Grape Did It

A quick trip to the mountains

Last week we went up to Cleveland, SC for a quick trip to the mountains with our friends :) It was super 1950's idyllic, with just a bunch of chill houses clustered together around a lake and the Saluda River. 

There were several highlights to the trip including an breathtaking rope swing, and a higher-than-it-looks jumping platform into the lake.

Aaaaaand...on the second night we were there, I was outside eating dinner with my friend when I spotted a BLACK BEAR! No lie! I don't have a picture - of course I was without my phone at the moment - but he just ambled towards the driveway and then walked off. 

Such a day dream to splash around in the river rapids, meander up mountain trails, and eat plenty of corn on the cob and watermelon.

How's your summer going so far? 

Truett rope swing video:

IMG_2779 from Elizabeth Sypert on Vimeo.

June rope swing video:

IMG_2781 from Elizabeth Sypert on Vimeo.

Celebrating Mommy Ann

In November my beloved grandmother died. To all of her grandchildren, and greats, she was called Mommy Ann.

It was weird, and hard, losing my last grandparent because I think my subconscious had decided she would always be there: doing puzzles, looking impossibly stylish, cooking dinner with a Tom Collins in hand. When you think of those old-school beauties who walked through life with (seemingly) effortless class, that was Mommy Ann. 

To celebrate, my aunt set up a beautiful party at her house in Cincinnati where we all ate, drank, chatted & were merry & were sad. Georgia put together a slide show that was unbearable to watch, but in the good way. How can someone feel so close and be gone? It's still hard sometimes.

As I walked around the party, catching up with cousins & aunts (there are males in this family, they're just...rare), I kept remarking to myself how much I liked everyone. Not just because they're family, but genuine appreciation for how much I wanted to keep hanging out. And how I kind of wish we hadn't all scattered to the four winds ;)

Here are a few pictures from our weekend, if you'd like to see, and I hope you're doing well. xo

Here's a picture with Aurelia - we were making angry faces at each other, because, at three and a half, she was over it. 

The kiddos celebrated Mommy Ann by...being kids.

Happy almost-weekend

Happy weekend to you (with the summertime here, and the kids out of school, I originally titled this Happy Friday! Head slap, welcome to the days blending together of summer :)

I just wanted to leave this link here of often-overlooked, affordable cool places to travel (I'd choose Cambodia).

Cheers to a wonderful weekend (when it does get here)!

photo credit(s) via travel and leisure

A blogging break

I'm sure you've noticed my inability to post very often these days. I feel kind of uninspired, and I don't want to just plop any old thing onto the screen in order to post. So, I'm going to take a break. Recharge, hopefully come back in a week or two refreshed and inspired :)

In the meantime, I'd love to link to my favorite posts from GDI for your perusing pleasure. xoxo

A super yummy chocolate cake.

A tiny but impactful home improvement tip.

Baby June dances.

A fun place to eat here in Columbia.

One of my absolute favorite kid books.

Our kitchen renovation reveal & the break-down.

A bright red lipstick for fall.

Camping in teepees.

How to make pumpkin spice latte at home.

Ways to unknot your busy life.

Why cooking at home is so great.

Where to find some lovely art.

Movie nights.

The sweetest baby in the world turns four.

While my wild-man turns seven.

Just for fun, pregnancy pictures with Truett.

Planning a Christmas party.

Winter soups.

Love you guys. xoxo

(image via)

Friday tidbits

Good Friday morning! What are you up to this weekend? If you're on the east coast, I hope you have a safe place to chill. We'll be playing lots of Jenga, cooking & watching movies :) Hope you have a great weekend, and see you back here next week.

Let's do some links.

Good to keep in mind during a renovation.

Oh dear, now I want to make a tiny toaster. Found via swissmiss.

I LOVE this raspberry Halloween costume. I think I'd rather use plastic balls to balloons, though, because I'd anticipate some popping along the way (ahem, looking at wild men like Truett).

Hoping to make these pickled okra later today.

A really simple way to enjoy all those gorgeous heirloom pumpkins. Also, you could save the seeds & try your hand at planting them next season.

Oh! these drawings.

All I want in this life (besides everything) is to do an eating tour of Italy. Holy.bananas.

I just got one of these at Costco and it is the softest, cutest sweatshirt ever.

Off-season but man, these bright pink blossoms just make me feel good.

That's it - have a great weekend!

Friday tidbits

Good Friday morning. What will you be doing this weekend? Since tomorrow is October 1st (Halloween, my favorite season!), I'm looking forward to making some of these spooky DIY decorations with the kiddos. 

Let's do some fun links & hope you have a wonderful, cozy weekend :)

A new Venezuelan restaurant here in town I'd love to try.

I love these bralettes. So much lighter and more comfortable than traditional bras.

A rooftop wedding seems both magical & simple. 

Always keep a bottle of champagne in the fridge...

These homemade mango fruit roll ups sound impossibly easy to make. Hm...

Wouldn't it be fun to explore some woods with a scavenger hunt list? Scheming for this weekend or next. Putting the list together with your kids or friends would be part of the fun, too.

I love roasting the pumpkin seeds after we've carved our Halloween jack-o-lantern, here are some pumpkin seed recipes to make it more interesting.

Speaking of Halloween, I think I've decided on Miss Haversham as my costume :)

I especially love the kids' rooms in this house tour.

The New York public library installs tiny trains to transport your books!! My kids (and I!) would flip to see this!!

That's it - have a great weekend!

(top image via this is glamorous, second image via my instagram)

Our trip up to Virginia

Our trip up to Virginia this weekend was a whirlwind - fun and busy & beautiful :) Our dear friend Sarah was married in an historic church and the reception was held on her family's farm. It was lovely, all of it.

Here are a random assortment of photos, with the little stories behind each. Hope you had a good weekend, too.

Our hotel was a short drive from Colonial Beach, Virginia, a tiny town with a few cute restaurants and a pebbly beach. We spent an hour talking and picking out the prettiest pebbles. Well, no, that's not true. I picked out pebbles while Bud mostly tried to see how many he could stack on top of one another. I think his toppled at six.

You can't really tell in this picture, but I found about a million beautiful rose quartz.

This was my emergency prep basket: ingredients for a gin & tonic at the hotel.

We ate dinner at possibly the cheesiest restaurant on the planet. Here's Bud hamming it up with a stuffed potato skin.

During our afternoon in Colonial Beach, we found a pretty little restaurant near the beach where they put brown butcher paper on the tables. I took a moment to write my kids a note & post to instagram, where I knew Georgia would see it.

Coffee shop near Georgia's house in DC. Obligatory photo of goodies. We shared two chocolate croissants.

An espresso and a sparkling water.

The church - built in the 1700's. No electricity, oil burning lamps, just perfect.

A picture from the reception.

Congratulations Sarah & Scott!! xoxo

Friday tidbits

What are you up to this weekend? We got to Georgia's house last night, where the kids will stay for the weekend (cousin trip!), and then Bud & I are headed to our dear friend's wedding about an hour away :) 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend & see you back here next week. In the meantime, here are some links to read.

Good cookery writing. Ah, I just love to say the word cookery. In a British accent.

Don't buy stuff you cannot afford. Amy Poehler FTW.

We should all be so lucky to have a mom, or a daughter, like this.

Do you know what a red AND white cane means? I didn't either. Now we do.

Why parents need to stop complaining about being tired. 

The shoes I ended up buying for the wedding (mine were on waaay sale).

Lovely short video from Morocco.

This dream house in Charleston, SC. GAH.

Tomato gazpacho along with gorgeous pictures of the French country side. You could bathe in these pictures they're so lush.

Maestra, the latest book I'm reading, is a bit to take, but also lots of fun.

xoxo

(image via shopmazama)

Friday tidbits

What are you up to this beautiful weekend? I told the kids if they had a good week at school, I'd take them to Costco (yes, their new favorite place). Then we might sneak in a last pool-Sunday at my parents :) 

Hope you have a great weekend, & here are some links for your reading and browsing pleasure. xo

I made an easy version of this meal last night (i.e. anything in the kitchen that resembled this food). We had hummus, tzatziki, kebobs, feta & veggies. The kids actually loved the kebabs! I daydream of leisurely meals around our table, and this fits the bill. 

Speaking of, this is an inspiring short video about eating in France v. eating in America (though a street hotdog is never a bad idea).

Did you LOVE this photo from this post? Me too. This is the venue. When I'm wealthy...

Gagging on my coffee over this gorgeous home tour. And here's the company the owners run - the products are overpriced, but thoughtful and inspiring.

From swissmiss, Things I Didn't Buy. My version is, if I love something, I save it to my Covet list. Then, once every few weeks, I revisit my covet list and remove things I no longer want in order to whittle it down and down and down to the things I absolutely adore. It's pleasurable in the same way shopping is, saves me from a ton of impulse buys, & allows me to purchase only the things I'd really love and really want. But anyway, I love this list, too.

I like the idea of a soft-start for school.

Six tips for making it small. My heart swelled when I read this article. (thanks to hitherandthither for posting it).

Right, well, now I'm moving to Zambia.

OMG Strandbeest(s). GO WATCH NOW.

Totally, actually, lol-ed at this.

That's it! Have a great one!

What to wear to a fall wedding

Next weekend Bud & I are dropping the kids with Summer for the weekend, & heading up to Virginia for a wedding. It's actually the wedding of my old roommate, the same person who introduced me to Bud :)

I'm on the fence as to whether or not to buy a new dress - I might wear this one that I already have - but it's fun to window shop, either way.

Here are my picks for an early fall wedding (I'm assuming the daytime will be warm and night will get a little cool).

I love, love, LOVE that baroque print dress above. Look at those sleeves. 

This petal-pink tiered dress from H&M is so pretty & delicate. If I chose sleeveless, I'd be sure to throw a little jacket over my shoulders.

A navy blue, one shoulder hits that wonderful line between sophisticated & fun. 

Georgia always swears by DVF wrap dresses as the ultimate in body flattering, and I tend to agree. This wool & silk top-wrap dress is beautiful.

Lastly, a slip-dress - soft & sweet & feminine. 

(Image credits + links: navy one-shoulder at Lulus, white slip dress at ASOS, wool & silk wrap dress from Saksoff5th, tiered maxi dress from H&M, & MAJE baroque print dress)