Quick Tip Tuesday: What not to do to your child's beloved toy while they watch!

My working title for this post has been, The Elf! The Elf! The Elf is on Fi-re!, no really the Elf is on FIRE! But it didn't mesh well with the whole quick tip title and all, so I nixed it and am now forcing you to get that song (the roof is on fire) stuck in your head the way it's been stuck in mine since Sunday. You're welcome!

This tip is simple and actually does have to do with your home (my dad's house was the test example and gee we are really sorry about that!) as you really don't want to burn down your house during this joyous holiday season.

In memoriam: Friendly the Elf November 23, 2011 - November 27, 2011

Have you seen this family tradition in a box, the Elf on the Shelf? Well we were turned on to it by a friend and have been waiting for Santa to unveil this precious memory maker to our son. Last Wednesday after our toddler had a good, non-screaming, or tantrum throwing visit with Santa he found that with all his North Pole magic Santa had broken into our car and left him an elf that he could talk to and tell all his Christmas wishes to. Of course he loved it!

Our family tradition lasted 4 nights before daddy thought it would be a great idea to hang him from a chandelier at his grandpa's house. Cute landing spot to be sure, little Friendly's arms wrapped securely around the light bulb he was sitting on. You know where this is going; funny how we didn't at the time until we were packing up to leave and kept smelling smoke. All four adults were starting to panic when we didn't see a fire in the attic, or in the crawl space but we could smell it and the room was starting to get hazy but there was no clear visual smoke coming from anywhere. Finally someone found the "source" and horrified, we watched the smiling face of Friendly the elf as his little arms melted and smoldered into that light bulb high above the dining room table.

Poor Friendly lost his magic as daddy jerked him down slamming him on the dining room table to put the open flame out and we tried to shield our two year old's eyes as he screamed, "don't touch Friendly daddy! What's wrong with Friendly! Where's he going?" Ahh, that's right folks, this family tradition turned ugly when we taught our two year old about a very sick elf that may have to go away for a while.

You too can start this tradition, the elf, not the roast, for about 30 bucks at local retailers. Save some money, don't set the first one on fire. For about $60 total and after a lot of scrambling on our drive back home from the beach, we found out that Friendly was miraculously healed and "got his magic back" according to our very excited son.

So what's your tip? Don't put anything, especially, flammable materials on a light bulb unless you are trying to "accidentally" burn down your house. It may not end well. Don't put burning hot melted materials on your in-laws dining room table. And most of all, let's not emotionally scar our children during this glorious season. Okay fine, just don't scar them any more than normal.

It's a Christmas miracle! Friendly 2.0 made it home from Grandpa's before us!

Don't just set the table, set the stage

How do you want your Thanksgiving Feast to be remembered? When we entertain I want people to walk away from our home relaxed, well fed and happy. I want them to leave with that few hours in time set as a pleasant memory that they'll think back on with a smile. So what can you do to set the stage for your Thanksgiving guest to have them come away wowed by your absolute fabulousness?

There is really so much that you can do to make sure your visit whether days or hours long is a successful one. Lighting, music, fragrances, fun outings and even details like having a guest favorite beauty bar on hand, just in case, all go into setting the stage for a memorable experience. But today, let's talk scents. Now that's not all I have in my bag of tricks when it comes to entertaining but if I were to give you all my milk for free then you'd never come back to buy this cow. Wait, that doesn't sound right. Oh well, let's get started.

Did you know that certain scents invoke memories, which in turn control your emotional response to your situation? Google it. It's one of those no brainers. For me it's the scent of roses. It doesn't matter where I am, if I smell a rose as I pass by, I immediately think of my mom and for me that brings back happy memories, memories of home. What smells remind you of holidays and home? For a lot of people, it's the smell of cinnamon. Pumpkin pie. Coffee. I swear as the weather cools down, my coffee addiction grows worse, maybe its the smell and the warmth combined, but it reminds me of a house full of company with everyone sitting around in their pjs just being lazy and watching the Thanksgiving Day parade.

Set your house up to smell good even when you aren't cooking your feast. A candle warmer is an obvious answer for setting this stage but there is more to it than that.

At our house we eat a ton of apples and pears. Apples are a sure toddler pleaser and we always have at least a core left behind after an afternoon snack. You'll probably have much more than that if you are baking an apple pie this week. Save those cores and any bits and pieces left over. Load them up with cinnamon, cloves, mint and boil them on the stove. It will make your house smell delicious! Oranges also make a great addition to this natural potpourri.

And don't forget to reuse the fruits you have laying around. Another great use for oranges and lemons when you are done with them is to cut them up and toss then in your garbage disposal with a little ice. The ice is supposed to help sharpen the blades and the lemons will help to eliminate yucky odors left over from all your cooking this week.

Before your guest arrive and while you are doing your last minute touch ups around the house, spray a little room spray in your vacuum cleaner hose or filter. It will give the place a quick burst of fragrance as you pick up dust. Right now I am using Scentsy room spray in my vacuum, and the Skinny Dippin' scent makes me feel like it's warm and sunny outside. I love it, and I love when I can accomplish two things at once, a clean floor and a yummy smelling house. Also, try a room spray in your air conditioning vent, every time the air kicks on you and your guest will be in for a pleasant surprise.

Now stop reading and get to it, I am sure you'll have company arriving anytime. Remember to keep it smelling sweet and don't forget the details. Have a merry Turkey Day ya'll!

Foodie Friday! Thanksgiving on a Bun

My hubby is the king of the grill! At least around our house. And nothing would please me more than having him as my first guest contributor on A Southern Girl's Guide. He makes a mean burger and is a creative genius when it comes to mixing up such an American classic. We are especially fond of burgers in our house as my husband and sons do them together in a series of culinary delights that my husband has deemed Burgers Around the World. For more on that see the Burgers Around the World tab up above. Todays, he's sharing Thanksgiving on a Bun. It was so delicious and fun!

Take it away my love...

The Plymouth Rock Burger with Sweet Potato Aioli

When you think of Thanksgiving dinner, most people think of a roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and a pumpkin pie for dessert. If you are a historian you think that the real first Thanksgiving more than likely had more lobsters and seafood than turkey and fixings. However, if you talk to people who were actually at the first Thanksgiving, you’ll learn they served Plymouth Rock Burgers. So if you need a creative way to use up you’re leftovers or you just have a Thanksgiving craving in June, the Plymouth Rock Burger will be sure to satisfy.

Sweet Potato Aioli
· ¼ brown sugar
· 1 cup water
· 1 egg yolk
· Juice of ½ a lemon
· 1 tbls minced garlic
· 1 cup olive oil
· 1 sweet potato
· Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and cube the sweet potato and steam until soft. Dissolve the sugar in the water over medium heat then set to cool. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender then mix in sugar water and sweet potatoes until smooth. The final consistency should be not too runny, but not too thick.

The Patty
· 1.3 lbs ground turkey
· 1 tbls mix of traditional Thanksgiving spices
- thyme, oregano, marjoram, basil, rosemary, sage
· ½ tbls of ground pepper
· 1 egg white
· 1 cup bread stuffing
· ½ finely diced onion
· Salt
· 1 tbls minced garlic

Mix all ingredients and store in the refrigerator for an hour. After an hour, fire up the grill on high heat, then make patties as big or small as you want. I always put a dimple on the top of the patty with by thumb so the burger isn't rounded after it cooks. Sear on high heat for 5 minutes a side and then turn the heat down to medium and cook until the inside temp is at least 165. Lightly toast the buns on the top rack to get grill marks on them.

The Rest
· Potato rolls
· Collard greens, I recommend a Southern Girl cooks those. perhaps she can share her secrets one day
· French fried onions
· Can of cranberry sauce

The Stack
bun - aioli - burger - collards - a couple thin slices of cranberry sauce - more aioli - fried onions - bun.........enjoy

Interesting Facts about Plymouth Rock

The rock has been broken in two with a combined weight of 10 tons

The longitude of Plymouth Rock = 70° 40'
The latitude of Plymouth Rock = 41° 57' 30"

It was thin pickings for traditional music of Plymouth Rock, but I think Adam Sandler's Thanksgiving Song is authentic

Quick Tip Tuesday: Sterilizing your sponge

This sounds super exciting I know, but it's a good practice to put into place especially during this icky season of colds and flu viruses. The last thing you need is to make yourself sick at home, and let's face it, it is a cheap way to help extend the life of your sponge.

The how to: Make sure your kitchen/dish sponge is wet, pop it in the microwave for two minutes and then let it cool before you try to pick it up. Various outlets, including The Journal of Environmental Health, have published research that shows that microwaving your sponge every other day is a good way to kill up to 99% of the germs you get around your kitchen.


A good bonus from microwaving your sponge is that it will help loosen up any stuck on food bits from the walls of your microwave and make it easier to clean. Not that we ever forget to cover our food and get things stuck in the microwave, right?

Who am I? What am I doing? Why am I here?

Okay, maybe "Why am I here?" is a bit too philosophical. Though I do want to tell you a little about this southern girl and what I hope to do with this blog. It seems like we all have only a few great passions in life. For me, those passions include my family, our home, and real estate in general really, entertaining, and writing.

As a child I kept a journal which turned into journals and then an education in journalism and mass communications. This turned into a desire to work in advertising. That desire led me to a mid-size ad agency in a mid-size banking town that was having a huge real estate boom. Being the daughter of an engineer who grew up walking project sites and roaming around in one of the South's most charming destination cities it came as no small surprise when I realized I loved real estate too. Though I had a true passion for advertising, I couldn't afford to live on my salary, so I jumped ship when presented the opportunity to work for one of the largest semi-custom builders in the nation.

I loved it! It was such an educational experience. In learning how quality houses are constructed but more so in how to turn those houses into homes for the people who were building them. It was so satisfying to walk the finished home with all the colors and design choices that went into making it more than just brick and stone. Alas, that real estate boom ended, thus effecting my wallet once more, and now here I am.

Why do I call this "A Southern Girls Guide to a Happy Home"? Why not just a "girls guide"? Why "a happy home"? First, I am from the South, and believe where you come from can affect how you see the world, your sense of style, and your mannerisms, so I feel like that will help to explain my point of view and the projects that I want to share with you. Realizing that a happy home may imply something to do with marriage I want to clarify that this blog is about the actual home not necessarily the people within the dwelling itself. For me having a happy home means I feel a little less chaos in my chaotic life with two boys under the age of three and can think more clearly.

What is a happy home? Again, for me, a clean one(to a reasonable degree; I do have two busy children after all) that smells good and feels inviting...even when I am not expecting guest. Warm lighting, and music playing in the background as my boys and I have our morning milk and coffee or start impromptu dance parties when the mood strikes.

What do I hope to accomplish with this blog? I want to share some of the knowledge I've gathered along the way. Tidbits like how to add warmth and charm to a home that may be a little bland, adding value to your home with small inexpensive changes when you are preparing to sell it, and just everyday "hmmm that's a good idea" type of information. I'll also be sharing recipes and entertaining ideas, small construction projects, quick tips to help you out around the home and maybe a few laughs.



I have wanted to do this for quite some time and I hope it gives you more than you had before. So please, stay with me, send me feed back and hopefully I'll share with you something that you didn't already know.