This & That and Life Lately
I’ve been a little MIA lately because life has been very busy!
I have a new granddaughter…her name is Stella McRae Cummings and she’s the cutest little thing ever! She was born on September 24th at 3:11 am and she weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces! She is so cuddly and I can’t wait to get back to Richmond and see her again this week! We couldn’t be happier to welcome Stella into the family and are so excited for her to meet her crazy boy cousins!
Four grandchildren…how in the world did that happen so quickly?! I’ve really been thinking so much about the next phase of my life and what it will be, there are certainly unknowns and I know the the days will fly by, but, one thing is for sure… will most definitely keep showing up here as The Crazy Blonde!
This is going to be a long post, so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy!
Life Lately
Stella was the most life changing event for our family, but another big change for us is that our youngest daughter Sarah, moved back to the United States from Germany. She and her family are living in Columbia, South Carolina and it’s only 3 hours away! I’ve absolutely fallen in love with Columbia and hopefully will get around to a city guide soon! If you’re looking for the best place to stay, you’ll want to book a room at The Chesnut Cottage Inn! The owners, Ken & Chrystal will spoil you and you’ll never want to leave! I was there last weekend to celebrate Sarah’s birthday! I stayed at the Chesnut Inn and we ate at a fabulous restaurant called Smoked in downtown Columbia that I highly recommend! We ordered a seafood tower with oysters, shrimp, lobster and a crab salad (yum) that was delicious and beautiful!
Of course, we did a little shopping at the best boutique called Slate on Devine and I got the cutest Michael Stars chocolate brown dress that is so perfect for fall! I can’t wait to wear it out to dinner soon! We also shopped at The Gourmet Shop which is the best place to stop for cheeses, wine and prepared foods, plus they have a great restaurant that’s always packed because it’s so delicious!
Fall Decor & Favorites
I have had the hardest time finding plants to live and thrive on my front porch! It’s a deep porch and very shady. Back in the early spring, I bought preserved boxwood balls that were kind of expensive, thinking they would be an easy solution, but they turned brown and looked horrible after just a few months. I’ll spray paint them gold for the holidays and hopefully they’ll be a pretty part of my holiday decor! However, this story has a happy ending…I found faux boxwood balls (plastic is the best word) on Amazon that actually worked. When they first came, I really thought I would send them right back but decided to try to put them together. They came in 2 halves that snapped together to make the ball. They weren’t the easiest things to assemble, but after getting out my trusty pliers, I was able to manage and tried them out in my planters. I kept looking in disbelief…you actually have to be really close to them before you realize that they’re fake! i never in a million years thought I would have plastic (let’s call them faux) boxwood balls on my front porch, but I do, and I love them! No watering and no worry! You can see how they look in the picture below! The ferns need to be repotted because they’re so root bound and since it will probably be warm here until mid November, I’ll probably try to repot them. If anyone has tips on this, I would love to know them!
I recently did a post on my favorite fall candles and have discovered another way to scent our home…it’s the Hotel Collection Scent Diffuser! You simply add a bottle of oil to the diffuser, plug it in and it scents over 400 square feet of your home! There are larger diffusers if you have a bigger space! I ordered the Dream On Fragrance Oil and also ordered the Dream On candle because there’s just something about burning a candle! Next, I want to try the Midnight In Paris Scent! If you’re thinking about holiday gifting…these diffusers and candles would make amazing gifts for most anyone!
Hotel Collection Scent Diffuser
Give your home a signature scent!
I haven’t really talked about this until now, but we are planning a big kitchen, master bathroom and closet renovation in the spring! I have always loved to cook and our kitchen just isn’t conducive to having a large family and cooking for social media! I won’t even begin to tell you about our bathroom and my closet because it’s needed to be redone since we moved in! Anyway, I’m very excited and will share more soon! This is going to be a big deal in our lives for months but I’m ready to get started!
In the meantime, I’m trying to get organized because since I started sharing more and more recipes, my kitchen has gotten more crowded with dishes, serving pieces, ingredients (spices) and other props that I use to photograph my food! I have totally outgrown the space! I ordered these glass spice jars so that hopefully my spices will be easier to find. I’m going to alphabetize them so finding what I’m looking for will be easier! That’s a task for later this afternoon! The jars come with labels and bamboo lids so they’re not only useful, they’re aesthetically pleasing!
4 Ounce Glass Spice Jars
Get organized for the holidays!
Speaking of storage…my daughters gave me this absolutely fabulous wooden salad bowl for my birthday and i’ve been putting all of our salads in it this season! I call it my Caesar Salad bowl, but obviously, it’s great for any salad and I get compliments every time I use it! The bowl came from a beautiful little French shop in Richmond, Virginia called Creme de la Creme! Everything in the store is from France and I could spend hours perusing the perfectly displayed items and many dollars shopping! If you’re in Richmond, be sure to stop by and tell them the Crazy Blonde sent you! For more recipes, check out the Food & Drink section of the blog and here is the recipe for the Butternut Squash Salad below!
I have been wanting to change up my fall decor this season and I’ve had very little time to think about it, but one of the things I’m considering is hanging eucalyptus wreaths with pretty fall colored velvet ribbons! The scent of eucalyptus is divine and they’ll last for years! This one from Williams Sonoma is so pretty!
Fashion
I was gifted this darling Stadium Bag from Hampton Road Designs and it is the perfect bag for football games and any event where you need a clear bag! These bags come in so many different colors and designs and I love them all! So many clear bags just aren’t pretty and can easily ruin a well thought outfit, but these bags can actually make the outfit! Check out their website and their Instagram to see more of these cute bags!f
Since discovering Brucho Walker this past summer, it has become one of my favorite clothing brands! The clothes are beautiful, well made, luxurious and sustainably made.
Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Brucho Walker has created a line of pink clothing called “Think Pink” and they are donating 20% of net sales to the Breast Cancer Alliance to fund breast cancer research! The pink sweater I’m wearing above is part of the “Think Pink” line and it’s so soft and yummy! The blouse is sewn into the sweater, making it so comfortable and easy to wear! I paired my sweater with black coated jeans and a pair of Gucci platform sandals for a very chic look!
Another Brochu Walker favorite is this pair of suede booties that go with everything!
And about this jacket! I’m dying over the new J. Crew collection for fall and this silver metallic jacket is at the top of my wish list! I love it paired with the grey sweater and trousers and the gold jewelry! It is an amazing look!
I’m adding a few of my favorite J. Crew pieces to the boutique below so be sure to keep scrolling!
Fall Food
Fall is one of my favorite times to cook and there are so many recipes to try! It is just starting to get a little cooler here in North Carolina and I can still get beautiful tomatoes at the farmer’s market and it seems that a a lot of summer produce is still available at least for a little longer! My basil is growing like a weed and tomorrow is pesto making day! I probably have enough basil to make a gallon of pesto and that just makes me so happy! I’ll put it in the freezer and pull it out on nights when we need a quick dinner, or I’ll stir it into a pot of soup to add incredible flavor! I don’t think I’ve ever posted my pesto recipe, but I’ll be sure to snap some pictures tomorrow and post it this week!
I have every cookbook Ina Garten has ever written and I love them all! The older ones are stained and worn from use and easily fall open to my favorite recipes. The newer ones are in much better condition because admittedly, I use the internet too often these days! I do still love to open a cookbook and find a new recipe to try and Ina Garten’s recipes are fail safe and always perfectly delicious! Just in time for the holidays, Ina has released a new boxed set called the Barefoot Contessa Collection…this collection is her first three cookbooks in one beautiful package! I think this set would make an amazing gift, especially for a newly married couple or someone who is just starting to cook.
Speaking of delicious food, I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for Creamy Tortellini Soup (pictured below) from The Endless Meal! It looks like a perfect recipe to make for an evening by the fire!
Healthy Living
I’ve been doing a bit of a detox over the past couple of weeks! My goal was to cut out sugar, unhealthy carbs, and alcohol and I’ve done pretty well. Weekends are the hardest and I’m trying to give myself a little grace when I stumble. One of the best things about this detox is that I’ve started juicing again. I got a new juicer not long ago and it’s so much easier to use and to clean than my old one! The new juicer is the Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer Elite and it has made this detox much easier! I do love a freshly made juice with lots (and I mean lots) of fresh ginger.
Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer Elite
This juicer is so easy to use and to clean!
I’ve also added several other supplements to my daily regimen that have helped keep me feeling full, hydrated and healthy. I’ve been using Isagenix Collagen Elixir twice a day for a couple of years now and it is a daily must for me. I also take Nutrafol for my hair (this was endorsed by my doctor), magnesium, Welleco Super Elixir green powder, and Goop Glow Vitamin C powder. I’ve added 2 products from Pique Life that I’m loving…the BT Fountain Beauty Electrolyte which helps with which helps to improve skin elasticity and reduce the appearance of fine lines and the Sun Goddess Matcha which supports skin clarity and brightens. These products come as a set along with a little blender tool for the Matcha. It might sound like a lot to take everyday, but I just put all of the powders (except the Matcha) in a glass with water and drink them together! It’s like a vitamin cocktail and it’s pretty delicious! I split up the Nutrafol and take 2 capsules in the morning and 2 in the evening. I also take the Magnesium in the evening. On the days when I’m very busy and don’t eat as well as I should, a green juice (or beet juice) along with my supplements keeps me feeling energetic and healthy.
Did you know that 95% of your actions and reactions (for most people) come from your subconscious mind and only 5% come from your conscious mind. The goal here is to intentionally be more conscious and change behaviors intentionally. You create by changing your energy and being present in the moment! Mind your Mind!
Shopping the Amazon Prime Sale
Amazon Prime Day starts today and runs through the end of the day tomorrow! Below is a boutique with some of my favorites from the sale! Now is a great time to shop for holiday gifts and find deals on amazing things in every category!
