during the winter olympics

...i love that i can say things like "i'm so tired! i stayed up way too late watching curling and ice dancing!"

 

...oh and ski racing too. man those girls are brave!! 

(photo source)

hello?

hi dear friends...sorry i've been kind of sporadic in posting and a little m.i.a...i feel like i'm drowning a lot in work and a little in life.  not in a bad "everything is crazy" way just in a "holy cow i need to catch up with life" way. make sense?

so i just wanted to say hello...i promise to update you with something more interesting soon :)

roxy sends kisses.

xo

(lovely photo from grapefollowyou flickr)

happy, happy friday

 

it was only a four-day work week but was still the longest week ever, how does that happen?! i can't wait to relax and enjoy some cuddles with rox, maybe watch all the olympic fun i've been recording (and avoiding the news so i don't get any spoilers!)

what are you up to this weekend?? hopefully something fun...or just relaxing :) either way, enjoy it!

xo

a cake for kings

remember when i told you i was baking a little surprise for the super bowl? well here it is!

i made my very first king cake from scratch...it was absolutely delicious, if i do say so myself. i used this recipe with a little tweaking and i have to say that i was surprised at myself.  until now i hadn't made any kinds of bread from scratch - what with all the rising and waiting and punchind and whatnot. i have to say that it was quite therapeutic! anyway here are a few photos of the creation:

 

  

  

i would definitely use this recipe again to just make the bread. 

yum! happy mardi gras!

snow day

on friday, my office and stephen's school were closed so we had a nice little snow day.

we got to play in the snow

& build a snowman

it was so much fun!

...but roxy grew tired of the snow pretty quickly :)

celebrate love

happy valentine's day!! 

hope it's filled with love

xoxo

on days when i'm stuck at home

i tend to bake.

yummy white chip chocolate cookies

 

happy friday everyone! hope you have a lovely weekend!

xo

nice little surprise

we kept hearing about "winter weather" coming through here, but in dallas that usually means one patch of ice and three flurries of snow so i didn't get my hopes up too much.  but when we woke up this morning this was outside my front door

 

snow!! real snow actually sticking (somewhat) to the ground. so i immediately bundled up, put roxy in her little sweater and went out for a walk. 

now, know it's not nearly as newsworthy as what our friends in the northeast are getting, but hey it's something.  hope everyone, everywhere is staying warm and enjoying your day. 

xo

seriously...

sometimes this is the only thing that can help me make it through a bad day.

that, and the promise of a big hug.

son of a gun, we'll have good fun on the bayou

well, here it is folks, my very first homemade jambalaya! i ended up cooking all day on saturday, this and another surprise i'll show you soon.  i cooked and refrigerated overnight, and then put it in the slow cooker sunday morning. it was hot and ready by game time.  it was so hard to resist eating it before, it smelled SO good! turns out it was much easier than i thought and everyone loved it. stephen is even eating the leftovers, and he NEVER eats leftovers.

voila!

oh and thanks to hank williams, jr. for the title :)

champions

i never, ever had a reason to care about the superbowl...until yesterday.  wow what a game. i'm still riding high on the feeling - i couldn't be more proud of my home team. way to go, saints, you deserved it!!

 

  

  

  

 

 

"it's like waiting 43 years for someone to say 'i love you' back...and they mean it" - wynton marsalis

(all photos from the la times-picayune)

hug it out

yesterday i was feeling a little down. you know those days when all you want is a big hug?? for someone to sit down and talk to you, or just listen, or just be there. well i mentioned on facebook that i needed a hug, and the virtual hugging began...not quite the same as a big in-person bear hug, but it left me feeling warm and fuzzy nonetheless.

 

then today i came across this:

Next time someone you know acts a little stressed out, give 'em a hug.
Like a Snuggie for your insides, hugs are linked to warm, fuzzy feelings. Even better, those good feelings translate into lower heart rate and blood pressure. Studies show a hug from a loving partner dampens stress in people both before and after a difficult time.

"like a snuggie for your insides." i couldn't have said it better myself.  here's a big hug for all of you! hope you have a fabulous weekend.

xoxo

(photos one, two, three, four & five)

the trinity

yesterday i texted my mom "for the trinity, yellow onions?" she texted back: "yes - i like sweet ones when i can find them." i chuckled.

no "the trinity?" or "what?" this is the base of all cajun cooking: onion, bell pepper, and celery. only in although many forms of cooking have a starting foundation, but only a cajun-cooking family recognizes "the trinity" as such.

for the superbowl this sunday, in honor of the saints, i shall attempt my very first jambalaya. it's my mom's recipe and i'm equal parts excited and terrified. there is also a special dessert in store but i'm going to wait and surprise you with that one (in hopes that it turns out well). wish me luck!

(photo)

...

just wanted to give you some roxy love today

she's missed you.

xo

truthful tuesday - music edition!

since i've started this blog, i haven't really expressed how much i love music and how important it is in my life - i hope to change this and share some new findings and old experiences.  so, let's start with the first, shall we? i get the feeling sometimes when people are asked about their first concert, they might be embarrassed or think it's funny looking back at who they saw. like, "oh it was new kids on the block, i was 8, hahaha!" (of which, i might be a little jealous, shhhh) but i love sharing my first real concert experience.  when i turned 10, my parents took me to see sir elton john at the cajun dome in lafayette. it was during "the one" tour and was beyond phenomenal. i probably had gone to some local band shows in our home town, and had attended many musical events since my mom has always been involved in music; but that was my first real, full-on experience at a concert. i remember dancing and doing the "crocodile rock" with my big sis, and crying when he sang "candle in the wind." it was beautiful, and an experience i'll always hold dear.

so what about you? what was your first real concert??

(photo)

good morning, february

i hope you bring great things for all of us.

this dreamy photo found at we heart it.