Black Skinnies & Chambray Tops

Okay I know I'm a total Pinterest copy cat, but pretty much my thrifted chambray top and my new black skinnies have me in love. Don't be surprised if you see me in only combinations of these all fall...

(Ps that elephant (aka Africa to me) Starbucks coffee cup also still makes me swoon a year later...)

New Combos: Spring Attire 3

This whole last week apparently was trying to put rarely worn items into rotation to keep them in my closet long-term.

Monday Meeting

Loved this! One of only two blazers to survive the last closet purge...and trying to put it into rotation. Inspiration pinned here.

Tuesday Teaching

Wanted to wear the new/gifted belt again and this black shirt rarely gets worn. Am I the only one who thinks of Starbucks when wearing khaki & black together? It's one of my self-imposed rules to avoid, but maybe I'm going to try to break it....

Wednesday Work

Trying out new twists on this rarely worn Target dress. I actually need to bring the straps up (for this day I twisted them up in my bra straps). And I technically wore this with a different than usual black belt and black shoes......although I like this look too. Inspiration pinned here.

Thursday Teammeeting :)

Colder than usual morning (50s) brought out the tall boots. This sweater vest is also trying to make a plea to stay in my closet, since it's rarely worn either. Also trying to bring this long necklace back into rotation....

New Combos: Spring Attire 2

TEACHING:

Winner, winner chicken dinner :) I never really think to actually wear a T-shirt as a work shirt, but I decided to copy Whitney and give it a go....verdict: LOVE. So easy. Brown cotton shirt tucked into a gray cotton pencil skirt w/ brown peep-toe sling backs, brown woven belt & easy accessories. So easy, totally comfortable, & yet professional! Definitely will be repeating this in a similar combo.

TEACHING:

Not my favorite but while running late and it being H-O-T outside, an outfit of extreme basics got the job done.

ERRANDS:

Sometimes I wonder if dressing like a young 20s surfer is still appropriate when I'm 3-0...but then I've decided....who cares?! Rock the legs, rock the flip flops (even if Stacey & Clinton would die), rock the pattern skirt w a broken zipper and torn seam, rock the running tank. Be happy and wear what you love....

Advisory Board Mtg:

So this actually got worn with blue flats & gold earrings...and was somewhat inspired by this pin. :) Loved it--again easy peasy combo.

Home Spaces I'm Loving

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE my new living room space? :) 

Officially complete with the sign hung!

Finished Phase 3 (?) of the off-kitchen area yesterday. The black shelf is on loan from M while he's gone but goes in this space nicely, and I hope to use it both for a spot to hold canning materials and a quasi-bar. Those are the curtains mom just made, I made the pillows yesterday from fabric on-hand and made the signs two weeks ago. The mirror is an old-weathered garage find from my parents house that I've had for years, the futon was a freebie given to the ex and I (and it's pretty broken down at this point!), and the Ikea chair was a thrift store buy two years ago. The carpet was a Target cast-off I got at a thrift store last summer. I painted the stripes on the walls and the fireplace area to black last summer. There might be a phase 4 to bring the picnic table in come winter, but we'll see.... This space sort of evolved on it's own, but I'm seriously loving it and it's already attracting sitters to the space :) 

The patio is also getting dressed up, although it's not quite completed. Used curtains from the linen closet & tied them up with twine. I'd like to add some lights (Christmas white ones from garage), spray paint a table that's not shown (but need landlord permission), and hang a picture :) Dad built the table about twenty years ago and I picked that lil Target cast-off drape that I use as a table cloth up from a thrift store last summer. Flowers are from the back yard.

Don't mind that pesky finger up top! ;) Sitting corner in the front entry. With that half wall, you can be tucked in the entry in one of the chairs and no one would ever know it..... In this picture you can also see one of the blueberry plants, my tomatoes, and some of the strawberries! 

If you follow me on pinterest at all, then you'll probably see some of the themes from my boards shinning through here....good inspiration that pinterest is! But it's great to have lots of areas that feel homey and like an extension of myself. And I love making people feel cozy and welcome...stay awhile! ;)

A Wonderful Parental Visit

Sometimes I think I take for granted just how amazing my parents are and how blessed I've been to have them. As they creep toward 70, I notice them slowing down and having more health issues, but I'm always amazed at how much they continue to give and give and give. In the moments when I've asked Dad how he's able to give non-stop to others, he always says that the greatest joy he gets is by serving others. If only I could adopt his same attitude to the manner of which he has it!

My parents arrived about 6:30pm last night (Monday) and before the sun gave way, Dad unloaded all his "goodies" and we got under way. I'd spent the day pulling weeds, planting a few flowers, cutting back bushes, and organizing the yard/patio a bit. So Dad and I walked the yard and I pointed out the areas for spraying, and Dad got to work with the first application. I can't remember the last time I've used a weed-eater and I'm not going to lie, it was pretty fun edging the lawn and chopping down the grass that the mower hasn't been able to get to in the two years I've lived here! 

Once I got my section of the yard duty done for the night, I headed in to get started on dinner. I threw together a salad and got the seasonings started for the boil, while Mom helped prep the veggies and helped peel the shrimp. While I'd definitely increase the spices next time (I should know at this point to double every spice recipe!), it was a ton of fun creating a different type of meal for my parents and everyone was satisfied with the shrimp, corn, and red potatoes. (Have I mentioned Mom is gluten-intolerant and pre-diabetic and Dad can't eat high-oxalate foods? I don't eat most meat and M doesn't eat tomatoes.... Hahaha) Between the boil and the salad, there was something for everyone and with only enough left overs for the dogs to get a couple potatoes and Lady got two shrimp ;)

After dinner (at 9pm), the evening entertainment was watching Dad (with a lil help from M) hang my sign in the living room. My father is a perfectionist, so it was going to be done right, although he did compromise on a few matters (and learned that I'm missing some tools that he wished I had) :)

The day itself had been H-O-T (87 with no breeze) so after we sat around enjoying my living room for a bit, we were all pretty ready to get into bed.

In the morning we were up and at 'em. Dad finished spraying round two on the weeds, while I ran up to my aunt's to borrow the tiny tiller. Both beds were tilled by 10am:

Then Dad couldn't help himself and he had to mow my lawn, while we waited for Mom to get back from the fabric store and I worked on planting my starts in the boxes. Dad and I ran the tiller back up to my aunt's and visited for a few. Then we came back and both devised a potential plan for how to replace a section of my falling down fence (on the cheap and mainly reusing various wood) and discussed moving some of the bushes out front. And then Mom got home and whipped up some awesome new burlap curtains for my off-the-kitchen area:

  

They look great! (Another pinterest-to-real life idea!) Then the two of them loaded up and I cut some peonies for my mother. (I'd also gifted her a potted pansy set for this upcoming Mother's Day (using a gift card my parents ironically had given me!))

Then I had them pose for a picture: 

Seriously, seriously blessed.

Looking forward to them coming back in a couple weeks for the next visit!

Pumpkin Curry & Other Fixin's

So I'm feeling myself getting back on the green & healthy living band wagon, and the last few days I've been in the kitchen a' cookin'. Overly ripe bananas become whole wheat, nut, banana bread....

And then....yesterday I whipped out a crock pot pumpkin curry & pan-fried tilapia dinner.

I know, I know, the crock-pot is the lazy way...but you know what, I LOVE it :)

This pumpkin was a self-starter that grew out of a composted pumpkin from two years ago. I harvested it last fall/winter and it still was good to use (as well as some other fall squash I have yet to use). The carrots came from the garden and the fish was bought in bulk & frozen. All ingredients used were items I had on hand.

If you don't know the trick of using a peeler to take the skin off a squash, try it...

...works SO much better than cutting it off with a knife. (Saved the seeds to try to either replant or dry.)

For the curry, I used this pinned recipe as a starter. I wish that I would have doubled up on the spices (and I didn't use all of them listed).

Here's what this DID have it:

Almost all of one small pumpkin: skinned & cubed

one can garbanzo beans

2 cans organic coconut milk

1 can just water

3 medium carrots: chopped

1/4 red onion, chopped

1/2 cup frozen corn

1 cup brown rice

1 small can tomato paste

small handful chopped parsley

1.5 tsp cumin

1.5 tbsp ginger

1.5 tsp curry powder

salt & pepper

Cooked on high for 6ish hours, stirring every couple hours

Turned to low for one hour

And again, I'd add much more spice, maybe even some red pepper flakes

Dinner was served with my first-ever pan fried fish, seasoned with lemon juice, s&p, and a lil' Tony's cajun spice. M picked up & contributed bag o' salad of wild greens, apple slices, walnuts, bleu cheese, & raspberry vin! Dinner was de-lish!

And yesterday I also set out my first batch of suntea :)

Flavored with a lil lemon & some agave that needs to be used up (I've heard controversial reviews regarding agave so I don't know that I intend to keep using it, but need to use what I do have...)

Tonight's menu for my parents might consist of a shrimp boil with corn & red potatoes OR some other fish maybe with asparagus & rice.... and for dessert, M has lil angel food cakes, strawberries & reddiwhip! YUM!

Home Rearranging (Again!)

Okay, okay....does it make it slightly more endearing if I openly admit that I might have a slight "problem" (cough, addiction, cough) to rearranging/decorating my house? 

But I swear that this time I really, really love it....and it just finally makes sense of all the spaces. Even if I'm not totally done yet, it's felt nice to downsize my furniture and finish some projects. I've been meaning to make those signs for months (like six to eight months to be exact) and I've known that I needed to resand the picnic table since last summer. It's nice to finally have the projects underway/completed.

So here's the newest living room arrangement: 

The sign will be hung on that wall behind the leather chairs and what you can't see very well is that the fireplace is flanked by leather benches that could be used for extra seating if needed.

The tall wall the TV is now on is directly across from the fireplace and the console also functions as a entry way catch-all which I love. (And you still can't really notice the TV when you look in the house from the front door.) I might also have an idea for one more sign between the TV and photo collage above (hanging on old screws that I didn't want to move).

The eating area is back.....

(Oh and have I mentioned that I'm so not looking forward to repainting that green eventually....)

Although the sanding of the picnic table is so....

...it can be brought into this space and used as seating for larger family gatherings. (I'm hopeful my mom can produce some burlap drapes like these ones for this space.....and that rug might get flipped or moved out). 

I think I just love redecorating cause it's a way to be creative without always having to buy something new. Plus I seriously love that I'm reusing some of my old goods in new ways. I've wanting a formal farmhouse table for years and my cousin suggested the picnic table---uh brillant! The other nice thing about all of this is that I've parred down enough that I could easily live in a much smaller 2 bedroom, living/dining room space--so we'll see what the future holds. 

Pinterest to Real Life: Signs

Months in the making--I finally got my signs made! 

Now I just need the big one hung up.

Free lumber & old paint. Printed out letters, cut letters out, taped, and painted over.

They aren't perfect but I love the imperfections ;)

Baby Shower Awesome

If you've been a long time reader or you know me at all, then you know that baby showers just really aren't my thing. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of celebrating a new life or adoption, BUT knowing what I know about environmental and toxin exposures/loads, it's incredibly challenging for me to go to most baby showers and see the gifts being given to new moms. Plastic for your kid to chew on?! Sigh. Special toxic lotions to rub on new babies skin?! Sigh. Potentially toxic covered new clothes/bedding/bags?! Sigh. Mass materialism at its finest?! Sigh. I think you're getting the theme, so I won't continue here.... :)

This weekend my gal E flew up from California for a baby shower in her honor however, and so regardless of any continued desire for seclusion, I sucked it up, figured out a gift, and headed across to the suburbs on the other side of the city....where I was happily surprised, not gonna lie. I shouldn't have been too surprised though, the two gals hosting were the same ones who coordinated her bridal shower and that also turned out equally enjoyable. Hands-down it was probably one of the best baby showers I've been to. 

The decorations were adorable:

The (alcoholic) drinks were delicious: 

The craft was useful, fun, and adorable:

(We made iron-on onesies in varying sizes.) 

The brunch food was delicious (creme brulee french toast bake, argula salad, two types of frittatas, and a fruit salad) and then they even had these lil jams as party favors: 

Most the gifts given weren't too bad (in terms of potential health effects), especially in comparison to most baby showers I've attended. And it was also good to see a couple of the other book club gals/friends and E's friends as well. E isn't finding out the sex of the baby (LOVE!) and they're also struggling trying to choose names....so it's been a lot of fun trying to offer all sorts of random suggestions :) 

What a great lil shower!!

Home Office Tour

Continuing on the home tour :)

I haven't done much with/in/around the house & property the last week or so beyond just trying to keep it picked up and functioning, but I figured that the office area was fairly set so it's able to be shared. I honestly LOVE this space. The room has always been sort of a weird shape but this use of it utilizes its length and allows the afternoon sun to truly warm up the space. Ironically all of the furniture in this space is second-hand, thifted, or was built for me. 

The view looking toward the door:

I love the items in this space and the fact that many of them have multiple purposes. The futon is something that we were given second-hand when we first had the house in Louisiana. It's definitely been patched up over the years, but still provides great seating AND supplies extra sleep space when needed. The carved chest used as a coffee table is one my parents had made for them when we lived in the Philippines, thus it's both sentimental and functional. Beyond being a coffee table, currently it's also functioning as a sort of filing cabinet, although I still have to finish this Pinterest-inspired project.

Looking forward: 

One of the other things I really love about this space is that it holds an actual seating area, so it's a great space to grade comfortably. The drapes were swapped out to these lighter ones I had stored in the hall closet--allowing more light in and adding more color to the space. The colors in here are soothing in general but the entire space is surrounded by comfortable items and things that I love. The Ikea chair and stool were both acquired by Tall D from Salvation Army and the pillow in the chair is one that my mom and I made years ago.

The desk & shelving: 

Originally I was going to purchase a L shaped desk for this space and then I decided to attempt to reuse something I already had. Ironically I hated this desk when we had it in Louisiana, but I dragged it out the shed here, cleaned it, & spray painted the top brown--it is actually the perfect size for this space currently. The bench is one my dad made for an old apartment of mine, however it also got spray painted recently and the seat was recovered in faux leather. Eventually I might put the bench elsewhere in the house (I intended it to go elsewhere actually but liked it in here for now) and pick up a second-hand chair and side shelf. The painting is the one I purchased this summer from my best gal's dad after wanting it for the last 8 years. The shelves were originally in the living room (& made by Tall D) and I took them down, cleaned them, finished painting them, and had my brother hang them staggeredly. I love that I can have items that I both love and consistently use on display.

The Closets: 

I also converted this space into a dressing area, so most my clothes and shoes are now located in here. I still need to hang the full-length mirror there on the wall, but space wise it works well to have my clothes in here.

The shelves: 

Loving having so many things easily accessible on the shelves. One basket holds my bracelets, the other holds pens, my stapler, needed items, and containers of spare change & paper clips. Used books & reference magazines, framed pictures I've taken, Goodwill frames hold my race bibs, plants, and my weather report station (which in this location I use all the time now!). The empty spot on the top shelf pictured below is where my camera resides--easy accessible but fun to display! 

And my other secret spot:

the backside of the bench holds my printer/scanner, a container of random cords for computer stuff, & another organizer with stuff I don't use as frequently: 

Definitely a simple room but one that I find to be so comforting and full of so many items that I love!

What's Cooking Good Looking?!

One of the many discussions my gal Deir and I had during my Savannah visit this summer was regarding people actually USING the recipe pins shared on Pinterest. I've definitely used "pins," but more for home decorating and fashion inspiration. One thing I've been trying to do the last week or so is to find additional easy meals, as I'm trying to make sure I eat enough of what I need to sustain....and the antibiotic I'm on requires that I have food in my stomach. Thus over the last week, I've been checking and trying out a few of my food pins, plus adding in some other stand-bys and recipes from ripped out magazine pages.

Here's my disclaimer---I tend to ALTER everything when I cook (ie if I don't have a spice, I use something else...or I use cranberries instead of raisins based on preference, etc)...and I'm not an exact measure type of person--slightly rounded or slightly under is good enough. Plus I'm actually getting in the hang of how to alter some recipes to make just enough for one...or one plus next day's snack or lunch.

So what have I been eating throughout the last week or so?

Breakfast Burritos for dinner---an old stand-by & favorite. Chop & saute a potato, add 1-2 eggs, sprinkle with Tony's, mix in shredded cheese. Smother tortilla with homemade guac, salsa, & sour cream and layer in egg/cheese/potato mix. DELISH!

Waffles for breakfast or dinner. The great thing about waffles--super quick and they can be altered in so many ways. Most recent was adding pecans to the batter, slicing bananas on top, and serving with real maple syrup. Last week it was almond butter w/ sliced strawberries & powdered sugar. YUM! Similar to my once-a-week French Toast experience.

Quinoa w/ peaches, blueberries, a dash of coconut milk, & a bit of maple syrup. Healthy & filling.

4 Cheese Ravioli tossed w/ sauteed tomatoes (from the garden), kale, onion, garlic, & pesto. Altered from this summer's Real Simple magazine recipe.

Tilapia Fish Tacos w/ guac/sour cream sauce & broccoli slaw. Altered from here via Pinterest and absolutely AMAZING.

Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wrap using broccoli slaw. Altered from here via Pinterest.

Baked Apples infused w/ rum & stuffed w/ bisquick, oatmeal, cranberries, pecans, butter, & brown sugar. This arrived via a sweet tooth fix...and provided two days of breakfast.

Pumpkin Soup--actually made by my aunt and altered from this recipe in the Oregonian. Was pretty delish!

Pancakes in the muffin tin---FAIL! Didn't work, so don't try it.....it's supposed to produce lil pancake cups that you can fill with fruit. Instead it made pancake muffins that I cut in half and covered with homemade apple butter.

And then I've been sustaining on the usual stand-bys: almonds, bananas, smoothies, dried apples, cranberries, veggies & hummus, V-8 juice, and granola bars. Plus more coconut milk than usual--cause let me tell you, it sure helps get huge pills down much better than water! :) And two meals out: Happy Hour at Old Chicago (DELICIOUS & cheap!) and masuman curry at my favorite Thai restaurant in North Portland (Thai Ginger).

Other diet changes: I'm trying to cut back on some dairy products such as yogurt, cow milk, etc. I'm still sticking with eggs and some cheese in moderation, but am completely sticking with coconut milk and have switched to coconut milk based creamer for coffee. I bought coconut milk based yogurt...but I just couldn't do it...so as of right now I'm just going to do less overall. Somehow I'm back to realizing that most dairy products leave me feeling weighed down, make my face break out more, etc. So I'm going to try the less dairy way of life for a bit again, especially since I've added fish into my diet so I have a steadier stream of protein sources.

Next up on the menu to try?
Roasted Veggie & Black Bean Burritos--Deir made these in Savannah--delish!
BBQ Cranberry Chickpea Wrap--updated: turned out so-so, wouldn't make it again...
Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

YUM! Happy eating y'all! Any other good recipes to share?!

Outfits: Fall Transition

WORK OUTFITS:

Tuesday Lecture:

Merlot dress: old Walmart clearance from Louisiana

Brown shoes: oldies from Lousiana

Brown belt & Mustard cardi: Target (still available)

Gold cuff: Art museum gift store

Weds Lecture: 

Patterned tunic: summer BR outlet (and I have mixed thoughts on it...)

Black cardi: recent Target sale

Work weight denim pencil skirt: Target

Black flats: Kmart

Weds Teaching: 

Dress: Deir's closet

Black flats: Nordie rack 

Black cami & gray cardi: oldie Target

Black belt: came w/ another dress

FUN TIME OUTFITS:

Almost morning coffee w/ cuz, but I didn't like it. As much as I've gotten comfortable with some skinnies, I felt this outfit made my hips look way too wide and showed my legs more than I'm comfortable with. Somewhat Pinterest inspired but pass....until I change the bottoms to my merlot skirt that is... :) 

Leopard flats: old Target

White button down: Deir's closet

Gray cardi: Target

Skinnies: old Walmart

Actual coffee outfit: 

Striped sweater: old Target

Same pants as above

Red scarf: hmmm?

Red hooded pea coat (not pictured): CK via Costco

Most recent favorite purchase & totally Pinterest inspired:

ie worn for errands, one night teaching when I was running late, church, uh, everywhere....

Striped dress: recent Ross ($16)

Black leggings: way old Target

Brown boots: old Target

OR black flats from Nordies Rack

Errands:

Old jeans: The Limited

Black flats: Nordies Rack

Black & gray long-sleeve: old Old Navy

Black down vest: OLD LL Bean

HAHA This was fire pit night and Oh.so.portland that the gals and I laughed and I HAD to snap a picture. The irony is that people would totally wear this here out and about! :) Originally I just had the leopard dress belted with leggings, and the boots while running errands earlier in the day, but threw the sweatshirt and beanie on for the cold out back in the evening! :)

Leopard dress: old Ross

Black leggings & brown boots: old Target

Gray sweatshirt: H&M