pinterest

The last two weeks I have spent more time scrolling through Pinterest than I have any other blog that I normally visit. I have been seeing this whole Pinterest thing here and there, but it was my mother who nudged me to it. Thanks mom! The minute I signed up I was hooked! I have spent the past few years pulling images and taking screen shots of things I wanted to remember, or found inspiring, and would put them into folders on my desktop. Thank goodness for this more organized way of managing all of that! It is also too much fun to share with others. You can find me HERE. Below is a sampling of what I have going so far:

how to hem jeans: a DIY for short people!

This weekend I figured out how to do something that will change my life forever! And I am not exaggerating! I successfully hemmed two pairs of jeans without having to lose the original hem, resulting in jeans that DON'T look like they have been altered! At 5’2” there are very few times that I put on a pair of jeans and they fit perfectly. They are almost always way too long. Over the years I have tried to fix pants by cutting length off and making a new hem, only to have it look so obvious. Sure, a tailor is an option, but adding that extra cost is less than desirable, and I always felt like this was something I should learn to do myself. I recently found a pair of jeans that I loved and couldn’t pass up, but were definitely going to need to be hemmed. Days later I happened upon a tutorial on how to keep the original hem, so I felt like it was as good a time as any to try this out. It worked beautifully and I am not sure there are words that express how exciting this is!! For all of you other short friends of mine, here is the lowdown:

Put on the pair of jeans and roll up the cuff to the desired length. Pin it in place. Take the jeans off and measure the length, but do not include the hem in the measurement. Divide that measurement in half and this is the number you will use to pin the final sewing length. For example, I rolled mine up about 4.5 inches (I told you I was short!) and the original hem was about ½ inch. So I was really only working off of 4 inches. I divided that number in half and was left with 2 inches. I moved the amount rolled up, down to 2 inches and pinned it there. Using a thread that matches your jean color, you then stitch right underneath the hem. Try them on before you cut off the excess fabric to double check that the length is correct. Once you cut the extra folded fabric off, iron the hem down. It will barely be visible that there is a seam above the hem, and who looks that closely anyway?!

Top shows the original amount that I rolled up (the 4.5 inches), and the bottom
shows the amount divided in half and pinned (2 inches)

Measuring and pinning around the whole hemline

Stitch right below the original hem

Finished stitching

Cut the excess fabric off

Finished! You can't even tell they have been altered!

bold is the new black

I was browsing through the mall over the weekend and popped on into J. Crew. They have their new fall line out now, and wow, talk about popping! This color palette is so BOLD and I am kind of obsessed with it. The red is the kicker, but every color under that is so cool. It is almost too much in the sense that the colors together vibrate a bit, but then they throw in a soft pink, or brown, or hunter green. I am not up on the fashion scene as much, so this may have been out there for the last few years, but I am really inspired by the palette they have gone with. It seems so fresh!

the marlow hobo

My friend Howard once said to me that he will never understand how women choose their purses. Since he mentioned this, I find myself observing women and their bag/purse choices and I definitely get what he means. Often times it is exactly what I expect, most of the time it is not! It is a strange thing how women express themselves through this odd necessity. Whether we base it on what is trendy, or what outfits we are wearing, the fact remains that most of us have had plenty of purses over the years that most likely outline all the phases of styles we have been through.

Recently I made the decision that it was time to find a "grown up" bag. After many, many, many years of carrying purses that were either vintage store finds (aka always under $20) or trendier finds that I refuse to pay more than $50 for because I am not a big trend person (aka Target or TJ Maxx purses); I felt like I was ready to choose a bag that I would actually want to hang onto for many, many, many years! I had already decided it would have to be brown leather, the questions over the past few months have been ... what style? messenger, tote, hobo. Should it be more of a work bag or an actual purse? How big or small did it really need to be? Did I want handles or a strap? What sort of bag would be my style for more than a short season? After much searching I have found this perfect bag! Turns out I am a “hobo” kind of girl. Large enough for work, but still can pass as a purse. Perfect brown leather, sturdy bottom so it doesn’t slouch, two types of handles, and neither compete with each other, plenty of pockets, but not too many that it looks tacky, very little detail on the outside. And to push the point home even further it is named the “Marlow Hobo”. Get out of here! Of course I had to get it! And I couldn’t be happier! I think Howard would see me with this bag and agree that it fits me perfectly!

"splendid" just about sums it up!

There is a new ice cream shop in my ‘hood and I am pretty much in love with every flavor they have. Jenis Splendid Ice Cream opened in June and after tasting what I have so far, I would like to meet this Jeni and shake her hand! This is the best ice cream I have ever had, hands down, and I am not necessarily an ice cream kind of person.

Check out some of these flavors:
Salty Caramel
Goat Cheese and Black Cherries
Pistachio and Honey
Sweet Corn and Black Raspberries
Riesling Poached Pear
Bangkok Peanut
Rockmill Golden Ale and Apricots
Wildberry Lavendar
Tonight I had the Coriander Raspberry paired with the Lemon Yogurt—yum!

Oh, and did I mention they make their own waffle cones in the shop? Come on! Too good!
This place is walking distance from my house, which is probably a good thing because I have a feeling I will need that extra walk to counter balance all of the calories I will gain eating it every week!

Here is a link to an interview with Jeni and a recipe for her Sweet Corn & Black Raspberry Ice Cream. Look for her cookbook too!

This kid was in his pajamas and was so excited to
pick out his ice cream. Adorable!

flea markets and new friends

I will have to say that this weekend was one of the more eventful weekends I have had in a while. After many years of going to flea markets, I finally experienced what it is like on the other side of the booth! The folks putting on Porter Flea did an excellent job with every little detail, making for such a positive experience. If they decide to do this more often—which they should—I will definitely be a part of it again! It was organized, well orchestrated, and the vendors were all unique and cool. The best part of it all was getting to know so many new people who are all out here doing the same thing—making things with our hands.

We did really well as far as our booth goes. There were so many questions, and so much interest in the terrariums. How to care for them…What were the different layers for…What kind of sunlight…and on and on. It was fun to spend a day talking to so many different people and getting to know them. Every part of the day was a success and I couldn’t have had more fun.

This whole "terrariums/400 Moons" thing has happened so organically, it was wonderful to step back this weekend and see how things can move along when you don’t overanalyze it too much. What started as making a terrarium or two for myself and some friends, lead to my friend’s husband seeing the potential in them, which then lead to a silly conversation about going in together and selling them, taking us further along as the brainstorming became real. When I came across the Porter Flea event, I knew it would be the perfect opportunity to try this out and see where it all might go! It also seemed like the kind of market that I would want to be involved in. I was 100% right about this. It was a great way to take a leap of faith and see what can come from it!

4th of July weekend

The long holiday weekend was a good one. I spent it wandering around the farmer's market, making more pickles and pickled okra, hanging at Yazoo brewery, baking a festive cake, making terrariums, grilling and hanging out with friends on my deck, standing in line for some hot chicken at the Hot Chicken Festival, laughing hysterically at the movie Bridesmaids, and finally getting a cone of ice cream at Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream shop. I am grateful for a low key Summer so far.

farmer's market goods

prepping for making pickles and freezing corn

red velvet cake

festive red, white, and blue cake topped
with fresh berries from the market

4th of July bubbles! 

Hot Chicken Festival in East Nashville.

Sweet Corn and Black Raspberries ice cream

Making Pickled Okra

I love pickled okra—is that a Southern thing? I don't know, I don't care...I love it! So when I came across some lovely okra at the farmer's market the other day, I decided it was time to try my hand at making my own. I have made pickles before based on this recipe, and they turned out pretty good. But this time I did it a little differently. I will admit that I cheated a bit and bought a little packet of Dill Pickle Canning Mix that I found at the grocery store as the base for the flavor. It is essentially all of the seasonings you could put together yourself (salt, dill seed, etc) but I have a history of not using enough seasoning in things, so thought this would be a good place to start. If you go this route, it will make two regular sized jars worth of pickled goodness.

You will need:

2 Ball jars with lids
Okra; about 20-24 pieces
(If you want to make pickles, you will need about 14 small pickling cucumbers. Cut off the ends and spear)
Ball Kosher Dill Pickle Mix
Vinegar
Mustard Seeds
Whole garlic cloves
Fresh sprigs of dill

In a saucepan on the stove combine 2 cups of water, one cup vinegar, and the contents of the Dill Pickle mix packet. Heat until boiling. Rinse the okra. Once the liquid comes to a boil pour the liquid over the okra and let it soak until it reaches room temperature. Takes about 30 minutes. Pour a layer of mustard seeds into the bottom of the jars (About 1 tablespoon, depending on your taste). Place the okra into the jars alternating the direction of each piece. Leave enough room to cram a few whole cloves of garlic and a few sprigs of dill in between the pieces. Pour the room temperature liquid over all the contents in the jar leaving a little room at the top. Seal them up and put them in the fridge! Done! You can dig into the jar the next day, but they will definitely be better if you can hold off for a few weeks.

Some of you may be more traditional with your canning and pickling, so no judgement! Actually, if you are, any advice is welcome. I choose to go with the quick method because I won't be keeping these long enough to need to store them. I also like this approach because it is not as intimidating. Perfect activity for a quiet Summer evening!

Clean jars and wash okra

Ingredients

Soak okra in the liquid for 30 minutes

Stuff jars and pour liquid over all the contents

Store in the refrigerator for 3 months,
but mine don't make it that long!

there is a light and it never goes out...

There is so much today that I want to say about Eric. I have been "writing" this blog in my head for months and cannot seem to piece all of it together, so have decided to keep it simple. The day I met Eric he told his co-workers he had just met the girl he was going to marry. He told me this a few weeks later on our first date. He was so sure of this and there was no waivering. I loved that he was never afraid to feel exactly what he felt and to express it with no holding back. There was some part of him that was so in tune with a bigger picture that he never really questioned it. I can definitely say I have never met anyone like him or have been seen so clearly by someone. Loved so clearly by someone. He brought this intensity to everything, and at the risk of sounding crazy, I can still feel it. Some souls vibrate and he is one of those.

As much as I have battled with wishing that things are not as they should have been, I surrender to knowing that they are. I can only surrender to that because of faith and because there have been little signs along the way that feel like E reminding me of this. I can now understand that at the core of everyone there are key characteristics that now matter what we experience in life, or battle with, or even when death finds us, will we lose. This is what I believe was/is at his core: kindness, openness, love with no boundaries, joy, playfulness, and creativity. That is what I believe he still is. There is this whole other thing happening around us that we are missing every day. To understand this or to even just consider this, will allow you to live a different life. I have never experienced anything like this past year. But, I can actually say that about every year I had with Eric. I learned more about life and love and myself than I had in the 25 years before knowing him. I am and will forever be grateful. "There is a light and it never goes out..."

Eric was a beautiful writer and there are loads of poems, essays, and lyrics that I am constantly coming across. I have stumbled upon the following bit of writing in various places over the past year, and after much research into where it came from I have settled on the belief that it is his. It goes like this:

"It says here that you completely changed, that you floated up into the sky without all that dead dead weight and took your place among the stars. I catch pieces of your shine from time to time. I catch pieces of you from time to time."

This says it all. I miss you E, I love you. It has hard to believe you have been gone a year. There is a void that many of us feel because you held a part of our hearts. What a life, what a soul.