Fig + Honey Cocktail

I love this cocktail so much.  I don't play around much with figs (I think my childhood hatred of fig newtons put me off of figs), but after making this recipe I really want to explore fig recipes more!  We’ve got folks in our neighborhood with a giant fig tree and I’m always curious as to when they are perfectly ripe… and if they’re actually going to harvest them, cuz I will gladly volunteer. I love the earthy flavors that the figs add to this cocktail, I think they really ground all the flavors, plus I’m a sucker for a bomb looking cocktail garnish.

Fig Puree

• 1 cup fresh figs, rinsed & halved

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 2 teaspoons water

• Juice of half lemon

Add everything to a blender and blend until smooth. You can make this ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.  Recipe makes enough puree for about 4 cocktails, but you can multiply for larger quantities.

Cocktail recipe

• 1 1/2 tablespoons fig puree

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 2 oz ginger ale

• 1.5 oz gin

• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Add the fig puree and honey to a cocktail shaker. Stir it together with a spoon until it is well combined. Add ginger beer, gin, and lemon juice and fill with ice. Shake until frosty and strain the mixture into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a halved, skewered fig! 

Exterior Before + After

This house was hands-down one of the ugliest ones in the neighborhood when we bought it. The yard was 100% lawn with huge divot paths where the previous owner’s dog ran along the fence, the exterior was the most blah color beige ever conceived, and it was so lacking in personality it was almost painful. To be fair, the before images were taken in September when the grass had turned brown from the late summer heat, and the after photos are taken in July so everything is still lush and green, so that does make things look nicer.

The front elevation needed something to make it feel cuter, so we put shingles in the gable, painted the whole house black (Behr color: Broadway), painted the trim white (Glidden color: Cappucino white), took off the ugly rusted screen door, and did a bit of landscaping.

Since the whole yard is lawn, I decided to take the entire west side of the house and turn it into a garden. I replaced the lawn with woodchips, built out some raised beds, and I’m still in the process of building out the front area with more raised bed and replacing the chain link fence with something prettier.

I’ve got some big plans for a deck off the back door where we can barbecue and have a nice big outdoor table. That’s definitely going to be a big project so I’ll probably happen next summer. In the meantime, we built a chicken coop and started a little flock of chickens this spring, which has been super fun.

It’s been a while since I looked at the before pictures and seeing them side by side with the current pics has me feeling pretty proud of what we’ve accomplished here thus far!

What's in my everyday makeup bag

My makeup bag is pretty basic and minimal.  Other than my trusty eyeliner, there's not much that I wear every day.  If I'm going out of the house I typically do eyeliner, foundation, and blush, with a bit of lipliner/chapstick.  Or if I'm super lazy... just eyeliner.  If I'm feeling super not lazy, I do a subtle brown smoky-ish eye shadow with a bit of shimmer to it.  

While I have lots of more crazy makeup (bright colors, lots of glitter, giant false lashes, etc.) in my make up case for burlesque shows and other non-casual outings, this is the makeup I keep on my counter for every day use.  And now that I have a super cute little pouch to keep it in from Moorea Seal, it's even more organized!

One thing I've been wanting to do lately is start to transition my makeup products to be more natural and organic.  I've tried making my own cosmetics in the past and was *meh* about the results, but I know there are quite a few cosmetic companies out there dedicated to making eco-friendly, natural products without loads of weird chemicals and I've been on the hunt, so that as I run out of my current products I can replace them with more healthy versions.  Let me know if you guys have any natural makeup brands that you swear by!  I'm all ears!

Makeup Bag c/o Moorea Seal

Eyes:
Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper
Motives Eyebase
Mac Keepsakes Beige Eyes Palette
Motives custom eyeshadow palette
(creme fresh, sequins, steamy night, hot chocolate)

Face: 
Burt's Bees BB Cream in Light
Motives Pressed Powder in Neutral
Mac Powder Blush in Emote (discontinued, but NYX's Taupe blush is a good replacement)
Face Atelier Ultra Blush in Tangerine

Lips: 
Palladio Lipliner in Spice

8 Favorite Summer Recipes

Summer is all about backyard barbecues and fresh fruits, and summer recipes are some of my favorites.  With fall approaching I'm sure I'll start to crave baked things and soups again, but I'm still craving the fresh tastes of summer cuisine.   

I've been wanting to try some new summer inspired recipes lately, but here are some of my favorite recipes from the past perfect for the sunny, long days of summer!

above: Taco Salad with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice

Sweet Potato Steak Tacos

Peach Huckleberry Rustic Tart

Peach Bruschetta

Peach Strawberry Basil Pie

Street Corn

Salmon With Peach Salsa

Classic Macaroni Salad

ORC Week 3: Shower tile installed!

We have tile!!! If I’m being honest, the tile isn’t 100% done… I still have to clean up grout haze, grout the shower niche (I think I’m going to grout that with white grout, which I didn’t have on hand), and caulk everything. Details, details. I always drag my feet on the details.

Tile was the biggest project in here, and the next biggest is to move plumbing, which I’m going to hire out. I’m moving the vanity to the wall under the mirror, so we need the sink plumbing to be there as well. Since we are in the midst of selling our other house, though, I may wait on that and try to button up some of the less daunting projects like finishing the drywall, installing shiplap on the ceiling, and re-doing the wall texture to feel more natural.

Make sure to check out all the other One Room Challenge participant projects here!