crazy thursday

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Whoa.

That’s all I can say about today. It has been a doozy. First, I woke up late -with a migraine. Then I realized I had forgotten to transfer a load of pants to the dryer last night hang dry and iron (hi mom). I think I tried on 437,432 clothing items and looked/felt horrible in every.single.thing. My solution to this problem was to throw said pants in the dryer while I ran around  crazy and walked the dog. Did I mention this was also the day I chose to begin my first whole30 challenge? Which also means I had a fridge full of chicken and chopped veggies I was planning to put in the crock pot before leaving for work. This was not the morning to screw it all and stop by Starbucks on the way to the office.

Sigh.

I miss you already s-bucks.

Ok, focus.

So, I frantically loaded up the crock pot and then threw a couple of eggs in the microwave. Yes, I said the microwave. Don’t judge me people. I can’t fail this challenge on Day 1. I threw the eggs in a travel container and headed to work. I’m only 30 minutes late (bother). As I’m checking morning emails and eating microwaved eggs I realize I’ve left my gym bag on the counter at home. Really?!? What else can go wrong today. I’m supposed to be meeting my friend Mel for yoga after work.

I’ll tell  you what can go wrong. This can happen.

Did I do that??? 

(imagine that said in a Steve Urkel Voice)

#familymatterskid

You can hit the flippin’ curb on your way to have lunch with a friend (a whole30 compliant meal I might add) and blow a hole a HUGE hole in your tire. Please tell me this day is over now. I will have to say that my brother, LB,  was awesome and came to my rescue. It was his day off so he was there in about 15 minutes. With tools. Boom.

I know technically how to change a tire but let’s be honest- these wimpy girl arms couldn’t budge a lug nut. Plus, I was just released from physical therapy yesterday. Toting tires around is not in my skillset these days. But LB had it all under-control. He changed the tire and I’m currently driving around on the donut (I’m one of those people today) while my tire is being shipped to the local auto shop. Everything should be back to normal by tomorrow and I’m thankful LB was around to help. And Heather, who kept me calm and company until LB could get there. I never did make it to lunch with Heather, but I did end up at home making calls to various auto places where LB made me this for lunch.

Bacon and collard greens. So good. And perfect for whole30. I also ate the last piece of chai pumpkin bread I made a couple of days ago. You can find the basic recipe here. It will definitely be a repeat around these parts. LB has been full-time paleo for around 6-7 months now so he loved this as a treat. I didn’t follow the recipe exactly so I’ll try to post the changes I made soon. I’m hoping if I could make it through this chaotic day and still stay true to the whole30 challenge, the rest of month won’t be so hard (yeah right). Hopefully, I’m up to the challenge.

1 day down, 29 to go.

Have you tried a paleo/whole30 challenge before?

wish list: kitchen essentials

Halloween is not even here yet, and I am already excited for all the food, fellowship and general cheer that the holiday months seem to bring along. Cooking dinner, having friends over, playing board games and watching holiday movies always top my to-do list. I typically host Thanksgiving for my family (but not sure what we are doing yet this year). Regardless, I’ve already started thinking about some small kitchen tool upgrades.

(1)    I’m been lusting over enamelware from Le Creuset for years. It’s still only on my wish list, but I love this oval Dutch oven in rosemary green. Absolutely perfect for stews and roasts.

(2)    If I had my druthers, this olivewood salt well would be hanging out beside my stove at all times. I visit it every time I go into Sur la Table. You just know that burled wood will just get more beautiful with time.

(3)    Love this marble serving board. Hello cheese + grapes + nuts + me. Done.

(4)    I am still loving the gold toned flatware that West Elm introduced last year (or the year before)? What do you think- are the metallic here to stay for a while?

(5)    My beloved single cup espresso maker finally bit the dust (insert wailing and gnashing of teeth). I loved it because the base was stainless steel (in lieu of aluminum) but the rubber gaskets finally gave out and I couldn’t replace them. It has been months since, and I need to find a replacement. Any recommendations?

(6)    I absolutely love aprons. With initials. And pockets. Pockets on aprons are absolutely essential to me because I can keep my phone and kitchen timer handy. Who want to burn something because you can’t hear the kitchen timer in the other room? Not this girl.

(7)    Have you heard of Rewined? I love their candle scents and that they use recycled wine bottles to hold the candles. 

(8)    I’ve never owned a good set of knives. But lately I’ve been paying them a great deal of attention. Good knives can really make for a great experience in the kitchen. I’ve had my eye on some of these wooden handled knives by Schmindt Brothers at West Elm. I’m still wondering if I have the dedication needed to care for wooden handles longterm (hmm).

What about you?

What would be on your wish list for perfecting a feast from your own kitchen this year?

rr lately

I’ve been so busy lately and the holiday season isn’t even here yet –geesh. Here are some of the things that have been happening lately. 

• Found myself at a Matt Nathanson concert last Tuesday night. He was awesome. I'm still in love with this song. Joshua Radin opened the show so it was double exciting. Now I'm listening to this song on repeat. 

• I’m finishing some upholstery for chairs in a friend’s bedroom. I’ll post more pictures when this project is finished. 

• It’s actually starting to feel like fall (even here in the South). I’ve traded in all my sandals for ballet flats.

• Had delicious coffee at Octane with Heather. You can’t beat a Saturday afternoon with coffee and good conversation with your BF.

• The sky has been filled with absolutely beautiful and interesting clouds lately. Must be the changing season (?)

• I've been doing some experimenting with making my own all-natural make-up. Once I have something perfected I'll report back.

• I've been living in this Heart and Soul sweatshirt this month. 

• Attended a Revive Birmingham event downtown to promote local artisans and restaurants returning to empty storefronts in the theater district. 

• A friend got married at a local nursery- such a beautiful location for a beautiful ceremony.

hello monday

This past weekend peaked at almost 90 degrees. Then it proceeded to rain overnight Sunday and Fall seemed to sweep in with the wet weather.

This morning was crisp and cool with the smell of damp leaves in the air- I love that.

I ordered this sweater for the cool weather ahead.

I am repeatedly listening to this song by Bastille.

I finished this book, and picked up this one.

happy monday chickies.

we belong together 01

Doesn't this great LL Bean sweater look just perfect with this classic blue and white space?

I'm taking off early this weekend to start celebrating the wedding of my friends Louanne & EJ!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Around Here

So this post is a bit late this week, but better late than never I suppose! I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend and Labor Day celebration. My weekend was pretty busy, but with some great time relaxing as well. My September is looking pretty busy already so I wanted to relax a little while I had the chance! This coming month includes learning a new software platform for work, celebrating a close friend’s wedding, attending my ten year high school reunion (!) and spending a weekend at my parent’s in Tennessee.

So what did I do over the long weekend?

• I actually got off work a bit early on Friday and did a little pre-Labor Day shopping. Nothing extreme, but I did come home with these laser-cut metallic flats. On sale. I love them. Even though September is here, I live in the deep South so I feel like these shoes can definitely transition me between my summer sandals and my fall/winter footwear. 

• Remember when I said I was hoping to start reading The Dog Stars over the weekend? Well I headed to the public library after work Friday, but it wasn’t available. Lessons from Madame Chic, caught my eye from the library’s ‘new books’ display and I couldn’t help but check it out to peruse over the weekend. I am actually almost finished with it now and loved it!

• This may not seem like a fun weekend activity, but I spent the entirety of my Saturday cleaning out my closet. We had some heavy rain Saturday afternoon, so I didn’t feel too bad spending the time inside. Plus, there is something quite relaxing and mentally cleansing about having a cleaned and organized closet where you can find what you need.

• Ben sure enjoyed all the time I spent cleaning the closet. He took a long nap on my bed. Saturday is the only day he is allowed on the bed at all, as its laundry day everything gets freshly cleaned.

• Sunday afternoon I headed down to the lake to visit my friend, Heather, and her family. We sat out on the dock for part of the late afternoon, until a thunderstorm drove us back into the house. Thankfully, I had my book and good company to keep me occupied!

• I picked up a couple of movies from the library and ended up watching both of them at the lake. I had never seen either of these! I loved Forget Paris-but who can resist the hilarious Billy Crystal? In Paris? Not I. And I love anything set in Ireland, so Far and Away was also a fun watch.

Well, here's to one more day before the weekend!

Happy Friday

Well folks, September is here and that means Labor Day.

And a long weekend (so excited).

I hope you have some wonderful plans to enjoy these last beautiful weeks of prime summer weather. I'm hoping to head to the lake for a couple of days.

I'm also hoping to start reading this book over the weekend.

And play endless rounds of spades after a long day of sun and fun.

See you next week!

photo via

Around Here

My schedule has been packed lately and this weekend was no exception.

Friday night I hosted a Lingerie shower for my friend Louanne- who’s getting married in only 

two weeks!

Saturday I spent most of the day painting furniture. This was not originally on the agenda, but when the skies are clear and there is only a twenty percent chance of rain you drop what you are doing and paint. I’ve been helping my friend Heather redecorate her bedroom for the last couple of months. Painting her furniture was our last big DIY project to tackle, but the rainy summer has been keeping our project on hold. Now that the bed is painted (and I just tracked down new nightstands today!!!) we can see the end in sight. I promise a design post when we are finished.

We also celebrated LB’s birthday on Sunday. LB has been eating strictly paleo for about 4-5 months so Sunday morning I tackled my first batch of Coffee Hazelnuts Paleo Pancakes. They were not bad. I followed the recipe from Brandon and Megan Keatley’s new cookbook, Primal Cravings. I’m not sure if the recipe is on their website, Healthbent, but every other recipe I tried of theirs has been great.

After breakfast I made another paleo treat- a Chocolate Paleo Birthday Cake- which was really good. I adapted this recipe based upon the paleo compliant flours I already had on hand (I did replace the arrowroot flour with tapioca flour). 

We Belong Together: Lilac

If you asked me if I like the color purple I would tell you 'no'.

When I was in elementary school there was a girl in my class that was rather unkind 

and bossy towards me. 

Her favorite color was purple. 

Its amazing how things like that stick with you.

Oh, but the soft lilacs and feathery lavenders pictured above?

Well I can get onboard with those.

A friend of mine wore a purple top last week while we were hanging out.

I took one look at her and said, "We're getting you a purple dress. That color is amazing on you!"

And I've had purple on the brain ever since.

INTERIOR // AMETHYST // DRESS

Summer Wind Down

Summer is winding down. I can't say that I am totally disappointed. Here in the south, we will continue with the late summer heat wave through the next month or so, but the early mornings and evenings are already dipping into the crisp, autumn-like territory. I'm rather enjoying it. I can't wait for cool sweater weather and hot coffee in the mornings. But until then, I'm trying to enjoy these last warm summer days. I'm sure I'll miss them when their gone.

ML

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For Summer Adventures

For me summer is synonymous with a lot of things:

Swimming

Picnics

Hiking

Fireworks

Lightning bugs

Cookouts

Hammocks

The list goes on and on.

But for me, this list always includes music. Summer always calls for a change in our normal routines, be it a vacation to some place exotic or simply throwing open your back doors and inviting friends and family over for a barbeque. Here is a list of summer sounding tunes which I think goes hand-in-hand with low-key summertime activities.

Summer Sessions 1: Music for Summer Adventures

‘Hey Mama’ by Mat Kearney

‘Further Along’ Josh Garrels

‘Hey Hey Hey’ by Michael Franti

‘Into the Wild’ by LP

‘Ain’t About’ by Daniel and the Lion

‘Country Road’ by Jack Johnson & Paula Fuga

‘Windows Rolled Down’ by Amos Lee

‘So Sleepy’ Fiona Apple

‘Lime Tree’ by Trevor Hall

‘This Summer’ by Balmorhea

What’s your favorite music for these summer months?

Happy Fourth

Long Weekend & Guacamole

I hope you all are headed for some great Fourth of July fun.

The forecast here in the Southeast is calling for several rainy days ahead (bummer).

I’m headed to the lake with friends with the hope that the sun will overcome some of the gloomy forecast.

But just in case we’ll be armed with books, games and movies.

I’m finishing up this book, and hope to start this later in the week.

I’ve never seen this movie and it is a definate on the weekend viewing list.

Along with this and this.

I’ll also be whipping up a batch of guacamole for the weekend.

I never seem to make it exactly the same way twice, but loosely follow this recipe.

Whatever your weekend plans, stay safe and sound!

 

Wide Open Spaces

I took a quick trip home this past weekend to visit my family

and get an early start on celebrating this beautiful country of ours.

We took an early evening stroll down the road to the farm

a rolling piece of land my parents own

to stretch our legs after the long car ride

and attempt to spot deer in the uncut hay

After years of city living

its sometimes nice just to stand in open space

 and breathe deeply.

Heat Storm

A couple of nights ago LB walked out to his car to grab something and yelled for me to come outside. There was a beautiful lightning storm quietly taking place in the skies above the house. It looked as if it was directly above us, but it was high enough above us that no thunder could be heard. It was one of those sweltering evenings when even after the sun has drifted away the heat remains heavy in the air. We stood in the yard with heads tilted back and the summer sounds of kadydids around us as lightning danced across the clouds.

Sing to God,

Sing praises to his name;

lift up a song to him

who rides upon

the clouds;

his name is The Lord

exult before him.

Psalm 68:4

Small Spaces

I absolutely adore small spaces. If I were free to design anything of my choosing it would be bathrooms, closets and shoebox sized apartments and homes. Maybe even boat and RV interiors. I have a particular attraction to airstream trailers. They are wonderfully iconic, an ode to American travel and most importantly SHINY. I feel like a small child when I see them with their silvery reflective shells mirroring the world around them-totally enthralled with a shiny object.

I recently saw this beautifully restored Airstream via Remodelista. I assume this unit is not designed to continually move with it full-size bath (A-M-A-ZING) but for a quick weekend stay via the adjacent hotel. I know I’d stop by for coffee and a long night’s sleep anytime. You can read the full article here.

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Bookmarks: 01

Do you have a tendency to leave tabs open on your internet browser? I will admit that I do it all the time. I apparently do not believe in using the bookmark feature to save articles or the like for future viewing. If the internet were a large book that I carried around with me, mine would have post-its, scraps of paper, pencils, gum wrappers and the like marking tid-bits I'm planning on coming back to visit.

I thought it would be fun to show you some on the tabs currently open on my browser. Once I have them listed here for reference maybe I will feel like I can close them- but probably not.

I saw Ina Garden make this Old-Fashioned Cake Recipe a few weeks ago on FN. LB and I have stopped buying refined flours and sugars at home, but we still have some supplies squirreled away in the pantry. A use for the last of refined white sugar perhaps?

I stumbled across the blog Door Sixteen through some unknown internet rabbit hole this week. I've probably spent more time than I would like to admit looking through some of Anna's archives- particularly her home and DIY posts.

I've posted about this song before. Probably because I never tire of it and the official music video is amazing. But I also love this video. I would love to project it onto a huge wall for a party and just leave it on repeat. Don't worry, you're invited.

I found two large bags of lentils in the pantry this weekend. I'm attempting to avoid the grocery store and live off what I already have at home this week so I googled this Four Corners Lentil Soup that is amazing. I've made it before and while I typically tweak recipes as I go- this one is perfect as is.

I also have a head of cabbage that I mistakenly grabbed thinking it was lettuce. Bother. See above about eating what you have on hand. I'm going to try my hand at this homemade version of Zoe's Marinated Slaw. I'll keep you posted.

M

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Happy Friday

Happy Friday Y'all. I'm so glad the weekend is here.

I hope your weekend is as chill and relaxed as this guy always look!

See you Monday.

Gregory Alan Isakov

I never seem to tire of Gregory Alan Isakov. 

This song is one of my favorites.

And this one.

I can imagine myself under the summer night stars already.

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday Folks. Is it back to the grind already?

I spent this weekend on at the lake with two of my favorite people, Bethany and Heather Buss (I never actually call her Heather so why start here?). If you live in approximately half of the United States, you may have noticed it rained the majority of the weekend and that the lake may not have been the best destination. But you would be wrong.

Yes, it was chilly. But it was nothing steaming hot mugs of coffee and cozy blankets couldn’t save. We spent a lot of time sitting on the covered porch starring at the water, talking about totally random things, watching movies and cooking. Oh the cooking! I thought it would never end. It may be a blessing that weekends are only two days long. The weekend setting reminded me of the movie Dan in Real Life- minus the fact that I did not meet a handsome man in the local bookstore and spend the majority of the weekend pining after him.

Opps. I forget to take photos of actual people sometimes.
Megan, Bethany, Heather (Buss)

We stayed up pretty late every night and unfortunately for me, my internal alarm has decided to become an adult somewhere along the way these last few years. That means no matter how late I go to bed, my eyes immediately blink open around 6:30am every-single-morning.  Not cool. But it did give me some great time to set on the porch, coffee and journal in hand and watch the early morning fog burn off the water. Beautiful.

Let’s go back soon.