Last Minute Menu Ideas

Tomorrow is the big day!  The Seahawks take on the Patriots to see who will walk away the best team in the NFL.  Such an exciting time to be a Seattle native.

We will be watching the game tomorrow at our place with family.  After some consideration of traditional game day favorites (think chili, hot dogs, burgers, etc), I settled on serving pulled pork nachos.  If you're looking for a last minute menu idea, I've included my recipe/ingredients.  I hope you enjoy a delicious meal and cheer the Hawks on to victory!  C'mon Jermaine Kearse!!

Pulled Pork Nacho Ingredients:

2 bags tortilla chips (I love Cabo Loco or Juanita's)
2 bags shredded Mexican blend cheese
2 8 oz cans of olives
1 container pico de gallo
1 lb (or more) pulled pork (un-seasoned - ready made from the store or crock pot, whatever suits your fancy)
3 large avocados (for guacamole)
1 medium onion, chopped and divided
1 bunch green onions
Garlic salt to taste
1 can jalepenos (optional)

Place the chips, cheese, pork, olives, green onions, jalepenos and about 1/2 of the onion together on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 until cheese is melted.

Mash avocado, garlic salt and remaining onion together in a bowl to create a nice, homemade guacamole.

Top nachos with pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole.  Serve hot and enjoy!

Threads for the Big Game!

Like I mentioned in last week's post, we are getting SO excited to watch the Seahawks in the Superbowl this weekend!  In place of this week's Thursday Threads, I'm sharing what I will be wearing as a loyal 12, including my lucky sparkle shoes ;).

What I'll be wearing:

Jeans: Joe's Jeans - Nordstrom

Sequin Polka Dot Tee - Old Navy

Seahawks Tee - Christmas gift last year!

Seahawks Hat - Pirated from my husband's closet

Gold Sparkle Shoes - TOMS

Let's Go Hawks!!

I really love my...daughter's nursery.

I have to be honest: I was never one of those women that really enjoyed being pregnant.  The end DEFINITELY justified the means, but I distinctly remember listening to women talk about how much they loved being pregnant, or how they had never felt better, and thinking "yeah-freaking-right".

But one of my favorite parts of being pregnant was taking the time to design and (with the help of my mom) create a nursery for my baby girl that I absolutely loved.  

M quickly outgrew a lot of aspects of this nursery, but I love having these pictures to remember exactly what it looked like when she came home from the hospital.  Even now, as she transitions to a "big girl" room, the bright, crisp colors and the hanging paper birds make it such a peaceful room to read in with my littlest love.  

A few sources:

Bedding: Pottery Barn Kids
Rocking Chair: Hagen Swivel Chair by Best - Merry Go Round Children's Store
Side table: Home Goods
Dresser: Pali Salerno Dresser (floor model so we got a great deal!) - Merry Go Round Children's Store
Lamp: DIY
Mobile: Pottery Barn Kids
Rug: Pottery Barn Kids
Crib: Graco Lauren Crib
Mirror: Home Goods
Frames: IKEA, Land of Nod, Target
Art prints: Hobby Lobby, Etsy, and Jones Design Company

Post Holiday Mantle Decor

There is an unofficial rule in our house that Christmas should be packed away and done by New Year's Day.  There is something about Christmas trees after Christmas that cease to be magical, and are mostly just tacky.  I make an effort to get it all put away in a timely manner, so that we don't end up with a big mess on our hands after all the joy of the season has faded.

One thing that I don't always enjoy, however, is the blank canvas that is left behind.  Don't get me wrong, I love trying new things.  The real challenge lies in finding the time to get creative with what we already have.  A few days ago, I took 15 minutes to hunt around our house to come up with a new "late winter" mantle that is A) free! and B) attractive.  After moving things around, I'm pretty happy with how everything turned out.  

No price breakdown to report, because everything is being re-purposed from other spots in our home.  Next week, I'll be sharing another room in our home that I absolutely love.  I hope you'll check back on Monday for more inspiration!

PS - If you don't already follow me on Instagram, you should!  Lots of fun extras and glimpses of fun ideas, inspiration, and sneak peeks.

Thursday Threads

I'm back in jeans today (no surprise there!), and ready to finish up some errands and get a few projects done!  This year, I'm making it a goal to be comfortable and stylish.  I haven't succeeded every day, but I think I am making progress :)

What I'm wearing:

Patterned Scarf: Old Navy

Light Chambray Shirt: Nordstrom

Vest: Old Navy

Jeans: Forever 21 (the only pair I've ever found from there that I like, but the length is perfect for my short legs!)

Shoes: Banana Republic (my total faves)

Bracelet:  A gift my sister brought back from Malawi.  It's carved wood -- super cool!

Seahawks are Superbowl Bound!

Man, what a fun weekend to be from Seattle!  Our hometown team, the Seattle Seahawks are headed to the Superbowl after a total nail-biter of a game yesterday.  I totally love Jermaine Kearse (I think he might be my spirit animal -- part Husky, part Seahawk), my daughter is obsessed with Russell Wilson (really, what's not to love?) and my husband is a fan of pretty much every player on the roster, so we are so happy for the team and can't wait to cheer them on to victory in a couple of weeks!

Yesterday, we had some family over to watch the NFC championship game.  Our menu was a little different from typical game day food, so I thought I would share it with you if you're looking for some fresh snack ideas for the big game.

This meal is healthier than most game day meals, but I definitely wouldn't call it diet food.  I made the brownies with pumpkin instead of oil and eggs, which reduced calories.  Have you started thinking about a Superbowl meal?  I'd love your ideas!

Oh, and of course, GO SEAHAWKS!!

I really love my...kitchen.

Some people view the turn key appeal of new construction as ideal, others prefer the character of older houses.  My husband and I fall into the latter category, so we're currently living in a 1940s-era brick home.  For the most part we love it, but it doesn't always afford the opportunities that a newer home would.  One main difference in our older home is that our kitchen is not open to the rest of our home.  I'm sure we could make some adjustments and remove some walls so that we would have a more "open concept" kitchen/living room/dining room, but we would lose too much cabinet and counter space for that to be practical.  With those things in mind, we have made some design choices that we think really maximize the space available and make it feel open and bright.  We really love our kitchen, and I hope you do, too!

The kitchen is light and bright, just the way I like it!  If I had it to do all over again, I would choose a tile back splash that fills the space between the counter and the upper cabinets.  Even without a decorative back splash, I still love it.

My new "breakfast bar".  A great place to grab a quick bite in the morning.  I got a Keurig for Christmas...here's hoping it helps me cut back on my coffee addiction ;)

Disclaimer: Our counter is rarely this clean.

My desk!  Now you can imagine me here writing blog posts late at night, after my toddler is asleep.

Breakfast nook.  Note, this usually has a clip on booster seat at all times ;)

What rooms in your house do you absolutely love?  Can't wait to hear from you about the spaces that make you happy to be at home.

Thursday Threads

I finally remembered to snap a pic of what I wore!  This is such a simple outfit, it's all easily washable, and it comes together for a slightly more put together look than my usual jeans.

What I'm wearing:

Dress: Gap Outlet

Leggings: Zella leggings from Nordstrom

Jacket: Gap

Boots: Corso Como from Nordstrom

Necklace: Etsy

Black and Gold 30th Birthday Party

Nobody loves a birthday like my sister.  And a few years ago, my favorite (and only) sister turned 30 on the 30th, which just happened to fall on a Saturday.  In the summer.  If you're like me, each piece of this puzzle is coming together in your head to create the same picture: an epic 30th birthday bash.  Her husband agreed, and we got to work creating a black and gold themed birthday party.  She was so excited to celebrate in style, and we all had a blast celebrating with her!

Ready to celebrate the birthday girl!  Guests dressed in black, she dressed in gold.

The cool event venue!  

The gift table featured a copy of the gold and black champagne bottle invitations, along with a photo of my sister celebrating her first birthday.

 My sister's friend made these adorable gold "30" cookies as favors.  They were delicious and beautiful!

Since the venue was relatively unmarked, I made this "30" sign out of foam board and spray painted it gold.  It was a helpful but chic way to signal to guests that they had arrived.  Like balloons, but for adults.

A few specialty cocktails for the birthday girl.

Round vases wrapped with black and gold paper, and decorated with more "30"s.

We scattered pictures of my sister on each one of her birthdays on each of the cocktail and banquet tables at the party.  A special thanks to my mom and dad for helping me find all of them!

Cupcakes covered with gold dusted sugar.

The birthday girl and her husband.

My brother-in-law created an awesome playlist for her party: one song from each year of her life.  It was super fun to have a variety of music (everyone had a favorite), and it was so thoughtful.

Party people!

Since this party was more minimalist than some of the other parties I've thrown, it was extra important to keep the black and gold theme in mind and bring it out in as many little ways as possible.  Little touches went a long way.

Cheers!

Welcome, 2015!

Are you ready for a fantastic year?!  I'm so excited to be starting 2015, and a big part of that is because of all the new DIY, home and fashion adventures that await me in the coming months.  Thanks for being a fun part of 2014!  Wishing you and yours a very happy, healthy and fun new year.