January 26, 2018

I LOVE LISTS

Welcome to I LOVE LISTS. It’s Friday! Here’s a list for ya:

Understanding Grief
On having an only child
This recipe is why I now have cauliflower on my grocery list
Ways to make traveling less stressful.
Handling AWKWARD situations
The funny thing is, my husband tries to cozy up to me when I’m using a knife…
Photos to blow your mind.
How the college classroom has evolved over the years
I really need to make tahini cookies sometime soon.
Pretties: moon necklace /crystal ball/star picnic blanket
2 ways to radically help you rethink your career
The hands and the legs? Is this picture photoshopped? Oprah! Weird!
9 photographs that have made history
Romantic valentines day gifts you can frame
How restaurants are surviving higher minimum wage increases
We’re going back to sound with Sonic Branding in advertising– pay attention to your podcasts!
This embroidery is unbelievable
Simple Valentine’s Day ideas
This short film looks so cool. I wanna watch it!
Stop asking your kid about their day.

January 24, 2018

Intentions for the Year

Now that we’re almost at the end of January (WHOA THAT FLEW BY), I think it’s time I post my Intentions for the Year. I’ve had a moment to really digest the new year and I’m ready to tackle it.

Intentions for the Year 2018

more art – Because it keeps me sane. That’s obviously why I am still blogging 10 years later. I’ve been keeping honest with that through my new Etsy shop/Instagram project @TheHandwritingClub. Thank you for your orders and thank you for following along on my journey. Let’s see where it goes!

more sleepovers/dinners with friends/ladies craft weekend – I want to have people over and feed them. Mostly because my family eats the same things all the time and it would be a good way to shake things up. My mom had a lot of dinner parties and I think it’s time for me to start making that a priority. Also, sleepovers are awesome.

teach a meal prep class- I’ve been wanting to do this for awhile. I just need to find a venue that has a kitchen. Anyone local wanna direct me to a place? Might be a good way for me to test some things so I can keep working on my future book.

take better care of myself- I haven’t been so good about this lately. I need to get back on track with better eating habits/physical activity. Maybe I just need to start using my fitbit again? I have to find the charger first. Gonna do a Whole30 again this year too. Just have to block some time off in my calendar.

help my family create a new normal without my mom- There’s a bunch of things we have to do this year. I have to go through my Mom’s things and figure out what to do with them. There’s stuff to donate/stuff to sell. Also, we have to figure out new routines as a family, new traditions, new everything. It’s going to be challenging at times. This I know for sure, but we’ll get through it as a family!

continue streamlining my life/house- I worked really hard on this last year and now I have all of this stuff from my mom to figure out. One thing I know is that the more stuff you have, the more your stuff starts to own you. Being conscious of what I’m bringing in and getting rid of will only help! I’d like to continue to sell stuff on Poshmark and ThredUp so my closets can get cleaned out even more. My friend is coming down from Oregon to help me at the beginning of February and I’m excited to keep clearing stuff out. Things can really add up when you have a kid!

travel! I really need to get out and see some new things. Life is short! This year I hope to go to New Orleans (maybe teach a class with Joy?), Tahoe, Monterey, Big Sur, Oregon? WHO KNOWS! Maybe I should renew my passport while I’m at it. I’ve also really wanted to go to New Mexico…

WORD for 2018:

NOURISH

1. to sustain with food or nutriment; supply with what is necessary for life, health, and growth.

2. to cherish, foster, keep alive, etc.

3. to strengthen, build up, or promote

I’m hoping to do this with the help of good eating habits, quality time with family and friends, and teaching/learning this year. It’s time I put the energy into myself. I’ve been too busy putting on everyone else’s oxygen mask before I put on my own! I’m excited to see what 2018 has in store.

What about you? Do you have any Intentions for 2018? I’d love to see what you’re planning!

Inspiration, LISTS

January 22, 2018

Intentions for the Week

It’s Monday and we’re back in the mix! All it takes is a couple of days away from home and I get the urge to REBOOT everything in my life. There’s something about being away that makes you appreciate/miss your routines at home. Since my Mom died, things have been thrown off but right now, at this moment, I’m starting to feel more like myself again. Time to get my Intentions for the Week out!

Oh! I did some Meal Prep! this week, so that’s exciting.

Meal Prep includes:

potato salad / a riff off these chocolate energy bars / mom’s green salad vinagrette/ lemon ginger elixir/pasta salad/hard-boiled eggs in an Instant Pot

Intentions for the Week:

finish laundry
bring in car for service
oil change on car
return library books
edit photos/upload/invoice
add new zine to The Handwriting Club (take photos/post)
get outside and go for a walk
YOGA
make more dinners at home
work on a new recipe
post pictures from the weekend
figure out when I’m going to do a workshop & where
get supplies for brush lettering class
keep up the healthy eating habits
finish Intentions for the Year post
free up space on my phone
find time to be creative
get haircut (YAAAAAAY!)
figure out party for school auction/meet with sonia

Last Week’s Intentions:

accounting work
~~conquer laundry pile~~
~~hang out with Leslie~~
sort through letters/enter addresses in my holiday card spreadsheet
post Intentions for the Year (probably tomorrow!)
~~eat more salads~~
~~work on printer~~
~~delete surplus of photos on~~ computer
~~send out letters/stuff~~ for ~~The Handwriting Club~~
~~make lemon ginger elixir~~
clean out fridge/keep it clean
~~have a long date~~ with ~~my calendar~~
~~figure out Easter vacation plans~~
~~order a kit from ThredUp to clean out closet~~
~~make a list of things I want to do around the house this year~~
~~make a new recipe for the blog~~ (check out this orzo)
~~get outside & move body go to yoga~~
~~dip toes in the ocean~~ (stood in a creek)

Mantra for the Week:

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

my everyday life, Photography

January 21, 2018

My Everyday Life: Week 3

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

More adventures in 2018!

We took Cooper to Scandia. I try really hard not to think of how many people have touched all the things. Gimme the hand sanitizer please!

Cousin Elaine & Sharon made dinner at my parent’s house!

Ladies begging me to be fed.

Robe club! He’s wearing the robe I bought my mom. It’s the same one as mine.

Mornings are extra cozy now.

Thinking of my mom at Trader Joe’s.

Always grocery shopping.

Gonna start getting the bread out of my diet soon.

If I can’t do a whole30, at least I can do baby steps to help me.

I’ve definitely been on a bread kick for months…

Met a kindred spirit while wine tasting.

I get the cutest mail.

LISTS

January 19, 2018

I LOVE LISTS

Welcome to I Love Lists! It’s Friday, let’s surf the internet together.

Putting this elixir on the TO DO LIST.
Look at this cat bed!
This is beyond crazy.
Where do you draw the line between creative & creepy advertising?
Oh hello, crow.
There’s sneaky science behind kids & technology these days.
I’ve definitely been in this headspace before.
Gorgeous mosaic floors.
Good news for the Bay Area. Yay Shake Shack!
Time to drink more tea!
HAHAHAAAAAA
Cute alert: yoga mat /cats on shelves/leaf pin /cat mug
Apparently, I am 16 years old according to how I see color. WEIRD.
Stuff from our childhood that kids wouldn’t understand now. Le sigh.
People love my sense of humor based on my fries choice.
This salad looks bonkers!
Remember that movie Her? Well, this is happening now and it makes me kinda sad.
Don’t stack your plates when you’re done eating at a restaurant.
Minimal kitchen inspiration
These photos give me a slight panic attack.
I had no idea that January was my least productive month…
Whole Foods is banking on rotisserie chicken

New cookbooks added to my collection:

Can you tell that I’m wanting to use my Instant Pot soon??

recipes

January 17, 2018

Orzo with Pancetta and Pine Nuts

My mother’s recipe binder is one of the most treasured items I have of hers. It was one of the first things I brought home with me. I’ve been pouring through it whenever I feel like I need to be close to her. It’s filled with food stains and notes. A lot of recipes are written out in her handwriting that I had such a hard time forging (always). There are quite a few recipes clipped from old newspapers, now yellowed with age. The most trusted recipes seem to be the ones where my mom put those sticker reinforcements around the fraying binder paper holes. My mother always taught us to mend what we had, not immediately seek out its replacement.

When I saw this recipe for Orzo with Pancetta and Pine Nuts, I was transported back in time. It was a dish my mom made for their company a few times. I know exactly where I was sitting at the table eating a big bowl of this orzo. YOUNG TRACY FREAKING LOVED IT.

It wasn’t part of our regular meal routine (my dad was always watching carbs) so I always looked forward to this orzo dish coming up when my parents were entertaining.

The only thing I feel sad about is that I don’t remember what she served it with… Whatever it was, it was definitely overshadowed by the orzo.

Here’s something I definitely learned from my mom–

Entertaining doesn’t always have to mean you have to attempt something super complicated and fancy. Sometimes simple recipes that have stood the test of time are enough. That and a good conversation can help whoever you share a table with.

LISTS

January 15, 2018

Intentions for the Week

Hello friends! Happy Monday.

This weekend we:

had an amazing dinner at my parent’s house with cousins
straightened up the house/cleaned
took down the Christmas tree (YAAAY!)
washed car (thanks, Casey!)
rocked out on laundry

I’m starting to feel like I’m getting my routine back and I’m so happy about that. I think I’ll celebrate by doing some meal prep this week too. It’s been FOREVER and I’d like to get myself back on track with that. It saves time during the week and it’s also a really good way for us to control what we put into our bodies when we’re armed with good options. Anyone currently on the Whole30? How’s it going?! I think I’m going to ease into it soon. It depends on how many social engagements we have coming up soon. That’s always the kicker!

And here we have it— My Intentions for the Week: