Pink Ribbon and a Surprise Purchase

Last week was a whirwind with a busy Thursday with Pink Ribbon, a diaper dinner on Friday for our friends who are having twins, my very last wedding of the season on Saturday, and our couples baby shower on Sunday. It was such a fun weekend and I can't believe that it is already over. I recovered from all of the festivities yesterday. Having a social calendar that full can really wear you out!


 I was invited to the Pink Ribbon breakfast and dinner by my sweet friend, Elisha, who owns Blush. We had a ball at the breakfast and then the husband and I joined Elisha and her husband, Lee, that night for the dinner. 

The breakfast was a ton of fun and Mary Kay Andrews, one of my favorite authors was the speaker. She is just as hysterical in person as she is in her books. If you haven't read any of her books, you should! They are easy reads and will make you smile!

The centerpieces at the breaksfast were cakes, and our table had cake pops. I thought these were hysterical!

There was a silent auction and Paysage  donated a piece of art I have long admired. The retail value is somewhere around $2,500.00 but the opening bid was much, much, much less. Waaay less. No one had bid on it but there was a buzz around it so I decided to break the seal and put my name down for the minimum bid. Because I was an invited guests and had not made a donation, it was the least I could do, right? Surely, someone else would bit on it. 

That evening, Grayson and I went and joined our friends for the dinner. On the way, I told the husband what I had done, and showed him a picture of it from when it was on the cover of House Beautiful. He was impressed and really liked the artwork, but neither one of us mentioned it the rest of the ride there.

Elisha and me at Pink Ribbon Dinner

Elisha's husband, Lee, and Grayson at Pink Ribbon Dinner

At the end of the night, my name was the only one on the bid sheet. I thought that Grayson was going to KILL me. I told him I was sorry about 100 times, but he kept saying that he wasn't mad and he was glad that we had won it. Thank goodness that there was an open bar there for him; he could have all the scotches he wanted! 

 Lee and Grayson loaded our new painting into the back of my car and as I drove home, I was so excited for the purchase. The next afternoon, Grayson came home for lunch and hung it up in it's new home and I think it looks great. It was an unexpected purchase, but that is the best way to make your house a home. So instead of the shoes for birthday and jewels for a push present, I am now the proud owner of a beautiful piece of art work. I'm happy to have things like this in my house that our entire family can enjoy!

In other news, we had a couples baby shower that was so much fun on Sunday! We are so blessed by sweet friends! Photos of that to come, but in the meantime I have to share one of my favorite gifts...

Isn't that the cutest? I'm not sure how Cooper will respond to Tilley-Gray, but at least he will look his best when they finally meet!

I hope ya'll have a great Tuesday! 


xoxo

A little recap

The weeks and weekends have been full of preparation for Tilley-Gray's arrival. Mom and I went a little crazy this past weekend in Charlotte. She bought Tilley-Gray the littlest skinny jeans at Gap. I could die they are so cute. 

Insomnia has set in and I have been a walking zombie the past few weeks. Yesterday a girlfriend told me that I could take Tylenol PM. I could have kissed her on the mouth I was so excited. Last night I got a solid six hours of sleep and feel like a super star today. 

They say that pregnancy rubs off on those around you, and it is most definitely the case on my sweet dog, Polly. She is comatose at all hours of the day. Case in point...

She is the most loyal dog, so when I wake up in the middle of the night, so does she. Since we both had a restful night last night, she was bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning. Note the snaggle tooth. She is in major need of braces. Bless her heart.

Happy Birthday Husband + Ode to the Beau

" Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honor and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words "make" and "stay" become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free."

Tim Robbins


Happy Birthday to my sweet, sweet husband Grayson! He is a rock star husband,  the most patient man I have ever met, a great friend, a hard worker, a great dog daddy, and a total style setter. He loves me to pieces despite all the craziness I put him through. 
This morning I woke up and made him breakfast and gave him one of his presents, a new bow tie. He gets pretty excited when a bow tie comes in. He has quite a collection as you can see. Have I told you he has a few billboards? Kind of ridiculous, I know. You can see it in the bottom right corner.

Not every man can successfully pull off a bow tie, but I'm proud to say that Grayson Cheek can do just that. He is a criminal defense attorney, and his clients especially love it. I can't remember the last time I saw him in a regular tie. It's just not the same. He has a "Southern Swagger" that I could just eat right up. Do you want to wish the sweet husband well wishes on his birthday? You can do so right here or here. . He is going to love it!

Life's Updates

After loosing our camera in Paris, I have made a promise to upload photos on a consistent basis and share photos with family and friends whenever possible. I hope that these don't bore some of you to death, but I wanted to share life's updates from the past month.

First things first, I am NOT a sports fan, except when it comes to Carolina basketball. I have no control over it and no excuse, except to blame it on my father and now my husband. We were invited by our sweet friend Dustin to join him for the UNC vs UNC Asheville game and sat in row G. Those are the best seats I have ever sat in.

While the game was a little closer than we would have liked, the real entertainment was that John Edwards was sitting across from us. Have you read The Politician by Andrew Young? It is fascinating! 

Wedding season is officially over for the year, but Salt Harbor has been busy with other projects including a holiday photo shoot for Wrightsville Beach Magazine. Salt Harbor was not only featured in the magazine, but also made the cover! Fisherman's Wife let us borrow beautiful china, glassware, and linens, while Jennifer brought the entire coastal Christmas look together. Isn't that view incredible?

We spent Thanksgiving with my in-laws in Ocean Isle Beach and I made my first pumpkin pies (forgot the egg white so it didn't quite set), cranberry sauce (used a grapefruit instead of an orange on total accident but had a nice surprise), and a healthy green bean casserole. This photo was taken in our kitchen by Gray while I was on the phone with my mom, trying to figure out why the pumpkin pies weren't firm after being in the oven for over an hour. Mom came to the rescue and it made her feel better that I still, in even the smallest way, still needed her. 

 While I had cooking adventures of my own, on Thanksgiving day the husband got brave and made gravy with Cognac and wine. The Cheek family loves to add alcohol to everything. My mother in law always says that if you don't like the food, drink more wine. Don't mind if I do! Their house is always so full of life, with a lot of big personalities, five indoor dogs, and constant comradery between everyone. 

Thanksgiving Day was followed by a Flotilla oyster roast with a lot of our close friends. They had a beer truck, band, oysters, brunswick stew, as well as a huge television outside so that no one would miss the games during the party. 

Have I ever mentioned that I have two SINGLE brother in laws? Aren't they adorable? They are the best brother in laws I could ask for and I still can't believe how lucky I am. They came to the party that night and we had the best time. Clif (left) and Baxter (middle) are fabulous candidates and I have witnessed that they make great boyfriends. You can get in touch with them by sending me presents from Net-a-porter.com. I have a wish list waiting for those of you looking for great husbands and will send you right to them once the goods arrive on my doorstep. :)

Two of the boats

The band took a break and opened up the party to karaoke. It was a hit, and both Gray and Baxter participated.

 I can't quite remember what Baxter sang, but I'm almost positive it was Snoop Dog. He knew every word. Don't let the guy in the camo fool you. That's big Dane and he can rap with the best of them. 

Gray and our good friend Chris sang Digital Underground's Humpty Hump. Gray was that for Halloween last year and just can't let go.  Unreal...

Lastly, we bought a real Christmas tree tonight and have started decorating the house. I love how the house smells this time of year. The tree isn't quite up to sharing status, but as soon as it gets there, I'll be sure to post. 

xoxo