Somewhere else.

I'm sorry for my absence. Once again. It's been a tough semester. And I say semester more as a time measurement than specifically speaking of school. Although it's a contributer.

I've been thinking it might be nice to go somewhere else for awhile after I graduate. I would like to do my internship some place besides Nashville anyway. And I think I just need a breather from everything I know. Not that there aren't many things that I love. But I feel like it's easier to make decisions about what you really want and what you need to change about your life to be the best version of yourself if you're stripped of everything else but you. A fresh setting. No strings attached. I could think clearer, I believe.

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I love the writing of a certain flickr member. And it always makes me happy when there's something new to read. As someone who has moved many times, and in a sense felt like I've had several different lives, this little blip resonated with me. I've realized my definition of home has transformed from the traditional sense. I've found my home in a field where the trees framed every sunset. In a collection of neighbors. In an old dilapidate farm house. Even in a farm on Crete, eating cheese pies, drinking mountain tea, and watching my best friends Greek dance. I've realized that sometimes I find home in a specific correlation of elements. In specific moments. In random things.

"Look, what I'm saying is you can too go home again, even if you've stashed it here and there like a squirrel hides nuts for winter. Even if, squirrel-like, you've forgotten half of those hiding places, and discovering them feels like brand new, unsolicited luck. Even if some of those nuts you hid rotted, or grew into miniature trees. What, trees don't house? Tell that to the birds and squirrels. Get used to laughter in a language not your own. Of course you can. And holler from the front porch, fix your hair and hope they know you, or jimmy that window in the back."

❤love.

Quiche!

The weather is fantastic outside, and for some reason that makes me want to bake more. I seem to cook a lot more often in the fall. It just seems like part of the season. Today I decided to make a quiche so I could have something good to take for lunch this week.

My ingredients! Honestly I just made this one up. I used six eggs, a container of crumbled goat cheese, one kielbasa sausage diced, and one pack of frozen spinach thawed. Plus some salt and pepper. I mixed it all up in a bowl and then just poured it into a premade crust. You want to bake it until the center isn't jiggly. I put mine in at 350° for about 30 min. Pretty easy but very delicious! I love how versatile quiches are. You can pretty much put whatever you want in. Here's the finished product. It smells amazing, hopefully will taste that way too!

Does fall put you in a baking mood? Do you have any easy go-to things you like to make?

❤love.

Love me some Lilja.

I've fallen back in love with watercolor. I came across this illustrator, Veronica Ballart Lilja, and I really love her style so I just wanted to share! She's so versatile. From people, to objects, to full out patterns. Hope you enjoy!

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❤love.

55 South and such.

So last night my friends Lauren and Kayla and I tossed school work to the wind and decided to go out in downtown Franklin. We tried this new(ish) place called 55 South and really enjoyed it! We just went for some drinks and chips and salsa. I'm going to have to recommend the Delta Sunset and the French Quarter. Both were great. And the chips were homemade and fantastic! Anyway, we sat at a bar that's along the front window and had a great time talking and people watching while we drank and munched a little. I'm a huge fan of people watching. Needless to say, that window seat has my name on it! I will definitely be going back. It was a fun time.

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Have you been anywhere new that you enjoyed lately?

❤love.

Meet Twinkle!

Twinkle is a baby cow. She was orphaned when she was just a few days old. Some young people riding around thought that a 'good time' consisted of shooting cows apparently, and Twinkle's mom was one of the victims. The poor thing standing next to her mama not understanding what was going on was just so sad. We adopted her and brought her up to our farm where she had to be bottle fed every day until she got old enough to eat food. She was so shy and afraid at first, but she is just the sweetest little girl now. She acts more like a dog than anything else really. I visited her today and gave her a good chin scratch. Look at those big ears! Ah, gets me every time.

❤love.

Fat Straw

So I know I'm a little late getting into the bubble tea fad... but I just love it! I'm just fascinated by how different the texture of the pearls are. It's pretty weird but it seriously makes me happy. It's so fun to drink! There's a bubble tea place off of Wedgewood Ave in Nashville. It's actually on Villa Place in this really cute strip of shops. It's called Fat Straw and has a fun vibe. I used to always get the original black milk tea, but I ventured out a little bit the other day and got a Thai Mocha. BEST decision. SO good. It's definitely something I'm going to be hooked on. If you are ever in Nashville, check it out! It's a fun alternative to the normal coffee date for sure.

❤love.

Back to school. For the last time.

I was always a little bit of a dork. I loved fall, loved going back to school. It was always so fun for me to go up to the school and find my name on the lists, discovering my teacher and the rest of my classmates for the year. And later, picking out the perfect outfit, running around with my schedule of classes hoping for similarities among friends. I still love it, even though now it's not really any surprise who's in my classes, and I know who teaches what when I sign up. That comes with being at a small art school. I just love the season. Love school supplies. I wish I could go out and buy boxes of crayons, pretty binders. I probably will anyway, because hey, it's my last back-to-school. Ever. So strange. How did it get here so fast?

I've come across a few things lately that I'm loving. Just wanted to share. In case anyone else loves the back-to-school shopping excuse too!

Aren't these elephant measuring cups the cutest!? What a great housewarming present. Or, you know. Maybe it's about time you got new ones, what with all that baking you're going to start doing... find them here.

Ah, the typography nerd is getting the best of me. I love this. Something fresh and different for your wall. And appropriate for school, right? What's more back-to-school than the alphabet??

I am loving this dress from Modcloth. They call it Mojitos on Monday. Which just makes me love it even more!

What's on your back-to-school shopping list?

❤love.