Technically the gals turned 5 months on August 28. So this may not be the most timely of posts, but I wanted to share the results of my little photoshoot with them (I’m going to eventually have a photo book of their monthly photos). I have zero photography skills and usually end up using my iPhone, so I’m lucky my subjects are adorable.
Last week, Jon and I took a little vacation that I’ve been jokingly calling our Baby Moon, because it’s likely the last vacation we’ll ever take, just the two of us. We went to Charleston, SC, where we lived for the 3 years of Jon’s residency, to visit friends and favorite places and just relax. It was perfect. Those who know me well know I’m crazy about food, and we basically planned our whole trip around what we’d eat, when, matching up people we wanted to see with places we wanted to eat. We ate SO GOOD. And our spirits were fed as well when reconnecting with people we love.
It’s hard to put a finger on exactly why we love Charleston. In some ways, it’s obvious– great food, great beauty, the beach. But in other ways, I think it’s because it’s where we went and struggled and survived on our own as a married couple for the first time. Jon worked crazy hours. I worked jobs I sometimes hated. We didn’t know anyone. I hated it at first. And then we thrived, and for that, it will always be a special place. Here are some highlights from a fabulous trip*:
Actually visited this old favorite TWICE.
There was one day of perfectly warm weather, so we spent it at Folly Beach.
12 week twin bump shadowed on the beach.
Followed by dinner at Taco Boy. Fish tacos! Too bad I couldn't have a margarita!
Jon really enjoyed his Mexican Street Corn.
We checked in on Rainbow Row and strolled around downtown.
We checked out Middleton Place plantation. The house is gone, but the gorgeous view it had remains.
One day, we'll be able to make the twins take pictures of us. Until then, this will have to do.
One of the plantation's goats wanted to be Jon's bff. It was trying to climb out of the pen to get to him.
And on our last night in SC, I got to try a restaurant I've been dying to try for over a year. The wait was worth it!
*You can thank Jon that I’m not sharing the tens of photos I took of trees. I’m a little obsessed with gnarled live oaks and giant moss-draped magnolias.
As I mentioned, I have terrible allergies. But I like flowers. Clearly I hate breathing, as these are both in my house:
Top image taken with Hipstamatic, bottom with Instagram.
Friday I spent the entire day in the kitchen preparing food to serve to our homeless neighbors under the Broadway Bridge. While I was cooking, Jon picked up McKinley and took him to get his CDL renewed, FINALLY! Glory, hallelujah, what a hassle, but now he can finally find a job.
That night we served delicious Italian food to a robust crowd, and I also contributed cupcakes as it was our friend John’s birthday. I discovered (by way of the blogosphere), the best way ever to top a cupcake: toasted marshmallows. Way less hassle than frosting. Just pop a marshmallow on top of each of your baked cupcakes and put them back in the 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Then pull them out and gently smoosh each marshmallow down over the cupcakes. If you really want the toasty marshmallow flavor, broil them, but keep an eye out not to burn them.
Saturday was GLORIOUS. We went for a little bike ride around the neighborhood to enjoy the cloudless, 70 degree day. It was my first ride with the new panniers I got for my birthday. I call them my “bike trunk.”
This weekend I helped my parents move into a new house and my Memaw to move in with them. My Memaw has always been a collector, and the family historian, so she has a houseful of beautiful things and probably enough to fill another. Because she is moving in with my parents, many members of my family are basically getting our “inheritance” early, which I think is great, because I get to tell her how beautiful I think things are, learn the stories behind them, and thank her. I know I have a few vintage-loving readers/friends, so I thought I’d share what Memaw gave me here.
Memaw had at least 8 complete sets of dishes. We asked her how she wound up with so many dishes and what she did with them all, and all she would say is that she used to throw a lot of bridge parties, and my Pops never fussed at her for buying things. There’s a set of china that Memaw gave to my mom and dad that will one day be mine, but in the meantime I got this fun set of regular, everyday dishes:
You can see how well they match the color scheme in my dining room curtains!
I think the funky tea pot is my favorite part of the whole set:
Speaking of tea pots, I also inherited a tea pot that originally belonged to my grandfather’s mother! I love the unusual shape: 
Being a big ol’ liberal, I was psyched to see this commemorative plate from FDR’s Warm Springs, GA, retreat. I just listened to an episode of This American Life on the way back from Florida which mentioned Warm Springs and tried to figure out if FDR liked to drink the local moonshine when spending time there (I bet he did).
I think this will be hung on the wall in my kitchen.
I also received a lovely set of blue and white plates that my Pops sent home from Europe to his mother while he was serving in WWII. Memaw kept telling me “these are a real prize!” and I certainly agree. These will also be hung on the wall in my kitchen:
I have a thing for milk glass, so I took this set of plates, even though there weren’t very many of them. They were just too pretty to pass up!
I love how translucent they are.
I also love the gold-rimmed scalloped edges.
Proof that my liberalism has roots, a set of vintage Democratic donkey glasses (shot glasses?):
I also thought these tiny red glasses were pretty cute:
Believe it or not, before this, I didn’t have a butter dish:
More blue and white. The set of dishes I got when I got married is blue and white, so this lovely serving platter will go nicely with the stuff I already own: 
These super retro tea cups were actually a belated anniversary gift from Memaw. They sort of remind me of Liberty of London textiles. 
I also got these little milk glass bakers: 
An oil and vinegar bottle: 
And a cute little green citrus juicer: 
And, most miraculously? I found space for everything in my kitchen!
I decided to do a little retrospective on our three years in Charleston as we leave tomorrow to move to Little Rock. What better way to do it than in comic book form?
We will miss Charleston very much, but we look forward to turning the page to another action packed adventure!
Bessie dog.
Olive Pup.
Happeee Ollie.
These two dogs are best friends. For the better part of the last hour, while I sat drinking my coffee and internetting, as golden sunshine filtered through the curtains in our living room, they’ve been wrestling and playing tug-of-war with their rope toy. Jon sat on the couch, having just got in after working a night shift at the hospital, and he said: “I don’t know how anyone could watch these two play and decide to have only one dog.” It’s true. Two dogs are better than one. They entertain each other, they bring out each other’s dog-ness, and they’re almost as fun to watch as TV. Sure, it was a pain in the ass trying to find a rental house that would allow my two large dogs, but I found one, and I wouldn’t trade my two puppers for anything.
Jon went to a sunrise service on the beach this morning, while I, not a morning person, and unlike his medical resident self, unused to waking before the sun, slept in. He brought me back some gorgeous photos, though, so I thought I’d share. If you’re looking for a good Easter message, check out this video, Resurrection, by Rob Bell.
Well, Internet, I’m back. Vacation was lovely. Being married to a medical resident can be stressful and grueling, even on the non-resident, and just having some time to hang out and reconnect with my husband was just what I needed. Did you miss me?
We started our vacation in coastal Maryland. It was too cold to enjoy the beach, and the place was a ghost town. The high point was the best Italian meal I’ve ever had. We randomly stumbled upon this place that seemed to reside in a renovated Pizza Hut, a place where they happen to make all their own pasta. Jon ordered a dish with thin layers of pasta, ground veal, mozzarella cheese, and a very delicate tomato sauce. It. was. divine. Seriously. The single best Italian dish I’ve ever had. I had a pasta dish with Italian sausage, and it was almost as good as Jon’s dish. Also enjoyable was the flamboyant owner/manager who was singing solos, exuberantly greeting guests, and giving presentations of the specials with such flair that I wanted to try all of them. Otherwise, being without cable in our normal life, we were actually more than entertained just to be able to watch cable television. ESPN for Jon, marathons of “What Not to Wear” and “NCIS” for me. Here are some highlights from the Maryland portion of the trip: Continue reading
I’m not one to participate in blog memes like “Wordless Wednesday,” so please consider the fact that I’m posting this on a Wednesday a coincidence. I have a longer post brewing in my head, but I am too busy to write it until tomorrow. Plus, I wrote a whole Valentine post about Olive, so it’s Bessie’s turn. This is how my crazy Catahoula Bessie likes to nap: 
Sure wish I were napping too!
My name is Sarah. I live with my husband Jon, our twin daughters Etta and Claire, our two dogs (rescued mutts) Olive and Bessie, and a "hobo cat" who charmed his way into our hearts and is called Tinycat.
As a child, I nicknamed myself Ernie Bufflo, and from this quirk, my blog takes its name. I fancy myself a writer, and this is a place where a lil Bufflo's thoughts can roam.
You can contact me at erniebufflo at gmail dot com.
