For the Love of the Water

a summer smattering

WATCHING

Poster via Stephanie Gilmore website

During the summertime the only place I want to be is near a body of water, but sometimes it’s too hot in Florida for even the beach! On those bright balmy days I blast the air conditioning, needlepoint, and turn on Make or Break.

Make or Break is a reality tv show on Apple TV that follows world renowned surfers around the globe as they compete for world titles. Not only are the locations gorgeous, but I love learning about the competitive world of surfing.

READING

You know a book is beloved when it is dog eared and there are coffee stains on the front. This is a classic.

LISTENING

One of my favorite magazines is The Surfer’s Journal, a magazine focused on surfing & the lifestyle behind it. The publication is self proclaimed as “more like a book than a magazine” and I have to agree. Their features are beautiful & interesting and the photographs could easily be framed and used as decoration. Every issue is a delight.

The Surfer’s Journal podcast “Soundings” hosted by Jamie Brisick features interviews with not only surfers but also artists, writers, business owners, and those whose love of the ocean influences their life and work. The conversations are thoughtful & informative. I highly recommend listening.

The episode above is with Carolyn Murphy, the model whose Estee Lauder advertisements sprinkled the pages of magazines growing up.

OBSESSING

I learned about the Tula Glow & Get It Cooling & Brightening Eye Balm from an interview Meg Carter did with The Island Hopper. I apply this every morning and evening. I don’t know if it’s really doing anything, but I adore the way it feels!

I have a closet of full of unworn clothes, so I have no business looking at anything new BUT the summer collections are calling my name. Ocean teals, lavenders, and pinks are in every collection inspired by the beach. The collection I’m loving the most, and in particular have no business purchasing, is Pucci for MyTheresa. A girl can dream…& window browse!

One of my favorite activities is seashell & seaglass hunting at the beach. However, after years of collecting my seashell & seaglass collection runneth over. I’ve turned to Pinterest for ideas on how to use seaglass in particular. I adore the little fishes above and am going to try and replicate. Will share my results!

A seashell composition I created a few years ago.

STITCHING

Scotch Checker Stitch

I needlepoint the most during the summer, especially smaller projects like this bikini canvas by Cedar Street Stationery. For no particular reason summer is also the time that I find myself trying new stitches.

For the bikini canvas above I wanted the background to resemble shimmering pool tiles. After browsing a few stitch books I settled on Scotch Checker, and I used variegated threads for the both the flat & glitter sections to achieve the sparkling pool tiles! I adore how this project turned out and cannot wait to see it finished.

My next project is this Key Lime Pie ornament that will be restocked soon. I am marinating on a few different background stitches, but am open to suggestions! Please let me know if there is a background stitch you recommend!

DOING

Shown above is Bill Granger’s Coconut Bread, a go to recipe

This past winter I began sharing recipes every Thursday on Lycette’s emails. Sourcing recipes, baking them, and reviewing them has quickly become the highlight of my week. The practice of cooking or baking weekly has also inspired me to start hosting more.

This past weekend we had a small taco night get together. Greg grilled shrimp, steak, and chicken and I prepared the sides and baked Alison Roman’s Yellow Sheet Cake with homemade chocolate frosting.

While the tacos and cake were appreciated (shout out to Meat Church seasoning) the star of the show was a pineapple & peach salsa from Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan. I completely forgot to snap any pics of said salsa, but please trust that this recipe is not only delicious but also very pretty & colorful. While the recipe calls for the salsa to be made right before serving, I mixed it a few hours prior and let it marinate in the fridge. I also eyeballed all of the measurements and used more pineapple than recommended (it is my favorite fruit). For the hot sauce I dashed a generous amount of Cloud 23 Sweet Jalapeño hot sauce, a favorite at our house.

Pineapple Peach Salsa

1/4 lb ripe tomatoes (plum, round, or grape)

1/4 medium red onion, finely chopped or diced, rinsed and patted dry

1/4 large red or yellow bell pepper, finely shopped or diced

2 peaches, unpeeled, pitted and finely chopped or diced

1/8 pineapple, cored and finely chopped or diced

1 wide stripe jalapeno, or to taste, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Freshly squeezed lime juice

Hot sauce

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

xo,

Mrs. N