Quick Royal Wedding Update

It's a magical day when an ordinary girl becomes a princess. In the aftermath of the terrible tragedies and sad stories from this week's hurricanes in Alabama, the dismal economic outlook, and other sad news that we see every day, the royal wedding is a reminder that fairy tales can come true, and that life is a celebration!

I'm glued to the television to watch the Royal Wedding and will certainly watch this wedding many, many times this weekend. As I watch the coverage this morning, two moments stand out in my mind right now.

#1: The Dress
Kate Middleton's wedding dress designed by Sarah Burton is so exquisite. The long lace sleeves and conservative cut are stunning and channel one of my favorite style icons, Grace Kelly.




#2: Eugenie and Beatrice
Maybe Lady Gaga designed these royal ensembles, but I had to do a double take at these outfits. My minnies disapproved and Princess Natalia said that they looked like the Evil Stepsisters. You be the judge.





xoxo





Photo Credits via and via

Preppy Picnic

Warm weather means that spring picnic season is here! With spring and summer events like horse races, concerts and festivals, you're sure to be hosting a picnic soon. Of course, you don't need a special occasion or a special place to have a picnic. Almost any place can be transformed into a lovely retreat with the right details.

Here is some preppy pink and green inspiration for the perfect picnic...

Enjoy the pink blossoms on trees in your favorite spot with this romantic enclave. Isn't it amazing what you can do with a little bit of tulle?


A day at the beach is so much fun, especially when you have a set up like this one. So preppy and oh so classic.


Cute little box lunches are perfect for picnics and field trips. Pre-label special orders in advance and distribute individual orders quickly with these adorable pink picnic lunches. This lovely idea is from Martha Stewart, of course!


Why entertain indoors when it's a beautiful day? Celebrate al fresco! I can imagine a little tea or even an outdoor shower with this lovely arrangement. One of my favorite (and surprising) resources for fun home goods like these is ikea. Everything is so affordable and the colors are gorgeous.


A few ribbons and details turn a backyard picnic table into a summertime palace for pool princesses!



xoxo






pictures via pinterest

Royal Wedding with the Minnies

What better way to celebrate the Royal Wedding than with a delightful tea party fit for a mini-princess? I fondly remember watching Princess Diana and Prince Charles' wedding as a child with my mother. I was so enchanted by the dress, the hats, and the elegance of the day. One day, I hope that my daughters will remember this Royal Wedding with such fondness.

Almost every little girl dreams about being a princess some day, just as most little boys want to be a super hero at some point in their childhood. I love these special dreams and am proud of how modern princesses (or princesses-in-training) set excellent examples for girls through their philanthropic work, values for education, and high level of involvement in their community and country. How many brides do you know besides Kate Middleton who are not requesting gifts, but rather are asking that guests donate to charitable organizations?


It is because of these wonderful examples and my love of all things traditional and ceremonial, that I am going to celebrate the royal wedding on Friday with the minnies. Unfortunately, work and school for the minnies must go on, although I seriously considered the excuse I would write on their late slip for school. What do you think?

Luckily, the modern technology allows us to view the wedding in style after school while we enjoy tea and snacks. Cucumber sandwiches are perfect tea food that please even the pickiest palate. Alexia loves asparagus rolls that my sweet friend Stacey, the tea queen, makes. Hopefully mine will turn out as well as hers do!


Perfect pinwheels are adorable party favors, centerpieces, or decorations for a tea party.


Hang sweet bunting as a back drop on the wall or along the egde of the table for added flair.


Cupcakes, cookies, and other sweet treats are the sweetest ending to a royal wedding tea party. Set up a cupcake decorating station with adorable sprinkles and treats so that children can decorate their own cupcakes. I love to get the minnies involved with hands on activities and this is a fun and easy way to have them help with the desserts.



How are you going to celebrate the Royal Wedding?

xoxo






pictures via pinterest

Organized Prep

It's back to work (and reality) for me today after a long and exciting Spring Break with the minnies. The minnies woke up surprisingly well this morning considering their lack of schedule for the past week, but I have to tell you that I was not excited about my alarm clock's 5:00 a.m. greeting this morning.

My goal for the morning is to work through my papers and stacks of pending items and think that I need a little bit of fun to make this job a little bit easier. I just adore these Jonathan Adler binder clips. What could be better than staying organized in style and cute little expressions while I'm working? It sure puts a smile on my face this morning!



Pick up these delightfully preppy clips from The Preppy Princess.

At least it's a Tuesday even though it feels like a Monday!

Have a wonderful day!

xoxo



P.S. In other exciting news, I want to announce the winner of the Marley Lilly Monogrammed Hat giveaway. Congratulations to Caroline aka abivens2! Please contact me within 48 hours so that I can pass on your information to Marley Lilly.

Target's Calypso St. Barth Unveiled

Designer collaborations from Target keep getting better and better. The Calypso St. Barth Collection is available from May 1 until at least June 11. Depending on your store, some of the items may be available after the mid-June date. Just like other Target collaborations, the prices are very accessible, ranging from $2 - $80.

Target's Calypso St. Barth includes clothing for women and girls, accessories, jewelry, shoes, and home goods. The quality of the collection promises to be very good, with materials like silk and linen included.


Perfect and versatile, this pink dress is only $39.99.


Pair the dress with the linen espadrille wedge for a perfect look. These espadrilles cost $29.99 and will match everything in your wardrobe. This season, I love the espadrille wedge. It gives me some height, but is comfortable and easy to wear.


A motif seen in the collection is the elephant. I adore elephants in prints and accessories like this elephant clutch, $12.99.


The girls' collection is too cute! I love this tunic dress for my minnies. What a perfect way to transition from the pool or beach to lunch or shopping in style.


Home accessories include cups, plates, and more. My favorite is the elephant teapot in turquoise. Also available in coral. $12.99.



The entire line is available to preview at the Target Press Room

What items do you like the most? What has your favorite Target collaboration been?

Happy Monday!

xoxo

Christ the Lord is Risen Today!

Happy Easter to you!

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.

Luke 24: 1-5


Although I love every holiday, Easter is one of my favorites. This is one of my favorite hymns that I look forward to singing every Easter Sunday.


The minnies and I went to church and are going to have lunch with my parents.


Have a beautiful day!

xoxo

Perfect Eggs Every Time

Sometimes people joke about their cooking skills by saying that they can boil water or make toast. But sometimes little things like making hard boiled eggs can be much more difficult than it looks.

If you want perfectly hard boiled eggs, here’s the tried and true method from my mom. You’ll never wonder if your eggs are cooked. Eggs won’t crack using this method either.

Procedure:

Use a stainless steel or enamel pot, not aluminum. The following method will give you perfect eggs. The yolks will remain yellow and not turn gray like some hard boiled eggs I’ve seen.

Put eggs into the pot, in a single layer. Don’t stack the eggs. You’ll have to boil the eggs in batches, but it’s worth it.

Cover eggs with cold water and add about another inch of water on top of the eggs.

Heat on medium high heat and bring to full rolling boil. Heating gradually prevents cracks in the eggs.

As soon as the eggs boil, cover the pot and remove from hot burner. Allow to sit for a full 15 minutes for medium eggs.

Drain hot water from eggs. Run cold water over eggs for about 5 minutes. The cold water and cooling process will make it easier to peel the eggs.

Eggs are now ready to color. Dry the eggs and place in a container on the table where you are going to color the eggs.

Have fun coloring the eggs!

Here are some of the minnies' eggs that they made today. Their favorites had designs from the wax crayons.


Happy Easter!

xoxo



Picture via Good Housekeeping

Peeps S'mores

A while ago, sweet Kim sent me a picture of the Peeps s'mores and I knew that I had to make them with my minnies.

First I gathered the ingredients...For each s'more, you'll need 2 graham craker squares, half of a Hershey's chocolate bar, and 1 peep.


Layer the graham cracker, chocolate, and peep. Microwave for about 20 seconds. This will soften the peep just a little bit.


Next, put another graham craker square on top of the peep and smash the little peep! Microwave for another 15 seconds or so.


They're so sweet and gooey! My minnies loved them and so did I.


Happy Easter!

xoxo

Wear Pink and Be Green

Happy Earth Day! Do you like my little Earth Day sign? I thought that it was fun and appropriate for today.

Today, we're traveling, re-grouping, and are headed to Baltimore for Cirque de Soleil's TOTEM this afternoon. Whew! It's a busy and fun Spring Break.

What are you doing today?

Enjoy your Friday!

xoxo

Colonial Green

It's Spring Break for me and the minnies and I have been enjoying our vacation in Williamsburg. Today, I'll join the Pink and Green Thursday fun by sharing some pretty things I've seen in green this week.

In the Palace, there is a gorgeous green room. When our interpreter said, well, this room is really green, I was really excited. The shade of the pain instantly brightens the room and is gorgeous agains the white detail.


Green seems to be a popular color for textiles, too. I love seeing people in colonial costume, although I am sure that they must have been so hot during the humid Virginia summers!


As I mentioned to you earlier, this week is Garden Week in Williamsburg and the city's gardens are stunning. But one of my minnies favorites was the maze of hedges in the Palace garden.


A green chair outside of the Wigmaker's shop is both colorful and useful.


In Jamestown, we learned that early settlers used the sand to try to make glass, but that they were disappointed when the glass was green instead of transparent. The green shade is due to the high iron content in the sand. Although it wouldn't be good for windows in a home, it's certainly pretty and green glass has value for apothecary jars and wine bottles!


These chinoiserie chairs look like bamboo. The Chinese influence is very evident in the decoration, textiles, and furniture of many Colonial Williamsburg homes.


I highly recommend a visit to Williamsburg, Virginia. The minnies are learning about the American Revolution in school this year and loved the "living history" in Williamsburg.

xoxo