Too Damn Hot

More food! Ya'll are going to start to think all I do is eat! What can I say? Summer dining inspires me to no end. Last night I had dinner at The Local with one of my best friends and her always charming beau. There were no indoor tables available...at any restaurant in Belmont. Did I mention it was HOT yesterday? 90-something degrees, with no breeze to speak of. As you can see from the top two photos we were among the very few crazies who decided to brave the deck (though it did start to fill up a bit later). Not to keep talking about the heat, but it was kind of too hot to eat anything much, so in addition to the cheese board and mussels we shared, I had a salad. If you know me, you know that I DO NOT EAT SALAD when I go out to eat. My stomach is generally much too demanding for a few paltry lettuce leaves, but last night it was like "whatever...it's too damn hot." Anyhoo, despite the heat, we had a roaring good time. I just wish I'd remembered I had this fan in my purse.

P.S. to my bestie: Maybe the mango ate your what, Cole? : )

Picnicking and Tulip Picking

Just celebrated a dear friend's birthday with a picnic at a local organic tulip farm. It was such a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The weather was lovely and the food we packed (all from local shop Feast) was super yummy delicious. Oh, and we went home with arm loads of tulips ($1/stem)! You can see my tulip haul in the last photo above (vase made by me in ceramics class).

Notes on a Weekend

Here's a glimpse at what I've been up to this weekend.

I've been cooking up a storm. I made pumpkin waffles, peanut butter krispy treats, and won tons (not pictured because I was about ready to collapse by the time I'd wrapped the last one).

I also did some much-needed fall shopping. The most exciting item I picked up? My first pair of skinny jeans! The only skinny jeans I've ever been able to get over my Beyonce booty!


Image from Anthropologie

They're from the new J Brand Blue Label, which is for women with curves. I still couldn't get the Ink wash over my bum, but the Shadow wash has the perfect amount of stretch.

I also got some lovely red tights, but my fingernail poked through them while I was trying them on : (. That'll teach me not to buy cheap tights. These sturdy MP tights are on their way to replace them (found via wiksten-made).

I think I'll spend much of the rest of my Sunday reading this. And this evening, I'll be attending this:



Check it out if you're local.

A Tourist in My Hometown

When you grow up in a town with as much beauty and history as Charlottesville, Virginia, it's easy to take it for granted, or even resent it after the millionth field trip involving some architectural wonder associated with Thomas Jefferson (I've been know to roll my eyes while driving past the UVA grounds). But this weekend I put all that aside. My college roommate was visiting with her fabulous new Nikon DSLR, and she wanted to take some pictures while she was here. I knew just where to go. We wandered around the University of Virginia grounds snapping lots of pictures of beautiful old doors and rocking chairs (top photo), and we eventually found ourselves at the Rotunda, the target of much of my eye rolling. "You want to go in?" I asked. I couldn't believe what I was saying. But in we went. And as we wandered around the light-filled rooms, I felt grateful, grateful that my aesthetic roots are so tied to this beautiful place, this history.

Handmade gifts for my girls!

Every year I get together with two very dear friends a week or two before Christmas so that we can celebrate together while we're all still in town. This past Saturday we gathered at Keswick Hall for an afternoon tea and gift exchange, and it was really lovely. Keswick is our gathering place of choice for birthdays and such, but this was the first time we'd been there for the holidays. It was beautifully decorated for the season, so lovely and cozy (and we were even offered hot cocoa for the road)!

I received some truly lovely gifts from my girls. I feel so lucky to have friends who know me so well. And I hope they are just as pleased with the gifts I gave to them. Pictured above are the gifts I made for them. The gift up top is a hand braided scarf made from Blue Sky Alpacas Bulky Naturals in Silvermink. I used ah-yi's wonderful instructions. The gift on the bottom is a hat made from Canopy Sport yarn by The Fibre Company. The wonderful pattern by Kate Gagnon is available here.