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!

Men in Skirts

This month my hubby was given the highest honor by our metropolitan issue of Skirt magazine. I'm sure most all of your cities have Skirt or a magazine like it. They are those free newspaper-ish monthly issues that spotlight local stores, trends, fashion, and the like. Ours is the Columbia/Augusta area.

Every month, the magazine chooses a man for their "He's So Original" piece. Mike says he really doesn't know why he was picked, so I'll give you my reasons. He's very active in our town's community. Tea Garden is a favorite store of many women around here. Also, I think he's pretty easy on the eyes!

And now for the moment you've all been waiting for...  

My husband - in a SKIRT!

Double-click on the picture to read parts of the article.

And yes, he is wearing MY Lilly skirt. 

(Thank goodness he couldn't zip up the back!)

A Preppy Mom's Car

After reading True Prep and re-reading TOPH, I was inspired by the illustrations and descriptions of the various preppy rooms and the like. So much so that, as I surveyed my Honda Odyssey, I felt led to write my own.  So I invite you to take a visit...

Front bumper:

 Vanity plate from Edisto Beach where we have a summer house 

Back window:

 Converse College Donor sticker changes every year Pink and Green sticker from Gabi in preparation for 

the BIG trip!

 Camp sticker from S's camp

Front seat area:

• CD case contents: 3 REM CDs from the late 80s to mid 90s, soundtracks to Rent and Les Mis, and whatever S and J have thrown in there
• Tissue box
• Lilly Pulitzer Bermuda Bag found under the driver's seat from this summer
• Pink and green Turvis Tumbler a gift from a student last year. Usually filled with Crystal Lite Pink Lemonade
• Brooks Brothers button-down and Vineyard Vines polo still in plastic bags to be returned/shipped to said stores as they are too small for J and too big for S, respectively. Have been in the car for over a month now.
• Lilly Pulitzer key fob free gift from last sale
• Lancome lipstick in "Crushed Rose"
• Linda Francis Lee's Devil in the Junior League audiobook in the CD player I know it's been out forever, but Frede Ware and Nikki Grout always make me laugh!
• S's golf glove
• My bucket bag

Back seat area:

• Hot pink golf umbrella with my monogram in green
• Target's version of the Reisenthel Market Tote used as a trash basket
• Four sets of headphones at any given time at least two or three don't work due to kids throwing them around the van or dead batteries. Remember, I have only TWO children
• J's golf glove
• Basket of DVDs
• Random DVD or CD who knows?
• DVD remote NOT in the correct remote holder
• Football
• Chick-fil-a french fries and cups have finally been cleaned out

Cargo Area:

• S and J's golf bags
• Lilly P. and Publix reusable grocery bags
• My tennis bag
• Numerous golf tees
• Masters folding chair from 1993. In here because you just never know when you may be tailgating! 
• Jumper cables
• Sand from trips to Edisto and Pawleys Island

Aren't all preppy mom-mobiles traveling storage units? And aren't they all really a window into our worlds?

Bevy

Minnie Me!

It was a great day. Today I was wearing one of my favorite Lilly skirts and one of my cute students shyly came up to me.

Cute Student: Mrs. W***** I really like your Lilly.
Me: Why thank you M. How did you know that's what I'm wearing?
Cute Student: Oh I love Lilly, and I saw her name hidden in the pattern.
Me: Me too! And tomorrow I'm bringing my new fleece I bought from the big online sale last week. (Disclaimer: my classroom is like a frozen tundra!)
Cute Student: Sale?!?!?! (eyes real big) I can't wait to tell my mom! She loves Lilly as much as you and me!





It's going to be a great year... I can tell.

"Murfee" Scarves Anyone?

Ok, I am not a big shopper.  Don't get me wrong, I do love nice things, shoes, and clothes.  But I can find it emotionally and physically exhausting to go shopping.  Especially in my sweet town.  I do love my town, but Talbots and Target can only take you so far.  There are cute shops, like Tea Garden - who have the nicest owners (yes, this is shameless self-promotion!) and where I get all my cute, airy tunics.  But all those other stores we love are far, far away...

This is my state's tax-free weekend and my boys are with the grands for a few days.  So I jaunt over to Talbots and buy two white polos, a few other precious tops and a cute turquoise skirt for a grand total of $54.00.  Oh yes!!!  Then I hitch on over to Old Navy to buy for the boys:  $10.00 jeans and $12.50 khakis, and buy multiples of numerous sizes for S and J to try on when they get home.  This is the only way I shop for my sons:  buy every size and return what doesn't fit.  Trust me, it is much easier that way!

But what about for me?  I found a few white spaghetti strap tanks to wear under things and am walking around and... OMW!  Do they look familiar at all?

You might know their pricier cousins...

 Love me some Lilly... but also love me a little steal now and then!

Tuesday's Kitchen Inspirations

Another Tuesday and another look around my kitchen for what inspires me and makes me happy.  I know I'm off on the season.  This was two years ago at Jackson's kindergarten Thanksgiving feast.  But I love these Lilly pink whale jeans!  I bought them in Chatham (on the Cape) a few years ago when I had my annual Connie "If You Weren't There, We Talked About You!" weekend.  I went to a wonderful girls school (to be PC, "womens college):  Converse College.  You can read about the last weekend we had in A Weekend at Connie's.

Anyway... I digress.  I am heartbroken that I can not get my fat derriere in said jeans.  Therefore,  I have this picture on my refrigerator as a kitchen inspiration.  I want these babies to be loose in September when I make my way back up to Nantucket! 

Tuesday's Kitchen Inspirations

 

So this watercolor isn't really in my kitchen, but I can see it in the great room from my kitchen sink!  And it does so inspire me and make me smile as it reminds me of that wonderful Saturday we get to experience every March.  Some of you may have already seen it from yesterday's guest blog Mind Your Manners' Monday: People with Disabilities at Entertaining House.  And I read so many sweet comments on it.  Thank you for being so receptive!  And thank you, my dear friend Jessica, for your support!

We love the Aiken Steeplechase in late March.  The weather is always so lovely with a gentle breeze and the azaleas beginning to bloom... I'm getting spring fever right now, just sitting on my front porch in a rocking chair, laptop in my my lap. Steeplechase is the perfect time to get out the Lilly skirts and Jack Rogers sandals.  Mike always wears a pair of loud (AKA obnoxiously preppy) pants... or shorts if the weather is warm enough.  One year, it was Lilly's pink and green giraffes.  Here, we have a classic and subdued (LOL) patchwork.

The boys love the races and have so much fun running around passing the hat for the bets on the horses.  I don't think we are contributing to the delinquency of our sons!

I love the beautiful tables and flower arrangements the women prepare.  The silver (or Mariposa) trays full of chicken salad sandwiches and fresh strawberries.  (You know I will blog about it later!)

And Mike... he just loves a good bourbon and coke!

A Wii Just for Mii

You won't believe what I did this past week.  I bought ANOTHER Wii.  Yes, another. Yes, we have two. Actually, the only gaming system our family has in our house is a Wii, and Santa brought it two years ago.  No Play Station, no X-Box.  I have a big issue with kids... well, that's for another day.  We got the Wii because the kids would be active while they are playing the games.

LAST Christmas I got the Wii Fit.  Oh, I was so excited!  The board was so neat, and I could do all these fun exercises and activities.  So my Mii was a little fluffy...  That was OK, because I was going to slim that little blond Mii down.  And I did... for a while, as we brought the Wii downstairs from the playroom and I got all set up in my lovely living room.  I went crazy... for a few days!  But guess what Sumter got for Christmas that same year???  Guitar Hero (with the drum set) for the Wii.  And because there was no way in h@*$ that all that stuff was going to stay downstairs, the Wii went back up to the playroom.  The nasty boy playroom.  Yuck.  Do you know how hard it is to get motivated to exercise in "the nasty boy playroom"?  Very.  I didn't last long.

So my Wii Fit got very dusty, and I got more fluffy.
(This isn't Mii, but you get the idea!)

And now I can't get my fat derriere in my cute Lilly skirts from last spring and summer (or even the two that I bought from Rue La La at $49 a pop).  Mon dieu!

So I now have a Wii of my very own... and not in the lovely living room so that the boys are tempted to whine that they want to play downstairs (remember they have theirs in "the nasty boy playroom"!), but in my beautiful boudoir.  Ah... I close the door... and karate, box, hula hoop, and lotus to my hearts content.  Because, heaven help us... we now have two Wiis.  And I'm going to get back into my Lillys if it kills Mii.

     

Plus  

 

Equals...

 

They Know How We Really Live

I live for every other Wednesday.  I'm not kidding.  I A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y live for today.  For today is the day I come home from school with the boys to a house that smells of Pine Sol and clean Pine Cone Hill hem-stitched sheets.  The hardwood floors are shiny.  The silver picture frames are dusted.  Any Wedgewood plates I had stacked in the sink from breakfast are clean and put away.  My cute Lilly coffee thermal mug is washed and considerately placed beside the coffee maker.  The bathrooms are so clean you'd never know two testoterone-y boys inhabit the abode.  It's like a little cleaning fairy has waved her magic wand...

But I gratefully know better.  I have three fairies who whoosh into my house and get to work on this place we call home.  Where as you, dear blends, see only pictures of a clean and gracious home, Kathy and her girls see the good, the bad, and the ugly.

On those Wednesday mornings, I frantically try to get the house in some sort of order so that it can be cleaned.  I throw random items in drawers.  My sons whine the exact same whine I did as a child:  "Why do I have to straighten my room before the maids get here?  I thought they came here to clean."  And I go through the same schpeel my mom went with me.  (You know what I'm talking about!)

Today I came home to my lovely, clean home.  BUT I noticed something awry.  My basket of fruit was a bit smaller.  It was missing a few pieces.  Where were my bananas and oranges that were near the bottom?   It hadn't been that long since I had put them there (or had it?).  They were getting a little ripe, and I was planning on making some fruit salad for the family. Then I noticed a little note:

Mrs. W.,

We hope you don't mind, but we threw out 

the rotten fruit that was in the basket.  

It was getting moldy.

Kathy 

So much for appearances... they know how we really live.

 PS  Don't forget about my 
PINK & GREEN Snuggie Giveway!
             Last day is this Friday!

Christmas Day Recap - on New Year's Day!

For those of you not watching football on New Year's Day,

here are my Christmas Day pictures!

Welcome to my calm and peaceful Christmas morning...

The tree with the presents.

We don't do lots of presents as we TRY to instill the real meaning.

Very hard this day and age...

And as the boys get bigger, the bootie gets smaller.

They don't seem to upset though!

Sumter is obsessed with Guitar Hero!

I was kind of excited myself about the Van Halen Guitar Hero.

(Yes, I had a poster of Eddie on my wall in high school.)

Jackson doesn't even own a dirt bike, but a dirt bike

outfit was what he wanted for Christmas!

Electric drumsets are awesome,

especially when they come with MP3 attachments -

AND earphones!

Jackson and Mike plotting how they are going to drive

me crazy with all the drumming!

I don't even know what to say here!

Playing with the RiP Stix!

Yea!!! We got South Carolina Gamecock Snuggies!

Later, Sumter went crazy with his new K'Nex.

My engineer-in-training!

French Vanilla coffee in my cute, new Lilly P. travel mug

and me in my new linen Pinecone Hill pjs.

I told you my Christmas was calm and peaceful!

At least from this view...

 Wishing your family a Happy New Year!

Love and Blessings,

Bevy and Mike