A Good Love Story

Girlfriends- If you need a good chick flick, here are my current recommendations.

Movies aren't typically my thing, but I sure do enjoy a good love story every now and then. I watched Country Strong the other day for the first time & I never realized how much I like Gwenyth Paltrow as an actress...she has such a pretty & clear singing voice. Garrett Hedlund isn't so bad himself! I'm a sucker for his deep, raspy-ish voice. This scene made me melt...so I had to download the full song off the soundtrack when the movie was over.

And while we're on the subject....I have to recommend "Crazy, Stupid, Love" as well. I had a movie date with my friend Emily yesterday and it was the perfect choice. Well, anything with Ryan Gosling is a perfect choice in my opinion. I left feeling all giddy like a teenager. Steve Carell is also in it & he never lets me down. Gotta love Steve. So, here's the trailer if you care to take a peek!

Caroline

Yoga

On Wednesday I went to Savannah Power Yoga (in Sandfly) just to do a little something different and change up my workout routine. It is now Friday and I can feel every muscle in my body. Even my fingers and toes are a little sore. At SPY, they crank up the heat and make you sweat. I had sweat dripping off the ends of my hair. Looked like I had jumped into a pool. (TMI? Sorry.) When I left though... I felt SO invigorated and my skin looked remarkable! I think I sweated out ALL impurities in my body...no literally, every single one. I was so refreshed afterwards. Why I don't get into a yoga routine, I don't know. Everytime I do it, I rave about it for days to everyone I know. Its just one of those things I like to do once in awhile. If you've never done hot yoga, you should. You'll either love it or hate it....maybe even pass out. I seriously considered getting up and walking out a few times b/c I thought I might not make it. It's intense.

I was brave enough to venture next door to the Piggly Wiggly afterwards in my sweat drenched clothes. I needed some avacadoes to make fresh guacamole!! It was important. Maybe I shouldn't have...lots of funny looks from normal people who were going about their day in dry clothes. I was hoping not to run into anyone I know. That never happens in your neighborhood grocery store. Of course a mom of one of my students was in the line ahead of me. I just didnt make eye contact, quickly paid for my avacadoes and bolted. Anywhooo... do some yoga, you'll feel better!

Caroline

Clean Sheets

Amen to that! Every Sunday is my clean sheet day. Its ritualistic. It just makes for a nice start to my week, ya know? Well, of all the things I love about clean sheets, there is one thing I despise. Folding them. Specifically, the FITTED one. What a waste? Grab the "ears," flip it inside out, match them up, yadda yadda yadda. It takes two people and its a pain. Everytime I try it looks like a jelly roll anyway.

So then one day I came across this little gem of a saying. "Life's too short to fold fitted sheets." I felt so liberated! I guess I'm not the only one who completely sucks at it. From now on...no time wasted on the stupid fitted sheets. Jelly rolling it up and proud to admit it.

Now off to cook some noodles for my dinner in the time I saved from folding a fitted sheet.

Thank you very much!

Caroline

** I realize today is Monday. I'm a day off.

Playing Martha Stewart

I've been crafting it up over here lately. Ever since Pinterest came along, the world has been my oyster! There's not enough time in the day to make all the projects I have pinned. Here's what I've been up to lately.

1) Window Frame Chicken Wire Message Board, inspired from this one from Etsy. I went on an adventure over to my grandparents house in South Carolina to round up this old frame. I knew they would have some good junk in their old barn behind the house (and I mean that in the nicest way possible!) Their trash is my treasure. I was pleased with the finished product. So Shabby- Chic!

2) Framed Letter after seeing this design on Esty...I knew I could make one, easy peasy. My first attemt was an epic fail. I tried to super glue the letter to the fabric. No good, my friends. Looked like a Kindergartener got a hold of it. Iended up attaching it with a paper bag

handle. Just use your imagination. I kinda like it. Doesn't it make such a perfect addition to my shelving? Very Pottery Barn-ish (thank you Cathlin.) New picture frames are my next mission for the shelves. They need some work.

3) Fabric Covered Pumpkin, my most favorite project in awhile. I just discovered what a "fat quarter" of fabric was a day before I found out how to make this....in which the directions state: USE 1 FAT QUARTER OF FABRIC. I felt like a pro for having this knowledge. So, I will be welcoming Fall with this little guy. Pumpkin is ready to decorate the mantle. And ready for sister and brother pumpkins to be made. PS: I realize this picture makes it look more like an apple...but I will use orange on the next one.

4) Vase Twine-Wrapped Hanging Lantern. (Click the link to see a much better picture & a tutorial on how to make.) Very simple and elegant. And simple enough for me to make in about 15 minutes! Its not quite completed yet though. I'm still looking for a candle to go inside. The small tea candle doesn't quite cut it.

5) REAL Rice Crispies. Haven't made these things since '91. Ever since Kelloggs took over the rice crispy treat market, I feel like the real things have taken a

back seat.Well, I brought them back and they were marvelous. Much greasier than the pre-packaged ones. The best part was eating the gooey leftovers out of the pot. Truth be told, that ended up being my lunch for the day. Next time I might add some chocolate chips if I'm feeling adventurous.

So for all of you who asked, what are you plans for this summer? This is what I do. This is my relaxation. Ahhh, an outlet for some creativity.

Another PS: Right now must be feeding time for baby birds because they are chirping away (meep! meep! meep!) right outside my window as I'm typing.

Caroline

Baby Birds III

Look at us! We're getting our big bird wings!

Corey Smith

Forgive me for re-living my college years last night, but Corey Smith came to town and I really love him. And live music. His honesty in songwriting is my favorite thing about him. He said last night that to be a good songwriter you have to be honest, and if you're honest you're probably going to offend someone sooner or later. Well... a few of his songs are pretty offensive, but he plays it off with such charm. For all you other Corey fans who couldn't make it, you missed a good show! He played for a solid 2 hours. Pretty impressive. Being the "list" person that I am, I made sure to write down his set-list as he played so I woudn't forget anything.

He opened up with: 1) Maybe Next Year

2) Party

3) In Love With A Memory

4) $8 Bottle of Wine

5) Broken Record

6) The Redneck In Me

7) Something To Lose

8)Drinkin' Again

9) You Don't Know How It Feels (Tom Petty cover)

10) Backroads

11) Collide

12) Drugs

13) Carolina

14) Great Day To Be Alive (Travis Tritt cover)

15) I Love Black People

16) Every Dawg Has Its Day

17)Harmony

18) This Little Light of Mine (medley)

19) Twenty-One

(exits stage left.....COREY, COREY, COREY, COREY) ....just kidding...that didn't happen (the chanting part). But he did come back and sing a few more...

20)F * The Po-Po

21) The Bottle...Lord, won't you show him heaven after all the hell that he's been through...

22) Desperado (Eagles cover)

And he ended with: 24) If I Could Do It Again

Had fun, Cath and Courts! We'll have to do it again (no pun intended)

Caroline

Fresh Tomatoes

Last week a friend gave me some fresh tomatoes from her parents house in Aiken, South Carolina. She piled them in my bag...atleast 6. "No, no!" I said..."I can't eat that many by myself. They'll go bad!" Well, I ate that many by myself. And I went to Brighter Day to buy MORE fresh tomatoes, but they weren't nearly as good. How did I eat the tomatoes you ask? Cracker Salad.

1 tomato

A little bit of chopped up vidalia onion (raw)

Season with salt and pepper

Add about a tablespoon of mayo

Crumble some Saltines on top and you're done! Quick lunch. Nothing special, but oh so good!

Also, you must try this delectable sandwich....a fancy twist to the grilled cheese. Mozzarella, fresh tomato, and basil- pesto. That was dinner last night. I think I'm going to turn into a tomato.

Here is the lonely tomato plant on my porch that I've had for months now. She is barren and sickly. Thanks for nothing....

Since we're on the subject of food (probably my favorite subject)...Have you ever tried grapes on your cereal instead of the standard banana or berries? Just a little trick I learned at Camp DeSoto. I highly reccommend it.

Enjoy your day!

Caroline

Baby Birds II

We now have 3 babies and they are looking more gray and fuzzy than pink and newly hatched.

FEED ME! FEED ME!

Pinterest

Pinterest, where have you been all my life? For all you people who love organizing as much as I do, this is the ultimate website. Here, you can "organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web," and make a collection of all your favorite things. Its like a virtaul storage shelf where you can stash your ideas and bring them to life at a later date! (Or...maybe they will never come to life, but atleast they are stored and ready.)

I don't really know how else to express the wonder of this site....so if you click HERE you will find a more detailed explanation.

Also, here is the link to my pinterest page so that you can snoop around and see my collection of favorites.

Hurry up and make your own account so that I can see what YOU love.

Caroline

Baby Birds

It all started with me wanting a fern to hang outside on my front porch.

I found a half-way healthy looking one at Piggly Wiggly of all places and it has served it's purpose of making my house (condo) look more like a home. Well, not long after the fern was hung I began to notice that birds would swoop out of the fern and fly away every time I opened the door. I took the fern down, peeked inside, and much to my delight.....there was a nest made up of all kinds of tidbits....pinestraw, moss, dried grass, even a pink wrist band from the bar. Very resourceful. Momma bird has good taste adding a splash of pink to the nest. I hoped that my moving the fern around wouldn't keep the birds from laying eggs and sure enough it didn't! A few days later I found 3 little blue eggs, then 2 more the next day. I've been waiting to hear little peeps coming from the fern. When I checked today, look what I found! Two little fuzzy, pink babies. I

wish the pictures were clearer but I didn't want to disturb them too much. I will check back tomorrow and try to get a better one with my real camera. There are 3 more to be hatched and I'm tempted to sit there and wait patiently for the eggs to crack right before my very eyes. But...I returned the fern to its hook so that nature can run its course and I will try to not look again until tomorrow.

What shall I name them? They have to have names! Any suggestions?

Caroline

My Dream House

Its okay to dream. Lots of my daydreams are made up of having a house of my own and a family to fill it up. One lazy Sunday I drove around Isle of Hope and took a few pictures of my favorite houses around here. None of them are huge or extravagant, but they draw me in for some reason or another. So let's take a look. [Sidenote: If you recognize any of these houses...or if it is your house...I hope you don't mind that I'm sharing. Please take it as a compliment!]

So here is house #1: (same as in the picture above) This one used to be a shack that was torn down and rebuilt. Whoever re-designed it did a fine job. I love the red, tin roof and the double front doors. The yellow exterior with white porch rails looks fresh and crisp to me. The huge oak tree in the front is so southern and the American flag on the side by the palm tree is a nice touch.

Now on to house #2: A brighly colored front door is a new favorite of mine. I've seen lots of people picking up on the trend lately and I LIKE it. Green is my color, so of course I love this front door. The main reason why I am drawn to this house is because of the front porch. They have recently added outdoor furniture with a Pottery Barn-ish look to it, white linen sofa cushions and (you can't see it in this picture) curtains that are tied together in the middle on the far left and right sides of the porch. The wrought iron hanging lanterns also make it very elegant. And when does a white picket fence NOT look good? I think its perfect.

House #3: Once again, the white picket fence, the trellis covered in confederate jasmine, the bright, bold, red exterior with white trim. Rocking chair on the front porch. Its hard to see in this picture, but their yard is always imacculate and landscaped to a T. Its also surrounded by oak trees. How peaceful. This picture really does not do it justice, but I love the barn look of this house- not in an "Old MacDonald" way. Maybe cottage is a better word?

And that concludes my house-hunting....Its fun to pretend...

Caroline