2008 was a good one...

As I reflect on the last day of 2008 I realize what a wonderful year it has been. Dan and I both achieved our resolutions for 2008 by (me) running my first marathon and (Dan) getting a new job. On top of that I managed to start a photography business with my friend Blakely. I lost all and more of my baby weight and am now in the best shape I've ever been in. I feel great about where I am in my life and I have a wonderful husband and 3 beautiful little boys to boot. The best decision we ever made was moving to Charleston, SC. Seriously it doesn't get any better to live on the edge of the map. I think the salt air has done wonders for me emotionally, physically and spiritually!



Tonight we are celebrating the New Year at my friend M's house. We're bringing the kids with us and putting them down to sleep there and then celebrating a little more. I love fondue on New Year's Eve, but what I love more is Champagne. It's really my favorite libation. Can't wait to indulge in a little tonight!!! It should be fun! There are going to be 5 couples celebrating and all of their kids as well. Hopefully the kids will crash from the excitement.



We may bring our Rock Band Wii game over there....it is awesome! I love the singing vocals. So much fun...that's what Dan got from me for Christmas. He got me a great gift as well. I have officially joined the 21st century and am now mobile...with the Photography business I felt as though I needed to have access to emails while on the road. Since I spend so much time in the minivan in the carpool lane, this is what he gave me.....The Blackberry Storm I love it, but now I know why they call the Blackberry a "crackberry"...it's almost as addictive as Facebook!






Happy New Year...may 2009 bring health, happiness and prosperity!!!

Christmas wrap-up...

We had a wonderful Christmas here in the Magnolia household. It's been hard to adjust somewhat to reality today as Daddy went back to work this morning. The house is so quiet now as all three boys are taking naps (including Harrison).

I must have spent 5 straight days in the kitchen. I loved every minute of it! For Christmas eve, I decided to make risotto, green beans with garlic and shallots and seared bay scallops. If you have not had jumbo bay scallops before, you must try them. I got them from Whole Foods and they were some of the freshest scallops I had ever eaten. I just added salt, pepper and olive oil and seared them for just a few minutes on each side....YUM! For dessert, I made a cheesecake with strawberry sauce.

Christmas morning I made Barefoot Contessa's Challah french toast...with orange zest-YUMMY! For Christmas dinner I did a Boneless Leg of Lamb with a rosemary-garlic crust...delicious!

The boys had a great Christmas. It was really fun to see it through their eyes again. Brady and Jack are also starting to really get into it...I imagine next year they will all really be into it. I haven't gone through my camera yet, but will post some pictures when I do. I had a really good time just hanging out with my family and enjoying the Christmas season. I'm sad to see it end.

Happy Thanksgiving....

We are headed to my parent's house tomorrow morning for Thanksgiving. I am contributing pie, rolls, cranberry sauce and sweet potato casserole. I can't wait to dig in to all the good food!

I actually have 2 photo shoots while I am up there...should be interesting to shoot in a new place! I also have my 15 year high school reunion on Saturday night. I will hopefully have some good stories from that...

The 20 miler is behind me now...tapering has begun. The big marathon is in 2 weeks. 20 miles in 25 degree weather was brutal...the wind was against me most of the time. I hope the marathon isn't that cold.

Here is a picture of my "Brave Little Bear" at his Thanksgiving Feast at school. Have a Happy Thanksgiving...I know we have so much to be thankful for!

Happy Halloween 2008!

We had a blast trick or treating last night! I just love our neighborhood-everyone was out on their porches and the atmosphere was so much fun. I made a big batch of chili with the fixins and several of the adults had drinks to share with the parents and candy for the kids. I LOVED Halloween being on a Friday night too. By 9:00 pm everyone was in bed and Dan and I caught up on Entourage. I decided to switch my run to Sunday morning instead of Saturday morning so we could all sleep in...and we all did...until 8:00 am. However, that meant rushing to get out the door in time for Harrison's soccer game. Here are a few pictures from last night. Brady and Jack LOVED getting dressed up. It was so cute to watch them in Harrison's costumes from previous years...Harrison kept yelling "I AM SUPERMAN! I can fly. I'll save you!"

Halloween Fun!

Last night's Halloween party was a lot of fun. It was nice that we could just walk on over to our neighbor's house. I was a 20's flapper girl and Dan was a prisoner from Prohibition. He looked pretty cute, but I haven't loaded the picture yet. My neighbor already loaded hers onto her Facebook page, so here is one from last night's festivities. My neighbors were dressed as 'rednecks'! Of course, morning came pretty early when I realized I had to run the 15 miles I was supposed to run the day before (it rained the day before). It was a LONG run! But I did it and will be paying tomorrow I guess. There were so many times I wanted to stop, but I pushed myself. I realized afterwards that if I can run 15 miles on little sleep then I can surely do this marathon in December.

We had a nice visit with Dan's family this weekend! It was great to see them and watch all the kids together, all 5 of them played their little hearts out. Harrison loves having visitors. When they all left, he said, "who's coming next?"

We took the boys to a Children's festival in our neighborhood and then I hit the beach for a photo shoot! The weather has finally cooled off, which makes it feel more like fall.

After a very busy weekend, I'm off to bed....

9 wonderful years...

It seems like yesterday that we were getting married. Hard to believe all the incredible things that have happened these past 9 years....Let's see, 2 states, 5 cities, 1 apartment, 1 townhouse, 3 houses, 1 dog and 3 beautiful children! I'd say it's been a blessing for sure! I love you more and more as each day passes. You are a wonderful husband and amazing father and I could not ask for anything more. Here's to many, many more wonderful years together! Looking forward to our dinner out here tonight!

Happy 9th Anniversary sweetheart and love of my life! It has and continues to be an amazing ride...I love you.

Alive and Well!

Of course Saturday turned out to be a perfect day weather-wise! Oh well, we decided to drive over to the beach and eat at a restaurant right on the beach with great views. After lunch, Dan and Harrison went to the movies. We wanted to treat him to special things, since his party was canceled!! They saw "Space Chimp". Dan's opinion was "not that great". I think Harrison just enjoyed watching it on the big screen.

Hanna did not end up being quite the storm they thought, but that's OK! I've been through Hurricane Hugo 19 years ago and I will never, ever forget that storm. I'll take a wimpy storm like Hanna anyday over a hurricane.

4 years ago today....

you blessed us with your entrance into this world. WOW, how long we waited to hold you and meet you. You have brought us so much happiness sweet boy! You are the family comedian, always trying to make us and your brothers laugh. Your laugh and smile are infectious! You have taught me a big lesson in your life so far...just wait and give things time. You are always doing things on your terms and now I know that is just your personality. You took a bottle when you were finally ready...even though you were 9 months old! You talked when you were ready...it's so hard to believe I was actually concerned about your language. Now you talk all the time and have so many questions about this world we live in. Your daddy and I love you to the moon and back and wish you the best 4th birthday ever....and also wish you the best first day of 4K! Love you forever, Mommy and Daddy, Brady and Jack too! Here you are through the years....1....2....3....4!!! Happy Birthday!

Last few days of summer...

I can't believe the last few days of summer are here. It really did fly by. We had a great summer playing with friends, going to the pool, parks, etc...just hanging out! Now in a few days Harrison will turn 4 and school starts on Thursday! Pretty soon we'll be back in the grind with Harrison going to school every day. We've been busy just getting ready for the big 4th birthday. His party is actually the first weekend in September since the place we are having it was booked for this coming weekend. He will be having a pirate-themed party with mostly all boys! All he's asking for his birthday is a scooter. We decided to get the Razor one, but it seems so big-boyish. How did my baby become a big boy in front of my eyes? We had to be creative in telling the grandparents what to get him because all he'll say is a scooter. He will be playing soccer this fall, so we'll get him some things to go with that. I can't wait to see him in his cleats, shin guards and uniform. It's so hard to believe that 4 years ago this week I was 55 lbs heavier, extremely swollen and about to give birth to one of the sweetest boys I know. Now 4 years later I have 3 sweet little boys. Here are some pictures from our latest excursion to the park. This park is one of Harrison's favorites because it's a big pirate ship...Ahoy matey!

Viva Las Vegas

We had a great time last week. It has been forever since I've posted but between coming back home, doing laundry (lots and lots) and re-stocking the pantry...I feel like I've been playing catch up since last week.

Let's see. Last Saturday night was my cousin's wedding. It was so much fun catching up with people I hadn't seen in a really long time. After the reception, it was off to Charlotte to drop off Harrison at his aunt and cousin's house. Sunday morning we flew out bright and early with no issues at all. It was so neat flying into Vegas because it's such a different landscape than what I'm used to. Lots of red clay mountains, no trees, no vegetation....It was hot, hot, hot! 111 when we arrived in Vegas around noon. We quickly checked into our hotel and walked around for a while. Our first stop was Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay for lunch. It hit the spot! Afterwards, we ventured our way down the strip going in and out of hotels, shops and casinos. It was a lot of walking and I certainly was not used to the dry heat-it's still hot-even without the humidity. We walked through The Bellagio and watched the fountain "show". It was pretty cool, this particular one was set to Frank Sinatra-so that was pretty neat. We also walked through Caesar's Palace where I played the slots. That's really all the gambling I did...not really into it but fun to watch. For dinner we went to Mesa Grill-owned by none other than THE Bobby Flay! It was awesome-so uber-trendy and the food was quite good. I enjoyed myself at $12 margarita (the drinks in Vegas were outrageously expensive!) but it did not disappoint...we were pretty beat so hit the hay pretty much after dinner.

The next day, Dan had to work (after all this was a business trip for him) and I decided to hang out poolside in the morning. It was nice just being by myself at a pool with a book and magazine...AAAHHHH! Later on, I showered and walked back down to Wolfgang Puck's Spago located in Caesar's for lunch. I even sat at the bar, my choice and loved every minute of it. Afterwards, I walked into some of the upscale shops in Caesar's and Bellagio just for kicks...Jimmy Choo, Prada, Chanel, Hermes, Carolina Herrera, Fendi....of course I did not buy a thing from there, but it was fun to drool....I mean look! By the time I was done with my sight-seeing, Dan was done for the day so we sat by the pool at our hotel and sipped on a mojito and people watched. People watching was my all time favorite activity while we were there! I was amazed at how many drunk people there were and how many kids I saw. It's too darn hot for little kids to be there, not to mention pretty inappropriate...but anyway. We then got ready for dinner where we went to Mario Batali's San Marco restaurant located in The Venetian. It was OK, but did not in any way compare to Bobby Flay's restaurant. We were excited though, because after dinner it was off to see the show LOVE which is set to Beatles music at The Mirage. It was amazing!! I highly recommend seeing a show if you are in Vegas. We had an great time in Las Vegas, just the two of us, able to reconnect for a couple of days. Really we could have been anywhere, just being alone with Dan was worth it! Soon it was time to come home to our children, who did very well with their grandparents (thanks mom and dad for keeping Brady and Jack) and their Aunt Debbie (thanks Debbie for keeping Harrison). We missed them so much...but are so glad we got to get away.

We had a great 4th also. Went to a friend's house for a cookout and fireworks. The boys all had a great time because everyone slept in until 8:30 the next day. We really needed the sleep. Anyway, sorry this has been a book...

Seriously, Y'ALL have to try this stuff...

Ummm, yep-that's what you think it is...Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka and it's made right here in Charleston. This stuff is absolutely the best liquor I've ever had. If you ask for it with water and a splash of lemon (and on the rocks), it tastes just like a glass of sweet tea. Not too sweet though and you can't taste ANY alcohol-NONE, zip, zilcho- so they are dangerous. Sip slowly!! Last night we had MOM's night out and a few of us ordered one and I think I quite possibly have my favorite cocktail now. Unfortunately right now they are only sold in 6 or so states and they are literally flying off the shelves in S.C., but hopefully they can keep up with demand so everyone can sample this stuff. Makes me proud to be southern I tell ya, I tell ya.

We are off to my cousin's wedding tomorrow night. It should be a blast. I feel like it's going to be like a reunion. So many people I haven't seen in a LONG time (since high school) are going to be there and then Dan and I are off to Vegas on Sunday. Can't wait to share details about our trip! I'll be back online next Thursday-have a great weekend!

Summertime's a callin' me....

I've definitely turned into a dress wearing girl. I've always loved dresses, but when I started staying at home with the boys, I started wearing shorts more and more. Moving back to S.C. where it's hot more than it's cold...I started to realize that dresses are way cooler than shorts-DUH! Plus, I feel cuter wearing them. When I'm home with the kids, I usually throw on a simple knit dress or a tank and skirt. I'm all about FUN fashion, I love wearing different pieces and making a fun statement with my wardrobe. My neighbor (who is not all that friendly-don't worry she doesn't read this) asked me where I was "going" the other day because I had on a knit dress, I replied, "Not going anywhere, we just got back from the beach and I'm showered and clean and felt like throwing on a dress". Do you have to be "going anywhere" to wear a dress? Anyway, the top dress is one of my favorites and I'm wearing it to a party tomorrow night. It's super-comfy and keeps me cool in the humidity. I've also included some of my other favorites....from J Crew, of course! However, these are not dresses that I wear everyday around the house...just fun summer dresses-either to a party, cook-out, dinner, etc....

Some kids have a blankie, some kids have a teddy bear....

but my sweet little boy has THIS to keep him warm and snuggly at night....

So cute I had to share...the boy loves his new truck and shovel set for the beach. We had a great weekend. First off, the bacon wrapped watermelon rinds were a hit-I even made them for another party on Sunday evening. Harrison had a blast running around with the other kids. I ran my 9 miles on Saturday and it was pretty hot-not a dry spot on my body! It was well worth it though-I felt great afterwards! We hit the beach later that morning and it was hot-even on the beach. We stayed in the water most of the time. Naps are always nice and long after we get home, so it's worth all the time it takes to pack the car, lunches, apply sunscreen, walk to the beach, set up, clean up, shower, bathe 3 kids....etc, Is it making you tired yet? Believe me, it is pretty tiring.

Later that afternoon, I did a photo session for a very good friend and her family. It was fun, but my car said 99 at 5:00 pm. Luckily I was able to get some good ones of her kids, but we will definitely re-shoot when the weather cools off a bit. A friend of mine and myself are in the very beginning stages of starting a photography business...so I am very excited about that! It's so much fun to capture children and families in a candid way. We hit Jack's Cosmic Dogs for dinner which Harrison had been begging to go to...he doesn't really like hot dogs though, but loves the atmosphere and the soft-serve ice cream (which we all indulged in) and it really hit the spot. He kept referring to the restaurant as Brady's Cosmic Dogs...because he is REALLY into opposites and thought it was so funny the restaurant was named after his brother and wanted to name it after his other brother. Oh, they have also started selling their sweet potato mustard, so I just HAD to buy some-that stuff is so GOOD!

Sunday we went to church and did stuff around the house during the day while the boys napped, then it was off to a pool party in the afternoon. The boys literally crashed when we got home. I think the true sign of a great weekend!

First Friday Happy Hour AND Fluffy Friday

I am so happy it's Friday! I've started a new summer tradition with the boys on Fridays...for lunch we have "Fluffy-Friday" sandwiches-basically peanut butter and fluff sandwiches! I love fluff-especially strawberry fluff. I know, I know-it's not the greatest stuff around, but something about it screams childhood to me. I usually feed my kids healthy meals and snacks, but every now and then, I offer them treats...so they don't crave it all the time. Besides, how bad is a pb and fluff sandwich if it's made with 100% whole wheat bread and natural peanut butter? It actually has less sugar than some jams out there too. And look at these faces, can you tell they liked it?

Tonight, our neighborhood is having it's very first "First Friday" happy hour. Basically, we are getting together on the street around 6:00 pm-everyone brings chairs, their own beverage(s) of choice and an appetizer to share with everyone. The kids play and the adults chat...how fun is that? We are hoping to do this every first Friday of the month. Should be good times for all? A few weeks ago, I posted about my friend K's bacon-wrapped watermelon rinds...I am telling you, these are the bomb. These watermelon rinds wrapped in bacon...they're sweet and salty, how good is that? This is what I'm contributing to tonight's festivities. The watermelon rinds are sold at our local Publix grocery store. Don't knock it until you try it....Here is the recipe:

Jar of Sweet Pickled Watermelon Rines (top shelf in pickle section at Publix)
Package of Bacon (regular or center cut)
Toothpicks

Cut bacon in three pieces (each slice) I cut all of them at once – two slices with the knife and you’re done
On a cutting board, pour out jar and cut into smaller pieces.
Wrap one rine in a piece of the bacon stick a toothpick in it
Put on a baking sheet on Reynolds wrap
Bake at 400 for about 15-20 minutes
Watch.. you want it just before it burns

As for my beverage of choice...well, I must admit I'm somewhat of a beer-snob. But sometimes you just have to drink the cheap stuff, especially when it's HOT! I was also craving something light. I came across this in the store so I picked some up...sounds very summery and refreshing.
I picked up the orange-grapefruit-flavored one. I've had the pomegranate one before at another gathering and it was surprisingly tasty. I really wanted the lime-cactus one, but they were out. The bottle says it's all naturally-flavored. It's low calorie and low-carb-after all-I'll be running 9 miles in the morning. YIKES! I'll keep you posted. Happy weekend!

Girls just wanna have fun...

I went and saw the Sex and the City movie yesterday with a group of girls and I must say it did not disappoint. I actually LOVED it! The shoes, high fashion, and hair-styles were all to die for, as well as the music! I think I'll be putting the soundtrack on my Ipod soon. I so relate to Charlotte in the movie....but no spoilers here. Go see it for yourselves and grab a couple of girlfriends... Anytime a movie can make you laugh out loud and cry, it's good for me. It was a great movie about girlfriends and the bonds we have...I highly recommend it. Afterwards, we all went out for dinner and cosmos. I hadn't had a cosmo in a long time and it was so good, not to mention that it was PINK and GREEN!

We had a great weekend here. Hit the beach yesterday morning...the temp is creeping up there though. The car said 99 on the way to the movie yesterday afternoon. The beach felt good! The boys and the van were covered in sand. I still saw a lot of sand in the van this morning and it actually made me smile...thinking about how much fun it is to live at the beach!

Official start to summer...

We had a great 4 day weekend. It was four days because Dan took Friday off to finish some painting. The downstairs is officially painted, thanks to him. It was quite nerve-racking watching him paint the 2 story foyer from a 2o ft extension ladder.

Anyway, we had 3 cook-outs in 3 days and it was a lot of fun. Saturday night a neighbor had us and some other neighbors over for chicken and steak fajitas with all of the fixin's-YUM! I LOVE anything Mexican, so this hit the spot.

We had a neighborhood block party on Sunday and that was fun too. Everyone brought a dish and a couple of neighbors pulled out their grills and we all hungout in the horseshoe area of our street. The kids had a great time on their bikes, scooters, big wheels, etc. Monday morning we packed the family and headed to the beach, along with everyone else-it was pretty crowded. I guess when you live in a tourist town, this is the beginning of 'high season'. The weather was great though and the kids were WORN out when we got home. They all slept for 3 hours! Last night we headed over to Dan's sisters for a cook out and that was fun too. It was a great Memorial Day and I enjoyed hanging out with friends and family. I hope everyone had a great one too! I did manage to squeeze in 3 runs on those 4 days-I did 5 miles on Friday, 8 on Saturday, 5 on Monday and 5 today...so I definitely made up for all that eating I did over the weekend-and believe me, it was ALOT!

We've just been busy!

We've been busy around here the last couple of days...let's see, what have we been up to? Monday night I was initiated into the Charleston Junior Woman's Club. They had a nice dinner for us at Sunfire Grill and I was officially handed over duties of my new office, which I will be co-chairing with my friend Liz. Liz and I go way back-we were in the same sorority at Clemson and it has been so nice hanging out with her again. We are taking over the Hospitality office, which should be fun because we get to plan all the social activities and parties. I love this organization because it allows me to give back and volunteer my time to the community, but at the same time is very flexible.

Yesterday was Harrison's last day of preschool. I think he is going to be sad. He loves school so much. We have two camps lined up over the summer, but at the same time I'm just content hanging out and playing because in August he will be going to K4 5 days a week....how did my baby grow up before my eyes?

Last night we had supper club-it was so much fun. My friend M made these tasty drinks called "Blue with Envy" (with blue curacao and tequila)-our theme was American Idol! We did finger foods and played the American Idol Wii game. So.much.fun! I ended up making guacamole-YUM! My friend B made an awesome cheesecake, my friend A made these baked potato things with blue cheese and bacon bits, my other friend A made the beef empanada things with crescent rolls, and my friend K made these bacon wrapped pickled watermelon rinds that were awesome...ladies, if you are reading this, please send me the recipes...NOW!

I'm still running...but it's getting hotter and hotter! I may have to go even earlier soon. When will I sleep?-I don't know!

So as you can see, we've been pretty busy...hope everyone is having a great week!

33 never felt better....

As I reflect on this past year, I realize that it has been a great one! I have a beautiful family, live in an amazing place (it really IS paradise!) and am in the best shape I've ever been in. I honestly don't feel a day over 25...ha!ha! No really, I once worked with a man who always believed that age was a state of mind...and he was a 73 year old man who looked like he was 50...so if he can live by that philosophy, so can I!

We had a great time on our date night at Fig on Saturday night. They specialize in fresh, local and organic food-and they lived up to that. Everything was amazing, right down to our cozy little table in the corner. Perfect night with incredible food!

The giant-cupCAKE was unbelievable as well! Hands-down, the best dark-chocolate cake I've had! So, if you're in this neck of the woods-you'll have to check out Fig and Cupcake! (Cupcake was also opened by a fellow Clemson grad-Go Tigers!!!) Look how cute it is....

This morning we have playgroup and in the afternoon after naps, the boys and I are going to hit the Farmer's Market. Tonight Dan and I are going to Red Drum for drinks and dessert! All in all a great birthday awaits!!

A weekend of good eatin'...

Dan and I are headed to Fig tomorrow night for dinner to celebrate my birthday. My parents are coming this weekend and will watch the kids for us (thanks mom and dad!). I'm so excited I can hardly stand it because I've heard nothing but great things. Cupcake just opened in town on Tuesday, so I went ahead and ordered a mega-cupcake for my birthday, it's a giant cupcake that feeds 6-8 people. How cute is that? Chocolate and peanut butter-hey, I'm a girl that knows what she likes. I'll be sure to post a picture!! So after my 8 mile run on Saturday, I'll be ready to dig in!

The chocolate gods made me eat it...

Last night was book club. I've been doing so well with running and exercising, I thought, "Hey, it will be OK to eat something sinful while I'm there, sip on some wine and have some good book/girl talk." I also knew the woman hosting is A. a wonderful cook and B. from Spain (and I knew she would be making some good food). Well, she didn't let anyone down. She had guacamole (my favorite!), she had tortilla (another favorite), she had croquettas, she had artichoke dip, she had NY style cheesecake........and she had this. Feast your eyes on this. It's called "La Bete Noire" which translates to "The Black Beast". It was AMAZING! I am STILL thinking about it. Apparently it was on the cover of Bon Appetit in Sept 2006. I am definitely going to make this. Chocolate and ganache are two things that make me happy in this world so I thought I'd share them.