real estate: a bad habit

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i have a bad habit of looking at real estate that’s way out of our league.  this leads to palpitations, sweaty palms and drooling over a home in which i could never hope to own…but it’s still worth it.  recently, we stumbled onto this house, and oh. my. goodness.  it’s a rare occurrence that i could move into a home and not want to change anything, but this house nearly does it.

{the exterior falls into my dream home category}

{a brick front porch big enough for furniture}

{ah yes, welcome to my home.  i know, it’s amazing.}

{oh, please include the office furnishings!}

{i would change out that light fixture stat, but big island!  professional grade appliances!  two sinks!}

{cozy den that adjoins the kitchen}

ok, so i’m counting on one of you to buy this beauty so i can come visit and then buy it from you when i win the lottery.  get busy.

a theme

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i’ve been noticing a theme among some of my favorite pieces lately.  both old and new, these have all been in high rotation, and it seems i’ve ‘gone to the cats’.  i’m actually not much of a cat person (the house variety), but it appears i have a thing for the jungle version.

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3 ingredient chicken and our favorite sweet potatoes

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i found this recipe for three ingredient chicken (including the chicken!), and it was too darn easy not to give it a try.  the prep time is minimal, and the cooking time isn’t bad either.

honey mustard chicken

4 chicken boobs

4 T whole grain mustard  (i couldn’t find this at my grocery store, so i used stone ground and it was great)

4 T honey

put the chicken in a 9×13 pan.  mix together the mustard and honey, and pour it over the chicken.  there will be enough that it makes a little pool in the bottom of the pan.  bake at 400 for 25 -30 minutes, basting the chicken once halfway through.

{yum!}

now for the sweet potatoes.  you’ll actually want to get these ready first since they take longer in the oven.  peel your sweet potatoes and cube them.  try to make them similar sized, so they’ll cook at the same rate.  throw them on a pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper, toss them with your hands, and into the oven they go.  bake for about 40 minutes at 400 (or 425 if you don’t have the chicken in the oven also).  you’ll want to toss them around about halfway through so you get more of the crispy sides – the best part!  this time, i threw some cauliflower on the pan too, and it turned out great.

{before}

{after}

i think we can call all of this a 40 minute meal.  add a salad and it’s super healthy too!

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little lumberjack

Published on by cara.b.b.10 Comments

our unusually warm weather gave us the chance to play outside a few days ago, and we jumped at the chance.  these were taken moments before he face-planted into the glider on our porch and scored himself a big fat lip.  there was a lot of blood, and i was moments from panic mode (does he need stitches!?!  is his tooth stuck in his lip!?!), but thankfully the bleeding stopped, and after some well-deserved crying, all was well.  i’m sure this will not be the last injury for this adventurous little boy.  his own father had stitches like 3 times before he was 4!  i’m a little scared.

we had a yogurt party later in the day, and i swear this child could eat his body weight in chobani.  you can see who was in charge.

{remembering the fat lip}

the land of nod

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i’ve got to hand it to the land of nod.  they have finally risen to the occasion and produced some sophisticated (but still kid friendly) room decor.  the ‘character’ kid room is not really my style, so i’m glad to see some fun use of pattern, texture, and color.  i don’t think a kiddo’s room has to have mickey mouse everywhere to know that a kid lives there.  make sure you sprinkle in their personality so they can feel like their stamp is on it – that might be artwork, awards on their shelves, or a car track in the middle of the floor (let’s be real here) – and everybody’s happy.

{magic carpet}

{jenny lind bed – a classic}

{zig zag baskets – with lids, hooray!!}

{tuffet}

{mushroom lamp}

{in the mix crib bedding – where was this 2 years ago!?!}

happy anniversary…

Published on by cara.b.b.9 Comments

…to chasing shiny objects!  today marks one year of being in the blogosphere, and i just wanted to say thank you – whether you’ve read one post or all of them.  so many of you have told me that you like what’s going on here, and i truly appreciate that.  i really try to keep things interesting and relatable, and i hope you’ll keep coming back.

{via}

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five minute face

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since becoming a mother, i really value my time ‘off’ (hello naptime!), and i don’t want to spend it getting ready.  i am often jumping in and out of the shower, giving my hair a quick brush, throwing on some make up, and calling it good.  here’s what i call my five minute face – a few easy steps that get me from point a to b in a hurry.

{moisturizer}

{foundation}

i often mix this with my moisturizer so it’s more sheer

{eyelash curler}

{mascara}

{blush}

{lips}

this is the best lip balm i’ve ever found.  it’s super-thick and will stay with you for a long time.

17 months

Published on by cara.b.b.3 Comments

i have been informed by certain family members (ahem, celeste) that i have been delinquent in my short guy updates.  for that i am sorry, and i plan to assault you with lots and lots of pictures.

i can’t believe that my little nugget is 17 months old!  he is doing so much, and just absorbing everything!  today, he ‘read’ a book.  it caught me so off guard that i had to do a double take.  i was putting on his shoes, and he opened a book about first words, and casually rattled off ‘uh-oh’, ‘dog’, and ‘whee.’  he had memorized it.  holy cow, what else is he memorizing!?!

this guy is not walking much anymore.  he’s running.  everywhere.  we mostly keep baby gates up in our family room so we’re not up and down the stairs 97 times a day or making laps around the first floor constantly.  this is one active kid, and there is never a dull moment – just the way we like it.

this little guy is not going to be anti-social, i can tell you that.  he is jabbering all the time and still loves to tell everyone ‘hi.’  i tell ya, the ladies love it.  his other favorite word is ‘uh-oh’, and he uses it generously.  he has also learned ‘no’, but at the moment, he’s not using that one too generously – thankfully!  he is a champ at making animal sounds and can tell you what a cow, elephant, tiger, dog, and monkey say.  when asked, he can show you his leg, knee, foot, toes, arm, hand, hair, nose, eyes, ears, and teeth.  i know that’s a lot of detail, but i’m writing this for me too.  :)

ok, now for the onslaught of pictures…

{enjoying our amazing winter weather}

{why do the boys get the great lashes?}

{enough with the pictures, ma!}

{running….}

{and running….}