Gatsby Would Like You to Throw His Green Rhino Toy Immediately.

Seriously, it won't throw itself.

xoxo,

E (& G)

Vacation Ready

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Does anyone else have an "Orange is the New Black" hangover?? SO GOOD.

I'm going on a few big trips this summer (including a three week trip to England! Yee!!) and have been in need of a nice piece of luggage for some time. I know that a suitcase doesn't sound like the sexiest gift ever, but my parents got me this for an early birthday present:

I hate how my iPhone pics never do anything justice...probably has to do with the extreme lack of natural light in my apartment.

Isn't she beautiful? I knew I wanted a hardshell suitcase in a color that would be instantly recognizable coming down the baggage claim line. I really wasn't expecting to fall this hard for a piece of luggage! Here's a better picture from the website:

 

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It's still sitting in the middle of my living room because it makes me smile every time I look at it. I may or may not have actually hugged it several times. I'll definitely report back on how it does when I take it on a trip...a three week trip to England should put it to the test!

xoxo,
E

Pretty in Purple

Quick post today...because today's the first day of summer (for me, at least)! Woo hoo! I'm celebrating by getting a new cable box, cleaning my apartment, and shopping for supplies for the summer camp I'm running next week. I know, I know, way too much partying for day one; I'll try to scale back in the coming weeks.

Even though I might not be beaching it, I can still feel summer-ready with my pretty summer nails!

 

This is Essie's "Play Date" and the icky iPhone picture doesn't do it justice. It's bright and cheerful and everything I'm looking for in my summer nail polish!

Happy hump day!

xoxo,

E

Greek Craving

I went to a Greek festival a few weeks ago with friends and have had Greek food on the mind ever since. While I had my doubts that adding Greek seasoning to fries makes them "Greek fries" (an item on the menu at Greek fest that I giggled at for a minute or two), I love the unique flavors of Greek/Mediterranean foods. They can also be light enough in flavor to be perfect for a summer meal, especially if you do them tapas-style and share with friends!

 

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There is, however, nothing light about (or more delicious than) a doner kebab. I may or may not has existed almost exclusively on these bad boys while studying abroad in Germany. Related: street meat leads to satisfied taste buds and tighter pants.

 

After going out for wine and Mediterranean food with friends last week and eating the most delicious braised lamb shanks on pita, I knew I had to find some ideas to recreate these tasty bites in my own kitchen.

Here are a few recipes that I've pulled together that would definitely satisfy my Greek craving. I'll make sure to update y'all on the ones I actually make!

Clockwise, from top left: Greek Burgers, Braised Lamb Shanks and Melted Onions (I can't even handle how good this looks!), Baked Lamb Meatball Gyros, Quick & Easy Tzatziki Sauce

OK, so now my mouth is watering. Which one looks best to you? I'm thinking the baked lamb gyros are going to need to happen immediately. Have a happy Tuesday!

xoxo,

E

Weird Things + Organized Necklaces

What weird things do you like doing or find calming? OK, answers to that could go sideways pretty quickly so I'll just get to the point...

(Insert smiley with heart eyes emoji)

I've always enjoyed detangling necklaces. I know, I'm a weirdo. I also enjoy detangling/unknoting slinkies. For some reason, I find it really calming. You have to focus on just that and can actually start to see your progress pretty quickly. It's so satisfying to unknot and organize something that's a complete mess. I'm sure there's a metaphor in there somewhere, but I'm too busy eying my pretty now-untangled necklaces to complete it.

This is at least three necklaces, and there's even an earring tangled in there! Jackpot.

While I do enjoy a good necklace knot, I don't always have the time to deal with the untangling process (zen as it may be) in the morning when I want to wear a necklace. I found this organizational idea here. So easy, right? This barely counts as DIY...I mean I even avoided having to eyeball a straight line by arranging the nails diagonally. This is where laziness meets creativity. I don't mind the silver nail color, so I didn't paint them the same color as the wall, but I might in the future.

I may have cured myself of the necklace knots for the time being, so if you have a mass of jewelry that needs untangling, I'm your girl!

xoxo,
E

Meryl and Maks

If you watch Dancing with the Stars, then you know what I'm talking about here. James and Peta may have been the talk of the show for most of the season, but I was so interested in Meryl and Maks! The finale was days ago, and I'm still thinking about them!

 

I want them to be a couple SO BADLY.

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I realize it's completely silly to be this interested in the lives of these people I've never met and will never meet, but I would seriously be so mad if it turned out that they weren't dating.

 

Ugh, just make out/get married/have a million babies already.

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Anyways, that's it. Just my celebrity couple obsession. Not gonna lie, I google "are Meryl and Maks dating" multiple times a day, hoping to see a credible source that says they are. It's getting a little inappropriate.

Happy weekend!

xoxo,
E

Do You Skimm?

I consider myself pretty well-educated, but until a year or so ago, I had very little awareness of current events, nationally or internationally. I just couldn't see an entry point to even start educating myself. All the 24 hours news networks were always in the middle of a story...how could I ever catch a story when it started? Newspapers and news websites seem like a huge dump of information...how could I wade through it all?

That's why I'm so glad I found the Skimm. It's a free email service that sends you important national and international news every week day. It gives you enough to be dangerous and has a link in pretty much every story for if you want to learn more. Plus, the writing is fresh and interesting. Reading the Skimm is seriously the first thing I do every morning.

 

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As if it could get any better, the Skimm is a start-up created by two awesome young ladies in New York. I'd like to think that by reading, I'm supporting amazing women striking out on their own and achieving great things. I follow the Skimm on Instagram and regularly read their blog--I wish they were my big sisters! They give entrepreneurial advice that they learn (sometimes the hard way) on their blog; it's a really great picture of what life at a start-up is like: exciting but incredibly hard work.

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Sign up for daily Skimms here! You will be so glad you did!

xoxo,
E