Annnd She Survived...

Yes, Emma survived her 21st Birthday...

And, that was quite the feat with the birthday to-do list her good friends and sister conjured up. I get nauseous just looking at it......

So, after a lacrosse game played in the rain, and the inaugural legal visit photo op at the ABC store, she turned herself over to Team Atwater and Roughton for the finishing touches to her evening's ensemble

You may be decked for maximum humiliation but you can alwaaays count on that Hilbils to make sure you are looking your absolute best while doing so...

There was cake and cocktails...

Lots of sisterly (blood and ΑΔΠ ) love for the birthday girl during the evening...

And, a weekend making, jump out from their hiding spot behind her bed, surprise visit from Emma's childhood beach bff's, Bree and Samie, pulled off seamlessly with the aid of Sally...

Looks like Sally's apple didn't fall far from the family tree as evidenced by the orchestrating of the above mentioned coup and the pics of her throughout the evening campaigning and brokering deals to get her girl's tasks fulfilled...

Yup, from the post appropriate annnd post inappropriate photo documentation, it looks like a good time was had by all...

And, everyone made it home in one piece. Apparently, Emma's computer keyboard, Hilary's Blackberry, their SUV and a head of hair didn't manage to make it through the events completely unscathed but, the Birthday girl et all were safe and, well, safe...

I think "sound" was left someone in the vicinity of checked box #15...

But, if they ever need any of the blanks filled in, they've got pleeenty of witnesses to call upon...

Kindness of Emma for not wearing any of my Jules Reid Kimonos while fulfilling the checked box #15 requirement. I have a feeling it too would have ended up on the casualty list. And, for remembering to invite the Williams-Sonoma Omelette Pan gifting Pammy to my next soirée...XXOO

Amulet Healing Bracelets

I was on these Amulet Healing Bracelets like Mrs. Roper on a caftan when I spied them in my Hamptons Magazine. The first order of biz, forward link to fellow hippie-phile Aide-de-camp Lizzie. Second order, narrow down my selection...

Is it gonna be the Chrysoccola to encourage love, light and daily healing? Sooo, even more adoration from Babe, please God some sun and recovery from my soon to start Insanity workouts...

The Purple Mother of Pearl to carry the gentle, peaceful healing energy of the sea, relax and soothe emotions, sensitivity and stress? Orrr, basically a good beach day to go please...

Or, the Prehnite for dreaming and remembering, increasing ability for prophecy and allowing for inner knowing. Hmmm, dreaming of being skinny and swaddled in Hermès whiiile awake and UPS delivery cometh inner alarm for when Babe is home? All rolled into one? Sounds as though we may have a winner...

Kindness of Babe who has been so buried at work these past few weeks he's only had time to glance at my posts. You just keeeeep on glancing right past those links redirecting you to pricing. I completelyyy understand Dilly...XXOO

Proust Questionnaire Tag

Last month Queen Bee Swain tagged me in a Proust Questionaire and I put it off as long as possible but, the polite response experation date was rolling up on me. And, QBS trumps Bethany Ever After...

Moi, drawing a crowd outside while posing in the front display window of a department store after slipping away from my mother, Aunt, Grandmother and great Grandmother. A sign of things to come...

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Beginnings and firsts; the beginning of summer, the first sip of a cocktail. Everything that follows is like chasing a ghost...

What is your greatest fear?
Tragedy that hits close to home...

Which figures do you most identify with?
Seabiscuit, Ann Grenville, Eloise and Jennifer Capriati...

What is the trait your most deplore in yourself?
Hair trigger emotions...

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Overnight to the manor born airs...

What do you most value in your friends?
Generosity, grace and a blind eye towards my competitiveness and habitual upmanship...

Which words or phrases do you most over use?
The très unladylike "F" word (hangs head in shame) and an entire invented vocab of abbrevs which drives my family nutz...

What is your favorite journey?
To the Hermès store when Babe's buying and to the fridge for my Diet Coke post workout...

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Taking the high road...

What is your favorite occupation?
Wife of Dr. Fancypants...

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
Bahdunkadunk...

What is your greatest regret?
Not getting my college degree, especially now, as I am surrounded by Babe and his merry band of multilingual, J.D., M.D., Ph.D., Rhodes Scholar, Ivy bred colleagues. At least I have my top hat and cane...

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Babe and too many pets to list...

When and where were you happiest?
Those two minutes between "I love you" and falling asleep in our bed with Babe and the T-Babes...

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I'd trade in my bahdunkadunk for a bahdunka...

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Landing my husband...

What is your most treasured possession?
Babe. (whispers) annnd my Canforas...

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Loss of hope...

Where would you like to live?
On the water in Southampton, Palm Beach and St. Michaels, a pied-à-terre overlooking the Park on the UES, next door to Ralph in Roundhill Jamaica and a shwanky ski in/ski out place in a yet to be determined location...

What is your most marked characteristic?
Drive which includes riding rough shod over anyone standing in my way...

What is your greatest extravagance?
Not knowing the price of a single item when grocery shopping. Annnd, pocketing $200 cash for myself upon checkout...

What are the qualities you most like in a man?
Good bones; funny and back...

Who are your favorite writers?
Dominick Dunne, Pat Conroy, Rita Mae Brown and Jane Austen...

How would you like to die?
In my sleep, in a beautiful silk peignoir, in my bed, in my grand NYC Penthouse, found by my maid bringing in my breakfast tray. Babe and all my pets died the day before...

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
MFH "Sister" Jane Arnold and Eloise...

Who are your heroes in real life?
Oprah, Temple Grandin, Maria Shriver and Hopsy for relinquishing her first class seat to a soldier...

What is your motto?
What goes around, comes around (sung in a tisk tisky voice)...

Kindness of Queen Bee Swain for the tag. Although, it is nearly impossible to follow you on any tag cuz you use up all of my answers with your mini me self! Thank goodness we have the rowing and Hermès shhhticks to set us apart. If those paths were to ever cross I'd have to fold up my li'l Summersverb table and call it a day...XXOO

The White Party

Since I can't purchase any items on my Summer wish list I'm redirecting my energies with organizing and categorizing them so that I'll be ready once Easter arrives. Below follows my sub list du jour, the White Party...

The AG Stilt in white would get a looota mileage especially during those awkward pre and post season moments...

I've had the Meg Carter's Sook on my virtual wish list since Kimba and I had a sneak peek last summer but, it sold out so fast Meg didn't even get her hands on one. I've got like 28 more days to limber up so this time I'll be ready for the pounce...

Aide-de-camp Lizzie found this sooo up my Chrissy Snow alley Goddess Long Dress and thus began my love affair with the label Jen's Pirate Booty...

And, as luck would have it, the Jen's Pirate Booty Cha Cha Tube Top doesn't ship til the end of May. I'll be back in biz well before then...

Toying with breaking my new Longchamp each summer tradition for this cream LouenHide Switch. Another tip o' the hat to Meg Carter for the find...

Plan on rockin' my Jackie O does dinner aboard the Christina in Lilly's timeless Shayna Dress Lace...

And, thaaank goodness I got my Rachel Leigh white enamel Audrey order in just under the Lenten gun since it's temporarily sold out again. That's onnne less item the Easter Bunny has to lug in my ever expanding basket. All other interested bunnies should call 646.290.6034 to get on the wait list...

Kindness of Aide-de camp Lizzie for the Goddess Dress and, ultimately, Jen's Pirate Booty finds. It's a good thing we DON'T live in the same town girlfriend or else we'd have to touch base ever morn for fear of leaving the house dressed as the Bobbsey Twins...XXOO

Happy 21st Birthday Emma!

Tomorrow is Emma's 21st Birthday althooo...I suspect the celebration will begin around midnight tonight with the monumental legal cocktail order...

Seems like just yesterday that I was letting you play with my Mason Pearson hairbrush and forfeiting my MTV for your cartoons and, now you're showing me how to navigate my iPhone and vetoing bikini clad pics of myself on a post...



Have a wonderful Birthday Em but, get ready to dig deep cuz your très glamorous gift of the Insanity DVD set should arrive juuust as the weekend celebrations are wrapping up...

Kindness of Lucy Emma for being safe, reserving some craziness for Ethel's Sally's 21st next month and, for the love of oxidation, not spilling any drinky poohs on my Jules Reid kimono...XXOO

Mexican Letdown

If my parents weren't returning to the states in 9 days, and I could fit Babe and the Ti-Babes in my suitcase, I'd be shopping flights back to Mexico pronto...

I miss my 8-9 mile treadmill runs in the sunny glass gym and watching Emma give Sally her P90X plyo baptism...

I miss my beach view...

My pool view...

And, my post workout breakfast view...

I miss my 2pm palapa run for dos Coke Lites con limón y un popote por favor...

I miss passing out from sun exhaustion to the sounds of all the late night card playing...

I miss knowing, as I make my way from the beach to the pool late afternoons, mi madre and her posse would be starting to gather at the pool wall...

And, mi padre would soon begin his 4:30 pm laps...

I miss the daytime photo shoots...

That moved right into the evening photo shoots...

I miss my mom's fresh guacamole during cocktail hour...

Followed by the sunsets and knowing I'd get to do it all over again come morn...

And, regretfully, I miss the chance I had to add this work in progress to my haul and not having the luxury of changing my mind mañana...

Kindness of my parents for generously having me for so long. Annnd, for possibly making room in their suitcase for one more wooden bowl to bring home? XXOO

More For The Lenten Pipeline

Lent's giving me a time to reflect alright. Reflect on which pair of my namesake Meg Carter "Alice's Holiday" summer dangles I'd like once the self-discipline lifts...

The pink and coral would go with nearly everything in my colorful Lilly/Jules Reid/CKB heavy wardrobe...

While the teal and coral would play really well off my hard earned tan and all the summer whites I'm also virtually hoarding...

But, then if I got the lilac and green I could rely on them to bring out the green in my eyes and ditch the whole Emma or Hilary will you please do my eye makeup? scene. Yup, 32 days and ya better believe I'm counting to decide...

Kindness of Meg Carter for appropriately adding summer colors to my Alice's Holiday dangle lineup. And, the Easter Bunny, who I hope has been doing his biceps curls, cuz I am expecting ooone heavyyy basket after this Lenten sacrifice...XXOO

Canfora du Joura

While I was making like the Swallows of Capistrano migrating towards summer with my Mexican preview, another scout team of swallows was just returning from Capri with selections to consider for this year's addition to the Canfora collection...

My sister Julie got the Irnia Turquoise last summer during our joint purchase and I swooore they were to be my very next pair. Of course, at the time I meant next as in next week...

Unfortunately, Babe discovered my plan to double dip and all mustache twirling ceased. So they are now slightly tainted by disappointment. Thinking I may temporarily shelf them for the Ivana White...

Orrr, the Ivana Turquoise since I've gotten so much wear out of my pink pair...

I had mentally queued up the Sagira Silver Multi as the Summer of '11 pair but, that was prior to youknowwho uncovering my Summer '10 house of cards strategy. Now I feel like they're coupled like a pair of Foxhounds to the Irinas and I couldn't possibly get one without the other...

Then there's the Layla Pink which have recently moved up in my virtual Canfora ranking. Welp, I have til Easter to decide since I had the hair brained idea to give up shopping for Lent. Note to self: next year stick with chocolate...

Kindness of the bff Kimba for gently letting me know it was time to start rolling out the summer goods even though I'm in "look but don't touch" lock down. Unfortunately for you, this sacrifice does not extend towards workout videos so, when you're packing that li'l spring break suitcase, be sure to pack your gear cuz me and my Insanity DVD's will be awaiting your arrival...XXOO

Holaaa...

I'm hooome...exhausted, dehydrated, operating on a two hour deficit with laundry and cat hair up to my eyeballs but, home annnd tan...

Not to mention, seveeerely in need of a massage after luggin these South of the Border hand painted goodies in my Bean tote along with my laptop, book and other crapola for nearly eleven hours through three airports...

It took less than 30 seconds for ole Lollylocks to stake her claim on Mummy Bear's new wares...

But, the clay platter was a bit too big...

And, the chip bowl a wee too small...

But, that wooden bread bowl was juuust right...

Just another day or two to catch up on sleep since I'm only now rolling in to Daylight Savings, repair my hacked Facebook and debit card messes, Hazmat this place and, most importantly, win back the heart of one very wounded li'l soul who is mucho upset at the length of time Mummy Bear was gone. Two weeks no es bueno...

Kindness of Babe who tried very hard to get the beach house spiffied up for my arrival home. Have a good week Gorgie and hurry home to us...XXOO