Happy Halloween!

From me back in the day... Batgirl!

One BIG Happy

... And that's a 'One BIG Happy' BIRTHDAY to my mom! She is fabulous.

Her sound advice, ambition and belief in me, bring a smile to my face everyday. Mothers are very important, and I love mine so x 1,000,000. I look forward to celebrating you, mom!

Quote Boat - Be.

I loved doing rebus puzzles when I was growing up. I specifically remember being in elementary school, and we had a worksheet of rebus puzzles to do. Whoever could come up with the answer first would say it out loud to get a prize. We eventually came to this one:

WEAR

LONG

I was thinking out loud before I was about to blurt out loud...

LONG UNDERWEAR!

But the student next to me heard me & blurted out my answer before I could... Even though he had been clueless, he got the prize. That's when I learned it's best to keep some ideas to ourselves or act upon them, immediately. In any event, I still love a good rebus puzzle.

Can you guess this one?

MAN

BOARD

Or this one? MOONCEON

What about this one?

Be in the moment. It's most important. Let go of what happened yesterday, and don't worry about what tomorrow will bring. Live for this moment that is happening right now. I even believe looking too forward to something in the future makes the good times in between pass us by even faster. This moment is the most important moment - Live in it.

*Answers: MAN/BOARD... Man Overboard; MOONCEON... Once in a Blue Moon

SWV4

I just purchased my copy of Southern Weddings!

I love that the spine reads, "Gooder than grits, ya'll!" and the back cover reads, "Ya'll come back now, ya hear?" I can't wait to delve into the beautiful pages!

Halloween is coming... Party Rock!

This guy is a genius. I love this year's hip hoppin' halloween house... Ah-mazing.

Oyster Roast

I rounded out this past weekend at an 'Oyster Roast'... A first for me, and I loved it!!

Hank was a champ at shucking oysters. Then I would dip them in butter and then in a horseradish/cocktail sauce/Texas Pete concoction... Just yum! I'm all for a back porch & fire pit kind of party complete with string lights, a glass of wine & good music.

State Park Mini-Hike

This weekend was beautiful, so on Sunday, I really took advantage of the weather by going on a mini-hike with Hank & Bentley. I'm super thankful we live close to a nice state park!

Bentley was a champ... Even on the uphills! I'm looking forward to hiking this again soon.

'A Spooktacular Soiree'

I met up with my friend May for one last trip to the J. Crew Warehouse Sale before Hank and I geared up for 'A Spooktacular Soiree,' a Halloween get-together.

We dressed up as skeletons with twin shoes ; ) I loved Hostess Laura's wine bottle labels.

'Love A Fair'

Hank and I went to the State Fair for a tasty lunch on Saturday.

We didn't go crazy with fair food this year, but we did eat a gyro, chicken tenders & fries basket, pineapple lemonade and a pumpkin spice funnel cake (that was delicious).

... Yep, I would say we were pretty food tame.

Furb Deux

On Saturday morning, I went to see Furb Deux, the new Furbish Studio.

I loved that lamp & chair. You can find more photos of Jamie's pretty new shop here.

Photos by Kat ; )

Weekend Squeeze... Here we go!

This weekend was great. It was busy, but it had the perfect amount of downtime too : )

• • •

On Friday night, we met up with friends to see the comedian Louis C.K. He's funny. This is the cleanest quote I could find by him, and it's not a funny one, it's a yes, that's true one,

"I'm bored' is a useless thing to say. I mean, you live in a great, big, vast world that you've seen none percent of. Even the inside of your own mind is endless, it goes on forever, inwardly, do you understand? The fact that you're alive is amazing, so you don't get to say, 'I'm bored."

Louis C.K. is vulgar, but he had a lot of good life type jokes jumbled into his routine too.

One BIG Happy (Love this song!)

Good Life by OneRepublic

Wedding Album... Ordered!

... And it feels so good. Now for the three to four week wait until it's in!

Olive Outfits - Happy Feet

Speaking of shoes...

Thank you Mom & Dad for my little(ish) feet.

They made fitting into these too cute children's flats possible : )

Pink Sneakers

*I remembered I had a giraffe in the attic who wears pink sneakers. Then, an idea was born.

(Click to enlarge... Always.)

Just Cruisin'

This past weekend we started teaching Bentley how to skateboard.

Here are two short clips from our first attempt:

'Getting the Feeling'

'Starting to Cruise' (I love his little kick-off!)

Bentley loves being on his skateboard. Once he figures out how to keep himself moving, and we get him a skateboard that actually rolls... Bentley will be cruisin' the streets!

Hey! That's me!

I went to a race website to check their 2012 date and, "Hey! That's me!"

One BIG Happy

I love the fall leaves taking over the views from our back windows & porch.

"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn." - Elizabeth Lawrence

GetLit: The Paris Wife (Recap!)

There were 10 ladies in attendance at Wednesday night's book club. I had a blast preparing and hosting, and it was certainly a fun night. I set up different stations, and the first was a drink station which offered red and white wine, tea and ice water.

The appetizer station had cheese and crackers, pickles and mushrooms marinated in garlic. I placed little chocolates in a pair of Paris themed martini glasses. I used Eiffel Towers as decorations throughout. The cheese and crackers from Angus Barn were definitely a hit.

The main dishes were chicken salad with croissants, bean salad and fruit salad. Those two salads are my favorites to serve with a group. I had mints at this table of course. I made the invitation into a sign, and I used it as a decoration along with photos of Hadley and Ernest Hemingway. 

For the dessert table, I baked up a fresh batch of chocolate chip pound cake, and it could be served with pumpkin ice cream as seen here. The favorite dessert were Eiffel Tower cookies with pearl sprinkles using my mom's delicious cookie recipe.

While preparing, I drew an Eiffel Tower on the bottom of one dinner plate and a strand of pearls on another. Once each girl had a plate, I announced that a design meant you won a sparkly Eiffel Tower ornament. As for favors, each girl received a vintage Paris notecard.

I had two of my favorite albums as background music, ...Featuring Norah Jones and Tony Bennett Duets II. While I may not always read for book club, I love book club!

It's book club time.

I'm excited to 'GetLit' tonight... I'm hosting!

There are stars in the Southern sky.

One of my favorites songs - Seven Bridges Road by the Eagles:

Quote Boat - Two Way

Photo Booth

Down by the Tracks 10

Let's talk about this block party geared towards dogs. It's called Down by the Tracks, and it made for one amazing 'Sunday Funday.' I'm all for entrepreneurship, and a lady started this event on a whim ten years ago. Today, it generates a substantial amount of money to benefit our local animal shelter. Local businesses come together with lots of donations & fun.

The day was filled with live music, unlimited beer, wine tastings, food trucks, a dog agility course, doggie pools, photo booth, best dressed dog contest, an awesome silent auction and lots of treats and take-homes for Bentley. Bentley even went on stage to claim his prize ; )

Bulldog Meets Bulldog

This photo is my current desktop background - I may be slightly obsessed.

I wonder what Bentley really thought of this English Bulldog turned Rock Star?

Lucky Score

I've had New Year's Eve dress on the back of my mind, and I scored the perfect one for me at a J.Crew Warehouse Sale. It's the same as my bridesmaid's dresses but in black.

This black bow monde dress in silk taffeta currently retails for $250 - I paid $20! The best deals at a J. Crew Warehouse Sale are definitely found in the special occasion dresses.

P.S. My Top Five Ways to Survive a J. Crew Warehouse Sale:

1. Wear leggings and a tight running top. This makes trying everything on easy.

2. Come with lots & lots of time, then you wont stress yourself out.

3. Don't dig to the bottom of every box. Graze & grab what catches your eye.

4. Like an item a little bit? Go ahead and throw it in your bag. It's highly likely it will be gone when you go back for it - You can make your decision on it later before you check-out.

5. There are no mirrors. Some people will tell you an item does not look okay for an obscure reason so you'll put it down, and then they'll grab it (this really happens), so bring a friend!

Weekend Squeeze

This weekend was lots of fun. I went to a J. Crew Warehouse Sale, enjoyed an awesome tailgate and football game with friends & family, went out for a night on the town and had a blast at a block party geared towards dogs (with lots of delicious eats in between).

One BIG Happy

Maura is in town (to my left) - I'm all for a weekend with these college loves.

Home Happenings

When one door closes,

I recently ordered a really great nativity scene. It came with a potato box as the stable. The potato box is a bit bigger than I was expecting it to be, so I'll be brainstorming an alternate.

another door opens.

I've been wanting a night stand type table. With shelves? Shelves would be wonderful! My mom didn't want her potato box, so our potato boxes united to make my search complete.

When one door closes, another door opens.

Thank you for everything, Steve.

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

• • •

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

• • •

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you're going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

• • •

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

• • •

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

More Pumpkin, Please!

"There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin." - Linus from 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown' (1966)

Pumpkin Delight

Freshly Baked Chocolate Chip Pound Cake with Edy's Pumpkin Ice Cream (Yum!)

Olive Outfits - The Belt

I can't stop belting myself:

I've learned a belt can make a piece of clothing look more fitted, flattering & fun.

Beasley's Chicken + Honey

Sunday morning Hank and I brunched at Beasley's Chicken + Honey in Downtown Raleigh.

First things first... Drinks were served in mason jars. I loved the place already. Waffles are a favorite breakfast item of mine (along with blueberry pancakes), so we brunched on fried chicken waffles + honey. The waffles were served with a delicious maple syrup. We ordered a side of hook's three-year cheddar pimento mac-n-cheese custard along with sliced german johnson tomatoes and malt mayo. While all was ah-mazing, next time I would stick with my entree only (super filling). It was one delightful Southern brunch with my honey.

Quote Boat - Dare