The Greenbrier Guide

If you were anywhere near my instagram back in February, you know that we spent a weekend at The Greenbrier! I surprised Andrew for our anniversary (which also happens to be his birthday) with the trip. I secretly arranged for him to have a Friday off from work, and waited to tell him about the trip until the night before. Then, we drove to White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia for a gorgeous, snowy weekend!

When I was preparing for the trip, I was searching high and low for cool plans and honest reviews of the food and activities on the resort and in the area, and I could barely find any! I’m going to list out our weekend below, and along with it the changes we’ll be making for our next trip. (That should say it all— there will be another trip!) Hopefully, this can help you guys prepare if you’ve never been or are thinking of booking a stay.

Friday:

-Drove to White Sulphur Springs, WV. We were coming from Columbia, so we treated ourselves to an early lunch at Shake Shack in Charlotte on the way up. We left around 10, but both agreed we would try to leave earlier next time! We were so thrilled to see snow as we got to the mountains. The drive was beautiful.

-Arrived at the hotel. It was so much bigger than I imagined. Truly huge! With the help of the valet, we unloaded the car, checked in Andrew’s shotgun (for clay shooting later), and found the front desk. Within a few minutes, we were shown to the cutest room and set down our things! At this point it was pretty late in the day, and we were tired from driving. Also, the snow was really coming down! My original plan was for us to drive to Lewisburg just a few miles away for dinner, but the snow and ice said otherwise. We changed and headed downstairs to find some dinner.

Our view + the snow. It was so pretty!

-We ate at In-Fusion in the Casino. It was good! We had dumplings and sushi, and were a little shocked at how good the sushi was… You never know at a resort! [This was our first encounter with the fees and taxes that come with food at The Greenbrier and one of the biggest drawbacks— there are a ton of fees tacked on to food in the resort. Our meal cost almost double what the food and drinks actually cost after all of the fees were added. That being said, our meal was good, but it wasn’t “pay double in taxes and fees” good. ya know?] Regardless, it was so convenient. They also gave us celebration dessert!

-We ran back to the room to change into something warmer and went exploring. It was still snowing, so we went outside for some photos and got our bearings inside of the hotel. Just that evening (and mostly inside) we walked FOUR MILES. Like I said earlier, this hotel is huge. We found the main dining room, indoor pool, a bowling alley, some bars, shops, sitting rooms, ball rooms… it was all there.

-Got back to the room, showered, and climbed into bed. Whew, we were tired.

Saturday:

-We woke up early to enjoy breakfast in the main dining room. It was amazing! the china and decor were beautiful, and it was bustling with people.

-Next, we went on a tour of “the bunker.” There’s a whole, wild history in The Greenbrier that I won’t spill here but I will say that the tour was fun and I would definitely recommend. It’s about an hour long and chock full of history! There is a fair amount of walking, too. They say that when you book, and I’m here to confirm it. (Also I’m no expert, but I do love spy mysteries and conspiracies… this place definitely got me thinking!) Sorry, I don’t have photos from this part. We had to leave our phones in the room!

-We changed clothes and jumped on a shuttle to the gun club: it was time to shoot some sporting clays! I’d never done it before, but let me say: it was so much fun. The course was beautiful and our instructor was top notch. It essentially turned into a coaching session that we ~definitely~ needed. I would absolutely go again. (Andrew brought his own shotgun and shells, and I rented one of theirs. We brought our own eye and ear protection, but they have it available!)

After our chilly + friendly competition. Andrew beat my score by 3 clays.

-After all of that hard work- because it is shockingly hard work- we went back and put on our bathing suits. It was indoor pool time! The pool is original and incredible- it’s also very deep! [Note here: We are pool people. If there is a pool, we are in it.] We floated and swam for two and a half or three hours, had the sweet lifeguard take our picture [read: I embarrassed the heck out of Andrew], and pretty much had that enormous pool to ourselves the whole time. The water was warm and not too chlorinated.

DREAM POOL

This was a self-timed photo. We propped Andrew’s phone up with a shoe and hoped it wouldn’t fall into the 9ft deep end.

-Finally, it was time for some dinner. We went to Prime 44, the most reviewed and recommended restaurant on the resort. It’s a steakhouse, and very fancy. It was also delish! [This is one we agreed we would come to again despite the aforementioned fees and taxes.] The Caesar salad was amazing, our steaks were lovely, and the asparagus we got on the side was good too! I did try the lobster mashed potatoes, but they were not my favorite. It may have been an off-night for those because SO many people told me to try them! We were stuffed at the end of this meal and another complimentary dessert. We even took leftovers back to our mini fridge.

-We came back to our turned down room and candies were waiting on us. I saved them for later and got all tucked in and went to sleep! We had a big day!

Sunday:

-We decided we wanted to get home pretty early, so scratched our morning swimming plans and checked out around 9. On the way out, we stopped for gas and got breakfast at a little breakfast place called Cook’s Country Kitchen. It was inexpensive and exactly what we wanted— a non-fast food breakfast!

-We came on home! On the way, we met a friend in Charlotte for some lunch at Optimus Hall. We were so sad to come home so soon, but this quick trip was still a ton of fun.

Takeaways:

• We decided that our ideal stay would be five days/four nights: On the way up, we would stay one of the nights near Snowshoe Ski Resort and do some snow tubing and skiing. That would leave three full days to explore at The Greenbrier, go to Lewisburg, and see all of the caves and gorgeous nature all around that area.

• We think this would be a cool place for a romantic getaway, but also for a group of friends or couples to go! There are a lot of activities that would be fun for a group of 4 or 6. (Or more if you have that many friends.)

• Next time, we’re thinking of bringing a cooler with some chicken salad or sandwiches, and some snacks to avoid some of the unnecessary fees we ran into. We would 100% enjoy some of the meals we had again, but some were more expensive than we would want to pay a second time around. We also want to go to the Italian place next time! It looked and smelled so good.

• The time of year we were there was perfect for us. Not too crowded and chilly. We loved the snow, too. We’d love to do the drive in the fall— all of the trees would probably be incredible!

• Take cash for tipping!

• Join the mailing list for cool deals and offers. They always have something neat going on! We used a discount from an email they sent in late 2019. This is definitely a splurge, but we would go again!

• Next time, I want to add a historical tour to the list of our activities. There is a ton of US history there that I would love to hear all about.

• I was very concerned about the dress code and what we needed to wear while I was packing, but I think I was more worried than I should have been! For the evening meals, I wore a dress or jumpsuit and Andrew wore a jacket or blazer and chinos (+ a tie at the steakhouse). During the day, I was in black pants (my thick ponte leggings) or nice, dark jeans with sweaters, and Andrew was in khakis and polos with his jacket! We saw a wild mix of outfits, from very casual to very dressy; I think we were in the right zone of clothes!

• It was so relaxing to have everything right there. Call and make reservations ahead- everyone is so helpful. The staff was there to help with every single thing we ever wanted!!

I think that covers it all. At the end of the day, I can’t get over the whimsy and magic of the hotel and the beauty of the location. I would 100% recommend a stay. I’m already planning our next trip!! (In my dreams. First, we gotta get through this pandemic. Stay well, everyone!)

xx

One Room Challenge: REVEAL

I’m here to write a post I wasn’t sure I would be writing on time- my One Room Challenge reveal post! So. so many things came together and ended up working out that I didn’t think would- especially the two cabinet doors and the backsplash- but they did, and up to my standard, and on time. I can’t say enough about how shocked I am or about how much help my dad was throughout this project. He was a HUGE help with technical things like how to build and hang the cabinet doors and how to make my table stand up with new legs. Dads are the best. (Moms are cool too! Hey mom!)

If you want to revisit the journey, check out the other three posts:

Okay, onto the content we all want and need. Before and afters!

B E F O R E :

Blech. I hated this kitchen. There are some wins and some L’s in these before images. To refresh, my main pain points were the floor, lack of two large cabinet doors, and that we needed better lighting in the breakfast nook. But as we know, the small snowball rolls into a larger snowball, and the updates just kept coming.

To be clear, before I reveal the photos, I did do some cleaning out and organizing in this space. It was nice to take a look at the things we were storing and edit it down to the things we needed and regularly used. That helped a ton in creating the after photos you see below, and I still have some organization work to do!

To be even more clear, I’ll be sleeping in this kitchen for the next few weeks. I am in love with it. I’ve linked everything at the end!

A F T E R :

WHAAAAAAAA!? A lot to take in here. The floor, the light, the plants… I’ve really leaned into being a plant person in 2019, and I like it.

AND THERE IT IS! Hunter. Green. Cabinets. Moody, colorful, elevated. My favorite colors are now splashed all across my kitchen in the most grown-up way. You should have seen all of the faces when I explained that we’d be doing dark green, pink, brass, black, and white and a couple of other colors… they were definitely unsure. I’m glad I went for it, though! I think it works. Plus, I think the dark cabinets make the kitchen look larger than it is.

Next, I want to bring the attention to this table. THIS IS THE SAME TABLE from the before photos! I updated the legs, sanded down the original finish, and put a glossy polyurethane on to finish it. I really wanted to keep it, not only because it was solid, really nice cherry, but because it was my great grandmothers table. This is the 4th family it has served! (We kept the old legs and hardware onhand, just in case we ever want to sand and add them back!)

So much to take in here. A backsplash, new countertops that I LOVE- we went with marble counters and a white porcelain grid backsplash. Also, it is incredible what a new faucet will do.

We can’t forget to talk about those doors on the cabinet. They look JUST as I imagined, and I’m so proud to say we built them. Maybe one day I’ll go over how we did it in a post!

Just a moment to appreciate this sweet angel dog.

Same chairs, new life in this new space!

Oh, and our light problem? Solved. 6 bulbs are definitely better than 1.

And last but not least… how cute is this rug? I saw it months ago on my friend Lance’s business instagram- @posthousedesign- and I knew I needed it. It ties together the browns and natural tones, the black and the terra cotta shades.. and this face is one I can’t get over. Effie also loves having a rug in this space, too… she loves laying in here while I cook!

Let me know what you think in the comments or on instagram!! I’m so excited that it’s finished and turned out so well.

Check out all of the other guest participants here!! A huge thank you to the ORC and Better Homes and Gardens for putting on such a cool event. I’ve loved watching and participating in it this fall!!

L i n k s:

be aware, some of these may be affiliate links! now you know.

Light Fixture | Chairs (Similar) | Wall Planter | Faucet (Similar) | Drawer Pulls | Cabinet Knobs | Rug | Pink Le Creuset | Soap Bottles | Celfie Planter | Salt Well

Floor Tile | Backsplash | Cabinet Paint

One Room Challenge Week 3, 4, and 5: Lighting, Hardware, and Painting Cabinets

Note: if I did it correctly, this post contains some affiliate links. (That just means if you buy something from one of these links, I’ll get a few cents on the dollar.)

Lighting and hardware choices, oh my! This is so tough for me- it’s expensive AND it can be hard to source. I love tons of small business-style lighting and hardware companies (Sazarac Stitches, Dutton and Brown, Schaub and Co., Schoolhouse…), but I didn’t have the budget in this kitchen to go all in with those. Next time! Instead, I turned to Google.

Upon googling “sputnik chandelier”, I found a treasure trove of amazing light fixtures. They ranged from $1000 to $400, but as we know: that isn’t in the budget. West Elm had some AMAZING options, and even a little sale, but it was still a little higher than I wanted to reach. If you’re in the market for a Mid Century fixture or simple modern lighting fixture, that’s your spot, easily. My aim was $100-$150. (I know, its bold!)

Wayfair had some strong options, but most of them were dancing around the $150 mark and nothing was perfect- either it was too long, too small, had one small detail off, OR couldn’t ship in time, and I kept the hope that I could find something I was in love with. So, I ventured onto Amazon Prime.

After shuffling through dozens of fixtures, I stumbled onto it: the one. It was black and gold, gave lots of light… it was perfect:

And it was $95! WHAT! But guess what. It was backordered. So I went ahead and ordered, but kept on looking.

And there it really was. $83, somewhere a little less sputnik-y, and very similar to a higher priced one I had loved in my cursory google search. I ordered it, and one day later it arrived. (It was defective, so I sent it back.) And one more day later, it arrived:

I loved it even more. It works, too! Tons of light. I cancelled the black and gold one, and basked in the light of my $83 fixture.

Onto hardware: I’ve been searching for hardware for the better part of this year. I wanted something bigger, but sleeker and simpler, and brass. (Although I did look at some black options.)

Amazon won out again with a set of 4 truncated knobs for $14. I am impressed with them- they’re heavy, well-made, and seem like a great deal. For the handles, I turned to Etsy. I found these simple 5” pulls, and I couldn’t find anything like them for the same price. I finally got them after a hold-up in customs, and I am so pleased. They are definitely cheaper-feeling in weight, but once I installed them I don’t think you’d ever know. (The color is a little off from the knobs, but I don’t mind. Once they are on, you really can’t tell.)

Our biggest drama during this three weeks has been nailing down a contractor to finish the backsplash. At one point not so long ago (2 days), I was sure we weren’t going to be able to get someone here on time to do it! Lucky for me, a great contractor my real estate agent recommended had an opening and as I type this, he’s working on it. I think we’re going to pull this One Room Challenge off!

Let’s see… What else, what else?

- Cabinet painting is in full swing and I’m almost finished. By the end of this weekend, I’ll hopefully be thinking of painting cabinets in past tense.

- Soon, it will be time to start painting the table. I’ve got some ideas up my sleeve and I can’t wait to put them on paper… I mean table. This is a project I’m playing close to the vest, partly because I want the impact to be a huge surprise, but also because I want to see how it works out before I talk about it. It could go really well, or really not so well.

- Touch up wall paint. Since the walls were the first to get completed, there are a ton of small areas to touch up here and there.

- I want to get a pitcher plant and venus fly trap. I think both would be very cool, but I also love the added bonus of them attracting and eating bugs. (Because bugs we definitely have. I mean not us specifically- we’re not infested. But we live in South Carolina where cockroaches are the size of cats and mosquitos are the state bird.)

- Finish the doors for the pantry cabinet, mount the hardware for the trash can inside of the cabinet.

- Pull down tape, clean, and photograph.

That’s all doable in the next 5 or so days, right? Right.

Megan's Ultimate Halloween Mix

Since earlier this year, I’ve been compiling my favorite iconic Halloween songs. Some are less iconic, and some just Halloween-inspired, but nonetheless… I’m proud of this list.

Starting last Halloween, I put a big speaker on the porch and blared Halloween music during trick or treating time. I thought it was fun! (Who knows what our neighbors thought.)

Unfortunately, my music game last year was weak. Honestly, it was “Monster Mash” and “This is Halloween” over and over (and over) again. This year, I’m prepared, and now, so are you!

Find my list at this link, and feel free to play it for your neighborhood this Halloween. They’ll be charmed, I’m sure. Be sure to use the shuffle feature, and comment to let me know what the playlist is missing!

^^ just click that button!

*I can’t guarantee that these are all clean. After this Halloween, I plan on editing the list to remove any party bombs/songs that didn’t quite work in the moment. I’ll update on November 1, 2019!

One Room Challenge Week 2: Mid Century Modern Kitchen

First of all, I have a confession. The One Room Challenge has been started since July. SURPRISE!

We had around 2 weeks of work in July and 2-3 weeks of work in August: replacing and leveling the floor, painting the walls, starting paint on the cabinets, and replacing the countertops. Then, progress stopped up until this week. What a time.

I’m so glad we started early, because we had some unforeseen challenges. Who is shocked? Not me. This time jump has given us more flexibility than we had during last year’s ORC. Plus, who can ever get a contractor right when they need one? That’s a tricky thing! When there are construction elements, I don’t see how some people pull their One Room Challenge spaces together!

Here’s a rundown of the work we’ve done so far. If you’d like a reminder of the before photos and design plan, visit my first post for the One Room Challenge!

First, we painted the walls. I decided to do it at the very last minute- the day before the tile was being started- so that we could work without worrying about drips. In another last minute decision, I decided to paint the trim and vents the same color as the walls. I took down my DIY open shelves for a little update, and we got to painting.

The next day, demolition started. I think I talked about this in my last post, but the floor was our main challenge to tackle in this renovation. It had some pretty (very) uneven areas, and the fridge would list to the side a little. It bugged me beyond belief. Our contractor spent a ton of time evaluating and fixing that problem and after about a week, we moved on to the tile! (You can’t see it in this photo, but it looked like to us there actually was hardwood at one point. There were a ton of areas where it had been cut out and patched with cheap plywood, and it was covered in paint and glue. SAD.)

After all of the scraping and sweeping and leveling, the tile was laid!! (For more detail shots and videos, visit my instagram highlights!) I am so into this tile. I knew what I wanted and searched for two years- thought about settling- and finally found an affordable, large scale hexagon tile. It’s a matte white, and so far, I love it. We chose a deep charcoal grout, and it’s perfect. Exactly what I was envisioning! (It’s so nice when that happens!) We had a mini crisis after the grout went in- the tile had stained with the dark grout, and it looked terrible. I tried a magic eraser, nail polish remover, alcohol, and when none of it worked I frantically messaged my designer friend Teri Moore. (My contractor had never had this happen, and he wasn’t sure what to do either.) With her help, I ended up wiping each individual tile with a mild organic acid and rinsing with water- and it worked! Then I sealed the tile and the grout, and called it a day.

There’s nothing like a peaceful morning light.

Next, I turned my attention to painting the cabinets. I didn’t know what exactly to expect, but now I know:

it’s TEDIOUS.

I am still not finished. One day, I will be. One day soon. Here’s a work in progress photo.

It looks scary now, but it will be great when it’s finished!! (Covering this white has been quite the process.) I’ve been using Jolie Paint in French Quarter Green, introduced to me by my expert furniture friend, Blakely from Carolina Cottage Furniture in Columbia, SC. I’ll introduce her next week here and on Instagram!

The final progress we made was choosing our countertop. My mom helped scout some good options for me and really got the ball rolling. (and, my very sweet parents gifted us these counters for our birthday/Christmas! Best ever.)

<——— At first, I chose this one. I loved the crisp white and the random dramatic veining. After a few days, I got a call from our vendor and this whole lot of slabs was defective. (cue the tears) As they started cutting it, the stone was flaking and crumbling. Our vendor said he’d never carried this specific style before, but he didn’t want to put a defective stone in our house knowing it wouldn’t work. I can get with that.

We went back and chose the “storm” option! I love it. It has more veining, but it’s still a crisp white with dark veining, and it has a few touches of beige. I think it will be perfect in this plan and for any plans future owners want to make! It’s neutral, but beautiful. I’ve been so careful to care for this marble as a member of our family so far. Plus can we talk about how much of an upgrade it is from the warped laminate we had before!? I can’t show pictures yet, but I’m sure you can imagine. Send those marble tips on over— I’m trying to keep them pristine!

Along with new counters, we also got a new undermounted sink and faucet. Both have been practical and beautiful upgrades- its so nice to sweep crumbs straight into the sink and have great water pressure!! Before, our faucet leaked and left a lot to be desired. it did not have a “strong stream,” in my husband’s words.

so.

Here’s a list of what I have left to do in the coming weeks:

• finish painting cabinets

• attach cabinet hardware

• touch up wall paint

• update open shelving

• backsplash

• update light fixture

• build cabinet doors for large cabinet

• decide on a rug

• paint the table

• artwork

I think that is everything. Just a few major projects. I feel good about it! I’m really hoping to knock a good chunk of it out this week. Keep looking out for all the other projects, and come back next week for more updates!! Thanks for being here, as always.