Book Club Quandry

So as you may or may not recall, I partake in a monthly book club w/ my MOM’s Club group, which let me just say right now, I enjoy very much. However, that being said, am I the only one on the planet who can pick a decent book? It’s like each host is in a top secret competition to see who can pick the longest, most boring, “best selling” book. And you want to know what the prize ends up being? NO ONE WANTS TO SHOW UP FOR THAT BOOK CLUB BECAUSE NO ONE READ THE LOUSY BOOK. I mean come ON, do you really think I am not only NOT going to want to read Middlesex, but ENJOY it at that? Which FYI, no one enjoyed that book, not even the host who picked it, and ¾ of the people didn’t even finish it so we ended up talking about our first menstrual cycles and embarrassing puberty moments. Actually I sort of sat there blushing on the sofa as I tend to be somewhat of a prude, but everyone else sure was happy sharing the gory details.

And that leads me to The Red Tent. Okay, SERIOUSLY. The entire book was about women menstruating in biblical days. There was nothing enjoyable what-so-ever about that book for me. I suffered through the entire book along with the characters, just WAITING for it to pick up somewhere, but alas, found myself at the end of the book saying “That’s it?” Don’t get me wrong; I don’t want to come off shallow here, as I really am an intelligent person, and I really do like being challenged in my thinking when I read books. I do enjoy reading books out of my laugh-out-loud pretend the world is a perfectly cheery place type of humorous books. But can we stop with the boring book competition? Stay at home Mom’s are dropping like flies from book club!

Last month we reviewed Daniel Isn’t Talking by Marti Leimbach and it was ok. The main character really had a creep for a husband which is unfortunate since she pretty much had her hands full with two young children, one of them being autistic (who wasn’t diagnosed as such until he was something like 3).

Anyhoo, this month we are onto the ever *exciting* The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards which so far is as predictable as the last book. And from the looks of it, next months selection, My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult seems to be nearly interchangeable as well with these other two books. I mean seriously. Why can’t someone pick a classic like Catcher in the Rye or The Great Gatsby to revisit in book club. Am I the only one who is noticing less and less people coming to book club? I know I’ve speculated about my superhuman powers before, but just as being invisible isn’t one of my special powers, neither is it anyone else’s in book club (at least I feel pretty sure about that anyway).

Okay okay. So all this has nothing to do with great finds or fun projects or anything even REMOTELY Martha related. So, please excuse the rant today. But it’s Friday so I’m letting my creative juices pool a little today so I can give you guys some great projects and ideas next week and this means I plan on doing a lot of reading today. This weekend I’m going to be in full-fledged Fall decorating mode so I will have lots to share next week. So fasten your seat belts and get ready for the ride next week!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got my own seatbelt to buckle to drop mini monogram #1 off at pre-school and take mini #2 to have some fun and jump on the trampolines for play time at the gymnastics place, then go pick up a few new books to liven up my nightstand selection. See you next week for lots of Fall fun!

Tailgate Entertaining by Southern Standards

I am fortunate enough to have attended a big SEC college. Trust me when I tell you, this is truly and experience like no other. And in the south, the most important and highly anticipated event for our colleges in the SEC, is college game day. And what defines our college game days at our colleges and makes them like no other game days in the country, is our tailgating. You see, tailgating in the south isn’t just a mere tradition. Oh no, no, no, my friends. It isn’t something we do to pass time before the game begins (you see the game is actually quite often the afterthought). It’s a gift that we pass down from one generation to another. Its social fanfare at it’s finest. It’s the epitome of southern hospitality showcased by good graces, good manners, good southern bar-b-que, and greeting strangers not with a “hello!” but with your school’s battle cry. I mean, don’t dare approach Mr. Monogram or I on a game day with a “Hi there!” as you’re going to receive back a “War Eagle” instead from us. Just like the UGA fans shout out “Go Dawgs” or the Alabama fans shake hands with a firm “Roll Tide” as a prelude to catching up on the latest news. This is just the way it is, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

In college, game days meant getting dressed up in Sunday dress in hose and high heels (or at the very least, a cute little stacked loafer and a pair of tights and skirt, and I mean at the very least), and always wearing your sorority pin. Lord help the girl who went to the game on the arm of her date without her pin, I tell you! And as for the boys, well they always wore their standard uniform of khaki pants, loafers, a white button down, a tie with our school colors, and of course, fraternity pin as well. Although as I side note, I must mention that under these cute outfits, double –bagged zip lock bags of our faithful friend, Mr. Jim Beam, was always tucked and hidden somewhere in our undergarments (I recommend the bra, honestly). And yes, as briefly mentioned, you always go with a date, who will pick you up at your dorm at 9am to start tailgating for a 1pm game. I know many of you are sitting there thinking this is ridiculous and that this can not possibly still happen. But it does! And if you don’t believe me then I encourage you to turn on the next ESPN game day at an SEC school and look real closely and take good notes as the camera spans the crowd. You see this isn’t the way it used to be; this is the way it STILL is and always will be. Southern tradition at it’s finest.

So for those of you who went to one of our fine southern institutions, you are likely shaking your head with a smile on your face, re-living your own fond memories of dressing up for football games and waiting with giddy anticipation for your date to come pick you up, and of course, wondering what you’ll wear to the band party later. But for those of you who are reading this as if I’m speaking some foreign language, you might still be wondering what in the world makes our tailgating so spectacular. Well, where do I even begin?

First of all, what other colleges consider early tailgating (Friday or even Thursday), at my Alma Mater (Auburn University) and a few of the other big SEC colleges (i.e. Georgia, Alabama, LSU), it starts at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday before the game, when the massive caravan of RV's pull into our quiet little town on the plains (by massive I literally mean hundreds). And I’m not just talking your every day, run of the mill RV’s either. I am talking million dollar, fully outfitted, top dollar luxury RV’s that most of these people own SOLELY for tailgating and entertaining purposes. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the professional grade big black bar-b-que pits that many of them tote behind them as well. Because, you see, tailgating is an open door policy of booze and food and football and music. The food, if not authentic southern bar-b-que with all the fixings (or “finxin’s” as you will often hear it pronounced), is also often times catered. Sort of a come one, come all! But really I’m getting off the subject as I have heard from a few of you from various parts of the country who want some suggestions on jazzing up your own tailgating.
Now, if you don’t happen to have a million dollar RV at your disposal, then you will no doubt be either walking around, drink in hand to enjoy everyone else’s’ Southern Hospitality, or you will be throwing a bit of your own tailgating party right at home. And while I do not throw a football party with football shaped bowls and dishes and banners, I tend to use the colors as my theme. Or, pick a meal to be my theme. For instance, when Mr. Monogram and I were planning our Fall tailgating party (which we’ve since had to cancel due to scheduling conflicts), my theme was Ears & Beers, Chili & Cheer.
The invitations were very simple with my theme stated as shown in a really cool font and work layout, then followed by all the pertinent information such as time, date, location, etc.. Now, just for fun, at the bottom of my invitation it had read, Attire: Traditional Preppy Southern Sorority/Fraternity Game Day attire Requested, Greek pin optional! Cute, right? Mr. Monogram and I were going to break out our fraternity and sorority pins to wear with our cute little preppy college game day attire, and we were going to do a huge projection screen in the back yard and project the game from a projector. The lawn would be covered in quilts, scattered with pillows and chairs and even some large hay bales for sitting on, and the back deck would be set up for our plentiful buffet. The buffet would consist of mounds of corn of the cob, a half dozen different types and flavor of butter for the corn, and we would have our huge deep turkey fryer filled to the brim, cooking my chili over the burner. All the chili fixings (er, sorry, I mean finxin’s) and side dishes would also be laid out on the table in pretty bowls and different height levels, on top of quilts or table linens to match my team’s colors.

Now, if you are tailgating on campus, then these same entertaining ideas can still apply and it will be a tremendous treat for your tailgating companions and guests. You can even go to Kinko’s and have a banner made for your tailgate location with your party theme on it, to tie in with your invitations. Go to your local fabric store and pick up cute patterns and plaids and solids in your school colors and drape your tables with them to create interest. Whether you tailgate on campus or tailgate in the back yard or front porch, it shouldn’t mean skimping on your entertaining. There is no skimping at monogram mommas! It’s Fall! And what have we started talking about? Pumpkins! That’s right! So incorporate your pumpkins into your fall tailgating. Make a topiary like I showed on Tuesday, but use florals with your school colors instead of fall colors, and try putting your school logo on the top topiary pumpkin, and there’s your centerpiece. Again, instead of monogramming your pumpkins, incorporate your school spirit and school colors into them and onto your tailgating tables. Heck you can even cut off the top of a few synthetic pumpkins and drop a clear or white bowl into them (to make it look super cute, use different size pumpkins so it will also appear like you have different heights on your table) and they instantly become cute and decorative dishes to hold dips and side dishes.

Now, let’s talk about drinks. Now you know I insist on using your monogrammed galvanized drink tub, or even doing another one still with your monogram, but with your school colors. Naturally, beer is a staple for every tailgater, but that means a koozie is too. So bring along or have on hand cute colorful kozzies so your guests can cover up those unsightly beer bottles which you can literally pick up at your local craft store for about 50 cents each in an array of solid colors, and then I would also have some plastic stadium cups printed up with my theme and date on them. I like these from Shindigz and they have a great price too that you can’t beat. Of course, these cups are most helpful for mixed drinks, which in the South, this means two ingredients: Jim Beam and Coke. This is like our game day fuel and is a strict requirement along with the music selection of the Allman Brothers and Lynard Skynard.

As a final parting note, I leave you with these final parting words, sent to me in a timely email that does a good job of summing up College Football and Tailgating in the South. So grab your beam and coke, give it a good stir, and for those of you who are planning a football trip South, here are a few helpful hints that were sent to me, and do a good job summing up our fine tradition and staple of SEC Football.

Tailgating:
NORTH: Raw meat on a grill, beer with lime in it, listening to local radio station with truck tailga! ! te down.
SOUTH: 30-foot custom pig-shaped smoker fires up at dawn. Cooking accompanied by live performance
by "Dave Matthews' Band," who comes over during breaks and ask for a hit off bottle of bourbon.

Women's Accessories:
NORTH: Chap Stick in back pocket and a $20 bill in the front pocket.
SOUTH: Louis Vuitton duffel with two lipsticks, waterproof mascara, and a fifth of bourbon.
Money not necessary -! ! that's what dates are for.

Stadium Size:
NORTH: College football stadiums hold 20,000 people.
SOUTH: High school football stadiums hold 20,000 people.

Fathers:
NORTH: Expect their daughters to understand Sylvia Plath.
SOUTH: Expect their daughters to understand pass interference.

Campus Decor:
NORTH: Statues of founding fathers.
SOUTH: Statues of Heisman trophy winners.

Homecoming Queen:
NORTH: Also a physics major.
SOUTH: Also Miss America .

Heroes:
NORTH: Rudy Giuliani
SOUTH: Archie & Peyton & Eli Manning

Getting Tickets:
NORTH: 5 days before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus.
SOUTH: 5 months before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus, make a
large financial contr ibution and put name on awaiting list for tickets.

Friday Classes After a Thursday Night Game:
NORTH: Students and teachers not sure they're going to the game, because
they have classes on Friday.
SOUTH: Teachers cancel Friday classes because they don't want to see the
few hung over students that might actually make it to class.

Parking:
NORTH: An hour before game time, the University opens the campus for game parking.
SOUTH: RVs sporting their school flags begin arriving on Wednesday for the weekend
festivities. The really faithful arrive on Tuesday.

Game Day:
NORTH: A few students party in the dorm and watch ESPN on TV.
SOUTH: Every student wakes up, has a beer for breakfast, and Rushes over
to where ESPN is broadcasting "Game Day Live" to get on camera and wave to
the idiots up north who wonder why "Game Day Live" is never Broadcast from their campus.

Getting to the Stadium:
NORTH: You ask "Where's the stadium?" When you find it, you walk right in.
SOUTH: When you're near it, you'll hear it. On game day it becomes the state's third largest city.

Concessions:
NORTH: Drinks served in a paper cup, filled to the top with soda.
SOUTH: Drinks served in a plastic cup, with the home team's mascot on
it, filled less than half way with soda, to ensure enough room for bourbon.

When National Anthem is Played:
NORTH : Stands are less than half full, and less than half of them stand up.
SOUTH: 100,000 fans, all standing, sing along in perfect four-part harmony.

The Smell in the Air After the First Score:
NORTH: Nothing changes.
SOUTH: Fireworks, with a touch of bourbon.

Commentary (Male):
NORTH: "Nice play."
SOUTH: "Dammit, you slow sumbitch - tackle him and break his legs."

Commentary (Female):
NORTH: "My, this certainly is a violent sport."
SOUTH: "Dammit, you slow sumbitch - tackle him and break his legs."

Announcers:
NORTH: Neutral and paid.
SOUTH: Announcer harmonizes with the crowd in the fight song, with a tear in his eye because he is so proud of his team.

After the Game:
NORTH: The stadium is empty way before the game ends.
SOUTH: Another rack of ribs goes on the smoker, while somebody goes to the nearest package store for more bourbon, and planning begins for next week's game.

Looking Ahead & Things I Love Today: September

You may have heard me mention once or twice or [ten times] before, that Fall is my MOST favorite time of year. While Spring tends to wake most people up and make them feel a little more alive, this is what Fall does for me (personally, you can HAVE Spring and all the murderous allergies that come with it). Whether it’s the changing leaves, the cool windy days, throwing on my cords, or heck, maybe because it’s time for SEC football again, I don’t know what it is about my love affair with Fall that really gets me motivated and moving. Coincidentally, this is also my busiest time of year. Once pre-school begins, it’s like someone’s fired the start gun and I hear a loud “Annnnnnnnnnnnd They’re Off!” being hollered somewhere in my subconscious.

For instance, I’ve still got all my fall planting and decorating to do, pumpkins and corn stalks to buy, Halloween costumes for the mini monograms to work on, Halloween costumes for my nieces to work on, mini monogram #2’s birthday and invitations to plan, 5 additional immediate family birthday’s to buy for, vacation to pack for (not to mention that’s a week of productivity down the tubes), crafting to do and somehow, SOMEHOW, I got roped into being BOTH of the mini monograms room mothers, so that means 2 class Halloween parties to organize as well. Oh yes, lets not forget my daily blogging! Whew! It’s enough to make an anxiety attack kick into high gear. Yes, nothing says welcome to a new day like waking up not being able to breathe with a feeling you’re going to vomit and have a heart attack all at the same time. Talk about crushing your creativity! It’s quite lovely, really.

So I know, I know. Quit my complaining, right? Well, it’s not so much complaining as these are all things I love to do this time of year, but more of an up-front explanation why some days will be more interesting and dare I say, snarky than others. So all I’m asking is you just bear with me and understand that while I’ve got a HUGE list of fun fall projects and ideas that I promise I’m going to be passing along, I can’t possibly do a project every single day without DFCS coming and taking me away for ignoring my children, so some days will be focused on good deals I want to pass along, stationary finds, the craziness that is just my stay-at-home-life with two little boys, and just fun preppy stuff I love in general. But like I said, I’ve got loads of really great projects looming on the horizon and I’m always eager to take your project requests too!

So, as I head out to look at birthday party invitations today and mark off a few things on my list, here are a few things I love today.

The Diaper Roll-Up allows you to carry all your diaper changing essentials in one pretty little rolled up pacakge when you need to do some quick little errands or run into Target. This handy little creation by FiFi Vanderfluff for Babies holds two diapers, wipes, and disposable bags and rolls up perfectly and pretty to fit into your purse or stroller so you can say goodbye to mangled diapers and wipes! Perfect for the mom-on-the-go (and what mom isn't, really?), it's Genious!

To feed into my stationary addiction (because we all know it's much better to keep feeding an addiction than to admit you actually have a problem), I have been turned onto Three Designing Women who have one of the most unique stationary concepts I've ever seen. Design your large personalized stamp (examples above) then use their fun and colorful stationary with a special spot designed speficially for your stamp, to personalize your notecards. This is such a fabulous gift, I am all over this!

Fresh on the heels of our preppy puppy contest last week, is this luscious monogrammed dog sweater from The Company Store. And with FREE MONOGRAMMING right now you should have no excuse not to spoil your preppy pup!

I've been a huge fan of Gina Alexander's bags for several years now. They are high quality, made to last, and worth every penny. This is definiltely NOT a cheap looking photo bag. I was thrilled to see Gina added a few new designs to her collection such as the Black & White Candy Bag (above) which is so gorgeous with the black and white fabric side panels. Make sure you also check out The Audrey Bag and The Fairfax, which with it's pretty round hardware rings will make you really stand out in a crowd.

Who doesn't love a sale?! So when Lisa, one of the chicks at Three Chickadees emailed me to say they are having a Fall Sale through next Monday (10/2) good for 15% off your purchase, you know I'm going to love that! Enter discount code "FALL" at checkout. Thanks, Lisa!

Pumpkins 101

I have a confession. Up until last week, I have always been what one could call, a pumpkin snob. Yes, that’s right, a pumpkin snob. Like Christmas trees, I believe they should all be real so you can enjoy every aspect from their texture to the smell, the gooey-ness of cleaning out all the seeds and baking them for my favorite fall snack, and even experiencing the frustration that comes with the design and implementation of carving a real pumpkin (I mean I think we can all agree while the finished project is very rewarding, there is a lot of time and often irritation that goes into carving these suckers. Ever try to carve out the delicate eye or tooth of your pumpkin person only to pop out then entire thing so you’re left with a big gaping hole?). I would see the synthetic crafting pumpkins at the craft store and on other peoples doorsteps and think, “Heavens no! Not for me!” and turn my nose and walk away. But like I said, that was before last week and a new day has come and I’ve got a table full of these crafting carvable pumpkins to prove it.

And so begins my Pumpkin series as has been requested by many of you, eagerly seeking out pumpkin ideas. I will be chatting about everything from these carvable synthetic crafting pumpkins to real pumpkins to different types of pumpkins and decorating and baking with pumpkins. In short, no pumpkin, big or small will be ignored because you know I do like to make everyone feel included as there is no snubbing allowed at monogram momma’s. It’s all about equality here.

So I picked up a white synthetic pumpkin when I bought all the other because I don’t know, I just felt like a little diversity was needed among pumpkin crafting. These pumpkins I believe are called “ghost pumpkins” and I had no clue what I was going to do with it but it made it’s way into my cart none-the-less. Naturally, I monogrammed it. In fact, I made an executive decision that Mr. Monogram’s office wasn’t looking very fall-ish (truthfully the only thing it looks is BORING-ish), so I decided to monogram it for him. And since his company colors are green and white, it worked out rather well with the white pumpkin and green monogram. As with all of my monogramming projects, I printed up my monogram from the computer then used my carbon paper to trace it onto my pumpkin while securing it with my faithful painters tape. Then I just used my green paint pen and went to town. Once my monogram was done, I then used a knife and cut out the top, as you would with a real pumpkin, and I decided to fill it with candy for guests. So now Mr. Monogram has a lovely monogrammed ghost pumpkin in his company colors for the coffee table in his office, whether he likes it or not. But you and I both know the only way this pumpkin is going to find it’s way to it’s final destination is if I take it there myself, so believe you me, we are on our way today.

Once I finished my monogrammed pumpkin, I then decided to tackle a slightly larger project. Say it with me: TOPIARY. Yes you read that right; with all our rain this weekend I had loads of time to work on a lovely three- tiered pumpkin topiary. Here’s what you need to get started on this idea:

Supplies
-3 synthetic pumpkins (I did a small one for the top, then two medium sized ones)
-various synthetic flowers, wreaths, leaves, birds, etc. (basically whatever you want to use that will go with your décor)
-Hot glue gun with plenty of glue
-kitchen knife or electric pumpkin carving tool

So let’s get started. Obviously you will want to stack your pumpkins one on top of each other. So what I did, was to take the middle & top pumpkins and cut a hole out of the bottom. That way they stack very nicely and the stem from the pumpkin underneath it, goes into the hole. Kind of like a male and female pumpkin. You can see here what they looked like when I cut the bottom out. I then made sure my glue was nice and hot, then just secured the three pumpkins together with my glue gun. Now, you can see here that I took apart all my synthetic flowers and made them into small stems and pieces and just sort of organized them a little bit into similar groups. I used deep purple berries and green ranuncula’s from the Tuscan floral series from my local craft store as that was going to match my décor the best. All I did then, was just work one layer at a time, gluing and inserting flowers and leaves and berried and twigs. Once I got to the top layer, I decided I just wanted to do a little leaf and top it off with a flower, and that was it. I will say, while very easy to do, this does sort of make a mess because the flowers get everywhere.

I made mine with the intention of being my kitchen island centerpiece as I always like to have something there this time of year. To finish it off, I will put it on a round silver platter sitting on a layer of coordinating leaves and surrounded by a nice rich color combination or cranberries and whole coffee beans. And if I really wanted to, I could always do two and put one on each side of my mantle for a nice looks as well. But the great thing about this topiary is that you can also make it to go outside. Yes, that’s right! They can withstand the outdoor elements! For instance, I have two large planters at my front door that usually have metal topiaries and summer vines in them. However, you can see here that by removing that and putting my pumpkin topiary in its place, it makes a very festive fall entrance to my home. Of course ignore the dying flowers surrounding it, as I haven’t had time to put my pansies in yet, but you get the idea. Take out your dead summer flowers, put in a nice pumpkin topiary, and surround it with some colorful pansies and draping ivy, and you’re front entry will look fabulous. Now, I did not monogram this, but if you like, you can even do your one letter initial in a nice formal font on the center pumpkin of the topiary, and that would also look very nice on each side of your front door. But since my door basket is monogrammed, that would just be too many M’s for my front door, so I will leave my simple and plain.

Being that these pumpkins are synthetic, you can not put a candle in them. But that’s okay because you know I’ve got that figured out already! So here’s another cute idea. If you have a short (or even fairly short) last name, get one small size pumpkin for each letter in your last name. Use a pretty font like the Edwardian and print up letters for your last name. Trace them on each pumpkin and cut them out. Line them along your mantle perfectly spaced. If you like, you can put small tea-lights in clear glass tea light or votive holders in between each of the pumpkins to light when company comes over. But if you want to put light actually inside the pumpkin, then try small strands of Christmas lights. Poke a hole through the back of each individual pumpkin so you can discretely slip the cord out and connect it from one pumpkin to another. If you still like the idea of spelling out your last name for your mantle or front walkway or even your front entry stairs (one on each stair going down the stairs), but don’t want to insert the lights, then how about flowers? You can put small clear glass vases inside each pumpkin after cutting a hole out of the top, then fill it with fresh flowers as well!

So I hope you've Finally enjoyed seeing the pictures. It only took Blogger an entire day to allow me to upload them so I hope they were worth the wait. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got two little pimpkins remaining with the mini monograms names on them for me to personalize for their bedrooms. Happy carving!

Reader Requests: Etiquette & Embroidery

Once again I find myself on a Monday morning just dying to share with you all my thoughts and ideas on tailgate entertaining (something we have perfected to a true art here in the South), but I can’t organize my thoughts enough this morning into finishing this post. So I swear I will do it tomorrow. Sit tight!

Anyhow, this weekend I did some really fun stuff with pumpkins which I am excited to share with you all as we were stuck inside all weekend long due to 3 days of torrential downpours. And let me tell you, three days of rain does not make for two happy mini monograms or Mr. Monogram either for that matter. But today the skies are clear and in the 60’s so we are planning on heading out to either the zoo or the park this morning which is why I really must be going. I’ve also got lofty aspirations of throwing together some fresh blueberry mini muffins in the oven for the mini monograms this morning too, so I better get going on that as I’ve abandoned my project mid-cycle to post this quick entry (well important things first, right?). So in the mean time, enjoy some reader requests and have a fabulous day. I’m off to play Martha in the kitchen.

George writes:
...I am writing you because I have an etiquette question, and I haven't really found an answer, and I wanted to know what you think.

My girlfriend and I are a newly-minted engaged couple, and since this is our first Christmas season with this status, I wanted to send joint Holiday cards. My question is whether or not you think this is proper, and if so, what is the proper way to sign, ie., Love, George and Venetia; Happy Holidays, George and Venetia, etc...


Congratulations on your recent engagement! This is a great question and one I haven't yet received. I will tell you that I tend to stick to the old school rules for pretty much everything when it comes to etiquette and what's proper and not, but the world seems to have relaxed a lot where etiquette is concerned (trust me when I tell you I could go on and on about this). In my opinion, no, it is not proper for you to send out a joint Christmas Card unless you are living together. If you are and have been living together prior to the engagement, then I do think by today's standards it's acceptable to send out joint cards. But only in that instance. If you are asking if I would personally do it, then my answer would have to be no. My husband and I were engaged before Christmas 9 years ago (yikes) and no, we did not send out joint Christmas Cards. But like I said, I tend to take a hard line on things such as this and I know the "audience" (for lack of better words) that my Christmas Cards and invitations are being sent to and what they expect of me.

Truly, nothing should be signed jointly until after you are married. All thank you notes prior to the wedding should be sent by the bride-to-be and while she should reference you (i.e.. "George and I love the beautiful silver candlesticks") in the thank you note, she should not sign your name along with her own. All thank-you's should be from her only (on her own stationary with her own monogram or maiden name), unless it is a close family friend or relative of yours. In this event, then some men will write the thank you note themselves, but again, you sign your name only and it should be sent on your personal stationary or cardstock. The joint married name or joint monogram should never be used until after the wedding (with a VERY FEW exceptions such as wedding invitations and wedding programs). I know this is a very old-fashioned stance on wedding thank-you's and again, plenty of people have a much more relaxed view on this and will disagree with me, but I just believe the old school rules are the way to go, especially since the people from our parents generation and older don't know that any other rules [sort-of] exist, so that's what they expect.

Ginny also writes:
I was wondering if you happen to own a monogram machine and if so which one? I have friends who own a Bernina and are very happy but I was curious as to your suggestions.

I have a computerized machine by Janome (MC 4800) that has tons of decorative stitches and does small monogramming in a block or script font, but not a full-fledged monogramming machine. When I was looking for a new machine, this machine met my home dec sewing needs to a "T" and I can't live without it! An embroidery only machine is something I am hoping to purchase in the near future though, as I spend a small fortune on all my monogramming as you can probably imagine. Janome actually has a new Memory Craft 11000 on the market that with a standard embroidery size of 8" x8" has the largest hoop and monogramming capability on the market. You can bet your bottom dollar I'll be giving that one a whirl!

I will say, I ADORE my machine and can't recommend Janome enough. It's so easy to use and has honestly made me a better sewer, if you can believe that! I looked high and low and I did try the Bernina's but did not like them for myself. One of the main things that was very important to me when I was buying a new machine was to have a drop-in loading bobbin. My last machine was a Husqvarna and the bobbin was IMPOSSIBLE to put in and was such a big pain in the rear end, and then a lot of time it would get all wound up and stuck. Talk about frustration! But anyway, the Bernina's I looked at had the old style bobbin loading system and I just did not want to do that again.

Another great brand you might want to look at is Babylock. They make great machines (sewing and also embroidery only machines) and I know several people who swear by those too. One last brand I have heard great things about for emrboidery only machines is the Brother brand. As a plus, these are also readilly available on ebay. The main thing is just to write a list of criteria of what's important to you in an embroidery machine and what you will mostly be using it for. Just like looking for a new car, sit down and "drive" each machine to make sure it feels good to you, is quiet, has adustable speed, look at each machines smalles and largest monogramming sizes, does it have internet capability, etc... Take your time and then go with the machine that fits all your own needs and drives the best to you and will make your sewing and embroidering not only easier, but more fun!

Good luck!

ANNNNNNNNNND The Winner Is....

Okay folks, the polls are officially closed (but you can still comment, so comment away if you like). What a fun day this has turned out to be! Thanks again to everyone who not only sent in picts of their preppy pups but also voted for the preppiest pup (yes, even you Alyson, with the sarcastic monogrammed hot dog). So the tally looks like this:

Alyson's Hot Dog: 1/2 point for honorable mention (sadly, no grosgrain on the dog)

Cape Cod Lucy: 1 (+ 1 grosgrain collar point)

Preppy Rudie: 1 (+1 grosgrain collar point)

Gidget in Toile: 2 (+ 0 grosgrain collar points)

Baci in the Bag: 3 (can't tell if he has a GG collar)

Doug the Pug: 5 (can't tell if he has a GG collar either but he's wearing Burberry for Pete's sake so I don't think that really matters)

So, congratulations Scarlett! You are the winner! *loud applause from the audience* Now, I know you can hardly stand knowing what you've won, so email me your favorite preppy color combo's, your initials, and all important address, and a monogrammed preppy key fob will be on it's way to your doorstep tomorrow!

P.S. If any of you New Englanders happen to be in the Norwalk, CT area this weekend, make sure you stop by the Norwalk, CT Boat Show and take in the AMAZING Windy Boats at Slips W9-W12 from now through Sunday. Check out these beautiful boats here and if you talk to Ryan, tell him monogram momma says hello!

Show Me Yours, I'll Show You Mine: Preppy Puppy

Well I must say, we all have some mighty fine looking preppy puppies! From California to the rocky shores of the Cape, we have some well dressed, well pampered, and well traveled canine children. Big hugs to all of you who excitedly snapped your photo's and sent them in. Alas, you will notice one or two of our participants were not quite as enthusiastic as their mom's were, but they plowed through like the proper little preppy troopers that they are (probably wearing wellies, at that). Now, here's the deal.While I was originally going to have mini monogram #1 be our celebrity guest judge, he kept picking his own dog to win and well, that just won't do. So I'm leaving it up to you to vote for your favorite preppy puppy, and each puppy and the one with the most votes wins. As I mentioned, each puppy with a grosgrain collar is already starting out with one vote (extra credit). Oh, and no, you can't vote for your own dog!

So let's get on with it, and SHOW ME YOURS!

Sarah sent in this photo of her pup, Lucy. Lucy enjoys long walks in the beach in her pink and green preppy whale grosgrain collar. Here is Miss Lucy people watching at Nauset Beach in Cape Cod.

Madison, who is obviously very keen on good posture, is the daughter of FCO and she resides in sunny Southern California. You would think that all that sun and sand would leave her hair awfully dry & damaged, but Miss Maddie solves that problem with a nice short summer cut. Love that sun-kissed color, Madison. Do tell who your celebrity stylist is!


This is Baci, being ever so helpful as his mom Alyssa tries to pack up her Lilly bags for the season.


No Baci, playing dead in the Lilly bag will not exempt you from this assignment.


I now introduce you to Corrie’s pup, Rudie. Rudie is really quite handsome in his uber preppy navy and green embroidered polo shirt and madras collar, doing his best Elvis snarl. Sadly, Rudie really wasn't feeling the vibe of the matching madras pants. *sigh* Although I don’t know too many folks who have the confidence to carry off the no-pants look but Rudie does it quite well, don’t you think?


And here we have Rudy's sister, Gidgett. Although she declined to wear her preppy attire today, she looks quite relaxed in her lovely pink toile bed and matching pink collar. Sadly, this trio of preppy pups isn't quite complete as their sister, Brownie, chose not to participate in the monogram momma exercise as she was just too busy napping to be bothered by paparazzi type photographs.
(now that is a girl after my own heart)


Well hello there, Sunny! Sent in by MM reader, Ashley, Sunny is adjusting to life in the burbs and is hopeful her new preppy pink and navy collegiate striped collar will catch the eye of a suburban suitor.

Sunny likes to relax and de-stress by playing with toys and ripping up packing material from his recent move.


Like myself, Monty is of Italian heritage. Sporting his Nantucket collar in the classic “Nantucket Red,” Monty enjoys dividing his time between Manhattan’s Upper East side and Sagaponack, Long Island with his mom Mel, and dad, Chappy. Today, he has decided to interrupt his mom’s laundry folding and stake her navy and pink rugby for his own. Stand your ground Monty, stand your ground.

Meet Georgia, a.k.a. my parents Princess Puppy (as I've referred to heron the blog). While she feels she is much too pretty to actually get herself wet, here she is relaxing poolside at my parents house, in her new preppy pink and green grosgrain collar with tennis raquets on it. In her spare time, Georgia enjoys spending time at the club, taking in ALTA

(read tennis) practice and matches several times a week with my father.

Here again, is my spoiled sister, Georgia, *allowing* us to admire her in all her fall foliage.



Here are Scarlett’s preppy puppies. Standing tall is Doug the pug, and he is a true classic gentleman who prefers Burberry to Bandana’s. He and his brother, Max, are of the old school set and are awaiting their chauffer.

Ah, yes. And here she is. Our little chauffeur has arrived, coincidentally in perfectly matching Burberry herself. And we're off!

Sent in by his mom Jean, this is Stogie, a self proclaimed “bad boy” being ever so gracious by reluctantly allowing his mom to snap his profile. Stogie prefers to buck the traditional preppy grosgrain collar trend and go with the well-worn look as his mom puts it. I think he looks rather fetching, no?


Meet Maggi’s preppy puppy, Sophie. She’s a simple girl with a dream…



Meet Maggi’s other preppy puppy, Darby. A gal with a soft, sensitive side…

Sophie, meet Darby’s soft sensitive side. The backside, that is.

You know, I like a gal who marches to her own beat, and Emily has hog-tied her cat, Jasmine, with a lovely navy and green preppy whale grosgrain belt. Jazz must be a bit confused (probably because she’s a cat and not a dog), as this was not for a Playboy photo shoot as her pose suggests.

Also not wanting to be left out, Alyson has shared this picture of her, uhhhh, dog. Yeah, her preppy dog. Lovely monogram on the dog there, Alyson. Way to show your monongram momma spirit!

Well you've showed me yours so now I'LL SHOW YOU MINE!

At long last, here is a picture of my girl doing her best Bo Derek, with the wet tossled look on vacation at St. George Island. Preppy puppy loves to swim and fetch and ride the waves in.

Like any proper lady, my preppy puppy understands the importance of taking care of her skin. Here she is with her self-made sand mask at the beach, trying to catch crabs.

Getting ready to hop in the car to take the boys to pre-school yesterday, she looks every bit the part of the stay-at-home-dog with her pink polo with green and white stripes and black leather Coach collar. Sadly, she is not a popped collar gal, but this casual look works for her none-the-less, no?

"Show Me Yours" Reminder

I know, I know. Don't act too shocked that this is actually my third post in one day. But as I'm sitting here watching last night's Dancing With the Stars (can someone please tell me who the heck Willa Ford is, btw?), Jerry Springer made me think about a springer spaniel which then made me start thinking about the "Show Me Yours & I'll Show You Mine: Preppy Puppy."

So anyway, for those of you who I have yet to hear from, this is just a friendly little reminder that you have until tomorrow night to get your preppy puppy pictures into me. So start taking those pictures or scanning them in and make sure they hit my inbox within the next 24 hours.

On your mark, get set, GO take those pictures and send those preppy puppy emails!!

P.S. Did I fail to mention there is also a prize for the winner????? HMMMMM???

Birthday Barbie

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER #1!!

So how's it feel to be the big 4-OHHHHH?
Might I add, you are looking quite like the lovely birthday princess today.

So, I thought it might interest you to know that forty years ago today, Mom was wearing something like this...

And Forty years ago today, this is what Barbie was wearing...

Odd how mom was following Barbie as her fashion icon, huh? It sure does explain that Princess look you're sporting around sunny CA today!