{Over the Weekend} Moving Prep, Shop Love and Curried Shrimp

After a long week of this:

Sunday-Friday

We needed a little of this:

Of Monsters and Men Concert on Wednesday Night

And this:

Friday Evening Happy Hour

Before trying to sell this:

Saturday

and pack up the basement, attic, guest room, etc. {See Moving Sale updates here.} We spent Saturday and some of Sunday chatting with our Dad's for Father's Day, moving items to the storage area in our new apartment {more on this later}, and getting a few odds and ends for the move.
We stopped in The Strip District for a jar or two of spices for our Sunday night dinner, and were drawn into Roxanne's Dried Flower Shop. 

It's a wonderful shop to explore, and they sell everything from terrariums to arrangements. 

Yes, they have "fresh stuff".

What a lovely shop!
They have classes, too. If you want to learn how to make a terrarium, they're teaching a class this coming Thursday (6/27) from 6pm-8pm for $35. All supplies, lecture and light refreshments included. What a deal! Call 412.281.6950 to make your reservation.

We then made out way over to Shadyside to do some errands. Soba now has a patio area! These tables accompany their new space in the corner building. Who wants to go check it out with me?

We ended the weekend with a curry.

This is a peppercorn shrimp curry with a coconut milk sauce, from the 660 Curries cookbook. 

It features chunky peppercorns, tumeric, coconut milk, and curry leaves. Good stuff.

I served it with a saffron and cumin spiked polenta, reminiscent of shrimp and grits. Can't take the Southern out of the girl...

It made enough for class night dinners and lunches. Perfect.

{Peppercorn Shrimp with Coconut Milk}

Adapted from 660 Curries

Ingredients

2 T Ground Tumeric

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 lb large shrimp

2 T canola oil

2 t Mustard Seeds

1 can light coconut milk

1/4 c fresh curry leaves

1 T lightly crushed peppercorns

salt

Instructions

Combine Tumeric and garlic in a resealable plastic bag, and add shrimp. Toss to coat, then marinate for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight. Heat oil in a large skillet, add mustard seeds and cover. Let them pop for about 30 seconds, then add shrimp. Sear on each side for 30 seconds. Pour in coconut milk, curry leaves, peppercorns and salt. Cook for 1 minute for flavors to begin to meld, then removed shrimp to a warm plate. Continue to cook the sauce until reduced and thickened, 2-4 minutes. Arrange shrimp over rice or polenta, then spoon sauce over top. Serve!

How was your weekend? Did you get any relaxing time in with your Dad? 

Over the Weekend: Tacos, Target {+ Neiman Marcus} & Tours

After a long week of getting back into the swing of things after a fantastic 4+ day holiday break, I was ready for a cocktail.  A coworker and I planned a happy hour for Friday evening at a favorite of mine in Lawrenceville.  It was a merry group!

Festive wall paper/ceiling.

{Shop Love} Neiman Marcus + Target Collection

You guys, the southern girl in me has emerged in giddy smiles.
I got a very exciting email today from Target.
Not personally, but you know what I mean. 
They are launching a partnership with Neiman Marcus {read Stanley Marcus, of hometown fame} this December.  They've brought in designs and products from some of Neiman Marcus' best designers and lines, and there's some pretty fabulous items for the home and travel.

Take a look at the collection here.

A few of my favorites:

Source: target.com via Cristin {Ashley} on Pinterest

Source: target.com via Cristin {Ashley} on Pinterest

Source: target.com via Cristin {Ashley} on Pinterest

Source: target.com via Cristin {Ashley} on Pinterest

Source: target.com via Cristin {Ashley} on Pinterest

Source: target.com via Cristin {Ashley} on Pinterest

These lovelies are available in both Target and Neiman's, and can be found online - all on December 1st. What can't you live without this holiday season?

Secret Love

Secretly, I look forward to the days that Husband has to go into work early.
No, I’m not being a spiteful wife when I say this, but rather I’m delighted in the fact that I’ll need to walk to work that morning, passing by one of my favorite bake shops in the whole of Pittsburgh.

I wake up at my normal time, getting ready as Husband kisses me goodbye and heads for the door. I finish by throwing on a pair of running shoes, replacing my usual heels or flats of the day. After turning my key in the lock, I speed-walk down my street and around the corner to the busy main neighborhood drag, quickening my steps as I go.

As I begin to get a bit misty from the speed-walk, I think of the lovely items I might purchase that morning. Will it be a loaf of fresh bread? A glassy apricot tart? Or, better yet, a sandwich for lunch? I know it will all be worth it, as I kid myself into thinking, “I’m burning the calories in my breakfast by walking to work today!”

I walk up to the bakery storefront just in time to enter the recently unlocked door. I silently cheer as I get closer to the case of baked goods and begin choosing what I’ll have on this cherished rare morning. The lighted case smiles back at me as I decide on a sandwich for lunch and a large coffee with lots of cream. Real cream.

I fill up my large travel mug with coffee after I pay for my treats, spilling some hot coffee on my fingers. I tell the shop workers to “have a good day, y’all,” and wipe off the spilled coffee, going out the door. My bag full with a baguette sandwich of prosciutto and cornichons, I pad up the 1-mile hill to my office. Lunchtime seems so far away!

via BeezusKiddo

Sewickley Saturday

This afternoon, I'm doing my usual weekend ritual of blogging while doing laundry at my favorite laundromat in Shadyside. While waiting on my clothes to get sloshy-fresh, I'll recount my day stay-cation with Husband from now two weekends ago in Sewickley. {I promise, this will be the last Sewickley post for a while.}

We began our stay-cation to Sewickley by driving over the 40th Street Bridge across the Allegheny River, then veered out towards our destination. It was a foggy morning, which is somewhat typical in PGH during transitional weather times.

We arrived in Sewickley at 9:30AM, full of coffee and ready for the day. Our first stop was the Sewickley Spa, where I'd arranged for both Husband and I to have a de-knotting neck and back treatment. This is the most popular treatment, and that's surely because it's a great relief for those that work at a computer all day.  

The spa is in a covered house on Beaver Street, one of the main drags in the small town of Sewickley. This is typical for many other small businesses in the area. 

Adorable, yes?

I snapped a quick photo of Husband and I before we went in for our treatment. 

Inside, the house was outfitted with serene decorations/colors. I was cavalier enough to take a few photos while changing into my robe in the bathroom. {I didn't want to be that person.}

After our glorious de-knotting massage treatment, we decompressed in the waiting area. We had our choice of hot tea, lemon water, trail mix, little cakes, and tarts. Of course, we HAD to sample them all.

Husband's declaration of manhood.

We sat there for a good half hour, and weren't disturbed at all. Lovely.

As we were leaving, we noticed a small water feature in the front of the house, complete with little goldfish.

Now that the relaxation was over, it was time to get down to business. We walked up Beaver Street, and enjoyed the "small town-ness" of it all.

We stopped at The Sewickley Cafe for an early lunch {read the review here}, and began shopping in the boutiques and shops afterwards. Evidently, Sewickley was having a soup crawl, and many of the shop owners were participating. {So, WHY did we go PAY for lunch?!?}

Our first stop was in House 15143, which featured a soup from Vivo Kitchen {another restaurant on my wish list}.

A word about the shop - it's incredible. It was a reflection of what we're hoping to achieve in our guest room*, colors and all. Grey and yellow are my "thing" right now. And chevron, it seems.

House 15143 is trendy without being vapid. Sometimes home decor can be just "what's hot" rather than useful. Case-in-point. 

Husband enjoyed the wall of candles, before we moved on. {If you saw my elated post on Facebook, I'll discuss that pillow later!}

We walked along the main streets of Sewickley, and I captured a few photos as we dodged the hungry soup-crawlers.

Inside another home decor shop on Beaver St.

The small town charm was almost too much to take.

Jewelry corner in Threadz Boutique. Look at that chair!

We stopped into Village Candy, and gaped at their selection of bottled drinks. 

Husband, without doubt, chose a Dublin Dr Pepper {May it rest in peace}. 

He's happy about it.

I went for a new-to-me drink - Cheerwine. Unfortunately, there's no wine in the ingredient list, and it tastes strangely like Cherry Coke, but I drink it happily. I can't even imagine how good an ice cream float would be with this stuff.

Then, we decided to get a good look at the non-commercial areas of Sewickley by taking a car tour. With the windows down. The breeze blowing and the sun shining, it was a glorious drive. The houses were insane. If you're looking for that small-town, babyville, this is it! It would be perfect to raise a family there. {Don't get any ideas.}

We ended the day with a dinner of wine and light bites at The Naked Grape Enoteca {You can read my review here}. 

What a delightful day! It was nice to escape the city for a day and enjoy Sewickley. Where should we explore next?

*Note: We're renting this house in Lawrenceville with an extra bedroom + bathroom {guest suite!} for when folks from Texas come visit this summer. It was a mad dash to finish it, what with our first guest coming in mid-April. Look out for a post on the finished suite!