thoughts on {life}

Doesn't the Holiday season bring on so many crazy emotions? So much time spent with family & friends eating and drinking and laughing and loving is so amazing this time of year but can be such a powerful experience.

 

On top of those overwhelming emotions you can't help but reflect at the end of the year and and try to remember everything that happened in the past 12 months. Its a whirlwind of memories and I find myself asking Did I do anything that mattered? Was I happy? Did I smile and laugh and play and love enough? Was I kind?

 

Its easy to get caught up in the day to day grind and to begin focusing on the negative. I can't tell you how many times I felt like I was just spinning in place wondering which was was up. I think that's why this quote resonates with me so much -

 

 

 {via}

 

 

I'm learning if you aren't your own biggest supporter, it's easy to get swept away in the mundane and easy and never experience anything really worth experiencing at all. I've been making a conscious effort in the past months to see the magic in life. To be truly thankful for everything beautiful in my life and to appreciate every trying moment as a chance to change and learn and grow and evolve. To be happy every single day, even when it's rainy and cold and things aren't going your way. To have a positive and kind energy that brightens other people's day. To be fearless and exciting and purposefully seek fun and new opportunities. And most of all to truly appreciate the little things in life - like a cozy sweater & a mug of hot cocoa! 

 

I couldn't have imagined I would be ending 2012 on such a happy note and I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store.

 

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

xoxo

 

 

{easy!} chicken & dumplings

I'm about as close to a chef as Lindsay Lohan is to sober. Most nights I opt for healthy {read un-intimidating} fare, but sometimes, I even surprise myself. I can count every dish {actual dish, not grilled chicken & steamed veggies} I can make on one hand...but those 5 are surprisingly tasty! Chicken and Dumplings is one of them and I thought I would share the recipe in case you're in the mood for something easy/fun/yummy/comforting -

 

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

12 oz chicken breasts, 1/2 box of Free Range Organic Chicken Broth, 1.5 cans of cream of mushroom soup (I use the healthiest version available and don't notice a difference in taste), 1/2 tube Bisquick frozen biscuits, 1 bag organic soup veggies, salt & pepper to taste

 

Directions:

1. Cut up chicken into bite-size chunks & boil. Drain when white throughout (do I even have to say this? Please DON'T eat pink chicken!) & mix with +/- 1 tsp. each salt & pepper & put back in pot on stove

 

2. Add chicken broth & cream of mushroom soup & bring to a boil. Drop in bag of vegetables.

 

3. Pull off bits of biscuit dough (about the size of a dime) & drop into boiling soup. Leave on for about 5 minutes or until dumplings expand & become golden colored

 

4. Turn stove to low, add salt & pepper to taste and let simmer uncovered for 20 minutes

 

Enjoy!

 

 

While the c&d was cooking, I went for a run with my sweet friend, Kristal. It was the first one I've been on since the Turkey Trot so it was much needed. Lucky for me it was perfect running weather since Houston decided winter = 70 degrees this year. We had a blast checking out the Christmas lights around the neighborhood and squeezed in 3.5 miles.

 

 

Anyone else overindulge over the past few weeks? I've eaten so many sweets I fear my dentist is going to just love me the next time I see him. I'm promising myself I'm taking a break from gluttony starting tomorrow until Christmas day. After all, its a holiday not a holi-two-months :)

 

 



Christmas Card Link Up!

I may or may not have made my holiday cards and failed to actually place the order for them this year...Cooper and I had a photo shoot and everything!  Good thing Kristen did a link up so I don't feel like it was a total waste. Pretend that you just walked out to your mailbox and are totally overjoyed to see your favorite puggle wishing you a Happy Holiday season, k?

 

 

 

 

{p.s. I promise to be more domestic/less ADD and actually print them next year!}

 

 



Weekend Re-Cap

Happy Sunday, Everybody!

Did you all have a happy/productive/relaxing/fun weekend?

 

Friday night my college roomie came to visit & we had such a good time! We grabbed sushi Friday night and enjoyed some much-needed martinis at Soma. Saturday morning we left the house early to volunteer at the Salvation Army Secret Santa Workshop and spent the morning sorting and 'shopping' for the families...such a great way to kick-off the weekend!

 

Most of the rest of the weekend was spent Christmas shopping & gift wrapping for family and friends. I'm so exhausted but, with the exception of a couple things, almost done. Thank goodness!

 

I was able to squeeze in a long, sweaty hot yoga class late this afternoon and it was very welcome and MUCH needed :)

 

I also picked up this gorgeous bag while I was shopping for myself for everybody:

I think we'll have a very long, happy relationship together :)

 

I'm off to make dinner & cuddle on the couch with J over Dexter and Homeland, and wrap my head around starting another long week tomorrow =/

 

 

 

{saving face}

Whoa, life has been busy lately! It's caught me by surprise and I haven't had a chance to (among many other things) post as much as I had planned! I guess that's par for the course, right?

 

Anywhoo, as I get older (ahem!) I'm noticing that my skin is really changing, so so is my beauty routine! I'll admit that I spent a few too many night sleeping in my makeup and too little attention paid to the quality of the products I used on my skin. We won't even mention all that time my younger self spent in the sun sans protection (tisk tisk!) So I've been making a big effort in my late-twenties to rectify the damage I've done.

 

Here's what my beauty routine looks like these days... 

 

 

Every night (no exceptions!), I use the following:

 

 

 Make-Up Remover / Cleanser / Brush

 

I've never used the Clarisonic, but I decided to buy the Olay Pro-X is ahhh-mazing! I don't think I could ever not use it. My skin feels squeaky-clean afterwards.

 

 

 

 

Peel / Moisturizer / Eye Cream

This peel is intense (read stinky and slightly painful), but it really makes a difference in how bright my complexion looks. The moisturizer is a new find and its like heaven in a jar...but much too heavy for daytime. I've been a long-time lover of Kiehls, and this eye cream is one of my all-time favs.



How do you keep your skin looking and feeling fresh and clean?

 



{2012 holiday gift guide}

Happy Friday Everybody! 

 

Can you believe 2012 is almost over and the Holiday season is officially upon us? This year, I've been making a list of potential Christmas ideas all year long so I would be fully prepared come the Holidays. I thought I would share my picks in case you are looking for that perfect gift yourself.

 

 

{for him}

 

DSLR Camera / Shawl-Collar Pullover / Shaving Kit / iPhone Speakers / Monogrammed Cocktail Shaker / Pajama Pants
 
{for her}

Sleep Romer / Longchamp Small Tote / Kate Spade iPad Cover / Tom's Wedges / Candle / Tortoise Collar Necklace / Studded Gloves / MAC Brush Set

{for yoginis}

  

Power-Y Tank / Yoga Book / Lotus Necklace

Happy Shopping!

 

{what i want wednesdays}

Namaste, Y'all!

 

With the Holidays just around the corner, I've been keeping my eyes peeled for winter (does winter even technically happen in Houston?) duds, pretty holiday hosting pieces & glam accessories to get me through the season. Here's whats been catching my eye lately:

 

  

Faux Fur Vest

 

 

Cap Toe Flats

 

 

Raspberry Lips

 

 

Penguin Bar Accessories

 

Gold Statement Necklace

 

 

What are you craving this winter?

 

 

{giving thanks}

Happy Thanksgiving To All!

Today I'm {especially} thankful for...

 

my darling husband and his mad turkey cooking skills

 

silly moments with my sister

 

a happy, healthy (and hungry!) fur-child

 

patient, culinary artists in the form of sister-in-laws

 

co-workers and friends who will wake up at 6am to run the Turkey trot with you if you bug them enough...

 

quality family time

 

and food!!!

 

 

 

 

What are you thankful for?

10 things you should know about puggles...

1. Puggles are ALWAYS hungry - as in will go to serious lengths to obtain food if they think there is even the smallest chance that it could be in their bellies.

  

2. Puggles are half-monkey. The puggle, whose legs are only about 8 inches tall, and whose bellies are at least 2x that in circumference, can easily defy gravity. Jump from the floor to the dining room in table in one nimble hop? No Problem-o! From the counter to the top of the refrigerator? Easy Squeezy!

 {exhibit a}

3. Puggles LOVE to sleep. In fact, not much wakes them up, especially not their parents trying to move them off of pillow at 3am. Nope, out like a light.

4. Despite puggle trait #3, puggles can hear a refrigerator opening from anywhere, even if they are in the deepest of slumbers, in the backyard mid-pee or passionately trying to find a place to hide their bones {so the humans don't steal them!}. And they will literally stop EVERYTHING to go find out what exactly the human is doing in the fridge (refer to puggle trait numero uno).

5. Puggles are masters in the art of selective hearing. Unless there is food involved, you can bet your ass that Cooper will not sit, stay, lay down or stop howling. In fact, most times, he pretends to not even know his own name when you're calling for him. And if you yell a command from somewhere not directly in his line of sight, he will even go so far as to come up to you to see if you have food or not before he chooses to obey or ignore your command.

6. Puggles are scared {terrified in fact} of random inanimate objects. It’s really quite a spectacle when in the middle of a jog, the hair on the back of your puggle's neck stands up, he starts growling, then howling, then attempting to run in the opposite direction to avoid said object. This can be a trash bin, grill, neighbor's kid's tricycle, anything that he's seen 100 times before but this time decides is definitely evil.

7. Puggles hate photo shoots. Really, in all pictures of the puggle his face clearly says "I hate my humans. Please save me from this ridiculous form of torture from the flashy, click-y thing before I lose it"

8. Puggles LOVE anything furry & fuzzy. Don't wear fleece to my house unless you plan on being seduced by my dog. He will literally make eyes at you, prance back and forth in front of you so you can see the puggle goods, snuggle up real close to you on the couch and then, when you least expect it, grab your fleece covered limb with his puggle hands and begin unapologetically humping the daylights out of you. Not even grandmas are safe.

9. Puggles are very good at training their owners. Cooper has figured out where meals & treats come from, and when he gets them. So now, anytime the puggle decides it's meal time, he sits by the pantry (where his bag of food lives) and barks. Anytime he decides he wants a treat, he puts himself in his crate and howls. How did this happen?!?

10. Puggles are the sweetest, cuddliest, most adventurous and loveable dogs on the planet! Even those who "aren't really a dog person" have admitted to missing Cooper when they left. (Unless they were wearing fleece, in which case they should have read this post before coming over).

Skinny Banana Nut Bread

Yesterday, I found myself with several browning bananas, cooler weather outside {finally!} & a sudden urge to bake (this doesn't happen often for those of us who are domestically-challenged). In true fashion, I headed over to my go-to for the skinny version of  ordinarily not-so-skinny-jean-friendly recipes, and I was not disappointed! I did substitute regular flour for whole wheat, nixed the vanilla and used 1 less banana. The (slightly) altered recipe is below.

 

Low Fat Banana-Nut Bread

{from SkinnyTaste.com}

 

Ingredients:

• 6 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• 3 oz (3/4 cup) chopped walnuts
• baking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease two 8x5 inch loaf pans with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg whites, bananas, and apple sauce and beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.

Add flour mixture and walnuts, then blend at low speed until combined. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into loaf pans and bake on the center rack for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the pan cool at least 20 minutes, bread should be room temperature before slicing.

 

Results:

 

 

I must say, this was pretty dang easy to make, and tasted fantastic! J ate 3 pieces before I told him it was the healthy version and he hadn't noticed at all. Score! Check out the original recipe here.

 

And so it Begins!

Namaste, y'all!
After many, many hours of reading {and loving!} so many wonderful blogs, I figured it was high time to start my own.
 
For those of you who don't know me, I'm a 27 year old enthusiast of all things beauty, fashion, nutrition, fitness and travel related. I'm a wanna-be professional pet photographer/yoga instructor {I admit it!}, real-life marketing professional, wife, friend, daughter and puggle mother.

I'm married to the most adventurous guy I know, J, and we have an equally adventurous - albeit mischevious/devilish/hungry(!)/so-wrinkly-and-cuddly-that-he's-forgiven-too-easily - puggle named Cooper.

I believe in having a zest for life, laughing as much as possible, living & loving thoughtfully and purposefully, being thankful for everything beautiful in your life and striving to be the best version of yourself possible on a daily basis.

I'm still searching for that version, but I see her most often when I'm on the yoga mat, laughing with my husband or creating something new. So I try and live there, in those moments, as much as I possibly can.