This + That: A list of happy things

Borrowing an idea from so very vicki that I loved for today ( I really hope she doesn't mind,  she usually has fantastic ideas on her blog!)  A little of this and that...

:: found here::

This & That:  A list of happy things

Seeing Bella (pup) smile while she sits in the front basket on my bike.
 A 70 mile April challenge with a friend that has me motivated.
Mangos and Cantaloupe with a splash of hot sauce

These measuring cups + this artist.
A new pink camelbak water bottle.

Drugstrore.com
Flip-flop weather + pool opening on April 15th
Three weeks left of Spring semester.
Watching "Rudy" for the first time + feeling joyful (I can't believe I've never saw this movie before.)

New Radiohead album 

Riding bikes with my husband to get dinner on a warm spring night.

What is your list of happy things? 

Friday's Fancies: Tennis Anyone

Hello Friends! I am so happy that today is Friday, although isn't everyone. I am happy that I have a limited amount of homework and a forecast of sunshine! It's perfect. There are a zillion events going on in Charleston this weekend and I am hoping to convince the husband to go to Family Cup Circle to see a few exhibition tennis matches before the tournament is under way. So this "hope" is what helped me to create my outfit.  I am absoulutly in love with my Friday's Fancies outfit and I think this is the first time that I choose items that are 100% attainable! (read: those sandals will be mine.) Thanks again to {av} for hosting. I am looking forward to actually meeting her next Saturday. Hooray for blog friends. Friday's Fancies keeps growing so join in!





Tennis Anyone by jenypenny featuring a kate spade tote

Anthropologie = Inspiration

 

How do they do it? They always find ways to inspire me, make me think outside the box, change the way I look at color and useful objects. There isn't a store near me in Charleston (crazy!) so I have to drive to Myrtle Beach to visit and I always save my pennies to buy a few things that help me create cooler outfits then I even thought was possible.  Yes, it's true an asymmetrical sweater ups the possibilities of my wardrobe.  So yesterday when I got this in my email account I new I had to share it here. The latest little gift from Anthropologie.

To the cloud

 

As a daytime IT nerd, I feel like it’s my duty to share this announcement with you.  Have you heard about the Amazon cloud drive? It is perfect for storing and accessing your music from anywhere and playable via the cloud player anytime! Technology is AWESOME!  

• You get 5GB of music storage (that's about 1600 MP3's) for FREE! 
• The best part about the cloud is not having to worry about losing your music/photo collection ever.  
• Also, if you purchase songs via Amazon (they are cheaper) the music you purchase doesn't count towards your 5GB of storage.

The downside is really only for iPhone users as there is no available cloud player for our phones.  Android phone users, you have an app!  Working in the technology industry cloud based services aren't new to me, but to see the way they are shared with consumers is fascinating.  To the cloud!

*Amazon has no idea who I am and they did not pay me to provide this opinion.  It is my own.

If you decided to use this service let me know!

Friday's Fancies: Party Time

Hello! I am back for Friday's Fancies. I have missed it so. This weekend I will be celebrating a very special person, My mom! I can't wait to share what we have planned (read: she visits the blog), but I promise to be back on Monday with photos and details. Anyhoo...this is close to what I would "like" to be wearing. That is the BEST part of Friday's Fancies...size and money don't matter.  Thanks again for hosting {av}.






Mom's Birthday Weekend by jenypenny 

Music to motivate

It was time to update the iPhone with new music. I needed to refresh my playlist and get some more music that motivates me (read: get the h off my a) and start really pushing harder on the workouts. I have a challenge with a co-worker to 45 miles. He has already completed like 20+ and I have 15, so I needed something more to motivate me. Once I was all done tonight and I looked at my recently added, I busted out in laughter. While I love classic rock, sometimes a girl has to have a little Linkin Park, Dr. Dre, and Adele. I love buying new music don't you!

Charleston, SC spring break fun

This spring break was exactly what I needed.  Granted I still worked 40+ hours, but the evening/weekend zone time was great.  I got to eat at new restaurants, get pampered, bike ride, laze around, and watch lots of TV.  Happiness. I really enjoy new experiences as they seem to inspire new creative ideas.  I got plenty stocked up last week and I have decided to reopen my shop in May. I had a new logo designed last year and I have yet to put it to use.  I will be excited to rebrand my items and start the creating machine again.  I have been reading "The Handmade Marketplace." Its a great book to review the indie business process.

Anyhoo...here are some of the fantastic things I got into over the last week (read: lots of eating and drinking + bike riding too!)

Great Harvest Bread Company:: Great breads for our yearly retreat.  They change daily so check the website.  If you get there early enough (read: 7am) get the Savannah bar.  Fresh fruit, whole wheat, oatmeal.  So very good.

Source: frenchsampleroom.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Coast Brewery:: They offer tastings on Thursday and Saturday. $4 gets you four samples of what's on tap.  All the production happens on site and they are fantastic about explaining the process.  It was a fun Thursday diversion.

Out for a night on the town.  What a treat.  Especially with friends from Hawaii and a husband who had been traveling in Alabama.  The night ended at 2:30AM, but the laughter made it feel like 9:30!

Closed for business:: I can not say enough about this restaurant/bar.  The bartenders were so friendly and they have around 100 beers on tap.  They offer all the local breweries including Coast, but also many great beers from other smaller craft breweries.  If you aren't a beer drinking ask for the velvet devil, a great red from Washington State.   They have a nice sitting area with fireplace and turn-over is frequent so you will be able to grab a seat relatively soon. Awesome time. 

Monza:: Only two important things here.  Get the beet salad (read: I dream about it every.single.day) and ask to sit on the back patio.  It feels like you're in another country.

The Gin Joint:: A speakeasy type bar located off a little alleyway with great outdoor seating.  The drinks are made like they should be with care, specialty chipped ice, and authentic ingredients.  Awesome place to wrap up a night downtown.  We had absinthe, fizzes, and gin drinks, all made to look like masterpieces.







Saturday morning I got to spend sometime with one of my favorite people.  Want to be inspired by someone who had a dream/vision and went for it...this is my friend Toska.  She owns a European Spa and has kept my skin looking radiant for two years now.  This Saturday on her recommendation I got the BEST THING EVER.  Lash tinting.  My lashes (including bottom) are beautiful and dark all without mascara and the dreaded mid day black eye.  So happy.  If you are in Charleston go see Toska, but where ever you are think about lash tinting.  As a new contact wearer (read: two weeks) not wearing mascara has made the morning process a little easier.

::Pitt Street Bridge |  Mount Pleasant, SC::

Finishing off the weekend with a little crafting has made this a restful, recharging and happy spring break. Isn't it nice when simple little things can make you the happiest?  What little things this past week have made you happy?

The Weekend wrap-up

Hello friends!

What an amazing weekend.  There is something about springing forward that makes you feel ALIVE.  This weekend I went for two bike rides for a grand total of 15 miles.  Both rides took me to the the water.  I love being able to hop on my bike and get to deep water marsh lands in minutes.

::Dunes West, SC::

Its a small thing that turns out to be such a luxury.  I was telling my husband on Friday night, that after college Charleston was all I could think about.  We like the say once you live here its in your blood. I talked about living here non-stop (just ask my friends from D.C!) Once I finally got back, its like I forgot all the possibilites and joy.  I am determined to find it again this spring and summer.  So with that said, we spent the entire weekend here in Mount Pleasant and Sullivans Island.  What.a.joy!

Friday night we wanted to celebrate the fact that we bought our house again, but for a lower interest rate! Score! So we went to Neil Jordans steakhouse.  The food gets better every time we go (here's a tip, sit in the bar and ask for the Tapas menu.) Then we walked down to the cigar shop and enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine in their private backroom club.  It's one of only 21 in the world.  If you can get past the cigar smoke (read: had to open the back door) it was a really cool experience.   

Saturday it was so nice to just enjoy nothing! No projects for school, no homework, no pressures.  After my long bike ride I made a fresh tomato sauce + whole wheat pasta and worked on a few new projects for JenyPenny. I have a zillion old t-shirts so I have been trying to come up with a way to re-purpose them and I think I have a couple of good ideas.

::New JenyPenny projects::

Today we had a terrific first Lenten Sunday, with a very appropriate message.  I love it when that happens.  After church we had a light brunch al fresca and then a quick shopping trip to Target.  Have you seen the shoes at Target recently...they are so cute.  I am a sucker for a good pair of flats.  I picked up these cute ruffled canvas shoes. *edited::Actually I just noticed that online all the shoes are buy one get one at 50%.  So I am going to return those and get two pair online! Bonus!

Lastly, I just created a batch of salted caramels.  I am awful at candy making so I will let you know how these turned out (read: firmball?!?)  Do you all have big plans for the week? Is it finally Spring where you are? Happiness!

Spinning Plates

Only three more days until Spring Break. It is amazing how much that meaning changes when you are an adult in college + working full-time. It will be just enough days to get me feeling a little rested until I am thrust into finals. To think this time last year I was in school, working full-time + planning a wedding!

I am totally, crazily, utterly exhausted. Its not the kind of exhausted you can sleep away. I am itching to start my business up full time so I am taking on clients and projects to help my portfolio grow. I am balancing more and more that I feel like a plate spinner at the fair. High on my tip-toes looking up + waiting for it to all.come.crashing.down.

Do you all ever have times like this? They ebb and flow I know. What do you do to cope when you can't get your mind to be quiet? Be still? This seemed like the perfect day to share these photos from Angel Oak on Johns Island, SC. Angel Oak is reported to be the OLDEST, LIVING thing this side of the Rockies. Rumored to be about 1500 years old, its twisted and bluging roots are beautiful. If you get there in the afternoon on a sunny day, the golden shards of light that stream through feel like heaven on earth. A perfect day to remember.

Ahhh...feel better already don't you :) I also wanted to share this. I have been reading Kayla Aimee's blog for at least 5 years.  She is HYSTERICAL and I have loved getting to know her.  Just like many of us her greatest wish was to be a Mommy and I felt overwhelmed with joy when she shared with us, her readers that she was pregnant...now she has Scarlette!  An adorable peanut that was born pre-term and is spending her fourth month in the NICU.  Kayla and her family were invited to participate in the "March of Dimes March for Babies" in April and she is looking for blog sponsors, owners of indie shops, or just kind individuals to donate. If you are a small business owner it's a win-win!  Exposure for you PLUS you are helping a worthy cause.   I have had her in my prayers for so long + am happy to pass her message along so that other can get to know her.  Visit her website for all the information!