Excellence is not an act, but a habit

Well hayyy Monday…

This weekend was fun-filled and went by in a blur. I’m currently en route to Charlotte (via train, whatup Downtown Abbey) but wanted you to see a few favorite moments of mine this weekend. 

Really on a skull kick lately. My sweet husband got me the black bangle this weekend, feeding my addiction.

Speaking of husband, we hosted a party on Friday to celebrate the N.C. Bar being O-V-E-R for him. There was a Peroni keg. People had a good time. Myself included.

I’ve planned a surprise trip for the hubscout and me to Chicago the weekend of Aug. 10. Stay tuned later this week on our plans. Here is an outfit I’m considering for the trip. The peplum top is from Asos and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it. Note: I wear a size 2 or 4 in JCREW tops and bought this in a size 8 and it fits perfectly. Very work appropriate, too! 

Hope everyone had a great weekend! 

Check out these fun facts about the Olympic games and use them at your Opening Ceremony viewing parties tonight! 

Quick, who knows why these two odd-looking creatures are important?

I just love the look of boxwood topiaries in home decor. Here are a few examples of them done well:

Yes, that’s a swan topiary.

\

Aren’t they just adorable? They had such a nice, natural pop to a space. I’d love one for my new gold etagere, atop our bookcase or even on top of a stack of coffee table books. If you’re a fan, I suggest scoping out Home Goods for something inexpensive (may be in a bejeweled/seashell container, you’ve been warned) or order one online from Furbish or Restoration Hardware. Here are their beauties in action:

Furbish topiary; image by Mackenzie Horan

Restoration Hardware classics.

I just want to put something out there in the blogosphere today and tomorrow-Loafers is sitting for the N.C. Bar Exam Tuesday and Wednesday-something he’s been studying for since early May, and studying really hard might I add. This has been an incredibly stressful summer for him, and he’s been doing everything in his power to retain three years of school in order to pass this exam and practice law starting in approximately five weeks. He even has a job to report to after all this is said and done!  

It would mean so much if you all could send some good thoughts, prayers, intentions or even mental high fives for a brief moment today or tomorrow for Loafers-no matter who or what you believe in, your positive thoughts will really help the both of us get through these two major days. 

And if you have any well wishes or messages you’d like to pass along to him, please feel free to comment here or send me an email at excellenceasahabit@gmail.com. Would love to hear from you! 

Meanwhile, I’ve made this image his screensaver:

Hope you have a wonderful day that is filled with all/most of the following:

• Kittens
• Dogs wearing costumes
• Manicures
• Champagne
• Birthday cake
• Sleepy puppies
• Japanese Youtube videos of cats playing in boxes
• New Tarte make-up
• Your favorite restaurant
• Cocktails
• More dogs wearing costumes

This weekend was a very exciting one for my family. My father, a former lobbyist for a large worldwide bank, retired recently. He’s relishing his newfound freedom by pursuing his passion-building and working on wooden boats, including two of his very own. 

It’s funny (and refreshing) to see the man who wore impeccable suits and crisp white shirts throughout my childhood now strolling around in Vans, khaki shorts and t-shirts. We won’t talk about how long its been since he’s had a haircut, but suffice it to say it was before “Call Me Maybe” came out. 

This weekend, my father and his new business partner premiered their 15 foot skiff at the Wilmington Wooden Boat Show. These pictures really don’t do the beautiful boat any justice-it’s breathtaking in person! For those of you interested, you can hitch a 25 horsepower engine on the back and the skiffs are totally customizable. You can find the Masonboro Skiff Company on Facebook and feel free to message me if you’re interested in learning more!

So proud of my dad’s hard work. Even happier that he’s finally doing something he truly loves. Let’s hope we all can do the same some day. 

If any of you are in full-scale (or even mid-scale) nesting mode like me and are looking for some fresh inspiration, I highly suggest following the Tumblr blog The Foo Dog Ate My Homework. The writer finds the BEST rooms from all over the world and I so enjoy seeing the beautiful images come across my dashboard. She probably thinks I’m a weirdo because I “like” literally every post she does. Here are some of my latest favorites-enjoy! 

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was action-packed with mile-long to-do lists, but I managed to have fun while knocking out tasks. 

First exciting weekend moment was when I got my console table back from the painter. I used Urban Village to do the painting and they did an excellent job- highly rec for those of you living in the Raleigh area. Here is the Craigslist table before:

Great bones, odd wood color. I was struggling on what color to paint it- white seemed a little boring, black would have been too dark. Luckily, I got a suggestion from Jamie on Instagram to paint it a high gloss mint- which coordinates really well with the ikat chairs I have in the same room. Here is the after:

The Instagram pics here are pretty low quality, but trust me when I say that this color totally exceeded my expectations. 

Also, does anyone remember this?

I got my hands on this bad boy this weekend and did a Cher/Dion-type transformation on it. The key ingredient? This:

The blogosphere did me so right on this one. I was a little judgy of the bright gold caps, but when the paint met the chrome…boom goes the dynamite.

It was like 95 degrees with 120% humidity. I wasn’t happy about it. Luckily, this step took about 20 minutes max.

Pretty happy about the transformation. The shelves will continue to be a work in progress. I want to find a plant (fiddle leaf fig?) and plop it next to this etagere, but I need to figure out what amount of light I get/the type of plant that works. Stay tuned. How was your weekend?

It’s looking a little too beach cottage, not enough preppy regency, in our living room-I think in large part due to our coffee table. It’s a great table, don’t get me wrong, but it just isn’t fitting my aesthetic anymore. A perfect coffee table for me has ample space on top, low-fuss enough to throw your feet on top of it and doesn’t take up a ton of visual space. 

Here are a few looks I’m digging for a future coffee table. What are your thoughts?

Going through a big pink phase here. I think given the hub scout’s Bar stress + my work stress, the desire for sherbet colors and covering everything in gold kinda makes sense.  Enjoy! (Click photos for Etsy sources.)

Looking forward to a day spent at the pool enjoying these:

(Watermelon/tequila slices)

With the sis who is in town for a few days!

Violating the Paleo Challenge alcohol rule but America’s birthday will trump anything in its path. Including getting a buzz for the first time in over a week. Can’t wait to hang with Hans!

Don’t let fireworks steal all of the sparkles tomorrow- grab some of your own. Even better, get them on sale from Furbish, which is offering 15% off of all jewelry this week only with code FIREWORKS. 

I got this necklace last week from Furbish for $40 and it’s safe to say I’m obsessed. A perfect statement piece for the warm summer months that goes with everything (and looks even better in person):

If this one isn’t for you, how about these pretties? (also from Furbish):

What are you waiting for? Get your gems today! 

The first four days on the Paleo diet could best be described as spent in a “simmering rage.” I was, to put it simply, HANGRY (the combination of hungry + angry.) Not only that, I had a series of the weirdest dreams that I’ve ever had and on day four, my face erupted in cystic acne I had only seen when I was in the throes of adolescence. 

But, starting on day five, things started to turn up. I added more berries in my diet and discovered unsweetened coconut milk which tastes like ambrosia to someone who hasn’t had sugar in a week. Skin started to clear up. No alcohol, with the exception of a glass of wine at W&D Tuesday and a single beer on Friday evening, for seven days. I haven’t felt this sharp in YEARS. Stay tuned for week two. One huge bonus? As much bacon as I want. Every. Day.