merry christmas

aunt jan's easy blueberry pancakes

as a kid eating breakfast at my aunt jan's house was more than just good food, it always meant plenty of laughter too.  last year she made her oh-so-tasty blueberry pancakes.  i finally asked her to spill the beans and give me her recipe.  she laughed and told me it wasn't much of a recipe but gave it to me anyway.  in fact it was so easy that she just walked over to the trash, pulled out a box and said "this is my secret ingredient for my blueberry pancakes".  so i locked the recipe away in my memory bank and saved it for a rainy day....and by that i mean i completely forgot about it.  thankfully, as i was strolling down the grocery store aisle this past weekend the secret ingredient practically jumped off the shelf at me.  the best part?  the secret ingredient is 79 cents.  at least at my grocery story.  but i live in one of the poorest states in the union so you may need to factor in a few more dimes but, yes, you read that correctly- 79 pennies.  or 2 quarters, 2 dimes, 1 nickel and this is too much math.   regardless, here is a super easy pancake recipe for your collection.

recipe:

1 box of jiffy blueberry muffin mix
1 egg
1/3 cup milk

boxed muffin mix as pancake mix?  genius i tell you.  sheer genius.   this may open up a whole world of pancakes for me.  as a side note, notice what jiffy's box says, "artificially flavored" and "imitation blueberries".  if you read my usually recipes you know this one ventures off my usually taste but sometimes you have to throw caution to the wind and eat hydrogenated lard with a pat of butter and cherish the memories of a beloved aunt and her secret blueberry pancakes and all the warmth it brought to your life.   it's true after all the secret ingredient to any recipe is always love.

pattern mix

pattern mix by cocoplum featuring j crew

i have been loving playing with patterns this fall.  i would love that flannel shirt under a sparkly, sequin, polka dot shirt and top it off with a casual top knot.  those earrings i have been watching and wanting to buy all season!

industrial curtain rod diy

when i posted this picture a few days ago and told you we had a diy project up our sleeves, high class were probably the first two words that popped into your mind.  well high class or white trash but really it's such a fine line.  

rest assured we haven't lost our minds...completely...yet.  we just made a curtain rod.  we followed this easy tutorial but since our curtain rod is so long (96 inches) we added the middle brace.   we love the results and so far they have stood the test of our lives.  

we have been doing so many projects around our new casa.  i can't wait to share them.  i also can't wait to take down those awful shades on the windows too.  which was the whole point of the project and i forgot until i posted these pictures.

any guesses on what project we are working on with this pvc pipe and plumbing flange?   it has nothing to do with plumbing because i wouldn't post such a patronizing question.  well i might but not today. 

chip it

our house remodel is in full-swing right now.   we have our hands busy with so many project currently and somehow our to do list is growing.  one of my favorite projects is painting the interior.  as i was searching for inspiration i came across a great tool- sherwin william's chip it .  have you heard of it?  basically it allows you to take any digital image and make it into a color palette. 

 as i began to search for images i knew i wanted something nautical.  there is something about the ocean that gives me perspective and always restores me.  i want that same feeling in our new home.  when i found the image below i instantly knew this was going to be the base for the colors in our home. 

so i simply scrolled over the image and chipped it.  viola.  paint colors i could use in our home.

as i was painting samples of the colors in my home i began to realize that i wanted a more subtle feel.  the image i used for the colors was bold and bright and didn't quite capture the feeling i wanted.  in march we took a vacation to the coast and had the most amazing time.  there were two images that i snapped during the trip that i kept replaying in my mind.  both were cloudy and even stormy images and i realized that's exactly why i was drawn to them.  even though the sky was brooding and the clouds laid close to us it felt inviting.  rainy days seem to slow time and the need to rush around.  i love curling up on the couch with a blanket and watching the storm pass.  so with that feeling in mind  i decided to use chip it on the images from stormy holiday.  

so if you have a paint project ahead try chip it it's so easy and fun.  you'll start chipping images just because you can.    

perfect summer broccoli salad

just what we needed to hear today

cure for the dessert blues

it's like taking a vaca to eat here

i get on food kicks often.  i eat a food so much out of sheer love that i eventually can't stomach it.  i am definitely on a grilled avocado kick as of late.  saturday i made tacos for lunch instead of taco shells i used grilled avocados.  no one missed the shells...at all.   i can't imagine ever hating these bad boys though.

rosemary date chicken & carrot french fries

steak and veggies

best stir fry ever...no hyperbole here

what's not to love about basil, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes?

grilled avocado + salsa + squeeze of lime juice = crazy delicious 

sweet saturday mornings

whoa! cause that face doesn't scream serial killer or anything.  

that's better.

happy birthday sweet jb!

we celebrated with ice cream cake, french onion soup, aunt sarah, pop-tarts, avengers, a skateboard/bike, a relaxing weekend in las cruces and a family dinner...all of your favorite things.

oh and holy birthday candle batman!

i will continue the birthday song at 12 am with glow stick sunglasses and birthday kisses tradition!

i knew as a tiny middle-schooler and i know today that my heart is yours and my love will grow even more.  you are my favorite. 

 our love affair continues 

perfection & even scissors to help you cut the cheese

 {insert joke here}

some eats for the week:

stuffed zucs

ginger beef and mango salsa

conquered

now to conquer the lawn

with a beloved beast

summer album

 i can listen to the whole album but here are my favorites:

ooey gooey

wish for rain

foggy breakfast view

so saucy

irresistible

pulled pork  & best slaw

God is our refuge and strength

a very present help in trouble

therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble at its swelling

psalm 46:1-3

best section of the saturday paper and good burrito

perfection

a good laugh and dog-saving tip

it's been a minute since my last post so i figured i needed to post something worthwhile.  now, that term 'worthwhile" is open to interepration but i figured this post should been funny and have some sort of practical use.  since, i am not capable of such of combination i left it up to some other redheads, louis c.k. and conan.  enjoy.  

excuses be gone

i hope everyone is having a great new year so far.  i promised last week .  this time of year many people have a list full of resolutions for health...and a list full of excuses why they can't reach those goals a few weeks later.  this workout is for your fitness excuses.  no space, no time, no gym, no equipment...no problems.

it is true that there is nothing new under the sun and many of you have probably heard of this before but for those of you that haven't i hope you find this helpful.  no this is not a game of solitaire but you will need a deck of playing cards for this exercise routine. there are tons of different ways to use this play cards workout.  here is one way: pick a few of your favorite exercises, for example you could pick , burpees, push-ups, planks and .  next grab a deck of cards.  assign each exercise to a suit of cards.  


** if you are unsure of proper form, click on the name of the exercise below. **

for example:

  spades=burpees                    hearts = mountain climbers

  

diamonds = push-ups            clubs= air squats

face cards= 1 minutes rest (or if you are a real die hard pick another exercise)

the numbers on each card will represent how many reps you will do that exercise (depending on what exercise you pick this could represent minutes).  set a timer  (the timer on your microwave or cell phone will work just fine) for the length of time you want to work out, for example 20 minutes.  for the next 20 minutes you will flip over the cards one by one and complete whatever exercise pops up.  let’s say you turn over  a 10 of spades, you will complete 10 burpees.  you will then turn over another card and it’s a 8 of diamonds, you will complete 8 push-ups.  then you turn over a 3 of hearts, 3 reps of mountain climbers at your own pace.  next you turn over a king of diamonds, now is when you rest for one minute.  next, you turn over a 10 of clubs- 10 squats.

of course remember to consult with your physician before beginning any workout regime.  work at your own pace, rest when needed and use proper form.  if you have any questions please let me know.

so what do you think?  have you done this before?  do you have a different way?  i would love to hear what you have to say. 

new year

new year's is always a good opportunity for me to reflect on the past year and intentionally resolve to pursue life in a stronger, healthier and most importantly God honoring way.   in college, some of my closest friends and i started a tradition.  every year before midnight we would take time to somberly read through these questions.  it was also a very vulnerable time of sharing and reflecting which can be a powerful thing among friends.   though it is far from what people may typically do on new year's eve, it always felt right to end and start the year reflecting on what is true and lasting in life and will matter into eternity.  sadly, this year my close friends and i were unable to carry out our tradition together.  busier lives, babies and moving to far away lands make those times simply college memories but sweet ones none the less.  

enough reminiscing let's move on to a recipe.  here is a great soup to take the edge off the winter.   one website i check in with weekly is health-bent.  i have yet to make a bad meal from this website and this one was a slam dunk for sure!   the pad thai is crazy delicious and don't even get me started on the lasagna.   this soup is filling and has such a great mix of flavors and textures.  you can't go wrong.  

so this week print out these questions and discuss them over dinner with a friend or with family.  the questions will cut you and leave you feeling a bit vulnerable too.  but that which is dead must be cut down to make room for growth and life but at least you will have some warm soup to comfort you.    

i'll be back soon for a workout for those of you that have health resolutions, all you will need is a timer and deck of cards.  interested yet?

happy eating and reflecting!