Happy Birthday The Urban Acres!

One year ago this week I took the plunge and started The Urban Acres. I had wanted to start a blog for years, but it never felt like the "right" time. I finally (at the encouragement of a friend) took the plunge and just started, and I am so glad I did! 

I have learned A LOT in just this first year, not just about blogging, but also about myself. I'm not nearly as scheduled as I thought I was, and this entire process has been harder than I imagined it would be. This first year has been fun, but more than anything it's helped me to narrow my focus. I started out thinking I would blog about lots of things, but now I can see more clearly what's the purpose of The Urban Acres -- It's all about home. I hope to encourage and inspire the readers of this blog to care for and treasure their homes, whether they are crafty or not.

This second year is already looking like an adventure! Andrew and I start renovating the new house in about a month and I cannot wait to get in there and start making it feel like home. I hope you'll enjoy reading all the before and afters!

Lastly, I want to say thank you to everyone who has been reading this blog -- you are awesome! I do this because I love it, but to have someone else who loves reading is the icing on the cake.

I put together a little "Year in Review" of some of my favorite (and yours) posts from this first year. Enjoy!

Living Room Tour

Mrs. Meyer's Hunt

Floral Art

Macrame Runner

Backyard Chickens

Perfect Pie Receipe

Mini Pineapple Cake

Felt Flower Wreath

Galentine's Day 2016

This week I hosted my first ever "Galentine's Day" party! For those of you unfamiliar with the term, Galentine's is a fictitious holiday, created by Leslie Knope from the the TV show, Parks & Recreation. It's a holiday all about celebrating the love you have for your girlfriends.

I have some very lovely gal-pals, so I was more than happy to host a gathering in their honor. We spent the afternoon making bath bombs, snacking on chicken salad, sweet potato fries, some macaroons (thanks Francie!), and this spectacular lemon blueberry layer cake.

Chocolate Cake and All the Feelings

This past month and half has been one of the most physically/emotionally/mentally draining times of my life! If you didn't know, I am in a contest to win $75,000 (read the details here). It's really crazy. I'm still pinching myself.

I found out I was a finalist for the Mrs. Meyer's Homemaker Hunt in early December, and since then it's been the only thing on my mind. The anticipation is through the roof! It's like the feeling you got when you were a kid waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve, except EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE!

The stressing started with figuring out what kind of video essay I was going to make. They gave me guidelines, but I'm a person who wants to know EXACTLY what you want me to do. God bless the person at Mrs. Meyer's who answered my MANY emails for clarification. This was one of those times when you just have to say "this is the very best I can do," and hope that it's enough.

Fall 2015 Capsule Wardrobe

This weekend I did some soul searching in my closet. I decided it was time to commence project "Capsule Wardrobe!" If you are unfamiliar with the concept of a capsule wardrobe it's basically this: Eliminate any items of clothing that you don't fit into, don't look good in, or don't absolutely love. You're left with fewer items, but if you do your job right you'll love everything you own and feel good in what you wear on a daily basis.

My goal is to have a wardrobe around a 20 - 30 pieces, but historically I am more of a clothes hoarder. When I stepped back and got real with myself I realized I only wear about 30% of my clothes, so I took the plunge and rid myself of the other 70% that just weren't cutting it anymore. There were a few hard decisions, and I had to cut ties with a few pieces I'd been holding onto for sentimental reasons, but I've come through to the other side and I can honestly say it feels great!

3 Steps to Make Your Capsule Wardrobe

1. Try on your clothes, get rid of anything that doesn't fit well, look good, or is no longer your style. Even if you Aunt Barbara hand knit that sweater for your 13th birthday, if it doesn't look good on you it needs to go. This also means getting rid of things that you've hung onto because you have a deep sentimental bond with them *cough cough* honeymoon clothes *cough.

After you purge...

2. Look at what's left, and try to find the common thread. Do you love neutrals? Maybe you're more boho. Try to find the common theme in your wardrobe and give your style a name. This will help you in the future to decide whether a piece really belongs in your wardrobe. This could be anything from "Simple Elegance" to "Comfortable Luxe." For me personally, I love layers and neutrals so my style is "Effortless Chic." Corny name, but I chose "Effortless" because I need this to be simple, and "Chic" because I still want to look nice and polished.

3. Plan and purchase. The best part of the capsule wardrobe journey if you ask me! Spend a few days looking through your favorite stores and save the things you love. I like to do this step online so I can see everything together! That way I know if I'm staying true to the style I set for myself in step 2. And it's ok if it changes! Looking at my Fall Capsule board, what I started with is not where I ended up. Take the time to carefully check the details on the clothes you are thinking about and by gosh read the reviews! If everyone loves it, you probably will, too! But if several people comment on how quickly an item falls apart, don't risk it! Remember, we are going for fewer, higher quality items.

Here are the items that made the cut and are going into my fall capsule!

1. Button-Down Tunic Shirt with Pockets, Madewell $82
2. Asymmetrical Mini Skirt in Pinstripe, Madewell $88
3. Soundcheck Ringer Tee: Short Sleeve, Madewell $45
4. Seychelles Ukelele Booties, Anthropologie $140
5. Ex-Boyfriend Shirt in Kemp Plaid, Madewell $79.50
6. BDG Sally Pocket Tee, Urban Outfitters $39
7. Suede D'Orsay Flat, Urban Outfitters $59
8. Mitte Long Cardi, Anthropologie $88
9. Poppy Ankle Boot, Urban Outfitters $100

These 9 items combined with what's left in my closet make my 25 piece wardrobe. I may have to buy a few more basic tees for layering, but I think this is a great start. This is definitely the smallest my closet has ever been, and I am excited to see how much time I save. It will also be nice to love every outfit I wear -- right now that happens like 20% of the time. It also really helps doing all this shopping right as I come off Whole30 and feel great!

What are your fall wardrobe plans? Anyone else going the capsule route?

xoxo Sallie

Whole30 Halfway Point

Two weeks down, two to go -- I just completed the first half of the Whole30 program. If you don't know what the Whole30 program is, you can read what I said last week here, or check out their site. I know what you are all wondering. You're thinking, "How do you feel?" Well I'll tell you -- I feel great! For real. I have more energy, I crave things less, I sleep better, and I feel better. Has this week been perfect? No. There was a moment when I really wanted Choco Tacos and I couldn't have them, but overall it's been a good week.

If you remember, on Whole30 the guidelines are no dairy, no sugar, no legumes, and no grains. I bet you wondering, "What can you eat?" Well I'll tell you!

I eat a lot of veggies! A lot. I mix them with things, make "spaghetti" with them, and add them to salads. Here are some of my favorite greens.

And some of my favorite yellows. I eat about six sweet potatoes a week. They are my most favorite! I will also have a Whole30 Butternut Squash soup up on the blog later this week.

I eat a fair amount of fruit, but not nearly as much as I eat veggies. If you want to lose more weight on Whole30, then eat a lot less fruit since it has a high sugar content. I care more about making it through these thirty days without losing my mind, so I eat apples almost everyday.

I eat lots of meat. This is what sustains me! I love chicken, beef, turkey, even bacon! With meat you just have to make sure it's free of carrageenan, and also sugar or things that are made from sugar. So no maple bacon. Rotisserie chickens are one of my favorite things in the world -- if you are doing Whole30 they will make a great quick meal!

I have really stretched my palette. I eat parsnip fries now -- who knew! But there are a few things that are tried and true that I eat every week, several times a week -- the staples of my Whole30 existence.

1. Turkey Wraps - These is my go to lunch option. I found this originally on this article from Buzzfeed, but I modified by adding some lettuce. This is way easy, you just need sliced Turkey (remember no sugar, no carrageenans), shredded carrots, an avocado slice, a tomato slice, with dijon and mayo (also no sugar). Yum! I eat these all the time.

2. Copycat Larabars - My lifesavers! I made about 12 of these and ate them all. I make a really simple version with just dates and cashews, but my friend Juliane makes her own version with coconut and cocao nibs! Check that out here!

Ingredients (yields about 10 bars)
1 cup cashews
26 pitted medjool dates

1. Add your dates to your food processor! You want to pulse the until they start to form a paste.

2. Add the cashews into the mix, and pulse them until they look like this.

3. With wax paper on your counter (trust me you need this!) use wet hands to form the mix into a ball.

4. Using a rolling pin or your wet hands, roll out the ball until it's about 1/4 in thick. Use a knife to cut your bars to the size you want.

Wallah! I store these in the fridge in a plastic container with wax paper in between each layer. They are delish. I eat at all of them in about 6 days.

xoxo Sallie

The Whole30 Program

This month I am embarking on a 30 day, whole body reset called Whole30. Basically, Whole30 is a way to cut out harmful or unnecessary ingredients from your diet so that you body can heal and get stronger.

Whole30 is 30 days of no legumes, grains, dairy, sugar, carrageenan, MSG, sulfites, or alcohol. These foods may have been affecting your digestive system and other areas of your life without you even noticing it!

For me, this is a way to get back on track (especially after vacation) and feel healthy for the fall. I am a group fitness instructor and I have to be on my A game, and I believe this will help me to have more energy. I also love a challenge. I do the very best when I am following some sort of program or rules, so this is an exciting venture for me!

 I could go on in more detail, but Whole30 has an amazingly helpful website and you should spend a few hours researching this info for yourself, as this is definitely a challenge you need to be prepared for.

Over these next 30 days I am keeping a food journal as well as documenting the recipes I try, and any tips and tricks I pick up along the way so I can share them with you here on the blog!

I am 3 days in, and so far I feel really great. I can honestly say, I haven't been craving things as much as I normally do. I also was able to go through a pretty long day yesterday without feeling like I needed a nap! That's a major plus for me.

Fall is a great time to begin Whole30, right before the holidays hit and it's a natural time of the year to start getting back on a schedule.

What say you? Are you in for a 30 day challenge?  

xoxo Sallie

Urban Acres by the Sea

Hello dear friends and readers! I am back home in good ol' Tulsa this week after having been gone the last 10 days. Our trip to the beach included a meningitis scare, a trip to the ER, sea turtles, and some sea turds. That sounds a little crazy, but actually we had a great time. Here are some of the highlights from our trip!

Upon arrival to Destin, Andrew was struck with a bad fever and throbbing headache. We hoped a day of rest would help him feel back up to parr, but unfortunately day 2 of vacation included a lot of advil and fever reducers. Day 3 we took a trip to Urgent Care where Andrew was diagnosed with a flu mimicking virus and told to proceed with caution, as this could be the start of spinal meningitis! Yikes! We rebuked that crap, but on day 4 when Andrew felt worse, we decided not to risk it and headed over to the ER -- which was a surprisingly lovely facility. After an hour or so of waiting, the Dr. concluded that it wasn't meningitis (Thank the Lord!) and gave Andrew a super boosted anti-inflammatory shot that took the headache away. Andrew was instantly better and back to his happy self, and the vacation was saved.

It was pretty much smooth sailing from there. We bummed on the beach, ate really awesome seafood, and I got a really nice tan. The best story of our trip comes from the day we went paddle boarding. If you haven't done this before, paddle boarding is basically a giant surfboard you stand on while using a long paddle to steer yourself. It takes a bit of balance and focus, and when large waves come it can be tricky to stand. I love paddle boarding though! We saw stingrays, and fish, and sea turtles.

We also saw sea turds. As I was paddling I came across what seemed to be some floating logs. I thought to myself "Surely, someone didn't poop in the ocean. Surely, they wouldn't do that." Oh but they did my friends. On Facebook someone asked me if I was sure it was human waste. I can assure you that it was -- the creature who released this excrement had recently eaten corn.

As I am passing the floating turds, I am yelling to Andrew who is 20 yards away to notify him of my discovery. I was so excited and horrified by what I had seen that I proceeded to lose balance and fall backwards into the turd infested water. I don't think I made direct contact, but I tell you dear readers no one has ever gotten back onto a paddle board faster than I did. Andrew was laughing so hard, he almost fell over himself. The turds softly floated away, and that really was the highlight of our trip.

Here are some non-turd pictures of other things we saw and a few of our favorite meals. It was overall a really great trip, but I am so glad to be home.

These are pork lollipops from George's at Aly's beach. These were uh-mazing!

Secondly from George's, the Salt & Pepper Shrimp. Equally delicious. 

And 3rd times the charm with George's. This was the Chocolate Goo and I loved it. 

 Also from George's, the only picture of me from the trip. Look at those tan lines!

Grits A Ya Ya from Great Southern at Seaside.

Lola was also really excited to see us. She tried to postpone unpacking by stowing away in our luggage. 

Where did you take your favorite vacation? I would love to hear about it!

xoxo Sallie

Beignets, Bread Pudding, and Weird Al: Our Trip to New Orleans

This past week, Andrew and I traveled through the "Big Easy" and made our way down to New Orleans, or as we like to say now "Naw-lans." It was fun trip, and I have the pictures to prove it.

I have heard a lot about this city from friends and HGTV, but I feel like the pictures you see on TV just don't do it justice. Upon arrival I was not so impressed, but I really changed my tune by the time we left. 

When you drive into New Orleans it feels like your average city, but then you exit the highway and find yourself transported into a thriving 1800's style town. The streets are narrow one-ways that feel like back alleys, and there are people walking around everywhere! Band music and jazz plays on several streets -- it's really something. 

First we walked down famous Bourbon Street. This street is pretty gross.  It smells like vomit, pee, and crap that's been sitting in the hot sun and seeping into the street. It's putrid. When you step in a puddle, just know it's probably not rainwater. Word of advice: don't wear open toed shoes! Needless to say, we didn't stay there long. 

We had heard that Bourbon House on the corner of Bourbon St. was good though, so that's where we ate. I had the chef's special, and Andrew the corn soup. 

We walked around Canal Street a little, and then headed up to bed after a weary day of traveling.

The next morning, we went to the French Quarter. WAY COOLER than Bourbon Street. Way cooler. It is so charming and the architecture is amazing! I wanted to take a picture of every building, they were all so unique.

 We went to the highly recommend Café Du Monde for some beignets. They were quite tasty, but heavy. I could only eat one.

 Here is Andrew enjoying his second beignet in Jackson Square. 

We spent the rest of the day walking around, stumbling into odd shops and cafés.

 We found this old bookstore, and of course Andrew found a cat and made it love him. He has a way of charming the feline species. 

We went into several art galleries, but I couldn't take pictures because you aren't allowed to take any. Andrew found out that out the hard way. We also walked through this outdoor flea market. 

We probably walked around the same streets over and over, but I saw something new each time we walked down. There are so many neat shops and cafés tucked into odd alleyways. 

We stopped in for lunch at Pierre Maspero's. This café was est. in 1788 and Andrew Jackson himself met there to discuss battle plans! Although, don't quote me on that as I skimmed over the history on the back of the menu. 

We had salads so that we could make room for this bread pudding, and it was amazing. 

We came across a loom shop, Louisiana Loom Works, where I talked to the owner. She and her husband have been in the city for 26 years and owned this shop for 18! He learned to make rag rugs as a child, and now they do it as a business. 

They hand loom giant rugs which take about 18 days to make. The rugs are made from cotton threads grouped together.  

She did really amazing work, and of course Andrew charmed her cat.

And right before we left, we saw Weird Al! I could tell that he just wanted to keep walking, but I wanted him to know that my nephew loved him so I quickly spit out "My nephew loves you! We took him to your concert!" But I could tell that he didn't really know what I said. So there I was, making weird eye contact with Weird Al, feeling stupid because he had no idea what I was talking about. Oh well. 

I pulled myself together after the "weird" encounter, and before we left I snapped one final picture of Jackson Square. It was a lovely visit. 

Ever been to New Orleans? Ever had a weird celebrity encounter? I would love to hear about both! 

xoxo Sallie