South Carolina - Part 1

Hello, my friends! This month has flown by and I cannot believe that tomorrow is the beginning of September. I wanted to recap our trip to South Carolina into 2 parts and below is Part 1. I have also posted the winner of the Lisa Leonard gift certificate at the bottom of this post. Thank you to everyone who entered.

We got up Thursday, picked up the rental car, fueled up and headed off for South Carolina. I had to gear up for this trip considering I’ve never driven more than 4 hours in the car. The drive wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. We hit some traffic around DC and Northern Virginia, but otherwise it was smooth sailing. About 6 hours into the drive, we needed gas and dinner so we stopped at a Cracker Barrel and gas station somewhere in North Carolina. I really needed a rest and my foot was pretty cramped. The break got me geared up for the last 1/3 of the trip and we finally made it to the hotel around 10:30 pm. They put us in a King Suite and then we got all settled in and called it a night.


Cracker Barrel photo shoot...Geof's expression cracks me up!


Our room

Friday we had a quick breakfast at the hotel and then went to checkout Winthrop University so we knew where we needed to be for the SafetySuit concert that Sunday and then headed to Target to pick up some things we managed to forget to bring along. Geof spotted a Jack in the Box and said we had to go there since we don’t have any near us.

After lunch, we headed back to the hotel and got ready to go lay out by the pool and go for a dip. We spent a few hours in the sun and then cleaned up to head out for the evening. We went to Jim ‘n Nick’s Bar-B-Q and it was beyond delicious. We definitely don’t have places like this back in PA. Our server could not have been any nicer and I was really starting to dig the Southern hospitality. After dinner, we decided to go to a movie and ended up seeing The Last Exorcism. It was super creepy and definitely gave me a good scare for the rest of the night. I have to give two thumbs up for an original horror movie. It goes to show that it doesn’t have to be a remake or a sequel to be effective. After the movie, we headed back to the hotel and relaxed for the rest of the night.


Pool time!


Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q


Beef Brisket dinner. That dinner and the cheddar biscuits were out of control good.


Us at dinner



The winner of the $50 Lisa Leonard gift certificate is Natalie from Miss Brightside. There were a total of 108 entries and I used Random.org to draw the winner. The number that resulted was #9 which belongs to Natalie. Congrats! Please contact me with your mailing info so that I can pass it along to Lisa.

Lisa Leonard Designs Giveaway

I am delighted to announce that I’ve paired up with the talented Lisa Leonard to giveaway a $50 gift certificate to her shop, Lisa Leonard Designs. I’ve admired her jewelry for a long time. She is so creative and such a doll. She also has a blog and can work with you to customize special pieces for an event. I love something she recently did for the bridal party at a wedding. I’m sure the ladies loved their customized pieces.

You can use the gift certificate towards anything you like and there are so many affordable designs. Here are some of my favorites:


illuminate necklace


teenie tiny initials necklace


aqua stone necklace


hope is the thing...


you are loved necklace

To enter:
Please visit Lisa’s shop and let me know something you would like to use the gift certificate towards. This is mandatory for one entry.

Extra entries:
Follow my blog or let me know you’re already a follower (+1 entry)
Follow me (@ChicnPink) on Twitter (+1 entry)
Follow Lisa (@lisaleonard) on Twitter (+1 entry)
Post about this giveaway on your blog or sidebar linking back (+2 entries)

That is 6 possible entries! Please let me know in one comment how many entries you’re eligible for so it will be easier to keep track. The winner will be chosen using Random.org.

Rules:
1. This giveaway is open to US and Canadian readers only
2. This giveaway will be open until 8/31/10 at 11:59PM. The winner will be announced on 9/1/10 and must contact me with their information to receive their prize.

Weekend recap

This past weekend was a girls’ weekend. It was Kristen’s bachelorette party and Geof was away at a convention. I ran around most of Friday getting things together for the evening, came home cleaned the house and then got ready for the ladies arrival. We had some pink cocktails and cookies. The drink of the night was tasty and simple. I made pink lemonade vodka with Sprite Zero. We headed out to The Deck and let the festivities begin. We had fun, fun, fun and did lots of laughing and dancing. We closed the place down and called it a night. Funny story of the night: There is a hotel connected to The Deck and there were two creepy guys that had a set of binoculars and were staring at ladies. It became the joke of the night, but when you think about it, it’s pretty weird.


A little bit of decorations


The ladies minus me before we headed out


Kel, me & Kris


Kelly and I

Saturday, Kris, Kel and I went to breakfast at The Coffee Station and then headed to the pool for an afternoon of swimming and basking in the sun. The weather was gorgeous and it was so nice to relax. After the pool, we headed back to my house showered and headed out to the mall and then to the movies. We went to see Vampires Suck. It was pretty horrible, but one of those movies that takes zero thought and just what I needed after a busy weekend. I kept saying, “boo” after all the bad jokes and I think we were laughing about that more than anything else.



Sunday, Kristen took off early in the morning and Geof got home in the afternoon. We spent the rainy day relaxing and later on I decided to watch Twilight. I took a little nap and then we caught up on all of our Sunday night HBO shows. True Blood was so good this week. I cannot believe the season is already almost over.

Come back tomorrow for a great giveaway!

Tasty Tuesday – Dinner & Dessert

This recipe was on Annie’s blog and it looked too delicious to pass up. I actually made this a week ago and it lived up to my expectations with plenty of leftovers to spare. Mine turned out more like a Stromboli rather than a roll, but it was still really good.



Bacon Cheeseburger Roll Up

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
4 slices Bacon, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 pound VELVEETA, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 (13.8 ounce) package refrigerated pizza crust

Directions:
1. PPREHEAT oven to 400 degrees F. Cook ground beef, bacon and onions in large skillet on medium-high heat until ground beef is evenly browned, stirring occasionally. Drain; return meat mixture to skillet. Add VELVEETA; cook until completely melted, stirring frequently. Cool 10 min.
2. UNROLL pizza dough onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Press into 15x8-inch rectangle. Top evenly with meat mixture. Roll up dough, starting at one of the long sides. Rearrange, if necessary, so roll is seam-side down on baking sheet.
3. BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until golden brown. Cut diagonally into six slices to serve.



Diet soda cake

A few ladies asked me about the diet soda cake that I made over the weekend and here is the easy and delicious recipe for that:

Ingredients:
1 box cake mix any flavor. I went with Pillsbury Strawberry Cake
1 can diet soda any flavor. For fruit flavored cakes it is always best to go with Diet Sprite or Diet Sierra Mist. Diet Coke/Pepsi or Diet Dr. Pepper work well for chocolate cakes and Diet Cream Soda works well for vanilla.

Directions:
1. Empty cake mix into bowl
2. Pour in can of soda and mix well. Do not add any other ingredients.
3. Bake according to directions on box and viola, you’ve got a diet soda cake!

I’ve used a homemade splenda frosting in the past, but this time I used Pillsbury Reduced Sugar Frosting

Weekend recap

Friday night we stayed in. Geof made chicken fajitas, I made a diet soda coke and we decided to watch a scary movie (with it being Friday the 13th and all). We went with Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. So scary. I remember seeing it in the theather when it first came out and I was terrified. We made it a nice date night in.



Fajitas, scary movie and Diet Sierra Mist strawberry cake...perfect night in!

Saturday we headed to Suburban Square in Ardmore for a late lunch at Plate. We had the most delicious roasted plum tomato soup and I had a Capri sandwich (fresh mozzarella, tomato, grilled eggplant, basil pesto, French baguette). Geof got an Angus burger that looked delicious and we also got a side of macaroni ‘n cheese. Everything was really good and we would definitely go there again.


Bellinitini and mac 'n cheese at Plate


Geof contemplating how to tackle his burger

After lunch, I talked Geof into a little shopping and picked a few things between White House Black Market, Lilly Pulitzer and Macy’s. It’s such a cute area and it was nice to be outdoors and browse around from shop to shop. We left Ardmore and headed to Cupcakes Gourmet for a sweet treat. The frosting they put on they’re cupcakes is so decadent. I decided to go with the flavor of the month, orange creamsicle.


Me outside of Lilly Pulitzer


Estee Lauder Lipgloss in Star Pink, Murfee scarf, mini agenda from LP and top from White House Black Market


Orange Creamsicle cupcake

Saturday night my mom came over and we finally caught up on So You Think You Can Dance. Somehow I didn’t have the ending spoiled for me and was happy to see that Lauren Froderman won. She was my favorite and the last girl standing for so many weeks.



Sunday was an incredibly lazy day. I caught up on Pretty Little Liars and finally saw the season finale. Geof and I made pizza for dinner and then watched all of our HBO Sunday night shows (True Blood, Hung and Entourage).

Award time

I was given “The Prom Queen” blog award from my friend Leeann at Join The Gossip. The two of us actually connected over some of my concert posts, as she is an avid music lover too. We found out that we had a ton in common and the rest is history. Now if only she didn’t live in CA and me PA ;) Her blog really is fabulous. She shares everything from fashion to travel and is an overall great person.



I am supposed to hand this award onto 10 other “Prom Queens”. You’re all right there in my book, but being someone who plays by the rules, I shall pass this onto the following ladies (I also thought I would share a little bit about them and their blogs rather than just making a list):

1. Handbag Obsessed – Great mother, great taste, great friend. She has a beautiful daughter, is a kickboxing Queen and has excellent taste in handbags.
2. Southern Champagne Wishes – Anna is a lawyer from the South with great style and taste. She is so kind and had the cutest dog named Oscar.
3. Bon Bon Rose Girls – Kristin and Megan are fashionable and fabulous. Their blog is a must read. They also have a great Rosebud Network for bloggers supporting other bloggers.
4. Chapters of our Life – Annie is the cutest and is going to be a bride very soon. She shares fun stories and is one of the nicest ladies out there.
5. Living in the Moment – Brittany is a wonderful writer and so relatable. She recently moved to SC to be with her husband who joined the military and I have a lot of respect for her.
6. Vynuss Vision – Vy is soon to be married and recently bought a house with her fiancé. She is very crafty and such a sweetheart.
7. Saving the Best for Last…(fingers crossed) – MCW is a hip NYC chick. I live vicariously through her. She has the best stories and is also a really great person.
8. Sweet Tea Diaries – Angela is so kind and an excellent baker. You have to see the cupcake cookies she recently made!
9. The Perfect Compilation Tape – Meghan is a teacher from Chicago and always has the best stories and posts about living in the city and life with her husband.
10. Just a Happy Housewife – Kathie always has something interesting or funny on her blog. I’ve “known” her for a long time and she has always been a great blog friend to me.

I was also given the You're Going Places Award from Ashley at Sweet Southern Prep. She is a lovely blogger with a sense of style and has 2 beautiful girls. Her posts range from life with her family to travel and Southern hospitality and manners. It is always a good read and makes me want to live the Sweet Southern life!



In 10 years I hope to have 2 children, my health and happiness. I think that is probably what most people wish for, right? I hope to have a bigger house too!

For this one, I am also supposed to tag 10 people, but I’m copping out on this one. Please let me know if you decide to do this. I’d love to read where you see yourself in 10 years.

Weekend recap

First, I’m sorry I’ve been gone for a week. I think that’s a record for the longest I’ve ever been away and I don’t like it one bit. Days seem to pass like hours as things have been more than a little hectic this summer. Onto the weekend recap…

Friday, Geof came home from work and surprised me with Upcakes from Dixie Picnic. We stayed in and caught up on True Blood and Jersey Shore. It was a quiet night in and we both needed it.


Upcakes (taken from the Dixie Picnic website)

Saturday, we ran to the bank, then went out to breakfast at The Coffee Station and finally headed to Target. Once we got back home we took the dogs for a long walk and wore them out. I had to carry Chase for a block because I think he had enough. We came back home and got ready to head out for the night.

Saturday night, we went to NJ to go out with Colleen and Donald for a double date night. We got there early and stopped in at Barnes & Noble and then I went to Ulta. We headed over to the movie theater to meet up with them and saw Dinner for Schmucks. It had some funny parts, but overall I thought it as just okay and a little too long. After the movie, the four of us headed over to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It was so good and we were all stuffed.




Us at Cheesecake Factory


Donald and Colleen at Cheesecake Factory


My refreshing Margarita!

Sunday, we got my mom and headed down to Maryland to go to my aunt & uncle’s annual crab fest. On the way down, we visited my grandparents’ gravesite. It had been awhile since I’d been there and I wanted to pay a visit. After that, we went right to aunt & uncle’s and I got to see a bunch of family on my dad’s side that I hadn’t seen in awhile. It was great to catch up with my cousin Angelica. She was always like a little sister to me. We headed home later in the evening and Geof and I stayed in and relaxed with the dogs and watched True Blood and Hung.


Crab fest!


Angelica and I

Weekend recap

Geof was in Florida for work and luckily I had my awesome friends and mom to keep me occupied most of the weekend. Friday evening, Colleen came over and we treated ourselves to pedicures. It was much needed relaxation and girl time. After the nail salon, we headed to Alfredo’s for pizza. When Colleen dropped me off back at home, Kristen had just arrived. We got ready and decided to head off to The Deck. We had a blast, saw some familiar faces and enjoyed a nice night by the river.


The Deck...I so failed on taking pictures this weekend

Saturday, Kristen and I went to the pool for the afternoon for some sunning and swimming. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. After the pool Kristen headed home and then my mom came over for the evening. I made us some grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner and we got caught up on So You Think You Can Dance.


The pool

Sunday, I relaxed most of the day and watched a cheesy Lifetime movie called, Homecoming. Mischa Barton was in it and the acting was beyond horrible. She was a crazy stalker chick and it was pretty funny. I also decided to watch episodes of Sex and the City that were OnDemand and got to see some of my favorites from Season 3. I made some pasta for dinner and called it an early night.


Ridiculous LMN movie