As I have mentioned before, the amount of pockets a bag contains is what sweeps away my heart. Small ones, large ones, zippered, lined, and even padded ones. Enough compartments and secret compartments to fill an organization nerd’s heart.
Take a close look at the Lo & Son’s O.G. Bag designed for travel, gym, and functional use. When I have a few hours to steal away and work at a coffee shop, this bag fits all the gear as pictured above. And I just had to demonstrate the secret side pouch for the extra pair of walking shoes. It did me in. The nylon lining makes for easy cleaning and the leather handles contribute to comfort and quality. Another favorite feature is that it slides over a roller suitcase handle for convenient travel.
Lo & Sons generously offered to send me one of these to try and, how I would like for it to go with features this year, is that if I try one, you all get a chance to win one too! Soooo…enter away through rafflecopter below to win YOUR CHOICE Lo & Sons bag! (U.S. Residents only) We will draw a winner in 7 days. ALSO, they are offering an exclusive 20% off discount on all orders (with the exception of clearance) with code “INHONOROFDESIGN1”
All the way through Valentine’s Day I will be sharing some of my favorite shops and giving away tons of goodies to you all because you are greatly loved and appreciated! Stay tuned! #IHODLovesWeek
Couldn’t be happier to have my talented friend Meghan (from here in Atlanta!) as a guest today. She comes up with THE coolest ideas in the kitchen…
Confetti Meringue Heart Cookies
Valentine’s Day always seems to sneak up right after we’ve recovered from all our holiday indulging. And I’m always such a sucker for the boxes of chocolates and the crazy sweet conversation hearts. To combat my terrible sweet tooth I’m baking up these Confetti Meringue Heart Cookies. Bonus – they are low in fat, sugar and look darling packaged as a teacher’s gift or classroom Valentine’s Day treat.
There are two tricks for getting wonderfully fluffy meringue – room temperature egg whites and cream of tartar. A little pinch of cream of tartar helps denature the egg white’s protein allowing even more air to be beaten into the meringue. Out of cream of tartar? Just make sure your eggs are at room temperature and your mixing bowl and whisk are clean and dry.
I designed these cookies to taste like a “funfetti cake”; The secret ingredient to their cake-like flavor is the almond extract. Feel free to skip the almond extract if you don’t have some in your pantry – these cookies are just as delicious without it.
Confetti Meringue Heart Cookies
Yield: 6 dozen 1 inch cookies
Ingredients: 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar, optional
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract, optional
¼ cup sprinkles or jimmies, plus extra for topping
How to:
Heat the oven to 200 degrees F. Bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium high heat. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Combine the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or a heat proof bowl if using a hand mixer). Set the bowl over the pot of simmering water, and whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm, about 3 minutes. Add the salt and cream of tartar.
Whip the egg white mixture with the mixer on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and meringue is mostly cooled, about 7 minutes. Add vanilla extract and almond extract, if using and stir to combine. Gently fold in the sprinkles.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip with meringue or use a gallon sized zip-top bag and snip a ½ inch off at one corner.
Pipe the meringue into the heart shape: Think of the heart as a letter “V” – pipe a small round as the left side of the heart and pull straight down to create tear drop shape. Repeat for the right side of the “V”/ heart and drag the bottom of the drop down into the left side so they connect. It takes a little bit of practice!
TIP: You can make yourself a template by drawing out a few hearts on a piece of paper. Slide the paper under the parchment paper and pipe the meringue on top of it!
Meringues do not spread as they bake, so place the hearts about a ¼ inch apart so you can fit as many on each baking sheet as possible. Sprinkle with additional sprinkles as desired.
Bake meringues until crisp on the outside but still soft inside, about 1 hour. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container in a cool dark place for up to a week.
Meghan Splawn is a professional recipe developer, wife, and mama. Meghan’s blog, Stir and Scribble, is full of clever cooking and useful kitchen tips. She’s a fan of candy, classic cocktails, and fuss-free family dinners.
She’s a close reader.
She will read piles of books after piles of books.
She will pretend she knows how to read and make up words through each page.
She has been working on growing pigtails since she was born.
She has 7 different smiles for several occasions and knows when to deliver each at just the right time. The smile she gives when she knows she is eating something she shouldn’t be is my favorite.
And something I should probably dedicate to another post, but I am not patient enough… VIEW FULL POST
When I was younger I never gave much thought to where clothes were made, how they were made, or the subsequent price points. Over the last few years it has become more important to me to understand the stories behind the company, the makers, and where clothes are produced.
I am happy to introduce you to Everlane who introduces “Radical Transparency,” where they take you inside their factories, reveal true costs, and challenge customers to ask questions. Pretty spectacular right?
Well I was also swept away with their modern designs to the basics they offer. Soft and luxurious at a non-luxurious price.
Take a look at Everlane…you will feel like you just got a tour of their company from start to finish, and it will make you want to be a life long customer:)
Happy Friday friends! Atlanta made it through the Snow Jam and are very anxious to see warm weather this weekend!
x, Anna
We pause our regular scheduled programming to ask for your prayers for the south who can’t seem to get themselves out of this horrible mess. Just a few of the crazy stories emerging from this great city that I love so dearly (despite its inability to cope with cold weather)…
2. Stories of diabetics, newborns babies (with their moms), and elderly being trapped for hours start to spread on social media. A facebook group is created where people started to come to the rescue to those in need by providing food, water, blankets, gas, and shelter. I guess social media can be a good thing after all;) Hope in humanity restored.
3. Home Depot, Target, and Whole Foods leave stores open city wide to house those stuck in the snow jam overnight.
6. Woman in Sandy Springs, GA delivers her baby girl on I-285 with the help of her husband and local police officer. Luckily, an ambulance arrived shortly after to take her to a local hospital.
7. The later it gets the more cars are abandoned as people attempt to walk,(and in a friend’s case crawl), and drudge miles home in hopes of avoiding the night in their car.
8. What started as a daily commute for many turned into a snowpile nightmare of car crashes now totaling 940 with one death and 104 injuries. As the news even tried to communicate the severity of the situation. “Don’t get on Johnson Ferry. Seriously. Don’t.”
9. Atlanta becomes the opening scene of The Walking Dead. Our good friend and neighbor had an experience straight out of the opening scene of The Walking Dead (I am sure many of you Atlantans did!), as he had to search for his wife and two sons who were stuck out in the snow jam. Her phone had died and she had a nursing baby with her. As he starts driving on the opposite side of the empty highway to look for her, the city is eerily quiet and no one is moving. Abandoned cars everywhere. He found her going in 4-wheel drive up the grassy side around the gridlock. This tough chic comes from the midwest where these situations are commonplace. 8 hours total before they all arrived home. Some individuals are going on 18 hours+..
10. Least significant, but worthy of note…Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves rescues old team mate Freddie Freeman on his four wheeler. What? Smart move.
I am kind of in shock. I grew up in Ohio so really have never seen anything like this. I know you northern friends may be in awe, but this is unfortunately as real as it gets! My heart breaks for the parents who cannot get to their children. There are still so many stuck in this horrible snow jam and could use a prayer or two! Wish I had a serious four wheeler of my own right now to go out and offer transportation. You think they would have a fleet on back up for situations like this!
Atlanta. We love you, but you show your better side in the spring.
I am over at Style Me Pretty Living today sharing the details on making your own giant copper quiver of arrows! Because who wouldn’t want to receive a Valentine you can work as home decor? 😉
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves
Marriage and motherhood is not for the faint of heart.
It pulls, it stretches, it bends, and sometimes you feel it can break you.
It requires love and lots of it. Not the touch-y feel-y kind. The selfless unconditional kind.
I experience so many moments of joy in my week, but it comes with equal parts of trial.
There is still so much for me to learn in this life, but here is what I know to be true…
I have felt the aching pain of heartbreak….but it lead me to a deeper and stronger marriage.
I know the confusing pain of feeling betrayed by someone I admired…..but it taught me that we are all human with human flaws.
I have experienced the sting of putting time and energy into a friendship that does not reciprocate….but in the process I found the truest friends.
At times I feel completely inept, alone, and exhausted in motherhood, yet never have I felt more alive.
My heart is full.
I nod my hat to you Lewis. Your words ring true.
The commercials tell us to take more time for ourselves. The movies speak messages of self preservation. If you aren’t happy, than leave. If you don’t get something out of this, than why are you there? Don’t give if there is no promise of benefit in return.
But you Lewis have it right. Anyone who has loved wholeheartedly would agree.
As much as my heart has been squeezed, tried, broken, and patched in motherhood, friendships, and relationships, I would still choose vulnerability. Always. The true, squeeze your heart, unshakeable love is only experienced when you have given your heart away.
The closest I can relate to this is after I have had each of my children. Your body is pushed to the point of breaking, and you are physically and emotionally drained out, but as soon as you see the face of your child your heart is gone. You love them to the point where you would give your life over if the doctor said it would sustain theirs. Your heart is actually replaced with a larger bleeding one that will bleed out of love for your child till the day they die and forever after.
I am so grateful to have experienced this kind of love in my lifetime, both in marriage and in motherhood.
Our life is too short for cautious love. There are few chances at deep rooted happiness and too few days in our life for self preservation.
So thank you Lewis, for reminding me what it means to truly live. I will hold your quote dear when my naturally selfish heart wants to stray from the clear and narrow path to happiness:)
