letting go and finding joy

last week we had a lot going on, but one thing i really wanted to go to was wednesday at the square to see anders osborne. that day was a long one and i had pretty much talked myself out of going. then i started thinking, when i think back at MF being little what will i remember...that i ran that night and stuck to our schedule, or that we enjoyed something that she loves together. 

MF loves being outside and she loves music, so i knew she would love this. i couldn't have been more right. cautious at first but then smiling, laughing and dancing; this girl had a great time!

it's so easy to get caught up in our routines, and those things aren't bad, but for someone like me who feels overwhelmed by all there is to do, there is a a great freedom that comes from letting go. 

my prayer is that i will let go more and relish in the joyful opportunities that are waiting to happen. and it's a perfect reason to get to spend some more time with this sweetie.

#cauliflowerpizza

did you know that cauliflower pizza is so popular it has its own hashtag, who knew?! apparently i'm late to this trend, but that's ok, it's delicious!

whole foods has had colorful cauliflower this spring--purple, orange, and green!--and it was just begging for me to try it. i love the roasted cauliflower at domenica here in nola but other than that the usually white vegetable doesn't end up in my shopping cart.

enter cauliflower pizza. i saw it on this blog that i read regularly and decided to try it! i found this recipe and sort of combined the two. i used parmesan instead of mozzarella cheese for the crust and it added more crunch and a great flavor. the first time i "riced" the cauliflower i think i used about 2/3 of a head of cauliflower (recipe called for 1/2). the second time i used the whole cauliflower head, it just depends on how big of a crust you want!  

the first time i made it i just topped it with tomatoes, basil, and cheese and it was sooo good. however, since i want to eat pizza multiple times a week i made it again not too long after and adapted this recipe. i used goat cheese instead of ricotta and used a lot more roasted veggies, it was even better than my first cauliflower pizza attempt!

now, i won't say that #cauliflowerpizza is better than the real deal, but its a great alternative and was husband and baby approved! 

monday meals...on wednesday

i love recipes. it obviously stems from my love from nutrition (and also my perfectionist tendencies) but i almost NEVER make anything without one. it drives my free spirited husband crazy but it gives me order and comfort. i love cookbooks and have about a thousand recipes saved in a gmail folder to make but really no time when it comes down to it make them.


we have been extremely blessed since baby girl was born with meals from friends, family, and our freezer has been stocked for weeks. i can't even explain how much this has blessed us. this break from cooking has renewed my desire to cook, on the random day that i have the time of course.

well, yesterday was that day. i saw this recipe for thai turkey lettuce wraps on jones design company one of my favorite blogs to read and i knew i had to make it. i also could not get butternut squash soup out of my mind since it was below 80 for a whole 3 days last week. but those things didn't really go together to me, which isn't a problem but i was planning on serving this meal to friends and felt like i needed to explain my choices. i digress, i came across this recipe from whole foods and happened to scroll down, low and behold thai-style butternut soup.

both of these recipes were easy and relatively fast, meaning i was able to do them in enough time while baby girl was occupied with an empty rice bag, we like trash what can i say. it was in part due to the genius who thought of this (and costco for selling it)

there is no final picture of the soup because, lets be honest, purees don't picture well, but it was DELICIOUS. some of the best soup i've had and all good for you ingredients.

 the turkey wraps were really good as well, joe gave them an A+ which he never does. yes, my husband grades all the meals we eat, a discussion for another post. not because he doesn't like my cooking but because he's always looking for ways to improve things.

simple, easy, and gave me an excuse to buy staples for thai cooking. now what to do with the rest of that coconut milk...

you blink

most of the time when i write i sit there staring at the flashing cursor on a blank screen trying to think of the best words, the most profound words, the funniest or deepest words. today is no different so in the effort of not missing out on my few minutes of free time (free time what?!) i'll just write!

i feel like i blinked and i have an almost six month old. i truly got to savor my first three months at home and then came survival mode. working and having a baby is hard. not complaining or trying to one up any particular situation. it's just hard. it hasn't gotten easier to leave her (it will get easier they say, i guess me not crying everyday is easier) and i haven't enjoyed being away any more (maybe if i liked my job more?) but what i have learned is that regardless of where i am or the day i had i want to be filled with joy.

3 months. miss personality is wondering why i'm taking all these pictures

joy comes pretty easy from being around my girl. she lights up my days and changes my mood in an instant. she reminds me of whats important and makes me want to be a better version of myself. but being a mom comes opportunities to get down on yourself. am i doing the right thing, spending enough time, wearing the right wrap, using the right sleep method, and don't get me started on all the books i could read to point out what i'm not doing. compare, compare, compare.

the people that i want to be like the most, or those that i connect with the most at least are those people who are genuine, who are real...not acting like everything is put together or perfect...but are filled with joy and laughter.

4 months. now why exactly do we keep doing this? aren't i getting a little big to fit on this thing?

this got me thinking, what makes me joyful, what makes me happy, what do i want to spend my days doing? i'm still praying on this one and asking God to reveal my heart, his desires for me, and how i can best serve him in my days but what i've learned recently is that i want to savor this time. 

i don't want to miss it, i don't want to blink.

5 months. say what mama? the cuteness abounds.

i want to write & capture stories. i want to take more pictures. i want to be on social media less.

(believe me i LOVE me some instagram but i want to enjoy my moments instead of comparing myself to others, oh every 5 seconds when i check my phone. don't get me wrong, i'll still be on there :)

i want to enjoy simple things. i want to not get upset about small things. i want to soak up things.

full of joy. fills me with joy.

so if you are still reading (hello and thank you!) i'll be blogging more, sharing more, chronicling more. i love reading blogs and connecting with people in that way so i thought why not join in the fun again. no beating myself up about what i haven't done or won't do. i found this quote below the other day on some social media site (yes they are good for many things!) and i can't let it go.

comparison is something i've struggled with as long as i remember. i think it comes with a perfectionist personality (another issue to address another day) it steals my joy daily, even sitting here typing i'm wondering if this post is good enough, profound enough, rambling enough maybe?

mama don't you know not to compare yourself to others already?!

so moving forward i choose joy, and i choose not to (try not to) compare. or rather it is my prayer the the Lord will help me focus on these things. i can't do it on my own for sure. and if you come back to my blog i promise it will be filled with mostly the things that do give me joy, like crafts and cooking and babies of course. 

hopefully this lady is done writing and we can all get back to what we really came to see, me.

two months with this little nugget

long days and short weeks. that's how one mother described having a newborn to me before mary frances was born and i'd say that's spot on. i have no idea how 2, almost 3 months have passed since this precious little girl was born! she is already full of personality and makes my heart melt and fills me with joy every second i'm with her.

at one month she was almost 10 pounds and 23 inches. smiled very early at 3 weeks but usually very serious.

she still slept a lot and was pretty easing going. very curious and wanted to figure everything out.

sweet temperament but cautious about the world around her.

at 2 months she was about 11.5 pounds and 23 1/4 inches. starting to smile more and more and just getting cuter by the day! 

still very curious and takes in every detail of the world around her. holding her head up so well and cooing up a storm! everyone says what a sweet, good baby she is.

i could have never imagined how much i would love every these early months and even though it's stretched me i can see how much God is using this little bundle to make me a better person and draw me to Him. it's a beautiful thing to watch such a tiny person change your whole life.

can't wait to see what the next months hold, although i have instructed mary frances to stay a baby forever, or at least let me go to college and be her roommate when she moves out :)

what a better time to return to the blog world than to chronicle the sweetest new addition to the dunaway family. miss mary frances dunaway was born on April 4th at 4:44 pm and has stolen our hearts in just a few short weeks. i am loving every second, even the sleep deprived ones and i am constantly amazed at how God has blessed me with the best "new" thing i could possibly imagine, when i least expected it.

for everything there is a season

it's that time of year again in new orleans where the flowers have been blooming since february, the air is getting a little stickier but not too hot just yet. it's the time where crawfish boils are a plenty and festival season is in full swing. it's one of the most wonderful times of the year here, if you want someone to move to new orleans, get them to visit you in the spring.

there is one catch though to all of this springtime glory, being a forever student. finals and projects and presentations are always due right when the fun starts. this is only compounded when you work full time which results in days spent inside at the computer instead of by the river listening to music with friends. you would think i would be used to it by now, you know having been a student now for the past 25 years of my life, the past 6 of those years being in new orleans, but somehow it still makes me mad. yes, mad.

all this to say i constantly have to remind myself that i'm almost there, it's almost the end, the home stretch (barring a little thing called a dissertation but whose counting) and try to remind myself to study a little harder so that after june i can write, blog, take pictures, decorate my house, cook, and stay up late on week nights (not for school work) and not be stuck inside on beautiful days.

i'm thankful for the reminders of sweet jasmine, that remind me that seasons come and go.

i'm also thankful for seersucker and the man that comes with it that supports me so graciously each day.

so for now i will live out this season as best as i can, and be thankful that it is in fact only a season. then maybe all of my 4 readers left will be able to read posts more frequently about more interesting things! just typing things out makes me feel better already...