How I Skipped 67% of My 27th Year.

Now before you judge, just remember you love me and come read me regularly and normally I totally have my shit together{ish} except that one time, but anyway I really did skip 67% of my 27th year and I've decided that I want it back.  I think I deserve it back.  Don't you?  Oh, and also, I swear in this post.  Kind of a lot.  It is pretty necessary when you see what I did.

Let me start from the beginning.  A few years ago, we're sitting at my Meme's house for Christmas and my Aunt Sue asks me something about my age and I tell her something about how I was ok with turning thirty in two years.  How I'm ok with 28 and being in the twilight of my twenties.  Here is {my best recollection of} the conversation that followed:

Dave:  You're not 28.

Michelle:  Yes, I am.

Dave:  No, you're not.

Michelle:  Dumbass, I'm pretty sure I know how old I am!

Dave:  Well, you don't.  You're 27.

Michelle:  Dave, I know how old I am.  I am 28.

Dave:  Yeah, well, except you're 27.

Michelle:  You are fucking crazy!  I am 28! 

Dave:  No, you're not.  You're 27.

Michelle:  Meme!  Where is your calculator so I can show him.

Dave:  Yeah, go get the calculator. 

Michelle:  I will!  *Runs in the kitchen and furiously punches in 2003 - 1976*  27 Crap.  I had to have typed it in wrong.  *Punch punch punch 2003 - 1976*  Still 27.  Fuck.  I am 27.

Dave:  You're 27, aren't you?

Michelle:  Yeah.  But, I've been telling people I'm 28 since my birthday!  EIGHT MONTHS, I've been telling people I am 28.  That's like the whole year!

Dave:  But now you can tell people that you're 27.


So that's what I did.  Just told everyone for the rest of the year, the whole 4 months I had left, that I was 27.  But, I had to punch the date into the calculator tonight because I thought, oh crap, am I turning 35 next year?  {I'm not, I'm turning 34.}  Typing the date in reminded me that I still missed EIGHT months of my 27th year.  So, here is what I propose... I think I should be able to tell people for the next eight months that I am 27.  I mean, ok, so I am not a spring chicken and I'm not getting any younger, if I am going to take it back, now is the time.  After all, a 27 year old who is fifty is just pathetic.

Think about it, for eight months, my husband could have a younger woman.  I could be younger than all most of my friends.  I would be in my TWENTIES!  Plus, plus, aaaaaand plus!  What do you think of my master plan?

Happy Monday!  Oh, and if you haven't done so, get your butt over to my little giveaway and ENTER!  The drawing is tomorrow.

Thanksgiving Tablescape

If you don't already know my love of Thanksgiving, please catch up here or here.  I love Thanksgiving.  Looooove Thanksgiving.  My yearly job {with copious amounts of help from my sister Lyndsey} is the tables, plus the gravy making, plus something else.  This year the something else is cranberry relish, but the tables are the big thing.  I plan, I think about it, I spend half a day washing and ironing and putting tables up and deciding who is going to sit where.  It's my thing.  Yes, I know it's quite the mental problem I have, but I'm ok with the crazy.

I look for inspiration everywhere.  I was really leaning toward a yellow/grey or orange/grey color combo this year just because I am tremendously enamoured with both right now.  I didn't have a clear pic in my head though, of how I wanted it to look.  Then, a couple weeks ago Black Eiffel posted a giveaway for this insane ring from Stella & Dot.  Go on and take a minute to sit mouth agape at its beauty.  I sure did.

I immediately knew what I'd be doing for Thanksgiving when I came across this ring.  I love the combo of the dark plum beads with the pops of brass, taupes, steel greys, the different textures, all done with a shimmer.  Love it. 

The first thing I did was take this pic over to Big Huge Labs Palette Generator to get a rough color scheme.  Then I printed the colors (and the pic) from my trusty Epson so when I was out shopping I would have an idea of what colors would work. 

{When I told you I was a freak, I meant it! I also do this for parties.}

Then, Lyndsey & I got to work on the three tables we would need for the eighteen people at Thanksgiving dinner.  I used charcoal grey flat sheets from Ikea for the table cloths which is a great {and inexpensive!} alternative to searching for tablecloths in the color and sizes you might need.  Ikea has just about every color and size you can imagine.  Then we used a roll of burlap, cut in half lengthwise to make a runner for each table.  The flower arrangements {bulk flowers picked up at Costco} were put together by my mom, made up of off white roses, a brownish mustardy yellow colored mum, plum carnations, and this feathery brown filler that I picked up at Fresh Market, plus shimmery berries from Michaels.  Other ingrediants to the table include gold chargers, clear glass plates, votive holders in clear, amber, and plum, & napkins tied with either dark brown ribbon or a natural almost burlap feeling ribbon.  I made the place cards using Microsoft Word.

Well, there you go... all set up and ready for full bellies tomorrow.  What are your Thanksgiving plans?  Do you have a small group or a large group?

Four Hundred & A Giveaway.

So this is what 400 posts looks like, eh?  I know it should have been sooner, but let's face it there were months this year that I had just lost my bloggy mojo.  I blame Facebook.  So in honor of this momentous occassion, I have gathered for you, a few of my favorite {So Wonderful, So Marvelous} posts over the last two years.  I wish this were going to be an insightful, lovely post for you to enjoy, but why start now?

In honor of the upcoming Christmas season, compliments of the lovely Miss Amy... How To Make A Tampon Angel

The hilarious package that arrived in my mail one day from the fun one.

This beauty about my mother that explains the warped-ness that is where I come from.

A love note for my husband.

Dave's outdoor movie party was so much fun, I want to do this one over again.

Man did this make me feel good!

Just thinking about vanilla lime iced tea makes me want some.

Finnegan's Dr Seuss party... already thinking about how to top it next year.

And just in time for Thanksgiving, Thankful thoughts from last year.


So, in the spirit of giving, I'm offering a teeny little giveaway to celebrate. 

These cute little frames {there are tons more colors and styles} will be on sale at a Holiday Bazaar in our area along with my irreverent {& highly amusing} note & greeting cards.  So, one of you will win one of the frames.  Another will win a pack of these saucy little note cards {to delight and annoy your friends!} and maybe a pack of the sassy note cards {a little less overt} to go with it.  And because I hate to half ass anything, there may be a few other little surprises in there too.

 

Here is the nitty gritty... to win you need to leave a comment telling me what you would like to see more of on {So Wonderful, So Marvelous}, a question you've always wanted to ask, OR what your favorite post has been... there are 400 to choose from!  For an extra entry {or two or three}, you can blog and/or tweet this and leave me another comment with the link OR you can become a follower and leave me a comment saying that.  I will choose the winners on Tuesday, December 1. 

Ta Daaaaaa!  400 posts! *You can totally imagine me doing the Mary Catherine Gallagher SUPERSTAR pose here.*

Best Hotel in Santa Barbara and Possibly Anywhere.

Allow me to introduce you to the Inn of the Spanish Garden in Santa Barbara, California. Get comfy and prepare to cry when you have to leave. It was, by leaps and bounds, the best hotel we stayed in on our California adventure.  Just looking at the pics is making me more than a little wistful.   Sigh.  Onward...

The room was gorgeous.  Expansive.  Beautiful.  Immaculate.  Frette linens on the king size bed, fire in the fireplace at the flip of a switch, largeish balcony overlooking a beautiful courtyard with a tinkling fountain.  Serene.  Giant garden tub and a separate shower with Molton Brown toiletries.  Blissful.  The architecture is spanish inspired like everything in Santa Barbara, but it wasn't overdone or cheesy in any way.

The staff were amazing.  Attentive.  Completely friendly and always said hello, asked how we were enjoying Santa Barbara, it seemed that everyone from the front desk staff to the waitstaff had a smile on their face and a friendly demeanor.  There are only 23 rooms, so it seemed as if there were a staff member for each guest.  We borrowed Bee Movie from the front desk to watch in our room and five minutes later a fresh popped popcorn was sent up to the room at no charge.  Dave also called down to see if they had Motrin and it arrived within a minute.

The absolute best thing about this hotel is the focus on details.  From the warm cookies in the lobby to the turndown service that leaves chocolates and a weather forecast for the following day on your nightstand, there is no detail that is left undone. The mini bar was stocked with anything you could want including local wine & a rubber duckie for the garden tub... and get this, the prices in the mini bar aren't insane.  Nor are the room prices for the amount of luxury you get.  I know.  It shocked me too.  There was a Bodum french press for coffee in the morning, a corkscrew & glasses to enjoy wine, electric tea kettle, and really anything you'd need is there in the room.  In lieu of mini toiletries, there are full size bottles of Molton Brown products {also available for purchase in the lobby} in the bath along with cotton balls, q-tips, make up remover, and all kinds of other wonderful touches.  Even the bath linens were plush and the towels were giant bath sheets.

Kudos to the owners of the hotel for a wonderful stay and amazing hotel, you should be proud.  And in the interest of full disclosure, we didn't tell them we would be blogging this nor did we get anything for this review.  It was just that good.  I'm really hoping to go back for another visit soon!