It's been quite a year. Here in Tennessee, we started out with the rainiest winter and spring that I ever remember having (not to mention the Australian wildfires and various other global catastrophes). January's gloom was not only caused by rain, but it was shadowed by talk of a new virus that had the potential to be deadly. From the very beginning, we should have known this year was different.
It was March eleventh, and I remember being on the way to Asheville, North Carolina, at the start of it all, with my husband and his family when I got a New York Times notification with some grim projection of what the "novel Coronavirus" might look like here in the States. I shrugged it off, though, not thinking much would come of it. I didn't realize that weekend getaway to the mountains would be the last time I left my house for the coming months (except for the bare essentials). On day two of our trip, I got an email from my university saying that spring break had been extended an extra week. I looked at that as a win. Blissfully, we continued our vacation; we went out to eat, went shopping, hiked, unbeknownst to us, of what was to come. The rest of the story is probably like most everyone else's: a frantic blur of empty toilet paper aisles, Clorox wipes, and quarantined mail.
If your time inside looked anything like mine, it also had lots of baked goods thrown in the mix, some online shopping, and maybe even some clean baseboards. My personal experience of 2020, thus far, hasn't been too earth-shattering. My comings and goings have been pretty inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, but I've made some good memories. My semi-feral adopted barn cat has become deeply bonded to my husband and me. I've been on several road trips and visited a lot of new places (all with a negative COVID test, of course). I've also baked a lot of new things. That's what I do when I'm bored, stressed, happy, etc. I bake.
I say all of this to ultimately have you look at pictures of some things that I've cooked. Please enjoy my quarantine bakes.
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| blueberry white chocolate ganache tart |
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| Irish soda bread |
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| Chocolate cake with milk chocolate buttercream |
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| Strawberry cake with fresh strawberry buttercream |
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| Cinnamon sugar puffs |
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| Banana bread with vanilla sugar crust |
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| Hot cross buns (not my prettiest batch, but I figured out how to make a proper bun shortly after this) |
Hey guys! It's been a while, but I just wanted to stop in and try to get back in the habit of posting. I think a good start is to add some pictures of one of my favorite vacation spots: Seaside, Florida. Seaside is a place that I had never been until I went with my husband (then boyfriend) about four years ago. He and his family have visited every year since he was a little boy, and I am delighted to have been introduced. My husband and I now try to do the same and visit as often as we can for a nice, relaxing few days at the beach.
Here's a picture of us at breakfast a couple of years ago.
This is one of our favorite restaurants when we're on vacation in Seaside. It's called Great Southern, and they have delicious by-the-beach southern cuisine. This particular visit was made interesting by a couple of birds fighting underneath the table next to us. I promise that's not a regular thing, but it made for a good memory.
Here's what I got that morning. This is Great Southern's fried green eggs benedict. It. Is. To. Die. For. And so are the grits because they're not just regular grits, they're cheddar grits.
When you're out and about in Seaside, here are a couple more places to hit up when you've already been to Great Southern.
Modica Market is a must. This little shop is a small-town specialty grocery store that has the most delicious strawberry cake you'll ever taste. You can't forget that The Truman Show was filmed inside of this little gem (and all of Seaside too).
After Modica Market, head on over to Sundog Books for a book. We will always stop in and grab our beach-reads for the week on our first day on vacation. My favorite spot in the bookstore to visit is the staff-picks section. Josh and I have found some great books over there.
A good spot for dinner after a day at the beach is Bud & Alley's pizza bar. Their pizza is great, but their brussels sprouts are even better.
If you're not feeling pizza, head up to Bud & Alley's. This restaurant has outdoor-only seating right on the beach. It's our favorite spot to watch the sun set over the ocean.
I'm breaking the theme of pictures from two years ago. Here's one from this year at Bud & Alley's.
If you're not at the beach or visiting one of these delicious places to eat, I recommend bike riding. It's a great way to see the gorgeous houses of Seaside and Watercolor. You can also explore lots of little trails and bridges that you can't get to in a car.
And last but certainly not least is Black Bear Bread Co. This little cafe is a quick drive down 30A to Santa Rosa Beach. They've got great savory dishes, but their cinnamon rolls are a must-try.
This October, my husband Josh and I went on a weekend trip to Boston with my long-time best friend Aleta and her boyfriend. We decided to go during the fall so we could catch the leaves changing and the fall temperatures. This trip was definitely one of the most memorable parts of 2018.
Here are some highlights from our trip.
As this year is coming to a close, I have been thinking back on everything that 2018 has brought along with it. Because of that, over the next week, I want to highlight a few things from this year that I have particularly enjoyed, trips that I have taken, and a few of my favorite recipes. That being said, this has been a year full of blessings and unwavering support.
Here's a quick overview of some things from 2018:
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| Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro I first read this book my junior year of high school. This book quickly found its way into my top 10. |
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| Lord of the Flies by William Golding |
This is one of my husband's Folio Society copies. Something that I love most about their books is the attention to detail. Each copy's cover is a work of art. Pictured is one of several illustrations found inside of the book.
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| Tolkien A Dictionary by David Day |
I got this book for Christmas several years back. I had just registered for a literature class focusing on Tolkien just before Christmas, and my parents thought it was a fitting gift.
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| In A Galaxy Far, Far Away a New York Times publication |
This book was a gift that I got for my husband for Valentine's day this past year. I always try to get books or things that are keepsakes for Valentine's day. I was pretty happy with myself for gifting this book to him (and myself).
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| Dracula by Bram Stoker, Barnes and Noble edition |
This book was a gift from my husband several years ago. He got me this book for my birthday soon after I had read it for the first time in my Gothic Literature class. Dracula is probably my very favorite book. I love how the setting throughout the novel is as important as any of the characters. This is a must-read.
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| Out of The Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis |
This book was also a gift from my husband. I got this one for Christmas which is probably why I am always reminded of Christmastime whenever I think about this book. The imagery that Lewis creates in this book is so vivid and his writing is beautiful.
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| The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle |
I have collected different editions of Arthur Conon Doyle novels since I was around 14. This is my Penguin Classics edition of The Hound of the Baskervilles and is one of my favorites. This is another that is in my top 10 favorite books.
Macbeth is my favorite work of Shakespeare's. I have honestly lost count of how many times I have read this. I love everything about this play: the characters, the atmosphere, the language, etc. I was lucky enough in my undergraduate career to take a Shakespeare class, and what I learned about this work and so many others is invaluable.
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| Macbeth by William Shakespeare feat. a ring of hearts because I'm obsessed |
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| Queer by William S. Borroughs, On the Road by Jack Kerouac, and Manatee/Humanity by Anne Waldman |
These are all novels that I read during my senior year of college for my Beat Generation class. I fell in love with each of these books for one reason; they were all so raw. Not pictured here is my copy of Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg. This class gave me such an appreciation of the Beat Generation and everything that its authors represented.
Can I just take a moment to say how much I loved this? Having read it during college as a creative writing major, it gave me hope. It allowed me to think that maybe my essays, my poems, and my voice would someday be heard by a multitude. Also, I'm a sucker for a good essay.
On a similar vein, another book of essays that I loved is B. J. Novak's One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories. I was actually recommended this book by my husband (then boyfriend), so we have two copies of this sitting around now. I laughed so many times while reading these essays, and I think you would too.
I got this book from Sundog Bookstore in Seaside, Florida, several years ago. My husband and I were walking around the store trying to find our beach-read for the week when I found this. I love Julia Child's recipes, and now I love her story even more. This is such a great little book and it makes me think of that week at the beach now too.
Okay, to preface this, I typically don't go for book covers like this, but I found it for $3.00 at a used bookstore and got it anyway. I love Bridget Jones. I love her, the book (I haven't read the other two), the movies; I relate so much to her. She's a very together woman (I can lend myself this compliment), but she never fails to embarrass herself by saying or doing something stupid (and this truth).
This is one of many travel guides that I have, but this is my favorite. I went through a phase where I bought travel guides frequently. I don't know if I just liked having them in case I decided to go to wherever was pictured or if I just liked looking at them.
Last but not least, this book was a gift from my husband this past Christmas. He was so thoughtful to get this as he knows that Vincent Van Gogh is my favorite artist. This book has each work done by Van Gogh, and I love keeping it out on my coffee table for guests and me to leaf through.
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| Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham |
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| One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B. J. Novak |
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| My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme |
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| Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding |
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| The New York Times 36 Hours: Europe ed. by Barbara Ireland |
This is one of many travel guides that I have, but this is my favorite. I went through a phase where I bought travel guides frequently. I don't know if I just liked having them in case I decided to go to wherever was pictured or if I just liked looking at them.
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| Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings by Rainer Metzger and Ingo F. Walther |
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| As promised, here is my entire bookshelf. |
As simple as this piece may seem, it inspired me to begin creating things again. This is my first in a series that I plan to do. I want to start posting more regularly and creating more regularly as well. Some of these pieces will be an edited photo, a poem, or a drawing. I hope you look forward to this as much I do!
My husband and I have loved getting settled into our new place. There's something cleansing about starting somewhere entirely new--getting to revamp and reorganize your space. These pictures show some of my favorite details of our new home.
The first is a sneakpeek of our bookcase with flowers pressed from my honeymoon as well as my first Valentine's day with my husband. I will be posting a bookcase tour soon with each individual shelf highlighted. The second shows our bedside lamp from Pottery Barn. It is one of my favorite pieces we got for our wedding. Next is a hand-me-down Dash & Albert rug from my mother-in-law. It was given to my husband when he moved away for college, and we've added it as a staple piece in our kitchen. Dash & Albert rugs are one of my favorites because of their durability. I love being able to just toss our rugs in the washer every few weeks. The last is of our other bedroom lamp. This is another favorite and is from Ikea. It gives our room such a warm, cozy light.
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