Crushin'

Charleston was absolutely amazing, except for the insane humidity {and I thought VA was bad!} but we didn't let that get the best of us!! It was such a fun girls trip and my sister was totally suprised. 

We started off our morning on Saturday with pedis and I discovered two new polishes that I just had to share. 

Essie Saint Lucia Lilac

Essie Saint Barths Blue

I'm not normally and purple and blue polish kinda girl but these two colors won me over. 

I also discovered this amazing band while in Charleston.  They. rock. and play everything from rapping Nelly to belting out Springsteen.  Total crowd pleasers.

Very sad I'm no longer in Charleston but excited for Greece in 4 days!

Hope y'all have a good week!

cBv

Charleston Bucket List

I'm en route to Charleston for my sister’s bachelorette weekend. Next up, Greece in 6 days (If my passport ever arrives, God willing)!! I’m so looking forward to a girly weekend full of gallons of sweet tea, non-existent in DC, w. or w. out Firefly, southern cuisine, shopping, cocktails, pampering and sun galore. Just for kicks I’ve put together a bucket list for this sweet city.

• Try fried green tomatoes
• Get my fill of hushpuppies…nom nom nom
• Take a cheesy tourist pic in front of the pineapple fountain at Waterfront Park
• Sip cocktails at the rooftop bar - Market Pavilion Hotel
• Take a ride in a pedicab
• Soak up some sun at Folly Beach
• Find the best shrimp n’ grits around
• Retail therapy at Affordables & Palm Avenue
• Eat my way through the city by way of Macaroon Boutique, Magnolias, Fleet Landing, Hyman’s and Cupcake
• Visit Magnolia Plantation

I leave you w. a picture of the cupcake toppers I made last minute to adorn the Funfetti cupcakes (my sister’s favorite) we’ll be enjoying.

 I'm not even going to talk about how sad I am that summer is almost over.  Unlike everyone else, I so CAN wait for fall to arrive.  I like my flip flops, barefeet, sundresses, crab feasts and tomato sandwiches far too much to welcome cool temps and turtlenecks. Have a great weekend!

cBv

Catty Cat

I tweeted this earlier today but it was too good not to share via le blog especially for anyone that shares my dislike for RHODC's British-bitty Cat, which is probably the majority of you. 

could her face be any more frozen?

Dear Cat

via the Washingtonian
By Sophie Gilbert Published Thursday, August 19, 2010

Dear Ms. Ommanney (or should that be Davies, since you’ve split with your husband? Or can I dispense with the formalities and just call you Cat?):
When I first read that there was going to be a British character on the the Real Housewives of Washington, D.C., I was very excited. Because there aren’t that many British people in Washington and I didn’t have anyone to watch the World Cup with, and frankly it’d be nice to have someone in the cultural zeitgeist who knows about things such as cricket and Pimm’s and the importance of keeping one’s voice low while discussing things such as marital discord and hemorrhoids in public.
But now that I have actually made your acquaintance (i.e., seen you twice on television), I have begun to doubt that you are, in fact, an authentic Brit. Here’s why:


1. You’re horribly, unforgivably rude. Any well-raised Brit would rather spend a whole evening drinking battery acid than question his or her host’s quality of beverage (out loud, at least). My father once opened the same present (an excruciatingly boring book about airplanes) three times at a birthday party and never said a word to any of the givers. You know why? Because we’re raised to be polite, and politeness means that when you’re invited to sweet Aunt Frances’s house, you don’t swan in, demand a drink, and then make a face when your wine looks more like Salahi Chardonnay than Château Lafite. You accept what you’re offered and say thank you.
2. You’re unbelievably boastful. Common practice, when one is British, is to be humble about one’s achievements. This is something I admittedly found tricky when first moving to the United States. If someone compliments you on your appearance, you don’t smile and talk about how people mistake you for Angelina Jolie’s younger sister all the time. A more appropriate response would be “Me? I’m an absolute pig. My acne’s terrible, this sweater has a chocolate stain on it, and my husband calls me Plumpy.” When people ask you about your husband and the President, you don’t brag about how it was all thanks to Charles that Obama was elected, and how 43 actually responded to an invitation you once sent him. Instead, you embrace discretion. Which leads me to . . .
3. You don’t kiss and tell! It’s tacky. When you’re trying to persuade people that you’re an upper-class Brit who was raised properly and knows that the correct term is “riding,” not “horse riding,” don’t sell a story to the Daily Mail (the tabloid for rich people who are too stupid to read a broadsheet) about the time you snogged Prince Harry. It makes you look like a lush and, even worse, a cougar. Nobody likes the slovenly aunt who hangs around at family weddings and tries to grope the 17-year-olds—it’s embarrassing. And nobody likes a 34-year-old woman (I’m being generous) who tells the world about the time the six-foot-three prince took said fragile (98-pound) woman in his manly arms and kissed her. And don’t brag about the fact that you weigh only 98 pounds, because if this is true, I’m Cindy Crawford and Michaele loves Tareq for his personality.
Granted, there are a few authentically British things about you, such as your overwhelming passion for alcohol, your generic blond highlights, and your seeming inattentiveness to your children. But I’m disturbed that the above discrepancies mean that you’re giving British women a bad name. So please, hold off on the booze, be nice to people, and cut out the snotty attitude for a week or two. It’ll be better for everyone in the long run.
Kind regards,
Sophie Gilbert

I couldn't have said it better myself!

cBv

Help, please!

So behind on life right now. 

Last weekend the hubby surprised me with a trip to Boston for my 27th birthday! We had a great time and between the two of us we managed to plow through about 8 pounds of lobster while we were there. Needless to say I’m a bit over lobster for a while. But it was the most delicious lobster I’ve ever had and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect, sunny, 80s and no humidity! And it was the one time I didn’t bring a pashmina, cardigan or long sleeve shirt and actually needed one, go figure!

This weekend my mom, sister and I made the dreaded trek to New Jersey. I can confidently say that all three of us will never, ever be visiting that deplorable state again. My sister’s shower was nice but aside from that the entire trip was astonishing. The only good thing New Jersey has going for it is full service gas stations. Someone needs to send some southern manners and etiquette books their way. Thank God I was born with a mother who taught me how to act like a civil human being. The other humorous thing about Jersey is apparently black is the new blonde. My sister and I were pretty much the minority w. our blonde locks; to be cool in the dirty jerz you need black hair, fang-like neon nails and tattooed makeup, wowza! The only picture I have to show from the weekend is the Welcome to Virginia sign reassuring me I was back in my neck of the woods and boy have I never been so glad to be back on VA soil!

We leave for Greece in 16 days and I’ve yet to begin packing, organizing or compiling anything! I’m starting to freak. To complicate matters I’m out of town the next two weekends leading up to our trip so all of my packing and prepping has to be done during the week in between the gym, appointments, dinners, etc. Aye yi yi! I’m really hoping y’all can help me with this and give me some tips for packing. As I’ve mentioned before I’m a bit of a ‘heavy’ packer, usually stuffing a large suitcase for 3 days. Clearly I’m going to have to be extra efficient in how and what I pack.

So PLEASE help a sister out! I’ve been googling and reading various websites for packing tips and so far I’ve jotted these down:

• Pack extra Ziploc bags (in various sizes)

• Email myself a list of all the emergency/stolen credit cards #s to contact in the event a CC gets lost or stolen

• Email myself our travel itinerary and deets

• Use the roll technique for all clothes to maximize space

• Split up valuables - cash, travelers’ checks and credit cards in different pockets, bags and wallet. In case you do get robbed, at least you won't be strapped for cash (unless you have all your bags AND your wallet stolen of course!)

I’m not sure how I feel about the last one. I feel like it’s the perfect way to misplace valuable items. Thoughts on this one??

Seriously if anyone has any travel tips please send them my way! I’m trying to get my butt into gear for a blog sale to make space in my closet for some new fall items period, so stay tuned. I hope you’re all having a fabulous week!

cBv