September 22, 2020

Autumn Bucket List 2020

Hi Friends! Today is the first day of Autumn and I wanted to share my Autumn Bucket List (from my Currently Workbook!) with you!

Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year because I love being cozy under a blanket at home when it rains. It’s also a tender time because the season was my Mom’s favorite color scheme (she LOVED oranges and browns) and she passed away 3 years ago this Thanksgiving so a lot of stuff comes up. A new season is another reminder of how fleeting time is…and how we must take some time to stop, reflect, and savor it.

I spent a moment today thinking about what I want to do while this season lasts—

My goals include:

I will love with my whole heart and give thanks for being alive and healing.

You can find the printable here!

Remember that you have until December 20th and we get to make a Winter Bucket list!

Post a picture and tag @shutterbean and @thehandwritingclub

I’d love to see what you’re up to this Autumn.

Or!

Leave your 2020 Autumn Bucket List in the comments to help hold you accountable,.

LISTS

September 21, 2020

Intentions for the Week

Intentions for the Week – Week 39 on 2020

Happy Monday, friends!

We have made it through another week of staying (mostly) at home. This weekend I caught up with friends, did a bunch of housework, managed to do meal prep and grocery shop. We are off to a productive start to the week. HOORAY! Here are my Intentions for the Week this week.

my everyday life, Photography

September 20, 2020

My Everyday Life Week 38

Here’s what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life Week 38

My Dad likes to tease me that I am becoming a farmer. He’s not wrong.

Harvesting!

My first BIG tomato. These are orange brandywines. I really didn’t have high hopes for this one because the temperature was too hot some days this Summer that a bunch of the blooms just fell off.

Brought it in. Sliced it up.

LISTS

September 18, 2020

I LOVE LISTS

People share their honest zoom backgrounds. REAL LIFE!
Cats who were shaved for surgery. lolz.
Make your own cream cheese
Bucket list: photo adventure of autumn in national parks.
I want to explore the mysterious buildings around the presidio.
This air-fryer cauliflower looks delicious!
How to steal like Wes Anderson.
Time to get my cats closer to our keyboard.
Let’s look at old photos of Victorian & Edwardian people on couches.
Looking through vintage on Etsy makes me miss thrifting!
Can you imagine how fun it would be to have a cloud lamp?
Teacher shows what time kids should go to bed.
If you also love spotting the difference in photos you might like this.
But what if you are your own boss?
How the firest are melting things. YIKES.
Can celebrity activism campaigns really make a difference?
People are so talented I can’t even handle it!
How distanced learning is disrupting households.
I can’t imagine how hard this is for teachers who are parents.
At least these things didn’t happen to you.
Weekend reading: The Subtle Body + The Art of Psychic Reiki

recipes

September 16, 2020

Simple Vanilla Ice Cream

Have you created any new habits during quarantine? I’ve added a new treat each week in our household. Right now we are kind of on a sundae kick here. The world may be a dumpster fire, but I still can wow an 11-year-old boy with a Simple Vanilla Ice Cream recipe! With some fudge sauce (I hide ours waaay back in the fridge with boobie traps!) and chopped salty chopped peanuts, we have quick weeknight sundaes.

While searching for a simple ice cream recipe that doesn’t involve eggs, I found a commenter’s note saying that “the best/easiest vanilla ice cream recipe is made with cream, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla.”

I had all of those things.

Challenged accepted.

*DING* DING* DING*

We have a winner.

I did add a pinch (or two) of salt cuz that’s how I roll. The sweetened condensed milk makes the process so much easier because you don’t have to warm up cream and melt sugar! Plus SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK TASTES AMAZING. I love that stuff a little too much!

If you feel like dusting off your ice cream maker. and making ice cream magic, MAKE THIS. We are going to be experimenting with it a lot in the Benjamin family. Stay tuned!

LISTS

September 14, 2020

Intentions for the Week

Intentions for the week – week 38 of 2020

Happy Monday, friends!

Yet again, another weekend that flew by too fast. My weekend started with an art date and ended with a dinner at my Dad’s house with his girlfriend. Other than that I did a bunch of stuff around the house. There wasn’t much we could do outside the house because the air was so bad here. I spent the time getting rid of stuff and organizing. I cleaned up my office and did meal prep! YAY! I need to get back in check with my healthy eating habits and this is the perfect way to start back on the road to health. It’s one of my Intentions for the Week!

View this post on Instagram

Cleaned out the fridge and filled it back up again with some #shutterbeanmealprep ✨ I made a hibiscus cooler, guacamole, mom’s vinaigrette*, lemon ginger elixir*, vegan ranch dip*, minced garlic, made a few hard boiled eggs, cut up watermelon, peaches, strawberries, peppers, carrots, and made a potato salad for the week. My goal is to have healthier snack options ready for the whole family. Anything with an * means there’s a recipe on my blog. Check the link in profile!

A post shared by Tracy Benjamin (@shutterbean) on Sep 13, 2020 at 3:23pm PDT

my everyday life, Photography

September 13, 2020

My Everyday Life Week 37

Here’s what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life Week 37

This week was pretty stressful! The air here in the Bay Area has been horrible due to fires. We woke up to orange skies. We woke up LATE because of it.

I didn’t get to spend much time outside.

But when I did, I just checked on my plants.

I’m waiting to harvest seeds from these zinnias and the colors they turn before they dry up are so pretty.