Hey Friday!

This Friday I'll give you a miscellaneous jumble:

 Check out my girl Britt in the City Paper's Dish.  Charleston's Hottest Bartender nominee huh?!

 I snapped this outside of Whole Foods, It's Steven Jordan's automoBEEle.  Honestly, I only posted it so I could write automoBEEle.

If you didn't already know, I'm a pasta fanatic.  These Cooking Light Stuffed Shells are great.

And this, this here was my outfit for Lady Gaga in Charlotte a couple years back.  I attached butterflies all over my outfit!

TGIF- 3 day weekend!!

Tailgate Time

It's hard to believe that Football Season is here.  Boy, I know K sure is ready to see his Gamecocks in action tonight!  And I'm just ready to cook & eat! and socialize! and plan game-day outfits!
We're already setting some dates to head up to Columbia, so naturally I'm focused on what food we will bring.  I reccomend food that travels well and that you can eat with your hands.
Always something savory:  I'm a fan of a hearty snack at a tailgate...something of substance to help you out next to a cooler full of beer.  I made these mini ham and cheddar biscuits for last years haul.

And something sweet:  Now, I mentioned these before, but black bottom cupcakes travel well and are far more decadent than the typical tailgate treat.

I am known to go overboard when it comes to food preparation so this year I'm vowing to keep it simple and not bring everything but the kitchen sink.  I think both of these recipes are sure to satisfy.
We've also brought cold cuts and sub fixings before, which definitely hits the spot and doesn't get much easier.
Oh, and check out my Game-Day treats, lazy girl style.
Also, here are my non-food essentials for a tailgate, aka Party At My Car!

Lake Charleston?

I'm sure if you live in Charleston, or have friends that do, you've probably already seen evidence of today's flooding.  I'm staying dry and cozy in my office, but I wish everyone on the roads safe travels today!

Weekends

Oh boy, this weekend kicked my butt.  I'm actually happy to get back to work and routine.  I think this shift in weather induced a weekend of over-indulgence for us. Anyone else feel this way?

I'm going to post some snaps from both this and last weekend.  Enjoy!

We enjoyed the Moneybags appetizer at Red Orchid 2 Fridays ago...

Wildflowers from K 

Sing to me, Clarence. 

Citizen Cope lovers. 

 New cow hair shoes

Last Sunday: My "Who needs Kick Chick?" masterpiece.

Taco Boy sangria swirl: Always a good (or bad?) thing!

 Rooftop photo-op

 Escargot dipping at Rue.

 Saturday picnic with my boys.  Oh, joy!

Tonight, we're grillin' and sippin'. Hope your past two weekends were fantastic!
A busy week is on the horizon, going away party Tuesday and Thursday: The Return of College Football.
Here we go!

WishFALL Thinking

Ohhhh, I lust for Burberry,YSL, and Tiffany...
Who else is ready for Fall?

It's Friday Eve!

 Wow, Dollar Tree has steak?  Good for them!  I saw this sign leaving the gym on James Island this morning.  Steak for a buck??

I should probably talk a little bit about Dollar Tree.  I like it alot.  I like it so much I purchased stock in it.   You see, you can't go into Dollar Tree with a list, you have to let it dictate what you buy.  I do have standard purchases (advil travel packets, deodorant, dog treats) but for the most part, I can't predict what will be there.  I don't buy "off-brands" at Dollar Tree, I tried them and they aren't good.  But on a lucky trip I can find Velveeta shells and cheese, Earthgrains wheatberry bread, Kelloggs cereal, etc.  Now, I will say that Dollar Tree is extremely convenient to my routine (right next door to Golds on James Island) so I really never make a special trip, but next time you're near one I encourage you to stop in. 

 However, I don't necessarily encourage trying the steak...

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Today is Yappy Hour!

The only thing missing from this photo is a frosty beer! 

 I hope the rain holds off until I'm curled up in my bed tonight. 

I haven't gotten around to loading last weekend's photos, probably tomorrow.

Happy Friday Eve!!!!
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Oh, and a quick update:  There are some killer deals happening over at Lilly Pulitzer this week.  I've been itching for a new "special" dress for our upcoming staycation (on Folly) and this one will do the trick.
It's an absolute steal at nearly 75% off.

Here we go!

I like lists.  This is part of the reason I love planning parties and going on vacations...when it's actually good to be a little OCD.  I spend about 10 minutes on Monday mornings enjoying my coffee and laying out my week.  I am very disciplined during the work week with my schedule.  It's mostly work.gym.home without variation, but I do try to mix it up one night a week either for investment club, happy hour/meal with friends, bible study, family time, etc... 

I read this blog and loved the printable calendar templates she linked to.  I've since printed them and use them in my Monday Morning ritual.  I use the Shopping List column as a random "To-Do" spot.  But like I said, my week is mostly uneventful-I plan it that way.  I thoroughly enjoy being a homebody M-F...not to mention weekends with no commitments other than the gym! 

Let the Drummer Kick That

We'll be heading to Myrtle Beach tomorrow to catch Clarence play at the House of Blues.  He is one of my favorites and I've seen him play numerous times.  Once I actually met him on King Street!

I'm looking forward to a low-key dinner tonight and spending the day at the pool before heading up there tomorrow.  What do you have going on this weekend? 

Last Weekend...

Friday night we had dinner at Leaf, followed by a glass of wine at Elliotborough Mini Bar.  Leaf was a no for me, but the Mini Bar was very quaint.

Saturday was a busy day, hit the gym then gathering the finishing touches on a gift for a Stock the Bar party.  I filled mason jars with 'Firefly' mini bottles, and then finished the "basket" off with a bottle of specialty lemonade.  This picture is awful but I swear it was a pinterest worthy gift ;)

 Beautiful bride-to-be in white

Sunday - Brocolli Swiss & Bacon Cheddar quiche, ready for baking for a baby shower mid-day

Two showers in one weekend= a tired Laura.

But it was all so fun!
Workin' for the weekend.

A little somethin' somethin'

Mondays are no doubt the busiest days at the office.  This weekend was wonderful, yet one of the more exhausting of the year so far.  I'm running off fumes right now, y'all. 

I decided to experiment with the "one nail a different color" trend yesterday, and while K informed me that it appeared I had run out of polish, I kind of like the look.
It's just a little somethin' somethin' to brighten up my Monday.

It's Friiiiiday!

Hey, Have I mentioned before how much I love to give back to my community?

Have I mentioned before that I primarily support The Neighborhood House of Charleston?

You should really check us out.

TGIF!!!!

Last Weekend

Phew, finally over the hump.  I had all intentions of working out before heading to the office this morning but forgot to set my alarm. Freudian slip?

Ok. So, Lots of pics to share with you:

 Fun times with Miss Anna

Voodoo for a late-night Tiki drink

 Um, have you tried white chocolate Reese's????  Pure decadence.

 Saturday night we decided to go crabbing!

 Annnnd we caught 2.

 K showed us how to make them fall asleep by rubbing their bellies.  Let me tell you, my dad and I got the biggest kick out of this.

 Sunday Pool Party for a good friend's birthday...

 Shrimp and sausage paella.

This was the best pic that K snapped yesterday, at the driving range on the Ocean Course. 

Let's hope the weather cheers up for the actual tournament this weekend, huh?

Alright y'all, it's downhill from here!

Tuesday Two O'Clock Slump

My boy is out enjoying the day at the PGA on Kiawah, and I'm here at my desk feeling restless. 
So I'm thinking about our next date night. 
It has become a new tradition of sorts, of course not this past weekend as we had a guest, but typically Fridays have become our date night.  Saturday is full with family or friend get togethers, and Sunday is more of the same or just relaxing.  So we have Friday. 
K and I have our reasonable favorites (1), our indulgent splurges (2), and our last minute "need food now" sorts (3). 
Here's the shortlist:
1. Basil, Mondo's, Zia, Five Loaves, Red Orchid, Al di La, Fleet Landing, Pearlz
2. Cypress, Fulton Five, FIG, Hanks
3. Smokey Oak, Kickin' Chicken, Paisanos, Taco Boy
But lately I'm wanting to try something different on Fridays.  New bars!  New eats!  Our last "new night" was Proof and Monza, both of which I loved.
This Friday I'm thinking... Elliotborough Mini Bar and Leaf.  Does anyone have any feedback?
Also, I apologize to any non-Charleston readers, as this post has simply been a jumble of things you've most likely never heard of or care to.
But hey, if you ever want any Charleston restaraunt ideas, I'm here for you!
Also I might mention that while this post appears to indicate an "out to eat" obsession, it's actually a once, perhaps twice a week occasion.  We enjoy cooking and grilling out equally!
Oh, and here's a quick preview of last weekend.  More to come!

TGIF + another visitor.

My great friend Anna is coming down from Atlanta to stay with me in Charleston tonight.  I'm not too sure what we'll end up doing, but we're definitely heading to Monza for dinner.
I met Anna on the first day in the dorms at College of Charleston freshman year.  It was a random introduction actually, as we had no mutual friend nor did we live on the same hall or floor.  It was kind of "meant to be", much like how I met K, as I was simply drawn to say hello to her.  Years later, she's still one of the most fun gals on the block. 
Our friendship blossomed over our love for random, silly things: dinosaurs, princess wands...mostly children's toys when I come to think of it.  But we really connected and laughed our way through college.  We even lived together one year. 
I can't wait to see her!  Oh and here we are circa 2005. Anna is the yellow and I am pink.  I still have these sunglasses!

Last Weekend

Heyyo, another fun weekend down, another one coming right up!  We're over the hump!

 Friday night we had a quick sangria swirl at Zia to kick off the weekend.  Wasn't the Olymics Opening so inspirational?  Gives me chills, y'all.

 After Body Combat on Saturday, I whipped up a last minute ham egg and cheese quiche.  I always have quiche ingredients on hand. Yum.

 Abigail was in town!  And I have greasy summer skin!

 Five Loaves has 1/2 price bottles of wine on Saturday nights. No.better.deal.in.town.  This bottle was $12.  Needless to say we didn't stop after 1. Cha-ching!

Here's the whole group at Mercury Bar.  I really liked this place!

We had to stop in Pearlz for some corn fritters Sunday before grilling out. These are a strange (yet delicious) hybrid of hushpuppies and funnel cake.  I'll take it!

Oh, and I picked these limes straight from the yard. So fresh.

How was your weekend?

P.S.  August how you doin!