Inspiration board : For the men.

Our three year anniversary is right around the corner (November 1) and I have been contemplating what to get husband as a treat. He deserves it. We usually use the traditional anniversary gift material as a guide and then go from there. This year it is leather, which I am excited about. I have had two leather items on my lust list for a couple of years now and if I hint enough I just might be getting one of them :)

The first year was paper, and Stone gave me a few of these classic books, while I gave him a group of books he had been wanting as well. Second year was cotton and we stretched the rules a bit. I gave Stone a new wetsuit and he gave me a gift card to the spa (which he wrote in the card I would be putting on a cozy cotton robe for the day). It was lovely.

Here are some ideas I have tucked away for gifts for husband, do you do that? Whenever I think of a good gift idea for a friend or family member I try to write it down so that when it comes time I will have ideas! While none of these gifts are leather (I have some leather ideas, but could not spoil the surprise!) I know Stone would be so excited to receive any of them. Especially the motorcycle... which is only in his dreams :)

1 : I saw this beach cruiser and that is what began my idea for a manly inspiration board... Stone would look so good riding around on one of these. Maybe one day :)

2 : The Tie Shop ties. The only tie your guy should be wearing. Trust me.

3 : Stone loves this Julian hard cider. A perfect drink with a kick for fall. I like the branding too, it is very hard core looking!

4 : I am looking to replace Stone's dop kit with something with way more style then the one he got at Target in college and this one fits the bill perfectly.

5 : When we bought our iPhones we just grabbed the cheapest case we could find and told ourselves we would get cooler ones later. Well it is later and our phones want a new outfit. I like these.

6 : Husband already owns them, but they are my favorite shoes of his so I thought I would share them with you. Plus they are designed by a local Encinitas artist!

7 : This is mega on Stone's wish list. He would be forever happy to receive a subscription!

xo.

Food to love : Apple crisp.

Sorry the photos are pretty bad, it tasted much better than it looks!

Stone and I decided to make use of the bounty of apples we got from Julian this past weekend and made apple crisp last night. More like I made apple crisp and Stone sat in the kitchen sipping on hard apple cider that we got from the store. Men ;)

Anyway, it turned out delicious and we enjoyed it while watching Parenthood and dreaming of having a big family. That show will do it to you. It is such a great show, if you have not watched it I highly recommend it!

Back to the crisp. It is the perfect easy fall dessert, and I added some pears for an added kick. Actually I used to really dislike warm fruit of any variation, so now that I am easing into it the softer I can make the fruit the better. I cut very thin slices of the apples and used pears because they are already so soft to begin with.

Apple Crisp

3 sliced apples (small) 2 sliced pears

1/2 c butter softened

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c flour

1 cup oats

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix topping until blended. I really got in there with my hands and smooshed (yup, smooshed) it all together until it was crumbly/buttery goodness. Place apples and pears in a buttered bread pan. Add topping. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Tuesday (or maybe Wednesday) Tunes : In the light house.

Love this video and doubly love Ben Howard's tunes.

Enjoy!

Weekend wrap up : Much needed family time.

Sorry I have gone silent these past few days. We had family in town and yesterday was spent doing loads of laundry and answering loads of emails. I hate that this weekend has already past. Stone and I have had these dates on the calendar since early last summer and have been so looking forward to it. His sister Kelsey and her husband Ryan (also known as Buck) and Stone's brother Brady and his fiance Stephanie all came in for a weekend filled with family time and unfortunately cold gloomy weather. C'mon California! Every time we have visitors you bring out the clouds... whats up with that? We are trying to convince our fam to move out here and nice beautiful sunny California weather would definitely give us an advantage! Oh well.

We did take the fam to Julian, CA to pick apples, pears and indulge in some delicious BBQ. Stone and I are always in awe of how we can drive an hour from where we live and be in a totally different climate. It is so fun. I have yet to make anything with all of the apples we brought home, but hopefully this week I can create an apple crisp of some sort. Yummmm!

I think the highlight of the week, however, was our last night bonfire on the beach with friends. This was our first time doing this and it was so fun that it makes me wonder why we waited so long! We had s'mores, told stories, and laughed... a lot! Definitely a memory I will tuck away.

Hope you are enjoying your week, I am happy to be back :) xo.

Food to love : Warms the soul.

• The other night Stone and I were invited to dinner at our friends Lacey and Patrick's home. I love having dinner with these two, not only because Lacey is an incredible cook and always teaches me new recipes, but because we can spend hours chatting with them and then we don't want to leave so we all snuggle in bed together and watch Modern Family together. Ha. That sounds weird, but it wasn't, and we really did do that :)

This week Lacey found the perfect Fall recipe to recreate and it was perfection. I mean really, so yummy. It reminds me of that old Campbell's Soup commercial where the snowman comes in his house and as he is eating the soup it slowly melts off and he turns into a little warm boy. So cute. I miss those old Christmas commercials. Well it felt like that kind of meal... if I was covered in snow it would have melted right off of me. So wait for a chilly night and whip up this meal. It's delish.

xo.

Lacey's Pot Pie

• 
  
• 4 pounds chicken breasts with skin and bones (we made a veggie version and chicken version)
• 4 to 6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth

• 3 large carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 butternut squash cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 pound potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (we used purple and yukon gold potatoes)
• Handful of Brussel Sprouts chopped in quarters
• 1 cup peas

• 1 frozen pie crust thawed
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 3 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), sliced
• 2 large shallots, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons rosemary
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup whipping cream

Butter 4-quart oval baking dish. Place chicken breasts in heavy large pot. Add just enough broth to cover chicken. Bring broth to boil; reduce heat to low. Cover pot and simmer until chicken is just cooked through, skimming surface occasionally, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer chicken to plate and cool.

Add veggies to chicken broth in pot. Simmer uncovered until vegetables are just tender, about 10-15 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to prepared baking dish.

Strain broth; reserve 4 cups. Remove skin and bones from chicken. Cut meat into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces. Add chicken to vegetables in baking dish.

Melt butter in same pot over medium heat. Add leeks, shallots and thyme. Sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add flour and stir 2 minutes. Stir in 4 cups broth and white wine. Increase heat to high and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Add cream and boil until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, whisking frequently, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour gravy over mixture in dish. Stir to blend.

Position 1 rack in top third of oven and place baking sheet on bottom rack in oven; preheat to 400F. Roll out crust dough on parchment paper to 15x10 1/2-inch rectangle. Using paper as aid, turn dough over onto filling. Trim dough overhang; tuck dough edge inside dish and press rosemary into dough. Cut slits in crust to allow steam to escape.

Place pot pie on top rack and bake until crust is golden and gravy is bubbling, about 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving (if you can wait that long!).

Look of the week : Snuggle in to fall.

Hooray for fall!

One thing I miss most about living in Colorado is having seasons. I love the leaves changing and the first snow. I just don't like that point when you realize the snow is just going to keep on dumping. Truly though, the first snow is pretty magical. When the entire town is white and no one was quite prepared so things are closed and everything is still. I love that.

But, alas, Stone and I have left the snow for a much warmer climate. I will say, however, there is kind of a briskness to the air here and it is making me dream of all things warm, cozy, and pumpkin scented. I know... such a girl :) What can I say? This is our favorite time of the year and it is obvious why...

I am loving the fall fashion this season, but I do have a bone to pick with the trend-makers. Cable knit sweaters? Really? Just two years ago I dropped off two bags full of cable knit sweaters to be donated and they are back in style now. That was a fast turn around, and one that I am frankly not prepared for. Isn't that always the case. I don't think I will hop on that bandwagon this season as I was pretty happy to purge those sweaters and am not ready to invite them back in. But, they are cute I must say...

So put on a sweater, and get cozy... it's fall!

One, Two, Three, Four, and Five

Tuesday tunes : Metals.

I am loving Feist's new album Metals. Especially the first one I put on this playlist... so good! If you need a little background music for work this would be perfect!

Enjoy! xo.

Weekend wrap up : Shooting and resting.

Our weekend was wonderful!

Stone and I have been putting the finishing touches on our home and I am happy to announce that I am working from my new desk. No, not the kitchen table anymore, a real desk with a real desk chair! Eeeeeeeeee! We had a couple of shoots this past weekend one located in the middle of the ocean and the other in a grapefruit grove. Win and win. They were awesome! Our car also decided to play tricks on us on our drive back home from our shoot in Temecula and did not go into park... but then told us it was kidding and went into park once we got back to Encinitas. That jokester. It was not funny to us, but it did give Stone a reason to find other uses for my yoga mat...

We also enjoyed a few dinners with friends, which is my favorite thing ever. One recipe that my friend Lacey made for us I will be sharing later on this week because it was perfection on a plate. For real.

Sorry I am a day late posting, but we got a bunch of prints in the mail yesterday and got busy framing and hanging around our house, so I was much too distracted! We will hopefully get some pics of our new place on here soon :)

xo.

Have a fun weekend.

What are you up to this weekend? Stone and I are on the last lap of finishing up our home organizing/decorating! It really is starting to feel so cozy and I just love it. Cannot wait to show you all photos. We are also headed up to Temecula to shoot an engagement session, which I cannot wait for :) We have never been there and I hear it is beautiful. Speaking of shooting weddings, the photo above is from a recent wedding we shot, Stone and I snuck into the photo booth... so professional, I know.

Hope your weekend is lovely. xo.

That's a wrap : Bonnie + Ed

I do not even have enough words to tell you how awesome this wedding was. From all of the details that Ed and Bonnie poured a year of creating, designing, and planning to the beautiful venue, this wedding was definitely a favorite of the season for us. Stone listed out some of the things that they did to make their wedding special and unique to the both of them as artists and as a couple...

hand printed wood save the dates and invitations, custom painted ping-pong table, custom printed ping-pong paddles, hundreds of custom painted birds, hand-cut wood circle "flowers," hand-cut and painted table birds, hand-made wood centerpiece boxes, stamped napkins, ceremony bell shakers, and on and on ... they also made their own bouquet and boutonniere

... crazy, right? Crazy awesome.

These, of course are just some of my favorite shots, but there is so much more to see! Go HERE and check in out, it is worth your while :)

Inspiration board : Dreaming of Seattle.

Really I am dreaming of a vacation with husband... without computers, without having to paint walls, and without having to unpack boxes.

We are hoping to go to Seattle this fall to visit our good friends Gus & Lacey and to celebrate the end of another great wedding season! Neither of us have been to Seattle and all I can think about is good coffee and relaxing rain (with some cute boots to stomp around in puddles). The last two days in Encinitas has been pretty gloomy and rainy, which has been great for hunkering down and organizing our new home. I love nesting and while I am continuing to unpack I am thinking that I should pop on Sleepless in Seattle (Meg Ryan is my all time fav) and get excited about the possibility of our upcoming trip... fingers crossed!

By the way, isn't that poster of Seattle awesome?!

Tuesday tunes : Make a noise.

I have said it before and I am sure that I will say it again many times more, but, my brother-in-law (Brady) knows his music. I have been the happy recipient of many emails with new songs to jam to. Yup, I just said 'jam to'. These are no exception, enjoy them, and jam on :)

xo.

Look of the week : 100 years of style.

Saw this here and had to share it! Love the clothes, love the music, and love the dancing :)

I miss dancing...