Grits & Gossip: 2012

Meet Scarlett!

I just realized that I never published this post from several months ago. My niece, Scarlett, was born in May!

First....check out her adorable nursery. Argyle wall....round crib....and a canopy! (Sorry for the blurry iPhone pics!)

Scarlett Mae was born on May 18th at 7:12 pm and weighed in at 9 lbs 8 oz and was 21 inches long.

I told you our family beach picture would look different this year!

My brother-in-law is doing the "Circle of Life" presentation! And yes, our color choice was chosen to match Scarlett's outfit. And no, I have no idea what the older niece and nephew are doing....tweens! But here they are in a sweeter state....

It seems way too late to write a long post on the beach. But we went to Edisto Island and had a great time! The sunsets were breathtaking....

And my mom's cooking was delicious as usual!

I'm already looking forward to next year!

Upside Down

{From Pinterest and Curly Girl Greeting Cards}

I have no idea who to give credit for this quote (besides Pinterest), but it's so true! Last week was the end of a 3 month stretch of craziness for me. Ten of the last twelve weekends have been consumed with several work trips, a going away party, a bachelorette party, two weddings, and a baptism. Since Fall Saturdays in the South are sacred, I was at football games on the two weekends that I had free.

I'm so happy to share in so many special occasions and am so happy for my friends and family! My best friend from home moved her family to Abu Dhabi for the next two years! She's documenting their adventure on her new blog "Abu Dhabi Escapade." It's turning out to be such a great experience for her.

The happiness continued at my freshman roommate's wedding! Look at the awesome tent in the background!

Last weekend I went home for an incredibly sweet baptism for my niece! They're so pretty...

The traveling hasn't been all fun and games though. I've started to resent the weekends I have to travel for work. The packing and repacking and early mornings and long meetings are definitely for the birds! The next (and hopefully last) work trip is next week in Charleston. I'm thankful that it's not over the weekend though!

I've been feeling very "upside down" with my routine, finances, and health. The good side is that my priorities are getting back in place. My reaction to being busy and stressed is to take control of whatever I can. I'm beginning to feel right-side up again.

What Good Cooking is All About

I'm loving the celebration of Julia Child today on what would be her 100th birthday! I've only tried one of her recipes- hollandaise sauce from Julia's Kitchen Wisdom cookbook. Let's just say I need to keep practicing! But I still love the cookbook.

PBS put together this awesome video....love it!

I may have to get a bottle of Rosé and watch Julie and Julia tonight. Bon Appetit, Y'all!

Way Overdue!

I can't believe I've only had two blog posts all year! When I moved back to SC a little over two years ago, I admittedly lost the connection to Grits and Gossip. Almost all of the "Blogging Basics" articles instruct you to have a blog theme or focus. You know the ones- home design, cooking through a famous chef's cookbook, loosing weight, and so on. The "focus" of Grits and Gossip was always about my life in DC and staying in touch with friends and family back home. Well....I'm back home. Now what??

I didn't give it a second thought and planned to post about transitioning life back in to the south. That's still the plan, but it has taken more time than I thought to find my motivation and fit blogging back into my life. So this is one of many reasons Grits and Gossip has been on the very back burner. Truth be told, I've missed it!

So if anyone is still reading...thanks! I'm excited to catch up! How do you like the new look of Grits and Gossip?

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

What's your favorite Dr. Seuss Quote? Mine is- "Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So...get on your way!"

Source: 30 Dr. Seuss Quotes to Live By

2000-late!

Well I certainly won't be winning any Blogger of the Year awards in 2011! So here's a post to ~~stop my mom from nagging~~ reflect on what exactly happened last year!

11 for '11

1. Life with a puppy! There were a few Ellie-related challenges like this....

but mostly lots of love...

2. Daddy-Daughter time! For most of the year, my dad was working in Columbia and stayed with me a few nights a week. Despite the fact that we ate out way too much (and the scale shows it,) it was great spending time with my dad.

3. iPhone! I made the much anticipated plunge into the smart phone world last spring! I went with the iPhone and haven't looked back. I. LOVE. IT. More to come on my favorite Apps.

4. Pin, Pin, Pin! I discovered Pinterest and it might have taken up my blogging time. Here's our Pinterest-inspired Thanksgiving centerpiece with fresh veggies (green beans, artichoke, upside-down turnips, and kale)...

If you need a Pinterest invite...leave a comment with your email address. But you've been warned, it's addicting!

5. Junior League! I'm joining the Junior League of Columbia. Well, technically, I'm a provisional member this year, but so far so good! I completed my group provisional project in December where we helped out with a Christmas party for Family Connection families. I've enjoyed meeting new people and learning more about getting involved in my community.

6. New Girl! This new, funny, and quirky show on Fox is a new favorite!

7. Work! My job kept me busy with some big projects like a successful advocacy training that got rave reviews and an almost finished website project. I also attended a really good social media conference called Social Crush (now known as CrushIQ) and learned a TON.

8. Out with the Old! The purging, organizing, and cleaning started around this time last year when I carefully went through all of the Christmas decorations I had acquired. If it wasn't used, I didn't LOVE it, or I didn't have room for it....it was donated. I continued at the end of each season with clothes and other things cluttering my apartment. Sadly, a lot of my clothes no longer fit (we'll get to that in another post.) The false hope of getting back in to those smaller sizes was taking up too much space in my closet. I finally resolved that WHEN I'm back in those sizes, I'll want new clothes anyway...so out with the old and in with a functioning closet and dresser.

9. Gardening! OK, it was actually at the BF's house...but I helped! All the fresh veggies of last summer has motivated me to do more gardening in the coming year. Fresh salsa made with veggies from the garden...