Tales of Me and the Husband

i love skyping with my parents.

i just love love love skype and love love love my parents (my mom was a part of this skype convo- she just stepped away- woops, sorry mom!).  and i love love love being able to talk AND see people when they’re 6+ hours away.  sometimes, just sometimes, i love love love modern technology.

there’s a lot of love love love here tonight.

in the background is the greatest epicurious recipe ever.  check her out.

chicken pot pie.

in my opinion, all chicken pot pies are good.  i don’t think i’ve ever had a bad one.  in fact one of the most delicious meals ever was a chicken pot pie somewhere near chicago.  i think it was the ferris bueller’s day off town.  anyway, i’m off topic.  as i was saying… my kids like this one, so maybe yours will too.  well, one of mine doesn’t like it, but he doesn’t like most things i cook.  it’s super fun.

thanks to our good friend becky for this recipe!

creamy chicken pot pie
serves 4-6
1 chicken breast cubed
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red onion, chopped
2 red potatoes, chopped
1 zucchini, sliced (i used summer squash too)
3 ribs celery, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced (we leave this part out)
2 T butter
3/4 c milk
1/2 c chicken broth
2 T sherry
1/4 c flour
1 t dried rosemary
1 t dried thyme
pepper and salt to taste
pepperidge farm puff pastry sheet, thawed
1 egg yolk
1 T milk
dried dill
brown the chicken w/ the olive oil in large pan.  add the ingredients from the garlic to the butter in the pan and saute until veggies soften a bit.  then add the ingredients from the milk to the salt and pepper.  stir and let simmer for five minutes.  pour into 9×13 dish.  spread the puff pastry sheet over top of the whole thing.  beat yolk and milk together and brush onto the pastry crust, then sprinkle with dill. 
bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
voila, you’ve got yourself dinner!
  
i’d like to make my own crust at some point but the pastry crust gets so darn flaky and buttery, 
it’s hard not to use it!  also, it’s a pretty forgiving recipe so if you have some veggies but not others, use what you have.  i added peas this time, and it was great.  and for your vegetarians, i think you could double up on the veggies and leave out the chicken and it’d be just as yum.

guest post: fall trends!

Hi Everyone! I’m Mara from M Loves M and Bridget asked me to step in and do a guest post while she’s away. So since Fall is almost a week away {gosh can you believe it?!} I thought I’d share some of my favorite fall trends with all of you!

I’m a big fan of the green military inspired jackets. I think it’s a great piece that you’d be able to dress up or dress down. This Juicy Couture one has green buttons. There’s also a lot of buzz about shearling jackets. I’ll be honest I’m not totally sure how I feel about this. On one hand I think it’s really cute but on another I’m reminded of those Abercrombie and Fitch jackets from high school {never again!}. I’m sure many of you have heard of the new Alexa Chung for Madewell line. There are so many pretty pieces and I absolutely love this pink dress! The little collar is just the cutest! Unfortunately it’s out of stock right now but hopefully it will be back soon and maybe discounted? {here’s to hoping!}


I got my jacket from H&M and I loove it!

I’m a big shoe girl and there are soo many pairs I’ve been looking at recently! I love a classic pump and I love how this one from Elizabeth + James has a sexy platform but it’s also in a somewhat unexpected blue! Then there are the lace up boots and I really like this Sam Edelman version. I don’t own any of his shoes {yet} but I’m always in awe of his designs. These ones are so pretty in gray and I love that they have a rubber bottom, lace up and buckle detail. These are at the very top of my wish list!

I’ve been seeing a lot of saddle bags recently and I love this one from J.W. Hulme. Although it’s a little pricey I think it’s a classic. You can also look on ebay which is what I did. I actually found a vintage Coach saddle bag from $15!

Other random pieces I like are the knuckle rings like this one and I recently saw some cute ones at Forever 21 too. Also wearing berry lipsticks for fall is so pretty!

 While I’m sad to say goodbye to summer I’m ready for fall! Thanks Bridget for letting me take over for the day!

I hope you all have a great weekend! Stop by my blog and say hi sometime 🙂

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I gots a three-column blog. And other things. And warning: music’s gonna come on any second now.

While perusing your blogs yesterday, as I always do every morning (and sometimes afternoon and night), I saw Jora’s lovely blog makeover (go see… it’s realllly nice) done by Ana at Live and Enliven.  I have been wanting a three-column blog for forever now but am HTML-illiterate and am a bit afraid that I will hit some invisible button that will then delete my entire blog, so I asked Ana for some help and an hour later–poof!–it was done.  There is my tip for the day.  Your blog needs some help?  Ask Ana.

Another tip for the day.  Use coconut oil on your skin, your face…my Mom even uses it, sparingly, as a sort of pommade for her hair.  I haven’t gone that far.  It feels really nice on your skin though and is apparently fabulous for it (and it has yet to make me break out… cause I know that’s what ya’ll were gonna ask next).  I only do it at night though since it’s sort of, well, oily.  Apparently it is among the healthiest oils out there to use in cooking, but I think it gives too much of its own flavor and I’m not a fan.  But, if we’re talking health, apparently this guy and olive oil are the only two we should be using.  Sorry, canola.
And another one.  Ugh, am I sounding all sorts of self-important giving you all these tips?  Yes?  Well don’t take them then!  There’s just no other blog-material at the moment.  Anyway, here goes.  Buy raw milk.  Ooh, this one might make the comment board a little heated.  Maybe not.  I’m not sure.  But some people feel very strong in their anti-raw-milk sentiments.  My friend Jessica has been drinking it for years and loves it, same with  my parents, and guess who found a nearby raw milk source just yesterday?!  ME!  You walk in this barn and grab however much you want from the refrigerator and then leave your money… an honor system.  I felt like I was in Little House on the Prairie.  Next time, I’m going in a bonnett and an apron.  Loved it and the milk is delicious.  If you’re interested, this site lists them by state.  
And finally, if you can’t be with the one you love, honey, love the one you’re with.

oh yeah, and the black bean soup recipe! but sans our own pictures since we already ate it…

black bean soup
serves 3-4
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 c chopped red onion (1 large onion)
1 can diced green chilis
2 cloves garlic
1 T cumin
1 15-oz can black beans, undrained
2 c chicken broth
cilantro, to taste
the how-to:
heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat.  
add onions, chilis, garlic, cumin.
cook till onion is tender, 5 mins.
add black beans and broth and bring to a boil.  
reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer 15 mins.
puree soup in blender (wait till it cools–i had a disaster once.)
return to pot.
season with salt, pepper, cilantro.
and here’s where i add sour cream, cheese, and chips.

really shallow and/or unimportant thoughts.

this has nothing to do with this post though i must admit that i am so pleased that i am getting way more air than the basketball, dunk-obsessed teenagers who made me super mad last night.  and if the air i speak of is mostly attributed to my bending the knees, i don’t care.  it still looks like i am jumping higher.  and i may just have jumped too early since i’m really the only one with any air… i’m not sure.

i’m not ready for oprah to be in her final season.  i’ve always wanted to get on her show and now its going to be extra hard.  dang.  AND i already missed out on australia.

glad elizabeth went back to her dark hair for the bach pad finale.  and i kind of wish tenley’s apology to crazy michelle wasn’t so sincere… michelle is cah-razy and doesn’t deserve that major of an apology–get over it.  “what goes around comes around” is not what you say when someone sincerely apologizes!

i hope the asian carp don’t make it up to the great lakes and wipe out all the other fish there because that would just be a real shame.  for real.

i’m pretty sure the teenagers were trying to kill me with their insanity yesterday.  i actually said i feel like you’re all insane and you’re trying to make me cry.  wait, don’t forget the 10-year old with his whining.  it was not a pretty afternoon/evening here at the hunt house.  yes, we have some of those sometimes.

i got dismissed from jury duty yesterday… it still took about 3 hours of my day but it’s better than a 3-day trial!

my husband seriously vacuumed out all three cars yesterday really, really well.  i love him for that.

i made black bean soup and it was good.  want the recipe?

sometimes husband and i watch the kardashians.  and i love it.

my little buddy quinn gets to leave the hospital on wednesday, less than a week after he was born… such a champ!

all done… over and out.

We went for a shower and a baby was born instead.

You probably know that my sister was pregnant.  Well, she wasn’t due for another few weeks.  So, as was planned, on Thursday my oldest sister and I got on a plane to throw her the big baby shower.  Well, as we got on the plane we called her to just say how excited we were to see her soon and she said she felt like she was going into labor.  Whatever sister, whatever.  Don’t be all the boy who cried wolf on us (but, she is a labor and delivery nurse, so she kind of does know this stuff.  Still, stop pulling our leg… you aren’t due for another month… and your shower is on Saturday… babe’s got to stay in until then.).  We landed an hour later, called my Mom to see what was up, and my Mom told us she was PUSHING.  “Dad, take us to the hospital!”  Off we went.  We arrived, all three sisters, plus one giving birth, plus Dad who drove us, plus Mom in the room as the doula, and about a half an hour later Quinn was born!  We decided he didn’t want to miss the party so he thought he’d pop out (I don’t think Kate would say “pop” is really the right expression.) a few weeks early.  He is healthy and beautiful and perfect and I love him sooooo much.  I could seriously eat him.  He smells delicious and his little mouth is like the size of a penny when he yawns.  I have no words, even though I just used a bunch to try to describe him anyway.  I have no pictures to show you yet.  My apologies.

Instead I can show you what we did while she pushed.

Oh, and I should add that there was a moment when I slowly walked in the room because Kate was talking about maybe letting me be their for the whole thing (and we had just arrived to the hospital) and every person turned and looked at me and it was dead silent in there (in between pushing) and I just slinked back out and felt basically like Michael Scott. Not one of my finer moments.  Won’t make that mistake again.

Mom came out to make the big “boy” announcement!  
And, we threw the shower anyway.  Cause we like parties.

I totally stole Paula’s totally lovely Izze idea.

Tissue pom-poms… what?  You’ve seen those before?  No!  Surely, this is the first!

While we really missed my sister at her shower (a decision she made at the last second), I’m soooooooooooooo thrilled that I got to BE AT THE HOSPITAL while the little nugget was being born.  I mean, that doesn’t happen every day.  It was a miracle, really.  And the last time my whole family was together in that hospital was for my birth.  It was so wonderful to all stand around my sister in the hospital bed and look at each other (the original six also known as my immediate family) and know that we were all there to welcome Quinn into the world.  It was pretty near perfect.
And I’m posting now because tomorrow I have jury duty.  And that, my friends, is not perfect.

the ultimate fall accessory

sadly, summer is coming to an end. on the bright side, fall is making its grand entrance. hurray!  i don’t know about you, but i adore the fall. there’s something about the sweeping willow trees, piles of crisp leaves, apple cider doughnuts, cheeks + noses red with delight and mulled cider. the list could go on and on.  i also love fall fashion. suede boots, corduroy, blazers + scarfs. oh, and tights! i adore tights. they are versatile, comfortable + can add a little pizazz to your outfit! when i lived in paris for a year, i collected more tights than the number of croissants i ate (which was a lot, let me assure you!). i loved the detail, colors + variety of tights offered in paris. below are some of my current tight crushes.

happy fall + jazz it up with tights!

xo! ♥
wishful nals

ps. bridget — thank you for having me! you’re the best!

(betsey johnson, la fee verte, caroline geys, checkered love)
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