New Home Decor

I am so excited about all the new home accessories that we have ordered! After these items are all in place, I will finally share some updated pictures of our home. For now, here are a few of the new home decor items that we should be receiving soon!

Living Room:

Dash and Albert area rug:

Ivory Linen Drapes:
Family Established sign for the living room (different name and different colors than pictured):

Also, I had all of my wedding related invitations (save the dates, showers, bridesmaids luncheon, rehearsal dinner, etc.) framed into a large custom frame. It's finally ready, so I cannot WAIT to pick this up and hang it on our wall.

Guest Room:

Green Damask Accent Pillows for the guest bed:We are also waiting on a custom bedskirt to arrive. We actually have window treatments already for the guest room, but just need to find the time to hang them.

I hope everything turns out well. I will post pictures soon!

Balsamic Apple and Spinach Salad

This is one of my favorite salad recipes! Michael's brother's girlfriend made it for a dinner party a couple weeks ago and I immediately had to have this recipe.

Balsamic Apple and Spinach Salad

Dressing:

• 1 cup vegetable oil or olive oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine the oil, sugar, vinegar, paprika, dry mustard, and salt in a bowl and mix until smooth.

Salad:

• 2 Granny Smith apples, chopped
• 1 (10-oz) pkg fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup toasted pecans

Spread spinach on salad plates and top with apples, onion, feta cheese, and pecans. Add dressing to taste.

I HIGHLY recommend this recipe. It is so easy and is guaranteed to impress your dinner guests!

Bachelorette Finale!!

I am not ashamed to admit that I love the Bachelorette! Jillian was by far my favorite from last season, so I've loved watching her be the new bachelorette. She better pick Kiptyn tonight! Ed is just so weird...his short green shorts and his Euro style tank top...no thanks. Kiptyn has been one of my favs since the beginning...he seems so genuine and actually normal!

Also, it looks like Reid comes back...not a huge fan of him. He didn't seem to be as into her as she was into him. We shall see...who do you want Jillian to pick?

I love Etsy!

I absolutely LOVE Etsy!! I buy tons of stationery accessories on Etsy, as well as gifts and other random home decor items. Here is my most recent purchase:

Family Established Signs by Etsy Seller Bosheree08:

I bought these calling cards right before I got married, since I had a new email address and street address.

Virginia Calling Cards by Etsy Seller Peony Paperie:

I'm contemplating these accent pillows for my guest bedroom. Green damask pillows by Etsy seller Marie Cosy Cushions

Any favorite Etsy shops you'd like to recommend?

Flower Arrangements!

I am the FIRST to say that I am not a huge fan of fake flowers...obviously, I prefer fresh, but that I also want to have flowers all over my home. I found this amazing floral designer, Sophie Dahy Designs, that makes these beautiful arrangements. I ordered this pretty hydrangea arrangement for my desk at work. Nothing brightens up your work space like some pretty flowers!

A few of my other favorite arrangements:

I can't wait to get my flowers on my new desk!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL!

Happy Happy Birthday to my wonderful hubby, Michael!

He turned the big 25 today. I love you honey and I love being your wife!

Mary Kay Andrews

Mary Kay Andrews is one of my all-time favorite authors. I absolutely love all of her books! They all take place in Georgia (where I'm from), are extremely Southern, and incorporate loads of home renovating and decorating. They are perfect beach reads and I usually finish them in a couple days. Her newest book just came out and I'm in the midst of finishing it...it's AMAZING! It's called The Fixer Upper and centers around a displaced Washington Lobbyist renovating a enormous, old house in a small town outside of Atlanta. I highly recommend this book!

Here are a few of my favorite Mary Kay Andrews books:

If you haven't read any of these books, I suggest you pick up The Fixer Upper immediately!

Oh shopping, how I've missed you!

My mom and I hit up the Nordstrom Semi-Annual Sale for some new work clothes (and to celebrate my new job)! I haven't shopped for clothes since before the wedding; it was so amazing to shop again! Here's what I picked up:

BCBG Shadow Blocks Matte Jersey Dress

Juicy Couture Heritage Aviator Sunglasses

Banana Republic Helen Buckle Metallic Peep-toe Flats

I also purchased a cute geometric work top from Banana and a casual blue dress from Nordstrom Juniors, but I can't find either online. I start work on Wednesday, so I'm busy spending today and tomorrow running errands and doing chores. Wish me luck at my new job!

Michelle's First Baby Shower!

Michelle, my brother's wife, had her first baby shower over the weekend! We had so much fun; it was an absolutely beautiful shower. The shower was held at one of my favorite Atlanta restaurants, Anis Bistro! It was fairly small, mostly immediate family. The food was absolutely delicious - I had the most amazing Salmon Salad with a nice glass of Chardonnay. Every detail was so perfect!

Michelle with her little basketball baby bump...can you believe she's over 7 months pregnant?!

Michelle and me:

Michelle and my Mom:

All the pretty presents:

Michelle and me again:

Michelle and her best friend, Whitney:

Cute little onesie!

Another cute smockinged onesie:

Her cute baby book:

Beautiful monogrammed hemstitched pillow:

Adorable cupcake favors:

Cute decorated boxes for the cupcakes...each box had a different animal!

Mrs. Southern Belle and I are throwing Michelle another baby shower in August...I'm so excited to host one for her!

Employed!

Yay! I am officially NO longer a stay at home wife! I was offered a great position today, after a loooong series of interviews. I start work next Wednesday. Michael surprised me with these beautiful flowers when he got home from work. I am SO excited to get started at my new job!

Apple Crisp

Tomorrow is Michael's Dad's birthday, so we all went over to his brother's apartment tonight for an early birthday dinner! I was in charge of dessert for the dinner, so I went with an old dessert standby...Apple Crisp! Since it was so easy and everyone loved it, I thought I'd share the recipe!

Apple Crisp

• 4 cups peeled and chopped cooking apples (I use golden delicious apples)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup flour

Place mixture of apples, cinnamon, salt, and water in a buttered pie baking dish. Mix remaining ingredients until crumbly and spread over apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream. Enjoy!

Poor Bailey!

Our poor little puppy got bitten by a spider last week! We took him to the animal hospital pretty quickly, so he's fine, but he can't stop licking his wound. The vet put this cone on his head today...he looks so pitiful! I must say, if I didn't feel so bad for him, I would think it looked pretty funny:

Bailey and Michael:
Hopefully he will only need it a couple of days...poor guy!

Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the Living Rooms Direct giveaway for these ADORABLE, preppy, and classy tumblers is....

JULES at Chic and Pink!

Congratulations, Jules! Please send me an email with your name and address to missyinpinkblog@gmail.com. Thanks for everyone who entered!

Rugs

I am obsessed with area rugs. I definitely think they MAKE a room. However, Michael and I STILL do not have an area rug for our living room or our dining room. Our house is all hardwoods, so we definitely need a good one and soon. What do you think of these guys?

Pottery Barn Bridget Rug

Dash and Albert Plain Tin Wool Micro Hooked Rug

Target Pale Topaz Antique Rug (this one would be for our dining room)

Obviously, I lean towards a more contemporary look. I cannot stand oriental rugs! I want something that looks really fresh and clean, rather then an antique, if that makes sense. Please share with me where you got your area rugs and what you think of these options!

No more wisdom tooth!

That's right, I no longer have my wisdom tooth! I only had one to begin with and I had it removed this morning. I'll be laying on the couch with some movies the rest of the afternoon! I've never had any dental work, I've never even had a cavity, so this was my first dental surgery experience. I'm here to tell you that wisdom teeth removal was easy as pie!

Have a great Thursday!

Giveaway!

I have something very exciting for my blog readers today - my very first GIVEAWAY!

Living Rooms Direct is an amazing site for modern and unique furniture and accessories. They have beautiful living room furniture with contemporary designs. I personally love their nonNeutral collection, which is where I found the item I'd like to giveaway to you, dear readers!

notNeutral Ribbon Highball Set

These glasses are so stylish, preppy, and unique - they are just my style. I absolutely love them! Here's what you have to do to entered to win:

Comment on this post. That's it! Giveaway runs through Monday, July 13th at noon. Good luck!

4th of July Recap

We had an amazing 4th of July weekend! Michael and I spent the weekend with my family in Atlanta, and we had a wonderful time catching up with our family and friends. Here is a recap in pictures (these first two pictures are NOT from the 4th!):

Michael's Mom brought us the amazing basket of fresh produce and bread from the local farmer's market!

Alyssa came to visit us last week! We had a good time at the Chattanooga Lookouts game:Michael and I at my family's annual 4th of July cookout:

Alyssa and I:

Michelle (looking so cute at 7 months pregnant) and Mrs. Southern Belle playing corn hole:

The yummy spread of food:

Festive cookies!

Hope you had a wonderful 4th of July. I have a fun giveaway coming tomorrow, so keep your eyes open!

I Love Target!

I absolutely LOVE Target! I took home these adorable finds today at Target...all so cheap!

Mossimo Black Mixed Fabric Dress - $24.99
Merona Printed Caftan - $26.99
Merona Pencil Skirt - Bittersweet Crosshatch - $24.99
Trust me, they are all WAY cuter in person. I can't wait to wear these little beauties!