Owl be home for Christmas

 

Christmas season is my absolute favorite time of year. “Jingle Bell Rock,” and “Merry Christmas, Darling” can be heard in my house as early as Nov. 1; the tree goes up WAY before Thanksgiving and any plan to eat healthy is thrown out the window the minute I devour my first sugar cookie.

This year was especially fun-my first Christmas in ATL!

I put up my usual tree-full of rustic owls, hand-strung popcorn and cranberries and glittery Christmas balls. For a cheap, fake tree, I manage to “spruce” (pun intended) it up quite well!

 

My first gift exchange of the holiday season was with Taylor. He enjoyed his new coat and French press, and I was thrilled to find out I would finally get to go to the Titanic exhibit. Nerd alert!

 

                                                                                

        

Before I left for Clinton, Alli and I decided to do some exploring around Decatur. We had a blast walking through the adorable shops and dining at the rustic Brickstore Pub, where we both devoured burgers-veggie for Alli, meaty for me! J

 

I loved the atmosphere at Brickstore so much, Taylor and I went back the next day to enjoy an afternoon Southern Tier brew and some delicious appetizers-sausage with grit cakes! Yum!

 

 

 

The hardest part of this Christmas was not having my month-long vacay, as I had in college. Working up until the holiday week was tough, but I finally made it home to the upstate of SC, and my first stop was, of course, Hollywild Animal Farm in Lyman.

For those who don’t know, Hollywild is an outdoor animal farm, turned light spectacular during the Christmas season.

I accompanied my dad, stepmom and her adorable niece and nephew on an adventure through the winter wonderland.

 

We even made some new friends!

 

Reuniting with my Clinton friends is always a highlight of my trip home. I loved seeing Amanda, who has FINALLY returned to SC for good, and I even snuck in a quick gift swap with Emy before she took off for Christmas in NY.      

 

It wouldn’t be Christmas at the Riser’s without a few cocktails, and I think everyone enjoyed my first attempt at a Cranberry punch.

 

It was so easy to take down, I could barely stomach a mimosa Christmas morning.

Devouring Scott’s quiche, however, was no problem!

 

We spent our day opening presents, stuffing our tummies, downing cocktails and making memories! Headstand attempts, overly-stuffed puppies and several rounds of Circle of Death made this Christmas one of the best ever!

 

 

 

2012 was a wonderful year-my graduation, Shawn and David’s wedding, summer in Holden with my sweetie, the move to ATL and an awesome new job.

Now it’s back to work and time to celebrate the New Year!

My first weekend in Atlanta was full of fun…

...and disappointment (Why Gamecocks, why?!)

New to the city, I’ve been anxious to explore!

Last week, a co-worker offered me two free tickets to Saturday’s Decatur Beer Festival, so of course, I accepted!

Saturday morning, Taylor and I got up around 9 a.m., which would have been considered “bright and early,” in college, but now it’s just sleeping in!

We rode the MARTA (always an experience) to Decatur, a charming little town I instantly fell in love with.

With a hipster feel, Decatur’s downtown is lined with quaint boutiques, charming coffee shops and on this particular Saturday—LOTS and LOTS of craft beer!

With almost 60 breweries inhabiting the town square, Taylor and I didn’t know where to begin!

We visited many of our favorites– Allagash, Bells and Dogfish Head, but my absolute favorite was the Ichadbod Pumpkin Ale from Michigan’s New Holland Brewing Co. I swear it is the BEST Fall seasonal I’ve ever had!

Taylor’s favorite was Dragon’s Milk, also from New Holland. We visited their booth at least 2 times. Can’t remember the exact number, as this was nearing the end of our time at the festival J

Around 3, we hopped back on the Marta and made the quick trip to Taco Mac. Last time we were there it was December 2010. Gamecock fans remember the day well – The SEC Championship. The outcome that day was less than favorable. The outcome last Saturday was devastating.

BUT, as true Gamecocks do, we stood it out until the last quarter, and we’re still keeping the faith for the season, even with the heartbreaking loss of Marcus Lattimore this Saturday. Get well soon, 21!

But hey, there’s always next year, right? And I’ve heard there are PLENTY of beer festivals coming up in November to help me drown my Gamecock sorrows!

I’ll be sure to keep y’all posted!

It's a DIY day!

Fresh off of a summer at the beach, I'm moving to the big city, y'all!
I have accepted a position with Northwestern Mutual in Atlanta, and I couldn't be more excited!
I am thrilled to have found a great position, in a great city and with some pretty great people to share my excitement with!
My official start date is October 1, so I'm spending my September free time with some DIY projects!
Here ya have it folks, my attempt (along with excessive help from my future stepdad) at a DIY headboard!

Step 1:
A trip to Hancock Fabric in Greenville: After 30 minutes of pacing the store trying to decide on a great fabric, I decided on a bold smokey gray and off-white pattern. Of course I forgot to bring a pillowcase so I could match my comforter, but I think it will work out nicely! After the fabric, I purchased 2 sheets of foam and quilting batting. Then a quick trip to Lowes to buy a sheet of plywood, a long wooden board (forgive me for not knowing the technical name or measurement) and spray adhesive, and I was ready to go!

Step 2:
Cutting the plywood into desired shape: I chose a basic outline -- stolen straight from Pinterest! All of the dimensions were determined by my stepdad...measurement has never been my strong suit!

Step 3:
Applying the foam and cutting: I used the spray adhesive to coat the plywood and adhered the foam to the board. Then I used a razor blade to cut the excess foam, making sure to leave a little (about 1/2 an inch around the edges).

 

Step 4:
Securing quilting batting around the foam: To be honest, I was going to skip the quilting batting, but after quick Google searches, I learned it would hold the fabric in place better and that's obviously important! It was simple to stretch the batting around the headboard, and I secured it with a staple gun.

Step 5:
Adding the fabric: This part was a little tricky, as the top of the headboard is rounded. We decided to cut slits in the corners of the fabric so it would lay more straight. Unfortunately we didn't think to keep the pattern straight...but hey, it adds a little character! We secured the fabric with a staple gun as well and cut the excess away.

Voila!

Costs:
Fabric -- $20 for 2 yards
Foam -- $16.99/1 sheet. I used 2, but had lots of excess!
Batting -- $6.99
Plywood -- $14.97
Wooden board (optional -- I cut it in half and used it for stilts. My bed is on risers (no pun intended!), so it is taller than most!) -- $2.97
Spray Adhesive -- $4.88
Total: roughly $84

Stay tuned for more adventures before the big move and after I make my new home in ATL!