{tweet child of mine}

Megan's recent blog post reminded me of a funny story...

Lil Petunia had a friend, Gabby, over for a slumber party this past weekend. Gabby is one year older than Lil P, but Lil P likes to, ....umm, exercise her command of the "knowledge is power" theory. Earlier in the evening she "taught" Gabby how to play the piano. Then, at bedtime I happened to be passing by the guestroom (their favorite sleeping spot) on the way to the laundry room. I don't know if I should be mortified or not. Thankfully, Gabby's Mom is a good friend of mine so I can easily explain...well, sort of.

I overheard Lil Petunia telling Gabby these few words, but I giggled all the way back to my bedroom:

Lil P: "Tweeting."

Lil P: "Tweeting...It's NOT something you do with your body."

........(silence)........

Lil P: "Have you ever even HEARD of Twitter???" asked quite indignantly.

I have no idea where she gets it.

{need to catch up!}

This is my nightstand right now. I don't like it when I get behind on my periodicals! And for some odd reason the September Vogue JUST arrived in my mailbox (as if I didn't have enough piled up)! I wish I could just lay in bed and read magazines all day--haha.

I loved this Chanel display with cute pink and green nail polishes in the window!

{my excuses for not blogging}

Evidently my family in New Orleans (or maybe just my Mom) thinks I have been on an extended vacation since I haven't been blogging as much as usual. Umm....no, I have been right here all along. I thought I would try to do a catch-up post on what I have actually been doing.

I have definitely been Tweeting. Twitter has kind of been like a mini-blogging experience for me--which explains the fewer # of actual blog posts. Click here if you want to see what is going on...

I have been trying to keep up with my favorite TV shows. I am often watching Mad Men, the Rachel Zoe Project, and Giuliana & Bill along with my HGTV favorites. I have missed several episodes, though. Why do these shows have to air at 9 and 10 pm here??
I have not been cooking much. (I'm not going to lie about this one.) But I still love reading all of your recipes. One day I'm going to cook all kinds of fabulous dishes....one day.

Shopping at Anthropologie...

and J Crew...

Super excited that my long sought-after Wavelet blouse was finally found and shipped to me. THEN it was reduced to 50% off the same week! Cha-ching! Price adjustment!

I was going to crop my baggy scrubs out of the photo, but decided to let you see how lovely they are instead.

Wore Lilly to the Junior League mixer:

Wore Anthro to JL casual meeting:
New pedicure--OPI Eiffel For This Color:

Oh, yes....and I have been working my butt off!! I need a vacation STAT!

{a new look for PIP!}

What do you think??

I am over the moon about my new blog header by Jessica over at Front Porch Studio! Lucky me--I won this custom beauty in Jessica's "Tweetaway"--a giveaway that she hosted for her Twitter followers! You can follow her, too, at @TheLoveList!

Jessica is an amazing graphic designer and her new website Front Porch Studio will be making it's debut very soon. She has designed the blogs of several of my favorites on my blogroll, and I am so happy to finally have a pretty new look as well! She also sent me the cutest "Follow Me on Twitter" graphic for my sidebar that matches my custom design as a special tweet--I mean TREAT! Ha!

Thank you Jessica! I love it!

(Be sure to check out her cute blog as well over at The Love List.)

I think I need to break out the bubbly and celebrate!

{J Brand jeans}

I have fallen for J Brand! I was intent on finding some skinny jeans for Fall and Winter, and after trying on about 40 pairs between Saks, Bloomies, Nordstrom, & J Crew I finally found the right jeans for me. My advice is to try every style and even different washes within a style, because they ALL fit differently. The snug fit of J Brand took a little getting used to. One of the newer washes for J Brand is "INK". This wash is a little bit stiff and therefore harder to find that perfect fit. But, their "OYSTER" wash from earlier this year was very stretchy and comfy. I have come to love the J Brand plain back pockets--I think they give any outfit a more elegant sleek look.

J Brand 912 "pencil" in Oyster

J Brand 910 "skinny" in INK

J Brand 912 "pencil" in INK

J Brand "Heartbreaker" bootcut in Dark Vintage

Do you like skinny jeans? Do you have any, and if so which are your favorites?

{quick and easy dessert}

Honestly, I am no Martha Stewart. If a recipe has too many ingredients I will probably not attempt it. In the Petunia household we have lots of baked chicken, turkey burgers, turkey meatballs, tacos, baked potatoes, salads and veggies. (I do go all out on Thanksgiving, though, when we have friends over and I get up at the crack of dawn and do ALL of the cooking.) I also make a mean pot roast. But, for the most part I appreciate simple recipes.

Here is what I made for dessert tonight. Lil Petunia likes to help--fun and easy. Stay tuned at the end of the post for my failed attempt at a VLOG!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries in minutes:
The secret is using chocolate chips. Nestle Toll House semi-sweet is my favorite, but tonight we were testing out Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips. (This Ghirardelli tasted a little bitter.)
Place chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute for small chips (like Nestle), and 1 minute 30 seconds for larger chips (like Ghirardelli).
Wash strawberries and dry completely.
Stir to smooth out chocolate and you are ready to dip. Have a foil or wax paper-lined tray ready.
Lil Petunia dipping:
Refrigerate for 15 minutes or so to harden chocolate. Leftovers will still be yummy tomorrow--store in fridge.

Voila!

For entertainment purposes ONLY:

I had the bright idea to do a VLOG of this procedure, but forgot to take a few things into consideration first......like how to hold the camera and stir at the same time.....

{a three bathing suit weekend...}

...is a good weekend.

We enjoyed our long holiday weekend, and hope you did, too!

I promise to post more often--I have been slacking!

{disturbing}

I hope all women watch and remember it's not all about your external appearance.
It is no wonder our perception of beauty is distorted!

Watch the video that’s still causing a stir all over the world:

{swine flu}

Just thought I would post some information about the Swine Flu which seems to be everywhere these days!

Although the name 'swine flu' brings up a lot of extra fear and worry, it is important to note that swine flu is just an influenza A H1N1 virus.

That means that it is just another type of flu virus, just like that causes our typical seasonal flu symptoms. The big difference is that the current swine influenza A (H1N1) virus has components of pig and bird influenza viruses in it, so that humans don't have any immunity to it. That is what made it more likely that it would become a pandemic virus (have the ability to cause a global outbreak) because it could easily spread from person-to-person.

We do know that swine flu symptoms are just like seasonal flu symptoms.

Swine Flu Symptoms

According to the CDC, like seasonal flu, symptoms of swine flu infections can include:

• fever, which is usually high, but unlike seasonal flu, is sometimes absent
• cough
• runny nose or stuffy nose
• sore throat
• body aches
• headache
• chills
• fatigue or tiredness, which can be extreme
• diarrhea and vomiting, sometimes, but more commonly seen than with seasonal flu

Signs of a more serious swine flu infection might include pneumonia and respiratory failure.

If your child has symptoms of swine flu, you should avoid other people and call your pediatrician who might do a rapid flu test to see if he has an influenza A infection. Further testing can then be done to see if it is a swine flu infection. (Samples can be sent to local and state health departments and the CDC for confirmation of swine flu, especially if a child is in the hospital.)

Serious Swine Flu Symptoms

More serious symptoms that would indicate that a child with swine flu would need urgent medical attention include:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish or gray skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

Swine Flu Symptoms vs. a Cold or Sinus Infection

It is important to keep in mind most children with a runny nose or cough will not have swine flu and will not have to see their pediatrician for swine flu testing.

This time of year, many other childhood conditions are common, including:

• spring allergies - runny nose, congestion, and cough
• common cold - runny nose, cough, and low grade fever
• sinus infections - lingering runny nose, cough, and fever
• strep throat - sore throat, fever, and a positive strep test

What You Need To Know

• Swine flu likely spreads by direct contact with respiratory secretions of someone that is sick with swine flu, like if they were coughing and sneezing close to you.
  
  
• People with swine flu are likely contagious for one day before and up to seven days after they began to get sick with swine flu symptoms.
  
  
• Droplets from a cough or sneeze can also contaminate surfaces, such as a doorknob, drinking glass, or kitchen counter, although these germs likely don't survive for more than a few hours.
  
  
• Anti-flu medications, including Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir), are available toprevent and treat swine flu.
  

_Source:

CDC. Swine Influenza and You. Accessed April 2009.
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm

{sunburst}

I am very happy about this mirror that I found today! A week or so ago it caught my eye as I was driving by and saw it in the shop's window display. I went back today and luckily it was still there--the only one they had. It is made of wood (...so tired of finding decorative pieces only to find out they are made of "resin") in Ecuador. Each sunray is nailed on by hand in the back where you can see the beautiful grain of the wood. I have wanted a sunburst mirror for quite some time.

Now,....where should I put it?