Welcome to the World Baby Boy! (and Mad Men style)

Jules (of the famed popcorn favors) had her baby yesterday morning!  A warm welcome to baby Will- who's gender identity was unknown until his wonderful arrival.  Jules was one of those adorable pregnant peeps, who only gains weight in their bellies and loves being with child.  Somehow I do not expect that will be me. . . .I mean, this pic was taken less than a week before she gave birth!

On a completely unrelated note, I am coveting more sixties style with the advent of the new season of Mad Men.  Check out my picks from Dorothea's Closet

I think they all would fit me, and my birthday is in two weeks, if anyone is interested in showering me with gifts!

I did purchase this little number from Dillard's for work.  I was getting depressed going to work in my suits and black dresses, so this little Peggy Olsen-like look definitely boosted my day.  I felt like a little girl, swirling my pleats, and longing to wear my new dress three days in a row-

I changed the belt though- not really a fan of that one.

When I was little I used to worry that some of my clothes would feel left out and sad if I did not wear them often enough, even though they weren't my favorite.  Toys were the same.  This is why I can't watch Toy Story.  I picture my beloved Bunny (and decoy Bunny) sitting in the attic, with my much used dollhouse.  Alone, awaiting for a child to love and play with them. Sob.

My mama will probably say that this is why I need to pop out some grandkids, stat.

Out of Pocket and Missing Milestones Part 2

So while I was laying on the beach, reading Jackie Collins, and eating at Caliza, and Café Tango, and Red Bar (sigh, I could eat crab cakes at all of the above right now), a momentous event was happening on a deserted island somewhere off the coast of Savannah.

In case your reading words in the sand skills are not as honed as mine, that says "Marriage?".

To which Miss Purvis replied, "Is this a proposal?".  And it was! Sorry, I stole these pics off Mr. Frame's Facebook- too great not to show.  So sometime next summer  Miss Purvis will become Mrs. Frame.  I suppose I will stick with calling you your maiden name (I'm pretty sure you do not use my married name- correct me if I'm wrong).  I'm over the moon with joy for the both of you- BEST WISHES (to you) and CONGRATULATIONS (to Andy).  There, wouldn't your mother be proud of me for using the correct terms?

I think that Miss Purvis should surprise everyone, and instead of the small, warm, relaxed, slightly hippie-ish ceremony which she envisions, should have a pink themed blow-out at Reynolds Plantation!

Just like Carrie Underwood's!

I, of course, immediately bought this issue.  Have y'all read it?  I know I've got some Carrie fans, but goodness!  This wedding was tacky with a capital T! The damn tiara was FORTY carats of diamonds.  She's so skinny I'm surprised she could hold her head up!  And her dress?  I too, wore Monique Lhuillier, although it was definitely not a "huge Chantilly lace and silk organza gown".  I have no problems with the size of the gown, although I thought it did not go very well with the setting of her wedding (Lake Oconee, people!). However, as a fellow petite person, you must be careful of overwhelming your frame.  Hmmppph.  Anyway, my beef with the wedding gown is that is it SEE-THROUGH!  Look above the skirt, and you can see skin through that lace!

Oh, dear. I'm getting myself a little too riled up about a stranger's wedding.   Miss Purvis, I trust you will not wear a see-through gown.  The offer is still open to wear mine, although it will likely be too short on you.  Have y'all read the Carrie wedding People? Am I being too harsh?  Thoughts, please.

AND LOTS OF BEST WISHES FOR MISS PURVIS!!!

My Schedule for Summer's Remainder (sigh)

My Saturday consisted of what I will be doing every Saturday from now until football season- baby shower and a wedding.  This is what happens when you have an average of nine friends preggo at any given moment.  It's averaged because someone will pop out a peanut and someone else will get knocked up.  Miss Amy (long dress middle), was so wonderful to throw a shower for!  We had a lovely time (not something I often say about showers, as y'all know they are not my favorite, although baby is more fun than wedding).  Ames, I can't wait to meet little Bailey, and play with all the cool stuff she got Saturday!

I had a fab time catching up with Lou, lamenting our lawyerly lives.

And gorging myself on tomato sandwiches and asparagus rolls.  I don't know if it's in our Knoxville Junior League handbook or what, but asparagus rolls MUST be present at every baby shower.  Mmmm, they definitely make showers more pleasurable for me!

ASPARAGUS ROLLS

20 slices white bread
3 oz. blue cheese
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
20 asparagus spears, cooked
1/4 c. butter, melted

Trim crusts off bread. Flatten with rolling pin. Blend cheeses until smooth. Add Worcestershire sauce. Spread evenly on each slice of bread. Roll one spear in each slice. Dip in butter. Place on cookie sheet, seam side down. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Cut in thirds. Serve hot. (Can be made ahead and frozen.)

So after hosting the shower, MOH helped me buy flowers for a party celebrating her little sister's (my fake little sister's) wedding.  Paige had a family only wedding, then a big fun party here to celebrate.  My parents were among the many hosts, but were out of town.

That's the new Sadie Sadie married lady in the middle.

Here's some of my flowers (and me and Lou).  Hee.

So has it been a busy wedding/baby season for you?  The baby population will really heat up in October (there's FOUR due), as will my dinner for new preparation.  All of us girls get on a rotation making meals for the new mamas- stuffed shells are my forte, but I think it's time to mix it up.  Any ideas?

Out of Pocket, and Missing Milestones-Part One

While I was doing this

And this, all vacation week, I missed two extremely important milestones. 

First of all!

The anniversary of three decades of Hess on our planet!

Happy super late birthday Jess!!!!!  My phone was pretty dunzo for the duration of the trip, and it was too late to call on my return.  Therefore, you are getting a really super late tribute on the old blog here.

When I first met Hess freshman year at Georgia, she intimidated the hell out of me.  In order to deal with this fear, I decided to pretend like I didn't know who she was (I perhaps was not as socially adept at 18 as I am now).  This completely backfired, as it ensued in her thinking I was a complete biatch who never could remember her name.  I can't remember how we finally reconciled the situation, but by sophomore year our friendship was set- leading to Hess' first trip to NOLA and first time to eat at a Cracker Barrel (two things which I excel at).

Best Halloween outfit ever.

There are several bizarre similarities between Jessie and I's parents - her mom is a ceramic artist/potter just like mine, and her father grew up in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, where I spent Christmases at my uncle's mountain house.  Our fathers were even members of the same club- Rolling Rock.

I would like to put some pictures up of our mutual favorite last semester of college- 5th year fall.  However, since Hess easily convinced me that exercise was for boring people, I ate fried chicken every Sunday with my roomies, and decided I needed to fatten up for Africa, those pictures are not my favorite.

So Hess, I am so sorry that I missed you birthday- it's actually the only one I can remembered besides MOH's without the aid of Facebook.  I think that your thirtieth year will be your best ever!  Thank you for being such a funny, sarcastic, real, yet not-so-secretly tender hearted and incredibly loyal friend.  Love you bunches!!

It Ain't Easy Being Green

I feel so lazy and disconnected lately- amazing how relaxing my computer's hold on me for a brief period can make you feel so out of the loop.  So- fill me on on your lives!  Catch me up!

I've been feeling a bit green all week due to a low grade fever and omnipresent headache, so I have not exercised and consumed a steady diet of Chick-fil-a. . . not a pretty look for my waistline.  Bygones! From here on out, it's back to my normal ridiculous amounts of veggies with every meal.  Lately, with my desire to not mess up the kitchen (showing the condo!), roasted broccoli has been my friend.  Preheat oven to about 450, sling a bunch frozen broccoli on a cookie sheet, toss with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, and roast for about 30-45 minutes.

Hubs, while not a vegetable hater, normally does not seek them out.  He was picking these broccoli bits hot off the pan.

So good. . .especially on a tortilla pizza with olives and pesto (yes, the olive obsession rages- only green though).

Anyway, the house is calling my name for renovations, granite, and curtains!  Oh, how I long to move in. . .we have been showing the condo though, which helps defuse my ticking patience bomb.

And I'm working on things which I can do with zero extra green right now (you know, the whole two mortgages thing).  I got on the secret slipcover lady list (she does Blackberry's!), for this wondrous monstrosity-

This is a third of the total pieces (12), and half of what I am using.  Soon to be recovered in a easy natural colored duck/twill type material (purchased for a discount by the bolt), or possibly painter's drop cloth, which is purchased for a steal, and perfect for slipcovers. So here's the before, hopefully I will have the after in a couple months. . .perfect for a football watching house warming party I hope.

So I'm fantasizing about condo sales, knocking out walls, trim carpentry and granite.  Instead, I'm trying my darnedest to keep our condo pristine.  What's on your minds??

Vacation Hangover

I did not plan my vacation correctly.  Don't misunderstand, I had a fab time.  However, I should have gone wedding weekend first, then had a week to chillax, and read Jackie Collins.  Instead, the amount of fun friends staying at the Beach Barn escalated everyday, as did the rowdiness and noise level.

I started out the week with this hunk, then added another couple.  Then the rowdiness and the icing wars started by Tuesday.  I remained a neutral party- chugging malt liquor has had zero appeal to me since a high school flirtation with "fruity forties" aka St. Ides.

We made it through relatively unscathed, getting done up for the rehearsal dinner.

And the beautiful wedding.  I'll have ton more pics- I did not take much, as I was avoiding all electronics all week (even my trusty point and click), and there was far more avid and diligent photographers present.

Do y'all ever need a vacation from your vacation?  I wish I could take a "staycation" to work on the new house.  Too bad I have a wedding/baby shower/engagement party/shower every weekend from here until football season. Maybe I need an issue a moratorium on Hubs or I making any new friends. . .

I Feel Like a Fried Chicken

Well, after my beach week I have sworn off fried chicken. Well, after lunch since I got a coupon for Chick in the mail today.

After I use my coupon for a free Chick-fil-a Spicy Chicken sandwich for lunch today, I will swear off fried chicken.  Have y'all tried it?  Two words (or possibly one hyphenate)- GAME CHANGER.

Anyway, Hubs picked up a box of chicken from the Publix just to have on hand for everybody staying at the Beach Barn.  I did my best to resist it at the beginning of the week (bikini, bikini, bikini), then finally surrendered to its siren call.  However, I just picked, which is incredibly wasteful but also helpful for the waist.  However, on the way home Sunday I surrendered to one of my favorites, and decided on It Don't Matter.

"Honey, where you want to eat?"  "Oh, It Don't Matter".  That's what the t-shirts say- please stop by Highland Home, Alabama and get you one.

So I hit the buffet (normally a food of form service which I can't abide, but damn, combine low blood sugar, and fresh fried chicken, and food snobbery goes out the window), for chicken, a biscuit, green bean casserole and fresh butter beans.  Oh, and some potato salad.  And a bite of Hub's ham.

It was worth it.  As will my spicy fried chicken sandwich I'm about to inhale.  After that it will be fresh healthy grilled stuff. 

I'm looking a little crispy myself from a week in the sun, and you are what you eat . . .not sure Fried Chicken Faye is the look I want to be sporting.

Vacation All I Ever Wanted

In approximately 35 hours (hopefully less) I will be en route to the Beach Barn.

Oh law, I need this vacation.  I realized that I have not been a a full vacay since my honeymoon over a year ago.  14 months ago.  Of course, there has been long weekends here and there, but going to a wedding is not relaxing the way that lounging on the sand and reading a huge stack of trashy novels is mind-numbing relaxation.

That previous sentence was rather cumbersome.  Do you see how much I need a vacation?

Anyway, we are, of course, going to a wedding the last Saturday we are there, which is in Carillion.  We have a huge group going down all week for the wedding, and have the condo rented in addition to the Beach Barn- I'm sure many adventures and recipes will ensue!

This is from a trip a few years ago.  The boys plus bikes equals much hilarity.  Now it's weird- I look at this and in those 3(?) years, 3 of these fellas have become dads.  It's an epidemic, I swear!

So that's it from these parts.  I have vacation brain, need desperately to be out of pocket, yet have another 2 days of work before sweet sweet freedom!

House Plans and ET Love

Do y'all see that?  Yep, it's a big ole SOLD sign on the front of my new house!  We closed Friday, and celebrated with wine and friends over before a birthday party we had that night.  I, of course, am already plotting all my new projects for the house to totally charm it up.

Like this-

A new front door like this one, and little gabled porch would make a huge difference.  (In case, Hubs is reading, not any time soon shug!  Like maybe my birthday?  In August?  Oh okay, fine, Christmas.)  I know that actually construction like above will be later.  My main goal of the summer is to paint the built in-

White to match the trim (please don't be alarmed, those are the previous occupants' furnishings NOT mine).
And replace the fluorescent light fixtures (shudder) in the kitchen and mudroom with track lighting.  Please don't be alarmed- it's a nice neutral in there- my camera and the lighting made it look sunshine yellow.

Now, to get back to some of your questions.

Blue Eyed Bride asked-

do you want to live in your current town forever? what do you love about it? if you could live somewhere else where would you live?

Yes.  I love my town.  This is one of the reasons why-

We all grew up lake rats and spent every summer weekend on the lake, skiing and tubing, or like Saturday, celebrating America, Budweiser and sunshine. Six boats all tied up together, drinking beer and eating fried chicken- pretty much heaven, right?

Please enjoy the awesomeness of Tuck's mullet wig and "gold" chain.  That is what a true East Tennessean looks like, my friends.

We started going on the boat when were Miss MC's age here.  It's one of the reasons why my town is such a good place to grow up- lakes everywhere (we're actually on Ft. Loudon here, which is actually the Tennessee River), and the Great Smoky Mountains right out your back door.  It's makes for a pretty idyllic childhood with a lot of time spent outdoors.

It's also wonderful living in a city with a major university- football games are a plus obviously, but more importantly there is a far greater amount of cultural diversity and diversions, such as the opera, which would not be possible without UT.  And finally, it's big enough that you can hide if you want to, but it's pretty hard to go to the grocery store without seeing someone you know (which sometimes is a huge pain, but comforting at the same time).  Here's an ode to East Tennessee written back when I first started the blog.

Goodness, I have rambled.  Have y'all made it through to the end?  Why do you love your town?  If I had to live somewhere else, I would love to live in Charleston (duh), or. . . I'm really drawing a blank right now.  Wherever I live has to be on a navigable body of water.  Kinger has a theory that people who are raised on navigable bodies of water are a little nuts.  This is a pretty valid theory I believe.

So what are your suggestions?  Where should I live in hypothetical world?

Cult Classics

Do y'all remember watching the same movies over and over again in early high school?  We would go out for a little bit- I can't for the life of me remember what in the world we would do (hang out at people's houses, I suppose) then all of girls would spend the night at one girl's house and watch movies.  Grease was a perennial favorite, which we watched constantly.  The other three were not quite such, um, classics. 

Dazed and Confused- Texas, last day of school, seventies and pot.  Love Parker Posey in this- "Fry like little piggies, bitches!"  It just made you want to haze people, no?

"SENIORS! SENIORS! S-E-N-I-O-R-S!  SENIORS! SENIORS! Seniors are the best!"

My "character" was played by Joey Lauren Adams.  Basically she was me because she was a squinty blonde with a squeaky voice.  MOH was Parker Posey's character- guess you were mean in high school, MOH?  I was Frenchie in Grease- squeaky voice again.

Have y'all heard this weird story about Jason London (aka Randall "Pink" Floyd)'s twin brother, Jeremy (who was never as good looking IMHO)?  There was a lot of smoking in the bathroom at my high school, just like the movie.  (Ahem, there was probably some pot smoking going on in my high school's bathroom just like the movie as well- I don't know from personal experience, Mama!).

Ah, then there was Mallrats.  Back when Kevin Smith was still funny, Shannen Doherty had a super cute shag hairdo, and motorcycle boots which I coveted with all of my super tough fourteen year old heart.  Oooh, Jeremy London was in this one!   The London brothers were so hot in the early-mid-nineties! And Joey Lauren Adams is in it also!

Now Mallrats captures that weird moment of 1994-1996 so well- those pictures that would turn 3D if you squinted at them, flannel, mini-florals, and the concept of mall rats in general.  Do people still just hang out in malls?

Ah, then when it was time for something scary-

"Mr. Walk-a, I'm here for your daughter."  So many good nineties clichés in this one too- I mean the rave in the warehouse in Seattle?  Incredible.  Hahahaha, when Marky Mark pounds his chest to make it look like Nicole's dad punched him?  Hilarious. 

Wonder why Reese never discusses this movie when she talks about her early work?  Maybe because she gets a hand up her skirt riding a roller coaster and trying to look orgasmic instead of uncomfortable since she's in public while a cover of Wild Horses plays?  Or maybe it's the dog head (shudder) that comes through the doggie door when Marky Mark and his Funky Bunch attack the house.  Unfortunately, Nicole gave him the code so he could swipe her v-card while her parents were out of town.  Don't you think you would be able to stay awake waiting for such a momentous occasion?  Such a great movie.  Alyssa Milano, the best friend?  Such a beee-yotch!  Never liked her since Fear.

So what were your repeat horrible yet wonderful high school flicks?  So many to choose from, but these were definitely my favorite.