Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Christmas 2013 Recap
I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas! I know my family sure did. Here are a few pictures from this year's holiday celebrations.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
House Update
Hey everyone! My apologies for not blogging for a while. Its been a crazy week for us. We just got our internet hooked up, so hopefully I will be able to start blogging again soon. Thank you to everyone for their sweet comments, we really appreciate it!
If you're curious, this is what our new house looks like. I have always said I wanted to live in a white house with black shutters, little did I know that would actually come true. And don't you just love that red door? There is something that is just so classic about the combination.
If you're curious, this is what our new house looks like. I have always said I wanted to live in a white house with black shutters, little did I know that would actually come true. And don't you just love that red door? There is something that is just so classic about the combination.
We are having people over for the first time tonight. Ambitious, right? Wish me luck! I've got a lot to do before this evening.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
My Exciting Announcement Is...
We are homeowners!
T and I have been under contract on a house for almost two months and our closing day finally arrived. We are so excited to move in to our new house, and I can't wait to share all of our home improvement and decorating adventures with y'all!
One of the best things about this process is that I got to work with some of my best friends. Our friend Maggie was our realtor, and our friend Caroline was our mortgage broker. I loved getting to work with them, and it was an added perk that I could text them at all hours of the day, or night, with my questions.
Now we just have to get all of our stuff in the house- which is the part I'm looking the least forward to. There's a 100% chance of rain on Saturday, so moving is going to be quite interesting. Hope y'all are having a great week!
T and I have been under contract on a house for almost two months and our closing day finally arrived. We are so excited to move in to our new house, and I can't wait to share all of our home improvement and decorating adventures with y'all!
One of the best things about this process is that I got to work with some of my best friends. Our friend Maggie was our realtor, and our friend Caroline was our mortgage broker. I loved getting to work with them, and it was an added perk that I could text them at all hours of the day, or night, with my questions.
Now we just have to get all of our stuff in the house- which is the part I'm looking the least forward to. There's a 100% chance of rain on Saturday, so moving is going to be quite interesting. Hope y'all are having a great week!
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Weekend Recap
Holy moly what a weekend. I found out last Tuesday that I would be needing to travel to New York for work on Thursday and Friday. I already had quite a bit of a busy week ahead of me, and finding this out made it even crazier.
Thursday morning I left the Greenville airport at 6:30 am with plans on arriving in the city around 8:30 am. EIGHT hours later I finally arrived at the Laguardia airport. It's a long story, but because of visibility we had to land in Connecticut and be bussed into New York, crazy.
I extended my trip through the weekend so I could stay with my sister and her boyfriend who live in the city. It was so great to get to see the two of them, and we had a blast together although we have zero pictures to prove it.
Sunday morning I flew back home and was greeted in the parking garage by a completely flat tire. Luckily T came to the rescue hand helped me change it.
It was a fun and very eventful weekend, and we have quite a busy week ahead of us. My apologies for not posting a meal plan for this week, but it's going to be one of those weeks where we just eat whatever is convenient for the sake of time. We will have some exciting news to share later this week, so stay tuned!
Thursday morning I left the Greenville airport at 6:30 am with plans on arriving in the city around 8:30 am. EIGHT hours later I finally arrived at the Laguardia airport. It's a long story, but because of visibility we had to land in Connecticut and be bussed into New York, crazy.
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| View of Times Square from my hotel |
I extended my trip through the weekend so I could stay with my sister and her boyfriend who live in the city. It was so great to get to see the two of them, and we had a blast together although we have zero pictures to prove it.
Sunday morning I flew back home and was greeted in the parking garage by a completely flat tire. Luckily T came to the rescue hand helped me change it.
It was a fun and very eventful weekend, and we have quite a busy week ahead of us. My apologies for not posting a meal plan for this week, but it's going to be one of those weeks where we just eat whatever is convenient for the sake of time. We will have some exciting news to share later this week, so stay tuned!
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Thanksgiving Recap
This year T and I spent Thanksgiving with his side of the family in Murell's Inlet. T's uncle and aunt have a house there, and they were so gracious to have the family come and stay. This was the first time ever that I that I haven't spent Thanksgiving with my family. I must admit, I was a little dubious at first. I'm a creature of habit, especially when it comes to the holidays. But I had such a wonderful time with everyone in T's family, not to mention all the food was absolutely amazing!
T's sister Angela and her husband Trey came up for the afternoon. It was so good to see the two of them.
The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging on the couch, watching football, and sipping on champagne all by the warm fireplace. A perfect way to digest.
Later that night we all felt a tinge of hunger, so we headed down to the garage to steam some oysters. One of the advantages of celebrating Thanksgiving on the coast is that fresh seafood is always readily available. I think I ate my weight in oysters, crab legs, and shrimp this weekend and I loved every minute of it!
T's sister Angela and her husband Trey came up for the afternoon. It was so good to see the two of them.
We started our feast with a late lunch all served on the most beautiful china. T's Aunt Wendy has an extensive collection of fine china, so all twenty five of us were served on the good stuff. T and I both ate on a pattern called Autumn by Lenox. It was absolutely beautiful, T even mentioned that he loved the plates, too. We don't have any fine china at this point, but I'm tempted to start a collection of this line; it was just that gorgeous. In addition to the stuffing, sweet potato casserole, green beans, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce, we also had two turkeys, two hams, and one large beef tenderloin. Holy moly.
The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging on the couch, watching football, and sipping on champagne all by the warm fireplace. A perfect way to digest.
Later that night we all felt a tinge of hunger, so we headed down to the garage to steam some oysters. One of the advantages of celebrating Thanksgiving on the coast is that fresh seafood is always readily available. I think I ate my weight in oysters, crab legs, and shrimp this weekend and I loved every minute of it!
I hope y'all had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!
Monday, December 2, 2013
Sunday Meal Planning #4
I'm still trying to play catch-up from the long weekend, so I'm a day late on my meal plan for this week. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We sure did, and we may have eaten a little too much, so this week we're going a bit lighter in hopes that we can shed a pound our two before Christmas parties start. Here's what's on the menu.
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Sunday: Frozen Pizza- Okay, this is not light, but it's the best option since we traveled all day and didn't get home until 8:00
Monday: Chicken Cobb Salads
Tuesday: Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce, roasted asparagus, Wasabi Mashed Potatoes
Wednesday: Eggplant Parmesan Stacks, mixed greens with homemade balsamic vinaigrette
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Out to Eat
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Thanks and Giving
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you're all stuffing your faces and spending time with those you love!
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Weekend Recap
T and I had a great time in Clemson at the Clemson vs. Citadel game this Saturday. I love the campus this time of year. The leaves are changing and the campus is beautiful. We really lucked up on weather, too. The high was in the 60's, and no rain. The sun even decided to peek out later that afternoon.
The game started at noon, and we planned to tailgate beforehand. Noon games always throw me for a loop; I never know whether to bring breakfast food or lunch food. So in attempt to combine the two, I brought these Sausage and Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls which were a hit.
The game started at noon, and we planned to tailgate beforehand. Noon games always throw me for a loop; I never know whether to bring breakfast food or lunch food. So in attempt to combine the two, I brought these Sausage and Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls which were a hit.
After the game we made our way down to the Esso club to celebrate our win with some friends. If you're not familiar with Clemson, The Esso Club is the town's oldest bar. It started as a service station in the mid 30's and has been there ever since. The bar is iconic to the town of Clemson and has received a lot of national attention recently.
It was so great to be back in my college town, but it was also so weird to look around and barely know a soul. Amazing what can change in just three years. We sat outside at a table with friends listening to Doug McCormick, a fellow Clemson grad and country music singer. After a few drinks we headed back to Greenville for the remainder of the night.
On Sunday, T and I woke up and headed to Charlotte for my sister April's gender reveal party. We had a great time with family while we were there, and we are SO excited that we will have a NIECE in just a few months!
Hope y'all have a great {short} workweek!
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Sushi Murasaki
One of my biggest pet peeves is when I get to a restaurant and know there are menu items that I love, but can't remember exactly which items those are. I get so frustrated knowing there's something there that I'm going to love, but can't recall what it is.
I think I've shared my weird restaurant notes method that I keep in my phone
with y'all already, but just in case I didn't here's what I do.
Every favorite restaurant gets its own notes page. For example, T and I went to Sushi Murasaki this weekend. Here's my notes page that I pulled up before we ordered.
This time we opted for no nigiri, and just went for the Poinsett (left) and the Rainbow (right) rolls. Both were good as expected. And the wine was glorious.
Sushi Murasaki is one of our favorite sushi places, mainly because of the atmosphere and location; it's right on Main Street. We typically grab a seat at the bar instead of having a table. They're always playing great music and the lighting is really cool in there- as you can see from my picture. It's the kind of place that makes you feel cool just being in there. While the sushi isn't the very best we've had in Greenville, their wine is always cold and the sake is always hot- and that alone keeps us coming back!
Every favorite restaurant gets its own notes page. For example, T and I went to Sushi Murasaki this weekend. Here's my notes page that I pulled up before we ordered.
This time we opted for no nigiri, and just went for the Poinsett (left) and the Rainbow (right) rolls. Both were good as expected. And the wine was glorious.
Sushi Murasaki is one of our favorite sushi places, mainly because of the atmosphere and location; it's right on Main Street. We typically grab a seat at the bar instead of having a table. They're always playing great music and the lighting is really cool in there- as you can see from my picture. It's the kind of place that makes you feel cool just being in there. While the sushi isn't the very best we've had in Greenville, their wine is always cold and the sake is always hot- and that alone keeps us coming back!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Our Weekend in Pictures of Food
I was just looking back at the iPhone pictures I took this weekend, and realized that not one of them had a person in it. Every picture I took was of food. Every. Single. One. And man did we eat well!
Friday: Lunch at Thoroughfare Food Truck
Saturday: Appetizers at home and dinner at Sushi Murasaki
Sunday: Chicken Enchilada Soup
I think I may need to plan on eating salads for the rest of the week, a little detox is in order after the amount I consumed this weekend. Y'all have a great week!
Friday: Lunch at Thoroughfare Food Truck
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| Meatloaf Sandwich with grilled onions and balsamic ketchup on ciabatta |
Saturday: Appetizers at home and dinner at Sushi Murasaki
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| Brie with Raspberry Preserves- Pepperoni, Pepperoncini and Goat Cheese Bites- Red Grapes |
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| Two of our favorite Rolls, Poinsett and Rainbow |
Sunday: Chicken Enchilada Soup
I think I may need to plan on eating salads for the rest of the week, a little detox is in order after the amount I consumed this weekend. Y'all have a great week!
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Sunday Meal Planning #3
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| Honey Teriyaki Hot Wings by damndelicous.net |
This week on the menu:
Sunday: Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
Monday: Left overs
Tuesday: Roasted Sausage and Grapes with Southwestern Rainbow Carrots
Wednesday: Honey Teriyaki Hot Wings, edamame, and Japanese sticky rice
Thursday: Left Overs
Friday: Takeout
Thursday, November 14, 2013
The Other White Meat
Last night T and I tried a new pork dish that we loved. If you had a chance to read my Sunday Meal Planning post from this week, you may have seen it; Sauteed Garlic Lemon Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Onion. T's been asking for pork chops a lot recently. I cook chicken all the time, and I think we are both ready for something different. I was really pleased with how the recipe turned out, and I thought I'd share.
Sauteed Garlic Lemon Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Onion
Adapted from Savoring the Thyme
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 boneless pork chops 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick
A few pinches of salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 lemon
4 oz sliced mushrooms
1/3 sliced sweet onion
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Directions:
1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat.
2. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. On a plate, place the flour and then zest the lemon right over the flour and place the lemon aside. Coat each pork chop with the flour-zest mixture on both sides and place into the skillet and cover with a splatter screen. Cook for about 2-3 minutes depending on thickness. Repeat on the other side and then place the chops on a plate.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow the pan to cool a minute. Add the mushrooms to the pan and saute for 2 minutes. Add the onion, saute for one minute and then add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds.
4. Increase the heat to medium and add the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pan. When the liquid is reduced by about half, add the pork back into the pan. (if you're having trouble reducing the liquid, add some flour into it and whisk to combine) Cut the lemon in half, juice half of the lemon and add the juice to the pan. Cut the remaining half of the lemon into slices, toss them into the pan and cook for another couple of minutes. Serves 4.
Do y'all have any pork recipes you like? I'd love to add some more into my recipe file!
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Adapted from Savoring the Thyme
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 boneless pork chops 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick
A few pinches of salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 lemon
4 oz sliced mushrooms
1/3 sliced sweet onion
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Directions:
1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat.
2. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. On a plate, place the flour and then zest the lemon right over the flour and place the lemon aside. Coat each pork chop with the flour-zest mixture on both sides and place into the skillet and cover with a splatter screen. Cook for about 2-3 minutes depending on thickness. Repeat on the other side and then place the chops on a plate.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow the pan to cool a minute. Add the mushrooms to the pan and saute for 2 minutes. Add the onion, saute for one minute and then add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds.
4. Increase the heat to medium and add the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pan. When the liquid is reduced by about half, add the pork back into the pan. (if you're having trouble reducing the liquid, add some flour into it and whisk to combine) Cut the lemon in half, juice half of the lemon and add the juice to the pan. Cut the remaining half of the lemon into slices, toss them into the pan and cook for another couple of minutes. Serves 4.
Do y'all have any pork recipes you like? I'd love to add some more into my recipe file!
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
JC Penny Finds
This weekend my mom and I ventured into JC Penny because they have a full Sephora inside, and I need some blush. I haven't been into a JC Penny in years, and I don't think I've ever purchased something from there. I had every intention to make a bee line for the Sephora store, buy my blush, and get the heck outta there- but it didn't quite work out that way.
We walked in and were immediately entranced by the Joe Fresh section. I've seen a lot of their stuff on commercials and on other blogs, but hadn't seen it yet in person. From the Joe Fresh section we made our way around the entire ladies clothing area. Everything was so cute! Here are some of my favorites. I actually purchased the top three, and I'm loving the looks of the bottom three.
Joe Fresh Sequin Skirt
a.n.a. Mandarin Collar Popover
We walked in and were immediately entranced by the Joe Fresh section. I've seen a lot of their stuff on commercials and on other blogs, but hadn't seen it yet in person. From the Joe Fresh section we made our way around the entire ladies clothing area. Everything was so cute! Here are some of my favorites. I actually purchased the top three, and I'm loving the looks of the bottom three.
I ended up getting blush while I was there, too. It's actually kind of a funny story. I was ready to finally jump on the NARS blush train, and I did a little research before I went. I liked the look of Orgasm (their most popular color), and had also heard good things about the Deep Throat. When I went to go check out those colors, they appeared to be out of both. I called one of the associates over for help, but she wasn't sure if they had more of either. So, she screamed over to her coworker asking if they had more orgasm or deep throat in stock. Oh the looks I received. At that point no blush was needed. I could just feel the blood rush to my cheeks.
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