Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Hilarious

Ok, I don't know how I found this YouTube channel, but I'm so glad I did.  I've been sitting here for a good 30 minutes watching these videos and dying of laughter.  During the Driver's Ed video, I was literally crying.  (Either they're super funny or I'm just really bored.)  Enjoy!

(For those of you who don't get it - they asked two kids to act out a particular scene, and then the adults reenacted it, with the kids' voices dubbed over.  At the end of each video it shows a snippet of the original conversation.)

Be sure to scroll down to the last video - they got Josh Groban to appear!















AND THEY GOT JOSH GROBAN TO APPEAR!



Subscribe to their YouTube channel to see more: https://www.youtube.com/user/BoredShortsTV


Which one is your favorite?


XO,

Julie

Monday, April 28, 2014

Future Home - Inspiration

I do this blog for fun and not for money.  I started it as a creative outlet, a way to challenge myself.  If I know that I will be posting something to my blog, I will work harder at making it great (art, recipes, photographs, etc.).  It also keeps me accountable (if I post that I'm going to exercise, I better exercise).  Over this past year it has been more of a travel blog, as I document our adventures in Brazil.  But, ultimately, it is just a personal blog, a way to journal about life, and secretly a way for me to keep track of my life without have to spend money on scrapbooking (though I'm really looking forward to making some photo albums when we get back to the States - another post on that later).

Lately I've been obsessing about the future.  What job am I going to get?  Where will we live?  I can't wait for the day we can start decorating and making our living place feel like "us."  Our apartment in Brazil came fully furnished with some pretty crappy stuff (another post on that, later).  And since we knew we were going to be here temporarily, we didn't want to spend too much money on stuff that we will eventually have to ship back with us.  Financially, it just doesn't make sense.  So my days are instead spent with browsing blogs, Etsy, and Pinterest, and dreaming about my future house.

Here are some of my favorites:

I love the window and pillows, the green cabinet, and the rustic table:
via Pinterest
I love the indoor plants and the abundance of light:
via Pinterest

I love the ceiling and the rug:
via Pinterest

I love the flowers and colors:
via Pinterest

I love the desk, the window, the colors, and the fireplace.  Basically this room is perfect:
via Pinterest

I love the large map:
via Pinterest

I love the suitcases and the globe:
via Pinterest

I love the ceiling and the fire place:
via Pinterest

I love the brick backsplash:
via Pinterest
I love the bathtub:
via Pinterest
I love the lamp:
via Pinterest

It's safe to say my tastes are eclectic...
See more on my Pinterest account.

XOXO,

Julie

Friday, April 25, 2014

Grain-Free Pancakes // Recipe

Grain-free pancakes // Recipe


 I posted this photo on instagram and had a few requests for the recipe.  So here it is!  
If you really don't like bananas, you won't like this recipe.  If you only somewhat don't like bananas, give this a try!  The banana flavor isn't too strong and if you maple syrup they taste just like regular pancakes!
I included two versions - the easy version is quick, the time-consuming version makes fluffier, more pancakey pancakes.

My recipes were inspired by and adapted from Real Food RN's recipe.

THE EASY VERSION

Ingredients:
3 medium sized bananas
4 eggs
2tsp cinnamon
1 small apple chopped very tiny, optional.
Coconut oil or butter
Optional add-ins - flaxseed, blueberries, almond slivers, etc.

Directions:
In a medium sized bowl, mash up the bananas with a fork.  It's ok if they're a little chunky.  Add the eggs and cinnamon and mix well.  Optional - add the apple (this gives it a sweetness that I like).  Grease a skillet with coconut oil or butter and bring to medium heat (coconut oil will make them slightly sweet, butter will make them taste more like pancakes).  Pour the batter into pancake shapes (they be runny, but they will puff up slightly as they cook).  Cook on medium-low heat for a couple of minutes.  Check the bottoms and when they're golden brown, flip.  Cook on the other side for a few minutes.  Serve as is, or add maple syrup, berries, or whatever you normally serve on pancakes.

Makes about 6-8 medium-sized pancakes

NOTE:  Brazilian bananas are smaller than the ones you get in the States, therefore you might need to adjust the number of bananas... if you add the eggs and it is too runny, add some more banana.  If you add the eggs and it's still too chunky, add another egg.




THE MORE TIME CONSUMING VERSION

Ingredients:
2 medium sized bananas
2 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
Coconut oil or butter

Directions:
In your food processor, combine bananas, egg yolks, cinnamon, and vanilla extract until pureed.  In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until fluffy.  Carefully fold the egg whites into the banana mixture.  Grease a skillet with coconut oil or butter and bring to medium heat.  Scoop the batter onto the skillet.  Cook on medium-low heat for a couple of minutes, check the bottoms and when they're golden brown, flip.  Cook on the other side for a few minutes.  Serve as is, or add maple syrup, blueberries, or whatever you normally serve on pancakes.

Makes about 8 small pancakes.

NOTE: Brazilian bananas are smaller than the ones you get in the States, therefore you might need to adjust the number of bananas... if you add the eggs and it is too runny, add some more banana.  If you add the eggs and it's still too chunky, add another egg.



I like to serve my pancakes with greek yogurt, pears, and Earl Gray tea!

Let me know if you try the recipe and how it turns out! 

XO,

Julie

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Shades of the beach

Peter would be annoyed at me for posting these without letting him edit them first.  But I think they are just lovely as they are.  This is how I remember that night at the beach.  Soft, pastel colors.  Diffused light.   Shadows and reflections.  I'm going to miss this.











All photos taken by Peter Arthur.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention... we are moving back to the States!  We arrive in LA on June 20th.  We will be heading back to my hometown to either stay for awhile (if we don't have jobs yet) or pick up our stuff and head out to wherever we get jobs!  There will be an entire post dedicated to why we decided to move and what our plans are.

We have a lot planned in the last two months of our time here.  We are going to Paraty again, making a quick trip to Sao Paulo for Peter's dad's birthday, Peter's going on a fishing trip with the other men, the school has a week-long camp to Isla Grande that I'm trying to decide if I want to attend, and then we pretty much have to think about packing up.  We also have to find time to see Sugar Loaf and go back to Petropolis...  

Exciting times ahead, so stay tuned!

XO,

Julie

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Petropolis, Brazil - Out and About

Travel Tuesday
Linking up for Travel Tuesday with Bonnie Rose, Girl Meets Globe, and Melanie Fontaine


Last month we went to Petropolis and everything was closed except for the Cathedral.  So we wandered around for a bit and snapped a few pictures of the pretty town before heading back to Barra da Tijuca.





European-style buildings in the mountains of Brazil...
Trying (and failing) to be "artistic..."

I don't know what this building is because it was closed...



I hope we can go back again soon.  And this time we'll check to make sure the town is open!  :)


Julie

Monday, April 21, 2014

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Petropolis, Brazil - The Cathedral


Well now I'm finally sharing the photos of the cathedral.  Don't blame me - I kept asking Peter for them, but he was super busy.

This cathedral isn't as grand as most of the cathedrals in Europe, but it's pretty cool nonetheless.  And it's in Brazil...





















trying to be artistic...

I loved the layers of triangles, circles, and squares


The cathedral is, obviously, very beautiful, and we were grateful that something was open for exploration that day (we went on Ash Wednesday, not realizing it's considered a holiday in Brazil and literally everything was closed, even restaurants, except for the Catholic church, of course).

We can't wait to go back to Petropolis and look around at all the other historically cool buildings, museums, homes, gardens, etc.


Julie


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