Thanksgiving Outfit Ideas

I had some fun on Polyvore

creating some outfits for Thanksgiving weekend...


Here is something casually elegant for Thanksgiving day...comfy but classy!

Something a little dressier for dinner if you have a more formal Thanksgiving dinner!

Perfect outfit to hit the sales on Black Friday....layered for warmth!

Follow me on Polyvore to see other creations!

Merry Christmas Music



Since Friday is the unofficial start of listening to Christmas music,

I decided to share some of my all time favorite collections...

 

Oh Come All Ye Faithful

with the King's College Boys Choir

I've been listening to this amazingly beautiful collection of

Christmas carols sung by the King's College Boys Choir of Cambridge, England

since I was in middle school.

It is one of my very favorite playlists, and my favorite carol is

"In The Bleak Midwinter"

Go here to hear some selections.

 

In The Christmas Mood

with The Glen Miller Orchestra

I love Big Band music, especially Glen Miller,

and this is all the traditional Christmas music with some "swing!"

My favorite is "Sleigh Ride"

Go here to hear some selections from this playlist.

 

Joy: A Holiday Collection

by Jewel

I purchased this playlist at the recommendation of a friend,

and I was not disappointed.

She puts her own twist on some of the traditional carols,

and my favorite is her "Ava Maria".

You can listen to some selections on iTunes by searching "Jewel Christmas"

 

Christmas With Conniff

by The Ray Conniff Singers

This is a blast from my past....

We listened to this record album when I was a little girl,

and it still remains one of my favorites!

Favorite on this playlist is "Silver Bells"

Listen to some selections here

 

Ultra-Lounge Christmas Cocktails Part One

I love this playlist....the music is a combination of the music

you would hear while shopping at Old Navy during the holiday season,

and the music you would hear at a Christmas cocktail party in the 1960's.

Very fun and very non-traditional in a traditional way....does that even make sense?

Favorite song on this playlist is "Christmas Kisses"

Listen to some selections here

Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas

with Ella Fitzgerald

This is another jazzy take on the traditional Christmas songs.

My favorite on this playlist is "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"

Listen to some selections here

A Merry Christmas

with Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters

This is another oldie but goodie!

My favorite selection is "Christmas in Killarney"

which was my paternal grandmother's favorite as well.

Here are some sample selections.

December

 by George Winston

This is a beautiful collection of piano music and captures

the essence of the season.

My favorite is his rendition of "The Holly And The Ivy"

To hear some selections, visit iTunes.

 

That should be a little something for everyone....

quite a mix of genres!

What Christmas music is your favorite?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Broke My Rule

I have a rule....

NO Christmas decorating or Christmas music BEFORE Thanksgiving.

It was disturbing to me that many stores had their Christmas decorations out before Halloween.

I was pleasantly surprised when I was in Nordstrom's

and noticed that they had NOT decorated their store for Christmas.

 

Well....I broke my rule.

D's children have never been able to participate in decorating our home for Christmas

 because their time with us in December is usually too late in the month to wait to decorate.

So this past weekend while D's children were here,

we decorate for Christmas.

It was a wonderful evening and the kids loved it!

 

It was an especially great weekend because my eldest daughter

arrived home from college for Thanksgiving break on Friday night

so we had six of the eight children home this weekend!

Here are some pics from the evening... 

D's #3 decorating our living room tree... 

She started with the bows and did a fabulous job! 

Meanwhile sisters snuggling on the couch... 

Most patient husband EVER...carrying down a million bins from our third floor. 

Making progress in the family room... 

Took a break for a family dinner....first holiday table of the season! 

The red and white mosaic hurricanes are some of my favorite decorations. 

The crew minus the twins...who were enlisted in carrying everything down from the attic. 

D's #3 hung the stockings....all ten of us! 

A little pink and green Christmas in our dining room...of course! 

Family room tree is done!

D's #4 decorated our sun room tree all by himself....

Took his job very seriously.... 

His finished product!

 

I may have broken my rule,

but it was absolutely worth it to see the joy on their faces!

MANY thanks to Virginia Mom,

who is the Master of Christmas

and was a HUGE help in

organizing and assisting with the decorating!

 

 

Broadway in Richmond

I am a huge fan of musicals!

While I would love to get to NYC to see shows, it is just not realistic.

Fortunately, we are 90 minutes away from the Kennedy Center in Washington DC,

which has some fantastic performances,

and there is a series called "Broadway in Richmond"

where the popular Broadway Shows come to Richmond, Virginia.

 

For Christmas, my Michigan parents give our family an "experience" as a gift,

and this year they are sending us to see the Broadway musical

"Jersey Boys" which is coming to Richmond in January.

Our children love the theater, and they are quite excited!

Looks like it will be fun with great music!

 

Here are some of my VERY favorite musicals....

We saw Wicked in Richmond and it was amazing!

I think this is my kids' favorite!

Favorite Song: "I Want To Be Popular"

 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this one....I took my sailor to see it two years ago!

Such a fun one with great songs!

Favorite Song: "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair"

 

D took me to see this on Broadway in NYC...

FABULOUS!
Favorite Song: "All I Ask Of You"

 

I've seen this 100 times and love it every time I see it!

It's a family tradition to watch it at least once a year together.

Favorite Song: "I am Sixteen Going on Seventeen"

 

Another classic...my high school did this one...so fun!

Favorite Song: "Seventy-Six Trombones"

 

While I have never seen a stage production of this musical,

the movie is also one of my favorites!

Favorite Song: "Beauty School Dropout"

 

This is another classic...I have not seen it in MANY years...but a great one!

Favorite Song: "I Feel Pretty"

 

I was in this one in high school...love the movie with Frank Sinatra!

Favorite Song: "Guys and Dolls"

 

My girls loved this one when they were little!

Favorite song: "It's a Hard Knock Life"

Saw this in Chicago with Donny Osmond as Joseph!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

Favorite Song: "Any Dream Will Do"

 

I was a huge ABBA fan in the 80's and I loved the stage version of Mamma Mia!

I rented the movie but didn't like the movie version at all.

Favorite Song: "Money, Money, Money"


This is a fabulous musical and it is hard to find performances these days.
Favorite Song: "All For The Best"

These are just my favorites....I have seen "Hello Dolly," "Anything Goes,"
"Pajama Game," "Showboat," "Oliver," "Pippen," "The King and I,"
"Mary Poppins," "Fiddler On The Roof," and "Oklahoma!" just to name a few more.
I also saw the PBS version of Les Miserables and would LOVE to see it on stage.

The only musical that I have not seen that I REALLY want to see is
"The Producers"
and I will always regret not making the trip to NYC to see
Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane star in it.

Do you love musicals?
If so, what are your favorites?

 



Sweet Sweaters!

When I am not wearing fleece,

I can be found in a sweater almost any time of the year.

 

I love cashmere sweaters, but those are not always practical for my job.

I also love turtleneck sweaters, or wearing crew neck sweaters with a turtleneck.

I like turtlenecks because they keep me warm...

I would say no one sees my neck from mid-November to early March...lol.

 

I have a zillion sweaters, and don't NEED any new ones,

but are a few that I have my eye on....

This is ADORABLE!

My sweet husband (who spoils me) bought this for me last weekend.

I plan to wear it with jeans, a navy gingham shirt as shown, and red suede flats!

 

 

This cable knit sweater from Talbots

comes in a rainbow of colors and I actually have my eye

on the one in bright Kelly green.

 

This chunky cable knit sweater from J Crew

is both cozy and cute. Loving the baby pink color...of course!

 

This is a new twist on an old classic...

the LL Bean bird's eye sweater, only in a zip front cardigan.

I had the pullover version for MANY years before it finally bit the dust.

It is a great weekend sweater with jeans or khakis in the winter...it is WARM!

This Lilly Pulitzer sweater says it all....

I hate winter....well, I hate cold weather to be more specific.

Winter in Hawaii is fine.

 

What sweaters do you have your eye on?

 



Monogram-a-holic

Thank you to Eva at the adorable blog Nothingbutprep

for tagging me as a Monogram-a-holic!

I posted here about my love for monograms

and nothing has changed!

 

 

Here are the directions...

-thank the blogger who tagged you, and include the link to their blog

-include the logo of this post (The First Impressions picture) 

-Use a monogram app or draw a picture of your monogram and include it in this post.

-Answer the questions

-tag 5 or more bloggers to complete this tag 

 

Here is my monogram...

 

Here are the answers to the questions Eva asked...

 

1. What is your favorite monogramming font?

Interlocking circle script is always a classic, and probably my favorite.

 

2.  "If it's not moving..." 

then monogram it.

 

3. Which statement best describes you?

A- I have so many monogrammed items that it's hard to remember exactly how many I have.

B- 10 or more monogrammed items

C- 9 or less monogrammed items

Definitely A for me.

 

4.What item do you wish you owned with your monogram on it? 

Hmmm...that's a hard one....probably sterling silver flatware with a monogram.

 

5. What is your favorite online monogramming company?

For cute clothing, I like Sweet Tea Monograms...

For housewares, it would be Mark and Graham.

 

6. What is your favorite monogrammed item you own? 

I would have to say the monogrammed handkerchief

that my sweet husband, D, had delivered to me on our wedding day.

 

And here are my questions...

1. Do you follow "traditional" monogramming etiquette,

or do you follow "contemporary" monogramming etiquette?

 

2. What is the most outrageous thing you have monogrammed?

 

3. Have you ever regretted monogramming something?

 

4. What's your favorite monogram style?

 

5. At what age did you first discover your love of monograms?

 

I tag these fabulous bloggers

who also are monogram lovers...

Summer Wind

Tickled Pink

Monograms and Manicures

Miss Southern Prep

Southern State of Mind

 

Happy Monogramming!

 

 



More Decorating Baby Steps....

Today was an exciting day for me...

we had carpeting installed on our stairs today!

I spent hours and hours looking for something I loved.

After looking for a year, I found exactly what I wanted.

It was discontinued...no possible way to get it.

Fortunately my Virginia mom was able to find something I liked even better,

and after waiting six weeks for it to arrive,

it was installed today!

Baby steps in my decorating....

 

Here is the "before" when we bought the house....

Hard to see but the stairs were carpeted with white plush carpeting,

as was the entire upstairs,

which happened to be ruined from cat urine

in-between our home inspection and the walk through on our closing date.

Needless to say ALL of the carpet was ripped out before we moved in.

 

Here is what it looked like this morning.... 

And now....

The carpet is a creamy white wool with a blue/gray lattice.

For all who think I am insane getting a creamy white carpet on my stairs having eight children,

I have the same color on the second and third floors of our home,

and with the "no shoes on the carpet rule" we have managed to keep it clean.

Here's hoping for the same for the stairs!

 

Here is an update on my powder room....

just a reminder of the "before"

and after....

My Virginia mom found exactly what I was looking for in terms of the rug.

It's a black hooked wool with a floral pattern

in greens, blues, pinks, and yellows.

I had a pair of botanical prints in my bedroom

that look great and tie in with the colors of the rug.

I just have to find a light fixture

and something for the opposite wall of the bathroom

and I will be done with it!

 

 

I still have yet to finish my ORC....

I will finish week six about six weeks late.

My next project is my kitchen window treatment,

and I need to put the finishing touches on my sunroom.

Then, I plan to tackle our master bedroom...

baby steps.