monday {menu}

..🍋.Lemon Bars.🍋.. 

Ingredients

• 
  
• CRUST:
• ½
  pound unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½
  cup granulated sugar
• 2
  cups all-purpose flour
• ⅛
  teaspoon kosher salt
• FILLING:
• 6
  extra-large eggs, room temperature
• 3
  cups granulated sugar
• 2
  tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
• 1
  cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1
  cup all-purpose flour
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill. Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on. For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature. Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

happy sunday...

xoxo 

Alexandra 

finding the look...

{rooster pinterest}

You know when you find a look you love and you become completely obsessed over it for days... Well, I'm sure doing that right now! I can't get any of these images out of my head.  This dining room is extremely simple and neutral. It has added in textures, but kept it very calm and simple! The perfect classic base! I can imagine adding in pops of color through pottery, flowers... And table scape. I believe the best way to achieve this look is to start small and eliminate the furniture you don't need in the room... Then move to the big items like your table. Analyze it... Is it simple? Can I bring other textures in comfortably? If not, say good by graceful and get a new one that will achieve all of that. The transformation will be huge!  Finding a style that has a long lasting elegance is very hard to do... But you sure can!I think the one above is a winner! 

xoxo 

Alexandra 

please

xoxo

Alexandra

t r u t h {tuesday}

..10 Ways to L O V E Yourself.. 

1. Probably the most important key is to stop criticizing yourself. If we tell ourselves that we are okay, no matter what is going on, we can make changes in our lives easily. It is when we make ourselves bad that we have great difficulty. 
   
   
2. We must also stop scaring ourselves. Many of us terrorize ourselves with frightful thoughts and make situations worse than they are. We take a small problem and make it into a big monster. 
   
   
3. Another way is to be gentle and kind and patient with yourself. Most of us suffer from the expectation of immediate gratification. We must have it now. Impatience is a resistance to learning. We want the answers without learning the lesson or doing the steps that are necessary. 
   
   
4. We must learn to be kind to our minds. Let’s not hate ourselves for having negative thoughts. We can think of our thoughts as building us up rather than beating us up. 
   
   
5. The next step is to praise yourself. Criticism breaks down the inner spirit, and praise builds it up. Acknowledge your Power. We are all expressions of the Infinite Intelligence. 
   
   
6. Loving yourself means supporting yourself. Reach out to friends and allow them to help you. You really are being strong when you ask for help when you need it. 
   
   
7. Love your negatives. They are all part of your creation, just as we are all part of the Universe. The Intelligence that created us doesn’t hate us because we make mistakes. This Intelligence knows we are doing the best we can and loves all of Its creation, as we can love ours.
   
   
8. Take care of your body. This was the topic of my email last week, however it bears repeating. Think of your body as a marvelous house in which you live for a while. You would love your house and take care of it, wouldn’t you? So, watch what you put into your body. 
   
   
9. I often emphasize the importance of mirror work in order to find out the cause of an issue that keeps us from loving ourselves. Look in the mirror first thing in the morning and say: “I love you. What can I do for you today? How can I make you happy?” Listen to your inner voice, and start following through with what you hear. 
   
   
10. Finally, love yourself now – don’t wait until you get it right. If you can love and approve of yourself now, then when good comes into your life, you will be able to enjoy it. Once you learn to love yourself, you can begin to love and accept other people too. 

Loving yourself is a wonderful adventure; it’s like learning to fly. Imagine if we all had the power to fly at will? How exciting it would be! 

Let’s affirm: 

I love myself just the way I am. 

xoxo 

Alexandra 

monday {menu}

 {mango smoothie bowl}

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ cup frozen mango chunks
• ½ cup frozen pineapple chunks
• ½ banana
• 1 cup coconut water
• 
  

Toppings

• ½ cup mango and pineapple chunks
• ½ cup blueberries
• ¼ cup coconut flakes
• ¼ cup chai spiced granola

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add the coconut water, then fruit into a high-powered blender. Blend on high for one minute, until thick and creamy consistency.
2. Pour into a bowl and add your toppings.

xoxo 

Alexandra 

happy sunday...

xoxo

Alexandra 

mia

Sorry for being a little MIA... My kids have been on fall break. We were supposed to jet off to Hawaii like we did last year, but the prices tripped literally the second we stepped of the plane from that last trip {hahah}... So that adventure was taken off the table. Next we were going to jet off to Cabo... Hit a tiny little hiccup with Passports... Which we later fond out that we didn't even need passports for Cabo {ughhhhh}... So to quickly find fun for my littles... We went to a few places to spread the time and fun out. Are you ready?!?!  

 ..DISNEYLAND, CA..

..GREAT WOLF LODGE, CA..

 ..THE HOLIDAYS CAMP COMMUNITY, CA..  

Oh my we sure had a good time! We were tired and super dirty by the end {6 loads of laundry}. I guess that's a true sign of a great trip! My family as you all know means the world to me... So taking time off from work to enjoy a vacation with them was a done deal {wink}! Seeing their little faces light up with joy is really all I need. This vacation was a definite adventure... We laughed at pretty much everything and ran from a few things {huge water slides}... But in the end we all came together as one!  I will only have these moments with my little ones for a little bit longer, so I want to embrace every second with them as much as possible. We have already started planning our next few adventures and we can't wait. 

xoxo 

Alexandra