Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Hello, dear friends.  Happy Friday.  The Mister is taking today off, and we are rolling up our sleeves to get some heavy duty planting done.  There is only one problem that we run into when we partake in this annual activity.  We both want to be the boss.  So wish me luck.

We've hired a mediator which is cheaper than a divorce lawyer.

I put together a Mother's Day wish gift list for you.  If your name is #1 or #2 - pay attention and take notes.

For the Entertaining Mom

Draper James

Love the colors of this outdoor dishware and tablecloth.

Pottery Barn

Williams Sonoma

Amazon

For the Mom who loves to throw parties and gets a kick out of life. 

This is such a fun book written by some crazy sistas.

For the Mom who loves Blue & White

The Enchanted Home

Along with lovely porcelain, Tina has other gorgeous home decor items that are guaranteed to put a smile on Mom's face.

For the Monogram Mom

Draper James

For the Techie Mom

ipad cover
Macys

I have this ipad cover and love it.


For the Mom who can't have enough Purses.

Macy's

Nordstrom

A new summer purse is always an appreciated gift.





For the Mom who can't get enough
Downton Abbey

Pristine



For the Bejeweled Mom

pottery barn

I love this jewelry box.  The last one I owned had a twirling ballerina in it.




For the Traveling Mom

Draper James

Kate Spade

Mark and Graham

Mark and Graham

Henri Bendel







For the Glamorous Mom

Sephora

What Mom wouldn't love a new set of brushes?

Nordstrom

My #2 gave me this makeup case.  
It's a great size and holds a lot.




For the Chic Mom

jjill

You know my affinity for ponchos.  Now I can even wear them in the summer!!  

Bonus round:  Big Sale in progress.

For the Mom that appreciates Trash TV

Bravo

Guilty!





For the Chef Mom

Amazon

Amazon

I don't think you have to be Catholic to buy this one.



For the Mom who likes a little mystery in her life.

Amazon

I'm listening to this one now and really enjoying it.



For the Mom who got promoted

Amazon

I saw Leslie Stahl interviewed.  This sounds like a great book for the new grandma.  Or an old  a seasoned grandma. 





For the Mom who is a good listener

How about a year subscription?  
I love listening to books on my walks and in the car.






For the Mom who appreciates Baubles

Tory Burch

Draper James

Can you tell I love pearls?



For the Exhausted Mom

An uninterrupted 15-minute nap.

Can you add any gift ideas? 


Until next time...

Proudly linking up with:
Thoughts of Home on Thursday
Devastate Boredom
That Friday Blog Hop
Friday Favorites
Meet At The Barre
A Little Bit of Everything
Simply Sweet Home
High Five On Friday
Why Girls are Weird
High Five for Friday

A Poetic Hodgepodge

Hello, dear friends.  Happy Wednesday.  I'm starting to wonder if it ever will get warm around here.  We had some April showers yesterday with temps in the 40's.  The Mister is planning on taking Friday off so that we can do some planting.  We will have to see if the weather cooperates.

It's time for Hodgepodge.

 

1.  This is the last Hodgepodge in April.  Share something that you learned this month.

Am I the only one in the world that didn't know Prince lived in Minnesota?   I never really thought about it before, but Minnesota would not be my choice if someone asked me where I thought the pop star lived.  Don't get me wrong - I heard Minnesota is beautiful.  I just thought Prince lived on some exotic island or abroad somewhere.

Just goes to show you how much I know.

2.  It's National Poetry Month, and we all know you can't escape an April Hodgepodge without a little poetry.  Keeping the first line as is, change the rest of the wording in this familiar rhyme to make it your own - 'Hickory Dickory Dock...'

Hickory Dickory Dock.

Another year has hit the clock.

My last year being in the decade of 50,

Suddenly, I don't feel so nifty!

3. What were one or two rules in the home you grew up in?  Do you have many from which to choose?

I think this rule pertained only to me.

Quit picking on your little sista!!

4. Tell us about a kitchen or cooking disaster or mishap you've experienced.  Do you have many from which to choose?

When the Mister and I were first married, I told him that I was going to make dinner for him one night.  My mother gave me a recipe for cornish hens and rice.  I bought the hens the weekend before and hid them in the freezer.  That night, after I got home from work, I put the hens in hot water to defrost them.  By the time the Mister got home, I still had two frozen birds swimming in the sink.  Needless to say, we had Uncle Ben's Rice for dinner.

I never went near the kitchen again.

5.  Plant a kiss, plant doubt, plant a tree, plant yourself ... which on the list have you most recently planted?

Over the winter, the Mister and I had a large tree removed in front of the house.  We replaced it with a Japanese Maple tree.  We have never seen it in bloom.  You would think that our new addition was our new child, the way we do our daily inspection for new growth and chat about how full it is getting.  

6.  What's your most worn item of clothing this time of year?  Are you tired of it?

My #2 gave me this red scarf decorated with zebras.  Because my closet is a sea of black and gray, this scarf has been my go-to accessory for the Fall and Winter.

I am not tired of it because every time I wear it I think of my sweet #2.

P.S. I love all of the wonderful things that  #1 has given me as well. 

7.  I'm wrapping up the A-Z Blog Challenge this month and our Hodgepodge lands on letter W.   What's one word beginning with W that describes you in some way?  How about a word to describe your home, also beginning with W?

well worn

adjective

1. showing the signs of extensive use or wear

   "a well-worn leather armchair"

I would say this describes my house as well as myself.

8. Insert you own random thought.

Yesterday was my birthday.  
I share this day with some famous people.

My Handsome Nef,
Mister Christopher

One of my favorite stars

A funny Mall Cop

Oooh la la!!!

hmmmmm...
at Won't

 Budge
Until next time...

Magnificent Newport - Take 1

Hello, dear friends.  I hope that you had a great weekend.  If you recall, I mentioned that I was spending the weekend at a bachelorette party for one of my nearest and dearest in Boston.  It was so much fun -  I still haven't recovered. I'm happy to report that I didn't have to set up a GoFundMe account for bail money, so you're off the hook.  

Speaking of having a fabulous time, I was invited to join a small group of bloggers for a tour in Newport.  Anyone who has been reading my blog for some time knows that Newport is one of my favorite places in the whole world.  You can read my past posts here, here, here and here.  

Our first stop was The Breakers.  
It is the largest and most opulent of the "summer cottages" in Newport.

Fasten your seatbelts, ladies and gents.
It's a jaw dropper.  

The Breakers was built by my boyfriend, Anderson Cooper's great-great-great grandfather, Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1893.  By the way, my old homestead was built two years later.  Another thing I have in common with my boyfriend.

That's where the similarities end.  The Breakers holds over 65,000 square feet of indoor space.  It sits overlooking the water and thirteen acres of manicured grounds.  Two out of three floors are available for public viewing. 

As we entered the house, we were offered two audio tours.  I had taken the regular tour before so I opted for the children's tour so that I could report back to all of you with young children.

The tour is narrated in the voice of the house.  It tells you all about the family members and staff in colorful detail.  The speaker describes what a typical summer day was like for a lucky child of the Vanderbilt's.  The listener is introduced to the Chef and Butler, who say a few words.  

I highly recommend the children's audio tour.  It is so well done and enables the listener to get a feeling for what it would be like to live in this gorgeous home in its heyday.   

First stop is the parlor which is where guests were greeted.

The narrator describes how fun it is to slide down the grand staircase on a silver tray.

Note to self:  
next time pack tray in purse.

By the time I finished the tour I had a sore neck.  The ceilings throughout the house are beyond magnificent.

The acorn symbol was adopted by the Vanderbilt family in lieu of a family crest.  You can find the acorns everywhere throughout the house from the adorned ceilings to... 

... the floors.  This photo is from the billiards room.  Chalk up your cue stick - we'll be there before you know it!

The marble and the gilded wood that is displayed throughout the house will take your breath away.

Are you ready to be challenged?

I can just picture myself in a gorgeous gown snuggled in a chair reading Jane Austen.

I don't mind telling you that I felt a touch of motion sickness when I walked into this bedroom.

I'll take this one.  
Sista can sleep in the last one.

I can almost hear a cook like Mrs. Patmore instructing Daisy to crack some eggs!

I wonder who is in charge of polishing all that copper.

On to the butler's pantry...

How would you like to wake up to this view every morning?

As if that was not enough beauty, the gift shop offers lovely gift items.

This pic was taken with the queen of blue and white, Tina, from The Enchanted Home in mind, and all my other friends that adore blue and white!

Oh, there he is!  
I knew he was around here somewhere!

In closing, I highly recommend a visit to magical Newport.  If I haven't convinced you entirely, stay tuned for Part 2 that includes another summer cottage, Marble House, a fabulous restaurant, a vital resource for the sailor in your life, and a school that's concentration is yacht restoration.

Have you ever visited Newport?

Until next time...