Princess Kate

I am a little wee infactuated with Princess-to-be Kate Middleton. While others are sick of hearing about the 'royal wedding plans' I find myself stopping in front of the tv on my way out the door when I see GMA's royal diary.

I used to think Prince William was so dreamy in junior high, but the fact that I am now more in love with his fiance' takes the cake. She is just so poised and pretty. Glad he chose her! So until April 29th....I will gladly stalk their wedding plans. :)

             The bride-to-be has left her job at Party Pieces, this from The London Evening Standard

“Kate Middleton has quit her job at her parents’ online party supplies business to throw herself full time into planning her wedding.”

And then there is today’s You Can’t Make This Stuff Up entrant, the “No More Waity Katie” nail polish from Butter London.

Girlfriends!

It's been a good week of catching up with 'ma girls' with dinner, happy hour, and even those of you far away on the phone. :)

First we had snowmageddon again- out of no where. It took me 3 hours to get home from work on Monday, and April got stranded coming home from Butler so she decided to call it quits on her way home and sleepover our house. 8" out of nowhere- really!

Dee, Lindsay, and I met Anita for dinner at Bravo (yum!) to find out the

 sex of her little bambino! We had a bet going; Me & Dee had dibs on a girl,

 Jen and Lindsay were team boy.

Dee & I won naturally, so we're very excited for our new little gal pal to enter the world.

I told Louie I would mail her team boy in the mail :)

Time to get monogrammed gifts going for my new baby friends!!...

...and then there was happy hour with Andrea & Amanda after work yesterday where we found 1/2 off bottle of wine Wednesday @ Walnut Grove. We will be making a weekly pitstop!

National Margarita Day!

February 22nd is National Margarita Day!

Just a little history....

Named after a lady named Margarita. The original Margarita was invented in 1948 by socialite Margarita Sames. According to the legend it was during a party at her cliffside hacienda in Acapulco that Margarita began experimenting with ‘the drink’. Looking for something to cut the dust of a hot afternoon, she mixed Tequila Herradura, Cointreau and fresh lime juice. Her cocktail kept the party going for two weeks and today the Margarita is the #1 most popular cocktail in the U.S.



Weekend recap

Last week, I was trying to recover from this awful cold...I went from Saturday until Thursday with my head in a fish bowl.  I went to Med Express, or as my uncle Jaybird would call it- the McDonalds of Doctors, and they gave me super icky nasal spray with a steroid in it. I tried it a few times, but it would only spray up my nose, and come back out my mouth- which made me gag! When 2 days of that didn't help any, I finally gave in to the Z-PACK! Jaybird called one in for me, I started it at lunch, and within 2 hours, my ear finally popped and I could hear again; Just in time for my weekend!

We had dinner club at the 'Stiffy's'  and they made Tres Ravioli's. SO GOOD!!

They had dinner in their new wine cellar and made the meal feel as if we were at a wine tasting in Italy. Hopefully, FINGERS CROSSED, Rob will win the next Jones trip so that we can to Italy this summer. Florence was truly the most beautiful place in the world. So much art and culture.

Yesterday I met up with Buckle to go back to Shadyside hospital to visit our friend Frankie and his wife Peggy. Frankie's aneurysm actually burst, and he had his surgery 3 days before B's. He is STILL in Shadyside hospital. He just had an operation that will hopefully put him on the path to recovery now. They are one of the sweetest couples I've ever met. If I can take away one positive thing from B dying, it would be meeting Peggy and Frankie. Sue Sue, Buckle, and I have made 2 life long friends.

I'm headed to Miss's tonight to hang out with Sophia and watch the BACHELOR!!

At least I have one friend to share in my Bachelor insanity with me. Yes, the concept behind it is completely absurb, but I enjoy the escape it gives me for 2 hours a week.

What did you say??

Agh, I hate to sound like a fuddy duddy, but our trip didn't go exactly as planned. Grr.

Rob ended up with a really bad sinus infection on day 2 and I woke up with it on day 4...so as he started to feel a little better I was stuck in bed. It wasn't just the kind of cold you could get along with, we had the chills along with the feeling of being beaten by a baseball bat.

At least room services was part of our all inclusive deal with all the soup and ice cream we could eat- since we werent using up the nice dinners or pool drinks much. 

 What wasn't part of our deal was $28 for Robitussin at the gift shop (or $308 pesos)

While Robbie stayed in bed one day, I ventured downtown to the boardwalk with April & Greg and another Jones couple, Lori & Keith

We stopped @ a little dive that served $1 Coronas & $1 Margaritas

Puerta Vallarta's boardwalk was a lot cleaner and prettier than I expected it to be.

They had a dozen or more awesome sand sculptures hand molded on the beach.

Here are April & I, my Kim Kardashian look alike friend :)

We were out dancing after dinner the night before it 'hit' me.

All in all, our room and resort was amazing- would highly recommend it to anyone heading to PV!

On the flight back....Rob & I had excruiating pain in our ear drums from the pressure with our sinus infections. We're back and we BOTH can't hear a thing. Its like being stuck inside of a fish bowl I would assume. Though its making us feel even worse than we do, its kind of commical walking around the house screaming for each other. I pray it comes back sometime today so we can work tomorrow. For now...I will take a nap and go cuddle with my fur child that I missed so much! xoxo S.

Hearts Day

Valentine's Day Season is upon us! Everything hearts of pink and red.

Robbie & I will just be getting back from Mexico this year, so we'll celebrate IN Mexico I'm sure. Or maybe at the airport with one last Margarita. Every year we go into the Strip for seafood and cook in- it's become our niche and I love it.
And though I love love love fresh flowers, red roses aren't my cup of tea.
So I just ask for a big bag of dark chocolate instead :)

I also think of my friends during this holiday- and all of the carnation grams we would send each other in school for a $. Though you might not get a carnation from me, I love you all, far & near. My girlfriends were my valentines for a lot of years too!

I came across this really cute recipe I might try this weekend on Bakerella.

Red Velvet Cake Bites

I also love the idea of a heart shaped breakfast in bed :)

William Sonoma

Or this super cute Lily Pulitzer sweater

Lily Pulitzer

xoxo
S.

MEXICO!

T-minus 4 days until Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!

Very excited to read and relax- and visit my first all-inclusive vacation spot.

(I hope they have plenty of Mount Gay!)

We are staying at the Grand Velas resort with Rob's Edward Jones crew.

Our buddies, April & Greg are going as well so I'll be sure to post next week about our fun in the sun!

It's safe to say I have us all packed and ready to go- but the one little problem is that its the SUPERBOWL on Sunday and the STEELERS are playing in it! Our plane lands at 130pm, so we'll get there just in time to see the big game with a drink in hand at the pool bar- where they set up big screen tv's in the pool.

Greg advised that I better arrive in my Steelers Gear, but I have this fear of being a yinzer- yes, even for the superbowl. I tried to incorporate black and yellow best I could for
 the plane ride. 

Family Heirlooms

The last month has been really ...sensitive. It's been all about family, friends, and remembering B. I've been very lucky to spend 3 out of 4 weekends with my family, and trying to catch up with friends in nights in between. I've also been trying to get our house back in order- while trying to bring in every little thing I managed to 'sneak' into
our house of B's ; They mean so much to me.

A desk she bought me in first grade- that later went on to 'live' in her townhouse

She painted this last spring.

  (It still obviously needs decorated and pictures in frames- though that large photo is B and Poppy's wedding photo!)

 the rocking chair that she rocked all of her babies in

 her engagement ring and wedding band

The trunk that was @ the foot of her bed- we made into a coffee table

 her sewing machine

&

A LOT of her stylin' Ralph Lauren sweaters and polos, books, a book shelf, old pictures, her 'mink' (that Sue Sue is having shortened for me as we speak), baking wear etc etc. It's still so hard to think that she's gone, but out of the five stages of grief...I think I'm just @ sadness. She was an amazing women, and I'm so thankful that I got to spend 28 years of my life with her.