As Julie Sings It Best.

What are some of your favorite things?

Aztec Prints on the Perfect Sized Tote.

I already have one of those ginormous beach bags. The kind that can probably fit an entire family of five inside. But I needed something small for the pool this summer to carry the bare necessities for myself, Nathan and the kiddos. I found this little nugget at Target and immediately fell for it. It's the perfect size and the print is gorgeous.

Aztec Tote Bag from Target!

Knuckle Rings

Can't get enough of my new Chevron and Initial Knuckle Rings. Check them out at arcoavenue.com.

Chevron + Initial Knuckle Rings from Arco Avenue.

Arrested Development. Season 4.

Nathan and I blew through it within a week. So so so so good! Netflix Original on Instant. If you haven't seen it yet, go watch right this minute!

24

Mine and Nathan's new show. We're EXTREMELY late in getting here, but we're here now. Only on Season 1, but loving it. It may possibly be our new "Lost." We're always looking for our new Lost, but nothing ever quite compares.

Summer Drank.  
Former barista turned coffee addict here. I never even enjoyed coffee drinks of any sort while making them back in college. It was staring at a computer screen for eight hours a day that finally lured me into the java world. Anywho, summer time is of course cold coffee time. And the only cold coffee drink I'm digging these days is a good ole Iced Caramel Latte, Sugar-Free with Skim from Cups Espresso Cafe in Jackson. And with those new exciting little nuggets of energy known as Expresso Ice Cubes! Thirsty my friends?

Tune in Tuesday. Of Monsters and Men.

I'm pretty sure we're all on board the "Of Monsters and Men" train now, but just in case....

Happy Tuesday Folks!

Watch Of Monsters and Men - "Little Talks" on PBS. See more from Sound Tracks.

A Baby Nursery : The Payton Edition

I LOVE (in all caps) a good baby nursery. They are so fun to decorate. And I love to see how others decorate theirs. There are so many sweet and beautiful directions to be chosen. So now that Dylan has finally moved to his big boy room (Still a work in progress. Look for a future post.) I felt like sharing some photos of Payton's revamped nursery. To all who followed the old blog, some of this will look familiar to you. With Dylan's nursery I spent a good bit of time sewing the bedding, creating original art and gathering furniture pieces for the room. Those of you who have decorated a nursery know the undertaking and cost of all that goes into it so I wanted to make the experience enjoyable, but a once in a lifetime one. I picked a gender neutral color scheme knowing there could potentially be a baby girl Lott one day (well whadda ya know?!). Yellow, white and robin egg blue (if you know me and my home - you know this is pretty much my favorite color scheme) were chosen for the dominant colors in the room while hints of green, red and orange were added in in a way that could easily be switched out if needed. So for Payton's sweet little nursery all I had to do was add a few "girly" touches here and there. I switched out the oranges in the room with pinks, created a new bird illustration to replace the elephant illustration I had created for Dylan, added some new knick-knacks and wah-lah! This is what I came up with....enjoy!

Original Designed Art and Sewn Bedding. 

A close up of the illustration. 

Cross-Stitch of Payton's initials from my sweet amazing friend, Roiann. 

What would a Melissa Lott project be these days without some fabric flags?

Easy Peezy Fabric Art made with Wooden Embroidery Hoops. I just
switched out the oranges and added in some pink patterned fabrics.
Like I said - Easy Peezy! 

One of my many childhood Winnie the Poohs plus one of
my favorite china dolls.

Some old and new knick-knacks. 

Sneak Peek : Planning a 2-Year Olds Birthday

It's safe to say the newest Muppet Movie is a weekly staple at the Lott abode. Ever since the soundtrack became available 2 years ago. If you do the math that equals a whole lot of Muppets. Nathan. Dylan. Myself. We all love it. So it only seems fitting that we celebrate Dylan's 2-Year mark with Kermit and friends. Currently working on the details, but here's a little sneak peek for what is to come. Happy Sunday and Mahna Mahna!

Introducing Payton.

A little late in posting, but I've been away from the blogging world for while. Just trying to get back in the swing.

On March 8, 2013 the Lotts welcomed precious little Sweet P into the world. Payton Elisabeth Lott. She's one happy healthy baby girl. Head over heels are we.

Sweet P's Birth Announcement. Original Design and Photography.

Original Photography of our little girl. Two Months here.

Payton. 3 Months.

T minus 1 day....Drum roll please.....

Photography by Zila Longenecker. Love her.

The Mississippi State Fair will be here tomorrow!! Can't. Wait. The Fair is honestly one of the things I look forward to all year round. Nathan thinks I'm insane and I really can't explain it. Maybe it's the whole nostalgia thing....memories of being a kid, a teenager, whatever, but I just love it. I love the rides (which I'll sadly be missing out on this year due to Baby #2 on board...except for some kiddie rides I suppose ;) ), the lights, the sounds, Circus Maximus! and last, but not least the food (the biscuit tent and all that other deep fried loveliness). Dylan was so small last year that even though he was a trooper he really didn't know what was going on. This year I'm excited to see how he'll respond to all the fun.

Seriously.

Can't. Wait.

Knock You Naked....Brownies.

FYI the Salt Creek Steakhouse in Breckenridge
named these little nuggets of heaven so no. If only I could
be so clever.

For our first two home games I really wrestled with a severe sweet tooth. And not just any old sweet tooth. An ooey gooey caramel chocolate filled sweet tooth. If you love pecans, chocolate, caramel and powdered sugar - you'll love this recipe. And best of all - it's super easy and quick to make. Below I've posted the recipe, but if you'd like to venture over to Ree's website (I love scrolling through all of her yummy recipes), click here.

Ingredients

• 1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix (I Used Duncan Hines)
• 1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
• 1/3 cup Evaporated Milk
• 1/2 cup Evaporated Milk (additional)
• 1/2 cup Butter, Melted
• 60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
• 1/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.

Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.

Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.

*Adapted from the classic "Knock You Naked Brownies" recipe, based on a dessert at the Salt Creek Steakhouse in Breckenridge. These brownies don't really knock you naked...but almost.