BisQit at the Beach

My family vacations at Litchfield Beach in SC every summer. Have since I was in elementary school.  It's a beautiful, easy, old-school-feelin' beach town and I love it.

On our most recent jaunt to the shore, we discovered a new restaurant that we all now love: BisQit. (In a span of 12 days, we ate there 3 times.)

BisQit is located in the Pawley's Island Hammock Shops, and it has a great menu of burgers and beer and milkshakes.  You can elect to have your burger made with a beef patty, a falafel patty, or chicken breast.

American Beauty Burger (with a falafel patty!), includes American cheese, bacon jam, pickles, shredded lettuce, and kinda secret sauce. I got mine with a Gatherer salad. Delicious!

my sister enjoyed the burrito

 The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating, (on a screened-in porch), and it is super-kid-friendly- as evidenced by these happy customers:

And the perfect ending to any meal at BisQit is a milkshake.  I prefer spiked, but you can get a virgin one too ;)

Granny's Secret: Four Roses Bourbon, vanilla ice cream & caramel. Indeed.

Read a more detailed review of BiQit here.

Have you eaten at BisQit; what do you think? 

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Holga Love

A couple years ago my husband gifted me a Holga camera.  "the Holga produces extraordinary low-tech works of art with the bare minimum of mechanical function." (via here)  Right up my alley.

My first attempt at taking pictures with it is documented here.

It took us a bit to figure out exactly how to take decent pictures with it, but judging by the most recent ones we took over Memorial Day weekend, I think we've got it down:

My sister and her son.

Don't you just want to poke that belly?!

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Jones- 7 Months

You guessed it, the babe just keeps on getting older...and more fun!  We have taken a couple trips in the past month, one to the beach with family, and another to visit friends in Charleston.  Jones has turned into quite the easy traveler.  The days of hating the carseat seem to be behind us, (please knock on wood for us on that), and he adjusts nicely to sleeping in his pack 'n play in our room when on trips.  We are blessed to have a very happy, easy baby.

Without further ado, the baby highlights of the last month:

can totally hit two things together

preferred arm position while eating

Jones loves sand. a lot.

"Look Ma, I got three teef!"

Love this sweet, goofy boy to pieces.

XO, B

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Harvest Dinner and A Vacation

Have I mentioned yet on this blog that November is my favorite month of the year?  I'm pretty sure I have...I adore autumn and the cooler air, shorter days, and impending holidays that it brings.  I love wearing scarves and jeans and clogs.  I love sitting beside fires and gazing at yellow leaves and running when it's cold, (but not too cold).  My husband and I were married in November.

image via here

So, here's another thing for me to look forward to in November: I just snagged the last 2 spots for the November 10th Harvest Dinner hosted by Eric McClam of City Roots, Chef Ryan Whittaker of 116 Espresso and Wine Bar, and Vanessa Driscoll of The Southern Greenie.  For only $45/person, according to the website you get:

"Dinners start with a cocktail made with American Harvest Organic Spirits mixed with fresh seasonal juices and fruit. You will be able to enjoy a cocktail while exploring the farm. Then everyone will proceed to the table in the field for a sit down family style dinner paired with sustainable beer or wine.

Your local Chef and Farmer will be on hand to dine with you and talk about the harvest menu and the farm.  After dinner you will be able to experience dessert from Pink Magnolia and purchase produce packages as well as order the beer or wine featured during the dinner. It will be a unique sustainable dinning experience."

If you didn't get tickets yet, don't fret--there is a waiting list, or sign up for one of the dinners in the months to follow.

my loves on the beach

And, something to look forward to for now: this Thursday I am heading to Litchfield with my family for one last summer hurrah before my USC class starts back next Monday.  Hello yummy food, lazy days in the sun, and naptimes with babes :)

XO, B

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Jones- 5 Months Old

So many new things have occured in the life of this child in the past month!  He took his first trip to the beach over Memorial Day weekend:

He started eating solid foods; so far he's tried brown rice cereal and homemade squash and peas--next week it's carrots.

He started school--he is loving his Child Development Center at Shandon Presbyterian Church.  They have him on a great schedule--he now naps twice a day for over 2 hours each nap!

He also loves his bath now--(up until about a month ago he screamed for the entirety of every bath we gave him).

Playing with his cousin Taylor.

Jones is the light of my life and his little personality is really starting to show itself these days.  He is very "assessive", (as my mom calls it), and it still takes a lot to make him smile...you have to work for it!  He loves to be read to already; Brown Bear is a favorite, and Goodnight Moon is climbing the charts.  And he is just starting to reach for people when he wants them-the highlight of my day this morning.

Happy Wednesday!
XO, B

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Summer Books

Warning: this post is asking a favor of you, dear reader: please comment. 

As a reader of tons of blogs, believe me, I know the drill; rarely do I comment.  But please know as a writer of a blog, it means the world when you get a comment.  Truly.

Anyway, I would love any and all comments on this post in particular because I am planning my summer reading list and have basically nothing to start from.  So, please tell me what to read!  I like anything--fiction, non-fiction, chic lit, biographies, how-to/self-improvement, even a little sci-fi is ok once in awhile. 

Here is the only book that is on  my list so far that I plan on reading this weekend while I'm at the beach:

image via here

"The central premise of this book is that many of modern society’s strategies for nurturing children are
in fact backfiring – because key twists in the science have been overlooked. Nothing like a parenting manual, NurtureShock gets to the core of how we grow, learn and live."
Sounds interesting, huh?  Not sure what to think of this, but I will definitely let you know my review!

So, please...give me some good book ideas for the summer?
XO, Becca

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Knitting for Real

I am officially a knitter.  I completed my first hand-knitted item last night:

My first knitted item is complete!  (I look pretty scary in this pic, but it's the best one I have of the scarf...)

Thanks in large part to Lara Winburn of In the Loop for her expertise, patience and teaching. 

My next venture is a baby blanket for Jones--it's going to be simple; color-blocked oatmeal and green.  Let's cross our fingers that I can get it finished in 3 months!

Oatmeal and green yarn for Jones' blanket.

And, I have officially crossed another thing off my 31 Things to Accomplish in my 31st Year list! (Learn to knit).

I am in an amazing mood today, (despite the fact that I haven't had a good night's sleep in a week--I guess this is normal for someone 7 months pregnant?!), because today is my Friday.  I am heading to Litchfield Beach for the weekend with my family tomorrow, and I am excited for a few days of good food, sleep (hopefully), reading, knitting, and breathing salty air!

What are your plans for the weekend?

And just because...here is the most recent "bump" picture and a picture, (albeit blurry), of my sweet hubs and sweet Abby:

I look tired and pale..and big!

Abby looks embarrassed, doesn't she?

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Eating Our Way Through Pawley's Island, SC

I returned home from the SC coast last week, and this is a review of the amazing local fare we dined upon while there.

The first night of our trip to Litchfield beach, just north of Pawley's Island, SC, James and I sat down with my parents to plan our eating for the rest of the week. This is how our family operates--entertainment and planning often revolves around eating. So, thus began our gluttonous and glorious trip to the beach.

First up- Bistro 217.

This restaurant has become a staple beach restaurant for the Smith family; we often eat there twice in one trip, (which we did last week). The staff is consistent, the food is consistent and very high-quality, and the atmosphere is beach-chic, and casual enough for my 2 1/2 year old nephew to dine with us for dinner.

Here's what we ate on our first trip to 217:

Everyone starts with this fun basket of carrots, celery and various breads.

I get this salad every time I eat here-- the Warm Pistachio Encrusted Goat Cheese Salad with spinach and balsamic.

Red Snapper special, served atop a seafood risotto with local sliced carrots, micro-greens and Parmesan cheese. My brother-in-law and I both got this and it was yummy.

Dad's filet served over creamed spinach--(sorry, can't remember anything else about this special dish, but he loved it).

The hubs' Eggplant Treasure Chest, a fried eggplant stuffed with shrimp, scallops, and grouper in a basil Parmesan sauce.

OK, on to beach restaurant number 2- Quigley's Pint & Plate:

Quigley's is located literally right across Highway 17 from Litchfield by the Sea, so it is a perfect spot for a quick bite and a pint of house-made beer, like their Swamp Fox IPA or Nut Brown Ale. Plus, out back there is a pond filled with turtles, fish and an alligator that are just waiting for tourists to feed them from the turtle food machines--great entertainment for kids!

The fare is pretty typical pub fare, but with a low country twist.

Mahi Mahi Tacos

All-you can eat Fried Shrimp & Fries.

Dad and Ben spying turtles.

Saturday night-Chive Blossom Cafe.

This was the first time we dined at Chive Blossom, but we will be back--the food was awesome. The atmosphere is pretty loud, as the "line," where the food is pushed out and prepped for table-delivery is actually in the dining room, but it's a cool experience. I really liked it.

Chive Blossom Chopped Salad with candied pecans, dried cranberries, boiled egg, red onion, bacon and a citrus vinaigrette.

The "line"--right in the dining room. Loud, and probably off-putting to some, but really kinda cool in my opinion.

Grilled Vegetable Goat Cheese Ravioli special with a pesto broth--very tasty.

James' HUGE bone-in ribeye with a shallot butter and shoestring potatoes.

And finally- Sunday night- High Hammock Maverick Seaside Kitchen.

This place is a little pricier than the others, but they were also really accommodating with Benjamin, and the service was excellent. The desserts, (of which I have no pictures), were insane.

Wedge Salad (sans bacon, for me) with watermelon radish--beautiful, no?

Delicious local vegetable plate.

OK, enough, enough...I'm tired and feel full after this post, so I'm calling it done.
Bottom line- Pawley's has some awesome local fare and I'm very grateful to be able to go down there with my parents so that I can taste everything it has to offer.

Anyone have other Pawley's favorites?

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