The Little Things

I have to be honest. Last week was one of those extremely busy, stressful, and exhausting work weeks... yet we felt that we had accomplished nothing by the end of it.  Our work loads were just as heavy, the house was a disaster, and (a little ashamed to admit this) we had resorted to eating Rosie's rice snacks since there was little adult food in the kitchen. We were one hot mess express!

By the weekend, I felt so tired and already defeated knowing that I was going to spend the next two days cleaning and grocery shopping. However, while reading an article, I stumbled on one of my new favorite quotes:
"Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things."

I feel like in this busy life, all of the little things like cleaning and running errands can feel mundane. But it doesn't have to be that way! Our lives are made up of all of these tiny experiences, so they need to be enjoyed!

That Saturday, I'd finally had enough of my little pity party. I put Rosie to bed and then declared the evening a date/cleaning night.  We turned on some music, poured ourselves a glass of wine and then went to town cleaning the house top to bottom.  Towards the end of our cleaning spree, I popped some cookies in the oven so that by the time we were done, we could crash on the couch and enjoy them. I'll admit that cleaning wouldn't have been my first choice on a Saturday night, but it was so much fun straightening the house up while dancing and just spending time with my husband! (And since there were cookies involved, Eric was all about our cleaning date!) 

On Sunday, we decided to continue to make our weekend of chores a blast so rather than shopping at our usual grocery store, we visited the local farmers market.  

After going there, I have to admit that we don't utilize that place enough! They have everything and the best part- it's all local! Our farmers market is beyond cute. It has tons of produce stands, a deli shop, ice cream parlor, country restaurant and Amish bakery.  We spent the afternoon strolling, shopping, and just enjoying time together as a family.  

After our shopping trip, we were starving so I decided to make one of our favorite easy go-to dishes- chicken tacos! I used a tangy jalapeno marinade on the chicken and topped each soft taco with monterey jack cheese, salsa, sour cream, and green chilies. I'm all about side dishes so I also served seasoned black beans and fried yucca along with the tacos.  It was so tasty that I had to hold myself back from going overboard and eating the whole platter! 

While last week was stressful and our weekend may have seemed unexciting at first, it ended up being so enjoyable. It really taught us to savor even the little things like grocery shopping or picking up a pile of toys together because those are the memories that we're going to cherish.

My Outfit Details: Shirt (Free People) Pants (Forever 21) Headband (Urban Outfitters) Sandals (Billabong)

Rosie's Outfit Details: Los Angeles Onesie (Etsy: All City Boutique), Shorts (Carters), Headband (Etsy: My Cheeky Baby)

Recipe Time: Spinach Ravioli with Crab in a Tangerine-Jalapeno Sauce

Happy Friday! To celebrate the start of the weekend, I thought I'd post one of our current favorite recipes. One thing to know about Eric and I as a couple is that we take pasta very (and I mean very) seriously.  We currently have a ton of dried pasta in the cabinets, various sauces in the fridge, and two different homemade pasta dinners in the freezer that could last us two weeks. It's kind of ridiculous! 

We're always on the hunt for new recipes, so I was really excited to find this one from Lemon Fire Brigade: 

Tagliatelle with King Crab, Grilled Murcott Tangerines, Chili, and Lemon

I followed it pretty closely but made a few adjustments.  Instead of tagliatelle, I used spinach ravioli because I felt that it would add an interesting flavor element.  Eric and I love food with a little kick so I also changed up the sauce by adding jalapeno juice. (I always keep a jar on hand to add to dips, soups, and sauces.) 

The verdict: This dish is AMAZING.

There are so many different flavors but they combine perfectly to make an exciting, savory pasta meal. Try it for yourself- your taste buds will thank you!

Sweet Summertime

It's the time of year again. Back to school commercials are playing, Halloween costumes are for sale, and pumpkin spice everything is here again... Fall is officially around the corner! Usually I dread the cold weather, but I'm so excited for Rosie to experience all of the fall and winter holidays this year.  (I might already have her Halloween costume picked out.)
Since there are only so many days of summer left, we've been trying to take full advantage of it.  We were lucky enough to get quintessential summer weather this weekend- warm and sunny without a cloud in the sky.  It would have been a crime not to enjoy it!

On Friday, we kicked off the weekend with an outdoor music concert. Eric and I love going to concerts so this was special since it was Rosie's first one! The venue was near a cute little shopping center so we walked around while listening to local band, Swell Luck.  They're a two man band that play the guitar and ukulele- definitely our style! Rosie loved it and couldn't stop giving her sweet smiles. 

 After the concert, they had a pop-up drive in movie but since it was past Rosie's bedtime, we decided to call it a night. All in all, it was a fun relaxing evening with our little family!

Saturday's weather was just as beautiful and since it was National Relaxation Day, we decided that an afternoon lounging by the pool was necessary! 

We spent the day grilling, sipping cocktails, playing corn hole and swimming at my parent's house.  It was the perfect summer day.

My Outfit Details: Dress (Forever 21) Hat (Roxy) Sandals (Billabong)

Rosie's Outfit Details: Shirt (DKNY) Shorts (Carters) Headband (Etsy- Aubrey Giannas Boutique)