April 2013

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I'd love for you to meet our Feature Sponsor...The Nerd Nest!

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What is your name and/or business and blog name and your age range...if you'd like to share? (no biggie if not)

Hi! We’re Megan and Jake from the Nerd Nest. We’re 25 and 26, respectively, and we blog about our crafty, nerdy selves and our kiddos, Eliza and Jonas.

What do you do? ...and when did you start?

Megan: We started the Nerd Nest in 2009 as a way to share our family stories, our crafty adventures, and as a companion blog to our Etsy shop. We’ve moved away from selling physical products, and now Jake does a ton of coding work (he’s a master programmer) and I’m a Jane of several trades: work at home mama, scrapbooker, master blogger, and aspiring novelist.

Jake: Over time, our focus really has moved to creating amazing blog content. At the Nerd Nest you’ll find somewhere between six and fourteen posts a week about family, tech, crafts, scrapbooking, reading, photography, and tons of stuff in between!

What/Who are you inspired by?

Megan: I find inspiration everywhere! My favorite places to find inspiration are books, movies, other bloggers, Pinterest, and art. I’ve most recently been inspired by re-reading my favorite books. However, all of my best ideas seem to come when I’m taking a shower, so maybe hot water is really my muse! (Though more likely it’s just the rare quiet.)

Jake: I’m inspired by puzzles. I’m a problem solver at heart, so most of my great ideas come from brainstorming solutions. For example, my current project is building an affiliate network website (which is technically still a secret), because Megan and our blogging friends aren’t satisfied with the available options for small businesses. Once I have a problem to fix, the ideas start to roll!

Where do you create? home studio? kitchen table? sofa?

Jake: We carved a home office out of half of our master bedroom. That’s where most of the creating happens, but we’ll drag our work to wherever the kids are if we need to!

What are some of your fave movies/shows/bands/music?

Megan: Ah, there’s too many to list! I’ll name a few we both love off the top of my head:

Shows - Game of Thrones, Firefly, Friends, Once Upon a Time, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hell’s Kitchen, Yo Gabba Gabba and The Aquabats! Supershow!

Movies – Harry Potter, Star Wars, Donnie Darko, Cinema Paridiso, and Fight Club, and anything related to Marvel.

Bands - Rancid, Fun., Jack Johnson, Deadmau5, Fugazi, Billie Holiday, and Kid Cudi.

Do you collect anything?

Jake: We are big collectors! Some of our favorite collections include vintage Ohio Art globes, books, Pez dispensers, records, camera equipment, and electronics parts.

Favorite art/craft supplies?

Megan: My absolute favorite craft suppy is the Project Life system by Becky Higgins for memory keeping. It’s revolutionized the way I document our lives. Other than that, it’s impossible to choose! I do too wide of a range of crafts to try to narrow it down.

Jake: My iMac! I do physical art with Megan and am obsessed with photography, but for me, writing code is like composing a symphony. That’s where my passion lies.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Megan: Hopefully in a very similar place to where we are now, but without student loans (hah!). There should be another little one in the mix by then too, hopefully.

Three favorite websites/blogs/shops...etc? You can both answer! :)

Jake: Other than Everyday is a Holiday, of course, I’d pick Campfire Chic, Stumble Upon, and Dark Cycle Clothing.

Megan: Jake stole part of my answer! Everyday is a Holiday is one of my favorite daily reads. In addition, I love Elise Blaha Cripe’s blog, Rukristin Papercrafts, and Lemon and Raspberry.

Anything else you'd like to add :)

Thank you so much for reading everyone! Make sure to stop by and say hi, we’d love to meet you!

...........................................................

Ok, now it's me, Jenny in the non-bold type. Don't you just love The Nerd Nest?! Me and Aaron are big fans. As bloggers, they seriously amaze me. They really do have such varied and interesting content on the regular...and I'm not sure how they manage to pull it off...with the two little ones and all. Me and Aar merely have chihuahuas! But yeah, the little ones...I love every time they show up in a post. In case you missed it...take another glance at the pic with Megan in front of those amazing bookshelves. Ok, now glance to the left, almost out of the frame, to see Jonas doing who knows what...one shoe on, one shoe off! I love it! Megan is the only other person I know besides Aaron who carries around eight pounds of books at all times. And these aren't your garden variety "nerds"...besides the many artful and creative projects, check their food posts...which are fab and just keep getting better since they've started to try to eat mostly locally grown foods.
And Aaron learned something new from this interview...he can't believe how young Meg and Jake are. I mean, they look like tots...but jeez are they some fully formed tots!
Ok, you get the idea...we're big fans of these guys...and totally think you guys should be too. Thrilled to have them as this month's spotlight and I can't wait to see what they do next.

xo, Jenny...and Aaron

Pink & Orange Inspiration

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I'm in the mood for something bright and colourful
and there's nothing more uplifting
than the vibrant combination of pink and orange!

Melissah xox

Images via 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Check out Coastal Style on tumblr and Pinterest

I Don't Recommend You Go PALEO

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If you pay any attention to diet fads, then you know that the Paleo Diet is totally hot right now. The Paleo Diet, or “Caveman Diet”, is based upon eating whole foods that our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have eaten during the Paleolithic era. The diet encourages eating meats (preferably grass fed), fish, seafood, nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and “healthy” oils. The diet does not include any dairy, grains, legumes, and refined sugars.

The Paleo Diet definitely has some great qualities, especially since it encourages the consumption of real, natural, whole foods, and lots of fruits and veggies. However, my biggest problem with it is the part that discounts the importance of dairy, grains, and legumes in the diet. Through this diet, it would be incredibly difficult for any person to get in enough calcium, and they would be missing out on the fibers, phytonutrients, and antioxidants found in grains and legumes that have shown to be incredibly important for disease prevention and weight management. Beans and whole grains are especially important for regulating blood sugar and lowering blood cholesterol levels.

Another aspect of the Paleo diet I am not so keen on is the encouraged meat consumption. The most recent dietary guidelines emphasize the importance of a mostly plant based diet (and plant based proteins like beans), for optimal nutrition. The USDA recommends three cups of beans each week since they are a great way to get in plant based protein, various types of fibers, and nutrients like iron and potassium. The USDA also encourages incorporating other plant-based proteins like nuts and seeds as well as fish and shellfish. There are countless studies showing that people who eat the most red meat are at an increased risk of developing certain cancers, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, stomach ulcers, and a whole array of other conditions. All the major health organizations (WHO, AHA, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics), still encourage everyone to limit their intake of saturated fat, whether that comes from lard, grass fed beef, or coconut oil. The Paleo Diet says these saturated fats are fine, which is not consistent with what the experts recommend.

In a recent article in the Washington Post that I blogged about below (Paleo Diet Article Blog) an evolutionary biologist explains that the Paleo diet is flawed. He explains that we don’t really know what the cavemen actually ate since it was so long ago and the diets varied depending on which part of the world they lived in. Humans are able to adapt to their environment, just like some humans began to digest lactose where cow’s milk was prevalent. By developing the lactase enzyme to break down lactose, certain populations gained access to a high quality protein and tons of vitamins and minerals like calcium, riboflavin, phosphorus, and potassium. The evolutionary biologist also makes the point that what you are buying the supermarket, whether it is fish, fruits, or grass fed beef, is incredibly different than it was 10,000-100,000 years ago. Just as genes in humans change, genes in agricultural products change. So, in today’s world it is impossible to eat just like the cavemen did no matter how hard you try.

MY RECOMMENDATION: Most people find they will lose weight on any diet. You may lose weight on the Paleo diet if you currently over-consume ice cream and snack foods and decide to cut them out. But, as most people know, the vast majority of people gain the weight back (plus some!) after any restrictive diet. If you tell yourself that any food or food group is off limits, you will most likely fail. Stick to the foods you know are healthy, and still don’t eat too much of them. The other reason you will most likely lose weight on the Paleo Diet is because diet encourages consuming more fruits and vegetables than most people are used to. I really like this aspect of the diet. For all of my clients, I have them eat more fruit and a ton of vegetables- the more veggies the better. Vegetables and fruits are low-energy density foods, filling, and contain lots of fiber, so they are fantastic for weight loss. However, you don't need to follow a "diet" to get these results! Choose mostly non-starchy vegetables, fresh fruits, non-fat or low-fat dairy, whole grains, and nuts, seeds, beans, seafood, and lean cuts of meat (in limited amounts). Try to limit the amount of processed foods in your diet- cook the grains yourself, eat fruit instead of juices, and cook a fresh turkey instead of buying lunch meat. I assure you that you won’t get fat from eating the proper serving sizes (appropriate for YOUR body) of barley, low-fat plain yogurt, and lentils.

References:

www.thepaleodiet.com

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/dietary-guidelines-2010/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meatless-meals/my00752

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. 7th Edition, Washington,

DC: U.S. Government Printing Ofice, December 2010.

Beach Wedding

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Thinking of getting married sometime soon?

Then I love the idea of a beach wedding - simple and relaxed surrounded by beach, ocean, friends and loved ones. I got married on Cable Beach in Broome but if you feeling a little more adventurous why not consider the Caribbean! J.Crew choose the gorgeous island of St Lucia for their Spring wedding shoot and it's just stunning. Such a dreamy location guarantees a perfect wedding! My pick of these pretty colour palettes is the aqua and mint shades - the perfect compliment to the tropical water.

Melissah xox

J Crew images via Chic Coastal Living, all others by Coastal Style

Check out my other blogs Scrapbook and Country Style Chic

Sponsor Everyday is a Holiday in May!

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Well April is coming to a close. It was a busy, exciting, fun month. I shared some big news about our upcoming book, as well as our next teaching gig...which me and Aaron are sooo excited about! I've been seeing and hearing from lots of new friends and readers. And I feel like things are starting to finally come together for us. Our home is beginning to shape up a bit. Big post storm repairs are underway. And our plans, big and small, are closer to being realized. So I guess it truly is Springtime for Everyday is a Holiday!

The merry month of May is upon us! This has traditionally been our most creative time of year as an artist duo. We've got big deadlines that we're on the verge of closing out and we just know that the vacuum is going to fill up quick with all new projects, DIY's on the blog, tutorials, quick craft ideas, home improvement, decor...and of course FOOD! Expect lots of recipes.
We're expecting lots more traffic and this would be the perfect time to advertise on Everyday is a Holiday. I feel like I've been able to connect more with our readers lately and what I've always assumed seems to be actually true. Peeps who visit Everyday is a Holiday lean towards a creative, artful lifestyle. They love to make things with their hands and support artists who make things with their hands. They've got style, and love to cook and bake.
Does this sound like you? More importantly...does this sound like the people you'd like to hang with, chat with, and laugh with? If so...we'd love to hear from you! It's time to expand your own blog audience, get your art or products seen by the eyes of more like-minded peeps. Our feature spot is booked through September but we still have large spots which include a group spotlight containing photos and links...and there are medium ads to be had as well! If you'd like all the deets on this front be sure to pop over to our Sponsor info page.

May is going to be a great month!

xo Jenny & Aaron

Tropical Green

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Loving these fresh and vibrant colour. ~

it brings a little taste of the tropics to your beach house.

A splash of this colour is sure to brighten up your home!

Melissah xox

Moodboard by coastal Style, images via Pinterest and Coastal Living

I can't believe it's good for me Mac & Cheese

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Ok, I'm from the planet Earth...translation: I Love Mac & Cheese.

I'm also over 30, not a marathon runner, and a bit hypochondriacal about arteries slowing down over time etc...translation: I try not to eat Mac & Cheese frequently.

Me and Aar love to eat good stuff. Food that tastes amazeballs and that also makes us feel good. Not a "diet"...not calorie counting...no rules whatsoever. Just being conscious of whats going in. Lot's of veggies and fruit, leaner proteins, less sugar, less salt...and lot's of herbs and spices. And everything tastes waaaaay better than the stuff that I say "sticks to your bones". We also don't seem to have as many mood lulls. Eating consciously throughout the day gives us way fewer rollercoaster moments.

But I still love Mac & Cheese. And when I came across a couple recipes for healthier versions I was all ears...or eyes...since I was reading them.

Here's what I love about eating consciously and recipes like this one. You do not simply take the bad away...you also add good. So this Mac & Cheese has all the gooey goodness, minus the sludge and drudge, plus some veggie goodness. No butter, no heavy cream...it's got low fat sharp cheddar, broccoli, and a bunch of Butternut Squash that adds fab flavor and creaminess. And the butternut squash is easy to prep and so so worth it. Trust me!

And since butternut squash is a bit sweet this recipe balances that out with the sharp cheddar, some mustard, and cayenne. You will love this guilt free, healthy version of a classic comfort food. Promise.

What you will need:

1 small butternut squash ( we used 1 1/2 cups pureed )

1- 1/2 cups steamed broccoli florets

3 cups whole wheat pasta cooked al dente (we used rotini)

5 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese (divided: 3 tablespoons for topping and 2 tablespoons for mac 'n' cheese)

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

2 1/4 cups fat-free milk (we used plain almond milk)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons light cream cheese (cut into chunks)

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

2-3 teaspoons garlic finely chopped

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 3/4 cups shredded low-fat sharp cheddar

You'll be pureeing the butternut squash, so first you need to get it cubed. To do this cut off the top and bottom, about a 1/4 inch from each end.

Then stand it up on the flat end and use a peeler to skin it. (When done with this step you can find a little top hat and cane and do a little puppet skit called "Mr. Peanut gets a spray tan.")

Once it's peeled, cut it in half.

Then scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff with a spoon.

Then cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

In a large sauce pan, bring about 2 1/2 inches of water to a boil, add your cubed squash, and return to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for about 15 mins until tender.

Drain your squash, put cubes into a food processor, and puree till smooth. Put 1 1/2 cups puree to the side for this recipe and you can freeze the rest for a future recipe.

Cut your broccoli florets. Then wash, and steam them.

For the deeelish crusty top...In a small bowl combine your panko, olive oil, and two tablespoons of Pecorino Romano. Using a fork or your fingers combine. Put to the side and think about how toasty, golden, and crusty it will be atop your magnificent dish. This is a good time to prepare your casserole dish (we used a 2 quart). Spray the dish and preheat your broiler, put the rack in the center slot of your oven.

Cook your pasta, drain, and set aside.

Get your sauce ingredients ready. The shredded cheddar, the cubed cream cheese, the garlic, the mustard, the spices.

Then using the same pot you used for your pasta, whisk together the milk and flour until smooth.

Now add the cubed cream cheese. Whisk over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil, just about 5 minutes. Whisk in your salt, mustard, garlic, nutmeg and cayenne. Reduce the heat to a simmer, whisking periodically as it thickens, for about 2 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat, then stir in the sharp cheddar, Pecorino Romano, and squash. Stir until cheeses melt.

Then stir in your pasta and cooked broccoli florets.

Now, pour it into the prepared baking dish and top it off with your panko mixture. Broil for about 5 mins or til your topping is a nice golden brown and your cheese is bubbling.

Let it sit for about 5 mins before serving. This dish is just fantastic! We both went in for seconds...and had some for lunch the next day as well! It reheats great! We'd even say we liked it better the next day, mac & cheese is probably always better the next day.

After me and Aar cook a meal, we sit down, eat for a bit, and then we ask each other if there should be any changes to the recipe...things we'd add or take away. With this one we'd stick to the script...though one thought we had was about the cheddar. We went with a healthier low fat version...but being big cheese fans we could totally see amping up the flavor by shredding up some extra sharp Tillamook cheese. Your call entirely...it's deeelish as is.

Ok, hope you guys enjoy! Be sure to let me know!

xo, Jenny...and Aaron

*adapted from A cup of mascarpone.

Coastal Calm

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Why This Room Works

This room’s quiet palette allows the little details an opportunity to shine: graceful printed pillows and striped chairs, a reflective mercury lamp, silvery candlesticks and shining glass lanterns. High and low furnishings – a leather bench that doubles as a coffee table and ottoman, and a grand mirror that acts as a second window – keep the space from feeling stagnant. A scattering of faux coral adds natural whimsy.