Sunday, September 30, 2012

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

I'm loving that life is starting to slow down just a little. Going 100mph is only good for a short time and then it's time to take a little break and rest. I've loved having more time to work on projects at home, cook, blog, spend time with my husband, have fun dates with friends, and plan for more exciting projects in the future. I could get used to this slow paced thing where I'm always caught up on my work. ;)

Today is for baking cookies, visiting family for lunch, being with Jon, shopping for a DIY project, taking pictures of a sweet friend, having a Maiedae meeting, getting the house cleaned and having a girls craft night this evening! I love my Sundays.

Snapshot(s) of the Week: Favorites in September - 1// Girls weekend in Rome, GA, complete with a slumber party, picnic, and coffee shop time. 2// Flying kitty. 3// Short trip to LA to work an event. 4// Breaking out the fall sweaters.


5 Favorite Posts:
* Crochet Top DIY by Sincerely Kinsey
* Fall/Winter Vanilla & Lace by Vanilla & Lace
* Am I Grown Up Now? by Door Sixteen
* Outfit: Red & Gold by Flashes of Style
* Picture Window: Le Marche by Lune Vintage

Favorite Blog of the Week:
* Thriftary - An adorable blog and Maddie is hilarious. I love her sense of style and whit.

Inspiring Me this Week:
* This week I'm inspired by my DIY pinboard. Feelin crafty this fall!

3 Things About Yours Truly:
* If given a choice to live in the mountains or on the beach, I would choose the mountains.
* I'm known for making up my own words and songs and I get great amusement when people play along.
* I have a hard time going to sleep if my lips are chapped. All I can think about is lip balm.


Saturday, September 29, 2012

PROJECT CONDO: INDUSTRIAL BUFFET TABLE + DECOR

Last week I was able to make a couple purchases for the dining room from my wishlist. One of the last pieces of furniture we needed, aside from 2 chairs for the ends of the table, was a buffet style table to go up against the right wall. We wanted a space we could put food, beverages, snacks, etc., when guests came over, as well as a multi-purpose place for things like my record player. Here's to hoping it doesn't become my messy pile collector surface! 


You can see that I did a *little* decorating, which I suspect will greatly change once all of the other pieces are purchased and I get some help with the "surface decorating" (i.e. table, buffet table, cabinet), this is and I think will forever be my greatest decorating weakness. I'm good at picking out what I love, and putting together the larger pieces, but when it comes to surface decorating and gathering things into aesthetically pleasing groups...gah! I need some professional help. Over the course of decorating this dining room I can guarantee you right now that all of those things will change...probably at least 5-10 more times. ;) 

Oh! And I finally was able to purchase my missing light bulb. I found a small selection of vintage inspired light bulbs at Lowe's for a good price, so now my light fixture has fancy filaments. Below are a couple shots of my work-in-progress cabinet decorating. I couldn't find a good piece for the bottom left space so I just borrowed Kaito who was a great window model. ;) The little guy LOVES getting into anything I open: closets, kitchen cabinets, bathrooms...he stayed in there for 20 minutes before he asked to be let out. What a funny little guy. ;)


BUT I LOVE the buffet table. This table is supposed to be used as a TV entertainment piece, but I thought it would be the perfect size for this space. I got it at World Market, one of my new favorite home shops and had it delivered. It took me 15 minutes last night to put together and is very sturdy. I love the wheels, metal and texture of the wood. World Market FTW! 




Updated List of To-Do's for the Dining Room:
* Finish buying 1-2 pieces of art for the walls.
* Find mix-matched frames for "art wall".
* Purchase a rug. 
* Get two more window panels for the curtain rod to give it more fullness. 
* Find giant antique frame for menu project above buffet table.
* Find two end chairs for the table. Fabric? Leather? 
* Decorate the cabinet, tabletop and buffet with pretty things. 

Want to see where I started? Follow all of my dining room progress and inspiration boards here

If you have any tips on decorating my cabinet or buffet table, or any surface for that matter, I'm all ears! :) I hope you are having a wonderful Saturday. Jon and I are planning a relaxing rest of the day and a semi-scary movie night! 


Friday, September 28, 2012

WELLNESS: CRAZY SEXY DIET + GIVEAWAY (CLOSED)

"This is your wake-up call; pick up, Gorgeous!"

A huge part of my wellness journey is to educate myself. I wanted to read and study what was truly good for me, what my body could do without, and what my body needs to run at the "best me"! After sending out a tweet for some book suggestions, someone recommended I try reading Kris Carr's, Crazy Sexy Diet. After checking out some of the reviews of the book, it looked like a good fit for what I was leaning towards, so I purchased it.

I'm a little bit of a slow reader, so it's taken me a handful of weeks to completely digest the whole book, but I have to say, this book truly changed my perspective on health and really, really motivated me! In other words, I LOVE this book. Kris is a wellness warrior. She is super sassy, entertaining, passionate, and not afraid to tell you how it is. She has a powerful personal story and a glow for life. I've been telling all of my friends and family to read this book like a bad infomercial and they all ask me, "What do you like about the book?" Here are a couple of my favorite things:

1. Kris presents the Crazy Sexy Diet as a lifestyle. It isn't about fad dieting to get from point A to point B and it isn't about loosing weight. It's about being healthy and full of all of the goodness you need!

2. The book is very educational. She has a lot of professionals speak into different areas of the book and explain why things are good and NOT good for your body in detail. There are a lot of charts, breakdowns, and Crazy Sexy Tips throughout.

3. This book doesn't push you to being vegan or vegetarian if that's not what your goal is. It encourages a healthy lifestyle and gives you tips on how to be a healthy vegan or vegetarian if you choose to do so. She lays out all of the facts and equips you to figure out what's best for you and your family.

4. Another thing I really like about CSD is that it's mainly focused on food health but at the end of the book Kris gets into a lot of self care and love yourself tips as a huge part of the CSD, which is so good! Sometimes we get caught up with eating healthy or exercising and forget to climb into a warm bath with candles and just relax. I love all of her suggestions.

5. Bonus! In the back of the book there are lots of recipes as well as a 21-day adventure cleanse to kick off your CSD lifestyle. It's a great resource. Matter of fact, Kris is coming out with a new book called Crazy Sexy Kitchen that is filled to the brim with healthy recipes. I pre-orded mine last week and you can get yours here!



“Picture yourself when you were five. in fact, dig out a photo of little you at that time and tape it to your mirror. How would you treat her, love her, feed her? How would you nurture her if you were the mother of little you? I bet you would protect her fiercely while giving her space to spread her itty-bitty wings. She’d get naps, healthy food, imagination time, and adventures into the wild. If playground bullies hurt her feelings, you’d hug her tears away and give her perspective. When tantrums or meltdowns turned her into a poltergeist, you’d demand a loving time-out in the naughty chair. From this day forward I want you to extend that same compassion to your adult self.” - Kris Carr

This month, I did A LOT of traveling for work. I spent most of my time on the plane reading and was able to finish CSD. I can't recommend it enough. I spent a lot of time in my life breaking promises to myself. Eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, not exercising, not even really spending much time on self care. I was making and breaking promises and loosing trust in my own words. At this point in my life I'm realizing more and more that me and my "inner nag" are the only things holding me back from keeping my promises. While I'm still learning and only 6 months into this journey, I'm realizing how important it is to value and love myself by taking good care of me so I can be the best ME. I want to live fully so I can pursue my passions, love on my family and friends and be here and present for my life. 




If you want to check out more of Kris' awesome resources, click here to visit her newly launched site! She has more information about her books, and things like cooking classes, recipes, inspirational articles, a downloadable book on juicing and smoothies, plus other great resources. 

GIVEAWAY TIME
Because I love this book so much and what it has taught me, I want to give away a copy to you! I totally wish I could pull an Oprah here and give all of you amazing readers a copy. "You get a book and YOU get a book!!"...but at this point in my crazy sexy life, I can't. ;) So if you would like to win a copy of Kris' book, Crazy Sexy Diet just follow the instructions below. One winner will be selected at random and announced within a week. Giveaway is open internationally. 

To enter: Comment letting me know why you want to read Crazy Sexy Diet OR share an awesome wellness resource. Don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!

Thank you, guys! I love sharing this kind of stuff with you. I wish you all the very best in your wellness journey and a fabulous weekend! :)

WINNER ANNOUNCED: Congrats to #19, Blue Eyed Night Owl! You've won a copy of Crazy Sexy Diet! Please email me at savannah@maiedae.com with your shipping information and we'll get you set up for your Crazy Sexy Life!! :) AND a giant thank you to everyone who entered. I loved reading your stories. I wish I could give all of you a copy of the book! But I so, so encourage you to add it to your Christmas list this year. You won't regret it. :) 



Thursday, September 27, 2012

SNAPSHOTS: SWEET SISTER

On Saturday, I got the opportunity to shoot a couple pictures of my sister and her (much approved) boyfriend, Jacob, for their homecoming. This year, my sister is a senior in high school. I've loved seeing her grow into such a beautiful woman. She has such a timeless beauty. :)



Looking at these make me so nostalgic. I can't believe it's been 6 1/2 years since I was a senior in high-school. I love getting the opportunity to see Kelsie go through all of these exciting times in her life. I'm a proud sister.


Wednesday, September 26, 2012

THREADS




1// Navajo Sweater - American Eagle ---> I've been waiting all summer to pull this out of my closet. I got this last season at American Eagle during one of their sales and was so drawn to the colors and softness of this oversized sweater. So cozy! 


2// Green Tank - Forever21 ---> One of those under $5.00 essential purchases you can't pass up! I love layering this tank with so many of my pieces, especially for fall. 

3// Earrings & Leather Necklace - c/o Roots & Feathers ---> You already know my love for Laura's jewelry. She sent me these pieces as a surprise and they were SO perfect. I could wear her jewelry everyday, and I almost do! If you're looking for some new pieces to add to your jewelry collection in the fall check out Laura's shop! She just added a whole bunch of new beautiful pieces!

4// Arrowhead Ring - c/o Pie n' the Sky ---> Melisa sent me this as a sweet gift and I love it! It was such a surprise to get it in the mail and it looks so beautiful paired with leather and navajo patterns. Thank you Melisa

5// Jeans - UO ---> You can't tell in the pics, but these babies are high-waisted and oh so cute! I got them in black too and will be wearing those in my next outfit post! 

6// Tramper Mocs - Minnetonka ---> Just got these beautiful mocs in the mail from Zappos. LOVE! I have another pair of Minnetonka's and they are so comfortable and perfect to wear in breezy weather. 
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8

Tonight is date night with Jon! After getting dinner we totally stopped by Target to buy a tent. We set it up in our living room and have full intentions of camping out indoors with lots of blankets and pillows, snacks and some major Dexter catch up time! Love that man so much!


Monday, September 24, 2012

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

This weekend was so wonderful. After some traveling for work during the week, Jenny and I decided to spend the weekend together to have girl time and do some major planning. On Friday, I took pictures of my sweet sister for her senior year homecoming dance. Afterward, Jenny and I went to San Francisco Coffee in Atlanta to talk about Maiedae and make some exciting plans for our goals. Before we knew it, 4 or so hours had passed and they were closing. Even though we were tired, we felt so refreshed and energized about our intense brainstorming time.

We picked a couple things up from the grocery store, went back to my place, made tea, and watched The Hunger Games. On Sunday morning, we baked these yummy muffins that turned out delicious, but I think next time I'll try and put together a topping...Jenny suggested a honey butter which sounds SO good. We took pictures, did a little shopping, made a yummy dinner and wrapped up the evening with our ladies book study. I'm so thankful for all of the precious and uplifting women in my life!

Since Jon was busy this whole weekend as well, we are in need of some major husband and wife time. We're definitely planning a little down time this week and maybe a couple dates. :)

Snapshot(s) of the Week: 1// Finally got the lightbulb situation fixed in our dining room! 2// Photo-booth pictures from the event in Dallas last week for my 9-5. Working with Atlanta photographer Mark from LeahandMark.com! 3// Cocoa, zucchini, and walnut muffins Jenny and I made yesterday. 4// Our point of view from the coffee shop conversations.


5 Favorite Posts:
* It's Here, the Leather Sofa by Nesting Place
* Crochet Top DIY by Sincerely, Kinsey
* 10 Simple Fall Decorating Ideas by Glitter Guide
* The Cats Meow by Kelli Murray
* DIY Business Card Holder by Going Home to Roost

Favorite Blog of the Week:
* Flashes of Style - I'm obsessed with all of her outfits. One of my favorite fashion bloggers.

Inspiring Me this Week:
* This week I'm inspired by all of the creative brainstorming and planning recorded in my notebook. I feel so inspired to learn, grow and make exciting plans for the rest of this year and for the future.

3 Things About Yours Truly:
* This week, I tried baking//cooking 5 new healthy recipes!
* I'd really love to go to the Atlanta Zoo this Fall.
* Ordered some new things for my dining room! Can't wait to show the progress soon.

How was your weekend?

Sunday, September 23, 2012

PASSIONFRUIT ADS + FLASH SALE

This month I've switched over to Passionfruit Ads to host all of my advertising! You can now directly purchase ad spots from my ad page, and once approved, your ad will immediately appear on the right column with the rest of my sponsors. :) A couple new things to expect:

* Ads will be rotated on a daily basis for optimal viewing.
* I will now have 2 large feature ads each month that will rotate at the top spot. Oh! And there is still one left for October!
* Ads run for 30 days at a time.
* Medium sponsors will have the opportunity to be featured in a sponsor post like this one each month.
* Large feature spots will receive a solo post with an option of an interview, giveaway, or guest post.

If you have any questions regarding the new advertisement process, please feel free to contact me at Savannah@maiedae.com. :)

A D   F L A S H   S A L E !
For 48 hours I'll be offering my readers 25% off of my medium sponsor spots! Only 10 spots will be available at this discount! Here are the details:

* Your price $15.00, originally $20.00
* Flash Sale will run until Tuesday, September 25th at 4:00PM (Eastern Time)
* Visit my advertisement page to purchase your spot and enter promo code: FLASH! during checkout! 
* Medium ad spots will have the opportunity to be featured in a sponsor feature post like this one.


A happy Saturday to you! Today I'm taking pictures of my sister for homecoming and spending some quality time with Jenny! Looking forward to coffee shop conversations about Maiedae and a slumber party tonight! :) What are you doing this weekend??


Friday, September 21, 2012

TOOLKIT: PHOTOGRAPHY

One of the things I love most about blogging is sharing information. I love learning from others and sharing the things I've experienced and learned myself. In my opinion, photography, or the ability to take a good photo, is a huge part of life. Having good quality, attractive photos is important for eye-catching blog posts, capturing your product as a small business, creating memories, and making moments eternal.

I am NOT a professional photographer. I consider myself an amateur, and have loved experimenting with photography over the past 3 years. I first learned about using an SLR during college and purchased one for myself after graduating as a way to make my blog more professional and record life for myself. In order to learn about taking pictures and really challenge myself I started Project 365 during my senior year of college and recorded my last few months of college, wedding planning, marriage, honeymoon, moving into our first home, starting our first jobs and getting our first little pet. It was such an exciting project to take on and it really helped me to (1) take my camera with me everywhere and (2) see more opportunities in everyday life to take pictures.

Getting my DSLR a year ago was so, so, so exciting. My camera was glued to my hip and it was so thrilling to see the quality of my photos improve as I learned to use it and experimented with fun lenses and editing programs. This "toolkit" post will outline my favorite camera must-haves and what I use on a regular basis for Maiedae and life. I hope you find it a helpful resource!!

THE CAMERA + MY EVERYDAY LENSES: As I mentioned above, I purchased my first DSLR one year ago. After a lot of research and looking at my price range, I decided to purchase a Canon Rebel T3i. This camera comes with a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, which is a good basic lens that does well inside and VERY well outdoors with some good natural lighting. It was love at first site. The T3i is a great camera for an affordable price and I have found that is does everything I need it to do as a blogger and small business owner. After several months of experimenting with my camera and practicing on my cats I decided to purchase a 50mm f/1.8 lens. This has quickly become my new favorite lens and is on my camera 95% of the time. It does great in lower light settings and adds a beautiful blur to my photos because of it's shallow depth of field. The only trick is that there is no zooming in and out with this lens so it's not optimal for photographing a room or group of people in a smaller space. But it IS fantastic for portraits, and more up-close shots. Most of the photos on my blog are taken with this lens. Below are a few examples of photos taken with the standard lens that comes with the camera and the 50mm lens:


ACCESSORIES + OTHER FUN LENSES: Being able to purchase useful accessories and quirky lenses is a fun way to experiment and make things easier on yourself. Here is a collection of my favorite camera accessories:

1// iMo Camera Straps ---> Jon bought me a new camera strap last Christmas to replace the Canon strap that came with my camera. I love the quality of these straps and the beautiful designs. It's comfortable around my neck and makes my camera more of a wearable accessory.

2// Wireless Shutter Release ---> This little guy was less that $5.00 and a great item to add to any toolkit. Mount your camera to a tripod and use this handy remote to take pictures automatically or with a 2 second delay. I used this last month to take pictures of Jenny and I!

3// Wide Angle Lens ---> This lens fits right over your standard lens to add more of a wide angle to your photos as well as the option to zoom in closer. It's very affordable and is a great option if you're not ready to invest in a more expensive wide-angle lens.

4// Fisheye Lens Adapter ---> I bought this as well as the lens above at Photojojo.com. I love that this lens allows me to add a toy camera quality to my SLR and is fairly inexpensive. Overall, Photojojo is a GREAT resource for quirky photography gear.

Here is an example of a couple shots I took using the wide-angle and fisheye lens:

5// JoTotes ---> This was the first camera bag I purchased. I love how organized it is on the inside and how sturdy the bag is as a whole. JoTotes has beautiful camera bag options in an array of colors. I would also say that they are great multi-purpose bags! You can use them as a diaper bag, workbag, overnight bag...etc. Definitely a top recommendation.

6// Kelly Moore Bag ---> This bag was a little more of a splurge for me this year. I wanted something that could hold my macbook, charger, iPad, wallet, camera and other things if necessary. And this bag sure does the trick! I currently use this bag as a work bag when I go to my 9-5 and as a carry-on purse when traveling. It's also a great multi-purpose bag that is very organized, has lots of pockets and is great for all your camera goodies.

PHOTO EDITING SOFTWARE: Taking a good picture is the first step. Editing it to make it shine is the next. All of the photos I take go through an editing process to give them a little lift before they're posted or shown to others. These are my go-to programs I find myself using almost everyday:

1// Photoshop CS5 - If you were to ask me how much time I spend in Photoshop every week I would probably say an average of 30-40+ hours. As a graphic designer I use Photoshop ALL the time and I also use it to size, crop, and edit my photos. I don't know all of the professional photographer tips and tricks for specifically editing photographs, BUT I do use a lot of the basic and intermediate tools when it comes to photography.

2// Radlab - Ok! I'm excited about this one! When it comes to my photography toolkit, Radlab is my all time favorite!! I LOVE this program. I use it for pretty much all of my photographs and I can't imagine editing without it. You can see an example of what it looks like in the screenshot above as well as a few photos I shot edited in Radlab above the screenshot. In order to use radlab you have to have to have Photoshop. It's an action based program that runs through Photoshop and gives you the ability to apply beautiful filters to your photos. You can mix filters and create your own recipes. The people over at GetTotallyRad have some other awesome products that you should check out too! AND be sure to enter 1255MAIEDAE at checkout to get 15% off of your purchase. Awesome!

CHECK IT OUT: Here are a couple extra things to peruse and possibly add to your toolkit.

1// The Study of Light E-Course by Arrow & Apple ---> "The Study of Light is a brand-new online course that covers everything from lighting outdoors to lighting indoors! The course is split up into eight weeks, although it's set up so that you can go at your own pace. You won't need an expensive flash or lighting set-up - in fact, I will show you how to use what you already have, as well as how to build your own indoor home studio (lights and all) for less than $50. Each week is interactive, and you'll also have a little homework too!" I have yet to take this, but as soon as the pace slows down a bit at the Wallace household I will be diving into this amazing e-course! 

2// Click Magazine ---> A new magazine that just came out for the "modern photographer." It looks like it will have some incredible resources and inspiration! I'm planning on subscribing and can't wait to get my first issue.

3// Clickin Moms ---> I'm not a mamma yet, but I love this beautiful online resources for photographer ladies. In fact, the magazine above was created by Clickin Moms! 

And there you go! That's everything in my photography toolkit! I hope you where introduced to some new exciting things or are inspired to start clickin' away! If you have any toolkit essentials you'd like to share, please comment below and share your link! 



READ. SIP. WEAR.

Is it officially fall yet? Sure! This month I asked my sponsors to share what book they're reading, what their favorite drink is, and what essential they're wearing. :) This fall, I'm reading Blog Inc., I'm sipping a tall pumpkin spice latte with soy, and I'm wearing Minnetonka Mocs.

Find Lauren Here: Blog |  Facebook

Find Leah Here: Website |  Goodreads




Find Kate Here: Blog  |  Instagram
Find Janee Here: Blog  |  Shop 

What about you? What are you reading, sipping, and wearing? Happy weekend, loves!!


Thursday, September 20, 2012

THREADS





1// Camel Cardigan - Target ---> Target has an awesome variety of essential cardigans right now. Time to stock up for the Fall!

2// Collared Button Up - H&M ---> Perfect neutral for pairing with bold patterns.

3// Necklace - c/o Shalottlilly ---> Adrian makes beautiful one-of-a-kind jewelry with a touch of strange. Her work is so unique and beautiful. Take a look at her shop here to see her pieces and gorgeous photographs!

4// Floral Jeans - Target ---> Found these fun, bold floral jeans at Target for a steal.

5// Suede Shoes - UO ---> Jenny picked these out for us to wear at her wedding. They are super comfortable and are a fantastic pop of color. I'm thankful for friends who pick out cute bridesmaids dresses and shoes!

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5


I'm currently in Dallas, TX, working an event for my 9-5! One thing I love about traveling is all the time on the plane to brainstorm and plan ideas...and READ! I don't give myself enough time to do either, so having that uninterrupted couple of hours to just work on ideas and learn is amazing. I hope all of you are having a fantastic week and have fun plans this weekend!!


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

WELLNESS: ADVENTURES IN COOKING HEALTHY

It's no secret that I'm not much of a cook. I'll be completely transparent with you right now and tell you that this year was the first time I cooked chicken. My friend Kate witnessed it, so you can confirm that with her. ;) Growing up, "Memaw" lived with us. She is a true southern, senior citizen and the kitchen was her territory. I didn't get much experience cooking...although I would make the occasional batch of cookies here and there. In college, I had a college diet. Quick and horrible...mac n' cheese was acceptable everyday of the week. Matter of fact, macaroni was the extent of my cooking in college. So cheesy...so healthy... ;)

When Jon and I got married, I waded into the waters of cooking. I tried my hand at homemade soups and fish...but quickly our 40+ hour weekly schedules gave way to the quick and easy route of cooking. So dip, pizza, and pasta it was!! We weren't into meal planning, so by the time we got home from work the only thing on our mind was...FOOD. NOW. Going out to eat, ordering in, or whipping up something "instant" was always under 30 minutes and sounded appetizing. Did I mention our soda intake was outrageous?! That too. 

SO. This brings us to April 2012. April is the month I had an eye opening realization about my health and wellness. Jonathon and I, off the bat, started greatly improving our diets. I almost completely cut sodas out of my diet, with an except here and there and Jonathon limited his soda intake to the weekends. We began incorporating more spinach into our meals and tried to find healthier alternatives to the things we liked to eat. Oh and that "dip" I mentioned above (cream cheese, chili, and cheddar with chips)? That weekly staple had to go! 

We started feeling better. We started feeling more energized. And while we still allow ourselves treats and indulgent meals here and there, we are moving towards such a healthier lifestyle. 

One of my goals this year was to start a meal plan and start preparing//planning meals for us each week. We've been doing a lot of reading, talking, and research on health and where we feel like we should go ultimately with our diets and lifestyle. I'll share at this point we are leaning towards going dairy-free and focusing our meals around way more veggies. My numero uno priority is to create a diet for us that gives us all the goodness our bodies need to be healthy and the best version of us. While working to incorporate these ideas I've been collecting recipes and things to try. 

On Friday, I spent most of the day trying to develop a meal plan. It was mostly filled with things to try and experiments so we could figure out what would work best for our family. That evening, Jon and I hit Whole Foods and bought tons of new things to try. AND I've been cooking!! I made healthy muffins, chili, pita sandwiches, and chia seed pudding.  I'm not going to lie though...things are coming out so-so. Some things are a hit and others...eh. I am for sure learning a lot and I'm excited to be thought of as a good cook...one day. ;)

Here is a collection of some of the recipes I've tried and want to try:

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8

If you have any fabulously healthy and awesome recipes to share, I would LOVE to know what's cookin'! Cookbooks, websites, your grandma's recipes...I'm all ears! :) Oh! And we love soups! 

Monday, September 17, 2012

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

This week has felt like 2 or 3 weeks! On Monday, I traveled to Raleigh for work. I was supposed to leave for an event in Austin on Wednesday, but ended up having to fly home for Jury Duty. I spent a lot of time getting caught up on some things that I've been behind on throughout the rest of the week. Jon and I went grocery shopping and started a Star Wars marathon on Friday. We spent Saturday sealing the windows on the first level, doing yard work, cooking, and resting. And yesterday we had a relaxed morning together and helped Jon's dad out with some chores at their place. Sunday nights are one of my new favorite times of the week because I get to spend time with amazing women in a book//bible study.

I was supposed to contribute towards a snack last night, so I decided to make these peach cupcakes with coconut cream frosting. I've been challenging myself in the kitchen lately and trying to get better at cooking and baking. It started off great Sunday morning when I put together the peach cupcakes. I used cane sugar instead of granulated sugar and I didn't have applesauce so I ended up using butter and a dash of coconut milk. And since I have a lot of my grandpa in me I added things of my own. ;) The cupcakes smelled delicious baking and I thought I was on a roll...until the frosting. One lesson I'm learning in cooking is that it's probably wise to read the directions the day BEFORE you plan to cook or bake something just in case something needs to sit overnight or be prepared early in the day. Well I didn't do that. So that can of coconut milk that was supposed to chill in the fridge overnight to turn creamy and awesome for frosting didn't happen. It was only in the fridge for 5 hours...and my "coconut whipped cream" was so...so...flat. So I did what any normal person might do...added more to try and make it work. So in goes the egg white, extra powered sugar, cream cheese, corn starch...everything. Still flat. After two batches of failed frosting I finally whipped up some very unhealthy coconut buttercream frosting at the last minute. Overall, I'll give my cupcakes 3 awesome whisks out of 5. ;)

Snapshot(s) of the Week: 1// Snacks with friends. 2// Excited to read Blog Inc. by Joy Cho! 3// Cleaning time. 4// Coconut milk ice cream and peanuts.


5 Favorite Posts:
* Blogging & Success by Promise Tangeman
* Design Tips for Facebook Timeline Pages by ALT
* Project Art: Stormy Sea by Pulchritude Fest
* How to Make a Triangle Quilt by Elise Blaha
* The Art of Being a Woman by Going Home to Roost

Favorite Blog of the Week:
Kris Carr - This girl is AMAZING. I'm reading her book Crazy Sexy Diet and I love it. It's so eye opening, exciting, and life changing. I'm a little over half-way through the book and I can't wait to read the rest. I love her newly launched site and I can't wait to get my hands on her upcoming cookbook!

Inspiring Me this Week:
Productivity - I'm working hard this week to get a lot of things accomplished. I have a big to-do list for Maiedae, and personal projects for the rest of the year and I'm working towards getting those things accomplished!

3 Things About Yours Truly:
* Love learning how to do new things like cooking and gardening.
* Recently watched Cabin in the Woods. Such a weird movie...
* Last night, while rummaging for lotion in the dark, I accidentally put apricot scrub all over my hands instead of lotion. Surprise!


Saturday, September 15, 2012

FANCY SHMANCY: FALL SHOES!

The beginning of fall is one of my favorite times to purchase new shoes for the cooler weather. I've grown a huge fondness for neutral tones and love a pair of shoes I can mix and match with an endless amount of outfits. I bought #7 and #10 to add to my collection, and I can't wait to wear them with some high-waisted jeans and maxi skirts!
1// Chocolate Craving Boot - Modcloth $89.99  2// Rally Boot - Nordstroms $109.00  3// Your Wild Heart Heel - Modcloth $32.99  4// Province - Steve Madden $129.95  5// Zenobia - Steve Madden $159.95  6// Java Ankle Boot - Sosie $125.00  7// Minnetonka Tramper - Zappos $55.95  8// Dressage - Wanted $69.99  9// Ross Boot - Karma Loop $48.00  10// Roxy Sloane - Zappos $79.00

Are you planning to buy any shoes for fall? Feel free to share and link up to your favorite pairs!