Yes, that’s right it’s September. Our hearts are ringing. Our souls are singing. And we’re dancing the night away..because it’s September!
I have a busy Fall ahead and lots of things to look forward to including a trip to New York, a wedding in Oxford, Mississippi (one of the best Southern towns), college football games to attend, watching my boys take their first Ballroom dancing lessons (they do not share my excitement), a Fall Break to my favorite place, a quick trip to London, hosting family for Thanksgiving at my house in Birmimgham and so much more. Plus I have a long list of shows I want to watch and clothes, shoes, makeup and accessories to wear.
Here are a few things on my mind this month – I love the change of seasons and all that comes along with it.
I hope you have a fun Fall planned and lots of Earth, Wind and Fire playing on repeat – thanks for reading!
A New (ish) Hotel in Alabama: Andiamo!
One thing very high on my Fall to do list is to check out this beautiful hotel/lodge called Andiamo in Mentone, Alabama – a small town in the top northeast corner of Alabama, bordering Tennessee on Lookout Mountain. It is home to many summer camps due to its desirable weather and incredible landscapes. I actually spent five days there last April as a chaperone on my sons’ field trip and while I went dreading it – I ended up having the most incredible time hiking and being in nature.
I love the idea of this lodge for outdoor enthusiasts and creatives. The list of activities you can choose from is endless — photography, flower arranging, cooking classes, art classes, fly fishing, rock climbing, gliding, horseback riding, kayaking, pickle ball, hiking, and more. And you can do it all in the super chic surroundings at the Andiamo Lodge – in either one of their rooms or a private cottage. Run by couple Colleen Duffey and her husband Steve Carpenter, they are creatives, restauranteurs and entrepreneurs who have built an incredible and fun get-away that I cannot wait to visit.
“Andiamo Lodge is Alabama’s first experience lodge located in Mentone, Alabama. This creative retreat specializes in curated experiences from cheese making, to writing, exploring, and more. Let us curate your experience”
My Ballroom Boys!
I can see myself right. here.
One of the many cool events happening at Andiamo is a book signing + a talk with India Hicks this October. Details below and check out their full schedule of events here.
India Hicks Book Talk & Signing “Lady Pamela”
Saturday, October 12, 2024, 11:00am-1:00pm
Experience an inspiring morning at Andiamo Lodge as we host India Hicks for an exclusive book talk and signing event on her latest release, Lady Pamela. From 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, India will delve into the rich stories and personal memories that shaped her tribute to her extraordinary mother, Lady Pamela Hicks.
This 2-hour event offers an opportunity to hear India share her journey in creating Lady Pamela, followed by a personalized book signing session. Tickets are $65, which includes admission, a copy of Lady Pamela, and light refreshments.
We Are Experiencing a Slight Delay: I just finished reading this clever, laugh out loud quick read by Gary Janetti. Fun fact, Gary and his husband Brad Goreski were staying at the same hotel as my husband and I (me?) this summer on our trip to Portofino – it was highly entertaining watching them live their best lives at the beautiful Splendido Hotel. Gary Janetti is a fun follow on Instagram – we basically had the exact same itinerary but his content was much more fun than mine.
SHOWS
BAD SISTERS: If you didn’t watch the first season of “Bad Sisters”, you need to do yourself a favor and go ahead and watch, especially because Season Two is scheduled to be released on November 13 on Apple TV +. Created by Sharon Horgan (pictured in the middle and above) who also stars in the show, the story is about a the lives of five sisters (the “Garvey Girls”) living in Ireland – there are lots and lots of secrets and lies and twists and turns and it is also very funny. I have no idea how they will handle Season Two because the first season’s ending was satisfactory – but I will definitely be tuning in to find out.
THE MARLOW MURDER CLUB: PBS Nerds (me!), get excited! The Marlowe Murder Club book series is now a show on Masterpiece Theatre. The four part series premiers on Sunday, October 27. They had me at “cozy mystery”.
“The Marlow Murder Club is a lighthearted cozy mystery from Robert Thorogood, creator of the hit TV series Death in Paradise, and it’s coming to MASTERPIECE Mystery! on Sunday, October 27, 2024 at 9/8c. An amateur trio of female sleuths and a determined policewoman are at the heart of this brand-new British TV crime show and the cast is led by a familiar face from MASTERPIECE’s Downton Abbey and Home Fires. Robert Thorogood’s The Marlow Murder Club is the first of three cozy crime novels set in the small but affluent British town of Marlow. In 2023, the title was nominated for the Mystery Writers of America’s prestigious Edgar Awards, which honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film, and theater. The book series in order includes: The Marlow Murder Club, Death Comes to Marlow, and The Queen of Poisons.”
The Perfect Couple: I know everyone has mixed feelings about Nicole Kidman – she’s beautiful/she’s plastic/she’s too thin/she’s perfect, but let’s be honest I am not watching this show for the acting or for the storyline. I’m watching it for the filming location and place where the story is based: Nantucket. It is streaming now on Netflix and while I am not expecting any Golden Globe noms to be awarded for this show, I will still be watching.
The show is based on this book, The Perfect Couple, one of many in a series based on Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand.
“Rivals” will premiere on Disney + on October 18 – this could be hit or miss but I will be watching anyway because I will watch anything that David Tennant is in. The show is based on a 1988 novel written by British author Jilly Cooper that “centers on Declan O’Hara (Aidan Turner, he of Poldark fame), a heartthrob TV presenter who is roped into working at the failing Corinium television studios by its crook owner, the aptly named Lord Baddingham, played by David Tennant.”
“Rivals is part of Cooper’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles and is set against the backdrop of the excess and antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England.”
It took me a few episodes to get the hang of Slow Horses. In fact, I stopped watching after two episodes and didn’t start again for over a year. It was killing me because I love Kristen Scott Thomas so much so I picked it up again and this time I turned the captions on and was able to better understand the dialogue – as soon as that happened I was immediately hooked. Season 4 on Apple TV + is now streaming. Love these nutty, dysfunctional spooks.
Surely you’ve seen these two cuties catting around the Venice Film Festival recently with their significant others promoting their new film called Wolfs (why is it not Wolves you ask? Who knows). They’ve been dancing on the red carpet, making grand entrances on water taxis and many other A list celebrity/hot actor activities. Wolfs is set to premier on Apple + on September 27. What is it about? Is it good? Do we really care?
BROADWAY SHOWS
Hopefully you have a New York trip planned this Fall and that it includes several of the must see shows.
“Starring four-time Emmy Award® winner Jim Parsons, OUR TOWN returns to Broadway for the first time in over 20 years. Hailed by Edward Albee as “the greatest American play ever written,” Thornton Wilder‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning classic will shine in a momentous new production. Directed by Tony Award® winner Kenny Leon (Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, Topdog/Underdog, A Raisin in the Sun), this is an OUR TOWN for our time.
In Wilder’s timeless tale of a small town, a stage manager narrates the daily lives of its locals, depicts a childhood friendship turn into marriage, and sets the stage for magnificent truths of what it means to be alive. Don’t miss this strictly limited engagement of an essential American classic.”
Our Town premiers at the Barrymore Theatre on September 17 for a limited engagement.
Here is a link to the Town & Country article featuring one of the stars from Our Town, Katie Holmes.
I was in New York last weekend and was so fortunate to be able to see the one and only Sutton Foster in this adorable and funny show, Once Upon a Mattress. Based on the fairy tale “The Princess and the Pea”, Carol Burnett was the star of the original show in 1959 and it has been updated for today’s audience by Amy Sherman-Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel). It’s So Good. And get your tickets soon – the show closes November 30.
Two-time Tony® winner Sutton Foster gives what The New York Times calls an “ebullient, joyful, perfectly goofy” performance as Princess Winnifred the Woebegone alongside royalty of stage and screen, Michael Urie.
I also saw the show called “Suffs the Musical” last weekend and it was WONDERFUL. It is the story of the women’s suffrage movement in 1920 and I know it might sounds like it would be political but trust me it isn’t — the show is really inspiring and funny and creative and historical and I absolutely loved it. It has won several Tonys and I cannot recommend seeing it enough. I saw it with my mom, aunt and cousin and we all loved it.
Nili Lotan Blaise Parka – I tried this on in the New York store recently and it runs very big so order a size or two down. It is a great looking coat.
Another look of this Nili Lotan Blaise Parka – I have about 10 variations of this exact coat so don’t need another one but it’s a classic for a reason.
I have been looking for a new pair of comfortable, but stylish black boots for so long and I finally found them at the Ann Mashburn store in New York. I am not sure I would have bought them had I not seen them in person but they are literally perfect – they stop right above the knee, the heel is a good height (not too tall but not flat), I love the suede and most of all they are comfortable. They are pretty expensive ($850) but I plan to get my money’s worth.
