We haven’t been on as many weekend getaways lately. We are trying to save for a substantial summer vacation overseas which means less travel during the academic year. (Any other former teachers think in school years or is that just me?) Last weekend, Chris decided we needed to get out of town and I wholeheartedly…
Fall at This Monty House
Every year, my Facebook feed is full of individuals trying to squash early seasonal decorator’s joy. In the immortal words of Lee Greenwood, “I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free!” We can’t let the naysayers keep us from decorating our own houses whenever we feel like it (insert Patrick…
Green Tops
The Story A Facebook friend recommended Green Tops as a new spot to try. They raved about the freshness of the food and I added it to our list. One Thursday we decided to give it a try. Green Tops is located where the old Bikas Drive-In was formerly located for many years. The Service…
Universal Joint
The Story Chris and I have wanted to try Universal Joint for a while. I’d heard really good things about their burgers from several friends. We went on a weekday evening and it was fairly empty. The main problem with the restaurant is the lack of parking in the back. We had tried to go…
Kitchen Sync
The Story The husband and I are always forcing ourselves to go to new restaurants that we haven’t tried yet. Sometimes it turns out well but sometimes they are a dud. One Friday as we were racking our brains about where to try next, we landed on a restaurant that we had passed many times…
Molly and Myles Ice Cream
Molly and Myles definitely caters to a younger demographic with its Avengers covered walls, bright primary colors, nontraditional decor (toilet seats with emerging characters, fidget spinners, Pez dispensers, etc.), and abundance of toys and board games.
A Few of My Favorite Things 2.0
When something is good (ex. Albanese gummy bears), you feel the need to tell everyone about it even if they don’t ask. Here is a non-exhaustive list of my current favorite things. Let me know if you have good suggestions of items to potentially include in future posts. Eye Buy Direct Glasses I like to…
Vic’s on the River (Savannah, GA)
The Story For our fifth anniversary dinner, Chris booked a dinner cruise on The Georgia Queen, the popular riverboat that sails past River Street in Savannah, Georgia, each night. We had seen it on our honeymoon five years earlier and remembered it looking like a fun experience so Chris bought tickets ahead of time. The…
Wannabe Plant Lady Chronicles Pt. 2: The Big Reveal
I wrote about my Wannabe Plant Lady Chronicles back in May. You can see my original post here. The bulbs and seeds we got from Lowe’s said they were foolproof which was reassuring. Instructions on the packs were pretty straightforward-dig a hole, plant the burbs/spread the seed, water and wait 60 days. It was fun…
Eating Our Way Through Greenville: Kustom Krust (Greer, SC)
There are a lot of new eateries in Greer especially near the new Lowes Foods store. One Friday night, we decided to check out Kustom Krust. We were not disappointed! Usually our favorite pizza places (in no particular order) are Tito‘s, Toss Pizza Pub and Sidewall. Kustom Krust has a different set up-there is a…
Eating Our Way Through Greenville: Top 3 Cold Treat Spots
A Sunday night snack was a longstanding childhood tradition. After church, we’d pile into our wood paneled Dodge Caravan (didn’t everyone have one of those at some point?) and head to McDonald’s for gigantic vanilla cones and salty fries. Traditions die hard so now Chris and I find ourselves looking forward to an after church treat each week. Our current favorite spots are below.
Roots: The $30 Challenge
Everyone has a set number (a.k.a the number that they don’t want to go over for a specific purchase ) in their head when they go shopping. When Chris and I entered Roots on Augusta, we were informed that they had a $10 off a purchase of $50 or more special. If I was arranging…
Wannabe Plant Lady Chronicles Pt. 1
Sometimes you are convinced that you must have done a particular thing at some point in your life but then you are confronted with reality that you didn’t when you actually attempt said thing. I thought I had planted flowers before but apparently not. Ever since I was a child, I’ve always liked flowers-drawing them,…
Weekend Travels: Stumphouse Tunnel and Issaqueena Falls
Who says “let’s go to Walhalla this weekend?” Apparently, my husband is on a quest to drive to every random spot in the Georgia and the Carolina’s.
Buttermilk Sky Pie
We want to try other flavors. For a church or family event, I’ll probably grab an Edwards pie from Walmart but for presentation or personal use I’d definitely pick up one of these treats.
Monkey Wrench Smokehouse (Travelers Rest, SC)
It was a rainy Friday night and per usual we were taking turns shooting down each other’s restaurant choices. Lately, we have been going to spots in Greer and Travelers Rest to avoid trying to find parking in downtown Greenville.
Crawl Space Finds
When I saw the bucket of glass pieces, he told me what they were and I immediately saw the potential for inclusion on my kitchen shelf.
Eating Our Way Through Greenville: Guacamole
My mystery salsa was good but it was like playing salsa roulette there for a minute.
Rick Erwin’s EastEnd
(2017 Valentine’s Day Post) February is an insanely busy month for us so Chris ended up making reservations at Rick Erwins for 9:00 PM. It seemed like a good idea at the time but within a few minutes of being seated we both hit a wall (figuratively of course). We have since given up on…
Weekend Finds
My last favorite things post proved to be pretty popular so here’s another one. If it ain’t broke… The best part of January is spending Christmas gift cards. As my dad says it’s like I have “money burning in my pockets” until I spend them. Even he admitted that there was a lot more in…
Select
Like most Friday nights, we get to the end of the week and want to go out to eat but struggle with where to go. Do we revert to the tried and true favorite?
Weekend Travels: Clayton + Dahlonega, Georgia
As with most of our weekend trips, this one started out with Chris asking if I wanted to go to (insert random spot). Chris likes to travel anywhere he hasn’t been yet and I like to take pictures of everything which works out well. Clayton Clayton was a charming town. It was a typical small…
Hampton Station: A Review
If ever there were a yuppie paradise in #YeahThatGreenville then Hampton Station is it.
Meet the Plants
I am slowly becoming a plant lady. This mostly due to my love of color and fear of commitment.
Sarabeths at Central Park: New York City
My original dream was to eat brunch at The Plaza. After a quick look at the $100+ menu, I decided that selling my firstborn wasn’t an option.
When Life Gives You a Magnolia Branch…
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade and when a snowstorm gives you a magnolia branch you add it to your decorations.
A French Blue Christmas: 2019 Edition
I like to switch things up when it comes to holiday decor. Of course, the traditional ornaments are worked in along with past decorations but I like to challenge myself. This year, my inspiration came from a set of Wedgwood plates that I scored for $5 at a yard sale last year. Inspiration After starting…
Making It: Decorating Christmas Ornaments
Question: Why make ornaments when there are a bajillion in every store? Answer: Because it is fun and relaxing! As with most good ideas, I started on Pinterest. After settling on trying my hand at gold foiled ornaments and reading a few blogs, it was off to the store to buy the needed supplies. Generally,…
Grilling @ #ThisMontyHouse: Photo Gallery
Before we were married, Chris would talk about cooking. After we got married, I discovered that he meant grilling. After we figured that out, things made more sense. He found an in-the-box grill on Facebook marketplace for $25. Since there are only two of us, a small grill works fine. My Dad makes legendary ribs…
Weekend Travels: Blowing Rock, North Carolina
Our general plan was to get in the car and drove north through the North Mountains to go leaf peeping and visit a few sites. The line of cars to go on the suspended bridge at Grandfather Mountain went on for days so we called an audible and continued on to Blowing Rock. We had…
Urban Petals: The Grand Opening
The world is getting smaller every day! Apparently, one of my college friend’s sister-in-law suggested I visit her cousin’s new flower and lifestyle boutique , Urban Petals, in Greer. Shopping and flowers are two of my favorite things as my longsuffering husband can attest. After the recommendation, I followed the store on Instagram. Anna Stouffer’s,…
Arranging for Church Anniversary
As the daughter of a pastor, I try to make it back home for church anniversary every year if at all possible. It’s a family tradition. Now that I am back in the South, I can attend in person instead of just sending an altar arrangement. Typically, the banquet theme is fall colors. I wanted…
A Few of My Favorite Things
Here are a few of my current obsessions. Feel free to share your favorites in the comments! Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Firebird I’m usually more of a gloss girl-think Nars or Bare Minerals-but last year my sister showed me this lipstick and I was hooked. A pop of color can go a long way….
Fall for Greenville: A Review
Fall for Greenville, one of the largest food festivals in the Southeast, is one of the highlights of our year.They have 5 or 6 music stages but we go for the food. We have been back in the South for four years. Some years we don’t make it due to our work schedules but this…
Cornerstone Minerals: A Review
I like rocks and gemstones. Always have. When I was younger, I collected them. Even as an adult, I would get little bags of rocks from the Smithsonian during Chris and I’s trips to the Museum of Natural History. #nerdstatus Basically, I like pretty things and rocks/minerals have always fascinated me. I had a book…
Saturdays in the South: College Football Game Tips
My sister decided to surprise my brother-in-law, an Alabama football fan, with a getaway weekend trip to watch the Crimson Tide play. They have a “don’t-check-the-account-near-your-birthday” pact which is the only way to pull this kind of surprise off. She asked Chris and I to drive down and we were happy to oblige. Neither one…
Roots: An Urban Gardener’s Oasis
Chris and I are very different people but we find that we can agree on plant purchases. We are on the hunt right now for plants + bushes to landscape the front yard. We have been to over a dozen plant nurseries in the Upstate to get ideas. While on that quest, we discovered Roots:…
It’s Fall, Y’all!
This whole decorate for every holiday scheme is suspect but I’m here for it. I like having an excuse to change things up around our tiny house. The goal is to keep it fresh without breaking the bank. Since last year was our first in #thismontyhouse, we bought a good bit of decor. Going forward,…
Post Event Flower Challenge
My thoughtful husband brought me a centerpiece from a side job that he worked one weekend. He knows how much I LOVE flowers and saving himself money at the same time. The centerpiece consisted of baby pink hydrangea, blood-red roses, deep garnet carnations, bright white baby’s breath and icy green eucalyptus. Bright red and pink…
The Village of West Greenville
As the kids say the Village of West Greenville is popping. There are over a dozen new businesses on the main street. In between being called in to work one Saturday, Chris and I decided to check out the area to see what all the buzz was about. Two of my favorite things are eating…
Flowers for Days
I’ve always been obsessed with flowers-drawing them, buying them, photographing them, etc. One of the reasons, I enjoyed living in Hawaii so much was the abundance of gorgeous blooms. Fuchsia Bougainvillea on the church steps, red and yellow hibiscus outside my classroom, pink tinged plumeria lining the sidewalks, and stark white gardenia in the neighbor’s…
Jianna
I’ve been “dying” to eat at this restaurant since I read about the concept. Fresh, simple, Italian fare made from scratch in a great venue in the heart of downtown Greenville. We tried to go a few times before but tried to make reservations too late both times. The upscale eatery is located above lululemon…
Founding Farmers (Washington, DC)
We ended the Great Northeastern Trek in DC. The DC leg of the trip was relatively unplanned in comparison to the rest of our vacation. I lived in DC for almost four years and Chris had visited me there several times so navigating the city was a breeze. Our main goal was to visit a…
Review: One Backpack Challenge (aka The Great Northeastern Trek)
We did it. We took a seven day trip (Boston, MA; Portsmouth, NH; Newport, RI; New Haven, CT; NYC, Havre de Grace, MD; and Washington, DC) and each carried only one book bag + a small crossbody purse (not Chris, me). This trip came together in about a month. The plan was to visit some…
Weekend Travels: Aiken, South Carolina and Hopeland Gardens
Last Saturday, Chris wanted to check out Aiken, South Carolina last weekend so off we went. We didn’t have any particular plans except that we had to eat somewhere local. There was basically one wide main street with shopping on either side and a side alley with restaurants and an art gallery. Because of their…
Flower Bar:Mother’s Day Edition
I love flowers. I love my Mom. Combining the two seemed like a great idea since she shares my love for flowers. Statice Floral decided to hold their second Open Market and Flower Bar at the L by Larkin’s on East Broad Street. The first event was held in the mill by the main Larkin’s…
Weekend Travels: Charleston and the Lowcountry
Chris wanted to get out-of-town for the weekend. We debated between Wilmington, NC and Charleston, SC throughout the week. We (I) settled on Charleston because I love the city and we have went in August (What were we thinking?) in the past. The weather was beautiful-sunny, cool, and clear skies. I don’t know why we…
DIY: Making a Mantlepiece
I grew up in a century old house that had several fireplaces. To me, that’s a standard room feature even if there is no actual fire in it. My husband might not agree about the fire part since he’s a Midwest guy who is partial to logs on the fire. Last year, craftsmen at my…
