please pass the mustard...

Source: calivintage.com via Darlene on Pinterest

I love this color sweater for Fall ( it's coming guys, it really is!) I have an old one that I will never part with unless I find a replacement.

Source: google.com via Darlene on Pinterest

Oh...mustard and teal sooo pretty...

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Darlene on Pinterest

As well as mustard and aqua...

Source: etsy.com via Darlene on Pinterest

hey, I own this! Got it from Christina for mother's day!Love it!

Vintage Style

Source: lettersofvintage.tumblr.com via Andrea on Pinterest

Source: thesartorialist.blogspot.com via Jason on Pinterest

Source: thesartorialist.blogspot.com via Jason on Pinterest

Didn't people look oh so different in the old days? I can always tell when a photo is really old or is just a modern picture edited to look old. Even with the best vintage hair and makeup, there just isn't quite the same essence. It must have been a lot of work to get hair coiffed just so, not to mention achieving the perfectly arched brow. Part of me loves the style from days gone by but mostly I like that we don't have to constantly wear dresses and heels to fit in. Although I must say that I would like to wear dresses more often, especially since I never wear them! I have ordered my first vintage dresses from etsy and really hope that I don't end up looking like a sack of potatoes in then! Wish me luck!

Next Week Will be AWESOME!!!

I am so incredibly excited about next week!! "Why?" you ask? Well, I'll tell ya! My daughter Christina from Consider The Coffee, and my grandson Kavi are coming for a visit here in Alabama!! It is so much fun when they come here, only more fun when Stina's husband Suj gets to visit too. We are dreaming that he will make it here towards the end of the visit so they can drive home together!
The World's Longest Yard Sale starts right after they arrive and we are going to get to meet Angela, from Pickles on Pizza!! Me and Stina are both blog friends with her and can't wait to meet in real life. I love her blog because when you read it you feel like you are right there with her hearing her funny stories and drooling over her awesome vintage finds! I feel like I know her already and have had like three dreams about it, all good ones where we laugh and talk and have fun yard sailing together!
So...Kavi, Stina, yard Sailing, meeting an awesome person and her husband just makes for a memorable time I am sure!
Oh, and The Help movie comes out on August 10th while Stina is here and we are for sure going to see that together.

Thanks Anthony Bordain!

Do you ever watch a TV show about food that makes you obsessively crave the delectable delights showcased? Well, it happens to me all the time. The sad thing is that it is near impossible to find fresh made, good quality food in our town which results in hour long drives to Birmingham where there are several places we love.
That being said, however, we have not had any good Pizza since we have lived here. Pizza Hut? Nah! Papa John's or Little Ceasars? Ummm, NO! I grew up in NYC where Pizza parlors galore dotted the neighborhoods and even the crappiest NY Pizza was multiple levels above what can be found here.
So, the other night, Anthony Bordain was in Naples, Italy eating the most amazing, decadent yet simply made pizza I have ever seen. Burnt bubble crust...sigh...fresh mozzarella...gulp...brick ovens...oh my.
The next day, I had to make some home made pizza, so I made sure to get some fresh mozzarella, basil, calamata olives and artichoke hearts.
This recipe for whole wheat crust was very good ( I am trying to eat more whole grains) and I could only imagine the texture if it was baked in a brick pizza oven. The fresh cheese made all the difference. If you make some yourself, I highly recommend using it over the regular stuff.
The crust was a little soft , but delicious, and if you go to the recipe link you can read reviews and see how people tweaked it.
I made one with sauce which was left over from the day before pasta dinner and used some chopped shallots, the olives and artichoke hearts, topped with crumbled mozzarella , basil leaves and lightly drizzled with olive oil. I made the second pie the same except with basil and evoo mixture instead of the sauce. I baked them at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes, but might pre-
bake the crust slightly next time to make it a little crispier.

felt flower tutorial

Get the tutorial for these adorable flowers here

Don't you just love the color combo? Makes me feel fall-ish!

Birmingham Sunday

Yesterday was a nice day. We went to church in the morning and decided to drive to Birmingham for lunch afterwards. We can never think of where to eat in town, especially on Sundays, so an hour's drive is well worth it to avoid blah and boring chain restaurant food. We ate at Taj India, one of our favorite places and then did a little downtown exploring.
Ever since we have lived in Alabama, we have been wanting to go to the Civil Rights Museum. Growing up in New York City during the time frame of the Civil Rights Movement, I saw the images of hatred and violence on the news. It was a horrific time of mistreatment and crimes against people that I shall never forget.
The 16th Street Baptist Church was the sight of a bombing that left four beautiful little girls dead, the news of which shocked the nation. The museum is located directly across the street from the church, which is a beautiful and stately building. We were happy to see that it was open and found out that on Sundays, you can donate any amount you wish for entrance.
Several times my throat closed up and I fought back tears as I listened, and read through the exhibits. We left the building feeling impacted by what we saw and observed. The Birmingham Airport is named after Fred Shuttlesworth, the Pastor of the 16th Street Baptist Church and a Civil Rights leader. A street in our town, Hood Street is named after the first African American male who attended the University of Alabama, who was from Gadsden. Richard Arrington Jr, was elected as the first African American Mayor of Birmingham only 15 years after the civil unrest of the area, and he served for twenty years. A street downtown is named after him.
As you can see, this museum was an inspiring experience for us yesterday. After that, we drove around the downtown finding the newly constructed park ,Railroad Park, and a vintage store that we have to visit when it is actually open and a few other areas we wanted to see.
A good day, indeed.

why the Y?

So...the other day me, my daughter Jenny and friend Rachel joined the YMCA in town. It's less than a mile from our house although it isn't the most modern one you'll ever go to. I had shared on a previous post that I had checked out the Y along with another place that is open 24 hours and was 10 dollars cheaper per month. The drawbacks were that it is about 6 miles away and was filled with very young and buff people. The Y had all ages and sizes so it won out as the better choice.
We tried out the equipment after paying our dues and I quickly learned that an elliptical is a lot harder than an exercise bike and I get a little motion sick on a treadmill. Ha!!
A young man showed us how to use all the fitness gadgets and asked if we had any questions, but of course we didn't because when you are fitness center illiterate, you can't think of a single thing to ask. It was a little warmish to me in the workout area even though there were ceiling fans throughout the room. And it was mostly teenage boys in the weight lifting area so we determined to NEVER, no NEVER venture over in that direction. The regular strength training machines would have to do.
After struggling to do 5 minutes on the elliptical, I began to rethink my decision. The Y requires a written cancellation 30 days in advance when you want to quit, and I began rehearsing the letter in my mind.
"Dear YMCA, I am afraid that it is not going to "work out" between us. I am too self conscious, too old, too fat, and way too HOT!!!!
Thanks,
Darlene Franchi"
Well, today I went by myself for the first time and used the exercise bike for one hour. If you know anything about me,you know that I have an exercise bike at home and usually do an hour a day on it. So...weird way to make use of my monthly fee, huh? You see, I am taking baby steps with this health club stuff. I need to get used to just being there before I can tackle all the new fangled machinery. Like the elliptical. ( I managed to do 6 minutes and 35 seconds on it the second time there )
Hopefully I can last there until the cool mornings of Fall begin and I can return to my beautiful and refreshing walks at Noccalula Falls or in the historic neighborhood nearby.