friday finds

fabulous finds from the week!

some photo inspriation, some diy projects i want to try and wish list additions...

i just started using pinterest this week

and im obsessed!

look for me for tons more photos that i love and have "pinned"

http://pinterest.com/clpearsall

from my photo inspiration folder via my desktop

paris in the rain via here

crate shelving via here

mason jar chandelier via here

photo inspiration via here

vintage book shelving via here

whole wheat french toast with dried blueberries and yellow peaches

happiest friday to you!

i have been the worst blogger this week... maybe for the past few, actually!

changed routines, new position at work, and planning a trip to europe are to blame

but im here on this beautiful friday to give you french toast!

so i hope all will be forgiven ;)

it is the last day of september...

67° and not a cloud in the sky

what more can i ask for?

this morning taylor and i enjoyed whole wheat french toast

with dried blueberries and yellow peaches

and ooooh-eeee it was yummmmeeee!

sunday in venice

what beautiful weather we've been getting lately

i am in love with socal's beginning of fall weather

sunday, taylor and i were on our feet all day long

we woke up early and went to the gym

walked around the farmers market

walked all around the abbot kinney festival in venice

and you better believe molly was right there with us

 we were pooped by the time we got home

so, we relaxed some and decided to make a mushroom pizza

with all the produce we got from the farmers market

(pictures to come)

and ended the night with a few glasses of wine and a game of poker

it was a great end to the weekend
and molly got to try out long-boarding!

peach-banana cream waffles

happy friday my dear friends

and hello to you fall!

its been a few weeks since taylor and i have had a waffle wednesday

i found this great class wednesday mornings at the gym

so i've traded in waffles for working out

(i know, so lame...)

so today i decided waffles were in order

1) because we miss them

2) in celebration for the first official day of fall

since peaches are in season i decided on peach waffles and threw on some 

whipped cream and bananas

happy weekend!

harry potter marathon

taylor and i have been on a harry potter kick the past few weeks

we decided to watch all seven films from start to finish

and 16 hours or so of harry potter later, 

the conversations around the house have been with english accents

and sound a lot like this

what do you think your patronus would be?

pottah! you didn't clean the dishes!

do you think dumbledore is really dead?

along with conversation about our different theories

last night we had a weekday date to see the final "harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2"

we were like little kids, whispering to each other throughout the movie and nudging one another

every time something exciting happened

on the car ride home we played 21 questions and talked about things we thought were cool, confusing, etc.

i'm sad that our harry potter nights have come to an end

but we are total potter geeks now

so the story lives on!

expelliarmus!

compostable

taylor and i are excited for our newest home addition

an indoor composter!

we've been grumbling over all the yard waste we'd been throwing away

banana peels, peach pits, orange peels, egg shells, asparagus stems, steak/chicken fat, onion skins, coffee grinds, fallen leaves...

so, taylor did some research and bought us 3 bags of bokashi

and the indoor compost container

 taylor gave me a lesson on how and what to compost

and we've been composting away the past few days

(i'm getting so good at it!)

its amazing to see how empty our regular trash can is and how full our compost and recycling bins are

the bridesmaid proposal

friday night seven of us girls  gathered for a lovely lady date,

hosted by my dear friend rachel

she cooked us up a mexican feast (all gluten-free, because she's gluten free)

 and boy did we induldge!

just before dinner was served, rachel surprised us

with small gift bags and proposed,
asking us 6 girls if we'd be her braidesmaids

we cried, we laughed, we did the...

"oh my gosh we're so old"

we were all giddy on wedding plans, dresses, bachelorette parties

but overall, we were happy to celebrate our closest friend

rachel and her fiance, nate.

rachel is my oldest friend

our moms were friends long before we were born

she was the only house i'd sleep at as a kid

my first best friend,

but more than that, she's like the sister i never had...

i am honored to share this beautiful time in rachel's life

and to add this to our long list of stories to tell

most of all, i look forward for all that is to come for her, for all of us, for life!

maple peach french toast

happiest friday to you

its a gloomy, cloudy one out there

but i love it

makes my morning coffee taste that much better

my bed that much cozier

my sweaters that much warmer

and french toast that much yummier

this morning...

french toast with yellow peaches sauteed in maple syrup

only 5 days until the official start of fall!

i can't wait for pumpkin flavored everything!

next weeks dinner menu

perhaps i'm being a little over ambitious

but next week i plan to make healthy dinners with taylor
i have so many recipes flagged from blogs that i follow
and i think its about time i try some out!

so to get a head start, here is a peak at next weeks menu

monday:

quinoa salad with papaya and avocado

from scandi foodie

tuesday:

fresh tomato and arugula bagel pizzas

from: joy the baker

wednesday:

roasted tomato and caramelized onion farro salad

from joy the baker

thursday:

grilled indian-spiced chicken with tomato-yogurt sauce

from confections of a foodie bride

friday:

well, friday we usually go out for a dinner date after work...

but if not,

coconut curried fried rice

from a cozy kitchen

i'll be proud if we get do at least 3!
stay tuned to see how i do...

living with an architect

sunday night i went to my girls only book club

so taylor had the night alone

when living with an architect/furniture designer

heres a sneak peak of what i often come home to

the smell of scotch, rolls of tracing paper, makers, paint, hammers, wood catalogues,

electric drills, drill bits, pens, pencils, sketch books, x-acto knives, scissors

(too name a few)

all scattered across the kitchen table, and trickling into the bedroom

sometimes i swear he's gone mad!

but i love his drawings and hang them up on the walls as artwork

my morning cup of joe

good morning!

i was spending so much money on coffee, i figured it was about time i make my own.

it takes me about 10 mins to make a cup, but it well worth it and its the best cup of joe i've had!

i bought a magic bullet to grind my coffee beans, a stove-top espresso maker,

and to go along, i bought "c" and "t" mugs from anthropolgie

unfortunately, the "t" mug came in pink, so taylor drinks from "c" and i drink from "t"...

i bought "tessa rosa" coffee beans from my favorite coffee shop, caffe luxxe.

the owner taught me a few things about coffee that i found interesting, so i thought i'd share...

the best way to enjoy fresh coffee is to brew freshly ground beans.

coffee grinds oxidize much like an avocado,

so if you buy a bag of already ground coffee it can taste stale

so there is my little fun fact about coffee

how i make my coffee:

i [finely] grind about 2 tablespoons of beans in my magic bullet

i then add it to my stove-top espresso maker, making sure to use filtered water for the best taste

while the coffee is brewing, i heat up about 1/2 a cup of soy milk over the stove

just before it starts to boil, i throw it onto my magic bullet and it creates the best froth

once my coffe is made, i pour it into a cup

then pour my hot, frothy soy milk

and sprinkle cinnamon on top

(i put cinnamon on almost everything)

happy tuesday!

lasting days of summer

i hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful, long weekend

my hat goes off to you, ms. summer

for another amazing one

i spent the lasting days resting around the house

bbq hopping

and spending a lovely saturday, evening with my good friend, april

in celebration of her 24th birthday

we gathered at dockweiler in manhattan beach

to enjoy the sun, food, friendship, some soccer, and the good ol' fire pit

 

 

unfortunately taylor had a bad cold this weekend

and i was fighting it (strong and hard... and won... i hope)

so we had to skip out early

but we still came home with dirty feet and smokey clothes

...as we should!

home sick

hey there

and happy friday

today we didnt have french toast in the morning

taylor is sick and wasn't up for 'em

so instead, i made him a smoothie loaded with vitamin c and antioxidants

a handful of vitamins (echinacea, vitamin c, multivitamin and vitamin b)

 and made a comfy spot for him on the couch

with his favorite readings, cartoons and molly

heres to a quick recovery 

happy labor day weekend everyone!