A RECIPE: OUR FAVORITE VEGAN VANILLA CUPCAKES

raising a toddler is, truly, no joke. anyone who has ever parented could probably tell you that. some days, it feels like the better part of my days are walking behind him, picking up what he's dropped or smeared or ripped into a million pieces. other days it feels like i'm just trying to prevent him from not turning on the stove on high or rocking him until he has shed his tenth tantrum from his own little body or finding a way to distract him from wanting to make another smoothie right after he just had two.

some days, too, are beautiful and slow and really sweet. feeding the family of crows that walk on our fences, watering the small sally holmes roses outside our window, retying the kite string that's been separated from itself, filling up bowls with sand and rocks and listening for airplanes to pass our patch of sky. measuring the right amount of flour to make our favorite cupcakes.

these cupcakes are our favorite. and we can all lick the batter without fear of some of the consequence of raw eggs. we made this small batch today as a family; dada measuring out the vanilla, gus turning on our pistachio kitchen aid, and me, zesting in the lemon (always, always, always, lemon). the frosting isn't vegan, but it is so damn good it doesn't really matter. because, well, butter. there will probably be more frosting than batter, but i always think that's a good thing because you can save the frosting for other things. like pancakes. or more cupcakes. or graham crackers.

RECIPE: VEGAN VANILLA CUPCAKES
makes 8

Cupcakes

1Cup flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

dash of salt

1/2 Cup sugar

1/4 Cup vegetable oil

3/4 Cup nondairy milk (we used rice milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Frosting (non-vegan)

2 Cups powdered sugar

1/2 Cup melted butter (cooled)

2 teaspoons vanilla

Zest of half a lemon

Juice from half a lemon

Directions

preheat oven to 365. line or oil a cupcake pan. in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, salt and sugar until well combined. add the oil, milk, vanilla and lemon juice and mix on medium speed and then on high for a a few seconds to make sure the batter is smooth.

bake for twenty minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. set aside and let cool.

for the frosting, whisk together all ingredients on low until well combined, then to medium-high until the frosting is light and fluffy.

enjoy! xo

A FEW FAVORITE THINGS.

when it comes to my every day routine, i would say it's pretty darn simple. i don't own many products and in fact, most of what i do own i can fit into a makeup bag and be done with it. mostly because i don't believe most of the hype of beauty products (especially the price tag attached to them) and mostly because i rarely steer away from what seems to work for me personally. beauty counters scare me, and i usually just end up smelling perfume or lotion rather than trying on makeup, and i think a lot of what they are trying to sell can be found for a lot less in alternative ways.

i see many blogs that post their monthly favorite buys, but i can't help but wonder how much money is spent on trying out all these items! i think if you can even get to a point where you've found products that work, then there's really no need to keep trying out new ones. maybe i'm alone on this, and i probably am.

at eighteen weeks pregnant, i am finding that having a small basket of go-to's is really helpful, especially on the days where i just want to lay on my bed and sleep for hours on end. i am finding that the little and simple things are all i'll ever need. a few clippings of roses, beautiful floral thrifted skirts and dresses, a simple and timeless pair of sandals, a nice spritz of perfume and the prettiest shade of rose pink on my nails to feel feminine, lotion to keep my skin moisturized, oils to calm my anxiety and a simple sunhat to spend in outside with my family. 

those are my things, i guess. nothing exotic or over the top. just simple and lovely. how i truly try to live.

my spring favorites list:

1/ sally holmes roses
2/ jasmine lotion here
3/ burt's bees almond butter here
4/ essential oils (c/o casey wiegand) here
5/ burt's bees nourishing chapstick here
6/ moonrise creek facial lotion here
7/ moraccan oil here
8/ sonja kashuk nail polish (perfect shade of pink) here
9/ estee lauder florals perfume (a surprise gift from my husband, and it smells like heaven) here
10/ avarcas pons (c/o) here
11/old fashioned scissors here
12/ sunhat here
13/ clementines and citrus all day long
14/ la croix (perfect mid day treat)
15/ thrifted floral dresses and skirts

A BIRTHDAY GETAWAY.

on friday morning, while my husband was on a flight home, he texted me telling me to get an overnight bag ready and to be ready by 10:30 on saturday morning and to not ask any questions. we dropped gus off with my parents and off we went.

he surprised me by taking me to napa at the carneros inn where he endlessly romanced me and didn't leave my side for a moment. we had baths outside and dinner with flowers in our salads and mock cocktails by the fireside. we walked to apple orchards and looked into each other's eyes enough to last me a lifetime. i am so in love with the beautiful, strong and gentle man i married, and it only truly seems to be growing more intensely each day i am blessed to spend with him.  he takes care of me in ways i never knew i needed, and is never afraid to pour his heart multiple times an hour, just to make sure i know.

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coming home refreshed the next day, we had a small mother's day gathering at ours in the evening, and i decorated our table in our garden roses and eucalyptus. my mama made me a beautiful birthday cake with pansies and also a belated blue airplane birthday cake for gus. it was so beautiful seeing my mama cooking up a storm in our kitchen, smiling beautifully, like she always does. and i captured her through our kitchen windows and it has become my most cherished photo of her to date.

later that evening, steve fell asleep putting gus to sleep in our bed, and i laid out on our couch, watching an episode of one tree hill (i love it so much), and began crying. i tend to blame all my tears on pregnancy, but i think this time, it was more about the love i had in my heart yesterday. there's just so much that i want to hold on to, so much that i don't ever want to end.

my mama's love, my husband's gentleness and touch, my baby boy's overbite and how he smiles and greets me each and every time i walk into a room. just about everything.

i hope you all had a beautiful weekend a mother's day spent smiling somewhere with the ones you love.

ps: have you seen this video? beautiful beyond words.

/i've watched this about ten times, love it so much.
/this poem, over and over.
/so funny 
/prettiest cookie idea
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BE GENTLE ON YOURSELF.

i am laying in our bed right now, my baby boy fast asleep to the right of me, buried deep inside his blanky and cemented to my hips as though we were driftwood formed together at sea. i brought him to bed earlier tonight, when the stars and moon weren't even visible. i just tucked him into my chest and breathed in his curls while he drifted. i do this every night, but something about seeing him in the pale late evening light was even more beautiful. maybe it's because daddy's been away at work, but holding him close is my balm.

we had a full day today. we spent all our time outside, hanging laundry, tending our garden, checking on the carrots and strawberries and brussels sprouts. we have much more to plant but these are the first that have already begun saying their hellos to us. it's amazing how many hours augustus can spend simply playing outside. we come in for lunch, say our prayers, and rush back out. his auntie got him a water and sand table for his birthday so he is just in heaven filling up his cups (ahem, our vitamix blender) with sand and stones and collectibles. i go in and out of the kitchen, watching him through the open windows as i prepare small snacks or get a load of dishes in or mop the floor.

it is my birthday on mother's day. it seems that each year it comes upon me like a stack of books falling from their shelves, landing at the base of my feet. i don't often think of my birthday and try harder not to think about my age. i guess that's what becomes of growing older. it just happens. 

i told my husband i just want to lay somewhere with a sunhat and all my very loves around me. anywhere, really. our backyard. a vineyard. a valley near an old wooden deli. something simple and sweet - the way i want this year to feel.

/nursery inspiration

/this is so beautiful

/heard this song again today and my heart sunk as i used to rock my baby boy to when he was only months old

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