Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Eight years

Eight years ago today I walked down the aisle in a tiny church at our family ranch. I was walking toward my future, and I thank God everyday that I got to walk out of that church holding B's hand as his wife. It was a magical night of dancing under the stars with our closest family and friends. What a journey it has been, and I can honestly say I love him more today than I did eight years ago. He makes me a better person, and I am beyond blessed to get to do life with him. Happy anniversary!

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Make this now!

We all love Pinterest but who else is guilty of just pinning away and never actually cooking, making, doing what you pin?? That is me! So, I'm starting with my Yum board and attempting to cook more of what I'm pinning.

I have been eyeing this delicious looking dish for some time now and whipped it up the other night. Oh my goodness. Make it now! It was so easy and so tasty. My kind of recipe!

Maple and Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Barley
adapted from Rachel Schultz

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup barley
  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • ⅓ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
  • ⅓ cup pecans pieces
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • ⅓ cup pomegranate seeds


Directions:

  1. Cook barley according to package.
  2. Heat brussels sprouts and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
  3. Season with salt & pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes.
  4. Add balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Stir to coat and remove from heat.
  5. Toss barley, sprouts, pom seeds and pecans in a large bowl. Top with gorgonzola.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Scenes from the weekend...

What a weekend! Truly gained five pounds. The weekend was spent doing our usual shenanigans. Playtime with the bubs, a sweet kiddo's birthday party, tidying up the house, church and a much needed Sunday afternoon nap. However Saturday night B and I enjoyed the best date night ever. Spent the evening wining and dining at the Music City Food and Wine Festival Harvest Night. Holy moly. Celebrity chefs, outstanding cuisine and the tastiest libations left this girl very happy. Oh and did I mention music under the stars? We rocked out to Michael McDonald, Kings of Leon, Charles Kelley and Jamey Johnson all while chatting it up with chefs like Masaharu Morimoto, Tyler Florence, Ashley Christensen, Tim Love and Amanda Freitag. I have to say my best in show went to Tyler Florence's shrimp and grits. Cannot wait until next year!










Friday, September 19, 2014

Re:Make Recap

Get ready for picture overload. I don't even have the words to fully explain the excess of creativity that was Re:Make. Everywhere you looked there was inspiration. And everyone you met was awe-inspiring. Seriously. I met people who make their own make-up. People who make air quality control detectors. And I'm all I make my kids' lunches. I joke, but what I took away is no matter if you make for fun or for a living, we are all makers at heart. It was a weekend of part conference, part festival complete with plenty of shopping and plenty of DIYing.

The invitation only conference kicked off Friday with a convicting keynote from Brit + Co founder Brit Morin, sharing that 77% of adults feel like they have lost their creativity. This hit me hard. These days I tend to feel so uninspired and drained, but Re:Make was just what I needed to help get my creative mojo back. We were challenged to live creatively as we heard from such inspiring techies, makers and innovators like Joy Cho of Oh Joy, beauty expert and YouTube sensation Kandee Johnson, Lowe's Innovation Labs Executive Director Kyle Nel and Yoobi founder Ido Leffler {they are the Toms to school supplies!}. We were wowed by presentations from start-ups like Drop, Walhub {watch this hilarious and clever video now!} and Urbio. And got our DIY on with fun make-breaks by Michaels and Wilton. The highlight for me was definitely the intimate blogger luncheon I was fortunate enough to attend with Brit, Randi Zuckerberg, Jaime Derringer and other speakers and fellow bloggers. Such a fascinating round table discussion of the maker movement, blogging and how we live creatively. We wrapped up the day with a cocktail reception featuring the tastiest of libations made with Izze's fizzy juices. Yum yum!

As if our brains were not already on creative overload, Saturday's festival just added to it.  Open to the public, any and all came out to shop talented makers' goods and DIY with some of the best brands including my favorites Hallmark, Beacon Adhesives, Lowe's, Michaels and Wilton. I loved crafting with new friends and my pockets were certainly a little lighter after snagging some goodies from some of my favorite makers like Paperlaced, Missive, A Handcrafted Home and Parallel Print Shop. Check out all the makers {and shop too!} here. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to attend Re:Make. My creative juices are truly flowing, and I am so thankful for all I learned. 

Now I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

































Thursday, September 18, 2014

Madewell Love

I am having quite the Madewell moment right now. The new Nashville store opened this week, and I am loving just about all they have to offer. So much cozy plaid has me super excited for Fall! Check out some of the goodies I snagged and am still hoping to take home.


Monday, September 15, 2014

Scenes from the weekend...

Happy Monday! I am home after a fantastic weekend in California. I have to say one of the highlights of my trip was just flying alone. Seriously a five hour flight with snacks, mags, wi-fi and no toddlers on my lap was such a treat. Spent the weekend learning, being inspired, getting crafty and making new friends at Re:Make {even made it on the news!}. Oh and shopping some incredibly talented makers' work! Since my brother and now sister-in-law were on their honeymoon I got to crash at their darling San Fran apartment. Thoroughly enjoyed living the city life for the weekend. Walking their dog, dining out solo and enjoying some gorgeous cooler weather. Fortunately my new sister-in-law's brother and wife who live out there were gracious enough to hang with me. Hit up some of their favorite restaurants for the toast and pizza I've been hearing my brother rave about for so long. And yes, it was as good as he built it up to be! Took a red eye home Saturday night and made it back in time for donuts with the bubs Sunday morning. May or may not have slept the rest of the day but managed to have bubble time and sweet snuggles before those wild ones went down. I am so thankful to B for being super dad and surviving three nights alone with the bubs. Time away is the best and so good for the soul, but nothing is better than coming home to my sweet family. Stay tuned for a full Re:Make recap tomorrow!