Tuesday, November 28, 2017

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, November 17, 2017

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

Monday, November 13, 2017

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.

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

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

Friday, November 3, 2017

October Happenings

LOTS of Fall Fun over here!!
October was a busy month, kicking off with EB's First Birthday and capped off by Halloween.
Here's what's been going on in between.
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A trip to the Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch=Mandatory
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We had SUCH a fun triple date night at the Glass Onion.
(Try the shrimp toast!!) 
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Church vibes:
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We spent an afternoon at Summerville's Scarecrow on the Square.  Loved it!

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I scored an AMAZING deal on this play kitchen on FB Marketplace.  $35!! It came with pots and pans and wooden play food.  SCORE.  It's in the closet until Santa comes!
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We are heading into week 4 of swim lessons.  She isn't exactly loving them, but I can tell she is getting much more comfortable and confident each week.
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Received EB's Dubose proofs.  HOW TO CHOOSE!!!
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Pumpkin Carving!  We did two pumpkins this year, this standard face and an "N".
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Halloween Outtake:
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And that brings us into November!
I hope you all are enjoying this wonderful time of year.
xLaura



Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Halloween 2017

I am a little behind on sharing what's been going on over here lately...so stay tuned for a Fall Happenings post (hopefully!) Friday.  But for now I'm sharing a glimpse of our Halloween.
 We actually took these photos on Saturday, a warm afternoon, but waited to share them last night.
 EB was tucked in bed by the time most of the trick-or-treaters came around, but she did hang on the porch in her Halloween PJs for a bit to take it all in.
Alfie really got into character.
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I hope y'all had a great Halloween!