Being Mrs. Cullins

Where in the World Have You Been?

2011-09-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

So friends, the last time that we talked was before Spring Break! I took a little trip down to the beach and returned just in time for my brother-in-law, and my new sister-in-law's wedding!

Here they are toasting their friends and family at their rehearsal dinner at Campisi's, a Cullins family favorite. If you are in the Dallas area, you simply must visit the Campisi's on Mockingbird, lovingly referred to as the Egyptian Room, by the locals. They serve the best traditional thin crust pizzas in Dallas... bar none! The bride and groom would recommend the salami, hamburger, and jalapeno.

Since welcoming Samantha to our family, Mister and I have had a lot of exciting adventures.

We've taken our pearls and bow ties to the Crescent in celebration of the American Red Cross

We've cheered our Mavericks on to victories against the Lakers in the playoffs

And the Heat during the World Championship

In May, we celebrated our 2-year anniversary with a trip to to the Papagayo Peninsula in Costa Rica.

Our trip began with a champagne toast and a miniature anniversary cake in our private villa at the Four Seasons.

Mister and I both agree that it is the best trip we've ever taken. Our villa was situated on a cliffside, surrounded by jungle foliage, overlooking a private beach. We spent a lot of time in our plunge pool just staring out at the water and watching for monkeys that hang around the hotel.

There you are! These capuchin monkeys, "Cada Blanca" in Spanish, are incredibly smart. When they feel threatened, they stack on top of each other and align their white and black markings to make themselves look bigger to their predators. Costa Rica is also home to the Howler Monkey, which has the loudest, booming call I have ever heard. One small little monkey 30 yards away sounded like a pack of lions ready to pounce.

One of the two beaches on the Peninsula

We took a day to let Kent play a round of golf. The course was incredibly lush!

As always, I played "Caddy"

Gorgeous!

After a long day, we would make our way to the lobby terrace for chips, dips, and a nice Bavaria dark. Around 4:00 was the best time to catch a bit of a breeze, and look out at the waves.

Then it was time to get dressed up...

And have a nice steak dinner!

And maybe run into Steven Tyler at one of the lobby bars. (He's walking behind the woman in the orange skirt, being escorted by the hotel management.)

We were greeted each morning by one or two of these beautiful blue birds. On this particular morning, the bird was trying to have a cigar with his coffee. He managed to find a set of matches lying around, but he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out how to light it. I was having a serious Jimmy Buffett moment, and I had to capture it.

We took one day to go out into the town. We had fruit from a local stand, rode horses up a volcano, took a nice mud bath...

And then decided it would be a great idea to glide upside down, suspended 120 yards above the ground on a 1/2 inch thick cable. I survived!

Over the 4th of July, we went back to the very beginning. Mister and I met in Washington, D.C. about a week after I graduated from high school. We were interning for two different congressmen, but a few people in our offices new each other, and they knew that Kent went to Baylor, and that I would be starting Baylor as a freshman in the fall. We were introduced, and became fast friends. One night, Kent walked me from the dorm at G.W. where we were both staying, to the Potomac. We sat on a bench, looked out on the water, and talked. From that moment on, we knew that we were special. This summer, we walked back to that place where we got to know one another, and finally had the kiss we never had on that little bench on the Potomac.

A familiar scene.
Kent's little sister completed her internship with Congressman Hall this summer. That makes her the fifth Cullins to intern in D.C. and the fourth Cullins to intern for Ralph Hall (including sisters-in-law).

View of the Capitol from the balcony of the Newseum. This news-dedicated museum was absolutely incredible. There was so much to see. Mister and I could have spent an entire day going through the newspaper archives alone.

Fireworks on the mall. It was a wonderful trip!

In late July, early August, Mister and I rented a house in Barbados for a week with two other couples.

Erin and Nick, Me and Mister, and Stephanie and David
We went out to dinner two nights.

Most nights, our meals were prepared by the lovely Miss Evangeline, the cook at Dudley Wood. Pictured with Miss Evangeline is Miss Joyce, the housekeeper. I've never met too more lovely ladies. They both sang all day long as they worked. They made our vacation positively delightful!

Miss Evangeline setting the table

While we were there, we enjoyed our nice secluded beach outside of Dudley Wood

All the beaches are public in Barbados, but no one else was ever there!

We went sight seeing...

...and got lost a few times. You can't tell from the angle, but we were at the end of a street, and you could only make a right or a left. We weren't sure which way to go, so we ask this nice man here. Of course, he pointed behind us, back the way we came. We arrived at our destination eventually!

We made it!

We also went swimming with sea turtles. They are incredible creatures!!!

We played golf at Sandy Lane (And by we... I mean Kent)

Saw some monkeys hanging out in the rough

And had a delightful sunset dinner...

With some wonderful friends!

And when I returned home, I got right to work setting up my classroom. I finished my Master's coursework in June. I'll officially graduate with an M.Ed in August, after I finish my first year of teaching. That's right, I am no longer a china-loving housewife... I am a china-loving, husband-adoring, 8th grade English teacher! Yeah, get ready. It's going to be an interesting year. (And yes, I have an entire wall dedicated to the Baylor Bears in the back of my classroom... It's never too early to start preaching collegiate goals!)

Have a Happy Monday! God Bless!

For the Love of the Arts!

2011-03-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

I'm currently doing observations for my Master's program, and today I had to teach a class before a reviewer. My task was to introduce Sophocles and Ancient Greek theatre in 15 minutes or less and then have the students cooperatively read an abridged version of Oedipus Rex. The students are gearing up to read Antigone, which is set years after the Oedipus Story. The Oedipus story will hopefully build the students' background knowledge so that the themes and the content will be more readily apparent to them.

I have always been a lover of Ancient Greek literature. The first book that I ever bought with my allowance was Aesop's Fables. I was 8. And, when other kids were playing house, I was playing Artemis trying to turn my little brother into a deer, like Actaeon. It didn't work.

Diana of Versailles, on display at the Louvre

What can I say, I'm a nerd in pretty dresses.

So, to say that Sophocles is in my wheelhouse, is the understatement of the century; but, to pair down all of Greek theatre and culture to just a 15 minute lecture is no small feat...So I got help. I'm now obsessed: Enter Playwrights in an Hour.

While looking for a version of the Theban plays with a really good "foreword," I stumbled across the book, Sophocles in an Hour. Brilliant!

The book gives you insight to the playwright's life and accomplishments. For example, the book highlights Sophocles many civic duties, his role as a general, and his role as a priest, in addition to his playwriting. It provides background knowledge of the Greek theatre, who commissioned the theatre, how the actors were paid, who and how many actors played the parts, what their costumes may have looked like, and what their theatre, or skene may have been like. All of these things help provide context to the play, to the set, and to the culture that celebrated theatre as a religious and civic event. In addition to providing schematic context, the book also provides a wonderful historical context for the reader in its feature: "Sophocles in a Minute." This provides a brief but thorough timeline of events that take place during the playwright's long life of 90 years. I condensed and cited this list, adding a few pieces to give my students a historical backdrop for today's lesson.

Here's what they saw:

Age / Year (BCE)

Ò0 / 496 Sophocles

Ò6-16/ 490-480 Persian Wars: (Victory at Marathon, 300 at Thermopylae, Victory at Salamis)

Ò17 / 479 Greece becomes a democracy, trial by jury

Ò28 / 468 Sophocles wins 1st prize at Athens’ Dionysia with his play, Triptolemus

Ò35 / 461 Pericles takes power, beginning the golden age of Greek culture

Ò38 / 458 Sophocles adds third actor to the stage. Aeschylus adopts this and wins 1st prize for the Oresteia Trilogy

Ò47 / 449 Greece signs a peace treaty with Persian Ruler Xerxes I

Ò53 / 443 Sophocles’ Antigone wins drama critics’ award

Ò65 / 431 Peloponnesian War begins: Athens v Sparta for Greek dominance

Ò66 / 430 Devastating plague hits Athens

ÒSometime between 425 and 421, during Sophocles’ early 70s, he produces Electra, Oedipus Rex, Ajax, and Women of Trachis

Ò87 / 409 Sophocles’ Philoctetes wins 1st prize at Athens’ Dionysia

Ò90 / 406 Sophocles’ death

Ò-- / 409 Sophocles’ grandson produces Oedipus at Colonus, wins 1st prize at Dionysia

Ò-- / 399 Socrates is tried and killed in Athens

So????

The Breakdown

ÒGreece fights off invading Persians, implements jury trial and direct democracy, enters into the Golden Age of Athens, engages in a civil war for Greek dominance, overcomes a devastating plague, and produces the greatest philosophers of the Western World, both Socrates and Plato, during Sophocles’ lifetime. This all helps to form his worldview, just as your life experiences shape your own beliefs

ÒSophocles wins several awards at Athens’ most prestigious competition, the Dionysia, experiencing success from the age of 28, and even posthumously for works from his late 80s. He had a long, rich, and successful run, recognized as a great playwright during his lifetime and beyond.

As you can see, there's a lot going on during Sophocles' lifetime... So much that I would love to talk about: Socrates, Plato, the Good, The Persian invasion, Spartan v Athenian culture, etc, etc, etc. This timeline, though, really helps the reader gain perspective on the forces at play during that time, and, should the reader like to delve deeper, they now know what to look for. My students liked breaking this down and seeing how things with which they were somewhat familiar related to what we were studying. For example, I could reference the movie, 300, which was about the battle at Thermopylae against the Persian forces, and I could reference major names, like Plato, and Socrates, and show how philosophy and politics were presented in Greek theatre. All of this information helps build the background knowledge critical for comprehending Sophocles' plays.

The book also provides a brief breakdown, about 3 to 4 pages, on each play by the playwright, discussing major themes, the setting, and any controversial discussions in the academic world: With Oedipus Rex, the book explains the concept of hubris and claims that Oedipus is not guilty of hubris in the play, though many teachers pound this idea into the brains of their students. The author also say that Oedipus Rex is not a story of fate, but a story of personal responsibility once fate has played its part. It's truly an interesting and thought-provoking read, but best of all, you sit down at your favorite coffee shop, you open your book, and an hour later, you're a walking, talking Sophocles expert. Okay, maybe not an expert, but you will have the most critical content needed to understand the motivations and context that imbue meaning onto the text.

Playwrights in an Hour books are designed in such a way that you can quickly read through them before seeing a play by any famous playwright. So far, there are Playwrights in an Hour books for 27 influential playwrights, but they are working on releasing 30 additional books. I of course want them all!

If you happen to pick one up, let me know what you think! I'm hooked!

Celebrate!

2011-02-28T11:26:00.000-08:00

In 19 days, another Mrs. Cullins will be gracing the streets of DFW. This Saturday, her closest girl friends gathered together for one last night of fun.

We met for mani's and pedi's and then enjoyed a relaxing lunch and movie day in our rooms at the Ritz.

The blushing bride-to-be, Samantha

Delicious lunch. Thank you Corner Bakery for local delivery. You make life easy!

Yummy gooey sweets

I have a Martha-sized love for banners

The girls in the lobby before dinner. We were all Kappas together at Baylor so it was like a pledge class reunion!

Future sister-in-law pic!

We had such a wonderful time, and it's finally setting in that their wedding is right around the corner! Mister and I are really looking forward to their big day, and we're so excited to officially add another member to Team Cullins!

Best Wishes Samantha!

Valentines Day

2011-02-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

Mister and I had a wonderful Valentines Day. We went to one of our classic favorites, Del Frisco's, for dinner and opted for a bottle from our favorite winemaker, Paul Hobbs. This time we tried the Cabernet Sauvignon from his Crossbarn Vineyard. Delish! Paul Hobbs is our go to wine for special occasions. We had it twice on our honeymoon and have been fans ever since.

Mr. Hobbs

And his fabulous wine!

For Valentines Day, Mister gave me a fabulously Preppy-chic pair of Ferragamo heels that match just about 50% of my navy-friendly closet. I was so proud of Kent. He picked out this pair of shoes by himself when he was in Vegas for his brother's bachelor party, and he even knew my size... What a man!

Navy + Seersucker + Vera bow + Grosgrain ribbon = Preptastic!!!

What will I wear them with?

My new navy and coral Milly dresses

But if Kent wanted to add these fabulous Kate and Lilly items to my closet, I wouldn't mind these too!

Lilly Pulitzer Eryn Dress ($298), first spotted on blogger-friend Worthy's blog. I think this dress would be adorable with a little navy belt and navy shoes. It's positively sunshine in a dress!

Kate Spade Striped Piper Skirt- $245.

Speaking of Kate. She's having a blowout Sample Sale on her website right now. There are some pretty fab items over there! Click here.

Or I could just cross my fingers and wish really hard that I win The College Prepter's Kayce Hughes giveaway. Enter Here! Then I could rock some ultra-adorable frocks like this housewife-friendly red and white gingham Evy Dress.

Or this elegantly posh Ellen dress...

Kayce Hughes used to work in the Women's design department at Ralph Lauren before becoming a full-time mother of 7/fashion entrepreneur. Her adorable children's clothing line almost makes me want to have little ones of my own!

Ha- you wish, Mom!

*Sigh*

Can you tell I'm dreaming of warm weather and ice cream sundae's? Thanks Mister for the wonderful Valentines Day surprise! I hope all of your Valentines were as sweet to you! Until next time!

Valentines Day Inspiration feat. Labels I Love: Lilly, Milly, & Kate

2011-02-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

Lilly

"Hotty Pink"

Lilly Pulitzer Blossom Dress- $228

KEP Designs necklace in Peruvian Opal and Light Pink Tulip Rose Quartz $250

Boatman Geller Foldover Note in Whale Pink

"Daiquiri Pink"

Lilly Pulitzer Jillie Dress -$368

David Yurman Red Oval Mosaic Drop Earrings -$2,100

(Credit)

It's a Pink Thing Recipe by Colin Cowie

2 oz Grey Goose Vodka

2 oz pink Grapefruit Juice

3/4 oz Spicy Honey

3.4 oz Fresh Lime Juice

Splash of Peychards Bitters

Combine vodka, grapfruit juice, spicy honey, & lime juice in a shaker. Shake it up & pour. Top with a splash of bitters.

Milly

Rosey Reds

Milly Backless Kelly Blouse- $155

and

Milly Rose Garden Pleat Date Skirt- $245

David Yurman Red Garnet Infinity Earrings- $2,400

Christian Louboutin Pigalle Plato Heels -$695

(Credit)

Tyler Rose Garden, the crown jewel of my hometown

Paiting by Tyler artist and fellow blogger and Baylor grad, Jennifer Moreman

& Kate

Bright, tonal pinks

Kate Spade Kati Jeweled Cardigan- $295

Kate Spade Wish Shoes- $225

David Yurman 8mm Tourmaline Albion Earrings -$2,950

Laduree Macaroons

Soft and creamy pinks

Kate Spade Striped Jilian Dress - $355

Bounkit Rose Quartz and Moonstone Earrings -$320

Bounkit Rose Quartz Medium Cuff Bracelet -$795

Mary Kay Pink Cadillac. I've always been so intrigued by these cars!

Happy Valentines Day!

A Month of Love

2011-02-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

[photo credit]

The entire month of February, we are bombarded with pink and red and L-O-V-E. I'm very lucky in love. My husband is loving, kind, and devoted, full of good counsel, and the one person above any other that I would want to spend my time with. This month, I'm purposefully devoting my attention to the Mister.

I was watching a movie clip yesterday, and the subject of soul mates came up. One of the characters said, "It's all about timing; timing is everything." Somehow, I disagree. I feel that at any point in my life, if I had met Kent, it would have been the right time, the right situation; the genesis of our personalities has developed with the same directionality throughout our lives. The person I was in high school, though very different from the person I am now, was perfectly matched for the person that Kent was as well, and if we had never met in college, and our paths crossed later in life, I believe that we would have recognized each other as the perfect partner to ourselves.

It's funny, in college, we felt such a rush to get married and settle together. I guess we cared so deeply for each other that we were scared that we would lose each other in the wait. I see now, that we didn't have to worry. Time was not an enemy, but a friend to us. We have grown in love and mutual respect, supporting one another in our endeavors, and cherishing one another as we create new moments, new memories. We have been given the time to sharpen each other, and bring out in one another the better part of ourselves. I believe in the great empowering function of love, and I believe that love has made us both stronger, more confident, and more fulfilled. It's easier for me to see God's love in my life, now that I have such a wonderful earthly example of selfless love in my life.

I believe that marriage is a living metaphor for our relationship with Christ. When two are united in marriage they join together, forsaking all others, devoting their lives to the one whom they have chosen. A marriage filled with love produces great joy, but a marriage takes work. Just like our relationship with Christ, a good marriage requires communication, attention, respect, and devotion. Some days require more effort than others, but it is always worth the effort that it requires.

A dear friend of mine sent me a link to this website, ReviveOurHearts.com. There is a 30 day challenge for wives called "30 days of Encouraging Your Husband." You can subscribe to an e-mail that sends you your daily challenge, or you can print out the full 30 days here. The central tenant to this challenge in that you must not say anything negative to or about your husband. Many psychologists agree that when we make an effort to discuss our lives positively, we begin to reflect on our lives more positively. Our habits can mold and alter our beliefs. I think that this blog has been a very positive force in my marriage. It gives me the opportunity to reflect kindly on my husband, and to praise him in a very public way. I often feel encouraged when I make a post, and that carries over in the way that I address him afterwards. I have found that I already do a good deal of what this list asks of me, but the constant accountability and the purposeful attention that I must pay to my words and my actions will surely strengthen my resolve to be a good wife, and leave my husband feeling loved, respected, honored and encouraged.

Let's devote this month to the ones we love, and form habits that will enrich our relationships for the months and years to come.

Online Shopping: Links to boutiques you are sure to love!

2011-01-31T13:32:00.000-08:00

If you have ever read my blog at all, you know I have quite a penchant for shopping, especially when there is a deal to be had. Over the course of this blog, I have posted my fabulous finds and shared my sources. To make it easier for you, dear reader, I have posted links to all of the online shopping boutiques that I visit. Just look at the top right-hand corner of my blog, and click on the link to the boutique that you wish to join. I have organized them by the kinds of products that they sell.

If you are unfamiliar with Gilt, Ideeli, Rue La La and the like, these are invitation-only online shopping boutiques that quick-sale various brands at deeply discounted prices, often 50% off or more. Rue La La and Ideeli often offer clearance quick sales through their Sunday Night Styleathon or Red Sales, respectively, in which items are even as much as 90% off. These sales only last about a day or two per brand, and once the items sell out, they're out. So, the best way to shop them is to check their calendars for brands that you like, and sign on as soon as the brand is available, usually either 10 or 11 central time.

You do have to have an invitation to join these online boutiques, and you must submit an e-mail and create a password for access to the sales, but you do not have to pay any fees to sign up or to shop. That was something that kept me from signing up for these boutiques for a while; I wasn't sure what kind of information that they would want to begin. It took a couple of friends using them personally to convince me that they were on the up and up.

I have personally shopped from Rue La La, Gilt, Ideeli, Haute Look, and One King's Lane, so I can personally vouch for these online boutiques. I could not be more pleased with their services.

I'm very excited about the new home decor boutique, Joss & Main, which seems most comparable with One King's Lane. Currently offering Trina Turk, Le Creuset, and Barclay Butera, who could resist!?

Here are all of my boutique links along with some of their current offerings:

Home Decor:

Joss & Main

Trina Turk Residential Maze Hook Rug: $109.95 vs $200

Trina Turk Residential Oval Sun Runner: $36.95 vs $85

One Kings Lane

Chamart Limoges

World's Away Silver Leaf Side Table: $289 vs $699

Clothing and More:

Rue La La

Carlos Falchi

Ideeli

Manoush

Max Studio

Gilt

Shoshanna

Couleur Nature Bedding

Haute Look

Patterson J Kincaid

Actifirm

Swirl by DailyCandy

Lewis Cho

Carla Mancini

Beyond the Rack

Gucci

Prada

Baby:

Zulily

Vive La Fete

Babylicious

Happy Shopping!

Torrington Alexandria Bruichladdich Cullins

2011-01-30T13:28:00.000-08:00

Brooksie, or "the Baby" as she is lovingly referred to by our progenetically-denied parents, has made her grand debut!

I, of course, wore all Brooks Brothers in honor of her arrival.

Adorable long ears...

...and irresistible Precious Moments eyes

See the resemblance?

We have been thoroughly taken by her charms, so much so, that I have not been able to divert my attention away from her long enough to make a blog post, and we've had her a full week! Even now, she's sitting in my lap asleep as I type.

Mister is one proud Papa.

We truly have become parents to this tiny, trusting little thing. We take turns soothing her to sleep in an effort to assuage the crying when we put her to bed, and alternate 3 a.m. duty when we let her out at night. I usually am such a sound sleeper, but I am now attuned to her every whimper, waiting for that late night call. I thought that we were going to be training a puppy, but I'm beginning to realize that the puppy is training us.

It's a strange feeling for Mister and I, caring for our first dog together. We've always had family pets that we have considered our own. When we would return home from college, our loyal little friends would be waiting for us with wagging tails. "Lindsey's home!" Mom would say to Maggie, our Yorkie at my family's house. There's something about a pet that defines a home. Even Homer, the famous bard of ancient Greece, knew this to be true when he described Odysseus' faithful furry friend, Argos, his dog from childhood who greeted him upon arrival from his long journey home from Troy. Now, we too have a furry little friend who awaits our return, whose home is here, who belongs to us alone.

In a way, having Brooksie here makes us feel more tethered to this home and more like a real family. We will have lived in this house a year in mid February. We've scraped, painted, dissembled, and assembled, creating our own identity along the way. Adding Brooksie to our family helped take our house from the place where we live, but the place where we love to be.

She's only been a member of our family for a week, but she's already brought us such joy. Whether she's bounding about the backyard chasing Kent, following me from room to room at a foot's distance, or crawling into a lap for a nap, the only place where she will actually sleep voluntarily, we always declare that it is absolutely the most adorable thing we have ever seen... and we mean it this time.

Welcome home Brooksie!

We look forward to all the memories like these that are sure to come

Review

2011-01-18T14:19:00.000-08:00

I never finished my discussion of last week's events. We had quite a weekend followed by quite a week. After the shower for Scott and Sam on Friday night, I attended Samantha's big Rockwall bridal shower on Saturday afternoon.

Grammy; my mother-in-law, Debbie; my sister-in-law, Jenny; my future sister-in-law Sam; and myself

Bridesmaids

Sisters

After the shower, I had to get ready in a hurry. Kent and I had a debutante ball for a friend of mine from Tyler. She looked absolutely beautiful! We were so happy to be able to celebrate her debut with her, and it was wonderful getting to spend time with some friends we hadn't seen in a while.

Our dear friend Bill and Hillary

Kent and I

I had purchased a new dress for the event, so I had to take the gratuitous picture to send to my mom. She wanted to see what I looked like all put together... so Mom, here you go! Blogs are such a great way to keep everyone informed!

With my vintage fur stole.

We had a wonderful time, but sadly the next morning Kent woke up in a lot of pain... no not from having too good of a time... We went to the hospital and the told us that he would have to have a minor out patient surgery. He had his surgery on Monday and he's doing much much better, but he's still recovering a bit. I spent the week watching movies with him and taking care of him. If the circumstances weren't as they were, I would have to say we had a wonderful week together. We rarely get to sit around and be couch potatoes together, and we both agree it's been blissful.

In other news... We're getting Brooksie on Saturday, and I'm ecstatic! I just made an appointment with our vet for the checkup... I feel like such a mom!

Here are her most recent pictures from the breeder:

Prettiest baby I have ever seen!

A shower at Cork wine bar

2011-01-10T21:55:00.000-08:00

On Friday night, I helped host a couples shower for my brother-in-law, Scott, and his bride-elect, Samantha. I visited several wine bars in the area, and decided to go with Cork Wine Bar. It was the most boy-girl friendly, and has the amazing feel of a Dave and Buster's for grownups. Cork has several interactive computer stations that display different wines, and by clicking on them, you can learn about their characteristics and recommended wine pairings. By putting money on a Cork card, you can select any of the featured wines to have by the glass, by the bottle, or by the taste. It's a truly neat experience!

I met with Stephanie, their event coordinator, and she was positively lovely! She brought me in to taste different wines and make my selections for the party. We chose five different wines, three red varieties, and two whites, and then for the men whose palates preferred beer to wine, we had Sam Adams... a funny because the bride's name is Samantha Adams.

Though I would have loved to have used the bride's colors, soft pink and silver grey, the wine bar had a more earthy modern feel. As you can see...

(Groom, Bride, and friends)

So... I had to stretch my little preppy mind outside of the box. I now have proof that I can do more than just pink and green.

You may recognize this invitation. These are the invites that I sent out and the were my color inspiration for the party. Like the couple themselves, it's the perfect transitional style... not quite modern, not wholly trad either. These are from Wedding Paper Divas. If you have never ordered from them, you should. They are simply divine to work with. They even called me to make sure that I received my proofs to ensure that I could mail them out by the date I requested. That wasn't the kind of personalized service I expected from on online boutique. Exquisite work!

I used these papers from Michael's to create backing layers for everything I made for the party. I made little menu tags and backed them in the stripes, and little cupcake tags and backed them in the chocolate pinstripe, and a banner backed with all of the different papers, all of which I tied little yarn bows to to pull together the theme of "Tying the Knot"

My labels for the cupcakes

I didn't get a picture of the cupcakes, but they were adorable. One of the bridesmaids, Hannah, brought them, and they were just too cute. I used these labels to stick into them after they were delivered... actually I didn't get a picture of any of it. I was too busy running around and talking to everyone that I completely forgot to take pictures. All of these are pictures taken by my mother-in-law. Hopefully I can get some pictures from Sam's mom as well and post them for you all. Here are some pictures of all the details pulled together:

See..."Tying the Knot"

More "Tying the Knot" allusions. I picked up some wooden alphabet cutouts in the bride and groom's initials (SA for Samantha Adams, SC for Scott Cullins), and I wrapped them in yarn. I connected them with a knotted bow in the middle. See, I can totally do mod, and make it cute! I wish you could see the bud vase clearly in this picture. I filled some of the vases with white hydrangeas, goldenrod tulips, and deep red roses, and some with corks and deep red candles, like the one pictured here. I wrapped all of them several times with aqua yarn and tied them into a bow. I bet you could tell if you clicked on the picture, but maybe not.

This Banner says

"Eat Drink

& Be Married"

I made this banner myself in Fireworks using graphic images from the Graphic's Fairy's blog. I'm including them at the end of my post so that whoever wants to can use them as print outs for future parties. Since they are specific to this particular bride and groom, they would be perfect to use at any shower!

I made this as well to use on the cake and to put on the door of the shower. The frame part of this graphic also came from the Graphic's fairy!

Now I can't take credit for the cake. I had a classmate, who also happens to have a phenomenal bakery business make this Italian cream cake. I can however take credit for the chocolate covered strawberries and the hydrangea topper! I added those little details to bring it all together. You can also see the arthur court grapes collection that we used to serve the food. I thought it was perfect for this particular event!

You may be able to see my flower and cork/candle arrangements in this picture, but you can definitely see mixing and mingling... the most important part

More mingling

The bride in the bright solid blue surrounded by friends and bridesmaids, all kappa sisters!

Cork provided a fabulous cheese, olive, and fruit selection, but we also served mini roast beef panini's, pizza dip, crab dip, cupcakes, and cake to fuel the festivities. I think we ended up with about 45 to 50 people when it was all said and done. It was such a great event to celebrate the love of two very special people. I had a lot of fun preparing for the party, but I also know, that the best part of this whole shower for these two was being surrounded by people who care for them and who have encouraged them in their walk together. I hope and pray for many many blessings for these two! Feel free to leave them your love and well wishes!

As promised here are the letters for the banner, should you feel inclined to make one yourself!

To print these, I added them to iphoto and selected to print them on a custom setting of 5" x 7.5" but you could probably just add them to a word document and print them more easily.

And here are two other graphics that I used from the graphics fairy to make the party interesting. These are the blanks that you could personalize yourself, if you're at all computer savvy!

Isn't planning fun!?

Crested Butte

2011-01-09T19:10:00.000-08:00

I have so much blog material from this week and this last weekend. We got back from Colorado, threw a shower, attended a shower, and attended a Debutante Ball. I have lots of pictures, but I want to take it in order, if you don't mind.

I know that I have already posted pictures from the first day of our trip, but I have more adventures to share! Skiing is such a beloved part of our lives, and I simply must do it justice. Kent did propose to me on a very similar trip, after all.

First, you must know that this is the coldest ski trip that any of our party has ever taken. Skiing in -6 degree temperatures, we had to wear our ski masks even on the base. It was so cold, that we "burned" our throats with the cold air, even through the masks, but, when you only have five days to get in all the skiing you can manage, one mustn't complain. We skied all day every day, and we loved every minute of it.

You can see the town in the background

My father, myself, Mom, brother, and Kent. We're smiling; you just can't tell.

My brother on his first day snowboarding ever. I would say he's a natural.

Dinner our second night at Gourmet Noodle. Soooo yummy!

Fireworks on the mountain on New Year's Eve. The little train of red lights are from the ski instructors carrying down torches from the very top to the very bottom of the mountain. There were hundreds of these tiny little lights. It was really great to watch.

Myself, my future sister-in-law, Samantha, and my sister-in-law Jenny at our New Year's Eve dinner at Maxwell's.

Same picture, different silly hat

Mister and I on New Year's Day at Slogar. It's a family style fried chicken restaurant, and the best comfort food I have ever eaten in my life. This might have been my favorite meal. It feels like eating Sunday dinner at your grandmother's house: antique furniture, pink table linens, and blue canton-esq dinnerware. It was the perfect place for New Years Day... We got our cabbage; my only complaint is that we weren't able to get in our black eyed pea requirement. Oh well, creamed corn will just have to do!

Mom and Dad in front of the Christmas tree at Slogar

I love this picture of Jenny and Debbie. I can just hear Debbie's Betty Rubble giggle when I look at this picture.

Me, Sam, and Jenny at Slogar

Mom on a mission: Day 2

Mister and Me

Playing in 3-4" of fresh powder. It was like gliding on a cloud! I loved these skis so much that we ended up buying them at the end of the trip.

Kent is such a beautiful skier. He's so fun to watch.

Last picture before heading to the airport!

Goodbye house!

Mister snuck a picture of every single one of his family members playing with their phones.

Oh dear, you caught us!

We had such a great time with our family! We can't wait to go back! I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's as well!

I miss college (Round 2)

2011-01-07T10:09:00.000-08:00

It's that time again! Time for this year's Baylor installment of the Kappa Rap! Our girls from the Epsilon Upsilon chapter for Kappa Kappa Gamma have created this sequel rap for our rush. Enjoy!

"Never Whatsoever Could I Have Chosen Something Better"

Kappa Rap from last year

MEMORIES

Kappa Sisters at SAE night

Sisters at SAE float in Concan, TX

Go Kappa! Concan, TX

Kappa Sister and dear friend Melissa representing Kappa at SAE Salsa Fest

Pledge Sister Kelly and I after announcing my engagement at my candle ceremony

Kappa sisters at my wedding

Crested Butte Family Adventure

2010-12-30T21:46:00.001-08:00

We are having such a wonderful time! We got in later than anticipated yesterday. Our flight was redirected from Gunnison to Montrose due to weather conditions, so we had to add two more hours to our shuttle ride, but when we reached the house and the delivery pizza arrived, all was right in the world.

Future sister-in-law waiting to get on the plane

Mister!

At Montrose airport, about to load the shuttle. Sadly, I think this is only half of our stuff.

I'm blogging from my phone, so this is just going to have to be sideways until we get back. It's a cute picture, though, so I had to share!

Pictures of the house

We love it here!

Oompa loompa'd in as many layers as I can manage

My poor legs

We saw some precious Brooksie look-alikes at the ski shop!

We told them Brooksie would be coming to play next year!

We had a great day of fresh powder skiing... Couldn't have been better! My parents will be in ski school tomorrow on skis for the first time ever in their lives. Wish them luck. Mom is not too keen about having to squish her hair into an unsightly helmet. I told her to look upon it as a wonderful opportunity to accessorize.

Hope yall are enjoying your final days of 2010. I know we are

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Gone Skiing!

2010-12-29T09:25:00.000-08:00

Kent and I are going to be in Crested Butte for the New Year with my family and his. His parents should be here any minute to pick us up! It's going to be a wonderful time!

Looks like we're going to have to bundle up! I can already taste the hot chocolate!

What are you doing New Year's Eve?

Some Holiday Goodies

2010-12-28T10:14:00.000-08:00

For Mister:

Duc de Vervins Cologne by Houbigant

This is my favorite scent for men. It has similar qualities to the classic Polo Green, but with a more refined leathery, alpine smell. Pure manliness.

Zelli shoes in black

Allen Edmunds in Mahogany

Brooks Brothers custom fit monogrammed shirts

Kent runs in these in the morning with his khakis and boat shoes... yes you read that correctly. We keep it preppy, even when it comes to our athletic wear.

Brooks Brothers Cashmere heather green v-neck

Venturi Red Wine Aerator

Menu Wine Breather

For Mrs. LTC

L'Occitane Lavender everything from my most beloved husband!

Beauticontrol seaweed Masque and Scrub

If you love Beauticontrol, let me know. My aunt sells it!

Tom Ford Black Orchid. This is my favorite perfume. I carried it with me on a plane earlier this year and had to put it in a baggie for travel. When I got home, it slid out of the baggie and smashed on the floor. It was awful! So, when Grammy decided to give us perfume for Christmas, I of course, was ecstatic!

A set of silver monogrammed mint julep cups!

A place setting of my Darley Abby China. I am three Gold Aves teacups away from having 8 full place settings of china!

Nylon quilted jacket in Trench. I love the buttons in the back, and epaulettes on the shoulders.

Pretty in Pink

I have this dress in green, but Mom gave me another one with a precious pink and black boucle plaid skirt portion and an adorable pleated ruffle hem. I'm in love!

Comfiest. House shoes. Ever.

Fur trimmed cable scarf like this one, but in black

Twinkle Toes

My new obsession

Mister gave me these lovely turquoise earrings to match the enhancer he gave me for my birthday!

What did you get for Christmas?

The Reason for the Season

2010-12-22T13:26:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Friends!

Brooksie's Christmas Wishlist

2010-12-21T08:27:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa,

I would really like to have a comfy bed to sleep on during those long doggy days, and it would be really nice to have a place of my very own that feels like a home. That's why I would like to have one of these crate sets from BowhausNYC that Mommy has been eying.

This Coco Sand crate cover and bed set has the lovely neutrals that match Mommy and Daddy's house.

So does this set

But I also think it would be preptastic to have this french red toile set! Mommy's also seen it in Navy, just not on the BowhausNYC website directly.

I bet, if I'm a really good doggie, and you know I will be, Santa, if you get this set for me, Mommy will monogram the canopy and the dog bed for me. It should be pretty easy, since the bed case can be removed for washing!

Of course, Santa, if you want to take the preppy to a laughable level, and you don't mind shelling out 225 clams for a plush bed for little ole me, you could always get me this boat bed by Haute Diggity Dog.

I've always wanted to be a captain. Just don't be surprised if you catch me sleeping on the job.

I would also really like these lovely Spode dog bowls. I will really enjoy dining with my fellow fur-friends, and I like that it matches Mommy's china.

Plus it's about half off the normal price at Table&Home.com

And since, of course, I am going to be the best doggie that ever wagged its tale, I would also love to have the matching treat canister, as well.

But, if you're feeling a little Mad Men-ish, Santa, I think I might like the looks of this small walnut feeding set by Holden Designs, too.

I know that you already picked out a custom Cavalier King Charles Spaniel needlepoint dog collar from Smathers and Branson with my awesome 4 letter monogram:

However, I know my Dad works really hard and looks the part, so when I'm at the dog park, I want to look the part too. I think an executive doggie should have a watch. I know this is probably a bit over the top for you, Santa, but I thought I'd show you this shiny red or charcoal 'Time for a walk' collar and lead from Celltei anyway.

Maybe, Santa, if you get this for me for Christmas, my mom will be much better about checking the time, because you know that wherever I will be, she will be... then again she's not so great at reading analog clocks.

Maybe this ID Hunt Collar from Stafford's would be better. It has a brass plate that can be personalized with all four of my initials. Plus, Daddy has a nameplate belt from Stafford's that matches. I can have Mommy's china and Daddy's leather. That sounds pretty nice.

I also really like these harnesses and leads by Gooby and Puppia on SimplyPetsOnline.Com They are nice and preppy, and look like they would be pretty comfortable for a walk.

Pink and Green Seersucker and Chintz: Does it get any better?

By Gooby

Plaid harnesses by Puppia, matching lead separate

And this Yacht club harness by Puppia is pretty great too, though I'm trying to figure out if I like the pattern or just the name of it.

I know that this one looks a bit more masculine, but I think it would look really pretty with my tan and white fur, and I could wear it when my mommy wears her favorite navy seersucker skirts.

I know Mommy's not going to want me to chew on all of her pretty shoes and furniture, so I'm going to need some good alternatives. Mommy and I would be oh-so-happy, Mister Santa, Sir, if you would drop either of these chew rings from DogToys.com down the chimney.

And since I'll be such a good puppy, Santa, I think a couple of dog toys would be nice as well. I'd love either of these AKC toys for pups, also from DogToys.com.

I sure would love a little lamb, Santa.

I hope you have a Merry Christmas, Santa. I know I won't get to come to my parents' house until January 25, but if you leave my presents with Mom, she'll have them waiting for me when I get there!

Love,
Brooksie

P.S. Can you possibly say no to a sweet little face like this?!

Savory Holiday Chicken

2010-12-20T20:51:00.000-08:00

Photo credit

I feel like I've been living at the grocery store, and just as I am getting ready to walk out the door again, I sigh, open the refrigerator, and take one more longing look. I stare, hungry. Then, with restored resolve, I stomp my foot and declare, "I shall not go to the grocery store, I shall not!" I shift through the top two shelves devoted entirely to sauces, juices, and condiments, and pull out anything tangy and holiday-related I could find... the orange juice, the bag of fresh cranberries that I had originally purchased for cocktails and decorations, and the gallon of apple cider that never saw the light of day at the holiday party I threw for my classmates. I decide to make my own chicken marinade to serve over rice, and I cannot be more pleased with the results! So for your cooking pleasure, a tangy holiday meal in just twenty-five minutes:

First I combined these ingredients in a sauce pan and brought it to a simmer for about five minutes:

1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup fresh cranberries
1/3 cup of apple cider
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp of celery seed
white pepper
lemon pepper
salt (I always use Jane's crazy salt)

When the cranberries heat, they'll soften and pop open. To release their juices, I pressed them with the back of a fork. I then rubbed down a chicken breast with a little grey poupon mustard, and placed it in a small baking pan. I poured the liquid mixture over the chicken into the pan and placed the chicken pan in the oven on 350 for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, I flipped the chicken over, and continued to cook the chicken an additional 12 to 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, I cooked white rice in chicken stock instead of water, adding a little bit of garlic powder, a little bit of onion powder, and about a tbsp of Worcestershire, and let it steam together. When the chicken was ready, I served it over the rice, and poured the juicy marinade over it from the pan...delish! If you like a little bit of spice with your chicken, a little bit of sriracha chili sauce will give it just the kick that it needs. Either way, it's beautiful!

I think this would be great cooked with bell peppers and onions as well, or with a side of green beans.

More Brooksie Pictures!

2010-12-17T20:17:00.000-08:00

I'm obsessed... Can you blame me?

Count down to TABC's arrival... 39 days

Some minor changes

2010-12-10T17:26:00.000-08:00

So I've made a few minor changes to the blog. You may have noticed the new floral background that I picked up from Shabby Blogs. It's not pink and green, still, I think it's kind of perfect.

I had a pretty wonderful day today. I met Kent for lunch and helped him pick out a new pair of glasses at our favorite eyewear store, Goo Goo Eyes. If you're in Dallas, and you're in need of glasses or sunglasses, this is definitely the place to go. They have everything that you could ever want or need, and their staff is simply wonderful. I loved the cheesy promo, and I just had to share:

Kent arrived at the store before me and went ahead and tried on a few pairs. He told the lady that was helping us that he was in real estate, and she replied, "Well then, you need some power glasses." I got so tickled, but I had to agree. We settled on a pair of Lafont glasses with nice mixed tortoise and metal frame. I told him that they were his Clark Kent glasses. I can't wait for them to come in.

After frame shopping, I met two girlfriends in the middle of the day for an awesome girl-movie... Why? Because we're done with school, and we can! Love it! We saw the new Diane Keaton/Harrison Ford movie, Morning Glory. I'm pretty sure I giggled the entire way through it. It's definitely a must see.

Then, I went home and ordered invitations for a couple's shower that I am helping to host for my brother-in-law, Scott, and his future wife/my future sister, Samantha! I thought these were thoroughly cute enough, and I can't wait to get them in the mail! They'll be here Wednesday! Talk about some quick service!

For your viewing pleasure:

For safety and security reasons, I took everything off that refers to a date and contact information. Obviously, the real invitations are not going to have "Someday, January ***" and "***.***.****" as a contact number, but aren't these adorable. I thought they were a good compromise between feminine and masculine.

We're having the shower at the neatest little wine bar on McKinney Avenue, called Cork. It's like a Dave and Buster's for grown ups. You can put money on an ATM type card, and walk up to any of their tasting machines and purchase either a taste or a glass of any of their featured wines. You could simply put $20.00 on a card and go try every wine in the store. Brilliant, right!? I know. Hopefully, it will be a really wonderful experience for them. We so enjoyed our own couple's shower!

To end a wonderful day, I'm waiting for my mom to drive up any minute now. She's coming to stay with us for the weekend, and my aunt and little cousin are joining tomorrow! It's going to be a fun, full house... but that's always the best kind, isn't it? I hope you all have had a wonderful day. I think tomorrow, I'll be posting my Brooksie list... Kent normally gets me jewelry for Christmas, but this year, all I can think about are dog collars, leashes, chew toys, dog houses, and dog bowls. I'm all open for suggestions! Until tomorrow then!

Meet the new love of my life!

2010-12-09T20:54:00.000-08:00

So I am finally finished with school this semester! My last two assignments were a 30 page unit plan outline... yes 30 pages...of text, and a 12 page research paper. BLAH! But, Kent and I hosted my class at our house on Tuesday night, and we celebrated our newfound freedom in a big way! In fact I think you might find one or two of us sitting in a movie theatre tomorrow watching mindless girl humor in the middle of the afternoon simply because we can. I can't wait!

Well big news around the Cullins house. We're adding one to our number. Meet the new love of my life:

Torrington Alexandria Bruichladdich Cullins

Born November 15, 2010

Our beautiful Blenheim Cavalier King Charles Spaniel!

These are her pictures from her two week birthday:

These are from her 3rd week birthday!

We absolutely cannot wait to bring her home! January 25 is much too far away!

You may be wondering to yourself: Why on earth did you give her such a name? What on earth are you actually planning to call her? And more importantly...How on earth do you pronounce Bruichladdich? Well I'm soooo glad that you asked!

Brooksie, as we will call her, is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. It's a super preppy four-named breed, therefore, Brooksie needed to have four super preppy names. Of course, being the kind of people we are, we had to have a reason for every single name that we chose. We couldn't just choose a name that sounded interesting, it actually had to have some special relevance to us.

We'll begin with her first name: Torrington. Kent and I were married in a library on the campus of Baylor University dedicated to the collection and study of English poet, Robert Browning and his poet wife, Elizabeth Barrett Browning. I studied Robert Browning in that very library my senior year of college and daydreamed about the day I would walk down its great hall to meet my husband for the very first time.

Robert Browning wrote a series of four poems called Cavalier Tunes. One of which begins with the name Kentish Sir Byng.

"Marching Along"

I

Kentish Sir Byng stood for his King,
Bidding the crop-headed Parliament swing:
And, pressing a troop unable to stoop
And see the rogues flourish and honest folk droop,
Marched them along, fifty-score strong,
Great-hearted gentlemen, singing this song.

II.

God for King Charles! Pym and such carles
To the Devil that prompts 'em their treasonous parles!
Cavaliers, up! Lips from the cup,
Hands from the pasty, nor bite take nor sup
Till you're---

CHORUS.---Marching along, fifty-score strong,
Great-hearted gentlemen, singing this song.

III.

Hampden to hell, and his obsequies' knell
Serve Hazelrig, Fiennes, and young Harry as well!
England, good cheer! Rupert is near!
Kentish and loyalists, keep we not here

CHORUS.---Marching along, fifty-score strong,
Great-hearted gentlemen, singing this song?

IV.

Then, God for King Charles! Pym and his snarls
To the Devil that pricks on such pestilent carles!
Hold by the right, you double your might;
So, onward to Nottingham, fresh for the fight,

CHORUS.---March we along, fifty-score strong,
Great-hearted gentlemen, singing this song!

We thought this was all too wonderful, a Robert Browning Cavalier poem with a reference to the name, Kent (kind of), so we ran with it. The "Sir Byng" mentioned in the poem was likely the a descendent of George Byng of Wrotham, Kent, a British naval officer and statesman during the late 17th and early 18th centuries and the 1st Viscount of Torrington.

Thus, we chose the name Torrington.

Her first middle name: Alexandria

This is an homage to my philosophy and literature background. I've always adored classical literature and philosophy. Alexandria was a city founded by Alexander the Great, student of the great philosopher Aristotle, who was the student of Plato, the student of Socrates. Alexandria became a major Hellenistic center for learning, becoming the home to the famed Library of Alexandria, the greatest library in the Ancient world and birthplace of the Septuagint, the ancient Greek interpretation of the Hebrew Bible.

Thus, we chose the name Alexandria

Her second middle name: Bruichladdich (pronounced Brook-laddie)

This was actually the first name that Kent and I decided on. It was the perfect name: It rolled off the tongue well, and had a beautiful lyricism to it. We loved how deceptively pleasant and familiar the name sounded though it had such an unusual spelling. Bruichladdich is a Single Malt Scotch distiller in Islay, Kent's favorite Scotch region. Islay Scotches tend to be much more peaty and salty, which Kent loves. As you may well know from consulting your ever-so-handy Official Preppy Handbook, or the newly printed sequel, True Prep, alcohol is an essential aspect of preppy-dom, so naming a puppy after a Scotch was as natural as picking out a tartan skirt for a lady's luncheon.

We also loved that we could call her Brooksie for short. Of course, she must go by a middle name, as it is ever to preppy to go by something other than your first name. The deeper into the monogram, the better, and actually, if you can go by a derivative of your middle name, then tally-ho to you, my WASPy friend. With a little loving nod, to a favorite clothing brand, Brooks Brothers, Brooksie was the obvious name of choice.

Torrington Alexandria Bruichladdich Cullins, Brooksie for short: Initials T.A.B.C.
For all of you lovely Texans out there, you should appreciate those initials. That's the monicker of choice for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commision. We fully expect a resounding applause from Lisa Birnbach. I challenge her to find a more WASPily named dog! We're going to be ever so proud to display her initials on her own custom needlepoint collar from Smathers and Branson in one of these two patterns:

Yes, that is a needlepoint Cavalier King Charles Spaniel belt with a tri-color, crown, and a blenheim. Amazing, I know!

I promise that I will have more to come. I will even post again tomorrow! I'm back with a vengeance, and super charged by our excellent news! I hope everyone has had a very wonderful month. How wonderful that Christmas time is fast approaching! Love and Blessings to all!

Mister's Birthweek

2010-11-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

Mister turned 26 this month. For some reason that sounds so much older than 25! As a devoted Ranger fan, Kent had pretty much the best birthweek ever. On the weekend of his birthweek, we went to the Ranger game on Friday, and then on Saturday Kent got to see the first ever Ranger playoff win at home. That's hard to believe isn't it!? We actually got to attend most of the Ranger's post season games, even two World Series games. We could not be more thankful to Kent's parents for including us! It was such an amazing experience to get to be there and see it all in person!

On Wednesday, the night of Kent's actual birthday, I surprised him with a staycation at the Warwick Melrose hotel here in Dallas. I went ahead of time and set out some flowers, his gift, and a card. Mister had told me about this time last year that he wanted to have some nice scotch glasses. I've purchased him several DOF glasses, some in cut crystal, and some by Arthur Court with stags on them, and these are great, especially for entertaining. But, when you look online at the beautiful brandy glasses that you can buy from Waterford, it makes you ache a little bit that they don't make something equally wonderful for the Single Malt Scotch lover. So the search began.

I eventually discovered the NovaScotian Crystal company. They make beautiful hand made crystal glasses, vases, and stemware.

Here is their Single Malt Scotch glass with a matching water thimble in their Citadel pattern.

They had the look that I wanted, but I wanted to make sure that they did what they said they would. Though there is no question that their craftsmanship is authentic and exceptional, and I can see myself making purchases from this company in the future, my research lead me away from this company to what I discovered was the glass for the Single Malt purist! The Glencairn glass, and yes, you can get it in cut crystal! Sweet good gracious! Form and Function!

Image via Whiskyglass.ca

The Glencairn glass has a similar design to the nosing copitas used in Scottish whisky labs. The shape of the glass is supposed to focus the aromas and allow the scotch to hit at the right part of the tongue for proper enjoyment. The Whisky forums were littered with resolute agreement. The Glencairn Glass is the official glass for the true whisky aficionado. I decided to purchase mine here.

These were waiting for Kent in the room, and because it would have been completely horrible of me to give Kent fabulous new Scotch glasses without a good Scotch to test them with, I also had a bottle of 1991 Lagavulin Distillers Edition for him.

Image via TheGreenWellyShop.co.uk

We arrived at the Warwick and made reservation with their hotel driver to drive us to and from dinner.

Mister got to see the room and open his Scotch glasses and try his new Scotch.

He was thrilled, and yes, he did roll his eyes when he saw the flowers. Typical.

We walked downstairs and were off to dinner at Al Biernat's. Mister had told me earlier that day that Al's Prime Rib sounded wonderful, so he got his wish.

After dinner we headed back to the Warwick for drinks and music at their famous Library Bar.

I'm pretty sure that we picked the worst drinks on the menu, but it didn't matter. The atmosphere was perfect. The pianist played all of our favorite songs; it was if the night was ours alone. Even if we only got to spend about 8 hours at the hotel, and even though Kent still had to work the next morning, we had a fabulous night that we will not soon forget.

That Friday, we rounded out Kent's birthweek with an amazing Ranger's ALCS championship win, sending them to the World Series, and then a Baylor win at homecoming, making Baylor bowl-eligible, and ranked for the first time since the early '90's. With all the luck going his way, Mister did buy a lottery ticket... I guess you can't win 'em all!

Dad's Big Hunt

2010-10-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

Preface this to say: We're a huge hunting family... hello, we're from Texas. My dad has taken us hunting since we were little kids. Even my mother hunts... Of course, she still wears her jewelry and perfume in the deer stand, somehow though, she doesn't seem to scare them off. She's certainly not a hunting purist, but she never misses her mark!

My dad has been in Utah with customers on a company hunt for the last six days elk hunting. They saw plenty of movement the first couple days, but they decided to wait for something bigger to come along. By day 5, Dad wasn't sure if he was going to be able to pull it off this trip. He'd already been there long enough, and it was about time to head back to Texas. Poor Dad, he'd bought a new gun for the trip and everything. (Translation in girl-speak: Cinderella stumbled upon a pair of fabulous glass slippers, but alas, the carriage was late, and the ball was over... no dashing prince). He had one last hunt early this morning, and mope no more, Dad got his elk. Brandy peppercorn elk medallions? Oh yes please!

Good Gracious, that thing's huge.

Daddy already told me that he's taking down my bridal portrait to hang his mount. We'll see about that!

What's new with you?

2010-10-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

So I know that I have been absolutely the worst blogger on earth. I haven't blogged in over a month! That's right... a month! So what's new:

I am halfway through my fall semester in graduate school, at the end of which, I will be half way through my graduate school program. That's so shocking, as I just started this program in JUNE! I'm also working now........ (I will pause to allow you to pick your jaw up from the floor)....... which is the most to blame for my my recent blogging sabbatical. I'm working as a graduate research assistant for one of SMU's reading studies. I drive 50 miles everyday to test 4th, 5th, and 6th graders on their reading skills. The kids are all a-dor-a-ble! I love working with them! I've also been able to meet some really wonderful girls who are in my program for elementary education, which makes it seem less and less like work. I'm glad that I'm getting to see the research side of things before I step into my first classroom. I think it's made me more aware of the resources teachers have at their fingertips and the importance of research-based practices. We need to have more than just intuition on our side.

Because of the work and the school, and of course, I haven't stopped playing, Mister and I have had some seriously busy schedules. I work Mondays, and then come home and cook, go to a meeting and/or solicit for auction donations for the Kappa Tablescapes auction. Tuesdays, I work, drive straight to SMU, study for an hour, then go to class until almost 8, then sometimes I'll head to a social happy hour, like the Friends of St. Jude's happy hour that will be going on tomorrow, or I go home and cook for my very hungry husband who has been working from 9 to 8 at night. Wednesdays, I get up two hours earlier, and submit homework assignments, go to class for observations, then spend the rest of the day trying to catch up on auction soliciting, and housework, oh and Junior League meetings fall on Wednesday nights as well. Thursday is a repeat of Tuesday, and there is always something going on after class on Thursday. Then Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Mister and I enjoy our time together, which normally involves a trip to some sporting event or another. Last weekend we went to Calyx's TX/OU party on Friday night, we got up early the next morning to drive to Waco and watch Baylor run all over Kansas. After the game, we kept driving south and spent Saturday night in Austin with my parents.

Kent and I at the TX/OU party

This weekend, we had the best worst sport weekend ever. We left the house at 7:30 in the morning to go to the Baylor/Tech game at the cotton bowl at the State Fair and lost by one touchdown. It was soooo close!

My future sister-in-law, Samantha, My sister-in-law, Jenny, and Me at the Fair

My mother and Me in front of the Cotton Bowl

Samantha, my brother-in-law, Scott, Jenny, and Me in front of the Cotton Bowl

We had a rare and exciting treat. We were able to meet up with Kent's namesake, Kent Faison. Kent Faison and Kent's father, John, were fraternity brothers and dear friends in college. Kent Faison also named his son (the one in the white polo) Cullin, after Kent's dad.

When we left that game, we rushed straight to Arlington to watch the Tampa Bay Rays beat our beloved Texas Rangers in their third playoff game.

Mister went to the Sunday game as well, and watched the Rangers get beat again. Then the Cowboys lost, and Kent and I are both losing in our Fantasy Football round this week. My poor husband wanted to cry himself to sleep last night. At least we had Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, and Scotch to help raise his spirits.

Our schedule doesn't really have much flexibility, and it's led to some funny situations. My first day of class for my research class was on a Thursday night, the same Thursday night as Mister's TREC Young Guns Casino Night party (The Real Estate Council of Dallas; The Young Guns group is for young professionals). I knew I would have to go straight from class to the event, so I needed to be cocktail ready at 4:00. I didn't have any room for error, which meant the hair had to get fixed all in one go, and it needed to last all night. I needed a professional! I ran to the shop and got my hair done, and walked into class, updo, heels, shawl, and yes... cocktail dress. I have a tendency to dress up anyway, so my girlfriends in the class stared, and laughed, and said... ok I know that casual isn't quite her thing, but this time she's gone too far.... updo? Seriously!? They were relieved to find out that I hadn't just decided to go all out for the first day of class. "We never know with you," they said.

This is a picture one of my friends from class took. I was asking... "Okay belt, or no belt" I decided to belt it! At least the cocktail dress was more on the business-ish side of the spectrum.

With all that we have going on, I just haven't made the time to blog. Any down time I do have, I spend with Mister, and if he's not home, I'm either trying to fix up the house, work on a sewing project, solicit for Kappa, or I'm taking a much needed bubble bath. I know so many women have much more impossible schedules, and the more I do, the more I realize I am able to do. I never realized how many hours were in a day, until it felt like I didn't have a single minute left. I will be making more of an effort to post. There have been so many fun things that Kent and I have done in the past month, and I haven't posted about a single thing. This has been our little online scrapbook of special lessons and memories, and I've missed having that.

Friends, forgive me for my absence... I promise that there will be much more to come! I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Best Husband Ever

2010-08-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

Monday night, I had the Kappa Alum Jr. Night Group officers over to my house so that we can finalize our plans for the upcoming year. I ordered pizza and salads to be delivered to the house 15 minutes after everyone arrived so that they would be warm and fresh. Of course that meant, that I would have to excuse myself from conversation to go get the door and set everything out, but by 15 minutes in, everyone would be engaged in conversation and wouldn't notice my absence. Planning, planning, planning. However, when the doorbell rang, Mister went to the door, grabbed the pizza, went to the kitchen, set out the pizzas, labeled the boxes, and thoughtfully arranged the plates, flatware, bowls and crystal. He then sent me a text message to let me know that the pizza was ready. When we walked into the kitchen, I'm sure no one else had noticed really, but I sure did.

It may seem like no big thing to most people, but I was truly touched. Mister knows that when we have guests, I want things to go seamlessly. I want to be a good hostess. He knew what I needed, and he took care of it. It was a moment of true understanding. When I looked up and caught that crooked smirk on his face, all I could do was smile back. He knew what that really meant was, "You did good, Hun." It was a moment that I hope I do not soon forget.

Then yesterday, I spent almost all of my day doing things for Kent, running errands, doing some work online... taking care of things he needed. So when he came home last night from work, he came bearing gifts:

What I'm trying to tell you is that I am completely smitten, and totally in love with my wonderful husband... But there's more:

It's really easy for us to take note of the bad things, the problems, the worries, the mistakes. It's much harder for us to take note of when things are going well. We take for granted those things that people are "supposed" to do... like a husband helping to set the table or a wife folding her husband's clothes. But these mundane little tasks that we do for one another show our care and concern for one another. It's our way of acknowledging each other's needs and desires.

When we take the time to listen to one another, we find out what we need from one another; when we provide for each other's needs, and we acknowledge each other's efforts to fulfill those needs, we breed kindness, love, and understanding in our relationship.

I made sure to acknowledge what Kent had done for me, and Kent made sure to acknowledge what I had done for him, thus marital bliss. However, everytime I fold my husband's clothes, I should not expect flowers, and everytime Kent sets out dishes, he should not expect praise. That's unrealistic. But, rewarding, praising, and acknowledging one another whenever possible creates that mutual understanding and mutual appreciation that tells us, "I want to do this for him," or "I want to do this for her" because she means something to me, and I desire her happiness. When we make an effort to reflect fondly on one another and appreciate our different roles in our relationship, we cultivate kindness, sincerity, and respect, which will propel us through any difficult times.

A little good will goes a long way.

I want you to want to do the dishes...

2010-07-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

I know that this is very un-housewifey of me... But I loathe doing the dishes. I LOVE using them, hate washing them.

I blame my mother. We would always do the dishes together as a family, but whenever either I or my brother got in trouble, Mom would tell us, "Go do the dishes!"

Doing the dishes became strictly associated in my mind as a form of punishment... a punishment of the worst degree... I mean, who likes touching other people's food? Not I.

Chris and I learned to report on each others' bad behavior just at the end of dinner time. Sometimes it backfired, as we glared across the table at one another. "You're brother-and-sister; you should love each other. Go do the dishes!"

We also learned to report our own bad news, long after the dishes made it into the dishwasher... "Mom, I ripped a whole in my jazz shoes. I know you just bought me a new pair last week, and the week before that, but I'm going to need a new one." She would sigh..."Go do the dishes!" I would look at her confused, "But Mom, they have already been washed." She would sigh again... "Go do your homework!" and off to my room I would skip.

I still struggle with having to do the dishes. Sometimes Mister helps me, but I know that with the Rangers on E-V-E-R-Y--S-I-N-G-L-E--N-I-G-H-T, I'm pretty much on my own. So what do I do to tackle the most tedious of all house chores? Wear a suit of armor:

This way I can wash the dishes in my pearls, smelling nothing but the fabulous smell of lavender dish soap, hands clean and dry, and far removed from any greasy left-over food particles. In my frilly and matching monogrammed apron and glove sets, I feel fabulous and protected from whatever my splash my way. Bring on those dishes! I feel quite empowered at the moment! (You can find those gloves at Horchow and Neimans)

Tom Petty Tuesday

2010-07-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

This song takes me back to my college days. Kent is two years older than me, and proposed to me the January after he graduated from Baylor. For a year and a half, I planned our wedding while I finished up school in Waco, and he lived in Dallas. It was difficult being so far apart for so long when we were used to just driving down the street anytime we wanted to see each other. We went from completely inseparable to completely separated for much of the time. Luckily I had great friends and a really spectacular roommate who helped fill that time that we were apart. Kent and I had to learn patience and perseverance. The Waiting was hard, but it made it ever so sweet when we finally were able to be together for good. It was definitely worth the wait.

*This is a picture of a pledge sister and me after I announced to my sorority that Kent and I were engaged. I love this picture because it captures how truly and utterly happy I am.

Capitol Gains

2010-07-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

Kent and I had a wonderful weekend in the home of our state's capitol.

We attended the annual Cotillion/Calyx float trip in Austin and had the best time. I only recently joined Cotillion, so it was a great way to get to know the girls a bit better.

We stayed in Austin and took a bus to the Comal River in San Marcos.

Getting ready to get floating!

We floated past a seasoned veteran. I was so impressed that he didn't jump off the raft... though there was a close call when he spotted a duck.

All tied together, Samantha had a distinct advantage, wielding an armed water gun. Tying up together seemed like such a great idea at first, but the water was higher than usual, and we got to a walkway section that we couldn't all just float under. We all had to either duck under the water, or climb over the walkway. It was quite a feat getting all thirty or so connected rafts across to the other side!

That night, a lot of us went to Abel's on the Lake. We had such a good crew, and enjoyed a nice long dinner (the best kind). We could not have had a better time!

I'm so glad that Kent and I decided to go. We were the only married couple there, but we gained some fun, new memories and met some really wonderful people! I hope all of your weekends were equally enjoyable! Have a happy Sunday!

Tom Petty Tuesday

2010-07-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

This song and slideshow will make your day. Trust me!

It was made by a mother for her daughter on her birthday.

"Wildflowers" by Tom Petty

You belong among the wildflowers

You belong in a boat out at sea

Sail away, kill off the hours

You belong somewhere you feel free

---

Run away, find you a lover

Go away somewhere bright and new

I have seen no other who compares with you

---

You belong among the wildflowers

You belong in a boat out at sea

You belong with your love on your arm

You belong somewhere you feel free

---

Run away, go find a lover

Run away, let your heart be your guide

You deserve the deepest of cover

You belong in that home by and by

---

You belong among the wildflowers

You belong somewhere close to me

Far away from your trouble and worry

You belong somewhere you feel free

You're Going Places Award

2010-07-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

Brittany from Small Town Southern Girl gave me this great award!

She has a fun witty blog about her experiences juggling new life as a young professional in Dallas, with her old life full of small town Southern charm. She's a hoot, I tell you, a hoot (And Baylor grad to boot!) Stop by her blog, say hi, and wish her well on her upcoming nuptials!

I'm supposed to write about where I'll be, and what my life will look like in 10 years. Oh friends, I hope you are ready for this... It's going to be absolutely ridiculous:

Ten years from now Kent and I will be parents to 7-year-old John Crawford, named after his grandfather, John, (Crawford is a family name, and Kent's middle name). He will be reading quite well, picking up on Spanish, and learning Latin from his mama. To my delight, he will be ever so happy to wear the monogrammed polos and pleated khaki shorts that I lay out for him to wear in the morning. He'll make his daddy proud on the golf course with his near-perfect swing. He'll also be able to play simple guitar rifts, and will be familiar with the Beatles anthology.

We'll also be parents to a 4 1/2 or 5-year old, Paxton Thatcher, who will secretly be my favorite. He'll be starting his first real golf lessons soon, but he'll learn early on to like putting. These two boys will be the most well-mannered little Southern gentlemen. They will always remember, "ladies first," and they will make their beds every morning before school.

We also will have a 2 1/2 or three year old girl, Kensington Catherine, Kitty, or Kensie for short, named after her father (They will have the same initials). She'll be starting dance this year. However I would also love to have twin girls. Should I be lucky enough for this to happen, I will name one Rose and the other Violet. Rose, for Tyler, my hometown, the Rose Capital of the World, and Violet after my great grandmother. So yes... we will have 3 or 4 children.

Vocationally, I will just be finishing up my doctorate in English, and will hopefully become a professor within a year or two. In addition to being a student, PTA president, and Junior League president, I will also be a stellar wife, making sure to have intricate gourmet meals on the table every night before Mister gets home (It took a few years of practice, but I finally have it down by now).

We will still be living in the same house that we live in now, because we'll spend all of our money on private schools, charities, traveling, and extra-curricular activities for our kids...of course, dresses, Scotch, and fine china were implied in that list. We will, however, have made the wonderfully irresponsible decision a few years before to get a lake house in my home town of Tyler, TX.

Hooray for a wonderfully blissful life!

I now tag:

A Gal and Her Dog

A New Day

Champagne and Cupcakes

and

My Heart Belongs to Me

I take it back

2010-07-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

I think we're going to go with the all-houndstooth/plaid look...

A girl should get to change her mind every now and again. I am IN LOVE with this fabric; thankfully, Mister likes it too. I went to all my best discount stores looking for something like this... and nothing... nada... zilch. I thought my taste was outdated; it turns out my taste is just expensive. (C'est la vie!) I did find a store online that sells Ralph Lauren fabrics for about 25% off of what Calico Corners sells them for, which would save me about $45 per yard on this particular fabric. It's called Decorators Best. It's the best deal that I've found on the Glengariff Plaid... and believe me... I've googled just about every combination of Glengariff, Ralph Lauren, Plaid, Designer, and Fabric that you can put together trying to find the best deal possible online.

I thought doing a bit of this and that combo on the chairs, like the Mackenzie-Childs chairs might save us a bit of money... but in the long run, I think we'll like the nice uniform look better. As I hope that I do not have to change the fabric of these chairs again for quite some time, it may be worth the extra investment to do it the way we want. As Mister says, if you're going to do something, do it right. I love that he has that attitude (especially when it comes to our decor!). Of course, another practical reason for going all houndstooth plaid is that a monogram would show up very nicely on this pattern of fabric. (A very practical reason, indeed, you say?) Well I simply must put the new monogramming machine to good use... that's a practical enough reason, now isn't it?

What are some of your favorite patterns and places to shop for them?

Swoon-worthy decor

2010-07-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

I've been perusing google images for "wingback chairs" looking for some style inspiration. Since we have successfully turned our study into a purple explosion, it's time to recover the burgundy chairs. Originally I thought I would recover the chairs in a single fabric: Ralph Lauren's Glengariff Plaid, to be exact...

However, since I plan on tackling the project myself, and I love to make things as complicated as possible, I'm thinking of using multiple fabrics for the chairs. I think these Mackenzie-Childs wingback chairs are so fun and interesting.

I think that if I attempted to do something similar in very traditional fabrics, it would look nice, polished, and sophisticated, but still a bit youthful. (I am only 23 after all, though I have the tastes and style of a 65-year-old woman.)

On another note: While sifting through the 100's of pictures of wingback chairs on the internet, I came across this fabulous picture of a room designed by Thom Filicia. I simply had to share it!

(Photo Credit)

Cozy canopied wing-back chairs with contrasting trim and fabric: this is the pictorial definition of swoon-worthy decor.

Tom Petty Tuesday

2010-07-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

Mister and I are going to our annual Tom Petty concert in September, and I am unbelievably excited! I'm a HUGE Tom Petty fan... HUGE!!! So for the next 10 Tuesdays until the concert, you will have to endure my Tom Petty Tuesday posts. Hopefully this will not be too strenuous on our friendships, fellow bloggers, but help us get to know a bit more about each other... and get to know a bit more about the man, the legend, The: Tom Petty.

I guess my affinity for Mr. Petty and his beloved Heartbreakers began in high school. There wasn't much for a high schooler do in Tyler, so when I wasn't in a dance class or performing a field routine, I could usually be found driving around with my girlfriends listening to music from the 70's and 80's. We had a special place in our hearts for such greats as Toto's "Africa," and Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes," but no trip was ever complete without a Tom Petty CD. When I met my future husband in Washington, D.C. just a few days after my high school graduation, I was so excited to learn that he, too, was a Petty fan. I think I knew then, it was meant to be.

I know that this is a bit of a departure from my typical housewife-ing, shopping, and decorating-centered posts, but music has always been a very special aspect of my relationship with Kent. It's something that melded us together from the very beginning and something that will remain a constant between us, no matter how much we grow and change in other ways. So this is how I'm tying it back... finding something meaningful that you and your spouse can share will help cultivate the bonds that you have developed with one another. It will help you to gain perspective, mutual respect, and mutual understanding. Going to concerts, listening to songs with one another, laughing at all the "remember when's" that those songs inspire, are just some of the ways in which we stay connected and attuned to one another (pun intended).

**************************************

The song that I have chosen to share with you this time is "Rebels":

This song is becoming one of our favorites. They play it at the Ole Miss games, though I don't know how many fans actually realize it. It's on the CD, Southern Accents, and talks about being raised a Southerner.

Lyrics:

Honey don't walk out, I'm too drunk to follow

You know you won't feel this way tomorrow

Well, maybe a little rough around the edges

Or inside a little hollow

I get faced with some things, sometimes

That are so hard to swallow, hey!

Chorus

I was a born a rebel, down in Dixie

On a Sunday mornin'

Yeah with one foot in the grave

She picked me up in the mornin', and she paid all my tickets

Then she screamed in the car

Left me out in the thicket

Well I never would have dreamed that her heart was so wicked

Yeah but I keep coming back

'Cause it's so hard to kick it, hey, hey, hey

(Repeat Chorus)

Even before my father's father

They called us all rebels

While they burned our cornfields

And left our cities leveled*

I can still feel the eyes of those blue-bellied devils

Yeah, when I'm walking round at night

Through the concrete and metal, hey, hey, hey...

*The last verse is referencing General Sherman's campaign through the South during the Civil War... This makes me want to watch Gone With the Wind!

I chose this particular song to share while I was wandering the aisles of the grocery store looking for Aqua Net...

Yes, that Aqua Net.

While I was looking for the hairspray, I thought about how the Southern Belle Primer had made mention of Aqua Net. The author said that it was an integral part of any Southern woman's daily regimen. I started using it at a young age for dance recitals. You could make your hair stand completely on end with this high powered hairspray; it's the only hairspray that can keep our big hair towering in our hot, humid Southern climates. I laughed as I reached for that good ole trusty can, thinking, I guess I'm just keeping with tradition.

A fun housewife-ish "did you know" about hairspray:

Did you know that if you get ink from a pen on a piece of clothing... say a blouse, or a pair of khakis, you can spray hairspray over the stain and it will rub right off. It's true! Give it a try. (See I told you I could tie it back!)

Uh oh

2010-07-11T14:42:00.000-07:00

I came home from an afternoon of shopping with my grandmother, and I was so good. I only picked up one dress at the BCBG store, and it was super on sale. So, I open the door to our closet to hang it up, but instead I find this:

I may officially be ready to state that it is possible that I might (potentially) have a problem... Maybe.

My rack of dresses, the entire left side of our closet finally gave way and collapsed to the floor with the supports ripped from the wall. I wanted to cry and Mister thought he was going to die from laughing. He immediately took a picture and said, "I think your next blog post should be titled: Does Lindsey have too many dresses?" I told him that it wasn't because I had too many dresses, it's just that my dresses are made out of sturdy, heavy fabrics... I don't know if he believed me, but I'll keep my fingers crossed that he did! :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday morning message

2010-07-11T10:31:00.001-07:00

This verse, Galations 6:9, really spoke to me this morning, so I wanted to share it with you all as well! This verse challenges us to not become disheartened in our efforts, but to seek God for guidance, hope, and assurance. Our efforts at righteousness will not be in vain, but over time will bear good fruit.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

It Monograms!!!!

2010-07-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

I've been playing with our new sewing/embroidery machine, and I'm elated! It has an automatic threader and cutter, a touch screen, embroidery capabilities with stored images, and a USB port so that you can download new images to embroider... but best of all, I can use it for MONOGRAMS!

I know... nothing in my house is safe. I'm surprised that Kent hasn't packed up everything he owns to hide in a storage facility for safekeeping until my monogram fever passes. I don't think he would be at all surprised if he came home and every single fabric surface in our house was covered in a monogram... hats, collared shirts, towels, tablecloths, napkins, pillowcases, socks...if I monogrammed our socks, though, that might be the last straw. I know you're probably not interested, but if you are, you can watch a 30 minute HSN video about our new machine here, and yes, I watched the entire thing this morning.

I've already finished sewing a curtain project, and I've already used two of the feet and used the mirror image stitching option. I am truly in love with this machine! Ok, time to go and play!

Happy Independence Day

2010-07-04T17:22:00.001-07:00

Wishing you a festive 4th! From the Cullins family (plus Dee)!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Oh yeah, it's purple

2010-07-02T16:26:00.001-07:00

I am officially through with one semester of graduate school... It was only 16 days long, but still... I'm done... For a week...Then more school.

But we are also finished with the mini-remodel we had done to our house: We had popcorn removed from the ceilings of a guest room and the study, and we also had our two guest rooms and study painted. I love every single room, now. The house already looks so much improved, and we've only been in it for five months this month.

So I sent out my appeal for advice a few days ago, and I considered the feedback. Some of you loved the idea of a purple equestrian-type study... Some not so much. I love the honesty, friends, that's why I turn to you. I did consider a few other palettes.

I love the sandy-greys that are really popular right now, and I just love this fabric:

I would have painted the wainscoting a light cream and the walls a stone grey.

I know it would have worked, but it would have been the safe option... And a bit too metropolitan... I wanted something a bit more plaid friendly.

I also toyed around with the idea of using bright electric blues, which would have also been very pretty, and more trad than stone greys.

However I already have a blue room, and though I know that deep, bright blue isn't navy... It's so close to navy that it makes my stomach turn thinking about having a black desk in a deep blue room. I can't mentally handle it. Also our desk and computer are silver, and all that gold just wouldn't work.

So...

It's purple:

I don't know how much you can actually tell from the pictures, but it's actually a kind of muted, greyish, brownish purple... More of a hunting/equestrian/Ralph Lauren purple. The blanket on the desk in the last picture is actually a Ralph Lauren blanket that has a lot of the look I'm going for (minus the bright blue... I will not be using bright blue) but the emerald, safari, and mossy greens... Yes. Our purple and green study will be a nice respectful nod to our college years: green for Baylor, purple for SAE. Though they weren't so long ago, our college days are over... And those sure were some really good days.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Study Colors: Need Feedback ASAP!

2010-06-27T22:28:00.000-07:00

Our painter is coming in the morning to get started on our study. They are going to take down the popcorn ceilings, paint the wainscoting, and paint the walls. These are some pictures we took of the study before we moved in, but it still looks pretty much the same.

We love the wainscoting, and we've contemplated staining it darker, but considering that our taste is so drastically 1980's trad, we figured we should probably make the study at least somewhat transitional. Plus, I think it would be way too dark if we had dark paint and dark paneling. We're having a bit of a color dilemma, so bloggy friends, I need your input!

Along this wall we have this desk (minus the hutch):

with this ridiculously gargantuan and very silver monitor:

At least the tower is hidden neatly under the faux drawers of the desk, but there is no hiding that bad boy... we'll just have to design around it. Even though the top of the desk is a dark brown wood, the majority of the desk, as well as the chair that we purchased to go with it is black. Meaning that our decor and color choice needs to be black and silver friendly... which means no navy... and yes, that makes me want to cry myself to sleep.

Our room has one fabulously shaped window, and one that is rather ugly... meaning we need some pretty amazing window treatments...which means Mrs. Cullins is going to have to bust out her sewing machine.

There are actually three evenly spaced doors, which is nice aesthetically. Since we're painting the wainscoting, I think I'm going to have my guy mimic the paneling pattern on the door to make them more interesting... right now they are rather plain... BUT

I'm also considering tearing out the bookcase shelving and turning the bookcase nook into a built in wine rack... Since I was a little girl, I've always dreamed that one day I would have a study with an entire wall filled with philosophy books, cigars, and wine. Oh... and a really fabulous globe... And no, I don't think that's normal, but nonetheless, it's what I wanted. However the tearing out of the bookcase shelving is something that wouldn't happen for quite some time, so for now... it's just a passing thought.

I also always believed that my one-day-future-study would be some really deep rich shade of burgundy, green, or navy... however:

-Kent hates burgundy (he says it's too Aggie...actually anything in the red color family is completely off limits)

-Deep green would be really pretty, but with the wainscoting painted white.. eh, I'm not so sure.

-And navy... well navy paired with black is just about the biggest no no ever.

I did some research into color psychology, and the color purple can be a very stimulating color, inspiring thoughtfulness and creativity, therefore, it's a pretty good color for a study.

I went to three fabric stores, and I couldn't find anything that I was looking for. Then I went home and looked up Ralph Lauren fabrics, and of course they had everything. I then went to calico corners to do some reconnaissance.

Of course they had exactly what I was looking for. I'm thinking cream wainscoting, green and purple plaid curtains, maybe a fabric accent wall in the green herringbone, wingback chairs in the houndstooth fabric, and throw pillows, and maybe a cork board covered in the floral fabric.

What do you think?

We stopped over in Santa Fe

2010-06-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, Kent had his first official business trip since we've been married. He was due to be gone for four whole nights, so instead of leaving me home to pout all by myself, he took me along to Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was my first time to ever visit the state, and I was so impressed with how beautiful and clean it was. Kent does corporate real estate appraisal, so we had to drive up in the hills around the city. I got to play Navigator and Apprentice to Mister, taking notes, and communicating valuable information like... "oops, we were supposed to turn back there..." It was hardly work, as we probably would have taken the scenic drives anyway. In some ways it was like a grow-up version of a scavenger hunt. Hopefully he'll take me again if he has to do something like this in the future.

Pretty view of the hills

So scenic!

Mister literally in the middle of nowhere! There were no houses in any direction as far as you could see. We had to have an all-wheel drive SUV to get around, and it was bumpy bumpy bumpy on those dirt roads.

Friday night we ate at this local favorite called, Sadie's. It was good, not spectacular, but good... then again, I'm used to Tex-Mex, so maybe I'm a little biased!

On Saturday, Kent had to go to Santa Fe, so we took the opportunity to walk around the plaza.

"Santa Fe Plaza has been the commercial, social and political center of Santa Fe since c. 1610 when it was established by Don Pedro de Peralta. The original Plaza was a presidio (fort) surrounded by a large defensive wall that enclosed residences, barracks, a chapel, a prison and the Governor's palace. Eventually the wall gave way to large houses built by high ranking Spanish officers and officials. In 1822 the famed Santa Fe Trail, a trade route from New Mexico to St. Louis, was opened with its terminus in the Plaza. Today the Plaza is ringed by structures in the Pueblo, Spanish and Territorial styles that reflect its diverse history. Among the most noted are the original palacio, the Palace of the Governors, built between 1610 and 1612 and San Miguel Mission, a noted landmark c. 1640, and one of the oldest churches in the United States."

(Source)

The center of the plaza... I envy those hanging baskets!

That's me on the right. There were several local artists and vendors with carts set up in the middle of the square.

The Wallstreet Journal had printed an article about places to go in Santa Fe that Saturday in their weekend journal (See here). One of the places they suggested was a restaurant called "The Shed."
BEST RECOMMENDATION EVER!
I had to take a picture in the "me-sized" door... what can I say, I was wearing my favorite dress, and it matched my outfit!

Mister never eats guacamole, but their guac was so tasty, even Mister liked it. I, of course, was a very happy camper indeed.

Ridiculously good food... I had the fish tacos!

Of course, it wasn't all just fun in the sun; Kent did have several meetings and a lot of driving to do, and since it was my first weekend in grad school, I spent most of the time writing research papers, but what we did get to do together, we thoroughly enjoyed. It was our first time to go out of town, just the two of us, since our honeymoon, and it was so wonderful. I don't think we'll wait so long next time to get out of dodge and spend some good quality time together.

P.S. 100 points to anyone who can tell me where the title of this post came from!

Where in the World Have You Been?

2010-06-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

Where have I been? Grad School... enough said... almost.

I'm taking two classes right now. They started on June 6 and end June 30, so it is super-intensive, time consuming, and draining! But, I love my classes and my professors are fabulous, so it is definitely worth the effort.

I haven't been able to post the pictures from anniversary/family trip to Grand Cayman, so I'm sharing those with you now.

We had such a fabulous time, and I hope that we'll get to go back sometime soon!

Me, Mom, Dad

JB & Kent

Troy Aikman was staying at our hotel. He's wearing the white hat.

I wore this dress to dinner at our favorite dinner place on the Island, Calypso Grill. It was made by Caroline over at Hems & Hers. She's sooo talented!

We went out on a chartered boat to Stingray city... what I'm thinking in this picture is something along the lines of... "ah, this is the life!"

This was actually our anniversary day, so our captain was wonderful and gave us a bottle of champagne for a toast!

Wild encounter with a stingray

They were everywhere!

Awesome family picture!

They really were magical

Shark! A hammerhead was swimming near us during our snorkeling adventure. Can you see him in the upper left of the picture?

What? It's not a hair accessory?

We had a fabulous romantic dinner on the beach with good wine, chocolate soufflés, and Cuban cigars! We had such a lovely time!

Our One Year Anniversary

2010-06-08T00:49:00.000-07:00

Sunday, May 30, Kent and I celebrated our first year of marriage together with our families in Grand Cayman. It was ridiculously beautiful; we already want to go back.
Since we knew ahead of time that we wouldn't be able to have our wedding cake on the exact night of our anniversary, as is tradition, we decided to have it a little early. I set our dining room table and Kent and I had a piece... or two... after dinner.

We had so much that we were able to share with Kent's family, I even had a piece with Grammy over coffee. It was wonderful!

As we enjoyed our pieces of fluffy white cake, Kent and I kept saying, "Wow, it really doesn't feel like it's been a full year!" and "The time has just flown by,". . . But when we started to reflect back on everything that we have experienced in just one short year, it's pretty astounding.

We've created some truly beautiful memories together:

Walking into a room full of loved ones...

Sharing tender moments on the dance floor...

Enjoying fabulous dinners...

Our first official "married" dinner at Spago in Maui (May)

Lahaina Grill on our Honeymoon (June)

Bob's Steak and Chophouse for Kent's Birthweek (October)

Mansion at Turtle Creek for mine! (November)

With David and Stephanie after dinner at Mesa in Vegas (February)

Traveling to some fun and exciting places:

Hawaii (May)

New York (June)

Mississippi (October)

Baylor Homecoming

The lease in Fredericksburg (December)

VEGAS! (February)

Beaver Creek (March)

Jimmy Buffett in The Woodlands (May)

Celebrating Graduations:

After Graduating from Baylor in August

Scott's Graduation in May

And Acceptances:

My acceptance to SMU grad school (March)

Engagements:

David capturing Stephanie still in shock after the proposal (June)

Scott recreating his February proposal to Samantha

Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties

And Weddings

Melissa and Jonathan's wedding (November)

Stephanie and David's Wedding (March)

Moving In...

Starting out our life together in our little apartment in uptown (May)

Moving Out...

And into our very first home (February)

Making a Mess...

And fixing it up

The memories that we have created this past year are unbelievable. As I look back on all we have experienced together, with great joy and happiness I can look forward to the future, knowing that as long as we're side by side, trusting in the Lord, seeking His guidance, we can go anywhere and do anything. Kent is far more than just my husband; he's my best friend, and I thank the Lord every night that I am able to know him, and that I am able to be Mrs. Cullins.

"To My Dear and Loving Husband" by Anne Bradstreet

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;

If ever wife was happy in a man,

Compare with me, ye women, if you can.

I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold

Or all the riches that the East doth hold.

My love is such that rivers cannot quench,

Nor ought but love from thee, give recompense.

Thy love is such I can no way repay,

The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray,

Then while we live, in love let's so persevere

That when we live no more, we may live ever.

(1867)

Another Drapery Project

2010-05-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine saw my blog the other day and asked if I could make drapes for her. "Of course!" I said. What she wants is a Roman shade for her master bedroom. I knew I could make it, however I had never actually tried to do so. Mister asked me the other day if I would make some kind of window treatment for our master bathroom, so I decided a Roman shade would be perfect. I would do a trial run with my own drapes, to make sure I had it down before I started on Jess's. I've actually had a lot of fun with it.

I haven't decided what I am going to do with the trim yet, but you can see what I've done so far, and the options I'm debating. Tell me what you think!

Option 1: Trim on the outside edge, bustle behind the drapes (You can click on the images for a closer view)

Full view with trim on the outside

Option 2: No trim on the outside edge, cording drops from the pleats to pull up the bustle. (This would mainly be for looks, it would actually be constructed the same as above.

Close up of the cording originating from the pleats

Full view of the cording coming from the pleats.

What do you like best?

Shop talk with Mister

2010-05-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

The Setting: Mister is contented. He just ate, is watching the Rangers on tv, listening to Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now," (Oh yeah, THAT song), and working on an Excel spreadsheet for work... I think I've got him.

Me: Mister, I'm going to buy this rug from Ideeli, give me your wallet.

Mister: No (He doesn't look up.)

Me: Will you just look at it?

Mister: Absolutely not (still not looking up)

Me: Please, Mister? (Puppy face, but he knew that was coming)

Mister: No (types with a bit more purpose... He can't see the puppy face, but I know he can feel it.)

Me: It has a fox hunting scene, complete with horse and rider, and red hunting jackets...

Mister: huh?...

(He looks at the picture.)

Mister: Ok, here...

Our new entryway rug by Marcella Fine Rugs:

I love that Mister and I share the same love and affection for all things trad and equestrian. At 70% off, I think we did pretty well!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day!

-Mrs. C

Attention All Soccer Moms... Oh, and eco-fans... and thrifty shoppers (etc.)

2010-05-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

So yesterday, I was sick as a dog... all day... miserable!... meaning I was pretty much confined to the couch or the bed, with little else to do but online browse, watch reruns of Law & Order SVU, and eat chicken soup (which my perfect and wonderful husband brought me!).

So as I am perusing the online boutiques at Ideeli (it's free, just click to sign up), I came across this little design label that I had never heard of before:

She has some adorable dresses in fun vibrant colors. And her tops really remind me of ones by Single.

I contemplated this jumper for a while, wondering if I could pull something like this off... It's not exactly the typical library-friendly outfit that I would normally wear, but a little adventure here and there is fun. I decided to pass, because if doesn't fit just perfectly, I would have paid $78 for a permanent wedgie... oh well.

So, intrigued, and with time to spare, I decided to do a little research on this brand, and while perusing her website, I found this!:

It's a water bottle with a BUILT-IN FILTRATION SYSTEM ($19.99)! This little bottle is supposed to produce 50 gallons of filtered water, equal to 400 bottles of water. Think of how many bottles of water that saves you, and how many plastic bottles won't end up in a landfill on your account! It's made out of #4 plastic that is BPA free, which basically means it's good for you and for the environment.

The company that Holly Morgan partnered with is PureWater2Go, which produces several other bottle designs at different price points and for different purposes. I love these for $19.95. Their filter produces 80 gallons of filtered water, which if my math serves me correctly, is equivalent to about 640 bottles. I would get the pink... or maybe the green... or the aqua? Decision, decisions.

Visiting a foreign country for vaca, mission work, or a call-of-the-wild adventure? They have a bottle with a biological filter, used to filter out bacteria, cysts, cryptosporidium, protozoa, even anthrax spores. Crazy huh?

My brother-in-law will be traveling to Europe with a buddy pretty soon. We're going to his graduation this weekend. I wish I would have found this sooner, it would have been the perfect travel companion for him!

Anyway, I thought I would pass on my newfound knowledge to you, my lovely blogger friends. I thought it was a lovely way to be a little green, while saving a little green! See friends, we're saving the world one shopping cart at a time!

Dallas Bloggers Unite!

2010-05-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the pleasure of getting together with some very lovely ladies in the Dallas blog community. Hopsy at Kappa Prep was kind enough to organize it, and no one was surprised when we walked up to a table with special edition Lilly Pulitzer animal cracker cookies waiting at each person's spot...that's just a very "Hopsy" thing to do!

It was so nice to be able to put faces with the blogs that I have read from time to time, and everyone was just as wonderful in person as they seemed to be on their blog! I was also very pleased to meet some new bloggers that I had not read before, and can't wait to start following! I have only recently moved to Dallas, and meeting kindhearted women in your community is always so rewarding. It makes this big city feel a little more cozy! (I'm originally from Tyler, TX... not exactly huge!)

Of course when I told my father-in-law, or JB as we lovingly call him, that I was going to a Dallas blogger meet and greet, he literally laughed out loud! "Wait, wait, wait... So what do you do?... Do you have to bring your computers?... Are you actually going to talk to each other, or just type back and forth what you want to say?" Of course I had to laugh too. He can't make fun of me for being a nerd though; he's an accountant, and that makes him nerdy by default! And I know he reads this blog, so he will be happy to know, that no, we did not bring our computers, yes we did talk to each other, yes we were all totally normal, or more than normal... totally fabulous, and we had a wonderful time! I hope we do it again soon ladies!

Giveaway by Miss Janice

2010-05-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

Miss Janice is giving away three fabulous etiquette books by Letitia Baldrige. Here is just one of the three: "New Manners for New Times"

Ms. Baldrige was the White House Secretary for Jacqueline Kennedy, and has since published more than 20 books. Head on over to Etiquette with Miss Janice to enter this great giveaway.

Tagged!!!

2010-05-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by the wonderful Worthy Style, so now I'm it!

1.) Who is your style icon?

Well, I have three:

A little bit of Grace...

Some Charlotte York...

And a whole lot of Betty!

2.) What is your favorite Socialite Lit book?

Hmm probably A Southern Bell Primer: Or Why Princess Margaret Will Never Be A Kappa Kappa Gamma.

I have a first edition print signed by the author "To a Kappa who knows." It's a treasure, and a great read even if you aren't from the South.

3.) Favorite party theme?

Mad Hatter, or really any kind of tea party for that matter; and a Jimmy Buffett party: We have one every year before the concert, complete with parrots, boat drinks, pirates, and cheese burgers!

Yes, that's my husband in a coconut bra. He's also wearing a grass hula skirt that you can't see. I bet that this year he'll bust out his Smathers and Branson needlepoint "Parrot Head" belt that he had customized with his initials.

4.) Go to Halloween Costume?

In college, I always went as a deer and Kent as a hunter. I think this is from my sophomore year.

I've also done the whole nerd thing before too, and that's always fun. This is the funniest picture and brings back so many fun memories! There is so much going on here. This is from the Sadie Hawkins dance my Junior year in high school, so about 6 years ago. I hope I don't embarrass anyone, but I think this picture is great.

I'm on the bottom right in the pink and green skirt.

5.) Extravagance you can't live without?

Oh dear, this is that time when you figure out just how prissy/high maintenance I can be:

A daily L'Occitane lavender bubble bath... yes, I said daily...

and a glass of wine...

... Preferably both at the same time.

6.) Living person you admire?

Mrs. Laura Bush

She is such a poised, strong, and faithful woman. We have a lot to learn from wise women like her! I know that the Dallas community is so happy to have her here.

7.) Greatest Fear?

My most nagging fear is of not being a good enough wife to my husband or not being a good enough mother to my future children. I know that I can never be good enough on my own, but with God's strength and guidance, I know that I can be what I need to be, and His love will make up the difference. Luckily, I have a very loving and supportive husband as well, who encourages me, and lets me know that I am appreciated! Thanks Mister!

8.) Trait you deplore in yourself?

In an effort to walk the straight and narrow, keep up a traditional lifestyle with a conservative viewpoint, I can be a bit judgmental. I do think it's possible to value goodness and a certain way of life, without being completely disarmed by others who don't share that view, but it can be a bit of a tightrope for me.

9.) Which talent would you most like to have?

Organization. I'm not completely lost, thanks to my handy dandy Agenda, but without it, I would be...

... and I might as well not have a phone. My husband says that it would be easier to reach President Obama on the phone than it would be to reach me. I think I'm getting better... though a lot of my friends have resorted to calling Mister if they want to talk to me.

10.) Greatest Achievement?

Finding Kent

Ok... Now I'm going to tag:

Stephanie at A New Day

Brittany at Small Town Southern Girl

and

Hillary at A Gal and Her Dog

Answer these questions, post a link back to who tagged you, and links to who you are going to tag. So fun!

Diamond Giveaway at Suburban Housewife-In-Training

2010-05-06T09:54:00.000-07:00

Suburban Housewife-In-Training is giving away these beautiful sparkly I.G.I certified diamond earrings. Her giveaway is sponsored by the lovely people at Kohl's, so head on over to her giveaway and enter to win!