The little one

My sister and that little angel of hers are coming for a visit tomorrow! I could not be more excited. How did I prepare myself? By going through the pictures of our last visit, of course. Here are my favorites from about a month ago. She's gotten so big!

She really needs to be less adorable so that I don't miss her so much.

Baked Gnocchi with Ricotta & Marinara

This weekend, I experimented with gnocchi for the first time. I was really happy with how easy it was to work with {so happy, in fact, that I have made this twice in five days...} and so I thought I would share the recipe with you!

The recipe was from Martha Stewart's "Everyday Food Light" recipe book, but can also be found here. I especially loved how few ingredients and steps this dish involved, not to mention how quick it is to throw together. The second time I made it, I added about a cup of grated mozzarella to the top, which I really loved.

An ode to this Gap dress

{Dress: Gap, Belt: American Eagle, Flats: Payless Shoes, Necklace: Plenty, Watch: Nixon, Bracelets: Anthropologie and bfrend's Flora, Nails: Essie's 'Play Date'}

Dear Gap,

Thank you for creating this dress. Or, as I like to refer to it, this very long t-shirt. You have created something that I can get away with wearing to the office and also fall asleep in on my couch, all the while experiencing a maximum level of comfort. And do I even have to mention the semi-nautical stripes and color scheme? Because goodness only knows that I'd do anything to look like I was about to jump on a boat {but not without my flippy floppies and a nautical-themed pashmina afghan, of course}. So thank you, dearest Gap, for creating my new favorite summer clothing item.

Love always, 

Karla

Mint & Ginger Limeade

While at the market this weekend, I passed by some mint bunches that I just couldn't leave without. Without knowing exactly what I was going to do with it, my mint bunch and I happily headed home. The following concoction is what I came up with!

Ingredients:
the leaves from 15 sprigs of mint (I may have gone a little crazy here), slightly muddled
2 cups of Santa Cruz Organic Limeade
the juice of one lime
2 cans of soda water
1 liter of ginger beer
3/4 cup of rum
1 tablespoon of icing sugar
ice

Throw all the igredients into a pretty jug and stir with a giant wooden spoon. {I'm quite sure there was a more eloquent way to do this, but let's get real, I'm not all that eloquent}. Enjoy!

Rose lace

{Top: Forever21, Jeans: Mavi, Boots: Steve Madden, and Socks & Belt: American Eagle}

I love how easily I can make this top fancy or casual. I've found that I can definitely work it to fit both ends of the outfit spectrum. Since our mornings here have been chilly, but it tends to warm up later on in the afternoon, this combo did me well when I wore it on Friday.

My weekend was filled welcoming new and old friends, dinner parties, experimenting with mint to create a refreshing concoction, jamaican food, and a sunny trip to the farmer's market for produce and fresh flowers. What did you get up to?

Thoughts on Summer

{Tshirt: Gap, Skirt: Target, Jacket: Mavi Jeans, Scarf: Garage, Moccasins: Minnitonka, Watch: Nixon, Bracelets: Mother's, Thrifted, JCrew}

Man am I ready for this summer. Not only does summer heat mean I can wear dresses and skirts without shaking all day long from the cold, but I have a number of visits from friends and other activities lined up. Thus far, some highlights include:

A country music festival featuring Dierks Bentley in August. 

A good friend {and soon to be new coworker!} moving to the island at the end of the month.

Plans for a Seattle day trip to go watch an MLB game in July.

An upcoming local jazz festival.

Trips to go visit this angel & my sister and brother-in-law.

A family wedding and the outrageous hilarity that inevitably ensues when we all get together.

Beach time, beach time, beach time!

What I'm getting at here is that pretty much the only thing that could make me more excited for this summer is if I had a front porch to sit on to enjoy those warm evenings. But for now I will settle for the sunny seat by my kitchen window and be perfectly content.

Cottonwood falling like snow in July...

Please ignore the awful storyline in this music video {a continuation from I Don't Want This Night To End... I don't even know} and just listen to the beauty of this song.

The sky was on fire again tonight.

Signs of a Happy Sunday

I had a lovely weekend, but a wonderful Sunday in particular. I didn't get up to too much, but spent a lot of time appreciating the sunshine and the pretty things that surrounded me.

Went for a walk down by the water in the morning.

Added some flowers and basil to the outside of my house, to join the herb pot my mom made up for me last week {thanks, Mom!}

Then focused on some of the flora inside the house.

I've had this little vase since I was a child and recently rediscovered it in a box of my old things at my parents' house last week.

A mid-afternoon snack featuring my mom's homemade jam, made from berries fresh from her garden.

Whipped up a batch of Spiced Chocolate Muffins for the office tomorrow.

and spent some time reading {of course}

I ended the day the same way I started it, with a walk down to the beach to catch the end of the sunset.

And finally, no Sunday would be complete without listening to this song {with the repeat button on, of course}:

Hope you had a lovely Sunday too!