try before you buy: new Halloween Filler Cards

I've just updated my shop with these Halloween Filler Cards - seven 3" x 4" designs in both single jpeg files as well as ready-to-print PDFs.

Try before you buy - simply click to open up to full size and save...happy haunting!

first day of school freebie

You've probably seen this before, right? I love the mnemonic but didn't ever love the look. I've been meaning to remedy that for awhile and the days leading up to the first day of school seemed appropriate. I went for a kind of wartime propaganda look (do you think that will help it sink in?) It's an 8 1/2" x 11" PDF - grab it HERE if you'd like it too.

eating this week

MONDAY leftovers
TUESDAY spicy corn, tomato, & avocado salad (new) + french bread
WEDNESDAY chilaquiles
THURSDAY pasta with peas & pesto
FRIDAY chipotle sweet corn fettuccine (new)
SATURDAY pizza
SUNDAY tofu burger (new) + sweet potato fries

eating this week

MONDAY fried eggs with salsa verde and fried smashed potatoes - because I didn't get to it last week and I'm dying to try it.
TUESDAY taco salad
WEDNESDAY summer (this is what we call our traditional warm-weather meal of corn-on-the-cob, boiled potatoes, green beans, and sliced tomatoes - my favorite!)
THURSDAY grilled cheese (not sure which variety as I have about 100 different recipes for grilled cheese pinned but I think I'm leaning on a variation of this one)
FRIDAY loaded sweet potato rounds + garden salad (new)
SATURDAY kale, barley, and feta salad (new)
SUNDAY tex-mex quinoa

I had three new recipes on the menu last week but we only got to one of them - it was so freaking hot that turning on the oven just wanted very appealing and also, the delicious Mexican place around the corner was calling your name Saturday night. More hot weather in the forecast this week which explains the heavy push on salads and quick meals. The roasted broccoli salad with lemons and almonds was delicious though I will probably cut back just a bit on the lemon next time.

the ever growing gallery wall (corner)

I've slowly been adding to this corner for a few months now. I've wanted to create a gallery wall for years but deciding what direction I wanted to go as far as frames and choosing photos is HARD. I know you feel me.

Once I took inventory of what I had on hand though, I had a pretty cohesive start and I've slowly been adding more. I didn't want to do all matching frames as I didn't want to be locked in to the same color and style but what evolved is the mix of white, black, wood, and pattern you see here.

I tried to get a good mix of old photos, new photos, and prints. I want to add something hanging in the corner - a plant or mobile of some sort. Forgive the terrible iPhone photos - my Canon hasn't been charged for months (and for the record, almost all of the modern era shots featured are from my phone as well.)

Left side:

Right side (the empty frame is awaiting the woven piece I'm currently working on):

And a few details...how cute was Carlos?

That wood accent was pulled off the front of a greeting card (that I bought specifically for the purpose of using on a scrapbook page.) It worked perfectly with that photo of C + I from a couple of years ago.

I designed this poster originally for Izzy's room as she was kind of obsessed with Cosmos and particularly this quote (which had her staring at her hands in wonderment.) 

I know it's kind of hard to see because of the glare so here is the original. If you are/have a star-lover and would like to print one yourself (like $4, seriously) you can download it HERE.

The La Linea art I've been dreaming of making forever. Hanging below, a simple print I made to semi-coordinate with the star stuff poster - because it's always a good time for Earth, Wind, & Fire.

A quick and easy way to "finish" a poster. I used balsa wood (this to be exact) to create those bars. I cut the piece to 18" and then, cut that into 1" strips. I used a rotary cutter and it worked awesome - super lightweight and easy to attach and hang. I ended up covering the strips with woodgrain tape that happened to be 1" as well because I didn't love how the bare balsa looked with the other frames in the vicinity but I've done bare wood as well.

This print from Tina hangs on the opposite wall and I used the same technique.

Here's what I realized. The photos you choose don't matter. Simply having them there makes me happy. I can always switch them out and add more to it but as usual, done is better than perfect.

eating this week

MONDAY summer vegetable skillet lasagna - I discovered this yesterday morning and made it last night - delicious and easy!
TUESDAY pancakes + veggie sausage
WEDNESDAY firecracker cauliflower - this sauce is so delicious I want to drizzle it over everything. Also, can you tell I love this blog for dinner inspiration? If you're into meatless meals at all - even just on occasion, I highly recommend it!
THURSDAY roasted broccoli salad with lemons and almonds (new)
FRIDAY loaded sweet potato rounds + garden salad (new)
SATURDAY fried eggs with salsa verde and fried smashed potatoes - this looks amazing and it has capers which I've never had but have been wanting to try forever. (new)
SUNDAY pizza

Girls' Night

For months, Izzy has been hoping and wishing and pining for a girls' night out. We recruited my mom for a quick, one-night trip out of town this weekend. There were a few requirements Izzy had for making it a "perfect weekend" and to her utter delight, we managed to fulfill them all (she's nothing if not realistic!)

She wanted to stay in a hotel on a high floor. With a pool. And hike or walk a nature trail. She wanted to see a movie and eat curly fries. She added on "shopping" after her list had been deemed complete but we managed to make that happen too.

We took a short drive to Grand Rapids with the intention of hanging out in the hotel Saturday night and spending a few hours at Frederik Meijer Gardens the second. As it turned out, she was exhausted by the second day so we ended up skipping it (boo.) My mom and me have big plans to make a day trip out of it soon though. This trip really could have been done at the Holiday Inn that's 5 minutes away with the same results but the road trip is part of the fun, no?

A few highlights:

Fulfilling her most fervent wish for curly fries and salad.

Checking out the view from the "high" floor (floor 2.)

Making herself at home. Note stuffed animals and a robe hanging from the bedpost. (Her comment when I took this photo: what are you calling that one? Hashtag perfect bed?)

Izzy and grandma strategizing (or, possibly, checking out the knitted dog pattern book Izzy brought along.)

Exploring Grand Rapids.

We're calling this "nature trail."

Hotel pool fun.

More good times with grandma.

A stop by Frankenmuth on the way home to check off the "shopping" list item that was added last minute. I live less than 30 minutes from here and have never been. It's totally charming (where I was expecting super touristy - which it also is - but manages to pull off both somehow. We'll definitely be making another trip there this summer with the boys.

And finally, the video I discovered that she made while we were driving home.