Decking The Halls at the Mason House

I am finally fisnished decoarting my house for Christmas and I couldn't be happier.  I always start the day after Thanksgiving because I like to enjoy the decorations for as long as I can!   I usually stick to a pallete of silvers, golds, and greens but this year I added in some red on the tree and I am loving it.   I love seeing how others decorate their houses so here is a sneak peek of a few things decked out in the Mason Household.

These little guys are my newest addition this year.  I love how sparkly they are.  I used to make so much fun of my mom for having nutcrackers and of course now I have them.  I will say things change when you have kids,  you want a few fun decorations they will love.  Sterling absolutely adores this pair and I do too.  My blinged out Nutcrackers:)

Here is the overall view of our bar table with our new friends.

  

  I love to hang wreaths on mirrors and windows inside.  I bought the wreath above the bar and this one at a fabulous store in Charlotte called Traditions.  They are super light weight so you easily hang them anywhere.

This is our first Christmas with our new Hutch and I had a ball decorating it.
Still have yet to paint it,  that is now a project for 2013!

My mom gave me these star pillows and I love the fun accent they add for the holidays.

And you might remember our tree I posted last week.

 Here is one of my all time favorite ornaments:  Jonathan Adler Seahorse.  I love all Jonathan's ornaments- they make great gifts too.

 I snagged this little wreath at a garage sale for $1, it the perfect piece to store my cards.   The Christmas cards are already rolling in and it makes me so happy.  I look forward to checking the mail everyday this time of year!

And of course I always have my eye on several things I want for the next Christmas.  Here is what I am hoping to score for 2013!  You have to buy a few new things each year right??

Weekend Happenings + Social Dress Shop Winner!!

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend.  Ours was very low key and involved me eating- ALOT.  My sister was in town and she loves to eat as much as I do so we went to town grubbing it up.  Something about the Holidays makes me so uninspired to workout and eat healthy.

Friday night started off with some homemade stuffed jalapenos.  This is one of Matt and I's favorite apps.  There are so many ways to make this but I do it super easy.  Jalapenos seeded and cut in half, then stuff with light veggie cream cheese and cover with shredded white sharp cheddar cheese.  Bake and enjoy!

  Saturday morning involved a breakfast of fresh Croissants my sister and I picked up from Baguette Magic on Folly Road.  It was out first time there and we loved it!  I sampled the almond, chocolate, raspberry filled croissants.  All amazing but almond was my favorite- hence why it is not the picture I scarfed it down.

Then Saturday for lunch we hit up Butcher and Bee one of my all time favorites.  I had the Brie, Tomato, and Broccoli grilled cheese with Tomato Bacon soup- amazing!!

Ok have you seen enough food??  On to more important topics Comfy clothes.  If you are on an eating binge like me you need comfortable clothes to wear. I am obsessed with my Gap Studio Sweater.  I think I have finally mastered lounge wear.  This sweater paired with my Lululemon Run Bright at Night Crop pants is my daily uniform. 
You can get 25% off at Gap today with code GAPGIFT if you want the sweater!

My little man is so ready for Christmas.  We have been wearing this reindeer outfit alot.  This is our last year in smocked outfits (sniff, sniff).  There is just something so wrong about a potty trained kid in a one piece outfit.  We are starting potty training after the holidays,  so off go all the smocked outfits!

And I kid you not I walked in on this scene the other day.  Sterling decorating our tree in the buff.  Priceless.

I hit up Target yesterday day and found a favorite new favorite snack.  I have a weird obsession with olives and I love jalapenos so the two paired together= match made in heaven.  Now I have yet to put in a martini (but I plan to soon) but they are such a tasty snack.

I came across this quote on Pinterest and loved it.  I am going to remember this even when I am rocking my lounge clothes out and about.  Attitude is everything.

 

Now on to the best part the Social Dress Shop winner is:

Chrissy W. !!!!!

Chrissy said:

The Alfred side pleat silk dress in hot pink is gorgeous!!!

Congrats Chrissy! We will be in touch with details!!

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!