Elise and Caleb's wedding

My friends Elise and Caleb got married last weekend at Rose Hill Plantation. The rehearsal dinner was there as well, and everything was wonderful! The scenery was beautiful and the food was outstanding. 

Everything was lime green and purple. Elise's mother thinks of every single detail and makes everything personalized and perfect. 

I loved Caleb's Skully groom's cake. 

These two are such a sweet couple! I have known Elise since fourth grade and Caleb since college. I admire Caleb for his persistence over the years, and I'm so glad that it finally paid off. These two are an excellent match, and I wish them the best! 

Elise's bridesmaids were friends from middle school, high school, and college. I enjoyed our mini high school reunion. I'm impressed with how everyone has grown up so good looking and well rounded!

This is Elise's precious friend Leanne. I complimented her necklace, and she said she borrowed it from her mother. Of course I had to take a photo! 

Elise's "something old" and "something borrowed" was her late grandmother's bracelet. I have memories of Elise's sweet grandparents, who lived with her family when we first met. 

I wish I had taken more pictures, but I was too busy having a great time. I am thankful for these friends and feel honored to have been included in the wedding. Best wishes, Elise and Caleb! 

initiation and installation

This weekend my sister in law and I had the unique opportunity to be a part of a chapter's installation.  It is such a joy to welcome new members and to see them find out more about our sisterhood.  It's even better to go through ritual with my sister in law by my side!  The icing on the cake is that the new chapter is at the school where I earned my graduate degree and where the rest of my family earned their undergraduate degrees.  We love ECU, and we love Phi Mu (and Alpha Delta Pi)!  I hope that the chapter continues to grow and thrive and that we all live our ritual every day.

pirate tailgating

Our parents taught us how to tailgate and cheer on the pirates many years ago.  

I have a bigger chair now, but the cooler I tailgate with is still the same.  

My mom bakes awesome cookie cakes, so I use her recipe or just take some of her dough from the freezer and bake it.  I made icing with my own special recipe and added added added and added food coloring to get the right pirate purple (like with my cornhole paint colors).

These girls went through tough times and great times with me in graduate school.  It's so nice to have fun together now without feeling like we should be studying!  

After the game, we ate more of our tailgating food, went to hear Emily Minor sing, and just enjoyed each others' company.  Jessica and I ate at Sup Dogs (part of my Greenville list) and shopped at Catalog Connection before heading home on Sunday.  The temperatures were absolutely perfect the whole weekend, and the pirates won by 50+ points.  I could not have asked for a better weekend!

first five on Friday

In the spirit of expanding my blog horizons (see #1), I am linking up for FIVE on Friday!

ONE | I attended my first blogger meet up a couple of weeks ago.  These ladies got together as the NC portion of Southern Blog Society, and Ryann invited me to join them.  She and I have been in contact for a little while, and I was so excited to finally meet her!  I was thrilled to see Emily again, too!  The rest of the ladies were new to me, and I've enjoyed checking out their blogs since then.

me - Kristyn - Morgan - Nikki - Emily - Bre - Ryann

I purchased my Joie dress from Second Time Around while in NYC, and I made my necklace based on these instructions from Martha Stewart.  My bag is the Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Hillier hobo.

TWO | I look forward to reuniting with a few of my friends from graduate school this weekend.  We are planning to tailgate then head to the football game.  I'm still thinking about what I want to make for us to eat and drink, but so far I've got sausage balls, fruit, brownies, and maybe a punch in mind.  Any favorite tailgating recipes?

THREE | There is still time left to pack an Operation Christmas Child box!  Check out the Samaritan's Purse website to find a drop off location near you.

FOUR | I have heard about She Reads Truth before, but I never checked out their devotions until I saw Jamie mention their Thanksgiving plan from last year.  They are starting a new Thanksgiving series on Monday, and I'm looking forward to it.  If you need a daily devotion before Advent or wonder what I'm talking about at all, check it out.

FIVE | Speaking of Thanksgiving, maybe you have planned out your menu already (or maybe you're like me and your uncle cooks all of it), but what about breakfast?!  Holidays are great times to have leisurely breakfasts with your family.  And I've got the perfect answer to what to eat for breakfast: my sister in law's cinnamon rolls.  They are THE BEST cinnamon rolls you will ever put in your mouth.  Big T listed them for $10 per pan, and they are worth $100.  She is still taking orders, so hop to it!!!  Find Stellar Sweets Raleigh on Facebook or email her at stellarsweetsraleigh [at] gmail [dot] com.

Have a great weekend!

#dontfeedthegulls

I had a wonderful time this past weekend with friends from graduate school.  Lauren's family generously invited us to their beach house, and we have been coordinating our schedules and planning the trip for months.  We all went there right after graduation last year, so we are hoping it will be an annual trip.

It was great to hear everyone's work stories and relate to each other's experiences.  I am so thankful that we are all employed and for the most part very happy with our jobs.  I sometimes feel like I'm way behind everyone my age (jobs, finances, home ownership, marriage, children, etc.), so I appreciate getting to spend time with several friends in the same season of life.  

We spent most of our time relaxing, at Lauren's house and on the beach, and eating.  A little girl whose family was near us on the beach fed the seagulls some of her snacks, which aggravated my friends, as the seagulls flocked to the area and ended up targeting one of us.  Hence, #dontfeedthegulls[child's name].

The only photo I told myself I wouldn't leave without: a group shot of us cleaned up.  We took this before going out to eat.  Dinner was delicious, and I was pleasantly surprised to see one of my good friends from high school at the restaurant!

Do you take an annual beach trip with friends?  How often do you see friends from high school/college/graduate school?  How do you make an effort to stay in touch?

raised to be a pirate

I was so excited when my beach trip pal mentioned the idea of going by Greenville on the way home.  Several times this summer, I have thought about going on a "field trip"there, so I jumped at the chance.  

We took photos with Pee Dee by the UBE and on campus.  

I just love East Carolina.  I got a great education there with quality, caring professors, and my degree helped me get the perfect job for me.  I feel like I can do a great job at work because my education prepared me for it.  

                

Of course, I'm not the only one in my family with ties to Greenville.  Both of my parents and my brother are alumni of East Carolina.  I hope to go back for a football game this year and tailgate at least as well as I was doing in this picture!

Did you go to the same school as your parents or siblings?  Any pirates out there?

cornhole boards

About a year ago, I won a wonderful giveaway--a set of SC Cornhole Games boards from Southern Weddings magazine!  Somehow I missed that the cornhole set was supposed to be for your wedding, but they sent two plain white boards and my color choice of weather-resistant bags right to my house.  You can see the post announcing the winners here.  I changed up the designs slightly, but still I ended up with something pretty similar to what I wrote about in my giveaway entry.  

The light blue board is for Carolina, and the quatrefoil shape represents my sorority, painted in one of our colors, rose.  I couldn't convince my mom to freehand my monogram on the board, but she did create stencils for me.  

I painted my home state in gold on purple, for East Carolina.  When I found these paint colors after looking and looking at many colors, I knew they were just right.  

Here is a basic step-by-step process:
1. Get prepared by picking out and purchasing paint colors and brushes.  I used a few different sizes of brushes and also rollers.  I think high gloss paints look best for this project, but I was more concerned about finding the right color than the right finish, so mine were different levels of gloss.
2. Paint several coats of the base colors.  Doing a final coat with a roller will make it look much smoother.
3. Create stencils for your designs.  I found images on my computer and projected them onto my tv, much like for my cooler project.  I actually used interfacing (for sewing) to make stencils because it is somewhat transparent but also sturdy.  I taped a close-to-size piece of interfacing to the screen, traced using a permanent marker, then cut out the shape.  I used painter's tape to attach the interfacing to my tv and to the boards.  It peeled off of the interfacing easily when I moved it so I could trace every part of the edge.  I used pencil to trace the stencils onto the boards.
4. Paint several coats of each layer of your designs.  I painted carefully around the edges of the designs then filled in the inside, several times each.
5. Seal the paint if you're brave.  I purchased a spray sealer that I still have not used because I have heard that it may puddle or bubble up on top of the paint.  I haven't used my boards very roughly, either, though, so I am not sure how much they would get scratched with use.



Have you painted your own cornhole boards?  Any cornhole playing tips?  I am terrible at the game but am mostly concerned about having the prettiest boards.

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Memorial Day weekend cooking

I should have taken more pictures (always), but here are a few from our cooking and eating adventures this past weekend.  B and I were both raised by good cooks, and we try to eat well.  

I prepared some food for us ahead of time and planned as short of a grocery list as possible for when we got there.  We stopped by the store a couple of times, though.  It's not a vacation if you plan too much, right?  And we wanted to try and spend time with everyone else who was at the beach.  

B took some cold things in his special cooler.  

Monday morning, I ate a leisurely breakfast outside while B was out fishing (after leaving at 5:30 ... ha, ha).  I cooked Martha Stewart's pancakes and topped them with strawberries.  When B texted me that he was back to the dock, I started making eggs, bacon, and grits for him because I knew he would be hungry when he got back.

B caught Spanish Mackerel, which his dad grilled on Tuesday night.  They were great!  I helped clean the fish, believe it or not.  

We cooked tacos one night, which is something we need to do more.  They were very quick, easy, and good.  Mexican food almost always turns out well at home.

I made up some of this sauce before we went to the beach.  I cut a few slits in two split chicken breasts and spooned the sauce over the chicken before cooking.  B grilled the chicken over coals and put more sauce on the other side when he flipped it.  

The sauce was very spicy when I tasted it alone, but it was delicious after cooking!  We will definitely be making this again!  B has picked up his dad's grilling skills.  We couldn't recruit any family or friends to eat this with us, but they certainly missed out.  We covered our plates and ate it again the next day; it may have been even better left over, or maybe that was because I was so hungry after cleaning.

You can check out some of my favorite recipes on my Pinterest page.  

Memorial Day weekend flying

Isn't Memorial Day weekend the best?  One of the best things about our country is our freedom, and we have selfless servicemen and women who protects that freedom.  I can't even imagine the sacrifice it is to serve in the armed forces.  I am so thankful that people would do that for all of us!  

I spent this Memorial Day weekend at the beach with B.  He headed to the coast before I got off work on Friday to take some ties to a store in time for the holiday weekend.  B mentioned getting my dad to fly me to meet him, and before I even asked, my dad told me he was already going by Ocracoke and could take me to AB.  

When we got to the airport, I wandered around for a few minutes waiting on another passenger and checking out my uncle's airplane, and I saw this cat by my uncle's plane.  If you follow me on twitter, you know I want a cat.  This is even more reason for me to spend time at the airport this summer!  I came for the airplanes and stayed for the cat.

I asked my dad if he wanted a picture in front of his airplane.  He said no but took mine.  

What a way to start the holiday weekend!  

No, I didn't fly that thing by myself.  I forgot my booster seat.

NC is pretty.

If you look reeeeally closely in this one, you may spot Dowdy-Ficklen stadium.  Go pirates!

I see some water!  Despite some winds earlier in the day, the weather was absolutely perfect for flying. Not much beats landing right next to the beach in Ocracoke.  

B picked me up at MRH, and we headed to AB.   

What did you do over the long weekend?  Did you go out of town?  Travel by car, plane, boat, train? 

I hope you had a great weekend and took time to thank God for our military.  

CRAFTING: cooler painting

If you know my mom, you know that she is quite an artist.  She went to school for art education, she taught art, and if you remember the late eighties/early nineties, you may remember Nancy's Fancies.  I can't believe I just wrote "Nancy's Fancies" on the internet.  What a time warp.  Now, Mom makes wreaths, jewelry, smocked dresses, and more.  How could I forget she basically makes bowties and skirts full time these days?!

I have definitely inherited my mom's interest in arts and crafts, though probably only a fraction of her skill.  I may have pulled out her giant caddy of acrylic paints from her giant closet in her sewing room (yep, separate room for sewing) for this project.  I made the cooler per B's request for Valentine's day/his birthday, although it got to him a couple of months late.  I suggest waiting for warm weather so you can cooler paint outside!  Beautiful weather and good music made my project go much faster and smoother.

I'd like to share some information on how I painted this cooler in case anyone is interested in making one of her own.

1. I primed with Krylon Fusion spray paint for plastic.  I used white because I knew I'd be painting each surface a different color.
Actually, before step 1, I spackled and sanded a logo that was on the flag side.  Since I knew that part would be a solid color and not be hidden by a design, I wanted it to be flat and smooth.

2. I taped off the edges I wanted to be white and taped the corners to separate the colors.  I knew I would go back and paint bows on the corners, so I wasn't concerned about the strip the tape would leave unpainted.
However, it was a bit of work to move the tape to get the colors to meet on the flag.  FYI painter's tape does not always lift off cleanly from a plastic surface, especially when kept in place for months.

3. After the backgrounds were painted solid, I started on the designs.  Of course you'll need to plan out what you want to paint.  I traced the designs I chose by pulling up images on my computer.  I hooked my computer up to my TV to see them on a larger scale, and I traced onto tissue paper with pencil.  

4. I taped the tissue onto the cooler and traced over my pencil lines with Sharpies or paint pens.  

5. I filled in the designs with paint pens and acrylic paints.  Is it just me, or are paint pens these days not what they used to be?!  I would suggest doing as much as you possibly can with acrylic paints.  It is easier to control a paint pen when it's working properly, but mine did not work consistently.  I also ended up going back and redoing with acrylic what I'd done first in paint pen because it looked splotchy or grainy.  

8. I patched chips and smudges (see above) then admired my finished product. 

9. I sprayed the whole thing with Mod Podge a few times.  Protect that hard work!