August Sponsor Spotlight

I've got some of the loveliest lovelies for y'all to "meet" and get to know today...

Name: Elizabeth Burns

Blog: That's Mrs. Burns To You 

CURRENTLY...

LOVING: She Reads Truth App, I use it every day!

CRAVING: An iced hazelnut latte

READING: "The Cuckoo's Calling" by Robert Galbraith a.k.a JK Rowling

SINGING IN MY HEAD: "Multiplied" by NEEDTOBREATHE

MISSING: My college besties

CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF: My nieces and their giggles - simply the best!

Connect with Elizabeth

Twitter // Bloglovin' // Pinterest

 

 

Name: Lizzie

Blog: Lizzie Somerset

CURRENTLY...

LOVING: Dalit Candles, beautiful candles by the Dalit people in India showing that Jesus sees even those people who others consider 'unseen'

CRAVING: Phileas Fogg American Bubble Chips, they're amazing as a snack to take to a movie night

READING: I have 3 books on the go at any one time. At the moment I'm reading; Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers, Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis & French Children don't throw Food by Pamela Druckerman

SINGING IN MY HEAD: Happy by Pharrell Williams

MISSING: The Cornish sea air! Cornwall is my favourite county, apart from Somerset of course.

CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF: My daughters curls, I stick my face into her neck & close my eyes. Sweet Bea is 17 months old & totally gorgeous! I love my babies!

 

Connect with Lizzie

Twitter // Instagram // Facebook

 

Name: Ashley
Blog: Sweet Carolina Belle 

CURRENTLY... 

LOVING: Snapper snacks. Oh my goodness, these sweet treats are an indulgent combination of pretzels, caramel and milk chocolate. You can pick up a pack at Costco to share with very lucky friends.

CRAVING: I am craving time on the boat at Wrightsville Beach soaking up the sunshine. I grew up on the coast of North Carolina and just moved away this year. Looking forward to enjoying one last beach trip over Labor Day weekend.

READING: Love & Treasure by Ayelet Waldman. THe novel set at the end of World War II focuses on a crew of American soldiers that come across a fortune of riches.

SINGING IN MY HEAD: Taylor Swift's new song "Shake it Off." The music video is amazing! I also believe that she stole some of my sweet dance moves.

MISSING: Italy. We took a trip to the Mediterranean in June and I am longing for the blue shores of the Amalfi coast and an indulgent cup of sweet gelato.

CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF: Our sweet pup Charlie. The dog is spoiled beyond belief and enjoys cuddling each night while watching TV. Heavens knows what we will do when we have a child.

Connect with Ashley

Bloglovin' // Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Pinterest

 

Cheers to these women!

 

Pop on over and visit Nina -- because what girl doesn't love flowers in her hair? :) 

Storyteller [Guest Post]

Storytelling is no joke. Maybe that seems like an obvious thing to write as a blogger, on a blog, for many other bloggers to read (I promise not to overuse the word blog or blogger) but I am learning it is not as obvious as one would think. It certainly wasn't to me. I love recipes and outfits of the day. I love myself a DIY project and hearing and writing about life. You will find all these things on my blog and I love reading about them on so many other blogs as well. Please hear that first. And that won't change either.

 

Recently, I shared a story, a hard story, a story that had every muscle in my body tense and coiled as I hit publish. Even now, I am forcing myself to write it here instead of pushing links at you: I was in a physically and sexually abusive relationship for nearly two years with a boy/man who went to church, prayed with me, fought for purity with me, and loved Jesus. I know so many of those things seem contradictory (that is because they are contradictory) and yet this is my story. (You can read more here: part i, part ii, part iii, part iv because that is not what this guest post is about.) This is about you and your story. (I can't help loving stories, even the hard ones; I'm a writer.)

 

You have a story and I have more. These are hard stories and funny stories and complicated stories. Sometimes they are isolating stories. We feel like we must be the only ones. We are not. As soon as I told my story, women came forward (too many) and I felt broken hearted at their stories and bound up all at once. And now God is moving in my heart and life in crazy ways in that area but also when it comes to stories. I've written novels hidden on my computer. Now I am being pushed (Oh, Lord how you graciously you push sometimes) to write stories, my stories, pushed to write them down for others to someday read. I'm terrified yet determined to be brave.

 

Stories are powerful and if you're reading this, you have a platform and your experiences are valid. It's not just your blog, either. It's your life. Your work. Your neighbors. These are all platforms you have been given and entrusted with and your experiences are part of a much larger tapestry if you allow them to be. If you allow them to be. In my case, the story I've recently shared is difficult but it is one of God's healing and continued restoration and redemption. That is really the most important part of the story. And let's be honest, Jesus values stories a great deal.

 

I dearly love this community. Be brave, ladies. Be free in Christ and be brave. Stop on over the blog and use the code ballerina for 20% off any ad space. Also there is a raffle going on from this month's sponsors for some lovely Kate Spade earrings. Thanks for this this time, Elise. You are incredibly supportive and a joy.

 Love,

  

 Bloglovin' | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Jetsetting

Via

Morning, dolls! I'm wrapping up my summer in style...in New Orleans to be exact!

[You can read about my last trip here...that's where the above pic is from!]

I'll be spending the rest of this week with my bffie from growing up, Ashley. 

Then the long weekend will be filled with Nicole's bachelorette festivities. WOOHOO!

 

Some other lovely ladies will be gracing the blog while I'm gone...so I'll see y'all in September! (!!!)

Want to follow along with me in the meantime? You can find me here on Insta!

Cheers to this last bit of summer!

 

Pop on over and visit Nina -- because what girl doesn't love flowers in her hair? :) 

Pure | Clear | Genuine

Going into a fresh week (& the last week of August!), this is my prayer...

 

Via

 

Let thy Word fill me with

a pure heart,

a clear conscience,

a genuine faith.

Amen!

It's as simple as that today. :) 

 

Happy Monday! Hugging you!!

 

Pop on over and visit Nina -- because what girl doesn't love flowers in her hair? :) 

Family Time

 On Wednesday evening, my sweet, precious grandparents--Mimi and Papaw--came to spend the night with us at our new home in Wilmington. They were staying at their condo in Myrtle Beach, so the drive was a bit shorter than their drive from Charlotte would have been!

I was so excited to host them. After living here for a year and getting to know our town, I couldn't wait to show them around and have them spend the night in the guest room!

River walking before dinner downtown

 Beautiful sunset over the battleship
We had dinner at Rx -- one of my Wilmington foodie faves!

Amelia and I were up early...she was anxiously awaiting for Mimi and Papaw to emerge from their room!

Prettiest Mimi in the world rocking her fanny pack

Top down on the Jeep -- showing Mimi an Papaw around the neighborhood and Wrightsville Beach!

Mimi and Papaw and their first grandbaby. 

Love them so much.

 Loves of mine

I mean. Do you melt, or what?
Absolute inspiration!

 The water was gorgeous yesterday. Pictures never do it justice.
Oh, and of course...after our walk we headed to Surf Berry! Duh.
Mimi and Papaw loved their green room acai bowls.

Aren't grandparents the best? I cannot even begin to describe how much I love and appreciate mine. It is all too rare to spend one-on-one quality time with them, so I treasured this little trip with my whole heart. (And as much as I loved the quality time...it also made me even more excited to spend Thanksgiving weekend and Christmas with my craycray/silly/bonkers/hilarious cousins!!!!)

I was sad for Mimi and Papaw to leave, but I'll see them soon when Marky and I head back to Charlotte in September. And, I have to admit, it was a bit less hard to say "bye" because my MOMMY is coming today! We plan to relax, LTB, and beach it all weekend. Can't wait! See you soon, Mama!

Happiest Friday to you! 

Pop on over and visit Nina -- because what girl doesn't love flowers in her hair? :) 

Best of Wilmington + Wrightsville | Foodie Faves

Via

So obviously one of the best parts of moving to a new town is finding all of your new favorite spots. Food spots especially. Living in Charlotte my whole life, I know my Queen City staples for every which kind of food. Discovering our favorites here in Wilmington has been rather fun (and very tasty).

 

Here the list we've made as a result of our one year Wilmiversary: our current favorite restuarants in Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach...

 

My Go-To Favorite

Epic Food Co.

Fresh, local, healthy, super casual, and it's where I venture to after Pure Barre everyday to fill up my Epic water bottle with their infused water. I tend to always make my own salad with organic chicken and it's THE BEST. There menu has HUNDREDS of customizable options whether your craving pizza, something Asian inspired, or you just want a burger!

 

Favorite $$ Splurge  

Near Wrightsville: Jerry's

Looks like a hole in the wall, yet when you walk in there are bottles of line with cray-cray price tags. Best seafood ever. Better than any of the places on the Intercoastal!

Downtown: Rx

The menu changes daily depending on what the restaurant has that's fresh and local. And it tastes incredible. No frozen-then-heated anything here! You can seriously taste the freshness.

Favorite Unhealthy Splurge

Sweet N Savory

We loved this more right when we moved...but I think it has gotten new management and we (and a few other folks we know) have had a couple of disappointing customer service experiences. With that said, take out is the way to go. And the buffalo chips with ranch...worth every calorie. My favorite sandwich is "The Fav."

 

Best Lunch

9 Bakery and Lounge

Downtown. Awesome atmosphere. Crazy reasonable prices for lunch/brunch. So good. Oh...they also have some pretty fancy flavored cake doughnuts.

 

Best Breakfast

Causeway Cafe

It's just your staple Southern, hole-in-the-wall, down home restaurant that's only open till 2 daily. You can get your collards, crab in your omelette, or M&Ms in your pancakes.

 

Best Mexican

Flaming Amy's 

Two words: salsa bar. And my salsa bar favorite? Wasabi avocado. For my salsa loving self, this one is a no-brainer. The menu is insane, the Flaming Amy is spicy goodness, the chips are perfection, and it reminds me of my beloved Carrburritos in my Chapel Hill days.

2nd Place: Las Olas

It's closer to us, has good specials, and Mexi-Q is a fun take on Mexican.

Best Sushi

Yosake

...You had me at 1/2 priced sushi menu nightly form 5-7. :)

 

Little Gem

Lovey's

Basically a miniature Whole Foods with a cafe/salad bar/juice bar inside. Obsessed.

 

Best Eats Right Around the Corner

Boca Bay

Good seafood. And they have a 1/2 priced wine night. But apparently what we need to do is try their Sunday brunch...it's supposed to be THE best.

 

Best Spot in WB

Surfberry

This place is perfect and my obsession. My favorite organic juice is Dawn Patrol (I have a thing for beets and the way they make drinks hot pinkish). The best thing on the menu in my opinion? The Green Room acai bowl (made with almond milk or coconut water). Your mouth thinks you're eating fro-yo topped with bananas, granola, and honey, but you're really eating frozen, organic acai berries with TONS of antioxidants! Win-win.

Best Bar [in terms of atmosphere AND cocktails!]

The Blind Elephant

It's in an alley downtown with no fancy door or sign. The door is metal and there is one small wooden sign with an elephant painted on it. You wonder if you're even walking into the right place...I love it. It's a speakeasy and you certainly do feel like you're in one! Other perks...the exposed brick with 20's movies playing on it and a piano player.

The One We've Heard So Much About and Still Need to Try

Wayfarer Deli

I am told that this would win for best sandwich. Hands down. Marky and I need to go ASAP! 

  

What did I miss? Where should Marky and I go next?!

 

Pop on over and visit Nina -- because what girl doesn't love flowers in her hair? :)