Orange Pepper Glazed Carrots and Rice

It’s weekend time once again, loves. If you find yourself with a free afternoon, I have a brand new recipe for you to try your hand at! I came across this recipe in an Oprah magazine (also found here!) from years ago and adapted it to fit the ingredients in my fridge and cabinets. After all, budgeting and being frugal are on the top of my “to do” list this summer. Hope you get a chance to try out this yummy combo.

Ingredients:

1 lb baby carrots

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/3 cup orange marmalade

2 teaspoons grated orange rind

3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

About two tablespoons fresh, chopped basil

Salt and pepper

1 cup brown rice

Mint for garnish

Directions:

1. Start cooking the brown rice on the stove in lightly salted water

2. Grate the orange and chop the basil

2. Cook baby carrots and a pinch of salt in hot water on stove for 15-20 minutes until carrots are tender

3. Once the carrots are done, drain

4. Then combine carrots, butter, a generous amount of salt and pepper, orange marmalade, orange rind, orange juice, and basil in the sauce pan

5. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated and warm

6. Once brown rice is finished, combine all and garnish with mint

7. Enjoy with loved ones!

Happy trails, friends! And a merry weekend to all.

XO.

Recipe Cards

Hello, all! I hope this eve of Friday is peaches and cream for you.

I think that I have been on a craft spree lately. My reasoning behind this thought is tri-fold: 1. I have been making lots of crafts; 2. I have been spending excessive amounts of dolla’ on craft supplies; 3. I have been viewing real life situations as though they could be crafted upon (crafted upon: a recently coined term by yours truly that encompasses all creative actions, i.e. decorating, cutting, stamping perforating, coloring, painting, rearranging, cropping, labeling, etc.).

Most recently, I have taken a liking to making my own recipe cards using cardstock and other pretty papers. In fact, the other night, my dear friend Anne and I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning making these while watching Step Up. I know you won’t judge me ;) Needless to say, my future recipe box is looking to be stylish in all the right ways. Try some for yourself! You’re sure to be pleased with these precious cards.

Here are a few that have already been filled in with some delicious recipes:

 And here are a few that yet to be filled:

And! If you are looking for some great recipe blogs to fill those cards, don’t take another step without looking at Pioneer Woman, Bake at 350, and Joy the Baker! They’re the best.

Thanks for reading and happy Thursday!

XO.



Beaded Bottles

Good morning, Wednesday goers! On this beautiful day, I thought I would share a little spark of creativity with those that are interested.

For a portion of my last vacation (as described in earlier posts), I had the pleasure of staying the night with my grandfather’s sweet girlfriend of seven years, La Verne. They are both 89 years old and could not be cuter together.  La Verne shared with me pieces of her incredible story of being the wife of an army general and moving around the world with two young kids. She then showed me old pictures, keepsakes, and family heirlooms that were special to her. We chatted, had cookies and tea, and finished off the night with an episode of NCIS. It was lovely.

But to my point. One of the treasures La Verne showed me was an antique perfume bottle that was her mother’s from the early 1900s (as pictured below). Immediately I fell in love. Thus, I set on a quest to recreate this look and try to capture a glimpse of the vintage beauty.

Original inspiration!

You will need: 

a variety of beads- choose whatever tickles your fancy!

dishes to hold the beads- I use miniature cupcake liners

a hot glue gun

glass bottles of any kind- I prefer the smaller kinds but mason jars would be cute!

ribbon and scissors (optional)

1.       Put out your materials



Beads



I suggest Joann's Fabric and Craft stores for mini glass jars on a budget

 

2.       Choose the most appealing combination of beads

3.       Organize them on the table in a rough pattern of what you would like on the jar

4.       Hot glue the beads onto the jar

Basic design

5.       Compliment the beads by tying a ribbon around the neck of the jar

6.        Marvel at your creation!

These jars are so versatile; try using them to house flowers, be given as little presents, be filled with potpourri or white sand, or a number of other uses.

Enjoy exercising your creativity!

XO.



Where the Heart is

 Home, sweet home. What a true statement! I recently returned from a week long family vacation. I will use the term “vacation” lightly because this busy week consisted of 4 states, 4 places of residency, 6 airports, and over 20 hours flying. Oh, boy. Some serious relaxation time is in order for me! But overall, the trip was spectacular and spending time with my dad and brothers was even better. It’s a tragedy how rarely we get this quality time, especially since we all have graduated and are, as they say, out in the real world now. However, amidst the separations, I identify one ray of sunshine, one string of silver lining. We all have the same home in common. This means that despite living in different cities, attending different schools, leading separate lives, and becoming enveloped in diverse cultures, we all come back to the same place. The familiar smells, sounds, lights, colors, and cozy atmosphere are ours, unique to the bonds within our family. My home feels safe to me. It is my prayer this week that each person remembers there own special place of safety. And if something has polluted this place for you, then I sincerely hope that one day you will explore and create a home of your own to share with others. So, if you have a quick minute, say a prayer of thankfulness for the place that you rested your head for some very magical, growing years in your life.

Preach it, Dorothy.

Happy Tuesday to all!

XO.

Pieces of Oregon

Hello blogging world! I bring greetings from Zig Zag, Oregon. Zig Zag is one of the smallest, greenest, and highest towns in all of Oregon. While we are here visiting relatives, my family gets to enjoy clear air, brisk weather, green landscape, no cell service, dial-up internet, and sweet memories with family. It seems like worlds from Phoenix, AZ and suburb life; breaks from the heat and vacations like this are few and far between! I’m trying to savor every moment. Please enjoy some of the every day sights that are apart of the lives of the Zig Zag dwellers.

plane ride to Oregon

view off of the back porch (takes my breath away!)

 

the driveway

hummingbird

Eric and I

Happy Friday to all! Missing you all down there in Phoenix!

XO.

Wednesday Wishes

As another week of this summer is firmly under our belts, I hope you find yourself in a ravishing state of health, both in body and mind. There’s a few little bugs going around right now, and I unluckily got one. So, I spent this weekend bed ridden: my pillow and TV remote by my side. I kind of enjoy being sick though, as twisted as that sounds. It forces you to slow down and just rest—something that is nearly impossible for us to do on our own. For today, I just thought I would share a few words of inspiration that will hopefully stir good feelings in you. I saw these words on a beautiful table plate at Anthropologie the other day. If I had a larger budget, these plates would be mine!

“We will meet and talk with friends and speak of everything and nothing… We will laugh reminisce and no matter how light the conversation may seem—we will remember that day fondly… … forever”

If you have a free minute, indulge your tasteful, decorative side by checking out the abundant supply of other to-die-for dinnerware from Anthro’s line.

Have a wonderful Wednesday; smile extra today!

XO.

Count Your Blessings

Oh, sweet freedom.

Hello Lovelies,

This week has been one of the most relaxing, lovely, and special weeks I have had in 2011 thus far. You may ask why or how or what I did differently, but I have nothing extraordinary to report. I didn’t travel anywhere significant, get any awards or medals, get a raise, or win the lottery. I didn’t even get a winning hair cut (although, I do need one asap!). But, one thing I did do was take time to soak up the beauty and blessings in the life with which I’ve been blessed.

This past ’10-’11 school year was chaos. I felt like I was on a lightning-speed train that never took stops. My year looked like classes, homework, hall events, work, RA duty and meetings, friend time when possible, and bits of interrupted sleep whenever I could. It was a whirlwind of a year, and I am confident in saying that it stretched me to the brink and back again. But I’m thankful for every piece of it, every moment, every tear, every laugh. I would like to get in the habit of thanking Jesus in the midst of confusion and turmoil—not just when everything is going my way, and I am standing on a mountain instead of in a valley. Barrie (aka Daddy) challenged me to do this one day when I was a bit down. His words were, “Punkin, thank the Lord for his hand in your life, even if you can’t see or experience the good in it yet.” Barrie is one of the wisest I know. How blessed I am to be his daughter! Sorry, that was a little bunny trail.

Reverting back to the subject at hand. Since school and finals ended and summer has seemingly crept up on us, I have this new time on my hands to relax. Unfortunately, in all the crazy business of the year, I found it hard to notice the finer things in life—the little things that normally would have brought a smile to my face or stirred my affection. But better later than never! I’m not about to waste anymore time. This summer, I am determined to intentionally take time for the roses. I look forward to all the beauty, obvious and hidden, that this summer has for us all. Here are a few bits of summer that I am especially looking forward to:



 

summer perks: bare feet & long skirts

 

sweet summer treats: ice cream & fruit salad

 

ocean waves: to experience & to look at

 

running: for the love of it & in races

 

books: old & new to read for pleasure

 

fashion endeavours: vintage & more

 

family trips to Seattle: endless barbeques & horseback riding

 

road trips: winding roads & great friends

 

summer sun: sunglasses & squinty eyes

 

beach time: beach swings & beach hair

 

summer days: afternoon meadows & afternoon naps

 I hope that this summer looks like a clean slate for you. I know it does for me. Make friends, trips- both imaginary and real, conversation, splashes, memories.
XO.