Oh the places we'll go.

I learned of The Cottages at Cabot Cove from Cottage Living magazine. It looks fantastic. They are located in Kennebunkport, Maine. We have got to go here! Each little cottage has a different design, some contemporary and some vintage. They are absolutely adorable. Also, each has a kitchenette for anyone who'd love to cook up some extremely fresh seafood. We love Maine and these cottages just happen to be a few miles from one of our most favorite restaurants. No, it's not the White Barn (although it is great.) I am talking about The Maine Diner. Lobster Rolls to die for.

Do the zoo.

This message is for anyone who lives near here or is visiting Knoxville. Our zoo is wonderful. In the past few years, the Knoxville Zoo has improved greatly and is a great place to visit for both kids and adults. This zoo is devoted to education, conservation, and research. We are very lucky to have this place in our backyards. Scott and I visited over the weekend. The zoo's three new female chimpanzees were very curious about the visitors.

Tropical Treat.

Last weekend I made this Coconut-Pineapple Loaf Cake from Everyday Food's most recent issue. It was yummy. It would be the perfect thing to take a long for a sweet ending to any picnics or potlucks you might have coming up.

{photo from Martha Stewart Living - I forgot to take a photo of mine before it was devoured.}

I'm it.

I've been tagged by Bree from Life at 123 House (whose blog is part of my morning reading everyday.) Let's see . . .

Where Was I 10 Years Ago?

I was 22. I worked for the Asheville Citizen-Times in NC as an account exec in the advertising department. It was a pretty interesting job, but I wasn't too fond of it. (I wish I knew then what I know now about getting along in the work environment.) I had moved back home with my parents. Three months later I moved to Tennessee where I still am.

Snacks I Enjoy:

Blue cheese, Edy's lime frozen fruit bars, granola bars, Blue Bell ice cream

If I Were A Billionaire:

I would quit practicing law. I would open a bakery. But first, I'd travel everywhere we are always talking about going but never do. Then I'd buy a small farm and populate it with horses, cows, pigs, and of course several basset hounds for Scott to hang around with.

5 Things on Today's To Do List:

1. Go to the zoo with Scott.

2. Wash my car.

3. Laundry!

4. Bake Pineapple Coconut Bread

5. Pack up Jarrod and Paige's wedding gift for shipping.

Places I Have Lived:

Clyde, North Carolina

Canton, North Carolina

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Maryville, Tennessee

Grundy, Virginia

Knoxville, Tennessee (current)

People I'd like to Know More About:

Samantha

Sara Lynn

Holly

Jenn

Jill

To Die For.

This stuff is some of the best ice cream ever. If you like salty caramel, you will LOVE this. Here's the description from the Haagen-Dazs site. Fleur de Sel caramels covered in a chocolaty coating blended into caramel ice cream with caramel ribbons and French sea salt accents. Crisp, salty nuances harmonize with rich, creamy caramel for the ultimate combination of sweet and salty. Yummy!

Shortcut to Candy.

Anyone who has ever melted, colored, and placed candy coating discs into a pastry bag will want these! That process can be quite irritating -- not to mention time-consuming. These will solve the problem. I spied them on Bakerella's site. You can purchase them here in a bunch of colors.

Delicious Dental.

I learned about these from Bree at Life at 123 House. You can purchase mouthwash or tooth paste from Breathe Palette in any of these fab flavors: Tropical Pineapple, Rose, Monkey Banana, Honey, Kiwi Fruit, Fuji Apple, Vanilla, Strawberry, California Orange, White Peach, Lavender, Cinnamon, Lemon Tea, Bitter Chocolate, Caramel, Grapefruit, Pumpkin Pudding, or Cola. Pretty cool.

Clever kitchen.

I really like these chopping boards from MOMA by Damian Evans. I have a conglomeration of random sad looking boards at the moment. They should be retired for these. These are designed to avoid cross-contamination of various food types: red/raw meat, white/cooked foods, blue/fish, green/vegetables. Plus they would fit so nicely in the space between my microwave and fridge.

Why didn't I think of this?

I love this idea from d.sharp journal: "Okay, this is my new{to me}favorite idea. I found it in one of my vintage kid craft books and it is so simple - I love it. Clip the lower corners off of envelopes that are destined for the recycling bin and they can be used as bookmarks that simply slip over the corner of the page. {If you seal the envelope the upper corners can be used as well.}"

Artful Wednesdays

Check out this artist's etsy site. Here's a bit from KatHannah's profile: From my studio in the hills of Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA.My works hope to capture the elusiveness of sentiments, emotions, and dreams. And, to celebrate the relationships common to us all. I specialize in figurative expressionism and good old flights of fancy.

Cake Stand Addiction.

Hello, my name is Tina and I'm an addict. I have so many of these things. But I love them. And as I tell my husband on a regular basis, I USE ALL OF THEM. I really do. I bake a lot of cakes and when I take a cake to a gathering I usually bring a pedestal to perch it on. This brings me to Kate's (from The Life of a Cupcake) nifty idea for combining vases and candlesticks with antique mismatched plates. Flea markets here I come!

New Additions.

I just added the Big Rainbow Heirloom Tomato to my garden today. flesh inside is marbled with red in the bottom half of the fruit. It has a big, lumpy beefsteak shape with a very mild and sweet flavor. And I really want to try the Italian Ice Tomato from Burpee. The blurb on the Burpee site reads: "Sugary sweet and bursting with juicy flavor, ‘Italian Ice’ is a summer picnic treat. Clusters of 1-1 1/2" snack-sized fruits ripen from green to ivory white, becoming uniquely sweet and mild tasting."

Favorite New Things.

Three favorite new things: A vintage swirl milk glass punch bowl from my aunt and uncle for my birthday. Sublime Stitching by Jenny Hart has some adorable embroidery patterns. I especially like the cucpakes and pie slices. And "The Comfort Table" by Katie Lee Joel (Billy's wife). I was not expecting to like this cookbook, but it has some recipes I am really wanting to try. Lots of good veggie recipes (which I'll be trying when my garden harvest comes in).

Artful Wednesdays

I love these tiny little works of art by Eva Soehjar, a UK designer. They are made of polymer clay. Each one is handpainted. Check out her other works at her etsy shop.

Bahgawk.

This is THE BEST chicken pot pie recipe. It is from one of the former Next Food Network Star contestants, Reggie Southerland. Scott has asked me to make this for his birthday on Sunday. We both love it.

{photo from gettyimages}

The Birthday Goods.

My husband gave me two lovely birthday gifts: the Martha Stewart cupcake tree from Macy's and an Anolon Double Boiler. I can't wait to use them both!

There's a Month for Grilled Cheese!

Apparently, April was grilled cheese month. Who knew? Certainly not me. However, Scott and I enjoyed some lovely grilled cheese sandwiches this weekend (a cold snap made it excellent timing for a soup/sandwich combo.) Doesn't this sandwich look delicious. It's almost too pretty to eat. This would make really great party food.The recipe is on glamdish. There are many more at the Wisconsin Dairy Producers site, too.

Duly noted.

Aren't these recipes cards designed by Julianna Smith the cutest? I love em. And even better, she has provided us with a free downloadable pdf so we can print them out!

Happy Birthday to Me.

{photo from getty images}

Addition to the To Do List.

We've been looking for an elevated feeder for Parker, but I hate those plastic or flimsy metal looking ones. This is perfect! I just came across this on Design Sponge. You can get the directions here. I happen to own an antique dynamite crate that I've been looking for something to do with. To be continued!

Ongoing garden saga.

We're growinga garden this year! I have been wanting to do this for about 4 years now. This was the year. In previous years, we've grown small amounts in containers, mostly herbs, squash, and peppers. This year we're going all out. We've got corn, beans, onions, tomatoes, herbs, etc. We made two raised beds. We even have raspberries! So far so good. We still need to put the mulch down around the beds. That'll be later this week.

A rose is a rose.

I nursed this rosebush back to health last year with the help of none other than Martha Stewart. (I called in to Ask Martha on Sirius radio, you see.) The rose bush came with the house when my husband bought it in his bachelorhood. It had been neglected for quite a while. There was only one sad little rotten, brown looking little bloom at the end of one very long stem. It was so sad. But this year it is covered in blooms. Yay! Aren't they gorgeous? I think I'll cut a few for my office.

Artful Wednesdays (Yes, I know it's Thursday . . . Let's Pretend.)

This week's artist can be found on etsy at kelliedrawspictures. Here's a blurb from her bio on etsy: "Iam a visual artist originally from Saginaw, Michigan. My work tends to focus on the bittersweet details of life. I have been drawing since I could first hold a pencil. By age 5, I knew that I would be an artist. I began creating large abstract paintings with old cans of house paint, and making full length books with stacks of paper plates. At 11, experimenting as an interior decorator, I painted the entire kitchen eggshell white including the sink, microwave, and counter tops as a birthday "surprise" for my father. Needless to say, through the years I have taken my art in several directions; currently, I am submerged in the world of illustration. I recently began my first illustrated book entitled Cadis & Adelaide, a wordless novel, tracing the lives of two tongue-tied and bewildering individuals. "

Look at me.

I wish I were brave enough to wear these Jessica Bennett shoes.

Summer time . . . and the dressin is easy.

I love to wear dresses in the summertime. It's just simpler than picking out all those individual pieces! These are some cute ones I have seen recently. 1. Ann Taylor Loft 2. Vintage 3. Unique Vintage 4. Vintage 5. Ann Taylor Loft

It's Cinco De Mayo.

My work schedule and my gardening kept us from celebrating the day with a Mexican feast, but if we had . . . here's what we'd have made! Achiote-Seared Shrimp with Quick Habanero Pickled Onions, Charcoal-Grilled Corn With Cream, Cheese And Chile, and Champagne Margaritas! All courtesy of Rick Bayless of Frontera. Perhaps this weekend I'll cook up a fiesta.

Authentic Derby Fare

Want some recipes from the guys who feed the crowds at Churchill Downs? You can get recipes for mint juleps and country cassoulet at the Levy Restaurants page. I heard the chef on Martha Stewart Radio this morning. Don't forget the Derby Pie! I'm not sure what I'm making yet, but this Creamy Cheddar Grits Souffle sounds divine.

Mmmmm . . . chocolate.

These are superquick brownies that only involve one bowl and one pan. Sooooooooooo easy. I made them last night just because I felt like baking something. The recipe is from Everyday Food (you may recognize Allie over there from the TV show.) You probably have everything you need to make them in your kitchen right now, if you're a baker. So whip yourself up a fudgy treat.

My Kentucky Dreams

After reading Bree's post about her imaginary Kentucky Derby ensemble, I just had to pick one out for myself. Every year we say we're going next year, but something inevitably comes up ( law school , cpa exams, blah, blah, blah). Today I am saying, and you can quote me on this . . . We are definitely going next year!!!! But in the meantime . . . here's my imaginary attire - a lovely vintage dress, Progetto pumps from Lori's and the Kyra hat from Hatagories.

Crafty Fridays

My knitwit is complete! I think it turned out really cute.

This week's craft is the Tshirt Bag. I have several tshirts that I have been meaning to recycle this way for a while now. The time has come!