on my way home from the lake

thankful for cold, cold Green Bay water to fling myself into on sunny 80 degree days
thankful for amazing Wagon Trail brownies (absolutely delicious every. single. year.)
thankful for cute texts from a husband who misses me but also loves me enough to let me go on vacation without him
thankful for a flight cancellation that led to a 5 hour car trip with my dad and great conversation about jobs, our family, and what matters most
thankful for lost luggage that allowed me a mini shopping spree on the airline's tab (hello, new jeans!)
thankful for early morning coffee in the quiet
thankful for our deck which gets just the right amount of sunlight and gives me the feeling i'm in my own treehouse in the woods
thankful for sweet time with my sisters who seem to be funnier and more fashionable every year
thankful for whatever law forbids chain restaurants or shopping malls from popping up in Door County
thankful for walks with my mom
thankful for my nana and gampy who birthed this wonderful, large family and gifted me 24 years of summers at my favorite place on earth

thought for today

we must accept that this creative pulse within us is God's creative pulse itself

- joseph chilton pearce

officially obsessed

if anyone asks, i always freely admit to being less than skilled in the kitchen department. have you had my cooking? i didn't think so. and that's because it consists of mostly three food groups: cereal, salad, and chocolate. er... i guess none of those count as 'cooking' anyway.

it's really unfair to be the only woman in your family who doesn't have a natural aptitude for putting ingredients together. so when it came to registering for the wedding, i was determined to register for things that would magically transform me into a culinary goddess... and what is more necessary for a a culinary goddess than the beloved, widely sought-after and dare i say coveted KitchenAid Mixer? nothing, my friends. there is nothing more necessary. at least to me.

and yesterday, i arrived home to find a large brown box waiting on our front porch. i could barely get the door open while juggling my purse, computer, said box, and excitement. KitchenAid, you've finally come! i had struggled for maybe hours, trying to decide upon the color of my mixer. normally i would have gone with white or chrome (you know how i like my neutrals). but for this precious tool i decided to go wild - i got the color ice (shown above!). i love it. it's so fun and flirty - can a mixer flirt? mine can! when i took it out of the box and placed it on my counter, i immediately wanted to throw on a cute apron and whip something fabulous up. problem - no idea what to whip up or how to whip it. nevertheless, i was convinced my culinary skills were forever changed.

and that night - i made... whipped cream! it was fluffy. it was sweet. it was just 3 ingredients. it was what i could handle. and spooned atop a warm chocolate dessert, it was heaven. i made whipped cream! perhaps tomorrow will bring bigger KitchenAid adventures. if you have a good KitchenAid recipe, please do pass it along!

ps - how awesome are these? i want one! i know... i'm a little crazed about the Mixer today.

happy weekend!

don't you just love summer weekends? i am really looking forward to this one. i finally am beginning to feel a bit more settled in our newlywed digs. we only need a few more things, some photos on the walls, and one big dinner party with friends. it's been completely wonderful to feel 'home' even among the mess just because m comes home every evening after work, and i get to run up and plant a big, wet one on him. i love that.

so the weekend started with the Harry Potter premier last night at midnight! did anyone else go? wasn't it awesome? although i feel a bit sad - it's the end of an era! i remember reading the first book lying in a hammock one summer at our summer house in Wisconsin. those books are the kind of reading you can just fall into for an afternoon - just magical (!). i'm headed to Wisconsin next week actually (sans m so i'll be a bit sad), and i think i'm going to reread HP 7.

tomorrow i am throwing a little soiree for my dear little sis who is sadly leaving us to finish school in Illinois. you go, girl! one day, kirby is going to be traveling the world, caring for the impoverished, and making a difference - all while cooking incredible meals. at least that's what i think. we'll be celebrating her in style with some cornhole in our backyard and some sweet summer foods (i've been obsessing over watermelon this year!).

hope your weekend is full of popsicles and slip n slides!

minuit a paris

has anyone seen this yet? it's at the top of my list for summer movies (besides the premier of Harry Potter this thursday night!). i'm just a bit nervous that marion cotillard will convince me i must move to the city of light... not too sure how the new hubs will feel about that.

rugs

rugs. i've always hated them. floral print after oriental print after floral print - bleh. rather than bring lightness and cohesion to a room, rugs often turn an otherwise clean design into a muddled mess. but. there are other ways! and perhaps for the first time (because for the first time i actually have a home to decorate) i'm taking note.

rugs have come a long way from the suburban country home where everything is printed, printed, printed. i am loving the bold statements in these rooms. a rug can really change a space, can it not?

i'm looking for one long runner and at least one, maybe two, area rugs for our dining and living rooms. what do you think? i have a pretty much blank slate - white walls, white couch, no throw pillows yet, wood barn table, antique wood baker's table. i'm usually a woman in love with soft neutrals, but i feel the time may have come to choose something bold.

nesting

back from the honeymoon and fam vaca with my (brand new!) family, i'm in nesting mode! i've been scouring pinterest for images, and the above room has me hooked. our small room doesn't have nearly enough natural light, so i'm finding creative ways to make the room appear brighter. anyone have any suggestions?

we are also in the market for a few essential furniture pieces. i've been frequenting circa and perusing etsy for antiques. i'd love to hear any suggestions you may have! i found this beautiful vintage natural wood desk a year ago, and i adored it so much we used it at the wedding for our guest book table.

i can't wait to share more of the wedding and honeymoon with you all. i'm not able to publish wedding photos yet, so honeymoon may come first!

thanks for sticking with me, readers.