Sunday in London

How about an end of summer stroll through Hyde Park in this sweet frock? It's Sunday in London. 

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22 Days...

Last night (in preparation for honeymooning in a tropical climate) I did sit-ups, inversions, and push-ups... in between episodes of Spain: On the Road Again.  Of course I preceded the exercising with the closest thing I could get to Spain: a few glasses of French Grenache.

Mario Batali is from Seattle, too!

His fleece vests are a dead give-away of PNW roots.

GP, on the other hand...stripes and scarves: New Yorker.

Watching this series made me reconsider our plans to go to Tahiti and New Zealand for our honeymoon, but then I remembered how completely spoiled rotten we are for going to Tahiti and New Zealand... 

Suddenly, I'm feeling a little better.

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True Love

You have to see this video by Story Corps featuring Brooklyn couple Danny and Annie.  (Prepare for tears.) 

{Via A Cup of Jo}

Mr. Darcy said it best

{Via Brookish}

Feeling Fall

It may be 90+ degrees here in Baltimore, but that doesn't stop my inner clock from ticking Fall!

There's something funny that happens in late August and the first days of September. It just feels like Autumn, even if it's still hot outside or school hasn't begun.

For me, this occurred last weekend.  I don't know what it was, but all it took was one gray day and I was busy making creamy mushroom soup and listening to Harvest Moon by Neil Young.

Since moving to the mid-Atlantic, I have so enjoyed the long summer months (especially the extra dosage of vitamin D).  I never thought I'd say this, but I actually think I'm ready for fall: cool misty mornings, hot apple cider, and a few things like this...

Utterly over-sized scarves...

Nerdy chic glasses...

Denim-y wonderful blazers...

Glassy bottles of vino...

Wedding bells ring ding dinging...

.

My baby's birthday a-la-New Zealand...

Spooky seasonal celebrations...

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What are you most looking forward to come Fall? I wanna know! 

25 Days!

The fun has already begun! I'm ready (and now fully equipped) to get this party started.

Wow, I'm blown away by how generous people are!  We love all of our beautiful wedding gifts.  Thanks friends and family for your generosity and support. See you soon!  xoxo

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little brown pen

By blog or by shop, I'm loving Nichole's views at little brown pen.

Have a fluttery weekend

Most of the time, one would have to go outside to see pretty things like this, a big yellow butterfly on a colorful thistle.  So I recommend you do exactly that, go outside.  Enjoy a butterfly's fluttering wings.  See a purple flower. Enjoy your weekend.

xoxo

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29 Days

While the ending of Annie Hall doesn't look quite look like a classic love story, I seem to remember it that way, anyway. 

In May 2007, Ryan and I saw Annie Hall together.  We'd been dating for less than a year, we were infatuated with each other, and we hadn't been apart for even a few days.

So now when I think of Annie Hall, I think of it as "our movie".  It feels like a love story in the end, after all.

{Prints from Mike Oncley via A CUP OF JO}

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Over the Weekend Recipe: 24 hour pickles

I've never pickled or canned anything before, so when I read in RealSimple that you can make pickles without a pressure cooker, pectin or special jars, I got so excited!  

I can't tell you how much I love pickles.  Crunchy, zesty, dill pickles, to be exact.

{Photo by Christopher Baker}

This recipe is fast, easy and really works! If you're a pickle lover but don't have experience canning, give this recipe a try.

24 Hour Pickles

(adapted from RealSimple)

4 Kirby cucumbers, quartered lengthwise

3/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 small sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Walla Walla), thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon dill seed
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
Sea salt

Directions:

Place the quartered cucumbers in a 1-quart jar (a used pasta sauce jar worked great for me).

In a bowl, combine the vinegar, onion, garlic, sugar, dill seed, peppercorns, bay leaf, 2 teaspoons salt, and ¾ cup hot tap water. Whisk well until the sugar dissolves.

Pour the vinegar mixture into the jar with the cucumbers, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 day before serving. The pickles should last up to 1 week and taste best on day two or three. Enjoy!

Best coffee in Baltimore

This post is long over-due, so I'm going to just get it out there: Spro Coffee is the best coffee in Baltimore. 

Two months ago I would have said it's the only coffee worth drinking in Baltimore, but luckily Woodberry Kitchen proved me wrong with a beautiful cappuccino served alongside my eggs benedict, but that's another story.

For anyone googling that simple phrase like I did eight short months ago, may this post find them well, cut their sampling of scalding bubbly latte's short, and lead them to the finest espresso available in Charm City: Spro.

Clementimes' picks: Haupia cappuccino or honey macchiato.

These friendly barista's carefully and masterfully prepare each cup.  It's worth the wait. Trust me.

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33 Days!

One faith is bondage. Two
are free. In the trust
of old love, cultivation shows
a dark graceful wilderness
at its heart.  Wild
in that wilderness, we roam
the distances of our faith,
safe beyond the bounds
of what we know. O love,

open.  Show me
my country.  Take me home.

{"A Homecoming", Wendell Berry}

Fairmount, Philadelphia

Yesterday I spent the morning wandering through Fairmount, the neighborhood that faces the Philadelphia Museum of Art. 

The sun was shone brightly as the local mailman made his deliveries.  The only noise on the narrow streets was from birds chirping and a pack of pre-teen runners stammering by.  For a moment I felt like I was stealing something by snapping these photos. But seeing them a day later, it didn't feel like much of a crime anymore.

How Genetics Work

{Via 24FreeDinners}