Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Currently Craving
This past weekend, while visiting my lovely friends Chelsea and Liesl in Charleston, I had a truly fabulous time. We spent plenty of time sitting at the beach (and getting thrown around by the waves), sampling delicious food, doing some shopping (TJ Maxx and Marshall's/Home Goods have massive, well-stocked stores right near each other. Dangerous!), seeing some live music, and catching up.
Although I would be hard pressed to choose my favorite food from the weekend (aside from the box of frozen cream puffs we devoured...), my favorite drink was potentially the best iced tea I've ever tasted. Since moving to the south, I've learned that such things are an art form, much more serious than the Lipton variety I grew up with in Connecticut.
The secret ingredient behind this particular variety? Cinnamon. Even though I got the unsweetened version (very un-Southern of me), it was so flavorful that I didn't need to add any sugar. It was wonderfully refreshing and perfect for a hot summer day.
I already have plans to recreate this at home, with my fingers crossed that it turns out even half as well!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Simple Studs Get an A+
Happy Monday! I had a fabulous time in Charleston and I hope your weekends were similarly wonderful. I'm already dreaming up fun plans for this coming weekend to make the next few days go by even more quickly.
Recently I've had earrings on the brain, perhaps because I've lost several in the past few weeks (one while rafting and one... somewhere in our house?). After going through a major chandelier and dangly-earring phase (with some embarrassingly large faux pearls thrown in for good measure...), lately I'm loving small studs instead. My recent favorites have been super-neutral, like tiny pearls and silver shapes like the owls I'm currently wearing, which I can easily leave on for days at a time.
When it comes to jewelry, I really like to have some basics that stay fairly constant, like thin, stackable rings, a classic watch, and these earrings, and then add a main focal piece with a statement necklace or bracelet.
While this definitely isn't everyone's strategy, I've found that it works well for me and helps to take the guess work out of getting dressed!
Here are some of the earrings I'd currently love to add to my collection:

I love that these are so neutral but with a bit of shine and texture. These are definitely earrings that could go with nearly any outfit.
These are so lovely and feminine and remind me of springtime in NC.
A combination of an old favorite and a new one- flowers and a nice, deep plum color.
A subtle bit of sunshine.
A nice graphic element.
Two birds on a wire. So sweet and unexpected.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Have an Above-Average Weekend!
I can't believe Friday is already here! Even though it's been absolutely sweltering out here (why did I leave the West coast?), I'll be heading even further South to visit two of my wonderful friends and sorority sisters in Charleston. I can't wait to catch up with them, explore the city some more, and partake in what they refer to as BBB- beach, bars, and brunch. Personally, I'm more interested in the first and last of those, but I'm just generally excited for the weekend?
What about you all? Any fun plans? Whatever you're up to, I hope the next two days are wonderful and relaxing!
Oregon Adventure
I'm still coming off the high from our fantastic trip to Oregon last week. Having only visited the Pacific Northwest for the first time in the fall (to Seattle/Tacoma), I'm so glad we had the chance to head out there again to do a bit more exploring!
Here are some of my favorite photos from throughout our journey.
Here's a pretty gorge we passed on the drive from Portland to Sunriver. I also love how the suspended bridge looks like it's sitting right beneath the mountains.
Although the subject matter isn't funny, K and I had a good laugh over this sign's image.
We stayed in a house with K's entire immediate family, so there were 11 of us total, including her five-week-old niece. Here's an early morning shot of our backyard. It's one of my faves from this trip.
We also had a nice little view of Mt. Bachelor in the distance and were only a few minutes away from the Deschutes River. One day, K's sister and brother-in-law went into town and got cheap inflatable tubes and we spent the better part of the afternoon floating down the river. It was heavenly. We also got to raft and canoe on other parts of the river during the week!
This is the photo from the top of Lava Butte, which is a cinder cone and part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. This is the crater at the top, and you can see where the lava descended into the forest below. We had several mini panic attacks here, trying to make sure K's three-year-old nephew didn't fall into the crater while running around!
Here's a pretty shot from our day trip to Sisters, a small town northwest of Bend. As someone who was obsessed with Oregon Trail growing up and is still interested in pioneer history, it was really cool to see details like this throughout our trip. Some of my highlights were driving and rafting past parts of the original Oregon Trail, since you can still see some of the tracks from the wagon wheels.
Me, in my traveling clothes, in front of the Three Sisters mountains. From left to right are South Sister, Middle Sister, and North Sister, also referred to as Charity, Hope, and Faith. Although they don't look like a whole lot here, they're the third through fifth tallest peaks in Oregon.
On our way back to the airport in Portland, we swung through Salem to visit Willamette University, K's alma mater. Don't you wish your campus had a pretty river running through it?
Our final stop before catching our flights was the Portland Rose Garden, which I'll be dedicating a separate post to sometime soon. For now, a shot of some of the prettiest flowers I saw there.
So, there's the recap of our trip in nine photos. I'm already wishing we had more time there to explore Portland, Eugene, and the coast. I definitely have plans for us to return eventually! What about you- have you ever been to Oregon? What are some of your Pacific Northwest must-sees?
Here are some of my favorite photos from throughout our journey.
Here's a pretty gorge we passed on the drive from Portland to Sunriver. I also love how the suspended bridge looks like it's sitting right beneath the mountains.
Although the subject matter isn't funny, K and I had a good laugh over this sign's image.
We stayed in a house with K's entire immediate family, so there were 11 of us total, including her five-week-old niece. Here's an early morning shot of our backyard. It's one of my faves from this trip.
We also had a nice little view of Mt. Bachelor in the distance and were only a few minutes away from the Deschutes River. One day, K's sister and brother-in-law went into town and got cheap inflatable tubes and we spent the better part of the afternoon floating down the river. It was heavenly. We also got to raft and canoe on other parts of the river during the week!
This is the photo from the top of Lava Butte, which is a cinder cone and part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. This is the crater at the top, and you can see where the lava descended into the forest below. We had several mini panic attacks here, trying to make sure K's three-year-old nephew didn't fall into the crater while running around!
Here's a pretty shot from our day trip to Sisters, a small town northwest of Bend. As someone who was obsessed with Oregon Trail growing up and is still interested in pioneer history, it was really cool to see details like this throughout our trip. Some of my highlights were driving and rafting past parts of the original Oregon Trail, since you can still see some of the tracks from the wagon wheels.
Me, in my traveling clothes, in front of the Three Sisters mountains. From left to right are South Sister, Middle Sister, and North Sister, also referred to as Charity, Hope, and Faith. Although they don't look like a whole lot here, they're the third through fifth tallest peaks in Oregon.
On our way back to the airport in Portland, we swung through Salem to visit Willamette University, K's alma mater. Don't you wish your campus had a pretty river running through it?
Our final stop before catching our flights was the Portland Rose Garden, which I'll be dedicating a separate post to sometime soon. For now, a shot of some of the prettiest flowers I saw there.
So, there's the recap of our trip in nine photos. I'm already wishing we had more time there to explore Portland, Eugene, and the coast. I definitely have plans for us to return eventually! What about you- have you ever been to Oregon? What are some of your Pacific Northwest must-sees?
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Road Tripping
Even though I recently returned from an amazing trip to Oregon (more on that tomorrow), I'm already concocting my next vacation. Right now I think that an extended road trip with K sounds perfect, perhaps with Montana and Wyoming as the ultimate destinations.
Until then, I'll ogle all of these great WPA posters, particularly the ones advertising national parks.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Breakfast Inspiration
Recently I'd been in a bit of a breakfast rut, which often consisted of me grabbing a container of Greek yogurt or some toast with peanut butter before running out the door to catch the bus.
After stumbling upon this lovely blog, aptly titled Simply Breakfast, I've begun to see the errors of my ways. Jennifer Causey makes and beautifully photographs her breakfast nearly every day and has given me so many inspiring ideas. Perhaps even inspired enough to get up a bit earlier and put a bit more effort into the day's most important meal.
Also, I absolutely love her random assortment of dishes and mugs featured in the various photographs.
Here are some of my current faves...
After stumbling upon this lovely blog, aptly titled Simply Breakfast, I've begun to see the errors of my ways. Jennifer Causey makes and beautifully photographs her breakfast nearly every day and has given me so many inspiring ideas. Perhaps even inspired enough to get up a bit earlier and put a bit more effort into the day's most important meal.
Also, I absolutely love her random assortment of dishes and mugs featured in the various photographs.
Here are some of my current faves...
Everything bagel with Laughing Cow garlic herb cheese, sliced avocado, and red pepper flakes.
Greek yogurt with sliced peaches.
Scrambled egg whites with spinach and tomatoes.
What about y'all? Does cooking up something similar sound like a regular possibility? I'm definitely going to put more effort into my morning meals, but we'll see what happens!
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