July - Finding the Joy of Nothing

*this month's joy of nothing*
-watching the fireworks from the window in my grandma's hospital room
-taking selfies with my grandma
-looking through all of my grandma's jewelry and receiving precious heirlooms
-combing my grandma's hair after her shower
-falling asleep on the plane ride home
-relaxing on the couch all day only moving for lunch and dinner
-eating green beans that we grew in our own garden
-browsing the farmer's market
-walking to the store (from my car) in the pouring rain
-having sore legs from the gym
-the smell of sleep in my husband's hair

What joy have you found this month?

Happy Tortilla Pizzas

I am not a chef by any means, but I enjoy cooking (I'll let you clean up any day though!!) and trying new things. Last year I joined Weight Watchers and to try and keep our meals healthy, but still happy I kind of made up my own recipe! I'm sure this exists somewhere else, but when I made them the first time I just pulled ingredients out of the fridge and threw it all together, without following any recipe, so I like to call it mine. It was really fun and so super tasty and one reason I super love this recipe is that it is so easy to make for just one or two people! So many recipes I find are for a larger amount of people and in our home it's just us, so trying to calculate it out is not my favorite thing to do (actually I don't do it, I make Derek do it because he is so good with math). So here is the recipe!

Tortilla Pizzas

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10-15 minutes
Preheat the oven to 375°

Ingredients:

whole wheat tortillas
low fat alfredo sauce
feta
olives (your choice, but we use medium black olives)
green bell pepper
tomato
chicken
italian seasoning

Instructions:

1. Start by laying your tortillas out on a pan, and spreading 1 tablespoon of alfredo sauce over the top. I try not to put much more than this because if I do it makes the pizza kind of floppy and soggy.

2. Continue by layering all of your ingredients on top of the sauce.

3. Bake for 10-15 minutes

4. Cut and ENJOY!

If you make this for yourself let me know if you liked it and feel free to share some pictures of your final product!!

some of my favorite instagrammers

I love instagram! It's so fun and I am often inspired by the way people see the world and how they capture it! So I wanted to showcase a couple of instagram accounts I really enjoy following!

@thiswildidea

(maddie on things) (this wild idea)

Theron Humphrey. He and his sweet little maddie the coonhound go on adventures and document their days! I first found his account some years ago and fell in love with seeing this cute little dog balance on the craziest things!

@jeremyjamesr

(jeremy james roloff)

Jeremy Roloff. I love this guy's work! The way he sees the world around us is inspiring. It makes me feel. I love when an image makes me feel, feel the light breeze, hear the quiet chatter of friends in the background, smell the old wood. Its like cozying up with a warm blanket and a cup of hot cocoa looking at his work! 

@tunameltsmyheart
(tuna in action) (more tuna in action)

Oh Tuna! This little pup just makes me giggle because he is soo cute! Tuna is a chiweenie born with an overbite and he couldn't be any cuter!!

Who are some people you enjoy following on instagram?

guest posting

Hi friends! I am guest blogging over at one of my favorite blogs today, Bound by Love! I am sharing a recipe for one of my favorite meals! It's quick, easy, and healthy!! Greek Salad with Herbed Pita!!

Head over there to go check it out!!

with love, aubrey

Happy Tuesday y'all!

This is one of the paintings I am selling on my Etsy. It is one of my favorites and it is so hard not to keep it for myself and hang it up on our gallery wall! To celebrate my birthday next month I am giving you 28% off of your order when you use the code "YAYFORBIRTHDAYS"! Happy Shopping!! I do take requests for custom quotes! Contact me to inquire about details!

Friday Letters

Dear Derek, I am so thankful for you and the fact that you take care of our little family! Thank you so much! Dear Heather, I can't wait for you to start your blog!! I am so excited!! YAY! Dear Lauren, Thank you for allowing me to write a guest post for your blog! I am so excited for your vacation and can't wait to see pictures when you get back! Dear Motivation, Feel free to come back anytime! Dear Mom and Dad, I miss you! I hope that we can plan a visit soon! Dear Fire, You were awfully close to our house and got even closer and bigger when the wind shifted. I hope that doesn't happen again! Dear Derek, Thank you for being cool and prepared when we saw the fire. I'm glad that I have you by my side! I love you!

Home

I grew up in the Army and we moved around every few years. So I never really have a place to call home. One of the places I was lucky enough to live was Alaska. My parents fell in love with the state and retired there. They have lived there for almost 10 years now and over the years I have come to consider it home, even though I don't live there and only get to visit every couple years. This is part of the beauty that is Alaska. My last trip there was in August of 2012. During the trip we drove out to Chena Hot Springs and on the drive out there are a few spots like this one where the moose frequent for a snack and a fun little swim. One of my favorite things about Alaska is the beauty that is around every corner! So many untouched places, so many colors, and animals. There is a different demeanor over there too. In my opinion they are a bit more relaxed and easy going, and I really like it! I am dreaming of this place today. 

Where is home for you? What is your favorite thing about your city/state?