As residents of the northern end of Mount Holly, we frequent the Mountain Island area. It's where our chiropractor, Omni Wellness Center, is located and it is close to Northlake for shopping and dining. We are SO excited that Riverbend Village is coming right along and the first retailers and restaurants have opened up right at the corner of Highway 16 and 485! This center will serve as a new home to some existing businesses, like UPS, Chick-fil-A and Harris Teeter, as well as home to some additions to the community. Already open are: Taco Bell, Freddy's Burgers and Dunkin Donuts. Coming soon: Jersey Mike's, Johnny Brusco's Pizza (NY STYLE, YAY), Chicken Salad Chick, Famous Toastery and more! Of course, you'll have what every grocery store shopping center has: dry cleaner, nail salon, Great Clips, etc., but a few available spaces remain and our fingers are crossed for something great! 

Take a look at the site plan by visiting the developer's website here. 

I am so excited to share this tutorial blog with you! While obsessing over all things fall, I fell in love with a hydrangea wreath on Etsy. The problem - it was $109 plus shipping and that is just NOT in the budget right now. So, of course I had to scope out how I could do it on my own. 

I found the hydrangeas for 40% off at Michaels, making them less than $5 each. You'll need 9 of them for this 18" wreath base which was about $4.50. Then I opted for the pack of 35 pieces of stem wire, about $2.50, in a dark green so it is easily hidden within the wreath. Michaels only had Christmas ribbon out so I opted for a shimmery burlap, I used a coupon to get a 25 ft roll for $6. I think it is perfect for this wreath and I'll definitely use it when I make the Christmas wreath I'm already envisioning! So, your shopping list is: 
9 hydrangeas - check them out and pick some nice full ones. 
Wreath foundation (wire) 18"
Stem Wire pack of 35 precut pieces 
Ribbon - at least 10 feet




























Step one: make sure that you picked out full enough flowers, one for each of the 9 sections around the wreath foundation. 

Step two: Cut the leaves off of the steam on each of the hydrangeas. Leave a short stem on each of the leaves, you'll use the stem later to tie the leaves to the foundation. There were two leaves on each of mine. Set the leaves aside. 

Step three: Cut the flower off of the stem right where it starts to spread into separate branches of flowers. 

Step four: Use the stem wire to attach the hydrangea blooms to the wreath foundation. Center the bloom in the middle of the section and use the wire to attach multiple stems to different sections of the foundation, making sure the bloom won't blow off in the wind. Repeat for all 9 blooms (see photo below for example). 

Step five: You should have two leaves to go in each gap between flowers. One on the inside of the ring and one on the outside. Take the stems of two leaves and with the leaves facing opposite directions, tie the stems together with stem wire. Wrap around the stems several times from each half of the stem wire, then place against the wreath foundation and wrap the stem wire around the foundation to attach the leaves. Repeat in between all flowers (see photo below for example). 
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Step six: Take your ribbon and create a bow. This is NOT my strength. I youtubed how to make a bow. Then attach the bow with stem wire. You can use the stem wire in the process of making the bow and then attach with the same wire. 

Step seven: Take 2 1/2 to 3 feet of extra ribbon and loop it through the foundation just behind the center of the bow. Pull down so the middle of the ribbon is flat against the foundation. Tie a knot out of the ends then pull up on the center so it is now the top of the ribbon which you will use to hang your wreath! 

Step eight: SHARE THIS BLOG WITH YOUR FRIENDS! 

If you missed out on our Girls Night Out at the Social Vineyard, it's not too late to check out our amazing vendors! The Social Vineyard is our favorite Downtown Gastonia spot. We love supporting all female-owned businesses, but we especially love the fun events and charitable donations that The Social Vineyard contributes to our community. 

We introduced the Gaston Co Wives community to Evelyn Rose Boutique! Evelyn Rose offers a wide variety of clothing in sizes for all body styles. They also offer gorgeous accessories to compliment every outfit, so be sure to check them out! 

Olivia Allen with Young Living shared ways to keep your homes healthy and happy! To learn more about Young Living Essential Oils and how they can completely change your daily life, visit Olivia's website!

If you've been following us for a while, you've probably noticed how much I love our next product! Color Street changed my life about two years ago. Not only are my nails healthier and stronger, but so is my wallet! Color Street is a 100% nail polish STRIP that you apply like a sticker, but it is REAL nail polish and will last up to two weeks but takes only 10 minutes to apply and NO DRY TIME! Yes, you can roll right on with your busy life and not sit under the dryer for 15-20 minutes and still worry about smudging or pay $40 for a gel manicure and be obligated to go back every 10-14 days. Color Street is regularly featured in magazines and website articles and has grown to help thousands of women build work-from-home businesses or side-hustles! Check it out!

Mandy with Mary Kay came to share some of my favorite products! Satin Hands is something I keep in my event kit. There are few things more frustrating than being stuck at a vendor table for 10 hours with no lotion or constantly having to reapply. Satin Hands is the answer to that problem! Keep your hands silky and smooth all the time! Visit Mandy's website to learn more! 

I was so excited to find this phone case on Casely. I have been searching for months after seeing Teen Mom 2 Star, Chelsea Houska with it in her Instagram stories. I ordered it right away. About $20 with the current coupon and regular shipping. 

My initial thought was love for the pattern, as expected, the case was shiny and slick and a bit heavier than the case I took off of the phone. 

Two days in and I'm taking the case off and hopefully sending it back for a refund. Here's why this newsfeed ad phone case was a major flop:
1. The case is so slick that it slides off of everything. Where I usually set my phone, in at least four separate places, this case slides right off and onto the floor. The phone itself was fine, but one of those falls cracked my screen protector. 
2. Just enough weight to make the phone heavy and uncomfortable to hold. 
3. The case has a cutout for the volume switch, which is really helpful, but the case covers the buttons and what they designed to allow you to push the buttons is extremely difficult. I have so many unintentional screenshots from trying to push the buttons but then can't get a screenshot when I want one - it just clicks the screen off. This is honestly the biggest deal breaker of them all. Trying to take a phone call and not being able to get the volume up or down is just a nuisance that I shouldn't have with a $1,000 phone. 

Overall: cute but not functional. Would not recommend and really glad I didn't stock up on all the case designs I liked. 

It's our favorite time of year - when we feast at a discount! Charlotte's Queen's Feast is taking place from July 19-28, 2019 at participating locations. Here's what you need to know: 

BOOK NOW! Don't wait until the day or two before because the best restaurants and the best deals will be booked! If you don't make a reservation, don't bother trying to walk into these places until after restaurant week is over - you won't get a seat and they just might laugh at you. 

Check the menus before booking. Only select appetizers, entrees and desserts are included. You may not see your favorite dish as part of the selection. 

You can view participating restaurants by location. Be sure to book the correct one. For example, the Ruth's Chris in Southpark and Uptown often participate. Be sure you know where you are headed! 

Look at the pricing on the website and make sure you are getting a good deal. Not every restaurant is discounting by much and the free dessert that you aren't interested in won't justify the visit. Our favorite restaurant is not that great of a deal since we don't care for the add-ons that restaurant week offers. 

Expect a packed restaurant, slightly lower quality and a possible wait (even with your reservation). I'd like to think we are restaurant week pros at this point. We go somewhere every restaurant week. We try and go somewhere different each time. I'd have to say our best experience was at Sullivan's Steakhouse in South End. The quality was as good as it normally is, we were seated pretty quickly and the service was still good, despite the overwhelmingly busy environment. We've also been to Ruth's Chris during restaurant week and the quality was not nearly as good as is normal. However, you have to think not only are they giving you food at a major discount, but they're slam packed! A fair trade, in my opinion. Fleming's was my favorite before our visit to Sullivan's. Both are quite good and if it is your first restaurant week experience, I'd recommend one of the two! 

Don't let the Charlotte in Charlotte Restaurant Week fool you. Restaurants across the region are participating! 
Here are some of my favorites, geographically: 
Belmont/Gastonia: McAdenville Table & Market, Webb Custom Kitchen
Denver: Chillfire
Mooresville: Epic Chophouse
South End: Sullivan's
SouthPark: Del Frisco's, Harper's, Maggiano's, P.F. Chang's
Uptown: Capital Grille, Chima, Fahrenheit, Fleming's, Morton's, Sea Level

What do we love more than free stuff? FREE ICE CREAM! 
This Sunday, July 21st is NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY and you can enjoy this delicious holiday for free (or at a discount)!
Here's local(ish) places offering deals*to be verified by local establishment*: 
Baskin Robbins: Two pre-packed quarts for $8.99
Cold Stone: New and existing club rewards members get a B1G1 free coupon for Sunday. Sign up by Saturday to redeem! 
Culver's: Free scoop of custard with purchase of value basket at participating locations, with coupon
Dairy Queen: Download the app and get B1G1 free
Sonic: Half-price shakes and ice cream cookie sandwiches for $1.49 after 8 pm

Looking for a place to dine outside and enjoy the summer sunset? We've got a list of our favorite restaurants with outdoor seating, just for you! 

There is no quainter place than Main Street in McAdenville and the Table & Market has a large patio with comfy chairs, tables, a fire pit and lights for a perfect low-key evening. 

Grab your four-legged friend and stop by Rivermen Brewing to enjoy the picnic-table-filled patio. It's our favorite pet-friendly patio! 

Looking for a good view? Head over to the rebranded JR Cash's (formerly J Peter's). No worries, the menu is 99% the same - and the view, still 100% gorgeous. Enjoy the deck overlooking the River. 

Overlook downtown Belmont, where the sunset is always charming, from the rooftop at Nellie's Southern Kitchen.  

Station in Belmont offers a cozy outdoor vibe where you'll feel the small-town charm the entire time! 

Last but not least, don't forget about the covered outdoor seating at Glenway Premium Pub. If the sun is a bit too much for you, Glenway offers a great spot! 

It's likely that you know by now, I strive to be an informed, aware shopper. I've always been a bargain-hunter. I never buy anything online without looking for a promo code. I hate to pay for shipping. I rarely pay full-price for anything. BUT when a good deal strikes, I'm often going to snatch it up whether I NEED it now or not. 

Just over two years ago, I was shopping in the Gastonia Target. I purchased three items and after I inserted my debit card, I realized the amount was just too much for what I had purchased. The cashier handed me the receipt and sure enough, I was overcharged on three of four items. The cashier, confirming it "happens all the time" told me to just go check the prices on the shelves and go to customer service for a refund. So, I did. It was somewhere around $5 that I was due back. The customer service associate again didn't seem phased. This was the day that the switch flipped and I became abundantly aware of the overcharging that was going on in stores everywhere. 

I use Victoria's Secret promo codes on every order. Who doesn't? There is always a coupon. When I noticed what was happening, I stopped shopping there altogether. I was applying the promo codes, the amount was coming off of the total, I was clicking submit with the correct amount on the screen but when my statements were coming, it was for more than I agreed to pay when I clicked submit. The promo codes were coming off and I was paying whatever the full or regular sale price was, no additional savings! How long had this been happening?! I was not sure. After the customer service department refused to do anything at all, I vowed not to shop there anymore. I emailed the local news, but never heard back. I told my friends to beware! 

Fast forward to last night. I'm a sucker for post-its and they make adorable treasure chests full of a variety of colors, sizes, shapes and types. The boxes usually go for $100 or well-over, so when an ad popped up on Instagram for $50, it was time to stock back up! I typically take out what I want and donate the rest to a back-to-school drive. It's a win-win. Being who I am, I went to the eBates app, opened up the Staples link. Searched for the treasure chest. Added to cart and started hunting for any additional savings. I found a $20 off $100 coupon on Retail Me Not so I added a second treasure chest to the cart and applied the coupon. BAM, reduced the cart total to $80! Winning, right?! WRONG. I went all the way through, keyed in my shipping information, card information and reviewed the order. Shipping was free, and since I had keyed in my address it populated my tax, so the total was $85.60. Below where I reviewed the charges: $80.00 sub total, FREE shipping, $5.60 estimated tax, total amount $85.60 was the blue submit order button. Everything looks good, so I click submit only to be greeted by a confirmation page with a total of $107.00! I immediately called customer service and after explaining to the associate repeatedly that the promo code was correctly applied all the way until I agreed to pay $85.60. Meanwhile, the $107.00 was already withdrawn from my bank account. I asked to speak with a supervisor, Tracy. Tracy stated that Staples coupons can be applied and come off of the order even if they are not "valid". I explained to Tracy that it was completely fraudulent to ask customers to confirm orders at one price and turn around and charge them more. How many hundreds or thousands of people do you think they have scammed this year and they do not even know?! While Tracy did refund the $21.40, my mission was not just to get a refund but to bring awareness to this fraudulent means of extorting customers. 

I share these stories with you to help you understand how important it is to pay attention at the register AND at checkout online. To note your order total before and after checking out online. To pay attention to sale prices as you put things in your cart. We all know there is no way you can juggle making sure every item in the cart rings up correctly at the grocery store, but you can have a pretty good idea. Pay attention. Say something. Make them correct it. My philosophy is that I work HARD for MY money and I'm not going to give any more of it than I intended away. 

I do have screenshots of this most recent experience and due to all of the personal information on each of them, I'm refraining from posting them to this blog, but have saved them for my own documentation and intend to bring attention to this matter until laws are actually enforced to keep businesses from defrauding consumers!