Inspired

Just a few inspiring words to get you through the day!

Charleston

This past weekend I went to Charleston to see my two best friends, Sarah and Brijette. Brijette moved to Charleston as soon as we graduated to attend College of Charleston and our BFF Sarah moved down there for the summer this year but attends Coastal Carolina. It was a relaxing two days and I got to catch up with my friends. We spent a day shopping and then spent the next day at the pool. I love Charleston and wish I was able to spend more time down there!

The only thing that was missing was our brunette bestie Adri who is out in California becoming famous!

Wonderworks

Last week my step-mom and I both had the same night off from work and decided to take my two younger sisters to Wonderworks. They have been dying to go to this place since it opened in May and I have to say it was pretty neat. If you are ever in MB and want some fun indoor entertainment, visit this place. There were three different floors with lots of interactive things to do. The coolest part is the ropes course which is located on the top floor. The course is actually located above the arcade so while you are playing games, there are kids climbing ropes above you. The only negative about this place was the price. Most of the activities are geared towards kids not really adults and although my step-mom and I participated in some stuff, I still felt that our admission price was a little high. But anyways, the girls had a blast and I wanted to share a few pictures :

The outside of Wonderworks.. the building is upside down!

In hurricane force winds

Rivers using the pulleys and her muscles to move her chair

Rivers & McKenna waiting in line for the ropes course

Climbing the ropes course above our heads

5 Things Friday

Today I am linking up with my bestie Sara over at Simple Thoughts From A Simple Girl for her 5 Things Friday post! You should do it too!

1. Last night I had the opportunity to go to Wilmington with my best friend Adri for her first movie premiere. It was a short film and it was amazing and I am so lucky I got to spend time with her because she recently relocated to Los Angeles to follow her dreams!

2. For breakfast this morning I had a semi-large bowl of Lucky Charms and let me say, it was the best way to start my day!

3. If you are reading this, you can see that I have changed my blog layout and background. It was semi-frustrating because I am not savvy at this kind of thing but I really like the outcome. Possibly more changes coming soon!

4. I don't have to work until 5 tonight so I am looking forward to catching up on all of the Casey Anthony trial drama that has unfolded this week.

5. It's Friday and that means that JCrew Factory online is open so I will be browsing that and other online shops and making endless wishlists!

Hope y'all are having a great Friday! Don't forget to link up with Sara for this post!

WILW

I haven't done this in awhile but I actually remembered that today was Wednesday so I could post this! Hope you all are having a great day so far!

- First of all, I am loving that I don't have to work today. I plan on relaxing and catching up on all of the things I haven't been able to do because of work.

- Second, I am loving HLN and CNN. Ever since the Casey Anthony trial, my TV has been glued to these channels following everything.

- Third, I am loving all of the quality time spent with my family the past couple days.

Two things I am currently not loving:

1. Summer at home ends 10 days. Unfortunately I will be leaving and going back to Raleigh for my CNA certification class in 10 days.

2. Traffic. Although I love that tourists are here and boosting our economy, I hate the way they drive. They provoke my road rage and stress me out.

What are you loving today?

Fruit Pizza

Last week I was feeling inspired to create something using all of the fruit we had in our house. After browsing one of my favorite blogs, Fly Through Out Window I found Darby's recipe for fruit pizza. I decided that instead of making my own dough, I would use a pre-made sugar cookie dough. It was delicious and the perfect sweet snack!

Ingredients:

1 tube of sugar cookie dough

1 16 oz block of cream cheese

1 cup of sugar

2 tsp of milk

Assorted fresh fruits

( I used bananas, strawberries and peaches )

Directions:

- Roll out sugar cookie dough into pan. (I bought a set of shallow foil pans to use. A tart pan or pizza pan would also work) Bake sugar cookie by following instructions on package and let cool completely.

- While waiting for the cookie to bake I chopped all of my fruit. To prevent peaches and bananas from turning brown, dip them into lemon juice.

- Cream together the cream cheese, sugar and milk and apply to sugar cookie once it is completely cool.

- Top cookie with freshly chopped fruits and enjoy!

I had some dough leftover so I decided to make a few individual cookies

Sisters

While brainstorming present ideas for my step-mom's birthday, my dad came up with the brilliant plan to have some pictures taken of me and my sisters to have framed to give to her. My step-mom loves pictures, our house is covered with photos everywhere of us. Scheduling this whole event was quite a process, and more stressful than I ever imagined. First of all, trying to coordinate our four schedules was harder than I thought. Second, figuring out what we should wear was more stress than I thought I could handle. Normally my step-mom would plan our outfits so without her help and ideas I was lost. My sister Rivers actually thought of the idea of what we should wear and it all ended up working out nicely. I bribed my friend Sara over at Simple Thoughts From A Simple Girl to take our pictures a few weekends ago and I just wanted to share a few of the results. We had the pictures framed and gave them to my step-mom tonight so now I can share :)

PS- Sara, you are awesome! Thank you so much for everything!

Summer Recap... so far!

I've been a terrible blogger the past month and time has just slipped away faster than I realized! I can't believe it is already June! So much has been going on that blogging has kind of taken a backseat due to lack of time. I am so glad to be home for this short amount of time. In the past month I have spent more time with my sisters than I have in awhile and it has been a blast. They are getting so grown up and they each have their own personalities. I've also realized how quickly they have grown up right before my eyes. The past seven years have just gone by too quickly. When I'm not spending time with them or my parents, I am working at our family's restaurant in Cherry Grove. It has been very successful in the past year and we are so lucky to have such wonderful locals who eat there multiple times a week, and also tourists that are coming back to visit us. I hope everyone else has had a wonderful summer so far and I hope it hasn't gone by as fast as mine has! I've got some posts planned so hopefully I won't be too MIA from the blog world! Oh and even though I suck at my own blog, I am still reading and loving all of your blogs!

Beach Essentials

Growing up at the beach, I have learned over the years what to definitely take with you and what to leave at home when it comes to day trips to the beach. Here are my beach essentials:

1. The perfect beach bag. Beach bags need to be some sort of plastic material. Cloth or cotton bags just don't work well with sand. My bag is made by Mixed Bag Designs and I love it. My friend Sarah gave it to me last year for my birthday. It is big enough to hold a towel, clothes, magazines and everything else!

2. Towel. I usually don't take a chair to the beach just because it's always one more thing to carry along with everything else. Plus, laying on a towel allows you to lay on your back and stomach easily so your tan can be even :) My favorite beach towels are the ones that are really long so your feet aren't hanging off into the sand. My favorite towels are from Target and Nautica

(for some reason I can't get my picture to rotate, sorry!)

3. Sunscreen is very important when going to the beach for the day. At the beach, there is nowhere to escape the sun unless you bring an umbrella. I'll admit, there are days where I don't put on sunscreen but for the most part, this is your most important beach essential. I usually wear Coppertone Sport 30 spf sunscreen.

4. Flip flops. I'm picky about flip flops and over the years, I've accumulated quite a few pairs of Rainbows flip flops. The skinny strap are my favorite style. My skinny strap smooth leather Rainbows are my designated beach shoes. Flip flops are essential to wear to the beach especially on those hot July days when the sand can be scorching hot.

5. Magazines or a book are also important for entertainment. I get really bored while laying out so having something to read or do keeps me occupied long enough to actually achieve a tan. This is what is currently in my beach bag.

6. Water! It is so important to stay hydrated while out in the sun. Always pack something to drink and snacks to eat while at the beach!

Favorite Summer Snacks

Summer foods are my favorite and there are several snacks that I love. One of the main reasons why I love summer so much is because so many fruits are in season! I love having fresh cut fruit in the refrigerator during the summer because it is the perfect snack on a scorching hot day. Here are some of my favorite snacks for summer:

Fruits: Strawberries, Bananas, Plums, Peaches, Red Grapes, Oranges, Canteloupes & Pineapple

(If I need to cool down from a hot day, I scoop vanilla ice cream and top it with fresh strawberries and chocolate syrup. SO good!)

Another snack I love is hummus and pretzel crisps

What are your favorite summer snacks?