Busy!

Sorry for the absence this week, these two lovelies are getting married tomorrow and we have been celebrating with them ALL week long.

I will be back on Monday with a full update on the wedding, Halloween and my brother's 22nd birthday! There is too much love happening for me to document it all now.

See you Monday and have a great weekend!

Heart.

Sometimes I hate writing about trivial stuff.

Sometimes the purpose of this blog is to share, but the main purpose is to get things off of my mind. Things that I think about, things that I want to think about, likes, dislikes; all happenings inside of my brain. 

It's not all "mom" thoughts either. It's friend stuff, it's wife stuff, it's real life stuff. How can I translate that into something that is REAL? Not real, but real. I get it, I can't tap into everyone's heart with every post, but sometimes I wish it were that easy. I know that writing is (should) more for me than anyone else, but is it wrong to want to be relate-able?

Why does this thought seem stupid to me? 

Like the other night, when I wrote about not feeling or being thankful enough, this week I have felt more love and more thanks than I have in a lonnng time. Why is that? Honestly, God has shown up and shoved it into my face. My great friend is getting married this week, and seeing her and her fiancee's friends come and support her, I've made new friends, my husband is having the time of his life, Bean can't stop playing drums and dancing. It's a daily reminder of how good things are and how often I don't see them. I am incredibly blessed. So blessed that I wonder why and how I got here. It's all a part of "the plan." Sounds corny and typical believer of me, but I mean it. This isn't my wedding. I'm not playing music this week. I am not dancing nearly as much as my toddler daughter, but I feel it. It's so strong this week. So strong that I had to come home and immediately write this.

Is this trivial?

Does this post matter?

It might not, but that's just what it is. 

It's me.

Pumpkin Chili

Sorry that this took me so long to post, but here it is, my pumpkin chili recipe! It went over famously at our "Everything Pumpkin" party. I made pumpkin cheesecake bites (recipe to follow later) and pumpkin chili. We drank pumpkin ale and carved jack-o-laterns. It was such a great night and a perfect welcoming for the fall season. 

Perfect Pumpkin Chili:

2 lbs. ground turkey (any meat or meat substitute will work)

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 green bell pepper (I like red better, so I used red)

2 (15 oz) cans of Kidney beans (drained friends!)

1 (46 oz) can tomato juice

1 (28 oz) can of peeled and diced tomatoes with juice (I got a can of this with some green chili in it and the extra bit of spice was awesome)

1/2 cup of canned pumpkin puree (or make your own)

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 cup white sugar

I cooked all of this in a large soup pot. (Duh.) First, I started off with the ground turkey. When that was browned, I added the onion and the bell pepper. I cooked that for about five minutes together then added the kidney beans, tomato juice, diced tomatoes and pumpkin puree. I simmered this for about an hour. 30 minutes in I added the spices. I didn't want the flavor to get lost, so I waited a bit to add them. Finish simmering and then serve! It was awesome with a little bit of cheese and sour cream on top. 

 

Such a great fall recipe and I hope you like it!

Thankful.

I heard a quote the other day that I think went something a little like this, "If you long after many things, when you have many things it will seem like too little."

As you all know, we just bought our house in July. We've been having a good time making it our own, painting, adding little things here and there but for me, there is always something else that I can buy that can make it even better. I have a hard time being satisfied with what I already have. 

I know, we're about to get real here.

I was thinking about the posts that I have published in the past, things I like, things I want, etc. and I noticed that I never really write about what I am thankful for. Trust me, I have a LOT to be thankful. I asked myself, "Am I selfish?" "Hard to please?" "Ungrateful?" 

These were not easy questions to ask myself. My initial reaction was to say, "Oh hell no! No way am I ungrateful or selfish!" How could I think such terrible things about myself, right? Well wrong, I think that this is the space that I am in right now.

Rarely ever do I sit back and look at what I currently have. I am always thinking of changing, adding to, or purchasing something else. This is wrong, but this is real. I think that I need to start looking around my house and my life for things that I am SO appreciative of. I don't know, but since I can remember I have struggled with saying "thank you" and "I'm sorry." It was/is hard for me to vulnerable or appreciative of things. This goes back to moving every couple of years, and if I became thankful or had to say "sorry" for something, I was attaching myself to it in some kind of emotional way. I didn't want to do that, because I knew in a matter of time, things would come to an end. Am I afraid of that this time? This is MY house, this is MY husband, this is MY life. Why can't I say thank you for that? How come I can't show my appreciation for these things?

Why is it so hard for me?

This is real life. This will have to turn into real prayer. These things will have to be talked about.

Sometimes it really is as easy as taking a look around and whispering "thank you" to yourself or those around you. 

(I think that it's time to start.)

UO.

Okay, duh, it's not shocker that I love Urban Outfitters. While distracting myself from homework this afternoon, I visited there website and found out that they have a VINTAGE section.

Of course it's going to be overpriced and amazing all at the same time, but holy moly; it's GORGEOUS.

 

 

Here are some of their other items that I think that I am going to put on my wishlist:

Go check out their new additions, you will not be disappointed!

Busy.

Sorry about not being as on time with posts this week. I started a new job at my friends Brad and Steve's new coffee shop called Brosenbrus. (Pronounced bros-in-brews.) They literally designed and created everything themselves. The menu is amazing (and quite large for a new place) with items like the Turkey Bacon Pesto Sandwich and the Blanco, a bagel covered in cream cheese, tomato slices and salt and pepper. These are only two out of many awesome menu items! I have been loving it so much that I thought that I would share!

Pretty cool huh? It works out perfectly for our schedule. Josh works during the day, and when he comes home I leave straight for work. Okay, well I guess that isn't perfect but it works for us. It has been great feeling like I am helping out and making the effort to contribute to my family. Josh gets Bean time, and I get work! It's a win-win! Plus, I LOVE making coffee. I really missed it. AND I get to work with some of my favorite people in the world. It's been a blast and it has only been the first week!

Please come by and see us sometime! 

The address is  

922 E. Apache Blvd 

Tempe, AZ, 85281

(Right under the Vue condos on Rural and Apache.) 

Sofa Searching.

So, I think that I want one of these.

I like our sofa now, but since we entered this "I love different stuff than I did 2 years ago" phase, I have been looking into something a little more mid-century. That last couch shown is from Ikea, and that's semi-doable. While I love this look, I am not really willing to pay for it. Other than Craigslist, are there any other good mid-century sofa dealers out there?

Allowances.

Lately, money has been on our brain here at Laredo.

Budgets, spending, holiday money, trip money, fun money. Gosh it is just too much. We finally created a hard copy budget that is posted up in our office. It is really nice to see that each time a bill is paid, something else is getting crossed off of the monthly budget. Some big financial changes are coming soon and we are trying to get our finances figured out. It's not easy sitting down and looking at money stuff, it seems to also got badly. 

It's not like we have a crazy amount of debt, barely any really, but we have a TON of bills. Two cars, insurance, mortgage, electricity, the list goes on and on. Welcome to being a grown up, right?

Last night, we created a weekly allowance. After doing the budget for the next month, we looked at what we had left over after savings, then gave ourselves a weekly allowance. When Josh gets paid, he will pull out a certain amount of cash and that's what we will use for our own "non-budget" related items (i.e. clothes, drinks, etc). It felt really good to see it on paper, now comes the hard part of sticking to it.

What does your budget like? How do you create a financial plan for your family? I would love to get some advice/input on this!

Current Likes of Mine.

It's time for October's current likes!

With fall slowly but surely approaching upon us, there has been so much that I have been inspired by. So much love floating around! So here it goes...

I have been crazy about this website for a while, but am just now sharing. I've been keeping it to myself! Sorry! This is Elsie, and this is her website.

Her blog is called A Beautiful Mess, and it very well may be one of my favorites. Between her love for all things cute and vintage, she teaches online craft classes and runs the very amazing Red Velvet Shop. Her blog is the eyes to all things awesome and is one of the few that I check in with every day.

You'll never believe this, but this is wallpaper. Yeah, I thought so too.

Josh and I are considering putting it this little nook that we have. I adore brick and really think I'm addicted to the look of it. What do you think? Over the top, or pretty darn cool? I'd love to know what ya'll think.

Something else that I have been creepin' on is Julia Galdo Photography. She epitomizes cool in her work; it's classic and amazing. I love the style that she brings to her photos, everything just looks so awesome. Her Flickr stream is pretty awesome too.

Original art is something that everyone should own. I wish that I owned more. This is art that I would love! It's by a woman named Shira Sela. Her Etsy shop is just beautiful.

(Human Nature)

(Happy Moment)

This is not news...I love vintage. And I love dresses. Combine the two and I'm in heaven. Here is one from Mod Cloth that I am currently swooning over. It's called "The Archaeologist's Daughter." What a cool name right?! With some gray tights and leather boots? Gosh, yes.

Maybe with the Butler Street Boot from Mod Cloth. You tell me.

There they are. Welcome Fall!

Etsy Time.

Yesterday while I was out with my friend Taryn, I stumbled upon a treasure. We were at a local vintage thrift store that I am crazy about. From the racks of vintage dresses, to the one-of-a-kind home accessories, you can't go wrong with this place. 

Then I found this.

VINTAGE TEA TOWELS. CUTE LITTLE APRONS.

Racks and racks and racks of them! And the best part is, they are all real life vintage. Not the fake stuff.

So, after buying ten or so towels and 8 aprons, I had an epiphany. Etsy. Of course! People buy these kinds of things from Anthropologie or Urban Outfitters for wayyy more than I figured I could sell them.

So, long story short, I give you Linen Lovelies.

Here are a couple of shots of my stuff. (Not everything is up, just some of the towels, but we're photographing everything this weekend so stay tuned.)

If you like this, check my new store out! www.etsy.com/linenlovelies. Can't wait to see what happens with this!

Bonds.

I think that most of the time, I underestimate the power of friendship. It is a daily comfort of mine to know that I can rest in these interactions. I only know its full, incredible power when that relationship is tested. I have no idea of my own individual impact of my friendship on someone else until there is that one shifting moment and everything becomes laid out right in front of me.

I know how powerful my friendships are. These bonds cannot be broken. You can lie, cheat and steal and I will still love you. I have to. It’s something that God is telling me to do. You are in my life for a very specific reason.

I think I take all of our good times for granted. Generally assuming that this is how things always are going to be. Bad things can never happen to us right? There is no way that this can be something that God had planned for me. We’re too young for that kind of craziness.

…Aren’t we?

I know that this seems really out of nowhere, but it is written for a purpose. Friendship is powerful, and when life interrupts it, it can become even stronger. This goes beyond me. This goes beyond you. This goes beyond EVERYTHING.

I ask myself all the time, “How can I be a better friend?” “What can I do differently?” Maybe I am a good friend. Sometimes maybe I’m a great friend. Yeah, I could listen better and not try to relate all of the time, but overall, I’m all right…right?

Today I felt that way.

I felt like our relationship went there.

I felt how powerful that this is. How powerful it is going to be.

This is a major change for us, for everything.

Kitchen.

I having a painting dilemma. My kitchen currently looks like this:

(Well, sort of. That's what it looked like before we moved in.)

It's a long, galley kitchen. The cabinets are beautiful, and even though when we bought the house, I thought that I wanted a white kitchen, I was okay with this. They are like a cherry wood kind of color and the walls are beige. The whole house is beige and I can barely take it any more. I have been looking up some colors for the kitchen, but I can't seem to find anything that shows cabinets the same color as ours, and if I do, the walls are beige. AHH! Maybe they aren't as cool as I thought. (Wah-wahhhhh.)

I want to paint the kitchen. I want to paint the entire house, really. 

What are some good ideas for kitchen paint colors? I love blues, yellow, gray; anything that we can mix with a great chandelier and a possibly wallpapered backsplash?

I love the idea of a tin ceiling back-splash, maybe not an actual tin color, but something painted gray or white? I am leaning towards a wallpaper maybe. That almost seems too permanent to me. I just need a great paint color to fit in. I'm thinking blue. I think...

Trust. (Ugh.)

Last night was one of the best talks that I have had in a while. 

It was a night like most nights, sitting outside on the back porch. Sweater on, Blue Moon in hand and story after story being told. We talked about what we wanted to be remembered for, what the best thing in our life was right now, family and friends. (My friend Drea is wonderful at asking the right kind of questions.)

She asked me something last night that really got me thinking though. What do I want to be remembered for?

She talked about when a good friend of ours’ mom died. At her funeral, his father said only a few words that resonated so strongly with her. If I were there, I am sure that I never would have forgotten them either. He said, “Jesus Christ was her first love, and I was her second.” Drea talked about how she wanted the same thing; at the end of her life for someone that she loved to stand up and say that before anything and everything, she loved Jesus Christ more than anything. I know for sure, that if she were to die tomorrow, I would be able to say that about her. I can see that in her, she practically radiates it. A lot of the women that I spend time with are like her. I see God in them all the time. It’s quite an amazing thing to be a part of.

But it got me thinking; do people see that in me? I know that I like most, cannot spend hours and hours on the floor praying. My house would be demolished by my 13 month old, no one would be fed; it would be chaos. In my own life, how can I take more time to love Jesus more? Maybe it is 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there. I suppose it adds up over time, right? I want to be fully committed and not let life stand in the way. I want to be that light for those people in my life that just cannot see. I can’t forcibly change anything; I can only trust that the Lord will take care of it. It is really hard not to carry those responsibilities all of the time. I want to fix, mend and heal but I CANNOT. I cannot take that away from anyone, even those close to me that I break for everyday.

I need to let these things go and trust God more. I have to admit, it is terribly hard to let this go. If I cannot fix it, who can?  I know who can, and I have to trust that it is in His hands.

I want to be remembered for my love; my love for my husband, my love for my children, my love for my family but most importantly, my love for Jesus.

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
—Psalm 37:3-6

Magic.

There is something spectacular about light. It is something magical that has the power to change everything. It can change the feeling of any day, it can create mood and drama. Amongst the late afternoon sun, Violet and I sat in the grass and I really understood the magic of light.

I felt like I could see what she was seeing. Whether it was the little dog across the street, the tiny green bugs in the grass, or the way that her toes curled up when she pulled her legs inwards, I could see it all. There is magic in the sunlight.

Water, Water Everywhere...