THOUGHTS ON THOUGHTFULNESS WITH TINYPRINTS

After spending so much time abroad and then coming home, I started to look at the way I was communicating with my friends and family. Most of the young people in my generation have had the best of both worlds in regards to ways  of communication: we were around for the pre-social media age as well as the rise in social media/technology. Naturally though, many of us have gone with the easier forms of communication like text messages, e-mails, facebook messages, etc. When I was in Costa Rica I realized that I had taken our postal system for granted because down there, there is no formal mailing system and most places don't even have a real address. 

Now that I am home, I have been finding ways to send more hand-written notes to the people I care about. We are so unaccustomed these days to sending and receiving hand-written notes that I was able to really surprise a few friends with some just thinking of you and wanted you to know cards. Their reactions and appreciative words from a simple card really show that thoughtfulness goes a long way. It really shows you that the energy you put into this world is what you often times will get out of it!

I was recently introduced to the website Tiny Prints and wanted to explore their newest designs. I was blown away by the selection of stationary and thank you cards that Tiny Prints has to offer and it was almost too hard to choose. Not to mention, the people at Tiny Prints were so lovely to work with that I cannot say enough good things about this experience. I ended up with the gorgeous personalized stationary cards you can see above as well as matching address labels. I am so excited to start sending out more notes to my friends just because. Tiny Prints was also so gracious to offer me my own personalized notepad so that I can stay on top of everything. Even though it is summer right now, graduate school and life responsibilities never end (thank you, adulthood!). Since I am 100% a lists person, I could not turn down the opportunity of a notepad with my name on it! Not to mention I was able to find one that pretty much matches my blog design perfectly. Meant to be? I think yes.

PRETTY PLACE

Still going back (probably too many weeks now) to Memorial Day weekend, I found one of my new favorite places ever. Pretty Place. We were walking in town one day during the town's festival and I noticed a photograph almost identical to the last one right above here. I thought it was so stunning and something about it just caught my heart off guard. My dad said, oh that's Pretty Place. It turns out, this beautiful little chapel up on a mountain is where my grandmother's ashes were scattered about 20 years ago. My father also told me that it was essentially right now down the road from us. Why I had never been there, I wasn't sure! So we took a trip there and we were able to snap a few pictures of this incredibly beautiful spot. Sometimes I forget that you don't have to travel out of the country or even very far from your home to find some amazing places that you never knew existed.

Last two pictures courtesy of my dad.

BERRY PIE FOR TWO

When I was in North Carolina for Memorial Day Weekend, my family did something that we literally cannot go on vacation without doing: we shopped for pottery. Our favorite spot in NC is Mud Dabbers and this year I stumbled upon the cutest pie pan. I'm not gonna lie .. I wasn't really interested in anything in the store that didn't have some purple in it and I definitely was not in the market for a pie pan. But I saw that this one had some beautiful purple colors in it and it had a little recipe taped to the bottom entitled Berry Pie for Two. A miniature purple pie pan with a recipe for miniature pie? Of course I bought it.

Here's how you make pie for two!

What you need:

What you do:

Place the full sized pie crust in the center of the pie and cut the extra crust off the edges.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and then put the mixture into the pie pan.

Use the left over pie crust to cover the mixture. I used strips but feel free to cover it any way that you think makes it look the best! Then I placed the small pan on a baking sheet in a cold oven and turned it on to 425. The recipe said to cook for 40 minutes but it only took about 30 before the pie was golden brown so I took it out. I would say just keep an eye on it.

Now I know what you're all thinking ... I don't have a miniature pie pan! You can use the same recipe just use 2.5-3 times the ingredients. You will also need two pie crusts, one for the bottom and one to cover the pie, depending on how you want the design to be. That's really all there is to it!

This was the first pie I've ever made and I'll give myself a little pat on the back because it was delicious. And now it's gone :)

linking up today with Nicole's Treat Yo' Self linkup!

SHERWOOD FOREST

During our stay in North Carolina there was the cutest picnic gathering for Memorial Day. The wooded community that my parents will be living in is called Sherwood Forest and continues the theme throughout the entire community, as you can see with the Robin Hood Barn where the picnic was located. It really is quite cute and made for such a quaint picnic. My brother, his wife, and I only got to spend a few days down there but we already know we can't wait to go back!

NORTH CAROLINA VACATION

A few weeks after the fact but .. for Memorial Day Weekend, my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and I all came together in my parents' new house in North Carolina. When my brother and I were kids, this was our family vacation spot and many years later, my parents decided to purchase a house here! We had so much fun exploring this lake and the forest around it that we had spent hours playing in when we were children. We both decided that everything looked just a little bit smaller now than before ;)

I have many more pictures from these three days of vacation so be prepared for a few more posts with lots of pictures of the North Carolina scenery that I couldn't get enough of.