Lauren Says So

Posting again!

2011-10-19T15:15:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone, I'm posting again over at my 'new' blog crown + castle. Hope to see you all there!

I have a new blog!

2010-05-30T10:35:00.005-04:00

As you all know, I took a break from blogging last fall. I am now back in action! Visit me at Crown + Castle I chronicle my daily life and joys of having a new baby while I attempt to decorate my home and keep good meals coming.

You can also follow me on Twitter.

I can't wait to reconnect with all of you!

Goodbye (for now), blogland!

2009-10-23T13:29:00.002-04:00

Hello all! How it has been a month since I posted, I have no idea. Time is really seeming to fly by around here. My time is spent working, sleeping, eating (and, when you're expecting, it can be a rather time consuming to prepare/find meals that are natural and safe), keeping house, dealing with volunteer responsibilities, and trying to find time to spend with my husband, dogs, family, and friends!

I just don't seem to have time to keep up the blog like I would like to. The truth is, there is so much that I want to share - random thoughts, recipes, photos, product reviews, etc - but my blog is not necessarily focused on a certain thing. So, if I posted everything I wanted to, I'd be doing nothing but blogging!

With that said, I'm going to close down Lauren Says So for now. But just for now! I'm going to take some time and think about what exactly it is I want to share on here, or if I want to create a new blog entirely. If I do create a new blog it will be definitely be more focused on just one or two things that I love.

I will still be keeping up with all of you in Reader when I can, so you may get the random comment or two from me! I will let you know when and if I am back!

Best wishes!

bissell pet hair remover

2009-09-22T09:55:00.003-04:00

I have fallen in love with my new vacuum.

Does that make me old?

Anyway. It is awesome. It is the Bissell Pet Hair remover, and as the mommy to two Brittany spaniels who shed - a lot - this vacuum is my new best friend.

We have tile/rugs downstairs and carpet upstairs, and this vacuum works well on both surfaces. The scary thing? I thought my floors were clean. I had been using a standard vacuum and thought that was working well. Then I used the Bissell and was amazed/disgusted at the amount of dog hair the thing pulled up.

It also comes with lots of handy attachments. The cool thing is that a lot of the attachments are clear, so you can watch what you are sucking up, which is strangely fun.

I know there are other "pet vacuums" out there, like the Dyson, but I haven't tried any of those. However, I don't think I will as I am super happy with this one!

Note: I haven't been asked to review this product - I'm not being paid - I just really really like this vacuum!

the best time of my life

2009-09-21T18:48:00.002-04:00

When I packed my bags for college in Charleston, met some great girlfriends and had a ball in college, I thought, "this is the best time of my life".

Then, when I moved to New York City and discovered so many new things {about the city, and myself}, I thought, "this is the best time of my life".

But then, when I met and married my husband, I thought, "no, this is the best time of my life".

And now, as we are expecting our first child, I am thinking, "no really, this is the best time of my life!"

This is just such a sweet time. There is an anticipation - but not an impatience - and such a happiness about expecting a baby. It is both calming and joyful to imagine what life will be like once baby is here - and what he or she will be like as a person. Will he or she be obsessed with organization, like me? Or more laid back, like my husband? What will he or she favor? Smile at? Like to eat? There's also a joy in thinking about family traditions that you will pass on or start yourself.

As a rather impatient person, pregnancy has somewhat calmed me down. My normal reaction to get from Point A to Point B is to think about the most efficient way to get there, put together a plan, and do it. With pregnancy, no matter how you slice it, it takes give or take nine months. There is no way to get around the wait. Realizing this has changed my attitude in some strange way. I'm rushing less and stressing less. If my entire to do list doesn't get done, I don't freak out. There are more important things.

It's also a wonderful, but unexpected, feeling that pregnancy makes you feel really part of the world at large. I somehow feel more connected to everything. I think about things I never thought of before, like how perhaps somewhere there is another woman who is pregnant whose baby will grow up to marry our baby, or be our baby's best friend.

I'm trying to savor every moment of this! As much as I'm looking forward to our baby being here, I am enjoying the expecting, the nursery planning, the baby book reading, even the doctor's visits! I know that March will be here before we know it!

What we were like

2009-09-11T16:41:00.002-04:00

Do you ever think about our mindset on September 10th, 2001? Do you ever try to remember it?

I remember that when I first started traveling, I took history tours of wherever I went. "...when Paris was occupied..." the tour guide would say, or "...when this kirche was bombed...". I realized that as an American I had no idea what it was like for a war to be fought in your own streets. I couldn't even imagine it.

I think now about what this thought meant for us as a generation. We were safe. Nothing bad happened here. We sent our brave servicemen and women overseas, to great heartbreak, grief, and sadness, but bombs were not exploding in our backyards.

And then 9/11 happened.

I remember how this affected me. This can happen here. This can happen, even to businesspeople who were just going to work in the morning, or to passersby, or to fireman and policemen who just kissed their kids goodbye an hour ago. Growing up I heard about terrorist events in the news, in faraway places. Now it was happening in my own country, in my favorite city, to people just like you and me.

A friend's son, who was five on September 11, 2001, asked his mom at Christmas of that year: "Mommy, when will the bad people attack us again?" I thought sadly that this mindset is what this little boy would grow up with.

A very different generation. He will never really know what September 10th was like.

a big announcement!

2009-09-08T10:39:00.003-04:00

can you guess?

yep! i'm pregnant!

i am a little over 12 weeks now, and my husband and i are very, very excited. expecting this little baby has completely changed my outlook and my mindset {for the better, of course!}. baby k is due on march 18, 2010, which seems so far away now.

so, i apologize for my lack of posts these past few months, but it has been hard to concentrate on anything else lately. i'm moving back into "normal life mode" after being in "oh my gosh, we're having a baby" mode - and i will try not to turn this blog into a momma/baby blog! however, i will keep you all updated on the progress, the nursery, etc.

yeah for baby k!

hot hot hot

2009-08-24T15:48:00.010-04:00

is it me, or is anyone else just really tired of this hot weather?

maybe it's because fall is my favorite season, or maybe it's because i'm freakin' burning up in the charlotte heat, but i cannot be more ready for fall breezes, crunching leaves, seeing kids trick or treating, and sweaters!

don't get me wrong, i like the summer - but it feels like it's dragging on way too long. i cannot believe it is still a bajillion degrees.

i order to channel my denial about fall not being here, i made shepherd's pie for dinner last night. {did i mention i can't wait for fall food, either?} i got the recipe for the sauce off of the food network, and let me tell you - it was delish. i had never had a shepherd's pie with a sauce. you must try it!

shepherd's pie with mushroom and onion sauce

{photo from preparednesspro.wordpress.com}

1) boil about 2 lbs of peeled and quartered russet potatoes with a bit of garlic. when they are done, mash them up any way you usually mash - with cream, sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, whatever.

2) put some butter and oil in a frying pan and fry up about 1.5 lbs of beef, a few shots of worcestershire sauce, some cayenne pepper {or a shot of tabasco, or just a few red pepper flakes}, salt and pepper. when it's almost done, add in about 1/2 cup of beef broth and simmer for a few minutes.

3) in another frying pan, put some butter and oil and saute 1/2 of a diced white onion. when it's about halfway done, add in a can of those mixed vegetables from the store {you know, the ones with green beans and carrots and corn? gross to eat on any other occasion but it works well here} and saute.

4) take out a 9x11 or similar size glass baking dish and spread in 1/2 of the beef on the bottom. add in about 4-5 ounces of havarti cheese. if you can't find havarti, you can use fontina or even muenster. then layer the other 1/2 of the beef on top of the cheese.

5) layer on the veggie/onion mix and then the mashed potatoes. put a dash of paprika on top.

6) bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.

7) while the pie is baking, you can make the sauce. in a frying pan, add some butter and oil, then 1/2 of a large white onion and 8 stemmed and diced white button mushrooms. after about 5 minutes, the mushrooms will begin to sweat, and you can sprinkle some all-purpose flour over everything. then slowly pour in 1 cup of red wine and 2 cups of beef broth. simmer, stirring every few minutes, until it has thickened and slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.

8) just pour the sauce over the pie and enjoy! really delicious!

cheese of the month club

2009-08-22T09:11:00.008-04:00

um. yes.

i love cheese. i could probably eat my weight in cheese. i love all kinds of cheese, and i love it on its own, with wine and olives, or in recipes. if i am eating cheese, i am happy.

my best friend got us the cheese of the month club for our first anniversary. this is an awesome gift and if you know anyone who loves cheese, i highly suggest it.

{picture from murrayscheese.com}

our first shipment arrived yesterday. i thought it would be one cheese {"cheese of the month"} but it was in fact THREE cheeses. three very large servings of cheeses. and not only did the package contain the cheese, it contained a booklet on the history of the cheeses, what kind of food and drink to pair with them, and how to taste/compare them. i am impressed.

and hungry. pardon me while i go eat cheese!

back to reality

2009-08-21T17:58:00.007-04:00

i am back from an absolutely fabulous and much needed week of rest and relaxation on martha's vineyard. we slept in, we ate, we sailed, we went to the beach, we explored chappaquiddick, we napped, we had a good time. it was so nice to just relax and not have to be anywhere or do anything. i think i took an afternoon nap every single day. heaven!

all the photos are on my husband's super-crazy camera in RAW format {something I know nothing about}, so until he converts them to normal-people-user-friendly format, i don't have any actual photos from our trip.

however, this is the inn we stayed it. it was charming and quaint, but like most older new england homes you can hear most creaks and goings-on {i.e. from the other guests}. overall, i really enjoyed it.

my husband has a three-day drill conference to go to in columbia, so he won't be back until sunday night. i miss him already, but at the same time i was looking forward to these three days to have time to do some projects around the house and for myself.

however, since getting back my day has consisted of the following: pick up dogs from kennel. give them a flea bath. go to a doctor's appointment. go grocery shopping so i don't starve. clean up kitchen since my husband's friend was in town the two days before we went on vacation and i left them to their own devices in there on his last night here. do several loads of laundry. put away everything from the trip. so much for the face mask-pedicure-watching silly tv shows afternoon i'd envisioned.

however, how i am happily sitting back and blogging, catching up on google reader and all your wonderful blogs, sipping some cranberry pomegranate juice, and calling friends to catch up. a great way to spend an evening, i think!

lazy summer days

2009-08-10T18:42:00.002-04:00

hello all! i am so amazed at my lack of posting, but it's just because i'm trying to enjoy these last few days of summer. i've been doing a whole lot of relaxing and recharging. i certainly have the time to blog, but i've just been enjoying hanging out with the husband and kicking my feet up.

you can expect me back in full force after our vacation - which is next week, not that i'm counting down or anything - when things get back in full swing for the fall. i know that when all the fall activities start up again (Junior League, church, etc) i will be back to blogging full time, and i have lots of fun posts planned!

i hope you all are enjoying your summers and having a relaxing, wonderful time!

back in action

2009-08-01T06:55:00.004-04:00

hello all! wow, i have been a bad blogger lately. lots going on here, and i've been computer-less the past week as we've done everything possible to make our computers as hacker-proof as possible.

here's what's been going on lately!

1) the good news: they caught our hackers and hopefully they will be doing time!

2) the countdown to martha's vineyard is on! in two weeks we will be on our way to a week of relaxation. i really can't wait.

3) i made a new dish last night and it was really good. it was emeril's puff pastry salmon with watercress mousse and champagne-chive butter and buttered new potatoes. yummy! i do recommend! *note: part of this recipe involves pureeing seafood - scallops to be exact. i despise pureeing seafood, i think it's so gross; and any time i'm eating something with any sort of mashed up seafood i pretend i'm not. this recipe was delicious, but if that makes you queasy i'd leave out the scallops.

4) my brother is coming up for a visit next weekend. i am so excited!

5) and, most importantly...tomorrow is my husband and i's first wedding anniversary! i really cannot believe it has been a year. it has flown by. check back tomorrow to see what i got my husband for a present! i stuck with the traditional first anniversary gift - paper - but got a little creative.

happy weekend, friends!

friday, how i love you so

2009-07-24T12:17:00.002-04:00

i don't know about y'all but this week has just been the longest.

today has been an interesting day, too. doctor's appt in the early am and then a call from my husband saying that someone had hacked into our bank accounts and wiped them out. bad, no? he's now home from work commencing the many phone calls i am sure it will take to fix this. we have an excellent bank so i'm sure it will all work out. but it's scary, right?

the good news is we're going out of town today to see some good friends from college. they live outside of macon and it's their little girl's first birthday on saturday, so we're going to help them celebrate. they are also moving to boston in a few weeks, and i'm sure we won't see them as much, and it will be nice to have a big hurrah before they go!

hope you all have a great weekend!

the great housing debate

2009-07-20T15:32:00.003-04:00

my husband and i bought a townhouse last year when we got married. we opted for the townhouse instead of a regular house because there would be zero yard maintenance {except for the gardening we choose to do}. it seemed so wonderful - pay some hoa dues, and voila! your yard is kept up!

however, we do have two dogs, and not a day goes by that we don't say "we really need a backyard". my husband - or a dog walker - has to come home every day at noon to walk them. it's more than a pain - and much more of a frustration than we'd bargained for in the beginning. not only that, i really do feel bad for them being cooped up inside all day. they are very high energy dogs and need to run around alot.

we also bought the townhouse thinking that we'd just stay in charlotte a few years and then move on to a new city. however, for various reasons we've now decided to stay in charlotte for a while, and we know that we can't stay in this townhouse more than a few years.

so...now we're thinking we might as well move on to a house, even though it's silly to own something for a year. the market in our area has actually improved over the past year, so we're pretty sure we can break even on the house, or as a worst case scenario, take a small loss.

now that we've decided to stay here we are so ready to be settled. i'm ready to be in a place and not think "it's only for a few years". i am ready to put down some roots!

still...the thought of packing up all my stuff {again} and moving {again} makes me want to vom! i know it will be worth it, but ugh. let me say three words: full. service. movers.

we've started to sort of fix up little things here and there around the townhouse that we think potential buyers would notice, and we've already gone to look at one house - but we haven't yet listed the townhouse yet. we're thinking we will call our realtor {who i love} in the next few weeks to list it.

so, wish us luck as we go through this again. hopefully this will be the last housing search/move in a very, very long time!

weekend love

2009-07-19T19:08:00.003-04:00

i have had such a great weekend - one of those totally relaxing, wonderful weekends that just makes you dread going back to work on monday!

friday night we fired up the grill and my husband made some delicious pesto chicken and some squash from our garden. we also had some artichokes - my fave! we decided to go to the movies - something we rarely do - and decided on bruno. we left halfway in. this movie was so bad that there is just no description. i thought borat was funny, but bruno was not funny in the same way. {it was not funny at all.} when you have to simply outrageous to make a movie instead of using intelligent humor, it's just sad. i would give bruno two thumbs down.

saturday morning was so wonderful - we got to sleep in! i can't remember the last time i slept in. it was so relaxing to just lay in bed and not have to get up for anything. i haven't had that feeling in a while!

saturday afternoon we headed to look at a house {yes, we just bought our townhouse last year...so why are we looking at a house, you ask? more on this later} and then headed to my grandmother's house for dinner and to watch "britcoms". does anyone else watch these? british comedies like "as time goes by" and "keeping up appearances"? i am secretly like 90 years old so i may be the only one!

today we woke up early and went to church, then stayed after for a discussion on items that were recently decided on at the recent episcopalian convention. we went out to eat afterwards and had a yummy lunch. my husband has been so great this afternoon - running around and doing "house stuff", and now he's on the grill again. yum!

overall, not an exciting weekend, but i wouldn't have it any other way! hope you all had great weekends too!

what you "should do"

2009-07-15T14:15:00.002-04:00

i generally feel very lucky to be a woman in 2009 instead of, say, my grandmother's generation. i can't imagine my only option as a young woman being to get married at a young age, instead of going to college, having a career, and traveling. i can't imagine not having options - and, while i don't consider myself a "feminist" in the pure sense of the word, i think it's great that the women's movement has provided us with the option to have options. i just can't imagine my world any other way.

recently, i've been seeing lots of articles about "the top 50 things you must do before you get married" and so on and so forth. i read a few. i came away thinking that these articles are no different than the social norms of my grandparent's generation - whether you're telling a young woman she should get married immediately or telling her she must not get married immediately, you're still telling her to live her life a certain way. both of those are equally as insulting. isn't the point to have choices, and to respect the choices of others? i.e. i love my career and it's important to me, but i wouldn't look down at all on a young stay at home mom. that sort of thing.

it got me thinking about my own life and how i don't think i've ever really felt pressured either way. i'm married now {and, side note, i'm married a lot younger than i ever thought i would be - i'm 26), but i got married because i found the genuine love of my life and best friend. i didn't get married because i'd crossed of all the things on my "single girl to do list".

what about you? have you ever felt pressure - whether from specific people or just in general - to get married or stay single? to have kids or not? to continue your career or not after you have children?

random post of the week

2009-07-09T16:53:00.002-04:00

sorry for my lack of posting lately. i have tried to not be blogging in the evenings so that i can do more around the house and spend more time with my husband. i've been keeping up with you all on my iphone reader on the way to and from work, though!

here's what i've been up to lately.

considering an entire re-paint of the living area. this is a major chore, since our living room is open to the second story and also includes the staircase and a small fireplace "room" off the main room. so, lots of paint. it's a beige-y color and i am over it. i'm thinking yellow but nothing is definite yet.
also considering putting hardwoods down. maybe not the whole house first, but i'd like to replace all the carpets with hardwoods to start out.
enjoying squash and tomatoes (and herbs) from our garden! everything has been great so far.
researching doggie daycare and dog walkers. my sweet husband comes home every single day at lunch to walk them, but i can tell it's wearing on him. i'd love to take this off his shoulders. doggie daycare is pretty expensive (who knew?) but i think i've found a dog walker that is both an actual dog lover and pretty reasonable.
prepping a training program for some overseas colleagues at work. it's cool to actually be doing work in my degree (international business) but it has been challenging working across cultural lines and expectations.
seriously cleaning out my closet. i think goodwill will be good to go forever once i bring all these bags to them! why do i have so many clothes i don't wear/don't like?
spending time with family. we spent last weekend on edisto island and it was great. we got to celebrate the fourth with good family and great food! also, we took the dogs out on the boat, and they did great.
wondering why every time i turn on the tv, michael jackson coverage is on. i loved michael jackson. i remember trying to dance to thriller and billie jean when i was little. he changed music and dance forever and had skill that is seriously lacking in today's performers and may perhaps never be replicated. however...do we really need all of our 24 hour news networks delving into every detail of his death, memorial service, and burial? it's almost not honoring his memory to turn it into such a circus. it's also subversive and says a lot about our country, i think - think about it, when was the last time you saw this type of coverage for the troops who are protecting our country, scientists who are working hard to keep us healthy, etc.? it's a bit ridiculous.
coveting new tennis items! i am ready to start playing again and really need new shoes, a new skirt, and a raquet cover. any suggestions?
loving the summer weather, swimming, being outside, and life in general!

hope you are all having a great week!

being green

2009-07-06T13:28:00.004-04:00

i have recently become pretty obsessed with using green products and eating "green" food. this is both for the environment and for my husband and i's health. i've been reading so much about all the icky chemicals in lots of plastics and it does concern me (not to the point of craziness, but enough that it's something i think about when i choose foods).

here's what i've been doing lately to stay green!

taking a reusable bag to the grocery store or farmer's market. this has been so easy to do. i keep several reusable bags in my car so they are there whenever i need them. this saves lots of plastic bags!

getting local food at the farmer's market. lots of the veggies and meat there are organic, but i buy some conventional food there too. i like to think that buying local reduces my carbon footprint! i think that the veggies and fruit from the farmer's market taste so much better than the stuff at the grocery store.

using a reusable glass bottle for water each day. this has done three things for me. one, i'm not drinking out of plastic bottles (goodbye, dioxin). two, i'm not throwing away a bottle each day. three, it helps me get more water because for whatever reason i am always refilling the thing.

using green cleaning products. this started with seventh generation laundry detergent (smells SO good!) and dishwashing liquid but i have moved on to organic window cleaners and countertop cleaners as well. i like the thought of not wearing, eating off of, or breathing in crazy chemicals in my home.

forgoing plastic food containers at home. i trashed all our tupperware and the like. i now use the reusable glass containers from crate and barrel (yes, the lids are plastic, but the food doesn't touch the lids and i don't warm the containers with the lids on them). in addition to cutting out the leaching of chemicals into my food, the glass containers last so much longer than plastic! they also don't absorb the odors like plastic does. unfortunately in the "real world" it's hard to avoid plastic all the time but i feel like cutting it out at home does a lot. also, if we get to go food, i'll remove the plastic container and put the food on a plate to warm it up, so i'm not heating the plastic.

using green makeup and bath/body products. after learning about the chemicals in lots of name brands, i switched to lots of tom's of maine and dr. bronner's products. just like organic cleaning products, these products are more expensive than "regular" products, but it's not that much more.

composting. actually, my husband started this one. we're going to use the compost for our plants, of course.

using fruit/veggie wash. we keep a spray bottle by the sink. i use this on both conventional and organic produce, just to be sure. it just takes a little bit but it washes off all the chemicals and wax.

meatless mondays. i've read how cutting out meat just one day a week can reduce your carbon footprint by a ton, but it can also have a really good effect on health! once a week we'll have a big chef salad sans meat for dinner, or have bean night, and so on.

i'm sure there is a lot more i could be doing, but this is what works right now. do you do anything to be "green" or are you skeptical of the whole movement? do you have suggestions on easy ways to make your life more green?

precious picture of the day

2009-07-02T12:54:00.003-04:00

last weekend, my husband's family came in to town for a visit. on the way in, his cousins and their daughter ellison dropped by my office so that ellison could "look out the big windows".

how cute is this??

have a happy 4th of july weekend! i will be taking a break from blogging this weekend to relax and spend time with friends and family. enjoy!

old family photos

2009-07-01T09:14:00.006-04:00

i recently purchased an iconvert from brookstore. this wonderful device turns slides and film negatives into digital photos. my grandmother - and my husband's parents - all have super old slides from back in the day that we can only look at through the slide viewer and projector. i'd really like to do a wall of blown-up old family photos, and thus, the purchase of the converter.

it's a very time-intensive process, so i've only done about 20 scans so far (only about 500 to go)! i know it will be worth it, as i'd like to publish all these in a do-it-yourself book (like from blurb.com) to save for future generations.

here is an example of what a slide looks like after it is scanned. i don't think the quality is horrible.

{that's my mom in the red and my grandmother in the grey, going for a picnic when they lived in france, 1950's}

as a mini-review of the iconvert, i would say that the quality is not bad but it just takes lots of time. also, the software did not work on my husband's laptop so we had to try it on mine. a general internet search revealed that others have had problems with the software, so it might be hit or miss for your computer if you do try this gadget.

happy hump day, everyone! i'm finishing up some work here at the office and then heading to the doctor this afternoon. my plan after that is to hit up hobby lobby and/or michael's for ideas for some new creative projects. have a great day!

dividing housework

2009-06-25T08:36:00.004-04:00

we are having some weekend guests arriving tomorrow, and with that comes the usual whirlwind of cleaning our house and readying it for guests.

i get especially freakish on the cleaning when children are coming to visit - and this weekend we will be hosting a three year old, among others. i get nervous because i don't have children, so there are always hazards in my home that i don't consider as dangerous until they are actually in my home, playing on the floor. would you like to reach up and grab that glass bowl off the low shelf? how about sticking your finger in that light socket?

so, before guests with children arrive i admit that i get a little crazy with the cleaning. my husband is great, however; he helps me put things away, scrubs the floors, and generally does what needs to be done.

he is great on a daily basis, as well - i mean, with both of us working, it's impossible for me to keep up with the cleaning, laundry, cooking, putting away of things, and generally keeping the house neat. i am very lucky to have a husband who is willing to divide the chores, but i'm always wondering what the best arrangement is.

if you are married or live with your significant other - how do you divide the house chores? or do you?

origins modern friction

2009-06-24T11:32:00.003-04:00

i rarely rave about beauty products {with the exception of my eternal, undying love for smashbox makeup} and, in fact, use the same products over and over.

this weekend, i stepped into origins while in florida and bought their modern friction product. it's an exfoliator, and is supposed to be a step down from microdermabrasion. i love this product. i've only used it twice, but my skin is so soft and clear and my face truly looks different.

you must try it! they do not sell sample sizes but this is definitely worth it. at a $37 price tag, this is not exactly cheap, but it will last a really long time since you only use a little bit, and you are only supposed to use it every 2-3 days.

note: this is not a paid advertisement! i have seen lots of chatter around the blog world about bloggers who are plugging products without disclosing they have been paid. just to let you know - i'm just babbling on about a product i really like.

happiness is...

2009-06-23T20:44:00.007-04:00

...arriving home after a long day {ahem, make that a super stressful day that was preceded by a day of driving 10 hours back from florida, so i'm exhausted, but i digress} to find...

an actual squash, growing on the plants we planted a few months ago:

tomatoes in progress:

lemon basil:

another squash plant that exploded over the weekend! my husband used crazy plant food, can you tell? ha!

i can't wait to eat those summer tomatoes! yum!

hope you all had a great weekend!

recent items that make me happy

2009-06-19T08:14:00.003-04:00

...getting this bag in the mail from ebay yesterday. i have wanted it ever since it came out two years ago but i already have so many totes. however i just decided to get it; it's the perfect size and can be used for so many things - quick trip to the grocery, beach bag, toting stuff around, etc! {these pictures were taken with my iphone, i know, the quality is horrible}:

...having pretty flowers from the farmers market.

...watching the rain move in from my office. this would have been such a cool picture if i had had my dslr at work, but you get the idea!

...seeing a springer spaniel in the driver's seat of this car at the seafood market. too cute!

happy friday! tgif!

father's day

2009-06-18T15:48:00.003-04:00

tomorrow, my husband, brother and i are heading down the coast to florida - we are going to surprise my dad for father's day! {we've checked with my stepmom, of course - they will be in town! how horrible would it be if we showed up and they were not there!}

i am so excited. i have been so blessed with a wonderful father, and out of my immediate family he is the furthest away. go figure! so, we try to take the opportunity to see him as much as we can.

i know that lately he has been a little bummed that we have not seen each other in a few months. so i know he will just love this surprise!

my dad has been a role model to me my entire life. he has instilled in me certain values and a way of living that i try to aspire to daily. he has been an example of selflessness his whole life and has taught me so much about the nature of people and the "real world". he always raised me to be confident by forcing me to make my own decisions and take some gambles with my life. however, he has always been there when i have needed him. as an adult, i constantly seek his advice and value his opinions. i feel so lucky to have him in my life.

i can't wait to go down to florida and have the family together for this occasion. i'm really excited and i can't wait to see the look on his face when we show up at the door!

i am so over this week

2009-06-17T14:00:00.003-04:00

this week at work is just the longest. every urgent issue that could come up, has. every client question that could possibly be asked, is asked. every piece of data i receive is incomplete, prompting a game of 20 questions.

i could not be more excited for the weekend. we're heading to florida - more details on that tomorrow!

friday, please get here quickly!

hungrytime

2009-06-17T11:10:00.003-04:00

i have lately been in the mood for delicious, can't-get-it-anywhere-else type of food...the food at my favorite restaurants. here is what i'm craving today!

truffle mushroom soup from zebra in charlotte.

{image here}

a delicious, decadent burger from rare in nyc...preferably served on the rare view rooftop.

{image here}

a salade nicoise or steak frites from balthazar in nyc.

{image here}

and for dessert, a cupcake from magnolia bakery.

{image here}

yum!

of course, none of these delicious selections would help me with my mission to tone up, now would it? oh well. a girl can dream!

{note: i do, however, plan to indulge on summer vacation in t-minus 2 months!}

anglophile here

2009-06-16T10:55:00.003-04:00

i am a certified anglophile and as i have said more than a few times on my blog, i would jump at the chance to live in london.

i haven't been in a while and therefore i am daydreaming about a trip to the countryside and, of course, my favorite places in london. some images that make me happy:

and of course, some london eye candy:

i'm not sure exactly what it is about england that i love so much.

these images will have to tide me over for a while - we will likely not be vacationing there until late 2010!

sigh.

quarter life crisis?

2009-06-16T09:12:00.004-04:00

something that i think is new to "our" generation is the "quarter life crisis". my mother and grandmother - and pretty much anyone over the age of 45 that i have spoken to about this - have no idea what i am talking about.

with the women i am close to, i feel like we have all sort of gone through this phase, even if we don't realize it or declare it. we've all been through the what city do i want to live in? what career path should i take? should i get married now? what if i do xyz and it closes doors for me? what if i don't do xyz and i miss an amazing opportunity? even some friends who {from the outside} seem to have put-together lives tell stories of wanting to switch careers to something less "boring", more "fulfilling", etc; or want to move to a new city for a "fresh start", etc.

i've done this, as well, and it's occurred to me more than once that my thinking is incredibly future-focused.

so when i ran across an article discussing this, it really resonated with me. it's written by christine hassler {who, by the way, i have never heard of, so she might be a whack job, but either way, i like the article} and here are some excerpts {full article here}":

"For centuries, as a woman has matured, she has been encouraged to step into a defined role: wife, mother, homemaker, caregiver and, thanks to the Feminist movement, uber successful career woman and master of "having it all." But today's young women are beginning to feel the emptiness of living a checklist life....

And those who don't have all the boxes on their life checklist checked off, put tremendous pressure on themselves to do so and live in a constant state of "when/then" future focused thinking. When I find the soulmate of my dreams, then I'll be happy. When I find my passion and my career takes off, then I'll be fulfilled. When I have money, then I will feel secure. When I loose ten pounds, then I'll be confident. This hamster wheel type of thinking keeps us in a constant state of believing there is something wrong with where we are now and keeps us focused on the destination, rather than the journey...

The funny thing is, once we reach one destination, along comes another one, and another one, and another one, and we're in a constant state of external searching for things that can only truly be found inside."

interesting.

i'm impressed

2009-06-15T12:34:00.002-04:00

with this:

{via cakejournal}

this is a cake. oh, i wish i had such talent!

and this:

{via apartment therapy}

will my closet ever look like this? i think not.

happiness is a southern summer weekend

2009-06-15T12:29:00.003-04:00

i love weekends in the summer. i look forward to them beginning at 8:00 am on mondays. there is nothing better than being outside in the warm weather or on the water.

this weekend we were down at edisto beach. we kayaked, went on a river sunset cruise {my father in law, who is retired, takes out some cruises for a local tour shop in his spare time}, ate delicious seafood, and sat in the sun.

i also learned how to make a pavlova (mmm!), drank some delicious brooklyn brewery beer, relaxed in a swing on the porch, and took a sunny nap. heaven.

i already can't wait for friday!

can someone please tell me why...

2009-06-12T09:38:00.005-04:00

so, i take public transportation to work. the charlotte light rail, specifically. this is normally a rather uneventful ride - boring, actually. it's pretty quiet, people just sort of stand there, i scroll through my iphone, etc.

today while i was sitting in my seat looking at my reader to catch up on all your fabulous blogs, i heard a weird snipping sound. i looked over and the gentleman/mutant sitting across the aisle from me was clipping his fingernails on the train.

i am not joking.

i was so disgusted by this sight that i believe i sat there, staring at him with my mouth open, for a full ten seconds before hightailing it to the back of the car.

can someone please tell me why someone would think this was even remotely okay?

that's my friday morning for you.

understated nautical style

2009-06-11T09:59:00.004-04:00

i have been embracing my inner interior designer the past few days and am really starting to want to put the finishing touches on our house. the "last frontier" is now the living room. while it's not undecorated now, there is still a lot do to and there is not necessarily a well put together theme.

i am totally inspired by these nautical-ish rooms. maybe it's because it's summer and i miss being my the sea, but i'm loving an understated nautical theme.

none of these images feels too beach-housy or overdone. i'm thinking about trying to achieve some sort of look like this in our living room now!

funny how i go on these "kicks"...some weeks i'm obsessed with creating idea boards, etc, and some weeks i am just not feeling it. i thought that at this point, our house would be "done" - but i'm coming to the realization that no house is ever really done!

have a great day!

favorite wedding pictures

2009-06-08T08:27:00.012-04:00

as i mentioned in my post yesterday, i realized i had not posted any of my wedding pictures on my blog! i was really happy with our photographer. i did not want to pose for a single picture on my wedding day, so we hired a photojournalist. i was very happy with them. i highly recommend lowcountry photojournalism if you are getting married in charleston. {all photos here credit of them!}

this is my husband and my n0w-nephew oliver getting ready in the church before the ceremony.

me and my bridesmaids doing some last minute touchups! i told them to buy a black evening gown or dress that they would wear again - they were not allowed to wear a bridesmaids dress - and i supplied them with a pale yellow ribbon to tie around the waist. the wedding colors were {sort of, i'm not a fan of "wedding colors" but there were some areas, like the bridesmaids dresses, where this could not be avoided} pale yellow and black. the wedding was a formal, evening wedding.

my soon to be mother in law helping me with my veil. she looked stunning, by the way.

oh, and my dress? here's the story. i knew i wanted something very simple and light. we were getting married in charleston in august and i knew i would be glistening {the more polite southern term for sweating} heavily if i was hot. granted, none of the wedding events were outside, but still. i had no idea what would look good on and before i went serious dress shopping i wanted to have an idea. so i went to david's bridal and tried on a few dress types to see. i ended up trying this dress on and absolutely loved it. the price tag? $300. unbelievable. this freed up several thousand dollars in my budget that i was able to use for other items. i had to have it tailored quite a bit to look right, but it was exactly what i wanted so i figured why not? in the end, i do regret {and my mother and grandmother regret} to having that boutique wedding dress shopping experience or having an heirloom wedding dress. but it was what i wanted, the weight was perfect, and i ended up loving how it looked.

this is our flower girl, ellison. she's our cousin. i told her mom to get whatever white dress she wanted. her dress ended up having the "bands" on the bottom - the same as mine! so weird. anyway, this is her, before the ceremony, being a little girl. this photo was recently published in charleston weddings magazine.

these are the ring bearer pillows that my mom made! i found some pale yellow fabric, ribbon and buttons at a fabric shop near charlotte and she sewed them into perfection. i loved them.

here is ellison, practicing walking down the aisle. she was terrified.

i thought the photographer made a great use of light with this shot.

here's my husband and our priest, father doug, right before the ceremony. doug was very important in my husband's spiritual life in college, as the priest at the citadel. he was also an assistant rector at the cathedral {where our wedding took place - the episcopal cathedral in charleston}.

here we are, walking over to the ceremony.

i think i was telling my maid of honor that i had to pee. not sure why that was so funny. to my left are 2 of my bridesmaids, directly behind me (although you can't see her) is another bridesmaid {my matron of honor was delivering a baby as this wedding was taking place - isn't it funny how life works like that?}, and in the background are the cathedral's wedding coordinator and my mom.

my dad and i, waiting outside the cathedral to be called in.

ellison walking down the aisle. she did such a perfect job. all her practicing paid off!

a good shot of the inside of the cathedral.

i thought this was a very cool shot.

man and wife!

my dress ripped going up the stairs to the altar. however, with the help of a husband, a grandmother, a priest, and a mother in law, anything can be fixed!

we tried to take a photo with ellison, but she's three.

this was directly after the ceremony. i love this picture.

here's our reception venue, the old exchange building in charleston. we loved this because it is a very historic building, and there was a separate room downstairs for cocktail hour; then we went upstairs for dinner and dancing.

there are no great shots of the cocktail hour, but here's one of my talking to friends. my husband is directly behind me.

once upstairs, going into the ballroom, were the place card boards. i saw these on martha stewart weddings and really wanted them. i bought canvas at hobby lobby and, with the help of my mom and a staple gun, stretched some pale yellow fabric over them. after i'd calligraphed the place cards, but before sealing them, i attached either a white or black ribbon under the flap and pinned them up.

here are the menu cards. i made these because i couldn't find any i liked. i bought high quality ink and card stock and made these on the printer at home. what you see at the bottom is a "timeline" - i wanted to give our guests an idea of what was going to happen throughout the evening.

my daddy and i dancing.

my dad raising his glass after toasting. he did a great job.

robbie and ellison.

the photographer got this shot during dinner.

here's a closeup of the cake, taken with superhuman light. i actually never met our baker or tasted the cake. she had an excellent reputation around charleston and i knew it would be delicious {it's cake. of course it's going to be good}. she did an amazing job. i'd seen a cake almost identical to this - that she had done - in a magazine, and asked her if she could duplicate it. i love the "lace" edges". fun fact: we lost the fresh flowers that were supposed to be the cake topper. one of the groomsmen took some flowers out of the bridesmaid's bouquets, tied them together with a rubber band, and stuck them in the top layer! ha!

my husband giving his speech. lots of laughs and fun.

some of my friends dancing and having a good time!

i think this is a great shot.

i was so glad the photographer captured this moment.

i actually don't like any of the shots of us leaving - we were moving too fast - but i thought i had to share at least one with you!

my weekend

2009-06-07T19:47:00.005-04:00

my husband was away this weekend at national guard drill, and so i had a little time to myself. my weekend turned out to be a random sampling of getting things done and fun. here's what i did:

-got a wonderful koozie in the mail from channa from blc's koozie swap! it's so very cute and i plan to use it soon!
-had lunch with my grandmother
-returned some things to a few stores (and possibly shopped a little more)
-went to an aerobics class and yoga at the gym
-had a delicious dinner with family at passions 8 bistro in charlotte. the name and location threw me a little bit, but it was divine. the food was inventive and tasty, the service was excellent, and the decor and ambiance were perfect. i will definitely be back. i highly recommend!
-went to the early church service
-got some packages in the mail from ebay and etsy - love everything! i am slowly becoming addicted.
-cleaned out the closet for goodwill and took an assessment of my clothes. i really need to majorly shop soon.
-took the pups for nice long walks
-baked some banana bread and an angel food cake - the bread turned out delicious, the angel food cake = epic fail
-enjoyed a morning sipping my french press coffee, catching up on blogs and news, curled up in my favorite blanket
-browsed through the flowers at a local nursery and thought about what i'd like to plant in the front yard
-took the dogs to my mom's backyard to let them run, run, run and get some energy out!
-rsvp'd to a fun bachelorette party in july for one of my college sorority sisters
-worked on my wedding album on blurb.com {one year later, i know... and i realized i've never posted my favorite wedding pictures on here! will do so this week}
-went to ikea to get dvd and cd boxes, magazine holders, etc. i am becoming obsessed with a "no clutter" look and want all items like that hidden away.
-painted my nails and put on a face mask and pretended i was actually at the salon
-opened a new bottle of white wine that was super refreshing on sunday afternoon
-organized and de-cluttered the bathroom cabinets {i'm sure they will be cluttered again within a month}
-grocery shopped and planned recipes for the week
-laid out by the pool and read mindless magazines - this was so nice
-made a tasty dinner that i'm about to enjoy with my husband when he gets home!

hope your weekend was a little more adventurous than mine!

what i'm thankful for

2009-06-05T08:31:00.003-04:00

thank you so much for your comments yesterday - it is so helpful to know that there are others who are going through the same thing. it's a really tough situation so i am glad you can relate!

i attempted to keep a "gratitude journal" once, but that worked out for about 5 minutes. so instead, i'm going to try to recap on fridays of what i am thankful for during the week.

this week, i am thankful:

1) that it is friday today. is it just me, or has this been the longest week ever?! it has just dragged on! i am thankful for the promise of relaxation tonight and this weekend.

2) that my husband made this for dinner last night. it was incredible! you seriously must try it. it tastes amazing yet is really healthy. a must!!

3) that erin over at blue-eyed bride had a healthy baby boy early this morning! i don't know erin in person, but i love her blog and have been thinking of her in the days leading up to baby's birth day!

4) that plans are finalized for my husband, my brother and i to go down to fl to surprise my dad for father's day weekend! i am super excited about this opportunity to spend lots of qt with my family. i know my dad will be really happy.

5) for smoothie king! if i'm in a rush in the mornings and don't sit down to eat breakfast, i'll stop in and get a protein smoothie {if i don't have protein in the mornings, i am hungry for lunch by 10:15. seriously}

6) for all the good work the aspca does. i heard a story this morning that broke my heart. i'm glad there are organizations like this that do so much to help animals. i wish there was more i could do to help.

7) for thunderstorms. for me, there's something so calming about them. i love to be inside reading a good book and drinking a hot cup of tea or coffee while it pours outside! {unfortunately, i will be unable to do this today, unless it's still raining when i get out of work!}

have a wonderful friday!

growing apart

2009-06-04T14:07:00.002-04:00

do any of you have any of those friends who you are drifting away from and just don't feel close to anymore - not because of any ill will, but just because you don't have anything in common anymore?

i feel this way with some of my closest friends from college. it's sad to feel that way with someone that you used to be very close to on a daily basis. people do change, but i've never felt quite this way before.

there's no specific incident that has me feeling this way. just the little things. for instance, one of my closest friends took a job with some unsavory people after college and has really changed - she's now very crude, pretty rude, and has no goals for the future - in short, if i met her now, it's unlikely we would hit it off. she's a completely different person than the driven, focused, funny, caring girl she was in college. i'll find something funny and think, "oh, i'll call so-and-so and tell her about it" and then realize that now, she won't find that funny. or, i'll get a promotion at work and want to call her, but know she just doesn't care about things like that anymore.

{note: i have tried to help said friend get back on track - several times, but that is an entirely different post!- so it's not as if she's having troubles and i suddenly "don't like her". it's not that i don't like her - we just don't have much in common anymore.}

this is an odd feeling for me because i've never experienced it before. i still keep in touch with people i went to elementary school with or was on random projects with years ago.

i now {truly} know the meaning of "growing apart"!

have any of you ever experienced this?

gettin' in shape

2009-06-03T13:54:00.003-04:00

with swimsuit season here i think it is time for me to drop a few pounds and tone up! yesterday i joined the harris ymca here in charlotte. i didn't know this before i registered, but it's the 3rd largest ymca in the country with 24,000 members. yikes! luckily, i got a metro pass so i can go to any of the {less crowded} ymca's here.

i also ordered the shred by jillian michaels. i keep hearing so much about this workout that i think i've just got to try it. have any of you tried it? do you like it?

i have been watching what i eat, too - cutting down on white sugar and white flour.

hopefully, this diet + me in a bathing suit in about a month = awesome! at least that's the plan. we'll see how it goes.

btw, summertime has me realizing how spoilt i was growing up with a pool in the backyard! since we live in a townhome, that is not an option. {i know, poor me, i have to walk a block to the pool, waah.} i just love sitting out by the pool and reading a magazine and dozing off. hopefully i will have more time for that in the next few weekends!

wish me luck with my slimming down and toning up!

junior league placement

2009-06-01T10:01:00.004-04:00

i just received my placement for the upcoming year, and i'm so happy - it's my first choice! one night a week, i will be a playroom volunteer at the levine children's hospital in charlotte. the playroom is for the siblings of admitted children, so that they can play around and have a good time while their parents are dealing with doctors, tests, etc. we'll do arts and crafts projects, games, read books, etc. i am really excited. my brother was hospitalized with a serious burn for about three months when i was in middle school - it was a horrible, heart wrenching experience that is for another post - but i remember that after seeing my brother for a few minutes, there was really nothing for me to do at the hospital. i am so glad the junior league provides this support to levine's in this way.

the junior league of charlotte (along with a generous giver) also has opened a family resource center at levine's. it is basically a pediatric library for families and also offers internet access so that families can use e-mail or research anything whenever they want, and sofas and chairs for families to gather. the family resource center also offers classes and meetings so that parents of children with the same/similar diagnosis can gather. it is a wonderful resource and i'm proud to be a part of it. here's a photo:

{photo here}

i love to see all the good things the junior league is doing in the community. what about you? are you a member of the junior league in your town? have you enjoyed your placements and your experiences?

prince harry in new york

2009-05-31T11:30:00.006-04:00

now this is a weekend that i wish i was in new york. i have an obsession with anything british, including their royalty. i don't really care about american pop culture gossip, but if prince william or prince harry or kate middleton is on the cover of a gossip magazine, i will 100% buy it. i'm always interested in what kate middleton has been wearing - i think she is so stylish! anyway, harry made his first official visit to the u.s. this weekend and i would have given anything to be in nyc to attend the events!

here he is at the dedication of the british gardens in manhattan:

image {here}

and here he is playing polo for the veuve cliquot match on governors island:

image {here}

and finally, paying a tribute at ground zero:

image {here}

he's just precious. i know he's had some missteps - but he grew up in the public eye, so i give him a huge break.

there was afternoon tea at the st. regis! alain ducasse created a menu just for the event! oh, fun!

i remember just where i was when princess diana died and how sad i felt for those boys. hopefully he will continue on with her charitable works. and hopefully he'll come back to the u.s. more often! {although i will be in london next year for vacation...royal sightings anyone?}

oh wow.

2009-05-30T17:18:00.005-04:00

my sister in law, who lives in asheville, hosted a concert at her house last night by an amazing singer/songwriter. his name is craig carothers and he is out of nashville.

{image from here}

i had never been to a "house concert" before but it was very cool. my sister was gracious enough to set up her living room with a ton of chairs and her dining room with lots of wine and delicious hors d'oeuvres. i was super impressed with craig - he is very talented, witty, and fun. his music is great. you can hear some of his music here. if you ever have the chance to hear him live, i highly recommend it.

i think house concerts might be my new favorite thing!

i spent the night in asheville last night but am back in charlotte today. i'm on a whirlwind spring cleaning marathon but taking a quick break for some blogging, olives and cheese. mmm! the weather is beautiful here today {it's about time} so i've got all the windows open. love it.

memorial day

2009-05-27T08:56:00.002-04:00

memorial day was very emotional for me.

my husband is in the national guard, and was stationed in iraq as a combat engineer for almost a year (before we got married). missing him every day and the sinking feeling i would get when he would be late in calling or emailing me was crushing. i felt so weighed down by the feeling of him just being gone that i cannot begin to imagine what it feels like to lose your husband or your son or your daughter or anyone you love in a war. i was also able to speak to him on a regular basis, and i can't even begin to imagine what it's like to have your fiance gone for a year and not know when you'll hear from him next.

my husband came home. but so many others did not.

my husband's friend and roommate from the citadel, joshua booth, was killed in iraq on october 16th, 2006, by a single sniper shot. he was 23 years old.

he left behind a wife, and a one year old daughter, and a baby on the way that he will never meet.

can you imagine the crushing sacrifice this family felt? can you imagine giving birth to your child knowing he will never meet his father? can you imagine being this young mother, waking up each day alone to care for two small children? can you imagine being this young man's parents, getting a phone call in the middle of the night?

freedom is not free.

on our way home from dc, we stopped in bedford, virginia, to see josh's grave. it was overwhelming to me to see his headstone, to see the american flags and flowers surrounding his grave, to see his dog's collar and picture in a little canister next to the headstone...remnants of a whole life that is no more because of one sniper.

i felt the same overwhelming feeling in my chest when i was at arlington, looking out at the hundreds of thousands of headstones rolling along the hills. evidence of men and women who are willing to put themselves in harm's way and give their lives for america.

today, i'm sitting in an office building. i'm able to walk to the light rail safely. i'm able to go buy lunch, talk on my phone, check my blogs. tonight i'll go home and eat dinner with my husband and pet my dogs. i'll read a newspaper where people can freely write what they think. there are an unbearable number of men and women in our country who have given their lives so that we can do these very things.

please remember our soldiers...not just on memorial day, but every day. each morning when you get out of bed, there are thousands of soldiers in iraq and afghanistan in harm's way that deserve our thoughts, prayers, and heartfelt gratitude.

dc recap

2009-05-26T13:21:00.003-04:00

i had such a great time in dc this weekend. it was so fun to see friends and catch up and just have a carefree, relaxing time. we arrived home last night, but i'll write about memorial day {yesterday} on a different post - it was a very emotional day.

a few highlights from the weekend:

good stuff eatery. this restaurant was started by a top chef contestant, and is delicious. they are just a burger/fry place, but the burgers are incredibly delicious. i got the "obama burger" which was amazing, and some rosemary/thyme/sea salt fries. mmm!!

going on the floor of the house. one of my best friends works on capitol hill, and i was lucky enough to go on the floor while he was working on friday. it was very cool - it is a lot smaller than it appears on tv.

commonwealth gastropub. apparently this chef was nominated for the james beard award, although i haven't looked him up. the decor and concept were very fresh; i loved it. the food was delicous too; i had duck confit mac and cheese, a very unexpected combo that was very good.

arlington national cemetery. i'll write more about memorial day tomorrow, but i was overwhelmed by arlington. i go to dc every few months to visit friends, but i haven't been to arlington since i was a kid. going as an adult was just incredible.

church at the national cathedral. i'm episcopalian, so this was a great experience for me. i loved the sermon and i loved being in such a beautiful place.

commissary restaurant. this is one of my favorites; it's a local breakfast/brunch/lunch place in dupont circle. we sat out on the patio and enjoyed a lazy brunch - my favorite thing.

watching one of my best friends from college walk down the aisle. she looked so beautiful in her dress and her new husband looked so handsome. i am so happy for them. congrats, dana and nate!

all in all, my weekend was super relaxing and i feel recharged for the week.

hope your weekend was the same way!

countdown is on!

2009-05-21T09:12:00.003-04:00

t-minus 7 hours until i leave for a long weekend of fun and friends! i'm so excited to get a break and get out of town!

have a great memorial day weekend!

my favorite kitchen items

2009-05-19T10:49:00.004-04:00

i love to cook and bake - i mean, absolutely love - and wish that i had more time to cook. after coming home from a long day at work i find myself looking for those "quick and good" recipes so that we can eat as quickly as possible. the result is that i don't spend a lot of time during the week enjoying cooking, trying new recipes that require skill, etc.

i have improved by making sauces that i can store in the freezer or refrigerator and using them during the week; making some things in advance on sundays (like tossing salads without dressing and sealing them tight); freezing cookie dough in advance and only using what i need, etc. i don't know if i will ever fall into a routine that feels completely breezy and easy (any suggestions on cooking while you are completely swamped with life?) but there are some items that make my life a lot easier and that i love to use.

1) first - the kitchen aid mixer. now, this is not an every day item, but it allows me to bake a lot more often because i can get other things done while it is mixing.

i use it to make cookies, cakes, and breads; the ice cream attachment is a cinch to use to make homemade ice cream; the meat grinder is awesome but is only used occasionally. the point is, although i don't use it every day or even every week, it allows me to do things i would never do at all if i didn't own it. i think it's a must-have!

2) a grill pan. of course it's not as good as grilling out, but it comes pretty close! i make chicken and steaks on mine all the time, and the weight that comes with it makes the meat cook very quickly. mine is nonstick and easy to wash.

3) a hand blender. this is an item i got as a wedding present that i wasn't sure i would use or love. well, i used it all the time! it's so easy to make soups - you just boil all your stuff in a pot and then use this - you don't have to transfer anything to the blender. it works great for sauces too. it cuts down on time by not having to transfer but also not having to wash both the saucepan and the blender.

4) two really good pairs of kitchen scissors. i have two pairs - one that i use for raw meat and one that i use for everything else. sometimes scissors are easier to use than a knife, and are faster. my favorite brand, wusthof, is pictured below.

5) copper cookware. although you do have to polish it every now and again, it conducts heat much better than other metals, and therefore allows you to boil water and cook food more quickly. all that time really does add up and i notice a difference! also, it cooks my food more evenly, something i notice when i'm making a dish in a hurry.

6) a countertop electric kettle. i had honestly never seen these until i met my british mother-in-law but now it is indispensable. it heats water - about a gallon! - at the touch of a button. in less than a minute i have boiling water not only for tea and coffee, but for cooking - if i'm only boiling a small amount of pasta, for example, i boil some water in the kettle and then pour in the pot on the stove - from there it takes only a few seconds to start boiling again, and i can cook!

7) a british dry measure. again, had never heard of. this has different measures for different things - i.e. there is a different measure line on the inside of the cup for 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of beans. if you use a traditional measure for both of those items you won't really get 1/2 cup of beans since particles of flour have less space between them than beans - etc. this has helped me to measure more accurately, and it's been especially helpful in baking where accurate measures are of the utmost importance. i can't even find a picture of ours on the internet to post here.

8) a set of everyday china that i really love. we don't use "everydayware" in our house; we use bone china every day. it's the "white pearl" style from crate and barrel. eating off a nice plate setting makes your food seem so much better for some reason (at least, it does for us) and this can go a long way when you are throwing together a meal at the last minute. (it's dishwasher-safe.)

9) bakeware with lids. this may be a no-brainer but this way, you can bake a casserole or whatever and just pop the top on afterwards to keep in the fridge for leftovers.

what are your favorite kitchen items? do you have any "can't live withouts" or items that make your cooking easier or faster?

starting the morning off right...

2009-05-18T08:18:00.003-04:00

...with a grande london fog tea latte from starbucks. yeah caffeine!

i really need a boost this morning. i had every intention of going to bed very early last night to catch up on sleep, but then got caught up in a game of scrabble with the hubs, sewing some pillows {did not turn out exactly how i wanted}, and catching up on websites/reading the news and before i knew it, it was midnight.

riiiiight.

it was so hard to get out of bed this morning, knowing i have a full day of meetings. bleh! all i wanted to do was stay in bed and read the paper.

it should be a pretty busy week around here! tonight we have bowling league, tuesday i'll be studying for my study group on wednesday night so that i can actually contribute to the discussion, wednesday night is said study group and packing for DC; thursday after work i'm driving to DC; friday i'll be attending my best friend's graduation there and then enjoying the festivities; saturday i pick up the husb, who is flying into baltimore, and drive to leesburg, va.

saturday night we'll be attending a rehearsal dinner for one of my best friends from college, and then sunday night is the wedding! below is a picture of where they are getting married - i am sure it will be beautiful.

i'm really excited for all this graduation/wedding fun. i'm so proud/happy for everyone and can't wait to see some old college friends this weekend!

home restylin'

2009-05-17T16:30:00.004-04:00

hi everyone! hope you are having a great weekend. i can't believe it's already sunday afternoon - i seriously do not want to go to work tomorrow!

i have had a busy week! last friday i took a standardized test for work, so i was studying most of last week for that - i'm glad it's over! my company does give "study days" and "test days" off, so i was out of the office thursday and friday, and only had to sporadically (ha, just thought of the movie "clueless") check e-mails and voicemails - so that was really nice.

friday after my test, i went over to my grandmother's and we went junkin' (of course). i was on the lookout for an old or antique cookie jar that i can use for a compost jar in my kitchen. my husb has started a compost pile and i need a place to put my scraps while i'm cooking. he can then take them outside and feed them to the worms...i will have no part in that! ha! anyway, i digress. of course, i didn't find my jar, but i did find a really cool old dresser. i am not sure if it is an "actual" antique or not, but it is pretty tall, has a bow front, and looks a lot better after being polished. anyway, i took the husb back on saturday morning to pick it up, and it looks great in our room. we really needed another dresser; sometimes the clean clothes would sit in the hamper all week just because i had no place to put them. go me! anyway, i'm happy with it and think it looks great.

while i had house stuff on the brain, i started thinking about our loft. we have a loft in our house that is open to the living room below and can function as an office, second living room, etc. it has been sort of the "last frontier" in my house for quite some time. we've got my husband's desk in there, and that's where he studies; i've got my sewing machine and sewing stuff in there; we've got boxes of old photos and mementos; and boxes of stationery, gift wrap, bows, etc. i haven't hung a thing on the walls, and i am ready to get this room organized and more user-friendly. i decided we needed one biiiiig piece of furniture for the back wall, to store all our hobby stuff, my sewing stuff, and my husband's school stuff in, and that would create more room for a comfy chair or a small sofa, and that way we could both be in there at the same time and actually use the room. where to buy a super big wall unit/bookcase/whatever for super cheap?

only one place...we were off to ikea.

we didn't actually buy anything because as i saw more options, i got more ideas. now, i've decided that i want to use the "billy" bookcase system and turn this room into more of a library. i can still store all my stuff but i think i will like the library look more. and you can get a cute bookcase ladder too! how cute! here's a picture of an example of the billy system. i know it's ikea, but i don't know how long we'll be in our townhouse so i don't want to get something super expensive and then not be able to use it again!

we did buy new lighting from ikea. our kitchen had that super gross fluorescent lighting from the 70s/80s, and that is now gone. i stood it for as long as i could! in its place is new track lighting that looks great. we also got wall lamps for the master bedroom but have not installed them yet.

overall it was a very productive saturday! so far today we've done nothing but go to church and then lay around. i needed a lazy day!

p.s. i will post pictures of all these house projects soon! i really need to download pictures from my camera and organize. i'll do that this week!

fun swap!

2009-05-11T08:36:00.003-04:00

blc over at the company she keeps is holding a fun koozie swap! with summer right around the corner who doesn't need a fun new koozie?! go on over and enter!

in other news, i had a fun, but tiring weekend. i felt like it was rush-rush-rush, and even though it was a fun few days i'm wishing for a day to myself to just relax and get things done! {on that same line of thinking, i am totally for a 4-day workweek. i would much rather work a little longer monday through thursday, and have every friday off! but i digress.}

friday night "date night" with by husband was fun; the oysters were delicious and the symphony was great. we got some yummy items at the farmer's market on saturday morning, including some local goat cheese (SO good!), homemade parmesan-artichoke bread, and duck eggs. {i had never eaten a duck egg before, but let me tell you, they are so much richer and yummier than chicken eggs. i am now a fan!} saturday night and sunday were filled with fun family times and lots of good food. i feel really lucky to enjoy spending time with my {and my husband's} family.

we bought a grill last night and the hubs grilled up some really delicious meats and veggies. yum! i love that barbecue weather is here!

have a great day!

french kitchens

2009-05-08T13:59:00.005-04:00

i have always been a big fan of provencal-style kitchens. i seriously dislike a ton of kitchen cabinets, and whenever i end up in my "forever" house the first thing i will do is rip them all out!

i can never find anything in my cabinets and i feel like things get lost in the wayyy back. the french approach is to have most things that you use often out in front of you or in easy reach. in my kitchen the only way i have been able to achieve this is hanging my pots and pans on the wall and installing cup hooks under the top cabinets to hang my most often used utensils. i love the simplicity of provencal kitchens. i like how things are on shelves on the wall or hanging on the wall, in full view. i like how there is usually a large table that is the center of the kitchen. i just love it!

of course, it helps that the french generally do not have all the kitchen "stuff" that we do. a good set of copper pots and pans, a set of dishes, a mixer, an oven, and good wooden cooking utensils are all i have ever really seen in a french home (now, this is just from my very unscientific research of visiting friends, so i could be completely off here). we have microwaves, toaster ovens, george foremans, blenders, popcorn makers, etc, etc, etc - i think most of it is unnecessary!

anyway, here are some of my favorite french kitchens. enjoy!

i love the shelf along the wall with the pots hanging from it.

i love the open shelving here and those pendant lamps!

this last picture is not so "french" except for the pot rack and plate display, but i LOVE that lighted pantry to the right! what a great idea! love that door too.

bowling league

2009-05-08T13:08:00.003-04:00

while having one too many cocktails last week i committed my husband and i to a bowling league.

oops.

now, i used to love to bowl - in fact, in nyc i went all the time because they had really cool midnight bowling places with cocktails - but i am not sure i am that good any more as i have not been in a REALLY long time!

here's to hoping i don't embarrass myself!

busy bee

2009-05-07T08:37:00.003-04:00

plans for tonight: "vespers in the garden" thrown by a member of our church at a private home in charlotte, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the garden to welcome all the people who have joined our church in the past year

plans for tomorrow: work, then dinner uptown with the hubbs and then attending the symphony season finale

plans for saturday: wake up early and go for a run, go to the farmer's market with the hubbs, go to the coffee shops and study for an exam for work, take the dogs to "yappy hour" at the dog store, then over to grandmother's house where i am hosting a lowcountry boil for some family and friends. yum! {i am planning on going super simple with the menu - melon and prosciutto salad, then the boil, then roasted peaches with ice cream for dessert - any other suggestions?}

plans for sunday: go over to mom's and make her brunch, then on to columbia for a family get-together (the hubbs' family) in the afternoon, then back home to study some more!

summer sportin'

2009-05-06T08:34:00.008-04:00

i think that winter has (finally) left north carolina as it has been 70-75 all week! no more lows of 35 and highs of 70 in one day. although it's been raining for the past few days that has not deterred me from my excitement about warm weather and everything that comes with it. i can't wait for beach weekends, tennis, golf, sitting outside sipping cocktails...i love summer!!

i have been unpacking all my summer items from the depths of various closets around the house and i am now looking for some items to update my things-i-need-in-the-summer-collection.

here's what i'm eyeing...

this pretty weekend bag from toss designs. perfect for weekends at the beach or in the mountains, but i could also use it for day trips, etc.

these golf "head wraps" from club contessa. brilliant! i have never owned one of these before. i can't wait to get out on the golf course but sometimes playing in the hot sun is a little sweaty. can't wait to get one of these!

this tennis bag, also from toss designs. i currently do not have a tennis bag or racquet cover of any kind and it would be great to just throw everything in there and keep it in one place.

a green striped beach towel from monogram chick!

this dress from lilly pulitzer. i stopped wearing lilly after college because i thought it looked a bit ridiculous, but now that there are lilly pieces out there that are not of the a-pink-and-green-circus-exploded-on-my-outfit variety, i am starting to be interested again.

a gardening stool a la this. no more hunching over to garden! the herbs and tomatoes and squash are all planted and i have been tending them every day. i really want to plant some more perennials and bushes around the front and side of the house, though. perhaps this little stool would motivate me!

what are your favorite items for summer? anything on your "to get" list??

farmer's market

2009-05-04T08:27:00.003-04:00

charlotte has a really great regional farmers market that is open every day (and on sundays in the summer). i had never been on a sunday, but i went late yesterday. there were only a few booths out so at first approach i was a little bummed, but i took a look anyway. i was very glad i did! i got the following:

asparagus
lemons
huge bag of tomatoes
homemade huckleberry jam
parsley
country ham
mushrooms
ginger
and a few more things i can't remember right now..

price tag? $15.

i will be going back on sundays more often!

happy monday!

junkin'

2009-05-02T21:54:00.004-04:00

i recently had a great day out with my grandmother - i am very lucky that she lives so close (about 30 minutes away). she lives near this cute little town called belmont. it has an actual main street and a really small town feel, and also a couple of great antique shops! if i haven't mentioned it before, i love "junkin'"! i love all things that are old and i love finding one of a kind things for my house.

on this outing we went to piccolo, which is in downtown belmont.

i found lots of furniture pieces that are now on my short list, and i also got a great chenille bedspread that i will use on our bed during the summer months. it's at the cleaners but i'll post a picture when it's all spruced up!

downtown belmont also has a cute dog bakery/toy shop. i got my dog this ginormous bone - i think he likes it!

happy weekend!

outdoor furniture

2009-04-30T15:19:00.002-04:00

with summer upon us i am dying to fix up the porch! since we've moved in to our house i haven't bought a single thing for out there...but i mean, it was freezing. anyway, now that the thought of dinners and drinks outside is a real possibility, i want to fix it up!

does anyone have recommendations for a brand/store for outside furniture (a table/chairs/umbrella, also a small bench and chairs and possibly side tables)?

also, a big shout out to baby icing who arrived monday night!

dean and deluca

2009-04-29T08:29:00.003-04:00

mmmm....i love d&d coffee. i have tried, really tried to cut caffeine out of my life completely but sometimes i just need my fix! today is one of those days. i hadn't been in d&d in a while - i usually get gifts there (candies, etc for the holidays), a dip i really like, and a pate i really like. i had forgotten how much i loooove their products! it's a good thing i had to go to work, or browsing would have turned into shopping!

speaking of shopping...i organized all my summer clothes yesterday and some of them, um, do not fit. gasp! i suppose my not-running-or-doing-yoga-for-a-few-months has really caught up with me and now i am in go mode! so once my clothes fit again i am going to go "shopping" in my closet, and i can't wait to wear some of my favorite pieces. however, i am definitely going to be in need of a cute, versatile summer dress or two - you know, the kind you could wear out to shopping and brunch one day but also possibly to a casual summer wedding. any suggestions?!

beautiful southern homes

2009-04-28T15:20:00.011-04:00

lately i have been obsessed with buying and renovating an old southern house. you know, the kind with a huge wraparound porch and turrets and a garden. (two years ago, when i was living in a teeny apartment in nyc and you asked me "where will you be in two years?" the very last thing i would have said was "in a big southern house in the carolinas". ah, life.) the internet fuels this obsession quite nicely as you can find anything you want.

i live in charlotte, where there are some absolutely gorgeous, breathtaking homes in the exact style that i like. but, i want to fix one up myself! there are some outlying towns around charlotte - concord, monroe, york and chester - that have some beautiful old homes in need of some tlc. i am not crazy about a commute, but i think i would like living in a big old house more.

here are some actual homes for sale in the charlotte area. some need a lot more tlc than others...a few need major work in addition to cosmetic renovations. but i'd take any of them!

i love the idea of having a project like this and making an old house my (our) own. i also like the idea of raising kids (yes, i just said that word - we're starting to think about it) in a house like these.

i am trying to persuade the husb...

organic bath and body products

2009-04-21T11:39:00.003-04:00

so after speaking with a friend who is a buyer for organic bath/body/makeup products, i want to go hide in a big plastic ball, forever, not exposed to all the Bad Chemicals in the world. well, not really, but it did get me thinking about that stuff...i am a really careful organic eater (most of the time...a girl has to make time for cupcakes and chocolate and something that's not good for you every now and then....right?) so why wouldn't i be as careful about what i put on my body? after taking a look at the ingredients in my shampoo, body wash, and lotion, i am rather horrified.

does anyone have recommendations on a good organic body/makeup line? (my friend's products are wayyyyy expensive and therefore a no-go. i'm looking for affordable here!)

quiet house

2009-04-17T22:37:00.004-04:00

after having a tornado of a three year old in my house all week, it seems so quiet. it really makes me realize what a difference having a child is! constant motion, attention, and activity.

ellison was cute as always this week and we all had a ball. we went to asheville tuesday and wednesday and spent the day with family in the beautiful mountains. tons of fun! we had lunch at the grove park inn, which is always delicious. the feeling in asheville is so laid back...it amazes me that people actually live there. perhaps i am a little high strung??

last night we ate at a peruvian rotisserie restaurant - now, even after living in new york and traveling the world over, i have never been to a peruvian rotisserie place. it was absolutely delicious and i highly recommend if you ever get the chance!

i'm going to do something unheard of now...go to bed and get 8 hours of sleep!

enjoy the evening!

a case of the tuesdays

2009-04-14T09:08:00.005-04:00

am i tired or what! i am sitting here at my computer, cup of tea in hand (read: caffeine) and wishing i had a nap mat like a kindergartner. le sigh. however, i cannot complain as i had a really terrific easter and have fabulous guests in town this week!

the in-laws were in town this weekend and i feel very lucky to say that i do enjoy being around them. (i have several friends who would rather gnaw their own arm off than spend a weekend with the in-laws. this terrified me before i got married.) we had a great, relaxing time, and after church on sunday we went to the usual easter family gathering at a cousin's house so i got to see all the usual suspects.

my little cousin, ellison, is here and she is the cutest. she and her mother arrived last night so we were able to have dinner together and then i got to read ellison a few books goodnight. she is precious and if i ever have a daughter, i want her to be just like ellison! (on a side note, my dogs were very confused at having a little person in the house. it was funny.)

tonight after work we are heading up to asheville to stay with my sister in law for the night and the day tomorrow. (read: i have a vacation day tomorrow!) i am excited for this short trip and i love being in the mountains. there are some fantastic little restaurants in asheville and i'm hoping we get to go to one of them for lunch.

i am off to a meeting (pit stop for more caffeine first!) have a great day!

martha's vineyard vacation - check!

2009-04-07T08:43:00.007-04:00

last night the hubs and i booked a vacation for martha's vineyard for the third week in august! i am so excited. we both love mv and cannot wait to go. the third week in august is a fun week to go since the grand illumination AND the oak bluffs fireworks happen during this week.

there's something about getting on that ferry and heading over to the island that is just so relaxing. you feel like you are leaving the world behind! i love how the island is so calm and laid back. in addition to that, it's a beautiful place. i can't wait to go back.

so in homage to my favorite island, here are my favorite mv things!

the net result:

the chappaquiddick beach and riding the chappy ferry:

beetlebung coffee house:

the path to the aquinnah cliffs and beach:

walking around edgartown and the edgartown harbor:

the grand illumination:

...and the sunsets!

can i go now, please?!

in other news, i have unpacked all of my spring and summer clothing/accessories, and this makes me happy. spring is finally here!

also, i am doing a mad dash cleaning/cooking/getting ready for guests routine this week - my in laws are coming for easter this weekend, and our cousins are coming next week. i am very excited but wish i could have a Cleaning Fairy!

personalized embossers

2009-04-04T10:51:00.006-04:00

i have not yet posted about my love of stationery - all of it - that probably borderlines on an unhealthy obsession! kidding. sort of. i love all of it - formal and informal - and always have personalized enclosure cards (both just mine and the "Mr and Mrs" variety), note cards, letter sheets, etc. i always order the matching envelopes with our return address pre-printed on the back.

oh, and i always order my stationery from finestationery.com. yes, this may be impersonal, but i have always been incredibly impressed with their results, even more so than my local upscale stationer. they are incredible at what they do, the customer service can't be beat, and each time i get a shipment from them i am just blown away. i even ordered my wedding invitations from them after comparing samples from them and four vendors here in the charlotte area. they are wonderful.

but i digress.

i've found a cute little stationery shop that carries the exact envelopes i always get for my stationery (cream, linen, and they have the envelopes in all the appropriate sizes), and they are very inexpensive. so i've stocked up on a bunch and from now on i will be ordering the note cards, letters sheets, etc. only.

however, i still need to get my return address on the back - hence, something i've been thinking about for a while: a personalized embosser!

i love the look of embossing. here is what this embosser plate...

...looks like on the back of an envelope.

cute, right?

i think i'm going to do it.

you can get different embosser plates for different holidays, if you wish - although this may sometimes border on kitschy and tacky, it may sometimes be appropriate and there are certainly a few "seasonal/holiday" plates that are understated and nice.

a side note: i have found that handwritten correspondence on your own stationery is almost universally appreciated. when i lived in manhattan i would write and receive just as much personal written correspondence as when i lived in charleston. i receive written correspondence from my non-American friends frequently that is written on almost the same type of stationery that i have. it's amazing how universal something can be, right?!

the weekend is upon us

2009-04-02T14:59:00.004-04:00

well...almost. a girl can dream, can't she??

i plan to spend this weekend doing completely, continuously and totally nothing. the husb will be at national guard drill (in addition to working, going to school, and being a wonderful husband and daddy-to-puppies, he is in the Army National Guard) and i plan to:

1) curl up on the sofa with a cup of hot tea, a book, and 2 preppy puppies at my feet
2) take a hot bubble bath (or maybe 2?) and just lay there
3) cook my favorite dishes...save some and eat some!
4) give myself a nice manicure and pedicure
5) watch a few of my favorite movies in my favorite chair
6) nap. perhaps twice a day!

now that is what i call a "to do" list!

this weekend is much needed. normally, i see a "free" weekend as a chance to catch up on everything and run from here to there but i know i need to slow down and relax. after this weekend, the spring craziness begins with easter events, weddings, and out of town weekends on the beach! i'm going to take time for myself and catch my breath.

we are having a cousin over for dinner tonight - i adore her. she is the neatest lady. although she is much older than my husband and i we all get along great and she is just so much fun to be around! (more on my husband's large, extended Charleston family later.) i am going to make a baked salmon dish with couscous and asparagus, and a berry crumble for dessert.

yum!

happy thursday!

TGIF!

2009-03-27T08:26:00.002-04:00

it's been a looooong week and i couldn't be happier it's Friday! one of my good friends from college is coming for a visit this weekend and I'm excited. we're going to go eat wings and watch the basketball games tonight and then have girls brunch tomorrow. there is the cutest french bistro place by my house - for you charlotteans, that's cafe monte - and their food is great. i can't wait!

in other news, my poor little puppy is sick. he was sick throughout the night and i'm worried about him. if he's not better when the husb goes home to check on him at lunch, i'll bring him to the vet.

enjoy your weekends, girls!

rainy day

2009-03-25T08:32:00.005-04:00

it's a gray day here in charlotte. i actually don't mind today because i do love thunderstorms and i don't have to run lots of errands today, so i can enjoy it from inside!

i'm working from home today. i get so much more done that way. at the office i find there can be so many interruptions with people stopping by your office, meetings that run late, etc. at home i can just jump in and get things done. plus it's so nice to be sitting here with my feet up, cup of tea in hand, and my dogs happily laying on the floor. {each day when my husband and i go to work, they go in their indoor "playpen". i feel so bad doing this, even though it's big enough for them to walk around and play in.}

on my "lunch break" today i am going to zip over to target, which is about 5 minutes from my house. i need to buy a new quilt set and lamp bases for the guest room and i'm thinking these:

i love white bed linens. so crisp and fabulous!

well, i'm going to get to work. have a great day, girls!

i'm off!

2009-03-21T07:01:00.002-04:00

i am off to spend the weekend in dc to celebrate one of my best friend's birthdays.

happy birthday, andrew!

easter baskets

2009-03-19T10:23:00.005-04:00

my little cousin - the cutest little girl imaginable (see below) - will be staying with us for a week after easter. i am really excited, and want to surprise her with a cute easter basket!

this is her right before our wedding (she was our flower girl). isn't she precious??

anyway, i've been trying to come up with ideas for a really creative basket. let me know what you think about these!

i'd have to order the argyle one, but i could definitely make the fabric ones. i love how they are personalized!

also, i think this is a fabulous "adult" easter basket and i think it would look great on an entry table or somewhere around the house.

also, does anyone have ideas for fun stuff to put in an easter basket? i found an adorable peter rabbit chocolate bunny at the store, but that's the only thing i have so far. let me know if you have any ideas!

in other news, i've got my brackets ready to go for march madness! i truly love college basketball and look forward to this time of year. some of us from the office are going out to eat wings at lunch and watch part of the first games. i can't wait!

monday update and an ode to my favorite beverage

2009-03-16T10:53:00.005-04:00

i hope everyone had a great weekend! i know i did. the hubs, dogs and i headed down to edisto island this weekend for a quick trip. we helped the in-laws with a church event all day saturday and i had a great time - i was working with the kids' group all day. they were so cute and i think that {maybe, just a little bit} i am getting the baby bug.

saturday night the hubs and i were able to relax. it was nice to spend time alone and just do nothing. i had my favorite drink of all time...pimm's cup!

some of you may have heard of it, but it's not a normal drink to see on a bar menu or at a restaurant. it's gin based with spices, and it can be served in sweet tea, lemonade, lemon-lime soda, etc. i like to serve fresh citrus fruit in it, but it's equally good with berries. fresh mint is great too! this is a great thing to serve at a summer or garden party...people always ask, "what is this??" you can buy pimm's at almost any liquor store. spread the word!

we had a great day sunday too. as an extension of the church event, we attended the children's service on sunday morning. they are too cute for words! then we went in to charleston to meet my brother for lunch. i love that my brother lives in charleston now (he moved up after going to the university of central florida) because i can see him all the time. we went to lunch at a place i worked in college so that we could see my friend kelly, who still works there. we had a fabulous lunch! kelly is coming to visit me in a few weeeks and i'm excited to show her around charlotte and generally just have a great girls weekend!

p.s. we had these as an appetizer and they were divine!

they are portobello "fries". our were served fried in a calamari batter, served with a dip of {get ready, you will feel your backside expand instantaneously} bleu cheese, cream, and butter. there are other dip options you can do, of course, but this is probably the most sinful...i'm going to try to make these at home!

oh, and one more thing...

i'm going to sign up to run the marine corps marathon in october!

i am very excited. i ran the new york marathon a few years ago and had to walk a bit at the end, which was very disappointing. i am hoping for a better run this time. wish me luck!

yum yum!

2009-03-13T07:40:00.001-04:00

i have just discovered lurpak butter.

it is delicious. it is danish. it is a little slice of heaven.

if you have not tried it, i suggest you run out to the nearest grocery store and get some!

mmmm!!

i'm back

2009-03-12T10:45:00.001-04:00

i have been a horrible blogger lately.

no post in over a week!

things have been crazy here. i have been trying to do too much!

first, work has been crazy. i've had many big reports due lately that have been keeping me here late!

i've been working hard on the guest room "redo". it is now painted light blue, like this:

i really like this color but was a bit hesitant since i didn't want the room to look like a nursery. after looking at lots of pictures, i decided the key was using lots of khaki instead of just white. so now i've got khaki curtains up and am in the process of making a khaki headboard and blanket. i'm going to put vintage maps on the walls, and once i'm done with that, i'll take a step back and accessorize more!

it's important that i finish this room soon as we have a ton of visitors coming soon. my dear friend kelly is coming to visit in a few weeks, mr. says so's parents are coming for easter weekend, and our wonderful cousins are coming the week after easter. i couldn't be more excited!!

i have been trying to do a deep "spring clean" on the house.

if only my laundry room looked like this! i love that blue "housekeeping bucket" in the left corner!

i have also been busy planning a baby shower, and i'm going to make a diaper cake like this:

it's a surprise baby shower, so it should be fun!

i have been working away at planning a luau for my dad and his fiance. they are getting married in april in florida (yes, it is slightly weird to be thinking about my dad's wedding when i am already married!) and my husband, brother and I are planning a luau "after party" at their house. they are getting married on a lake and having a wedding luncheon in the afternoon, but wanted a laid back event at their home where they could catch up with friends.

i really do want a pig like this at the luau, but i don't think that will happen!

i am going to hang hundreds of pretty lanterns from their pool screen (is this a fire hazard?) and lay out brightly colored tablecloths on all the tables we'll have sitting around their backyard. there will be brightly colored flowers everywhere and lots of candles for when it gets dark. we'll have a hawaiian dinner and dessert buffett, plus a tiki bar of course. has anyone thrown a very large luau (at a private home) before? any suggestions?

i hope you all are having a great week (and one that is less busy than mine!)

snow day!

2009-03-02T09:01:00.001-05:00

we have 6 inches of snow here in charlotte!

it really looks beautiful. also, my office has closed for the day (ditto for the husb) so we are having a nice quiet day here at home. it has been nice to have an unexpected day off (i do have to log in to work for a little while this afternoon, but still) and spend time together. i made yummy waffles for breakfast and it was such a treat to linger over breakfast and not have to rush out the door.

i'll post pictures of the pups in the snow later!

if you're snowed in too, hope you're cozy!

oh paula

2009-02-27T14:42:00.001-05:00

i have a food obsession with paula deen.

is it because her southern cooking is spot on and i grew up on/love/will never stop eating southern food? probably. but it's also delicious, no matter what part of the country you're from.

i have several paula tricks up my sleeve for breakfasts, dinners, snacks, parties, you name it. but my "go to" recipe is the quiche recipe i will share with you below. it is, by far, the most delicious quiche in the world. it is also SUPER easy to make. the reason i am in love with this quiche is that it can be served for breakfast (hot or cold, so you can make it the day of and have it piping hot, or make it the day before and serve cold to weekend guests), for brunch, or for lunch (served with a side of a small mixed green salad). this is always a show stopper with overnight guests ("did you MAKE this?") and with the husband ("i love you. no really, i love you.")

here is how you make this little bit of heaven:

1. preheat your oven to 350 degrees. when it's ready, put in 1 pound of bacon to cook for 20 minutes (you can skip this step if you make your bacon on the stove or in the microwave, but when you make it in the oven it always comes out super crispy, and since you need to crush it for this recipe, i find the oven works best.) set out your pie crust (i buy a pie crust for this recipe instead of making one - for some reason, it tastes better..)

2. while the bacon is cooking: in a blender, combine 6 large eggs, 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream, and a pinch of salt and pepper. blend until well combined. also, chop 2 cups of fresh baby spinach.

3. when your bacon is done, up the oven to 375 degrees.

4. in your pie crust, crumble the bacon into little bits. layer the chopped spinach on top. put 1 1/2 cups of swiss cheese on top of the spinach. then pour the egg/cream mixture from your blender on top of the cheese.

5. bake for 35-45 minutes, depending on your oven - mine takes at least 45 minutes, sometimes a little more.

6. serve hot or keep in the fridge. mine usually keeps for 3-4 days but most of the time is eaten way before then!

enjoy! you can thank paula later!

if loving this dip is wrong, then i don't want to be right.

2009-02-27T14:38:00.001-05:00

oh y'all. i have found the most delightful dip. it works especially well with little pretzel sticks as an afternoon snack, and it is a BIG hit at parties!

it is onion blossom horseradish dip, and i found it at dean and deluca.

i don't think it's exclusively sold there. all i can say is: run and get some!

cube cuteness

2009-02-27T09:02:00.001-05:00

like some of you might, i work in a cube. considering i spend about 9 hours a day here, i have decided that i want to spruce it up a bit.

there really is only so much you can do...after all, cubes are so institutional. also, i don't want to look unprofessional...i just want a few cute things to make me smile during the day and make it feel a bit less cold.

while not incredibly necessary, i really love this paperweight from redstamp:

i am also really liking the idea of cute file folders - my manila ones are so DULL:

those are all from whitney english.

this is a very cute catchall for all those little things that make your desk seem disorganized:

it's from pottery barn and is on super sale!

i'm also thinking of getting a small green plant or a very small flower put to put right behind where my laptop sits - so i can look at it all day!

i love this owl vase - yes, technically it is a vase - but i want to use it for a pencil cup! this is from fruitflypie on etsy.

i don't have a bad view from my cube. i work in the bank of america headquarters building waaaaaay up at the top and have a fantastic view of charlotte. but a girl just needs some cute things in her life, right?!?

have a great day everyone!

glasses

2009-02-26T09:45:00.001-05:00

after a few months of headaches, i'm-not-sure-why-i-don't-feel-good, and catching myself squinting while driving, i finally went to the eye doctor last week.

as it turns out, i really needed glasses!

so now i have them! i picked them up today! they are super cute - by kate spade. here they are:

i can't believe the difference. i feel so great!

they also came with a cute pink carrying case. normally i am not an overly "pink" person, but i just love it.

i know it's a bit ridiculous, but i feel a bit smarter wearing glasses! ;)

have a great day!

lent

2009-02-25T20:31:00.001-05:00

this year, i am really going to try to get the most out of lent.

in past years, i've done the requisite "give up something you love" but i didn't really think about sacrifice. it never went deeper.

this year, i am really going to try to have a quiet time. i'm going to try to listen to what God is telling me. i'm going to clean out all the "clutter" in my mind.

what an undertaking! it will be my first "grown up" lent.

my husband and i are giving up something that affects our daily lives. we are giving up buying anything that's not a necessity. so obviously, we will pay our mortgage, pay for our cars and transportation, pay for food, bills, etc. but: no shopping (and yes, to my dismay, it counts if it's online), no new house projects (and i have SO MANY on the brain - so this will really be a hard one for me), no eating out.

i think it's going to be a really good learning experience, actually.

wish me luck!

do any of you have suggestions or thoughts for the season of lent?? i'd love to hear.

many things to do

2009-02-23T11:33:00.001-05:00

my to do list is a mile long. it's a little overwhelming.

do any of you ever feel that way?!?!

there are so many things to do at the house. i need to do laundry, clean the kitchen and bathrooms, vacuum and sweep. i really need to clean out the fridge and go grocery shopping/meal plan for this week.

i also need to finish my headboards (one down! pictures to come), paint the guest room, buy bookcases and bins for the living room, start on renovating my huge bookcase (unbeknownst to it, it is becoming a china cabinet shortly), start looking at patio furniture and firm up our fencing plans.

there are a million other "house things" i need to do, but i want to accomplish those first.

i need to take some shoes to the cobbler to be fixed, take some dry cleaning in, take mountains of clothes to goodwill, and go to the drugstore.

and my car...oh my poor car. it needs to be washed and vacuumed and generally just given a nice deep clean. {i take my car to auto bell and read new york magazine while someone else does this.}

my dad is getting married in april...and my husband, my brother and i are planning a huge party to send them off on their honeymoon. there is much planning to be done with this.

oh and yes...i also have to work, which involves wrapping up a few rather large projects, planning two social events for the office, and studying for a certification test.

there are about 25 of those "little things" that have been on my to do list (embarassingly) for about 4 weeks.

mind you, i really can't complain about my to do list, because 1) i don't have kids so i truly don't know what "busy" is and 2) all of these things have to do with maintaining what i consider to be a pretty fabulous and lucky life.

but sometimes...the "to do's" just pile up until you feel like you can't get ahead!

however, i am determined this week to completely knock out my to do list. no more carrying over items from day to day and week to week.

productive week, here i come...

laser tag!

2009-02-22T08:49:00.001-05:00

the lovely BLC over at the company she keeps has tagged me - i'm it!

Step 1: Answer all, replace if you don't like, and add one of your own.
Step 2: Tag eight others!

1. What are you wearing right now? My pajamas. I am in a half-awake state, drinking necessary caffeine (tea) and catching up on necessary news (blogs, of course).
2. What is your biggest fear? Getting in a car accident (I'm not the best driver)
3. Do you nap a lot? No, I never have time! I wish I could still have nap time in the middle of the day, a la kindergarten.
4. Who is the last person you hugged? My sweet husband.
5. What websites do you visit when you go online? I always check my gmail and my favorite blogs, catch up on the news and look at recipes on foodnetwork.com.
6. What is the last item you bought? Tons of fabric yesterday...I am going to make two headboards, some pillows, some linens for the dining room, etc...I will post pictures when finished!
7. You are on the Oregon Trail, how are things going? "I tried to ford the river and everyone in my party died"...was that what it said? Oregon Trail and I were never great friends.
8. If you woke up tomorrow and were a boy, what is the first thing you would do and why? Well, if I was a boy AND my husband, I'd make my wife breakfast in bed ;)
9. Has a celebrity's hair cut ever influenced your own hairstyle? I will admit, like everyone else, that I had the Jennifer Aniston haircut. Since then, no.
10. What is your most embarrassing moment? See #11 below.
11. How old were you when you had your first kiss? I think 7th grade. The boy I was kissing was also holding a soda (we were at a BBQ) and he dropped it as we were kissing. All over me and my outfit. Yep. See #10 above.
12. If you had a whole day to yourself with no work, commitments, or interruptions what would you do? I'd go to the pool with a big bottle of Italian soda and mindless reading and would attempt to actually relax. I would leave my iPhone at home. After I was relaxed, I would go to Dean and Deluca and browse for yummy goodies, come home, and eat a wonderful meal with my husband. A massage would also likely be part of this day.
13. If you were able to see into the future, would you look? I really don't think so. I love not knowing what is coming next. In my life so far, nothing has gone as anticipated - but everything is exactly as I want it, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Okay ladies, Pink Pearls and Muddy Sneakers, Misadventures of a Newlywed, I Pick Pretty, The Preppy Apron, steak&cakes, Granny Smith Green, The Monogrammed Nest, Kelly's Korner, and Tres Poshe Preppy - you're it!

a day to myself! a whole day!

2009-02-16T09:41:00.001-05:00

i could not be more excited.

i have today off work! {but the husband does not.} we came home from charleston early this morning and i am currently relaxing with my dogs napping at my feet!

yes, i have things to do today. there is laundry, and there are dishes, and i need to straighten up the guest room and go buy a few picture frames for the house.

but...

i'm also going to take a bubble bath.
catch up on my favorite blogs.
put together some cute outfits for this week.
put on a face mask.
go running.
sit on the back patio and enjoy this beautiful weather {while sipping a hot tea and looking at my favorite magazines!}

me time!

can you tell i'm really excited about this?

happy valentine's day - off to charleston!

2009-02-14T12:00:00.001-05:00

hi everyone! hope you are all having a fabulous day. the hubs and i had an early valentine's day celebration yesterday (we went to our favorite neighborhood restaurant and then enjoyed champagne at home). it was great! we're now on the way to charleston for the remainder of the weekend to visit friends and family. we're staying with the in-laws on edisto island (always beautiful - I'll post pics soon) and sunday we have such a fun day planned! one of my best friends, andrew, will be in town so we are meeting up with him for brunch. then we get to spend the day with our friends sara and ryan - who introduced my husband and i - and their darling new daughter ainsley. after that we are off to a birthday party for our cousin jonathan. he and his wife dorothy are so fantastic and are also the parents of ellison, the cutest little girl in the whole world. she was the flower girl in our wedding, and she was recently featured in an issue of charleston weddings magazine in her pretty flower girl dress. i can't wait to see the issue!

please excuse any spelling errors - i'm trying a post from my new iphone!

have a fantastic weekend!

honoring baby cora paige mcclenahan

2009-02-10T14:40:00.001-05:00

if you're like me, your heart has been torn apart by this story.

to help build the cora playground, you can buy a really cute headband or pin here. 100% of the proceeds go to help build her playground. {be sure to click the headband and pin that say cora paige.}

what a sweet way to honor this precious baby girl who is now in heaven.

to read more of the mcclenahan's story, go here.

spring wish list

2009-02-09T12:29:00.001-05:00

it was gorgeous this weekend. i got to spend lots of time outside! also, my college team (college of charleston) beat davidson in basketball on saturday - yeah! there was a wonderful viewing party in uptown charlotte for those of us who couldn't get tickets to the game. it was so much fun! my brother also came for a visit this weekend - always great to see him.

while i was outside this weekend i kept thinking that maybe - just maybe - i could soon pack up all my turtlenecks and scarves and unpack pretty spring dresses! of course, when the seasons change i always have a "wish list". in addition to the j. crew bathing suit (see post below) here are some things i'm thinking i just can't live without...

i drink hot tea every morning (even in the summer!) and would love this spring-y travel mug for my morning commute. (this is from monogram chick, and she has other patterns/colors available too.)

i LOVE these two dresses from lilly ... so springy and perfect!

this tunic from lilly is great also! i'm a big fan of brown, but have a hard time finding cute brown things to wear. with the pink accents and cute pattern, this is great.

when the weather gets warm, i will eat outside all the time...what's better than a fresh lunch al fresco with great friends?

i love wearing flats in the spring. i would love some revas in a funky color!

i need to get a really great picnic set so my husband and i can go on picnics...i used to love doing this and haven't in a while.

and finally on my list...

a great spring cleaning! i want to throw open the windows, scrub the house from head to toe, and put fresh flowers in every room.

please pray

2009-02-05T11:22:00.002-05:00

please pray for this sweet baby girl cora.

dear provence

2009-02-03T14:25:00.001-05:00

how i miss you so.

it's been awhile.

i haven't forgotten about you, but the american economy is not so great right now. i bet there are lots of people who would love to come visit you...

you're the best stress reliever i know of!

hopefully, i will see you soon.

love,
lauren

i'm in love...

2009-02-02T19:26:00.001-05:00

with a swimsuit from j.crew.

summer, hurry up and get here!

"what's charlotte like?"

2009-02-02T16:00:00.001-05:00

i absolutely love charlotte, but i have to admit that after living in orlando, charleston, and new york, it's a little strange living in a city that's not exactly a tourist destination. i don't know of anyone that's ever come to charlotte on vacation - anyone that comes here is visiting friends or family.

while i love living here - i'd describe it as "comfortable" and really like the lack of tourists - i've had a bit of difficulty entertaining weekend guests. the things i love about charlotte are the great restaurants and the great neighborhoods - there aren't really any "attractions" to take weekenders to.

everyone always asks me, "what's charlotte like?" so i'll try to do a weekly post on the things i love most about this city.

this week i'm posting about noda. it's a neighborhood north of uptown, short for "north davidson". very artsy, very funky, and very fun. here are some photos - all accredited to james willamor.

this is north davidson street looking towards uptown. there are lots of little shops and restaurants lining the street.

a shop on north davidson street.

a peek inside an artist's gallery (lots of those in this part of town).

north davidson again, looking towards uptown.

lots of renovation going on.

a gallery at night.

this is dog bar. yes, you actually take your dog! we did this once and it was fun! our dogs made lots of new friends and had a great time!

lots of concerts here.

one of my favorite casual restaurants in charlotte - cabo fish taco. yum!

light blue bedrooms

2009-02-02T14:19:00.002-05:00

so when we moved into our house we painted the interior in pretty neutral/conservative colors. the living areas are a beige-y color, the bathrooms are dark cream, the kitchen is slate grey, our master bedroom is navy blue, and the dining room is slate grey and cream (with a chair rail separating the two).

but the guest bedroom is....bright green.

not neon.

just bright.

i painted it on a whim because i had some really cute green fabric, but now i'm thinking it just doesn't match the rest of the house at all.

so now i'm obsessed with redecorating it and i'm thinking light blue is really the only color that will go with the rest of the house. but i'm taking my time deciding - i don't want this to be a whim too! (then my husband would really kill me.)

i've never been a huge "blue" fan (exception: navy) but i think the light blue bedroom idea is growing on me. here are a few pictures that i like.

i'll keep you updated on the progress! and hopefully, the house will be "finished" enough to soon post pictures.

ikea opening in charlotte!

2009-02-02T13:49:00.001-05:00

so you would think that after living in new york i would a) be the Queen of Indifference to Any Store Opening and b) be perhaps a little more selective in my decorating tastes. but no! ikea is opening in charlotte in two weeks, and i could NOT be more excited. i am aware that it is particle board from china, but really, i am obsessed with their products.

i LOVE all their kitchen gadgets and how you can find a basic piece of furniture for a really reasonable price.

i have been looking and looking for three pieces of furniture for the house: a sideboard/buffet/china cabinet for the dining room, side tables for the living room, and bedside tables for the bedroom. for all three pieces, i want something cute and funky, but also something that doesn't look too modern.

i'm really liking the detail on the bottom of this sideboard, but hoping it comes in additional colors.

these could also work as side tables in the living room:

and finally, i think these are small enough to be bedside tables (i need SMALL ones, amazingly hard to find).

i can't wait until the store opens and i can go browse!

i feel very guilty saying all of this. every time i turn on the tv i hear about more and more people getting laid off - people who have it a lot harder than i do - and so talking about going shopping, even if it's at ikea, feels a little wrong to me. so far i haven't known anyone who has gotten laid off, but i heard today that it's a possibility for a friend, and that makes me so sad.

:(.

cheers to a QUICK end to the recession!

so sweet

2009-01-27T10:58:00.001-05:00

these are my dogs. so sweet and innocent (well, most of the time. rocky did eat my julia child cookbook - not that it was a first edition that i found in an antique store after searching forever or anything - but i digress.)

enjoy!

25 things about me

2009-01-26T16:31:00.001-05:00

i have been tagged to share 25 things about myself. i have no idea if i can think of 25 things about myself that you will actually find interesting, but here goes...

1. my husband is the most amazing man on the planet. it amazes me that we found each other. we are a great match.

2. i have lived all over. i was born in kansas city, grew up in florida, went to college in charleston (with a brief stint in germany, too), lived in nyc after school, and am now back in the south. i loved nyc, but the south is where i belong - it is home to me.

3. i have a really, really unhealthy obsession with cheese. any kind. my most recent discovery is blue brie cheese - a combination of my two favorites - but i also had a cinnamon goat cheese recently that was phenomenal (sounds gross, but it was so good). i love nothing more a lunch where cheese is the centerpiece (and is paired with fruit, nuts, and a light salad.) yum!

4. stationery is also an obsession. i love note cards, calling cards, enclosure cards, you name it. this is for two reasons: one, i love monograms or anything personalized, and two, i don't think there's anything like written correspondance. it's so great to get a written letter or thank you note in the mail.

5. i am an avid reader. i've loved to go to the library or bookstore since i was little. i love to read not only books, but short stories, poetry, intelligent magazines, you name it. i'm starting to do more of my reading online, although there's nothing like curling up with a blanket and a good book. my husband is building us built-in bookshelves for our townhouse, to house our book collection!

6. i think a bubble bath is a great way to end the day. especially while combined with reading! there's just something so relaxing about it. i'm also continuously trying to get warm (my husband and i have a constant battle with the thermostat) so i love to take a hot bath to warm up before bed.

7. all things british are fine with me. i love hot tea, pubs, british country clothing and interiors, and, i'll admit, the royal family; plus, london is my favorite city (i'd love to live there one day, or at least visit a LOT!). my husband is half british, so this all works out quite nicely.

8. i love good manners. it's not that i judge anyone who doesn't know how to do everything to a tee (i don't know either, and really, when it comes down to it good manners is really just about being considerate) but i love to know and practice the proper way to do things. i think that too many people in our society think manners are unimportant; and i admire parents who teach their children good manners or those who learn them on their own.

9. i could cuddle with my dogs all day. my husband and i have two brittany spaniels, rocky and adrian (yes, from the movie) and i never get tired of palying with them or being around them.

10. i have an appreciation for history (both collective and personal). i was a history major in college, and i love learning about the past, in all aspects. i also love following old traditions and learning about my family's past; my husband (from charleston, south carolina) also has a really interesting family history that i enjoy learning about.

11. i am learning more about religion. i've always explored this area on my own, but i've recently started going to a church that i really enjoy.

12. i love to decorate, but it's difficult for me to make decisions in this area. i like a mix of traditional and modern styles - i suppose all the interior designers would call this "transitional" - and so for that reason it's always hard for me to make a decorating decision. i like things to look traditional but also have cheeky, punchy, or unexpected accents.

13. i think the south is a special place. i love southern hospitality, southern manners, and southern appreciation for tradition. (which is not to say i don't love to vacation up north!)

14. pale yellow is my favorite color. i just love it.

15. i hate to shop for clothes. don't get me wrong - i LOVE clothes. i just like going into a store knowing what i'm looking for, getting it, and leaving (or shopping online). i love to browse websites and put outfits together. but there's something i really dislike about going into a crowded mall and shuffling through racks and racks of clothes.

16. steak tartare is my favorite food (well, next to cheese). especially from employees only in nyc. yum!

17. i want to be a better seamstress. there is a great fabric store near charlotte and i get so many ideas when i go in there. i'd love to be able to sew beyond the basics, so that i can make lots of cute things!

18. my grandmother is one of my best friends. she always knows the right answer.

19. i am a target girl. i'm not going to lie - i love their selection of accessories, bags, and swimsuits. so cute!

20. i could browse in the grocery store all afternoon. i really love to shop for food - especially at a specialty grocery (i really miss the British grocery in nyc with their individual pork pies - heaven!). i enjoy seeing new products and thinking how i'd use them.

21. my planner and i are best friends. i love to be (or at least feel) organized. i keep my calendar updated at all times, and have an updated task/to do list most of the time. if my planner is not updated, i feel lost.

22. being on the water makes me feel calm. i love to be out on a boat, in a kayak, or just laying on the beach. charlotte is the furthest i've ever lived from the beach, but luckily, we get to visit charleston often. there's something so soothing about the water that relaxes me every time.

23. i'm really glad that my husband is a great photographer - because i'm not! we just got a great new camera and he's doing a wonderful job documenting our lives.

24. my favorite restaurant is fast and french in charleston, sc. it's a community eating style french restaurant. it's very casual, it's usually pretty loud, and their food is amazing. from the simplest plate of pate, bleu cheese and raisins on toast to their seafood fondue, everything tastes great. i lived around the corner from this place in college, and go back every chance i get.

25. i'm addicted to hot tea and coffee. i love to have a cup of something warm to drink at almost any time of the day!

hi there!

2009-01-26T16:07:00.001-05:00

i'm lauren.

i love blogs.

i have a few favorites, and i always get such great ideas from all of you! i decided it was about time i started one of my own.

this past year has been absolutely hectic, what with moving (nyc to charlotte), planning in wedding (in august), getting married (in charleston), starting a new job (lots to learn), and buying a townhouse! whew! i am settling down and enjoying life as a newlywed. grab a glass of wine and enjoy reading!