Miscellaneous Halloween Monday

Happy Halloween!

Sadly, I do not have any pics of me dressed up as anything scary or cute this year because #1 I had to work Saturday night and #2 I would rather watch my Gamecocks win and Clemson lose (sorry Cameron) than dress up and go out. Which is exactly what I did when I got off work at 9.

I was off of work on Friday so I spent the day running errands and cleaning the house from top to bottom. We were having a few people over that night for chili and to break in our fire pit for the first time! Love low-key Friday nights with good friends. :)



So cozy!



New shirt from J.Crew Factory via Ebay

Speaking of new purchases, I bought Essie's Smokin Hot and can't wait to try it out!

Not my hand.

Also bought some fabric to make some curtains for the kitchen!

source

And a swatch for the hall bathroom valance...



source

Also, speaking of house updates, I (majorly with Cameron's help) FINALLY got my gallery wall up. It's still in the works and I plan on adding more to it, but atleast something is on that massive wall!



That's all for now! Have a great day!

Photobooth.

From Gil & Nancy's wedding.



Tasty Tuesday - Chicken Enchilada Soup

I made this soup on Sunday, after a long day working in the yard. It was super quick and easy! And DELICIOUS.

Found on my friend, Caroline's, blog.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1/2 of a deli rotisserie chicken, torn in bite size pieces

3 cups chicken broth, low sodium

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (19 oz.) can enchilada sauce (medium or mild...I used medium)

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (10 3/4oz) can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

1 (10 oz.) packaged frozen corn (I used canned)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon house seasoning (garlic salt, salt, pepper)

Instructions:1. In a large soup pot, saute onion and peppers in oil over medium high heat, until soft--about 5 minutes.

2. Add all other ingredients and mix until well-blended.

3. Let simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.

 

*for thicker soup, make a cornstarch/water paste and stir into soup, adding until you get desired thickness. (I did this.)



Busy Weekend!

I don't know how I stayed awake until 11pm last night, given the weekend I had. It was just non-stop.

Friday night I had an event for work, which Fat Hen catered. Their food is not only amazing but their staff works extra hard to make sure the event (and clean up!) goes smoothly.  Highly recommend.

Saturday was DOGTOBERFEST! Got there bright and early at 9am to start setting up, left at  6pm. While it was a long day on my feet, the turn out was AWESOME! Special thanks to Emily (and Bennett), Caroline (and Birdie), Elizabeth (and Annabelle) and Jessica (and Hudson), who came out to the event!

Right after Dogtoberfest, Cameron and I drove to Summerville to eat dinner at my parents house. They treated us to some yummy steaks, asparagus, baked sweet potatoes and everything bread. After dinner we sat out on the back porch, watched the rest of the Wisconsin / Michigan State game, and Cameron and my dad smoked cigars that Cameron bought on our cruise.

It was COLD!

 

Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day and Cameron was determined to get some yard work done. We layed new pine straw, mowed the lawn, pulled weeds, and cleaned out the fire pit! May not sound that tough, but I am sore today! Made some AMAZING chicken enchilada soup that will be on tomorrow's Tasty Tuesday post!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!



Thursday's Thoughts.

- BRR! It was 50* on my way to work this morning! The change in cold weather always makes me realize I have nothing to wear. Seriously, Cameron. Nothing.

-I caved and was able to scratch one thing off of my Fall Wish list! I just couldn't wait until Christmas / my birthday.

-Got my teeth cleaned yesterday. Realized I've never bought a toothbrush in my life. Thank you Mom for being a dental hygienist and keeping my pearly whites clean!

-This weekend my company is hosting a big event at Freshfields Village in between Kiawah and Seabrook Island called Dogtoberfest! The event raises money for animal rescues in the Charleston area. There will be a wine tasting for $20 ($25 day of event) with your own Dogtoberfest wine glass, a doggy costume contest, vendor booths and raffles! The grand prize raffle winner will get a 3-night stay at an oceanside rental on Kiawah Island! There will also be adoptable dogs available onsite if you are looky for a furry friend! I am partial to animal rescues because I got Brady from Pet's Inc. in Columbia my senior year of college - don't know what I'd do without that guy!

His first (pink) collar from Aunt Emily

If you're in the Charleston area and are looking for something fun to do on Saturday, come out to Dogtoberfest from 3-6pm!

-I took this pic on my phone this morning on the way to work. The views in the morning during the Fall/Winter are amazing.

Happy Thursday everyone!



Tasty Tuesday - Spiced Pumpkin Biscuits

Spiced Pumpkin Biscuits

Recipe and image from Cooking Light

Ingredients

9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)

 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

 1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

 1/2 teaspoon salt

 5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup fat-free buttermilk

 3/4 cup canned pumpkin

3 tablespoons honey

 Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Chill 10 minutes.

3. Combine buttermilk and honey, stirring with a whisk until well blended; add canned pumpkin. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times. Roll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds (as if folding a piece of paper to fit into an envelope). Reroll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds; gently roll or pat to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with a 1 3/4-inch biscuit cutter to form 14 dough rounds. Place dough rounds, 1 inch apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400° for 14 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan; cool 2 minutes on wire racks. Serve warm.



#21.

Yesterday was a sad day in Gamecock Nation. We learned what we feared, one of our best players, #21 Marcus Lattimore, would be out the rest of the season due to a torn ACL.

This is not only disappointing because he is one of our best players, but because he is probably the biggest team player we have and very humble.

It was a crazy week, even before Lattimore getting injured - our 5th year senior quarterback, Stephen Garcia, was dismissed from the team as the result of failing a random alcohol test, which he agreed to take throughout the season due to being on probation.

Luckily, we have a bye week this coming weekend so we'll have time to regroup before our next game against Tennessee.

Get well soon, Marcus! We will miss you but we know you will be on the sidelines cheering your team on!

Marcus and my mom after a game last year.



I'm Late (but not THAT kind of late!).

Sorry to scare you, Mom and Dad.

I've been meaning to post about the USC / Auburn game that was two weekends ago but the time slipped away from me.

Instead of giving you a step-by-step replay of our day, I'll just post some pics.

Me and my cute Daddy.

Chuck's girls.

Emily caught with the Fireball in her hand.

Kristen, Jenny, Emily, Jen, Me

 

Such a cute Carolina couple. ;)

He just fits right in!

We lost (at literally the last second) but it was still a fun day!

October Birchbox

I received my second Birchbox in the mail over the weekend and I am MUCH more pleased with this one than I was with the last.  Things that I can actually use. 

My favorite item of the bunch is the Ahava face wash. It doesn't dry my skin out, making it super soft. I've been using Ahava face lotion, which I got as a sample from Ulta, and really like it, too! 

The Befine lip moisturizer came in second place. Makes my lips super soft and gives them a little shine, without being sticky.

If you'd like to sign up for Birchbox, let me know (with your email address) so I can send you an invite!

Tasty Tuesday - Angel Chicken

This is another recipe that has been floating around Pinterest quite a bit. I made it for dinner last night and it was really good! A nice comfort meal for this nasty rainy weather.

Angel Chicken

Recipe and picture found here.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 pounds)

1 8-oz. pkg. fresh button mushrooms, quartered (I just used canned mushrooms)

1 6-oz. pkg. fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced

1/4 cup butter

1 0.7-oz. pkg. Italian dry salad dressing mix

1 10-3/4-oz. can condensed golden mushroom soup (I used regular condensed mushroom soup)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 of an 8-oz. tub cream cheese spread with chives and onion

Hot cooked rice or angel hair pasta

Instructions: 

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add Italian seasoning packet. Stir in soup, wine and cream cheese until combined and melted. Cut up mushrooms and place them at the bottom of the crockpot. Lay chicken on top of mushrooms. Pour sauce over chicken. Cook on low for 5 hours.

Gil & Nancy.

This weekend was a blast! The bride was gorgeous and everyone kept commenting that they've never seen the groom so happy. Now they're in Turks & Caicos enjoying their honeymoon!

Here is a quick re-cap of Nancy & Gil's wedding weekend.

Rehearsal Dinner - Old Exchange Building

Ceremony - St. Phillip's Episcopal Church

Reception - Country Club of Charleston



Love the view in the middle window!

 

The beautiful church.



This little girl kept coming up and hugging Cameron's niece, M, and she was not having it. :)



Cameron's cousin, Elisabeth, made the beautiful cake!

Cameron's niece, K.

My fave, Quiana! If you need an awesome band for your wedding / event, book Quiana Parler & Friends!!

There's the ring. It's official!

Frankie!

 

Got a little weird towards the end of the night.



Sunday there was a yummy brunch at Cameron's aunt & uncle's house. I followed it with a 4 hour nap and then we headed to my parent's house for dinner! Thankfully I'm off today so I can lounge around as much as I want! Well, except for all of the laundry that needs to be done, the bathroom that needs to be cleaned, and the birthday lunch for Cameron's mom in a few hours...I guess I won't be doing that much lounging..

Hope you're all having a great Monday so far!