Back to Work

 

Not too shabby, right?

Starting today, I'm the newest Client Services Coordinator for PRO Unlimited onsite at Electronic Arts. To explain, I'm employed by PRO, a global contingent workforce management/HR consulting firm based out of the Bay area. We have clients all over the world including Blackrock, Goldman Sachs, Nike, E&Y, and my client: Electronic Arts (as in - "It's in the Game") Long story short, I was the CSC onsite in Baton Rouge for about three years until I submitted my resignation to move to NYC. Well...through unusual circumstances and over a very short period of time, I've found my way back to PRO @ EA. However, the facility where I now work in CA is a slight upgrade from the campus in Baton Rouge. (and by "slight upgrade" I mean the difference between Chicago winter temperature...and the surface of the sun)

Gobble Gobble, Y'all

A honey butter basted turkey that's been rubbed with thyme, sage, and rosemary, stuffed with an apple sausage stuffing. I've said enough. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

(And thank you Stephanie for the turkey!)

Talk to You in January

Well it's here, and I couldn't be happier. The middle of October marks the beginning of dinner parties, holiday gatherings, and wedding season, and this year it seems we're busier than ever. Obviously, this is no complaint - although sometimes I feel Beau could go without all this, I live for it! I love having my upcoming weekends planned out: this weekend is our half-marathon then family gathering at my parents, next is Beau's cousin, Katherine's wedding, then it's already Halloween! Next month it's countless Thanksgiving parties, followed by a month of Christmas parties. Then it's already time to start planning for New Year's Eve! As I'm typing I'm getting more and more excited!

Don't worry (because I know you totally were) - Beau and I will walk you through every step making sure to include anything unique, interesting, yet relevant to this blog. I'm anticipating some elaborate dinner parties and some major eats! Let the festivities begin!

With all of this in mind, we hope that you consider The Mended Nest during this season. We offer services ranging from the following:

Custom invites
Save the Dates
Wedding Packets
Custom Birthday Cards
Graduation Announcements
Business Cards
Logos

Happy Friday and have a GREAT weekend! (Also note: None of the above pictures were creations of The Mended Nest, although they're all beautiful!)

Men's Fashion: Fall Threads

As I've pointed out in basically every post this week, Fall is here, and I couldn't be happier. There are so, so many things I love about the season - mostly the weather...and for two main reasons: 1) because the heat and humidity doesn't hit me like a ton of bricks every time I walk out the house, and 2) there's no season I love more (in terms of fashion and style) than Fall! I (sadly) get really excited when it's time to pull out all of our cardigans, sweaters/pullovers/hoodies, scarves, and boots. It's like Fall Christmas! I'm also a layering fiend, so anytime I can get three layers on I'm in my happy place!

Based on the picture above, this is a perfect Jean Friday then-off-to-grab-a-drink-with-a-few-friends-at-happy-hour outfit because it's classic and simple, but has enough punch to still be interesting. Start by grabbing a loud/fun (yet not over the top) button up shirt. You can easily tone it down by throwing on a muted sweater or pullover over the shirt. To keep you looking a little more professional, finish with a vintage tweed/twill blazer. My suggestion: rummage through your local thrift and vintage stores. You'd be surprised what a little digging and a good taylor can do! 

As for the bottom, I suggest a simple slim-fit (NOT skin tight) dark jean. (A darker jean is one of the easiest ways to dress up an outfit.) Finally, to complete the ensemble, CUFF the jeans and wear with you favorite (because I'm sure you have several) pair of Chukka boots. You can find them pretty much anywhere now, but J.Crew and Johnston and Murphy both have great selections.

I hope you guys try this idea! (Matt - I can't wait to hear how much you love this) most of the pieces above are excellent staple pieces and can be mixed and match in countless ways. Just make sure you have all the Fall essentials:

1. Dark slim fit denim
2. Muted pullover or sweater
3. Tweed/Twill Blazer
4. Chukka boot

 

Abita Beer 101

While I am an avid wine drinker, there are times when I can think of nothing better than an ice cold beer. If images of a 40oz Budweiser from the gas station complete with a paper bag and homeless man pop into your head, please think again. I'm talking quality, delicious clean, crisp beer. I'm sure any true beer pro that's reading this has about a million things to say about Abita beer (which this post is about), but I'm about keeping it simple. I'm sure you can find a better that THEY prefer like Struise Pannepot Grand Reserva from Belgium, but can you imagine the bartender's face when you ask for that?

Although I live in Baton Rogue now, I am from Covington, a quaint city about a hour east of our state's capitol. Nestled right next to Covington is a tiny little town named Abita Springs, and this is the home of one of my favorite beer companies: Abita Brew Company. They have several seasonal beers including a Abita Bock, Red Ale, Wheat, Fall Fest and Christmas as well as a few harvest brews: Strawberry, Satsuma, and this seasons - Pecan! They're not syrupy at all, but rather have just a hint of the flavor. I'd explain but I added the link above where you can check out how it's done on their website.

There are so many other options that I love including Purple Haze, Restoration Ale, and Turbo Dog, and all of the ones I listed above are my go-to beers when I'm out drinking. Truly, I can think of few things better than hanging out with a few friends on a cool fall evening while drinking a pitcher or two of Abita's Purple Haze or Pecan Ale. Ahh....

Fall Decor Ideas

October is finally here, and it couldn't come with a better present: cooler temperatures and beautiful sunshine! For those who don't know, I cannot stand hot, humid, and overcast Louisiana muggy days. Fortunately for me, there are only about 8 months out of the year when it's like this...cough. I can't even talk about it. All I care about is that I wore a sweater to walk the dogs over the weekend and this morning, and I was able to leave all the windows open in my house allowing the cool breeze blow through. Ahh...bliss.

I'm in a good mood from not sweating, football season is upon us, and Christmas decorations are in the stores...this can mean only one thing: Fall has arrived!! This may have to be my favorite season for so many reasons: Enjoying the weather on the front porch with a glass bottle of Pinot Noir, scarves and clothing with earth tone palates, and changing and falling leaves. On top of all of this, Fall marks the beginning of dinner party season! Seriously - Beau and I basically have every single weekend booked until March.



I got a little carried away with all this Fall season talk, so sorry for JUST getting to my point: Fall decor. This is my motto: we can decorate for Fall, not Halloween. Nothing against the holiday, and if you like it, go for it! I just find it extremely challenging to find any chic Halloween decorations. Not even Pottery Barn can do it for me. To keep the earthy, organic feel that I inherently get from fall, we like to use nature-inspired decor. If I'm going to use pumpkins, I'm going to use real pumpkins. I don't care for fake, "plasicy", faux pumpkins. Why do that when you can go anywhere (even Walmart) and buy a few real pumpkins. They're only cost between $1 to $5, and you can just toss them when you bust out the Christmas decor...no storing required! Now the twig pumpkins above are a little different. They're still made from natural materials and are not a substitution for the real deal. Another recommendation: keep it simple. Keeping it simple keeps it classy and chic without getting hoaky and cluttered. 

Some other ideas: We changed out the split peas for red beans to use as a centerpiece for the table, and placed dried corn with the husks in a rectangular glass bowl and used as a centerpiece on a table. Hope this helps. Feel free to email us (themendednest@gmail.com) if you have any questions or suggestions!