Reese's Ojai Oasis

Reese Witherspoon's house in Ojai. In September's issue of Elle Decor. I die. 

Sorry for the mellow dramatics, but the "I die" is that I have always said that when I grow up I want to move to Montecito and be neighbors with Miss Oprah and Jennifer Aniston. We would all hang out, have coffee dates, maybe I could even reap some of the benefits of Miss O's generosity? You never know! (cough...O's favorite things...cough) 

So, when I finally had a hot minute to myself (and not in the throes of summer camp) I got a chance to sneak peek the Sept issue of Elle Decor, (thank you email blast) and I was immediately smitten. To be totally honest, I was neither here nor there about Miss Reese and her movie choices and acting abilities. I have liked most of her movies and think that she and I could probably be friends. Cause you know, that's usually how I judge celebs, if we could be friends or not? And M-town and Ojai aren't too far away from each other. ;) But then when I peeped her Spanish ranch style home filled with it's high ceilings of exposed wood, Spanish tile and those rod-iron details, it sealed the deal in my head. This lady has the house that is everything this gal loves. And yes, we definitely could be friends.

On to my favorite's game, so I've mentioned this before but definitely love those high exposed wood beam ceilings, then second would be the reading nooks in each of the bedrooms, okay and then that hot pink ikat chair in the 5th photo will round out my most favorites out of all. (and you know that was really hard for me to narrow down)  What's your favorites? Do you also day dream about Spanish-style houses like me? Well, yes that's just another tiny tidbit about me...my Spanish ranch house admiration.

To follow up with the article and even more pictures, go here.

xo,
L

*Credit - Elle Decor, September; Photos via William Waldron; Article Written by David A. Keeps; Styled by Anita Sarsidi

How to...

I apologize that I have been MIA here on my favorite site. I am knee deep in summer camp craziness at school and it makes for long hours, lots to do, and at the end of the day, a very tired Lauren. I promise I will be back (and be better than ever!!) in a couple of weeks. And in the meantime I will try my best to get some blogging in, but know I'd much rather spend time with you here.

I found this 'how to have a lovely day' via pinterest (of course) and thought it was sweet. So, from me to you, I am wishing you the loveliest of days!

xo,

L

LSL {Foodie Friday} - Peach, Mozzarella & Basil Salad

This Foodie Friday I have Pinterest and Real Simple to thank. You know how much I love my caprese salad bites, well this week I found a summer version of my beloved salad. Not only is it one of the easiest salads to make, it also not something you see everyday so you can bring this bad boy to parties and wow your friends with your creativeness. (cause who doesn't want to do that?!) ;) (Psst, I'm thinking this will go great with my new favorite summertime cocktail as well.)

All your ingredients

Peach, Mozzarella & Basil Salad

{via Real Simple, 2006}

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 ripe peaches (peeled, if desired)

1 cup  fresh basil leaves, torn

8 ounces  fresh mozzarella, cut into 1-inch chunks

2 teaspoons  extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon  kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon  black pepper

Directions

Cut each peach into 6 to 8 wedges, then cut each wedge in half crosswise.

In a large bowl, combine the peaches, basil, and mozzarella. Drizzle with the oil, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and toss. (You can cover and refrigerate the salad for up to several hours.) Serve cold or at room temperature.

Finished product

Up close and personal.
Doesn't this look de-lish?!

On how hot these past two summer nights have been, I have made this in advance and then plopped it into the fridge for about a 1/2 hour to chill it. Poured myself a healthy glass of white and enjoyed. The recipe is very easy to improvise as well if you're only eating for one. And bonus, it just takes a few minutes to prepare. 

Bon Appetit and Happy Weekend!

xo,
L

*Credit - all grainy pictures via my iPhone + instagram

Summer Snapshots

"Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” 

― Henry James

Some summer snapshots of my life, my daily doings, my instagramming...

1. White succulents! I've never seen these before // 2. A pretty church in my neighborhood // 3. My oh-so adorable (and usually a ham for the camera) HS BFF's son. Who I am utterly in love with // 4. Scary tree // 5. Hand-written note with a CD of pictures make a girl smile // 6. My neighborhood sanctuary // 7. Lake Anderson, Morgan Hill // 8. "I'm on a boat!" // 9. Enjoying a "Lauren" temple - grenadine + soda water + straw // 10. Dorks! Clearly my brother and I have always been cool. And yes, those are balloon hats on our heads ;)  // 11. Happy Dad's day, circa 1981 // 12. Making map bunting for a collaboration photo shoot // 13. My neighborhood walk views // 14. Me. In a vineyard in Napa // 15. Champs + cheese and crackers + a good friend and Domaine Carneros = a very happy lady // 16. Stylish ladies waiting outside Bouchon // 17. Went to a bday party and out came a lemur! // 18. What I want my cat to look like, if I had one // 19. I found a secret garden // 20. My favorite ladies, my best friends.

What have you been up to? Any body on Instagram I should be following? Keep a sista informed. ;) (And now for my shameless plug, you should follow me: @miss_lovelylsl) 

xo,

L

*Credit - all pics taken with my trusty iPhone

LSL {Foodie Friday} - Summertime Splash

My lovely friend Shea decided it would be fun to collaborate on this week's Foodie Friday, and I love a good collab, as you know, so I was on board before even knowing what it was about. Shea suggested trying to re-create a cocktail that Los Altos Grill serves that tastes like summertime. We decided that Tuesday of this week (that really felt like a Friday) we would get together, me being the willing participant, always down to help drink a cause. And, Shea was sweet enough to not only re-create this delicious drink, she then took all these lovely pictures. But don't worry I helped and I did what I do best, taste test the booze. And she's right, this drink has summer time written all over it.

Summertime Splash
{via- Shea's Kitchen}

Ingredients

2 oz Bombay Sapphire

1 oz St Germain (Elderflower Liqueur)

Juice from 1/2 a ruby red grapefruit

Splash of ginger ale

Mix all together with ice in a shaker, pour into a pretty glass, garnish with a grapefruit peel or cucumber slice, and sip

A BIG thanks to Shea for those beautiful pictures (It was hard to narrow them down to six!) and for sharing this drink that I'll be sure to make for myself again (and again). Also, while I'm at it, check out her website, blog and FB page too. She's got some pretty amazing skills!

Bon Appetit and Happy Weekend!

xo,
L