the perfect desk.

I found it! I have been looking for this desk ever since I started imagining what my home office would look like. I wanted a clean cut, perfectly white desk and West Elm has just the thing:

{ The Parsons Desk }

Now I just need to find the perfect chair and the perfect lamp to go on top of the perfect desk. =]

wolf #2.

The newest addition to our family, a 50 lb. Alaskan Malamute named Pepper, finally arrived! We've had an amazing weekend getting to know the sweetest girl.

She arrived in a pretty amazing way! I am so thankful to the chain of people worked together so well; getting Pepper from Arkansas to California.

We rescued Pepper after problems in her first home landed her in the local dog pound. We thank the shelter that rescued her from there and the volunteers who helped along the way from the bottom of our hearts!

Now if we could just get a permanent home... that would be lovely!

{ Pepper }

pasteis and coxinhas.

We've established a weekly tradition! Every friday, we gather in the kitchen to try a new recipe and my husband brings gorgeous flowers for the occasion. =] It may not be the best thing for our diets but we figure if it's only once a week, we're forgiven. We tried some authentic Brazilian dishes these past two Fridays and the result was amazing! 

{ the beautiful flowers my husband brought }

{ our homemade pasteis }

{ coxinhas: hearts of palm and chicken }

It was delicious... but so filling! I wonder What we will make next. =]

humble friday meal.

What an amazing friday dinner! My mother, mother-in-law, and myself put together a humble feast for our husbands.

{ taken by myself at my mother-in-law's home }

My contribution was a recipe for brussel sprouts that I got from a make-up artist at my company's catalog photo shoot. I don't like brussel sprouts and my husband likes them even less, but this recipe changed our minds forever. It was so good!

{ brussel sprouts with balsamic vinegar and garlic }

Ingredients:
- lots of brussel sprouts =]
- garlic
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Cut brussel sprouts in four so they can really absorb the flavor. Chop the garlic and sautee in olive oil until golden. Add brussel sprouts, salt, pepper, and more olive oil. Sautee until brussel sprouts begin to soften and become a darker green. Add a generous amount of balsamic vinegar and turn down heat to medium-low for 10 minutes. Add more balsamic vinegar and turn up heat to medium-high. Brussel sprouts will be done when the balsamic vinegar turns into a honey consistency. YUM!

{ lobo was not happy with being left out of the feast }

{ from top to bottom: brussel srpouts, nam bread, tomatoes & basil, salty brazilian pie, homemade ricota spread, hummus from Trader Joes, and hearts of palm calzone }

wolf #2?

We may rescue another Alaskan Malamute. It's sooner than we planned but this one-year-old is in trouble. The previous owner has a horrible ex-boyfriend and this landed Aurora in a shelter. She's in pretty bad shape. I have a soft spot in my heart for rescuing dogs. That's actually how we first heard about Lobo (we rescued him too).

Decisions, decisions... it may help if a certain bank accepts our house offer!!! *sigh*

lake powell.

Ahhh...vacation. I went to one of the most amazing lakes: Lake Powell. 
It was everything I needed and probably more. Granted, it took a while to get back into the swing of things (the lazy attack that inevitably follows a return to work)...but it was so worth it! Here are some of my photographs from the trip:

{ taken from the resort }

{ taken from the marina }

Will post more soon. Happy Wednesday!

mural.

I'm enchanted. I came across a gem of a British company and am now in love. Not only am I in love, I am in desperate need of a wall to put a lovely mural on! Surface View provides tons of amazing images to make walls pretty. =] And I want one...badly. The Japanese Flowers of V&A a real beauty:

Iris Kaempferi

 This needs to be in my home. *sigh*