Eight Things I'm Loving Right Now

1.  Everyone is all about the Pumpkin Spice Lattes. All about the PSLs. However, I'm all about the Pumpkin Spice Americanos. I'm all about the #PSAs. I'm starting a movement. Jump on that bandwagon, people! It's delicious.

2. A bandwagon I have jumped on is Shakeology. But I don't like it. I wish I did because so many do. However, it's expensive so Mr. B is glad I don't. I'm trying my hardest to mix the protein packets with whatever fruit, coffee, nut butter, and milk I can find. A few mixtures I can tolerate, others... not so much. BUT, I am loving the CIZE workout program I signed up for with the Shakeology. It's cardio. It's moving. It's dancing. I am having a blast! LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. Now, I'm looking for another program I might want for Christmas....

3.This breakfast obsession has now turned into a quick dinner love affair. I ate this pear, egg, and cheese combo for five meals straight before I actually realized I'd been eating it for five meals straight. Although I'm currently not eating it for every meal, I am returning to it about every other day. I can't help it, these pears are so juicy right now!

4. Now that school is back in session, kids are overtaking the library. I can't help but love searching the stacks and asking question after question until I find a child or parent the book they're looking for. I love going on these little treasure hunts, whether it's for a school assignment or a book to share at bed time, I love finding something the patron will enjoy.

5.It's fall so that means TV shows are back in full swing. And that actually means nothing to me because we don't have cable, but we have some hi-tech bunny ears that give us access to the local channels. And that means I am loving my Hawaii Five-O and Blue Bloods. The only shows I watch. And last seasons' episodes are now on Netflix!! Woot. Woot. I am a big, huge fan of McGarrett. Mr. B is well aware ;)

6. With the weather changing and all, I'm getting back into the routine of using my doterra difuser at night. I'm obsessed with the Cassia; it's cinnamon fragrance is wonderful and calming, which actually helps Mr. Darcy relax more quickly around bed time. It's fantastic.

7. Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spice Rooibos Herbal Tea. In love. I must have a cup in the afternoon at work. I must have a cup in the evening after dinner. I must say, it is fall in a cup.

8. Oh, and do I need to mention FALL. And FOOTBALL. And chilly weather. And the BEAUTIFUL outside scenery. And APPLES, PUMPKINS, and CIDER! I am so blessed to be living in such a lovely state to experience THE best season. Gosh, I cannot tell you all how much it it my favorite.


With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Photo an Hour

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Yesterday, Jessica and I went on a teeny, tiny road trip down to my parents house for a jewelry party. Jessica being friend, shotgun-rider, entertainment, and jewelry lady. Actually, party isn't the right word. Chatting with Mama and my grandma while my aunt perused the rings, and Daddy, grandpa and I hoarded the caprese salad is more fitting. It was a fantastic day-trip. And now it's Monday....

But at least it's National Tell a Story Day.

And I'm a fan of picture stories.


With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

I Promise, This Is It for A While....

I discovered a few more favorites. Let me tell y'all about them.

A few notables worth mentioning include both of Yotam Ottolenghi's books, Plenty and Jerusalem. These cookbooks are not only beautifully photographed, but have me wishing I had more time at home to create these heavenly dishes. And thinking I could easily be satisfied on a Jerusalem-inspired diet. The Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book has me convinced I'm a closet pie lover. Although I can't seem to make a decent crust to save my life, I know with patience and this cookbook these two sisters could teach me the delicate trade. And, yes, I finally got my hands on Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home. It was everything I thought it would be and more. I was drooling over every page. I know [good] ice cream is my true dessert love. However, I couldn't help but think I'd better stick to visiting her ice cream shop or finding her ice cream in stores rather than make it myself. It's a bit intense. The best part is learning about how her ingredients are all local and Ohio-grown, if possible.

Of course, I fell in love with Pioneer Woman's latest cookbook endeavor, A Year of Holidays. I'm pretty sure Mr. B knows this had better find it's way under the Christmas tree this year. I really, really love her cookbook layouts, the way she includes snippets of family-life and story insights is fun and refreshing. Although my favorite part of this particular cookbook are the convenient holiday menu spreads.

Another favorite was Gwyneth Paltrow's It's All Good. I found that I enjoyed this second cookbook much more than her first one. I liked her reasoning behind her restorative diet and why she eats the way she does. My favorite part is the weekly recipe guides in the back, and the "go-to" food section. The meals seem adaptable and without fuss.

But the one book out of this pile I'm dying to put on my shelf is The Oh She Glows Cookbook. I have been an avid fan of Angela's blog for years, and could not hold back my excitement when she let her readers know of her publishing date. And now she has her own Tea Shoppe!?! LOVE HER! The layout of this cookbook is gorgeous and it's equally user-friendly. I'm not sure if I can hold off until Christmas, especially if my gift-buying self winds up in a bookstore. Eeek!

Okay, I think I'm done with my cookbook kick.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Re-Visited: Cooking Club #10

[Original post date Nov. 2011. --Updated 10/6/14: original, but separate, content, with updated photos and/or more details, if available.]


---> Cooking Club is coming up soon, and now that I'm blogging, I want to share these moments but I thought I should play catch-up first. So without further ado, here (and in more posts to come) is what we've been up to. Enjoy!

#10 April: Secret Ingredient

The Menu:
        Main Course
Oven-Lime Pork Fajitas (Lime)
         Side
Green Tea Couscous (Tea)
         Dessert
Blondies with Maple Syrup (Maple)

Jenny and Jessica decided it would be fun to do secret ingredients this month, sort of Iron Chef style.

So we all chose an ingredient, wrote it on a piece of paper and threw it in a hat.

Enter mass confusion.

After everyone drew, they started sharing what ingredient they had. Hello? I thought it was a secret!
 
Apparently the "secret" part already happened. The "secret" was we didn't know what ingredients were in the hat. Huh? Everyone was confused, there were questions if we should come up with new ingredients and redraw.....ai yi yi. We finally decided on just finding a recipe to go with our assigned ingredients.

I put in maple and drew tea. (Actually, I put both maple and espresso on my slip, allowing the receiver to decide. I thought I'd be sneaky like that.) So I went home and skimmed through my cookbooks. When nothing caught my eye, I headed online and found two recipes, a dessert and a side. I was craving couscous, and decided to go with the side, Rachael Ray's Green Tea Couscous.

Tea is definitely a favorite. As I was steeping my green tea, I was sooooo excited for my dish. After adding in honey and a hint of fresh mint (not a huge mint fan), I couldn't wait to taste this couscous! And then there were pieces of cucumber and lemon and lime.....and oh.my.goodness.

Giada's is still my favorite. But this was light, refreshing, and delicious. I realized I do actually like mint, but fresh mint only.

The nutritional information, via My Fitness Pal, per serving (this recipe, I feel, makes a good 6 side dish servings): 101 calories, 2 fat, 2 protein, 1 fiber, 8 sugar

Actually, this was a fantastic Cooking Club meal (even though we were quite small this month). Everything was perfect and just the right amount. Jenny's Oven-Lime Pork Fajitas were mouth-watering, and I have made them for Mr. B multiple times since. So good. I'm not a blondie fan, but Jessica's maple dessert was pretty tasty as well.

Definitely a success!

[Oh, and it seems that if you can make it to Cooking Club, great. If not, we'll see you next month. So we never know how many people are going to be there!]

*I hope you enjoyed these Cooking Club snippets. There are more to come as I try to play catch-up before this month's meeting. I hope these themes, and even Cooking Club itself, inspire you to gather with your friends and family in the kitchen, and make sweet moments (and delicious food) of your own.

**I've only included the recipes to the dishes I made. Only because I'm unsure of where everyone got theirs...and hey, we gotta give credit where credit is due. If you have any questions about the other dishes, I'll ask the other members where they got their recipes and pass it along!

Check out our previous meetings!
Cooking Club #1-4
Cooking Club #5-8
Cooking Club #9

[Update: Just previous Cooking Club links!]

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

House Update: The Kitchen

Y'all, it's been one year and the kitchen is almost finished!!!

These last few weeks Daddy has been up installing the new counter tops and, my favorite piece, the island. It's beautiful and completes the kitchen, while providing storage for pots, pans, jars, AND my cookbooks! My father does amazing and gorgeous work; he is unbelievably talented at his craft. Mr. B and I have done so much to this kitchen, not because it needed it (other than the fact that the wallpaper needed to come down) but we wanted to make it our own, or I should say my own since I'm the one actually in the kitchen.

Let's take a walk down memory lane, shall we?

 

Ughhh....other than the wallpaper, the kitchen was absolutely fine. There wasn't anything wrong with it, we just wanted it updated. To make it our own. We updated the refrigerator, mainly because it kept freezing our food, and Mr. B surprised me by installing a new microwave while I was in Chicago. He was tired of looking at the messed up door. We drew out a plan and a timeline on what we wanted to do with our new home, saved up the money, and now--one year later--my kitchen is complete (almost). Once Mr. B and I finished painting, Daddy came up to install the back splash, which I love.

But the counter tops, I despised. They had to go. I mean they were okay, but I know what my father can do. I watched him build and supply many, many customers with beautiful cabinets and counter tops over the years, and I knew (finally!) it was my turn. And it's absolutely perfect. I am in love with my kitchen.

Isn't it beautiful?! I keep smiling like a little schoolgirl with a crush every time I walk into this kitchen.

I continue to be in awe of what my father can do at his craft. It's absolutely flawless, and his attention to detail is superb. He really keeps in mind what the customer wants and he delivers. When he was asking me questions about the island, at the time, I had no idea which side I wanted to display the cookbooks or the storage doors. It makes you really think about your space. And that's what he does. Daddy makes you think about what works best for you. How I actually use my kitchen, what's convenient to me, where do we walk, how much space do we need to open the fridge and the dishwasher....He's brilliant.

And if you're interested, visit his Facebook page, Creative Woodworks, for an estimate, or to contact him with any questions. (There are also pictures of his other beautiful wood works, so check it out!)

And, now, a sneak peek at the dining room....

Here's a closer look at my new coffee/tea bar!!!















We re-purposed the old island by turning it into the coffee bar I have longed for desperately since I was in college. Eventually I plan to paint it and strip the wood, and possibly have my father install a shelf, or drawer, of some sort in place of the stools. Also, I'd like to put a shelving unit above the bar along with some coffee and tea decor. It's a work in progress. But more importantly, I'm loving the free counter top space!

One room at a time....

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

7 Days 1 Challenge: Thirty-Four

I had so much feed back from this challenge and I'm happy many of you enjoyed it!

On Monday I had two huge bowls of grape tomatoes; Tuesday included two nectarines and an orange pepper; Wednesday included golden raisins and yellow pepper slices; on Thursday I had zucchini and cucumbers; Friday I dined on blueberries, of course; Saturday I had purple onions in my Chipotle...mmmm.

And on Sunday, Mama came up to help with the house (and she took the challenge, too!) and we feasted on tacos which included reds and greens. It was a hectic day and unfortunately the "rainbow" wasn't on my to-do list.

But we're moving on because it's Monday and time for a new challenge!


*In case you're new to these challenges, the challenge starts on Monday and ends Sunday night. The following Monday I'll post a new challenge.



This week's challenge:

A cup of hot tea before bed. 

It's going to be an extra busy and stressful week because we're moving!!! We need to put the final paint touches on the bedrooms and finish packing, and I need to try really hard not to go crazy.

So, I'm helping myself to a cup of hot tea before bed to help me relax from the day.

I also plan to help myself to as many cups as needed throughout the day!

Cheers.

Who wants to take the weekly challenge? Let me know by sharing your thoughts/struggles and link ups below!

With Love and God Bless,

Brindi

Sunday Sweets

Every other Sunday I like to post a blog sharing my favorite finds from around the Internet and current obsessions.

What I Had For Breakfast Today: Bacon, Avocado and Egg Open-Faced Sandwich. (I'll be posting the recipe soon!) I only eat this once in a while because it's a little too rich and heavy for my liking. Which is why I have it for brunch, and make sure Mr. B is up so he can eat half! It's very filling. And this is also why this kind of stuff is only for the weekends.

Favorite Mouth-Watering Dish:  Gnocchi Mac and Cheese. OhMyGoodness.

Sweet Fitness Inspiration: Need to remember this, especially when I'm craving that gnocchi up there.

Daily Inspiration: "I believe if you want something with all your heart, you get it."

Sweet Fashion Find: Love the sweater and belt look. And the pearls!

Sweet Entertaining Idea: These two would be perfect for a tea party. Definitely having one of these soon. I'm also going to start a Mother-Daughter tea tradition....but right now it's just me and my girl friends. I love both ideas!

This looks so feminine and elegant. Everyone would be able to grab the set she prefers.

But this idea is neat because the tea and lunch are together in one quaint "set." It also allows the girls to grab what they want from the lunch buffet table. LOVE.

Current "I Want!": Banana Slicer! This would come in handy because I eat bananas, sliced, like there's no tomorrow...especially when I'm preparing my banana "ice cream."

Sweet Scrapbooking Idea: Great to do for kids and their friends, but I like it now for me and my friends and family.

Love For My Future Home: A screen door on the pantry!!!! Perfect. Check out the fork as the handle!

Favorite Must-Make-Soon Sweet: A new recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Espresso and Cream. Black Bean Brownies. I can't wait to make these. I'm so intrigued.....I've heard of them before but now I'm determined to try them!

Sweet Movie Watch: I can't help it. I have to watch Oklahoma! every time it's on TV.

Sweet Craft Idea: Making this Menu Board ASAP! I create a dinner menu for every week, and this would work great in my kitchen AND save on paper. See, I'm always thinking.

But I like this menu board too! This would work well for those favorite dinners we tend to have often. Hmmm, maybe a combination of both.....

Sweet Helpful Tip: I need to print this out and hang it behind my calendar in the kitchen! It's so easy when you know what fruits are in season. It's easier on my wallet, and helps me get the fruit I love, need and crave.

Favorite Place: This little cottage kitchen is just precious. I love it.

Best Day Brigthener: Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.  --Abraham Joshua Heschel


Check out my other Sunday Sweets!
Sunday Sweets #1
Sunday Sweets #2
Sunday Sweets #3
Sunday Sweets #4


Was there something you came across this week and just have to share?

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi