Little Kipster Feeling Crabby

Recently, some friends and I took our babies to Pottery Barn for Kids for a morning story time.

Of course, I couldn't leave the store without looking around and I stumbled upon this adorable crab plate and matching tumbler.

Needless to say, I bought a set for the little kipster.

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Father's Day Gift Ideas

Tommy Bahama Island Chop Shop Camp Shirt $138.00

Versace Cologne Around $95 for 6.7 oz.

floto Positano Grande travel tote $479.

Apple ipad 2 Starting at $499.

Hammacher Schlemmer ipod speaker case $49.95

The Art of Shaving Swirl Silvertip Badger Brush Orig. $1,200 sale price $600

Hermes Carre H Watch Priced at about $15,000.

A baby, Priceless!

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loving thomas paul

there are MANY reasons to love thomaspaul designs. from outdoor decor to tabletops and stationery, i never know where to start when i am shopping his line. here are a few hot items that i consider to be irresistible:

PILLOWS

SHAWLS

TOTES and POUCHES

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caviar for kids

According to the California Caviar Company, introducing caviar to kids is big business.

Trout caviar is used in their snack packs along with puff pastry shaped fish and creme fraiche. Your child also gets his/her own caviar spoon inside the recyclable cooler.

Don't forget your child's bib and t-shirt to wear during their first caviar experience.

with preppiness,

Southern Sweetness

It is a great morning for a pitcher of perfectly sweetened iced tea.

and an afternoon for sweet tea of a different variety.

CHEERS!

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Bye Bye Baekgaard

I love Baekgaard.

Sadly, the company has been silently folding to accommodate owner, Barbara Baekgaard's, other company, Vera Bradley. While I have also enjoyed the Bradley designs, I found Baekgaard to be classic & timeless. I especially love their bright and pastel colors. A while ago I decided my new signature color for spring would be turquoise and purchased a Baekgaard bag and accessories in the color during my travels.

I change out the baby's diaper bag pretty often and my handbag is a great match to my Toss bag, which was given to me by the designer's sister. Once my beach tote, the Toss makes a great diaper bag now. The bags also compliment my Lilly sailor bracelet and A. Tierney headband.

I also love orange and pink together. They are the epitome of summer for me. I carry my orange Baekgaard handbag with a beautiful pink & orange matching wallet.

And will often pair it with my Tory tote, which again is full of the baby's items.

This morning I received a pleasant surprise in the mail from my sister, LeAnita! It was this gorgeous Baekgaard make-up bag, which just may be used to carry a few baby items inside my diaper bag.

Currently, the baby has his own Baekgaard goodies. One for his personal items, such as "Little Noses" drops and Spirit Halloween hand sanitizer and the other for disposable spoons and Binkys.

Bye Bye Baekgaard. You will be missed by many Preppies, but your memory lives on in my closet and over my shoulder.

with preppiness,

Shrimp & Grits

I grew up on grits. yum. How could I not...I was raised by a Southern belle and grits are truly a Southern staple. Thanks to author, Deborah Ford, the women in my family are also known as G.R.I.T.S, "Girls Raised In The South." For those of you who are unfamiliar with grits, Native Americans introduced the ground corn dish to the Southern region...it is delish! The only thing better than a couple of pats of butter over a bowl of grits is SHRIMP and grits! Next to my mother's grits dishes, the city of Atlanta has served up the best shrimp and grits (and cheese grits for that matter) I have ever had. Multiple restaurants all over Peachtree know how to do it just right.

If you are not fortunate enough to be reading this in Atlanta, you can always bring the flavor of the South into your kitchen. Ms. Paula Deen provides a very easy recipe for shrimp and grits that takes a total of 35 minutes, start to finish.

Ingredients

2 servings cooked grits

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup diced tasso ham*

2 tablespoons diced leeks

2 tablespoons diced onion

2 tablespoons diced green peppers

20 medium to large shrimp, peeled and de-veined, with tails on

1 to 2 tablespoons white wine

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper

Green onion tops, chopped

*Cook's Note: Tasso is a Cajun ham and is often hard to find outside of Louisiana, but you can find it at some specialty gourmet shops or by mail order. If not, you can substitute salt pork, pancetta, or prosciutto, but you will have to beef up your seasonings, as tasso is very flavorful.

Directions

Cook grits according to package directions; set aside and keep warm.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tasso and saute until crisp. Add diced vegetables and saute until onions are translucent. Add shrimp and saute for 30 to 45 seconds, or until pink. Remove from the pan and set aside. Deglaze the pan with a little white wine. Slowly add the cream and let reduce until thickened. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Divide grits among 2 serving plates. Line plate edges with shrimp (10 shrimp per serving). Pour sauce over grits. Garnish with green onion tops.

For a great wedding idea, use martini glasses to serve shrimp and grits, with the grits on the bottom and shrimp and sauce on top.

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Dancing Bear & A Baby

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Carnation Collection

I found these in Phi Mu's Carnation Collection this week. I think they will be cute additions to my wardrobe:

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Guilty Moms?

Before I had my little prepster, I was told by other mothers that being a mom is one of the hardest jobs on the planet. After years as a news anchor, reporter, producer; senate speechwriter; public relations director; spokeswoman, etc. I have to admit that those women were right! There is no true preparation for motherhood as there is for the other aforementioned careers. One can take countless hours of parenting courses, but until that baby arrives with severe reflux, colic and multiple food allergies, the true sense of motherhood cannot be comprehended by many women.

Moms, take a little time for yourself! Unlike your corporate job, there are no lunch breaks, vacations or sick days in motherhood unless you make it a point to take some "me" time...and do it WITHOUT the guilt.

This list (in its entirety) is from the editors of BabyTalk Magazine and should help you shed the guilt. I think a majority of the moms can truly relate to it and will get a good laugh reading it. Thanks to the editors for speaking the truth on behalf of moms everywhere:

1. Wanting to stay home with your baby.
2. Loving your job.
3. Hating your husband now and then.
4. Still not wanting sex way, way, way after your six-week checkup.
5. Not reading to your baby as much as all the experts say you should.
6. Introducing a bottle as soon as you get home from the hospital (even though you’re not sure your milk supply is established yet) so you can get some sleep.
7. Supplementing with formula at any time.
8. Lying to the other women in your mommy group about how long your baby sleeps at night (but you will get more sympathy if you tell the truth).
9. Not keeping up with all the milestones you’re supposed to be recording in your baby book.
10. Never even starting the baby book.
11. Saying, “Great idea—I’ll try it!” to your mother-in-law’s advice when you have absolutely no intention of giving it an iota of thought once she walks out the door.
12. Telling your partner you’re going to the doctor for a checkup when you’re actually going for a massage, pedicure, or to have your hair highlighted (it’s not like he’s going to notice anyway).
13. Paying cash for your massage/pedicure/highlights so he won’t discover the credit card charge.
14. Refusing another mom’s invitation to a playdate because you can’t stand it that she can leave crystal on her coffee table and toilet paper on the rollers and her baby doesn’t bother any of it.
15. Feeling a twinge of delight when the above mom’s baby still isn’t saying any words and yours has a vocabulary of six!
16. Putting on the Baby Einstein DVD for the third time before lunch so you can apply some makeup because that cute landscaping guy is due to come by and cut your grass sometime this afternoon (just because you don’t want to have sex doesn’t mean you’re dead).
17. Wanting to spend Mother’s Day alone instead of with your family.
18. Going to visit your parents for the weekend because you know they will insist on doing everything for the baby and your mother will cook all your favorite foods for you. (Grandmothers can spoil their own children as well as their grandchildren.)
19. Napping when the baby naps even though he’s nine months old.
20. Driving your baby home from the mall with poop in his diaper because the bathroom is all the way at the other end and you know he couldn’t care less anyway.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

with preppiness,