Weekend Pairings.

pizza + beer

gatsby + blankets

no alarm set + books in bed

coffee + southern pecan creamer

silver toaster + english muffins

landscaping meeting + landscaping budgeting

deviled egg snacking + hamburger grilling

ikea + cinnamon roll salivating

girlfriend lunch + girlfriend trip planning

homemade salsa + pulled pork enchiladas

breaking bad + yoga pants

.........

hope your weekend pairings were just as delightful as ours!  :)

Five On Friday

It's Five on Friday time, ya'll!

Can I just tell you how much I love reading the posts each week? They are so creative and fun! Please do join me, Darci, Natasha, and Christina ... playing along is simple!  Just write a blog about five things on your mind today, anything goes really, post the logo below on your blog and link back to one or all of us, and then enter your post address below in the link-up section.

Here's what's on my mind this Friday.

O N E
So we may be a little late to the game for summer patio beautifying, but you just can't resist a great deal when it goes 75% off.  This 9-foot umbrella from World Market looks so stinkin' adorable on our patio ... now I just have to get pillows made to match!  It was originally $120, and we got it for $30.  BAM!

T W O

So, it's decided.  I need this mint suede belt from C. Wonder.  It was $48, now marked down to $19.99 with an additional 50% off.  Ten bucks, people.  Now that's love.

T H R E E

During our recent girls weekend in Charlotte, my girlfriend Kerry brought the most delicious rosemary shortbread cookies from a cute little bakery in Greenville, SC.  I fell deeply, madly, passionately in love with them.  (Not exaggerating.)  So the other day, guess what I spotted?  A Martha Stewart recipe for Rosemary Butter Cookies.  I think they look so similar -- I can't wait to try out this recipe and see if I can recreate this delicacy!

F O U R
Last Saturday morning we broke out a little arts + crafts action at the house!  These ECU wreaths for the front doors were so easy to make.  Ian and I painted the letters and then I created the bows using yellow burlap.  The wreaths are such a fun welcome to the house!

F I V E
Cheers to very few weekend plans ... just a lot of good times with friends.  I am so excited to just soak up another warm Charlotte weekend and enjoy it before it turns chilly.  We are so happy to have lots of friends that live right around us -- so let's raise a glass to a great weekend guaranteed to make happy memories!

Your turn -- what are your five?

Makeup, Hair, Photoshoot ... The Perfect Day.

This past spring I was contacted by a local photographer, Lindsay Wynne Photography, who threw out the idea of a fun little joint project ... a mini-session of her beautiful portraits that I could share with you all.

If you know me -- in person, or even just through this blog -- you can imagine that I didn't have to think long and hard when presented with a completely girly day of makeup, hair, and fun photography.  Obviously, I was IN!

We decided to do the shoot at my house -- I loved the idea of capturing some pieces of my home in the background.  We kicked off the fun early on a Sunday morning and wrapped up around lunch.  What I really liked about Lindsay Wynne is that she shared so many pointers to getting a good photo -- most revolving around looking relaxed and approachable in the photos.  She would get me ready for a shot, I'd smile for the camera, and then she'd give me a quick "now drop that shoulder closest to the camera" reminder.  It was such a simple tactic that really keeps you from looking too cold or squared-off in a shot.

So here goes ... some of my favorites from the shoot!

I am just in awe of what talent Lindsay Wynne has. I could brag on her all day. These are pictures I'll cherish, especially that last one with our sweet Drake in it.

So remember -- next time you're in front of a camera, drop that shoulder closest to the lens!

Would you be game for a girly photo session?

My Favorites!

Happy Wednesday all, and how nice is this short week?! My trip to Georgia was a good one -- easy, quick, and successful work-wise. I was hoping to stop at the outlets in Commerce, GA on my way home yesterday, but I ran out of time. Fooey! That particular J. Crew outlet there is one of the best I've ever been to.

Today I want to share with you some of my favorites.  Pardon the random post, but I personally enjoy seeing what other gals love, so I hope you do too!

/// Favorite Ice Cream Flavor ///

When I go for a sweet treat, I want it sweet.  I love super-sugary flavors like cotton candy and cake batter! I've been trying to reduce my fro-yo consumption, but the new TCBY in walking distance is going to challenge that goal. I can typically justify it by telling myself that half the cup will include raw fruit (blueberries and kiwi are my go-tos), but some days you've just got to go for the candy bar chunks, am I right?!

/// Favorite Lipstick ///

Before our Europe trip, I went to the MAC counter and tried on, ohhhh, I don't know, THIRTY different shades?!  I couldn't go to Paris without some fabulous lipstick. I ended up choosing Plumful (here) and I've been so happy with this purchase!

/// Favorite Way To Spend A Lunchbreak ///

Every Friday I treat myself to a trip to the Marshall's near work. Love, love this tradition. Wandering the aisles keeps me sane. :) The home and kitchen area is my favorite part with the beauty products area coming in at a close second.

/// Favorite Vacation Destination ///

I'm a beach girl through and through, but would you believe I haven't been once this entire summer? Our schedule has been packed to the brim with other activities, but we've got a date on the calendar this month to get some sand between our toes.  Thank goodness!

via

/// Favorite Fast Food ///

Can you call Panera fast food? That's easily my favorite quick lunch or dinner spot.  The Mediterranean Veggie sandwich is purely amazing -- I'm not a vegetarian, but I do try to limit my meat (especially at fast food places) and this sandwich always fits the bill.

/// Favorite Wine ///

Just about any sauvignon blanc from New Zealand, expensive or inexpensive!

.................

I'd love to hear your favorites ... ready, set, go!

via

Labor Day Weekend

We were invited by some of our good friends to spend Saturday on the lake. They have a beautiful boat that they keep at a marina at Lake Norman, so we packed our coolers and sunscreen and hit the water.

We made our way to a really fun area with lots of boats anchored around us. We cranked up the stereo and then alternated between sitting on the boat chatting until we got too hot and then bobbing in the water until we got too chilly.

I brought one of my favorite glasses, an acrylic wine glass that is perfect for boats!  

Thank you so much to our dear friends S+C for being such amazingly wonderful hosts, as always! Sending love from Georgia, where I'll be for the next few hours for work. Travel on Labor Day? Not so great ... but I'll be spending my short work day doing an event at a very pretty spa and winery, so no complaining from this gal.  :)

Five On Friday!

Oh happy day!

I've been wide awake since 3:45am (wish I were kidding!), as in lights on, out-of-bed awake. No apparent reason, but I feel completely rested and ready to tackle this Friday!  I'm looking forward to a relaxing long weekend with not a whole lot on the books -- just a lot of R+R.  Oh, and probably an early bedtime for me tonight to make up for last night's sleep shenanigans.  :)

Time for my favorite link-up day: Five on Friday.  As always, I hope you'll join me along with Darci, Natasha, and Christina ... playing along is simple!  Just write a blog about five things on your mind today, anything goes really, post the logo below on your blog, and then enter your post address below in the link-up section.

O N E
Football begins.  WAIT.  Who am I?  Did I really just put my #1 as "football begins"?!  I guess for me it's not so much the sport but all that surrounds it.  While I do like going to football games, what I really love is a football game as background noise.  Am I strange?  Bliss for me would be sitting on the patio, flipping through Real Simple, with the doors to the house open and the sounds of football in the background.  Tell me I'm not the only one?

Oh, and today is "wear your football team's shirt" day at work so I am just geekily excited about that.

T W O
The Skimm.  After reading about this on Two Delighted (Megan and Colleen are such talented sisters), I immediately signed up.  The Skimm is a daily email that relays the previous day's news nuggets.  I look forward to reading this every morning ... usually while I am drying my hair.  The way it's written is so engaging and fun ... like you are talking to a girlfriend.  Now, rather than just knowing the latest celeb gossip, I can give my two cents about what's happening in the world. Here is the site if you are interested in getting this awesome email.

T H R E E
This amazing bracelet which is marked down to $19.99 ... I love everything about it ... the yellow, the gold, the leather, the bling! Get. On. My. Wrist.  That Pim + Larkin, they just nail it.

F O U R
I'm so very excited about this one -- a Charlotte photographer, Lindsay Wynne Photography, took some oh-so-fun pictures for me and I can't wait to share more!  What talent she has.  Here is a sneak peek :)

F I V E

Ending on this note ... love, love, love this important reminder!

via

Your turn to link up, TGIF ladies!

Peel Much?

Saturday night I was out to dinner with Ian when I started telling him how excited I was about my Sunday afternoon appointment at my favorite spa.  Ballantyne Resort here in Charlotte is unlike your traditional day spa and more like a full destination spa!  

After hearing about my plans to visit the gym, the pool, the sauna, the steamroom, and then get my hour-long facial ... he was sold.  He wanted in too! We called the spa right then around 10pm and left a message asking for an appointment for Ian for the same time as me.  Luckily, he got a call the next morning confirming an appointment for a hot stone massage (easily my favorite kind of massage).

The best thing about this spa is that they encourage you to come as early as you want before your service and stay as late as you'd like in order to take advantages of the spa amenities.  Done!  We headed there around 11:00 in the morning for our 2:00 appointments.  We had a great workout followed by lots of pool time, and then we headed to our respective locker rooms to do the rest of our pampering before our services.

I chose the Deep Pore Cleansing Facial this time which is a mild peel.  My aesthetician Allie was great, and she introduced me to an organic product line called Eminence that I'm interested in checking out further.  She showed me this Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant which sprinkles on like a powder -- you can add it to your facewash for extra exfoliating action.

This was my first time of having a peel at a spa, and I really enjoyed it.  The products tingle on your skin when applied, which is how you know they are activated and working.  The next day, Monday, my skin was a bit tight feeling but with no peeling.  I've experienced very mild peeling with this treatment, with the majority happening on Wednesday and Thursday (today).  They sent me home with a package of products to use for several days after the peel.

As I get older, I would love to schedule these peels more often.  For any local Charlotte readers, through August the spa is running a special where this facial (normally $150) is reduced to $95 if you book Sunday-Thursday.  

Do you do at-home peels or spa peels?  

Cocktail Recipe: Muddled Strawberry Vodka Fizz

Ya'll know how I do ... Friday evenings are for cocktails.

And this past Friday night I might just have outdone myself!

The name of the game this time around was: work with what you've got in the fridge.  So I came home from work, took a quick inventory of the refrigerator contents, and then the cocktail lightbulb went off. Ding! Ding!

St. Germain is a classically yummy ingredient for me, and vodka will always win out over gin, rum, or bourbon in my book.  

I am no tough guy so I do like to cut it with a fizzy non-alcoholic mixer (grapefruit Perrier in this case), and some chopped strawberries muddled in the glass added the perfect end-of-summer taste.

I started off by dicing the strawberries (one per glass) on a cutting board, adding the pieces to a lowball glass, and muddling it gently in the glass.

Once well muddled, I added a shot each of the two liquors and then topped off with the grapefruit Perrier up to the rim.  Add a few ice cubes and give it a stir!

Um, DELISH.  I made one for me, Ian walked in from the garage and I offered him a sip, and he immediately asked me to recreate one for him.  It may look a bit girly but it's not sweet enough to scare off a manly man!

   

Bottoms up, ladies!

PS: Those drink stirrers are from our honeymoon resort  :)