All Things Farmer

I clicked on a link on my friend Catie's blog the other day called

All Things Farmer

and I have been hooked!

James Farmer is a landscape designer form Georgia, and in his "about  me" this is what he said ...

"A glass of tea, sweetened, and garnished with lime; a garden lined with boxwoods and brimming with bouquets to be cut and arranged; a meal prepared with seasonal flair and flavored with soul; a home for comfort, classicism, and personal style…all things of delight, all things of warmth, all things of provenance… all things Farmer."

He had me at "tea" and "boxwoods"!

James has so many great recipes, and garden and entertaining ideas on his blog...AND he has a book coming out in September!

One thing that caught my eye was his recipe for

"the Farmer's tea"

His favorite iced tea is made with Lipton tea bags and one Earl Grey bag with simple syrup. 

 I am a HUGE Earl Grey tea drinker so I knew I would love this...and I do...you must try!!

If you haven't visited All Things Farmer...I highly reccomend it!

A new favorite!

I usually just buy plain Greek yogurt and add a drizzle of honey for my yogurt parfaits...but I was in the grocery store and Chobani was on sale, so I picked up a couple in this peach flavor to try!

It is so delicious...there are chunks of peaches without all the sugary syrup, and the yogurt is thick and creamy...really yummy.

I also grabbed a couple of the Vanilla, and Lucy loves that flavor!

Just had to share!

Cheers~

Beating the Winter blues~

Sometimes a girl just needs a little pick me up to get her through these grey days :)

Essie polish in Sand Tropez & Nice is Nice..did you know Target & Walgreens now carry Essie??  Love that!

L'oreal Sublime Bronze...my FAVORITE spray tan...I usually always have a can!

Oxygen Mag...my favorite fitness magazine

Vanity Fair...well, who doesn't love it??

National Velvet...have not see this in years...a gorgeous and young Elizabeth Taylor!

and always a book....Three Weissmans of Westport...there is a little review from Dominique Browning (LOVE HER!) on the cover, so that sold me :)..and then they say Cathleen Schine writes with a homage to Jane Austen....SOLD! (I'll let you know what I think :)

I am a little obsessed with.....

THESE!!

I know if these were on my bookshelf I would definitely read each of these classics!

I have seen these at Anthropologie...but Amazon's price is terrific!

Great Giveaways!!

My friend Danielle is having a week of giveaways over at her blog to celebrate her birthday week!

The Design Girl

A few of the goodies she is giving away are by;

Lisa Leonard

Gussy

Keep Calm Shop on Etsy

Hurry over and check them out!!

{Great Finds} Shabby Apple

Have you visited the Shabby Apple??

I have come across their name on quite a few blogs lately...and I was so excited.

They have so many CUTE dresses for women and girls...and the prices...great!

Here is a few I liked, but it really was hard to pick just a few...

I really love how timeless and classic their dresses are...you MUST check out

Shabby Apple!!

Yummy Lotion Sunscreen

My friend Catie recently posted on her blog, that in the summer she loves using Hawaiian Tropic Dark Tanning Oil in her bath...for that beachy summertime smell!

I am not a bath Girl...so I thought I would give their lotion sunscreen a try. I bought this one at Target...and does it smelly YUMMY!!! I think because of the "sheer touch" formula...it is really light and feels like your putting on lotion instead of sunsreen. So now after I shower, I lather this goodness on and smell like I am in a tropical paradise.

(go HERE to get a $1 off coupon!)

Let me know if you decide to "go on a tropical getaway" :)

Coconut

I LOVE coconut.  The smell takes me back to my days of laying in the sun slathered with Hawaiian Tropic Dark Tanning Oil.

I could eat The Barefoot Contessa's Coconut Cupcakes for every meal....

My Mom just recently discovered this tea...and it is delicious!

Coconut Chai Black Tea...you can find it in the natural foods sections at the grocery store.

I also have been reading LOTS about the health benefits of coconut oil.

One of my favorite books, Gorgeously Green, talks about some of the health benefits being, "that it contains lauric acid which can destroy viruses; it is great for brain development and the nervous system; it can protect against cancer and heart disease....Coconut oil is even thought to aid in weight loss because the body doesn't store it as fat; rather, the liver converts it straight into energy"

Tosca Reno (Clean Eating Magazine & Oxygen Magazine) also raved about the benefits and the taste!  I do reccomend buying the "Virgin" Organic Coconut Oil...I was able to purchase this exact brand in the natural foods section at my grocery store.

So, last night I made a recipe from Oxygen magazine that Tosca Reno mentioned she loves:

Saute one bunch of Kale with a spoonfull of Coconut Oil, minced garlic, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper...it was delicious...there is just a hint of coconut, but it really just made the dish.  I am going to try adding it to my protein shakes and maybe a bit to my oatmeal too.

I am not a nutritionist, just love finding new healthy alternatives to add to mine and my family's diet.  Let me know if you give any of these a try!

Green Cleaning~

Kristen over at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia did a post today on one of my favorite books...

It reminded me of this post that I did awhile back.

Since then I have fallen in love with Mrs. Myers Dish Soap and All Purpose Cleaner, but never really switched over any of my other cleaners. Kristin has inspired me today to make a couple of changes! This also came on the heels of this post that I read from a new blog I found 320 Sycamore about making my own granite cleaner (is alcohol a "green" product??)...I made a batch and it works great!

Now that we have a 5 year old little Lady in our house who LOVES to help her Mommy clean, I feel better having cleaners under my counters that I know she can use to help and that are safe.

So...today I will get out my book and take a refresher course on

"Green Cleaning"

Grey is my new favorite color!

First...let's clear something up...is it GREY or GRAY?

Here is what I found:

Gray is used primarily in the United States and other areas that use US English. Grey is used in Great Britain and areas that use UK English.

I'm an Anglophile so, GREY it is!

CrewCuts

Anthropologie

GapKids

Target

Tracy Porter

Liberty of London coming to Tarjay!!

Have you heard??

Liberty of London is coming to Target in 8 days!!

In additon to all of this yummy stuff...Girls and Women's clothing!!

I think that bike is calling my name!

Score!

My friend Catie shared about these cute little french glasses...and I knew I needed to find some. Now you can buy them at Williams Sonoma or Restoration Hardware...but for me, the thrill is in the hunt :)

Well, I stopped into a local thrift store, and after digging around on the dusty shelves...THERE they were...8 of them!! Catie likes to keep a few in the freezer and then have her little sip of wine in them....oooh how French!

Giveaway at Dreamy Whites!

Maria over at Dreamy Whites is hosting a fabulous giveaway of a set of darling spice jars from Anthropologie!!  Head on over!

Friday Finds!

I read on my friend Kim's blog that another blogger Colleen started Friday Find's a few weeks ago....so, since I had this post ready I though I would join in!!!

Oxygen Magazine...I have only bought the Jan and Feb issues, but so far I love this magazine. It is not full of HUGE body builder women, but instead is full of FIT women. I love the magazine Clean Eating, and this seems to be along the same lines, with one of their Food experts-Tosca Reno-writing a column or two. I am really wanting to get my body in great physical shape, and there are really great workout exercises in here that are easy to follow, and some great recipes too! I have found it very motivating!!

Another fun thing I have found are these....

Sharpie Pens!!! I LOVE Sharpies...and I LOVE black pens that are not "roller ball" and have a fine point...well, here they are!!! AND the best part about them is, they do not bleed through the paper!!!

Along the lines of Oxygen Magazine...I found Daily Plate. It is a free way to track your meals/calories and Fitness. I am not usually obsessed with doing that, but it has been very interesting to visually see what I am eating and how I am burning my calories.

Go to: www.Livestrong.com and then click on Daily Plate.

P.S. Don't forget the great new Artist I recently discovered...Melody Gardot...in the post below!

Another GREAT Blog!!!

Have you ever visited The Tomkat Studio?? If not, head on over and check it out!! Kim is very talented...she creates DARLING projects and printables that you can purchase to customize any type of party. Once a month she gives a FREE monthly calendar to print out...AND right now she is have a FABULOUS giveaway!!

~picture taken from The Tomkat Studio~

Have I been living under a rock??

I just stumbled upon Matthew Mead's Halloween Magazine, and can't believe how fun it is. I discovered his website and have read many other bloggers "rave" about his decorating and entertaining ideas. I was thrilled to know his latest book Entertaining Simple, is available now (it can be purchased at bookstores across the U.S. and Canada). Matthew also has a fabulous website:

http://www.entertainingsimple.com/

I

Going Green~

In an attempt to "go green"...I am trying to change some of the products I use. Here are a few things that are working for me...so far.

Re-usable grocery bags. I love these from Trader Joe's, and I also have several others from different stores. I have been keeping them in my car...and take them with me grocery shopping. Since most stores now are selling their own versions, they are happy to load these bags for you...PLUS they hold so much more than the plastic bags!

I love the smell of this lavendar and mint dish soap...you can find it here.
My husband started buying these light bulbs because they were 99 cents @ Walgreen's...I still do not like the light they give for indoor lighting...however, I have started using them in the boys' bedrooms...they can't tell the difference, and I use them in all of our porch lights. They definitely last longer than any other light bulb.

I would love to know any other "green" products that you use and love!

Great Finds...

I collect cookbooks...and am always on the lookout for one that not only has good recipes, but is also a good read. I had "heard" about this cookbook on several blogs...the pictures alone are worth it! (...and, is there anything cuter than the red Mary Jane's on the cover??)

These cardigans are from here. but look like they could be from here and are only $19.99. They are so cute and preppy looking...and they fit great!! (I bought the chocolate brown...but am definitely going back for the green one!)

AAAHHH...I love coffee...and have had my share of espresso makers, but this is the absolute best. It is worth every penny ($$). It is from here. (Yes, I did get the orange one...it looks great in my kitchen!)

One of my new favorite blogs is Tracy Porter's. I have received her catalog for years, and have read her books. Her blog is so much fun...there are video posts where Tracy shows you around their studio, a quick bookshelf idea, fashion...and so much more. It is as if you are sitting there having tea with her and chatting...PLUS...she responds to comments and answers questions. If you love Tracy's style...like I do...you will enjoy her blog!