dake veggie chili & some SWEET Christmas tunes.

Today, I bring you...the Dake Veggie Chili recipe!  We adapted this from a mixture of chili recipes and are quite satisfied with this product.  So, try it & enjoy.  Warning though: you must love beans :)

Ingredients:

-10-12 tomatoes (diced)  OR  2 28 oz. cans of diced tomatoes

-4 to 5 bell peppers (a variety is best!)

-2 onion

-3 tbls tomato paste

-5 15 oz. cans of assorted beans

-garlic salt, salt, cumin & cayenne

1. Heat/saute onion & pepper until soft (5-8 minutes)

2. Add tomato paste & spices (we like spices!  we add lots!  this is up to your discretion though...)

3. Add tomatoes (if canned, add juice), beans & 1 cup of water

4. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 12-15 minutes

5. Add more spice to taste!

6. EAAAAT (it's great with tortilla or pita chips!)

This makes 8-10 servings, depending on how much you eat (ha).  And, you can freeze some for later!

yum.

It's almost Christmas, Chicago is a delightful little Christmas EP from my dear friends Jon & Valerie (of Milano!).  Please take a listen and/or buy!  They are beautiful souls.

friendly happenings & MI antique shop photos.

Our friend Andy came to visit around two weeks ago and it was so wonderful to see him.  Andy bakes.  A lot.  And the things he bakes taste really really good.  The people that live near THIS coffee shop are blessed folks (he works there/bakes for them!!).  Anywho, Dan was playing around with my camera and this is my favorite of Andy and Job:

And this is one of the DELICIOUS scones that Andy woke up crazy early to make for us on his last day visiting...oh and that's lemon curd on top.  Lemon curd that he whipped up that same morning.  What a giving friend!!  Thank you Andy :)

In more celebration of Valerie's birth, a trip to her home town in Michigan happened! And...on that trip, antiquing happened!  Yesss.  Here are some of the things I saw that I thought were really fun:

some INCREDIBLE maybe turkish, egyptian, or moroccan footstools!!

Kelly is now the proud owner of those beautiful footstools!!!  Yay!

I came home with three clear mason/ball jars to eventually do THIS.  I have wanted to ever since Mackenzie posted it!

meaningful presents.

I felt so treasured and loved on/around my birthday.  I had to share some of my super sweet and thoughtful gifts because they have meant so much to me!!

My friends Valerie & Alissa (2 super talented sisters that are a part of Milano) got me a 'homeseed' spoon and some beautiful nail polish!!  I had been talking to Valerie about wanting to get a spoon for business photos/decoration and, well, she remembered and got it for me :) Both she and Alissa know that I've been on a nail polish kick and so they found a nail polish I had posted as a "want item" on my pinterest and they picked that up for me!!! Amazing.  So thoughtful and loving!  You two are the sweetest!

 (not my hands or picture!  both of those are from HERE)

My friend Kelly got me my very own succulent!! AHHH!  I have been going on and on about air plants and succulents to anyone who will listen lately and Kelly remembered and got me this little guy!  Thanks Kel :) :) :)

And then...the Wednesday after my birthday, Mr. Dake had something planned.  He and Jon (Valerie's husband) decided to surprise us with a sweet dinner and post-dinner surprise/get together.  Val's birthday is on April 18th!  So, we were birthday buddies for the night.  We ate delicious pizza at union pizzeria and celebrated life together.  I love these guys.

Lots of sweet gifts of love.  I will cherish these things and memories :)

HELP! please vote for my friends, MILANO!!!

Well, I need your help!  It will only take a minute AND you don't have to give them your email address (or anything else for that matter)!  My friends who are part of the band Milano, have an opportunity to play at the Hard Rock Cafe on May 4th (and if you are in Chicago that night, you should DEFINITELY go!  You have a chance to win a free trip to London!).  Here's a sweet photo of the band at Lincoln Hall from Joe Lieske:

Head HERE to vote!

thank you!!

honesty.

Sorry about being away for a couple of days.  Sometimes you just need that, you know?  I find that with this blog I go through regular feelings of excitement and disheartenment.  One day I will find a plethora of things that I can't wait to share and then when the day comes where all of those things have been shared, I feel a terrible pressure to be inspired.  As much as I like the idea of communicating through this regularly, I don't want to be a designer that essentially gets paid to update!  I have no idea how the folks that DO do this are so consistently inspired (and really, I already waste much more time than I should going from window to window finding new things that I like...I don't want to do that all the time just so that I can have something to say or share!).  Don't get me wrong, I don't think there is any problem with posting something wonderful everyday and getting paid to do it---but for now, it's just not for me.  

Well, the point of my rambling is that I want this to be a thing that feels good.  A thing that I am excited about and not discouraged by!  And even though I know how much more fun it is to click on a page in my bookmark bar and see a brand new post, I hope that you'll be along for the ride here, whatever it is and whatever it looks like :)

Despite my lack of posts about 'homeseed' things and work...I am actually working on some things!  Those things include...a save-the-date and invitation suite for a wonderful couple (that I really really like and can't wait to share...in, September ;D), a valentine FREEBIE for YOU! (thank Valerie), and some invitation/stationery templates!!  I am also feeling quite close to being able to make a BIG purchase.  A camera :)  So, that brings all kinds of excitement to my heart and little business.  That means I'm getting much closer to being able to list things in my etsy shop!  Woo!

There are good things on the way, they just might be a while.

Enough from me, here are a couple of things to share:

The 2011 brownie bags from twig & thistle are done!  They are the same as last years but with the correct year ;)

This brand new online magazine is super neat!  There is an interview of Rifle Paper Co.'s Anna Bond and her husband Nathan.  So sweet:

job.

My friend Valerie and I went to the thrift store last week and with a bit of her encouragement, I came home with this little number for mr. Job:

hahaaaaaaa!! He looks like a body builder.

Now, this is really much more of a joke for the Dake's.  

We're only into dressing up our critter for laughs.  Cruel?  I think not!  

I enjoyed watching the cycle of anger, resistance (trying to chew it off of himself), frustrated submission, freedom and...ATTACK!  Here are some of my favorite photos we've snapped of him recently:

nana-nana-nana-nana-BATDOG!

ridiculous, right?!

seahorse?