it's that time of year again...

hope you all had a fabulous thanksgiving! well, it's that time of year again...

normally, i am first to get my holiday cards in the mail but for some reason not this year! not sure why, but i better get a move on it! plus, i need to locate 3 more boxes of cards that i managed to misplace, ARGH!!!

do you have a particular brand of cards that you prefer to send out every year? for me it's william arthur! although for our 1st christmas we sent out crane's picture cards, every other year it's been william arthur. i love the card stock quality!

oh well, did anyone take part in the black friday madness?!?!!?!? i did, let's just say it was my 1st and last black friday experience ...EVER!!!!

for some reason, i got up at 5:30am and headed over to target for a copy of dear john. what the hell was i thinking?!?!? the store was a mad house! there were two lines leading up to the cash registers that ran around the store! no way in he$% i was going to stand 2-3 hours for a copy of dear john. so guess what pld did?!?!?

shame on me, i managed to locate 3 copies of dear john and strategically place them around the store. then i took my chances, went back at 11:00am and found one of the copies! went up in line ....then again there wasn't a line, ha! ha! bought my movie and went about my merry little way, LOL!

you know, i couldn't wait to watch dear john...okay, you got me ....i couldn't wait to get my eyes on channing tatum! ha! ha! he is one good looking dude, ha! ha!

i am so glad i finished my shopping a few weeks ago! i hate crowded malls, parking wars and standing in LONG lines ....no thanks!!! thank god for online shopping, lol! speaking of online shopping, guess what arrived right before we left for wisconsin?

the new 32" LG tv that i bought over at gilt groupe for our bedroom. if you look back up at the photo in this post you'll see it in the background, love it!! hee! hee! it wasn't suppose to arrive until sometime between 12/12-12/19, but lucky for me it arrived wednesday! YEAH!!! so excited! although, i consider myself electronically challenged! it took me forever but managed to get the tv up and running by halftime of the michigan state football game!

way to go michigan state spartans! way to get 'er done against penn state! congrats on being big 10 champions! it was an awesome season for michigan state football! too bad wisconsin had to blow out northwestern. man, did anyone watch that game, yikes! can you saw blowout!!!

oh well, have a great night!

~ PLD

come out, come out where ever you are....

hope you all had a wonderful weekend! i still have a hard time believing thanksgiving is in a couple of days, ha! ha!

anyway, yesterday was another fun day of shopping! my day started off with a stop over at the junior league of chicago's gazebo holiday market. i bought a piece of pottery from a woman who has a etsy shop, but lost the card. it seemed as though there were fewer vendors that previous years, guess it's a just a sign of the times!

while at neiman marcus i broke down or whatever you want to call it and bought another mason pearson brush over a neiman marcus. it's large than the one i lost months ago! i can't believe it took me this long to replace it, but know --- now that i bought another the missing one is bound to turn up, right?!!?!? i hope anyway, ha! ha!

in case you are curious about my monogrammed jewelry case, i posted a photo of the bottom below. as you can tell from the photo above i tried to hide my initials with little lilly pulitzer shift magnets, hee! hee! isn't the pattern cute, i still love it and have had this now for about 6-7 years! can't remember the brand but i know the price tag back then was around $70?!?!
i also stopped over at harry & david. it was sample time over at oakbrook! i was impressed they had wine samples, food samples, candy samples and much more! it was awesome! i bought manage this mug for tea. a steal for $9.95, my husband wants one now! i knew i should have bought two!!! it's awesome, it has ceramic holder piece for the tea which can be removed and then the lid for brewing! i just love the pattern!!

while out i made a stop over at allioto's in oak park! love this store!!! i was going to pick up another piece of herend, but didn't see anything that really stuck out!

instead, i scored a killer deal on a set of 6 pickard monogrammed butter dishes! retail price $246.00, i scored an additional 70% off! best of all the monogram is the same letter of my maiden name! such an awesome deal for around $88 after tax! i am sure my parents will have fun with these additional pieces. actually, my father enjoys bringing out their china more than my mom! i wonder why, who is the one stuck cleaning everything, exactly!!!! ha! ha! after all, you can never have enough china! ha! ha!

oh well, hope you all have a fabulous week! don't forget about some upcoming sales over at rue la la.

november 22nd
stuart weitzman
Invicta
Invicta - Men's
Hilary Radley
Sue Wong Festive Collectibles
David's Cookies
Loews Hotels and Resorts

november 23rd
Tory Burch ---can't wait!!!
gorjanaForte - Men's
Signoria Firenze
Norwegian Cruise Line: The Caribbean
Mrs. Prindable's

still not a member of rue la la, no problem...click here for a personal invite! sales are PRIVATE! membership is FREE! also, be sure and check out the upcoming sale boutiques over at a couple of more of my favorite shopping destinations: gilt groupe and one kings lane!

have a great night! btw, i can "officially" say that i am FINISHED with my christmas shopping! yup, no parking wars, crowded malls and last minute gift searching for me! it pays to shop early and often, YEAH!!!!

~ PLD

it's not too late....

greetings!

hope you all had a wonderful week! i can't believe i did this, but i let my husband go hunting this weekend! i am so against the idea, but what am i going to do?!?!!?

at least this way i can attend the junior league of chicago's gazebo holiday market tomorrow over at the chicago cultural center [78 E. washington], which will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in case you are in chicago and want to attend there is a $10 admission fee, which includes a commemorative tote bag. can't wait to see what i purchase this year?!?!?!

so the monogrammed boudoir pillow cover i ordered from williams-sonoma home arrived tonight! now i just need to run over to calico corners to purchase the pillow. the turnaround time was fast, i think i just ordered it last week?

seeing that the holiday season is almost here, luckily for me i am pretty much done with my shopping! yup, only have one person left on my list --- my mom! pays to shop early and often, ha! ha! so anyway, i was checking out the deals over at gilt groupe [here's the link, if you aren't familiar with gilt groupe] and ended up buying a 32 inch LG LCD television --- they had a shipping promo, .01 cent shipping! can't wait for the tv to arrive, i have the perfect spot for it in my bedroom!

currently, i have a 19 inch sony but it's time for a bigger screen! winter is coming and that means time to catch up on all my movies!!! BTW....target's black friday 2-day sale includes copies of "dear john" for ONLY $6.00! i want a copy!!!!! hopefully, they will still be around friday a.m. since i won't be one of those 4am shoppers --- i like my sleep, ha! ha!

also, speaking of shopping --- rue la la has some pretty good deals going on and coming up! below are a couple of current boutiques worth mentioning:

vera bradley
judith ripka
arthur court
rock & republic

also, below is a preview of the upcoming sales over at rue la la. boutiques open 11am EST. mark your calenders! sales are PRIVATE! membership is FREE! not a member, no problem --- click here and enjoy the deals over at rue la la!

november 20th:
BCBGMAXAZRIA - Footwear & Accessories
Max and Cleo
Chan Luu - Jewelry
Tommy Bahama - Home
Zeal Optics

november 21st
Design History
Pikolinos
Arteriors Home
Sunday Night Styleathon

november 22nd
stuart weitzman
Invicta
Invicta - Men's
Hilary Radley
Sue Wong Festive Collectibles
David's Cookies
Loews Hotels and Resorts

november 23rd
Tory Burch
gorjanaForte - Men's
Signoria Firenze
Norwegian Cruise Line: The Caribbean
Mrs. Prindable's

....happy shopping!

~ PLD

it's here....

hey there, before i share the good news i wanted to show you one of the bookends i picked up a couple of weeks ago over in new buffalo, michigan. what do you think? aren't they cute! i saw the same pair on eBay for $98, i paid a fraction of the price! love it when i score a great deal, LOL!speaking of bookends, i also picked up this adorable pair of wellies bookends over at homegoods! i have since painted mine, still a work in progress! i just wanted to paint the boots navy blue, but then i went a little crazy! ha! ha! can't wait to see the finished product, LOL!

okay, so today i said the hell with my g1 from t-mobile! it was great when it worked, but lately --- well, for the last 2 months or so it would die on me for no apparent reason! really pissed me off! i could basically only talk to someone when my phone was being charged. drove me bonkers!!!

needless to say, i stopped by t-mobile today to check out the new myTough 4G....fell in love and bought the phone! love it! it's so fast! so many great features, of which includes: swype key, genius button, 4G speed and SO much more! love it!!

yippee!! really disappointed that my g1 didn't last very long! 19 months, definitely should have taken out insurance! oh well, live and learn -- RIGHT!! so this time around, i took out the $5.99/mo. insurance and like my mom said now i'll have no problems, LOL!!!

too bad i paid a lot more for the phone than i should have, since i didn't wait 22 months --- 3 months shy, but for me it's the piece of mind having a reliable phone in case of an emergency! RIGHT!!!

oh well, on another note how about prince william and kate's engagement! we all knew it was just a matter of time! i love that prince william gave her diana's diamond ring! awwwwww!!!!

i still remember where i was when i first learned about diana's fatal accident. i was at my apartment in lincoln park and i just had my 1st major fight with husband who was then my boyfriend, ha! ha!

oh well, have a great night! time to figure out my new phone! fun! fun! fun!

~ PLD

it's back!!!

greetings! hope you all are having a wonderful monday!

i wanted to let you know earlier, but i have been really busy today. anyway, the jaye's sale event is back over at one kings lane. there are still plenty of great deals to snatch up for yourself or maybe someone on your holiday list!

check out what i bought today:

and then i also bought the matching tissue box.
if you have read my blog before you know i am a huge fan of jaye's!

below is one of my favorites, my"flip flop" bucket!
and then there is the pink monkey set.
fun! fun! fun!

if you aren't a member of one kings lane, click here for your personal invite. sales are PRIVATE! membership is FREE!

happy shopping!

~ PLD

JLC's gazebo holiday market is next weekend...

if you are in chicago next weekend, be sure and stop by the junior league of chicago's gazebo holiday market!

location:

chicago cultural center

78 E. washington

dates:

friday, november 19*
11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
5:30 p.m. - fashion show from viktoria's closet
8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.- after party at state restaurant and lounge

saturday, november 20*
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

i'll be there on saturday! can't wait to check out all the vendors! you'll find jewelry, handbags and stationery to women's and children's clothing, gourmet treats, and much more.

to purchase your tickets, click here.

*$10 Admission - includes commemorative tote bag

happy shopping!!!

~ PLD

eat more chicken....

if you are familiar with chick-fil-a then that saying [okay, so they spell it "chickin"] definitely rings a bell! ha! ha!

chick-fil-a opened near us today. i stopped over look at what they were giving away:

...isn't he cute!

i drove by last night and the place tents all over the parking lot. they even had a dj who was playing zac brown band's song "chicken fried" -- great song!

personally, i wouldn't be caught dead camping out over night to be one of the 1st 100 customers to get 52 FREE meals or whatever they were giving away?nope, no thanks!

i was just glad that when i stopped by this afternoon i didn't have to wait too long! plus, i loaded up on some polynesian sauce and chick-fil-a sauce --- love their sauces! i actually perfer to use them on calamari, cod, shrimp, etc!

so excited tomorrow is friday! i am glad we are staying around chicago this weekend. any big plans for you this weekend? i know we are going out for sushi tomorrow night! saturday i am attending a cooking expo up in arlington heights, it was a groupon from earlier this week. should be fun! i believe there are over 150 wines to be sampled, LOL!!

have a great night!

~ PLD

i did it, i did it....yippeee!!!!

i know it's saturday night and why am i posting on my blog? well, i did go out for dinner with a friend at bluefin sushi here in grosse pointe farms, mi. it's the newest sushi restaurant here in grosse pointe and the food was delicious! i consider myself a "sushi" snob and well, it definitely made the cut! hee! hee!

also, i finally booked tickets for florida over new year's! yippee....if you have been following me on twitter and reading some of my past posts you know i have been complaining about airfare! well, who knew saturday night was a great time to book a flight! so glad this ordeal is over!

pretty soon snow will be a regular thing here in chicago, YUCK! many of us will be craving to get away some place warm and sunny! so with that said, enjoy some photos from our last trip to florida....enjoy!

the one below was taken last year, but still one of my favorites from the waterside shops at pelican bay in naples, fl. can't wait to see how they decorate this year!

plus, this guy always seems to hanging over near tommy bahama's! what a life, LOL!

speaking of tommy bahama's in naples, maybe we will be lucky enough to have lunch with congressman john boehner at tommy bahama's?!?!!? not actually, we sat the next table over from him. ha! ha!

...wouldn't that be cool! we go there for lunch every time we are down there! ha! ha!

oh well, have a great night! i know you already know this, but don't forget to set the clocks back! have a great night folks!

~ PLD

R.I.P. Sparky!!!!

today is a very sad for detroit tigers' fans! today we lost one of baseball's finest managers, sparky anderson.
R.I.P. sparky, thank you again for the 1984 world series! a night i will never forget!

oh well, on a happier note guess what tomorrow is?!?!!?!?!?! it's FRIDAY, YEAH! can't wait i am heading to grosse pointe, michigan for a long weekend! i have some work to do at my house but otherwise it will be a nice relaxing weekend with family and friends!

~ PLD

ops, PLD did it again...

greetings! hope you all are glad the political ads are done and over for awhile! too bad, it makes room for holiday ads! LOL!! what are we down to now -- 52 days until christmas? something like that anyway!

last night i complained on twitter about flights being astronomically high! seriously, $1,000 for two people to fly to florida over new year's, really?!?!!? i certainly hope to score a better deal! ha! ha!

oh well, so this afternoon i ventured over to one kings lane like i do every day and well, guess what i found over at the pamela klein sale event --- more bedding!!!

seriously, i have so much bedding --- this obsession has to stop!! but no, i showed no restraint and ended up buying the following set pique set with NAVY trim --- well, you know it was in NAVY and NAVY is my favorite color, LOL!
you should check the sale out, lots of great items! wouldn't this set look fabulous monogrammed! ...love it!!

also, if you have children [or holiday presents to purchase] be sure and check out the rikshaw design sale event. below is a sneak peak....

so if you still aren't a member of one kings lane, you should sign up today [click HERE]! membership is FREE and sales are PRIVATE! you never know what you'll find on this site....i love it!!

oh well, have a great night!

later,

~ PLD

[photo credits: one kings lane website]

as promised, here it is....

good morning!

as promised below are some photos from our visit to the whistling straits golf course that is part of the american club. the golf course is actually located up in sheboygan, wiconsin which is located on the wisconsin shoreline along lake michigan. check back through my blog for previous posts about the american club....can't wait to go back!!

in case you aren't familiar with whistling straits [i'll admit i was clueless before our visit to the american club, then again i don't golf, ha! ha!] anyway, whistling straits hosted the 2004 pga championship, 2007 u.s. senior open and the 2010 pga championship. certainly not your average golf course, ha! ha! enjoy....

what do you think? makes ya feel like you are in ireland more so than wisconsin, lol!

have a great day!

~ PLD

did you!?!?!?!!

i voted...did you ?!?!?!?

watching the news as the results come in and so far it's looking good!!!!

have a great night folks!

~ PLD