{a recipe for good health}

So Thursday is the day that I had set aside in my planning to share recipes with you. I love to cook and I'm pretty good at it. (I've been told so by a chef, and he wasn't just being nice... I know because he watched me make the meal and ate every bit of it.)

But for the next month I am going on a juice fast. I recently watched the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" and I can't wait to get started. If you haven't seen the film, watch it. Now. Here's the trailer to get you interested:

Joe Cross was on all kinds of medication, and after the fast and change in lifestyle, he's no longer suffering from his disease.

I have plantar fasciitis in both my feet. Basically, the tendon that connects my heel to my toes is severely inflammed. I had been feeling the pain for over 5 months before I finally went to the doctor, and the only reason I went was because the pain was so bad I couldn't walk on my feet. She put me on medication that is supposed to relieve the inflammation, but I haven't felt any relief for the pain. I'm afraid to exercise because even taking the dog for a walk knocks me off my feet for a few days.

After watching the film, I explored Joe's website, JointheReboot.com, I discovered all kinds of fruits and vegetables that are supposed to help with inflammation. So starting on Monday, I will be juice fasting for 30 days. I'll give you a weekly update to my journey.

Watch the fim!

{Charleston}

My favorite place on earth. Wishing I was there right now.

Happy hump day.

{Return to Life}

Have you missed me? I apologize for my long absence. There was a whole day of waiting around the DMV, and I'm working on something big that I can (hopefully!) share with you next week. But first, we have some make ups to do today.

I left off with all the broccoli from my garden which I made broccoli cheese soup with, and if I was a good blogger I would tell you it turned out amazing, never better! But the truth is the heat from the soup made the broccoli flower, giving it an earthy, bitter taste. Not delish, but not too bad either. 

The recipe involved carrots, celery, onion, garlic, chicken broth, broccoli (of course), a little milk, farmer's cheese, smoked paprika, basil, garlic salt and pepper. Not really worth sharing, but I told you I would last week.

Here's some music that I did not share yesterday, but has been stuck in my head for a few days. Yes, it was original to The Postal Service, but I like the folk-tune version so much better.

I also got some succulents planted this past weekend. All the aluminum containers were from Christmas decorations, and did have drainage. I hammered the tip of my owl into the bottom of them (much easier than I expected!!) and now they're perfect for some small plants. The long container is in my bathroom, and the pails are clustered around my living room.

Now off to get some work done on my big project!

{This Garden is Still Going!}

When we moved into our house in November, there was a small raised garden in the back yard with some beautiful lettuce, kale, swiss chard, basil, and broccoli. It is now January, and there is still broccoli growing!

Here is some of the lettuce I nabbed a couple weeks ago.

I think some broccoli cheese soup is in order for tonight! I'll share the recipe tomorrow.

{Icecapades}

Last week it actually got cold enough for some ice to form in the bottom of my new fire pit.



{ Musical Monday }

I love music. Over the last year I've really been discovering new artists that you would not find on the pop radio stations. This song is my favorite for the moment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=686eN4iBaCc&feature=player_detailpage

This is John Paul White from the duo The Civil Wars doing a remake of ELO's Can't Get it Out of My Head.

The song is great in itself, but I love the simplicity of the instruments and JPW's voice better than the original. JPW has a beautiful voice, but he interlaces every note with full emotion, almost a cry in each phrase. You get the feeling he is tortured by the scene from the beach because he can't find her again. And the harmonies with the cello are amazing.

Tufted

I love tufted furniture. There are DIY plans in the works for a tufted headboard and possibly an ottoman, too.

via Brocade Home

Happy Friday the 13th!

Nailhead Trim

So to continue sharing my tastes for home decor, I have selected some beautiful examples of nailhead trim that I love so much. It always grabs my attention even if the furniture it sits on does not. I own a few pieces of furniture with nailhead trim, but I'll share those in some later posts because they are in the process of a facelift.

via Horchow.com

 via Horchow.com

via Z Gallerie

                                                                                                   via Anthropologie

He was a Visitor and Flight of the Clouds

I really meant to write yesterday, but the day just got away from me. I'll share a couple photos I took to make it up to you. This first one might gross you out, but it visited my back patio after a storm. I try not to miss opportunities to practice my photography skills... or lack thereof.

I didn't get home until 1am last night, and this next photo is the unexpected view from my backyard. With all the rain we had yesterday, it was surprising to find the sky so clear. Some low clouds were moving pretty quickly across the sky, so I grabbed my camera to capture the moment.

Sometimes the coolest things happen in our own backyards.

Yikes Stripes!

Stripes are one of those things that can go either way for me. They used to bring horrible images of early nineties multi-colored atrocities plagued by bad color combos and varying width stripes. All those t-shirts and sweaters with white leggings and jelly shoes... No socks or you don't get to stand with the cool girls.

Stripes finally found their way back into my heart with the wide, two-toned trend. High contrast colors make a bold statement, and the subtlety of similar shades soothes the mood. Here are my favorite stripes... all from my Pinterest.

via YoungHouseLove.com

via laurenconrad.com

via aroomsomewhere.net

via remodelaholic.com

via lily.fi

via thedecorista.com

via conspicuousstyle.com

I was starting to think that the reason I don't have stripes in my home is because I might be moving on. But I think I just haven't found the right spot for them yet.

An Introduction

Yes, yes, this is yet another blog added onto the vast expanse of the Internet. Whether it's cliche or just a normal way of expressing one's self, much like a public journal, starting my own blog has been on my bucket list for a few years now. In fact I've claimed this space for the last year without working on one post. The biggest thing holding me back was where to start.

I've rolled several ideas around in my head trying to get around the initial post or two. Everyone likes to read blogs that are well established, not ones that have only one or two entries. So, I decided to start by introducing myself and sharing a few of my favorite things each day this week.

Well, I'm going to skip the introductions, because that's just awkward, and let's face it, people follow blogs for the pictures and only read when a picture needs explaining.

One of my recent muses is hammered metal. Lamps, vases, napkin rings, I love it all. In fact, my wonderful family must have gotten my hints after watching me drool every time I found something hammered metal at the store. My mom got me this amazing set of silverware:

I haven't even used it yet because it's too pretty for everyday wear and tear. So I've been peeking in the silverware drawer everyday. I swear I'll use it soon.

My mother-in-law got me this gorgeous hammered tray. I love it so much, I couldn't resist using it for my New Year's Eve party.

I know... I love them both so much but I can't use one and use the other the first chance I get. Don't ask me to try to explain the thought process behind that one.

West Elm has a whole set of serveware in hammered metal that I am currently lusting over.

And Pottery Barn's hammered pewter lamp:

I know it's super trendy, but I really like the shiny, textured look. Tomorrow I'm going to show you something else I love, but I don't actually have in my house... yet.