After a lovely afternoon of shopping for Christmas decor (ie: wading through massive crowds of mullet wearing, beef jerky eating locals complaining incessantly about the ridiculous prices for Christmas tree lights (2 for $7?)) I arrived home to find that Dr. Daddy had already sorted the mail. This is never a good thing. You would not believe the number of catalogs delivered to the recycle bin prior to my perusing as a result of Dr. Daddy's editing process.
What I found today, however, was too much. Love my husband. LOVE HIM. But here's the thing: he has never had a pimple IN HIS LIFE. I, on the other hand, have battled acne since I was in utero. It's finally under control and I usually only have to battle the occasional menstrual explosion on the forehead or chin. So what does he manage to weed out of the mail? An ad for Proactiv.
"This stuff looks great!", he says. "Are you KIDDING ME?", I reply. "I'm finally zit free and you all of a sudden decide to present me with my skin saviour?".
To which he replied, "Yeah, zit free except for that THING on your cheek."
Thank you very much. I have been STRESSED! So I have a little issue on the cheek. He thinks this warrants an Acne solution? Have mercy. I did allow him to know that that was as offensive as if I had offered him an ad for Propecia.
Thanksgiving is over, I've got to get my entire house decorated for Christmas in the next three days, and I'm catering Dr. Daddy's work party for 80 people here at the house this coming Saturday.
So, just in case you're wondering...that's what I've been up to! I've also finished sewing (mostly) for BabyGirl's room (pictures will be posted asap) and have constructed a firm plan for my bathrooms. In addition, I spent last week completing the "renovation" of our guest room. It was a pitiful excuse for a guest getaway and I think we've finally remedied that. I don't want to post pictures just yet because it isn't quite done but here's a sneak peak...
And I promise it'll be good! I've been sewing away the past few days to get BabyGirl's room (finally) finished. It's only been over a year, right? Plus, poor Dr. Daddy had to have a colonoscopy today. Yech. Sucks for him! We're all back to normal now, though, so you can look forward to a week of lovely photos of BabyGirl's room, my new gift wrapping room (and it IS the bomb, ya'll), as well as before pix of all my bathrooms. That's right...it's bathroom renovation time in Sippycups land. Oh, and I'll be doing all the tile myself. For whatever reason I've decided that I need to learn to do tile work. I mean...why not? XOXO...Sippycups
So I have it on (fairly) good authority that Lipstick Jungle has NOT been cancelled. Hallelujah! Now let's just hope all those MEN in LA will figure out that Friday night is not the best spot for our favorite show!
Did you hear that wackjob Kathy Lee Gifford on Good Morning America (or maybe it's the Today Show...not important) today? Lipstick Jungle is cancelled? Who the hell came up with THAT idea? I absolutely LOVE this show. It's rare that those kinds of girlfriends exist and they are portrayed so perfectly. Letter writing campaign anyone?
Little Southern Sister left a comment wondering if theHow Fast They Grow website would be a good way to chronicle her years on college. ie: is it only for kids? In a word...NO! It's not just for kids at all. To prove my point I made some little pages for you as examples. The pictures aren't all great cause I hacked them off of Facebook...but you get the idea!
If you haven't already, you need to check out Tiny Prints for Holiday cards and invitations. I ordered this adorable invitation for Dr. Daddy's work party and it turned out so well. They're quick with turnaround and the quality can't be beat for the price.
I used to own a stationery business so I tend to be a little picky. I truly think the quality of the photos especially is super from Tiny Prints.
Here are a few of my favorites...some names have been changed to protect the not so innocent...
If you order now and us HOLIDAYSHIP49 coupon code you'll get free shipping on orders over $49. *applies to Tiny Prints orders of $49 or more. Complimentary shipping promotion is for ground shipping only and applies to non-sample orders shipped to a location within the 48 contiguous United States. This offer does not apply to tax or shipping charges. Offer is not applicable to previously placed orders. Offer cannot be combined with other promotions or discounts; no more than one coupon can apply per order. Offer is not valid for the purchase of gift certificates. To prevent abuse, we reserve the right to discontinue or modify these offers at anytime without notice. We reserve the right to cancel any order at any time.
For the longest time I've been accusing BabyGirl of being four going on fourteen. For instance, she has a "boyfriend" at school. When we took said friend with us to the skate center for a playdate the excursion was preceded by 45 minutes of closet destruction. It was like a toddler's episode of "What to Wear?". She has since admitted that she "loves" her boyfriend and that she even kissed him on the playground (on the cheek, thank goodness!). What struck me most about the situation is her reason for playing only with the boys in her class: the "little" girls are too bossy and mean. Speaking the truth at 4 and a half! She does have girl friends, but just prefers to play with the boys. For days now she's been insisting on taking a book on the bus each morning. She has a girlfriend she likes to sit with and they look at the books together. She told me it was a "big" girl, so I'm thinking maybe a third or fourth grader? Notsomuch. BabyGirl asked me this morning if she could take my InStyle Magazine on the bus with her. Huh? Why? "I think my friend will like the pictures". Oky doky. Whatever gets you out the door, honey. As I watched her proudly trot onto the bus my eyes followed her further toward the back of the bus than I've noticed her sitting before. She usually sits toward the front with her friend, Tanner. Not anymore apparently. She marched further, further, and then finally settled down next to her "friend": an adorable ninth grader decked out in Abercrombie Jeans and a Lilly sweater. Nice. Four going on fourteen, indeed.
Many of you have emailed asking for ideas for teacher gifts for the holidays. At my kids' school there is a longstanding tradition of collecting donations from parents and putting all the money together toward one gift card for the teacher. Last year we did a Visa debit card and in years past we've done Target, etc. They really seem to appreciate this, as they tend to get lots of (for lack of a better word) cr*p otherwise.
In addition to the gift card donation, I do like to give something small. I usually bake a cake and put it in one of my lovely knock off Williams Sonoma boxes. Other ideas I love include:
These are the best smelling holiday candles. Not too floral, not too spicy, just right. You can get the large size for $32 or the smaller votive for $12. Believe me...worth every cent.
I also LOVE this hot chocolate from Trader Joe's, as well as their gingerbread coffee. Wrap these up in some cellophane with a cute bow and you're set!
I also love the idea of creating a calendar for the teachers. This could prove to be rather time consuming, but if you have the time...it's a great gift. You can go to Kodak.com or Snapfish.com or Shutterfly.com, download pics you've taken of the kids in the classroom, and make your own calendar. You can even put specific pictures on specific dates if you use Snapfish. This way, you can put your child's face on the box that holds the date for his or her birthday. If you do this for every kid in the class, their teacher is sure to remember all the birthdays!
Another gift idea I think is so useful to teachers is a gift certificate to one of the meal assembly stores that have become so popular. Dinner Afare, Corner Cuisine, Let's Dish and Dream Dinnersall come to mind. These outlets offer great, pre-prepped meals that are huge time savers. We have one locally that I use every month. You can't beat the prices and the meals are truly delicious.
I hope this gives you all some great teacher gift ideas!!!
I'm sure a bunch of you will email me and tell me this is SOOOOO last week but I simply cannot resist. This is the must fricking hilarious thing I have seen in a LOOOONG time...
Despite my Republican roots and the fact that all libs seem to think we're plastic worshiping, water wasting gluttons, I do feel really guilty everytime I request paper at the grocery store. They have those really neat .99 reusable bags you can buy at the check out, but really, who are they kidding? You can't even fit a large box of Cheerios in one of them. What's the point?
These adorable bags from RuMe are perfect! They're stylish (a must), but more importantly, they're roomy! I was even able to get some that match my boring brown Volvo. Not bad!
Oh, and just so we're clear...I'm much more likely to be seen in the jeans and orange cardy than the silver spandex. I'm just sayin...
With the election over and the Holiday Season looming ahead, it's time to start thinking about gift wrap! I LOVE wrapping gifts, finding new ways to package things, and creating a gift out of the wrapping itself. I've just cleaned out my basement storage room and am converting it into a gift wrap station and floral design room. I promise I'll post pics when it's done!
I have some favorite websites I like to go to for wrapping supplies, but first let's explore the many books dedicated to the subject.
For Christmas I generally buy large rolls of solid colored paper and use the easy pull string bows you can get at Nashville Wraps. With all those presents to wrap it can become very tedious to try and dress up each one. I LOVE Nashville Wraps. You do tend to have to buy in large quatities, but if you're going to wrap a lot of things anyway, then you're getting a pretty great deal. They also have tons of ribbon options...
I have found some great vendors for designer paper as well. Check out these gorgeous papers from Paper-Source.
They also have great gift bags and mailing labels.
If it's monogrammed paper you're looking for, you'll love these options from Neiman Marcus and Room Service Home. A little on the pricey side, but worth it if you really want to make an impact!
Carolyne Roehm also has a website where she sells wraps and ribbons as well as gift tags. There are some beautiful inspirational photos as well. In addition to the ones posted below, you can see more here.
The last place I love to shop for paper is Midori. They deal mostly in ribbon; I used to use them when I owned a stationery business. They have fabulous ribbon, but they also have gorgeous handmade papers. They don't sell retail via their website, but they do have a list of websites that offer their products.
If you're like me, you've been oohhing and ahhhing over all the beautiful Christmas packaging ideas from Williams Sonoma. This year, they've even come out with a new set of Parisian inspired cake and candy boxes (Yes, I'm totally kicking myself for buying the plain old red ones in BULK last year) as well as waxed paper. Love em, right? Just can't imagine spending that much for cake boxes? Well, looks like those EXCLUSIVE Williams-Sonoma designs aren't that exclusive after all...
The very same company I introduced you to around this time last year just happens to have the exact same boxes and papers. FOR A FRACTION OF THE PRICE. We're talking $7.20 versus $4.60 per cake box and $12 versus $9.00 per roll of waxed paper. The website is Baking Boxes.
They've also got personalized ribbon as well.
Another box idea I love for baked items like cupcakes (are you listening Happy Housewife?)...are these adorable boxes from Nashville Wraps. So chic!
So get shopping, baking, wrapping, whatever! Get INSPIRED!
by Carolyne Roehm.
by Leah Ingram.
