Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Ten Hip Ideas For Girls Night Out...

What are your plans for the weekend? Grab your girls and go out! I have a great group of friends here in Greensboro. We live for our monthly Girls Night Out (GNO). It's a great chance to catch up, vent, laugh until we pee, eat great food, and drink delicious cocktails or mocktails. I came up with 10 cool, hip, and fab ideas for your next GNO!



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1. Host A Summer Soiree. Every summer my fab friend, Lydia, hosts a Summer Soiree at her house. As shown above. She goes all out! Sparklers, lais, drinks, food, dance offs, etc.

2. Wine and Design. This is a trendy outing that is in most cities. Some places call it Sip and Stroke, Wine and Canvas, or Paint and Sip. You go to a art studio to paint the picture of the day and drink wine. We always find a deal for this on Living Social or Groupon. Here is a picture of when we went.

3. Swap and Sip. Everyone brings at least 5 items that they no longer want. Put it in a pile, pick a number and select a item from your girlfriend that she no longer wants, but you love. Sip some wine.

4. Tour Open Houses. Need decorating ideas or you just want to be nosy about a new development, go tour open houses or Model homes. A cheap Sunday afternoon outing.

5.  Spa Day. When my friend Michelle, the baby of the bunch, turned 40, we went to a local spa for the day. They gave us the party room! We brought our own food and drinks, booked body treatments, and walked around in our robes.

6. Line Dancing. Seriously, there is a line dance for every song out there. If you don't know the Biker Shuffle or the Wobble, go on YouTube and learn it. Invite your girls over and show them the latest line dances.

7. Sleepover. Host a good old childhood favorite sleepover. Rent movies, buy belly aching candy, and popcorn. Vote on who has the cutest PJ's. Take selfies.

8. Vision Board. Buy poster board, glue sticks, and gather up magazines. Have your girls come over and put together their own vision board. Check out Pinterest for cool ideas.

9. Chili Cook-off. Have a friend that swears she makes the best chili. Tell her to bring it on! Create teams, dress in Western attire (a must), play country music, and invite your girls over for a friendly cook-off competition.

10. Give Back. My friend, Lydia, asked all her girlfriends to get a backpack over the summer and fill it with school supplies. Before school starts in August, we all will get together and turn in our backpacks to Lydia for distribution to a child in great need.

What do you and your girlfriends do for Girls Night Out?

To Girlfriends!

Monday, June 9, 2014

Lately...

Wine and cheese

 Hey All! A toast to June!  Lately in June I'm...

Loving: Talenti Gelato in Mediterranean Mint. So incredibly good! Seriously, where has this been all of my life. The best part, no one in my household likes chocolate chip mint.

Listening To: Jhene Aiko and of course... Charlie Wilson.

Reading: So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell. A wonderful little book that is beautifully written. I'm reading this for a new book club that I'm in.

Thinking About: The 5K my brother wants me to run in with him is only 3 1/2 weeks away and I'm not prepared.

Thankful For: Seeing my family last weekend in Baltimore for my niece's Graduation party. It was a great party with yummy food, belly laughs, and catching up.

Looking Forward To: Vacation! This year my family (mom, dad, brother, sis n law, nieces, nephew, hubby, and kids) are headed to Hilton Head for a week.

What have you been up to Lately?

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Summer Reading...

I've selected my summer reading books. I'm a slow reader, so I'm hoping I can get through all four of these books by the end of September.  Check out what I'm reading this summer.


Books
  • Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. This novel was recommended to me by my friend, Tereska.  I've started reading this book and I can't put it down! It's that good. 
  • The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. I was browsing Instagram and my friend, Quinetta, posted a photo of her summer reading books. The Language of Flowers was one she selected to read. When I searched for it on Barnes, the summary and reviews were gripping that I had to buy it.
  • The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. My daughter asked me to get this book so we both can read it. After hearing about the upcoming movie based on this book and all the Twitter reviews, I added it my list. I'm sure I will need a box of Kleenex nearby. 
  • The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. I actually purchased this book last summer with hopes of reading it. I'm determined to have this read by the end of September. 
So what are you reading this summer?