I have relocated, my friends! www.thesesweetdays.com has officially become mine and I have switched up the look of the blog a bit. I’m so excited about this change. It feels fresh and clean and just in time for spring! Thankful for each one of you that keeps up with me on my little space here and I’m hopeful you will join me over at my new section of the online world.
undergoing the process of switching blog sites this week, so this one is going to look a little different and empty. excited for a change and I shall return to regularly scheduled blog planning soon!
have a great week, lovelies!
“a portrait of her every week for a year”
2.21.15
Little, we’ve had the best week being snowed in. You’ve kept the spirit of the snow alive inside by having your sled in the living room at all times. It’s been the spot to eat lunch, to lay your stuffed animals or imaginary friends down for naps, and to watch movies. I loved this moment the other day, with your legs hanging over your sled and your mismatched pjs. I’m so thankful for the quiet, imagination-filled, creative week we’ve had altogether. And I will never get enough of your love of snow.
This week. This glorious snow-filled week. It was a needed and lovely reprieve. Last week ended up being heavier than anticipated and much busier than planned so this week of being cozied up at home was quite welcome. The Lord is so kind to give those times for our weary bodies and minds.
On a completely different note, our beta fish died this week. Our little Nemo, (one guess who named him), swam his last and joined his predecessor, also named Nemo, in the depths of wherever our bathroom pipes flow. And, being the super stellar parents we are, our kid still doesn’t know he’s no longer with us. This is not because we are dreading telling her. Oh no, this is purely because we have forgotten to tell her. And because Nemo lived up on a high shelf of our bookcase, (to not fall prey to the same fate as Nemo #1 and have orange juice poured into his bowl), AK has no way of knowing that he is anywhere other than in his normal spot. So, goal number one tomorrow: remember to tell our kid her fish is dead.
Moving on now.
– a few of my favorite things –
01 || Being that it has been freezing this week, our high today was 8 degrees (!!), my clothing priorities have been comfort and warmth. This Funnelneck Sweatshirt from JCrew Factory would satisfy both those requirements.
02 || I love a good pair of distressed skinny jeans. Midrise Skinny Jean in Distressed Indigo.
03 || We’ve been doing a lot of reading this week and I treasure sharing books I loved growing up with my Little now. Since I was a little girl I have loved Miss Rumphius. It’s a lovely story with precious illustrations. I mean, she rides around the roads of her coastal town and scatters flower seeds throughout so that she may “make the world more beautiful.” What’s sweeter than that?
04 || Another one I loved, illustrated by the same lady, is Ox-Cart Man. It’s simple and pleasant.
05 || The Oscars are this Sunday. Though J and I usually crash into bed before they are over and we’ve typically only seen one or two of the movies that are up for awards, we always enjoy another reason to have a bit of a foodie celebration. A few recipes I’m planning:
Do any of you all have Oscar traditions? Any fun food or drink recipes?
Enjoy this weekend, darlings! Happy Friday!
Our winter dreams finally came true this week.
This snow week has been completely wonderful. J got to work from home on Monday, so that meant having lunch all together and extra hugs and kisses all day. We had dinner and game night with our little sis and her guy; we treasure those times with those two. We’ve read, we’ve watched movies, we’ve built forts, we’ve baked, we’ve had dance parties, we’ve had ever-constant cups of something warm in our hands. We’ve been refreshed by just being quiet, being together, being home.
These days are needed sometimes and they came at the perfect time, in the most beautiful, peaceful, pure-white way. Grateful.
chocolate. caramel. butter. brown sugar. heavy cream. okay! I made these for the first time last year and sent them to my hubby’s office. J brought home a clean plate and a satisfying report that day so I figured it was a recipe to keep close at hand.
— Carmelitas —
Ingredients
32 caramel squares, unwrapped
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats and baking soda. Pat half of the oatmeal mixture in to the bottom of an 8by8″ pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Remove pan from over and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel. Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.
This recipe is easily doubled and made in a 9by13″ pan. Also, be sure to really let them cool before cutting into them. The caramel takes a good while to cool off.
Recipe via Pinterest
Curl up with your hot beverage of choice, a blanket, and one of these delicio-so bars on a wintry evening this week and you will be in full contentment mode. Enjoy, my friends!
“a portrait of her every week for a year”
2.14.15
Little, you’ve been especially eager to help me in the kitchen this week. I’m so glad you’re still small enough to sit on the counter in our tiny kitchen. I treasure your curiosity about all things culinary; wanting to know what each tool is for, wondering about every ingredient, wanting to do exactly what I’m doing (even using a super sharp knife). You’re a sponge, soaking it all up. I love our flour-dusted, music-playing, chocolate chip-popping, kitchen days.
The weekend has come, my friends. It always does; however, some weeks you just thrill at the thought of it more than others.
It’s been a sweet week here; full of cozy time at home, normal weekly tasks, a few snowflakes falling outside, valentine packages from grandparents arriving, and two evenings spent being so heart encouraged by darling friends. Some more difficult moments have been had, as well. So thankful that His mercies are new every morning and His faithfulness is great.
What do you lovelies have planned for Valentines Day tomorrow? Our plans involve a leisurely family day, good food, and an evening spent celebrating happy news in the lives of some of our dear friends. Sweets will most definitely be making an appearance. It wouldn’t be Valentines Day without some form of chocolate. Do ya’ll have any Valentines Day traditions?
I hope that, however you spend your day, you enjoy a beautiful day with the ones you love!
– a few of my favorite things –
01 || J and I have dreamt of visiting Greece for a long time now. This winter, in particular, it has made its way into my daydreams frequently. One day, our Mediterranean dreams will come true.
02 || I came across this book, Our Q&A a Day: 3-year Journal for 2 people, at Anthropologie the other day. They are now sold out on their website, but you can find it on Amazon. I think it’d be a perfect Valentines Day gift to share with your spouse. All the memories you’d store up in a book like that would be a treasure to look back on for years to come.
03 || How I love tulips. I thrill when Trader Joes floral area explodes with the simple loveliness of tulips. They are so very spring.
04 || I adore chocolate truffles. Truly, what’s not to love? I have yet to make them, but here’s a couple of recipes I’ve stored away recently. 01 | Brazilian-Style Truffles. 02 | Chocolate Truffles. 03 | Chocolate Coffee Truffles.
05 || The leopard flats in my closet are reaching their end and I’ve been eyeing a pair of leopard loafers for sometime now. I love these Factory Addie Calf Hair Loafers from JCrew Factory. You can’t go wrong with a good pair of leopard print shoes.
06 || I’m also a fan of the simple and classy look of these Factory D’orsay Flats from JCrew Factory. It’s a nice way to change things up a bit.
Well, darlings, you all have a Happy Friday and a sweet Happy Valentines Day!
For the past few days I’d known that this wasn’t the month for a baby. I’d known I was going to start my period. The waiting every month is the hardest part for me; the waiting to discover what the answer is. I want to be hopeful, but to be honest with you, being hopeful scares me because I don’t want it to hurt even worse. I woke up feeling these emotions quite strongly two days ago. My heart ached and I battled fearing the unknown. What grace, that at that very moment, I could cast those emotions and fear at the foot of the One who loves me more than I can comprehend, and who knows, with perfect wisdom and reason, what and why the answer would be the one that it was. To be able to live in this comforting instruction, “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” I cast my anxieties, asking for His grace for what He has planned for this month. I prayed that if this wasn’t the month that He would allow me to start my period soon, even that day, and that He would fill my heart with overflowing peace to be able to rest until I knew the answer and for whatever the answer was to be. In His grace, He gave me the answer that night.
The answer was “not this month.” It’s hurting, but over the past 16 months of this journey, my confidence and absolute assurance in God’s perfect timing has grown to be more solid than ever before. He has used this, every single bit of this, to refine me. Being refined often aches and often stings, but the result brings greater goodness that we can often imagine. This past month, as we’ve struggled with the side effects of the Clomid, the Lord has continued to strip away feelings of inadequacy, fears, desires to control, or expectations we hadn’t even realized we had. This continues to be one of the greatest tools the Lord has used to work in our hearts and minds, to bring us to a greater understanding of ourselves and Himself, and to deepen our love and trust in Him to an awesome extent. The definition of awesome reads like this:
awe·some
ˈôsəm/Submit
adjective
extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear.
“the awesome power of the atomic bomb”
synonyms: breathtaking, awe-inspiring, magnificent, wonderful, amazing, stunning, staggering, imposing, stirring, impressive
Through this struggle with being able to conceive, the Lord has made known to us, in a beautiful and unique way, His breathtaking, awe-inspiring, magnificent, wonderful, amazing, stunning, staggering, imposing, stirring, and impressive character and love that He has for us. He is an awesome God; in the joy and in the pain. Though I struggle with being fearful to hope, I truly shouldn’t. My hope is set in the One who knows the best timing for us to grow our little family, the One who knows what our hearts need, and the One who has shown Himself perfectly faithful in our lives. His grace is undeserved, His sovereignty is my assurance and His wisdom is sweet hope. The hard days come and they hurt, the tears come and they sting, but the Lord is in the hard days, too, and I see His promises and His love woven throughout them in the most beautiful ways.
Thank you for journeying with us, friends. For your abundant prayers and your thoughtful encouragement. You’ve truly no idea what it means. That love of our Lord’s I was just talking about…..I see that through ya’ll.
I watched Giada make this recipe on Food Network the other day and it went right onto my menu plan. I must say, it was especially due to the béchamel sauce. Butter, flour, milk, and cheese is one of the best culinary combinations. The whole recipe was simple and delicious. J was a fan, and so was I. Success.
Broiled Halibut with Béchamel Sauce
Béchamel Sauce
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup flour
2 cups whole milk, warmed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg
Halibut
1 (750ml) bottle white wine, such as pinot grigio
2 cups water
4 (6-ounce) center-cut halibut fillets, about 1-inch thick (see Cook’s Note)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
Directions
Cook’s Note: The halibut can be substituted with 24 ounces of sole fillets. Reduce the cooking time in the wine mixture to 3 to 4 minutes.
Spray a 7 by 11-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
For the béchamel sauce: In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
For the halibut: In a large saucepan, bring the wine and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the halibut. Cover the pan and cook until the flesh is opaque, 8 to 10 minutes. Using a fish spatula, carefully remove the fish and arrange in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat a broiler. Spoon the béchamel sauce over the fish and top with the Parmesan. Dot with butter and broil until golden, 2 to 4 minutes.
*Trader Joes didn’t have halibut, so I went with some Alaskan Cod Fillets. I followed the cooks note on the recipe for the cooking time for the cod, as they were thinner fillets than the halibut.
Recipe via Food Network
Enjoy, friends!
these sweet days 