Weekend In Pics + An Easy Recipe

{Yellow tulips that I have purchased for my nightstand two weeks in a row. That color makes me smile.}

{Fresh corn that was a side for our Mothers Day dinner. Makes me so excited for summer!}

{My new, super comfy and reasonably priced gladiators that I found here.}

{Miles - my mom's super sweet 23 lb. cat who slept on my sneakers all weekend.}

{The perfect quick pasta after a road trip.}

Hi!! I hope you had a great weekend. I especially hope all of the moms out there had a great Mother's Day. My weekend was one of those weekends that went by entirely too fast. I went to visit my parents in Alabama. We had a southern fish fry on Saturday complete with that corn that I swear is the freshest corn I've ever had- and summer isn't even here yet! Mom and I spent quality time shopping for summer flowers, chatting and watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (her favorite show) - small moments that I wish I could freeze in time. I also made green juice for her in her new Vitamix. She requested both after she saw my post last week and she loved it all. 

I came home yesterday exhausted and made that quick pasta from Emily's book for dinner. It was SO good and so fresh. All you do is dice three fresh tomatoes, slice about 1/2 cup of fresh basil, slice 1 tablespoon of fresh mint and chop 1 clove of garlic. Add all of that to a bowl along with a 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Cover and let it marinate while you cook the pasta. Cook 1/2 pound of angel hair pasta. Add the cooked pasta to a serving bowl and pour the tomato mixture over it. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese. That was pasta for two, but you could double it if you have more people!

I've got another super easy, yet REALLY good dessert to share with you tomorrow, so be sure to stop by!

Images by me

Weekend In Five Pics

Hi!!!!! How are ya?? It feels super good to be back here! I really needed that week off. I spent most of it catching up around the house, running errands, catching up with friends and regaining some creativity. I also spent a lot of it glued to the TV praying that those insanely heartless individuals in Boston would be caught. I feel much better now, but admittedly have this heightened sense of awareness. So sad...

A few more details about my time off...

+ I had a photo shoot for the blog's upcoming new design with Savannah and Jenny of Maiedae. I LOVED working with those two talented ladies!! I wore two different outfits, one which included that necklace in the first pic. Rhianna's song, "Diamond"comes to mind every time I look at it...

+ I wore makeup other than lipstick for the third time in my life for the photo shoot. It's so fun getting made up! I am still not fully rested from my busy season, so I want to kiss the person who invented concealer. 

+ Bought those GORGEOUS hyacinths right before my photo shoot. That was my first time buying them. I came home from the shoot and sneezed for almost an hour straight. Apparently I am allergic to hyacinths, which is sad because they smell heavenly.

+  I had to get my upper lip threaded for the first time. The only thing that HAS to be more painful than that is child birth! I recently started putting two cups of spinach in my daily smoothie and apparently the spinach does wonders for hair growth. Lovely. That may have been TMI, but consider yourself warned if you love spinach like I do.

+ I made this salad to snack on over the next few days. It's so, so, so good. 

+ I also made Sunday dinner for my neighbors. I made a pasta dish that has an incredibly rich sauce with a surprise ingredient. They loved it along with my hyacinths... :) I'll share the pasta dish with you tomorrow!

Happy Monday!

Images 1, 2, 4, 5 by me

Image 3 by Jenny of Maiedae

Weekend In Three Pics + Be Right Back...

Hi there! I hope you had a great weekend!! I'm only a bit excited today. As an accountant, today is one of my FAVORITE days of the year. It's the first of many days that I will have a normal schedule. I am quite happy. I only had to work four hours or so this weekend, so that means I got to the remaining 44 hours enjoying myself and resting. Heaven. I got in bed early on Friday and Saturday night, took a LONG stroll through Whole Foods, which is where I got those gorgeous parrot tulips and the ingredients for that peach, kale and coconut smoothie. It's got a little kick from the ginger and lots of sweetness from the peaches. So, so good. I also looked through tons of catalogs I've been collecting over the last few months and that stitched peplum top from the Anthropolgie catalog made me gasp when I saw it. How pretty is that??

Even though I had 44 hours of blissful downtime, I feel like I need 100 hours to catch up on life outside of work. I did a load of laundry on Saturday and realized after it was done that I forgot to use laundry detergent. Uggh. So I obviously need more rest! I need to clean and re-organize my house, spend more than five minutes talking to my parents and friends and read my current read and watch a movie without falling asleep. I also need to put the finishing touches on my new blog design that will be launching in a few weeks. I CAN'T WAIT for you to see it!

So I'm taking a few days off from blogging so I can get all of that done + some. I might pop in later this week, but if not, I will definitely see you here next week! In the meantime, you can catch me on Instagram and Twitter. 

Images by me

Weekend In Four Pics...

Hello!! I hope you had a great weekend. Even though I spent most of my weekend working, I made it a point to have a few moments of fun. This weekend I...

 + Didn't buy any flowers for my nightstand. The weather here was perfection this weekend, so I took a break from work and walked around my neighborhood shooting photos of cherry blossoms to get my flower fix. They are quite lovely...

+ Had brunch with a friend at this new hidden gem of a place called Buttermilk Kitchen.The name alone sounds enticing, doesn't it? It was hands down the BEST brunch I have had in all the years I have lived here in Atlanta. Before I even ate, they had me when my water was served to me in a mason jar. Winner... I devoured that crispy fried chicken biscuit. They marinated the chicken in sweet tea, which gave it the most amazing flavor. It won't be long before I visit that place again...

+ Watched last week's episode of Scandal. Do you watch Scandal?  I watched it for the first time two weeks ago and I'm hooked. Like, really hooked. Starting next weekend, I will be parked on my couch catching up on the seasons I've missed. Can't.Wait.

+ Treated myself to the first burger I have had in a really long time (doesn't this look good??). I don't eat red meat often, so I went all out and ordered one complete with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, onions, ketchup, mustard - everything. I was in burger heaven. 

+  Flipped through my new cookbook, "It's All Good," by the lovely Gwyneth. My quick review: LOVE IT! The photos of the food are stunning and the photos of her in her natural state would make one think she is absolutely nowhere near her age. Most importantly, the things she shares on healthy eating are really informative. After eating that burger and brunch, I felt the need to make her recipe for perfect quinoa, grilled tilapia and sauteed spinach for my Sunday dinner. It was the perfect get-back-on-track meal.

If you did anything fun this weekend, do share!

Images by me

 

Weekend In Four Pics...

I can't believe it's already MONDAY! I need another day please! I hope you had a good weekend. My weekend started with a fantastic sushi dinner here and ended in bed last night watching Master Class on OWN. I LOVE that show. So insightful. In between those two relaxing things, life was busy. I worked,  ran errands, fought through a terrible migraine, shot tomorrow's recipe, cleaned up and bought my first pair of sneakers in six years. Yep, SIX years! I'm not a huge fan of that much color, but had to choose those colorful sneakers because they were the only ones left in my size. But they are SO comfortable and I see why that particular style is so popular. If you buy them, note that they run really small. I had to go up one whole shoe size! 

While I was out running errands, I carried my new BKR water bottle with me. I love it because it's glass, which means I don't have to worry so much if I leave it in a warm car. BKR is a great company that focuses on green living and charitable giving. You can read more about the company here. 

Oh and one more thing... I finally broke down and treated myself to a VITAMIX this weekend!! Where has that thing been all my life?? I made a few smoothies with it over the weekend and loved it! It's 1,000 times better than my old blender. A review and recipe is certainly in the works for a future blog post! If you use a Vitamix, what do you like to make with it?

Happy Monday! 

Weekend In Four Pics

Hi there! I hope the weekend was good to you! Aside from working, this weekend I...

 * Bought some really bright pink roses for my nighstand. This week is going to be crazy busy, so I need some extra color in my life...

* Had a fantastic dinner here with one of my really good friends that I hadn't seen in almost 3 years. She is in law school and we don't get to talk often. But if you would have heard our hilarious conversations during dinner, you would have thought we talked every single day. I LOVE moments like that...

* Used those veggies to make this chicken and brown rice stew, a one-pot meal that Gwyneth posted on Goop last week. It is so comforting, so easy to make, and good for you. I know I'll make it again and again and again...

* Read the new issue of Kinfolk, which focuses on the art of ice cream. I then felt compelled to go to a local ice cream shop for a snack. So I did... 

* Said some not so nice things under my breath as I was setting my clocks FORWARD... An hour of sleep - gone. You know how I feel about sleep! :)

I hope you have a great week!

Images by me

A Quick Thank You...

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Other than photographing these flowers that will help me get through a busy week ahead and tomorrow's recipe, I didn't take any photos. I was either resting, watching the occasional snow flurries or having too much fun. I had a wonderful time at my friend's housewarming party. She and her husband have worked so hard for their dream home and they finally have the home they have always wanted. Their home is absolutely gorgeous and it was so fun to celebrate with them. 

But before the party, I had a fantastic meeting with Anna about my new blog design. We started talking about "branding," which is a term I NEVER in a million years thought I would use when I started this blog over two years ago. But I'm doing it. I'm rebranding this blog and seriously thinking about what I want this blog to look like and be about in the future. It is so freaking exciting and so unexpected! It is going to be really beautiful and I can't wait for you to see! 

I have you to thank for my excitement. If it weren't for you I'd pretty much be talking to myself, which would still be somewhat therapeutic, but not nearly as much fun. Thank you so much for stopping by,  reading my ramblings and leaving your thoughts. It means a lot to me and I thought I would just take today to let you know. 

xo, 

Weekend In Four Pics

Well hello! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Even though my weekend was uneventful, I still enjoyed every second of it. I read, I slept (a lot), ate an entire Hawaiian pizza by myself (I'll refrain from revealing the size of the pizza), made a little care package for a sweet friend and bought new lipstick for spring. It's the only makeup I wear, so you'll have to excuse my excitement. :) I LOVE my new red lipstick. I feel quite grown up when I wear it. 

I made the EASIEST, most delicious soup for my Oscar dinner. I made this Italian turkey sausage, white bean and swiss chard soup. It's a Paula Deen recipe that has a five star rating on Food Network, so you know it's good! 

I ate the soup while I watched the gowns on the carpet. My two votes for best dressed go to Charlize Theron and Jessica Chastain. Stunning...

Have a great week my friends...

Images by me

Weekend In Five Pics

This week's tulips | Mussels - Sunday dinner | Clear blue skies- an exciting thing after a few weeks of rain | The details of my new Zara blazer | Max's furry paws...

Hi there! I hope you had a good weekend - or are still enjoying the long weekend. My weekend wasn't quite as relaxing as planned, but I'll take it! I spent most of the weekend looking after my little one. Max had another episode on Friday that warranted another scary trip to the vet. More meds and a new diet later, he seems to be doing better. He has been sick on and off for the last month, which means I'm 200% more obsessed with him which explains all of his appearances as of late on the blog. You'll have to excuse me... :)

With all of that, there's always things to be thankful for. Tulips are in season, which means there's a new bunch on my nightstand every week, I found that cute blazer on sale at Zara for $29 bucks during a brief shopping trip on Saturday and the weather was beautiful the whole weekend. The little things...

Have a great Monday my friends...

Weekend In Five Pics

Tulips and a note for my new neighbor | My baby Max | Weekend inspiration | Pizzelles courtesy of Nona Rosas Kitchen | An afternoon snack courtesy of The Spotted Trotter

Hi!! How was your weekend?? Well, I'm writing this post at 3PM on Sunday afternoon (yesterday). I just woke up from a good nap - the kind that's so good that it takes a few minutes for you to come to when you wake up, and I'm sipping on a steaming hot cup of tea with Saturday's episode of Barefoot Contessa playing in the background.  Oh and the rain is trickling on my bedroom window. That should give you some idea of how relaxing this weekend has been. On Saturday, I welcomed my new neighbor with those tulips that I arranged, as opposed to cookies. You would have thought I told her she won $1M dollars. If you haven't done something special for a good neighbor, you should. Best feeling ever. 

I also had dinner with a good friend and finished editing the last of my photos from last week's photoshoot at Bella Cucina. That's where I had those beautiful and tasty Pizzelles and the freshly cured meats. I'm still thinking of those good eats. 

Speaking of good eats, I shot the most DELICIOUS pasta recipe for tomorrow's post! My first video post on the Vine app will give you a good idea of how I set it all up!

Happy Monday!