ode to a maxi
There comes a time every season when you see a dress and you just HAVE to have it. This irrepressible feeling is the measure by which you judge all your purchases. Say hello to the one that did it for me.
I would never call myself trendy, but this dress is undeniably “Boho Chic” which, let’s face it, is a trend that never goes away. I keep reading that the fashion world is at such a point of saturation that there are no huge trends anymore; buying is all over the place and everything that was once old is new again.
Don’t know when it happened, but I no longer flaunt my legs so midi dresses and maxi dresses are now my dress silhouette staples. I guess I’m just tryin’ to keep it classy and comfortable. The uneven hem on this particular floral maxi dress has the perfect amount of flirt, revealing just a little skin as I walk.
As a woman in her late 20s, my style is starting to settle into its true form. It’s more pared down than it used to be, with an emphasis on quality over quantity (predictably so) while still retaining an openness to the avant garde. I love a great pattern, but neutrals are my thing too. I love the classics – a chambray shirt, a pencil skirt, a turtleneck sweater – but I also crave modernity with some twists to keep things interesting.
fresh harvest
I’ve always wanted to entertain the idea of a CSA but the convenience and ease of the chain grocery store often gets the better of me. So when Fresh Harvest contacted me to try one of their weekly baskets, I said YES without hesitation. Fresh Harvest is pretty simply this: a box of local organically farmed produce dropped off at your front door. You can’t say anything is easier than that!
My first impressions were as follows:
- I love Batdorf coffee (not pictured, I already took it out of the basket)! They know me already.
- That’s a whole lot of greens (there were more sprouts I had already taken out of the basket too).
- What do I do with raw sugar cane?
- And whoa bananas.
I probably should have planned a little bit better for how I was going to use all this produce, but I was just kind of overwhelmed and excited by having such a great basket that I went wild and did whatever came to my head first. I figured the best thing I could make was something I already felt comfortable making – a veggie stir-fry. That way the ingredients would still shine and I could use a lot of them at once.
For my stir-fries I try to keep things simple and let the ingredients shine. I was able to use the broccoli (fresh broccoli = infinitely better than frozen), swiss chard, radish, and carrots. It turned out pretty swell, indeed much better than my typical stir-fry. It felt like there was an extra crunch and a rounder flavor to it all.
As for the rest of the basket, I did my best to use what I could as soon as I could. Ben and I are only two people so we couldn’t manage to finish the bananas and mandarin oranges while they were in their prime. I used the mushroom in a noodle dish I cooked later in the week and it took everything to a whole new level; the noticeable difference a single mushroom can make has really opened up my eyes to cooking with mushrooms in general.
Overall, I truly enjoyed my Fresh Harvest basket. The element of surprise and challenge in using specific ingredients is quite delightful, as if I was on a week-long challenge of Chopped (with a much easier basket). I only wish I could have the basket last a little longer. Of course, this was just a free trial run and if I were to begin a weekly subscription then I could tailor things to my logistical needs. Fresh Harvest also has co-op and workplace options as well, so you really can’t go wrong with these guys.
If you’ve never tried a produce delivery service – or even if you already have before – I highly recommend Fresh Harvest. It will force you to be much more mindful of how you use your produce and what you put into your body. Not to mention, support local!
revelator atlanta westside
Never thought I’d ever say this, but I think there might be more great coffee places in Atlanta than I can handle. They’re actually sprinkled throughout the whole city except, unfortunately, in my own neighborhood (although I think Press & Grind’s opening might have fixed that). I guess the universe decided to make it up to me with four amazing spots right by my workplace, one of those being Revelator‘s Atlanta Westside location.
Feels like just yesterday they opened up (it was actually June of last year I think) because it does feel so fresh and bright in the space. It’s a stone’s throw away from my workplace and just when I think it couldn’t get better – they’ve just debuted a menu of small seasonal food offerings.
I think the thing that pushes Revelator towards the top of the list for me is their genuine hospitality. Every barista who works there welcomes me warmly and treats me like an old friend. Some of you may not like that sort of immediate connection, but I appreciate it especially since it’s the same way I like to connect with others as well.
The new food offerings feature small plates that are oh-so-perfectly lunch-sized. They are fairly priced and come with a little side salad as well! The ham and radish baguette sandwich I had was deeelish as was my friend’s avocado toast with lava salt. It looks like their menu is going to rotate depending on what’s available but I’ve already got my eye on this week’s menu.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the delicious lattes that accompanied our meal. They were flavored with a honey cinnamon syrup that made them taste like a Teddy Graham. So from now on I will want a Teddy Graham latte at Revelator. Does all of this not sound like the best thing for your midday break?
new orleans in the spring
I’m so happy that my good friend Kelly decided to unite her friends for a Bachelorette celebration in New Orleans! The weather was perfect and there just weren’t enough hours in the day to really soak all of it in. I’m convinced I need to go back for at least another long weekend for more long strolls and frozen Irish coffees (umm, DELISH).
NOLA is one of those cities that just looks unreal because it’s so adorable without being cheesy. There are different colors and wrought iron railings everywhere and I didn’t have the time to really capture everything that I was seeing around me.
The abundance of street musicians was also ridiculously charming. Yet another aspect I wish I had more time to enjoy.
PEDICAB!! If I could get everywhere via pedicab, I wouldn’t mind.
getting warmer
The temps in Atlanta are slowly rising, so you know what that means! Time for some closet refreshes and outfit posts featuring my favorite spring staples. I’ve been in need of new dresses in my life for quite some time now. I’m all about versatility so when I saw this buttondown shirtdress at Anthro, I knew I had to have it.
transforming fashion
All too often art exhibitions will pass through this city before we get the chance to experience them. I know I’m guilty of missing out on some pretty incredible collections just because I let it slip my mind. But let me do you a favor and remind you of one you should make a priority before it vanishes! This past November, Iris Van Herpen’s Transforming Fashion opened at The High Museum in Atlanta and I was honored to be invited to a media preview and walk-through with the designer herself. The exhibition will be open until May 15th, 2016 so you’ve still got a few months to check it out (spoilers below)! Without further ado, here’s a peek at Iris’ innovative designs:
Transforming Fashion marks the first museum exhibition of Van Herpen’s collections in the US. In addition, this also is the first ever exhibition at the High to feature fashion design. It’s the single form of art that I think almost any one can relate to. We interact with fashion every day in the sense that what we choose to wear is the image we choose to present to the outside world. So we find it much easier to feel a certain way about a piece of clothing than we do about a performance piece or an abstract sculpture.
But of course, this is not your everyday button-down and jeans. The pieces in the exhibition come from the entire range of Van Herpen’s collections, each inspired by a different element of the world (but I guess you could say that would be anything). From materials like water and metal to chemical phenomena like magnetism and smoke, her designs are as familiar as they are foreign. I don’t envision myself actually wearing these things, much the same way I don’t envision all art I admire being the art I put in my home. They’re a statement. A meditation on the relationship we have with our world, making the invisible visible.
This post is sponsored by The High Museum of Art; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
where i’ve been
Hello world (or, just people who know me and read my blog every now and then). Lately I’ve been experiencing a lot of “you are amazing”, “I don’t know how you did it”, and just general admiration coming my way from friends I know and/or work with. In my heart I wholly accept these compliments, but I also have to say that it didn’t happen overnight, it’s still a work in progress, and that they can do what they love too. I felt like I was starting to repeat myself a lot so why not write about it here.
A lot of these people (you included maybe) haven’t known me for very long. Ask my best friends about how long I’ve been working toward figuring out my path and they would say it’s been going on my whole life. Yes, seriously my whole life. Years and years of doubting myself, years of quitting, exploring, and monthly breakdowns about my lack of direction. Read this and this and this and you’ll see what I’m saying.
After much contemplation and struggle, here are the keys to success (that sounds real cheesy) I’ve learned over the last few years.
Be patient.
Seriously, be patient – with others and especially with yourself. Nothing happens overnight. People don’t change overnight. And life doesn’t change after a single “eureka!” moment. It happens after millions of small steps, each just a tad closer to the life you wanted. It’s okay to be in a state of growth and transition. After all, that’s just life.
Listen to yourself.
If something is really bothering you or you’re constantly wanting something different, don’t ignore it. Sometimes it feels impossible to know what your heart wants and that’s okay. But do something about it. Yes, be patient, but like… don’t just sit there! Make an effort to make what small changes you can to improve your life and improve yourself. Even if it’s just taking one hour every week to sit in a cafe to enjoy your favorite caffeinated drink. Do the things that will nourish your heart and your soul.
If it’s hard, then you can probably learn something from it.
This one I would have to say mainly comes from my boyfriend. Through all the struggles, he always reminds me that despite not being my ideal situation, what I have is what I have to learn from. There are valuable lessons to be learned and the people who surround you will be the ones to lift you up, so don’t take that for granted. Open your eyes to what’s around you and make the most of where you’re at. It can only help you to become a stronger professional, a stronger person.
Appreciate what you have.
Live in the small moments of beauty. Things could be so much worse.
Talk it out.
As evidenced by all my introspective blog posts, you can see that I think about my life and my growth… a lot. And I’ve probably talked about it 100x more with my colleagues and friends. So don’t bottle things up. If you have to talk it out, then talk it out. Find someone who is willing to listen or is going through a similar situation and give yourself permission to vent. Sometimes those talks really lead to figuring out what you want for yourself.
Alright, that’s all I got for now. You definitely have the capacity to shape your life into the life you’ve always wanted. You just have to make the decision to take those small steps forward and know that it may be 50 or 50,000 steps more to wind up where you wanted to be. Either is okay, as long as you don’t give up.
bread & butterfly
It’s been high time that I try some of the new spots round Atlanta! Bread & Butterfly was at the top of my must-try list, knowing that a) I love breakfast and b) all pastries I’ve had from Proof Bakeshop are finger-licking good. These folks know how to do baked goods right and I’m so glad that more and more we’re seeing established Atlanta restaurants spread their wings into different neighborhoods.
This Parisian-inspired cafe is open like all day long – perfect for lingering – and switches up their tastefully small menu at strategic times of day. My friend Alicia and I made it right as the breakfast menu was coming to a close. It was the perfect start to a weekday off; with time to really savor every item, it was simplicity that I sought and simplicity that I got. It was a Wednesday morning so the place was absolutely empty save for two loners. So if you’re near Inman Park and needing a new quiet place to hole up and read, study, whatever… here’s your new spot! It was way too cold to sit outside but I imagine once we warm up again, the patio will be just divine.
I will warn you, the prices aren’t as casual as I had hoped. It’s the perfect place for a day date, a nice brunch, or treating yourself with your girls. But everyday pit stop it is not. Should you need to go somewhere a bit more friendly to the wallet, I’d recommend Amelie’s.
The food itself was carefully made and I took my time in eating it. It was worth enjoying the moment, the flavor, the textures. You could probably go there and spend less than I did if you just ordered regular coffee and a pastry. But if you’re going to indulge in a nice breakfast, just let it happen. I’m pretty happy I did.
signal mountain, chattanooga, tennessee
There’s a place in my heart
for every man on earth
still I feel, I feel like I am shrinking
There’s a hole in my soul
growing out of control
and I don’t know, I don’t know
how to mend it
