ROPE SWING

Anybody in the New York area can attest to the fact that it was hot as blazes last weekend. And while I wasn't quite prepared for the sweltering temperatures (I mean...what happened to SPRING?)...I was definitely excited to kick off swimming hole season. On Monday our friend Eddie took Justin and I to a spot under the Eddyville Bridge with a big old rope swing. As far as swimming spots go, it isn't as serene as some of our other haunts...and the water definitely isn't quite as clear. (And full disclosure: it may or may not be vaguely contaminated depending on the amount of recent rainfall.) But the rope swing part? SUPER FUN. So c'est la vie.

TONITE!

IN AND OUT OF BLOOM

Last year I was caught off guard by how fleeting the blooming periods were for all the different flowers in our yard. But this year I'm prepared. And I am making every effort to thoroughly enjoy them before they disappear. Like clockwork, the lilac has faded and the rhododendron has opened up in its place. And sadly, it too will be flowerless before I know it. But in the meantime I'm going to soak up all this loveliness streaming through the living room window.

FREE BISHOP ALLEN SHOW

We're playing a show on Friday with our friends, Yellow Ostrich. It's free. And it's right here in Kingston!

Here's the deets: Friday, May 27th at Keegan Ales. Show starts at 9:00pm.

I made some sweet hand stenciled posters for the occasion. And Justin and I have been hanging them around town. So...tell your friends and come join us for some upstate funtimes!

BEIGNETS

Homemade beignets have been on my list of things to try for a while now. We had a couple of friends over for brunch on Sunday and I finally had an excuse to make them. (Brunch is my favorite meal to go overboard with. There are so many yummy options...and I like to serve them ALL.)

I used Paula Deen's recipe and I think they turned out pretty tasty. (I figured if I'm gonna make something deep fried and Southern...Paula Deen is probably my go-to gal.) And I'm pretty sure it's virtually impossible to mess them up. Or ANY kind of fried dough for that matter. It's just inherently DELICIOUS. So...yay for beignets...a pleasure to both cook AND eat. I have a feeling they are going to be a brunch staple around here.

COCKTAIL AREA**

Remember that cocktail area I said I was working on? Well, it's finished! It's actually been finished for a while. But I'm REALLY behind on posting. And I hate that. And so does my mom. So I'm gonna try to be better about it. Let me start by finally posting a picture of this...

I found all of the crates and the wooden wine rack at Zaborski's Emporium (A must-see if you are ever in the Kingston area. Four floors of salvaged junk piled ceiling-high. One of my FAVORITE places to get lost for an afternoon.)

Weathered wood! Chipped paint! Rusty Metal! LOVE. IT. ALL.

And look! I found a home for some of my new prize ribbons.

The table came from a local yard sale ($7!).

I dressed it up with a coat of dark paint, a little bit of sanding, and a custom cut beveled mirror for the top. (Fancy!)

The makeshift artwork is a couple of vintage tea towels that I stretched on boards and framed with some old moulding I picked up at a barn sale.

More chipped paint. YESSSS!

Here's the wide angle...and a teeny, tiny sneak peek at what's been happening in the living room. That's our new couch! More pictures soon.

** I keep calling this a cocktail area. Is that weird? I'd call it a bar...but that doesn't seem right. I mean...there is no bar...or real table...or a place to sit. It's kinda just like a deconstructed liquor cabinet. Hmm...maybe that's what I should call it. Deconstructed liquor cabinet. Sounds avant garde.

MORE PICTURES OF FLOWERS

Ugh. I seriously forgot how rainy spring can be. I really want to share some pictures of my recent home improvements with you...I swear. But the weather isn't cooperating. Gray days are no good for taking photos indoors. So I'm holding out for the sun to break through these clouds.

In the meantime, I'm trying to remind myself that rain isn't ALL bad. Sure, it ruins hiking plans, and canoe trips, and picnics (in other words EVERYTHING I planned on doing last weekend). But it does make flowers grow. So I'm not gonna hold a grudge.

Instead, I'm going to stare at these pictures of the tulip fields in Holland. It's like the ultimate rainy day therapy. I mean...how crazy is it that this cuckoo bananas technicolor dreamcoat of flowers exists? On planet earth. I love it! It's like a giant, living abstract color field painting! Eat your heart out, Mark Rothko.