What to Wear?

First of all, a long overdue congratulations to my brother, Ryan and his fiance, Hayleigh, who got engaged this summer. They're planning an Ireland wedding and can't wait to find out when the Army might actually allow that to happen!



In the meantime, they have a wedding to attend in November and Hayleigh asked if I had any ideas about what she should wear. What DOES one wear to a November wedding? I haven't done a fashion post lately so I felt inspired!

Here are a few options I like:

Love this dress and these fun shoes from J. Crew




Also love this combo, although I'd have to see the actual color of the dress in person...




From ABS Allen Schwartz and Burberry




From Nordstrom and Moschino




From Nanette Lepore and J. Crew




And if money were no object...From Marchesa and Christian Louboutin

Delicious Recipe!

I tried this recipe last night. Fabulous. Dr. Daddy didn't love it, but I did! It has just the right combination of sweet and savory. I didn't use homemade pasta, just some extra wide "homemade" egg noodles from Fresh Market. Just be sure not to overcook the squash!

Ingredients:9 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 kabocha or butternut squash, 2 1/2 to 3 lb., peeled, seeded and cut into
1-inch dice

2 Tbs. sugar

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

3 Tbs. finely diced shallots

1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1 Tbs. minced fresh sage

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 lb. fresh pasta sheets, cut into 2-inch squares (see related recipe at left)

1 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated


Directions:
In a braiser (skillet) over medium-high heat, melt 3 Tbs. of the butter. Add the squash in a single layer and cook, without stirring, until browned underneath, about 6 minutes. Stir the squash and cook until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes more. Add the sugar, broth, salt and pepper, cover and cook until the squash is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates and the squash is dark brown and glazed, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer the squash mixture to a bowl.

In the same pan over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 6 Tbs. butter until light brown spots appear, about 2 minutes. Add the shallots, nutmeg and sage and cook, stirring constantly, until the shallots begin to soften, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the squash.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta and the reserved cooking water to the squash mixture and toss to combine.

Transfer the pasta to a warmed large, shallow bowl and sprinkle with some of the cheese. Serve immediately and pass the remaining cheese alongside. Serves 4 to 6.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

Reader Request

I got a great reader request this weekend...

From Susie:

I have a house exterior decoration question. We live in an adorable tall white Charleston single home with double porches. I need to decorate the outside of both doors (outside the porch and inside) before a girls whine and wine night. I love topiaries but 4??? $$$ Fall themed? Suggestions?

First of all...LOVE the idea of a Whine and Wine night!!! Definitely stealing that idea. I love decorating for fall. There is so much you can do. Problem is...it's pretty limited in terms of carry over to other seasons. Once you hit the Christmas season, the whole orange and yellow theme just doesn't cut it. I definitely understand the quadary of not wanting to spend too much. Here are my thoughts.

I know we've all seen the infamous "Pumpkin Topiary". Now before you all start throwing up in your mouths let's reconsider this option. Yes, it's been overdone. Yes, it's been done very badly. However, I still think it can be done right. If you use the right container and don't OVERDO it, I think the pumpkin topiary can be killer.

I've made one before and the most important piece of advice I can give you is: use fake pumpkins. The real ones are a pain the youknowwhat and they rot before you can say Boo. Here's a neat little diagram from Lowe's and a link to their instructions for constructing your topiary...



Now, here's my take. Why not jazz it up a little but keep it preppy and classy? I LOVE this take with the harlequin painted on...



I also like the addition of the green moss. You could do one of these on each side of the door or just one on one side. I think I actually like it better with just one. Two might be a bit of overkill.

Other cute pics I found of pumpkin topiaries...



You certainly don't have to use three pumpkins, either. I have a large bowl in my dining room and I'm planning to take one large pumpkin, set it on top of the bowl with some moss underneath to pad and add a little color, and stencil our monogram in black onto the face of the pumpkin You could do that with an urn and one pumpkin outside your door instead of the topiary. Less time involved as well...

LOVE these pumpkin ideas...this link from Martha Stewart explains how to carve the pumpkins so they are translucent, and not cut all the way through.




I also found this cute pumpkin from Smith & Hawken. I'm not sure how big it is but you could group it with some other real pumpkins and mums. Plus, it's on sale!



And yes, let's not forget the power of mums. I've never been a huge mum fan, but I do think if you group them well they can be really pretty...this picture is obviously from a wedding, but you can see how cute the mums look in the metal containers...
I also love the idea of the pedestal with some pansies or other fall flowers on top. You could also find an inexpensive fiberglass bird bath and place potted pansies and some type of vine in the top with a little spanish moss hanging down.




An idea I love for the actual door is a simple square boxwood wreath hanging on a black ribbon. Add some fake spider webs and stick some plastic spiders in the web and voila! Simple, not overdone, but supercute.



I couldn't find a picture of the wreath I described so I guess I'll just have to make one myself! Pictures coming soon...

So, get creative, have fun and take pictures for me! Just please, please don't succomb to THIS...



I've been that girl...and I won't let it happen to YOU.

XOXO
Sippycups

I've had a slight dilemma for some time. See, my girlfriend introduced me to a dear friend of hers several months ago. She insisted we had to meet because we were so much alike and would get a hoot out of one another. Can I just say....UNDERSTATEMENT? You know what it's like when you meet someone and you just know that the stars are aligned? Like you must have known them (and consumed massive amounts of gin with them) in another life? That's what it was. Kismet. Since that time, I've been longing for a reunion with News Readin' Wife. I even considered featuring her as my "new blogger of the week" but haven't been able to commit because I am secure in the knowledge that her undeniable humor would completely outshine me. Yes, I'm that shallow.

Alas, she's bestowed an award upon me. Well, News Readin', I heart you too. And, I'm hoping to see you this week! My abs need a good work out.

Here's the deal...one word answers to the questions below and then tag seven bloggers.
Here we go...

1. Where is your cell phone? dead in my purse
2. Where is your significant other? work, thank the Lord
3. Your hair color? blonde
4. Your mother? shaped who I am today
5. Your father? complicated
6. Your favorite thing? the way my kids hold me so tight when I carry them to the bathroom for the last pee of the night before I go to bed...they're so vulnerable and sweet!
7. Your dream last night? nada
8. Your dream/goal? happy, healthy, funny and respectful children
9. The room you're in? attic playroom
10. Your hobby? gardening, exercise, crafting, cooking, entertaining, reading
11. Your fear? Obama
12. Where do you want to be in six years? right where I am now
13. Where were you last night? home with the famiy
14. What you’re not? interested in excuses
15. One of your wish list items? a laptop
16. Where you grew up? where did I NOT grow up?
17. The last thing you did? send an op ed piece to the newspaper for Dr. Daddy
18. What are you wearing? Nick and Nora pajamas from Tarjay
19. Your TV? something I spend way too much time in front of
20. Your pet? adopted dachsund (meaning, I adopted her UNWILLINGLY when I married Dr. Daddy)
21. Your computer? hard to find through the mess on my desk
22. Your mood? happy
23. Missing someone? Jett
24. Your car? filthy
25. Something you’re not wearing? hee hee
26. Favorite store? Bergdorf Goodman
27. Your summer? so fun, but exhausting
28. Love someone? lots of love around here
29. Your favorite color? green
30. When is the last time you laughed? this morning
31. Last time you cried? last week

I won't tag anyone cause I just don't wanna. So there!

Trip Review

Soooo...we're back from Mexico and very relaxed. We had a great time at the Excellence Playa Mujeres Resort.

We got there late Friday night, after an easy time at the Cancun Airport. Driving to the resort was a little sketchy. It was dark, we were alone in a van with our driver who spoke NO English. The roads were curvy and dark and there were random people all along the sides of the road (at 10 o'clock at night). We had to go through three security gates. The resort is protected like a fortress. Seems that Mexico has serious security issues but they are really trying to protect the resort areas to avoid losing that important revenue. Apparently, Mexicans spent 14 BILLION dollars last year on private security. Yikes!

We got to our room and it was decorated for Dr. Daddy's birthday. Very cute. They also had a bottle of champagne waiting for us. The first thing we noticed about this first floor walk out room was that there was NO privacy. The back patio was totally visible from all sides. Not good. Also, the room was extremely loud. We heard the room service carts going up and down the hall all night long. Luckily we were able to switch the next day to a third floor room. Unfortunately, the resort was unwilling to refund us the difference in cost of the room (approx. $80/day) because we had booked through Expedia. Seems that even though Expedia had charged me for the vacation, the resort had not yet received funds from Expedia. Whatever. That's a phone call I still need to make! We were just so glad to have more privacy. Our third floor room was totally quiet.

We pretty much spent our days at the pool, eating, drinking, working out, etc. It was so relaxing. The resort is super isolated, so nobody on the beach trying to sell you anything. The beach itself was a little pathetic and there was lots of seaweed but that was fine because we're definitely more pool people anyway. The restaurants were all delicious. We especially liked the Mediterranean and Italian Restaurants. Didn't so much love the French. How do you mess up escargot and a steak?!

The drinks were definitely NOT watered down, as is the case with many all inclusives. I thought the shows were really good...Dr. Daddy was not impressed. They even did a Cirque du Soleil type show one night. It was very cool!

We ended up not doing any excursions...just didn't want to go to the trouble.

The Spa was fabulous. I couldn't talk Dr. Daddy into a massage, but I did get a pedicure and he had a much needed haircut. The prices were very reasonable and the employees seemed very capable. They gym was really nice, although the tv's were situtated such that it was difficult to see them from the treadmills.

There was bottled water whenever we needed it. I think I must have had 100 bottles of water that week! The bars were all nice. The main martini bar in the center of the main building was always busy. I was impressed that people really dressed up and looked nice in the evening. A lot of all inclusives in the Carribean don't really enforce a dress code, but Excellence does and it showed. We got a kick out of all the honeymooners there. TONS of young, adorable newlyweds. All the new hubbies had that deer in the headlights look. So funny. There was such a fun feel to the place all week. Lots of laughing, playing water vollyball, etc. We met some really great people. I swear, that Dr. Daddy never met a stranger...

The AMAZING brick arch in the main building.



The front lobby steps.




SPICE, the oriental restaurant. Very CHIC and super yummy.




Evening shots...




The pool and our building...





Cool fountains...there were fountains everywhere. They're totally onto the fact that running water is relaxing...



Palapas and beds...they were everywhere.



What am I going to do with this man?!



One of the outdoor bars...



Our decorated room (for Dr. Daddy's birthday) and our first meal...Ceasar's Salad and cheesecake...








We got back to the states the following Friday and immediately headed to Williamsburg for a medical conference. That was fun as well...I always love getting to see Dr. Daddy all done up in black tie. The event was held at the Williamsburg Lodge, which was really lovely. The gala itself had a salsa theme. They had maracas as favors and each time an award was given everyone shook the maracas. Very festive. The food was AMAZING. A perfectly cooked filet mignon with a delicious ancho chile sauce. I'm dying for the recipe!







Finally, we headed home on Sunday to see the kids. We missed them so much! They definitely had no problem functioning just fine without us. All the grandparents seemed to survive as well. Not bad!

Curb Appeal

A friend of a friend recently asked me to give suggestions on paint colors for the exterior of her new home. The house is older with a hardyplank exterior. I immediately thought of my favorite house on the block where I live. It has the most amazing color combo. I don't know what it is...I just LOVE it.



Here is a photo of the house my friend bought. Simply put...RED.



And here's a mock up I did of what it might look like if they went with the color combo that I picked out. The colors in the mock up are a little more yellow toned that I wanted, but I couldn't get them just right. Anyway...you get the idea!



I would go with Benjamin Moore Yosemite Sand for the base color, add wood shutters and paint them Benjamin Moore Springfield Tan, paint the trim Benjamin Moore Navajo White, and the door Benjamin Moore Confederate Red. If it doesn't have one already, I'd have a hardwood storm door made for the front. Also, keep the rocking chairs and paint them the Navajo White or the Springfield Tan.





You could also go with a yellow base, black shutter, white trim combo, but I tend to think that with older homes, the darker colors hide flaws much better. Also good to remember...don't use a paint that's too glossy. That will also show any chipping paint that hasn't been removed or any flaws in the wood.

Hope that helps!

All paint color options available through My Perfect Color.

We've Got Spirit, Yes We Do!

This is Homecoming Week at my kids' school. BabyGirl came up with this get-up this morning...