Summer Reading – Day 41

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I have been a little lazy with my summer reading. I seem to find more pressing things to do and then I realize that I have missed a day or two and then I need to get caught back up. I think what I love about summer is a more relaxed schedule, but what I don’t like so much about summer is a more relaxed schedule.

Today I read Psalm 118 – Give thanks to The Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. What a great reminder! How are you doing on your summer reading?

I decided to set a few goals for summer, just a relaxed list of things that I would like to get done. The summer reading is one of those goals – check, mostly! I also wanted to clean out under my sink and my bathroom drawers – check. Clean out the kids’ school boxes that date back 13 years – ummmm, not check! But I do have a fun project that will be showing up on the blog shortly, we have been refinishing a dining table and chairs for Alex’s new place. It is turning out amazing! So more on that soon.

Have a great day!
Cindy

You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.
Psalm 118: 28

Fashion Friday- Mom’s Edition

Today’s Fashion Friday post is all about my mom- things she loves and has had her eye on.

When I was putting this post together, I realized the amount of blue items is a little overwhelming- apparently all the clothes that she’s drawn are that color 🙂

Classic Chambray Shirt

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My mom and I are on the hunt for the perfect chambray shirt for her- this one is definitely in the running.

Sabine Knit Maxi Tank Dress

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When we were at Kohl’s the other day, she picked out a orange and white patterned knit maxi dress that was super cute. They didn’t have it in her size, so I got it instead. I think she’s still jealous 🙂

This dress was on Big Mama‘s fashion Friday a while ago and I think it’s really pretty. Big Mama is the reason for my mom’s orange obsession.

Practice Freely Tank

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She has been “pining for” (her words) one of these Lulu Lemon workout tank tops for a while- they are so cute, but way too expensive for a workout shirt.

Pintucked Halter Neck Dress

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My mom really loves this sort of halter neckline.

South Beach Metal Bracelet

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So pretty.

Margot Mid Wedge Elastic Espadrilles

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These sandals caught her eye in a Land’s End catalog a while back and now they are on sale!

Pleated Halter Top

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My mom owns this top and loves it- so do I! The color is so pretty and the neckline is really unusual.

Butler Please Essie Nail Polish

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Another one of our recent purchases- so bright and cute.

Lush Knit Maxi Dress

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This looks so comfortable.

Mineral Teardrop Earrings

LE2400-3A_blue-cl-w1000Sheer Henley Blouse

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We love all the colors that this top comes in and it’s so cute!

Treat of the Month- July

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Past Treat of the Month posts: May, June

Even though Danae doesn’t like chocolate (somehow I forgive her of that transgression and can still be her friend ;)), she loves white chocolate, so these seemed like the perfect cookies to make her this month. They are so yummy- the texture is really good because of the oats, and the sweetness of the white chocolate chips balances the not-too-sweet dough.

The steps to this recipe are very similar to my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, and it is super simple to make.

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^^ready to deliver!

White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups oats

2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly grease cookie sheets, or use parchment paper. Cream together butter and sugars until smooth. Mix in the eggs and the vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and mix well. Stir in the oats and white chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Jordan

recipe from allrecipes.com

Homemade Salsa

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Finally! A blog post that doesn’t involve sugar! 🙂

Homemade salsa is one of my mom’s specialties- and for good reason- it’s delicious! Her homemade salsa has the perfect amount of spiciness and the cilantro and green onion add really good flavor. Even though this salsa isn’t super spicy, there is definitely a kick, so modify the amount of jalapeno to match your taste. There are a lot of things you can do to “customize” this recipe- here are just a few changes that we’ve made before:

  • using homegrown jalapenos instead of jarred
  • adding some fresh diced tomatoes and chopped green onions to the finished salsa for extra texture
  • substituting fresh tomatoes and spices (salt, cumin) for the canned tomatoes (we’ve tried this before and have decided that the convenience and flavor of the canned tomatoes is unbeatable)
  • and making a yummy black bean and corn relish with the homemade salsa

That bean and corn relish is one of our favorite versions and makes up the second part of this post.

We think that we got this recipe many years ago from my mom’s friend Susie. Susie’s all about efficiency, so the ease of using canned tomatoes makes the salsa come together very fast.

The recipe has continued to improve, over the years, and I think one of the best discoveries my mom made was pouring the finished salsa into two mason jars instead of a normal plastic container. Even though we don’t seal the jars (the salsa is eaten too fast to make that worth it!), the jars keep the salsa much fresher. Plus, anytime we can use jars we will- they make anything cuter and are perfect for transporting to the beach or a backyard barbecue.

Rinse cilantro and place in the bottom of the blender.

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Chop the roots off the green onions and cut the green onions into 3 pieces and put in the blender with cilantro.

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Pour Mexican tomatoes into the blender…

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and throw in the jalapenos.

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Pulse until just combined.

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Pour into canning jars or other container.

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Now for the bean and corn relish. This stuff is so good. It’s perfect just with tortilla chips, but it’s also really yummy on top of tacos or nachos. And it’s so easy.

Combine all ingredients, and mix well. Yep, that’s it- it couldn’t be easier.

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^^because of slight miscalculation, we had to switch containers while we stirred 🙂

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Yum!!

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Homemade Salsa

2 cans S&W stewed Mexican tomatoes

about 6 green onions

a large handful of cilantro

5 slices of jarred jalapenos

Directions:
Rinse cilantro and place in the bottom of the blender. Chop the roots off the green onions and cut the green onions into 3 pieces and put in the blender with cilantro. Pour Mexican tomatoes into the blender and throw in jalapenos. Pulse until just combined.

Black Bean and Corn Relish

2 cups of fresh or frozen corn

1 can of drained, rinsed black beans

1 can of Rotel tomatoes, drained

2 chopped green onions

1/4 – 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 cup of homemade salsa

the juice of 1 lime

A bit of salt to taste

Directions: Combine all ingredients, and mix well.

Fashion Friday- Tried and True

Happy Friday! So this Fashion Friday post includes some of my tried and true wardrobe staples (or something similar) that I love and wear all the time. Of course, I had to throw in some other picks that I just really like, but don’t actually own (yet ;))

Women’s Cateye Sunglasses

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I have a practically identical pair of sunglasses, but I’m realizing their mortality. I noticed the beginnings of a crack in the plastic frame the other day and I’ve been treating them even more gently since then, afraid that they might finally break. I found my pair for $10 at a tiny boutique near Yosemite about a year ago, so today I started looking for a replacement pair for when that sad day comes, and I found these! They are almost identical, except for the color (mine are more tan). I was seriously considering buying these just in case they were no longer available when I need a new pair, but I found a pair today at Kohl’s that I love.

Summer Home in Florence Printed Blouse

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Crochet Shorts

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These are just flat-out adorable.

Strappy Flat Sandals

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I love everything about these- the color, the fact that they remind me of cage heels…without the heel ;), the crisscrossing straps on the top…like I said- everything.

By My Side Skirt

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I love circle skirts- I wear mine (similar to the one above) with tank tops and flip-flops in the summer and a button-down, tights and boots in the winter. Definitely a staple in my closet.

Full Tilt Multi Cross Back Tank

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I bought this top a couple of months ago and have worn it more times than I can count- it looks good with jeans, shorts and my maxi skirt, and I love the back, even though I don’t wear it completely open like the model does in these pictures. I was immediately drawn to the lighter color, but I ignored my initial instinct and tried on the black- I’m so glad I did because it goes with so many different things.

Charcoal and Grey Maxi Skirt

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I know it may seem basic, but my knit maxi skirt is one of my favorite items in my closet- and definitely one of the most worn! Mine has a tiny horizontal stripe and is a really dark red.

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Ha! Yes! A maxi skirt has to be one of the most comfortable things you can ever wear, and they go with everything.

ASOS Super Wide Elastic Belt

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Okay, so you’re probably thinking the same thing as me right now- how wide is “super wide”? I have absolutely no idea because the website doesn’t include measurements in their product description- gah. But I decided to go ahead and include this seemingly non-descript belt because I have a very similar one that I absolutely adore. No seriously, I think it was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.

I bought it more than 2 years ago from Forever 21, so it’s no surprise that they no longer carry it. It’s hard to tell for sure, but it looks like it is not nearly as wide as the belt above (it’s only about 2 1/4 inches wide), but besides that, it’s exactly the same. I wear it with everything- dresses, skirts etc.- it’s the perfect width and simple enough that it’s not distracting. Plus, it was only 6 bucks (gotta love Forever 21’s prices).

So to sum it up, the above link and picture aren’t as much a Fashion Friday pick, as a means to an end- it gives me the ability to tell you all about my favorite belt and how perfect it is 🙂

Lottie & Holly Chambray Floral Hi Low Dress

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