Weekend in Review: 7/28/13

...and by weekend in review I mean Sunday, because we bought a camera on Saturday and didn't capture anything until Sunday.

We purchased the Sony Cybershot and are so happy with its swiftness in taking photos. The saleswoman at Best Buy kept saying, "There's nothing faster than a Sony" and I can honestly say she was 100% right. 

Sunday morning we met Adam's parents for lunch at Puckett's in downtown Franklin for Brunch! The drive to meet them was absolutely gorgeous and we had our windows down the entire time. The skies were so very blue and the temperature felt like fall! After we filled up on french toast we walked around the square and tested out the camera a little bit more. Again, we were just super impressed and started taking pictures of really random objects which I will not bore you with. You're welcome!

Later on we headed to see 'The Way Way Back' which has finally been released into all theaters. We really enjoyed the movie- if you are a fan of Almost Famous and the way you are really brought into a story, you'll like it. You feel for Duncan, the main character, and empathize with his experiences. Loved it.

We grabbed a bite to eat at The Cheesecake Factory (my favorite) and then walked around the mall. Adam purchased his very first bow tie at Brooks Brothers which he definitely rocked in court today. He's dreamy, I tell ya. 

So there you are, a little weekend Sunday in review. We will be going out of town this weekend so I want to show you my must have travel picks this week. I hope your Monday got off to a great start, I'll talk to you soon.

xoxo bd

Sunday Date Day

Holy moly, it is officially the middle of October!  This month is flying by and it feels like Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I would really love to slow things down a bit and enjoy my days more but when you are in a building for 8 hours in a day and the sun begins to go down as you leave, the time only seems to speed up. May I also mention that these weekends feel like a flash in the pan?

We have a weekend routine that begins with dinner at Adam’s parents’ home and ends on Sunday with lunch with my family. We usually take Saturday as our date/errand/cleaning day but this Saturday my brother, sister-in-law Amber and our new niece, Charlotte came for their first visit to the grandparents’ home. My dad grilled out, my mom made a cake and we all took turns holding little Charlotte. She’s a hard one to put down; all you want to do is cuddle with her!  We ooh’d and ahhh’d at everything she did from a simple sneeze to her sleeping. We are in the palm of her teensy hands…wrapped around those precious fingers!

So… being that we spent all of Saturday soaking up sweet family time, we knew by Sunday morning that we needed some “us” time.  Sunday date day it was!

After talking about where to eat for lunch, Adam mentioned a craving for burgers and thus our decision was made, Burger Up!

And here we are...being all..."taking pictures in a restaurant...cause this will go up on a blog later"

Their stance is, the more local, humanely treated and grass fed, the better. Everything from their cheese to their sauces are either homegrown local or freshly made in store. Yep. It’s good stuff.

See what I mean? They even make their own ketchup….those fancy pants people!

I ordered the Turkey Burger with Avocado and the Mr ordered the Woodstock. 

We both became pretty quiet once the plates arrived. I mean, hello warm, juicy burger-ness! But, just in case you woud like to eat there but would rather not eat meat, they have a quinoa and black bean burger, salmon burger and lots of other veggie options. 

You should definitely check them out if you are in the Cool Springs or Nashville area!

The rest of our day was just as nice but flew by way too quickly.

I absolutely love spending time with that man! When our weeks are full of work, house stuff and extra work followed by busy weekends, I cherish what I can get with just the two of us. I’ll end the mushy paragraph here and will sign off for now.

I hope you had a lovely weekend and are having a great start to your week.

Talk to you soon!

Xoxo bd

The Morning Light

Happy Monday!

I can’t believe this weekend has already come and gone. Lately I have tried to be in the moment to savor the two mornings when we can sleep in because the time flies by so quickly.

This past week I mentioned to Adam how I miss being able to see the morning light in our home. On a typical day at this blissful time I have already left for work but yesterday I made it a point to take a few photos of my Sunday morning.

As I came downstairs, our kitchen table already had that beautiful morning sun I’m talking about...the whole dining area began to warm up. Can you see what I mean?

For today's post I wanted to share a little "Sunday morning in the life of Betsy" with you:

First things first: Coffee.

I heat up my water and mix the espresso into the coffee press. Set aside for amazingness to percolate…literally. 

After 15-20 minutes I pour over a large cup of ice and add milk.

Time to prep for breakfast:

1.Pop french toast into toaster (Cause I'm classy like that)

2.Wash and Rinse Strawberries

3. Make syrup, pour juice, place on plate and enjoy!

I hope this week goes so very well for you!

Talk to you soon, xoxo

bd

A Lovely Pairing: Python

Move over cheetah and zebra, I feel as though python may be making a great splash in the design world.

Be it interior or fashion, I've been seeing this print slithering around everywhere.

xoxo .bd

{Photo credits: 1 & 2 }

  Everyone needs a pop of color in their life...everyone needs something to break up the mundane in their lives and I feel as though that is happening in mine right now.

A new job is on the horizon which I am tickled pink about and I finally have my husband back as he has taken the bar.

Our weekend was one of the best yet spent with friends whom we adore and family we love so very much!

On Friday we hung out with our friend Zack who was in town to take the MPRE (a law school test) and afterwards we met with him to tour the Parthenon, a Nashville landmark. Followed by the Parthenon, which is a life size replica of the original, we headed to Fido, my favorite coffee shop.

Later that night my main squeeze continued to hang out with Zack and a fellow law school grad, Matt. 

Let's just say they came back at midnight to only stay downstairs at our home, talk some more, drink scotch and hang out until 3am. Oh men.

Last night I was able to get in some lovely Lauren Kupchik time!! We met at art school years ago and have been great friends ever since. She now lives what I would consider a dream life at the top of a high rise over looking all of Nashville. We sipped on wine {note: must buy!} and ate cupcakes.Can you say perfect!

She is by far one of the hardest working friends that I have and am so very proud of who she has become as a woman.

Last night we stayed with my in laws and later today went to my parents home for lunch as we do every Sunday. 

My grandfather, Papa, now lives and naps with them. Yes, naps. He sleeps most of the time, but when you do get to spend time with him you learn to listen as he has so much to say. He's been there for 2 weeks and I think has adjusted well. 

We all started to watch The Sound of Music that I believe we'll be finishing next weekend.

On that note I'm going to watch Mad Men before I fall asleep. I'm obsessed!

...so long farewell auf wiedersehen goodbye

Talk to you soon,

xoxo .Bd

{Photo Credits: Plum Pretty Sugar}

 There's a lovely calm feeling that I have on Sundays, a feeling of pure relaxation. You know, have lunch and take a scrumptious nap only to wake up to everyone assembling leftovers into sandwiches then watching tv shows. I'm not the only one who's experienced that right?

We woke up this morning and got ready for church {ohh we've missed our church home in Franklin!} where we heard a wonderful sermon on The Flood...the big Noah's Ark flood. I had never heard the story presented in such a way that everyone in the room seemed to be engaged. Oddly enough, as the service about 40 days and nights of rain was over we walk outside to it misting all around us.

Spending the next few hours eating some SATCO and walking around the very posh Green Hills Mall we wore ourselves out and decided to come home.

On a side note: The air conditioning/heat fan in our car broke last September. We got away with slamming the hood down which somehow popped it back on. All of that effort lasted until around February but eventually it led to cracking a part of our windshield. Unfortunately the rest of Spring and beginning of Summer has been miserable. We would either have frozen fingers in March or sit in sweltering heat up until yesterday. That's right, by the grace of Adam's parents they blessed us with the gift of fixing our car. The warmth and humidity now have nothing on us while driving down the interstate. No more tangled hair from the wind and no more 3x application of deodorant. Ohh it's beautiful. Life just got a lot easier. {Thank you Joe and Barbara!}

Tomorrow begins another busy week. Until then I'll be relaxing with my family, obsessing over the cooking channel.

Have a cozy evening!

xoxo .bd

{Photo Credits: All via Sunday Suppers and photographer Karen Mordechai}

Most of the weekend was spent inside of the house with cleaning and schoolwork but we did leave for a couple of trips such as one to the mall for people interaction and target for some household necessities. Being that we took on the title as 'Most boring couple' we went out Sunday night for some bar b q. Pretty close to our house is our all time favorite barbcue joint which we speak often and highly of, Central. To our surpise (and yet not) the line to order was outside of the building and the porch was crowded with a band and loads of people.

With the sun in our eyes and hefty sandwiches on our table we chowed down. Oh the joy of yummy food!

If you ever find yourself  in this little city you must stop by Central.

Happy Sunday from Franklin, TN
Friday after work we drove to see our families to celebrate my beautiful mother's birthday!
We went to Olive Garden for super yummy Italian food and went back to my parents house for Parks & Recreation and Community. I hold so dear the time I spend with my parents, brother and hubby- we're in our utmost comfort zone sitting in the living room watching tv and movies.
Yesterday my mom, Adam and I ventured to Green Hills for some much needed shopping. Green Hills has some of the best shops and boutiques Nashville as a whole can offer. Restoration hardware had the loveliest pillow case on sale for $10 which I purchased of course and a decorative dinner plate from Anthropologie. {I know the perfect place to hang my new find!} I am a shopper through and through, it runs in my blood.
Now that the rain has stopped we're headed into town to purchase a new phone for Barbara {Adam's mom} and a few candles.
Have a lovely rest of the weekend and pray for our safety as we drive back to Memphis.
xoxo .betsydavis

Worn Out.

^{What a day we've had, I'm definitely worn out and ready to rest.
This morning we went to church and heard a wonderful sermon on marriage which encouraged us especially at this time in our lives as newlyweds. After the service we went outside to our car only to realize that our tire was flat. After figuring out the problem Adam rolled up his sleeves in the cold 30 degree weather and started to lift up the car. Soon after a man with his 3 children came over to help us out. So many people stopped to ask if we needed their help which furthered our reasoning to stay at this church. Even though this church is...well...massive, we're starting to get connected and feel like people actually care. Once the spare was screwed in place and we drove off we quickly realized that the spare was flat as well. Immediately we both just sort of slumped into our seats thinking, "Really? Can we not just catch a break?". But we were blessed in that our church isn't very far from Costco so we trekked the major highway at 20 miles per hour in hopes that the auto area was open. Praise Jesus they were open! Since we didn't purchase our tires there they weren't legally able to do any work. Having heard our situation the guy did us a huge favor by airing up and patching the hole regardless. {For free!} 
No matter the challenge(s) we've been dealt lately I feel it's only made us closer as a couple and helped us to fully rely on Christ. Over and over again these verses, specifically v.28, came to mind today.}

 ^{Romans 26-28}Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

 We've now settled in the for night {I swear we sound like a retired couple in Florida} and are washing about 17 loads of laundry. Don't judge me, so maybe I've been a little behind on my chores. This new week starts tomorrow and I'm wishing, hoping, praying for a little ease on the mishaps. A more uplifting post tomorrow I promise. Have a fabulous Sunday evening and a bright start to your Monday morning.
xoxo betsydavis.

 
{Photo Credit: Audrey Hepburn Complex}

A Very Merry Gingerbread Weekend

We had such a wonderful weekend despite the rain that fell.
Saturday was Adam's 24th birthday which we celebrated of course with the start of Gibson's Donuts and some of our favorite magazines.

Birthday Boy!

 

 

Since the rain was pouring we stayed in for the afternoon and watched movies while cuddled up on the couch and later ate at Huey's for his b-day dinner. Huey's is a memphis burger joint famous for their, well, burgers (soooo yummy) and the toothpicks people have thrown on the ceiling. Gross, I know. But it's kitschy and so we like it.
Yesterday we finally got to visit the newly married couples sunday school class. I've been yearning for friendships with couples that are in the same place in their lives as we are and I hope we find those friendships there. We truly enjoyed the teachers and how much it related to what we're going through as a couple. Although we won't be able to attend the next couple of weeks for being out of town, I'm excited for January and all of the wonderful relationships God has in store for the both of us.
Seeing as we've started this new life together as a married couple we decided that we want to build our own traditions for every holiday/season. A tradition I wanted to institute was making a gingerbread house! For some reason we never really made one, that I can remember, as a kid and I felt it was about time.
No no no I did not bake my own gingerbread, I wanted to make a pretty house, not burn it before it was put up! Many thanks goes to Wal Mart for mass producing a cheap version with all the accoutrement that we needed for only $8!

 

 And a few pictures of our lovely little place with some Christmas cheer :)

{Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!}

{Target seemed to lie about this tree being 6' tall, I'm going with more like 5'5"}

{The garland I made above a doorway}

-Please excuse the poor picture quality-

{Even our bathroom towels have been decorated}

{Our Dresser}

{My bedside table with some holly berries I picked from our bushes in the front yard}

{The shelf above our kitchen sink dressed with merry berries as well!}

More posts for this week that I'm quite excited about, feathers anyone?

betsydavis.

Much Ado About Sunday

Our tiny living room is lit up by 3 lamps and 'The Santa Claus' on tv. The two of us love the holiday season, Christmas especially, and start the festivities early. We've already started to compile our Christmas music mix and have watched The Polar Express 3 times in the past week. Obsessive?Absolutely not.
For instance, my first Christmas photo : {before thanksgiving, of course}

Tria Giovan photography for Southern Accents

You know how Martha has that one task about washing your kitchen trash can every week? You see, to me that's a wee bit much but after Adam and I walked into the house this afternoon and smelt the stench of last nights dinner scraps I through out the rubbage and washed away. Yes, I filled the plastic container with piping hot water and some bleach then let sit for a while outside. I scrubbed the lid then set it aside to dry. I felt so accomplished at my random cleaning act I decided to clean the outside of all our cabinets and vaccuum allll the baseboards. {They were atrocious! Dust and dirt were dancing all about our baseboards, it was due time. Surrsly} I'm just sayin, when I get in the mood to clean, I'm on it. Crazy Lysol chick comin through. Watch out, I just might disinfect your butt...and dust your toes. Ooooh oooh and I hung pictures just as I'd hoped.  Okay okay okay, enough of household chores that are less that blog-desirable and onto the rest of the evening.
I hope you have a lovely start of this 3 day work week :)
betsydaivs.

{Top Photo Credit: Hey Missy}

Hello Sunday!
Can you believe it? First of all this past week completely flew by leaving me wondering where the month of November went. In just 3 days we'll be on our way to Nashville to celebrate our first Thanksgiving as a newly married couple! Both of us couldn't be more excited as we only see our families once a month....much much less than we would like. Normally our time in Franklin is just 1 1/2 days, but this coming weekend it will be 4 days.

As all great weekends go I'm making it my mission to clean up around the house and hang some pictures. Yes we're still hanging pictures and we've lived here for 3 months.We went to Old Time Pottery and bought two small gold, square mirrors for only $1 a piece and I'm holding them up against every wall space to see where to hang them. Hopefully I can post pictures soon of what we've accomplished.
Alright, so off I got to starting this day. Have a lovely weekend!
betsydavis.

{Photo Cedits: The Paper Apartment via Petunia Face}

Stay Refined and Elegant

It is now the first day of November which means jewel tones can be displayed for all to see.

Have a beautiful and elegant Sunday.

 

oohhh! Also, you must indulge in some dark chocolate, it is the weekend of course!

betsydavis.

{Photo from: Garance Dore ,Jennifer Altman }