Gracious Gal

Turkey Coma

graciousgal — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:38:01 +0000

Gramma’s for Thanksgiving~ turkey, dressing, gravy, green beans, mac and cheese, rolls, homemade cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole {for the few of us who love it}, deviled eggs, and probably a few things I can’t remember!

I fell asleep around 6 and slept until this morning… I still feel like I’m coming out of a coma!

Happy Holidays,

Gracious Gal

i-Folly

graciousgal — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:36:42 +0000

Our trip to Folly Beach was great. The little “island” has so much charm. We ventured into Charleston one evening… Amazing. Can’t believe I had never been, especially considering it’s so close. I look forward to going back and staying a bit longer.

Here are few pics I took with my {newly purchased} i-phone. Which I haven’t put down!

Of course I loved that everything around was “Ashley”…

We ate breakfast twice at The Lost Dog {sweet potato pancakes- yummo!}

If you have been to Charleston, have you noticed the number of houses that are leaning like this one?

Chick-mobile on Folly…

I loved being able to walk the beach in November!

Every detail of Charleston was pretty.

Sunset and sailboats in Charleston.

Fountain in Charleston.

Gracious Gal

Impromptu weekend trips are the best

graciousgal — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:13:18 +0000

We’re headed to Folly Beach for the weekend (and a quick run to Charleston while we’re at it!) Looking at the lack of blog entries over the last month, you might can tell I’ve been a bit busy. So we’re pretty excited about our mini getaway! I plan on doing a whole lotta nothin’ over the next three days… especially since it’s the last “free” weekend before the holiday madness begins.

photo via folly beach now

Enjoy your weekend!

Gracious Gal

Next purchase: Ted Baker wallet

graciousgal — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 21:00:53 +0000

I NEED a new wallet. It has literally been over 5 years since I bought the one I currently use! Ridiculous! But, I loathe spending money on something that money is supposed to go in! So, year after year, I avoid the big purchase. And, honestly, I rarely see a wallet that I love enough to invest in.

A couple of weeks ago I saw these Ted Baker wallets at Nordstrom, and I was instantly obsessed! And guess what… these are on sale!

These are pretty awesome too {though not on sale}…

Happy Friday!

Gracious Gal

Fall Road-trip: Five Towns to See in the South

graciousgal — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:23:20 +0000

I just saw an article on Yahoo entitled, “Ten Towns to See in the Fall.” All ten destinations were certainly beautiful, but hello? The article didn’t mention one southern city! So, I thought I’d write my own list! And here goes…

1. Clayton, Georgia located in the Blue Ridge Mountains {all of Rabun County for that matter}

{image via travel and leisure}

2. Asheville, North Carolina~ the Biltmore House, Downtown Asheville, Grove Park Inn~ gorgeous all year, especially fall!

{Image via this site}

{Grove Park Inn}

3. Blackberry Farms 30 minutes outside of Knoxville, TN ~ the perfect combination of natural beauty and luxurious amenities.

{Images via Blackberry Farms website, Kiwi Collection}

4. Chattanooga has more than just the choo-choo! Tennessee Aquarium, Ruby Falls, a lively downtown full of restaurants and shops, Rock City, Lookout Mountain~ great family place!

{Picture via Chattanooga Relocation Guide}

5. Abingdon, VA, is one of the most historical cities in the state. October is the perfect month to watch the leaves changing, and to get a little spooked at the Abingdon Spirit Tour!

{Barter Theatre one of the oldest nonprofit professional theaters in the nation.}

I don’t know about you, but I think this is a pretty good list! Maybe Yahoo will reconsider their’s!

Gracious Gal

Penguin Threads {Jillian Tamaki}

graciousgal — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:00:49 +0000

And the Christmas gift list begins! I am absolutely blown away by these beautiful hand-embroidered Penguin Classics book covers by illustrator Jillian Tamki! I can think of so many people who I would love to give {and who would love to receive} one of these for Christmas!

The books will be available starting this month. Unfortunately, they will not be individually embroidered, as you could imagine how terribly time consuming for the artist and expensive for us, the consumer, that would be! According to Jillian’s blog, “they will, however, be beautifully produced, printed with a sculptural-embossing technique that will emphasize the stitches.”

Here are a few photos from Jillian’s site…

I especially love all the detail… like the quote you see on the back cover of Emma. “One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.”

The books can be purchased here at the Penguin website. They are also available now for pre-order on Barnes & Noble’s site.

{I do apologize for using the words “Christmas list” in October. It’s ok~ catch your breath! There’s still time Mrs. Claus.}

Gracious Gal

Doing what you can, with what you have…

graciousgal — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:23:15 +0000

My mom, who is such a gracious gal, came up with the most wonderful idea. She started baking goodies last week and taking them to work to raise money for Susan G. Komen. So far, she has sold out of rice krispie treats and carrot cupcakes, raising about $20 for the cause. I know this doesn’t sound like a lot. But, Imagine how much we could give if one person in every office in your city did this- just one time! That could multiply to be a pretty big number!

I put my mom’s idea into action at my office with these pumpkin pie bars…

By 11:00 they were all gone! Maybe together, she and I can raise $100 this month! It’s really a win-win… these bars are yummy!

{Here is a link to Susan G. Komen’s breast self awareness page. Prevention is just as important as the fight.}

xoxo,

Gracious Gal

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” {Theodore Roosevelt}

every {doughnut} in moderation

graciousgal — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:12:57 +0000

My husband sent me a list today of the worst foods you can eat… doughnuts topped the list providing zero nutrients and a ton of sugar. He did this of course because he knows Fridays are my doughnut days, and he likes to give me a hard time!

Well, I’m here to tell you that I’ve worked out 4 days this week {plus tomorrow}, and I don’t really care how terrible it is, I got my doughnut! So here’s to the weekend! I hope your’s is extra sweet!

Gracious Gal

Lovely Quotes: Steve Jobs {RIP}

graciousgal — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:57:46 +0000

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” – Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement speech 2005

Clocks {the end of Daylight Saving Time}

graciousgal — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:16:24 +0000

Watching the leaves begin to change, and days becoming shorter, I’m suddenly reminded that it will soon be time to “Fall Back”. Searching to find when exactly the time change will happen, I came across this really neat image on National Geographic of Mr. Ray Keen attending to the 97-year-old clock which sits atop a Kansas courthouse.

This image then inspired me to search for other great clocks!

Grand Central Station {via this site}

Big Ben {wikipedia}

Clocks in Paris outside of the Gare Saint-Lazare, the second-busiest train station in the city. {via Divine Caroline}

Musee d’Orsay clock {via this site}

Peter Pan… I think he made clock towers magical!

By the way, we can set our clocks back an hour at midnight on Sunday, November 6. Is it me, or does that seem a bit later than normal?

Gracious Gal