pretty little tunes vol.34

in honor of michael jackon's 54th birthday this past week (may he rest in peace), i've compiled a few of my favorites that were kept slightly under the radar in comparison to say.. thriller. for those of you who didnt know, i'm a die-hard michael jackson-loving fan. i'm talking dedicated my screen name (on aim!) and e-mail addresses when i was younger to the king of pop, no shame... none at all. i still believe that his talent and skill were unsurmountable, and that he was a musical genius.. take a listen:

1. "baby be mine"
2. "liberian girl"
3. "who is it"
4. "dirty diana"
5. "another part of me"
6. "in the closet"
7. "whatever happens"
8. "give in to me"
9. "stranger in moscow"
10. "speechless"

silk tealace tank

currently listening to "can i lie here" by the david crowder band

madly in love with this top.. i mean its lace, cream-colored and made of silk -- so basically everything perfect formed into one wearable piece. worn with some casual cut-offs to kinda balance out the fanciness of it all.

{madewell tank, j brand shorts, free people intimates}

[photos by caitlin reynolds]

sweet potato gnocchi

currently listening to "lost and found" by taken by trees

i made sweet potato gnocchi the other week based on this recipe -- adding in 1/2 cup of greek yogurt. i served it with a lemon-butter-sage sauce with tons of minced garlic and fresh cracked pepper and it was.. divine. if you have the time and patience to clean up after making these then they are absolutely worth it! 

you will find me

quote of the day

"You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body."

-  C.S. Lewis

pretty little tunes vol.33

european playlist (since it's only eleven days away!):

1. "l'amoureuse" by carla bruni

2. "o leãozinho" by priscilla ahn

3. "complainte de la butte" by rufus wainwright

4. "moon river" by andy williams

5. "la javanaise" by madeleine peyroux

6. "parlez-moi d'amour" by linda ronstadt and ann savoy

7. "quelqu'un m'a dit" by carla bruni

8. "j'ai deux amours" by madeleine peyroux

9. "con te partiro" by andrea bocelli

10. "la vie en rose" by louis armstrong

water vases

currently obsessed with: "can't help falling in love" covered by ingrid michaelson

last week i made a few flower arrangements as gifts to some sweet people in my life.. these are really simple to make, affordable, and (i think) add a more personal touch of thoughtfulness than your typical present.

here's an easy step-by-step process on how to make them:

1. use clear mason jars*

2. add flower food and fill the water halfway up in the jars

3.  add the largest bunch of flowers in first (in this case it was the baby's breath)**

4. place the decorative flowers around it -- here i used my favorite: gerber daisies**

5. tie a simple ribbon around the jars

* i always keep some on hand from spaghetti sauce, olive, or pickle jars -- just use goo gone to get rid of those labels!

** make sure to always cut your flower stems diagonally

now all you have to do is write a handwritten note on some pretty stationary and you're all set :)

red brick wall

one of my absolute favorites, such a happily depressing tune: "gotta have you" by the weepies

gotta love taking blog pictures while waiting to be seated for brunch. only reason i could justify wearing both a long sleeve shirt and a long skirt while in the dead of summer was because it actually wasn't over 100 degrees.. which for us texans means fall clothing, obviously. i also like that this entire outfit basically encompasses all of my favorite brands. 

oh, and don't worry, both pieces of clothing were of a very light/airy/silk material (since i know you were all very concerned for my sanity for a second there). 

{madewell top, zara skirt, ray ban aviators (that i lost!), cape cod bracelet, j.crew sandals}

stuffed hatch green chiles

currently listening to "one last time" by the kooks

if you know me, then you know that i like my food spicy.. extra spicy. i think we can blame the fact that i grew up watching my dad eating raw jalapenos at dinner and wanting to be just as cool as him. now i douse everything with tabasco, sriracha, red pepper flakes.. you name it. and who knew that spicy foods are actually really great for you? they can curb hunger, strengthen muscles, boost brainpower, and improve your mood! so try to incorporate some spice into your next meal; here's a spicy dish/recipe that i came up with last week for some friends to help get you started:

ingredients:
7 hatch green chiles
2 italian style turkey sausage links
1/2 c freshly cut cilantro
1/2 c diced cherry tomatoes
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice cooking wine
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1. pre-heat oven to 400°
2. slice open one side of hatch chile, making sure to get rid of the seeds and membranes, rinse*
3. combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and mix
4. stuff each hatch chile with mix
5. secure with toothpicks so that the stuffing doesn't fall out
6. spray glass pan with light cooking spray, place hatch chiles in
7. bake for 30-40 minutes or until hatch chile skins look slightly charred

*be careful not to touch your eyes when you're working with these chiles! 

excuses

quote of the day

simple pleasures

currently listening to "war of my life" by john mayer

{vegetarian benedict from bread winners}

this week has been all about rest & recovery.. i got my wisdom teeth taken out which forced me to stay at home and just be. isn't it nice to be reminded to just be still? here are a few favorites moments pre-baby food surgery:

{long, sheer maxi skirts -- perfect for summer}

{baby's breath + gerber daisies.. how-to coming soon!}

pretty little tunes vol. 32

songs that make me feel like a flower child: 
1. "emmylou" by first aid kit
2. "cats and dogs" by the head and the heart
3. "little talks" by of monsters and men
4. "home" by edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros
5. "jungle drum" by emiliana torrini
6. "excuses (yours truly session)" by the morning benders
7. "truth" by alexander
8. "pick me up" by air traffic controller
9. "the boxer" by jerry douglas ft. mumford & sons
10. "easy to love" by ivan & aloysha

bishop arts

currently listening to "hero" by regina spektor

a few pictures from brunching and shopping with old girlfriends around bishop arts last weekend.

cream and green

currently listening to "dream" by priscilla ahn

{sage dress, aviators from a boutique in japan, antique jewelry, j.crew heels}

awkwardly posing for blog pictures in the middle of dallas is now my new favorite pastime. 

found this dress at strut in the bishop arts district and fell madly in love with the deep emerald/vanilla color combo.. the 90's tied knot was just icing on the cake. 

honeypot

quote of the day

paper flower bouquets

currently listening to a fellow baylor bear: "july and june" by jillian edwards

if any of you remember chelsea's wedding from this post then you'll probably recognize these paper flower bouquets. she makes all of these meticulously by hand and they are truly so beautiful. i still have both my bridesmaid bouquet from the wedding as well as a few table settings that she made and everyone who comes over to my place always compliments them! the best part about these bouquets are that they last forever. check out her etsy shop to see her full list of custom items!

healthy living

currently listening to "i'm alive (live)" by kenny chesney and dave matthews

sorry i've been failing at posting lately, what with trying to plan for europe, work and making time for friends.. i oftentimes feel too worn out to make the time to blog. so last night i decided to take a bath and it did wonders, which made me think why don't i do this more often?!  this week's suggestion is to relax and de-stress with a bubble bath.



i could go on and on about how to create healthy living options for yourself through means of food and working out, but sometimes it's necessary to be reminded to take a break from all of that and just relax. keeping your mind and heart healthy is just as important as eating right and excercising. so next time you feel too overworked, worried, or stressed.. remember to breathe and treat yourself to an hour of soaking in all of the goodness that you deserve!

i was broken

summer essentials

currently listening to "stable song" by gregory alan isakov

things i cannot live without this summer (from left): avène thermal spring water, face stockholm nail polish in tulle time, bumble and bumble surf spray, moroccanoil, tarte lipsurgence in enchanted, hands of hope hand & cuticle cream

pretty little tunes vol. 31

happy friday my loves! 
1. "either way" by beta radio
2. "no other place" by the donnis trio
3. "bloom" by the paper kites
4. "sail away" by david gray
5. "breaking hearts" by james vincent mcmorrow
6. "i'll follow you into the dark" by deathcab for cutie
7. "over you" by jay nash
8. "don't panic" by coldplay
9. "for 12" by other lives
10. "over the rainbow" by israel iz kamakawiwo'ole

ruby sparks

currently listening to "make it with you" by bread

this movie is so. good. i mean, really good. it's the perfect combination of quirky, dark, funny, and magical. think of it as a cross between inception and 500 days of summer. it really captures true and raw human emotion and does such a great job at magnifying the repercussions of our actions. i highly recommend that everyone see this! check out the trailer below:

banana crumb muffins

currently listening to "unforgettable season" by cut copy

baking has always been very fun and therapeutic for me. when i was younger i would spend endless hours baking pies, cookies, cakes, etc with my friends -- i even asked out my then-boyfriend to prom with a "prom?" crusted pie.. i know, i know.. ridiculous. moving right along to college and i started making lots of banana bread slash muffins. to a point where it was basically habit. i'd take some to class and share them with some very happy friends only to find some very unhappy roommates when i got home because they weren't warned far enough in advance aka they didn't have time to create a secret stash. needless to say, i had to make them pretty often. and to this day, i have friends in surrounding cities requesting that i make some before i come visit (you know who you are)!

i base the majority of the recipe off of this, but do add a few of my own touches, which include adding 1 tbsp of vanilla extract and 1 tsp of cinnamon to the batter and using whole wheat flour instead of regular flour. one really important thing to remember when you're making these, though, is that the melted butter is at room temperature before you add it to the wet mix (which has an egg in it)... we wouldn't want scrambled eggs now, would we? these are perfect for on-the-go breakfasts or even midnight snacks, so go on, bake a few batches of these.. your friends will love you!