Home sweet Homecoming

Despite dreary fall weather, Rich and I headed back to North Carolina to take in some Wake Forest Homecoming festivities.  If you know me, you know I am a big time Deacon, so it was especially fun to get to take the mister home for his first game.  As comes standard with being a die-hard Deacon fan, we lost the game in a heartbreaking fashion, so we can say with certainty that he is fully experiencing all the highs and lows of fandom.  Here are a few snaps from our weekend at Wake:

There is usually a fun festival for families on the Quad but the rain drew the fun inside:

 

 Celebrity sighting!  We met the Deacon!

 

On dressing up dogs for Halloween

I don't know, maybe I am crazy, but as fall officially begins, I cannot stop thinking about how I plan to dress my dog children, affectionately we will call them my dog-taughters for Halloween.  If I am being honest, I would dress these girls up everyday of the year if it was considered normal dog owner behavior, because dogs in Halloween costumes can brighten up any one on any day of the week.  I think about their Halloween outfits (and mine...honestly) throughout the entire year.  Current thoughts: Ellie's in an alligator loving phase, she must be an Ellie-gator for Halloween.  Sophie is being a bit ornery, she needs to be a crab.  These are the abnormal thoughts that sprinkle through this brain 52 weeks of the year!   

Here are a few of my favorites for this year's crew:

Amazon: Ninja Turtle

Amazon: Raptor

Amazon: Police Officer

Does anyone else take great joy in selecting Halloween costumes for their four legged loves?  As I sniff my pumpkin spiced everything, I am happily welcoming in dog Halloween costume season!

Weekend Recap: Fort Sumter

Friday: Rich's parents were in town for the weekend and we were blessed with quite possibly the best weather you can imagine for your last weekend in Charleston for a few weeks.  The temps were in the upper 80s but made way for glorious nights on our perfect porch.  We were even treated to this sunset on their first night here that we got to witness from our back porch:

Never one to miss an opportunity to beg, Ellie enjoys porch parties the most of anyone.

Rich and I bought these lights at Costco after we moved in.  He painstakingly hung them one day and we really enjoy "Friday night lights". 

Saturday:  We decided to use this beautiful day we were gifted to make our first visit to Ft. Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired upon.  It was a great day to visit the Fort and the 30 minute boat ride to and from the island gave us magnificent photos of our bridge and the Yorktown where we have shared many Charleston memories!

  

Why I will always Rent the Runway

I admit it.  I can be a bit cheap.  I will never be one of those people that seeks out the really expensive pair of shoes that will last a lifetime.  I am much more concerned with the here and now of fashion and that's why I am all about the 40% Ann Taylor Loft sales, Old Navy, and Target.  I don't want to invest a ton in a piece of clothing because my tastes change with the seasons when it comes to fashion.  This is why I am a huge fan of Rent The Runway.

With RTR you can rent a designer dress for a fraction of the price for a number of days (4-8 days total).  Worried about fit? They even send you a second complimentary size so you can be assured it will fit nicely.  Even better, you can peruse their website and see photos and reviews from other ladies who have rented that same dress.  Need some bling?  They even suggest accesories that others have rented with the same dress you are hoping to wear.  RTR takes so much of the guess work out.  You can plug in your body type and it will suggest what dresses suit you best.

So far I've rented a number of pieces from RTR.  Here is a little trip down RTR memory lane with a brief description of each piece and my thoughts.

Air Force Ball 2014:  I rented my most favorite gown I've ever worn for my first Air Force Ball.  What better chance to wear a gown named "A Night at the Oscars" then this little number.  Though you can't tell in this photo, I also rented some cute earrings that worked perfectly with this gown.  If I remember correctly they were 5 dollars to rent but saved me so much time becase, really, what do you wear with a dress like this and where do you buy it?

Five on Friday

It's Friday and I am under the weather.  Thankfully this gives me the perfect chance to "cool my jets" as my dad would say and get some extra sleep  television time.  Let me share my five on Friday for this week:


One: Silas Timberlake: Can we talk about Timber-baby for a second?  He finally came out of hiding on the Jimmy Fallon show when JT shared some adorable family snap shots.  I'm a bit confused how he looks nothing like either of them, but regardless he is one cute baby.

Two: "The Best Yes": I've joined a bible study small group at church (hello August goals: check) and this week we finally began out study of Lysa TerKeurst's The Best Yes. Essentially the book seeks to help women discover how their decision making shapes their lives, namely, how saying too much "yes" can take away our energy and allow us less time for God.  I am really excited to learn more about this study and what it will teach me int he next 8 weeks.

Three: Free Shutterfly Photo Book:  Shutterfly is running an awesome deal right now!  You can create a 8x8 photobook for FREE!  All you have to do is pay shipping and handling!  I was finally able to create a photobook of all the pictures of Rich and I's first year together.  Be sure to use the promocode FREETREAT in the check out to score the great deal.

Four: The Air Force Ball: Rich and I are planning to attend this year's Air Force Ball downtown and we are so excited.  I had so much fun last year in my Rent the Runway gown.  I rented my dress again this year, but can't help but eye google so many beautiful dresses as we get ready.  Here are some of my favorites.

This was last year's dress.

Five: Operation Moving:  We have finally nailed down the dates we plan to travel to look for a new house.  Now begins the fun process of coming up with our top favorite houses to visit!  

Low Country Crabbing

Crabbing in the beautiful low country has been something at the top of my list since moving here.  Often we see folks enjoying the low country by fishing at the local piers and we thought crabbing would be a great way to appreciate all the beauty the low country has to offer while being a bit more active.  While at Kiawah we figured we'd give this bucket list item a big check!

All you need to crab in the low country is:

a crabbing net (we were able to get ours at Seacoast Outfitters on Johns Island for 5 dollars)

twine (found at Seacoast Outfitters on Johns Island for 1 dollar)

raw chicken (we used thinly sliced chicken breasts but we were told that crabs love thicker pieces like thighs)

shoes to wade in the water if you intend to  get in to crab (we didn't pack this and really regretted not having some foot protection since crabs/oysters/shells are underfoot)

twine to use to tie the meat on the net (we cut off a piece of our longer twine to secure the chicken)

Crabbing is most successful 2-3 hours before high tide and 1-2 hours after.  In South Carolina you must throw back any crabs that are less than 5 inches long.  

We were losing our bait at our first location because as the amateur crabbers we weren't aware you MUST tie your bait to the net.  

In our new location we were taught the proper crabbing technique of tying the bait on by a nice man at the river.  

Vacation Day Two:Kiawah Island

Day two brought cloudier skies.  We spent the morning at the Ocean Course, the beautiful, historic golf course at the end of the island and home to what is considered the toughest golf course in America.  Afterward we ate the most amazing of brunches at The Sanctuary's Jasmine's Porch.  The brunch featured bottomless mimosas, multiple different food stations, and a dessert bar that has me still lusting after one more slice of Key Lime Pie.  I think the big brunch winner was the Vanilla Bourbon French Toast.  We've been talking about it ever since.  Here are a few snaps of our Day Two Adventures.  Don't miss Day One of our Kiawah Island Adventure as well!

Dress I scored at the Escapada Warehouse sale here in Charleston at whopping 80% off.  They usually run one in July and January...so you won't want to miss that.

 

This was one of the many, many, many plates that I made while at the Sanctuary Brunch but most importantly it features the French Toast of mention and now perpetual lust.  

 

Weekend Recap: Kiawah Island

I have such amazing and fond memories of Kiawah Island from my childhood.  I remember the smells, the sounds, the excitement, the sadness upon leaving, the animals, the trails, the plants, and the sand with vivid detail.  When my parents kindly invited Rich and I to spend the weekend with them during their vacation rental time, we were counting down the days until we arrived (yes...on a whiteboard in our kitchen!).    Just as I'd imagine the weekend did not disappoint.  There is certainly a reason Kiawah Island is considered one of the most amazing places for a family vacation.  Here are a few snaps and memories from Day One in Kiawah:

It is a proven doggie parent fact that all good weekends begin with the Doggie Daycare Drop Off.  Bonus points when the dogs come back to tired they don't move for a few days afterward.  Success!  Also my favorite dress here is on sale!

The first day was the best beach day.  We enjoyed it by taking a nice long beach walk with my parents. I scored this suit on major clearance at Belks.  It is sold out online but I also fancied this little number. 

The miles and miles of well designed and safe trails make Kiawah a real exercise treat!  The first day Rich and I biked for 14 miles all over the island, mostly on a serious alligator hunt.

With views like this, what's not to LOVE?

Sweaty bike break selfie!

On our 14 mile ride, we came across 4 deer.  This set was frolicking on the golf course like two sweet children would frolick.  We were able to get pretty close to them before they ran off. 

 The Nature Center at Night Heron Park had some beautiful creatures on hand.  We were able to get up close and personal with these adorable guys.

At the end of our bike ride, we came across this tower we were able to walk up and see a gorgeous view of the marsh separating Kiawah and Johns Island.  Amazingly we saw only one house far off in the horizon.  Essentailly it was nature all around us and so peaceful.  We could've stayed there for hours if not for the impending rain.

Our first night we grilled and boiled shrimp and scallops and ate outside on the patio.  It was the perfect dinner setting for family time!

There is a special lagoon on the island where the Egrets land each night to roost.  It is so neat to watch them all fly in and gather.  This photo fails to capture all the activity! 

Blue Apron: our in-home date night

A few months ago we kindly received a free trial week of Blue Apron, a convenient food delivery service that sends 3 meal ingredients for you to prepare at home.  What we loved most about the meals is it gave us a chance to cook with and eat ingredients we would never purchase at the store (I'm talking to you fennel).  Last night we gave Blue Apron another go of it and made the Thai Chicken Burger meal.  I love how this service can turn into a stay at home date night cooking class and you get 3 two person meals for 60 dollars...and....as I mentioned the priceless gift of no grocery shopping!  In the end, we came away with a delicious, "home made" meal, and to boot, we learned how to make something new.  Winners all around in this house.  If you want to look into Blue Apron for yourself click on over here.  Check it out:

Each individual ingredient arrives labeled along with the step by step directions, including pictures on how to do each step. 

 

After dicing and mixing all the ingredients to form the two chicken patties, we were all set for the stove top!

 

Just waiting on that chicken patty to be done!  These ingredients came in their whole form and we chopped them up to garnish the chicken burgers.  

 

The scene of the crime!  I can say that we made a bit of a mess with this meal.

 

Our Thai Chicken Burger before I devoured it.  For the record, it was delicious.  We both decided it tasted like something Chick Fil A would make if they added an Asian inspired chicken sandwich. 

Per usual our Sous-Chef was on hand to "help" with all the cooking. We think she may have helped a bit too much since she woke up with a rough tummy.

 

Most importantly, we are proudly flying the Black and Gold with the start of football season and happily excited to know the Deacs are 1-0 after the first week.  We shall relish that for as long as we can.