happy weekend.

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I'm ready for my first weekend at home in weeks, but I don't plan on doing much relaxing. I might enjoy some al fresco movie viewing tonight, then I plan to bike to the farmers market in the morning and stock up on some pretty veggies for a crudite platter. I've got a birthday barbecue to host, where I'm trying out this rum punch recipe and this slow cooker mac 'n' cheese. I also need to make some pillows for the shop — though I might end up keeping all of them for myself. And on Sunday, I've got a ticket to a chef's potluck at Middleton Place plantation.

What are your weekend plans? 

dude gifts.

Guys are so hard to buy for. I know I'm not the only one who thinks this. So since Todd's birthday is a few weeks away, I've started stressing about what to get him. He says his favorite gifts are experiences — trips, an amazing dinner, a major league baseball game — but below are a few things I think most guys (or Todd, at least) would be happy to unwrap.

Dude Birthday by ericajackson

What's been your most successful dude gift? For me, I think it was the ukulele I got Todd for Christmas, but the deep fryer came in at a close second.

pimp my patio.

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After over a month of hard work, and spending about twice as much money as we expected, we finished our patio. The picture above is not our patio. I'm waiting for the plants around it to grow a bit before showing it off. But I sure do love it. 

There are, of course, a few things that are absolutely necessary for enjoying a patio, things I've been collecting since we finished the job. Bug spray, for one (I'm trying the Burt's Bee's stuff now). And fun lighting (globe lights, citronella torches), a fire pit (we got this one), comfy furniture, lots of plants, music (currently shopping around for an iPhone dock), and drinks, from a cold glass of iced tea to a summery cocktail. I can't wait to spend my summer on the patio. I never really want to leave.

patio by ericajackson 

sheldon church ruins.

Last weekend, a friend and I hit the road for a little trip to Savannah. The drive is only about two hours and pretty picturesque most of the way. I always like to make a stop halfway there to check out the Sheldon Church Ruins. It's just off the highway, but it feels like a world away, like you're stepping back in time.