Literate & Stylish: Moorea Seal

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Moorea of Moorea Seal
Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

I have always been drawn to books that have a sort of coming of age vibe.  The theme of self discovery has always played a huge role in my own life and is one that I hope to keep at the forefront of my mind forever.  Because of this, and no matter what stage I am at in my life, I really relate to younger characters who are going on journeys of adventure and discovery leading to their own personal revelations and internal growth.  Rarely are the characters young girls, which I contribute to the fact that most books just seem to focus on a young mans internal growth and adventure rather than women which is a bummer, plus I'm really not into girly books at all.  Anyone know of a good coming of age book that has an independent, adventurous and curious female lead character but doesn't just fill all the stereotypes of "girl"? 

Some of my favorite books are The Alchemist and The Catcher in the Rye but at the moment I would say Shadow of the Wind is my favorite book.  It has a coming of age vibe but is written for adults.  It is set in post war Barcelona and centers around the main character, Daniel Sempere, who is just in his early teens.  What I love about this book is that it is almost a story within a story and revolves around the mystery and magic of books.  Daniel's father, a bookseller, one day takes Daniel to a mysterious hidden library of sorts called the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.  It is there that Daniel finds a book called The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax.  Because of this book, Julian's life is suddenly becomes a dramatic and adventurous journey filled with the pursuit of unlocking the mystery of the author Julian Carax.  Through Daniel's journey of trying to understand what happened to Julian, he opens up hidden secrets of the people in his community, and, as his adventure persists, he finds his own life starting to parallel that of Julian Carax's life.  Magical!

There is adventure, murder, secrets, love, reflective and philosophical moments, just everything I adore in a book all held within the pages of Shadow of the Wind.  I may have cried at the end because I was so sad I had finished the book and I couldn't keep reading and traveling on the journey with Daniel.  But good news... when I told my boyfriend I was so bummed out that I had finished the book, he informed me that there is a second book by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.  And in his second book The Angel's Game, the character of Daniel still plays a minor part in the story.  It has a different main character than Shadow of the Wind but is set in the same city, just a few years before the setting in Shadow of the Wind.  The Angel's Game is actually a prequel to Shadow of the Wind, and Zafon said that there will be 4 books in this series which I am SO excited about.  I just discovered that the third book, The Prisoner of Heaven, was just translated into English a month ago!  You can bet I will be buying it as soon as I am done with The Angel's Game.  If you have read a few of J. D. Salinger's books and love how they revolve around one family but written from different perspectives within the Glass family, I think you will love Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game.  They are mesmerizing stories that speak of the same place and it's hidden secrets from the perspective of two enchanting characters.  Read these books!

Photos by Andria Lindquist 

see previous Literate & Stylish posts here.

I used Amazon Affiliate linking in this post. To visit Amazon without my link, click here.

Mornings with Henry

A Tuesday morning to be exact. There are so many of these mornings that I just want to remember forever. All of the little details, all the way from that first "Mama! Dada!" from his crib, to breakfast at the little white table, to getting ready to go wherever the day will take us. I know these mornings will change sooner than we know, and this is both exciting and sad. Times goes on, and this is more and more apparent as the days and months and years begin to slip even quicker through my hands. And so I try to capture these details. All of them. I try and keep them safe in my mind, in photos; I want to just stop time right here, right now.

And this particular Tuesday morning was a good one. It wasn't anything special really. Hank and I woke up to Henry's sweet voice yelling for us across the house, smiling to ourselves because we could just hear the smile on his face. The first thing he said when I opened his bedroom door was "BIG DUCKS!' which is Henry-speak for "BIG TRUCKS!" I changed him and followed his big diaper booty down the hall as he bee-lined right for his toy of the moment- his big yellow dump truck.

The first thing Henry always does is say hello to his favorite toys. 'Hi Two-Two," he says to his big R2-D2 robot. "Hi Big Ducks," to his big trucks and cars. "Hi Pee-ano," to his piano. Then he'll make his way over to his easel and draw and draw and draw. Henry loves to create anything and his current happiness comes from drawing circles and announcing as he draws each one.

While he's playing I'll get breakfast ready. Lately meals are a bit of a struggle as my formerly adventurous eater is prone to fits of "No, no, no!" at the drop of a hat in regards to food. One day he'll love pancakes, the next they disgust him. Toast, cereal, oatmeal...you just never know. But fruit, oh can this boy put down some fruit! So our breakfast always includes fruit, but never first, because then he'll never eat what's on his plate. On this Tuesday morning I made the mistake of putting a few raspberries out first but luckily it was waffle day and he was into it. And everyday is hardboiled egg day. The kid's obsessed.

So we ate breakfast and played with Madeline for a bit, then got dressed for the day and headed to the library. Tuesday is Storytime at our public library, and the wonderful Mr. Steve is there to read to all of our town's under-2 crowd. He's amazing, animated, and the children love him. It's also a great time to catch up with mama friends as the kids run around, and on this particular day almost everyone from our group of friends was there.

I could write for days about our library and how many memories of my own childhood it brings back, but I'll leave it at this: to see Henry so ecstatic about books is pretty much one of the most amazing things about parenthood so far. It's awesome, and whenever we go to the library (at least once a week) my sappy self tears up a little thinking back to being a kiddo myself and having the best time surrounded by books and stories and those magical people called librarians.

So yes, this Tuesday was a good one. Nothing too out of the ordinary, nothing too special, but in our world, those kind of days are most often the best.

Currently.

 

We enjoyed the most beautiful day yesterday! August in Northern Arizona is the best.

Loving: that Fall is almost here. It feels like a huge blog cliche´ to even post about Autumn because inevitably there will be a million posts everywhere in the next few weeks about fall fashion, those "beautiful Autumn leaves," pumpkin spice lattes, etc...so I thought maybe I'd just not mention it but I just can't not. In fact I already did last week! It's my favorite. So add me to the list of other fall-obsessed bloggers, surprise, surprise. I just love everything about the season. I think my initial adoration of it started while growing up on the East Coast, surrounded by so much Fall beauty. I love Arizona, but nothing beats New England in September and October; its the most beautiful! Later when we moved to Phoenix my love for the changing seasons kind of died- it's not so exciting when all of the months kind of blend together, but later when I moved up north to Flagstaff and later Prescott I fell back in love.

Reading: I'm reading a couple books right now- I just started two this past weekend. A Theory of Small Earthquakes and Good in a Crisis: A Memoir. Both are great so far, although I think I prefer the first one a bit more. Do any of you start multiple books at once? I am always in the middle of at least two or three and rotate them out nightly. I always wonder if other people do this too. I enjoy it because one, it allows me to drag out great books a little longer, and two, I never get bored. I'll let you know my thoughts on these two when I finish them up!

Watching: Pretty Little Liars, still. I posted about it in my last Currently post and I'm still loving it. I watch an episode at night after Henry goes to sleep and it takes everything in me to make myself turn it off after one. My old pre-kid self would have stayed up until 4am watching episode after episode (binging on boxsets of shows was always a favorite past time - LOST anyone?!) but now that I have to wake up so early with Henry it's just not happening. I'm currently on Season 2, episode 10 and totally immersed in the storyline. ABC Family is so ridiculous but I'm so hooked. Although I will say I tried to watch Bunheads this weekend and it was WAY too cheesy. So maybe my love for bad TV isn't quite so bad?

Thinking about: how I feel like my brain is not as sharp as it used to be when I was working. I hesitate to even write this because I don't want any other stay-at-home Moms to think I'm calling you dumb or something, just because you don't work (this is just ME), but I've been noticing little things about myself here and there. It's weird- I've always loved school, either attending it or teaching it, and it's just really strange doing neither. I don't think it really hit me the first year of not working, but now that I'm in the second year sometimes I think about how crazy it is to not be in a classroom, constantly learning new things, adapting to new people and situations, etc. And it's not that I want to go back to teaching right now, but like I said above, lately I've been noticing random things that I just seem to have forgotten- weird grammar rules, making mistakes in my writing I normally wouldn't, noticing my brain taking a bit longer to figure something out. I hate it. I read every single day and I try to write everyday too, but I feel like I need to be doing something more to keep myself sharp. I'm not quite sure what that is yet, or what the point of me even sharing this whole big thing is, but maybe one of you can relate to a least part of it! Off to do some Sudoku...

Surprised by: a little touch of baby fever. What?! I feel like I just posted about how Hank and I were going to wait and see what happens next year but then all of a sudden we found ourselves hanging out with some babies and saying "hmmm..." So we'll see. I would love to get pregnant again, but we both are also so into the idea of adopting. I think it would be wonderful, especially because Hank is adopted, and the idea of bringing a new baby or even older child into our family is really exciting. That's a lot of pie in the sky talk because in reality we've just talked about adoption a few times, but maybe one day, I hope.

Making me sad: I've talked about this before but I DO NOT UNDERSTAND how anyone could deny any rights to someone because of their sexual preference. This isn't even a topic for discussion because if you don't agree with me than we are fundamentally different and will never, ever see eye to eye. It disgusts me and I am 110% that one day we will look back in horror that we ever treated homosexuals as "less than," in the same way we look back on other huge missteps in our country's history. I saw a quote the other day that said something about how crazy it was that certain groups fight for fetuses' rights (pro-life) but then what happens if the fetus is gay? They don't get the same rights? That's a horrible paraphrase, but it kind of struck me because it's so true. I usually try and avoid getting too political in this space because I don't even want to go there (and because that's ALL I see all over FB as the election gets closer), but this isn't even political- it's common sense.

Making me happy: not so serious things- coconut macaroons, trying out new recipes almost every day, Crossfit (did you think I could go a whole post without mentioning it? haha...), all of the pretty pins on Lauren's boards, making progress on our jungle of a backyard, starting to think about Henry's 2nd birthday party, and sweet little Madeline who is currently snuggling up next to me.

So, how about you? What are you up to today? Feel free to do your own "currently" post on your blog and link back in the comments for everyone to check out. And thanks again to my dear friend Megan for providing the original inspiration for these posts.

Click here to see previous Currently posts.

Jux & Weekend Links

I'm kind of obsessed with the internet, and predictably two of my most favorite things are blogging and Instagram. I love that I'm able to connect with so many people via my blog, all the while documenting everything in my life. I love IG for the same reasons, and the ability to capture special moments on the go is awesome. But then there are those in-between things- little thoughts, afterthoughts, musings, tiny blurbs- that don't necessarily belong in this space, and don't quite fit in on Instagram either.

So I Jux.

I discovered Jux a few months ago when they contacted me right as I was looking for an "in-between" home on the 'net- a place I could store and keep everything that wasn't quite here, and wasn't quite there. As time went on and I continued to post on my Jux I fell more in love how truly easy it was to use, and how pretty it made everything look.



Jux is photo-based, and allows you to do a variety of things with your pictures. You'll have to make one and play around with it yourself, but you can do an article (photo with words), a block quote over your photo, a slideshow, or a number of other things. It's super neat. One of the best parts is how easy Jux is to use with Instagram. In fact if you have an account and tag your IG photo with #jux, it automatically loads onto your Jux page. I love this because it's a quick and easy way to backup and display your Instagram photos on the go, and super easy for non-Instagramming friends (like your parents) to enjoy your daily photos without having the IG app...or in some relatives' case, knowing how to use it!

I know if you try Jux, you'll love it. It's such a great tool and a perfect extension to a blog for all of those in between things on your mind.

Stop by mine and let me know if you decide try it, and if so leave your Jux link below so I can check out your page too.

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Here are a handful of links for your weekend too:

Henry needs this Lego Black Flag tee!

Blog love: Allie, Lesley, and Ashley.

23 women to follow on Instagram right now.
 
SO many cute things at Lulus right now. I can't wait to show you some of the great stuff I got this past week.

Key Lime cupcakes anyone?

10 reasons to be okay with being disliked. Tiny Buddha always provides such good food for thought.

Such a great round up of birth announcements!

What's in Kristine's bag?

I love checking out my readers' Currently posts. Here's a couple: one and two. 

Awesome hair tutorial - messy fishtail bun!

And another hair video all about the top knot. Zoe's the cutest.

Have you signed up for Pave Life yet? They're a sponsor of mine and such a neat company. 

Dancing makes it better!

Hello, beautiful, simple tank. Loving this skirt too. And this dress!

What Lindsay wishes she was wearing. Me too, girl.

Q&A with Jennifer Wiener.

Sara's books are on sale this week. Awesome!

Lime and coconut chicken.

Reverse culture shock.

And finally, head on over to my long time friend Amy's blog and say hello. She's great!

Literate & Stylish: Nova of Glitter and Doom

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Nova of Glitter and Doom

Generation X by Douglas Copeland

It was so hard to choose my all-time favorite book you guys, I read so so so much. But you know which one has stuck with me ever since I picked it up off a library shelf years ago? Generation X by Douglas Copeland. It is so fantastic. People complain that it's a bit dated... and rightly so. I read a couple book reviews before writing this and the word 'zeitgeist' gets thrown around a lot...the 'zeit' they're talking about is the late '80s or early '90s. Basically the book features a bunch of disillusioned young genx-ers trying to find their place in the world. It's a tough one to explain but it really captures the feel of being a 20-something...the characters really remind me of hipsters today.

I don't actually own a physical copy of the book but can get it on my e-reader from my library's online section whenever I want to revisit it, so these photos are of me trying to simulate the way I look while reading in my favorite place: early morning at work. Nobody shows up until 11am so I have all the time in the world to fall deep into a book and really enjoy myself.

see previous Literate & Stylish posts here.

Orla + Method (and enter to win an Orla bag full of Method!)

I sit here eating dark chocolate and sea salt, which is one of my favorite combinations in the entire world, thinking about how awesome it is when two beloved things get together.  The aforementioned chocolate and sea salt, brie and apple, peanut butter and jelly...perfect pairings that just make sense. So last year when Method brought me out to San Francisco and told me all about their super secret surprise love connection with pattern maker Orla Kiely I was ecstatic. Of course they'd get together- of course!

And so now I find myself sneaking away to the bathroom to huff one of the hand soaps on the counter (yes, I have more than one up there. I like options!). I'm the creepy lady in the kitchen sniffing my hands, muttering incoherent things like "mmvanillachaaaai." I'm that gal wafting her dish soap's bubbles closer to her face just to get a smell, sticking bottles of household cleaner in my husband's face- "SMELL THIS!" and I'm making an extra stop at Target to see what's new.

Oh, Method. Oh, Orla.

Many of you may have already tried these gorgeous little bottles of goodness. I've seen photos of them all over Instagram and with good reason. Who wouldn't want their cleaners and soaps to match the style of their life? It just makes sense. And like all Method soaps, the formula is biodegradable, naturally derived and free of any dirty ingredients, like parabens, phthalates, triclosan and EDTA, and packaged in recyclable bottles made with 100% recycled plastic (PCR). Yay!

And I have good news for all of you Orla and Method lovers too. You can enter to win 5 grand prizes- an Orla Kiely handbag filled to the brim with the limited edition Method + Orla Kiely products (which are selling out like hot cakes!) on Facebook. AND, 30 runner-ups will receive various Method + Orla Kiely products.

Enter at the Method Facebook page giveaway tab now until August 31st. Good luck!

And before you head over and enter, tell me below- have you tried them out yet? Which was your favorite? Mine is definitely the Vanilla Chai. In love!

p.s. follow Method on Twitter too for fun photos and surprises!

*post sponsored by method but all opinions expressed are my own. I still haven't met a method product I haven't loved! 

The Open Road

 

Driving has always been a big part of my adult life. I went away to college a few hours north of home, so I would find myself making the drive down to see my friends and family every month or so. I looked forward to this time- it was a few hours I could just unplug, not think about school, and listen to all of the new bands I was discovering during those first few years up at NAU. I'd burn CDs in anticipation of having that time to myself (so precious when living with 75 sorority sisters) while I made the trek down the mountain and back home.

And then soon after college my relationship with Hank began, and I found myself on the road once again. He was on tour with his band when we met, and we started writing back and forth while he was out, him sending me little updates and flirtations as we started to figure out what exactly "this" was, all while I was sending him descriptions of my days at home. When he got back and started to actually date, we were still two hours apart so there was always one of us in the car, to and from, here to there, driving, driving, driving!

We joke that driving is in Hank's blood. Because he toured from the age of 15 to 25 or so (and still now and again when he's able), he says he gets an itch to get out on the road if he doesn't do it every so often. And luckily Henry and I love to get in the car and drive too. We've been all over- made the four hours to the houseboat on Lake Powell many times, all over Arizona, California, Nevada, and up and down the East Coast almost every summer. We go down to Phoenix often too, and sometimes I think there's nothing better than getting in the car with my guys with a cooler of snacks and drinks, good music on the stereo, and lots of time to talk the hours away, windows down and letting in that fresh mountain air.

It gets me excited about the future and taking Henry on road trips all over beautiful Arizona and beyond. I have dreams of driving up the California coast and camping in the northern part of the state, surrounded by huge Redwoods and the bluest sky. I can imagine how fun it will be to drive through the small towns we always fall in love with on the way to here or there, but this time with our whole family along for the ride.

Did you ever take road trips with your family growing up? Or do you take them now? I'd love to hear about your favorite places and trips you've taken. We're hoping to head up to Yosemite sometime this next year and I'm so excited to experience it, and I'd especially love to hear about any of your trips up that way!

This Past Weekend & Right Now

This past weekend: Hank went to the Cardinals game on Friday night while I stayed in with my Mom and did a whole lot of nothing, we ate lunch at one of the best places in the WORLD- more on it when we return in a couple of weeks, I spent most of the weekend in my workout clothing (my favorite), chased around a wild toddler, visited my sister and Abe's new home they're having built, and I fell a little more in love with my crazy family, if that's even possible. I also had a sort of breakthrough with my thinking and how I deal with certain things after becoming beyond annoyed for the last time. Forever vague about this, but I'm so happy.

Right now: meal planning and making a grocery list for tomorrow's trip to our two favorite stores and a stop at the new natural food store in town, thinking about how if I'm this sore now, I can only imagine how I'll feel tomorrow (1 million kettlebell swings tonight), packing up orders from the Shop My Closet I did on Instagram last week, dreaming of fall weather and everything apple cider and changing leaves, excited about some new organization we've got going on, and thinking about how nerdy being excited about organization really is.

How about you?

Weekend Links

 

They're building a new home in the lot next to ours and Henry is in heaven, watching the big trucks all day long.

Happy weekend everyone! We have a fun, low-key one planned with family and I couldn't be more excited. I hope you had a good week- and I hope you enjoy these links I'm loving from all around the web.

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What a fabulous post by Mandy.

I can't wait for fall either!

40 ways to feel more alive.

A husband and his pink garage.

I am so, so in love with this home...and series!

Beautiful shoes, found via Ashley.

A reader sent me in this video of her friends doing a ukelele version of "Somebody That I Used To Know." Too cool, and these guys are really cute too. It's a must watch.

Another reader wanted me to share a bit about the Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue- check out their site to learn more.

Waffles with a side of pretty, anyone?

Love these little TOMS for Henry.

This is where Alex comes from. Where do you come from?

Jessica Hische phone covers. So cute!

BFF tattoos! Adorable, right?


SO much cute stuff for little ones! Henry would freak out over that dino backpack.

I love Katy's blog. I wish she posted everyday. 

And speaking of blogs I love, I can't get enough of Modern Kiddo.

Jigsaw's having a big sale! Have you popped over yet?

One of my sponsors, Meegs over at A New Day, is having a big 30th birthday giveaway. Have you entered yet?

Some blogs to check out: say hi to Laura, Megan, and Julie.

And finally, here's me at the same point in my pregnancy that my sister is right now. It's insane to think back to this time and look at that belly!

Literate & Stylish: Ashlee of Dearie Lovie

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Ashlee of Dearie Lovie

Last Summer by Evan Hunter

This book not only makes the list as one of my favorite books for the amazing story line, but also because of the sheer amount of effort I put in to attaining a copy of this book. One night I woke up randomly about two in the morning. Unable to get back to sleep I found a movie called Last Summer starring a young Barbara Hershey. I wanted some background noise in which to fall asleep, but what I got was more powerful. Usually, I'm a believer that the book is somehow always better than the movie so when I discovered that this 1969 movie was based on a 1968 book, I was eager to find a copy in which to sink my teeth in to. After scouring every flea market, vintage bookstore, and Barnes and Noble I was feeling discouraged. So, I took to Amazon after a month of searching and finally received my comfortably worn in copy that I've read multiple times over since.

The story follows the lives and the ever complicated friendship of four teenagers on Fire Island that are coming into their own. It's about growing up and the fine line between childhood and full-fledged teenagerdom. It's about sexual tension and friendship, first loves and the uglier sides of reality that are somehow masked during the seemingly invincible and carefree summertime. This is a book that really explores humanity and really captures that feeling of being fifteen or sixteen years old. It's really raw and wonderful, at times dark and aggressive even. I highly recommend it because though it's about growing up and summertime (plus it's a very quick read), there's an element about it that makes it far more than your average beach read.

see previous Literate & Stylish posts here. 

I used Amazon Affiliate linking in this post. To visit Amazon without my affiliate link, click here.

Somewhere Between the Black Bean Salad and the Fried Goat Cheese: A Post About Love

I feel like I'm a pretty weird person. I mean, I know we're all pretty weird but I sometimes think about how weird I am and how lucky I feel to have found someone else in this big, wide world who gets me. I remember reading a quote somewhere that talked about how we just need to find someone whose weirdness is compatible with our own. And then we fall into this sort of mutual weirdness and call it love. Or something like that. I feel so lucky though to have found my weird counterpart. The person who laughs at all of my cheesy jokes, who gets my sarcastic humor, accepts my often mercurial moods, and who has no problem just sitting and being, and not always talking.

Hank and I have been together for 8 years next month and while it seems like a lifetime, it also seems like it's gone by in the blink of an eye. That's the craziness of love I suppose; I imagine I'll feel the same way when we're 80, wondering where all the time went, but also looking back on a lifetime of so much joy and thinking, "wow, look at everywhere we've been." I feel lucky to have met Hank when we were both so young. We grew up together in a sense, and the older I get, the luckier I feel that we grew together and not apart. We're both so different from the youngsters that met on that August afternoon. Life has gone on and we've changed and changed (and changed), but even with those differences we're still those same two kids. Those same two kids, still crazy in love. And now there's three of us.

When Henry came into our lives I knew things would change. We've always had this attitude of "Team Hampton," cheesy as it sounds, but it's just how it is. We're a team, on each others' side always, supporting and helping one another, pushing each other to succeed and do our best. And although adding a baby into our little family (our team!) was hard at times, especially those nights where Henry would cry and cry, and I would be snappy and annoyed at Hank for one reason or another...it still was okay because we were this unit, working together and getting it done. But oh, those crazy nights. We got through those first months though, and of course things got easier.

Our focus shifted somewhere around Henry's 6 month mark. Oh! We need to make time for us! And so we got back into our dating routine, remembering to make time for one another, even if it was just enjoying three hours on the couch at the end of the night, laughing together at Curb Your Enthusiasm and sharing a bowl of popcorn. And now that Henry is almost 2 years old, making time for one another is much easier. I look forward to these special nights we get to spend together. I enjoy getting dolled up a bit, and enjoy the anticipation of a delicious meal.

The other night we had one of those special evenings- a rare "leave the house" kind of date night, and there was a moment during dinner that I kind of sat back for a moment and took it in. We're all grown up, married and parents, and on a date away from our son who is happily playing at his grandparents. Sometimes I'm hit with these realizations at the strangest times, and they're so poignant and real that I'm almost blindsided. I am happy. And it's not that I haven't always been happy, but this is it, my life, my family, my husband. And it's good. I'm so thankful for it and so grateful for this life that at times I don't even know how to convey it in this space without overdoing it. But in that moment, sandwiched somewhere between the black bean salad and the fried goat cheese, a little tiny piece of me exhaled and sent a tiny "thank you" into the universe. Life is good.

Tried It & Liked It!

This post title reminds me of Yo Gabba Gabba, which is always on heavy rotation in our house. "Try it, you'll like it!" If you're familiar perhaps it's stuck in your head now too!

Anyway, this past weekend I set a goal to try a new recipe every single day this week. I cook our meals daily, but we get so set on the same things that I am always feeling like I need to mix it up. My intentions are usually great- I'll pin my heart out, spend time on food blogs, but so often I'll end up returning to an old favorite rather than branching out. This week though, I've tried a good amount of new dishes...and it's only Tuesday. Awesome!

Here are some of the recipes/ideas I've tried and loved:



1. Chia Seed Pudding

Looks NASTY, tastes delicious. Autumn and I made an "just okay" batch this weekend with almond milk. It grew on us, but the next day I decided to try it with coconut milk and it was 100x better. I got the recipe off of the back of the Trader Joe's chia seed bag, which they sell for $4.99. I'll post it below for those who don't have a TJ's. You can get chia seeds at any health store! Henry also really loved this stuff. I told him it was ice cream ("ice team" in Henry language) and he gobbled it right up and then asked for seconds (and thirds).

Here's all you do: 1 cup coconut milk for every 1/4 cup Chia seeds. Mix together- if you prefer you can add in sweetener like agave or honey, puréed fruit, vanilla, cocoa powder, etc. Set for 2-3 hours in the fridge and enjoy!



2. PaleOMG's Crockpot Pork Green Chile

Whoa, whoa, whoa! This is honestly one of the best things I've ever made. Super easy and super delicious. Hank obviously doesn't eat meat so I am slowly savoring the entire thing. I can't wait to have some of our meat-eating friends over to enjoy this with me. It's just that good. Check out the recipe here and then stay awhile on her blog- it's my current favorite.



3. Vegan chocolate banana "soft serve"

When I was in NYC with Em last month we got soft serve at the Soft Serve Fruit Co., and I fell in love with the idea of puréeing fruit into a dairy-like treat. I tried it at home tonight and fell in love. It's such a nice switch from the frozen yogurt I love so much, and it's super easy to make! Simply peel and cut up 3-4 bananas and freeze them overnight. The next day throw them into your food processor or blender and blend until you achieve a whipped, ice cream like consistency. You can also add in cocoa powder, nut butters, you name it! 

Yay for new recipes and ideas. I'll keep on sharing things I try and like as I make them, so stay tuned!

Currently, and a little video too.

Loving: cooking and CrossFit! Since I started CrossFit I decided to go Paleo and I'm loving it. I'm not doing it 100% all of the time (more like 90/10), and it's been a lot of fun trying out new recipes. A good chunk of my close girlfriends eat the same way, so we've been having a great time trading recipes and ideas. I've been enjoying a couple blogs - PaleOMG and Everyday Paleo (recommended by Emily), and this morning I'm actually making the crockpot Green Chile Chili from PaleOMG that looks delicious. I'll post most things that I like on my Instagram, so feel free to follow along there too (@danihampton). I've been trying not to talk too much about CrossFit here because I could go on forever about how much I've fallen in love with it over the last 3 weeks, but I will talk about it now and again. The craziest thing to me is how I've been working out forever and always felt "in shape," but never really at my personal best or in tip top condition. I liked the way I looked but never thought I looked the very best I could or how I totally wanted to look. I had been doing the same exercise stuff forever and I think even though I'd mix it up, I was in a rut. 3 weeks of doing CrossFit and I've seen more results than I've ever seen in my strength and even my appearance. Pretty awesome and I am absolutely hooked. Hank also goes 5 days a week and is loving it. And I love that we are doing this together.

Reading: Looking For Alaska by John Green. I finished 50 Shades. (Very) bad writing, I know, but you're talking to the girl who really enjoyed Twilight, every Nicolas Sparks book every written, and a million other ridiculous books like The Uglies series. It's kind of my "turn off my brain" literature and I love it. But John Green's books are totally the opposite; they make you think about so many different things and really take your emotions for a ride. After I finished The Fault in Our Stars (see my review here) so many of you recommended this book, and I'm so happy I started it. It's amazing, and I'm only about 1/3 of the way in. I'll do a full review when I'm done.

Watching: Pretty Little Liars. So I guess this post is really just highlighting my cheesy side because here's another ABC Family show I've fallen in love with. My love affair with this network started with Make It Or Break It, and is continuing with this gem. I've heard about it forever and the other night Henry went to bed a little earlier than usual so I turned on Netflix to try and find a new series to get into. I came across PLL (I love it so much it's even getting an acronym now) and asked Twitter, yay or nay. The resounding answer was yay! I started it and was immediately hooked. I'm only about 5 episodes in, but I can tell I'll definitely be enjoying it for awhile.

Thinking about: lots of blogging stuff. Recently, I dealt with a weird bout of negativity in regards to this space. I had been feeling kind of off for awhile in regards to writing and sharing here, and I even touched on it a bit in a post last week, but it kind of went beyond that. I was stuck in this weird zone- not really sure why I felt so off, wanting to change it up, but unsure how. Oddly enough reading a bunch of negative things about me/my blog made me feel super inspired and even more excited to blog (after I got over the intital "What?! Everyone doesn't like me and think I'm the greatest thing ever?! haha...). I was confused by this reaction at first- I always knew that I wasn't everyone's cup of tea, like everyone isn't mine, but hearing that and reading that made me realize more than ever that really, who gives a shit what anyone thinks (still not totally there but working on it!). It absolutely does not matter. No matter what I do or write here there will always be someone out there who thinks it's the dumbest thing they've ever read, and at the same time there will be someone who loves it. What matters is that I am happy and feel like I am putting my best forward, and writing what I enjoy. Reading all of that made me feel even better about that, strange as it sounds.

Anticipating: tomorrow! It's a BIG day for our family...my sister and Abe find out the sex of their baby! I have a strong feeling they're having a girl, but I also thought that I was having a girl so who really knows. Their appointment is at 3:15pm and Henry and I can't wait to be in the room for the ultrasound. It's going to be awesome. It totally takes me back to the day we found out and how nerve-wracking it was. I'm so excited for my sister and Abe to have this experience too. I'll be sure to let you guys all know, as soon as I get the go-ahead!

Wishing: that I could make the next four months go by incredibly slow. I live for the fall and adore everything about it. I am already way too excited about Halloween (how is it just a little over 2 months away?!) and can't wait to decorate the house, go pumpkin picking, and enjoy all of the gorgeous fall leaves in our town. My goal is to just soak it all up as much as possible.

Making me happy: beauty tutorials on YouTube and trying out new looks with my hair and makeup, Henry being able to understand and communicate so much more, taking a ton of little videos with my phone like the one above, Chia seeds (more on this later in the week), discovering new blogs, Pink Lady apples, pedicures with Veronica, and nightly walks with Hank and Henry.

So, how about you? What are you up to today? Feel free to do your own "currently" post on your blog and link back in the comments for everyone to check out. And thanks again to my dear friend Megan for providing the original inspiration for these posts.

Weekend Links

 

Henry and Carter! This photo captures Henry's personality to a tee. 

Here are some links to enjoy on this wonderful Sunday. I'll be back with a "Currently" post to start this next week of blogging. I'm excited to get back into the swing of things as this whirlwind summer winds on down. I feel like I have so much to share! I am going to be focusing more on our everyday - something I don't share enough of here, at least in my opinion! I'm excited.

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If you read one thing on this list, read this article about creating even in the face of criticism. I loved it.

Halloween is a little over 2 months away.

Now I am actually not a fan of Trader Joe's Cookie Butter (crazy, right?) but I'm sure many of you are. Check out this Cookie Butter Cookie recipe.

My pal Jenny is a hairstylist and has recently started a blog where she shares tips, tricks, and some awesome tutorials.

Stop by and say hi to Caitlin and Jess! Both of their blogs are really different but hold one similarity- they are super honest and share a great little slice of their lives.

On raising a powerful girl. Thanks for the link Christine!

And...on raising successful children. Thoughts?

Loving: this bag, this dress, this top, and this blog.

Okay, I am officially missing the lake with this post.

How great do these meals look? Inspiring.

Loving this hair tutorial.

10 images of inspiration: meet me by the water.

Little bits of everyday.

Vegan no bake peppermint patty bars. These look awesome.

Avocado cucumber soup. Simple and healthy.

Henry the flying baby!

Jigsaw is having a huge sale. Check 'em out - they're a wonderful sponsor of mine. And speaking of sponsors, pop on over and say hi to Mame and The Sunglasses Shop too!

Blogs I'm loving right now: one and two, and my favorite YouTube channel too.

Breakfast Idea: Bacon & Egg Cups

I call this a breakfast idea rather than a recipe because really, let's not kid ourselves, cracking an egg into a muffin tin lined with bacon isn't exactly rocket science. However, Autumn and her kiddos spent a couple days here this week and she told me about this delicious looking breakfast, so I had to try it for myself. After posting a photo on IG you can also apparently find this all over Pinterest too, so here I am, telling you that YES- this idea is pinnable, doable, and lovable. It turned out really well and I wanted to share it with all of you. I ate mine fresh out of the oven, but Autumn says that she bakes a bunch in advance and then just heats them up. Enjoy!

What you'll need:

a muffin/cupcake tin
cooking spray/something to coat the tray with
bacon (I used uncured turkey bacon)
a small bowl and a fork for mixing
eggs
salt/pepper to taste
chopped veggies




Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350.

Spray your tin or coat it so the bacon/eggs don't stick. And if you like your bacon a little crispy, I suggest precooking your bacon a bit beforehand.

In a small bowl, whisk together one egg per muffin cup and omit any or all yolks- totally up to you. I made four cups and used four egg whites and 1.5 yolks. If you're adding any chopped veggies mix them in now. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Line each muffin cup with one slice of bacon.

Pour the egg mixture into each cup.

Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, or until the egg is firm and a fork comes out clean when inserted.

Enjoy!

Literate & Stylish: Jes of The Militant Baker

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Jes of The Militant Baker

Cunt: A Declaration of Independence by Inga Muscio

Hello literate and stylish ladies! And hello gorgeous Danielle! Thanks for having me here at Sometimes Sweet... I cannot wait to share my favorite ever book with you... (drum roll please)... Cunt: A Declaration of Independence. I grew up in a pretty confining woman silencing religious culture for the majority of my life. My childhood was glorious, but as I grew into womanhood I could start to feel my critical thinking and rebellious nature welling up inside of me. After returning home from college, I started working at an alternative bookstore and this book was placed in my hands by a woman I will forever be indebted to. I read it in a day. And then I read it again! This is the book that gave me the permission I so desperately needed to explore myself  and find out who I really am. This book burst open the floodgates for the rest of my life. To me, it is freedom. Dramatic? Kinda. Accurate? Hell yeah!

Inga Musico lives her life dedicated to reclaiming the word "cunt". She explores the history of the "demeaning" words we throw around today, the potential within women communities, sex-positive birth control, holistic healing, personal empowerment and protection, womanifestos and a lot lot lot more. This book was first written in 1998, and definitely touts an aftertaste of the Olympia Riot Grrrl movement which personally, I love.

I'd like to share my womanifesto that I wrote after reading this book. It is from years ago, but it still holds an exceptional amount of power for me. I think it might also give you insight into the flavor of this revolutionary book. Note: back then, I only wrote in lowercase letters:) Read it here.

The view presented within Cunt is very "radical" since it emerged from heightened oppression. Feel free to read with a discerning eye, but I would suggest also reading with a wide open mind. See what happens for you. Even if I were a verbose poet with all the time in the world, I could not put unto words how much power this little book holds. And, likewise, how much power we hold within ourselves. Give it a whirl. See if it don't rock your world, girlfriend.

see previous Literate & Stylish posts here.

I used Amazon Affiliate linking in this post. To visit Amazon without my affiliate link, click here.