Dear Mother Nature,

Dear Mother Nature,

While I am grateful for the rain, I'm wondering why you decided to send it all to us in one day.

xoxo
Bethany

Today we're supposed to get up to 6 inches in rain. That's right...in one day! Of course, I use any opportunity I can to break out my Swellies from a few seasons ago.


And my Kate Spade toggle rain coat kept me semi-dry as I dashed out to the car in the rain!


Wishing you a beautiful (and dry!) day!

xoxo

National Coffee Day

Today is National Coffee Day. Someone, somewhere must have been sitting in a meeting and came up with this "holiday." But this is one holiday that many people happily celebrate! You might even want to check your local coffee shop for some special deals. I've heard of promotions at Dunkin Donuts that also benefit Special Olympics, but not all stores are participating.

Of course, you could always enjoy a cup of coffee before work...


Coffee is perfect for a crisp fall day.


Purists insist on black coffee, but I don't think that I could drink that!


These pretty pink marshmallows are much more my speed. Kind of like a hot chocolate on steroids.


This is a sweet way to surprise a special someone. I can do the "spider web" design, but this is a little bit more of a stretch. Maybe I could use a stencil...





Delicious coffee is produced in Oaxaca, Mexico where I used to live. Some of the best varieties are altura, meaning high grown.


Do you know where your coffee was grown? What is your favorite?


Of course, a cafe au lait while in Provence would be the best treat of all! (One can dream, right?) I always say that the Diet Coke tastes better in Mexico, maybe the same is true with coffee!


What will you be drinking to celebrate National Coffee Day? What is your standard order? (Images)

xoxo

Even Lilly Peeps Need Black

In my wardrobe, you'll see a hefty dose of color. For me, pink is a neutral color! But in the fall and winter, the little black dress is de rigueur for so many formal social events.

Lilly lovers need not worry, because there are many excellent options in the Lilly Pulitzer Fall and Holiday collection.

The Sandra dress is one of my favorites from spring and summer! It is a sure winner this fall in black. This dress is amazingly versatile. I need to try on this dress to see if it is running big for fall. In the spring, I had to order a size smaller, what's not to love about that?


Mae is in the running for one of the many weddings I have this fall. I just love the rosette on the front. And another secret is in the back of the dress, an exposed zipper.


This is the quintessential little black dress. Understated and elegant, it can take you almost anywhere! Although I prefer this dress in green, the Juliana dress from Lilly Pulitzer is a fabulous option when black is a must.


Of course, I've saved the best for last! One of my favorite purchases from last year was the Shauna dress. It must have been incredibly popular because it is back for fall 2010 in the same black tone with gold embroidery as well as a few other bold designs. Perfect for almost any occasion.


Which of these little black dresses do you like the most?

xoxo

Lilly Laptop Case

Run, don't walk, to the nearest Lilly store and get your laptop case now. If you're not near a Lilly Pulitzer store, call one, or click here to order a laptop case from the Preppy Princess.

Trust me, once you see this you'll know what I mean. I predict that these are going to sell out very quickly.


xoxo

Great Yoga Pant Debate

Yoga pants are probably one of the most comfortable items in my dresser drawers. I truly could live in them every day. But I don't. Lately, I've been seeing a lot of people who seem to dress exclusively in yoga pants. Last week, I saw too many women and girls wearing yoga pants at the Virginia Wine Festival that I lost count. Seriously, who wears yoga pants to an all day wine festival???

Here are some of my do's for wearing yoga pants:


1. Wear yoga pants to go to the gym, yoga class, or other athletic activity. (duh!)
2. Invest in high quality fabric yoga pants (think Lucy and Lululemon) The fit is worth it and you'll appreciate the figure flattering advanced fabric. Lululemon hems yoga pants for free!

3. Yoga pants make excellent lounge wear, but be sure to lounge in other things, too.

4. Check yourself in the mirror in the dressing room in the poses that you will be doing while wearing the yoga pants. Make sure that the fabric of the pants is opaque and that the pattern of your underwear does not show through the fabric. (Several of the wine festival women were guilty of not checking this huge detail.)

5. Ditch the yoga pants to go to class if you're a student. Moms, don't wear yoga pants to your child's school on a daily basis. Ladies, as much as men probably appreciate a beautiful woman in yoga pants, let them know that you are a lady and wear dresses and skirts. Even jeans and a nice shirt are much more polished than yoga pants and are another comfortable option.

Of course I love my yoga pants; I just wear them at the right time. And to answer what I bet is running through your mind, yes, the more expensive yoga pants are absolutely worth the money. I used to buy inexpensive workout clothes thinking that it didn't matter, but trust me, there is a difference. Here are some of my favorites.

These are my new "go to" yoga pants! The Lucy power pants fit true to size and the best part is that they come in petite sizes that are perfect for my 5'4" height.


The Lilly Pulitzer Half Moon capris are also gorgeous and flattering, although they do run a size small. I had to order up in these.


What's your opinion in the great yoga pant debate? Do you like to wear yoga pants? If so, where?

xoxo

This Stinks

Bugs, creepy crawlers, snakes, and iguanas don't scare me. They annoy me, but I actually tolerate them. I kind of have an arrangement with these little guys, stay out of my way, don't bite, me and we're all good.


But the "stink bugs" have me pretty mad at them. They're everywhere. In my classroom, in my house, in my car. Today was the final straw. I was sitting in the car line waiting for the girls to come out from school and had the windows open. No less than a dozen stink bugs end up in my car. Of course, I didn't want to smash them, but had to get them out of my car. And I did. But the other moms in the car line probably thought I had lost my mind since at one point I had numreous car doors opened and I was swatting aimlessly at the inside of the car.

Seemingly invincible, the stink bugs appear to be alone on the food chain, without a predator. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for a swarm of angry birds to swoop down and rescue me from these menacing little monsters.

Do you have any words of wisdom? Are you under attack by the stink bugs? How do I get rid of them????

xoxo

Fall-o Friday

Happy Friday! This is the first follow Friday of fall. Never mind that it is going to be a record breaking 99 degrees today.

Just like last week, on today's blog hop you only need to link your blog to the list once. Your link will be visible on the list throughout the week so a lot of people can find you!

Blog readers will see the same list on all of the blogs and will be able to "hop" from blog to blog. What a fun way to find new friends! If you have not joined previous weeks, be sure to add your blog to the list today. Even if you've already added your blog on another blog hop, add your name to the list today since every week is a new list.

Here's how to play:
1. Find new blogs to follow and be sure to follow me.
2. Be sure to follow someone who follows you and let them know that you found them through Follow Friday. You all know how much we love comments! :)
3. Tell your other blogger friends about Follow Friday and encourage them to join!



Want to be a part of this Blog Hop? Click for instructions and code… Today's list is going to be beautiful because you'll get to add your favorite blog image that reminds you of fall.



Happy Friday! Are you ready for fall? It seems like there are always so many social events from September to January. Luckily, I found the Mae dress from Lilly Pulitzer. It will be perfect for one of the weddings or auctions I will attend in the next few months. What events do you look forward to this season?



xoxo

Scott Ambush and Friends

Last night was such a fun and different night! Scott Ambush and Friends played live jazz at Volt Restaurant in their lovely patio garden. The company, music, weather, and atmosphere were spectacular.


Everyone really enjoyed the music. At one point, the band was playing a song that I knew I had somewhere in my repertoire but could not immediately place. It turned out to be one of the best renditions of Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden that I have ever heard. Truly amazing. People on the patio applauded numerous times throughout the evening and we saw people dancing to the music in the townhouses across the street. Others peeked across the gate to see the music and give their praise to Scott and friends.

I'm looking forward to another event like this soon! (Hint, hint!)


Before the music began, I met someone very special in the kitchen! No, not Brian Voltaggio, although he is very special. I had the pleasure of meeting him at the Tomato Festival. It was Trish's lovely and veeeeeeery talented sister, Theresa, who was in the open kitchen showcasing her culinary skills. She's a doll and was so kind to take time out of her very busy schedule to say hello.

Wishing you a very happy and productive Thursday!

xoxo

Since I don't have an iphone...

Hello, dear friends. I've been feeling a little left out of the party because I don't have an iphone. Don't misunderstand me. I don't want an iphone. My BlackBerry is my best friend and I prefer the fun keyboard to a touch screen. And BlackBerry Messenger is the best invention since sliced bread because I can essentially "text" all day with friends around the world for free!

But I have to admit that I was just a liiiiiiiittle bit jealous of the peeps who could purchase the Lilly Pulitzer iphone case.

So I decided to make a Lilly Pulitzer skin for my phone and cover that with a clear case to protect the skin. For the skin, I used the Text Message print that I downloaded here. What an appropriate embellishment for a phone, don't you think?


You can download some additional Lilly Pulitzer prints and patterns here. They're great screen savers. By the time I'm bored with one screen saver, my friends at Lilly corporate have already been kind enough to share another one.

Here's the final result! Do you have an iphone or a BlackBerry? Do you use a special case or skin?



xoxo

County Fairs

The County Fair is being held this week where I live. It's a pretty big deal since there are a lot of farms in the area. In fact, public school students have a school holiday for "Fair Day" on Friday!


The girls and I spent the day at the fair and had so much fun! They loved the rides. Oh to be 9 years old and have the stomach I did back in the day! I still love a great ride, but have to stay far away from the "teacup" type rides or the pirate ship!


Of course, a trip to the fair is not complete without some incredibly delicious food that is so bad for me that I treat myself to it once a year! Between the funnel cake, fresh from the dairy ice cream, and the snow cone, I'm set for yummy treats until the fair next year. But even I have limits. No fried Oreos, Twinkies or Snickers for me. I just can't bring myself to try those.


Animals from local farms are housed in barns and pavillions during fair week while they are judged and shown. Many of the children from the farms sleep in the barns with their animals while they are at the fair. What dedication! We had the opportunity to see piglets who had just been born today at 9:00 a.m. They were adorable! The poor mother pig looked exhausted.


The fair is fun at night, too! Last year, we saw Miley's dad, AKA Billy Ray Cyrus, in concert at the fair. Of course, I only knew one song, but it was still a lot of fun!



What is your favorite thing to do at the fair? What foods do you have to try at the fair, even if you only eat them once a year?

xoxo


(Images)

Priceless

1 pair of dust covered semi-destroyed McKims going to the cobbler for a quick fix, $50. Suncreen purchased at the grocery store en route, $10. A gorgeous day in the country with fun people...priceless!


This weekend, I attended the Virginia Wine Festival in Centreville, Virginia. The weather was absolutely perfect and I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. The only thing that would have made it better would have been the company of the sweet 2 Preppy Girls who lives in this neck of the woods. Over 50 wineries offered tastings to attendees. I kept a collection of papers with my notes about different wines from each winery for future reference. Some of my favorites were from Barboursville, Williamsburg, and Breaux vineyards.

Wintergreen takes the prize for most efficient service. The woman who was doing the wine tasting explained each wine so succinctly that I almost couldn't finish my taste before the next one was being served. Breaux Vineyards had the most delicious Vigonier and generous tastes of each wine.

I decided that I personally can't judge a wine by it's price or it's rating. Both the $50 Octagon wine from Barboursville and the $8 Governor's White from Williamsburg tasted delicious. And recently I had a wine that was highly rated at 93 points that I ended up using as cooking wine. But I did learn a little bit more about wine at the festival and want to visit some vineyards in the area.


One of the more unique tastings of the day was Horton's Xoco Chocolate infused wine. A friend said that it tasted just like a tootsie roll! It would be perfect as an after dinner drink.


This guy has the best job of the day. Who wouldn't like to walk around on stilts, dressed like a pirate, drinking wine, and getting paid for the privilege? He was a rock star and everyone wanted their picture taken with him.



Aren't these ladies lovely? Believe it or not, they were the only two Lilly lovers I could find at the wine festival, besides myself, of course! I wore my Cormick dress in the Bird on a Wire print from the recent online sale. The print and dress style are perfect for warm fall weather. I thought that I would see a lot more Lilly, but no such luck. I did see lots of black yoga pants worn as wine festival apparel, but that's a separate issue...


Remember how I started this post talking about my McKims? Well, the dust at the wine festival was beyond words and at one point I looked down at my feet thinking I had developed a savage tan in one afternoon because they were so brown. No such luck. I had a coating of brownish-red dust all over my feet that looked like tan lines. My foot outline was ingrained in the sole of my blue McKims. Hopefully, they can be cleaned to a semi-normal state.

Have a beautiful start to your week!

xoxo