You’ve gotta love a llama.

photos found on Pretentious and Pop

I’m going to spend mine here.

xo

(photo by me)

image found on Thespian Muse

image found on Thespian Muse

Anthropologie has some very pretty stationary right now. It’s so tempting!

P.S. I didn’t mean to find these awesome chairs but I did. And I love them. They would look very, very cute in my apartment… wherever that may be…

It has been brutally hot this summer and I’m over it. I’m ready for fall and sweaters and hoodies and scarves and jackets and boots. I might be particularly upset with summer today because the a/c at work went out and now I can’t get my house to cool off. I’m guessing it’s about 15 degrees warmer in my house than out.

The good news is the heat is a good excuse to buy a really cute vintage fan. There are my eBay and Etsy faves:

Now I just need to pick one.

pretty fan print by Alicia Bock.

Can you imagine how great it would be if you got a vacation every single week? Well that’s what I’ve got!

You might have another name for this… what’s it called again? Oh that’s right, it’s called a WEEKEND! For the first time in two years I’ve got a weekend… but I’m calling it a vacation. I’m so excited I don’t know what to do with myself. But I think I’m going to love it.

photo credit: via Hula Seventy

Last night I made a peaches and cream pie with a sugar cookie crust for a little get together with some friends. It was dee-lish.

white peaches and regular peaches

waaa-la!

Update::
Here’s the recipe:

Note- you should only make this when you have perfectly ripe peaches.

Crust
1 stick unsalted butter, softened (room temp)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg yolk (room temp)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:
1 lb (two 8oz packages of cream cheese (room temp)
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced ripe peaches

Note: Be sure to blanch the peaches in boiling water for 60 secpnds, transfer to an ice water bath and remove skins before slicin.

Prehead oven to 375 degrees

To make the crust: In a large bowl, on the low speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until smooth (about 3 minutes). Add the egg yolk and cream and mix well. Add the flour and salt, and beat until just combined. (Careful not to over work or the crust will be tough.) Gather the dough into a ball and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to fit a 9″ glass pie pan. Fold the edges under all around the rim and crimp. Prick the bottom and sides all over with the tines of a for. Cover the edge of the pie crust with foil, place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes until the crust is crisp and golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

To make the filling: n a large bowl, on the low speed of an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. (again about 3 minutes) Add the heavy cream and vanilla and continue to beat at a low speed until well combined.

Refrigerate the filling while the crust is cooling. When the crust is completely cooled, spread the filling evenly in the crust with a rubber spatula. Arrange the sliced peaches on top in a decorative manner.

Refrigerate the pie for at least 8 hours or overnight to ensure that the filling sets.

the end

“How soon country people forget. When they fall in love with a city it is forever, and it is like forever. As though there never was a time when they didn’t love it. The minute they arrive at the train station or get off the ferry and glimpse the wide streets and the wasteful lamps lighting them, they know they are born for it. There, in a city, they are not so much new as themselves: their stronger, riskier selves.”
— Toni Morrison

Looking through some old photos and feeling very nostalgic.

I moved to London when I was 19. Just packed my bags and off I went with a one-way plane ticket. I was going to work as a nanny. Actually my first stop was Cardiff, Wales. I’d never even spoken to the family I was going to live with. Looking back I think how naive I was. But it was great. Maybe sometimes ignorance is bliss. I will do a little post on how much I love Wales another day. Tonight my heart is in London.

The situation in Wales didn’t work out and I was suddenly all alone on the other side of the great big Atlantic ocean. I’m not going to pretend like I was all strong, independent woman. There were several moments of sheer panic, a few tearful phone calls home, and a whole lot of desperate prayer.

I’ll skip the details but I randomly and miraculously got in touch with another family in London. I spoke to them once, took my first taxi and my first train and ending up in London.

I love London. For me it was the best thing I could have done. Not only was I living on my own for the first time but I was in London. I couldn’t open my eyes wide enough to take it all in. If I wasn’t so lazy I’d find/scan/post photos. But I am that lazy and the photos are not great.

Some of my favorite things about London:

saying “whilst”
riding the Tube
English money is prettier I think
looking at buildings that are older than the United States
the accents, oh gosh I love the accents!
the names of the pubs like The Frog & Radiator
roundabouts
my little yellow Austin Metro
talking to little old English men
driving to Cardiff
going out dancing in the City
my A to Z
Shakespeare’s Globe
getting post
the amazing friends I made

and sooo many more things.

There are things I love about every place I’ve lived. But London was the first.

I think I love it best.

I am smitten by these photos by Polgaroid. I had a hard time narrowing it down and I just love these.