post #62 - Christmas Recap

Merry belated Christmas, everyone! I hope you're all recovering from the hustle & bustle of the holiday.

I was so blessed to head to Philadelphia and West Virginia this year to be with my extended family. After splitting our 10 hour drive and spending the night in Richmond, we finally arrived in Philadelphia on Christmas Eve. We spent Christmas Eve playing games and eating with my cousins, aunt, and uncle.

{driving through DC}

{brother and me}

Christmas Day was spent helping my aunt prepare to host all of the family at her house. I love going to Philadelphia for Christmas not only for the family time, but also for the delicious Italian food! I'm more than happy to embrace this part of my heritage.

{jo & me}

{my brother & me}

{my cousin doing one of the most important christmas preparation...fixing nails!}

{tomato pie...not the same type of tomato pie we have in SC!}

{cheese}

{wings}

{tons of pork}

{crab claws}

{shrimp, antipasto}

{roast beef}

{endless food}

Not pictured...copious amounts of appetizers floating around + more desserts than anyone could ever eat.

It was so much fun spending time with family that I rarely see, especially my cousin's two precious children.

The day ended with only one minor snafu (a large parmesan cheese down), but it was definitely a great time that we'll look back on for years to come.

{improvising on a dust pan}

{God's work}

After that, we headed back to my hometown - Morgantown, WV. It was quite a long drive back, as we had to take a few detours through Amish country while we were in PA. I've been there before, but it was fun to see my husband's reactions.

{my brother & I loving what we're seeing}

{horses and buggies, anyone?}

It's been great to hang here and just be at home again. Even Milly fits right in!

{out with my brother...I'm getting too old to hang with these youngins!}

Now, we're headed to the mountains for New Years with some of my college besties. We're going to ski and celebrate all of the big happenings of 2013 (including an engagement, yay!) and enjoy being together.

I'm looking forward to blogging more regularly in 2014 - here's to what will hopefully be the best year yet!

xo!

post #59 - Life Lately

The past few weekends have been so much fun! 

Two weekends ago, I headed to Charlotte for one of my besties' surprise birthday party. Her boyfriend pulled it off flawlessly, and she was actually surprised!

{beautiful birthday girl + host}

{christmas photo, perhaps?}

{favorite friends celebrating meg's 25th}

{theme of the evening}

{loves}

{little mexicans!}

The next week/weekend, we went to Seabrook Island for Thanksgiving. It was great getting to spend some time with Jordan's family! We were also able to get a little puppy/beach time in, and we took our Christmas card pictures (stay tuned!).

{isn't he the best uncle?}

{beach playtime}

{my pup is the cutest.}

{chilly beach day}

After that, we headed to watch the Clemson/South Carolina game with friends. There was only one happy camper when the day was over...our Auburn graduate! I still can't believe that game!

When we came home on Sunday, we went to get our Christmas tree. See the tree behind me in this picture? It's now in our living room - so. huge. Maybe next year, a 10 ft. tree won't be necessary. Oops! (Let's be serious...we love it!)

{not sure if this choice is a great idea...}

So, that's what I've been up to lately! See y'all on Friday!

post #58 - My Favorite Things - Under $100!

Happiest Tuesday! I've been MIA lately, but have been so busy with family time, getting ready for Christmas, and getting ready to leave the country! And we can all agree - that's more important than a silly blog, right?

I'm excited today to be participating in a fun Christmas Linkup with Elise at Cheers, Y'all and Jen at Down with the Dearmores! I'm soaking up every little bit of Christmas cheer I can! Here are some of my very favorite goodies under $100!

1. Lilly Pulitzer "Tusk in Sun" iPad Case with Keyboard
I've been lusting over this for such a long time! My iPad is for work so I decided on something way more boring for my personal case, but I think it is pretty much the cutest iPad accessory that exists. Ever.
{buy it here for $80}

2. St. Germain
I love this in my summer bubbles, but I think it would be just as yummy in a Christmas cocktail! Sugary rim, anyone?
{in your local liquor store for around $30}

3. Mary Elizabeth Arts Four Seasons Glass Ornament
Is this not one of the prettiest ornaments you've ever seen? I love collecting new ornaments - fancy, cute, sentimental, you name it. This would be a gorgeous edition to our tree!
{buy it here for $25}

4. Nora Fleming...Everything
I received one of these platters as a wedding gift and got a napkin holder from my mom last Christmas. I have lots of minis for lots of occasions and have started really loving these pieces! They are fancy enough to include on a table with our china, but also look precious on a tailgate table.
{buy the platter pictured here for $48. minis are $10-$12.50}

5. Glitter Coaster Set by Kate Spade New York
These would make any cocktail party more fun, and I would love them on my coffee table or bar to add a little glitz!
{buy them here for $35}

6. India Hicks Island Living - Spider Lily Lotion by Crabtree and Evelyn
My college roommate got me this lotion and I've been obsessed with the scent ever since. I'm running a little low and it's definitely on my wish list again this year!
{buy it here for $29.95}

7. Pure Home Luxe Moderne Double Old Fashioned Glasses 
We pretty much received all of our staple food and drink pieces as wedding gifts, but now I'm really enjoying adding some fun pieces to our collection. These glasses are so gorgeous - I would be over-the-moon about displaying this barware!
{buy this set of 4 here for $72}

I've been super, super good this year, Santa! *wink wink*

Come back tomorrow to see what I've been up to the past few weekends!
xo

P.S. Did you catch my last two "Favorite Things" posts? Check out *My Favorite Things Christmas Wish List* and *My Favorite Things - Stocking Stuffers!*

post #56 - Favorite Things - Stocking Stuffers!

Happy Tuesday!

Today, I'm linking up with one of my favorite bloggers, Elise over at Cheers Y'all! She's doing a series on our favorite things this Christmas. Here are some of my favorite stocking stuffers to give and receive!

1. Cookie Cutters

2. Festive Christmas Tea Towels

3. Fun Socks

4. Gift Cards

5. Cute Undies!

6. Bubble Bath/Nice toiletries

7. Doggie Toys (for the pup's stocking, of course!)

8. Christmas Cheese Spreaders!

Follow Along on Bloglovin, Facebook, GFC, or Instagram to stay updated!!

Did you miss my post about my Christmas list this year? Check it out here!

post #52 - Chicken Salad Chick Review

Hello bloggy friends! Hope you all had a great weekend and many of you had a long weekend like I did! Most importantly - Happy belated Veteran's Day! Eternal thanks to my military friends (and spouses) for your service to our country. 

My weekend was actually extra long. I took Friday off work because I spent Thursday night through Sunday late afternoon in bed, feeling terrible! 

{i had approximately 15 cups of hot chocolate and 10 cups of tea and cider this weekend.}

I finally started feeling better on Sunday evening and felt good enough on Monday to do some early Christmas shopping! This is a little early for Christmas shopping, even for me. But, since I'll be spending most of the month of December halfway across the world on a work trip, I'm having to do my Christmas shopping a little earlier than normal. I convinced my husband to go to lunch and help me pick up some things for our family members. I may or may not have bribed him with Starbucks.

{first red cup of the season!}

We started the day by having lunch at Chicken Salad Chick. This restaurant is brand new in Lexington/Columbia on Sunset Boulevard in the same shopping area as Target. After reading my friend Laura's post about the new Greenville location, I couldn't wait until Chicken Salad Chick opened just a few miles from my house. 

After trying a few samples, I decided on a scoop of the Sassy Scotty and a cup of their soup of the day - Loaded Baked Potato. Basically the same ingredients in a soup and chicken salad.

{sassy scotty - a zesty blend of ranch, bacon, & shredded cheddar cheese}

Jordan got the Original Chick - a sandwich or scoop, one side, pickle, and cookie. He decided on a Kickin Kay Lynne sandwich and pasta salad. His chicken salad was delicious - I can vouch! It was basically the same as mine with buffalo sauce & jalapenos. He said the pasta salad was pretty standard, but I didn't try it. And the cookie? Gooey and tasty.

{kickin kay lynne - combination of buffalo sauce, ranch, shredded cheddar cheese, and jalapenos all in one!}

At first glance, I was a little disappointed with the quantity of food. But, it was very filling and ended up being the perfect amount. We both really enjoyed it and can't wait to go back. This is definitely a great addition to Lexington and judging by the busy Monday lunch, I think it will do well!

After that, we did some shopping and headed home. We knocked out about half our our Christmas list (between planning with siblings and actual purchases) so I feel pretty ahead of the game.

Did you have a long weekend? And, are you checking items off your Christmas buying list yet?

Xo! 

Morgan