homemade bruschetta.

after watching the movie julie and julia while going to sleep last night i was inspired to make some homemade bruschetta today. it was oh so easy.

here are some simple steps for cooking such a delicious treat...

first, cook the rustic bread in olive oil. i used whole wheat from whole foods.

and while the bread is cooking on low to medium heat cut up the tomatoes. i used both red and yellow. and be sure to nibble on the end of the loaf of bread.

then, add some olive oil and basil to the diced tomatoes. mix it all up and let it sit so the flavors mix. while the tomatoes sat i rubbed a little garlic on the bread and it added some great flavor.

serve it up on the bread.

top with some grated parmesan cheese.

i know it sounds so simple and most people probably know how to make bruschetta already, but it was a first for me. enjoy!

happy early memorial day!

i hope your weekend is full of ice cream, carnival rides, and maybe even a trip on a train somewhere fun.

villains and heroes.

tonight three of my favorite t.v. shows come on, GLEE, THE HILLS, and THE CITY. (american idol does not have a villain. but, just for the record i believe in lee!) on all of these shows are three of the most infamous villains in pop culture right now.

glee:
sue sylvester

known for sporting beastie boy track suits circa 1998, appearing in splits magazine, and having the cheerio uniforms dry cleaned in europe. i know i should love to hate her, but i just hate her.

the hills:

spencer pratt

known for being a master manipulator, making his little sister cry at kristin's bbq, and most recently believing in crystals.

the city:

olivia palermo

known for fighting with erin at elle magazine, wearing fancy clothes, and stabbing whitney in the back.

good thing there are heroes on glee, the hills, and the city to balance out all of the terribleness.

first on glee...

puck

i mean yes, he did steal bake sale money and put pot in the brownies, but it was all because he wants to take care of the daughter he is having with quinn. plus, he is way hot.

mr. shue

yes, he cheated on emma but, he always reminds the glee club that they are a family and dont have to be anything more than who God made them to be. (i made up that God part, but he does say they just have to be themselves.) plus he is super cute, a fantastic dancer, and dresses really great.

kurt and mercedes

they are besties in every sense of the word. kurt threw a slushee in his own face so finn wouldn't have to, and i believe he would do the same for his girl mercedes.

then on to the hills...

lo

ever since her days on laguna beach where she got her white vw jetta for graduation, hooked up with talan at prom, and was lc's bff she has been making us laugh and want to be her best friend. i totally don't believe she spread those rumors about kristin being a druggie, there were lots of people in miami superbowl weekend.

yes, it is sad, but there is only one hero on the finale season of the hills.

and on the city...

kelly cutrone

you may be thinking, isn't whitney (blonde on the left) the hero, it's her show? no, kelly is. she will cry with you when you are having a hard time and at the same time kick you in the a at work. also, she is a dream maker and gets whitney's new clothing line rolling on the right track.

so set your dvr or plop down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy tuesday night television!

colour lovers.

DESIGN SPONGE featured the website COLOURLOVERS today. i have spent the morning playing around with colors and patterns. here are a few i came up with:

its a lilly world.

tribute to my future nephew, baby joel.

live for sail!

it's great to be a tennessee vol!

my living room.

summertime and evenings.

tonight i walked outside to grab something from my car and was reminded how much i love evening in the summertime. it is still light outside, but not sunny. you can feel the heat but aren't hot. the smell of food on the grill and cut grass lingers in the air. i am glad i have a porch swing and 3 weeks off school coming up in less than a month! so, cheers to summer evenings!

before and after.

i found this on the side of the road, my very own street in fact.

and turned it into this:

and i just love it! especially that it was free!

glee

tender...

idols.

i have been thinking a lot about idols.

in my history of architecture, interiors, and furniture class we have been studying the earliest architecture in the world. pretty much every society (roman, greek, egyptian, etc.) built structures as a place to bury and/or worship an idol. an entire structure would be built on an enormous scale just to be the burial tomb of a king. people would travel to worship this one dead guy, who as we have learned in class, was probably just an egotistical ruler.

recently i have been reading the book Counterfeit Gods by tim keller. it all about how we allow sex (love), money, and power become our God. we arent the first to fall into the trap. it has been happening since the days of Jesus and even before. just look through Scripture and you will see example after example of people lusting after love, power, and money.

today at church matt taught out of Colossians 2 and he talked about idols. and he bluntly put it that we all have them. he gave examples of being liked by everyone, weighing what you think is the perfect weight, having a good job and the "right" things.

when i listen in history class i am amazed that people would sacrifice so much to built this altar to some ruler who did not satisfy them and does not give them life to the full. and then reading kellers book and hearing matts message i realize that i do the same thing. i sacrifice so much to worship an idol that will leave my unsatisfied. i sacrifice loving people well out of fear they wont like me or dont want to be my friend. i sacrifice my time and energy by stressing about what to wear and how my face looks on any given day. i sacrifice my heart by anxiously worrying about grades in school. i sacrifice believing who God says i am by listening to what the world tells me about who i am.

i want to live a life like abraham from the Bible. tim keller puts it this way, "or else, like abraham, you could take a walk up into the mountains. you could say, i see that you may be calling me to live my life without something i never thought i could live without. but, if i have you, i have the only wealth, health, love, honor, and security i really need and cannot lose."

rachel bilson.

for the past couple days i have been watching early episodes of the o.c. while working on school work. it has reminded me how much i love much of rachel bilsons bohemian style.

i was also reminded how adorable seth cohen/adam brody is but i have already posted about him before, right HERE, so wont bore you with pictures of him again.

all pictures found via google image search "rachel bilson style"

maps.

i love geography. when i was little i would get out encyclopedias from our study shelves and read all about all of the states and cities. i would plan out where i was going to live right down to the neighborhood. and because i love geography i love maps. they can be so personalized. here are some cool ones i have found over the years...

CATSTUDIO has lots of cute products like pillows, kitchen towels (which can be sown and stuffed to make great pillows for a quarter of the price), drinking glasses, and trays. and they even have a great smoky mountains print, with cades cove on it (one of my favorite biking spots from college) and dollywood!

MAPTOTE is another one of my favorites. they are very affordable, which is a plus. they have become my go to birthday gift. read a very funny story, about the tote i gave my friend lindsay (that maptote even commented on) HERE.

THESE ARE THINGS have the perfect modern map to hang on the wall of your office, bedroom, or kitchen. it would be perfect to put little pins in to mark where you have been and where you are dying to go (which for me is france, italy, and greece right now).

crush.

i thought by the age of 30 i would be over getting crushes. both real life and cute celebs like josh radnor and penn badgley. not so much.

photo found on weheartit. search "crush".

mary.

"Jesus said Mother I couldn't stay another day longer
Flys right by me and leaves a kiss upon her face
While the angels are singin' his praises in a blaze of glory
Mary stays behind and starts cleaning up the place"

-Patty Griffin

those lyrics make me cry every single time i hear them. just thinking about Jesus having a mother. someone that gave birth to him and loved him not only as a Savior but as her son. what a beautiful picture of the humanity of Jesus. he had a mother. it sounds so simple, but i just love it. it makes me love Jesus more.

here is a cover of patty's song by erin mccarley.

i kind of think erin mccarley and i would be good friends if we knew each other. i mean our names are almost the same and she is from dallas. oh and she must love patty if she covers one of her songs.

yum!

have you seen this WEBSITE? do not click unless your tummy is full. these 4 recipes are just a sampling of the deliciousness.

chevron print

i adore chevron print. i would love it on a pillow. i would love on some curtains (with red striped walls). i would love it as lanterns or on an ironing board cover. i would just love it on a chair. i would love it anywhere!

i would even love it to wear!

All images found via google search "chevron print".