{quick} dinner

i love experimenting with new recipes and ingredients.  but, on those nights when putting dinner on the table seems like an insurmountable task, i refer to my list of "slam dunks." 

tostadas are one of them.

i'm a vegetarian, the hubby isn't.  i love black beans, the kids don't. tostadas give everyone the opportunity the build their own dinner, while everyone is still eating the same meal (i hope that makes sense?).

i bake the corn tortillas in the oven until they're crispy. then set out bowls of ingredients: beans, rice, veggies, and cheeses are just a start.  try offering new ingredients each time, even themed tostadas (mediterranean, spanish, italian).  the kids are surprisingly willing to eat when they have a say.

it's quick, healthy, and i can usually throw it together with whatever is on hand.  definitely a slam dunk!

*store tour* anthropologie

i'm moving in. 



i love everything about this place.

it serves as an escape, not just a shopping trip.  it's a feast for my senses, the unfamiliar music, the beautiful smell, buttery soft fabrics, and saturated colors.

truthfully, a lot of things here are out of my price range, but (at the risk of sounding materialistic) it makes me happy to leave with a small purchase to call my own.

on this day, i picked out this little berry bowl ($12).

i'm in love.

solitude

a bit of solitude does me good.  it refreshes me, it allows me to be a better wife, mother, and friend.  i find it difficult to be at my best when my own reserves are empty.

as i sat there, in my favorite of places, i closed my eyes and felt the sunlight on my skin and salt air genlty blow through my hair.  i reminded myself that i had no where to be.  i told myself to relax my shoulders.  and breathe.

"me" time is important, but it would be so much easier if someone actually forced me to take it!  i forget how much i like me when i'm away too long. 

i'd love to know where you go or what you do to "fill your cup" and remind yourself of your blessings.

{this moment}

inspired by Soulemama, a friday ritual. a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. a simple, special, extraordinary moment.

hello gorgeous!

i am in love with this beast.  i can just see it filled with my cookbooks, baking supplies, and jars of homemade jam and pasta sauce.

{crate and barrel}

my friends will stop by in the morning for coffee, and remark about how beautifully organized i am and how my family is lucky to have me.  i'll give them a tour of the shelves, making sure to detail the types of berries and tomatoes my gorgeous jars are filled with.  my grateful friends will thank me for the coffee and leave with a jar in hand.

yeah right.  my friends would say "beautiful cabinet, but why are you so neurotic?!?" then laugh at me.

but when they leave i'll sit down and smile at my cabinet, thinking how organzied i am and how my family is lucky to have me!

momma got a new pair-a shoes!

in an effort to find work appropriate shoes that will keep my feet from turning into popsicles, i recently stumbled upon these little cuties online at forever 21.

and here they are on me! 

while i won't go walking a marathon in them any time soon, they are pretty smokin' hot.  the hubby loves em!

i'm really liking these too.

{this moment}

inspired by Soulemama, a friday ritual. a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. a simple, special, extraordinary moment.