DIY: Love is in the Air...Plant

Last weekend, I ventured out early Saturday morning to the LA Flower District. Chia tea latte in hand (because the early morning hours have a slight resemblance to fall), I wandered through aisles and aisles of flowers, succulents, herbs, and other greenery (and let's not forget about all the pumpkins, gourds, and other fall items I almost couldn't resist buying). But I was on a mission for baby's breath and wedding inspiration. I have a pretty good idea of what types of flowers I want for Zack and I's wedding, BUT since I don't consider myself a flower expert, I figured why not go see what else is out there. I knew for certain I wanted to incorporate baby's breath (yes, because it's inexpensive but also because it has a whimsical and romantic quality about it), so I ended up buying some to experiment with bouquets, boutonnieres, flower crowns, and centerpiece ideas. Mission accomplished. BUTTTTT I did end up coming home with a large fall flower bouquet and an air plant. Ok, so I bought more than I planned, but I'd say I showed some restraint because I have a weakness when i comes to cute little succulents, and they. were. everywhere. 

Anyway, when I was a kid, my brother and I would visit my grandparents at the beach every summer, and I remember on one of our visits, they bought us a little air plant that sat in a shell and required basically no maintenance but looked cute. Low maintenance is good. Not because I can't keep a plant alive (except for my poor cilantro plant, but that's besides the point), but because I'm busy, so I like plants that can easily survive and also double as decor. To top of the cuteness factor, there are so many ways to display air plants, it's ridiculous. Like, I'm not gonna turn into the old cat lady; I'm gonna be the girl with a million air plants all over the place. All joking aside, I saw an adorable DIY pineapple air plant holder on Pinterest a while back, and I thought I'd recreate. All you need is some clay (air-dry or bake), paint, and an air plant. Pretty simple and quick DIY (minus the wait for the clay to dry) that rewards you with a fun little way to display your air plant. Not a fan of pineapples? First of all, who are you? Second of all, transform your clay into whatever your little DIY heart desires.

XO – Courtney

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Form the clay into an oval sphere then press into the center to create the vase opening where the air plant will sit.

2. Use a toothpick to draw crosshatch lines to create the pineapple texture.

3. Bake or air dry the clay according to the package instructions.

4. After the clay is dry and/or baked (and cooled down), add paint!

5. Once the paint is dry, you are ready to add the air plant. 

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Wine + Whales: Labor Day Weekend

As I mentioned in my last post, Zack and I headed north for Labor Day weekend to visit our friends, Brandon & Katareena, who just made the move from NC. We hit the road late Friday night and arrived around 2AM (pros: no traffic, cons: my bedtime is long before midnight). Luckily our Saturday morning wake-up call was on the later side. We had plans to head to a winery for a tasting thanks to an amazing deal on Groupon. Seriously, if you don't already, I encourage you all to check Groupon (and/or SocialLiving) for deals now and then. Zack and I always find fun things to do, but there are almost always deals for wine tastings and brewery tours. We did one back in NC a couple years ago and it was under $10 for a tasting, tour, 2 wine glasses, and a bottle of your favorite to take home. Our most recent tasting was at Ramon Rios Vineyard & Winery and for $30 (total and that included all 4 of us) we got to taste 13 different wines (not all are pictured below) ,and each couple got to pick their favorite wine and take a bottle home (plus we may or may not have purchased an extra bottle because we couldn't decide on our favorite!). To top it off, no one else was at the vineyard when we arrived, so we had a great conversation with the owner, and he gave us a little tour.  It was a beautiful day, and the tasting room started to fill up with more visitors, so our group ended up sitting outside for a while talking and enjoying the day. 

Not that a vineyard visit is a strenuous trip, but Zack and I were running on minimal sleep, AND it was a holiday weekend, AND work has been kicking both our butts lately, so was I mad that Sunday's plans consisted of a day at the pool? Not. One. Bit. Swimming, napping, hot-tubbing, and grilling out. 

And then it was Monday. Last day of the long weekend, and Zack and I were up early and ready for our next excursion: whale watching in Monterey! We boarded the boat at 9am and headed out to sea. We saw tons of sea lions and a few otters swimming around but no whale sightings just yet. After about an hour, we caught sight of our first spouts from the humpback whales as they surfaced, so the boat headed in their direction. We spent the next few hours at sea watching whales and dolphins, and it was pretty incredible. I think we ended up seeing around 50 humpback whales, 700+ dolphins (several HUGE groups swam around us), a few otters and seals, a couple sharks, and various fish. Oh, and did I mention all of the people who were seasick? I'll admit, the boat ride was pretty rough at some points, but I have literally never seen so much projectile vomit in my life (thankfully everyone had the common sense to do this off the back of the boat). Luckily, I was not one of those people; however, Zack almost was. He felt pretty miserable most of the time, but he did admit that seeing all the sea creatures was cool. And as cool as the experience was, it was nice to get back to dry land (Zack was even more thankful). We found a cozy little restaurant on the pier and shared a sourdough bowl of fresh clam chowder (yum) before we hit the road (and hit the traffic) back home. 

All in all, it was a fun weekend re-connecting with friends, exploring new places, and trying new things.

XO – Courtney

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Tis the Season to be Fall-y

The heat isn't going anywhere here in SoCal, but that hasn't stopped me from wearing ankle boots and sipping on pumpkin chai tea. Thankfully Zack and I were able to escape the heat for Labor Day weekend when we drove about 5 hours north to Sunnyvale, CA (for all you Buffy fans it's Sunnyvale, not Sunnydale so no vampires) to visit some friends who just moved out here from NC. It was a wonderful 70-80 degrees all weekend...with a breeze. We visited a winery, cooked out by the pool (and even got in the hot tub because we actually got COLD), and went whale watching...all of which I will fill you in on in my next post. 

Today we're talking transitional wardrobe: how to dress for the season AND the weather...because they do not always coincide. Skip the furs, fleeces, and flannels...there isn't enough deodorant in the world to overcome that sweat storm. Ankle boots are your friend. Pair them with a dress (sans tights) or shorts and a lightweight plaid button-down. Scarves are also great because they are removable (maybe you have a cold office but the walk to your car feels like hell). Coming up with ways to mix and match my fall and summer pieces will be my new hobby in the coming weeks which opens up a world of opportunity. Instead of packing away the summer clothes and bringing out the fall gear, I have double the wardrobe to work with. Challenge (but not really a challenge because it's fun?) accepted. 

XO – Courtney

dress [urban outfitters] // shoes [target]

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[photo credit: zack hardy]

Let's Taco Bout it: Pork Carnitas

I'm baaack. It's been a while (a whole month actually) since my last post, but I decided that I needed to take a summer break...only unlike summer break in school, I still had to go to work everyday. Honestly, I've been so busy this summer (told you all about that here) that I felt like my blog was becoming more of a chore to keep up with, and I don't ever want to feel that way. I want to enjoy this blog and never feel obligated or rushed to put out a new post. And I knew August was going to be another busy month, so that's where the summer break came in.

And now September is here which means fall is right around the corner. Even though we've recently had some of our hottest weeks here in Southern California, with temperatures in the 100s, I am already getting sucked into the fall spirit. I plan on using the upcoming (and much needed) long weekend ahead to kick off the season. Isn't Labor Day just like Memorial Day anyway? Not technically summer but we treat it like the start? Well I'm treating Labor Day like the beginning of autumn even though it won't technically be here until the end of the month. Besides, it's not like it's going to feel like fall anytime soon for me anyway.

Zack and I are planning to head out of town (more on that in a future post) as long as he is able to get off work (fingers crossed but looking good so far!). If you're planning to keep it local (or even if you don't), I've got a recipe for you today that is simple enough that it won't interrupt your weekend plans (even if those plans are doing nothing), but is tasty enough to impress whatever crowd you serve it to:  Crockpot Pork Carnitas.

These tacos will melt in your mouth and will probably find a way into your recipe rotation. If you're making these for a group, set it up buffet style with a build-your-own taco bar, so everyone can create their favorite mix of flavors. I went with grilled corn, avocado, fresh cilantro, shredded cheese and a squeeze of fresh lime, but there are plenty of toppings to choose, so don't limit yourself. I will say a batch of homemade guacamole, chips, and salsa pair perfectly with this plate. Enjoy!

XO – Courtney

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Crockpot Pork Carnitas

INGREDIENTS

· 4lb Pork Shoulder

· 4 Cloves Garlic, chopped

· 1 t Cumin

· 1 t Chili Powder

· 1/2 t Cayenne Pepper

· 1/4 t Cinnamon

· Salt & Pepper

· Juice of 2 Limes 

· Juice of 1/2 an orange

· 12 oz Beer

· 1/2 cup of Salsa

DIRECTIONS

1. Place pork in the crockpot, and add chopped garlic.

2. In a small bowl, combine the dry spices (cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, salt, & pepper), and add to the crockpot. You can either rub the spices into the pork, or just throw it in the crockpot.

3. Next, add juice from the limes and orange, then add the beer and salsa.

4. Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred the pork and let cook for 30 more minutes before serving.

5. Serve in a warm corn tortilla with you favorite toppings. 

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