vino and van gogh

here in my wonderful city of greenville south carolina, we have recently had a few artsy places pop up. they are all the same idea - you pick a painting off the website and sign up. then you go paint the fancy painting with friends and bring your own wine and munchies. it's a really fun idea and one that i was definitely on board with.

one of my friends and i decided it was time to pick a painting and go. we ended up picking vino and van gogh out of the 3 places in greenville that offer it. we picked a fancy monet painting of a bridge over water. i wish they still had the picture up so you could see what it looked like when they painted it but alas - they have taken it down.

on second thought, i'm happy they took it down. now you have nothing to compare ours to and maybe that is a good thing? we are amateurs people. NOT ARTSY.

so our finished product after two hours of painting:

mine on the left. my friend jaime's on the right. 

excuse the blackberry picture. neither of us brought a camera to take pics.

overall it was a super fun experience. i definitely didn't have a perfect painting at the end but i still love it and we really had a great time. i am not artsy at all but it was therapeutic to sit there for two hours while the teacher (who was absolutely fabulous might i add) walked us through what to do next. and it was great to spend time with a friend and chat about life. while having a little glass of wine.

a fun little evening for all.

fluff

cutest puppy in the whole world.

thursday travels

photo from my {pinterest} via {here}

switzerland

bbq succotash

i have discovered a little dish that is oh so perfect for summer (or really anytime of year for that matter). i'm pretty sure my friend purdy made this for dinner one night and then we rediscovered it when she was down visiting earlier this year. it's perfect for shan since it is a vegetarian dish but i promise you will love it just as well. it really is the perfect succotash and super easy/quick to make (and healthy to boot!)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin or vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 1/2 red onion, chopped (i use a whole onion because i love it)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 (14-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (10-ounce) box frozen corn
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup smoky barbecue sauce (i use sticky fingers memphis original)
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives, parsley or cilantro leaves, for garnish (sometimes i do, sometimes i don't)

Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and peppers and saute 5 minutes.

 Add beans and corn and season with salt and pepper.

When corn heats through, add barbecue sauce. Stir to combine and serve succotash with chopped chives, parsley or cilantro to garnish.

 Finished product (absolutley horrible iphone picture. i need some food staging classes stat).

this dish made me fall in love with red peppers. i was kinda "meh" about them before but now i *lurve*. do share some new recipes you have discovered. or some staples that you always make.

ps: i can't wait to have new dishes/cookware.
pps: i need a camera stat.
original recipe found {here}.

weekend plans

i have some visitors this weekend...

mama and sister are coming down for a little weekend visit and to help me with some wedding stuff. we are only 7 weeks away so i need all the help i can get.

happy weekend blog friends!

parties in kentucky {part two}

the day after the bachelorette party, my MOH hosted a shower at her lovely abode. i know a lot of girlies chipped in to help and it made the day feel super personal and special. i know they worked hard (and the MOH was sick and still made a wonderful hostess).

one of the games the girls planned was to dress friends in bridal gowns using toilet paper. it was hilarious to watch and fun to judge. mandy and katie won since their dress looked like something that you could literally buy.

a fun little treat (mishap?) happened right when everyone was being decorated with tp. our sweet innocent gilfedder may have caught herself on fire from a candle that jen jen had burning on the coffee table. jenna was fearful. i may have cried from laughing. (gil was not hurt and the flames were little. i promise it was funny. see? even gil was laughing after just a few minutes)

the next "game" was not really a game but something that made me super excited. the girls got together and decorated 2 serving dishes for A and i to have in our house someday. the girls were super creative and the end results were adorable. i can't wait to get my hands on them soon!

we may or may not love to take "fake" laughing pictures that always result in real laughter.

together since high school freshman year...

sister and mama bear.

A even snuck in at the end to take a quick picture with his bride. (sidenote: when going through all the sweet gifts we received, he picked up the glass tupperware and exclaimed "this is my favorite gift". who knew he was so easily pleased?)