this past weekend we ate lots of peaches. they were little spheres of pure sweetness!! there is just nothing like biting into a big, sweet, juicy peach on a HOT summer day.

we picked up two baskets of these babies.

although these peaches are yum-O on their own, you all know there is just nothing better than homemade peach ice cream.

:: here is the recipe ::

my grandma’s homemade peach ICE CREAM

6 eggs

1 can condensed sweetened milk

3 cups sugar

1-1/2 t. vanilla

-Blend the above ingredients in a blender until throughly combined. Whisk in 1 large can of evaporated milk. Stir in 7-8 mashed fresh peaches.

-Put the mixture in electric ice cream maker. Fill with whole milk until it reaches the “fill line”. Let it do its thing for per the instructions included with the machine. And finally ENJOY!!

Oh and better yet…

if you live in Auburn and do not feel like making your own homemade ice cream, you can buy it by the pint at Amsterdam Cafe. I do kind of find it ironic to “buy homemade ice cream”. But hey you cannot go wrong with anything from Amsterdam. They buy local, and as a matter of fact their peach ice cream is made with Chilton County Peaches too. It is DELICIOUS.

My cousins are in town from Tucson, AZ – for a WHOLE week. That means you have to become creative with entertainment ideas. Well, nothing beats a Memorial Day Weekend “day at the lake”. We spent well over 6 hours doing a lot of this:

WAKE-BOARDING! 

[the boat driver in training :: andrea]

[the photographer :: me]

When it came to wake-boarding, some of us were professionals. And some of us were newbies.  We definitely used our talent t show off our tricks.

For me that meant making it over the wake. 

For girl boarder #2, Andrea, that meant getting up for the first time, and conquering her fear of that “bump” in the water.  

And for “brother”, it meant catching some air.

…followed by a “hard”, but successful, landing. 

This morning I woke up in complete soreness. A total muscle confusion for my body, I used muscles I never knew I had. Hope you have a Happy, “Pain-free” Memorial Day Weekend!! Off to bake a red velvet cake for a dinner celebration tonight! YUM if it was not 7:52 in the morning! 

I know what you are thinking. I do not care about you readers out there anymore. After all, I do not even give you any of my time anymore. My blog and me fell out of love last week, but the relationship is back on fire so watch out. I let life get in the way of my love for the blog world. Whoaaa…you are wondering, WHY??

I have been apartment hunting with my mom for an entire week in New York City. We saw a million different  little, itty-bitting, tiny-teeny apartments/lofts, we (oops I mean “I”) became overwhelmed. My favorite loft was one right here. Maybe it was the Italian fashion that surrounded the loft entry? It brought back memories and my love for Italy. I loved living in ROME!!! This is a Italian NYC experience all my own.

All joking aside, no decisions have been made, but our search was informative and gave us guidance for our continued search!

In the midst of all of that I had two job interviews. Neither of the places hiring at the time, but  they have prospective openings in the next few months. We shall see. The interviews went really well. The first one at Bunny Williams. It was fabulous. I walked in-up to the 5th floor and into her studio. The place was bustling-the way any good designer works…total chaos. It was an absolutely fabulous space on the Upper East Side. Stellar…

The other interview one of the 10 largest architecture firms in the world. The HR lady calls me. It’s Thursday at 11:30am. She wants me to come in for an interview on Friday at 9am?? What? Major problem. Mom’s flight leaves in 3 hours. I need her. She is leaving. I’m stressing. Calm down, Julie. AGH! I do not have the appropriate attire for that. And my portfolio? It has been catered for the interior design interview. I am NOT prepared. I start sweating bullets. Literally, and I do not sweat. Even if I am sprinting HARD. Is that to much information for you. Sorry. My thought…”Mom, you canNOT leave now”. No choice. Flights the next day are full, and she has “mom+wife duties” back home. I had already claimed her as “mine” for the whole week. We run downstairs hop in a cab to my favorite store (Theory), and I turn myself into a big girl really quick. It was the fastest shopping trip I have ever completed. Mom leaves. I remind myself to breathe. I cry out, “Lord, give me patience and calm my anxious heart”. He does. Amen.

Friday: 9am

I trek up to Union Square. Subway ride 3 stops uptown. Up way to many steps in heels. I meant to wear my flats, then change. I guess my mind was somewhere else when I left. Could of taken a cab? Didn’t cross my mind. That is kinda pricey anyway. Let’s make this a local experience. Oops is that a blister coming on? It is okay there is a CVS right below the office. Blister band-aids rock.  In the elevator again. Do not really know where I am going. Portfolio in hand. No jittery feelings. It’s cool. God calms me down.  Once again, the space was fabulous. The interview lasts two hours. The people were great. They ask lots of questions. I ask lots of questions. We chat. We laugh. They give feedback. I’m loving it…advice is openly accepted over here!! They are suppose to have openings in September. Once again, we will see?? It’s all in God’s hands, I find peace in that. Friday night cannot come soon enough…

I get to meet some of Stan’s friends that he works with. We went to Brinkley’s in SOHO-yes my new favorite area. SOHO is it’s own little neighborhood nestled in a BIG city. Back the restaurant, the mac-n-cheese rocks. 7 forks hit that bowl all at once. And a connection was made instantly between me and people I’d never met. We were sharing healthy heaven in a bowl. Even better, the 3 girls at dinner were all ChiO’s. We were just all from different schools. Small world. Yeap, we connect again. We laughed a lot that night. As it got later, it got even better my bestie from Auburn, Amory, was in town too. She came and met up with us at Mercer Kitchen. We laughed some more.

Post FiThe weekend was chill. It involved at 130 block hike up the West Side Highway where I discovered the most awesome public seating ever. Oh, the little treasures of NYC never cease to amaze me.

I am home. Not well rested. Glad it’s summer. Happy SunShine!!!