travel : charleston suggestions

my husband and i are traveling to charleston soon for a wedding (and a much needed getaway) and i would love any travel suggestions. i am so excited to visit; i have never been somehow. any can’t miss restaurants or sights to see while we are there? we plan to explore the city and some of the islands nearby like folly and kiawah. we’re driving down, renting a beautiful townhouse, and planning to rent bikes.

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a few places we plan to go…

-husk – butcher and bee – angel oak tree – gin joint – the ordinary – sugar bakeshop –

xoxo madeline

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five things

{spring tulip magnolia blooms in our yard}

the first hint of spring has arrived to nashville, and we could not be more ready. we have had friends and family (who are all moving to nashville!) staying with us till this week and had the best time trying new places. work has been busy with photographing projects and the install of my commercial project this month. march 8th was also my sweet nephew’s 1st birthday! happy spring.

{a warm night at pinewood social & bocce ball}

{photographing #12thsouthreno project}

{trying nashville hot chicken at hattie b’s}

{one of my commercial projects installing}

madeline

our new family member

if you follow me on instagram, you have probably seen that we adopted a new puppy this month, baxter. this and a few other things could help to explain the silence here on the blog in may and june. baxter is a four month old lab hound mix with a sweet temperament who stole our hearts. sampson, our other baby, is still warming up to him, as he has been an only child for four years, but i think in time they will be best friends. aren’t his little spots the cutest? we are so happy to have him as part of our family now! do you have any tips for handling and introducing two dogs? it has been a really difficult two weeks with getting some bad news, but puppy cuddles are helping me get through.

 

lately, i am reading this book for book club. have you read it?

 

[natalie came to visit this month! it has rained everyday in tennessee, but we trying to spend every dry minute here.]

[at the end of may, we celebrated my husband joshua’s 29th birthday at gray’s in franklin.]

{i took a modern calligraphy course with my best friend at the skillery nashville.]

[we have been enjoying summer in nashville’s 12th south and made a stop at the biscuit love food truck.]

[we went to the outdoor movie night at the belcourt theater to watch ‘singing in the rain’]

[and of course we celebrated our wonderful father on father’s day, here is us in 1989.]

much love to everyone this weekend.

madeline

drink : grapefruit basil paloma

 

to celebrate cinco de mayo, we made grapefruit basil paloma cocktails last night. they were so delicious that i wanted to share the recipe here with you! it’s a variation on the original paloma, “the dove.” it is a citrusy, fresh take on a gimlet or margarita and the tequila base makes it perfect for this holiday. i substituted the typical club soda for st. germaine liqueur to give the cocktail a floral tone and added my favorite summer herb, basil.

 

grapefruit basil paloma

1 part grapefuit juice

1 part blanco tequila

1 part st. germaine liqueur

squeeze of lime

muddled basil leaves

throw all off this in a shaker with ice, muddle basil and lime, and shake.

pour, garnish with basil, and enjoy!

 

this drink is equally as great with gin or vodka, so the liquor is interchangeable. let me know if you try this one.

enjoy and happy cinco de mayo!

 

 

xoxo

madeline

 

dream state

 

we have had a beautiful week in tennessee. walking around the yard today was reminiscent of a dream, the sunshine filtering through the trees, the lush green grass, and the perfect blue sky. the images that came to mind immediately were from sofia coppola’s virgin suicides. have you seen it? the film is full of scenes with dappled sunshine and suburbia landscapes. i can even hear air’s playground love playing in my head. or maybe arcade fire’s the suburbs. i love taking pictures and keeping a record of this beautiful time of year, much more to come this week. how was your saturday?

 

all photos are my own.

first signs of spring

{flowering hawthorne branches}

spring has quickly become my favorite season. working in an cubicle eight to five has made me appreciate the extra hours of daylight at night and the approaching color in nature. the yard is so beautiful this time of year; i am so thankful to live somewhere so beautiful with such a deep connection to nature. i get to watch the plants that my grandmother planted here come to life every year. yesterday was the first day of spring, and i am thankful for it’s arrival – bringing us all out of the winter blues. here are some blooms to brighten your day from our home. the first signs of spring peaking out…

{wild daffodils and lavender}

{forsythia and tulip tree}

{helleborus blooms}

 

happy friday!