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friday finds III

it's payday for me today, and i'm thinking about treating myself to something new.

here's six summery finds for you, all $50 or less. 
blouseshades | bagnecklace | face wash | belt


any fun plans for the weekend?

i'm planning to go see this and eat here for starters.

i'm also diggin this heat wave. sizzle sizzle.

happy friday!

i see you, pea

i'm not a picky eater. when i go out to eat, i always have trouble with the menu because i want everything on it. there's not a lot of foods i won't try and very few i dislike.

peas happen to be one of those rare foods that just aren't my favorite.

but since they're in season now, and they're such a pretty shade of green (my favorite color!), i thought i'd give them another shot by making them into a spread.

here's what to do:

1. remove the peas from their shells

2. boil the peas for a minute or two until they're more vibrantly green (not pictured) and then dump them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

3. dump the peas into a food processor and add approximately 1/3 cup of cream cheese (or goat or feta),  a sprinkle of salt, pepper, red pepper and garlic powder and a few squeezes of lemon juice. you may need to add a touch of olive oil to help move things along. blend until smooth.

4. empty into a serving bowl and serve with baguette slices, tortilla chips, pita. your call.




i have to say that i really enjoyed this. adding the cream cheese made it, um, creamier (duh) and took away some of that pea taste that isn't my favorite. and the lemon and red pepper added a brightness and kick that i found delicious.

oh. and i used the leftover pea shells for a side dish at dinner. just chopped them up a bit and sautéed them with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper.
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enjoy the produce this time of year. check out what's available at your local market and see what looks good. you might even surprise yourself like i did. 

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looking for more seasonal eating recipes? check out the archives here.

s'more goodness

s'mores are one of my favorite things about summer. 

there's just something extra awesome about topping off your bbq with some roasted marshmallows, gooey chocolate and crispy graham crackers.

so when i came across their cookie equivalent on pinterest the other day, i was dying to try them out.

i already strongly endorse these amazingly soft chocolate chip cookies made with vanilla pudding and these gooey butter cookies my grandma used to make are a classic favorite for me, so i was curious to see whether this new recipe would be awesome enough to become a favorite.


omg.

these cookies are amazing. 

for me, one of the biggest must-have characteristics for cookies is softness. i know some people like a crunchier cookie, but those people are crazy. ;)

i like them soft. and i like them to stay soft long after they've cooled down. 

the original recipe used cinnamon graham crackers, but i went the traditional route since i'm a s'more purist like that.

i can't say that they truly capture the feeling of holding a warm s'more in your hand, but it's a less-messy alternative that i'm going to be making again soon.

you should too.

too short

walking here for some food and drink
checkin out these beauties at the market 

lucy and her cool new harness


boo.

no one wants to go back to work after a long weekend.

i got a lot done around the house this weekend, had a nice bbq and may have found my new favorite cookies. 

recipe coming soon.

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potw: dad's day


father's day is june 16 this year.

you could get one of these cards now and have plenty of time to put it in the mail and get it to him.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6


he'd be so impressed by your punctuality.

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looking for more letterpress goods? check out my press of the week series here. a new potw is posted (almost) every monday. but you can always find the latest by following me on twitter.

friday finds II

well, i did this last friday and had fun putting it together, so i thought i'd do another one.

i really wanted to keep it less than $50 because that's just such a nice arbitrary cutoff, but i saw those wedges on sale for $59.99 and had to up this one to less than $60.

still works, right? 

shoes | earrings | dress | watering can | giraffe | framed illustration


and if that isn't the coolest watering can i've ever seen...jeez. puts all other ones to shame.

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if you have monday off, enjoy the long weekend!

and if you have netflix, let's all hope it doesn't crash the second arrested development is available to watch.

big changes




i'm pregnant!

17 weeks pregnant to be exact.

we're really really excited to be parents and can't wait to find out if it's a girl or boy. we're scheduled to find out june 19, and i'm dying to know.

i'm due october 28. crazy.

there won't be too many changes around here, but i thought i'd share our happy news today.

yay!

summer sandals

i have my eye on a few of these sandal options. 

there are some good ones for pretty reasonable prices out there this year.



h&m - $24.95 | zara - $79.90 | asos - $30.55 | asos - $37.33


here are a few more that i really like.


target - $16.99 | sam edelman - $65 | target - $19.99 | madewell - $49.50


a few notes about quality: i've owned zara and sam edelman sandals in the past. the zara ones were holding on for dear life by labor day and the sam edelman pair are still going strong more than a year later.

and the sam edelmans are offered in about a billion colors.

i really do like what zara offers, but i wouldn't buy a pair expecting them to stand the test of time. but i also walk a lot so that probably contributed to their demise.

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i love this time of year. the clothes, the heat, the holidays.

bring it on.

potw: blank

blank cards are perfect for having on hand when you want to send a note.

you can stock up on them and use them whenever you like...for whatever you like. 


1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6


and now i want one of these chocolate-dipped cones. like really. 

i need one.

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looking for more letterpress goods? check out my press of the week series here. a new potw is posted (almost) every monday. but you can always find the latest by following me on twitter.

missing the sun

yum
a whole liter of beer
seafood in georgetown
on one of our almost-daily walks

well the awesome weather from friday didn't really hold up over the weekend, but it wasn't cold so i can deal with an overcast day or two.

i did manage to have the best burger in dc, so i'll consider the weekend a win.

we also drove out to the college park ikea on friday night. i'd originally planned to make that a saturday morning trip, but we ended up going on friday around seven. i'm telling you, that's my new favorite time to go there. it was the least crowded i've ever seen that place.

time to face a new week.

let's hope it's a good one!

friday finds

here's a few things you can pick up this weekend without hurting your wallet too much. everything you see here is less than $50.

traveling and exploring new cities is one of my favorite things to do, so i'm really eyeing that book.



book | ring | necklaces | spatulas | shoe | clutch




i also just bought those shoes. we'll see how they work out, but i think they'll be perfect for work over the summer months.

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it's another beautiful day in may.

enjoy your weekend!

goodbye toby

as a tribute to the series (!) finale of the office that airs tonight, i put together a list of some of my favorite quotes from one of the best shows on television.

even as a diehard fan, i'll admit that the last season or two hasn't been quite as crazy good as the earlier ones, but last week's episode had me crying like a baby. and i'm gonna miss these guys on my thursday nights so much.

the office also holds a special place for me because my husband and i actually met at work and were friends for years before we ever started dating. 

of course, it was hard to narrow these down, and i feel like i left out some gems, but here's my list.

and i saved the best for last.










thanks for nine hilarious seasons. 


gooey butter cookies

 if you like to cook or bake, you probably have a few recipes in the arsenal that just work for you. they win every time.

these cookies that my late grandmother used to make are on that list of go-to recipes for me.

they're easy to make, they're light, fluffy and moist and have the best flavor.

i made these for a mother's day bbq my husband's family had last weekend, and i decided i should share the wealth.

these cookies are the truth.





i like to cook these on my silpati usually end up baking mine for just about 10 minutes and thirty seconds. that seems to work for my oven. they might look a little jiggly if you pull them out that early, but i promise they'll harden up once they cool. and i really prefer these cookies on the less done side. lightly golden brown on the bottom and soft all the way through.


yum.

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edited to add: the cream cheese and butter must be at room temperature. forgot to add that!

potw: lo siento

everyone makes mistakes. it happens.

here's a few cute ways to show just how sorry you are.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6


i'm partial to the french bulldog one (or is that an english bulldog?) of course.
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looking for more letterpress goods? check out my press of the week series here. a new potw is posted (almost) every monday. but you can always find the latest by following me on twitter.

month five



my new favorite shirt (apparently not sold online) 
heading out on friday afternoon
brunch here. i can't believe i've become one of those people who willingly dips fries in mayonnaise. oh well. i put it on corn, too. p.s. i still like chez billy more.
catching some rays
being lazy on monday


i got rid of so much clothes this weekend, and it feels awesome. we spent a good chunk of saturday afternoon going through every drawer, basket and closet hanger and getting rid of stuff. we took an insane amount of stuff to the thrift store up the street.

i love clearing stuff out like that.
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hope your weekend was nice and relaxing.

perfect friday weather



today, dc's showing us exactly what a friday afternoon in may is supposed to look like.


hope your weekend is a good one. 

meow

two years ago, when we moved from our tiny dupont studio and into our current rowhouse, one of the things i was most excited about was being able to have a garden. i've always wanted to wear a cute sunhat, get my hands dirty and have some homegrown tomatoes and peppers.

last year, it didn't happen. with our wedding in june and with us traveling (what seemed like) almost every weekend in the summer, gardening just wasn't the priority. 

this year, things are different and i'm ready to try it out.

there's just one problem: our neighborhood is overrun with stray cats. 
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we used to park our car in the off-street parking space (my god that felt like a luxury after living downtown for so many years) and in the morning, the car would have no less than ten cats chilling on it. just sitting there.

now, even though i'm a dog person, i don't really mind these feline friends that much. they don't really cause any trouble and tend to keep to themselves for the most part.

but the thing is, they shit in our yard ALL THE TIME. everywhere. like you can't walk two feet without stepping in some. they've even been known to leave a present for us right on the front porch. so gross.
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we've brought this up to pretty much everyone we know. mostly, because it's kind of a funny "problem" to have and secondly, to get their take on how to have them stop crapping all over our yard.

we've heard everything: buy sprays at home depot (don't work), sprinkle red pepper flakes in your grass (nope), shoot them with a bb gun (um, never?). but nothing has worked.

i was talking with a coworker the other day who also happens to be an experienced gardener. i told her my concern, about growing catshit tomatoes instead of delicious ones, and she immediately introduced me to the scare crow.

see below.


this is a motion-activated device that shoots out a quick spray of water when something is walking through your lawn. i was intrigued. we'll only keep it in the backyard so as not to piss off and/or soak the mail carrier, but i think this has real promise.

i had always wanted a nontoxic and humane way of dealing with these cats and this seemed like the perfect thing. 

it arrived in the mail yesterday. and the reviews on amazon are some of the most glowing i've ever read.

if this works out, and we can actually have a garden this summer, i'm going to be pumped.

i'll let you know how it goes.

loren hope


i've fallen hard for loren hope's really amazing line of jewelry. 

all of the statement necklaces out there were starting to look way too similar (i'm looking at you, j crew bubble necklace and its many many imitators) and i was really craving something fresh, modern and fun.

i think this smart line of accessories really fits that description, and i've selected a few of my favorites below.



1 | 2 | 3
1 (as seen here) | 2 | 3
1 | 2

these pieces are special and they're some of the coolest looking jewelry (for a pretty affordable price) i've seen in quite a while.


three cheers for something new.

rainbow


rounding up some office-appropriate dresses in every color of the rainbow was a post i've planned to do for a while now. i wanted to do it just because i thought it would be pretty.



red | orange | yellow | blue | green | indigo | violet

but today seemed like the perfect day to do it. 

and here's a necklace, some earrings and a cuff that would go well with these looks. but i'd only wear the necklace with the scoop neck dresses (orange, green, indigo).

 

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