Five on Friday - Big News!

Hi Friends! Today I am linking up with April, Darci, Christina, and Natasha to bring you Five on Friday!  I've got big news today in my five AND some big news about a giveaway! Join in with us, and be entered to win some AMAZING prizes (see the bottom of the post)! Good Luck :)

ONE: Regenerating my Monster Basil Plant

I don't if any of you remember my basil 'tree' that grew this past spring (if not check it out here) but after a few months, it went to bloom, and began to die. However, I tried a little something different this year. I cut all of tops of the branches (where the blooms were) and placed them all in another large pot. I literally tossed them in the pot all haphazardly, and with no real regard for them. After about a month or so, I had some small plants sprouting, and now, it appears as though I will soon have another bumper crop. So there you have it kids, basil is literally fool proof. Black thumbs and all, you can grow it.

You can clearly see how I just dropped the old blooms from the other plant into this pot, and left them. Now they are decomposing, and helping the plants to grow!

TWO: Tracy Anderson's 'Butt and Thighs' Webisode

I am a believer of the Tracy Anderson method...albeit, I refuse to pay for her series of workout DVDs, Metamorphosis.  Instead, I opt for her free webisodes that can be found on YouTube. As of late, I've been too busy to hit the gym, so I've opted for easy at home workouts (I use the word 'easy' lightly here).  This video will have you completely sore for 3 days, but it really does work you out in only 15 minutes. It engages your core, your abs, your rear, and your thighs. You may curse Tracy while you're doing it, but you can thank her later.

And Baby Makes Three!

That's right, we are finally joining the club and adding a little bundle of joy to our home! Baby #1 is due in April, and it's a boy! We're so thrilled, and looking forward to what's ahead!

Proof that I really am that pregnant girl. The hubster and I went out for Sunday Funday last week. He ordered a beer, I ordered nachos and fried pickles.

FOUR: Malala Yousafzai wins the Nobel Peace Prize at 17 years old

“We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.” 

-Malala Yousafzai

For those of you who do not know who Malala Yousafzai is, check out my posts from May and June (I touch on her story briefly, to learn more I suggest reading her book!). To summarize, Malala is known internationally because she and her father stood up to the Taliban to fight for the rights of young Pakistani girls to attend school. As a result, Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban - and miraculously survived.  Since then, she has become an acolyte to the world in the crusade to end domestic violence and the oppression of women. In her book, I am Malala, Malala tells a story of pre-Taliban Pakistan, and how the oppressive fundamentalist group eased its way across the border of Afghanistan and into her homeland. As the youngest recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize, she will continue her fight for young women around the world. Congratulations, Malala!!

To read more, check out this article.

FIVE: Weekend Plans!

This weekend my in-laws are flying into Palm Beach to visit us! We are so excited to have visitors, and to see family! We are so far from home, and don't get to go home often, so it's nice change! Two things I am VERY excited about (says the pregnant girl) are the restaurants we will be frequenting. These are two of the very best places to eat in town (take note, if you ever visit on vacay!)

Cafe Boulud - 

Owned by Daniel Boulud, a nationally reknowned chef that has restaurants in NYC, Boston and Palm Beach.  This restaurant is mostly French cuisine, but they occasionally mix in some international flair! I particularly love the hotel its connected to, The Brazilian Court Hotel, and its gorgeous dining patio.

La Sirena

La Sirena is perhaps the most authentic Italian food you can find in South Florida. A hole in the wall kind of place, it's cozy and quaint, and yet very high end.  The owners are a family of Italians that have owned the institution for generations.  Each summer the family travels back to Italy, leaving us craving their delicious dishes for months on end.  After re-opening in September, it's a mad dash to get a reservation.

That's all for me this week, have a happy weekend!!

XO

M

Enter to win all of these great items with today's Five on Friday! Simple add your link to any of the linked blogs above!

Thoughts for Thursday - My new favorite blog!

My good friend Kerry texted me last night about a blog that she has recently become obsessed with. I immediately checked it out, and must admit, I immediately became hooked! This blog, America's Table, is written by President Bush's former Social Secretary.  Now, don't be fooled by this part - it's not a political blog. In fact, it seems to be just the opposite.  Lea Berman describes her blog as one that celebrates 'the pleasures of entertaining with a dash of White House tradition thrown in'.  So if you're like me, and love to cook and entertain, hop on over and check this blog out.

I'd have to say that so far, one of my favorite posts can be found under "Tales of the White House".  She tells a story of a conniving man begging President Johnson's Social Secretary, Bess Abell, to allow he and his wife to join a state house dinner.  His tactics were comical at best, and however quite duplicitous. Check it out, to get the full story! Mixed in with this story is the recipe for this zucchini soup, that I am dying to try.

And oh, by the way, I know for many of you summer is over...but down here my tomatoes are still only $0.49 a lb. So I think I might try to make this little number as well.

You can find the recipe, here.

Happy Reading!

Linking up with:

If We Couldn't Laugh at Politics, We'd All Go Insane...

Hello Friends!

Happy Newsday Tuesday! Today's news is another "If We Couldn't Laugh at Politics" post.  Today, I'm bringing you this video from the Politico Playbook.  This montage of awful, horrible, but absolutely hysterical political ads made my Tuesday morning, and hopefully it makes yours too. :)

2014's Most Viral Ads

I'm ashamed to say the "Say Yes To The Dress" Spoof ad is for my own state's governor, Rick Scott. But I'd have to say my favorite is Ernst's "Hog Castrating" video...you really can't make this stuff up.

2014's Most Bizarre Ads

Morning Joe (also feeling a little silly today) did an interview with Politico's Mike Allen regarding these videos. However, prior to the interview, decided that this viral video of Kangaroos fighting in an Austrailian neighborhood would add to the segment. These Kangaroos are hilarious, and I could watch them all day.

A quick shout out to my favorite little 'fox' Barley, on his 9th Birthday today!

Making way for baby: Nursery decor (and I need your help!)

You may recall about a month ago that I won a 4 piece bumperless baby bedding set (say that 5 times fast!)  from Liz and Roo Fine Baby Bedding. While I SO excited to pick out my bedding set, I must admit that I am totally overwhelmed by all the adorable options! This is where you come in. I have managed to narrow down my favorite fabric, and now I just need to determine which ones will use for the rail cover, crib skirt, and crib blanket. I know that I will not use the crib blanket in the very beginning, so I am leaning towards using on of the more 'coordinating' patterns for the blanket.

Here are the swatches I love the most:

(L to R) easton geometric print, houndstooth, and suzani

The easton print does have the seafoam/blue color on it, and its on the very edge of this swatch (which I'm trying to show here...)

Here are a few stock photos so you can see how Liz and Roo have styled these patterns.

monogrammed houndstooth pillow on top of the suzani blanket

Crib skirt in houndstooth

rail cover in suzani, blanket in suzani, and skirt in houndstooth

blanket in suzani

rail cover and skirt in houndstooth, and blanket in suzani

Easton print blanket 

A few thoughts about each of these...

Although it does not really appear to match - all three fabrics have the same blue/green in them. (Some lighting makes the suzani look really blue). I don't think I want my rail cover and blanket to match. While in Greenville a few weeks ago I put together the fabrics in one ensemble that I'm not sure I love any more, but here it is:

Excuse how messy it looks, we were using a blanket as a skirt and a skirt as a 'blanket' in our staging...

I feel like the suzani print is what ties the 3 prints together the most, which makes me think if the blanket were not with the set, it might look awkward. This led me to making the rail cover in the suzani instead of the blanket, the houndstooth as the skirt, and the easton as the blanket. What do you think? I'm open to suggestions!!

XO,
M

Five on Friday is BACK!

    

ONE      

Winning a 3 pack of Palmetto Cheese

Last week, my husband saw a post by Palmetto Cheese, asking its fans which type of Palmetto Cheese they would like to use to make biscuits (how very southern).  My witty husband replied with the below:

It came in a small Styrofoam cooler..

Complete with "Soul Spreader"

And now we are the proud owners of 3 jalepeno Palmetto Cheese tubs.  Complete with a branded spreader.  Thanks Palmetto Cheese!

TWO  
Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga’s Duets Album went to #1

I’m not a Lady Gaga fan.  But after hearing her new album with Tony Bennett, I changed my mind. In fact, I share Tony Bennett’s sentiments when he said, “Wow, I didn’t know she could sing so well”.

Here's a little sample... (The Lady is a Tramp is my fave)

And one more...

THREE
George Clooney in 2016

As if his recent marriage wasn't enough for headlines, now there are rumors swirling around Clooney's prospects for a 2016 run. Now, I don't really believe he is a viable option, but boy is this fun to talk about!

Time Magazine posted an article 2 days ago saying that Clooney's recent marriage to a Human Rights Lawyer DOUBLED his odds of running for president (no idea where they get his from). There have been some hints dropped by those close to Clooney that he might have political aspirations, and his involvement in politics has significantly increased in recent years.

“George Clooney is not just one of the most recognisable faces in the USA, but in the world, and if he did decide to run for President he ticks a lot of boxes,” William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said.

Now, despite the fact that George's odds of running (now at 100/1) are much higher, he would still have to win....and Hill has those odds at 500/1.  2016 is bound to be an interesting year.

FOUR
Barbie has an Instagram

Looking for some new IG entertainment? Check out Barbie, she has a better closet than all of us put together, and is jetsetting across the world.

FIVE
Whistle - Dog GPS & Activity Tracker

Ever wonder what your favorite furry friend is doing at home? Or better yet, where the heck they wander off to? Bravo's Andy Cohen posted on IG this week that his dog Wacha (therealwacha) was now wearing a new product called "Whistle". This device affixes to your dog's collar, and interacts with an app on your phone to let you know how often your dog plays, sleeps and gets general exercise.  My favorite feature is the GPS function, that shows you where your little rascal has escaped to (Spoken like a true Shiba owner). It's a little pricey at $125, but for $5 a month you can get hte GPS tracking...which if you have an escape artist, could be worth it. Check it out!

My new style icon: Mrs. Clooney

It is a sad day when George Clooney goes off the market. (Yes, I realize I am already married.) I will say, however, out of all of the many (many) Clooney ladies, Amal Alamuddin has GOT to be my favorite. She's brilliant and accomplished - which are the main qualities that separate her significantly from the rest of the pretty faces of George's yesteryear.

Amal, largely unknown to the public until recently, has quickly taken the stage on the style scene as well.  I love her cool and sophisticated look - she's like Jennifer Anniston &  Kate Middleton all wrapped up into one. Chic and sophisticated one minute, and cool and casual the next.

Here are some of my favorite Amal looks...

Her dress fitting

The finished look

I never thought it was possible for George to look like a goober...next to her, he kinda does. 

Man, she can rock a hat and jumpsuit.

Casual at the airport. I love a pair of ripped jeans.

Rocking her inner Jackie. Do you SEE those SHOES?! It's like my childhood dream shoe. Pink, and purple.

Classic.

Much to some of my friends' chagrin, I'm a fan of the mullet dress. I also love floral and lace. It's as if my three favorite things got married and had a baby. #needit

Today I'm linking up with:

 White Coat Wardrobe and Perfectly Coutured for Three-fer Thursday

AND

East Coast Chic & Home of Malones for Thoughts for Thursday!

Couch Potato

 The Affair

Showtime

Dawson's Creek is officially off of Netflix. (I'm already missing Pacey's sweet face and silly antics). Never fear Joshua Jackson fans, The Affair is coming. After reading the synopsis, Showtime assures us that they will twist this plot so much that it will really have you end on end trying to figure out who really is the 'bad guy' in this situation. Well. My mind is made up. Who leaves Pacey for McNulty? No one I tell you. No one. We will see how this goes.

          

Madam Secretary

CBS

I missed the pilot of this show, but luckily I was able to record a weekend showing, and ohmygosh. I'm so impressed, and OBSESSED with this show. If you loved The West Wing like I did, I think you will really enjoy this show.

(also, I think my favorite Samsung commercial precedes this - double win).

           

How to Get Away With Murder

ABC

Let me start by saying how much I love Viola Davis. I'm thrilled to see her on T.V. and in this role. I'm 50/50 on Shonda Rimes. While I love Grey's Anatomy, some of its plot lines are rather unbelievable, and are insulting to the audience. (If Grey Sloan is a top program, why does EVERY patient code, EVERY TIME?) I'm still addicted to the show, but I've started to grow tired of the plot...and being married to a doctor has further spoiled it. I've started on Scandal and think its decent as well. So, I'm going to give this little show a chance. I've watched the pilot, and while I'm not in love, I think it might be worth watching the 2nd/3rd episode to see where it goes.

           

Homeland

Showtime

This is one of my top, very favorite shows of all time. After last season, I had no idea where this storyline could possibly go. I'm dying to see this season and see what's going to happen! Next Sunday, they will be showing 2 episodes! It will be a-mazing!