I hope your Monday is off to a great start! I had a yoga private this morning, a coffee meeting and then I shopped and cooked meals for my client.
I haven’t done a weekend recap in a while because my weekends haven’t been much to write about but I thought that putting on real clothes (jeans and dresses) four days in a row warranted a post! I had a really fun weekend that was just the right amount of downtime working on my book and cleaning around the house and getting together with friends. Even though I tend to be introverted, I do best when I don’t sit around at home all weekend. I tend to get kinda cranky and mopey when I do that.
The fun kicked off with a book club meeting on Thursday evening. I am in a book club with a group of women from yoga (although we have a strict no talking about yoga policy!) and I so enjoy our monthly gatherings. We actually have really thoughtful discussions on the books that we read. This month’s book was Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Signature of All Things. Oh was I ready to discuss this book…we spent over an hour talking about it and the group consensus in the end was “did not like”…which I agreed with. Has anyone else read this book? What did you think?
I was very lucky to spend my Friday getting a little pampering. My friend Ariana was in town and got my brows looking in shape again. I have such dark, strong brows that I really have to stay on top of them. I received more pampering last week in the form of a glycolic and retinol peel from Carolina Facial Plastics. This is a no makeup shot!
Friday night I got dressed up to meet friends at The Wine Shop for dinner and wine.
I ordered a salad with mixed greens, goat cheese, bacon, mushrooms and grilled chicken and cleaned my plate. So delicious.
I spent Saturday morning practicing and teaching yoga and then stopped by the farmers market to pick up meat, eggs and flowers for the week. While I was there I also snagged these South Carolina strawberries…the first local ones I’ve seen of the season!
I love getting flowers at the farmers market because these big bouquets are only $10. I can split them into two arrangements and a bud vase for the bedroom. I also bought parsley, cilantro and basil to plant for the summer.
I spent Saturday cleaning and book writing and then got all dressed up again to meet a friend at Vivace for dinner. It was a beautiful evening and we were able to get a table outside on the patio with a view overlooking Charlotte’s downtown.
I didn’t exactly eat healthy at Vivace but it was so good I didn’t care! Saturday night is not time for worrying about carbs and calories. We shared a spring veggie pizza, the most amazing brussels sprouts with this sweet and spicy glaze and calamari.
Look, it’s me dressed up again! I met up with girlfriends for brunch on Sunday after teaching yoga. (Side note, check out my new rug for the living room!)
We met at Rooster’s for brunch and right when I sat down I was offered a $3 bloody mary. How can you say no to that? We also had warm scones and jam for the table.
Can we take a moment to appreciate this salad? It was INCREDIBLE! Arugula, red pepper, radishes, corn, cornbread croutons, goat cheese and seared sea scallops. This is my new favorite salad in Charlotte.
I worked on my book most of Sunday afternoon/evening but impulsively took a break and jumped out of my office chair to go to yoga 10 minutes before class was scheduled to start. I went to Suzanne’s class at Charlotte Yoga and it was beautiful and exactly what I needed. She talked about the Painbody throughout class. It’s Eckhart Tolle’s term for old emotional pain that accumulates inside of us and live within us as a negative energy. I think all of us can use a frequent reminder to let that stuff go. I felt really, really good after the class. There is nothing like a Suzanne class. We are so fortunate to have her in Charlotte!
Tell me something fun about your weekend? What’s the best thing you ate?
The best thing I ate this weekend was a kale, beet, blue cheese and walnut pizza that my mom made me!!
I think your skin looks amazing, I am going to look into treatments from them.
Your weekend looked so fun and that salad with the scallops…I’m going there just for that!!!
that pizza sounds unique but really tasty! i love all three of those things! (you must go to roosters!)
I had a really awesome weekend as well! I had just the right mix of social plans and home time, which basically equals out to a perfect weekend in my mind!
I would love to see more photos of your home furnishing. The way you have that little white shelve set up in the background looks so cute!
thanks! it’s a work in progress but hopefully i can do a home tour soon!
Your skin looks so good! I’m currently going through a “process” to get my skin to a better place. My goal is to be able to go make-up free and feel comfortable. *Fingers crossed*
And the best thing I ate this weekend was a risotto dish I made last night. I added artichoke/spinach pesto and lots of cheese before serving and it was so freaking good. Too bad it takes forever to make!
you will get there. my skin routine has been a MAJOR process but it’s worth the trial and error to get to a routine that works for you!
I LOVE RISOTTO and your variation sounds amazing!
Brat burgers, broccoli salad and vodka lemonade was the best meal of the weekend…not because it was healthy (because it wasn’t!) but because it was the first meal outside on the patio after a very long, cold Midwest winter! 🙂
yay for getting outside. y’all did have a VERY cold and long winter. i think that meal sounds delicious!
I cannot get over how amazing that salad looks! I have never ordered or made a salad that looks that fantastic!
i know, it was super impressive!
I saw Ariana on Friday! A facial and a peel! It doesn’t get any better than that.
love it!
And that salad looks amazing!!!
Your outfits are so cute. I haven’t put on real clothes in… never mind I forget. I am so lazy and live in yoga and running clothes. That’s what working at home does to you.
girl…i hear you. sometimes i go 2 weeks!
Such a fun weekend! Thanks for reminding me about The Wine Shop – I haven’t been there in forever and your salad looked great!
***your skin and your brows look amazing!***
Can’t wait to hear more about your book!
you must go to wine shop. love, love, love and know you will too.
thank you for the sweet compliment!
It does look like an awesome weekend with some really great food! I am loving all the salads!
That stinks about that book…I really only like “Eat, Pray, Love”. Thanks for the heads up! Love that you got dressed up more than once…Hoping I am able to do that next week on some much needed vacation time. HAHA! The food looks fabulous and so do you…I wish we could have dinner and wine together. Some day…XOXO
where are you vacationing!!!???
i will come visit you! 🙂
I cannot believe how stunning you are without makeup! Just beautiful.
The best thing I ate this weekend was a tie: orange maple ginger pulled pork done in the crockpot, and paleo apple cinnamon raisin muffins that were just so moist and delicious.
thanks claire!
omg, both of those eats sound delish!
Sounds like such a fun weekend! I definitely need to start doing some kind of face treatments! Your skin looks amazing!
I went to truck racing at the nascar race track in concord (I’m officially a southerner now- the things you so for the ones you love!!) and went to two hot yoga classes at yoga one!! Love. I want to move to plaza midwood ASAP. Have a great week!
hilary – that is so great about the race! 🙂 and yay for yoga!
Yes we are so lucky to have Suzanne!
You look amazing without makeup! I wish I looked that good without makeup!
The best thing I ate this weekend was a cookie cake I made on Saturday night. Not healthy but SO delicious!
ummm….YUM! that sounds incredible!
What a wonderful (and delicious) weekend! I went out with my girlfriends to an 80s cover band and danced the night away. It was such a blast!
that sounds like so much fun!!!!
Love the new carpet! Haven’t read the book yet, but it is on my list of things to read soon!
The best thing I ate this weekend was a huge ice cream cone (the night before my NIke women’s half) but it helped me PR ; )
mmmm…that sounds AMAZING and CONGRATS on your PR!
Ha I often spend my weekends in workout gear all day so I consider any weekend when I put on real pants a super busy, social weekend 🙂 Looks like you had some delicious food!!
What farmers market do you go to? Your purchases look amazing!
always to the charlotte regional farmers market out by the airport. hands down my #1.
You look so great – and I’m wondering where that black dress is from/if it’s recent? Thanks!!
thanks nicole! it’s from target last year!
Thank you!
I LOVE that rug! I’m looking for a new one. Where did you get it??
Rugs USA. i’ve ordered two rugs from them. they aren’t the best quality ever (but better than like Ikea) and they’re super reasonably priced. they’re always running a huge sale and have free shipping.
Love the rug and I am definitely going to have to try that salad. yum.
I had book club with my girlfriends on Friday night. We all used to be co-workers and now only a few remain, but we still find time at least once a month to catch up and discuss our book. This past month we were each allowed to pick our own title, but it had to be a young adult novel in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. This next month we are all reading the new one from Timothy Schaffert, The Swan Gondola.
I have that Gilbert book on my to-read list, and haven’t heard good things about it.
Cheers to Book Clubs!
let me know if you have any good recommendations of books y’all have read that sparked good discussion/you enjoyed. we’re in the process of selecting books for fall.
A few that come to mind: Code Name Verity (Elizabeth Wein), The Red Garden (Alice Hoffman)…we all really enjoyed this one, The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern)…turning into a movie/ and the audio book is excellent, Olive Kitteridge (Elizabeth Strout), and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Mary Ann Shaffer). These have been our favorites or led to the best discussions.
You certainly were a social butterfly…but productive too!! Such a good work/life balance 🙂