sparkly.

I'm happy to report that Lily's sparkly new TOMS arrived yesterday and were waiting for her when she came home from school. She squealed with happiness and is wearing them today with a carefully coordinated "aqua" inspired outfit. [See this post if you're not sure of what I'm talking about!]

Surprises are SO much fun!

Inspiration Lately.

It's been a bit since I've done an Inspiration Lately post and that's mainly because I haven't been very active on Pinterest lately. Sometimes Pinterest overwhelms me, so I stay away. But I've kind of missed it, so I'm going to visit the site more...but cautiously. It can be a huge time suck and I don't like that.

Above are some images that I can't get out of my head:

+ a real home tour of a converted Vermont Barn via Stephmodo. I have been itching to redecorate our master bedroom, but have been a bit stuck. That green armoire is giving me all kinds of ideas.

+ ever since I saw that image of the arc of plates via mmmcrafts, I think about it approximately 3.4 times a week. I want to re-create it in my home.

+ this Instagram Blurb book created by Elise is the greatest thing I've seen in a looooong time. I am so doing this.

+ I think this message in a bottle idea via Oh, Hello Friend is the sweetest thing. I love it so much.


Best thing about the Internets is all the wonderful inspiration waiting to be found!

Caramel Chocolate Rolo Cookies.

This recipe is as simple as 1-2-3-4, and totally delicious.
It's one of our family favorites, and I think yours will love it too.
I dare you to eat just one!

Caramel Chocolate Rolo Cookies
Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes [My oven takes about 9 minutes]
Servings: 3-4 dozen

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
48 ROLO chewy caramels, unwrapped
1/2 cup chopped nuts [I like pecans or slivered almonds, which are pictured above]
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1. Heat oven to 350°. In your electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa and soda, blend well. Add the flour mixture to wet ingredients slowly, and mix well.

2. For each cookie, shape about 1 Tbsp. of dough around a ROLO, covering completely.

3. In a small bowl, combine chopped nuts and sugar. Press one side of each cookie into mixture and place 2" apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

4. Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes or until set and slightly cracked. Cool for 2 minutes.

Enjoy the chocolaty/caramely/nutty goodness!

Jack and White.

I've been a Brooke White fan since her American Idol days. I knew that she would be exactly the kind of artist I would want to feature here on Passionista Presents. Then she released her solo album, which I really love and still listen to often. Now, she has combined her beautiful voice with Jack Matranga to create the duo Jack and White. It's creative genius from the band name to the memorable lyrics to the catchy melodies.

Last summer, they released their debut EP, Gemini, which is a great introduction to their music and I have featured their songs on a few mixes. And now, just this January they've released a new EP titled Winter. It's a great mix of upbeat and mellow-ish tunes perfect for this really drizzly March day we've got here.

One of the things I love about this duo is that Brooke's voice really shines brightly among Jack's perfect vocals, and their musicality and artistic creativity has me hooked. I'm keeping my eyes on this couple and can't wait to see what they do next.

Buy their music:
on AmazonMP3
on iTunes

Like them on Facebook to keep informed about Jack and White news.

P.S. I'm also really hoping to catch Jack and White in concert someday. That would be rad!

Lest I forget...

This morning as I was cleaning up the kitchen and removing old, unnecessary papers from the refrigerator, I found this letter that Lily wrote to me a while ago [maybe while I was sick, even], which was hidden from view under a bunch of other papers. I honestly had completely forgotten about it, but quickly remembered how much I had loved it and so I gave it a place of prominence on the fridge. Then, as life often does, junk piled up over it.

I don't want to forget, not for even a minute, how precious these children are. I don't want the "junk" of life to pile up over and hide how important these moments are. So, I'm going to frame this sweet little note, and hang it somewhere obvious, like near the kitchen sink, so that I can be reminded everyday not to forget how quickly they grow up.

Her note reads [with spelling errors uncorrected]:

Dear Mommy,

You are the mom ever, you are #1. However I feel like I should get Toms from Greenies (prefebly spakely). Madeline can drive me and I all ready have the money. If we have to order them thats ok. In return I will try to be better. 

Your Daughter,
Lilian

P.S. I love how she forgot to write in what kind of mom I am in the first sentence. It could be that she meant to say I'm the worst mom, but thankfully she followed with "you are #1" so it's safe to assume she meant to say I am the "best" :)

P.P.S. And don't worry, I'm surprising her with sparkly aqua Toms that she's been pining over!

a March weekend.

We had a wonderful weekend.
It was busy but not too busy.
Here's some of the highlights:

+ Friday we were blessed with gorgeous 72 degree weather, so we went to the river and enjoyed that rare March warmth.
+ Lily and Ethan both have lots of cute freckles on their face and I honestly can't get enough of them.
+ Saturday morning we had yummy pancakes with homemade whipped cream and strawberries. I like to sprinkle a dash of nutmeg on mine. Delicious.
+ Saturday night Brandon and me went on a little date to dinner and to do some shopping. He needed new Sunday shoes.
+ After the shopping was done, we helped chaperone a local youth dance. It started out a bit awkward, but as the crowd grew, it appeared the kids all had a great time.
+ Yesterday was Ethan's 13th birthday, so I made him his favorite lemon poppy seed cake. I call this picture: officially a teenager!

Hope your weekend was busy... but not too busy!

Currently listening:

It's been a while since I've posted twice in one day.
But I really wanted to share this album with you because it will be the perfect album for your Saturday morning.

Sugar + the Hi-Lows is the guy/girl duo of Trent Dabbs and Amy Stroup. Now, longtime readers will know that I really love Trent Dabbs. He can do no wrong, in my opinion. Pair him with the talented Stroup and it's a recipe for wonderful.

I think this eight track album just sounds like Saturday morning, windows open, a spring-like breeze blowing through the curtains, while the kids finish their chores. Sounds pretty perfect, right?

Download this album. I don't think you'll regret it.

Buy this album:
on AmazonMP3
on iTunes

five gratefuls.

SO much to be grateful for today:

+ gourmet chocolate. Last weekend Brandon and I slipped away to Spokane for a quick overnight getaway. Before we left the Tri-Cities, we stopped in at Country Mercantile for some of their chocolates. Wow. That little square bundle in the middle with the almond on top of a disk of white chocolate? The BEST thing I've EVER tasted. Coconut, caramel, nuts, fudge brownie, all dipped in chocolate. It tasted like Heaven.

+ feeling wonderful. I did get just a little bit of that stomach bug, but it wasn't too bad. I think by the time it hit me, the virus had lost it's gusto. Poor little Lily got it first, and she definitely had it the worst. But today, I am feeling so very great, and the sun is shining so I promised Ethan and Lily that I would take them [and Rosie] to the park after school today. I am really looking forward to the fresh air and sunshine kissing my cheeks.

+ my husband. That quick little getaway with him was perfect. Even though it was less than 24 hours together, we were able to spend all that time, just the two of us, uninterrupted. We ate wonderful food, and talked, and kissed... ok, enough about that. I just love him, alright? If you and your spouse are feeling a little disconnected [a very common thing!], please find a way to get away. Just the two of you. It will really help you reconnect and remind you of all the wonderful reasons why you fell in love in the first place. I think it's really vital to a healthy marriage.

+ piano music. Now that I am feeling better, I'm back to playing piano and organ for my church responsibilities, plus a few extra songs I'm working on. Playing the piano brings me immense joy and satisfaction. I love the process of beginning a difficult song and then working and putting in the practice time to really master that song. It's a very rewarding process.

+ inspiring people. I really love watching people I admire achieve their goals, especially after working so hard and through so much trial to get there. Three people come to mind right now:

Kelly- please go read this post and be inspired. I've adored Kelly's writing for years and even had the chance to meet her once [hopefully again :] and she was just as sweet and charming and kind in person. I am thrilled for her and this new journey she is beginning.

Alicia- she is my cousin, and I've always admired her. She is talented, and funny, and I love to be around her. She also just wrote her first novel, and I got to read it this week. I read it in a day and loved it. [more on that later this month when I will be reviewing it for her blog tour.] Alicia has faced some struggles and trials in her life and reading her book helped me understand her a little bit better, and now I feel even more inspired by her. Please check out her blog tour schedule here.

Brandon- sometimes I am utterly amazed at my husband's energy and determination. Recently, he has been working so hard and is so focused on projects he is working on. Plus, he is also training for some really big races this year. Like, BIG. Bigger and harder than anything he's done. He just never stops, never gives up, and always gives 110%. In three weeks, it will be the 2nd annual Badger Mountain Challenge. Last year's event was a great success and this year will be even bigger and better. He also has created a new running event for the Tri-Cities, the Tough Rhino Mud Run. I am so proud of him and the hard work he has put into these events. He is an animal!

What is inspiring you today?

Please share.

March mix winner.

Lily

Ethan

Brandon

Jocelyn

Madeline

Pauline

Marilyn

I'm the last man standing right now. 6/7ths of us have succumbed to a nasty, icky, yucky stomach bug. Yesterday was devoted to sick, dehydrated children, and today, 4 of them are still home with me. I'm realllllly crossing my fingers and hoping that somehow I will just be skipped over. [pretty pretty please?]

So, my apologies for not posting the winner yesterday. 

Without further ado...

the winner of the March + February mix is:

#8-Kate

Congratulations Kate! Please email me [passionistapresents at gmail dot com] your physical address so that I can pop your mixes in the mail!

<<< Here's to hoping that I can remain healthy! >>>

Please cross your fingers and toes for me :)

Reading.

So I've always really enjoyed reading, but in the past felt like it was hard to find any great books. I would try to read Oprah's suggestions but they were always too filthy and foul for my taste, and never finished them.

Enter Goodreads. [find me, my bookshelf, and my reviews here.]

I love being able to find books that other friends have already read and recommend. Over the last two years I have been reading much more and have really found some treasures. In 2011, I set the goal for myself to read 12 books, one each month, and I did it. This year, I haven't really set a goal for myself except that I want to read a lot more than 12 books and watch much less television.

So while I was sick in February, I had many sleepless nights and days filled with hours and hours of coughing. This meant I had lots of time for reading.

I read 10 books last month, and along the way I fell in love with reading again.
I have almost no desire to watch television now. Just want to read.

Besides the books I listed in this post, these are some recent titles that I have loved/am enjoying. You may notice a theme... I LOVE historical fiction.

+  The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. This novel is set in southern US on a tobacco plantation, late 1700's-early 1800's. I loved this book and it's characters. Though some of the situations were difficult to read, the author doesn't get too graphic. No foul language, though the book does deal with difficult subject matter, such as abuse, slavery, and adultery.

+ The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman. A journey from pre-war Prague through WWII and the holocaust to modern day NYC.  This book is both a beautiful love story and a heartbreaking tragedy. Many of my favorite books are set during the Holocaust, but this book took the horror and the pain of that time to new levels. Ultimately, though, it is the love story of Lenka and Josef that make this book so beautiful. Their story broke my heart and then carefully stitched it back together again. Warning: There is foul language in Chapter 51 of this book.

+  The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. Set in Alaska 1920's, this book is gorgeous. One of the most unique and beautiful stories I've ever read. I could not put it down. It's the kind of special, mesmerizing story that will stay with you always. This book deals with the struggle of miscarriage and infertility, loneliness and abandonment, but also speaks beautifully of marriage, motherhood, love, fatherhood and strength. Loved this one so much, and it definitely is in my top 10 favorites of all time.


+ The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I started this book last night and so far I am enjoying it, but already there has been one major foul word. I'm hoping it's not throughout the book, or else I will have to put it down :(


Have you read any of these? If so, what did you think?
I'd love to hear of any books that you've enjoyed recently.