Saint Mary's!

Going to Saint Mary's was one of the best decisions I've ever made!  I hope my niece will follow in my footsteps!  I have fond memories on campus with friends who are still great friends today!  Many of us enjoy the Smedes Hall print of the painting by Kyle Highsmith !

I also love the painting below of the Saint Mary's Chapel by another North Carolina Artist, Larry Dean available at ArtSourse in North Hills!

Enjoy your Day, Carolina Style!

Jen Jen

Silly Hat Day!

Today is silly hat day at school for my niece!  I just had to share her hat and the hat she wore to school for Easter hat day!  It is so great they encourage such fun and creativity!  My niece was so excited to wear her hat with the dog chasing the cat chasing the mouse!!  Too cute!

Life is so much more exciting as an adult when you are not afraid to dress up!  The real fun is in the details!  My SIL is so talented!  I know she is going to win the hat contest at our upcoming Kentucky Derby party! 

Enjoy your Day, Carolina Style!

Jen Jen



Art and Enfield!

I love every opportunity to attend anything in my home town!  Even if I am breezing through, showing support is important to me!  The Art Show on Saturday night was a success!  Everyone enjoyed meeting Contemporary artist, Lee Johnson from Chapel Hill!  I enjoyed seeing everyone and attending the first event at EMPAC!  Hope you make the next one!

The entrance to the Gallery on the second floor!

Andrew and Myra Wirtz, owners of the Empac Contemporary Gallery in the The Lodge at Roanoke Valley hosted the wonderful event.  It is always fun to see the Wirtz!  Myra's beautiful artwork was also on display as you can see below!  A friend is now the proud owner with her work on her wall!  Myra is very talented!

Andrew Wirtz with our local Pharmacist and Antique expert in the photo below!

 The atmosphere was topped off with music by Chambergrass!  Perfect as always!

Enjoy your Day, Carolina Style!

Jen Jen

Baby Boy Blue!

I enjoyed attending a baby shower for a lifelong friend today!  The brunch was so beautiful! I always love seeing the silver shine at a southern shower!  It was great showering the Mom to be!  So many family and friends are waiting for his debut!  From fun gifts to passed down heirlooms, this blessing is ready for the world!

 My favorite items were the breakfast casserole muffins and the baby blue punch!

 The Pearl cupcakes were too pretty to eat!

The baby is going to call us Aunt Sassy and Uncle Jazzy!  I love the sterling silver passy clip I gave the baby, but I must say my favorite gift was from his Daddy's oldest sister!  He will be super cool while wearing his air Jordans!  The pacifier clips are available at Mears, of course!

Enjoy your Day, Carolina Style!

Jen Jen

Beautiful Beaufort!

Today was a great day to be on the Beaufort waterfront!  It was 82 degrees with the most perfect breeze!  It is the calm before the summer season!  It is very serene, the boat docks are empty and the boardwalk is quiet for now! Memorial weekend is right around the corner!

I met a friend for a late lunch at Front Street Grill at Stillwater!  We agree, Stillwater is our favorite place when the sun is shining over Taylor's Creek!  I had the most delicious salad with fresh grilled shrimp, goat cheese and cranberries!  Make sure you order this salad on your first or next trip!  Served with fresh fish too!

Maybe my shrimp was straight off this boat!

I bet today was a great day to cruise the creek in the "Water Bug" !  There is something about Water Bug Tours that makes me think of the favorite Doris Day movie, Glass Bottom Boat!  The Water Bug is also a fun way to see the Wild Horses of Shackleford Banks! 

I also imagine the sunset from the Stillwater Rhum Bar was heavenly today!  I could have spent all afternoon on the deck! Responsibly, I went back to work until it is time for Summer Saturdays and Sunday Funday on the water!

Enjoy your Day, Carolina Style!

Jen Jen

Aquatic Love!

A Saint Mary's friend recently tied the knot by the water in Florida!  I loved seeing the beautiful photos of this Carolina Bride and her Hubby!  I must share with you the extraordinary cake she designed with Winston Salem's, Schiffman Jewelers bridal manager, Aimee Rowe!  I love how she incorporated her love of Herend to create this very exquisite wedding cake!  Too pretty to cut!  I know it was breathtaking in person!  Very Special!

Congratulations, Leslie Allred Yates!  You deserve the very best of the years to come!!

Enjoy your Day, Carolina Style!

Jen Jen

Top It Off!

Speaking of color!  We are so excited about all of the fun spring accessories arriving daily at Mears Jewelry Etc Etc!!  Top if Off is one of the lines we love!  The jewelry, hats, scarves, and wraps are a big hit!  As soon as the hats arrived we sold ten right off the bat!  We are loving the color combos too!  My friend, Gail ordered a turquoise hat with her monogram in orange!  She has incredible taste! It is going to be fabulous!  My personal favorites are the bamboo hoops and bangles!  I just had to share!

Love the ways you can wear the wraps!

Enjoy your Day, Carolina Style!

Jen Jen

Beaufort Grocery TOO!

We are big fans of Beaufort Grocery Too!  So often we enjoy going to their spectacular Sunday Brunch, I've told you about before!  This time we were dining in for dinner and it was all about tuna at our table!  Dinner was wonderful!  I love the atmosphere and the local artwork! The presentation of the Yellowfin Tuna Napoleon speaks for itself !  This dish with the cilantro wasabi slaw is a flavorful masterpiece!  Someone at your table should order the tuna!  

The most interesting dish was the Saganaki!   The sheep's milk feta is Flambéed at the table then extinguished with lemon juice.  As always, it was a fun night out with friends!  Beaufort Grocery Too is a great place for large parties with their private room!  Hope you enjoy it too!

Enjoy your Day, Carolina Style!

Jen Jen

Spring has Sprung!

Going in Atlantic Beach Surf Shop and seeing all the color makes me want to shop til I drop! My wardrobe of black and grey looks a little more New York and not at all Carolina Style! 

I love to shop but I have to really love something to actually make the purchase!  My Mom and I often blame that on buying for Mears!  As you know by now, I do love fashion and appreciate the finest for sure!   As Coco Chanel said, " The best things in life are free.  The second best are VERY expensive!"  Now I have to share with you their splash of Lilly at AB!  They are a one stop shop for the whole family!  I love it!

Another reason I buy less for me..I have a niece! Little Lilly is irresistible and they have it all!

Another cute AB Lilly!

My niece loves her new Lilly beach bath bucket too!  I have zero willpower for this cute stuff!

Lots of my Lilly is a bit vintage but my Mom's long dresses were the best!  I wish she kept them all!  Not that I could wear them but whatever...I also wish I had a favorite pic of her in the Bahamas with my Gibby (Grandmother) in a long, now very vintage Lilly to show you!  So fun, she was singing with the band!  Ha, I know where I get it from!  I love this pic of my wonderful parents!  Yes, my Mom is wearing Lilly!  They are the BEST!

Enjoy your Day, Carolina Style!

Jen Jen

Easter at the Beach!

It is such a treat to spend Easter at Atlantic Beach!  It was a perfect day on the Crystal Coast!  There was plenty of time between lunch with family and dinner with friends to sit in the sand!  It was a special day to celebrate life!  I love spring!  The smell of honeysuckle at my house just makes me happy!  It is also time for Lilly color in our clothing!

David Wilson of the Palm Beach Daily News

Dinner dessert was so yummy I must tell you where to get it! Our host served this very fresh Easter Cake prepared by Sharon Herndon in Durham NC!  Order your cake below!

I am just crazy about the Candy Cottages we have at Mears!  So fun for kids all year long!  My friend Joan is often called the Holiday Queen for her extreme decor for EVERY holiday!  They did a great job on their Easter Candy Cottage!  What fun we had all week!  Summer is right around the corner!  School will be out and neighbors will return to the Coast!

 I do not blame the Bunny for celebrating after delivering all those baskets!

Enjoy your Day, Carolina Style!

Jen Jen

Skeeters!

Amos Mosquito's also nick named "Skeeters" is a go to dinner spot at Atlantic Beach!  The atmosphere is awesome!  Moss is hanging from the trees! We love sitting outside by the marsh! Our favorite app for the table is fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese!  This tower of southern taste is divine!  My husband's favorite dish is the crab cake with penne and spinach!  This visit outside was the perfect kick off to the spring season!  It is time for our 2nd homeowner friends to return to the shore on the weekends!  

We especially love going to Skeeters with our favorite kids!  Our friends have awesome children! Always a fun time when we get together!  The Smores at Skeeters are the biggest hit with our young crew!  This is the perfect dessert to entertain kids and adults! 

PS..they have a fabulous wine list for the adults!

Enjoy your Day, Carolina Style!

Jen Jen

Hot Stuff!

Everyone in my house enjoys a little kick in my cooking!  It is a good thing since most all my dishes have Texas Pete or jalapenos!  This dish was inspired by the thought of being somewhere tropical!  Lots of fresh pineapple, yellow peppers, jalapenos, avocados, tomatoes and cilantro!  I also added coconut milk and juice to the dish!

Fresh homemade salsa is a must, always!  I love the Pioneer Women recipe!  I use heirloom tomatoes when in season and lots of lime juice! I also add jalapeno juice. I cannot tell you how often I serve this and everyone wants the recipe!

Chicken stuffed with pepper jack cheese and fresh ingredients!  This is so yummy and easy!  Just ask your butcher to butterfly the chicken breast and stuff away with everything you love!!

We always love a mixed green salad with dinner! I was thrilled to find to a great recipe for lime Cilantro Dressing on Pinterest!  Perfect side for this main course!  You will love this dressing!  I think it will be a great marinade as well!

 

Matched with organic black beans and Chipotle Style Cilantro Lime Rice also found on Pinterest!

Enjoy your Day, Carolina Style!

Jen Jen