So this weekend, I am going to be spending the day and night with my best friend.  It's been awhile since we have had a day completely to ourselves and I am really looking forward to it.  We are going to go shopping for her wedding dress which I think will make it that much more real that she is getting married, I still have a hard time believing it. 

These are some things that will be filling my weekend.
The BFFs dream dress
Shopping for The Boy's Birthday, he's impossible to shop for
My Newest Addiction, pinning
Leisure Diving
Before&After Joggers

I got an early morning phone call which woke me up about 45 minutes earlier than I normally get up, so I traded in my usual to go cup of coffee for a full breakfast this morning.  I even had wonderful company, even if it was just company through a phone call.  I have these beautiful le creuset mini-cocotte pots that I was given for Christmas.  You can make just about anything in them and they are perfect size. 

Here's the recipe I made up for these
Delish Personal Fritattas (this is per mini-cocotte)
    1 egg, plus one egg white (simply cause I don't like the yolk very much)
    1 tbsp. feta cheese
    1 tbsp. crumbled turkey bacon
    1 small handful of Spinach
    Salt and Pepper
    White truffle Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    In a small skillet put a dash of white truffle oil (you can use olive if you want) and heat it over a medium high heat.  When the oil is hot take a piece of turkey bacon and cook it 'til crispy.  Remove the bacon add the spinach (and more oil if necessary) and just let leave it there long enough to become wilted.
    Crack the eggs into the mini-cocette pots and whisk with a fork.  Add the cheese, bacon, spinach, and salt and pepper to taste.  Then stir the ingredients to incorporate all the ingredients throughout the pot. 
    Place in the oven for about 25-30 minutes.

The resulting eggs are very fluffy and perfectly cooked.  Such an easy thing to do, I think I will be making many variations on this.  What do you think would make a good combination?

I sat outside looking out over my fine city, with my dog at my feet and my brother on the phone before the unbearably hot Texas summer sun rose and I had to run off to work.

I had some very thoughtful apartment guests a few weeks ago and they brought me so gifts from previous stops in their journey.  My apartment, like just about anything in my life, has a bit of everything-- some vintage, some new, some handmade, and some lifelong pieces. 

I have been using this type of water jug since I discovered Lorina French Sodas.  They are a cute way to serve water when people come over, plus I like to make different types of infused waters to give people options.   The boy took off to Greece for 3 weeks to spend time with his family before he starts work next month, so looking through this wonderful Greek cookbook makes me think of him and wish he was here to tell me about the recipes and cook them with me. 

I think the butter dish looks perfect with my grandma's old vase and my Anthropologie napkins (similar ones).  I will get some fresh flowers and have my girls over for brunch this weekend to show off my new things, and get started planning the BFFs wedding.  More on that later...

Oh another Monday and back to work after a lovely weekend.  As fun as it was it was a whirlwind with my best friend's engagement and engagement party, dinners, visits from out of town friends that I haven't seen in ages.  Loved every bit of it though.  So when I am not looking forward to doing something, I put on a cute outfit so I at least I look adorable when I am spending yet another sunny day indoors reading cases. 

In Austin we have a lot of great vintage and consignment shopping, one of my favorites, Moss, is where I got this beautiful Miu Miu skirt.  I love the vintage feel of it mixed with a modern look and a bit of whimsy.

Feeling much better about the day already.  I may even just change the shoes for my date with the girls later to check out a Mo-town band for my friends wedding!

It seems that I can't see this color combination anywhere, in anything, that I don't just love it.  It can be a room, an outfit, a drink and I just swoon.  I even without realizing made the girl in my banner wear these colors.  I think the colors work wonderfully together and have a some what nostalgic feel... and for some reason really make me crave ice cream.

Are there any color combinations that you can't resist this season?

In this magazine (which you can tell is the creation of artists) their manifesto states just what I believe on this subject.  They say "there is something about a table shared by friends, not just a wedding or once-a-year holiday extravaganza, that anchors our relationships and energizes us."  And to that, I agree.


I think what I love most is that that it is not some Martha Stewart, overworked party, but instead are organic and unassumingly elegant soirees. Gatherings don't have to be full of stress, they can be relaxed, easy, and yes, energizing.

This weekend I had a picnic out in the Texas Hill Country and visited a few wineries.  It is now the number two wine destination in the country, next to Napa.  I couldn't believe I have never gone out and done this before in the two years I have lived in Austin.  One of the great things about visiting these places is they let you bring your own food for picnics, so I decided something portable would be ideal.

As anyone who has seen Alton Brown's episode on pocket pies knows, they are perfect for such things. So I followed his recipe for the crust and for the curried mango filling, but I also did a turkey and goat cheese filling, and a chocolate coconut that were my own creations.

It was an absolutely wonderful day, and I will be making many more trips out to the wine country in the coming months. 

So, since this great state of Texas has been so hot and so dry they banned fireworks in Austin!  I couldn't believe my ears when I heard this, no permits for anyone, even the city couldn't do professional fireworks! Lame.  I look forward to seeing fireworks every Fourth of July.  There is something about fireworks that bring back memories of catching fireflies, warm summer air, and pool parties.  Since there were going to be no fireworks I decided to make some patriotic shorts to brighten my mood and just to make it a fun holiday!

The material was some that my grandma had given me from a pile she had collected over the years.  I think they turned out pretty well, and everyone who saw them loved them.  So, even though there were no fireworks, I got to have a great time with family and my boyfriend eating hotdogs and cherry pie enjoying sunshine and the freedom of this country in my new shorts.:)