Saturday, November 30, 2013

Gold & White Bedding

Maybe it is my love of glitter or all of the gold, sliver and other sparkly Christmas decorations I have seen recently that has influenced this post; I have to say I am currently loving the above gold and white bedding. One of my guilty pleasures is the Pottery Barn Teen, they have some great finds, deals, and designs, I just can’t resist sometimes. The above bedding is a special collection designed by celebrity stylists and fashion designers, Emily Current and Meritt Elliott. I love the whimsical feel, dash of sparkle, and use of metallics this collection has about it. 

Friday, November 29, 2013

Happy Hour Time

Well hello there Friday, it’s nice to see your Thanksgiving dinner did not delay your arrival! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and your fill of turkey plus all the dressings! With the closing of Thanksgiving the Christmas season has officially arrived! I would like to wish everyone a safe adventure on their Black Friday shopping experiences, and hopefully many good deals! Cheers to a long weekend and a wonderful Christmas season ahead!

“You get in life what you have the courage to ask for”

 ~ Oprah Winfrey
Drink Special!
Poop-Poop-A-Doop
½ ounce rum
½ ounce dry gin
½ ounce Swedish punch
1 dash apricot brandy
Ice cubes
Shake with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass


Around Town!
Nashville, TN: Tree Lighting and Live Performance with Richie McDonald at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Friday, November 29, 4:00pm
Franklin, TN: The Annual Battle of Franklin Illumination Ceremony at Carnton Plantation, Saturday, November 30, 4:30pm
Hilton Head Island, SC: Gregg Russell Thanksgiving Concert at The Liberty Oak in Harbour Town, Friday, November 29, 7:30pm
Auburn, AL: Iron Bowl Alabama v. Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Saturday, November 30, 2:30pm
Seaside, FL: Holiday Movie Night feat. Elf at the Seaside Amphitheater, Friday, November 29, 7:00pm


Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving

{Via}
I hope everyone is having a fantastic day enjoying time with family and friends! I have to admit when I was much younger I was not a big fan of Thanksgiving, I used to view it as a day that you had to get dressed up for {which I honestly didn’t mind}, a holiday where it seemed like you had to wait an eternity for Thanksgiving dinner to be ready, and a holiday that you had to spend with your family and every single thing was closed. I think the older you get the more you come to appreciate your family, the holidays, and just everything in life that you took for granted when you were younger because you didn’t realize the true importance of certain things. 

There is a big difference between saying you are thankful for something then truly realizing why you are thankful for the things you are and sincerely meaning it; realizing this difference seems to come age. Like every single person I have had good and bad experiences throughout life and I honestly wouldn’t change any of them. The bad experiences give you perspective, show your true character, morals, and what you are made of; the bad make you that much more grateful for the good and once you get passed to bad to a place where you are truly happy you understand the need for the bad experiences. 

Today I can honestly say and truly mean that I am very thankful for my family, friends, the opportunities I have, and of course my blog readers, and so many other things. 

“Real abundance is found when we join hands with those we love.
Thanksgiving is a circle of memories.
Thanksgiving is a time for remembering and appreciating the special people in our lives.
Our home is warmed by the love of the family and friends.”
~ Unknown

For a little something extra here is an old SNL Thanksgiving clip for your enjoyment! Happy Thanksgiving and cheers to fabulous holiday season!

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

What To Wear Thanksgiving Day

{Via}
Happy Thanksgiving Eve! I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful night spending time with family and friends and remembering all the things you are thankful for. It can always be a little difficult deciding what to wear on Thanksgiving Day depending on your planned activities and obligations throughout the day. For this reason I have created three different looks via Polyvore ranging from casual to dressy. Click on the different images below to be directed to my Polyvore account. 

Thanksgiving Casual Outfit

Casual Thanksgiving dress
Thanksgiving Dinner Dress

Rifle Paper Co. Holiday Edition

{Via}
I know…I know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet and I am writing about Christmas paper goods…what can I say, I guess I am just in the Christmas sprit, those festive red cups at Starbucks will do that to you. I promise, I am not “one of those people” who forgets all about Thanksgiving, I am planning a post for later today on different outfit options to wear Thanksgiving Day. I was browsing the Rifle Paper Co. website last night and stumbled upon their Christmas collection and fell in love with it! After all, who can resist plaid wrapping paper and Nutcracker inspired paper goods? Obviously I couldn’t resist sharing some of my favorite holiday finds from Rifle Paper Company! Click on the name of the item, located below the image, for the website. 

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Tis The Season To Sparkle

Lights, Glitter, Sparkle…all the signs the holiday season has arrived! One of the things I love most about the holiday season, besides Christmas decorations, lights, parties, etc. {I guess I love pretty much everything about the holiday season…} is the fact that it is 100% acceptable to wear sequins and sparkle to pretty much any event or just on a regular day, because hey, it’s the holiday season sequins are acceptable at all times! Now, I’m not saying it’s acceptable to wear a sequin dress in the middle of the day to the grocery store or Starbucks {that would be a definite no, no} however, a tasteful sequin sweater, scarf, pants, or a skirt with a hint of sparkle would be acceptable. Here’s to a merry, bright, and sparkly holiday season ahead, may it be filled with many champagne dreams and caviar wishes to be made! Below is some sequin apparel I have come across that would be perfect for the holidays! Click on the name of the item, located below the image, for the link. 

Monday, November 25, 2013

Vintage J. Crew Holiday Catalogs

Taking into consideration that today is November 25, exactly one month till Christmas, it seemed only appropriate to do a Christmas inspired post today. One of my favorite things to receive in the mail aside from Christmas cards are Christmas catalogs. Whenever I think of Christmas catalogs I always think of the older J. Crew holiday covers. So for your enjoyment here are a few of my favorite vintage J. Crew catalog covers! Remember to keep an eye for Christmas gift guides, playlists, and book recommendations soon to come on A Touch of Southern Grace! 

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Sunday Night Thought

Thanksgiving Table Inspiration

I cannot believe it is the week of Thanksgiving but I am also excited for all of the holiday festivities to start. I love the decorations and the fact that everyone seems happier during the holidays {except when holiday shoppers are trying to find a parking space at the mall…people are serious about getting a good parking spot or just a parking spot during the holiday season}. I love how at Thanksgiving you get to sit down at a beautiful table, enjoy time with family, and eat some fabulous food! I have always been a believer that the presentation of food and the table setting can make the food taste even better than it already is. If you are looking for some last minute table setting ideas here are a few I have come across! 

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Crush


Wednesday night I dinned at Crush, a fabulous sushi located in Seaside, Fl along. 30A. I am the next thing to obsessed with Sushi, it is one of my favorite things to eat! Needless to say I have been to many sushi restaurants, some good, some surprisingly good, the ok ones, and a couple of bad ones. Luckily Crush was up there with good Sushi restaurants I have been to! I love their outside dinning area, what could be better then twinkle lights, a view of the town square, and the sound of the ocean that is only a few yards away from the restaurant. The service at Crush was wonderful and they are so accommodating; I have a sister who has a server seafood allergy and they were able to accommodate her and make her a veggie roll {it is pretty rare to go to a sushi bar and they are willing to accommodate a person with a seafood allergy}. 
I had the Sunset roll {left} and the Volcano roll {right}. I have to say that I like the Volcano roll the best out of all the rolls I ate, but all rolls were very good. I loved the baked spicy krab salad that was on the Volcano roll; I really like spicy food so of course the spicy krab salad element was a hit with me. Shrimp, avocado, and crunch was also included in the Volcano roll, I really enjoyed all of the elements. The Sunset roll, which was made up of spicy krab salad, avocado, and tempura crunch was really good as well. 
For my third roll since I was staying in Seaside and Crush is in Seaside well…naturally I had to try the Seaside roll. The seaside roll was made up of shrimp, spicy krab salad, avocado, lemon, crunch, and garlic chipotle aioli. For me this roll was refreshing and something different, the thin lemon slice on top of the roll was really refreshing, but at the same time I’m not really sure I enjoyed such a citrusy element. I did however enjoy the other element of this roll. 
From 4-6 during the week and I believe on the weekends too, Crush has a Happy Hour where some sushi rolls are half priced. I know what you are thinking…I am always skeptical of half priced sushi, but their sushi Happy Hour sushi was amazing! 
I was totally smitten with their outside dinning area…a good set of twinkle lights gets me every time. I loved watching the sunset and hear the ocean all while sitting in the outside dinning area. Crush also has space heaters outside which is nice for a cold night and there is always an inside area to dine {my phone died before I could get a good picture of the inside but you can see a little of the interior in the fourth picture of this post}.