5:30

Tonight when I was putting my cute and freshly-bathed-and-pasta-fed boy to bed (for the third time) I broke the news...

Buddy, you have to stay in bed. You need to get good sleep because you have school in the morning.

But I don't wanna go to school. I want ta stay home and watch a show and be wiff you for da whole day.

And then....

Say it momma. Say, "But you have ta go to school because I have ta go to work. And Dad has ta go to work. " Den say, "Dat's just how it is, Adam."

And the veil of working mommy guilt settled heavily upon me.

The words I say so often in such a matter of fact way stung me.

Then my cute and too-smart-for-his-own-good boy said,

Den say, "Da best part of my day is seeing my sweet, sweet boy at five-firty."

And I did say it.

And it is true.

I cannot even begin to say how I cherish five-firty.

Show Us Your Life - My Wedding Dress

I am taking part in Show Us Your Life Fridays over at Kelly's Korner. I am one of thousands that read her blog and keep up with her adorable Harper and her daily fashion show!

Today's topic is wedding dresses.

I bought my dress off the rack at a little boutique in the Virginia Highlands area of Atlanta for $500...marked down from $2,000. Since my husband and I were paying for everything in our wedding ourselves we tried to get the most bang for our buck, so to speak.

I tried on many, many styles of dresses, trying to keep an open mind. But when I tried on this mermaid-style dress with a drop cascade neckline and very little embellishment, I knew it was the perfect dress for me.

The tradition at the boutique is to sell the rack sample after the dress has been discontinued or they decide to no longer carry that style. A photo of each bride that purchases the final dress goes into a binder in the store and they name the dress after that bride.

So my dress - at least in the little world of Virginia Highland boutiques - will go down in history as the Jillian.

My veil was waist-length and again very simple.

I bought my sparkly pearl and rhinestone tiara on e-Bay. And I wore the strand of pearls my mom wore on her wedding day in 1953.

But I think my best accessory of the day (and every day since) was the handsome man I married.

Thanks for visiting! I'm having a great time seeing the parade of wedding dresses via Kelly's blog!

One * Two * Three * Fore!

A Mid-Summer Night's Dinner

My father-in-law is visiting us, so last night we invited cousins over for a family dinner on the deck.

Some people name their yachts or their race horses. Since we don't have either of those, we decided to name our deck.


Welcome!


When we plan dinner parties outside, my husband usually grills and I make a few simple sides.

This time I made baked beans and pasta salad using what I had on hand.... elbow macaroni, slivered carrots, fresh radishes, celery hearts, red and yellow bell pepper, black olives and dried cranberries.

One of my favorites is fresh tomatoes from the farmer's market drizzled with olive oil, a few dashes of sea salt, fresh basil from our spice pot and some feta cheese.

Over the years, I've accumulated quite a stash of table linens and decor. I have a chest in my keeping room with one deep drawer dedicated exclusively to cloth napkins so I always have some ready to pull out. I actually find pressing napkins relaxing and fun since they're small and don't have any of the nooks and crannies that can be so frustrating.

One thing I was missing, though, when it came time to set the table, was napkin rings. I know I have lots, but could not for the life of me find them. They are probably some place very logical, but they were not with the napkins, so go figure. So I grabbed some ribbon and used that instead.

My husband and I entertain a lot and I have five things I try to do every time so I am an unharried hostess when guests arrive. I know they seem simple and logical, but often times they are pushed to the last minute and can make or break a party:

1. I get myself dressed at least two hours before guests are set to arrive. Freshen up your lipstick or lipgloss when the first guest rings the doorbell and you'll be the hostess-with-the-mostess.

2. Set the table as far in advance as you can, even the night before. I often do it after the kids are in bed. I can be a little more creative without some little person clinging to my leg.

3. Limit side dishes to three. More than that is just not necessary. (Unless it's Thanksgiving, of course. Then 10 or 15 is good.)

4. Set out drinks and appetizers so your guests feel welcome right from the start. I've tried hundreds of appetizers it seems, and the most popular with our friends and family are: spinach dip and white corn chips, a tray of asiago and smoked cheddar cheese with dates and almonds, and hummus with crackers.

5. Always keep ingredients for a go-to dessert on hand (I love Ghiardelli Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix) as well as frozen brown n' serve rolls of some sort. If you get in a pinch and need fillers, both of these are tasty and easy!

Then grab yourself a glass of wine...

sit back...

enjoy your family, friends, food...

and the moment!

How Not To Look Old - Product Recommendations

As promised, here are some of the product recommendations that caught my eye from How Not To Look Old. None of my product posts are paid endorsements - they are just simply things I like and want to share.
Eye Primer - Laura Mercier
For use prior to applying eyeshadow and liner, it not only smooths the surface of the eyelid, it also evens out the skin tone.

Single Eye Shadows - NARS
I especially like the "Lola Lola" color, but this line has a wide array of colors to choose from and I've found them to be long wearing with great color saturation.

LineExact Liquid Liner Pen - Cover Girl
For years I've lined my lower lid and not my upper... and for years I've known I should be doing the opposite (even before I read this book!). My problem was trying to find a liner that I could manipulate well for upper lid lining. This "pen" is a great width and is easy to handle.

Strobe Cream - MAC
I apply this after I moisturize, but before I apply powder (I don't use liquid foundation). I gives some luminosity to my skin and also helps to even things out a bit. And for the record, the powder I use is Dual Finish by Lancome.

Westslicks Amazement lip gloss - Cover Girl
These glosses (which come with a sponge tip applicator as opposed to a brush...extra points!) are very sheer, not too sticky and have a little minty freshness to them when you first apply. The book recommends the color "Slaphappy" which was sold out at every store I tried. I purchased "Pink Positive", which is just a tint of color and also "Merry Berry" which is a sheer fruit punch color.

Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF70 - Neutrogena
I got a sample of this early in the summer and didn't give it a second thought until I found it at the bottom of the pool bag one day. Needless to say, it was love at first try. I think this is meant for faces, but could be mistaken.
If you try any of these, let me know what you think!
And of course I'm always interested in hearing some of your favorites. That's why God gave us drugstores, right?

How Not To Look Old

Since I'm a sucker for trying to look
young, fresh, and vibranthalfway decent, I recently purchased How Not To Look Old by Charla Krupp, who used to be beauty editor at Glamour magazine and is well known for personally testing thousands of beauty products over the years.

Her look-younger tips include:
* wear bangs
* lighten your hair
* groom your brows
* ditch the granny glasses (bye-bye "glasses on a chain around your neck"!)
* lighten up on the eye liner
* get a foundation that matches your skin color and skin type
* moisturize, peel and do other necessary things to minimize wrinkles and smooth skin
* lighten up on lipstick, and ditch the dark lip liner
* whiten your teeth
* say "good-bye" to fake nails
* revamp your wardrobe by shortening skirts, getting a pair of good fitting jeans, embrace shapewear, ditching pantyhose and wearing heels.

For the most part, I agree with Charla...though I do think acrylic nails can look nice if they are kept short, well groomed and are shaped well.

I'm also on the fence about pantyhose. Charla is a fan of dark and textured tights, but says nude colored pantyhose are a big no-no. Personally, I think age can be hard on a woman's legs in many ways and a nice pair of sheer, appropriately colored nude hose (not too dark, not too light) can actually help, not hurt.

Finally, in the wardrobe section, she gives a big thumbs-down to flats and flip-flops. Though heels are appealing and flattering, sometimes they just aren't practical (or comfortable).

I loved the topic-related production recommendations at the end of each section and she even lists great service providers by city at the back of the book (facials, hair color, spas, etc.).

I've tried several of the product recommendations and I'll post about them next!

In the meantime, I'd love to hear if you've read this book. And also, some of your tips for staying young as the birthdays keep ticking by.

She's Got {Battered, Bruised and Not-So-Pretty} Legs

Just when I finally got rid of all my scrapes and bruises from two solid weeks of remodeling and moving crap things around at my office ...

and all the nicks and wounds from this stupid razor have healed (I can't seem to quit buying these. So convenient, yet so deadly.) ...

Along come 4,307 mosquito bites to ruin my run at the best legs contest (not that I ever had a chance but let's pretend)


The only leg contest I could possibly win at this point would be going up against the wild and rambunctious 3 year old.

And even then I'm afraid I might lose.

By a very large margin.