The fall season hits Trader Joe’s like a ton of bricks – what won’t they flavor with pumpkin spice? Cat food, I’m looking at you. A long time fan of their original cookie butter, or speculoos as the super nerd foodie fans call it {slash people that can read a label…} the pumpkin pie spice … More COOK | 39 Ways to Use Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pie Spice Cookie Butter
I’ve found it! That pasta dish that is sinfully decadent but doesn’t make you feel toooooo guilty because… it has a vegetable in it! While waiting in line at a store on Friday, I flipped through the current issue of Food & Wine magazine. Side note, is there anything better than flipping through magazines while … More COOK | Cauliflower Mac & Cheese
Okay, is it potpie or pot pie? Even Queen Martha Stewart writes it both ways. Sigh. Much less confusing? The yumminess that is pot pie! {I’m going with it…} We recently hosted some friends at our new house for dinner – oh, how I love having our home filled with wonderful friends and family! It was … More COOK | Mushroom & Bacon Chicken Pot Pie
DESIGN | Neutral Nursery Design Inspiration Featuring: DIY Shiplap! It’s coming together! Our gender neutral nursery is underway! {Do you know how tired I am of the phrase ‘gender neutral’?!} While we are busy scooping up interesting art pieces, installing shiplap walls, converting rockers, and hanging curtains, I thought I would share the actual inspiration board … More DESIGN | Neutral Nursery Design Inspiration featuring DIY Shiplap
There’s no better time than a drizzly and overcast Sunday to get excited about a new season. Our home is still quite new to us {we moved in this past April}, so I am still trying to figure out where everything goes and tweaking the decor as I go. Add on the fact that we are expecting our … More HOPES & DREAMS | Having a {small} Fall Moment
CREATE | DIY Felt Alphabet Nursery Wall Art It didn’t take long for my craftiness to kick in after we found out that we were expecting. I knew I wanted to fill the baby’s room with art that had a meaning and story… pieces made by loving hands, found on special adventures, or created on … More CREATE | DIY Felt Alphabet Nursery Wall Art
It’s not every day that I stick to a recipe, and it’s not every day that my version actually looks like the Pinterest picture. Also, one. pound. of. spinach!!! 🌱🌱🌱💪🏼 // #eatclean #sodelicious creamy spinach spaghetti with roasted tomatoes > eats well with others RECIPE + these aidell’s chicken meatballs Decadent, fresh, and filling. Add it … More COOK | creamy spinach spaghetti with roasted tomatoes
Fall is creeping into the air and I am just as excited as the next basic girl anywhere!!! But this post has nothing to do with that – just some things that caught my little eye this week that I am loving! One of my very favorite interior designers, AMBER INTERIORS, {I mean, have you … More HOPES & DREAMS | Favorites
Gotta love it when your leftovers were even better than the first go round! A wonderful way to greet this cooler fall weather – sweet potato hash with sausage and eggs. Make it this weekend! // chopping these + browning sausage with herbs de provence + roasting garlic rosemary sweet potatoes 🍴 the best … More COOK | Sweet Potato Hash with Sausage & Eggs
After finding out that we were expecting our first baby, I couldn’t wait to begin putting together the nursery! I wanted to wait an appropriate amount of time before making final decisions and purchasing items, so I bided my excitement with room mood boards and pinterest boards. While neither of these designspiration boards {did I … More DESIGN | Hygge & West Daydream Nursery Inspiration
a reallyyyy really green version of broccoli, shells and cheese 🌱🌱🌱 // #onepotpasta #quinoanoodles Pasta with Peas, Basil, and Broccoli > adapted from this Martha Stewart RECIPE but… I subbed snap peas for frozen peas and spinach for broccoli. I would suggest adding in more aromatics – maybe a diced onion or shallot at the same … More COOK | Pasta with Peas, Basil, and Broccoli
and the only thing better than @pinchofyum’s red lentil dhal over rice is leftover red lentil dhal smooshed into a hot and crispy quesadilla // #praisehands Red Lentil Dhal Quesadilla > Pinch of Yum RECIPE + spinach and cheese of your choice pan fried in a soft tortilla // amanda macy
@pinchofyum for the win, as always! My first try at both lentils and curry and it turned out sweet, spicy, warm and delicious! Red lentil dhal served over steamed brown rice and spinach with curry coconut milk baked chicken 🍴🍴🍴 // #highlyrecommend #evendadenjoyed #leftoversfordays Easy Red Lentil Dhal > Pinch of Yum RECIPE // amanda … More COOK | Red Lentil Dhal
Sad because this picture is terrible, horrible, very bad. Happy because this recipe was sooo super delicious! Seared tilapia (fresh grouper wasn’t available) over sautéed kale with a balsamic brown butter shallot sauce. Thankful I never throw away my old @southernlivingmag issues! // #happytohavehomemadefood #nourish Pan-Seared Grouper with Balsamic Brown Butter Sauce > Southern Living Magazine … More COOK | Pan-Seared Grouper with Balsamic Brown Butter Sauce
My husband and I are thrilled to announce that we are expecting our first baby this December!
We are moving! The house that we have been renting {read: not our house!} will be available in April. Many have asked for interior photos – so here you go! {Assuming google maps can help you with a street view} Please don’t judge – I snapped these VERY QUICKLY before work this morning, and though … More DESIGN | Arrow Creek Home Tour
perfect for any season, this cocktail is as comforting as it is refreshing! 1 part bourbon to 3 parts grapefruit juice + drizzle of honey + sprig of rosemary easy, easy! because really, if it’s much more difficult that pouring a glass of wine or opening a beer…it’s just not likely to happen. cheers!
simple. sweet. not too sinful these multigrain waffles + this incredible crunchy cookie butter from trader joe’s + fresh cut fruit of your choice – strawberries, bananas, blueberries, etc! enjoy this perfect snack!
Merry Christmas! The Hall’s have begun decking the halls! {I’ll get tired of that, right?} The mantle is bothering me, so I am focusing my efforts elsewhere. These two gold frames flank our fireplace and were my first-ever score from the innagural Country Living Festival in Atlanta. I spotted them immediately and carried them around with … More HOPES & DREAMS | ’tis the season!
CREATE | SWEET COFFEE SCRUB Prepare yourself for some skin tightening & smoothing! This coffee scrub smells amazing and will leave your skin silky soft. The caffeine increases blood flow to your skin, helping it appear smoother and even a little tighter, while the sugar exfoliates to get rid of dry winter skin! Ingredients 1/2 cup ground … More CREATE | coffee & coconut oil scrub
COOK: rosemary mushroom quinoa ‘risotto’ with kale, chicken meatballs, dried cranberries and golden raisins After over-using salmon as the main protein in our weeknight meals, I believe even my friends on Instagram were relieved when I found Aidells ready-to-go meatballs! Their chicken meatballs are all-natural and antibiotic-free, plus they come in many different flavors from Spicy … More COOK: rosemary mushroom quinoa ‘risotto’ with kale, chicken meatballs, dried cranberries and golden raisins
I posted this about a year ago – but it’s a good one that deserves reposting, internalizing and acting on. “INVEST IN YOURSELF AND TAKE A CHANCE. NO ONE OWES YOU THE FUTURE YOU WANT. YOU HAVE TO BUILD IT.” { Source: Country Living Magazine, 2013 }
COOK: Creamy Cauliflower Pasta Sauce by Pinch of Yum It’s no secret that while Josh and I tend to eat clean, lean, whole foods the majority of the time, we can’t escape the need for a giant warm bowl of pasta {or organic ice cream cone, or a giant bowl of stove popped popcorn}. In … More COOK: Creamy Cauliflower Pasta Sauce by Pinch of Yum
Green breakfast smoothies {M1 if you follow a 5-6 meal nutrition plan} have been a part of my routine for over 3 years – they taste great, are easy to digest in the morning, simple to create and easy to drink in the car on my way to work. I’ve been through many different recipes {see … More COOK: amazing grass smoothie // my breakfast every single day
cook: spaghetti aglio e olio with zucchini noodles recipe INGREDIENTS: 1 Zucchini per person 1.5 tablespoons Coconut Oil 1 tablespoon Almond Meal or Flaxseed Meal 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2+ teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes {Josh adds even more later} 2 large Garlic Cloves, minced DIRECTIONS: SPIRAL SLICE zucchini through a veggie spiral slicer like … More COOK: spaghetti aglio e olio with zucchini noodles recipe
I’m starting to dislike the use of the word detox. But yes, I just used it anyways! Sometimes you need a healthy reset – a binge on the good green stuff. And sometimes you get really tired of taking it in the form of a juice or smoothie. This week I traded my straw for … More COOK THIS: Detox Green Soup
Oh yummm! Inspired by milk/smoothie/shake drinks like this and this, I whipped up this tasty treat last night after my Yogalosophy session. // Side note: I am loving Mandy Ingber’s Yogalosophy program – check it out here for a “mind-body makeover” Just as good for the mind & body is this drink. The protein … More COOK | Date & Vanilla Chai Protein Shake
Who doesn’t love time spent in an Anthropologie store? It’s a beautiful attack on all five senses. But really, those candles… scentsational! 😉 Sadly, I don’t make it into the store as often as I’d like so I rely heavily on their emails to whisk my mind away into a world where I have the … More CURRENTLY LOVING | @ anthropologie
{ ‘Little Talks’ The Sound of AHH by KHS – Coca-Cola Commercial 2014 } Currently on repeat in my office and at my house is the incredibly gorgeous and creative song from Coca-Cola’s latest commercial. My words will never do it justice – watch & fall in love. Ahh 🙂
I don’t know about you but after five days in heels, my feet are focused on comfort come Saturday. After obsessing over JCrew’s latest catalog where they debuted a line of retro New Balance sneakers, I’ve been feverishly focused on snagging a pair for myself. A couple of weekends ago this cute gingham-accented pair entered … More WEEKEND WEAR | cute & casual
{ this coconut oil + this ashley brooke designs design mug } Last month I started an obsession with coconut oil. OBSESSION. I’m washing my face with it, cooking with it, slathering it on my skin, mixing it in my green smoothies, rubbing it on the dog, swishing it around in my mouth {read this} and … More CURRENTLY LOVING | coffee & coconut oil
This past week I had the opportunity to go to the 2014 Design Bloggers Conference – I was in attendance as a corporate sponsor, not a design blogger. But goodness if the experience didn’t get my mind thinking back to this site and my first blog, ‘What Hopes & Dreams Are Made Of.’ I had … More white wall rooms and those hopes & dreams
Lately I have had my fill of failed healthy recipes found on Pinterest. Bland, mushy sweet potato fries followed by utterly disgusting buffalo cauliflower. Both promised to be life-changing and both proved to be just plain bad. Third time must be a charm because the popularly pinned ‘Mexican Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding‘ actually tastes quite … More guilt-free sweet treat | Mexican Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding Recipe
These words jump off the page with such strength for me. These are words that I know I will come back to time and again… for reassurance, for motivation, for comfort, for hope. I hope you enjoy this little bit of Monday inspiration, as well Quote by Wm. Sparks Smith, shared with me by … More I Am Enough
You know from here that I love a good bootie – I love how they effortlessly work with shorts, pants, dresses, for dressing up and for dressing down. In the south you never know what the weather really will be- one day its frigid cold and the next you’re wishing your bikinis weren’t stored … More cold weather combo: blanket cardigans & booties
hello, 2014! I just finished the Lara Casey 2014 Exclusive #PowerSheets Webinar and {typical after reading/listening to Lara} I am energized for the new year! If you’ve poked around this blog a bit you probably know that 2013 wasn’t my very favorite year… but there is no use in looking back. I am feeling … More #powersheets
A big warm thank you to Hunter boots for making rainboots look stylish and keeping feet protected and dry. In the semi-rare occurances when us southerners get the chance to slip on our Hunter boots, we {read: I} tend to need a bit of outfit inspiration to keep from looking like snowmen or firefighters. 5 … More outfit inspiration: Hunter Boots
My {correct!} decision to properly celebrate Thanksgiving has put me in a Christmas crunch. We are happily scrambling to decorate the house, trim our tree, figure out how in the world to decorate the outside of a house {our first non-apartment Christmas!} and find the perfect gift for all of our special friends, colleagues, neighbors … More My Holiday GLAMOROUS & GOLD Gift Guide
{ ‘truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am’ John 8.58 } Relax. That is a word that I think of often. So often I think that I am relaxing because I am doing things that I enjoy…cooking, decorating, creating. But so often when it actually comes time to fall asleep, I … More relaxing to celebrate
happy {belated} thanksgiving! I loooove this season of being thankful but really it should last throughout the year like this verse says. {love this verse like crazy!} Though not over yet, this year has been so fun and exciting {thank you!!!} And an extra thank you to everyone that has supported my little handmade jewelry … More oh, it makes me uncomfortable, but I am oh so excited!
We are gearing up for the season of giving and with the “launch” of my little Etsy.com shop, A. Macy Hall, now more than ever I believe in shopping local and shopping handmade. Atlanta is full of local artists and their designs are nothing short of treasures! I love to hear the stories of … More Shop Local | Shop Handmade | Support Small Businesses
It’s Thanksgiving week and I’m clearly obsessing over it {diy decor post here, food post number one here}. Yes, it’s about the giving of thanks, yes, it’s about the quality time spent with friends and family and yes, oh yes, it’s about the food. Thing is, I can’t keep “thanksgiving food” -as they call it- … More because “thanksgiving dinner” should happen more often
Oh wow it feels like the holiday season! Parking lots are jam-packed, the grocery store is a disaster zone and any spare time you thought you once had has suddenly evaporated into thin icy cold air. Oh but isn’t it just the BEST time of year!!! 🙂 This past weekend we hosted the third annual … More a friendsgiving recap
My Christmas decorations are securely collecting dust in the attic until November 29 when they are allowed to see daylight. Until that moment- we are celebrating Thanksgiving at The Hall’s! I LOVE the colors of fall- so warm and cozy and golden. This is the season that brings me the most joy – the air is … More DESIGN | Fall Garland Mantel + DIY Tassel Garland
You may have noticed that I started a little handmade jewelry shop on Etsy.com last month, it’s a simple little shop that I enjoy filling with whatever beaded and tasselled creation happens to pop out of the right side of my brain. I have had the good fortune of selling some of the pieces to … More HOPES & DREAMS | every little bit {counts}
I’m feeling a bit homesick for my old Hopes & Dreams blog…so I have put together a list of my favorite DIY projects {with links to the how-to posts!} from my H&D days. {Side Note: many more DIY project posts exist and can be found under the ‘create’ tab on my homepage header} Bottle Lamp … More c r e a t e : my favorite DIY projects to date!
I believe it was the great and powerful powers of Instagram that brought me to Shauna Niequist. But it was her style of writing that reached out from the pages of her books and stole my heart. Her stories transcend time and circumstance, no matter your current state of panic, contentment, fear or happiness the … More cranberry peach breakfast crisp
The month of November is filled with events, messages and decorations that make it a touch easier to remember to be grateful and to say thank you. For that I am thankful 😉 Earlier in the year I began a 21 day bible study on the YouVersion Bible App called She Reads Truth: Prayer in the … More start with thank you
The first year after getting married – fall decorating was S-I-M-P-L-E! Our Rehearsal Dinner had a fall theme- pumpkins, mums, twigs, acorns and leaves abundant. We just transferred it all from the event location to our dining room, mantle and coffee table! Those items were all perishable, so I am starting from scratch this year. … More CREATE | DIY Fall pom-pom tree
welcome to the new home of my blog and welcome to fall. Oh it’s just so cliché to talk about a new season and a new outlook on life and new this and new that and yada yada yada. But…it’s just too hard to sit here watching the trees change colors as my sweet and … More welcome
amanda macy hall 