Small Business Feature + GIVEAWAY

I am a huge fan of shopping local and an even bigger fan of shopping small businesses! Today I want to highlight a small business that my dear friend Emily owns, Emily Ward Jewelry. She's local to Oklahoma and makes the most adorable jewelry and accessories!

  

 

A couple weeks ago Emily launched these oh so stinking cute custom state key fobs and I couldn't wait to get my hands on one to jazz up my own keys! She has so many different designs and color choices you can choose from AND you do NOT have to be from Oklahoma! She can create whatever state and color combination you would like and they are so cheap you guys, check them out here along with the rest of her jewelry line! PS how perfect would these be for a gift?! I'm thinking a college or high school graduation gift, perfect!

I chose leopard and the hot pink tassel and it was a hard choice. Being a huge Oklahoma Sooners fan I almost went with crimson and cream but the pink and leopard is just too dang cute!

I have great news, she's giving one away to one of you guys! To enter head over to Miss Southern on Facebook AND/OR Instagram. Double the entries if you enter on both Facebook and Instagram! Must be following Miss Southern AND Emily Ward Jewelry. All entries will be verified and the winner will be announced on Friday, good luck!

Shop Emily Ward Jewelry's full line here.

 
 

Food Review at the Pioneer Woman Mercantile

Last week my mom and I both took a day off work and head north to Pawhuska, Oklahoma. If you've been around here a little bit you will remember that her and I first visited the Pioneer Woman's Mercantile back in January, you can read about that trip here in this post. That time we were both on Christmas break vacation, along with the rest of the world, and we went on a Friday. Huge mistake! If you aren't familiar with the Merc there are three parts to it. The restaurant, the store and the bakery. Well they also have a grab and go station with a portion of their menu that you can get to go. Our first trip it was so busy that we had to wait an hour and a half just to go inside the store side to shop and the wait for the restaurant was over four hours. We grabbed goodies from the bakery and ate at another local spot in town.

All this to say we both really wanted to go back and eat lunch there. So off we went and we waited two hours and three minutes on a random Tuesday. We took turns going in to shop since there wasn't a line for the store this time. This made the time pass quickly and also the weather was beautiful this trip unlike the first time when we waited in the freezing January temps.

I am such a foodie but I will admit that the huge mason jar that my iced tea was served in might have been my favorite part! AND they have crushed ice, perfect! Just kidding, it was all so good but I was over the moon to see my huge tea come out after the long wait! I'm a tea gal for sure!

We decided to order the spinach artichoke dip that was made with six different cheeses and served in a mini cast iron skillet with chips and pita bread. It was to die for y'all! Very rich but I still could've eaten the entire pan of it! I highly recommend it if you visit the Merc for lunch or dinner!

I really wanted to try the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy because I just felt like I should. It is favorited on the menu and known to be the dish Ree spent the most time perfecting. However, my stomach just couldn't stomach that much food for lunch so I chose the southern fried chicken sandwich which was served with a bed of creamy coleslaw atop the chicken and finished with house made butter pickles on a potato bun. Y'all, this was delicious! It was served with house made potato chips and I could barely finish half. I took the rest home and it was just as good leftover the next day! My mom picked the beef brisket reuben which was also served with the house made potato chips. She said it was fantastic and also could only finish half.

I knew in January I would be back and before I even left this time I knew I'll be going back again! We left about a quarter till three and there was a whopping three people in line!! Ahhh so next trip and a tip for all of you wanting to visit, go first thing in the morning or late afternoon. Although I have a feeling the summer and Saturdays are probably busy all day long. 

The lunch/dinner menu features several appetizers, hearty entrees including the chicken fired steak, two different lasagnas and enchiladas. There are also several soups and sandwiches to chose from as well as salads and of course desserts!   

We were too full to have dessert so before we left we both took a few pecan sticky buns to go from the bakery. Oh my word, so delicious! I was wishing I would've gotten the half of dozen pack. Lesson learned!

Have you visited the Mercantile yet? Are you a fan of Ree like my mom and I are? Sadly she wasn't at the Merc but I hope to catch her on the next trip!

   

The Pioneer Woman Mercantile: First of Many Visits

Over Christmas break my mom and I took a road trip about an hour and twenty minutes north of home. We headed to Pawhuska, Oklahoma in hopes of meeting Ree Drummond, in search of finding the perfect must have pieces from the PW collection to add to our kitchens and with certainty of enjoying some mom and daughter time in small town Oklahoma!

 Image Credit: Rural Gone Urban

  Image Credit: Rural Gone Urban

By ten o'clock that cold December morning mom and I were standing in line with hundreds of others on the corner of Main Street and Kikhekah Ave patiently waiting to get inside of the Pioneer Woman's Mercantile! After an hour wait we were warm inside and shopping through all the fun merchandise in the Merc. Shelves and tables were lined with bright linens, jars filled with Carmex and working gloves, colored bowls stacked among coffee cups and dish sets and the most perfect leather jewelry collection. The Mercantile is a local gem that has a little something for everyone.

We shopped, we bought and we ate. Sadly, the line for the restaurant was wrapped around the building and down the street with a four hour wait. So Ree, we will be back! However, the line for the bakery upstairs was a quick mere ten minute wait so we headed upstairs to grab a lemon bar and a sticky bun for the road. As soon as we made it upstairs we turned the corner to be greeted by the Marlboro Man! He was the kindest cowboy in three counties and graciously agreed to snap a pic with my mom and I. He let us know that the Pioneer Woman herself was home sick which was a bummer but I was just as happy to get to meet her cattle rancher!

We scooped up our pastries and goodies from the store and headed out of town on a two lane back road headed south. It was such a fun day spent with my mom and Ree, you can take our money anytime because we will be back!

 

Life Lately

Hello y'all, believe it or not I am alive just haven't been around this little space of mine. I could give a million reasons why I haven't posted but in short I'm just not motivated. I haven't felt like sharing, being creative or even like I've had enough energy to login. BUT I miss this space and I miss y'all so I'm working on being back more!

Here is a little of what has been going on in my world lately...lots of travel for sure. But lots of great times as well as some down times. Right after my last post, mid-July, I went to Sun Valley, Idaho. I stayed at the Sun Valley resort for the weekend and had an amazing time. Spent some time shopping and just relaxing at the resort. Unfortunately I backed up my phone recently and cleaned out all of my pictures without thinking I haven't shared any on here. So, I was treated to a wonderful dinner and a ticket to see an Olympic style ice skating show at the resort one evening but I sadly don't have any of those pictures to post. Here are a few of the trip.

The very next weekend I was back on another plane to Park City, Utah. I was fortunate enough to stay at the Montage at Deer Valley resort. It was hands down the best experience I've had at a resort in a long time. I didn't want to leave. I was treated as VIP or a celebrity the entire time and not to mention the views were very spectacular. I will share more on this stay soon. I was there for a board retreat but had a little down time to hike. After reading that the hike to Blood Lake from Dashing Darling was a great hike I had to go. I spent a couple hours hiking to the lake and just relaxing while I took in all the views. How awesome is our God to create such a beautiful world. Here is a few snaps from my trip to Park City.

 

Last weekend I spent part of the weekend in Oklahoma City for work and part of it celebrating, late, my sister-in-law's birthday. Since I clearly don't have my life together I didn't take any pictures of this.

I recently received a new necklace from Trust Without Borders and I love it! "She knew she could be brave because she was his." Inspired from Isaiah 43:5. Y'all check them out on Instagram if you get a chance. I posted about them here too but I love their purpose. For every purchase made they donate a necklace to a cancer patient. How awesome is that?!

Lastly, my new favorite addiction...fresh mint raspberry lemonade. I'm growing keeping fresh mint alive sort of on my patio and its been great to add to any and everything. Throw in a few leafs into your lemonade and you'll thank me.

I hope y'all are surviving the rest of summer...if you are in scorching temperatures like me here in Oklahoma. Dare do I even say I'm almost ready for fall?