Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Happy Memorial Day weekend, ya'll! I'm so excited to have some time off and relax. We're supposed to have nice weather in the city over the next few days and I'm sure we'll be spending most of our time outdoors and hopefully in Central Park.

I also plan on cooking and trying some new recipes for the start of summer. What are your favorite things to eat in the summer? Here are some of mine:

Summer Music in NYC

It's going to be a record-breaking 90 degrees in the city today! Whew. I love it when it's hot and welcome the warm weather with open arms. Hello, summer!

Southern in the City and The Husband are always looking for fun/free things to do in the city, especially during the summer months when the weather is nice. One thing we've found that's fun is Central Park's Summer Stage. Most of these are free, but for those shows that do cost money, I recommend bringing a blanket and sitting on the lawn across from the stage. You can hear the music just fine and this way you can bring your own drinks and food and make a picnic out of it.

Similarly, the New York Philharmonic also performs in Central Park. This is a lot of fun and a great free thing to do with friends after work. Performances start at 8 p.m., so I would get there around 7:00 p.m. in order to find enough space to sit comfortably on the grass. You can also bring food and drinks (even alcohol). Remember to bring a deck of cards to play with and candles because it will get dark fast. Here's a picture of Southern in the City and The Husband at the Philharmonic concert from a couple years ago.

The Graduate

Each year around this time, I start to feel a little nostalgic and honestly a little sad. Why you may ask? It's not cold, the sun is out and therefore the days are longer. "Cheer up!" you're probably saying.

Come the end of May, I once again realize that I'm a grown-up. I've been out of college for four years (this weekend). That should be enough time for it to sink in, don't you think? I pay bills, pay taxes and have responsibilities. Yet, for some reason, once summer begins, all I want is to be a kid again and spend my days barefoot, outside, swimming in a pool, sipping on icepops, the blue ones to be exact. Do any of you feel this way?

I've seen many a graduate around the city this week. Dressed in their long robes with such a pomp and circumstance in their walk, they all seem so excited and proud. All I want to say is enjoy your summer! But, I just smile and walk past. Why are we in such a hurry to grow up? I guess because we have to.

Graduation ranks up there as one of the happiest (and most fun) days of my life. My little brother is going back to our college, Elon, this weekend to see other friends and fraternity brothers get their degrees on Saturday. He graduated just last year, another happy moment for me as I got to experience it all again but from the other side.

Congratulations to all the 2010 graduates this year! If you can, enjoy your summer, walk barefoot, swim in pools and eat blue icepops. And please, don't grow up too fast.

Almost the Weekend

This week has been a busy one. With the boss being on vacation, I'm the sole public relations girl at work. Lots of meetings, lots of writing, lots of managing, lots and lots. Tomorrow is Friday - yes, oh yes.

In other news, Bailey is sick. I learned first-hand just how expensive my precious pup can be. Her little stomach has been up in all sorts lately and yesterday I felt it was time to take her to the vet. I'm happy to say that she is feeling better today, while my wallet is not. But that's okay. One lick to the face and tail wag make it all worthwhile.

We're headed down to NC tomorrow for our first wedding of the season. I can't wait to see family and friends and do a little dancing. This morning on my way to work, I put in the beach music and got excited about the possibility of shaggin' this weekend (for all you Yankees, that's dancing). And for good measure, here's the dancing scene from Shag, the movie.

DIY: Homemade Headboard

Yesterday I mentioned that we tackled a DIY project when my parents were here last weekend. Now it's time for the big reveal! Slowly but surely I've been working on finishing up our bedroom. I still have a ways to go but it's starting to get there. Like many of you, I love reading decorating blogs and after reading and searching many a blog, I decided it would be fun to create my own headboard for our queen size bed.

I read on a few sites that you can either use a canvas stretching frame or particle board. Because I live in the city and it would be hard for me to transfer particle board, I decided to head to the craft store (Lee's art shop) and buy a canvas stretching frame. This was easy to put together and was light enough that I could carry in one hand. I also bought quilt batting to wrap around the frame - the more the better in my opinion.

As far as other materials that you'll need, they include: staple gun, fabric scissors and of course the fabric.

First, we laid the frame down and the fabric over it to determine which side we wanted to be the top. Next, we laid the batting over the frame and stretched it all the way across, making sure we had enough to staple on each side. We used about five bags of batting for the project.

Once the batting was stapled on all four sides, we then laid the fabric over to see how much we would need and that is was straight. Make sure to iron the fabric before you staple it on your frame. It only takes a minute and it makes a huge difference. Next, we pulled and stapled the fabric around the frame (remember to pull as hard as you can so it doesn't bunch together (note: this is a bit hard, so you may need a strong hand or two) when you're doing the corners, think of it as wrapping a present. The last step was to hang the headboard. We decided hanging it like a frame would be the easiest way. We nailed two nails to the wall and voila - a headboard was born. The whole process took us about an hour and a half and the cost was very minimal. A big thanks to Sooze and Rick for their help!

Check out the finished project below:

Mother's Day Weekend

I know, I've been slow to write anything this week. Things have been busy, but I'm back. I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! My parents (Rick and Sooze) visited this past weekend and we had a great time. Like always, the weekend went by oh too quickly. We ate a lot, walked a lot and talked a lot. Note: The Rountrees don't always wear so much pink. Well, actually scratch that, maybe we do.

Here are few shots from our weekend together. They loved our newest addition, Bailey and gave her many kisses and hugs - even a bath. She's been looking around for the grandparents ever since they left.

We also rolled up our selves and did a little DIY project (post coming tomorrow), but here is a sneak preview. It turned out great and wasn't as hard as we thought!

"Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought." - The Help

I'm back with another book recommendation, one that I love and has become a new favorite - The Help by Kathryn Stockett (another Southerner gone Yankee for a bit). Many of you recommended this to me and I'm so glad you did.

While my subway commute has shortened by 30 minutes, I will always look for something to help pass the time. I borrowed a copy from my mom, opened it up and starting reading (a little skeptic, because honestly, I'm like that with every new book) and quickly got sucked in. I read all the way past my subway stop and had to get off, turn around and go back uptown. It's that good.

I don't want to give too much away for those of you who haven't read the book. A quick synopsis: ..."three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town [Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960's] and the way women - mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends, - view one another..." Oh, how brave Aibleen and Minny were.

Kathryn creates and describes her characters so well that with every word I feel like I just know them, their homes, their families, their children. And, just like the last book I read, New Yorkers weren't shy in telling me how they liked the book. I had a number of women come up to me and say, "Isn't that just the best book?" and then we would start talking about the characters like they were old friends. The 1 train quickly became a book club until our next stop.

If you're looking for a great read, go out and buy (or borrow) this book, ya'll! I promise you will love it too. And Kathryn, would you please write another book??

Say A Prayer

I'm sure you all have seen the horrible news about UVA student athlete, Yeardley Love. I can't imagine how her family must feel right now, especially her sister Lexie. I went to college and graduated with Lexie. Elon is a relatively small and tight-knit school where everyone knows everyone. While we weren't close friends, we did hang out with the same group of people and were in many of the same classes.

Yeardley favored Lexie and seeing the photos on The Today Show today, reminded me of her. How could this happen? My Elon friends exchanged text messages and e-mails yesterday with the news - all in shock.

We are all in disbelief.

Please keep Lexie and the Love family in your thoughts and prayers.