Also for the wall.

I had to get my little guy up on the wall somehow!

This was super easy. Well actually, getting the perfect side shot was nearly impossible. But once I got it, it took less than 10 minutes to do the rest. I just printed the picture off, carefully cut out his head and neck, and traced it on black paper. Since his ears don't really stick up, I wanted to define his ear, so I just cut a little slit where the edge of his ear rests against his head. Somehow he's cute even as a silhouette!

The luckiest.

Happy birthday to the boy I've loved since I was 13. I am so blessed, happy, grateful, and proud to be your wife. I can't wait for a whole lifetime of adventures. xo

A meaningful alternative to photos.

Since we moved in I wanted a collage wall in this particular spot in our dining room. It's the spot that I see whenever I'm cooking or doing dishes. I just wanted to hang things there that I love. But not photos. At least not all photos. So I've been working on a couple things to put there.

This is what it looks like right now:



The Massachusetts cutting board is from A Heirloom. You all know how much I love my home state. My favorite part is that they even include Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. And the key is the key to our first home in Hawaii.

This is my version of what SarahandBendrix does. Not nearly as neat or perfect as hers, but it does the trick. If you're wondering, I used a heart shaped paper puncher and a good ol' gluestick. The 6th heart and 17th heart are yellow because we started dating on June 17 (6/17).



And this is a letter Matt sent to me from Iraq during his first deployment. No, that's not my address anymore, just an old college address. Ever since I got it I wanted to frame it. I wanted to get it custom framed but instead I just bought one of those frames for $1 bills that businesses sometimes hang up, and used that instead. It was the perfect proportions. I just placed the envelope on a gray piece of cardstock and placed that over the mat. Anyone with a loved one overseas knows how sentimental these letters can be. Whenever I look at it I always picture him in his tent doodling away at this envelope for me.



What do you think so far? I know exactly what's going in all the empty spaces, and I can't wait to share the finished product!

Spaghetti squash and turkey meatballs.

I have an obsession with spaghetti squash. For some reason it never looks appetizing in pictures though, ha!

I'm not usually a big fan of replacing beef with turkey but these meatballs were surprisingly tasty!

What you need:

1 spaghetti squash halved lengthwise and seeds removed
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 can (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes with basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 large egg
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

What to do:

1. Steam spaghetti squash in the microwave for 15-20 minutes and set aside to cool.
2. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute.
3. Add the tomato paste and cook another minute or so.
4. Stir in tomatoes and oregano, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Stir occasionally.
5. Stir together the breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, and garlic. When well combined, add milk and stir until incorporated. Add turkey, egg, salt and pepper and mix with your hands until well combined.
6. Form the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls.
7. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook meatballs until they're evenly browned on all sides.
8. Transfer meatballs to sauce and simmer until cooked through.
9. Scrape each half of the squash into a large bowl and combine with the sauce and meatballs. Enjoy!!

Modern day mixtape.

Sooo last month I never got around to doing something sweet for Matt as part of my 26 Before 26. I mean it was Christmastime, so I baked him lots of goodies and bought him gifts and we did lots of special things together. But I don't feel like I really went out of my way to do something I wouldn't have done otherwise.

So this month I had to do two things. The first thing I did is make him a playlist - when he was on duty I snuck on his computer and made it on iTunes. It sounds silly but we have been together for almost TEN YEARS. Isn't that weird? So I thought it was about time I made him a little playlist to remind him of special times.



Wanna know what's on it? A lot of this music is EMBARRASSING.

Al Green - Let's Stay Together
Anthony Green - She Loves Me So
Armor For Sleep - Phantoms Now
Band of Horses - The First Song <3
Bon Iver - Skinny Love <3
Bruno Mars - Grenade
City and Colour - The Girl <3
Copeland - Love is a Fast Song <3
Cursive - Sierra
Dave Matthews Band - You & Me
David Gray - This Year's Love
Dear and the Headlights - I Just Do
Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism
Devendra Banhart - Chinese Children
The Doors - Love Me Two Times
The Early November - Make it Happen
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Home <3
Emery - The Ponytail Parades
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Soundtrack - Strings That Tie to You
Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal <3
Gladys Knight & the Pips - Midnight Train to Georgia
Good Old War - Stay By My Side <3
Great Lake Swimmers - The Chorus in the Underground <3
The Honorary Title - Everything I Once Had
Horse Feathers - Blood on the Snow <3
The Maccabees - Toothpaste Kisses
Mates of State - Proofs
Mew - Beach
Michael Cera and Ellen Page - Anyone Else But You
Minus the Bear - Pachuca Sunrise
Mumford & Sons - White Blank Page <3
Name Taken - Drive, Drive, Drive
Outkast - Hey Ya
Page France - Ribs
Pinback - Bloods on Fire
The Postal Service - Brand New Colony
Rick Ross - I'm a G
Right Away, Great Captain! - Love Come Save Me
Rufio - One Slow Dance
Ryan Bingham - Depression
Semisonic - Secret Smile
The Shins - Young Pilgrims
The Startling Line - The Best of Me
The Stryder - Intoxicated
Tom Petty - American Girl
Van McCoy - The Hustle
Yellowcard - Miles Apart

Clearly we were brooding teenagers. It was fun to watch his face light up as he looked at all the songs, since most of these I picked not because they're favorite songs of ours, but because I can pinpoint them to an exact moment or memory and I knew he would be able to too. Not all of them are lovey songs - hello "I'm a G" by Rick Ross! - but they're meaningful to us. If anyone's looking for new music I put a heart next to some of my favorite lesser known bands!

Garlicky lemon shrimp and veggies.

This is the best healthy shrimp recipe I've ever made. It somehow tasted buttery and delicious even though there's no butter at all in the recipe. So good!



4 tsp EVOO
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 lb asparagus cut into small pieces
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb raw shrimp
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp cornstarch
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, asparagus, lemon zest, and 1/4 tsp salt and cook until veggies soften. Transfer the veggies to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
2. Add the remaining 2 tsp of oil and garlic to the skillet and cook for about 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook for about a minute.
3. Whisk broth and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth and add to the pan with 1/4 tsp salt.
4. Cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened and shrimp are cooked through.
5. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and parsley.
6. Mix the shrimp and veggies and serve!

The beast.

We have this huge entertainment center. I really hate it. I never wanted it. I like to call it the beast. Matt wanted it because the wall we kept the TV on in Hawaii was huge and we couldn't figure out a logical way to fill it besides with a big piece of furniture. I would have rather just had the wall be kind of empty. I kind of think entertainment centers are a guy thing anyway.



It gets SO dusty! I literally dusted this thing three days ago. Another thing I totally hate about it.

Since we've had it I've just thrown random objects on it like pictures and candles to fill it up because I could never find stuff I really liked to style it up. And since we've moved here, I felt like it was just a big eyesore. Well since one of my resolutions is to get this house as close to finished as possible (I swear I'm gonna do a resolutions post before this month is up), I realized I needed to find a way to decorate it with things I actually like.

Well I've been obsessed with this photo ever since I saw it on Little Green Notebook. I love how she accessorized this bureau she uses as a console and I wanted to apply it to my entertainment center.

I'm mostly obsessed with those two boxes. So instead of going out and looking for something similar, I decided to just try and make something similar.

The gold box was easy. I just painted one of those cheapo cardboard boxes found at any craft store with gold metallic paint. I love how bright hers is but I have a lot of yellow in my living room and I didn't want it to be too matchy. The patterned box was a little trickier. I bought this box and painted it black.



Then I made a pattern on the computer and cut it out of cardboard. Then I used a foam roller to paint the pattern onto the box. I used antique white and the foam roller rather than bright white and spray paint because I didn't want to try to make it totally perfect because then I knew any imperfections (because duh, there would be some) would be super obvious.



And I painted the inside a turquoise color as a nod to Little Green Notebook.



It's far from perfect (in retrospect it probably would have been better to paint the box white and cut out the outlines of the shapes, but hindsight is 20/20!). But I think it looks pretty cute on the shelf.



I picked the plant and planter up from Ikea a couple weeks ago and the glass jar is just from Michael's and it has all our fortune cookie fortunes we've saved from the past couple years. The whole shelf cost less than $20. What do you think? One shelf down, 6 to go!

Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve.

This past Sunday we got up early and headed to Escondido for a hike at Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve.


Pretty brook at the entrance.


Pretty hills and valleys.

We did The Way Up Trail and it's definitely UP! I don't know why you can't tell very well in pictures but the whole way up was a steep incline.



It took us almost 3 hours round trip but it was an amazing workout and there were super pretty views of Harmony Grove and the reservoir at the top.







We totally recommend this one! It's a hidden gem for sure!

Turkey and balsamic onion quesadillas.

I've been cooking less lately because we were trying to use up random stuff we had in the pantry and fridge. So for the past week or so, dinner has consisted of random things like tuna pita pockets and random bowls of rice, beans, and veggies. But somehow these quesadillas came about. If you like balsamic caramelized onions you will looooove these.



They are super simple and surprisingly filling. I just caramelized some red onion in balsamic vinegar, and made a quesadilla with two slices of deli turkey, one slice of colby jack broken up into pieces, and some of the onions. Instead of using two tortillas, I just used one and folded it in half. Served it with some spinach and it was the yummiest dinner!

You guys must be sick of hearing about my books.

But my heart skipped a couple beats when I got on Amazon and saw the next 3 books are ready for pre-order.




Call me crazy but I LOVE A Tale of Two Cities and I LOVE the cover. Can't wait to get my hands on these!

Torrey Pines.

This past Sunday we went to Torrey Pines for some hiking.

The trails are pretty.



The views are pretty.



The trees are pretty.


The beach is pretty.


And it smells like pine. The trails are all fairly short and easy so if you are going for a workout, make sure you park along the street (or way across from the beach entrance like we did) and walk up the road rather than driving to the top where the trails start. That first hill is killer! We could have easily fit more than one trail in our morning (we did the Guy Fleming Trail) after hiking up the big hill, but we decided we'll do them one at a time so we can keep coming back for a new hike each time. It's a new favorite hiking spot!

Old Town.

Saturday we also went to Old Town. I wanted Mexican food and there was a place there I wanted to try (Coyote Cafe is totally overrated by the way). Have I mentioned how much I love Old Town? I guess I have a thing for tourist traps... but really there's a lot of history and culture if you look around.

Pretty bowls and tiles:


Casa de Estudillo:




Kitschy buildings:


A pretty church:


Dancers in the Casa de Reyes:


How can you not love it?

23.

Yesterday was my 23rd birthday! I can't believe I'm 23. I feel like 23 is a real age, an adult age, so I have mixed feelings about it because I don't know if where I thought I would be now. But just like a new year, a new age brings lots of promise and potential. So of course I'm excited to see what 23 holds.

Matt and I actually had a sweet little celebration Saturday because he picked up a new class of students yesterday and knew he'd be working super late. Excuse my creepy red eye correction and then red eye in the next picture - I get the WORST red eye!



Matt bought me a Le Creuset dutch oven which I've been wanting forever.



And he also bought me three cookbooks:



I didn't have the classic Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and he knew I wanted one. And The Silver Spoon is seriously like the bible of Italian cooking - it's almost 1300 pages! And of course he threw in a Jamie Oliver cookbook I don't have. I cannot wait to get cooking!

Table runner numero dos.

One of my New Year's Resolutions (which I am going to make a post about 3 weeks late) is to get this house FINISHED. I feel like a house can never really be finished, but I want to get it to a point I can live with (since we don't own it anyway and I can't REALLY do what I want to it) and stop spending money on it so we can save for lots and lots of travel we want to do while we live on the west coast. So basically, I have about a million projects to tackle.

I don't know what it is, I love a good table runner. Placemats just don't do it for me. But I got sick of my burlap table runner. Even though it's still January, it's basically spring here and I felt like my table needed something brighter and more fun. And I just never get sick of chevron patterns. I knew exactly what I wanted - a gray and white large scale chevron pattern table runner. But I couldn't find one - I couldn't even find fabric to sew one. So I had to make it. I used the same technique as my burlap table runner to make the runner itself. I didn't want to sew it because I wanted it to be totally smooth and I didn't want stitches showing through the paint.

Then I made a stencil and traced on the table runner with light pencil.



Then I taped it off using regular old blue painter's tape. I taped juuuust outside the pencil lines so they would be painted over and wouldn't show.



Then I painted it in with acrylic craft paint.



And before it dried I pulled the tape off. I did it in sections because I was working on the ironing board and didn't have space to let it dry. Plus the taping got tedious and I wanted a break from it.

And when it was all done, I got this:



What do you think? I love it! Totally worth the effort. You could do this with pretty much any pattern you are willing to spend the time taping. Or just use a regular stencil. Let me know if you try it!

Jalapeno lime salmon.

Sorry I've been MIA! I started full time at my job last week and it's been an adjustment!

Anyway, this was unbelievably good!

2 4 oz salmon fillets
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice
1 jalapeno

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cut the jalapeno in half and place seed down in the oil. Saute for 4 or 5 minutes and throw away the pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the salmon to the skillet. Cook about 3 minutes on each side or until it flakes easily. Add the lime juice to the pan and cook another minute on each side. I also put a splash of soy sauce on mine - SO good!

I never realized how tasty salmon comes out when you cook it in a skillet. We always broil or grill it. Some variation of this will definitely be a weekly meal in our house!

Hooray for Hollywood.

Today we took a little drive with the Herringtons and hiked to the Hollywood sign. There's just something about the sign that makes catching a glimpse of it special every single time. For anyone in the area, the hike is a pretty good hike. It's about 6 miles round trip and although it's pretty steep in the beginning, it levels out in the end and the view of LA and the sign is worth the effort!

Oh yeah, Matt's skillz.

This was what Matt made for the boys:

They loved it. Vinny tried to lay on it and cuddle with it. Good thing we stopped him before he ripped the canvas. But still, cutest moment ever.

1.1.11.

Happy New Year! It's so hard for me to believe it's 2011. As far back as I can remember I only thought as far ahead as 2010 because it was the year I would graduate college and the last year I knew for sure what I would be doing. It's kind of a funny feeling knowing that that's all behind me.

Our New Years Eve was one of my favorite ones yet. All of the friends we planned to spend New Years with ended up extending their trips when the company decided not to charge them for Christmas leave, so our original plans fell through. But in the end I was so happy to spend the night just the two of us. We saw The Fighter and went to P.F. Changs. Normally I'd want to go somewhere a little more special but since we are trying to live healthier this year (along with the rest of America!) we thought about what food we would really miss eating and decided eating at P.F. Changs for our "last meal" only made sense. We stayed up till midnight to ring in the new year with a kiss and went to bed immediately after. We're old folks, what can I say?

Today we cleaned and relaxed and took Jack to Carlsbad for some exercise. I wanted to see the first sunset of 2011 and Jack LOVES to run in the sand.

Look at him hurdle the log!

Perfect way to start off the New Year.