Memorial Day Weekend.

Whew, I forgot how fun, yet exhausting 3 day weekends were! Especially when they're spent in the sun all day, every day. 

We started on the boat, leaving from Johns Island and headed towards Kiawah. It was super windy (which continued all weekend), so after a few hours on the boat we headed back to the pool. This picture cracks me up because it looks like Andy and Cameron are checking out some babes on the beach. 

It was Lane's first time on the boat and it's safe to say he loved it! 

Later that night we celebrated both of our niece's birthdays! Can't believe how grown up they are becoming! 

On Sunday, we acted like we were in college again and made the bumpy trek to Morris Island. The filter Molly used on this pic makes it look like we were in the Caribbean though! 

Sunday morning I actually woke up without a hangover and got some things done around the house. That afternoon, we went back out to Cameron's parent's pool and brought Brady with us. Poor guy had been by himself in the house the past two days for 10+ hours! He needed some play time, too. 

Got to hang out with our adorable nieces (and wonderful sister-in-laws!) again. Marin, one of my nieces, snapped this picture of our youngest niece, Arden, and Cameron. Pretty sure my heart officially melted. 

Now it's past my bedtime and I'm having a hard time putting together sentences. Goodnight! 

Friday Five. {Rocksbox, Garden Update, Emily McDowell Studio, and More!}

Happy Friday and happy Memorial Day weekend! Cannot stop looking at the clock, counting down the hours until this extended weekend kicks off for good! 

{one}

I'm on my third Rocksbox now and I am not planning on stopping anytime soon! I'm sure you have seen bloggers all over talk about Rocksbox, but if you haven't, here's the deal: Sign up for website and complete your style profile, pay $19 a month to have 3 pieces of jewelry sent to you to wear for as long as you'd like! Most sets are worth $200 in value, and you can return your boxes for new ones as many times as you'd like in that month! Still not convinced? If you like any of the jewelry so much that you can't live without it, you receive $10 a month to spend on the already discounted (usually 20% off) piece! Want to try your first month for free: use code MEGANBFF551 at checkout! 

Here are some examples of pieces I've received so far:

Whitney Necklace by Perry Street

Retail Price: $75, Rocksbox Price: $60

Kendra Scott Tessa Stud Earrings in Iridescent Drusy

Retail Price: $65, Rocksbox Price: $52

 Sierra necklace in Crystal by Urban Gem

Retail Price: $90, Rocksbox Price: $72

{two}

Our garden is growing like crazy and I am so excited that I will soon be able to walk outside, pick veggies off the vine, and plan a dinner or a snack around what's ripe! I've already been using romaine and herbs, and am deciding on what to do with the two jalapenos that I picked on Wednesday. Now that I think of it, I have two tomatoes that are about to go bad, so I'm thinking homemade salsa is in our future! 

{three}

A sorority sister of mine posted on Facebook earlier this week about a friend of her's who designs cards. Not those typical mushy cards, but cards that say exactly what's on your mind, as well as cards that say the perfect thing when you're put in a situation where you don't have a clue what to say. Then, I saw her on Good Morning, America yesterday! I really wish I would have known about these when my bud, Tim, was sick so that I could have sent him some to make him laugh. And when he passed away from that nasty disease cancer, I wish I would have know about these cards to send his wife and my friend, Jenny. She hated when people told her those cliche phrases like "he's finally healed" (pretty sure I told her that), "everything happens for a reason," and "he is an angel with God now." 

Here are some favorites from Emily McDowell Studio:

{four}

At the gym a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a watch that Megan was wearing. I overheard her telling Ryan that it tracked steps, number of calories burned, and monitors your sleep. What I was most surprised about though, was how stylish it was! See ya, unattractive Fitbit!

Anne Klein Fashion Fit Multifunction Smart Watch

{five}

That's all I've got for today. Have a great weekend!

Asian Cucumber Noodle Salad.

Yesterday, as I was brainstorming what I was going to make for dinner, I remembered this recipe that I had recently pinned. It seemed to be a perfect balance of healthy and flavorful, and it sure was! I paired it with grilled shrimp that were marinated in Ken's Lite Asian Sesame dressing. 

Asian Cucumber Noodle Salad

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup lite soy sauce or tamari sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper, to taste

For the Salad:
1 large seedless (English) cucumber, spiralized
1 cup cooked edamame
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 large carrots, julienned
1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

First, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce or tamari, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, water, green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, ginger, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cucumber noodles, edamame, peppers, carrots, cabbage, and cilantro. Toss to combine. When ready to serve, drizzle dressing over salad and serve immediately.

Note-don't dress the salad until you are ready to eat or the cucumber noodles will turn slightly brown.

Fun Weekend with Great Friends!

Morning! Let's get right to a (day late) weekend recap. 

There were two special guests in town on Thursday so we decided to get together at Katie and Henry's house for a cookout/get together. Savannah was in town for a wedding on Saturday, and Jenny came to town a day early before a weekend at the beach with her supper club friends. It's rare that we can all see each other at the same time, especially since there are no more weddings to bring us together, so it was a special mid-week treat! 

Saturday morning, I met up with Shelby, Jillian, and Ally for brunch at Kitchen 208. It's located on lower, lower King Street, almost to Broad, and has a really nice (shaded) outdoor seating area. My turkey wrap was light and tasty, just what I was looking for. Bonus: it was topped with a pickled okra. 

Saturday afternoon, we went to probably one of the sweetest weddings I've been to. Both the ceremony and reception were held at Pepper Plantation. My sorority sister, Courtney Jo, and Jake, wrote their own vows and there were many tears shed by both the bride and the groom, and the guests. 

A quick snapshot with my handsome date before the ceremony

A little selfie action during the reception

Our fellas

On Sunday, we made the drive out to Seabrook for a fun day in the sun! These days of lounging on the beach with my friends are some of my favorite days! The spot that we go to is never crowded and the waves are so calm. Perfect area for all of the little bebes! Note to self for next weekend: don't just reapply sunscreen to your legs, your chest and shoulders need it to! #ouch

Looking forward to this upcoming weekend, as it will be my first in about 5 years where I have the entire long weekend off from work!!!! 

Mother's Day + Landscape Updates.

Oh, hello. Is there anyone still out there reading? I've been slack lately, but honestly, it's been kind of nice to step away from the blog for about a month. I was thinking about giving the blog up completely, but just this morning decided against it. I probably won't be posting as frequently as I used to, but hey, something is better than nothing, right? Right. On to Mother's Day...

This was our third year in a row hosting a Mother's Day brunch at our house (2014 / 2013). We love hosting get-togethers at our house. It lights a fire under our you-know-what to get projects done and we get to hang out with people we love! A winning combination. 

I decided to go a little fancier this year and broke out our special china. I used cloth napkins and our gold silverware, which were both given to us as wedding presents. Peonies were ridiculously inexpensive (3 stems for $4!) at Harris Teeter over the weekend so I scattered them around the house. All beverages and glassware were set up on the bar, which I failed to snap a photo of. 

On the menu:

Fresh Fruit

Rosemary and Pecan Encrusted Bacon

French Toast Casserole

Shrimp and Grits Pie

Mimosas

Bloody Mary's

Cucumber + Mint Infused Water

Coffee

I'm definitely framing this pic.

Everyone left around 4:30pm and I immediately changed into my comfy clothes. Exhausted doesn't even begin to describe it after a weekend of non-stop activity. I poured myself another mimosa, plopped on the couch, painted my nails, caught up on my tv, and didn't move until bed time. 


Going back to house projects, this year prior to our brunch we focused on our landscaping. Cameron is pretty obsessed with our yard (there could be much worse things for him to be obsessed with!), even to the point where he looks up #yardwork on Instagram. He's going to kill me for saying that, but I think it's cute. 

The first thing we did was rake all of the old pinestraw out of the beds. In the backyard (first picture below), we installed gardenias, hydrangeas, geraniums, and impatiens. The two tall skinny trees (crepe myrtles) were already there. 

Up front we installed boxwoods, "purple pixie" loropetalum, white lantana, and plumbago. It will look really awesome once they start to grow!

Now I'm banning any kind of yard work for atleast a month. You hear that, Cameron??