Cafe Du Martin

SEVEN | seven quick takes on blogs, babies, booze, & beautiful weather

Published on October 17, 2014November 19, 2015 by Joanna1 Comment

Happy Friday! This week has been drastically different than last week. Thank goodness. I feel like my mood, my child’s mood, everyone’s mood has just been significantly better and on the happier side than last week. Because of this change in temperament at the Cafe du Martin I’ve been able to crank out TWO blog posts. It’s pretty crazy.

1-4. BLOGS | There have been so many great blog posts I’ve read this week. A lot of inspiration and good floating around the interwebs that I’ve really been connecting with as of late. So if you’re in the mood for some good reads this weekend I would check out these lovely ladies:

My beautiful friend and former coworker, Heidi, wrote about some of the life lessons she is teaching her students. I have always admired her drive to really reinforce life skills within her students and always tried to do the same in the classroom.
Kate wrote about motherhood + her vocation in this post and it really hit home with how I have been feeling these past few weeks. It’s hard being a mom, but it’s even harder when you are feeling left out and like other bigger + better things are going on around you. She definitely left me with some new found energy and focus after reading her post. It’s always nice to know that we aren’t alone in the struggle.
I just recently found Erica’s blog, LADDventure by way of one of my favorite podcasts. She is posting a new soup recipe every week in October and I am super pumped to try out her black bean vegan soup next week.
I met Sarah at The Hundred Event and have been loving keeping up with her via her super cute blog, Tucker Up. She is currently doing a Whole30 Challenge which is something I have been thinking about doing and I am loving her determination to power through and honesty about some of the recipes she has been trying.

5. BABY | My baby has been wonderful this week. I really think that I could let this take lie with that sentiment because I’m pretty sure anyone with a baby can understand how blissful it is when your baby is sleeping well, eating well, and in a GOOD MOOD. The past couple of weeks we were struggling in the sleep department. Combine that with shots, general fussiness, teeth cutting and you can probably see why blogging has been kind of infrequent lately.

6. BOOZE | Per the suggestion of a sweet friend I picked up some of Trader Joe’s Pear Cinnamon Cider and their Sparkling Apple Cider to make a new yummy cocktail for next week. It is seriously delicious and I’m really excited to share. Here’s a little preview of it for now:

7. BEAUTIFUL WEATHER | The weather this week has been GORGEOUS. While I’m pretty sure it’s nearing the mid 90’s outside, the mornings have been glorious. They have had that fall crispness to them that is life giving. I have felt so refreshed and so happy to get outdoors and do some things. Consistently beautiful weather in Texas has to be celebrated because who knows what tomorrow is going to look like? Hail? Tornadoes? Crazy cold front? I’ve lived here my entire life and unfortunately know that all of these things are completely possible.

Linking up with Jen + the gang over at Conversion Diary. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

FOOD | cheese plate scramble

Published on October 15, 2014 by Joanna2 Comments

My husband and I have always loved entertaining people. Our first year of marriage we threw a few pretty excellent parties that resulted in some spectacular memories. We may have also been pretty close to going over the maximum occupancy in our apartment a time or two due to our abundance of guests…but who’s counting. While we love planning and executing bigger holiday shindigs we have also really come to love cooking for other people and throwing smaller dinner parties. The evenings we have friends or family over for dinner are my absolute favorite, because the day usually revolves around food. We wake up, make a pot of coffee, and start discussing menu options and recipes we want to try. Then we will usually make some sort of excuse to venture out into the land of the fancier grocery stores like Whole Foods or Central Market and wander around perusing all of the fun foodie finds the store has to offer as we pick up ingredients for that night.

Hosting a dinner party is always been a great excuse to pick up an assortment of cheeses, olives, prosciutto and a crusty loaf of french bread to snack on with our guests while dinner finishes up. I seriously love a good cheese plate and honestly this would be my dinner about 90% of the time if I were a single lady living on my own. We usually dive into the under $3 cheese bin and pick out a few small wedges so that we can try a good assortment and then hop on over to the olive bar and fill up a tub of salty goodness (which usually ends up being eaten by me but I’m not complaining). Then we venture over to pick up a package of prosciutto or salami. Well about a month ago we discovered that our local Whole Foods meat counter slices the larges pieces of prosciutto I have ever laid eyes on. I was pretty much salivating on the glass case as the man behind the counter handed me my package and sent me on my merry meat loving way.

The morning after hosting our little dinner get together we had tons of salty prosciutto and smoked Gouda left over. I decided to roll up the prosciutto and chop it up into ribbons, grate the rest of the smoked Gouda and scramble it all up with 4 eggs. Then I buttered a couple pieces of french bread we had left over and toasted them up on the stove as well. Needless to say it was the best + easiest breakfast invention of my life and now I have even more reason to host dinner parties; now I know that breakfast the next day is assured to be as good as the dinner the night before.

Cheese Plate Scramble

Ingredients:

2-4 eggs (2 eggs per person being served)
2-3 large thin slices of prosciutto rolled and sliced into long ribbons
approx 1/2 cup smoked Gouda (I have also used Parmesan and a sharp cheddar, so really whatever cheese you have)
salt + pepper + dried rosemary
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
a couple of slices of french bread buttered and toasted

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove at medium-high. Crack and whisk your eggs together in a separate bowl (I used to think the whole separate bowl thing was a joke until I realized I ALWAYS get egg shells in my eggs…) and then put into skillet moving around with a spatula as they cook.
When eggs are about half way cooked add in prosciutto, cheese, and seasonings.
Scramble up until fully cooked.
Divvy up into bowls.
Use your already preheated skillet to toast your bread on both sides (I liked to sprinkle a little dried rosemary while I’m toasting my bread)
Eat + enjoy!

Seriously one of the most solid + delicious breakfasts that never lets me down.

Happy eating!

DRINK | spiced arnold palmer

Published on October 3, 2014 by Joanna2 Comments

Happy Friday! Time for a little happy hour inspiration or maybe just a new something to sip on this weekend while you relax and unwind from the stresses of the week.

A few summers ago, my husband and I had our very first taste of sweet tea vodka. This husband of mine, being the genius that he is, decided to make an Arnold Palmer of sorts and combined this new and delicious liquor with some lemonade. Voila! We had so many of those yummy cocktails that summer as we floated in pools and soaked up the summer sun. Well last week I went to my first moms night out and decided to mix up a pitcher to share with some new friends. But I was thinking even though it may still feel like summer here in Texas, we are all mentally in a fall state of mind. So I added a little spice to the traditional sweet tea + lemonade combo.

Here we have the Spiced Arnold Palmer – a bit of lemonade, a bit of vodka, a bit of spiced rum… sounds like a nice and easy transition in to fall!

Spiced Arnold Palmer

Ingredients

3-4 parts Simply Lemonade (the only lemonade we use – I like how it actually tastes like lemons with little tartness!)
1 part Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka (I enjoy both the ‘Skinny Tea’ or regular tea – if you are wanting to go sugar free the skinny tea still tastes great)
1/2 part Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
Lemon slices for garnish (optional)
Cinnamon Sugar for rim (optional)
Ice

Rub the rim of your glass using one of your lemon slices and dip the rim of the glass into cinnamon sugar. Fill your tall glass half way with ice. Add your 3-4 parts Simply Lemonade to your glass (about half way), add 1 part sweet tea vodka and 1/2 part spiced rum. Stir your ingredients together. Add a lemon wedge for garnish and enjoy!

Have a great weekend and enjoy this transition into cooler temperatures!

READ | the right book at the right time

Published on October 1, 2014 by JoannaLeave a comment

You know those books that come into your life at the perfect time? They get thrown at you by way of friendly recommendations or Amazon suggestions. You purchase them on your e-reader and then there they sit, patiently waiting to be read and absorbed into your memory. A few weeks, maybe a month or two float on and life consumes your every moment and that little story that has been taking up space in your library is shoved into the dark and dusty corners of your mind, soon to be forgotten. Until, one day you stumble across said book and think to yourself that you really should have read that by now! What have you been doing all this time! And finally you turn that first page. Only to realize that the combination of this book + your particular, personal season in life at this very moment go hand in hand so well that you are actually glad you waited to read it.

I kind of love it when this happens.

I can distinctly remember and wax nostalgic over important times in my life just by seeing the spine of a good book on our bookshelf. To me books are like smells and songs that people attribute to a certain time in their life. I read the Laura Ingalls Wilder books as a girl – dreaming about what life must have been like and also secretly wishing the I could grow up to be a pioneer (#nerdalert). In high school I was obsessed with the book The Lovely Bones and remember having lunchtime conversations with friends about the morbid tale. In college, I was introduced to a bunch of Catholic literature by way of my ministry group and came to love my faith even more through books like this, this, and this. Then there was Tina Fey’s Bossypants. This book will forever remind me of our honeymoon in Saint Martin. After a year of wedding planning stress and then the craziness that was the actual wedding week, I wanted nothing more than to sit on a beach with my new husband, a good drink and a funny book. It was definitely the right book at the right time, and made me double over in fits of laughter while soaking up the warm Caribbean sun. Oh, and I will always remember the day my husband brought home the book What to Expect When You are Expecting, it was a few days after we had our first OB appointment and he was so excited to start reading it together.

Well once again, this kind of book/life/worlds colliding event is totally occurring in my life. Soon after Madeline was born I started getting into Glennon Doyle Melton’s blog Momastery. At the time I was overwhelmed with sleep deprivation and new mom [irrational] thoughts. With round the clock feedings, I picked up a few new blogs to read to keep me awake (especially those 3am I-feel-like-a-zombie-feedings) while I was with my new little babe. I had seen friends on Facebook share posts from Momastery before but hadn’t taken the time to really read them. So one night as I was rocking my little one (in the hopes that she might sleep longer than a 30 minute span) and decided to read a few posts from this popular mommy blog…and then I was hooked. It was that same evening that I saw that there was a self-help/relationships book penned by this beautiful blogger so off to Amazon I went and with one click that book was sent to my iPad where it waited to be read.

Well then sleep deprivation got REAL and I was also knee deep in reading The Fault in our Stars which I had started reading right before Madeline was born and HAD to finish. (Side note: I can honestly say – probably not the *best* book to read when dealing with the crazy of postpartum hormones – but all in all also a good read). So anyways, I just recently started reading Melton’s fantastic book, Carry on Warrior. It is such an inspirational read and has given this new mom life I’m living some much needed perspective. Not to mention her writing style is that of a long lost friend. She is so encouraging and somehow blends motherly advice with logistical life lessons and humor seamlessly. I would definitely recommend this book to any new (or veteran!) mama out there. Actually, I would recommend this book to any WOMAN out there – mom or not. I really do feel that while her book is intended for moms – it is one that could be read and benefited from no matter what walk of life you are currently living.

So in sum: books are awesome, but even more awesome when they intersect so perfectly with major events in your life.

What books are you currently reading? Anything I can put in my Kindle library for the time being? (:

FOOD | pie bites + everything dip

Published on September 23, 2014September 23, 2014 by Joanna1 Comment

Pie.

Warm, sugary, delicious, pie.

When I think of pie my mind immediately conjures images of buttery, flaky crusts oozing with warm, syrupy fruit fillings. There is something so comforting and nostalgic about a freshly baked pie being pulled out of the oven. Pie is a dessert that will always have a place in my heart and my stomach for that matter. But that being said, pie isn’t all delicious bites and savory moments. I am completely aware of the severity of this topic I am writing about today. It is an age old debate: crust vs. filling – which of these two key pie-making components is really the best part of your dessert experience? On one hand you have countless filling options: pecan, cherry, strawberry, rhubarb, blueberry, etc, etc. (don’t even get me started on savory pies…I’m looking at you sweet potato). With so many options there could literally be a filling type to satisfy any craving. Then you have your crust. There is consistency with the crust. It is a part of any pie and you know that no matter what variation of filling you may be delighting in at the moment of your sweet treat consumption… you can always finish off your experience by taking those last bites of crust. Is it obvious? I am hands down, by all means a crust person when it comes to a solid piece of pie.

A few summers back I was trying to think of a sweet something to take to a 4th of July party at a friend’s house. I thought about making a pie, I had all the ingredients to make a patriotic filling of strawberries and blue berries- but was short on time. Necessity being the mother of invention; I had to get creative. I thought about making mini pies in muffin tins, folded over hand pies, or personal homemade pop tarts but I didn’t think I had enough pie crust to make a good amount to share. So then I thought, why not make something even tinier? Mini desserts are by far one of my favorite things. So tiny, so cute, so easy to justify eating a handful (or three). In comes the idea for Pie Bites – a tiny little mini poptart/hand pie (I suppose you could call it a finger pie) made of far more crust than filling to satiate the taste buds of crust lovers everywhere.

Now I know what you’re thinking… I forgot another integral part of the pie eating experience: whipped cream. I mean who on God’s great earth can have a slice of pie without a little whipped cream? The two go together like Paula Deen and a stick of butter. I wanted to make a dip to frost these little babies in but didn’t want to resort to a tub of Cool Whip or a can of whipped cream. I also wanted something a little bit heftier with more flavor. And so here is the best dip/whipped topping that I have ever made. No joke. I use this dip for EVERYTHING. So when thinking of a title for said dip I thought…why not the Everything Dip? From Pie Bites to cut up fruit – it’s delicious on just about every sweet treat we eat.

Pie Bites

Ingredients:

2 boxes of refrigerated pie crusts (I am a big fan of Pillsbury – they don’t fall apart as easily when rolling out)
flour
cinnamon sugar
butter

For Pie Filling:

Any fruit of your choosing (I have used strawberries, blueberries, peaches, etc.) diced into tiny pieces
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 tsp of cornstarch

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Dice fruit (with the exception of blueberries – they are tiny enough to fit into the bite all on their own) and mix with sugar and cornstarch. Set off to the side while you roll out your crusts. This lets the filling thicken up a bit and become more like pie filling.
Take your pie crusts out of the box and roll out with your rolling pin to make them a little bit thinner. Then fold over the edges making it a square.

Fold over into fourths and roll out again – now you’ll have a large rectangle of dough to work with.

Using a pizza cutter or pastry cutter cut your dough into columns and rows (the width and height of your little bites is completely up to you – beauty of a simple recipe!)

Spoon a few pieces of your pie filling onto your dough – skipping ever other column.

Now layer the piece of dough next to the pie filled dough on top. Press down edges with a fork.
Brush the tops of your bites with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar on top.
Bake in the oven for about 8 minutes or until tops of the pie bites are nice and golden brown.

Now who can have a slice of pie without a little whipped cream? The two go together like Paula Deen and a stick of butter. I wanted to make a dip to frost these little babies in but didn’t want to resort to a tub of Cool Whip or a can of whipped cream. I also wanted something a little bit heftier with more flavor. In comes the best dip/whipped topping that I have ever made. No joke. I use this dip for EVERYTHING. So when thinking of a title for said dip I thought…why not the everything dip? From Pie Bites to cut up fruit – it’s delicious on just about every sweet treat we eat.

Everything Dip

Ingredients:

one pint of heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp of vanilla extract
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated sugar (easily replaced by splenda if you are trying to watch that sort of thing)
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 single serving container of plain greek yogurt (I like to use the 2% FAGE Greek Yogurt – I’ve also used their whole version, just don’t use anything with less than 2% because it can get runny)

Instructions:

With a stand mixer or hand mixer whip your heavy whipping cream until you form stiff peaks (have no idea what “stiff peaks” are? It’s ok, I didn’t for the longest time – until I read this)
Then add your sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg – continue whip until all ingredients are combined.

Fold in your greek yogurt (or you can continue to use your mixer just beat on LOW – make sure to not over beat/mix your dip because it will get all funky/runny)
Chill and serve with your delectable pie bites. I assure you this dip is the best thing to have in your brunch hosting, dessert serving, dinner party throwing tool belt.

Happy eating!

FAMILY | the sweet spot

Published on September 10, 2014November 19, 2015 by JoannaLeave a comment

It’s been a while since I last posted some family updates! I feel like we have finally hit the sweet spot in baby-land with our girl. These past few weeks have been (for the majority of the time) pretty nice and we are finally falling into a somewhat predictable napping schedule (do you hear the glorious hymns of angels singing? You better believe I do). Her demeanor has also just been really sweet lately – lots of smiles and giggles – especially for daddy. A few weeks ago we got home from church and she was in such a playful mood that I wasn’t ready to put her to bed. We sat on the couch making faces at each other and Eric joined in the fun towards the end. Yesterday morning she was so sweet and snuggly after waking up that we ended up hanging out just cuddling for a while in mommy and daddy’s bed. It was the sweetest.

I feel like these moments are what I really envisioned when we talked about starting our family. Lazy Saturday mornings and late night giggles. The really good stuff (obviously, who wants to think about 3am feedings and blowouts?).

Madeline just turned 5 months old last week. Where did those 5 months go? I really do feel like this is still all so new, but then again 5 months is a pretty good chunk of time. Those first two months are so blurry now with sleep deprivation and hormone surges muddling the vividness of early newborn memories. But I can still remember the feelings. Feeling helpless during the afternoons where there was just crying and no naps. The late nights where she would wake up every hour on the hour as a hungry little bear and worried that I wouldn’t be able to stay awake or have enough to feed her. How tiny her little chicken legs were compared to our healthy rolls we have started sporting.

This past weekend we ventured down to New Orleans for yet another summer wedding. It was our first experience flying with a little one in tow and I can honestly say that no amount of blog-reading or Pinterest searching can prepare you for a flight with a baby. Our flight down to NOLA was smooth sailing in terms of Madeline. All of the slip ups we encountered were from the adult side of the travelers-Martin. On the return flight we fussed a little in the beginning and ended up passing out in Daddy’s lap. As far as helpful tips go, I think flying at night & putting our girl in her jammies pre-flight helped because it made her more comfortable for the journey ahead.

Tonight we are going to get back into the regular swing of things with our youth group’s bible study starting back up. Last year our littlest one was only the size of a jumping bean and this year she is going to be joining in the fun and seeing the joy that youth ministry and involvement in the church has brought to our lives as a couple. I can’t wait to see our youth group kiddos – they challenge me and bring so much happiness to our lives. I can’t wait for our first round of prayers & praises with our girls!

I think that about sums up current happenings for us. It really is something else to have a little family. I know it isn’t always easy (flashback to last Thursday & yesterday when I experienced blowouts like no other – hello solid foods!) but it is pretty amazing to see our little girl grow and to watch my husband become such a fantastic daddy.

Happy Wednesday!

FOOD | one fish, two fish

Published on August 28, 2014September 24, 2014 by JoannaLeave a comment

Last week I went to our local Sprouts for our weekly grocery round-up. Mainly for the awesome deal they were having on salmon! I mean I really couldn’t pass up the chance to make a few more delicious seafood inspired summer suppers. Salmon is a summer go-to for us because it’s so fresh and easy in the unbearable Texas heat. It’s easily grillable, a great a addition to any salad and super flavorful. Salmon was also my intro to cooking seafood. I was always a little intimidated by fish but salmon proved to be pretty low stress and yet still full of flavor. Now, because I have a baby and efficiency is pretty much my goal at any point in the day I was able to make two dinners (and a few lunches!) in one night. If I only I had been wearing my matching apron, oven mitts pearls… I would have hit serious domestic goddess status.

Night one was a no leftover type dinner. It fed my husband and myself well for that night and then I took the extra salmon and mixed it into the salmon. I always appreciate when bloggers/recipes give me realistic measurements and ingredients needed – so for two adults with pretty healthy appetites I bought 1.5 pounds of salmon. I would say we probably ate a half a pound between the two of us for night one and then I used the remaining pound for my orzo salad. Just FYI.

Recipe #1: Coconut oil pan fried salmon + lemon parm bacon broccoli

Coconut Oil Pan Fried Salmon:

Coat the bottom of pan with coconut oil and heat up over medium-low heat
Season salmon to your liking (I did a little s+p+lemon pepper)

Put that beautiful slab of pink deliciousness in your pan and watch that magic happen
Cook until golden brown on one side (approx. 4 minutes or so)
Flip with spatula to the skin side until it feels firm to the touch (I like to flake off a bit on the corner too, usually that means you’re good to go as well)

Lemon Parm Bacon Broccoli (cheese + bacon = you know this veggie is gonna be good)

Cute side note: So this is actually a recipe acquired from my husband which I’m pretty sure he acquired from his grandma.

I use fresh broccoli so I cut apart the crown into florets (I used two small-medium sized crowns)
Drizzle with coconut oil (or olive oil – I was sticking with the theme) and lemon juice
Sprinkle with s+p, crumbled bacon bits, and freshly grated parmesan
Stick in the oven for about 10ish minutes at 350* (I check after ten – you want the broccoli to soften a little and the parm to be completely melted)

Recipe #2: Salmon Orzo Salad over Kale

With you remaining pan fried salmon you are going to make the most delicious orzo salad that you will eat for dinner (and lunches for days!) the NEXT day. So much flavor the next day.)

Ingredients:

Leftover salmon
Orzo pasta
Red & green bell peppers
Red Onion
Green Onion
Artichoke hearts (I used some we had that were in water – I’m sure marinated would be great too but I probably wouldn’t use so much dressing)
Crumbled Goat Cheese or Feta
Rosemary Balsamic Vinaigrette (I used Sprouts brand – you could totally do Italian too)
Kale
Salt, Pepper, Dried Oregano

Instructions:

Flake apart salmon with a fork into little pieces
Cook orzo pasta according to package (I used Barilla which has about 2 cups and makes a TON – you could totally half that and you would probably have enough salad for 1 dinner and a couple lunches)
Chop up your bell peppers, onions, artichoke hearts

Combine salmon bits + bell peppers + onions + artichoke hearts +orzo and mix together
Season to your liking with s+p and dried oregano
Coat with Rosemary Balsamic Vinaigrette (I used about half the bottle)
Fold in goat cheese crumbles
Chill overnight and enjoy eating over a bed of fresh kale (optional)!

Happy eating!

FAITH | my first non-first day of school

Published on August 25, 2014September 24, 2014 by Joanna1 Comment

Today is the first day of school for the district that I was a part of not only as a teacher these past few years but as a student growing up. I knew that when I made the decision to stay home that this day would come and feelings were going to be felt. It has been hard to wrap my brain around the facts that I am not with my staff, I didn’t set up my classroom, and I won’t be welcoming a new bunch of 8 year olds into a new year of third grade learning adventures. But then again I have had this overwhelming sense of peace about this decision to stay home with our girl.

A friend texted me this morning offering his prayers for me today. His mom is a teacher and he knows. Teaching isn’t just another job – it’s a vocation, a calling in life for those people equipped with the gifts of impacting students lives in such a way that they are willing to put up with the many (MANY) hardships that come with the job. He said something that made me feel a little bit more sane about this situation.

“Sometimes even when you know it’s the right thing, and you really are happy about it, there can still be a twinge of pain from missing something.”

So I’m not crazy.A part of me was feeling guilty for being bummed about the start of the school year. I mean, I am the one who decided to stay home – this was MY choice. I should be happy right? I shouldn’t even be thinking about school, right? Wrong. I was so relieved to read his words today because they were the best reminder and exactly what I needed. It is ok to feel like I am missing something. I AM missing something. I’m missing people and kids and my job that was everything to me.

There are people that would give anything to be in the position we are in. I know it breaks so many of my friends hearts when they have to drop their babies off at daycare to continue working and I know that I will never regret a moment spent at home with our family as it grows in these early years. But there is something missing. I missed the days this year when I would spend long hours up at school before the start of the school year setting up my classroom in the unairconditioned heat. I missed the staff development week for teachers – learning about everything new that would come with a fresh new school year. I missed reconnecting with coworkers and hearing all about their summer escapades. I missed the jitters I would feel trying to fall asleep before the first day of school – knowing that my future students were probably feeling just as excited and nervous as I was.

And yet I know that this is where I need to be right now. Not in the classroom but learning new lessons at home. I am learning more about myself, life, my family, and God’s will each day that I stay home in this new role. Like I said before, I feel a sense of peace about this entire situation but that doesn’t necessarily excuse me from feeling a little left out of the new school year excitement.So to all of my former coworkers and teacher friends (and family!): I wish you the best school year yet. I hope your students have a great first week back and that you enjoy getting to know them and all of their little quirks. You are doing a job that you are meant to do in every way. But remember that it is so much more than just a job and when things do get tough this year (because “that point” always comes during the year) know that you are appreciated by many even when they may not say it and you are needed by those around you even though you may not believe it. I can only hope and pray that Madeline gets teachers as amazing as the ones I know and love.

To parents dropping off their kiddos for their first day and teacher friends alike – Happy 2014-2015 school year!

what’s cookin’?

Published on August 19, 2014September 24, 2014 by JoannaLeave a comment

Alrighty, it’s been about a week since my last post and in that time I have been sorting through and solidifying a few ideas. After attending The Hundred Event I had an overwhelming amount of new thoughts and creative inspiration floating around in my brain and I feel that I have had enough time to mull over what I really want from this space.

I originally started this blog to chronicle our daily lives. I was a new teacher, new wife, and learning a lot about living in this life of adulthood. It was a way for friends and family to keep up with our busy lives in Dallas and a scrapbook of sorts for us to look back on and see how life was changing. While I still love the idea of chronicling our family life through this blog I also realized during a few of my sessions at The Hundred that this blog is MY hobby. I want this space to be a place to connect and share but also a retreat of sorts. A place that I can pour into while also taking a bit of a mental break from the daily grind of mommyhood.

So…what now?

Before I start on the new direction of the blog I want to tell you what exactly inspired this change. Two of the speakers at The Hundred, Kendi and Annie, both said something that really struck a chord with me. During Kendi‘s keynote on Friday evening she talked about her blogging journey and how to grow in our businesses and writing endeavors. She said that in order to not get stuck, to not feel bogged down by the pressure to blog we A) needed to not be a jack of all trades and to pick out a few choices avenues we wanted to share with the blogging world and B) we needed to find something we were passionate about and share that. If you share something you are already in love with then the potentiality of writer’s block becomes very small. Annie spoke the next day about her adventure in becoming a writer for National Geographic. She essentially created her job and shared her journey with us. She told us that if we really want to write and share ourselves with people then the best thing to do is to find something you are comfortable writing about. For her that was travel.

Ok so something I’m passionate about yet comfortable writing about for all to see…

I’m passionate about my family…but I’m not sure if I am at the point of being comfortable sharing every detail of my life online.

I’m passionate about my faith…but I’m not always sure I’m comfortable with using my blog as a venue of sharing personal spiritual encounters. (I’m more of a let’s get coffee kinda gal when it comes to God things.)

I’m passionate about food…and I’m comfortable with it being the forefront of these three topics in terms of this space.

Bingo.

Food. I love food! I love eating it! I love cooking it! I love finding new places and trying new things! I love beer and wine and enjoy learning about new ways to entertain! It’s something I can grow in and share with people. I have always felt that we eat relatively healthy around here and are also unafraid to try new crazy things. I find inspiration from others online and I want to share that real, delicious, healthy, attainable meals are possible on a regular basis. All of this is not to say you won’t see snippets of our personal life on here. There will definitely be updates and I’m sure adventures shared I just feel that I could use this space as more of a place for me and my mental break at the end of the day if found a different major focus.

So there you have it. Food. Family. Faith. Three strongholds in my life that I am both passionate about and comfortable sharing with everyone reading this blog.

Now let’s get cookin’!

100

Published on August 12, 2014August 12, 2014 by Joanna10 Comments

“As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people’s ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” –Amy Poehler

This weekend I attended my first blogging conference, The Hundred Event hosted in Dallas at the gorgeous Warwick Melrose Hotel. I decided to attend this conference earlier in the summer when a few of my favorite bloggers (Lauren, Megan, Bridget, & Grace) posted that they would be coming to my city to host a gathering for bloggers new and old to learn and collaborate with one another. I have never really considered myself a “blogger” in name. I haven’t been consistent in my posting. I haven’t found my niche in the blogging world. But it has always been a hobby that I have enjoyed and thought I might like to pursue given the time. After going back and forth in my head about whether or not I should actually attend the conference I sided with the former and signed up (only after receiving a lot of encouragement from that husband of mine!) to see what these three days would bring to me and this little space I have here.

AwakePhotography1190 — Our fabulous hostesses for the weekend!

As the weekend approached I started to get pretty nervous about what I was going to experience – What exactly was this weekend going to be like? Would I learn anything? Would I meet anyone or would things just be excruciatingly awkward? What if people thought it was a joke that I, a hobbyist blogger at most, was attending this conference? Then Friday came and I got my suitcase, my baby, and my husband all packed up into my car and off we were to have our little staycation in Uptown to see if anything was to come from these three days.

Little did I know how much good was to come from these few short days.

Friday night we were ushered into the weekend with cocktails, a fantastic dinner, and the most incredible swag bags you have ever seen along with a welcome from the main sponsor of the event Joules and the keynote speaker, Kendi from the blog Kendi everyday. Her words were a perfect opening to the next few days and began to get my wheels churning. She encouraged us all to consider why we came this weekend and to have confidence in our blogs/businesses and what we write about or the products we make. She even shared some of her trials in the blogging world and encouraged us to power through when things don’t (and won’t) necessarily go our way. Dinner and drinks were made even better by the company I was sitting with. Earlier in the evening before the festivities kicked off I met Sarah and Amber in the lobby. Two of the sweetest (and local!) bloggers who were so excited and inviting. At dinner I met Taylor and we kicked off our conversation after an entree mix up and switching our plates! While I’m on the subject of meeting people – it was also great to finally meet Katrina in person! We have been keeping up with each others blogs for a good bit now and meeting someone in person who you have gotten to know through the blogging community is pretty much the neatest thing.

Saturday we started the day with breakfast at Breadwinners and then hit the ground running with a full day of sessions and speakers. Curt Steinhorst started us off with a session on distractions and I really think that what he said impacted me not only in terms of what I want to do with this blog but personally as well. Especially when he spoke about putting down your phone to experience the really great moments in life. I know I am definitely guilty of pulling out my phone when I’m bored or just easily distracted by it in general. It was a great reminder to live the life you want through YOU and not your technology. I also attended a session about travel and writing with Annie Fitzsimmons. She also made the point that while posting to social media and blogging is great…it’s hard to write about your adventures in life unless you are actually living them presently. Then the afternoon was filled with more informative sessions. A social media & blogging panel with Bungalow Magazine, Pulp Design Studios, Casey Wiegand, and Lily Jade Co., then a photography session with Jenni from J. Noel Photography and ending with a fashion styling session with Kendi. Needless to say, I was pretty whipped by the end of the day on Saturday. Oh and we can’t forget the delicious lunch at Il Cane Rosso and then then the block party on Saturday night hosted by Peacock Alley in the Dallas Design District!

Sunday we were sent off in the most magnificent way with a lovely brunch at the historic Aldredge House. It was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend. Not to mention the amount of STUFF donated by the fantastic vendors and sponsors of the weekend. It was really overwhelming – the amount of thought and care that went into making this weekend so absolutely wonderful.

But really, aside from the lovely gifts, delicious food, and talented speakers…I came away from this weekend with exactly what I needed. As I said before, I went into this event with no expectations and a lot of nerves and reservations. I have never really known what exactly I want to do with this blog but have had fun dabbling in blogging as a hobby now and then. After meeting so many people. Collaborating with fellow creative minds and being challenged on why I’m interested in blogging I think I have finally figured out what I want to pursue in this venue. I’m really excited for everything I have in mind and can’t wait to share with you all my new direction and focus for this space. I want to thank the hostesses of The Hundred again for their hard work and for making everyone feel so welcomed. I for one am so thankful to be a part of a community of people who truly love sharing themselves with the world and supporting others in what they do.

Now it’s time to get to work on what’s next! (:

(photo cred: Awake Photography)