Well, you’re either gonna buy me a drink or dramatically roll your eyes at the crankiness I’m about to display. You know the feeling you get when someone scrapes their fingernails on a chalkboard? That’s the way I feel when I hear my friends and loved ones bemoan the end of summer with the passing of August. You guys, I don’t care if kids are back in school. And yes, I realize Labor Day has passed. But can we please just face the fact that Summer isn’t over until September 23rd? Why rush a good thing? We’re still doing laps in the pool and quickly licking our ice cream cones before they melt all over our hands. Summer is here, and I’m just forcing myself (and my family) to enjoy every last bit of it before it’s officially over. Just like a sixth grade girl wishing away the innocence of her childhood and sneaking makeup behind her mom’s back (no, not me! Why would you think that… mom… are you reading here?), I hate to see my dearly beloveds wishing away a good thing that we will soon be longing for come next February.

Now, that being said, I certainly won’t begrudge anyone the enjoyment of an early pumpkin spice latte or an apple picking excursion. And I actually become quite giddy when my favorite stores display Fall merchandise at the beginning of September. I even gleefully busted out my favorite big sweater during an unseasonably chilly evening last week, and today I donned a black beret, even though it felt a bit premature (according to my sweaty head).

I guess this season is more about transition than anything, and I absolutely love it, despite everyone’s insistence on Fall being here, or Summer being over. (You guys, it’s just not. It’s not. IT IS NOT.) This is the only time in the year we can enjoy Summer bike rides in the afternoon and cozy campfires in the evening. We can eat ice cream cones from our favorite seasonal shacks or decide to bake fresh apple pie a la mode. We can wear our favorite Fall color palette, but still bare our legs and arms. This season is the best. Just don’t call it Fall, yet. (Because, let’s get down to my real issue… Fall means an Ohio winter’s a coming!)

O U T F I T   D E T A I L S :

top: ASOS / skirt: thrifted / hat: ASOS / shoes: Amazon / purse: thrifted

L U C Y ‘ S    O U T F I T   D E T A I L S :

jumpsuit: vintage from Miss Pity Kitty on Instagram / bow: Free Babes / shoes: Saltwater Sandals

photos by Matthew Graber

You guys! Our living room revamp is so close to being completed! I’m just waiting on one piece of art to be custom framed (it’s been sent out, I’m waiting for a call to pick it up), and then I’m callin’ it. I thought in the meantime I would discuss one of my favorite aspects of the revamp: the media center!

First, let’s take a trip on the way-back-machine. The first image below is from right after we moved into our home from our big, gorgeous 1920s apartment. (You’ll have to browse through old posts in my “home” category to see the beautiful old apartment and my granny-chic style.) Things from our old home didn’t fit or feel right in our new home, but because money was an issue, we just had to ride that wave for a while.

We literally saved up money in an envelope until we had the funds to buy an Ikea sectional. Along the way I collected some plants, rearranged art, and found a pair of orange armchairs at a garage sale for $5! It all was an improvement for our space, but still wasn’t tailored to our taste. But it fit the price point, and that’s all that mattered, really.

Finally, four years later, we’ve slowly been able to make enough changes to this room by selling off some things (rugs, art, furniture) in order to buy some new items which fit the style of our home as a whole and also went along with a more refined color palette and aesthetic. In addition to swapping out items, tweaking the arrangement of objects has made a large impact in the space. Removing the gallery wall and installing shelves to create a media center is one of the biggest changes we’ve made as far as the balance of the room goes. It feels much more calm, and is way more useful than the random assortment of art, which may have helped our t.v. blend in a bit better, but maybe didn’t suit our needs so well in the end.

So here it is now! I purchased some new boards which are supported by a shelving standards system I had taken down from the the wall on the other side of the room when we installed our office set-up. (See the post about our office wall here at A Beautiful Mess.) Finally our record player is set-up in a convenient place with access to our receiver and speakers. We have movies, blankets, and media equipment stored in the sideboard, and— no longer in hiding— our t.v. enjoys prime real estate, because let’s be real guys, we watch a lot of t.v. Ain’t no shame in that! (I call myself a movie buff to make my habits seem more refined.)

The girls and I have been listening to records almost every day now, and our room feels way more put together with this set-up than it had before. I still need to work on some cord control, but overall, I’m really pleased with how it has affected our overall enjoyment of our living room.

I can’t wait to share the rest of the space with you, and! Our new slipcover, which arrived last week during a really frustrating and dark time in my Summer— so I just couldn’t be happier about it. What a fun experience this revamp has been! So happy to share the process with you all. -Mandi

If you’re looking for a fun end-of-Summer party idea, look no further! Hosting a crepe buffet brunch is a perfectly decadent way to enjoy the best of berry season and bid adieu to Summer. Besides, I don’t know about you, but I’m always down for an excuse to have dessert for breakfast.

I teamed up with International Delight to bring this idea to life (and to my tummy), and and while I admittedly have been intimidated of crepes in the past, I have an easy (I promise) recipe for you to whip up a batch of delicious crepes to refrigerate while you make your party come to life.

French Vanilla Crepes

2016-08-31 21:19:27

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982 calories

106 g

438 g

35 g

28 g

19 g

546 g

778 g

10 g

1 g

13 g

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size

546g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 982

Calories from Fat 309

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 35g

54%

Saturated Fat 19g

93%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3g

Monounsaturated Fat 10g

Cholesterol 438mg

146%

Sodium 778mg

32%

Total Carbohydrates 106g

35%

Dietary Fiber 3g

14%

Sugars 10g

Protein 28g

Vitamin A

27%

Vitamin C

0%

Calcium

17%

Iron

18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Does this look wrong?

Ingredients

1. 2 eggs (room temperature)
2. 1 Cup flour
3. 2 Tablespoons melted butter
4. 1/4 teaspoon salt
5. 1/4 Cup milk
6. 1/4 Cup International Delight French Vanilla creamer
7. 3/4 Cup water

Instructions

1. Beat together all of the ingredients except for the water. Then, at low speed, slowly whisk in the water to make a very runny consistency.
2. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. (I prefer a coated cast iron pan.) Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the hot skillet, immediately swirling it around to spread it out in the pan. This may take a couple of times to get the hang of it! Once the bottom is starting to become golden, flip it over with a large spatula to cook the other side.

beta

calories

982

fat

35g

protein

28g

carbs

106g

more

Making Nice in the Midwest https://makingniceinthemidwest.com/

Adding International Delight’s French Vanilla creamer gave these sweet crepes additional depth of flavor, but regular milk can be substituted in a pinch.

Simple blend together all of the ingredients, except the water, until smooth, then slowly stir in the water to make the batter a creamy consistency. Pour over a hot skillet and cook until one side is golden. Then flip it over with a large spatula and cook the other side. I always have a tricky time getting a nice round shape to my crepes, but I don’t worry too much about that, because they end up being folded or rolled up in the end.

To make chocolate crepes, you just need to add a tablespoon (or two for even more chocolatey flavor) of cocoa powder to the batter.

Pile up the crepes as you cook them, and keep them refrigerated until your party. They shouldn’t stick together when stacked (mine didn’t), but if you freeze them, I would definitely put parchment paper between them.

Arrange your table with bowls full of sweet toppings for building your own delicious crepe concoctions. Here are the toppings I used:

• fruit (strawberries, peaches, and blueberries— bananas would be good too!)
• shredded coconut
• slivered almonds
• miniature chocolate chips
• hazelnut spread
• whipped topping
• maple syrup (a butter pecan flavor, actually)
• fruit syrup
• chocolate syrup

If this party is for kids (or kids-at-heart) I would add a variety of sprinkles too!

The most popular crepe creation in our house is the nutty chocolate and strawberries crepe. We filled in inside with hazelnut spread and strawberries and topped it with whipped topping, chocolate syrup, more strawberries, and slivered almonds. Very decadent— not for the diabetic!

My favorite crepe combination is the broiled peaches and cream crepe. I filled the inside with lite whipped topping and roasted peaches, then topped it with more of the same. Broiling or grilling peach slices caramelizes the juices and brings out even more of the peach’s natural sweetness.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a brunch without coffee and cream! I set out a couple of International Delight creamer flavors that I thought went well with our sweet crepe toppings.

If you’re not the type to enjoy dessert for breakfast, you can skip the flavoring in your crepe batter and use savory toppings instead of sweet. But if you’re planning to invite me to your party, please don’t skip the coffee! ;)

Be sure to follow International Delight on Pinterest and Facebook for even more brunch and coffee ideas and recipes! Sign up for their newsletter here to receive a coupon towards your next creamer purchase.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.