Lately: Instagram'd

It's funny how easy it is to settle into a mundane routine in life....same cycle day in and day out with the occasional moment of adventure or change.  Lately, husband and I have been trying to make a concentrated effort to re-define our routines.  Since we tend to have sporadic schedules as I work events and he is in graduate school, our weekends together, when we actually both have the days off, tend to consist of the same elements....grocery shopping, cooking together, inexpensive date nights.  And although we love our sweet little life together, we've decided to take hold of our idea of "routine" and change our way of approaching our days, making every moment one filled with joy and celebration.

This past weekend we decided to change our grocery shopping routine.....living in Northeast Ohio allows us to be exposed to amazing local produce and farms, and to change things up in our lives, and in our ongoing effort to eat healthy and local, we decided to start grocery shopping at a local farmer's market run by the Amish community.  Now, instead of fighting carts down crowded aisles in the store, we can enjoy shopping outside, talking to the farmers who actually grow the produce we are purchasing, and even sip some fresh hot apple cider while we do it.  Funny how a little change in perspective and routine can turn an ordinary duty into a perfect day I will look forward to spending with the one I love most.

(Here are A few snaps from the last few weeks courtesy of instagram...)

Beautiful apple orchard we discovered after our lovely day of shopping at the farmer's market!

Love Him.

This lady took this photo shoot with her dog very seriously...

Most beautiful Dahlia garden I have ever seen!

Best part of fall.

 

Husband and I re-decorated our guest bedroom with some old window panes he found.

Raspberry hot chocolate. Enough said.

My prince.

 

My beautiful sister-in-law and I after we picked wildflowers on a trail we found.

Sometimes free flowers are prettier than the ones you spend lots of money on....

Husband has many talents, including making delicious dinners with our fresh produce.

Meet Meredith...

• I am married to my high school sweetheart. We've been together 10 years. (wowza!)
• We are slowly but surely fixing up/updating our 1957 house (which we bought when we were 24).
• I grew up in and currently live in Northeast Ohio and I'm proud of it. Although, I would not be opposed to moving somewhere completely different for an adventure.
• I treat my two dogs like children. They make me laugh and make me crazy.
• I have one older sister and only two first cousins.
• My love language is quality time.
• I love to be outside especially hiking/walking my dogs.
• I love graphic design and pretty things. I'm a visual learner.
• I like things to be neat and organized...I am a neat freak, not necessarily a clean freak.
• I come from a family of morning people, so I am one too. I don't like staying up late.
• I enjoy coffee, but don't need to drink a lot of it to get me going.
• Fall is my fav.o.rite season. My birthday and anniversary are in October aka the best month. Second best probably May or September.
• Target is my favorite store.
• I love animals (sometimes more than people). I am an introvert.
• I want to travel more.
• I love vintage and finding treasures at flea markets, garage sales, etc. 
• I love sweets. I'd rather eat ice cream than have a glass of wine (depending on the situation).  
• I cook and bake although it's not always my favorite.
• I am the most squeamish person I know when it comes to blood.
• I love blogs. Preferablly blogs, coffee and Pinterest at the same time. (the most inspiring part of my day)
• I like to be crafty, especially as gifts or for my home.

Weekend: Instagram'd

Mondays always come too soon....no matter what.  This past weekend was one of my favorites in quite a while, making this particular Monday morning especially bittersweet.  We experienced a Beatles cover band, enjoyed a night out in Cleveland, attended Porchfest, which featured several local bands playing on our neighborhood's porches, experienced authentic jerk chicken courtesy of our Jamaican neighbors, spent an entire afternoon baking, and relaxed for hours and hours on our front porch, enjoying the gorgeous weather.  I'm so thankful for this weekend of relaxation and fellowship with my beloved....if only Monday morning could have waited just a bit longer to interrupt our fun!

Wedding itinerary

A month or so ago I had the privilege to work on wedding invitations, programs and itinerary for a sweet couple (I work with the bride's mom). Below is the itinerary the bride wanted to print double-sided and mail to her bridesmaids. I made one using only their wedding colors and one using more realistic colors for her to choose from.

Weekend: Instagram'd

This past weekend was filled with a few of my favorite things: flea markets, farmers markets, fresh flowers, pizza, wine, cupcakes, a great deal of inspiration, and time with some of my favorite people.  Looking forward to the days ahead, which will include some exciting new adventures and creative endeavors!

Farmer's Market down the street from our house.

The line for these strawberries was out of control!

Most Delicious Black Raspberries.

Fresh flowers from the Farmer's Market!

Lovely.

Homemade pizza, salad (with homemade dressing courtesy of Husband), and a bottle of wine from our wedding!

Dinner on the porch.

Kool-Aid.  In mason jars.  At a restaurant.

Somehow Kool-Aid at a restaurant tastes better.

Relaxing cocktail on a rainy Sunday.

Flea Market season [part one]

Late spring and summer is prime flea marketing and garage sale-ing time in Northeast Ohio. My parents excel in the "sport" of garage sale-ing. Growing up, I was begrudgingly drug on early Thursday/Friday/Saturday mornings from driveway to driveway, annual flea to annual flea, etc. in pursuit of treasures. Now that I own my own home (and have discovered the wonders of coffee) I actually enjoy waking early on weekends and heading out to nab some awesome finds.

Here are the goods so far this season:

From the Unionville flea market
A circle, framed flower print and a children's desk (for only $3!)

From the Chardon flea market

Basic frames to sand-down and paint a lovely color


Let's hope there are several more posts like this with all the goodies I'll find (fingers crossed).

Featured on Silver Pencils: Jennifer and David's Wedding!

I am thrilled to share with you that our wedding is being featured today on Silver Pencils!  I first met Brandi when I ordered my lovely hair flower for my wedding, and have since done a Guest DIY Post for her.  I was so excited when she told me she wanted to feature our wedding on her blog, and can't wait to see the rest, which she will be posting this week!

Jennifer and David's Wedding

Weekend: Instagram'd...

It's dangerous to catch the travel bug, the idea bug, and the dreamer bug all at the same time....usually things things space themselves out better.  However, lately I have been living in the perfect storm of these ailments, constantly seeking new creative outlets and trying to turn ideas into reality....

...this weekend was the fulfillment of one of these ideas: a fiesta!  Husband and I love to host dinner parties and theme nights at our house, so when unfortunate circumstances led us to cancel our Cinco de Mayo party in May, we decided that rather than putting the fun idea aside, we'd just postpone!  The result? A fiesta appropriately named "El Nueve de Junio."  Here are a few instagram moments from our night celebrating all things Mexican:

Homemade tequila lime cupcakes.

Preparing our salsa....also....the Mexican flag!

Thanks to my amazing Mother in Law for sending me an authentic Mexican dress from her dance shop!