on tuesday, we had a bit of a family outing to celebrate birthday’s over the last couple of months.
it’s always a pleasure to be surrounded by these wonderful people. & plus, i finally got my film camera working again (yay!) after way too many months without it so it was fun to capture the moments using that gem. my favorite is the one of my mom giving me that, ‘stop taking my picture,’ finger.

last friday, i went to kentucky with my friend josh to see cold war kids. i have been to a lot of good concerts in my life, but they were right up there with the best of them. even their songs that im not totally keen on on their cd, i fell in love with.  their energy was contagious, their talent was out of control, and they seemed so humble and excited to be there. in fact, i loved them so much so that i am going to see them again in atlanta at the buckhead theatre when they play with my newest favorite band, givers.

this is currently the picture on the desktop of my computer. can you blame me? goodness those eyes, they make my heart melt.

as a child, my mom used to ‘treat me’ to a meal at a local breakfast spot for dinner during the week where we would order eggs and pancakes and biscuits. i thought it was the best thing in the entire world. the once-traditional local spot didn’t stick but breakfast for dinner has always been one of my favorites. last night, i made lemon blueberry pancakes from scratch and it was perfect. for the recipe, go here.

i have always been a sucker for stationary, and the store on paper in columbus’ short north really caters to that love of mine. they have an awesome assortment of merchandise [posters that can be used as gift wrap and decorative recipe cards, among other awesome stuff] and i catch myself spending hours just browsing their selections.

other things in the past week have included a trip to jenis, my favorite ice cream stop in this state, a visit to a local art festival where I found funky necklaces made from antique odds and ends, watching excitedly as lola gets bigger, and enjoying morning bike rides in the beautiful glacier ridge.

It has been so long since I have done one of these. And because I am currently obsessing over these artists [and can't find my camera chord for the life of me to upload pictures], I decided to bring this little midweek music obsessions list back. Also, I am only listing one song for Givers but you should listen to the entire album- I personally think it and they are remarkable.

1. Up Up Up by Givers [photo by Alex Sousa]

2. Sooner or Later by Mat Kearney [photo by reidrolls]

3. Life is Life by Noah & The Whale [photo via britrockatthetop]

This summer has been full of kitchen experiments. So when I came across this incredible looking
salted caramel spread on Design Sponge, I knew it would be my next venture. I had never
made caramel but it was easier than I thought it would be and the total cook time ended up
being under20 minutes. And when it was all done, I jarred the spread in 8 oz. jars.
For the full recipe go here.

pictures via design sponge

honest to goodness i think i have caught the travel bug. as in, there always seems to be a new adventure to look forward to. i have been craving a life of exploring, always being on the road and headed somewhere new, for some time now and this summer has been a true testament to me living that out. this week, i am taking some time off from my internship to visit friends in alabama and move into a new apartment. i think the combination of my travels and a new living space means that i need to buy this chalkboard map to document everywhere i’ve been
[well that and i just have a really horrible memory and would love a map that reminds me of this summer on a daily basis].

*map is from shopdirtsa on etsy.

Oh Canada. You were fun, except for when you ate up all of my money in the casino and then didn’t have awesome maple syrup at our hotel. But other than that, I liked you and your people that talk with cool accents. You looked just like America with your big tall buildings and your green parks and your streets. I especially liked the awesome bridge that we got to cross to get to you- that was pretty. I think I might visit you again.