I am LOVING Forever 21 lately! Anthro has always been my first love, but their prices (and lately, quality) are not. I shopped the latest Anthro sale and was very disappointed...the only thing I came away with during the latest one was a pair of bermuda shorts. Blah! My trip to F21 was very successful (and much, much cheaper):

Silk Cropped Ruffle Cardigan

Button Back Sweater

Cascading Shift Dress

I also picked up the Bird Locket necklace & City Skyline necklace. Love them! Are you loving discounted fashion, too, or still loyal to the Anthro/JCrew/Banana Republic names? Do tell!!

Some Sewing

Seems like forever since I sat down and sewed something, but I finally managed to for my youngest daughter's birthday last week, Brassy Apple's Shaggy Mosaic Jeans (sorry for poor-quality Iphone photo):

They are a great scrap-buster...can't wait to make some more!

Deep In the Heart

My poor blog has been so neglected...I do have a little excuse, though. Life as we knew it took a nosedive when my hubby lost his job late last year. We did some soul-searching and decided to make a move to TX (we have family here) where he was very fortunate to find a job in this crazy market. It hasn't been easy, and it sure has been a humbling experience starting over again. I started working part-time and we have have all had to face BIG changes in our lives, but I know that God is with us, no matter how bad it seems. I feel very blessed to have a supportive and amazing family and grateful to all of them for just helping us through life's messiness.

Ok, then, back to bloggy business! Can't wait to share my crafting, decorating, thrifting adventures here in TX...it's a beautiful, friendly place, full of wildflowers and warmth--stay tuned!

Mad Hatter's Tea Party Tablescape

Last night, our church had it's annual dinner where we get to host and decorate a table, no matter how over-the-top. Our table's theme was the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, and it gave me an excuse to pull out all my funky teacups!

I used thrifted teacups (held together with that gummy stuff you hang posters with), Martha Stewart tissue paper flowers, and butterflies from Michaels.

This is my favorite teacup--found at Goodwill!

Another Goodwill find, just 99 cents.

The napkins and plates were from the party section at Target, and the placemats were marked down at Kohl's
I'll post pictures of the other tablescapes at the dinner later this week!

Julia Child

I was so excited to see some old Julia Child shows on PBS while lying in bed yesterday, hacking my lungs out (seriously, how long does it take for medicine to work?), and I wanted to share this clip from one of my new favorites--OMELETS
It almost makes being sick bearable!

Feeling Not-So-Good

I think I caught some germs from the kids...feeling very icky and staying in bed most of this week. Stay well, readers!!

First Day

I spent most of the weekend buying last minute school supplies and wading through the masses at Walmart, the only recession-proof store in the world. I haven't set my alarm all summer, but I'm happy to say that I was able to get up and function with only limited coffee intake! The girls ate Krispy Kreme donuts (a special first day treat) and happily posed for pictures:

A big thumbs-up from Ashley

Kate was a little nervous but ended up LOVING school!

My big second-grader, looking beautiful.

Here's to a great school year!

Sick, Yes, Bored, No

Since I've been sidelined by a double whammy of a nasty cold followed by a stomach virus, I have been catching up on some quality TV. While drifting in and out of my sickly haze, I've picked a few favorites to share:

Cake Boss

Snarky bridezillas (are there any other kind?), practical jokes involving flour and various frosting, adorable bakery (look at that sign--I could DIE)--what's NOT to like? I'm a Baltimoron by birth, but this show is my pick over Ace of Cakes.

Psych

I'm always in the mood for rapid-fire 80's references, but add in fake detectiving (that's a word) and bewigged Corbin Bernsen flashbacks, and it's a winner. Oh, and they've gotten hip enough to have famous guest stars like Cary Elwes...yummy!

Clean House

Who wants a clean house? At first annoying, Niecy Nash does grow on you, even her SATC trademark flower. Yes, I'm a bit of a packrat by nature, and this show helps give me a dose of what could be if I don't get my uh, collections, in order.

Live with Regis & Kelly

Aw, who doesn't love Regis? I can't watch when there's a guest host (too much Kelly is too much), and I rarely make it past the opening banter between Reege & Kelly, but it gives my day a boost. Kelly pretends to be interested in Regis's tales of dinner with the Trumpster and Regis pretend to be awake during Kelly's stories of Joaquin's toy mishaps. Add frequent camera pans to Gelman's cringes, and it's perfection.

I'm off to catch another rerun!