The Journey

Finishing this book (all 81 pages of it) will be one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. It is without question one of the most challenging reads I have encountered over the past couple months. Just to give you an idea, this book has a dictionary of Indian terms just to help you get all spooled up on the appropriate lingo. That was a bit intimidating to say the least. But I was ready for the challenge. All great works of art have their audience and this story spoke to me. It is about the journey through life. It tells the story of all the missteps, misunderstandings, and misgivings we all go through trying to find ourselves (in my case rediscover who I am) and what this life means. It is about finding that inner peace and coming back to what is most familiar and what is most dear to our hearts. May we all someday find our utopia whatever that is. To each his own.

What I've Been Crushing On

{Rainbows}

{Lunch at Ikea}

{Walks with my buddy}

{So many fun new recipes I am excited to show you!}

{Freeze dried edamame and freshly popped popcorn drizzled with a little olive oil and tossed with chili powder} 

Uplifting and Transparent

Lucite heels were an item that I have always desired to own but lacked in my personal wardrobe. I feel like they are super sexy, but if the design is too over the top, they can come across campy and trampy. When I saw these I knew I had found a little something special. They are so much an every day shoe. With a three inch heel and fun gladiator inspired straps, it is like the sandal of the summer, in a color like the pretty sunsets we have been seeing lately here in Columbus. It took me a couple hours, but I found them on sale for a third of the original price. I was so stoked I think my cheeks flushed with excitement making me want summer to never end.

Top is old JCrew. Fossil watch. Old Navy Rock Star skinny jeans on sale for $13. "Jennison" sandals by Jessica Simpson you can get off Amazon. Clutch is NeNe Bags. Bangles are LC Lauren Conrad for Kohls. Sunnies are from Windsor.

"Tea - ing" Up For Dessert

When my step-mom said she was giving me a subscription to Southern Living magazine I thought she may have come unhinged. There is nothing Southern about me. I am a city mouse through and through. I have lived in the South a couple times but my heart is here in the upper Midwest forever. Once I delved deeper into every issue though, I found some wonderfully inspirational decor ideas and lovely baking recipes. This one was featured in the August issue and I immediately tore it out and got my bake on. Sweet lemon flavored iced tea is one of those universally recognized summer beverages no matter what part of the lower 48 you live in. Make that into a dessert that everyone can get behind, and I think Ulysses S. Grant would even can call that a sweet surrender.

Boil 1 1/2 cups water and use three large sweet tea bags. Set aside to cool.

In your mixing bowl add together 1 cup softened butter, 2 cups granulated sugar, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 5 large eggs, 3 1/2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp baking soda.

Mix until well blended. I alternated speeds and stopped every so often to scrape the sides.

The frosting was an idea I had that encompassed 2 cups heavy cream, 5 tbsp powdered sugar, and 4 tbsp granulated sugar. 

I wipped it using a hand mixer (I have no idea how our Grandmothers did without them) until it stood on its own and held shape. Put back into the fridge until your ready to frost. Very light and you can add vanilla or lemon juice or even bourbon to it but I liked it this way much better.

I sliced some lemons for decorating.

Add a jigger of bourbon (or two) to the mix and 1 cup of the iced tea. Bake in two 8" cake pans coated in cooking spray for roughly 40 minutes at 350 degrees or until a tooth pick comes out of the center clean. 

I stacked the two and loaded the frosting. I decided in the end I liked it better without the sides frosted. The person I baked this for isn't into super sweet treats so I felt this was a better option.

It came out very soft and flavorful and with the bourbon added it had a little kick. Kinda like a Long Island iced tea without the hangover. 

Fringe Benefit

Western style has never been something I felt that I could pull off. I grew up in the suburbs. Everyone I knew wore loafers and argyle and plaid. The closest I came to really feeling like I was a country girl was idolizing Catherine Bach from "The Dukes of Hazard". I wanted those short shorts, that babe-alicious hair, that bad-ass attitude, and her white Jeep Wrangler. There's a girl inside me who still wants to be a little Daisy Duke once in a while. Even now I envy those women who can rock the messy hair and the "I just want to look like I threw this on" vibe. That doesn't mean we all can't get on the bandwagon though. I little fringe, a cowboy boot here or there, or the ever popular destroyed denim short can take any of us from just the ordinary suburban maid to country babe in less time than it took Bo and Luke to climb into General Lee.

{Top is by LC Lauren Conrad for Kohls. Shorts are Blank Denim. Booties are Freebird By Steven. Free People sunnies. Ascot and Hart bag - sold out.

Florida Georgia Line - Cruise

Garden Stack

If I ever had the space to have my own little garden on my patio, tomatoes would be a part of that  endeavor. I hated them as a child, but at some point as an adult I developed an affection for them so great that I can eat the garden fresh variety like an apple. Being that I have been going to the farmer's markets as of late, where the tomatoes are in abundance and rich with flavor, this recipe stood out to me like a green thumb.

Here are your ingredients.

Mix in a food processor 1/2 cup mayo, 2 tbsp Oregano, 2 tbsp oil, and lemon juice until finely ground and well blended.  

Take 1 tbsp oil and lemon juice, mix together and add arugula. Toss to coat.

Slice the bread 1 inch thick and butter on both sides.

Toast the bread in a skillet on medium heat.

Get all the pieces in order and then construct the perfect tomato sandwich.

Spread generously.

Stack and enjoy. You could add cheese and bacon but why.

What I've Been Crushing On

{Taking a few minutes for me}

{We know somebody in the business}

{Finally got the grill up and running this weekend}

{Finding really cool places to shoot outfit posts}

{Guac is always on the menu around here}

Out Of Africa

The movie "Out of Africa" is a beautifully poignant love story set in a time and place far away from where we are. A touching and heart breaking journey of a man who, torn between his dream and the woman who loved him, broke her heart over and over. The woman who loved the man more then herself, so much that she sacrificed her own personal happiness to wait for him, even if they could only share the night together. Even knowing that he would never truly be hers.

We may never be able to experience Africa the way that this movie portrays, but we can have a small taste here right at home at the Columbus Zoo. Meryl and Robert not included. ( I am as bummed as you are...trust me on that.)

Black And Tan

Fashion rules are made to be broken and thank goodness for that. I like white in the winter, strappy shoes all year long, and of course heels with everything. It used to be that wearing black with brown was a definite "Glamour Don't" but now I think it is a great way to relax an all black ensemble, or soften a look that with black heels would seem way too dressy for a summer evening family barbecue. 

JCrew tank and bag. Target shoes. Ralph Lauren sunnies. Ascot and Hart shorts.