Shopaholic in Alabama

Happy Monday, Shopaholics! Although my mood is a little foul for reasons I can't discuss here, I am absolutely drooling over lots of the new pieces of the Lilly Pulitzer Spring collection. Nothing like a little Lilly to brighten your mood! Just a few of my favorites... Sullivan Dress, Worth Blue Pressed, $148 Hayden Dress, Hotty Pink Paint My Petals, $258 Joy Knit Tunic, Turquoise Kissue, $98 (can't ever go wrong with a Lilly tunic) Clare Dress, Shorely Blue Optical Confusion, $258 There are soooo many more styles and prints I'm in love with - still in the "absorb" phase here. :-) Word to the wise: if possible, try this collection on prior to purchasing. Fit reports are coming in all over the board. Some folks think the line is running small, others are saying true to size. Personally I haven't tried anything on yet, so I can't offer any advice. Lilly's sizing can vary wildly (even within the same collection) so please take that into ...

Happy Thursday! Gotcha! What did you think I wanted to talk about today??? :-) Have I ever told you guys that my hair is naturally wavy? Not just a little wave, but a lot of wave. Soooo much wave that when I was in high school, I got a perm (don't laugh - everyone did back then) and it lasted for five years. Yes, you're reading that right - 5 YEARS. If you saw photos of my wavy/curly hair and compared them to the stick straight style I current sport, you are left wondering how in the world did she get her hair straight? Wonder no more because I'm going to tell you all about it - and trust me on this - if your hair is also wavy and you crave straight, smooth locks - here's how to get them! After shampoo/conditioner, I always apply a leave in conditioner/detangler/color sealant. The brands I use vary - depends on how my hair is behaving and what time of year it is - sometimes I need more moisture than others. Right now I am using Back to Basics , Marine Color Seal...

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Hope you are making it through the week with a huge smile! Many of you have asked about our bathroom remodeling project, and when I would be sharing photos. I promise - I am going to do it! I'm one of those people that wants everything just so before I show it off. I guess it's because I see all these photos on blogs of people's home and decorating, and I might feel a little inferior. In general, design and creativity are not one of my skill sets. But I manage to make it look presentable around here. :-) When we started our remodel, one of our first projects was the bathroom cabinets. They were covered in probably five coats of paint (pretty sure I saw pepto pink and yellow, and white was the top coat). We decided to attempt to strip all the old paint off the cabinets in preparation for sanding and staining. All this was to restore their natural wood finish and color. Mother and I went to the local Sherwin Williams store to purchase supplies....

Happy Tuesday! Hope you've had a wonderful start to the new week! Yesterday was a little crazy, as evidenced by some of the comments received here...I've never had as many anonymous comments as I received Monday. I made the decision to leave them all up and not delete any; as I truly believe most folks will draw their own conclusions anyway. Additionally, I was very excited to receive dozens of supportive emails - both from readers and a few high level executives. Moving right along - I'm getting tired of the cold. I don't know how those of you who live in really cold climates like MA, MI, WI, etc make it through the winter. My town is packed with snowbirds that are down here to escape the bitter cold. I have a theory: the birds can fly down to the Alabama coast, rent a house or condo for $1500-2000 per month - and that is probably cheaper than their heating costs/utilities in many major metropolitan areas. What do you think? Join me in wishing for an early spring...

Happy Monday! Did you have a wonderful weekend? I'm happy to report that we are back in the land of functioning appliances. Never thought I'd be so pleased to see a new refrigerator arrive! :-) Today I want to talk about something that has been bothering me for a while, so please indulge me. While this conversation might seem a little random to readers who aren't tuned in to the Lilly-themed pages on Facebook, I'm sure you will catch on pretty quickly!  Everyone knows the economy has been in a down turn for the past two-three years, right? Even though many of us have continued to shop and act like it wasn't happening (that's me: guilty as charged!), some of our favorite companies, brands and designers are suffering. Yet others are flourishing. Go figure.  Recently it was announced that the Lilly Pulitzer Via shops would not be allowed to have sales, or sale prices, on their websites and/or Facebook pages. It's important to note that Lilly Pu...

Happy Saturday, Shopaholics! Are you glad it's the weekend? Any big plans? A few days ago, our refrigerator began to die a slow death. Ask me how much "fun" it's been trying to keep a refrigerator and freezer FULL of food cold for the past few days? Yeah, not much fun at all. Our kitchen is littered with coolers full of ice and food. It's a real pain to even find the milk to make your cereal. Ugh. At some point today, Lowe's will deliver a new refrigerator, stove and dishwasher. I can't tell you how happy I will be to see that truck pull up! I'm sure the entire day will be tied up with it though - getting the kitchen back in order after this latest little disaster. Thank goodness the DH is home to help, it's been a rough few days! We also plan to enjoy a little NFL football over the weekend. Since our team (Dallas Cowboys) wasn't even close to playoff status this year (!), I honestly don't care who wins the games. But I will offer thi...

Happy Thursday! I had to look twice at the calendar - is it really Thursday and where has the week gone? I'm honestly not sure... Many of you will recall, last week DH was gone to the hunting camp for several days. While he was gone, I "might" have had a wee bit too much fun ordering up some of my favorite goodies. He went back this week, but is now home. And I can pinky promise swear I have been a good girl so far. (hey, the week isn't over...don't get too excited!) Yesterday * thank goodness* all the boxes had been disposed of, this picture was already taken, and all the new goodies were snuggled into their proper place two hours before the Mr. arrived. The only exception is our new bedding, which will be put out once the guest bedroom has been painted. Maybe I have a chance at this next month... The Haul, or "Damages" included: *Lilly Pulitzer Bedding Set, Bedskirt and Pillow Shams/Covers from Garnett Hill *Tory Burch Romy flats in Turquoise...

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Do you remember last weekend I attended my cousin's baby shower? She was still 4-5 weeks from her due date, so it wasn't time for the baby to arrive.  Turns out, the baby was ready to enter this world and yesterday was the day! When I first heard the news, I thought about how I hoped she'd had enough time to get all those gifts put up and the nursery organized. You know - silly stuff. CG was in labor for a long time today (at least twelve hours seems long to me, but I've never had a baby, remember?). In the midst of all the joy, there was an extremely scary moment when Colt arrived. The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck...it was touch and go for about three minutes. Three minutes that felt like an eternity to the baby's mother, father, grandmother and aunt in the delivery room. Thankfully, all is ok. Colt is healthy (6 lb, 9 oz and 21"). Mom and baby are resting comfortably. Along with the rest of the family, I'...

Happy Monday, Shopaholics! Are you exhausted from the weekend, or is it just me? My lack of rest continues (read: no spa day today) as I help my Father on a work project. Maybe I can sleep in a few days... After the holidays, I felt I needed a pick me up that makes me look rested, even when I'm not! Two weeks ago, I was browsing on Sephora's website and ran across the Bare Escentuals Shimmer & Shine Collection, pictured above.  It was on sale for $45, originally $54 and valued at $142. What do you think happened? :-) That baby hopped right into my cart, and arrived four days later. And guess what, I love every single item in the kit! My favorite pieces are the two Natural Lipglosses. They are not sticky, and feel wonderful on the lips! I've also really enjoyed experimenting with the black eyeliner as I normally wear a colored eyeliner, very rarely do I go to black eyeliner territory. Are you wondering about the eye shadows? Yeah, I always love the BE e...

Happy Saturday! Aren't you glad it's the weekend? Hopefully you are experiencing nice weather instead of bitter cold, snow and ice like earlier this week. It's sunny here and not quite as cold, so I'm a happy camper! We have a busy weekend of celebrations planned. On Saturday, I will be attending my dear cousin's baby shower. This is somewhat difficult for me to comprehend. It seems like just yesterday DH and I were keeping her on the weekends, taking her to the beach, teaching her everything we knew about life.  CG was the flower girl in our wedding! Of course she was very young then, and next month, she will have her first child. Amazing. Time really flies, doesn't it? While I can't reveal my gift (in case she reads!) - I hope someone presents CG with a "diaper cake". I understand they are fairly simple to make, but no way I would ever attempt to create one. I'm not sure what line I got in when creative skills were being hande...

Wow! I can't believe it's already Thursday. The DH has been off on a hunting trip and I've been taking care of business here at home. Yesterday I got distracted (let's face it, that doesn't take much, ADD in full swing always) and didn't finish my housework. I'll pay for that later today....ugh. Today I have exciting news to share with you! My newest project is a consignment page on Facebook for all the mommies, expecting mothers, grandparents and aunties like me! We're all good preps here - and our children are dressed accordingly. The question is - what happens to all those clothes they outgrow? (So quickly, I might add...) Most people do one of two things with their children's used or NWT clothing/accessories. They're either donated to a friend, family member or favorite organization OR taken to your local consignment store. As you probably have read or seen in the news, the consignment business in general has been booming since the econom...

Happy Hump Day! Most of my friends from Atlanta to Boston are experiencing extreme winter weather. Please be careful out there! I feel silly complaining about "just" cold weather when you guys are literally stuck at home. I hope you have the essentials - plenty of food, wine by the case and a great internet connection. Let's don't forget activities for the little ones who have now been stuck inside for too long! And possibly a wee bit of medication for the Mommies too... Since you're stuck inside, do not forget to shop the Rue La La Final Sale, Act I & II. You'll be so mad at yourself if you miss it! "Final Sale, Act I" premiered yesterday and so many fabulous brands were featured - Tory Burch, DVF, Tibi, Stuart Weitzman, 7 For All Mankind, HONORA and others. If you're not a member of Rue La La, membership is free and HERE is your invite! I managed to score this pair of Tory Burch Romy Flats in Turquoise Blue, on sale for $120, regular $...

Happy Tuesday! One of my "personal but unspoken" New Years resolutions was to read at least one, and hopefully two, books each month. I've always loved to read and lately I've been molded to the computer. So I decided to get back into the habit of reading; whether it was for thirty minutes in the evenings, or settling down with an engrossing book on a rainy day and not moving until it was finished! NOTE: Do not expect thick classic novels and the like. After school, I gave up all reading that wasn't just fun! Now I enjoy chick lit, mystery and suspense, autobiographies and the occasional romance novel. My reading is strictly for entertainment value, nothing else! The good news for January - I've already finished my book! I found "Love The One You're With" by Emily Giffin on the bargain book table at my local Books A Million and have had it for months. This book was very enjoyable. Official review from  Publisher's Weekly: A chance e...

Happy Monday! Greetings from a cold and wet Gulf coast beach town! :-) Tonight is the BCS National Championship game, where the Auburn Tigers will meet the Oregon Ducks. For those who don't follow sports - we're talking about college football. The DH and I love college football. Some of you might remember that I'm a season ticket holder for UA football (The University Of Alabama) and attend every home game in Tuscaloosa, AL. I also love to attend "away" games and have watched my beloved team play in other locales such as Columbia, SC; Pasadena, CA; New Orleans, LA; Jacksonville, FL; Birmingham, AL; Jackson, MS; and Knoxville, TN. Alabama and Auburn are "in-state rivals", but that really makes it sound pretty calm and slightly civilized. HAHA. Most people around here either love Alabama or they love Auburn - and they pull for whichever team the other one is playing on any given Saturday. Last year, Alabama beat the Texas Longhorns in the BCS Champ...

Happy Sunday, everyone! Hope you are enjoying a great weekend! Have you heard about the huge sale over at Garnet Hill? (link HERE ) They have drastically marked down the majority of their Lilly Pulitzer merchandise. The prices are insane...for instance - the coverlet in the above photo was on sale for $29 (king, no less, originally priced at $208). I purchased an entire set (coverlet, shams, pillow covers and the white on white bedskirt) to redecorate one of our guest bedrooms. We're about to bite off another job - painting the guest bedroom - and this will be a nice contrast to the wall color we've selected. Other great deals include the following... Lilly Pulitzer Juice Stand Shower Curtain, $9. Yep, you are seeing correctly. $9 and it was originally $88. Lilly Pulitzer Cocktail Shaker & Cocktail Napkins, $3-$28. I have this cocktail shaker already, love it! Prominently displayed on our wetbar! These prices made me stop and think - wonder if Lilly will be ...