Its been a little (ok, a lot) quiet over here these last few months. I wish I could say its because I've been having a grand old time living life away from my computer, buts its actually the total opposite: I've been chained to this stupid machine for weeks on end, memorizing and studying, typing, and learning. Missing out on fall. Missing out on fun. I have stacks of Cooking Light, Glamour, and Kinfolk sitting in my room, their spines waiting to be cracked. My recipe to-do list is overflowing but all I ever have time for these days are salads and oatmeal. I stayed in town for Thanksgiving break instead of going home to my family so that I can prepare for final exams. It most certainly has not been the most fun time of my life, but its approaching its end. Finals may kill me, as will the anxiety of waiting for grades, and the inevitable crushing disappointment I will feel when those grades don't meet my expectations. But its approaching its end.

I won't be neglecting this space that much anymore though. The happiness I get from writing and posting and sharing is worth the study time it steals. I have some fun recipes lined up, holiday gift guides, and a whole lot of Nashville to share in these upcoming weeks.

In honor of Thanksgiving, today my heart is full of:

My family

There is no way I would have gotten through...well, anything, without them. They're the funniest, kindest, and most amazing people I know. Their encouragement and support is unyielding and I'm so thankful for each of them.

My soulmates.

We may be in three different states this year, but keeping in touch with them and hearing about their lives is always a highlight of my week. I miss everything about this picture, but I'm so proud of them both for working hard and achieving so much. I hope they do realize though that I'm kidnapping them and dragging them to Nashville next time I see them. I think 6 months apart has been plenty.

School.

Yes. I'm even thankful for school. I'm thankful I have the opportunity to keep educating myself, and building up for my future. This is a privilege. I forget that a lot, but its worth reminding myself that this is special, and not to be wasted.

The miscellaneous things:

Mumford & Sons

I dont want to think about where my life would be if this hadn't been playing on repeat since it came out.

Greek Yogurt

Coffee. And all caffeine, generally.

And finally, My absurd collection of fuzzy socks. For keeping me warm.

********

I hope you all have the happiest of Thanksgivings!

Pinterest Finds

Some current loves found on the rabbit hole known as Pinterest:

A tomato and peach salad for those ripe and delicious summer fruits.

White and fluffy bedsheets in a simple bedroom. Pretty much my ideal deco.

Girl crush worthy Hanneli Mustaparta and this outfit makes me ache for fall.

I've been spending a lot of quality time on Netflix watching Felicity. Not only is it the perfect "you're about to start school again" show (how I wish I was starting undergrad and not grad school though...hello butterflies.), but I adore Kerri Russel and her 90s style--all of my chunky sweaters would have been at home had I gone to college in the 90s.

Hair: please grow so that you can be as beautiful as Diane's. Thank you.

Adventures to go on.

And a song for Wednesday.

One Lovely Blog

Many thanks to Avocado & Basil for the One Lovely Blog nomination!

The expectations: share seven things about yourself, nominate your favorite 15 blogs, and share the blog-love with them on their about page.

In an attempt to connect with new followers (hi there--and thanks!), here are the seven random details about my life.

1. Even though I've lived in the states for most of my life, I was born in former Yugoslavia and grew up in Germany. As such, English isn't the only language I speak, and I have family scattered all over Europe.

2. I am about to begin law school. I am slightly terrified about this.

3. I want to open a bakery one day. Even if I am going to law school.

4. I love animals and I gave up my vegetarian lifestyle 2 months ago after 10 years of no meat. Even though I'm much healthier now, I wish I could have gone on without meat forever.

5. I'm a bookworm. I love reading and I'm always on the hunt for something new to read- suggestions?

6. I spent a semester studying abroad in England at Oxford University, which was like being at Hogwarts. The things I miss the most: cobblestones, cream tea, curling up at the Bodleian while it rains outside, and English breakfast.

7. I only enjoy shopping for two things: school supplies and kitchen gadgets.

Although I'm supposed to link back to 15 other blogs, most of the blogs I read regularly aren't wordpress blogs. As such...here are all 6 of my favorite wordpress blogs. All are food blogs....typical.

*Frugal Family Foodie*

*Simple Provisions*

*Kiss My Spatula*

*17 Bites*

*Avocado & Basil*

*Love + Cupcakes*

Porches

I've lived in the South for most of my life, and over the years, I've developed my own arsenal of things that are just quintessentially Southern. Sure, fried chicken, country music, and confederate flags can be found near and far in the southland, but I think there is a lot more to the South than those stereotypes. I see things like hospitality, story-telling, and affectionate ways of speaking to others. I hear real country music--like that of Blind Willie McTell and Muddy Waters, that can at times be so full of sorrow and that at others can make you want to grab your sweetheart and dance all night long. I am enamored with the South's love affair with food--the kind that has led to years of secret family recipes, Sunday night feasts, and every kind of pie you could ever dream of.  At its worst, the South is close-minded and judgmental to a fault, but at its best, the South has a slow and comforting pace and strangers who treat you like family.

My favorite Southern tradition however, is far more tangible: porches. Big, wrap around porches, with reading nooks and spaces to entertain on. Porches that act like an extension of the living room and the kitchen, where you can start your morning with breakfast and a light breeze and end your day with a big cup of tea on a swing, with crickets chirping while you watch lightning bugs in the yard. Its possible that I've over-romanticized porches, but I truly believe a porch is an essential component of a house. (which makes me wonder how I will ever reconcile my desire to live in a big city while owning a home with a giant porch. oh reality.)

I adore the idea of french doors in your kitchen that open onto a porch for eating, but I also love those giant porch bed swings. I can just see myself reading there all afternoon long (with some sweet tea or lemonade, if we're going to keep on with the Southern Theme)-it looks like pure bliss.

One of my good friends, who clearly knows me very well,  got me a book entitled Porch Parties for a birthday a few years ago. Its a guide for how to entertain on your porch, and it has advice for everything from place settings, food, decorations, and all the other things one should know when throwing porch bashes. I love the book and I long for the day when I can put it to its full use--for now, its just being used for its abundance of cocktail recipes. The one we made on my birthday is known as a Gumby Slumber, and its the perfect summer drink-especially if you're dealing with 100+ degree weather like we are here.

Gumby Slumber (from Porch Parties by Denise Gee)

For one drink you will need:

1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice

1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice

1 1/2 ounces orange juice

1 1/2 ounces spiced rum

1 1/2 ounces coconut flavored or white rum

combine everything into an ice-filled cocktail shaker--shake well, pour into a highball glass, and garnish with some pineapple if you're feeling fancy.

click through each photo for the source

Picnics

I'm a big fan of picnics--I think all food tastes more delicious when you can have it outside, with the sun warming your shoulders and a breeze tickling your hair. I think I've made picnic-ing a kind of hobby by this point. Case in point:

{pizza picnics in Athens}

{breakfast picnics in Nashville}

{picnics in Zurich}

{punting boat picnics in Oxford England. Shared with the geese, of course.}

{seeking out the perfect spot in Dublin}

{view from my picnic spot in Dover, England--can you see France across the Channel?}

{mid-hike scenic picnic in the middle of nowhere Cotswolds, England}

{picnic in Versailles, affectionately named Jam Fest 2010. I still crack up at the fact that we smuggled an entire baguette and jar of jam into Versailles. Oh and Kinder chocolates. We got those in there too.}

Clearly, I enjoy my food in rustic settings--Thats why StyleSights recent history of picnics post made me smile.

I love finding those connecting threads with the past. I do realize that these are just photos of people eating outdoors, but knowing that picnics were enjoyed even back in the 1900s makes the fact that I still enjoy them today that much sweeter, you know?

{this is my kind of party. especially when pants like those are involved.}

I adore this photo. Its everything I love about summer in one frame.

all photos from http://blog.stylesight.com/vintage/picnic-time

Bee Keeping

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/33205292 w=400&h=225]

Honey Harvest from Kinfolk on Vimeo.

This video is everything I want in my life.

All Dressed Up

I don't think its a big secret that guys looks amazing in suits. There's just something about a dude in a suit that triggers some odd part of my brain that immediately elevates him above other men, and I've always loved looking back at photos of my grandparents when suits were the norm (along with fedoras and mustaches. swag).

Pitti Uomo was in Italy last week, which is essentially Italian men's fashion week. Although I don't really have any interest in the runway clothes themselves, the blogosphere has been blowing up with pictures of these well dressed gentlemen, and I'm loving all the blazers, slacks, leather, and tweed. And suits. Caaaannot forget the suits.

click through for all sources

Wanderlust

Wild heart, child heart, all of the world your home.
Glad heart, mad heart, what can you do but roam?
Oh, I'll beat it once more in the morning, boys,
With a pinch of tea and a crust;
For you cannot deny
When you hark to the cry
Of the Wanderlust.

-Robert W. Service

To travel endlessly is my number one desire in life. Sometimes I wish that I wasn't going to law school at all, but then I remind myself that morphing into Anthony Bourdain is just not going to happen.

One day, I will hopefully start crossing off things on my travel destination list. Until then, the travel channel will have to suffice.

All photos from flickr--click through for source

Things that I like

My dashboard is constantly overflowing with things that I have dragged on it throughout the week--favorite pictures, blog posts, and random things that generally entertain and amuse me. Here are some of my favorites from the last few weeks:

romantic and fairy inspired Elle UK Magazine cover

Givenchy dress from the Spring 2012 Collection. Givenchy is usually a home-run in my opinion (hello everything Florence Welch has ever worn from the brand) and this collection is no different. I love the sheer cutouts, layers, and flowy bits that make it so romantic.

Speaking of Florence Welch in amazing dresses.....I mean, seriously. Stop. It makes my soul happy. And if you need new tunes, go listen to this. Can you tell I have a [MAJOR] girl crush?

Rabid food gawking has left me with an intense recipe to-do list, and this is definitely on top: Orange Blossom Cheesecake with Blueberry Pomegranate Compote. Hopefully my mom and I will dive into this next weekend when I go home. I feel like her culinary expertise could be useful for this project.

I need this nail polish immediately. Its gorgeous and its called 'Suzy Loves Cowboys' and I need it. I also need my fingernails to look like those and not the gnawed on stubs I'm currently sporting.

Finally, for some inexplicable reason, every Fall I long for Paris. The only time I ever went was in the summer (sadly) but theres something about crunchy leaves and muted colors that makes me long for sidewalk cafes and walks along the canal.