wrapping up wedding season

Posted on October 29, 2013 by mhayes24

Congratulations to our friends Courtney and Joey! They got married last Saturday, and it was such a fun night spent celebrating the newlyweds. The ceremony and reception were held at Piedmont Estate in Buckhead. Previously known as the restaurant Anthony’s, the venue is a big antebellum house (rumored to be haunted) that they’ve now turned into an event space. It is gorgeous! Once you enter the gates to the property, you’d never know that you’re smack dab in the middle of Buckhead (right on Piedmont Rd).

Courtney was a stunning bride, and Joey was a very handsome groom. The ceremony was short and sweet, but the love and absolute joy that they shared in that moment was so evident.

YUM. Turkey burgers with brie and pesto. I could have eaten 15 of these.

Cheers to Mr. and Mrs. Swafford! We adore you guys and wish you a long lifetime of love, joy, laughter, adventures, many blessings… and some kids! Hope you’re having the most fabulous honeymoon (and 30th birthday, Courtney)!

A Few of My Favorite Things (46)

Posted on October 28, 2013 by mhayes24

[Stella & Dot outfit of the week:: Fox Sweater from Old Navy // Pink Tieks flats // Valor Pendant // Gigi Studs in black (retired) // Fox Ring (limited edition – retired)]

[a beautiful fall wedding in Atlanta]

[our Somervell Necklace makes a fabulous bridesmaid gift]

[cheers to our friends on their marriage!]

[new cookie jar – perfect timing for this sweet thank you gift]

This weekend was so fun – dinner with my brother and SIL at Bone Garden Cantina on Friday, a lazy Saturday morning, and a wedding celebration for our dear friends Courtney and Joey on Saturday night. I love weekends in town that have just the right mix of exciting and low-key plans. And here’s to a fun week ahead — I hope the rain holds off for trick-or-treating this Thursday… I have some fun treats to hand out!

scarecrows and banjos and gardens, oh my!

Posted on October 25, 2013 by mhayes24

Every fall, I make sure to plan a visit to the Atlanta Botanical Garden for their annual “Scarecrows in the Garden” event. To me, it’s the epitome of fall’s arrival… TONS of scarecrows decorated by people and organizations from all over the community, pumpkins, seasonal ales, great weather, and banjo music! I actually got two exhibits for the price of one, because the gorgeous, huge living sculptures from “Imaginary Worlds” were still on display.

Fun evening with some of my puppet coworkers::

Scarecrow Sockly, the Center for Puppetry Arts’ scarecrow — he’s modeled after our 8′ tall sock puppet mascot::

Some pretties from around the garden::

The Earth Goddess – a beautiful, HUGE sculpture/water feature::

This gal had a great duct tape dress and hat::

The Royal HAY-by::

Black bird pie… made out of a kiddie pool::

Fabulous pink ponies and skeletons! I think these were my favorite::

Such a pretty view of part of the Midtown skyline at dusk::
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Such a lovely way to wind down October and get ready for the holidays – and cold weather! There’s just one week left for both of these displays, so be sure to visit soon if you’re in Atlanta!

nashville recap

Posted on October 22, 2013 by mhayes24

You are probably tired of hearing about birthday celebrations, but I don’t care! hehe just kidding. We had such a fun weekend celebrating Craig’s birthday and Auburn’s win (not even going to talk about that UGA disappointment) in one of our most favorite cities. Nashville has so much to offer, yet we rarely get to take in much of it because we’re always visiting for a short amount of time and have lots of people to see while we’re there. I think we need to plan a trip back sometime to play tourist in Craig’s hometown. We did manage to squeeze in a tiny bit of time wandering downtown and taking in the beautiful weather from the rooftop of Rock Bottom Brewery, though, so I’ll take that for now.

We got to spend a little time with Craig’s family in Franklin, which included this delicious homemade cheesecake.

And then, for the first time in our 8+ year relationship…. I got to ride in his beloved Super Sport! It was an exciting moment in time. This gal is an “antique” and was the best car ever, from what I’m told. Craig’s grandparents have been babysitting her for the past several years, and I’m glad I got to take a quick joy ride in it before he sells it…. and speaking of, for anyone in Nashville area, it’s for sale!

We got in a little time downtown at sunset. It was the PERFECT weather for happy hour on the rooftop!

And we had some honky tonk adventures.

My bestie came in town from NYC. Yay!

Saturday, we literally spent 12 hours watching football. All of our teams won except for Georgia, the team we actually came to Nashville to watch play Vandy. A very disappointing loss, indeed. We still managed to have a good time.

For gameday, Craig wore one of my grandfather Bop’s Auburn shirts that he recently inherited. I know Bop was smiling down on us about Auburn’s big win AND Craig’s choice of shirt for the day!

The Batman Building in all its glory

MMM… nothing beats waffle house for birthday breakfast! When did they start making waffles with their logo on them?

It was a most fun weekend with Craig’s family and several of our favorite friends. Thank you to everyone who made Craig feel extra special, and especially to those who helped us celebrate all weekend. There’s not a much better way to celebrate another year, right?

A Few of My Favorite Things (45)

Posted on October 21, 2013 by mhayes24

[Craig’s birthday week!]

[family dinner and dessert at farm burger + morelli’s]

[Stella & Dot outfit of the week:: Target blazer // black tank // pink Tieks flats // Allegra Necklace // Paloma Ring // Eternal Band Ring // Odeon Stretch Bracelets // Renegade Bracelet // Christina Link Bracelet]

[Nashville birthday weekend]

[Saturday football fun]

[birthday cupcakes for my favorite guy]

Last weekend, we spent Craig’s birthday celebrating in Franklin and Nashville with his family and several of our friends — but more on that later. It was a fabulous weekend and now I’m tired. Here’s to a productive week and a most fun weekend — our friends Courtney and Joey are getting married!!

celebrating 31

Posted on October 18, 2013 by mhayes24

October 20th is a pretty special day in our house. Craig turns 31 this Sunday, so he gets a special little post all to himself! I bet he’s blushing as we speak.

I promise not to be too mushy, because I know Craig just looooves when people do that for all the world to see, but I wanted to give him a shout out while we’re in Nashville for his birthday this weekend, because he’s pretty awesome.

He cooks dinner! (And sometimes, he even helps clean up the mess he’s made while cooking said dinners.)

He builds and fixes things!

He’s the sweetest dad to Coco, and I know he’ll be even better with our non-furry children one day.

He likes organizing cookouts and bus outings to football games for us and our friends to enjoy.

He humors me and is generally just along for the ride (like driving a total of 3 hours just to go pumpkin picking or pretending to be attacked by a fake bear for our family’s entertainment on vacation).

He’s not afraid to dress up like Santa, a redneck, or a pilot from Top Gun in the name of a good time.

He loves my family like his own.

I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but God graced me with the most incredible best friend and husband I could have ever asked for.
I hope you have the HAPPIEST of birthdays, Craig! I love you more than you’ll ever know!

photo session:: the Weber family

Posted on October 16, 2013 by mhayes24

Last weekend, I spent Sunday afternoon doing a photo session at Taylor-Brawner Park with one of my college roommates, Carson, and her adorable little family. I’ve recently started on a new adventure in photography in preparation for shooting a friend’s wedding next summer. Photography has always been a passion of mine, and I’m so excited that this opportunity gave me the push to pursue it. It’s been fun taking classes and experimenting so far, and I am so excited to see where this takes me.

It’s amazing to see how one of my first college friends has become such a wonderful mom to two precious little ones in the past few years. Thank you to the Webers for being my first test models and letting me document this moment in time for you guys. You all did a most fantastic job!

And yes, the kids’ eyes really are that blue.

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This is a bit blurry, but it was too cute not to post.

recipe:: sausage balls

Posted on October 15, 2013 by mhayes24

Sausage balls are my go-to contribution for football tailgates and gatherings. I love the salty, spicy, savory taste – especially hot out of the oven. Here’s a quick recipe to whip up for your next weekend party, brunch, or tailgate!

INGREDIENTS:
– 2 lb pork sausage
– 2 cups bisquick
– 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
– 2 teaspoons garlic powder
– 1 teaspoon onion powder
– 2 teaspoons pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. in a large mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients. with your hands It may take several minutes of mixing to completely integrate the flower and cheese with the meat.

3. Grease 3 baking sheets. Scoop out small portion and roll into 1″ ball. Repeat until mix is gone. My batch made approx. 45 sausage balls.

4. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool completely and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

A Few of My Favorite Things (44)

Posted on October 14, 2013 by mhayes24

[what does the fox say? favorite new sweater for the fall]

[Stella & Dot outfit of the week:: black 3/4 sleeve top (Express) // Mae Necklace layered with Somervell Necklace]

[representing our home state and city on our pumpkin]

[early bday dinner at Del Frisco’s in Buckhead]

[morning tailgating for the Mizzou game in Athens]

[beautiful (hot) day for some football, even if we did lose]

Last weekend, we had a fun visit from my bff who lives in NYC. Before she flew in, Craig and I celebrated his birthday a little early with dinner at Del Frisco’s. I am a big fan of celebrating your birthday all month long, or at least all week long, so that kicked it off perfectly. We got up earlier than should be legal for a Saturday and headed to Athens with friends for the Mizzou game. This was mine and Craig’s first time actually going TO the game this season, and I’ve decided we were bad luck. Despite the terrible outcome of the game, it was a beautiful, slightly-too-hot-for-October day.

Sunday, we did a lot of eating — brunch at Urban Pl8 on the Westside and dinner at Fellini’s, an Atlanta establishment for cheap, quick pizza on the patio. In between, I got to do a photo session for one of my college roommates and her cute little family. We ran around the park, rolled in the grass, drew on the sidewalk, and played on the playground — it was so fun. I can’t wait to share some of my favorites from their session — those bright blue-eyed kids are just too much!

pretty pumpkin projects

Posted on October 9, 2013 by mhayes24

October is one of my favorite months… and it seems to be the case for a lot of people I know (and follow online). In honor of one of the best things about this month — PUMPKIN EVERYTHING — here are some fun decorating ideas! I’ve really been drawn to painting my pumpkins this year, but I really love the shiny thumbtacks used to create funky patterns.

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