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!!!

]]> http://tenthousandstones.com/2011/12/10/my-first-time-daily-eats-enchiladas/feed/ 4 b nom filling process enchiladas pb http://tenthousandstones.com/2011/12/02/now-and-again-it-seems-worse-than-it-is/ http://tenthousandstones.com/2011/12/02/now-and-again-it-seems-worse-than-it-is/#comments Sat, 03 Dec 2011 04:50:06 +0000 b http://tenthousandstones.com/2011/12/02/now-and-again-it-seems-worse-than-it-is/ ]]> it’s been an insane, whirlwind of a month.

toward the end of october, i got word that my transfer to austin was finalized and i would start on the 7th of november. drew and i had about two weeks to get all of our stuff together, find a place, figure out how to move our stuff there (did you know it costs $700 to rent a uhaul truck from phx to atx, not including gas on the 7mpg beast? outrageous!). so we sold a bunch of stuff, donated even more and trashed some. packed up the car and headed out. spent the first few nights in hotels. had some sketchy craigslist experiences. and hit then, we hit the jackpot (in terms of living situations).

all that to say, i will be blogging more now that we are settled. tryinf to find my balance has been hard. my body is screaming for home cooked meals. my energy is depleted. things are out of boxes but it’s still not home. work is incredibly challenging. and it’s the holiday season.

austin is beautiful. everywhere i look there are trees. plenty of things to do. amazing people. genuine. sincerity. love. intellect. places that stay open past ten o’clock. drew got a job at a bmw/triumph dealership and starts on 1st of january. we have an incredibly lovable roommate. she has two incredibly lovable dogs that we walk with and cuddle with and love. the river. the water. it’s cloudy and sunny and rainy and warm and windy. the humidity. the green. the life. the people we have met are understanding of individualism and humanity. we are settling in.

but something is still off. i feel it. was i a fool to think i could bring everything i left behind to this new place? i don’t want to lose it. i’ve never really started a new life somewhere before. there’s so much freedom and latitude and possibility. and there’s so much uncomfortable uncertainty. balance. love. growth.

one of my very dear friends sent me this today:
there is a river flowing now, very fast. it is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. they will try to hold onto the shore. they will feel they are being torn apart and suffer greatly. know that the river has a destination. the elders say that we must push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes above the water. see who is in there with you and celebrate. at this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves; for the moment we do that, our spiritual growth comes to a halt. the time of the lone wolf is over. gather yourselves. banish the word struggle from your vocabulary. all that we do must be done in a sacred way and in celebration. we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.  —hopi elder

i haven’t been writing. i haven’t been creating. i haven’t been cooking. i’ve barely been practicing yoga. i’m in a city of life and creativity, and i am losing the fight to stay above water. let me say this, today was a really tough day. bright eyes is playing, tears are streaming, i want to talk to my best friend, i want to get my hands dirty in some paint, to dance, to drink margaritas, to love deeply, to scream, take a xanax with a glass of wine and sleep today away.

tomorrow will be better. tomorrow i will celebrate with those around me. tomorrow i will push off into the river again, let go of this shore. i will allow my spiritual self to grow. i am the one i’ve been waiting for.

Here are some of my fall inspirations this year:

What are you loving about fall this year? What’s your favorite season?

xx, b

[sources:1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.]