The Bait And Switch by the First Third

The Bait And Switch by the First Third 

Click here to listen to the song on MySpace Music

My brother is 2nd from right and this is his band

He's younger, cooler and hipper than me. He doesn't do self-promotion apparently. I found out from several emails from my dad about his latest, greatest. 

About town on my bike

One of the first things we did was purchase bikes for the whole family. We live right in downtown Southport so we can ride all around. With the expense of moving and all the other things we have to do with 3 children, I didn't want to spend a fortune on a bike. This is a coastal town, so a coastal cruiser (no gears, no hand brakes) was all I needed. I got her at Walmart for $85! I've thought about naming her but that is about all I've done. I sort of feel like Pee Wee Herman but I haven't pimped her out yet so it's not official.

On the weekends I can sometimes talk the little guys into riding around and exploring. Here are a few pictures from our recent adventure.

This is what I see to the left when I walk out of my office door

And this is what I see to the right but no working today!

Here comes a tanker off the Atlantic and up the Cape Fear to Wilmington

And there she goes

  Looking for crabs down by the pier

Little guy on the far right of the shell

There was a larger fellow in there but I couldn't capture the moment

Here are a few of our favorite things down by the water front

Provisions

Flava's Ice Cream

At Christmas they serve hot chocolate while you ride

Great American Fish Co.

Potter's Seafood

The Old Yacht Basin

I have noticed that most of the houses down by the water are white. Around town there is a lot more variety but I think you'll agree they pull it off nicely.

This is my favorite and there is a good ghost story that goes with it too

View of the same house from the beach

T

Time to go home. But one look back at a sailboat and the Oak Island Lighthouse in the background. A perfect Saturday.

How lucky am I?

In Honor of Bear Bryant's Birthday - Houndstooth

It is half time of the Alabama Penn St. football game and it is also Bear Bryant's Birthday (1913) and so in honor of my favorite coach I thought I would see what is available out in cyberspace by way of houndstooth clothing and accessories for that game day special touch.

you could just wear the traditional casual fedora

or this T-shirt with the crimson A -  not really my style though

This is more up my alley - when in doubt accessorize!!

or this shirt

with this skirt - I love the boots, sexy AND practical (no heel)

Or if you are way younger than me, you could probably really work this shorts, boots combo - very cute!

All above from www.shopbop.com or check out more of the Houndstooth look HERE.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEAR! RIP.

Some things I am doing for myself - yay me

I contacted an instructor of Transcendental Meditation today.It is a method that needs to be taught by a private instructor apparently, but David Lynch is all about it and I LOVE David Lynch so I figure I'll poke around a bit more and decide for myself. My dad had great success with TM back in the day when he was a Beatles loving hippy so I might ring him up and pick his brain on the matter. I couldn't tell you if he still practices or not but I bet he does.
I also started thinking about a workout regimen and think that I may choose Tracy Anderson because I can dance - not that I CAN dance but how bad can dancing as exercise be? She also developed some tough arm and leg workouts for Gweneth Paltrow while she was making Iron Man that Gweneth shared in one of her GOOP newsletters. I think I've changed my mind about her - Gweneth that is.
I also signed up for a Sketchbook Project and I will share some of my sketches with you. I chose the category, "you'd be home by now . . ." I think there will be more instruction when my packet comes regarding this so I'll report back but I could see myself doing a creative piece on all the phone calls and emails I have to return, or the kitchen sink with dirty dishes piled up  - not that anything like that ever happens in my house. Seriously, my husband is anal (or to be much more positive - on top of that shit like white on rice baby. I could not survive without him because I can be a serious hot mess). Or sketches of pretty things that keep us away  from the house. It will be interesting! Monsters under the bed, screaming babies or really nice things like the boats on the river down on Bay Street. Now that all the tourists are gone, I might be able to snag a swing down there and sit a while. And just so you don't feel like you are missing out, you too can watch the riverfront with the State Port Pilot webcam. Or maybe, just maybe it will have some design sketches in it for my bedroom or that tree house I want to build for the adorable rugrats.
One of the reasons I took this coastal detour is so that I would have more time to pursue things that keep me truly interested in life. There are a lot of reasons why that is more possible here than it was in Chapel Hill but it is not because I am less busy at work. I am more busy at work and that is why I think I need TM - both to calm myself down and focus on why I am (we are all)  here - to live, to dream, to create, to find whimsy in everyday life and to fly (figuratively and in my case, literally). . . .but that whole learning how to fly an airplane is on the back burner still and is another post somewhere down the line. But I did move right down the road from an airport and it even has a bait and tackle shop so look for a fishing post (and how to look fabulous at the same time or maybe that crazy US Open King Mackerel Tournament everyone keeps talking about coming up at the end of September) or as an entry in that sketchbook that is in the mail - maybe me catching a mermaid?
So what are you doing for yourself? I'd really love to know.

I bought this at the Franklin Square Market during our first NC 4th of July Celebration in Southport 2010

Decorating My Bedroom I

What is funny about ending up in Southport is that in the last couple of years, thanks to our neighbors in Hillsborough (the lovely Baker women - Jeannie and Barbara), I'd started to explore Wilmington and ended up buying a bedspread at Arlie Moon in Lumina Station. Never mind that my husband scowled at me when he found out how much it cost. I agreed to forego my twice monthly massage with the fabulous Edie Klecka for two months to make up for it! But because I do love it and it cost me four massages, I thought it had to factor largely into my overall plan for the room but it did not work out. I think you will agree (I'll post FAIL pictures later). Hopefully I'll be able to use it somewhere else! Also, in an odd turn of events I started following (loosely) the blog Blue Hydrangea quite some time before we even knew we were moving here, not realizing at first that the owner is in Wilmington. Turns out we are somewhat connected (loosely) in another way as well, but that is for another day. From time to time over the last year or so she has been an inspiration or led me to things that I fell in love with on my own. One such thing was the Safi Suzani fabric by Kathryn Ireland and when I discovered it came in "chocolate" I bought the pillow because, let's face it, I am not a rock star and the fabric costs more than college tuition. The pillow was another splurge that could not be helped. One close girlfriend asked if I was on crack - this after she confessed to spending over $700 on clothes in one computer sitting. I HAD to have it. Sue me. The whole Kathryn Ireland Mexico meets Moracco design style sings to me in my sleep. So that said, the rest of my bedroom REALIO TRULIO has to be on a budget. The good news is that I have most of the furniture that I need and nothing in that department that cannot wait for a real find or steal from some fabulous place I stumble upon. Fabric for the roman shades and curtains I am having made will have to be a bargain, like these lovely navy shams below I found on sale at Meesha in Southport, manufactured by Pine Cone Hill. She also carries a line called Karma Living that I think suits my bohemian style and will no doubt feature prominently when it is time to really step up the design of my nine year old daughter's room. So this is where I am now with the whole thing in the bedroom. One of these days I'll settle on a fabric for my window treatments but the fabric hunt is full on. I ordered samples from Premiere Prints this week and they should arrive soon. Stay Tuned!

Close up of pillow and shams

I think the bed needs a nice throw and sometimes I think the painting needs a frame and
  one of us might need a cool retro lamp