{what i read: march}

so, for starting out the first half of the month having read absolutely NOTHING, i made up for it in the end.

my nausea subsided sufficiently enough to read massive amounts.

it was glorious, actually.

the biggest perk of trimester no. 1 hands down :)

that being said - i will also acknowledge right now that i am NOT good at reviewing books. i just know if i like them. maybe i should just do the whole critic thing. with a nice little vague line about how awesome the book is, but tells you absolutely nothing about it & give it four stars. every time :)

or maybe i'll think about it.

anyways. this is what i read in march.

{i add this particular cover because it is by far the most hilarious of them all}

{a voice in the wind}

okay...i am going to make a bold statement here & say that this is the BEST series i've read since {gasp} twilight. they were every bit as enjoyable to read to me. although completely different. so if you hated those - don't judge. you still have a good chance of liking the mark of the lion trilogy.

it took me about 20 minutes to get into the book & once i started i absolutely could not put it down.

no. really.

i could not put it down.

as in i read for 9 1/2 straight hours {i took a break for lunch. well. kind of. i tried eating while i read more. i have a problem. i know.} until daniel got home that night.

& then i had the audacity to ask if he wanted to read in bed, too.

i had it finished in a day & a half. {i'm a slow reader. but it is 700 pages...}

i love that there are multiple 'main' characters lives that you follow throughout these books - but it all really revolves around a young jewish girl named hadassah. sold into slavery after jerusulem was conquered by romans. so this takes place around 50-ish a.d. with gladiators & all kinds of things. which is incredibly interesting to me.

& even if you don't like history, ladies, there is definitely enough of a romance thing going on to keep you happy - {i mean…just CHECK OUT that cover…}

FIVE STARS!!!

now for book no. 2

{an echo in the darkness}

book two in the mark of the lion.

i really can't tell you much after what i said above. it would ruin everything.

but it was equally good. & addicting.

i may add, though, that these would be excellent to take on a beach trip. or to read over the summer. unless you are sick as i have been all the time. because my productivity would have been ZERO while reading them. so if you're in school or something...maybe best hold off til summer.

but then you probably have more self control than me...

{northanger abbey}

the style of this book is actually different to me from any of jane austens others. its written more from the authors perspective. which is charming, i think. & its also the shortest of her novels i've read, if you don't have the time to commit to the above two books - this is a fun read.

the only thing i'm finding that i dislike about a lot of jane austens novels is how quickly they end.

always happily. but the heroine & her man basically don't communicate at ALL in the entire book until the very last three pages when suddenly everything is worked out & they lived happily.

i shouldn't complain. i do love happy endings. but i like to revel in them more than she gives me time for, i feel like. maybe its just me…

{persuasion}

& thus i have finished all of jane austens books.

this one is in my top 3, probably.

& upon reading different parts of it i had this massive feeling of deja vu.

i'm wondering if i've actually read it at some point before. daniel thought i had.

i have an awful time remembering details in books, though. so it basically felt like the first time.

i wish i could find this cover for it, too :)

its the prettiest one for this particular book that ive seen…

okay! so that was march.

& now i am completely out of ideas…any suggestions?

{wedges are everywhere}

this is probably the wrong time of life to completely fall head over heels in love with wedges.

like. MASSIVELY tall ones.

as if i'm not having enough trouble walking without being suspended another 6 inches into the air ;)

below are a few recent faves :)

no. 1

no. 2

no. 3

no. 4

but i think this pair of jeffery campbells are still my favourites.

now to find some a {lot} cheaper, maybe…

{hello, beautiful print, you are way too true to life}

i am totally in love with this print since i found it on a friends pinterest a few weeks ago.

i think its exactly what needs to be at my bedside table right now.

next to all of the empty cups & crackers ;)

{oh baby baby}

oh my WORD, guys! thank you for all of the super sweet comments these past few days!!! 

we have been so totally blown away with all of the encouragement from friends & people we haven't met alike!

& i have to say...its so great to not be keeping a secret anymore.

that was tough business these last six weeks…

i guess i'll be sharing little bits & pieces of news for the next few weeks.

or…the next 7 months, really.

so, i guess i can give you all just a quick catch up of whats been going on the last six weeks in about two sentences.

we have told family about little guy on the way, shortly afterwards i started feeling all of the morning sickness that people talk of, followed by lots of netflix days, hence my learning to crochet, too :) 

lots of eating eating eating. mostly soups. & cheese & crackers. not a whole lot tastes really good. except the aforementioned soups. OH. & mexican food. mmm mmm mmmm :) 

any kind. rice. burritos. tacos. quesidillas. queso. chips. 

all of it.

probably because of all of the cheese, maybe?

& most recently, reading has become my new favourite pasttime. 

it made me queasy earlier on, so i avoided them, but i've absolutely been devouring books the past few weeks. SO, if you have any suggestions, i am definitely up for ideas :)

so thats basically all! reading. eating. sleeping. eating. watching movies. oh. & listening to adventures in odyssey. yes. i have. for when my eyes are too tired to stay open but my body wont sleep. it kind of takes my mind off of all of the commotion going on in my tummy, too. see why i have had nothing to blog about? 

i went to the doctor this past wednesday, though, & basically, i was 10 1/2 weeks when i went IN to the office & was supposed to hear a little baby heartbeat - & after prodding my stomach with a little metal doo-dad for about 10 minutes & not hearing anything, sent me in for an ultrasound. to make sure little baby was doing okay. 

& YES. all was well. i got to see our little olive's foot wiggle around & we have sweet pictures of it now.

it made it all feel 100% more real to see the little baby in my belly :)

& i think the lord just knew i needed a picture to keep me going on days i'm feeling particularly sickly.

this little dude is totally worth it. & its already the most beautiful thing i've ever seen! such a mom talking...

oh. & the MAJOR shocker…the reason we couldn't hear little guy's heartbeat was because i wasn't 10 1/2 weeks like we'd been thinking. i was only 8 1/2!!! 

{which means 9 weeks now}

i kind of felt gypped for a little while, but have gotten used to the extra two weeks idea.

{sorry if you boys get weirded out by ultrasound pictures. i think its pretty cute. & you will get used to it}

so! you guys are all caught up, now! {mostly}

hope you all are doing great! does anyone have nice spring weather right now? we did for a few days, but its feeling kind of like january again out here…

cold & wet. but green :) its so nice for a change...

{to daniel, on valentines day}

here lies the answer to why i have been such a lazy blogger.

& yes, we are thrilled :)

more to come, soon.

{video of the week}

hilarious video of the week.
+ ode to george michael.

{pretty hair}

i saw this pretty updo on a cup of jo today & totally fell in love.

can't wait until my hair is long enough again to try it :)

{quick & speedy update}

Hey guys :)
back from the weekend.
i've decided for about the 200th time that i need to take more pictures. because i have none.
again.
it was just relaxing. daniel played frisbee golf with some buddies & we joined together again for lunch at friends in the afternoon.

i finished the BEST book(s) i've read in awhile. both this week.
almost to my shame.
it was worse than when i read twilight, i think…
but i won't talk about those for another week or so, yet ;)

watched an old odell family favorite.

& got gelato last night & ran into lots of old friends.
& my brother & his gf :)

& now starts another week.
hope you all enjoyed your weekends!

{crafty friday}

sorry, guys.

i've been off in never never land, lately.

& my posting habits have gotten worse & worse!

promise that will change very soon.

its just been a mass of things going on over here :)

so, in honor of the weekend coming up, i thought i would post a few projects that i want to try soon - & you totally should, too!

granny slippers

this fun bracelet

send someone a cute package like this.

they will love you forever.

something akin to this.

pendant lights for our kitchen :)

paper crane mobile.

& this. oh man. someone tell me how to get yarn this thick. it is amazing.

{new favourite hobby}

granny squares number one, two & three.

this could easily become my favourite hobby.

its addictingly relaxing. 

especially when combined with sherlock holmes via librivox on my sofa & tea :)

{oh freeeeed}

i know everyone & their mom has seen these.
fred is old news.
& a lot of people HATE the videos.
daniel hates them.

but they make me laugh.
& today is a watcholdfredvideos kind of day :)

{a quick getaway weekend}

this past friday we did a mini trip up to wilmington with my parents.

they were going on business, & we hitched a ride for fun.

it really is one of our favourite cities to be. i love the old downtown/beach plus some of the best restaurants {& DONUTS!!!} ever are there.

so, our morning began wandering onto the set of 'one tree hill'.

kind of fun!

i loved watching the crew outside running around with lights & take out boxes & walkie talkies. 

& we saw sophia bush.

{not a huge fan if i'm being honest}

but still kind of exciting to see so much commotion going on. & you know daniel - he hooted & hollered for everyone that came outside the little cafe.

he's good for me like that :)

then we found some of these subway tiles {they are actually ALL over wilmington. LUCKY!!!}

& both wished we could take them home with us.

this is what we wanted super badly in our bathrooms - & kitchen. but its actually super difficult to find. & once you find it, its really difficult to even get it ordered & shipped {think 2 month + backordered} & then massively expensive.

 but either way, i still think they're so fun to find around places. we can dream…

then lunch at our favorite river boat landing. again.

i managed to spill a full glass of water all over my food. & our table. & my camera {thank goodness. it survived} & my pants while we were there. so i kind of hobbled around for awhile afterwards looking like i had a little accident going on. but that didn't make it any less wonderful & yummy.

then the day ended EXTRA wonderfully with chipotle & krispy kreme donuts.

both were my idea - & we actually DID them both! that never happens!

i felt so spoiled :)

but all of the wonderful busy-ness, i think, was too much for my dormant cold & it decided to come back again on sunday. sometimes having too much fun comes back to bite you. but still worth it.

hope you all had a great weekend too!

{no. 18…check!}

yes. i finally have another check off my list :)

thats 4 down & 19 to go.

whoops.

this list has proven to be tricker than i thought.

BUT…

about 6 of them are 'in progress' right now.

like taking all of the rolls of film & reading some of the books & things.

& can i just say…it was way harder learning to crochet than i thought!!!

i still need nice friends to help me soon, i think.

so i can get out of the coffee cozy stage :P

but it is already super relaxing to me.

i think i'm going to like it lots. especially with all of the long trips we have planned thru the summer.

anyone else actually getting things done on their lists so far?

{him & she}

our bedroom is slowly turning into a place i really like to be.

decor-wise.

making these little pillows for our bed this past week helped a little bit.

i got the tutorial for the pillows here.

& inspiration here.

i think i still may like the idea of them a bit better than mine turned out, but they were easy enough that i could always try again, soon.

{what i read: february}

okay, so here it is {finally}. what i read last month. not a heck of a lot.

sorry for being so completely m.i.a. again, guys. things have just been really busy around here? lame lame lame reason, i know.

{atonement}

i have mixed feelings about this book. daniel & i both like the movie. & the book is actually quite EXACTLY like the book until about the last 10 pages. kind of making the reading a bit slower...knowing everything that is going to happen & things. 

that said, if you have seen or know anything about the movie -this is old news. but the book is told from three main different points of view - a young girl named briony, her older sister, celia & robbie - the son of their families housekeeper. the whole book is about perception, which is why i think both it & the movie are so interesting. particularly, the way briony perceived the events of a particular summer day & how it affects all three of their lives from that point forward - & through the end of the story. i don't know everyones standards with books, but because of some of the crude content in this one - mostly in the beginning - i can't wholeheartedly endorse it for you all. i don't know how else to say it...the movie is a bit more vague in some of those things, so maybe if you're not so much of a fan of long novels anyways, that would just be a better way to go if you're interested...

& secondly...

{nourishing traditions}

yes. this is a cookbook. & yes. i read a cookbook this month. but unlike so many others, this one has sections in the front that talk about each section of food in the book {pantry staples, meats, sauces, desserts, salads etc...} - with all kinds of statistics & nutritional info etc. i actually thought it was really interesting, for whatever its worth.

the gist of this book is really quite radical. a lot of people wouldn't agree with it. & i still want to do a bit more research before i would just say YES, i am totally 100% on board with everything in here - but - that said, i really love what she has to say & it really does make a lot of sense to me.

one of her big arguments in the book is actually about animal meats & fats {butters, oils, meat, broths etc...} & how they actually ARE good for you. yes. butter. good for you. you can pull yourself back into your chair, now. & i know, i'm giving you NO info about all of this, here. obviously i'm not saying that you can go buy 10 pounds of butter from harris teeter right now & devour it all & not clog an artery. but that maybe just maybe...all of the above things from grass fed, healthy animals aren't as horrible for you as you think...the frustrating part about reading this book for me was, apart of being just slightly overwhelming, it was also discouraging that it's so difficult to find a lot of the 'healthy foods' they talked about in her book. north carolina doesn't really make it easy to fine non-homogenized milk {among other things} & thats actually a major component in a lot of her recipes. as far as the actual cookbook - not everything is super weird, in fact, a lot of the recipes are quite easy. & you could incorporate a lot of the things she talks about even if you're living somewhere where it's really difficult to follow her cookbook to a t. i would seriously looking into buying - or even checking this book out from your library & give it a chance :)

if nothing else, its an interesting perspective, & it kind of gets you thinking about things, you know?

{I WANT THIS BURGER NOW!!!}

i came home tonite from a ladies event. & after yummy chocolate-y ladies food,

i am just dyyyyying for this.

so much so that i am about to go into our kitchen & make one.

actually, i think i will, thanks.

daniel has buddies over tonite & they are playing with fire out back. 

so what else would i do, anyways?

there is an egg on it. & if you think that is weird - go to red robin RIGHT NOW & have their royal robin burger. it is to die for.

this is my ode to hamburgers, i guess.

thanks for listening :)

{things to make a morning better}

after depleting our previous collection of teas, i've been opting for more loose-leaf ones. 

earthfare & the home economist has them. & i may never go back, now.

it may initially freak you out when you see that they are over $20.00 a pound, but when you think about how most $4.00 boxes of tea are only a few ounces anyways…it works out just fine. & you can get a lot of tea in an ounce!

i'm also figuring out that you can use your leaves up to several times. & that its typically better the second or third time. they seem to go a lot further than a teabag…

& since i was sipping on a cup this morning, i thought i would share :)

because i always thought it would be super inconvenient & its not at all.

by the way:

to the people that tried making pita pockets yesterday - you are awesome. & i'm glad that other people had success with them, too :)

{puffy pita pockets}

first of all, can i just say that i am THRILLED that this recipe turned out!!!

perfectly puffed pitas :)

mmmm they are so good. i am eating one now.

yes. for breakfast. don't judge me.

i stuffed it with egg. & tooons of cheese :)

& secondly, thank you for all of the sweet get well wishes. daniel came home yesterday & told me he laughed his head off when i said on here that i had the flu. he said i was wrong. & that i don't know what the flu is. 

& he was right. i don't have the flu. I just felt awful. & any time i feel awful i automatically say i have the flu without really thinking about it. so thank you & i am sorry i lied. today is a little bit better :)

so on with the recipe…

i have been wanting to make pita pockets for ages. literally. ages. & just never found the courage - or the right recipe to make them.

i would like to take just a short moment to thank pinterest at this point. because i wouldn't have made these at all if a delicious picture of them had not been glaring at me every time i went to my page. thats the wonderful thing about it :) I have made 10 of the 24 recipes i have pinned so far. & for me, that is AWESOME.

you will need:

1 1/8 cups warm water {like, warm if you dip your finger into it, but not too hot or you will kill your yeast! trust me. i learned the hard way…}

1 1/2 teaspoons of honey

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

3 cups of flour {i did half white whole wheat & half all purpose this first time, for whatever its worth...}

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for coating bowl

1 teaspoon kosher salt

no. 1

In a bowl add honey into warm water. Sprinkle yeast over top and let proof for 10 minutes. Stir in flour, salt & olive oil. Knead until soft and slightly sticky - but not the so sticky it coats your hands in goo kind. If that happens, add more flour. Put the dough in a bowl slicked with olive oil & cover. Move to a warm place {like inside your oven with the light on} until it doubles in size {45 or so minutes?}

no. 2

Preheat oven to 500 degrees & roll the dough into a 12 inch rope on a lightly floured surface. Cut into eight pieces 

no. 3

Okay, this is the part of the recipe that scared me the most. Because on the site i got this recipe from - the girl said half of her pitas didn't puff because she got this wrong! Gosh. Thats enough to scare even ME into following directions…& I'm pretty sure i didn't do anything amazing, but all of mine ended up puffing. so i will tell you exactly what i did.

Roll each of your sections into balls - that is supposedly the important part. So you'll get an air bubble in the middle. So roll em good! Then cover all your little dough balls with a towel while rolling one dough ball at time to approximately seven inches in diameter. You really don't want to flatten your dough TOO much though. I think thats the other secret. Mine ended up being a little more than 1/8 inch thick. or 6mm. Maybe I don't need to be that exact. But they worked. So you can't say i didn't tell you...

no. 4

Place 1 to 2 pitas on a cooling rack or directly on your oven rack - like so. Bake for 4-5 minutes or until puffed in center and golden around the edges & repeat.

Once cool store in a plastic bag and refrigerate for a couple days or freeze up to two months.

{makes 8 whole pitas or 16 halves}

{a day off…}

well, i had big plans for todays post.

{okay. not really big. but it was going to be yummy}

but thats when i woke up this morning with a flu bug. 

& thats when i watched an alfred hitchcock movie in bed. then got up & realised that i just can't really sit at the computer today…

sick days are rare, for me. so i'm going to make the most of my sickness & relax, i think. oatmeal, tea & snuggling in bed for me, today :)