Summer Favorites.

I might have been a bit premature in my dramatic, drooly post about Autumn arriving. It most certainly hinted at it's coming, but summer stepped back in and grabbed a hold of the meteorologist's microphone this past weekend. SUMMER. We feel you. I am once again, breathing in the humidity and choking on it's drippy, hazy, haughtiness. But, in all honesty, this summer rocked my face off. Maybe it rocked too hard in some ways. Rocked so hard that I found myself off balance more than once. But this was certainly a memorable one and I wanted to take a minute to recap my little family's favorite moments this summer.

At Serenbe, our favorite little farm away from home.

My dad, Stevie and Everett shooting hoops. The best.

Hanging with my niece while her baby brother was being born. These are the days!

We bought an all-electric car!

Our 4th of July was filled with house hunting, barbecue sandwiches and watching Everett watch the rain. In the cutest diapers in the land, of course.

Breakfast outdoors in Madrid! That little man was tired, and so was I, so we cheered our cafe con leche/fruit pouch and enjoyed in silence. I will never forget it.

The bible says to give honor where honor is due. So I curtsied at the Spanish Royal Palace.

We ate pizza and drank lunchtime wine in Rome. Like it was going out of style. Like it hasn't been in style there for thousands of years.

I should frame this one. It makes me so happy, the three of us in Italy. Who says you can't take a baby traveling? I discovered a lot of helpful tricks. I also crashed when we got home. But still - WORTH IT.

You pound it Everett. He the raddest.

Dream come true: Our beloved New Yorkers came to Georgia. Her other half, unfortunately not pictured. But a week later we flew up there and got to see them again! BEST SUMMER EVER.

Went to the iconic Tavern on the Green, which only made me reminisce about the last time I had been there, a drillion years ago with my dad and my aunt and a parade of cows and that famous artist guy. <-- That statement. See what I mean? NYC is nutso. In the very best kind of way!

Anthony and Everett, discussing the dinner plan. Amongst their many other plans for his future. Babies in NYC, oh, it's doable. For a weekend, anyway :)

Is there anything better than NYC in the summer? He's sighing here, because he knows there's not. Hahaha, actually, Jess gave him lemonade from Shake Shack, and he was eternally grateful to her.

Oh, the places these boats must go. We chatted with the yacht drivers. AND DREAMED.

Nothing makes me happier than goofing around NYC with my family, eating and drinking all the fads.

Do you know what it feels like when you realize you don't have control over your heart? That's what I feel when I look at this picture. Completely overwhelmed and unable to control my emotions. These two hold my heart hostage. I'm probably never getting it back either.

I didn't spend a whole lot of time cooking this summer, even though it's something I love. We just moved around so much, and then you know, actually moved! But this Artichoke recipe is too delicious not to mention. And this photo is perhaps my favorite foodie one of the summer.

We house-hunted on our bikes. It was the best way to do it! Everett never got fussy and we got to exercise! Which I'll admit, has definitely fallen by the wayside this summer. What didn't I do this summer? GET IN SHAPE.

I can deny him nothing. LOOK AT THAT FACE.

Everett turned one year old! And I turned one in mother years, too.

We threw him a pirate-themed birthday party. He loved the party, hated the cake.

My beautiful baby sister graduated from college. And my Aunt (and all of us!) couldn't be more proud :)

He loves the camera.

Right before we moved.

We spent a day at the lake! It was so refreshing and therapeutic.

Everett's little toes in his mimi's hands. Ahhhhh.

I made lentils. Like Christ ate.

And then we bought a house! Our first grown up house! After 8 years of renting.

Not his very first nap in the house, but one of them. I find myself spying on him a lot more in our new home. I just love watching him sleep. Creepy? I'm probably creepy, yeah.

This has been my life for the past four weeks. Cleaning, painting, rearranging. I am super proud of our new, old upcycled bedroom furniture though!

And then I planted a vegetable garden.

As I look back over the photos from the past three months, whoa. I can see why I feel like it's been overwhelming, exciting and challenging. Because it has been! It's been a summer of movement, and a lot of it was unexpected. We thought we might move to another country, then we thought we would move back to New York, and then we decided to stay put and establish roots right where we are. Our son spends time every week with his grandparents and his cousins, and my heart couldn't be fuller. He is soaking up so much love and family and time in the grass!

I hope your summer was the greatest, too! Any memories that stick out the most to you?

Around Our Yard.

I can't get enough.

Our yard and my garden and my baby walking all around, I just can't get enough of it. These days are getting good and better all the time. Moving this past month was kind of rough and I was getting overwhelmed with all of it, but finally, things have calmed down and most of our stuff is in place. We still have a zillion little projects, but I'm not going to let that stop me from living in the moment. Because these moments are so sweet. Everett is walking and talking (you know, baby babbling, but still) and he makes himself crack up laughing and he tries to eat my mums and he's wearing JEANS. I could just die. His little diaper butt all squished into these Levis is just the end of the earth fun for me. This recent weather is pretty much bliss and I've been the cheesy mom as I followed my boys around the yard with the camera. We've had so much fun breathing in the autumn weather and relieving our skin of summer's humidity. And thankfully, Everett still thinks my camera is a novelty so he's letting me over photograph him. At least for now.

Ahhh I am reminded each and every day how blessed I am for these two twinner souls.

Do you have any grand plans for the fall? Tell me all the things you plan to do now that Autumn has hinted that it's just around the bend. Any festivals, activities, or getaways? I am always up for suggestions.

Happy Friday, friends! Hope your weekend is the grandest!

P.S. - Enjoy these internet papers so your desktop can dress up, the Anthropologie fall housewares line is making me swoon, and I'm actually starting to read this book this weekend. Ridiculously excited, since I haven't read anything but parenting books and the bible in a year. Oh sheesh, I hope I remember how to vocationally enjoy a book.

Hi, Old Friend.

On Saturday night, I was cleaning up the kitchen from dinner and Stevie was taking out the trash. He came back in the house and said, "Kris, you've got to stop what you're doing and come out here."

I stepped outside and whoa. I couldn't see it, but I could feel it.

It wasn't just cool - it was cold. It was like I had stepped out onto the dark porch and back into a memory, one from our days in Boston. Walking home from dinner in Harvard Square and snuggling up together as we meandered those cobblestone streets in the black night, the chilly autumn weather dancing all around our feet. It was wonderful and sweet and, wow, life was really simple then. Even though it didn't feel like it at the time.

And as I stood, barefooted on my own back porch, far far away from the life I journeyed in Cambridge, Massachusetts a few years ago, I was swept away in that memorable moment. Such a simple one. All because of the strikingly cold weather. It's enticing, what our senses can do for us.

Stevie and I just stood out there for a long while, feeling the hard porch wood beneath our feet and the cold enveloping all around. We took deep breaths and silently welcomed this old friend, this autumn chill signaling it's time. Time for knotty sweaters and mulled cider and crackling bonfires and apple picking and fan girl phenomena about all things pumpkin. Time for walks through Williams Sonoma with to-go cups from Starbucks to sniff out all the harvest recipes. Time for watching football in the living room, eating chili and knitting blankets that I will never finish. Time for Sunday afternoon naps and woolly socks and sloshing around in the crispy leaves. It's time for all of it. It's beginning again. Welcome, old friend. Have your way.

How to Upcycle Furniture + My (old) New Bedroom Dresser!

I'm excited to share this up-cycled DIY project today!

I mentioned a here few weeks ago that we were given a ton of old furniture from a family friend. We were so overwhelmed and grateful to be given so much, especially in the midst of buying and moving into our first home. However, for as nice all the furniture is, a lot of the pieces are pretty dated in terms of color, style and hardware. I decided to try my hand at upcycling the pieces and giving them some fresh life - and fresh paint :) I started in the bedroom.

I was given two coordinating bedroom dressers that are Johnsonville brand and from what I understand from the previous owner, are about 25 years old. The top of one of the dressers was scratched up pretty good, but other than that, these pieces were in excellent condition. They just needed a bit of beautifying, which I'll admit, is something that I love doing. Here are the steps I took for this home renovation/DIY/upcycling project!

To give you an idea of what I was working with. The "before".

1. Choosing the Color.
The first thing I decided on was a color story for my bedroom. I know that sounds so lame, but think about it! You really want to love the bedroom, because you spent 1/3 of your life sleeping in there. I have always loved white bedding and blue accents, and as much as I try to convince myself to branch out and try some new colors, I always come back to these shades for my bedroom. Blues and whites and all the colors in between are just so soothing, so I caved and once again went in that direction. This Anthropologie dresser served as my inspiration for the furniture. I chose the Behr shade "Pencil Point" (based on seeing it at my sister-in-law's house, thanks for letting me copy you, Lauren!) and I had it mixed into Valspar's Chalky Finish Paint at Home Depot.

2. Assembling the Tools.
I used this Purdy 1.5-inch brush and this Purdy 2-inch brush to paint with, several different weights of sandpaper (similar here) to distress the furniture and the Valspar Chalky Finish Sealing Wax to finish the piece with a satin finish. I also painted the furniture on a disposable drop cloth (similar here) and used several old t-shirts cut up to wipe the furniture down in between paint coats.

3. Executing the Strategy.
With this furniture, I was going for a gently distressed look. I didn't want the paint to look too chippy, and I wanted the finish to say "I've been worn in with love, not a chisel" (if a piece of furniture can talk). So I gently sanded the furniture's surface, then wiped everything down with a damp cloth. Next I painted the furniture with two coats, the first coat being ever so slightly sloppy (but thick coverage) and the second coat being more careful to keep the strokes all the in the direction of the wood grain. I let each paint coat dry overnight. Then I went back over the furniture with a heavy-weight sandpaper, and I proceeded to beat up the furniture I had just so lovingly painted pretty. I focused especially on the edges and corners, really wearing it down into the original stained wood. I also spent a lot of time sanding down the hardware and letting a bit of the gold gleam come through. After the piece was distressed to my liking, I wiped the furniture down with the damp cloth again and let it dry. Then I finished the piece with a coat of the Valspar Chalky Finish Sealing Wax. The wax goes on more like a lotion, and I got the best results by applying it in small sections and then wiping it off with an old t-shirt. It basically seals the furniture without any sheen whatsoever, so the pieces maintain an aged appearance.

4. Assessing the Cost.
The furniture cost me nothing. Which is glorious. Here's a breakdown of the other costs:

Paint: $29.99
Sealing Wax: $16.99
Paint Brushes: $8.83 + $10.11
Sandpaper: $2.97
Drop Cloth: $6.69
TOTAL: $75.58

5. Admiring the Results!
I am so happy with the outcome of this project. The furniture looks exactly as I hoped, but somehow even better in person. It adds just the right anchoring element to our bedroom and yet still remains calm and soothing.

I forgot how much I love making old furniture new again! I think I'm embarking upon a new hobby, you know, to go along with my bird watching and whatnot. My garage is full of projects-in-waiting!

Have you ever upcycled furniture? Got any great how-to tips to share?

P.S. In case you missed it, my other recent new-house projects have been planting my first vegetable garden and attempting to stay positive in the midst of moving and live in the moment.
 

Soda & Sugar Pulled Pork.

Soda & Sugar Pulled Pork.
It was a Friday night. I was walking around Williams Sonoma, dreaming of taking home all the Staub cookware and copper saucepans that could fit in my Nissan Leaf. Yes, obviously I was on a date. And my man is a good one, so he followed me around the store and let me have my moment in the sun. Or rather, in the Nespresso section. I got to talking to the lovely WS employee, since I like to ask a zillion questions and make friends, and after I professed my love for French cookware, she offered an olive branch - a new recipe! A new recipe for my Le Creuset! And I tried it out and it's friggin awsome, so here I am to share it with you. Incidentally, this recipe is dangerously similar to The Pioneer Woman's, so you know it's going to be good. Nay, GREAT!

Ingredients:
- 1 5-8 lb. Pork Shoulder (also called pork butt, hehe. BUTT.)
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 cans Dr. Pepper
- 1 can Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
- 2-3 tbsp. Brown Sugar
- Salt and Pepper (a lot of it)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Quarter the yellow onion and spread the slices on the bottom of a large dutch oven. This is when my Le Creuset gets to come out and play :)
3. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the pork and lay it on top of the sliced onions. I had to really shove it in there to actually fit. It was cozy.
4. Pour the chipotle peppers (and the sauce) over the pork. Pour the 2 cans of Dr. Pepper over the pork, as well, and then top it all off with 2-3 tbsp. of brown sugar. I know it seems weird to put soda in here as a marinade, but it does a beautiful job tenderizing the meat.
5. Cover the dutch oven and place in the oven. Check the meat and turn it every two hours, finally removing it from the oven after 6 hours total.
6. Transfer the meat to a large plate or cutting board. The meat should easily shred with a fork. You can separate the fatty parts from the rest of the meat, although some people claim that it is the tastiest part of the meat. Like my husband. Totally your choice.

I personally like to use this pulled pork to make sandwiches, which I dress with muenster cheese, coleslaw and a pickle. Sweet or dill, I don't discriminate. However, you can also serve this on soft tortillas with some diced tomatoes, shredded cheese and coleslaw. It's all pretty ridiculously delicious. But make sure to invite some pals over - this meal makes a zillion servings. Bon Appetit, friends!