Weekend Uptown

We had the very best weekend!  

Friday night just Kevin and I had a hot date to Nick's.  It's a new restaurant in a small town south of Charlotte.  We were highly impressed.  I had grouper with crab on it.  Kevin got a steak.  Afterwards we went over to Kevin's parents and chatted with them a bit.

Saturday we got chores done around the house in the morning then around noon we loaded up Mills and his gear and headed uptown.  First we had lunch at Which Wich in Southpark because Kevin had never been there.  We got to see my friend Scott who I hadn't seen in years.  We used to work together.

When we got settled into Kevin's (I guess it's now our) condo, we walked over to the new park in Charlotte.  It was so pretty.  There was a Cajun festival going on with a live band and tons of people.  Food trucks were there and lots of children running around.  Mills loved all the attention he got from people walking by.

We met some of our old neighbors down at the old Stool Pigeons (now Dillengers).  Mills played top security.

He had a big time out there and was good as gold.

He loved the balcony at the condo.  He had been there once before when we just got him so this wasn't new but he was so young then he may have not remembered.

  

We took showers and got ready to head upstairs to Dave and Jenn's condo for appetizers and beverages.

It was a gorgeous sunset that evening!

Then we all headed to Connolly's.  Kevin and our friend Emily.

Then it was somehow a smart idea to go to Roxbury which is the new Breakfast Club.  It's at the bottom of our condo building so on the way home.  

Benjy and Sarah came and met up with us.  You all recognize them from our Europe trip.  They got engaged in Paris, remember?!  

Good times!

Five on Friday

Linking up with April and Christina again this Friday!

1.  Mills has his own stationery.  Duh.  I got it early this year from this Etsy shop.  I think it's handsome paper for a handsome pooch.  My pen is covering up our last name.  He wrote the note below to Fin for letting him stay at his house last weekend.  ;)  He has also written notes to other people and dogs for gifts etc.

2.  This ribbon has to do with a favor that I put together for a lil party my friend Tara is throwing Emily as a toast to her marriage.  In two weeks (after the party) I'll tell you what that favor ended up being!

3.  On August 1, 2005, my parents sent me a plant.  The card read, "Happy August 1st Day.  Love, Mom and Dad"  You see, I started my first job out of college at the end of June 2005.  I got paid the last day of July 2005.  Get it yet?  Yeah they sent me a plant that signified no more money coming your way!  Anyway, it officially died this week.  I must say this plant was nearly indestructible.  It would die, I'd water it (ya know like once a month maybe), it'd come back.  But this time, dead.  Bless it's lil heart.

4.  I made the Pioneer Woman Pumpkin Smoothie one morning this week for breakfast.  I used Skim Milk and Light Yogurt. Highly recommend!

5.  Fall clothes - for some reason, I don't like Fall clothes.  I look silly wearing all these cute boots you all talk about with the skinny jeans.  I think my legs are too big.  I basically can only do my cowboy boots with running tights or my regular jeans that don't tuck in.  And it also may have something to do with the fact that I'd much rather be in a sundress year round.  Thankfully we have 3 warm weather trips in the next 5 weeks!

Meals Lately

Megan and I were talking earlier this week about how we both like when people post menus.  It encourages each of us to menu plan (I've gotten better but still have work to do), eat different things and share recipes.  All good things!  So today I'm contributing a few recent meals I've made.

1.  Stuffed Shells - basically these happened when I had about 15 boiled shells leftover from when I made the Taco Stuffed Shells and ricotta cheese in the fridge.  I didn't make nearly what this recipe makes, I kept the cheese all low fat or fat free and didn't use meat.  It helped make these a lighter version.  And y'all, Kevin ate the spinach in them!  He does not do green things (other than salad) so this was huge.  And he liked them!

2.  Marriage Compromise Pizza - we try not to eat terrible during the week.  Key word - try.  But time is a problem most days, so the best bet is to do things in moderation and as healthy as possible.  This is something that worked for both of us.  A thin crust, wheat pizza.  He made his half and I made mine.  His was boring and just low fat cheese and pepperoni.  Mine was a southwestern pizza that I've seen on Pinterest but made my own version.  At 225 calories a slice, it wasn't a terrible dinner (I always try to stay below 500).  I only had 2 slices (half of my half) and saved the rest for lunch the next day.  Here's how it went down...

 - Crust - 270 calories for my half of pizza

 - Refried Beans spread on the crust - 150 calories

 - Low fat mexican cheese - 3/4 cup - 240 calories

 - Canned corn - 100 calories

Stop here and put it in the oven for what the package on the crust says.  We did 10 minutes at 425.  Take it out and add the following on top:

 - I used fresh heirloom yellow tomato

 - Sliced green onions from a few days before

 - Light Sour Cream - 3TB - 60 calories

 - 1/3 Avocado cubed - 85 calories

TOTAL:  225 calories/slice

Best pizza ever.  And a quick after work meal.

3.  French Onion Grilled Cheese


I saw a picture of this on Pinterest but it didn't have a recipe associated with it.  Kevin got home first the other day so he made it and I sorta gave him ideas.  He just ran with it.  Let me tell yall what - my boy can make a grilled cheese.  Always has been able to.  But this thing was GOOD and it'll be on our regular rotation this winter.

Servings: 2
1.  4 slices of bread buttered with light butter
2.  2 TB light mayo (1 TB for each sandwich)
3.  Sauteed 1/2 onion with 1 clove of garlic (prep this ahead so it's hot and ready)
4.  3 slices of white cheddar cheese (1.5 per sandwich)
5.  Pile it all up and put a little pam in a pan and cook on your stovetop!

Delish.  We served with one can of tomato basil soup (we split it in half).  I know, how dare I use canned soup but I'm just keeping it real here!  Total 400 calories.

Let me get this straight....we had three meals this week and none of them had meat in them.  Well Kevin had pepperoni on his pizza but it wasn't very much.  I'm impressed!

Mills' Fancy Pictures

While we were in Pawleys, my SIL took some pictures of Mills with their good camera.  I love how they came out and will be printing some soon for our house!

Fall Decorating

When we got back to Charlotte on Sunday afternoon, it was my mission to decorate our front steps for Fall.  I really wanted some mums but wasn't able to find them yet.  Every place I stopped said next week.  I know I could have gotten them at Teeter or Lowes but I just really wanted to get them from a roadside stand.  I'm picky.  So I'll add those when I get them next week.

Mills and I took a ride to a cute little place on 521 in South Carolina and found some pumpkins that I've been thinking about since this time last year.  He had never seen a pumpkin before....we got him 2 weeks after Halloween last year.  He was a bit scared.  What a wimp!

I love these fancy rare pumpkins and I think the topiary look is classic.  Oh my, what if we had a new front door?!  It'd look SO much better.  But it's okay for this year!

I used some ribbon that I got off our Pottery Barn registry gifts.  It was the perfect width compared to some wider grosgrain I had gotten for this project.  

I'm so glad it's officially Fall now!

Weekend in Pawleys

We got out of Charlotte around 3pm on Friday and had a fancy dinner in the parking lot of Cookout in Sumter, SC.  Mills liked the smell! ;)

When we got to Pawleys Island, we went out to my brother and SIL's land they own on Pawleys Creek.  They are going to build their home soon and be in just after the holidays they think.  

My brother wanted to see the moon as it was supposed to be super cool that night.  It was orange as it rised from the ocean side.

Being an Aunt is my most favorite "job," second to being a wife I suppose!

 We of course read the NC State book as Anna Kate went to bed!

This was the first meeting of Mills and his cousin Fin.

It went very well, despite a little jealousy every now and then.

Mills' paws are much bigger.  This picture doesn't do the difference justice.

Baby Mills with my brother.

We took Mills' condo down there for him to sleep in like he does at home.  He whined the entire first night.  After an hour of it, I just brought him into our room because I didn't want him waking the whole house and I couldn't sleep at all.  It was funny putting them both in there.

The next morning they had nap time together.  Fin has his arm around his wild cousin trying to calm him down.

Fin on the left, Mills on the right.

We went to lunch at BisQit.  Lil Sarah is too sweet!

They are obsessed with each other.

Then we took the boat out on the creek.

Kevin and Clay went fishing while the girls played on the beach.  Kevin caught this RedFish.

I pretended I caught it.

We headed back to their dock.  Anna Kate tried to check on the crabs.

Then the poor redfish saw better days.

My girl and I.

This is the view from their dock of their land.  They're going to clear some of those trees to build their home.

Naptime was necessary.

Even for the pooches.  Seriously how cute are these two goldens?

They loved sunning themselves in their backyard.  

 That redfish was SO good.  My brother can cook some fish.

We brought the crabs home for dinner too.  Mills loved this crab.

The perfect dinner!

Our girl Sarah loves some corn!

The more old bay the better.

The girls went to bed and that's when these two went out of control.  Double trouble.

The dogs drank beer.  Em and I called it a night and the boys went to the PIT.  They told us they weren't but then they did.  Needless to say, that did not end well for any of us that evening/morning.  But they had fun and Emily and I suffered the next day because of it.  

Sarah and I Sunday morning.

Cute lil girls.

Yeah so you can see how much fun Saturday night was in this picture.  Our entire drive home looked like this.  

My buddy sunned himself and kept me company the whole way back.

Always good times when we visit and wish we all lived closer.  You only get one family.