Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Sweet Christmas


I'm headed to Greensboro to spend Christmas with my family and cook Christmas Eve dinner.  I love the traditions that we have continued and the new ones we have welcomed, such as me hosting Christmas Eve dinner for both sets of grandparents and random friends that are in town.  One of my favorite traditions I have with my dad is to ring the Salvation Army bell.  We have done this since I was a little kid and will ring the bell on Christmas Eve per usual!  I'm taking a little break from the blog, to rest up and be present with my family.  My parents and I are heading down to the Cayman Islands on Saturday for a week for some R&R, so check back here in the New Year!  Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, spread the sparkle and cheer to everyone around you!




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Friday, December 19, 2014

A Christmas song to kick off your weekend!


If I had to name my favorite Christmas music-it would be the Rat Pack (Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin) and Mariah Carey.  Hellooooo complete opposite ends of the spectrum, but I love them both!  Mariah Carey's, "All I want for Christmas is You" is one of my absolute faves and NEVER gets old!  I'm continuing my festive celebrations by going out again tonight and then packing this weekend for home and the Cayman Islands-super excited!  I cannot believe Christmas is around the corner, very excited to head home Tuesday to be with my fam!  I hope you have a great weekend! photo signature-33.png

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Peppermint Fudge




I made this delicious fudge for our work party.  It is super easy and delicious and very festive!!

-3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
-1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
-8 peppermints (I put them in a ziploc and beat them with an ice cream scooper)

Line and 8x8 pan with aluminum foil and spray the foil with non-stick spray.  Combine the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a double broiler over medium heat (or you can just put them in a pot and cook it really slow on low heat constantly stirring).  Heat until melted, about 5-7 minutes and immediately pour into the pan.  Use a spatula to smooth the fudge and spread the crushed peppermints on top-I used a lot and lightly pressed them in so they would stick.  Refrigerate for 2 hours and then cut into small pieces.





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Monday, December 15, 2014

Weekend







Friday, Mama Jill came to play for the day-we shopped, lunched and had blow-outs, basically the best day ever!  I had my two friends, Catherine and Erin come over for bubbles and snacks before we headed uptown to see the Nutcracker.  Cross that off the Christmas bucket list!  We had a late dinner at Aria, the best Italian food in the city and then finished the night at the Ritz.  The gingerbread house above is made with real candy and the smell of deliciousness hits you as soon as you enter the Ritz lobby!  We made a friend at the bar and enjoyed more champs and people watching!  After a fancy night out with my girls, I headed to my favorite family's house and babysat for three boys overnight so their parents could enjoy a little stay-cation!  To say I learned a lot about Star Wars, Pokemon and just boy-speak is an understatement!  We checked out the Christmas lights, made birthday cards, hit the park and played Candy Crush-all in all a very well rounded, full of adventures type of weekend!      Excited that we are in the home stretch before Christmas, which means I have a party pretty much every night this week, so I'm hydrating until the first one!  Have a fabulous week!


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Friday, December 12, 2014

Talladega

I am obsessed with Eric Church, as you can probably tell since I feature his music a lot on this blog of mine.  I just love his honesty, his raw lyrics and it doesn't hurt that he's a North Carolina boy!  The song 'Talladega' was a favorite of mine as soon as I listened to his album and the video kills me with sweetness and sentimental thoughts.  Enjoy this gem while I go mark some activities off my Christmas Bucket List!




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Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Christmas Bucket List




I love this time of year and since there is so much to do and see, I made myself a Christmas Bucket List!  What are your must dos or sees for the season?!?!?


  • Donate toys to children 
  • See the Nutcracker
  • Drive around and look at all the lights, especially the street that takes can good donations
  • Ring the Salvation Army bell with my dad
  • Drink Hot Chocolate
  • Bake, bake and bake some more
  • Decorate a nugget of a little tree
  • Go to the Ritz and check out their massive gingerbread house
  • Have fancy cocktails with friends
  • Dress up and go out on the town....lots of sparkles!
  • Take an epic nap with the Christmas lights going
  • Watch the Holiday and Love Actually




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Monday, December 8, 2014

Weekend

Despite this face, M3 fell in LOVE with Santa and got super cozy to the point where my parent's thought he was going to take a little nap on Santa's lap! 
What's not to love-Chocolate, sparkle and bangles.....started Saturday at Petite Philippe

Cocktail time with friends

You know it's a fun night when you have an iphone selfie of yourself in the cozy coupe...BOOM!

Sunday, I drove to Greensboro to spend some time with this sweet munchkin!

True love, M3 is such a dream

He's getting so big and growing way too fast, he is obsessed with Mama Jill's helmet!

Mama Jill and I were rocking our matching sparkly sneaks from Kate Spade.....these make me smile all day long!



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Friday, December 5, 2014

Uptown Funk

Can we talk about Mark Ronson's collab with Bruno Mars on the song, 'Uptown Funk'?!?!?!  Holy crap, this is my new jam.....I have been grooving to this song since last week, aka singing at the top of my lungs, shaking it down in my house and in my car (it's harder than it looks).  This collaboration is off the charts and I know that all the future dance parties will have to have this song on the playlist!  So go on and shake it down to Bruno, it is the perfect getting ready song!
Groovy Baby!! 
(can't you just hear Austin Powers saying that about this song?!?!?)


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Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Date Delight....a fab recipe!

Full Disclosure......this is not the most glamorous looking appetizer, but it sure does taste divine!  My mama made me her assistant cook Wednesday and we whipped these bad boys up in no time!  See below for the recipe and trust me when I tell you they are delicious, just ask one of my 20+ cousins who tried them Thursday :)







-Dried dates that are pitted (mama Jill bought hers from the Fresh Market)
-Two small logs of goat cheese
-Chopped pecans
-2 packages of prosciutto  

Cut the dried dates in half long ways.  Cook the prosciutto until it's crispy aka well done in a skillet over medium heat.  Mix the goat cheese with the chopped pecans and cooked prosciutto.  Stuff the mixture into the date and voila a delicious tasting appetizer.  It has the best of both worlds, something sweet and something salty!  The prosciutto gives it a delicious crunch, but you can also refrigerate them and eat them the next day!






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Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Turkey Weekend

I headed to Greensboro to kick off Thanksgiving with LOTS of family, we are talking 50 for lunch at my grandparents farm on Thursday.  My parents and I headed to the beach Friday for the rest of the weekend.  I was able to see my bestie Megan and her hubs Andrew along with lots of friends at the beach!  To say it was a whirlwind is quite the understatement....below are some pics!


Trying the new moonshine.........it was ahmazing! 
My gorgeous mama with my sweet babe of a nephew M3....they are so dreamy!  Look at that fierce hug action!!!

My sweet nephew.....I think he was in awe of either the amount of food or the massive amount of people!

Mama Jill and I decorated our tree Thanksgiving night!  These two elves never stop, like ever!!

A peaceful moment with mama before we rushed off to pick up Mufasa (our new nickname for my dad, our fearless leader)

We hit Eagle Point to hit golf balls at the range.....it was an awesome afternoon filled with LOTS of laughs!!

This is what happens when you take two women to the range.....a worn out papa Murray!






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