Ladies Night Downtown

Happy Royal Wedding Day!  What a gorgeous ceremony this morning.  They looked so happy!

Last night, the girls got together in downtown Charlotte for a lil happy hour at Connolly's then walked over to Aria for dinner.

I love my friends and I'm so thankful for them.  And to have most of them together all in one spot - LOVE it.  There is nothing better in my opinion than being together with all your favorite ladies and enjoying a fun night out!

The above picture, top row L to R - Kim, Lizzy, Molly, Fran, Emily.  Bottom row L to R - me, Lauren, Wendy and Koren.

The Avenue ladies walked back and took a picture in front of the building just because!  Molly, Lizzy, Me, Wendy.

Loved being with all of you!!!  Hope you have the best weekend! 

Bloggies - tell me your favorite girls night!  What kinds of things do you all do?  We are going to try to do something different each month.  Next up is a wine bar but I'd love to get some of your ideas too!

Mother's Day Gifts

Today it's all about my Mama!  She is having a major surgery at Johns Hopkins this morning so please think about her today and the next week or so for a speedy recovery.  Thank you! ;)

Since my Mama received her Mother's Day gift in the mail yesterday (I know, over a week early!) before she left for Baltimore, I can go ahead and show you what I got her. 

The White Calla Lily Bulb Kit from Pottery Barn!

Isn't it adorable?  It comes with the cachepot and three bulbs.  It can be grown indoor or outdoor.  I figured it was a good alternative to her hydrangeas and orchids that she already has a lot of.

So, tell me, what are your Mother's Day gift ideas?  Maybe you all can share in the comments below and if someone is looking for some ideas, they'll find them here!

Jimmy and Sook

While Kevin and I were in Annapolis, we stopped in this cute shop called Jimmy and Sook.  Have yall heard of them before?  They only have a few shops in Maryland and Virginia. 

Their signature logo is the crab and you can see it on the left of the below picture on the apron.  Their store is super cute and they have decorated it very nautical. 

Jimmy and Sook is named from jimmy being a male crab and sook being a female crab.

They have both men's and women's clothing and lots of polo shirts as you can see!

It's a nice change for something different other than the usual VV and ST.  Check out their website. 

While I was in the store, I talked to the lady and she mentioned they would start advertising through social media soon so maybe I'll get super lucky and host a giveaway at some point!

Easter Weekend

We had a wonderful visit with my parents over Easter weekend.  We flew up on Thursday afternoon so that evening Kevin went to Rotary with my Dad.  Mom and I went to dinner with our next door neighbor who is basically like my grandmother.

On Friday my parents had some appointments to go to in Baltimore so Kevin and I drove separately and went to Annapolis.  He had never been there so it was fun to show him around.  We were in and out of the pouring rain so we stopped in and had a tasty beer to warm up and relax. 

While we were in Annapolis, we came upon a cute shop that I'll tell you all about in a separate post.

We ended up meeting my parents at G & M restaurant near the Baltimore airport for a quick drink.  It's the same place I told you about that has the most amazing crabcakes ever (other than my momma's!).  So they drove back home because they had a party that night and we stayed for dinner.

We headed into Baltimore after dinner for the Orioles game.  I had bought tickets because I thought Kevin would enjoy that (he grew up a lil baseball player!).  We got parked and went in to find our seat only to find out the game had been postponed to the next day.  Bummer!  At least Kevin got to see Camden Yards - this was the view from our seats....they were pretty good!

We walked around a bit until it was time to go.  Fortunately I called the next day and should receive a refund for the tickets since obviously we live more than 100 miles from the game.

Saturday we woke up and just hung around the house.  I did some errands and Kevin helped my Dad with some things.  That night we picked crabs at Old Mill, as usual!  Kevin isn't huge into the crabs so this picture isn't exactly true to what went on - he had shrimp.  Poor boy....we thought we had taught him better!

Sunday morning was Easter Sunday so we got up and the Easter Bunny had come!

Wasn't that so sweet for Mom to put together?  One for Kevin and one for me.  The Easter Bunny knows I like Lilly - he had found some cups and notecards that are both super cute!  :)  Mom is always so creative on these things!

Dad made bunny pancakes for breakfast - how cute is that?!!

Mom wasn't able to go to church with us but Kevin and I went with my Dad.  Aren't my parents presch?  It was a beautiful day!

Kevin and I are Easter Sunday!

Hope you all had a great Easter with your families.  We missed the rest of our family but hope to see them very soon!

Carrie Underwood - How Great Thou Art

I'm not one to post videos and things like that but this video is so moving.  We were at my parent's on Friday night and watched the country music special, "Girl's Night Out."  This performance by Carrie Underwood is unlike anything I've seen before.  Very cool. 

We watched it over and over and I've watched it several times on YouTube.  She had sung it before at the Grand Ole Opry but this time is so amazing with Vince Gill.  I can't get over her last two notes and how she holds her breath for that long.  Quite a talented singer.  See this link - totally worth 5 minutes of your time....promise!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLLMzr3PFgk

Menu Monday

First, I cannot wait to tell you all about our Easter weekend but I'll do that tomorrow.  Today I'm off so I'm putting together our menu for the week and going to run errands!  Wanted to try a few new recipes so here it goes...

Tonight I'm going to make the Cobb Salad by Gina's Skinny Recipes. 

Tomorrow will be the Chicken Enchiladas by Gina's Skinny Recipes.

And Wednesday will be Shrimp Scampi which is a 16 minute meal by the Pioneer Woman.

I'm not too thrilled with the chicken enchiladas but Kevin really wanted them and they aren't toooo bad for us so I figured what the heck! 

I have a girl's night on Thursday and dinner plans with some bloggers on Friday.  Saturday I'll hopefully end up cooking or we may grill out.  For lunchs this week, I'm going to get some turkey for sandwichs in case we don't have leftovers.

What's cooking in your kitchen this week?!

Happy Easter #2

Happy Easter from my cute cousins/nieces and nephew!  This is Amelia!

Her first horseback riding!  Precious, right?!

These two cuties are Maeve and Finn!  They live in Idaho!

Miss Amelia running around an egg hunt!

Amelia and her Daddy.  Who could resist that face?!

We got to video talk with Anna Kate, my brother, sis in law and her parents this morning so that was a special treat! 

We're having some breakfast then off to show Kevin Asbury UMC for the first time.  We do have a family dinner this afternoon but unfortunately our flight leaves to go back at the same time the dinner begins so Mom and Dad will be the representatives!  ;)

Off to see what the EB brought....when Kevin finally wakes up! 

Happy Easter friends!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

This photo of Anna Kate (my niece) was taken by Amanda Gallup Photography.  Isn't it precious?  And yes, that is a real bunny!  :)

Lilly Rue La La Keepers

After this post and seeing I had gotten 16 items from the Lilly Rue La La sale, yall knew I had some major coming to terms to do with myself.  Okay, okay two of the skirts were for a co-worker.  So I got 14 things.  Whatever, it was still excessive.

Anyway this is what I kept - this tunic in Shorely Blue.  Love this with white pants.  Also kept the Lilly wedges.  They were still a bit pricey but I had been looking for a pair of decent sandals that had a little heel and would be a dressier alternative to my gold Jacks.  I think these will work!

I also kept this nightshirt.  Well they say it is a nightshirt but I honestly think it could pass as a dress.  Not that I'm going to try, I'm just saying.  And it could be a bathing suit cover up.  Hmmm, the possibilities!

I'm off to Maryland today for the Easter weekend.  Kevin is coming home with me so I'm super excited!  We're going to drive up to Annapolis for the day tomorrow and catch an Orioles game in Baltimore tomorrow night.  The weather isn't suppose to be nice but we're armed with fleeces and rain coats and ready to make the best of it.  Looking forward to hanging out with my parents!!!

What are you all doing for the holiday?

Wine at the Wooden Vine

Last night we had an Avenue (condo building we live in) event at the Wooden Vine.  It is a wine bar and is pretty cool inside.  They gave us each two free drinks and provided hummus and pita chips.  Pretty nice of them, right?!

Above is Kevin, David and Davidson solving the world's problems!  Below are our neighbors and friends, Jen and David.  Yall have seen them on here before.  Today, they are leaving for St. Kitt's with lots of her family, for a WHOLE week!  Lucky ducks! 

Kevin and I in front of our building. 

Tomorrow I'm going to share with yall what I ended up keeping from the Lilly Rue La La sale!  :)

And a happy belated birthday to my brother...I had a post started to put up yesterday but it didn't exactly happen with work.  Anyway, happy 33rd bro!

Chicken Ranch Tacos

This, my friends, is called a quick weeknight meal!

Kevin found this Chicken Ranch Tacos recipe on the back of a taco shells box so he wanted to try it.

Last night while we grilled kabobs (delish), I marinated and cooked two other chicken breasts in preparation for this recipe.  It makes weeknight meals SO much easier!

Ingredients:

1 box (4.7 oz) Old El Paso Stand n' Stuff taco shells
3 C. cut-up deli rotisserie chicken (from 2-2 1/2 lb chicken) (I used 2 big chicken breasts grilled)1 pkg. taco seasoning mix (I only used half a packet)1/2 C. ranch dressing (I didn't use this much, just what was needed)1 1/2 C. shredded lettuce
1 med. tomato (we used salsa)1 C. shredded cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1/4 sliced green onions
Additional ranch dressing, if desired (we used light sour cream)

Heat oven to 325*. Heat taco shells in oven as directed.

Meanwhile, in medium microwavable bowl, place chicken. Sprinkle with taco seasoning; toss gently to coat. Microwave uncovered on High 2-3 minutes or until hot. Stir in 1/2 cup of the dressing.

Spoon warm chicken mixture into heated taco shells. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and green onions. Drizzle with additional dressing.

5 servings (2 tacos each)

I served this with fresh corn because we had it leftover from last night.

Weekend - Dinner, Raleigh, Pool

On Friday night, Kevin and I met his parents for dinner in south Charlotte.  Then we went to Yoforia for some yogurt and did some shopping in the area.  It was fun!  PS - where have I been - they have CUTE dresses at Steinmart!

On Saturday we drove to Raleigh for Kelly's 30th birthday!  The storms were insane - worst I've ever seen.  Ladies - we drove through them all....the whole way to Raleigh.  Literally the storms moved up I-85, in the same direction as our drive.  We left Charlotte at the worst possible time.  Had I known, we would have just stayed in Charlotte and followed the storms.  Once we got to Burlington and the hail was so crazy that I could only see a foot in front of my car, I figured it was time to give up.  I became a wimp and pulled off on an exit.  It was so scary.  We stayed there until the storms got to Raleigh then started that way again.  When we got to Raleigh, it was sunny. 

But yall - all these cars were pulled off on the side of the road.  Do not pull off on the side of the road if you're in a situation like that!!!!  It is SOOO dangerous to do that.  Get off on an exit so another car or tractor trailer does not hit you!

Anyway - I got to see my friend Beth and her new baby Reagan, aren't they precious?!!  (please excuse my appearance - I had run through torrential rain multiple times!)

Beth is soooo happy to be a Mama and she is absolutely smitten with lil Reagan.  Who wouldn't be?!  Girlfriend is adorable!

Beth's mom came up with this cute decoration in her nursery.  All the letters of the alphabet are around the room and then her name is spelled out.  Presch.

Kevin holding little Reagan.  She is 7 weeks old and 8.5 pounds. 

Cheryl and Reagan!

Then we went to Kelly's birthday party at the fancy bowling alley.  It was an upscale bowling place and super nice!  This is the happy family!

Isn't Kelly's birthday cake gorgeous?  It was layered inside and delish!

Kelly is 30!  This is she and her hubby Brett!

Me, Kelly, Suz

Kevin and I.  After the party, we drove back to Charlotte, getting home around 1:30am.  It was a quick trip to Raleigh (we ended up only being there for about 6 hours) but it was SO good to see everyone and celebrate Kelly!

Yesterday we got our acts together for the week and layed out by the pool with our friends and neighbors.  Finished it out with some kabobs on the grill with our favorite neighbors for dinner.

Hope yall had a fab weekend! 

Alive After Five - 80's Band

Me, Emily, Tara, Kim

Yesterday after work I had a happy hour with some work friends then headed uptown to meet my girls.  We had so much fun catching up and of course people watching a bit.  I got to see a couple other friends I hadn't seen in a long time so that was nice!  Supposively there was an 80's band playing but we stayed behind the band so we can chat and so we weren't in the crowds.

We all headed home early and I had an hour or so to get my act together for this weekend.  Whew, feeling a bit more normal haha!

Any weekend plans for yall?  We're heading to dinner with Kevin's parents tonight then going to Raleigh for my friend Kelly's 30th.  I can't wait to see my college girls!  :) 

Spastic

Yall seriously, I'm spastic.  I'm all over the place.  I hardly live in Charlotte any more.  I'm traveling way too much.  My house is a DISASTER zone.  I haven't cooked normal meals in weeks.  Work is busy.  I haven't run in weeks.  Ahhhhhhh. 

But I did come home to my Lilly Rue La La package last night and got to check out all of this goodness. 

Don't fret....I'm not keeping all of this.  I'm returning all but a few things.  I was so busy at work when I was ordering that I just kept clicking (since I had already paid shipping, why not?) and then I saw my credit card statement and rue la la charged is 16 times that day.  Oops.  Two of those were for a co-worker but STILL.  I'm spastic friends!!!

So this stressing out, chaotic mode will pass and all will be well in the world but I just need to get through the next 6 weeks and into June and I'll be good. 

Until then, I'll continue my weekly (sometimes twice a week) flights to the northeast for work and a couple 'for fun' flights.  It's tough traveling during the week and on the weekends.  But...I'll survive.

Okay I'm done freaking out and off to accomplish my list of need to do's!  Thanks for listening! ;)

Love these dresses!!

Loving these dresses! What is your favorite dress so far this year?

Fabulous Dresses by ealiving16 featuring a blue strapless dress

Lilly pulitzer dress
$98 - lillypulitzer.com

Dress
vineyardvines.com

Lilly Pulitzer sheath dress
$139 - saksfifthavenue.com

Lilly Pulitzer blue strapless dress
$268 - zappos.com

Lilly Pulitzer little black dress
$248 - zappos.com

Lilly Pulitzer strapless dress
$328 - piperlime.gap.com

Lilly Pulitzer lace dress
$228 - lillypulitzer.com

Lilly Pulitzer one shoulder cocktail dress
$258 - bloomingdales.com