Happy Weekend!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

And we'll see you on Monday.....

xoxo - Tonya
Image:  Dogwood Stretching by ND Trivette Photography.

The Weekly Bean

OMG ......

So tired.

Your Imagination

Hall and Oates are having a bit of a renaissance, no?

This Charming House

So -

The arrival of the pink chair was met with a certain amount of disdain by the men around here. 

They both (Finn and the Boy) grudgingly tried it out but I fear they will never love it....

And the upshot is that we had to give them something.....

So they got a bar in the dining room.

Wednesday - Run Away Without Leaving Home

Image:  Untitled 2 by Elliott Puckette

This Charming Handbag

This is the Delavan Terrace Delora Clutch from Kate Spade.

Every spring I find myself looking at the Kate Spade wicker/woven clutches with a little gleam of lust and every spring I reject them as being too expensive.

But I always want one.

This year, I channeled my lust into eBay where I found this darling little vintage, wicker clutch with charm, character, heft and in pristine condition....

$19.99.

SOOOO cute.

The hardware is so gorgeous it makes my teeth ache.

Here's a shot with the optional (and very Chanel-y) shoulder strap:

I am in love!

On Love

This has been floating around the internet but I like it so much I'm posting it, too.  

Thanks to the darling April at Adorn Inc.  for turning me on to it!  Smoochies!

A little intro:  John Steinbeck wrote this letter to his son, Thom.  At the time, Thom was fourteen and attending boarding school and wrote to tell his father that he was in love and asked for advice.  Here is Steinbeck's letter to his son.  

November 10, 1958

Dear Thom:

We had your letter this morning.  I will answer it from my point of view and of course Elaine will from hers.

First - if you are in love - that's a good thing - that's about the best thing that can happen to anyone.  Don't let anyone make it small or light to you.

Second - There are several kinds of love.  One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance.  This is the ugly and crippling kind.  The other is an outpouring of everything good in you - of kindness, and consideration and respect - not only the social respect of manners but the greatest respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable.  The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn't know you had.

You say this is not puppy love.  If you feel so deeply - of course it isn't puppy love.

But I don't think you were asking me what you feel.  You know that better than anyone.  What you wanted me to help you with is what to do about it - and that I can tell you.

Glory in it for one thing and be very glad and grateful for it.

The object of love is the best and most beautiful.  Try to live up to it.

If you love someone - there us no possible harm in saying so - only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration.

Girls have a way of knowing or feeling what you feel, but they usually like to hear it also.

It sometimes happens that what you feel inside is not returned for one reason or another - but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good.

Lastly, I know your feeling because I have it and I am glad you have it.

We will be glad to meet Susan.  She will be very welcome.  But Elaine will make all such arrangements because that is her province and she will be very glad to.  She knows about love too and maybe she can give you more help than I can.

And don't worry about losing.  If it is right, it happens - the main thing is not to hurry.  Nothing good gets away. 

Love

Fa

Image:  Blooming Hearts by Tea Photography.

Tuesday's Girl

"No one can build his security on the nobleness of another person."

Willa Cather

Out and About in Charlotte

We went Uptown to try The King's Kitchen.

Awesome fried chicken!

If you don't know about it, check it out here.

It's a wonderful way to have a great night while helping those in need.
Image by me.

This Charming Closet

So I mentioned Emerson Fry last week....

And I have to come back and say that I am OBSESSED with this dress.

Seriously. 

I mean, I can't sleep for thinking about it.

It's not available until mid-April.....

*heavy sigh*

I'm on the email list.

Happy Monday

Hey!

Here's what happened here this weekend:

Eating.

Sleeping.

Shopping.

Bean Smooch.

Basketball.

Zombieland.

Cheers to a great week!

xoxo - Tonya
Image:  Silhouette 2 Iris by Mary Ellen Golden.

Friday Evening

Image by Me.

The Bee Charmer Loves Paris

Image:  Paris in Bloom by Elgarbo Art.

Happy Weekend!

Happy Weekend, everyone!

Have a great time and enjoy the spring!

xoxo - Tonya
Image:  Spring by Aliette.

The Weekly Bean

Relaxing with her new boyfriend......

This Charming House

The new chair!!!

I TOLD y'all it was pink!

This Charming Closet

Have you seen the new stuff from Emerson Fry?

I ordered the Sleeveless Mod in Orange.  I have high hopes that it will be my 'go to' dress this summer.

Wednesday - Run Away Without Leaving Home

I haven't been to New York in a while.

I miss it.
Image:  New York City by Irene Suchocki.

Tuesday's Girl

"Trust your happiness and the richness of your life at this moment.  It is as true and as much yours as anything else that ever happened to you."

Katherine Anne Porter

This Charming House

The new bed is here!

Just in case you can't remember the old room - here's a few 'reminder shots'.....

Basically, the iron bed was too 'country' for the rest of the house and I just didn't like it. The room felt foreign to me.  And although I liked the bedding when I bought it, blue is just not my color. 

Also, as you can see from the picture, the unlined curtains added softness to the room but they were really insufficient for light control for daytime naps or for the streetlights outside our windows at night.  I didn't like the idea of my guests being kept awake at night.

And although I loved the lamps (from Crate and Barrel) more than one guest has told me that they are too low for reading in bed at night.   So they had to go.

Fortunately my brother and sister-in-law happily gave the bed, the bedding, the lamps and the drapes a home in their home! 

And here we are now:

As you can see the new bed is more in line with the rest of my house but we've kept the family pieces that were originally in the room.

The new bedding is from Pottery Barn along with the new, lined Peyton drapes which totally eliminate most of the light from the street at night.  Both the bedding and the drapes were on sale when I bought them and I used my hoarded up (for the past 4 years) American Express bonus points to pay for them all. 

Also, after an exhaustive search for lamps that I both love and want to pay for - I've come up empty.

Ideally, I'd like to find something vintage but since finding two vintage, matching lamps is kind of dicey, I've chosen to use these Target lamps that I already have for now.  They fit the space and they're the right height so until I find something I like better, they're gonna have to do....

I found myself drawn to some very similar (albeit 'nicer' ones) at Home Goods but I couldn't justify spending the money because I didn't love, love, love them and I knew these were in my attic.

The last thing is that we need a pop of color on the bed and I've ordered this little number on Etsy (on sale, too!)

The fabric is 'Hothouse Flower' by Celerie Kemble and I ordered it from Woody Liana's Etsy shop.  I'm hoping it arrives soon!  I fell in love with this a while ago but I wanted to wait until I had the bedding on the bed to pull the trigger on it.  I'm glad I did because this one was significantly cheaper than similar pillows from other sellers - due to the sale.

This Charming Closet

I am SO in love with this top.  I think I'll wear it all summer - it will look so cute with - well - EVERYTHING!

It's the Michael Kors Tie Printed Plisse top in Papaya.....

*UPDATE*

UGH!  This came today and I look AWFUL in it!  It's going back!

Happy Monday

Hi -

I'm sitting down for the first time this weekend to just do a little blog. 

Basically, I've either been running around like a nut or working in this house like a nut or taking care of Beans or ....  you get the picture. 

So I have nothing real earth shattering to report from the weekend - but

MY FURNITURE IS BEING DELIVERED TODAY!!!!!! 

Pictures later in the week.
Image:  Ivory Flower by Semi Sweet Studios.

Sunday Morning

 

Soon to be lemon pound cake.....

 

The Bee Charmer Loves Paris

The first time I went to Paris, I went in March.

And it was mostly cold and gray and misty.

And I fell head over heels in love.
Image:  Paris in Pink by Irene Suchocki.

Happy Weekend!

Hey!

Have a great weekend, everyone. 

I've got a LOT to do - starting with a long massage on Saturday morning (my back has been really buggin' me lately). 

I am also preparing my guest room for the ARRIVAL OF THE NEW BED - FINALLY - ON MONDAY!!!!!!  And also the new pink chair. 

So we should have some fun pictures for the blog next week.

Yay!

So -

In anticipation of the bed arrival, I have to hang curtains and tidy up and shop in a serious way for new lamps for the room.  Sometimes I think it would be easier if I weren't so exacting about the house but I can't help it.  I think I've looked at and rejected every lamp in captivity over the last few months.  Part of it is I think I just need to have the bed in there to see what I think but another part thinks I'll know it when I see it. 

Anywho - the Boy is going out of town so I'll have some time to shop.  Strangely enough, decorating the guest room is not his first choice for a fun way to spend the weekend.  Despite the obvious character flaw he has other stellar qualities, so we'll try to muddle through.

So have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday.

xoxo - Tonya
Image:  Pink Flower by Sohlful Print Shop.

Wednesday - Run Away Without Leaving Home

I really, really, really want to go to Key West for a long weekend....

Is that so wrong?

This Charming House

The new shower curtain is finished! 

Along with the newly tiled floor! 

Now if I can only get Room and Board to DELIVER MY NEW BED FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE we might get done with this project. 

So far, it's slow going.

This Charming Kitchen

This weekend I made Steak au Poivre for The Boy.  And I have to tell y'all it was pretty damn good.

It's a Barefoot Contessa recipe and it was really easy and amazingly good.  Please, make it for your friends and boyfriends.

Immediately!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 6 filet mignon, cut 1 1/4 inches thick
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 to 4 shallots)
• 1 cup canned beef broth
• 1/2 cup good Cognac or brandy

Directions

Place the filets on a board and pat them dry with paper towels. 

Sprinkle the filets with salt and then press the black pepper evenly on both sides. Allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. 

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until the butter almost smokes.

Place the steaks in the pan and lower the heat to medium. Saute the steaks for 4 minutes on 1 side and then for 3 minutes on the other side, for medium rare. Remove the steaks to a serving platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Meanwhile, pour all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the saute pan. Add the shallots and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the beef broth and cook over high heat for 4 to 6 minutes, until reduced by half, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the Cognac and cook for 2 more minutes. Off the heat, swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Serve the steaks hot with the sauce poured on top.

We only made two steaks, although we may have eaten all six if we had made them.

A couple of little notes:

First, I didn't let the steaks come to room temperature before I cooked them and I think it added to the cooking time.  I'll definitely remember to do that next time.  

Second, use freshly cracked pepper.  I usually don't but did this time I think it really made a WORLD of difference.  And The Boy made himself useful by grinding all the little peppercorns up in the mortar and pestle - which made him happy.

Third, use low sodium beef broth.  The sauce was really well seasoned but it definitely would have been too salty if I hadn't used the low sodium beef broth.

And finally, use good Cognac.  The Boy could taste the Cognac and really liked it. 

Tuesday's Girl

"This is a good sign, having a broken heart.  It means we have tried for something."

Elizabeth Gilbert

She Blinded Me With Science

Is it bad to admit that I turn this up when it comes on the radio??

This Charming Handbag

It's the Michael Kors Berkley Clutch in gold....

I just got one to have a 'fun' bag for summer evenings.....

And because I needed a little wallet to corral my valet tip money, my spare key and my license and credit cards,  I picked up this little zip coin case from Tory Burch to go in it!

Happy Monday!

Hi!

How's everyone?

Thanks for sticking with me last week.  It was a little crazy.  I had stuff and book club and work and Beans and.....

I'm just gonna tell y'all about this and get it over with.

*pause for dramatic effect*

There is a boy.

Yes, I am dating a boy and he's taking up some of my time now.  Or a lot of it, depending on how you look at it.

We'll just say that he's lovely and he may be mentioned here in passing from time to time.  

And moving on....

We had a lovely weekend.  The weather was, frankly, a little chillier than I wished it to be but otherwise nice.  We cooked and hung out and did a few errands. 

But other than that, I got nuthin'.

Oh - Room and Board is calling me today to tell me when they are delivering my new furniture!  Try not to get too excited because it's probably going to be the end of March before they get here.  Did I mention that I ordered the bed on December 16?  Well, I did.  And my patience is wearing a little thin. 

But hopefully, we can get the house stuff wrapped up soon. 

So have a lovely week and thanks for stopping by!

xoxo - Tonya
Image:  Pink Tulips by Carla Dyck.

Friday Afternoon

It's always fun to get a good fortune!

Really?

This is the new 'Hold Court Quinn' from Kate Spade.....

They want $298 for it.

REALLY?  COME ON!

I think they've gone a little big around the bend on this one.

Happy Monday

 

Hi, everyone....

I'm taking a little blog vacation this week.

I know, I know.  You're all deeply disappointed in me.  The truth is, my life is a little cuckoo nutsy this week and was cuckoo nutsy all weekend (in good ways) and I just need some time to re-group.  

So have a good week.  And we'll be back soon.

xoxo - Tonya

Image:  Paris Maroon Door by ParisPlus.

The Weekly Bean

Hi!

This Bean and I (and Finn) are cutting out early this week.

We've had it!  Our house has been in an uproar for 2 weeks and tonight guests are arriving.

So we're gonna be laughing and drinking and catching up all weekend.  And I have reason to believe that two Bean snoots will be kissed many, many times!

Have a great weekend!

xoxoxo - Tonya, Finn and Lola Bean