A Weekend in Savannah

Happy Friday guys! We're heading to Savannah, GA this weekend for a friend's wedding. I'm excited to spend some time with one of my favorites in such a beautiful city. We don't have much on our agenda but we plan to do brunch on Saturday and wander around the city for the remainder of the day hopefully stopping in some of the beautiful squares and of course the SCAD store!

Do you guys have any big plans for the weekend?

- Heath

all images via Southern Living

Mastering Lasagna

A while back I mentioned one thing on my winter to do list was to master a lasagna. Lasagna is one of those things I just feel like I should know how to make. It's the perfect recipe to whip up for a group but before now we had never attempted it.

So one evening a few weeks ago Andy and I gathered our ingredients and set out to make lasagna. We used this recipe from Tyler Florence but added a little more sauce to ours. I will warn you it makes a lot, so much that our dish was almost overflowing. I was worried so we baked ours on a baking sheet but it was fine. If you have a deep casserole dish this would be the perfect time to pull it out.

 

It was the perfect night of cooking together followed by an even more perfect meal.

We paired it with our favorite simple caeser salad (a recipe from MK's mother in law) and our favorite red wine. We learned our lesson and will definitely cook this for a group next time, we were eating lasagna for days! But I'm glad we now have a go to recipe to whip up next time we have company coming.

Up next, I'd like to try this mushroom lasagna recipe from Ina. MK made it once and we loved it, we're big mushroom eaters! Do you have a go to lasagna recipe? I'd love to hear any of your favorites.

- Heath

Photo Diary | Snowshoe Ski Trip

Last weekend during the snow storm we snuck away for a quick ski trip to Snowshoe, WV. I've pulled together some photos if you're interested.

Nursery Glider DIY

A few weeks ago we shared pictures of Virginia's nursery and I mentioned that we kind of DIYed her glider.  This project was really J.D.'s.  I didn't help much other than picking out the fabric, but I'm really happy we went this direction.  When we first started looking around for Virginia's nursery, I felt like baby furniture was so expensive.  Most nursery items are not pieces that you'll use in your home forever so I knew I didn't want to spend too much on them.  (That's why we went with an inexpensive crib, and that's surely why I didn't want to spend tons on a glider!)

One weekend J.D. and I were shopping around an antique salvage yard looking for old doors to use in our kitchen renovation.  We luckily found a perfect door but while we were there their was also an auction taking place.  There was a beat up old chair sitting there that no one wanted.  I asked the owners about it and they basically said if you want it, it's free!  I scooped it up and figured I'd use it somewhere.  J.D. started googling around and found the perfect base that you can add to any chair to make it a rocker/glider.  We (J.D.) sawed off the legs of our free chair, screwed on the new glider base that we ordered, and then we took it to be completely reupholstered in new fabric.  Perfect little solution for Virginia's room, and it didn't cost as much or look as basic as what you typically find in all of the standard baby stores.

 

 

A few tips to make this project more affordable, you HAVE to use inexpensive fabric, and you HAVE to get a deal on the chair you plan to use.  If you look on Craigslist, try to pay close to nothing for the chair you want to use.  You can always find old chairs on Craigslist.  I've never paid more than $75 for any in my house.  Also, look for remnant fabrics.  If you splurge on a fabric, this project will get pricey quickly.  Last thing, if you live in a (kinda) big city, drive the chair to a smaller town to be reupholstered.  We were quoted $500 to reupholster the chair in Charlotte.  My parents live in Columbia, SC and I was quoted $200 there.  So the chair and I took a little day trip to Columbia to save $300.  So, cheap chair, plus cheap fabric, plus small town upholsterer and you hopefully will have yourself a really cute little glider for much less than a Pottery Barn option!

Last thing, I  know this post is getting long!  One night J.D. was giving Virginia her bedtime bottle and I heard the loudest crash of my life.  Serious screaming and a serious thud.  I looked at the monitor quickly and I could only see J.D.'s leg's flying in the air.  I went running upstairs.  J.D. and Virginia were on the floor.  It wasn't pretty.  When our upholsterer reupholstered the chair, he didn't screw the base back on with proper screws.  Make triple sure your base is secure before you go rocking away in it.  Luckily sweet Virginia wasn't hurt, but it shook all three of us up!  Just be sure it's really secure before you give it a go! :)

~Mary Keller

Around Here

 

Happy Monday everyone!  Our weekend was pretty uneventful, which was actually kind of nice.  Heath and I started the weekend off early on Thursday with friends at Book Club.  It's always the best seeing girl friends.  Friday night was a bit more low key.  Heath and Andy had an at home Steak date night, went hiking at Crowder mountain on Saturday, and then had tacos and margaritas to finish off the weekend on Sunday.  J.D. and I really didn't do much.  A lot of house cleaning, and long walks (which turned into runs because Virginia has decided she doesn't like the stroller unless you're running) and sitting on the front porch relaxing.  Our big weekend events included feeding Virginia rice cereal for the first time and Virginia having her first little photoshoot (which of course meant I got to pick out sweet little outfits for her!).  We did take out Thai Saturday night, and Sunday enjoyed Gwyneth's White Bean and Kale soup.  So good and so healthy!  Highly recommend!

 

Hope everyone has a good week! 

 

~Mary Keller

 

Work to Weekend Wear

Does anyone else struggle with the balance of buying clothes that are appropriate for work versus the weekend? It’s a constant battle for me! While my office isn’t a super strict suits every day environment it definitely requires conservative business attire, which just isn’t what my weekend looks like. It’s impossible (and expensive!) to have a separate wardrobe for each so I find myself really trying to find transition pieces that can be worn for both. Here is what seems to transition the best for me…

Trends - When I'm wearing a trendy item, I keep the remainder of my outfit very conservative. I wear booties and other trendier shoes to work but always pair them a classic pencil skirt or basic black dress. Note – they may not necessarily be “trendy” to some people but to the world of business/finance they are and you should recognize this.

Casual - When wearing a more casual shirt I tend to dress up the rest of my outfit. I’ve worn some nicer sweatshirts and tees to work lately but I always pair them with a dressy necklace and basic black pumps. Focus on materials here, a cotton t-shirt needs a more dressy wool or cashmere sweater to make it work for the office.

Versatile - And not to sound like a broken record but I can’t stress enough how much wear I get out of a basic button down. Perfect with any pants or skirts for work but easily worn with jeans on the weekend! If white isn’t your thing patterns can generally work here too but this isn’t the place to mix a floral shirt with a striped skirt, save that for the weekend.

I realize this may not apply to everyone but for those of you in a business setting I’d love to hear any items you've found that work well for you. Or those of you who don’t work in a business environment don’t make me jealous with what you wear on a daily basis but I’d still be interested in how you’ve found balance between your work and weekend wear.

- Heath

Snow Days

Sorry for the silence guys. Even though the snow is long gone here in Charlotte we are still trying to get back to normal. From Wednesday to Friday of last week it came down big time in Charlotte. At one point both MK and my parents in Columbia lost power! We snapped a few pics and even more snow followed these. It really was beautiful. MK and JD managed to finish up work early and walked in the pretty snow to the neighborhood bar for pimento cheese burgers. Andy and I escaped for a long drive to West Virginia for a quick ski trip. Andy deemed it his favorite Valentine's ever. After losing power, the rest of my family joined us and it was a wonderful weekend filled with skiing, back gammon(newly obsessed with this game!) and of course snuggles with the cutest little girl ever.

Hope you guys had a wonderful weekend and for those in the South hope you were able to get out and play in the snow!

- Heath

PS Virginia is having some pictures taken this weekend and the bottom left photo is her practicing, too cute!

The Paris Print Shop

Have you guys ever seen the prints in The Paris Print Shop?  Their photography is so gorgeous.  I have one of their smaller prints in my bathroom, but I'm really loving these new extra large prints.  It's so hard to find good looking extra large art, especially that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.  I think these would make the perfect statement in almost any room.

I wouldn't mind a copy of their book, Paris in Color, either. :)

~Mary Keller

All images via The Paris Print Shop

A Valentine's Brunch Date

We're heading out of town this weekend so last weekend Andy and I decided to have a proper brunch date for Valentine's. Breakfast is one of my favorite meals so a brunch date is perfect for me. We made one of our standby recipes, an easy frittata. This is the perfect recipe to throw together with pretty much anything you have on hand. We used mushrooms, onions, ham and cheese but anything will work. Mix your ingredients with slightly beaten eggs and milk - pour into your pan, we love a cast iron skillet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. We topped ours with parsley and scallions because we had them on hand and because I LOVE scallions with eggs.

It's one of our favorites and it would be perfect for a group too. This 10" cast iron skillet used 8 eggs and would feed about 8 people easily. Because it bakes for 45 minutes, you have plenty of time to mingle with guests too. 

We also tried this Campari and Blood Orange cocktail. I loved it, but Andy wasn't a fan. The Campari makes it bitter but I thought it was a good change from the traditional bloody mary's and mimosas.

Happy brunching!

- Heath

Around Here

Happy Monday everyone!  We had such a good, relaxing weekend!  Friday night J.D., Heath, Andy and I all joined a group of friends for Thai at our favorite local spot.  Saturday, after J.D.'s Saturday AM workout he brought home Poppy's Bagels for breakfast.  (Seriously, the BEST real bagels in Charlotte for locals!)  Later that day, we all went for a walk that ended at 131 Main's firepit and had snacks and drinks before walking home.  The fire and Heath entertained Virginia for a while which was nice.  Sunday, we grabbed a quick brunch, and I actually went for a run!  It was only my second run since Virginia was born so it was super short, but still I was feeling pretty proud of myself. :)  I'm slooowly starting to implement those resolutions!  Hope everyone has a good week!

~Mary Keller

Valentine's Date Night

J.D. and I try to have a little at home date night about every other weekend or so where we actually cook together and sit down to a proper meal.  Otherwise, we'll both spend our weekend evenings (happily) staring at the tv, enjoying a cocktail and enjoying the peace and quiet while the baby's sleeping.  Admittedly, for our recent date night I picked a simple menu and a pink Rose because I thought of how cute it would be for Valentine's day and the 'ole blog, but guys, this really did turn out to be a pretty perfect little Valentine's date!  First, it was SUPER easy with few ingredients, and really inexpensive, and really delicious.  Even the pink Rose that I picked out (which I picked because it was the least expensive Rose at the wine shop) turned out to be delicious; even J.D. thought so surprisingly!

Okay, this date night included a simple arugula salad, Ina's Pecorino and Pepper Pasta and to wash it all down a sparkling Rose.  We pulled out the wedding china for this one!  For the salad, I just tossed arugula with a little salt, olive oil, spritz of fresh lemon and shaved pecorino.  For the pasta, this had to be the easiest main course.  We followed Ina's pasta recipe, with a few exceptions.  We didn't use a mortar and pestle to crush the peppercorns; we just used our standard pepper grinder.  We used fresh black pepper pasta from Pasta and Provisions in Charlotte, but this would be just as good (probably better) with standard plain pasta.  We found this dish to be really so delicious, but a little too peppery for us.  It may have been because we used a pepper pasta, but I think even with plain pasta it would be a little too peppery for me.  So I'd recommend adding half the amount of pepper that Ina suggests, then add more to taste when you're finished with the dish.  We just had a little store bought focaccia bread on the side.  And that Rose, we both really randomly enjoyed it, perfect to switch things up on a Valentine's night.  More pictures from the evening below:

I'd much prefer an evening in like this instead of spending my Valentine's at a restaurant with crowds and marked up prices.  If you're looking for an easy, special evening, give this little menu a shot! 

~Mary Keller 

Book Club

Our book club got together the other week and we've decided on a new format that I'm really excited about.  We used to pick next month's book at the end of each book club.  By the time we got around to actually getting the book, half the month would pass and we'd never end up finishing the book by the time the next book club came around.  Really the past few months we've been more focused on wine and we haven't even picked books to read. :)

So our friend Kelsey hosted us at the end of January and we each got out our calendar and went ahead and planned a few months in advance.  We picked dates and books for the next four months.  When I got home I went ahead and ordered them all at once.  Saves on shipping, you're much more likely to read when you already have the book, and you're much more likely to make it to book club if it's already on your calendar.

We've heard good things about our next four picks.  We're starting with Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple.  We've heard it's a really light hearted, easy read, perfect to get us actually reading again!  We've also picked The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love.  We've heard it's even better than her first.  Sue Monk Kidd's The Invention of Wings is an Oprah Book Club pick so we feel like we can't go wrong, and I'm seeing The Fault in Our Stars by John Green everywhere lately so we're going to give it a try.

Don't worry, our group will still be focused on wine, and even with this new format I'm sure we can still count on Heath and Kelsey not reading. :)  What's everyone else reading?  We'd love to hear.  It's always so hard for us to come up with good picks!

~Mary Keller

French 5

A few weeks ago in my resolutions for 2014 I mentioned that I’d like to get my wardrobe in better shape with basics so I can implement the “French 5” concept of shopping going forward.  So now let’s talk about this concept a little more.  The concept of the French 5 is simple - it's based on the classically minimal French style of dressing, with the goal being to limit your purchases to 5 purchases per season.  Think quality over quantity.

I’ve noticed that I’m drawn to a more simple sense of style. Take these images for example; there is nothing that jumps out at you about these women, no major statements being made with trends etc., but they both appear super stylish (at least to me!).  So in an effort to keep my attention (and dollars) focused on things like traveling and saving for a house I decided to get my wardrobe up to date with the basics and give this French 5 a whirl.  So here are the French 5 rules…

 First and most important - only FIVE new pieces per season allowed (I’m going with 2 seasons (warm and cool) so 10 items per year. Many would debate 4 seasons but for now I'm sticking with 2.)

 Second - basics and delicates do NOT count in your five (unless they are overly expensive)

Third - handbags and shoes DO count

Last - accessories don’t count (I’m still fine tuning this rule because it could easily get out of hand)

So here are what I consider my classic basics… some I own and some I’m on the hunt for… 

Note - these basics are probably similar for everyone but not necessarily the exact same.  I’ve seen some using a smaller list than this but I just don’t see how. Maybe I’ll try to reevaluate one more time before nailing it down.

I'm excited to give this a try!  I think it will simplify not only my day to day dressing but the entire process of shopping as well. What do you think?  Do you think if you were up to date with all of these basics, you could limit yourself to just 5 pieces per season? 

- Heath

top images unknown and via Mangoandsalt.com

Welcome February

February's here so it's time for all things pink and pretty!  J.D. and I do not exchange any type of Valentine's gifts or anything like that, but I don't think I'd be disappointed if cupid brought me any of these beautiful things...

Essie Sugar Daddy Nail Polish . Clara Earrings by Loren Hope . Paris Postcard set by the Paris Print Shop . Sunburst Studs Rose Earrings by Loren Hope . Paule Marrot Pillow from Biscuit . Duchess Peony Candle from Biscuit . Fiona Coral Tray by Biscuit

Around Here

Happy Monday everyone!  It's amazing what a difference good weather makes in a weekend, isn't it?  We really didn't do anything too crazy this weekend, but the weekend seemed so good with sunshine and nice temps.  J.D., Virginia and I went to visit and see some good friends' new house on Saturday, and then grabbed lunch at Dish in Plaza Midwood.  Sunday we spent most of the day at the park and on a nice walk before we headed home to cheer on Peyton Manning and the Broncos.

Heath and Andy spent Friday night at Noda Brewery, and maybe had a little too much fun so they spent most of Saturday "relaxing". :)  Sunday they brunched, made a sweet stop at Sunflour, Heath did nails, and then they met us at the park to watch Virginia play on the swings.  She loves their attention.  Hope everyone has a good week.  My fingers are crossed this good weather continues, but I'm doubting it!

~Mary Keller