Christmas Treasures

I'm certain that there are no worse bloggers than Emily and me. The number of posts I've planned in my head but never actually published is impossible to count at this point, and there is a draft post about why I love fall that has been sitting here since September (which replaced the draft post about fall that I started in September 2013). Maybe 2015 will be the year that I finally tell you all of the reasons that I believe fall is the best season there is, but only time will tell what kind of commitment I will actually make to this blog this year.

For now, I'm sitting bundled up in a fleece blanket and slippers on my couch listening to the wind howl and watching the snow blow outside on this chilly winter evening. Temperatures in the double digits and wind chills only in the single digits below zero are a welcome relief after the past couple of days of air temps in the negative teens, though! Brrr! A Midwest native, I never like to complain about the cold of winter, but I find myself becoming more and more resistant to the plunging temperatures each year.

Cold weather means a need for cold weather gear, though, which brings me to the topic of this post: This awesome 30-minute arm knitting infinity scarf! I love yarn projects and am trying to get better at both knitting and crocheting (on a related note: I've now moved all of my yarn and needles to a basket next to my couch in the living room instead of keeping them hidden in a drawer in hopes that I will actually start to use them more), but decided to take on this easier project as a Christmas gift for my 2 best friends from high school. The video tutorial was easy to follow, and the project goes quick, as promised (3 scarves in and I'm still not quite to half an hour, but the time flies, really).

Check out these two beautiful ladies modeling their brand new scarves (apparently the photographer - *cough-me-cough* was a little shaky):

Another fun craft project that kept me busy before Christmas was making these adorable personalized wire craft ornaments! So cute, so fun, and so easy! And a the perfect way to embellish the gifts I had wrapped for my 2 favorite girls! Check out those lovely presents wrapped under my tree:

I'm thankful that the 3 of us were able to connect while E & J were both home for Christmas. Even when many months separate our time together in person, we always pick up right where we left off, and the laughs truly never stop. Here's to 13 years of friendship and counting....! 

And to make up for the blurry shot above, here's a shot of all 3 of us (that's my co-blogger on the left, by the way):

Until next time!

Enjoy the Little Things

It's been a while. Over a year, apparently. Hard to say where the time goes. I know I waste plenty of it. I haven't forgotten this was here, though. I just wasn't sure what I really wanted to write about next.

After looking through lists of all of the recipes I've tried the past year and all of the craft projects I've attempted (some successfully!), I realized that the best way to catch up and capture the past year would be to talk about this little jar that sits quietly on an end table in my living room.

It's a combination of 2 pins, actually. First, the quote, which I'll get to later. But the project itself was year-long and something I'm glad I stuck with throughout all of 2013. This pin led me to one of the greatest ideas that has been shared with me in a long time- writing down all of the "good things" that happen throughout the year and keeping them in a jar to be looked at on New Year's Eve.

I started early- January 1, to be exact- and tried to add at least one "good thing" each week. Some weeks had more going on than others- it evened out in the end- so I ended up with 61 scraps of paper to remember 2013. 

My "good things" ranged from the little things- phone calls from friends, excitement about the weather, something that made me laugh or smile- to the bigger, more significant things- major accomplishments and recognition at work, events that made me realize my acceptance in a new group of friends, and a renewal of my faith- but it all played a part in making my 2013 the year that it was. 

Part of the reason that I'm so thankful for my jar of good things was that, in spite of 2013 being what I would have called one of the best years of my life so far, the last 3 weeks were some of the worst, after a tragic injury resulted in a sudden and significant loss in my family. 

My jar became documentation of the year (and here's where that quote that I have SO grown to love comes into play) and allowed me to see how all of the seemingly "little" things in life came together to profoundly impact my attitude and outlook on life to prepare me for what I would come to endure at the end of the year. 

I ended up in a place where all I could do was rely on my faith in God, and as I looked through the scraps of paper that documented my year, I could clearly see how He had so perfectly orchestrated the events in my life to bring me to that place of comfort and trust in Him and truly prepared me to be able to handle what was to come.

I'm in awe of the way my Creator works, and I love having my jar sitting in my living room as a reminder of the way He has moved in my life. 

I thought about starting another jar for 2014, but time got away from me the first few months of the year. I'm using a journal instead to try to better document the "little things" that make me happy this year, knowing full well that they may turn out to be the big things. Some days it's a challenge to want to write, or to make time to write, but I know it will be worth it to be able to look back. 

Let's hope it doesn't take me another year to get back here to post again- there are approximately eighteen-thousand quinoa recipes I've tried that I need to tell you about.... :)

True Love

People who know me well know that I don't usually have an answer to any question that starts with "What's your favorite...?"
I have no favorite color, no favorite song, movie, or book, no favorite restaurant, and no favorite outfit.
But I do have a favorite food- one that I'll rarely announce when asked, but one that I love nonetheless.

My one true love and the only thing I really ever call my favorite?

Peanut butter.

It's kind of an obsession, really. Spoonfuls of peanut butter soothe me, and I think the best thing in the world is the smell, taste, and texture of a freshly opened jar of peanut butter. Needless to say, anytime I find a recipe that includes peanut butter, I will always check it out.

It was a busy night in my kitchen- two peanut butter recipes plus some delicious veggies (carrots and zucchini) to go with a salmon fillet. (That's right- 3 pinned recipes in one night!!)

First, the vegetables. Not the first time I've done these, and I love how they taste every time! They're so easy to make, too. The original blogger of this recipe isn't kidding when she says this is "the best way to cook zucchini and carrots". My seasoning choice for veggies tonight was salt, pepper, and Herbes de Provence (a new addition to my spice cabinet just this weekend), and the result was delightful!

Now, for the star of tonight's post- my peanut butter treats. I'm going through a granola phase right now- I really can't get enough of the stuff, so I had to give this recipe for Peanut Butter Granola a try. I went a little too heavy on the cinnamon in my mixture, but I'm really looking forward to trying this tomorrow for breakfast with milk. It's got just the right amount of crunch and the peanut butter is, of course, to die for!

While that was toasting in the oven, I got to work on one more dose of peanut buttery goodness- something to take with me to dinner at a friend's house tomorrow night. I love all of the ingredients in these No Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites and I knew the blend of sweet and salty (plus the satisfying crunch of crushed pretzels) would make this the perfect treat for me!
I used a mix of dark and milk chocolate chips for dipping, which I think worked well. Similar to the original poster of this recipe, I quickly got frustrated with trying to dip these in the chocolate (I think I needed to let them chill in the fridge longer than I did), and ended up pouring and spreading the chocolate over the top and sides.
I'd share a picture, but they are far from attractive (pouring and spreading will do that). Even though they don't look the best, they are still delish! Can't wait to share them with my friends tomorrow night!

Definitely a delicious night in my kitchen... Now to tackle the pile of dishes in my sink...

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It’s strawberry season in the Midwest.

Strawberries hold the Emily-designated title of The Best Thing You Can Buy at the Farmers’ Market, so when they’re in season, I freak out a little bit. If you’ve never had locally grown strawberries but have lived your entire life eating those freakishly large strawberries they sell at grocery stories, I’m ordering you to go out and buy some local berries from your closest farmers’ market or pick-your-own strawberry farm right now. YOUR LIFE WILL CHANGE FOREVER.

Real strawberries are smaller, redder, softer, sweeter, and much more delicious than those store-bought things. Yes, I will occasionally weaken in the middle of winter and buy some Driscoll berries from the store, but they really can’t compare to the Real Thing.

Because of this strawberry love, I’ve been cooking all things strawberry for the past couple weeks. Some notable recipes include the strawberry-Brie grilled cheese, strawberry salad with strawberry-poppy seed dressing, and, obviously, the honey-whole-wheat strawberry shortcake. However, the meal that takes the cake is undoubtedly the strawberry basil pizza I made for dinner last night.

This delicious and fabulous invention includes four of the six most delicious foods of all time: strawberries, fresh basil, cheese, and bread, if you count the crust. (The other two are chocolate and butter. I have my priorities straight.)

This was my first time making a balsamic reduction glaze, too, and it was pretty easy and incredibly delicious as a last-minute addition to the pizza once it’s out of the oven. Seriously… YUM.

If you want a quick, easy, and unbelievably delicious meal, I would highly recommend the strawberry basil pizza. But hurry—strawberry season doesn’t last forever!

Saying Hello

Welcome to Quarterlife Chronicles- stories of our twenties told through our Pinterest boards! 

First, a little about us. We're two tree-hugging, grammar-loving twenty-somethings navigating the winding road that is life after college. Our friendship blossomed from our mutual nerdiness in middle-school, and I think it's safe to say that we haven't gotten any less nerdy with time. 

We decided to start this blog after noticing that our Pinterest boards were growing bigger and bigger, but neither of us was trying out nearly as many new things as we could! Hopefully, by sharing our stories with each other (and the world!) through this blog, we'll be encouraged to cook, craft, and create more and more!

My first pin to share is Skillet Shrimp with Orzo, Feta, and Asparagus- tonight's dinner!
I wasn't planning to have dinner at home tonight, but confusing forecasts kept me from traveling out of town to meet some friends at the last minute. I knew I had to stop at the store after work anyway, so did a quick mental inventory of what I already had to work with at home on my way there. I remembered the asparagus I bought last week and decided to go from there- of course consulting Pinterest first. When I saw this recipe on my "Recipes" board, I knew I had to give it a try, especially since it includes most of my favorite ingredients! It was a quick and easy recipe to follow- and the result was delicious (can't get enough fresh basil)! And- with plenty of leftovers in the fridge, I get to look forward to eating it again tomorrow for lunch!

Many more pins to come...!