Enough!

Here I am on January 1, 2011. And I am blah. I am a bit numb. I am unmotivated. I am in a rut.

Oh, I had a lovely Christmas. My house was beautifully decorated. I entertained and was entertained. My family lit the Advent candle and sporadically (not good, I know) read from the Gospel of Luke. I acted the part... much like I feel I have been doing for the past few months. It's easy. But I'm just tired now.

Enter Sherrie at Organizing Diva. Well at least vicariously through her blog! She has just posted her goals for the new year. And I really like how she has organized them in ten ORGANIZATION FOCUS AREAS.


I'm calling mine 8 is Enough. Basically because that's about all I can handle!

1) Spiritual
2) Financial
3) Fitness/Health
4) Beauty
5) Home
6) Family
7) Personal
8) Menu Planning

She then lists just a few goals - not resolutions, but ATTAINABLE GOALS. I stress attainable because if not, then what's the point? So here are mine...

1) Spiritual:
*Be diligent in my prayer life. Pray for something SPECIFIC for my husband and children every day.
*Family devotion at supper at least 3-4 nights a week. We were doing really well with this but have fallen by the wayside.
*Pray with boys every night. Even when I am exhausted OR they have made me crazy!

2) Financial:
*Stop impulse buying!
*Start S and J's commission for chores again. Why did I stop that? It really worked.

3) Fitness/Health:
*Drink 8 glasses of water (or Crystal Light - that counts in my book!)
*Eat less processed foods
*Exercise
*Lose 5 pounds each month until I reach MY comfort level. This will be the hardest...

4) Beauty:
*Wash face every night. Yes, many nights I do go to sleep without taking my make up off. Not good...
*Pedicures monthly
*Brow wax every 6 weeks

5) Home:
*Keep better laundry schedule. Get back on track with boys doing their laundry once a week.
*Take clothes/items to Goodwill on the tenth of every month. I know I will have at least ten things each month!
*Take 15 minutes every Saturday to clean out a drawer or closet. Yes, ONLY 15 a week. You'd think this wouldn't have to be a goal!

6) Family:
*Bi-Weekly date night with Mike. I know I should strive for weekly, but I'm doing ATTAINABLE here!
*Bi-weekly Family night. Family movie, game, etc. The boys really do love this...

7) Personal:
*Call my mother and sister more often.
*Mother/Daughter/Sister overnight visit every 2-3 months
*Call BFF more often
*Read at least 4 books this year. I know this is pitiful...

8) Menu planning:
*Weekly menus
*Grocery lists
*Inventory freezer
*Inventory pantry I'm using Entertaining Kitchen's Well-stocked Pantry to help me with this!
*Clip coupons

So here I go. Now that I've put in some thought - and have posted it for the world to see... I think I am ready. I am also copying this and putting it on my bathroom mirror. Say some prayers...