Friday Highfive

Happy Friday!!! Here's a highfive for making it through a funky, in-between-holidays, week!

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Spoiled and oh so grateful, I wanted to share a few of our favorite gifts this Christmas.

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{1}

St. Matthew's silhouette.

This is my second silhouette by Lewis Bowen.  The other is a pelican that I know I've shared on the blog, but delving into my archives is not on my list today.  Anyway, I love the glimpse of our church in our home.

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{2}

Custom Bamboo Frame

K ordered this frame for me for Christmas and I just love it.  We gifted all of our family with portraits of EB by Dubose, and we will be framing this one.  I taped up the print to try and get some inspiration for matting color...any suggestions are most welcome!!

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{3}

Jumbo Teddy Bear

This represents the LARGER THAN LIFE Christmas that EB had.

We have no where to fit him so he is taking up residence in the nursery glider.

Thank goodness for the toy chest from my parents for extra storage!

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{4}

EB's Rocking Chair

She absolutely loves rocking out in this and it's so fun to watch her.

Notable mention to the radio flyer wagon, little table and chairs, and the play kitchen that I shared snaps of in my last post. 

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{5}

I saw this in a boutique on King Street after church one day, mentioned it to my MIL, and it landed under the tree.  

Question:  Is this inappropriate front door decor?

;)

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What was your favorite gift this year...to give or receive??

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xLaura

Christmas Catch Up

Here are a few photos of our Christmas celebrations.  It was the best one yet!

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Christmas Day the weather felt so perfect and we had a great time hosting our families in our home.

 xLaura

2017 Christmas Card

Well...I didn't buy enough cards this year (mom brain) and barely got them out before this weekend, but here is what I scrounged together.  

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Cookie Swap Shortcut: Almond Joy Cookies

I was invited to a cookie swap this past weekend and, as I was recovering from a head cold, I needed to make something that required zero thinking or planning.  My mom suggested this simple, 4 ingredient "cookie" and it could not have been easier.  

 Here's what you need:

1 bag sweetened coconut

1 bag semisweet chocolate chips

1 can condensed milk

2/3 cup slivered almonds

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Here's what you do:

Mix ingredients together.  

Spoon on to parchment paper lined baking sheet.  After spooning, you can form them into balls using your hand.  You will need to moisten your fingertips with water to prevent sticking.

Bake at 325' for around 15 minutes.

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I made 4 dozen of these on Saturday before the baby was even awake for the day!  

On a good day I'm no baker, but feeling slightly under the weather and with the usual holiday hustle I was  still able to pull these together.

I figured they were worth a share!

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xLaura

Our Holiday Home, 2017

Here's a look at some of the decorations in our ho-ho-home.

Note that the halls are decked very similarly to last year and so I didn't repeat those photos. 

You can take a look at those here.

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This is a new addition: A Boxwood "N" in our dining room:

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I like every room to have a small touch:

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 I have had this little white tree since I was a child and I honestly think it's from Dollar Tree.  I added some red bows and displayed it under my topsy turvy doll collection.

 This is more a recommendation than decoration...the Mrs. Meyers Pine scent!

Holiday pillows add easy flair:

 

Guest Room: 

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Festive built-in in our den:

 

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Happy Holidays!

xLaura

Our Weekend

Hi guys!  And hellooooo, December!  Here are some snaps of the haps from our weekend, starting with my 32nd Birthday!

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On Friday afternoon I dropped my girl off with my mom and tooted myself right on down to the Wentworth Mansion for an hour long hot stone massage.  Heaven.  I have a habit of hoarding spa gift cards, and this one was a gift from K before I was even pregnant.  Overdue!! 

Afterwards I drove down the road to meet my man at Stella's.   I have been wanting to try this spot for a while, I've heard rave reviews and it was great!  We shared a bottle of wine and several appetizers (flaming cheese!) before calling it a night.

At home, with my birthday gifts...the earrings I posted last week and a magnum of champs:

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On Saturday my parents brought EB home around 11:00 and I took her downtown to our church's charity holiday market.  

Kevin had a guys night at the hockey game and I enjoyed a night to myself to watch While You Were Sleeping, my faaaaavorite holiday flick.

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Sunday we had church, brunch, and then....SANTA:

This little sugarplum, y'all!!!! 

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I hope y'all had a great weekend! See you Friday with some more holiday cheer.

xLaura

Friday Highfive: My Holiday Wishlist

Happy Friday!! Here is a highfive for making it through the week!

And today I'm sharing what I'd love to find under the tree...FOR ME :)

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{1}

Susan Shaw earrings: I saw these handcast gold earrings at a boutique in Summerville.  I just love them.  

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{2}

These pillows from Target:  I love the kelly green and the grass texture.  I'm sure they will add a fun pop to any space.

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{3}

Crate and Barrel Edge white wine glasses:  Lord knows I don't need another wine glass, but these are so sophisticated.  Love.

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{4}

World Market Ginger Jar Set:  I saw these in-store last week and they are a great size.  I have the perfect spot in mind in our den.  

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{5}

Holiday Makeup set:  This one is Bobbi Brown, from Cosbar, where I had my wedding makeup done.  I always get excited to open and play around with new makeup in the New Year. 

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Happy Holidays!!  And Happy Birthday to me :)

We have a FUN, BABY FREE evening planned.

xLaura

And Away We Go...

Hey y'all! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Today I am sharing pictures from the last couple of weeks.  I want to get caught up here before the whirlwind of the next few weeks...

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Two weekends ago:

We had my husband's family over for a Pre-Turkey Day Happy Hour.  It was the perfect afternoon for backyard fun.

Then that Sunday we had brunch at the Bohemian Bull before swinging by my parents' house for a visit.  If you haven't been to Bohemian Bull, they have a large fenced "bier garten" in the back where the children roam free.  

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THANKSGIVING 2017

We hosted dinner for 11.  Here's EB enjoying dressing and lima beans with her Uncle Bill.

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Black Friday: Shopping with my girl.. We didn't get much, but it was fun to be out and about.  Also, I want to remark on the sad sad state of Citadel Mall.  

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Small Business Saturday:  Tree shopping at Hyams.  Unfortunately they were cleaned out of 7-8 ft trees so we ended up at a lot down the street.

 We watched the Carolina/Clemson game and grilled out that night.  Her expression says it all.

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And this past Sunday was church and lunch at Sol... 

And trying to keep up with this girl!

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Alright!  That brings us up to speed.  I have some upcoming posts on my mind...

I want to share our holiday home, a DIY I'm planning for Christmas Gifts,  My wishlist, Our Christmas Card, and of course sharing all of our holiday fun!

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See ya soon

xLaura

Friday Highfive

Hey y'all,  Happy Friday!!  Here is a highfive for making it through the week.

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{1}

A story for ya...

This year I decided to book a "holiday mini session" for our family with a local photographer.  The session was to be held in a cotton field and, of course, I had our outfits all picked out, in shades of ivory and cream.  Last week I received an email from the photographer saying that the cotton field where she had permission to shoot had been harvested early and thus, the session was being moved to a Christmas tree farm... Would I like a refund or to go forward with new location?  By this point I had my heart set on cotton photos, so I requested a refund and decided to take matters into my own hands.  Last Saturday, while K went up to the Carolina game, I enlisted my parents to join me on "The Great Cotton Caper".  And it was a success!  We found a field located in Macedonia, SC...about an hour from our house.  Of course the photos aren't professional,and we weren't able to get a family shot BUT it was a fun day and we got some good pictures that captured the memory!

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{2}

This past Sunday, after church, we decided to stroll down King Street's Second Sunday.  I can't remember if I've shared much about it here, but EB started walking right at 12 months and now she is GONE BABY GONE.  

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 {3}

We popped into Williams and Sonoma and I am thinking about heading back to pick up this brine for our turkey on Thursday.  K slow smokes it on the grill and always brines it for 48 hours before hand.  This one has great reviews.

{4}

Speaking of Thanksgiving...look at this adorable dress!  We were given a box of hand me downs from EB second cousins and there are SO many cute things.

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 {5}

An FYI to local moms:  The SC Aquarium just opened up this fun toddler playzone upstairs, near the touch tanks.  EB LOVED it on our trip yesterday with Aunt T!

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Have a great weekend!

xLaura

Crockpot Potato Soup

Hey guys, Happy Monday!

I made this for dinner last night and I was so happy with the meal.  I have attempted crockpot potato soup before but have never felt like it turned out, so finding this recipe is a real WIN.  We had a nice and cozy weekend and this meal rounded it out.

Put it on your menu!

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1 bag frozen shredded potatoes

1 can cream of chicken soup

3.5 cups chicken broth (I used a bouillon cube + water)

1 chopped onion

salt and pepper*

1 block cream cheese

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Put the first five ingredients in crockpot on Low for five hours.

After five hours, add the cream cheese and cook on Low an additional 30 min.

Top with chives, shredded cheddar, bacon bits, etc.

*Note, I may also add a little garlic powder next time.

Our Weekend

I hope y'all had a nice weekend!

On Friday night we did lobster tails, our first time cooking them.  K butterflied them and grilled with garlic butter.  YUM!  I served with homemade scalloped potatoes and steamed green beans.  Note:  Scalloped potatoes from scratch, while delicious, are A LOT of work and honestly, the boxed ones taste dang good.  Just a little food for thought. 

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 On Saturday I went down to the Farmers Market with my besties and our girls. I had a savory crepe from the crepe vendor there and I was so disappointed.  It had no taste and I waited in a very long line for it.  BUT we enjoyed the outing anyway.  

The rest of Saturday we hung at home, watching football while K slow smoked some ribs.

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On Sunday we had church and lunch downtown.  I am wearing my Twig and Twine dupe necklace. 

After EB napped and we got changed, we headed over to JICP to enjoy the weather.  

And that's a wrap!

xLaura