April Recap - Because Tomorrow...

Sorry, I had to.  Can you blame me?!  April seriously feels like it blew by.  I feel like every weekend I meant to do a weekend/life recap, but things got in the way.  Life happens, right?!  So, I decided to consolidate into one recap for all of April...

Easter Weekend - My parents are so cute and left us baskets when they were here to visit at the end of March.  We also decorated eggs with friends... because we're basically children haha!  On Easter, we went to church, brunch, and one of our local breweries: Low Tide.  They crafted a batch of their "Aloha Beaches" beer with edible glitter and turned it teal.  "Aloha Bunnies" wasn't one of my favorite beers taste-wise ever, but it sure was pretty!

The Masters - Mike and I headed to Augusta, GA during the first week of April for the Masters golf tournament.  No cameras or phones are allowed during tournament days, but they do have a photo station set up in front of the clubhouse, so you know we had to take advantage!

Dallas - Mike and I went on his surprise birthday trip to Dallas April 6-9.  You can read the full review here.

Golf Girls Visit CHS - My college golf team came to visit me and sightsee through Charleston the weekend after we went to Dallas.  We did everything "touristy" I could think of from eating biscuits at Callie's to drinking at the Vendue rooftop and sailing out to Fort Sumter to walking around Folly Beach.

Kickball Champs - Mike and I won our first belt!  One of our Wednesday kickball teams made it to the winter finals, and we won the AAA division.  The spring season starts this week, and we are looking forward to defending our title!

New England Wedding & Beer - Last weekend, we were in New England for the wedding of one of my college friends in Boston.  We also had a chance to stop at some of the best breweries in the country while we were in New England: Tree House and Trillium.  We will be back up there for a few weddings this summer and can't wait to try even more of their beer.  Spring has finally hit New England, and all of the flowering trees were so pretty!

Pirates Takeover Folly Beach - Last, but not least, my friends and I had our second annual pirate pub crawl out on Folly Beach this Saturday.  Seriously, I'm so lucky to have some of the best friends ever here in Charleston.  I would say the number of laughs, photo ops (one even with a bride getting married on the beach!), and conversation-starters with strangers far outweighed the number of eye rolls directed at our little, rowdy group!

Five on Friday: Lilly Favorites

Happy Friday, friends!  With it totally feeling like spring these days, I've been busting out as much Lilly Pulitzer as possible.  They have so many pretty patterns out right now, and whether you're looking for comfortable workout gear or a dress for a wedding, there is something you're bound to love!  I've rounded up five of my current favorite patterns into five beautiful outfits for your weekend shopping adventures!

1 ||| working out in boho bateau ||| sports bra, leggings, tank, tote

2 ||| a stroll on a roll ||| marlowe, sandals

3 ||| bay dreamin by the shore ||| zaylee, necklace, bracelet set, pants, wedges

4 ||| his and hers salt in the air ||| her elsa, his shorts, phone case

5 ||| comfy in gumbo limbo ||| pullover, sunnies, shorts

What are you wearing this spring??

One Room Challenge Spring 2018: Halfway There

We are just over halfway into the Spring 2018 One Room Challenge!  I've had so much fun looking through all the other participants' entries, and I'm happy to report that Mike and I are actually on track with our space.  Here's a link to our before photos and inspiration.  Below is what we've done so far (click on the items to link to the products to check them out for yourselves!):

Check!
1. Hang string lights
2. Power wash/vacuum/dust floors, screens, patio set, plant stands, and rocking chair - It's a miracle how a little cleaning can make a space look and feel brand new.
3. Spray paint signs (pineapple monogram and "hello") - Mike actually chose the "ballet slipper" color we chose!

4. Purchase door mat - did you see all my favorites last week??

To do:
1. Hang signs - Instead of drilling into the hardie plank, we decided to give these a try.  They say "extremely strong" - I'll report back!
2. Pot plants - We bought a bunch of impatiens and begonias that I just need to plant.

3. Place pillows (flamingos and florals)
4. Wash all windows and doors

DIY Cat Hammock Chair

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MorrisKnowsBest #CollectiveBias

Okay, I have to be 100% honest right now, this might be one of the most fun DIY projects I've ever done.  Y'all know how much I love my cats, so anything for them is always high up there.  On top of that, I had this wild idea to make a fun play spot for them, and Mike helped me make it happen.  Seriously, they love every aspect of this chair, and I'm so excited to share it with you.  Moral of the story for this DIY project is definitely that my new favorite go-to tool in the garage is a staple gun.  That thing can do anything!

I went thrifting to find this perfect chair and pair of pillow cases.  Bonus was that part of the back was broken (that I knew I was removing anyway!) so everything was only $6.  Clearly Roxy isn't good with change (me either, girl) and loved it from the second I brought it home.  I knew I'd win her over in the end, though.

In addition to the chair, 2 pillow cases, a staple gun, and scissors, I went shopping at Dollar General for the rest of the items I needed: thick sisal rope (similar to hemp), a hanging cat toy, mug hooks, a grommet kit, and, of course, their favorite: 9Lives® cat food.  They have so many varieties that cats can't resist, from Meaty Pate with ground meat, poultry or fish to Hearty Cuts with chunks, cuts, and shreds in a rich, thick gravy.  9Lives is dedicated to the health and happiness of all cats, and it definitely shows in the quality of their products.  Check out DollarGeneral.com to find coupons and save on 9Lives wet and dry cat food - they're live now through 5/31/18!

 Alright, now here is how to make your own cat activity chair!

1. Take the chair cushion off the frame, and wrap it inside one of the two pillow cases.

2. Set the covered cushion back on the chair, pulling the new cover fabric tight, and staple the pillow case in place.  Keeping the cushion on the chair frame for this step will help keep all the fabric in place while you staple it in place.  

3. Remove the cushion from the chair again, and cut away all extra fabric.  Place the cushion back on the chair one last time.

4. Tightly wrap the sisal rope around the back of the chair (and the legs, if you wish).  This is a perfect way to cover any unsightly cracks or scuffs, especially if you're using a thrifted chair.  Cats love to scratch this rope, and it'll keep them off your nice furniture!

5. Staple a hanging cat toy to the top of the chair to add additional play fun.

6. Screw large mug hooks into the legs of the chair at even heights. We used an electric drill to create pilot holes and make this process a little easier. 

7. Measure the size for your hammock and mark off where you will place the grommets to hang the hammock on the mug hooks.  We made sure to leave a little extra room between the grommets and not pull the fabric tight so that it would look and hang the most like a hammock for the cats.  We purchased an all-in-one grommet kit that had the parts of the grommet and all the tools needed for installation at Dollar General.  It was so easy to use, and the whole process only took about 10 minutes to insert 4 grommets.

Here it is: before and after!

Clearly Shadow is loving it! ...and the food, too.

Do you have a cat who's part of your family?  Have you treated them to 9Lives cat food?

30 Before 30: Halfway There

My half birthday was earlier this month, so I thought it was about time to make my halfway update for 30 before 30!  So far I've officially completed 9 of 30, so I still have a bit to go, but a bunch of them are ongoing throughout the year so I do feel more accomplished than that!

1. Invest in an original piece of art - The below canvas is from Modern South Studio

2. Get back to my ideal strength and weight - I gave up dessert for Lent, and that really put me on the right track.  I still have a bit to go, but I think at the halfway point, it's a good start.

3. Volunteer - I still want to do this more, but last month, my friends and I made dinner for the guests at the Ronald McDonald House.  It was so much fun!

4. Get 8 hours of sleep each night - Since the time change, I have been rocking at this.  I think it's because it gets light later in the morning, so I haven't been waking up before my alarm.  Yes, I know I'm strange to usually do that.

5. Purge and donate my closet - Spring cleaning got this done for me!  Everything is back to organized!

6. Start an herb garden - I started this last October.  Most things made it through the winter and are back to thriving.

7. Have a girls night once per month

8. Visit more baseball stadiums - After Dallas this month, we checked another one off the list.  Hopefully we can get to one or two more this summer.  I call this one halfway there, too.

9. Network more - I've really been trying to step out of my comfort zone.  I've started trying to attend more of the events I get invited to, and not just talk to the people I know.  I've made some great connections and even better friends!

10. Run another race

11. Take a cooking class - Mike got this awesome book, Salt Fat Acid Heat (here's the link), so while I haven't taken a class, we have learned a lot about what goes into cooking.

12. Try yoga

13. Start a family tree

14. Do something nice for a stranger everyday - Working on this one!  Who has other ideas besides holding doors, buying the car behind you's coffee?

15. Visit the rest of the breweries in Charleston - We only have 3 more!  Here is my latest installment of local breweries.

16. Try something just for the adrenaline rush

17. Learn about wine

18. Make a plan to get to Cuba - It's in the travel plans, we will see when!

19. Be a positive encouragement to those around me

20. Make an effort to break out of my introverted shell - This has definitely been helped with #9.  I'm trying to meet new people every way I can!

21. Go on a hike - We have an awesome hike planned over Memorial Day weekend!

22. Advance my career

23. Buy a new camera - I bought my Canon 80D around Christmas and could not love it more.  There is so much versatility.

24. Travel internationally - Still hoping for that London trip this fall!

25. Invest for the future - We are now meeting with a financial planner, and we're on our way!

26. Cut my hair to donate again - It's getting loooong.  My goal is 12 inches, and I think I'm almost there!

27. Grow this blog - In terms of page views, I had my biggest blog post ever with this Kitchen-Themed Easter Basket last month (90k!), and it all came from Pinterest.  I think I need to work more on my social media to help this keep happening!

28. Stay more connected with family - With all of our trips planned to New England this year, we will be seeing them a bunch!

29. Learn all the words to Rapper's Delight

30. Write to my congressmen about causes about which I'm passionate

Because Everyone Needs A Funny Door Mat...

We're a couple of weeks into the One Room Challenge (here's my inspiration and "before" photos), and as you might have seen on my Instagram, we made the cutest purchase ever last week.  I still don't know how I got both cats to pose (okay, I lie, it was with a lot of treats), but clearly they like their new mat.  I actually found Shadow curled up on it the next day, right in the sun.

The mat is from the cutest Etsy shop, Nine to Wine Design.  I actually found them on a Buzzfeed article about "everything a crazy cat lady in training needs."  In that piece, I was inspired by her "There's, like, a lot of cats in here" mat.  We decided that three would be the threshold of "a lot" of cats, so we went in search of a different mat, and she did not disappoint.  Seriously if you type "funny door mat" into Etsy, you will get so many hysterical results.

Even if you're not participating in the One Room Challenge, I know this is the time of year to refresh our outdoor spaces, so I rounded up a bunch of my favorite designs from a bunch of different artisans to share with you today!

bunch of cats ||| trap door ||| leave by 9

paradise ||| hakuna moscato ||| happy hour

ding dong ||| coffee, Target, Amazon ||| cats

A mat like this is just such a fun way to add a little humor to your home, and it's already become such a fun conversation starter for friends who come over!  Which one is your favorite?  I think we'll be getting one for our front door soon, too!