more familia

Sweet sunshine is pouring in my office window today and I am so grateful for it. I wanted to share the last few pics from my ladies weekend part deux. It was so nice to show them around "my" new town and they loved it. We visited the Greenville Art Museum which has an amazing Andrew Wyeth exhibit. And it's free. I can't remember the last time I visited somewhere for free. The moms loved it and we could barely pull them out of there.





Our big meal of the day was brunch at High Cotton. The husband worked his magic and got us a table even after I'd been denied. How does he do that?! He's so darn smooth that one. Anyway, I'm glad it worked out because our food was scrumptious! Good vibe + good service + really good company. I made everyone take a pic of their plate…











It was the day of L.O.V.E. after all so we continued the party on our last evening at the bungalow. We nibbled on bruschetta and carrots + dip while dinner cooked and the daily re-cap from the Olympics played in the background.

Baked penne with roasted vegetables : We ate like kings and I didn't want them to leave. There's just something about having a house full of folks that makes ya feel good. It was a perfect Valentines with lots of love to go around.







Oh and you know I had to bake up something sweet. Yellow cake + cream cheese frosting... umm, yes please.

family visit

Momma, aunt Lola and cousin Lauren came to town for a visit and brought a whole heck of a lotta snow with them! Literally, it was coming down so hard right at the time they were supposed to be arriving, I didn't think they would make it. But they did. Whew. The ladies came a blazing in the door needing a stiff cocktail. asap. We headed to the Bohemian for a late supper and started right in with stories of the trip. I'm pretty sure we were the loudest table in the joint. Hubs got the moms all settled into the hotel and Lauren was a guest in our bungalow. Everyone needed a good nights rest after the drive. I have a feeling they will be telling the tale for years to come!



The next morning I cooked us a big breakfast before heading out into the snow. The streets were so gorgeous and white, but fading quickly. With our winter boots pulled on we piled in the car and headed out for bit of retail therapy. I have done practically no shopping since I moved here. Partly because it's not as fun to shop solo and partly because my belly has inhibited my purchasing any new clothing. So this was a treat. We had the best time and found the cutest baby store called but… it was closed! Argh. So I left a message and we headed to Babies R Us. Talk about overwhelming. Yikers. We felt a bit out of our league. Where to start, what to buy? My goodness. But with our moms following behind, Lauren and I jumped in the best we could. Soon, we were wheeling strollers around and chatting with other mother/daughter pairs in the store. Luckily, I got a call from the baby store and she was now open. Sweet. It was well worth the drive back. The store is called The Nest and we loved every sweet thing in there. The best part was I bought a crib plus the bedding. Done and done. I can't wait to get all set up and show you. Yessiree, it's starting to feel real.



After all this we were seriously starving and ready for some grub. Our lunch stop was at The Brickstreet Cafe. It's kind of a ladies who lunch spot. You know, chicken salad, soups, sammies and quiche. The highlight was this decadent chocolate cake. Warm, gooey and served with fresh whipped cream. I was real nice and shared.





We ended the day with a drop of champagne and then a lovely meal downtown at the Lazy Goat. Tapas all around was the perfect amount.



More to come from this family visit, but for now I am hitting the hay. Goodnight!

snowy bliss

Well, well, well. Where have I been? I took an unexpected bloggin break when life got super busy. I had some fun visitors come to town and can't wait to share our tales. Here are a couple of snow pics in the mean time til life gets back to a normal pace. I love the way the puffy white snow can just come out of nowhere and change everything. It was absolutely beautiful.

share a little love

Valentine's Day. A day of love. Sigh. It's a tad silly to me, but it's still a good excuse for a date and a little somethin' from my boy. We dated for about 5 years before we got hitched and yet he's still learning. Bless his heart. He tries. I'm difficult. And picky. It's just that hubs doesn't quite get the whole flower thing. Year 1 red roses. Year 2 red roses. Year 3 red roses. And year 4… I got tulips. Finally! I was pumped. Ya see, I'm not a red roses kind of girl. I mean no offense to anyone if you like red roses! It's just like I said, I'm picky. I like roses, but yellows and peaches and pinks are more my cup of tea. And ranunculus, peonies and and tulips are even sweeter. I love something out of the ordinary. Red roses returned last year. It's ok, they were beautiful. The kicker was the card hubs gave me. He thought it was hilarious. I wanted to cry. To start it had Marge & Homer Simpson on the front. Nice. And when I opened it up, I heard Homer's voice. Even better. I was greeted with the lovely sounds of Homer saying "I'm wizzin' with the door open… And I love it." Yup. He's all mine ladies.



In hindsight it WAS pretty funny and now I can crack up about it. I actually kept the card so I can tease hubs about it. He won't live that one down for quite a while. He's mighty sweet though and I love him to the bone. He's been so supportive and excited during this time. My mood swings can be a downer and yet he's always near by to cheer me right on up. I catch him smiling at my belly too. Plus it's pretty hard to stay mad at someone with big ole' dimples like his.

Here are some love notes that are a tad more crush worthy. I hope you have a lovely Valentine's and get a lotta lovin' this weekend! xoxo

via riflepaper

spring fever cocktail

No offense February, but I don't think I like you very much lately. This winter funk has kinda got me down. So I was thrilled to find a yummy Spring fever cocktail. Doesn't this make you want to run out to the grocery for some fresh fruit? Too bad I don't have any mint growing in my backyard. Note to self : plant mint soon. Mmm, I would have to substitute the gin for club soda at the moment, but this would go down so quickly. In fact, if you are partaking, I would use Pimm's instead of gin. It's is a gin-based liquor that my family consumes a lot of during the warmer months. It's not too strong and very favored by the Brits. Just right to send those winter blues right on outta here.



Ingredients (makes 2 drinks)
6 hulled strawberries

1 peeled orange

6 mint leaves

1/4 peeled cucumber

6 oz Gin OR Pims

8 oz lemonade

Methodology:
Dice, then muddle fruits and mint

Pour Gin/Pims into fruit mixture and let sit for 10-15 minutes

Strain over lemonade and ice + garnish with fruit or mint

photo via designsponge

creative and curious

As you know, I adore getting mail. Well yesterday a wonderful magazine showed up on my doorstep. I subscribed to Uppercase mag a while back and have loved every single issue. It's full of interesting tidbits, great writing and wonderful stories featuring artistic folks. There is always something new inside. So I had to share these wonderful illustrations from the new issue. They're by Martin Haake of Berlin. I love his quote… "I don't like illustration that is too slick. For me it must have a sense of rawness and history to it - it must be more grandmother." Yup. I know exactly what he's saying. I love the texture and the imperfection of his work. He mentions that clients are always asking him to change the feet on his illustrated people, because the men he draws look like they're wearing women's shoes. That's kinda funny! Anyway, they're wonderfully whimsical and make me smile.

art via martin haake

30 and preggo

Happy birthday cousin! I was all ready to post this yesterday and totally forgot. So sorry. Happy 3-0! My goodness what a year you have had. Knocked up and right on into your early thirties. Welcome. (Let me just state that Lauren is indeed a married lady, I just think knocked up sounds better). I wonder if our little ones will have as much fun together as we have? I sure hope so, because they are in for quite a ride. Any chance you still have those spider-woman pajamas? I feel so lucky that we're about to embark on this baby journey together. Love you.

Super Bowl Party

Sunday's Super Bowl was such a good excuse for a party. Party for two that is. What I really care about is the food and the commercials. I dig a little football, but I didn't really care who won this one. So, I got right in the kitchen to start cookin' it up. Now, these are NOT recipes for foodies, but they were totally good for a football soiree. Meatballs, Potato Skins & Guacamole. See, I told yall these were nothin' fancy. And you can't have a Super Bowl party without some beer. Well, maybe you can, but the two really go together in our house. I had a bit of a non-alcoholic one and hubs had a much more delicious local brew called Thomas Creek. It's delicious and made right here in Greenville. We had way too much fun at our party for two and were left with a smorgasbord of leftovers. I hope you had a good one too!





And we HAD to end on with something sweet so I made this dessert. I'd seen it on my friend Nicole's blog and was just waiting for the right night. I did half pears, half apples & used granola with the oats since that's what I had. It was just the right amount of sweetness and crunch.

rainy day bubbles

Rain, rain, go away. Pretty please. You make it so hard for me to go outside with Mr Cooper. His paws get wet and my boots track in mud. And you make me want to curl up in bed instead of working. At least it's Friday and hubs is on his way home from a conference. My plan is to make us a fun meal on a dreary night. We'll see what I can come up with.

So I think I've been feeling something lately. It's kind of hard to explain the sensation, but I think I felt the little nugget kicking. The last two nights as I lay in bed watching tv, I felt a bubble kind of thing. Like champagne bubbles softly popping. Mmm, I miss those kinds of bubbles. Anyway, I have no idea if these fluttery things are the bambino or just my tummy grumbling, but it feels pretty bizarre. I hope it's the baby. You go for these long periods between appointments wondering if everything is alright, so feeling a little movement is reassuring. My cousin Lauren and I keep calling each other going, "is this normal?" - "well what did your doctor say?" - "well can you believe this is happening?" …and so on. Thank goodness she is preggo too. Get on up here quick cousin, 'cause I'm ready to rub on that belly!

I caught my two boys cuddled up the other night… mighty cute.

bite nibble snack

I had the best day yesterday. The sun was finally out and I had a lunch date. It was with a potential client who had found me via this blog. Who knew that could happen?! And what a treat it was. She could not have been nicer and I loved hearing about her project. We ate ate at this really cute spot downtown called The Lazy Goat. It was delicious and had a pretty view of the river. Plus it felt rather good to get all dressed up with some heels and head to a meeting. Like a real workin' girl.

On a totally unrelated topic, I had to share these pics. Aren't they lovely? I think this packaging is so clever and eye catching. It's by the always adorable Brit, Jamie Oliver.



Pearlfisher is the company responsible for the gorgeous designs. I love all the hand drawn elements and lettering. And they're all so different and yet go together as a brand. Cool. I for one am partial to pretty packages when perusing the grocery aisles and these would win me over. Apparently they're only available in the UK for now. Harumph. Who know, maybe they'll make it across the pond to us one day.

photos via jamie + dieline

buttamilk goodness

Nothing fancy just pure deliciousness. Buttermilk Pudding Cakes. Mouth watering already? Mine definitely is. Momma informed me the other night that I HAD to make these little pretties as soon as possible. She saw the recipe by the Lee Bros. on Martha. Maybe you've heard of them. I had not, but now I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of their cookbook. They're good ole South Carolina boys of course. And they love them some buttermilk. Which is so funny. I could always count on finding a carton of Purity "buttamilk" in my grandparents fridge. They loved to sip on a little glass with a meal. I never did acquire a taste for it, but I'll always think of them when I see it.

Back to the recipe at hand. It's so easy and they melt in your mouth they're so moist. Mine popped out of the pan like corn muffins. I had two for breakfast with some berries this morning, but I think you could top with almost anything. Preserves, whipped cream, powdered sugar, or even a little fruit would be nice. Mmm, mmm, good.

boho baby

I discovered a really cool chick today named Catherine Fitzsimmons. She owns Rikshaw Design… "for the bohemian baby" which is right up my alley. I'd bookmarked her site a while back and then saw an interview. She used to work as a visual merchandiser for Ralph Lauren and then as a textile buyer for Pottery Barn. On a trip to India she fell in love with Indian block-printing and ta-dah, Rikshaw Design was born. Fun. Great taste and she has a yellow lab. I want to be friends with her!





Aren't the patterns just yummy!? My fave are the elephant shaped pillows. I do believe those would look smashing in my own bedroom. I love seeing examples of young women running their own businesses. Truly inspiring. "Leap and the net shall follow" - her favorite quote is perfect.

wood blocks they use in India to make the patterns

photos via theneotraditionalist + rikshaw

weekend snapshots

This weekend was full of wild weather everywhere. Heard back home they got a bunch of snow. We got a bunch of ice! Hmm, which would I rather I have. It was still a thrill to wake up Saturday morning and have the ground covered in white. So beautiful and such a good excuse to stay bundled up. My Coop was slipping and sliding and ready to head right on back inside after our morning jaunt. I made pancakes. Plain, chocolate chip and blueberry. Delish and I had seconds. After camping out all morning we decided to get out in the mess for an afternoon adventure. It involved navigating the icey roads and Avatar. I wasn't all that excited, but man, this was some kind of movie! Truly amazing. Once I got over the awkward 3-D glasses I settled into my seat, noshed on some reeses pieces, and loved every second of it. Then we headed back home for a walk around the hood with buddy dog, made black eyed pea dip and cuddled up on couch the rest of the evening. It was lovely.

sweet glasses