Take Flight Giveaway from Sea+Sparrow

My sweet friend Holly Everett is talented in so many ways! She is a new momma, photographer, doula and calligrapher! She's hosting a giveaway on her blog from Sea + Sparrow who makes yummy smelling vegan cold pressed soaps! Here are a couple of lovely images that will make anybody want to win these!

If you were a kitty cat....

Isla is almost 2 and we're throwing a kitty cat party this weekend. I created this for everyone to find out what their cat name would be :) It will be accompanied by sticky name tags and sharpies :) 

Party pics coming soon. Meow.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

You know those recipes you have only printed out and they have stains all over them with crusty stuff from years of cooking with it? Well, this recipe is that. I found it from an email printed in 2006 from my dear friend Joy. It's an oldie but a goodie and who doesn't love stuffed squash?!

Ingredients: 
2 green acorn squash
butter
1 lbs ground turkey
1/2 cup onion diced
1/3 cup celery diced
dried sweet basil
dried thyme 
1 can cream of mushroom
beef bouillon granules or beef broth
1 garlic clove minced
salt and pepper
2 tbsp light brown sugar 
seasoned croutons

*note: I am normally SUPER against cream of anything, but for this recipe I make an exception! 

Cut squash in half lengthwise and baste with melted butter, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake cut side down at 400º for 35 min. Meanwhile, saute onions and celery with a little olive oil or butter until softened. Add garlic and turkey and saute until browned. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of bouillon granules to 8 ounces of hot water. Slowly add 2-4 ounces of the broth to the meat mixture until absorbed. If you have beef broth around, then just use a dash of that! Add cream of mushroom and brown sugar and cook until mixed throughout and thickened. Season with a dash of thyme and a generous amount of sweet basil, salt and pepper.

When squash is done in the oven, turn them over on your cookie sheet and fill with meat mixture. Crush croutons until they have a bread crumb or slightly larger size and mix with a couple of  tbsp of melted butter. Top squash and meat mixture with your breadcrumbs and bake for 20 minutes at 375º. Enjoy! 

I Heart Letterpress

I learned how to make something look letterpress today! Check it out! I made that. Thanks Pugly Pixel for the great tutorial.

Lemon Cream Fusilli Pasta

Denver

Our little family of three just returned from Denver to visit Jeremy's family. While there, I saw many beautiful things, but also encountered the tragedy of the Aurora shootings. Thankfully, even though we were in CO, the Lord didn't have us in that theater that night. I ache for the families that are affected by this awful act and pray for justice. 

All the while we were on our journey, I was peering through my iPhone camera trying to capture sweet moments to remember this time. At 14 months old, Isla is the main event when we visit Denver, given nothing but the undivided attention of her seven boy cousins, aunts, uncles and of course her Nonni and Papa. I put together a little home movie of all the video captured through my 8mm app on my iPhone. The smile these moments bring to my face when I watch it helps me to remember that in times of tragedy...

may love always win. 

If money grew on trees....

 I would purchase each one of these lovely items. But for now, I'll just continue to drool. 

no. 1/ no. 2/ no. 3/ no. 4/ no. 5/ no. 6