Charleston, South Carolina - The City

I'm back. For now. I always forget how busy life gets in the summer. Blogging always falls to the bottom of the list. Between work, church, going to the gym, VBS, swimming lessons, weekend clinics, traveling to weddings, kids, husband, friends, etc., it is a miracle that I have any time to blog. At least that is what I tell myself. I gave myself a self-imposed blogging hiatus of sorts to just live life this summer.

***

Going back to what I had last blogged about... Charleston. The one thing that I wasn't expecting with Charleston was how amazing the architecture was. I love old cities with old architecture and fun places to explore.

What struck me the most was the abundance of churches in the city. I loved seeing the skyline dotted with steeples and walking through the cemeteries that date back into the 1700s.

 The moss hanging from the trees reminds me of Savannah...

The Gullah people (descendants of slaves who settled in the coastal regions in South Carolina) make sweetgrass baskets in the market. They are beautiful and quite pricey. Gorgeous, but too rich for my blood!

Charleston is a very walkable town, which means you definitely need comfortable shoes to get around. Which means I was dog tired after several days of walking. Next time I go, I will probably take one of the horse drawn carriage tours to save my feet for a bit.

All in all, Charleston is a lovely city that deserves all kinds of adulation for its food, fashion and ambience!

 

Charleston, South Carolina - Or the City Where Preppy Casual Came to Live

There comes a point in your 30's after you have had kids and been married for a while where you find yourself visiting the same cities over and over again whenever you have some time off. It may be the city where you grew up. It may be where you went to college or grad school. Or perhaps the town you always go for business trips or where your family always takes a summer vacation the second week of July.

While familiarity is great, every once in a while you get to explore a city for the first time and experience the rush of getting lost in a town, maybe accidentally wandering into a sketchy neighborhood or even stumbling across a great local dive bar with awesome live music. I got the chance to get lost in a city for the first time in FOERVER by myself (sans kids and sans husband) when I went to Charleston, South Carolina for a bachelorette weekend. Although it seems silly to call it a bachelorette weekend when we were all in our thirties, well established in our careers for years now, but whatever. It was a beautiful weekend.

Charleston is the perfect city for a grown-up girls' weekend or a couple's getaway. In the summer, the heat can be oppressive, but the proximity to beaches, amazing food and Southern hospitality go a long way into making this a city I will want to visit again.

To start with, you must dress the part in Charleston. People seemed to dress super preppy, from young to old. I loved seeing older couples in seersucker shorts and gingham dresses. I ran into a girl in a grocery store in the historic district who was dresed like page 26 of the most recent J.Crew catalog. Head to toe.

We had a J.Crew moment.

Here are some of my fashion moments...

An orange Kate Spade (a present to myself from last year) with my orange for breakfast.

J.Crew brown seersucker dress from 2009

Banana Republic necklace

Target leopard print flats

Note: Charleston women tend to be dressy from what I observed. Cute, preppy dresses with sandals or espadrilles seemed to be the dress code. Men would do well in seersucker or brightly colored shorts and short sleeved cotton button-down shirts or casually rolled up sleeves of a dress shirt. And almost every guy had sunglasses on a strap around their neck. Seriously like J.Crew and Vineyard Vines had an illegitimate love child. 

A breezy print dress that I bought from a local Charleston boutique (Scout and Molly's). So comfortable.

Besides J.Crew, another popular retailer here was Lilly Pulitzer. I saw these cute LP paper dolls for girls in a store located on King Street.

Of course we had a spa day while we were there, which meant that I had to try out some fun/trendy pastel summer shades.

Tomorrow, tune in for some of my food recommendations. The food in Charleston is unbelievable.

If you've been to Charleston, what was your impression of the city? Or do you have any other travel recommendations for an great city to visit?

Sometimes, It's All About the Shoes

Here is a teaser picture for next week's posts. Guess where I was this past week? And those fun, sparkly shoes were the start of one fabulous summer outfit! Sometimes, I have no idea what I am going to wear but somehow, I always know what shoes will be making an appearance.

Post your guesses below!

July 4th Rundown

Hey guys! I am back from a small break from blogging after having an insane week last week. We had about 70 adults and kids over to our house for the 4th (I'm crazy, I know) as well as had some dear friends from Pittsburgh visiting us for the holiday. I was completely bushed! Of course, I didn't get nearly enough pictures from the festivities, but it was a lot of fun!

My friend Michelle bought our girls coordinating dresses. They have been BFFs since they were babies, were in the same day care for a short time and they are seriously the exact same child in separate bodies, down to the precocious vocabulary and whining asking for their parents' attention.

 Lands' End Dresses

Gymboree headbands

You should have seen the spread of food! We provided burgers and hotdogs and drinks and our guests pitched in some sides and desserts. Much thanks to Michelle for helping me prep stuff for the cookout. By far the least stressful party prep I've ever done! We ate well...

 Pioneer Woman Macaroni and Cheese (a complete winner!)

May have eaten entirely too much of this...

 Kaya (a restaurant in Pittsburgh) Black Bean dip

We hung out with friends...

Fell in love with some babies (he is seriously the most happy baby in the world even if he does screech like a nazgul...)

 Tried (unsuccessfully) to talk the girls out of wearing princess outfits 24/7 (including while watching our neighbors shoot off M-80s next door)...

We may have had some glow necklaces...

Gone to the pool...

 Lands' End swimsuit

J.Crew earrings

Told someone's kid that "your face may freeze like that"...

And generally had more fun than my little old body can handle. Still trying to recover from the sheer amount of food and sun we experienced last week.

How about you guys? How was your July 4th holiday?

The Red Porch

The screened-in porch is one of my favorite things about our house. Nashville was invaded by cicadas earlier in the spring and between those and the mosquitoes, the porch is a favorite hangout for our family. It has also become a favorite place to hang out with friends as well. A cool breeze, a glass of wine or iced tea and some candles are all you need back there.

We used a leftover pieces from the house and weather resistant items back here, since I didn't want to worry about things that are exposed to the elements. That rug was going to be Craigslisted, but I decided against it since the pops of red in the carpet go with the other red accents in the porch.

Vintage star that I got at Three French Hens in Nolensville, TN (just south of Nashville). I spray painted it red to go with the other red accessories on the porch.

These wicker chairs are from Home Goods, as are the red striped cushions and table. The red tray is a Target holiday clearance item.

I love having fresh hydrangeas behind my house. So pretty.

This table had been my coffee table since med school. It was too small for use inside, so I booted it outside, where the scale works much better. I got it for $20 year ago from another student who was graduating. The vintage Pepsi crate is from Pottery Barn. It is perfect for holding utensils, drinking glasses or flowers.

I have similar clusters of candles IKEA candles in a mishmash of mason jars and vasesscattered around the porch. A great use of leftover wedding candles. However, I need to figure out what to use this corner and little wrought iron shelf thingy for. Maybe some plants? An outdoor serving station?

The rocking chair, generously left behind by the previous owners.

Basket o' fun. I originally bought this basket at Home Goods and didn't realize that it smells like wet feet. It got moved outside and now holds our soccer stuff, water guns, bug spray and sunscreen.

So that's my porch. I will try and get some decent nighttime candlelit pictures soon.

What do you think? Any suggestions?

Grilled Corn: A Summer Favorite

I had mentioned in my sangria post a few days ago that one of my favorite things about summer is grilled corn. I grew up doing corn in a big pot of boiling water - good but not nearly as great as corn on the grill. Here is how we do it at Chez Drama.

Start off with fresh corn on the cob.

Make sure you have butter and aluminum foil on hand. If you don't want to use butter, use a little olive oil instead.

And my version of "House Seasoning" (original version by Paula Deen). I use this on everything as a general seasoning. It is 1 part black pepper, 1 part garlic powder and 2 parts kosher salt. I use an old spice jar to store it.

Get your favorite loved one to remove the husks and cornsilk.

Place corn on a sheet of aluminum foil.

Rub it with butter. Feel free to sing a Marvin Gaye or Barry White song while you do.

Sprinkle corn with a 1/2 teaspoon of house seasoning.

Wrap the cobs in foil and grill on medium-high heat for 10 to 12 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!

This will definitely be making an appearance at our upcoming July 4th cookout. Have you ever done corn on the grill? If not, what is your favorite thing to cook on the grill?

What's Going On...

I am going to try and be a really good blogger, but life is super busy right now. On my agenda in the upcoming weeks...

• Switching to electronic medical records at work (currently giving me nightmares)
• Planning a superhero birthday party for a friend's son
• Social media and marketing conference in Asheville, NC
• Hosting one of my best friends and her awesome family for July 4th weekend
• Throwing a shindig for 40-50 of my nearest and dearest on July 4th weekend
• Collapsing in exhaustion on July 5th
• Flying up to DC to meet my new nephew
• Going to the swimming pool every afternoon
• Going to San Diego for my med school roommate's wedding (it is a three-day long Indian wedding and we are PUMPED!)
• Gearing up for the back to school rush at work with all of the last minute school and sports physicals
• Working on stuff around the house
• Switching the blog to Wordpress courtesy of Purr Design 
• et cetera, et cetera, et cetera...

So if posting is spotty, it's because I am out living life this summer!

What are your big summer plans?

Summer Sangria (Back by Popular Demand)

I had mentioned the crazy hot weather we have had in Nashville recently. I think we are going on three weeks without rain and daily temps in the upper 90's. But I love summer. I always have, and probably always will. Here's what I love:

• Screened-in porches (mine has become a hangout for several of my friends)
• The smell of sunscreen and late afternoons at the pool
• Grilling for dinner, especially grilled corn or teriyaki anything
• Fresh fruits and vegetables that actually taste good
• An icy cold beverage like fruit tea (my friend's great recipe here) or sangria

I am generally a red wine drinker when I partake. But it in the summer, I love my whites, especially in my summer sangria. My favorite varietals to use for this recipe are Pinot Grigio, Gewürztraminer or Riesling, which are all on the more fruity end of the white wine spectrum.

And this is not a hard and fast recipe. If you have only berries, go with that. If you only have peaches and apricots, by all means - you are allowed.

Summer sangria

• 750 mL bottle of white wine - I like Pinot Grigio
• 2 cups of white grape juice or white cranberry juice or white grape-peach or whatever
• A couple shots of peach schnapps (optional)
• Sliced summer fruit of your choice - really good summer peaches, blackberries and raspberries are really pretty with this
• Club soda to taste
• 3 cups of ice

Mix in a pitcher with lots of ice and garnish glasses with a peach.

***

The beauty of sangria is that it is a very forgiving sort of drink. If you want to make it stronger, you can toss in a 1/2 cup of brandy, Cointreau or triple sec without messing it up. Also, for entertaining purposes (if you have the self control) you can let it sit in the fridge for a few hours up to overnight so that all of the flavors can really blend together. Of course, in our house this would be gone in no time. Just saying.

What is your favorite thing to drink to cool off in the summer? Are you a sangria fan? Chime in!

Bathing Suit Season

There was a time in my life where I actually enjoyed bathing suit shopping. It was a brief period in my early twenties when I still had a six pack and no cellulite. Alas, those days are over. I could work harder at it, but you know... carbs. Red wine. Anyhow, we have been in full-on swimming weather in Nashville for about 3-4 weeks (every single day in the high 90's) and I realized that my twenty-something swim wardrobe was needing a more age appropriate makeover. Read: most of the suits were about 2 sizes too small.

I have officially moved to the dreaded "Mom Zone" of swimsuit requirements: a) It has to be comfortable enough to carry an armload of pool toys (gone are the days of my iPod and a chick-lit novel) and chase small people, b) somewhat more modest than I would have done several years ago and c) forgiving enough to hide those jiggly bits (we all have some body insecurities). But who says you have to sacrifice style for function?

To be sure, I will still hold on to a few of the more modest bikinis that I have for beach vacations, but here is what I recently purchased from Lands' End to wear to our local pool. It can be a bit nerve-wracking to have half of your co-workers, Zumba class and church friends see you in your swimsuit! Sorry, J.Crew, the suits with minimal support (I have had a kid, yo... Throw a sister some underwire, at least!) and even less lining didn't make the cut this year!

First up, a tankini and folder-over boy shorts in Dandelion from Lands' End Canvas. Tankinis often get a bad rap, but let's be honest, most of us have a little something-something that you would like to keep covered up. Unless you like sucking in your belly the entire time you are at the pool. I think a happy color helps keep this from being too boring. And I love boy shorts - preventing wedgie action is key.

I love this ruffle-y Sweetheart tunic and bottom. The little skirt and ruching are cute without being too prim.

And who says the top and bottom have to match? Here is how I am planning on adding some interest to a plain black top with a polka dot set of briefs (for $9.99 - awesome deal!).

 And finally, a one piece halter (my favorite swimsuit neckline) with a sleek little open back.

Lands' End is a great resource for swimwear, especially with their "No Hassles" return policy. What about you? Are you overdue for a swimsuit makeover or have you managed to update your swimwear as your body changes? Do you have any other fail-safe options for swimsuits?