The Usual Glamorous Life...

What shall it be today... visit Paris... Wilson Creek Winery... walk the dog in high heels, animal pring coat and red beret... Or walk the dog in a blue gown...

Perhaps read a book...
Pose for fans...
Stand in my boudoir... waiting for Vogue to photograph me...
Or just be the typical mom...
Whatever you do today... be fashionable... whether in a ball gown or in sweats... what is your most fashionable item? What so you like to splurge on?

Photos via Vogue October issue... Painting via Fifi Flowers

Back to Designing...

I think I will sit here...Flipping through this Reed Business supplement... gathering ideas... come look with me... pull up a chair or chaise...

Need a small table... which one do you like?
Ooh... I could be very comfortable in that bed... Island... hmmmm... a tropical punch libation... pass the sunscreen...
Decisions, decisions... I like so many things here... I think I could live with all of them... what about you?

Burrrrr... I feel a little chill...
Oh... I am soooo enlightened with these... one for each mood please...
Which chair did you choose to pull up and visit with me?
Did you see anything you like? My head is swimming with delight! I would love a little lunch and a nap... lol... dream on, Fifi... get to work!

It's a Fried Green Tomatoes Weekend...

Do these tomatoes look familiar... they are the ones on top of the Fried Green Tomatoes poster... let's hear the story behind the movie... this information is gathered from Sandi of the Whistlestop Cafe Cooking blog and the Whistlestop Cafe Site... Here we are at the Irondale station in Alabama... Irondale is located just east of Birmingham on I-20. Chartered in 1887, a little mining community, then a railroad community, and now a diverse and thriving town...Here is Miss Bess Fortenberry... she purchased the Irondale Cafe around 1932 and catered to railroad workers and locals.

Bess, who came from a prominent Irondale family, was single and had a great enthusiasm for life. She was freespirited, loved people, and built a successful business. Her great-niece Fanny Flagg would later write a book about her life and the cafe.

In the early forties, Bess leased the Irondale Cafe and went to Florida to work for the war effort. While in Florida, she ran into an old acquaintance, Sue Lovelace. After the war, Bess convinced Sue and a wonderful cook, a black lady named Lizzie Cunningham, to come back to Irondale with her and help in the cafe.

The trio made the Irondale Cafe one of the most popular places around town to dine. They cooked such good vegetables and meats, and they had a thriving sandwich business. What made the sandwiches especially desirable was that they were made "to go"-primarily because there wasn't much room in the cafe for sit-down eating at that time.

In 1972, Bess suffered a light stroke and decided to sell the cafe and retire. Sue and Lizzie also had health problems and were ready to give up the cafe. This is when Bess sold the cafe to Billy. Billy had worked with the railroad and eaten lunch at the cafe on numerous occasions. Over the years, the original cafe was torn down and a new cafe was built on the site and eventually expanded.

Mr. and Mrs. McMichael were the owners of the Irondale Cafe for 28 years until retirement in 2000. During the time they owned the Cafe, Fannie Flagg wrote the book Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe and the movie version came out in 1992. Right after the movie opened, tourists from all over started coming to the "Whistle Stop" Cafe. On February 5, 1992, The Birmingham News ran an article with a picture of two of my cooks holding a peck basket of green tomatoes. The caption read "Seen the movie? Now taste the title."

Mrs. McMichael seen here whipping up a batch of fried green tomatoes...

Everyone who came to the cafe for the first time wanted to know all about Miss Bess and our restaurant and almost all the customers new and old, ordered fried green tomatoes! We’d fry 60 or 70 pounds every weekday and more than that on Sundays. It's almost a miracle that we were able to do it. The people at the Finley Avenue Produce Market were more than helpful in keeping us supplied with all the green tomatoes we needed.

Fannie in front of the cafe while on a visit...
Ooh... Look a train just pulled into the station... let's hop aboard... and journey to the set of Fried Tomatoes...

Here is the town in Juliette, Georgia... this is the town for the filming of the movie...
If you haven't seen Fried Green Tomatoes you should rate it or buy it... great movie to keep in your library and the movie was rate one of the top Ten Great Chick Flicks for a Girls Movie Night...Cast and Characters...

Kathy Bates .... Evelyn Couch
Mary Stuart Masterson .... Idgie Threadgoode
Mary-Louise Parker .... Ruth Jamison
Jessica Tandy .... Ninny Threadgoode
Cicely Tyson .... Sipsey
Chris O'Donnell .... Buddy Threadgoode
Stan Shaw .... Big George
Gailard Sartain .... Ed Couch
Timothy Scott .... Smokey Lonesome
Gary Basaraba .... Grady Kilgore

If you would like to try your hand at making Fried Green Tomatoes... here is the original recipe via the WhistleStopCooking blog...Fried Green Tomatoes
3-4 green tomatoes
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
milk
vegetable oil
Mix together flour, cornmeal, salt & pepper. Add enough milk to create a thick batter. Heat 2 inches of oil in a large skillet. Batter each tomato slice, and wipe off excess. Carefully place in hot oil, browning on both sides. (may or may not need turning, depending on the amount of oil) To cool, drain in a colander to keep tomatoes from becoming soggy. Salt to taste.

If you don't want to mix your own ingredients... you can find the batter mix at the WhistleStopCafe website. Recently, Sandi posted about the Good Morning America cross-country journey called the WhistleStop Tour. The tour began September 15th, and they planned to hit every state in the country. Great Press for the Whistle Stop Cafe and products!

And finally we meet our lovely hostess for our weekend travel... Sandi and her husband Bill Jr. who have taken the food product business and grown it into a delicious success story! Thank you for hospitality and information... I have enjoyed learning about the REAL Irondale Cafe that inspired Fried Green Tomatoes!
"Y'all enjoy!" as Sandi says!

Golf Resort Inspiration...

Off to golf today... imagining it's here... Join me for a round of golf or sit by the pool and relax...
This resort (photos via Executive Golfer mag) should inspire my upcoming beach remodel project... and then I can shop here...
Seaside Home... this is shop in La Jolla... photo via Design Today supplement.
ENJOY your day! Come back this weekend for Fried Green Tomatoes!

Shopping for labels...

Let's hit the shops...

The Perfect Shopping Song...

Shopping for the perfect Calvin Klein sunglasses...

Shopping for the perfect Stephen Webster jewelry at Neiman Marcus...
Or Honora jewelry...
Shopping via Vogue's Knightley photo shoot for the perfect outfit with the perfect shoes, handbag and hair...

Pillows, Contest & Giveaway...

Pillows... Pillows... Pillows... One can NEVER have enough pillows... I believe pillows are the best decor item ever made! Look at the difference pillows can make in a room... Please Sir's inspiring room would lack FUN and WHIMSY...
So I say... BRING ON THE PILLOWS...

Pillows on a daybed ... Pillows on a sofa... Pillows on a bed... all via BH New Decorating Book!
Pillows via this CB2 Fall Catalog with a CONTEST...

FALL COLOUR CONTEST at Apartment Therapy... Win Up To $2500 in CB2 Shop Cards $5000 in prizes to be awarded! plus 25 Copies of our book Apartment Therapy:
Real Homes, Real People, Hundreds of Design Solutions... You can buy a lot of pillows and lay back in all of them and read this book!

Speaking of pillows and books... above and below pillows are from The Pillow Book by Shannon Okey...

There are many pretty pillow projects in this terrific how-to and idea book! Using the building blocks of a basic square pillow zippered over a pillow form, you’ll graduate to other shapes: chair pads, bolsters, an ottoman, a pet pillow (with removable covers, of course), and even a tooth fairy pillow for kids. You get:• 25 pillow patterns for every skill level with step-by-step instructions for each• lots of decorative techniques to apply to your own creations (such as reverse appliqué, felt cutwork, and tufting) • clear instructions for setting a zipper, making a buttonhole, and more. Best of all, 10 reusable pattern sheets for 20 projects are tucked into a pocket right inside the book! Color photos. Spiral-bound hardcover. -review via HomeStyleBooksAnd I'm giving this NEW book away... all you have to do is visit MY ETSY STORE...FIND the CLUE word... then come back leave a comment with the word! It's EASY to find... and who knows maybe you will find something you like... everything is ON SALE 20% off until October 1st! Deadline for this Giveaway will be October 1st too! Don't forget to leave your email address if you don't have a blog.

French Roast Friends...

My friend Gigi gave me the perfect gift yesterday... French Roast left on my front porch bistro table... and the solution to "what shall I write about in tomorrow's post"...And what better day to talk about friendship than the day the SATC the movie DVD arrives in stores! Gigi is the person who introduced the TV series to me and invited me over to watch every week...Gigi (in her orange original Diane Von Furstenberg dress) is one of my girlfriends that accompanied me to the SATC the movie in theatre and shared laughs and cosmos with me, Babs and Aida! (hubby was our driver)
Gigi is also one of my friends who has been the recipient of some of my paints over the years...
Reproductions of Van Gogh (above) and Matisse (below)... Several bookmarks...one (front and back) from our SATC the movie night...
Even a painting of her son in my garden...

So merci beaucoup Gigi for the French Roast... I'm sorry I missed you for coffee... raincheck please! And with that... I'm declaring this Friendship Day! Have a cup of coffee or a libation with a friend or even VIRTUALLY... and CHEERS to friendship!

Please feel welcome to tell a friendship story here... We'd all love to hear...

HEY a story... I received via email from BHG.com (photos above)... girlfriends working together to redecorate their sorority house... fit right in with my theme of the day!

BTW... if you are having a SATC DVD party and you need FAVORS... my SATC bookmarks are perfect! EMAIL ME for details!