goals + recipes for the week of 8/10

Posted on August 10, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Hi there, friends! Hope you’re having a wonderful Sunday! I’m soaking up time with my parents & Mr. Mur-dog before heading back up to the Bay tonight. Tomorrow I start another week of teaching writing & public speaking camp for Communication Academy. I love the kids and am gearing up for an energetic week!

Before I head out, it’s goals time…

Here’s how I did on my simple goals from a couple weeks ago:
– ~~submit new play to contest~~
– ~~teach a successful week of camp for Communication Academy~~
– ~~finish reading Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro~~

Here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– revise 25 pages of my novel-in-progress
– teach a successful week of camp
– connect with three friends
– finish reading Invisibility by Andrea Cremer & David Levithan
– drop off donation to Goodwill

And here are some recipes I’m drooling over this week:
– charity’s bruschetta via sweet summer smiles
– easy summer pasta salad & no-bake peanut butter chocolate pretzel cookies via Two Peas & Their Pod
– peanut butter coconut banana muffins via It’s Progression
– best ever homemade pizza via The Pajama Chef
– my own cilantro-lime quinoa with chicken

Questions of the day:

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

This post is featured on Menu Plan Monday!

mid-week meditation #7

Posted on July 23, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Wednesday, friends! Hope your week is going great. I’m enjoying my final few days at home in Ventura before heading back up to the Bay Area to teach another week-long class for Communication Academy. Summer is flying by!

Here’s a meditation for you today — I discovered the quote thanks to one of my favorite writing/creativity bloggers, Alexandra Franzen. Hope you enjoy!

Questions of the morning:

What are your grand essentials to happiness?
What are you doing, loving, and hoping for?

fabulous friday #24

Posted on June 6, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Hi from Ventura, and happy Friday!

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

1. Time with my fam! I head back up north tomorrow morning and am soaking up every last minute of time with my sweet family before I go. ❤

2. My parents got tickets for us all to see a play last night at the local Rubicon Theater as one of my birthday gifts. Called “Collected Stories” it was a play about two writers, and delved into conflicts of storytelling and questions about who has the right to tell whose story. Very thought-provoking! I was left wanting a little more at the ending, but it was still a very enjoyable night and I’m so glad my parents got tickets for us all to see it together!

3. Erica stopped by after work, and it was wonderful to see her for a quick visit! She also brought these delicious homemade cinnamon muffins and strawberry vanilla jam — I’m going to try to get the recipe from her so I can share it with y’all. YUM!

4. I made turkey chili and Gramps came over for dinner. Greg and I are headed out to lunch with him soon at our favorite fish and chips place at the Harbor. Always try to squeeze in lots of Gramps time whenever we are home!

5. Dad got me sunflowers! He spoils me. 🙂 He was waiting for me with these beauties at the airport, which was made even more thoughtful and sweet because my flight was nearly two hours late and didn’t get in until 11:30 at night — he was the only one waiting at baggage claim! I love you so much, Dad!

Bonus: This cutie sleeping beside my bed. I love Mr. Mur-dog.

Questions of the day:

What are you loving right now?
What do you have planned for this weekend?

wedding weekend recap

Posted on May 13, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Tuesday, friends! It is glorious, warm, sunny weather here in the Bay and I am soaking it up! I love reading outside in the sunshine under the trees. Currently I’m in the middle of the epic historical drama Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. What books are you reading and loving right now?

As promised, here are some pictures from my whirlwind weekend at home for my cousin Julie’s wedding!

On Saturday morning, Allyn and I met up with Erica and her boyfriend Kyle for brunch, where we feasted on amazing food {my raspberry + white chocolate pancakes were to die for} and enjoyed over two hours of laugh-filled conversation. It always fills my heart to see this girl!

Then on Saturday afternoon we headed to the Mandalay Beach Resort for Julie and Chris’s wedding ceremony on the beach! It was a beautiful day, and thankfully the wind died down during the ceremony… the atmosphere was peaceful and calm. Julie looked absolutely breathtaking as she walked down the aisle, and my eyes filled with tears when I saw the way Chris looked at her. It was a lovely ceremony!

As soon as the ceremony ended, the wind kicked up, as you can see below! I love this family photo though because we are all laughing.

I made sure to hold my dress down in all the pictures, feeling a bit like Marilyn Monroe!

After the ceremony, there was an outdoor cocktail hour and I took the opportunity to snap some photos in between noshing on bacon-wrapped scallops, ahi tuna wontons, cheese and crackers, and sipping on a Shirley Temple! {It’s been years since I’ve had a Shirley Temple, and it was calling to me!}

I love this photo of my parents:

This is classic my dad — putting bunny ears on Gramps! Haha.

So happy to get to spend time with my handsome brother:

When cocktail hour wound down, we all headed into the hotel ballroom for the reception. The food was delicious: Mom, Allyn and I opted for the filet mignon, garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus, and Dad and Greg had salmon with a blackberry glaze and wild rice and green beans. YUM! After heartfelt toasts to the bride and groom, we had a blast dancing the night away. My family is so much fun on the dance floor, making up goofy moves. My mom especially is a dancing fool at weddings … it’s a side of her I don’t otherwise see except at wedding receptions, and I absolutely love it! She is the cutest.

Before the night was over, we made sure to snap some more pictures. I love this one of me and Gramps:

And this one with my sweetheart, who was so wonderful meeting my big crazy family:

Woodburn family photo, take 2:

And of course the night wouldn’t be complete without a silly photo bomb from Pops! Haha, I love this one:

The weekend went by much too quickly, but it was jam-packed with fun! What a blessing to have so many of the people I love together in the same place.

Congrats Julie + Chris! We love you and are so happy and excited for your new life together as husband and wife! ❤

Questions of the day:

What was the last wedding you went to?
What is your favorite thing about going to a wedding?

happy mother’s day!!! + goals for the week of 5/11

Posted on May 11, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! I feel so lucky that I get to spend part of today at home with my amazing mama. She is one of the sweetest, most kindhearted people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing, and getting to grow up {and, let’s be honest, I’m still learning and growing!} with her as my mom and role model feels like winning the lottery. I love you, Mom!

I hope that you are getting to do something extra-special to celebrate the mothers in your life today! We are making brunch for my mom: nothing fancy, just toast, bacon, fruit salad, and her favorite scrambled eggs with veggies + potatoes. {But if you’re looking for fancy, scroll down to the end of this post for some drool-worthy brunch recipes!} Here is a post I wrote a couple years ago about trying to do little things to celebrate Mother’s Day every day.

It has truly been a fantastic weekend at home with my family and friends, celebrating my cousin Julie’s wedding! Recap post coming soon, stay tuned. 🙂

In the meantime… it’s time for goals!

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– ~~write eight pages~~
– ~~send out three query letters/submissions~~
– finish midterm evals of students
– ~~finish reading The Kitchen God’s Wife~~
– ~~go to one yoga class~~
– ~~have an amazing time celebrating Julie + Chris’s wedding!~~

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write ten pages
– send out three query letters/submissions
– finish midterm evals of students
– read up to page 400 in Wolf Hall
– go to two yoga classes
– connect with two friends

And here are some fantastic brunch recipes:
– cornmeal waffles with blackberry compote via Two Peas & Their Pod
– raspberry almond scones via Two Peas & Their Pod
– blueberry multigrain french toast bake via The Pajama Chef
– healthy vegan banana bread via the real-life rd
– sweet potato muffins via Peanut Butter Fingers
– snickerdoodle bread via Chew Out Loud
– my own french toast bake based on The Pioneer Woman’s recipe {I need to make this again sometime! it was ridiculously good!}

Questions of the day:

How are you celebrating Mother’s Day?
What are your goals for this upcoming week?
What recipes are you drooling over lately?

This post is featured on Menu Plan Monday!

fabulous friday #21

Posted on May 9, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Hi, friends! Happy TGIF! Hope you’re up to something fun this weekend!

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

1. Being home with this cutie. Mr. Mur-dog, how I missed you!

2. And, of course, I’m loving being home with the rest of my family! My parents and brother are three of my very favorite people in the universe, and anytime we all get to be together feels like SUCH a gift. I am treasuring every moment!

3. Allyn is in town visiting too! He’s coming as my date to my cousin Julie’s wedding tomorrow. I’m excited to show him around my hometown, and we’re meeting up with Erica and her bf Kyle for brunch tomorrow. Can’t wait!

4. Going out to eat at my favorite Ventura restaurants. Nom nom!

5. Julie’s wedding! Her bachelorette party last night was a blast and I felt honored to be included. I love my cousins dearly; we grew up together and went all through school together, and they are practically like sisters to me. Now that we are grown and scattered across the country, it’s a rare treat for us all to be together. Julie had a wonderful, relaxing bachelorette slumber party hosted by her sister Amanda — lots of talking, laughing, and catching up over CPK pizza and homemade cupcakes! Julie is a beautiful person inside and out and I know she is going to be an absolutely stunning bride tomorrow.

On the dance floor at Amanda’s wedding this past summer…

Questions of the morning:

What are you loving right now?
What are your plans for this weekend?
What was the last wedding you attended?

goals + cookie recipes for the week of 12/15

Posted on December 15, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Sunday! I can’t believe it’s the beginning of another week … and that Christmas is only ten days away! I hope that your holiday season has an abundance of joy and laughter, and a minimum of stress.

I’m back home with my family for the holidays and it is soooo nice! On Friday night I went with my mom to her office holiday party, and we had a blast. They set up a “casino night” and we spent a large chunk of the evening playing black jack. It was my first time playing black jack, but luckily the dealer was very sweet and gave me hints about what I should do. {Apparently that doesn’t happen in Vegas! Haha.}

I’ve been busy preparing for my cousin Julie’s bridal shower next weekend. Longtime blog readers might be experiencing deja vu: last Christmas I threw a bridal shower for Julie’s sister, my cousin Amanda. That party turned out beautifully and a lot of fun was had by all. This year, it’s Julie’s turn!

The rest of the weekend has been spent running errands, wrapping presents, baking, decorating the house for Christmas, watching made-for-TV holiday movies, and goofing around with Mr. Murdog.

Hope you’re having a productive and/or relaxing weekend! Now, on to goals …

Here’s how I did on my goals for the week of 12/1:
– ~~write 15 pages of new material~~
– ~~prepare for Steinbeck Center reading on Wedsnesday~~
– ~~exercise at least twice~~
– ~~finish reading Girls in White Dresses~~ {this book is aaaamazing!}
– order holiday cards
– ~~publicize Winter Writing Camp~~
– ~~connect with two friends~~

Here are my goals for the week of 12/15:
– write 10 pages of new material
– take cookies & cards to the nursing home
– exercise at least twice
– finish reading The Tea Rose
– order holiday cards
– teach a fantastic Winter Writing Camp
– throw a wonderful bridal shower for my cousin Julie
– connect with two friends

And here are some of my favorite holiday treat recipes!
– aunt elaine’s peanut butter blossoms
– mom’s classic chocolate chip cookies
– eggnog cookies w/buttercream frosting
– gluten-free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
– gramps’ favorite lemon bars
– reeses pb cup brownies
– chocolate-covered popcorn
– white chocolate pretzels

Questions for the day:

What are you thankful for this holiday season
What are your favorite holiday cookie recipes?
What are your goals for this upcoming week?

year of kindness challenge: week 46

Posted on November 20, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Hi, friends! It is a cozy rainy day up here in northern California. I’m a little behind on the week, still catching up from my whirlwind weekend at home. Today feels so much like Monday to me! I’m hoping to have a productive afternoon “tcb-ing” as my brother says {an acronym he uses for “taking care of business!”} Tomorrow morning, I’ll be heading out again … I’m going to Mexico for a week with my mom’s side of the family to celebrate an early Thanksgiving! We are all super excited.

Last week’s kindness challenge, in honor of Veteran’s Day, was to do something kind for a veteran to show them how much they are appreciated. I’m planning to visit a veteran’s home in the future, but since it was a busy week at home I didn’t have time. Instead, I spent time with my Gramps and thanked some veterans in my church congregation at home.

The Week 46 Kindness Challenge is to reach out to someone who is going through a tough time and just listen. Just be there for them. Often my first impulse is to try to “fix” things, but when we’re sad sometimes the best medicine is a kind listening ear.

As always, blog about your experiences and include your links in the comments section below, or feel free to send me an email at dallaswoodburn AT gmail DOT com.

Have a marvelous week!
– Dallas

P.S.: Head on over to this Year of Kindness Challenge page to see all the archived posts from the previous 45 weeks!

Question of the day:

What kindnesses happened in your life this past week?

year of kindness challenge: week 45

Posted on November 11, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Before sharing this week’s kindness challenge, I’d like to take a moment to thank all of the veterans who have served our country, risking their lives to keep up safe.

Including the World War II navy veteran in my life, Gramps!

I’ll get to see Gramps on Thursday when I head home for the long weekend … I haven’t seen him since August and it will be so nice to visit and give him a great big hug! I might even whip up a batch of his favorite lemon bars.

Moving on to the kindness, I came across a couple kindness-related links this past week that I wanted to share with you:

This past week’s kindness challenge came from my blogging friend Gayle Greeley, who has an amazing blog “Be the Difference” where she is chronicling her volunteer efforts for 40 different charities in order to celebrate her 40th birthday. Her idea was to create a card and send it to our troops. My dad sent me a link via Facebook for a movement called “Holiday Mail for Heroes” so I sent in a holiday card, thanking a soldier for their service for our country and wishing them a joyful holiday season. It’s not too late to send a card if you would like to join in!

The Week 45 Kindness Challenge, in honor of Veteran’s Day, is to visit a Veteran’s Home and spend time with the veterans there. Alternatively, if you know a veteran, do something kind to show them how much they are appreciated.

As always, blog about your experiences and include your links in the comments section below, or feel free to send me an email at dallaswoodburn AT gmail DOT com.

Have a marvelous week!
– Dallas

P.S.: Head on over to this Year of Kindness Challenge page to see all the archived posts from the previous 44 weeks!

Questions of the day:

What kindnesses happened in your life this past week?
Are you doing anything special on this Veteran’s Day?

goals + meal-plan for the week of 11/10

Posted on November 10, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Sunday, friends! Hope your weekend has been lovely!

I’m so excited for this upcoming week … today we’re celebrating my Grandpap’s birthday, on Wednesday I’m getting together with my friend Dana, and on Thursday I’m headed home to Ventura for a long weekend! The USC Homecoming Football Game is on Saturday and I’m tailgating with my brother and then meeting up with my dear friend Ben who is coming all the way from NYC for the game!

Ben and I met at freshman orientation, when we were the last two people left in the test-taking room for the Spanish placement exam. {I knew my slow test-taking skills would one day pay off, haha} We’ve been friends ever since. I haven’t seen him in over a year and I cannot wait to give him the biggest hug and catch up in between cheering on our football team. 🙂

I’m also bursting with excitement to seeing my parents and my Gramps and of course Mr. Murdog! And Erica and I are planning to have one of our epic Simone’s chai latte dates — one of my favorite things on the planet. It should be a busy and wonderful week!

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 25 pages of new material {with my cold I didn’t quite get this many pages done … but I did still write every day, so that’s something!}
– ~~submit second Ph.D. application~~
– ~~exercise at least three times~~
– ~~finish reading Stay Up With Me~~
– ~~connect with two friends~~

Here are my goals for the week of 11/10:
– write 15 pages of new material
– send out my novel chapters for Dec. fellows workshop
– submit fellowship application
– exercise at least twice
– finish reading Happier Endings: a meditation on life and death
– connect with two friends

And here are some recipes I’m hoping to try out this week:
– sweet korean bbq beef via Chew Out Loud
– skinny southwest chicken dip via The Pajama Chef
– pumpkin toffee chocolate chip muffins via Two Peas & Their Pod
– pumpkin spice steel-cut oats via Wellness Today

This post is linked up to Menu-Plan Monday!

Questions for the morning:

What are your goals and meal plans for the week?
What are you looking forward to this week?

Day-By-Day Masterpiece

Tag Archives: home

goals + recipes for the week of 8/10

Questions of the day:

mid-week meditation #7

Questions of the morning:

fabulous friday #24

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

Questions of the day:

wedding weekend recap

Questions of the day:

happy mother’s day!!! + goals for the week of 5/11

Questions of the day:

fabulous friday #21

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

Questions of the morning:

goals + cookie recipes for the week of 12/15

Questions for the day:

year of kindness challenge: week 46

Question of the day:

year of kindness challenge: week 45

Questions of the day:

goals + meal-plan for the week of 11/10

Questions for the morning: