blogger style: one item, two ways

Time for some closet twin action again! This month Dana and I are both styling the same J.Crew open front sweater blazer - an item that I have been wearing on major repeat this spring. It's just perfect for light jacket weather.

My go-to way to wear is with jeans and a white tee, because besides the fact that I wear jeans almost every day, it's just such a simple but classic and pulled together look. But inspired by the white blooms on my tree, I thought it would be fun to pull out the white jeans instead. I love how they make this head-to-toe neutrals look feel so fresh and springy.

And now for another great way to wear it, go check out Dana's post!

Sharing on Trend Spin, Style on the Daily.

five things Friday: life lately edition

Sometimes at night I just lounge around and scroll through all of the photos on my phone of the fun stuff I snapped - kind of dumb when I should just be going to sleep, but it brings me some joy - which put me in mind of doing a life lately update by way of 5 recent photos on there.

1. coloring: I've mentioned the paint-by-sticker books a million times, but Hendrik and I have added a new love: mystery mosaics. We picked up this book full of color-by-number grids that reveal cool mosaic pictures when you get them all filled in. The hours of side-by-side coloring with my boy is more than worth the $10.

2. springing: finally spring weather is arriving (sporadically, anyway - nice days are usually followed by 40 degrees - or snow, this weekend...), and for once it actually coincided with Easter Sunday - pretty thrilled to be able to wear something appropriately springy and get a photo where my little cheeseball was posed pretty normally.

3. outdoorsing: we're lucky with this amazing snowmelt system where I live, which means several miles' worth of downtown streets are always clear of snow in the winter, but still - I get a little tired of being confined to those paths. Now it feels like such a treat to have all of my usual dog walking and running routes back in business, and to be out and about for family outings as well (notice my biking boys there?).

4. celebrating: Hendrik turned 5.5 this month (half birthdays a big deal when you're that age!), and he was thrilled when I dug out of the freezer some leftover unfrosted cupcakes from his birthday in October for an impromptu decoration and special dessert. And then he said, in his best cupcake impersonation voice, "My natural habitat is a stomach .... eat me!"

5. riding: very pleased to have my road bike back out on the road lately. Much as I enjoy a spin class, once the warm(er) sun is back, I can hardly stand the thought of being in that dark basement ride studio when I could be out on the road. Actually moving is quite satisfying after a winter on a stationary bike, I must say.


This weekend will have plenty more opportunities for fun snapshots - date night tonight, family work day in the garden at Hendrik's school tomorrow, and of course starting a new coloring mosaic, now that we're officially obsessed... Hope your weekend is fun too!

pin to present: tried and true dinner recipes

I haven't been making any new Pinterest-inspired things lately, but I have been putting on the dinner schedule some recipes that this blog series has inspired me to make in the past (love when I get something new on the recipe rotation thanks to this!). If you're looking for something tried and true that's maybe a little different from the standard chicken breast that I tend to fall back on and then get bored with... try one of these!

cauliflower + chickpea tacos

I love these more than the rest of my family, probably, but I really love them, so I happily make a whole tray using a full head of cauliflower and eat the reheated leftovers for days (it's just as yummy that way). My favorite way to do them is actually tostada style rather than taco style - brush a corn tortilla with olive oil and bake it until just crispy, then slather with guacamole and top with the chickpea/cauliflower mixture, diced tomatoes, etc. It's like eating a giant chip topped with delicious veggies!

egg roll in a bowl

Making variations of easy ground chicken (occasionally pork) + Asian flavor profile sauce was originally inspired by this pin. I also quite frequently make these Asian chicken lettuce wraps (supposed to be a knock-off of P.F. Chang's), minus the water chestnuts and plus some diced carrots. I love the tasty chicken mixture on lettuce; Peter loves it on rice and claims that at lunchtime the next day it tastes even better than the first go-round.

BBQ burger bites

To simplify, I basically just mix some onion and BBQ sauce with my ground chicken and form into patties. Then, on the slider buns, wee top with more BBQ sauce and a coleslaw made from one of those bagged salad kits. Now the grill is available again (once the snow melted off, we of course needed a refill on the propane tank) we had these last week, and I'm sure they'll appear plenty more times this spring/summer, with how easy and tasty they are.

listening lately

This year I was kind of aiming to get more into audiobooks, but then I'm just having trouble finding the time - because I'm so busy listening to my list of podcast that is growing by the week. I have several new ones to report on in just the last month since my last update:

Chompers: a podcast for kids that keeps them entertained through the full dentist-recommended 2 minutes of teeth brushing, with jokes, stories, quizzes, and more. Each week has a theme (oceans, jobs, heroines, mythical creatures, etc.), and it comes out twice a day, so you've got morning and evening teeth brushing covered - though I admit, we don't use this daily, but more as a reward for doing a good job of getting ready for bed quickly! Hendrik enjoys all of the facts and silliness, but probably his favorite part is the end, when the kids in the recording shout, "3, 2, 1 ... spit!"

One Great Book: new from Anne Bogel of the popular book podcast What Should I Read Next, this podcast explores one book recommendation per week, something from Anne's personal shelves that she thinks is a stand-out, worthy of putting in readers' hands. I really enjoy the short format (10 minutes tops) that opens up your ears to some backlist titles (especially as someone who tends to always reach for the shiny new releases...).

Against the Rules: we're fans of author Michael Lewis (of books like Moneyball and The Big Short) around our house, so we subscribed right away when we saw he has a new podcast, which is his take on what's happened to the concept of fairness in our culture. He says we live in a world where "everyone loves to hate the referee" - but shows how we really need them - in a range of arenas that starts with professional basketball but then covers all kinds of important aspects of society, like financial markets (that episode, "The Seven Minute Rule," is especially good), the court system, and even grammar.

Invisibilia: I've mentioned this one before, but it bears mentioning again, because the new season (5) is quite engrossing, particularly the first couple of episodes. A show about the "unseeable forces" that shape our behavior and beliefs, this show has the narrative storytelling of something like This American Life or Serial combined with psychology/science, which makes it very interesting and also informative listening. The first episode on how medicine's efforts to address pain has paradoxically made pain worse/more prominent, and the second on how our online personas can eclipse our real-world selves in ways that have real-world consequences are highly worth a listen and make for great discussion.

Before Breakfast: I find Laura Vanderkam's work on time management/productivity, especially as it relates to women's work and family lives, quite interesting, so I was intrigued by this new podcast in which she provides a daily time management strategy or schedule-related tip. Well-suited to the theme, the episodes are 10 minutes or less, and they have some pretty practical applications for making one's life more productive - or even just feel less busy.

So that's what I've been listening to while I fold laundry, make dinner, or walk the dog - well, these, and any podcast episode in which Pete Buttigieg is interviewed. What's in your ears lately?

wearing lately: spring athleisure

I admit it - I'm a girl who wants it all: I want to go to yoga, I want to not have to change out of my comfy leggings afterwards, I want to wash my hair as infrequently as possible, and I want to look like I've actually groomed myself and am wearing real clothes.

Good thing athleisure is a thing. For spring, leggings and a white tee go "real" with a long pink cardigan, cute leather sneakers, and then how about this floral patterned baseball cap?! I just could not leave that one behind at Target because of how perfectly it perfects the cute outfit and the no hair washing situation - achieving that feeling of having it all for the low low price of $12.99.

Oh, and trying out a new-to-me brand of leggings here: Zella. In the spirit of wanting it all, I've been on the hunt for a pair of leggings that work well at the gym but can also pass for casual, everyday leggings - so no cutouts, mesh panels, shininess, logos on display etc. These are a great high-waisted pair that is nice and smooth and soft; so far they seem to work great for workout performance and for post-gym (and the 7/8 length is perfect to turn into a regular length for short people!)

Sharing on Style on the Daily.

five things Friday: on repeat edition

Often when I find something I like, I really go all-in on liking it - no shame in having favorite things on repeat in my opinion! Here are 5 current ones for me:

1. This drink: I don't drink regular coffee and very rarely get coffee shop beverages - but thanks to receiving a Starbucks gift card (and, I admit, also the times when Target does 20% off Starbucks beverages on their Cartwheel app...) I have been doing the white chocolate mocha whenever I'm having a treat yo-self moment.

2. This nail color: usually I go for a bright pink/red, but lately for the pedicures I'm feeling the paler pink. This is a goodie!

3. This sweater blazer: perfect for this time of year, I can layer long sleeves underneath and just get away with it being my only outerwear - and it's so comfy and so chic all at once. I've been wearing it tons with white tees, gingham button downs, and stripes underneath.

4. This album: I'm loving this one right now! Favorite song is "Forever", but I enjoy the whole thing for some decently mellow listening, great for turning on while I'm working or cooking dinner - which I've been doing daily.

5. This recipe: getting bored with our usual ways to cook chicken, we changed it up with some ground chicken in the form of Asian chicken lettuce wraps, and these are soooo tasty, making for excellent leftovers as well. Definitely on regular dinner rotation here.


Now tell me your current go-tos - in case I ever feel the need to branch out from these!

pin to present: Easter meringues

Before I decided to go the non-dye/fake egg easy route for decorating eggs with a 5-year-old, I had already bought an extra carton of eggs for our crafternoon. So what to do with it now? Well, how about an egg-centric dessert? Meringues are a perfect way to use up a bunch of eggs, and even better when they're in the shape of little nests to hold the all-time best type of eggs: Cadbury ones.

So we tried out this recipe. Admittedly, meringues are a bit fussy to make - you have to get things just right to get it to form, and then they take a long time to bake/cool, and might make rather a mess in the process if you're anything like me - but they are a really fun way to change things up and have a nice, light option for your sweet tooth. (Even if mine turned out way less photogenic than the inspiration...)

Also an excellent way to use up the innards of your eggs if you decide to empty some out to dye them - or you can just go straight to the dessert, like I did. Yum.

reading lately: new city, new life

Time for another reading roundup! You know I love to find common threads among the variety of books I read, and lately I've noticed that across a whole range - middle grade to contemporary fiction to chick lit and non-fiction - I've read quite a few books where the female protagonist moves to a new city, and this relocation really gives her a fresh start or a new perspective that drives her story. So here are 5 reads where a girl gets a new life thanks to a new city!

The War That Saved My Life
This middle grade book is set during WWII, when many children were sent from London into the countryside in hopes of protecting them from the heavy bombing happening in the city. Ten-year-old Ada has never even been outside of her London apartment, having been born with a club foot that her mother is too ashamed of allowing to be seen in public, so when she and her younger brother Jamie end up in a coastal town, being housed with kind but stern Susan Smith, her life really begins. She has a lot to learn, both physically and relationally, so it's not an easy journey, but you will root so hard for her as she fights her personal war against the backdrop of the world war. In a way, Ada reminded me a lot of Eleanor Oliphant in being this prickly and hard to love (but understandably so, based on how horrible her mother was to her, and how it made her not believe in her own worth), very isolated and lonely person - but who the reader just falls in love with during the story as she figures out her place in the world, and as she reveals her unique perspective on the world. I read a lot of YA (which is for older teens) but not a lot of middle grade, so I was unsure about reading something a bit "young" - but I ADORED this book. It handles big traumas and big emotions in a really wonderful way, appropriate for young people but also a welcome approach for an adult (as sometimes I find reading about war experiences very overwhelming). It's not written "down" to kids at all, as the characters really still have a lot of nuances and complexities, and are allowed to have thoughts/actions that are honest, whether they are positive or self-doubting. Can't wait to get some more of Ada's story in the sequel, The War I Finally Won. 5/5 stars


The City Baker's Guide to Country Living
After accidentally setting fire to the dining room of the fancy, exclusive Boston dinner club where she is the head chef, not to mention the ill-advised affair with her much older boss, Olivia Rawlings is kind of out of a job and is feeling majorly embarrassed. She escapes to her best friend's house in small-town Vermont, and despite her initial misgivings about living there, Olivia needs work - so she takes a year-long pastry chef position at the cute local B&B, and the go-it-solo, wild color hair dying, loud-mouth big city girl actually starts to find herself at home and wanting to put down roots for the first time as she makes connections with people and even starts to fall in love. But when her heart gets broken, Olivia has to decide whether to stay, or whether to flee, like she always does. I liked the characters of many of the townspeople that she befriends, especially the cantankerous B&B owner and the ailing older man who becomes a sweet father figure for her, and I also enjoyed the descriptions of idyllic Vermont living. It's a nice light read (even if fairly predictable), enhanced by the heavenly descriptions of pies and cookies and such - but not quite as delicious of an escape as I was hoping for in a "women's fiction" book because I just didn't find the love story part of it super compelling, and I like to feel a little swoony in that category in a book of this category. Luckily the next book listed here fulfilled that wish... 3/5 stars


Things You Save in a Fire
Texas firefighter Cassie Hanwell is a pro at staying cool in an emergency, being one of the only females in her line of work, and going at life solo. But when her estranged mother asks her to move across the country to a Boston suburb to help her as she is starting to lose her vision, it all changes: the men of this old-school firehouse are very skeptical of having a "lady" in their crew for the first time, making her transition quite difficult; she has to re-evaluate her long-held grudge against her mother for leaving during her teenage years; and biggest of all, she might actually be falling in love. Only problem is that it violates the biggest rule of trying to make it as a woman in this male-dominated field: never date another firefighter. Suddenly, her life is a lot more open to forgiveness and love than it had been before, but it might mean risking the career she loves so much and has worked so hard for... If you like books like Taylor Jenkins Reid's One True Loves or Christina Lauren's Love and Other Words with great characters, easy (but not fluffy) reading, and a swoony love story, you'll probably enjoy Katherine Center, so definitely add this one to your to-read list for when it is released in August. In the meantime, she's got other books to check out - I'm definitely going to, based on my enjoyment of this one. (Ebook provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.) 4/5 stars


Limelight
A job transfer opportunity for Allison Brinkley's husband means she's going to get the chance to do something she's always wanted to do: live in New York City. She quickly learns, however, that moving 3 kids, a dog, and a whole life from Dallas to a tiny Manhattan apartment is a lot more complicated than she thought - especially when the teaching job she had lined up falls through - and she worries that maybe she's not suited to New York at all. Her new life in the city turns even more surprising when a fender-bender leads her to meet teenage heart-throb and total badboy (he's hungover when she meets him, in fact) Carter Reid, who has been cast in a soon-to-open blockbuster musical on Broadway. Seeing his bad habits and irresponsible spending makes Allison's mothering instincts kick in, and she basically finds herself running his life as his new personal assistant. A big part of that is trying to get him to actually show up at rehearsals and not completely blow his career by bombing in his role, or worse yet, backing out of an iron-clad contract, which would ruin him financially. I am a major Broadway fan, so that aspect made this story so fun, as did the behind-the-scenes celebrity culture aspect - but I couldn't get over how much of a jerk Carter was to her the whole time, and how much Allison still wanted to be there to help him, being way more invested in his career than he was himself even though she had just met the guy. So despite the other fun-ness: 3.5/5 stars


Year of Living Danishly
When British journalist Helen Russell's husband landed a dream job abroad, they found themselves packing up all of their stuff for a year of living in what is purportedly the world's happiest country, despite its cold and dark winters: Denmark. That year turned into the common "year of" experiences/easy to digest social science research type of book. You read about Helen's personal experiences with the various aspects of Danish society and culture, from increased happiness thanks to soaking in the Danes' great work/life balance to extreme confusion with some of their holiday traditions and unwritten social norms about recycling or which country's flag you can fly on your own flagpole. Beyond my of-the-times interest in Denmark for all things hygge and happiness, I had particular interest in reading this since I am taking two trips there this year. Overall, quite fascinating to read about the social, political, etc. setup of a country like this, especially when you get a personal (and humorous) take on it, but it felt a bit long and maybe a bit overdone on the amusing turns of phrase at times - so it's an interesting read, but if you're not looking to go so in-depth on Denmark and want something with more personal application for your own non-Danish life, maybe check out something like The Little Book of Hygge. 3/5 stars


Some other books I've enjoyed that have this scenario of a life totally changing or starting fresh with a move to a new city: Maybe in Another Life and Still Me (great "women's fiction" type reads) and Emergency Contact and Georgia Peaches and Other Fruit (both fun YA rom-com type reads). And in non-fiction, I adore MWF Seeking BFF, in which the author moves to a new city and in trying to create a new network of friends in her new city goes on a year of weekly "friend dates." Really inspired me when I moved to a new city myself, and it's just also a great read for anyone looking to make new friends despite how awkward it can be to do that as an adult.


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wearing lately: happy spring

Much as I love and adore all of my spring jackets, what's making me really happy with spring wardrobes is the simplicity of not having to wear a million layers to keep warm - the epitome of which for me is currently a tie front blouse, jeans, and a pop of color in the accessories.

Red shoes have been my go-to for the pop of color with a very simple outfit, but ever since I got turned on to Nickel & Suede earrings, I'm also into the statement earring as a pop of color. Big necklaces used to be my thing, but now I really like something understated like this bar necklace, and then a bigger earring.

If you're in the market for something like this to cheer up your simple spring outfits, check out Happiness Boutique, where you can find these fun statement earrings (amongst many other great selections), free shipping, and a customer reward program. Even more happy is a 10% discount if you use code anneinresidence on orders over $21 before May 16.

Earrings/necklace provided by Happiness Boutique; all opinions are my own. Sharing on Trend Spin, Style on the Daily.

five things Friday: Easter eye candy edition

The lovely pastels of Easter candies lends well to Easter treats that are almost too beautiful to eat (though who are we kidding - I'd eat all of these without giving it a second thought)... feast yourself on this eye candy I've spotted around the internet!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Amazingly, it's not ALL totally unhealthy - that Easter grazing board is so beautiful and includes plenty of chocolate, but there's fruits and veggies too. What a display, right?

But what really captures the eye of my sweet tooth is those chocolate cakes with Cadbury mini eggs on top. Hands down, best Easter candy, and when you make it look that lovely and combine with delicious cake and frosting?! Who's craving chocolate now?

pin to present: easy Easter eggs

Decorating eggs is a fun tradition this time of year - but who wants to fuss with messy dyes, especially when there are spill-prone kids around? Thank you, Pinterest, for this idea: washi tape decorated eggs.

Honestly, I didn't even want to fuss with egg boiling or emptying, so I picked up this little pack of wooden eggs in the dollar section at Target. Then just pulled some rolls of tape from my stash and went to work cutting strips and shapes. Hendrik got in on the action (his look more like a wad of tape stuck on an egg, but he had fun), and there was no mess to clean up in the end. Score! Plus the beauty of washi tape is that it peels off so easily, we could change these up next year. Or even next week, if we need more indoor activities with the April showers...

Got any other kid-friendly and easy egg decorating ideas for us?

around the world: San Diego and Legoland

Though admittedly the weather was a teeny bit disappointing (never felt quite warm enough for me to go down to short sleeves, which meant I didn't get to use all of my suitcase's great outfits...) and there were some times of tension (overtired 5-year-old), overall our spring break in California was such a great family vacation - what a treat to be able to take a trip like this together. Here's a recap of what we did, which includes some great kid-friendly ideas for the San Diego region (including the ultimate kid activity, for mine anyway: Legoland!).

La Jolla and Torrey Pines

We flew into San Diego but had to make our way up the coast about 30 miles to get to Legoland, so we planned a couple of activities in between, stopping in the town of La Jolla and then the Torrey Pines State Reserve. Here's what we did and would recommend:

• Children's Pool in La Jolla: this area was originally built as a protected swimming area for kids but has since been taken over by harbor seals as a favorite spot to sun themselves. It was so fun (and free!) to watch them up close, yawning and rolling around the beach, and then scooching themselves across the sand to hop back in the water. Hendrik LOVED it.
• La Jolla Recreation Center: when you're sightseeing with a kid who can get a little whiny about all of the walking, sometimes you just need to find a good playground and let him have a little play time. This rec center was right near the Children's Pool and the downtown and had a nice big playground.
• Warwick's Bookstore & Gift Shop: when I see something listed as "the country’s oldest family-owned and operated bookstore," I of course have to visit. La Jolla had a lovely downtown to wander, and this was our first stop (before tacos!) - lovely book displays, great kids' section.
• Puesto: we just had to start our California dining experiences with tacos, and they have some excellent ones on offer. I love an innovative/different taco, and they've got everything from a tamarindo shrimp or duck confit version to a great twist on the baja fish taco. Very cool interior, but even better was the outdoor seating that we enjoyed! (Also located in San Diego.)
• Torrey Pines State Reserve: we parked at the park's south beach lot and found a nice kid-friendly hiking loop that overlooks the water. Definitely hit an excellent time for wildflowers being in bloom - so gorgeous - and enjoyed poking around on the rocky beach after our little hike.

San Diego

There's of course tons more to do in San Diego than our day and a half allowed for - we didn't really hit any of the major touristy spots (zoo, museums), but we did find some other great kid-friendly stuff to do/eat!

• Staying Downtown/Bayfront: we liked our hotel in this area because it had great views of the harbor (including the USS Midway), was walkable to some great food options/Little Italy/Seaport Village, and was convenient to the airport. Good free breakfast too. And I had a great morning run along the waterfront too!
• Carnitas Snack Shack: on the water right across from our hotel - good tacos and BBQ, great outdoor seating, and super casual (aka perfect for kids).
• Liberty Public Market: our friends took us to this very cool area for lunch. Didn't have time to browse the artisan vendors (or the nearby hip shops), but it looked great in passing; there are also a bunch of restaurants with great outdoor seating that sounded delicious. We ended up at Stone Brewing in the gorgeously landscaped (and huge!) outdoor space, where I had this killer salad. Check out that phyllo-wrapped goat cheese on the sides!
• Tender Greens: fast and fresh - exactly the kind of thing that hits the spot after a week of dining out. Meals come with 2 sides = lots of veggies (!) including for kids. We loved this as a takeout meal, eaten on the patio area of our hotel overlooking the bayfront sunset.
• Waterfront Park: playground with a view, plus great fountains for kids to splash in.
• Cabrillo National Monument: our friends also took us here, for some more beautiful ocean and wildflower views, and kid-friendly "hiking" trails.

Legoland

And of course, the main event! Hendrik is so obsessed with Legos that this is pretty much his version of going to Disney. And I would say it's great for this age,as a very manageable sized theme park. Some of the things we thought were really fun about Legoland:

• Roller coasters: Hendrik is a big fan (notice the photo where he's got his arms in the air before the ride has even started), and the nice thing about this park for his age is that nothing is super huge, so he was tall enough to go on pretty much everything with adult accompaniment.
• Deep Sea Adventure: second to his Lego obsession is his sea life/marine biology obsession, so this ride was perfect - basically you are in a "submarine", moving through an actual huge tank filled with fish and small sharks and such, on a "mission" to find underwater treasure (i.e. big gems and treasure chests and such made from Legos). It is really cool.
• Play areas in line: thankfully we didn't have huge lines (especially on our first day there, a weekday) but did have to wait in some, where we discovered a brilliant idea - little pens where kids could play with Legos, while parents continued to wait in the line (kids always in sight).
• Places to build Legos: in the park, in the hotel lobby, in the hotel room - plenty of opportunity to take a break from rides and just play!
• Minifigure trading: if you bring a minifigure along, you can trade it at several stations throughout the park/hotels. Hendrik had a lot of fun inspecting the ones on offer and made a couple of trades.
• Castle Hotel: we went all-in with this trip and stayed in one of the Lego hotels, and it was amazing. Expensive, but was half the greatness of our experience. I mean, just look at the outside - a kid's dream! The inside was all kinds of Lego fun, most notably a big pit of Legos in the lobby, awesome Lego sculptures everywhere, a treasure hunt to find a code to unlock a safe in our room containing small Lego sets to keep, a separate kids' sleeping area with bunkbeds, a great playscape in the courtyard, really good breakfast buffet included, and early access to the park. We recommend.
• Sea Life Aquarium: connected to the Legoland park, this was included with our tickets, and with Hendrik's aforementioned sealife obsession, we definitely had to go in. And it turned out to be great - a small aquarium - which was nice after we'd already done plenty of walking - but nicely done. Hendrik's favorite part was the scavenger hunt with prize of Lego figure paper crown at the end. 
• Karl Strauss Brewing Company: not a part of Legoland, but located within 1/2 a mile of it. While the food we had for lunch in the theme park had surprisingly healthy/delicious/reasonably priced options, in the evening we definitely wanted to get away for a "normal" meal - and this places' food and beer were so good we went twice. Check out that rice bowl with all the veggies!

All in all, a great region to visit with kids - though we did find plenty of great stuff to do on our adults-only trip to San Diego and Palm Springs last year, if that's more your speed...