A frosting shot from Sprinkles was more like a shot of love and good energy from my dear friend Becca.

Flowers have been in a hiatus in our home in the last month so their comeback tonight in the form of “just because they were pretty and I thought you would like them” made these bright tulips an even sweeter surprise.

Reaching into the closet to grab a sweater and finding my girl LB sitting pretty- she is just a little kitty but the amount of happiness she bring to my life…that’s big.

This is the time of year that I get in the biggest rut with cooking. “Honey, do you want fajitas? Pasta? Chili? Again?” is how it goes and I am unsure if it’s the cold or lack of good, in-season ingredients but it is time to break out the big guns. Or at least rifle through my cookbooks.

(Seriously though, I am dreaming of farmer’s markets where what’s for dinner is made from whatever looked amazing and colorful and fresh.)

Based off of a recipe for Shrimp Creole, I took a container of grape tomatoes, an onion, oregano, red stamp pepper, basil, sautéed everything with just a little bit of olive oil and added white wine to make a sauce. The tomatoes burst and really thicken the sauce up; toss in a little sauce from a jar if you want (really technical recipe here, right?!).

Arrange a pound of raw shrimp in the bottom of a glass pan and pour the sauce over it. Sprinkle bread crumbs and mozzarella cheese on the top, bake at 375 until the shrimp is pink and fully cooked. Serve over rice.

We shall call it Shrimp Whatever.

Breaking my cooking rut will continue once I book a class at The Chopping Block- my darling grandmother got Ryan and I a gift card for Christmas! Thinking Julia Childs sometime in February…

Effortless, chic, pulled together casual. Love this look.

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(image via Pink Wallpaper)

First full out freeze of the season.

I am in the middle of a big work project. It’s culminating in the next week so while we are in the home stretch, there’s a still very busy, stressful week ahead. Getting sick or actually feeling stressed is not an option so I have a game plan.

Yoga. Veggies. Yoga. Sleep. Water. Yoga.

I know myself. If I want my body to hang in there and my brain to stay sharp, I have to take really, really good care of it. So my breaks are coming in the form of taking a class. I grab juices with beets, spinach and tons of other goodness squeezed in them. I am making sure my regular 8 hours a night of sleep is happening. I stay hydrated. And then I go to yoga again.

I am going to a workshop tomorrow and I couldn’t be more excited spend 3 hours on my mat.

I am convinced that this regimen is vital to both this project being successful and me being in one piece after it is done. I like to think I care for myself pretty well on a regular basis but taking my health so seriously right now feels fantastic that I am going to try to be more intentional going forward.

The next 10 days are in the bag. Bring it.

(image via)

This made me laugh. I think it’s kinda true.

You know what I like? Yoga, fashion blogs, weird vegan food, smiling and high end skin care.

Ryan likes steak, America, being a Republican, The League and his new deep fryer.

And you know, we somehow make it work. Because while I am struggling with the fact that the Southern Republican Presidential Debate is on our tv right now, we can both agree that we don’t like Newt’s shirt (cream? You made $3.1 million last year, hire a stylist). We both dislike chain restaurants. We roll our eyes at each other every time we see a small dog. Or people on rollerblades. We hate going west of Ashland (despite constantly saying we “need” to go to Bucktown). We hate Ryan’s old roommates and people who take up the entire sidewalk when walking (no, your party of 11 cannot walk side by side).

Sure, we have shared interests and hobbies. But when push comes to shove (or when Ryan wants to deep fry my seitan), it’s a good thing we’re both opinionated enough to find common ground in stuff we hate together.

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Gratuitous Picture Of Your Cat Wednesday

(Despite a brutal Spartan loss last night, Luna Bell knows where her loyalties lie. Or at least where she lies…on her favorite Michigan State blanket.)

My friend Holly alerted me to this news a few weeks ago and now, here it is- TOMS ballet flats are available for Pre-order on February 1st!

I love my TOMS for their comfort, easy wear/to pack, and ability to make me sorta feel like a hippie. Oh and the buy one, give one thing rocks my world too.

TOMS ballet flats…my feet are excited.

I am loving on chevron anything lately. Chevron is so perky- like regular stripes that got fun.

Since we’re moving in a few weeks (also known as can’t come soon enough), I think it’s time for new bathroom decor with a spotlight on some chevron, v-shaped lines.

Some inspiration:

Let me known if you find a chevron shower curtain…in navy. Or turquoise. Or marigold.