Thanksgiving Weekend Recap

First let me start you out with a little eye candy.  Rachel, my bestie, has certainly mastered creating stunning tables.  She hosted 16 for Thanksgiving.  I am very impressed!!

And now for amateur hour....

Oreo cake recipe via Pinterest -- go here

Then Josh and I decided to stay the night at his parents -- just up the road in north Raleigh.  I thought it would be more festive to be around family, and it was!

So thankful for family & great friends this holiday season!  It was a great weekend, but I missed seeing my family at our big Thanksgiving celebration.  Counting down the weeks til I'm in Charlotte for visits with lots of my favorite people.

XO,

Whit

Little treasure & update on projects (or lack of!)

I did a little Black Friday shopping...although my favorite purchase (a Christmas present I picked out for my parents to give me) may not have been the typical Black Friday electronics purchase.  Typical of Black Friday angst though, as soon as I saw it I did not leave its side until SOLD was written -- I didn't want someone to steal it out from under me.  Paranoid, yes.

Would you believe me if I told you I snagged this beauty for $395?!  Now do you understand why I couldn't walk away?

I recommend if you are local you head over to Revival Antiques (thanks for the reco, Emily Kissee!) to find some true treasures for a bargain!  You can pay about $100 and they will paint and fix it up for you in the finish of your choosing.  Yours truly opted for paying $10 for them to give me a bottle of Restor-a-Finish in mahogany.  The owner guessed the sideboard was from the 1920s -- it's dinged up a little, but nothing too major -- just adds a little charm in my opinion.  Can't wait to pick it up and get to work next weekend!!

Now if you've been to my house, you may be asking yourself how I plan to fit this into my current dining room -- well, I'm not.  We are hopefully moving (more to come once details are concrete).  The "unknown" is killing me -- the planner in me just wants to know NOW if/when/where we will move & the DIYer in me is about to go nuts.  I've put all my projects on hold (like my den drapes that have arrived, but not been hung...) until we know the plan.

Hope you had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving.  I am going to be hitting the gym big time this week!  More pics from this weekend to come.

XO,

Whit

PS- Please "follow" me so I know you are reading :)

Thanksgiving Recipe - Aunt MAC's Poundcake

My aunt has always brought her famous "cold-oven" pound cake to each Thanksgiving.  It is a tradition I hope is never discontinued and one of my favorite holiday foods.  I love to heat up leftovers with a little butter (toasted) for breakfast.

Since this year we are in Raleigh with the Otto family for Thanksgiving I decided to make it for our annual girls' Supper Club Thanksgiving feast this past Monday night (I'm not going to lie - it wasn't my best pound cake -- I cooked it a tad too long and it was a little drier than usual...), but this recipe is usually delicious!!!

Cold Oven Pound Cake

3 c. sugar

3 c. all purpose flour

1 c. Crisco

1 c. milk

1 stick butter

5 eggs

1 T vanilla extract

1 T lemon extract

1 t. salt

1 T Butter buds or imitation butter flavoring

Grease and flour cakepan.  Blend Frisco & butter, then sugar.  Blend & add eggs one at a time. 

Add flour and milk - begin & end with flour.  Add remaining flavors & blend well.  Have all your ingredients at room temperature.  Do not preheat oven! Try not to check cake too much during baking process (use light, don't open door). 

Bake 325 for 1 hr. 35 minutes.

And a few pictures from last weekend -- girls at NC State halftime

When we got home Josh was so happy about the huge State upset over Clemson that he allowed this family photo to take place. 

Notice how chapped his lips are in this picture!  He looks like he is wearing lipstick!!

Hope you have a wonderful & safe Thanksgiving -- I'm in charge of corn pudding & potatoes au gratin tomorrow -- recipes to come.

XO,

Whit

Napa & New Fave Drink



That's the end of the trip recap -- I really much preferred Napa over SF -- I think I've realized I don't like big cities for vacation in my old age.  I need R&R in a beautiful countryside / seaside.  I know, Bratticus Finch, but it's true.  However, I am very thankful we were able to get away, just us!

Glad to be home for the next few weeks!  It has been nice to catch up with friends.

XO,

Whit

San Francisco Recap

We returned from San Francisco last Wednesday.  It was a fun trip, but I must say -- next time I'd spend more time in wine country and less in the city!  Here is a little sample of our trip. 

Note: I don't know why I'm squinting so badly in every photo!  Not my best pictures.

Napa recap, recipes, updates on house projects all to come later this week.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend -- I'm looking forward to a short week.

XO,

Whit