Monthly Archives: March 2012

the saturday evening post

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can you believe it is almost april?  what is happening folks?  wasn’t it just christmas?  jeepers.

also, it is 90 degrees here.  ninety.  nothing much more to say about that…

hubby and i went out to a totally crazy dinner last night at cb&cb [cold beers & cheeseburger].  it was everything that we dreamed it would be…lots of meat and cheese and toppings and fries.  so good.  i took plenty of snaps of the glorious food and our extreme happiness while consuming said food.  these pics will appear on the blog on monday but keep in mind that if you are the kind of person who enjoys instant gratification…you can follow our adventures on instagram. snap by snap.  find us @swankyanddapper.

in addition to the fun dinner outings, we will mostly stick to our weekend usual – groceries, a good long run, a saturday morning coffee run, church, spending time with family, and just take it easy.  doesn’t get much better than that.

breakfast for dinner

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is there anything better?

now, while hubby and i do enjoy some tasty morning grub on the weekends, our weekday morning routine usually consists of some quick eggs, grapefruit, smoothies, or granola.  something healthy that i can quickly pull together while i am still trying to pull myself together at 5:30 in the morning. [hurray for working when the market works!]  this usually means that the more elaborate meals have to be saved for saturday morning…or, dinnertime!

there is something comforting about coming home from a long day at work and having the ol’ olfactory greeted by the aroma of bacon.  this week, we cooked up some turkey bacon and piled it high on top of a crispy fried egg.  then, we covered it in sharp cheddar and let it melt until it became one smother-y pile of goodness in the pan.  once the meat and eggs and cheese were steaming hot, super crispy, and extra oozey…the tasty concoction was delicately placed between a freshly toasted [and buttered] gluten-free bagel.

oh. my.  what a heavenly little sandwich.

visual theology

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i snagged this piece of visual theology from mr. tim challies. he is the author of one of my daily staple blogs, challies.com where he seeks to “inform the reformed” by offering biblical commentary, social observations, book reviews, and much more…all from a reformed perspective.  a few weeks ago, i saw this image on his blog and just had to feature it.  sometimes, seeing truth in images makes it more vivid.  you might remember a few months back, i posted on the topic of elevated thinking following a particularly striking sermon at our church.  this section of scripture has challenged me to be more aware of my thought life and to focus on things above.  anytime i am trying to focus on something and be diligent in my actions, it is helpful to remind myself as often as possible…post-it notes on a mirror, magnets on the fridge, papers posted in conspicuous places, etc.  for me, it helps to SEE IT.  may this serve as a reminder for us to ”think on these things” and take our thinking to an elevated place.

…

coram deo

the casablancas at blanco

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ben & rachel whitehouse took a little trip to blanco tacos + tequila.  it is another favorite of ours.  bustling atmosphere.  perfect chips and salsa (not too much cilantro!  cilantro, yuck).  clean and flavorful food.  this place is so good.  plus, because we live in a lovely climate, the front of the restaurant has these garage doors that roll up and stay open about 95% of the year.  this makes for a breezy and al fresco-esque dining experience.  so nice. and boy oh boy, did we munch on some tasty grub.

driving to date night…so happy to spend time with my hubby enjoying some modern mexican fare in this casual-chic setting + ahhh…there she is + super cool decor with the most fantastic mosaic tile wall! + my handsome hubby + eagerly awaiting our entrees + the menu + oh-so-good chips and salsa [bottomless!] + baja chicken tacos with grilled onions and peppers, shredded cabbage, and cotija cheese…with a side of black beans and buttered rice

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it was a good night.  i love dates.

a splash of suzani

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Source: spicerandbank.blogspot.com via Rachel on Pinterest

have you seen this stuff?  wow.  suzani is a type of embroidered and decorative tribal textile.  suzani is from the persian suzan which means “needle”.  suzanis usually have a cotton [sometimes silk] fabric base which is embroidered in silk or cotton thread.  detailed stitching with vibrant threads produces exquisite pieces.  i am thinking that we might need to invest in one of these to add a splash to our bed.

snaps & snippets & blurbs

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a warm welcome to a new week!  hubby and i had a simply splendid weekend together.  here are a few little snaps…

waiting for the baroque concert to begin + my handsome and remarkably talented hubby leading those strings while the youth soloists are featured + a post-concert splurge at jalapeño inferno + we split some queso and mini chimis…it really hit the spot as our evening snack :) + my current obsession in a cup…32oz iced decaf americano from coffee bean and tea leaf.  big coffee flavor in a huge cup with heaps of tiny ice cubes.  i can already tell that this will be my go-to summer beverage.  it was lovely to sip on our 80-something days…and will be even more refreshing when it is 120 outside [eek] + weekend breakfast snapshots…harissa eggs with gluten-free bagels [a guilt free indulgence] and savory sweet potato hash + charlie’s adorable face…he likes to sit as close to me as possible + driving around town on a warm spring day, just me and my man

the saturday evening post

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another week has whizzed by!  i can’t believe that the weekend is here!  it has already been full and fun…with much more in store!  my sweet hubby volunteered to play “back up” on the violin for a youth concert at our church last night [he is a good man] and then we were able to spend the remainder of the evening relaxing and enjoying some down time together [with our cute little furry critters].

today started with a trip to the market to stock up on our goodies and ingredients for the week. we’ve also been munching on some goo-ood food.  all in all, not too shabby for a saturday!  we have big plans for a movie night at home tonight because tomorrow we will be busy buzzing around town from church to home to the whitehouse family’s house.  whew!  lots to do and lots of fun to be had!  i am looking forward to sharing some time with ben’s family since it has been weeks since we’ve seen his mom and we have much sharing to do.  speaking of travelling mothers…yes, my mom is still up north in the motherland.  geez.  it has been for.ev.er.  not to worry, my dad is gallantly joining her next week to visit my grandma, help out, and then bring her home to us on easter sunday.

busy busy.  but oh so good.  i will fill you in on all the delicious details come monday.

toodle-oo for now!

spring has sprung

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it’s here!  it’s here!  it’s officially here! and the signs are everywhere…

this spring i want to spend more time in the fresh air of the outdoors, have more fresh flowers in the house, and try some fresh recipes that incorporate springtime ingredients.  what are your fresh ideas for spring?

an impromptu date night

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sometimes, you just need to toss out your plans and go out on a date.  ben and i are pretty organized and scheduled people.  we create a detailed, weekly meal list with everything from breakfast to dinner and purchase our weekly grocery needs accordingly.  everything has a time and place.  however, after a busy and stressful day at the office…sometimes a night out is called for.  yesterday, hubby and i experienced our respective versions of a crazy day at the office.  so, when i placed my “i’m on the way” phone call, it soon became clear that we were mentally spent and in need of some diversion and fun together.  the decision was made.  scrap the dinner at home, put those ingredients back in the fridge, and head out for a date night!

it was perfect.  we shared a pizza and salad.  we dined al fresco.  we downloaded about our days.  we decompressed.  we talked and talked.  we laughed together.  isn’t it so good to go on a simple little surprise date with your best friend?  i feel so blessed.

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oh yeah!  and on our way home…we drove by a carnival in full tilt!  so delightful and cheery.  what a happy little sight to behold.

on beyond zebra!

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ever since i snagged this striped little cutie as a springtime wardrobe staple, i have had stripes on the brain.  prison stripes, zebra stripes, pinstripes.

oh how i am currently loving this look.  and this look, it reminds me of this little book…

on beyond zebra, by dr. suess

{excerpts}

my alphabet starts with this letter called yuzz.  it’s the letter i use to spell yuzz-a-ma-tuzz.  you’ll be sort of surprised what there is to be found once you go beyond z and start poking around!  so, on beyond zebra! explore! like columbus! discover new letters! like wum is for wumbus, my high-spouting whale who lives high on a hill and who never comes down ‘till it’s time to refill. so, on beyond z! it’s high time you were shown that you really don’t know all there is to be known.  if you stay home with zebra, you’re stuck in a rut. but on beyond zebra, you’re anything but!  when you go beyond zebra, who knows…? there’s no telling what wonderful things you might find yourself spelling!  so you see! there’s no end to the things you might know, depending how far beyond zebra you go! i led him around and I tried hard to show there are things beyond z that most people don’t know.  i took him past zebra as far as i could. and i think, perhaps, maybe i did him some good…

with that book in mind, i invite you to see how yuzz-a-ma-tuzzy these striped looks can be!  now go beyond zebra!  add more stripes to your life!  have fun with the patterns.  add color to life.  go beyond zebra!  put some zazz in your step.  giving your closet and home just a little more pep.