Donuts for Dad

Tuesday was Donuts for Dads at the wee one's preschool.  Sadly, Daddy was away on business.  I am not exactly sure when he got in last night but this is what awaited him when he finally woke up.  He has a day full of conference calls and will be back on a flight out of town on Sunday.  My hope is that this offered a sweet start to his day.

He works so hard to take good care of us.  We  are so grateful but sure miss him when he is gone.

Well, I am off to prep Valentine card for the kiddos.  Sneak peak to come tomorrow.

xoxo,
TSS

Oscar de la Renta Exhibit Opens Today In Savannah

I adore Andre Leon Talley.  He is wild, charming and pretty darn spot on when it comes to fashion......as one would expect since his employer is Vogue magazine.  It all conjures up the imagery of Stanley Tucci's character in The Devil Wears Prada.  Granted, I don't read Vogue anymore and my attention to fashion has dwindled now that my days seem to revolve around what time I need to be in the carpool line and less about looking impressive as I navigate the halls of Congress.  But I do still love the glamour - especially when it focuses on days gone by.....when women were down right stunning and not looking like.......well, how I did today; like I just rolled out of bed - because I did.

I had the pleasure of being in the presence of Mr. Talley back in 2006.  He was speaking to a crowd at the Corcoran Museum of Art in Washington, DC.  His topic was on the upcoming spring line fresh from the fashion shows in New York.  It was amazing.  And, of course, I was thrilled when he announced his love for Target.  He entertained a few questions from the crowd when he finished his presentation.  After a lady posed her question, he said, "I'll answer your question when you tell me where you got your belt."  She replied by explaining where her entire high-end label outfit was from and then blushed to say the belt came from Target.  His response?  "Rock it girl, I love TAR-JAY!!!!"

I fell in love.  HE'S REAL!!!  I remember thinking.  A year later, I traded in my nice suits and an impressive job for my own "real life" in North Carolina......I've never regretted that choice but that night still lingers strong in my memories.  I had the privilege  of participating in some fantastic events during my time in D.C. and this was certainly a fun highlight.

SO - you can just imagine my delight to know Mr. Talley has opened an Oscar de la Renta exhibit today at the Savannah Collage of Art and Design.  Two words:  ROAD TRIP!  Get all the info here:

http://www.vogue.com/9688327/first-posthumous-oscar-de-la-renta-exhibit-scad/

Meet me at midnight in the garden of good and evil!

xoxo,
TSS

Home Office Nook

I am so excited to be blogging today from my very own home office nook.  It makes me so giddy to finally have a work space of my own.

For the past 8 months I have been paying bills, organizing school projects, jotting down grocery lists and all sorts of things from our dining room table.  All this did was create an unorganized mess as I moved piles from the table to the corner of my bedroom dresser and back again to the table.  But now, due to my "Operation Wasted Space", everything has a home and I can sit here and tend to all my Mommy Items.

You can read about my two part "Operation Wasted Space" here and here.

The upstairs landing is just enough space for me and I love that I have been able to use pieces that I have had laying around the house.  I didn't have to buy one thing to whip this spot together.  That almost gets me excited to pay bills.

Upstairs Landing

Desk and Office Closet

The left closet is now the Fly Fishing storage area and the door to the right leads to the guest bathroom.   That is the next project I plan to tackle....

Few things make me happier than being organized. Thank you 11 Magnolia Lane for inspiring the project.

xoxo,
TSS

Impromptu Super Bowl Party

Y'all know I love to plan a party but rarely do I come downstairs from doing chores to find out a party has been planned without my knowledge.  Granted, it is Super Bowl Sunday, and I should have known the hubs would want to watch football; but this just takes the cake.

We lived in Washington, DC for 8 years in which the hubby became a huge Redskins fan.  Evidently, at some point during the afternoon, he ran out and got some wings, celery/carrots/ranch dip and some BBQ and then proceeded to make an indoor tailgate complete with Redskin paraphernalia.

Harrison kept asking why Daddy was pulling for the Redskins when we live in North Carolina.  He then wanted to know when the Panthers would take the field.  Finally, he was totally confused with the fact that neither team would be playing.  So there has been a lot of explaining going on and I have to say, it has been sweet watching the hubs take in his first Super Bowl with his two boys.  AND THEY ARE EXCITED ABOUT IT!!!!  Harrison has already made Daddy promise to take him to a Carolina Panthers game this fall.  Too, too cute.

I.love.that.man.

GO SEAHAWKS!

xoxo,
TSS

Operation Wasted Space: Phase 2 - Hall Closet

I am super excited to share my latest upgrade of wasted space with you today.  This idea was lifted from Amanda over at Dixie Delights.  If you haven't seen her family room office redo, you need to check it out now here.

Part of my mission for this project was to use furniture that is currently in storage.  I have been holding on to my crib and changing table in the hopes my brother-in-law would give me an in-town niece that I could spoil rotten.  Since his timeline and mine seem to differ, I had the hubs haul it back upstairs and turned this horrendous before storage mess into an extension of my workspace.

BEFORE

AFTER

I utilized my old changing table and placed family pictures on top, piles that need to be sorted on the middle shelf (there seem to always be piles - but now they have a home) and the bottom is simply extra candles, light bulbs and odds and ends that I intend to give away during the year.

I was also able to reuse old nursery bins for crafts, ribbons & bows, various holiday paperie and other entertaining items.

There is no hall light so I put the old nursery standing lamp to use as well.

I pulled out my old marathon medals from a drawer and actually put them on display.  Granted they are on the side wall and only I know they are there - but I worked hard for those puppies!

An old bar became home to my printer and papers.

There was just enough space to store gift bags and wrapping paper.

I'll share tomorrow how this whole area ties together.  Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo,
TSS

Operation Wasted Space: Phase 1 - Hall Storage Closet

I adore the blog 11 Magnolia Lane and they are having an organization challenge.  Check it at www.11magnolialane.com . This got me thinking about the bucket list of tasks I've yet to accomplish after I quit my job.  So, I finally decided to tear apart our closets and get organized.

We live in an itty.bitty.teeny.weenie house.  Furthermore, said itty.bitty.teeny.weenie house has minimal storage.  And please don't forget the wee ones and ALL.THEIR.TOYS!!!!!!  So you can just imagaine the thrill I have when the hubby comes home from fly fishing and his gear gets flopped about the porch and laundry room.  Lord knows it is hardly dry long enough to actually get put way, which is really just being shoved in the corner of an upstairs closet.  See for yourself:

We have a lot of wasted space in our house so I decided to go through each nook and cranny and give those areas a purpose.  And my first idea was the upstairs closets.  I don't know much but I know that flies don't belong on the dryer and waders and fishing coats don't go on top of books waiting to be donated to the library......grrrr.

I have a pretty deep storage closet upstairs that is usually crammed full of stuff.  (I should note my hubby has another "S" word for my stuff but whatever).  As I mentioned earlier, he usually crams his fishing gear in the other upstairs hall closet. See below. I knew there was a better way.

BEFORE

The second picture is my deep storage closet.  I decided this would become the fly fishing storage area. As a former Kelly's Kids sales rep, I have three clothes racks currently taking up residency in my garage.  So I grabbed one of those, hung waders, coats, backpacks and other miscellaneous items on them and stored his boots below.  I also moved all of his spinner and salt water rods into this closet with his tackle box.  POOF!  We are both happy. Well, save for his fly rod propped up against his office wall.  It isn't the most stylish organizational project but look at all the space I utilized!!!  woo hoo!

AFTER

And with that, the upstairs storage closet has a new purpose.  It still holds items I don't use often but now also houses the hubby's fishing gear.  The best part is that the rack in on wheels for easy mobility.  I'm one happy lady!  Stay tuned for the big reveal tomorrow on what I did with the other hall closet.  I'm super excited about that transformation!

xoxo,
TSS

Hubby Turns 40

It was with little pomp and circumstance that the love of my life turned 40.  Between his stomach virus last week and my head cold, it has been a pitiful site around these parts.   My exhaustion led to a full blown headcold that is so bad it has gone into my ears!!!!   WHAT???? WHAT DID YOU SAY???? ARE YOU TALKING TO ME????  Augh - it is maddening.

I am very lucky as I rarely get sick - aside from the occasional R.A. flareup.  But this headcold has moved in and doesn't feel like going away.  Yuck.  Fortunately, the wee ones are healthy as pups so I am praying things stay that way.

I had hoped to plan a big ol' shin dig for my sweetheart to celebrate his big day but he put the kibosh on that idea.  So we will simply slip away for a weekend when it warms up a bit.  That is our standard gift and I'm not gonna lie - a weekend alone with my sweetie and no kids is just as much a gift for me as it is for him!  Stay tuned.......

In the meantime, here is a snipit of how we fussed over him on the actual day.  He rose early in the morning and headed up the mountain for a day of fly fishing.  This is what greeted him upon arriving back home.

For cocktails we enjoyed Parmesan Crips made from Barefoot Contessa Foolproof cookbook.  To be honest, these were not my favorite as I found them way too salty.  I always put less salt in the recipes

than what she calls for but this was still too strong for me.  

Dinner was a perfectly grilled NY Strip with a poached egg topped with shredded parmesan, steamed broccoli, sauteed mushrooms and creamy mashed potatoes.  For the steak, I heated my indoor grill to medium high and cooked 5 minutes on one side and 3 minutes on the other for medium rare.  The mashed potatoes recipe came from Barefoot Contessa Family Style.  This is THE BEST mashed potato recipe - look it up and use it.

I stopped by one of our favorite shops and picked up a huge slice of cheesecake and cabernet to round out all of my hubby's favorite things.  And with that, my love is 40!

xoxo,

TSS