Grandma and me. (and wine) Taken January, 2010 in Wilmington.

Sunday is my grandmother’s 88th(?) birthday. Dad, Joann, John, Sean and I are packing into one car and taking a three-day weekend, whirlwind trip to visit her and catch up with the rest of the extended family.  There will be sleeping on floors, eating Southern food (except I don’t know what Sean will eat!) and possibly some trivial pursuit. Back on the blog next week and I’ll have some pics to share. :)

We celebrated his father’s birthday with a family dinner and presents.

Much to Ellen’s delight, a limo was involved.

We dined with some lovely old paintings.

The “kids” went out afterwards to Robert’s Western World. Sean and I danced to the honky tonk band.

The next day was spent on the family boat on Old Hickory lake. I like being on lakes in boats, napping in the sunshine.

There were more family dinners.

Bumming around Nashville with Sean (thrifting, record store, etc).

And then more Western World with Sean’s friends.

More photos here. The end. :)

My (and Sean’s) only consolation was early dinner/late lunch at one of our favorite Vietnamese places, Lotus Cafe. We were the only customers, and the bartender was all too happy to make me a strawberry basil (thai) mojito-like cocktail. Food heals all wounds.

Later that night we made yet another zucchini (as) spaghetti dish to take to a paleo potluck for my gym. Rave reviews all around but I was too busy dulling the pain of my heat rash with whiskey and water to feel any sort of pride. In any case, Sean made the sauce, and since the pasta part is so easy, I can’t really take the credit.

Sunday we ventured out for an “exotic breakfast” at Zorba’s before catching up with our invertebrate pals at the Zoo. One nice thing about the heat, hardly anyone was there (for a Sunday). After a rainstorm cooled things off significantly, I met Shauna at Commonwealth for a half pint and handed over her recent purchase, which she promptly took out of the box and wore. All in all, a good weekend. Next weekend, it’s NashvilleCountryMusicTownUSA!

Just wanted to let you know that I will be selling vintage and handmade jewelry at the Fenton Street Market tomorrow, from 9 – 3. I’ll be sharing a booth with Mia of Murai Vintage and the fabulously talented illustrator, Elizabeth Graeber. Bonus, there will be a DJ all morning and then a live show at 1 pm.

Please stop by and say hello if you are there. :)

In other news I am currently obsessed with The Tudors (show) and the new season of True Blood. I’ve started saying things like “With God’s grace…..” It’s a little weird, but I’m going with it for now. It’s too darn hot to worry too much about anything really. Also, near future travel plans include Nashville, TN (thrifting!!!), Wilmington, NC (beach!) and Lake George, NY (cannonballs off a pontoon!). Ah, summer.

via massdistraction on flickr

Thanks to a guest post over at Modish which led to another post and another blog – all on what to do with all that zucchini (I am not having this problem, but apparently it’s the season to be on zucchini overload), I have just purchased a World Cuisine spiral slicer (for less than I thought, here). It arrives in two days, thanks to my mistaken “purchase” of amazon prime. I have long been a  fan of making squash ribbons with a vegetable peeler and blanching them to use as a pasta substitute, but imagine – zucchini spaghetti!!! I’ll post the results as soon as I get a chance to experiment with this wonderous kitchen gadget.

I think about clothing, more than I should. Thrifting and the fashion that results are something of a hobby and I tend to find more than the average person. Blame it on growing up next to an outlet mall and working retail instead of waiting tables on my summers off from school. Even today, my mom goes to our local thrift store everyday, so maybe it’s in the blood.

A year or so ago I found this vintage, touristy, from Mexico (?) flowered straw handbag at a thrift store. I never thought I would use it much, but this summer I find myself reaching for it again and again. It instantly makes my outfit, mysteriously seems to go with everything I wear and fits everything I need for summer: wallet, sunglasses, camera, cell…. Now I’m thinking I wish I had two, you know, just in case something happens to this one. ;)

I found these similar ones on etsy: