Thanksgiving Long Weekending

I hope everyone had a happy a very happy Thanksgiving weekend!  We enjoyed the perfect combination of family, relaxation, beautiful weather, and, of course, food.  My boss surprised me with an afternoon of golf on Tuesday at one of the best courses in the country (yes, country), and that's where our mini vacation began!

What a beautiful afternoon at Yeamans Hall Club - if anyone in your family knows golf, I swear they'll know this one.  It was just stunning!

On Wednesday, we had a great relaxing day around the city before Thanksgiving.  We got some fresh air and exercise, had a nice, light meal at Queen Street Grocery, and finally tried the seasonal latte at Black Tap Coffee.  Seriously, the sweet potato pie latte tasted just like it.  It's finally starting to look and feel like fall in South Carolina - who says Charleston doesn't get foliage?!

On Thanksgiving, we didn't leave the house - haha!  We started the day with a cheese board and the parade (all from Trader Joe's - I need to share my favorite products here soon!), continued with a turkey supper, all the fixings and football, and by dinner, we had turkey soup with homemade noodles (recipe here). 

After Thanksgiving was Black Friday.  We had no intention of shopping and headed to the King Street Extension (the coolest new industrial/modern area on the northern part of the peninsula) to check out Workshop and Edmund's Oast Brewing.  We love the original Edmund's Oast location, and the brewery looked fantastic, too.  The whole open air space between the two is great, and we made sure to grab some of their most recent canning to bring home.  We decided to head up to the outlets to see how the sales were, and, of course, I got sucked in my Loft and J. Crew.  I might have bought these pants in four colors - I go all out when I find pant I don't need to hem (here are the same ones in regular length for the non-vertically challenged) and a few tops like this one for work.  If that wasn't enough, we wanted a little more misery and went to Best Buy.  I still had my Galaxy S6 from almost 3 years ago, and even worse, Mike had an S5, so we both upgraded to S8s!  The edge screen feature is so cool, and the camera is fantastic.  The photo of Shadow below is the first photo I ever took with it.  Now I just need to buy a cute case - this one or this one?  

Saturday and Sunday were spent outside and relaxing: on the golf course and down at Folly, respectively.  The weather was perfect, and it was such a relaxing way to end the weekend. 

Good luck getting back to the grind this week, friends!

DIY Pumpkin Centerpiece

I've always loved flower arranging.  When I was younger, my mom taught me how to arrange evergreens for our window boxes, and I would make little pine boxes for teachers and neighbors.  Last year, I made 50+ arrangements for my gala at work, and this year, I decided to take aim at the pumpkin arrangements I've seen all over Pinterest.

We don't decorate a ton for Halloween at our house (here's what we did this year) - we save all our holiday spirit for Christmas - but we do always get a few pumpkins.  And, yeah, I totally jumped on the stacking-pumpkin bandwagon.  I love all the shapes and colors.  We still have them outside for Thanksgiving, but I swiped one for this project.  Trader Joe's has some beautiful flowers right now, so I picked up a few bouquets and decided to make my own Thanksgiving centerpiece.

What you'll need: a pumpkin, an assortment of fall flowers with extra greenery for filler (I used green hypericum and eucalyptus), oasis (wet foam), 2-4 wooden skewers, scissors

Here's how:
1. Cut your oasis to fit on top of the pumpkin, so that it covers all but 2-3 inches around the pumpkin.
2. Stick the skewers into the pumpkin so that they stick out as high as the oasis.
3. Soak the oasis in water and press it onto the skewers.
4. Trim the edges of the oasis into a more rounded shape.
5. Start arranging flowers from the bottom, cutting the stems so they slide all the way into the middle of the oasis. 
6. Alternate different flowers, turning the arrangement constantly, to make sure all of the oasis is covered. 

There you have it!  I can't wait to have all of these beautiful colors on our table for Thanksgiving next week!

Hover over the photo below and click on the light green "P" to pin this DIY!

Last Minute Fourth of July Treats

Has the Fourth of July holiday snuck up on anyone else?  I get so excited that summer is here every Memorial Day, but by the end of June, I'm running around doing a million things.  Today, I have four festive last minute snack ideas to bring to that picnic or firework-watching party this weekend.  The best part is that they're all made with fruit (so they're basically healthy).

Fruit and yogurt flag
What you'll need: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, yogurt-covered pretzels, yogurt-covered raisins, a small bowl, and a rectangular tray
What you'll do: Place blueberries in the small bowl on the top left of the tray.  Arrange rows of strawberries, yogurt pretzels/yogurt raisins, and raspberries on the tray to form the stripes of the American flag.

Watermelon Firecrackers
What you'll need: watermelon, sprinkles, star cookie cutter, and paper straws
What you'll do: Slice the watermelon into inch-thick slices.  Cut heart shapes out of the watermelon and stick onto straws.  Finish with a few sprinkles!

Fruit and granola kabobs
What you'll need: strawberries, blueberries, granola cereal, and wooden skewers
What you'll do: Create red, white, and blue treats by skewering the fruit and granola.

Fruit ice cubes
What you'll need: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and a muffin tin.
What you'll do: Arrange the berries in each cup and fill the cups with water.  Place the tray in the freezer for 3 hours until solid, and add the cubes to your favorite drink.

If you're looking for even more Independence Day fun, check out more favorite recipes, Strawberry Pretzel Salad and M&M cookie bars, as well as a round up of all things red, white, and blue. 

What are your weekend plans?

Easter Outfit Inspiration: Neutral vs. Colorful

I love springtime, and most importantly, Easter season: going to church, spending time with family, admiring the blooming flowers, all while enjoying the beautiful weather and clothes that go along with it.  Growing up, I hated shopping 51 weeks of the year, but that one week we went out to the boutiques for Easter dresses was my absolute favorite.  Most often, I'd pick a dress with as many colors and flowers as possible.  Well, not much has changed in 20+ years.  I still love shopping for my Easter dress and bright colors, but now I also appreciate the look of neutrals.  This spring, I have created two different spring floral looks, one neutral and one colorful, to help you start thinking about your perfect Easter outfit.  Both are inspired by Secret Silky®'s fantastic line of sheer pantyhose.  These products are made with high-quality fabric and offer department store quality at a great value.  Each of my two looks features a different shade and style of Secret Silky® leg wear.

In my first outfit, I'm stepping out of my childhood comfort zone with a neutral black and white floral skirt.  I love how the jet black hosiery from the Silky Sheer Collection pulls the whole look together for a polished and sophisticated feel.

The second outfit channels my inner child with a lace and flowery spring dress.  With winter and long pants not too far behind us, my legs are not as tan as I wish they were, and the consistent sun tan color of the Sheer Support Collection gave me the confidence I needed to step out in this look.

Secret Silky®'s full line of leg wear is sold exclusively at RiteAid's 4,500 locations nationwide, so it's the perfect addition to your cart when you head over to fill your Easter baskets!

What will you be wearing on Easter this year?

I received compensation and complimentary products from Gildan in exchange for an honest review and styling of the above items.  All opinions are my own.

Five Ideas For Hosting A Masters Golf Party

Happy Friday!!  Did anyone check out Masters coverage yesterday?  By the looks of this blog over the last couple of weeks,  you know I had the live stream on at work (and definitely will again today).  Now this weekend will be party time, and I have five ways to throw the best Masters Par-Tee.  Invite your friends to swing on by, and you'll be ready to entertain:

1. Set the stage: Start your party with everything green, yellow, and white - Masters colors.  Colorful paper straws, napkins, and plates are my go-to functional decor.  I love to add some fresh flowers, too.  Azaleas are always in full bloom at Augusta National during Masters week and tulips and daffodils just scream spring!  My favorite golf-themed trick is to put golf balls in the bottom of your flower vase with the water to add even more golf-pizazz.

2. Include the famous logo: If you've ever had the opportunity to go to the Masters, you know that they sell everything with that well-known sort-of continental America-shaped logo.  Whip out all your Masters logos, and you don't have any, you can buy one of everything on eBay: glasses, koozies, hats, tee shirts, and folding chairs!

3. Start early: Even though tv coverage doesn't start until the afternoon, Masters.com live streams Amen Corner, a few featured groups, and the practice area starting as soon as the sun rises, so partying can start bright and early!  Here's where the important part begins: the food.  The Masters concession stand is legendary, not just for the recipes, but also the prices.  Tickets might cost a fortune (unless you're lucky enough to get selected through the lottery), but the food prices have been the same for decades.  Taking place in the South, obviously the number one item for breakfast is the chicken sandwich.  In case you were wondering, at Augusta National, it would cost you all of $1.50!  My version is made with some Bisquik drop biscuits and fried chicken.

4. Lunch time: The inexpensive prices don't stop at breakfast, sandwiches at Augusta are between $1.50 and $3.00.  For the most famous pimento cheese sandwiches, I used a Charleston staple, Callie's Biscuits pimento cheese.  How cute are the little Masters flags, too?  They're so easy to make out of post-it notes and toothpicks, drawing the Masters logo on each one.  I cut the crusts off each white bread sandwich, and sliced it into four squares.  If pimento cheese isn't your style, other famous favorites at the Masters include egg salad, bar-b-que, ham and cheese, and turkey and cheese.

5. Leave room for the sweets: Now for the best part of the day: dessert.  Last week, I shared the copycat recipe for my favorite item on the Augusta National menu board: Georgia Peach Ice Cream sandwiches.  If you're looking for something chocolate, here is a recipe for some fun golf-inspired Masters cupcakes.

Now it's time to brew up a batch of sweet tea (or maybe some Masters Mimosas) and turn on the tv!  You can watch the Masters this afternoon on ESPN and tomorrow and Sunday on CBS.  Happy viewing!