Strawberry fields.

My very good friend L is due with her second baby in May and wanted to take a little get-a-way with her hubby before the new baby comes, which meant I got to hang out with the soon- to- be big sister for the day. Being the mommy that I'm not, I had the day planned from start to finish with all kinds of fun stuff. I learned the last time she isn't quiet ready for crafts so we skipped that this time. First, we did a little shopping (Old Navy has all there new dresses out, as of today) I got a few things and so did she. All dresses of course. Then we went to lunch, chick-fil-a of course, complete with a play ground.
But the best part of the day was picking strawberries. There is a produce stand...no wait, that doesn't do it justice. There is the, mother of all fruit/vegatable/ meat market in Delray Beach called "The Boys", I heart this place. It is insane. Everything is so fresh and good. On every row there is someone cutting the fruit so you can try it before you buy it, so fresh. But the down fall, I'm usually the youngest person in there by like 30 years and it's always packed (except on the Jewish holidays), they even have a police officer at the door. But anyways getting back to my story...they have a u-pickem called "The girls".

Rows and rows of strawberries.

I just love her.

If you only knew how hard it was to get this picture between the 80 year old taking the picture and the 1 year old not looking at the camera, but do you see the strawberry car?

We had a great time picking the strawberries, she loves them as much as me. But I learned a big lesson today, as one day I hope to have a little one (or two) of my own...bring a stroller everywhere! Carrying a 1 1/2 year old was Heavy. They also had birds, turtles, donkeys, swans there. After that we then headed to the park for a little more fun time, then I dropped her off at her grandparents and put her down for a nap. My friend L, text me and said her father had to wake her up at 6 pm from her nap, she hadn't slept like that in "months" and wanted to know my secret but I just got the message I was napping!

Mr. Tea and I went out for "Happy Hour" with a friend and her new friend, we had fun. I have to work all weekend...not fun.
Hope everyone has a fun filled weekend, gotta run Friday Night Lights is coming on.

Summer...I can almost feel you.

The weather has been so nice down here in South Florida, you might want to skip this post if your still experiencing less than 60 degree weather. But if you have, then your probably getting the summer time blues too. I actually gave the thought of putting on a bathing suit today and it didn't seem so bad (thought might change once I actually perform this task). Here are a few beach goodies I threw together:

Vera Bradley beach bag $85

A coin purse for the meters $15

I went over to bath and body to pick up a tanning miracle,
it really does work and has SPF in it so I put it on before I go out in the sun. I had a 20% off coupon and got it for $10, not too bad

I know you Gator fans will like this suit but that isn't what I was thinking when I first saw it...
trust me!

Super cute from VS and it's onsale.

I got this cute necklace at Target $15


So here's to wishful thinking...

A make over in the making...

This project has been running though my head for quite sometime. First, I'll give you a little history, I brought my condo about 5 years ago before I was married or even thinking marriage, I didn't have a lot of money ( still don't) to do the things that I wanted to do, so I moved in and piece by piece have put rooms together. Now I'm down to my last room, the most important room in the house...our bedroom. After we got married we had planned to sell this condo and buy a home but with the housing market the way that it is, we have opted to stay here, travel and save money. But now after all the work that we have done, I love it! It now feels so "homey". Well that is every room but our bedroom. The walls are still painted pink from my single days and the furniture is to big for the room. So here is a before picture and though it might be a month or two before you see the after I will show you my ideas and feel free to give me feedback...

I've all ready taken every thing off the walls and have listed the furniture on Greg's list, I think I might go by a consignment shop and see what they think. I'm sure they are filled with furniture at this point. So here goes my ideas, yes , I have all these clippings on a board at my house, I watch to much HGTV.
First, the walls

I'm choosing between the two bottom colors from restoration hardware, they have the best colors.

I wanted this light fixture from Pottery barn, in my dining room but it wouldn't work right and then I saw a make over show on Oprah a couple of months ago where they used it in the bedroom, I love it!

Then I found this bed at Ballard designs and thought it would be perfect.

With this bedding

I love all white bedding and I was thinking orange and brown throw pillows and lots of them.

With a large mirror like this one above the bed

I want a dark brown dresser

We have our tv in an armoire and I want to get one that hangs on the wall with a constole table under it for pictures and things, like this one


So what do you think? I have only ordered the bed and lighting at this point because I have to do something with my old furniture first. I was thinking that I could find the bedding, pillows, mirror and side tables at Homegoods and I'm going to Memphis next month and will go by the pottery barn outlet and see what I could find. I also had them come measure for new flooring, I love the look of wood but went with a shag carpet. I'm super excited!

Throw me something mister...

Happy Mardi Gras!
I couldn't even watch the news today and see chips of all the madness that was happening over there in the Big Easy this past weekend, I knew that I would just get upset that I was not there with my beads on and a daiquiri telling to everyone "Happy Mardi Gras". I really wish that we would have gone. I just talked to my mom, they went up for the weekend and just got home and she was so excited to tell me the stories of the great parties and being arms length from Kid Rock, I totally didn't even know she was a fan.
I'd like to share with you my favorite part of Mardi Gras...it's the Saturday before Mardi Gras Day, Endymion Day. We lived in New Orleans for about 4 years after leaving Mississippi and I had an aunt that lived/lives right near City Park, the start of Endymion. Every year someone in my family goes the night before and reserves an area, in which case means has to sleep in the area. They really go all out, the food, drinks, complete with a port- a -potty ( for anyone who has ever been to Mardi Gras, they can appricate that). It is just a great day of throwing a football, line dancing in the street, and since this area has become so popular in the last 10 years they have a giant stage set up for entertainment, which is how my mom some how ended up in VIP listening to Kid Rock, she says to me, he sang that Sweet home Alabama song...:) The parade lasts like two hours, it's unreal. The floats are beautiful, the middle/high school bands are amazing, these kids walk a parade route that is like 20 miles long and during Mardi Gras they do it MANY times, The best part is watching someone who has never been to Mardi Gras, enjoy it. You think that you wouldn't go crazy over a bead but in the moment ...you would. It's not all like what you see on TV, this is about tradition, family and having a good time. In my 29 years, I probably have been to Mardi Gras 15 times from the time I was a kid and I can't wait to bring my kids one day and let them sit up on the ladders and yell at the top of their lungs "throw me something mister".


"If no tourists came, we'd still have Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is a state of mind." ~ Ed Muniz

Not too late...

You still have until Thursday to enter Whitney Caroline designs giveaway, so go on over and check it out! She also just got some new grocery bags in and they are super cute.

Thankful Thursday.

Things that I'm thankful for this Thursday...
Friends, Family and God, will always be on the top of the list.

This week:
Kenny Chesney
Listening to his music always puts me in a good mood, I have a few favorites, Back Where I Come From,is one, it always reminds be of "back where I come from".
She thinks my tractor's sexy, I don't care who you are, there is something sexy about a man getting off his John Deere hot and sweaty in his overalls...
Every time we go to Mississippi, I always ask Mr. Tea, to go ahead and jump up in there.
This is my last favorite song, he's singing with Mac Mcanlly, who just happens to be from Mississippi, he writes alot of Jimmy Buffet songs and every time I've seen Jimmy Buffet in concert, he has been with him.

Not to mention his concerts are so much fun!


Dave Ramsey


Two years ago, a friend gave me a book called The Total Money Makeover, it's a financial teachings based on Christian beliefs. I was reluctant at first, I thought I know about this stuff and the truth is that we all know this stuff but he puts it in terms that make you want to put it into practice. I am now debt free, minus my house payment. I have one credit card that I use for the things that have to be on credit, I don't even have a debit card, I'm cash only. I'm living with such peace and with the state of the economy, there is a lot to be said for that.


This bad boy has helped me lose 3 lbs. in the last week. I get on it and I'm in a zone, focused on the butty. Today I was sweating so bad when I got off, it looked like I peed in my pants. Maybe that was too much info.

"Be thankful or what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never have enough" Oprah Winfrey

Giveaway...Galore

There are some great giveways out there right now and I'm hoping I can scoop up at least one.
My flip flopz is hosting a fabulous giveaway of her super cute signs, this one just happens to be my favorite, I wonder why?

or this cute sign to hang on my front door for Easter

She has an esty site, so head over to her blog and check it out.

I love serving dishes, I can never seem to have too many, my dream home would consist of a walk-in closest for dishes, serving pieces and glass pitchers. But there is one thing missing in my collection and it's this...

Miss Monogram is giving away this beautiful tray, I love it! I think I would do a brown tray with lime green writing. It would look super cute in my Granny's pie safe with my others, what do you think?

(Yes, those on top are the dishes that I registered for when I got married from Pottery Barn that won't fit in a standard cabinet, just in case this happened to you too)

And last but not least, my friend over at A southern girl in the city.
She is always doing something crafty over there, I love everything that she makes. I have a pair of her earrings and always get complimented on them, so go on over and check her out and she is also giving away a cute memo board and the best part is, even if you don't win, she tells you how to make one.

Good Luck!

"You can have it all. You just can't have it all at once"
~Oprah Winfrey

Lilly comes to swoozies

Swoozie met Lilly, Lilly met swoozie,
now we can all be friends.
And I'll have a party for us...

And I can use these plates to serve on

And we can sip our sweet tea in these tumblers complete with a umbrella


And don't forget to sign my guestbook


And I think I feel a giveaway coming on and it might look a little like this from the outside


What great friends we will be....

"In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter and sharing of pleasures"
~Kanil Gibran

"Every goodbye makes the next hello closer."

Tuesday nights just won't be the same without the ladies of the OC. I can't exactly explain why it is that I anxiously await Tuesday's with the wives, but it's one of the highlights of my week, for sure. This season has been the topic of every "lunch with the girls" that I have attended. I think sometimes when I get to talking about the ladies I forget that I really don't know them, that they don't care what I think and that we really aren't friends. Ladies,I will miss you (and so will Mr. Tea, but we will keep that between us) in the off season and can't wait until we have our Tuesday night together again, in the meantime, I have TiVo'ed every episode.

For the love of it all...

Valentine's Day is always one of my favorite days of the year...I know everyone says it all about Hallmark making money but to me, it's more than that. It's a day to get creative and show those you love, how much you love them. Friday night, Mr. Tea surprised me with some goodies (neither one of us can ever wait to give gift on the day they are suppose to be given) and he got me these cute pink goodies.

When we were in Tahoe, I had mentioned that I wanted a pair of slippers to wear around the house and I guess Mr. Tea over heard us girls talking about UGG's and I was the only one that didn't have a pair, I guess he took that as I didn't want to be left out, so this is what I got. I have to be honest, I didn't want UGG's, I didn't see what was so great. But I'm now in UGG love. We went out for lunch today and I was trying to figure out how I could wear them with shorts in 80 degree weather and not look crazy but they are the most comfortable pair of shoes that I own. If anyone has any suggestions how I can pull this off let me know.


Mr. Tea knows me all to well. I'm all about comfort and he has out done himself in the comfort area this year, I love them!
Mr. Tea had to go into work on Saturday morning and wasn't feeling well, so he decided to come home and get some rest before we attended an Engagement party that evening. My girlfriend, my mom and I headed up to Jupiter for Arti -Gras, an annual art show, it was a beautiful sunny South Florida day, I picked up this cute belt for 20 dollars...

The name of the company is Palm Beach Ribbon design.
Check it out they have some really cute things at a good price.
When I got home these were waiting for me...

My favorite.

Valentine's night we went to an engagement party for our good friends, a couple that we have had the privilege of watching their relationship grow and we can't be more happy for them. And can't wait to head down to the Keys for their wedding in October. It was a great way to spend a day about love.
By the way, I got these super cute pants at Gap, I love white pants and these might be my favorite. I had a 20 percent off coupon that I got for filling out a survey online and then I got another coupon at check out.


And wore it with this cute top, a perfect pink top for V-day.

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's day!

“Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.”
Sex in the City

Tagged...

My very first tag:
My friend over at Southern Savvy sent me a tag here are the guidelines...

1. Go to your pics, choose the 6th folder and the 6th picture
2. Tell who and what
3. Pick 6 people to do the same.

This is my good friend's baby Lauren Grace.
She was only two weeks old in this pictures and was having her first experience having lunch with the "girls" at Chipolte.
She doesn't look to happy about it! She is super cute and has a super sweet mom!

"A baby is God's way of saying that life should go on" Carl Sandburg

Life of a Savannah bride
The Luckiest Mrs.
I'm just beachy
The Pink TuTu
My flip flopz
40 pink piggies

An excuse for Red Velvet cupcakes...please

For the love of Red Velvet Cake, do I need an excuse really?

There are many reasons why I hold Red Velvet cake dear to my heart,
First, it's a southern thing, who can argue with that?
Second, It is the most loved dessert for Mr. Tea and I (the only one we agree on)
Third, I have flown home from Mississippi with a Red Velvet cake as carry on luggage.
Fourth, was Mr.Tea's groom's cake.
Fifth, my mom's mother introduced me to Red Velvet when I was a little girl, she always had one cooked when she knew I was coming over, after she passed, my dad's mother kept the tradition going and always has a Red Velvet for me!

So I enjoy sharing this southern tradition and made cupcakes tonight to bring to my co-workers tomorrow as a Valentine treat.


Here is my Granny's recipe for Red Velvet cake

I cup oil
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large bottles of red food coloring
2 cups self-rising flour
2 eggs
1 tsp vinegar
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp cocoa

Cream oil, sugar and red food coloring together. Add remaining ingredients until moist. Beat well. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until it springs back when touched in the middle. Ice with cream cheese icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

1 stick real butter
1 1/2 box powdered sugar
1-8oz plus 3oz cream cheese softened
1 tsp lemon juice

Cream butter and cream cheese together. Mix in lemon juice. Slowly add sugar until mixed well, spread over cake, you may sprinkle pecans if want.

My granny's recipe was published in the church cookbook, how about that...

"You can't have your cake and eat it too"

A heavenly week...

It's safe to say we made it home intact and happy to tell you about it. My brother is currently living out in Tahoe, so Mr.Tea (as he is now called) and I, my friend S (from high school) and Mr. Tea's uncle stayed at my brother's house. This was the view from his front porch..

If you look hard enough, you can see Lake Tahoe.
The others stayed in the Village.
This trip was all about good friends, family and having a good time and I can safely say it was even better than I thought it would be.
In case you did not know, I'm not the best skier but ladies, I have to say, I impressed myself this year. I was the only skier other than my brother's girlfriend (well at least of the first day) everyone else thinks they are too good for skiing and opted to snowboard. And after my second trip down the slope I was good to go. My friend S, decided to take snowboarding lessons because it was her first time, everyone else decided to go out and explore but I stayed behind and skied a slope near her class, in case something happened. My brother has warned me that the ratio to girls/boys in this town is 1 to 10, so as I'm watching my friend S, this guy that works for Heavenly comes up to me and starts talking to me, no big deal, then I decided to go inside the lodge and get a Diet Coke, all they have is Diet Pepsi (disappointed) then I went to the cashier 4.75, good God! Folks, I'm in the wrong business (I'll get to that in a minute) Then boy comes inside to sit with me, okay. At this point I'm thinking to myself "I've still got it, oh yeah" then boy asks for my email address, in case he comes to Florida. What?? I said to boy I have a husband but my friend S is single, maybe I can introduce you to her. Boy says, "I've been watching her and I think she needs to try skiing, she's not doing so well" How rude! So I just walk away but he was right.
My girlfriend, who happens to be beautiful and funny all rolled into one, is on a lunch break and and informs me that her instructor is very good looking and she is so nervous around him, it's affecting her snowboarding. I'm laughing so hard at this point, feeling like I'm in high school again, boy asks girl for number at lunch, friend has a crush on teacher...all to funny.
Friend decides she isn't going back to class and here's me teaching her how to ski ( by this point, there are 4 skiers now)

It was so cold!!


It was a blast! We skied 3 of the 5 days, I'm was so sore by the 3rd day, there was no way I was going to make it down the mountain another day. There is a lot that the sport of skiing can learn from the game of golf, first, there needs to be a "beer/diet coke guy", someone who sells drinks, hand warmers, etc., on the slopes. Getting from the slope to lodge is a hard push and lugging all that equipment around is hard, which brings me to the other point at which the sport can learn from Golf, a caddy, skiers need a caddy, someone to carry all your stuff and when you fall, will help you up and when you drop your pole from the lift can provide you with another (yes, I did that).

Mr. and Mrs. Tea




Needless to say, I'm happy to be home! When the pilot said it was 70 degrees when we were landing, it brought a big smile to my face.
I missed all of you so much, I have alot of messages to go though, I've very excited!
Hope you had a good week.