living the high life...

blogging lull

2012-01-29T14:20:00.000-06:00

sorry for the lack of blogging lately. it's simple really...i just feel like i have nothing to blog about besides elle and my etsy shop. there is really not much going on...

elle has been hilarious lately. so very funny!

-i put her down for a "rest" on friday morning. she played quietly in her bed for an hour. i finished up some elle + ollie stuff and got ready to meet some friends for lunch. when i went to get her out of her bed and get her ready she was nekkid. head to toe. zero clothes. not even her pull-up. i didn't even make a deal of it, just got her out of her bed and got her dressed. i don't know how long she was without clothes, just thankful she didn't have a potty mess in her bed!

-aaron was giving her a bath the other night (which she has been HATING lately. agh.) and she was playing like she was a baby. laying down in the water and splashing and kicking. she told aaron "baby very funny!". it cracked us up that she used the word very in it's correct content!

-the day i lost my iphone at target. well stupidly left it in the cart... at some point i uttered the words "oh geez" and for a couple days after that elle kept saying "oh geez baby jesus". not really sure why she added the "baby jesus" but she did. and while i don't think saying "oh geez" is bad, it just made me really conscious of the words i speak in her presence, because the a couple days later i said "stupid car" and if i heard it once, i heard it a hundreds times spoken from the mouth of my sweet and lovely almost 2 year old. stupid is not a lovely word i want my sweet girl speaking.

-aaron was playing "mommy and daddy" with elle....which is it what she calls her critter family and critter townhouse. anyway, aaron asked her if the babies were sleepy and she responded "no, i don't think so...". again, she is so smart and is using big phrases the right way! it blows our minds every day!

-we have been frequenting hobby lobby and joann to get supplies that i'm constantly running out of...elastic, thread and buttons mainly. every day elle asks "momma go to hobby lobby today?" and whatever my response is she always asks if we will go to joann too! and she says "too".

-super into dressing herself too! can be frustrating but its not ALL THE TIME, just sometimes. so i just try to let her "express herself" without it getting on my nerves too much! she can reach her pants drawer and her top drawer and most the time she has an opinion about one or the other but not both and she very rarely wants to wear a dress. but if i make a big deal about it then she's ok with it! same goes with shoes and headbands.

i could go on and on...but i'll spare ya!

1-lunch with our good buddies, courtney and kane; 2-loving on nana; 3-being silly at the library; 4-found momma's makeup; 5-a rough morning where elle was very opinionated on what she wanted to wear. threw several fits until i let her wear "these pants" and "monster shirts" and "sparkles shoes". oh geez.; 6-sitting pretty with big cousin listening to a book being read!

3 new dresses i finished last week that i hope to get in the shop today. all three are amy butler fabric. i have a couple new combinations coming up this week! they are going to be super sweet too. but they are not amy butler but kaffe fasset.

yesterday we took some 2-year old pics of elle and she killed it...like she usually does! she wore the cutest dress ever! wish i could say that i made it (one day!) but i didn't. the most perfect knot dress is from SheShe Made online boutique. i'm sorry but i've never seen a cuter knot dress ever. take that matilda jane! ha ha!

i'm going to frame some of the pics we took for her party on this coming saturday!!! i cannot believe that my baby girl is 6 days away from being two!

hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend! ours has been low-key and relaxing. today i'm working on the last small details for elle's party and knocking out a few elle and ollie orders!

nice catching up! hopefully i get back into blogging more frequently soon!

last night

2012-01-19T09:21:00.000-06:00

for christmas aaron got me tickets to see the civil wars in tulsa. the show was last night. we had so much fun. they are absolutely wonderful live. so engaging with the audience and joy's voice is so angelic. i could have listened all night. seriously. even more so if i would have had somewhere to sit down.

packed in like sardines.

horrible picture. wish i would have thought to take my point and shoot.

here is some video i shot with my iphone. horrible quality but you can get a great idea of how awesome they sound live.

listen to the crowd sing. definitely an all-around favorite. love this song.

billy jean! so hoped they would play this!

oh, and for years i've been friends a girl named jenny. we met through blogging and became fast friends. several times we tried to meet up but it just never worked out. not really sure why because we only live an hour and a half apart. last night we ate a mexican restaurant near to the venue and jenny was there. she recognized aaron first and then me and said hi. i'm so glad she did!

going to live shows has always been one of mine and aaron's favorite things to do together. the last show we went to was a show here in fayetteville when i was something like 8 months pregnant with elle. so, it was fun to get to go last night. and, now that elle is older and loves staying the night with her grands, i foresee many shows in our future...

the latest addition

2012-01-16T23:26:00.000-06:00

phew...have we had a day...

started off with elle waking up about an hour earlier than she should of and with that came some sassy-pants attitude, so i put her back to bed right after breakfast. she did not go to sleep but rather played in her bed for an hour. and since my sewing room is right across the hall from her bedroom i couldn't sew. tried that last week and she yelled my name 500 times. and no, not "momma" but "kari beth". ummm...yea.

i had 4 things i needed to get done today. 2 somethings for a baby girl shower, 1 something for a friend that just had a baby and the fourth something was an elle + ollie order that i need to ship tomorrow.

after e's no nap, i decided to go ahead and run my errands. just get it over with early in the day. so...we ventured to target. i had 2 things i needed: burp cloths and a rubbermaid storage for some of my sewing notions. elle was still in her cantankerous mood so i gave her my phone to pass the time and we walked right out of the store without it. i figured it out as i was getting ready to pull out of my parking spot. went to get it out of my purse to see what was next on our to-do list and it was no where to be found. talk about a sinking feeling. grabbed elle and ran back inside and it had not been turned in. i was lost without it. all my notes were on it, i couldn't run any more of my errands, so we just went back home...sick to my stomach, i might add. i gave target aaron's phone number to call if it was turned in and low-and-behold it was. aaron emailed me about 10 minutes after i called him from target to tell him about the phone and it had be turned in. hallelujah.

we went on with our day. ate lunch. elle went down for a much needed nap. i made chicken pot pie for dinner. which for some reason took me forever to make this afternoon. the entirety of elle's nap to be exact. usually only takes me about an hour. well, not today. so i didn't get any sewing done this afternoon.

but, i did get the elle + ollie order done this evening that i need to ship tomorrow and i just lovey love. i bought extra fabric because i love it so much i want to make elle a skirt out of it. and, ya know what? i'm taking a sewing class....hopefully going to learn all kinds of new tricks of the trade and will become more skilled. goal is to be able to do more than just sew straight lines.

isn't she lovely? love these colors together! very versatile!

happy monday. here's to hoping tuesday is a little less clumsy!

oh, and because i would hate to post with out a picture of little me, here she is this afternoon:

boy, oh boy. this girl has got her one sneaky streak!

hippie chic {+ some shop news}

2012-01-14T15:53:00.001-06:00

last night aaron and elle were playing in her room and got her purse basket out. a while back i cleaned out her chest of drawers and her cubby in her closet and condensed things. she had several pairs of sunglasses from last summer that i put in her cubby basket that has her purses. well...she found a pair last night and decided that they are pretty cool and really hasn't wanted to take them off. she wore them over to my parents' house this morning and when she finally did decide to take them off there were little red indentions on her nose. she's so funny these days. definitely keeping me on my toes.

looking so hippie chic with the cross-body bag. she also had on a necklace and bracelets. i think since she dressed up with landry on tuesday, she's been really into it!

on wednesday my friend, megan, featured elle + ollie handmades on her blog. and i'm so thankful to her for doing so. since wednesday i've made numerous sales, had several inquiries and my etsy shop favorers have seriously like tripled. it was so sweet of megan to do that. thankful to have made such great friends through the blogosphere and twittersphere. a couple very sweet gals on twitter have purchased from me and i'm so grateful. loving the support elle + ollie's been getting. i really want this to be a success. makes me giddy thinking that people love and enjoy what i put my time and heart into.

my sil asked me to make her daughter (my niece) a dress, so i decided that whatever i made for her i would name after her and sale in the shop. the taylor onesie dress has become a fast fav. its amy butler fabric and i just know that's whats selling it. so darling! i'll be busy making taylor onesie dresses this week and next!

i sold both my ready-to-ship listings as well. and even had an inquiry about it but unfortunately the sweet green floral is no longer available. i'm so sad, but it does come in a pretty burgundy color that i'm going to snatch up and make for the shop. its adorable and perfect for spring/summer.

elle louise rock'n her elle + ollie original

i am having so much fun! thanks for letting me share my shop with you! one day soon i'll start and elle + ollie blog, but until then i love being able to blog about it here!

we are headed to the movies. elle's first trip. i'm so excited and keep my fingers crossed that she enjoys it!

happy saturday!

tasty tuesday {pw's marmalade muffins}

2012-01-10T13:44:00.000-06:00

this morning we went to my friend, lindsey's, house so that our girls could play. i told lindsey last week if she would have the coffee ready i would bring some muffins. pioneer woman's marmalade muffins looked easy enough to whip together this morning, and they were. not only were they easy to make, they were really tasty!

marmalade muffins
{the pioneer woman cooks}

ingredients

2 oranges
1/2 pound butter, softened (2 sticks, i used salted)
1 c sugar
2 large eggs
2 c all-purpose flour
1 c buttermilk (substitute: 1 tbs vinegar added to just under 1 c of milk)
1 tsp baking soda
1 c firmly packed brown sugar

directions

preheat oven to 375 degrees.

grate zest from both oranges. cream butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl. add eggs and mix until well combined. add flour and gently stir the mixture using as few strokes as possible. combine baking soda and buttermilk (or milk/vinegar mixture) in a separate bowl and add to the muffin batter and mix until just combined. add orange zest and mix until just combined, be careful not to over mix. grease 12 muffin tins and fill each 2/3 full with the batter. bake for 20-25 minutes until light brown.

while the muffins are baking prepare the glaze by juicing the 2 oranges and adding to the brown sugar and stirring until just combined. you want the glaze to have a grainy texture.

as soon as the muffins are done, drizzle with the glaze. serve warm and enjoy!

elle and landry had a lot of fun playing this morning. it was the first time that e's every played dress up and she really loved it! i think we may have to get her a dress up outfit for her birthday!

elle and landry are the exact same size and so close in age, so neither one is in the least bit intimidated by the other. they were so funny today and elle was actually kind of a bully: we were sitting on the floor and the girls were playing between us and elle just reached over and pushed landry, i told her no and she did it again. right in front of us. so we had a little "talk" and she got a spanking. she didn't push anymore but she was still pretty sassy towards her! hopefully that will never happy again!

the saddest face

2012-01-09T20:39:00.002-06:00

she's got it down to an art!

insta elle {elle + ollie}

2012-01-07T21:39:00.000-06:00

we have had a busy week and weekend. something every day. very little time to relax, but i foresee a slow-paced week ahead. looking very forward to it.

here are some instagram pics from the last week or so.

and some of my recent elle + ollie creations.

the shirts are for a couple of sweet, twitter, friends. thank you jennifer and katie for your support! the burp cloth set was for a friend of my mom's. loved how it turned out with the red, turquoise, lime and brown. i think i might add the set to the shop. and the dresses were made for my friend jennifer's sweet willa. the navy blue and pink dress turned out so pretty. its amy butler fabric, so of course it did.

hope everyone has had a nice weekend. arkansas has been unseasonably warm and its been absolutely perfect. makes me long for spring. i dread the winter time.

p.s. elle louise turns 2 in less than a month. can you believe it? i refuse to!

tasty tuesday {blackened chicken potpie}

2012-01-03T16:50:00.000-06:00

first off, HAPPY 2012! so hard to believe that we are already 3 days into the new year. feels good though. i've been looking forward to the new year. fresh start. new chapter. elle louise turns 2 one month from tomorrow. my brain has been focused on her birthday...lists, lists, and more lists. it will be here before i know it. that will be a bittersweet day!

so on to my recipe for today...

let me just say, this recipe is very detailed and time-consuming but don't get discouraged when reading it because it is SO WORTH IT. it is so good and different from the potpie we are all used to (aka frozen veggies and cream of chicken wrapped in store-bought pie dough and baked). and it makes 2! that is always a deal breaker for me. so worth all the effort and time i put into it. make one for tonight and freeze one for a couple weeks down the road, when you are sick of your new year's diet and you want some comfort food! because this will comfort you, i assure you.

best. chicken potpie recipe. ever.

blackened chicken potpie
{honey tupelo cafe cookbook}

4 chicken breasts
1/4 c, plus 2 tbs canola oil
4 tbs blackening spice (recipe to follow)
2 c chopped onion (recipe calls for vidalia, i use whatever i have on hand)
2 c chopped celery (6-8 ribs)
2 c peeled and chopped red potatoes (3 med size)
2 c peeled and chopped carrots (4 large)
1 c diced poblano pepper (1 large pepper is enough!)
2/3 c all-purp flour
2 c chicken stock
3/4 c coconut milk (recipe calls for coconut, but i've always just used regular 2% organic)
2 tbs minced hot cherry peppers (have never added this, can't find it at walmart)
2 tbs worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
pie dough (recipe to follow)

heat cast iron skillet on high heat. rub chicken breasts with 2 tbs oil and coat with the blackening spice mixture. cook quickly in skillet, 4-5 minutes each side. when cooked completely, set aside and let cool.

preheat oven to 400-degrees. heat 1/4 c oil in a large stock pot over high heat. add onion, celery, potatoes, carrots, and poblano pepper(s) and cook, stirring occasionally, 15-20 minutes or until the poblano is just tender. decrease heat to medium and stir in flour until well combined, cook until just thickened. add stock, milk (regular or coconut), cherry peppers, worcestershire, thyme, salt and pepper. cook 10 more minutes. cut up the chicken and add to the filling mixture. mix until well combined.

butter 2 (9-inch) deep-dish pie pans. roll out 4, 10-inch, pie crusts. place a crust in bottom of each pan, pour chicken mixture in each pan and top with another pie crust. crimp edges with a fork. bake 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.

blackening spice

1 tbs sugar
1 tbs salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbs smoked paprika
1 tsp powdered onion
1 tsp powdered garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano

combine all. easy as that. makes 1/2 cup and is, i kid you not, good marinade for everything. i'm not a grilled chicken or fish fan, but with this rub i love both!

easiest pie dough you will ever make

2 1/2 c all-purp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 c cold unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into pieces
1/2 c ice water

combine flour, salt and sugar in the food processor. add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. add ice water slowly, pulsing the mixture no more than 30 seconds, until it begins to form a ball. remove dough from the processor and divide into 2 pieces. wrap in plastic wrap and flatten with palm of your hand. refrigerate for at least an hour. when ready to use, roll out each piece on a floured surface using a floured rolling pin to make 2 pie crusts.

happy cooking, friends!

p.s. linking up with 33 shades of green. head on over for other awesome recipes!

the best yet...

2011-12-28T22:42:00.000-06:00

christmas this year was so much fun. elle louise was a blast and we enjoyed being with our families.

we celebrated with aaron's family on christmas eve eve...

we got matching pj's for the kids this year so we had to get a picture. stupid we were and waited until the end of the night. but, i paid a pretty penny for those jams and by golly i wanted pics of the kids. altogether and matching. it was comical.

christmas eve day we spent at my brothers house. we usually celebrate on christmas with brunch at my parents house but since my brother moved and couldn't come home we decided to go to him. i forgot my camera and since he lives about an hour and a half away its kind of hard to run back home and grab your camera when you realize, when you pull in the driveway, that you forgot yours. oh well, my mom got tons of pics. maybe she'll put them on our share site soon (hint, hint mom!) and i can share them with you. let me just assure you that elle louise was spoiled big time by her nana, bapa and uncle cracker. i mean big time! i'm pretty sure my brother went to his closet walmart and got everything dora off the shelf...including a dora four wheeler!

it was nice spending christmas eve at home, usually we spend it at aaron's parents house but for whatever reason decided to do it the night before. actually loved being at home and being able to hang out and make a big deal about santa coming in the morning.

got elle louise all clean, took some pics by the tree, colored santa a picture and laid out some cookies for the jolly ol' man. elle really wasn't sure what was going on. she was just worried about santa eating all her cookies, so we assured her that santa would leave her one to have when she woke up. and he did, he left her the blue tree. she was pretty excited about that.

christmas morning we woke up and the party began, except for elle didn't really want to party. she was not all that into opening presents, but still so much fun even if she lacked a little enthusiasm!

aaron worked tirelessly on this kitchen. built it from the ground up. it looks so stinking awesome and elle loves playing "kitchen table". and, what fun that she'll be able to play with this years to come and that she will know that her daddy lovingly made this for her. so very special!

christmas toes!

"oooh!"

just opening some more presents.

we didn't have anywhere to be christmas day until later that evening when we went to my grandparents' house for dinner! love this christmas tradition and look forward to it year after year! although, i definitely missed my brother this year. wasn't the same without him.

happy birthday, jesus. let me give you a big ole smooch!

my grandparents got elle the calico critters townhome and some furniture. my cousin, ek, gave elle the "ellwood" elephant family. and my mom got her some furniture for the house. not a more perfect gift, elle loves this house. we seriously sat in the floor today and played with it for 2 hours!

what fun and what pure joy christmas brings! we are blessed beyond measure!

hope everyone had a joyous and blessed christmas as well!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T12:24:00.000-06:00

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas!

elle + ollie handmades

2011-12-16T23:46:00.000-06:00

i'll probably eventually start a separate blog for my etsy shop but for now i can only handle one blog. it has seriously taken me all afternoon/into the evening to edit and list these reserved listings. i'll get faster as i get more in rhythm.

i wanted to share the reserved listings though because once they are purchased i think they go away (i'm not a hundred percent sure)...

message me or email me at kbhigh2u(at)gmail(dot)com if you are interested in any of the elle + ollie products or have any questions.

and, thank you for letting me share my etsy shop with you! i'm having so much fun!

lately...

2011-12-16T13:59:00.000-06:00

been working on several elle + ollie orders (2 friends are keeping me very busy, and i'm loving every minute). i actually had a referral order this week that i'm very excited about. help spread the word of elle + ollie. pretty pretty please!

decided to go a la low maintenance decorating this year. tree, mantle, nativity (my glass one and e's fisher price one) and hanging christmas cards. loved putting the ornaments on the tree this year. so many from last year and the year before that e got as gifts. brought back lots of sweet memories.

elle louise has been busy being awesome. gosh, i love that little girl so much. she is so much fun. something new every single day. she's a smart one. christmas day is going to be a blast. i'm looking so forward to it!

meal-plan sunday

2011-12-04T18:07:00.000-06:00

'tis the season for busyness. and we have been busy. i haven't planned meals for the last couple of weeks because the week before last we cleaned out the refrigerator and pantry and ate very randomly. and last week, we had something every single night and ate at home not once. even as much as i enjoy cooking, eating out every night last week was a nice break. not nice on the ole wallet of course (or my waistline). throughout the week i think i consumed 5 pounds of pure salt because yesterday morning i woke up and my rings were stuck on my finger and little makes me feel more claustrophobic than that. so i look forward to a more laxed week and meals at home with my family!

sunday {tonight}:
surprise! surprise!
we are eating out.
and then gong to the grocery store.
i haven't been in two weeks. eek!

monday:
slow-cooker brown beans
cornbread {recipe on the back of the corn meal package}

tuesday:
pesto chicken stuffed shells {recipe}
"venesian inn" salad {recipe}

wednesday:
slow-cooker chicken tacos {recipe}
refried beans {recipe}

thursday:
broccoli and new potato quiche {recipe from tupelo honey cafe cookbook}

friday/saturday:
leftovers or eat out

praise the lord above for a new week. i am beat after last week. aaron was on vacation all week so we went and did and did some more. it was fun, but i'm ready for some normalcy.

elle + ollie handmades

2011-11-23T11:58:00.000-06:00

it's been nearly a week since i blogged last. its been a crazy and busy week. i've been trying to parent and keep up with a very sweet, yet very active and spirited (he he!) toddler.

i tweeted yesterday something along the lines of "lord, grant me patience" in regards to my sweet e-bean and was prompted by a friend to reword my prayer so took me .5 seconds to think of my new prayer "lord, never let me take these days for granted". i will be tested every day but i want to live in the moment...

anywho...

i
finally
got my
etsy shop
up and running.

it only has 2 products right now. kinda small potatoes. its all that elle would let me complete in the last few days. seriously, isn't that sad? that's why i'm not doing any custom orders {unless of course someone i love dearly contacts me and asks me to, than i won't be able to say no} because i never know how any given day is going to play out. i just want to sew and create and sell as i go!

the dress is a size newborn, i also have a 6 month and a 12 month going in the shop that i will have posted by sunday (maybe later tonight if i have insomnia) and i have several other items that i want to have in the shop by next friday (the 2nd)! keeping my fingers crossed that my shop does good and i can earn a little extra income for my family!

so, please go check out my new etsy shop, elle + ollie handmades. spread the word!

love where you live {an organized home}

2011-11-17T22:44:00.000-06:00

the week before last i decided i had enough with all the clutter and disorganization in our home. it was time to do something about it. so i went crazy. for two days straight, elle and i did not leave the house and i cleaned and organized. by the time i remembered to document my cleaning and purging i had already cleaned out the closets and started putting stuff back and making piles of donation stuff and attic-bound stuff.

basically our coat closet, now office/sewing room closet and pantry DESPERATELY needed to be organized. they had been a catch-all for all kinds of unique things. also, the top of our cabinets in the kitchen got a makeover as well but i forgot to take pictures of that. what before had about 12 mason jars, 5 glass pitchers, 3 cake stands, 2 trifle bowls, and a large glass drink dispenser now house 1 glass cake stand with its matching dome, a 3-tiered plate stand, and 2 pitchers. i put everything else (that we actually use(d)) in the pantry and gave away everything that was in the pantry away (or threw it in the trash) because we NEVER used any of it.

our now office/sewing room closet housed all of our good china, my grandmother's china, a few super-fancy serving pieces, and a lot of junk. i put all my china, grandmother's china and the serving pieces in the attic (actually aaron did) and filled a lawn-size trash bag full of trash and actually put it in the trash. never to see it again. phew. the room has to feel 100 pounds lighter.

we ended up taking several pillows, an old duvet, old sheets (they were tropical print that we got as a wedding gift 4 1/2 years ago that have never once been used), some random home decor that i hated, some big glass vases, a couple pair of converse shoes that aaron got as a christmas gift a couple of years ago that he never wore (never ever, someone scored big time there) and some other random junk, that i have not missed one single bit.

our house feels so less cluttered after my cleaning binge and purge. my cousin even commented how cleaned out my house looked/felt today when she stopped by and she didn't even see the closets. the house feels happy and is giving off good vibes.

i still have a lot of organizing left to do in the office/sewing room. i want aaron to make a wrapping station for me. i found one a while back on a blog that was just perfect. it hangs flush on the wall as not to take up any floor space. it's exactly what i need. i showed it to aaron and he thought it would be no problem to make. also, i need some sort of organization for all my fabric and ribbon and blank goods that are waiting to be embellished. i have pinned several ideas but i'm just kind of waiting it out to see what i feel like i really need in this space. i need to hang the memo board and pegboard and i think once i do that i'll be super happy with the space.

aaron's been working on the kitchen cabinets, 2 weekends in a row. it takes forever when working with oil-based paint. if you can avoid it, do at all costs. no fun. i can't wait to share with you our kitchen makeover once its done. its going to look great. i'm so excited about it!

mid-week nonsense

2011-11-16T22:10:00.001-06:00

get ready for complete randomosity...

i started a new book monday night. my aunt ordered it for me and so far so good. praying through the book that it will give me a new perspective on being a working mom and what's really important when it comes to finances and commitments. at the end of each chapter it gives you a prayer to pray and thinking points to reflect on.

Source: losing30lbsincollege.tumblr.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

monday, my mother-in-law texted potential dates for our summer beach trip. monday i started counting calories and yesterday did a workout dvd on netflix. today i am so so so so so so so sore. i took ibuprofen this morning because everything is achy. my abs and inner thighs are the worst! but, if i'm going to get in a bathing suit this summer i have to get in shape. no one wants to see this flab in a bathing suit. no. one.

Source: losing30lbsincollege.tumblr.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

maybe i'll run again one day. maybe...

we had a lunch date with daddy yesterday. we don't get to do that all too often because he works so far away (25 miles) but every once in awhile we do and its a lot of fun! e and her daddy together is something special. i pray they are always as close.

i'm not sure if i've mentioned before on here my desire to start an etsy shop. well it's something that i've been contemplating for over a year. but with work its just not super feasible. but, with the new year comes new hours and i really think that i'm going to be able to start one soon. hoping in the next couple of days.

my first official product. oliver owl applique lap tee. i'm finishing up 3 dresses (4 really because i'm making one for elle) tomorrow and hopefully will have my etsy shop up and running friday morning. i'm really excited about this.

fabric for the dresses. perfect for, but not limited to, christmas! i even found the floral fabric in a pretty eggplant color. i'm hoping to sew those up next. i have about 8 additional projects i'm wanting to get done in the next week or so...

Source: traceysthoughts.tumblr.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

there is so much sadness and ugliness lately. mentally i just cannot handle it. my heart can't handle it. people are so lost and so broken. it's so so sad. i don't mean to throw stones here, i'm truly sad for people and their conditions. with that being said, i'm so grateful for all the good in my life.

{via}

i want some leg warmers.

my middle sil has recently started making and selling iced sugar cookies. she's makes the cutest. aaron's family is full of the most talented people ever. see above, my older sil knits and can knit anything. she did not knit those legwarmers, an urban outfitters sweatshop did, but she could and hopefully will. grrr....

she made a yo gabba gabba batch for her son this week and sent us one of each character. to say elle was excited would be the understatement of the year. muno is her favorite so she decided to eat him. i ate toodee and aaron ate flex. holly's cookies are the tastiest i've ever had. if you are local i can hook you up!

and for my last random statement on this wednesday....i would like to say i am slowly, yet surely, getting excited about christmas.

these few things have lit a fire inside me...

{here. here. here.}

beautifully simple trees + elegantly wrapped presents.

{here. here. here.}

crafts. crafts. fun crafts. yep, i'm getting excited.

'tis the season!

tasty tuesday {pumpkin gooey butter cake}

2011-11-15T20:24:00.000-06:00

pumpkin gooey butter cake

a la paula deen {recipe}

Cake:

1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix

1 egg

8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

1 15-ounce can of pumpkin

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 tablespoons butter, melted

1 16-ounce box powdered sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Make the cake: Combine all of the ingredients and mix well.  Pat the mixture into a lightly greased 13x9-inch baking pan. 

3. Prepare filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth.  Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together. 

4. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. 

5. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.  Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Serve with fresh whipped cream.

ENJOY! 

this recipe has never disappointed. make it for thanksgiving and share it with all your friends and family. they will think you are a baking genius.

linking up with 33 shades of green, head on over for lots of tasty recipes.

choosing thankfulness

2011-11-14T11:28:00.002-06:00

there's no denying it. monday is not my best day. its a hard day. back to work after 4 consecutive days spent at home with elle louise. a lot pressure comes with mondays. it's a tone-setter for the whole week.

so, today, while rushing out the door. i chose to be thankful for this wonderful life i've been given. not everything comes easily, or gracefully but that's just life.

Source: Uploaded by user via Ally on Pinterest

as much as i try to keep my house clean, my family on a good schedule, dinner on the table every night, chaos still seems to creep into my life. i can choose to dwell in those moments of chaos and let it bring me down or i can choose to laugh it off and move to the next thing. there will always be crumbs on my floor, crayon marks on furniture, stickyness ~~everywhere~~ on the doors, shoes in my way, unorganized counter tops...and you get the point. it's life. and while, yes, i would love for my house to miraculously stay clean and serene but we live in our home. and what's living if i'm always cleaning and organizing.

Source: tulipsandflightsuits.squarespace.com via Kirby on Pinterest

today at work, when i get stressed i'm going to send prayers of thankfulness up for what a wonderful life it is. it's november, thanksgiving is next week. what better time than now to be extra thankful?

it's a beautiful life.

Source: erinmccall.blogspot.com via Alisa on Pinterest

happy monday!

angel/fairy/winged creature

2011-11-10T17:05:00.001-06:00

elle louise was indifferent to halloween this year. i don't think she really got what was going on. she liked her wings, loved everyone oohing and aahing over, and loved loved candy. she was like a crack addict when she tasted her first bite of the sweet stuff. today has been the first day, since halloween, that she has not asked me for candy.

we decided to trick or treat a day early since halloween was on a monday and elle is usually exhausted after spending the day at abuela's. i took elle out to my poppy's in the afternoon, aaron's parents met us over his papa's and then we ventured to my other set of grandparents (mimi and poppy) and my parents, where we ate dinner. it was a long day, but i think elle enjoyed every minute of it. making memories, making memories.

and thank you much, halloween candy, for this...

and this...

and this...

and this...

all because dada wouldn't give her the big camera. toddler drama. enhanced by too much sugar! life is just so hard sometimes.

tasty tuesday {black bean + chickpea hummus}

2011-11-08T13:58:00.000-06:00

black bean + chickpea hummus
{original recipe here, but i made a couple changes}

1 can black beans, drained
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped
juice of one lemon
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs greek yogurt
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
2 tbs water (to start with. you'll probably want to add more depending on the consistency you like your hummus)
salt to taste

put everything in a food processor and puree. i like my hummus creamy. creamy like the kind you buy pre-made at sam's club. so, i added quite a bit of water to get it really creamy like i like it. i added a tbs at a time beyond the 2 tbs the recipe calls for. probably put 3-4 extra tbs. can't remember exactly.

serve with grilled pita and veggies.

enjoy!

meal-plan sunday {and a recipe}

2011-11-06T15:41:00.000-06:00

changing it to meal-plan sunday. it doesn't flow like meal-plan monday but it makes more sense since i do the planning and grocery shopping on sundays...

this week is a very boring week as far as food is concerned. i'm kind of just not in the mood to cook this week. i know, so weird. this past thursday, friday and saturday (and some today) i worked at home cleaning out closets. purging stuff that we don't need/want and boxing up stuff to put in the attic that we do want, but that is just taking up space in our house right now. i.e., our good china, glassware, and serving pieces. so...we had to buy some storage containers (those are expensive), so i wanted to try to not spend as much as the grocery store. which i did better than last week (which i do realize i never did a meal-plan post last week) and the week before, but still not great. i would like to be able to spend about $100 at the store each week and that include household items we might need too, as well as bath and body products. we'll get there eventually.

here is our menu for the week:

sunday:
leftover lemon salmon burgers {recipe} for lunch
(i know these made sound kind of gross, but you should really try them. they were wonderful. we had them on kaiser rolls with lettuce, avocado and basil-mayo.)
eating out for dinner

monday:
having friends over for dinner
slow-cooker beef stroganoff {recipe} over egg noodles
"venesian inn" salad {recipe}
olive cheese bread {pioneer woman cookbook}
red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing {pioneer woman cookbook}

tuesday:
grateful dead black bean burgers {tupelo honey cafe cookbook}
sweet potato fries

wednesday:
slow-cooker brown beans
skillet cornbread {pioneer woman cookbook}

thursday:
refried bean tostadas
toppings: cabbage, mozzarella, jar salsa, sour cream, avocado

friday/saturday:
birthday parties both nights. woo hoo!

i didn't lie, not a fun food week for us.

and for the recipe...

pb + nutella cookies
{recipe found here}

ingredients:
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c smooth peanut butter
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c nutella (more or less depending on your love for nutella)

directions:
1-combine butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. mix until well blended.
2-add flour, baking soda and salt. drizzle nutella on top of the dough then cut it through the dough with a butter knife or spatula.
3-preheat oven to 350-degrees
4-chill dough in fridge while oven preheats. roll into balls by hand. place on
parchment lined cookie sheet. using a fork, press down the balls to flatten slightly. bake until edges are very lightly browned (about 7 to 10 minutes).
5-after cooling a bit on cookie sheet, transfer to a cooling rack and let cook completely.
6-enjoy the heck out of them!

i found the recipe on pinterest. my sil also saw it on pinterest and made them and said that her hubby thought they were the best cookies he's ever had. i'm not a huge peanut butter cookie fan, but with the added nutella (could put a tad more than the recipe calls for) they were scrumptious! i can't remember exactly how many cookies they made, maybe around 30. i took a big portion to my parents house last night and finished off the last four cookies just now. while typing up this post.

elle enjoyed some nutella on a spoon. she had to baby spoonfuls. she's a fan! (and, p.s., this is right after her nap. hence why she's looking like she's in a trance.)

a quick pic before heading over to my parents to watch the arkansas game. the razorbacks beat south carolina. woo pig sooie!

we had a fun night! and a fun and busy weekend!

fall beautiful

2011-11-05T09:38:00.000-05:00

happy saturday!

you are 21-months old

2011-11-04T16:31:00.000-05:00

elle louise,

you are 21-months old today. 3 months away from turning two. where has my baby gone?

you are the joy of mine and your dada's life. we will never be able to fully express the love we have for you. but, sweet girl, we love you more than life itself. and we thank god for you every single day.

you are spunky, sweet, sassy (yes, i'm afraid so), ornery, so smart, happy, silly, and so much fun.

you are my little mini me right now. by my side 24/7, mimicking everything i do. i've learned to embrace it and try to include you at all times. you've started standing on a chair at the counter while i cook and bake. you stand so still, watching and taking it all in. you like to help me load/unload the dishwasher and put clothes in the dryer.

you are in a fun stage of wanting to call people all the time. dada, nana, gigi, and your aunts. while we don't always call them, you have no problem pretending like they are on the other line. you say "ummm (pause) target, ummm (smack then pause), dada home". your dada says you get the "ummm" from me.

you are constantly singing, your favorite songs are twinkle twinkle, eio (aka old mcdonald), and oh no you never let go. you can sing all lines of twinkle, but you always leave out "how i wonder what you are?". it's awesome listening to your sweet voice sing.

you are a little chatter box. from the moment you wake till the time you shut your eyes at night you are talking. and i love it. we have some great conversations, you and i. you have a huge vocabulary. i can't even begin to list all the words you say. in the last month or two, you've started putting sentences together. you little smarty pants.

you love to be outside. go to the park. play with sidewalk chalk. your babies. color on paper (you know you only color on paper because you have gotten in trouble a time or two for coloring on furniture). dance.

you are a wonderful sleeper and eater. you still take 2 naps a day, each one around 2 hours and sleep 12 hours solid at night. you love food and will eat pretty much anything i fix. you always ask for eggs for breakfast, but if we are out you'll eat oatmeal. some foods you love would include spaghetti squash lasagna (you can eat more than me) and any sort of mexican food: taco meat, enchiladas, taco soup. and you like it spicy. you also love sweet potato fries and brown beans. and you love to dip. it doesn't matter what it is you'll dip it. you love sweets and you ask me to make cookies daily.

you are potty trained. yes ma'am you are. your dada and i are so proud of you. yes, you still have accidents here and there and you don't usually wake up from a nap or bedtime dry. but girl, you've got it down! no more diapers for you, sweet girl. just panties and pull-ups.

my sweet ellie bean, your dada and i love you to the moon and enjoy being present with you and watching you grow and evolve every single day.

you never cease to amaze us.

love, mom

happy halloween

2011-10-31T12:49:00.003-05:00

orry we have been a little mia lately. i am blogging through my lunch today since we have yet to hook the computer back up since moving it to the new office/sewing room last tuesday. that room is a disaster. after tomorrow we have nothing on the agenda. my numero uno goal is getting the office/sewing room organized. for the 500th time.

we had a fun and extremely busy weekend. i am beat today. so so tired. i can't imagine how elle must feel. she has eaten so much sugar all weekend, dressed up a dozen times, had several naps in the car and was drug all over god's green earth.

she sure made for a cute fairy/angel/winged creature though. the dress is what she wore as the flower girl in my cousin's wedding back in may. i paid a pretty penny for that dress so i wanted her to get some more use out of it. i followed this tutorial and made her wings. followed the advice of my cousin and used glitter hairspray to glitter up the wings. elle thought she was pretty amazing. and, she was!

we went to aaron's work friday and trick-or-treated there. my sil, nephew and niece joined us. we had a big time. i have some really fun pictures on my camera from the whole weekend that i'll have to get uploaded this week to share. they are so sweet!

and yes, aaron dressed as flo the progressive lady. huh.lare.ee.us. he is the ugliest woman on this planet. and someone even told him at work that he made for a pretty woman. seriously, they must have been blind.

we trick-or-treated last night so tonight we are having some friends over for dinner and will hand out candy. and relax! elle doesn't really get it this year, so we'll save neighborhood trick-or-treating for next year!

happy halloween!

mid-week nonsense

2011-10-26T11:17:00.001-05:00

honest to goodness, i had all intentions of posting a new recipe last night for garbanzo and black bean hummus with grilled pita but (there's always a but) we moved our desk into our guest bedroom and when i went to do my tasty tuesday post, the computer had yet to be set back up and i was not about to mess with it and i didn't want to burden aaron with it either. so i'll post the recipe next week. good, easy and tasty. tasty, even if my 3-year old cousin told me that is looked and smelled like poop.

my cousin texted me these pictures last night, thought they were so cute because they really show the excitement on elle's face.

yesterday we met my cousin and her kids at the park. it was beautiful outside, just super windy. elle flipped down some shallow sets. it scared the poo out of me. but, she only cried for a split second. and she was on to the next thing.

elle has been asking me for cookies for about a week now. i bought m&m's at the store last week but didn't get around to making cookies so i made this recipe yesterday afternoon. scrumptious. i think elle ate 2 whole cookies between nap and bedtime yesterday. she ate the m&m's off the cookie first then ate the cookie.

last night i made these googly-eyed owl s'mores for elle to take to abuela's today. got the idea from slaughterhouse rules. i sandwiched the graham crackers together with nutella. i'm not going to say these were easy because they weren't and i got ~~very~~ a little frustrated. i thought the candy wafer would melt in the microwave and the chocolate chip would stick to the melted wafter but no, it took a while for the wafer to actually melt enough for the chocolate chip to stick. and several times one marshmallow would melt in the microwave but the other one wouldn't. still fun for sure. and the kids and abuela got a big kick out of them this morning!

wishing this day away...i look forward to going home tonight, kicking my feet up and not doing a dang thing! amen!

meal plan monday

2011-10-23T21:05:00.001-05:00

i left the grocery store very bitter today. our bill was $160. yes. for real. i had to get a few things for elle's halloween costume (more on that later) and a couple household items, one being springform pans. i've needed them for a while now and finally just bit the bullet and bought them today. 3 for $9, so it wasn't too big of a blow to our pocketbook. but anytime i leave the grocery store spending that much money, i feel defeated. hopefully we are set and i don't have to make any subsequent trips this week.

sunday:
sweet potato and black bean enchiladas {recipe}
cilantro-lime rice
*i was supposed to make this friday night, but we ate dinner with friends and i was too lazy saturday night to make them. we had leftover tostadas instead. and, my grocery bill was still $160.
**if i was a death-row inmate, i would have the hardest time deciding what my last meal would be. these enchiladas would be on the top 3 list.

monday:
spaghetti
marina {recipe} i use
"venesian inn" salad
toasted sourdough bread

salad recipe:
bag shredded iceberg
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs salad vinegar
green olives
garlic salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
mix it all up. you'll thank me later.
**i think some recipes call for sugar, but i never use it.**

tuesday:
greek turkey meatballs {recipe}
pita/raw veggies/tzatziki/hummus

wednesday:
crockpot chicken tortilla soup {slow-cooker cookbook}
i'll share the recipe if its any good. i made a potato soup recipe a few weeks back from the same cookbook. well, let's just say, i'll never make it again. but the apple butter i made is from the same cookbook and it was yummy.

thursday:
autumn chopped salad with grilled chicken {recipe}

friday:
lemon salmon burgers {recipe}
sweet potato fries

saturday:
leftovers (we should have lots of them)

we had a very full weekend. i am extremely exhausted tonight. extremely. i will be out when my head hits the pillow. oh, our yard? it looks good. so good. i am so proud of my husband for sacrificing his whole weekend, after working a 70-hour work week, for this project. i can't to share pictures.

have a great week!

something sweet saturday

2011-10-22T17:26:00.000-05:00

we had a last minute change of plans today. they went from finishing the kitchen cabinets to planting our front flower beds. for some reason i thought today was going to be cold and yucky but last night i checked the weather and it was going to be the exact opposite so we decided to get up and head to the nurseries.

elle louise calling those hogs while we shopped for plants.

daddy started the planting. elle and i sidewalk chalked for a bit before it was time for her nap. yes, we had a little outfit change. we are potty training after all.

our front beds our looking so good. i'm excited for our house to have some fresh curb appeal.

today is...

2011-10-20T13:53:00.000-05:00

...my mom's birthday!

my mom is such an inspiration to me. my best friend. the best nana a baby could ask for. she is so selfless and always so giving of her time and efforts. she works hard. loves her family much. and always takes time out of her very busy days to call me and to check on me.

my mom loves elle louise so much. she always calls to talk to her, to find out how her day went. she stops by the house often just to see elle for a couple of minutes and she will drop any and everything to watch elle for us if we need her.

elle louise is in love with her nana. she talks about her all day long. always wants to go to "nana house" and always asks to call her on the phone. she has been telling me all day that it's "nana bur-day". it fills my heart to watch them together. they are going to be a tight pair. i just know it. so thankful for their closeness.

happy birthday mom! we love you so much!

fall makes me want to change things...

2011-10-19T23:05:00.000-05:00

like big things. painting. every. thing. two falls ago we painted. everything. our bedroom, kitchen and living room. at that time we re-painted our kitchen cabinets. big, huge, enormous deal. it was a massive project. aaron finished the bottom cabinets and we left the tops without doors. i liked it for a while, started not liking it as time went on and now i hate it. the dishes and cups that don't get used often enough (ahem, my wine glasses) get so dusty. its just gross. so finishing the cabinets is at the top of our list. right under "find entertainment center"...

aren't elle bean's tiny hand-prints just so sweet and cute?

the list is on the kitchen door that opens to the garage. i look at it one hundred times a day.

there are several projects that i'm hoping to finish in the next couple of months. i kind of, sort of have them in order of importance. i want to get the painting done over the next several weeks before it turns too cold. speaking of cold, it is cold here right now. elle wore the cutest sweatsuit to abuela's today and looked way too big. but we were running late out the door and i couldn't get a picture. but, trust, she looked adorable. but, way too big. anywho, i really really really want to transform our master. it has never had any attention paid to it and i really want to make a fun and romantic escape, if you will, for aaron and i. our place. that speaks of our love. and that is a constant reminder of june 30, 2007. the day we promised our lives to each other. so i've found some really fun inspiration on pinterest. but, of course...

Source: None via Kari Beth on Pinterest

how perfect.

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

in dire love with this whole look.

Source: m.urbanoutfitters.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

love the charlie brown bedding.

Source: flickr.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

romance.

my idea for our bedroom is white one white with pops of color coming from the furniture. our dresser and nightstands are painted pieces. and also some color in the art and other pieces i put on the wall. i am so excited to get going on it!

i thought since we had so many projects going on at home it would be fun to do before and after posts. i think i will title these posts "love where you live". because ultimately loving where you live is what it's all about. i would be happy as a freaking clam living in a 300 sq ft loft as long as i have my husband and my baby girl. with that said, i want my home to be a joyful place! i want to look around and love what i see and not constantly be thinking what i could do to change it. and as you saw at the bottom of the list. i want to simplify. simple is my goal.

aaron said he is finishing the cabinets this weekend. so, we will shall start there. we do plan on repainting the kitchen too, but i highly doubt we will get to it this weekend. but, maybe so. you never know with us. we get these wild hares and just run with 'em sometimes!

off to bed, we've got a big day tomorrow. love to all.

p.s. tonight i'm thinking of goings-on in my life and in the lives of people that i truly, truly love. hold your baby a little longer. hug your hubby a little tighter. spend some extra time talking to God. tell someone that you haven't told in a while that you love them. let things roll off your shoulder. life is so precious. and things can change in the blink of an eye.

tasty tuesday {chicken, cannellini bean + spinach soup}

2011-10-18T21:53:00.000-05:00

once-upon a time i was given a recipe for this soup. but i've since lost it so i found a similar one on pinterest. but i didn't really like all the steps you had to take to make the soup, so i kind of made up my own.

chicken, cannellini bean + spinach soup

5-6 cups chicken broth**
1 chicken breast
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 medium white onion
1/4 cup carrots (i buy the crinkle kind in the produce section)
1 clove garlic
6 ounces fresh spinach
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
jar prepared pesto (or you can make your own)

**add 5-6 chicken bouillon cubes to 5-6 cups boiling water to make your broth.
add chicken breast to boiling water and let cook for 5-7 minutes (to where still pink in middle). while chicken is cooking, heat oil over medium-high heat in stock pot. dice up onion and put in stock pot once oil is hot and let cook until clear. add garlic to onion and let cook for a couple minutes. remove chicken from broth, be sure to reserve all the broth for the soup, and cut up in bite-size pieces. add chicken, carrots, and broth to stock pot. bring soup to boil, reduce heat to medium and let cook for 5 minutes. add spinach and beans to soup. bring back to boil, reduce heat again and let simmer for 5 more minutes. after this i like to check the chicken and just double check that it is cooked all the way through. it always is, but just don't ever want to serve raw chicken. ick. add in as much prepared pesto as you like. i love love love pesto, so i add the entire jar! after you add the pesto, reduce heat to low and let sit until ready to eat. it is an extremely brothy soup. so if you don't like brothy soup then you will not like this. i like to serve with garlic-butter sourdough toast. yummy. hope you enjoy!

aaron's older sister made elle the cutest beanie. i found something i liked on a website but didn't want to pay the $30 price tag, so i asked her if she could make it. i made the flower and pinned it on. turned out so super cute! she's going to wear it for our family pictures that are in a couple of weeks. i am keeping my fingers crossed that she cooperates and will actually wear it. i had to bribe her with the phone to even get her to wear it long enough to snap a quick phone pic.

today i went to my cousin sara's house to help her finish a pinterest project she started a couple of weeks ago. love love love how it turned out. i want to do something similar. i think in elle's play area. i can write her sweet scriptures and messages! and she can write on it too!

also today, our good friends gary and ashley had their sweet baby boy. he is adorable! we got to love on him a little tonight. i can't wait to see him again. brand new babies are my absolute favorite. nothing sweeter.

meal-plan monday

2011-10-16T06:47:00.000-05:00

up way to early on a sunday morning. but i woke up and couldn't fall back asleep so i made our menu for the week...

sunday:
chicken and spinach soup

monday:
slow-cooker pinto beans
skillet cornbread with green chiles

tuesday:
spaghetti squash lasagna
pear + apple salad with maple vinegarette dressing

wednesday:
refried bean {leftover pinto beans from monday} tostadas

thursday:
pork tenderloin
pw's creamy mashed potatos
slow-cooker green beans
cheddar biscuits
and brown butter cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting for dessert

friday:
sweet potato enchiladas
cilantro-lime rice

saturday:
leftovers, leftovers and more leftovers

...and, i'm off to beat sunday crowds at the grocery store!

something sweet saturday

2011-10-15T17:08:00.000-05:00

after 11 looooong days...

...daddy is home from his work trip and our family is back together again!

we missed him much and glad to have him home safe and sound.

happy saturday!

fall

2011-10-13T22:20:00.001-05:00

this afternoon we met some friends, jessica and lindsey, for lunch and then a quick trip to the park.

i could totally live year round where the weather is like it is right now. cool and crisp mornings and evenings and warm and breezy days. with a few rainy days here and there.

it is absolutely gorgeous!

elle weezy and roobs sliding.

jessica getting in on the action! lindsey and landry in the background.

who's coming down next?

we loved seeing our friends, even if it was for just a little bit. lunch is a little hectic nowadays with toddlers in abundance, but still so fun. wish i would have gotten a pic of the three cuties, elle, ruby and landry, all together. coulda. woulda. shoulda. do you watch the tonight show? ha!

i took this sweet picture of my girl late this afternoon to send to her daddy. it was right after waking up from her nap. she looks so sweet! i just had to share!

***edited to add:
i've been forgetting to mention...i got a new fall 'do. jess cut my hair on tuesday and we totally did bangs. i. love. them. of course, they are taking some getting used to, but i really love the look. no length was taken off, just a slight trim to get rid of dead ends. and some new color.

this picture is totally dorky!

happy friday tomorrow. i am soooooooo looking forward to this weekend. can it get here already?

look what i found!

2011-10-12T21:47:00.000-05:00

i thought that these pictures were lost forever. and that i would never have documentation of this special occasion. but tonight, while trying to find some other pictures that are missing (i've never claimed to be organized. but i do try!) i stumbled upon a folder that said "camera pics" and they were in the panasonic folder even though they were taken with our canon.

get excited!

elle louise's first (& only) haircut.

jessica cut elle's hair the week she turned one. she turned one on a friday and we cut her hair the following friday. february 11, 2011. she was one year and one week old. she looks like such a baby in these pics. makes me weepy.

hair before. oh, the beloved rat tail.

during. she was not a fan, but i must say jessica did an amazing job. i was sweating bullets under that cape and i was nervous as i'll get out with those scissors flying every where and elle crying and moving around liking she was. we survived to tell the tale.

ruby there to cheer elle up and on!

oh, that sweet face.

all done! i was one proud momma, loving my girl's new 'do!

my beautiful beautiful girl!

i am beyond relieved that these pictures were found! i would hate to ever forget this day or not have actual pictures to show for it

now that elle's hair is all the same length we are going to let it grow out long and flowing. she has amazing texture and fullness. she is lucky to have such a beautiful mane!

meal-plan monday

2011-10-10T11:05:00.001-05:00

monday:
leftover spaghetti squash lasagna

tuesday:
chicken nuggets and brocolli and white cheddar mac 'n cheese
i have a feeling i'll be making this meal lots. elle loves these nuggets! i like making food that i know she will actually eat.

wednesday:
breakfast for dinner with biscuits and apple butter

thursday:
chicken and vegetable fried rice

friday/saturday/sunday:
leftovers, sandwiches, eating out, and/or cereal

another exciting meal week for us. i'm trying to clean out the pantry and refrigerator and eat what we have before stuff spoils. i've been buying tons of baking stuff lately for all the sweet treats i'm running across on pinterest. this week i want to make candy corn fudge and m&m sugar cookies. elle's been asking for "cookie and milk" for the last couple of days so i want to make her some. she deserves them. she's such a sweet girl.

our weekend has come to an end

2011-10-09T21:43:00.000-05:00

it has been a full and fun weekend.

friday night we had an ice cream date with our cousins. ak is such a kid now. she looks so grown up here. elle helped herself to hay's ice cream. he was too busy in the water fountain and knocking over chairs to care.

after we shopped our butts off on saturday, we watched the hogs whoop auburn at nana and bapa's house. go hogs go! woo pig sooie!

elle louise stayed up way. past. her. bedtime. saturday night. we slept in till 10:00 this morning so the late night was ok.

today i made apple butter. it is delicious. i followed a recipe out of my slow-cooker cookbook but tweaked it quite a bit.

apple butter recipe {according to moi}:
3 lb apples, i used gala but next time will use honeycrisp
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup sugar
--cook on high for 3 hours, stirring every hour. reduce heat to low and cook for 7-8 hours, stirring frequently with a wire wisk. i only cooked mine for 6 1/2 hours because my crockpot cooks everything extra fast (for some reason i don't know why). my butter was still kind of lumpy (because i wasn't diligent about stirring) so i pureed it to a creamy consistency in the food processor.

today i also finished up a little something for a friend, that i have been working on for over a month. i'm a horrible friend, but the shirt turned out so cute.

oh yea, i also got fake glasses at altr'd state on saturday. so if you see me wearing them know that no, i did not get glasses. wearing them solely for the sake of fashion. i crack myself up. but, they're cute aren't they?!

and, if you would be so obliged, please say a prayer for my poppy. he is having open-heart surgery in the morning. pray that God is in the operating room guiding the surgeons and that everything goes according to His will.

have a great week, friends!

saturday

2011-10-08T10:47:00.000-05:00

today i'm going shopping with my mom. aaron got sick of hearing me complain about my current wardrobe so he gave me a few dollhairs to get some new things.

on the top of my list are...

Source: lucylaucht.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

a denim shirt

Source: fashionfinder.asos.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

a colored, cropped blazer--i used to have a green corduroy blazer from j.crew. got rid of it in a garage sale about a year ago. kicking myself.

Source: emersonmade.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

high-waist flares

Source: lipstickandruffles.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

red denim. i may settle with a different color, like camel, but i really want red. we live in razorback nation, so red denim may be hard to come across.

Source: lookbook.nu via Kari Beth on Pinterest

utility jacket

Source: zara.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

black skinnies

i'm not a very graceful shopper. i won't pay a lot of money for any one thing and i get frustrated really quickly.

wish me luck!

the oil-cleansing method

2011-10-07T00:37:00.000-05:00

i am so confident in the oil-cleansing method that i'm going to share horrible-quality phone pictures of myself without any makeup in bad lighting.

Source: simplemom.net via Kari Beth on Pinterest

found the OCM via pinterest a month or so ago and aaron and i have both been cleaning our faces with olive oil and castor oil. his face is more on the oily side so he uses three parts castor oil to one part olive oil and my face is pretty combination so i use a one to one ratio. and i don't even use moisturizer before going to bed. i'm starting to think that the moisturizer is what has contributed to breakouts in the past.

after using the OCM for about a week i felt so much more confident going in public without makeup. my face, to this day, feels fresher and more balanced. and my dark, pregnancy spots (aka melasma) have significantly faded. that might be just not being in the sun as much lately. either way, i'll take it.

without further ado, my face without makeup:

i look really thrilled, huh?

picture on the left is in front of the computer screen and the picture on the right is in our red bedroom. i could not find good, neutral light in this house.

my pregnancy mask is on my upper lip and on the apple of my right cheek. it really doesn't bother me that bad. a small price to pay. but, sometimes i do get a little self-conscious about it.

so if you are interested in the OCM for yourself, go {here} to read simple mom's post. it's really good and makes perfect sense.

happy friday.

working mom

2011-10-06T11:07:00.002-05:00

let me preface by saying, i really honestly think that i have the best of both worlds. if i'm going to have to work i'm glad that it's only a couple of days a week and i'm glad that its for my family. i really do love my job. i love interacting with customers and meeting new people and coming up with fun designs and etc. and its a very relaxed environment and extremely flexible. there is never drama and its just an easy place to work.

with all that being said, it doesn't make it any easier leaving my baby girl to work. it sucks. there are some days i cry when i drop her off. not because i don't think she's being well taken care of, because i know she is, but because i just miss her like crazy. some days are easier than other days.

seriously. look at this sweet, sweet girl and tell me your heart wouldn't ache to leave her.

she is just so much fun these days and there are times when i feel like i'm really missing out or that she's learning new things without me. and just the fact that i have no clue what she's doing all day. it's just so hard.

i do know that she loves abuela and the other kids there and they all love her. there is one boy, named benson, who calls elle "baby" and always loves on her every morning when i drop her off. elle pretty much shuts the door on my way out and she never cries when its time for me to leave. so i know she loves it there.

still it's hard and today i'm struggling. thursday is not a usual day that i work, so any day that i have to work that wasn't plan is always harder than my normal days. today we should be hanging out together, running errands, playing at the park or whatever. it should be a mommy and elle day. not a mommy work day.

oh well, i will do my work and go home at 5:00 and tomorrow it will be a mommy and elle day. i look so forward to it!

p.s. potty training has not been going so good since tuesday. there are a couple of things i think are contributing to it, but we are working really hard and not giving up. elle is staying in panties even if she is 1 for 1 right now. she'll work it out.

tasty tuesday {homemade chicken nuggets}

2011-10-04T21:10:00.000-05:00

better late than never...

homemade chicken nuggets
original recipe found {here}

peanut oil
2 chicken breasts
1 or 2 eggs depending on size
1-1 1/2 cups italian bread crumbs (or plain and just add your own seasonings)
parmesan cheese

heat peanut oil on skillet over medium/high heat
cut chicken breasts in bite-size pieces.
combine egg(s) with a little water
pour out bread crumbs on plate
coat chicken in egg/water mixture
cover with bread crumbs
toss in peanut oil and fry 'em up. probably 4-5 minutes per side (give or take)
lay on a paper towel to soak up excess grease and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

enjoy with whatever yummy comfort food you love. tonight we paired the nuggets with broccoli and white cheddar mac 'n cheese. yumm. eee. promise. i loved stove top mac so much better than baked mac. much much creamier.

let me just tell you another little something about these nuggets. aaron loves them. and has asked for them every week since i first made them about a month ago. elle louise also loves them. she ate 4 tonight.

and chickfila fry their nuggets in peanut oil too. just sayin'...

linking up with 33 shades of green's tasty tuesday post.

this old sweater...

2011-10-03T14:02:00.000-05:00

taking a little "lunch" break from work and blogging. my eyes can't take much more of the embroidery software screen...

i can remember the day that i bought this sweater at sears. i seriously felt like i struck gold when i saw the price tag. $7! sometimes i'll just buy something (or used to) even if i don't necessarily love it, but just because it's so inexpensive. but i have worn the crud out of this yellow gem. i love this sweater...the ruffles that line the buttons and the 3/4 sleeves. i'm always rolling or pushing up my sleeves.

this morning as i was getting dressed and throwing on this old sweater i thought back to when i wore this once. one very special day, 2 years ago on the 8th. the day i found out the gender of the human growing in my belly. it went from an "it" to an elle louise in a matter of seconds. and that sweet little mango or banana or whatever the size comparison is at 21 weeks is now 20 months old tomorrow.

i love wearing this old sweater. its worn, soft, fits perfect, goes with everything and brings back many special memories. i just wouldn't suggest wearing it with black when you're pregnant. then you just look like an inflated bumble bee. yikes.

meal-plan monday

2011-10-02T21:02:00.001-05:00

the next two weeks are going to be very touch-and-go as far as lunch and dinners are concerned. i imagine we will be having lots of leftovers.

but this is what i have on the menu for this week:

monday:
leftover chicken and turnip greens soup with pesto
grilled cheese sandwiches
maybe a salad

tuesday:
homemade chicken nuggets {recipe}
broccoli and white cheddar mac 'n cheese {recipe}

wednesday:
beans 'n cornbread

thursday:
not sure yet...

friday:
spaghetti squash lasagna {recipe}

saturday and sunday:
most likely leftovers and/or eating out

real exciting meals planned for us this week, huh? its definitely a boring food week around here.

on a different note, we have had a very fun and relaxing weekend. we have spent every last moment together and it's been wonderful. we even had a little shopping trip yesterday. we picked elle and aaron up a few things here and there.

she loved watching herself in the mirror while i tried on a few things. none of which i got...

and, the highlight of our weekend...

i think i can officially say that elle louise is potty trained. maybe. i don't know. this is the first time i've potty trained a human. but, she has been in panties all day long and not one single accident. we even had lunch with aaron's parents this afternoon and she went to the potty at the restaurant. several times. 5 to be exact.

we are so proud of our big little girl.

onesie decorating at a baby shower

2011-09-30T07:53:00.002-05:00

i posted some pics back at the beginning of august from my friend, ashley's, baby shower and promised to post more about the onesie decorating craft that we did. well, i just finished stitching the last onesie and decided today was good a day as any.

sarah and i knew we wanted to do something at the shower but we did not want to do games. i am so turned off by games at any sort of shower. they are so awkward.

came across this super cute and sweet shower via pinterest...

Source: pizzazzerie.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

...and thought how fun! a onesie decorating craft going on while ashley was opening gifts. i was a little afraid of how it would be perceived but way more than half of the people that were at the shower made a onesie for baby cash.

basically this is what we did:
-bought onesies and picked out fabric. all you need is scraps and/or fat quarters.
-since aaron is a graphic designer i had him make templates. i gave him a list of different things i thought would be cute and kind of pertained to the kirby's (car, elephant, helicopter, tie, bow tie, initials, a big c, baseball cap) and he drew outlines of them and then we printed them off on white thick card stock. but really any piece of paper would do.
-ironed stitch witchery (the sticky backing adhesive you get at any craft/fabric store) on back side fabric.
-gathered supplies: scissors (small scissor are better) and straight pins is all you will need really.
-set up table at the shower with all the onesies, fabric and other supplies. also set up the ironing board and iron.
-at the shower, guests picked out their template, pinned it on fabric and cut it out and then ironed it on their onesie of choice.
-i took onesies home with me and either hand-stitched or ran a zig zag stitch around each design. hand-stitching took a little bit but the zig zag stitches are fast and easy and look perfectly imperfect.

the setup!

ashley's niece cutting out a fleur de lis (gary's family is from louisiana)!

cash's loot...

like i stated, imperfectly perfect!

love the bow ties!

cute lil' guy!

it was such a fun time and cash now has many fun and different onesies for the first year of his sweet life!

e-mail me (thehighlifeblog(at)gmail(dot)com) if you have questions!

one week old

2011-09-29T09:11:00.000-05:00

my cousin is very private that's why i don't share a lot of pictures of her and her family on my blog. if i did i'm pretty sure every other post would include them because we spend a lot of time together and talk multiple times a day...she is like a sister to me.

she had a baby. one week ago today. another little girl. two precious sweet daughters. sisters. i pray that elle will have her very own sister one day!

so, a happy one-week birthday to a very sweet baby girl! love her to pieces and look forward to spoiling her with lots of love!

my country girl

2011-09-28T07:13:00.001-05:00

one day.
my dream. land for elle to roam and play (in her skivvies if she so wish). a huge garden that feeds my family year round. chickens that produce eggs. maybe some more livestock. old farm house.
one day.

until then we will just enjoy mimi and poppy's garden and chickens.

tasty tuesday {pumpkin bread}

2011-09-27T10:10:00.000-05:00

my favorite of all fall foods. pumpkin bread. i make this over and over and over throughout fall and winter. its great for breakfast with my coffee and then for dessert after dinner.

the first time i made pumpkin bread was 2 years ago, when stephanie at barefoot in the kitchen shared her great aunt's recipe and i have yet to follow a different pumpkin bread recipe. it's just perfect. its easy. has great flavor and is super moist. hate the word moist, btw.

pumpkin bread
barefoot in the kitchen

3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2 cups canned pumpkin

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. mix all ingredients.
3. pour into two greased bread pans.
4. bake for one hour.

so yummy! try this one soon.

p.s. i hope that i haven't posted this recipe before. i don't think that i have.

p.s.s. linking up with 33 shades of green.

meal-plan monday

2011-09-26T22:56:00.001-05:00

per the suggestion of my good friend, jessica, i've decided to start a new segment on this here ole blog. meal-plan monday will happen every monday unless we have a weird schedule or are out of town. hopefully it will inspire you in the kitchen or at least give you some new recipes to try.

i have 2 meal-planning goals every week:
1- provide my family the tastiest and healthiest meals possible. i don't always succeed because, let's face it, there are some weeks when i just want something fatty and greasy. or I want to make a pioneer woman recipe.
2- stay between $80 and $100 at the grocery store. this does not include any household items!

we very rarely eat out. we have made more of an effort to eat at home for the last couple of months. elle and i may eat out once a week for lunch with friends or family and then we usually eat out on saturday night. and sometimes sunday lunch with aaron's family, but that rarely works out due to elle's naps.

i only meal-plan for dinner. i buy elle a few breakfast/lunch/snack options and aaron and i have leftovers most of the time for lunch, cereal or oatmeal for breakfast (when we eat it). and every once in awhile i'll buy lunch meat but it kind of grosses me out so i don't buy often. and i eat smoothies a lot for lunch.

without further ado, here is the high-family menu for this week:

monday:
mexican pizza {recipe} (with pioneer woman's pizza dough recipe)

tuesday:
white chicken enchiladas {recipe}
side of chipolte-lime rice {recipe}

wednesday:
slow-cooker potato soup (recipe from cookbook)
pear, apple, walnut and bleu cheese salad with maple-vinegarette dressing {recipe}

thursday:
eggplant croquettes {recipe} (i modify this recipe a little to make healthier)
roasted asparagus
pear, apple, walnut and bleu cheese salad with maple-vinegarette dressing

friday:
thai turkey burgers {recipe}
sweet potato fries

saturday:
leftovers or eat out

sunday:
chicken, cannellini beans, turnip greens soup (mixing a couple of recipes form this one)
grilled swiss on sourdough

and that, folks, is what the high's will be feasting on this week! please let me know if you have any questions.

elle louise lately

2011-09-23T18:27:00.000-05:00

so sweet. so funny. so challenging...

i am just thankful that she is still a twice-a-day napper because that is the only time, i mean only time, that i get anything done. morning nap i sew, craft, do laundry whatever and afternoon nap i make dinner and finish whatever i didn't get done during the morning. once my sweet girl wakes up, its just me and her hanging out. and if i do need to get something done while she is awake, i've got a helper. i have to remind myself often that this is just a phase and it is okay to sit on the floor with her every afternoon and just play. puzzles, coloring, letter magnets, kitty cat keyboard, stickers and purse for 3 hours. it is so worth. that time is too precious to give up to the nagging voice in my head.

some sweet and funny things elle has done lately that i don't want to forget...

every morning when elle wakes up she yells for me. "mmmmmmooooommmmeeee!" over and over. so on my short walk to her room i'll usually say "mommy's coming!". wednesday morning, i was getting ready for work and she was playing in the living room and talking away to her baby. so i snuck to our bedroom door and listened without her knowing i was there and she was saying to her baby, "baby, mommy coming. mommy coming!". sweetest words my ears have heard, except for "i luh lu". that's still my favorite.

elle loves her babies. which i've mentioned before. they go with us everywhere. every. where. fine with me. i love that she loves her babies. and her latest thing is rocking her babies. in the adult rocking chair in her bedroom. she sings "rocka baby, rocka baby". it is so sweet. i tried to get it on video the other day, but she told me "no!" with the pointed finger.

everything is no. or uh uh. or no no no no no no no no. followed by and uh uh. and a lot of times when we ask her to do something and she doesn't want to, she'll growl at us instead of saying no.

we were at joann one afternoon. what was supposed to be a quick in and out trip before nap, turned into 30 minutes because i couldn't make up my stinkin' mind on a fabric for a ruffle trim. anyway, elle louise was done and fed up. so, she took it out on all the joann customer. everyone that we walked by or that passed by us she would look at them dead on and say "no!" with her pointed finger. i've never apologized so much. it was embarrassing, yet funny at the same time.

elle stayed the night with my parents last friday night. nana (my mom) took her to the movie night at her school and when they got home bapa (my dad) was asleep. nana gave her a bath in their bathtub and when they finished she told elle, "shhh. bapa sleeping" and walked out of the room into the living room. she then repeated what nana had told her to my brother, she said "cracker, shh, bapa sleeping". nana was so proud at her big sentence.

lastly, elle louise number two-ed in the potty on tuesday. a real numero dos.so so proud. she has the numero uno thing down good, but was struggling with the other. she would tell me she would have to potty and i would sit her on potty and boy, oh boy, she would try but just could never do it. i always put a diaper on after that because i don't want her to poo in her panties or hold it because she was scared. as soon as the diaper would touch her booty she would go. something she's been doing for the last 3 weeks or so. tuesday was a big milestone in the potty-training department. still pretty lax about it and don't push her too hard and have yet to wear big girl pants in public. i am a little nervous about the public potty situation. yikes. not to mention, absolutely disgusting.

happy friday!

a new {fall} wreath

2011-09-15T21:32:00.002-05:00

my friend, shannon, and i got together this morning to make fall wreaths for our homes.

the inspiration {via pinterest}:

Source: etsy.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

the finished product:

i don't do bows. i don't know how. but it kind of is missing a bow. i think i might get more burlap and have my mom help me with a bow. she's really good at bows!

and please, take no note of my filthy white door. i asked aaron how to clean it because i tried today (for picture's sake) and nothing. i couldn't get any of the grime off. aaron's solution: paint. so i guess we will be painting our front door. i'm thinking black!

elle and westin were perfect angels. we only had to chase after each of them once. they pretty much just ran around the garage. i did a little sidewalk-chalking in their honor and then they sat pretty for a picture.

sweet sweet kids!

oh yeah, here is how we made the wreaths:

supplies needed:
grapevine wreath
spanish moss
fake pumpkins (obviously)
burlap
glue gun
and lots of glue sticks

basically all you do is glue moss all around the wreath. we just did the front and sides and left the back as is, we thought it would lay flatter against our doors. then you hot glue the pumpkins wherever you want them and then hang it by the burlap. we just made a big loop around the wreath and knotted it at the top and hung it on our hangers. easy peasy. i kid you not. i met shannon at 9:30 to get supplies, drove back to her house and made the wreaths and we were home a little after noon. yea, like i said, easy. just very very messy!

our week up to this point

2011-09-14T23:18:00.001-05:00

in instagram photos. but, of course!

we ate chicken noodle soup on a cool fall day.

recipe is as follows:
4 chicken breasts
1/2 onion, chopped
4 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 bag crinkle cut carrots (found in produce)
6 chicken bullion cubes dissolved in 6 cups water
1 tbsp of each: thyme and parsley (and/or whatever else you fancy)
throw all in the slow-cooker and cook on low all day (6-8 hours)
shred chicken, add about 12 oz of egg noodles to cooker and turn on high and let cook the noodles. add salt and pepper to taste.
you must serve this delicious soup with garlic-butter sourdough toast. yummy!

daddy and elle louise shared some silly time at dinner.

i cleaned up a very messy sewing/craft room. this is the after.

and...the before. not a proud moment for me. the after, however, was!

had a play-date with some cuties while mommy took the oldest to gymnastics. i now know what it's like to be a mom of 3 under 3. pause for a quick pet peeve. because i know you all would love to know my pet peeves. ok, adult to child ratios. either of the spoken or the written kind. but, i do have to share that "parenting" 3 kids under the age of 3 (2 1/2 mos, 19 mos, and 2 months shy of 3) is hard. ratio: 1 adult, 3 children. i was beat, but would do it again in a heartbeat because it was fun. sort of made me want more kids, sort of made me not want anymore kids. it was for only 2 hours people.

indulged in my first pumpkin-spice latte of the season. tis the season to drink pumpkin-spice lattes. fa la la la la la la la la la.

discovered yo gabba gabba on netflix. elle is a big fan. as am i! as is the daddy!

tomorrow morning we are meeting shannon (and westin) at hobby lobby to gather goodies to make fall wreaths. its guaranteed to be a messy time. oh, and 2 adults to 2 kids...not sure if we can handle it! i'll take my camera and share the fun with you!

tasty tuesday {recipes via pinterest}

2011-09-12T22:29:00.000-05:00

hmmm...

well i don't have a recipe for you today. big shocker, huh? its all about the picture taking. i always forget to take pictures in the kitchen.

but here are some recipes that i've made recently (in the last month or so) that i think you will like.

Source: rx4foodies.wordpress.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

Source: theartofdoingstuff.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

we love sweet potatoes, but sometimes i just can't get them crispy. the cubed and skewered way is great and the cornstarch way is awesome. try either for crispier sweet tater fries.

Source: mybakingaddiction.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

crockpot pulled pork. i am not a pulled pork fan. i got sick on it one time after eating at a local barbecue place and will not eat barbecue anymore. but, this is good. it has a vinegar marinade rather than a barbecue marinade. i froze half. we ate on it for a week and then had the frozen meat the week after. it was that good. aaron loves pulled pork so i was really excited when i found this easy recipe for him. he raved. i love when he raves about my cooking. what wife doesn't?

Source: m.myrecipes.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

zucchini and squash pizza. ha ha! can this picture be any more tiny (or is it tinier)? made this last week using pw's pizza dough recipe. mmm mmmm mmmmmm. good stuff.

Source: oureverydaydinners.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

turkey meatballs. we also had these last week. another favorite of aaron's!

Source: boulderlocavore.blogspot.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

egg salad with radish sprouts. good stuff!

Source: realmomkitchen.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

baked zucchini. there is no way this can be healthy but it sure is yummy!

Source: acouplecooks.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

greek pizza. i may have shared this recipe before. if so, sorry. but its a good 'un. yummy! again i use pw's pizza dough recipe when making all pizzas. if there is one that you think is better than hers please share!

Source: mybakingaddiction.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

made these chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. a sweet treat indeed!

Source: yourhomebasedmom.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

banana chocolate chip muffins. another sweet treat we enjoyed last week.

this week we are having the following...

Source: drizzleanddip.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

pear, apple, blue cheese and walnut salad with a maple syrup vinaigrette recipe.

Source: acouplecooks.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

black bean and sweet potato enchiladas. a favorite around these parts!

Source: budgetbytes.blogspot.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

spinach lasagna rollups!

its a good food week in our house. i can seriously not express enough how much i love pinterest. makes cataloging and finding good recipes so easy.

i love food!

something sweet saturday

2011-09-10T07:58:00.001-05:00

just some sweet pictures of elle louise from last weekend...

ah.dor.ah.ble.

friday!

2011-09-09T22:54:00.001-05:00

i LOVE fridays. even if it is my cleaning day. one huge positive of having a smaller than small house is that it takes no time at all to clean! its awesome. in the time that elle takes one nap i can clean my house top to bottom. dust, vacuum, and mop. its great.

today, we changed it up a bit and went to lunch with a dear friend and then stopped by a new shop that opened downtown. savoir faire. loved it. wish i was a millionaire. i would have bought one of everything! i really loved the brand of jeans they carry. i think they were called "blank" or something. and i need new jeans so i may just be getting a pair. preferrably the high-waisted flares!

while at lunch, sarah butt-parted elle's hair. we had a good laugh.

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Kari Beth on Pinterest

tonight my parents came over for dinner. we had pioneer woman's white chicken enchiladas. yumalicious. you have to try them asap.

after dinner, we may or may not have let elle run around nekkid. aaron hates the word nekkid. thinks its so redneck. but seems fitting since our child was running around in her birthday suit in our front yard.

then elle chalked on bapa's shoe.

and ran off a lot of energy!

happy friday to you! hope you have a wonderful weekend!

getting one toddler to pose for a picture...

2011-09-08T15:57:00.000-05:00

...is hard, but getting two toddlers to pose in near impossible.

proof!

last friday night we went over to our friend's house. they treated us to a yummy dinner and then we went to their downtown's first friday night at the square. vendors. food. music. fun.

before we headed to the square, we had some fun with one of jessica's wigs.

hilarious.

a picture with my girl! she looks a little sleepy.

baby swap!

at the square there were a lot of bikers and trials (i think that's what they are called) going on. the girls were completely entertained!

we love spending time with our friends, especially the sweet kiehn's. we always the greatest time with them and elle and ruby are so much fun together!

tasty tuesday {quinoa + corn stuffed peppers}

2011-09-06T11:04:00.000-05:00

i'm baaaaack with a tasty tuesday recipe. woo hoo! it's been since the beginning of august that i've posted one. and i've actually been cooking and baking away like a mad woman lately. just not blogging.

last saturday night i made quinoa and corn stuffed peppers. only the second time i've made them. aaron and i devour them. elle loved them the first time but really had little interest in them the second time. i think that's just a toddler thing.

quinoa + corn stuffed peppers

original recipe {here}

ingredients:
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well several times
3 T olive oil
1 bunch scallions, including 2 inches of the greens, thinly sliced into rounds
2 jalapeno chiles, finely diced, seeded (or for a less spicy alternative, Anaheims)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups, more or less, fresh or frozen corn kernels (from 3 ears of corn)
½ pound spinach leaves
½ cup chopped cilantro
¼ lb feta cheese, cut into small cubes
4 yellow, orange, or red bell peppers

directions:
*bring 2 cups of water to a boil. add ½ teaspoon salt, stir in quinoa. reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
*warm half of the oil in a skillet. add scallions and chiles, cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, then add the garlic, cumin, corn and spinach, along with 2 tablespoons of water.
*when spinach is wilted, add cilantro, quinoa, and feta. stir everything together. add salt and pepper to taste.
*slice peppers lengthwise without removing the tops and stems. remove seeds and membranes.
*simmer in salted water about 5 minutes. you don't want them too tender.
*fill them with the quinoa mixture. mine are usually overflowing with the mixture. and line them in a 9x13 baking dish.
*preheat the oven to 400. remember to do this next step. i forgot last time and they definitely benefit from it...drizzle the peppers with the reserved olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes. switch oven to broil and brown the tops. serve warm!

these are delicious and so easy to make. super healthy and super filling. both times i served them with greek turkey meatballs and tzatziki sauce.

i'm linking up with 33 shades of green so head on over for a bunch of good recipes.

gone to the fair

2011-09-03T09:37:00.001-05:00

very last minute, this past tuesday night, we decided to go the washington county fair with my parents and my brother. elle is very unsure about things when they are noisy and she is usually overwhelmed by a lot of people but it seemed like she really enjoyed the fair. she loved the carousel and the goats. in the cow barn there were huge box fans that freaked her out a little bit and in the pig barn there were a ton of huge pigs, cramped spaces and noisy misters. so elle was a little reserved in those barns.

riding the carousel first off. she loved it!

visited the goats next.

and then there were the pigs. huge and lazy.

this is the perfect fair picture. i love it!

does it get any cuter? i think not!

my parents purchased 10 tickets when we got there. the carousel took 2 tickets. so we were going to let elle ride it a couple more times and then head home. well, wouldn't you know, it broke while we were waiting in line and elle couldn't ride it again. her little heart was broken. she had a slight meltdown. so we waited and we waited for it to work again and it never did so we had to leave without any more rides. it was sad.

and, of course, i took some instagram photos...

i love how instagram can make the most skank, white-trash fair rides actually look cool and artistic.

we had fun at the fair. seriously makes me long for a farmhouse with lots of land, a huge garden, and some livestock. one day!

enjoy your saturday! we are! and we get an extra day at home with daddy monday. cheers to long weekends!

fashion friday {pinned outfits}

2011-09-02T09:27:00.000-05:00

on pinterest, i have a board labeled "outfits to recreate". and i pin fun outfits from online shops, style blogs and pinterest on that board and i have referred to that board several times since starting it. i can get in such a rut with my wardrobe. i can't go shopping when ever i want. i am limited to about twice a year...christmas and my birthday when i get gift cards. and every once in a while if i find something really good on sale, for like $10 or under on sale, i'll get it. but that happens very rarely. so when i get in a rut, i'll go to my board for some inspiration. i've got lots and lots of basics. i probably have way too many clothes as is. so if i get a little inspiration, i can usually pull together a fun {new to me} outfit.

Source: None via kari on Pinterest

love the casualness of this. and i have all the pieces in my closet: flare leg jeans, oversized tee, scarf, and wedges

Source: thevow.tumblr.com via kari on Pinterest

again, flare leg jeans and oversized {this one is cropped too} tee.

Source: lookbook.nu via kari on Pinterest

need some cooler weather for this outfit. such a an easy outfit that is super comfy and pulled together looking!

Source: couldihavethat.blogspot.com via kari on Pinterest

love the look of the ankle cigarette jeans with pointy toe pumps and a simple woven. i've got all the elements, but not sure where i would wear an outfit like this. date night perhaps? {i also LOVE the all black ensemble with the ankle boots}

Source: lookbook.nu via kari on Pinterest

white out. i wore something very similar when we went out with our friends a couple of weekends ago...white jeans, ivory tank and nude wedges. too hot for a blazer {don't have one anyway}. i was inspired by this outfit.

Source: kendieveryday.blogspot.com via kari on Pinterest

maxi skirt with a belt and a loose tank tucked in. love love love this! so simple.

happy friday!

recap

2011-08-28T22:19:00.000-05:00

we have had such a cool, calm and restful weekend.

friday my in-laws wanted elle to come over to play. we already had plans friday afternoon so elle stayed the evening with them while aaron and i had dinner and saw 'our idiot brother'. which i liked. it was a lot different than i expected. i really thought it was going to be a stupid comedy, but as aaron described it, it was more of a dramedy. while it wasn't my favorite movie ever, it was entertaining and it did make me laugh and think. about being more accepting and loving without condition and just being a good friend. ned, however, was super naive. and i do not ever want to be naive. which i can be sometimes and when i have a naive moment i just feel stupid and defeated. but yea, not about me. good movie. i wouldn't say you need to hit the theaters asap and see it like you do 'the help' but it was good. i totally thought elizabeth banks was rachel mcadams until halfway through the dern movie. those girls look alike.

yesterday we hung out. all day. we ran some errands. ate dinner at a greek restaurant. watched about 6 episodes of 'damages' {after elle went to bed}. it was awesome. also, i sewed up a loot for my new baby cousin that is due to make her debut next month. i. cannot. wait.

and that brings us up to speed. today. sunday. fun day. we celebrated my niece, taylor's, first birthday. sweet sweet baby girl. she totally dug into her cake and it was great! girl loves her some food. t's actual birthday was this past tuesday, so she's been one for a few days now. so, to her, it was like no big deal. she's such a chill baby. we love her so much. here's the post i did right after taylor was born. gosh, seems like yesterday but at the same time like a year ago. weird.

tomorrow is another start to our work week. whoopty doo.

hopefully i'll get back into a better swing of blogging and i'm challenging myself to start taking more pictures with my camera camera because i know my twitter followers are really sick of seeing my instagram pictures in double doses! ha.

have a great week. talk soon!

its been since monday

2011-08-27T15:44:00.000-05:00

i feel like i need to apologize for not blogging since monday, but why? we have been living our lives and hanging out and that is about it. i took a 3-day social media break and it did me a world of good. the other night jessica colored my hair (bless her soul it looks amazing) and while i was at her house i read in her bathroom this...

turn off outside sources that lead you emotionally. focus on your calling. your family. your home. press into Yahweh and let him talk to you.

its a wonder what 3 days can do. i feel refreshed.

this morning we went to the farmer's market and elle caught a glimpse of herself in the mirrored windows of the bank. she could not take her eyes off herself. i can see why. she is the darn cutest thing i have ever seen.

happy saturday!

monday musings

2011-08-22T15:15:00.001-05:00

monday schmonday...

its actually been a good day so far. i was on time to work and haven't been griped out by any unhappy customers {yet} and the day is just cruis'n right along. i did forget my lunch, so i'm using my "lunch break" to blog. and i'm starving. star.ving. i lied, i packed a lunch but just peaches and grapes. easy to grab out the door. they didn't last long.

we had a good weekend i suppose. my parents wanted to take elle to a local fair saturday night with some of their friends that have a grand-girl the same age as elle, so we of course let her go and i instantly called up some friends for an adult night out. then my parent's asked if elle could just stay the night. she did and i may or may not have had a couple glasses of wine at dinner. it was a fun time!

the girls. the guys sat at the other end of the table. they weren't worthy of getting their picture taken. just kidding. just kidding.

after dinner we went back to the tadlock's to hang out for awhile, but not before stopping by cherry berry. what night's complete without some good ole froyo? while at the tadlock's i perused the tupelo honey cafe cookbook and stole me some recipes. i cannot wait to get busy in the kitchen....

making that warm pimento dip tonight! yes ma'am.

we spent the majority of yesterday at my parents swimming. i'm not too sure how many more days we'll get at the pool before it gets to cold outside to swim. i'm looking forward to cooler weather. i love fall. its my favorite. can't wait to whip up some pumpkin desserts. mmm mmmm mmmmmm.

revelation: my life revolves around food. that's ok. i like it.

had a strong urge to sew yesterday, so while i had it i took advantage of it and whipped up some dresses for two lucky little ladies. they got monogrammed with sweet initials today and they are that much cuter.

last night about 10:00 i got the aching for some cobbler so i made pw's cobbler with rasperries and peaches. again, my life revolves around food. y'all. so yummy. i'll share tomorrow. it is a heavenly treat. tart and sweet. perfection.

speaking of tart and sweet...

more sweet than tart in this picture. but don't let her fool ya. she's definitely made up of sugar and spice. i miss this girl today. she has been funny lately. i know i say it all the time...but she is so. much. dang. fun. something new everyday.hour.minute. and she just gets it. the world is her playground. its awesome.

happy monday. hope its been a good one.

just checking in

2011-08-18T21:38:00.001-05:00

we are here. very much here. but, just haven't really had much motivation to blog lately. sorry about that. little blogging block. i'll get my groove back. eventually.

until then, here are some instagram photos of my sweet ellie bean...

oh, and here's the recipe for the tomato pie (that i was going to post on tuesday but completely forgot about until just now when i saw the pic of the pie on my flickr photostream):

tupelo honey cafe's tomato pie
makes 8 servings

1 pie crust (mine was store bought)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 10 ounces cheese)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 chopped green onions, white and green parts
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick

Roll out a 10-inch pie crust and place in a 9-inch pie pan. Preheat the oven to 425. In a bowl, combine the cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, parsley, green onions, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs, mixing completely. Layer one-third of the tomatoes in the pie pan, covering the bottom of the pie crust. Spread one-third of the Parmesan cheese mixture on top of the tomatoes and repeat, making 2 more layers of tomatoes and cheese and ending with the cheese mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top of the pie is bubbling and browned. Serve warm.

mmm mmmm mmmmm. you have to, must try this. it is the perfect savory summer pie!

monday musings

2011-08-15T10:34:00.000-05:00

i started this post last night but wanted to add a few {mis}happenings from this morning...

*while pulling an 8-pound pork butt out of my fridgidaire this morning i dropped an entire dish of fresh homemade salsa on my tile floor. it went everywhere. and when i say everywhere i mean everywhere. i spent a good 30 minutes cleaning that mess up. and i broke one of my awesome vintage pyrex bowls and lid. ugh.

*get to work and we are out of coffee. and i forgot my lunch. i'm really not sure how i'm going to survive this monday. but i will.

*definitely not a mishappening...
hopped on pinterest this morning. saw this bedroom first thing. i am in love. this is exactly (besides the chandelier, i have to have a fan) what i want my master to look like. love every single thing about it.

Source: None via Jona on Pinterest

back to my original post...

*started using garnier fructis pure clean shampoo and conditioner. no dyes. no silicone. no parabens. it literally makes my hair squeaky clean but then once dried it is so greasy. so much for going green in the hair care department. i can't be having greasy hair.

*elle louise has started saying "i love you", sounds like "i luh lu". it is seriously the sweetest thing my ears have ever heard. the first time she said it was about 2 weeks ago. she was taking a bath. i was sitting on the toilet (lid closed, people) and aaron was doing the dishes (yes, my man does the dishes) and she yelled to aaron "daddy!" very loud and he yelled back "what?" and she said "i luh lu". no prompting. on her own free will. it was amazing. and now she says it all the time.

*i made tomato pie last night. amazing. i'll share the recipe tomorrow.

*potty training is still going on in our house. we aren't pushing anything just letting elle kind of do it on her own for now. she likes for her rubby duckys to watch her go potty. it's hilarious.

*speaking of p/ting. last friday afternoon we stopped by our friend, sarah's, house and elle said she needed to go potty so i took her dry diaper off and she pee peed on the potty at sarah's house. sarah and i were so proud.
*i started 'mad men' a couple of weeks ago. and while i'm not totally obsessed, it is pretty entertaining. quite sad and pathetic really, the way the men treat women on the show. so gross.

*last wednesday night my cousin, jennifer, and i saw 'the help'. it was so good. you must go see it. now i'm finishing the book and want to see it again once i've done so.

*elle louise looked so cute at my brother's graduation! but, of course.

*mondays always come way too soon. even after having thursday-sunday with my family. i go to bed sunday dreading taking elle to the babysitter's house on monday. maybe one day i'll be able to be a sahm. until then, i'll just look forward to that day.

something sweet saturday

2011-08-13T15:31:00.000-05:00

today my brother graduated from college...

we are so proud of him! way to go cb!

fashion friday {fall}

2011-08-12T13:33:00.000-05:00

first off...if you don't have spotify you must request an invite. it's the most awesome online music streaming service out there. i promise. i'm listening to 'room for squares' and remembering very vividly the first year of my courtship with aaron. awww. we loved us some john mayer. and listened to 'room for squares' on repeat.

it's been "cooler" in nwa the last few days and even rainy. a welcomed change for sure. it has me wanting fall and i've even been doing a little online browsing for fall. and pinning of course...

Source: dakotacollective.com via kari on Pinterest

leather pants. yes.

Source: dakotacollective.com via kari on Pinterest

asymmetrical dress. yes.

Source: m.urbanoutfitters.com via kari on Pinterest

lace dress. yes.

Source: m.urbanoutfitters.com via kari on Pinterest

open scarf cardi. yes.

Source: m.urbanoutfitters.com via kari on Pinterest

twill cigarette pants. in this awesome tan shade. yes.

Source: couldihavethat.blogspot.com via kari on Pinterest

high-waist and wide legs. yes.

Source: freepeople.com via kari on Pinterest

long linen dress. yes.

Source: freepeople.com via kari on Pinterest

suede wedges. yes.

Source: jcpenney.com via kari on Pinterest

stripe cardi. yes.

Source: m.urbanoutfitters.com via kari on Pinterest

boyfriend blazer. in this bronze shade. yes.

and here are a few of my "in my wildest dreams" finds...

Source: m.urbanoutfitters.com via kari on Pinterest

exposed zipper frye heath boots

Source: freepeople.com via kari on Pinterest

hand crocheted maxi

happy friday!
cheers to a great weekend
(hopefully with pretty weather wherever you are!)...

baby cash's shower

2011-08-09T13:33:00.000-05:00

we have been crazy busy the last week or so. every day we have had errands to run, places to go and people to see. yesterday morning on our way out the door i asked elle if she was ready to go to abuela's she said "no momma. home momma.". it made me so sad because she's usually running out the door saying "go. go. go.". broke my heart. so this morning i asked her if she wanted to go to the mall and she said "noooooooooo!" so we decided to just stay put today. we are still in our jammies. and elle is wearing panties around the house. not pushing it but just trying it out here and there. i think with elle's personality its gotta be her idea.

last weekend, with the help of friends, i hosted a baby shower for my bf, ashley. her and gary are expecting their first child, a son, in october. i'm so excited for them to become parents and to journey through this phase of life together.

the favorite at all showers. the food table. and, of course, adorned with pouf balls. ha! what shower or party doesn't have pouf balls these days?

guest sign in. monogrammed burlap with a thick matte and framed. a lot of people didn't sign (shame on them) so ashley is going to take to the hospital with her and have their guests sign it there too. great idea!

the momma with her shower hostesses. why are these pictures always so awkward. ha! i love hosting showers with a lot of hostesses. i feel like you can do so much more for the expecting mom that way!

look at all those gifts! and that was before a lot of the guests started to arrive.this was mainly just gifts for her momma, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, shannon! that is one blessed little boy!

we did a fun onesie-decorating craft. i'll share more later. i didn't know how this craft was going to be perceived by the guests but we ended up having to run to walmart in the middle of the shower to get more blank onesies. almost everyone wanted to decorate a onesie. ashley ended up with 20 fun and unique onesies for cash!

it was such a fun shower and i'm so glad ashley had a good turnout. she and gary are going to be great parents. i'm super excited about cash's birth day in october! i'm pretty sure he'll become one of my favorite little lovies.

back to veggin' out with my girl. happy tuesday.

and sorry for the lack of a tasty tuesday recipe. i have nothing to share this week. i have pinned some really good (and healthy) recipes lately. hopefully i'll get to those next week!

18 months

2011-08-05T08:03:00.000-05:00

the roofers showed up this morning. bright and early. they are so so loud. elle is sleeping right through it. i'm not sure how, but whatever.

so, yesterday elle louise turned eighteen months old. wild.

its really hard for me to make a list about all the things elle louise is doing at this stage because she is doing so much. she talks a ton, has a huge vocabulary, and repeats everything we say. it's awesome. she will be speaking sentences before we know it. she is also very busy and into everything but most of the time pretty compliant. she is starting to get discipline and direction a little more now which are making our days at home together much more enjoyable. she is all over the board with clothes. she can wear anything from 6 to 18 months. but nothing beyond 18 months really, its just too big. pretty sure she weighs somewhere around 20 pounds and is still wearing a size 3 diaper. she tries the potty here and there and gets it but we haven't really dedicated our lives to potty training yet. soon. very very soon!

our days are pretty predictable. what time she goes to bed determines what time she gets up. she sleeps a solid 12 hours every night. when she wakes up she is such a softy and so cuddly. its so sweet. she eats breakfast, watches cartoons (her favorites are sesame street, clifford and dora dora). a couple of days of week she goes to the babysitter's house. if its our day at home, and i have errands to run, we skip the morning nap. days we are at home she usually takes an 1 1/2 to 2 hour morning nap. we eat lunch. she loves lunch and eats the most at this time. after lunch we play and play and play. this is my favorite time of the day. just sitting on the floor, interacting and watching her explore and learn. about 2:00 she goes down for her afternoon nap. we don't miss afternoon naps. she usually sleeps 2 1/2 to 3 hours at this time, depending on if she's had her morning nap or not she will sometimes sleep 4 hours! and then its time for daddy to get home and most evenings we just hang out at home.

elle louise is a girly girl. she loves her purse or anything that looks like a purse. she loves to pack it and act like she's going somewhere. she'll say "goodbye", wave, and blow kisses and then walk into another room like she's gone somewhere. when she "returns" i always get really excited and ask her if she went to target and she always says "yes". its hilarious. she also loves her babies. oh my. she is a mommy to triplets and loves to play with them all together. she has even named one. coco kate. she has an aunt coco and a cousin, anna kate. guess she just combined the names. she also loves to "help" me pick out her clothes and i always ask her opinion. she usually says "i like it" because i'll ask "do you like it?". but on wednesday i asked her about a carter's romper and she said "that cute!". i about died. she actually gets excited to get dressed in the morning and she walks around for a little bit looking down at what she is wearing. i love it.

this is the funnest stage that we have been in with elle. it is hard, yes. very very hard. very very challenging. but also brings us so much joy! she is an absolute doll baby and still to this day i look at her and think are you really mine?! she is learning something new every single day and putting things together like i can't believe. she is a smart cookie. i love it.

can't believe our baby girl is 18 months old. seems like just last month were celebrating her first birthday. and, my oh my, how much things have changed in 6 months. can't even begin to imagine how much will change in the next 6 months.

happy friday!

tasty tuesday {summer stir-fry}

2011-08-02T19:00:00.000-05:00

easiest dinner recipe EVER. my mom taught me this and it's definitely a favorite summer meal.

ingredients:
okra, sliced
onion, chopped
ripe tomatoes, chunked (is that a term? you want good hearty bits of tomato)
3 tbs butter (more or less)
seasoning (i used slap yo mama)

directions:
melt butter in saute pan over medium/high heat. once melted add veggies and seasoning. cook over medium heat until okra are tender. serve over brown rice.

simple. yummy. healthy. enough said.

linking up at 33 shades of green. check out all the great recipes.

happy tuesday!

poor little guy

2011-08-01T11:03:00.000-05:00

first off...it is august 1st! i can't believe it is august. this week elle louise turns eighteen months old. it blows my mind. where has our summer gone? i have a feeling its going to feel like summer for the next couple of months anyway, so we're good there.

so, in honor of elle turning 18 mos old, we have something really fun planned. so stay tuned...

our weekend was quite eventful. actually the last 2 weeks have been quite eventful, but this weekend took the cake. we have had a lot going on in our personal lives. all good. but scary at the same time. something that would cause us to make some major changes. we finally have some peace about it and are feeling good now.

the story of our weekend {it is sad. have tissue close.}...

saturday night on our way home from my parents' house we came across a white boxer puppy just sitting in the middle of the road. he was so scrawny. clearly malnourished and dehydrated. so, we took him home cleaned him up (he was actually really clean. smelled better than our mutts. didn't have a flea or tick) and tried so hard to get him to eat and drink. he wouldn't. parvo did not cross my mind one time. we just thought he had probably been without food for a couple of days. we named him manny pacqiuao (some boxer. since he was a boxer. and aaron likes the sport.) and had every intention of finding him a good home once we got him better.

in the early morning (between 5:45 and 8:00) he had a major stool blow-out and there was lots of blood. so i called uncle vet and he told me he would meet me at the clinic after church and that he thought pacman (that's what we nicknamed him) was around 6-8 weeks and had parvo. right after i ended the call with uncle, pac quit breathing and then took his final 3 breaths. it was heart-wrenching to watch. we met uncle vet at the clinic anyway with the body and he took care of that for us.

so so sad. and i can't keep thinking about him. bless his little puppy heart. i wish there was more that we could have done for him but it was just his time i suppose. glad we at least provided him a comfortable and loving place to die. my eyes are welling up typing this...

how we found him...

he looks so sad....

and, yes, i know we had a dog in our home with parvo. and, yes, we have 2 other dogs. but they are outside and they are both 6 years old and they both have been vaccinated for the parvovirus. and it doesn't spread to humans and we've bleached and disinfected everywhere pacman was. so we are all okay. uncle vet said so.

i'm a so glad to be starting a new and to have the last couple weeks and weekend for sure behind us.

happy monday!

one for the record books.

2011-07-27T08:03:00.001-05:00

elle louise is pee-peeing and poo-pooing in the potty.

well...she's done each duty only one time. and the #2 duty was tiny as a mouse's turd. but, hey, you gotta start somewhere.

#1 duty happened on thursday the 21st and #2 duty happened monday night (the 25th)!

lemonade on the right. tiny mouse turd on the left.

proud sweetie sitting on the potty.

we are so proud of our girl! hopefully we tackle this potty training business with grace and ease! i know daddy's pocket book would be very happy if it was done buying diapers every 3rd week! ha!

tasty tuesday {slow-cooker chili chicken meat}

2011-07-26T10:44:00.000-05:00

3 reasons i decided to use my slow-cooker last week:
1-its so dern hot outside i didn't want to heat up my kitchen by turning on my oven.
2-worked all day and needed something that would be ready when we got home.
3-this recipe looked really good and easy so i wanted to try it (and with only 5 ingredients, very cheap!).

slow-cooker chili chicken meat
derived from: martha stewart
makes 4 servings (really it makes a lot more and i didn't use quite 2 lbs of chicken)

ingredients:
2 pounds chicken breast
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2-cup of chunky salsa (pick your heat)
3 tbs canned chipolte chiles in adobo sauce, coursely chopped + some of the sauce (use only 1-2 tbs if you can't take the heat. we like it spicy in our house!)
1 tbs chili powder

directions:
dump all ingredients in slow-cooker. cook on low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours. and voila you have meat for chicken tacos, burritos, nachos, salad, and etc.

i made this last wednesday. we were supposed to have some friends over for dinner but they couldn't make it and we ended up eating dinner with aaron's family that night. so, i stuck it in the fridge for thursday and we ate on it all weekend and aaron took the last of it for lunch today. it lasted us a long time.

martha's recipe is a little different, go {here} for her version.

once again, i'm linking up with 33 shades of green today. so head on over for some good recipes.

i found this strawberry crumb pie recipe, via the link-up, last week. plan on making it today! looks so delicious!

happy tuesday. elle louise and i are beating the heat by staying in doors! yea oh yea. we only have a few outdoor activities today...popsicles, bubbles, the bank and sonic happy hour!

hipstamatic

2011-07-25T07:49:00.000-05:00

some hipstamatic pictures i took last fall/winter. not sure if i've blogged these or not, but i can't believe how much elle has changed since i took them.

12-30-10

10-25-10

10-21-10

10-22-10

10-22-10

11-29-10

gosh she was so chubby!

i can't even begin to imagine the ways she will change in the next 8 months or so. so wild how they change so much the first few years of their lives. they go from being dependent little chubs of goodness to independent on-the-go toddlers in a matter of months. blows my mind.

i love...

2011-07-24T15:48:00.001-05:00

...brand new babies.

...this shampoo for elle. smells so good.

...tiny toddlers with roly poly legs.

...that elle's bathing suits from last summer fit her this summer.

...the park.

happy sunday.

crafting

2011-07-21T15:29:00.001-05:00

we met my in-laws (elle's gigi and aunts) at the mall for lunch today. i had zero dollhairs to spend, but have some forever21 gift cards so after we ate i did a little perusing. but between a screaming toddler and nothing really jumping out at me we decided to depart with the mall. i like to buy. and there are times when i love to shop. maybe its because i have a very active child, that does not like to be confined to her stroller for long periods of time, that i have fallen out of love with the hunt. whatever it is, i'm just not really into it lately. don't get me wrong. i love clothes. i love fashion. i love getting dressed and putting pieces from my closet together and making an outfit. and i love how every once in a while i love what i'm wearing. its just i really don't find shopping to be very much fun anymore. so that's that.

i must praise my child though, because she sat in her highchair for a good 30-45 minutes with only a slight meltdown and a little digested hand sanitizer. i actually was able to eat 75% of my salad before she was just done.

cousin riley let elle borrow her oh-so-cool-80's sunglasses today. and to my suprise elle loved them... because she was getting a lot of attention with them on.

we got home and elle went down for her nap. very easily. she was pooped out. i started crafting. in may i bought elle several blank tanks from american apparel to embellish and i'm just now getting to the last few...

hand-appliqued bird. like my friend shannon did with westin's shirts. so easy and so handmade. ha! and the white tank i just added white rosette trim to the collar. turned out super fancy!

up close its a train wreck. but from a distance it turned out pretty cute.

i bought these felt balls at hobby lobby a while back and i also got some ribbon to match them and i'm going to make some clips for e's hair. they were 30% off $3.99 for all three. you couldn't felt your own balls for that.

aaaand...i think that's about all the crafting i've got in me today and elle's nap is coming to an end. happy thursday!

tasty tuesday {creamy lemon crumb squares}

2011-07-19T18:33:00.000-05:00

found this recipe via pinterest about a month ago and it has been my go-to dessert lately. tasty, light and easy to make.

i took this picture just to show you what little we have left. i made last friday afternoon and its almost gone and no one has eaten a single bite but me. i need help!

creamy lemon crumb bars
derived from the pioneer woman

Ingredients:

* 1-1/3 cup All-purpose Flour
* 1/2 teaspoon Salt
* 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
* 1 stick (1/2 Cup) Butter, Slightly Softened
* 1 cup Brown Sugar (lightly Packed)
* 1 cup Oats
* 1 can (14 Ounce) Sweetened Condensed Milk
* 1/2 cup Lemon Juice
* Zest Of 1 Lemon

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat of to 350-degrees.Mix butter and brown sugar until well combined.
Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
Add oats and flour to butter/sugar mixture and mix to combine.
Press half of crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 11 inch pan.
Mix together condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Spread onto the bottom layer of the crumb mixture. Top with the other half of the crumb mixture, but don't press.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Allow pan to sit on counter for 30 minutes after baking. Cut into squares and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until cool.
Serve cool.

garden-fresh tomatoes. straight from my in-laws garden. we are having caprese(ish) salads tonight. i'm going to add some spinach. yummy!

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via kari on Pinterest

it won't look this pretty, but i'm sure it will taste just as good. can't beat garden-grown maters.

i'm linking up with 33 shades of green, so head over to her blog and check out all the recipes!

p.s. this is what i just captured elle doing...

cutest thing ever!

the last few days

2011-07-17T23:03:00.000-05:00

if you follow me on twitter, you might just want to skip this post all together. it is pretty much everything i've tweeted the last few days...

at the end of may, we had a total impromptu photoshoot with rachel blackwell and on saturday the prints i ordered arrived. elle louise is quite photogenic when she wants to be!

the last few days (thursday. friday. saturday. sunday.) have been trying. just gonna put it all out there...i told aaron tonight that i was actually looking forward to work tomorrow. and then after i said it out loud i felt guilty and like a horrible mom. maybe i am. but, elle is so busy these days and testing her every boundary. example: we went to my cousin ruby's 3rd birthday party saturday afternoon at my aunt and uncles brand new house and elle managed to ram ruby's miniature, metal shopping cart (that she got for her birthday) into a wooden column in the kitchen and make a huge indention. i was mortified. we were supposed to go to our twin niece's swimming party this afternoon but we opted out. it was for their friends and there were going to be lots of people there i didn't know and i was having so much anxiety about going and elle acting out in front them that we just decided not to go. aaron was totally on board because i think he was a little worn out after the birthday party saturday too. we know. we know. she is only 17 months old. yes, we get it. but we also don't want her to be a hellion when she is 3! so, we want to establish boundaries and instill in her a sweet and obedient spirit now so that when she is 3, 4, 5, elementary, and etc she is a sweet, well-mannered, and gentle person. so, there. ha!

elle, dada, dog and bawk-bawk playing chase this afternoon. sorry, if this picture makes you dizzy. it kind of does me. it was super cute to see in person though. even if i was having major weird stomach cramps and a horrible headache.

friday night we had dinner at greenhouse grille with our friends from little rock. hands down. my favorite. i had the eggplant napoleon and i will never be the same. fire-roasted eggplant, garden tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and parmesan, drizzled in balsamic vinegar. my mouth is watering.

our friends have two kids; a 7-year old son and a 2 1/2-year old daughter. the son sweet as pie. the daughter sweet as pie with a little sass thrown in. at dinner elle and the daughter (or the baby as they call her) were rotten...i am so glad they had live music to drown out the girls. they were sweet though. just feeling their oats. like toddlers do.

saturday, sarah and i shopped for our friend, ashley's, baby shower that's next month. we had so much fun and laughed a lot. the fabric is for a little something we are doing at the shower. can't share now but i will because its going to be fun, artsy and creative. can't remember if i took that picture before or after sarah spilled her iced latte all over her lap. oh yeah, it was before. ha!

gave myself a mani and pedi. i painted my nails this new color, sage, from forever21 and my toes a coraly neutral that i've had for 3 years...got it at urban outfitters in nashville forever ago. and it remains one of my fav's. so my nails are sage. my toes are neutral. aaron thought that was weird but i find it weirder that he's just now noticing. i never paint my nails and toes the same color. it makes me itch. personal preference though because it doesn't bother me when other people do it. and most people do.

aaron's mom brought us these vintage pyrex mugs last weekend. i. love. them. wish i had more! they were aaron's granny deloris's. going to start scouring flea markets and antique stores for me. been seeing lots of vintage pyrex on pinterest and am in love with it all.

well, i guess that's all i've gots for ya...

hope you have a good week! we have a pretty low key week ahead and i'm so looking forward to it!

talk soon!

elle loves daddy

2011-07-13T09:48:00.000-05:00

elle and her daddy are tight. makes my heart skip a beat.

she was hammin' it up for the camera last night and showing her daddy lots of lovin'.

giveaway winner

2011-07-12T14:05:00.000-05:00

and the winner is valerie griffin. the first commenter.

Valerie Griffin said...
I believe I found your blog through Rachel Berrys but I started following because I love your precious girl's name! I have always loved the name "Eloise" from the book/movie. I just love how you spell it! So fresh, young, & fun! I really enjoy reading your blog!

i used random.org number generator to determine the winner. i tried to save the image but could not figure out how to do so, so you'll have to trust me :)

thank you everyone for entering my giveaway. when i get to 300 followers i'll do another one.

valerie, thank you for your kind comment! email me at thehighlifeblog(at)gmail(dot)com and we can discuss wreath deets!

and a quick little something from our day...

this morning i took elle louise to an indoor playground with all inflatable bounce houses and slides. we met shannon and westin there. westin played so good. elle was a little indifferent. she only got on a bouncy toy once for about 10 seconds and then she decided to ride the playskool rockin' horses instead. she definitely had the most fun getting into everyone's bags and belongings and trying to steal other kids/babies sippy cups. whether i want to or not, we will be going back for more though. i bought a voucher for 4 times for half price, so we have 3 more pre-paid times. hoping next time she actually gets her bounce on!

westin playing in the baby/toddler area! oh yeah, we went during "toddler" time and let me just say there were some big toddlers! and i didn't know that 5 year olds were still considered toddlers? shannon made w's shirt. go {here} to check out how she did it. it is even cuter in person!

yip. i know. she looks like such a big girl here. the outfit. the pigtails. oh my lanta. and yip. i paid $3 for my child to ride a plastic horse for all of 20 minutes.

after our bouncing fun we went to lunch. she was a mess y'all. would not sit still. sat and stood on the table numerous times. and so loud. i'm sure shannon thinks my child is insane. westin was a perfect angel. sat in his highchair. ate his lunch. and only made a couple peeps. elle needs to be taking some lessons from that sweet boy! shannon said he just had some good entertainment. lord, help me!

the bounce house wore her out. we ran another quick errand after lunch. bra shopping. yip a roonie. and she fell asleep on the way home and is still asleep. i'm hoping for a four-hourer today!

totally random monday post...

2011-07-11T10:18:00.000-05:00

i'm still recovering from our weekend. i felt like a zombie for the greater part of yesterday and woke up this morning with that same hazy feeling. not sure if its being away from home for a couple of days or the massive heat wave we are experiencing, but geez i am beat. or maybe its my go-get-'em girl that is always so busy busy. honestly, i've been trying to make an effort to eat right...like complex carbs and protein for lunch and dinner (i can't do breakfast) and to make a point to drink a lot of water in a given day hoping for some added energy but there is none. i always feel so drained. one day elle louise will be more independent and i will wish that she needed me more. so, i guess, for now i will embrace this stage of life. foggy and all...

i purchased a new app last night. its called diptic and it allows you to make collages using your iphone pictures or pictures from your flickr app. i played around with it a little last night after elle went to bed. its really fun!

elle is not this dark/orange. i think i messed with some color settings or something...
this was taken outside of toys r' us last night while we waited for daddy to check out. elle had a mini break down in the store but was cool as a cucumber when we got outside. we went shopping for our twin nieces' birthday party that is wednesday. let me say...you would think that it would be easy to shop for 7 year old girls, but i was at a loss. aaron totally picked out their presents.

i bought elle a few clips (bumblee bee. ice cream cone. crotchet flower) and a big bow at polkadot posies about a month ago. kelle hampton had a 10% off code on her blog and i took advantge. i think my order ended up being $11 with shipping. you should check them out. they have some super cute ribbon clips, crochet flower hats and clips and big bows. the bow i bought from polka dot posies is a little big for my liking but i think it will be so cute for ponytails when e's hair gets a little longer. i will be purchasing more from that cute shop! awesome customer service and fast shipping. AND they even sent me a complimentary flower clip.

well. i guess that's all i've got for today. i'm just going to survive this day. wishing for quittin' time already and the day as barely begun. looking forward to "sleeping in" tomorrow.

happy monday!

lake + giveaway

2011-07-10T20:04:00.000-05:00

we are home from our 2-night stay with my parents at the lake. we had so much fun. we were tempted to stay just one more night but decided probably be bestest to come back home and make that money. i took a lot of pictures this weekend. so, get super pumped for another lake post with a lot of pictures. i know you can't wait. ha!

my main reason for posting tonight is to remind everyone to enter my giveaway, if you haven't done so. i will select a winner tomorrow evening sometime and announce tuesday!

have a great week!

friday! friday! going to the lake on friday!

2011-07-08T10:04:00.001-05:00

well i said i wasn't going to blog this week due to my work load, but i've come out of hybernation for several reasons. one being that it is very quiet in the office this morning and i need something to make this morning go by fast. we are leaving for a little getaway with my family (mom. dad. brother.) this afternoon and i'm super excited.

and, a few other reasons why i decided to blog today...

{neon}... my new favorite super trend.

Source: cocokelley.blogspot.com via kari on Pinterest

give me!!!!!!!!!!

Source: thesartorialist.blogspot.com via kari on Pinterest

my friend, sarah, found an almost exact replica of this dress at the goodwill in our town! i was so excited when i saw this on the sartiorialist yesterday. pretty lace dress with an oh-so-80s neon green belt. who would've thought that would make a good combo? that pretty girl did. looks so fun! i'm sure sarah will be rockin' this look soon! she's on the hunt for a skinny neon belt now.

Source: citified.blogspot.com via kari on Pinterest

neon + neutral

Source: citified.blogspot.com via kari on Pinterest

neon + denim

i came across this alphabet wall display yesterday on apartment therapy. i love it for elle's play area in our living room. love the color-blocked square on the wall. the whole thing is so fun and bright and colorful. now where in the world am i going to find all these fun letters? i guess we will be scouring junk stores and flea markets!

Source: gallery.apartmenttherapy.com via kari on Pinterest

while looking at all home tour pictures of the awesome "chic geek" farmhome, i came across red lockers (i'm assuming are also in the playroom along with the alphabet letter wall). i'm not too sure the history behind them but i got a brilliant idea. we have several sets of lockers in our garage that we use for storage. they are in pretty janky condition but i think we could bring them back to life and use them in the nook in our living room that now houses a couple shelves ~~filled with crap~~ and our printer.

Source: gallery.apartmenttherapy.com via kari on Pinterest

take the geek chic farmhouse tour {here}

i am not a cat person. we had two cats growing up. the first one had a seizure and died under our kitchen table after many years of failed suicide attempts. her name was frisky (i think) and she road in the hood of my dad's truck from our house in the country to our church in town. about 10-15 miles. someone found her and called us. we had family pictures taken with that dern cat. after she died my mom got my brother and i another cat (where were the dogs, mom?) for christmas. we named her noel. soon after we got her my parents had her de-clawed and then after a couple years of my dad and i suffering from allergies we started shaving her. she was a freak. the only person in the entire family that she liked was my mom. all she did was lie under the dining room table (where frisky died) and hiss at anyone (except mom) when they walked by. something happened to noel. maybe she had the seizure. i'm not sure. obviously you can tell i wasn't a fan of either cat if i can't even remember their demise.

all that to say...

the night before last aaron and i laid in bed and watched several videos of cats. it actually made me like cats a little more. and one blessed day when we have our dream home on our dream land with our dream farm i will have an outside cat. they are pretty cool and smart and weird.

check out these cute you tube videos of cats.

pretty cute, huh!?

well, how's that for the most random of random posts?

hope you all have a great weekend! i should be back to my regularly scheduled posting next week! and don't forget, the giveaway will be monday. if you haven't already entered please do so!

4th of july

2011-07-04T21:52:00.001-05:00

happy 4th!

it is quite the task capturing a picture of my girl-on-the-go!

if this picture doesn't capture her orneriness, i'm not sure what would!

we spent the day at my parents celebrating with family and friends!

elle has no fear in the water. which terrifies the doo out of me. but she's pretty cautious outside of the pool, so that puts me at ease a little.

this week i'm working every single day. yea, i know. not looking forward to it. but, after a long work, we are going to the lake with my family for a few days and that i'm very much looking forward to. that will for sure get me through the week!

and, since i'm working every day, i'm going to take a little blogging hiatus. i need a break anyway. so i'll talk to ya next week!

and if you haven't entered my giveaway please do! i'm going to extend it to monday the 11th since i'm not going to be blogging this week! thanks so much!

the rodeo

2011-07-03T17:49:00.000-05:00

last night we went the rodeo. we had planned to go friday night too, but elle louise accidentally scratched my eyeball friday morning and, i kid you not, i laid in bed all day friday with my eye closed. hurt like hell. thank goodness for help with elle...mom picked her up in the afternoon for a couple of hours and aaron came home early and took her to his parents' house for the evening. later in the evening it started feeling a little better so aaron picked me up and we went to the shaved ice stand. my silver fox with invisible raspberry made me feel a little better and luckily, i woke up saturday morning and my eye was healed. like nothing had ever happened. i was so relieved.

doesn't elle look so cute in her rodeo get up? mom bought her the cowgirl hat the night before. it was so cute, but she wasn't a fan. but, of course she wasn't! she wore it just long enough for me to grab a quick pic with my phone. mom and i tried to find elle cowboy boots but they didn't make any small enough for her feet. but, you better believe next year she will be sportin' the cowboy boots!

my work (that is owned by my parents) sells offical rodeo shirts every year in the shirt shack and it's always so much fun people watching from that shack.

not only is it a good place to people watch, but it usually turns into quite the hang out!

happy 4th of july weekend! have a fun and safe holiday tomorrow!

p.s. guess who is 17 months old tomorrow?
yep. you guessed it. elle louise!
i can hardly even believe it!

something sweet saturday

2011-07-02T16:50:00.000-05:00

elle louise happy and content (for at least 5 minutes) swinging.

a daddy and his daughter. there's nothing sweeter.

happy saturday! we are off to the rodeo. for reals.

four years

2011-06-30T09:52:00.001-05:00

four years ago, today, we did this...

here...

and in front of family and friends...

yep. it has been four crazy years for sure. i have learned so much about myself in the last four years and then you throw a kid in the mix and its like you start all over again. kids change everything. for the better, of course. but it definitely has added a whole new dynamic to our marriage.

i wonder what the next four years will hold for us?

giveaway time

2011-06-29T15:58:00.000-05:00

two posts in one day. no way!

just noticed that my blog now has 200 followers! this makes me so happy and i want to do a small giveaway.

one week from today, i'll randomly select a winner using random.org. i will make the winner a burlap ruffle wreath. and if you are the winner, i will make it specific to your liking and i will ship it to you! all as a way to thank you for being a loyal reader of living the high life blog.

entry rules:
1-must be a follower of the blog.
2-if you are not already a follower, become one.
3-leave a comment with your name and e-mail address and a quick something you like about the blog or something you would like to see from me on the blog.
4-that's it!

thanks, again, for being one of the 200 followers of the blog. i'm so glad that 200 people out there like to read what i have to share!

hair

2011-06-29T09:56:00.000-05:00

jessica did exactly what i asked of her. remove the dead hair and shape it up a bit. she also took some weight out of the front so that my hair is not always falling in my face.

decided against bangs. i've been talking myself out of it for days. kept remembering when i did have bangs how my forehead was always greasy and broken out. i didn't want to have to mess with that this summer. when fall, and cooler weather approach, i might decide to get some then.

i am so happy with my hair. it feels so light and healthy.

tada! not a big change, but a healthy new 'do. now if it would only grow like 5 inches in the next few months. my hair grows so slow. ugh.

home sick with ellie bean today. started running fever yesterday afternoon. i noticed when i got her up from her nap. she doesn't act like she feels too bad. just whiny mainly and ~~clingy~~ cuddly. hopefully whatever it is leaves quickly.

tasty tuesday {olive cheese bread}

2011-06-28T18:11:00.000-05:00

first off, i completely forgot my dad's birthday yesterday. well i didn't forget to tell him happy birthday...i just forgot to let the world know that it was his birthday.

dad introducing elle to the lawnmower. she was not a fan.

nana rescuing elle!

bapa chasing nana and elle. he is so ornery.

happy birthday dad and bapa! we love you so much and are blessed because of you!

and, finally, a tasty tuesday recipe. i can't remember if i've done this one before so if i have i am sorry!

pioneer woman's olive cheese bread

ingredients. minus the green onions. mine spoiled.

chop up the olives (and the green onions if you got 'em).

mix with the mayo, butter and cheese.

spread on half of loaf. i froze the other half for a later day. pw says you can freeze it for up to 6 months! bake in 325-degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

and, tada! a real treat.

Ingredients

* 1 loaf French Bread
* 6 ounces, weight Pimiento-stuffed Green Olives
* 6 ounces, weight Black Olives
* 2 stalks Green Onions (scallions)
* 1 stick Butter, Room Temperature
* ½ cups Mayonnaise
* ¾ pounds Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated

Preparation Instructions
*Roughly chop both black olives and pimiento-stuffed green olives. Slice green onions into thin pieces.
*Combine butter, mayonnaise, cheese, olives and green onions in a mixing bowl. Stir together until thoroughly combined. Spread mixture onto French bread that has been sliced lengthwise. Bake at 325ºF for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and browning.
*Mixture can also be refrigerated (up to two days) and used as a dip. Great with crackers.

i'm linking up with 33 shades of green! so head on over to the blog and check out all the yummy recipes!