Tuesday Tunes : Be healed.

Another great video from Serial Box! This is Stone's favorite as of late and I hope you enjoy it too :) xo.

Weekend wrap up : Let the Christmas fun begin!

It officially took me 3 hours to sort through all of my email from the four day vacation... yikes! I know that I work from my home, so perhaps I have no excuse to not be answering emails over Thanksgiving, but I figure if people with office jobs get to have a holiday then I am going to give myself one too. This does not really bode well with my boss (husband), but to me holidays are meant for sleeping in, shopping, going out with friends and family, and doing anything but work. So that's what I did and I suppose today I paid the price. I have not moved from the computer all morning. Oofta!

Oh well, I now have a clean inbox and am all rested for the week ahead! How was your Thanksgiving holiday? Mine was pretty great, some of the highlights were :

- Making Thanksgiving dinner with Lacey, our dishes included stuffed mushrooms, two pies, roasted veggies, corn casserole, and chocolate bark! Yowza.

- Having a Thanksgiving slumber party with our friends, The Dodds :)

- Shopping for the first time ever on Black Friday... like hard core, a couple of friends and I woke up when it was still dark outside and waited in line to reap the benefits of Anthropologie's 50% off sale. It was pretty great!

- Watching not one, not two, but three Christmas movies! (Elf, Santa Clause 2 and Polar Express)

- Laying in bed and reading.

- Meeting up with friends for dinner and camp fire at San Elijo campgrounds!

- Getting our gifts ready to bring to church for Operation Christmas Child!

- Going hunting in the tide pools near our house and actually finding a huge star fish! I wanted to bring it home, but husband told me it was illegal. Dang.

- Getting our Christmas cards designed and ordered... feels good to get that done!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Christmas is in full swing and I could not be more excited. xo.

Food to Love : A feast!

Do you usually cook for the holidays? Or do you leave it up to other family members... maybe even restaurants to pick up the slack? My mom is the queen of holiday meal planning and cooking. She has it down to a science and I dare not interrupt her flow, however since we have grown up a bit Stone and I have taken on a little more responsibility in preparing food for our family holiday meals. We have to travel for the holidays, which limits us a little, but I still love being in charge of at least one dish! I just love an excuse to cook something a little more fancier than the norm. This Thanksgiving I am making stuffed mushrooms (my mom's recipe, which I will share with you soon) and a small dessert. I need to figure that one out still. Yes, this means I have yet to go to the grocery store. Husband and I were just deciding that maybe a late night grocery run would be best to grab the things we need. Hopefully they do not run out of mushrooms. Other than that, we will be good :) We are headed to our friends' family Thanksgiving here and I just cannot wait to sample all of the tasty dishes. If you are like me and still have yet to decide exactly what you are making then have no fear, I compiled a list of incredible options that would be the show piece of any holiday spread. The best reward of cooking is getting the compliments, right? Ha. So hope you have a lovely holiday and that you find yourself in the kitchen creating something delicious! xo.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Kale and Sausage Stuffed Turkey

Crusted Butternut Squash

Brie and Pear Tart

Parker House Rolls

Sausage and Sage Stuffing with Dried Cranberries and Toasted Hazlenuts

Today I am thankful for spending time with good friends!

Tuesday Tunes : I could start fires with what I feel for you.

This song gives me chills. Every. Time.

To see more videos like this one and an interview with David Ramirez go here!

Weekend wrap up : "There is always money in the banana stand."

Hello all. Stone and I had a busy and long weekend filled with good friends, good food, and a great engagement shoot. Nothing to complain about here :) Yesterday (I know it was a Monday, but it felt like a weekend to me because we were away shooting all day) we headed to Newport Beach to shoot the most darling (seriously) couple ever. Stone and I got there a bit early and I immediately fell in love with this charming little town. So quaint. It also has an abundance of ice cream shoppes, candy stores, and banana stands. Yup, banana stands. We had to try it out, the bananas were great and the stands had us quoting Arrested Development for a good hour after. If you are unfamiliar with what I am talking about watch this short clip and get caught up! We then headed over to Balboa Island with our clients and had one of our favorite engagement shoots to date. This is from a combination of great weather, beautiful location, and the fact that we just truly loved spending time with this couple. We even grabbed dinner after at a delicious little italian spot Mama Ds... if you are ever in the area I highly recommend. Other highlights of my weekend included dinner with great friends (we always love hanging with the Carter's and Dodd's!) at BO+Beau (now on our list of fav restaurants) and getting my nails done with my friend Jenni! Have you ever gotten a Shellac manicure... I don't think I will ever wear plain old polish again, it is that good.

Happy short week you guys! Something I am thankful for this Tuesday is being able to work with my sweet husband doing something we love! xo.

Yup, this happened.

We were just dying to have the scent of pine in our house... call us crazy, but last night we pulled out the Christmas decorations, bought a mini pine tree, and went to town :) I just love it and wish we could keep it up year round. I belong in the North Pole.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend! xo.

Food to Love : Warms the soul.

Do you ever have those weeks where the mere thought of cooking meals for the next 5 days is so daunting that you almost want to give in to spending hundreds of dollars at restaurants instead. Well, this Monday felt like that for me. Sometimes I just run out of steam to cook. And I truly love cooking. I love finding new recipes and love the look on husbands face when I have made something new and delicious! But, I only love that when I have unlimited time and have all of the ingredients at my fingertips to create such beautiful meals. It has been a little chilly this week and we have been hiding under a rock hurrying to finish all of our projects before our niece and nephew are born AND the holidays begin. We are so excited about both of these occasions that we want to have as little work to do so we can soak this time up as much as we can :)

Anyway, all this to say I made a mean pot of potato soup and it has lasted us four, yes FOUR, nights. Husband even says he is not tired of it (which, I only half way believe) and I am pretty sure I am going to scrape the pot clean today for lunch. It is so easy and so delish! So if you find yourself wanting to save up all of your cooking energy for this coming Thursday (gobble, gobble) then whip this up for yourself, I promise it won't disappoint. xo.

Country Potato Soup

1/8 cup butter

green onion sliced thinly

1 large onion sliced thinly

1/2 quarts chicken stock (I mixed part stock part milk)

6 large peeled and chopped potatoes

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 cup heavy cream

10 slices of bacon cooked crispy and crumbled

shredded cheddar cheese

s&p to taste

In a large stock pot boil sliced potatoes until soft (about 15 minutes). Drain and return to pot. In a saucepan add butter and onions until caramelized and translucent. Add chicken stock (and/or milk) and cream to potatoes and blend with hand mixer until a smooth soupy (is that a word?) consistency forms. I just kept adding liquid until I felt it was just right. Stir in onions, salt, pepper, and thyme. Divvy up in bowls and enjoy with bacon, cheddar and a few chopped green onions on top!

PATTERN and POP!

I am looking to add some new things to my winter wardrobe and have been loving animal print shoes to add a PATTERN to any black outfit, but I have to say nothing makes a statement more than a POP of metallic on your feetsies! xo.

Tuesday Tunes : Just a couple

Husband and Brady (my brother in law) found these tunes for you all today. Both very different, but I love them both! Hope you are having a beautiful Tuesday. Enjoy! xo.

She + He : Mmmmmm.

There is nothing better than doughnut dates in the morning with husband... puts a smile on both of our faces :)

Gift Guide : A Kate Spade Christmas.

This morning I woke up to one of my favorite emails to receive... the Kate Spade Holiday Gift Guide! I am not usually one to shop at Kate Spade year round, but when their gift guide rolls out I just cannot resist. They have the most perfect stocking stuffers, just send your loved one the link and you are bound to get something great on the 25th! Stone and I usually only get things for each others stockings (all surprises) and then beyond that maybe one bigger item that each of us has been wanting (not a surprise). So, I decided to get a jump start on all of my stocking surprises this year and make a little collage of some of my favorite things from Ms. Spade! Love them all :)

Go here to start creating your Christmas wish list! xo.

She + He : Celebrating 3 years.

Stone and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary the first of this month and I cannot believe we are now headed in our fourth year of marriage. We are so old news :) I always wondered when will I stop feeling like a newlywed, I thought surely after two years, but no... it all still seems so new and fun for us.

On our actual anniversary day we headed to the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla. Embarrassingly enough we have lived in California for over a year now and had yet to visit any of the museums, the zoo, SeaWorld, or even Disneyland! Goodness. We were pleasantly surprised with this museum, they had a lovely little outdoor cafe with delicious black bean soup (if anyone has a good recipe for this, please send along I have been craving it ever since!), a great collection of modern art that was all about light, and some beautiful views of the ocean! Following that we headed out to dinner at one of our favorite pizza places called Blue Ribbon Pizza. So, so yummy! Husband surprised me with some Frye boots, which I have wanted for years and years and am so happy to finally have a pair. I gave him a new leather dopp kit with some nice men's product in it... kind of random, but definitely something he would never buy for himself and he will love having.

Spending fun time with husband is the best, especially since we work together. Date nights are a must for us :)

xo.

Inspiration board : Baby, it's cold outside.

This is true even for us Californians! Today is the kind of day that my one and only wish would be to have a fire place to snuggle right next to. But, because we neither have AC or Heat in our little mansion, I am bundled up with a mug of hot tea (and listening to Christmas music... which is a given). One of my favorite stores, especially during this season, to find all things cozy is Terrain. I always go there for great gifts as well as adding a few things from there to my own wish list. Also on my wish list is a great pair of slippers from Anthropologie, aren't those precious? I really love the polka dot style, but the fur ones do look way more comfy... i'm torn.

Lastly, my favorite indulgence is my furry robe (husband has a matching one, they were necessary for Colorado winters) and this one also looks like it would be so nice and warm. It is even cute enough to wear around with leggings on those days when putting on an actual outfit is just too much effort. Let's be honest, we all have those days!

Hope you are enjoying this season and staying warm! xoxo

PS All of the home items you can find at Terrain!

Food to love : Cinnamon Scones.

This past weekend I was in Dallas visiting family and throwing a baby shower for my sister. It was so good to be home. Right now is the perfect time to be in Texas, it is sunny and crisp outside... it almost makes you forget about the miserable heat this past summer (almost). Well, I also took full advantage of being in Dallas by eating at a couple of great restaurants MoMo's (a family favorite for as long as I can remember) and Company Cafe (this was my first time here, and I will definitely be going again!). But, I have to say, the best part of being home is getting spoiled by my mom's incredible cooking. I know everyone says that their mom is the best cook, but they are wrong, because my mom is. No doubt :) She made an incredible homemade chili, delicious scones, and two amazing quiches. I only hope one day to be as good as she is in the kitchen. It would be a dream to see her open a bakery then everyone can enjoy her food!

I thought I would share the scone recipe for a perfect fall breakfast. Enjoy!

Sweet Cinnamon Scones

Scones

3 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 sticks unsalted butter

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 whole egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup cinnamon chips

Topping

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoon heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and baking powder. Cut butter into pieces then cut into dry ingredients with pastry cutter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in cinnamon chips. Mix together cream, egg, and vanilla extract. Pour into flour/butter mixture, stirring gently with a fork to combine. Turn onto work surface (mixture will be very crumbly and falling apart). Gently press together on the sides as you flatten or roll the top. Form either into a large circle or a large rectangle. Mix together topping ingredients, stirring with a fork. Sprinkle over the top of the dough, lightly pressing. Cut into wedges or triangles. Transfer to a cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

Yummmm!

Tuesday (or maybe Wednesday) Tunes : What's that you say? Time for Christmas music?!

Yup, that is right, Halloween is over and that means it is time to start listening to Christmas music. I am officially in the holiday spirit and these new Christmas tunes are going to be on constant rotation in our home until 2012 rolls in :) I think it is worth purchasing these too rather than just listening to them on the computer, nothing beats cds full of holiday cheer while you are driving around looking at lights or grabbing some peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks. The best.

xo.

She + He : 3 Year Anniversary!

Today is Stone and my 3 year anniversary. We are out celebrating, but I wanted to share a little quick video of our nuptials! Seems like it was just yesterday.

I love you husband, with all of my heart and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to get to spend life with you.