Hello Boudreau

As Thanksgiving quickly approaches most of us are preparing for loads of company to arrive. Having a Thanksgiving cocktail prepared can certainly ease the stresses of the host/hostess and the guests. Here are some drink recipes to ensure you get through the day. 

[besides...it will only make the food taste better]

These cocktails incorporate all the flavors of the season. Cinnamon, nutmeg, apple, cranberry, pomegranate, pumpkin, etc.. 

Shake things up a bit this year!

Yum. 
Cheers!

1. Apple Bomb...[recipe here]

2. Smashing Pumpkin...[recipe here]

3. Sparkling Pomegranate Punch...[recipe here]

4. Mulled White Wine Sangria...[recipe here]

5. Spiced Apple Martini...[recipe here]

6. Hot Apple Pie Cider...[recipe here]

If you're more of a wine fan, the ideal Thanksgiving wine can pair comfortably with a wide range of flavors. Here are 10 terrific choices via Food & Wine

For all of you chefs out there who do all the holiday cooking...or those who assist the cook, The Kitchen Soundtrack made up by [one of my favorite blogs] Wit&Delight, is way fun.
Take a Listen slash dance around in the kitchen. 

Have a great Saturday!
5 days till Thanksgiving
28 days until I'm a UF Alumni
36 days until Christmas


Genuinely,

What do you think about when you are asked to think up a really great love story?
Something like this?
I came across this article in the NYTimes that really REALLY got me thinking. 
In our modern day and time does romance have a new format? 
Are we currently writing the love stories for our children's children? 
If so...i'm a bit worried. Will we tell our kids stories of how 
"then he texted me that he loves me, then he re-tweeted my tweet, and it was the sweetest thing ever," 
or will we stick to the love stories we grew up with of classic chivalry, couth
and heartfelt gestures that take more then a nanosecond to perform. 
Hmm?
Here are some of the excerpts from the article that really got my wheels turning:

" The men my mother and grandmother met at political campaigns 
and jazz concerts seemed more charismatic than any of the 
generic “screen names” that kept popping up on my computer."


"Although the romantic rituals of my generation 
(late-night texting, loaded e-mails, Facebook stalking) 
may expedite courtship, 
they make for exceedingly dull love stories."


"Will our tales of digital courtship capture the imaginations of our daughters? 
Will they be impressed when we tell them about that time 
the text message was misinterpreted, or how the cute boy re-tweeted 
our Vampire Weekend reference? Will they care?"


"They say that each generation thinks it invented love. 
But from what I can see, 
my generation seems to fear we’ve forgotten it."


















Worried yet?


Hooookay enough preaching. Back to basics. The happy fun stuff.

-Hey You! What Song are you Listening to?

Have a fantastic Friday!!
Happy Birthday Sara O!
Genuinely,

I've been in serious senior mode these past few weeks. Job offerings, final papers, exams, resume perfecting, packing, etc. Deciding where you want to work after graduation is a huge deal [to me it is anyway]. St. Petersburg? Atlanta? International travel?! Somewhere I haven't even considered yet?? All of these places have presented themselves to me this semester and all of them are fantastic jobs. 
I'm excited but scared for the changes in my near future.
It's important to me to not make this decision lightly, life is far too short to be working a job your miserable with. I'm open to all careers in the very broad area of the communications field. Having a broad degree like communications sometimes makes narrowing the job pool down difficult.

While dreaming about THE JOB is stressing me out something that helps relieve the stress is my planner. I write ev-er-y-thing down in my planner, & in my iCal, & extra reminders on Stickies on my Mac.

After graduation [one month countdown] I'm going to buy a new planner for the new year. My friend Michelle showed me these Life Planners by Erin Condren. Check 'em out:

[Wild!] Erin Condren : 2011-12 life planner -wild! [PLN12-17] - $50.00
[Zig-Zag] Erin Condren : 2011-12 life planner -zig zag [PLN12-02] - $50.00
[Taffy Stripes] Erin Condren : 2011-12 life planner -taffy stripes [PLN12-13] - $50.00

On the go, on the go, out of town again this weekend!
Other Morning Musings:

-The best desk before and after i've seen in a while! Well done!

-Chevron fingernails tutorial! [Looks kinda hard to do but love the end result]

-75 Reminders for Tough Times [All 75 are so good, I couldn't pick a favorite]

-Emma Watson's transformation away from her Harry Potter role

-THIS girl is why us blonde's have such a bad rep [i'll admit I laughed though]

-Maria Sharapova for Cole Haan? [mixed feelings]

-I was beginning to wonder what happened to these two [Dakota & Elle Fanning]

Do you use a planner? Know an awesome brand I should consider? SHARE!

I've heard the Kate Spade planners are good because you can always buy insert refills?

Happy Thursday [almost weekend]

Genuinely,

I mentioned my new favorite blog "Mr. Kate" in my musings the other day so I'm really excited to share this video of her thrifting for tablescape items! So clever, so fun. I'm kind of sort of obsessed with her.

She's wonderful, right?

Doesn't it make all the difference when you come home for your holiday visit and the house has decorations up and the table is set nicely?
My mom and I always have fun trying to pick a new tablescape idea for Thanksgiving & Christmas dinner. Last year we did greens and blues. Being a good hostess makes all the difference and the environment setting does, too.
Want to learn how to become a Society Social hostess, dress to mingle, live sparkly, or host a boozy beguilement?
I've been reading The Manifesto Magalog from Society Social lately for the best ideas in entertainment style. [Read up, Drink up!]


 Here are some photos from the magazine:
If you like Society Social's entertainment style from the magalog you can purchase the items from their own shop here! [including the Society Social Hostess Gown]  [chairs, bar carts, tables, upholstery, pillows]
I however particularly fell in love with the six different bar cart options! I like the idea [like in the photo above] of having the bar cart double as a sofa table! Fun, funky, functional.


[1.]The Double [2.]The Hostess [3.]The Stanton [4.]The Madison Mixer [5.]The Draper [6.]The Tipple Trolley


Here are some entertainment tips that were included in the magalog from The Glitter Guide:

Cheers!
Genuinely,

Good morning! This past weekend was my Grandma's 80th birthday!

She is my dad's mom, and he is one of seven children! We have a very large family, to say the least.

I get my creative side from my Grandma. She taught me how to draw, how to create, how to think outside the box. It's our niche, and I love her for it.

I wanted to give her a memorable gift...something out of the ordinary.

I came across this blog called Nothing But Bonfires that had a post called "60 years of memories" where she gave her father 60 letters from close friends and family each containing one memory they had with her father. Each letter was like a jump back in time to another place with another person. What better way to reminisce? 

So I started a very long but completely worthwhile process of collecting 80 memories from 80 years of my Grandma's life. I received letters and emails from all over the country! It was very exciting and also showed how many people truly care about my Grandma.

The first thing I did was print and organize all 80 memories and put them into their own personal envelope.

After I filled all 80 of them, I put these cute birthday decals on the front of each one with a separate birthday slogan.

After numbering the letters 1-80 I bundled them with twine, put them inside this floral box I bought, and tagged them "80 years of memories"

When we gave her the box, she read the first letter from me explaining the gift. After saying how creative and thoughtful it was she said "Well, it's like a potato chip, I can't read just one," and she continued opening all 80 letters.

I'm no beauty queen. I don't wear much makeup unless I have something to dress up for or I'm going out on the town. When I do wear makeup it's just the basics, nothing wild...so it really caught me off guard when I bought some new lipstick. WHAT? me? Maybe it's the cooler weather but a nice shade of red sounded fun and frisky. I put it on before we left for the UF basketball game.

As living proof that I never wear lipstick, my own dog didn't even recognize me and when he saw me I had to get him to stop barking slash growling at me. "Um hello Mason, it's me!"

So I got to thinking...there are literally millions of shades of lipstick. You should have seen me at the M.A.C. counter. I was like "Can I have...Uhhh RED, just...plain red?" I knew I wanted a matte so eliminating all the glitter slash shimmer ones narrowed it down a bit. [I ended up buying this one]


Luckily, I have really AWESOME friends who let me use photos of them as examples of perfect lipstick users! I adore these girls!
I was browsing around online and theres so many tutorials and articles about "how to choose the right shade of lipstick for you" Whatever. I think you should just buy whatever color lipstick your in the mood for! Just like nail polish. Have FUN with it. No rules.


Here are my favorite photos I found of each shade:

After I graduate this December I'd love to see some snow. I'd also love to see some snow in some duck boots. They are such a northern winter fashion staple but to us Floridians they're foreign. I think that's why I like them so much.
Check out the snow my best friend LaPetiteFashionista got in Wisconsin on Wednesday! I'm jealous!
Founded by Leon Leonwood Bean [L.L.Bean] himself over 100 years ago, Duck Boots offer a practical solution to a simple problem: how to keep feet comfy in rain, snow, slush- any just about any weather. Why are they called duck boots though? Because the upper half of the boots are made from duck cloth canvas which is water repellant fabric just like duck feathers.
Ok enough freaking history let's look at some videos & pictures.

Terry the bootmaker at L.L.Bean makes it pretty hard to say no, too.
[You can buy the Bean boots here]

Other Morning Musings:
-Macys 2011 holiday window displays include puppies available for adoption
-Instant Snap & Print digital camera [$299]
-Behind the scenes into Rachel Zoe's office and closet [i've never ever seen so many shoes in my life]


Has anyone else seen "Knocked Up" on E! lately? They have been playing that movie over and over...and over like its the last movie on earth so this song is stuck in my head, naturally.

HAPPY FRIDAY! 11/11/11
Most importantly Happy Veterans Day! So many thanks to all who serve!
Genuinely,