Rooster Update

Remember this guy?

He showed up at my in-laws at the beginning of April. And he never left. He was adopted by their cul de sac. Neighbors left food out for him. My in-laws named him Brew Roo. He was friendly--even eating chicken feed out of my mother-in-law's hand.

On Monday, my father-in-law reported that he had not heard Brew Roo crow since Sunday. He feared that foxes had gotten to him. On Tuesday, his neighbors went on the hunt and unfortunately found him about a quarter mile away, an apparent victim of a hit and run. A kind utility man helped them place Brew Roo in a box and added flowers on top. THEN he said a few words in memoriam! The neighbors brought Brew Roo back to the cul de sac. The utility guy stopped by the neighborhood and asked if could dig the hole for his burial. He was buried under an oak tree, next to the pond by my in laws' house. He was truly kind.

At 8pm that evening, the cul de sac held a memorial for Brew Roo. THIRTY PEOPLE showed. It was amazing! One neighbor even went to Publix to purchase a cake with a rooster. The Publix bakery staff was able to make some adjustments to an existing cat cake and turn it into a rooster. They are awesome.

One of the neighbors is a local morning radio show host. She's been giving regular Rooster updates on the air. This morning, she recounted the whole story. Even though I knew it, it was crazy to hear someone telling it.

While Brew Roo's life was short, he really won the hearts of many. He will not be forgotten.

The Lee Bros.

I have shared before that I love the Publix Apron Cooking School. Aside from offering an array of classes, they host guest chefs for cooking demonstrations as well. I was over the moon excited when I saw that Matt Lee and Ted Lee, aka as The Lee Bros. were on the schedule! The Lee Bros are Southern food historians, in my opinion. They have done a lot of researching and interviewing on the Southern food heritage. They grew up in Charleston, SC on Rainbow Row, no less! They regularly contribute to Southern Living, Food and Wine and other esteemed food publications. They have also been on No Reservations, The Best Thing I Ever Ate and more. Oh, and they have won a James Beard award for their cookbook. No big deal.

The event was a cooking demonstration and tasting of their recipes, framed in a multi-course meal. The format was such that they would discuss a recipe, demonstrate how to prepare, answer questions, and then we would eat! Our meal consisted of Henry's Cheese Spread, Frogmore Soup (pictured above), Shrimp and Grits (pictured above), Matt's Four Pepper Collards (pictured above), and Syllabub with Strawberries (inhaled before a picture could be taken). Each course was paired with wine as well.

Matt and Ted are highly entertaining and approachable. They are not restaurant chefs, but home chefs who really take the time to reach into the Southern food history and adjust the recipes for modern day cooking. As expected, all the recipes were delicious! They were very welcoming to all our questions. My favorite was the shrimp and grits. They were so good that J even said he'll need to start making them at home!

If you ever get a chance to attend a cooking event with Matt and Ted, just do it!!

Touring the 2013 HGTV Smart Home

The 2013 HGTV Smart Home is located a hop, skip and a jump away from our home in Jacksonville Beach. When I heard there was an opportunity to tour the home in person, I jumped at the chance! The tour also served as a fundraiser for the Beaches Area Historical Society, which is a wonderful organization aimed at promoting and preserving historical areas of the First Coast Beaches area.

My good friend B and I decided to make it a Mommy's Day Out with the tour and lunch at Poe's Tavern. We braved the rain and it was definitely worth it! I took many pictures to serve as design inspiration for that future dream home of ours. I picked out a handful of favorites that I wanted to share on here.

I love the mix of textures and patterns in the living area. And yes,  those are three tv's on the wall! Each TV can be covered by a painting that is retractable! There is also a separate sound system for the deck, so one could be in the pool watching one show while the people inside are watching another. Pretty smart!

I just about squealed when I saw this anchor. The anchor is comprised of starfish. The background is the actual wall with a shadowbox placed over it. So fun.

I really loved the arrangement of these oversized frames. The entire wall was very striking. I love the teeny bit of aqua that you see between the pictures.

The color palette of this second bedroom was a nice departure from all the aqua. The decor was fresh and modern. I didn't capture it in this picture, but the bed had a lovely linen headboard.

This was the Master Bath. The tub and shower are both enclosed by glass. You would be hard pressed not to be able to relax in that tub!

I am really glad we had the opportunity to see the home in person. The Smart Home elements of recycled and reclaimed materials were impressive. The iPad technology used to control all the aspects of the home was amazing! While coastal decor is not normally my cup of tea, I love the way the designer infused coastal living with modern elements. I love the use of tension wires on the staircase and window treatments. The home could have easily been too theme-y, but it wasn't.

You can still enter to win. And I think you should!

The April 2013 Shopping Budget that wasn't

So this post is where I would share what I purchased in the way of clothes and accessories in April 2013. But I'm here to explain why I won't be posting it this month.

Confession: I was out of control.

I bought what feels like triple what I would normally buy.

A Lilly skort from consignment.

A seersucker dress off eBay.

2 non-sale dresses from Lands End.

A maxi dress from a boutique.

White Cropped pants from JCP.

And I don't exactly know what else!

I use one word to describe this: UNACCEPTABLE

Mindless buying is extremely dangerous. So in light of that, I'm doing a no-spend May.

Believe me. This is necessary. Luckily I have a good Twitter friend who will be joining me.

Wish me luck!