28.2.13

Just a peek

Things are slowly starting to come together since our move last weekend. Who am I kidding? I described by self yesterday as a "terrible stay at home wife". Thank goodness I now go to school full time, teach part time, work part time, volunteer, and still like to have time to myself. I was never good at doing "nothing"... hence why our entire place was unpacked and set up within 24 hours of moving in.

Not everything is finished. We need to buy a sofa still (I think I say this every week), hang curtains and art, buy a new blanket for the bed, and reorganize the closet. Our closet is PACKED. I will admit, most of it is mine... clothing austerity is not a easy task for me!

Here are a couple fave corners of our place so far:

sophie dishes - a couple of blue items - meyer lemons from the tree - my work in progress bookshelf

Eventually I plan to share more but you will have to be patient. My schedule also means I do not have much time for decor shopping so it will take longer than I would like to finalize everything!

 

27.2.13

Welcome to America, Joe Fresh

I love Joe Fresh. I constantly get compliments on the clothing I have from the brand and people are always shocked when they hear I purchased it at the grocery store. I got some exciting news this week: Joe Fresh is now available at JCPenny! For those of you that have never heard of the brand, you can welcome a great Canadian product to your life. Here are some of my faves from the new releases:

Go check it out and see what all the hype is about! Hopefully they get in the shoes, workout clothing, and men's line at some point too.

 

26.2.13

HBC color inspiration

Remember when I got this blanket for Christmas?

I have been obsessing over the HBC color pallet ever since. Since we moved into a new place I thought these colors would be great to incorporate into our decor. I cannot help it, its the Canadian in me. I have seen these colors my whole life but I am just starting to appreciate them more now that I live abroad.


Specifically, I want to use the blanket as color inspiration for our bedroom. Aren't these photos beautiful? I am obsessed! The lines are clean but the look is rustic. For me, this is the perfect combination for a cozy room.
1 - 2

Hopefully I will have a finished product soon to show off!
Maybe in the future I will be able to add to my collection. Remember all the HBC products I saw at The Bay in Banff?

25.2.13

New home, new menu

We are all moved into our new place. We still have some things to buy... a sofa, boxes for under the bed, and a couple other small things but it is coming together. We definitely did not need the 3 bedroom home we were living in the past year. All of our stuff fits nicely into a 1 bedroom apartment with minimal room to spare! Sorry guests, we no longer have a spare bed...

On a different note, here's what will be made in our new kitchen this week:

Monday - shrimp pad thai
Tuesday - protein shakes
Wednesday - fish taco lettuce wraps
Thursday - out with friends
Friday - TBD
Saturday - zucchini lasagna

When we moved over a year ago we took apart out Billy bookcase from Ikea. We put the hardware for it somewhere... not sure where. I called Ikea today and they said I can only get replacement hardware if I visit a store and they will not ship it to me. Looks like we need to make a trip to Houston soon!

21.2.13

It's moving day

If you did not know, here is the big news: we are moving tomorrow!

We are moving for multiple reasons. Really none of them are that important to share. This weekend will be filled with moving, unpacking, and organizing everything we own. We hired movers which is really exciting. They were definitely worth the price for an in town move!
We are getting really good at moving...
But on a good note, we got ride of more stuff we did not/ barely used this past year.
The year of austerity.

 

20.2.13

Neutral

This week I have even obsessed with neutrals. I have no clue why. Maybe they bring calmness to my crazy week!

Sometimes some great quotes in neutral colors are all I need. Off to check more off my to-do list!

 

19.2.13

Blogging resolutions

Or of my New Years resolutions was about blogging. Specifically finding my blogging niche. Here are some of the things I have been reading lately:

1 - 2 - 3
I know they are hard to read so I highly recommend you go to the links if you want to read more too. I also have a book called Bloggers Boot Camp. Although life is busy with grad school, eventually I will get around to reading it! Maybe this summer at the pool!
Did you know spring is only 29 days away? Winter does not really exist in the south but it is exciting for my family and friends up north!

 

18.2.13

Ham & cheese frittata

I could eat eggs any time of day. I love eggs. Poached. Scrambled. Frittata. We love a frittata because it helps use up leftovers in the fridge and is healthier than a quiche because there is no crust!

We used to make our frittatas in a pie plate. We would sautée everything in a skillet then combine the mixins with the eggs and cheese and a Pyrex pie plate and bake it in the oven.

At Christmas, we picked up B's cast iron skillet from his parents house and have been using it like crazy. This time: frittata... made the right way! What a difference the cast iron skillet makes!

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1c ham, chopped

2 Roma tomatoes, sliced

6 eggs

1c egg whites

1c cheese

2T basil

1t herbs de provence

 

Whisk together eggs, egg whites, and herbs and set aside. Sautée onion and ham in cast iron skillet over medium heat. Top with sliced tomatoes. Pour over egg mixture, turn down to low and cook until edges start to turn. Put entire skillet in oven and broil for approx 5 minutes until golden. Serve immediate with salad!

 

15.2.13

InstaFriday

Is it Friday already?!? I love 2 day work weeks... Okay, I volunteered on Monday and Wednesday and helped out with a data collection project on Wednesday but no classes all week and only 2 days of teaching was nice.

Here's a brief recap of my week in photos:

1. A hairstyle inspired by Pinterest. It's hard to tell its my dark hair but it was better than the usual ponytail.

2. My new J.Crew pear sweater with an almond milk latte from Whole Foods. It was a great post grocery shopping treat.

3. I just discovered some new graphics functions on Microsoft Work while developing a logic model for program evaluation class. Anything looks better when you can make it visual appealing in my opinion. Also, since the paper is supposed to be about the development of the model, creating the visual first will give me a great framework for my paper that I must write this weekend... that's right, you heard it here, I have committed to finishing my paper this weekend!

4. I had to get out a bunch of OT textbooks out this week. In motor learning we have to present on a topic of it choosing as well as design a study. I have finally chosen my topic... motor relearning for adult populations with acquired brain injury (aka traumatic brain injury and stroke). I have not fully developed and researched my idea for my study but I am thinking about integrating something related to mirror therapy.

And that's my week in a nut shell!

Any plans for this weekend? We have lots to do at home, class prep, an assignment to finish, 4 chapters to read in what is become my fave textbook, work, and Valentine's Day dinner tonight!

 

14.2.13

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love Valentine's Day! It a day of love, pink, and thoughtfulness. Although, if we treated everyday like this the world may be a better place. Need some gift ideas for all three elements of the perfect day. Here ya go:


What do you have planned for valentine's day? We are having our weekly dinner with B's colleague. We are saving our dinner out for tomorrow at our fave restaurant, hopefully purchasing a necklace that has been on my wish list forever, and relaxing at home. Seems like the perfect evening to me!

13.2.13

Salmon & kale salad

We made a discovery last week while grocery shopping at Walmart. We found a 16oz bag of kale for $2.88! Seriously! What a steal of a deal. We love kale so we knew we would make great use of this purchase.


ingredients:
1 can salmon
8 c chopped kale
pecorino romano cheese, grated
homemade croutons

Combine kale, cheese, and croutons in a large salad bowl. 

dressing:
1/3 c evoo
1/3 c fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 t dried basil
1 t oregano
1t garlic powder
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t old bay
salt & pepper

Whisk all ingredients together. Pour over salmon. Mix salmon and dressing lightly. Toss with salad mixture.

It was delicious, filling, and oh so healthy!

12.2.13

Purchased

I have been really good with keeping the shopping to a minimum lately. But sometimes you just need to make a purchase. Recently, I purchased 2 new shirts:

I have had my eye on the pear sweater since it made its debut in stores months ago and it finally went on sale! I have also been loving the chambray popover for months and finally bit the bullet. Both are officially in my closet. Now I just need some inspiration on different ways to wear each!

11.2.13

And then we golfed

Okay, that is an exaggeration. We went to the driving range on Friday afternoon. I was not terrible but not amazing. I mean, I missed the ball a few times and took out a couple chunks of grass, but overall I did alright. I really have only even been to the driving range twice before in my life but you have to start somewhere!


We left our clubs in the our car so hopefully we can go again this week if it does not rain everyday.
Happy golf season! I love that every season is golf season in the south!

Next activity? Possibly tennis!

9.2.13

Happy Mardi Gras!

Happy Mardi Gras weekend!

In a time of king cake, hurricanes, and parties it is hard to stay on track with healthy eating. For our long weekend (we get 5 days!) here's what we will be doing to keep ourselves from taking in too many calories:

1. walking around the lake if it is not raining

2. doing bodyrock workouts if it is raining

3. cooking healthy food at home

4. possibly going to a parade... if it is not raining

5. reading, reading, and more reading!

 

Oh, and to kick off the weekend, we went to the LSU driving range on Friday afternoon!

 

8.2.13

InstaFriday

It's been a busy and productive week. Assignments, reading, grading, etc! Here's the best parts of my week in photos:

1. We grilled sausages last weekend and had them with a variety of veggies roasted in a cast iron skillet on the grill! It was delicious!
2. A commercial for Petco. This seems very Occupational Therapy to me...
3. Free frozen yogurt was serves at Yogurtland this week. I had pumpkin pie!
4. We went on a wine date to get out of the house last weekend. The internet was not working at home so we could not watch the hockey game. Our chosen location: Bin 77, of course!
5. Sometimes when I get an email with an inspiration photo I like I will Instagram it so I do not need to keep the email. I love this dining room from Crate & Barrel.
6. Don't forget BOGO at SB until Valentine's day! We plan to go on date on Sunday afternoon for some nonfat half-sweet hot chocolate!
7. Me and a cutie at the Superbowl party last weekend.
8. What would Emily Post do? I saw this book at the bookstore last weekend. I really enjoy her outlook on life. That reminds me, I need to sign up for her weekly emails again. Sometimes, there is just a right way to do things, and that is the polite way!
 
Happy Mardi Gras weekend! Here in Louisiana we do not have school again until Wednesday afternoon. Myself: Thursday! Happy 5 day weekend! We have lots to get done at home, some dinner plans with friends, and some time to relax too!

 

7.2.13

Roasted tomato salsa

For the Superbowl party we attended last weekend, we decided to bring something healthy but delicious! B make a great salsa... he also does not really measure anything... I also did not really watch what he was doing... food blog fail right here people. Here is the approximate recipe, because approximations are better than nothing at all:


ingredients:
1/2 red onion
7 cloves garlic
salt & pepper
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t chili powder
1 jalapeno
1/2 bunch of cilantro 
juice from 1/2 a meyer lemon
2 cans diced roasted tomatoes

Put everything in food processor. Pulse a couple times. Eat with healthy chips like multigrain scoops.

P.S. Notice the lack of sugar, preservatives, and other random ingredients you cannot pronounce. This is how salsa should be!

6.2.13

Less

Can you live with less?


B had a challenge for us for this year. Can we do more with less? Well actually, his specific quote was "we should follow the Republican school of thought, for every thing you buy, you must get rid of something else". What! Can I actually do this? 
I love to shop. I love clothes, cookbooks, magazines, and home decor. When we moved to Baton Rouge a year ago (about 4000 km.) we got rid of a ton of stuff so we had less to move. We really have not accumulated more stuff in the past year. We figure if we did not miss it in a year we do not need it. I really do not shop that much (I promise!), I have learned to use Pinterest for recipes rather than purchase cookbooks, and I now use the Zinio app and my public library's subscription to get tons of free magazines every month... with no added clutter in the house!

This past weekend I donated 20 books to the public library. Wither they will use them in circulation or sell them in their yearly book sale to fund raise money. No matter what, someone will benefit from my old books whether it be improved literacy, reading to relax, or funding for library programs.

We are always taking about how to live simply and with less. We love to travel so that motivates us to save our money for experiences rather than material things. We bought reusable SB cups so we can save 10 cents per trip or make our own at home... less of a carbon footprint from paper cups being thrown out. We have also survived a year without cable TV. Okay, this one is easy! We use apple TV with Netflicks and the NHL package, all the aps on the iPad, and various online networks on the laptop. This means no cable bill! Yes, we probably miss out on "some amazing television" but we get to watch our shows when it is convenient for us. Some of our friends think we are crazy but I feel like we are more productive this way.

Soon, we will be doing one more thing to keep our lives simple. I won't tell you just yet, but if you follow me on Pinterest you may be able to figure it out.  We are quite excited about it!

I really like talking about living more with less. Maybe I should do this more often... blog therapy at its best!

5.2.13

Emerald vs. navy

Late 2012 the Pantone of 2013 was announced: emerald!

I love emerald but I still love navy even more. If you follow me on Pinterest you will constantly see me pinning navy outfits. I cannot help it, I just gravitate towards the color.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4

Here are some pieces on my current wish list in navy:

umbrella - chambray - striped sweater - minnie pants - cardigan

What color are you loving right now?

 

4.2.13

Its what's for dinner...


I love this quote. I feel like we have such a great repertoire of favorite recipes in our house that there is no possible way we could be bad cooks.

Here's what's on the menu for this week:
Sunday - Superbowl party! hot corn dip, salsa and chips
Monday - huevos rancheros... again!
Tuesday - protein shakes
Thursday - Walk-On's
Friday - the start to Mardi Grad weekend! TBD
Saturday - leftovers

Mardi Gras celebrations have already started here. There is so much king cake around and I have not had a bite yet! I did not even know I had this much self control. Secretly, I just do not want to get the baby and have to buy the next cake... I'd rather spend my hard earned money on vacations and clothes! Selfish? Yes. But the motto keeps me away from that darned king cake.

1.2.13

InstaFriday

Happy Friday!

Also, Happy February 1st! February is a great month. We have Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras (including some days off from school here in LA), and some other exciting news that I will let you know about next week.

Lets get to business. I guess I did not Instagram much this week but here are some highlights:

1. Hockey is back. We watched the Oliers game on Saturday night at a local pub with friends.

2. I made quinoa trail mix muffins for weekday snacks. They were delicious and filled with protein! I highly recommend making these.

3. We watched The Rebound on Netflix one night this week. I was just having one of those days where I wanted to relax and watch a movie. Somedays reading must wait until after a romantic movie. I love love.

4. The new J.Crew line comes out on Saturday. I got an email this week with a Canadian tuxedo... aka denim with denim. I still need to purchase a chambray shirt sometime soon. Button down or popover?!?

 

This weekend: read, do some things around the house, meal planning, one assignment, planning for an assignment, and teaching prep. It will be a typical weekend around here.

See you Monday!

 

 

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