Mojito Maven

CB2 cocktail shaker, TOMS burlap strappy wedges, Gap green striped dress,
Kate Spade chandelier earrings, J. Crew braided rope belt

If given the option, the mojito is definitely my drink of choice. Especially in the summer. Make it classic or contemporary (ginger or lavender, anyone?). I'll drink them both. So when John's parents gave us some mojito mint for our garden, we were more than happy to accept it. And our course made sure to plant it in a pot :)

Now that we have a voluptuous mint plant, we've made plenty of mojitos.

Lucky for you, they're super easy to make!

Classic Mojito
Recipe is for one drink. Scale accordingly.
If you have a muddler, and want to be fancy, you can follow this recipe.

Ingredients
A bunch of mint (about 8 leaves)
1 shot white rum
1 shot lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar
Ice cubes, about 4 big ones
Club soda

Directions
Add the mint, rum, lime juice, sugar, and ice cubes to a cocktail shaker.

Shake for about 30 seconds.

Pour everything, without straining, into a glass.

Top with club soda.

Sit back and enjoy with your favorite summer meal!

 Happy Friday!

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Prepping for our Patio

Last week, Marie asked when we were going to Europe in response to my announcement that we finally got cable. I'm assuming that's because we could have skipped the cable and used the money for plane tickets. Unfortunately, that's not the case. At least not this year.

Logistically speaking, a long week or so of travel doesn't fit into our schedule. John is using a good chunk of vacation time to go to Appalachia with our church. Plus, we'll be going to Denver for a wedding this fall and are planning on spending some extra days there.

Finally, our "big win" savings are being put towards a brick patio! As you may recall, we had a giant hedge in our backyard. Exhibit A to refresh your memory:

When my parents visited last fall, we made the executive decision to rip out the hedge in the hopes of adding a patio. Turns out, the hedge was three plants and had some super-thick trunks and roots. Exhibit B of John with a fraction of hedge remnants:

Now that it's summer, we're itching to get this brick patio started! At one point, we considered installing the patio ourselves. That is, until we saw the yard sloping towards our house. Clearly, that's not good if it rains, so we called a few patio and landscaping companies for quotes.

We decided on the company and we finalized the design a few weeks ago. And yes, we borrowed the neighbors furniture for illustrative purposes.

We'll have a curved path connecting the driveway with the patio, keeping space for the rosebush and some grass to the left of the path. The day lilies will be moved since they were only planted there until we found a more permanent spot for them.

The left side of the patio will be the eating area with a table that fits 6 or so people. On the right will be a conversation area with chairs and a small table. Yes, Dad, we'll conceal the air conditioner with some plants.

Underneath the window will be a raised, walled planting area. In addition to planting space, this will also give us more seating. We don't plan on putting the grill on the patio since there's plenty of space to put it on the driveway when we use it and roll it back in the garage when we're not.

We're currently waiting on the building permit (we applied for it last Friday), so once we have it, we'll start breaking ground!

Are you completing any big projects this summer?
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The Garden of Eatin'

While I miss certain things about living in the city (walking everywhere! easy public transportation!), there are a few things about having a home that I love. One of the big ones is having a large herb and vegetable garden.

Last year's garden was a huge success, especially the zucchini! But we also had a few duds: the tomatoes took forever to ripen and we never enjoyed a pepper.

This year, we decided to try a few new things. And considered our neighbor's thought process of growing vegetables that are more expensive to buy in the store. Case in point, tomatoes. Those babies can be $1-2/lb for basic beefsteak, let alone buying cherry, organic, or heirloom varieties. On the other hand, the grocery store practically gives away zucchini.

Our little "farm" is currently growing beefsteak and cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and a few rogue spaghetti squash that snuck into our compost. We also planted a boatload of basil and sage. And of course I can't forget the dill, mint, and chives shared by our parents' gardens and the crazy oregano from last year's garden. The hops are also taking off!

And since I like numbers, here's a cost breakdown comparing what we purchased at Home Depot (or was shared) vs. the local grocery store:

Based on the mojitos we enjoyed last weekend and the pesto on the menu for this week, I don't think we'll have a problem breaking even. Obviously there's the opportunity cost and convenience of buying veggies from the grocery store, but I enjoy tackling the weeds on the weekends. Even if that means itchy eyes during the work week. And you can't beat the fresh taste!

And just for fun, here are a few other shots of our roses.

Do you have a garden? Maybe one on your patio?

PS - John wants to make sure he gets credit for the title. You're welcome, Hubs.
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A Little Bit Country

We made it to Friday! This week was all funky between my vacation hangover, a dentist appointment rescheduled at the last minute, field trip for work, and cable installation. So TGIF for sure!

Last Friday I was on my way to Nashville, so can you indulge me in one more Nashville related post? It's totally appropriate because this week's FF theme is "outfit crush." And I totally loved the outfit of Karen Fairchild, a member of Little Big Town.

When they came on stage, I was dazzled by what I thought was a sparkly dress.

Let's zoom in a little bit.

From People.com, credit: Curtis Hilbun/AFF-USA

Girl was rocking sequined shorts! I don't know if I could ever pull off this outfit, but that's the fun of Friday's Fancies, right?

Express long metal fringe earrings, LAMB Bindi black leather bootie, Avelon abstract printed shirt,
Karl Sabine sequined shorts, Girl. By Band of Outsiders cropped blazer,
Alexander McQueen studded leather knucklebox clutch

Here's my take on a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll. OK, a lotta bit rock and roll. I left out the fishnet tights because even my imaginary wardrobe wouldn't contain them.

Where have you found outfit inspiration recently?

Have a great weekend!

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We've Joined the 20th Century!

Sooo....I had a post partially drafted for you. It was going to be all about our vegetable garden. Well, I didn't have it finished up last night and hit a technical glitch this morning. Why?

Because the Internet dropped while we had cable TV installed today! AT&T U-verse if we're getting specific. When I told my coworkers we were just getting cable, they looked at me like I was living in a third world country. Yes, John has been living without ESPN and I've survived without HGTV and the Food Network for quite some time now.

Sure, our utility bills are going to increase, but that's OK by me. We've been focusing on Ramit's "big wins" like negotiating a higher salary and refinancing our mortgage which more than offsets the cable bill.

Have you had a "big win" in personal finance recently?

PS - If you're looking to read something a little sweeter, I share my adventures in ordering ice cream in Paris over at One Sydney Road as part of Piper's Paris pop-up shop.
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Nashville in the Details

Do you ever get a vacation hangover? I got back from Nashville Sunday afternoon and felt like I should have taken off on Monday. To relive the fun, I thought I would share a few details.

Past Perfect

Beyond the amazing live music, Nashville has some pretty tasty food. We stopped by Puckett's Grocery for southern food and breakfast (yes, we went twice). And slightly off the beaten path of Broadway is Past Perfect. We went there for lunch before all the CMA festivities...a-mazing! I had a lavender mojito and the grilled ahi tuna wrap. If it was later in the day, I would have sampled a classic cocktail made from one of their many infused vodkas. Guess I'll just have to go back ;)

It seemed like every other storefront on Broadway was a boot shop. And the other 50% were honky tonks. If you're looking for boots, make sure you shop around before buying. One store was offering buy 1 pair, get 2 pairs free! Plus, check the label for where the boots are made (avoid China) and to see that they're made of real leather. For other tips, here's a good post on how to buy cowboy boots.

I knew that Nashville was sometimes call Nashvegas, but didn't quite get it until I saw all the neon signs. It definitely reminds me of classic Las Vegas!

Of course, I can't forget the music! Even though I didn't recognize some of the artists' names, I recognized their songs or just sat back and enjoyed the tunes. Luke Bryan was definitely the favorite of our group and Carrie Underwood also put on a great performance.

And to prove that I was there, that's me with the bachelorette. And my favorite orange maxi dress :)
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Short Cuts

Towne & Reese Clara earrings, J. Crew linen bow shorts, Zara aqua platform heels,
Loft painted dot top, Jess LC Kenzie small fishy tote

Can I tell you a little secret? I'm horrible about getting haircuts. Especially getting my bangs (or swoops, as I call them) trimmed. Not because I'm looking to save all sorts of money, but because I'm a little lazy. And it's super easy to just pull my hair back. Even A Cup of Jo showed a tutorial for a sleek parted ponytail. And let's not forget my easy summer hair tutorial for twisting back overgrown bangs.

Sorry for the Myspace pic. My photographer was missing.

But I'm good for the next few months because I finally got my hair cut! Nothing crazy, she just brought the swoops back, trimmed the ends, and cut some new layers. A low maintenance haircut that grows out well. Hallelujah!

Which means I should probably reshoot my profile picture ;)

Have a fantastic Friday and weekend!

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