new things

i have loved this blog and loved watching it ebb and flow. sometimes you need to just reboot though. find me at my new .com here on out!

thinking about pretty

(same name, same me, new platform.)

please update your links and join me on the other side!

a harpist and a garage

I've mentioned my amazing little sister in law before, but seriously. This girl is just a fountain of insane talent. Not just she makes a mean batch of chocolate chip cookies talent (yeah, she does.) but she plays the harp. Her next door neighbor is a photographer too. Are you ready for this?

Yeah, she is a harp r o c k s t a r. Playing in a empty garage for some killer photos. Believe I will be borrowing those pants.

hire Kylee Ann | hire Paige

happy fourth!

Our bright eyed and bushy tailed baby hello 5 am! got us up in plenty of time to make it to our town parade this year. We didn't dare take her last year...one month olds are not so much for fire engine sirens and whatnot. But this year! Packed up with a milk and a green smoothie, we found a darn near too-good-to-be-true parking spot and cozied up with some neighbors and their friends. Before we even sat down we got boy scouted and walked away with a Burger King coupon book. The luck! It was fantastic. And this little girl soaked up the fourth parade with every ounce of american pride she could muster.

It's not the right sign for sign language, but I taught her how to go choo-choo! like a train conductor pulling down his horn and that is pretty much good for any large vehicle right now. So firetrucks were super! exciting! and gave us lots of full face grinning and shrieks. This girl has a knack for getting straight up over the moon ecstatic about the right things. It makes me proud. She really didn't get the going and getting candy part of the parade, though. There are plenty of years ahead for a 9 am sugar rush so we didn't push it. ;)

Small town living is the way to go for us. People we know in the parade, tons of candy and free balloons! Turns out our little town has quite the party for the fourth-we had a full on fair after too! And I missed a 5k apparently? Next year, baby. There was even a candy drop. CANDY DROP! Get this. We all stood around the perimeter of the school field and a pilot in a perfectly pink crop duster flew low and dropped a ton of candy. Twice. I'm never leaving this place.

headband from freckled feather & co

We hope you're enjoying your day as much as this house is. Light a sparkler and smile-really smile! Being a US citizen is a blessing. We are so happy to be here. I'll leave you with this gem that Anna shared today:

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was one like in the United States where men were free."

Ronald Reagan

be you

Sometimes when you have amazing girls in your neighborhood, they show up at your house and one thing leads to another and you're taking some pictures. Can I just tell you how much I love and respect these ladies? They are so much farther ahead in life than I ever was at their age. You know? And for the record, it's crazy I'm saying things like 'at their age'. But here we are and life is beautiful.

We have lots of pictures to share, but I wanted to start out with their individual portraits. And the designer in my said TYPE! TYPE! ADD TYPE! So each girl also has a quality distinctly theirs. I hope when you see these women, you see bits of truth in yourself. 

Replacements for your Google Reader and Importing to Bloglovin'

With Google Reader headed out on July 1st, I thought I'd tell you all my two favorite options for replacements. Because you want to keep getting those two faces, right? And really, I have been using one of them for years over reader anyway. Insert shocked emoticon here!

Bloglovin'

This is where it's at my friends. They're already well established and who the majority of bloggers are pushing for too. Their interface is clean and similar to Google Reader so you won't feel like you're in a totally new situation either.

I'll walk you through transferring Google Reader! It's EASY.

Sign up, or sign in. Then head on over to the Bloglovin' transfer page. Just follow the prompts! It's very straightforward. And aren't you glad you get to see all my crazy tabs? This is parred down too. If you know if any 12 step programs for quitting excessive tabbing..

Ta-Da! Enjoy your new stress free reader. Be sure to add Thinking About Pretty. They have apps for iPhone and Android too! And they're great.

If you're really really against Bloglovin', there is also a new reader out called Feedly that seems promising. If you use that, let me know!

Just some oranges

I feel like so often I'm caught up in our day to day lives. A checklist, sometimes real, sometimes in my head, that I have to get through. One thing leads to another. Feed baby. Clean up breakfast. Play. do dishes. On and on. Then if I'm lucky I suddenly get hit really hard and realize the amazing things going on around me.

I was watching her eat oranges at dinner and if my heart didn't suddenly burst out of my chest. Oh! Those tiny little fingers. The careful picking of which slice to enjoy next. I can't. How did I almost miss this?

It's the strangest mixture of sadness and sheer pride when you see your child do things on their own. Picking up your own food! Goodness. After their whole existence of relying on you for their most basic needs all at once it hits you they don't need that all the time care anymore. And you're so proud. And so distinctly torn up about it.

Not that I'm not still needed, of course. I know that. Our post nap cuddles and hugs reassure me (and I'm hoping her too) that we'll always be connected, though the paths will change. We are a tiny team, her and I. Conquering our laughter filled days.

Paleo Almond Chicken

With a milk protein allergy baby, I have gone to many a Paleo recipes over the last nine months. Thankfully she's outgrown it now! Hip hip! And I am the slowest at posting this. We had it a few months ago but it's still on my mind. It's perfectly crunchy and spicy. Having a spoonful of homemade salsa helps with that too.

ingredients

2 lbs chicken breast tenderloins

3 eggs

1 cup almond meal*

2 tbs chili powder

1 tbs Italian seasoning

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

directions

preheat oven to 400 degrees. grease a 13×9″ baking pan (I used coconut oil). mix all dry ingredients in a shallow dish. beat eggs and put in another shallow dish. dip chicken in egg and then in dry ingredients. place coated chicken into baking dish and bake for 12 minutes each side.

* almond meal - pulse a cup of almonds in a food processor. be careful not to pulse excessively-you're looking for a consistency like large bread crumbs...not almond butter. ;)