Bites of My Life

Wowza. Last week was mmm emotional? Exhausting? Amazing? Emotional because I decided I am moving. Exhausting because crying a lot is exhausting and realizing I have to find a job, find an apartment, and find someone to take my current job is stressful. Amazing because despite the emotion and the exhaustion, I felt liberated all week by my decision and the support around it. And because it was a truly great Easter weekend with friends and family in town.

-Funfetti Cake recipe on the blog last week! Perfect for any celebration!
-New favorite restaurant/coffee shop/place to work is now open! Stitch opened right down from my office and next door to The Jones two weeks ago and I’m going to soak up as much time there as I can!
-Gal Pal Book Club #2! We just finished Girl, Stop Apologizing. We all did not like it…I would still recommend Girl, Wash Your Face, but take a pass on GSA.
-Super easy and nutritious sheet pan week night meal made a “lite bite” appearance. Recipe here.
-Hi! I’m moving to Dallas in June! Deciding if I’m going to write a post on the why… If you are in OKC and looking for a creative job in hospitality marketing, apply here.
-The go-to when I have nothing to eat. Check out my recipe for healthy fried rice. This time I used cauliflower rice and kimchi!
-The whole Social Order crew in one place for our Vol. 4 shoot with The Scout Guide!
-Orange, was I glad I got to go the the first Thunder playoff game, because our future in the series is not looking so bright.
-Spent Saturday morning judging a cake baking competition with the dream team. All to benefit the local charity SixTwelve. A group I wish I would have gotten involved in sooner. If you are in OKC, check them out!
-Really hoping mom’s table setting genes rub off on me when it comes time to host holidays for family in the future. She kills it every time!
-Ready for sister’s little peep to join our girl squad! She is due in a week and a half!
-Aunt Chloe came through with Easter dessert this year! Kathleen and I usually always make dessert (sometimes two), but we loved passing this torch to Chlo if it meant Lemon Cloud Pie!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Cassie and Colton, are we on board? I think I am. The only thing I’m hating is that my Monday’s are now empty without The Bachelor. However, tonight is the first of my friends and my book club! We’ve been wanting to start one for a while and over the past month we read Educated as our first book. Any suggestions on our next book?

-Spring has me eating and craving all the fruit. Apple and berries with a squeeze of lemon and ground flax on repeat for breakfast last week.
-Remember a few weeks ago when I accidentally died my hair strawberry blonde? Well, my sister/amateur hair colorist finally brought me back to my bright blonde roots.
-Spring also has me craving all the raw veggies. Veg and (double the) hummus for a working lunch on Friday.
-Thin Mint Brownies people.
-I had a r i p e avocado waiting for me to eat it. Sprinkle generously with EBTB seasoning for the best breakfast.
-They may be thin, but they are full of flavor. Thanks to my friend Miranda for letting me try out Thinsters. If you order, let me sway you in the direction of vanilla bean over chocolate chip.
-Lucky.
-Sweet and salty sourdough toast.
-Would you believe me if I told yo it’s gluten free and dairy free? Recipe coming this week!

Annie

Byte bite: I can’t get enough of his new album.

Bites of My Life

A pretty easy and fun week last week that led up to another weekend in Dallas. Started the weekend with #NationalMargaritaDay and a copious amount of tortilla chips (I have zero restraint). A beautiful day Saturday catching up with friends getting to meet our Lo’s baby girl. It’s wild being the age where your friends start having babies, but it’s incredibly fun too! Finished the weekend with the Oscars which in my opinion was one of the best in years. Having seen zero nominated movies, the show was entertaining and the pink moment was everything!

-My friends and I have officially started a book club and I can’t wait for our first meeting. We’ve been talking about it for forever, but finally committed to getting together monthly to discuss our chosen book. First up, the book of the moment, Educated. Anyone else in a book club?
-The makings of my one of my favorite Defined Dish meals!
-Fun morning with work getting to prep, cook and serve at the Oklahoma City Homeless Alliance!
-Samoa Popcorn. It’s a thing. Figure out how, here.
-No story behind this picture except that his corner of my room was just looking cozy and cute.
-When you work in hospitality marketing and national food holidays lead you to taking vibey drink pictures and mentioning margaritas about 100 times in one day.
-It’s a crazy thing I tell you when your friends start having babies, but loved getting to meet sweet little Grace this weekend.
-A baby weekend kind of weekend apparently. Stole my little bestie for some on one aunt Annie and Elle time on Sunday.
-And the Oscar goes to… Samoa Popcorn of course!

Annie

Oscar bite: Pink for the win at the Oscars! My favorites were Gemma Chan and Julia Roberts!

Guest Post: Book Club

Formerly known from their blog Identical Ideals, but soon relaunching as The Honeypot December 1st, I'm so excited to have Peyton and Madison guest blogging today! They are red head identical twins, currently studying at College of Charleston, the masterminds behind my blog design and two girls I get to call friends from the unique bond the blogsphere brings! You can follow Peyton here and Madison here. Today they are talking books, and tomorrow they will be back talking seasonal senses-stay tuned! 

Both of us spend a lot of time with our noses in a book. We've each included two book recommendations along with a short synopsis.

Peyton's selections...

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller (Peyton gifted me a copy of this book and I can't wait to dive in-Annie)

The byline of the book is "Non Religious Thoughts On Christian Spirituality." Donald Miller goes over various topics related to Christian spirituality that one may question and offers further explanation. It's one of the best books I've read this year. I highlighted many sections of the book as I was reading and this particular one stood out: "... I want my spirituality to rid me of hate, not give me reason for it."

Jackie As Editor by Greg Lawrence

Endless books, newspaper columns, and magazine articles have been written about Jacqueline Onassis's time as Mrs. Kennedy and more importantly as First Lady. It is often overlooked that after the death of Aristotle Onassis, she moved back to New York City and began a very successful career as a book editor. Jackie As Editor is written by Greg Lawrence, an author who wrote three books edited by Mrs. Onassis, and offers some charming anecdotes from other authors she worked with, as well as friends and acquaintances. I have read many books on Jacqueline Onassis and this is one of my favorites – it shows a more down-to-earth side of the former First Lady.

Madison's selections...

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

This book is devastating and moving – and certainly a book which I think anyone could find meaning in. In his memoir Dr. Kalanithi is tremendously humble and seeks to define what makes a life worth living. A must read not only for the content, but also for the eloquent manner in which he details the beautiful and difficult moments of his brilliant life.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller

Also by Donald Miller – I'm currently reading a third book by him, so they're okay I guess (kidding) – this book is based on the process of writing the script for the film Blue Like Jazz. I would recommend reading Blue Like Jazz to better understand some of the references he makes to the book. Blue Like Jazz is full of observations of the world, whereas in A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Donald Miller seeks to discover how we can all live good stories. At this point in my life, where I am on the verge of graduating from college and looking for a career path that I am passionate about and thinking about how to live out my purpose in life; I frequently reference the messages in this book when talking to Peyton about what I hope for. And with that, just a few of my favorite lines from the book:

"The most often repeated commandment in the Bible is 'Do not fear.' It's in there over two hundred times. That means a couple of things, if you think about it. It means we are going to be afraid, and it means we shouldn't let fear boss us around. Before I realized we were supposed to fight fear, I thought of fear as a subtle suggestion in our subconscious designed to keep us safe, or more important, keep us from getting humiliated. And I guess it serves that purpose. But fear isn't only a guide to keep us safe; it's also a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life."

"A good storyteller doesn't just tell a better story, though. He invites other people into the story with him, giving them a better story too."

Peyton + Madison

Guest Post: Book Club

Kathleen here and time for another guest post! About once I month I really start missing my blog and being able to write something for Take A Bite is the perfect outlet!

There is nothing better than finding a great book and not being able to put it down until you finish. I have been staying up well past my bedtime for years, quietly turning the pages of whatever book I was reading, unable to stop until the story had ended.

image via

When I guest blog for Annie, I like to post about things that Annie won’t (hence the peanut butter cookies from my last guest post). While I have always enjoyed reading for pleasure, Annie not so much… Since I was little, I have had my favorite books and have no problem re-reading my favorites (Harry Potter, Number the Stars, Redeeming Love, Gone Girl, etc.)

Recently, I found a new author whose books I whiz through and cannot seem to put down, even though they are close to 400 pages. I picked up my first book by Liane Moriarty and was hooked from the very first page. “Big Little Lies,” is a story unlike anything else and kept me on the edge of my seat until the last page. The characters had me laughing out loud and the plot kept me constantly guessing.

‘I guess it started with the mothers’

‘It was all just a terrible misunderstanding’

‘I’ll tell you exactly why it happened’

Pirriwee Public’s annual school Trivia Night has ended in a shocking riot. A parent is dead. Was it murder, a tragic accident…or something else entirely?

Big Little Lies is a funny, heartbreaking, challenging story of ex husbands and second wives, new friendships, old betrayals and schoolyard politics.

‘Let me be clear. This is not a circus. This is a murder investigation’

The moment I finished “Big Little Lies” I walked straight to the post office and dropped the book in the mail to be sent to my best friend in D.C. (It’s like a cross country book club!) and then went to the bookstore to buy another Liane Moriarty book. This time I chose “The Husbands Secret,” and does he have a secret or what!

My darling Cecilia, if you’re reading this, then I’ve died. . .

Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive.

This story was equally as compelling and now the struggle is deciding which Moriarty book to read next. If you want a fun, mysterious, scandalous read then “Big Little Lies” and “The Husband’s Secret” are great picks! Both are New York Times #1 Best Sellers and I give them a huge stamp of approval. If you aren’t sure if these books are your style, then take this quiz to find the perfect book for you!

Until Next Time, 

Kathleen