Mint and Citrus Sun Tea

Welp, friends. Labor Day is coming up, which means everybody who loves fall will be crushing my spirits on the daily, with reminders of #PSL, pumpkins, Christmas and this meme. Hobby Lobby has already gone and done it by stocking Thanksgiving supplies. What nerve!

Anyway, you already know I love summer. But did you know I love making sun tea in the summer???? Maybe you did. Maybe that's obvious. Maybe it takes one look at me to say, "hey, that looks like a lady who loves making sun tea in the summer." I wear my heart (food) on my sleeve.

Ok, ok. Here's the recipe and such. I highly recommend you make sun tea before the sun begins to set too early — it's the easiest, and it makes you feel like a champ when you have a whole pitcher of tea to drink!

Ingredients:
- 2 family sized tea bags (or one per quart of water). If you're using regular, smaller tea bags, the general rule of thumb is about 8 bags per gallon of water.
- Water
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 3 sprigs mint

So then you slice up that lemon and add mint, tea bags and water to your pitcher. That's it! Go put the pitcher outside in direct sunlight (preferably in a pretty garden), and leave it for about 3 hours. You could go to a hair appointment and come back in that time if you wanted, or you can supervise your tea. It probably won't move, but it might.

....And, voila! It's tea!

Enjoy for 5-7 days, if it lasts that long! The lemon and mint add the best flavor to this tea, so you may not even need a sweetener. If you do, I recommend just a dash of honey. Hope you enjoy the tail end of summer! xo

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My Bullet Journal

Happy Friday! Since I've transitioned into the full-time freelance world I admit my weekdays and weekends occasionally blur together, but for most people, Friday means one thing: hello, weekend!

Speaking of full-time freelance.. What a transition! I didn't think switching from having a "real" job to working from home would be so challenging, to be honest. It has been a whirlwind! I'm trying to make sure I still keep elements of a routine going because while I disliked waking up at 6 a.m. every day to work in an office full of fluorescent lighting, there were some benefits to having a clear-cut schedule. It's not as hard to know when to work, rest or play when you have a boss and coworkers to be accountable to.

I saw my friend Jordan post about her bullet journal recently, and I remembered hearing about this method of schedule management on The Internets™a while back. So I wanted to try one and see if it helps me feel more prioritized and put together!


I am 100% new to bullet journaling — like, three days new. But here's why I liked the idea of it:

• it's analog. I have never found online calendars to work for me. Even when I set reminders and alerts, I just feel so much more scattered online than I do on paper. Also, how many times have I opened a browser to check my Google Calendar and wound up on Apartment Therapy or Facebook instead... Oops!
• It allows for flexibility. The creator of the Bullet Journal method recommends you don't schedule out your tasks and to-do's for more than a day at a time. I think that's a little extreme — I've been scheduling out my to-do's weekly since I began freelancing, but flexibility is something I need during this season when deadlines get moved or I'm working with clients on a fast turnaround.
• You can keep everything in one place. The idea is that you can keep your calendar, shopping list, themed tasks and to-do's (wedding planning, anybody?!) all in the same place. That makes me feel more sane than having three, four or five notebooks to juggle (and potentially forget somewhere).

I think what I like most about bullet journaling is that it's really customizable — some people get super creative with them and others stick to the nuts and bolts. I learned the basics of setting mine up from the video on the Bullet Journal website, and it's very simple at this point. We'll see what happens as I keep using it!

I'm not sure if bullet journaling will be the end-all, be-all method for me, but I'm going to try it for a few weeks and see if I can get the hang of it. I'll share an update on my thoughts after a little while! What do you guys think about scheduling methods, whether you've used a bullet journal or not? Any tips, tricks, etc.?

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Watermelon and Mint Salad (15 Minutes!)

Hi guys! It's #NationalWatermelonDay (lol who makes these things up?), so I wanted to show you one of the easiest, tastiest recipes I make at home. This is one of the best summer salads out there; watermelon is a summer food. Friendly reminder to each of you who keep saying it's about to be fall. Please don't crush my summer-loving dreams yet!

Bonus points: It's pretty healthy unless you're a non-cheese eater! And if you are a non-cheese eater, you could skip the cheese and add a dash of pepper. If you try that version, let me know. I think it would taste good, but I'll be honest, I just made that up off the top of my head — so it is *not* tested and approved.

Here's the tested and approved recipe.

Ingredients
- 1/4 watermelon
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 3 sprigs of mint (bonus points if you pick them from your own garden!)

This recipe serves two as a side salad, or one for lunch. Or if you're REALLY healthy, this could be a great dessert. I'd rather have cheesecake for dessert, but I'll be impressed if this is your dessert.

Directions
Chop up watermelon into bite-sized pieces. Add feta and mint leaves. That's literally it! Eat it!

I honestly don't think this would even take 15 minutes if you're a fast chopper. 15 minutes is more like the time it takes to fix it and eat it. The recipe is easily doubled, tripled, quadrupled, etc. to feed a big gang, too! I've made it for baby showers and wedding showers, and it's always a hit.

Oh, also, my mom showed me how to make this. She's the best.

Anyway, let me know if you try that pepper thing! xo!

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An Easy, Breezy Cheese Board

I'm here to talk about my passion for cheese. Cheese boards, more specifically.

Give me a party that's got a cheese board, and I'm there faster than you can say "gouda". Extravagant cheese boards usually pop up like magic unicorns at holiday gatherings and parties. Consider this: Should unicorns and large plates of cheese be reserved for special occasions, or should they be promoted to "any-ole-random-day" status? Marie Antoinette said let them eat cake, and I say let us eat cheese!

So here's the thing about cheese boards — they can be over the top, in terms of options and price. Or they can be really simple, and in the right setting, that can be just as good. If you're hosting friends on a random weeknight, you don't have to go all out. In fact, you can probably whip one up with common items you could already have in your pantry or fridge.

You'll obviously need cheese because that's what makes this a cheese board and not simply a snack board. Usually it's best to have one soft, spreadable cheese and a hard cheese. Personally, I snack on parmesan in the evenings and use goat cheese in a handful of my go-to recipes, so I had these on hand. (Maybe I'm a little bit of a cheese hoarder, but hey, don't judge). After you have cheese, get creative with what else you have on hand.

I think jelly is the best-kept secret to "fancify" your cheese board, especially if you've got goat cheese on the plate. Trust me on this.

This was the plate I made with some common snack/lunch items, but you could add nearly anything munchy you enjoy nibbling on. Hard salami, pears, kalamata olives, etc. would be good additions. Then, add a friend or two, and you've got a great weeknight!

Oh, and make sure to tell lots of cheesy jokes. (I'm sorry. I had to.)

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Giving Thanks for the Small Stuff

It's easy to be grateful when you're in the middle of an exciting season or things are going well. But if you're feeling like a droopy sunflower, sometimes it's harder to pull yourself out of the funk to see all the good that surrounds you.

Giving thanks is so important — not only on Thanksgiving, but every day of the year. Why? Well, you're probably a crank to be around if you're an eternal pessimist. But science supports the idea too: One study shows that people who kept a gratitude journal for 10 weeks were happier and more optimistic than those who simply journaled about everyday occurrences. At the end of the study, the gratitude group also happened to be exercising more and visiting the doctor less! Gratitude clearly matters.

If you're wanting to cultivate gratitude, it's as easy or as hard as you make it. Your brain can only handle so many thoughts, so if you can capture negative emotions and replace them with gratitude, you're rewiring your brain to feel more positive emotions and reduce anxiety. Sounds like a good plan, huh?!

Here are some ideas on how to cultivate gratitude, if, y'know, you're just not feeling grateful.

- Buy a journal, and only use it to record what you're thankful for. You're not allowed to unpack your day or vent about traffic/work/relationships/whatever you might be frustrated about in this journal. It's simply a happy place.

- Ok good, then read the journal regularly. I really believe there's something about seeing things in your own handwriting. It reminds you that you're human.

- Also, you're human. Be grateful you woke up today!

You can copy off my small things list if you want. Truthfully, I'm most grateful for the big things in my personal life — family, loved ones, health, etc. But we can all be grateful for the following:

- pizza
- a bed, or somewhere to sleep at night
- internet connection (did you know almost 60 percent of the world doesn't have internet access?)
- Google (seriously. You can learn anything in the world on Google.)
- coffee. This wouldn't be a true gratitude list if it didn't include coffee
- music
- art
- Burt's Bees Hibiscus tinted lip balm (am I getting too specific now?)

So yeah, gratitude. Easier than it sounds, harder than it sounds, way more important than it sounds.

Outfit details: Jacket - Urban Outfitters (Sold out, similar here), Dress - c/o StyleWe, Boots - Aldo
Photos of me by Austin Elliott of Locke + Stache

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