TGIF

{madame cupcake}

gluttony...

has commenced.

the parents have arrived, and we certainly aren't famished.

we had dinner last night in an intimate, gourmet little restaurant who's charm abodes on quaint little corner of town (Hominy Grill....where there is ALWAYS a line reaching around the teenie little building at 9 a.m. when they open for brunch).

i ordered a pecan encrusted pork chop with spicy peach glaze. i did not regret my choice.

the parentals had shrimp and grits...a must in Charleston.

the Mr. had some amazing rice concoction with shrimp and chicken wings.

and there was wine. plenty of wine. oh, and a fudge brownie decked with homemade ice cream.

so that was night #1 of our great food and wine brigade. can't wait to ensue with night #2.

like i said...gluttony. pure gluttony. 

{sweet fine day}

h.i.m.

or, what makes me happy in the morning:

bright, happy....and textured.

i'm rather obsessed with that skirt and those shoes, thanks to Loeffler Randall.

they're also entirely out of my price range. wish i could sew--i feel like i could conjure a pretty fab replicate of that navy, citron, zippered dream.

the watch, though, i think i can do :)

hope your morning...and day...are just as bright and happy. although maybe not textured. not sure how that would pan out in the real world.

h.i.m.

happy, this morning, due in part to:
(the other part is my steamy cup of coffee & the warm sunshine pouring in my kitchen windows. no i am not blogging in the kitchen, although that would well-suit with how much i like food--i can simply see those windows, thank you very much <3 )

{lookbook}

{take a walk up the street}

{nan lawson}

{take a walk up the street}

happy HAPPY morning...day...week...weekend.

i like: photography.

{yuli.bow}

love the work of this flickr find i came across.

makes me want to grab my camera (well...charge it first) and head out into the world to capture its beauty. i've kind of lost interest in my camera at the moment. mostly because i can't figure it out. i took a photography course in college and fell in love. it was with film, though. i still can't grasp manual mode on my DSLR. hopefully one day i will have the time and the patience to figure it out. til then...i can gaze at the photos i wish i had taken.

also: i apologize for my lack of posting. scrambling to meet a few personal-biz deadlines and get ready for a busy, enjoyable weekend with the fam. time, i guess, really is of the essence and somehow i am always lacking in it. :)

h.i.m...monday.

today is a good monday.
i'm gearing up for the very first visit from my parents since we moved here (they arrive on Thursday for a long weekend) and can't wait to show them around our charming city. so looking forward to sharing our amazing new restaurant finds with them and cherishing the conversations we'll have over 5-star meals and generous glasses of red wine.

anyway...i'm pretty ecstatic. i miss them. if only my brother was tagging along. i am so absolutely and entirely in love with Charles and the lifestyle it has to offer--the Mr. and I get SO. EXCITED. to host visitors. it will finally feel like home when my parents get a peek into our new apartment, our new hobbies and our new circles of friendship.

so i am happy, this morning, and loving this kitchen below:

{door sixteen; source unknown, toast}

i wouldn't exactly say i'm a modern girl. well, i wouldn't exactly relegate my tastes to any one style...because they vary, and quite widely, if you haven't noticed. but i love the clean lines of this kitchen, the warm and alluring contrast between the gray and white cabinets (totally doing this when we actually own a kitchen) and how they draw your eye in and make you want to stand directly in front of them with a spatula in hand and a delicious concoction in the oven. and how the simple, modern pedestal table (i want one!) beckons a steamy cup of joe and the newest issue of your favorite magazine.

like i said...making me happy, this morning.

weekend! + en la cocina: recap

so excited for the weekend.

mostly because we have a friend coming in to spend a few quality hours in Charles.

and because i made my deadline.

and because i live near the beach.

and because i'm so very, more than ready for our weekly friday happy hour with friends.

oh, and...you should cook this recipe this weekend. and make margaritas. and guacamole. and invite some friends over. and sit outside under some paper lanterns, with candles all around, and laugh and eat and enjoy because they really are so good you need to EAT THEM RIGHT NOW.

mmm.....

h.i.m.

happy in the morning, today = creativity by hand.

{caitlin mcgauley}

{well i'll be darned}

{source unknown}

{caitlin mcgauley}

i used to draw. i used to paint. i used to love doing it.

now i feel like the only creativity i really practice is on the computer.

these made me happy...and inspired me to buy some paper and a water color tin and 

carve some time this weekend to create by hand.

hip...ster.

{happpynesss}

so we went to a bar Tuesday night.

a new bar.

to hear a DJ our friends are friends with.

and it was so fun. i say DJ...but what i really mean is a guy with a cult following that plays the most amazing/ dance-worthy mixes. think aretha franklin mixed in with MIA. it was such a dive. we walked through this sketchy alley and up a secretive flight of stairs and right into the 80s. the first person i laid eyes on had an awesomely bad mustache, was wearing a polyester golf shirt, short shorts and rockin' the most amazing, flowy haircut. oh how i wish i could take you right to this hipster joint. think the entire staff of U.O. congregating in one bar: that's pretty much exactly what it was. 

and i loved it.

so fun.

and exactly why i love charleston. no pink and green in sight unless it was on a pair of neon aviators.

anyway...can't wait to take sis-in-law and bro there. they, too, will have so much fun.

en la cocina: pasta with roasted red pepper sauce (uhh..yumm!)

{via the pioneer woman}

go immediately to her website and view this recipe.

you will revel in the fact that you did.

it is so so so SO so good.

i know...i say that a lot...but really, i only post my most favorite recipes.

and i cook...a lot...and feel like i've developed a pretty good palette for deliciousness :)

so, yes, cook the pioneer woman's pasta and give her thanks for being fabulous.

note: i left out the pine nuts (they're expensive and i am cheap).