July Photo Project: Relax

Can you believe July is already over? This month's theme served as a reminder to me to enjoy the rest of summer and this phase of life I'm in, despite all the chaos. This week, I treated myself to a massage and afternoon tea. Of course, it's got to be iced tea since it's July in Texas. Both were lovely and just the sort of treat I needed. Here's what you shared:

My friend Annie shared this photo of a sleepy monk seal on the beach from her vacation in Hawaii.

This purple sky that Allison captured is so dreamy.

My friend Nora took this picture of her pup Winston enjoying the dog days of summer.

Sally snapped this photo at one of her favorite parks in Paris.

And my mom took this one of kids enjoying bubbles at a birthday party.

If you want to share one of your relaxing photos, just leave a link below!

Mama-to-Be Smoothie

I've been drinking lots of smoothies lately to beat the heat and squeeze more servings of fruits and vegetables into my day. This one is my latest favorite, full of protein and potassium and beneficial foods for baby and mama. Of course, you don't have to be pregnant to enjoy it.

Banana, Almond and Spinach Smoothie

1 frozen banana

3 pitted dates

1 cup of milk or almond milk

1 tablespoon of almond butter

1 cup of spinach

Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

Paint Wall

While we were in Houston, we made a point to visit the very instagrammable paint wall at Biscuit Home. I'm declaring it the happiest wall on earth.

Thoughts of the Week

Fruit-inspired macarons: I can't take the cuteness.

Dreaming of a beach vacation and a breezy dress.

I'm eyeing this sweet print for baby boy's room.

Chocolate-covered cherries reinvented.

This motherhood around the world series is so interesting.

I'd like a glass of the loveliest-looking lemonade.

And please send me your relaxed photos!

Happy Friday! Any big weekend plans? I have to work, but at least I'll have a sleeping puppy at my feet and a bowl of watermelon on my desk. I can't get enough of either.

Coffee Toffee Brownies

I've been craving brownies for weeks now or as I like to say/blame, "The baby was craving brownies." I'm always looking for a new spin on my favorite sweet so when I found this dense, fudgy recipe that combined caramelly toffee bits and a touch of coffee I knew it'd be a winner.

Fudgy Mocha-Toffee Brownies
Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light

2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/4 cup toffee chips

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan. Combine coffee granules and 1/4 cup hot water, stirring until the coffee granules dissolve. Combine butter and semisweet chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 25-second increments until butter melts; stir until chocolate is smooth. Combine flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine coffee mixture, butter mixture, vanilla extract and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add coffee mixture to flour mixture; stir until just combined. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Batter will be thick. Sprinkle evenly with toffee chips. Bake at 350° for about 22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Baby Blankets

There are a whole lot more practical infant items I need, but I keep eyeing baby blankets with their sweet patterns and bright colors. Add that to the quilts made by his nana and great grandma and baby Broulette will be bundled up for life.

[found here: anchors; arrows; skyline; deer; robots; crosses]

Weekend in Photos

We went to Houston for the weekend to spend time with our friends Nick and Nora. They gave us a tour of the city's neighborhoods, parks, public art and tasty food (biscuits!), and our dogs, Zuzu and Winston, got to spend some quality time together.