Staycation Day

With thoughts of vacation, beach, spas, crafty ideas and lots of other NON work ideas on the brain, I decided it was time to take it easy and give myself a day off work.  While I'm sure the boss man appreciates this self proclaimed day off, I know it was much needed and I'll be super productive as a result.  Hey, most days that evil "w" word topic gets a great portion of my time so I don't feel guilty one bit taking a few hours off. 

My staycation day yesterday was a huge success and I had such a fun day.  Here's how it went ...

Started like every other.  Cuddle time with this guy and a healthy dose of Super Food to start the day.

Followed shortly by a fab (and overdue) massage at Spa Sydell.  I must confess ... they have multiple locations but the spa at the Forum (conveniently closest to me!) is the best.  It's one of the newer locations and has the best atmosphere.  I treated myself to an ocean scent creme purchase while there.  Hey ... it's vacation, right?

You could tell me I could have an hour to shop at Neimans or an hour at Whole Foods and / or Trader Joe's... I'd be so torn on which offer I'd take.  J'adore a good visit to my fave grocers!  I had a leisure stroll through Trader Joe's and stocked up on our household faves including the pain du chocolat (chocolate croissants).  They are to.die.for!

After filling my buggy to the brim, I headed over for an (overdue) hair appointment with my pal and stylist J.  He's decided I have "Cher hair" because it's so stinkin long now.  Let's say we took a good few inches off and you can hardly even tell.  I'm sure at some point, long blonde flowing locks will no longer be acceptable.  But, as long as I claim to be in my 20s (cough, cough) I can sport the look, right? 

  After getting the do done, next stop ... golf course.  Dear Ole' Dad joined me for a round.  The weather was beautiful, company was lovely, course conditions great, my game ... well, let's just say it wasn't my finest golfing moment.  Fear not my beloved work, I won't be quitting anytime soon to join the LPGA!

That last pic was hole 14 on our course.  It's what I call redemption. I had a stellar tee shot and for the first time, possibly ever, didn't shoot left and into someone's backyard (or roof).  I was so thrilled that it actually left me feeling reasonably decent about the entire round! 

After 18 holes, I adjourned home, made homeade falafel and Greek Salads for dinner and spent the last few hours of staycation staining our backyard fire pit chairs and retaining wall.  While not exactly vacation, they will be stained, dry and ready for this weekend which I couldn't be happier about!

Cheers to staycation!

Roswell Ramble

Just a few weekends back, the Georgia Preservation Trust hosted their bi-annual ramble in my sweet hometown of Roswell.  The ramble is a three day event to tour several stately southern estates, plus in this case many more homes, gardens and showcases.  My dear friend TreyTrey, a fab architect and designer in his own right, turned me onto the event and I’m so thrilled we were able to make it to some of this ramble.

On Sunday, Dear Hubs and I dropped the babe with Zsa Zsa and Dear Ole’ Dad for the morning and went to the Smith Plantation for brunch and a tour.  The Smith Plantation belonged to my dad’s cousins (I guess that makes them mine too) until it was willed to the city back in the 1990s.  I have such vivid memories of meeting Cousin Jimmy at the Wendy’s in Roswell as a child, enjoying a kids Frostie and then heading over to the old house where he stayed when he was in town. 

 Touring as a rambler years later was such a wild experience.  While the gardens are more cheery and kept and the home hosts many on tours daily, other things are exactly as I remember them; the kitchen, Mammie’s room and the guest quarters.  Zsa Zsa was actually gifted lamps like those pictured below years ago.  The kitchen is a cookie cutter image of the one in my mind from countless childhood visits.  And, wildest of all, the photo of the floral trays below tripped me out the most.  I bought an EXACT set of these from an antique dealer about five years back.  Who knew they were a decorating deja vu moment from this wonderful place!

For more information about the Smith Plantation, check it out here.  Here’s some pics I snapped on my first chance to be a tourist at the old house.

Enjoy the tour - it's a beauty!

The Best: Travel Edition Fashion

Ya'll... I swear ... I am currently uploading the picture library from my work travels last week to Austria.  That's right ... not my usual Texas hot spot of Austin ... and no, not to be confused with previously visited Australia ... but AUSTRIA. 

I'm convinced days are moving more rapidly in my world than ever.  That said, I found a few moments to squirrel away and multi-task some site seeing out of my most recent trip abroad.  It was fab.  If the mothership (aka work) said to pick up the southern diva family that is mine and transport them to the far away land that is Europe I'd be sold (note ...I said southern diva with full regard for the fact Zsa Zsa and the entire crew might be in tow!. 

Anywho ...loved every minute and a pic review is forthcoming.

Until then, feel cozy in the few travel fashion tips every belle must know. 

Prepping for a ten hour flight will definitely challenge even the most frequent of flyers regular travel routine.  I have the coast to coast domestic thing down pat, but the thought of sitting in (gasp) coach for ten hours is something that this diva had to prep a bit to conquer.  Luckily, I pulled on a few of my travel fashion faves to spend the flight in comfort (and high fashion).

First fave … my lululemon vinyasa scarf.  Gosh, I just love this cutie pie!  It’s a warm (but not too warm) and ever so versatile.  The scarf has athletic snaps that let this heavy duty all purpose scarf do just about anything from be a blanket throw, to a shrug, to a cape, to a scarf and pretty much anything in between.  It’s absolutely so fab and is my new standby staple for almost all situations!  Lululemon proves they do more than zen athletic apparel well this time.  I'm pretty sure I wore it each and every way possible in the first few hours!  Love!

Second fave … my Toms.  Who knew I’d fall in love with a pair of flat shoes!  While I almost always sport AT LEAST four inch heels, these flats have saved me in a pinch and fit well in my laptop bag.  They definitely come in handy when walking half a mile to a meeting in the Financial District in San Fran or a long flight like this one at hand.  I opted for a stitch out pair and they are just presh with rolled up jeans (since all my jeans are too long for flats) or a cute black romper.  

Truth me known, what diva can only buy one pair?  I am also the proud owner of a pair of cute wedges that are about to become a summer staple.  Hey ... I'm doing good here!  Tom's provides a pair of shoes to a child / person in need for every pair we buy.  So, I like to think that FINALLY someone appreciates my shoe obsession and it's paying off!  Not only are they comfy, but they do some good!  Aren't they just darling?

 

How Does Your Garden Grow

A few weeks back, I posted a cute garden starter kit here.  Well, in addition to the cute giftables, I saved a few seed packs for my own little veggie garden.  I’ll admit, I have a bit of an attention deficit disorder when it comes to gardening.  I cam plant with the best of them … but it’s that darn watering that keeps me from having a prize winning garden.  This year, I’ve vowed to myself to remember to water these little plants and see if we can get one or two things to make it to a harvest! 

Since my little veggie garden is in planters, I decided to get three oversized terra cotta planters and gussy them up a bit with a cute 1-2-3 bold numbering that’s so in style right now. 

To complete, I just printed off a few large numerals and traced them onto a roll of vinyl.  This stuff is pure magic!  You can buy it by the roll at Hobby Lobby (with a coupon) for just a few dollars.  I cut out each of the numbers and burnished them onto the pots. 

With the help of my trusty planting assistant, we filled these three big pots with lettuce, tomato, green beans, cucumber, bell pepper, basil, thyme, dill and oregano. 

Here’s hoping the rain fairy is kind this year and with any luck we will be celebrating with veggies real soon!

Nostalgia

ZsaZsa’s mother, my Nana and Baby B’s Grand Nana, was the world traveler in her prime.  Once her kids were grown, Nana made her way around the globe a few times as a tour guide.  I guess I come by my planning and travel genes naturally thanks to her.  On a recent visit to her house, I saw this photo and just had to snap a pic of it. 

According to Nana, this was on one of her many trips to Hawaii.  What a hoot and a half, I just love this pic.  Nana has always sworn that Austria was one of the most beautiful places she has ever seen.  Last week, I got to see it with my own eyes and wow ... she was spot on!  More on that trip later! 

Sweet A's Pink Affair

Dear sweet friend A is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the pinkest thing since Barbie herself!  This girl has a darling son but has been just giddy since she heard from the doc weeks back that she gets to stock up on all things pink.  To celebrate the exciting time, bestie P, sweet friend J and I combined our powers to throw her a pink affair fitting for the occassion. 

A lovely ladies lunch for some of sweet A's favorite ladies was followed by dessert, gifts and tons of fab small talk.  A wonderful day for all! 

Lovely tablescape for lunch

Meny card to match the invitations

Action shot of the party girl

Fruit and yogurt parfaits

Delish desserts

Won ton asian salads

The favor tag

Popcorn and pretzel M&M favor bags since A is about to "pop"

For a few, the day didn't end early ... after the shower, some of the faves stuck around and summoned their misters and littles to head over for a fun afternoon of lawn games, cocktails and fun together.  The night was capped off by a cookout on the Big Green Egg.  What a lovely spring day with friends!