Gather (40 weeks)

Last night we had a small get together with friends to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. Today we are getting together with more friends to continue the celebration. This Thanksgiving I am grateful for a lot of things, mostly my friends and my family. I am so thankful for two loving parents who showed me what it means to love and support a family (and laugh all the way to Idaho). I'm thankful for a sister who is always a phone call away and for her quick wit and humor that makes her so easy to love. I'm thankful for those 4 crazy girls (Janelle, Jennilee, Karly, and Ashley) who were with me in my prime of life. I am still so thankful for those wild days of jumping off cliffs, dancing till we dropped and talking all through the night. I am thankful for the new friends I have made in the past year that have made living so far away from home seem much easier. Today, I am especially thankful for my adorable husband who picks me up when I'm down and makes everything better when nothing seems to be going right. I'm thankful for the way he forgives me easily, makes me feel like the coolest kid on the block and can make me laugh with just one funny look. He is truly the best friend I could have ever asked for. I am so thankful for the little chicken nugget that is about to make his debut into the world. Yesterday was actually my due date and we were hoping he would be here by now. But, we are thankful to know that everyday is a day closer to meeting him... because we are so ready.


And there's a little peek into my after party... totally exhausted. This is me about the beg my husband to pick me up and carry me to my bed because I am too tired to walk. I have to take my hat off to the man - he cooked, cleaned and even made that cute little streamer hanging on our wall. SO glad to have him around.

Top Photo Credit: Brittany Wood Photography, Unknown, Pinterest, HG Shop Get the minimalist look by decorating with some of these pretty things: glasses, plates, chair, bowls, zinc letter, food cart, invite.

Still hoping there's a chance for me to make it to Thanksgiving Dinner. With a due date of Nov. 23 and Thanksgiving being on the 24th this year I am a bit skeptical. Hope your Thanksgiving is festive and bright and full of love! Because Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays I made everyone a free Thanksgiving Dinner Invitation download. You're welcome!

Click HERE to download this free Thanksgiving Dinner Invitation

Thanksgiving Inspiration

Photos at top via: Tartelette, My Custard Pie, and Roost - the most beautiful food blog in the world.

Get the Farm Table look by decorating with some of these pretty things: Burlap Runner, Chalk Board, Boulder Mugs, Milk Bottle, Woodland Creature Napkin Rings, Egg Holder, Spoon and Fork

Candy Apples

All of the candy apples I have been seeing on the internet lately have had me itching to make my own. We had friends over Saturday night to make candy apples and watch Poltergeist to get in the Halloween spirit. My sister let me watch Poltergeist one year when I was little. I couldn't sleep for months. To punish my sister for letting me watch the scary movie my parents made her take care of me at night when I woke up crying. The movie brought back very vivid memories of walking into her room almost every other night and cuddling up on the floor next to her bed with my blanky to go to sleep under her protection. That's also when I started making my small white fluffy dog named Jackie go into every room of the house before me so she would get snatched first and I could make a clean get away.

"Here Jackie... go in... go in.... Jackie?" Ok safe to enter.

Fall Food Favorites

1. Chocolate Chip Cookies 2. Frozen Hot Chocolate 3. Personal Vegetarian Pizzas 4. Baked Apple with Sweet Rolled Oats 5. Best Turkey Sandwich 6. Caramel Apples 7. Easy Red Curry Noodles 8. Snickerdoodle Cake 9. Tomato Basil Soup with Grilled Cheese

Kitchen Corners

The lovely Damaris Palmer from Kitchen Corners recently revamped her food/design/lifestyle blog. I loved designing this logo for her. Food and design? What could be better? My two favorite things in the whole world. She had the talented Ana from Live and Enliven design her blog and the amazing underwater cooking session was shot by none other than Mark Lee.

Watch'ya Whippin' Up?

Hello everyone. For the last few weeks now I have been having friends over every Wednesday night to whip something up. Last week we had a sad sad Wednesday night when our salted caramel bars failed miserably. I don't think we let the caramel cook all the way before we poured it. Some poor pregnant girl saw all that sweetened condensed milk and butter and wanted to rush through the cooking part and get to the eating part. (That girl may or may not be me). Tonight however, we are going for something a little healthier and a lot easier - my mom's blueberry muffins. If you feel like whipping something up tonight here you go:

Beat together:

1 egg

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

Then add the following:

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh or frozen bluberries (fold blueberries in last)

Sugar the tops of muffins before baking

Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes

Makes about 10-12 muffins

Our weekend (28 weeks)

Long weekend filled with work, long naps and lots of episodes of 24 (yeah, I know I'm a little late on that bandwagon - but boy is it good!). We ordered pizza from the Impossibles Pizza Truck at Sharks Cove with some really good friends and ate till our tummies couldn't hold another bite. Mine in particular was rather FULL! Not much room left in there. A little less than three months now and we will have a little human to take care of.

Portland Things

The Portland Collection

A friend that I used to work with at Anthropologie recently designed the new Portland Collection for Pendeleton Woolen Mills. It will be sold in Anthropologie and other boutique stores in the Portland area. I think she is awesome and I think the work her and her two partners put into this collection is awesome! Wish I could have every piece.Salt and Straw

While shopping on NE Alberta St. I stumbled upon a brand new ice cream shop. New to me and completely new to Portland. They have unique flavors and the shop itself is adorable. My mom bee lined it straight to the counter and ordered "the bacon"... She is hilarious that way - she even owns bacon flavored floss (ugh!). The owner of the place was so friendly and so excited that I was having a baby. She did however question my decision to sew a quilt for the little chick nug. (Hey lady, you stick to ice cream and let me do what I do). Which brings me to my next beauty...

Bolt Fabric

Also on NE Alberta St. there is a wonderful little fabric store that has the cutest crap you can imagine! I immediately fell in love with this Birch Storyboek collection and couldn't leave the store with out it. Tugwell is getting a quilt which I worked on all last night while watching Project Runway. I love it so much I will probably finish it before the weekend ends!

Tasty N Sons

And last but not least: a new restaurant to try. I guess it is all the rage right now in Portland. I have been wanting to eat breakfast out with the parents while I'm home but we haven't been able to decide on a place. Portland is so full of awesome places to eat. I think I will try to persuade them to Tasty N Sons. It sounds amazing.

In the Mood for Portland

I am home visiting my family in Portland. Conor has the camera at home for his digital photography class so these are some oldies but goodies. I love so much coming home after I have been gone for so long, it makes me appreciate all of the things that I took for granted when I lived here. Portland is beautiful. I hope someday we can live here again.

Weekend, Date Night, Purple Sky

I planned a surprise date night for Conor... but I am terrible at directions so I had to tell him where we were going so he could look it up on a map and drive us there. I also couldn't find a theater playing the movie we wanted to see so I had to tell him about that part too. He figured that out as well. We got some ice cream at a place called Bubbies in Honolulu. It is clearly a family place with little kids running around everywhere, but all of the desserts had very sexually explicit names. I ordered Our First Night because it sounded good, but also because it was the only thing I could have ordered without turning red and giggling like a little kid. We then saw Larry Crown, which in my opinion was not that great. Since when did Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks decide to make sucky movies? Oh well, at least my ice cream cake was pervertedly delicious.

Kinfolk Launches on Friday

The Kinfolk Magazine will be launching on Friday, if you aren't already excited... get excited! Very Excited.

In the mood for... Happy Prince Kuhio Day!

Lately I have been in the mood for:

1. Tacos at the Taco Truck! Yes please! (Image from Urban Outfitter's Spring Catalogue)

2. Fleetwood Mac, all day every day.

3. Michael Cera - Conor and I can't get enough of him. Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, Arrested Development, Juno...he is an awkward comedic genius.

4. Jonathan Canlas' film pictures of the Hoover Damn. Makes me think of the time my friend cut my pony tail off with a pocket knife and threw it off the side into the water below as we drove over... one crazy night.

5. Prince Kuhio - He is the reason for the season after all. We have a three day weekend in honor of his highness. I have been in the mood for this day for a long time.

6. Porcelain Anything. But mostly this porcelain Mason Jar with a candle in it. I think it would make anything look more romantic.

7. Cashew Nut Chicken - I have been craving cashew nut chicken almost daily. There is a great thai food place up the road we are going to later tonight that serves it with coconut rice! So good.

Yogurtland

What is it about a million different choices of frozen yogurt with an endless array of toppings that makes people go bonkers? I guess we'll never know. All I do know is that I for sure go bonkers. Every time.

Honeymoon: Conor's Film Camera

I love when Conor gets his film developed. There is always some little gem of a photo that becomes my favorite and I want to put it up everywhere. These photos are from our honeymoon to Palm Springs. Right now I am in love with that picture of our french toast- mostly because as I write this I am starving, but also because it was a DELICIOUS breakfast.

Dream Job

My dream job would have to be professional food critic. I spent a lot of my vacation eating, finding cool restaurants and eating more. This little gem (The Copper Onion) in down town Salt Lake was fabulous.And who can resist taking a picture of their boots a few inches deep in fresh snow? A girl who as spent a lot of time on a tropical island, that's who.

50 plates

Mmmmm YUM! My parents took me out while I was home. 50 plates is one of my all time favorites. Conor, I am so sorry that you had to miss it! So far Salt Lake City has been amazing.

Dinner Parties Are my Favorite

Placemats, bottles, top, tart recipe, cutting board, calligraphy, cupcake
Nothing beats a simple dinner with friends. NOTHING!

2nd Quarterly Laie Bake Off

Remember this? Well, it's time for the second quarterly Laie bake off. Everyone is invited! Leave a comment if you are able to attend or if you have any questions. Last time was a bit of a sugar overload so I think this time I might bake a pizza or something. Don't get me wrong- the more sugar the better (especially chocolate!!) But, I vaguely remember my sugar induced toddler tantrum after the last bake off and I sort of don't want to punch my husband or his cake... again. Is there anyone out there (not able to attend the bake off) that has a great recipe for me? Pizza? Sun dried tomato bread?? Something that will help stabilize our sugar levels??

I love FOOD

Love Smoothies.