All About Amanda
I’m a so-Southern girl that loves delightful décor, perfect parties and being queen bee in a home full of boys! I've spent my whole life living in the South. Originally from Savannah, I eventually stepped out from behind the moss curtain and made the move to Atlanta for college (Go TECH!). I always intended to go back home but two degrees, one husband, two homes and two boys later I'm here for the foreseeable future.
I love fabulous home decor, drinking sweet tea on the porch, the ballet, seersucker, monograms, Coca-Cola, reading, everything Southern, bow ties, smocked outfits and knee socks on the littles, grits, throwing parties, cooking, the beach, red apple martinis and, most of all, my family.
Amanda, Whit (almost 4 years) aka “The Baby” and “Cookie”,
John (almost 7 years) aka “The PCP” (precious cutie pie) and Honey
John (almost 7 years) aka “The PCP” (precious cutie pie) and Honey
Top 10 Reasons Why I’ve Got What it Takes
1. I Love Paula
As evidenced by this post last year, I LOVE Paula! I love her show, I adore her magazine, I swoon over her book (Savannah Style), I crave the buffet at The Lady and Sons, I am an unashamed rubber-necker when driving past her house on the way to my parents’ home, and I admire her motivation, determination, humor and self-made success.
Apparently, loving The Lady is genetic. As a child I remember Daddy-O coming home from work and telling us about the divine lunches he’d pick up from “The Bag Lady” in one of the squares in downtown Savannah. Thirty-some odd years later and my parents live just around the bend from Paula. I’ve gotten a few excitedly hushed calls from Mother (I can all too well envision her hiding behind the co-cola end cap) telling me she's just seen Paula on aisle 3. And, on occasion, I am thrilled to open my inbox and see something like Paula’s gates decorated for Halloween (Mother is constantly on Daddy-O for careening around the bend in a manner that impedes her drive-by photography.)
Lunch at The Lady and Sons – a family holiday tradition – December 2007 3. I’m a Mommy and a Wife
As y’all well know, Honey and I have the supreme honor of being parents to two precious littles. I adore rambling on about the good, the bad, the ugly, the unbelievable and the unforgettable of raising up two Southern Gentleman in the best way a self-professed girly-girly knows how to do. Lord knows I never ever in my wildest dreams EVER thought I’d be catching fiddlers in the marsh or dreaming up a gazillion ways to make a baseball snack look cute. (Let’s face it, I thought I’d be a unicorn-riding princess...or at the very least that I’d have a couple of unicorn-riding-princess-dreamers of my own.)
4. I’m a Party Person
There’s nothing I love more than throwing a good party. Whether it’s a birthday party for the littles, a supper club gathering for our friends or a back to school bash for the neighbors, I take the planning, crafting, designing and cooking that goes into throwing a party super seriously.
5. I’m an Eater
Allright y’all, confession time…this “reason why I’ve got what it takes” originally started out as a place where I was going to flaunt my cooking skills. But I wouldn’t be fooling anyone…least of all The Queen of Southern Cuisine…with that sort of nonsense. While I do enjoy cooking, what I really love is eating. And I really super duper love making a fun family meal with recipes that don’t require a degree from the culinary institute, or ingredients that I can’t pronounce, to pull it off.
6. I Love to Decorate
Over the last three years, Honey and I have teamed up to overhaul our 1968 forever home – trading out the navy carpets with gold bows and the dark walls and trim for coastal accents and colors reminiscent of the rivers and marshes that we love so much. As y’all know, he finished our entire basement himself by watching YouTube videos and reading how-tos while I was teaching myself to sew drapes, skirt tables and upholster chairs. It’s been no small task to balance my love of shiny, beautiful over-the-top things with durable, down-to-earth, utterly invincible elements necessary for a house with two active (for lack of a better word) boys. This has led to crazy sounding things like mixing crystal chandeliers with outdoor rugs and family antiques with Ikea finds.
7. I’m So-Southern
I love the South: the people of the South, the manners of the South, the “come on over for a spell and sit on my back porch with a sweet tea while the littles catch lightening bugs in the bare feet” demeanor of the South. “Y’all” is a sight word around these parts (I added it right to the top of the list after “you” and “all”) and in this house co-cola solves everything from a tummy ache to a pot roast.
8. I’m a DIYer
The shower is a dangerous place for me. It’s the five minutes of my day (or every other day to be more exact) that I have to myself. And my mind tends to run wild thinking of things to do, things to make, things to decorate…you get the picture. So, usually with the baby as my second in command, we craft up all sorts of fun things, from décor to party favors to printable files for Dixie Delights’ readers to download for free!
9. I Celebrate
I celebrate holidays, birthday, accomplishments and sometimes just Mondays. There is really nothing I love more than making merry! I’m not choosy about what we celebrate, just as long as we do! I mean, it could be the last day of school, the first day our holiday elf comes for the season, a new episode of Scooby Doo, St. Patrick's Day or a spelling test. Not to get all serious on y’all, but I look at every.single.day we have together as an immense blessing and I just can’t think of a good reason not to make the most of it!
10. I WANT IT!
As I worked on writing this “why I’ve got what it takes” narrative (it admittedly got very long…I sure hope there wasn’t a word limit!?!?), I realized just how much I want to join the Deen Team. Y’all know I’ve got no shortage of things to rattle on about and I’d love the opportunity to share thoughts, stories, ideas and even those free printables with Paula’s readers each month. Paula, as a member of your Deen Team, I will make you proud!
With Paula’s likeness August 2008
I suspect Paula’s people will be checking in over here soon, so I’d be as pleased as punch if y’all would weigh in… Do you think I have what it takes? I would literally squeal with delight while doing a jig in my front yard if I were to be picked!
xoxo
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