the grass is greener

My mom definitely wins the award for the best Easter baskets ever. Check out her handiwork below.

When I was home in March, she told me she wanted to grow her own grass in the baskets she and my dad were making for the grand babies.

And so, the project started here:

We celebrated Easter in Hilton Head, and she and my dad transported the lovely buckets to the island.

Check out the final products below.

How much cuter are these than plastic grass filled baskets? Not to mention eco-friendlier, safer and way happier.

Ten points for Muffy.

cleanliness, godliness, busyness

Yesterday on the way in to work, I asked my dad what his weekend plans were. He told me I was premature, considering it was not even 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

However, today! Today, people! It's Thursday! And it's completely appropriate to talk about the weekend, because there is just one tiny day keeping us from touching it.

We've been a little overextended in the office lately, to the point that when I get home at night, my brain is fried and I can't think of anything clever to say on here (see yesterday's post). Today, my coworker was telling me she was feeling the same way, and that she was struggling to find time for basic tasks, such as washing her hair. Somewhat of an obsessive showerer, I didn't fully relate, but it made me glad to know we're in this boat together - albeit a stinky one.

I'm very much looking forward to a bit of mindlessness this weekend. I'm not quite sure where I'll find it, but I'm bound and determined to make it happen. Preferably in Piedmont Park.

But for now, we press on! Here's to hoping for some hair washing time today. Happy Thursdee!

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kappow! moving and cuppows...

Moving weekend is upon us! I hope that this is the last time I post about this topic for a looong time. I am so ready for my things to be neatly in their places: hangers hung, colors coded, drawers folded, socks matched...

It's going to be blissful.

My dad and mom arrive today to help, which equals a doubly special weekend.

If I didn't already have quite a bit to move, I think this would be the ideal time to invest in a Cuppow. My parents, who are the anti-clutter and anti-collections king and queen, love Ball jars - to the point that they've actually allowed themselves to cultivate quite the collection. Are they on display? Absolutely not. But they still love them in their hearts.

The coffee will surely be flowing this weekend, and I think a Cuppow would have been a great way to transport our coffee from Brookhaven to Midtown. Whappow! Next time, I guess. Which, I promise, won't be for a while...

Promise.

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summer sangria

When I lived at home, one of my favorite activities was going to Noah Grant's with my dad for $3 white wine sangria. It's so sweet and refreshing and completely summer happy.

As the days get longer and the sun gets hotter, I find myself dreaming of Noah's goodness. I'm thinking about making my own via this recipe. Has anyone ever made their own? It looks so yummy...

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Cheers to Skippy!

 

This past weekend was absolutely amazing, as we planned a surprise party for my Dad's birthday.  All of my siblings and I flew in and he was completely surprised.  

Considering none of us are really that great at keeping secrets from one another, I don't know how we kept it from him - but somehow, it happened.

The weekend was full of great company and great food, and my only complaint is that it ended too soon.

Somehow I failed to take even a single picture, so you'll just have to imagine how amazing it was.

So here's to my fabulous Dad - and the many, many more birthdays to come!

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never too late to celebrate

Meghan and Erin and I have been brainstorming a name for an upcoming business venture of one of Meghan's friends.

Erin has easily come up with the best name so far (kept under wraps) utilizing some basic French.

After making sure we were conjugating the words correctly, I was reminded that I completely failed to blog about Bastille Day.

Fortunately, Court summed it up stellarly, but, being the only (semi-) French speaker of the clan, I feel it's necessary to at least put up my pictures...

The adorable crêperie in Charlottesville, the flat.Lily waited so patiently... And while we waited, she told me about the table Skip bought them...
And then she enjoyed...

Cooking with Skippy

My dad is easily one of the most precise people I've ever met. He measures spaces before he buys furniture for them, he researches products, he tests paint colors...

And all of this creates a stark contrast to my mom and me.

So, when my dad and I decided to host a little HGC cooking show, it was bound to be entertaining. While he suggested I look at the recipe, measure, and test before taking action, I was more into the idea of just dumping in the ingredients and seeing how it all turned out.

However, while I may be impulsive, I'm not afraid to admit his accuracy typically leads to him being correct. So, I let him play chef while I played sous.

First, we made Court's Dried Fruit and Nut Clusters and, for the second batch, we tweaked the recipe by adding peanut butter and vanilla, switching out a few of the fruits, and turning the whole shabang into a dessert.

The actual rolling of the clusters was up to me and the combination of my patience and disliking of sticky hands led to the little guys looking a funny (compare them to Ashley's gems if you dare). But they still tasted decent and we got to take the old Cuisinart for a nice spin. And, of course, it was a lovely activity Skip.