Lately...

Where to begin...

I think it's been nearly 2 weeks since my last 'Lately' post, 

so let me catch y'all on up!

I'll start with my work awards event from a couple Wednesday's ago.  This annual party is a pretty big project of mine and I really enjoy it.  We always have the most delicious meal, including this snazzy red velvet desert!  I ate the Lexus logo but I'm not really sure I was supposed to...

I spent the majority of the night trying to avoid being in the background of every photo, which worked out really well for me.

Following this event, I began preparing for a Couples "Stock the Bar Fiesta" Shower I was co-hosting on Saturday.

Sidenote: slicing limes is a pain in the booty.

We had a nacho bar, pinata, and lots of margaritas on ice! 

Sunday we took it easy and I made one of my favorite comfort dishes, tomato cream penne with meatballs:

You can't beat this freshness, courtesy of K's dad's green thumb.

My favorite place on Earth:

Fast forward to this past Friday night, We went over to Voodoo for a dinner of appetizers, and to visit my girl Brittany.  According to their Snack Food Zodiac, K (bridge mix) and I (twinkie) are ill-matched...

But that didn't bring me down, this girl was in a dancin' mood!

So then Saturday I was in a re-hydration mood. That meant a trip to Riso Noodle House for my first Bubble Tea experience in years.  A big cheesy smile for boba balls!

Yesterday- Ding Ding!

Shower Round Two.

My mom and I hosted a shower for a dear family friend who is getting married in 2 weeks, eek!

On the table is a photo of us as kids, her dressed as a bride and me as what appears to be a bridesmaid/pilgrim (not Halloween).

Also on the table, my parent's (and my future) cake topper.

Phew, I think that's all I've got.

Tell me what you've been up to lately!

xoxo,

Laura

Summer Bucket List

With summer having just officially begun, I am thinking about all of the things that I’d like to do before it flies by!  Some of these are fun and some are more like goals to accomplish before my Bachelorette Weekend happening over Labor Day at the end of August.

Here we go!

1. Read The Outlander Series.  

I’ve been hearing about these for years and I just started the first one!

2.Take a Le Creuset cooking class.  

I have been interested in visiting their Headquarters for a while now, I need to make it happen!

3. Try out a new (to us) restaurant.  

We are interested in Two Burroughs Larder and The Obstinate Daughter.

4. Recreate this picture with K on Sullivans.

5. Clean out all closets, cabinets, and drawers.  Depending on results, consider a Garage sale.

6. Purchase a curio cabinet for my special pieces.

7. Make home-made spring rolls.  Y’all, we have joked about going to Basil and ordering 12 servings of their spring rolls. DIVINE. Luckily I have a recipe in my Williams Sonoma World Cuisine cookbook that looks somewhat do-able.

8. Order K’s wedding band.

9. Take my team at work out for Dinner/Drinks.

Those are my top priorities of the next two months,

What is on your Summer Bucket List?

Also, Here is my Charleston Bucket List from a year and a half ago.

:)

Wedding Details: Caricature Artist

Happy (?) Monday to you all!
I am posting to share additional entertainment that we have booked for our reception.
I have already mentioned our DJ, but we have also booked a caricature artist for portraits of our guests.
K and I had our caricature done at my work Christmas party a few years ago, and it was so fun!
Not only was it fun to have our own done, it was fun to watch the artist do other people!
I enjoyed it so much that I immediately filed it away as future inspiration.
I am also providing the artist, Eric Grady, with disposable cameras and have asked him to take pictures of each guest with their completed drawing.  I will put these in an album to accompany our traditional guest book.
I know I've posted this photo before, but here ya go:

Stay tuned later this week for some recent happenings!
Hope your weekend was lovely :)

TGIF!

Happy Friday y'all!  

It never fails on a night out with my ladies, that we meet some colorful characters.

So yeah...

Happy Friday!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Humpity Hump!

We went and saw The Fault In Our Stars Friday night.  It was very sweet and very sad.  We went to the Terrace Theatre, where you can purchase Lowcountry Lauren's Cookies.  Proceeds of these cookies go to Baby Bronson, and it doesn't hurt that they are delicious!

Over the weekend we had my parents over for dinner and I set out a cheese board to start.

This cheese was BOGO at Harris Teeter over the weekend.  (I absolutely love perusing their cheese department)  It tasted great and I will definitely buy it again.  For reference, usual pepper jack has around 9 grams of fat per serving.

 I bought this romper from Forever 21 online after seeing it over on Caycee's blog.

I can't wait until it arrives.  I think it will be perfect for a friend's upcoming Bachelorette weekend on Tybee Island!

We had to charge our AC with freon on Monday, so while the house was cooling off we grabbed a drink by the creek and perused Lowe's.

I want this hanging light fixture.  Gorgeous!

 The pink blush on this white rose is nature's perfection! 

Ok, I've got to hustle!

I am coordinating a huge work Awards Dinner tonight,

and starting my prep for a Stock the Bar Fiesta this weekend.

Hope you are having a great week!

No Bake Chocolate Eclair with Fudge Icing

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

Ours was spent mostly in the kitchen and with family, both of which I enjoy, so all in all it was a good one!

This dessert is one that my mom used to bring to family functions a lot when I was younger.  It's so light and tasty, with a crunchy fudge layer on top.  It's also a cinch to pull together so I wanted to share it with you!

What you need:

For the eclair-

1 box graham crackers

2 boxes French vanilla instant pudding

1 container of cool whip

milk

For the fudge icing-

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup cocoa

1/4 cup butter

What you do:

Prepare the pudding as instructed on package.

Fold in defrosted cool whip.

Layer graham crackers and pudding mixture in your dish.  I have used a trifle dish and a 13x9 before.

Your top layer should be graham crackers.

To make the fudge icing- Bring all of the listed ingredients to a boil, continuously stirring for 60 seconds. Remove from heat and continue to stir for 3 minutes.  Once it has cooled and thickened, pour over your top layer of graham crackers.

Refrigerate for atleast 3 hours and enjoy!

Happy Birthday to my Blog!

Hominy Girl is THREE YEARS OLD today.

Just for fun, here is my first post.

And here is a post from my one year blog birthday.

And my two year.

And for today I say:

Happy Friday and I hope you enjoy stopping by as much as I enjoy sharing!

xoxo,

Laura

Oh and p.s. today is the 13th and there is a full moon, Freaky Friday!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Humpity Hump!

I just realized I forgot to take the meat for dinner out of the freezer this morning, bummer.

Anyway, what is happening out there?

Here are a few things making making me smile today.

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As I mentioned Monday,

we spent the majority of our Sunday registering at Belk and Target. 

Here is one of my favorite entertainer pieces by Godinger:

Unofficial Poll:  Fine China?

We registered for it but we've considered removing it (and later purchase it ourselves).  My married friends shared that they did not receive much or any of theirs, and it takes up SO much of our registry.  Thoughts?

--

Anybody tried these Thin Addictives from Costco?  They are like crispy biscotti and they are great with morning coffee!  I prefer the Pistachio to the Cranberry, but both are good. 

--

 This picture isn't great, but I am so pleased with my snazzy retro slides.  Aren't they 60's mod?  These have an easy heel and are perfect for busy days on the move at work. 

--

New refreshing weeknight routine,

La Croix with frozen strawberries or raspberries:

--

Super cute towel alert!

That's all for today, have a great one!

Sunday Funday: Registries, Wine, and Tacos!

Hello Monday morning! I am not so happy to see you, quite frankly.

Blah.

Anyway, how was everyone's weekend?

Let's see...we took it nice and easy and not a single photo proves it.

Yesterday was busy because we spent the day creating our wedding registries!

We are registered at Belk and Target, and we are planning to add William Sonoma as well.

It was a long day of browsing and scanning and when we were finished with stopped by Gene's for a beer.
We met at Gene's Haufbrau and it's still our favorite bar.  It was packed with a Sunday Funday crowd which put us in the mood!  Once home, we continued the party with a bottle of HandCraft Pinot Noir.  This is the second time we've bought this wine because it's been on sale for a good price and it's very smooth.

For Dinner I made Chorizo, Egg, and Cheese tacos.  This is another one of my attempts to make something I order at a restaurant at home.  This inspiration comes from Zia, home of the best tacos in Charleston, if you were wondering.  I really don't think this dinner requires any instructions, but if you want them:

Brown your sausage and drain the grease.  (I used turkey breakfast sausage to cut some fat but no doubt they would have tasted better with the real thing)

Scramble your eggs and chop 'em up!

Assemble in a tortilla: sausage then egg, and top with cheese.

Enjoy!

They were very good, but not Zia-good. 

I will still be making them again, that's for certain!

xoxo

Laura

Friday Highfive!

Happy Friday!!!

Here is a highfive for getting through the week!

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Last night we went down to Folly to celebrate my brother's 25th Birthday.  It was a great time which has resulted in a tinge of a headache this morning...worth it!

--

I'm a big fan of nude nail polish.  I decided to spice it up with a pink accent nail.

--

Living so close to Bilo, it's my grocery store of choice.  This week I cashed in my fuel perks and filled my tank for $20.00.  Cha ching!

--

Is it just me, or does that tree have a face?

You can find this yard across from Nativity on Folly Road.

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Alfie's new dog toy, Oh Noooooooo!!! Mr. Bill!

--

Have a great weekend!

Bridal Beauty: Skincare Regime

Good Morning, Before I get into my scheduled post I want to say Happy Birthday to my brother!!!

I am so excited to celebrate tonight! 

--

I'm never that interested in reading about other people's skincare routines, however I decided today to share mine because I have recently begun to give it much more thought (so sorry if this bores you).  I have always had sensitive skin.  In highschool I had eczema pretty severe, but it cleared up in College for which I was so grateful.  I breakout pretty regularly also, always have, but it's not something that has ever really upset me or affected my self esteem.  "It is what it is."  I am definitely a girly girl, but I'm also low maintenance.  I'm an oxymoron!

After my Natura Bisse Diamond Glow facial a couple weeks back I took the plunge and purchased products from their line.  From there I looked at the other products I was using (or not using) and made some changes.  Let me tell you about it:

AM Routine

Each morning I wash my face with Neutrogena's facial bar.  I have used this soap off and on forever, as recommended by a dermatologist in highschool, and so I feel confident that it's an effective cleanser.  From there I use an organic CC cream by Physicians Formula. 

--

PM Routine

While in the mornings I typically feel rushed to get out the door, in the evenings I am really able to spend some time on myself.  I use a face brush (from Sally Beauty) to clean my face with Ellen Tracy's Age Renewal Cleanser.  From there I use a Clearasil Spot treatment on any pronounced blemishes. 

I use Natura Bisse's Oxygen Cream as my nightly moisturizer and I love it.  It smells great, absorbs quickly, and instantly cools and refreshes my skin. 

I also purchased Natura Bisse's Stabilizing Cleansing Mask.  I splurged on this product, it runs around $50.00, because you can use it 3 ways.  I am currently using it as a weekly mask, however combined with a little bit of water, you can use it as a cleanser.  You can also use it as a spot treatment on any trouble zones.

Triple threat baby!

--

I'm no skincare guru, but this is what I'm doing in order to ensure my skin is at it's best for the coming months of showers, parties, and photos of me galore.

Happy Thursday!!

Double Whammy

I'm hittin' y'all with a double whammy today,
I have a weekend report and a menu comin' at ya!

Ok, so there isn't much to report on the weekend, really. 

Friday night we grilled burgers, which is my faaaavorite thing to do.  I added some crumbled bacon from a leftover 'Breakfast for Dinner' night to the ground beef, along with Montreal Steak seasoning.  I also splurged on "good" pepperjack and Hawaiian sweet bread hamburger buns. Perfection!  

I think I get a little too excited about these things.

--

Saturday in Charleston was dreary as heck and so we were feeling stir crazy come 5:00 pm.  We went down the street to the shopping center that houses the Terrace Theatre and Zia and enjoyed a few glasses of wine at "How Art Thou?" which is a super cute wine bar that I'm beginning to frequent.  They have half priced bottles and live jazz on Thursdays...music not too loud, you know what I mean?  I can't stand loud loud music unless we're at a concert. 

--

Sunday we were bound and determined to enjoy some outdoor time so we headed to the beach.  It was so dang windy we only lasted an hour and a half,
but it was fun none the less. 

I watched several people chasing an umbrella all the way down the beach,
I felt bad but y'all it was cracking me up!

And if you're wondering my beach of choice in Charleston? 
It's Folly, no question at all. 

I grew up frequenting Sullivan's (where my dads family is from) however it has, along with the rest of Charleston, changed so so much and sometimes my heart just can't take it.  

Blurry kabobs! Sunday night's dinner was colorful and delicious. 

We used a teriyaki marinade with sesame seeds. 

And finally, my menu for the week.

Drumroll please....

I pretty excited about tonight, recreating this exact meal. 

I'm starting to think maybe I struggle with change?

;)

Happy Tuesday!