LISTS
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December 20, 2019

I LOVE LISTS

I LOVE LISTS

  1. We took a train through Canada on our honeymoon. It’s so pretty.
  2. NPR’s favorite movies of 2019
  3. How to reflect more meaningfully on the past year.  A Currently Workbook helps too!
  4. This restaurant looks crazy.
  5. Santas with a twist
  6. An Ode to Middle Age
  7. Photos of the decade.
  8. This woman is so dang sweet.
  9. WASH YOUR HANDS.
  10. The Age of Instagram Face.
  11. Gingko leaves are my favorite. This tree is bonkers.
  12. A look at 19th-century photography.
  13. The Miseducation of the American Boy
  14. This is the cutest DIY dollhouse
  15. To make: homemade orange bitters / candy cane vodka / gingerbread bundt cake
  16. Grief during the holidays.
  17. The philosophy of FLOW.
  18. Treat yo’self: thermal loungewear / facial gift set / anthro candle / jade roller
  19. The Zen of Bill Murray
  20. How yoga changes your brain.
  21. This pleases my eyeballs.
  22. Lynda Barry- a comic exercise on how to build character
  23. Homemade Holiday Gifts from the archives!

Thinking of gifting a Pep Talk Pack? Find them in my Etsy Shop

Order your Currently Workbook and join me in self-reflection for 2020!

Grab yourself a Food Journal to track your eating habits & practice your handwiting! 

 
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recipes
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December 18, 2019

Gingerbread Cookies

Every year one of my childhood friends would have a gingerbread house /gingerbread cookie decorating themed birthday party and I LOOKED FORWARD TO IT EVERY SINGLE YEAR.  I loved coming home and putting my gingerbread house on display in the kitchen all month long while my brothers slowly picked at it, turning it into a humble scrapyard by the end of the month. 

Casey, Cooper and I moved into my childhood home almost 8 years ago which is right near one my closest friends, Caley.  We’ve been friends since 7th grade and our kids are growing up together in the same neighborhood.  We’ve had a nice gingerbread house tradition going on since we moved back. Some years it’s houses, some years it’s cookies. We switch hosting.It was this holiday activity a few years ago that pulled me into the holiday spirit (for my son!) while grieving super hard over my Mom’s death.  I’m am lucky to have a friend like her in my life.

If you are really present with yourself and the experience, cookie baking will give you a good dose of holiday magic if you’re feeling a little bahumbug.  Taking your time, talking to friends, getting lost in decorating your cookies can be the best way to unwind.  

I’ve been using this recipe from Simply Recipes for the past few years and it has never let me down. It doubles nicely. The dough is a dream to work with. It almost feels like playdoh. Rolling out, cutting out shapes and decorating cookies is the best way to spread some holiday magic this season.  Perhaps you can have your own cookie baking party this weekend? You still have time to gather the ingredients.  Come on!

CONTINUE READING

7 comments
LISTS
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December 16, 2019

Intentions for the Week

Looking to get your head in the game? Tracy from Shutterbean makes a weekly TO DO LIST called her Intentions for the Week. Here's what this week looks like:

 

Happy Monday, friends! 

We are on week 51 of 2019. Here’s what Week 51looked like last year. 

This weekend we had basketball tournaments, laundry, housework, packing up orders, MEAL PREP and dinner out with my Dad and his girlfriend (life is so weird!). We caught up on some sleep and had quality kitten time. The little boy still has no name. Hopefully, we will by the end of the week. 

Meal prep has been a long time coming!

I’ve just been out of practice and also working my way out of a food/grief rut.  The holidays are especially challenging.  At least I am heading into the week with some good options.

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Back in the saddle! ✨🐎🥗 swipe to see my salad goals this week. #shutterbeanmealprep #thingsorganizedneatly

A post shared by Tracy Benjamin (@shutterbean) on

Meal Prep this week includes:

  • iced tea
  • hard-boiled eggs
  • arugula
  • mom’s salad dressing
  • romaine lettuce
  • roasted brussels sprouts
  • roasted delicata squash
  • cut up celery, pepper & carrots
  • black beans
  • wild rice
  • cooked salmon
  • croutons

YOU CAN TELL I WANT TO EAT SALAD THIS WEEK, HUH?

Holiday cards are almost done! I have to pack them up and ship them out.  Time to sit down and figure out my Intentions for the Week. Let’s do this.

CONTINUE READING

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my everyday life, Photography
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December 15, 2019

My Everyday Life Week 50

Here’s what this past week looked like – My Everyday Life Week 50

Thank heavens for the Sun. I needed to see some this week. 

Because life has looked like this for a few weeks.

Waking up with these two.

On the lookout:

Art date with Neiley. We checked out open studios in Sausalito.

This masterpiece was “PRICELESS”

CONTINUE READING

9 comments
LISTS
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December 13, 2019

I LOVE LISTS

I LOVE LISTS

 

  1. I can’t believe such a small % of us love cooking.
  2. Nature is amazing.
  3. I love love LOVE Steve Martin.
  4. Pictures of things rarely seen.
  5. Some of these signs are soo good.
  6. Meditation for artists- automatic drawing
  7. 5 ways to reduce food waste
  8. How the loss of a landline is changing family life
  9. Veganuary is hard to say.
  10. Wanted for NYE: Halo Crown!
  11. I dunno. My brain cannot compute coffee-flavored cola.
  12. A whole bunch of healthy Trader Joe’s items to inspire a healthy start
  13. These vintage photos are precious. 
  14. Should you get advice from a bot?
  15. Yum- Andes Mint Cookies / Pull-Apart Garlic Butter Bread 
  16. This cast would have been awesome when I broke my arm.
  17. Learning to make my mother’s holiday cookies again.
  18. Figures from classic paintings brought into contemporary life
  19. This workspace/garden in LA looks pretty cool.
  20. How to get airlines to accommodate your food allergy.
  21. Make a batch of Matcha Sesame Granola for breakfast next week.
  22. All of my Favorite Things from 2019!

Thinking of gifting a Pep Talk Pack? Find them in my Etsy Shop

Order your Currently Workbook and join me in self-reflection for 2020!

Grab yourself a Food Journal to track your eating habits & practice your handwiting! 

5 comments
recipes
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December 11, 2019

Matcha Sesame Granola

Granola therapy is needed this time of year. What is granola therapy?

It is the soothing act of:

mixing a bunch of ingredients

dumping said ingredients on a baking sheet

toasting them all til lightly browned

perfuming your house with sweet notes of oats & maple syrup

waiting for granola to cool

tasting bits of crispy coconut shreds laced with matcha

transferring granola to a jar

listening to every ingredient make its own symphony against glass

inhaling the bits that don’t make it into the jar

you repeat the process a whole bunch of times

and have a HUGE payoff for minimal work.  

That’s granola therapy. 

It’s forgiving. 

Just don’t burn it.

It’s been a while since I’ve been wowed by a granola recipe. This Matcha Sesame Granola recipe is FANTASTIC!  There’s a bit of matcha powder mixed in. You can taste it most in the toasted coconut. It adds a nice floral tea note to the mix. What I like most is the combination of things added. I’m a sucker for coconut in my granola and I LOOOOVE sesame seeds as well.  

Making granola as gifts is a thoughtful gesture for your friends who simply cannot eat another cookie. You’re giving your loved ones the gift of a healthy breakfast and during this time of year, that’s GOLDEN.

Happy granola therapy to you! Make sure you save a bit for yourself too. 

CONTINUE READING

14 comments
LISTS
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December 9, 2019

Intentions for the Week:

Looking to get your head in the game? Tracy from Shutterbean makes a weekly TO DO LIST called her Intentions for the Week. Here's what this week looks like:

 

Intentions for the Week: Week 50

 Happy Monday, friends!

This weekend was very peopley! I went into the city for a birthday dinner and a friend’s party- didn’t get home until after midnight! Sunday I went to see the Open Studios in Sausalito with a friend and it was so much fun. We got to see some sunshine this weekend and I am super happy about that. When you have rain for an extended period of time, it’s always nice to see some sun. I learned that in my 4 years of living in Oregon. We have a few weeks left of this month and we start a new year. I’ll be working in my food journal and my Currently Workbook for 2020. Join me! You know I’ll be sharing my Currently pages every month. It will be fun to do it together. I’m sitting down with my calendar and writing down my Intentions for the Week. Here they are!

CONTINUE READING

3 comments