Sweet Tea Sugar Scrub

I love using hand scrubs every night before I go to bed.  On this blog, I've shared a few scrubs I've used before (that I'll link to at the end of this post), but this is my summertime go to.  It's so perfectly Southern and smells amazing.  The coarse sugar removes excess dead skin, coconut oil smooths dry skin, lemon promotes nail health, and tea softens calluses and nourishes skin.  

You will need:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (liquid)
- 1 tablespoon loose leaf tea (I love Charleston Tea Plantation Green Tea for this DIY)
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1 mason jar
- 1 napkin
- ribbon

Simply mix all of the ingredients together until it's the consistency of coarse sand (add more lemon juice if it's too dry), and pour into a mason jar.  Use one tablespoon of scrub each night on dry hands and scrub for 30 seconds before rinsing with water.

I keep jars of this scrub on my bathroom sink as well as the one in our guest room.  It is such a simple yet sophisticated touch and definitely a guest suite essential for me.  Speaking of guest rooms, thank you to Bedowl for including me in this awesome round up - you can find even more guest room inspiration by clicking here!

If you're looking for even more scrub recipes, some of my favorites are: honey lemon, vanilla peppermint, and pumpkin spice latte.  

Last Minute Fourth of July Treats

Has the Fourth of July holiday snuck up on anyone else?  I get so excited that summer is here every Memorial Day, but by the end of June, I'm running around doing a million things.  Today, I have four festive last minute snack ideas to bring to that picnic or firework-watching party this weekend.  The best part is that they're all made with fruit (so they're basically healthy).

Fruit and yogurt flag
What you'll need: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, yogurt-covered pretzels, yogurt-covered raisins, a small bowl, and a rectangular tray
What you'll do: Place blueberries in the small bowl on the top left of the tray.  Arrange rows of strawberries, yogurt pretzels/yogurt raisins, and raspberries on the tray to form the stripes of the American flag.

Watermelon Firecrackers
What you'll need: watermelon, sprinkles, star cookie cutter, and paper straws
What you'll do: Slice the watermelon into inch-thick slices.  Cut heart shapes out of the watermelon and stick onto straws.  Finish with a few sprinkles!

Fruit and granola kabobs
What you'll need: strawberries, blueberries, granola cereal, and wooden skewers
What you'll do: Create red, white, and blue treats by skewering the fruit and granola.

Fruit ice cubes
What you'll need: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and a muffin tin.
What you'll do: Arrange the berries in each cup and fill the cups with water.  Place the tray in the freezer for 3 hours until solid, and add the cubes to your favorite drink.

If you're looking for even more Independence Day fun, check out more favorite recipes, Strawberry Pretzel Salad and M&M cookie bars, as well as a round up of all things red, white, and blue. 

What are your weekend plans?

Week(end) Recap

Last week, I was in Atlanta for an awesome event for work, so I thought this morning I'd recap not just my weekend but also that adventure last week!

On Wednesday, we drove out to Atlanta so that I could act as a mentor coach in a girls' golf event at East Lake Golf Club, the golf course where the PGA TOUR Championship takes place each year.  The course was stunning, and the girls I played with were fantastic golfers and even better people.

Mike was nice enough to drive all the way out there with me, and we made the most of our little retreat.  We (re)checked another ballpark off our bucket list: Sun Trust Park.  Last time we were in Atlanta, for our first anniversary, we watched a game at Turner Field, but now with the new stadium, we had to add it back to the bucket list.  The new park is a bit further out from the middle of the city, but it's really nice, and there's a ton of good food.  I especially loved the Monument Garden area with tons of Braves' history.  The game was delayed an hour or so because of pouring rain (hence us looking like wet rats in the photos below - haha), but they ended up playing and beating the Giants in 11 innings!

On Thursday, before heading back to Charleston, we checked out the CNN Center and did a backstage tour.  It was good but not as good as the NBC 30 Rock tour in NYC we've done before.  We also stopped at World of Coke and ate a bunch of delicious food over the two days we were there.  If you're ever in Atlanta, I highly suggest Condesa Coffee, Octane Coffee, H&F Burger, and Taqueria del Sol.  

What's nice about a mid-week trip is that when I got back to work on Friday, I only had a one-day week.  The day went by quickly, playing catch up, and by the time I knew it, it was happy hour.  We went to one of our favorites, Burwell's before rooftop bar hopping around East Bay Street.

Saturday we spent the day golfing, and I'm excited to say that I checked the first thing off my summer bucket list!  I shot a 68; the first time ever under par for me.

Sunday started at the Celadon Warehouse sale.  On the last Sunday of each month, Celadon opens their warehouse for an awesome flea market.  They have free beer, food trucks, and local artisans there.  The prices were so good that I bought a blanket ladder (I know I didn't make it like I said I would, but I couldn't pass it up for $30!) and an antique sewing table (photos once we have a spot for it, soon!).  I also did a bunch of yard work, cooked some delicious tacos in the crock pot (recipe here), and finally started the recent season of House of Cards.  So far so good!

Linking up with Biana for Weekending!

Charleston Eats: Home Team BBQ

Happy Friday, friends!  I hope everyone had a good week.  You know I love sharing Charleston restaurants with you, and I can honestly say that I've been taking photos for this post for months.  Thinking ahead to Friday happy hour is the best time to share this gem.  There are not many weeks that at least one night isn't spent at Home Team BBQ.  THIS is what I call Southern barbecue.  They have three locations around Charleston: downtown, Sullivan's Island, and West Ashley, where you can usually find us since it's right around the corner from our kickball and football fields.  

The meats at Home Team are smoked right outside and everything is rubbed in this amazing, sweet and savory dry rub.  I love how casual Home Team is; order at the counter, get your meat plates and sides put together as you watch, pay at the register, and enjoy your meal.

Now what to order: first of all, get the smoked wings.  They are huge, rubbed with that delicious dry rub, and served with five different sauces on your table, ranging from Carolina Mustard to Hot Red.  They are crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and also have a side of my favorite condiment, the poppy seed dipping sauce.  What's really fun is that the sports league we play in is sponsored by Home Team, so we get a free dozen wings and a pitcher of beer each week, just by going in our game shirts.  (Thanks, Home Team!)  So, needless to say I eat a lot of wings and you can trust my recommendation - haha!

Now, for my personal favorites.  On Tuesday evenings, I walk in, and they know my order: chips and queso and fried mac & cheese balls.  Both are amazing.  The chips are tossed in that delicious dry rub, and you can even take the chips and queso to the next level by ordering the giant nachos.  The nachos come with three types of salsa and your choice of smoked meat.  Their mac & cheese is good on its own, but nothing a layer of deep fried goodness can't make even better.  I love the sweet jelly sauce they're served with, but we're known to dip them in the queso, too.  

Now here's my typical spread...

Don't forget the drinks, too!  They have a full bar and are most famous for their game changers.  Imagine an adult slushie: orange, pineapple, rum, (more rum,) and freshly grated nutmeg on top.  These babies pack a punch, and are so refreshing and delicious for my 21 and over friends.

And just because... the more food photos, the better.  

You can even take their dry rub home!

There's ample indoor and outdoor seating at the West Ashley location, and I especially love the back courtyard to play corn hole after we eat.

And their Sullivan's Island location!

Now I'm already dreaming of wings and game changers this weekend!