Black Transitional Dress

Can it be fall yet? Last week had just the slightest bit of a cool down, and it's got me obsessing about fall clothes, football, and all things pumpkin {at Hobby Lobby...no PSL for me!}. This weekend I went home to spend some time with my family while the hubs worked, and my mom and I did some major fall clothes shopping. PSA: Mud Pie has some of the cutest things for fall! I will definitely be scooping up some more.

After I did my major closet clean out a few weeks ago, I realized I didn't have a lot of transitional pieces. A lot of summer, and a lot of winter, but not a lot that looks appropriate in September when it's still hot in South Georgia but I'm ready for a more seasonal look. I found this super soft, super comfy black swing dress at a local boutique, The Boutique at Frills. I paired it with some black wedges from last year that are super comfortable and work for summer or fall; similar pair, here. My white acrylic link necklace was a steal from TJ Maxx, but Baublebar has a similar style in a fun pink color.

When it cools off some more, I'll pair this dress with a denim jacket and black booties. Maybe even a blanket scarf and riding boots later in the fall. Until then, it will be wedges and Jacks in an attempt to keep cool!

P.S. I chopped about six inches off my hair last week, and I'm loving it!

4 fourth of july memories

My family moved around a lot throughout my childhood, which meant I got to experience holidays in many different places with different traditions and events. I've always loved Independence Day due to my emotional obsession to fireworks and all things sparkly. Also, hotdogs, cotton candy, funnel cake, watermelon, boiled peanuts, etc.

This year, Christopher and I will be hanging close to home after have a couple really busy weeks apart and I'm looking forward to attending my first ever Firecracker Fest with friends. Some of my favorite memories surround the fourth of July, in some way or another!

1. When we lived in New York, we went to watch the fireworks shot off over the Hudson River. The weather is so very different there: much cooler, and no humidity compared to Georgia. I distinctly remember being told to bring a light jacket as it would get chilly once the sun went down {I also remember the atrocious silver wire glasses I wore at that time, but that's another story}. Over the next year, we moved back south, and when the fourth rolled around and it was time to go see fireworks, I ran to get a jacket much to the amusement of my parents. Needless to say, it took me a while to assimilate back into the warmer weather.

2. The summer after I graduated high school, we moved from north of Atlanta to Florence, SC, where I was born. My mom, who at the time had a very popular blog, invited the daughter of one of her bloggy buddies to come stay with us the week of the fourth. Brooke and I were close in age, and both of us were starting college in the fall. We spent the week together exploring Florence and we all went to Myrtle Beach on the fourth of July. We beached at the Myrtle Beach State Park, which is a great place to go for the day, and then watched fireworks that evening while eating dinner which was so much fun. Brooke also has a blog, and it's been a great way for us to stay in touch...check her out, here!

We had bought the same dress in different colors for Easter
and wore them together--weren't we the cutest?!

3. Two or three years ago, I went with my mom and brothers to the Darlington race track for the fourth. They have a huge event with turkey legs, race cars, and amazing fireworks. It was quite the people watching event, that's for sure!

4. Last year, Christopher and I spent the day on Hilton Head with some of his pharmacy school friends. We had a great time at one of the hotel's private beaches, and a lovely dinner at the Westin. But truly the best part was when we were coming back into Savannah over the bridge, just as the fireworks began over the Savannah River. We were higher up than the entire town, and could see sparkling explosions from every square, too. It was absolutely beautiful, and I so wish I had pictures from that night!

Happy fourth of July to you, and yours; here's to making new memories!

Weekend Recap: Easter 2016

Have you ever been glad that it's Monday? I hate to say it, but I really am. Not that Easter with my family wasn't wonderful, but let's just say the weekend didn't end on the highest note...

Friday was a great chill day for me. The office was closed, so I slept in, cleaned the house, had lunch with friends, and worked on thank you notes from last Saturday's shower. You can read about how to be an excellent thank you note writer on my friend Wendy's blog, here. I had hoped to get them out sooner, but got them in the mail within a week of the event. I try to do them as soon as possible, otherwise my to-do list just gets longer and longer!

On Saturday, Christopher and I went to one of our pre-marital counseling sessions {in Georgia you get a discount on your marriage license if you go!}, ran errands, then headed to South Carolina for Easter with my family.

We had a wonderful church service at First Baptist on Sunday morning. It was great to see our friends and those who won't be able to make it to our wedding next month one more time before we're a married couple! My mother had made lunch reservations at Victor's in the new Hotel Florence, which was fab! Brunch was delicious, and I love the aesthetic of the space--it should definitely be a stop on your list if you ever make it through Flo-town.

Lunch is unfortunately where my current stresses began: I got a call saying my bank account had been compromised for a couple hundred dollars. Of course this would happen on the week I have to pay for the wedding venue. Luckily, we caught it before a second attempt last night for another large sum. While I know this will be resolved with the bank, it is unfortunately one of those stresses that is just hanging out in the back of my mind constantly.

It was rainy all weekend, and we had to drive home in the rain and spring break traffic. Yuck. I almost had a very bad accident, too--when I was finally able to skid to a stop to avoid someone who had blatantly pulled out in front of me, Christopher couldn't even see the front of their car, it was that close to mine. I was extremely thankful when we finally made it home safe and sound.

Although silly, this morning's frustrations stem from social media. This is a huge part of my job, and my life. I love connecting with friends and family through pictures and stories online. The recent algorithm changes in both Facebook and now Instagram are driving me nuts. I now have to login to a separate website to fully access my blog and our business' Facebook page. Obnoxious! Now, Instagram, otherwise known in my book as the most perfect of all social media outlets, is changing their feed from chronological to show you pictures they "think" you will like. Well Insta, I only follow accounts that I "know" I will like, so I don't need you picking out things all willy-nilly!

Follow me on Instagram @piperellice and be
sure to click the little three dots and "Turn on notifications"
to keep seeing my feed!

I was glad to get to work this morning, finding comfort in my routine and a big cup of coffee. I've already been to the bank to begin the fraud resolution process, and I'm just hoping that it doesn't take the full 10 business days to get this squared away. In the midst of my stress, although minor in the grand scheme of things, I'm reminded of the love and sacrifice Jesus made for us every time I drive by the churches in town that have their Easter decorations standing strong. I'm claiming his peace to make it through the day, and the week.

Follow me on Snapchat @piperellice to see all of our
upcoming beach bash shenanigans! 

On another note, my bachelorette weekend is here! A few of us are leaving Thursday night after work to head to Amelia Island for a long weekend with the girls. I'm super excited, but fingers crossed that the weather forecast changes and the rain stays far away!

Spring {Bridal} Shower

I was born in Florence, South Carolina, but never actually lived there until I was in college. My family moved back right after I graduated high school, so I spent every summer and school holiday going home to Florence. I fell in love with the town, which is always stunningly beautiful in the spring, but mostly with the people.

We started attending First Baptist Church, and it was there that I've made some truly lifelong friends and a real church family. I miss them so much, especially now that I'm working and don't just have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays and can go home every weekend for four days!

 My sweet bridesmaid Brittney, her mother, and a few other ladies from church threw me the prettiest, springiest shower Saturday! Mrs. Nancy hosted it at her beautiful home, and put out her amazing collection of spring and Easter decor for the event. Everything was pink and green perfection! It was a holiday themed shower, and Christopher and I received so many wonderful holiday decorations to help us celebrate throughout the year.

I 

Beautiful homemade red velvet cupcakes...and some pina colada ones, too! 

Crackers with a vegetable cream cheese spread. I love this cake stand...the ribbon can be changed out to match the different holidays!

Graham crackers with a pineapple cream cheese spread, topped with a pecan.

Sparkling Punch
Bottle sparkling apple cider
Equal parts lemonade and cranberry juice
{or replace lemonade with champs!}
Frozen raspberries, or cranberries for Christmas 

My Florence family, The Wallaces!

This is my friend Brooke. Her mom and my mom got to know each other years {decades?!} ago through Southern Living chat rooms, and eventually blogs. Brooke and I are the same age and got to know each other as well. She came and stayed with us one summer during the fourth of July, and drove all the way from Durham, North Carolina, to come to my shower! She's an amazing girl who has recently overcome Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and is a blogger, too! Check her out here.

Brooke gave me different yard flags for St. Patrick's Day, the fourth of July in honor of when we met, and this Happily Ever After one for wedding week!

In addition to hosting this event, the hostesses got together to create an all occasion box of goodies, with home decor items for every holiday. I loved this precious hydrangea bunny! The gifts came in a purple Rubbermaid container which was brilliant--I'm always needing more boxes for storage. 

Of course I had to snap a selfie-stick pic with my pretty mama before we left! I'm so glad I got to spend time with my family this weekend, too. 

The Taste of the Symphony 2015

The Taste is something my mother and I look forward to every year. She's a member of the Symphony Guild in Florence, SC, that supports and promotes the local symphony. The Taste is their annual fundraiser, and the way it is organized and put on is unique to Florence. Many "taste" events I've been to consist of purchasing an entrance ticket anywhere from $12-$30 per person, and also purchasing food/drink tickets for a dollar a piece. The various food and drink items are each priced at a different ticket level, say four tickets for a fish taco, and two for a cake pop.

The Florence Taste does it differently--for $75 a piece, you can eat and drink to your heart's content. I prefer this method mostly because it's easier, and faster. The Taste in Florence is amazing. The food every year blows me away. There are annual staples like one company's fried oysters {served in a small wooden canoe--so cute!} and of course some version of shrimp & grits {or specialty versions like quail & grits last year}that I look forward to each year.

It's also a great opportunity for larger restaurants who have a somewhat set menu to surprise the town with a unique dish for the evening, that's often kept under wraps until that night.  Two years ago Red Bone Alley, a Florence staple, surprised attendees with an amazing, spicy pork mini-taco with a pineapple salsa, and a tequila shot in a shot glass made completely out of ice. How cool!

The most important booth-the bar! 

Red Bone Alley--They took the Gatsby theme to a whole new level!

Center tables filled with creations by the Symphony Guild members

Yes, those are live lobsters. 

My favorite thing--the Macaroon Tree

Beatiful Decorations! 

I ate so much this year--of course the oysters, and quail and grits were amazing. The standout of the night for me was the gourmet s'mores. Dark chocolate covered graham crackers, with melty marshmallow in the middle. If you know me, you know I love s'mores; I've got a whole Pinterest board dedicated to them!

Chicken Bog & Pie Day

When done, your CB will be sticky
and very filling!

I'm not totally sure how it happened, but months ago, we determined that in January we'd celebrate Pie Day at work. January is a bummer of a month--dreary weather, "healthy" resolution eating, and getting back into regular schedule all of which is no fun. So we'd have one fun day and have pies for lunch. Well I can't just have pie, I've got to have some protein too! So I decided to make the famous Chicken Bog {chicken=protein, you know}.

Chicken Bog is specific to the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, and is different that jambalaya or gumbo--it's much drier, and spicier. It's hot, and sticky, and just warms you up all over. Absolutely perfect for a snow day or in our case, a 50 degree 100% chance of rain South Georgia day. And it compliments pie oh so well. Here's my recipe:

Piper's Chicken Bog
1 rotisserie Chicken (you can boil a whole chicken, but that is a hassle. Plus the seasonings from the rotisserie chicken add something yummy!)
1 lb. kielbasa (cut to bite size pieces)
8 cups of water
8 chicken bullion cubes
1 teaspoon each black and red pepper
1 teaspoon Lawry's
garlic salt to taste
1/4 cup of butter
three bay leaves
3 cups rice long grain

Shred the whole chicken, chop the kielbasa, then bring all ingredients except rice to a boil and cover on low boil for 20 min. Add 3 cups of rice, bring back up to a boil, and let the rice cook until done.

Chicken Bog freezes great, is always better the second day, and is best served in a Styrofoam cup with a plastic spork at a high school football game in South Carolina.

P.S. So January 23 is actually National Pie Day. YAY!