{happy father’s day, dad!!}

Dear Dad,

I wish I could be there to celebrate Father’s Day with you… instead I have spent the day recalling some of my favorite memories of you…. driving in the car singing… James Taylor… The Cranberries…. Dixie Chicks…. I would always look over and you would be air drumming the steering wheel smiling and belting out whatever was playing.

You always give the best advice, bear hugs, know exactly what to say (I distinctly remember a time in college where my car was sliding backward down an icy street, I pressed your number on speed dial and you calmly walked me through the fact that my car had four wheel drive and I just had to push a button to activate it… oops.ha), you understand my love of oreos, brownies and reese’s peanut butter cups…have the best laugh in the world and above all, are the best dad a girl could ask for.

Sending love from thousands of miles away…. xoxox your little Toad

 

PS that is grammie photo-bombing our picture… please feel free to give her crap ;) Love you!

 

{a virtual getaway: playa del carmen, mexico}

It’s Monday and pretty grey in London… let’s take a virtual holiday, shall we?

Last year, thanks to Tyler’s company and his hard work to qualify for their incentive trip, we were fortunate enough to stay at a little piece of heaven on earth: Rosewood Mayakoba.  If you are on the hunt for an extra special, romantic, or decadent resort vacation… this is your place.

Are your bags packed? Bikinis, sunglasses, maxi dresses, reading material and flip flops? Ok good. You’re all set.

So let’s all imagine we touch down in sunny Mexico in our private jet (I’ve never been in a private jet, but let’s just pretend, ok?) Our driver, Juan, loads our things and we are on our way…. #mexicoorbust

As we pull into the resort, a little welcoming committee greets us by name with trays of this exotic mojito type smoothie drink.

The décor is gorgeous, with hanging lanterns, sweeping views, tropical greens, and palm trees swaying in the breeze.

We are escorted to this little dock and board a water taxi to take us to our cabana…

 

The driver gives a little tour of the resort and invites us to taste the fresh pineapple and papaya artfully arranged on the plate in front of us:

A short cruise later, we dock in front of our home for the next few days. The driver unloads our bags and tells us there is some tequila waiting for us if we would like. (I’ll let you decide if you would like to start your party at 10am, this is imaginary so you can do whatever you damn please…I’m not judging!)

We wander around our place checking everything out:

The next few days are spent enjoying coffee on the deck watching the sunrise…

Laying by the pool eating lobster pizza and sipping tropical drinks while looking out over this:     

A bit of swimming, paddle boarding and long walks on the beach:

See the guy in the hat below? Yep – that’s Juan’s brother – he walks around and cleans your sunglasses poolside:

We will enjoy dinners at the resort, but also in town… having a nightcap (or two) in the tequila bar…

If you felt adventurous, we could take a day trip to zip line and swing from ropes into little hidden pools followed by lunch at a beachside cafe:

 

This mimosa is for you (I poured you a big one. This is how I make friends. Is it working?):

How is your mental vacation going so far? You like? Me too… now if only I could find a spare bank account with enough to take us all away…

I’ll go work on that while you head back to the pool…

Happy Monday everyone! xo

*all photos are my originals

{cowshed spa + healthy zucchini “noodles”}

Hi there! What’s everyone doing this weekend?

I hosted a Wine, Cheese & Chocolate party last night – it was such a perfect way to end the week! 

Last weekend, I took my friend, Anna, to Cowshed Spa Clarendon Cross (Holland Park) for some massages and facials to celebrate her upcoming birthday. Although Cowshed isn’t so much about the comfy robes, relaxation rooms, etc… they are a cute neighborhood spa with crisp, white decor with a few sparkles from a huge chandellier that greets you in the entry.  The products are fantastic and the treatments were relaxing and very well done – highly recommended!

After our pampering, we went home and I prepared a celebratory dinner – rosé in the fancy glasses, a light citrusy salad I’ll tell you more about later and the star of the show: zucchini “noodles” with tomato/basil sauce and home made meatballs.

Even Tyler was impressed when I re-created the dish for him. Healthy, easy AND guy approved?? Doesn’t get much better than that, right? 

For the “Noodles”:

• I use about 1 medium zucchini per person (sometimes 1.5 for Tyler)
• Thoroughly wash and pat dry
• Grate the zucchini into a bowl (my grater is an attachment on my mandolin, but you can use a cheese grater or even a vegetable peeler for a flat, thin noodle)
• Sauté gently in a non stick pan over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes – just long enough to cook some of the water out, but not so long that your “noodles” become mushy
• That’s it! They are ready for your toppings/sauces of choice…I used store bought tomato, basil and garlic sauce, but if you had the time, I suggest this simple, delicious, no-fail recipe.

For the Meatballs:

We generally don’t eat much red meat, but it’s one of Tyler’s favorites when we go out, so I thought I would give them a try and was not disappointed!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons onions or leeks, chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh basil
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, mix well
2. Roll balls of desired size (I just giggled when I typed that… #soimmature)
3. You can either bake your balls (still giggling) at 350F for 20-25 mins/until cooked through, pan fry them in a bit of olive oil or drop them in your sauce and simmer over low heat for 3 hours

Bon Appétit!

{cowshed images via, all others are property of yours truly}

{pin it forward uk}

Pinterest has hopped the pond and is now settling right in over here in the UK – welcome, guys!

Although there are currently tons of Pinners around the globe, it’s exciting that they are now localising to make the content more relevant for a user’s location. I started using Pinterest in the US, but now as I’m in the UK, it’s great to pin items I can buy here, recipes I don’t have to convert, and images of One Direction aren’t bad either. ;)

I will be the first to admit I’m kind of a cluttery person at home (I am feeling the eye rolls of my friends and family right through the screen…) Although, I like to think of it as “creative living”. Don’t get me wrong, I can scrub floors like nobody’s business, but I just sort of like when my shoes sit in their pretty little pile. Or if every greeting card, invitation, ticket stub, wine label we have ever received is stashed in our drawers.

A few years ago, I was introduced to a new website called Pinterest - it took me all but five minutes to be completely hooked. It allowed me to organise my “creative living” (ahem) in one efficient place.

Once upon a time, I laid out my thoughts/ideas/plans something like this:

Although pretty, it was hard to remember where things came from, when I put it there, and why I decided to pin it up in the first place… but now, thanks to Pinterest, I can organise like this:

(cool, huh? come follow my boards!)

So once you have all these nifty  pin boards – then what? The items I’ve pinned have inspired me to plan a trip to Copenhagen, find the perfect dress for a design school graduation ceremony, taught me how to frost a cake for a baby shower…and those are just a few…

Recently, Pinterest has become the place I turn to plan all the details of my upcoming destination wedding in Maui.

Not only does it keep everything arranged, but it provides a place to stay in touch with those who are so far away. My Pinterest boards keep my family, friends and bridesmaids all connected and a part of this exciting planning process from thousands of miles around the globe. It also allows me to engage with my florist, wedding planner and photographer to show them just what I’m trying to create even though I’m on another continent:

I’d love it if you wanted to join in the fun! New? Sign up here - don’t worry, they will give you a quick tour and easy instructions – you will be up and pinning in no time. Are you already pinning away? Great! If you want a comment below with a link to your boards, I’ll be sure to follow you (anyone have a One Direction board…?)

There really is something for everyone (Dad? There are tons of cool techy gadgets you’d love. Brad? Boards full of hot cars that are right up your alley. Kristin? Amazing photography tips and tricks. Do you see where I’m going with this…?)

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you back soon (subscribe! it’s on the right side bar) , but for now - I’m happy to Pin-troduce (!) a fellow blogger to share his story with you. Please check in tomorrow with the uber stylish, Michael, from Michael84. I highly suggest you have a look at his fashionable blog, Pin boards and if you are extra friendly – give him a shout out on twitter!

{first image via}

{weekend randoms}

Tyler is away for work, so Pippa and I have been holding down the fort this weekend… seeing old and new friends (hi Christine!), taking long walks, sipping prosecco, wedding panning, and a bit of spring cleaning… it’s so nice to lay low and just relax.

Here are a few things that I’ve been watching, reading, eating, lusting after… I’m always up for suggestions – what have you been enjoying lately?

• My best friend, Lindsey, emailed me the other day saying “you have to read this – it’s hilarious!” – yes, indeed, it made me laugh so hard people on the tube were looking at me like I had issues. Go read it…. I can wait. See? Funny, huh?
• Have you seen Pitch Perfect? Ok it’s not up for any awards, but holy cow, there are some goooood songs in there – listen to this (don’t click away at least until you get 1:04 mins into it…)
• After hearing a ton of positive reviews, I breezed right through Lean In – such a great perspective on women in the working world. I’m just starting The Light Between Oceans…. off to a slow start, but it’s starting to pick up momentum… has anyone read it?
• I could do with a pair of these pretties:
• These Nutella Stuffed Brown Butter + Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies won’t leave my dreams:
• Swooning over Steph’s Greece photos on Instagram:

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!!! xo

{first photo found here}