Friday Love! {10.21.16}

source

I's been like two months since I've done one of these bad boys, so let's get started!

one// This Sunday Michael and I are going to Chicago! It's for a conference with Harvest Bible Chapel, and it'll be our first extended trip (3 days!) without Lydia. I'm a little nervous because the longest I've been away from her is a full day/overnight! However, at the same time I am looking forward to learning and becoming closer to God without all the distractions.

two// The other day I took a picture of Lydia sitting in her chair and realized I had taken a similar one exactly a year before. 7 months old vs. 19 months old. I think she was just starting to army crawl at that age and now she's running, climbing and dancing!

three// I am easing back into painting. I got out the oil paints that I had bought over a year ago and forgot about. I am hoping it'll help with relaxation and spark my creativity!

pacifier nostalgia 

four// So, Lydia hasn't used her pacifier in two full days! We have been talking about weaning her off of it, but my instincts just told me to just keep it from her and have her go cold turkey. I told Michael we need to be strong and not cave in when she's upset. Yesterday she was a bit of an emotional roll coaster but we all survived. On the bright side she's been sleeping through the night without a fuss! The next step? Have her sleep through the night in her crib :)

five// I'm happy that the weather is finally cooling down! This week has been so hot, and I have been drinking iced coffee in the afternoon when my soul is craving a hot latte. I also want to retire my sandals already and bring out the cozy fall/winter clothes. Today may be dreary and wet but I think it is refreshing, and I can appropriately wear a flannel and sip on a latte without sweating :)

six// After two years of reading my bible on my phone, I got myself a new bible this week and it's beautiful! Distractions are constant in my life, and doing my daily readings through my phone seemed to open doors to more distractions. I've always preferred reading books over screens so the transition from phone bible to real bible has been seamless!

That's all I have for this week, I hope you guys have a lovely weekend!

Friday Love! {8.5.2016}

Hey guys! This week has been so much less overwhelming than last week, I have been feeling more myself and been quite inspired too. So here’s a little roundup of things I’m loving these days...

one // Having a date night last week! Michael and I went into the city for dinner and drinks. We went to Seviche for a few tapas and walked across the Roberto Clemente bridge to a beer bar, and shared 2 flights. I’m not typically a beer person but I found a couple that were pretty refreshing on such a humid evening!

two // Tahini swirled into my yogurt. The tahini thickens and gives the yogurt such a richness, making it taste a bit decadent! Sometimes I’ll add honey to offset the bitterness of the tahini but now not so much, I don't really mind it! I’ve been doing this for a few months now and it made me think of a cool post. What if I shared other unconventional ways to use tahini that go beyond hummus? Hmm *thinking emoji*

three // These “mom” shorts. They are on my wishlist of things to buy before summer ends! I only have two shorts that fit appropriately thanks to squats...  I like that they’re high waisted and aren't too short. 

four // Instagram stories! At first I was a little skeptical because it mirrored Snapchat and I didn't think that was cool of Instagram. However, I’m actually finding myself using it, and might even try cooking tutorials! Like most people, I'm digging the convenience of it being all in one app! To be honest, I never really gave Snapchat a time of day, just know that, Lydia and I will miss the funny filters. Womp, womp.

five // Our CSA goodies this week; we got a watermelon and more green beans this week, a CSA favorite of mine! I also bought some peaches at the farm when I picked up my bag.  I just couldn’t resist! I’m thinking Lydia and I will probably eat some as is, and I'll save some for peach pie bars and maybe these wine slushies :)

six // This photo of Lydia begging for some yucca fries! It isn't the first time she's done this either, I've got quite the collection of pictures to prove it. My sister insists I share a post dedicated to these moments, and I just might!

And that’s all I got this week, until next week my friends!

Friday Love! {7.29.2016}

source

one // Have you guys ever tried 2-ingredient pancakes? They've been around for a few years now and I've made them before in the past but completely forgot about them! Fortunately while I was browsing on The Kitchn, I saw that they posted a recipe and gorgeous pictures of them. So I made them this morning....Didn't manage to get a picture because, well, pancakes are not my strong suit and they were not pretty. It doesn't help that they're more delicate than regular pancakes. However, I'm learning that using a cast iron skillet and a fish spatula (which goes above and beyond flipping fish!) are key. As far as taste goes these pancakes remind me so much of french toast only they're lighter and give me energy! 

two // Remember how I mentioned organizing the basement two weeks ago? Well... that never happened. ALTHOUGH, I did manage to organize Michael's closet, the pantry and our small appliance cabinet. All of which were quite unorganized. The basement organizing will come into affect eventually. Again prayers are appreciated : )

three //  Lydia got in her molars!! Also she always eats standing up now and firmly believes that the more utensils at meal time the better. And she has been a little better about eating her food rather than throwing it to Zoe too. Sometimes it's just the little victories that keep me sane! Yay.

four // The most indulgent things we ate this week included homemade curly fries and miso caramel ice cream. The curly fries were reminiscent of potato sticks which I LOVED as a kid. However they weren't as spicy as I'd like them to be, so next time I will bump up the volume on the cayenne and smoked paprika! As far the miso caramel ice cream, I am completely smitten with this flavor and may or may not consider it a new favorite. I found the recipe here and used white miso because it is what I had. The miso provided both a nutty and salty flavor which balances the sweetness of the caramel. It's also extremely creamy and rich, a home run all around!

five // I am looking forward to the weekend. This week has been long, overwhelming and yucky... Hoping for sunshine, productivity and some quiet time.

On that note, I hope you also enjoy your weekend!

Friday Love! {7.15.2016}

one // Michael had off on Monday so the three of us went to Living Treasures Park and got to see beautiful animals. My favorites were the kangaroos, giraffes and of course the goats! It was a more interactive experience than a visit to the zoo because you had the option of feeding most of the animals, and I think Lydia would really appreciate that when she’s older, I know I did! 

two // I made 2 batches of eggless cookie dough ice cream this week, one for us and the rest for our Thursday night small group. Yummy. I love that the recipe uses malted milk powder which I actually had on hand for a chocolate frosting recipe. Do you guys have any other uses for it? I added also bourbon to our batch because it adds a nice flavor ;)

sources & here

three // I’ve been really inspired to redo our downstairs half-bath. I absolutely love the polka accent wall and this adorable mint green pedestal sink in the pictures above. I’m hoping to get started as soon as possible! Pictures to follow ;) 

four // Michael started a new job on Tuesday! We had been praying over the past few months for the Lord to open doors for him and to provide him with a better job opportunity. The company is much smaller and privately owned as opposed to his former job which is what he truly desired. Praise God!

five // I can't believe this picture was taken last year! The other night I was feeling nostalgic and started looking through all my old pictures of Lydia on my phone and it made me realize how much I missed her chubby rolls. Where'd all the chub go? At least it's still in her cheeks :) 

six // This weekend we're planning on cleaning out our basement aka the abyss. I'm a little scared because just going down there has been anxiety inducing for the both of us! Although I am looking forward to removing all the clutter and the relief that will follow. Please pray that we have a productive organizing experience!

Enjoy your weekend!

Friday Love! {6.10.16}

one // These pictures of Lydia eating corn last weekend. She was all about that corn and wasn't about to share with anyone either!

two // Buying 10 plantains for $1.99 and yucca for $0.69 a pound in New Jersey… It made part of me miss living in Jersey. We used a few of the plantains for tostones on Tuesday and now that the rest of them are ripening I'm going to make a pastelon tomorrow! And instead of making yucca fries, I'm going to boil chunks and serve them with mojo because it's been a while!

three // This blog post on protecting your marriage. Such encouraging list of things I know and have heard in different ways but always need reminded of. IE: raying for Michael, doing more of those little things, making time for him, etc. Life gets hectic being a mom, and unfortunately I haven't been making my most important relationship top priority. The list reminded me that I need to spend more time praying for Michael and being present for him. Fortunately we are going on a date tonight by ourselves to catch and spend much needed alone time with one another!

fresh out of the oven; feelin' confident with my results!

the next day after being transferred, prayin' ice cream will cover this up!

four // I learned a little lesson in pie baking. I baked a cherry pie with frozen cherries and it resulted in an extremely loose/watery filling, and then I transferred it all the way to New Jersey. Unfortunately when I took the pie out of the foil it was covered in the cherry filling and the once flaky crust became soggy. While I did have a mini meltdown, the pie was still 100% edible and was an excellent base for ice cream. I learned that next time I will be using fresh cherries in my next pie : )

five // Our CSA begins this Wednesday and I am so excited! It'll be our third year subscribing and I feel much more confident with knowing what to do with all the produce. I got a spiralizer attachment for my Kitchen-Aid on Christmas so I'm seeing a lot of zucchini pasta in the future, and possibly use my juicer to make fresh juices. (Confession: I've had my juicer for 4 years and only used it twice in my life!) Though I might need to do more research on kohlrabi and what the heck to do with it. That vegetable befuddles me. Any suggestions? 

source

six // I made these mini oatmeal cream pies and they were really quite good! I didn't get a chance to take my own picture but I found them to have the perfect balance of sweet & salty, the cream filling was delightful and not too sweet, the cookies had a nice kick from the cinnamon and were exceptionally soft as any oatmeal cookie should be!

Hope you all have a beautiful weekend!