Two Things

There are two things I am pretty excited about this Friday.

1) Missoni is launching a line for Target due out in September. I guess I have been living under a rock because I just heard about it this week. I can't wait to scarf up every single piece. The line will include clothing, luggage, housewares and bedding. Here is a sneak peak from the shooting of their ad campaign. Yes please to everything I see.

2) Rachel Zoe is going to design a line for kids. I literally die. And she said her focus was going to be on boys because she has a hard time finding cute clothes for Skyler. Amen sister, cute boy clothes are hard to come by. Did any of ya'll catch the Nightline Special, Moms in Hollywood on Wednesday night? It was amaze. Rachel was one of the moms interviewed, which was where she announced her plans to do a kids line. They gave us a peak in Skylar's closet and nursery and I about died. This sweet baby has a walk in closet, probably bigger than my bedroom, with one of a kind Missoni sweaters and a Gucci Leather Bomber jacket- I kid you not! And his crib bedding is Hermes. Oh to be Rachel Zoe's son. I am also dying over her Missoni Bugaboo Stroller, just saying.

Happy Friday Dolls, I hope you have a great weekend.

Statement Pieces

Lately I have really been wanting to get some original artwork in my house. Top on my list is a painting by my dear friend Katie Stevenson- her artwork is stunning. If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know how much I love her work. She is so talented and I think the painting would have even more meaning since a good friend painted it. These are two of my favorite paintings she has done.

You can view all her artwork HERE

I am also a huge fan of Sally King Benedict, another local artist here in Charleston. Her work is gorgeous as well.

Check out her full gallery HERE

These are a few beautiful pieces I have seen floating around the blogersphere that I am really digging as well. Can you tell I love modern art and the bigger the better!








Happy Thursday! I am off to meet two of my favorite bloggers for a coffee date! xoxo

Happy Birthday Love

Happy Birthday to the main man in my life, my hubby. Most of the time he thinks he comes second to Sterling but he is still my numero uno. Happy Birthday to my best friend who makes me laugh every day. I am so thankful to have you in my life and even more thankful you helped me create our perfect baby boy. Happy Birthday Matt!

This was the three of us last year on his birthday chilling at Salty Mikes. I can't wait to see what this year entails! (maybe we should all color coordinate our outfits again).

Blueberry-Banana Bread

As promised here is the recipe for the most delicious Blueberry-Banana Bread ever. And the best part, it is low-fat. Hard to believe because this bread tastes so decadent, but it is indeed low fat. Each loaf makes 16 servings and each serving (a slice) only has 2 grams of fat and 183 calories. It is the perfect way to use up your fruit that is about to go bad. One little man in our house is a very big fan of this bread (this may be the only way I can get him to eat blueberries).




BLUEBERRY-BANANA BREAD
INGREDIENTS
-2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
-1 cup sugar
-2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
-1/4 cup fat free buttermilk
-2 tbsp lemon juice
-2 tbsp canola oil
-2 large egg whites
-1 large egg
-1 tsp grated lemon zest
-1 cup blueberries (I used a whole pint)

GLAZE
-1/2 cup confectioners sugar
-2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients.
In another bowl combine 1 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas , 1/4 cup fat-free buttermilk,
2 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 Tbsp canola oil, 2 large egg whites, 1 large egg and 1 tsp grated lemon zest. Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients then stir in 1 cup blueberries.

2.Pour batter into 9x5x3-inch loaf pan coated with baking spray; bake 1 hour. Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes.

3.In a bowl combine 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, 2 tsp lemon juice, and 1/2 grated lemon zest. Spread over top loaf; cool completely.

Obsessions

It's Tuesday and my sweet baby is still sick. A viral infection they say, so here's to hoping he is a better tomorrow, because Mama hates seeing her little man sick. Since I have had little to no time for myself or to visit your blogs because I have been tending to my little one, this list will be short and sweet.

BEACH HOUSE WINE
I met the wine rep for this wine at Harris Teeter last week. Of course he talked me into buying one of the wines he sales, but he was right, this wine is great. I was very impressed, it is a blend of sauvignon blanc and semillion. It is light, not sweet and crisp. It is my new favorite wine. You should totally buy some.

SUPER NATURAL EVERYDAY COOKBOOK
I am sure alot of you are familiar with Heidi Swanson, the author of the fantastic blog 101 Cookbooks. I recently got her cookbook and it is great. I have just been reading it (I know I am a nerd that reads cookbooks before I use them)and have not actually made any recipes but they all look amazing and so healthy. Heidi gives great tips for cooking with grains, substituting flours etc to make your meals healthier. A few things I can't wait to make Kale Salad, Quinoa Patties, and Cauliflower Soup. I will warn you she is a vegetarian so there are no meat recipes in this book, but there are tons of other delicious options.

GREEN JUICE
Saturday before the farmers market my friend Alissa made us some green juice. A blend of kale, spinach, cucumbers, apples, parsley, ginger, and lemons and now I am hooked. The juice was so tasty and maybe it was in my head but I swear I had more energy that day. I know my girl Gwennie loves her green juice which makes me love it even more. Now I just need a juicer to make my own!

MISSONI BALLET FLATS + CROCHET KNIT SHIRT
I admit it I am kind of ready for fall already. I mean who isn't with these sweltering temps. I am a huge Missoni fan and these are two pieces I would like for my fall wardrobe. I think the flats would look fab with skinny jeans and a loose white blouse or fitted black shirt. I think the shirt would go with everything from shorts to wide leg jeans! I heart Missoni patterns and colors. These are two pieces I am sure I would wear often!

Shoes via shopbop, shirt via netaporter

Weekend Happenings

Here is what went down this weekend.

I went to the Farmers Market downtown in Marion Square. It was my first time going to the Farmers Market downtown, hard to believe since I have lived here almost 4 years now. I usually go to a local stand near my house but decided I wanted to check out the big one. It was fabulous there were so many stands with tasty food and drinks not mention all the gorgeous produce! I bought all these local goodies: tomatoes, baby heirloom tomatoes, fresh figs, butter beans, sweet potatoes, Russian kale, and peaches.

I can't wait to cook some delish fresh meals with all these goodies. I am planning on making this sweet potato black bean salad from With Style and Grace with my potatoes.

and this Tomato Feta Salad from Barefoot Contessa with my baby heirlooms. My girl Ina never disappoints.

On Friday I made this tasty blueberry banana bread with some fruit I had that was about to go bad. We enjoyed it all weekend. Recipe to come Wednesday.

On Sunday we decided to clean under our sea grass rug in the den, per Matt's suggestion. I really didn't want to tackle this but I am glad we did. Our allergies have been horrible and we thought the rug might be the problem. We were right. This is what was under our rug. How disgusting! It was sand and dust and really was making us sick. The rug is living outside now while we look for a replacement. Sea Grass rugs are hard to vacuum and get really clean which is why I think all this was under our rug. Sorry to gross ya'll out on a Monday.

We took care of this nugget who got really sick on Sunday. He ran a fever of 104 and really freaked me out. He was not a happy camper, and I had a very long night worrying about him and checking on him every hour. We are off to the Doctor this morning. Why is it that kids always get sick on the weekend when you can't get in to see a doctor??

And we celebrated National Tequila Day on Sunday. We needed the tequila after our long day!

For All You Moms

When My friend Julia posted this article last week, I knew I had to share it. So many days Matt will come home and say how was your day, what did you do? Besides the obvious feeding Sterling, changing diapers, cleaning house, doing laundry, etc I am sometimes like what did we do today? It is not like I sit around and watch tv all day, my day is busy. It is just hard to put into words what we do all day. This article said it perfectly. Also since having a child I am slack about returning phone calls, emails and even sometimes texts, so hopefully this helps explain it. Word to your mom.

Friday Friday

I think Fridays are going to be my day for random posts. I have a million different things going on in my head, so bear with the randomness of this post.

I am so glad it is the weekend. I feel like this week has crept by. Today I am meeting my friend Stacy for lunch, she just had triplets in April!! I can't wait to catch up. I honestly don't know how she does at all, as my one baby is alot to handle! We are going to eat at this new place here called Black Bean Company. They are supposed to use all local and organic ingredients. I can't wait to check it out.

I am thinking about cooking truffled mac and cheese with lobster for dinner this weekend. Lobster is usually not on the menu in the Mason household but the tails are on special right now at Harris Teeter for $5.99, a real steal. Problem is I have never made truffled mac and cheese. I am assuming you just add truffle oil to the mac and cheese. Any tips would be appreciated!

I just recently busted out my Pleasure Doing Business stripped mini skirt. I ordered this while I was pregnant after seeing a very pregnant Heidi Klum wear it. This is laughable for so many reasons, as while I was pregnant I couldn't even get it up past my hips. I came across it in my closet and have been wearing it alot lately. It is super comfortable and really sucks you in. I really suggest these if you are looking for a cute versatile skirt to dress up or down. I ordered mine online at Singer 22 but that was probably 2 years ago so not sure if they still have the same style.

I am really wanting to go see The Green Lantern. Normally superhero movies are not my cup of tea, but I seriously love Mr. Ryan Reynolds. Anyone seen it? I read that Ryan Reynolds and Charlize Theron are dating and that makes me happy. I really didn't like him and ScarJo together, always thought he could do better. Charlize is gorgeous and so is he, so they are a perfect match. BTW you are welcome for the shirtless pic of Ryan, the perfect eye candy for Friday.

I am devastated Tuesday was the last episode of Million Dollar Decorators. In the words of Martyn Lawrence Bullard the show was delicious. I just started watching the new season of Design Star but its not the same. I miss Mary and Ross.

Luckily Rachel Zoe is starting back in August, so I will have some other quality TV to watch and help me forget MDD.

I am loving the new fall 811 twill colored jeans J Brand just came out with. I never bought any colored jeans or jean shorts this summer. I like these more subdued colors even better than the summer brights. I am thinking the dark teal color is my favorite, thoughts?

via
I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! xoxo