goals + recipes for the week of 2/22

Posted on February 23, 2015 by dallaswoodburn

Hi there, friends! What did you think of the Oscars? I really need to get out to the movies more because out of all the Oscar nominees for Best Film, I had only seen one. I really want to see Boyhood, Selma, The Theory of Everything, and Birdman!

We went over to my Aunt Annie and Uncle Arn’s house to watch the Oscars and eat a delicious homemade pasta dinner. I need to get the recipe for my Uncle Arn’s tomato sauce so I can share it with you guys! He is Italian and makes a darn good pasta sauce.

I’ve been missing Celine a lot today. Trying to be gentle with myself. The grief ebbs and flows. I was talking with my brother earlier, trying to analyze my feelings — how maybe it’s starting to feel real that she’s truly gone; maybe I’m coming out of my denial of her death; maybe my sadness felt overwhelming because of all the beautiful gowns at the Oscars, my dear Celine who loved fashion so much.

Greg just listened, and then he said, “Or maybe you’re just missing your friend.”

Yeah. I think that’s it. I’m just missing my friend. A lot.

Here’s how I did on my goals from last week:
– ~~send out queries to agents~~
– ~~compile tutoring worksheets through end of Feb.~~
– finish editing manuscript for a friend
– ~~begin process to renew passport~~
– ~~connect with two friends~~
– ~~finish reading A Few Thousand Words about Love~~

Here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 10 pages
– finish editing manuscript for a friend
– mail in passport application
– connect with two friends
– finish reading The Autograph Man

And here are some recipes I’m drooling over this week:
– southwestern kale power salad via Cookie + Kate
– white chickpea chili via Two Peas and Their Pod
– flourless almond butter chocolate chip cookies via Two Peas and Their Pod
– easy chocolate raspberry energy bites via PB Fingers
– banana cake with cinnamon glaze via The Pajama Chef
– my own strawberry coconut chocolate-chip cookies

Questions of the day:

What are your goals for this upcoming week?
What recipes are you drooling over this week?

This post is featured on Menu Plan Monday!

what I wore to amanda’s rehearsal dinner

Posted on August 9, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Friday, everyone! I have a short post for you today, one that I meant to share a long time ago but it somehow got lost in the shuffle. As we’re nearing the end of summer wedding season, I thought it might still be applicable!

As you might remember, my dear cousin Amanda got married back in June. I was unsure what to wear to the rehearsal dinner, and ended up going with a classic long dress, a simple sweater, and flats. I got this dress on sale at Macy’s — now is the perfect time to score great sales on end-of-season summer dresses! Dresses like this can easily be adapted to autumn or winter weddings if you just add some tights and a heavier sweater/coat!

Have you been to any weddings this summer? What did you wear to the rehearsal dinner?

what i wore on christmas

Posted on December 26, 2012 by dallaswoodburn

Wow, Christmas seemed to fly by especially fast this year! It was a whirlwind! Writing camp, dinner with friends, my brother’s birthday, coffee with my good friend Erica, my cousin’s bridal shower, Christmas Eve with our extended family, Christmas Day with more family … and now we’re leaving for a road trip up to the Bay Area to see my extended family on my mom’s side. I haven’t seen my grandparents since my brother’s graduation this past summer, and rest of my aunts, uncles, and cousins since last Christmas, and I can’t wait to hug them all and catch up on everything!

So I might be a little MIA the next few days … but I’ll try to get some recipes from my grandma, who is an AMAZING cook, to share with you on here! 🙂

I think my favorite part about Christmas is the big breakfast we cook in my family. We are not usually big breakfast eaters, so it always feels like a treat!

This year my mom took care of the turkey bacon and scrambled eggs while I manned the waffle iron and the boys set the table.

YUM!

Today I’m linking up with Camp Patton to share “What I wore on Christmas” …

I am loving this polka-dot scarf my friend Erica gave me for Christmas {I think she got it from Target} so I decided to make it the centerpiece of my outfit! I paired it with a simple green top, white undershirt, dark skinnies, and my fave brown boots!

I only just managed to get these pictures taken before a certain someone wanted in on the photo fun:

… then at the last minute he decided to be camera-shy and not show his adorable doggy face. Oh, Murray!

I hope your Christmas was filled with love, joy, laughter, family and good food!

Thanks for taking the time to visit this blog … it means so much to me!

With love,
Dallas

what I wore to see “the nutcracker”

Posted on December 10, 2012 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Monday, everyone! It is a marvelous Monday for me because I am back home soaking up time with my family! When I am with them, I just feel so joyful and comforted. I love my family!

Yesterday afternoon my mom, Mike and I went to see a local ballet production of “The Nutcracker.” It is a tradition for my mom and me to see it together every year, and it was really nice to have Mike come along this year!

The weather in Ventura has been beautiful and sunny — a welcome relief from the cold weather in Indiana — so I decided to take advantage of this and wear a skirt, tights, a short-sleeved blouse and light sweater.

{The artwork in the background of this picture is a self-portrait done by my talented brother! Isn’t it great?}

You can’t quite see my shoes in this picture, but they are the same ones I wore to Thanksgiving dinner.

The ballet was terrific as always. Such a talented group of dancers! They amaze me with their poise and grace. And I love the music! It really gets me into the holiday spirit.

Afterwards, we came home and I made healthy turkey enchiladas for dinner. My Gramps joined us, and it was so wonderful to see him!

Hope your week is off to a lovely start! What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?

xoxo,
Dallas

what I wore to thanksgiving dinner

Posted on November 23, 2012 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Black Friday, everyone! Did you go out last night to score crazy deals? Are you shopping online right now in your PJs? Mike & I braved Walmart for a Christmas present for a special someone I can’t disclose for obvious reasons, but I will just say we got a good deal! It was my first time going to the stores on Black Friday and it was actually a lot of fun. We brought books and just read and chatted and people-watched for a few hours waiting in line. Luckily the store was open, so we were waiting in line in the warmth of the store. I’ve heard horror stories about people going crazy on Black Friday and trampling each other, but the people we were waiting in line with were all very nice and considerate. There was a fun holiday atmosphere and I actually had a lot more fun than I expected to!

Today I’m participating in the “What I Wore to Thanksgiving” link-up over at Camp Patton.

I wore my go-to autumn skirt {you might recognize it from my first day of school outfit this year} paired with a silky pink blouse I got a couple years ago when I won the “Best of You” award from Glamour magazine and was given a photo shoot. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life — I felt like a princess! I’ll have to do a whole post on it sometime.

Glamour photo shoot

In real life I never wear much make-up, so this photo feels like an alternate-reality version of myself! Whenever I wear this shirt, I think of that weekend and get a jolt of confidence. It’s the perfect shirt to wear when I have first days of school jitters, a big interview, or yesterday when I was meeting some of Mike’s relatives for the first time! They were all very sweet and welcoming to me. I guess the shirt’s magic worked! 🙂

I finished the outfit with a red belt, grey tights, a black cardigan, and black-and-gray flats.

I’m currently in my pajamas {yes, it’s past noon in Chicago} and I don’t expect that to change anytime soon! Hope you are also enjoying some post-Thanksgiving lazy Friday-ness.

Till soon!
-Dallas

Day-By-Day Masterpiece

Tag Archives: fashion