this weekend i got my craft on

As I've mentioned before I'm not a "heart" person. I don't really wear hearts or decorate with hearts, etc. With that said, I do make an exception for Valentines Day (and the whole month of February). I like to have a few decorations scattered about to make it look fun and festive around here so this weekend I worked on a little project. It's not too exciting or anything but I thought it turned out kinda cute so I thought I'd share.



I also hung my old rusty heart in the kitchen...

Happy Monday! xo

envisioning a party

This sounds just plain crazy but since we've moved to Waco I've essentially spent zero time in our backyard. Its weird, I just haven't had much of a desire to go back there, and the first several months we were here it was really too hot to be outside. Lately its been chilly but yesterday it was divine. Yesterday's weather is one of the reasons we moved to Waco! High 60's and sunny in January -yes please! Today its supposed to be 69 degrees -N.I.C.E.! Anyway, all that to say that yesterday I walked all around our backyard for the first time and man alive does it need some work! I hate yard work, hate. Growing up I did my fair share, my parents have a large yard and it was my sister's and my job to pick up pine cones, pull weeds, rake, etc. -ick! Well, now that I'm a homeowner its my job to take care of the yard and let me tell you, my yard needs some work! I think part of the reason I don't spent much time in the backyard is because of how overwhelming it seems to me, it needs so.much.work. Our yard is weird, its divided into several "sections" and it really needs a complete overhaul. I'm rambling, there really is a point to all of this, promise. Okay, so yesterday when I was walking around picking up random things that were strewn about, I decided to start raking a section that had a TON of leaves. The one good thing about having your yard broken up into random sections is that you can easily say "I'm going to work on this part today" and have instant gratification. Adam helped me and we took care of ONE section of our crazy yard but it instantly made my feel better. As I was standing there staring at all there was to do, this one section of side yard caught my eye. Its kind of tucked away on the side of the house and the way the evening light was coming through got me all excited. I started envisioning a party...an outdoor party in my yard that I want to host before it gets too hot this summer. I think this party is just the motivation I need to get working on my yard. I have visions of an old farm table, mis-matched chairs, cozy linens, fresh flowers, white lights hanging above, and good food with good friends. It literally makes my heart pitter patter just thinking about it. As we were running out the door last night on the way to our friend's house for dinner I snapped a photo. Can't you just visualize it? I hope I can make it happen. I'm giddy. xo

(I clearly didn't lie about all the work it needs, and I didn't even take time to move the hose!)


My yard can turn into something like this, right?

Image from here.

if you have some time...

...please head over here to read about my friend Breck's little guy. He is in the hospital and needs your prayers. Thank you. xo

is randomness better than nothing?

B had her 4 year check up recently, she is in the 90% for height and the 50% for weight -who wouldn't want those stats?! Lucky duck!

She's funny, she asked me the other day why the eggs had tattoos (referring to a little stamp the dairy had put on the shells).

This morning I was smothering her with kisses (as I often do), and she puts both of her hands on my cheeks and said "no more, do you hear me?" I said that I heard her and then kissed her again, on her back and she tried to escape my clutches. What is it about your own kids cheeks? I could kiss them all day every day and never tire of it.

She is at pre-school this morning, so Adam and I are in our usual Tuesday morning routine of getting some work done and later, before we pick her up, I think we'll try and squeeze in an episode of Lost. :) (ah the joys of him not having class on Tuesdays and Thursdays this semester :))

Tonight is going to be our 2nd mi casa, we're doing Taco Tuesday for our meal so I have no new recipe to share today. Looking forward to having a bustling house of college students. Folks keep getting added to our list but I think we're getting pretty crowded, we're already up to over 15 including Adam and I! As much as I'd like to take in everyone who wants to come, I want to make sure our group doesn't get too big so we can feel like we're actually connecting with each other and not just eating and shooting the breeze. I'm looking forward to meeting some new folks tonight. I really love opening up our home, I really think that is what it is meant for and I like seeing it get used.

I started a photo project on a wall in our house, its not turning out like my "vision" so I think I'm going to scrap it and start over. Sigh.

I had someone come to the house a couple weeks ago to get me some quotes on a few projects, hoping the quotes come back reasonably priced and I can start saving toward a few things. I'm excited at the possibilities.

I'm planning on making two new recipes this week, one Indian and one Mexican...stay tuned to hear the outcome! Of course if they are good I'll share the recipe links. (I spent forever in the store yesterday looking for a certain Indian spice, it wasn't to be found until a gal overheard me asking someone and she directed me to a part of the store I didn't even know existed! Did you know you could buy spices in increments for as much as you need out of bulk jars over by the health food?!! Any one?! Is this common knowledge and I've just been clueless all these years or is this just a Waco thing?)

I'm really into grapefruit these days, I didn't realize I was such a fan but I'm kinda in love with them.

For some reason, my whole "new years goal" of trying a new recipe each week has been so fun! I've always enjoyed cooking but the challenge of finding new recipes, looking for ingredients, etc has really sparked something in me. I find Brennan and I will be watching the food channel in the late afternoons as we're kinda spacing off and we both seem to be enjoying it! B doesn't really love the new recipes, she's pretty much a chicken divan and burger kind of gal (but I did make burgers last night so she loved that).

Okay, so this post is getting long. I'll leave it up to you, random posts better than no posts? Yay or nay?

Happy Tuesday! xo

LOST

I have nothing to post today and I'm going to blame it on the fact that Adam and I just started watching the t.v. series Lost. Until a week ago we hadn't seen 1 episode, but in the past 7 days we've managed to get through 1 and a half seasons. I'm not proud of the amount of time I've spent in front of the t.v. this week (but do I get points for honesty?) but it is quite addicting...no? So anyhoo, sorry for my blogging lameness...I'll try and step away from the crack and get back to my usual blogging agenda. :)

art for this house

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again, and again, and again...I love my house, love. I never in my wildest dreams would've thought I'd get to live in a house that had so many of my "wants" in it. I try not to hold too tightly to this house, realizing its just a thing, and the reality is, if Adam gets a job we will have to leave it behind (I really don't like thinking about this!). For as long as I get to live here and call it "mine" I have a lot of fun day dreaming about all the things I want to do to it over time. I feel like I'm getting off course as to what I'm really getting at. My point is this, this house is fairly good size and there is lots of wall space, and at this point, empty wall space. My house looks like we recently moved in (which, we pretty much did) but it doesn't look very homey yet. I do have some things on the walls, but the hallway is a totally blank canvas, and Brennan's room has a spot that is begging for something to go on it. The guest room remains very blah and our office is a major work in progress. All of this rambling is leading me to this: I saw this piece of art recently and I fell in love with it. My taste is very simple and minimalistic so I like how simple it is, but also, its all about LA and if you've been reading my blog for any length of time you know how much I love LA (after calling it home for 12 years). My only regret (other than the price) of this piece of art is that it doesn't say "Pasadena" on it. Sigh. Oh well, I still love it and am day dreaming about if I could/should get it, and if so, where it will go. :)


I wonder if I could commission someone to paint something similar and add "Pasadena" to it? Thoughts?

a bloody finger, a good recipe, a cute banner, and 30

When Adam woke me up this morning I was out, and I mean out. I actually fell right back asleep (which I never do) until he woke me up again 5 minutes later. In a groggy haze I got up and proceeded to walk into a wall, then I made my way downstairs, said "good morning" to B, and went to open the fridge to grab her juice box to put in her lunch. Well, again, in my groggy state I slammed my finger into the shelf of the fridge, slicing my finger and blood proceeded to pour out and drip on the floor. Good morning to me! (I'm thinking the day has no where to go but up?)

Last night I tried another new recipe (I'm on a roll!) and it was another winner, so if you want to try something simple that is super tasty, try this (I left out the red pepper).

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again, but its true, I have amazing friends, I'm super blessed to have them. The other day I came home to an envelope on my table and this is what was inside:



How cute is this banner?! My friend Maris made it for B's room and I'm kinda in love with it~ thank you, sweet friend!!!

Lastly for the randomness of the day... although I don't really do birthday shout outs any more, 30 is a big deal and today Meredith turns 30. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MER!! Enjoy every second of your special day and know that lots of love from Texas is being sent your way!! Happy Thursday, all! xo

mi casa and chili

Our church is probably 85% college students, which since Adam and I love college students we think that's pretty cool. There are enough young families w/ kiddos that we really feel like we have the best of both worlds. There are small groups that take place at houses throughout the week and these little groups are called mi casas. Adam and I have been going to a mi casa all last semester at our neighbor's house and have enjoyed getting to know some folks better, eating good food, and building community here in Waco. Adam and I have really felt like we were needing to start our own mi casa, we have the space, there is a need for new ones as the other ones are getting too big, etc.. So, last night we hosted our first mi casa! It was kinda nerve wracking, you wonder if anyone is going to show up, if folks will have a good time or think you're lame, if you'll have enough/too much food, if you'll run out of silverware, etc... Well, all that to say, it was super fun! We had 10 college students and 1 non-college student show up and 2 more called and said they are coming next week but just couldn't make it last night! For a mi casa that is a great size and I think everyone really had a good time (I guess the real test will be next week if they come back?) :) Anyway, Adam and I are excited to open up our home and look forward to getting to know these guys better as the semester progresses (and B loves all the attention and sat on one gal's lap most of the night).
And we had enough food! One of my "new years goals" is to make a new meal every week (I've actually been rocking this goal...some of the others, not so much) and last night I tried this recipe. SOOOO good. It says it makes a lot and it does! We did have some leftovers but not many and everyone said they really liked it. One of the students came up to me and said "we're trying to figure out an ingredient, it tastes kind of sweet but we don't know what it is." The secret ingredient is chocolate chips, only 1/4 of a cup in this huge dish so you can't really taste it but it does add a little something. So, if you need a good hearty chili recipe and you have a crowd to feed, I'd highly recommend! (of course you can half it too). :) Enjoy and mi casa es su casa! xo

**addendum**
as far as the recipe, I wasn't able to find cardamom seeds so I just left that out (I did just pick up some ground cardamom at the store for next time though). I also left out the long red chile b/c I didn't want it to be too hot. AND, I ran out of cumin so my recipe only got 1T versus the 2T that were indicated. With all of these snafus it was still delish. :)

Christmas 2010 in black and white

missing...

these girlies. Definitely one of the hardest parts about living so far away is that these three have to be separated. Sniff. Full Christmas post coming soon. Happy weekend! xo

Mason's Fishing Party

In December sweet Mason turned 7, his mom threw him a killer fishing party and I got to capture the fun. Enjoy!

(disclaimer: all photos are sooc)








Kellye made this cake, not only awesome to look at but it tasted SO good! (I may or may not have had more than 1 piece)
















birthday boy