Owning It

Today I am linking up with Christina from The New Mrs. today. Sharing all the thoughts that have been swirling around in my head this month and owning it.

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I currently loathe cooking. When I come home from work in the evenings the last thing I want to do is cook. Thankfully, I have a husband that does not complain about eating sandwiches or my nachos for dinner. I know I need to get my butt in gear and get back into meal planning to save my waistline and my wallet.

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I am at a loss on where to start decorating our new house. There is a ton of little projects that I have in mind to make our new house a home. However, I have no idea where to start. We currently have 3 completely empty rooms that desperately need furniture. Plus lots of new paint on the walls and ceilings. Then there is the outdoors which I have no idea how to improve. At least I have a pinterest board full of ideas right?

Follow Ashley's board Home Style on Pinterest.

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I am on the search for the comfiest underwear. I discovered that Victorias Secret discontinued my favorite style so I am on a look for an even better alternative. Tried Hanky Panky and was not impressed. I have spent way too much time on the internet reading reviews. More than I care to admit. I spent less time deciding on my car. Please help a girl out and share your favorites! 

Anyone else struggle with cooking more in the summer? Also, any home decoration tips or favorite websites would be amazing! 

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Friday Five

How is everyone’s week going? I apologize for the lack of posts these past two weeks. I have been swamped with moving and then starting work back up this week. Thankfully, moving went smoothly and we spend our first night in our new home last Friday night. Last weekend was spent unpacking the never ending pile of boxes and exploring our new neighborhood.

We don’t have furniture for the upstairs den yet (on order!) so we have been camping out on the floor to watch TV. Thankfully, our new TV for downstairs as well as washer and dryer get here today and it will start to feel like a real home! There are lots of projects that I want to complete over the next few months that I am looking forward to sharing with you all. First up, painting! Our den is painted a textured light brown which features beautiful western-themed window treatments. Can't wait to make this house our home.

I'm keeping today's Friday five short and sweet with five links I am loving this week.

This wonderful news about my favorite childhood store. Fingers crossed that when we have kids they will still think its cool.

Summer has be craving fresh baked goods. Loving this easy peach cobbler recipe from Southern Living.

Can't wait to check out this new Raleigh restaurant!

I am always on the lookout for new date night ideas. Love this list! I would love to take a cooking class.

My go to for at home workouts is Greatest. Love this bodyweight cardio workout!

Hope you have a great weekend! Looking forward to getting back into the swing of things next week. 

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Linking up with Tiff, Clare, Karli, Amanda & April .

Friday Five

Happy Friday loves! Today wraps up my two week vacation with the family at Topsail Beach, NC.  Topsail is located on the coast of North Carolina about 2 1/2 hours from Raleigh. I have enjoyed his little vay-cay so much and appreciate every second I got to spend with my family at the beach. For today's Friday Five,  I'm sharing five of my favorite must dos when visiting Topsail Island.

One. Visit Lea Island. Lea Island is an undeveloped barrier island located adjacent to Topsail Island. We have been visiting Lea since I was a kid. Years ago my grandparents had a beach house on the island which you can only access by boat. Sadly all the cottages of the island were destroyed by years of wind and water and then was designated as a wildlife sanctuary for thousands of birds. It has a beautiful wide beaches as well as tidal marshes perfect for fishing and clamming. My favorite activity is watching Charlie chase crabs on the beach. Heavens knows what he would do if he actually caught one!

Two. Bike Rides. I believe that no beach trip is complete without a long bike ride around the beach. While at Topsail, we enjoy long bike rides in the evening when the temperature cools down. You can always catch a beautiful sunset at the point.

Three. Local Shops & Restaurants.  Topsail is packed with adorable shops featuring crafts from local artists as well as the most adorable beach gear. We always go out for ice cream after dinner or enjoy a meal at a local restaurant at least once while on vacation. Some of my favorite shops are: Bumblebee Market, Quarter Moon Books & Gifts & Topsail Island Trading Company. My favorite restaurants are Island Delights & Daddy Mac's Beach Grille.

Four. Beach Bingo/ Missile & More Museum. Every Thursday night in the summer, Topsail Historic Society hosts bingo. Bingo is held in the Assembly Building which was built during WWII. The building also hosts the Missile & More museum which tells about the island's history as a Navy test site for guided missiles. At bingo, the crowd is a mix of families vacationing and locals. While I did not win anything, it was fun to try to keep up and compete with my family. The prizes are all pretty good ranging from $50 to $300 a game. All the proceeds go to the local historic society. 

Five. Paddle Boarding. Paddle boarding or kayaking is a perfect way to explore the sound or even the beach. I enjoy paddle boarding in the canals as it protects you from any boat wakes that may knock you over. This trip, we saw a few kayakers in the sound be able to get close to a pod of dolphins.

What are some of your favorite beach vacation activities? Where do you typically vacation in the summer?

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Linking up with Tiff, Clare, Karli, Amanda & April .

28th Birthday

Another year older, another year wiser. Isn't that how the saying goes? I'm not sure that I am that much wiser but I am excited to see what 28 brings. The perks of a summer birthday and working in education is that I have never had to work on my birthday. I am looking forward to spending the day on the boat and soaking up the last days of vacation. 

Elsa Top // Garmin Vivofit Bangle// Rope Stud Earrings// Tory Burch Moore Sandals

Elle Earrings // Ponytail Holders // Chloe Love Story 

When it comes to birthday gifts I struggled this year to come up with ideas. At the top of my list is a new Elsa top from Lilly Pulitzer. I am thinking that the Garmin Vivofit Bangle may be a little gift for myself since I wear my Garmin Vivofit2 daily. 

Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday! Stop by tomorrow for highlights and tips from our Topsail Beach vacation. 

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4th of July Batchelorette Party

After a whirlwind weekend I finally had a chance this afternoon to sit down and document all of our adventures. Last Thursday, I drove down to Folly Beach, SC to attend my friend Jen's bachelorette party. We spent three days celebrating the bride to be in a patriotic fashion.

The group stayed at a beautiful beach cottage on Folly Beach. Thursday night we explored the adorable town of Folly Beach for dinner at drinks. The group had dinner at Taco Boy a local mexican restaurant. I enjoyed a tempura shrimp taco with Mexican street corn and table side guacamole. The group agreed that the guacamole was the best dish of the night. Something about fresh made chips topped with tons of avocado screams girls night to me.

Friday morning I woke up bright and early way before anyone had stirred so I decided to explore the island. I went on a run around the island where I ended up at a beautiful state park before heading back to the cottage.

We hung out on the porch drinking and laying out for most of the day. Then Friday night the group got ready to head into Charleston. The maid of honor surprised us with an adorable photo shoot with a local photographer. We took photos all around Charleston and it was a neat way to explore the city.

After the photo shoot, we headed to dinner at Star. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and drinks together before heading to the rooftop balcony. I split the mussels appetizer with a friend and enjoyed the homemade crab cakes for dinner. The mussels were amazing the highlight of the dish was the white wine sauce that you could soak up with their homemade sourdough bread.

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After dinner, we headed upstairs to the rooftop bar for drinks as well as a beautiful view of the city. That night we bar hopped around to several different bars on King Street before heading back to folly beach around 2am.

 

On the 4th, the group headed to the beach dressed in our best patriotic gear. We spent the day by the ocean catching a bit of sun. We had the best low key night that night which included grilling out, a patriotic cookie cake and tons of drunk party games.

It was a great weekend celebrating the beautiful bride-to-be on the coast. I can't wait for the wedding next month!

If your ever in Charleston area I highly recommend having dinner at Star. The food there was phenomenal!  

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Fourth of July Inspiration

Well, hello July! July is one of my favorite months as it is my birthday month plus July 4th and beautiful summer weather. You better believe that I have been enjoying every minute of the beautiful weather this week. We spent most of Monday and Tuesday out on the boat exploring nearby islands. Today I am sharing a few 4th themed favorites. 

The last few 4th holidays have been spent at Topsail Island enjoying vacation. This 4th will be a bit different as I will be celebrating in Charleston for a bachelorette party. All of my red, white and blue  outfits are packed including a few great patriotic accessories. I am looking forward to a fun, memory filled weekend.   

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Outfits

This firecracker print from Old Navy is a great dupe for Lilly's patriotic print at half the price. I love the idea of matching outfits with your mini me. They have the same print in these adorable linen shorts. 

Appetizers 

I love these chocolate covered strawberries with a twist. My go to for the 4th is a patriotic fruit tray. It takes advantage of the fact that watermelon and blueberries are in season. I made one a few years ago at our beach house. 

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Libations

Food & Wine has tons of great drink ideas for the 4th. Anything with fresh watermelon sounds delicious and refreshing. Of course, if shots are more your style these jello shots sound dangerous.

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What is your favorite 4th tradition?

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