HOW TO GROW PEONIES.

Peonies. My favorite flower in the world, and yes, maybe a bit of a blogger cliche, but seriously: When these flowers make their appearance at local markets for just a few weeks each spring, I buy as many bouquets of them as I can and they make me so happy. I wish I could have them in my house year-round.

Kinfolk magazine currently has a piece on its website about how to grow peonies, with gorgeous pictures of Salem, OR's Adelman Peony Gardens. How much do you want to go run through those fields right now? If you're like me, the answer is "a lot."

Photos by James Fitzgerald III for Kinfolk.

Crepe myrtles.

It's that time of the year in Florida when it's almost painful to go outside—when you try to run from your air-conditioned car to your air-conditioned office building/lunch destination/whatever as quickly as possible; when even the most seasoned Floridians—including the ones like me, who were born here—complain that they never get used to the heat. "It's hot as balls," I actually said to my mom yesterday morning, and it's a testament to how true that statement is that my normally prim mother, who would never say something like that herself, nodded and replied, "It really is."

Anyway, when it feels like you're melting the second you step outside, it's sometimes surprising to look around and notice that not everything else is, too. Thanks to the afternoon and evening thunderstorms we've been having lately—par for the course around these parts in the summer—most lawns are a brilliant green, and the crepe myrtle trees are practically throwing a party—their white, pink, fuchsia and lavender blooms waving cheerfully as you drive down the street. I love crepe myrtles; they're actually one of my favorite plants (we always had a tree or two in our back yard when I was growing up), but I tend to forget about them until this time of year.

I encountered the crepe myrtle above this weekend in Orlando, when I was out running errands with my mom, and something about the pink and the green and the light (oh, the light) felt so summery that I had to stop and take a picture. I'm glad I did, too: It's nice to take a minute to remember that there's beauty all around, even when it's, ahem, hot as balls outside.

Photo: My own. 

Stop and smell the roses.

Dear friends,

I am currently recovering from my annual summer cold (boohoo), which means lots of Cold-Eeze, sleep, tea and hand sanitizer. So today, I thought I'd just share some photos of my stop at the Rifle Paper Co. shop this Saturday. Though I can't exactly smell the roses right now thanks to my stuffy nose, I sure do appreciate the sentiment—and Anna's gorgeous window decorations. Sometimes you just need a little pretty, ya know?

Happy Tuesday, everyone. xoxo

Photos by me, edited with the new VSCOcam app, which is pretty cool. 

Martha Stewart's fields of peonies.

This is such a cliche, but peonies are 100 percent, without a doubt my favorite flowers. They are just so incredibly beautiful, and I'm always giddy when I see them in local markets. (If you're in Sarasota, you can still find them at Whole Foods.)

Sadly, they don't grow well here, so it's always fun for me to look at them in nature, and I just want to stare at these photos from Martha Stewart's peony fields all day long. Between the pink and white and fuchsia flowers, the fog and the gorgeous morning light, the images are like a breath of fresh air, yes?

P.S. Long Winter Farm makes a fantastic peony-scented roll-on perfume that's a little too strong for everyday wear but that I love regardless. And LWF's honeysuckle and orange blossom perfumes are amazing, too. (They also have a scent called "Unicorn Farts," which makes me laugh. Oh, and the roll-ons are $9 a pop. Total steal.)

P.P.S. That time I met Martha.

What are you doing this weekend?

Happy Friday, friends—it's the weekend, yay! How were your weeks? Mine was good. In fact, it ended up being a week of little treats: I made that chai coconut ice cream on Monday, which aside from tasting awesome was a fun project; on Wednesday I bought the brightest pink peonies I could find and splurged on some Maldon sea salt (which is amazing, something I never thought I'd say about salt); and yesterday, I got my first facial in an attempt to take better care of my skin and it was fabulous. (My aesthetician is wonderful, by the way; if you're in Sarasota and need someone great, let me know.)

I'm becoming a big believer in occasionally rewarding yourself with little things like flowers or candles or—sometimes—with bigger splurges like a facial or a new piece of clothing or even a trip somewhere. In the past I usually did this with food—a candy bar here, a scoop of ice cream there—but I'm quickly learning that that's not the best thing to do. So candles, flowers and facials (!) it is. Here's to being gentle with ourselves.

No links today--just a wish that you all have a wonderful weekend! See you back here on Monday. xoxo

Photo: J.Crew

April flowers.

Some April flowers for your Monday morning (and side note: How is it April 1 already?!).

I hope you guys had a great weekend—I kind of fell off the blogging map at the end of last week, I know (sometimes real life beckons), but I've got some fun things to share with you this week. Until then: Flowers. For you. And PS: You look pretty today.

Photo by Anne Lucas di Elmo

How to arrange supermarket flowers.

Weekly flowers have become one of my new favorite things (per my "buy more flowers" bullet point on my New Year's resolution/things to do before I'm 30 list). Tulips are everywhere now, so I've been picking them up pretty frequently at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, but I can also usually find small bunches of pretty-colored roses in the three-for-$12 flower bins at Publix, and I love those, too. That said, my flower-arranging skills are basically limited to trimming the flowers' stems and leaves and shoving everything into a vase, so I loved reading this flower-arranging tutorial on Cup of Jo the other week. Plus, the photos are gorgeous.

Do you love flowers, too, or could you take 'em or leave 'em?

P.S. A story I wrote about parties, with a big emphasis on the impact of flowers. 

Photos by Alpha Smoot and styling by Kendra Smoot for Cup of Jo

What are you doing this weekend?

Happy Friday, friends! How were your weeks? Things seem to be picking up around here lately, and while I'm excited for the holidays, I find myself making tons of lists and programming a lot of reminders into my phone in an effort to make sure things don't slip through the cracks. (Excitingly, I think the next list I'll be making is my holiday cookie master plan. It may be time for those nutella-stuffed chocolate chip cookies to make their debut in my kitchen.)

In other news, I am in desperate need of some new clothes (ACS has started to referring to my favorite striped Gap top as my "Sunday shirt," as in I wear it every weekend), so I think a trip to the store is in order. It's been a little cooler here, so I'm looking forward to picking up a few pretty things that aren't T-shirts. What are your plans for the next few days?

Oh, and if you're in the mood for some reading, here are three fun links:

I know she's not everyone's cup of tea, but I love Stacy London (I met her earlier this year and she was wonderful), so I really enjoyed reading her feature on The Coveteur. (The Coveteur)

I want to see Anna Karenina (the movie), which stars Keira Knightley. Here's the New York Times review.  Will you be seeing it? (The New York Times)

No more Twinkies: 16 vintage Hostess commercials. (New York Magazine)

And bonus: I know you've probably all seen it, but here's Pete Wells' scathing review of Guy Fieri's new Times Square restaurant. Eep. ("Why does the toasted marshmallow taste like fish?") (The New York Times)

Have a great weekend (the last one before Thanksgiving!) and I'll see you on Monday. xoxo

Photo: Kari Herer

scenes from the weekend + committing to...

what a beautiful weekend. there was sunshine and flowers and lazy mornings and afternoon naps and s'mores cupcakes, and if that wasn't enough, the weather on sunday afternoon was perfect -- to the point where i exclaimed, "i cannot believe this weather!" so many times it probably annoyed the people i was with. i often joke about living in the marshmallow (thanks again to my b.f.f. kate for coining that phrase), but this weekend was really, really lovely -- and a great way to get myself into a positive place for the reset i'd like this week to be.

i wrote on friday that i felt really disorganized for the majority of last week, and i've mentioned before -- numerous times -- that i am notoriously bad at going to bed at a reasonable hour (and therefore, notoriously bad at waking up at a reasonable one). it's something i really need to change, because i don't like that feeling of running out of the house, bleary-eyed with my wet hair thrown up in a bun, bleary-eyed, and then navigating to work in a state that's basically autopilot. and the ironic thing is, i love morning, especially those hours between seven and 10 a.m. they feel different to me; special. i always associate them with good things. and i'm most productive during them.

so this morning i took a big step: i set my alarm for 6:30 a.m., and (with the help of a good morning text from a certain someone) i actually got up early. and yup, i'm a little tired because i didn't go to bed until close to 1 a.m. last night. but i think that tiredness will force me into bed earlier tonight, and that's a good thing.

i had a conversation with one of my closest friends last night about being kind not only to each other, but to ourselves, and for me, respecting my body enough to give it the rest it deserves is a big part of that. part of the reason i stay up so late, i think, is because i'm perpetually afraid i'm going to miss something important, and if i do, it leads to feelings of inadequacy, however irrational they may be. (yes, hello, complicated.) so i'm excited to try to get out of that pattern, and who knows? maybe i'll even become a morning person, and when my friend megan asks me to go to a 6 a.m. spin class with her i'll reply with a big, fat "yes!"

so obviously rethinking my sleep pattern is high on the agenda this week, but here're my other little goals:

+ make this soup, which i've been thinking about ever since i saw it on 101 cookbooks last week. seriously, how good does that look?
+ get a pedicure. i need one. badly. my feet are beyond at-home treatments.
+ start thinking about some summer travel, because i just found out i have the week of july fourth off again.
+ take some nice long walks, because i love them. and that seems like a perfectly delightful reason.

photo of the sweet-smelling pink roses i encountered this weekend by me.

what are you doing this weekend?

happy friday!

in the spirit of flower week, i wanted to sign off for the weekend by sharing this beautiful headpiece created by sarah of saipua for a martha stewart weddings photoshoot. isn't it lovely? (p.s. check out the model's stunning wedding dress, too.)

today i'm doing something that's especially springlike: taking the day off work and going to my first-ever spring training baseball game. baseball is a sport i've never gotten into -- i'm actually a basketball fan (my dad and i used to go to orlando magic games all the time when i was little) -- so i'm excited to see what going to a game is actually like. and i'm sure i'll take pictures, so expect a full report next week. this weekend is also, of course, st. patrick's day, but i'm eschewing most of the local (read: drunken) festivities for time spent with people i care about, and i couldn't be happier. (ok, ok: a shamrock shake -- my favorite and probably unhealthiest guilty pleasure right now -- might be in the works, too.)

what are your plans for the weekend? tell me, and i'll see you back here on monday! xoxo

p.s. did you know that martha stewart and i are besties? hee!

photos by saipua for martha stewart weddings

aunt rose's flowered china.

my great-aunt rose o'hara was one of my favorite people on the planet. she was brilliant and kind, and she had a thatch of curly white hair and the type of loud, throaty belly laugh that never failed to make others laugh along with her. when i was little, and spent summers in pennsylvania, she used to take me out for lunch, and it was always such a treat. usually, we'd go to a quirky little diner and she'd tell me silly stories while we shared french fries and i sat across from her in our booth, my legs dangling over the edge of the seat, totally enraptured.

two of my favorite things on earth have come from my aunt rose, who was also a talented seamstress: an old-fashioned christmas stocking she sewed for me when i was a little girl, and a knitted stuffed lamb -- appropriately if not creatively named "lamby" by me -- that moves with me wherever in the world i happen to go. when aunt rose passed away, more than 10 years ago now, my mom told me that she had been making me a sweater, and i like to think of her sitting in her favorite chair in her apartment, knitting and purling, laughing that deep laugh.  

recently, my mom passed on another object that evokes wonderful memories of my lovely aunt, as well: the antique floral-painted china in the photo above. mom had been holding on to it because of the obvious sentimental reasons, but because floral isn't really her style, she'd kept it out of sight, behind the closed doors of her armoire. knowing she wasn't using it but not wanting to give it up, she asked me if i'd like it, and of course i said yes. i keep bracelets, brooches, bottles of perfume and other trinkets on it, and it makes me smile and remember my wonderful aunt every time i look at it. at the risk of sounding like an old lady, there's something so old-fashioned and feminine about it. things just aren't made that way these days.

flower-painted china from aunt rose: i'm so happy to own it, and i'm not sure there's ever been a more perfect, appropriate gift.

photo by me

after the rain.

with the official start of spring just a few days away, it's really no surprise that lately i've had flowers on the brain. on monday i shared some bright, cheery ones i stumbled upon while driving around town on sunday; today i thought i'd share one i took after all the rain that same evening. take from this what you will, but it kind of mirrors how i've been feeling lately, and i love its moodiness -- that time of night is my favorite, especially after rainfall: no longer light, but not quite dark.

photo by me, taken with instagram

loving: floral bridesmaid dresses from whitney deal.

more flowers? why not? (i am officially anointing this "flower week," y'all.)

this time, they come in clothing form -- specifically, lovely bridesmaids dresses from whitney deal. wouldn't these be perfect for a spring wedding in a garden?

scenes from the weekend + committing to...

happy monday! how were your weekends?

mine was exactly what i hoped it would be: a quiet friday night made way for a raucous saturday evening downtown with some of my favorite people. chillounge night was a blast, proving once again why it's one of my favorite annual events: there was amazing live music, champagne, a fashion show and just a general feeling of festivity, despite a random downpour in the middle of the event.

after saturday's shenanigans, sunday was a low-key day, as well. i slept in (way in), got my grocery shopping and erranding for the week done, had dinner with a favorite friend and ended the evening in my apartment listening to the rain outside while lighting candles and watching movies inside. this week is a short one for me -- i took friday off -- but there's lots to get done before then, so it feels nice to be organized as i head into it all.

and speaking of, here are my little goals for the week:

+ stay organized.
+ get enough sleep. (i've been really bad about this lately.)
+ spend time outside. (maybe a trip to the beach, since the weather's been in the 80s and doesn't seem likely to change.)
+ continue to embrace color in my wardrobe and my life in general. it makes me happy.
+ try to remember one of my favorite things to say: everyone has a story. (i find that thinking about that leads to fewer snap judgments and more tolerance and patience.)

how about you? what are your goals for the week? tell me, and i'll see you back here tomorrow.

p.s. lots more flowers coming this week...

photo by me, snapped before sunday's rainshowers.