Labor Day Weekend: The End of Summer


Labor Day weekend signals the beginning of the end of summer. While I am looking forward to cooler days, the changing of the leaves, and all things autumn, there are definitely some things that are 'distinctly summer' that I will miss.

1. Vacation & The Beach -- Specifically going to Charleston. If you live in the south and you don't like Florida, Charleston is the place to go. There is no place more Southern with beautiful beaches and city night life that is better than Charleston. (Jacksonville, FL comes close.)

2. The Lake -- Here in Georgia, we go to Lake Lanier. In Charleston, the harbor is my ideal place to go. Then there is Fall River in Boston that has now also won over my heart. Nothing quite makes a summer night a summer night like one spent sitting on a dock with stars overhead, friends and family nearby, and a party going on with really loud music that you aren't attending ... except maybe if you had a cup of Starbucks in hand. Relaxing, romantic (depending on company, obviously), and beautiful. sigh. :)

3. Sitting on the Front Porch -- If you've ever seen The Notebook, I think you understand what a southern summer is all about. There is something particularly special about sitting on the front porch (usually with a glass of sweet tea or lemonade) and enjoying the people you are with. Bonus points if a porch swing is involved. Trust me, you can solve all of life's problems on the front porch. ;)

4. Star-Gazing, Watching Planes Take Off at night, Fireworks -- I totally love sitting with Justin staring up at the sky no matter what we're doing (and not just because he's my husband!!). It's just more comfortable doing those things during the summer.

5. Summer Rain -- Nothing quite compares ... especially with a good book in hand.

6. Drive-In Movies -- Umm yeah ... they are just awesome.

See more of my summer favorites here.

What will you miss as Fall approaches?

August Break Day 14: Stillness

"I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures following one another softly, like pearls on a string."
- L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea  

August Break Day 5: Close-Up


Sometimes when Justin bakes cakes, I roam the house taking pictures of things up close. I play with cake rounds as reflectors and use my flash to get my object of choice just a little bit brighter. And most fun of all, I totally distract Justin by getting his help. Luckily, the cakes always turn out good anyway. :)

Read more about August Break here.

Getting an American Passport


Apparently, despite reading my share of travel blogs, when it came to getting a passport, I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was.

If you will be applying for a passport in the near future, here's what you need to know:

1. Attempt to schedule an appointment early in the process, quite possibly before you get everything you need together. If you live in a city, your local post office may make you wait a month or longer before actually letting you apply for the passport. Also, note that there are extra fees if you need the passport sooner than the 4-6 week waiting period.

 a. Not every post office schedules appointments to get a passport. In fact, some places like the courthouse, allow you to simply walk-in. Other places (post offices) don't schedule appointments or let you apply at all through them. If you walk into a post office that doesn't do passports, ask if they have a list of nearby post offices that do do passports. (Apparently, the list online isn't always up to date.)

 b. If you try to call to schedule an appointment to get your passport, make sure to call during the correct hours, which vary between post offices. Usually, you should be able to call during the week between 10AM-2PM, but like I said, it can vary. If you call and leave a message, they may or may not call you back. It is best to try again if you don't get in touch with someone right away. (Even better if you can walk in and make your appointment.)

 c. Most post offices schedule their appointments during the week in late morning and early afternoon. You'll need to check with your individual post office to find out if they also do early Saturday morning if you can't get off of work during the week.

2. On the day of your appointment take the following:

a filled out application (can be obtained online or at post offices that do passport appointments)

 a copy of your individual driver's license front and back on a full sheet of paper (Don't do yours and your significant other's on the same sheet.)

 a personal check or money order including the fee for the passport card and/or book, and post office fee (Some places take credit cards. We took cash, and the post office was able to convert it to a money order.)

 a 'long-form' birth certificate that includes your name, birth date, as well as your parents' names (These can be obtained at some courthouses, some health departments, and at the Vital Records Office for a fee of $25.)

 a face shot (taken at Costco, CVS, Walgreens, or even the post office...)

If you have everything together, you should be fine. I had the short birth certificate form, because I didn't know otherwise. Luckily, the kind lady at the post office stayed late enough for me to run to the courthouse and obtain my birth certificate long-form (an hour away!). We also scanned our licenses on one sheet rather than two meaning the lady had to go back and rescan them! Luckily, we are done with all of that! Now time to wait.


Suitcases and Sandcastles
Linking up with Oregon Girl Around the World,

Alon's Bakery & Market


Over the weekend, Justin and I ventured off to explore unknown territory in the name of grocery shopping. We started at The Fresh Market. With prices soaring for essentials like candy and coffee, we decided that the likeliness of returning was probably zilch. (Maybe for the okra chips?!) Next stop was Alon's Bakery & Market.

As we walked up to the store located off of Ashford-Dunwoody Road, we sensed we were at the wrong place. Classical music emitting from the entrance as well as tables and tables of happy customers made us feel like we had stumbled upon a very expensive restaurant. Being a bit broke this month after ipad purchases and car fixes, we nearly turned around. Luckily, we didn't. Instead, we made our way past the tables and through the doors to such a sight! And the smell!!

I don't know how Justin felt, but for me it was quite literally love at first smell. :) You see, Alon's is set up like an outdoor marketplace (except that it's indoor) with booths of different types of food. One of the first booths is that of freshly made bread. I didn't get a picture, but there were piles and piles of baguettes, round loaves, square loves, and even samples of cinnamon babka. You would walk up to the counter and order whatever bread you wanted. You could even place orders to pick up at a later date! (I'm guessing they sell out of bread rather quickly before holidays.)

The bread station was not the only station to whet your appetite though.


There were also beautiful desserts and freshly made hot cups of coffee. Or if you aren't in a dessert mood, you could venture up to the deli and have them make you a beautiful sandwich using some of their fresh bread or get an order of pasta (which I assume is either also made there or imported from somewhere exotic like Italy. Does Italy count as being exotic?)


While short on vegetables, fruits, and overly processed canned goods, Alon's definitely seemed to have a strong hold on baked goods, pastas, desserts, and cheeses.

If you live in the area, I definitely recommend taking a trip to one of the two Alon's locations! You won't regret it!

Flowers in Picture Form


Today seems a bit too 'gloom and doom' with all of the rain. Apartment Therapy says that you should bring flowers into your home to brighten up your mood. Does picture form count?

Caprese Salad + Coupon Giveaway


Giveaway is over! All winners have been announced here. Thank you to all who participated! :)

 As I was going through my stash of coupons the other day I realized I had not one but rather 5 coupons for $1 off Filippo Berio olive oil; all of which expire on August 31. I really don't want them to go bad, so I am offering yet another giveaway in which you leave me a comment mentioning your favorite dish with which to use olive oil and your e-mail address by Thursday at 1pm est. I'll pick 5 of my favorite to send the coupon to. The giveaway is only open to US residents through Thursday at 1pm EST, so that I can have your coupon in the mail asap.

My favorite dish to have using Filippo Berio olive oil is Caprese Salad.

Photo credit: stu_spivack via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-SA


Ingredients:
mozzerella
tomatoes
basil
Filippo Berio olive oil ;)
a balsamic vinegar glaze
salt and pepper (if desired)

Directions:
Copy picture. :)

Really!

Cut your mozzarella and tomato up into thick slices. Alternate mozzarella, tomato, and basil on a plate. Spritz with a bit of Filippo Berio olive oil and your balsamic vinegar glaze. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stick fork in and enjoy! :)

Photo credit: larryjh1234 via VisualHunt.com / CC BY

This is also a great appetizer to take to a party. You can buy small mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes. You could mix it all up in a bowl like a salad, so that guests can use tongs to serve themselves or individually put cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, and a piece of basil on toothpicks sprinkling the balsamic vinegar glaze and Filippo Berio oil over the serving platter in a pretty way. :)

While I certainly do love caprese salad, I can't wait to read your suggestions and recommendations for using olive oil in other dishes!