Photo Collages!

Hey, 

Just wanted to share some cute photo collages I have done recently using PicMonkey. It's fun and free, easy to use, so check it out for your photos if you like!

I have enjoyed using this site on occasion. There are cute layouts and lots of free filters and editing options. It's like scrapbook but with out the mess ;) 

Fun birthday date nights :)

*click 'em to see the larger version

Burn at the Barre

I took an awesome Barre class today with my sweet friend and we did indeed 'burn at the barre' and it's still burning! lol! I have been looking for a barre class in my city but sort of hoping it would turn up at the gym I already have membership to ;)

 My friend recommended this class and taking it together was so fun! We both have dance backgrounds so we understand barre in that sense but it was great to use it in a different way to condition our bodies more! 

Thanks girlfriend for the recommendation and I can't wait to take it again soon!

Quinoa Lunch

I am OBSESSED with quinoa! it's just so good and can be flavored any way you want! it's quicker to cook than rice and it's texture is so light! 

Here is a lunch version i made yesterday:

Ingredients: 

• leftover quinoa from the night before :) (keep reading if you want to know how I cooked mine)
• 1 can black beans
• shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• roughly chopped cilantro

directions: reheat leftover quinoa in the microwave for about a minute and a half, stir *tip: place a wet paper towel over quinoa bowl in the microwave to keep it full of moisture. rinse the beans in a strainer place in a microwave safe bowl and heat for about a minute. mix beans and quinoa together then add in cheddar cheese and microwave again for 30 seconds and stir. then roughly chop some fresh cilantro and mix that in. 

That's it! such a quick lunch!

here's how I made my quinoa:

1 cup of dry quinoa, rinse in a mesh strainer, put it in a medium pot with 2 cups of water and 1 tsp pink sea salt and 1/4 tsp garlic powder. bring to a boil. once it's boiling set the heat to low and let it cook 15 minutes. at this point all the liquid should be absorbed and the quinoa looks almost clear except for the little c-shaped white part ;)

one of the fun things about B working from home some days is having lunch with him!

A Favorite Outfit

 Hey hey! I want to start putting up some of my favorite outfits up on the blog! This is actually not a super recent photo but I love this outfit and since the weather is warming up I will be sporting it again soon! 

here it is head to toe:

beige fabric flower bobby pin from target, Daily Lunch Date top in Giraffe from Modcloth, ivory basic tank top from forever 21(I seriously love these because they have so many shades and they are only 2.50), accessory belt taken off the dress it came with... gold tone and beige leather wrist watch from charming charlie, orange capris Michael Kors from T.J. Maxx, woods and wildflower sandals in brown from Modcloth. 

Why do I love this outfit?
This outfit is one of my faves because it is full of my favorite things! Giraffes are my favorite animal, orange is one of my top fave colors, gold tone is my preferred accessory shade and this beautiful top was gifted to me from my mamma! she's definitely a favorite person in my life! 

Here's another way I styled this top:

dark orange ribbed tank from the Gap, Daily Lunch Date top in Giraffe from Modcloth, jean capris 'artist' from American Eagle, sandals. 

This is my simple version when I'm going for comfort and keeping things low key. 

pictures of pictures

Check it out! I finally finished an engagement scrapbook... yeah.. I'm behind. But that's okay! Scrappin' is a hobby, it's a fun way to relax, and I'm thrilled I finally got around to finishing this one :) 

front cover is padded light green leather with a small square b&w photo

front page with some handmade embellishments and a framed favorite from our engagement shoot with a very talented friend Joni

Green page set of photos from the special day he popped the question, photo creds to my now sister-in-law, Andy, who also did the sweet color editing in the bottom left photo.

brown floral page set, b&w together with full color photos... "mr. and mrs. to be"

"happiness is... YOU and ME" gray and teal page set with white accents and butterfly embellishments

Blue garden page set. "B C together forever"

Vineyard page set

1 John 4:19

We love because he first loved us.

Brown page set "LOVE" and "forever friends" 

Red Rose page set with b&w photos

"Love is Beautiful" 

Last page celebrating our 3 years together.

love always

Married life Push-up Challenge

Beau and I got the great idea that we should do a push up challenge! 

Our Challenge: 1 push up + 1 more every day

We will do it together everyday and hold each other to it! 

 It's been a lot of fun doing this challenge with him and we are not near done yet! Our goal is to do 100 push-ups continuously so we are working our way there by adding one everyday. We started on April 1, 2014 with one push-up. At first it felt silly because we were already used to doing at least 15 continuously. We laughed and it has brought us closer, it's something we look forward to, not really the push-ups so much as the feeling of our arms burning together and laughing about it!

 Accountability is a great thing in fitness and in life! Find a challenge or make one up, like we did, and do it with your spouse or your best friend. It builds healthy habits and builds your relationship too! Good luck!!

Tonight's dinner made with love...

Hey! I just had to write this right now because I'm jazzed about a tasty quinoa pilaf I just made!!

my quinoa creation:

Ingredients:
 cup dry quinoa
1 can chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon pink sea salt
ground black pepper
1/8 garlic powder (not garlic salt)
splash of olive oil


Directions:
Rinse quinoa well in a fine mesh strainer rubbing gently (do this for longer than you think you should...like 2 minutes) I know it's like "nah dawg I'd rather skip that" but it will turn out bitter if you don't rinse it. toss some olive oil onto a skillet and toast/dry the quinoa. Add seasonings (rosemary, garlic powder, salt, pepper) Put chicken broth in a medium sauce pan add the quinoa and seasonings put the lid on and bring to a boil, once it's boiling set the timer for 15 minutes. After it has cooked for fifteen minutes turn of heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and enjoy!


Fun facts about quinoa (as told by me): It's pronounced Keen-wah... ancient grain... healthy... lots of protein... delicious... fun texture... many flavor options... it looks neat when cooked... fiber... I want to make it for breakfast...i think i'll stop now.

*1 cup of quinoa dry will yield 3 cups wet


I paired this with lemon infused boiled chicken breast, which was slightly lacking in flavor but was still good. I simply boiled boneless skinless chicken breasts in water with fresh lemon juice and lemon pepper seasoning. I enjoyed the subtle flavor of lemon on the out side of the chicken breast but it was very faint and once chewing the chicken it mostly tasted like plain 'ol chicken breast so this one needs some tweaking ;) That's the fun in cooking though trying new things and learning.