We're Southern, Y'all!

So, we live in Texas and not just Texas, but east Texas. It's fabulously beautiful, with stunning lake views and trees that seem to go on forever. I have always lived in Texas. I grew up in Dallas, went to college in Lubbock and then moved to Athens soon after. I love Texas. You will often hear me refer to Texas as 'the great state,' and I will be the first to tell you that I don't ever want to leave Texas. Texas is so unique and different from any other place. If you go anywhere outside of Texas, can you recognize the differences? It seems like the men aren't as courteous and the people not as friendly. If you are on Pinterest, you have been seeing a lot of 'e-cards.' These always make me laugh, but some of my all-time favorites are about us Southerners. For example,

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Bless her heart. I probably say that at least once a day without even thinking about it. It's the perfect phrase. I had no idea it was just a Southern expression, but I think that makes me love it more! But the statement below may also be true... 

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So anyway, on to the real focus of this post! ACC will be offering dinner specials on Saturday nights in September based on recipes from Southern Living. Jennifer and I had the pleasure of getting to look through the plethora of annual recipe books we had on hand and pick out the menus for each Saturday night! We had so much fun!! Here is a sneak peek, enjoy!

Apple Spinach Salad

Eye of Round Roast

Roasted Potatoes

Zucchini-Carrot Casserole

Pecan-Carrot Cake with Citrus Cream Cheese Icing

Garden Salad

BBQ Country Style Ribs

Parmesan Potato Wedges

Breaded Tomatoes

Apple Bourbon Pie

Tomato Herb Salad

Spinach and Herb Stuffed Pork

Orange Herb Rice

Dilled Green Beans

Southern Honey Cake

Bacon Monkey Bread 

Orange Slices with Honey Yogurt 

Corn and Squash Fritatta 

Pumpkin Donut Drops  

Spicy White Bean Soup

Bourbon Chicken

Sautéed Apples, Onion, and Pears

Corn Fritters

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding

I know that most of you are cursing my name because it's almost lunch time and you want all these items right now, but you will have to wait!! Make sure to mark your calendars for Saturdays in September here at your ACC! And one more, just for fun...

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Who knows, maybe some of these funnies will end up in our Southern Living decor :)

Hope your day is great!

Emily

 

Trend Alert: All About the Experience

One of my all-time favorite elements that has become more and more popular recently are the different food and drink stations. The options are endless! I'm telling you with all the ideas and inspirations you can find on Pinterest, you as the party host can personalize any and all of these elements to make your party truly unforgettable! As you can tell from other posts, I am such a visual person and I can't pass up this opportunity to show you some of the really cool things you can do with these different party stations!

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First of all, who doesn't love a good pancake? I mean, I'm a waffle kind of gal myself but I'm pretty sure I could put that aside when presented with a spread like this. This particular bar had several different choices for batter, white, wheat, buttermilk and banana- so good! Seasonal fruits and chocolate chips for toppings, and several different syrup options. Then on top of that, it's just gorgeous.

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A popcorn bar, umm yes please. This host offered several different types of gourmet popcorn, then you could choose sweet candies or savory ingredients to sprinkle in to the mix. Even better, you got to make a bag to take home! :) 

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Oh S'mores, you are so great. You are even better when I get to choose from all different kinds of marshmallows, chocolates, toppings and graham crackers. The possibilities are endless. If you are an ACC member, be looking for information about the Annual Hamburger Festival and Hamburger Ball. These are on the menu for the Hamburger Ball at your ACC. We are very excited! 

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Perfect for game day get togethers and sweater weather days. This chili bar could probably even turn this non-believer. I am not the biggest fan of chili or hot dogs, it's just not my thing. However, this whole set up is just to die for. 

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Dear Mimosas, I love you. I'm pretty sure I would melt if I saw this sight, but the fun doesn't have to end with mimosas. Imagine a bar for Bloody Mary's, Champagnes, Coffee with different liquor options,  and the list goes on and on. Like I said the possibilities are endless and there are so many opportunities for you to make it so personalized to you and your guests. 

We love all kinds of bars here at ACC. We have done several like hot dogs, nachos, candy, pasta, pizza, wings, omelets, and so many more! They are such an easy and fun way to get all of your guests involved! 

 As school is quickly approaching and the busy-ness of Fall sets in, we hope that you and your's are blessed. 

Emily  

Trend Alert: Creative Signs

Signs are all the rage right now in party planning. Clever and witty word play can make anything extra special, even when describing the most mundane of details.

Handwriting and calligraphy-type fonts also make things look handmade, which adds a whole new and personal element to your event regardless of if it's actually your own handwriting.

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I don't know if you 'tweet,' I don't but this would be so cool! You 'tweet' sweet nothings to the newlyweds, all using the same hashtag code, and they can go back and read your notes to them at any time! SO COOL!

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This is such a different take on your normal wedding ceremony altar. Weathered doors and a personalized sign make this such a unique feature for a wedding.

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You're probably getting mad at me because the first few pictures have all been from weddings, but those are not the only ways you can use signs!! Take a look at these precious signs that lined a sidewalk at a summer kick off party!

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Are there any Alice in Wonderland fans? Look at this fabulous element used at a Wonderland-themed birthday party!

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Food and drink markers, so that your guests know all the options!

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There are so many different and cool things you can do with signs. These are just a few ideas to give us the inspiration we need to get started implementing them for any party! 

Let us, here at ACC, know how we can help you plan any and all of your parties!

Featured: McGraw's Plus One

Athens Country Club was just featured on the blog McGraw's Plus One, and we wanted to show you what other people are saying about events at our club! 

It's the back to school season, which means our kids are amping back up to go to school, but more importantly our TEACHERS are diligently working and preparing to receive them. This year I decided to make little gifts for each of the teachers, and when I was delivering them I overheard them discussing how they needed a place to eat lunch the next day. Call it being in the right place at the right time, but I hastily volunteered to host them. A series of things ran through my head at this moment, 'Well, that is a wonderful idea! I'm so glad I was standing right here, at this moment' followed by, 'Oh goodness, what was I thinking?! Where can I host 15 people TOMORROW!?!' Luckily, I am a member of the Athens Country Club. I ran up there and spoke with Jennifer about if it was even possible to host that number with such short notice. She did it. I don't know if she has mystical properties but she made it work, even though tomorrow was a big day at our club, offering the regular scheduled lunch but also adding in a business luncheon for 100. Then on top of that, she added my little luncheon. Miracle worker, whew! Then the cherry on top of all that goodness, she asked me if I would like any special decor and then proceeded to give me several different examples of things she could accomplish in less that 24 hours. I, of course, said absolutely! Here is what the ACC staff was able to come up with less than 24 hours in advance of my sweet, little, luncheon.

A multicolored tissue puff runner snaked down the center of the table.

Thank you table tents, complete with educational quotes from some of the best minds throughout history.

Water and tea were served in beautiful drink dispensers.

Very cute printed food markers in simple, gold frames. We decided on the ACC Signature Salad and quarters of Par 5 Sandwiches for the main entrees. Everything was delicious!

Now on to the really important part, DESSERT! We decided on fresh fruit, with a wonderful fruit dip, and chocolate chip cookies. A little chocolate goes a long way when sitting in trainings all day!

Overall, it was incredible. Jennifer and the whole ACC team did such a wonderful job of attending to every single detail, and, the best part, she completely took over while I was still having a mental panic attack about what I had just taken on. She acted as my personal party planner, and she made me look GOOD! The teachers loved every bit of it and felt so special.

I have to tip my hat to the team at ACC. They did it at short notice, but still did it well. I'm amazed and shocked still that with less than 24 hours notice a group of people, who had lots of other things going on, could execute such a wonderful event and make it look like they'd been planning it for weeks. THANK YOU!!

 We love hearing feedback from our members about how their parties went and we love getting to be there for you when you need us most. Would you like to be a guest poster on 500 Park Drive, and tell us how your party went? We would love to hear from you!

Pantone Fall 2012 Color Predictions!

So, as the seasons change one of my favorite thing is to look through different magazines and see what they believe will be the next new, 'hot' colors. I love fall. The weather is temperate in our corner of east Texas, and the long awaited introduction of cardigans, scarves, boots, and most of all warm browns and deep jewel tones that mirror the landscape. Ahh, I just cannot wait. I am already trying to beckon on the fall by pulling out my fall pieces, but it doesn't seem to be working.. Anyway, below are the color predictions for Fall 2012.   

So what does this mean for ACC? Well, we are always looking to stay on trend with our table and overall decor, as well as hope to encourage people to incorporate these colors into their parties! As soon as these colors came out, I started searching throughout Pinterest to see what other people were doing to incorporate these colors into their events. Here is my interpretation of the Pantone Fall 2012 Color Predictions... 

French Roast

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French roast, almost like a greyish brown, is gorgeous! Like I said before, I love warm earth tones and french roast definitely falls into the mix. Personally, I think french roast would be the perfect vehicle to display an accent color or even wonderful by itself with only very neutral accents like in the first photograph. The most common use of french roast, in my opinion, has been through wood accents. Wood accents have been a very popular trend in events this year. I've seen wood used as side tables, chargers, menu boards, the works. Love love!

Honey Gold

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I'm in love with this gold. Paired with the beautiful blush flowers and accents, you have such a rich, elegant, and luxurious feel. Looking at this photograph, makes me think this should be a table set in a beautiful palace somewhere, and I want to be invited to sit at that table. 

Pink Flambe

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Oh my goodness. This. is. so. fun. This just screams fun to me. 

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I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. I love this deer head. 

Tangerine Tango

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Love tangerine! Among the photos I could find on Pinterest, tangerine and pink flambe seem to be the favorite pairings, but personally, I would love to see a tangerine and french roast pairing or maybe even a tangerine and titanium (below) pairing for this fall. 

Ultramarine Green

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Oh my goodness, this green. What a beautiful color for any and all skin tones, as well as a beautiful pairing partner with other colors, like the sunny yellow in the photograph above.

Bright Chartreuse

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Chartreuse is a toughy for me, but I really love the chartreuse featured in the photograph above.

Olympian Blue

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If you can't tell, this color blue is my favorite. It is my favorite color to wear, and I absolutely love incorporating it into any type of decor that I possibly can.

Titanium 

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Another very beautiful, rich tone that could be used either as a base to highlight an accent color, or stand, beautifully, alone. 

Rhapsody

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I love this light purple color for fall. I'm a sucker for a deep, jewel-toned purples, but this just feels so fresh and almost organic and soothing in a way. 

Rose Smoke 

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A beautiful blush pink like this could never be wrong. I adore the soft pink. It's so feminine, sweet and girly. -Imagine rose smoke plus titanium... I know what you're thinking- love, love, love. 

I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of these fall colors. The next question for you is, "How will you interpret them in your next party, and how can ACC help you accomplish the look and feel for your dream party?"