pretty pieces

friday

head to charlie mopps for family feud friday and do just that. who can resist a good game of family feud?

the aspen santa fe ballet is in atlanta at georgia tech ferst center. it is a unique dance group that has been around for two decades

saturday

make your way over to wolf winery in dahlonega. fridays and saturdays go by to enjoy a glass of wine with their gourmet food pairings available in the vineyard cafe from 12:00 to 3:00pm. while eating, experience the spectacular mountain vistas from the front porch

sunday

i know the perfect place for sunday brunch. head to the grape at inman park to enjoy a wonderful brunch with a grape mimosa to top it off. yum

when i do visit australia, i am so going here

s arrives today for a quick visit. we’re surprising him at the airport. then we have a full & fun weekend planned. out with friends, staying in together, a horse show with reagan, the park with the girls. we’re hiding 100 eggs in the garden. easter brunch with friends & we’ve made beautiful easter baskets that i can’t wait to surprise the trio with plus ryan & grace are joining my parents in the athens country club egg hunt. i can’t wait to make great memories this year and i hope you enjoy every minute of your easter holiday. check back in with me monday for some new post…

xoxo
jade

i found this idea years ago but forgot how to do it. i am certain reagan will love it. we put our easter baskets out while the girls hunt for eggs. at the end of the egg hunt awaits the loot! fun fun fun

you know who you are & you know i love you
check out the rest of the peep show here
via goody blog

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg-TwaxTPSs[/youtube]

this cracks me up

congrats to shay who was commenter #23 chosen at random by polka dots market fabulous creator, sally. shay has won a beautiful, custom bag for her daughter. check out shays own blog here. a big, huge thank you to POLKA DOT MARKET. if you haven’t ordered your easter baskets from sally @ polka dot market, you really are missing the boat

{teri-anne is a south african lawyer living in the heart of london, she’s married to a british executive & loves cooking, wine, shopping- you know, the good things. we’ve know each other since high school. she’s blonde and beautiful and here’s her idea of a great valentines in london}

the thought of a whole day and night together, mid-week with london as our playground seems like a wonderful dream after the hustle that was christmas and new year. and i know just how i want spend it. first i’m turning down the pace. with all that london has to offer in terms of shops, clubs, bars and theatre, i want a day of serenity and romance close to home with my man. we will start the day with a late breakfast of champagne, fresh fruit juice and heart shaped eggs and I know my husband will think I am the only woman in the world that can make heart shaped eggs, thanks to these great moulds which work for pancakes too). we will wrap up warm and spend the afternoon walking in richmond park- a beautiful, unmanicured park in south west london, 5 minutes from our front door, we love it and have some of our best conversations whilst walking in the park. a bit of light exercise is also a good way to put a spring in your step for a day of romance. in the evening, i will pop on my favourite lbd and a dash of coco chanel for an evening of fine french food at our favourite restaurant, chez bruce. we’ll have to end in a bubble bath because it just wouldn’t be valentines day in our house without one. delicious

everyone has posted on shabby apple but if by some chance you haven’t heard of them check it out. i am so getting this dress for valentines night out with s. yes its black. and i wear too much black. but its my signature color. and i make no apologies for that.

james, a friend from high school, just found this picture on the internet & sent it to me last night. its a group of my classmates from the american school of warsaw on a trip to the polish mountains. that’s me in the dorky purple coat with the streaky hair. my valentine that year was joe (not pictured) & that’s his plaid jacket i’m wearing (which i still have). do you remember your high school valentine?

don’t send a box of candy this year…

how lovely are these belgian chocolate swirl sticks for your next loco hot coco- mix them with steamy milk for a perfect treat

{ashli is a darling friend whom i met in dc two years ago & instantly loved. as luck would have it, we’re now living so very close. she’s brillant & funny & rocks karoke. she also tends to fan herself like a true southern belle when discussions turn dirty on girls night out. she lives in buckhead with her three adorable tots & cute husband. this is her idea of a great valentines}

i hail from athens & i’m still learning my way around the 404 so this year on valentines night, we’re heading over to paul’s, our favorite neighborhood restaurant a few blocks from our house. i love their traditional menu and hubbie always gets sushi, so it’s a hit for us both

my bff in atlanta is a fan of pano’s and paul’s, where the aforementioned paul was head chef. the menu at pano & pauls looks fabulous, with the surf and turf obviating the difficult choice between the fried lobster tail and the filet. we haven’t been there, but it would be an amazing valentines splurge (hint hint, darling)

if my husband was really ready to show me some love (yes another hint, sweetie) he’d whisk me away to blackberry farm in walland, tennessee, about a four-hour drive from atlanta

we went there for our “babymoon” before our oldest was born and before such trips had such a goofy name. blackberry farm has it all: fabulous fly fishing for your sportsman, decadent spa for both of you, and a first-class restaurant that’s the sweetheart of the food and wine press. i’d love to get up for an enormous breakfast, have them pack a boxed lunch, hit the trails for a long hike and then head to the spa, take an afternoon nap in our plush room, then have cocktails in the rocking chairs on the porch as the sun sets over the smoky mountains. afterwards we’d head to the gorgeous dining room for an unforgettable multi-course meal. after sleeping in the next day, i’d repeat it all again until the baby sitter was ready to report us m.i.a

happy valentines day, y’all

why is it that every man i know plays the “valentines is a commerical holiday” card right when our stores turn heart shapped around feb 1st? its such a lame card to play. and when you play that card- it makes us want to bed you about as much as it makes us want to change your kids poopy diapers.

face it PUNKS - we, the ladies in your lives- the ones who fold your black socks & organize your lives in an orderly [yet] fun way- we! we! we really like valentines day & flowers & romace & red & pink & we want to celebrate it with champagne & cheesy heart shirts from target. surrrreeee… for a few years pre baby- post college we may play that cool card too & smirk at the candy boxes & call it all sentimental s&*# but once you knock us up & force us into ballet flats- we get gushy and mushy and simply put: WE WANT TO CELEBRATE VALENTINES DAY! HOW HARD IS THAT TO UNDERSTAND! GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK HEADS! its really simple: get us drunk on some bubbly and give us treats and take us out… then we’ll be good to you in oh-so-many ways…(deep breath boys) and instead of a dozen red this feb 14th, go for something more creative. these are grand choices:

bright germini bouquet

orchid embrace

valentine amaryllis

passionate purple tulips

white dendrobium orchid & bear grass bouquet

[disclaimer: the above rant does not stem from my years spent with my husband. so don’t even go there. because it wouldn’t be true. not one bit. he’s very planned & organized in his gift giving. truly. honestly. what? don’t believe me. i’m serious}

every year since we became parents, we host a valentines party for our little friends. the first year, reagan was 3 months old and we made personalized bags on the back of chairs- the girls bags were adorned with butterflies, the boys with caterpillars- we served pink lemonade & finger sandwiches. the next year we served cosmopolitans & red velvet cupcakes. our give-aways were oversized heart balloons for each sweet, little guest. this year, i’m ordering special valentines for each girl and i know exactly where to go to find super cute ones… etsy is a wealth of great ideas & hand made goodies. there are over 200 different valentines to choose from- there are so many that i must have! i know you’ll find some to love too

this pop up globe card is super cool & unique

these are perfect for the cutie boys in our class,

i am so into these robots (too bad i don’t have boys)

i think this dyi red polka dot set will be a hit with my trio

i tried a few new recipes over christmas- some failed, some succeeded but now i want to do something low key for our new years gathering- love love love this article from the new york times. if i was really organized, i’d print this & keep it handy all year

101 Simple Appetizers in 20 Minutes or Less

we have major cabin fever. so we’re taking the kids out for lunch today & will do some shopping tomorrow. a little bird told me this place is great and their having a sale. i think we’ll stock up on some new years treats.

“practically everything in the store will be on sale

All wines $19.99 and up are an extra 5% off any mixed case!
All wines $39.99 and up are an extra 10% off any mixed case!
Take 10% off all food items in the store!
Take 20% off all accessory items in the store!
Take 30% off any holiday items in the store!
hours will be 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.”

my friend, carolyn, sent me this today…
after seeing & hearing her son, paco, rock it out last nite…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi8tKZVBhZA[/youtube]

big night tonight-
ho! ho! hope you get what you want…
… and then some

in the mean time, while your taking a break from all the chaos- check out the christmas decor winner at absolutely beautiful things

and be sure to view the apartment theorpys kid/design website od dee doh and their gracious house tours. my favorite by far is the ‘theme’ room with the built out fire truck (yikes normally but in this case- uber cool). a nice break from bells and bows.

i saw these really adorable cards at black eiffel today. how sweet for a news year eve gathering.

& upon searching a bit further on the kate spade site, i fell head over heels for these birth announcements & they almost made me want to have another baby- but sigh, after 10 minutes with my trio today at saks, i was over that notion & quickly moved on to using this idea for the wee ones future birthday party invite…

& then, wow! i found these i think these peacock adorned cups are young & festive & i would love to serve after dinner coffee in them over christmas

bah, humbug.

today i’m missing europe, budapest, vienna, even moscow- most of all, i’m missing the glitzy partys. i’m missing all the business invites stephen used to get to black tie affairs & all the great drinks-turned-to-dinners with 20 close friends out at a new hot-cha-cha restaurant. at the time, living there- attending event after event, i was over it. but today, going into my third year stateside, i’m over family-oriented events. i’m done with low key. my kids go to bed by 7, people! i don’t want to hang out with them anyway past five o’clock- nor do i want to deal with your little, charming brats. i want their tiny butts in bed, the baby sitter to show up on time & happily stay late, and i want a glam party to go too.

if i had such an event to go to this year, i’d stretch my money & buy this gorgeous coat.

i’d put on some tight jeans & high black heels. and i would not come home until the morning. then i’d nurse a hang over, wear day old eyeliner and go to a coffee shop at 3 p.m. - alone. oh where oh where did my party life go?

there’s really nothing better then a new coffee table book. a perfect gift for almost anyone- whether its personal or all business- find a glossy table reader that highlights your receivers interest & you’re a great gifter. the early show featured some fab books that i’d love to gift or receive. check them out here

i think i’ll put this one on my wish list

this book profiles the homes and gardens of 30 celebrities, such as manolo blahnik, donna karan, madonna and more. You can buy it here

i think this one is so inspiring. wouldn’t you love to spend an afternoon enjoying the celebration of the modern world. the author, gabriele crepaldi takes you through american and european art & features painters who have changed the world of art.

check out this on design sponge. i love the concept of color coordinating your books in a bookcase & i love the idea of stacking them on the floor. what a pretty display.

i have to say, this is the best damn sandwich ever. the pioneer woman is such a great blog. her photography is amazing. her kids beautiful. and her cooking divine. but this recipe will knock your socks off. top it off with a cold beer, some bad tv, & you may never leave the house again. or at least not on sunday.

shhh… can you keep a secret? please don’t tell…

this year my two favorite neighbors are going to receive a cake from cecilias cakes for christmas. yum. i ordered our family one too- coconut creme. double yum. if you haven’t tried these delicious cakes, you should today. cecilia made our wedding cake in ‘99 and we’ve been in love with her sweets ever since.

i’m on the radio this saturday, so tune in to 1340 wgau the athens home improvement hour with host tim stephenson- saturday, december 15th, 9 to 10 am

this is what i’ll be talking about

decorating on a budget for a family feast
celebrating christmas in different countries
what’s new & hot in decorating
good gifts from local boutiques
last minute gifts online
great holiday cocktails

by guest blogger stephen
part 6: poker

a real man should know his way around a woman’s body and a poker table. if you have figured out the former, the latter is waiting for you here.

the robb report says georgia native mark lackley is THE man for making a custom poker table. coincedentally he worked with my brother in mexico city years ago in journalism before he figured his shit out, as real guys do. these incredible handmade tables will pot commit your chips to a tune of $8,000 to $20,000 but what a perfect present for your know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em kinda guy.

by guest blogger stephen
part 5: straight up

real men drink martinis. they also know how to make a mean one. the secret is simple ZZA-BROOV-KA. the best martinti in the world as far as i am concerned is made with the most unique tasting vodka in the world. its polish called Żubrówka (bison grass)

discovered in my warsaw days, this is served straight up with 100% zubrovka vodka and with no vermoth. It should be shaken hard so its ice cold and only garnished with a twist of lemon. its out of this world. i guarantee this one drink should make you a martini lover, if you weren’t one before - just don’t drink “tee many martoonies” or you’re no good to your woman. and that is not a real man thing to be.

ps make sure you buy the originial from poland and not the FDA approved american version, its crap