The Past Year

So, lots has happened since my last post...a move, new job, new house. Instead of writing an update, here's a year in photos!

My Week on Instagram

Just wanted to share a few of the fun pics from my birthday week. I had an amazing time with my friends-we rented a bed and breakfast, had yummy thyme sangria at an herb farm, visited wineries {that's us in the middle picture}, and later in the week I tried on {then ordered} Warby Parker frames, got the most beautiful scarf I had been coveting from my mom and dad {I still can't believe its actually mine} and was lucky enough to have my little brother join us for my birthday night, where he surprised me with beautiful yellow flowers. Just a perfect week, I feel like a lucky girl. Happy Monday all!

Find me on Instagram. 

A Vintage Wedding

June is around the corner. And, it is without a doubt the most popular time to hold a wedding. Whether you are the bride who has been planning for months, or the guest excited to see your friend tie the knot, a major focus will always be on style.

Maybe you are one of the lucky ladies whose mother kept her chic wedding dress in perfect condition to pass down to you. If so, congratulations. Because for most of us, if we go that route, the only option is the tiara, lace and puffy sleeve fashions from the 1980s. Best wedding photo ever. If this is the case and that isn’t your style, it’s time to shop. Wearing something that you won’t regret 20 years down the road is sometimes more important than family tradition!

If you will be a guest of the happy couple, prepping for a wedding can be incredibly time consuming. You want to be dressy but not too dressy, of course. But you want to look amazing and unique! Enter vintage style.

For both brides and their exceptionally fashionable guests who are interested in shopping vintage, there are a few things you can do to get your shopping trip kicked off on the right foot.

Day 257, Wine Tasting

Day 246, It's a Small World

DIY: Freezing Seasonal Fruit

As fruit starts to come into season, it is the perfect time of year to visit local farmers. This year, we decided to stock up on strawberries and freeze them, so we can enjoy them throughout the year.

As I mentioned in my blog post yesterday, we visited Marburger Orchard. Since, this type of fruit doesn't last as long as the store bought-I wouldn't go longer than a couple of days to freeze it. First, we picked up supplies at Wal-Mart. I am sure you can buy these anywhere, but we bought the Ball Canning brand, made specifically to freeze, as well as some sticker labels for the jars. 

Once you clean the fruit and let most of the water drain (about 10 minutes) cut off the stems and any areas that look too bruised or bad to you. Then either cut the strawberries in half or in quarters. We ended up cutting the medium-sized in half and left the smaller strawberries whole. 

Next, you need to decide how you want to freeze your fruit. We choose to sugar (or Splenda) freeze this batch for sweeter flavor (this also helps to preserve the fruit), but you can also "dry freeze" your fruit. To sugar freeze, add 1/2 cup of sugar per quart of fruit and mix gently until all the sugar is dissolved and the fruit is coated. It almost seemed to turn a bit syrupy because of the water, which is fine. Then put the strawberries in jars and place in freezer. 

To dry freeze, place fruit individually on a tray in the freezer until frozen, then remove and quickly put in freezer bags and return them to the freezer. We plan to do this with our blackberries we pick in May.

The strawberries will be perfect to use to make strawberry crepes, pie, smoothies and I hear they are great semi-frozen. Make sure to use them within the year!

Strawberry Season

I am lucky to live in a town that has farms surrounding it, some are less than ten minutes away. Not only can we get fresh produce regularly, but when in season, we can go pick our own peaches or berries. The weather has been absolutely beautiful lately and on Friday, so my dad and I went early to Marburger Orchard to pick strawberries. 

When you arrive, you get a quick overview of the right way to pick strawberries. Basically, never pull on the plant to get the strawberry, you pinch it off, which results in green fingers and fingernails. So, remember that the manicure should come after this! You also want the berry fully red, except for the tip opposite the stem, which can be a little green. You are allowed one sample or "taster"during the overview, but are not supposed to eat while you are picking. We ended up picking two boxes worth at about $2.75 per pound. 

In May and June, the blackberry bushes will be ready to pick from. We plan to reserve an 8 a.m. spot for the first pick before anyone else has a chance. I am also really looking forward to the peach crop, our mild winter has set us up for a great peach season. The colors of the peach trees blooms and other flowers were so beautiful!

Today we are cleaning and preparing the strawberries to freeze them so we can enjoy them year round. I will be putting together a quick DIY on that for tomorrow!

Day 54, F-R-I-D-A-Y!

A long week...now to enjoy the Texas Hill Country for a couple of days for my dads birthday...and forget everything!
Sent from my iPhone