Five on Friday!

Well this has to be one of the best Fridays I've had in a very long time! Thank you all for such sweet birthday wishes! I definitely felt the love! This morning we are packing up and hitting the road for my surprise birthday trip that Matt has been planning! I am so dang excited to find out where we are going! Keep an eye out for my instagram updates!!

- ONE - For my birthday pedi I decided to transition to fall with Essie's Smokin Hot nail color.

- TWO - Birthday love! One of my friends surprised me with the cutest bday gift this week - Carolina Charm recipe cards!!!

  And I also received the sweetest surprise delivery at the office from the hubs.

My mom always send me the BEST box of goodies for my birthday. This year my package was filled to the brim with gift cards, my favorite products, candy, makeup and more!

- THREE - And speaking of my mom, IT'S HER BIRTHDAY TODAY! Check out this really cute fall wreath I sent her earlier this week for her birthday...

You can find the Faux Festive Pumpkin and Gourd Wreath {here} if you are looking for fall gift ideas to send to someone special! Mom loved it!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!
- FOUR - We stocked up on mums this past weekend and I am loving our fall porch. Pictures to come soon!

- FIVE -  This year I participated in the 5th Annual Scarf Swap, hosted by Meredith, and I am so glad I did! My sweet partner, Katie from Second Line South, sent me not one but two adorable scarfs!!

  Wanna join  Darci, April, Natasha and I on the Friday fun? You can link-up on any of our four blogs every Friday! All you have to do is... 1.)  Write  your post about five things you're lovin' this week (or any five things you want to share!). 2.)  Share the logo above on your blog and link back. 3.)  Link-up at the bottom of the post so some new readers can check out your five things and say hello!

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Happy Birthday to Me!

Today I turned the big 2-7! I am so excited for this next year. It's gonna be a great one!

Over the weekend, Matt and I celebrated my birthday birthday at Cowfish {for the third year in a row}! I absolutely love this place.

 

But what I am most excited about is my SURPRISE BIRTHDAY TRIP this weekend! I have been trying to get clues out of Matt for weeks. Is it a cabin in the mountains? Is it a weekend in Charleston? I don't know, but I can't wait to find out on Friday morning. All I know is I had to take a day off of work and I don't need my passport {dang, we're not going back to Mexico}. 

I'll keep y'all posted!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Yesterday was the first official day of fall which means it's time to {re}post my favorite treat of the season - Pumpkin Dip! My mother-in-law gave this recipe to me several years ago and it's been my highest trafficked blog post and most pinned recipe since! It's so delicious and festive! So without further ado...

Fall Pumpkin Dip   Ingredients:

{1} 15 oz can of pumpkin
{1} 5 oz box of instant vanilla pudding {just the powder, don't make the pudding}
{1} 16 oz container of cool whip  {low fat}

{1} small pumpkin
{1/2} tbl Pumpkin Pie Spice
{1/2} tbl Cinnamon

Directions:

Mix pumpkin, pudding mix, cool whip, and pumpkin pie spice together {by hand} in a very large bowl. Chill for several hours before serving. Meanwhile, carve your pumpkin! Sprinkle with cinnamon, and serve with fresh apples slices, vanilla wafers or ginger snaps.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Five on Friday!

Happy Friday! You know the drill...

- ONE - Pumpkin & Pirate Donuts from Krispy Kreme. Yesterday, if you talked like a pirate you got a free donut. If you dressed like a pirate, you got a dozen free donuts! If I had known ahead of time I would have absolutely dressed like a pirate for 12 donuts.  Heck, I'd probably do it for just one donut. The only thing better than a donut is a free donut.

 - TWO - My newest fall accessory for work - a mini pumpkin!

- THREE - Earlier this week I came home to the sweetest surprise on my front porch from a good friend - a yellow mum!

- FOUR - Our fall bible study just started up and I am loving the new book we're reading!

- FIVE - My birthday is Wednesday and I just received my first gift - Chanel nail polish and lip gloss! My mother-in-law is the BEST!

 Wanna join  Darci, April, Natasha and I on the Friday fun? You can link-up on any of our four blogs every Friday! All you have to do is... 1.)  Write  your post about five things you're lovin' this week (or any five things you want to share!). 2.)  Share the logo above on your blog and link back. 3.)  Link-up at the bottom of the post so some new readers can check out your five things and say hello!

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BLTA Chopped Salad

New favorite salad alert!! Bacon. Lettuce. Tomato. Avocado. Oh, and some feta cheese and fresh corn...

BLTA Chopped Salad Adapted from Key Ingredient   Ingredients
2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped 2 cups fresh arugula, chopped 1 cup iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled {or substitute for bacon bits}
1 cup sweet corn
1 avocado, chopped
4 ounces feta, crumbled
1½ tablespoons olive oil
1lime, juiced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼  teaspoon pepper  In a large bowl, combine lettuce, arugula, tomatoes, corn and avocado. Add in salt, pepper, olive oil and lime juice then toss well to coat. Fold in bacon and feta then divide evenly amount 2 plates. Serve and enjoy! Yields 2 salads

Feeling extra hungry? Top that beauty with a crab cake!

YUM.

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Fall in our Home!

Phase one of fall decorating went down in our home last weekend. As much as I wanted to run to Home Depot and fill up 3 shopping carts worth of mum and pumpkins, I behaved myself and focused on the inside of the house. Maybe this weekend...

Along with every one of my Instagram friends, I made our fall wreath over the weekend! Got everything from Michaels for $15!

Painted Pumpkin Tutorial // Painted Pot Tutorial

{the mantel}

Sources: Apothecary Jars / Gold Pumpkins / Wood Letter / Pine Cones {Michaels}; Acorns {Hobby Lobby}; Candles / Candlesticks {World Market} {entry way table}

 Sources: Birch Candle {World Market}; White Pumpkin / Berry Basket {Michaels}

 Wheat Grass {Hobby Lobby}; Scarecrow {Target}; Turkey {World Market} So there's a sneak peek into our home! More fall decor to come!

Five on Friday: Fall Edition

Happy Friday! After back-to-back weekends of traveling, I am so excited to spend this weekend at home decorating the house for fall, baking some treats and spending time with Matt's parents who are coming to visit us on Saturday! It should be a great weekend!

 If you're not ready to fully embrace autumn yet, I apologize for the heavy fall theme today. I was flipping through some old blog posts and found {this post}, an oldie but a goodie, and instantly got fall fever!
So let's get down to what I've been loving this week...   - ONE - PSL. Is it just me, or do you never get sick of seeing PSL instagram pictures? I am so happy the beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks and I have definitely been taking advantage of this warm {or iced} treat!

  - TWO -Since Bath & Body Works is running their 5 soaps for $15 sale, I stocked up on some fall soaps for the house. Confession - I purchased the "Keep Calm & Carve On Soap" 100% because of the design - too cute to pass up.

- THREE - Last night I picked up fresh cut pasta and sauce from one of our favorite places, Pasta & Provisions, and discovered their new seasonal menu items - Pumpkin Ravioli & Butternut Squash Ravioli! Looks like we are going to be eating lots of pasta this season! 

Side note: One of the first dates that Matt and I shared was picking out pasta & sauces from here and cooking together at home. :)   - FOUR - Pumpkin Spice M&M's - no description needed.

- FIVE -  I've purchased all of the ingredients to make Matt's favorite fall breakfast this weekend - Apple Spice Pancakes!

You can find the Apple Spice Pancake recipe {here}! 

Happy Weekend!

   Wanna join  Darci, April, Natasha and I on the Friday fun? You can link-up on any of our four blogs every Friday! All you have to do is... 1.)  Write  your post about five things you're lovin' this week (or any five things you want to share!). 2.)  Share the logo above on your blog and link back. 3.)  Link-up at the bottom of the post so some new readers can check out your five things and say hello!

You can also follow me here:

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Scenes from Massachusetts

Matt and I spent last weekend in Worcester, Massachusetts for one of his best friend's wedding. I think it so so awesome that Matt has a solid {large} group of guy friends he still keeps in really good touch with, sees several times a year, stood in our wedding, etc. from growing up in Springboro, Ohio. Although he's made tons of great friendships through the years, these guys hold a very special place in Matt's heart.    Okay, I'll stop yammering.Here are a few pictures from the weekend...

Once we arrived in Boston we took a train into Worcester, which is apparently pronounced "Wuster." Not only was this my first trip to Boston, this was my first train ride. I live a very sheltered life.

Our first night in Worcester was a late one. Matt was so happy to be reunited with his best friends that we really partied it up until 3 a.m. And by "we," I mean I took a cab home at midnight because I just can't hang like I used to. The ceremony and reception took place at Club Maxine's, a really awesome lounge. For the ceremony we all got to sit in huge plush chairs. And speaking of the ceremony - it was one of my very favorite parts of the entire day. I'd never been to a more intimate, sweet and cozy ceremony. Everyone cried, laughed and cheered.

Bride & Groom! After the cocktail hour we headed upstairs to the reception. Check this out!

Cool, right?! The dinner overlooked the bottom floor where the dancing took place.

The food was just as amazing as it was presented. I scarfed my steak and shrimp down way too fast to get a picture.

{besties}   Congrats to our sweet friends, Jill & Robbie, on an amazing and beautiful wedding day. Enjoy the honeymoon!