July 19, 2016

Berry Cereal Milkshakes

Everyone has a different relationship with cereal. I ate a lot of it growing up. Well, at least I tried to. My mom was the type to avoid buying sugary colored cereal. It wasn’t because of the high fructose corn syrup, the dyes or wheat. She bought us sugary cereal sparingly because whenever she brought home a box of junk cereal, we pounced on it like savages. My brothers would split a regular box of cereal between the two of them in minutes in the morning. Can you imagine how fast sugary cereal would go? All this meant for me is that I had to fight for cereal. If I missed the window, I didn’t have any. But I did know which bowl in the cupboard to use. It was one that looked small but was actually quite deep. I’ve always tried to fly under the radar…..

Today I’m the mom that doesn’t want to buy my child all the crazy sugary cereals mostly because I don’t want to deal with my son hopped up on sugar. I also stay away from cereal that have high fructose corn syrup and synthetic colors because I don’t see the point in them being in my kid’s cereal.

To follow in my mom’s footsteps, I am the mom who will randomly splurge my kid with something indulgent to surprise him. I like to give Cooper those moments of OMG WHAT IS MY MOM THINKING? At least that’s my goal- ha!

So, the other day after we spent the afternoon at the library reading, we came home and I treated Cooper to this cereal milkshake. Dessert before dinner? Mom was definitely having a moment. You gotta keep them on their toes!

recipes

July 18, 2016

Quick Tomato Basil Pasta

We went to the beach yesterday. It was a last minute excursion because I needed to get out of the house and away from alllllllllllll the dishes I had to clear out of the sink.

Now, Casey isn’t a beach person like I am. Where he sees ALL THE SAND and how it sticks to EVERYTHING, I see adventure and a chance for me to clear my head.

He went out of his way to go to the beach because I needed an adventure, so I made up for it with this Quick Tomato Basil Pasta when we got home. An even trade for a beach adventure? Suuuuure. Why not? We’ll go to the beach like every single week now, right Casey?

It’s all the flavors of bruschetta stirred into hot pasta. No need to cook sauce! A #meatlessmonday dinner that’s #simple #fresh #delicious and can be pulled together in less than 15 minutes. Exploit tomato season and get on it! Or just make the tomato part and top it with crusty grilled bread and maybe some fresh mozzarella? YES.

around the home, my everyday life, Photography

July 17, 2016

My Everyday Life: Week 28

Here’s what My Everyday Life- Week 28 of 2016 looked like:

Make a really big wish.

It’s golden here in CA. This is the season when I try to hike as much as possible.

This week I went on three big hikes.

The point where one neighbor liked a certain red.

This is Joe. I walk by his house a lot but I only just met him. I’ve always admired his hat collection and how he lines up his tools. It reminds me of my grandfather and how organized he was. I saw him pruning his hedges (also immaculate) and I went up to him and told him how much I appreciated his organizing skills and he gave me a tour of his hat rack!

Bank errands.

A little kitty in my kitchen named Annie.

Golden….

July 15, 2016

I love lists

Welcome to I Love Lists. Let’s surf the net together!

Boiling Point, by my friend Paul
Kitchen Shelf Styling Tips
This trip looked incredible.
For your next travel adventure.
A little look back at some fashion from the 90s.
Workspace inspiration
Drinking + Horoscopes
I want one.
Oh, weird.
Love this work. So exact!
My current computer screen background.
A necklace that made me laugh.
Love this bedroom makeover project.
Funny, my brain already does this with things on my window.
Whoa. This is fun to watch.
OMG GIMME THIS CAT.
Unbelievable.
I love this artist’s work.
These celebs are staying married. SUCCESS.
This salad looks so refreshing same with these sangria slushies.
I really love cover songs. Only when they’re good though.

Books to Inspire:

Flowers– A cool coloring book by my friend Brittany
Wildflowers
Thinkertoys
Creative Confident

My newest obsession: Snoop Narrates Planet Earth

around the home

July 13, 2016

Around the House: Summer 2016

Casey and I were discussing home decor with one of our friends the other night and through the discussion, I found out that in Casey’s perfect home, everything would have a place and then things would never would never move. Like ever. As in you put three things on a mantle and then it’s there for eternity. I think that’s what he said…

I, on the other hand, like to change things up ALL THE TIME. Actually, it’s more like I change things seasonally and then shake things up when I’m super stressed. Thankfully Casey puts up with this. But it’s like I go crazy and paint a room or a fireplace on a whim (actually I did paint our dining room black on a whim…). I mostly move things around in our house and create vignettes. It’s part of what keeps me sane and I really do love “shopping from the house.” When I first started my blog, we moved into first house where I had the best time decorating my mantle for each season. You can see really old photos here +here + here.

In this house, there are several places that I like to change. Let me show you:

recipes

July 11, 2016

Honey Sriracha Grilled Bacon

Was flipping through an issue of Bon Appetit while I was on the airplane a few weeks ago and I saw a picture of bbq’ed bacon and my mind exploded. I hadn’t ever thought of grilling bacon! The best part? You don’t have to worry about your house smelling like bacon for a week.

But we don’t just make bacon…we coat the bacon in a honey lime soy sriracha glaze, skewer them up and toss them on the grill.

When that’s all said and done, we pull them off the bbq, top with toasted sesame seeds, drizzle some sriracha on top for the ones who love SPICY things and we finish with a generous sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro.

I mean we are GRILLING BACON HERE PEOPLE. This is amazing.