Summer Archives - Page 2 of 4

Festive Summer Scarf + Dog Butts! It’s Memorial Day Weekend Y’all!

May 23, 2014 by Susan 1 Comment

Guess where I am!! I decided that the most appropriate way to wrap up our Summer Kickoff Blog Series was to write a post at the cottage in my festive Memorial Day Weekend attire!

But first, I need to fix myself some Summer in a Cup.

Despite the beautiful scenery and the delicious beverage, this photoshoot was an epic fail. I’ve never had so may dog butts in my face, within a 10 minute period, before in my life. Chloe and her BFF cared less about my festive scarf… stinkin mutts.

Anyway! I was absolutely giddy when I found this infinity, vintage-y, USA scarf and Blue Green Aqua. It is a light weight cotton material so it’s perfect for cool summer evenings.

Brown Dog’s dog butt is all over the place in this blog post! Sorry friends.

Back to my digs - I don’t care who you are, or where you live, but no summer wardrobe is complete (in my opinion) without a pair of Sperry Boat Shoes. They are comfortable and durable. When I’m not wearing flippies or sandals or toms - you can bet your bottom dollar that I’m wearing my sperrys. (Yes, I have them in hot pink too.)

And even though I’m in North Carolina for the weekend, I figured why not rock my Virginia necklace anyway.

A special shout out goes to these three for all of their “help” with this photo session!

BTW - How flippin’ cute does Chloe look with her river hair!?

{While I was taking my selfie to show off my necklace, I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye… I look over and catch Brown Dog placing her ball with all of my accessories! Pretty positive she felt the ball was a crucial accessory to the shoot.}

Thank you all so very much for kicking off summer with us! It was such a great way to prep for the holiday weekend and network with other bloggers.

~~If you want to~~ You should catch up on our series over this holiday weekend. We are here to help you prep for summer! I suggest you check out these gals:

J teaches us how to embrace Summer White all week long!

Leslie helps us pack up the best beach bag I’ve ever seen!

I taught us all about Summer in a Cup from the land of beautiful women!

Lesley inspires us with summer makeup tips!

And last but not least, Jenn gets us ready to use everything we’ve learned and throw a summer shindig!

Y’all enjoy the holiday weekend. Drink so drink. Catch some rays. Enjoy time with your friends and family. But most importantly - Take some time to remember the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice to protect our country and our freedoms.

Until next time… xoxo

Perquimans: Land of Beautiful Women

May 21, 2014 by Susan 3 Comments

To continue with all the fun in our Summer Kickoff Blog Series, today is my turn to tell you “What Summer Means To Me!”

I have been blessed to grow up in the state that is for lovers, Virginia. But at an early age, I started spending a bulk of my summers in North Carolina. My mom built a river house when I was in the third grade, on the Perquimans River. “Perquimans” is an old Native American word that, I kid you not, means “The land of beautiful women.”

So, if all you beauties want to join me today on the river - I want to take you to the place that absolutely captivates my definition of summer.

Welcome to the cottage.

Arrive by car or boat, or even horse if you are one of the neighbors. Leave your troubles behind and relax for the day, the entire holiday weekend. Or heck, how about the whole summer?

This is the kind of place where you tie all your boats together in the middle of the river. Grill out on one, fish on the next, sunbathe on another, and dance party on the last.

This is the kind of place you can spend the entire day fishing and not catch a darn thing. But then the next day, the fish will be jumping in your cooler. Honestly, this shouldn’t be a surprise to you, but I’m the one with the cute hot pink fishing pole who is afraid of the fish. When I actually stop talking and catch one, I never really know what to do with it…

This is the kind of place where on any given day there will probably be more dogs than humans.

This is the kinda place where you read magazines instead of pinterest. Where the internet and tv go out when there’s a tiny rain storm. Where your nearest store is a 30 minute drive. Where the hummingbirds dive bomb you if you get to close to their feeder. Where fireworks are visible around the river throughout the summer, shot off by private individuals who drive to South Carolina and illegally smuggle legit fireworks home.

This is the kinda place where no weekend is complete without a few meals on the grill and at least one glass of the cottage’s signature beverage: Summer in a Cup.

So what exactly is “Summer in a Cup?” It’s a sweet concoction of beverage that I swear I invented a few years ago. (The original founder and creator of said beverage is still up for debate.) Basically, if memory serves me right, I started blending juices and alcohol until the beverage tasted like summer.

There have been many variations of this drink. And honestly, there’s no rhyme or reason to how much goes into it. Pick the juices that you love. Pick the amount of liquor that you think will make you feel like you’re still on a boat - and start pouring.

Here’s what you need:

Lemonade (with bubbles if possible)

Pineapple Juice

Orange Juice

Coconut Rum

Pineapple Vodka

*I have started adding a tiny splash of whipped cream vodka to give it a creamy taste*

**Bonus - freeze some pineapple slices, soaked in rum… they make a great “garnish” for your beverage!**

Now like I said, there really is no rhyme or reason to how much goes into your cup… all I know is this combination truly does taste like summer in a cup. However, the key to making this beverage properly is to pour a little… taste a little… pour a little… taste a little…

And if you pour too much (like I did below) whoopsie! Now just pour a little pineapple… taste a little pineapple… pour a little lemonade… taste a little lemonade… until the beverage is just the way you like it.

If you’re lucky - you will be slightly tipsy and embracing that I-just-got-off-the-water feeling before you’re even done making the drink!

Maybe that’s why we call Summer in a Cup!?

So thanks for stopping by my little piece of summer… I’m having so much fun networking and kicking off summer with other beautiful women! If you haven’t been following along, you need to go check out J’s summer fashion and Leslie’s awesome beach bag!

Oh, and one last thing - the cottage is definitely THE place where you will end the night with a cup of coffee and the best sunset in the world. Have a wonderful day lovies! xoxo

Leslie and her Beach Bag!

May 20, 2014 by Susan 1 Comment

Can you believe Memorial Day Weekend is just a mere 3 days away?! (Yup, my weekend is starting on Friday.) I’m having so much fun with our Summer Kickoff Series! Yesterday J started off our week like a summertime fashion rockstar. I seriously need to look for white pants so I can recreate her look this weekend!

Today Leslie from Martin Manifesto is getting our beach bags prepped. Just an FYI - my birthday is right around the corner… I’d be a-ok if someone just used her blogpost and gave me her beach bag, and all of it’s contents. It is seriously the most perfect beach bag I’ve ever seen.

Seriously though folks - you need to meet Leslie. I thought she was cool. Then I read her answers to my Summer Kickoff Questions and realized that she is awesome and we need to be best friends. Immediately.

Not only is she also a newlywed (pretty sure we should have wine and talk through our newlywed adventures together one day) but she has been to a concert that I have dreamed about attending for years and years… #jealousmuch?

What is your favorite summer cookout dish?

I’m a Tex-Mex girl, so I’ll have to go with sweet corn salsa and tortilla chips!

In four sentences or less, what is your favorite summer time memory?

Brad Paisley’s Aquapalooza concert on Lake Travis. You could only get to it by boat. SO.MUCH.FUN!

Beach or Mountains?

Beach!

What is your go-to summertime beverage of choice?

I L.O.V.E. white sangria!

Bonus Question: Do you have a summer vacation planned for 2014?

Funny you should ask…we’re currently narrowing down a few options for long weekends. Our options are Nashville, Napa Valley and Cabo. Tough decision, huh?

Let’s help Leslie out - Where would you go if your summer vacay options were Nashville, Napa Valley and Cabo… Personally - I’d probably go back to Aquapalooza! Seriously y’all. I am so incredibly jealous.

Like I said above, to continue our Summer Kickoff, Leslie is helping us pack up the perfect beach bag! Included in this bag friends, is champagne soaked grapes. Yup. You read that right. Champagne soaked grapes.

Come back tomorrow to hear about What Summer Means to ME! We will be spending the day on the river, drinking up summer in a cup! See you then!

Kicking Off Summer with J!

May 19, 2014 by Susan Leave a Comment

I absolutely love the blog world because of all the fantastic people who are part of it. I’ve always been a sucker for good blog-friends becoming good real-life friends. It’s happened a few times. And I’m crazy thankful for them.

What’s even more rare though, is when good real-life friends become awesome blog friends. I’ve learned that this can be even more rewarding because a lot of times, real-life friends think the blogosphere is the weirdest thing ever. Do you ever run into this?? They just don’t grasp the concept of “Hi, I’m Susan and I’m a blogger.” Just curious, do you, fellow bloggers, tell your friends and family about your blog?

Anywho! My ramblings are just the precursor to the introduction of not only a multi-blogger SUMMER KICK OFF Blog Series… but the introduction of one of my real-life best friends, turned blogger-friend. (So basically we totally get each other, in real life and in blog life. It’s a win-win if I do say so myself.)

Like I said, we are doing a multi-blogger series this week. Each day you will get a tid bit from me, an intro of an awesome chica, and a link to her blog - where she will be discussing “What Summer Means to Me” (Me as in her!) We all decided we needed to come together before Memorial Day Weekend and kick off summer the right way - the blog way!

So meet J. She resides at Bless Her Heart Y’all.

As a fun teaser and a way for you to learn all the crucial summer deets on J - I had her answer a few questions!

What is your favorite summer cookout dish?

Grilled chicken, pineapple, and squash kabobs.

In four sentences or less, what is your favorite summer time memory?

The graduation trip with Suz to Paradise Island, Bahamas. Horse shows with my mom and friends. Weekend trips to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Planning for my wedding with the Hubs.

Beach or Mountains?

Beach, warmth, sunshine, cold drinks, all make this girl happy!

What is your go-to summertime beverage of choice?

Chilled white wine, a sweet pina colada, or a made-from-scratch mojito….somedays I just can’t choose a fav. Life is tough, ya know?!?

Bonus Question: Do you have a summer vacation planned for 2014?

The Hubs is whisking me away for my 30th birthday. Where is he taking me, you ask? I have no idea and I don’t want to know! #ilovesurprises

And just to show y’all proof of the trip she mentioned to the Bahamas, I bring you this gem from 2002. We were young, hip, brand-spankin’-new high school grads, ready to take on the world:

Now may I recommend you join us as we kick off summer?! Take off your snorkel and mask, then head over to J’s blog Bless Her Heart Y’all to get some insight on this summer’s fashions (oh, and how to get them at bargain prices!!)

Last Hours of Vacation Sunshine

July 7, 2013 by Susan 1 Comment

I woke up this morning in a bright and sunny room of 16 windows, with dread, anxiety and fear staring me in the face. It’s amazing how anxiety affects my life. After spending the last ten, stress-free days here in North Carolina it’s time for me to go home.

Problem is, I am stuck in this weird life transition and I am simply at a loss for where home is… My townhouse will be rented out this week. Michael’s house (where I technically live) is still a hot mess and feels nothing like home… more specifically, it feels nothing like my home. My pets love it here. The thought of throwing them back into the car and taking them “home” where they will go back into hibernation-life-mode makes me sad. Hopefully all of us do not go into hibernation-life-mode.

Hopefully things will get better when Michael returns from his deployment in Japan in a few weeks.

So I sit here today. After a bit of cleaning I plan on enjoying the last couple hours of vacation sunshine. For the record, “Vacation Sunshine” is the best type of sunshine. Ever.

Here are some pictures from Friday when we watched a blimp come across the river, turn, and go directly above our cottage. The dogs were freaking out!