thanksgiving prep

i'm a busy little bee over here getting ready for thanksgiving!

last year, i prepared an entirely raw thanksgiving dinner for 5 people all by myself. this year, i'm only in charge of a few dishes and the entire process has been so much more enjoyable! i'll be preparing both raw and gluten free items this year and wanted to share a few pics of ingredients i gathered around town yesterday. i'm wearing my favorite polka dot apron and am listening to my favorite music while i chop, blend & infuse my food with all kinds of love and gratitude. 

i'm feeling so incredibly warm and thankful tonight for all the wonderful things i have in my life - family & friends, adorable kitties, a cozy home, my health, an abundance of creative inspiration and true passion for my work. i feel incredibly blessed this thanksgiving holiday and hope you are feeling equally loved and supported by this amazing universe we live in. 

so, what will i be bringing to the thanksgiving feast? here's what's on the menu: mixed green salad w/ beets, pomegranate, goat cheese, thinly sliced red onion & candied pecans w/ a homemade balsamic dressing ☆ honeycrisp apple, comice pear & cranberry compote ☆ gluten-free kabocha squash pie ☆ spiced persimmon pudding... yum! 

have a happy & safe thanksgiving!!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

lunch at del sol

after reading about del sol a few months back on enjoying toledo i decided to give it a shot for saturday lunch with my honey. when we used to live in washington, dc we were total foodies and made it a point to eat at new restaurants weekly. in toledo, there isn't much of a fine dining or international food scene - it's a pretty traditional american-home-cooking kind of town with only a few really great stand out restaurants deviating from the norm.  

we were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful decor of the restaurant and the gorgeous waterfront view. there's an enormous variety of artwork throughout - large glass and sculptural pieces, dozens of paintings, and gorgeous mosaic work. the food was delicious and i really appreciated the creative approach to plating. we were fortunate enough to have the place almost to ourselves, which was pretty cool, and eating in a hotel sort of made me feel like i was on vacation, which was an added bonus i hadn't anticipated on.

i wore a really cute patterned vintage shirt that will be up in the shop tomorrow is available in the shop layered over a simple blank tank, skinny jeans & jeffrey campbell wedges. i love how versatile these kinds of shirts are - i can use them as added layers over tanks & t-shirts or by themselves with a skirt or pants. they're so easy to dress up or dress down and have such fun, interesting patterns and color combinations - the light pinks & blues in this one are the best. 

keep your eyes open - there'll be more cute vintage button-down shirts in the shop later this week!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

*outfit details: vintage patterned long sleeve shirt // black tank top - target // black skinny jeans - H&M // black "99" platform wedges - jeffrey campbell // large gold hoops - ebay // rings - forever 21