Monday, April 30, 2012

Winter Wedding: Bridal jewelry & small details

It's been a while since I've done a post on my wedding -- but after doing a guest post on the entire wedding for fellow Charleston blogger Keller Creative, I didn't know what else to write about.

I recently received an email from someone who found my blog via Pinterest and asked if I could do a blog post on my jewelry, so I thought I'd do a quick post on my bridal accessories and some of the small details.

I already did a long post about my shoes that you can read.

As for my jewelry, I knew from the start that I would be wearing a string of real pearls given to me by my grandparents when I was younger. My mom had kept these pearls in a safe for me since I was so afraid of being responsible for them until my wedding day.


I also knew I wanted to wear my grandmother's emerald and diamond ring on my right hand since my engagment ring is diamonds and emeralds. This of course meant I couldn't wear my Clemson ring (which is a major Clemson tradition), but I felt as though my grandmother's ring was much more important.


However, because I took off my Clemson ring to wear my grandmother's ring, I completely forgot to take it with me so I could get Clemson ring pictures with my husband - something I am bummed about. So if you're a Clemson alum, make a note with your photographer that you want Clemson ring/wedding ring photos!

Bradley (well, really me and then I told him) decided that his gift to me on our wedding day would be my earrings and bracelet. I scoured online for hours and hours to find the perfect jewelry... I did so many Amazon.com and Google.com searches for 'pearls and emeralds', 'diamonds and emeralds', 'emerald jewelry', etc., etc., etc.

Here's the problem - emeralds are ridiculously expensive. We looked at a pair of small, teeny tiny emerald studs that cost more than my wedding band. I knew I wanted earrings that were somewhat dangly since my hair was up (which reminds me I still need to do a post on my hair!), so I resigned to the fact that I probably would not have real emeralds on my earrings on my wedding day...so my searches turned more towards 'cz emerald and pearl jewelry'.

I finally stumpled upon a bracelet and matching earrings that I liked on Amazon. I sent the links to Bradley and he gifted them to me on our rehearsal dinner night. They turned out to be so much prettier in person and were the perfect compliments to my rings and the greens used all throughout our wedding. I couldn't have asked for better jewelry...


I also found some bracelets that were similar in design to mine to gift to my bridesmaids...


My something blue wasn't really my shoes, but a tradition my mother started with my older sister...a blue sash with my full new name and wedding date embroidered on it. My mom pinned it inside the skirt of my dress.


I also wore a garter - a Clemson one of course! My best friend gifted me two of them at my lingerie shower - so I had one to wear and keep and one for Bradley to throw at the reception.


And of course, I never go anywhere without a purse of somekind - I can't live without my comb, powder, chapstick, etc. So I needed a fun clutch for the reception... I found this gorgeous, navy sequin clutch on Nordstrom for like $20! I love it and it was the right amount of bling to keep by my side at the reception. And I love the shot my photographer got of my engagement ring on top of it...


Finally, I kept warm wrapped up in my grandmother's mink stole - it still has her initials embroidered on the inside lining. She was very much with me on my wedding day.


 Read the rest of my blog posts about my Winter Wedding in Birmingham, AL on 12.10.11.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

That nagging feeling you had about Titanic...

"The only thing that made Titanic irritating has finally been brought to life. Yes, two people could fit on that door. Poor Jack."


A friend of mine posted this on Facebook and it cracks me up. I was obsessed with Leonardo DiCaprio in high school, and of course, the movie Titanic. Raise your hand if your dance studio had at least 10 people do solos to that Celine Dion song that year.... {raising hand}

Not until this moment did I ever consider that Jack could have fit on that door... damn you Rose!

Is anyone really shelling out money to go see it again in theaters in 3-d? Do you think Leo and Kate are getting paid again?

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Tasty Tuesday - Greek Salsa Chicken

Make this recipe tonight! Do it! It is probably one of the best (not to mention super easy) chicken breast recipes I've ever made, and my husband says this is now in the running for best meal I've ever cooked him. May I present to you...drumroll... Greek salsa chicken breasts! Ta-da!


I found this recipe via Pinterest which led me to Sweet Pea's Kitchen blog where I followed the recipe. I'll repost the recipe here and add in anecdotes from when I cooked it. I'm no expert cook, so when following recipes I always wish the authors would give more details - even if they are obvious - because I'm always second guessing myself...so I hope my side-comments will help you!

Ingredients

For the Salsa:
  • 4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes (I used cherry)
  • 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives (Publix had these fresh in deli section, next to premade salads, etc.)
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley (used curly parsley - pinched off a bunch, put it in my 'slap chop' chopper and chopped it up)
  • 1/4 cup lemon joice (squeezed fresh lemons for juice - took about three lemons to get 1/4 cup)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano (I already had dried Oregano spice and just used that instead)
For the Chicken:
  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (Took a package of three boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut them in half)
  • Pepper to taste
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 lemons, cut into wedges
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 450° F
  2. In a large bowl, combine feta, tomatoes, olives, parsley, lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil and oregano. Cover and chill in fridge. (I made this about an hour before I started the rest of the recipe. So after combining and stirring the salsa, I covered the bowl with saran wrap and let it chill in the fridge for about an hour and a half and pulled it out when chicken was done)
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large roasting pan over medium-high heat (I used one of my deep Calphalon frying pans that can go in the oven -- make sure your pan can go in the oven, certain ones can and certain ones can't past specific temperatures). Season chicken (both sides) with kosher salt and pepper. Sear chicken (on stove top in frying pan) about 1-2 minutes on each side (I did about 3 min each side - be careful of sizzling olive oil splashes). Remove pan from heat.
  4. Squeeze lemon wedges over chicken to coat (I didn't use all of them - I think you can probably just use one lemon cut into wedges for this instead of the recommended two). Place the squeezed lemon wedges around the chicken breasts. Roast until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160°, about 25 - 30 min. (I'm not a cooking expert, so the whole 'roast' thing confused me at first - but I just literally took my Calphalon frying pan and stuck it in the oven to bake. I don't have a meat thermometer, so after the cook time was over, we just cut the middle of the breasts and made sure it was cooked all the way through. Finally, my cook time ended up being about 35 min).
  5. Transfer chicken and lemons to a large platter (I just left it in the pan). Top with salsa and serve (we put chicken on our plates first, then scooped salsa on top).
This easily served the two of us with Bradley going back for seconds, leaving a half breast leftover for lunch. I think if you're serving more than two, double this recipe.

The blog author suggested serving this with her oven roasted potatoes and a garden salad. I didn't have time to cook the potatoes too, so I cheated and bought frozen Alexia oven fries with olive oil, rosemary and garlic seasoning. They take about 25 min to cook, so I just popped them in the oven on the bottom shelf at the same time the chicken was cooking. They were soooo good and complimented the chicken perfectly.

Add a side salad with light balsamic vinegerette dressing and this was an easy and super flavorful dinner for two! I will definitely be making this again. Yum!

Monday, April 23, 2012

Wasabi on Daniel Island Review

This story is lengthy - but I need to tell it. My experience needs to be shared.

Typically my girlfriends and I get together for a girls' dinner (and wine!) one night during the week at least twice a month if we can -- it's a great time to unwind, gossip, and catch up with one another. Usually we go to one of our fave Asian fusion spots, Bambu.

However, last week, one of my girlfriends had heard that Wasabi on Daniel Island has ladies night on Wednesday nights with a half off bottle of wine promotion. So we all decided to give it a try.

Another friend of mine suggested I check out Restaurant.com for a coupon - she had used it at another local restaurant and had gotten a pretty good deal. Lo and behold, Wasabi had a coupon on Restaurant.com that you could buy for $10 to get $25 towards your meal. After I purchased, it then showed all of these stipulations - i.e. only one per table, cannot be used towards alcohol, can't be combined with other coupons, etc.

"Well ok", I thought, "but surely I can use it towards our total bill or something to save us some money..."

Wasabi is small, but has a pretty cool atmosphere - my initial impression was this place was pretty cool. We were seated at our table and started (of course) by ordering our wine. I ordered a bottle of Pinot for me and another of my friends to split. The waiter immediately said, "That's a good Pinot, but the such and such Pinot is only a few dollars more and tastes very superior." I thought, WTH, and ordered the one he 'recommended'.

The other girls at the table ordered their wine - again, our waiter suggested more expensive wines, suggesting they tasted better. One of my girlfriends was like, "Um, no." And I said to the waiter, jokingly, "Nice try on the upsell there." He didn't crack a smile.

The girl I was splitting the wine with had found a coupon on Wasabi's website that said 15% off her meal. Hmm..I had a coupon too from Restaurant.com...so we both pulled them out and asked our waiter if we could both use them.

No. Only one per table.

Then I was told if I wanted to use mine on the entire table, the only way he could do it was to total up the entire bill, take off the $25, then split the remainder of the bill (including alcohol) evenly among us...meaning some of us would be paying more than what we bought. After some back and forth with our waiter..I finally said, "Nevermind... I'll just have to use this later I guess," and I put my coupon away. However, my friend was assured, she could use her's on her meal.

Next we ordered our food...one of my friends was ordering sushi. She asked the waiter, "I can't decide between such and such sushi and such and such sushi -- which one is better?" With great bravado, our waiter said, "Actually, the such and such and such sushi is FAR superior tasting and..." My friend cut him off and said, "No thank you, that's not what I was asking...I was asking between the two." He then recommended the more expensive roll.

When he walked away we all looked at each other and agreed it was so awkward and we felt like our waiter was swindling us.

The food came. It was really good... which is a shame that this review is negative, because the food WAS very good. Compliments to the chef...and only to him.


Fast forward to getting our checks. Oh, and what do you know... if you have five or more people, an 18% gratuity is added to your checks. For only a group of five? Really?

My friend pulled out her 15% off check. The waiter said, "Oh, I'm sorry -- you can't use that coupon with alcohol."

My friend: "The wine is on her (pointing to me) check. I don't have any alcohol on my bill."

Waiter: "I'm sorry, you can't use that coupon at the same table as someone using the half-off bottle of wine promotion - you can either use the coupon at the table, or take advantage of the wine promotion."

WTH? We all exchanged looks.

My friend: "That's interesting, because the half off bottle of wine promotion is promoted ON THE COUPON."


Sure enough, literally right below the '15% off' text on the coupon was a promotion for Ladies Night and the half price bottle of wine.

The waiter insisted. So we insisted we needed to talk to the manager.

Manager walks up.

Manager: "I'm so sorry ladies, but the Restaurant.com coupon cannot be used with the half off bottle of wine promotion. A manager who worked here two years ago signed us up on Restaurant.com and ever since we've had such issues with that. I"m so sorry."

Me: "We're not asking about that coupon...I already got burned and now an unhappy customer....which, I would suggest you get OFF of Restaurant.com if you keep having problems - because it's making unhappy customers like me! But in the meantime, you can make things right and let my friend use her coupon."

Manager: "Yeah...I'm so sorry, the Restaurant.com cou..."

Me: "Her coupon was printed off of YOUR website...and the wine promotion is printed on the coupon. That's false advertising if you can't use the two together. Why would you offer 15% off, then entice someone to come in on a Wednesday on the coupon...and then not honor the coupon?"

Finally, after more exchanged back and forth, the manager finally said, "Oh..well yeah...she can use that coupon," in a tone like "duh...why didn't you just ask that to begin with".

All that for 15% off....but it was the principle of the matter.

After we paid our bills, we were finishing our wine....we never saw our waiter again. I guess after he got paid he decided there was no need to grace us with his presence.

We left and once outside all agreed that the experience was uncomfortable and "no wonder that place is empty..."

After sharing this experience with some other friends of mine, I heard other similar stories. One friend had a coupon for Wasabi and went to get a to-go order and use the coupon. They told him that it was a dine-in only coupon -- even though it was written no where on the coupon. When my friend pointed that out to them, they just said "Yeah we know it's not on there, but it is dine-in only...".  So my friend sat down at the bar... ordered food...when it arrived, he then asked for his check and a to-go box. Lol.

I think it's safe to say we'll be returning to Bambu for our fail safe girls' night dinners -- especially since on their Thursday ladies' nights they offer $3 glasses of house wine.....all night.... no stipulations. I shouldn't have to read fine print or think so hard when using a coupon or promotion.

Wasabi, you need to quit using these shady techniques to pull people into your restaurant for them to only find out they've been tricked into showing up... because you're only getting one-time visit customers.... AND you now have word-of-mouth.

Again, it's a shame because the food was really delicious.

So... does anyone want to buy a gift certificate to Wasabi for $5 that gives you $25 to spend there (plus lots of fine print)? I'm willing to lose $5 I put towards the gift certificate so I never have to go back to Wasabi again.

Cheers!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Shop My Closet Blog Sale

Reduced some prices and added some new items.

Selling the below items if you're interested. Shipping included in prices.. I take payments through PayPal. Email me at charlestongirlblog@gmail.com if you're interested in buying anything or have questions about anything! Happy Shopping!

P.S. Blogger's new editor tool is AWFUL!! Why did they have to mess with it? So, please excuse the awful formatting in this post... this post took entirely too long thanks to Blogger. Grr.

Robert Rodriguez one shoulder teal & black dress.
SIZE 8  | Tags still attached | Never Worn
Selling for $85
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Muse black lace quarter length, ruffle sleeve dress.
SIZE 8  |  Tags still attached  | Never Worn
Selling for $50


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Ark & Company Purple/Silver patterned strapless dress
SIZE M  |  Tags Still Attached  |  Never Worn
Selling for $45


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Tart black sequin one shoulder dress w/ elastic at waist.
SIZE S  |  Tags still attached  |  Never worn
Selling for $75

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Max & Cleo bright orange flower tank dress
SIZE 6  |  Tags still attached  |  Never worn  |  Retails for $138
Selling for $50


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Express burgundy velvet blazer
SIZE 4  |  Worn once
Selling for $30


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Express tiered ruffle dress with sheer top
SIZE 6  |  Worn twice

Selling for $30


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Orange 'polka dotted' dressSIZE 7/8  |  Tags still attached  |  Never Worn
Selling for $30


 
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Lulu's one shoulder coral/white dress w/ sash
Size Small  |  Never worn
Selling for $30
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XOXO One Shoulder dress with ruffle skirt
Size 5  |   Never Worn
Selling for $30


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Ark & Company orange pleated dress w/ ruffle hem
SIZE S  |  Never worn
Selling for $30

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

New purchases...falling for summer trends.

Like most new fashion trends, I balk at them at first...then fall in love with them when I actually try them out.

Maxi dresses are no different. As a short, short person, I never thought I could pull off a maxi dress...but now I own about 10 of them I think!

...including three new ones I just got from Target and Old Navy. I've seen the Target dresses circulating on the blog circuit, so I guess I won't be too unique when I wear them, but I LOVE them. So cute, comfortable and easy for summer.

And as a short person, I'm in love with wedges - which are a perfect compliment to these maxis to keep their hems from sweeping the floor.

{via Old Navy}
Not a maxi, but this dress is super cute, affordable and will be
great to slip on over my bathing suit after a day on the beach.
{via Old Navy}

I was on the fence with these, but I think they'll be fun to pair
with lots of my outfits this Spring and Summer.
{via Old Navy}

{via Target}

{via Target}
{via Target}
This isn't a good picture, but this is the last Target dress when I wore it
Friday to happy hour on the Shem Creek Bar & Grill dock. It was chilly, so I paired
it with my jean jacket. I got lots of compliments on it. It's perfect for a Clemson game
in the Fall too! :)
What fashion trends are you stocking up on for the summer? What bargain finds have you found out there? I've been really impressed with Old Navy this year.