Summer to Fall Transitions

While I try not to wish away summer, autumn is my favorite season and every year I am so thrilled when I see the first signs of fall -- the first trees that start to change colors and the first mornings where I step outside and the air is cool and crisp, rather than humid and salty (because we live on the coast!).

Below are some images of what I have started doing to transition from summer to fall:

A late summer inspired table top with a wild flower bouquet and artichoke vase filler (purchased at target!)

dilly bean making!

Finally tried the revlon lip butter and AM OBSESSED. I am loving sugar plum and candy apply, two shades that are perfect for fall. What I love about these is that the color is less bold than lipstick, yet brighter and more robust than a tinted lip balm. This makes lip butter perfect for everyday wear so your make up will not look too intense for the office! yes!

New candle, which makes the house smell amazing and feel cozy.

9/11

via

11 years ago I was a freshman in high school, sitting in geography class when our teacher turned on the TV so we could see coverage of what was happening in New York. I am fortunate enough to have not lost any one I know that day. Nevertheless, I feel immense sadness thinking of all of those who did lose a loved one as a result of that cruel attack on our country. Let us remember, not just today but everyday, how fortunate we are to have safety and freedom. Many people in this world don't.

Chicken Soup with a Twist

The instant I woke up on Saturday morning, I felt the tell tale signs of a cold -- runny nose and sore throat. I guess a half a week back in an office environment with lots of people and recycled air was just too much for my immune system.

I am a firm believer that home made chicken soup fixes everything, so I set out to make some. However, I wanted to try something slightly different this time. So while choosing ingredients, I opted for a few Asian inspired options:

Steps:

I started out by making chicken broth with what remained of the whole chicken my husband and I have been picking at all week. I put what remained of the chicken, bones and all, into a large soup pot, filled with water, and added a coarsely chopped onion, two carrots, and several pieces of celery (leaves too). Salt, pepper, and other desired seasoning should be added at this stage. Let this come to a boil and then gently simmer until the chicken is coming off the bones. This usually takes a couple of hours, and I taste it in order to determine whether it is flavorful enough yet. The longer it boils down, the more flavorful the broth becomes. I then strain the contents of the pot in order to separate the broth from the bones and chicken. I pour the broth back into the pot and then when things have cooled down, pick the chicken off the bones and add it back to the pot. It never ceases to amaze me how much meat is left on the body that would otherwise have been thrown away. Sure makes a $6 or $7 grocery store cooked whole chicken go a LONG way.

Meanwhile, I peeled carrots and prepared them separately. I boil them until they are softer, but still firm. I followed the instructions on my rice noodle packet and soaked them in hot water for 10 minutes. I brought the pot of stock back to a boil and added one finely chopped onion and let that gently boil for 5 minutes. I added the baby corns, which I rinsed before using. Finally, I added the snow peas, carrots, and noodles.

The soup was perfect for me, but to be honest, my husband said it was a little bland and not his favorite of the soups I have made. So while it was fun to try something new and stray from my usual ingredients, next time I will likely stick to my more traditional renditions of chicken soup (using rice or regular soup pasta and celery).

I hope you had lovely weekends! 

Happy Weekend

This weekend I have a lot of things on my personal to do list that MUST be handled. Nevertheless, I will absolutely be taking the time to relax a little.

And perhaps indulging in one of my favorite fall pastimes -- a trip to the apple orchard, complete with apple cider donuts.

Happy Weekend! : )

Good Bye Summer

I officially had about a month in between taking the bar exam and starting my new job to do whatever I pleased. Because I am about to start my new job, which is something I have patiently been waiting for since I received by job offer last October, I thought it would be appropriate to highlight some of my favorite moments from this summer:

From extravagant room service in Montreal, to exploring a new city, visiting family, high teas, hiking, and enjoying a crab feast I managed to cram a lot into a relatively short period of time. Now that summer is winding down, it feels strange that I am, for the first time EVER, not returning to school this fall. Its officially pencil skirts, suits, heels and briefcases from here on out. Wish me luck!

cucumber lime martini

I bought a few too many cucumbers at the farmers market last week and decided to try my hand at a cucumber martini.

Recipe:

infuse vodka by slicing one large cucumber, pouring the desired amount of vodka over, and refrigerating for a few hours.

in a drink shaker add vodka, ice, and desired amount of St. Germain Elderflower liquor. Shake to combine

pour into martini glass, top off with  desired amount of seltzer water (I prefer Polar), squeeze fresh lime juice into glass, and garnish with lime

Honestly, I don't typically enjoy cocktails (except margaritas of course!!!!) and stick to beer or wine. However, this was a perfect end of summer drink. It was cool and refreshing and is definitely something I will be making again!

Labor Day Weekend Scenes

I hope everyone had lovely weekends! I was able to put aside some stress that has been accumulating to enjoy some memorable moments with friends and make the most of the last warm days of summer.

Here are some scenes from our weekend, spent on Moosehead Lake in Maine:

diy make up brush holder

I have been looking for a better way to store make up brushes and decided to use an old flower vase I had laying around the house and some vase filler. I chose small round glass balls (purchased at Michael's for around $1.50 I believe). Here is what I came up with:

Certainly a huge improvement over cramming brushes in my make up bag!

baby gallery

Here I explained that I have been avoiding hanging photos on the wall at my home because I expect we will be moving soon but nevertheless indulged in some brainstorming about what a future gallery wall would look like.

Well when I popped into Michael's a few weeks back and discovered some amazing frames with matting on sale for 50% off, I could not resist. As soon as I got home, I selected some close ups taken at the beach this summer (post bar!) and used Ritz Pix to have them printed to fit my new frames. My little photos (5" x5") arrived a few days later.

Here are the photos I used:

And here is what I came up with (sorry for the glare!):

The whole project cost around $30 (four frames and four photos printed and mailed from online vendor). The quality of the photos was great, and they were inexpensive (around $4, including shipping). But I was very annoyed that instead of leaving them in my mailbox, I had to go pick them up from the post office and pay an extra dollar. Not sure why that was the case. It was an easy and inexpensive way to add a little something to what used to be a very boring, plain wall. Also, I love showcasing my very own photos in my home : )

Welcome

Welcome! I have been blogging for about half a year over on my last blog, Legally Dark Blonde. I just graduated from law school this past May and I took a break from blogging over the months of June and July to study for the bar exam. During August I spent some much needed time relaxing, unwinding, and enjoying life a little before starting my career this September at a large (regional scale) law firm. I knew I wanted to jump back into blogging BUT was a little dissatisfied with my blog and was looking for something more anonymous, if that makes sense. I spent pretty much all summer thinking of a new name and a new concept for my blog and finally stumbled upon this. Through currently, my goal is to share what is currently inspiring me. I want to curate a little "space" on the internet that exemplifies how to lead a charmed life while working toward establishing a successful career, without sacrificing on life's little pleasures. Thanks for stopping by. And thank you to my lovely readers who have followed me over from Legally Dark Blonde!