September 3, 2014

Around the House: Guest Bedroom {BEFORE!}

I can’t believe we’ve lived in this house for over two years. Where does the time go?? We spent the first year moving things around, trying to make our old furniture work in this new space and moved the rest of my parent’s stuff into another room of our house. If you don’t already know, we moved into the house I grew up in in 2012. During the second year of living here, we slowly started painting a few rooms, just to test things out and see what things would look like on a much larger scale. This home requires a lot of thought because there are so many different architectural elements to consider whereas our last home just needed paint! Although it’s frustrating for a visual person like me to live with a mishmash of furniture in rooms that are not even close to being done, it’s been good to REALLY think about how we want to live/utilize this space.

recipes

September 2, 2014

Triple Berry Terrine

Hello, September. I’m glad you’re here because you prove that I somehow made it through August. Thank heavens for that. But! I’m not ready to quit Summer. I still have a few more things I want to accomplish…like EATING ALL THE BERRIES before berry season is kaput. I can see the prices of berries creeping up which means…HURRY UP AND EAT THEM.

I’ve been getting good use out of my bread pans this summer…but not because I’ve been making my favorite banana bread. Nope. I’ve been using them to make some ice cream concoctions like this one and this one here. Pumpkin bread is on the horizon and maybe something with cranberries or pears but for now I’m still in Summer mode and here’s this cute little terrine situation.

A pomegranate juice gelatin mixture marries three different berries. There’s a slight tang with lemon but it’s basically ALL BERRY suspended in gelatin. There’s something so satisfying about cutting into gelatin. I secretly have day dreams of cutting into a 10lb. gummy bear one day… This is just practice. Add a little whipped cream to the top of this terrine for a little decadence. Or maybe add some Prosecco to the gelatin mixture?

Inspiration

September 1, 2014

And I Quote:

my everyday life, Photography

August 31, 2014

My Everyday Life: Week 35

Here’s what this past week looked like:

FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN!!!

August 29, 2014

I love lists, Friday!

I freaking love Amy Poehler.
Why It’s Impossible to Make Plans Anymore.
Old Timey Life Hacks that still work to this day.
Mind blown also OMG gimme these burgers.
I wonder if this is how Cooper feels.
These DIY notebook tea cloths are adorable.
Just donate money.
I want to make one of these!
If Guys Acted like Girl BFFS. Hilarious.
The ending of Sopranos still has me thinking.
I am a functional introvert. What about you?
Let’s make popsicles before the Summer ends.
This sorbet looks scrumptious.
So much yes to this– School lunches from the 70s vs. 2014.
Do you sleep with your phone?
I can’t wait to transform our kitchen someday!
Mmmm. Spicy Sausage Rolls.
Email is killing us.
The anthropologie catalog had it coming.
YES.

On the latest episode of the Joy the Baker podcast, we talk about the weird people at the gym (and how we have names for them!), bragging about yourself & our thoughts on people who type with two fingers. Check out Episode #128: Hunt & Peckers.

recipes

August 28, 2014

APPLES + LIME JUICE

I think I may have said this once or twice before but fresh cut apples with lime juice squeezed on top is my favorite snack ever. If you haven’t tried it before, DO IT. Chili powder is a great addition to this wonderful combo….but I like it just with just these two things.

recipes

August 27, 2014

Avocado & Banana Chocolate Pudding

We just survived Cooper’s first day of Kindergarten!!! It’s funny how a date can sit on your calendar for MONTHS and then JUST LIKE THAT it comes and goes! New beginnings. New friends. New routines. New clothes. New teachers. New routes to school. New lunchbox. New haircut. New backpack. EVERYTHING IS NEW.

As someone who loves change (when I have some semblance of control!) it’s been nice to be able to say that we made it through! There were no tears (including me!) and Cooper DID NOT want to go home from Kindergarten. In fact, he was like, “Waaaaaaaait. Why are you picking me up so early? I was just getting to know my new best friend.” I did have a mild panic attack when I thought I left my dang checkbook at home and didn’t have a sweatshirt for him like I was supposed to. We made it through and that’s all that matters!

One of the main things that’s new for us this year is school lunches. At Cooper’s preschool they served the children hot meals each day so I didn’t have to pack lunches for him. It was NICE not having that stress every evening. This means I have to beef up my school & after school snack game! I think I might add this Avocado Banana Chocolate Pudding recipe to our rotation because I got Cooper to eat AVOCADOS without a fuss. To fancy it up, I added coconut whipped cream and a sprinkle of chopped roasted peanuts. It’s creamy, chocolatey and DECADENT! It’s the perfect recipe to make when you have a few too many avocados and bananas lying around…and we always have too many cuz I love both with a passion.