hometown party

Well, as usual, no one told me that we were having a party for Sally Kate to meet the family on her first trip to Ocala. I had not planned on coming home this weekend but when I heard the news of a party, I was not going to miss a thing! It was a quick trip home but such a fun and memorable time. We had a cook out and all decor pink in honor of Sally Kate and the new parents. Of course Fern came along too and I was able to introduce her to the family as my new baby :)

the guest of honor sweet sally kate

sk's crib at grandmommy and grandaddy's...this crib was grandmother mary elizabeth's and has been used by all her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren...her parents ordered it from the sears and roebuck catalog in 1915!

lacy lauren and aunt holly with sally kate

with cole holding his favorite of our jacks, my fern

grandmother ME with her great grandaughter

four generations on both sides of our family

fun with fern

I am now a dog owner - yipee! On Sunday I went Butterball Farm in Citra, Florida to adopt my sweet precious Jack Russell now called Fern. We are already inseparable! She is 5 years old and is retired from breeding. Upon telling Grandmother Mary Elizabeth Fern's age she sharply respond, "You know that's about the time dogs die!" Are we not surprise by this hilarious response?!

As I type, she is lying by my side tuckered out from our get-acquainted walk around the neighborhood. She has such a calm disposition...quite rare in the JR breed :) She's a non-barker, non-jumper, non-crazy wonderful dog - just what I wanted. And now she's settling in her new home and I love her with all my heart, but the best part is she's already given me hers.

with fern leaving the farm where she was born

we came back to ocala for the night and she did so well...she and roxie got along great!

fern-doggy-dog

are you my mommy??

day two - so far, so good...off to our new home in tallahassee!

saturday morning bliss

chocolate chip pancakes topped with bananas and walnuts

trip to the local wholesale flower place brought back some beautiful forsythia...I just adore flowering branches

This is the pillow I designed and had made to complete Sally Kate's nursery. I just picked it up today and I love it! It was originally going to be a surprise for sister but I couldn't help but spill the beans before today.

So now, voila ~ the perfect finishing touch!

sally kate loves it too!

oh, the weather outside is frightful...

...but my warm bed is so delightful! And I wish I was in it right now snuggled underneath my electric blanket. When I woke up this morning is was 16 degrees! Something about the words Florida and 16 degrees anywhere near each other just doesn't seem right. Brrrrr.

Pamela has been in town since Tuesday and I dropped her off at the airport this morning on my way to work :( It was so sad to see her go. I long for the days when we were roommates and we lounged in our pajamas all day long and in between classes, had Starbucks at least twice a day, and enjoyed the endless exchange of our wardrobes. However, we kicked it back to the good ol' days while she was in town! We swapped outfits and accessories and we ate dinner at the new restaurant Tapas one night and then at our favorite Kool Beanz the next night. I could go on about the large amounts of tasty food we shared {Pamela shares my passion in eating good food!} but I just want to share that we had opted to have our dessert boxed up on night two because we had a better idea. We went back to my house and did what we do best-- pajamas immediately on, bundle up under my electric blanket, drink coffee, and eat our yummy blueberry lemon tart in bed :) To all my nearest and dearest, thank you for being a part of my life.

fyi

What did I do today on my day off, you ask? I resorted to my old lifestyle and it was fabulous! Slept in late...check. Mid-afternoon cupcake and coffee from The Cake Shop...check. Afternoon nap...check. Ahh, I could get used to this.

I also went to Bella Bella for lunch just like old times. Sister, Sally Kate, and I went to lunch with my sweet friend and neighbor Lane and her four month old baby boy Camp. We had such a nice time and I was so glad to finally spend some time with them!

camp and sally kate

Other activities from today included watching morning talk shows such as Ellen and grilling out for the second time on my new grill. For supper, I grilled chicken and asparagus with baby portobello mushrooms and ate it over brown rice. yum. No dessert tonight because of the cupcake I indulged in this afternoon, so for now The Bachelor will have to do. All in a day's work~

**Pamela is coming to town tomorrow until Thursday for work and staying with moi! I am SO excited!!

welcome to atlanta (remix, hey)

I love Atlanta. Everything about it--the neighborhoods, the shopping, endless restaurant options, home of so so def records, and the list goes on. This visit was most fun because it was spent celebrating my dear friend Kristen's bachelorette festivities. Six of Kristen's nearest and dearest met in Atlanta for a fun-filled weekend. It was one for the books...good food, lots of laughs, and anything and everything for our sweet bride-to-be. Kristen and her friends from high school are some of the funniest people I know and their performance this weekend did not let me down.

I arrived late Friday night and met up with the girls in Buckhead. We frequented some of the local bars where it was made known that we had a bachelorette in the house. Saturday morning we all went to brunch in Virginia Highlands (I want to live here, end of story.) to store up energy and then it was off to Sips n Strokes art class. I love love loved spending the afternoon painting and laughing. There were about 50+ ladies in the class and we all followed a fun instructor as she demonstrated how to paint our whimsical flower. The concept for this studio is so marvy and I would love to open one in Tallahassee. Having paint on my hands all day...I would be in heaven. That evening we had a lingerie party for Kristen and then it was off to a great tapas restaurant called Loca Luna. They had a great 10 piece Spanish band and we ate and cha-chaed the night away!

I stayed at Carolyn's swanky house in Virginia Highlands and I made her get up early on Sunday and locate the ADPi headquarters because I knew it was somewhere near her house. Lo and behold, it was practically in her back yard! Then we hightailed it to Sandy Springs for one last food hoorah. We had brunch at Canoe overlooking the Chattahoochee River and the weather was absolutely beautiful outside. I had the blog-worthy brioche French toast with banana mascarpone (yummm) and fresh berries and walnuts and quite possibly one of the best tasting coffees I have ever had. After our last brunch together we all headed home. Every minute of the weekend was fabulous and we can't wait for Kristen to officially become Mrs. Klauk (we will have to get you a new sash!)!

See everyone in 54 days...

whiskey blue rooftop bar at the w hotel buckhead

-kristen and her bridesmaids-

saturday morning brunch...we want more carbs!

in mid lesson at sips n strokes

the finished product

voila!

lauren, carolyn, mc, kristen, kylie, kacy, and leanne

alpha delta pi headquarters...check.

sunday morning brunch along the chattahoochee river

not only was it delicious but also beautiful...worth a picture

kristen with her maids of honor