Spring Is In The Air

We enjoyed a lovely respite from the cold this past weekend here in Nashville, with temperatures hovering in the upper 60's and the sun finally busting out from behind the clouds. Naturally, we had to get out and go hiking at Warner Park. Nate and I joke that we've felt like cave people this past winter, stuck indoors and in serious need of some vitamin D. 

I'm finding out that my son loves being outdoors, which brings joy to my heart. I plan on taking him on many camping excursions, hikes, mountain climbs and windows-down road trips throughout his childhood, so I am very happy to see him enjoying nature so much.

Within a couple of days of his birth, Nate and I would bundle him in his Baby Bjorn and take walks around the neighborhood. If he was fussy, he was instantly soothed by the warm early fall breeze across his face, and would almost always fall asleep, depositing baby drool all over the front of my shirt, of course.

Now as a five month old, he is alert and taking in the world around him. His favorite pastime seems to be watching the dogs play and chewing on his Kelty backpack. 

I'm so excited to see the first tiny hints of Spring and can't wait for more adventures with my little Munchie.

Unurth.com

New York City

Marseilles, France

Arizona

Turin, Italy

My latest web obsession is this website that showcases street art from around the world. One of my favorites is the top image, Pixal Pour 2.0, by artist Kelly Goeller. Seriously talented people here.

Love

In honor of Valentine's Day.

Robert Indiana's iconic sculpture at the corner of 6th & 55th in Manhattan.

A beautiful photograph.

A timeless movie.

A fun date night dress.

Super cute stationary.

A killer dinner party.

And last but not least, a kiss.

Happy Valentine's Day. May all your wishes come true.

Thrifty Mama

Growing up with seven brothers had both it's pros and cons. A definite downside was that I didn't have a cool older sister to give me her well-loved hand-me-downs. But the flip side of that was I got to buy new, or "new to me" clothes. 

My mom was and still is a huge secondhand aficionado. She will spend an entire afternoon scouring a flea market for one of a kind antiques, or whittle the day away perusing shelves at a thrift store for the perfect teapot.

When I was a kid, I dreaded our "thrifting" days. I was embarrassed to be the kid shopping secondhand while most of my friends and classmates rolled into school in brand new J. Crew duds.

That all changed when I went away to college and all of a sudden, just like that, thrift stores were the epitome of cool. And ever since then, it's been almost a personal mission of mine to see just how much I can buy secondhand. In fact, I often find it difficult to buy brand new because I find myself saying, "I can find this exact same thing for less than half this price."

A lot of my friends say they have a hard time finding good pieces at a thrift store. I always tell them one of the keys is a virtue we all learned in grade school: patience. It's tedious sifting through other people's junk to find something bright and shiny, but it is well worth the effort. The outfit pictured above, minus the tights, was thrifted entirely from Nashville area stores, including the brand new Via Spiga boots.

So I will proudly continue my mom's tradition and hopefully pass my frugality onto my son. Hopefully, he won't be too embarrassed by me.

Dream Outfit #1

(All images courtesy of net-a-porter.com)

Let's Go!

It sounds good in any language. I'm tired of being cold and cooped up. I'm ready for wide open spaces, sunshine and new adventures, and this print basically says it all.

Nate and I always say how nice it is to have something to look forward to in order to help us get through our normal day to day. Not that we aren't loving life, but it is always fun to break out of the routine every now and then, to see a little light at the end of the tunnel. It could be a trip around the world, or just a date night without the baby. A little spontaneity can go a long ways in helping you recharge and see things with a fresh perspective. And people who know me well know that I can't sit still for too long before I'm ready to take off again.

And so, when I saw this print on Etsy, I had to smile and start to plot our next crazy adventure. Details coming soon...... :)

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

          (The dress I'm wearing is from a talented Nashville-based designer named Loretta Jane).

As much as I am loving my life right now, I have to confess that there is one place I wish I could be. Fashion Week officially kicks off tomorrow in New York City, but with a 5 month old baby, I'm afraid that my days of hopping on a plane at a moments notice and heading off to distant locales have been temporarily put on hold.

A couple of years ago my friend Christie and I had the opportunity to attend the Academy of Art University's runway show, where we got to see some amazing up-and-coming talent. I still remember my favorite dress from the show:

(Joanna Hatzenbuehler)

We stayed at the Gershwin Hotel, a cool hostel where we shared a room with two French girls and a party hopping German. 

We ate good food, listened to some amazing musicians, and had fun dressing up and wandering the city as tourists.

At the end of our trip, my Aunt Susan took us to an amazing organic restaurant that she loves called GustOrganics.

We also got to see my cousin Lauren and her adorable daughter Julia (who I swear has a future on Broadway)!

If I were going to the shows this year, I would definitely want to be at Luca Luca for the simple, clean silhouettes, Christian Siriano for the over the top, va-va-voom dresses and Lela Rose, simply because I think that nearly everything she designs is gorgeous.

Looking at these pictures is making me want to go book a plane ticket for the September shows! Hmmmm.........

Rock On, Munchie. Rock On.

Cha Chah

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, Nate and I have been sifting through Nashville's plethora of dining choices to find the perfect place to have a date night. Even though we've already been there twice, I can't help but think that Cha Chah, on Belmont Boulevard, would be perfect.

Anyone who is a fan of Bravo's Top Chef will likely remember Arnold Myint, the Nashville chef who appeared on the D.C. version last year. He got booted off pretty early on in the season, returning to his hometown to concentrate on one of the three restaurants that he owns here. Cha Chah has quickly emerged as a favorite of mine.

The last time we were there, we wanted to take complete advantage of the fact that we had a babysitter (aka Grandma), so we sat back, ordered wine (Martin Codax, from Spain), feasted on a huge array of tapas (my fave: Papas Bravas with Aioli), and indulged in one of the best desserts I've ever had.

It wasn't fancy, it wasn't contrived. Just a rich, delicious, unique take on the campfire staple: the s'more.

The chocolate was served in a cute little teapot with a consistency that was not quite a liquid and not quite a solid, maybe a bit like the Mexican "Abuelita." Our server demonstrated how to eat the dessert by pouring the chocolate mixture over a brûléed marshmallow. There was also a homemade shortcake that you could dip into the chocolate. At any rate, I have literally been daydreaming about this dessert since the last time we went, so I just might have to put on some high heels and head that way with my dapper Valentine's date.

UPDATE: Nate made a reservation! Yay!

Elizabeth and James

I'm loving this Elizabeth and James dress for Spring/Summer. And I also appreciate how Shopbop styled it, with the cool oxford thong sandals and the middle-parted hippie hair. 

Munchie's Nursery

I had a few readers post or e-mail asking for pictures of Maddux's nursery and I am so happy to oblige.

Nate and I had such a fun time doing this room. We enlisted the help of many friends and family and can truly say it was a joint effort.

We knew we absolutely wanted a music theme, as music is such a part of each of our lives. We've decided it's our favorite room in the house now!

Paint: Olympic Windsor Way. We loved the color as well as the fact that it's a low odor, zero VOC formula.

(The bottom picture is from Christmas, obviously).