weekend in ten.

our weekend in ten simple sentences:

1. work hard, play hard. 

{school and dance all day and night friday, lead to lots of playing.}

2. it's never to late to start new lifelong friendships.

{go ahead and meet them yourself; here and here.}

3. a slice of pie + five scoops of ice cream = a heavenly pie milk shake.

{must go to chile pies. the make one delicious, totally scrumptious, dessert.}

4. a weekend getaway to "our" city, san francisco.

5. a little hooked to watching a thing called, gossip girl.
that's not the issue, it's staying up into the wee hours of the night to do so.

6. leaving your dog at a "day care" for the first time is ruff. yikes.

7. wonderful visits with two of my best friends in life.
{who both ironically live is san francisco now.} 

8. food is a big part of my life. in a good way; i love to eat.

{we ate dinner here. great pizza if you're in the city!}

9. lovebird is a sucker for bubble tea. boba, in particular.

10. i fell in love all over again. 

i'm smitten, i tell you. 

hope you had a lovely weekend yourself.

what are a few weekend items on your list of ten?

i'm hoping to have a full week of blogging- wish me luck.

i've got to get back in the swing of things- 

my life journal here on the blog, has been neglected-

 plus, i feel so out of the loop on all of your darling blogs.

{it looks like i have my writing and reading cut out for me this week.}

i'm anxious to click through to your blogs- leave a comment below and

let's quickly get reacquainted. xoxo.

p.s. happy martin luther king day.
hope you are a lucky one who gets work off; if so, enjoy! 

addiction.

i am addicted.

which, could be a bad thing. 

bad, because i am starting to spread this on anything and everything.

it is that good. 

{i mean, obviously it's that good, if it get's a whole blog post dedicated to it.}

please, tell me you have tried trader joe's cookie butter. 

or even better, please tell me you share the same addiction-

so, i don't feel quite as guilty admitting to having a 'taste' of this every day. 

my two favorite ways lately:

1. paired with a granny smith apple.

the sour from the apple and sweet from the cookie make the perfect combo. 

2. simply, on toast.

anytime of the day, of course. 

if you haven't had a taste of heaven on earth,

 i suggest you run down to trader joe's and pick up a jar or two.

you won't be disappointed;

you'll only be thanking me for introducing you to divinity. 

until then, i'll enjoy enough for the both of us. 

"wakey wakey, eggs and bakey".

let's talk breakfast:

please say you love it as much as i do,

because i'm slightly hurt by people who say they never eat breakfast.

i almost take it personally.

i'm that girl who literally rolls straight out of bed right into the kitchen,

popping a piece of bread in the toaster before my eyes are even open all the way.

or that girl who goes to bed planning {more like craving} 

what i'll eat in the morning.

greek yogurt, peanut butter, oatmeal, almond milk, eggs, fruit, bagel, granola....

the options are endless, as well as all delicious. 

unlike lunch and dinner, you can never go wrong with what you choose to eat.

i mean honestly, who can resist waffles, pancakes or crepes?

they are practically dessert. 

i could eat breakfast for any meal, and sometimes prefer to.

my happiness depends on good breakfast.

say hello to an overly cranky and impatient person if i skip out on it.

then again, the thought of skipping it, is unheard of in my life.

in fact, i don't recall the last time i did.

eating breakfast is the recipe for a successful, energetic and positive day.

always eat breakfast;

you're doing yourself, your body and brain a big favor,

as well as keeping yourself on a friendship basis with me.

go indulge on a yummy breakfast...

i'm about to, and i can hardly wait. literally.

good morning world. 

xoxo

spoonful of memories.

{source}


a recent discovery:

 talenti belgian milk chocolate gelato.

why you ask?

well, you see... growing up in utah, 

i was spoiled with the a special popsicle... 

 a good ol' fashioned creamie.

they have always been {and still are} one of my favorite treats.

lovebird's favorite: mint 

my favorite: banana or chocolate. 

if you're an avid follower of my blog {which, i thank you for},
you're already aware of my crazy obsession to 

talenti gelato.

{i've blogged about it here, here, here and here.}

it's safe to say, i've tried just about every flavor now. pathetic, right?

"belgian milk chocolate" being the latest flavor to test. 

the first bite flooded my brain with childhood memories.

it was as if i was sitting at the tennis club with my best friend

biting into a soft chocolate creamie. 

the memories kept coming. and so did the bites of gelato.

i was walking down memory lane all night long,

thanks to the incredible sense of taste and smell that triggers 

the ability to recall such vivid memories.  

this flavor is a must.

even if you are skeptical {like i was} on buying "plain old chocolate" for an outrageous price.

it's well worth it, because after all, memories are priceless. 

p.s. if i haven't yet convinced you of this gelato- watch this. 

or see how many other people are in love too.

seconds, please?

we had a weekend full of nothing but food.

or rather little food dates. 

{what!? this never happens}

friday was my the last day of spring break for me,

and lovebird's school just so happen to have the day off, thanks to "pacific day".

so... we took advantage of that free time we never seem to have and

 drove to a nearby town to grab a bite. a yummy bite.

saturday came way to quickly.

but we embraced it again with a little dinner date.

{that didn't feel so little after eating one too many breadsticks}

since that didn't seem to be enough, we took it one step further- 

and went on a second dinner date out of town with some lovely friends.

don't worry. we didn't eat a second dinner.

we just shared a scrumptious dessert.

then sunday came way to quickly.

since we don't go out on sundays, {this is why}

we stayed in a for a yummy home cooked dinner date. 

which of course ended with 'just a taste' of our favorite gelato. 

you can't go wrong when dates revolve around food.

especially when they end with dessert. 

or maybe that's just my opinion, since i seem to have an odd love for food.

i'm hoping your weekend was full of delicious dinner dates.

if so, do share with me. 

i'd love to hear what you had on your plate this weekend.

{pun intended, or course} 

xoxo

p.s. did you enter the giveaway below!?

you can't pinch me.

happy st. patrick's day!

{yesterday}

we were too busy acting like the irish, i didn't get around to posting.

we had a crazy, lovely and busy day yesterday.

lovebird spent most of the day at work.

i spent the day rehearsing and performing at an "old folks" home.

{what a treat that was. if you know me, you know that old people have a special place in my heart.}

we raced to a little dinner with our dear friends,

and ate the most delicious st. patrick's day pizza.

corn beef, prosciutto, pepperoncinis, red onions.

all on top of a flat bread crust and a mustard brie sauce.  

yum- my mouth is watering just thinking about it again. 

we then had a little dessert run to yogurt mill, of course.

and headed back to our place to finish the night with a good old heart to heart.

it was a fun night with friends. 

joel and i may have had a few st. patty's day kisses,

talked like we were irish and stayed up way too long giggling.

we had a lovely st. patty's day.

i've always loved this holiday. 

hope yours was just as lucky as ours. 

xo

pictures:

1. the little leprechaun brought me an adorable pair of shoes.

2. he also left gold coins, of course.

3. our cute friends. {at concetta- our favorite restaurant.}

4. leapord shoes and green nail polish. 

5. our little mantel decorated for this fun holiday.

weekend of pictures.

the weekend went a little like this:

1. first day of spring semester. 

{loving it already. i can tell it's going to be a good semester}

2. went to dinner with friends both thursday and friday night. 

{i was oh-so-jealous of leonard's milkshake.}

3. worked on 'decorations' for crew's farewell.

{i'm already getting teary eyed just thinking about him leaving in one month from today.}

4. we gave kramer a bath and cleaned his tank. 

{he is one happy pet now. still our favorite fish. going on 9 months now.}

5. let the fun begin. aka: homework. 

{lovebird's sunday's consist of nothing but doing homework, eating dinner, and kissing me in between.}

6. we got a "valentine's" package from midge. a handmade quilt was inside.

{isn't my mother simply the best? wow.}

7. our little package inspired me to pull out some decorations for v-day.

{need a fun, cute and cheap decoration? fill a vase with heart marshmallows!}

8. dancing in the sunshine after saturday's class.

{as much as i dread going to dance on saturday's, they always seem to be the most fun.}

happy weekend. xoxo.

wake up slow.

the day started out a little like this...

a yummy chocolate drink midge gave me for christmas.

topped with snowman marshmallows. 

{french vanilla-melt in your mouth-marshmellows}

i'm still in lovebird's pajama's embracing my last morning of freedom.

tomorrow is a school day.

it all starts over again.

am i ready?

yes and no.

yes- because i love exercising my brain and learning. nerd alert, i know.

no- because it's been nice to have time to myself.

{time to wake up slowly and sip on a warm drink.}

and because life seems so less crazy without a commute, classes, and study time.

so, today will be a day of enjoyment and relaxation.

life is beautiful. 

especially when waking up slow to enjoy time, the winter weather and the love of

your life snuggled up next to you in bed.

i guess it's apparent that i took yesterday's quote to heart. 

i'm feeling better already. 

Christmas is coming....

...the goose is getting fat. 

let the holiday planning begin!

here are some links, helpful tips and ideas.

i'm hoping to use and/or do at least of few of them.

gift giving to men:

we all know that guys are hard to shop for; they don't really need anything, often times don't ask for anything, and getting them the perfect gift (whether big or small) sometimes seems impossible.

click here for a little holiday help. cute stocking stuffers!

christmas crafts:

i want to try this, this and this cute christmas craft from pinterest.

oh, and maybe this one too.

if only i had the time to make a new craft everyday.

{i love far too many wreaths, i can't possible choose just one to post.}

{also- i'm completely in love with putting ornaments, pinecones, treats, etc. in anything glass.}

there are too so many to choose from.  dang pinterest!

onto food:

how about a hot chocolate bar with these marshmellows?

or why not decorate with food. this is classic. 

fun party punch for all ages.

and how about these with all that left over ham. yummy. 

we all know there are limitless options for holiday sweets out there. 

this is just the beginning...

more is to come, i'm sure of it. 

i figured i better start posting now, or i'll run out of time

to post all of the cute ideas out there for this beloved time of year.

i'm hoping i was able start some brainstorming inside that little noggin of yours.

speaking of "noggin"... 

just wait until i post the best family egg nog recipe. 

and believe it or not- it's eggless. and makes enough for the army! yummy!

i hope you are gearing up for the holidays like i am.

tomorrow the advents already begin.

{am i excited and anxious? yes.}

xoxo

quinoa

quinoa recipe:

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable/chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Stir corn and black beans into the saucepan until heated. Lastly, add cilantro.

so quick and easy! delicious too.

Also, reasonably cheap if you already have quinoa on hand. 

*note: i added grilled chicken, chili spice and lime juice to it tonight.

we topped it off with greek jalapeño yogurt. and scooped it up with 

multigrain tortilla chips. 

{you truly can add or subtract anything from this recipe}

diet coke.

diet coke.

10 points for the new can.

love it. 

however, how do they expect me to give it up

when they tempt me with a new design?

my eyes are drawn to it, and next thing i know i'm opening

a can and guzzling it's goodness.

it's impossible to give up, isn't it?

please, help me. 

rise & shine

good morning.

wake up and start your day of with this yummy breakfast.

thanks to women's health i stole this great idea.

here's the "recipe":

-1 whole wheat waffle

-6 oz of 0% fage yogurt

-1 cup blueberries 

-1/4 tsp. cinnamon 

as you can see i added some bananas. 

more fruit can't hurt, right?

and i am in love with fage yogurt. lovebird and i eat it all the time.

i was thrilled when i read this little recipe called
for our favorite breakfast item.

well, there you have it.

a perfect start to a new day.

try it! 

boring, i know.

boring picture to go with a boring post.

i'm lame, aren't i?

 just guess i'm a little too tired lately for blogging.

i sure wish i wasn't.

i also wish i was back were i was standing in this picture...

carmel beach. simply gorgeous.

and pebble beach is a sight to see.

anywho.... this week as been quite refreshing.

{the usual; dance, school and work.}

however, we've been enjoy my few extra minutes off lately.

we bought some goods at trader joe's

and green's market these last couple days.

{going the route of eating super healthy and organic.}

and i'll have you know....

i have been drinking my water instead of diet coke. yay!

life seems to be quite healthy lately.

and i loooove it. 

health nut set aside, we did go to yogurt mill tonight;

and let me tell you- they don't mess around. yum.

how can one possibly resist frozen yogurt?

you can't. it's impossible. 

well, friends. that's all i have in me tonight.

i'm already under the covers fighting sleep as it is.

it all boils down to this...

i suggest a trip to carmel beach, organic food and frozen yogurt.

three of my favorite things. 

little leprechaun

happy st. patty's day!

did the leprechaun visit your house too?

i hope so. he certainly stopped by here. 

leaving us lots of coins and lots of laughs. 

dressed head to toe in green today, 

i headed off to work and dance for a busy day.

lovebird procrastinated doing his paper... 

so that is what he worked on all day.

{oh wait, is still working on. might i add. dang him.} 

we had a delicious dinner. thank you ireland and "carlson" traditions.

corn beef and cabbage artichokes.

(i'll pass on the cabbage. yuck.) 

unfortunately, i didn't get to take any pictures of the green pancakes 

or sugar cookies i made in lieu of this splendid holiday...

 they were gobbled up too fast by lovebird and friends. 

what a lovely holiday.

it's truly one of my favorites. 

p.s. did you know originally leprechauns wore red? we've just adapted it over the years. 

kind of crazy, right?

must buy

i'm going to let you in on a little secret....

go to your nearest supermarket and buy their brand name apples.

and the cuties right now are as sweet as candy.

{modesto readers: head to raley's. now.}

lovebird and i devoured both bags in less then a week,

and just bought another two bags tonight.

these goodies make it easy to be healthy.

thank goodness.