Deep thought thursday...

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Wandering Wednesday: Antiquing, Nolensville TN, and the last of the baby pics...

Something I always miss when I come back to Colorado from Tennessee is the beautiful lush landscape. When I close my eyes and think of this state where I was born, I always think of it in a color, and that color is green. I think it must have rained 9.5 out of the 10 days I was back, but when the rain stopped just long enough for me to go outside and wander around a bit, it sure did make for some pretty pictures. My sister-n-law Kali's family recently moved to an incredible farm house in Nolensville, Tennessee. Before this trip, I was not familiar with this quaint, tiny town about 30 miles outside of Nashville-- but I was immediately intrigued when I  couldn't help my 'ooohs' and 'ahhhs' as we passed antique store after antique store. This is my kinda town--- it's got the views and the shopping ;) One of my last nights in TN was spent antiquing in the daytime with my mom, followed by a family dinner with the Gregory's at the farm that night. It was the best sunset of the whole trip and was topped off with the best food and company around. It's been a lot of family talk on this blog lately I know...and I hope that's okay with you. Things seem bigger these days, and because this blog is my main place of life documentation you might say, this is where it lands. I'm turning 29 in less than a month, and all of the sudden, more than ever, I want to stop and remember the time my friends got engaged, and the time my sister had her first baby girl-- I want to let these moments linger on a bit...so thanks for indulging me friends. I 'preciate it. x.

Bits of my weekends...

Even though they are always kind of bittersweet, I love these last few weeks of summer-- when the weather is aammaazzing and there is all this anticipation in the air for what's to come. I am a fall baby, so I always look forward to the next few months, they are my absolute favorite. My weekends lately have been super lazy and easy going...lots of sleeping in, kitten snuggles, movie watching, and dinners at home. This past weekend Rob and I rode 10 miles on our bikes (guys this is a big deal for me, it has taken me some time to get comfortable on a bike)-- to the library, to Liks for ice cream, to happy hour! It was awesome and left me feeling good and sore. 

In other major news, two of my best friends are marrying each other! Aly is my oldest friend in Colorado--we've known each other for 10 years! She lived across the hall from me in the dorms freshman year...back when she had a lip ring, and I was still dating my high school boyfriend. eeek! Those were some good times ;). I met Stuart only a few years later in film school. I actually played a pretty major role in introducing the two of them (along with our friend Kelsey) and they have been together for over 5 years now. He finally popped the question two weeks ago, while they were cabining in the mountains! Although we always knew they would be one of the first of our friends to tie the knot, it was still really surprising, exciting news (I actually cried, I'm such a baby about these kinds of things). These are two of my all time favorite people and I can't wait to see them get married! Also, look at that stunning art deco ring! He done good!

Have a lovely weekend!

This was a long week for me. The weekend feels good already. Tonight I am taking it nice and easy and going to see this movie with my man. I am not sure what's in store for the rest of the weekend, but it's been perfect out lately so I just kind of want to take it all in. I wanted to share some links with you because it's been so long since I've gotten a chance to...hope you enjoy them as much as I do. x. 

lovely things...

A SPARK: is all it takes.

DEEP: thought.

HOUSE: plant cupcakes. mind. blown.

REINVENTED: bobby pins.

COMMUNAL: vacation homes! brilliant!

QUINOA: 50 ways. no joke.

ACE: hotel opens in London! What a beauty.

FALL: wardrobe inspiration via Lauren Moffat. if only.

PRETTY: hand painted pottery.

SIMPLE: delicate, jewelry is the best kind.

WATCH: this trailer, this stop motion film was made only using photo booth pictures. So cool!

(photo via brown dress with white dots)

Wandering Wednesday: Leila's birth + the hospital

....and then they were a family of three...

Cousin Wesley getting some attention from Big Daddy!

look at that smile!

so sweet to think they will be cousins and friends all their lives!

Every time I go home to Tennessee my family keeps getting bigger! These first days at the hospital were full of visitors, lots of analyzing who we think Leila looks like (overall most votes go to mom, but dad won in the 'nose' category), sitting and staring, wiggling her teeny fingers and toes and watching her adorable facial expressions. Everything went really smoothly in terms of the birth and the health of the baby, so the hospital time was fairly brief, but I just love these first moments when everyone is seeing her for the first time. It was especially special seeing Leila and her almost 3 month old cousin Wesley meeting....of course they had no idea what was actually going on, but I think the thought of them growing up together and being so close in age has really got the whole family incredibly excited.

I know I said it before, but I have to say it again, my sister is a rockstar. I am so proud of her, and Mike, and their little family of three. 

MAKE: Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie

 I love to cook, but I don't so much consider myself a baker. One of the things I find fun about cooking is adding your own this or that special touch to a meal. Baking is so precise and scientific, and I was never good at that sort of thing. I tend to put things in the oven and sort of back away slowly thinking 'okay, you do your magic. please'. So I made this pie a few weeks ago...and well, there isn't a whole lot of baking in it, so maybe that was on my side, but it was great! I will be making it again and again, and I think you should to! I did end up tweaking it a little since my pie dish was bigger than what the recipe called for. If you are a fan of chocolate and coconut and you like your crust to taste like gooey macaroons, then this pie will be your jam. Oh and the best part? It's really easy! We all like that. Okay on to the recipe:

Ingredients:

6 tbsp. butter

8 cups of shredded coconut (I used sweetened)

1 1/4 Cups of heavy cream

8 oz. of bittersweet chocolate (around 60% cacao), 

either in chips or finely chopped

1 pint of whipping cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 cup of sugar

1/3 cup Nutella (optional)

toasted coconut (optional)

MAKE:

For the Crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor, process butter, and 1/3 of coconut until mixture forms a ball

transfer to a medium bowl, sprinkle remaining 2/3 of coconut over mixture and combine with your fingers

Place an 11 in pie plate on top of a parchment lined cookie sheet

Press coconut mixture onto bottom and up the sides of the pan leaving the top edges loose and fluffy

Bake 10-15 min, or until edges are brown.

Remove from over and let cool completely

The Insides:

Bring heavy cream just to a boil in a saucepan.

Pour over chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl

Let sit 10 min.

Stir the mixture until chocolate is fully melted and mixture is combined

Pour into cooled coconut crust.

Refrigerate until filling is set. About 1 hr.

Whipped Cream and Topping

Whip the whipping cream with an electric mixer until it forms soft peaks

add vanilla extract , sugar. and Nutella (optional) and whip until combined

Using a spatula, spread the cream over the cooled chocolate pie mixture.

Sprinkle with toasted coconut*!

done :)

* to make the toasted coconut simply grease a fry pan with a little butter, add some coconut, and toast until the desired brown coloring is reached. 

recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts

deep thought thursday...

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Wandering Wednesday: Barista Parlor + Hey Rooster, East Nashville

This is definitely more of a family oriented trip to Nashville, BUT that being said, I wanted to share a couple of great places I've stumbled upon since my last visit here. East Nashville is still very new to me and I love exploring new places. My sister and brother-n-law live right in the heart of it, with some fantastic restaurants, shops and coffee spots only minutes away. The Barista Parlor is a coffee shop I've been hearing about for a while now, so I really wanted to check it out this visit. Kate and Mike are actually really good friends with the owner Andy, who I met last week while a few friends of theirs were visiting the baby at the hospital. Yesterday I had a couple morning hours to myself so I headed over and got a cup of drip coffee and a sausage biscuit with peach jam. It did not disappoint-- the coffee was quality and the biscuit was divine! The space itself is an old garage, open and beautiful. Antique motorcycles line the front of the shop, and large reclaimed wood tables fill the room and provide for ample space to work or just relax. A few miles down the road, a cute little shop with homemade goods and gifts called 'Hey Rooster' is worth a stop. From tea towels to ginger syrup this place is filled with unique goods from all over. They even teach classes from time to time on subjects like stop motion animation!  

DRINK:

Barista Parlor

519BGallatin Ave.

Nashville, TN 37206

SHOP:

Hey Rooster

1106 Gallatin Ave.

Nashville, TN 37206