The past few weeks have been full of adventure + love.

1. My work schedule has been a little erratic lately, so while Drew is at work, I’m spending good, quality time with Jakey. An adorable mix of black lab and boxer, this pup epitomizes what it is to be a dog. Even down to his dummy dumb head snaggle tooth grin.

2. While out shopping for groceries, I was admiring some lovely blue hydrangeas. *sigh* Drew sneakily picked some up for me and they are currently sitting in the kitchen, where they bring a smile to my face every time I see them. I am the luckiest.

3. Chicken shit bingo. Exactly what it sounds like. You get a number. There’s a chicken in a cage, walking around on a piece of plyboard that has a bunch of numbered squares. Chicken shits. Bingo! You win. Unless you are my unlucky roommate and the chicken goes 45degrees northwest of where your square  is. Welcome to Texas.

4. Picnic with friends before CSB. Perfect weather. Perfect food. Perfect company.

5. Just cutting up some deliciously fresh veggies for my own personal chef and his fancy wok. He has become quite the stir fry master, and I love being his sous chef.  ;)

6. Bowling! Valentine’s Day socks + a black light. If you stay til they close, they might not charge you!

7. I know Valentine’s Day is overly commercialized, and you can (and should!!) express your love every day. But still, there is something special about spending time with someone special on that day. To me, at least. I handmade this little heart as part of the packaging for his handmade present! Crafty, I know. (Look familiar? Inspiration from Pinterest!)

8. We celebrated Valentine’s Day by just being with each other. Strolling around downtown by the river, on a just-chilly enough evening, trying a new restaurant and popping our heads into different bars. This photo was taken at Koriente, an incredible Asian fusion restaurant we discovered. I loved the peonies, paper cranes, and Saint Arnold’s beer. The more time I spend in this city, the more I fall in love.

—are you on instagram? follow along @brolfes—-

“don’t let today’s disappointments cast a shoadow on tomorrow’s dreams.”
-unknown

(source)

I am on a renewal journey. It is terrifying. Exhilarating. Invigorating. Inspiring. Uncomfortable.  I am constantly seeking assurance and confidence and encouragement. Words of wisdom. Positive affirmations. And I want to share them with you, so that you may be encouraged to break free of whatever’s holding you back from your full potential, your true self, from whatever is keeping you from coming alive.

First, some articles that I love (Tiny Buddha is so fantastic!):

-3 Lies To  Eliminate to Start Living Up To Your Potential
-Releasing The Urge To Push And Being Kind To Yourself Instead
-Happiness Is The Way
-What Are You Passionate About?

And now, for some visual inspiration:

//1./2./3./4./5./6./7./8./9./10.//

The “comfort zone” one is my favorite. I printed it out and framed it above my desk. I see it every day and it gently reminds me that no matter how scared or uncomfortable I am about finding something new, my life is about to begin and I will soar.

xx, b

what have you done to honor your fellow beings today?
we all walk through this life together.
reach out, take a hand, and breathe.
(and hopefully, the person whose hand you take won’t be too creeped out.)  

—–

(source)

As a kid, I remember one of my friends had a huge porcelain doll collection. So I started collecting them. Until my grandparents caught on and that’s all I started getting for every Christmas and birthday. Another friend had the ENTIRE beanie baby collection. So I got some, actually played with them, and damaged the tags. Which is a big no-no apparently. There was also Polly Pocket, Pogs, and Pokemon somewhere in there. I jumped from trend to trend a lot back then. And as a result, none of those collections were really my own.

But now, I am in real danger of becoming a crazy plate lady. I’ll say it loud and proud: I LOVE PLATES!!!!  The past few years or so, I’ve been slowly collecting all different kinds. Small, big, colorful, heart-shaped…anything that catches my attention. Admittedly, most of this impulse-plate-buying occurs at Target. Or thrift shops. But mostly Target. And I love my plate collection so dearly.  Then I had the brilliant idea of creating a plate board on Pinterest. And the addiction grew. Here are some of my favorites:
found here.

found here via katie walters.

found here (this is actually a set, but i am in love with this singular plate).

since I am obsessed with trees and everything. found here.

irregular shaped plates make my heart skip a beat. found here.

anthro never disappoints. found here.

bicycles! original source cited is  modcloth (but I can’t find on the website, so I’m guessing it’s no longer available) via carolyn williams.

chevron ikat! i die. found here. 

———–

Is there anything you like to collect? What are some trendy or unique collections you had as a child?

*if you’re a fellow pinner, make sure to follow me  for all my other plates + inspiration*

i know i haven’t done real well in the past with “challenges”, but here’s hoping! feel free to follow along on instagram @brolfes! here’s day one:

what are some of your resolutions and goals for the new year?? i’d love to hear them and get some inspiration! xxx

i wish you lots of love, laughter and light in this new year.

happy 2012!

wherever you are and whatever you celebrate,
i hope this season has been full of light, joy, happiness and health
for you and those you love.

xx, b

welcome to austin.

(see the rest of the list here.)

xx, b

I know. Trust me. Growing up in Arizona, I’ve eaten my fair share of enchiladas and  let me tell you, my mom’s are the. BEST. Chicken green chili enchiladas=my favorite comfort food (you know, before that whole vegan thing). And since I’ve started eating an animal-product-free diet, I’ve strayed far from Mexican food.

But when I saw this recipe, I knew it was time to get back on the caballo horse. Elise was right, you’re going to want to bookmark this one. I followed her recipe pretty closely, just adding about 1/2 cup of red onions and two cloves are garlic. Mmm…garlic…

This recipe was also monumental for another reason…it was my first time using my new FOOD PROCESSOR!!! *happy dance* I’ve been getting by with a blender and a Magic Bullet, which were wonderful, but it was finally time to upgrade and it was amazing.

Almost every recipe I’ve ever read that includes using a food processor warns of “over processing”. I was terrified of doing that. I’m not even sure why over processing is bad, I just know that it is wrong. So, I kept the texture of the filling pretty chunky, as you can see. But it’s fine by me because…well, what’s not to like?…chickpeas, good; mushrooms, good; bell peppers, goooooood!
I had a ton of the filling, and only 10 tortillas. Even though I packed them pretty full, I still had a bunch left over. So while the enchis were baking and making the house smell like heaven, I was dipping some chips into a bowl of that deliciousness.

The best part was that the filling can literally be made in about five minutes and is super versatile. I also loved that it (the filling, not the enchiladas) could be made raw.  Just sprout the chickpeas instead of using canned ones, follow all the other steps and voila! raw taco “meat”.  I cannot tell you how good these are. Six of them were gone within an hour. Please make them soon. And thanks again for another great recipe, Elise! Maybe I will attempt to vegan-ize my momma’s green chili enchis next (right after those cranberry orange scones).

Now please excuse me while I cuddle up in bed with my new Pottery Barn catalog + a hot toddy.

Have a great night!!!

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