Is Winter Coming? and Other Fun Finds

Hi everyone!

Blogging all the time is much harder than I thought, so I'm going to try harder in the New Year and give a round up of my favorite finds over the past few months!  PS.  I can't believe it's going to be 75 on Christmas here in NC!  Craziness!

1. Standard Foods

I went here with some good friends last week and was super impressed!  Part grocery store, part hopping bar, part cute sit down dinner restaurant.  Super local and great service, I definitely recommend!

 

 

2. The Southern Weddings V8 Launch Party at the Carolina Inn

Y'all these ladies know how to throw a party!  I grabbed my cousin and we went and visited with some sweet folks, jumped in the photo booth and ate some delicious food!  Below are some fuzzy iPhone pics that don't do it justice, but they have some high res ones on their blog!

 

 

3. Scott's Tree Farm


This year we went down to the corner in Woodcroft and picked out our live Christmas tree!  In my opinion it is our best one!  It was definitely 75 degrees out when we were picking it, which just seems wrong haha.  Love supporting these local businesses though and we will definitely be back!

 

 

4. Marc Jacobs Beauty #velvetnoir

 

 

Loving this new mascara!  Great applicator and great coverage to pump up the volume on my lashes, just in time for the holidays!  I received the product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes and they have found me my new favorite mascara!

 

 

 

 

5. Pups and Pints at House of Hops

 

Such a cute dog friendly bar and dog friendly event that I met up with my friend Maribeth for!  They have a photo booth set up and free beer courtesy of Dog Diggity Daycare!

 

 

That's all for now!  I hope everyone enjoys their holiday and hopefully has some days off!

 

Xoxo, Christie

 





 

 

 

 

 

Fall Favorites

Hey y'all!

Hope everyone has started to enjoy the cooler temps!  I know I love when it is 75 and sunny the most, so I'm soaking it all in!  It's been a while, so I figured it was time for an update for some new fun places I've tried!

1. Flywheel Raleigh

I started working out with my friend (and now Beachbody Coach) before we moved to PA, so when we moved back I had been itching to work out with her again!  We decided to go to a Flywheel class, and I was not disappointed!  Everything was very clean and streamlined, they had lockers to put your stuff in and you were helped to your seat and set up if needed!  Your first class is free, so try it!

 



2. The Blistered Pig Smokehouse

My friend Nichole and I ventured downtown for a handlettering class from All She Wrote Notes and noticed that this place was right beside where we were taking the class at Moon & Lola.  We stopped in and had a delicious dinner!  The barbecue was on point and I will definitely be back here the next time we venture to downtown Apex!

3. Lomo Market

My Mom was in search of gluten free bread during one of her visits to Raleigh and the only place I could really find that sold loaves of it was at the Lomo Market!  It is such a cool idea.  They have a mobile local food truck of sorts!  It is stocked with produce, specialty breads, pasta, milk, all the essentials!   They travel around to five different places around the Triangle everyday, so they should be convenient to you or you can reserve different products to pick up on any day of the week!

4. Lake Lynn Trail

This is my new favorite walking trail!  I got a big group together to go walking on a long weekend and this was the perfect place!  Matlock got to swim a little and it is a 2 mile loop, which to me is a great distance.  There are beautiful views from all around the lake and it is dog friendly!  I'm actually headed here again today!

 

 

5. Raleigh Brewing Company

After our walk around the lake we decided we earned some beers and headed over to Raleigh Brewing.  I enjoyed a flight and actually really liked all of the ones I tried.  They had a good area outside to have all the dogs chill while we had a beer.  Very dog friendly bar!

 

 

6. Eve Carson Memorial 5K

I finally got to be a part of this run this year and I was so glad I went.  It poured the morning of the run, but that didn't stop hundreds of people from participating.  Please sign up with me next year!

7. #YSLBlackOpium

I received a new fragrance in the mail from Influenster to try!  In my opinion it is the perfect fall scent with notes of coffee and vanilla!  I can't wait to wear it to Noel's birthday dinner to switch it up a little from my usual Marc Jabob's Daisy scent!  Have any of you tried it?

8. Harvest 18

My friend Lauren was in town from NYC so that gave me an excuse to try all the restaurants I've been meaning to go to!  This one has been on the list and I have to tell you that I was blown away with the food and service!  We sat in a huge comfy booth and the server and manager were incredibly attentive!  I got the short rib lettuce wraps and a salad and the wraps were the best meal I've had all year!  Definitely a five star meal all around our table!  We'll be back!

9. Perkins Orchard

This place is a hidden gem!  While my friends were in town, I was feeling fall and had them go here with me even though it started raining.  The owner was charming and very helpful!  They have $5 bags of apples and so much produce for lower prices than you will find at the grocery store!  I picked up a pumpkin while I was there and can't wait to decorate our house some more!

10. Rise

This place has been the talk of the town!  Noel and I were out at Petco the other day and saw the line was wrapped around the store, so I went with my friends on more of an off peak time!  My friends both got biscuits and a beet donut and said they were all delicious!  (I was on the 21 day fix so I am indulging at a later date!)

Hope everyone has a great week!  Let me know if you know of any places that should be on my must try list!

Xoxo,
Christie

New Found Favorites!

Hi Everyone!

I don't have as many pictures today, but I have some new reviews on fun new places!

1. Mattie B's Public House

My cousin and I went here for dinner one night and I knew I would have to bring my husband back.  They have loaded chips to die for.  Along with a large draft and cider list.  Neither disappointed.  I got a pimento cheese grilled cheese the first visit with caramelized onions that was super yum.  It's tucked away in a shopping area, but you seriously need to check it out!

2. Growler Grlz

This is the new hot spot in my part of Durham.  I went by one night to replenish the beer around our house and was blown away.  They have 40, that's right 40 beers on tap at any given time and have them separated by type by color.  They also let you sample to help you choose.  I ended up with a 32 oz growler of a cool cucumber beer.  Out back they have some tents and chairs if you want to just relax and have a pint!

3. La Farm Bakery

Many of our friends live in the Raleigh area, so we are always looking for half way points.  La Farm Bakery is a gem in Cary that seems to fit that bill.  This bakery was down the street from the first job I had out of college, so I had been there a few times before they expanded.  They are now a hot spot for brunch and twice as large as they were!  We all enjoyed our food thoroughly and I got egg and spinach on top of their homemade sourdough bread with potatoes and fruit.  Yum!

4. Wine and Design Durham

My cousin and I did this one night at their new location and we had so much fun!  We had a great artist lead us through and there was plenty of space in our class.  They had a groupon for this location for a while and I hope they do one again soon!

5. The Roost at Fearrington Village

Southern Weddings had their "Fruitful Summer" meet up at the Roost at Fearrington Village last week.  It was so much fun and the perfect space to gather together.  They have so many tables set up outside and live music.  My friends and I got some pizzas and were blown away by the freshness.  These are fire roasted, made to order pizzas.  I got one with peaches, goat cheese, arugula and honey.  It was such a fun combo and delicious.  Plus the painted cows!

 

 



6. Benelux Coffee

For the first Fruitful Summer meet up that I referenced in #5 a group of us that were looking to create new connections and friends met at Benelux Coffee in Cameron Village.  When I moved to PA three years ago this whole string of shops and restaurants weren't even open yet!  I was pleasantly surprised by Benelux.  You walk in to a large mural made of coffee beans and you get that local hometown feel instantly, which I love!  I got a dirty chai latte and a nutella and banana muffin, both of which were great.  They also have a raw juice machine you can order from!

7. Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Blur Primer and Blur Perfector

Influenster sent me the #YSLToucheEclat Blur Primer and Blur Perfector to try out.  Y'all this is some of the most beautiful packaging that I've ever seen, let alone the actual product.  I have super oily skin, so I am always looking for a way to not look so shiny in pictures.  This new product may be the answer.  The primer works great and has small flecks of gold in it, so you know I'll all about that illumination.  The blur perfector is the magic though, it sets my makeup and helps to mattify when I start to get shiny.

8.  North Carolina Museum of Art

My husband and I, along with some of my new Fruitful Summer friends went to one of the NCMA Summer movies series movies last Friday night and saw To Kill and Mockingbird.  I love that Raleigh offers this to create a sense of community, where hundreds of people come together to watch a movie and bring their chairs and blankets and a picnic to share.  All of this for $5 entry.  We hope to go to at least a few more before the end of the summer and hopefully it will be a little cooler!

 

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer and I'll be back soon with some more favorites!

 

xoxo, Christie

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