Give A Shout Out To Your Alma Mater....

It has come to be that bittersweet time of the year,

when my younger daughter is seriously looking at colleges.

Katherine is a junior this year and we are currently planning our college visits for the spring.

 
Katherine as a baby....my how time flies.

It was the same way with Caroline...

as excited as I was for her to begin a new chapter in her life,

I was pretty devastated when I left her in Kansas a year and a half ago.

Like the rip your heart out "ugly cry" kind of devastated.

Fortunately I was in the parking lot alone before I heaved my first sob,

 so she didn't see me...lol!

Caroline's dorm room...done in Lilly Pulitzer of course...she is her mother's daughter.

While it continues to be difficult having her so far away, 

I do still have a daughter a home to cook with, shop with, and just do "girly" things with

like getting pedicures and picking out outfits.

In a little over one short year, I will be left with just my boys.

Today is not the day to say I am looking forward to that...

they are literally driving me NUTS as twin 13 year old boys apparently do.

I digress....

Here are the schools that Katherine is seriously looking at...

I would love to hear a shout out for your own alma mater,

as she is still keeping her options open and considering other schools...

and if you or one of your children has attended any of her top choice schools,

definitely give a shout out and let us know what you think!

Clemson University

Auburn University

University of Kentucky

University of South Carolina

So those are Katherine's top choices for the moment....

She is looking for a school in the South with an excellent child development or education major,

and would like a fairly large school that has sororities and fraternities.

 So....any grads of these fabulous schools out there?

Anywhere else she should consider?

Family Favorite Recipe

I was over Grove Gal K the other day....

love her blog....she has great recipes...

and she had posted a recipe for Potato Soup

that sounded YUM OUT!

What caught my attention was the Old Bay Seasoning...

we love Old Bay in this household.

So I gave it a whirl....

Missing the onion in this pic...it is another great recipe to make in your slow cooker!

Here is the recipe...

Potato Soup

6 russet potatoes

3/4 bag southern style frozen hash browns
1/2 an onion, diced
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
8oz shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 cup Sour Cream

Directions
Bake the potatoes in a 350 degree oven for about an hour until they are soft.  Then peel and dice.
Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, 2 teaspoons Old Bay and salt and pepper to taste in crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours.
Add shredded cheese, milk, hash browns, sour cream and cook another 1-2 hours on low
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with chopped green onions, cheese and bacon

And it was a WIN!

Very creamy and truly tasted like baked potatoes...the kids loved it.

It is a perfect recipe for days like these...

Katherine and her BFF cheering at Friday night's basketball game...

it was a "rush home from work-feed the kids-and leave for the game" kinda day.

And D was home this weekend....YEA...had not seen him for two weeks!

If you check out Grove Gal's recipe here

you will see that she makes a "light" version, 

and I am sure her version is just as yummy as my "not light" version!

Give it a try...great recipe for the chilly weather!!!

Longing For Laura Ashley

I am desperately searching for a floral chintz fabric to use in our master bedroom.

Of course there are zillions of beautiful fabrics that are well out of my price range...

and my mind wandered to days gone by when Laura Ashley used to have fabulous chintz prints.

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Laura Ashley and her husband Bernard founded the brand in the 1950's,

and opened the first Laura Ashley shops in London in the 1960's.

They spent the next 20 years successfully building an empire and branching out internationally.

Sadly, Laura Ashley fell down the stairs of her daughter's English country home in 1985,

and passed away very shortly thereafter.

That was the beginning of the end of the Laura Ashley brand as we knew it.

In the late 1990's, the Laura Ashley retail stores started to flounder

due to the recession and some major changes in management.

 In 2001, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy

 and the Ashley family sold its remaining holdings in the company.

The company was bought by the Malaysian retailer Metrojaya, 

and the brand changed significantly, both in quality and in design.

By 2003, almost all of the Laura Ashley stores had been closed down

and replaced by newly operated franchised units in Europe.

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You can visit their current website here to see their products today.

In my opinion, the quality is nowhere near what it used to be, 

and the prints are not nearly as classy or as timeless as the old ones.

I still have my old Laura Ashley Home catalogs!

Remember the good 'ole days...

in addition to the sailor dresses and flowery skirts,

(many of which were in my wardrobe during high school and college)

Laura Ashley used to have some classy fabrics at reasonable prices.

Take a walk with me down memory lane....

(please excuse the quality of the pictures...it was surprisingly difficult to find images of her fabrics)

Palace Garden...this is the print first peaked my love of blue and white!

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Confetti...this print also came in a pink and blue version...

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and coordinates with this print Charlotte.

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This print is Isabelle, and it also came in a pink version as well as a taupe version.

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This print, Kate, is one of my favorites and I would have loved to use it a nursery...

I had my daughters before they did ultrasounds, so my nursery was yellow!

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This pattern is called Stocks and it came in a red and yellow version. 

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Clarissa...love this one too.

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Emma...this pattern was very popular in college dorm rooms when I was in school.

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Floral Stripe...I wanted to do a bedroom in this at one time.

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This print is called Winter Lilly and I LOVE this it!

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It came in pink and green as well and I would have considered this print

in the ivory and green for our master bedroom if they still made it.

I did find out that my twins were boys

 and I did their nursery in the Laura Ashley Seaside pattern...

I still have all of the fabric and wallpaper samples!

Well....there are a few of my favorites...I had many more that I loved!

I was disappointed that I wasn't able to find a better representation of the "vintage"

Laura Ashley fabrics and wallpapers to post.

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Does anyone else miss the "old" Laura Ashley?

Steals and Deals at Tuesday Morning

Have y'all heard of Tuesday Morning?

It's like a Home Goods, only 90% of their merchandise is usually "junk."

That being said, you can definitely find some treasures there...

so I do stop in if I happen to be near one and I have the time.

Well I stopped in Tuesday Morning today,

and I hit the jackpot!

Have you heard of Peacock Alley?

They are a luxury brand of bed linens and bath linens, etc. out of Dallas, Texas.

Here are their pique bed linens....BEAUTIFUL....

and the pricing STARTS at $280...for the twin size.

And look what I found at Tuesday Morning....

Can you see that price tag?

$14.99 for a pair of standard pillow cases!

Being the princess that I am, 

I like my pillowcases to be SUPER soft....and monogrammed of course.

Here is the condition of my current "princess" pillowcase...

Yes that is a hole....I have had my current set for twelve years.

I've been searching for some "high end" cases at a "low end" price...

and today my patience paid off!

These are a newer version of what I purchased at they retail for $150.00 a pair!

I called D to tell him my exciting news and fabulous husband that he is, 

D did a marvelous job of acting SUPER excited for me.

I suspect he was probably rolling his eyes...but I did save $135.

Of course he will remind me that I did SPEND $14.99.

We have a slightly different idea of what "saving" means.

So if you are looking for some luxury linens, check out Tuesday Morning!

You can enter your zip code on their website to see if they have a store near you.

They had Peacock Alley sheet sets, blankets, coverlets, and shams at my local store...

Unfortunately I still have NO idea what direction I am going with our master bedroom,

so I did not buy any other bedding....I will probably regret it.

I LOVE a steal!

Guest Post from Snow Central

Checking Facebook for the 40th time while stranded in the some 11 inches of snow we have,

(it's another snow day at the University of Kansas)

 I came across this little article: "16 things we forget to thank our moms for." 

Since I've been in college (and being 2000 miles away from my best friend aka mom) 

I've become much more appreciative of her and all that she does for me and our family. 

It's almost as if the writer of this list spies on my life 

and then wrote this article on everything my mom does for me.

Snow Day!

16 Things We Forget To Thank Our Moms For  

1. All the times she had to double as best friend/counselor/therapist/costume designer/hair stylist/coach/all-around-solver-of-every-problem-ever. I remain unconvinced that moms aren’t actually superheroes in disguise.

2. Forgiving us when we forget to call.

3. Listening to all our pointless dramas when we do remember.

4. Being the kind of person that we actually do want to become — because as we all know, it’s inevitable.

5. Having the incredible prowess only a mother whose babes have been scorned could — mama bear protects her cubs, sometimes excessively, but we love it, let’s be honest.

6. All those times we yelled “MOOOOMMM!!” through the house to find out where our white shirt was or what time so-and-so was getting home and all the other questions we just couldn’t go to Dad for.

7. All the things she reluctantly bought us at the cash register of any given store, all the clothes and things we didn’t really need (but insisted we did). Growing up and understanding the value of a dollar really makes you reconsider just how much moms sacrifice.

8. For all the home cooked meals or pizzas we didn’t have to pay for ourselves. Equally phenomenal. Equally missed.

9. Putting up with our middle school phase.

10. For giving us our siblings, whom we simultaneously once wished to sell and now are best friends with.

11. And oh yeah, for that whole “giving birth to us” thing.

12. For being our first, and at some points, only cheerleaders, who were and are proud of every little thing we do.

13. All the time she spent picking us up from practices; bending over backwards to make sure we had new cleats and costumes; and were at every game, rehearsal, and play date we planned.

14. Doing her best, even when things were most difficult in the family. Moms have this incredible magic sparkle glue that keeps it all together when it would otherwise fall apart.

15. Dealing with Dad.

16. Being the boss woman of the house (and of our lives). And for being living proof that there truly are people who can honestly just do it all.

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 Love you much mama!!!! 

Patagonia Sale!

Just in case you didn't know it...I LOVE fleece.

I especially love Patagonia fleece because it is just WARM.

Patagonia happens to be having a 30% off sale through February 5th so check it out!

Here is what I may have purchased...

Women's Re-Tool Snap Pullover in Red Delicious

This will look great in the fall and winter with jeans...

and I don't have any red fleece in my current wardrobe.

(I can justify just about any clothing or accessory purchase...it's a talent of mine)

Do you have a favorite fleece?

Blue and White Monday

I am linking with one of my very favorite blogs today,

The Pink Pagoda

Jennifer is hosting a blue and white linking party......

Please visit her blog to see all of the fabulous posts!

Virginia Mom's Foyer

My Virginia mom has been a lover of blue and white for as long as I can remember.

She has even lured me away from my pink and green obsession,

and I've started my own collection of blue and white porcelian.

My Virginia parents' have a beautiful home which is decorated with blue and white throughout,

and my Virginia mom was kind enough to let me give you a tour.

The Foyer

Their formal dining room is to the right when you walk in.

Some of my VM's best pieces are displayed in here,

as well as her Mottahedeh Imperial Blue plate collection.

Close up of some of her pieces...

I LOVE her giant ginger jar and the three men!

Another view from in their dining room...more Mottahedeh Imperial Blue plates...(drooling).

Closer up view...

Their formal living room is to the left when you enter, 

and it is just stunning with the navy blue walls and the white woodwork. 

LOVE this lamp...

And this lamp...

Here is their family room...this is where we all gather when we are together.

If it's not blue and white, it's blue and yellow!

Although there are blue and white pieces in every room...

I love the unique shape of these plates.

Here is a picture of "The Quiet Room"

which is basically where my Virginia dad hangs out when things get a little "loud"

(meaning when we are over with ALL of the children)

It's a sun room with windows on three sides.

Moving upstairs to Virginia mom's office...she has a nautical theme going on.

Notice the built in bookshelves in the hallway displaying more of her blue and white.

There is a sofa sleeper in here for "overflow" which happens more than you would guess. 

Here is their Master Bedroom....

There is a large sitting area in their room...

My girls and I hang out up here with my VM when my boys are being too noisy downstairs.

Loving the monogrammed pillow.

Her game table...we actually do use it for jigsaw puzzles!

Another close up...

Love this lamp...and the tiny ginger jar to the far left is another one of my favorites! 

They have a pair of these lamps...jealous. 

Just another close up of her collection.

My Virginia parents' home is beautiful,

yet it is very family friendly and the kids and I spend a lot of time there.

We are so very fortunate that my Virginia parents live in our development...

Clearly my Virginia mom is a lover of blue and white!

She still collects, and she also collects for me since she is running out of room in her own home!

The other rooms in their home also incorporate blue into the color scheme,

but I wanted to try and stick strictly to the blue and white!

I hope you enjoyed the tour of their lovely home!