Monday, December 10, 2012

Asheville Weekend

I never get a chance to get away and relax.  Lauren's sister had her bachelorette party in Asheville this past weekend, and I was lucky enough to tag along.
Here's the crew!
Lauren and I have been good friends since High School and I've known some of these ladies since
THEY were in middle school.  It's hard to believe most of them are married and that Lauren and I used to chauffeur some of them around back in the day.
I think it's so great that these beautiful ladies have stayed friends since they were little and continue 
to be close after so many years! 


We stayed at a cabin in Candler that was ON the mountain.
I was a little scared that Lauren's Honda wouldn't make it up the winding road to the house, but
the view from the porch was great!
Friday when we arrived, the girls had decorated the house and had appetizers ready.
We had a little shower for Kristen, and Liz made gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches that were to.DIE.for!

{By the way, Liz, need those recipes...}  
Have you ever spoken with my husband on the phone?
He's not very good at wrapping up a conversation.....
At lunch on Saturday 

Fuzzy picture due to low light.
Now that we both are mommies, it's even harder to find time
to spend with friends!
We both had a great time, but were reminded just how OLD we are!!
Meanwhile.....in Manning....
Chad and Mr. B took a weekend trip to hang out with Gigi and Doc.
Beckett had a great time making the rounds catching up.
Chad sent me this picture on Saturday of Beckett and Landry hanging out.
How precious are they?!  

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Saturday we ventured out for a little shopping in downtown Asheville.  Kress Emporium is an art gallery.  Lots of beautiful ornaments for Christmas, artwork and original pieces.  Downstairs from Kress is a home decor store that I believe was called "Adorn?'  Anyone remember?
I really loved this pottery by  Julie Miller Gootman at Kress.
How cool are these windows/doors hung to divide a space?  
Beautiful striped pillows......with quite a hefty price tag attached! 
Are you aware of just HOW much antlers are in style.....still?
If you've got a husband or boyfriend who likes to hunt, you might just be in luck right now.
I didn't get the price on these in this centerpiece display but I can almost guarantee
they were outrageous! 
Beautiful bed set-up.
Love the quatrefoil design in the head and footboard. 
Lauren and I drove home through Charlotte so we could do a little shopping at one of my favorite places on earth!

If only Columbia had a Nordstrom!!!
....and a J.Crew
.....and Potterbarn
....and Gap Kids
....and Aldo
.....and a Belk that even held a candle to the one at South Park!

A girl can only dream I guess!


Thanks girls for the fun weekend!!!

Happy Tuesday!
XO, 

Music Monday Download

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Cleaning Out My Closets

Most of you that know me personally (and even through my blog and Instagram) know that I'm a clothing and accessories junky!  I recently stumbled across a great iphone app which allows you to sell clothing and accessories very easily.  I've already sold one pair of shades and received payment via direct deposit so I'm going to give this app a chance and see what else I can clean out!  

You pick the list price and receive 80% of the sale.  Shipping is included.  There's no charge for listing either.  It's so easy!  You take a photo with your phone, upload it, pick your price and when it sells, they email you the shipping label.  

I don't mess with ebay.  I don't have time to upload pics, answer questions and do research on every item and it's common selling price. This takes the guess work out of it.  The consignment shop I've been using only gives you 40% of the sale price.  Which means if you pay $200 for a pair of jeans, they most likely will price them at $45.  You only get 40% of that price, which is NOTHING!!  

If you've got anything you want to sell (especially designer duds) this is a great way to list it and possibly make a bit of extra moolah for the holiday season!  

C'mon and try it!!  


If you're interested in what I'm selling, click HERE for the link! 

Happy Shopping....and SELLING! 
XO,

Monday, December 3, 2012

Decking the Halls 2012

We just did something this year I never thought we would do!  We purchased a fake Christmas tree.....not only a fake one....but a 12 FOOT fake one.......that weighs as much as I do!  

We never let my mom get a fake tree when we were little.  We refused!  We loved going to pick it out, finding just the right one, and smelling that wonderful frasier fir smell the weeks until Christmas.  I never EVER thought I would be excited about a fake tree.....until last year.  Last year it took me three days to get the remnants of needles and sap out of our house and I swore I'd never do it again.  So, this year we decided to make it a bit easier on ourselves and get a prelit tree that was the right size and shape for our house.  When Beckett gets a bit older and has an opinion on it, we'll probably buy a small real tree for him to decorate, but for now, I'm enjoying the fact that my broom hasn't swept up one needle and I didn't have to string one light!  

Here's a view from the balcony looking down.
Very easy to apply the bow on top at least. 

Last year I highlighted some of my favorite ornaments.
I'll showcase some more when I post our decorations
from the tree downstairs, but here are two more I love that are new this year.
Mom got me these after Christmas last year.
They are massive and fit well on the massive tree. 
New heel from my mother-in-law and sister-in-law's recent trip to London.
They know me pretty well....
I love this burlap wired ribbon I found at Carolina pottery.
It blends so well with the decor in our living room.
Our great room decor is so neutral, I can't go with the traditional red and
green Christamas colors
Tis the season for candles.
In lieu of having a real tree and that wonderful
tree smell, I have a candle burning almost daily.
These smell fantastic and are my favorites:
WoodWick Mistletoe Magic 
WoodWick Frasier Fir 
and Thymes Frasier Fir
Since most of the remainder of my Christmas decorations are similar to last year, I won't show you around the house again.  However, if you missed my Christmas decor post from 2011, click HERE to see how I decked the halls last year!

Happy Monday! 
XO,

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Photoshoot Teaser

Here are two of my favorite shots from Saturday with Molly Catherine and Elizabeth Shay at the farm. 
Cuteness overload!!!


Happy Thursday! 
This week is flying by.....probably because my to-do list is as big as Texas! 
XO, 

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Beckett Chatter

Here's the latest installment of what comes out of my child's mouth. 
I'm not making this stuff up, I promise. 



Beckett:  "The monster gonna eat your purse"
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Beckett:  "The crock-o-dile gonna eat my seatbelt"
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Beckett:  "I want to 'fy' on an 'air-pane'"
Chad:  "Where do you want to go?"
Beckett:  {without hesitation} "New Jersey"
___________________________________________________________
Beckett:  "I like your shirt, mommy"
next day
Beckett:  "I like your boots, mommy!"
___________________________________________________________
Me:  "What would you like for Santa Claus to bring you this year?"
Beckett:  "TOYS!!!"
Me:  "Well, I figured as much, but what kind of toys?"
Beckett:  "A backhoe"  (yeah, Chad's child!)
___________________________________________________________
Beckett:  "Nonna, you want 'sumpin' to drink?"
Nonna:  "huh?"
(Beckett walks over to mini fridge, pulls out a Natural Light and hands it to my mother)
Nonna:  "I have to drive home in a minute, bud, no thank you"
(NOBODY taught him this, I SWEAR!!)
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Chad unhooked the DVD player in the bonus room and I've been asking him to fix it.  After 30 minutes of attempting to hook it back up properly this is mine and B's convo... 
Beckett:  "What are you doing mommy?"
Me:  "I'm trying to fix the dvd player, bud"
Beckett:  "Why?"
Me:  "Because your daddy broke it"
Beckett:  "I have an idea" (look of concern on his face, pauses with finger on his chin as he's thinking).  YOU fix it mommy!
__________________________________________________________
After his bath...
Beckett:  "Mommy?"
Me:  "Yes?"
Beckett:  "You're my favorite girl!"
Melt.my.HEART!!!!
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Beckett:  "Mommy.....hey MOMMY!...do you want a green bean, Mommy?
Me:  "No thank you, I have a salad, buddy"
Beckett:  "Trrrryyyyyy it, you'll liiiiiiike it...."
Me:  "No thanks, bud"
Beckett:  It's got BUTTER on it!"
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Last night 
Beckett:  "Daddy, will you come sit on the couch with me?"
Chad:  "Sure, B!"
Beckett:  "I missed you OHH so much!"
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Happy Wednesday! 
XO, 

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Country Boy

Saturday night before the beatdown USC gave to Clemson, we headed out to Fort Motte to hang out with friends.  I did a mini photoshoot with Molly Catherine and Elizabeth Shay, so Beckett and Chad met up with Mr. Darby to ride on the tractor.  Beckett was in heaven!
I didn't necessarily intend on dressing him like Marty McFly.  I promise.
I just love a puffer vest, I can't help it.  
Marty McFly?  Back to the Future?
Look familiar?
Evidently it runs in the family.
This is my brother, early 80's 
That's a LOT of pink on a big John Deere tractor.
They were right at home though! 





Forget about getting him to look at the camera when there is a giant tractor within eyesight.  

There go the girls and their daddy. 

He did NOT want to see the tractor go!  
Do you see those big crocodile tears welling up in his eyes?
I NEVER in a million years thought I would be hauling my child to the country to see his
face light up when he saw farm equipment.
NEVER!
Whatever makes this boy happy!

He plays so well with these girls!  After we took photos and rode tractors, we headed back to the
lodge to watch the game and let the kids run around and play.

What FUN!! 

At half time Beckett was ready to take it to the house, so we got in our time machine, and 
drove 88 mph (only kidding--Back to the Future humor) 
home to watch the rest of game.

I'll have a few pics from the girls photoshoot to share soon.

Happy Tuesday!
XO, 

Monday, November 26, 2012

Kickoff to the Christmas Season

How was your Thanksgiving weekend?  Whew!  We were buuuuuuusy.  Sick kid, sick daddy, sick mommy, traveling to Manning and back, 2 year old well visit, put up the monstrosity of a Christmas tree, did a tiny bit of shopping, cleaning, a photo shoot, photo editing, and watching USC beat Clemson....AGAIN! GOOOOOO COCKS!!!!!!
I'm beat and December hasn't even arrived yet.  Every weekend there's something plannned, so bear with me.  I'm trying to wrap up the rest of the Christmas decor so I can do a post soon!  

We have a new visitor at our house this year. Beckett has yet to come up with a name for him. 
He keeps wanting to call him "Dino Dan" but I told him that's just weird.....we're still thinking on it though.

Back to the old grind today! 
Happy Monday. 
XO, 

Friday, November 16, 2012

Beckett's Birthday Weekend

Good gracious!  Has it already been a year since Beckett's big first birthday bash?  This year was a tad stressful when it came to October/November festivities.  Beckett caught a stomach bug the weekend before his birthday and kept it for 5 days, so a small wrench was thrown in my party planning.  This year we kept it smaller.  Just a little bit of 'boy decor' here and there, a few close friends and family and of course lots of cake and ice cream.  
Also, in advance, thank you to my sister in law for bringing her camera and letting me load her pictures so that I had more! I'm not very good with making sure I get all the pictures that I want these days!   
I love a mantle banner.  If you go through my archives, I seem to have a mantle banner for every occasion.
This is what you call LAST minute decorating.
Beckett loves any type of vehicle so I threw this together.  
67 cent wooden cutouts from Hobby Lobby.
I looped a small ribbon and hot glued it to the back of the cars (and trucks)
to make a small hanger, then strung them on a larger grosgrain ribbon.
I may do a small Christmas tree this year for him so these will
play double duty as ornaments once I add a small hook.
Ice cream cone zone.
My aunt (the cake genius) fell and suffered major damage to her achillies tendon
on Friday afternoon before the party.
As you can see, she STILL came through though! 
Beckett had his own cake mini cake too.
He loves trucks and tractors, so the dump trucks served as a serving station
Chocolate 'rocks' 
The cake table centerpiece
Underneath the Easter grass I had decorative river rocks holding the balloons in place.
But I was worried that kids (or even adults) would mistake the river
rocks as chocolate like the ones I had in the truck above, 

so I raided my Easter stash for some grass to cover up the rocks. 
Aunt Amy and Uncle Pat came on Friday night to stay for the weekend.
Beckett got to open up his gift from them early Saturday morning. 

"Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site" is definitely a new favorite book.
He's already memorized the first two pages and reads it to us! 

He made Uncle Pat read it too.
Uncle Beau came a bit early to give him his present.
The tricycle turns from a "rocking bike" to a push bike and,
eventually, the back piece comes off so he can peddle on his own.
He LOVED it! 


Weston wanted to try it out too.
Hope these two will be friends in the future like their mamas!
Playing cornhole with Doc

He had to show off his skills on his pedal-less bike for everyone too. 

Cutie Weston
Me and Amanda
Old friends are the best kind.
The cake is here!!



Waiting patiently on cake. 

Forget the fork!
Weeks before his party I would ask him what he wanted for his birthday and
his answer was always simple.
CAKE!!


Finger lickin' good! 
Nonna sneaking him some more.....
Nonna and Poppa gave him a Cars laptop.


Oh my dear baby boy, you sure aren't a baby anymore!  I can't believe you're already 2!  
Happy Birthday Beckett!!! 
XO,