Lifestyle Blog: Creative Inspiration, Stories, and Humor — The Daily Nikki

Inspiration Mixed-Up Like Life is Every Day

How to Hope

How to Hope

Every day we struggle to stay hopeful. Here’s my how-to.

LifestyleNikki HardinSeptember 29, 2020hope, politicsComment

Get the Slow-Down on Tomatoes

Get the Slow-Down on Tomatoes

Check out my best tomato trick!

Summer Spotlight, FoodNikki HardinSeptember 23, 2020olive oil, tomatoes, summer, cook, eat, tomatoesw Comment

Living in a State of Wow

Living in a State of Wow

I know there’s plenty of woe to go around lately, but don’t we actually need more Wow?

HomeNikki HardinSeptember 21, 2020wow, conversation, monarchs, pandemic, full moon, astonishment, wonder Comment

“Shaken, Not Slurred”

“Shaken, Not Slurred”

When five o’clock can’t get here soon enough.

Food, Summer SpotlightNikki HardinSeptember 16, 2020covid, booze, curious elixirs, cocktailComment

My Theory of Chaos and Hollyhocks

My Theory of Chaos and Hollyhocks

If you grow up in a chaotic household, you may have difficulty making long-term plans or counting on the future. I grew up with turmoil baked into my DNA.

HomeNikki HardinSeptember 14, 2020chaotic, house, Pacific War, PTSD, hollyhocksfuture Comment

Exiting My Ketchup-or-Nothing World. Bring in the Mayonnaise.

Exiting My Ketchup-or-Nothing World. Bring in the Mayonnaise.

Mayonaisse is the new ketchup. But which kind?

Food, Summer SpotlightNikki HardinSeptember 9, 2020eat Comment

What’s On My Mind (And My Coffee Table)

What’s On My Mind (And My Coffee Table)

My coffee table is like a Rorschach test on four legs, the furniture equivalent of a mood board in the middle of my living room that captures what I love right now…

HomeNikki HardinSeptember 7, 2020kitchen, heart, yoga, South Carolina, pink zinnias, books, freedomComment

Mother’s Little Helper. Time for a Homesick Kentucky Breakfast.

Mother’s Little Helper. Time for a Homesick Kentucky Breakfast.

Until I left the south, I thought everyone saved bacon grease.

Food, Summer SpotlightNikki HardinSeptember 2, 2020eat, bacon, bacon grease, Kentucky, homesick, southComment

Looking Up Instead of Around. Appreciating the Wonders of the Ordinary World.

Looking Up Instead of Around. Appreciating the Wonders of the Ordinary World.

Are you always looking for the pot of gold instead of the rainbow?

HomeNikki HardinAugust 31, 2020Neowise comet, quarantine, miracles, ordinary, harborComment

Banana Pudding. It’s Not Just For Dessert.

Banana Pudding. It’s Not Just For Dessert.

Sometimes you need “nursery food” when you’re feeling like a big baby.

FoodNikki HardinAugust 26, 2020eat, summer, food, dinner, dessert, bananas, whipped cream, homemade, Trader Joe, vanilla wafersComment

Doing the Limbo. That Time When I Was Sixteen.

Doing the Limbo. That Time When I Was Sixteen.

What does Covid 19 have to do with feeling like I’m 16 again?

HomeNikki HardinAugust 24, 2020summer, sixteen, flowers, afternoons, matchbox cars, dirt roads, teenager Comment

Cooked Carrots. Must Be Tossed With Confidence.

Cooked Carrots. Must Be Tossed With Confidence.

This simple recipe torn from a magazine sounded easy until I saw confidence was one of the ingredients..

FoodNikki HardinAugust 21, 2020olive oil, eat, summer, food, carrots, shallots, bakeComment

Hallelujah. Graves and Anonymous Deaths.

Hallelujah. Graves and Anonymous Deaths.

I stumble on an unexpected scene that leads to a sudden epiphany.

HomeCait McPhillipsAugust 19, 2020African-American, graves, Lutheran Church. Hallelujah, Confederate flag, funerals, life, and death, don’t ever forget Comment

The Happy Shack. My Very Aqua Bungalow.

The Happy Shack. My Very Aqua Bungalow.

When you’re surrounded by big, go blue.

Street Pajamas

Street Pajamas

Months into the pandemic, wearing actual clothes came as a complete shock to my system, so I decided I need a uniform.

LifestyleNikki HardinAugust 4, 2020Trader Joe, Aldi, Marine Layer, white swing tee, t-shirt, pajamas, Quarantine 15, uniform, new normal, covid-19, store, grocery store, mask, gloves, walk, exerciseComment

Crispy Cheesy Pan Pizza. There Are Days When Salad Is Not A Reason To Go On Living.

Crispy Cheesy Pan Pizza. There Are Days When Salad Is Not A Reason To Go On Living.

How about a little Italian with a southern accent?

FoodNikki HardinAugust 4, 2020eat, stove, summer, okra, King Arthur Flour, comfort food, mozzarellaComment

Roasted Okra, A Summer No-Guilt Pleasure

Roasted Okra, A Summer No-Guilt Pleasure

This is a vegetable that almost tastes like candy—almost!

FoodNikki HardinJuly 28, 2020olive oil, roast at 450 degrees, eat, stove, summer, not guily, food, okra Comment

My New Normal. New Reads and Loves.

My New Normal. New Reads and Loves.

Quarantine reading, new crushes, and washing your hands during COVID-19.

LifestyleNikki HardinJuly 25, 2020books, essays, poetry, Austin Kleon, newsletter, pandemic, iphone, computer, starbucks, London Fog, wash your handsComment