Easter Weekend

Pardon my Jessica Simpson-esque appearance. Apparently, that dress was not as flattering as I thought. It looked good on the mannequin?

Candy is BACK! Fingers crossed for portion control today....

33+ Weeks

Nice little Sunday @ the Family Circle Cup (watching Serena Williams totally dominate her poor opponent)



A GREAT Weekend!

This weekend we traveled home to Cincinnati for not one but two fabulous showers hosted by my aunt and sister and girlfriends, Jaime & Amy! It was so nice to see all of our friends and family and have them share in the excitement of our impending arrival:

Needless to say everyone was beyond generous and we are incredibly grateful for it all. We feel so lucky to be surrounded by such amazing people. 

*Of all the unnecessary and ridiculous things my OCD self packed for our trip, the one (extremely important) item I forgot was my camera. So, until I get some real photos these iphone pics will have to suffice! 

It's hard to imagine that the next time we see everyone there will be a baby in tow!

A HUGE thank you to our shower hostesses, who put so much time and effort into making the day special for us- every single detail was just perfect! And to our parents, for all that they've done for us and baby Tanner, as well as our sweet angel dog, Cooper, who I feel certain will make an excellent big brother :)

 

Happy Holidays!

We had a great Christmas in both Asheville and Cincinnati! Now it's back to the grind. Fortunately, this is a short work week and my sister is coming to Charleston to celebrate New Year's!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

Technology Woes

So, I was looking forward to posting some pictures from the weekend. But they're all gone?! I have no idea where they went. Sometimes technology drives me crazy.

We had a great Saturday and Sunday filled with Christmas shopping, relaxation, and our friends annual holiday party with lots of delicious food! Mark and I made a cheesy potato casserole, which is a dish I grew up eating at nearly all of our family gatherings (yes, people LOVE it that much).

via

Here's the recipe (thanks, Dad!):

2lbs. frozen shredded hash browns
1pt. sour cream
8oz. cheddar cheese – shredded
1 cup chopped onions
1 can cream of chicken soup
1tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
½ cup margarine
1 cup crushed cornflakes

Mix everything except cornflakes – place in greased 
9 x 13 dish. Top dish with cornflakes. Pour over ¼ cup
Melted margarine. Bake at 350 for one hour.

 I always use low fat or fat free sour cream and reduced fat cream of chicken soup. I suppose you could use reduced fat cheese too, but I don't like to take all the fun out of it ;) I promise you that this dish does not disappoint. You will definitely go back for seconds (...or more)!

Speedy Delivery

So, the doorbell rang early this morning, as I was getting ready for work and I was thoroughly confused. Why would someone be at the door at 8am?

After a few minutes, I checked outside and found a package. I figured it was a book or movie Mark had ordered from Amazon. Then I saw the words SAKS DIRECT! Immediately, I thought, Wow! What a great husband I have, acting like he doesn't know what this is and all along he had ordered me a special surprise.....

I ripped into the package, really excited to see what it was Mark had gotten me.

And saw this:

Um.

I tried to find a packing slip to figure out who's misplaced order we'd received and there I saw it. Ordered from my mom for Mark. What! I am now playing second fiddle to my husband.

Clearly, a great start to Mark's weekend!

My parents will be arriving today and I can't wait for some R & R.

Happy weekend!

(Last) Weekend Jaunt

Obviously, I've been a bad, lazzzzzzy blogger this week.

Do these pics make up for my absence?

Mark in Asheville with the pups

Mark's parents just got two white lab puppies, who tagged along on out trip to Seabrook...

Couldn't leave Coop at home!

Mark's Grandma

Mexican night

Magazine, puppies, and the beach.

AND I have even more pictures to come from Charleston Restaurant Week! I also attempted to capture my ensemb for the evening. The resulting images are pretty hilar.



Leaf



via

YAY for Friday!

I am thrilled to have the weekend off! Last night, we tried out Leaf (Beaufain St.), a relatively new restaurant here in Charleston. Our newly married cousin, Tim & his wife Cara, are in town staying with us and figured it would be the perfect time to try it out. Mark had many good things to say about this place, and I was not disappointed. From the food to the drink to the staff and the atmosphere- it was all amazing! We loved every single thing that we tried: Boursin Burger with Truffle Fries (me), Chicken Pita with Sweet Potato Fries (Mark & Cara), and the Pork Chop (Tim). Everyone LOVED it. We were all thoroughly impressed.

Not only does Leaf have great food, but their bar was packed. We will most definitely be going back!

T.G.I.S.?!

I have to be honest. I usually find Sundays to be a little depressing. The thought of a long work week ahead is looming the entire day. Luckily, I now have 2 reasons to look forward to the end of the weekend: True Blood and Entourage.



via

Last night we finally got to see Eric and Sookie together! This union has been brewing since season 1. As exciting as it is, we all know that this could seal Eric's fate with the new vampire king, Bill. That witch Marnie really did a number on him. I can hardly wait for next Sunday's episode!

via

Also, last night was the premiere of the final season of Entourage. Vince is fresh out of rehab and ready to start on new projects. We found out E and Sloane called off their engagement (sad) and that Mrs. Ari has been seeing someone else during their separation (sadder). Turtle, played by Jerry Ferrara, has noticeably slimmed down in the off-season. And Drama is still Drama. I've been hearing/reading about a possible movie a la Sex & The City, which would be something to look forward to once this season wraps. 

My sister and I have been enjoying the city during her visit- walking along the battery, margs at my fave, and enjoying delicious meals all around town.

At Poogan's Porch, where I ate my weight in biscuits.

Saturday on Sullivan's

  

Poogan's Porch & Grannymere

Last night we had dinner at Poogan's Porch and it was a-maz-ing!

via

I haven't been there in years and it was just as good, if not better, than I remember it. We started of with the gouda mac & cheese and of course, their signature biscuits and honey-butter. Those biscuits are second to none- literally the best thing I have eaten in ages!

For the main course, I had the buttermilk fried chicken with mashed potatoes, which was delicious. Mark had some huge seafood platter, which he finished in a nano second, and then moved on to finish off my plate and my sister's (shrimp and grits).

Eating the homemade biscuits reminded me of my Grannymere, who passed away a year ago this month. She loved to take home rolls or whatever bread was served for a little snack later on :)



painted by my cousin, Bobby Owens

Gran was a wonderful person, the center of our family, and to say that she is missed would be a vast understatement. 

I hope everyone ha s a great weekend! I'll be spending the time relaxing with my sister. And speaking of which, it's her birthday!  

And, I'm Back!

Vacation with the fam was awesome! It's so nice to only travel 30 minutes home from the island.

Lots of posts and catch up to come!

Also, I decided to try the romper trend.....

It was easy and comfortable, like a dress. But I felt a little weird in it still. I'm undecided on whether I'll be purchasing more in the future.