DIY Chili & Grilled Cheese Party

Last year I threw Andrew the ultimate 40th birthday bash - A BEER themed party complete with a Budweiser jacket, Budweiser cake, and "Beer Me" glasses. Can you guess Andrew's favorite brew?!?!

This year wasn't really a monumental birthday for Andrew, but in my book, every birthday deserves a celebration, no matter the number! For me, I'll make any excuse to get our friends together and entertain at our house. A fall birthday party seemed like as good an excuse as any! My sister and brother-in-law even flew in from Virginia for the occasion. We grew up with a mama who loves any excuse to throw a party and it turns out her girls are no different!

We spent the weekend soaking in the last "warm" days of fall, eating greasy brunch food, raking leaves, drinking mulled wine, and prepping for Andrew's birthday celebration.

I knew it would be hard to top last year's party, and honestly I didn't want to. I just wanted an excuse to light candles in my house, steal some ideas from Pinterest, and share some vino with friends while their kids terrorized my house.

I settled on a DIY chili & grilled cheese bar as I've recently been in the fall spirit. It turned out to be fantastic!! Who doesn't love chili, tomato soup, and grilled cheese?! Its a kid AND adult friendly meal for sure, so it was perfect for our mix of guests. 

For the grilled cheese bar I set up 2 panini makers (Big score on the Bella Panini Maker on sale at Macy's), 5 types of cheese, bacon, basil, tomato and lots of bread & butter.  It was DIY and added creativity and fun for guests. The chili I made with a super easy recipe - 4 ingredients - ground beef, black beans, diced tomatoes, and kidney beans (and spices). And the tomato soup was homemade from Trader Joes:) Thanks TJ! 

For dessert I opted out of the traditional birthday cake. Honestly, I just didn't feel like flour and icing this time around. So again, I went with the fall theme and set up a smores' bar, rice krispie treats & caramel apples. Another epic success with our guests of all ages. In fact, I think the adults enjoyed the gooey smores' more than the kids.

After the last guest had left, I surveyed the scene - beer bottles & chili mason jars scattered the table tops, kid's handprints smudged every surface and Andrew sat on the couch with a big grin on his face.  It was the birthday celebration that everybody deserves for a new year of life. A successful party celebrating my love, our friends, and this house that we now call home. I don't think Pinterest can capture that feeling, that wholehearted thankfulness for those who will come and celebrate a non-monumental birthday with chili & grilled cheese.  Happy Birthday Andrew! 

Winterizing: It's That Time Again!

Anything with "winter" in the name gives me shivers. It immediately brings to mind itchy sweaters, cold feet, snow shoveling and house arrest. When Andrew brought up "winterizing" our house just last week before the first Nor'easter of the season, I cringed. I wanted to stay in my state of denial - the denial where the beautiful fall leaves would not fall to the ground, that I would not have to swap out my flimsy sundresses for bulky, thick sweaters, and that we would not begin another season of pricey oil bills.

Like any good Southerner, I can't stand the thought of winter. Much to my dismay, I am now a New England girl and I must learn to cope with the "wintery" weather that is sure to be on my front doorstep very soon.

And so we have spent the last week or so "winterizing" the house.  In hopes of saving a few $$ on our heating bill, we spent a little time at our home away from home, Home Depot, to stock up on insulating materials. We are hopeful that with all the new windows and wall insulation we put in over the last year, we will be warm and cozy. But, we decided to go a step further - the old saying "less is more" is not true in this case. Although ugly, we decided to put in weather stripping for both the front & back doors. The dutch door in the back creates quite the draft in an already chilly room, so we are hoping this will clear up the problem.

We also insulated all the copper heating pipes in the basement - there is no sense in heating our basement!

Those two first items were easy enough. The next one, its a real doosy. For the last year our chimney has suffered. Big time. The cap and bricks surrounding it are crumbling and water inevitably finds its way down the chimney with even the slightest bit of rain. The Portugese mason whom we love & did great work on our foundation, was not too keen to climb up on our roof and install a new slab of bluestone. So Andrew and I did it ourselves. And to be completely honest…I thought one of us was going to get killed in the process. I totally trust my husband - he always makes questionable projects work perfect, but hoisting a 250 lb slab of blue stone up to the roof had me hesitant. It was quite the ordeal & I have to give Andrew huge kudos for successfully engineering it all. Now we just need to learn how to pour concrete & lay bricks…easy, right?!

And if you want to know the saddest part of ALL of winterizing…it'd be the outdoor shower. It was like going to a funeral…sad to see it go and happy with the memories. Obviously I adore this shower. The reality is I despise the indoor shower/bathroom and am so sad that the weather will not permit me to bask in the glory of hot showers & breathe in the fresh air at the same time. It really is a beautiful thing.

Winterizing the shower involved bleeding the pipes of all water. Removing the shower head and mixer, then blowing out any leftover water with the air compressor. Putting it all safely in a box marked "outdoor shower". And then crying...

But you want to know the best part of all of winterizing?! The Sunbeam heated mattress pad from Amazon. That's right. For $79.99 you can have the best part of winter!! I ordered this baby last year when I could not stand one more night of cringing at the thought of climbing into cold sheets. This literally is the biggest game changer for those with poor circulation and the need for a warm & cozy bed at night in the winter. It will not disappoint...promise.

Fingers crossed that all this "winterizing" leads to smaller heat bills & a shorter winter.  One can dream...

"Stay Moon"

I have to be honest about something…

I DO NOT understand how in the world brides & grooms go on their honeymoon right after the wedding.

The day after our wedding I was a tired, crying heap of emotions with no energy or goals to achieve. If someone had asked me to get on a plane, let alone explore and navigate a new country, I would have run the other way crying and flailing my arms. 

Seriously though, that is the honest to God truth. 

Luckily for us, our honeymoon destination's rainy season just so happens to be in September & October. It also happens to be two of the best months in New England. And a still fairly busy work season for both of us. So, we have postponed our honeymoon for the two worst months in New England: January & February. Yep, that's right, we are escaping the polar vortex and heading to Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam for 4 whole weeks! 

But you can't get married and then just return to real life immediately, right?!  We started wedded bliss with a 3 day "Stay Moon".  I highly recommend it. If you are like us, life is crazy and you rarely spend time in your home or state just relaxing and exploring without a purpose. 

We spent our "Stay Moon" exploring a few neighboring towns in Rhode Island & Massachusetts, slept 12 glorious hours each night, rehashed the wedding weekend again and again and again, and just enjoyed BEING together at our home. Here is a quick recap & a few recommendations. 

WESTPORT, MA & LITTLE COMPTON, RI

These sweet seaside towns are in our backyard and we still hadn't explored them. The head of the Little Compton harbor was filled with boats, gorgeous cottages, and a yacht club. Westport had a few wildlife reserves we explored and an incredible entrance to the harbor from the ocean that was churned up on the day we went. Lunch at Partners in Westport is a must! Where else can you buy a grilled turkey pesto panini, a lamp for your desk and a cute birthday card for a friend?

MATUNUCK OYSTER BAR

To say we love Matunuck oysters would be an understatement. We found these gems at a local farmer's market last year and decided to have them at our wedding. These oysters are grown, harvested & served at Matunuck Oyster Bar in Matunuck Beach, Rhode Island. We had never been and our "Stay Moon" seemed like the best reason to drive down to the south coast & slurp some oysters by the water. It also happened to be one of the most romantic sunsets of the year. Thanks Matunuck!

PADANARAM, MA

This funky sounding town name had me curious. Known for it's boating harbor & affluent coastal community, this town in South Dartmouth, Mass was a cute stop for an afternoon. Cute boutiques, restaurants & coastal views. We recommend the cheeseburger at the Black Bass Grille. 

 "Stay Moon" Success. Honeymoon on the horizon! Stay Tuned...