Matchbook Magazine

The newest e-zine to hit the virtual newsstand...Matchbook.

It has quickly (literally just today) become my favorite magazine.

E-zines are the newest wave in online publications; going beyond the basic online publication of USA Today or Time.  It is a full magazine layout readable on the internet.  No more stacks of Real Simple and Cosmo in the back of your closet that you don't want to get rid of because at some time in the near future your life you just might need them for some reason or another.

Matchbook is In Style meet Southern Living meet Travel and Leisure.  It has a little of bit of everything for the on the go gal or Matchbook Girl.

Most of this describes me, especially happily living off of red velvet cake! Yes, please!

Matchbook's tag line is "A Field Guide to a Charmed Life."
Happy Charming, lovely ladies!

Soulfully,

Ashton

Friday Fancies

Today I am linking up with {av} at Long Distance Loving for "My Friday Fancies."

The basic premise is to pick your "dream" outfit for your Friday night out.

Since I am staying home tonight, this really is my dream outfit.

This is my J.Crew inspired outfit.  I think half my wardrobe is from J.Crew.  The sales associates know me by name.

Lisette Lace Shell

Double-Breasted Bonnie Blazer

Matchstick Jeans

Coddington Suede Pumps

 Mesh Scarf Necklace

Glass Teardop Earrings

{av} is currently hosting a wonderful giveaway right now.  She is giving a $35 gift certificate to Minted. Head over to her blog and tell her I sent you. (literally!)

Here are a few stationary items that I would choose...

WILW

Hellooo Hump Day!

This was my first "full" week of classes, and I thought I would never get to Wednesday.

Linking up with This Kind of Love for WILW

I'm loving WILW, in general, because I makes me look at the all the positive things in my life, rather than the negative.  To quote Jimmy Buffett, "It takes no more time to see the good side of life than to see the bad."

I'm loving my DIY blog makeover.  Do you like?

I'm loving Groupon and Living Social deals.  I recently purchased a mani/pedi for $25 from Sweet 185.  A sugar studio on King Street.  My roommate and I split a deal for Cinebarre that went for $15 for $30 worth of food and drink.

I'm loving $5 movies on Tuesdays at Cinebarre! For those who have never heard of or been to Cinebarre, it is a full restaurant and bar at the movies.  We went last night in hopes to see No Strings Attached, but it sold out early.  So, we went to see The Dilemma.  It was hilarious!

I'm loving that I can feel the days getting longer, which means ol' man winter will be leaving us shortly!  And, boat days will be upon us!

Water Festival 2010

Folly Beach Sunset

I'm loving this quote.  We have all we need, right now.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY! 

Soulfully,

Ashton

Bespoke Classic

Southern Belle posted a style quiz, today.  I love a good quiz, just to see how accurate they are.

This one seemed to be pretty on the spot.

My style is Bespoke Classic...

An intimate home of modest proportions. To cook a grand meal in an elegant kitchen is your joy. A bedroom with distinct character - warm and charming. Tempo and technical accumen give a smooth flow to you. A sense of rolling hills and vineyards surround this table. Afternoon refreshments on the patio Pre-war, upper east side attitude. Meeting all the requirements for a stylish home, commencement begins. 

I align with the likes of...

Princess Diana

Ralph Lauren

Fred Astaire

Not bad company to be in!

What is your style?

Soulfully,

Ashton

Eatin' Fancyyy

Charleston is a town in which to enjoy wonderful food - gourmet to the finest southern cuisine.  And, it is likely that the gourmet will have a flare of the South.

I am a lover of delicious food!  I could never be a vegetarian.  Living on the coast my entire live (except those four years of college), I have been spoiled on fresh seafood.  I didn't realize how much it was part of my daily weekly diet, until I went to college.  I enjoy juicy hamburgers and venison (deer) burgers.  Also, I am a lover of all things Italian.

I most stop now, I am getting hungry!

Almost all the restaurants in town were offering such great deals I couldn't help but take advantage of them more than once!

Last weekend, a small group of us went to Red's last weekend.  I forgot to take pictures, so I did my best to get find some class to what we had.

The deal: 2 for $30, two people for $30

First Course: Bucket of Domestic Beer or a Bottle of Wine

One Bucket of Bud Light...please and thank you

Second Course: Appetizer to Share - Ahi Tuna

Third Course: Choose of Two Entrees - Fried Shrimp

(no cool picture of fried shrimp...sorryyy!)

All of that for $15 a person! Holllaaa! That's better than the Senior Citizen discount at Sunday brunch.

And for the main event of the week - Hall's Chophouse.

Before dinner, my roommate, our friend Sarah, and I got drinks at a new bar - The Belmont - on King Street.  This high-end, loungesque spot has a prohibition-era vibe.  They have a small projector in the back playing old classics like Casablanca.

Now that is how a drink should be made.

My Boltin.

I don't remember all the ingredients, but I do remember it had brandy in it.  Very smooth with a hint of citrus.  And, yes that is a linen napkin!

Fresh squeezed grapefruit vodka, anyone?

The deal: 3 course meal for $30. Just to put this in perspective - the filet I got is regularly $44.  Major deal here, people!

First Course: Choice of She Crab Soup or Arugula Salad

yummyyyy...and no shell pieces

This was our "surprise" one and half course.  Our reservation was at 7:30, and we were seated shortly there after.  A friend of ours had reservations at 9:30, and got there around 9:00.  She came over to chat for a minute and noticed that we had not received our main course, yet.  She made a comment about this and our waitress was taking the order of the table beside us.  We had not clue what time it was because we were just gabbing away and honestly the fact that it had been over an hour since we ordered didn't bother us.  Next thing, we know...here comes one of the managers with these in hand.

Shrimp Cocktail

Main Course: Filet Mignon or Salmon

Best steak I have EVER had. Period.

Dessert: Chocolate Petit or Lemon Mousse

Lemon mousse with berries and macadamia cookie

You may ask, why I didn't go for the chocolate? Well, I don't really like chocolate.  I love a Reese's but only because of the peanut butter.

Since Hall's aims to please their customers and they were apparently distraught over the fact that we were not served promptly....we got free shots after paying our bills. Double WIN on the night!

Restaurant Week should be once a month!  Do your town's have a Restaurant Week?  If not, you should start one!

Soulfully,

Ashton

Adventures of Girl Talk

I woke up soooo sore this morning.  I don't know if it is from my ridiculous dancing last night or my Body Flow workout yesterday morning. Or a combination of the two.  Either way, I am moving slow this morning and its a sign of a good evening.

As I said earlier, the concert would involve tye dye and glow sticks.  My roommate and I tye dyed our own shirts.  Tye dying is always interesting because you never sure how it will turn out.

Step 1: pre-wash your shirt

Step 2: Get your supplies together...gloves are a mustt!

Step 3: Pick your design and have rubber bands handy.

Step 4: Add your favorite colors to the sections divided by the rubber bands.

Step 5: Let sit over night.
Step 6: Run under cold water until it runs fairly clear and wash again. (See below for final results)

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Saturday's events started at 3:00 (who loves some good day drinking?).  Giving me ample time to "prepare" for Girl Talk.  They didn't serve alcohol at the concert, which is probably a good thing (saving me from a terrible hangover).

Saturday Timeline

CSOL Alumni Oyster Roast: 3:00-7:00

Wardrobe Change at the Lawbrary: Approximately 7:30

Girl Talk: 8:00-10:30

Oyster roasts are a staple on the coast during the winter.  I love the taste of oysters, but I have the worst gag reflexes known to man.  Therefore, I find it hard to eat them unless they are cooked just right. 

I love my law school frandsss! Not to sound too cliquish, but law school is the one place you can go to school and be surrounded by people that are exactly like you.  We are all type-A, have pretty much the same interests, and find the same humor in everyday things.

And for the main event...

Roomie gave it a thumbs up.

Basically, one big jam session.

The final product...best tye dye I have ever done!

Overall thoughts on the concert dance party: It was a great time and I enjoyed dancing like a fool.

For it to be mind-blowing, I should have been on some sort of illegal substance.

Given that I have never even smoked a cigarette before most less partaken in other activities, the slight buzz I maintained was sufficient.

Going to try and be lazy today, but we will see how that goes.

Soulfully,

Ashton

5QF - Girl Talk

We have survived another week! YAY for Friday!

I have one busy weekend planned...

But more on that in bit, on to today's five questions.

1. Where did you meet your spouse and did you instantly know it was love?

All the single ladiesssss...I don't have a spouse let alone a boyfriend right now.  Though, I do believe in "love" at first sight.

2. What is your favorite room in your house?

This is a toss-up between the living room and my bedroom.  My house all around is a cozy space.  I am in love with my bed and could stay in it for hours on end.  The couch is only second best to my bed.  My roommate and I spend a lot of our time in the living room just chillin'.

3. Can you wiggle your ears?

No...but I am jealous of those that can.  I can't do anything cool with my body, i.e., I am not double jointed.

4. What is your evening ritual?

Come home from school, fix dinner, then back to schoolworkkkk.  I usually try to get my work done by 9ish/10ish, but that does not always happen.  My average reading assignment is 40 pages or so per class; with five classes that is 120 pages!!! gahhhh. When that is all said and done, I try to read something non-law related.  Word to the wise, DON'T go to law school if you don't like to read.  Finally, its brushing my teeth, washing my face, and off to bed.

5. How many hours of sleep do you need to function?

Whatever I get is not enough!  Realistically, I need six to seven to function in society.  To be on my "A" game, I need at least eight.

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Weekend Activities...

This weekend, I have several activities planned.  Tomorrow, our school is having an Alumni Oyster Roast.  All the proceeds are going towards a scholarship in honor of Alex Bush.  After the oyster roast, I will be going to my first Girl Talk concert!  I am pretty excited about it, though I don't know what to expect.  I am sure I will be a hot mess!

For those unfamiliar with girl talk (like myself), he is a DJ that spins fat beats.  Basically, the concert is a huge rave dance party.  Glow sticks and tye dye will be involved.

Wishing you a happy weekend! If anyone has been to Girl Talk before PLEASE let me know what to expect!

Soulfully,

Ashton

I Wish I May...I Wish I Might...

Everyone has that one wish they make that it if could come true then all would be right with their world.

Every child wishes/dreams of going to Walt Disney World, going to see their favorite professional athlete play, seeing their favorite artist perform, or better yet meeting their favorite "superstar" in person.  I went to Walt Disney World two years ago for the first time since I was a child and was more excited than the five-year-old standing in front of me when Mickey arrived on the train to open the gates. True Story.  So maybe these still are our wishes/dreams.

As we get older (except for the big kids like myself) our wishes/dreams change.  We wish for the day when that perfect guy will come into our lives and dream of the day when we will say "I do."  We dream of owning our first house.  We look forward to having our own children.

These relatively simple wishes and dreams come true for most, but some are not given enough time to fulfill all of their wishes and dreams.  This is where two amazing non-profits have stepped in to help.

Many of you, I am sure are familiar with Make-A-Wish.  They grant wishes to children between the ages of two and half and eighteen who have life-threatening conditions.  I became actively involved with Make-A-Wish through my sorority.  Make-A-Wish is the national philanthropy of Chi Omega.

One of my sorority sisters had a younger sister who was diagnosed with cancer.  Hope was granted a wish but was having a hard time picking her wish.  So, she began asking what other children picked and how many other children needed to have their wishes granted.  When she found out that there were 155 other children in the Charlotte are that needed wishes granted, she choice that to be her wish.  Her wish was to grant the wishes of all the other children. (Wouldn't be nice if we all had that attitude!!)  Rewardingly so yet heartbreaking, Hope's wish was granted but not before she lost her battle with cancer.  Her wish is still being carried out by her family and friends...(Hope's Movie and Hope's Book)

A close family friend of mine was granted a wish a couple years back.  He is my sister's age and been in school with her since preschool.  He is a big fan of movies and wants to major in film.  His favorite actor is Tom Cruise.  He got to visit the set of Mad Money starring Katie Holmes.  So, he got to meet Tom Cruise and actually shared a bowl of ice cream with him.

Recently, I applied to be a wish granter.  I will meet with the children and their families and help them decide on a wish.  And, ultimately see the wish be granted.

There is a new wish granting organization on the block.  I just discovered this organization today, via Gal Time.  In January 2010, Wish Upon a Wedding launched.  This organization grants the wedding wishes of terminally-ill patients.  Several chapters across the country have started in just this past year and more are set to launch in the coming months.  These love stories are so touching.  Everyone should have their special day with their bride or groom.

Wish Upon a Wedding has made marriage possible for couples that otherwise might not have had the opportunity to get married.  Many of these couples have literally months or weeks to spend their happily ever after.  Why should they not be able to have a fairy tale wedding?

I did not mean to be depressing today with the thoughts of cancer and other life-threatening diseases.  But, I wanted to share these two amazing non-profits.  Someone is always fighting a harder battle than we are.

Do you know if any kids that have had wishes granted?

Soulfully,

Ashton

WILW

We are halfway there...

I wish we could have every Monday off! I think I would rather have a Monday off rather than a Friday.

As to what I am crushing on this Wednesday...

I'm loving my two new nail polishes I bought this past weekend.  I used to never paint my fingernails, until my friend Megan suggested the new taupeish/greyish color to me this fall.  Now I am addicted!  I prefer Essie to most brands.

Sew Psyched

Smokin' Hot

 I'm loving all the wonderfully, delicious food that I have been able to eat during Restaurant Week.  Tomorrow night, the girls from school are going to Halls Chophouse for dinner.  Definitely, a place I will only be able to afford during Restaurant Week, until I find Mr. Money Baggsss to date. ;-)

I'm loving that Carolina's opening weekend of baseball is in less than one month!!

I'm loving my phone date scheduled with Miss D.Brown tonight! D.Brown is my best friend from college and she moved back to Dallas in August.  She lived in Charleston last year and we had dinner at least once a week.  I miss our weekly outings to laugh, chat, and vent about grad school.  This pretty much sums up our friendship....

Senior Bar Crawl, May 2009
We like to party.

I'm loving this photographers photos.  I think they are so fun and make me want to take up dance, again.

Jordan Matter - Dancers Among Us

Soulfully,

Ashton