thanks UPS guy!

well, i survived my 1st day at my new job! whew....can you say - - - memory overload! yikes, but it's all good! ha! ha! later next week i will be traveling to corporate for additional training.... in ohio! seriously, why can't they be out of florida, california or some place really interesting! nothing against ohio, after all i am from michigan -- ha! ha! i'm just saying... ;)

oh well, when i got home there was a box waiting for me from the UPS guy. guess what was inside? my lilly pulitzer order from one kings lane...yippee!

i am always losing my pens, hopefully i won't lose these! ha! ha!

not sure what i am going to do with the address book, might give it as a gift to someone? same thing with the stationery, possibly a blog giveaway? we shall see!

oh well, hope your monday is going well! i am exhausted and plan on vegging out for a little bit!

later!

~ PLD

what to do? ...need your help!

below are two rugs i am looking at purchasing for my office. however, i can't decide between the two patterns below. if you had the choice would you go with the spa & brown rug [option 1] or the lime & brown rug [option 2]??????????

option 1:

option 2:

i found them over on one kings lane, click here. not a member of one kings lane? no problem, click here for your personal invitation! sales are PRIVATE! membership is FREE! one kings lane offers the world's top home decor brands and designers at up to 70% off retail. free membership, new sales daily. sign up today!

i can't decide which one i should purchase? or if i should pass and wait for something else to catch my eye? what are your thoughts? let me know what you think! thanks!!!

have a great evening!

~ PLD

isn't this cute....

hello, hope your weekend is going well!

as promised, below is a photo of the pillow i picked up at calico corners. isn't it cute! i love the fabric and decorative trim around the edges. i think it looks great! i probably should have also picked up some additional fabric just in case i need it some day, oh well! now i have another excuse to go back, ha! ha!

i also picked up the the ginger jar below over at homegoods. i really wanted the one in dark red, but it was $39.99 and i found this one on sale for $14.99 --- guess which one i bought! ha! ha! the cheaper of the two, of course! i will just keep checking back, hoping the red one will still be around when it's on sale! the retail price for the ginger jar is $70.00, so i think i got a pretty sweet deal!

as you can see my trio of rabbits is surrounding the ginger jar. still figuring out what i am going to do with the ginger jar? i guess for now it will sit on my dresser.

then i stopped over at whole foods with my lilly pulitzer market tote....lots of compliments, of course! ha! ha! bought the thick bulk bacon for claire robinson's spinach carbonara, which i posted about here. instead of using spinach pasta i bought some fresh buitoni linguine [at jewel-osco, not whole foods] - sorry, i am not italian and do not make pasta! can't wait to try the recipe tomorrow!

have a great evening!

~ PLD

5 ingredient fix....diet busters!

okay, i could sit around all day and watch the food network! seriously, the food network is one of my favorite channels!

i just watched claire robinson's 5 ingredient fix on the food network. OMG!!!...can you say "diet buster" recipes....YOWZA!

i am so tempted to try one of these mudslide milkshakes..... so tempting!!

also, how about Claire's Spinach Carbonara --- YUMMY!
i am definitely going to make this soon!

well, on the food network website i looked up the two recipes i shared above but there were NO photos! BUMMED! it's a good thing i was able to snap a photo from each demonstration, ha! ha!

too bad i bought lamb chops for dinner tonight! otherwise, claire's spinach carbonara would definitely be on the menu! maybe tomorrow night? ha! ha!

i don't know about you, but when i buy cookbooks they MUST have photos! after all, i like to see what i am making! ha! ha! hoping my version ends up as good as the one in the cookbook!

below are some of my cookbooks. i have many more, of which are packed away. you might recognize a few that might be sitting in your own kitchen. i'd say about 90% of them came from williams-sonoma.
i don't think one can ever have too many cookbooks, ha! ha! okay, yes you can but come on....what's 1 more to add to your collection! ha! ha!

oh well, i have to run over to calico corners and pick up a pillow! i can't wait to see how it turns out! i'll post a photo of my pillow in another post.

have a great day!

~PLD

...oh no, ina garten's barefoot contessa just came on....no, i have to go out! i can not sit another hour watching the food network, but yes i can! ina is one of my favorites, oh well if i don't go out now i won't go out at all today! ha! ha! make it a great one, i see she's making ginger cookies -- good, i am out of here! not a fan of ginger cookies, hee! hee!

do you know what today is?

it's FREE pretzel day at auntie anne's!i haven't had a pretzel in forever! however, if they are giving them away for FREE today it might be worth a trip over to oakbrook....ha! ha!

need to find a location near you? click below:

http://locator.auntieannes.com/

have a great day!

~ PLD

chi-town...

this afternoon took advantage of the sunshine and wondered along the shops on michigan ave, walton and oak st. of course, i also ventured over to the boutiques over on armitage. it was a great day to be in chicago!

i also enjoyed a white frost from argo tea! YUMMY!!! hands down my favorite drink from argo tea! YUMMY!!

this evening my husband and i went to see "see when in rome" --- it was well, only ok! the movie was a tad on the cheesy side for me! sorry, that's just my personal opinion.

oh well, i finally had a chance to check out the sales going on today over at rue la la. i ended up purchasing the console shown below from the savavieh home furnishings sale. isn't it lovely! can't wait, i should have it within two weeks! not sure where i will put it but i know i will find a special place! ha! ha!

below are a list of upcoming sales over at rue la la:

saturday, 2/20
Prada
FLuXuS

sunday, 2/21
Hale Bob
Waring Pro

monday, 2/22
Tommy Bahama
Tommy Bahama - Men's
Tommy Bahama - Home
ZOA
Luxury on the Slopes: Destination Hotels & Resorts

tuesday, 2/23
Dylan George
Patz & Hall
Kosta Boda
Orrefors

if you are not a member, no problem! click here for your personal invite to rue la la! sales are PRIVATE! membership is FREE!

have a great weekend!

~ PLD

shaun white on oprah!

2010 olympic gold medallist shaun white was on oprah this morning! that means he is here in chicago! which makes me wonder if he will be making an appearance over at ralph lauren on michigan avenue later today? hmmmmm.....that would be so cool!

i am already planning on going over to michigan avenue to shop! guess i better hop in the shower since the stores open at 10am! ha! ha!

of course, i don't know if he will be there but that's just a guess! with that said, what are the chances i will see shaun white today? ha! ha! better bring my camera with me just in case!!

have a great day!

~ PLD

love my lilly pulitzer latte da! mugs...too cute!!

today i stopped at lilly pulitzer and bought this this adorable market bag....good deal for $9.95! can't wait to take it over to trader joe's and use it! hee! hee!

i also picked up one more latte da! mug....the one on the left with the cabanas, too cute! they had a couple other mugs in stock but it didn't see any other pattern that i really liked. they are just so adorable! currently i am up to five of the latte da! mugs, i want more but the ones i have i think are the cutiest of the line. now if i could only keep them away from my husband! ha! ha!

i think they will be great on display with my white brasserie plates from williams-sonoma. instead of using the saucers and plates that came with the set i could use a mug instead....i think it would look great, if only my white brasserie plates weren't packed away in storage -- poop!

oh well, aren't they adorable?!?!?!?!

and below are the two i bought yesterday:
finally, below are the two i bought last fall:
such a cute little collection and reasonably priced around $15 each.

these would make great favors for a wedding shower! just think how cool it would be to get one of these as a favor, so cool!!

have a great evening!

~ PLD

waterford, kate spade and crane & co. and more...

today is a day of many celebrations! let's see today is also known as mardi gras, paczki day and shrove tuesday. although i think fat tuesday pretty much sums it all up! ha! ha! enjoy!

oh well, it's snowing outside and it's coming down pretty fast----YUCK!!! today i plan to go shopping over in birmingham, mi and somerset. i hope somerset isn't packed, seems the kids are off from school this week. nothing like a crowded mall, yuck!!

speaking of "shopping" below are a couple of upcoming sales worth mentioning:

kate spade paper and crane & co. sale starts thursday, 2/18 11am cst over at gilt groupe.

also, thought that i would point out that the 1891 by sferra sale will start on friday, 2/19 11am cst.

not a member of gilt groupe, no problem! click here for your personal invite. sales are PRIVATE! membership is FREE! lots of great sales coming up including tory burch, waterford writing instruments, christofle, serena & lily, burberry shoes and much more! stop by and check out the deals!

speaking of sales, almost forgot to remind you that the waterford sale event will be starting today [tuesday, 2/16] over at one kings lane, starting at 11am est. need an invite to one kings lane, click here. enjoy!

have a wonderful tuesday!

~ PLD

amazing deals at talbot's!!!

greetings!

this afternoon i ventured over to talbot's to check out their president's day sale [or "nobama" sale in my mind] and scored the following deals:

the regular retail price of each sweater was $49.00. on sale for $34.99, less 50% --- out the door 3 sweaters for the price a one! another deal too good to pass up!

of course, i couldn't just buy one - - - ended up with 3, like most things when it's a good deal i usually buy multiples of the same item in different colors, ha! ha!

there's only one catch....the sale ends today! so if your talbot's is still open....head on over and check out some amazing deals! sale merchandise is an additional 50% off!!

also, made a quick trip over to costco. today's samples included lobster ravioli...yummy! needless to say...guess what's for dinner tonight? you got it! lobster ravioli...be sure and add this to your list next time you are at costco....YUMMY....it actually has decent sized pieces of lobster! so good and the whole thing was either $11.99 or $12.99 - can't remember a steal! can't wait...is it dinner time yet? ha! ha!

tomorrow i am heading over to birmingham, mi and somerset for another day of shopping! fun! fun! fun!

have a great evening!

~ PLD

can lilly pulitzer get any cuter?

okay, could lilly pulitzer get any cuter? seriously, these mugs are SO adorable!

i have a few of these lilly pulitzer latte da! mugs already but picked up the 2 new patterns above. i just love the crabs and the turtles, too cute!!

below is a closeup of each latte da! mug:

.........TOO CUTE!!

although there were a number of cute things, i didn't see anything that caught my eye this time around over at the lilly pulitzer event going on right now at rue la la. you might have better luck!

oh well, there's always next time! i was hoping for some sandals but nope, oh well!

have a great day!

~ PLD

uggs, lilly pulitzer and anna weatherley

i hope you had a wonderful weekend!

my husband and i had an awesome time up in lake geneva, wisconsin. i enjoyed shopping, wine tasting and a wonderful dinner to celebrate "V" day --- lobster and king crab w/asparagus. YUMMY!

i also picked up another pair of uggs....like i needed another pair! ha! ha! i thought my "ugg phase" was winding down. after all my other pair of uggs is at least 6 years old, but no they are SO comfortable!! my other pair is the sundance version with the shearling on outside of the boot and they are taller, these are nice and short.

well today is the day for sales if you are a lilly pulitzer and/or anna weatherley sale events over at rue la la .

remember to get there early, the sale starts 11:00am EST...good deals go fast!

still not a member of rue la la? no problem, click the link below for your personal invitation. sales are private! membership is free! sign up today!

rue la la:
have a great day and happy shopping!

~ PLD

lilly pulitzer deals...what did you get?

okay, i actually managed to snag the following deals over at one kings lane. now i can't wait until monday to shop another fabulous event over at rue la la!

i bought the following address book and pen set, primarily for the pens. i am always losing mine! ha! ha! the address book will make a great gift for someone...not sure who? ha! ha!
i also bought the stationery set below. actually 2 sets were included in this deal! this will also make a great gift for someone, possibly a blog giveaway? i haven't had a giveaway in a long time! i am definitely due for a giveaway.
i am curious, what did you end up buying? if you haven't checked out the lilly pulitzer event over at one kings lane, click here for your personal invite. sales are private, membership is free!

don't forget monday's lilly pulitzer event over at rue la la! if you are NOT a member, no problem! click here for your personal invite. like one kings lane, sales are private! membership is free!
happy shopping!

hope everyone has a wonderful wonderful weekend! my husband and i are heading up to lake geneva, wisconsin for the weekend. can't wait!

~ PLD

lilly pulitzer SALES galore....

fyi...in case you didn't know there are a couple of amazing lilly pulitzer sale events coming up!

first off, rue la la is hosting a lilly pulitzer event [monday, february 15th- wednesday, february 17th]

ohhhhhhhhhh...before sharing with you the other lilly pulitzer sale event i wanted to let you know that rue la la will also be hosting the anna weatherley event the same time the lilly pulitzer event is going on! i can't wait to check out this sale! don't you just love her work, truly amazing quality! YIPPEE!!!

okay, the other lilly pulitzer event i wanted share is over at one kings lane. OKL is hosting a lilly pulitzer card & gifts event [friday, february 12th - monday, february 15th]!
therefore, there are two great opportunities to cash in on some amazing lilly pulitzer deals! so mark your calendars and get there early...good deals go fast!

not a member of rue la la or one kings lane? no problem, click on either link below for your personal invitation. sales are private! membership is free! sign up today!

rue la la:
one kings lane:
have a great day and happy shopping!

~ PLD

is it friday yet???

hard to believe valentine's day is right around the corner! do you and your significant other have any special plans for this weekend?

we are heading up to lake geneva, wisconsin for the weekend. i can't wait!!! not sure where we will be going out to eat but i am sure my husband will figure out something soon, ha! ha! maybe he already has and it's just a big secret? hee! hee! only time will tell....all i know is i am ready to get away from the hustle and bustle of the chicago.

i have to share with a an awesome recipe i saw on sunny anderson's show on the food network. below are the choc-nanner-nut custards she made:

[photo credit: food network]

i love chocolate, bananas and nuts so i decided to make a make this on monday. i have to say i was not overly thrilled with this recipe. i love bananas but for some reason i didn't like banana in this recipe.

so i really liked the idea of this recipe but wanted to change things up and tweak it more to my liking, so i made my own version with white chocolate & strawberries instead of bananas, dark chocolate and nuts! let me tell you, it was truly divine! i should have taken a photo of it, but might make it again this week since i have some left over strawberries and white chocolate chips to use up.

if you are thinking of a recipe to make your significant other keep this recipe in mind! especially the strawberry & white chocolate version i made ....YUMMO!!!

oh well, in keeping with the valentines theme of this post below is a special valentine just for you!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

~ PLD

AWESOME!!!

hope you all had a wonderful weekend! yesterday i finally watched DEAR JOHN. if you haven't seen it....go! you won't be disappointed [okay, maybe a few scenes], not sure why there are so many negative reviews out there? i loved this movie!! channing tatum....ummmm, can you say...MEOW!!!!

curious about channing, i did a wikipedia search and came up with the following factoids:

• graduated in 1998 and was voted most athletic ----uuummm yea, did you check out his body!!!!!
• he was a dancer in ricky martin's "she bangs" music video ----seriously, ha! ha!
• supposedly a exotic dancer --- meow! seriously, sad but guess one has to make a living?!?!?
• married this past july...sorry ladies!

i thought ryan gosling was pretty hot in the notebook, but who is hotter ryan gosling or channing tatum?

hmmmm,that's a tough one but channing's body is scrumptious! yes, i am a happily married lady but i can still look at eye candy! ha! ha! :)

oh well, just wanted to remind everyone about a couple of great sales going on at one kings lane:

kate spade gifts
[starts 02/08 [TODAY] ~ ends 02/11]

AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT...

lilly pulitzer card & gifts
[starts 02/12 ~ ends 02/15]

not a member of one kings lane? no problem, click here for your personal invitation. sales are private! membership is free! sign up today. happy shopping!

lilly pulitzer, kate spade...oh my!

i am SO bummed! i really wanted to see DEAR JOHN tonight, but decided to have a couple of glasses of wine and now, well i am not going anywhere! ha! ha! oh well, i hope to make it to the movie tomorrow. can't wait, unless i decide to go shopping on michigan avenue tomorrow? then i might have to wait until sunday? ahhhhh, decisions!

oh well, in case you didn't see my last post i wanted to let you know about a couple of sales you are NOT going to want to miss over at one kings lane:

kate spade gifts
[starts 02/08 ~ ends 02/11]

lilly pulitzer card & gifts
[starts 02/12 ~ ends 02/15]

not a member of one kings lane? no problem, click here for your personal invitation. sales are private! membership is free! sign up today.

have a great weekend!

~PLD

exciting news....

so excited...i finally found a job!

to celebrate my husband and i went out for lobster, calamari and mussels -- YUMMO!

hell, it only took about 10 months but hey, everything happens for a reason - right! ha! ha!

have a great night!

~PLD

oh, before i forget i saw this on facebook and want to share it with all of you....enjoy!!

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, When 24 hours in a day is not enough;
remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and start to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full.

The students responded with an unanimous 'yes..'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.
The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else --
The small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life..

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups..
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.

'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.

'I'm glad you asked'.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

Please share this with other "Golf Balls"

I just did......

lilly pulitzer and kate spades fans...

are you a fan of kate spade and/or lilly pulitzer? duh! okay, stupid question - sorry! ha! ha! well i wanted to let you know about a couple of sales you are NOT going to want to miss over at one kings lane:

kate spade gifts
[starts 02/08 ~ ends 02/11]

lilly pulitzer card & gifts
[starts 02/12 ~ ends 02/15]

not a member of one kings lane? no problem, click here for your personal invitation. sales are private! membership is free! sign up today.

happy shopping!

~PLD

dear john....

not sure about you, but i can't wait to see dear john! friday can't come soon enough, ha! ha!

last night i downloaded the song set the fire to the third bar from snow patrol and martha wainwright ...love, love, love this song!!! too bad the rest of the soundtrack isn't as good. well, at least that's my opinion from listening to the 16-20 second previews on amazon. ha! ha!

so is anyone else planning on watching dear john? i hope so! my husband isn't interested in watching the movie, but it's suppose to be a great "date movie" - ha!ha! ...we shall see!

if it's anything like the notebook [another one of my favorite movies!!], i will be buying the dvd as soon as it is available!

below is a link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0fq5dd0C60

also, don't forget the waterford sale event is going on right now at rue la la!

rue la la is the destination for 2-day-only boutiques, filled with the designers we love at private sale prices. tt's free, fabulous, and invitation-only. click here for your personal invite to rue la la. happy shopping!

oh yea, while you are at it be sure and stop over at one king's lane! why?!?!?...staub is going on right now! plus a few other private sales, don't miss! if you are not a member of one king's lane, click here for your personal invite! enjoy!

hope your week is going well! still on the job hunt........ugh!

:) - PLD