the giraffe life

When it's chilly, I crave warm, cheesy dishes. And last week was particularly cold so I made some enchiladas to satisfy my desire for warmth and cheese. They hit the spot.  1° F = -17° C Usually enchiladas are tortillas filled, rolled up, covered in sauce, and baked. But after reading Bread & Wine last summer, I make mine in layers like lasagna because it's quicker. It allows you to be creative with "fillings" too . . liked sliced potatoes.  Sidenote: I borrowed my parents' simple slicer for this job. I would definitely lose a finger doing it the old fashioned way! Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas • 16 ounce can of enchilada sauce • 1/2 cup vegetable broth • 1  can black beans  • 2 potatoes, sliced thin • 6 tortillas • 1/2 medium onion, diced • 1 - 2 cups  Monterey Jack or pepper jack  cheese, shredded  Optional (I've tried all of these and they're delicious - just don't use more than 2 of them at the same time. You...

I tried on my first pair of Clarks about eight years ago and fell in love immediately. The fit and comfort can't be beat! Since then I've gone through three identical pairs of sneakers (most recent pair is on the left) and a couple pairs of dress shoes . But my current pair of sneakers had certainly seen better days so I trekked to the mall for a new pair. And was bluntly informed by the salesperson that style had been discontinued two years ago! Oh, the horror.  So began my quest for a suitable replacement. But hunting down a pair of black, slip-on sneakers was harder than I thought. The last place I tried was Nordstorm and of course, there they were! Not exactly the same look, but close enough, and more importantly, super comfy. Why am I worrying about sneakers in February? Because I'm not a huge fan of boots. I mean, I'll wear them when it's necessary (outdoors in the winter) but you won't catch me wearing boots for fun or style. And if I have to w...

Yay Groundhog Day! Groundhog Day isn't a holiday with a festive greeting like Christmas, or even a special food. It's just an excuse to discuss the weather and hope for an early spring. But it was always at least a guarantee of a coloring page or arts and crafts project at school and that makes it a good day in my book. (Maybe one day Mr. G and I will go see the official groundhog in Punxsutawney.) Today I'm at work as usual but dreaming of spring, and even better, summer! Yesterday I bought a new pair of swimsuit bottoms from Hurley , a company that was everywhere in California last year. And one step further, Mr. G and I are going to start planning our annual June anniversary trip. We're considering lots of places, but leaning toward the Caribbean or maybe Colorado? How's your Monday going?

One of my goals for 2015 was to cook six new recipes with my husband, roughly one every other month. We hosted a big family dinner last weekend (well, large for us - twelve guests) and decided to give tiramisu a whirl. I find family parties a great time for a dessert trial run - I get honest opinions and there are plenty of people to share with so I don't end up eating 86 cookies by myself. We used the recipe from  Chop, Sizzle, Wow   because it was the most straightforward one I found. There are plenty of super complicated ones that estimate it'll take you eight hours start to finish. Hmm, no thanks!  Regardless, everyone was impressed (I think they had that eight hour extravaganza in mind) and kept saying things like, "It tastes like regular tiramisu!" which made me laugh. And I have a newfound respect for restaurant presentation - this was the best I could do! Would you cook a new dish for guests? I know some people only make their tried...

2015! It feels like a good, round number for some reason. I'm excited to share my goals for this year - a couple familiar carry overs and some new ones. Financial   • Save $300 per pay - Continued from last year . And to make it easier, I'm having it automatically deducted from my paychecks.  Personal   • Attend more than 67 yoga classes - Super random number, right? Last year I attended about 67 yoga classes (can't be 100% sure because I didn't start keeping track until late July) so I just want to beat my previous record. I'm going to use this daily goal calendar  - black Xs on days I do any kind of exercise (probably a walk), purple Xs for yoga, and left blank for no exercise. This method is quick and very visual so I think it'll work for me.  from the make29 shop • Read 52 books - A book a week (or so). Aiming for 50 books pushes me to make reading a priority without pressuring me to choose short books to inflate my numbers. So I just ...

Time for one of my favorite posts - best books of the year! And just to be clear, these are my favorite books that I read in 2014,   not   books published in 2014. Links take you to the book's page on goodreads. My top 5 in no particular order: The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld -  A heartbreaking story of the Lady, a death row inmate, and a priest. E asily one of the best books I've ever read, and it will d efinitely make you think! Be warned - it contains dark subject matter. I could only read in small portions. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt - It's the story of June, who loses her Uncle Finn to AIDS, and the strange man she first notices at his funeral. But it's also the story of June and her sister Greta, the pains of growing up, and what it means to love someone. Beautiful writing and a story that will stay with you for a while. Something Real by Heather Demetrios - This one's about Bonnie™/Chloe Baker, a 17 year old who doesn...

I think the only thing better than dreaming up goals is checking them off :) Finances Put at least $2000 toward mortgage prepayment  - Yes! We actually paid $2600 by September.  Save for daycare  - Change of plans! My employer doesn't provide paid maternity leave so I figured we'd kill two birds with one stone - practice paying for daycare and use the money to pay bills while I was home with a baby. Since we now know we'll need medical intervention to have a baby, this savings account will instead be the start of our fund for that. I'm super glad we have this moolah set aside!  Personal   Finish my degree  - Probably my proudest moment of the year! I turned in my final project in April and graduated in May :) Read 50 books  - Success! 73 books in all. I'll have a post about my favorites soon. Marriage Travel at least twice  - Yes! We traveled to California to celebrate our anniversary in June and to NYC for a day in November. Learn something ...