Friday, August 17, 2012

faves on friday

this is my first official day of work at my new school.  wow, I am feeling beyond blessed to be starting at my new school and to be close to home.  I am at peace with this transition even though there are times that I am a bit nervous.  I am trusting and I know that God has put me in this place for His own reasons... and I am excited to see that unfold!

a dinner made from all local ingredients... including fresh made pesto and these crazy purple and orange carrots from our create common good farmshare!




and a few days spent in my office.
organization makes me happy

so do goodies from my supervisor

and a little glimpse into my office

an afternoon with the cousins at the water park.

and an evening with friends at our gospel community and west side drive in with no photos to document it.  summer has been hot and that calls for icecream.

a last minute stop in at the teacher store

I hate cleaning... especially the floors... but it needed to be done before work begins

and this is where my long haired little pup sleeps while I take a bath

Thursday, August 16, 2012

family vacation

a few weeks ago the hubs and I were blessed to take a vacation to northern california with the family.  the vacation was fabulous!  to take time away, get to some cooler weather (wow, has idaho been hot this summer), and spend time with people we love was even more than we had hoped for.  |disclaimer: be prepared for A LOT of photos|

we started off the vacation in fort bragg... such a cute coastal town.  I LOVE,  LOVE the coast so this was it for me!  great company, great food, and fun adventures!
a stop a anderson valley brewery on our way to mendecino/fort bragg
the botanical garden | I love succulents!
sea kayaking, so great
birthday afternoon snacks and cribbage.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAT!

we then spent a day in sonoma traveling from mendecino to walnut creek for our next stop.

then a day in the beautiful city by the bay.  have I ever mentioned that san francisco is my favorite city?  we visited the california academy of sciences museum, the japanese tea garden, a little shopping and some street vendors, the ferry building and market, and ate dinner at scoma's



 
 
 

 

and a final day in napa coming home with just scott.  spending time with him fully relaxed is pretty great.  he makes me smile.
cute, quaint, new fave
 
 
 


Friday, July 20, 2012

Faves on Friday

wow, this has been a busy week.  I have loved it.  here it is in photos from my phone...


I babysat this little ball of cuteness at the end of last week.  she's a blast!  I made her this little romper so I needed to have her try it on.  after talking to her mom last night we will have to add some straps-- I thought that might be the case ;)

the hubs and I spent the weekend in mccall with my mom and grandma.  it was beautiful!  we relaxed, laid on the beach-- how I love payette lake--, went to sushi, and enjoyed life in the mountains.  

I made ice cream from my molly moon's homemade ice cream book to celebrate my mom's birthday.  it had such promise.  I just made the caramel in the salted caramel recipe too dark (aka burned it) not so fab.

so the next night the hubs and I visited a trusted ice cream stop... fanci freez... to make up for it.

this little gem came in the mail.  

sewing camp is rolling!  we are working on our final project (the bag--upper left photo), only one week left and the girls are doing awesome!

my view from a morning jog -- taking in the beauty and blessings that surround me

and friday started out right with fresh zucchini bread and coffee on the patio.  


and now I'm off to meet up with a long time girlfriend I haven't seen in years.  I am excited to spend some time with her catching up!  have a great weekend!!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

my week in recipes

(NOTE: this post was originally written in January and I didn't get around to adding the photos until just now... oops)

here we go again.  I'm still working toward my goal... still eating new, more healthy foods.  here's my run down on how they went.

stuffed pepper soup | skinny taste

photo courtesy of skinnytaste.com
this soup was hearty, it did not dissappoint in that area.  often times lower calorie soups are thin and lack any textural diversity, not this soup.  tomatoes, rice, hamburger, onions, and peppers were found throughout the entire bowl.  I am a stuffed pepper lover and though this was pretty spot on.  if you know me you know I am terrible at following recipes.  well, this time I followed it perfectly and wished I had added a little more adventure.  when I make it again I will add more italian spices to the mix.

lighter buffalo chicken dip | recipes under 400, originally skinnytaste.com

photo courtesy of skinnytaste.com
so, last week the hubs and I met a friend at a pub/cafe to talk about life.  I ordered the buffalo chicken dip and was FLOORED with how awesome it was.  this was our super bowl party contribution and it did not dissapoint!  YUMMO!  I could eat this by the spoonful day after day.  this may have booted out my obsession with guacamole for the moment.  creamy and spicy.  my love for buffalo wings has grown even more, but now for this easier to eat version with fewer calories.

healthy pineapple shrimp fried rice | skinny taste

photo courtesy of skinnytaste.com
meh, I've had better.  I mean for fried rice to be healthy, you know you're giving up a little bit of what makes it savory, right.  yes, this is true for this meal too.  it was okay, but nothing I'm going out to the store to make again this week.  and, it must be eaten the night that you make it.  pineapple is an enemy to any sort of protein turning the shrimp into mush the next day when you try to reheat it-- yuck!

skinny chicken divan | eat yourself skinny


okay, chicken divan must mean anything with chicken and broccoli made into a casserole, because this was not what I typically consider, "chicken divan".  that being said, I'm not at all knocking it.  this was good!  I think I would like it even more served over some brown rice in the future. 




Friday, July 13, 2012

lemon crinkle cookies

summer is full of fresh flavors and bright colors.  the hot days mean that I always want something cool and refreshing at the end of the day.

summer has also been full of back yard parties and barbeques.  I stumbled upon this recipe on pinterest and it has become my favorite cookie recipe all year!  I have eaten too many of these to even count!

oh, and in case you have hopes to make yourself feel better and think that they are kind of "healthy"-- I subbed whole wheat flour for all purpose and they still taste wonderful!  they are a little darker and aren't quite as flat, but they are truly delish!

lemon crinkle cookies

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

life lately

wow, summer is in full swing AND I LOVE IT!  how about some time to catch up?  though summer is here and it seems as though the days should be longer I have had so much to do.  which has been a wonderful blessing.

school ended mid may and it was a bitter-sweet beginning of summer.  the last week of school I accepted a new position at a school in boise.  I am so excited!  however, it was so hard to say goodbye to my school in caldwell and the students, families, and coworkers I have shared the past two years with.  I cherish those years, the relationships, and the growth I experienced there.  I have not wanted to talk about it much because it truly is bitter-sweet.  I know that I am supposed to be in boise at this time though.  I have been feeling a calling toward the city where I live for the past year.  God has really put the city on my heart, specifically the neighborhoods and areas of town that we frequent a lot -- I know that I will be used as a vessel for His work in this city.  and of course, I am thrilled to be closer to home as well :)

enjoying a concert at the botanical gardens from the foothills above.  
I love summers in boise!


shortly after the school year ended the hubs and I drove to southern utah to spend an extended weekend backpacking with the hubs' family in Zion National Park.  Oh my goodness!  zion is truly the most beautiful place I have ever been.  I loved every minute of it.  we backpacked for two days of the trip and camped in campgrounds for the remaining 3 days.  photos do not do the landscape justice.  we also did a day trip through the narrows... hiking up the virgin river... which was the most amazing hike of my life.  I would love to go back again some day.


my beautiful cousin was married at the end of june.  she is one of my very best friends and as dear to me as a sister.  I spent part of the week before the wedding in mccall with her preparing the final details.  I cherished the hours ironing linens and gluing stationary together.  we have been close our entire lives, but specifically the past twelve years or so have been so important for me.  she was my go to person to share exciting news with, she challenged me and pushed me to do things I wouldn't normally because I'm too planned out, she knew I would marry Scott before I did, she encourages me every day, and I cannot be more thrilled for her and her new hubby.  he is an amazing man that loves her well.  the time before the wedding was special for me because she moved to chicago the week after the wedding.  I will miss our daily conversations, but know great things will happen for them and cannot wait to see it!  I guess I'll just have to go visit chicago... and see my brother while I'm at it too!

so beautiful!


my summer job has been the best one I've had yet..  I have been teaching sewing lessons to some school aged girls and it has been a blast.  I am keeping busy and yet have plenty of time for other adventures as well.


speaking of adventures... I have a new office, which means more projects!  I will document them as they happen and post away.  also, I'm traveling to san francisco on vacation with the hubs' family at the end of the month which I am so ready for!

as I've promised time and time again... I'll be posting more... SOON.