Thankful

What would you do if you woke up and only had the things you were thankful for the day before? 

This past Sunday I visited my sister's church with her and the pastor asked that question, and it really hit me. I usually think of myself as pretty thankful person, and am usually conscious that I am fortunate in a lot of ways, but if I stop and image myself only having what I've taken time to be specifically thankful for, well, I wouldn't have much. It may be cheesy and cliche this time of year to talk about being thankful, but I do think it's an important tradition. Things get crazy, and it's easy for even good things to feel like burdens sometimes, but maybe if we stop to take the time to be thankful for them, even when they do feel heavy, it will make them feel just a little bit lighter. 

Free People Shirt // Vintage Skirt (thrifted) // Old Navy Shoes // DIY Necklace

I'm especially thankful for puppies, even when they insist on being in all of your photos. 

3 Easy Thanksgiving DIYs to do this Weekend

Pumpkin Puree

If you haven't made your own pumpkin puree from scratch before, you have to try! It's super easy, and so tasty. Don't have a food processor? No problem, I use my little ninja blender and just do it in smaller batches. The best part is how pumpkin-y your whole house smells, and also the bragging rights when you can say you made the whole pumpkin pie completely from scratch! Gotta love bragging rights.  

Autumn Leaf Coasters

Looking to spruce up your table? (Spruce! Leaves! Get it? yeah, sorry) These adorable little coasters only take a couple minutes to cut out, and they are a super adorable addition to any table.   

Simple Burlap Table Runner

Got 5 minutes? that's all it takes to put together this super easy burlap table runner!    

Refocus

F21 Sweater / Vintage Gap Denim Jacket / Nine West Boots / Free People Socks / UO Necklace / Thrifted Bag

Isn't it funny how fall has a way of making you slow down and think about things. I find myself thinking more even about silly little things, like what to wear. Summer is all about throwing on cut offs and a tank and getting to work (or fun!), but come fall I take the time to consider what I'm wearing. Will I be warm enough? Will I be happy in what I'm wearing?

In a lot of ways it feels good to refocus my brain and think a lot of things over more in-depthly. Blogging has been this faint whisper in the back of my brain most of the summer. Maybe I'll come back to it, maybe not. Then it became more distinct. A conversation I had with myself, saying it may be time. 

 

Late Summer Vegetable Galette

I'm a hardcore pie lover. I love a good flakey crust, and really love to change things up and make a savory one every once and a while, and galettes are one of my favorite ways to shake things up. If you're not already familiar, don't be intimidated, galettes are as easy as piling filling on top of a pie crust and sticking it in the oven. They're crazy simple, I promise.  

This is a nice easy dinner if you're looking for a way to use up those amazing summer veggies still sitting on your counter. The great thing about this is that you can use all sorts of veggies, so don't be afraid to experiment and change things out with whatever you have on hand. 

VEGETABLE GALETTE

Pate Brisee (pie dough)
(Adapted from Martha Stewart)

21/2 Cups of AP Flour
1 Teaspoon of Salt
1 Teaspoon of Sugar
2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter (cut into small pieces)
1/4-1/2 Cup of Ice Water

 

 

*The original recipe calls for combining ingredients in a food processor, however I use my Kitchen Aid mixer, and just make sure the butter is extra cold to compensate for a little extra time (I stick the cut up butter into my freezer for just a couple minutes before I get started).

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in bowl of elextric mixer. Add in butter pieces and beat on medium with the paddle attachment until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add in ice water slowly, with mixer on, until dough just holds together, but isn't wet or sticky.

Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten into disks, plastic wrap, and chill for at least an hour.

The Filling

1 2/2 Tbsp Butter
1/3 Onion, chopped
2 Cloves of Minced Garlic
1/2 Bunch of Asparagus, chopped into small pieces
1 1/2 Cups of Summer Squash, cut up
1 Tomato, cut into large slices
Olive Oil
Egg Wash
Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sauté onion in butter until tender. Add in asparagus, squash, and garlic, and sauté until veggies are slightly tender. Remove, and allow to cool. 

Roll out chilled dough into rough circles and place on greased baking sheet. Cover the middle area of the dough with onions, then layer with asparagus, squash, and finally a large slice or two of tomato. drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Fold up edges of pie crust and pinch together so they hold their shape. Brush with a little egg wash (egg lightly beat with a little bit of milk), and bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown, and vegetables are soft. Remove, and top with a little parmesan. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving

Three ways to Disconnect

These last few years I feel like I’ve seen a lot of people on two sides of the work force, those that put their head down and work till they’re sore, and those that do just enough to get by in their jobs. On that rare occasion you can find those magical people who manage this amazing work-life balance where they work hard, but can also truly enjoy their non-work life. I’ve always been an intense worker. Staying late, taking on extra projects, and checking my emails obsessively even on my downtime.

This May I took a whole new job, something totally different than what I’ve done so far in my life, with a company that is still growing, which means things are changing almost hourly. It’s been challenging, and about a month ago I’ve realized that I need to learn that whole work-life balance thing. I’ve bought into the idea that you’re only a good worker if you’re obsessing 24/7 about your job, but I’ve realized that all that really does is burn you out to the point where you just want to walk out the door. You can’t be a good worker if you’re ready to quit at any moment, so it’s better to take some time for yourself so you can focus on your work when you’re there. 

This past month has been a huge learning lesson in how to disconnect and enjoy my off-time. Here’s a few things I’ve learned, for anyone else finding themselves in the same boat.

IGNORE THOSE EMAILS

yep. I know, it feels impossible, and maybe you even feel guilty too. Start with just nights. Check everything before you leave work, and then promise yourself you’re going to ignore it until the next morning. Remind yourself that it’s only a few hours, and theres nothing dire that’s going to happen over the period of just a few hours. If you’re feeling guilty about it, or worried that your boss might wonder why you’re not responding to them in 5 minutes, just talk it over with them. I’m lucky to have an awesome boss who is really supportive of me finding a good balance. She knows that if there’s anything that does need to be responded to ASAP that she can text me. Now I know that I can ignore that quickly filling up inbox and not feel super guilty.

MAKE PLANS, OR START A NEW HOBBY

It’s a lot easier to disconnect when you’re hanging out with friends, or just plain doing something. Maybe if you’re like me, you’ve let yourself get too involved in work for a while and now it feels like you don’t even know what to do with your free time. Start a new hobby or pick up an old one. My weekends these days consist of working on the house (which I’ve desperately been needing to do anyway), and finally getting back to blogging. I’m also making more time to read, and can’t wait to get back into sewing this fall. Keeping yourself busy really helps in those first few weekends you’re trying to learn to find a balance and not obsessively check your phone for work. 

SCHEDULE SPECIFIC “WORK TIME”

I know, I know, we’re supposed to be disconnecting, but sometimes it’s hard! Especially at first. That’s okay, but make sure when you do decide to work on “off time” that you’re being thoughtful and deliberate. Schedule when you’re going to do a little work, and give yourself a specific amount of time to do it. Set an alarm, and make yourself stick to it. Doing this can also help you put all those crazy work thoughts out of your brain once the timer goes off, and only focus on things that are truly important enough to disturb your “you” time. 

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