Pineapple Lily

Introducing our new direction

2014-01-04T15:14:00.000-06:00

After a lot of thought and reflection my husband and I have decided to start a new blog together called Settled!! I am a little sad about the end of Pineapple Lily, however we are incredibly excited about our new venture. Collaborating with Brandon will be so fun and I hope you will come along for the ride. We plan on posting about our family, travels, minimalism, faith and just anything we find beautiful and uplifting.

Over the past few months we have become increasingly more aware that this life is too busy, that we are losing tradition and connection. We hope that Settled will help encourage people to become more intentional in every aspect of their life.

To visit us please hop on over to SETTLED!

Our Journey to Minimalism

2013-10-24T21:09:00.000-05:00

No it wasn't some great and mighty thing that happened one day. Over the past year I have slowly become increasingly annoyed with my stuff. See, we downsized when we moved last January so we could get into a nicer home and area. This was easy since we really didn't have "that much stuff" to begin with. Right? Wrong. It's funny actually, because to most people we look as thought we don't own much. We have one car and our kids don't have toys coming out of their ears. My clothes aren't designer and Brandon does well with the pieces in his closet that he has worked hard to obtain. We didn't have a problem...but we did.

For me the problem started when all I did was stress about picking up, overwhelmed by things that would get put onto a shelf or table and left there for days. Weeks. That stress was so silent that I didn't even know it was taking a toll. But it was. The clutter, the lack of order and place. To others it may have looked fine, but to me it was causing chaos in my brain.

Introduce the book The Joy of Less and The 100 Thing Challenge and WHAM! yup, we were your a typical American Style Consumer. See, you don't have to spend tons of money to be one. You know that dollar section at Target? You stop there right? Why? Because we are drawn to a good cheap deal like gnats to wine. Who could pass up a cutting board with limes on it for $2.50?!! (I had that thing for 5 years and when I got a new one, and another new one it was STILL THERE, taking up space in my cupboard.)

We all think we don't have a problem. But we all do. And Brandon and I were in the thick of it.

Three weeks ago we started going through our house. Every nook, every drawer, every inch of the attic, garage, car. And made piles, and piles and piles. It was hard at first, then it got fun. Then we would run into something sentimental and it was hard again, then it wasn't when that thing that was never used or looked at was put into the sell bin and TADA!!! you have space in its place.

We are in no way to the place we want to be. Our ultimate goal is to be able to pack our home in just a few hours. We still have a ways to go on that. But we have started. The end result in our official first purge left us with a home that has at least 50% less stuff than it had in it before. And we made money too! Our garage sale last weekend was a success and I'm still selling things on Craig's List and Facebook.

Now a side note: with three small children it is hard to feel as though you live a minimalist life style due to the toys and things that we are just not ready to take away from them. However, they too participated in giving toys away to kids that need them and also finding new homes for some of their toys they no longer use. We are so proud of them, and we hope that our lifestyle will be learned through seeing us and not us TELLING them they have to do it.

We are just beginning but the things we do own now hold so much more value to us, we use them, we admire them.

Do you have a secret desire to be a minimalist? Or are you one already? Do tell!!

Around Here // Vol. 1

2013-09-25T14:23:00.000-05:00

I wanted to start a blog post that will give me the ability to show you what's been happening around here without having a specific story or topic. Around Here has officially been initiated.

1// my silly boy
2// i am officially obsessed with my OKC farmers market flower lady. I can mix and match!
3// the best husband in the WHOLE world.
4// kale. it is so beautiful! we are trying crisp kale + brussels sprout tacos tonight.

My Fall Transition Style

2013-09-24T10:49:00.000-05:00

As the season changes to Fall I get super excited about scarves...and pumpkin...and apples...just like everyone else. They are so fun! This last week it got JUST cool enough to allow a long sleeve shirt and scarf. I was giddy.

Another thing I love to do is wear my daughters hair bows. I figure I will continue this till I feel it's totally inappropriate for my age, but until then it works. I'm going with it.

The night we took these photos was so much fun. We had a pot luck dinner with some friends and enjoyed home made wine and great conversation. And it's still my birthday month so I may have had a little too much wine. C'est la vie!

Oh and my new glasses are from Warby Parker! I can't say enough good things about this company. The customer service was amazing and I will definitely be going back to them in the future. (I'm not getting paid to say that. I truly like them that much.)

shirt & scarf//old navy bag//tjmaxx shorts//cutoffs shoes//converse circa 2001 lips//bare minerals- cherries on top

Pho-bulous

2013-09-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

We introduced the kids to Pho last night. We live so close to the Asian District here in OKC that it would be a shame to not give our kids this cultural experience regularly.

Thankfully they liked it! I mean, it really is the perfect kid food. Noodles, broth, meat, crunchy sprouts.

We also go to a thai tea place regularly that has everything from watermelon juice to avocado smoothies (I'm trying that next).

Do you eat Pho? It's so delicious, you should try it if you haven't already.

The Great State Fair of Ooooklahoma!

2013-09-19T10:04:00.000-05:00

Wine. Wine makes the Fair fun. That and tons of barn animals!

We had a freak storm come through RIGHT at the exact moment we were getting the kids into the strollers. And by freak storm I mean one minute it was calm, the next it was monsoon with hail and lightning. So naturally we got wet. Then we got wine.

As the kids get older they are starting to enjoy things like the Fair more and more. It's so fun as a parent to watch them light up at the simplest things.... aka, sugar in the form of cotton candy.

Updating the Absence

2013-09-16T13:39:00.001-05:00

The last year has gone by so fast. So I thought I would update you on a few things. First, Berkli turned 4 and we had her birthday party at our new home! We moved in last January and are VERY happy with our new location. No gunshots here folks!

Next, my brother and sis in law are pregnant! We get to meet little Caleb in November and we are soooo excited and happy!

We Brandon started a garden this summer. He has turned into Mr. Farmer. If we didn't love the city so much I know we would be out on some land just so we could have a homestead. Although, in all honesty, if we had time I think we would make our current home into one as much as possible. But dang, cultivating your own food takes time you guys!!

Holland lost her first tooth!! I cried.

We got a dog. Her name is Piper and she is awesome.

Zeke climbs everything! And it's hard to believe he will be 3 in December.

I'm so glad I am blogging again so I can document all these wonderful things in detail.

32

2013-09-15T16:53:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I turned 32. And yesterday I woke up with a HUGE crick in my neck. A harsh realization that I'm getting older. But with age comes wisdom so I took the opportunity of it being my birthday, and being hurt and drank a lot of wine.

Oh, and Brandon and I ate our weight in sushi.

I also bought myself a new watch. $20 at Target!!

This was probably the least memorable birthday to date, but it's ok. I am learning so much about myself lately. Learning lessons and finding out who I really am.

32 is going to be an awesome year!

Shirt//Anthropologie Jeans//Old Navy Shoes//DSW Purse//TJMaxx Watch//Target Bracelet//Stella&Dot

I'm back. And I'm awesome.

2013-09-12T23:44:00.000-05:00

If you had asked me two days ago if I would be writing on Pineapple Lily EVER again, I would have laughed and said NO way, I'm done blogging. Been there, done that.

But here I sit. Typing.

For a year and a half I blogged because I was obsessed with numbers, gaining readers and figuring out who I was. I will be 32 on Saturday and I'm only half sure of who I am.

Mom.
Wife.
Friend.
Daughter.

For YEARS now I have searched for something to keep me creatively stimulated. Blogging did that for me but at the cost of too much time spent away from family, too much stress of trying to be someone I'm not and the heart ache of losing numbers just because I didn't post something for a week.

All of those things make for a lot of frustration and hands thrown in the air.

This time will be different. I'm determined to use Pineapple Lily as my place of creative stimuli and solitude away from the busy life that surrounds me but at the same time not allowing it to control my life.

I've come and gone, and if you're still reading, or new to reading I'm so incredibly grateful for you.

One of my fave bloggers over at JDC had a post the other day where she had one defining statement that really hit home...

"Just do your thing."

Oh, I'm so going to do my thing.

ps...slowly I will start to bring back old posts, so if you are snooping around trying to find out what I'm all about, I'm sorry, not much to see right now. Stay tuned...the best is yet to come.

Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies

2012-10-18T08:30:00.000-05:00

**Note: this post was published before I went gluten free.

The PERFECT cookies to make ice cream sandwiches with or to dunk in a glass of milk.

What you will need:

1 Cup Butter

2 Cups Brown Sugar

2 tsp. Vanilla

1 Cup Almond Butter {can sub Peanut Butter}

2 Eggs

1 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour

2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

2 Cups Oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl cream together butter, sugar, vanilla and almond butter till smooth.

Beat in eggs one at a time.

Mix together dry ingredients in separate bowl.

Stir wet ingredients into wet ingredients, add oats.

Spoon onto cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-15 minutes

This yields about 3-4 dozen cookies. {like, a ton of cookies}

{I created this recipe from 3 different recipes found online, then change some stuff. Very professional disclaimer right? }

Zeke's First Haircut

2012-09-24T14:36:00.001-05:00

Last week we had a family salon visit. It was time for Zeke's first hair cut, and I was ready, and not ready, all at the same time. I knew he needed the curls to be cut off because they kept getting tangled, but that didn't mean I WANTED them gone.

He was not up for the cape so he sat on daddy's lap while the cutting took place. The end result made me cry tears of joy, my baby boy had just gotten bigger.

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If you are in the OKC metro area and need an amazing hair dresser please leave a comment and I will get you Tomi's info. I've gone to her for over 8 years and still love my hair every time.

Wear: My Birthday Getup

2012-09-18T14:15:00.000-05:00

dress::nordstrom

tights::nordstrom

shoes::bakers

scarf::old navy

{gift from Mitchell}
purse::target

For my birthday I was not feeling especially great about my body. I haven't been running and it shows. I'm tired, I feel chubby...just all around yuck.

So when my amazing sister in law said I could raid her closet I took her up on the offer. I chose a cute polka dot dress and cardigan then paired it with my new yellow tights. I felt amazing!

Oh and did you notice I went back to ombre? Yup, I was ready for a change. This way I don't have to color my hair foreeeever.

Party Hardy in Phone Photos

2012-09-16T20:24:00.001-05:00

My birthday get together was awesome!! I was surrounded by some of my most favorite people AND I got to drink, so ya know I had a great time. Cheers to being 31!!

{The pictures are from a phone because I was not about to go all artsy and take my nice camera out with me.}

And because I love to make myself look stupid...

Sweet Treat Fridays

2012-09-09T21:52:00.000-05:00

With Holland starting school for the first time, I wanted to begin a tradition for the kids.

Every Friday we have a sweet treat after school. It helps me say no to other sweets during the week because I can just remind them that we get our treat on Friday!

Having a ritual like this is one of those things I really looked forward to doing as a mom.

Memories.

Turning 3!

2012-08-21T22:49:00.001-05:00

Next week my Berkli turns 3! I am in shock at how fast time has flown by. I know, I'm saying what every parent says...but no really, it's flown by.

A man said something to me today at Panera Bread that really hit home and helped me appreciate the choices I have made the last few weeks regarding my time with the blog and social media.

As I thanked this stranger for getting out of his chair and opening the door for me and the kids, he said "Enjoy them as much as you can. Mine are grown and gone now and man, I feel so bad." He didn't have a sense of joy as he said this to me. More of longing and regretfulness.

I won't be filled with regret.

PS...isn't that just the cutest 3 year old you have ever seen?

That Time We Saw a Mountain In Oklahoma

2012-08-14T20:17:00.000-05:00

Yup, believe it or not, there IS a mountain in Oklahoma. I have lived in Oklahoma for almost my entire life and to my surprise I had never gone to this amazing part of my state.

The Wichita Mountains are home to some of the coolest camping spots and wild animals. As you can see, I am very intelligent. On seeing a bison on the side of the road I got out of the car and made my way over to him. Like we were BFF or something. Guillaume rolled his window down at that point and quietly said "Too close Melissa! Too close!"

Oops.

We drove to the top of the mountain and took some pretty awesome photos. It was a really cool experience for the kids...and for me!

"Mom! There's a turtle in our yard!"

2012-07-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

We live in the city. Like, the city city. In no way should a turtle be frolicking around our home. But the other day Holland informed us that there was a turtle in our front yard. I thought she was joking, or making something up to be funny. Nope! Sure enough, a big box turtle was walking through our yard.

Brandon showed the kids the turtle and explained what the shell was, giving an impromptue school lesson. Then let the turtle go, back across the yard.

Philly According to Phone Photos

2012-06-26T22:18:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I took a little trip to Philadelphia with my bestie Brooke. We had such a great time! And instead of writing about it I thought I would just show it to you in photos. Most of these are from Brooke's iPhone 4S which is way nicer than my old 3GS. booo...did you know that the S stands for slow? Yup. Sure does.

The first night we had plans to go out to a Phillies game! I even bought this super cute tank top from Victoria's Secret. But then this happened...

Yup, it rained. Poured.

So instead we went down to our hotel bar, met some locals and immediately got hooked up with free beer and food. Then we headed over to Time, where we had a connection to the manager and proceeded to get hooked up even more. {Thank you Jason, Scott, Timmy and Rob.}

The next day I nursed a hangover while we walked around Philly. We saw all the fun stuff, the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross' house, cheese steaks...you know the important things.

The weather on Saturday night was amazing so we sat outside and enjoyed it! Then the most amazing thing happened that evening. The manager of the hotel restaurant took us up to the top of the hotel where they were setting up for a wedding. We were able to go out onto the balcony and see the Philly sky line in all it's glory. It was a great way to end the weekend.

Sunday morning we headed back to Oklahoma City. The streets were bare and the air was crisp. It was a fun trip for sure!! Love you Brooke!!

Cheese Nachos from Scratch {thanks to Sterling}

2012-05-21T23:07:00.000-05:00

Today's post is basically due to...

That guy is Sterling. He is officially one of my favorite people, and he really wanted me to do a post on nachos, so obviously I am obliging and giving him what he asked for. If he truly had his way it would also be about hookers, but I can only go so far.

So nachos...yeah, I love them. I grew up with my dad making some dang good nachos made with store bought chips and big slices of cheese...that's all. So good and greasy!

However today I am going to share with you an awesome new way I am making nachos. It's a fresh take on them and everything in these nachos is from scratch and totally fresh. Love!

What you will need:

Nachos

1 package of corn tortillas (gmo free!!)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1 organic red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 red onion, chopped

1 14 or 15 oz can black beans- drained and rinsed

Greek Yogurt Dip

Mix together

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 lime, juiced

pinch of salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Lay out tortillas and brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

3. Stack tortillas and cut each into 4 wedges {I used a pizza cutter}

4. Spread out onto lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, turn after 10 minutes. Make sure they don't burn but you want them crispy.

5. Remove from oven and toss into a pile.

6. Sprinkle cheese onto chips then top with peppers, onion and beans. Place another layer of cheese on top.

7. Place in oven and bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese is fully melted.

8. Serve with Greek yogurt dip.

Enjoy!! I know my kids did.

That is Holland's "bakers hat" made from bloomers. I know, creative.