Just popping in with some photos of my Christmas. Also, I got engaged last Saturday (!!!) so I guess I’ll have to add wedding planning to my list of things to do next year :) Hope everyone is having a great end of the year!
[so happy]
[my beautiful ring]
[Fiance joke ;)]
[Christmas Eve at my parents]
[engagement gifts from friends and family]
[My new planner from A Beautiful Mess]
It’s that time again to reflect on the past year and look to the next. It’s been a lovely year and I decided to take some time to reflect on everything I accomplished (or didn’t) and what I want to continue working on/start in the next year.
Looking back on 2014, biggest accomplishments:
– Starting Simple and Lovely: My biggest personal accomplishment was starting my blog. This is something I’ve been itching to do for a long time and I’m so happy I finally did it!
– Learning to cook: I can say this is the year I learned to cook, like actually cook. I hope to take what I learned this year and take it to the next level.
– Decluttering: Although this is a continual process, I’ve managed to pair down my closet and make strides towards defining my personal style and putting quality over quantity when making purchases.
Looking forward to 2015, goals for next year:
– Home: I want to focus on my home. Making it a cozy place filled with only things that make me happy or are useful and getting rid of the rest.
– Blog: I want to focus on my blog. Refining the content, adding more and better pictures and continuing to learn.
– Enjoy the little things: I want to spend more time taking walks, reading, cooking and entertaining at home.
Now it’s time to enjoy the rest of 2014 filled with family, friends, great food, chilly nights and holiday cheer :)
If you haven’t already noticed I don’t often cook with meat. It’s definitely not because I’m a vegetarian (I love me a cheeseburger) it’s more that I absolutely hate touching raw meat. So usually if I eat meat at home it’s because my boyfriend makes it, otherwise I stick to the meatless dishes like this one (which would be super easy to add some meat to if you so desired). Perfect for these chilly nights when you just want a big bowl of something warm to sit on the couch with under a lot of blankets and a movie. Enjoy :)
Ingredients:
1 can northern beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can whole tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
3 garlic cloves
1 onion
1 red or green pepper
3 tbls Chili powder
1.5 tsp Cumin
Toppings (optional): shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro
Instructions:
1. Drain and rinse all beans. Set aside.
2. Cook chopped garlic, onion and green pepper in oil in a large pot on medium heat until soft.
3. Add all other ingredients to the pot and stir.
4. Bring to a boil then simmer on low until ready to eat.
5. Serve with chosen toppings and a side of cornbread (I usually just make it from a box).
See, I told you it was easy! Another even easier way is to throw everything in a crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours :)
These snow globes were so incredibly easy and look amazing! I somehow ended up hosting Christmas at my house this year (should be interesting) and was trying to come up with something cute for the table centerpiece. These snow globes are going to be perfect! Also bonus: these are waterless so you can use them year after year without worrying about storing/leaking :) Alright so here’s how you do it (seen first here):
You will need:
– Glass jars in various sizes (you could also use recycled jars)
– Tree figurines in various sizes (make sure they will fit in your jars, if one is too tall cut a bit off the top with wire cutters)
– Buffalo snowflakes (I used the glittery kind)
– Glue dots (I’ve never used these before but they’re awesome!)
…and that’s it! I got everything at Michael’s but you can probably find it at any craft store.
Step 1: Put a glue dot on the bottom of each tree and stick it to the lids of the jars.
Step 2: Pour a small amount of snow into the jar (just enough to cover the lid when it’s turned over)
Step 3: Screw on the lid and turn upside down!
Tada! Beautiful snow globes :)
Here are some fun quotes I’m liking for fall :) Also, yay it’s Friday!
Here’s another one of my easy go to recipes that tastes and looks great! It’s even often requested by my boyfriend who claims he doesn’t like beans (whatever that means). Go try it out for yourself! :)
Makes 4 burgers.
Ingredients:
– 1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
– 1 egg
– 1/2 cup of bread crumbs
– 1 tbls cumin
– 1 tbls chili powder
– 3 minced cloves of garlic
– 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)
– 4 hamburger buns
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Make sure you mash the black beans and everything is evenly mixed.
3. Form into 4 patties and put on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 10 minutes on each side.
5. Serve on hamburger buns with homemade guacamole (recipe to come) and a side of sweet potato fries!
Enjoy!
This a thoughtful, fun gift that’s great for anyone or even for yourself! Q&A a day offers an easy solution for someone who wants to record their life but doesn’t want to take the time to sit down and write in a journal regularly (ahem…me). It’s a 5 year journal with very simple questions to answer each day over 5 years. It takes only a couple minutes to jot down an answer and the result is pretty cool. I’m on the 4th year of mine and I love seeing where I was 4 years ago [see below] and how I’ve evolved with my answers. I’ve bought this as a gift for many people including my sister, best friend and my boyfriends sister and it’s always a hit!
[a peak into my journal…taco bell…really?]
[quote on the first page]
Simple and Lovely 