Christmas Cheer

This is my new Rosemary Bush that my Mom brought me this weekend. Is it not adorable? She found it at Whole Foods in Raleigh, and it also came with a recipe book for cooking with Rosemary. Don't you think it makes a wonderful gift for a hostess or friend? I'm obsessed with it! It smells amazing and is just too cute in the little brown paper base. 

Here's a teeny tiny sneak peek of my Christmas tree! 

And, my chardonnay that I enjoyed while decorating.

And some glitzy little ornaments.

On another note, have you seen the J.Crew baby collection? For all the mommas to be, it is adorable and very affordable (for J.Crew!) I don't need these in my life yet, but they were too cute not to share!

{j.crew}

 Are you in the mood to decorate yet for Christmas? I decided I needed to get started before we leave for Thanksgiving. It will be fun to return to a cheerful and holiday decorated home! Hope you are having a great Monday! xoxo

Denim and Diamonds

Friday night we attended a local charity event, Denim and Diamonds, that benefits the Boys and Girls Club in our area. This event is fabulous- all of the finest food from local restaurants, open bar, a huge variety of raffle items and every year the Band of Oz plays.

Greenery and crystal branches were the table centerpieces. Little LED lights filled the vases for a fun touch. I think I will incorporate some LED lights into our decor for our Christmas party!

One of the best parts about this party- the attire! 

Wear your favorite jeans {denim} and throw on some sequins or jewels {diamonds}! Did I mention every year there is a piece of diamond jewelry given away with the raffle? Amazing diamond Slane and Slane jewelry was given away this year. Sadly, I did not take that beauty home with me!

My Mom and Dad love to come to this event. We have the best time!

They decorate the civic center with lights and a tent in the middle of the room. 

Underneath the tent is the designated tables for the event sponsors.

The Band of Oz played at our rehearsal dinner so we make it a point to see them anytime they play in our area. They put on a great show with the best beach music and we always end up on the front row enjoying the show. That is us below on the far right.

I have been doing some Christmas decorating this afternoon! Sneak peek tomorrow.  

Hope you had a lovely weekend! xoxo

Lilly saves the day

{Lilly Pulitzer}

This is the newest addition to my scarf collection and it makes the perfect Saturday outfit. These scarves have saved the day on numerous occasions. Throw it on, instant outfit. Happy Saturday! xoxo

Obsession: Winter White

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There is something so appealing about winter white paired with metallic accents. I love the translation of this from festive holiday decor to fashionable style to pretty little cocktails! A little touch of sparkle always gives you and your home a glow and I am all for that! I will definately be incorporating this theme into my wardrobe and home over the holidays. 

What color is making you happy this fall and winter?

Weekend in Asheville

We had a jam packed, beautiful fall weekend in Asheville this past weekend. The weather was perfect- chilly in the morning and it warmed up to low 60's during the day. This is going to be a long one, hope you enjoy!

Friday we started out lunch at Neo Cantina. In honor of a long weekend, we ordered white sangria- so refreshing and delicious.

The food was even better. I have never had such an amazing quesadilla in my life. I'm still dreaming about it and I will probably try to recreate it soon! It's called "the Asheville" and is packed with goat cheese, spinach, pico de gallo and black beans. 

We shopped all afternoon and had dinner at the club, but I was too tired to think about taking photos. After dinner, my sister introduced me to a "Dirty Shirley" which might be my new favorite cocktail....have you had one? It's a Shirley Temple with Vodka! Brilliant.

This is the view overlooking the golf course from the club we stay at. It's beautiful.

Then we went antique shopping and I found an irresistible bench for Stephen's man room. After that we headed to the Biltmore Estate, along with about 8,000 other people. It was SO crowded. I guess that is what happens the first weekend the Christmas decorations are up in the house! We had a blast touring and walking around the estate, nonetheless.

 Saturday night, we went back and had dinner at the Biltmore Inn. There is now a winery, several restaurants and the Inn on the property of the Estate. The girls continued their fun at a wine tasting before dinner!

And at the Inn for dinner...

My grandma lives in Asheville and she joined us for dinners both nights. It was so nice to be with her on Veteran's Weekend...my Grandpa was there in spirit. 

I thought about our Veterans all weekend long, including my sweet Grandpa. God Bless them! 

Christmas Cookies

I am back from a wonderful weekend in the mountains of North Carolina. I can't wait to share some pictures, but before I do I have to share this recipe that I made last night when we got home. You would think I would be tired after a really long drive, but after browsing pinterest for hours in the car and reading about everyone getting ready for Christmas, I decided I HAD to do something when I got home. I found this in the Southern Living Christmas at Home Issue that I picked up last week.
 So, here is what I made. You are going to want to make these!

FLOURLESS PEANUT BUTTER-CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup creamy peanut butter 

3/4 cup sugar 

1 large egg 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels 

Parchment paper

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together peanut butter and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended. Stir in chocolate morsels.

2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

3. Bake at 350° for 12 to 14 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets on a wire rack 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack, and let cool 15 minutes.

They are simply, delicious!! I had all of the ingredients at home besides the chocolate chips and parchment paper, major plus. And there is something wonderful about the smell of peanut butter baking in the oven, no? This is going into the recipe box and I will definitely be making another batch come Christmas to package up for little gifts. 

By the way, ELF was on tv last night, and the combination of that and cookies baking in the oven has me a little more in the spirit of the holidays, I love it.

Do you have any awesome Christmas cookie recipes to share? I am going to pack these cookies up and take them to work before I eat them all! Hope you had a wonderful weekend...xoxo

Weekend Getaway

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I am so excited to be taking a little getaway this weekend to the mountains of North Carolina with both Stephen's family and mine. While the men play golf and watch afternoon football, we are planning to tour the Biltmore, eat fabulous food, go shopping of course, and hopefully squeeze in a wine tasting! Hope you all have a great weekend scheduled as well! xoxo