Tasty Tuesday

The ham & cheese sliders I made for the Halloween party were a huge hit! They were delicious, and so easy to make- which is a huge plus in my book. The avocado hummus was not my fave, so I won't be sharing that. However, after spending 9 dollars on tahini- you better believe I'll be perfecting a hummus recipe soon! I followed this recipe for the sliders on pinterest, but changed a couple of things. My changes will be mentioned in red.

24 good white dinner rolls

24 pieces good honey ham
24 small slices Swiss cheese I used Havarti, because I'm not a fan of swiss
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup miracle whip
Poppy seed sauce
1 Tablespoon poppyseeds
1 1/2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tablespoon minced onion I didn't have an onion on hand, but used chopped onion from the spice cabinent
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread onto both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of cheese inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. You do not have to use all of the sauce! Just use enough to cover the tops. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. I did this ahead of time then baked a few hours later, closer to the party. (It worked out great!) Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes or until tops are slightly brown and crispy. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

xoxo,
Christina

Weekend Recap

We had a wonderful weekend. I cannot believe it's over. Saturday was SUCH a busy day with the auction and the Halloween party. Both of which were quite the success. I ended up having a great time at the auction and scored some awesome deals! Pretty much everything that was there on Saturday was product that you can currently purchase at Anthropologie & Urban Outfitters. However, just about everything had some minor damage, but nothing a little DIY can't fix! Below are a few of the deals I got!

Lamp by Stray Dog Designs

Anthropologie Price $698

Auction Deal $50

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Mirror

Anthropologie Price $498

Auction Deal $120 

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Copper Clad Nightstand

Anthropologie Price $698

Auction Deal $60

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Mirror Vanity

Urban Outfitters Price $289 (I think, need to verify this!)

Auction Deal $40

*Image found via google search, this item is no longer available at Urban Outfitters

I also found a great chalkboard for our kitchen, but I was unable to locate it online. I'll show pictures once I paint it!

Now for the Halloween party pictures! I'll try to be selective with the ones I choose, surprisingly enough- I ended up with a lot of pictures! It was a fun night, but needless to say I spent Sunday being lazy!

Love their porch!

Of course- it wouldn't be a Halloween party without dry ice.

Costume Reveal!

How great is Katie's jelly belly costume!?

We were also celebrating Scott's birthday!

And this was the end of the evening...yes, we pretty much ALL ended up in the hot tub. Loofahs are meant to get wet, right!?

Hope y'all had a fabulous weekend!

xoxo,
Christina

Cheers to the Weekend!

TGIF! I'm really excited for this weekend! There are lots of things going on. As far as today- my chairs are being delivered! Yay! I cannot wait to start putting that room together. There are no big plans this evening, other than helping my girlfriend get ready for her Halloween party that is tomorrow night! I've been working on our costumes all week. Considering I work in the apparel industry, there is no shortage of costume supplies!  Here are a few sneak peeks. Can you guess what we will be?? I will do the reveal on Monday!

My husband's costume

My costume

I'm making a few dishes for the party as well! Avocado hummus (I thought the green color would be great for Halloween) &  Ham & Swiss Poppy Sliders (my mother-in-law makes these and they are wonderful- we'll see how they do for me! ) If everything turns out well- I'll share the recipes on Tasty Tuesday! 

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Of course I'm thrilled about the Anthropologie/Urban Outfitters auction tomorrow morning! Wish me luck and I'll be back Monday with any updates. For any of you locals- here is the flyer!

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Have a fabulous weekend!

Room Makeover

I intend on doing some Wedding Wednesday posts regarding our wedding that was this past March, however today I wanted to share some new things that are on their way to our home! I'm in the process of working with a decorator, and she has helped me with the layout of two rooms in our home that I've been completey stumped with since I moved in. She has been such a help! One room in particular that we're working with would generally be used as a dining room; however, the hubs & I decided at this stage in our life- we just don't need a dining room, so we're trying to create a study in the space.

I just love the layout (and everything in it) here, and this was the inspiration for our room.

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I loved the chairs in the picture above, but decided to go with a solid that could be more versatile in years come.  Not to mention they were WAY out of the budget. A pair of these should be delivered Friday! Yay!!

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A pair of bookcases

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Some mercury candleholders for the room to use on the bookcases, sidetable, etc.

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I found this mirror in Atlanta on Sunday. It looks so similar to the one pictured above, so I just had to have it. Don't mind the picture of Brent- he wasn't as thrilled about the mirror as I was, or about shopping period.



I love love the rug that is in the inspiration picture from Ballard. Right now it is on my top pick for the room.

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However this upcoming Saturday- my girlfriend and I roadtripping over to Trenton SC. (its only a 1/2 hour from Augusta, but really- who has ever heard of Trenton!?) Urban Outfitters/Anthropologie has a distribution center there, and they host a huge auction (with overstock, returns, damaged goods, etc) every year, which apparently is fabulous. Word on the street is you can get a $1600 piece of furniture for like $150. CRAZY, right!? I'm so stoked about going and hoping I could potentially grab an Anthro rug there for a deal, or steal!? Wish me luck, I'll update on Monday with the turnout.

Happy Hump Day!

xoxo,

Christina

Tasty Tuesday

On Tuesdays, I figured I would share a recipe. I'll try to share one I've already tried, and attempt to take pictures when I cook so I can share those too! We have had a cold front here in GA, and it has definitely put me in the fall mood. With that being said, here is one of my favorite soups I've made this year- potato soup. The best part is- its made in a slow cooker!

5 pounds russet potatos, washed but NOT peeled. Diced into 1/2 inch(ish) cubes {I used red potatos, and it turned out great!}

1 medium/large yellow onion, diced

10 cloves of garlic, minced

64 ounces (8 cups) chicken stock or broth

16 oz cream cheese, softened {I use low fat}

1 tablespoon seasoned salt

optional garnishes: crumbled bacon, shredded cheese, green onions

Add potatoes, onion, garlic, seasoning, and chicken stock to slow cooker.

Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.

Add the softened cream cheese and puree soup with an immersion blender until the cheese is incorporated and about half the soup is blended. (Alternately you could remove half the soup and the cream cheese to an upright blender, then re-incorporate).

Stir well, top with your choice of garnishes & enjoy!

Original recipe and picture found here

Nice to meet y'all!

Hello! I’m new to this world of blogging! I’ve been reading some blogs for about 6 months or so now, and they have inspired me to start my own.

I was recently married in March, and thought capturing this new chapter of my life would be the perfect base for my blog. I love my family & friends, fashion, decorating, and cooking.

About me-

My name is Christina, and I’m a Georgia girl – raised in a small town just south of Atlanta {Hampton}. I now live with my husband {Brent} in Augusta, GA- although I miss the malls and restaurants in the ATL- I enjoy the slower pace of life here.

I work for an apparel company here in Augusta as an assistant merchandiser, and Brent is a pharmacist, where he also serves as the pharmacy manager.  We have 2 dogs- Lucy & Leo, which you will most certainly hear more about!

Here is a pic of them- Leo is on the left, and Lucy is on the right. Leo is a 7 month old Golden Retriever mix, and Lucy is a 3 yr old Lab mix.  

Brent and I love hanging out with the pups (or fur babies), going to the lake when it’s warm, hanging out with our friends, and working on our home. In the fall, you’ll find us going to football games on the weekends- B { & his family } are huge UGA fans, so we’re in Athens pretty often this time of year!

Here are a few pictures from our wedding- I thought I may do some "Wedding Wednesday" posts so that you can see and hear of the details of our big day!

Happy Monday! 

xoxo,
Christina