guest posting today: a step in the journey.

so i'm a little out of my blogging routine since we've been on vacay.  but today i'm guest posting for a new blog friend, laura beth, at her oh-so-lovely blog a step in the journey.  her blog is full of great recipes, crafting and diy tutorials and and posts on her faith and sweet family.  i stumbled on her site on day via pinterest and this adorable knotted headband tutorial and just love her taste, her style and most importantly her heart!

go check out her super cute site, a step in the journey, and my post on my emmy faith's shabby chic nursery!

i promise i'll post something soon. until then, my friends enjoy the sunshine and these long summer days :)

summer list.

summer in maine is the best. i mean, truly THE best. hot days topped off with cool evenings and breeze billowing through open windows. trips to the coast. ice cream trucks and take out windows. sailboats and seafood. open air markets. days spent on the lake with friends and family.

like i said: awesome.

we have some fun things planned this summer, and other things i'd like to fit in. so i decided to make a summer list--little things, big things, trips to take or memories to make. so. here goes.

1. travel to dallas!
2. introduce bella to fireflies. and try to catch some.
3. walk to jimmie's for ice cream (again).
4. have a big backyard barbeque.
5. make a tent in the living room for family movie night.
6. day trip to camden.
7. sparklers.
8. build our firepit in the backyard.
9. (along with #8) make smores.
10. picnic at cascade park.
11. sit on the hill at bar harbor and watch the boats.
12. make homemade popsicles.
13. family vacation to new hampshire--take bella to storyland and santa's village.
14. plant an "herb garden".
15. picnic at the marina.
16. pick blueberries/strawberries.
17. make freezer jam.
18. finish bella's room.
19. make pizza on the grill.
20. go antiquing (virtually impossible with children) at least once.
21. see fireworks.
22. make a fruit cobbler or pie.
23. go on a date with nick somewhere on the water.
24. buy some fresh seafood.
25. go to an outdoor market or festival. a few times.
26. make a whole meal from things bought at a roadside stand or farmer's market.
27. decorate the empty wall in my kitchen.
28. build a sandcastle.
29.  family trip to the bagel shop.
30.  make frozen banana pops.

let's see how much we can get done :)  what's on your summer list?

photo source

{this print is from my new fav etsy shop... saving up $$ to buy some prints and trying to decide which ones to buy... this one will definitely be my first purchase}

multitude monday.

395. going to the lake with friends. watching bella laugh, splash and try to keep up with the "big kids".
396. in house date nights with the mr.
397. garlic herb pizza crust from trader joe's.
398. emmy's noises.
399. nyc nail polish in "times square". and the fact that it's one ninety nine at target.
400. open windows in the evenings. cool breeze billowing through my lace curtains.
401. my time. and creating pretty things with my hands.
402. girlfriends.
403. tucking bella into bed at night. she always looks so cozy.
404. emmy in her swaddle.
405. nick's servant heart.
406. iced coffee on hot summer days.

playing dress up.

me & dresses go waaaay back. i have always loved them.  as a little girl, i was usually wearing some type of dress.  and now that i'm all grown up?  things haven't changed.  and now my little girls are usually wearing them too, especially in these hot summer-y days.  what better time to be wearing a lovely little dress than summertime?! that's what i say.  a cute sundress + a pair of flip flops is truly one of my favorite combos. ever.

since i'm not wearing my usual size in most stuff right now at 2 months post partum, i did some virtual shopping the other night and lived vicariously via my computer screen. here are a few picks of mine for some super cute summer dresses.

shabby apple

anthropologie

banana republic

modcloth

gap

jcrew

old navy

modcloth

shabby apple

anthropologie

jcrew

friday four.

ahhhh friday, how i love thee.  this week has possibly been one of the longest, most challenging weeks in my life as a mom.  bella has been not sleeping during her naptime, thrown some pretty heavy duty tantrums and has all around just been an absolute pill.  last night, nick was mowing our lawn after work.  before he was even done i stopped him.  i threw up my surrender flag: "i'm done.  i need HELP!"  we've had some lovely moments this week and some not so lovely ones.  let's see what i can document for you in this week's friday four.

nick
i would say the highlight of his week would have been swimming on wednesday, after working long hours in the hot sun. our themometer above our sink read 100 degrees. while i'm not sure it was exactly that hot, it was still pretty warm. he had texted me earlier that day asking me if i wanted to take the girls and go swimming at my aunt's house when he got home. so, we packed up the girls and all of our pool-gear and it probably lasted a total of five minutes. nick had all but dove in the pool when emmy started screaming and bella kept yelling "i don't wike it, don't wike it!!!!!" and refused to go near the water. ahhhh, so much for that plan. nick dried off, we packed up and headed back home. like i said, this would've been his highlight. the best part? the whole drive home bella kept asking him "you have fun swimming, daddy? you have fun?" hmmm. since he's not here for me to ask, i'd have to say the high of his week was hanging out with lots of family and friends. nick is such a social guy... he gets his energy off of hanging out with people and just values relationships like crazy, which i totally love. friday and saturday night we spent having dinner with friends. sunday he got to play golf, we ate lunch at the marina with my brother-in-law's family and that night our entire extended family came to our house for a cookout. it was a great day for my baby daddy. and does he deserve it or what?(the answer is YES).

meg
sunday was a day i had dreaded for months and months since my dad had passed.  but it ended up actually being a really special day.  so incredibly thankful for all of the texts and messages that friends and family sent me telling me they were praying for me and my family.  such a blessing; i certainly felt those prayers!  the highlight of my week was definitely having a girls night with some of my closest (and oldest) girlfriends wednesday evening.  i am so blessed that a few of my best friends from high school are in the area and we typically get together at least once a week for a playdate with our kiddos, and once a month for a girls night (mamas only!).  i can't even begin to say how much i love having friends who have been in my life for so long, who know me so well, and who have little ones the same ages as mine!  it refreshes my soul.  we met at a restaurant on the river, ate on the patio and chatted the night away.  i'm pretty sure we closed the place down.  love these girls so much!

bella
even though it's been a super tough week with my little miss sassafras, a really really great thing happened.  bella has had exzema ever since she was tiny.  we've always tried to control it with different lotions and creams, but this past weekend it was the worst it's ever been.  her poor little arms were so red that her skin had broken and she was bleeding.  i just couldn't take it any longer.  we made an appointment with her doctor, and after looking at my poor pumpkin's skin, she prescribed a medicine and gave us a new regiment to try.  we've been giving her baths twice a day with oil, then putting a topical steroid on all her "trouble spots" and lathering her skin with eucerin.  i noticed a huge difference just after the first day... and now, after three days of this new routine, her skin is *completely* clear.  it's seriously like a miracle!  i just kept telling her how happy i was that she was better and the other night when i was putting on her cream she said "it's so much better, mama, so much better!" like music to my ears.

emmy
my little emmy ems is just the happiest thing.  i can't get enough of her.  she is just super smiley and loves to be held and talked to.  i just want to squeeze and squeeze her.  probably the high of her week was getting wear her oh-so-stylish bathing suit for the swimming (or non swimming) debacle on wednesday.  she may have been fussy, but boy did she look cute.

add several tantrums and battling for control with our too-big-for-her-own-britches too year old and that pretty much sums up our week.  there you have it--the lovely, and the not so lovely.  but the kisses, the smiles, the coos, the snuggles and the "i love you, mama"s make it a little better :)

until next week...

a day in pictures.

 morning sweetness

bella's random collections

making masterpieces

bathtime

towel wrapped

mama squeezes

blueberry bagels & princess plates

flowers from my love

naptime swaddle

hot summer days

open windows

pretty baby

stylin shades

bathing beauties

longtime friends


creating memories.  savoring moments.  making each day count.

what's for dinner tonight {baked chicken taquitos with cilantro lime rice}.

this combo has become a new family fav. another pinterest find.

so, so good.

we are constantly missing mexican food from when we lived in texas. sure, new england thrives on all things lobster, but food south of the border? not so much. after all, we are closer to canada than we are mexico.

i saw one of my college bff's had made this meal and posted it on her facebook page. it looked super delish, and she said it was easy, so off i went to pin it for myself. wow, am i glad i did. thank you, leah.

the chicken taquitos are creamy and full of flavor, and the rice is a copycat recipe of chipotle (which we don't have here, either. i know. feel sorry for us). aaaand it's from skinnytaste.com which is pretty much one of my fav sites now when searching for recipes in light of my quest to shed some post-baby-poundage. i also made some swaps in the taquitos to make them lower in fat and calories.

and now, for the good stuff. here are the recipes:

baked chicken taquitos

* 12 corn tortillas (i've used flour too... corn have less calories; both are good)
* 1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped/shredded
* 4 oz. fat free or light cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese
* 1/4 c. fat free or light sour cream
* juice from 1/2 a lime
* 1/4 t. garlic powder, salt, cumin
* 1/8 t. chili powder, pepper

- combine all ingredients (minus the tortillas) in a medium bowl. if you're using corn tortillas, heat three tortillas at a time for about twenty seconds; this will keep your tortillas pliable and less likely to tear.
- spoon approximately 2 T. of chicken filling into each tortilla and roll tightly. secure with a toothpick.
- place taquitos on a greased cookie sheet. spray tops lightly with cooking spray.
- bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes. watch them closely; these babies crisp up fast!
{weight watchers plus points= 6 pts for 3 taquitos}

cilantro lime rice

* 1 c. long grain or basmati rice
* 2 c. water
* 1 t. salt
* 3 t. canola oil
* juice of 1/2 a lime
* 3 T. fresh cilantro, chopped

- combine rice, water, salt and 1 t. of canola oil in a medium saucepan. boil on high until water skims the top of the rice.
- reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- take rice off heat and allow it to sit for an additional 5 minutes.
- combine rice, 2 remaining t. of oil, lime juice and cilantro.
{weight watchers plus points= 5 pts for 3/4 c. rice}

you will love this combo. seriously. so good. nick said he wants this meal once a week. and look at bella:

a meal she loves just as much as us? awesome.