Friday Love

We love red potatoes + olive oil + rosemary + s&p + 425° for 40 minutes.

I love this guy. I love that he wore swimming goggles to cut our new bar (photos coming soon!)

I love buying tulips for myself in the middle of winter. Just because.

I love that Robby got me THIS new cookbook for my birthday. I cannot wait to dive into it!

I love (obsess maybe?) over the photography of Gemma Booth.

and it's official. this model has inspired me to grow out my hair. and maybe get a llama.

I loooooooooove me a good cover. I could listen to this song a billion times (and maybe I have).

"Hey Ya'" by Obadiah Parker.

Happy Weekend!!!

What did you love about this week?

Friday Feet

Erin: On a walk to the ocean during this blustery rainy week

Sheena: 27 year old feet (and friends)

"hotstotch"

note: the sun came out today

note: we loved it

note: we played "hotstotch", rode bikes, and chased our shadows

note: it started to get chilly, (which I suppose is acceptable since it IS January after all)

note: we went inside and had hot cocoa

note: it was a good day.

two obsessions, and one confession

Obsession 1: bread

Obsession 2: taking pictures of it (and any other food)

Confession: I want to make a cook book. No, really.

It would be so fun.

• Honey Whole Wheat Bread
• 1 1/2 c warm water
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/3 c honey
• 2 1/2 c all purpose flour
• 2 TBS butter, melted
• 1/2 TBS salt
• 1 3/4 c whole wheat flour
• 1/4c ground flax seed

Mix water, yeast, and honey. Let sit for 20 minutes.

Add to bread machine (Yes, I'm a cheater)

Add remaining ingredients.

Use "dough" setting.

Take out of bread machine and let rise once more.

brush with olive oil and sprinkle with oats.

Bake at 375° for 40 minutes.

take picture, and eat.

• edited to add: Yes. I use a breadmaker. I use that precious time while it's kneading and mixing and magically forming my bread dough to work on my table, play princess, work on my table in a princess dress, and clean my toilet. I am so greatful for that blessed machine. This can be made without one.
• Let your water, yeast and honey sit for the 20 minutes, as above.
• Mix in remaining ingredients. Knead on floured surface until it can easily pull away from the counter, but still a bit sticky to the touch. Place in greased bowl, cover with towel and let rise until doubled.
• Punch down, and form loaf, or place in loaf pans and let rise again.

winter wednesday

I love naps.

L.O.V.E.

And they love me.

And what better time to take a cozy nap then on a cold winter's day??

What do you love about winter?

things I know now that I'm 27

I have the best friends. Really. Love these girls.

I'm so thankful for all my blog and facebook friends.....you guys made my day!

I am the worlds worst bowler. period. (and apparently I am too weak to even hold up my ball, as seen above) (we had to resort to plan B (is for bowling)). Plan A was roller skating, which wouldn't you know it, the rink was closed for a private event. I promise that you will see me in roller skates in then near future....

If I could have all the gifts and birthday money in the world, I think my favorite thing would still be the boy's handwritten "happy birthday mommy" in big squiggly letters.

Although, I am still accepting gifts and birthday money.

I love Park City, and forgive it for freezing my face off.

I also truly believe that Reef's Kitchen in Park City is a place you have to go before you die. Not that you will be soon, but it is so amazing, I want to make sure you do. Order the sampler appetizer platter, the Moroccan Salmon, and tell them Sheena sent you. They will have no idea who I am, it just sounded fun saying that.

Speaking of good food, I could eat HERE a thousand more times and never get tired of it.

Robby brought me home a birthday cake from Windy Ridge Bakery......mouth watering. Chocolate, real raspberries, mousse, more chocolatey chocolate, fudgey frosting.....mmm... (also equally good the morning after your birthday)

The boy told me this morning "mommy, you still look 26".

I love him extra for that.

dear mom,

Thank you for popping me out into this world......27 years ago today!

Can I please borrow some wrinkle cream?

love, me.

Friday Love

As it may have been mentioned before.....we love cookies. Now I am a chocolate lover....and usually don't waste my time on making non-chocolate involved cookies....but these are very very worth it. Crispy on the outside, soft in the middle......cinnamony goodness.

Snickerdoodles (from Martha Stewart's Cookie Book)

2 3/4 c flour

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 cup butter (martha calls for unsalted.....I like salted)

1 1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

------

2T sugar

2 t cinnamon

1. Oven to 350°. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Mix butter and 1 1/2 c sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs. Reduce speed to low, gradually mix in flour mixture.

2. Stir together cinnamon and 2T sugar. Shape dough into 20 1 3/4" balls (I actually like smaller cookies so I can eat more:). Roll in cinnamon and sugar. Space 3" apart on cookie sheet lined with parchment.

3. Bake 12-15 minutes until edges are golden, rotating halfway through. Cool on wire racks.

4. Eat.

I love the birds that are always outside my window.....it makes me think that spring may be coming soon.....at least I like to pretend.

I looooove these photos from last fall's Toast catalogue......they make winter seem beautifully cold, and almost.... ok.

It's me!! 1985. Where has the time gone?? Next week I celebrate the big 2-7 (gulp!)

I love that the party is starting.....tonight! Birthday weekend!

We love this song. They ruined it with the lame video, so today you're just getting the song. We listen to this every morning on the way up to preschool--it's my kids' favorite!

All The Pretty Girls - fun.

Happy Weekend!!!

What did you love about this week???

Friday Feet

erin: a rainy day in laie....sheena: a sunny walk to church

butternut...

butternut squash + olive oil+ a sprinkling of sage + a dash of coarse salt and cracked pepper

+ 425° + 40ish minutes = yum.

the thing they didn't tell you when you signed up to have a baby

the cuteness.

the crying.

the pooing.

the feeding.

the sleeping.

and not sleeping.

the giggles.

the tantrums.

the messes.

the messes on top of messes.

You knew about these things. You learned them from others. You read about them in books. Your motherly instincts kicked in and you knew what to do.

But what about this whole "growing up" thing?

Why does no one tell you about that?

How does he come out a teeny tiny baby, and the next day he is helping you sand your table?

And you're signing him up for Kindergarten.

And now YOU are the one up every night crying because you just don't want him to go. (dramatic, I know....that's how I roll.)

You want him to stay home every day and color and make cookies together, and you know you could be his teacher. You could.

But you won't, because you need to send him off into the real world (ok......it's only for a few hours every day--it's not like he's going off to work the fields or shipping off across the sea.....again with the drama).

It looks like you have some growing up to do as well.

Maybe he can teach you how.

winter wednesday

I love winter nights. (here's the cheesy photo to prove it) It's dark, it's cold, and there is nothing to do but cuddle up and watch tv. Just the two of us, a warm fire, and some Food Network. Or Thursday night Community/Parks and Rec/The Office/30 Rock. And I'm pretty sure I'll get sucked into American Idol again somehow....even though every year I swear I won't.

But it's winter, what else is there to do??

What do YOU love about winter? (you can do it!!)

ps. and speaking of "winter beards", don't you ever wish you could grow one....maybe?? It just seems so cozy.

progress....

The couch and chair are GONE! I now have money to play with.

$800 (and considering we bought them for $1200 5 long years ago.....not too shabby)

Moving on with our plan.

My taste in tables was much too expensive for our budget....so that's when we improvise.

So we headed out to look at wood (I love the smell of wood)

I braved death by riding in the back, holding on to our precious sweet smelling wood so it wouldn't slide out where the door couldn't quite close.

We sanded down our old kitchen table and are going to [attempt to] build a new table top for it. Anyone know how to age wood?? I know how to beat it up and distress it.....but still haven't found a good way to give it that amazing faded grey color......suggestions??

My house is covered top to bottom in dust, and my hands in splinters.

all worth it.

*this post is brought to you by:

swiffer sweeper dry cloths

my mop

our new (ahem, referbished--we got a steal!) dyson animal that we bought ourselves for our Christmas present, because we are boring like that.

cafe rio. I'm sure we will be there quite often over the next little while, and we are not complaining.

I like bread and butter, I like toast and jam.

jars + blackberries + sugar + box of pectin + super easy instructions inside pectin box = mmm...

the end.

a challenge...

there are pretty things all around us.....sometimes you just have to look a little bit harder.

(even when you are washing the dishes!)

Can you find something pretty today?

we'll be enjoying our monday off together.....see you soon!

Friday Love

We LOVE soup. And we eat gallons of it in the winter.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Saute' in a bit of olive oil:

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 celery stalks, diced

3 carrots

add S&P to taste

Add 4 cups chicken broth

2-4 cups water, depending on how "soupy" you like it.

2 chicken breasts ( I even add mine frozen sometimes--the chicken will fall apart after it cooks:)

1 cup wild rice

1t basil

1t oregano

1t thyme

juice of 1/2 lemon

Bring to boil, cover and simmer on medium low for a few hours.

top with flat leaf parsley and enjoy.

We love to dress up and dance like we are crazy (maybe because we are)

Loving the artwork of Katy Gromball! My feelings about winter are changing just looking through her shop. Check it out HERE.

On the hunt for my new table. It's really hard when all my favorites are way out of my budget (unless someone wants to pay $3000 for my furniture??)

I love:

this one

this one

this one

This song isn't new--a few of you may actually remember it from our family vacation film last summer, but I love love love it, and the video is amazing. (they shot 60,000 photos to make this happen!)

Happy 3-day Weekend!!

What did you love about this week???

Introducing......Friday Feet

*note* if you have a "foot complex".....uhh......sorry....

If you've been following one of my dozen blogs over the past little while, something you probably know about me is that I love, I repeat LOVE, to take pictures of my feet.

It is the strangest obsession, that started as me just trying to document that I was indeed on that trip....because I am always the one with the camera. But then I started to notice how neat (who says neat?) the world can be if you just look down every now and then at what you're walking on, where you are going and where you have been.

And then I found a friend who shares my same obesession.

My sole sister. (pretty proud of that one)

Her name is Erin, and she lives in Hawaii.

And we are going to start a little project. Her feet. My feet. Where did they go this week?

Meet Erin. (feel free to hold a little grudge toward her....she is standing on a beach with the beautiful blue ocean behind her in the dead of winter.)

Favorite Shoes: Rainbow Sandals.

Size: Medium, thin strap.
Where my feet are most happy: in the hands of my husband, or anyone who will massage them.
Fun Fact: I have a mole near my heel--something doctors say should be impossible.

"Now, I know the shoes on my feet are nothing special this week, and the picture really isn't too creative but in all honesty--those really are my most favorite pair that I wear most often. Slippers (sandals are referred to as sliipers in hawaii) are the national shoe (is that factual, I don't know) on Oahu, and rainbows happen to be my favorite choice. I acutally just bought these new ones over Christmas after having my previous pair for over 5 years. I wore holes through the soles.

I love them, and they love me back. And I just couldn't do them wrong by wearing some other pair for this special occasion :)"

And then there is me. oye. Sheena. (feel free to feel a bit sorry for me because it is absolutely freezing here in the dead of winter.)

Favorite shoes: black converse all-stars.

Size: 7

Where my feet are most happy: anywhere they don't have to wear socks (they hate socks)

Fun Fact: If there were not rules against it, I would be barefoot everywhere I went.

I have had these shoes for seven years....SEVEN! They have weathered all seasons, and been paired with pants, shorts, and skirts. They are just about worn through on the bottom, the laces are nothing but tattered strings. They are perfect.

So here we go.....

Erin: Her home in Hawaii. Sheena: Her home in Utah.

tune in next friday....we'll be here!