I've been rebuked.

It is true.

I've been rebuked by more than one of you for not posting a follow up on the Frivolous Friday post. By the way, you totally saw the title of this post and thought it was going to be a controversial theological post, didn't you? Could not be further from the truth, my dear friends. Could not be further from the truth.

I had so much fun reading all of your comments. And yes, I read every single one of them and made a list of about thirty new perfumes that I had never encountered and headed to Lenox Mall & then Phipps Plaza to complete my research. These were some of my top favorites though I did not purchase them in the end. So here were the runners-up that I hope to try in the future:

Trish McEvoy #9 (Blackberry & Vanilla Musk- so soft... loved it)

Jo Malone Fragrances- I liked SEVERAL of her fragrances... a perfume junkie really should stay away from her counter. I was like a little kid in a candy store.

Viva La Juicy- This one took me by surprise. I was turned off by both the name and the bottle at first sight but I LOVED the fragrance. Very girly-girl but still so contemporary and playful.

So here are the goods:

The day I posted my blog, Roxanne Worsham, a Siesta, wrote me and told me she wanted to send me a bottle of her favorite perfume for my birthday. How could I really have resisted this...? See for yourself what was in the package she sent me:

So so fun!!! I have fallen in love with Chanel Chance. I really am not exaggerating when I say that people ask me everywhere I go what perfume I am wearing. It is the perfect fusion of sweet and spice. So, Roxanne, thank you so much for your incredible thoughtfulness and generosity. I feel like a total classic Diva wearing this stuff.

Last but not least, several of you mentioned Creed fragrances which are primarily sold at Neiman Marcus. Needless to say, Colin and I do NOT frequent Neiman Marcus but it was, after all, my birthday. So Colin and I spent about an hour with this wonderful lady who seriously must have had her doctorate in perfumeology. I'm not sure perfumeology is a word or a legitimate degree but this woman was amazing. I smelled each and every Creed fragrance and then she introduced me to Creed's latest fragrance, Acqua Fiorentina. She explained how the top-notes were plum and green-something or other and there were apparently Renaissance roses all thrown in there ...and oh yeah, she mentioned something about bergamot and cedar wood and sandal wood. Etc. Etc. I got lost right about there. I thought at first that Acqua Fiorentina was far too regal and floral for me. And did I add that the perfume itself is pink? I'm not really a pink type. But then she full on ordered me (with authority I might add) to walk around the store for a few minutes and allow it to settle in on me. And then I became obsessed. It was euphoric. But then there was that little tiny part about how 1 oz. of this stuff costs $130. So I became bitter, lost interest, and quickly shuffled off to move to my next perfume victim. Out of sight, out of mind, right??? Or, is it, "absence makes the heart grow fonder"...? In any case, I was beyond ecstatic when Colin lost his mind and bought me the little bottle of it for my birthday. He definitely splurged on me. I was so happy and felt so spoiled by my man even though I only get to wear it about once a week because every spray is about $10.

So in answer to your question this is where I'm at on my perfume journey...Chanel Chance for daily wear & Acqua Fiorentina for VERY limited use. I will say that I have gotten as many compliments on the former as I have the latter which is encouraging since Colin says he will never be buying from the Creed counter ever again. :) So, Roxanne, thank you for your incredible kindness to me. I was so spoiled. It was a monumentally fragrant birthday for me!

By the way, have I mentioned that my Mom made a surprise visit to Atlanta yesterday??? She called me yesterday morning and told me she would be here around 1:00 and we took the latter part of the afternoon off from work and just relaxed, hung out, and played until she had to leave at 9:00!!! It was so good for my soul to see her! It was exactly what I needed, just a fun and lighthearted afternoon.

We played for a few minutes at H&M and both marveled at how tiny these jeans were:

Honestly, who is really supposed to wear those?

Then, I took her to eat an early dinner at Floataway Cafe' where we had one of the top meals of our lives.

Such whimsical and dreamy interiors:

Mom, unknowingly getting ready for the Pasta of her life. What makes me laugh about this picture is that for some reason her booth was lower to the ground than my chair and I am already a good four and a half inches taller than her and so she looks so tiny here. I kept telling her all throughout dinner how cute she looked and I finally realized it was because she looked so short and sweet.

Warm Cheese Gougeres... help me, someone.

Last but not least was dessert. Warm Toffee Pudding Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream. I kid you not, this was the best dessert I've ever had in my life. I nearly passed out. By the way, the reason there are no pictures of our main entrees is because we scarfed them down in about thirty seconds.

About to drop my Mom off at the airport. Already getting sad but still so excited to see her!

We sure love all of you Siestas and talked about you even last night at dinner!