The Bee Charmer

Happy Weekend!

2012-02-10T07:30:00.000-05:00

Hi!

Happy Weekend, everyone!

The spring spruce up here at Chateau Bee Charmer is getting ready to shift into high gear in a couple of weeks so I'm going to be shopping for paint and tile this weekend. Along with cheap lamps and mirrors....

Did I say 'Cheap'?

I didn't really mean 'cheap' so much as 'cost effective'....

Yeah, that's it.

I'm also cleaning, sorting, cooking and napping. Not necessarily in that order.

So stay safe and warm this weekend and if you're someplace snowy, snuggled down.

And I'll see you on Monday.
Image: Painted Ideas by Art by Photomentation.

The Weekly Bean

2012-02-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

Somebody is a little 'needy' and will be given lots of extra attention this weekend....

Heartbreak Beat

2012-02-09T07:15:00.001-05:00

You weren't expecting the Furs this morning, were you?

This Charming House

2012-02-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

The new bedding for the guest bedroom - if the bed ever gets here.....

Pearl embroidered duvet and shams from Pottery Barn in Thyme Green!

Wednesday - Run Away Without Leaving Home

2012-02-08T07:30:00.000-05:00

Image: Garden, 1998 by Esteban Vicente.

Lingerie

2012-02-08T07:15:00.000-05:00

You know, know, know how much I love Lillian Bassman, don't you?

The woman is an artist!

I think I need to have this.....

Tuesday's Girl

2012-02-07T07:30:00.002-05:00

"Just throw me in my coffin now with those earrings on."

Rachel Zoe

The Night Circus

2012-02-07T07:15:00.002-05:00

Oh, my!

I LOVED this book. LOVED IT!!!

Pure, enchanting, fun, escapist, delightful, romantic fantasy!

How's that for a read in dreary late winter?

If you just want to disappear into a book - grab it.

This Charming Handbag

2012-02-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

So - I got my nails done last week - which I hate because there is nothing to do but sit there.

During these times in the nail salon, I amuse myself by stalking the handbags of other women.

Have I admitted this here before?

Not only am I obsessed with my own handbags, I am also obsessed with other women's handbags. I'm serious. A cute handbag on someone else's arm can, has and will stop me dead. And then I try to figure out: Why did she pick that bag?

I saw this one last week and now it's all I can think about.

The GG Twins Large Hobo from Gucci.

Happy Monday

2012-02-06T07:30:00.002-05:00

Hi!

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

My weekend was busy and Sunday has found me sleepy, tired and on the couch with a book and a fire and two corgi's barking at the neighborhood.

The weather here has been gray and drizzly all weekend but next week is supposed to be nicer.

Is anyone else getting excited for spring?
Image: Flower by Dull Blue Light.

Sunday Evening

2012-02-06T07:15:00.000-05:00

I Stand With Planned Parenthood

2012-02-06T07:00:00.003-05:00

When I was younger, I was a little more vocal in my politics. I think it's easier to be so on a liberal college campus.

Then I became a lawyer and decided it was more professional to keep my politics and religious beliefs out of my workplace. I still think that's true. These are often polarizing issues that have no place where clients and colleagues are concerned.

This policy has made it's way down to this blog but lately, I've been rethinking it. I have begun to believe that there is a time to stake myself out.

Last week The Komen Foundation's decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood flew all over me. It once again solidified my belief that the so called 'Pro-Life' movement has very little to do with "life" and very much to do with an ultimate hatred of women and children.

Planned Parenthood does offer abortions - which happen to be legal in this country. They also (I think) probably single handedly do more to prevent abortion - through education and birth control - than any other organization out there. The answer to the prevention of abortion is not to make it illegal, although I suppose if that happened the 'Pro-Life' people could check that off their list and go back to the country club. They certainly don't seem to me to give a wet slap about the very real suffering and need of millions of living, breathing American children. Let's not forget that in addition to being anti-abortion the far right is also adamantly against their tax money going to help the poor.

The answer to the prevention or elimination of abortion is to prevent unwanted pregnancy. And that only comes through education and birth control - which, by the way, the 'Pro-Life' movement also opposes. If they truly wanted to eliminate abortion they'd be THROWING MONEY at Planned Parenthood.

But this post isn't about the 'Pro-Life' movement or right wing politics. It's about the actions of a charity supposedly dedicated to women's health deciding that the 170,000 underprivileged women who they previously provided care for were apparently no longer deserving of support. How's that for true commitment?

The Komen Foundation's actions last week were baffling to me. They resulted in 2 things in this house:

1. A monthly donation to Planned Parenthood going forward; and

2. Any money that I would have donated to Komen will now go to the American Cancer Society.

I have emailed my feeling to Komen. I'm done with them. It may not mean a hill of beans to them in the grand scheme of things but I'm done. And I'm putting my money where my mouth is from now on with Planned Parenthood.

Happy Weekend!

2012-02-03T07:15:00.000-05:00

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

And I'll see you on Monday.

xoxo Tonya
Image by me.

The Weekly Bean

2012-02-02T07:30:00.000-05:00

Tuesday evening I came home from work to a 'brown out' at my house.

I have never had one of those before and I. Freaked. The. Hell. Out.

Seriously.

I alternated between believing that the house was going to burn down OR I was going to have a $10,000 repair bill to fix some horrific electrical problem.

So as I was standing in my kitchen - literally frozen in panic - I looked down and my little boy had come over to sit with me.

He's always got my back.

And Duke Energy came and it was their problem and they fixed it and I may or may not have bothered several people that I know while I was freaking out and they were my friends and helped me so there....

Oh - and Lola was busy running the rest of the world.

This Charming Handbag

2012-02-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

Don't you think I need a hot pink Michael Kors tote?

Really? You do?

I agree. I think I totally need a hot pink Michael Kors tote.

Wednesday - Run Away Without Leaving Home

2012-02-01T07:30:00.000-05:00

King Street, Charleston, South Carolina.
Image by me.

This Charming Kitchen

2012-02-01T07:20:00.000-05:00

This is my new favorite thing.

Remember my New Year's Resolution to try new things?

Well, I tried this here bourbon.

And I liked it - a lot.

This Charming Closet

2012-02-01T07:15:00.000-05:00

What can you say about these shoes?

That they're ridiculously expensive?

That they have no practical purpose, whatsoever?

That you may be taking your life and health into your own hands by trying to jack yourself up 5 inches and then walk across the room?

All these things are true.

So true.

But they are THE MOST fun you can have in a shoe store.

And yes, I tried them on.

And yes, I had a blast.

And yes, I can walk in them (they're surprisingly comfortable, considering).

I left them there. Even I am not quite this frivolous. But they were a blast.

A. Blast.

Tuesday's Girl

2012-01-31T07:30:00.000-05:00

'Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possibility.'

Oprah Winfrey

Death Comes to Pemberly

2012-01-31T07:15:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I read Death Comes to Pemberly by P. D. James.

I wanted to love it, I really did.

But I didn't love it.

For those of you who don't know about it, this is a sequel of sorts, to Pride and Prejudice and picks up 6 years after Darcy's marriage to Elizabeth Bennett. Now happy and living at Pemberly, their perfect world is upended when Elizabeth's disgraced sister, Lydia, arrives uninvited and falls out of her carriage screaming that her beloved Wickham has been murdered! The book concerns the investigation of the murder and the trauma caused to Darcy and Elizabeth as a result of their 'connection' with those involved in scandalous murder.

I found this book disappointing as both a mystery and as a sequel.

Several reviews have hailed James for brilliantly mimicking Jane Austen when writing the book and frankly, that is what I hated. I know you're not supposed to type this out loud but I find Jane Austen's books tedious.

There I said it.

Tedious.

I love the stories and I have LOVED all the movie adaptions - but reading the books? Not so much.

It makes me feel inadequate and stupid, but I find them tedious. Although I just read that Mark Twain said of Austen that he wanted to 'dig her up and hit her over the skull' so maybe I'm not totally alone in my opinion....

So I found this book tedious as well. I also found the 'murder mystery' weirdly non-existent. Actually, it was a big, fat, ridiculous yawn.

Ultimately, the book is a continuation of Darcy's inner struggle to justify and reconcile his marriage to Elizabeth (outside of his class) and the social price he's paid because of it. It turns out that Lady Catherine de Bourgh was right and the shades of Pemberly were a little polluted by Elizabeth Bennett and her family.

Perhaps my modern, American mind just has no use for Darcy's struggle or the social conventions of the time. Moreover, while I bought the book expecting it to Austen-esque, I was hoping that James would provide a more fully rounded picture of the Darcys' marriage and relationship - but I didn't get it.

Although Darcy and Elizabeth separately spend a lot of time thinking about how much they adore each other, their interactions throughout the book amount to little more than exchanging pleasantries across the breakfast table. They just never TALK to each other, in private, the way a couple in love would. And then when they do finally have a conversation (in the epilogue, no less) they sound like strangers.

Yes, they're SOOO in love - but it's really hard to understand why.

So I give it a couple of stars. If you're a huge Austen fan you'll love it.

This Charming House

2012-01-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

Oh!

Look at that!

Hot pink chair!!!

It's on it's way to my sunroom.

I'd like to say it'll be here lickedy split - but no. Mid March.

Clearly the furniture people don't give a shit about my need for instant gratification....

Now I just have to find a side table to go with it.

Happy Monday

2012-01-30T07:30:00.000-05:00

I went to Charleston, South Carolina this weekend and I have eaten more pork products that anyone really ought to in one long weekend.

I mean, really.

We ate at Husk again. Have I told you about Husk? They put rendered pork fat in the butter. In. The.Butter.

They also grind it up and put it in the hamburger meat. So when you order the burger - the bacon is already in there.

And this weekend we found out they also mix bacon in with the pimento cheese! Bacon! In the pimento cheese!

How do I know this, you ask? 'Cause I ate ALL of it. I went for lunch and dinner.

And do you know what I ordered at dinner? Do you?

A pork chop! I'm sorry to say that the irony escaped me at the time.

Aside from the pork report, we had an excellent time, the weather was divinely perfect AND we drank a lot.

Needless to say, I'm going back to the gym this week.......
Image: Laughing Pig by Justamoment.

Saturday Afternoon

2012-01-30T07:15:00.000-05:00

Queen Street.

Charleston, South Carolina.

It was 72 degrees and balmy.

Deal with it.

Happy Weekend!

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm at the beach!

I have shitty hotel wi-fi - the worst in recent memory. Seriously - France did a better wifi job than this place.

I am in a fried green tomato appetizer and mixed drink stupor......

So have a stupendous weekend. Think of me while I'm eating my way out of my jeans.

And I'll see you on Monday!
Image by me.

The Weekly Bean

2012-01-26T07:30:00.000-05:00

What do we think?

Do Finn and Lola need an Outdoor Dog Chaise Lounge for the patio?

I cannot imagine that they would voluntarily utilize anything that I would spend this much money to buy for them. I already learned that with the expensive dog bed I bought them that they will not deign to sniff.....

Diana Krall Live in Paris

2012-01-26T07:20:00.000-05:00

I love this version of Cry Me a River....

Last Year's Books

2012-01-26T07:15:00.000-05:00

This is what I read last year....

There are about 8 books that I only downloaded so they are not included.

I challenged myself to read 50 books in the Goodreads 2011 challenge and I ended up reading 52.

Does anybody else have a reading list this year? Or are you all just gonna leave me out here hanging in my book nerd-dom?

This Charming House

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

From a purely decor porn standpoint, Something's Gotta Give has GOT to be the best movie ever made.

I mean, I really defy you to watch this movie and not be willing to start selling your children and your kidneys to get to live in this house....

I was watching it (again) the other day and became OBSESSED with these place mats. Suddenly, I needed something like that for Chateau Bee Charmer and I decided to lump that desire into my New Year's Resolution to get stuff in better order around here.

And voila! The Chilewich Graphite placemats from my home world, Crate and Barrel....

LOVE!

Wednesday - Run Away Without Leaving Home

2012-01-25T07:30:00.000-05:00

Image: Fortune Teller New Orleans by Jillian Audrey.

A Room With A View

2012-01-25T07:15:00.000-05:00

Oh. My. God.

Have you ever seen A Room With A View?

If you've answered this question as 'No', then I have to tell you you have my sympathy.

I re-watched it last Sunday morning (I actually finished reading the book on Saturday morning, so I was full of E.M. Forster this weekend).

So beautiful. So funny. And Julian Sands - full frontal nudity (and full rear end nudity for that matter). My goodness. I mean, how often to us girls get full frontal that's really worth looking at?

Go. Rent it. Buy it. Love it.

You can thank me later.

This Charming Face

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

So it turns out that despite my fabulous new multi-focal contact lenses, I still sometimes need readers anyway.

I have problems at work on particularly tiny type and also at night, in restaurants, when the lights are low and my eyes are already tired.

Thank goodness, Kate Spade makes readers that are so cool and pretty that it almost makes you not care why you need the damn things to begin with!

I have a pair in my bag and another at my office. I got these, the Willa in pink/red for the office. I figure the law will be improved if I view it through rose colored glasses.

And the other cool thing I found out is that the purchase of readers is covered under your flexible spending account (if you have one). This really saved me last year because I had about $50.00 left that I had to use or lose.

Tuesday's Girl

2012-01-24T07:30:00.000-05:00

'I don't understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little - if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that's the day she has a date with destiny. And it's best to be as pretty as possible for destiny.'

Coco Chanel

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-24T07:15:00.029-05:00

So -

It's almost February and here I am, ready to reveal my New Year's Resolutions!!!

Can I just tell y'all that I was NOT excited about New Years this year.

I am usually SO psyched for it and this year I was just like -

'Eh. Whatever.'

The only reason I can determine for my lack of excitement and optimism is my feeling that we are all trapped and enmeshed in this never ending shit hole of an economy. And without getting political, I am so aggravated with ALL OF THEM about it:

The Democrats. The Republicans. Bank of America.

All. Of. Them.

Anywho -

Here are all FIVE of my New Year's Resolutions. I really only have 3 so I made the other 2 up:

1. Read all the Books on my reading list - which I blogged about here.

2. Balance my work and my personal life in a better way:

Last year was professionally miserable! And I tried to be a hardened professional and push through it, thinking that if I just made it a little farther, it was bound to get better... and then it didn't. And I was emotionally and mentally exhausted and forlorn. I was FORLORN, y'all!

This year I've already scheduled my vacation time so that I can get meaningful breaks more often and hopefully, I won't get as torn up as last year.

3. Finish up all the stuff in Chateau Bee Charmer that it as the tippy top of my to-do list.

This one, I'm pretty excited about. We're talking painting, tiling, cleaning and new bedding and furniture in both guest rooms. Most of it is kicking off in February but I'm going to be speaking about it in the weeks that come. Suffice it to say that by mid-March we should be ready to rock around here! The furniture has all been ordered and the bedding is coming this week! Yay!

4. Work out more. This was one of my resolutions last year. I failed miserably!

5. Try more new things.

I know. This one is vague and overly broad (to use lawyer terms) but I want to push myself out of my comfort zone more often. I want to say yes more often, even to those things which scare me. I don't expect to do a whiz bang job of this one but I'm willing to try.

So that's it! That's all I've got!

What about y'all? Anybody got any super terrific resolutions this year? Do tell.
Image: New Years Winter Ice by Madden Photography.

This Charming House

2012-01-24T07:00:00.001-05:00

I know I blogged about this bed for the guest room a million years ago....

It's the Monica bed from Room and Board.

I may have a few intrepid readers who remember it.

Well, after years of scouring the world for a bed I liked more, I failed to find it. And after a quick to trip to D.C. in the fall to visit my best friend AND to drop in on the Room and Board store on lovely U Street - I did it.

It's a special order (the graphite is NOT the stock color) and when I ordered it they told me it would be ready in mid-February! I was optimistic! I thought 'surely it will be ready by the beginning of February.....'

No dice. They emailed me yesterday and now we're looking at the middle of March.

Damn it! I hate it when a plan falls apart!

I pouted for five minutes and then decided I had to soldier on. I mean, what else is there to do?

So stay tuned for updates which will include new bedding, new drapes, new lamps and other new stuff in the guest room!

Yay?

Happy Monday

2012-01-23T07:30:00.007-05:00

Hey!

Did you all have a good week last week?

I hope so. I'm sorry that I took a powder but I needed some time. I'm still struggling a little bit, not so much with lack of (fill in the blank) but really, I just don't have that much to talk about right now. Or didn't last week.

But I've got some fun things coming up in the next few weeks - decorating stuff and new furniture and a little trip to speak about and what not.

I had a really lovely weekend. Lots of snuggling and enjoying my quiet house and coffee. It was rainy and cold and gray and since I'm weird, I really enjoyed it. I wouldn't want every weekend to be like that but we really get so few of them in Charlotte that I tend to enjoy them when they come. They are awesome for snuggling on the couch with a good book and a Bean and a fire.

I had a nice brunch and a couple of lovely dinners with friends (Yay for Restaurant Week!) and got some stuff done (including most of my taxes - yay!).

This week I am having a friend over for dinner on Monday and book club on Tuesday and going out for chili and beer on Wednesday and then.... You get the drift! Lots of socializing and food and booze. What a great week, huh?

So thank you all for coming by. Here's hoping for an awesome week!

Smoochies!!

xoxo - Tonya
Image: Coffee by Jackie Garlich Photography.

On Truth

2012-01-23T07:15:00.000-05:00

'The armor of falsehood is subtly wrought out of darkness, and hides a man not only from others, but from his own soul.'

E. M. Forster, A Room With A View

Image: Chairs by Laura Evans.

The Bee Charmer Loves Paris

2012-01-23T07:00:00.001-05:00

Kinda wish I was there......
Image: Paris Tabac de la Sorbonne by Vita Nostra.

Happy Monday

2012-01-16T07:15:00.002-05:00

Oh, my, y'all!

I have no gumption to blog.

None.

I feel guilty but I just have nothing to say - or I do have something to say but I just don't want to sit down and blog.....

Ugh.

I'm gonna take the week off and hopefully get over myself.

Please bear with me!

xoxo - Tonya
Image: Pink Car South of France by Magalerie.

Happy Weekend!

2012-01-13T07:30:00.000-05:00

Hey!

Tomorrow is Saturday!

Do you know what that means?

Sleeping late, long walks and jumbo Teeter bones!!!!

Happy Weekend!

xoxo - Lola Bean (Finn's under the bed)

The Weekly Bean

2012-01-12T07:30:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

Did you miss me?

I just want y'all to know that while the other puppies were celebrating New Year's Eve with candy and rawhides and pig ear treats (or so we heard), our Mama made us go to the spa and have baths.

On New Year's Eve!

We said "We don't like baths, Mama. We like being dirty and stinky and tracking red mud all over the house."

Actually, I said that. Lola isn't quite as committed to stinkiness as I am - she's never any help when I'm trying to talk sense to Mama .....

But Mama said she didn't care. She said we were stinky little disgraces to pure bred dogs and that all of our fuzz all over the house was causing her to lose her mind and that we had to go and take our baths.

So we had to go.

*heavy sigh*

Just because you have to take a bath at the nicest spa in town doesn't mean that it's any less of a bath.

But just as soon as I got home I went right back outside and rolled in something smelly. Mama says it's because I'm contrary.

I just say that she ought to know by now that you can't stop a corgi bent on mischief.

Lauren Adams Art

2012-01-12T07:20:00.000-05:00

So my friend, Sarah, found this great artist on Etsy and pointed her out to me because she's from West Virginia!

And I love her and not just because she's from West Virginia - although that certainly doesn't hurt....

Y'all know I support my peeps!

Her name is Lauren Adams and I think she's just the cat's pajamas! I have purchased 2 of her works on paper to hang in my soon to be spiffed up master bathroom - again more on that when I get some blogging gumption...

But in the meantime, if you'd like to check out Lauren's work you can do so at her Etsy shop or directly from her website.
Image: Mon River, October 22 by Lauren Adams.

This Charming Handbag

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

I am so in love with this bag!

I wasn't planning on buying anything else. I'm putting money in the house this spring, which I'll blog about when I get some gumption.

And then I got a Random Email about the Reed Krakoff after-Christmas sale. I swear - I'm not even sure how I got on their email list, other than they're connected to Coach.

Anywho - I went to look - just for funsies - and voila! New Reed Krakoff in the house!

Now, I wouldn't have paid full price for this bag. At least that's what I started out telling myself and I'm still not able to say one way or another - but it's deceptively gorgeous and the leather is the best thing I think I've ever put my hands on.

If you're not on Reed Krakoff's email list - go sign up. The sale was wonderful and I'm in love with this bag.

Wednesday - Run Away Without Leaving Home

2012-01-11T07:30:00.000-05:00

Image: Springtime by Imagine Studio.

This Charming Bookshelf

2012-01-11T07:15:00.000-05:00

Ok - even though I haven't written (yet) about my New Year's Resolutions (I'm still formulating them - what can I say? I have no gumption this year although I'm trying) I have decided on this year's book list - from the Time 100 list.

Here they are:

The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

The Spy Who Came In From the Cold by John Le Carre'

All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren

The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara

Money by Martin Amis

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

Under the Net by Iris Murdoch

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

I did very well with this resolution last year - finishing 10 of the 12 that I picked and also reading 10 more from the list - not bad - but I'll bore you with all that later.

In any event - here I go again with an extravagant reading list.....

Tuesday's Girl

2012-01-10T07:30:00.000-05:00

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage."

Anais Nin

The Bee Charmer Loves Paris

2012-01-10T07:15:00.000-05:00

This Charming Closet

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

Santa brought me these boots! From Via Spiga.

Happy Monday

2012-01-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

Hi!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend.
Image: Satsumas by Honey Tree.

Happy Weekend!

2012-01-05T07:15:00.000-05:00

Hi!

I'm a loser this week.

It's already almost the second week of January and I still haven't done a Christmas recap OR discussed my New Year's Resolutions.

L.O.S.E.R.

And now I'm cutting out early.

I'll be back next week with a few updates.

Until then, Happy New Year - stay warm and cool!

xoxo - Tonya
Image: Lily Pond by Aeropagita Prints.

MOUNTAINEERS!

2012-01-05T07:10:00.000-05:00

Yeah.....

Wednesday - Run Away Without Leaving Home

2012-01-04T07:30:00.000-05:00

Helen Frankenthaler - December 12, 1928 - December 27, 2011.

Rest in Peace.
Image: Snow Pines 2004 by Helen Frankenthaler.

Orange Bowl

2012-01-04T07:15:00.000-05:00

Let's Go Mountaineers!!!

This Charming House

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

I am in love with the Chloe chair from Room and Board.

Love I tell you!

I've ordered a swatch (the color is called 'Blossom') and am thinking of Craigslisting the Barcelona chair in my sunroom and replacing it with this.

I can't think of a girlier thing to have than a hot pink chair in my sunroom.

Tuesday's Girl

2012-01-03T07:30:00.000-05:00

"I never ever go to spas - I loathe places that smell like humid Japanese restaurants and where they treat you like you're in a psychiatric hospital. Go to the bar at the Ritz instead!"

Ines de la Fressange

The Bee Charmer Loves Paris

2012-01-03T07:15:00.000-05:00

From my heroine, Ines de la Fressange.....

This Charming Closet

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

Ok - so I'm OBSESSED with this outfit.

Like dreaming about it at night - especially the boiled wool jacket.

Damn you, Rooney Mara's stylist!!!!!

I made up my mind to track the jacket down and had decided that if it was the least bit within my realm of affordability, I was going to BUY IT!

Damn it.

The shoes and bag were easy to track down - Balenciaga. I can live without them or at least find reasonably affordable alternatives.

The circle scarf around her neck is from American Apparel.... Rooney's nod to affordability. Whatev...

The damn coat. My love. The thing I've been dreaming about - I finally tracked it down after about a week of dedicated surfing (you can tell I don't have kids, right?)

Givenchy. Originally $2420.00 (!) and on sale for the low, low price of $969.00.

On sale for $969?!?!?!?

Damn. I hate it when stuff is 60% off and I STILL can't afford it.

The sad, sad thing is that I have a cropped, green, boiled wool jacket from Talbot's that's hanging in my closet RIGHT NOW and I still want THIS ONE.

Happy New Year

2012-01-02T07:30:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone!
Image: Magnolia 2 by Rogue Pen.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T07:30:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Finn and Lola and I hope you all have a joyous and wonderful holiday season.

We'll be back sometime next week.

xoxo - Tonya
Image: Welsh Corgi Christmas Carols by Jenny Creates.

Wednesday - Run Away Without Leaving Home

2011-12-21T07:30:00.000-05:00

I have had a fairly ambivalent relationship with the ocean for the past few years. I know it's there, but I haven't longed for it.....

But since August I've been longing for it - desperately! I need to go back.
Image: Path to the Sea by Megan Rhodes.

Random Pretty Man

2011-12-21T07:20:00.000-05:00

I'm still not over it....

Maybe we should just have "Paul Newman Day" here at The Bee Charmer....

And I have to tell you that it kind of pisses me off that he looks so damn sexy, even with a cigarette - which I really and truly find repugnant under ALL OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES....

Thirty Things to Stop Doing to Yourself

2011-12-21T07:15:00.001-05:00

My friend, Sarah, linked to this the other day and I love it!!! Go here and read it!

Such truly good words to make us aware of so many mental habits that really just get in our way.
Image: Stop In the Name of Love by Catay.

Tuesday's Girl

2011-12-20T07:30:00.000-05:00

"I can't imagine a duller fate than being the best dressed woman in reality. When I want to do something I don't pause to contemplate whether I'm exquisitely gowned. I want to live, not pose!"

Carole Lombard

Last Christmas

2011-12-20T07:15:00.004-05:00

Ah - Christmas songs from the 80's!

George! ALL THAT FABULOUS HAIR!!!!! And you know, he was so cute when he was trying to play it straight. Although I will have to say that even my 17 year old, naive, hillbilly little self didn't believe it.

However, nothing says "Joyeux Noel" like WHAM!

This Charming Face

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

At some point over the last few years I have become a "NARS" girl.

I am really not sure how this came about. I'm sure it had something to do with the "Orgasm" blush craze of a few years back. The irony of it is that the allegedly universally flattering "Orgasm" blush doesn't really do that much for my skin - the peachiness sort of blends in with the red hair and the freckles and I feel like a creamscicle. So I go with the "Deep Throat".

Ah - who comes up with these names?

But I am not here to talk about blush or about lipstick or about concealer or about lip gloss - all of which I wear and all of which also come from NARS.

I am here to talk about the foundation I've been searching for for years that I have finally found at the NARS counter - the NARS Sheer Glow.

Y'all, I love this stuff. It gives me the coverage I need without making me look like a Geisha, it doesn't smell funny and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg, at least in the world of makeup counter foundation.

I was driven to try it by my annual "It's my birthday, I'm not getting any younger, try to look OK to make myself feel better" kick. I went to Makeup Alley to read the recommendations before heading over to Nordstrom to get some and the most cogent and convincing review I read was written by a 43 year old MAN.

Is this what's going on out there now? Are men wearing foundation and actually writing reviews about it? Geeze I've been out of the game too long.....

But I digress.....

Anyway if you're looking for a good foundation (or want to try a new line in general) you may want to head to the NARS counter. I universally like their products for cost, ease of application, staying power and color.

Happy Monday

2011-12-19T07:30:00.000-05:00

Hello friends!

How was the weekend?

Ours was busy and fun.

I'm a little bit sad that our current weather isn't more wintery. It's Christmas and it seems like it ought to be a little more blustery.

On the other hand, I'm loving the mild temperatures and the sunshine. So I'm trying to just be thankful and happy for what I do have and not think about what I don't have.

Isn't that the secret to life?

I can tell you, though, that Friday evening was gray and rainy and after I came home and walked the dogs I laid down under a snuggly blanket and took a little nap. There is something that is just do delicious about being snuggled down for a warm nap when its cold and rainy outside, isn't there? And I was thankful for that delicious feeling and thankful for my warm home.

On Saturday I went to look at art (FUN!) and finished up the last of my Christmas shopping.

Ok - I'm not totally done. I've got a couple of little things left to do. Isn't that always the way it goes? There is always some last minute something, something that you have to do at Christmas. And then it's over in 30 minutes.

On Sunday I went up to help my darling friends with their new house. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, The New Mr. and Mrs. Barr have a new house!!! They are in the 'still hunting for things packed in boxes' phase and anxiously awaiting the delivery of enormous amounts of furniture but it still looks FABULOUS. And the previous owners left the most glorious plantation shutters and striped silk roman shades. It's window treatment heaven even without furniture.

And then I came home to the Beans and cleaned our house like a crazy woman. And did a little more decking of our little halls. Oh - and laundry. I did the laundry.

I'm not sure what work is going to look like this week. Civil court is pretty much shut down until after the New Year so I'm hoping for lazy, quiet, catch up time. We'll see how it goes.

So thanks for stopping by!

xoxo- Tonya
Image by me.

Out and About in Winston-Salem

2011-12-19T07:15:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, my friend Sarah and I drove over to Winston-Salem to see a couple of really cool things...

First, we were happy to see the Modern Masters exhibit which is currently on display at the Reynolda House.

Let me just tell you - it was extremely cool and I was in heaven.

First, they had three works by Franz Kline, my new art crush. AND they had a Helen Frankenthaler. Gorgeous. AND they had several works by Robert Motherwell - who was once married to Helen Frankenthaler. AND they had a piece by Esteban Vicente - it was very Rothko-esque and it was so gorgeous I could have just died...

Then we toured the Reyolda House which was the home of RJ Reynolds and his family. It was also gorgeous. A quintessential Southern house. What you can learn from it is that if you lived in the deep South way back when, it was ALL ABOUT the screened porch and cross ventilation. Although the house is gorgeous it is also very livable.

It's funny that I walked or ran across the Reynolda House grounds almost every single day when I was in law school - Wake Forest's campus adjoins (and was once a part of) the estate grounds - and this was only the second time I have actually been IN the house.

Crazy.

If you are in North Carolina this exhibit is definitely worth the trip. It runs through December 31.

The Bee Charmer Loves Paris

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Image: Shop Window in Paris by Anna Kiper.

Happy Friday

2011-12-16T07:30:00.000-05:00

Did y'all know that cardinals, in addition to being bright, beautiful, festive and otherwise Christmas-y, are also the official state bird of West Virginia?

Well, if you didn't you do now!

With that little nugget of knowledge, Finn, Lola and I will wish you a happy weekend!

We are celebrating Finn's birthday this weekend and doing some other stuff - which I believe may include a nap or two.

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

xoxox- Tonya
Image: Christmas Cardinal by Ara133Photography.

The Weekly Bean

2011-12-15T07:30:00.000-05:00

On Saturday this little baby boy will be 10 years old!!!

Happy Birthday, Butterbean.

The Crying of Lot 49

2011-12-15T07:15:00.002-05:00

So, as I said a couple of weeks ago, I totally wussed out and refused to read Blood Meridian.

Instead, I gave it to my father, who likes westerns, and he read it and has now pronounced it awful. But then again, he couldn't stop talking about it, either.....

Instead of reading Blood Meridian, I read The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon, which is also on Time's list.

Here's what Time had to say about it:

Summoned to serve as executor for the will of her ultra-rich former lover, Oedipa Maas is led into the mystery of Trystero, a shadowy band of, of — of what exactly? They have operated for centuries, connecting the dispossesed, the discontented and the strung out by way of their secret underground postal system, a network that may also serve other ends. As she wanders through California in the mid-1960′s, trying to unravel their secret, Oedipa senses for the first time a larger, weirder universe of the disinherited, a scampering, fugitive reality just beneath the placid surface of what she thinks she knows. With its slapstick paranoia and its heartbreaking metaphysical soliloquies, Lot 49 takes place in the tragicomic universe that is instantly recognizable as Pynchon-land. Is it also a mystery novel? Absolutely, so long as you remember that the mystery here is the one at the heart of everything.

I liked this book - sorta....

I'm not sure I'm deep enough to have fully comprehended everything that was going on but it was an enjoyable read. It was weird, strange.... I don't know.

HOWEVER, if you are a fan of Buckaroo Banzai (which I totally happen to be) you will recognize the origins of that movie in this book. Methinks W.D. Richter is a Pynchon fan.

This Charming Closet

2011-12-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of weekends ago when I was in Raleigh with my friend Sarah I saw a faux fur pullover at a boutique and I was smitten!

I didn't buy it because I didn't think I'd be brave enough to wear it and it was too expensive to buy and not wear.

But now I can't stop thinking about it and in my search for it on the internet I found this one - and I like it even better!

I still don't like the price tag, though and I KNOW I won't have the guts to wear it much. I want to be glamorous but I'm really not so glamorous - you know? Maybe I could swing it in New York but it's a little excessive for the Carolina League.

Still - a girl can lust......

Wednesday - Run Away Without Leaving Home

2011-12-14T07:30:00.000-05:00

Image: Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina.

Now

2011-12-14T07:15:00.003-05:00

I have spent most of my adult life feeling like a failure and a fraud.

There. I said it.

I think maybe lots of people feel this as they are growing into adulthood. Becoming themselves.

I have been becoming myself for a long, long time. Still am, I suppose.

A couple of weeks ago, on the day before my birthday, I had a brief moment of - I don't know - clarity?

I was sitting in my car, at a red light, on the way home from work, flipping through some paperwork and I looked over to see a driver in another car looking in at me.

And for that little moment, I saw myself in another way. For that brief moment, I felt like I had finally, finally become the woman I had dreamed of being when I was a little girl.

A grown up. Driving a real car. Living in a real city. With a good education and a real job. Wearing good perfume and real diamond earrings (tiny, but real, a gift from my Mom).

I didn't feel like a fake or a fraud or a failure. I felt like a grownup. I felt like - myself.

I hope she sticks around for a while.
Image: She Was Free by Love Wish.

A Little Extra Christmas Spirit

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

"Christmas is doing a little extra something for someone."

Charles M. Schulz

Image from here.

Tuesday's Girl

2011-12-13T07:30:00.000-05:00

"A woman has got to be able to say, and not feel guilty, 'Who am I, and what do I want out of life?' She mustn't feel selfish and neurotic if she wants goals or her own, outside of husband and children."

Betty Friedan

The Christmas Song

2011-12-13T07:15:00.000-05:00

I love Nat King Cole - for a long, long time.

This Charming Handbag Addict

2011-12-13T07:00:00.001-05:00

Oh, my goodness.

I do so love a big, honkin' Coach purse.....

I hope Santa brings this one to my house.....

Happy Monday

2011-12-12T07:30:00.004-05:00

Happy Monday, everyone!

That's all I've got today..... weekend overload!

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo - Tonya
Image: Ornaments by Melasha.

The Bee Charmer Loves Key West

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

I am so excited for Christmas and I'm actually enjoying the cooler weather....

But I would SOOOOO love to go to Key West for New Years.
Image: Key West, Florida by Photography by Kay.

Happy Friday

2011-12-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

My parents are visiting and we're going to try to stay out of trouble and finish up our Christmas shopping.

Stay safe and warm!

xoxo- Tonya
Image: Gumnut Bells by Photography by Anita.

The Weekly Bean

2011-12-08T07:30:00.003-05:00

I'm so in love with them.....

Finn has been a little 'not himself' for the past few weeks. I was worried that his teeth were bothering him so he and I went to the vet yesterday.

It's not his teeth.

It's his back - my greatest fear realized.

The vet didn't think it was too much to be concerned about. Since he seems to want to rest she wants me to let him rest and she has given us something to manage his pain and inflammation. She wants him to get mostly rest for the next 2 to 4 weeks (so no stairs, no frapping and very short walks) and then we'll have another look.

Although I don't think this is that bad, please keep us and him in your prayers. He's such a good little baby boy and I want him to be with me for a very long time.

The Glass Castle

2011-12-08T07:15:00.001-05:00

Our book club's latest book was The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.

Here's what Amazon has to say about it:

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.

Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.

What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

It seemed to me that everyone had already read this book but I had not and I was hesitant to do so. You see, I grew up in Welch, West Virginia, (the dismal West Virginia mining town) where a large portion of this book is set and Rose Mary Walls was a teacher at my elementary school when I was in the second or third grade. And I sort of expected a hatchet job.

It was weird reading about the town where I grew up. About the streets and the stores that I knew or knew of. The Miss Katona who was Jeannette's high school guidance counselor was my high school guidance counselor, too.

While I did not know the Walls children (who were too much older than me to have been my contemporaries) I did know of Rose Mary. What I remember about her was how filthy she was. Although everyone in West Virginia is sort of some level of 'poor', there is a certain level of poor that is remarkable and the Walls family is on that level. I remember being sort of mesmerized by Rose Mary because I couldn't understand how a teacher could be so dirty, her clothes stained and tattered - she smelled. I also remember her because she painted beautiful murals on the walls of our elementary school and I couldn't understand how someone with so much talent could be so poor.

Now having read the book, I have to say that I do not share Jeannette Walls' affection or generosity for her parents. I cannot believe that these people took such poor care of their children while justifying their actions as teaching and growth opportunities. They allowed their children to go hungry, to be molested, to be in danger, to be cold and unclean - all of which was unnecessary. I lived in West Virginia back then - when coal was booming. If Rex Walls wasn't working it's because he was a stomp down, sorry drunk.

I was very moved and inspired by Ms. Walls tenacity and the fervor that she and her siblings exhibited in order to escape the dismal life that their parents provided them. But I cannot join her in feeling any sort of compassion or softness for her parents. Shame on them.

This Charming House

2011-12-08T07:00:00.002-05:00

I am in LOVE with the new Silver Foil LOVE print from Made by Girl!

I hope Santa brings me one for Christmas!!!

Wednesday - Run Away Without Leaving Home

2011-12-07T07:30:00.000-05:00

Image via Tiffany & Co.

Random Pretty Man

2011-12-07T07:15:00.000-05:00

I sat down to do the Random Pretty Man post and the only pretty man I could think of was Paul Newman.

I said to myself: 'Tonya, you really should move on....'

And then I sat there for a moment and could not think of a single, compelling reason not to have Paul back.

So here he is, girlfriends!

*Note: The Bee Charmer does not approve of the smoking. Although she would snog him, anyway.

This Charming Kitchen

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

The book club ladies came over this week.

We had The Barefoot Contessa's Grown Up Mac & Cheese!

Here's the deal:

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil
Kosher salt
1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi (see Note)
1 quart milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well. (I don't do this. There are 2 schools of thought concerning oil in pasta and I completely disagree with Ina on this one. FYI.)

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Note: To make ahead, put the macaroni and cheese in the baking dish, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake. Put the tomatoes and bread crumbs on top and bake for about 40 to 50 minutes.

This was really easy to make and I assembled it the night before so all I had to do was bake it before the ladies arrived. And they ate it all up!

Tuesday's Girl

2011-12-06T07:30:00.001-05:00

"Making a charmed and happy home is a noble endeavor."

Deborah Needleman

Bath Time for Puppy Dogs!

2011-12-06T07:15:00.003-05:00

This is my dream dog!

Isn't he baby????

This Charming House

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

The downstairs tree!

Ornament of joy on the upstairs tree

The end of my birthday flowers....

New tray from Furbish!

Happy Monday

2011-12-05T07:30:00.000-05:00

Hi!

How was the weekend?

I have to tell you, my birthday extravaganza is kicking my ass!

Between that, my job, the Beans and Christmas - well, I've just about had it!!

Therefore, you'll forgive me if this post is short. Like - corgi short.

Suffice it to say that my office is in order, my house is clean, my Beans are snoozy and my body is tired. You know with the eating and the celebrating and the extravaganza and all.

Whew. Being 36 again is hard work.

xoxo - Tonya
Image: Festive Cones by The Gingham Owl.

Saturday Afternoon

2011-12-05T07:15:00.000-05:00

We roadtripped to Raleigh for Happy Hollerdays at Furbish.

FUN!

The Bee Charmer Loves Paris

2011-12-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

Image: Snow Heart by Magalerie.

Happy Friday

2011-12-02T07:37:00.000-05:00

Hi, everyone!

Have a happy weekend!
xoxo - Tonya
Image: Bookmark by First Light Photography.

The Weekly Bean

2011-12-01T07:30:00.000-05:00

We're in the Christmas spirit!

We got nicer antlers this year.

Happy Birthday!

2011-12-01T07:20:00.001-05:00

Yay!

It's my birthday!

I'm 36 again!!!!
Image from here.

Blood Meridian

2011-12-01T07:15:00.000-05:00

November's book on my New Year's reading list was Blood Meridian.

And I tried.

I read 4 chapters.

But I couldn't do it. Or more appropriately, I didn't want to.

You see, I just don't want to read about evil. I know that it exists in the world. But I didn't want to read this book.

So I put it down.

Maybe later.

This Charming Closet

2011-12-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

These jeans were my one and only Black Friday on-line purchase.

My friend, Sarah blogged about the Gap Always Skinny Jeans last year and I am sorry to say that I didn't believe her. Well, the weekend before Christmas I had a little come to Jesus meeting with myself and decided to quit being so fuddy. And I went to the mall to buy some skinny jeans that I would actually wear. And since Gap jeans fit me best I started there (and their 30% off sale that day really helped).

These things are great. They are flattering and comfortable when they should be neither. I don't know how it works, but it does.

Wednesday - Run Away Without Leaving Home

2011-11-30T07:30:00.000-05:00

I'm jonesing for the Isle of Palms, y'all....

Hard.

I hope I get to go soon.
Image by me.

Random Pretty Man

2011-11-30T07:15:00.000-05:00

This is Dana Holgorsen, WVU's new football coach.

Not bad, huh? I mean, as football coaches go?

Here he is wearing the appropriate paraphernalia....

Tuesday's Girl

2011-11-29T07:30:00.000-05:00

"I don't entirely approve of some of the things I have done, or am, or have been. But I'm me. God knows, I'm me."

Elizabeth Taylor