Long Layers + Ripped Skinnies on the beach | A Favorite!

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Again, I struggle!!! What to title the post… If only I had time to really THINK! Yet, I do not. So, here we go. I noted that it was one of my favorites, because I didn’t want it to get lost in the shuffle, and…it’s one of my favorites!

Long layers.

It’s an easy out when you are feeling not so great (HELLO Holidays!! ;{ ), and want to cover up, but it’s a fine balance on just looking frumpy! So…my usual rule of thumb, is if you are going long and loose up top, go tight on the bottom!

Blog Design History Cardigan Free People Snap out of It DL1961 Margaux Gibson Checkered Vans-1 Randomly, I thought this looked better in black and white. Most of the prints in our home are black and white, so I’m drawn the them. In most cases for this blog, I like color, but I felt like I was actually doing a blog post for my work on this one, so I inserted a few black and white! Blog Design History Cardigan Free People Snap out of It DL1961 Margaux Gibson Checkered Vans-9 Me… “Hey, Maya, want to come be with me?”

“Nope.”…. Blog Design History Cardigan Free People Snap out of It DL1961 Margaux Gibson Checkered Vans-10 Oh, and I had to include this image! The tiny little dot in the far left corner is Maya. In most cases, she is NO where near me to photograph, as an FYI. If there is a chance for her to run, she’s RUNNING!! Blog Levis Jacket Gap Cardigan Mini Boden Heart Tee Vans-1 And then I get her back. 🙂 She was totally cracking herself up!

I only wish I could take credit for it! Blog Levis Jacket Gap Cardigan Mini Boden Heart Tee Vans-2 And then just try and tell a 4 year old NOT to run in the water when it’s 40 degrees… 😉 I can’t even… And then….She had enough haha. 🙂 On me…

Sweater- Design History (old, similar here)

Top- Free People “Snap Out of It” (eBay)

Jeans- DL1961 “Margaux” in Gibson (eBay)

Shoes- Vans (thrifted)

On Maya…

Jacket- Levi’s (thrifted)

Sweater- GapKids (thrifted)

Top- Mini Boden (thrifted)

Jeans- GapKids (thrifted)

Shoes- Vans (thrifted)

Keeping it Real…

“So…you’re saying you don’t want to stand on this wood stump with me?”

haha.

(all pictures taken with a self timer/shutter release and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Marzipan Cookies

Crock Pot Rosemary Pork Loin with Apples + Onions | Paleo + Whole30

Marzipan Chocolate Miniature Sandwiches

Leather Jacket + Blanket Cardigan + Skinnies + Booties…the perfect travel outfit.

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So, I’m going to see just how long I can make my titles haha. I could have titled this “What I wore on the airplaine”, but that sounds so boring.

I know that I’ve been posting less “adventures” lately, but…let’s be real. It’s super hard to lug a tripod and my camera along on our adventures now that Maya is really adventurous! And it’s been COLD. And we aren’t really that used to the cold, so playing in the upper 30’s with 20+ mph winds has not been too fun.

I’ve been reminded over this past holiday season how much I love to dress up, and put thought into my outfit. I’m thinking that as Maya is in school more, that might be the direction of this blog a few days of the week. Thoughts? Btw…I realized later after I scored these booties on eBay for 90% off that these booties are weatherproof!!! Say, what? Accidental SCORE!!! They were perfect for the airport, because they easily slip on and off, and were actually quite comfortable! Once she saw the neighbor boys out playing, so wasn’t cold at all haha. Blog Desing History Dress Chaco Belyn Boots-1 Can you tell we took these after the sun went down? Notice the Christmas lights behind me… I couldn’t let her run around in short sleeve dress though… Blog Mini A Ture Jacket Chaco Belyn Boots-3 Admittedly, I usually buy more than I need when I’m thrifting. It’s so hard to say no to amazing prices on designer stuff!! But…every once in a while I leave something and then think “NO!!”

This jacket was one of them. I had gone into a thrift store after a shoot in a neighborhood that is about 30 minutes from my house. I saw this jacket. LOVED IT. I think it was $15. AT this point, I can’t remember, but for me. As much as I thrift and find amazing things, $15 is too much. But it was AMAZING. SO well made, and purple…Maya’s favorite color at the time. So, I texted my thrifting buddy who lives a few miles away and said “IF…you happen to go, AND if it happens to still be there…I WANT THIS JACKET!” Lo and behold. STILL THERE! Sadly, she has a daughter Maya’s age, so it was especially painful for her to buy it for me, but…I’ve made it up to her 🙂 She wore it all last year, and it still fit this year too! BEST $15 spent ever!! 🙂 Blog Mini A Ture Jacket Chaco Belyn Boots-4 And these boots??? SO CUTE! And…$4.20!

Jacket- Doma” (old similar here)

Sweater- BCBG (Nordstrom Rack old, similar here)

Top- Ooberswank (Nordstrom Rack, sold out, similar here)

Jeans- J Brand (thrifted, similar here)

Boots- Aquatalia (eBay for $50! similar here)

On Maya…

Jacket- Mini A Ture (thrifted, but similar here)

Sweater Dress- Design HIstory (thrifted)

Leggings- Gap Kids (thrifted)

Boots- Chaco “Belyn Boots” (thrifted for $4.20!!)

Keeping it Real…

When I shoot around our neighborhood, chances are…my neighbors are walking by-awkward!! Except my actual neighbor, who knows what I’m doing, and knows…just keep doing what YOU’RE doing! More often than not, I get really cute pictures of Maya and her boys, so it’s all good. Well, in a few of the above shots, I may have removed my neighbor playing ball with her boys 😉 Oh, and the wind…was once again, out of control. Everyone thinks that Seattle is all about rain, but when you live near the water…it’s all about the wind too! Blog outtake

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Playing in the snow! Kind of… ;) + Tutorial of how we take our own pictures.

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I’ve been so jealous of everyone’s snow pictures! We could easily drive about 45 minutes and see LOTS of it, but I’ve still been working Saturday and Sunday this whole month, so finding the time hasn’t happened yet. Imagine how excited we got when we looked outside on Sunday and saw SNOW FALLING!!! Sadly, it didn’t stick and you can barely see the flakes, but it was still pretty exciting 🙂

Fair warning…this blog post is a liiiiiittle bit longer than usual. The Huz bought me a wireless shutter release for Christmas last year. I’ll admit, I thought it was too big, and never took it out of the box/took the time to learn how to use it. Well, I finally took it out to take our most recent family pictures a few weeks ago, and I LOVE IT!!! I only wish I’d figured it out sooner. More behind the scenes and links for tutorials in the “keeping it real” at the end of the post!

To keep Maya interested, I gave it to her and had her take my pictures. She took 33 pictures in 22 seconds hahaha. She thought she was being sly by running down the sidewalk and turning her back to me 😉 Blog HM Hat Vintage Fishermans Sweater DL1961 Emma Bloom Sorel Tofino Boots-1 Just imagine hearing, click, click, click, click, click haha.I grabbed it from her and got these. Just know that of all these I’m posting, there are about 4 times as many more that I wanted to post! Went back to the self timer to catch this one, because she asked to be thrown. Blog HM Hat Vintage Fishermans Sweater DL1961 Emma Bloom Sorel Tofino Boots-6 But, she took these next 5 🙂 These are from when we first came outside. Pretzel bribe in hand. You’d think SNOW would have been reason enough to go outside, but sadly no… 😉 Blog Faux Fur Jacket DL1961 Harper Chaco Beylin-1 Trying to catch some snow in her mouth, but getting drops on her forehead instead! You can barely see the snowflakes, but I promise they looked bigger and more exciting in person 😉On me…

Hat- H&M (Old, similar here)

Sweater- Vintage (thrifted)

Top- Stylemint (old, similar here)

Jeans- DL1961 “Emma” in Bloom (C\O)

Boots- Sorel “Tofino” (old, similar color here)

On Maya…

Jacket- (thrifted, but this is super fun!)

Dress- Tea Collection (thrifted, similar here)

Jeans- DL1961 “Harper” (C/O)

Boots- Chaco “Belyn” (thrifted, but darker brown here)

Keeping it Real…

Here’s what the set up looks like, with my focusing stand, and enthusiastic assistant 😉 I’ve talked about the process in other posts. A detailed video at the end of this post, a video of Maya doing it all by herself 🙂), another video here, and written out in more detail here. Blog Outtake-1

Figuring out what it does… 🙂 Oh, and btw…I had done a shoot in the morning and hadn’t taken a shower yet. Disregard the no make up and frizzy unwashed hair. Thank you hat!! 🙂 Blog Outtake-2

And, after 22 seconds, I realized she needed to be cut off ha! Blog Outtake-3

(all pictures taken with a self timer/shutter release and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Rosemary Almonds

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Earlier this week I published Spicy Maple Glazed Nuts. Enjoy the more savory notes of the rosemary almonds, below!

rosemary almonds blog (2) rosemary almonds blog (1)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups raw almonds
1 tsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp finely chopped rosemary
1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions

Heat oven to 350*
In a bowl, combine almonds, syrup, rosemary and salt
Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until toasted and golden brown, about 10 minutes

dit-elle-Esther

Statement Jackets! Buffalo Plaid + Stripes do mix, right? :)

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The best part of a statement jacket, in my opinion is that you can usually keep everything else basic and let it stand on it’s own. I didn’t happen to do that in this case though, haha. We took my parents out for dinner to thank them for watching Maya while I went to Austin with the Huz, and I felt like getting a little festive. I mean, any reason to dress up, and I’m “GAME ON!!” 🙂

You can never go wrong with stripes! At least, I don’t think so. I wore a pair of faux leather leggings to keep me warm, and threw on a pair of Frye boots that I’ve had for 6-7 years. Blog Elliot Lauren Buffalo Plaid Silence Noise Striped Dress Frye Fiona 3 Strap Boots-1 Oh, and this jacket? Random eBay add on purchase last year to get combined shipping for….$2.80!!!

Say WHAT!??!

Btw, am I the only one that will always look to buy something else to save on shipping? I know that over the long haul I’m spending more, but I FEEL better about it haha. 😉 Blog Elliot Lauren Buffalo Plaid Silence Noise Striped Dress Frye Fiona 3 Strap Boots-3 If there is one thing I will never get over being appreciative of, it’s all these SMILES I’ve captured of the two of us in this blogging journey…Yes, that’s a granola bar in her hand. Ya do whatcha gotta do. I managed to hide it in a few…and then not in a few 🙂 Blog Elliot Lauren Buffalo Plaid Silence Noise Striped Dress Frye Fiona 3 Strap Boots-7 But really…if she’s happy, I’m happy. I absolutely LOVE her jacket!! I scored it for $4!!! It’s in mint condition! Probably because whoever owned it before wore it for a nano second for a fancy occasion, and was too scared to ruin it. One of the many reasons I love thrifting. Yeck yeah, I’ll throw that adorably WARM wool coat on her for no good reason 😉Dying over that smile. It’s a little kooky because she has a mouthful of granola bar, but still….love. There are two trees that she loves to hide behind and then run to and from. It never gets old. For her or me 😉 So, yes. I’m feeling like I have these exact pictures in about 5 different posts, but whatever. That’s our life… And I so wish I had these boots in my size. The little lace up the back?!!! $4, yet they retailed for around $100. Every once in a while I totally score on shoes for her. At the thrift store they were covered in mud and looked like they were on their last leg. For $4 I took a chance. All I did was wipe them off with a wet wash cloth, and I swear they look brand new! SCORE!

On me…

Jacket- Elliott Lauren (eBay for $2.80!!!!! similar here and less expensive here )

Dress- Silence & Noise (Funky Jane free with credit, similar here)

Leggings- Forever 21 (thrifted, similar here)

Boots- Frye “Fiona 3 strap” (old, similar here)

On Maya…

Jacket- Gap Kids (thrifted, but similar here)

Boots- Naturino (thrifted for $4!!, but similar here or different colors here)

Keeping it Real…

Maya is totally obsessed with shaking her booty for attention… I could lie and say I have no idea where she get’s it, but I have videos of myself at around the same age to prove otherwise… ;} Blog Outtake

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Spicy Maple Glazed Nuts

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Nothing fills the house with the comforting warmth of holiday cheer like toasted nuts.

I made a bunch of new dishes over the Christmas holiday that I will post here in the next few weeks. Related posts include Rosemary Almonds and Spiced Honey Almonds!

These Spicy Maple Glazed Nuts are wonderfully delicious – sweet, salty and a little spicy! A great holiday treat, but really.. who doesn’t like glazed nuts any time a year? Great for gifts, taking to parties, as an appetizer with cheese, meat and fresh fruit perhaps, or a simple dessert!

spicy candied nuts blog (2) spicy candied nuts blog (1)

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon chili powder or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used 1 tsp cayenne and it was perfectly spicy.. for my taste, but keep in mind a little goes a long way. If you are sensitive to spice, just omit this ingredient!)
4 cups shelled nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pecans)
3 tablespoons turbinado or muscovado sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 250° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
In a large saucepan combine butter, syrup, water, salt, cinnamon and chili powder. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, then mix in nuts and stir to coat evenly.
Spread nuts in a single layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes (I forgot this part and the nuts were fine!).
Spread on waxed or parchment paper to cool.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Thanks PCC Natural Markets!

dit-elle-Esther

Vintage Plaid Blanket Scarf + Leather Pants

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Can you say cozy??!

Oh, and if this sweater looks familiar, yes…I did just wear it in our family pictures. I’ve been LIVING in it since I bought it a few weeks ago! SO comfy, and really it goes with everything 😉 Blog Vintage Plaid Scarf Joie Tambrel Sweater Genentic Shya Suede Deep Olive Gold Superga-1 Loooooove this next one!!! Blog Old Navy Leopard Jacket Mini Boden Tiered Skirt Kids Feet Boots-1