à la piscine

do you guys know that i’m obsessed with swimming pools? well i am. it all started with swimming lessons at a young age where the instructor proceeded to force me across the swimming pool. i’m now left with a deep-seated emotional scar in the form of a swimming pool phobia. the interesting thing about it is that i can swim, so the fear is not about drowning but of the actual appearance of a swimming pool, and at the same time i am also incomprehensibly drawn to them..

via: the house of gray malin photography

new necklaces in the shop!

i’ve added a few more accessories for you all to peruse, two of which are diy’s from a little while ago! click here and stop on by this weekend when you get some time! xk

pretty peonies

pretty florals at the farmers’ market to brighten this pouring down rainy day here in the pacific northwest! xk

dr. pepper pork sandwiches

now is the perfect season to make these bad boys. my obsession with dr. pepper started in high school and although i don’t really drink it that much anymore, it was the perfect accompaniment to making this pork shoulder tender and delicious. i have a thing for mixing soda into foods, and the first time i had ever heard of such a thing was when a old co-worker had made mention of 7-up cakes, it still gets me to this day!

pork sandwich ingredients:
• one whole pork shoulder roast
• one large onion, peeled and chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• extra seasonings, lawrys, spike, etc.
• stone ground mustard
• 1 or 2 cans soda pop, i used dr. pepper
• 4 Tablespoons brown sugar give or take
• extra bbq sauce, sweet baby ray’s {optional}

to do:
place the onions in the bottom of the crock pot. sprinkle the pork with salt, pepper and any extra seasonings of your choice. place on top of the onions. crack open the cans of soda pop and pour them over the entire thing. add the brown sugar to the mixture and stir to incorporate.

cover the pot and cook for at least 6 hours, flipping the roast 2 or 3 times during the cooking process. remove the meat from the pot and either cut up into chunks or shred. return the meat to the pot and keep in the juice until you need it. add a bit of extra bbq sauce if you’d like.

creamy coleslaw ingredients:
• 1 head green cabbage, chopped and sliced thin
• 1 cup milk and more for thinning if needed, i used coconut milk
• 1/2 cup natural mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon white sugar
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

to do:
combine the shredded cabbage in a bowl. in a separate bowl, mix all of the remaining ingredients together and pour over the cabbage. toss to combine. keep refrigerated.

assemblage:
add a thin layer of stone ground mustard onto lightly toasted hamburger buns. add the pork. top with the creamy coleslaw and enjoy!

live in the moment..

i can’t count on my fingers how many times i’ve moved in the past ten years. oh, that’s right, ten times.. i can now proclaim myself as an expert mover and should write a book. they say, whoever they is, that one should decorate as if it’s a permanent residence, but trust me, if you’re actually in this position i’d like to see you try it. mentally and physically it’s just easy to say “why bother?” of course i’ve always made our dwelling comfortable dotted with a few personal touches here and there, but i’ve really just done the bare minimum.

with all that being said, we’ve finally added a dining room table along with an heirloom wing chair into the decor of our once again, temporary home. the temporary front patio also serves as a very relaxing nook in which to pass the time on warm sunny weekends.. live in the moment right? xk

butterfly

this pretty insect was spotted early this morning when my dog forced me out of bed so that he could eat grass. this happens sometimes when he’s eaten a bit too much the night before..

izakaya

just another way of saying little bites of junk food, but it sounded much fancier in japanese.. happy friday! xk