Hair Change

I need a new hair look, and I think this one would be great.

Oh Monday, you were in need of a little color.

I'm not on Twitter, but I'll follow you.

It's been a while since I posted, so I needed to come back with something really good. And I think I've done it. This ad by Door Number 3 is one of the best I've seen in a long time. And is it just me, or is that some sort of Tank look alike? And it makes a Twitter reference? I'm in love.

Sometimes Plan, Sometimes Wing It

Hello Kitty

Have I mentioned I like Hello Kitty?

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
-Maya Angelou

2011 is near!

Custom 2011 Owl Calendars? Yes please!

Christmastime is here....

I love once the Christmas decorations are all up, and then along with it, I have this almost ritualistic couple of hours picking the Christmas card. I had so many photos to choose from this year, but decided to highlight our amazing trip to Disneyland this year, celebrating our half-marathon accomplishment. Just to keep the suspense building for those getting cards, here's the photo I didn't choose. :)

Mew!

Easy (to make) (and eat) Doughnuts

As if I needed a good excuse to eat more unhealthy foods over Thanksgiving, we prepared a family brunch which included this great easy doughnuts recipe from Real Simple. They were as easy as they were delicious! And they made for a great picture.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 8-count package large refrigerated biscuits (such as Pillsbury Grands)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Heat ½ cup of the oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Place the biscuits on a cutting board. Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter or shot glass, cut a hole in the center of each biscuit, reserving the extra dough for "holes."
3. Test the heat of the oil by dipping the edge of a doughnut in the pan. When the oil is hot enough, the edge will bubble. Place 4 of the doughnuts and holes in the skillet and cook until golden brown, 1 to 1½ minutes per side. Transfer to a wire rack or paper towel–lined plate to drain. Add the remaining oil to the skillet, reheat, and cook the remaining doughnuts and holes.
4. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Gently toss the warm doughnuts in the mixture a few at a time. Serve warm or at room temperature.
   
   This recipe makes 8 doughnuts, plus holes.

Happy Friday

(via)

Is it almost June again?

I think these speak for themselves.

Work Visitors

Have I mentioned I love my new job? I get all kinds of visitors... here are a select few:

Kirby

Derbie

Bree

Chester

Zappa

Gracie

And of course... Tank

Dreaming of Trader Joe's...

Even though we don't have a Trader Joe's in Denver, I packed plenty of items to bring back from my last trip to California. And I think my new favorite one is the Apple Carrot Fruit Crushers! If you know me, you know the one vegetable I despise are carrots. I have a strict no-carrots policy. After I became a vegetarian, I thought I'd try them again, and I still couldn't bring myself to stomach them.

And yet, Trader Joe's somehow is able to make them palatable, and why would I expect anything less from them? They always deliver.

The ingredients in the Apple Carrot Fruit Sauce Crushers are minimal, including apples, carrot juice, and pumpkin. Done and done. And with that fun capri-sun type top, how can you go wrong?

This Is Your Life

I saw this on a blog today, and it stopped me dead in my tracks, so here you go:

Secrets From a Stylist

It's no secret that I love two things: HGTV & Anthropologie (new catalog today! but I diverge...). So you can imagine that during my diligent viewing of Design Star I was rooting for Emily from the beginning as her design aesthetic was exactly what I see and covet everytime I walk into Anthropologie. When she won, I said to myself, "Lauren in design form!" YES! Thank you HGTV!

I hope this show never ends and she comes to my house next.

Short Guide to Life

I read this post on Zen Habits today, and something about the simpleness struck me.

So here you go, the short guide to life:

less TV, more reading

less shopping, more outdoors

less clutter, more space

less rush, more slowness

less consuming, more creating

less junk, more real food

less busywork, more impact

less driving, more walking

less noise, more solitude

less focus on the future, more on the present

less work, more play

less worry, more smiles

breathe

My favorite (maybe because I just happen to be at work as I was reading this) was "less busywork, more impact." Short and sweet. I am making this my new motto.

Zucchini Crostini

In addition to watching Project Runway with Chelsea on Thursdays, we've also taken to trying new recipes for fun. She stumbled upon this one from Yum Sugar, so we had to try it!

Zucchini Crostini

Ingredients

3 medium zucchini (about 1 pound)
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup shredded basil
½ cup marcona almonds, toasted and finely chopped
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
1 loaf ciabatta bread, cut into ¼-inch slices (about 12 slices)*

Directions

1. Using a box grater, coarsely grate the zucchini. Place the shredded zucchini in the middle of a clean kitchen towel and sprinkle with the 2 teaspoons of salt. Let sit for 5 minutes, then squeeze the towel to remove excess moisture. Repeat until as much liquid as possible has been released, then transfer the zucchini to a bowl.
2. Add the garlic, basil, almonds, thyme, Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon juice, lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil to the zucchini; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate for an hour.
3. Just before serving, drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the bread and grill or broil the bread until toasted, then let cool.
4. Top each slice of bread with about 3 tablespoon* of the zucchini pesto and serve immediately.

Let me say, these turned out DELICIOUS. They were easy to make and we paired them with some pre-made gazpacho from Whole Foods. All in all, it was a great light summery meal.

And to see how pretty they looked when we made them, here's a photo!

Motivation

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run."

-John Bingham

Almost there....

Oreo

Not sure why I'm missing you so much today Oreo....