pear & goat cheese salad

Yum. Just looking at this salad makes my mouth water. Does lettuce do that to anyone else? 
I'll think we'll have this for dinner tonight.


To make it:

Pear & Goat Cheese Salad [serves 4]

Greens
2 pears, sliced
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
Salt
Pepper

Dressing

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon mustard

Place the greens on plates and add pear slices and goat cheese.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Whisk together oil, honey and mustard and pour over the salad and serve.

[image and recipe found via my new favorite blog Sweet Paul]

mod podge vases

This is the next project I plan to work on. We have some vases left over from our wedding that would be perfect for this creation. Aren't they beautiful! And apparently they are extremely quick and easy to make.

For instructions, click here.

[image via Mod Podge Rocks and Natural Home Magazine]

photo decor

I like this idea. If you have lots of fun polaroids you should do this.

[via Cookie magazine

time.

Boo. I haven't found the time to do any posting. I miss it.

I've been slammed at work (Which is actually a good thing. I've been working on some exciting design projects) and by the time I've belly danced and managed to get home, I'm worn out. On Sunday I finally caught up on folding 8 loads of laundry and as a reward I read some of my new book, The Time Traveler's Wife.

That's all that's really new. That and birthday parties, dinner gatherings, and celebrating our 6 month anniversary (which is actually very exciting!). This weekend I'm heading to Ohio to see some people who are very special to me. And then Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. I'm making all the desserts this year, I'm pretty excited. I would love is my treats looks like the ones in these images. One can hope.

I'll be back to the blogging world soon, I hope.

xoxo

[image via Style Me Pretty & Martha]

Tamara | Senior

This girl is so much fun. She's a natural model! Tamara is graduating this December and we had the pleasure of taking Tamara's senior pictures. I'm not even done editing these but they are so fun I couldn't wait any longer. Thanks for an awesome afternoon Tamara!

[images via Monika+Jonathan]

friends

We love our friends. And it's so nice when some come live with us for a week!

Aaron and Rika, who got married 2 weeks ago, are about to embark on an awesome adventure in Taiwan. How fun! We're a little jealous. Anyway, while they have been here we've had loads of adventures. Mostly cooking Indian feasts and playing outside. The sun was so pretty Sunday evening we decided to capture some sun flare and jumping action. To read more about their adventures (and see more photos), click here.

[images courtesy of the timer setting on husband's camera and rika's mad photo editing skills]

chocolate giveaway

Who wouldn't want to enter a giveaway for some yummy free chocolate? Visit the fabulous Love and Olive Oil to enter. Husband and I may have to stop by Olive and Sinclair Chocolate in Nashville next time we're in town.

Happy Monday!

[Image via Love and Olive Oil]

etsy fun

Every now and then I find something that I truly adore on Etsy. Today, it's the Heart of Light shop. I think I just may get a bunch  of things and give them away as presents (or keep them, tee hee). You see, I'm not a the best present giver, and this year it's been horrible. I'm behind on 2 birthday presents (I do love you both)! Anyway these are super fun, no?

...and heh. These items can be found in many other colors besides yellow. After I  wrote all this and posted the photos I just realized I must be partial to yellow. :) It is my favorite color after all.

Happy weekend!

max wanger shop

The well-known photographer, Max Wagner has officially opened his online shop. One can purchase prints and t-shirts based off his photography. Kinda a neat idea if you ask me.

Find out more here.

[image via max wanger shop]

tea towel calendar

I know that this calendar (and more like it) have already been plastered around the inter-web, but I love it so much that I actually had a dream about it last night. Haha. I think it's beautiful. Maybe I'll make calendars next year. I really need to start my etsy shop...hrm.

One can purchase this lovely piece and others like it, here.

[found via design sponge and little room la]

Jeremiah + Emily | Engagement

We had so much fun this weekend! We had the opportunity to shoot our good friends, Jeremiah & Emily, for their engagement session. It was a beautiful fall day and they were a blast to hang out with.

Here are a few pictures from the shoot - isn't this couple gorgeous!?

[images by Monika+Jonathan]

home style

People often ask me what my style is at home. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. I love design but sometimes it overwhelms me. And when it comes to style, I like our home, but I also know that everything in it doesn't necessarily uniformly fit into a specific style. I know that I like modern things, splashes of bright color, homemade art pieces, pictures, glass, woodsy textures, black and white, clean surfaces, and lots and lots of light.

Today I found this flikr set and I love it so much. I'd move in. Also, I think I've realized that I my ultimate dream home would have real wood floors. :) I wonder what husband thinks... :D

To see more from this home, click here.

donuts and kitchen organization

Ugh. I've had two donuts already this morning. I woke up late, which has been happening a lot lately, and all I could grab was a piece of string cheese for breakfast. It was good, but it was also gone very fast. I must say though that these donuts are divine. Or maybe it's just that I'm that hungry.

Anyway, Jonathan found this today and e-mailed it to me. As we've been trying to de-clutter our lives, he found this guide to cleaning out your kitchen. Hooray! So I thought I'd share it with all of you. Bonus: it's pretty and nicely layed out. :)

Happy Friday!

To download the pdf, click here.

[image via Hello Kitchen]

cade martin

These are magical, no? Lets all go outside and take some pictures today.

[Photos via Cade Martin Photography]

J.Crew's November catalog has arrived

My heart goes thump thump.

If only ... I could afford you J.Crew.

Did I mention that most of the outfits that Emma Pillsbury (played by the adorable Jayma Mays) wears on Glee come from J. Crew? I adore her outfit choices. Look at these.

[images via J.Crew and Google images]

The wedding was beautiful. If I could describe the ambiance I would call it "love." That open field was bursting at the seams with love and I wish I could experience it all over again. It was cold, but everything about it was absolutely beautiful. Friends, laughter, flowers, tights, tears of joy, fires, hot chocolate, mini pumpkin pies and so much more.

I wish I had taken time to take pictures. I can't wait to see the wedding photog's photos, I might post one or two if I have permission.

So, for today, I share this photo I found on flikr this morning. I think it's a great picture to kick off this work week, and for some, school week.

[photo found here]

mini calendars

I think I'm in love. How cute would these little calendars be on my desk? Or as a pretty present tag!
These little calendars are perfect! They also make me want to go outside and take lots of pretty pictures.
I may have to get a couple of these mini calendars and give them to friends. Also, this may have inspired me to finally get my pocket mirrors on Etsy.

Happy weekend!

[images via Kitty Rogers etsy]

desk/office search and organization

Hi Friends. Husband and I have been on a major cleaning streak this past week. We have some friends coming to live with us for a week and we've realized that we have too much stuff and it's becoming unbearable. For example, do we really need 6 sets of twin sheets (thank you dorm living and then merging houses)? Or how about all the random piles of old checks, papers, pens, magazines, toys, trinkets, etc? Um...no. In an effort to downsize and get organized, so we can actually live in our house with the beginnings of claustrophobia about to set in, (ok it's not that bad but still) we have started to clear things out.

It's been awesome. We've had two random busts of cleaning energy this week to throw things away (and of course donate things of worth to the Samaritan Center) and I feel pretty productive. The trash can is filling up as are the donation boxes and the recycle bins. I've found that I really enjoy throwing things away. Plus, it's a huge perk to have my favorite buddy there to do these things with.

In the midst of all this cleaning, we've also been trying to find a desk so we can actually put away the important things we are going to keep and have a reasonable surface to work on. Thankfully last Friday night we were visiting Jonathan's grandma and she is giving us one of her desks. It's in great shape and it will be perfect...and it's free! Hooray!

We may paint it or do something fun with it, but in the meantime I've found these fun office spaces that are inspirational.

[Images via Design Sponge]

fall centerpieces

Isn't this beautiful? I'm so glad it's autumn.

To see how this center piece was made...click here.

[image via Design Sponge]

diy glasses cases

I think these glasses cases are so chic. The instructions look relatively easy too. Great for hand-made presents!

Instructions here via Design Sponge. Have a great day!

[image via Design Sponge]

pumpkin muffins

I made these pumpkin muffins tonight. We had friends over and we played Nerf wars. Well, some of us did. Rika & I stayed the in kitchen. :)

These muffins were real easy and real quick. I scooped the mixture into a ziplock bag and pipped them into the wrappers. It was fun.

Anyway...my close friends Rika & Aaron are getting married this weekend (hooray!!!) so things are crazy...but I'll get back to blogging regularly soon.

Get the recipe here.

Good night!

[image via smitten kitchen]

tea cups

Anyone want to go drink tea? How about out of a pretty teacup like one of these?
I love the colors in this photo. So peaceful and calming for today.
Lovely pieces like this can be found here by Piou Sandrine.

Found this via decor8.

desk

We need a desk for our second bedroom. We like this one from Ikea. It's long and has two sets of drawers. One for me, one for Husband. Yay!

weekend

This weekend was fab. Husband had to work on Saturday, but we had a good time. Here's the low down.

Fantastico lunch at the Cooper's!
The gentleman cooked up a mean meal that was divine. Pasta with crushed tomato cream sauce, scrumptious mushrooms, spinach spread and pumpernicle, strawberry-walnut salad, a breaded zucchini dish, fresh bread with homemade butter (no joke!), and a watermelon/strawberry drink.

Sailing on Chickamauga Lake with Kelli and David

Laser tag and arcade games with Husband and friends in the middle of nowhere Cleveland, TN.

Crepes, dancing, & SNL at the Cooper's

...and all this made it a very very late night. We slept in late the next morning.

Sunday we both worked/played on the computer. It started to rain so we had to postpone the photo shoot. Then Jonathan made pesto from all the lovely basil plants in our garden and I made pizza. The evening finished with Jonathan reading a magazine while I watched the recaps of the musical scenes from various Glee episodes. I ♥ Glee so very much. If there was ever a show that was made for me, this it is.

Anyway, I loved this weekend. :)

chocolate cupcakes

I want to make these scrumptious-looking chocolate cupcakes this weekend. I have a logo to create and an engagement shoot (yay!) to do on Sunday, but I hope to find the time to make them.

Yum.

Ingredients/Directions can be found here via Love & Olive Oil.

Happy weekend!

[image courtesy of Love & Olive Oil]

rain boots

A DSW opened near us about the time I realized that most of my shoes were beginning to have holes in them. So I ventured out to find some new ones and had a lot of fun. It took about two months, but and I ended up with a couple pairs of new and fantastic shoes. What I learned along the way is, well, I'm very picky. However, I think it's a good thing because otherwise I'd end up with a closet full of items that rarely get used .


Anyway, I bought a pair of Sperry Top Siders at DSW and joined their little rewards thing so each time I buy something I get points. When I signed up (it was free, no credit card, just a reward card) I automatically got a $10 gift certificate plus some fun e-mails every now and then with pretty shoes inside.


Today, I got that e-mail and found myself looking at rain boots. Hooray! I love rain boots. I bought my first pair when I moved to Tennessee four years ago and I still wear them every time we have a down pour. Unfortunately, they too are beginning to get old and have a couple tears.

Here are some fun ones. Left to right, there is the Nomad Hurricane Rain Boot which I think is my favorite. I love red. Then there is the Chooka Koi Tattoo Rain Boot which is quite fabulous and my second favorite. Finally we have the Kamik Maude Waterproof Rain Boot which reminds me a lot of my current rain boots.


[images via dsw]

colored tights

Thank you Little Paper Dog for posting about colored tights. I ♥ colored tights.

Last weekend I went to a super hero party at a friend's house. Unfortunately I realized that my wardrobe does not make it easy to create a super hero costume out of this air, so husband had a great idea. He recommended that I find the craziest things I have, put them together, grab one of our plastic guitars, and be a "guitar hero." I liked the idea so I went with it. I found purple tights, red and black striped over-the-knee socks, a tie-dye shirt, plus some black shorts and declared myself a guitar hero. If I would have had more time I would have spiked my hair or something rocker-like. Well, it worked and I got to wear fun purple tights. I think there is a picture floating around somewhere, I'll try to find it.

Anyhoo, the weather has turned colder, and I think it's entirely appropriate to wear fashionably-colored tights, ALL THE TIME. My friend Leslie is really good at doing this. I ♥ her too.

Here's to cooler weather and colored tights. Hooray!

[image via little paper dog]

belly dancing

I love to dance. It's something I enjoy doing and it puts a smile on my face. This weekend my friend Melanie invited me to try out belly dancing with her, and last night we tried it out. It was incredibly fun and an entirely new way to move.

We ended up signing up for the class, so I'm pretty excited. Of course we didn't try anything crazy like this move, but I think it's pretty.

Cheers!

maps

Happy Monday!

Husband and I want to travel the world and I thought this photo was appropriate.
Who wants to come with?

[photo via lelove]

cheesecake swirled brownies

Today I found myself on a blog that I used to follow back when I had my wedding blog and had no idea how to cook. It's called Smitten Kitchen and I've been drooling for the past thirty minutes looking at all these scrumptious recipes. These brownies caught my eye and I think I will try to make them this weekend. Husband has to work this Saturday (boo) so I'll have some time to myself and I may get crazy in the kitchen. So, if you're ever in the need of some cooking inspiration, Smitten Kitchen is the place to be. Happy weekend!

[image via Smitten Kitchen]

cupcakes

I love cupcakes. My friend Audrey makes some yummy yummy tiramisu cupcakes (and they're vegan too!). I saw these and instantly desired something sweet. And...here is a fun way to spice up an ordinary cupcake, with a fun flag! A template can be found here, or if you have some fancy paper lying around, even better.

[image courtesy of little paper dog]

**update
After this posted, I went to lunch with some co-workers to celebrate Cathie, who is getting married this Friday. Following a lovely tea-like lunch at Between the Bridges, we walked across the street to Whipped Cupcakes underneath Clumpies Ice Cream. It's a one of the three cupcake shops (that I know of) that are popping up around Chattanooga. Anyway, I had a pumpkin cupcake and it was such a treat. They were cute, delicious and moist, and their logo is fun. I wish I had had my camera to take a photo, as I even grabbed for it. You know the days you don't take a camera are the days you wish you had one. I learned my lesson.