I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE CLEARANCE CANDY

Before we go any further, let me just say:

To my friends observing Passover- I hope you all haven't turned into a giant piece of matzah.

To my friends celebrating Easter- I hope you enjoyed your egg hunts and pastel treats.

To my friends not partaking in either- I hope you enjoy the 50% off candy at Target.

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A few things:

1. I like all of you A LOT! That's why I'm doing an awesome giveaway with The First Snow. You can win a gorgeous print or set of cards (worth up to $50)- and all you have to do is tell me your favorite thing in her shop. Easy right? No hoops to jump through! Click HERE to enter! Ends in less than 2 days! 

prints all via the first snow

2. I've finally ditched the sweaters! HURRAY for being 40 degrees!!!

3. We went back to Michael's hometown this weekend since his family has a big Easter celebration. We were lucky enough to see Michael's best friend's play a show in town! (If you live in MN, check out Rochester Revival!)

4. I did traditional Easter egg dyeing for the first time...turns out I'm not to great at it (I thought it was foolproof?). Please note my hideous rabbit that looks more like a voodoo doll. Aaaand Michael's jack-o-lantern. #holidayconfused

5. Tomorrow I'm sharing one of my favorite sweet recipes in a while. It is totally baking for lazy people- so if you love making baked things for family/coworkers but don't like the effort- this will be the recipe for you!

What did you do this weekend?

Brownie points if you entered the giveaway!

xo, lp

pssssssssssssssssssst: find me on instagram! @lpodlich

HOMETOWN LOVE

Sometimes, no matter what age you are, you just need to go home and recharge. 

This weekend Michael and I headed back to Minnesota to see my parents and celebrate my dad's recent retirement from work.  Other than a scary snowstorm on our drive in , it was the perfect weekend. 

This Monday I thought I'd show ya a little bit what it's like to go home for me!

I grew up on a lake, and waking up to the view of the trees & water just never gets old:

 Another perk of being home? Finding RIDICULOUS pictures of yourself as a kid. Especially ones in sailor outfits. Proof I loved nautical things before they were trendy...

 My hometown is a little strange because it's around 27,000 people and a suburb of the Twin Cities...but feels much, much smaller than that. While there are plenty of new developments and shops, there are still a handful of old, old buildings with small family owned businesses. I mean, how many places can you still find a barbershop with the spinny blue/red/white thingy out front?!? 

 Naturally we went and got brunch & malts...

After a lazy walk around town and a lazy afternoon on the couch (back off! I had a long week at work!) my lovely talented sister came over and we did a quick photoshoot out in the snow. Maybe if you're all nice I'll show you a few more of the photos...ones that actually show my face...

(photo cred: Louisa Marion Photography)

Dinner was epic. My sister and her boyfriend made us all fresh veggie tempura. Ermahgerd people. We all sat around the counter with little plates and ginger soy dipping sauce while they brought us different veggies to try. For the record, my favorites once tempura-ed in order:

sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, peppers, and green beans.

(oh and we tempura-ed string cheese. this is the midwest...it's what we do)

I have to say it was one of the best meals I've ever had. The food was delicious, but besides that it was so good to be with the ones I love, laughing uncontrollably. Really. I was in tears a few times. My family is absolutely hilarious. Especially after a few glasses of wine...! 

 My parents are both now retired and it makes my heart swell to see them so relaxed and enjoying life. They deserve it. 

After a final breakfast with the fam and some friends on Sunday Michael and I headed back to Madison. This time the sky was insanely blue, and the roads weren't snow covered (thank goodness)! I know I shared this on Instagram, but for the blog readers that haven't seen it, this is a common thing in Wisconsin. If you're from an urban setting, you just don't see tractor crossing signs too often. now do you?

There you have it. A weekend in the life of Laura at home.

No green beer, no partying in the streets, and no glamourous outfits (I spent all of Sunday in fleece snowflake pjs). 

Mom & Dad, thanks for putting up for 25 years and being the most kick ass parents ever.

(sorry for swearing mom!)

What do you love about going home?

Tell me something good about your family. Do it.

xo, lp

Find me on Instagram HERE

Find my sister's lovely pictures HERE and her latest photography endeavor HERE

I'M BECOMING A BOWL HOARDER LIKE MOM.

Happy Monday friends!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. It was raining all weekend here, but it was almost 40 degrees- so I can't complain- HEAT. WAVE. 

Here are a few things that have been keeping me happy lately:

Thing 1: BaubleBar love.

If you don't already ready BB's blog, you should! Each week they do a weekly Top 10- and last week they were cool enough to throw my DIY Jewelry Display in there- pretty awesome Friday surprise!

Thing 2: Having a talented sister

I've mentioned my sister Louisa on here before, and I can never gush about her enough. Having a professional photographer as a sister ROCKS. Especially one who's actually talented. A while back she gave me this amazing photograph that's a compilation of thousands of tiny squares from other pictures she's taken. I shared a shot of it up close on Instagram this weekend. Amazing, right??

Thing 3: Tomorrow's Recipe

A (semi) healthy version of scones. Nom.

Thing 4: Bowls. Yup.

I'm officially turning into my mother- who has the largest pretty bowl collection this side of the Mississippi. No really. We lovingly tease her about it all the time...and then for every occasion feed her addiction and buy her - you guessed it - more bowls. 

Sorry. Babbling.

West Elm is having an awesome sale on tableware- tons of gorgeous plates, bowls, and mugs 20% off with free shipping! This is one of the lovely bowls I bought, thus starting the cycle of becoming my mother:

Most of the bowls/ mugs start at $6 + have free shipping. Go get yo'self some!

Thing 5: This clutch.

So this weekend I went shopping with a few friends- which is the first time I've met people at the mall since... the 10th grade? It was awesome, don't get me wrong- but they were all BAD influences. They made me think I needed this guy (currently 25% off). Dang girls. Last time I make the mistake of going out with you!

Those are my top 5...what are yours for the week?

Anyone else hit up the West Elm sale going on?

xo, lp

Instagram //  Facebook // Twitter 

DO YOU LIKE BEING HAPPY?

I sure do.
Here's what's been making me happy lately:
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THING 1:

Buzzfeed totally rocks. They featured my DIY polka dot phone case last week! WOO HOO! Check out the article here and my original post here.

THING 2:

A little something about Justin Timberlake that will make you laugh.

THING 3:

What makes a late birthday dinner with your friends even better? Homemade cookie cake. Can you believe she made the edible monogram? Insane. Thank Dani!

THING 5:
I finally decided that I did indeed want to get myself a b-day gift.... or well...was just looking for an excuse to buy more art. Clearly I went to my favorite Etsy shop, Pen & Paint for that. I now have 8 of her prints framed throughout our apartment. #penandpainthoarder.
Here's the new addition:

THING 6:

 We finally got sun this weekend. SUN! SUN I TELL YOU! SUN! It's been super cold and dreary lately, and this weekend it was 30 degrees and sunny. Pure blue skies, stunning white/grey capitol building, fresh white snow.

THING 7:

The insanely easy and delicious recipe I'm sharing in tomorrow's post:

 What's been making you happy lately?
If you need a pick-me-up, check out Pen & Paint ;)

xo, lp


Need a little more B&B in your day?
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