Simple Discoveries (Part 9)
Fall Food/The Perfect Polo/Unconventional Pottery
This past week was our first taste of “false fall” here in Georgia. For those unfamiliar with this term, it’s the time of year when the seasons start to transition from summer to fall, but you get about a week or so of cooler weather before the heat kicks back in the following week. For each morning, I found myself sitting outside on my front stoop taking in the cooler weather and enjoying the slight breeze in the air. As I get ready for the fall to come soon, often there are a few things that come to mind, whether that’s what foods will be more appetizing during the cooler months, what a change of wardrobe will look like, and why on earth my stoop lacks all sense of curb appeal. For today’s simple discoveries, I wanted to highlight a few things that I’ve found that help answer these questions.
Chicken Stock
Like most people, I love a cup of coffee. I especially love hot coffee. Unfortunately, I have tremors and have found that coffee tends to excite them a little too much, so I have to plan my coffee accordingly and make sure I don’t need my hands to be sitting still for an extended period of time anytime soon. However, what I love most about coffee during the fall is the feeling of a warm mug in my hands on a cool southern morning, and being able to feel each sip flow through me while it slowly warms me up. One thing that I’ve discovered that gets the job done, and I don’t have to worry about the caffeine jitters, is a fresh warm mug of Chicken Stock. I realize this may sound somewhat off-putting to some folks, but it’s really just the same as drinking chicken noodle soup. Thankfully, it has greater health benefits as well. It’s an easy way to add some extra collagen and protein into your diet. These sorts of things help with digestion, joint health, muscle health, and your immune system. Making your own can sometimes take a lot of time, but your local butcher shop ought to have some that you can pick up easily. My current go to butcher in Virginia Highlands, Kinship, carries their stock and you get a free quart container out of it as well! But all I do is fill up a mug with it, heat it up in the microwave and it’s ready to go.
The Rally Polo
Something I’m always trying to find in the fashion realm, is a proper balance between dressed up and casual. I think a polo shirt is a fantastic way to do just that, however, there are so many different cuts, fabrics, and colors of polos that are out there. I am someone who struggles with good sleeve placement because I have a thinner build than most guys, but a broader shoulders for someone of my size. This causes a number of clothes to not fit me well, because a medium fits my body better, but a large fits my shoulders better. This usually causes most sleeves to splay outward or have them drowning, rather than rest down my arm how they ought to. Thankfully, I found what Sid Mashburn calls The Rally Polo. I currently own a short sleeve version of this polo which has been the perfect addition of feel and fit to my closet. The fabric is extremely soft and the sleeves are actually designed to hug your arms. More so recently, they introduced the long sleeve version for the cooler months, and I’m excited to pick up this piece. A long sleeve polo to me, when done in the right fabric of course, is a quintessential piece that carries both an elevated look and a modern causal tone at the same time.
Unconventional Pottery
As I’ve been looking around at getting some nice pots for some plants outside my home, I’ve discovered a cool trend that helps bring color to a space in your home, but can also match the decor well. That trend is using old product containers as vases.
There is so much good vintage product graphic design out there and so much of it comes on cans, jars, or bottles. Some of my favorite ways to bring floral into the pantry area of your home is using something like these old oysters.
I also really like the idea of using an old tomato can to bring a little color to your dining sets. So I’m not entirely sure what I’ll end up putting out on my front stoop yet, but these ideas are definitely something that I’ll be sure to implement if I’m having any kind of themed party that needs some extra something added to it.