Hey Little Birdie!

I don’t think it is any secret that I love Chris Martin and Coldplay. I don’t think I need to count the ways; it’s understandable, right? Another thing that I love is Chipotle’s chips and guacamole. Swift right turn, huh? Well, hang on for the ride.

Before today these entities might have been unrelated, but now you can sprinkle in Willie Nelson, sustainable farming, and clever animation (tested and enjoyed by my 2-year old), and you have something worthy of this HLB blog. Are you asking yourself what could I possibly be talking about? Well see for yourself…

You can download this version of the song on iTunes. And the proceeds will go to the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation.

p.s. I’m starting to realize that all the videos I post are somehow related to food. If there is an internal issue there, I think I’d rather not know.

p.p.s. Stay tuned for a special announcement tomorrow. It’ll be fun.

It’s 115 degrees outside this week. Cue collective groan. But do you see that little light at the end of the tunnel? It’s sort of golden and smells like spiced autumn deliciousness? Could it be? Is it really? A Pumpkin Spice Latte?! TWO weeks people! And then no matter what the weather, I will picture myself wearing cardigans (like this one) and traipsing through falling leaves. Hooray! And if you are over-the-top passionate about the PSL, Starbucks is running a competition on their facebook page to bring the drink to your city one week earlier than the rest. Get all the details here.

via

Happy Fall Dreaming!

Okay, so this is going to be brief. Not because I don’t love you, but because I got a flat tire on my way to work this morning. Yep. And get this… Mike just had it patched yesterday to prevent this type of craziness in the 100 degree summer temperatures of Phoenix from happening. So while I would love to invest some quality time building our relationship (you and me, not me and the tire), I think I will have to let this sweet little commercial speak for itself.

KFC "So Good" Directed by Erik Van Wyk by Bouffant-tv

And if you crave finger licking good chicken afterwards, maybe we can meet for lunch, although we won’t be able to talk because we’ll have to be listening to the Ellie Goulding version of Your Song while we nibble. But really, I do love you… and fried chicken.

soul kitchen via pinterest

One of my favorite memories of growing up occurred when we lived in Michigan. My dad was a singles’ pastor at the time, and one of the men that had been involved in his ministry was a strawberry farmer. I don’t know if he farmed other things too. But to this six-year-old who could (and was planning to) eat strawberries by the pallet even with the knowledge that they are after all a fruit, all that I cared about was this particular crop.

Anyway, one day we piled in to the car, drove to the country, and spent a good chunk of the day picking strawberries and loading them in to large containers to transport as many as possible back to the suburbs of Detroit with us. This sweet man, I think his name was Abel (how perfect is that), had told us we could have as much as we wanted for free. So we picked and we picked and we picked. The sun shone on our backs, the cool breeze through the farm fields refreshed us, and then we picked some more.

I don’t know how many we actually took home. The amount could very well be inflated in my school girl memory, but I do remember having strawberries and strawberry jam and anything else you could think of strawberry related for a long, long time. And it was glorious.

All of this reminiscining to say, the other day I found (gosh, I wish I remembered where) this website called Pick Your Own that lists all of the farms in your state that will let you come and pick produce for yourself. Amazing, right? Well, you might say, why would I hike my family out to the sticks to pick what I could just as easily find in the store a half a mile from my house? Well, there are so many reasons, but one would be so your kids could have a memory like I do 30 years later. For some reason, that experience has stuck with me and, I hope, always will.

Apple A Day print from Hayley & Lucas

It’s Independence Day! And what is more American than apple pie, right? I’m happy to share with you my mom’s delicious recipe for a traditional apple pie with a crumb topping. It is my absolute favorite pie to make and eat. It’s simple to put together and tastes super on its own or even topped with caramel and  vanilla ice cream. Just talking about it makes me want to make one this very minute!

Apple Crumb Pie

Crust
1 eight inch pie crust (you can use Pillsbury to make it easy or make your own homemade)

Filling
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of salt
6 cups peeled, thinly sliced tart apples*

Topping
1 cup flour
1 cup firm butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Press crust into pie pan and flute the edges. Mix filling ingredients together in a large bowl and pour on top of crust. Keep the middle of the pie heaped slightly higher than the sides. In a medium bowl, use a fork to combine the topping into crumbles. Spread on top of the filling. Bake for 50 minutes, the last 10 minutes loosely cover the pie with foil so the crust does not burn.

*Note on pie apples: The best apples for pies: Cameo, Cortland, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jonathan, Newton Pippin, Pink Lady, Rome. Good for pies: Braeburn, Empire, Fuji, Gala, Ginger Gold, Jonagold.

Can you believe it will be Independence Day in a week? Where is our summer going?! We usually have a BBQ with friends and family. I love watching firework displays but it’s unfortunately not as fun here in Phoenix since it is still over 100 degrees outside even when the sun goes down! And now that we have a toddler, fireworks start way past bedtime. We’ll just have to catch them on TV instead and have our own little show with some sparklers!

Here are a few patriotic ideas I’ve found to get you started on the celebration.

Make this festive wreath for your front door:

Bring this easy red, white, and blue dessert to a potluck:

Buy these cute wedges for a dose of Americana on your feet:

Get these star spangled bows for your little one:

and get inspired by this Fourth of July celebration from A Field Journal:

What are your plans for the holiday?

I took a little field trip downtown to a place that would be any home baker’s heaven. ABC Cake Decorating Supplies is a tiny shop packed to ceiling with more baking items than you could ever imagine.

I got lost in rows of endless sprinkles, fondants, and candy molds.

And if you need any sort of pan for pies, cakes, cupcakes, and the like- this is your place. I saw everything from guitar pans to castles.

I can’t believe I had not heard of this wonderful place sooner! It is obviously well loved because in the middle of a weekday there were a constant stream of ladies coming and going. I loved all the cupcake liners and an endless array of cookie cutter shapes that they stocked. Here is what I ended up purchasing:

Supplies for an upcoming cake pops order, some cute polka dot liners, and a couple heart cookie cutters for Claire’s third birthday party theme. The prices were by far better than the big box craft store baking section, the employees were super friendly, and you can’t beat the selection of products they offer! Visit them if you live in the Phoenix area. ABC Cake Baking Supplies: 2853 E Indian School Rd. Phoenix, AZ. They also offer a lot of classes that I hope to check out some day!

Let’s start our collective weeks off right! Here are a few things that have filled my day with unicorns and rainbows (sorry for the reference Jina- I know you are adamantly anti-horned horse.)

Peonies in Paris- can this be any more perfect? I want to close my eyes and wake up in this market. Calgon, take me away!

Storybook Baby Shower- from the newest Martha magazine. The details are just delightful. I think this would even make a adorable theme for a kid’s party too.

Come Up Smiling Bangle- my Mother’s Day gift. I love everything about it! The designer, the stripes, the colors, and especially the sentiment hidden on the inside.

Pasta with Lemon and Olive Oil- a new favorite for supper at our house. Light and refreshing for the warmer weather and super easy to make. I use whatever pasta I have on hand, lots of arugula, extra parmesan, and toss in some chicken breast. I’ve even subbed half and half that I had in the fridge for the cream, it still turned out great!

I hope you all had a lovely Easter yesterday! We celebrated the holiday at our house with all of our family in town coming over. There was endless eating and laughing, our annual money egg hunt, and a water balloon toss (I got so soaked I had to change my clothes!) It also happened to be my husband’s 30th birthday the same day, so this year it was extra special. The star of the day however is always this recipe: Pineapple Pretzel Salad. It may sound funny, but trust me it will change your life. My dad happened upon it at a work potluck decades ago, asked the lady for the recipe because he thought my mom would love it, and now my entire extended family in multiple states makes it regularly. Here’s a picture of the leftovers I savored for breakfast this morning.

It looks sloppy but doesn’t everything that tastes really good? It is made with Cool Whip. And I normally think that is the devil. But this is easy and what I grew up with so I make an exception. At some point, I may try experimenting with making fresh whipped cream as a substitute (if I do, I’ll let you know how it turns out!) And just so you know, I double this recipe for holidays and the chance that there may be leftovers for later! Here it is:

Pineapple Pretzel Salad

1 cup crushed pretzels*
1/3 cup sugar
1 stick butter, melted

Mix ingredients above in a medium bowl and spread in a thin layer onto a cookie sheet covered in foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 5-6 minutes. Let cool completely, crumble and reserve for later.

*Pretzel note: To crush them, I toss a bunch into a gallon ziploc, and roll/smash the heck out of them with the can of crushed pineapple the recipe calls for below. Works like a charm!

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
8 oz. cool whip (make sure it is not frozen!)
20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained

Cream sugar and cream cheese together in a large bowl. Add cool whip and mix well. Then fold in the pineapple. Toss in the crispy crushed pretzels right before serving.

Enjoy!

(Image Credits: 1- Evies, Lovely India Box Set of Note Cards; 2- Alternative Apparel, Scout Adler Shoulder Bag; 3- Gap, Fluttered Sleeve Crewneck; 4- Skinny Laminx, Waist Apron Flatware in Liquorice)

So, I’ve been watching three kids all day, and it is safe to say, I’m not that mom. You know, the one who thrives in chaos, the one who manages everything and still can form complete sentences. Oh, and her hair generally looks stays in place. That mom is amazing. But I’m not her.

There are lots of things I am good at, or slightly above par at, but “stay-at-home mom” isn’t always one of them. I love my Lyla. I love caring for my house, creating a home. But I hate cleaning. I suck at cooking. I am not a natural at many things associated with the term “housewife”.

I was talking to a sweet friend last night about the challenges that face moms. The monotony of laundry, feeding, cleaning and disciplining kids. These things can drive a woman to feel like her life has become very one-dimensional. That she no longer has much to offer the “adult” world in terms of skills, conversation, and least of all depth.

I have struggled with this reality since having Lyla. At one point, I consciously sought to take back my life and make it multi-dimensional again. I helped to start a book club. I started writing on this blog. The structure and accountability that those two things alone provided forced me to have interests outside the four walls of my home. And I think efforts like these are making me a better version of myself. Probably even better than before I had kids.

It’s the intentionality that I have to take on to sustain things that make me more whole, more alive, more connected to whom I am created to be. And I completely believe that, in turn, makes me a better role model to Lyla, a more loving and less bitter wife to Mike, and a flawed but more authentic and complete me.

So all of that to say… today I am going to bask in the beauty of naptime after a crazy child-filled morning and think of only pretty things that may or may not be necessary, but are always inspiring.