On My Mind…Lately

Happy Friday everyone!  It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a Friday post, so I here are a few of the things have caught my attention lately that I haven’t blogged about yet.  Enjoy, and happy weekend!  

1.  The Forest Feast: Simple Vegetarian Recipes from My Cabin in the Woods.  


I bought this gorgeous cookbook for my brother’s girlfriend for her birthday, and I loved it so much that I contemplated stealing it back from her, but I figured that would be rude so I settled on just buying it for myself 🙂  The recipes are all super simple, short, and straightforward, and the illustrations and photos are beautiful!  It’s a great cookbook to get a friend or to buy for yourself.  I plan on fixing lots of the recipes from it this summer.  So far I’ve made the roasted corn and cauliflower tacos (I added ground turkey meat to it for some extra protein), and it was delicious!  

2.  Peaches.  Peaches are my favorite fruit.  I dream of juicy Southern peaches all year long, and they finally are here and oh so good.  I’m a Georgia girl born and raised, but to tell you the truth I think South Carolina has better peaches.  Blasphemy, I know.  I’ve had a peach every single day for almost 2 weeks now, and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon.  I put them in my cereal with strawberries or blueberries every morning, I eat them whole while sitting on the beach, and I even grill them at dinner time.  I can’t get enough!  My mom and I are going to try our hand at peach preserves this weekend…I’ll let you know how it goes!

3.  Melt in your Mouth Steak.  

Image via Amuse Bouche.


Have I shared this recipe from Amuse Bouche before?  I can’t remember so I’m sharing it now because I fixed it for dinner last night and can’t get it out of my head.  I’ve followed this recipe about 10 times now, and it’s a delight every single time.  I love a little piece of filet mignon every so often, and there truly is no other way to fix it.  If you want the perfect steak you need to fix this recipe…and there isn’t even a grill involved.  Yes, lots of butter is involved (I omit the log of butter part), but I promise you will not regret it.  Here’s a hint…cook a sweet potato as a side dish and top it with brown sugar and then ladle the butter from the frying pan onto it once the steak is finished cooking.  It’s truly out of this world.  

4.  Inside an Young Family’s Eclectic California Home.

Image via My Domaine.

Tom and I will be moving to a larger apartment next month (it’s a local move…we need more space with a baby on the way!).  I’ve gone through a bit of a change recently and really love neutral colors now.  Who woulda thought?  I’m trying to figure out how to temper my bold pieces (like my cobalt blue ikat sofa) with neutrals and whites while spending as little money as possible, and this photo above is part of my inspiration.  I love the bold cobalt blue with the pops of white and brown.  I know we will need a neutral rug (if you know of a good and affordable one that won’t hurt a crawling baby’s knees please let me know!), so I’m currently on the hunt for the perfect one.  The rest of this home is just as beautiful as this lovely photograph, so you need to check it out (here).  I love how they use oriental carpets throughout the entire home.  Actually, I love pretty much everything about the home and I can’t wait to decorate a new place so that I can revamp my color scheme!  

5.  DIY Confetti Table Runner.

Image via The Violet Hours.


This morning I saw this table runner on Pinterest, and I couldn’t resist repining it.  It looks like it would be super easy to make, and it would be fun to tailor the colors to whatever color scheme fits your home.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

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Katie Vail
Katie Vail

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Leave a comment

  1. July 11, 2015 / 8:28 pm

    I made peach lavender jam this weekend and it is AMAZING and now my kitchen smells like lavender! 🙂

  2. July 11, 2015 / 8:30 pm

    That sounds amazing!! I love lavender. Do you have a recipe? I'd love to check it out!

  3. July 12, 2015 / 6:48 pm

    I adore that table cover in #4!

  4. Anonymous
    July 14, 2015 / 9:50 pm

    Have to comment as anonymous because none of the other accounts apply. I got my jute rug from Ikea. It feels a bit rough but didn't damage my grandchildren at all. Deb (affordableaussiestyle)

  5. July 21, 2015 / 2:52 pm

    This comment has been removed by the author.

  6. Anonymous
    July 22, 2015 / 6:07 pm

    Try RugsUSA. I just got a really awesome shag 8×10 for less than $300. They have 50-75% off promotions all the time.

  7. July 22, 2015 / 11:59 pm

    Good to know, I'll have to check their's out! Thanks Deb 🙂

  8. July 23, 2015 / 12:00 am

    So cute, isn't it? And it looks so easy to make too!

  9. July 23, 2015 / 12:01 am

    I've ordered 3 rugs from them for a client before and they were all great quality and looked so good (plus the promotions are a great bonus). I'll definitely have to check them out for myself. I just wish I could feel how soft they are before I buy one! Thanks for reading!

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