Girls Night!!!!

When I got married to my husband Daniel, I automatically inherited LOTS of cousins. Luckily they were already my  friends:) They introduced me to girls night and I was instantly a fan. We've had lots of great nights eating great food, making great memories, laughing our tails off and just getting away from the boys for a night. I LOVE these ladies! They have been some of the best friends I've ever had, and I'm grateful for each of them:) 

So, to get ready for the holiday season we got together to try some amazing desserts and make Christmas ornaments! It was soooo much fun. Who new glass ornaments from Hobby Lobby and glitter would create such cute ornaments? Here are some pictures of ornaments we made:

The SPREAD!

So.Much.Fun!

Here are some simple directions for the glitter ornaments.

Supplies:

Clear glass ornaments (hobby lobby)

Glitter

2 Funnels-One for Glitter and one for liquid

Windex or Pledge Floor Polish-sounds nuts but it works

Ribbon

Paint pens, stickers, paint or whatever you want to decorate the outside

Directions:

Take one clear ornament. Using a funnel pour in just enough liquid to coat the inside. Pour out excess. Using another funnel pour in glitter liberally. Whatever doesn't stick will pour out. Place finger over top of ornament and shake the ornament until the internal surface is coated completely. Pour out excess. And that's it! It comes out just like this:

I cut the letters out of vinyl with my cricut then added details with paint pens, but you could just buy letter stickers from Hobby Lobby or Michael's. Add some pretty ribbon and you have a simple homemade ornament. 

I totally plan on making these as gifts this year:) 

There is nothing like a homemade Christmas gift! They are by far my favorite gifts.

Can't believe Christmas is less than a month away! I love this time of the year. Not the gifts or the commercialization but the excitement of Christmas morning, the time spent with family, the memories that old Christmas songs bring, advent calendars, Christmas programs at church, baking and the new memories being made. It IS the most wonderful time of the year! 

Merry Christmas Y'all!

With Love,

Emily

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Ladies and Gents this is the easiest, most delicious pecan pie ever. Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE better yet am ADDICTED to Pinterest! I have found some of the best craft ideas and recipes on there. If you don't know what Pinterest is you are missing out:) Moving on... Here is the recipe for this pie. It's a Paula Deen original, so how could it possibly be bad? Super simple and delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients 

1   (9-inch) unbaked pie shell 

2 cup pecan halves 

3   large eggs, beaten 

3 tablespoon butter, melted 

1/2 cup dark corn syrup 

1 cup sugar 

1 Tspn Vanilla Extract 

3 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 

Cover bottom of pie crust with pecans. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and melted butter. Add the corn syrup, sugar, bourbon and the chopped chocolate. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Pour mixture into the pie shell over the pecans and place on a heavy-duty cookie sheet. 

Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for an additional 25 minutes or until pie is set. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. 

And here is the finished product:

Try it and let me know what you think. I assure you there won't be any crumbs left once you serve it:)

With Love,

Emily

The First 365 Days

I can't believe it's been a year! One year since I married my best friend and my everything. When we were dating we used to talk about what we wanted our wedding to be like. Daniel would tell me that he was going to always take care of me and that one day we'd have our perfect day. Growing up together, 5 years of dating and 1 year of marriage later we are happier than ever. He is such a blessing in my life and I am forever grateful that God made him mine. How about a few wedding pictures for old times sake:)

The trees we made ourselves:)

The photographer called this picture "First Sight". I am such a blessed Lady!

The girls and I

 We were so happy!

I swept up birdseed in our bathroom for weeks:)

Finally:)

What a perfect day!

 So 365 days later it was time to celebrate our anniversary. Daniel was sneaky and planned a weekend getaway-without me knowing. For anyone who knows me, this was big! I'm quite the planner/control freak and I usually handle all vacations or getaways:) We went to Asheville for the weekend and went to the gorgeous Biltmore House! It was my first visit, and as beautiful as the house is the grounds and other attractions are just as magnificent! He ALSO planned a horse back ride on the grounds of the estate and it was my FAVORITE part!!! Here are just a few pictures from the weekend! If you ever get the chance to visit Asheville you must make a stop!

Cutting our cake 1 yr later...well one from the baker that looked just like it:)

The Biltmore House and the HUGE Christmas tree in front

Right outside the front door.

My favorite-the Lagoon on the back of the property. It was gorgeous!

Daniel on our horse back ride

Me with the house in the background

We had such a great time! 

After one year I can imagine loving anyone more. He is my best friend, love of my life, and everything I ever prayed and hoped for. I CANNOT wait for all the adventures we have left to experience together! 

Here's to forever:)!

With Love,

Emily

Decorating for Fall and Halloween Visitors!

 I LOVE fall ! The leaves have been gorgeous here in South Carolina this year. This tree is in our front yard and it has been beautiful to watch the leaves change from bright green to vibrant reds!

I had LOTS of wedding decorations left over so I decided to put them to good use! I made a super simple wreath. I took a vine wreath I bought at Hobby Lobby and hot glued paper leaves to the wreath. Added a bow and Ta-Da simple fall decorations. May have cost $7 all together.

My next fall decorations were almost as simple. I bough a little hay bail at Wal-Mart, used a cloth napkin from the wedding and 3 fake pumpkins. A little craft paint and here you have it, monogram pumpkins!

I don't really decorate for Halloween, so this is about as close to Halloween as it gets. When I was growing up, Halloween was massive. My dad and brother would decorate the house in the scariest  creepiest decorations ever. I, however, was never a fan. I loath scary movies, ghost, goblins and anything that would give me nightmares. I loved dressing up like a princess and getting candy, but heaven help you if you jumped out and scared me. You may be on the receiving end of my little fist:) Luckily there were no ghost and goblins that came to my door this year. I did however get a visit for a beautuful Princess Belle, and sweet little ghost, and a handsome little elephant. I had a school project on Halloween night so I missed the most adorable nerd ever. These little babies are so so precious. I've been lucky to watch them grow from tiny babies to adorable toddlers. I am blessed with some amazing girlfriends who let me spoil and love on their sweet babies until I have some of my own, and even then I'll always love these little guys! Enjoy these sweet little guys!

Princess Blakely and Sweet Ghost Gracie

Davis the handsome Elephant

Isn't this the cutest costume? Say hello to Max:)

Still more to catch up on. The end of the year is busy, busy, busy. Just a sneak peak of whats to come; Our 1 year anniversary, Chocolate Pecan Pie, Ah-Mazing Cheese Cake, Girls Night, Carrot Cake Muffins and Christmas Decorations!!! 

Whew! Can't wait to share! 

With Love, 

Emily

Bad Blogger

So, this is the first day I've looked at my blog....since SEPTEMBER 30th! It seems like that was last week and sadly it was almost 2 months ago. So with that said there is LOTS to catch you guys up on.

Business Trip:

On my last post I talked about going on my first business trip, which turned out to be a great experience. Flights went smooth and on time minus my luggage being sent to Wisconsin on the way home. I did not get home sick, which I totally expected to happen. I met a lot of great people in Lake Charles, Louisiana and would definitely go back. It was a neat place and reminded me a lot of Charleston. One thing about Louisiana...its flat! Very flat! This picture was taken in Cameron, Louisiana which basically felt like the end of the earth. I have NEVER seen the sun that big. 

The last full day I was there I had to travel to Dequincy which was about 2 hours from where I was staying. I happened to call my mom as I was leaving the doctors office I was visiting just to tell her where I was. Low and behold I was about 30 miles from where my Grandmother, my mom's mom, grew up. Merryville, La. Isn't that nuts? I had no clue and there I was, just around the corner from my roots. I was amazed. 

One thing I noticed while I was there was was that the sky was absolutely gorgeous. I snapped this picture coming back from Dequincy. Just gorgeous!

All in all I had a great time. I learned that I can handle being away from home for a week, find my way around  a strange city and state and can get on a plane without my hubby with only a few crocodile tears shed :) 

So that brings you up to speed with the first few weeks of October. Lord, there's lots more to tell, lots of pictures to share and LOTS of great holiday recipes that I've been trying out on my family:) So here's to LOTS of love and a promise to be a better blogger!

With Love,

Emily

It's not a home until something breaks:)

Well this week, just like last week, has been super busy. By day I've been prepping  for my business trip with marketing call after marketing call then by night, getting all the laundry done so that Daniel won't have to do it while I'm gone. In the midst of all of this, we have had the most random things happen around the house. The first thing was our propane tank. I LOVE our home, however I hate having a propane tank. It keeps our house warm and water hot but Lordy it is not aesthetically pleasing. Anyhow, the gas company came to fill up the 500 gallon tank and everything was fine. Well, the next afternoon when Daniel came home he just happened to look out of the dinning room window to see the 500 gallon tank rolled over on it's side and the gas line pulled out of the ground!!!! 

After realizing that we weren't in danger, we laughed :) The lovely gas company came right out and drove their very large crane truck across the yard and stood it back up.One random event off the list.

Next random event. My husband started his Tuesday morning just like every other morning, with one exception....the large amount of water that had soaked our hall/living room carpet. Flashback to the night before. I had gone to the fridge to grab a water before bed and noticed a lot of water standing on one of the shelves. Thinking that something had just leaked, I wiped it up, told Daniel about the water and went to bed. Flash forward to Tuesday morning. After just a few minutes, he found the culprit. It seems that the water line coming into the fridge had burst, so every time the water came through the pipe, another gallon of water came out. You never want to be woken with the words, "honey, we have a problem". So by 7:30, a.m. that is, we had already discovered we were going to have to purchase a new fridge. After vacuuming up water for like a hour and pulling back carpet AND using large fans to dry the floor we were off to Lowe's. Ahh, Lowes, our third home only to Bi-Lo and my real home:) Did I ever mention that I have the most wonderful husband ever? Well I do:) We walked back to the appliances where he said, "pick what you want". That's like a girls dream. Ok, maybe more so if it were Tiffany's or Coach, but for me I was so excited to pick out my very own fridge. And I couldn't love a refrigerator more:) 

Fridge was installed and TA-DA!! It has 2 ice makers...weird but love. And the handy man's not to shabby either ;) So that was the first 3 days of the week and the last two had plenty more excitement, but that's for the next post! 

With all the craziness in life, the broken water pipes, and busy schedules we try to always find the sunshine in the rainy days. Luckily, I have my best friend to laugh off these crazy, crazy moments:)

With Love,

Emily 

WOW moment

So, it has just been that kind of week! You know the kind where you don't really remember what you ate for dinner the night before, the laundry has somehow multiplied into a mountain, you suddenly realize that it is Friday and you've yet to write your paper that is due Tuesday....yes that kind of week. I found out on Monday morning that I will be going on my first out-of-state business trip for my job, marketing for my company in the Lake Charles, Louisiana area. Am I nervous? Extremely. Am I excited? Yes!! This job has definitely had its ups and downs but sitting here last night all I kept thinking was WOW. 

I NEVER thought I would have this life. I have dreamed of it for..I don't know..forever! I have a wonderful husband and marriage. For those who don't already know, I've known my husband since pre-school. We've been friends almost since birth :) To say he is my best friend just doesn't seem strong enough. He is the most loving, kind, hilarious, handsome, smart, sensitive, amazing, talented man. He is a provider and is truly the kind of man that I prayed for all my life and God loved me enough to give me that man! I have the kind of job that most college graduates hope to get, but amazingly they hired me knowing I was still earning my degree. We have a house that is our home and if we never move again we will be completely content. We are BLESSED. Blessed beyond anything we ever deserved, and we thank God everyday for giving us this life. And now, here I am, a 25 year old business student/ marketing & provider relations representative fixing to board her first airplane for a strange city without my hubby or my mom, to walk into places I've never even heard of for a whole WEEK. Again I say WOW. 

 I don't want this post to sound boastful-that's not what it is about at all. It's basically to show that a small town girl, who never thought she would make it in a business world, has made it one step closer to her dream. Not without a lot of hard work.Not without patience. Not without a lot of sacrifices and tears along the way. And not without the encouragement and love from family and friends. It makes me thankful for a mountain of laundry, for unwritten comm papers and for a husband singing Jason Aldean at the top of his lungs in his office at 10pm. I am thankful for the struggles, for the growing pains, and for all the things that have brought me to this place. Excited for the the things that are still to come. Find a quite place and reflect on everything good in your life. Whether it be career, family, whatever. I promise you will find that there is always something to be thankful for. Maybe you will have a WOW moment too:)

With Love,

Emily

Minnie's Chocolate Pie

So, this summer I read the book "The Help" and L-O-V-E-D it. I could go on and on about the book but I will spare you all:) So, although this is a recipe post you must read this wonderful book!

How does this have anything to do with this recipe? Well once you read this wonderful story you will understand. One of the characters, Minnie, is infamous for her Chocolate pies. For the movie,   Lee Ann Flemming, a newspaper columnist and baker

 made 53 chocolate pies for the filming of The Help. This is her recipe. It first appeared in the August issue of Food and Wine.  I randomly made one for my husband one Sunday afternoon when I had an itch to try something new. Since then I have made 5 of these pies! Not for myself, but for friends and family and the feedback is "more please". This is like a brownie in pie crust, and it is DELISH! The crust is very simple to make from scratch, but store bought pie crust is just fine too! Here is what you will need: 

INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING:
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
whipped cream, for serving

at least 1 cup of love:)

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk the sugar with the cocoa powder, butter, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt until smooth.

Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but a little jiggly in the center. Cover the crust with strips of foil halfway though the baking {to prevent the crust brown browning too much}. Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool completely before cutting into wedges. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

 Prepare to indulge!!

*Apologize for the bad picture quality

FOR THE CRUST:

1 tsp. salt

1/8 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 T. milk

1 1/2 cups flour

1/8 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Whip oil and milk together with a fork. Add in the dry ingredients and continue to mix with a fork until well blended. Super simple:)

All you need now is a LARGE glass of cold milk or a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and you are set! Make it this weekend and share it with a friend or your family. Nothing brings people together like a yummy southern dessert.

With Love, 

Emily

Crockpot Yummy Goodness

So, the other night while going through endless recipes on Pinterest (aka my obsession with a capital O) I happened upon a recipe for chicken in the crockpot. I'm always looking for something new to cook for the hubby that is simple but delicious. The recipe was called Angel Chicken. Why Angel Chicken? I really have no idea but if you like chicken marsala or alfredo then you will LOVE this recipe. It has a great flavor, and although the ingredients seem heavy it was not heavy at all. Here's what you will need to get started:

6 skinless, boneless thin sliced chicken breast

1 8-oz. pkg. fresh button mushrooms, 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 (or regular condensed mushroom soup)

1/2 cup dry white wine

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

 angel hair pasta

Directions:

Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Once your butter has melted, add in the whole pack of dried Italian salad dressing mix thoroughly. Stir in the wine, soup and cream cheese until every thing is combined and heated through. It should look at little something like this:

Put your mushrooms in the crockpot then put your chicken breast on top of the mushrooms. Pour the mixture over the top of the chicken and mushrooms, put the lid on your crock pot and cook for 5 hrs on low.

When it is done it is fork tender and delicious. I made a pot of angel hair pasta and served the chicken on the pasta with a little bit of the sauce! Goodness gracious-delish! Enjoy:)

With love,

Emily



It's Football Season: USC vs Navy

This past weekend my husband and I and my mother and father-in-law traveled to Columbia SC to see the USC Gamecocks play the Navy Midshipman. Daniel (the hubs) and his dad have been Carolina fans for forever! Daniel says he remembers going hunting with his dad and grandpa as a kid and hearing them talk about The Gamecocks as they were coming home. Funny fact: Daniel graduated from Clemson University, USC's biggest rival. Moving on... We had a great time tailgating at the game! If you are familiar with South Carolina then you know that Columbia can be the hottest place on the face of the earth, but not on Saturday. It was so nice! It was about 70 degrees and perfect for a light jacket.


 What is it about tailgating food that makes it so delicious? We had steaks, grilled corn, baked potatoes, rotel chips and dip, and salads and it was amazing:) Oh and these awesome milk chocolate brownies that my mother-in-law made .. yummo. 

Onto the game..ok lets be serious I won't bore you with football talk, this is a girl blog..lol. But these are some pictures of the stadium and pregame stuff. If you've never heard 2001 played over the loud speakers when the Gamecocks run in you are missing out! It is so exciting!

We won the game, but it was super nerve racking! Post game I had to get pics of the in-laws at their first Carolina game 

and of course one more of me and the hubs (nice hair, right? lol)

All in all it was a great weekend with the family. Can't wait for the next one:)

With Love,

Emily

Hey Y'all!

Hey guys! Welcome to my very first blog post:) I have been wanting to do this forever, but time just never was on my side. Now, with lots to share and lots to say I have decided to make time. I hope to use this blog as a way to catalog all those life moments that are worth sharing and most of all to share all those crafty projects and new recipes that I've been dying to try. After all, crafting and creating is my passion. I'm a business woman by day, but after 5 o'clock it's time to cook super for my awesome hubs then off to the next project. I hope you find these posts inspiring, and by that I mean inspire you to run to Hobby Lobby or Bi-Lo to buy your list of supplies and start the next project:) Excited for the journey ahead:)
With Love,
            Emily :)