from nashville to austin.

john and i left home bright and early on friday morning for our 

13 hour drive to austin, tx.

 truly, it wasn't as long a trek as you might think- that 13th hour was really the worst 

 part {there is no comfortable way to sit at that point} 

but the rest was really a breeze. 

to avoid the low-energy that comes with eating fast food at truck stops, 

we packed a cooler full of healthy snacks- apple slices, carrots sticks, baba ganoush, 

slices of cheese, pretzels and peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread. 

let me tell you, that made a HUGE difference in our stamina for the day!

stamina or no stamina, i learned my driving threshold peaks at about 3 hours 

at a time- 

basically, i'm a big baby and get far too antsy, stiff and bored. my husband, 

on the other hand, is a superstar- 6 hour stretches, the rockstar. 

 {dallas, a very pretty skyline}

some fun ways to pass the time: lots and lots of good tunes, 

alphabet road trip games, passenger manicures {window open, please} 

and instagram stalking. 

we're back home now after a delightful celebration with my husband's family, 

but it's nice to relax in our own home again. lots more to 

share from our trip later this week!

blue friday, er, blue monday cover.

you're going to love this, whether or not you have a soft spot for new order

{or this band- if you're were in high school at all in the late 90's, 

don't even try denying it.}

vroom, vroom.

we're road tripping it tomorrow, sweets!
about 13 hours behind the wheel and we'll be in austin by friday night.
i feel like austin is the place to be these days . . . seems like everyone is
stopping by this neat town and i've never been, so i'm excited to check it out,
 even if it's only for the weekend.

ooo la la, his and hers vespas- these look like fun.

happy early weekend!

{via tumblr}

these batter bowls remind me of candy.

i discovered these pretty babies the other day and i can't stop looking at them. 

baking and cooking is enjoyable as it is, but so much more pleasurable when using

 beautiful tools and vessels. i want one in every color!

off the registry.

oh, wedding season, you are here!

for the most part, i recommend following tradition and purchasing gifts for 

couples from their selected registries. i mean, it's the polite thing to do.

but what happens when you leave things to the last minute and when you look on the 

registry there is only, like, one hand towel left to purchase? we've all been there. 

don't be that girl- find something ah-maz-ing that the sweet lovebirds totally 

overlooked as they beeped their hearts out with that little magic gun at macy's.

1/ two adorable pillow cases {currently out of stock}

2/ a return address stamp i desperately want one of these,

but refuse to purchase one until we're home owners. lovely none the less!

3/ a cake platter, even better if accompanied by a lux serving set.

4/ date night basket-we received a version of this for our wedding and it 

was probably one of our favorite gifts. everyone always forgets that honeymooners 

will return home to an empty fridge. 

5/ rifle paper co. card- to accompany your well-wrapped gift.

6/ the wedding invitation christmas ornament- my sister-in-law made me 

one of these! especially appropriate because we wed on Christmas Eve,

 but i think any couple would appreciate unpacking this every year as they put up their tree.

all that said, for our first wedding of the season, we did purchase from the registry, 

but i have these ideas packed away for future reference . . . backup plans never hurt!

our lives in color.

it's amazing how the everyday can appear so lively and cheerful in pictures. 

these are some of my favorites from our last couple of days . . . 

a new present from momma, a pretty polish color i didn't purchase,

my current favorite snack, a rainbow wall, pink sparkles,

 a handsome man, supplies for a new art project and smiling with my man.

hope you had a great weekend, sweets. happy monday!

a husband who comforts.

when i'm feeling homesick, my amazing husband works hard

to help me feel cozy and extra loved- the other day was such a day.

so, we pulled out some of our left over wedding day syrup and

made pancakes to eat while watching fiddler on the roof.

my husband seriously makes the best pancakes. they're his most significant

contribution to our menu repertoire. and you can't go wrong with

sliced strawberries and maple syrup for topping.

so delicious . . . and oh, how i love that movie.

"wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles . . . "

and, yes, my husband is the best in the world. the end.

three years.

hello there, sweets. i hope you're enjoying a marvelous week.

i've taken on some extra responsibilities at work for a short time,

which means the mister and i aren't seeing as much of each other lately.

it's only for a little while, and we have a special long-weekend trip

that we're looking forward to at the end of this month!

three years ago, i decided to begin writing this blog . . .

here we are, still at it today.

so, tell me ladies {and guys, if you're reading}, when did you start blogging?

why did you begin and what keeps you going?

~~~

happy birthday, sweet little blog.

tweet, tweet.

i've been on twitter for a little while,

but i'm not really "friends" with too many blogging folks . . .

i'm on instagram too {my handle is @abigailiam there, as well}.

so, let's be twitter friends, shall we? it's fun to make new friends!

{by the way, what's your take on my three-braid look?

french braided bangs and swiss miss twist on top . . . too much? i kinda like it!}

homemade whipped cream makes everything alright.

i screwed up brownies really badly the other night. see the sad face?

it was one of those times when you close the oven door to bake whatever-it-is

and suddenly it dawns on you, "did i forget the ______?"

yup, i did. it was too late. and it looked terrible.

i hail from the land where desserts must look as beautiful as they taste.

this was not acceptable . . . you could tell when i said screwed up that it was serious, right?

still, the batter sample had tasted amazing pre-bake and it smelled delish,

really how bad could they be? other than deflated and black, that is.

we were desperate here, folks. 9:30 at night, both of us had worked a long saturday

and mr. wonderful was about to head out to strike another job.

translation: we needed chocolate! so, only one solution . . .

{whip it, whip it good.}

behold, the gooey-ist, most chocolatey treat we've had in a while.

i don't even care that martha stewart would have frowned at it's appearance.

it totally rocked my sweet tooth and now i'm determined to master

that stinkin' recipe . . . i just have to figure out where i went wrong!

home is where the sick people lie.

hi there, sweets. i hope you've enjoyed a most splendid week.

we've been keeping ourselves cozy these last few days-

both of us came down with crummy colds early in the week.

sore throats, stuffy noses and overall just super wiped out.

i swear i didn't budge from the couch all monday afternoon or tuesday.

{tomato soup and perfectly grilled cheese sandwiches . . . sick kid love.

side note: back home, cheese is white. here, it's orange.

should i be freaked out by this???}

we finally made it out into the world for an interesting morning lecture at belmont university,

followed by pancakes and coffee for lunch. hot breakfast foods really are

the miracle cure for aching, ailing bodies.

dozens of mugs of throat coat tea, salt water gargles

and hot apple sauce with cinnamon later and we're pretty much back to normal.

i'm looking forward to a fun weekend now that we're on the mend.

springtime colds are the worst! . . .

although, they are a good excuse for frozen yogurt and milkshakes.

i love writing letters.

john and i snatched up a package of glitter alphas the other day for a few

cards we needed to send to a couple of loved ones.

this card was for a quick love note to my bestest in NH.

i think it looks like something out of a 1950's magazine advertisement

and i just love the persimmon and aqua colors together.

aren't you just dying over that envelope lining too?

i love adding embellishments to note cards . . . they're easy, quick

and really make our paper look extra special.

i'd prefer to take our basic stationery from home and create something by hand

with pretty appliques and add-ons than purchase a card at a store . . .

it's so much more personal. the notes usually aren't long,

but i hope the recipients feel special when they open a card created by john or me.

tell me, do you send letters? do you have personalized stationery,

buy stuff or create your own each time you write to someone?

what to wear to during wedding season?

they always said it would happen . . . that one spring/summer, all of our friends would get married.

this is not a myth- this summer it's actually happening.

the planner in me is trying to figure out how to look cute and hot-weather appropriate . . .

here are some of my ideas for this summer's festivities.

dress, sunnies, clutch, pins, bracelet, sandals

polish, sandals, bag, necklace, dress, belt

sunnies, earrings, bracelet, clutch, dress, sandals

most important: must remember that old churches are NOT air conditioned, even in august!

mr. wonderful gets a hair cut.

i think it's safe to say my man has been known amongst our friends

for his known for his beard.

his big, red, amazingly fluffy beard.

whenever he gets checked out by a girl, i chalk it up to "the beard."

{let's not get me started on those women who give a man "the eye" when he

is clearly with a woman. should this irk me as much as it does?

*cough* but, anyway.}

so, the other day it was time . . . "the beard" was suddenly rather bushly and

the hair on his head beginning to curl around his ears.

i went away to work and met up with this dashing gentleman after my shift . . .

why, helloooo, handsome sir. i feel it's rather gosling-esc.

celebrating resurrection sunday.

hello there, sweets! i hope you had a wonderful sunday . . .

it was a perfect first married easter for us.

we lounged on the couch in our pjs with coffee,

attended a powerful and moving church service, grabbed a cheap snack at urban flats,

and had a sunny car drive through a couple quiet nashville neighborhoods.

we were able to reflect together, laugh and dream a little about our

lives in the future . . . what a sweet afternoon and blessed holiday.

{mr. wonderful's easter basket and handmade card . . . oh, how i love bunnies.}

{the mister's plate.}

i also cooked a holiday meal entirely on my own for the first time in my life!

i took days to decide on a menu for us to share.

maybe it would have been easier to go out to dinner, but i didn't want to overlook

our family traditions of a special home-cooked meal just because

we're apart from our families in NH.

i created a marinade for john's chicken on saturday and cooked

3-cheese scalloped potatoes, honey glazed carrots, roasted asparagus,

and hot crescents rolls . . . everything finished cooking at the same time

with no disasters. i was so proud i called my mom after to brag.

so, so, SO delicious. let's hear it for leftovers tonight!