Summer Succotash

Succotash is one of my favorite meals. The simple mixture of light and flavorful vegetables with a dash of cream and a sprinkle of spices is irresistibly delicious. The fact that it is quick, simple and fresh make it a spring and summer staple in our home. I'm sure there are a variety of ways to whip this meal up, but I'll fill you in on the way MAC and I prepared it.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of butter

Seasoning (we used Lawry's)

2 chicken Breast chopped

1 bag of frozen Lima Beans

1 Red Pepper

1 Green Pepper

3 Ears of Corn

8 oz of Heavy Cream

Garlic Salt

Recipe:

We first prepared the Lima beans in a pot according to directions on the bag. While those were cooking, we put 1 1/2 tblsp butter in a large, deep sauté pan at medium heat and started the chicken (sprinkle your seasoning on prior to this). While the chicken was heating, we cooked corn in the microwave (3 mins on each side will cook it just like boiling, but much faster) and proceeded to cut the kernels off the husk. We also chopped the peppers into small dices and drained the Lima beans. Once the chicken had cooked through, we took it out of the sauté pan, added the remaining butter, and put all of the vegetables in the pan with some garlic salt sprinkled on for good measure. We let this sauté for just a few minutes before adding the cream and lastly the chicken to mix all of the flavors together.

This meal is healthy, delicious, easy, and provides a nice amount of leftovers! Can't get much better than that! Bon Appetit!

Weekend Goings On: Picnic in the Park

The weekend always slips away so fast, but MAC and I enjoyed every minute of it. Besides a spell of spring cleaning indoors, the majority of our weekend activities involved the outdoors, soaking in the gorgeous weather that resided over our town. Saturday evening was spent at a local event in Southwood called Pops In The Park. The symphony played on a great big lawn while we chatted with friends and had a picnic with the hubby's early anniversary gift, a Yeti cooler (its been on his wish list for quite some time, so he was one happy camper); it was such a pleasant night filled with laughs and delicious eats from local food trucks. 

With our current lease up August 1, we began the search for a new apartment/home and spent a good bit of time over the weekend driving around in hopes of finding a hidden gem! If you're in our area and know of anything, let me know! Hope you had a wonderful weekend and happy Monday!

P.S. When making plans for this upcoming weekend (always good to think ahead), I highly recommend a picnic! We haven't had one in forever and it was the best time. Seriously, the best!

Striking My Fancy: Digging the Blues

As I began assembling today's post with items that were striking my fancy, I realized that everything consisted of shades of blue. I've always had a special place in my heart for blue, but more recently I've found myself being drawn to its bright, cheerful, bold hue and I believe it has worked its way to the top of my list again. 

I plan on adding some fun pillows to our new living room chairs MAC bought me, and the ones shown below are from Joss & Main (a new decor website I have recently become addicted to) and right up my alley. Im also swooning over the geometric pattern and vibrant, cheeky colors featured on the Trina Turk IPhone case; perfect accessory for these upcoming Summer months. Lastly, the first picture featured of the blue, lush hydrangea bushes is from the May issue of Southern Living and what I want to adorn my dream yard with one day; for the present time, I'm hoping to convince the Mr. to take me to a nursery here so I can keep a pot of these beautiful blooms on my porch!

Happy Friday and cheers to a lovely weekend!

Minted Prints

This may be old news to some of you girls who are ahead of the game in the shopping/retail/blogging realm, but I recently discovered a website called Minted through a blog I follow; being introduced to new things on a daily basis is one of the many reasons why I love the blogging world. If my assumptions are correct, I believe this website creates stationary, photo cards, invitations for all sorts of occasions and also has these neat wall art prints that come in a variety of sizes with an option to frame! I adore how delicate, soft, and whimsical these pictures are and I selected a few, based on my personal likings and hobbies, that I would love to hang up on a gallery wall (I browse pictures of homes with gallery walls all the time and am lusting after one of my own)! 

I highly recommend giving there website a peek and if you do, what prints would you choose? Happy Thursday (it's almost the weekend again)!

Bookworm Wednesday

So the book I blogged about last week on Bookworm Wednesday was absolutely terrible! I have no clue as to how it was given rave reviews, but if you want my opinion, it was a depressing, strange, awful, (did I mention strange), twisted story that I would never recommend to anyone! Whew, glad I got that off my chest. Time to move on to something light-hearted and entertaining, with a hint of mystery, so my choice this week is one my Mom recently finished up called "Speaking From Among The Bones". I have had another book by Alan Bradley on my "Must Read List" so I'm interested to see how I like his writing; it can't get much worse than what I suffered through reading last week (yes I could've stopped reading, but I'm OCD in that way with books that when I start them I can't not finish them). 

Below is a fabulous coffee table book that my Mom recently purchased that is chock full of spectacular southern homes (the one featured on the front is Ben Affleck's home at Hampton Island)! Hope everyone is having a glorious Wednesday! I'm off work and spending some time with Mom in our favorite little town up the road in Georgia, you know, just doing some browsing shopping around!

Happy Dog At The Beach

In all honesty (because blog friends should be truthful, no?), I was feeling slightly un-inspired today on what to do a post on. As you may have guessed by now, I have a passion for fashion (cliche saying, maybe, but once again, just telling it like it is) and would find no greater pleasure than doing a styled outfit post on a daily basis. That comes at no easy feat, especially when you have a day job and this is your hobby/creative space. It takes time, perfect timing to be exact (early morning hours or sunset), and also a great camera, photographer (luckily I have both thanks to my multi talented Mom) and a pretty location. Picking out the outfits and accessories, setting it up just so on the blog, tagging the brands your sporting, and writing about it all can also be time consuming. Is that complaining you here? No, not in the least! Just a little background info on what all goes into attempting style posts, how my dream would be to have an opportunity to work with my Mom on a daily basis and play dress up, and also to not judge me when I post a beach picture accompanied by a poem about a beach dog (but seriously, is this not the cutest pic ever)!

 I stumbled across this shot from an older Coastal Living issue and my immediate reaction was 1) what a precious dog, 2) I would love to hop in that car for a joy ride along the coast with Bear as my passenger, and 3) when is my beach vacation going to get here?! I also happened upon this super adorable, made me smile (hopefully you will too) poem about a happy beach dog. I don't know about you, but I'm with the dog; the beach is my slice of heaven on earth.

Happy Dog

I’m a happy dog at the beach
If I had the power of speech
I would tell you all
To throw my ball
I’m a happy dog at the beach

I’m a happy dog at the beach
There are no new tricks you can teach
I’m bouncy and glad
And my tail wags like mad
I’m a happy dog at the beach

I’m a happy dog at the beach
My joy is always in reach
Whatever the talk
It’s the best place to walk
I’m a happy dog at the beach

I’m a happy dog at the beach
As I hear the seagulls screech
I chase and I bark
Long into the dark
I’m a happy dog at the beach

I’m a happy dog at the beach
And I don’t want to start to preach
But if you ask me
The best thing to see
Is a happy dog at the beach 

Like Mother, Like Daughter

My Mom: Top-Lilly Pulitzer, Shoes-Lilly Pulitzer (old), Necklace-Lilly Pulitzer (old), Scarf-Gap

Me: Top-Michael Stars, Pants-Lilly Pulitzer, Shoes-JCrew, Scarf-Gap, Watch-Miachel Kors

If you are somewhat familiar with my blog, then I can probably assume you've heard me mention how gorgeous my Mom is (I sure hope I look as well as she does at 50, crossing my fingers for those youthful genes) and what a savvy eye she has for fashion. I seriously wish you could see her on a daily basis; she's always so poised, pulled together, and chic, never going anywhere (literally) without  her lipstick. One thing is for sure, she passed on a love for fashion to me and we both find so much joy in searching for new outfits, accessories and shoes. I decided to take advantage of the fact that my Mom is quite stunning and possesses an innate fashion sense and start a new post series called "Like Mother, Like Daughter". The idea behind this is that we will choose an article of clothing that we both like (happens ALL the time) and each showcase a different way to style it; ie-show a dressed up/dressed down version or how someone older/younger might wear it. Today, we're both sporting a scarf from Gap and each put our own spin on color scheme, the feel of the outfit and the accessories. Neither of us could resist the bright mix of colors featured in this light weight, spring scarf and envisioned a multitude of ways to pair it with our wardrobes!

As I've stated before, my Mom is the sister I never had and we both have too much fun sharing clothes and "playing dress up". Hope you enjoy the new series and Happy Monday to you!

P.S. If as you're scrolling through the pictures you wonder why there are a lot more shots of myself rather than my super model Mom I've been boasting about, it's not because I'm super vain, it's because she's also a professional photographer, and I rather lack the ability to snap a shot without making it extremely blurry (it's harder than it looks folks)!

Striking My Fancy

~Striped Welt Pocket Shirts from GAP~

My mom and I did some shopping last night and surprisingly found the majority of our purchases at Gap! I got the shorts featured above and love the seaside look these blue stripes project; they would look so cute paired with a yellow or coral top! I must be on a nautical kick because I also bought a gold anchor bracelet that is equal parts dainty and chic. Lastly, what would a Friday post of things that are "striking my fancy" be without a picture of something sweet and Bear?!

On another note, I can't help but comment on the situation in Boston. I know it's frowned upon to discuss politics and religion, but I do both because they are relevant and important to me. Is anyone else completely outraged that we have allowed terrorists to live in our country, go to our schools and even receive scholarships that we as tax payers pay for?? What are we thinking? These Muslims hate us, and yet we let them live here as comfortably as possible until they decide they're ready to take action and harm us. We have got to wake up and open our eyes to reality. Drastic change in America is necessary and dire and I am praying fervently for the area of Boston and also for our country. 

~Love this delicate anchor bracelet~

~Watermelon Cookie~

~Bear always wanting to play~

Encouragement

Some days you just need to hear something positive and encouraging, so here's my dose of up-lifting words just for you.

"Trust Me and don't be afraid. Many things feel out of control. Your routines are not running smoothly. You tend to feel more secure when your life is predictable. Let Me lead you to the rock that is higher than you and your circumstances. Take refuge in the shelter of My wings, where you are absolutely secure.

When you are shaken out of your comfortable routines, grip My hand tightly and look for growth opportunities. Instead of bemoaning the loss of your comfort, accept the challenge of something new. Say yes to the ways I work in your life. Trust Me, and don't be afraid."

"Don't let unexpected events throw you off course. Rather, respond calmly and confidently, remembering that I am with you. As soon as something grabs your attention, talk with Me about it. Thus I share your joys and your problems; I help you cope with whatever is before you. This is how I live in you and work through you. This is the way of Peace."

"When you criticize or complain, you are acting as if you think you could run the world better than I do. From your limited human perspective, it may look as if I'm mismanaging things. But you don't know what I know or see what I see. I have designed you to live by faith, not by sight. I lovingly shield you from knowing the future. Acknowledge My sovereignty by giving thanks in ALL circumstances."

Sometimes we don't comprehend situations and circumstances in our life. As humans and part of our nature, we want so bad to know everything, reasons why certain things happen, but we weren't designed to and I'm so thankful that He is in control and has the perfect plan for each one of our lives, in its good and right timing.

Bookworm Wednesday + Striped Goodness

This weeks new read is The Magician's Assistant that I began on Monday when I finished up The Moonflower Vine which, by the way, was wonderful and very well written. Both of these books were given to me by my boss (so thoughtful because she knows of my love for reading) and due to my odd affinity for pretty much reading anything that's in front of me, good or bad, I can't stop myself from reading this extremely strange story! Anyone ever read this?? I'll let you know my final thoughts, but for the time being, I'm plowing through this peculiar novel and a few more so that I can finally make a trip to the bookstore for some new reads!

Just to spice up Bookworm Wednesday a tad bit (for those of you that find reading a bore, this is for you), I pulled together this outfit as something I would love to stroll around in as I slowly peruse one of my favorite bookstores on our anniversary trip! The nautical striped romper from Loft is begging me to find its way into my closet (no need to twist my arm, it will be by the weekend), and those espadrille wedges from JCrew would be the prettiest pop of color to add interest to the outfit (my mom owns them and says they are super comfortable). The accessories are simple and casual, but I'm in love with the Kiel James Patrick nautical inspired bracelets and the JCrew Farmers Market Tote is the most suitable, beach chic bag to load down with a whole slew of books I am sure to pick up!

Hope today finds you filled with joy, because that's the best kind of day, no?!

~Ann Taylor Striped Romper~

~JCrew Wedges~

~Kiel James Patrick Anchor Bracelet~

~JCrew Farmers Market Tote~

Jolly Good Yellow

~Modcloth Jolly Good Yellow Dress~

With our one year wedding anniversary right around the corner (time truly does fly, especially when you're having as much fun as we are), I have been dreaming up fun outfits and accessories for the vacation we're taking to celebrate this past year of complete wedded bliss. Of course we're traveling somewhere warm, with white sandy beaches and clear, turquoise water, so I'm in the market for light as air dresses, durable beach totes, and snazzy sandals. I spotted this punchy yellow dress on a blog yesterday and pulled together the rest of the look based on it; I think it's the perfect ensemble for an afternoon of leisurely shopping, followed by dinner on the terrace of one of our favorite spots!

Hope you have a jolly good Tuesday y'all!

~Gap Canvas Tote Bag~

~Banana Republic Corsage Necklace~

~Target Lavada Sandals~