Salted Melon

Hello there!  We're fresh off a three day holiday weekend and I'm not gonna pretend I didn't indulge in a few burgers and cocktails.  But I did manage to slice up some fresh cantaloupe which was oh so yummy.  

Here's a question for you.  Do you salt your melon?  Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Honeydew?

I believe this is more of a Southern thing but perhaps I am wrong? I was first introduced to salted melon about ten years ago while eating lunch with a colleague who was surprised I had never heard of such a thing.  Of course I tried a bite and loved it!  The mix of sweet and salty is right up my alley and really brings out the flavor and juices of the fruit.

So, tell me...what's your preference?  

Sunday Best

Untitled by yoursouthernpeach featuring long earrings

Shift dress
175 GBP - karenmillen.com

Ankle wrap sandal
140 GBP - karenmillen.com

Menbur clutch handbag
$25 - endless.com

Antique jewelry
$198 - thecorner.com

Max and Chloe long earring
$945 - maxandchloe.com

Plastic sunglass
16 GBP - warehouse.co.uk

Lipgloss Stick in Abaze
$16 - topshop.com

Uslu Airlines Nail Polish - N.I.K.
$31 - goodhoodstore.com

The Friday Five

FFFFound

Summertime S'mores

Grill with Style

Friendship Bracelet

House of Flowers

Bountiful Blooms

New Day

A few days ago she  tweeted something along these lines: "What if you woke up this morning with only the things you gave thanks for yesterday?"

It really hit home with me and while I feel like I'm a pretty grateful person in general, I realized there's still so much I take for granted.

What are you grateful for today?

Seersucker

  

Dress/Linens/Wedge/Skirt/Soludos/Dog Collar/Suit

It's in the 90's here in Atlanta and the kids are out of school, so in my mind it's officially summertime!!!! (Cue the music Will Smith!)  

Nothing says summer in the South like seersucker! I'm a huge fan of this fabric and it's ability to work as a wardrobe neutral.  Are those wedges not amazing?  Must have. 

One thing to note with seersucker...more is not always better, especially when you're working with a seersucker dress....unless you under the age of ten.  That's a lot of "rules" for a so called casual fabric.  My point is that seersucker dresses on grown women can (at times) have a candy striper look. 

Okay, that's my take on seersucker.  Stay cool my friends.

Weekend of Firsts

This weekend was busy as ever and full of some fun "firsts" for our family.  Saturday was one of those days where we packed in as much as we could starting with Luke's last T-ball game of the season.  Afterwards, he received his first set of trophies of which he is so very, very proud.  I think he has slept with them every night since.

After the T-ball game, we took him to his first ever concert by the Imagination Movers  Any other mom's out there love these guys?  They're like the Beastie Boys for preschoolers.  I was so impressed by their show and it's always an awesome feeling to see your child having so much fun!  The guys kept the kids on their feet and interacted with them a lot.  Luke got to shake hands with Mover Dave which was quite a highlight for him.   He also got his first tour t-shirt... a must.

After the concert, we went to our favorite date place, Pinkberry.  It was my husband's first time at Pinkberry and I think he's now officially a fan!  I had the Lychee flavor while my husband and Luke both went with the Original.  Here's our yummy creations...or what's left of them!

I also had endive for the first time this weekend.  I stuffed the leaves with chicken, red peppers and a Dijon vinaigrette but I must admit...I was not a fan.  Anyone else out there not like endive?  I found it too bitter but maybe I just picked some bad ones?  I'm not sharing the recipe on the blog because it's just not good enough for ya'll! I promise to only share my favorites here.  There's nothing worse than trying a recipe posted on a blog only for it to turn out less than great.  Who has time for that?

On Sunday, we kept it classy and filled up the $10 plastic pool on the back deck for the first time this year.  Worth every penny!  I did my nails and folded a basket of laundry while the kiddos splashed around and cooled off.

I also thought I'd share some garden photos with ya'll.  Here are my lilies going strong after being divided last year!

And my first pink hydrangea bloom from a plant that was rooted from my sister's yard.  Must plant more hydrangea....I love them so.

And here's little man Jett having fun with a giant plastic ball.  It's all about the cheap entertainment folks.

 Thanks for checking in today.  Did you enjoy any fun "firsts" this weekend?

Sunday Best

Untitled by yoursouthernpeach featuring platform heels

Nicole Farhi dressy dress
360 GBP - nicolefarhi.com

Bebe platform heels
$130 - heels.com

Mulberry snake handbag
868 GBP - julesb.co.uk

Kate spade necklace
$95 - zappos.com

Oval ring
$95 - reissonline.com

Sequin enamel bracelet
$36 - charmandchain.com

Retrosun butterfly sunglass
$248 - my-wardrobe.com

Lip Gloss
1.49 GBP - hm.com

kate spade new york 'high tide - medium' cosmetic pouch
$65 - nordstrom.com

Clinique Sun SPF 45 Targeted Protection Stick
$18 - macys.com

Essie Chasity
11 GBP - austique.co.uk

The Friday Five

Wooden Hive

Cooking for boys

Rainy Day Outfit

Twiglet

Black Beauty

The Other Martha

Swim with Style

The time of year is approaching again...bathing suit season.  I'm not sure anyone is ever quite ready.  

However, I found this line from Spiegel quite glamorous and had to share!  

Stylish and Sophisticated.  Now, who wants to join me for a cocktail poolside?

Berries and Mascarpone Yogurt Cream

This is a recipe I've wanted to share with ya'll since our friends fixed it for us here.  It's so simple, light, requires no cooking and can be prepared in advance.  What else could you ask for?

The fresh berries and light cream are perfect for those warmer weather meals and can be served at brunch or dinner!  Wouldn't this be great for a fourth of July celebration?  In the interest of keeping this easy, I bought the already prepared mixed berries at my local Publix and the mini size Cointreau (50ML) for a few dollars at my local liquor store.  

***** Berries and Mascarpone Yogurt Cream ********************************************

(serves 2) 

// Ingredients //

Fresh mixed berries

1/4 cup low fat vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

1/2 tbs. Cointreau liqueur

// Instructions //

1.  Mix yogurt, mascarpone cheese and Cointreau.  

2.  Layer berries and yogurt mixture in a glass and serve.

Al Fresco Dining

Al fresco dining is a big part of Southern living in my opinion.  These images have me dreaming of a lovely meal served outside in the warmer weather of Spring.

Do you dine outside often?  If so, what are your special touches?  Candles, flowers, special linens or a favorite soundtrack?  

Happy Tuesday friend! 

1/2/3/4/5

Vacation

Our beach trip last week flew by and to call it a vacation is almost comical.  With two little ones, we hardly had time to sit still for a moment.  We spent our days hopping between the beach and the pool, followed by dinner at home.  We're at the point in our lives where dining out in the evening after a long day of sand and surf is just asking for trouble.  We cooked some of our favorite beach dinners like this and this and dined al fresco with ocean views.  What else do you need other than someone to do the dishes?

We couldn't resist another trip here and also took a sunset cruise against our better judgement.  Last year, the baby did fine but this year, as we suspected, he did not enjoy the ride.  Not one bit.  Can you tell by this picture?

Yes, meltdowns happen.  It's part of "vacationing" with children.  Don't you love the look on Luke's face too?  I think he was a little weirded out by the strange (but probably very nice) man who offered to take our picture.  Thank goodness for the gorgeous sunset at the end.

But my favorite part of the trip was watching the boys play with each other and capturing them in their natural element which is covered in sand from head to toe.  Jett wants to do everything Luke does and nothing keeps him from trying to keep up with his big brother! 

Another nice person offered to take our picture one evening on the beach after dinner.  Clearly by my hair I was not planning to be photographed but I'm happy we have the picture together to remember our "vacation."

Hope you had a lovely weekend fellow peaches and thanks for saying hello!