Sunday Simplicity #76

Style Me Pretty

"Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life,

love gives us a fairy tale." - Anonymous

Two Ring Studios

summer lovin'

The not-so-glamorous part of being a teacher in the summer: we 

have to read a ton of books to keep up with our students and be 

able to make recommendations for their independent reading in 

the fall!  I'm re-reading Cassie Clare's Mortal Instruments series 

of YA urban fantasy; trying to brush up on historical books though.

Living in a town that is something of a tourist destination in the

summer is fun - any day is a good day to go to the lake, and

if we're too tired to cook, well, let's hit up the diner instead.

I'm trying to be really committed to healthy living, and that's 

easier in summer, too - loving fresh fruits and veggies with

every meal from breakfast to dinner.  Nature is good to us.

And I got my "summer haircut."  What do you think?

I am so blessed to have a little free time - I can spend a whole

day thrift store shopping if I want, or hang out by the pool.

Summer so far is easy, colorful, and it's treating me very well.

new traditions: the anniversary shoot...

One thing that surprised me about becoming a bride was all of the pictures.  In my head, we needed two pictures: a nice posed picture with Mr. Q looking super hot (eat your heart out, mean girls!) to place in the newspaper with our engagement announcement, and a nice posed picture with me looking especially hot in my wedding dress (eat your heart out, ex-boyfriends!) to place in the newspaper with our wedding announcement.

Little did I know that in this world of Facebook albums and do-it-yourself book publishing, two photos would never be "enough," and that the photo-taking does not even end on the wedding day.

Enter a relatively new tradition in the world of marriage: the anniversary photo shoot.  Whether it's for the one-year anniversary (we've survived, but has the top layer of our cake?), the five-year, or beyond, I think anniversary shoots are precious.  Although a professional shoot is probably not in our budget this summer, here are a few anniversary shots that inspire me from around the web as Mr. Q and I approach a full year as husband and wife:

Love In October

Two Ring Studios (you know I love pinwheels!)

p.s. I'm very jealous of brides who still fit into their dresses a year later.  

I don't think mine would zip.  What can I say, I married a good cook.

Inspired By This (it's that vintage-looking sign...)

happy 4th!

happy independence day to you and yours.

Mr. Q has the day off work and my mother's house finally has electricity again.

This strawberry cake?  Totally on point.

I'm rocking out to the July playlist over at Note to Self.

All in all, I think it's going to be a great day.

inspiration for independence day entertaining: side dishes for a 4th of july picnic

If someone extends a last-minute invite to a 4th of July celebration, you can ensure that you're invited to every future event by bringing an awesome side dish.  Here are eight easy picnic side dish recipes - dishes you could definitely throw together in the nick of time.

eat your veggies:

1. Tomato and Cucumber Salad from East Coast Creative

2. Broccoli Salad from The Country Cook

inspiration for independence day entertaining: desserts

Desserts are my favorite thing to bring to a party because even if they don't look like the picture in the cookbook, as long as they're yummy fellow party-goers are happier.  My ideal 4th of July picnic dessert includes summer berries!  Here are a few options I'm considering for this year's hometown festivities:

1. Red, White, and Blueberry Trifle from Martha Stewart

2. Blueberry Crumb Cake from The Pioneer Woman

clicks of note: love who you are.

LISTEN.

• I love the Olympics in general - more about that later this month as we get closer to the games - so I got really psyched when I saw this Gym Class Heroes video for "The Fighter."  The gymnast featured in the video, John Orozco, is from the Bronx and did indeed qualify for the Olympic team this weekend in Omaha!

LOVE.

• Shape features plus-sized models (or, as I like to call them, normal looking women) including an opera singer and a private detective sharing what they love about their bodies.  
• Reflections on embracing growth (even wrinkles!) from Intentional Adventures.
• Etsy Weddings features Maddie Eisenhart of A Practical Wedding writing about the bridal beauty paradox.
• The Nester's post on the purpose of a workspace is great for those of us who suffer from Magazine-itis, otherwise known as "why can't my house look like a Better Homes and Gardens spread all the time?"  My favorite quote from the post: "Messy is real life and getting things done and every day simplicity and it's beautiful." 

SWOON.

Wedding Chicks

• Wedding Chicks features an Oregon barn wedding last week that includes so many details I love to see in weddings - cowgirl boots, lace, hydrangeas, and an adorable photo booth.
• If you enjoyed my roundup of library-themed wedding inspiration in June, you'll like the card catalog used to hold escort cards in this rustic yellow and cream wedding also featured on Wedding Chicks - their entries have been so on point lately!

Ruffled

• Ruffled features a Yellow Submarine themed wedding inspiration shoot.  If these escort cards don't put a smile on your face, you really need to brush up on your Beatles catalog.

CARE.

• Last but definitely the most important "click" for me today: we are so lucky to have electricity right now and we have had several family members staying with us.  Many Virginians do not have power following two terrible wind storms called "derechos" and will not until the end of the week because the power companies are having to spread themselves so thin.  There have been seven deaths confirmed and our governor has declared a state of emergency.  Please keep families without power- particularly the elderly, young children, pets who may have been left behind when families went to cooling centers, first responders, and electrical workers in your thoughts, as well as those who will not be able to work this week because their businesses are without power.

Sunday Simplicity #75

Ruffled

You've got to check out the Ruffled post that the above image is from - it is so sweet.  

Also, happy Canada Day to my readers to the north!