Work Trip + A Little Fun

About two months ago I FINALLY got a confirmed work meeting in Charleston, SC and I have been eager for the trip especially since my friend Kristen was going the same week for work (this may or may not have been planned)! So this week was finally time to get out of the house ( I work from home mostly) drive to Charleston and get some things done along with having a little fun. 

Right when we both got to Charleston, I could have easily laid down and took about a 3 hour snooze from my 6 hour drive, but figured I should make the best out of my time in SC. We spent one night in Charleston and the next night in Beaufort (place is amazing…have you been there?)

 We immediately put on our tennis shoes and hit the streets in Charleston popping in beautiful antique shops, art galleries, admiring restaurants and trying to choose which one we would eat at that night…the weather was 78 degrees, no humidity, AMAZING hair day and those days do not come very often.

Here is US!!

The first thing that made the trip immediately interesting was dropping by art gallery Galerie on Broad. If you have not checked out Kate Mullin's (http://www.galerieonbroad.com/#!kate-mullin/crfb) work then check out the website!! Kristen and I ended up talking to Kate who is an Auburn grad and now owner of the gallery! She is a wonderful artist with beautiful paintings and she has acquired other artists in her gallery like Dru Warmath (colorful coastal landscapes), James Richards, and Dee Beard Dean. Next time you are in Charleston, this would be a gallery you do not want to miss! Christmas wish lists!!!

Galerie on Broad 

http://www.galerieonbroad.com

Our next stop was a gift shop down by the water that had the cutest Lulie Wallace duffel bags. I am sad we did not make it over to Lulie's studio, but these bags made up for it…some. 

I wanted all of them and the price really wasn't that bad! Don't you love that cute fabric. This would be such a cute gift for my friends.

The price tags were even cute! 

A view of our walk..

For dinner we ate at Magnolias on East Bay Street. Everything on the menu looked good, but drinks first, right! We decided on MacMurray Pinot Noir  along with some fried green tomatoes, ahi tuna, and their famous chicken dish. Our service and food were great and I would definitely recommend this restaurant for a date night with your one and only! Thank you, Kristen, for being mine!

We spent the next night in Beaufort. I could take up an entire new post writing about my new love for the place. If you have been there, then you know. If you haven't…

View from Plum's Restaurant in downtown Beaufort.

And this is what you can expect to see EVERYWHERE.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Kaci

Valentine's Day Dinner Party!

I love Valentine's Day. I love flowers. Yes, I love the classic red roses. I love a party. And I love a party even more with party-loving friends. So, a Valentine's Day Dinner Party with flowers and friends sounds just snazzy to me!

Back in January I decided we would have a dinner party on Thursday, February 13th so that if couples wanted to celebrate together on Valentine's Day they could. First, I sent out a paperless post invite just to see if everyone would be interested and I immediately got back responses that ALL 16 could attend. ! My friends are quick….no horsing around.

Here's a preview of the invite:

(apologize for the blur)

We decided that I would make the main dish, a chicken and spinach pasta bake  (http://www.joyouslydomestic.com/2013/04/chicken-and-spinach-pasta-bake.html) and that a few people would make appetizers, a few would bring desserts and one would bring sangria! Everything was so delicious! When I get the recipes from my friends I will post them in the comment section below. 

Here are some pictures from the party! We enjoyed listening to some old school music (Otis Redding radio station is our favorite) on Pandora along with some Boys II Men (recommended by Hollie Hill).          

We had a blast!

                                  I hope you have a wonderful and love filled Valentine's Day.

Publix Flowers. 3 for 12! Count me in!

And this is how he and his mom feel today…

Happy Valentines Day to my handsome Valentine.

XOXO

KACI

Steal of the Week- Dinnerware

I am so excited about my new dinnerware purchase from Target! Over the past year living here in Auburn, my love for Target has skyrocketed and sometimes I am just amazed how the store stays up-to-date with apparel, shoes, swimwear, home decor, etc.. and not to mention it is easier on the wallet!

Andrew and I have been using the same dinnerware collection from Macy's for the past 6 years (that's how long we have been together (6-1/2 to be exact) and he had it before we met) so needless to say our plates and bowls have slowly begun to make their way out of our cabinets due to broken pieces, chipped, and all of the above. They have been wonderful for us during these years and we couldn't say enough about the Cellar collection at Macy's. 

I have had a recent obsession with scalloped style dinnerware. I do not know a lot about dinnerware, sets that are appropriate, and what exactly is a good price for dishes..(? ) but when I came across the Threshold 16 -piece dinnerware set for 59.99 at Target.. I knew this was for us! Sold to me!! (All of the new Threshold items in the store are so cute!)

I have only purchased one set so far, but I wanted to make sure I had made the right decision. So when I came home and googled scalloped dinnerware.. of course, the beauties below popped up (ONE DAY :)).. but I couldn't help but be proud of my Target find of the week! (Do you love that coffee mug or is it just me?- its okay if it's just me)

The dishes below are at Fish's Eddy in NYC. If you have not visited Fish's Eddy in NY or online I would strongly suggest! (http://www.fishseddy.com) I purchased some fun NYC skyline cocktail glasses during a visit in NYC in November and love them! They have so many cute gifts with great character.

Neiman Marcus 20- piece Scallop Dinnerware Set - love button please.

Pillivuyt Queen Anne Porcelain Dinnerware Place Settings - Williams - Sonoma

We are having a dinner party this Thursday at our home with lots of friends for a Valentine's Day celebration and I cannot wait to use our new Target dishes-- on my way now to buy more! 

Next week I will be sharing photos of the dinner, showing off my awesome talented friends and also sharing with you some of their secret recipes.

http://www.target.com/p/threshold-16-piece-scalloped-dinnerware-set-white/-/A-14172084

Stay Tuned… 

Kaci

Weekend At A Glance

Shout out Alert!

I want to thank you Nicole Letts for my awesome header! If you do not follow http://probablypolkadots.blogspot.com you should! Nicole is so talented at detail, style, and all things that girls love…she's also not a bad friend :)

This past weekend was jam packed with friends, family, food, a little antique mall shopping, and of course the Super Bowl…I don't know too much about football but I believe I could have done without the Super Bowl game this year. As a matter of fact, the only thing that caught my attention the entire 4 hours was the halftime show (love Bruno)! And of course being with a large group of amazing friends watching the game is a great way to end the weekend.

Friday night we went to The Hound (http://thehound-auburn.com) here in Auburn. The food is absolutely delish! Some of the crowd favorite entrees are the Bison Burger, The Little Piggy Grilled Cheese and the Drunk Chicken. One of my friends also mentioned that their brunch is wonderful so you should definitely check out this place if you haven't already.

Michelob Ultra and Miller Lite were the drink favorites…

Saturday was spent in Alexander City (my hometown). If you live in Alexander City and you are reading this then come on by to our new booth at the Longleaf Antique Mall!! Our booth is on Erin Avenue (go left when you walk in and its the second row) and we are C-7. Mom put us on a waiting list about 6-8 months ago so when they called to tell us the spot was available we went up there ASAP with car loads full of stuff! Andrew has some things that were awesome in his condo in Birmingham, but just don't fit the decor we have now at our home.  Go check us out! 

Here is Mom working the booth like a pro..

And here is a photo with some of my girlfriends at the Super Bowl party. 

Its always hard to get motivated on Monday so to end this Monday on a positive note I wanted to share the image below with you. As I constantly struggle to improve with my job and get past the stress of day-to-day sales routine, quotas, customers, etc... it's nice to glance up in my office and see this to remind me of what's important. This is one of my favorites and I believe applies to many things in life. 

Happy Monday.

Kaci