Music to My Ears

Eric and I attended an awesome concert this weekend to see John Paul Keith and the One Four Fives.

You can check out my review for Birmingham Box Set here.

*image via. 

A Sweet Touch

These accessories would lend a sweet touch to any outfit.

{bag from Urban Outfitters, hair band from Asos and belt from Mod Cloth}

Apparently, this non girly-girl is still drawn to pretty shades.

Have a lovely day!

A Flea Mall Find

Hooray for lampshades that update your living room lighting from this:

to this: 

for only $0.50! 

Thanks goes to the Bama Flea Mall with their rad finds and great prices.  The dent that made this price possible is hidden against the wall. 

Come across any great finds lately?  Do tell. 

Minimalism: a Follow-up

This weekend was refreshing. 

Friday night, my sister announced her forthcoming peanut (due in March!) and we slept in to a near-embarrassing time Saturday morning. 

Only I'm not embarrassed. It was lovely.

Last month, I shared my desire to move towards a balanced, practical minimalism in my life. We dedicated a little of our weekend towards this goal, which made it all the more refreshing. 

Our progress:

1. We scoured our closets and drawers for clothes that are out of style, no longer fit or never see the light of day. They are now piled in a bag awaiting their delivery to the thrift store. 

2. We spent yesterday evening at the park with friends. Eric and Shaun ran while Bethany and I walked and chatted. It was already dark and a little spooky walking on the trail through the woods. The best part? There were hundreds of twinkling lighting bugs and it was all free!

3. I planned this week's meals around similar ingredients to make sure we utilize what's in our pantry and refrigerator before it goes bad. Because it's just the two of us, this can be a huge source of waste!

4. We (finally) organized our recycling. The three full garbage bags are ready to be dropped off and a pantry in our kitchen is now empty again. 

Are you moving towards a simpler life? 

I'd love to hear about your progress: tips, setbacks and successes!

*Image via Like the Dew. 

Appreciating beauty, instead of taking it for granted, is a wonderful way to embrace a simpler life. 

Cookie Dough Dip

It's Friday.

It's Friday and all I can muster at the end of that "sentence" is a period. In less than ten minutes (at quittin' time), I'll be way more enthused. Right now, I'm drained from a week of working.

Speaking of work, our office had a small get-together one night this week. To the sheer excitement of some and total disgust of others, I announced my contribution to be cookie dough dip. In case you are confused, like a few of my friends, let me explain:

Cookie dough dip = all the goodness of cookie dough (butter, brown sugar, vanilla, chocolate chips) - the egg + other goodness (cream cheese and cool whip). 

For the base recipe, visit Stephanie Cooks.

I made two batches.  The first batch was regular. I halved the second batch and added 2 tablespoons of cinnamon to one half (with no chocolate chips) and added 1/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder, 1/4 cup peanut butter and 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips to the second half.

Serve with vanilla wafers, butter cookies or graham crackers.

*In case you were wondering: the naysayers apologized and ate their fair share of dip. He he.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

It's no secret that we eat Mexican food a few times a week.  

Once in a while it's nice to mix things up.  This dish, with it's sticky sweetness, did just the trick.  It's so different that at first we weren't sure if we liked it.  A few bites later and it was a hit.  Enjoy! 

Honey Lime Enchiladas
5 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice 
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used rotisserie chicken)
8 flour tortillas
2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream 

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan.  Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1/2 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. 

Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

*Recipe adapted from Stephanie Cooks
**My food photography skills are lacking. Ha!

A 20 x 200 Deal

For the next 35 hours only, Refinery 29 is offering an amazing deal on framed prints from 20 x 200.  We are trying to watch our spending, so I doubt I'll make a purchase.  My wish(ful thinking) list is below.  Enjoy!

I love each of these photos but I can't guarantee they'd all get wall time.  What is the disconnect between pictures that make me smile and those I would actually hang in my home?  I'm thinking of closing up this gap. 

What is your favorite 20 x 200 print?

Wise Words

Last week a small portion of our worship team attended a conference in Virginia.  Located at a Hillsong church, Aussie accents abounded and the music touched both my emotions and my spirit.

We also had the unique privilege of learning from worship leader Darlene Zschech, who speaks with humility and grace.  There are still so many thoughts bouncing through my mind from the conference.

For now, I'll share favorite line of the weekend, spoken by Kevin Gerald:

Isn't this a beautiful concept? 

I instantly thought of my marriage but over the past week so many other areas of life come to mind.  Work, church, friendships, our apartment, my physical appearance and health.  

Am I allowing myself to long for something "better", all the while neglecting what I already have?  How can I, instead, facilitate growth?  

Does this resonate with you?  Why or why not?

Homemade Poptarts

Growing up my dad would make his grandmother's homemade biscuits nearly every Sunday morning.  Our trip to the beach was no exception.  Their buttery smell lured us from our heat and swim induced comas into the living room. Dropped by a spoon, they are oddly shaped and the perfect texture.

As is custom, my mom contributed to the tasty nostalgia with her mom's biscuit syrup.  It's simple and (despite what my husband might think) divine: karo syrup and bits of butter.

In appreciation of my folks' years of dedicated breakfast service (or maybe just because I felt like it) I brought homemade brown sugar-cinnamon and strawberry poptarts.  Prepared ahead and frozen, I coated them lightly with an egg and popped them in the oven for about 30 minutes.  

You can find the recipe at Smitten Kitchen. 

Don't be discouraged if it's tough to make on your first go.  Once I actually followed her "warm kitchen warning" it was pretty fool proof.  These poptarts are delicious and quite capable of stirring up a few memories of their own. 

Enjoy!

*Picture (by my sister, De) of the brown sugar-cinnamon poptart. 

Music to My Ears

I recently interviewed our good friend Carlos Pino for Birmingham Box Set.  

We chatted over chips and salsa about his life as a full-time musician in Birmingham.  It's an encouraging read for anyone seeking a career in a challenging industry. 

You can check it out here. 

{Photo by Thomas Diasio}

Have a lovely day.

Homemade Popsicles

Our family of ten (folks, siblings, hubby, brother-in-law and brother's girl) recently returned from the beach.  We stayed in a condo decorated outside of the sand-and-sea theme, complete with rooftop pools and a lake.

The lake provided its own entertainment with snapping turtles, birds that swam underwater and an 8-foot gator.  Before long we were quoting Troy and filling to-go boxes with our very own gator bait.  We also rented scooters and had a few successful runs on the boogie board. It was too fun! 

To ease the heat and encourage a little vacation indulgence, we made our own popsicles: creamsicle, root beer float and chocolate cream soda.  

They are surprisingly more tasty than you might think and simple to make! 

All you need: 

3 oz. Dixie cups

Ice cream

Soda

Popsicle sticks

Cut a small slit in each cup for easy tearing.  

Fill the bottom third of the cup with ice cream.  Slowly pour in the soda, allowing time for the fizz to go down, until it reaches two-thirds full.  Freeze for roughly 2 hours.  Fill with ice cream.  Freeze for 30 minutes.  Add popsicle stick and freeze until solid.  Remove cup and enjoy! 

*Recipe from Evil Chef Mom

**Picture (by my sister, De) includes the creamsicle and root beer float popsicles. 

Music to My Ears

A few weeks ago, I spoke with Justin Townes Earle about his upcoming show here in Birmingham.  As you know, he is one of my favorites.

You can read the interview here.

{Photo by Joshua Black Wilkins}

Stay tuned this week for posts on recent decor finds, beach trips and pops (of the sicle and tart variety).