low key

Do you guys have any special plans for tomorrow?  We don't.  We almost never do.  We're not "good" at stuff like Valentine's day.  Grand gestures, flowers, candy, dress-up dates.  I can't even think of a fancy date that I'd really want to go on.  It's not us, or me, which I'm perfectly happy with.  I think we might go out to breakfast or something, but other than that it's just any old day.  I do like fancy dates on the rare occasion, but they tend to happen spontaneously, rather than on days like valentines or anniversaries.   Thankfully Dan is the same way. 

dress/dainty june courtesy of modcloth :: cardigan/thrifted bag/courtesy of rouge & whimsy :: tights + boots/target I have a dress super similar to this one in a different fabric that I got a few years ago.  This one was on super sale at ModCloth's Cabin Fever sale, and even though I had a similar dress already I couldn't help but get it.  In the past few months my style has been shifting towards a more laid back, bohemian, tomboy look, so this dress is definitely a hold over from my more feminine, vintage style of the last couple years.  Not that I think that part of my style will ever completely phase out, but it is funny to still find myself drawn towards pieces that I know I'm not going to enjoy styling as much as I would've a year ago.  This cardigan, though, is definitely something that fits more with my changing style.  Of course, it's chartreuse, which apparently is my new favorite color.  I shouldn't be surprised about that, though, since chartreuse is basically just a mix of my other two favorite colors, mustard and avocado.  I suppose this cardigan is probably more a mustard color, but since I'm all about chartreuse lately I'm calling it chartreuse.  You never know, maybe I'll make a cocktail out of Chartreuse... in my kitchen which is painted chartreuse to really bring the obsession to a new level.

everything soup

I had some broth leftover from a couple recipes I had made, and I didn't want to let it go bad, so I figured throwing together a hearty soup would be a good way to take care of it.  I love being able to just look in the cupboard and fridge and grab a bunch of stuff that seems like it would make a good soup and toss it in a pot and voila!  Soup!  We've been getting these smoked sausages from Grocery Outlet lately, and I'm loving them.  So easy to add some flavor and protein to breakfasts and they worked perfectly in this soup.

This recipe is pretty fast to make, and is nice for just grabbing a bunch of random stuff you have in your fridge, or in cans in your pantry.  This was one of those recipes I made when I thought we didn't have anything in the fridge but upon closer inspection I realized I totally had a bunch of stuff that would go great together in a soup!

Ingredients

32-48 oz beef or chicken broth (or use some broth + add water.  In a pinch I've used ramen chicken/beef flavoring + water in lieu of broth...haha)
2 smoked sausage links, sliced
1 (15 oz) can stewed tomatoes
2 sticks celery sliced
1 10 oz can corn
1/2 onion diced
dash oregano
salt & peper to taste
1/1 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 cups pasta

Put your broth in a large pot and add the sausage, stewed tomatoes and spices.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and let it simmer.  Simmer for about 15 minutes and then add the celery and corn.  Saute the onion in butter/olive oil until it turns translucent and toss that in.  Keep simmering for about 30-40 minutes more to let all the flavors mix together.  I like to taste my soup as I go and add more spices if necessary.  Add any spices you want, don't feel like you have to stick to what I listed!  I'm not even sure if those are the exact measurements I used because I was adding a bit here & there as I went along.  Read the instructions on your pasta to see how long it says to cook, add your pasta, and let cook until the pasta is done.  Soup's ready!

I really love a soup that has a hearty meat added, though you could omit the meat from this recipe and use just veggie broth and make it vegetarian friendly!  You could add more veggies (like some carrots and beans and diced potatoes) to make it more filling instead of meat.  My favorite thing about making soup from scratch is how easy it is to just play around with the recipes and add something different the next time, or substitute something if you don't have all the "right" ingredients!  Plus, it's hard to screw up soup.

abby galloway giveaway

Today I'm partnering with Abby Galloway to give away two prizes! One winner will receive a tank top or tank dress in any of her prints (you can also customize the size of the print!), and the second winner will receive an iphone case in their favorite print! Abby's got some really fun prints and you can check out all the print options here! You can see some of my favorite prints by Abby below.

If you want to go ahead and purchase something else from Abby's etsy (she's got some super cute dresses and clutches!), make sure to use the code "DELIGHTFUL" to receive 25% off your order!  To enter the giveaway, just follow the directions below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

here + there

Life feels so full these days.  There's never a moment when I feel like there's nothing to be done, but it's good.  I decided to paint the kitchen and did it all Friday night.  Chartreuse and chalkboard!  We went down to the craft fair at King's Books on Saturday and got some awesome prints from Slide Sideways to hang on the wall.  I can't wait to frame them and get them on the wall!  We also got some letterpress letters, and I'd love to collect more.  Printmaking geek decor.  Going to the craft fair really made me miss screen printing.  I'm trying to figure out how to finagle some kind of print studio because I really miss making art.  But really my problem is more in making the time to do it.  I must make time to make art!  I spend so much time editing photos, which I love doing and is definitely part of my love of photography, but making things with my two hands is something different.  I still have paint on my hands from painting the kitchen, and while that's not really "creative" painting, it still felt so good to be painting and creating with my hands, regardless of how mundane it was.

feeling grey

I think I'm in that place.  You know, the place where people you knew all have kids now and when you hang out with them they're all talking about what diapers are awesome and how sleep is a luxury.  But then you go to the bar and all the stupid, loud, obnoxious drunk people don't seem like your scene anymore either. But it's not like you're ready for sweater sets and 9pm bedtimes either.  Here I am.  Stuck in the middle, it seems.  I know it's not just me.  I recall watching a How I Met Your Mother episode about this once which involved letting tannins breathe and sneaking out of bathroom windows. To be fair, I'm pretty sure I'm bad at making friends.  Well, it's not that I'm a bad friend-maker, it's just that getting to the situation where friend-making actually happens is where I run into trouble.  As a work-from-home-er, and someone who is content with hanging out alone in the house, I don't run into a lot of friend-making opportunities.  Of course it's my own fault.  I could be "out there" more.  I could join a club or something, find like minded individuals, put on my extrovert and make friends.  It used to be so easy in high school and college.  And then all those people you made friends with move to different cities after graduation and you're stuck with tight friends thousands of miles away and no one to go on a lady date with or come over and eat brownie batter and watch Grey's Anatomy.  I do have a couple friends in town who would be up for that, but ... I miss my best friend.  I miss the hours of ab-aching laughter, brownie mix binging, and wine consumption.  Okay the wine consumption is hypothetical, since the last time we were together consistently was in high school, but I miss that even though it never happened.
art admirer top/courtesy of modcloth :: skirt/courtesy of tailor & stylist  jacket/courtesy of asianicandy :: necklace/courtesy of adorn by sarah lewis

My mom's got a great group of friends.  Crazy awesome ladies who are hilarious and crazy.  Strong, powerful, opinionated ladies.  I like them.  I hope that someday I have a group like that.  A group of friends who go on weekend trips to hawaii to soak up the sun and drink large quantities of mai tais and stay up late talking about life and love and deep thoughts and silliness.  A group of women who "get" me and understand who I am and love me.  A group of ladies who will come around me and my family when we're in need, spiritually, physically, mentally.  Perhaps I'm romanticizing it, as I know friend groups come with conflict and other downsides, but I believe the good outweighs the bad.  

I've never really had a group of friends other than in college, which was so great.  I've always tended more towards having just one or two really good friends that I hang out with.  But back in college hanging out with that group of friends was such a blast.  Of course, college is perfect for that and for providing silly shenanigans for said friend group to participate in.  Thankfully a few of my college pals still living in the Seattle area, so that's nice.  One of my super good friends is getting married in a couple months and I hope she invites a bunch of college friends so we can all hang out.  It would be such a fun time to be reunited!  I've never wanted to go to a high school reunion, but I would definitely go to a college reunion if it meant that my friends would all be there.  I'm not sure they're the tradition reunion types, though... I might have to create my own reunion and invite them all, haha.