Snack Time

First of all let me just say I'm not on a diet. I think you're supposed to eat these as a meal replacement...I eat mine as dessert.

I've been eating them since college, and I thought this morning that I should share them with you. They're almost always sold out at my grocery store so I know I'm not the only ones who love these...hope you enjoy!

Oh and PS-I'm the pickiest person on the planet! :)

WHAT have I done?!

Then:



Now:



I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

I took him to the groomer because he was getting horrible dreads in his hair, so I told them to cut him down. When I went to pick him up they tried to hand him to me. I refused. I wasn't about to touch that field rat.

Now he's embarrassed...



He's depressed...



He lives in fear of the bathtub...



But most of all he is just pissed...

Come back, Mom!!

Depression has set it...my mom has left me to go to Miami to be with my sister.

I cried dropping her off at the airport this morning (of course). I listened to Kenny G Christmas on my way to work to wollow in my depression.

As she walked into the airport I thought, "Don't go! I'm not old enough to stay by myself!" and then I realized I'm married, I'm 24 and yes...I am old enough.

There's something so special about having your mom come stay with you. She reminds me of who I am. She sets me straight, but most importantly she encourages me to be a stronger woman every day. I love my mom and I miss her like crazy already!

I also love when she comes because she treats me to special things! :) I've been extremely spoiled lately...I know I need to get my thoughts back to reality, but here are some of the fun things she got me this weekend...

I would never be able to explain to Blake why I bought this



so Mom surprised me and got me fancy mascara!

And these...



because everyone knows magazines are my guilty pleasure...especially from other countries.

And then she brought me these back from New Zealand which smell SO GOOD!



And then this because it's my favorite stuff ever...



And finally these!! Which I'm so excited about!!!



She also helped me get Blake's office together and spruce it up...I'm LOVING it now! I will post pictures after this week when he gets home! I told him not to look at my blog in case I decided to post pictures, but I don't trust him not to...STOP READING BLAKE!! :)

We also made a trip to Greenville and had so much fun staying with my precious mother-in-law who also spoiled us! I am a very blessed woman!

Finally, Saturday we scheduled a girls' lunch at Brick Street Cafe with all of mom's best friends...and my best friend, Meg too! We had the BEST time! I feel like all of these ladies are my mothers so it was so much fun to be with them!



And don't worry, we didn't leave without our dessert!

The Diva has landed...

And look how much baggage she brought. And she's staying for four days.

But I have a better story than that...

I wish I could paint the picture for you of what actually happened when she stepped off the plane...

I parked the car, walked up to the gate and spotted her coming down the escalator. I waved obnoxiously, squeeled and yelled "hurry hurry!!" She waved obnoxiously back, yelled "I'm comin'!!" and started to increase her walk to a light jog towards me.

I can only hope what happened after this was caught on a security tape...

As she got about 10 feet from me she started to lose her balance. Don't worry she regained her composure...annnnnnd Oh Wait!! (insert LOUD crashing sound)...

There was my mom...stomach to floor of the airport floor. I'm talking her hands were fully extended in front of her...it was as if she had just slid into home plate-full form.

I immediately fell to the ground laughing. There we sat on the floor of the airport DYING laughing, and she looked at me and said..."Well, the Diva has definitely landed!"

Now we're laying in bed...crying laughing all over again, and she's taking pain medicine that's probably never been FDA approved...



And the weekend begins...

An awesome surprise and Teddy gets a bath!

This is my sister...



I literally have the best sister in the whole world. I know you might think you do, but mine was nice to me since I was born. She let me wear her clothes when I was 10 and she was 14. She's ALWAYS been precious.

And yesterday when I got home from work I had a package sitting at my door...

I thought to myself, "Oh Blake got a package from work," but then I got up close to it and saw that it said "Megan Ayers"..."That's ME!! I GOT A PACKAGE!!!"

My sister sometimes confuses me as her own child, and when I told her I needed clothes for work the other day, apparently she felt like it was her job to clothe me...

Actually, no...she just knew I loved this shirt below and wanted to surprise me because she knows my love language is gifts...and she gives the best gifts!!

So here was my package!





and my BEAUTIFUL shirt!!



And this dress that she just picked out for me that I'm now IN LOVE with!! I never would have thought to try it on in a store, but it seriously is my new favorite dress!!



Thank you sweet, precious sister!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

In other news...Teddy had to get ready for his Nana Jan's arrival today so he had to get a good scrub last night.



He used to hate baths, but now he doesn't mind so much.



Sometimes I swear he's a real person...so I treat him like he is!



Now it's just the after-bath that he gets angry about. He gives me dirty looks as if I've just ruined his life...



"I hate you, Mom!"-Love, Teddy

Look who's coming to visit!

First of all, thank you SO much to everyone who reads this blog! Yesterday I had an all time high hits on here...apparently I should be blogging about Postcard from Paris every day!

For the past two weeks I've been preparing for a special visitor coming my way. She's not a princess, but I believe someone told her she was when she was a child and she's been confused ever since. My sister and I have been joking about our cleaning techniques when this particular woman comes to town...here was my text message to her yesterday...

"Kelly! I'm getting anxiety over this visit...I've cleaned my cabinets (I just had to google the spelling of that word...I think it's time I head back to school), I've cleaned my refrigerator, I've scrubbed floors, cleaned closets, organized, swept, dusted and yet I still woke up at 6am and went to empty the 4 dishes that were in the dishwasher because I have a feeling she's going to find something she doesn't like in this house!"

Who am I talking about you ask??



My Mom!

I love my mom with my whole heart, and I know she'd still love me if she walked in my house and it was a wreck...well, after a few hours, but don't let this picture fool you. She is not a hat wearing, jeans loving individual...she's a diva. She sometimes confuses herself with Heather Locklear, and when we go places she likes to be treated as if she were Heather. For instance, when she drove me to high school my freshman year we got pulled over THREE times by the SAME cop...do you think she ever got that ticket?! Heavens no...she came up with some kind of charming excuse and he gave her 3 warnings. True story. It was at that time that I realized my mom was different.

Here's a more accurate picture of her...



All of this to say I've been pulling out every stop I've got up my sleeve to make the queen my precious mother happy.

Here's what I'm talking about.

I cleaned my wedding china (that I LOVE, but have never once used) and set my dining room table as if we're about to have Thanksgiving dinner at my house.



I've washed her sheets and towels in these...



Do you see the scent of that Glamorous Wash?? Yeah... (Which is the best smell ever by the way)

I've straightened, dusted and cleaned every room. (Gosh, I need one of those Postcard from Paris designers for this room...it looks drab!)



I've had her room prepared for weeks now.



And I even asked God to give us a pretty sunset when she arrives at 6pm tomorrow night...we had a practice session last night which I told him was perfect!



We are prepared here at the Ayers house for Janet to get here, and I couldn't be more excited!!

My mom is honestly the most precious, funny, loving and caring woman in the whole entire world, and I've been counting down the days until her arrival for weeks now! I've been Mom-sick for the past 3 months while she's been in Australia and New Zealand and I am so thrilled that the time is actually here for her to come see me! Lord knows we'll be laughing our way through the next 5 days together because she can make me laugh like none other...I love you, Mom and can't wait for you to get here!!

I'll keep you updated on our adventures!

Postcard from Paris...Perfection

Have you ever found a store that when you walk in you think, "Wow...someone just went inside my head, found everything that I think is beautiful and made a store out of it?"

I hadn't either...until this weekend when I ran across Postcard from Paris...an old store in Greenville that has been redone. In one word it's perfection.

I was driving down the street trying to kill time and saw this store window...I immediately did a U-turn on Main Street and parked front and center. (Thankfully no cops were out enjoying the West End! :)



Every single detail of the store is an experience, and that is what the designer envisioned. I met Linda, the one responsible for all of this beauty, and she was so welcoming in her store. She probably thought I was crazy when I stayed for hours or perhaps when I asked if it was ok to take pictures, and proceeded to take 300 (hence the reason this blog is lengthy...I wanted you to see EVERYTHING!), but she never let on...she was wonderful!

So welcome to a little preview of my new favorite place in Greenville...





A good bathroom is like a sanctuary to me, and I wanted to take all of these home to make mine more welcoming.



Do you like these couches below? You're in good company if so...the store has been open a week and she has already sold 3 sets of them!



Every piece of furniture in there is stunning...I was ready to take them all home, but my bank account said no.



Every little detail was so whimsical and beautiful, I felt like my head was spinning. Wherever I looked it was like a little Parisian treasure.



And the flowers! There were flowers everywhere! From the moment you walk in the door the service, the scent and the experience are all in a class of its own.





The Furniture

I've always wanted a piece like this. I love a good linen closet, and I would make mine out of this.



The antique door below was by far one of my favorite things in the store.



Here was the "room"



Every piece was amazing...I could go on and on about each one, but I'll just let you enjoy.



Except that I have to tell you that I REALLY loved this one!



I want it in my bathroom (well not MY bathroom, but the bathroom I have dreamed up in my head with 12 foot ceilings...and I want it filled with all of those lotions, shower gels and perfumes she has at the front of the store (see 5th picture of post)







The Details

Every detail in the store is so unique...here are a peek at some of my favorites



Embossed plates...I'm not much for monogrammed things, but this is on another level. An "M" for Megan perhaps?? I think yes!



The books, the chandeliers, the everything! Gorgeous!!



This silver set was so beautiful and so heavy. I loved it!



And dainty litty perfume bottles...I want them all.



One of a kind jewelry and antiques. Linda told me that a couple came in right before I did and bought her "Something old" here for their wedding...so sweet!



Perfectly pressed linens



and these awesome martini glasses!



The whole store is amazing, but I was so excited when I saw these coffee table books. They were among my very favorites!



along with the dishes...





And then there were the scents! All of them were amazing...my house would have had fumes coming out of it if I would have had my way...





Even down to the refrigerator everything was so orderly and unique. The store doubles as a mini Dean and Deluca.




My Wish List

Well, this is a hard category because honestly I wanted everything, but along with every piece of furniture in there, here were the things I really wanted...

These bath supplies...



These gorgeous champagne flutes that were so heavy and substantial (and only $15! Great wedding present, no?)



These mocha dishes and platters



These gorgeous coffee table books



Everything in this picture below, but especially the tray!



And last, but certainly not least...my very favorite thing in the whole store were these...



Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?!

The minute I walked out of the store I called my mom, my dad, my sister and my mother in law and explained the whole store in great detail...

It didn't take much convincing because the next day my mother in law and Nikki came with me to visit again! They loved it as much as I did.



I hope you enjoyed your (extended) tour through Postcard from Paris. If you're in Greenville go visit! You will absolutely love everything about the store.