Today I am 24, so I thought it would be befitting to post some old pics of a 23-year-old me in my old apartment. I love living in an old house in Denver and working in the heart of downtown in an old historic building, but a part of me misses this old apartment sometimes. I had more roomies then, and there was always someone to chat with in our big, light open space. My year of being 23 (and a redhead) brought me HUGE life lessons, my first job, my first unemployment experience, two kitties and lots of new shoes. In fact, I thought to myself the other day that I should slow down on the shoe buying a) for my pocketbook’s sake and b) because my closet does not grow exponentially per year as my shoe collection does. Tonight I’m going out for sushi at Sushi Den with lots of fabulous people, enjoying the beginning of fall, and my 20′s– because I know I will miss this time one day.

]]> http://savorthesweet.wordpress.com/2010/09/14/24/feed/ 1 Amanda 100_1088 100_0970 http://savorthesweet.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/orange-iced-tea/ http://savorthesweet.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/orange-iced-tea/#comments Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:00:52 +0000 Amanda http://savorthesweet.wordpress.com/?p=1088 ]]>

Since I’ve never been a fan of milk, any kind of juice was my go-to beverage as a kid. As an adult, the only justification for consuming sugary fruit juice is if I can somehow combine it with caffeine as well. Iced tea is the perfect way to accomplish this while giving into a sweet tooth, and that’s why this Giada de Laurentiis recipe for sparkling orange iced tea was begging for a place in my fridge. The end result was cool, citrusy and refreshing and added just the right amount of pep to get some weekend chores done.

Crazy work schedules have me coming home and collapsing on the couch in a heap…apparently I’ve got a strong shopping compulsion as a remedy… I cannot WAIT for these to arrive at my door.

The weather this weekend was perfect. Summary temps on Saturday and Sunday were perfect for hitting the farmer’s market, watching college football, and getting an early start to online birthday shopping (yes, I birthday shop for myself). I could wear breezy fabrics, bright colors and feel perfectly content. These Colin Stuart pink patent leather pumps were purchased for work wear, but I couldn’t resist pulling them out to pair with a favorite skirt. The gold heels create an even girly-er vibe– and although I used to detest skirts in high school, I must say the ladylike trend for fall has me seeing flouncy skirts, patent leather, tailoring and lipsticks in the most delicious berries, corals and lilacs.

Top: Victoria's Secret
Skirt: F21
Shoes: Colin Stuart
Ring and Earrings: ? Graduation Gift

I’m often intimidated by egg dishes, as there are so many ways for the process to go wrong.  Since Mike and I usually eat breakfast at work at our respective offices, we decided that it was important to have a big, special Labor Day breakfast with this Eggs Florentine recipe and our favorite spicy Bloody Mary’s. Since egg poaching is definitely not my forte, I left that task for Michael while putting together the incredibly easy spinach cream sauce, prosciutto crumbles and tomato slices. It was the perfect weekend breakfast to accompany the weekend paper and chat about the college football.

{at the table later that night}

Although temperatures pushed 90-degrees this weekend, I decided to make something warm and hearty for Sunday dinner to offer my boyfriend something familiar while he got over a summer cold (which are always more terrible than winter ones). The process was a bit tricky compared to the usual simple dishes I make, but in the end it was well worth it and I’m proud to say that I’ll definitely make pot pies again when the weather gets cooler. In order to make the preparation a bit easier on myself, I decided to use a combination of the chicken pot pie recipes by Tyler Florence and Ina Garten (the former required breaking down a full chicken and simmering for 45 minutes: no, and the latter making pastry dough from scratch: no. By combining both recipes, I cut out the hard work and streamlined the process for a result that was gooey, comforting and every bit as flaky as I remembered from childhood.

{olive oil, salt, pepper, and a bit of Parmesan on top}

I’ve got a little office project going on. No, I’m not writing a press release for a client or working on a pitch to win a new deal as I do at work– I’m redoing our office space. As is, our office is a bland and slightly gross combination of old furniture, litter boxes, white walls, and an algae-ridden fish tank. I’m very much the type of person who has a hard time in my outside world if my home base is cluttered/messy, and right now clearing papers, magazine clippings and notebooks off the kitchen table every night is getting a bit old. I think the most inspirational place to dream up new blog ideas, craft projects and is an area with clean lines, lots of organization, and a pop of color. And apparently, the most inspirational place to dream up this inspirational space is the bathroom sink, as this came to me whilst brushing my teeth. Here is my vision of a perfect mint-colored office space (maybe it was the the toothpaste creeping into my subconscious) filled with gold and yellow details, crisp white lines, and best of all, streamlined organization.

• The Container Store Galvanized Cube Desk with Sycamore Top: $263.94
• Overstock.com “The Kiss” in Gold Frame: $180.99
• CB2 Cachao Grellow Chair: $99
• CB2 Crane Grellow Desk Lamp: $99
• The Container Store Brocade Pencil Cup: $4.99
• The Container Store Brocade Letter Sorter: $7.99
• Crate&Barrel White Alarm Clock: $29.95
• Crate&Barrel Mini Slanted Jar: $1.95
• Crate&Barrel Raj Gold/Silver Votive: $3.95
• Better Living Through Design Solid Gold Pen Set: $10

I’ve been admittedly hibernating  a bit on the weekends. My PR firm is fast-paced, exciting, demanding, and everything wonderful I could ask for in a career aside from calm– but that’s what home is for anyways. This weekend was for cooking, BBQ outside with family, new-baby holding (my boyfriend’s new niece Lilyana), rearranging my small space, napping under the light of lavender candles, and a bit of online shopping. Weekends like this get me thoroughly ready for the week ahead, and give me a chance to delight my inner homebody.

{The Dude and Hank: afternoon catnaps}

{flea market finds perfect for the deck}

{dirty martinis on Sunday}

{bike rescued from the dust of the garage for anytime riding}