Strawberry Crunch Pie

I made this for some our good friend's barbecue a few weeks ago and I thought it turned out rather well.  Do make sure you freeze/ refrigerate it for as long as the directions say, because it melts quickly!

Ingredients:

1 Lemon

1 1/2 cups Strawberries

2 Egg Whites

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Flour

1/2 cup Sugar

1 Box Graham Crackers

6 TBS Butter

4 Ounces Cream Cheese (softened)

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream 

 Directions:

 {ONE} Grease the pie pan liberally (I used Pam for Baking)

{TWO} Put the graham crackers in food processor until they are ground to crumbs.
 

{THREE} Mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter, flour, and brown sugar together. Pack mixture into pie pan and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool. Then divide the baked contents in half  and set half of the mixture aside for the top of the pie. Pack the remaining half of the mixture in the bottom of the pie pan.

{FOUR} In a mixing bowl, combine eggs whites and sugar and mix on high. Add the heavy cream and continue mixing for another 5 minutes. Continue to add the fresh squeezed lemon juice and softened cream cheese. Mix on low speed until incorporated.

{FIVE} Fold the fresh strawberries into the cream mixture.

{SIX} Put the remaining graham cracker crust mixture on top of the pie.   

{SEVEN} Cover and freeze for three hours or more. 

        Enjoy on a hot summer day!!

Five on Friday: Memorial Day Edition

I feel a little guilty, but I have not had a chance to blog about our mini-vacay to Kansas City yet. Hopefully, after this long weekend, I can get my act together and post it.

For now, here are my Five on Friday for this Memorial Day Weekend!

{One} Bella's new Lilly Collar

Etsy has such a great selection of dog collars and I found a vendor who makes dog collars with authentic Lilly Pulitzer fabric. I loved them, so Bella now has two additional Lilly collars for summer! You can find them here.

This was taken right after we picked Bella up from the groomer's this week; hence the extreme blow out pouf!  She always looks like such a diva for several days after the groomers!

{TWO} Our Memorial Day Party

Since Evan and I were in Kansas City until late Tuesday, I haven't had time to put the finishing touches on the little bit of decor I am putting together for our get-together this Saturday.  I keep telling myself I am not going too crazy this time around, as we are only having about 10-12 people. Sometimes, I tend to get a little carried away with party planning.  Here are some of the pins I am using for inspiration:
 

 

 

{Three} Minute Maid Frozen Lemonade

During my work lunch break, some co-workers and I generally browse all that Speed Street has to offer. I was reminded again how much I LOVE these when they had them at Speed Street. I know it may sound ridiculous, but I love them so much, that in the past I have looked up where you can purchase them and when I could not find them in stores, I seriously debated paying to have them shipped to our door. I know...just a bit crazy. Oddly enough, I was THRILLED to actually find them in Harris Teeter last night. I went ahead got two boxes to stock up!!
 

 

 

{Four} Evan's Baseball Cuff links
 

I found these on Etsy and they made a great stocking stuffer this past year. Now that it is baseball season, Evan has been able to break these out!
 

{Five} Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue Sauce

Kansas City is known for their great barbecue and they definitely did not disappoint! Rated the best barbecue in Kansas City, we snagged a bottle or two (or four) of their magic sauce for our upcoming barbecue! Don't be fooled by the fact they are connected to a gas station, they have ridiculous lines there everyday of the week and people are always willing to wait for their food. Unfortunately, they will not ship the barbecue sauce out of state, so if you are ever in Kansas City, you need to check this place out! 

 

 

Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day!!

 

Five on Friday

This has been a crazy week and until today, had not had a chance to post anything! Unfortunately, things will not be slowing down anytime soon...we have a mini-vacation scheduled for Kansas City this weekend and are hosting a Memorial Day barbecue next weekend! Without further ado, here are my five: 

{ONE} Our new car, the 2014 Honda Accord Sport

On Friday (Evan and I had the day off for), we purchased our second new car! It is a 2014 Honda Accord Sport. We went into the dealership planning to purchase the Honda Accord Hybrid, but quickly realized that was not the car for us given the VERY small trunk (where would we put the running stroller and all things baby in the future!?) and a bit of sluggishness when accelerating. This baby purrs when you accelerate and it has the same interior space (and most importantly trunk space) as the Honda Accord. 

{TWO} Dixieland Clothing Company

This past Saturday we finally made it into this lovely new addition to Davidson. They have been open only since March 2014 and we have been itching to visit ever since!  This little store is STUFFED with all things Southern Tide, High Cotton, Southern Marsh, Southern Proper, Rowdy Gentleman....the list goes on and on. Of course, Evan had to buy a High Cotton bow tie while we were there and a Southern Tide t-shirt for the upcoming Memorial Day. We made friends with the "President" of the store, Tyler Hampton, and made him aware that we would be frequent visitors in the future and he would likely come to know us quite well! Tyler even loaded us up with some free stuff, pictured below. You can find Dixieland Clothing Company on Facebook here.  

Southern Proper heaven!

Their great selection of preppy merchandise.



Who doesn't love free Southern Tide hats and bottle socks!?

 



 

{THREE} Heather and Matt's BBQ 

This past Saturday, we ventured over to our good friends' house for their first barbecue in their new home!

 

Of course, Brooke and I had to break-in our new coozies!

{FOUR} BLoOUT in Lake Norman is now open!!

I have been wanting to check them out from the moment I heard they opened a location in Lake Norman. Finally, this past Saturday, I used the barbecue we were attending as an excuse to try them out. I was not disappointed. Marett, the stylist that did my hair, gave me the best blow-out I think I have ever received. I warned Marett that I would likely be a frequent visitor from now on! The picture of Brooke and I above shows the way my hair looked after the blow out (even with the humidity and rain). You can find their website here.

 

{FIVE} Our mini-vacay to Kansas City 

Instead of the traditional beach vacation this year, Evan and I opted to go a somewhat different route. My two main requirements for this year's mini vacation were to go somewhere with: 1) great shopping and 2) great restaurants/bars. Check and check! There are so many great boutiques and stores in Kansas City that we do not have in Charlotte. Given the somewhat overwhelming shopping and restaurant options in Kansas City, we have a packed itinerary. Evan is on notice of the tremendous hit his credits cards are going to take in the next four days! I have deliberately packed extremely light for this trip (something I am not very good at doing); so that I have plenty of room for all of the loot that I plan on buying while in Kansas City! We fly out very early tomorrow! I can't wait!

HAPPY WEEKEND TO ALL!

Five on Friday

Excited for the weekend....we have a couple of  fun things to look forward to!  Here are my 'Five' this week: 

{ONE} Old Navy Women's Suede Demi-Wedge Sandals

Oddly enough, Old Navy has almost the same wedge sandals that Jcrew had (but the ones at Old Navy are not sold out like the ones at Jcrew and they are significantly cheaper)! You may remember that I featured the Jcrew sandals (shown below) on last week's Five on Friday.  You can find them here.

Wedges from Old Navy

Wedges from Old Navy

Wedges from Jcrew

{TWO}  Family pictures tomorrow with Elizabeth Scott Photography and Makeup/Hair by Lindsey Regan Thorne

Why are we getting professional pictures now? Well, Evan and I (unfortunately) were not completely satisfied with our engagement and wedding pictures (back almost four years ago now) and we haven't had any formal pictures taken since then of us. Before beginning to have kiddos, I want to have some pitures of  Evan, Bella, and I that I can look back on and be happy with. Nothing can completely make up for missed shots at our wedding, but in my mind, it does soften the blow a little bit to have some good pictures taken after the fact.

I am very excited to work with Leslie and Matt from Elizabeth Scott photography! Oddly enough, they were neighbors of ours until about a week ago. You can find their website here.

Lindsey Regan Thorne did my hair and makeup for one of my good friend's weddings last year and thus I HAD to have her do my hair and makeup for this photo shoot (and hopefully many more to come)! You can find her website here.   In my opinion, she is just the best!!

Stay tuned; I will be sure to post pictures soon!

 {THREE} BBQ with Friends this Saturday and Hell Or High Watermelon Beer

It seems like the past several weeks gave been utter chaos; between weekends out of town, Bella's dog training, Evan being swamped at work and having some late nights...the list goes on and on...I am ready for a low-key; releaxing evening with some good friends. I am also very excited to try this beer (Hell or High Watermelon by 21st Amendment Brewery) which several of my friends have raved about!!

{FOUR} A Shout-Out to my Best Friend, Brooke

Brooke, I have known you now for a little over three years (seems like longer) and although we have had one or two rough patches in our friendship (what real friendship hasn't?), we always work it out and end up even closer than before. You have always been there for me and are one of my biggest supporters. You are like a sister to me and I just want to thank you for being such an amazing friend! I look forward to many years of friendship between us!

Brooke and I on her wedding day.



{FIVE} Jcrew Factory Printed Sun Shift

I love this style dress and bought several of these last summer in different colors/patterns.  Not only are they comfortable, but they make a great work dress. You can find it at Jcrew Factory.  Everything at Jcrew Factory is currently an additional 30% off.

HAPPY FRIDAY, EVERYONE!

DIY Mother's/Father's Day Mugs

My parents are fairly difficult to buy presents for because it seems that they have everything they want and if there is something they want, they generally go out and buy it themselves. Unfortunately for me, this makes it difficult to buy gifts for them. Thus, in the past several years, I have been opting for more thoughtful and/or handmade gifts.  This year (courtesy of Pinterest), I decided to make personalized coffee mugs. I was very surprised at how easy this was and how well (I thought) they turned out.

Here’s what you will need:

• Plain white mug
• Metallic Gold Paint Pen (This is different from a regular gold Sharpie)

 

 

Here's What to do:

1.  Draw or trace out your design onto your mug. (I used stencil lettering that I already had and used tape to secure the stencil while I was outlining).

 

2.  If you make a mistake, the paint is easily removable from non-porous surfaces with rubbing alcohol (or even wiping it off with a paper towel before it sets).

 

 

3.   Allow your designs to dry to the touch, and then pop them in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. This will set the paint so that it is permanent.

 

 

4.  Let them cool.  The gold paint withstood my hand-washing test quite well, but to be safe, keep your hand-painted mugs out of the dishwasher. I’d also recommend keeping your design away from the rim of the cup where your mouth goes.

5.  Fill them with goodies.  I ended up finding a few trinkets at Trader Joe's, World Market and Bliss:
 


Hand lotion  (from World Market)

My Mom loves toffee; so when I saw this; it was an obvious choice (from Trader Joe's)

I love these candles and wanted to buy several for myself.  I got one for my mother-in-law as well. You can find them here.  I got mine at Bliss, which is in Founder's Hall in Uptown (walking distance from my office = very convenient).



 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO EVERYONE!

 
 
 

Five on Friday: Shoe and Bath Products Edition

Sorry y'all, I think I have lost my mind this week; I totally forgot to actually post my five!

This week has been super busy and subsequently has flown by! So glad it's Friday though! My "Five" today are all products/shoes that I have been loving lately.


I am in love with these. I am only 5'2 1/2," thus as much as I love my Jack Roger flats, in the summer with sundresses, I could really use some extra height! You can find them here at Zappos.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are thinking about ordering these, make sure you order a half size up from what you order in the flat Jack Rogers sandals (i.e. I wear a 6 in the flats, but wore my normal size a 6.5 in these).

In regards to Zappos, I am kinda in love with them as well...the whole free shipping (even if you want to exchange or return shoes) and basically overnight shipping is pretty fabulous. Example: I ordered the shoes above in a size 6 and they were a little too small. I went that evening to the Zappos website, submitted my exchange, and the next day the size 6.5 shoes were waiting on my doorstep...It can't get any quicker than that! I was very impressed!



{TWO} Kate Spade Small Square Stud Earrings in Tortoise/Gold

They are back! They are back! I was so excited to see that these were back in stock as they were sold out around Christmas.I desperately wanted them then, but could not find them anywhere, until now.  I ADORE anything tortoise and I love the small square stud earrings by Kate Spade (in all colors), so I had to have these. I just received these two days ago. You can find them here at Nordstrom. 

{THREE} LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics is coming to South Park

 

 

  

One of my good friends, Brooke, told me just yesterday that Lush is opening a store in South Park Mall (in Charlotte, NC for the non-local individuals).  Apparently the store will open sometime in May. For those who are not familiar with Lush, it is essentially a high end version of The Body Shop, but much more creative with their products, more diverse (they carry makeup), many vegan/organic products (great for someone like me who is allergic to many products), and MOST IMPORTANTLY their products are cruelty free. If anyone needs any recommendations on products, I can probably help...I have sampled (and bought) a TON of their products. You can find their website here. 

{FOUR} Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Shampoo and Conditioner

I have seen others blog about this and I am jumping on the bandwagon. I actually received a sample of this shampoo and conditioner months ago in a Birchbox and loved it so much that I finally decided to get it. As I have mentioned previously, I have very sensitive skin and am allergic to a lot of products (especially shampoos and conditioners). These products (so far) do not cause any sort of allergic reaction for me and they make my hair shiny and soft. You can buy the shampoo here and can buy the conditioner here. I have also tried the Frederic Fakkai Au Naturel Dry Shampoo. I liked it and thankfully do not seem to be allergic to it, but I am not sure I would readily recommend it to anyone, given the bit of flakes that it left in my hair (even after a good bit of brushing as instructed).

Anyone else tried any of their products? Thoughts?

{FIVE} Factory Demi-Wedge Sandals from Jcrew

 

 

 

I LOVE these sandals. Not only are they stylish and I can wear then to work in the summer, but they are probably the most comfortable sandals I own.  Jcrew makes them in black (pictured above) and nude. The nude color was back-ordered  and I was able to snag a pair, but unfortunately they appear to be completely sold out now. The Black are still available in several sizes. You can find them here. 

 

Happy Friday Everyone!