BREATHER

sweet friends... just wanted to let you know i am taking a breather from the blog for the next few days. nothing personal, just enjoying some down time with sp. away from computers, cellphones and social media.  

i will return with pictures, adventures and stories to share with you soon!

WINTER MORNING

while sunsets are one of my most favorite things... waking up to a crisp, cold and clear winter morning is hard to beat as well. a sunrise on such a cold morning makes the snow and ice glisten all while still perfectly quiet and peaceful. the temperatures where in the teens, so i had to pack on several layers over my sweats to get out and capture some of these pictures at the crack of dawn. the dogs were in favor of exploring in the cold with me...you can see just how cold it was by the frozen chin-hairs on bronco! 

:all photos taken by the lane.. no filter, just raw beauty:

BLUEBERRIES

fun fact about the lane: i love love love to cook. mainly because i dont like to follow recipes and and blessed with a nack to just pull things out of the pantry for a yummy meal. 
now since i dont like to follow recipes, baking is really difficult and frustrating for me. constantly having to look back at the directions, exact measurements, temperatures and which step follows the next... its exhausting. but it's hard to beat fresh baked blueberry muffins. and these were especially worth the hassle!

Blueberry Cream Muffins

- recipe from Older Mommy, Still Yummy -

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups blueberries 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and spray 12 large muffin cups or line with cupcake papers.

In large bowl whisk eggs and gradually add sugar, continue whisking until pale yellow in colour.

Continue whisking while slowly pouring in oil and then vanilla.

In a separate bowl stir together flour, salt and baking soda. 

Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture, alternating with the sour cream.

Gently fold in blueberries.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.

Bake in preheated oven for ~ 20 minutes

another delicious, easy and well worth the effort were these blueberry scones i made a few months ago!

DATE MATE

this past week, my bestie, (who has been a frequent flyer here this month!) and i decided we would take each other to valentines drinks... since both of our men were not in town for the occasion. 

and so we picked a dallas classic and never-to-dissapoint margarita drinking hole: mi cocina. you know the margarita i'm talking about.. the mambo-taxo... first it makes you do the mambo, and then you'll need a taxi to get home... thats how it got it's name!

we sat, ate, drank and laughed the night away! and decided that in the future when our men are not in town, this would be our valentines day tradition. 

we had a blast to say the least! hope you all were able to celebrate with a favorite friend, loved one and/or significant other this valentines day- or maybe you treated yourself to something very special. no matter which of the above, i hope it made you smile, feel important and loved!

here's to my bestie: you made me feel special and you have my heart forever!! 

BOLSA MERCADO

i am sure you have heard of bolsa in oak cliff. but have your heard of bolsa mercado two doors down?! it has the perfect feel of your small neighborhood market, complete with all things locally grown, harvested and made. 

for a sweet valentines day lunch i met my mom, best friend and her mom for a delectable bite complete with chocolate covered strawberries to toast to a beautiful day!

they offer daily fresh salad, sandwiches, soups, pastries and so much more! i meant to ask what kind of coffee they use, because it was out of this world!

next time your in the neighborhood, make it a point to step into this amazing treasure- you and your tastebuds will not regret it!

BOX OF LOVE

Happy Valentines Day to each and everyone of you sweet readers!
My wish is that your day be filled with all things love, sweetness and blessings!
Today's post is about how I got all of those three things into one box for the wonderful man in my life- Happy Valentines Day SP! 

not being with sp on valentines day is a little sad, but like i said here the love for others can be celebrated any day of the year! our date night will be delayed by a week. 

none the less, i wanted to ensure his valentines day is a little 'sweet'! and the way to his heart is from the kitchen. anything cooked or baked and he's a happy man. so i packed a little box of treats full of his favorite brownies and cookies!

materials: 

-i found cellophane bags like these at michaels craft store

-these cute and free! printable gift-toppers are adorable (printed on to mailing labels)

-homemade brownies and chocolate cookies (or any of your favorite sweeties!)

and you can't send a cute package like this without a cute card! 

all things glitter is ok with me. so when i came across these DIY valentines cards, i couldn't resist making my own!

materials: 

-notecard, color of your choice

-crafting glue 

-crafting, loose glitter (i used gold to match the gold pen)

A MOTHY DINNER

last week, my besties (who is getting married), husband-to-be was in town and we all decided drinks and dinner were much needed to catch up and spend time together! 

trying to find a reservation last minute in dallas is not the easiest, but thanks to 'open table' we got in on someones cancelation!

our drinking whole of choice: the meddlesome moth. drinks: great. food: amazing

it is very unlike us to not order off the menu, but when the daily specials are so amazing we couldn't resist!

heres what we devoured: a baked salmon salad, shrimp and grits, swordfish on a bed of orzo (the best thing i've ate in a really long time) and very fresh lobster, caught only a day ago- nothing short of amazing. 

we ended up going all seafood- and did not regret any of the items ordered! and as you can tell from the aftermath picture below, we 'licked' the plates trying to soak up every last taste of deliciousness....

DIY VALENTINES

spoiler alert: you may or may not be getting one of the following valentines day cards in your mail box this week!

i am not a big fan of 'celebrating' valentines day. but rather i think love and those your love should be celebrated everyday! but valentines day is a good reminder to tell the ones we love that they are special and loved!

so this year i made something simple and sweet to share the love!

DIY HEART CARDS

supplies needed:

     *red/pink card stock

     *white notecards

     *scissors 

     *glue stick

     *sewing machine 

how to:

     *cute the colored paper with desired heart sizes

     *glue the hearts to the notecards- place in a row(ish)

     *sew the harts to the card - proceed slowly as needle punctures paper 

     *cut extra string from cards

     *write a love note and stuff into envelope for snail mail or hand deliver:)