Who Are You?

SO, I know that my blog is not the biggest & baddest of them all, hell, it is mostly a little speck out there in the great blogosphere, true fact. However, every once in awhile, I remember that blogger has a "stats" page and I take a gander at it to make myself feel kinda like a big deal. For instance: I average anywhere between 2-10 comments per post (I appreciate each and every one!), but, lately my page views have shot-up. It seems like I am getting between 30-85 per day, which might not actually be that much, but I am just ecstatic  that people actually look at this blog. 

One of my favorite things to look at is how people have come across my blog, (other than Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin', etc), and you guys Google some random shit. So, Shout-out to whoever found my blog by looking up "Donnie Darko Rabbit", "I love my bike", "Alexis Bledel bangs", and "Birthday Mommy Dearest", you are all winners and I cherish all of you! Thanks for reading!

Details

Shirt, Bracelet, & Pants-Target

Tank-Thrifted

Flats-Payless

Necklace-Gift

Bag, Sunglasses, & Earrings-Urban Outfitters

Belt-Amazon 

Eats: GF Creamy Veggie Pasta

This was one of those dishes where I had a recipe, and then I decided to improvise some ingredients. Then some more, and then ended up with something completely different. However, it was really, really, good in my own extremely humble opinion, ahem.  

Get
1 box Gluten Free penne noodles
1 package Italian vegan sausages, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups dairy free yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to instructions on the box. In a large skillet, heat up the oil and add the sausage. Add the red pepper flakes and cook until it starts to turn a little brown. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until onion softens. Add the tomatoes, feta, and yogurt and stir well. Pasta will be thick. Drain the noodles and add pasta mix & basil & serve. 

I Take A Walk

Louie is standing here in these photos thinking "Momma, we do not have time for this, why aren't we walking? I have stuff to sniff, and things to pee on." Also, take note of all of the tree carnage in the background. The city of Oak Park had JUST came by on Friday to clear out the first batch of limbs and whatnot, and then we go and put twice that amount in it's place. Can you imagine the how the city workers must feel right now? Their bosses are probably all up in their faces going "Hey! Didn't we tell you guys to get that house last week? Da fug?" and the workers are all pissed. Sad truth is: there are even more trees to get rid of. I know, I KNOW. What is all of this responsibility that came with home-ownership? I didn't sign on for this! Oh wait. 

I know my limbs did not sign up for all of the abuse I have put them through in this process either, and they are showing it. Scrapes and bruises are all over my legs from crawling on the garage roof in attempts to chop down branches, (apparently I don't know how to pants). Then to top it all off, mosquitoes have been feasting on me, and bug-bites are always sexy. 

So what do I do? Long walks. Because if I am going to beat the living hell out of my legs, I might as well add 6-9 miles of exercise to make sure they can withhold the future abuse I fully intend on putting them through. I knew there was a reason I would never be glamorous, I am too much of an asshole to my own body. 

Happy Tuesday!

Details

Dress-Thrifted

Shirt, Bracelets, & Earrings-Target

Shades, Bag, & Earrings-Urban Outfitters

Mocs-Minnetonka 

Clip-Goody 

House: The Kitchen

Finally! An actual update on our house. It has only been 2.5 years since we lived here, no biggie. As you can tell, we finished the kitchen! Woot-Woot! It used to be a nice shade of poop/vomit before I decided to paint it smurf-blue, but I think it has improved greatly since we first moved in. As you can tell, we kept with our theme of everything not matching. Most of the stuff you see here came from Ikea, was a hand-me-down, thrifted, Target, & Modcloth. 

As much as hipster-interior decorating can be really awesome, I can't do the stark-white walls guys. I am too much of a 90's kid, I grew up thinking that my future abode was going to be bright and colorful. I am pretty sure if Monica's apartment from Friends & Lorelei's house from Gilmore Girls had a baby, it would be where Sideburns & Bangs reside. Anyway, Louie likes it so that counts, correct? 

Things Are Happening

If I was sore after last weekend, I am a living corpse this morning. We had a little impromptu work BBQ after work on Friday night, which turned out to be pretty awesome. Saturday, Kyle and I cleaned the house, took Louie for a 6 mile walk, then attacked more of the weed trees in the yard with help from Dan and my brother Mark. It was hard work, and we had been going at it for about 6-7 hours.We then  burned some of the wood in our fire-pit and relaxed with some beers, which was basically perfection after the day we had. Sunday Kyle and I took Louie for a 7 mile walk, I scrubbed the kitchen & touched up the paint (finally!) and Kyle worked on the yard a bit more. Then, we walked another two miles that evening going to my parent's house for Father's day and back again. I even managed to mend one of my dresses from the never-ending pile of clothing that needs to be mended, AND, I was only seven minutes late today. 

I feel like I need a weekend for my weekend, but, I do feel good getting a bunch of stuff done that really needed to get done. Plus, not going out means we saved money (we ate mostly at home all weekend), and not having friends over, drinking until 5am means that we were able to tackle these things. Funny how that works...

Details

Dress & Vest-Thrifted

Necklace-Gift

Belt-Mackinac Island Gift Shop

Bag & Earrings-Urban Outfitters

Earrings-Target

Shades-Forever 21

Boots-Modcloth

Eats: Steak Salad w/Herbs

I have an undying love for soup, but when the weather averages 70-80 degree days, I switch to salads. In an effort to get Kyle to share my love for salads, I typically just have them as a side-dish to whatever we are eating that night. This week I decided to make the whole meal a salad, using stuff we grew in the garden as ingredients-extra win! We both liked it, that we took the rest to work for lunch the next day, even though salad is the worst leftover ever. 

Get

1 onion, sliced thinly, into rings

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil

Salt & ground pepper

1 medium eggplant, cut into wedges

2 ears of corn, husked

1 pound hanger or skirt steak

1 cup arugula (packed)

1 cup spinach (packed)

2 cups mixed herbs, such as basil, cilantro, & mint (packed)

Toss onion and vinegar in a bowl, wait 5 mins then add 1/2 cup olive oil. Season with salt & pepper and then set aside. Prep grill for medium heat, brush eggplant and corn with oil. Season with salt & pepper. Grill, turning often, until charred in spots (about 15 minutes) let cool. Cut corn from cobs. 

Meanwhile, season steak with salt &pepper and grill until medium rare, let rest, then thinly slice against the grain. Toss everything in a medium bowl, season again if desired. 

I am not a HUGE fan of steak, but this was good. I think a vegetarian option for this would be really easy, adding more veggies like carrots and peas. I may have to try that sometime. Anywho, happy eats!