In which I chat about the return of Thymeline entries, the Delaware Burger Battle, Asbury Park getaways, and some fun new attire options.
Hi friends. It’s been awhile since I wrote one of these.
Two years ago, I started these Thymeline posts as a way to keep myself accountable for posting. At the time, I was recovering from a (pretty serious) knee injury, and while I’ll spare the details, it made it difficult to test recipes. Once I started to heal and regained my mobility, my attention moved away from posting these.
The truth is, blogging is an uphill battle for more: more traffic, more followers, more clients, more eyes on the site, more effective ways to use your limited time. Between writing and photographing original content and trying to keep up with the latest social media theories, I won’t lie – I was getting overwhelmed. In an effort to keep my head above water, I chose to focus more on recipes and product reviews, which have a higher potential for driving traffic to the site.
While this was important, I’ve missed sharing the cool new things I’ve found and recipes from my fellow bloggers each week. I don’t know how many people out there enjoy these, but I thought I’d try to do them more often again. So, however many of you are out there reading my humble writings, I thank you for being here. You are all amazing, and I’ll try to share the interesting things I stumble on when I can
And that being said, if there is anything in particular you’d love to see me share – recipes, clothing, home decor – just let me know. I’m open to suggestions!
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Shoreside Vacation in Asbury Park
One of the most relaxing things I’ve done for myself this summer is visit my favorite beach, twice. Once with my husband and friends, and a second time with my mom. Asbury Park is on the Jersey Shore, and is home to the beach where Sam and I were married because I loved the place so much. It was a really fantastic two trips filled with lots of delicious food, creative cocktails, and relaxing walks on the boardwalk. I’ve already written about the new Asbury Park Distilling Co. and its fabulous cocktail program, but stay tuned for a post of my top places to visit in the area, any time of the year.
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7th Annual Delaware Burger Battle
This past Saturday Sam and I enjoyed a beautiful day full of good people and delicious food at the 7th Annual Delaware Burger Battle! We ate our way across the field of 12 restaurant competitors (plus a few drink vendors), all of whom donated their time and food to charity. Proceeds for this annual event go to the Food Bank of Delaware.
While not all the final winners, my favorite burgers were from Farmer & the Cow (house-ground beef, bourbon apples, & prosciutto!), Maiale Deli and Salumeria (scotch egg-inspired with a bacon jam!), and Chelsea Tavern (homemade buns & salty scrapple!). Chelsea Tavern did win the Critic’s Choice award though, and Redfire Grill‘s beef burger with a (delectable) thousand island dressing took home People’s Choice. I still think Farmer & the Cow’s Bushwood Burger (runner-up to both categories) was out of this world though.
Anyway, look how pretty that winning burger is:
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With all the catching up taken care of, let’s get to the links:
- I started collecting enamel pins! I’d tried to avoid it, but I couldn’t help it. I started my collection with a pretty little Purrmaid from Oh Plesiosaur and a Tiki Mug from Mid Mod Pin. Appropriate, don’t you think?
- Lately I’m a little obsessed with Lovecraft, and this little Cthulhu tee is just so damn cute!
- If you love geeky tees, you have to check out my friend’s work over on TeePublic. He’s been designing all sorts of cool stuff, and I absolutely LOVE the racerback tanks from the site.
- And speaking of fashion, how perfect is this collaboration between Vans & the Van Gogh Museum?
- I know, I know – summer isn’t even over yet, but Target has released their Halloween collection!
- Tequila fans should definitely check out this list of the most affordable bottles of mezcal on the market.
- I recently found out how much I love this herb – let’s add tarragon to more things!
- This chart has come in handy a few times this week.
Until next time, cheers!