homemade whole wheat tortillas

I think there is somewhere deep inside me and my friends dna that makes us love mexican food. Maybe it was in the water at WAHS. Or maybe it was (and is) our undying love for "the guad" here in cville. But whatever it is, it's beyond a craving, it's a need. I need Mexican food and it makes up about 2 out of 7 meals we eat here at my home.

So making mexican food has become a passion.

But let's be honest. The stuff they sell in stores and market as "tortillas" are hardly such. So I decided to make my own:) And I probably can't do them justice...well maybe if I actually make them with pork lard (yum). But here's my recipe. I have modified it from a recipe from How to Cook Everything.

So go ahead make your own. Not only will they taste better, but you will save a pretty penny as well.

Whole Wheat Tortillas:
1 1/2 cup flour
3 tblspoon coconut oil (or butter)
1/2 cup warm water
2 tsp salt (or more)

Mix together. If you have a stand mixer. Mix well on a high speed w/ a dough hook for a good 5 min. If kneading by hand you might want to use this as your work out for the day and give it a good 10-15 min. Then leave a let rest in a semi-warm place for a couple hours. I like to make mine at lunch and let sit on the counter wrapped in foil until I am ready to make dinner.

Now the part that takes some work. You will want to pinch off small balls of dough. Maybe golf ball or ping pong ball size. And roll out as thin as you can. Heat up a nice big cast iron skillet and lightly (or heavily) butter. Brown on either side. They will puff up a bit and then deflate.

Eat at once. Make them into Enchiladas or just store them in the fridge. Maybe they will be good for a week. But chances are you'll eat half the batch when you're cookin' them up!

one of those moments

This picture doesn't do it justice. I woke up late (thank you husband). I didn't feel well. There was a lot of crying (not from me, but I kind of wished I was able to be the one crying). Things just weren't going well.

Until I put on a little music...coldplay of course. That always calms me down. And what do you know? Apparently, it calms down toddlers too!

I was already holding Jude and Stella decided to join in. I had both kids on my lap for all of ten minutes for quite possibly the best snuggle ever.

Refreshed. Thankful. Blessed.

It was one of those moments that you never want to end. (thankfully my sister walked in the door right before it ended and she was able to snap a pic so that I could have proof)

my little boy

If you haven't used lucy @ lucyophoto.com. you should. look at these pictures! Why do I even bother taking pictures of my kids when my rockstar, photographer sister takes these...


and I think (finally) we are starting to look alike? book her today!

fabric, thread,needles & time

That is my recipe for a quilt. And that is my new project for the week (well...year?)

I'm not big on new years resolutions. I think we should always be looking at our life and working towards making it better. In particular, the husband and I like to look at our life week to week and make changes (resolutions, you may say) to keep our life on track. So, on a long and snowy drive back from Pennslyvania on Christmas we took a look at our life.

And what did we find? Well for one, I spend too much time online. Hmmm go figure:)

So my resolution? Since I love to make things homemade. I decided on a couple new projects. First, a quilt. Since my most favorite quilt (from pottery barn) was so worn in that my feet keep getting caught in the holes.

You may say...when did you learn how to quilt? Well, I didn't. I started by rummaged around my moms sowing closet for old fabric and I just kind of went at it. My mom helped me with some simple math to make sure my edges lined up and I started cutting, then I started sowing...

And what I found is that when you don't watch television and play online, you get a lot done!

My husband loves to read to me and so he loves my new hobby of quilting. For some reason I listen a lot better when I am sowing then when I am looking at pictures on facebook...oh well

For those who sew...I'm probably not doing quilting justice. But for my first project I am working on a queen-ish sized quilt. The pattern is a simple 7x7 block of mismatched old fabrics. Here is my first pic:
now I will get off the computer, I promise;)

the advent letters

It may be hard to believe, but my husband and I hardly ever exchange gifts. Not for Christmas, Valentine's Day or even our anniversary. Don't get me wrong, it's not that we don't like stuff, but we would much rather spend the money on a trip or a really fancy dinner. Our love language is food and some good wine of course;)

But this year we decided to do something a little different. I was inspired by this post. In a nutshell, she made a plan to write her husband a little note or letter for the month leading up to Thanksgiving to show him how she was thankful for him. And since I had read it after Thanksgiving.... I decided to morph it into an Advent tradition. (I love starting my own traditions) After discussing with Chris, we decided to write each other a letter each day of Advent as a way to prepare for Christmas and as a present to each other. So this year we will exchange a nice, fat bundle of handwritten letters on Christmas day. How sweet is that?!

Not only does this make for a really special gift, but it was an amazing way to prepare our hearts for Christmas this year! Each day I got to share my heart with my husband by telling him how much I loved him, or how hard my day was with the kids, or a fun memory from the past or a prayer for the Advent season. It helped me remember what I loved about him on days that are hard. It made me laugh when I wrote about silly things we did when we were in college. It made me cry when I realized how I didn't do a good job loving him that day. It brought me joy, it made me thankful and dang... it put me in the Christmas spirit!

What I realized though is that when I started writing these letters I was excited that I would give him something special. But as it turns out the most special part of writing these letters is how much more I grew to love my husband. Not only did these "advent letters" (as we so named them) prepare my heart for Advent but they prepared my heart to love my husband better. You better believe this is one Advent tradition that will stick around for many years to come!

So I encourage you (even though it's technically the last day of advent) take some time today to prepare for the coming of our Lord at Christmas by writing a letter to the one you love. It might just be the most special gift you give:)

This is what I will be doing with my hubby tonight...now if only we had a fireplace to enjoy these by;)Cheers!

coffee and family

some of my favorite things in life. I'm drinking my coffee and watching this:)
I've vowed to not cut her bangs...now we just have to get through the shaggy phase
stella loves her bible. She walks around saying "amen". She's my little missionary in the making
My not so little one. Happy 3 months Jude!
My mom made this hat for me when I was little and now stella loves it! She just likes the flaps in the front:)
now back to life: coffee, toys everywhere, wrapping paper thrown around and my husband singing carols to a screaming baby:) Merry Christmas!

diy advent calender

I don't know about you but the advent calender was one of my favorite things that got pulled out every year in preparation for Christmas. My sister and I used to argue everyday about who got to move the star one day closer to Christmas.

I thought it only necessary to bring that fun tradition into our home this year. Advent is a beautiful time of preparation and waiting for the coming of Christ at Christmas and the Advent calender makes for a fun way (especially for kids) to count down the days!

So, in the spirit of being frugal for Christmas this year, I decided to make my own Advent Calendar. After scouring the internet for ideas and diy projects I really could find what I wanted or should I say anything in my price range.

So...I winged it.

I gathered up all my old religious Christmas cards, holy cards or sacred images (I even cut some out of old calendars) and I used these as my inspiration. I tried to focus on images of The Christ Child, The Holy Family or Mary and Jesus. Then, I simply added numbers to the different cards (25 in all) and then punched holes and used a thick piece of yarn to thread them all together. I even sent my husband on a hunt for a nice large branch that I could use to hang them all together.

And tada! It came together very nicely. It may not stand the test of time, but it's a great way to reuse old Christmas cards and makes for a pretty child-friendly advent project.

Each day you can say a different prayer or even read a part of the Gospel leading up to Christ's birth as a way to prepare our hearts for Christmas.


Happy Advent!

everyone loves a blog with pictures

courtesy of lucy taylor at lucy o photography

craving the homemade

I love learning how to make things from scratch, discovering new recipes or old ways of doing things. You want to know a secret? (Even though it is one of my most favorite things to do in life) I would love to one day not even shop at a grocery store. Now given this would probably never happen...but I love the idea of sustaining my family on things that could be grown, made or raised.

I am far from a farmer, but I just crave living off the land. Hmmm kind of hard to do in my townhouse, but we'll get there.

In the meantime, look what I learned to do tonight :)

a season of change

my little man slept through the night last night (and for the past three nights). I am over the moon. We are turning a new page. I feel alive again.

Winter is rolling in and it's time to hunker down and stay at home. I love it. Here's to a new season, a season of blogging!

what I will be doing with my evening

all the ingredients are in my posession. I can't wait.

my inspiration today

I don't know if this blog is going to help me organize my life or just make me spend more hours online reading their blog. Either way, I love it.

This post is my inspiration today.

My office is currently residing in my closet. I thought I was the first to think of this...silly me :) My desk fits in and I already have shelves...now if I could only make it this pretty.

some of my recent favs

the nesting begins

This may be my husbands favorite time during pregnancy: the nesting. I never thought that this actually was a real "phase" of pregnancy, but to my surprise, it is. There is something overwhelming that comes over you that sends you into a frenzy of small tasks you wouldn't normal do (well tasks I wouldn't normally do).

Here I am today with my (soon to be) 1 year on strapped to my back. And I vacuumed the entire house. And then pledged all our furniture. whew. This may not be shocking to other (normal) stay-at-home moms. But to be honest my dear, sweet husband is usually the one who cleans. So chris, this ones for you. Enjoy it while it lasts!

what summer should taste like

has it really been six months since I posted?! hmmmm could that correlate to the fact that I am 6 1/2 months pregnant? Well maybe? or It may have been the new experiences of raising our sweet girl, the packing and moving of our house and my new promotion in my job. All in all life has gotten away from me.

But today I was inspired...


by a peach. Yes, a glorious peach. This is what summer should taste like. As I rinsed the beautiful fuzz off this glorious creature and cut it open, I felt alive. Yes...by a peach. The fragrant aroma spilled over my kitchen as I twisted the pit from the side of the fruit. The color was incredible. The creamy, rich almond-y color was polka-dotted with vibrancy of pink. The juicy, sweet flavor was to die for. It tasted almost as if you mixed the smell of a rose and a peach together. I was in heaven. Stella and I indulged in getting the sticky, sweet juice all over our fingers and faces as we gobbled it up.

Maybe it's my third trimester but my love for all things food has been reborn. The blog-posts are compounding in my head. Maybe it's the nesting...but get ready I'm back!

my new book

It's been a couple years now since we gave up TV. While it was a big issue at first I am finally settling into the idea, except for the occasionally longing to just turn it on a tune out...but on the up side it does mean that I have a lot more quiet time in my house.

Right now I am relishing in the quiet. And by quiet I mean the slow creaks of an old house, the cold air that whistles ever so softly as it blows in through the large glass windows, the click and clanks of warm air flowing through the vents and a sweet child's little squeals. I love being home. I love being able to put my little girl in her bouncer, pour a cup of tea and put my feet up. And after a long detox from TV I am starting to fall in love with reading (again).

The object of my affections recently has been Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions. It's a good one! A cookbook/textbook/font of knowledge. It has had me captivated by food, real food. In addition to this gold mine I have also started Nina Planck's Real Food for Mother and Baby. I can already tell it's good because I don't want to put it down.

But reality sets in and another diaper has to be changed, the baby wants to be held and now I am typing with one hand...ahhh...I love my life. I will fill you in on the books later.

my dear readers

i have not abandoned you! But life has sure gotten in the way! But in a good way...My best friend's wedding, Thanksgiving with both sets of parents, Advent, crocheting, playing with my sweet girl, drinking lot's of wine, Christmas, New Years and more!

But while I have been away, this is what I have been reading. Another Elizabeth who is (almost) reading my mind with her posts.

So don't fret if I don't post again soon, just read her blog and you will know exactly what I am doing in my kitchen.

Cheers!

a newly aquired skill

I don't know what it is but the second autumn starts rolling in I get the itch to be crafty. There's nothing like snuggling up with a blanket, a hot cup of tea and a basket full of beautiful yarn. Knitting is the ultimate fall activity. For some reason I can neglect it and out right forget it even exists for 6 months out of the year, but as soon as the cool air rolls in so do my knitting needles.

However this year, I felt the need for a little change. (And no not b/c our newly elected president plastered in on every car from here to oregon) Instead of knitting, I taught my self to crochet and it has become my new favorite love. There is something so simple about twisting the beautiful yarn through your fingers and through the loops. You could almost get lost in the monotonousness rhythm. Hats have become my fancy. Stella almost has one in every color. I mean come on if you have to live on a budget this is a great way to keep your kids stylish! So instead of dozens of scarfs this year, I am making dozens of hats. So watch out you just might find one in your stocking.

the truth

please watch this

the best photographer I know

i know she's my sister and all but this is some amazing work. And if you are looking for pictures to use for christmas cards (and let's be honest, I know all of you send them out) then you've got to book her now b/c her schedule is filling up. And she's offering one amazing deal. Check her out.

oh and scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the "kathe" album. Image number 6 is incredible!