sixx design

I've succombed to yet another Bravo reality show. What is my deal? It's a serious problem, but at least I'm quick to admit my weakness. That should count for something. Anyway, I've had this image on my computer for a long time. I have no idea where it came from, but I'm in love with the yellow shutters + yellow curtains. Well I've come to find out this friendly looking couple, have a design business (sixx design) and a new show. 9 by Design. Hubs and I watched the preview episode last night and were fascinated by their business. Oh and they have 7 children. Yes, you heard me right that's seven. Yowza. I'll be tuning in.

stroller talk

Apparently one of the largest purchases you make when you're preggo is the stroller. Well let me just tell ya—there are hundreds of these suckers out there to pick from. Totally confusing. I was faced with questions like… do I want a stroller system or do I want a bassinet? I had no clue and of course my mother had no idea either. When I was born, she used my grandmothers old buggy. I know it wouldn't be practical, but I sure wish we still had it. So retro & cool. I could just stroll leisurely along with my perfect sleeping baby, right? Actually, my friend Amy said her baby screamed her head off every time she tried to use the beautiful bassinet that came with her stroller. Figures.

{ grandmother mimi with me, baby will and cousin lauren }

I admit I did very little research. I went to Target + Babies R Us and was less than thrilled with their options. I looked online a lot, but I kind of wanted to see them in person. And then my friend Andrea, who's coming to visit me this weekend, told me she got hers at REI. Random, but they carry a brand called Bob. Wish it was Bon. So I went, wheeled around the aisles, fell in love and walked out with my stroller. No list of pros & cons here. I just thought it was good looking and liked the colors. I'm a simple gal.

The funny thing is I got home to show hubs (who told me to basically buy whatever I wanted - good man) and he started laughing. You see I'd bought a jogging stroller. No big deal except that I don't jog. Ever. Ha! I don't care. I love my stroller and maybe this will motivate me to do a little jogging. Maybe.

Oh and let me introduce you to my practice baby… Mose. Actually he's pretty similar to the real thing. Very needy, cries a lot when left alone and loves to cuddle. Plus my parents spoil him rotten. He was a stellar stand in and got along smashingly with Bob. That is until I saw him sniffing the wheels. Mose likes to mark his territory on car tires and pretty much anything. I scooped him right up just in case. Good boy.

dead heads

Back in college, I spent quite a few nights noodling away at concerts. Mostly Widespread Panic shows, but you could pretty much count on me and my friends dancing along to any good music around town. I never got to see the Dead, but I've been a fan for a long time. My older cousin, Rob, was a dead head for sure. He used to buy old VW buses and restore them. Pretty hippie. Anyway, I was perusing one of my favorite blogs, Spice & Sass, and saw a post that Tory Burch had done about The New York Historical Society hosting a show of The Grateful Dead. I won't be making that show either, but brother Will, you need to scoot on over and check it out.

photos via here

boot scootin'

Oh good grief – I am ridiculously excited. A nice man dressed all in brown, just delivered me a rather large box. I crossed my fingers and imagined what it might be. Yippee..... a present to little ole me, from me via Piperlime. (Which, by the way, is super fast and shoes arrive in pretty green boxes. I think all companies should get extra credit for nice packaging.)

Tall, brown boots with some cool straps... Yes please. Something I've been really wanting (not needing) for a long time. Actually, what I really wanted is Frye tall riding boots, but darn it if those aren't a fortune! But these are pretty stylin' and will certainly do. I was kind of unsure about the red zipper up the back, but now I'm digging it. The weather is warming up, but I think of these as year round friends. Now I just need this weekend to begin so I can get these guys out on the street!

yummy yogurt

I met a new friend yesterday. Now this is no small potatoes. I know very few folks here in Greenville and even fewer who have children, so this was a real treat. She's going to help me navigate the local baby world. You know, pediatricians, mothers day out and all these things I know nothing about. Whew. Anyway it was such a nice day out that, after our lunch, I decided to skip on over for a little afternoon treat. Blueberry Frog yogurt is in downtown Greenville and definitely worth a trip. A little pricey, $5 for a small cup, but hey–I'm not drinking wine these days so this is much cheaper. I got pomegranate topped with Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. Seemed perfectly normal to me. And it was delicious. I was actually scraping the bowl wishing I'd gotten a bigger size. Me and baby may be hitting this place up pretty often.



Oh and this is what hubs tackled on his day off. I'll show ya more later, but let's just say somebody's getting a new bed and it's not our big buddy Coop. Though he was kinda giving it the stink eye, like… what are you guys doing in MY room? Ha!

a collection

My father is a big collector. Of what? I'm not even sure where to start because he has so many "collections." I have been one of the lucky beneficiaries though, because I am always scanning or borrowing pieces for my work. So when I saw this blog called : a collection a day, I was smitten. Just goes to show you how beautiful, ordinary items become when they're grouped together. Yes daddy-o, you were so right. As usual.

images via collection

no good, very bad day

Don't ya just hate it when things when things don't turn out the way you want? We were all packed up and the sun was shining. Cooper dog was nestled on his bed and traffic was not too bad for a Friday afternoon. Hubs and I were leaving town and all geared up for a relaxing, sunny weekend in the mountains. My family has a home in Beersheba Springs and it's one of our very favorite spots. It was built in 1858 so there are loads of stories floating around this rambling old house. We've added quite a few ourselves. I've been going since I was a child, but hubs and I started taking friends up there every summer. It became an annual weekend for about twenty of us every 4th of July.



Everything was just cheeky Friday night. We opened up the house, turned on some dancin' tunes and made a yummy, easy dinner : Fettuccine with Artichokes + Beans. Anyway, we could not have been more excited for our visit. After all, this was going to be our last time as a family of two. One pesky little thing was about to stand in our way..... a stomach bug.



Saturday morning rolled around. First to bed and first to rise (that's what not drinking will do to ya), I made muffins and took my coffee to the front porch swing. It's always a few degrees cooler up there, but I curled up with my book and was quite content just listening to the birds. By the time hubs got up I was all ready for a hike. That's when when he started feeling a wee bit queezy. We both heard a rumbling inside his ole stomach. Let's just say it went down hill quickly from there. No watching his basketball game, no walking to the bluff and certainly no cooking a big meal together that evening. Here we were in the beautiful Cumberland mountains (yet in the middle of nowhere) and he couldn't even leave the bedroom. Well dog gone it, I put on my nurse cap, ran down to the country store (and when I say country, I mean REAL country) and weeded through all their dusty stock for an armload of meds, juices and even a thermometer. He had a fever + plenty of other ailments I will spare you from. This boy was sick. And then I started to panic thinking what if I, the preggo one, start getting sick too? Yikes, this could get even uglier. Remember that book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? Well, we could relate. But all things shall pass and I did not get sick and we survived. It was a long trip back to Greenville the next day, but the bug is gone and brighter days lay ahead. Hubs is all better and back with his head deep in a pile of books. And me, no worse for the wear– just settling back in to the bungalow and dreaming of all things baby. Though I did make a teeny tiny purchase yesterday that was completely non-baby related and I can't wait for it to arrive. Let's just say it's one of the few items of apparel I can purchase in non maternity sizes. Hooray for that.

hiking the ridge

Six women, a sheep dog, a basset hound, a pomeranian and a weiner dog named Lil… oh a hiking we did go. A funny farm cast of characters, we set out yesterday afternoon for a hike along a ridge in Franklin. The sun was out and the weather could not have been any better for a trek. Our brigade crossed creeks, cow pastures, cows, and cow patties to climb up the tall ridge, but it was worth the effort. We had a birds eye view of my parents farm and could see for miles. I was a bit tired, but it was exhilarating tromping through the woods like children, stopping along the way to admire thorn trees, moss and even a couple of old cow bones. What a day!

one cool kickin' town

Man alive, Nashville is one kickin' town I tell ya. Even Gwyneth says it's true. Yes, we're buds and she personally emailed me about her latest visit. Too bad we didn't run into one another while I was back home, but who knows… maybe she'll roll through 'ole Greenville one day. Anything is possible.

Anyway, see for yourself on GOOP

terribly cute

My oh my, it just doesn't get any cuter. I know I've confessed my love of Rikshaw Design before, but these might be my new favorite baby clothes. Love the little boho sacks.



It seems all of my thoughts are consumed with miniature things. I went looking for items to register for and it was mini clothes, mini tubs, mini blankets and mini chairs. These days mini clothes are looking a whole lot cooler than big clothes. And I thought this nursery below was awfully sweet. Very calming and tres chic.

photos via rikshaw + caitlin wilson

sunday lunch

Gosh, I have a good husband. We were leaving lunch when I remembered Liberty of London was debuting today. Some basketball championship was on, but I somehow convinced him that I really "needed" to make a stop at Target in a bad way. Sweets that he is, said we could make a quick stop so that mother dear and I could run in and check out the goods. I'd kind of built it up too much in my head, but it was still pretty cute. We left with one printed tunic and one mini journal set. Not bad for ten minutes. Then we were off like a bat outta … well you know.

My sweet grandfather hosted us for lunch. The cousin and her husband joined in so we had quite a crowd. I love granddaddy and he was in a delightful mood today. One teeny little thing though. He insisted on telling his friends that Lauren + I were pregnant. Only he left out the word pregnant and used "getting fat" instead. Assuming friends already knew we were expecting. Minor detail, but I'm pretty sure we left with folks just thinking we're packin' on the pounds.



My body is exhausted from a busy weekend. We attended the funeral of a close family friend, which brought a lot of old friends together. There were many stories and memories shared. It's reassuring to be surround by so much love, but also such a sense of sadness when someone is gone. Reminded me to hug everyone just a little bit tighter and take each day as a blessing.

twenty six weeks and counting

It's the question I get asked the most often lately. How many weeks along are you? I pause and think, trying to recount exactly where I am in this process. I realize it's not that hard, but weeks are tricky. Months are so much easier. Anyway, so now I am 26 weeks. And for those of you who are like me… that means I'm 6-1/2 months. Good gracious, that seems like a long time. But it's kind of this amazing time too. I've got this little butter bean just a cookin' away inside, waiting to arrive in June. We talk to each other and I rub my belly a lot. I've been listening to the Bob Marley station on Pandora this week and my instinct tells me the baby is digging it!

I don't think buddy appreciated this one bit, but he's awfully fun to play with.

Hubs is off for Spring Break this week. Too bad we're not heading to Cancun for some rowdy times with jello shots. Ahh, those were the days. Nope, we're all grown up (supposedly) and using the week for work and meetings. I'm looking forward to spending a little down time with friends. Happy weekend!

special delivery

Over at Tenn Hens, I've been working on a sweet job that I want to share. It's such a treat to work with people you know and this particular client is an old friend of the fam. And it's an exciting time for her… she's having a baby. The concept was to incorporate the mother's move from Music City to the Big Apple in a whimsical design. A stork, in a cowboy hat of course, flying over the Brooklyn Bridge with a very special delivery. After all, who wouldn't want a country music, twang singing bird to deliver their baby? Sounds a lot easier than the real thing!

Oh and speaking of sweet things for a party… Cupcake party kits. These are mighty clever and would be killer at a baby shower.

via oh happy day

sunshine is here

This is what I awoke to find today. Two little flowers budding and soaking up that sun.
Yes, indeed, I feel Spring coming soon!

daddy needs a drink

As the red carpet rolled on in the background Sunday evening, I curled up with my favorite magazine: Garden & Gun. Don't let the title fool ya. I want nothing to do with guns and hubs is definitely not a hunter, but I'm telling you… this magazine is ridiculously good. The writing, the photography and the variety of subject matter - I love every single bit. We actually argue over who gets to read it first.

One of the absurdly funny articles was entitled, "Fetch Daddy a Drink." First off, I don't know a single man that wouldn't love to reel that off at the end of the day. Let's just not overdo it. I'm speaking directly to the men in my family. Yes you.

Here's a snippet that got me going… "I have three badly behaved children and a damn good bird dog. My Brittany spaniel is far more biddable and obedient than my daughters, and has a better nose than my son." Umm, hilarious. I've scanned it in case you want a giggle. And I highly recommend a subscription. It's a must if you're Southern and even if you're not, I still think it's a must. I'm just sayin'.

{ click on photo then select "all sizes" above pic in flickr and it will open larger }

pretty jewels

Pretty catalogs in the mail. One being J. Crew. Lately I've been preoccupied with their crewcuts line. I mean, those children are adorable. Sweet little things are totally more stylish than moi.

But I did stop and stare at the latest "grownups" J. Crew catalog as well. Anyone else see the flower necklace on page one? Oh my. All the texture and color on an oversize bib. It's kind of amazing. I did a little digging to see how much it would run ya, but it's not available on their site. Not that I was in the market, but I'm sure that means it was out of my league. Since the model/designer, Molly Carey, is featured though I was able to find her site of designs here. I'm smitten with them all. Molly…let's be friends and share.

from across the pond

We better all run get in line now, because I think this is going to big 'un. Liberty of London for Target. I remember, very clearly, walking into the Liberty store. I was studying abroad in London for the summer and momma came for a visit. She whisked me away from student life for an afternoon of shopping. It was divine. I'd never heard of the Liberty brand, but mom said we had to visit the huge Tudor style building. It was beautiful and had all these nooks filled with floral patterned frocks. There were chic Brits walking around everywhere and I remember being so taken by their style. I was at Auburn, at the time, and you could say it was a bit lacking in that European style. Shocker I know. A large winding wooden staircase in the center lead upstairs and every corner turned up something new. I bought a simple light blue shift with pockets, that I still own, but I'm still kicking myself for not buying one of their infamous prints.

But now here we are and this incredible brand is available at Target. Not that it will be the same experience by any stretch of the means. You won't exactly find fashionistas in the dressing room, but I am still anxiously awaiting this British arrival!

images via stylebeat

blueberry muffins

I love to do a bit of baking. All the puffy flour and measuring and sweetness. So fun. I put on my apron and baked up some muffins for breakfast. I don't know how people skip this all important meal, but I wake up with a growling tummy. In an effort to get my hubs off to a good start I've been making his morning meal. Aren't I just the best wife ever? Ha! Eggs and bacon, biscuits and honey or muffins seems to be the easiest so far. These muffins are super quick and I had all the ingredients in the fridge which is a huge plus. I went a little overboard on the blueberries, but I figure that means I can have more than one since they're healthy. Hmm, maybe I should have another for a snack. I'm rather smitten with them actually.

You may notice the random number of muffins here… they're going quick!

blueberry + oatmeal muffins
1-1/2 cup oatmeal (quick cooking oats)
1/2 cup flour + 1/2 cup wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 applesauce
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1-1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Mix all ingredients (except berries) together until just combined. Then fold in blueberries. Fill baking cups with mixture and bake @ 425 for about 20 minutes. I'm no chef, but since this recipe is pretty basic I think you can substitute here at will. Whatever berries you have or use oil instead of applesauce. Next time I may put a little lemon zest in, just because.

winding down

Check out this big 'un. This is River, my moms horse.
I was doing a little test with a wide angle lense. He kind of looks like a donkey.
Sweet as pie this one!

As I warmed up leftovers tonight, I watched hubs play hide the tennis ball with big buddy. Room to room they were chasing one another. It was pretty funny and nice to see both of my boys in good spirits. Coop has been feeling pretty good lately and I am super grateful. Well, I'm off to bed with this growing belly. Have I mentioned how bad it sucks not being able to sleep on my stomach? Lot's of shifting going on during the night.

a healthy dose

I've always had an earthy vibe to my soul, but we really jumped on the trend a few years ago. I'm talking the organic food trend. Now, I'm no saint. I, by no means, turn my nose at a Krystal hamburger every once in awhile! But… when we cook at home I really try and eat good food. The organic staples I always buy are milk, eggs, and meat. And we love going to the farmers market in the warmer months. There was a wonderful csa we used to subscribe to every week back home. It wasn't certified organic, but it was local and everything was delicious. So much better than what you could find in the Kroger aisles. The Greenville downtown market is supposed to be amazing so I can't wait for the warmer weather. Do I sound like a broken record? Seems I'm obsessed with discussing the weather lately. In fact, hubs jokes that I'm his weather vane because I always have pulse on what's happening outside. And just so you know there are puffy white flakes falling quickly outside my window. I'll move on.

Speaking of healthy stuff, have you heard about Food Inc.? It's a movie that's been on our list for a while now and I just discovered it on On Demand. Apparently, it's a must see and contains really important information about our food system. Check out this neat spread I found on stephmodo… seems like a good reference to hang on to, except that it means I've been buying all wrong now!

The Lee Bros.

Yesterday was really nice. I woke up and took the buddy dog outside in my pajamas. Bed head, funny pj pants, a pullover and uggs. Really lovely I'm sure. The neighbors don't mind. Coop gets fed first, but then it's straight to the coffee maker for moi. I carefully unrolled the newspaper and began to devour over the Times and a little muffin. Sunday Morning played in the background as I occasionally paused it so I could finish reading a story. Sometimes reading and listening is a bit much, even for a multitasker like myself. I don't feel a bit guilty lounging on the couch on Sunday mornings. It's completely relaxing. I did however, manage to make it out of the house. Hubs was busy studying some accounting program that made my head hurt, so I headed out the door solo. The Cooks Station was hosting a cooking event by the Lee Bros. and I was not going to miss it. Remember when I mentioned those divine buttermilk cakes? These were the guys so I was very intrigued. The place was packed, but I squeezed in and could occasionally see one of their talking heads. Low and behold they made the buttermilk cakes. Yippee. Good ole southern gentlemen they were. Someone asked them their favorite Charleston restaurants and I quickly jotted down The Wreck + Hominy Grill. Now I really need back down there for a visit.



Since they have a new cookbook out everyone queued up to have them signed. They were passing out some food and so I stood patiently awaiting a little cake. By the time I got up there though, there were none in site. Well darn. I wanted to see how mine compared. I did get to briefly speak with them and mentioned how much my mother and I loved their recipe from the Martha show. Apparently it's one of their wives faves as well. Smart lady. I haven't had a whole lotta cravings, but these cakes are up there. My book was signed… "cook up a storm and enjoy!" And indeed I will.