#HitchTheHawkins

our first night in Nashville at The Tavern.

'Tis the season ladies and gents, both figuratively and literally. Spring and Summer are always prime time for weddings and events, but this is takes the cake for me. Perhaps it's my age/phase of life, or perhaps it's just summer again and that's when everyone wants "June weddings at the Plaza." Who knows. All I know is I'm on a marathon of happiness, cocktails, Bed Bath and Beyond coupons, and dress fittings, and it's sublime.

From the end of April to Mid-June, I have a grand total of 5 weddings (a bridesmaid in 2), one graduation, a handful of birthdays, a family beach trip, and I just got back from a bachelorette weekend in Nashvegas. Whew. Cheers to the freakin' weekend, oh wait, it's Monday.

Here are a few snapshots from Kelsey Jo's #AllPinkEverything (taken from Eva the Diva's "all red everything" tagline) Bach Bash:  

The Bride-to-be, Kelsey Jo

some of her maids, R to L: Ashley, Erin, August, bride, Mere, EZ, me.

my turn with the gorgeous bride-to-be

yes, I went all the way to Nashville to get a pic with Elvis.

#ForeverRoomie

readying the sash

The whole gang ready to hit the town after yummy Rosepepper Cantina supper.

Nashville, you didn't disappoint. 

Now, to schedule in some sleep...

Festive Weekend Recap

As if I wasn't already excited about Christmas, this weekend sent me over the edge. Work holiday party, cocktails at the Peabody, family dinner at Majestic, Advent, and our annual family cookie bake all in one weekend? Couldn't have asked for a better way to usher in the holiday season. Here's a few snapshots of our festivities:

{JT and me in front of the massive Peabody Hotel Christmas tree.}

{There were no seats in the lobby, so my ever-resourceful boyfriend spotted a friendly couple who let us share a table with them. We ended up chatting with them for a few hours while we waited for our reservations, and plan to keep in touch. Pleasant twist on the evening.}

{the cookie baking gals. an art 

our family has perfected for generations}

{JT getting excited for his second annual cookie bake}

{my lovely sissy and bebe T's first cookie bake. 

can't wait for him to play in the icing and flour next year.}

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Mama said...

...there'd be days, like this, my mama said.

-The Shirelles 

 

{our cold brewed coffee at Tamp & Tap}

Yesterday was just an ordinary day, but it turned out to be one for the books. It started off earlier than normal because I had the opportunity to speak to a newspaper class at Hutchison High School. It went well, and then I scooted over to a Germantown Chamber meeting for the magazine we publish for them. Afterward, I made the trek downtown to my office, and soon noticed there wasn't much on my agenda (rare considering we're in the middle of production for MBQ and Memphis mag). 

With pangs in my stomach and cravings in my head, all I wanted was to meet up with someone and go to lunch (shout out to Mere and Emmsbemms whose lunch rendezvous leave me insanely jealous). In vain, I texted a few people who were either at work, out of town, or otherwise engaged. That's when I decided I'd try my wonderful mama.

 

{our VisionSouce trip to Maui, Hawaii in January 2011}

For those who don't know, my mom is an optometrist and VP of a non-profit to boot, so her day off (Wednesday) is usually stacked with appointments and various errands no where close to downtown. That's why I assumed she'd be way too busy to trek downtown to grab a long lunch. To my delight, her schedule had opened up and she met me at Tamp & Tap.

 

{when we walked the St. Jude 5k to be near Emily as she 

ran the half marathon in December 2012}

We ordered, ate, sipped cold brewed coffee and chatted about life, love and how I shouldn't be turning 24 this fall since she hasn't aged a bit. It was one of those rare lunches where no one had anywhere else to be and we could stay as long as we wanted. Sadly, I can't recall the last time it was just my mom and me for a meal out. It was a rare treat, and certainly a highlight. One of those moments you know you'll look back on and say, "Remember when..."

As we left, I said I was surprised she had time to come downtown for lunch. Her response couldn't have been a better life lesson (crazy how mama's are full of these little lessons). She said, "I had so many things I knew I needed to do, but thought, 'I better grab life's joy while I can.'"

So get out there and grab life's joy, while you can. 

#LuluLessons

 

{lulu's birthday in 2012}

You Only Live Once...

...so, eat the damn red velvet cupcake. 

-Emma Stone

In my case, it was a strawberry cupcake from Muddy's in honor of Chris Herrington's last day at the Flyer before he crosses enemy lines to the CA. But, I thought Emma Stone's quote was fitting. 

The official quote is, "You're a human being, you only live once and life is wonderful, so eat the damn red velvet cupcake."

Sure, I run and try to eat right, but sometimes.... ya gotta eat the damn cupcake.

Good Enough for G, Good Enough for Me

Confession: I'm beyond addicted to Zara... truly, madly, deeply. It's becoming kind of an issue (as seen here), but after all, you never know what kind of adventures the day might bring. As the late, great Lilly Pulitzer said, "Life's a party; dress like it!" And who am I to argue with Lilly P.?

My latest finds include:

{this bright dress I found courtesy of my girl Giuliana Rancic on insta and is now sold out.}

 

{this lil beaut i also just purchased}

 

{the perfect way to color-block all the way through Fall and Winter}

 

{bright pop of color --Bonus, this is on sale!}

 

{sassy shoes to tackle any business meeting}

 

{uhbsessed with this classic. i die.}

 

{these remind me of funfetti cookies, which makes me happy...and hungry}

 

{not sure I can pull these off but LOVE them in a similar style

 here on Blake Lively--Bonus, also on sale!}

Any other finds you're dying over?

 

Mambo Italiano

Ey, mambo, mambo Italiano. 

(yes, I sang this while I made this easy-peasey Italian classic on Sunday night).

Always wished I was Italian like my girl G, but i figure eating like one is the next best thing. Looking for quite possibly the easiest go-to dinner ever? I have found it (thanks to my Nannie, MJ, and my cousin, Ashleigh).

I give you, homemade pizza.

Ingredients:
1 Boboli original pizza crust (located on an aisle-end near the frozen food section of your local grocery store--not with the other pizza crusts)
1 package/box of Boboli pizza sauce
*then any cheeses, veggies, meats etc that you desire 
(we used shredded "pizza" cheese, mozzarella, cheddar, diced tomatoes, peperoni, and jalapenos.) 

 

[our pizza pre-oven]

Directions:
-spread around 1 ish tablespoon of olive oil on pizza crust (leaving room to hold the crust)
-1 package of pizza sauce
-layer cheese, meats, veggies, then top with additional layer of cheese before popping it in the oven for 10 minutes at 450 degrees.
-slice and enjoy with a glass of red wine

 

[finished product--perfecto]

Voila! 

so easy a cave man could do it

Surprise Fail

Okay, so the only thing surprising about JT's surprise bday dessert is that he actually ate one to make me feel better...

[this is what it was supposed to look like]

drum-roll please.... his surprise dessert was Chocolate-Whiskey Cupcakes (recipe here) with chocolate, caramel, marshmallow, whiskey, bacon bark (recipe here). (whew, talk about a mouthful.. except, er, you wouldn't want a mouthful of these)

The bark itself wasn't bad, actually kinda good. Just make sure to let it warm up from the freezer unless you want to chip a tooth.

As for the cuppy cakes...they had the consistency of chocolate cornbread (not pleasant).

Oh well... sometimes ya win, sometimes ya lose. Did I mention they were a b!#*h to make? Because they were... I think that's partially why JT ate one. (After watching me mix and bake cupcakes, icing and bark from scratch for 3 hours only to be covered in flour and confectioners sugar... he knew to try one to keep me from tears). He even took some home with him (I assume for fertilizer).

 

[my final version]

At least he still has presents to open on Thursday...

Celeb Concoctions

SAw news about Kenny Chesney debuting his own brand of rum, and since owning a wine label is a dream of mine, it struck a nerve.

Kenny is not the first celeb to brew his own libations, not by a long shot. The list is long and filled with impressive names from every genre and palate, I'm sure.  Here are the ones I'm aware of (which means I'm sure many other exist).

1) Kenny Chesney's Blue Chair Bay Rum

2) Drew Barrymore's "Barrymore Pinot Grigio"

3) Justin Timberlake's 901 Tequila

4) Brad and Angie's Miraval rosé 

5) Willie Nelson's Old Whiskey River Bourbon

6) George Clooney's Casamigos Tequila 

7) Fergie's Ferguson Crest wines

 

8) Dave Matthew's The Dreaming Tree wines

9) Train's "Drops of Jupiter" wine (this is not a joke)

even 10) Hanson's "MmmHop" beer

 
I'm curious to see if these mixtures are actually tasty or just fueled by brand awareness/celeb status. Guess I'll just have to try them all, budget allowing, and report back. It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it.

Try It Thursday

I've been attempting to cook here and there for a while now, but I'm making a resolution to actually be domestic. After all, a gal's gotta eat (that and I also find the process of cooking and baking therapeutic). 

That said, I've stumbled upon a recipe for "low fat baked ziti," and since I'm never one to turn down pasta, it seemed too good to be true. (spoiler: it isn't. it was fabulous)

 {picture from skinnytaste.com where the recipe's from}

The recipe (click here for recipe) was easy, even for a newbie chef like myself, so I have faith in anyone reading this. And bonus, I got rave reviews from JT, Lulu, and George. 

 {clearly I need some work on food photography but in my defense this 

was taken with an iphone under the stove light just to prove that I can cook}

Cheers to low fat recipes that actually taste delish!

(hopefully more to come as I navigate the kitchen with the help of pinterest)  

Juice: Jewel or Junk?

In an attempt to be uber healthy in 2013, I've been going to Adventure Boot Camp, running, ellipticizing, and trying to eat the good ole 80/20 rule (supposedly followed by Selena Gomez and the like), and now I've stumbled upon juice cleanses (specifically Suja Cleanses).

Ever the fad chaser, I've fallen prey to an instagram from Jef Holm (of Emily's season [see yesterday's post] of the Bachelorette), in which he says he's done the 3-day cleanse and is going to try the 5-day cleanse. After reading the website, I'm sufficiently intrigued and want to try either a one or three-day cleanse in the near future (if and when I do I'll be sure to let you know the results).

I'm curious to see firsthand what all of the hype is about, but I'm tempted to think "good enough for Gwyneth and Kate Hudson; good enough for me." 

 Anyone ever tried it?