Search Results

Not everyone is fortunate enough to say that they truly love where they live. But I am! I love where we live! We live in Carteret County, North Carolina. It is the southernmost part of the Outer Banks and is lovingly nicknamed The Crystal Coast. The main towns that you may have heard of are Beaufort, Morehead City, Atlantic Beach, and Emerald Isle. We live on the west side of Morehead City on Bogue Sound which is a part of the Intracoastal Waterway. The entire area is quaint and welcoming and has grown in popularity with vacationers as well as second homeowners. As a child, the area was pretty desolate in the off-season but now an off-season doesn’t really exist. Most restaurants and stores stay open year round now. There are few big box stores here. We don’t have a Target, Home Goods, Trader Joe’s, and the list goes on. We do have a plethora of fantastic, locally owned restaurants and wonderful shopping! The kind of stores and restaurants where people know your name. In this section, I will share my favorite places to go so that when you come visit you can be a local instead of a tourist! Stay tuned for all the details…

Last night I had the privilege of attending a wine dinner hosted by Beaufort Wine and Food at one of my favorite local restaurants, Beaufort Grocery. The theme was a tour of France and was led by native French wine expert Laure Levesque with Chef Charles Park in the kitchen. The menu was true to our coastal area with seafood provided by locally owned Blue Ocean Seafood. From oysters to clams to tuna the meal was absolutely fantastic and all 5 courses were paired beautifully with an assortment of wines from sparkling to pinot noir to chablis to rosalcy (new for me) rounded out with a fantastic rose with dessert. It was a beautiful night sitting on the patio under twinkling lights and oak trees enjoying a lovely meal with friends. Beaufort Wine and Food hosts several dinners and events each year but tickets sell out very quickly because all of the events are fabulously executed. In addition to creating awesome events, Beaufort Food and Wine is a non-profit that greatly supports our local community. To date they have raised over $740,000 for local non-profits such as the newly opened Culinary School at Carteret Community College and the Salvation Army of Carteret County. If you are looking for a great date night or girl's night out idea, buy tickets to one of these events. Not only will you have a wonderful night out with exceptional wine but you will also be supporting their efforts to give back in our community. So blessed to live in such a beautiful place filled with wonderful people!

I have to say that our go to restaurant is Soundside. It is conveniently located near our home and the food and atmosphere never disappoint. We prefer to sit at the bar and talk to Lauren and Barbara, the mother daughter owner duo. And speaking of Lauren, she makes the most amazing craft cocktails and has a generous pour if a glass of wine is your preference. The menu is updated almost weekly based on the fresh local catch as well as in season vegetables. If a steak or pork chop is more your style, they are equally fantastic and the preparation varies with seafood, vegetables, and sauces. While we generally go on a weeknight, they also serve lunch. Salads and wraps with fresh, local catch are the perfect way to meet up with girlfriends or a day date with your spouse! Reservations are accepted and encouraged!

We moved into our new home right before the pandemic began. To say we have all spent a lot of time at home this year is an understatement. I was definitely grateful to have lots of projects to do to make this home our own and keep my busy. One of my favorite things about the house is the large and welcoming front porch. As soon as my favorite local place, The Friendly Market, received their pumpkin and fall flowers, I immediately went by, filled up the SUV, and got my front porch decorated. I have greatly enjoyed each time have pulled into the driveway since. While the pumpkins and flowers on the steps are all live, the wreath and planters by the door are faux. If you are looking for high quality, faux foliage, I have been very pleased with my purchases from Balsam Hill. I started with these basic pre-lit magnolia urns: I purchased a garland of fall leaves from our local Hobby Lobby and simply wrapped it into the magnolia to create a fall ready urn. After Thanksgiving, I will change out the fall garland for a festive, Christmas one! And speaking of Hobby Lobby, I picked up these faux pumpkins and some paint and created this fun pink and green fall mantle in the living room. It was a fun and quick craft project that created a festive mantle. Can't wait to start cooking for Thanksgiving! Even after this crazy year, there is so much to be thankful for!

I was recently asked to (last-minute) host Thanksgiving. While I was excited to do so, I also had a brief moment of panic when Thanksgiving was 3 days away and all 3 of those days already had busy schedules with work, school, and appointments. But, I work well under pressure and the busier I am, the more I get accomplished. This was our first holiday to host in our new home. Unfortunately, the new dining table had not come in but we made the old (smaller) one perfect for a small family gathering. I decided to set the table with china by Lynn Chase that my sister had re-gifted me (it was from her first marriage). I thought the leopard theme would be fun with the new Schumacher wallpaper. I had some leopard napkins I had made and made placemats to match. I layered the place setting with gold chargers and Thankful dessert plates, both from Crate and Barrel. My silverware is Gorham's Strasbourg and the stemware is by Vera Wang. I rounded out the place setting with fun napkin rings by Oyster Paws (they make custom ones too). Since the table was small, I opted not to go with a large centerpiece because it would take up too much space. Simple, low flower arrangements (picked up at the local Harris Teeter since it was last minute) and low candles kept the table simple and uncluttered. Since we had a lot of coffee lovers attending, I set the sideboard ready with cups and saucers. We shared a lot of laughs and ate entirely too much food. It was a beautiful, casual, and relaxed Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for.

Living on the coast is pretty darn fabulous! Porch sitting with a water view is pretty darn fabulous too! But, the salt air's effects on outdoor furniture is not so fabulous! You have to make sure that fasteners like screws are not metal or they will rust and corrode and not only make a mess, but not last either. So, I was very selective in the pieces I chose to create our outdoor porch oasis. I enjoy coffee here each morning and a glass of wine here each evening. We couldn't be happier with this space. Teak furniture does very well here. This coffee table is from Country Casual Teak and I knew it would work well in the space because we have had pool chairs and chaise lounges that have held up very well the last few years. Frontgate also makes a similar table. For the sofa, I wanted something with a little more texture so I chose a sofa with coordinating side chairs and ottomans from this Ballard Designs collection by Suzanne Kasler. I made the throw pillows myself in fabric from Spoonflower and these prints are by Viv Designs. They pair perfectly with this lightweight throw from Serena and Lily. And I almost forgot how fabulous these washable, outdoor rugs from Ruggable are! For some accents, I added the tray table as an end table and topped it with a potted plant and a lantern that is perfect for housing a citronella candle. The garden stool adds another spot to set your drink down. And porch sitting just isn't complete without an ice cold drink to share with your family and friends. These acrylic wine glasses and pitcher are perfect. I spruce up the acrylic tray by using wallpaper samples as the insert design. I am ready to wrap up the work day now and head on out there! If anyone needs me, you will know where to find me!

We moved into our new home shortly before the pandemic started and while we loved the location and the floor plan, the style of the prior homeowner was not my taste. So, we have been busy making it our own. This hallway half bath was a fun project for around $500! The bold stripe wallpaper was purchased from Serena and Lily on clearance for $29 a roll and it only took a couple rolls. The mirror and sconces both came from Wayfair. The mirror was $225 shipped and the sconce set $180 shipped. Primer and paint for the vanity is from Sherwin-Williams and the color is Envy in a high gloss finish. Believe it or not the knobs, sink, and faucet are all the original! Luckily, my hubs is able to hang light fixtures so I had no added expense there. This was a fun weekend project with instant gratification! Check out the before!

I don’t know about you but I sure have missed traveling and going places during COVID. My book club (led by the amazingly talented author Kristy Woodson Harvey) decided we needed a girl’s trip and took a long weekend to Palm Beach! We arrived late Friday afternoon and since we had consumed some Veuve on the flight, we were ready to keep the party happening! We did a stop by the marina to drop our bags on the boat and just sit outside in warmer weather for a bit! Then we headed out to dinner in Jupiter at Limoncello where I had a spectacular snapper dish and a hibiscus margarita! On Saturday, we went into Palm Beach proper and had the most amazing brunch at The Colony complete with bottomless mimosas! The food, atmosphere, and company was just amazing! We could have stayed even longer than the few hours we did! (Side note: I am inspired to redecorate a room in my house in complete pink and green Palm Beach style so stay tuned for that!) Once we left lunch, we took a ride in the pink The Colony golf cart over to Worth Avenue to do some shopping! I didn’t do too much shopping damage but Intermix was my favorite that day! Great finds! Then we decided it was time for a Palm Beach Martini at Taboo before dinner. Delicious! Then on we went to ECHO for the most amazing sushi! My sweet hubs sent champagne to our table so we had a really fun night!! After such a big day Saturday, we kept Sunday a bit more relaxed. We enjoyed a long boat cruise up and down the waterway and enjoyed all the beautiful homes. Truly paradise! The lush yards just have me green with envy. Pun intended on that one. We kept the low key theme going and headed to Calaveras Cantina for dinner. We sat outside and ate our body weight in amazing guacamole and Mexican food! The laughs continued until late in the evening! We had a leisurely Monday morning and then a fantastic outdoor lunch at Lynora's, complete with mimosas to round out the trip before we had to head to the airport. When I arrived home that night, I was exhausted but also completely refreshed by a much needed, fun weekend away with girlfriends! If you have been procrastinating a getaway because of COVID, get one on the calendar now! P.S. We had a driver for the weekend so there was no drinking and driving!!

My husband and I recently celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary. We took a quick getaway weekend to The Umstead. It's just a few hours from our home so it was an easy drive up after school on Friday and we stopped at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for dinner on our way in. We used to eat here when we lived in the Raleigh area when we were dating and first married. Some times you just have to do things for old times sake and our meal was wonderful as always! I tried the Cuban Martini which was the most perfect blend of pineapple and coconut to reminisce about our honeymoon! And of course we splurged with a side of lobster mac and cheese instead of dessert. Then we headed down the road to get checked into The Umstead and we were greeted by the most stunning floral arrangements and then were upgraded to a beautiful king suite! We enjoyed a leisurely Saturday morning with a fantastic room service breakfast and then headed down to the Spa. I had a fabulous massage and facial. Some of the best spa services I have ever received. My hubs and I enjoyed the lounge by the fire with some hot tea and just reflected on us. For supper, we stayed at the hotel and dined at Herons. It was fantastic. I had the Tempura flounder and a martini and everything was excellent. After we ate, there was a pianist in the bar so we decided to grab a corner table and ordered a few more cocktails and just had the best time talking and enjoying our relaxing time together. On Sunday, we slept in and then went back to Herons for a fantastic brunch! I have always loved breakfast and this meal was wonderful! Then, it was time to pack up and head home. Since it is only a few hour drive we were home in time to get organized for the week and not have a stressful Monday! Double win!

What a read! "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" was my September book club choice and it did not disappointment. I have always enjoyed historical fiction as well as anything from the holocaust so this book was just one I could not put down. The characters are so well formed. My heart hurt almost the entire way through. The descriptions were so vivid I had such a clear vision in my head of the setting. Such a stark reminder of the atrocities in this world.

I have always wanted to read the bible cover to cover. And when our pastor emailed out a plan to read the entire bible in a year, I took the challenge. Here is a link to the reading plan: Bible Reading Plan

The Advent season is upon us! Last year I completed this Advent bible study and it truly shaped my heart and perspective for the holiday season. 2020 has given us the ability to slow down and be more present. This holiday season reflect on the true reason for the season. Merry Christmas!

My talented author friend, Kristy Woodson Harvey, gets all the scoop on great new fiction and she recommended our book club read, The Love Proof by Madeleine Henry. I greatly enjoyed this read. I kept turning the pages because the plot went in a different direction than I thought it would at the beginning. Each time I thought it was coming back to what I had predicted, it went another way. I just had to know what happened next! I would recommend adding this book to your summer reading list and I have a feeling that this young author will have more great works to follow.

I am so blessed to be in a small book club with the amazing author, Kristy Woodson Harvey. So, of course we were able to get our hands on some preview copies of her newest book, Under the Southern Sky, that officially releases on April 20. I could not put this book down! It is a beautifully written, descriptive story that makes you really become a part of the character's lives and feel empathy for them. It's the kind of story where you find yourself pulling for the happiness of the characters and healing their hearts from their loss. I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book when it releases and adding it to your beach bag!

I have always been a fan of Matthew McConaughey! So when I was looking for a new read and it popped up as recommended, I decided to get it. This book was fantastic! I could not put it down! I am always intrigued by people's story, especially successful people, because it is almost always a very unique story! I don't want to spoil it but this story is definitely unique! What a life lived full of adventures and experiences! His approach to life and perspective on living it are fascinating! Also, if you like to listen to books, he narrates the audible version himself. I will probably have to listen to it as well. Highly recommend this one!