National Pink Day!
Every girly-girl's favorite holiday!
Today is National Pink Day. I have no idea where this "holiday" comes from, but I look for any reason to sport my favorite color. (I also don't know how it wound up on a Tuesday, but that's another story.)
We rounded up a few of our favorite ways to celebrate -- from fun, inexpensive, trendy pieces to some gorgeous statement pieces. We'd love to hear what you're wearing today!
This jumpsuit is only $65. I LOVE the color. So, so cute!
This Romper is under $50. It's hot pink, on fleek for the romper trend, and adorable!
Y'all. This popscicle crossbody. At $33, you need one. Your daughter wants one. Your BFF probably does, too. It's a summertime must-have.
This Lilly Pulitzer Elsa silk top is my summertime go-to. It takes me back to my college Phi Mu days, when I couldn't get enough pink and white (our sorority colors) or lions (our mascot); of course I had to get one of my own!
This gorgeous Boden top is on sale at Ruelala right now!
And, of course, you'll need a cocktail. Why not celebrate with a Chambord Champagne?
Cheers to all things pink!
Shop the Look: National Pink Day
{This post contains affiliate links. HerKentucky LLC receives a nominal profit from revenue generated by this post.}
The Five Best Cupcakes in Kentucky
Counting down the Bluegrass State's best cupcakes!
Today we're counting down our favorite cupcakes in the Commonwealth. If you have a different suggestion, we're happy to go out and field-test some more. You know, solely in the name of research.
5. Caramanda's Bake Shoppe, Lexington. Caramanda's brought the idea of trendy cupcakes to the LEX a few years ago, with a kiosk in the Fayette Mall and a drive-through window at their Boston Road location. If you love fluffy icing and lots of flavor varieties, this is the spot for you!
4. Treehouse Cafe & Bakery, Hazard. Creative and delicious cupcakes!
3. Dave's Bakery, Flatwoods. One of our readers wrote in to say that we'd overlooked Dave's on our Donut List. It's hard to even say what's the best thing on the menu at Dave's, because it's all really good. This old-school bakery has been popular in Greenup County for as long as anybody can remember.
2. Upside-down dipped cupcake, Homemade Ice Cream & Pie Kitchen, Louisville. This cupcake is unlike anything else on the list. A hot cupcake is dipped, bottom-side-up, into icing. The result is a widely-distributed, seemingly baked-on effect. Simply delicious.
1. Magee's Bakery, Lexington. Magee's hasn't changed their icing recipe since, well, ever. There's no need to. This is old-timey bakery buttercream on a smaller, more traditional cupcake. It's also, basically, perfect.
Did we get it right? Who makes your favorite Kentucky cupcake?
In case you missed it:
- The Five Best Barbecue Joints in Kentucky
- The Five Best Doughnuts in Kentucky
- The Five Best Burgers in Kentucky
The Kentucky Book Lover's Summer Fun List
Isn't it at the top of everyone's summer fun list to relax and read more books? Today, I've put together a list of ten recently-released books with a Kentucky connection that you should consider for your summer reading list! Click here to download a PDF of the list!
by Emily Bingham. This is at the top of my to-read list for the summer. It's the story of the scandalous Jazz Age daughter of Louisville's famous Bingham newspaper family, as told by her great-niece.
by Wes Berry. I'm always looking for an excuse to get more barbecue in my life.
by Aimeee Zaring. I love the idea of celebrating the cultures and stories of folks from across the Commonwealth, and food is such a universal language of comfort and care.
by Kate Mayfield. It's not very often that you first hear of a book set in small-town Kentucky when perusing a British magazine. Indeed, Kentucky-native Kate Mayfield, herself an undertaker's daughter, has lived in England for many years. I've seen several reviews calling this one quirky and interesting; I look forward to reading it!
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by Peter Brackney. Our friend Peter Brackney, an attorney and writer of the excellent historical blog The Kaintuckeean, talks about Lexington landmarks that have, sadly, been lost.
by Melissa McEuen. A look at some of the most influential women in Kentucky history.
by Wendell Berry. A new anthology of essays on politics, environmentalism, and morality by the venerable Kentucky author.
and Whiskey Women: The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch, and Irish Whiskey
, both by Fred Minnnick. Bourbon writer Minnick's two latest works include a tasting manual and a history of women in the spirits industry.
by Megan Whitmer. Young Adult novels, particularly of the fantasy genre, aren't usually my jam. That said, Megan, my cousin-in-law and a sometime HerKentucky writer, has crafted a really fine book here. You should check it out!!
What's on your Summer Bookshelf?
{This post contains affiliate links through the Amazon Associates Program. HerKentucky receives a very small percentage of any purchase you make through clicking the links above.}
Joy Williams Venus Album Review
I was a huge fan of the Nashville-based duo The Civil Wars. I LOVED the way Joy Willams' haunting, ethereal voice soared opposite John Paul White's soulful sound. Like a lot of Civil Wars fans, I wasn't quite sure what to expect of Joy's post-Civil Wars solo album. Of course, when One2One Network offered me the opportunity to review the album, I was thrilled to give it an early listen.
Williams' solo album, Venus, tells a beautiful, uplifting story of modern womanhood. Themes of mothering, relationships, and strength abound. The songs don't have the dreamy, old-time feel of Civil Wars tunes; rather, they're often straightforward tales of love, loss, or celebration. "Sweet Love of Mine" will resonate with mothers or anyone else who has a very special child in their life. "Woman (Oh Mama)" is beautifully celebratory, and if "Before I Sleep" hasn't already been slated for a movie soundtrack, it should be soon! Of course, for Civil Wars die-hards, it's easy to interpret a few songs as being about the band's breakup; perhaps "One Day I Will" is just that, or maybe it's about the end of another type of relationship. That's the beauty of Venus; many of these songs go beyond Joy's own experiences and touch something universal in the listener.
The Summer Slacker Fun List
A Summer Fun List that emphasizes Fun!
Summer's here, y'all, and HerKentucky has big plans! We're kicking off our 2015 Summer Fun List series with this fun piece by Erin Wathen of Irreverin. Erin is a mother, wife, minister, and writer. She currently lives in Kansas, but her heart's in Kentucky -- specifically Laurel County, where she grew up, and Lexington, where she was a sorority sister to Sarah Stewart Holland and me. This post first appeared on Erin's blog.-- HCW
Hey, all y’all “summer bucket list people.” I love you and you’re adorable, and I am in awe of your ambition. But you are really, really cramping my style. Your lofty goals make it hard for me to embrace the epic, glorious laziness to which I am committed for this season. One day, my kids are going to be old enough to read the internet, and they are going to want to know why I have not planned craft projects, group play dates, homemade ice cream extravaganzas and neighborhood theater productions for every day of their break.
My answer will be… because summer is for slackers! This is our time to shine! Reject the Pottery Barn notion that summer is a color coordinated lawn party with place cards! Step away from Pinterest (unless you are studying sangria recipes)! We are reclaiming the hammock. And we are planting our asses there for the duration.
Here’s my version of the dream summer list. Let’s call it the Summer Hammock List, because buckets usually have something to do with work. Unless you are talking about sand castles, I don’t want to hear about buckets in my house. I will, however, commit to the following. This summer I will:
Click to download a printable PDF
- Set my alarm clock as few times as possible.
- Forget where I keep the hair-taming appliances and embrace my Monica Gellar “vacation hair” in all its glory.
- Have cereal for dinner.
- Have ice cream for dinner.
- Take long naps in the afternoons during Vacation Bible School week.
- Schedule as few evening meetings as my real life will allow for.
- Resist the urge to constantly troll TripAdvisor and overplan my vacation.
- Spend hours in the back yard; reading library books that do not imply complex theological concepts in the title.
- Binge watch whatever I want on Netflix. (New episodes of OITNB, coming soon!)
- Have friends and neighbors over for dinner. At the last minute. And resist the urge to wait until I’ve cleaned the house.
- Keep our neighborhood barbecue and taco joints in business; thus supporting the local economy AND eliminating some kitchen-related chores from my life.
- Take kids to movies that I will hate, and enjoy the a/c and popcorn and two hours of sitting still in the darkness.
- Drive fast with the windows down and sing lots of Zeppelin. Loud.
- Call my bff’s in all the other timezones whenever I want. Because they are probably slacking about too, and that’s why I love them so.
- Mow the yard at least a few times. Because my husband says if I really want to be a feminist, that is part of the package. And I kind of dig the smell of grass.
- Drink iced coffee on my deck. Drink beer on my deck. Because for the first time in my grown up life, I have a deck!
- Drop what I’m doing and play with my kids, whenever they ask me.
- Go on outdoor concert dates with my spouse, and drop the kids off with friends so we don’t have to pack juice boxes and hand wipes and SPF 50.
- Work out of the office and in public spaces more often; people watch; talk to strangers.
- Find—for real this year—the perfect wine pairing to compliment the BLT.
Ok, that’s mine. Fellow summer slackers… Identify yourselves! What’s on your not-to-do list?
The HerKentucky Guide to Father's Day Gifts He'll Actually Like: Father's Day Bourbon-que at Jim Beam
Treat the special father in your life to a special tasting event at Jim Beam!
Father's Day is right around the corner, y'all. This year,why not honor the special dad in your life -- whether it's your own daddy, your partner, or any other great dad -- with a gift he'll love? Every afternoon this week, HerKentucky spotlights a gift that he'll bet glad to open!
Last month, I visited the Jim Beam American Stillhouse. Let me tell you, it's on some of the most beautiful land in Kentucky. It's like a little amusement park built around the world's top-selling bourbon. It was so much fun to see all the brands that Beam produces and take a taste or two!
Instead of another tie or set of cufflinks, why not take Dad to the Father's Day Bourbon-que this Friday at Jim Beam? What gift is better than Bourbon + Barbecue!
This Father's Day event will be hosted by Fred Noe, Jim Beam’s great-grandson & seventh generation master distiller, & his son, Freddie Noe. I had the pleasure of meeting Fred recently and, let me tell you, he's quite hilarious. I guarantee you and your dad will have a great time!
The Jim Beam Bourbon-que includes a VIP tasting experience complete with bourbon-inspired dishes, samples of the world’s No. 1 selling bourbon and a guided tour.
The schedule is below:
12:00 p.m. - Welcome to Jim Beam; Opening Remarks
12:15 p.m. - VIP Bourbon Tasting with Fred B Noe III, and Freddie B. Noe IV – Fred and Freddie will walk you through the tasting process and history of two bourbons.
1:30 p.m.- Bourbon Inspired BBQ Lunch
2:00 p.m. - bottle signing with Fred and Freddie
2:45 p.m., 3:00 p.m. & 3:15 p.m. EST- Bourbon-que Distillery Tours
Of course, everybody needs to be 21 or older to attend. It'll make a memorable afternoon, it's only about 20 minutes south of Louisville, and it's far, far better than a card or a new golf club!
Jim Varney: More than Ernest!
Lexington, KY born actor Jim Varney -- from Shakespeare to Ernest.
Today is the anniversary of Jim Varney's birth.
You know, the guy from the commercials. Of course you remember them. "KnoWhutImean, Vern?", the famous (or annoying, depending on your preferences...) catchphrase of Jim's character Ernest P. Worrell, ran on so many dairy ads across the country that Varney was even granted trademark protection for the saying.
“I’d like to do a piece of Shakespeare. Any upcoming Shakespeare film. Just a bit to say I did a classic.”
By the late 1980s, Ernest, who was created by the Nashville-based ad firm Camden and Cherry, proved too big for ads and gained a series of movies of his very own -- nine in total!
But did you know that the Lexington-born Varney began studying acting at age 8? As a student at Lafayette, he won state drama competitions. He portrayed Scrooge in a local theater production and even studied Shakespeare at Virginia's famous Barter Theater. He moved to New York, did dinner theater and off-Broadway, and landed a role as a regular on the Johnny Cash and Friends variety show.
“I like to sing. I write music. Country songs. You have to if you’re in Nashville. It’s part of the lease. You sign a lease that says, I will write country songs and pay my rent on time.”
Of course, you dance with the one who brung you, as the old saying goes, and Varney, who also played Jed Clampett in the Beverly Hillbillies film, won two Daytime Emmys for his Ernest role, for which he will always be known. He lost a battle with lung cancer in 2000, shortly after filming Billy Bob Thornton's film Daddy and Them. To learn more about Jim Varney, check out The Importance of Being Ernest, written by his nephew Justin Lloyd.
Happy Birthday, Jim Thanks for the laughs!!