chasing daylight

 

so minneapolis weather has still been a little weird. super chilly one day, where you have to be so bundled up and then the next, is hot humid day again. though the hot days are pretty much gone but chad and i were lucky enough to spend one the last warmer day with our friend JD, who happens to be an awesome photographer. we walked around lake of the isles (a lake i often forget about) and then went and go pizza at my favorite place, pizzeria lola. the whole night was a great summary of why minnesota summers are the best, especially when spent with friends. 

thanks JD for the awesome photos and the great company! 

kitchen favorites

the kitchen. since being married i have spent a lot of time in there, and have come up with some of my favorite items. they are the things i use almost daily. my number one favorite item, my wutsof knife. i never thought that i would love knives as much as i do, but man they make life so much easier in the kitchen. chopping is way smoother. i am in love. 

what are your favorite items in the kitchen?

a day in the life of me

a walk through of what my day to day life looks like:

AM

5:15- first alarm goes off
5:30- get out of bed, brush my teeth, put make up on, shower if we are lucky. sometime if i don't have to be at work until later i sneak in a run.
5:45-  "the cooking hour" make chad and i's lunchs, brew coffee (usually chad does this), blend our breakfast smoothie
6:15- enjoy smoothie, drink my coffee, read my daily devotional, get ready for work
6:25- off to work. usually listen to an audio book in the car or classical music, i don't like loud music right away in the morning for some reason.
7:00- arrive at work, feed little baby, get her dressed
8:00- play, read, sing with baby
9:00- get ready to go on the morning walk with baby
10:00- play at the park with baby
10:30- go on adventure with baby, something among the lines of story time, the zoo, library, play dates, and so forth

PM

12:00- come home, feed babe lunch and put her down for a nap
12:45- break time! eat my lunch, usually vegetable heavy and always contains at least one piece of extra dark chocolate.
1:15- catch up on emails, read some blogs, maybe do a post, then start my homework. try and concentrate on homework until baby wakes up.
3:30- play with baby part two.
5:30- head home, try to dodge traffic by running to the grocery store to pick up anything that is needed for dinner, or run to target. sometimes stop at a coffee shop to unwind from the day
6:15- arrive home, start prepping dinner, sometime go on a quick run, make dinner

whats for dinner?

1// 2 // 3 // 4


do you ever get home from work and think, well... whats for dinner? i usually try and plan my meals out weekly to avoid this stress, but sometimes i still have these moments. here are some of my favorite fall picks for those days where you just don't know what to cook.

backyard dreaming

to celebrate the first day of fall, chad and i decided to go to the apple orchard and get a little festive ;) we headed down to my favorite apple orchard, emma krumbees. i grew up going to "emma's" and have always loved going there. and because chad knows how much i love going to that orchard, he always makes sure to take me. it was one of those really lovely days outside, super sunny, warm with just the right amount of breeze. we walked around, collected some apples, and checked out the scare crows that they showcase every year.

oh that thing called love

i have to say, i love living life with this guy and i love him more everyday. the other day i found an article circulating an article circulating around the internet  called "i didn't love my wife when i married her", have you read it? it basically talked about how when you first are in a relationship you think that you love someone, based on the way you "feel" but true love doesn't come for several more years. when that feeling may or may not be there, but your love then is a choice. i read this and thought about how true it is. love is such a complex thing. i think that society puts these notions in our head that love is a feeling, that it fades, and when it fades it s a bad thing. but it is so much more then that. my favorite line from the article simple states it perfectly, "love isn’t an emotion or even a noun. it’s a verb. better defined as giving. as putting someone else’s needs above your own"i can't say i am an expert but in the six years chad and i have been together, i have learned so much about love and what it entitles. the more you love, the more selfless you become. it is a humbling thing. i think that this article addresses several things that are not talked about everyday, but that are critical thing for relationships to be successful. and truly, i am so exited to see how our relationship and love grows in the next several years.

have you read the article? what did you think?

lovin' on juice, a fit report

so i haven't decided how much i like doing these fit reports, but i figured since i hadn't done one in awhile that i would share.

monday: 4 mile run
thursday: 2 mile run
saturday: 4 mile run
sunday: yoga sculpt

first thing, i am loving that i am able to finally run again. it has changed my life. i feel so happy, getting up in the mornings, watching the sunrise, while i jog along side of trees. since moving in with chad, my running route has become much more scenic, which i am not complaining about.

secondly, yoga. i forgot how great it is. (and remember how much i love it??) i haven't gone in over six months (boy does time fly by) but am hoping that great 7 o'clock class on sundays will become a regular thing now that i am not wanting to be outside every second of every day.

thirdly, i decided because i had over indulged in sugar in the earlier part of this week  (i am talking multiple deserts a day, sugar is my frienemy), i needed to be healthy and have some juices as meal replacements friday evening. my boss had gone to truce and gave me some of their juices before, so after work i headed over and picked some up. juice is such a refreshing way to get nutrients in your body. and though i don't know if i could commit to a whole juice cleanse (is it sad to say that i don't think i have the self control?), i love having juices to help balance out a healthy diet.

how was your fit week? have you tried juice cleanses before?

also, do i keep doing this, yay or nay?

happy first day of autumn!

happy first day of autumn everyone! i hope you do some fall-ish things today. i am going to start the day by making pumpkin oatmeal. then chad is taking me to the apple orchard (where we always get a cider float). i am thinking that i should try and squeeze as much fall-ish stuff in this weekend, after all it is a holiday weekend ;) i cannot wait for the crunchy leaves, the bonfires, and carving pumpkins. hooray for fall, please stay around a while!

prints for my kitchen

i just adore these city prints from laure amiss. aren't they so fun? i think they would look great in a kitchen (and they would go so well with my fiesta wear dishes!)  i just ordered the one on the right but don't have the perfect place for it yet. but i am sure i will find one soon.

what are your favorite things to buy on etsy?

taking stock

found this from sydney who found it from pip and now playing along :)

making :if you can call it "making" but i am finishing up our wedding album and picking out all of the photos that are going to be in it... only 8 months later, oops.
cooking : well i just finished up making a chicken tomato pasta (gotta get in all of those tomatoes while we can) and a batch of granola.. (too obsessed, will post recipe soon)
drinking : green tea. yum.
reading: french women in all seasons by mireille guiliano
wanting: the perfect pair of olive colored jeans. have been on a search for awhile and have had no luck.
looking: out the window and noticing the first few leaves starting to change color.
playing: with the little girl, as always. we have been spending lots of time reading and squeezing every last bit of summer before it gets too cold and we can't go to the parks anymore. it is going to be a sad day when it hits.
wasting: a lot of time today. i have a lot of homework, and not that much of it has gotten done.
sewing: hah nothing. i wish. i keep saying i want to learn how to embroider 
wishing: we had more money to travel more. i want to get out in the world, go to new places, explore europe a little more
enjoying: the last of summer and the beginning of fall. september and october are my favorite months so i am taking them all in
waiting: on the day when we don't have student loan debt.
liking: reading in bed
wondering: what my first "big girl" job will be. and what life will be like when i am not nannying. kinda scary. and kinda don't want that part of my life to start quite yet.
loving: apples. we even had an apple themed dinner earlier this week. 
hoping: that winter will treat us nicely this year 
marvelling: growth, everything naturally evolves and grows (babies, animals, vegetables)
needing: time with my sisters. but one is in denver. boo.
smelling: my chanel perfume
wearing: a big comfy scarf. and a maxi skirt. 
following: so many good instagram feeds lately. 
noticing: that if you are nice to a stranger, it might make their day.
knowing:that coffee solves most problems, or at least helps them.
thinking: i should try and not eat so much sugar.
bookmarking: on martha stewarts website, doing some dinner prep. or casual reading. either way it is something that i love to do. i have also started to get back into pinterest. 
opening: up some see's chocolate i just bought. (have you ever had see's, its so good)
giggling: when chad and i watch funny vines at night before bed. the perfect way to end the day.
feeling: so content, my heart is full and for once in my life i feel at peace. i am not anticipating the next step, i am just taking it all in.

life lately...

life lately via chad and i's iphone/instagram 


this "lately" post is a quieter one because i accidentally used some of my photos i posted on instagram for another post, oops ;) 

anyway, these photos were taken last saturday when we went to brunch and the farmers market in st. paul. if there was a way to scream "i love you" it would be to go get breakfast. i love breakfast. maybe it is because i am a morning person but, i always crave it. chad on the other hand, he isn't a huge fan. luckily he still takes me out;)

other things going on lately... 

we have had tacos 3 times this past week, i guess we are on a taco kick ;) 

i finally used my ice cream maker and whipped up some peach-strawberry ice cream. it is delicious and now i think why did i wait until september to use my ice cream maker, silly me.

chad and i are trying to start a netflex series. if you know anything about chad and i it is that we watch no tv. none. just football and hockey. but with the change in seasons we thought it may be fun to start a show, so last night that is exactly what we did. breaking bad. i don't know how long it will last... but i had to put it out there, we are watching a show! we are kinda cool, ha!

what have you been up to lately? link up with us now!

true life: i am obsessed with tomatoes

so if you have been following me on instagram or twitter you may have learned about my obsession with tomatoes. it has been a little out of control this year but i cannot get over it. let me give you a little history on my love of tomatoes.

january 2013, i told myself that i have to learn how to like tomatoes. at this point in time i highly disliked tomatoes, would remove them off salads and sandwiches, and really thought they were gross. but i decided i had to learn to like them for two reasons. one, all of the foodies love them and rave about tomatoes. and myself being an emerging foodie i had to learn to like them. two, tomatoes are very very healthy for you. three, they are very easy to grow in a garden. 

so january started my journey of tomato love. i started not asking the sandwich shop to take them off my tomato and began "tricking" myself into liking them. as the year went on i learned to actually like them. 

then the summer hit, and my home grown tomatoes had come in so i thought i should try eating one plain. and oh my word, it changed my life. home grown tomatoes are the best tasting thing ever. i started eating tomatoes everyday and i never had any to share. friends starting giving us their tomatoes because i had eaten all of mine, and they kept on disappearing (into my tummy). 

over the weekend...

sunday wear:

her: t-shirt: jcrew chambray: jcrew skirt: h&m shoes: target
him: shirt: tj maxx pants: h&m shoes: clarks

happy monday! i hope everyone had a lovely weekend. we had a great one. friday we had a date night where we played sequence at a coffee shop, saturday we ventured to the farmers market and went to a friends house for a small get together, and sunday was a lazy day of church, tacos, football, and now a little homework. the photos above are of chad and i before church. church has always been an important part of chad and i's life. since the beginning of our relationship we have always made it a priority to go with one another. so almost every sunday, at 9:30am  you will find us there. some days it is sooo hard to get there early. but we leave, feel refreshed and have the rest of our afternoon to relax. we always then make it a priority to eat lunch with one another before moving onto the next part of our day. i like to think of it as a nice way to prepare ourselves for the coming work week. what did you do this weekend? linking up with sami!

life lately...

life lately via chad and i's iphone/instagram 

1// the babe and i, she is a little mover these days and can't sit still at all! gives me a good work out ;) 2// granola, still obsessed. i make it every week and eat the entire 2 cups by myself. plus, it smells amazing as it cooks so its always a pleasant aroma to have in the house 3// i joined my parents last week to go watch my sister rosie's soccer game, since laurel is in denver we decided to facetime her time. it was fun 4// we hung out with this little guy last weekend at his new house, chad and little g were watching trees fall down 5// seriously love nature and all of her beauty. something calming about being surrounded by blues and greens

other things going on lately...

my pumpkin craving is kicking in, haven't purchased a PSL yet however i am thinking i should make some pumpkin ice cream this weekend. yum.

i have been so obsessed with tomatoes lately that i have started dreaming about them. people i need an intervention.

what have you been up to lately? link up with us, and have a happy thursday!

fair day fair day

over labor day weekend chad and i did our annual trip to the minnesota state fair. the minnesota state fair is huge. and is one of our favorite things to do each year. there is tons of people to watch, food to eat, and animals to see. this year my favorite thing i saw was the little alpaca shown above. they were so cute and soft!! i also loved the baby caves i saw. it was a super hot day when we went so we were sure to have lots of snow cones while we were there ;)

anyone else a fair goer? until next year mn fair!

hello fall

picking wildflowers, watching sunsets, and hiking through trails. its safe to say it, fall we are ready for you.

him: shirt// h & m jeans// nordstrom, apc brand boots// redwing hat// twins baseball hat

her: jeans// american eagle jeggins shirt// jcrew vest// old navy  scarf// target shoes// ralph lauren

linking up with sami!

a few random thoughts: things i've been loving

as much as i love summer, how great is it that fall sundays are back, aka the lazy sunday. i forgot how nice it is to turn on the television, do a little homework, and eat some chips and salsa. i love it.  and as i type away, i can smell the chili that is cooking in the crock pot for dinner. yum.

some other random things that i have been loving lately:

i am finally running and not hurting, hooray! it only toke my knee until september to recover (for the most part) this week was my first week running 12 miles all summer. slightly depressing because last year i was averaging 25-40 miles a week, but i have to take each running season differently and be proud of each season though it may be different from the last.

i started a new class, which i am loving, but is taking up a lot of my time.

candy corn is out again. and i think it is my food of the week... or the month? and it is a big bummer that chad doesn't really like it that much ;)

and i realize that i make granola way too often. and eat it way too often. but i guess it is good to know what you like?

i am getting excited about wearing boots again! i have missed them over the summer months, but defiantly will be missing my saltwater sandals that i have lived in this summer.

what have you been loving lately?

life lately... a little late

 life lately via chad and i's iphone/instagram 

1// pedal pub for one of our great friends birthday, it was so fun! 2// little girl playing with chalk, we will miss the sidewalk chalk out on the streets once summer ends 3// little girl chatting with all of her friends ;) 4// sister date with rosie! but we miss laurel, who is back in colorado... but no fear rosie and i are going to be visiting soon!  5// chad and i got to have a nice summer date after a busy week of work, it was so great spending quality time with one another 6// izzy's ice cream... a great treat 7// sunsets are beautiful 8// i have been spending some quality time with this little guy lately and i think it is safe to say we are buds. he is the cutest 2 month baby i know!

other things lately....

so i know it is saturday. and i am doing the link up that is suppose to be posted on thursdays. sorry friends if you were waiting to link up with us, i have been a little nuts and completely blanked! please forgive me :) i felt sick nearly the entire week last week with serious stomach pain and headaches. thankfully i am feeling "back to normal" and am so glad!

i have found some awesome inspirational instagram accounts lately, and i have now decided i want to have cool accounts like they do ;) chad is teaching me how to take better photos because i keep telling him "wow they are so cool" good thing i have a creative husband

fall favorites

my fall favorites:

1. comfy swetaers
2. cute colored jeans, i love the olive color this year! and i am also loving mustard. probably because my favorite color is yellow.
3. fun hats, to add a twist to an outfit!i bought a tan one last year and wore it weekly. cannot wait to see if i find another cute one this year
4.nice sturdy handbag.
5. loafers, this season i am looking for a classic black loafer! i have a pair of tan ones and find that loafers are the perfect twist to a cute fall outfit.
6. starbucks, more specifically pumpkin spice lattes. though i can't handle the full pumpkin flavor i love sneaking in a pump of pumpkin spice in a latte here and there. also finally it is the season where i can drink hot tea again!
7.  nars lipstick, need i say more?
8. scarves. always have a scarf or two handy to help bundle up for the fall weather.
9. sunnies. the sun sets earlier and i feel like i need my sunglasses more for my commute to ensure i am not going blind.
10. kinfolk magazine, a great creative magazine that i always like to get a hold of.

now that it is september i can embrace fall. hello most wonderful season of the year. i just hope it stays for a long time here in minnesota! fall is so wonderful because of the crispiness about it- there air is more crisp, the leaves are cruncher. it is such a unique feel to it i looooove it.

a few reasons why i love fall:

** the lazy sundays are back with football always playing in the background. 

** chad and i love to hike in the fall. minnesota becomes covered in colors and we live by several fun hiking paths that we tend to go and explore a few times through out the fall. 

** in fall you are able to layer up some cute clothes and not have to wear a coat while leaving the house

**everything is pumpkin or apple flavored
**bonfires smell better for some reason compared to the summer. i love the smell of burning wood with the crisp air.

what are your fall favorites?

a drawing of the things i love

things that i love, flowers, books, and my hunters
things that chad loves: bikes, taking photos, and his redwing boots.

put the loves together and you get this beautiful drawing done by katie of queeni kathleeni designs. i have always seen and wanted personalized drawings of couples. i would think "oh how cute is that, that you can get a personalized photo and drawing, what a perfect way decorate your home" but i had never actually given the thought until i started seeing katie post her wonderful drawings on instagram.  she does such great work and i love how our custom illustration piece turned out. i was amazed at how much this looks like chad and i on a daily basis. now i get to look at it everyday because it is framed above our bed :)

 katie just opened up her etsy shop where you can purchase fashion illustration notecards and prints. i personally really love the bre print. go show her some love and see more looks at her work on her design blog,  facebook page and instagram. thanks again katie for the beautiful drawing, i am sure this will be something that chad and i treasure forever!