Thoughts For Friday

TGIF friends.  Why is the week after a Holiday always the longest week ever??

Last night I helped to host a Girls night out event at Cynthia Rowley and it was so much fun!  I loved meeting so many new faces!!
Here we are the hostesses with the mostess (Chassity, Amy, Caycee, Me)

Had to show one picture of my dress because it was such a score.  Forever 21 ladies, $25!! Thanks Anna for the idea:)

I have found the perfect pair of jeans.  You might remember how much I love my Rag and Bone Midnight Legging Jeans?  They are my all time favorite.   Well Santa (thanks Mom) just picked up a pair of the Rag and Bone Skinny Jeans for me in Kensington Wash and I am in love.  Ladies these jeans are miracle workers.  They sit higher up on your waist and suck in all the flab.  Most flattering jeans ever.  I promise.

{Rag and Bone Skinny Jeans: Kensington}

Hard to tell from this picture but I promise they fit like a glove!!

I think I may be the only person but I am so over seeing where everyone puts their Elf on the shelf.  I get it you have the Elf too, everyone does lets move on.  I guess the people that created that little elf are rolling in the dough.

Can ya'll believe Jessica Simpson is pregnant again (reportedly).  I mean dang that was quick.  She must have gotten knocked up when Maxwell was 3 months old.  Crazy.  Especially after she just lost 60 lbs.

What are ya'lls thoughts about this Serena and Lily pillow?  I am in the market for two for our couch and I am thinking I want some navy in them to blend in with our new rug (pictured below).  Any other thoughts on where to find affordable pillows to go with my rug?  Email me ideas I am clueless with this kind of stuff!!

I tried a new restaurant on King Street for lunch this week- Fire Street Food and it was awesome.  It was primarily food with an Asian twist.  The menu was great with lots of different options.  I had a salad with Shrimp Skewers and it was delicious.  I can't wait to go back here again!  Highly recommend!

Don't forget to enter the Social Dress Shop Giveaway you have til Midnight on Sunday to enter!!

Have a great weekend!

Obsessions

{MISSONI INFINITY SCARF}

I have been eyeing this scarf for awhile now and it is finally on sale!!  Would make a great gift for any gal, especially me!!

{JCREW TIPPI SWEATER}

I have this sweater in the summer linen version and adore it. It is the perfect sweater to wear casual or dressy- just add a great necklace and you are good to go.  It is also perfect to wear to work and then out for a night on the town.  It is super flattering and versatile.  I am loving the new neutral colors because they are so versatile.  They run true to size if you order, I wear a small.

{CORO GLASSWARE}

I have a serious weakness for cute glasses.  These have been haunting me for weeks.  Pretty sure they just got added to my Christmas list.  Love the simple gold touch at the bottom.  So festive yet elegant at the same time!  4 come to the set, they would make a great entertaining gift.

{OYSTER  CHRISTMAS TREE}

Since I live on the coast I love this idea of an Oyster Christmas Tree.  I would love to create my own- although they are actually reasonably priced to buy.  Any tips for how to recreate?  Like what to use for base and glue?

{LOW BUN}

I love the sleek effortless look of this low bun.  Must Recreate!!

{BURGAN'S ALBARINO}

I have been trying some different varieties of white wine and I have been really into Albarinos- a Spanish white.  I found this particular bottle at Costco.  It was very good!  Pick up a bottle if you are at Costco I think it was about $8.99

{BACK-UP BATTERY FOR IPHONE}

The battery on my iPhone runs out freakishly fast so I am in desperate need of one of these back-up batteries.  How cute are they?  Such a great thing to just keep in your purse and you can charge on the go!

{QUOTE/ECARD}

This is so me lately.

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

This is a true man's meal.  Don't get me wrong I really actually loved it,  but if you want to please your man you must whip him up this meal.  It really does taste exactly like a Philly Cheesesteak.  The flavors were great together.  The cheese sauce was the creamiest, tastiest addition.  I wanted to eat spoonfuls of it.  It was pure decadence layered over the beef.  I would say this took 30 minutes start to finish to make, a totally easy week night dinner.   I will be making this again and again!

 

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

(Adapated from Taste of Home) 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound ground beef

1 softball-sized onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons steak sauce, such as A-1

1 cup beef stock

Salt and ground black pepper

4 dinner rolls

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup milk

1 cup provolone, shredded

In large skillet over medium-high heat add the oil and then brown the ground beef, about 5-6 minutes. Add the onion and green pepper and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables start to get tender. Stir in the steak sauce and beef stock, season with salt and pepper, bring up to a bubble and cook about 2 minutes.

Split open rolls and remove most of the soft insides, leaving a bed to hold the meat mixture. Toast the rolls and set aside.

While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a medium-size pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, bring up to a bubble and let thicken, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in the cheese.

To serve, place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, then top with the cheese sauce and replace the top of the roll.

Social Dress Shop Giveaway!!

I have a majorly fabulous giveaway today for all my lovely readers!
One my sister's sweet friends in Charlotte, Sarah,  just launched an amazing online shop called Social Dress Shop. and she is giving away a $150 gift card to use towards a dress of your choice for one of my readers!!

 Sarah's idea for her site is pretty genius, she only sales dresses and she handpicks some of the best ones around.  That way you don't have to weed through all sorts of other items when all you are looking for is the perfect dress. With the holidays upon us I am sure we all would love a new dress to rock for all the upcoming holiday parties.

 Some of the designers featured on Social Dress Shop include:  Heidi Merrick, Rory Becca, Dolce Vita, 81 Poppies, Erin Fetherston,  and Madison Marcus.   I want almost every dress on her site, seriously they all are beyond gorgeous.   Best part is Social Dress Shop offers FREE 2-3 day shipping so you will always get your dress super fast whenever you place an order!

 Here a few of my current favorites.  Pretty sure one (or all) of these needs to be mine.

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8

In addition to the contest,  Sarah has also graciously offered my readers 15% off any dress on her site with code PARTYPRETTY.   The 15% off discount will run til next Monday when the contest ends.  Go and buy that perfect cocktail dress with the help of a sweet discount!
I know you are all dying to win the $150 gift card (I wish I could enter for real) so here are the details.   The contest will run til Sunday December 2 at midnight and I will announce the winner Monday morning December 3rd.  There are several ways to enter and each one counts a separate entry so make sure you leave a separate comment for each one!

 

Below are the links to follow for the contest:)

Social Dress Shop on FB

Social Dress Shop on Pinterest

A perfect start to the week after Thanksgiving!  I know you will all love Social Dress Shop as much as I do!

Scenes From Our Weekend

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I know we certainly did.  Although I must say I ate and drank way too much all weekend.  Back to reality today and back to the gym for shizzle.  

I have to brag for a minute because my husband cooks the most perfect beautiful turkey ever.  He is so good at it.  I don't even love turkey but I love his.  He takes it very seriously and brines it for two days and then stuffs it full of veggies and herbs.  It is mouth wateringly good!

  

We tried to snap a family picture which is always difficult.  I think Sterling does this on purpose when the camera comes out so we can't get a good picture.  He cried  the whole time.

I did think this one with our furbaby was pretty funny!

Here is my Thanksgiving Outfit:

{Theory Blouse, JBrand Bourbon Jeans, JCrew Necklace (old)}

I found the cutest pair of slippers for Sterling during Black Friday sales.  They came in several different options but he loved the alligator ones. They are the softest things ever!  They were supposed to be a Christmas gift but I am a sucker and gave them to him early.  He has worn them everyday since!

{Hatley Alligator Slippers}

We started decorating our house for Christmas.  I always start the day after Thanksgiving, I like to enjoy my decorations as long as I can! 

This year is especially fun decorating because Sterling is so into it.  He has loved getting all the decorations out and helping me put them up!

Saturday I had a fun night with these pretty ladies at Pearlz in West Ashley.

I rocked a blouse my sister in law shared with me that came from Forever 21.  It was $19 ladies!! Doesn't it look just like Milly?  I could not find it online but found mine in the store on King Street.

Thanks to Matt I discovered the most amazing ginger ale ever.  Now I normally don't drink soft drinks but this ginger ale is freaking amazing.  I drank two this weekend.  Unheard of normally.  It is made with fresh ginger and not sweet at all.  Perfectly carbonated.  We found it in the chilled section at the Piggly Wiggly.  You must try it!!

 I found a new iphone app I am obsessed with called "PocketBooth".  It is like a photo booth on your iphone.  We used it last night and had so much fun with it!

Alright, that's all I have today!  Off to the gym to work off all the crap I ate this week!

xoxo

Black Friday Steals

There is nothing I love more than a good sale and Black Friday is the best shopping day of the year!  Here are my picks:

SHOPBOP is having a big event with code BIGEVENT12 you can save up to 35%

Saks, Neimans, and Nordstrom are all also having great sales. 

I am off to shop and you should too!

Thankful

As Thanksgiving approaches (holy crap where did this year go?) I want to take a minute to thank God for all the Blessings in my life.  Alot of times around the Holidays we get wrapped up thinking about what we are going eat or drink, how we are going to decorate our houses,  and all the things we need to create this beautiful image in our heads.  Yes, Thanksgiving is about good food (and even better drinks) but it is also about appreciating the things we have in our lives and spending time with loved ones.

  So here is my thankful list:

-Sterling.  Any parents knows that a child is the greatest blessing you can ever be given.  Sterling is the light of life.  He brings more joy and love to my life than I ever thought possible.

- My family.  I thank God everyday for Matt, my parents that are still in good health, and my brother and sister.  I am beyond lucky to have this family.  They are my support system.  They are my everything.

- My In-laws and sister-in-law.  My in-laws are so good to us and since they moved down to Charleston this year my life has been so much easier.  I love having them in town.  It is so nice to have family here.

- My friends.  I am so lucky to have made a great circle of friends here in Charleston that are near and dear to my heart.  When I moved here 5 years ago I knew two people.  Crazy how in 5 years the girls that I have met here have become like family to me.  I love them all like sisters.  They help keep me sane.  I of course still love all my Charlotte friends too:)

- Sterling's friends.  I love his friends like I love him.  They are the sweetest group around.  They hold such a special place in my heart because they bring him so much happiness.

- My blog and all my wonderful readers.  This blog is my happy place.  It is my place to be creative, to vent, to post pictures of things I am lusting after,  and a place to just be real and myself.  I love every comment and email I get, they always make my day.  Thank you for all your support and for taking the time to read my blog each day.

- Wine,  duh that is a no brainer.

-Good Food. Being able to dine out and cook what I want is a true luxury.  It is my greatest passion (well beside shopping).

- My house.  Yes we are cramped as crap in our little house and I hate most of my furniture but we are lucky to have a roof over our heads.  I love this little house because it holds so many special memories for my family.

-On a random note I am also thankful for my first event I am helping to co-host next week.  Any locals please stop by and see us.  It will be fun- there is free champagne and shopping discounts, enough said!  I am so flattered to be helping to host this awesome event.

 I have mentioned before how much I love my devotional Jesus Calling.  I read it every night and  it has provided me with alot of comfort and inspiration this year.  I wanted to share this one verse that I think particularly relates to Thanksgiving.  I don't normally do this on here and in no means am trying to be preachy just wanted to share this because it holds very true to me and something I want to remember daily, to be thankful with exactly what I have in this moment.

"Bring me the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving.  Take nothing for granted, not even the rising of the sun.  When you focus on things you don't have or situations that displease you your mind also becomes darkened.  You take for granted life, salvation, sunshine, flowers and countless other gifts from me.  You look for what is wrong and refuse to enjoy life until it is fixed.  When you approach me with Thanksgiving the light of my presence pours into you transforming you."

  Happy Thanksgiving sweet friends!  I am off to cook my booty off today!