Where to Stay: House vs. Hotel

I've always loved a good hotel. A pool, room service, tiny shampoos, they're all part of the joy of vacation for me, but more and more, I find myself drawn to vacation rental homes. Over the holidays, we took a quick trip to Portland and stayed in an adorable 2-bedroom bungalow we found on Airbnb. It was so nice to have extra space, especially with the baby and all his stuff in tow. A full kitchen, washer and dryer and multiple trash cans (to keep the dirty diapers away) were all important amenities I hadn't even thought about. Plus, if you're traveling with family or friends, a house quickly becomes the more affordable option. Where do you prefer to stay when traveling?

Seasonal Sweet: Clementine Sorbet

I love clementines as a midday or late night snack, but I decided to put a crate of them to use in a slightly more involved manner. Enter clementine sorbet. If there's such a thing as a happy flavor, this is it. It's cold, creamy, citrusy deliciousness, and the color is pure sunshine, just what I need to counteract those wintertime blues.

Clementine Sorbet
Recipe adapted slightly from Serious Eats

20 chilled clementines, peeled and broken into segments
2/3 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Chill whole clementines in refrigerator. Peel then purée clementine segments in a blender or food processor. Pour purée through a fine mesh strainer, pressing down on solids with a spoon, into a large measuring cup until you have 4 cups of strained juice. Rinse blender and combine strained clementine juice with honey and salt on high speed for about 30 seconds. Poor mixture into ice maker and churn for 25 minutes or according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately or transfer to a container and chill in freezer for at least 4 hours for a firmer texture.

Color Collection

I've realized I have a problem. If something is small, ceramic and colorful, I want it. These striped vases are no exception.

Piece by Piece

Last week, a friend of mine posted an Instagram of her housemates and herself working on a puzzle. It reminded me of how much I loved puzzles when I was a kid -- it was always a good activity at grandma's house. This 1000 Colors puzzle seems like a worthy reintroduction. Every piece is a different color and they fit together in relation to each other. Sounds fun, right? Or am I just a huge nerd?

Collins Quarter Cafe

The last time we were in Savannah, we stopped in for a weekday breakfast at the recently opened Collins Quarter. The menu is interesting, the space is charming and the lavender mocha is downright dreamy. I'm looking forward to return visits.

Verbal Courage

Some form of being healthier and happier always seems to be my New Year's resolution. I'm thinking one of these prints from The Motivated Type would serve as a good reminder for the rest of the year.

Long Weekend in Photos

Happy 2015! I hope you had a great New Year's and weekend. I've never been much for New Year's Eve and an 11-week-old baby gives us a good excuse to stay home. I stirred up a couple of red currant and champagne cocktails and made hoppin' john on New Year's Day. Over the weekend, we ventured out to some coffee shops, including the charming Seventh Flag. We're still on a caffeine kick after our time in the Pacific Northwest, and it seems that a latte a day keeps falling asleep on the couch at 9pm away.