happy weekend!!

hey, sweets! it's a real scorcher here in nashville. we're finding all sorts of ways to stay cool and i hope you are too. here are a couple of things i've been enjoying lately.

free 4th of july printables by one of my fave bloggers.

a belly full of laughs . . . and a video full of cliches.

a garland that i'm definitely making very soon.

i cannot stop pinning office photos.

i'll be back next week with a really cute 4th of july DIY. have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

{umbrella}

summer is here, folks.

i feel like i've been terribly negligent of my little blog these last few weeks. well, it's because summer is here! the husband and i have been filling our days off with long scooter rides, morning runs, and lots of visits to the neighborhood pool. i already have tan lines. it's glorious. i'm hoping i'll be more consistent from here on out, but summer is a time to slack off without guilt. wink.

the pup that came to visit.

we dog-sat for hank last week . . .  dozens of long walks, playing ball in the park and after-work "you left me all alone!" snuggles. i was shocked at how quiet our little apartment became after he left. i didn't realize how much a puppy would fill up our free time! i'm afraid puppy sitting brought on a few other revelations. for one, i like my home very neat and tidy. much more thank i thought! little paws tracking in dirt and coat shedding . . . oh my, did i clean our place once he was gone! i found fur in the oddest of places. i thought i wanted a puppy so badly, but now i'm rethinking how often i want to be vacuuming!!

{begging for peanut butter.}

{watching the englishman who went up and hill but came down a mountain.}

some other things we've been up to- running! i'm recently inspired, what can i say? also, i'm not much good right now and my legs are sore. but i feel good! and we went to see brave. i just love pixar . . . this probably was not my favorite, but it was still really fun. we've also been eating these, without the almonds. i sprinkled peanut butter chips on top instead. SO DELISH. and bad. so, so bad. but i think we're making up for it with all the summer fruits we've been chowing down. refreshing watermelon, cherries, and amazing peaches . . . after all, it is summer in nashville. HOT HOT HOT!

6 months, this sunday.

can you believe we've already been married for 6 months? half a year? as of sunday, that's what it will be- sometimes it feels like our wedding was literally yesterday. other days, it feels like we've been married forever. time has flown by and being wife is better every day. i love you, john; you make life more wonderful than i ever thought it could be. xoxo.

lost in translation.

i've been watching lost in translation over the last few days- a couple minutes here, another half hour there. i pretty much love anything by sofia coppola, and then i found a few videos by garance dore about her visits to tokyo that seemed to echo some of the way the movie felt. i got really excited.

and now i kind of want to visit tokyo. maybe, at the very least, i can convince the mister to take me out for some noodles. yum.

{via here & here}

michelle.

is there no shortage of lovely portraits on pinterest? i think this one of michelle williams is so innocent and sweet. it makes me want to try out faux eyelashes. i cut my hair like this several years ago . . . i don't think i'll ever go back to it {although, never say never.} but this lady makes it look so chic.

{via}

the working girl's new clothes.

i've always struggled with finding the right professional wardrobe. most of the pieces i find are too large and too dowdy. other pieces are too young and too short. there is little out there for young women who need to dress both conservatively, professionally and also stylishly. also, i always skip the "basics" {yawn} and head straight for statement pieces. which means i have fewer items to interchange. and the things that catch my eye? noooot exactly budget friendly {maybe for an investment piece or two . . . but a wardrobe to fill a work week? maybe not}.

eyelet dress /// button down /// ikat skirt /// oxfords

where do you go to find your work clothes? where do you splurge and wear to do save?
and basic staples- what do you suggest?

{who am i kidding? the fendi oxfords are never going to happen.}

sunday at the artisan festival.

john and i took the scooter over to the american artisan festival at centennial park yesterday. we looked at blown glass ornaments, hand-carved kitchen utensils and many, many paintings. but our favorite tent, by far, was the wind chimes! such pretty sounds. i think we need some on our little apartment deck.

a summer sunday stop at maggie moo's was also in order- it's a lot like the cold stone creameries. i tried the cake batter fro-yo with sprinkles and white chocolate chips . . . pretty much the best discovery ever, because it was just like a funfetti cupcake and especially enjoyable on a hot summer day.

3 ingredient summer pie.

and it takes 5 minutes to make.

ingredients: graham cracker crust

cookies and cream ice cream or fro-yo

hot fudge topping

it's simple- melt the ice cream until it's just thawed enough to spread into the crust. once the shell is full, pop it into the freezer. it will start to get too soft if you don't. next, heat the fudge in the jar {metal top removed, duh} in the microwave until it's soft enough to drizzle with a spoon or pour. take your shell out of the freezer and generously add fudge onto the top of the ice cream. take a knife and swirl the ice cream and fudge together. cover your pie and place in the freezer until completely solid {or eat right away if you can't wait}.

tasty deliciousness for a summer night.

a seersucker social!

drop waist dresses, croquet, bow ties and bicycles? oh my. a college friend of mine recently attended this cute little event in DC. the pictures have been all over her instagram and are absolutely adorable. this little video showed me more of what it was all about . . . so in love with this concept.

The Seersucker Social from ReadysetDC on Vimeo.

i would just love if they had one of these in nashville!

when it's 5:30 am and already nap time.

yeah, so about that . . . let's just say i woke up at 4 this morning, all ready to start the day. 4 AM??? after a hour of laying awake in bed (trying so hard to be still so john could sleep more), i decided to get up and make toast. do i drink coffee or wait? do i brush my teeth and go back to sleep? can teeth brushing wait 3 hours until i wake up again (answer: no)? should i just watch tv on the couch? oh gosh. decisions are too difficult this early in the morning.

i blame all of this on my 2 hour afternoon nap session yesterday. good news is that it's friday! i hope you have a restful weekend, sweets.

{image can be linked back to my pinterest.}

vacation instagrams.

it was glorious and relaxing . . . and i miss everyone already.

stunning portraits.

julie andrews, my oh my. the second is my favorite, but the first isn't too shabby either.

///

don't you have a small obsession with mary poppins and the sound of music too?

to laugh with your family is the best ever.

my family is funny. they make me laugh. a lot. like, cry and shake with laughter. my uncles tease, my mom makes mischief and my husband chimes right in . . . i love them all so dearly and adore our times together, which are far too rare.

{getting ready- coordinating lips & mani / husband in the antique airplane cabin at the wherehouse? 

john & me / handsome brother & handsome husband}

the beach is a place where there are no worries.

just a few snaps from a beach day with my momma, brother and aunt. it was chilly and we never got close to the water, but it didn't mater. what a wonderful day with my family. let me tell you; there are few things as glorious as the sunshine-filled beaches of the NH coast.

i hope you had a marvelous weekend too. xoxo.
{pictures from my instagram @abigailiam and snatched from my brother's, @gjstoutimore}

dress like you're in the great gatsby.

i don't think i'm the only one drooling over the great gatsby previews. aren't the costumes just divine? i'm dying over carey mulligan's look. i know it's a bit until the movie comes out, but it's never too early to think about a copycat look! with all the weddings we're all attending this summer, i thought it might be fun to pull together a colorful version of what i've been seeing on the television. i'm especially in love with this little drop-waist dress.

dress // sparkle pins // t-strap shoes // art deco clutch // reverse french manicure

i hope you all have a marvelous friday . . . we're in NH and i'm headed to the ocean with my family while the husband hits the recording studio for the day. i'm so excited to enjoy some salty air and hot sand- it has been far too long. happy first day of june!