{ THURS-daydream } hawaii in the 50s

2 more days in hawaii (then i'll be back to my blogging self, promise!). today we're heading to tour pearl harbor & then tomorrow we're spending the day at one final beach (ko olina) before catching an all-nighter back home.

sometimes i like to daydream about hawaii in the 50s! and being one of these lovely ladies:

{source: 1 // miss pacific pageant winners/courtesy of the national archives of australia (1952), 2 // nina leen/time & life pictures/getty images (1950), 3 // allan grant/time life pictures/getty images (1947), 4 // vintage postcard/allposters.com, 5 // philippe halsman (1940), 6 // seventeen magazine (may 1954)}

i would totally wear ...

1 // this amazing karen nielsen vintage floral suit (via asos) ... a mega splurge $481.77.

2 // this by the sea sun hat from roxy ... much more appropriately priced @ $19.60.

3 // this woven romper from fossil ... $58.00.

4 // these 1950s inspired nerd-chic sunglasses from steve madden ... $36.00.

5 // and a copy of my mom, style icon (via modcloth) as the perfect beach read ... $18.99.

 

hope you're having a fantastic week, friends! 

christmas in hawaii

as soon as the table was cleared on thanksgiving ... it was time! i might be a scrooge about decorating the tree and rockin the carols before thanksgiving but afterward it's GO time! of course, we're in hawaii so we haven't started decking our own personal halls. in the meantime, i'm loving christmas hawaii style:

TRACK LIST:
  1 // Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian Christmas) - Bing Crosby
2 // Numbah One Day of Christmas - Hawaii Calls & the Hawaii Calls Orchestra & Chorus
3 // White Christmas - Hawaii Calls & the Hawaii Calls Orchestra & Chorus
4 // Jingle Bells (Kani Kani Pele) - Hawaii Calls & the Hawaii Calls Orchestra & Chorus
5 // Silent Night (Po La'i E) - Hawaii Calls & the Hawaii Calls Orchestra & Chorus

 
{source: 1 // anna hurley 2 // aloha-hawaii}

{ hello munday } from hawaii ...

hello lovelies! i took a bit of vacation time last weds, thurs & friday ... but i'm back somewhat. we still have 5 days left in hawaii. yahoo! and we have a very packed schedule between now and friday. today a bit of a hawaiian {hello munday} w/ just a few of our adventures thus far ...

{source: explore // aloha top 10, drink/eat // me, hike // wade}

explore // today we went to haunama bay to snorkel! when we arrived at the cove, we watched a video about the reef that emphasized how important it is to not stand up on the reef. this made me a very nervous snorkel-er ... such a rule follower. but we were able to see lots of amazing fish. winter is the perfect time to visit hawaii - this was our only "tourist heavy" day thus far.

drink // okay okay - maybe this doesn't count as a drink. but for the ultimate sugar high, you have to stop by matsumoto's in haliewa for shaved ice w/ ice cream! i'm trying to convince wade that nashville needs a remote location. yum!

eat // if you're heading out for an intense day dodging waves at waimea bay (w+my favorite beach)? you must first grab breakfast @ konos in haliewa. while i have been a good girl sticking to my gfree diet, wade enjoyed yummy waffles topped w/ bananas and macadamia nuts. again yum!

hike // doesn't this picture look fake? wade captured it yesterday while exploring the wiliwilinui ridge trail w/ my brother-in-law, brandon. 3.5 miles + red mud and ropes? instead my sister leigh and i opted for a chill day at the "rich people beach" complete w/ valet parking and drink service on the beach.

{source: wear // hawaiian tropic + neutrogena, catch // asp/cestari, yum! // le cupcakerie}

wear // okay what gives!?! wade has been wearing neutrogena's wet skin sunblock (spf 50) since we arrived, while i've been wearing hawaiian tropic's tanning creme lotion (spf 2). and who's the one w/ the amazing tan??? WADE. gah. i used to be known as "brown bear blair" (way back in the day before my older cousin's started calling me "blair blair underwear"). not so much anymore.

catch // a wave! wade and i mastered ... okay not really ... attempted surfing yesterday w/ brandon. leigh & brandon own a long board - which i'll go ahead and say was the coolest board on the beach even if none of us can surf. the last time i was in hawaii (5 years ago) i actually stood up a few times. i guess i am getting older - bc that didn't happen this time. speaking of surfing ... the real surfers go to north shore in the winter when the waves are huge. w+i might make another trip up to haleiwa to catch the vans triple crown surf competition.

yum! // another of my hawaiian favorites - bubbies! we stopped by bubbies after snorkeling today for mochi - gourmet ice cream wrapped in sweetened rice confection! wade went all chocolate - chocolate/vanilla, chocolate/peanut butter, and chocolate mint. and i tried raspberry, chocolate/vanilla and this month's special pumpkin (double yum!).

wow - i'm talking a LOT about food! probably not a good thing considering we've been in our swimsuits pretty much 24/7. ha! but that's what vacation is all about, right!?! now we're off to catch up w/ an old friend who is also stationed at pearl harbor for dinner. hope you're well, blog friends. :) miss you.

{ hello munday }

{source: eat // me, adorn // helen norman, win // make&mingle, make // oh so lovely! via my girl thursday} 

eat // yummy gfree apple crisp! w+i took a trip to a u-pick apple orchard a few weeks back w/ friends chris and faith. fyi - apple picking is a september activity. we were there when the trees were very limited. but we collected enough to make a yummy gfree apple crisp. click here for the recipe (modified from betty crocker).

adorn // your thanksgiving table w/ these fantastic ideas via southern living! i teased last week that too many of my friends are skipping from halloween directly to christmas. but i'm all about thanksgiving and i am a teeny bit sad that we won't be hosting a thanksgiving of our very own. (remember - we'll be in hawaii visiting my sister + her hubs and little boys. that's why it's just a "teeny bit".) maybe i can sneak an heirloom pumpkin or two on the plane. oh - i kid.

win // a lovely giveaway teaser! TOMORROW we're having a fun-tastic giveaway here on the blog from the lovely ladies @ make&mingle. i'm pretty stinkin' excited. and you should be too. so please stop back by tomorrow for all the details!

make // this adorable bow diy by oh so lovely on my girl thursday today. w+i went to a wedding saturday night {congrats, rachel + mike} and i struggled big time w/ my hair. and finally gave in and wore it the usual boring way. time to google some hair-torials. wouldn't these little bows be a fun addition as well? and they make it soooo easy-peasy. yes please.

{source: share // darlingmagazine, gift // korin, listen // david nail}

share // have you checked out darlingmagazine? a sweet twitter friend shared this lovely site last week {thanks, hé ré}. 1) choose your personality. 2) explore! no worries if you have multiple personalities - apparently me too. loving all the posts about "the hostess", "the dreamer" & "the achiever" ... then again ALL of the articles are super great reads. do check it out.

gift // these adorable mugtails from korin featured in real simple this month. adorable (and i'm not the only person to think so ... due to overwhelming demand you wouldn't be gift these until february 2012). if there was such thing as a city animal, nashville's would be the squirrel. i prefer them in my dishware - rather than in real life. and bonus: wouldn't these go sweetly w/ last year's squirrel nutcracker?

listen // david nail's new album is in stores tomorrow! and w+i are thrilled out of our minds. yup. we love him. he's country, yes ... but he's also bluesy cool. i played his last album straight for about 3mo. really have high hopes for this album as well. and just in time for 7hrs of listening (aka our flight to hawaii NEXT week!)

{hello munday} ... on a tuesday

eat // gluten free gnocci. w + i are converting this yummy gnocci recipe to gfree this thursday before i head out of town for the weekend. i love a good recipe w/ pictures for each step! of course if everything works out pictures + recipe to come.

{source: the kitchn}

make // a feather earring so that you can pick and choose when you want to wear your feather extensions. genius idea via faith. a quick easy DIY coming tomorrow ...

{source: pinterest}

wear // this "i'm a hugger" tshirt from sugar and bruno. i've been a bit glum this week - ask wade. but just seeing that shirt makes me feel a little happier. :)

{source: sugar and bruno}

learn // this perfect friendship bracelet DIY from honestly ... wtf. then invite your girlfriends over for brunch to spread the DIY love. i snapped a couple quick shots @ emily of little observations' "crafty girls brunch" last sunday. fun in the sun!

OH - i didn't share - my big weekend flub. i made the most lovely (gluten-free) pear apricot tart to share at the brunch in one of those pans where the bottom pops out. well - i went to reheat it at the party ... and when i lifted it out of the oven i forgot about the removable bottom and the sides slid down into the fold of my arm. the HOT 350ºF sides. yowch. in a moment of panic - i completely dropped the tart. :( martha stewart would be so ashamed. luckily there was plenty of other yummy treats to go around.

daydream // about 10 days in hawaii. :) w + i bought tickets to spend thanksgiving in hawaii with my big sister + her husband + their 2 little guys. pretty dang excited. i went to visit them the last time they were stationed there 5 years ago - but this will be wade's first trip to hawaii. let the countdown {and beach body workouts} begin ...

{check out my short hair in '06!}

cheer // scouring craigslist might have finally paid off!

{drumroll}

i decided to expand my daily craigslist search to southern illinois since i'm heading up for a girls weekend w/ my mom + aunts. and what did i find ... a listing for 200 old high school desks @ $10/piece or 3 for $25! i immediately called the gal and she asked me to send her a picture of what i've been looking for. just received a message back that she's 99.9% sure those are the ones. fingers crossed.

{an example via buschdesign on etsy!}