post #50 - Washington, DC Review

50 Posts!! Is this a milestone? I think so!

As I mentioned in post #49, I spent Wednesday-Sunday of last week in Washington, DC. I hadn't been there in many years, and when I found out that I was going for work Wednesday-Friday, I decided to stay the weekend and hang out with my college roommate. We had such a great time!

Friday Night -

Went to an awesome tapas dinner, then drove around town.

{beautiful capital}

Saturday

Went for a walk through the awesome fall trees to Georgetown. We got coffee & a cupcake and chatted.

{best. pumpkin. ever.}

{cupcake deliciousness from baked & wired}

{coffee can be beautiful, what?}

Then, we headed back, got ready, and headed to Disco Brunch at Level One. We saw this man along the way - only in the city!

{yummy, cheesy hash brown casserole with chopped applewood bacon, sour cream, scallions, a whole bunch of cheese, and a fried egg on top. i also added guacamole.}

I had the bottomless mimosa (are you surprised?) and the "Gurl, It's a Brunch Bowl." Seriously, one of the yummiest breakfast items I've had in a long time! Our service was great and I had a fun time getting to know Polly's friends.

After that, we hopped around to a few fun places. We ended up going to a wine and cookie tasting called Cookies & Corks. Best idea ever, right?! By that point, we had been running around the city for most of the day. The tasting paired different wines with different cookies, and all were delicious!

All in all, we had a wonderful time! It was so much fun hanging out and catching up. Is it possible to still be recovering?

I'm definitely still catching up on sleep!

Check back tomorrow for my Five on Friday! Don't forget to follow along on Facebook, BlogLovin, GFC, etc! :-)

xo - Morgan

post #37 - F5: Lazy Weekends, Fall Decor, Boots, Target, and a New Blog Design!

It's Friday? Five Things for September 13.

Hey there, pretty blog friends! Hope you've had a super week!

5 highlights of this week...

1. Lazy Weekends

Last week, I backed out of going to the Clemson game and stayed home with the pup. I started Saturday morning at the Farmer's Market with a girlfriend. Milly naturally made friends with the biggest horse dog there, we enjoyed mimosas, and I got some peaches, kale, goat cheese, and crab + avocado ravioli.

{nice and tired when we left.}

{my "single for the day" lunch - lavender goat cheese, pretzels, and cookie butter! mmm}

I watched the Georgia/South Carolina game with Jo's mom and called it a night. The next morning, I headed to the Panthers opening game in Charlotte with some coworkers. A fun time was had by all!

2. Fall Decor

I finally put out some fall decorations! I picked up the glass leaf plates at TJ Maxx over the weekend and love the touch they add to the table. And pumpkin candles...*insert sigh of happiness

{our kitchen table is ready for fall!}

{pumpkin spice candles make me a happy girl!}

3. Boots

Is it time for these yet? I'm quick to put on my cowboy boots - in fact, I wore them to our first football game against Georgia. But, when are we officially allowed to start wearing our riding boots? I got a pair of brown Nine West riding boots last year for Christmas that I love, but this year I'm in the market for some black ones. Is it just me, or are decent looking black ones harder to find? Let me know if you have any suggestions. Until then, I'll just keep dreaming about these.

{stuart weitzman 50/50 stretch over the knee boot}

4. My Target Haul!

After Christina posted an Instagram picture of her Pumpkin Spice M&Ms, I knew I'd be heading to Target to pick some up. Naturally, I didn't leave with just M&Ms. I tried to find the new Essie shades I talked about here and here, but of course they were sold out. I think I found the next best thing in Sally Hansen's Insta Dry - "Gone Grey." I also found some great smelling citronella candles for 70% off!

{clear organizer for work, sharpie pens, pumpkin spice m&ms, nail polish, & candles. + lots of diet coke, not pictured ;-)}

5. Blog Designs!

My little blog is still growing! It's been so exciting to keep gaining followers each day on BlogLovin, Google Friend Connect, and Facebook. (Not following yet? What are you waiting for!) The only thing that's been getting me down is my blog design. Right now, I'm using a freebie - I can't quite decide when the right time is to bite the bullet and purchase a paid design. Here's where I need your advice, experienced bloggers - at what point did you purchase a blog design? A certain number of followers? Page views? Are you happy with your designer? Could you justify the cost?

6. A Little Humor For Today

I had to add a 6th this week. This link is too. funny. Dying. Like, tears might be escaping. 

Thanks for following along with my little old life! Your comments just make my day ;-) And if you're not following along yet, I'd sure love to have you along for the ride!

Xo - Morgan

post #31 - F5: Orange Football Foods for Foodies

Friday Five - Football Foods for Foodies! Bonus - they're orange!

Is anyone else so excited for two things today? 1) It's FRIDAY! and 2) Next week is the start of COLLEGE FOOTBALL! Even though the South Carolina Gamecocks have their home opener next Thursday in the city where I live, I don't know about y'all, but I am counting the seconds until I'm cheering on my Clemson Tigers next weekend! I can already taste the cold beer and feel the love of thousands of my best friends in a sea of orange. It's gonna be a rowdy, rowdy day. Bulldogs, woof.

One of the best (and worst) things about football season is loads and loads of food! I've been scouring Pinterest for tailgate recipes. This year, I'll have access to a kitchen before and during tailgates, which will make tailgating food so much easier!

Instead of writing about my favorite things this week, I thought it would be better to chat about what some of my favorite upcoming things are sure to be...these yummy football foods! I can't wait to try some of these fun orange appetizers...do you have any favorites that no tailgate is complete without?

1. Palmetto Cheese Pinwheels

[find the picture & recipe here]

I've had these before. And they were awesome. I ate about 6 or 20. I can't wait to try my hand at making them myself!

2. Pumpkin Poppers

[find the picture & recipe here]

Picturing these for a breakfast tailgate before a noon game. Paired with a mimosa or 3 perhaps?

3. Buffalo Chicken Bites

[find the picture & recipe here]

Buffalo Chicken Dip? In a pre-made bite? Sold.

4. Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

[find the picture & recipe here]

The perfect little party popper.

5. Pumpkin Pie Dip

[find the picture & recipe here]

Ever since I saw Christina post this on Carolina Charm, I've been dying to make it. It screams fall, and is so festive! 

Want to stay updated? Don't forget to follow MM on Facebook, BlogLovin, and Instagram!

P.S. You didn't think I'd leave out the BEST orange tailgate essential, did you?

[photo credit here]

post #15 - F5: Upstate SC, Mac, Blood Orange Mimosas, Lilly, 50 Rules for Dads, & MM Readers!

Fabulous Friday Favorites!

Happy weekend, ladies (and boys, if you're out there in blog world)! I hope your week has been not-too-hectic and you're looking forward to a fun weekend! My week has been slightly crazy, with an intense practice test (from 9-4 on a Friday, gross!) happening as you're probably reading this. But, I'm looking forward to an awesome weekend, filled with some of my favorite things and people! 

1. Upstate South Carolina!

This weekend, Jo and I are heading to the Upstate...and I couldn't be more excited! We are heading to two of my favorite places on earth...Greenville and Clemson. We'll be staying Friday night with one of my college BFFs and her hubby. On Saturday (before the crack of dawn) we're heading to a sale in NC while the boys are playing golf. Afterwards, Jo and I are going down the road to Clemson to spend the evening with his dad and stepmom in their new home-away-from-home condo! They've been making lots of improvements and we can't wait to see this awesome addition to our tailgating fun this year. Oh, and I'm squeezing 13 hours worth of video lectures in there somewhere, but who's counting? (Ain't no rest for the wicked, y'all) Not going to pretend I wouldn't rather study in Clemson than Columbia. ;-)

(Favorite Place #1 - Greenville, SC) [photo credit]

(Favorite Place #2 - Clemson, SC) [photo credit]

2. Baby Mac!

Sometime over the course of the weekend, we'll be stopping to visit our new step-nephew! Last weekend, Jo's stepsister and stepbrother in law welcomed a beautiful new baby boy, Stewart McLaurin. They'll be calling him Mac - he is just precious! We are so excited for them and can't wait to meet and snuggle Mac this weekend! Being an aunt is the best!

(I mean...come on. He's pretty much the cutest.)

3. Blood Orange Mimosas

Making these on Saturday morning as we wait in line for our sale, with the Blood Orange Bitters I picked up a few weeks ago. If I'm waking up before the sunrise on a Saturday, I'd better have a Starbucks or cocktail (or both) in hand. Channing, these are coming for you!

[photo credit]

4. Lilly Notepad

Need a good and cheap gift for a friend? I've been writing out things that I'm having trouble learning on this notepad, and it makes hearsay seem slightly more exciting, if that's possible. (Trust me...that stuff is NOT as exciting as it seems on TV). These are so cute, and only $7! I got mine at Pink Sorbet, or you can find them here!

5. This List - 50 Rules for Dads of Daughters

A classmate posted a link to the 50 Rules for Dads of Daughters (click here to read the post). I thought this was too sweet not to share. We don't have a child yet, and aren't planning on one any time soon, but this list made my heart melt. Share this with your men!

6. My Readers!!!

I had to add an extra this week. This one is for y'all! This week, I reached over 2,000 page views. I know that many bloggers get that on a single post and that this isn't a big deal for most. But, since I've only been blogging a little over a month, I'm getting excited about the little things. Thanks to my followers and those who keep coming back! And I promise that when I'm not studying for the bar, my posts will be much happier and more interesting ;-). Here's to looking forward to DIYing, house decorating, and the return of a real social life...

(although, I kind of hope this guy's not reading!)

Don't forget to follow me on Facebook & Google Blogger. You can follow on the right using your Gmail account - it's easy! I've also added a link to follow me on Instagram...if you do, you might even sneak a peek at some of our "secret sale" finds over the weekend! ;-)

Also, I LOVE reading your comments, so keep them coming!

Cheers!

MBC

As always, thanks for the fun link up, girls!

A. Liz Adventures

Carolina Charm

hello! happiness

The Good Life Blog

Did you miss my post about skinny lettuce wraps? If so, check it out here!