Are You Organized? Tuesday Tidings

We are kicking off a new tradition at the Grove: every Tuesday between now and Christmas we will be hosting a giveaway, or in this week's case 4! You never know what the item might be, but the entry rules will stay the same. It's our way of saying thank you for a great 2010 and our hope that we will be a small part of your holiday shopping. If you don't see something on our website send us an email or DM us on twitter as we would love to help you!

I find myself asking that question a lot these days...I confess mostly to myself! The holidays and 2011 are right around the corner and we want to help you get organized!

Despite my iphone, twitter, facebook, etc I still keep addresses for our family Christmas cards in an address book. It is worn and tattered and has more than a few scratched out addresses, anniversaries, birthdays, and cards or invites that I couldn't part with tucked in the pages but I cannot part with it. Whenever I address invitations or Christmas cards it is like a stroll down memory lane. Am I alone?

So to help you get ready for your card addressing or all of your New Year's resolutions we are giving away 2 Lilly Pulitzer address books and 2 Lilly Pulitzer mini 2011 agendas.

You get 1 entry for each of the following:

1. Follow this blog

2. Leave a comment with your favorite item in the Grove!

3. Follow Us on Twitter (Grove Gifts)

4. Become a fan on facebook

5. Retweet this giveaway on twitter

6. Post about our giveaway on facebook

It's Boo'd Time Bark Style

Mini K is finally old enough this year to understand my family tradition of Booing people...other than Aggies at football game! I know this is not unique to my family, or just the South, so ignore this post if you already know this tradition.

To BOO a house you essentially make a treat and note letting them know they have been

BOO'd, ring the doorbell and run! In theory you don't sign the note, but Mini K wants people to know she played a sweet trick on them so we signed ours. So watch out if you are in our neighborhood, because Mini K is playing tricks!

Our treat of choice this year is candy corn bark and it came from my twitter/blogworld friend Miss M...if you haven't read her blog you are missing out!

Ingredients

White Chocolate (we did another batch with dark chocolate as well)

crushed preztels

crushed Oreos

and of course candy corn

Directions

place candy corn, Oreos and pretzels on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper

melt chocolate

pour over cookie sheet

let harden and break apart

We place ours in cello bags and tied with preppy Halloween grosgrain ribbon and our BOO'd notes!

This is a great recipe to do alone or with little helpers.

Tomorrow is a school holiday and we have quite the day planned. Tomorrow is our self proclaimed Big Sister Day..Mini K's good friend R became a Big Sister a week ago tomorrow so the girls are going to spend the afternoon together...I think I see mani/pedis and ice cream in their future!

Hope y'all had a great weekend!

Bags and Shoes

Grove Gal E and I joke all of the time that we would take good shoes, a fab bag and jewelry over clothes anyday. I finally had a chance this week to look at what's out for fall and a few things caught my eye. I haven't made any purchases (and swore I wouldn't purchase another Louis until I stopped seeing fake ones, but since the D.C. government keeps giving permits to fake bag merchants....) so while I love the Louis...I don't do fakes.

I love the idea of one bag being both a top handle and have the ability to be a cross body bag.

LOVE the chocolate brown leather Boston Bag from Gucci.

But am also drawn to the Louis Speedy in this new encre color...it would go with black, brown and navy.

This Louis Delightful might as well be called the kitchen sink, because that is pretty much what I would put into it! I don't carry a diaper bag, so the one big bag is a plus these days.

Now for the shoes...I have a slight Reva addiction...I refuse to count how many pairs. My thought is if its a classic, fits well and doesn't hurt your feet: buy in bulk.

I have been on the fence about navy shoes, but love these lizard navy Revas.

I wore out my first pair of leopard Revas years ago, and for awhile they only made them in the little girls sizes, but now that they are back, well my closet misses them!

Camo and preppy? I think so, plus wouldn't they be perfect to wear when Mr. Grove is hunting...they would be good hunting moral support, in style, indoors and without the guns.

What's everyone's must have fall purchase this year.

Wrap It Up..

We have been enjoying fall weather for all of 4 days and I have a new obsession. This time it's not paper, but another kind of wrap.

If you haven't checked out Lilly's new fall line, then let me introduce you to fleece, and cotton and cashmere and even sparkle! I'm talking about the new line of wraps. My collection started with the Norma fleece wrap...ADORE! If you don't own it, buy it. I wear it with my Lilly yoga pants to Mini K's lacrosse, to crossfit, to the store, well you get the idea.

I had purchased a cashmere Weslee in purple last spring, but will be adding this new jewel green one to my collection. Since I pretty much just wear black, chocolate brown and dark charcoal from head to toe for work, I rely on my wraps and jewelry to brighten my outfits up.

Then I saw the Babs wrap in apricot...and it is reversible. You know I keep it real here so it shouldn't be a surprise that my kiddos spill, or grab me with grubbie little fingers so I love the idea of a quick turnaround and I am fresh and stain free again.

Then came the Babs wrap...in cable cashmere...hello cashmere AND Lilly, twist my arm, but only after I hand over my Amex...now I need to decide on a color.

Of course I had a little helper as I was clicking through the Lilly site, and Mini K can spot sparkle a mile away. I think her exact quote was "Momma, this will match my Tommy shoes!" Yes the TOMS shoe craze has hit the pre-K group and Mini K loves to wear her hot pink peace sign shoes. Well, in this case I think she might be correct, how adorable is this gold metallic Minnie Shere sweater? I think it might solve my constant battle of bribing her to wear a sweater.

The presents can wait, for now I am wrapping myself up in Lilly!

Rolling Right Along

It seems that fall is FINALLY here to stay...the temperature has dropped, but my crazy schedule just keeps on going!

Our good friends welcomed their own Baby C into the world yesterday. A beautiful daughter and our Baby C is practicing his flirting skills...in between meals of course!

I love this time of the year...fall is like one big anticipation season...we see so many of our wonderful Grove clients and everyone is starting to think of the holidays. There is a joke in retail that October starts the 3 best months of the year. In Texas, fall isn't so much a season as it is football season, but in D.C. the leaves change, the tourists leave and you can really get out and enjoy the city.

This fall, Baby C will be with us and I realized today I am not prepared! So tonight I set out to order a shopping cart cover and stroller liner for him. Friends always ask me what baby gear I really use and what is more an extra. I confess with Mini K I thought both of these things were extras...until I received them, and used them, and realized how much easier (and comfortable) they make life.

With Mini K I ordered the liner and cover from Itzy Ritzy and I will be placing another order....just as soon as I can make up my mind on the pattern!

The stroller liners are great for the chilly weather. We have both the Bugaboo Frog and BOB stroller. We are also blessed to live in a neighborhood that enables us to walk everywhere. So many footmuffs cover the front of your little one, but when the winds blows, their backs can get so cold. This liner blocks the chill from behind and the stylish fabric is just a bonus!

The shopping cart cover from Itzy Ritzy also doubles as a restaurant high chair cover. Do you need one? I have one word: GERMS. DO you still think these a

frivolous purchases? I think not.

Now if only I could design between the chic circles and preppy whales...thoughts???

If any of you are trying to decide on a gift, I promise the mom to-be, mom and/or baby will thank you!

Weekend Recap

We survived the weekend! We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather yeaterday for Baby C's baptism. The ceremony was lovely, and Mini K loved the fact that the chapel overlooks her school and most importantly the new school playground. She was qute disappointed that baby C merely had water "poured on his head" she was hoping for a full on dunking. Ahhh the joys of sisterly love!

I opted for a brunch buffet...mainly because I was doing all of the cooking. The menu ended up being:

an amazing coffee cupcake ..thanks Monogram Momma for trusting me with such a special recipe

my monkey bread recipe..think extra butter and sugar

cold pea and bacon salad

strawberry cheese ring...I make this for every event and it is always the first thing that is gone

sausage balls

brisket

My friend Dawn, the talent behind Monster Cookie Co. did these adorable cookie favors to match the invite. I love how they turned out!

And no Catholic baptism would be complete without alcohol so we had:

champagne cocktails

mimosas

a bloody mary bar

sangria

beer

Baby C was actually awake during the baptism and slepted during the brunch...my kind of baby!

We were truly touched that everyone made the effort to attend.

I never thought I would say this, but I am ready for the week to begin...so many orders to deliver, a trunk show on Friday that we are looking forward to and our dear friend K is having baby girl #2 tomorrow...we cannot wait to meet her!

Tricks Already

Am I the only one that cannot believe it is October 1st???? This week charged through the grove and left a few tricks in its path.

Mr. G forgot to tell me we were having a new porch installed on Monday...so when I returned home I was a little surprised to find no way in the front door...and my key to the side door inside the house! Yet another reason God invented takeout. The porch is finished...the painters are coming next week because soggy is an understatement.

And for those of you in the D.C., you have probably spent the last two days thinking the same thing I have....I love my Burberry trench but seriously did Seattle move east?

Baby C's baptism is tomorrow...tomorrow morning...as in brunch afterwards....as in my fabulous caterer that was going to take care of everything so all I needed to do was drive home from the church...

well he had a family emergency (that I completely understand!) and had to cancel yesterday.

I spent far too much time trying to find a plan B then looked at my two hands and realized I was plan B.

So the new plan is to survive tomorrow and then I am turning my focus on decorating for fall...and for those of you that live near me...get ready because Mini K and I have big plans for the Boo season!

This photo is from two years ago, but I clicked on it by accident in iphoto tonight and it made me remember some sage advice from my mom..." only you know what your original plan was, only you will know what goes wrong...to everyone else a cocktail and a smile make it perfect."

So tomorrow the menu might not have been my first choice, and heaven knows I hadn't planned on doing dishes, but I cannot wait to take some photos of Baby C in the same gown Mini K wore and be thankful that this year I am blessed with two little pumpkins!