Gentlemen of the Road Stopover: Guthrie

I'm a little late with this post, but several weeks ago James and I headed to Guthrie, Oklahoma for Mumford and Sons' Gentlemen of the Road tour.  We left Wednesday night after work and made the roughly five-hour drive to just north of Oklahoma City.  We set up camp about 10pm and took a little tour of the venue.

It was really exciting to see the stage set up for the first time, but of course our first stop was for beer.  We misunderstood the rules of the campground and didn't bring any drinks with us, so we paid the hefty price for a twelve pack of Mustang Brewery's special edition Stopover Session Ale.

Thursday afternoon we made the walk a few blocks into the old downtown.  All of Guthrie was decked out for the stopover and it was so much fun to see all of the signs, shop windows, and just general enthusiasm for the event.

We ate lunch at the Blue Belle Saloon... 

and caught a group of "wild west" re-enactors in the middle of a gunfight!

Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors (one of my very, very favorite bands) played on the downtown stage that afternoon.  Besides Mumford and Sons, they were the highlight of my trip.  Unfortunately Ellie had to stay with their baby, but the show was great anyway.  We got to meet Drew (again) after the show and get an autograph and photo.  (I'll spare you that photo since we had been out all day in nearly 100 degrees!)

It sounds terrible, but we did spend a lot of time at our little campsite.  We had great "neighbors" and with the crazy heat, we needed the time to rest during the day.

 Saturday afternoon, we camped out at the main stage to see Alabama Shakes (amazing show!!) and get a good spot for Mumford and Sons.  We took a quilt and I may or may not have caught a quick nap in between sets.  This was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. :)

We weren't very close to the stage (I'd rather enjoy the music than fight to keep my position) but it was an awesome show.  Mumford and Sons played an almost two hour set, including an incredibly long encore and two Beatles' songs with special appearances by all of the other bands from the tour. 

 I had read what others said about previous stopovers before we went, but I truly didn't expect to have such a great time.  The music was incredible, the historic downtown was right up my alley, and I really, really enjoyed the time with James.  I definitely wouldn't rule out another stopover next year!

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! :)

Lately...

I haven't done much worthy of an entire post lately, but my instagram account can give you a glimpse into what we've been up to:

Top Row, Left to Right:
1.  We have a pretty extensive vinyl collection.  One of my "new" (not vintage) favorites is Of Monsters and Men.  I bought this last year and was so excited to see that the record was hot pink when I opened it up!
2.  Lots and lots of beer.  James is a home brewer, so we drink lots of home brew and taste lots of others.  This is one of our favorites--Bell's Two Hearted Ale.
3.  We have loved the few cool weekends we've had this summer and have taken full advantage by hiking (something we normally reserve for spring and fall).  A couple of weekends ago we took a picnic to Petit Jean State Park and ate lunch with a beautiful view!
4.  My embroidery machine has gotten a little bit of a workout as well.  I love a simple monogrammed oxford.

Bottom Row, Left to Right:
1.  Arkansas's own Pineapple Whip!  Tastes just like Disney World and has been fabulous on the many hot days we've had this summer. :)  We even took a quart home to have with cake for my sister's birthday.
2.  Tons of Lilly wearing lately!  I've been cramming a lot in the last few weeks especially--only a few days of Lilly season left now!
3.  Never enough time with Natalie and those precious little legs!
4.  Love going to the farmer's market and making dinner with all of the seasonal veggies.  Last time we stopped by we got neat flavored popsicles from Le Pops.  Delicious!  Mine was pineapple and cilantro. It was fabulous.

Natalie's First Birthday

Last weekend was Natalie's first birthday!  We all went out to supper at a Japanese hibachi restaurant (she's been before but this time was not a fan) and then had her party that evening.  

My sister went with a classic pink theme this year since we know Natalie will have her own preferences in the future!  I love these monogrammed cookies.

She enjoyed her own little smash cake...

and (after a little clean-up) lots of presents!

 (with a little help from some friends!)

I can't believe this sweet little girl is already a year old, but I can't wait to see what kind of spunky personality she develops! :)

Happy birthday, Natalie!  Your Aunt Ellen loves you!

Fourth of July Party!

We had a great day yesterday with friends and family.  The weather has been nice this week so we were able to stay outside most of the day.  I love any excuse to put together a table!  We kept all the food inside, so the outdoor table was for drinks and fireworks.

(I got this wreath idea from Puttin' on the G.R.I.T.S.)

We ate, talked, played games....  

 (our favorite local hot dogs)

(strawberry pretzel salad)

(and I took advantage of the new dill in our herb garden and made this potato salad)

And it was Natalie's first Independence Day!

Then we enjoyed fireworks into the night.

Hope everyone had a great fourth of July!  How did you celebrate?

Happy Independence Day!

I've always been patriotic.  I feel a deeper, more personal connection to Independence Day than I do to any other holiday.  I grew up as an Army brat (my dad retired as a Colonel after 28 years) and I really miss hearing the National Anthem playing over loud speakers across an installation and seeing everyone get out of their cars to salute and cover their hearts.  
I remember that touching me, even as a kid. 

One of my very first memories is of singing Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" while swinging on the playground at my preschool.  I would practice my high-swing and sing it over and over and over. 



As a kid, Dad made every effort for us to visit all 50 states in America.  (I've only been to 45 so far, but I know I'll make it to all of them one day.)  My mom is up for a trip anywhere and Dad wanted us to experience all we could, so we traveled A LOT.  Dad always got a photo of
us with every state sign.  A lot of them are in the middle of the night with the only illumination coming from the headlights of my parents' Suburban.  "Kids, wake up!  We're hitting another state!"  Nearly all of my memories of childhood center on the road.

I remember laying my head over the back seat of the car the summer I was thirteen, driving through the empty desert in Arizona, staring into the darkest, starriest sky I'd ever seen.  The thoughts I contemplated on that trip still affect me in my core.








I remember eating the spiciest gingerbread and huddling into a tiny--and warm!--blacksmith shop at Colonial Williamsburg the winter I was seven.  Every time I smell wood burning, I'm transported back to my first--and foggy, and drizzly, yet fantastic--trip to the historical triangle in Virginia (a trip that inspired a still very deep love of American history).







I remember the 20-something hour drive Dad made (in one stretch) from southern Georgia to South Dakota because he'd "always wanted to see Mount Rushmore."  We saw it...and a million prairie dogs, the Badlands, and sunflowers bigger than our heads.  

I remember Dad giving a man in Times Square a bite of his pretzel, just because he asked.  I remember being amazed by the height of the Statue of Liberty and by the mist from Niagara Falls on that same trip.

I remember not being able to take my eyes off of Chimney Rock as we approached from miles away.  I remember driving every back road in Wyoming trying to find wagon-wheel rutts that were supposedly still visible from the Oregon Trail (we never found them) and running around the Dalton Gang hideout with my brother and sister.

I remember peering into the Grand Canyon with my sister while my poor (deathly-afraid-of-heights) mom hollered for us to "get back!"




I remember riding on the back of a horse down the narrowest, steepest trails in Big Bend National Park and walking across the border to Juarez so I could say I'd visited Mexico.  

I remember drinking coffee and eating beignets at Cafe Du Monde...and a muffaletta and Zapps at Central Grocery...and countless other treats shared with my grandparents in New Orleans.

I remember the chills I got when I stepped off of the ferry and onto Fort Sumter during my first trip to Charleston (where Mom took me for my senior trip in high school).  

I remember taking frequent jaunts off of I-40 to ride on the fragments still left of the original Route 66...and sharing a HUGE strawberry shortcake at The Big Texan, a photo opportunity at the Cadillac Ranch, and a creepy night at the historic, haunted St. James Hotel in New Mexico.

The U.S. has such an amazing history and such an awesome span of natural wonders and cultures.  I could honestly write forever about my love for this country.  I feel truly blessed to have been born (although ironically, not in the country) a United States citizen.  Independence Day reminds me not to take that for granted.