I love Mondays!

(Can you see the raindrops reflecting the flash?)

It has been pouring here since about 6:00am and I am trying to figure out when I should make a trip to the grocery store!

We had a great weekend at the lake. The rain that we had on Friday had stopped by the time we got there and we had great sunny weather the rest of the weekend! It was very quiet as a lot of our neighbors weren't there. They are all planning to come up for the Labor Day weekend, though we will miss all the festivities as we are planning to attend the first Clemson game of the season!

We grilled teriyaki-lime chicken on Saturday night. It was yummy, even if I did burn one piece completely up! I am not as good on a charcoal grill as I am on the gas grill!

When we got home yesterday daughter and hubby went to buy fish for her new fish tank. Well, already two of the four are dead this morning! I'm almost afraid to go check on the remaining two!

Wel, it sounds as if the rain is stopping so I may need to head out to tackle today's errands...

~Steph

My Bag Is Packed!

Finally, we are heading to the lake house this weekend!

We haven't been there in over a month!

My bag is packed and waiting by the door and as soon as everyone is home we are heading out!

Have a great weekend!

~Steph

I love my old silver tray and containers that I use in my bathroom. They are tarnished and the tray is pitted, but I love them anyway!

And in keeping with the "old" theme, I love the Boots Cleansing Milk and the Skin Tonic! They come in old fashioned looking glass bottles and they have such an old fashioned smell! They remind me of my grandmother. The scent of the Cleansing Milk is Geranium and the Skin Tonic is Damask Rose.

Oh boy, I have such a long list of "To-Dos" that I have to tackle today... most of them are phone calls and those are the ones I dislike the most. I don't know why, but just the thought of sitting down and dialing the phone makes my head hurt!

~Steph

Don't You Just Love a Giveaway?!

I have been gathering a few of my favorites for a giveaway, but I 'm not quite ready yet!

BUT, Belle, over at Life of A Southern Belle, is ready! You must go and check out all the great things she is giving away!

Is It Monday Already?

We had a nice relaxing weekend, didn't make it to the lake as I had planned, but still had a nice time at home.

We kicked off the weekend with a high school football game. Son's school won, so that was nice.

Saturday hubby and I drove to a few furniture stores looking for bedroom furniture. I have found what I want, but of course hubby thinks I need to keep looking "in case I find something I like better", which translates to "cheaper"! We enjoyed lunch, just the two of us, which "just isn't fair" according to daughter!

Saturday night we grilled steaks and ate yummy salads, thanks to Melissa and her post of the salad with the strawberries! Delish!!

Sunday morning we were up bright and early for church. Sitting in front of us was a family with six small children and another on the way! I have my two and they were always enough for me, I can't imagine having seven! Hubby said they must be "good" catholics! I said I would rather not be good! ;)

Yesterday afternoon, hubby and I watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I had a lot of people tell me how much they enjoyed the movie, me not so much! I really couldn't wait for it to be over.

Getting ready to meet some friends for coffee~

Happy Monday!

~Steph

Back to School

Son and daughter started back to school on Monday. I just want to know "where did the summer go?" Time really flew by!

Son started high school this year. He is attending the new high school that just opened last year. So, this year there are just 9th-11th grades. Last year it opened with just 9th and 10th grades.

Hopefully he will have a good year. He turns 15 next month and we are using driving and getting a car as leverage for doing well in school. Bad grades=no permit. We'll see how that works!

Daughter is in her second year of middle school. She loves school and was ready to go back weeks ago!

My days are starting at 6:00! This is rough for me, as I am one that really needs 9 hours of sleep! During the summer I was going to bed around 11 and sleeping until 8, which was perfect! Last night I could barely keep my eyes open past 10!

It's 9:30 and I am showered, have had my iced latte and am ready to start my errands.

~Steph

Amelia Island

If next year I start talking about going on a weekend getaway the weekend before school starts, someone please stop me!

In my mind it seemed like a fun thing to do. In reality, I was running around like a crazy woman trying to get everything done by Thursday and it was NOT FUN!

Our trip to Amelia Island was great! The Ritz was not very crowded, or at least not as crowded as I have seen in the past. The weather was supposed to be rainy, but other than a little bit on Friday, it was quite nice.

Friday night the son and daughter had room service for dinner and hubby and I went to Salt, one of the restaurants there. It was FABULOUS! I wish I had taken my camera with me because the food was soooo pretty! I had a melon and heirloom tomato salad that was out of this world! Then I had the scallops that were melt-in-your-mouth great! After finishing off our decadent desserts, we waddled back to the room!

Saturday was spent getting a much needed pedicure and then relaxing by the pool, drinking mojitos! The kids had fun hanging around the pool and the teen room making new friends.

Though the highlight of my trip was meeting Pat Neely from the foodnetwork's "Down Home with the Neelys"! There was a wedding that took place outside and I was waiting in the hallway for the bride to come inside. ( I wanted to see her wedding dress up close!) While I was waiting a familiar looking man walked by me. Well, stalker that I am, I followed him into one of the shoppes! He was taking a long time so I went just outside the doorand waited.(I missed the bride when I went inside) When he came out I approached him and we spoke for a little. He was so nice and very gracious. If I had had my camera with me, I would have asked for a photo, but I had left it in the car and hadn't yet called the valet to have it brought in.

Saturday night we left the hotel and ventured into Fernandina Beach for dinner. We ate at the Crab Trap, one of our old standbys when we're in town. For dessert we went to Fantastic Fudge. Hubby and son got fudge and daugher got Blueberry Cheesecake ice cream. I was still so full from dinner, I passed!

The weekend was fun and a great way to end the summer. Just don't think I want to do that next year!

~Steph

(View from our room)

(Yummy!)

(when I was done getting my pedi, I couldn't find Hubby. Finally, I spotted him in the hot tub. He is the one with his back to the camera!)

(Saturday night in Fernandina Beach)

(Son eating more fudge back in the room. And looking at his dad and wondering why his mom wants to take a photo! I couldn't believe how much fudge he ate. If I ate that much I would have been so sick)

We Are Outta Here!

Gone for a quick getaway before school starts on Monday!

Have a great weekend!

~Steph

Visit with the Family

We decided to take a quick day trip to Myrtle Beach, where the inlaws live and BIL was visiting.

Hubby and his brother took the kids to the water park while MIL and I went to lunch and did a little shopping.

In all the years we have visited, we have never done the "touristy" stuff! I don't even like to go to the beaches there, too crowded and too many scary people. But, this visit, since the 7 year old nephew was there, we decided to make a trip to Medival Times. I'll have to say it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be!

The food was not bad at all, and there was plenty! Daughter loved the fact that she got to eat with her hands! Me, not so much!

Son thought it a little cheesy at times, but to see the look on nephew's face was just priceless! He was totally drawn in and was cheering on the knights as they did their thing!
I was a little worried about the smell and the dust, but there was neither!

It is not something I would do again, but at least I can say I went, and I didn't complain once! ;)

~Steph

Go on Over!

Preppy 101 is celebrating 300 posts! She is having an awesome giveaway... run on over and enter!

~Steph

Feeling a Little Frantic!

We are now in countdown mode for days left before school starts!

Today was registration and now the phone is ringing off the hook with phone calls to compare class schedules! Plus, both kids have been on the computer posting their schedules for friends to see!

I had my first committee meeting this afternoon to plan the back to school breakfast for the teachers! Though, just one meeting and everything is planned and committee members are ready for action!

We are trying to fit in last minute trips. I'm thinking one of the trips should be somewhere very relaxing.

Still have to buy school supplies and look for clothes to start the year off.

Spent yesterday ordering new leotards and tights for daughters dance classes. How can such little pieces of fabric be so expensive?

Still waiting for her new pointe shoes to come in, they were ordered over 3 weeks ago!

Want to get away to the lake, but just don't think it's going to happen anytime too soon! :(

Hubby is at tennis match and all is pretty quiet here... might just be time for a bubble bath!

~Steph

Where Did the Summer Break Go?

School starts two weeks from today! We didn't do half the things I had hoped we would!

At this rate it will be Christmas break before I can blink!

~Steph