back in the park

us and the nation's largest free jazz festival!

For the past couple of years, the Atlanta Jazz Festival had to be held on concrete due to the drought. But we were oh-so-happy this weekend to be able to take a 10-minute bike ride to Piedmont Park to spread out our handmade picnic blanket (thanks, Charlotte!) and enjoy the likes of Marcus Miller on a beautiful evening in the city.

This is just the sort of thing we've been looking forward to as we made our move into the city:) On another note, I've also been experiencing just how much more hilly the city is than the Silver Comet, but it's a pleasure to be able to pedal! 

everything's better with buttercream

With these scrumptious photos, I present you with the announcement of my new (three days a week) job: Miss Mamie's Cupcakes, Cakes & Such located in the Marietta Square where I play assistant to Mamie herself, cake and pastry extraordinaire! 

In the most un-random, unearthly orchestrated email during what we know as the era of job crises, and while Bryan and I were in Florida for his grandmother's funeral, Mamie contacted me about coming in to interview to work for her. We had met with her a couple of times because she is the creator of our little two-tier wedding cake:

In the email she commented about our unique style and the fact that we designed our own cake. And from this, new work spawned.

So now, even though I've moved downtown, you'll find me back in Marietta Wednesday-Friday at Miss Mamie's doing everything from mixing batter to fondant flowers (below) to finishing lovely cheesecake cupcakes with cherries on top. And don't worry, we all get our fair share at the dishes since there isn't a dishwasher:)

toasted coconut nests on chocolate buttercream for baby bird cupcakes--gone are the days of naked plastic baby toppers!

my first day on the job, my first fondant assignment--i felt like i would need to become an engineer just to make these cupcake toppers!

Working at Miss Mamie's has been GREAT so far! And while I'm still doing a little writing and working up photography, getting this opportunity became the icing on the cake! The only problem may be that Mamie, from Michigan, does not understand the South's love for red velvet...but I won't mind being the taste tester any of these particular batches in question:)

strong to the finich

cause we eats our spinach!

As promised, the delicious summer Strawberry Spinach Salad recipe:

Salad:

• fresh spinach
• sliced strawberries
• slivered almonds
• crumbled feta cheese

throw into a big bowl or onto plates at will

Dressing:

• 2 Tbs. sesame seeds
• 1 Tb. poppy seeds
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup evoo
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tb. minced onion (plus more for salad if you so desire)

whisk together and apply to salad at time of serving


Bryan and I enjoyed this summer treat as a delicious full plate dinner with some of our fresh-picked berries. The base recipe was discovered on allrecipes.com, but we made "a few slight modifications," as my brother would say. It seemed to us that no salad could really be enjoyed for its fresh goodness if the dressing called for nearly a cup of sugar (among other things)!

Bon Appetit!

a room with a great view

Wanted to share just a small view of what our new digs are looking like. You have now been officially welcomed into our home and visited us on movie night (which is just about every night). We're sitting in our little loft with big windows. The little Mac there is our film/TV screen and the popcorn makes it a special night. I don't believe anything super special was happening. We watched Coco avant Chanel (because anything starring Audrey is deemed great before viewing) and Men Who Stare at Goats (because with a tagline like "no goats, no glory," it was sure to provide a little light humor after the previous drama). And just being together made the night special.

p.s. I just finished up a week working a new part-time job! But pictures will be needed to announce this one...see you next time!

A Fruitful Beginning

One month down, many more to go!

Feel free to note Sintos rockin' the striped shirt, plaid pants and argyle socks:) And the fact that sometimes he calls me Sintos now too!

Our first month as the Sintoses has been filled with excitement, both expected and not--and we can't believe four weeks have already passed by! We live in a loft in Atlanta, play ultimate together, cook up fun meals, watch Netflix films and unpack boxes. And we are loving taking every step of this new life together! So we've designated this little space on the World Wide Web to record small slices of the Sintos life. 

We don't claim this site to be a fascinating compendium of intriguing and beguiling tales and tidbits, but we hope you'll come visit often in any case (and comment!).   

Our first post takes us to our new love for driving to see Bryan's family in Clearwater, Florida. Once the most grueling, monotonous drives down I-75, we now have a new landmark to love to keep us trudging along the way. A sunny spot to the reading capital of the world (good ol' Tifton, Ga): Rutland Farms, home of the best strawberries I've every laid eyes upon sunk my teeth into!

These big red berries remind me of a book I used to read growing up: The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear (a classic need anyone need some light reading...or have a three-year-old to use an excuse). They are also giving us a reason to make as many strawberry-filled dishes as possible (next possible post, the strawberry spinach salad?).

While the circumstances of our trip to Florida were undeniably unpleasant after just two weeks of marriage, we were so very blessed our jobs and schedules allowed us the chance to be with Bryan's mom after the passing of her mother. As the first big event to happen after joining our lives together, there was no question as to whether or not we would do everything we could to support our family.

 After the unplanned trip to the South of Florida, we were more than excited to experience the unexpected find of 2,100 acres of homegrown goodness with a beautiful vision to match: Preserve and enhance the value of the land for current and future generations by providing exceptional products and services to our customers that emphasize "family, food, and recreation."

Cheers to our new beginning--may it be even more fruitful!