Perspective

Just dropping in to remind you and me, 

that it's all about perspective...

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Beautiful.

 

Not so beautiful.

In all sincerity, my heart goes out to those on the Gulf Coast and in Louisiana
who have been weathering Hurricane Issac.

I have been thinking and praying for you all.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Labor Day weekend.

xoxo- Bethany

Back from Houston!

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I had a great time in Houston hanging out with my Mom and Dad.

Dad was out of town with work for most of week,

so Mom and I held down the fort.

We ate some yummy tex mex, which is must when visiting south Texas.

We did alot of shopping too (imagine that..Mom and I shopping).

I found some amazing stuff at the thrift stores.

Houston has some amazing high end charity shops.

Two I recommend if you're ever in the area are 

The Guild Shop and the The Cottage Shop.

At the Guild Shop, I got exactly what I was looking for.

Colored cords for fall.

AG Colored Cords....

FOR 12 DOLLARS. AMAZING.

Here they are at Anthropologie for $168.

The only difference is the ones at Anthropologie are skinny and mine are bootcut.

But that doesn't make a difference to me. 

And they fit perfect.

And here is my $12.00 outfit.

Skirt; White House Black Market $7.50 from the Guild Shop.

Halter; no tag, but same weight/quality as some of my BCBG knits $4.06 from the Cottage Shop.

So actually the whole outfit was $11.56. :)

I couldn't find an exact match for the maxi skirt but here is a similar style for $128.

I hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend. 

Jason and I will be welcoming his dad and step mother for several days 

and are looking forward to hanging out 

and closing out the summer on a high note with family.

xoxo- Bethany

Refreshing Watermelon Cucumber Salad

Hello friends!

I'm still in Houston, but I had to share this awesome recipe.

Before I left Nashville, I went looking for a recipe using cucumbers

because Aunt Darnell sent me home with some when I visited her in Asheville.

I found this recipe from here 

and tweaked it ever so slightly...adding more cucumber and mint.

And let me tell you, it is so good.

A perfect summer salad.

1/4 watermelon, diced into bite-sized chunks
  2-3 cucumbers, diced into bite-sized chunks
2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
8-12 fresh mint leaves, chiffonade
salt and pepper 

Combine all ingredients and enjoy. :)

Easy and yummy, my favorite.

The Best Pasta Salad Ever.

Hey y'all. 

Today, I'm blogging about a recipe I re-pinned from my friend Ashley on Pinterest.

It's a broccoli, grape, pasta salad.

And it's awesome.

It also happens to be a Southern living recipe from last fall that I missed.

It's super healthy too.

Just kidding :)

But it is super delicious.

Scroll to the bottom for the complete recipe.

Here it is step by step.

First, toast pecans in the oven at 350 for 5-7 minutes. Stirring once halfway through.

Meanwhile, remove broccoli florets from stem and chop into bite size pieces.

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain well.

 Halve the grapes.

In a large bowl whisk mayo, onion, red wine vinegar, and salt together.

Add broccoli, grapes, and pasta. Toss to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours.

Add bacon and pecans prior to serving.

Enjoy :)

Here's the details...

Ingredients

I cup chopped pecans

1/2 16oz package farfalle (bow-tie) pasta

1 lb fresh broccoli

1 cup mayo

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup diced red onion

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups seedless grapes, halved

8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350. Bake pecans ain a single layer in a shallow pan for 5-7 or until lightly toasted, stirring halfway through.

2. Prepare pasta according to package directions and drain well.

3. Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets from stems and chop into bite size pieces. Optional: Peel hard outer layer of stems and finely chop to include.

4. Whisk together may and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add broccoli, grapes, and pasta. Toss to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours. Stir in bacon and pecans just prior to serving.

I'm headed to Houston this morning to spend sometime with my parents.

Hope y'all have a great week!

-Bethany

Latest Estate Sale Finds

This week my partner in crime when it comes to estate sales, Toni, was at the beach; 

but I still managed to make it to one.

It was worth it.

I found some treasures.

Here's what I got:

Brass camel incense holder.

I love camels and they're  not that easy to find.

Had to get him.

Speaking of camels, I have been coveting this camel bracelet.

Someone should buy it for me.

*cough* Jason *cough*

Okay, so when I look at this I see adorable vintage whale toy.

Jason sees a massager. Gross. A used massager.

Now it's not as cute as I thought.

Maybe it will grow on me again and will look cute on a shelf in my someday nursery.

No, mom, I'm not pregnant.

No, mom, I'm not smoking either.

But I do have friends and family who smoke.

Therefore, occasionally I need an ashtray.

Why not have a cool vintage one?

A cool one that is genuine alabaster, hand carved, made in Italy.

So, all in all, I spent 5 bucks. Not bad. :)

Have you found any vintage treasure lately?

-Bethany

DIY Raffia and Vintage Finds Doorhanger

I was at Joann's yesterday buying some sewing supplies

and saw their fall decorations had arrived.

As I was browsing, I saw this doorhanger with bells.

Sorry I couldn't find it on their site to link up.

I thought it was cute and all, but then it hit me..

This would be a great project to use the vintage keys I've been collecting from estate sales.

So, I headed over to the dollar store and got this....

and this...

and came back home and sat down in front of the tv with this...

We bought a new blender and I'm on a smoothie kick.

And watched this...

VIA

Has anyone else seen this show? Its like a train wreck...I can't look away.

And simply wrapped the wire coil in raffia holding it with a few dots of hot glue.

Then I tied on a few keys and a rusty old calf bell  I already had.

This is how it turned out..

I think it really turned out cute and I only spent 2 dollars for the raffia and wire.

Plus, it was easy and quick!

I'm linking this post up to Cassie's linky party!

Hope y'all have great weekend friends!

-Bethany

Fabulous Finds: Dillards Outlet

As promised, this is a post about my finds at the Dillard's outlet

 on my recent roadtrip to Asheville.

I got 3, yes three, cocktail dresses for under $100.

All name brand, quality stuff.

These are not seconds. 

These are dresses that never sold at other Dillard's

 and were sent here at the end of the season.

Here we go...

 

1) A red Antonio Melani satin dress.

Usually, red is not my color, but this red and this dress are very flattering on.

I paid half off the lowest price. So $33.07. Not bad for a dress that was originally $189!

2) A teal jersey Laundry by Shelli Segal dress.

Love this dress. It fits and feels great!

I paid 39.37! For a $225.00 dress!

3) A Jessica Simpson lime green jersey one shoulder dress.

I thought this one is super cute. I don't have anything this color either.

I paid $17.15!! Crazy!! It was originally $98.00!

 So if you total it all up....I spent $89.59. The dresses original cost $512.00!

I saved $423.00! Pretty good if you ask me!

You may be wondering why I'm stocking up on cocktail dresses. 

Well besides the fact that it was 89 bucks for all three...

Jason and I are going on a 2 week Mediterranean cruise at the end of September!

I'm really excited!! More details to come. :)

Have you found any great deals lately?

-Bethany

Roadtrippin'

This past week, my mom and my grandmother (Nana) came in town to visit

and we traveled to see my Aunt Darnell and Uncle Steven in Asheville, North Carolina.

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It's not a bad drive...5 hours from Nashville give or take.

And it's like another world.

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Absolutely Gorgeous.

If you haven't been, you should go.

There's tons of outdoorsy stuff to do hiking, climbing, rafting...

and its home to the Biltmore Estate.

There's lots to do.

We were only there for one full day, and had been there before.

So we stuck close to house. 

Steven and Darnell have a beautiful home nestled in the woods with a huge garden.

Here's some pictures my mom took while we were there...

 The house.

 Darnell in the garden...that's the most beautiful custom chicken coop in the background.

 

 Another view of the gorgeous garden.

Nana and I shellin' peas fresh from the garden.

Darnell is an amazing cook, she cooked a huge meal while we were there...

 I got private cooking lessons on fried chicken, fried okra, and biscuits from scratch. :)

She sent me home with fresh veggies from the garden and a dozen fresh eggs.

So we'll be eating good this week!

All in all, it was a great trip.

I really enjoyed getting to spend time with my mom, Nana, and Aunt Darnell.

One thing I just found out about Asheville is they have a Dillard's outlet.

I can't believe I've been up there several times and no one ever told me about it. 

For me, it is a big deal

People should have been like, "Asheville? Asheville's beautiful...there's the Biltmore, the largest private home in the country; the gorgeous mountains; oh, and there's a Dillard's outlet!"

Nana, mom and I went and checked it out. I got some goodies!

 I'll be back later in the week with a separate post about my finds. :)

-Bethany