Houston Ballet

This morning I checked my e-mail and the Houston Ballet has sent their upcoming events for 2010. In the line up is La Bayadere!!! I can't wait!!! La Bayadere is a Russian ballet. I'm not sure why but I'm always drawn to Russian things. I love the language, ballet, symphony, opera and art. And I'm extremely intrigued by Russian history such as the Romanov's. I've always wanted to visit the Pushkin museum of art in Moscow and see an opera at the Mussorgsky (aka: Mikhailovsky theatre) Opera house in St. Petersburg. Perhaps one day.....

The music/dancing in La Bayadere is absolutely beautiful. It also has an amazing wardrobe. The plot is filled with jealousy, envy, affairs, murder, and a haunting. It's a great ballet to see and will be a fantastic way to start off 2010.

Oh Baby!

I just received a text that my BFF back in Austin just had her baby. YAY! I'm so excited to see him. I'm looking forward to snuggling that baby boy. This is going to be a fun Christmas.

Day After Thanksgiving

One of my favorite days out of the entire year is the day after Thanksgiving. Not because it's "BLACK FRIDAY" no I'm not interested in participating in that mess at all. You will never see me out there fighting the crowds, sitting in traffic, or going without sleep for a department store sale. I would rather go without. I don't like being around chaos and I see crowds as just that (completely unpredictable). It really makes me anxious and frustrated when I'm around that environment. I'm a very orderly and proper individual so chaos drives me mad. I believe people are too arrogant and selfish to be safe shoppers. I hardly see social etiquettes demonstrated these days. That's why I don't really care much for city living.

To tell you the truth I've been longing for a country estate. I wish I had that English cottage or Southern planation style home. With acres of nothingness surrounding me. I could actually hear myself think. My ideal lot would be nothing less than 7-10 acres. Awww, that sounds wonderful. Perhaps I'll ask Papa Noel this year, LOL! He could leave the deed in my stocking (along with keys to the Mercedes SUV I've had my eye on).

Ok, back to the purpose of this post. The reason why I adore the day after Thanksgiving so much is that I get to pull out all my Christmas decorations. I truly love decorating the house for the holidays. The ribbons, lights, and crystal ornaments are all more the reason I'm enchanted with this season. I'm looking forward to a day of decorating and full of Christmas music. Papa Noel left an amazing New Orleans Christmas jazz cd in my husband's stocking last year. I believe I'll pull it out and put it on. Hope you are off to a fantastic holiday season and that y'all didn't eat too much turkey yesterday, LOL!

Happy Thanksgiving!

O God, when I have food,

help me remember the hungry;

When I have work,

help me remember the jobless;

When I have a home,

help me remember those who don't have a home at all;

When I am without pain;

help me remember those who suffer;

And remembering,

help me to destroy my complacency;

bestir my compassion,

and be concerned enough to help;

By word and deed,

those who cry out for what we take for granted.

Amen.

- Samuel F. Pugh

This Thanksgiving holiday is going to be extremely difficult on many American families. Across this great nation are those who have experienced job loss, foreclosures, bankruptcy, divorces, health issues, and many other heartbreaking tragedies. As Christmas begins to approach I'm sure guilt stricken parents will feel depressed and broken as they will not have the means to provide a financial blessing upon those they cherish most (their children). Perhaps some are feeling completely broken for they have lost their homes in the massive foreclosures that swept our country. There will be no gifts, Christmas tree, or holiday dinner. If you are one of these Americans I want to express that I will not forget you this Thanksgiving. You will be in my prayers as I pray for this nation.

I also want to send a word of encouragement. I say, to those who are in the midst of a dark storm, look forward. You have a future and even though you are struggling now don't give up. Don't let that dark day, dark month, dark year, or dark decade define your future and who you are. America was not built on financial wealth but faith. Faith in the true living God. Our focus has been selfish greed for many years as we concentrated on gaining possessions and wealth. But God and relationships are truly what makes a poor man rich. God gives hope to the hopeless and sends people in our lives to shower us with love. If you are feeling lost and helpless I can offer you the truth. You can have the BEST holiday season in your life if you are willing to cry out to God. Ask him for future and thank him for all he has done for you. Then love on those around you. No amount of money will provide the happiness and joy you will experience when you make your holiday about God and relationships.

"Give thanks to the Lord; for he is good; his loves endures forever." - Psalm 107:1

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and blessed Thanksgiving!

Peeptoe Pumps & Pearls

Jill over at http://peeptoepumpsandpearls.blogspot.com/ has recently posted a "give away" at an opportunity to win a bottle of Perricone MD cold plasma (retail $150). I couldn't be more excited about this offer. I didn't realize that we had something HUGE in common, skincare!!! Yes, I'm obsessed with skincare. Not only am I obsessed with my own skin but my husbands too. I'm constantly chasing him around the house trying to lather skin products/sunscreen to his beautiful skin (he hates it). I will probably be one of those insane mother's that has my babies in hats, sunglasses, and tons of sunscreen.

Where did this obsession begin? When I was in high school I worked for a Dermatologist. The horrible stories I would hear scared me enough to stay out of the sun. I wear lots of hats and light weight cotton shirts during the summer. I try to avoid certain hours to be out of the direct sunlight. And I'm constantly applying lotions/oils to my face when I'm home. I try to not apply make-up on the days I know I won't be running around. And I wash my face twice a day no matter how exhausted I am. You wouldn't believe how many women do not wash their make up off!!! I also believe that a healthy diet is important too. However, the best skincare tip I've learned over the years is a healthy lifestyle.

If you get an opportunity please stop by to see Jill. You'll absolutely love her blog.

Holiday Decor

Our little Gayanne

I just went outside and got the mail. I'm so excited because I received a very important letter. I would like to share with y'all photo's of someone who has completely melted our hearts in the past two years. This is our little princess, Gayanne. Gayanne lives in Armenia with her loving family. We sponsor Gayanne by paying for her medical/education. We like to send packages filled with little goodies (mostly toys & candy) as you can see in the pictures. Isn't she adorable? Love those pigtails.

Her grandmother writes us the cutest letters and always sends updated pictures. We get excited when we get one in the mail. Gayanne's father is a truck driver. We learned last year that her mother wanted to attend a vocational school so we decided to surprise them and pay her tuition. She is now working in a hospital. Gayanne has a little sister who just turned two. We want to sponsor her education too when it's time. We feel so privilege and humbled to be able to make a difference in their lives. I can't tell you how much these letters mean to us. I love to see Gayanne grow and I hope that we will one day be able to meet her face to face.

My Dallas Trip

We had a fabulous time in Dallas. My husband did a super job speaking at the conference. Everyone was impressed with him and asking for compliance and accreditation advice. He's sort of the guru when it comes to that sort of thing. Me, I have no idea what he's talking about. I usually get lost in a decorating fantasy or two within minutes of shop talk. However, he did look very handsome in his new tie (thanks to wifey) :)

We stayed at a large hotel that had numerous conferences/meetings. I was floored when I learned that E&J Gallo wines also was holding a conference on the same date/time as my husbands. Wow, I knew I was going to run into someone I knew. Yup, I ran into a few old friends from my Pacific Northwest days. Crazy, I haven't seen them in 10 years. We use to all live in Eugene, Oregon. Back in college I dated a guy who worked for E&J Gallo wines. He was over the Oregon market and I use to visit the wineries/distribution center with him. I would also attend all the social events/parties/dinners so I became friends with the salesmen over time. Who would have thought 10 years later I would be running into them at conference my husband was speaking at in Dallas, Texas? Small, small, small world.

I did get a chance to run by a few boutiques. And I found the perfect earrings to match my silver necklace (I posted about it a few weeks ago). I always travel with a cloth Gucci bag that I store a good bit of jewelry in. You never know what you'll need when traveling. I'll let you in on a little secret....I LOVE JEWELRY! Not just any old thing but the loud, obnoxious, gaudy kind. I think I got that gene from my Nana, LOL.

I found a little antique shop that I purchased a couple estate pieces from. I picked up another set of pearls. A gal can't possibly have enough pearls. I plan on wearing the black strand with a silk black top. Simple accent to make it elegant. A beautiful circle brooch surrounded by white pearls. At first I wasn't interested but I thought I could use it with a long silk scarf I picked up in Paris a few years back. I like to drape it across my shoulders but it always seems to slip off. I though I would try to pin it with the brooch. I tried this afternoon and it looks fantastic. It really made it pop and brooch doesn't look dated at all next to it. But my favorite piece is the bee.

I love bee's. Royalty (mostly French) used bee's in their clothing. However, using the symbol of bee's has been dated back as far as 350 BC in Egypt. They would even have golden bee's engraved in their tombstones. Napoleon's famous red robes were embroidered with bees and many claim that's where Fleur De Lis originated from. Bee's are very French. I have bee stationary, bee paperweight, and even bee glasses. So I was excited when I saw this little golden bee. I'm planning on wearing my little gaudy piece on my collar of a white cotton shirt. It will definitely be a conversational piece. I adore estate jewelry because it reminds me of classic Hollywood. When Jean Harlow, Marlene Dietrich, and Joan Crawford were walking the red carpet. That's when Hollywood was glam and fabulous. Not trashy like it is today. I could so see Joan Crawford wearing my bee pin. She was the ultimate diva, LOL!

Jean Harlow

Marlene Dietrich

Joan Crawford

Dallas, Texas

I'm exhausted. I just finished packing my suitcase for our upcoming trip. I know I should be in bed but I'm too exhausted to sleep. Ever been? My husband is pulling a shift tonight (last one) and will have nearly five consecutive days off. I say nearly because he's still working. My husband is like a little tornado and is always working on something. He's off from the ER and surgical center for the next five days but he has a speaking engagement at a conference in Dallas. I'm excited to go because we are staying through the weekend. We are planning on hitting some boutiques, antique shops, and some fantastic restaurants. I've been wanting to try a Greek restaurant not far from where we'll be staying. I've been craving a good Hummus.

Me, I'm planning on relaxing. I packed my Philosophy bubble bath (Strawberry Milk Shake), nail polish (OPI Crepes Suzzette), Harry Conick Jr. CD (old classic one), and a ton of magazines (New Orleans House & Home and Texas Home Living). It will be nice to put my feet up and order room service and not worry about chores, schedules, and errands for a change. Perhaps I will eat Bon Bons, LOL! Y'all have a wonderful week and cross your fingers that I'll find some unique pieces while hitting those antique shops.

A Lazy Sunday Afternoon

I have a beautiful roast cooking in a Chardonnay sauce in my crock pot. I have some wonderful light jazz playing, and my husband and I snuggled on the couch reading books. I love lazy Sunday afternoons.

Elaine Miller Collection

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting in the lobby of a day spa flipping through a magazine and came across a fantastic article about a jewelry designer named, Elaine Miller. She owns a very unique jewelry salon located downtown Raleigh, NC. I couldn't wait to view her collection. Wow! Absolutely stunning pieces. I have so many favorites I honestly couldn't pick one. I told my husband he can't go wrong with anything from her collection, LOL! I thought I would share this fabulous new find with y'all.

Absolutely Stunning

Look at that gorgeous bathroom. That deep purple color is my favorite! And I adore those velvet blue dining room chairs. Not so crazy about the chandelier but those chairs...