current obsession

 paris during christmas-time.

bah! so beautiful.

ps- i'm not in paris. just there vicariously through google image searches.

etsy finds

 i ended up on etsy via pinterest this afternoon and spent way too much time browsing around. there sure are some creative people out there who make some pretty cool stuff. i'd say i'm more traditional when it comes to decorating, but i also like to mix in a few modern, eclectic pieces to add a little playfulness and interest. 

i love...

these gold wall clouds: here

these wall clocks:

here

and here

this industrial cage lamp:

and this reclaimed wood table/bench:

my 21st bithday

well, yesterday i turned 21.

i decided that the best way to spend my 21st would be in the mountains hiking at my favorite place, balsam knob. i feel like i've talked about the mountains way too much on here already, so i swear i'll try to come up with some new content after this post haha.

 anyway, luckily, my two best friends happened to be off work so we took off for the whole day and it was perfect! couldn't have asked for a better day. 

we drove to brevard, which is a cute little mountain town, and ate the most delicious breakfast i've ever put in my mouth. i'll be dreaming about those biscuits and sausage gravy for a long time.

we then headed over to a bi-lo so i could purchase some booze. more so just to say i could/did than to drink. i was so scared. i was literally biting my nails and looking over my shoulder as i walked over to the checkout lady. i fully expected her to look at me, laugh and call the cops. i walked away unscathed, however, with a big grin on my face. i think this is the first birthday where i've actually felt older, because of that single incident. haha... 

the rest of the day consisted of getting turned around several times, aggressive bear warnings, some hiking, lunching and lounging by a waterfall, attempting to build a fire then running out of matches, lots of laughter, driving through some intense fog, shopping, dining, card playing, coffee drinking, and more laugher. 

i'm laughing now thinking about how on the night of my 21st birthday i sat on my bed and played cards (we're obsessed with this game called 'oh hell'...don't judge) until 2am instead of going out and getting trashed, as most do. it's just not my thing. i did, however, enjoy a few stella artoises, which i've come to find is a prime, prime beverage. 

some pictures from the day...

we're determined to hike this one day! 

nothing like chilling your beer in a cold mountain river haha

 oh, and i came home to the sweetest, loveliest surprise from my far-away love: a flower cake that i adore!!! he's the sweetest. :)

coconut oil

i've been hearing a lot about coconut oil and its many uses via pinterest and a few of my favorite blogs, so i decided to see what all of the hype is about and buy my own. i've been using it all week and i'm definitely a fan. it's absolutely incredible, and i love that it provides an opportunity to add some more organic, all-natural-ness to my beauty routine. 

i've been using it several ways:

as mosturizer. i'm running out of mosturizer and put in an order for some more from arbonne but it hasn't come yet and so i needed a substitute. my best friend, who knows more about it than i do, told me you could use coconut oil to moisturize. i tried it and love the way it made my face feel. my skin's more on the oily side but it always gets more dry in winter. the coconut oil really soaked in and made it feel so smooth without it being really greasy, oily, or clogging my pores. i kinda wish i wouldn't have placed an order with arbonne now because i could easily just keep using the oil haha. 

as shave gel. i never use shave gel. i always just use body wash/soap to shave my legs, but i rubbed a little coconut oil onto my legs before shaving and they are smooth as a baby's bottom! and i have a dull razor right now because i keep forgetting to get a new one. i'm amazed...

as hand lotion. i've been rubbing a little onto my hands every night before bed. they feel like silk.

as a deep-conditioning hair mask. this is my favorite! i wasn't very hopeful that it'd do anything because i've tried other home hair masks like egg whites and olive oil and they haven't done anything. this, on the other hand..... my hair feels like angel hair. or rabbit's fur. like when i brush it, it feels like i'm just brushing through air. ahhh... what i did was washed my hair, got out and towel dried it, applied coconut oil from roots to ends, wrapped it in a towel, let it sit for about 30 minutes, then rinsed it out and washed and conditioned like normal. you know the way your hair feels after the first time you use a new conditioner? that's how it feels but even better!

my hair after the mask

i'm also going to start taking about 2 tablespoons of it a day before breakfast. it's really good to consume for your over-all health and has lots of nutritional value. it contains a fatty acid known as an energetic fat source that boosts energy. it also helps with skin tone, improves cholesterol, and boosts your immune system. aaand it keep you full for longer and can curb a sweet tooth (fingers crossed). you can also cook with it. it melts down to the same consistency as olive oil, so is easy to incorporate into things you're cooking. 

try it!

take me to the mountains

nashville

if i don't have my nose in a book, i like having a tv series to watch during my downtime. the past year or so i've been obsessed with mad men and downton abbey, which i'm sure you've heard of and/or seen. they have both of them on netflix, so if you have an account, i highly recommend you watch them. i finished them a while ago and have been waiting for another series to come out that i can plug into. finally, i found another that, to me, is worth watching every week: nashville. 

i saw a commercial for it and it immediately piqued my interest. since i'm a southern girl, the setting and the music got me hooked. there's just enough romance and drama to keep things interesting, but not so much that you feel like you're watching a soap opera. if you like country and folk music then you'll appreciate it for it's nod to those genres and the original songs performed in each episode. i won't give anything else away, so you'll have to watch an episode and tell me what you think!

all the episodes come out on www.hulu.com every week so hop on over and take advantage of the FREE opportunity to get hooked on a great show. 

tunes

we all love music.

here's what i've been listening to recently: 

1. the new mumford & sons album is divine. ghosts that we knew is one of my favorite tracks.

listennnnn...

2. kids raising kids by kopecky family band is another favorite at the moment. i love the whole album and have been listening to it on repeat.  

you can listen to the whole album here. you won't regret it.

3. now time to admit a dirty little secret. i'm really (really, i'm not kidding) embarrassed about it..........

ilovetswift'snewalbum.

there, i said it. 

not the whole thing but there are some gems hidden in the rubble.

don't lie to me, you've sung along with 'we are never getting back together' in you car. 

"and i just wanna tell you it takes everything in me not to call you. and i wish i could run to you and i hope you know that every time i don't i almost do." (from 'i almost do') we can all relate to that, right? 

4. this song, because it brings back good memories from panama and because i grew up on mr. marley:

5. the avett brothers, of course

6. the lumineers

i've listened to this song about 500 times in the past 2 months. it's one of my favorite songs of all time and sometimes makes me cry.

there ya go. not a long list because i tend to get attached and listen to the same dozen songs over and over again.

i hope everyone has a great week and that you hit the polls tomorrow. :)