february in a glance

still swooning over mayer hawthorne's music.. this one's a keeper on the repeat forever playlist: "dreaming" -- (check out my other favorite single of his that i featured on a music mondays post).

hope everyone has a very fun and special leap day :)

healthy living

currently listening to "the calculation" by regina spektor

happy tuesday! i can't believe that february is almost over... it felt like this month just flew by. has everyone been using the tips suggested over the past month? just to review:

1. drink 3 cups of green tea a day

2. always keep healthy snacks on hand
3. use your time wisely
4. make your meals at home
and as a follow up to last week's healthy living post about cooking at home... today's tip is to read labels. this one isn't news to anyone, im sure, but knowing how to read labels is the important part.

there are probably a thousand things to consider when reading labels but focus on these 3 to get you started:

a) serving size. more often then not, the serving size is the equivalent of your pinky so be sure you know what it is. don't trick yourself into thinking "wow! this entire box of cookies is only 120 calories?!" it isn't.
b) sodium, sodium, SODIUM! this is always the first thing that my eyes avert to when im reading labels. i try to stay away from buying packaged foods, but when i buy things like cereal, crackers, etc. i always make sure to compare the sodium content first. this is especially important when you're buying canned goods (beans, tomato paste, soup, etc).. they are a loaded with salt! opt for "low sodium" or "no salt added", but if you can, just buy the fresh version or drain out the can and rinse the vegetables.
c) take a close look at the ingredients. does everything basically look like its been written in a foreign language? think twice about buying it then because its probably filled with chemicals, preservatives, and basically everything else under the sun that isn't good for you. i gave up meat and meat products for lent (pause for reaction...) so this is something that i've had to really focus on when im at the grocery store.

reading labels can be tricky, but if you slowly start comparing and understanding the products that you're buying then hopefully you'll be more likely to make smarter choices. you'll be surprise at how quickly you're turned off by certain products just by carefully examining it's nutritional facts. to learn more about reading labels check these out: heart.org, realsimple.com, webmd.com.

*ps just because it's labeled "fat-free" or "low-fat" doesn't mean it's better for you. again, compare labels  -- you'll be shocked at the amount of bad additives they use to make up for the fact that it has "less fat". 

astair

quote of the day

"Don't allow yourself to live in the shadows of shame and guilt. When you give yourself permission to live amongst the shadows of your life then you're preventing yourself from being at your brightest."

- my yoga instructor

simple pleasures

currently listening to "you only live once" by the strokes

{new bright additions to my spring wardrobe from j.crew and madewell}

have any of you ever just felt so happy and content with life? like everything is finally falling into place? maybe god really does have your best interest at heart? well that's how i've been feeling lately -- maybe it's the fact that i have serious SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and we've been having gorgeous weather here in dallas. whatever the case may be.. here's to another week of enjoying the little things in life and not taking our precious time here for granted!

oh and by the way, he does :)

{dallas skyline from si tapas}

{girl scout cookies+ tempranillo}

{dainty heart jewelry from f21}

{dinner parties with friends}

 {just one of the amazing interiors of a room at my college church}

pretty little tunes vol.13

some of my favorites from this past week:
1. "song for you" by alexi murdoch
2. "recycled air (live radio version)" by the postal service
3. "limit to your love" covered by feist
4. "question" by old 97s
5. "hannah" by ray lamontagne
6. "on the safest ledge" by copeland
7. "fool that i am" covered by adele
8. "the girl" by city and colour
9. "the start of something" by voxtrot
10. "the scientist (live)" by coldplay

the classy family

rediscovering my love for "fantastic" by will.i.am

look how big my beautiful lineage is now! so happy i was able to go to big sis reveal last weekend to meet all of the new classy family babies -- these pictures are in lineage order with my littles next to me then their littles, so on and so forth.. those five precious girls at the front? my great-great grandlittles, which makes me a great-great grandbig. weeeeeird.  

rainy day feast

currently listening to "i will always love you" by whitney houston

this past weekend, while i was visiting baylor, the weather was rainy and absolutely not conducive to any type of  activity other than cooking at home with your bestie - wine glass in hand, of course - and curling up to watch chick flicks. i made a healthy version of chicken pot pie using this recipe. mandy made dessert: a homemade king cake in honor of mardi gras.. it was dangerously good. 

healthy living

currently listening to "hook you up" by sylver tongue

happy fat tuesday everyone! i don't know how everyone else is celebrating today, but i happen to have wonderful friends (as if yall didn't already know), one of which is throwing a dinner party tonight(!) fully equipped with bourbon street hand grenades.. cant. wait. which leads me to this week's healthy tip: make your meals at home.

 im sure many of you have heard this over and over again, but do you really follow through? i find it's easiest if i make several meals early on in the week so that i can just pack it up and go without having to worry about the fuss every day. if you don't have healthy meals on-hand, then of course you'll succumb to ordering that pizza or picking up fast food on the way home. it's just like my tip on snacking, being prepared will help keep you on track. oh and don't trick yourself into thinking that just because you're making it at home that it's necessarily healthy... canned and frozen (don't even get me started on microwavable) foods are packed with sodium, preservatives, etc. try to stick with fresh and organic ingredients to go that extra mile!

also, my big's company is hosting a recipe contest which is a great opportunity to jump start your at-home cooking endeavors now and challenge yourself to try out new recipes; you only have 3 days left to enter so be proactive! need a bigger incentive to enter? they haven't reached their recipe quota yet, so there's a pretty good chance that you'll automatically be placed in the top ten! happy cooking everyone :)

take me somewhere

baylor sing

currently listening to "if i ever feel better" by phoenix

a few pictures of me and kevin at baylor sing from friday night... student productions set up a free photo booth so of course we took advantage of that. it was definitely bittersweet watching my sisters perform and not being on stage with them, but hopefully my obnoxiously loud cheering was heard and appreciated :) 

quote of the day

“I don't understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little, if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that's the day she has a date with destiny. And it's best to be as pretty as possible for destiny.”

- Coco Chanel

simple pleasures

currently listening to "lights (bassnectar remix)" by ellie goulding

{new perfect popover polka dotted top}

{new favorite snack: grapefruits}

{going to see one of my favorite baylor traditions: SING}

{jewel-toned color combination}

{making cingular logos with my girlfriends at 300 dallas}

pretty little tunes vol.12

these songs make me wish i was basking in the sun at cape cod:

1. "cape dory" by tennis

2. "graveyard shift" by sam roberts band

3. "ha ha ha" by the suzan

4. "fir coat" by widowspeak

5. "our deal" by best coast

6. "peppermint patty" by the owls

7. "marathon" by tennis

8. "take it back" by she & him

9. "tva lyckliga darar" by lisa ekdahl
10. "stroller town" by jonathan coulton

new york fashion week

currently listening to "domino" by jessie j

a few of my favorites that ive stalked courtesy of fabsugar.

healthy living

currently listening to "diet mtn dew" by lana del rey

happy valentine's day everyone :) today is definitely a day to indulge... chocolate? wine? seconds? say yes to it all! after all, you deserve it. indulgence shouldn't be an everyday occurrence, but it's okay to treat yourself for your healthy habits every now and then. this week's suggestion on counteracting those cheat days: use your time wisely. it's a very simple tip that will go a long, long way.

how many times do you find yourself just vegging in front of the television? too many perhaps, if you're anything like me. well instead of just sitting there, why not squeeze in a few crunches? or ride a stationary bike at the gym when your favorite show is on? i've recently started using my lunch hour for yoga to utilize every spare minute that i have. for all of my fellow 9 to 5'ers -- i know its hard to find time to workout during the work week because by the time you leave work, you're exhausted.. i understand. and again, if you're anything like me.. i just cannot wake up early enough to do my workouts in the morning (kudos to all of you who have that type of motivation!).

well if you can't wake up at the break of dawn to workout and you've lost all motivation by the time you're headed home then use your lunch hour! why not go for a 30-minute walk when you're done eating? yes, even walking is exercise and it's better than you just sitting in front of a computer screen stalking facebook friends that you probably don't even talk to anymore. going for a walk will help clear your head too because it's not only important to be physically healthy, being mentally healthy is just as crucial.

and on this lovely holiday of roses and chocolates galore.. why not suggest going on an after-dinner walk with your honey? it'll be both romantic and heart-healthy (no pun intended).

sweet hearts

one of my all-time favorite artists, priscilla ahn, has just finished her very first side project, sweet hearts. she teamed up with charlie wadhams to write and record a handful of love song duets. these songs are pure priscilla fashion: lullaby-esque and oh so dreamy.. they just make you want to dance slowly in the kitchen with that special someone and lose all sense of time and worries. 

but thats not it! they're giving away their first ep for FREE ( you can download it below or follow this link). share it with all of your loved ones too.. just in time for valentine's xo

cozumel photo diary

currently listening to "tupelo honey" by van morrison

we took a mexican cooking class in cozumel for my birthday (spoiled, i know). the food was delicious and the unlimited margaritas and pina coladas weren't too shabby either. you know you had a good birthday if you end the day dancing in the street, which is exactly what happened. 

quote of the day

"Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together."

- Elizabeth Taylor 

cruise life

currently listening to "break my stride" by matthew wilder

clearly all we did on the cruise was eat... not documented? our numerous room service orders.