J Crew iPhone Case

I can't believe it is already Wednesday! I just love short weeks. I have to admit that it is a little weird not watching Revenge on TV tonight. Tyler and I have been watching this awesome miniseries on the History Channel called Hatfield's & McCoys. Tonight is the final episode so I've been looking forward to watching that tonight. You can watch the episodes here. It's based on the true American story of a family feud. Have any of y'all been watching it?

Anyways...

I'm in dire need of a new iPhone case. I have an Otter Box now, which I love, but I'm wanting something a little more decorative. Here are a couple of the ones that I like from J Crew. They are a great price and something that I could switch off between with my Otter Box. What do y'all think?

I'm obsessed with anything nautical. This might be my favorite.

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday weekend.  Friday night we had dinner with Kevin and Kayla.  Afterwards, Tyler and I decided to go downtown to The Fortunate Glass.  We hadn't been before but had heard great things about it.  What's not to love about a glass of Moscato and a yummy array of desserts?

I had off yesterday and today and have spent both of the days at the beach.  Sadly we didn't realize that the sprayer to our sunscreen wasn't working properly until we got home.  Tyler's chest is tie-dyed red and white.  I felt so bad but I couldn't help but laugh when I saw it.  Mine had splatter marks on it but luckily they have already soaked in.  His, not so much :).  Wrightsville Beach has been crazy with all the tourists visiting.  It made working in retail this weekend go by a little faster though.  Tomorrow is back to work for me.  We are grilling burgers with baked beans (one of my absolute favorite summer sides) for dinner tonight.  I could seriously grill out every night.  We also bought our second watermelon within a week to have for dessert.  I can't think of a more American dinner to have on Memorial Day.

It's so important to keep in mind what this holiday is all about.  I am so thankful for everyone who has served our country and I honor them today.  God bless America.

The Outer Banks Candle Company

I am constantly burning candles. I burn a few every night. There is something about a candle that just helps me relax after a long day. I'm always looking for new candles wherever I go. The gift shop that I work at in Wilmington called In the Loop just got an awesome new candle line. The Outer Banks Candle Company is a company based out of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina (such an awesome town if you haven't been before).  The candles are poured by hand and filled with as much fragrance as the wax will hold.  Being the candle-lover I am, I'm very particular about my candles.  Not only do I want their packaging to be elegant, but I also want the fragrance that it gives off when burning to be as strong as it is when you smell it prior to burning.  I hate when candles smell fragrant in the store then I can't smell anything when I get them home and burn them. The Outer Banks Candle Company's candles are perfect in every way.  The packaging is appropriate to the beach life and the fragrance is incredible.  They have an assortment of beachy scents to choose from.  They even offer wedding services if you wanted to give these cute candles as a token of your gratitude to your family and friends who were there on your special day.  These candles make the perfect gift for any occasion.

Stop by In the Loop if you're in Wilmington to pick up your own candles! 

Revenge Finale

There are 2 shows on TV that I can't seem to get enough of: The Bachelorette and Revenge.  Every week I get together with my closest friends and watch these two shows.  Tonight is the season finale of Revenge.  I can't wait to see how it ends!  I've got a bottle of wine ready to go and this yummy desert I made.  Do any of y'all have a weakness for red velvet cake too? 

 

Trying New Recipes

I can't believe another weekend is already over. I've been working non-stop but loving making money. Today was Tyler and I's only day off this week together so we spent the day watching movies, having lunch with our friends, and going to the beach. Since I have a little bit more time at night, I've been trying to make dinner more often. I went to the grocery store today and planned out all of our dinners for the week. Hopefully this will make it easier when cooking during the week. The other night I tried this awesome new recipe for pasta salad. I found it on Budget Bytes. It made so much food that I have been eating off of it for a few days now.

Roasted Garlic Pasta Salad

1 head of garlic

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 lb. pasta shells

15 oz. ricotta cheese (I used the non fat kind and it tasted delicious)

1/4 cup grated parmesan

salt and pepper (to taste)

1 pint of cherry tomatoes

3 cups of baby spinach

Cut off the head of the garlic bulb and place in a microwave safe bowl. Drizzle olive oil over it. Cover the bowl with an inverted plate. Microwave for 1 minute. The plate will be very hot so be careful. Allow the garlic to cool.

Boil large pot of water and cook pasta shells. Save at least 1/2 cup of starchy pasta cooking water.

Squeeze the garlic cloves from the head and mince well. Add the minced garlic, ricotta cheese, salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water in a bowl and mix well. I used a little more than 1/2 cup of pasta water. Stir until the sauce is smooth.

Drain the pasta and return to the warm pot. Add the fresh baby spinach and pour the ricotta sauce in. Slice the cherry tomatoes and add them to the pot. Stir and enjoy!

Beach Cover Ups

Living at the beach, means living in a bathing suit.  The past 2 weeks I have been in a bathing suit almost every day.  I'm always looking for a new cover-up to throw on over my bathing suits.  Here are a few of the ones that I love.

Vineyard Vines

Lindsay Phillips 

I bought this coral cover up when I was in Florida for spring break.  It is so comfortable and looks great on!

Vineyard Vines

Graduation Weekend

This past weekend was absolutely amazing.  I had such a wonderful time with my family and close friends.  It's hard to put into words what an accomplishment it feels like to graduate college.  I sat through the ceremony and let it all soak in.  I thought about the past 4 years and how much my life has changed within those years.  I have grown up so much.  I am so thankful to have such a wonderful family and friends who have supported me all along the way.  I moved out of my beach house today.  It was so sad saying goodbye to our gorgeous house and wonderful roommates.  There have been lots of goodbyes said already.  Saying goodbye to friends that you have seen every day for 4 years is so hard.  I am thankful that I have a couple more months in Wilmington until I'm gone for good.

Here are a few of the pictures from this past weekend.

Our families finally met!

We're so silly..I guess I know where I get it from.

Outside of Watson School of Education.  I took many a class here.  

My mom's best friend.  So happy she could be with us.

Enjoying Saturday at my house before all the moving began.  

Getting Close to Graduation!

Graduation is this Friday and I am getting so excited about it. I've spent the past week and a half laying out with friends every day. I'm really enjoying all this free time off before all the celebrations begin. It's a tradition in Phi Mu to take senior pictures on the beach. Here are some of our pictures. I just love all of these girls so much.

Sunday Dinner

I love everything about Sundays. I love sleeping in a little later and going to church and having a yummy home cooked meal for supper. Last night I tried a new pasta recipe from Alexandra's Kitchen. I could seriously eat pasta every night. The recipe was to die for. I changed her recipe up a little bit to make it my own.

Pasta Carbonara

Salt and Pepper
Package of bacon
Package of orecchiette pasta
3/4 pound of asparagus cut into 1 inch strips
2 large eggs
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and additional for serving
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 cup of parsley leaves
Chopped onion

1. Boil water and place pasta in water.
2. Cut bacon into 1 inch stripes and cook over medium heat in a skillet. Take bacon out once it is done and place between paper towels to soak up the grease. Once the bacon is done, place the chopped onion in the bacon grease to cook.
3. Place 1 inch asparagus pieces in pot of boiling water with the pasta when it has about 5 minutes left to cook.
4. Whisk the eggs, salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley together to make the pasta sauce.
5. Drain the pasta and asparagus.
6. Mix the pasta, asparagus, bacon, and homemade sauce in the saucepan with the onions.
7. Serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

After dinner, Tyler and I took Lilly to play outside of his house. She was exhausted after playing fetch so we put her up for a nap and had a long walk on the beach. It was so nice enjoying the beautiful view of Wrightsville Beach. I spent almost every day at the beach last week. I'm trying to soak up all the beach life I can before I move off the island next week and start working non-stop.

Shoeaholic

I have a slight addiction to shoes.  The way I see it is you can never have enough.  I can thank my Granny and Mom for this addition.  I went back to Little Washington yesterday and had to run by Greenville to return a top.  I couldn't find anything that was really jumping out at me at the store except for the cutest Toms Linen Pinstripe Wedges.  They are seriously the most comfortable pairs of shoes I have ever worn.  Granny liked them so much that she wants to buy a pair.  I also really like that Toms donates a pair of shoes to a child in need every time you buy a pair of shoes.

I'm also really excited because I just placed an order for another pair of Jack Rogers.  It is part of my graduation present.  If you could only see how bad my Navajo silver Jacks look now, you would understand the need for me to get a new pair.  I have worn them out to say the least.  I decided to order a pair of the Sardinia Snake Navajo in silver.  I have the gold pair in this design and love them.  I hope the silver will look just as good.

What do y'all think of my new shoes?

TOMS Linen Pinstripe Wedges

Sardinia Snack Navajo