[littlelaur]

merry, merry

this year hasn’t been my favorite. it brought about a lot of change, most of it uncomfortable (as change tends to be), & stressful situations.

so i just about sprinted into the holidays as soon as i could, overhauling our living room/dining room into a personal winter wonderland. decorating our home for the season has brought me a lot of joy & i’m really looking forward to cozy nights with a lit up tree, christmas movies, & glass of wine in hand. 

tree (faux): target / pillows: homegoods / ornaments: pineapples, hot air balloon (from anthro but currently sold out), feathered bird, crab, snowflakes (old from crate & barrel), jeweled creatures (old from anthro) / bottlebrush trees: threshold @ target (different sizes available) / tablecloth & runner: homegoods

[littlelaur]

weekend notes

after a month of nonstop traveling & visitors, we were so ready for this weekend. with joe now working out of DC during the week, our weekends have become especially important to us as our time to be together & reconnect. 

from enjoying the beautiful weather outside (as you can see, kate did too - we couldn’t get her to come in!) and doing some fall cleaning/rearranging at home (more to come on that) to great meals at the old greenwich social club & with friends at dos caminos, it was a much needed mellow few days. 

now keeping my fingers crossed for trick or treaters tonight - & getting ready to travel again later this week. have a great start to your week, all. 

[littlelaur]

i'm not the biggest fan of halloween. i hate anything scary and am not into dressing up.

but chocolate candy? that part i don't mind at all. so this year i decided to combine it with my tried and true chocolate chip cookie recipe for a fun little halloween surprise.

chocolate chip candy cookies

2 + 1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs + 1 egg yolk, beaten (all room temp. if you’re taking them right out of the fridge, put them in some lukewarm water first to bring them up to temp)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 sticks of butter, room temp (do not microwave. leave them out on the counter for a few hours to soften - it makes a difference)

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 light brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups chopped candy (whatever you’d like! I used twix, snickers, and dark chocolate kit kats)

maldon sea salt flakes (to top)

combine all dry ingredients (i use a mixer, but whatever works!), then add the butter, vanilla, and eggs. gently stir in the candy making sure it’s evenly spread throughout. using an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, scoop out the dough & put into tupperware - let it chill in the fridge overnight (i aim for 24-36 hours). then heat the oven to 350 degrees, bake for 11 - 13 minutes, & top with the maldon sea salt flakes as soon as the cookies come out of the oven.

[afabulousfete]

[littlelaur]

we made it, guys. happy friday. 

[littlelaur]

when it comes to summer drinks, if i’m not having rosé - it’s margaritas all the way. & paloma makes one that is just sheer perfection in my book.

while i haven’t even attempted to take on their recipe (tequila, grand marnier, house orange tincture, lime, & hibiscus nectar), i have picked up 2 little tips from them that i’m definitely putting to use when going the homemade margarita route.

1. i always ask for their “spicy salt” when i go & finally found out what it is. they’re using tajín - a blend of chilies, lime juice, & salt. i managed to track it down at the grocery store last night & will never go back to regular salt. 

2. to add the salt rim to their glasses, they rub the top of the glass on the cut half of a grapefruit & then dip it in the tajín. it slightly mellows the tajín & makes every sip a delicious mix of tart, spicy, & sweet.

[littlelaur]

the best way to spend a rainy saturday morning.

[babe-island]

[littlelaur]

audibly gasped when i saw this. as always, lupita is perfection. | lupita nyong'o at the 68th cannes film festival via babe-island

[littlelaur]

the past few months joe & I have been so absorbed by our jobs that it feels like we've barely seen each other. we swore when the weather got nice we'd start taking advantage of our location & this weekend we held true to that promise. 

we woke up early on saturday & drove out to newport, which neither of us had been to since we were young. as soon as we pulled into town, we drove right to the forty steps & spent some time on the cliff walk before getting some brunch at the low-key franklin spa. then we checked out the breakers & drove along ocean drive before climbing the rocky coastline at brenton point. next up were the legendary lobster/crab/shrimp donuts at the mooring & an afternoon nap with the windows open & fireplace on at forty 1 north. dinner that night was at one of the oldest U.S. taverns - the fantastic white horse tavern where we had great drinks (their “modern fashioneds” were on point) & a delicious dinner.

sunday had perfect weather, so after a tour of touro synagogue we hopped over to easton’s beach to take advantage of the sunshine & grab some fresh lobster rolls & del's lemonade. we spent the rest of the day wandering the city before we found a spot right on the water at the hotel where we spent the evening watching the fog roll in with rosé & crab cakes. 

it was a great trip for us to catch up & relax - coming back to reality has been the hard part. 

[kellyymadden]

[tearingdowndoors-deactivated201]

[mossai]

[onlinecounsellingcollege]

I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. If you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good.

Roald Dahl  (via yungsunshine)

[littlelaur]

there’s just never enough.

alternatively titled: recently discovered cold brew coffee, life may never be the same. 

[qano]

Mehdi Lacoste

[littlelaur]

i’m not saying i’m obsessed with fun leggings for working out, but if i was i’d be scoping out (& crushing on) the bandier website today. 

clockwise from top left: $81; $88; $78; $75

[keikolyn]

[graceinplace]

[littlelaur]

how to pick [the right] ripe produce | perfect for spring + summer | via the goop