Five on Friday

I'm trying a little something new today and joining this "5 on Friday" link-up.  
Click the logo below and join me!

1.  Florida

A few weekends ago, James and I hitched a ride with my parents to visit my Gram and Mim in Florida.  It was a short weekend (we weren't able to leave until Friday morning and had to be back at work on Tuesday), but it was very nice.  I love looking at the beach...but I much prefer spending my time by the pool.  Never a long enough trip, but it was so nice to see my family and get some time to relax.

2.  Dark & Stormy

I love the Lilly print "Dark and Stormy," but I never knew it was a cocktail!  There was one on the menu at the resort bar in Florida, so I gave it a try.  Rum cocktails are usually my favorite and I am a huge fan of ginger and lime, so this was a no-brainer for me.  It was fantastic!  Definitely something I'd like to try making at home.  Simple and delicious.

3.  Smocking

I have been really interested in smocking for several years.  My mom did a little bit of smocking for my sister and I when we were babies and I think I would love it.  The pleating equipment is fairly expensive (my mom got rid of hers years ago), but I am picky about fabrics so I'm not sure I would want to buy premade dresses to smock.  Have any of you tried it?  Any recommendations?  Any great sources for pre-pleated items that you've found?

4.  My Old Room

My mom has been in the process of redoing my old bedroom at their house.  (I lived there 7th grade through graduation).  It's a terrible cell phone photo, but isn't the room beautiful?  She isn't happy with the wall color, but I think it is perfect with the blue and white (and I love how it matches the monogram on the pillow and scalloped trim of the sheets).  My favorite part is the little oil painting (above the nightstand) that my dad bought.

5.  Scotch Naturals "The Southern Charmer"

I am kind of a nail polish junkie.  I love the bright, fun colors but I tend to stick to nudes because of my job.  I also don't usually have time to re-do polish during the week if it chips, so this makes it less noticeable.   So of course when I saw a snippet in an issue of Southern Living several months ago about this special collaboration they had done with Scotch Naturals for the perfect southern polish color, I snapped it up!  I love the way it looks in this photo, but I'm not sure I'm totally sold on it yet.  I know Scotch Naturals formulas are healthy and eco-friendly, but that (to me) came at the cost of a smooth formula.  The color was a little more apricot than pink, which isn't exactly what I was looking for, either.  I'll give it another shot in a few months and hope that I like the color better with my fall wardrobe than with my spring/summer one.

Relaxed Arkansas Gameday

Since we have been out of town for the last two weekends, I was really looking forward to sitting at home and watching the game this weekend.  While in Florida, I followed the game on Twitter and last weekend in Oklahoma I didn't have enough phone service to follow much of anything.  My parents, sister and brother-in-law, and Natalie came over this morning to hang out and watch with us.  I made a few new recipes (jalapeno popper pulls, saltine toffee) and a few classics (my aunt's lemon bundt cake and cream cheese with spicy cranberry jam).  I usually make a big effort to serve only red and white dishes (that's where my cream cheese with spicy cranberry jam comes in) but I didn't want to do much planning for this weekend.  I love a spicy jam over cream cheese served with Ritz crackers and I had been waiting on an occasion to use the jam we got in Austin, so this was perfect.  I think I could eat the whole plate of it by myself!

My favorite new recipe was P. Allen Smith's Razorback Pom Pom!  I made a couple of adjustments and the result was perfect.  This is definitely something I'll be making again!  (I used cranberry-pomegranate juice and pomegranate vodka).  This photo also makes me think of Christmas, so I'll keep it in mind for that as well.

Our local station that was airing the game had a little bit of an issue with color...where's our Razorback red?!  Just before halftime everything on the station turned a shade of blue.  It was funny and of course my twitter feed was filled with witty comments on the problem... #bluepigsooie! 

My brother in law has been working with Natalie on one of her newest "tricks"...

Touchdown Arkansas! :)