The Bachelorette ... In My Foyer

This post title may be a little deceiving at first, but hang with me.

I wanted to share with you the journey of our hutch!

Back in early May, I was antique shopping with my mother-in-law when I spotted this beautiful hutch at one of my favorite Charlotte spots, Sleepy Poet.

Of course she just had to come home with me, and I thought I had the perfect place for her in our dining room.  Problem is, the grey of the hutch clashed frightfully with our grey walls, and it was also a little too short and too deep for the area.  UGH.

Crisis averted when I had a lightbulb moment and moved her out to our foyer.  She fit perfectly.

The original idea when she was in the dining room was to hold our crystal and some other special serving pieces.  Now, out in the foyer, the shelves hold items that are special to us.

Special family photographs are of course featured.

And my King Edward 1902 coronation cup (story here).

And a very honored possession of ours, the cake plates that we used at our wedding -- a gift from my sister Laura.

The hutch has a lot of cabinet space underneath it, which is where I store some of my vases.

So what did I mean by the Bachelorette being in my foyer?

Well, the booth at Sleepy Poet that I bought the hutch from is called Dumped and Discovered.  They even have a great blog where they diary some of their finds and how they revamp their items.  Recently, they featured my hutch!  The story of my hutch tells how she hailed from an estate sale in Washington, DC.  And her story is aptly compared to our dear friend Emily of Bachelorette fame. 

Thanks, Sarah, for giving me an idea of the background of my hutch and the process she underwent to get her extreme makeover!

Click here for the story.

Saturday Night Brews

This past Saturday night, we met up with friends for something a little out of the ordinary.

We checked out two local Charlotte breweries!

I wore my new neon pink tank and chevron maxi skirt, both from Old Navy during their 40% off sale last Wednesday.  (Shhhh: The skirt is a maternity skirt, and no, I am not with bebe!  It just has a wider waistband which expands for belly growth due to pregancy ... or beer-imbibing)

The first stop for our evening was NoDa Brewing Company, which boasted quite a fun selection.

One of the featured beers of the evening was this NoDajito, which was a lighter beer with hints of mint and citrus.  Of course I gave it a run!  It was quite tasty.

After a while, the boys ventured out to the Auto Burger & Fry Guys food truck right there at the brewery to bring us all dinner.

Ian ordered the most amazing turkey burger for me that was topped with gooey cheese and sauteed spinach.

After dinner, we walked next door to Birdsong Brewing Company.

Their selection was quite good also, and we all ordered the same beer -- their Jalapeno Pale Ale.  It had the exact taste of fresh jalapenos minus the crazy spiciness.

Not too long afterwards, a crazy storm rolled in, and we were so thankful for the covered deck.  They even have a huge oversized game of Jenga that some folks started playing.

It was a great way to spend the weekend trying something new.

Itchy Trigger Finger

Sometimes I get that itchy trigger finger  mouse-clicker finger.

When the clock switches from 10:59am to 11:00am and the online sales start, you sometimes just HAVE to take a little teensy peek.

When I saw this Status By Chenault top pop up on Hautelook this morning, I had to pounce.

Source: hautelook.com via April on Pinterest

Source: hautelook.com via April on Pinterest

It was only $26, dear friends!
If you're not on the Hautelook wagon yet, here's an invitation link.
Happy shopping. 

Simple Pleasures

Friday I was in a mood.
A frowny sourpuss mood.

I was texting with Ian and basically just being a bit of a baby.  Sometimes a gal just needs to vent.  After my small whine-fest with him over some work drama, I felt about 15% better.

And after my Friday 5pm dance party in the car on my way home, I was feeling about 36% better.

And after I walked into the house and laid my eyes on these surprise flowers from him, I was up to 92% better.

And when I rushed into the office to thank him with a hug, and then he told me that my next surprise was in the fridge, I was up to 100% better.

DING DING DING!

It's the small pleasures in life, truly.

I might have to pull the whiny-baby trick a little more often.

It's Whats For Dinner

This, to us, is a perfect Sunday night meal cooked at home.

Lettuce-wrap burgers with Swiss cheese and okra "fries" ... roasted and crispy halved okra, with plenty of ketchup for dipping.  :) 

Making A Statement

Last weekend, I began my Friday evening sitting at my jewelry table with a chilly glass of wine and an intense fervor to create some new blings for my A. Liz Designs shop.

I couldn't get enough of it ... and had my husband not come home around 8:15 with my total weakness -- Dean & Deluca's cobb salad -- I could have stayed right there at my little workstation until I laid my head down on my arms and fell asleep.

So, new in the shop are several pairs of earrings and a few necklaces ... but those that I'm most excited about are these large statement earrings featuring natural stones.  Some have been dye-enhanced to give them a true POW! factor.

These statement earrings all hang approximately 3" from the very tippity top to the bottom.  You can do your shopping, if you so desire, here.

I can't wait to be back at the jewelry table again tonight!

Fresh Apple Cake

When the produce is so bountiful this time of year, I am always happy to find a tasty and easy recipe to add to our collection.  This recipe is so darn simple, and you can sub in whatever type of fruit you have on hand.

Fresh Apple Cake

Ingredients:

Fresh Fruit, sliced if large (I used two Rome apples)

Package yellow cake mix

Stick of butter

Layer your apple slices (or other fruit) at the bottom of a pan that has been coated with non-stick spray. I love using a 9x13 Pyrex dish just like this one.

Sprinkle on boxed cake mix.

I didn't even use the entire box -- save a little if you please, and then you can use it to make single-serving versions of this same recipe when you get a sweet tooth!

Melt an entire stick of butter in your glass measuring cup.
Don't judge me.

Pour butter over the fruit and dry cake mix.

Edit: Usually, I've found that the butter and the moisture from the fruit is enough to soak into the dry mix and create a nice cooked crust.  If, however, when cooking, you find that some of your cake mix still looks powdery, you can try sprinkling a few tablespoons of water over those areas to ensure thorough cooking.  You could also do this preemtively at this point when you've poured the butter over the dry cake mix.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35-45 minutes -- it's done when it is nice and bubbly.

We topped ours, of course, with a little vanilla ice cream.  Americana at its best!

Three ingredients, and a stellar recipe.  I can truly recommend this as a must-try!

I'd love to hear your tweaks to the recipe that have worked well for you -- I made this recipe last month using blueberries and it was positively delicious :)  Happy baking, ya'll.

Other Recipes Ya'll Loved:

Nutella Mousse

Tomato Pie

Chess Pie

Tipsy Bears

Cucumber Gimlet Cocktail

Three Wednesday Lovies

Wednesday is one of my favorite weekdays.  Right smack-dab in the middle of the workweek, we've got the excitement of Thursday (aka, Friday-Eve) and glorious Friday ahead of us.  And being that my fave cardio classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I justify to myself that if I workout on Wednesdays -- yay for me; if I skip a Wednesday workout, it's okay -- I did one the night prior and will do one the night following.

... Rrrright?

Here are some things that have been making my week lovely.

My go-to hairstyle.
It's been hot, rainy, and humid out this week, so a work-friendly updo is perfect for me.  I just braid pigtails with a black hairband at the bottom of the braid only, tie them in a knot at the back of my head, tuck in the ends, and secure with bobby pins.  This chick has thicker hair than me (and that untucked end is driving me a bit batty), but here's the tutorial I used.

Source: hartandsew.blogspot.com via Sherri on Pinterest

Simple produce-based meal planning.
My weekend farmers market jaunts have been stocking us for the week with plenty of summer produce.  Lettuce, squash, corn, a purple pepper, okra, green beans, an avocado, blackberries, strawberries, a mango ... this all came home with me Saturday.  I rely on our tried-and-true sides during the workweeks -- roasted okra, sauteed green beans, salads, squash casserole -- and then just add in an easy entree.  Monday, to go along with our sauteed green beans and parmesan roasted tomatoes, I made Kate's Chicken with Mustard Sauce and we loved it.  Highly recommended!  Last night we had huge Southwestern salads with shredded chicken, romaine, grilled fresh corn, black beans, tomatoes, avocado.  I adapted this recipe from Erin's Taco Salad and followed her dressing to a tee -- ranch (we used light) and taco seasoning mixed together.

Source: elleskitchen-catering.blogspot.com via April on Pinterest

Comfy days and evenings at home.
I know this photo has been making the rounds, and it's for a good reason.  I've been enjoying having a simmering pot on our stove so much.  With the recent heatwave, we have been spending tons of time inside in the comfort of our own AC.  May as well make the house smell heavenly!

Source: morganmoore.typepad.com via April on Pinterest

Today I'm happily linking up with The Vintage Apple -- visit Michelle to see all of the other favorite things that other gals have been pinning on Pinterest recently!