insta lately

As usual, summer flies by without asking permission. I'm trying to grab on to each day, squeeze a few extra hours of sunlight through, but as of yet my efforts have been unsuccessful. The time I do get has been filled with weddings, travel, family, flowers, donuts, pups, and a bonfire here and there...rough life. I have been a bit down about life lately, but putting this post together reminded me how lucky I really am--thanks, blog world. xo! 

something new

It may be a little quiet around here for a few days, but it's only because I am working hard on something BRAND NEW for you all! But fear not, because as you can see, I've got the best consultant money can buy on my team. I've already spent hours scheming, brainstorming, and playing with new ideas, so I can't wait to reveal it--soon. In the meantime, don't give up on me. xo! 

a sweet-tooth brunch: dark chocolate banana bread

If you've been reading along, you can probably tell that my family is going through a tough time right now. When life is painful my instinct is always to bake something yummy, a spark of goodness,  & I always think of Raymond Carver's 'A Small Good Thing' while doing so. If you haven't read it, you must! It is a strange, sad, wonderful little piece of literature. 

But anyway. 

My mom came to Bellingham recently to help me move some large furniture, and was going to stay for the night. I decided to make her short stay as happy and life-giving as I possibly could--an oasis of sorts. When she arrive that evening, Evan & I had a summer-soaked BBQ waiting for her, wood ready for a bonfire and s'mores supplies waiting. I had red wine, ears ready to listen and arms ready to hug. The next morning we slept in and then visited the Farmer's Market and my new favorite shop..but first, I made this warm, chocolatey-gooey banana bread for us to eat in the sun. 

As usual, I used a recipe from someone much more skilled than I: Heidi from foodiecrush. I like her recipe because it uses Greek yogurt, my new favorite thing! The only thing I did different was use crushed dark chocolate bars instead of chocolate chip, because I'm obsessed with dark chocolate. Served with sober mimosas (OJ + sparkling water) and fresh nectarines, it was really just exactly what we needed that morning. The sunshine and cuddles from this guy helped, too. 

What's your go-to comfort food in hard times? Extra points if it contains dark chocolate. xo! 

amongst the wreckage

These gorgeous, richly hued flowers come from two thriving gardens: the top, from my mama's garden at my childhood home and the bottom, from my temporary home here in Bellingham. Both handfuls were picked on days I desperately needed some encouragement; some pieces of God's promise that the world is an inherently good place if we just look for it. Both handfuls brought glimmers of peace to my soul and slivers of joy to my eyes, my nose, my mind. Today, as I sit with sorrowful news, I am thankful for the bits of colorful life that grow amongst the wreckage. different gardens, same peace. xo, Charity

cheers

I love hosting. I think I got the hostess bug from my mama, and ever since moving out of my parents' house years ago it has only grown. For the last nine months I've been living with a family as part of my internship, and since I didn't have my own space, I wasn't able to host parties anymore, which was so hard! I just love making things extra special so that everyone feels like I really care for them. It's just so fun. Now that I have a place to myself again, temporary though it is, I've been itching to host a party again! 

My best friend is exploring Australia for a year, so I of course jumped at the chance to host a going-away party! We decided to make it American themed, since he's leaving the states..all the way down to USA decor, homemade pies, patriotic cupcakes, and a good ol' fashioned BBQ. We had full bellies & full hearts as we went around sharing our favorite memories of Mikey, toasting to him over and over. The amount of times we toasted to him is a testament to what a guy he is--cheers, Mikey! 

I'm hoping I get to visit him in Melbourne--how fun would that be? Where my Melbourne bloggers at??

ps: romper, vest, & necklace from forever21