Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings - Cross Creek

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!  I was in Florida for a week. The weather was perfect. It was a very fun trip made even better as we added an adventure to see the cousins in Ocala. It was a gorgeous drive through horse country.  We made a small detour to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Cross Creek, (which is between Ocala and Gainesville) it is preserved as a historic site in a state park. As she knew we were headed that way, my mother had suggested that I read the book Cross Creek about her life there. We had lunch in the small town of Micanopy which is mentioned throughout the book.  If you have a chance, you should visit.  If you won't be anywhere near it consider the book which I enjoyed immensely!

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings with her dog Moe c 1940s

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings is most well know as the Pulitzer prize winning author of The Yearling.  This is also the name of a favorite restaurant just down the road from the Cross Creek site. It was closed the day we were there but I've heard quite a few recommendations for it from the Florida cousins and others, so I would be remiss if I failed to mention it in this post.

What did you do for the Holidays?



Do me a favor

Here is a fun party idea.  It is festive and reminiscent of a Christmas cracker but just colorful enough to be appropriate for non-Christmas events as well.

Kate Spade Prize Ball

Unwrap yards and yards of crepe paper streamers to reveal hidden surprises. It's a melange of trinkets and treats that are both festive and fun. The crepe paper wrapped ball is filled with surprises including: tic tac toe game, barrel of monkeys, pop balloon, custom spade tattoo, custom mini book, mini deck of cards, beaded necklace and a whistle! enjoy!

I thought it would be a cute idea to put one at each place for a dinner party.   The customer care people at Kate Spade assure me that they are about the size of a grapefruit so not too big.

Click here to order

This could work too

dressed with our colorful ribbon, this go-anywhere thermos is the perfect companion on chilly afternoons spent sledding or making snow angels.

holds 16 ounces

stainless steel interior

10" h x 3" diameter

Click here to order thermos

~ Happy Holidays! ~

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am a lousy cook.  This is through no fault of my mother, who is a wonderful cook and who kindly and patiently taught my sister and me how to cook.  She also had the very cool idea of each of us making dinner one night a week once we were old enough to handle the responsibilty (at about 8 years old. I'm kidding!  We were at least 12.) I never liked it and insisted on following the recipe to the letter.  My sister was a natural and went freestyle with a recipe and never freaked out if we were out of an ingredient, she just substituted and ended up making it even better. I ended up trading with her so she would make my dinners and I would do her laundry and ironing.  Now she is an amazing cook and I can iron a shirt.  The irony is that I send everything (except lingerie) out to cleaned and pressed.  So for those of you who are lousy cooks like me or just want to enjoy Thanksgiving, I share with you the fabulous Epicerie Boulud option!

Yum!

Unique Christmas Gift

For the Pepsi lover, Joan Crawford fan or just some who appreciates unique jewelry

Lot # 1175

Gold, Ruby, Emerald and Diamond Pepsi Bottle Brooch
14 kt., the gold pin centering a detailed Pepsi logo, topped by an accented ruby bottle cap, set throughout with emeralds and diamonds, approximately 11.2 dwt. Length 2 1/8 inches.

C The Estate of Joan Crawford
Estimate $600-900

As you know (or maybe you don't) Joan Crawford served on the Board of Directors of Pepsi Cola in the 1950s.  She was married to Alfred Steele at the time, the Chairman of Pepsi.

Available at the Doyle Home Auction, Dec. 7th in New York City

There will be a number of other home and gift type items up for auction as well so it may be worth stopping by the preview.  If you have to work (like me) or will not be in NYC at the time & can't be at the auction house at 10:00 a.m., you can bid live via the website.

Holiday Home Decor

I love rep stripes!
I love silk!
Any way I can incorporate them into my life is a joy to me!
I was thrilled to stumble across these today on the Brooks Brothers website:

 

How great would they look for the hoildays?!

 

Matching pillows too, these would make a great gift for someone who has everything!

 

Love on a Leash

Click HERE for details

Toilet Paper Origami

To order