Chili Night

This past weekend, we opened our home to some of our dear, dear friends. We made two massive pots of the infamous Hollen's Family Chili and I'm still eating leftovers as we speak. (Which is not a problem, at all.) It was nice to be able to slow down during this season and just be with some amazing people. 

Shawn's Cutting Onions Face

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I love how food brings people together. 

We need that during this busy season of our lives. To just sit and live. There's a lot swimming through my head and heart lately: dreams for this new year that is upon us, love for those around us, and the unknown that rests somewhere right in front of us. I feel change coming. Good change. 

Lifeboat Etiquette: Record Release

This past weekend, a wonderful evening came and went. On December 3rd, we released Lifeboat Etiquette's new album at Everyday Joe's. We got to see many people we haven't had the pleasure of seeing in a very long time. We were able to play music that is dear to our hearts and share it with our little town. We were also able to sell an album that we have had our hearts tied to for a very long time. It was a very chilly night but we were very glad to share it with all of you wonderful people. 

Sam Hughes opened up the evening. He even let me sing with him.

Lifeboat Etiquette 

Beard Brothers 

 If you are interested, we do have the album available for purchase here. 

Goals for December

December is flying already and I feel the need to get my goals for the month on paper. To commit. To actually do something. First off, a quick review of November. 

Bake this bread recipe. 

Done and done. I'd like to try it again though because my oven is a pain to bake in. 

Finish one sewing project. 

Not done. No time. Sad. 

Deep clean my house. 

I'm crossing this one off....I'm very close. I just need to organize the kitchen. 

Go thrifting. 

I did and didn't buy anything. Crazy. 

Go for more walks. 

Finish reading through this and this.

Let's keep this simple. 

Watch this movie all the way through in one sitting. 

Organize the kitchen. 

Do yoga twice a week. 

Have a chili night at our house. 

Find one holiday recipe, make it. 

Those seem attainable. 

Happy December 6th, already! 

Link Love: Wednesday Edition

‎"The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why."

 Mark Twain

(Happy Birthday) 

Where I've been roaming....

1. Outfit to Home: Ryan Gosling 

2.  Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead

( I need a juicer, asap.) 

3. Boot Socks DIY 

I am all about this. 

4. Mix with Love

Good for your ears. Good for your souls. 

5. On Christmas Eve I will make this or this. Or both.  

6. Perfect Iced Coffee

Perfect for Coffee Addicts Everywhere

7. Freezer Friendly Meal Plans

Once we have kids, I'm all over this. 

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

This is my favorite time of the year. Our house feels so much warmer and welcoming. I might become that crazy lady that keeps her tree up all year. Maybe. 

Our banister. 

"Blinko"  

A Burlap Tree Skirt 

Thanksgiving

This day was full of family. Full of food. Full of love. We are very blessed. I have only two regrets. 

#1: That we didn't take any leftovers home. 

#2 That I didn't take more photographs at our second stop of the evening.  

Ryan and I made a Sweet Potato & Acorn Squash Bake. It is definitely a recipe I will use again.

My glorious meal. 

The end of the feast. 

I'm Thankful For: The Creative

I'm thankful for......

Music. Art. Photography. 

All of the amazing people that have been a part of my journey as a song-writer. 

All of the late night recording sessions and the chance to build something with someone else. 

All of the songs, the gigs, the laughs, the difficult times.

The moment when I capture an aspect of someone else's existence through the sound of a shutter. 

The glazed over eyes after editing photographs for hours upon hours. 

The back porch song writing sessions, the lyrics poured out from our hearts, and the coming together as a band of people that truly love each other. 

The simple fact that day in and day out, I have the opportunity to do something that I love, something that I couldn't possibly live without, and something that will always be knitted to my very soul. 

I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water.

Ray Charles

I'm Thankful For: Community

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I am thankful for.....

Meals shared with friends, new and old.

Nights spent on the back porch discussing life, love, and our dreams.

Being able to come to this place every Sunday and throughout the week and feel like we have finally found exactly where we are supposed to be.

The brewed beer, the baked bread, the fire pits.

The fact that we are not meant to live as islands, but are made to live in community with each other. No matter our pasts, no matter what may be ahead of us.  In these moments, we are meant to live life out together.

The community of people we have found ourselves a part of is a very wonderful thing.

I'm Thankful For: Family & My Husband

In honor of Thanksgiving week, I'd like to take a few days to really reflect on all of aspects of our little lives that I am so very thankful for. This year has been an amazing one. So many new opportunities, projects, goals met, friends made. I want to celebrate this season in all it's fullness. 

First and foremost, I am thankful for my family. My parents, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, etc.  They are there for me in so many ways and I really don't know what I would do or who I would be without them. All of those years of helping me follow my dreams, moving me half way across the country and back, and supporting my creative endeavors; I am forever grateful. They are filled with so much wisdom for life. 

I am thankful for my sister. She is the most creative, daring, and stubborn person I know. I mean all of that in the best way possible. She is an artistic force to be reckoned with and someone that, along with her man,  I know will always never be too far away, no matter where our lives take us. 

Let us not forget also the extended family that has also become mine in the last first years after I married Ryan. I seriously have been blessed with the best in-laws and brother and sister-in-law a girl could ask for. They support us so well in everything we do. Reenie also bakes the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever tasted!  

And last, but certainly not least, my husband. This man, seriously. How did I ever deserve you? I am so thankful to spend each and everyday learning our lives together. You hold my heart. 

Bedroom Inspiration

Earlier this year, we embarked upon re-doing our outdated kitchen. We had to work with a small budget, couldn't replace any appliances (someday), and did it all with our own hands and the hands of others. My lovely friends help me paint every nook and cranny. My dad built cabinet doors and I felt like I had white paint on my hands for weeks. The outcome was exactly what we wanted. 

Now my current endeavor is that of re-doing our bedroom. Truthfully, I haven't even started it yet, but I've been collecting ideas for the past few months. After Christmas, my goal is tackle this room and make it our very own. Pinterest has helped me with my decorating obsession. This is the direction I am hoping for....

I want grey and yellow to be our main color scheme. I also love the idea of throwing a little teal in there. I'm leaning towards grey walls with yellow/teal accents. I want the overall feel to be very calming but with a few splashes of color. 

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I would love to create a plush headboard as well. 

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I want to focus on more natural, warm wood pieces. 

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As I head into this new challenge, I will keep you all updated. Once again, we are on a small budget, but that challenge makes it even more fun.