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A bit of a break...

Instead of adding "write blog post" to my daily to do lists, and then not following through, I've decided to remove this little item from my schedule for the time being. Due to various personal extenuating  circumstances that have popped up recently, making it difficult to even eat, sleep, work, and workout daily, I've decided that I really need to prioritize my time in the utmost sense. I have to remove the stress that any "extra" items are causing, stress that was growing due to the fact that there are only 24 hrs in a day and I just do not have any extra minutes to devote to something that I want to really want to take the time to devote to. 

So instead, while my life spins a bit crazy over the next few weeks, I'm taking a little break, refusing to upload posts that are done half-heartedly, refusing to write and post just for the sake of posting.

As I prioritize my days and even hours over the next few weeks, I hope to refocus myself as well, so that come September, I can do what I've often stated I want to do for a long time: dedicate time and energy into writing and growing my creativity, giving this little outlet of mine an actual chance for survival. 

I left Alt Summit last month feeling energized, inspired and motivated and I plan on taking that energy and putting it into full effect come the fall. I have ideas swimming around in my head that I'm eager to put into real action, collaborations I want to play around with, and am making a promise to myself to create the time and prioritize my blogging just as I do other aspects of my life, a promise I'm excited about. I'm hoping that my little hiatus will help with this, build momentum, and also give me the time to go about my ideas more thoroughly planned out, go about this whole project of mine in the right way from this fresh start.

So until then, have a wonderful summer ~

photo via my Instagram 

July 1

"I had that familiar conviction 

that life was beginning over again 

with the summer."

- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Alt Summit Wise Words

After an amazing time at Alt Summit NYC 

and attending a beautiful wedding on the Cape, 

I'm back to (normal) business, 

embracing routine and a bit of relaxation 

as I try to catch up on sleep

and rely a little less on coffee. 

I plan on recapping my experience 

from the Alt Summit in the coming days 

but until then, 

I share some bits of wisdom 

from the various speakers.

Quote from Social Media Panel speakers:

Tracey Stewart of Moomah, 

Jennifer Rubio of Warby Parker,

John Jannuzzi of Lucky Magazine

Photo is sponsored by Atly 

Alt Summit NYC

I arrived in NYC today, 

excited to experience first hand an Alt Summit conference, 

hosted at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

I'm eager to soak up all that is offered over the next couple days, 

and look forward to being surrounded 

by inspiration and ideas,

to help motivate and create 

in the coming months.

Recap to follow!

What My Dad Taught Me

             

My father didn't teach me how to throw a ball.

It would have been a waste of time anyways. 

What I have learned from him 

resonates so much more, 

and the amount of love, respect and admiration for him, 

only continues to grow everyday. 

My dad taught me to be polite, 

that very rarely is there the need to yell. 

Family comes first, 

but who we consider to be our family can be molded over time.

Remain calm, take a deep breath, and resist overreacting. 

My dad taught me all I know about money, 

to respect it, to be wise with it, 

and to also let it allow you to enjoy little treats. 

My father taught me the joy in simple pleasures, 

good food from the grill, 

a great bowl of pasta, 

an evening together with loved ones. 

He passed on his love of tv, 

of the importance of sitcoms, 

and the joy in having a great show to look forward to. 

I work hard at what I do because that's what I've learned from my father,

who owns his own business and leads by example.

I try to believe that all will be ok 

if hard work and time is devoted. 

My father taught me to love animals

and when I brought home my first pet as an adult,

I understood why my father always surrounded our home 

with their unconditional love.

I look forward to seeing him with every visit, 

with the same enthusiasm that we both have 

for digging into bowls of ice cream, 

complete with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, 

for I know the importance of dessert, 

just as he taught me. 

photo circa 1990

Sweet Toothed

As I've said before, this is not a food blog.

I'm not a recipe creator by any means. 

But I just really like food. 

(Is there such a thing as simply a food lover's blog?

Nothing ingenious, just adoration?)

Anyways, I also suffer from a major sweet tooth. 

So while I might have come across as all nice and healthy with my farro shout out last time, 

it's not exactly an authentic representation of all my culinary cravings. 

So even as I read Meg Fee's recent posts about going sugar free 

and even as this idea resonate so deeply with me

and my current dietary dilemmas, 

and even as I attempt to start figuring and mapping out 

how I'll remove sugar from my daily diet, 

I find myself making raspberry jam swirl blondies the other night at 9 pm 

for my even more stronger sweet-toothed father for father's day.

As I stood over the stove top, I came to the conclusion 

that the smell of brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla, 

is absolutely pure heaven.

I want to bottle it up 
and surround myself with this scent 24/7.

And of course, I couldn't help 

but cut off a little corner piece, 

for sampling sake, 

and it just melted in my mouth.

The raspberry seeds added an ever so subtle texture 

to the smooth, creamy blondie,

and as I wrapped up the individual pieces

I knew, somewhat discouragedly, 

but with really no effort to fight it,

that blondies and their various accoutrements will be a new

repeating recipe in my slowly but surely growing repertoire.

So thank you Joy the Baker for refusing to let me go completely sugar free.

The recipe for these blondies can be viewed here

photos via my iPhone

Soup for my Soul

Some things work just because, 

no rhyme or reason.

Some things fix symptoms 

in ways we can't really understand

(brownies always cure bad days). 

And some things fix ailments

we don't even realize we had until they've passed. 

This past weekend I headed home with the boyfriend 

 for a brief couple days with my family.

We didn't go out to eat, we didn't visit with anyone else, 

we stayed simple, 

chatting about silly things

and just soaking up each others company. 

I made the hike home 

after a conversation only a couple weeks prior, 

my parents tired from the chaos of a house under construction 

and life with two aging parents of their own,

and a simple request for Tom and I to visit soon. 

And this weekend worked out, 

no events, weddings, or showers to attend, 

just a drive westward to the green fields of upstate New York. 

Last week was a good week, 

June arriving with much more enthusiasm and positivity

than how May departed. 

But sitting on my family's couch 

I realized how badly I had needed that little respite, 

how much the visit meant to my loved ones

and how much my soul had needed it too. 

And the really great strawberry shortcake 
was pretty fantastic as well.
 

photo via my Instagram

Currently ♥ing

If I had to currently choose my favorite mode of social media,

Instagram would win by a long shot. 

It visually fills me in on what my friends, family, and those who I admire, 

are surrounded by, 

lending updates, inspiration, & smiles. 

Here is the latest collection of pics that I liked right away,

posted by people who quickly are becoming favorites. 

Row 1: @christinaperri who's uplifting quotes are as fab as her songs,

 @sproutedkitchen who seriously makes me want to eat healthier everyday,

 and @ruemagazine who's new entertaining & wedding issue has me very excited for.

Row 1: @gabbybernstein for while I may not be a super spiritual yogi, 

has me interested never the less, 

 @elettraw who I'm developing a major girl crush on 

& holding this baby sloth increases the adoration even more, 

 and @sunsetmag who makes me wish I lived out West.

Row 2: @cherrybombemag & their quirky/awesome food love 

(& I seriously want this shirt),

@darcymillernussbaum who's illustrations enchant and inspire me creatively,

and @lovelydetails who's peony love is equal to mine (Yay Trader Joes cheap bouquets!)

My first round up of Instagram loves can be viewed here

I've Fallen In Love With Farro

My exciting Friday night 

This is by no means a food blog, I didn't set out to write anything even close.

I don't consider myself all that great at creating culinary masterpieces. 

I can make a solid pasta dish and bake a great cake, but I'm no Julia Childs 

nor am I trying to be the next best food blogger. 

I just really love food, and I really love eating it. 

I love reading about food and looking at fabulous foodie pictures. 

And so I have a roll of food blogs that I've fallen in love with, 

where I can get lost for hours, 

getting ideas and inspiring me to cook an endless amount of deliciousness. 

But unfortunately, due to time and energy, 

I have only made a handful of these salivating recipes.

But when I do, I get really excited. 

And I want to eat a lot of said dish and tell everyone. 

And so this brings me back 

to what started this whole foodie rambling in the first place: 

I made a damn good farro salad Friday night 

and the leftovers I had for lunch were absolutely awesome, 

maybe even better than the original serving.

I've come to realize that I adore pretty much every grain out there, 

and when some veggies are tossed into the mix, 

it's not only incredibly satisfying 

but makes me feel pretty healthy too. 

Inspired by this farro salad of red peppers, red onions, carrots, celery and feta, 

I've been brainstorming other grain salad concoctions...

Quinoa with avocado, corn and tomatoes?

Brown rice with edamame, carrots and shredded chicken with a dash of soy sauce?

Cous cous with walnuts, cucumbers, tomatoes and feta? 

Toss in some olive oil dressing variation, salt, pepper 

and I have several days worth of meals. 

But back to the recipe that got this all going: 

Farro Salad courtesy of Shutterbean 

View the full, super easy to follow recipe here 

recipe photo courtesy of Shutterbean 

top photo via my Instagram 

Diving Into Decor

I've always been passionate about style and beauty, and since college, my interest in food has grown quickly, becoming a prominent factor in my life. But more recently, my interest in home decor and design has been emerging, creeping in, catching my eye more and more.

While I've enjoyed decorating in the past, helping my Mom choose wallpaper and paint colors, collecting swatches at Home Depot, giving my opinion on what item to place where, it has been as I've matured, developing my own sense of style, and as I've moved into my own apartments that I've had the opportunity to create something that truly represents me. 

Most recently, with my current apartment, my eagerness to create an authentic sense of home, one that reflects my personal style meshed with that of my (good sport of a) boyfriend, has grabbed ahold of me. Moving in together was a chance to take stock of the odd assortment of items we've each collected over the years, and since we weren't able purchase new versions of each and every item of furniture and appliance, it's taking time as I continue to streamline our aesthetic, slowly replacing old items from college with newer, better standing, more mature counterparts (goodbye plastic bins.)  

I'm eagerly diving into the depth of decor and design inspiration available, replying on my classic resources that arrive in my Inbox (One Kings Lane, Joss & Main) and excited to discover new sources (Pine Cone Hill and their gorgeous linens) and the endless amount of glorious design sites and blogs (Apartment Therapy, Elements of Style, Things That Sparkle & more.)

But as much as I'd love to dive into the deep end and start a full redecoration project in my little humble abode, it truly is one step at a time, one purchase at a time, and first up on my list is a new table lamp for our living room, one with adequate light for reading when the main ceiling lamp is off but nothing that takes attention away from our big, beautiful built-in window shelf unit.

Here are a few that caught my eye during a recent online browsing session, but I'm not ready to settle with just one yet...the searching continues, but I'm finding out that that is half the fun. 

Lamps sourced from:

Top Row, L to R: Pottery Barn for left and center images, Restoration Hardware

Bottom Row, L to R: One Kings Lane, Restoration Hardware, Ones Kings Lane

Top photo via Pinterest 

Happy Summer Weekend!

May your weekend be filled with 

lots of sunshine, laughter, 

cool drinks and even cooler ACs

photo via Tumblr 

Scary Storms No More

When I was younger, I would crouch and hide when thunderstorms hit. 

Hands clasped over my ears,

scared of the flashes of lights and loud noises, 

always eager for them to pass on by.

And yet, as a major storm approached last night, 

I found myself on my back porch, 

soaking up not only the rain droplets that blew in my direction,

but also the rush of adrenalin that accompanied 

the excitement of the incoming lightening and thunder. 

As Tom and I watched in awe 

as the sky lit up and the branches danced, 

I felt like a kid again,

a braver kid for sure,

but absolutely reveling in the simple thrills of Mother Nature.

And as the storm passed, 

my adult self sat back and appreciated, welcoming,

the after effects of a terrific storm,

the distinct smell of summer rain 

and the fresh, crisp breeze that carried it

so beautifully through my windows. 

 photo via Pinterest

Practice Makes "Perfect"

It went almost three weeks between my last blog posts, and as I realized this over the weekend, I looked back, wondering where those few weeks went. They were full of celebrations, good food, and not enough sleep or exercise. They were crazy busy, per usual, but also contained a bit too much anxiety for my own good. And with my head in a stressed out scary place, and overwhelming feelings taking over, I found myself avoiding writing, because I was "too busy," unable to even think of where to start, what to write about. There were too many words, and no sentences were forming out of them. 

But in the end, that just added to my ever-growing list of concerns and if I had just taken the time, an hour even, to sit down and devote a little energy to this little site of mine, I might have felt a bit better. I might have turned the worry roller-coaster around. 

How can I expect myself to become a better writer if I don't write? If this is something that I want to focus on for myself and my future, I need to make it more of a priority; I need to be a bit more selfish and give in to my own wants. 

I process feelings and thoughts through my writing, from emails to list making to blog posts, and that alone, makes the act of writing essential to me. And so I refuse to let my insanely scheduled summer steal me away from the act; I'm making writing a daily habit, sitting down and putting pen to paper (or typing fingers to keys) and writing and posting at least four days a week, no less is allowed. 

And while I don't believe in perfection, practice, simply, will make me better. And when I actually do just that, make time to practice what I really enjoy, writing and pushing my creativity, it feels pretty darn great. 

photo via Pinterest

Long Weekend Luxuries

This Memorial Day weekend came at the perfect time. 

After several busy weeks for both myself and the boyfriend, 

we entered into this long weekend with no plans. 

And it has been fantastic.

With the summer ahead already packed with weddings, showers, 

get togethers, and traveling, I've started to feel a bit worried, 

concerned that there was too much on the calendar. 

While I hope to embrace the crazy busy summer for what it is, 

full of wonderful, joyous celebrations, 

I know that staying organized and calm will help me, personally, 

to enjoy it all so much more, despite its schedule, 

and so I've looked forward to this upcoming weekend, 

to kick off the summer season, 

hanging on to the fact that our days were free from plans.

Having that extra day makes long weekends insanely more awesome. 

It allows one to really achieve, so much more fully, the core goal of the elusive weekend: 

mixing productivity with relaxation and pleasure. 

And so this lovely long weekend, I've done just that. 

I cleaned our home, and tidied up our living space. 

We stocked up on necessities for the upcoming week's breakfasts and lunches

 as we grocery shopped, carting home various items to turn into creative dinners. 

I went to the gym,

making up for the lack of time and self discipline 

that reigned over the past couple weeks. 

I have piles of clean laundry, fresh sheets on the bed, 

and I'm slowly but surely making a dent in my towering stack of magazines 

that I can't help but collect. 

Friday night we set out a smorgasbord of taco fixings, 

filling tortillas with shrimp, beans, rice and avocado, 

indulging in one of my favorite types of dinners. 

What use to consist of parties, pizza, cocktails and 

bedtimes that went into the early hours of the next day, 

now ended with a showing of The Great Gatsby and bed by midnight. 

The movie didn't disappoint and neither did the hours of uninterrupted solid sleep. 

Saturday night we cheered on the Bruins with good friends and good food, 

before returning home shortly after 9PM, 

to enjoy the lazy pleasures of hbo's comedians. 

These little long weekend luxuries came together to create a weekend

 that I so badly needed and craved. 

While I didn't cross off everything on my never-ending to do list, 

I feel refreshed and reorganized, 

eager to keep this positive momentum going, 

ready to not only tackle the week ahead, 

but excited for the beautifully busy summer that lies before us.

And so as we wrapped up this weekend with a little hike by the coast

and a bbq with the boyfriend's family, 

I cheers to not only our country's Memorial Day 

but also to the summer ahead.

photo via my iPhone

Last night's Rihanna concert, 

was the perfect way
to kick off my summer of shows.

Sparkle on.

I Believe In...

the power of a freshly cleaned home.

That sweeping, mopping, dusting and overall tidying, 

is therapeutic, 

revitalizing, 

and definitely counts 

as major 

calorie-burning exercise.

I believe that the time and energy that it takes 

to really clean up your space, 

your sanctuary, 

your home,

is worth it

in ways that can't necessarily be measured,

but that the sigh of relief and pure joy

that comes at the end of that day of scrubbing

is pretty darn amazing.

photo via Pinterest

Blues & Browns, Stripes & Splashes

As I explore my late twenties, I've enjoyed discovering my own style, the looks that speak to me the most, those that truly represents my own aesthetic. 

In this process, I've often struggled to find the right words to use to describe my personal style, and in these situations I'm finding it best to take a step back and take in a broader view. 

Someday, in my own fabulous little home office, I will have inspiration boards that I can use to surround myself with images and words that I adore, but until then, Pinterest will have to do. I gather images there, collecting and organizing in the hope of making sense out of the chaotic clutter that is everything around us.

Style is part of our overall evolution, as we figure out our relationships, our beliefs, what we truly want to do for work, figuring out your true style, is just another facet to discover.

In taking a step back, and looking at all the little pieces that make up the style that I keep pinning, the fashions, the designs that I truly love, I hope to be able to better describe my overall vibe. 

Why search for the right words, why is it needed? Because I like to package things nicely, to quantify them and understand myself. I like being able to stamp a label on it, for better or worse. I like the 30 second elevator pitch concept applied to anything.

And so, here are some looks that I am consistently drawn to, no matter what may currently be on trend, these types of outfits I will always choose. 

As I look at this collection, my own trends stand out, and I'm able to put together a language to describe it: I adore stripes, anything with them, but especially blue. I like classic, but not always conservative, looks, clean shapes, not overly girly or feminine but often with a touch of whimsy.  

  

  

What best describes your style and how have you discovered it over time? I'd love to hear :)

all photos from Pinterest