Words for a Monday:

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"I'm tired, can't think of anything and only want to lay my face in your lap, feel your hand on my head and remain like that through all eternity."

Franz Kafka

Happy Weekend:

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Happy Friday, everyone! What are your plans for this first weekend of fall? We are headed to St. Louis today for catching up with the family, eating delicious food, and some volleyball (?) action.

Have a great weekend and whatever you do, get out there and take advantage of the beautiful weather.

I love:

Sometimes you just need something new in a bright, fun pattern to make you feel happy, you know? Well for me, that something is this scarf by Happy Scarf. Happiness is in the title, so you can't go wrong. I picked it up on Fab.com a few days ago and it is every bit as amazing as I expected it to be. 

You might be thinking, "what the heck are you going to do with a yellow scarf with a bunch of zebras on it?" The answer? Wear it. Here's how:

• with a navy and white striped Breton shirt
• with polka dots (!)
• to punch up a solid colored dress
• with gingham (any color, really)
• with houndstooth and plaid tweed blazers (especially brown windowpane)
• paired with red anything
• with any solid color ever (black, orange, green, purple, etc.)

Who would have known that a yellow scarf with zebras would turn out to be such a versatile piece. I can tell you're jealous. It hasn't sold out yet, so go ahead and grab one for yourself before they're gone!

Let's Shop:

Today we're shopping the Old Faithful Shop. They are one of my favorite online shops. In my head, I'm living my life in a secluded cabin somewhere in the Northeast where it is perpetually a cool, crisp autumn morning. And these are the things that I use in my daily pretend life:

1. Herbal Shampoo Bar --  because it's just that economically smart
2. Copper Cloths -- for scouring my perfect, non-Teflon pans, of course
3. The Adventurer's Guide to the Outdoors -- a fascinating read, to be sure
4. Glass Butter Dish -- because this looks like it's been around (and in use) since the 50's
5. Classic Pitcher -- for holding fresh milk and wildflowers
6. Frankie's Organic Olive Oil -- we only use the best
7. Lemon Scented Board Oil -- for keeping those original butcher block counters in top form
8. Ceramic Mortar & Pestle -- because we like to grind everything ourselves

Also, have you read their Still Life Journal? It's fantastic -- the stuff of my rustic dreams. Check them out in all their glory here.

From our kitchen:

In case you can't tell, we love cooking. Spending time together in the kitchen is one of our favorite things.

For more insight into our daily lives, including our edible masterpieces, check out our Tumblr.

Happy weekend:

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Happy Friday, friends! Got any fun plans this weekend? I actually have to work Saturday morning so that will throw off my schedule a bit. We're also planning on getting in a long run and there are a few things that I need to cross off my "to-do" list. Okay, a lot of things, if I'm being perfectly honest about it.

Here's a little of what we've been up to lately:

1. Trying out new recipes has been fun and exciting. And also, delicious.
2. The 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target collection came out. I was disappointed with the fabric choices and in-store selection. Good effort target, but I'm still holding out for this bag.
3. The weather has been amazing as of late! That translates into lots of afternoon walks, bike rides, and long runs with friends.
4. The leaves are starting to fall! That allows me to indulge in my favorite fall past time: crunching dead leaves under my feet (weird, I know).
5. Andrew keeps having dreams about eating meat and this week, I had my first "meat nightmare" -- only it was Andrew eating a cheeseburger and I was appalled. Any other vegetarians out there have nightmares about eating meat?

Have a great weekend, everyone! Get out there and enjoy the great outdoors!

Let's shop:

With the fall season fast approaching, I've been on the hunt for the perfect plaid workshirt to protect my always-chilly self from the cooler, crisper weather. I am determined that this is the year I find my flannel soul mate. So today, I bring you three options, all from www.madewell.com:

one / two / three

Do you know how hard it is to find a decent plaid flannel shirt? Surprisingly difficult. The search continues...

Fall shoes:

These are the shoes I am dreaming of covering my feet with for the fall. And yes, I've included two different leopard print pairs. Too much? Never.

Happy Weekend:

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Happy Friday, friends! Got any fun plans for the weekend? We will be getting up early for a long run (only 11 miles this week!) and then we've got some not so fun errands to attend to.

Don't forget -- the Phillip Lim collection for Target is debuting this Sunday! It's going to be epic!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

We are here:

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Sorry for the radio silence, everyone. We've been busy, a little under the weather, slightly stressed out, and well, just not really feeling like communicating much with anyone lately. Sometimes, I get into a funk and all I want to do is just disappear into a cave and not speak to anyone or go anywhere for about a week. So, that's where I've been -- my cave.

I've crawled out though, rather unwillingly, to fulfill obligations and get stuff done, before everything falls spectacularly to pieces. Sorry if this is a little cryptic but I value my privacy too much to spill my guts on the internet.

We're around though. And in memory of today, we will be performing random acts of kindness. I hope you consider volunteering your time as well because when you do something to make your community better, you make the world a better place.

Happy weekend:

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Happy Friday, guys! Can you believe it's already time for another weekend? I love holidays -- a three day weekend and a short work week? It's like the gift that keeps on giving.

What are you doing with your time off? Something glorious, I hope. I'm just excited Andrew and I can finally spend a weekend together. We will be spending our free time being luxuriously lazy (after my long run, of course).

Here are a few highlights from our week:

1. A surprise package of records from a certain family member made both of our weeks!
2. I survived the Tupelo 14.2 and actually got a pretty decent time considering the insane heat and humidity.
3. Celebrated Andrew's return from Atlanta with early morning chai tea lattes.
4. Got to spend a long car ride getting to know a friend even more -- great conversation and lots of laughs.
5. You know how they say bad things happen in threes? It's true. We have been tested more in the last week than the entire year. But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? Well, consider me Superman at this point.

Have a great one, everyone!

We love:

As a kid, I loved the Mary Poppins series by P.L. Travers. I have copies, even now, in my adult library. That dear old flying nanny has a special place in my heart. I really enjoyed the Disney film adaptation too because, come on, how could you not love something with Julie Andrews in it? Everything she touches turns to gold.

But I just learned that P.L. Travers, the mastermind behind Mary Poppins, actually hated that movie. She, like many authors, believed they butchered her beloved story. And obtaining the rights to her story was a huge ordeal, too. Apparently, Disney made a promise to his daughters that he would make a movie of their favorite book and it took him 20 years to make good on that promise. Interesting, isn't it?

This movie looks fantastic. I mean, I am obviously already invested. It's got most of my favorite things: a really good book, Mary Poppins, Tom Hanks, and Julie Andrews. And it's a true story! It's a movie about a movie based on a book that's based (loosely) on the author's real life.

Can't wait.

We love:

I am kind of in love with this shirt from www.litographs.com. It's a website that creates goods (shirts, prints, bags) from classic literature. And for each poster/print they sell, they donate one book to a community in need.

This shirt is Anne of Green Gables -- clever, isn't it? Check them all out here.

A break:

We are taking a break today to celebrate Labor Day -- relaxing, catching up on sleep, and just generally enjoying being at home, especially after all of our traveling this past weekend.

Have a great holiday if, in fact, this is a holiday for you.