January 27, 2019

My Everyday Life: Week 4

Here’s what this past week looked like: My Everyday Life Week 4

This tree caught my eye. Made me stop my car, turn around and park.

My car battery died. TWICE.

I met a nice woman named Maggie who helped me jumpstart my car in the parking lot of The Container Store. We had a nice discussion about the ridiculous amount of flavors they make for Cheez-Its now. Thank you, kindness of strangers.

Also, my friend John helped me out when my battery died again at the gas station. Forever grateful!

Pulling cards.

Making notes in my sketchbook.

Sometimes when people order a Food Journal for a friend, I write their personalized notes for them.

I love seeing how thoughtful people are.

My name is Jonas.

Family dinner at my Dad’s! We ordered Souvla takeout.

I wrote it down!

Almost at a full month of writing down my meals in my food journal.

It has helped me lose 5 lbs. this month. The best part is that I didn’t diet. I was more mindful of what I ate when I was writing it down. I am more engaged in writing down what I eat when I make it fun. Using my favorite pen helps!

Burrito Bowls with quinoa for my meal prep.

I’ve noticed that my day of eating is usually better when I have a bigger breakfast.

This is my Mom style.

Tunic from Gap.

Leggings from Gap.

Shoes are Sketchers. They’re super comfy.

Bag is from Etsy.

I tried on a jacket at Anthropologie that reminded me of my Mom.

Cooper ran to me and told me, “MOM COME INTO THE OVER ROOM AND LOOK AT ELLA!”

Lil derp.

Regal Rosie.

I can make Ella a bed out of anything and she’ll sleep in it.

Sunbathers.

Squirrel watchers.

On their way to get candy.

Snack lunch.

My office was clean for 5 minutes this week.

The light was just right.

Art at thrift stores inspires me.

School project time! It was so fun to see Casey and Cooper woodworking together.

Kinda reminded me of playing in the garage when I was a kid.

Working on orders late at night.

I had just texted a friend a heart emoji and a bear emoji and then saw this!

Don’t trip.

Sausage Soup with two cans of diced tomatoes instead of chicken stock.

I ran out of chicken stock.

Playing around with a Fujifilm xt-3 this week. I’m in LOVE!

I think I’ll start taking more Around the House shots now.

Maybe take better garden photos too.

When I went to pick up some pizza this week the guy complained that the sun was in his eye.

I said, “Ah, golden hour! It will get you.”

“This isn’t golden hour. I’m a photographer. I should know!” he replied.

Uh huh.

Fluorescent gym lights humming at 9am on a Saturday morning.

SPORTS.

Multi-tasking.

Last night was Crab night at Perry & Eileen’s!!

I asked followers on Instagram what they wanted to see more of on Shutterbean when I did an Instagram story this week.

Thank you for all of your input! If you have any suggestions on what you’d like to see more of this year, leave a comment!

Week 4 in 2018

Week 4 in 2017

Week 4 in 2015

Week 4 in 2014

Week 4 in 2013

Week 4 in 2012

Week 4 in 2011

LISTS

January 25, 2019

I LOVE LISTS

All the Costco Kirkland brand booze and who really makes them.
No Sweetheart Valentine’s candies this year. 🙁
Invisible labor is taking a toll on women.
There’s a new tent that makes it possible to camp underwater.
Life hacks! #8 made me lol, but it’s also very clever!
According to this food quiz, I’m a risk taker!
Puns + animals
Flowers = animals
I like that we are now creating non-alcoholic bars!
Currently loving this salt on salad + popcorn SO GOOD
Now, what kind of box can you put a TV in it so it won’t break?
We have water in California!!!!!!!!
I really miss all of Oprah’s guest makeovers. This helps.
Libraries are my favorite. I love the creativity of the people who work in them!
Your gut has something to do with your mental health.
Weezer has a new album of covers!
I’d love to do this with my mom’s handwriting.
What you’re entitled to if your flight is delayed.
60 years of marriage
How to spend way less time on emails.
Currently loving: Ghost of a Podcast
Some Instant Pot tips to read through.
More Food journals in the shop!

LISTS

January 21, 2019

Intentions for the Week

Happy Monday, friends!

How was your weekend? Mine was pretty good. It rained most of the weekend. My house was cozy! I did some rearranging and purging of unnecessary items in our house. We had basketball and I spent most of the weekend working on shipping and packaging. Thank you for all of your orders on the food journals! Thank you also for your reviews too! It makes me so happy to know that the process is working out for you! I am currently on a roll of writing down what I eat. 21 (!!!) days in so far and I’m enjoying the process. I am definitely beginning to understand how showing up and being present to my life with these little steps HELPS.

To arm myself with good choices this week WHILE cleaning out my fridge, I did some meal prep. I went over to my Dad’s house last night and brought him some stuff for the week. I know how appreciative he is of my food since he doesn’t have my Mom to cook for him! It’s also been really fun to have this back and forth relationship with my Mom’s pyrex dish supply.

Here’s my meal prep:

Meal Prep this Week includes:

Lemon Ginger Elixir
Tuna White Bean Salad
Sausage Meatballs
Sausage and Broccoli Orecchiette
Mom’s Salad Dressing
Granola
Quiona
Carrots
cooked broccoli
hard boiled eggs in my Instant Pot
a reset button salad for lunch today

I have a whole bunch of carrots in the fridge and bananas going ripe on the counter, so sometime in the next week, there will be Coconut Carrot Soup and Banana Bread in my future. There might be lemon chicken or lemon roasted shrimp in our meal lineup this week.

Let’s get down to business. Here are my Intentions for the Week–

my everyday life, Photography

January 20, 2019

My Everyday Life: Week 3

Here’s what this past week looked like: My Everyday Life Week 3

Sunday marketing!

Turned into all this for the week.

I’m on an arugula kick. Which reminds me…. I need to make my favorite salad.

Meal prep means I have more salads during the week. YAY.

This week my Dad had an overnight stay in the hospital after surgery.

He is ok! My brother and I went to hang out with him.

Hospital food is like plane food.

Ryan and I got ramen.

It was nice spending so much time with my brother this week.

We had a Costco adventure and thought about our Mom. The night before she was rushed to the hospital she had gone to Costco and messed her car up in the parking lot. I was standing there wondering what part of the parking lot it was. I’ll never know. It’s still so weird to live our lives without her.

Thank you.

Rosie is always walking over my things on my desk.

A small bit of sun peeping through my mom’s rosemary plant.

Where I sit in my family room if where my Mom sat when I was growing up.

I really felt her presence this week.

Putting this crispy garlic chili oil on everything. Mostly eggs.

It rained all week. I miss the outdoors.

We saw a boy with a sticker mustache while at a stop light in SF.

So cute.

Dinner with my fairy godmother, Nancy at Foreign Cinema.

The light was just right.

I am grateful for all of the older women in my life who believe in me and LOVE to eat as well!

In the back of a cab.

A moment of sunshine this week! I caught it!

Tracy vs. Target

We had french bread pizzas this week!

Sent 150 food journals out this week! THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT!

I have a helper.

Went to Valley Ford to visit my friend Tammi.

We found a friend on our way to get crab sandwiches and chowder.

I got to see her cute post office!

We spent the afternoon playing in our sketchbooks while chatting.

Her studio space is dreamy.

And she made the most incredible painting with a picture I gave her of my Mom.

I am so incredibly touched.

I came home with a fresh bouquet of narcissus thanks to her. My kitchen smells so fragrant now!

Boop!

Saturday mornings are for pancakes.

This was the breakfast my Mom always made Cooper when he spent the night at her house.

Slow weekend mornings are my favorite. Just the three of us.

My horoscope told me to take it easy yesterday and I did. Ella joined in.

Taking care of the plant I grew up with. I wish my Mom could see how much it’s grown.

So many people have sent me pictures of the Creamy Sausage & Mushroom Orecchiette recipe I posted this week!

That makes me so incredibly happy!

Trying to stay present and hopeful for the future.

Week 3 in 2018

Week 3 in 2017

Week 3 in 2016

Week 3 in 2015

Week 3 in 2014

Week 3 in 2013

Week 3 in 2012

Week 3 in 2011

LISTS

January 18, 2019

I LOVE LISTS

RIP, Mary Oliver
6 things tech world leaders fear the most (and they should)
How to revive a friendship
Oh look! A new coffee creamer flavor that shouldn’t exist.
I want a minimalist kitchen!
If you’re going to Las Vegas, my friend Gaby has some restaurant recommendations.
If you’re looking for a good book to read.
We watched the Hulu Fyre festival documentary first. It’s NUTS.
Now I want a glass table.
I’d love to make these keychains with Cooper.
What people are pinning from my blog lately
This is pretty- a giant spinning circle of ice!
Some amazing tattoo coverups using people’s scars.
To watch: an animated history of cheese!
How to make any business trip less boring.
Netflix is begging people to stop doing the Bird Box Challenge
Some amazing shots from the 2018 wildlife photographer of the year.
If you want to see what I looked like 10 years ago…
Intensive parenting is intense.
Will an Instant Pot solve all of your problems? Probably not. But I like mine!
I can’t wait to snuggle up to my new blanket & watch Netflix this weekend.
This might make you feel old yet nostalgic at the same time.
We signed up for Butcher Box this month because they’re giving away 2 free lbs. of wild Salmon!

If you want to join in on the fun, order your Currently 2019 Workbook now!

Read more about it in my post from yesterday.

More Food Journals in the shop!

Each one comes with a page to color in!

Inspiration

January 17, 2019

Currently 2019 WORKBOOK!

For the past 2 1/2 years, I’ve been working on updating my CURRENTLY posts here on Shutterbean. If you’re not familiar with the posts, check out my archives!

Each month, I sit down and reflect on the month and share what happened, here on my blog.

I make fun art with the month:

Sometimes I make it colorful:

I created a trusty list template so I could have something consistent to refer to in the future.

I like seeing what I was into and where my head was throughout the year.

Every month is different!!!!!!!

Sometimes I make a doodle for the month. It’s a good way to spend time off the computer or screen.

Every month brings new adventures.

And a new way to look at the month:

The column has been a valuable tool for processing life events. I have kept my creativity alive by actively looking for good things and making note of what makes my life full. I can’t even begin to tell you how I would have handled this year of grief without my art practice!

In the past year since I started The Handwriting Club, I have had countless people ask me how they could join the club and so I present you THE CURRENTLY 2019 WORKBOOK.

I’m bringing the blog into paper form with a workbook.

LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!

For those of you who want to join The Handwriting Club, fill out the first page and share it!

(tag me @thehandwritingclub and use the hashtag #itscurrently2019 )

In the book you can write out your Intentions for the Year:

If you like finding a word to meditate on during the year like I do, there’s room to do so.

Every month you can play around with the spread.

I want you to collage, color, draw, and paint in it.

ART IT UP!

Each month you can write down all of the good things that happened.

Fill in the blanks on the list for reference!

By the end of the year, you have something fun to look.

Like a chapter, of your own book!

Your future self will thank you, I’m sure.

I’ll be sharing my monthly spreads in my CURRENTLY posts here and on Instagram each month.

I hope you’ll join me in reflecting upon each passing month. I can’t wait to see how this adventure unfolds for you!!

Order yours here.

That’s right. I’m selling them through Blurb!

And if you are looking for my food journal, they are currently for sale in my Etsy shop, where I’ll be shipping them out personally.

I’m testing to see which process (blurb vs. etsy) works best for the amount of time I have for this project. If all goes well, I’ll be able to sell them both in one place, internationally.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LOVE + SUPPORT.

XOXO

Tracy

recipes

January 16, 2019

Creamy Sausage Mushroom Orecchiette

I have a thing for sausage and mushroom. It’s always what my Mom ordered on her pizza and the combination became all-time favorite too. See also: pizza bowls This Creamy Mushroom Sausage Orecchiette dish is comfort in a bowl. It’s actually my cousin Elaine’s recipe, although I took the liberty and added a bunch of arugula to the mix.

It’s January. It’s practically salad now, huh?

My cousin Elaine has always been my cooking mentor. It’s probably because anytime my Mom went to visit her back east, she would launch into a “Tracy! You should have seen what Elaine made us!” conversation followed by her showing off a handwritten recipe from Elaine. She’d wave around the paper like Charlie with the golden ticket. My Mom really admired Elaine’s ease in the kitchen and how it never seemed to phase her having 20+ people over at her house. She can whip up anything at any time, just like my grandma could. In my eyes, my cousin Elaine is basically Martha Stewart.

After my Mom died my Dad’s cousins from New York came out for a week. It was like having cooking fairy godmothers come to visit. They stayed with my Dad and cooked for him, stocking up his freezer with meals for him to reheat in my Mom’s absence.

Elaine made my family this pasta dish that I COULD NOT GET ENOUGH OF. It was something that both my parents loved and it felt so special that I got experience too. The mascarpone makes the pasta creamy and each bite is just wonderful. I didn’t want my bowl to end! I’m thinking that maybe mascarpone needs to make more of an appearance in our pasta life? Next time I have company, I’m going to wow them with this dish. Thank you, cousin!