Weekend Snaps

 Decorative pool lion wearing my favey fave Karen Walker shades

New fabulous chunky turquoise necklace

This doesn't really need a caption, does it?

Amazing steak dinner

Elsie. Can you believe how big she is?

I love summer weekends with nothing to do but relax. Relaxing was the order of the day this weekend. We enjoyed nothing but spending time around the house, cooking, relaxing by the pool and doing the bare minimum. 

I am looking forward to tonight's Bachelorette: The Men Tell All and Monday's finale. Who do you think Ashley is going to choose? Do you care? I'm team Ben all the way. I mean, his occupation is winemaker!!!!

Fingers crossed he gets the final rose...

xoxo

The Canary Diaries

I Love: Blueprint Cleanse

Blueprint Cleanse juices

I've always been really skeptical of cleanses of any kind, mainly because I tend to get cranky without food for any period over four hours, but before a beach vacation earlier this year I decided I needed a little intense dieting. Thus, I tried the Blueprint Cleanse. Basically, it is just being vegan for five days (two-three prep days and then the three days of vegan juice (six juices per day). No caffeine, no sugar, no real food. It was challenging I am not going to lie, but I felt amazing and my skin looked fantastic. It's a little pricey, I actually bought mine through a Daily Candy sale so it was a bit less expensive. But, trust me, it is worth it!

If you're still skeptical, but want to try it out, I would try the prep steps for a couple of days, which is also a great cleanse.

No:

Meat

Caffeine

Sugar

Bread

Starches

Yes:

Lettuce

Avocado

Melon (all of one kind of melon so it is easier to digest)

Clear broth (vegetable)

Water with lemon juice

Herbal tea

Sweet potatoes

Brown rice

Steamed brocoli or spinach

As I am writing this I know I sound like a crazy person, and I am certainly not a doctor.

But seriously, you feel so great after doing it I just had to share!

The Canary Diaries

Summer Reading List

Remember when summer reading lists were an annoyance? Now they are an indulgence of the best kind. In addition to the above I am currently reading Keith Richard's autobiography, Life (one word, "Wow.") and, just for fun I read, Chelsea Handler's Are You There Vodka, It's Me Chelsea (yes I know I am about 3 years late on that one). All are fantastic in very different ways. I have yet to make anything out of GP's book. Mostly I just stare at the pictures and will myself to look like her. It's not totally working, but I'll keep you posted.

What are you reading?

The Canary Diaries

Savannah, for realsies

As discussed more than three months ago, I had a lovely springtime visit to Savannah, Georgia. My dear friend Kalee of The Consummate Hostess gave me some amazing suggestions. She is a Southern belle in every sense of the word and can offer travel advice for just about anywhere. She has an amazing blog that is not to be missed. Herewith are several of her suggestions and a few of mine.

Stay: 

The Kehoe House, http://www.kehoehouse.com/, 912.232.1020

Located on Columbia Square, it is within walking distance from the downtown area, but far enough away from the bustling parts to be relaxing and quiet. The porch is amazing and the service was top notch.

Glasses of wine on the porch at The Kehoe House

Eat:

The Olde Pink House, 23 Abercorn Street, 912.232.4286

A charming restaurant and bar. It used to be a bank among other things and we ate next to the old vault. We had the Planter's Punch, shrimp and grits (a must in the South, truly) and some incredible oysters. All were fabulous.

Socialize:

Pinkie Master's, 318 Drayton Street, 912.238.0447

A dive bar with a lot of character and tons of locals. One guy actually asked us "How the heck did you find out about this place?" Overall it is just a fun place to get, you guessed it, a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.

The Mansion on Fosyth Park

Imbibe:

The Mansion on Forsyth Park, http://www.mansiononforsythpark.com, 912.238.5158

The spiked Arnie Palmer here is a must. And, as an aside, Savannah is a to-go cup city like New Orleans. After you've cooled off with a beverage wander over to Forsyth Park and don't miss the beautiful Parisian-style Forsyth fountain, dedicated in 1858. Fun fact: St. Patty's Day is a huge deal in Savannah and they dye the fountain water green just for the occasion.

The Forsythe Fountain

 Tybee Island Lighthouse

 See:

Tybee Island Lighthouse, http://www.tybeelighthouse.org/

Such a fun day trip. We went to the Tybee Island Lighthouse and climbed the steps to the top. Then promptly made up for all of that exercise with some cocktails and fried shrimp at one of the darling eateries on the beach. 

View from the top of the Tybee Island Lighthouse

Other fun things to do/see: 

-The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

 -The Eliza Thompson House (another beautiful and historic place to stay)

-The birthplace of Juliet Gordon Low (the founder of the the Girl Scouts)

-Antiquing at any of the amazing shops

-Cherry Picked Consignments (seriously, I found a Calypso dress, Tory Burch tunic and bib necklace for under $150 total)

Happy Travels!

The Canary Diaries

Open Letter

Dear Blake Lively,

How do you do it? Time and time again you turn up looking absolutely fantastic on every level. You can even wear something like the photo below and look great (and pretty while pouting, argh!)...

But seriously, let's talk about the first photo above. I mean, you are clearly a "summer" complexion, yet somehow the red hair looks amazing on you.  And, you're wearing a mermaid dress and you still look bananas. It's disgusting, honestly.

Please stop showing off.

Sincerely,
The Canary Diaries

Procrastination=My Friend

Hi there! It's been a while, and that promise about posting on our Savannah vacation is just embarrassing at this point. Apologies all around. What have I been up to? A little of this, a little of that. In summation:

I saw this awesome mid-century house in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright. Much of the furniture is built in,  which sounds so not chic. But, surprise! It was awesome. Who knew? This photo is the view up from the fireplace. Such a cool view.

Celebrated the Royal Wedding with gusto in the form of a very old Burberry headband and scones. If you're wondering, there is no occasion I won't bake scones for. Sorry for the dirty hair and workout clothes, I mean it was four in the morning.

And, speaking of the Royal Wedding I realized I was slightly too obsessed when a friend of mine brought this back from her trip to England. I believe I shrieked when she gave it to me. If there was a fire in my house, I would save my dogs and this decorative plate.

Enjoyed a visit to Carmel by the Sea and went in to Carmel Valley for some wine tasting. It's kind of amazing the weather there. Carmel by the Sea is surrounded on one side by mountains and the fog that comes off the sea works like an air conditioner to keep it cool, but inland in the valley it is about 15-20 degrees hotter. It's science y'all.

I have purchased way too many throw pillows. As evidenced by this photo my poor dogs barely fit on the couch now. But I have to say, throw pillows are such a great and cost-effective way to change a room. P.S. I also have a pair of darker patterned pillows hidden in a closet for when the weather changes. Is there a support group for this? I need help.

Meanwhile, Luke found a place to nap, which makes brushing one's teeth interesting.

I celebrated my sister's 21st birthday with a fun night on the town. Check out her awesome blue nails. It's from OPI's Shrek line. I'm pretty sure she and Shrek himself are the only people who can pull that off. 

Also, I am very into layering jewelry these days. Like so:

The wooden beads are prayer beads my brother brought back from Egypt. He's pretty cool.

Now that I reflect on this I realize I need to get serious hobby, y'all.

xoxo

The Canary Diaries