Happy Earth Day

Today is Earth Day. There is a quote that says "every day is Earth day" and I definitely like that idea better than having a single designated day. 

There are many things that can be done to celebrate and protect our Earth. The Earth Day site has lots of ways you can pledge to help and it even has a footprint calculator. 

 Here are some of the ways I try to reduce my consumption: 

1. Vegetarian diet

2. Buy local produce (we support local farmers by getting a CSA box each week)

3. Growing our own vegetables (check out our garden here)

4. One car family (we only use 1 car 99% of the time and carpool as much as possible)

5. Recycle and use reusable water bottles

How do you help conserve resources and celebrate Earth Day?

xo

[photo]

Create Your Own Sunshine

Despite the rain today, I am looking forward to the warmer, sunny days ahead. I think all of these items are "must-haves" for this summer (minus the Hermes beach blanket, because who has $1,500 for something that goes on the sand?). I'm ready to hit the pool this summer as much as possible. To be honest, I think I need a beach trip. I'd really love to go surfing, but the beaches in the southeast just don't cut it (I think Florida has the highest number of shark attacks; however, most of the attacks are non-fatal thankfully). Maybe I need to move to the west coast...

In the meantime, I'm getting daily inspiration from my reusable water cup. The quote on it says "some days you have to create your own sunshine" and I think I'm pretty good at that (most days, at least).

I have been getting back in the gym a lot since getting back from vacation and I feel great. 

I still have a long way to go until I'm bikini-ready, but soon enough! Like my cardio funk teacher says at the end of every class: "2014 - Eating clean and working out dirty!" I'm excited about watermelon, picnics, camping trips, and maybe some trips to the drive-in.

What are you most excited about this summer?

[Summer Lovin']

Flowers In My Hair

There is something about this quote that really resonates with me. It leaves me feeling inspired and grounded. It reminds me that despite what I do for work or the routine of life, that there's so much more than meets the eye. I get so much joy out of being outside in nature, napping in a hammock, practicing yoga, laughing with friends, and dancing.  I'm trying to really focus on being the best version of myself. I get called a hippie frequently and I've decided that I'm going to embrace it from now on. 

“Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair and let us huddle together as darkness takes over. We are at home amidst the birds and the trees, for we are children of nature.” - Susan Polis Schutz

♥

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Vintage Dining Room Chairs

 

Our dining room table is now a fully finished project! Last Xmas, J bought me a pine dining room table as a surprise gift (with thanks to some of our friends' and family's help). 

The man who built the table included 2 benches with it, but I wanted 4 chairs to go with the table. 

I saw various chairs that I loved, but they were either too expensive or we could only find 2. At thrift stores, it was rare to find 4 chairs together and typically they would only come with a table.

While at a flea market this weekend, I found these amazing old oak chairs (all 4 were in perfect condition) and thankfully they didn't belong to a table set. I got an amazing deal for all 4 chairs ($80 TOTAL) and I couldn't be happier!

 My favorite part about the chairs is that they are imperfectly perfect. Their spindles aren't all perfectly centered and the wood grain shows wear and tear. We also didn't have to stain them and the color matches our table's stain. All we had to do was wipe them down with some Murphy's Oil!

 We still have the extra bench for when we need more space or seating, but I love the country vintage feel the chairs add to our table.

Now it's just time for more meals with friends!

 

 It sure is nice to not have to scour craigslist anymore!

♥

What's your favorite thrift store/ flea market find recently?

Happy Father's Day!

 

Happy Father's Day to my dad. Since growing up in the Bronx and then following his friends down South, he's got some crazy stories - from his travels with his buddies at 19 years old throughout Europe and his "job" when he first moved to Atlanta.

We celebrated Father's Day a bit early with my dad since my family is currently at the beach - wish we could be there with them!

Here's hoping that his day is filled with lots of sunshine and golf!

Love you dad!

Also, Happy Father's Day to my great Father-in-Law. Thanks for all your support (and the ice cream)!

 xo

DIY [Cheap] Garden Stakes

Now that our raised gardens are thriving, we wanted to get some cohesive labels in the beds.

After scouring the internet, I found some amazing handmade garden stakes, but they were a bit out of my price range considering we needed over 20 stakes for our garden. After a trip to the craft store, I decided to go with popsicle sticks that look like chalkboards.

Items needed for this project:

- Popsicle sticks

- Black acrylic paint

- Paint brush

- Sharpie paint pen (white)

I painted the entire sticks with black paint (single coat) and then wrote the plant name on with the paint pen (I did 2 coats). 

I decided to use various fonts on the popsicle sticks to add more personality to the stakes. 

 

The whole project only took about 1 hour total (including the drying time) so it was perfect for a quick craft during a rainy day. I didn't put polyurethane on the garden stakes so I may have to go back and do that at some point (or just make new ones).

 We put the stakes in the garden this week and love the finished look. The stakes were simple to make and I love the simple flair they added to the vegetable beds.

Now we're just waiting on some fruits + veggies! With all this rain, it shouldn't be too long!

♥

Kiss Me Like A Man

I know I'm not alone in being insanely excited about the "New Girl" season finale tomorrow night!
It's honestly the only TV show I make an effort to watch every week - it's my favorite.

I also know that I'm not alone in being insanely excited about Nick + Jess. Also my current favorite TV couple (why can't they be together in real life!). This auto-tune video is making my day!

Apparently we'll find out some major news for either Nick + Jess or Cece + Schmidt this week!
Can't wait!

Then it's back to waiting for next season (insert sad face here).

Hope y'all had a great weekend!
xo