Foodie Love - Cucumber Tomato Salad >>>

 Its been a while since Ive posted a food post!  Food is something that is very up and down for me.  I have a love hate relationship with it.  Im a sucker for things like chocolate chip cookies, and also for being a procrastinator and waiting until I need something quick quick!  So on days where my head is very much into my work, which is most days, I tend to not eat so great.  Ill just grab some seaweed chips and artichoke dip and have that for lunch.  May not sound all that bad, but its definitely not a very balanced diet when I do that.  But, when Im on a good train track with food, I love it.  I enjoy preparing food for the most part, I just never allot myself enough time to do so.  The other day we had a family get together at my Nanna's and my aunt brought the simplest cucumber tomato salad and I fell in love with it.  It was so easy to make, took just a few minutes and I had enough to eat for 3 days! 

 Ingredients: cucumber, cherry tomatoes, green onions and italian vinagrette. 

The second day I had it with guacamole and sesame & seaweed chips.  

The other day I also made the prettiest colored shake I just had to photograph it.  And I had to drink it in this purple cup b/c of the color!  Do you ever choose your cups or plates b/c of the color against your food?  I do, almost always.  Im a nut.

 I dont remember what was in this shake, or I would list it for you...

BTW - I redid the blog a bit!  New banner, and a few new things on the sidebars.  xo.

PEACE,
Laura

Parachute Promise Lookbook Sneak Peak >>>

Here is a sneak peak of a lookbook collaboration Im doing with Parachute Promise.  Im so very excited to work on this with her!  Ill show the full lookbook once its complete on here.  Parachute Promise just recently added a whole new line called The Eighty-2nd to their wares and this is what Ill be featuring.  I love the idea behind this company, if your not familiar with them, head over to their site to read more!  They are also having a 20% off sale the whole month of April if you enter the code 'MOM2012' at checkout. 


PEACE,
Laura

Threads - Orange Blossoms >>>

Im excited to say that my hubby will be helping me out with many of my outfit posts from now on!  When we were dating we used to do this alot, but over the last few years its dwindled down to just about never.  It will take some getting used to, Im not as comfortable in front of the camera if there is an actual person behind the lens, ha ha, Im so used to just me and my self timer.  So hopefully over time, Ill be more relaxed in front of the camera, and James will be more relaxed behind the camera.  Well ease into it together.  Its something Ive been wanting to do for a long long time, but weve just never quite made it happen.  So, when we go on our daily post office runs, well find fun places around bandera to shoot our photos.  I of course picked my absolute favorite place for the first ones, and Im sure youll be seeing this spot alot.  I just utterly adore these walls. 
This was kind of a very casual/ sort of nice outfit.  I love how one pretty flowy top can transform a jeans and tanktop outfit. 

Outfit details: 
 earrings - roots and feathers
necklace - nanoutriko
top + tank - forever 21
jeans - ae
sandals - blowfish shoes

PEACE,
Laura

Camfire Song - Words from my Heart >>>

Yesterday was full of a chain of events that struck my soul.  First the music I was listening to, then an amazing conversation with a friend with loud and clear messages coming from my mother, to reading another friends blog post.  I went outside by our campfire and wrote my heart's campfire song for the day.  Not really a song, more just thoughts... But here is what I wrote:

"Although no fire burns inside this firepit, just being in this sacred space ignites my soul.  Today I was reminded of some things by some amazing soul sisters of mine.  That its time to take these broken bones and ghosts I carry with me to the grave.  Even my new Rocky cd I listened to about 10 times today spoke of taking our mistakes and old wounds to its own funeral.  Its time to gently place these fears and hurts I carry around on my shoulders every waking day, deep underneath the ground - then fiercy and intentionally walk away.  Or like my mom once said about being buried - let them push up flowers from the ground.  When we asked my mom if she wanted to buried or cremated she said buried, so that she could push up flowers from the ground.  

I think Ive even allowed my sadness to get in the way of really hearing my parents voices.  Knowing that their souls are still here with me to be called upon at anytime.  After so long of not seeing them, hearing them, huggin them, its easy to forget that.  And then out of the blue, an earth angel sends me a reminder.  Im so grateful for the few soul sisters Ive received in my life in the past year.  I know in my heart they are all a gift from my mom.  Even though Ive never tangibly seen, touched or even spoken to them - their souls speak volumes to me through mere words online.  Just by reading my dear friend Rain's words today, I was inspired to stop working for a moment and come outside to write.  Now Ive spoken things in my heart, felt the sun on my back, listened to birds singing to each other, felt a warm breeze across my skin, smelled the earth... A big ahhhhhh, and a feeling of gratitude"
_______________________________________
Before this, earlier in the day, I had an intensely magical conversation with my friend Julie, who felt some messages from my mom to me... without going into alot of detail, it was about work, focus, perserverence, happiness in life, and having the courage to pull through with somethings I have felt too weak to do on my own.  And when I went out to write in my journal that afternoon, the page I opened up to were words I had written last year...
Ironic?  I think not.  A gentle reminder to myself, from myself.  Amazing.  Then reading Rain's words on her blog...
"but may our tremblings, beloved, 
become the raw rhythms of our sojourn; 
may our fearful quakings thrust us into movement, 
and may those first, halting, 
barely-there-slow-motions 
ignite energy for our feet, 
for our life-dance, 
for our story.
let us take old, painful memories,
those hurtful moments 
which wrap us like a shroud, 
 tight, immovable, bound
and cast them into a great fire ~
and with this flame we will light our way.
let us awaken! let us say yes! to life ...
not merely to living, 
but to becoming alive."

After listeing to Rocky Votolato's Ghost Writer lyrics all morning:
"bury the dead past disappointment in the cemetery of mistakes,
you cant forget just let the pressure turn your charcoal heart into a diamond reflecting the light,
dont let it get crushed into dust"

I would say I had a day of moment's, in between all of the hard work I did yesterday.  It was definitely quite a full day, and I got soooo much accomplished.  Same with today.  Sooo... I just want to say thank you to the universe for these little moments of clarity.  Ask and you shall receive, as my mom always told me.

PEACE,
Laura