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{leftover roses from a recent shoot}
Thanks for joining me for another Nine Favorite Things post!
Hey guys! Happy Sunday! Itโs been such a crazy past few weeks over here, and today I have it as my goal to do some things that feel comforting to me, as well as to prepare for a trip back home to Cleveland later this week to say a final goodbye to my Nonnie. On Thursday night my Nonnie passed on, and while it was sad and incredibly hard to let her go, it was possibly harder to watch what she was going through (and to see the pain my mom, her siblings and my grandpa felt). We are thankful Nonnie is no longer scared or suffering and has moved on to a better place. Again, thank you to everyone for being so kind this last week, itโs so appreciated.
Life has a way of moving on and showing us blessings in the midst of despair. My aunt is a reminder of all this, she is due to have her third baby any day now. Like any day. Sheโs been having contractions since Thursday, so while one life has moved on, another will soon be brought into the world and will be loved by so many. I am personally very excited to get meet yet another cousin..okay and to hold a newborn again!
I will be heading back to Ohio later this week (I think, no dates have been set, we need that baby to arrive first! ), so today Iโll be working on some recipes for the blog. I am so grateful that my job is also something I truly enjoy as well. Thereโs nothing I love more than cooking on a Sunday, and the bonus is that I get to call it โworkโ.
Coming up this week on the blog we have a healthyโฆish take on pasta, a meal that was inspired by a request I got from my brother (hint, itโs Mexican), a late summer soup, a back to school breakfast recipe, something chocolatey, and two very exciting cookbook announcementsโฆso a fun week ahead!
As always, here are my favorites from the week. Have a great Sunday and donโt forget to checkout my weekly dinner plan (itโs #9 on my list of favorites!)
1. Feeling Foggy?ย The last few weeks I have been having the hardest time staying focused. By the end of the day my brain feels like complete mush. I was so excited to find this article on the vitamins and foods to eat for a sharp brain. Be sure to read the full article and find out the benefits of vitamins and what your brain needs to function at itโs best. I am so excited to give this energy food a try (literally just hit the purchase button).
2. Which Hogwarts House do you belong in? you guys all know I am obsessedย with Harry Potter (see this forbidden forest cake, this butterbeer hot chocolate, and these butterbeer cupcakes), so I was pretty excited to get placed in Gryffindor on this fun Buzzfeed test. For all you HP fans, go take this fun little test and tell me what house you got? ps. if you got placed Slytherin we canโt be friends anymoreโฆJKJKโฆno not really.
3. Some Fall Style Pieces: with August here the fall styles are rolling out. These are some of the pieces Iโm dying to haveโฆor may have already ordered (I mean I canโt wear my leggings and sweatshirt to the book release party!). I donโt know if you guys have noticed or not, but Iโm just a little bit addicted to clothes right now and could not be more excited for the fall fashion.
4. Want a NYC style loft bedroom? Ummm, yesss! For as long as I can remember Iโve found lofts to be so cool, and so very NYC. Loving these tips on styling a loft bedroomโฆeven if you donโt have a loft bedroom. Interior design has always been an interest of mine. Rearranging my room as a kid was my favorite weekend activity. I think my own (barn) loft could use a bit of freshening up as well.
5. New videos:
โ>ย Cheddar Cornbread Waffle BLTโฆlife changing BLT.
โ>ย Slow Cooker. BBQ. Chickenโฆmeaning, no oven, no fuss, and minimal clean up.
โ>ย Mozzarella in Carrozza (a fried mozzarella sandwich) with Blueberry Jamโฆ two words: SO GOOD.
6. Back to school lunches: the theme of this month is all things back-to-school. Focusing on kidโs foods is great and all, but some of us adults need to freshen up our back to work lunches as well and Iโm loving these healthy work lunch ideas. ps. below are my three favorite recipes for brown bag style lunches.
Mediterranean Avocado Chicken Salad
Meal Prep: Chicken Shawarma and Sweet Potato Fry Bowls
Southwest Mango, Kale, and Quinoa Chopped Salad
Shop my Cute Lunch Time Essentials Belowย
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7. Style Blogger I am loving: Something Navyโฆcheck out this blog for effortless city girl looksโฆps. her jeans and shoes are on point.
8. Kitchen Highlight: myย five favorite coffee and tea mugs right nowโฆ
โ> these simple white mugs (drink coffee out of this daily).
โ> these striped mugs.
โ> this mimira mug.
โ> this old havana mug.
โ> this mineral mug.
9.ย This Weekโs Dinners:ย
Monday:ย Vegan BLT (โฆminus that egg) with Chipotle Tahini โMayoโ
Tuesday:ย Peachy Chipotle Chicken Tortilla and Avocado Rice Salad with Fried Halloumi
Wednesday:ย Sneaky Zucchini Mac and Cheese with Everything Bagel Chip Crumbs
Thursday:ย Cajun Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp with Caramelized Corn Polenta
Friday:ย Tuscan Steak with Marinated Cherry Tomatoes
Bonus:ย Chocolate Chip Olive Oil Zucchini Banana Bread
Check out all the pastย Favoritesย postsย here.
This post was originally published on August 13, 2017
iโm so sorry about your Nonnie. it can be hard and sad but i hope that you take time to grieve and remember with your family- youโll never regret time spent with family
Thanks Meghan, time with the family was amazing. Couldnโt have asked for a better weekend!
Hi Tieghan. Soooo sorry to hear about your Nonnie. At least your Mom and Dad were able to make the trip to Ohio prior to her passing to say their good-byes.
Itโs no wonder youโre having difficulty focusing the past few days. It sounds like you have a lot going on in your world and plus this, is overwhelming. Add to itโฆ.chasing roaming goats! (trying to make you laugh here; saw on Instagram goats eating leaves on a tree, clearly not in their pen ๐ ugh!) They looked at you like, โwhat? weโre having funโ!
Try to focus on the good things like your cookbook release!! CANNOT WAIT!!!
Safe travels to Ohio and thinking of you and your family. Stay strong.
Thank you so much Penny! Yes, its been a lot to handle for the past week, but Iโm handling it!
Hey Tieghan,
Iโm so sorry about your Nonnie passing. It seems as though she continues to live on in you and your family. She sounds like an incredible person and Iโm sure you make her proud with all that you do and who you are each day.
Iโm looking forward to hearing the new news about the cookbook! Also, I took the Harry Potter test and got Ravenclaw ? (my roommate says I remind her of Luna). I just got done watching all of the HP movies with my mom and now Iโm excited for fall! ?
Also, have you seen Behrโs 2018 color of the year (in the Moment- http://m.behr.com/h5/mobile/en_US/color_trends_2018)? I really love it and feel like you might too (for the barn? And fall?)!
Safe travels to Cleveland and I hope you have a lovely time with you family (and new cousin).
Hey Kristin, thanks so much for the kind words, they really mean a lot. I am so excited for you all to finally get the cookbook & I hope you love it! What a beautiful color! I will totally take that into consideration for the barn!
Iโm so sorry about the loss of your Nonnie โ praying that you and your family have some sweet time together in Ohio and get to share lots of wonderful memories!
Thank you so much Laura! It really means a lot to me that you wish my family well & I am excited to see them all!
So sorry to hear about your grandmother, I hope your whole family and especially your mom are doing okay!
Thank you Mandy! This means a lot to all of us!
Prayers for you and your family.
Thank you Nancy
Hi Tieghan, Iโm the one out hiking yesterdayโฆjust wanted to say it was so fun to meet you!! Iโm sorry for the loss of your Nonnie, but glad to see you are looking forward to a new family arrival! We made it all the way to the top, tired but happy last night!
Hi Linda!! It was SO great and SO fun to meet you! ๐ Congrats on making it to the topโฆ.that is a serious hike! Hopefully we will meet again soon and thanks again for you kindness!
Prayers to you and your family.
Thank you Beverly!
Hi Tieghan, so sorry to hear about your Nonnie. Thinking of you and sending thoughts and prayers your way.
Thank you so much Kathy! That means more to me than you know.
So sorry for your loss. It is very hard to watch a love one suffer.
GOD BLESS!!
Thank you Charlotte!
I wish you were able to come to my town (yay, Cleveland) on more positive terms โ sending good thoughts and prayers to you and your family.
Thank you Liz, that means a lot.
I agree ๐