New furniture for my office

Do you follow kfd designs out of atlanta, georgia? If not, you should. She is a very talented painter and has a knack for bringing ugly, outdated furniture back to life.

Recently, she rescued this piece of furniture:

documented her artful process:

and turned it into this work of art:

I just thought it was so cute, and I couldn't resist. She will be shipping it to me soon! I'm not certain where it will go, but I'm thinking that a nook in the corner of my office, topped with a lamp like this, will do nicely:

(lamp from jcpenney.com)

I'll post a picture once it arrives!

Mancandy Monday!

Busy day at work, more drama with my sister, and a spat (all my fault) with the Knight this morning. What a great way to start the week. Sigh.

Saw The Proposal this weekend with my favorite cousin (via the Knight's family), Aqua Sha'naqua.

(shown here with yours truly, Betty Rascal, and Heathie Baby (the other brunette) (my sis-in-law).

It was Huh-LARIOUS. I laughed so hard, I almost peed my pants. I really needed that escape, even if just for a couple of hours. I highly recommend renting/On-Demanding/Netflixing this one. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds are cute together, and it is not a mushy chick flick. I would venture to say that even your boy toys would like this one.

So, in honor of a chick flick that really made me laugh, today's Mancandy Monday is dedicated to Ryan Reynolds. He looks especially yummy in this picture...look at those arms! Sheesh.

(Photo courtesy of here)

Muscles and Mancandy,

Football Fashion Friday - UT v. Ohio

It's time for our third installment of:

Football Fashion Friday!

Sorry for the delay. I had a few items to tidy up in the outfits this week, and I was in court this morning for FIVE 1/2 HOURS. It was murder.

On to more pleasant things...This week's game pits the UT Vols against the snarly Ohio Bobcats. Since I am in love with Mad Men, I thought this week would be a good week to do a little homage to lovely Betty Draper and the salacious Joan Holloway. Since redheads always look fabulous in emerald, Joan is rooting for the 'cats, while Betty is clearly a Tennessee girl. As always, let me know who wins this week's coveted title of FOOTBALL FASHIONISTA!

(speaking of Mad Men, when I was looking for photos, I found this blog, Welcome to the Drapers, authored by Miss Betty, herself. I don't think it is sponsored by Mad Men, but it is a cute concept!).

As you know, Betty is one hot mama, as she used to be a model and now has three kids (one recently born, hence the stroller). She still sips wine and fits into lovely tiny dresses with the best of 'em, and I thought this dress just "screamed" Betty!

Go VOLS!

UT v. Ohio by artsyfartsyshopaholic

Joan is the sexy office tomato, and now has her own hottie doctor. I'm sure she'll have all sorts of shee-shee-poo-poo events to go to, so I gave her a rich evening ensem. You look positively, radiant, dahling!

Ohio v. UT by artsyfartsyshopaholic

Let me know which one is a touchdown!

Pencil skirts and pursed lips,

Coming up for air!

Hi! I'm back to being 100% after my family's insane, surreal weekend.

I cannot even begin to express how much everyone's encouragement helped get me through such a terrifying time. Your calls, emails, texts, messages on Facebook, and comments here really do mean so much. I hope that if you should ever have a crisis, I can be as supportive and encouraging to you as you have been to me.

I feel like I should probably summarize what happened after my last post (Monday? Tuesday? I can't even remember what day that was).

Anyway, on Sunday, Anna turned herself in to the Illinois State Police. I think I covered my feelings on that here. Mom and Dad booked 2 same day one way flights from Tulsa to St. Louis, rented a car, and drove up to Litchfield, IL. They got there around 7 p.m., filled out the necessary paperwork, and began the long trip home. Mom and Dad took turns driving all night, while Anna slept in the back. They got back to their home in Tulsa around 5:30 the next morning.

Mom said that once they arrived, Anna barely spoke three words. Then, the entire ride home, she sat in the backseat, sullen and silent. I think that this behavior really hurt Mom more than some of the other things that Anna had done over the past few days. Anna ran away before my parents knew about her crazy previous year, so they had not had an opportunity to ground her, sent her to rehab, or done anything else in response to that news. So, I can't really understand why Anna was so angry at our parents...I can understand why she would be mad at my brother, but my parents have done nothing but feverishly look for her, spend tons of $$ to fly up to get her, and then drove all night to bring her back home.

Anyway, Anna and I have talked a lot since her return, and I think she knows that her family loves her, is concerned for her, and will support her as she turns the page to a new chapter in her life. She is currently at a 7 day behavioral/psychological evaluation center which also offers initial drug rehabilitation. I can call her once a day for 5 minutes. It is amazing how quickly 5 minutes passes! The Knight and I are planning on going to Tulsa in early November, so I hope to be able to spend more time with her then. I am just still overwhelmed with relief that she is okay!

Since returning back to Tennessee, life has been a whirlwind. On Tuesday, I worked from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Hello billable hours! Then, last night I worked until 6 and went to see A Chorus Line at the Orpheum with two of my favorite girls. It was so great! If you like dancing and musicals, you will love this play. I got goosebumps several times...and it wasn't because I was cold! Tonight, I'm off to celebrate a dear friend's birthday, and then tomorrow night, the Knight and I are headed to couple's shower for an adorable couple that have become friends of ours. We are busy, busy, but I think that is the best way to deal with life --jump in, go fast, hard, and fun, and don't look back!

Real quick, I wanted to share one more thing:

A good friend of mine from college is now on iTunes! She is a fellow Delta Sigma Sister of Joy Alum & I think she kissed the Knight once, long before our dating, of course. ;) Ever since she showed up at LU with her Texas drawl, blonde hair, and faithful guitar, she has been working hard on getting her uplifting music into the ultra-competitive music market. She writes her own songs and can belt out tunes with the best of them! She has arrived, and I am so proud of her! I just bought the last couple of albums, and they are great. Go check her out right now!

Okay, I think that's all for now. Got to get back to work on tomorrow's Football Fashion Friday outfits, oops, I mean appellate briefs, of course! :)

How to find a runaway teen...

You always hear that the police have the best chance of finding someone in the first 48 hours. Yesterday, around 6 p.m., the first 48 hours of my sister's absence had accrued. She ran away on Thursday night after learning that my brother was going to tell our parents about her drug use and addiction.

The feeling of discouragement, despondency, and helplessness really began to set in. We had created flyer's - distributing them all over Tulsa, OK and Springfield, MO. We made the website: www.FindAnnaRoberts.blogspot.com. We called several different levels of authorities in multiple jurisdictions. We contacted the local media, hunted down "real live" police officers, and talked to/ called/texted/facebook/tweeted everyone we. knew.

Mostly, we prayed and cried, driving around - looking for a maroon Saturn with a young girl inside and Oklahoma tags. We cried a lot, but mostly we sat in fear-gripped silence - our emotions changed from hope to fear to depression. At times, exhaustion took over. At times, we felt guilty for feeling tired, feeling hungry. How can we eat at a time like this? How can we sleep when our baby girl is missing?

Last night, I slept in my sister's room. I hoped that my being near her things might bring me some kind of epiphany as to where she is or whether she was safe. I looked at all her girlish teenage possessions - high heeled shoes, cheap costume jewelry, a myriad of dresses and event t-shirts, pictures of friends, mementos from vacations, bottles of scented lotion, her school books. Somehow, I thought these items would give me some clue...Who was my sister? Why had she run away? What had made her turn to the drugs and other acts this past year? How could she have kept such an excellent facade to where even my very perceptive (and close to her) brother didn't have a clue? According to some of her journals and messages to friends, she had been getting high, every day, for over a year. She mentioned drugs I had never even heard of. A complete alternative life that I had never even considered an option for my sweet sister. My crazy, silly, boisterous sister wasn't just being loud and fun...she was putting on an act...high as a kite, and living to be numb.

As I turned out the light and laid in her bed, I stared at the ceiling. Childishly, I hoped some glow in the dark message would appear on the ceiling..."Hi, I am headed to _______. Please come find me." No such luck.

This morning, I awoke feeling empty and helpless. My remaining family members - my parents, two brothers, and a friend of my mom's who is currently living with them went through the motions of eating breakfast, and planned our action for the day.

The phone rang, Dad answered...the silence on his end was deafening. Was this another family member, calling with their concern? Or was it actually a tip relating to Anna? Was she alive or dead? Safe or injured?

When Dad gave us the thumbs up and exclaimed "Praise the Lord, Officer, thank you," we knew...Anna was found. She had turned herself in to the state police in Illinois. We passed around the phone - blubbering all kinds of sentiments...we missed you, we love you, are you okay?, do you really want to come home?

Each statement was rewarded with a flat "yeah" "okay" or "I'm coming home because I have to finish school." We were relieved, but deflated. This is not how the prodigal son story is supposed to happen. We expected to hear relief in her voice, as there was in ours, but instead...just B flat. Same note, over and over. What terrible things had she experienced the past few days to put her in this state?

We are so thankful that we know that Anna is safe. Everyone's outpouring of love and concern has been incredible. Either late tonight or early tomorrow, she will be back in Tulsa, surrounded by her family. Mom and Dad are going to fly today to Litchfield, IL to get her from the police station and drive her (and her car) home.

We realize that while my sister may be found, she is still lost. Her journey and our family's journey has just begun. This new challenge is uncharted waters for us. You think that at 17, most of the teen angst is gone and the person is gearing up for college, their senior year, their future. With my sister, this is not the case. She is as open as a locked door. I am anxious to see what the future holds for her. Most of all, I am anxious to see her.

Please help us find my baby sister.

Sorry no Football Fashion Friday post yesterday. I learned early yesterday morning that my little sister ran away on Thursday night. She took a bunch of clothes, her car, and left her cell phone behind.

Yesterday, we tracked her from Tulsa, OK, to Springfield, MO, but have had no more leads since.

Please keep your eyes out for a maroon Saturn SL2 with Oklahoma tags. If you have any info, leave a comment or go here: www.FindAnnaRoberts.blogspot.com.

We are so worried...any help or prayers are much needed!

Ruh-roh...

Kanye's at it again. Go here to see what I'm talking about.

Boo!

Teardrops on my guitar,

Rainy day fashion

So, I just might be addicted to Polyvore. We are having all kinds of dreary, rainy weather here. In honor of the dreariness and rainyness, I have put together some eyecandy for the condensation-suffering cutie. Enjoy!

Rainy Day Diva by artsyfartsyshopaholic

What to wear to a black tie optional wedding?

The Knight and I have five weddings coming up soon. I thought we were out of the wedding woods (being old marrieds ourselves - five years, baby!), but then, up goes another few couples who are *in love* and get all married and stuff.

Suckers. Who would want to do such a thing? :0)

Anywhoodies, three of the aforementioned five weddings are black tie optional. For me, this term conjures up nostalgic images of dapper gents in tuxes and lovely ladies in floor length gowns, but I have this sinking suspicion that while the tuxes may still reign supreme, floor-length ball gowns are not so much.

Which is sad really. Where else am I supposed to wear some of my beautiful (and I'm not being sarcastic) bridesmaid dresses to?

This dress was my favorite bridesmaid dress of all...and it is just sitting in my closet watching me get fatter and fatter.

And because I luff her so, here is a close-up of me with my best friend and the beautiful bride-to-be-back-then, Heavens to Betsy. Love you, darling! Can't believe that its been two years, already!

So, the point of this increasingly longish post is....what am I supposed to wear to a black tie optional wedding?

Please advise, and soonish, if you don't mind. This girl needs to go shopping -- pronto!

champagne and Chantilly,

Mancandy Monday

Squueee!

The newest New Moon trailer is out and ready for our thirsty consumption. This trailer is full of hot, shirtless men, so I thought it would be perfect for this dreary (here) Monday morning.

Enjoy!

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Football Fashion Friday!

I am so pleased that everyone enjoyed last week's Football Fashion Friday!

I had a lot of fun putting together two very cute outfits this week.

I am starting to fear that UT may never win, because, let's be honest, it isn't the easiest color to wear. I am not deterred, though. This week's UT outfit takes *orange* to an entirely new level! We have been having some gloomy weather around here, so I thought I could show that even bad weather doesn't deter a devoted football fashionista! :)

UT Vols v. UCLA by artsyfartsyshopaholic

As for those sunny Californians, I embraced another beloved citrus fruit...the lemon. Lemonade, flip flops, and sunny beaches...fall vacation anyone?

UCLA v. UT Vols by artsyfartsyshopaholic

Can't wait to hear which one wins! Tennessee is favored to win the game, but it is a whole different scene in fashionista land!

Tailgates and trophy wives,

Flower Child

Busy day for me today. Before I submerge myself in trial preparation (yippee!), I wanted to show you Henry's favorite hang-out in the backyard.

Sleeping beneath the flowers.

He must have been a hippie earth child in another life. :)

Happy Thursday!

Decorating for FALL!

Whoo hoo! Fall is HERE! It may not *feel* like fall in Memphis yet, but that doesn't change the fact that school has started, football season has begun, and all the stores are already stocking their shelves with Halloween costumes and candy.

On Labor Day, I was a busy little bee and hauled the fall decorations out of the attic. By hauling, I mean one box. That is approximately the size of a box of Honey Nut Cheerios. Basically, I had nothing.

Last year, I used a lot of real pumpkins and whatnot when decorating for fall.

Since I started decorating early this year, I realized that, clearly, I did not possess enough fall "cha." Sooo, I buzzed over to Michael's where I discovered a wonderland of all things ghoulish and harvesty + lots of lovely Martha products. How I love you, Martha. :)

I'm not really a "country" fall person, but still I managed to find quite a few cute things. Plus, right now, nearly everything they have for fall and Halloween is 25 - 30% off. Not great, but not bad either.

For the front door, I grabbed this cute pumpkin welcome sign:

Once the pumpkins start selling, I grab a couple of those and plop 'em up there as well. Wouldn't a white pumpkin with painted lime green polka dots be cute?

For the dining room, the Knight and I decided that we wanted our furniture from the breakfast room to live in the dining room. We moved all the chairs and the table up to the front of the house, and I really like the look of the super dark wood contrasted with the bright windows.

Anyway, this is what I did for the table in there: some corn, fake pumpkins, table scatters, a little burlap, and some beaded orange grape doodads and voila! Happy Harvest (but not too country) table. Even the Knight commented that it "looks awesome, babe!" That is the highest compliment. ;)

In the breakfast room, I had a little more creepy fun.

I have this cool candle holder that was originally from Crate and Barrel, but I got it at a yard sale for 50 cents. (*yay!*) In the summer, I like to use it for holding short and fat flowers (like Zinnias or ). For Halloween, black candles did the trick! I added the green and silver sparkly picks, more table scatters, and an AWESOME cobweb table runner that I got last year at Big Lots. If you look closely, you can see even the word "EEK!" tied with a black ribbon to the chandelier.

Light fixtures need a little shee shee poo poo, too, right? It makes me smile, and that's what matters, right?

At Michael's, I saw these awesome diamond studded skulls (look in the bottom right corner)

that would look awesome on here, but I already had a ton of stuff in my cart and was starting to have to reign in my AFS Fall Shopping Spree. Boo to money and being fiscally responsible. :)

So far, I have only seen Target's and Michael's fall and Halloween decor. I wasn't impressed with Target's fall offerings (though their Halloween stuff was especially cute).

I have yet to step foot into Hobby Lobby. This is purely for survival reasons. I know if I go in there, I will buy so much that the Knight and I may not be able to afford to eat for the next month. So, I have to stay away. However, if you are so inclined, I hear that all of Hobby Lobby's fall decor is currently 40% off. If you happen to see me there, please escort me to my car. Immediately. Thank you.

I hope my attempt at decorating for fall has inspired you. If you have photos of what you've done, I would love to seen them! We could even have a little fall decorating party! Send me your links to your fall decorating tips, and I'll do a post just for you!

The most important thing is to have fun...even if everyone else thinks you are a little zany for decorating 2 months in advance for a holiday. What do they know?

Ghouls and gourds,

Happy Birthday to the Knight!

Today is the Knight's 31st birthday!

I am so thankful that you were born today. I still pinch myself sometimes when I think about how fortunate I am to have you as my husband.

You are my best friend, my partner in crime, my confidante, my snuggle bear, and my one true love. You are one of the funniest people I know, and also one of the most tender. I am so lucky to have you in my life.

Happy Birthday, Darling!

Mancandy Monday (a little late!)

So, I know that it is almost 11 p.m. here, which means I technically only have one more hour before Mancandy Monday is over.

But I made it! That's the important thing, right? It's like the bar exam...it doesn't matter what your score is, as long as you pass.

Anyway, this week's Mancandy has been featured before, but I can't help it...I'm a tad partial to this guy. He is snuggly, sweet, and so very good looking...

Henry Bear, you are one handsome fella. :)

Can you believe how big he has gotten in a little over a month? This picture was taken today by a lovely friend at another lovely friends' home. They have this gorgeous backyard that overlooks a lake. Every year, they invite all our friends and all their dogs. It is one heck of a puppy party. Henry and Betty did great...they really are well-behaved little pooches when they want to be.

I hope your Labor Day was wonderful. I spent mine hanging with the Knight, decorating for fall, and spending time with friends. It was a great weekend, and I'm really glad I spent the time relaxing, rather than working. Back to the grind tomorrow!

Wishing you last minute fireflies and freckles,

Football Fashion Friday

Many of you know that I am a big Vols fan. I went to law school at UT, and have many fond memories of "Football Time in TENNESSEE!" As I've mentioned before, I love football and all the things that go with it...the pageantry, the music, the colors, the food, and (my personal favorite) the socializing.

(picture courtesy of here)

While Tennessee girls aren't as well known for dressing up for games as, say, Ole Miss, I know for a fact that a majority of the Vol women and girls do know a thing or two about fashion. Few things brighten my day more than a nicely put together "ensem" at a Vol tailgate party.

To honor the tradition of so many stylish sports fans out there, I present to you

"Football Fashion Friday!"

Each week the Vols play, I will (hopefully) present you with two lovely outfits...one for the Vols fan and one for the (cough, cough) other team. You decide who wins... and I'm not talking about the points on the Game Day scoreboard!

This week's game features the UT Vols v. Western Kentucky:

For the UT Vol fan, I have assembled an outfit entitled "Football Fashionista."

UT Vols v. Western Kentucky by artsyfartsyshopaholic

V.

For the Western Kentucky fan, I have created this outfit entitled "Game Day Goddess."

Western Kentucky v. UT Vols by artsyfartsyshopaholic

Well....what do you think? Is this week's winner a Tennessee Touchdown or Kentucky Kicker?

Can't wait to hear what you pick!