Our Weekend

Hi there, how was your weekend? Dustin was gone in Northern California for work, but I kept plenty busy at home. Fun events included dinner with Jordan, lunch on the waterfront, attending a fundraiser, a bridal shower and watching Gonzaga play on Sunday!

The highlight of the weekend was most definitely the Annual Fashion SOULstice Fundraiser that supports the Justice and Soul Foundation. This Justice and Soul Foundation creates restoration and hope for survivors of sex trafficking. The event, which was held at the Emerald City Trapeze Center, featured a fashion show, appetizers and drinks. It was great to get a group of friends together to support a wonderful cause!

What's for Lunch?

Leftovers are my jam! I love making meals for dinner that can easily be stored until lunchtime the following day. Pasta dishes, casseroles, homemade pizza, salads, stir-fries, tacos and chicken curry are typical dishes that I would bring to work and eat the next day. When I don't have anything leftovers to bring, here are 7 lunch ideas that I typically end up bringing that are easy to shop for and can be assembled quickly:

1) Naan or Pita Bread, Chopped up Veggies, Hummus and Goat Cheese

2) Salad Greens, Sliced Strawberries, Grilled Chicken, Goat Cheese with Balsamic Dressing

3) Salad Greens, Diced Apples, Walnuts, Grilled Chicken, Dried Cranberries with Poppyseed Dressing

4) Turkey Burger, 1/2 Avocado, Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes

5) Brown Rice, Roasted Street Corn, Black Beans, Shredded Cheese, Pork Carnitas from Trader Joe's

6) Corn or Flour Tortillas, Tilapia, Shredded Cheese, Avocado, Salsa Verde or Pineapple Salsa, Lime Squeeze

7) Whole Wheat Tortilla, Grilled Buffalo Chicken, Greens, Blue Cheese or Ranch Dressing. Make this a wrap or quesadilla!

I am always looking for new ideas, please send some ideas over if you have any!

Office Inspiration

Our office is not only small but odd in size, it was important to make this room functional but we needed to get creative! We wanted to find a piece that would convert this space into a guest room if needed, so we purchased this Henry Sleeper sofa from West Elm that folds out into a twin bed. On the sofa are some colorful pillows from Target that I keep switching around.

At Home Goods a few months ago, I picked up some dipped baskets that I am using for storage and I love them! I also was able to reuse a mint throw and sun burst mirror from our West Seattle apartment to help tie everything together.

I am still on the lookout for a rug (but loving the geometric print one above!) I decided the space might be too small for a pouf, but I think it would be comfy to have something to rest your feet on since we will eventually use our television in here. So we will see what I find.

For the work area, I purchased this desk from World Market as a birthday gift to myself :). I love the simplicity of it and that it doesn't take up much space. The lamp is from Ikea and I also hung a multi-colored tassel garland on the wall that was used at our wedding.

We really don't use this space much, but it is fun to have a blank space and slowly find pieces that work well!

Our Weekend

Hi there, how was your weekend? Our weekend was filled with Gonzaga basketball and celebrations all weekend long! Let's start with Farrah's birthday on Friday night. A group of us girls went out to Julia's on Broadway for dinner, drinks and a fun show! I love a good girls night out, especially when it includes long-time friends!

On Saturday, I attended a shower for baby Jaxon! Our good friends, Cameron and Jordan, are expecting a sweet baby boy in May. I cannot wait to meet baby Jax!!

 
Later that night, we went out to the Black Bottle in Belltown to attend Jim and Molly's engagement party! If you remember, we celebrated their engagement in Munich. 

Jim and Molly booked Black Bottle's private event room which included appetizers and a cash bar. We had SO MUCH FUN seeing all of our college friends, some that we haven't seen since our wedding! My heart was so happy.

Sunday was spent catching up around the home, walking Mya and watching more Gonzaga basketball. How was your weekend?

Hello Spring!

   

Hi there, how was your week? We had a busy week of birthday celebrations and the fun only continues this weekend! Here are some fun reads to enjoy this morning with your cup of coffee:

1) The best avocado toast, my go-to breakfast this week.

2) 10 House Rules for your home.

3) Exhaustion is not a status symbol. Simply put.

4) Psychology of Color in Marketing and Branding

5) 50 Adorable Animal Photos

Happy Spring!

Art for your Home

                          

        via Britt Bass Turner

Before we purchased our home, my friend Jordan told me that we would be amazed by the amount of walls we would have to fill. This is so true, there are so many walls and we only have one story! Back in college, the only art I had on my walls were posters and 4 x 6 photos hanging from a clothes pin on a piece of twine. Needless to say, I've had my eye out for fun and creative pieces to hang on our walls.

The other thing I have learned is patience. Don't go out in one week and decorate your home, wait to buy pieces that you actually love that will make your house a home. 

I love the way art can make you feel and the warmth it gives each room. I am amazed how well a good piece can tie everything together. Whether it be abstract, a print, watercolor, or even a map, I love it all! 

Above are two pieces I am considering to hang in our master bedroom (that was painted light gray this weekend!)

Last month, we added these prints over our dining room table. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to hang, which sounds silly. But now, every time I look at them I love the way freshen up the room with the bright colors.
        

       

via Rifle Paper Co.

Better yet, I love when art holds sentimental values. For example, this Italy print is one that I love because I remember the summer I studied abroad in Florence and all of the weekend trips we took. It is a good size and was very affordable. Find it here. 

                            

Be sure to check out the art marketplace on Minted.com as well, they have great pieces!

Or, if you are my husband, you'll want a print of every car that was in Back to the Future! It's amazing what art can do, what art do you love?

Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash

Here's a simple recipe that will help you incorporate veggies into your breakfast! It takes a little time and prep work, but it is definitely worth the extra effort!

To get started, simply dice up a sweet potato into tiny pieces. If you meal prep, do this at the beginning of the week, keep in a tupperware and store in the fridge.

Next, spread the small pieces onto a baking sheet lined with foil. Drizzle over a small amount of olive oil, then season with sea salt, pepper and chili powder. The chili powder is the key ingredient here, I love the smoky flavor on this breakfast side dish. Toss it all together and make sure each piece is coated.

Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Keep your eye on them while baking, you'll want the small pieces to get nice and toasty, but not burned.

Serve as a side dish to whatever meal you are preparing. My favorite way to serve this dish is with an over easy egg on top.

Enjoy!

xo
MM

10 Months

Tomorrow marks 10 months since my mom passed away. So much has happened in 10 months. We bought our house, got married, vacationed in Maui, traveled to Europe, said goodbye to our family home, celebrated the holidays and said "hello" to a new year.

Every milestone makes me miss her more and more, in ways I never expected. Oddly enough, I feel stronger than ever. I never thought I would be able to get through each milestone, let alone get out of bed each day and go to work. I have been showered with love, encouragement and support. I can't thank everyone enough who has continued to lift me up every single day, I can only hope I can do the same for you ILYTP.

xo
MM

Hidden Treasures

As you may know, I work at a small advertising agency downtown Seattle. I thought it would be fun to share a project we recently worked on for Seattle Goodwill, our pro bono client.

This campaign encourages people to shop at Goodwill versus our usual donation message. We spent a day in the store filming unique and one-of-a-kind finds. As someone who loves staging and thrifting, this project was super fun to work on. I had a hard time being in the store and not picking up items for myself.

Below is the :60 video that was cut from a day of filming (spoiler alert: you might recognize someone!) As a computer user, you know when you "accidentally" click on those annoying side ads and you are automatically dropped to a landing page? Well, this is the video you would see if you clicked on any variety of the SGW banner ads in March and April. There you have it, digital advertising in laymen terms!

Along with multiple videos that were produced, the client had enough budget to produce other sources of media to support the campaign in the Seattle and Bellingham areas.

We're also running a social media campaign. The client is hoping to engage with shoppers and see what they are doing with their SGW finds. In a world of DIY and Pinterest, it's always fun to see what folks come up with. If you have something to share, I would love to see it! #GWTreasureFind

xo

MM

Perfectly Imperfect

This is a beautiful story. Simply put, Kacey Luvi used to worship body image and flawless beauty, so many of us are guilty of this. Now, Kacey focuses her energy towards helping others and positions her mind each morning to put others first.

Perfectly Imperfect is a campaign influenced by Heidi Powell. Its goal is to talk about flaws in a meaningful way and ditch the image of "perfect" that we obsess over on social media.

Eat Your Veggies

It's true, veggies aren't exactly my favorite thing to eat. But there are a few vegetables that I really do love! So, I find myself looking for recipes that transform ordinary raw vegetables into something amazing with a few simple ingredients.  Here are a few ideas that are on my grocery list this week! (Click on the images for links/sources.)

1) Sweet Potato Rice 

via Inspiralized

2) Kale Pesto

via House of Earnest

3) Honey Sriracha Brussel Sprouts

via House of Earnest

4) Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

via House of Earnest

I made this roasted cauliflower last night. This recipe is SO good and it is packed with flavor! You'll just need salt, pepper, olive oil and grated parmesan. It is versatile as well, play around with your spices. The best thing about this recipe is that it is quick to prepare, it just needs about 40-50 minutes of cooking time.

What vegetable recipes do you love?

Blog Makeover

I'd like to introduce you to, The Yellow Door!

The Yellow Door is inspired by our first home and the life we share inside of it and out.

If you've been here a while, you'll know this blog started as a journal while my mom was battling cancer. It was a great way to document our time spent together and share fun pictures. Over time, the focus of the blog shifted. This space has turned into my creative outlet and a place to share pieces of happiness.

It's here you'll find a bit of creative inspiration, recipes we love, life as newlyweds/homeowners, places we travel and tips for overall healthy living!

I hope you love it and would love any feedback you might have!

xo
MM

(custom print via Katie Jarman)

6 Project Ideas

1) Paint our walls light gray

2) Make a new kitchen chalkboard, but with a white trim!

3) Brighten up the kitchen with subway tiles

4) Grab a pouf and a colorful rug for the office

5) Add open concept shelving in the guest bath

6) Add wood to the top of our coffee table

Our Weekend

  

This weekend we enjoyed the Seattle sunshine and exploring new places!

On Saturday, Farrah and I toured the new Starbucks Reserve Roastery on Capitol Hill, very cool! If you are looking for a fun day activity, I highly suggest going there. Later that night, I hosted a girls night. Not only did everyone bring an entree to share, but they also brought their pups. We played games, ate and drank late into the night until it was time for everyone (and their dog) to return home.

On Sunday, my dad came into town and I finally took him to my favorite place on Alki Beach, Marination Station! After lunch, we ventured over to Pikes Place Market. We grabbed Rachel's Ginger Beer, Storyville Coffee and even picked up some Beecher's Mac + Cheese. I realized I don't have any pictures from the day, most likely because we constantly had food or drinks in our hand. But I would have it any other way, a great day!

Dustin and I kicked back on Sunday night with take-out sushi while watching Mad Men, our current show of choice. I wouldn't have it any other way!

How was your weekend?