Salt of the Earth...

I'll pick salty over sweet any day of the week. I recently came across these fantastic Himalayan salt bricks - they're hand-cut blocks of translucent pink salts that can be used on the grill or in the over. I love the idea of grilling veggies on these...

Which got me thinking of other tasty salt finds that I love, including this Sal de Ibiza 100 % sea salt harvested on the island of Ibiza {love the packaging}

This simple salt box is handcrafted from North American Maple...

And this Le Pere Pelletier French Gardner Sea Salt was specially formulated for using with cooked and raw veggies and blends sea salt with parsley, garlic, tarragon and chervil. Delicious to look at and taste...

Keel's Simple Diary...

I received a Keel's Simple Diary from my sister-in-law recently, and I love the clever concept! I've never kept a diary - it always seemed tedious and time-consuming, perhaps nothing terribly exciting happened on a certain day, the idea that someday someone else will read it one day, the list goes on. I love that the Simple Diary has quirky little questions, multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks and other simple things that make keeping a diary simple and easy...

One Day...

I just finished reading One Day by David Nicholls, a story that takes place during a single day - July 15th - each year for two decades in the lives of Dex and Em. From the minute I picked up this book, I was completely in love with it. Absorbing, moving, funny, smart - it's just a fantastic read. I felt emotionally attached and a true sense of nostalgia reading it, as though these are people I could easily have known. I could not put this book down...

Lonny Photo

I really love the photos from Lonny Photo by photographer Patrick Cline and designer/all-around superstar Michelle Adams. I especially adore their series of equestrian photographs...

Take a peek at their Etsy site here...

Twinkle Light Love

I recently came across this wedding photographed by One Love Photo and fell in love. I absolutely adore twinkle lights and thought these were stunning...


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Bike About Tours Paris

When Robby and I went to Paris last November, several friends recommended we take a bike tour through Bike About Tours Paris - it was by far one of the best things we did on our trip. We arrived in Paris on a Saturday evening and did the Parisian Day Bike Tour on Sunday, which was ideal as Sundays are very calm on the streets of Paris. Our bike tour was such an amazing way to see Paris and a fabulous introduction to the city.

One of the owners of Bike About, Christian, was our guide and truly made the experience. Beyond seeing some of the most popular sites in Paris, Christian showed us lots of sites and some of the best backroads in Paris we would've never found on our own, and he provided endless recommendations for things to do while we were in town.

Bike About is actually ranked No. 2 of 777 attractions in Paris through TripAdvisor.com - if that isn't a glowing review, I don't know what is...

And now for a few of my favorite photos from the trip:

Our view of le Tour Eiffel from a boat cruise down the Seine...
The Tuileries Gardens...
Overlooking the Seine River...
Looking over Paris from the top of the Arc de Triomphe...

Skunked

My husband and I have two dogs, one of whom seems to have a dark storm cloud permanently following him around. If something's going to happen to a dog, it's happened to Merrick.

Last night Merrick was skunked for the second time in about six months - this time right in the face. The reason for sharing is that I've found the best solution to removing the skunk smell.

You simply need hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and liquid dish soap - super simple. Read the full instructions (and heed their warnings as well) here. This little concoction is truly a lifesaver...

One other tidbit - to get rid of the skunk smell throughout your home or in your car, fill several shallow dishes with vanilla extract and place them wherever you need to get rid of the smell.