This video is probably going to make you cry. In fact, if you watch the whole thing and don’t cry you probably need see a therapist about why you bottle up your emotions. The point is, don’t watch this if you have anything else you need to get done today, such as work, making dinner or changing clothes. You’ve been warned.
Now, watch this video. Then go give your family and friends great big hugs. xoxo
Well, we’ve moved on from the kitchen and are now focusing all of our energy here, which we’re hoping to make our entertainment room. When we moved in this room had a pale pink carpet with a tile entryway. We ripped both of them up and have been prepping the concrete floor underneath in hopes of staining it. I say, “we” but really mean, “only Chase,” who has spent the better part of the last three weeks chipping tile, grinding off carpet glue and patching holes in the floor. As a result, I have conceded that for the duration of football season he gets first pick of using the room. The Real Housewives and I will have to wait.
Chase and I have fallen into a rhythm for dealing with renovation issues as they come up. He hits a snag in our plan, tells me about it, and we proceed to yell at each other because we don’t know what we’re doing and oh my god can this just be over already?? Then we calm down, apologize, and like rational adults, Google the answer.
You know in “Bridget Jones’ Diary” when Colin Firth is like, “You’re a total mess but I like you, just as you are,” and you can’t help but be all, “awwwww he’s so sweet! He loves her even though she’s kinda chunky and has a terrible case of mouth diarrhea!”?* Well….okra, you are green, fuzzy on the outside, a little slimy on the inside and I love you, just as you are. (awwwww)
A lot of recipes involving controversial ingredients will come with a disclaimer of, “Even if you normally hate spinach, you will still love this recipe.” To be clear, this is not one of those. If you aren’t a fan of okra, you won’t like this. If you only like okra when it’s breaded and deep-fried, proceed with caution.
Although I love fried okra just as much as the next Southern gal, and firmly believe that any form of gumbo that doesn’t include okra is a crime against humanity, I feel that all too often it becomes hidden away in these recipes. It’s there of course, but all dressed up in breading or Cajun spices, when really it deserves the chance to be the star of its own recipe. Just like Olive in “Little Miss Sunshine,” sometimes you just have to let okra be okra. (Apparently okra inspires me to think of movie analogies. Or I’ve just been watching too many recently. Tough call.)
If you’re a die-hard fan of okra, I hope this hits the spot like it did for me. If you love fried okra, maybe try this recipe first. If you hate okra, please try back next week. Thanks for reading. xoxo
*I’m not sure, but it’s probably unadvised to include the word “diarrhea” in a recipe post…twice…my apologies…
Our spring was beaten down (literally) by an awful cold and rainy front that came through. Screw it, I’m ready for summer.
It seems like we just finished wiping construction dust off our new kitchen and we’re already into the next project. After ripping up the carpet (with my cousin Erin) in our large entertainment room, Chase is now devoted full-time to smoothing out the concrete floor so we can stain it. Stay tuned.
All winter long a little bird has been building its nest in one of our windows, and this weekend we could finally hear the little chirps of baby birds from inside. #nature #magic #awww
My new job as an assistant at Asheville Event Co. kicked off this weekend. First we celebrated with a stylish launch of the new Porsche Cayman.
We were scheduled to coordinate a festival for the Bearwallow Beast 5K, but after freezing our butts off at the mountain top festival site (and feeling like we were lost in The Village) and watching sleet pour down the day of the event, the decision was finally made to reschedule.
And, duh – wedding season has begun! Look, I’m not trying to play favorites, and this was of course my first wedding for the year, but who doesn’t love these rustic mountain details? I didn’t know the bride personally but we could totally hang out.
Want more updates? Follow me on Instagram. Thanks for reading xoxo
I have often heard people remark that it is a struggle to find the right words to say to a person that is grieving. Now that I’m on the other side of this equation, that is, now that I am the one grieving, let me clue you in on a little secret: the “right” words don’t exist. When you’re losing someone you love, the only possible words that would make you feel better are, “We’ve found a cure!” Anything short of that doesn’t hold my interest.
Be aware when you approach someone that is going through a tragedy that even the most well-intentioned words can have the opposite effect. For example, I absolutely hate it when people ask, “How’s your Mom?” In fact, I dread this question with every fiber of my being. Because again, there are no words that will make this problem better. The only possible outcome to someone asking this is an awkward conversation where I stumble over saying that she’s dying, and try desperately to figure out how I can shift the conversation to any other subject but this one. I wish people would stop asking, and yet, if I knew a friend’s mother was dying, I would feel like the most selfish, callous cow if I didn’t ask about her from time to time. And I realize that everyone who has ever asked me has had the same thought. They just want me to know that they care, that they’re trying to be supportive. And instead, it makes me feel terrible when they ask. This is the reality of talking about tragedy: no one is ever going to feel comfortable with it in their lives.
Although I think, “How’s your Mom?” is a relatively innocent question and somewhat unavoidable, there are other things people say that I wish they would keep to themselves. Here are a few of the most common: Continue reading
Things I have learned in the past 24 hours:
1. If a company gives you your very own business credit card, put it into your wallet immediately. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT put it on your desk right before your sister helps you do a major cleaning of your home and you get all trigger happy with throwing away trash. Eventually the line that divide “trash” from “credit card” becomes blurry.
2. Always keep a nice change of shoes & shirt in your car. Inevitably there will come a time when you will decide to go to work in “comfy” clothes, i.e., jeans, a T-shirt and ripped Toms. This is the day you will forget you have a networking function after work with no time to change in between.
3. Do not drop your phone into bowls of soup. This might seem obvious but apparently I need a refresher lesson.
4. A perfect Bellini after work will always make you feel better. Always.
5. If you go home, change into sweats, and eat a big bowl of this kale salad, it’s basically like you worked out. Science. Plus – this salad is insanely addictive and you will love every moment. Just do it.
I’m not sure why this quote became the posting of choice after the tragic Boston Marathon bombings. I’m not even 100% sure that Fred Rogers actually said this, but I love it nonetheless. In times of tragedy that cannot be explained, it is nice to find comfort where you can, and if there is at all a silver lining to the bombings, it is witnessing that the number helpers on the scene far outweighed the evildoers.
These flowers:
Are outside my window. As much as I love them, I’m more excited to see the green leaves poking through the buds. It means that the lush, green summer is coming, and winter is far behind.
If you haven’t listened to the episode of This American Life called, “Trends with Benefits,” you should. In fact, you NEED to listen to this. I thought their investigation of why the amount of people on disability insurance is rapidly rising would basically boil down to people cheating the system, but I was wrong. Instead, this story changed the way I view our country’s entire economy. This is worth an hour of your life. Promise.
This book:
I couldn’t put it down. If you’re looking for a captivating story to suck you in, get this one.
This commercial:
It either made me teary eyed or I’m lying.
Thanks for reading. xoxo
You know what I am starting to miss? Being a renter! I want to go back in time to my former apartment-renter self and say, “Hey you! You know how on the weekends you like to sit on the couch and sip coffee while watching cooking shows and you won’t even have the slightest inkling that perhaps there’s something else you should be doing with your time? ENJOY THESE DAYS. Soon you’ll get out of bed and on the way to coffee machine be overwhelmed with projects that are left to be done and if you sit on the couch to watch 5 minutes of a show your subconscious will start to scream, “You’re falling behind!! The paint is peeling and the weeds are growing and dust is settling and you’re watching a TV show?? What is wrong with you?!?”
At least there is one room in the house where I finally feel like we are ahead of the game. Until a week ago I was coming home every day, resolute in the knowledge that I would once again be microwaving my dinner and staring longingly at photos from food blogs that were taking full advantage of their access to a functional kitchen. Although I’m over the moon with how it turned out, I won’t be volunteering to oversee anymore kitchen remodels in the near future. I also might very well start sleeping in the kitchen in an effort to avoid the rest of the house.
Since I’ve had my kitchen back, I’ve found myself wanting to cook nothing but my favorite stand-bys. This is the basic recipe I use whenever I’m craving pizza – obviously you can add any additional toppings that you like, but this sauce, crust and cheese will satisfy any craving you have. I’ve experimented with pizza dough for a while and finally found that the combination of bread flour & whole wheat flour give the dough just the right texture and flavor. Chewy with crisp edges, and a slight nuttiness without tasting like a complete whole wheat flour dough.
Remember when our kitchen looked like this?
Well, now it looks like this:
So yeah, we had a few minor updates. Let’s just say, I’m in love. I’ve thought seriously about moving my bed downstairs and living here full time. Let’s go through some of my favorite changes:
This is where my grandmother’s two old refrigerators used to sit (one is missing in the photo).
We took out the old appliances and bought stainless steel ones to replace them. We also went down to one refrigerator instead of two, and to fill in the gap we had shelves and extra drawers fill in the space.
This is our old sink:
Although it was still in fairly good condition, I had my eye on a single-bowl farmhouse sink, and just fell in love when this filled it was finally installed: Continue reading
Remember when you were a kid and your mom played “Peek-A-Boo?” She would cover her face with her hands and then you would squeal in delight; then she would cover her face again and you’d be all, “Where did my happiness go?” The adult equivalent of this is getting brand new, beautiful granite countertops installed in your kitchen, only to have them covered over to touch up cabinet paint, uncovered and then re-covered to work on the tile, and then uncovered and re-covered for every other project you didn’t even know was part of a remodel until you were finally insane enough to do one yourself.
