Surprise!

A few weeks ago one of my best friend that I met through Junior League last summer got engaged! I, along with our friends, were elated and thought a celebration was most definitely in order. So, I emailed the same little group that attended the Ritz staycation and asked how they felt about a surprise dinner. Everyone obliged so we all got busy working and planning. In the mean time I also emailed Andrea to see if she was interested in going out to dinner with me (just me) at L'Ancestral, a restaurant she and I had both been dying to try. We continued to plan our celebration fete unbeknownst to Andrea. Thankfully, I was able to keep my mouth shut and not spoil the surprise all week and on the way to dinner- the surprise went off without a hitch!

We wanted to make the evening personal and special so we included Andrea's future monogram on things. Above are the favors I made. I whipped up the tags in Word and then used a punch to get the perfect shape and size.

I ordered a small red velvet cake from Society Bakery and had them draw Andrea's future monogram on top. We had called L'Ancestral to make sure we could bring a cake in- nothing like making a major faux pas at an event!
Kristin supplied the flowers and she and Mandi also arrived early to set up the table!

Surprise and congratulations Andrea!

Time to open gifts and celebrate!

Of course we made time for eating while continuing to converse. L'Ancestral did NOT disappoint. In fact, it was SO good that I have to admit I am ashamed it took me this long to visit. The service was wonderful and the staff was so accommodating. The restaurant was not too crowded which made our night even more perfect. The food was simply out of this world. True French cuisine- in fact some of the very best I have had outside of France. I ordered the filet with pomme frites of course (why you would get vegetables when you can have pomme frites I am not sure). Everything was cooked to perfection and I could not get enough!

What a wonderful evening with AMAZING friends! Nights like tonight continue to remind me how blessed I am day in and day out!

Wear Pink, Make the Boys Wink!

This weekend I spotted someone wearing the most adorable pair of pink, satin Toms. Sadly, I came home to find out I was years behind and these were long gone. Not only that, but I was only able to track down children's pink Toms. I LOVE the gold glitter Toms I bought earlier this year and have worn them out. I am a glitter fan as you know (still dying to go to a K$sha concert- she beats on a glitter drum!) and all things pink so, thanks to a Twitter friend, I found my ideal pair of Toms:

Pink Glitter Toms for women!

I hope they will actual make these in our sizes. Fingers crossed that "coming soon" means these will hit shelves sooner rather than later- I am willing to pre-order!

Wordless Wednesday (Well, Almost)

I have posted this photos once before I believe, but since we are on the topic of Halloween and dressing up I figured it went hand-in-hand with the theme. This is little Hopsy, I think I was three is this photo, with my dear friend Maryann. It was taken in Americus, GA circa 1988 and we are all dressed for a Flinstones party. What type of Flinstones did our mother's decide to dress us up as? Well, preppy Flinstone's of course! While times flies by, some things never change and that includes my love for all things pink and green!

Happy Wednesday!

It's Almost October!

A few weeks ago I started to get into the Halloween spirit. I think I was really just hoping for the cooler weather late October brings- wishful thinking when you live in Texas! Anyhow, after chatting with a dear friend I decided I wanted to invest in some Halloween printables for all the treats I plan to make. I searched high and low on etsy, but when I saw the printables from Shindig Parties TO GO I immediately knew I had to make them mine! I found Amanda at the start of her etsy career (I am proud to say I was her very first sale) and I know she is going to have far more than she can keep track of in the years to come. She is SO wonderful to work with and her printables are just too cute. My personal favorite part of the Halloween suite is the "You've Been Boo'd" sign. I am going to get busy making lots and lots of sweets and then make up big treat bags with this sign attached. I then plan to randomly drop off to friends. I think it is a fun way to brighten some one's day (and make them a little sweeter with all that sugar!).

The price is certainly right at Shindig too. Now through October 1st the Halloween printables are half price! You get an entire suite (only about half of mine is shown above) for just $9.50! That includes everything you need to host the PERFECT Halloween party. In fact, hop on over to Amanda's blog and check out how she used her amazing suite. You will be gushing over all her amazing children's parties she has done- she is ever-so-talented! Also, stay tuned for more of her creations. A little birdie told me she has an amazing new preppy suite as well as numerous holiday suites in the works!

New Love with a Discount

I have a new love, his name is Tommy....Tommy Hilfiger that is.

I was a Tommy fan back in middle school and high school, but then he sort of dropped off for a bit. However, boy has he made comeback and a preppy one too. I am loving all the fun dresses and the outerwear. So many classics to choose from. Now I just need to find a store that sells the line since we do not have a signature Tommy store in Dallas. However, that will be another problem for another week because this week the Tommy Hilfiger website is having a friends and family sale. Use code FRIENDSTH10 to receive 30% off your entire purchase. Free shipping is offered on all orders over $125. So now one must decide what to buy...here are a few of my favorites:

I love this chunky cable sweater dress. It also comes in camel. Perfect neutrals that can be mixed with fun colored tights and matching accessories.

I was never a fan of capes and ponchos until a few years back when I received a darling fur one as a gift. Now I cannot get enough. They are great for warmer weather states and the classic take of the above is stylish as can be!
I am loving Tommy's plaid this year!
This vest reminds me of the LL Bean one I wish I would have purchased a few years back. It would look darling with a cream cable turtleneck and a latte in hand!

Another plaid dress that we cannot live without. The shirt dress style is very versatile and can be dressed up or down aka it is great for work and play. Don't the blue tights look darling too?

Finally, a classic cut jacket with a fur twist! I love this piece and it would certainly keep one warm when there is a chill in the air.

State Fair!

The 2010 Texas State Fair opened on Friday and since I LOVE a good outing and unhealthy food I was dying to go. I figured it might be a good idea to go sooner rather than later as it would still be nice and clean so today we hit up Fair Park.
This year's fair theme is Super Sized Fun....everything really is bigger and better in Texas!

I love looking at all the animals (photos below), crafts and just walking around in general, but when I attend the fair food is my number one priority. I have two MUSTS that I HAVE to get every year.

The first is funnel cake. I like my the classic way with nothing but powdered sugar.

My second MUST is a Fletcher's corn dog.

If you have ever had a Fletcher's corn dog you know how amazing these are. It is literally worth going to the fair just to eat one of these. I admit that I would have been content to leave after eating this, but alas, we decided to stay a bit longer.

Emily and I were SO excited to have our freshly made Fletchers'!

This year I also finally tried the world famous Dole Pineapple Whip.

It did not disappoint! Now, if only Pinkberry or I Heart Yogurt would start serving it...

While perusing the fair grounds I spotted a bit of pink and green.

I ALWAYS wanted an airbrushed shirt when I was younger, but sadly never owned one. I suppose a photo shall suffice now, but I love the personalization and thought it was amazing that these are entirely airbrushed by hand with no stencil!

Every cowgirl needs a snazzy cowboy hat!

The hot pink matched my outfit. I might just have to go back and pick one up to match the pink boots.

Finally, we popped into the children's petting zoo before heading home. I got to pet the above giraffe!

Ever since our family went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park I have steered clear of goats. While we were in the petting zoo there (in 1990, GASP!) I was happily playing with them as another proceed to eat mother's skirt. Needless to say goats have not been a favorite of ours, but these little ones were just too sweet!

I spotted this ostrich and immediately thought of Muffy!

I could not get enough of these sweet piglets and their mama at the end. They are just too precious! If only we could all live in the movie Uptown Girls and have our own as a pet.

What a perfect day to attend the fair. Good weather, great company and gourmet food...it just doesn't get much better than this!

Game time!

I am not a huge sports fanatic, but I do enjoy going to a game every now and again. Tonight is a BIG DFW football game; it is the SMU versus TCU game. While I obviously did not go to either school, I have many friends and coworkers that did. So, tonight I will be cheering on both teams and will be sporting both red, navy and purple (I am going neutral) in their honor!

Happy Friday!

The Other India

*Please note before reading that this is not a light heartened post. The following are my discoveries from my time in India. I ask that you respect that.*

India is a wonderful country to visit as it is full of history and culture. However, like any third world country, there are two sides to India: the side which I was lucky enough to "live" in and then the other side filled with poverty. The saddest part about this in my opinion is that very little is being done to help these people by other Indian people or their own government. This is not to say that modern day Mother Theresa's do not exist and there ARE numerous international NGOs. However, for the most part when you visit India you will notice that in fact, very few people at the top actually reach out to their own people. As much as it hurts to watch children beg and mother's hold sick babies, when I visited India you have to accept that there is only SO much I was able to do. So, that brings me to my to the slums.

About a year and a half ago after my mother had made her way half way across the world she realized there was much work to be done at our home in Jor Bagh. My father had found a WONDERFUL lady to help clean and cook, but with all the pollution in India she needed help cleaning the marble floors, watering the plants, taking the dogs out, etc. Anitha is a wonderful, Christian woman with a HUGE heart. She and her husband had been walking by the slum one day and saw a young man. He was shy, but they struck up a conversation and learned he was working as a gardener in nearby neighborhoods.
Anitha went home, but felt called to tell my mother about this boy as they were looking for additional help. They went back to the slum, which just so happens to be right across from the American Embassy School- sort of ironic I think, and interviewed him. To make a long story short my mother decided to hire him and have him move out of the slum and into the back side of our building (every home in India has living quarters for staff). Baju had come to New Delhi from a tiny village that was an eight hour bus ride. His father had left his family. He had five sisters and was the only son which now meant at 20 years of age it was his duty to not only support the family, but to also pay for every one of his sisters weddings. A huge duty for such a young man.

At first Baju hung his head and barely spoke. He rarely smiled. He had never slept on a proper bed or used running water. However, with encouragement and time Baju came out of his shell. He was trained by Anitha and my mother. He now has friends and a wonderful new job (mother secured jobs for all her staff upon moving).

These are photos of the slum where Anitha found Baju. Contrary to popular belief it is often not free to live in the slum. Baju had to pay the equivalent to $20 a month to rent a spot in a "home" in this slum. He did not even live in the area pictured- this area is the "higher" end of the slum.

While Baju's story is wonderful, it is saddest that it is actually very rare. Also, while Baju did thrive during his year and a half with our family it was not a walk in the park. He was sadly very mistreated by many people in Jor Bagh because of what caste he was apart of.

While I have read there are some areas of India that are letting go of the cast system, it is still plays a huge role in the lives of many in Northern India. Even well educated people mistreat those from lower casts. Again, this is not to say all people do this; it is a general observation. There are many horrible stories of people being treated as slaves and help being beaten and abused. However, as much as I would have loved to, I am not going to be able to change a nation's way of thinking. While in India we focused on doing what we could to help better the lives of those around us. However, no matter how you look at it, it is still heart wrenching.This is the side of India that is far from glamorous. The side where woman lift heavy stones to build new sidewalks as their babies lay in the dirt next to them. The side where normal people are yelled at by people in a higher caste, just for kicks. The side where wealthy, educated people leave children with disabilities at orphanages because they have believe they are evil. The side where children are sold into begging and prostitution circles. This is the other India.

Add Some Sparkle!

Glitter makes everything better!

I LOVE glitter and have found Martha has the very best. You can buy colors individually at Micheal's or online. Or, if you are a glitter fanatic, like me, you can buy a 24 pack will all the essential colors.

Martha's glitter is very fine and adheres to anything. Add some sparkle to cards, favor tags, fill ornaments or spend a night making glittered pumpkins (I made these two years ago, I used fake pumpkins, and they still look fabulous)! No matter what type of project you are working on there is always a need for a little bit of sparkle!

Monkey See

This weekend I was lucky enough to score a DARLING wicker monkey bench/stool (just like the ones in Lilly!)- I am SO excited about my purchase and will be sure to post photos when it arrives. In the mean time I started thinking about other wicker animals and could not resist sharing this darling elephant side table with you. It reminds me of the white ceramic one my mother bought here in Dallas a few years ago. Such darling, statement piece! You could even spray paint it to better match your decor!

Fran's Elephant Table ($45)

Snapshots From India