Sunday, March 29, 2015

March Dose


March was a blast! I was lucky enough to have some spare time to sew my VERY FIRST QUILT! Yay! Making a quilt was one of my goals for 2015, you can read more here. I had so much fun, I'm already scoping out patterns and color schemes for my next one. Yippie!

The weather has been absolutly wonderful this month. The tree's are in full bloom and the city looks beautiful. Hope you are enjoying spring as much as I am.
xoxo
Emily

Saturday, February 28, 2015

February Dose

Enjoy a dose February!

Hiking at Paris Mountain State Park with friends.

Exploring Greenville, South Carolina.

Jumping in mud puddles.

Drinking delicious craft beer.

Playing with Willow the Sproodle.

xoxo
Emily

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Morrow Mountain


This past weekend Michael, Dusty and I took a little adventure to Morrow Mountain State Park. We have been cooped up indoors lately, hiding from the chilly temperatures. A hike to soak up the sunshine was just what we needed.

xoxo
Emily

Thursday, January 15, 2015

January Dose

Here's a little dose of what I'm currently up to this month.

Wearing a cozy crochet cowl I stitched up a few weeks ago. I have been hooked (crochet pun intended!) on Holly's crochet series. When she shared how to Make Your Own Crochet Cowl, I had to give it a try. I whipped one up in just a few of days.

Reading "Tales of the Siren: A StarbucksMelody". This little book tells stories of blogger Melody Overton's adventures with Starbucks. I'm inspired by Melody's enthusiasm for coffee and passion for Starbucks as a company.

Hiding from the cold. Brrr! Dusty and I are crossing our fingers (and paws!), hoping for warmer days.

Watching all the movies nominated for Golden Globes. So far I've had a chance to enjoy both Selma and Boyhood. Selma was a powerful tear jerker that left both Michael and I speechless. I'm always captivated by movies based off real historical events. Boyhood was unique and charming. Filmed for more than a decade, it almost seemed like a time laps. I loved both movies!

Craving some delicious southern barbecue. Fortunately, this weekend a local favorite, Moe's Original BBQ, is hosting Terrapin Beer Co. for a tap takeover. Fun! I'm looking forward to sharing good food, cold beer and laughter with friends.

xoxo 
Emily

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

New Year, New Adventure


Happy 2015! I love that feeling you get when writing in a new journal or opening a book for the first time. You know what I'm talking about? The feeling of endless possibility. The pages are clean, crisp and ready to be torn or scribbled on. You can dream up whatever your heart desires, a new exciting story is about to unfold. Isn't it thrilling? That's how I feel celebrating The New Year. Inspired, energized and ready to turn the pages!

I'm not really a person who makes resolutions, but if you know me, you know that I am constantly making lists. Sometimes they are simple to do lists, while other times I write down my dreams, goals and ideas. I always have a notebook handy no matter where or what I am doing. This year I made a huge list of goals and thought it would be fun to share just a few with all of you!

Sew a quilt. I tend to be one of those people who only makes small crafts, you know, the ones that can be finished in just a couple of hours. I am fascinated by people who can commit to a huge project that will take months maybe even years to complete. That is one heck of an accomplishment. This year I decided to make a real crafting commitment and give quilting a try. I love sewing, but I have no idea where to begin when it comes to quilting. I am excited to learn something new, and hopefully I will have an awesome quilt to show at the end of all my hard work!

Make Dusty an Advanced Trick Dog. In 2012, Dusty was the first Goldendoodle to ever receive the Intermediate Trick Dog title from "Do More With Your Dog". "Do More With Your Dog" is a training program I joined when Dusty was a puppy. The purpose behind this program is not just to teach your dog a bunch of awesome tricks (even though that's a total bonus), it's meant to build a long lasting relationship with your furry friend. I use to spend a little time with Dusty every day working on tricks and playing silly brain games. It was our special time to engage and bond with one another. I miss our companionship and the excitement Dusty would get out of training together. This year my goal is to continue our "Do More With Your Dog" adventure and help Dusty become an Advanced Trick Dog, or maybe even a Trick Dog Champion!

Read one book each month. Last year I set this same goal, sadly, I failed. At first it was going really well, some months I even read more than one book. Halfway through the year, I'm not sure what happened, but my reading came to a screeching halt. Growing up I was never a big reader, reading a book from start to finish has always been a big challenge for me. I enjoy reading, but my mind tends to wander off, maybe I just haven't found the right books. Not ready to give up on this one just yet, I'm giving it another try. Wish me luck!

Focus on my career. This past year I sort of stumbled with my career. I'm not quite ready to discuss the details yet, but let's just say I got discouraged and lost my passion. My heart and my head were in two different places. Right when I was feeling down in the dumps one of my favorite blogs, A Beautiful Mess, shared a post On Changing Dreams. It was just what I needed at the time. The post inspired me to pursue new opportunities and embrace the moment. My goal is to explore different possibilities with my career. I want to try new things, be brave and see if I can get back on track!


Last but not least...

Have a monthly date night. Most weeknights and sometimes weekends, you can find Michael and I (Dusty too) curled up on the couch in sweatpants watching some T.V. show on Netflix. How lame is that? Though I do love being lazy and snuggling on the couch together, it's time to mix it up a little bit. This year Michael and I made a goal together. We decided that once a month we would plan a special date. A night to dress up, get out of our apartment and enjoy each other's company.

I'm sure as the year goes by this little list will change and grow, but I am excited to cross things off and share all of my adventures along the way!

xoxo
Emily

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Stone Mountain


This past weekend Michael, Dusty and I went hiking at Stone Mountain State Park. We took the Stone Mountain loop trail, which led us to a beautiful view of the summit.

We also took a detour off the trail to the 200 foot Stone Mountain Falls! Visiting the state parks in North Carolina is one of my favorite weekend past times. Earlier this summer, I blogged about a trip to Crowders Mountain State Park, but I have been to quite a few other state parks in NC and have loved them all.

Do you enjoy visiting the state parks in your home state?
xoxo 
Emily

Monday, September 8, 2014

Learn to Make a Wildflower Crown

Hello! I'm Back!

I thought the best way to get back into my blogging groove, would be to share my favorite summer project with you. A wildflower crown!

Over the summer I went on a two week camping adventure with my family to Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada. I have been visiting the island ever since I was a little girl. My family even jokes, calling me an "Island Girl" because I just love it so much. The island is truly a magical place, full of crystal clear fresh water lakes, breathtaking hiking trails and small historic towns to discover. One of my favorite activities is going on botany excursions all over the island with my dad. My dad enjoys photographing all sorts of plants, wildflowers and wildlife. He has a website dedicated to showing off his photos(perverdonk.com) and is even recognized in a few Ontario wildflower books. While my dad explores with his camera, you can usually find me collecting all the colorful flowers to create a wild bouquet.

Flower crowns have become such a craze lately, they are popping up all over the internet. I think they are absolutely stunning and making one of my own has been on my to do list for a while now.

Here it is, my first attempt at creating a flower crown. Enjoy!

I began by collecting a few varieties of wildflowers, I mostly chose them by color so I could create a unique crown. Don't forget to bring along a pair of scissors or gardening shears, some of the stems are tough to break with bear hands!

Once I had a nice assortment I began assembling my crown. I used yarn I had on hand and tied the flowers together piece by piece forming a circle.

Make sure to measure the crown while you piece it together. I made the mistake of not measuring and my crown was a little bit too big!

After I had my flowers tied together the way I wanted them, I used the yarn and wrapped it around and around, making sure my crown was secure. Next I added the finishing touches and filled in a few holes by simply weaving in a more flowers!

There you have it! A beautiful wildflower crown!

Now grab some scissors and yarn, take a peaceful hike, pick some wildflowers and get crafty!

xoxo 
Emily