A Spot & A Bit

A spot of Christmas here and a bit of Christmas there.

Holiday festivities begin at work this week. I bedazzled the Secret Santa sign-up sheet! It's easy to curl paper: cut strips and then wrap the strips around a pen & release (instant cheer).

Bentley has been channeling his inner Grinch ever since he started rocking his new collar from Etsy - He loves to terrorize the bottom Christmas tree branches & tree skirt!!

These lovely ladies are up & looking fabulous in my office. They are quite the fancy bunch!

Bethany: Is your house on fire, Clark?

Clark: No, Aunt Bethany, those are the Christmas Lights.

Quote Boat - Remember

Christmas by Michael Buble

This Christmas album is beautiful:

It definitely ranks up there as one of my favorite holiday albums.

Hugs & Gobbles

There is nothing like a nice, long four-day weekend filled with family and friends. I gobbled 'til I wobbled on multiple occasions! With this being Hank and my first 'married' Thanksgiving, our families united, and we enjoyed Thanksgiving together. Bentley gave Thanksgiving treats to some of his doggie pals (Did you know 'Thanksgiving Dinner' Sausage for Canines is a real thing?). Bentley attached little notes to the sausages that read, "To: Annie... I am thankful you are my friend. Woof! Hugs & Gobbles, Bentley."

On Friday we celebrated a birthday (Happy Birthday, Lisa!), and it was off to see the "Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring The Rockettes" in fabulous birthday fashion (along with cupcakes & present opening of course). This show spread lots of Christmas cheer to all. I donned my 'taxi' gloves, holiday bow jewels & penguin purse to put myself into the holiday/NYC spirit... I LOVE to dress to a theme! We rounded out this weekend with a fun football tailgate featuring Bojangles' & then it was game time... I love some Thanksgiving!

One BIG Happy

Wishing you the HAPPIEST of Thanksgivings!

Happy Turkey Week!

My first Thanksgiving meal is tomorrow...

I've been rocking my turkey hair bow since this past weekend in anticipation.

I love this week... Happy Thanksgiving! Be thankful & gobble 'til you wobble!!

One BIG Happy

Bentley in a magazine : )

Crook's Corner Shrimp & Grits

A Southern Staple... Shrimp sauteed with bacon, mushrooms and scallions & served over cheese grits. This plus their 'Good Banana Pudding' with meringue... Ah-mazing.

You can find the recipe to make these shrimp & grits at home from Southern Living here. Hank and I have made this dish together at home many times, and it truly is delicious. Finish this dish with a nice squeeze of lemon over top, pair with a glass of white wine and voila!

Quote Boat - Follow Through

Saturday morning at the driving range, lunch and a wine tasting made for a fabulous start to the day. It was my first time at a range, and the lake, hubs & friends made it super fun.

Last Friday Night

Blue Zone to watch the Carrier Classic (Dean Smith was there!) & then off to downtown.

Crafting Queen

I love the site Pinterest but only if I really use what I am 'pinning.' I try to add a few 'pins' to my t0-do list here and there... So far a success, as I've really been enjoying all of this added inspiration around the house. Here are a few of my latest (and simple) creations:

I took a Diet Coke bottle back out of the recycle bin, washed it and then I added a big bow. Now it's on my vanity with a few of my bangles on it. Too easy! Next up we have...

A fantastic way to organize/display my most favorite cards.

I decided to compile birthday cards with a few sweet notes in between. I then found the smallest card, and I punched two holes in it at its farthest ends. Then I used it as my template to punch the holes in all other cards. I put two silver ring fasteners through each set of holes. I then tied a big bow onto each silver ring. Now this sits on an upstairs coffee table. What do people write in cards? Mostly nice things, I hope! This makes for a great pick-me-up to read, and it's just fun to look at since cards are so pretty/funny/sweet. Hooray!

Bentley Lately

He's been loving working on his tan in this beautiful North Carolina weather.

Meet Rosie (Thank you, Kathleen!)

Marcel the Shell's cuteness reminds me of my new ring worm, Rosie. Here she is!

My friend Kathleen & her family often travel to Virginia to see even more family. One summer, back in middle school I think, Kathleen came home with one of these handcrafted ring worms from Virginia. It's for your rings of course! I thought it was the cutest, and I've wanted one ever since (well over ten years ago). Well... Kathleen surprised me with my very own ring worm on Friday... And it's pink! Well just take the cake and eat it too ; ) We named her Rosie, and I could not be more excited over this thoughtful 'love gift' from Kathleen & her mom. They are the epitome of perfectly Southern in regards to hospitality, always.

Read On!

There are too many good quotes in Marcel the Shell Part Two:

I love when Marcel is looking at the dog sleeping, and he says:

All he cares about is treats. Treats and snoozing. Look at him. Treats and snoozing, snoozing and treats... That's it.

My favorite quote from this installment of Marcel is absolutely this one:

Guess why I smile a lot? ... Because it's worth it.

One BIG Happy

College basketball begins TONIGHT...

Happy day, and a huge thank you to our veterans (that's you, Dad).

Wine & Design - Take Two

Cara and I went to Wine & Design last night, because we absolutely had to paint one of our college campus' most famous landmarks - the Old Well. Here we are, so ready for this:

This particular painting was a popular one, as there was a wait-list, so I am glad we signed up early! We brought wine of course, and we had hummus, pimento cheese, crackers and chocolates as our snacks. We snacked, sipped and painted our way to colorful masterpieces:

This was so much fun - I love this concept & place, always. Happy Painting!!

Crafting Queen

This is Home Happenings too, as I have been crafting art for our home. First up is an abstract piece that is now in our bathroom over the garden tub. This was simple to do. Hank and I purchased a large canvas from Michael's. I already had black paint and sponge brushes, so I just went to town with numerous black, overlapping circles. Here's a corner:

Next up is perhaps my all-time favorite arts & crafts ever. I love this!! I came across this idea on Pinterest (Thanks, La!), and this piece is now hanging up in this same bathroom.

It's the lyrics to our first dance song, Everything by Michael Buble, with an accompanying black and white photo of us first dance dipping. I purchased this gallery frame at Michael's as well ($5 with coupon), and then I just wrote. This is such a special piece of art to me.

Go forth and craft!

Wedding Feast

Speaking of weddings and food, I often find myself wishing I could dine on our wedding feast again... Right now, please? It was delicious. Here is what we served on our special day:

Carved Prime Rib

Teriyaki Grilled Shrimp

Broiled Salmon with a Dill Cream Cheese Sauce

King Crab Macaroni & Cheese

Mediterranean Braised Lamb

Au Gratin Potatoes

Tossed Almond Brown Rice Pilaf

Rockefeller Spinach Casserole

Penne Pasta in a Wild Mushroom, Cashew & Rosemary Sauce

Caesar Salad

Fresh Bread

Wedding Cupcakes

Dark Chocolate Fondue with Pound Cake, Marshmallows and Fresh Berries

Late Night Treats - Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brownies & Wedding Balls

Then we created signature drinks that I previously mentioned here.

Send some King Crab Macaroni & Cheese and a 'He had me at hola! Margarita' this way!

Pumpkin Chicken Chili

Great slow cooker recipe to make on a relaxing Sunday. The most important part of all... It has pumpkin in it! (Adapted with changes from nutritionella.)

Ingredients -

1 large, sweet onion - chopped

drizzle of olive oil

3 large, uncooked boneless chicken breasts

1 (28 ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 (15 ounce) can 100% pumpkin puree

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans - drained & rinsed

1 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 poblano peppers - deseeded & diced

1 (16 ounce) bag frozen shoepeg corn

cilantro & light sour cream for garnish

Directions -

Saute chopped onions in a drizzle of olive oil for 10 minutes on medium heat. Add three chicken breasts to bottom of slow cooker and top with diced tomatoes, canned pumpkin, beans, sauteed onions, chicken broth and spices. Stir the top a bit to mix leaving chicken undisturbed. Cover and cook on low for four hours. After four hours on low, add frozen corn and poblano peppers. Stir the top a bit more to mix. Crank the heat to high and cook for one additional hour. The chicken may be able to shred in the slow cooker with a fork after this last hour, but I had to take the chicken breasts out, place them on a cutting board and shred them before mixing back into the chili then serving. Top with the garnishes!

Count the Happies

Congrats to Kat & Adam! Their wedding cuteness started at the ceremony. Their banjo motif was carried from their invitation suite to their programs. I love the quote placed on their programs that I previously blogged about here. This quote was placed on its own separate flap of the program, so no matter what section you were reading, you could always read this quote too. Each guest received a wooden horseshoe as well - We're lucky!

They're married!!

This was the pathway through the pines to the reception.

They were blessed with an absolutely gorgeous day : )

I loved their 'guest book' idea! A polaroid was taken of each guest with vintage frames. Then we shook it like a polaroid picture (because it was one) before writing a message & our names on our polaroid with a sharpie. Then we tacked it up on a burlap board... LOVED THIS. They had a custom corn hole set made for guests to play as well. This corn hole set included their new monogram & the banjo as previously mentioned - So fun.

Mason jars? I'm always for them! I loved the flowers as well... BEAUTIFUL.

Below you'll find the precious newlyweds dining on some seriously tasty Southern fare. We had mac n' cheese, sweet potato biscuits with ham & mustard, shrimp and grits, BBQ sliders with coleslaw, veggies, southern pasta salads and lots of other deliciousness.

Everything gets hotter when the sun goes down...

They had a pumpkin mousse layer in their cake! The bride surprised the groom with his favorite dessert for all of us to share in on too - Banana Pudding.

Instead of the traditional bouquet and garter toss, Kat & Adam opted for this... Every married couple started dancing. Then as the band called out various lengths of married times, five hours, less than six months, one year, etc. the couples would leave the dance floor. The last couple standing got the bouquet (which was 43 years). So sweet! Their band played one of my favorite songs - I Gotta Feeling - so of course I was dancing with Hank!

Dancing the night away & drinking out of a mason jar ; )

I loved the stamps on their favor bags, 'Count the Happies' and 'All You Need is Love.'

The bride & groom's favorite cookies were inside. This was such a fun night. Wishing the happiest of happy lives to Kat & Adam - They're always a blast, and they can dance!!

One BIG Happy

Sweet quote from the bride & groom's wedding program on Saturday:

"You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have really lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love."

- Henry Drummond

Editorial Cartoon: Sads

You sneaky mom.

Quote Boat - Stay cool.

Home Happenings

I love Christmas lights, but why wait to enjoy them only once each year? I think string lights on porches are a must, but our magic tree is my favorite way to enjoy lights year-round.

We've had this tree for a couple of years now, but it recently got moved to a more prominent location in our house. When it's dark, it reminds me of fireflies on a summer night. This magic tree makes me happy, and it definitely helps to prove that it's the little things.

Finally.

I've been waiting since 2010, and the wait was worth it. I heart Siri.

Welcome, November.

Table decoration complete... I'm happy the Indian & Pilgrim bowls are out.

Water & a floating candle will go into each mason jar when the time comes. You can find one bag of 50 fall leaves - so pretty - at the Dollar Store for... $1. GIVE THANKS all month!

Trick or Treat

Pumpkins, skeletons and candies, oh my!

Halloween came & flew by faster than a witch on her broom.