2016

I have so many thoughts on 2016. Every New Year I vow to be different and every year I completely fail at it. This year I've decided not to be different. I know who I am and what I am capable of, or honestly... what I am not capable of. So for 2016, I have no lofty goals... I am not abstaining from my vices but decreasing them. I am not going to run a marathon, but I will try to run more 5Ks.

Mostly though, I want peace in my work life and to be the best mama I can be. Oh, I would also like to hurry and finish this masters program and just be magically granted a PHD.

Here's to 2016...

New Year tradition

Mini Road Trip

When we had Stella we knew that our lives would change significantly. Having a baby does that, obviously. So when we had her we discussed how we could have the best of both worlds, a beautiful baby and the ability to still do many of the things we love. For me, that's traveling. The first six months of Stella's life we decided to hold off on any big trips, but filled our weekends with mini road trips to the beach or downtown Los Angeles. Those little day trips really helped us achieve a more systematic way to pack everything we need for the baby, quickly, and got her use to car rides and different environments.
When Stella was six months we took a road trip to Arizona to visit family. We learned a valuable lesson... babies don't do well in very long car rides.
So this time when we decided to head up to San Francisco I insisted on making the drive easy on all of us and I broke it up. It was amazing. We were relaxed, not rushed, and best of all Stella was a happy camper.

We left Saturday morning from the LA area, and headed two hours north to Santa Barbara where we met up with some friends for brunch (not pictured). Once we were done with brunch we headed another 1.5 hours up the beautiful coast to our Airbnb in Arroyo Grande (a cute city right next to Pismo Beach). It couldn't have worked out any better.

Llamas at our Airbnb

Stella loved petting them!

Happy Camper

Mama - Est. 2015

8 months of Stella

California Spring

I usually love the hot weather but this winter/spring has been pretty torturous. Being pregnant in the heat is something I am so happy to have avoided, but the heat always finds a way to come around in Southern California.

18 more days until baby S!

DIY Soy Candles

I love candles, but they are pretty pricey when you are on a budget. I estimated how much I spend per candle, and how much it would cost for me to make my own. The initial costs of buying supplies could be daunting, but there are so many ways to cut the costs.
I bought soy wax and wicks from here. I spent roughly $30 on ten pounds of wax and 25 wicks. The shipping cost is what initially deterred me since it was about $12, for ten-pounds of wax, but once I did the math it still made sense. The wax itself was around $15.

I didn't purchase the candle-making pots or anything else, and used containers that I had around the house with the exception of some mugs I bought from Savers thrift store for 99 cents each. The only thing I had on hand that could get pricey are my essential oils. I bought these years back and still have them. They're such a great investment for last minute gifts and DIYs. There isn't much to candle-making once you've gotten your basic ingredients. I used glue to hold down and center the wicks, and a mixture of clothespins and bamboo sticks to keep the wicks in place.
I don't have a double boiler so I just used a big pot and a smaller pot to melt the wax, and transferred it into a mixing bowl with a spout for an easier pour.
You have to wait about 24-hours to use the candles, and they burn clean and smell amazing. They would make great gifts too. I made a few extra to keep on hand just incase I forget someone's birthday :)

Rosemary infused oil

I love everything about rosemary. I think it tastes great, smells great, and is an herb that I can't easily kill. I've recently began making candles and when I looked through my essential oils found that I didn't have rosemary. I decided to try to make my own since it isn't much of a process at all. I figure, if it works out I can have rosemary essential oils for my candles, and infused olive oil for cooking.

It's just olive oil and rosemary getting to know each other for about a month in a dark, cool place. My kitchen pantry is working swimmingly...

* iPhone pictures (maybe one day I'll get a fancy camera)

Getting Etsy Ready

When we finally became serious and decided to start an Etsy store we didn't realize how difficult it would be. I thought selling prints on Etsy would be extremely easy and quick. Creating the art is the easiest part for us since Danny has more talent with a paintbrush and paper than most professionals doing this for a living. The replication and business side however, the one I'm apparently in charge of, has been so difficult.

What I have learned so far is that regardless of your product, how you market yourself seems to be key. I am beginning to realize the importance of social media and networking, but it still seems so daunting. Really what I'm looking forward to the most is getting our first sale. It will still be a while since our goal is to open the shop March 1st. Here's to positive thoughts and high hopes!

Happy Sunday!

Hope your Sunday was filled with cuddles and soft blankets. 

mmmm Donuts/my crazy pregnancy cravings

I have never been someone who craves sweets. I don't take sugar in my coffee and if I went out for frozen yogurt the craziest I got was fresh strawberry toppings. Then I got pregnant. My cravings have gone in phases... beginning with the peppermint hot chocolates from Starbucks, to Yogurtland, to cheesecake, to Cold Stone. 

Recently, I have had an endless appetite for donuts. It doesn't help that I live around the corner from a Dunkin Donuts. I have literally gone to Dunkin Donuts every morning before work for the last two weeks. I know I'm pregnant and I get a free pass at being bad but this is just ridiculous. Soooo... to make myself look less of a crazy pregnant lady I decided to make my own. Baking is better than deep frying, right?  

I had gotten a donut baking pan from Michaels a while back and we played around with this recipe leaving out the actual vanilla bean. We definitely enjoyed our results, and will probably play around with more recipes. For now... these will be my morning treat. 

DIY Faux Deer Head

                  

When you're renting it's difficult to decide what is worth making and changing in an apartment and what isn't. When we moved into this place (a week ago) we were excited to have a fireplace, but also a little bummed because we knew it wouldn't be worth the trouble to hang our TV above it. I joked about hanging up a deer head (I love animals and would never actually consider this) and Danny immediately said he could make one out of paper mache. Obviously, I said yes and demanded that it be painted in teal and gold. 

Materials:

• Styrofoam
• Wood skewers
• Paper mache (glue, paper, etc.)
• Paint

The process was long because we had to allow for the paper mache to dry before adding layers etc. Fans are a huge help to speed up the drying process. 

styrofoam and wood skewers

paper mache

Floral Inspirations

Dreaming of Spring for so many reasons...

Images from Pinterest.

Colorful Inspirations

I've never loved bright colors until recently... maybe it's the hormones or some instinctual nesting needs, but I can't stop being attracted to bright colors. I'll be moving in a week and all I keep thinking about is color. For now, here are some Pinterest inspirations of mine...

2015

I usually wait until my birthday to make new promises to myself, but this year seems a little different. In three and a half months I will be a mom, a few months after that I will be 30 (eeeekk), and I am playing around with a change in my career (I love being a special education teacher but I'm in the midst of doubt and reevaluation). I  am excited to finally become an adult... I know I've been a legal one for about eleven years now but I haven't felt it until I recently realized I was going to be responsible for another human being. So here it goes 2015...

Goals and Promises

• Pay down debt (before finding out I was pregnant I fought to keep my cat alive, paid for school out of pocket, and had car issues).
• Run a half marathon
• Take more trips (big and small).
• Stay organized (this is my marker for adulthood, I swear if I can master this then I am a damn adult)
• Handle motherhood like a boss

I celebrated the New Year like any hungry pregnant woman would...

In n Out

Building our Etsy store

I'm so excited to open our Etsy shop and finally get all of Danny's (he's the talent, I just spend way too much time on my computer) art up for people to see. He's been working on his typography using acrylic paint. 
As of right now we are focusing on children's art.. I guess we just have baby on the brain...

Art in progress...

Danny is beginning to put together collections of art work to open an Etsy store. Currently he is working on children's art. It's fun for someone like me, who has no talent whatsoever, to watch him create these images.

Baby wants...

Some may call it wants... but I call it NEEDS...

1. This blanket. I know I don't need anything but basic baby blankets considering the possibilities of soiling are inevitable, but I just can't help to want them. This store has a great selection, and I just love the elephants. 

2. Solly Baby immediately went on my list as soon as I found out I was pregnant. I imagine carrying my little girl everywhere in these wraps once she's born. The colors and prints are so cute, and I love the idea of having baby S. so close. 

3. Swaddle Blankets. I still have no idea what/why/how to swaddle, but I know it looks adorable and if it means by baby is going to be wrapped in blankets like this then I want to do it. 

I have so many items in various carts and on Pinterest pages, but these three items I continue to imagine using/having... and falling deeper in love with my little girl. 

Dip-Dyed Terracotta Pots

We are currently looking for a new place to live and this whole in between is driving me crazy. I no longer care about the place we live in and keep daydreaming about the possibilities of a bigger and better place. I've gotten so tired of looking at furniture I can't buy since we don't know what space we need to fill just yet, so I thought I'd start to do things that would fit anywhere we lived. 

I've seen various forms of dip-dyed pieces all over Pinterest and thought I'd start there. 

Acrylic Paint

Terracotta Pots

I used painters tape to TRY to make as straight of lines as possible and a sponge brush. Obviously I'm terrible at taping straight but I didn't really care if it wasn't perfect. I applied three coats of acrylic paint, allowing each to dry in between coats. 

I think the final product came out decent... and I have some plans of converting them into hanging planters and placing them inside to give the kitchen (hopefully) some color.

Winter Reads

I finally get a chance to catch up on some pleasure reading... there are just so many women that inspire me and make me want to do more with my life that I figure I would start with the basics.

Jalapeño Tequila

A few years ago I went to an extremely nice Mexican restaurant where I ordered a jalapeño margarita. I was hesitant at first but after my first sip I was sold. I went to the store to buy ingredients to recreate the $12 margarita... yes $12... and found some pre-made jalapeño infused tequila. I'm an obsessive ingredient checker, and of course when I looked at the back of the label I was disappointed to see a long list of ingredients I couldn't pronounce. 
Long story short... I made my own. Super easy, way cheaper... and without all those wonderful preservatives, chemicals, and sugar...

I cut up some jalapeños and bought some Patron... stuck it in a dark place for about a week and it was ready to go. It didn't last long since I had friends over immediately and we spent the evening drinking margaritas. 

Pregnancy to do list...

I have been pretty unproductive in my first 17-weeks of pregnancy. I had this idea that when I became pregnant I would have all the time in the world to dedicate to my interests... whether it be reading, baking, hiking, and every other thing I enjoy doing but never find the time to do. Well, I guess I just wasn't prepared for how tired I would be from growing a human inside of me. I'm starting to get a little energy back and with it some motivation to tackle some of these things. 

 First on my list is brewing beer...

I know this is a little surprising considering I am pregnant, but I am an avid lover and supporter of craft beer and I am timing it so that my beer will be ready for the baby shower. I am even thinking of creating cute little labels incorporating the baby. 

I found the home-brew kit on Etsy

Other things on my list are finally reading Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren's new (well not so new anymore) books. I guess that's what holiday breaks are for!

Refrigerated Oats

I've played around with refrigerated oats a few times trying to get the correct consistency and I think I finally have mastered it. It's basic. One cup oats. One cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk. It's the best consistency I've gotten with the best base-taste. Add whatever you want after that...

Pictured: Cinnamon, apples, and a touch of honey...