DIY quote art

I love the Pottery Barn word art! I can't believe the prices on some of those canvases and wood pieces so I wanted to try it myself. But I can't take full credit for either of these projects I'm about to show you. My girlfriend Sara inspired me when I was at her house one day. She is a little artist:

She clearly chose a London theme, I went with San Francisco. Although these are a few of my favorite neighborhoods, with careful measuring I chose the ones that would fit best on the canvas:

First, I bought my canvas at Michaels (with a 40% off coupon of course, these babies are expensive!). I took a piece of paper and just sketched out a few neighborhoods to see which would fit best. Sara free handed hers with a pencil and did amazing. I tried, but it was sloppy so I decided to print out the letters and I traced them onto the canvas. This took a LONG TIME, about 2 months to finish entirely but then again, I wasn't working on it every day. I measured out the size of the letters and the space between them all with a tape measure and ruler. It wasn't precise but it worked. Then, with black paint, I went to town and carefully painted around each and every curve.

Ideally, I probably should have started from the middle and worked my way out. But since I did this over multiple days it didn't really matter since it was dry. Up close, there are definitely some flaws. I dropped my brush in the center of one of the letters and my cat walked on it when it was wet. But I think the imperfections make it kinda cool. 

The second one I did, I also copied from Sara. :) It took less than an hour! I bought a book from the thrift store for under $1 and ripped out the pages, laying them over another canvas. I didn't care which book it was, but I wanted it to be old and have that yellowish, stained page look. Then, I plopped mod podge all over the pages with a paint brush.

I used these to hang both canvases side by side:

....and BAM! Here they are. 

In, But Not of, the World

There have been countless times I have thought in my mind that I must have been born in a different decade. I used to talk to my grandma about what it was like being a kid during the great depression. All she would ever say was, "It was a hard life, but it was much simpler back then." Hard and simple are sort of oxymorons to me, but I think I understand what she's saying. I'm so curious about the 30's and what people would do before we had technology. I imagine there was more talking and more reading. More people engaging and less people taking advantage of each other. More knock out fights and less shootings. Really just more depth to people because they weren't able to hide behind a computer or text to get out of an uncomfortable situation. They were forced to look at each other and actually talk. I like that.

With that being said, I have felt before that I'm living on this Earth but not really apart of it. Being raised in a nice suburban neighborhood in San Diego, surrounded by a large group of friends, going off to a University, traveling the world for years on end and then finally settling down in one of the most expensive cities in the country, San Francisco. Most would say this was a somewhat of a privileged life, and although I've worked hard to get here, I know there are others who have worked much harder and are still struggling to make it.

The book I started a couple months ago is called "Becoming a Woman of Simplicity". It teaches us, how to live slowly in a multi tasking world and how to de-clutter our calendars. It helps us learn how to be quiet and still in the confidence of God; the way He has intended for us all along. It shows us that the important things are not tangible "things" and I really need to remember this sometimes. My sister has started this book with me and we are trying to talk about every chapter together as we finish. I read one every Friday on my day off and it really sets my entire weekend up. They take about 40 minutes per chapter because you are reading along side your bible and filling in verses and answering questions. It's stimulating and really gets you thinking! It would be too much to summarize each chapter so I'll just pick a couple points out.

This post is definitely going to have more of a Christian influence than my past ones, but it's only how I feel and chances are, you're feeling the same. If not, try to embrace it anyway. ;-)

~Profound Simplicity: God wants us to have empty pages, hours, and rooms in our lives. Social media and the "instant everything" has definitely been a blessing and a curse. It takes a conscience effort to put these things away and just to be still. To surrender to the peace and quiet and let God work his magic! ;) I've recently picked up meditation which is the hardest things I have ever done, ever! But wow, the benefits are taking it's toll and answers are easily coming to me. Here's what this book told me in chapter 1 and I love it so much: "Abiding allows the Lord to bring interesting people, worthy activities, and valuable things into my life in the right way, at the right time, and for His purpose." I love that.

~Trusting not Worrying: Ahhh it is so hard for us to believe in what we cannot see. But how amazing it is when miracles happen and our prayers get answered. We have to let go of the past and although the future should be on the forefront of our minds, it should not consume us. Rather, focusing on today and putting one foot in front of the other, with God on our minds, is absolutely more enriching and fulfilling. There will be trials along the way, but trust don't fear. James 1:2-8 basically says: "If you are lacking, ask God and you will receive. But do not doubt. Believe."

~It's an upside down, crazy world: The world will always try to stray us away from God. We are surrounded by temptations and distractions every single day. The closer we get to God, the closer he gets to us. For me this is essential because he's helping me to stray away from the negativity in all sorts of aspects. I'm getting better at pushing certain people and situations out of my life, the second I know they won't benefit me. "Set yourself free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate." 

It really is impossible for me to summarize this entire book so these are just a couple of points that I've highlighted and that have stuck out for me. I hope all of my girlfriends will read this and study it, it's opening my eyes to an entirely different world. A more simple world where even in the midst of iPhones, social media, and the bustling city I live in, I am able to find calmness and serenity. I like it and really can't see my life any other way.

DIY quote mug

There are a plethora of these DIY mug sites and I have been wanting to make one for myself for awhile now. So easy, cheap, and full of personality! I bought a mug on sale at Crate and Barrel for $2, but then saw some at the thrift store for 50 cents today, so do as you please!

First, I wrote out my quote with a pencil. I chose my favorite lyrics from my favorite Bob Dylan song. "We'll meet again one day on the avenue, tangled up in blue." I chose to go the route using a standard sharpie. Only problem I ran across was that it was a brand new sharpie with a really fine tip, so my letters were really thin. So I wrote over each letter 2 or 3 times which didn't turn out as clean or neat as I had intended, but I still think it looks ok. Next time, I'll wear my sharpie out a bit for a broader tip. Once it was fully dried, I rubbed my finger over the letters to remove the lead pencil showing in some spots, and it did rub right off and the sharpie won't smear. Then I popped in the oven on a baking rack at 350 for a half hour! This is such a cute idea, I really loved making it. :)

The simple things

  Ahhhh, it's been so long! I am absolutely shocked that it is already September, and that we are only a couple months away from Christmas again! My mom used to always tell me that time would speed up as I grew older. She was 100% right.
  2012 has not been my favorite year, but that is for me and my closest people to hear about. ;-) One thing I can say I have learned in the last 9 months though, is simplicity. I am in the midst of a fabulous book that I plan on blogging all about as I get more in depth, so I won't reveal it yet. I am learning things about myself and the woman I strive to be while studying this book... and I really like her! (The woman I'm becoming, that is). I'm finding myself more aware of the true fact that the important things are not "things", having 600+ friends on Facebook does not add substance to my life, and truly trying to live a life of simplicity, a life that God has intended for us long before social media had been thought of, is truly, truly invigorating. (And energized people usually live longer and happier lives!)
   2012 has been full of blessings in the same retrospect. My grandma had her 2nd PET scan today since she was diagnosed as cancer free. Every 3 months she has to get these done to see if the bad stuff has somehow crept back into her body. Every 3 months our family is on edge and full of anxiety. And today she was once again diagnosed with no evidence of disease! So she is off to Switzerland, France & England next week... and I am filled with excitement (and maybe a little envy...;-) .

Here she is gardening and trust me that thing was heavy:

  Hmmm, what else do I feel like touching on tonight? I really am excited to talk about the new book I'm studying. It has changed my way of thinking tremendously in the last few weeks that I've been reading it. We live in a world where everyone is living vicariously through everyone else. I'm absolutely guilty of it too, and I'm not even necessarily sure it's a negative thing. It becomes a downfall I think, when we start to judge and become jealous because we don't have those "things" or we don't "look like that in that dress", or we can't afford to take that trip or buy that house, or the artificial comments of how much you miss this person, but really do you even know this person, you only met once! No one truly talks anymore, instead Facebook has been used to leave insincere comments to people you could never pick up the phone to call. It's especially used as a place to post about what we "have" or the newest item we just purchased. I have literally scrolled down my friends list as I've seen ridiculous statuses and deleted person after person. I may sound dumb, but by not having the materialistic annoyances and the flashes of everyone trying to out-do each other, wow it has made my "news feed" much more enjoyable. And it really does narrow my life down to just keeping in touch and sharing my life with people that I truly do enjoy spending time with. Anyway, that might be enough for now. I'm drinking a Stella and ordered chinese food in tonight. Couldn't be happier in my 500 square foot apartment. "It's the simple things..." And it really is. :-)

2 yogi thoughts

First of all, how beautiful is this picture!? ^^^^^
While in yoga last night, my teacher was wrapping up her last words and finalized the night by saying... "In this room, much like life, you have very little control of anything." This was of course, followed by lots of laughs as she went on to say.. "Sometimes the room will be too hot or not hot enough, the person next to you may be having a wobbly night and distract your entire class, your teacher may be pissing you off. But you can only control YOUR reaction and how you CHOOSE to respond to these annoyances." (and yes, she emphasized the words in caps).
This got me thinking of course, and I know I have blogged about this in the past. The part about us having absolutely no control over anyone but ourselves. How amazing is this to know that we can choose our day to day mood because we have sole control over our OWN SELVES. I love this.
So it makes me wonder. Is your reaction over someone else's actions really necessary? Change and control your attitude as fast as you can into a positive one because you CAN. We naturally get caught up in others and how their actions imprint our lives. But why do we let them? This is to me letting go of things and people I can't control and focusing on this life that was preciously given to me. Focusing on the real and not the pretend. The love and not the hate. The simple and not the complicated... Because there are "very little things you can control in this room, much like in life." ~Ryan, best Bikram teacher ever! I love her. :)

A couple classes ago, my teacher Mark, asked one of the students in class who needed to take a rest and kneel down.... "What are you feeling?" I thought it was a quite obvious question. The guy is totally hot and feeling like his heart is going to explode out of his chest. Ya know, he's probably thinking he would do anything to be drenched with a cold hose right about now. But his response was, (as he stuttered a bit) "I-I-I can't find the emotion." I loved this response more than anything because I feel like there are many times in life (and definitely in that yoga room), that I just can't find the emotion to describe how I'm feeling. But maybe I'm one of the only ones....?

No Cancer in this House!

 

My Grandma, me, & My Dad

In a prior post I was telling you about a family member of mine who was diagnosed with a very serious cancer. It was my 70 year old, traveling, hiking, nothing-can-stop-me-Grandmother. It was diagnosed as Stage 4 Esophageal cancer (it had spread to several distant lymph nodes), which was also inoperable because of the location the tumor was in the esophagus. (Notice how I'm talking in past tense!?) It absolutely rocked our family to the core when the doctor told us only days after she found out, that they expected my grandma would only have 11 months to live. When we heard that it was inoperable we all felt even more helpless, but the doctor did say they would try radiation but didn't feel hopeful because the tumor was already closing off 75% of her airway and the amount of radiation she would need to shrink something of that size, just didn't seem promising. Well, after 6 extremely scary months, the radiation worked, the chemo worked, and when our family took my grandma back to the doctor she looked at all of us both puzzled and excited. "There is absolutely no sign of disease in your body anymore. You're officially in remission." She showed us the newest PET scan, which only 6 months ago was littered with neon yellow splotches which show you exactly where the cancer is attacking the body. This PET scan was completely clear, with not a single dot of neon.
Esophogeal Cancer is one of the most serious because only 13,000 people in the US are diagnosed every year. This is not enough for our country to require yearly screenings, like we do for breast cancer. So by the time it is diagnosed, it is usually much too late for a positive outcome. Here's the esophagus in relation to the rest of the body, just in case you weren't 100% sure:

 

Absolutely everything passes through here, and the largest cause of this cancer is smoking and alcohol consumption. My grandma had quit both smoking and drinking 15 years ago. They just didn't realize the hazards that we do today, and it saddened us that even though she was trying to better her life, the cancer still was able to sneak in, over a decade later.
   With all of this being said, we are so grateful for the literal miracle that God has given to our family. We prayed several times a day, in big groups, in small groups, by ourselves. Friends of mine who had never even met her were praying with me. I have always believed in the power of prayer, but now I am even more convinced. ;-) Less than 5% of people live 5 years after being diagnosed. We knew all of the statistics but also knew that God is bigger than any doctor or any treatment. He is the largest healer and the bible tells us He WANTS to heal. I truly believe that our faith in God made this cancer disappear and I thank Him every single day for giving us more time with her. We are so happy and so thankful.
  With all of this being said, there are always possibilities of cancer returning. Again, we are not too concerned with the statistics because we have already seen something extremely rare happen while fighting this awful disease. So my grandma will take the precautions of repeating a PET scan every 90 days with the hope that none of the nasty stuff will return. And we will continue to ask God to keep the cancer out of her body. With these couple things, we are praying that she will be the healthy, active Grandma (who I grew up hiking and traveling with), always! Thank you for reading :)

A lovely little Friday

Two blog postings in one day! I'm laying in bed catching up on my favorite blogs, Matt Nathanson on Pandora, watching the rain fall. I love today and I have no plans of leaving this spot for at least a couple more hours. Yesterday, Em and I took advantage of the sunny day before the rain started. We walked to North Beach for beer tasting followed by wine tasting. One of the many perks of having Friday's off together!

 

Rogue is one of my favorite bars in SF with lots of yummy seasonal beers. We stayed here for a bit before moving on to one of North Beach's many cafes and sat outside for a glass of wine. After our friends got off work, we headed to OZ's jazz bar in the financial district then of course the Gold Dust to listen to more live music. It was a bar hopping Friday! Happy Weekend everyone. :)

Kale Kale Kale!

So I am a total health freak (although my cheesy bread below wouldn't prove that), and the hygienist I work with, Gina, is identical to me. We are constantly coming into work saying, "Did you see the new research on these foods.... Can you believe microwaving that plastic is leaking BPA into my coffee..... (And the latest), What do you think about raw veggies?" She was a Nutrition major so she gives me lots of awesome tips on all sorts of topics and I just find her so knowledgeable.

One of my all time favorite foods on the planet is Kale. I am so happy it's a super food because I am literally obsessed with it. I will eat it any way, raw, steamed, or slightly pan fried.  This organic gardener says eating a bit of Kale, all 365 days a year, is a huge health benefit and cancer fighter. I believe it! But what is the best way to eat it? Gina and I both went home and did some research because she "remembered learning something about raw kale and it being hard on the body to digest." But I have heard repeatedly that cooking collard greens will leak out most of the nutrients. So which is better?

Turns out, it just depends on the vegetable and how you cook it. But overall, the pros and cons of raw vs. cooked is still not clear cut. The majority of the literature I found on this said it's important to eat a mix of both. But it looks like Kale (and other collard greens, which are members of the cabbage family... broccoli, brussel sprouts, & cauliflower, for example) are healthiest when only lightly steamed. This makes it easier for the body to digest, but still keeps it's high level of Vitamin K in it's leafy leaves. :)

This blogger really sums up the research in her "Calling out Kale" entry, going as far to say that kale literally "helps put up a force field around your colon" and helps kill potential cancer cells before they have a chance to do damage on the body.

In summary, I am not sure I learned much from doing the small research I did, and I realize I'm not bringing a lot of new thinking to today's post. But I will continue to eat Kale both raw and steamed, every day of my life if possible! My entire bottom drawer in my fridge is packed with Kale, I buy it every single time I shop because clearly, you can't eat too much of it! It can be a little bitter for some people so I squeeze lemon juice over it whether it being raw or cooked. I usually add sunflower seeds as well with a little salt and pepper, sooo yummy! One of my girlfriends makes baked kale chips, but again I am not sure if that would be removing important nutrients? Hopefully this has sparked some "kale-eating" in your near future. ;-)

Friday thoughts

Fridays' are my safe haven because thankfully, I don't have to work. :) These mornings always include me sleeping till around 9, or until a cat jumps on my head asking to be fed. Sun is almost always shining, (our apartments gets the most light around this time), and after sleeping at least 10 hours I perk right out of bed and walk to my coffee press. Mmmm it smells so good in here. ;) Today, I woke up to this:

San Francisco, like most of the country, got off to a late Winter, and I am so glad it's here. It's a perfect day for blogging, pinning (love the fact that this is a new verb!) a facial, mani/pedi... all before we head on a plane home tonight for my best friend's engagement party! Here's what my morning looks like:

My SLR has unfortunately broke. To my luck, it wasn't even at the bar. I dropped it on my hardwood floor and now it won't focus. Let this be a lesson to spend the extra couple hundred dollars for the warranty, which I did, and it lasts 5 years. That is currently being fixed so my flip phone will have to do the trick for now. ;) I don't really have a point for this blog today, I have been slacking so much on writing and maybe that's why I've been on more of an edge lately. This is so therapeutic for me and I need to set the time aside to write more. While pinning this morning I read this, and it sparked something I wanted to tell you about:

There was a study done at UCSF that Adam was recently telling me about. It somehow proved (I will need to find the literature for this, but all in all it's a great concept), that people who started writing down a few things per day that they were grateful for, were all around much happier people. Usually when we have a bad day, our thoughts are so overpowering on that "bad day". Throwing these vibes into the universe "this was the worst day ever", or even repeatedly coming home in a bad mood after work, can really bring negativity to homes and relationships. Vibes are SO powerful, I mean, I can instantly feel people and the energy they bring into a room. It can change an environment right away. Anyway, this study shows that even in the midst of an awful day, come home and write down a few things that you can choose from that day, which made you happy, even if only for a second. So, Adam and I started a Gratuity Journal (we each have our own sitting on our night stands), and we write down 3 things each night that were thankful/grateful for. Of course we all get beyond stressed at work sometimes, but those negative thoughts again, will overtake most positive ones, leaving people really bummed out and irritable/sad/depressed/you name it. The study showed that people who did this (not sure the period of time yet), were overall much happier. I found that it allows me to dig into the really important things and remember that life is much, much worse for a lot of other people. The mind, I believe, is our most powerful tool and it's exhilarating, isn't it? That we have this much control over how our mood, our day, and our life, will be. Here's a small example of mine, this was the day I got home from Denver... a lil blurry, but you get the idea:

I hope you'll start one too!

Happy lazy Friday!

USA Inc.

Happy New Year everyone:) After looking through the gifts I gave and received this year, it's to no surprise that maybe 10% of items were actually made right here at home. This is such a passionate subject for me so I'm going to blog about it. (Lucky you, reader) ;-)
Adam and I are all about buying and supporting local business. On the downside, it does make items more expensive. On the upside, usually the quality is superb. It is unbelievable how difficult it is to find things made in the USA. Recently, my cousin from Spain had her first baby girl. My grandma asked all of us to buy her a gift that we could pack into a box and ship off to Barcelona. The only requirement she asked, was that every single thing be made in the USA. So, Adam and I went on our search for cute San Francisco baby onesies. We walked into stores that had adorable clothes with the Golden Gate Bridge and Haight-Ashbury signs sprawled across them. When we asked the owners if they carried anything made in the United States, some of them didn't even know! After we picked out at least 5 different outfits and checked their tags to find them all being made in mostly China and one in Indonesia, we thanked them and walked out empty handed. We tried 4 or 5 different stores until finally finding this super cute locally owned store, Wishbone.
My point on this subject is just to barely touch on the sole fact of how many more Americans we would have working, if we started buying here at home. Really, on the forefront of what we as consumers can do, is just a small amount. But, by buying local you're at least able to stimulate your community in the circle you live in. The big picture lies much deeper in a government and state level that is worsening every single day. For example, our new bay bridge (which connects the east bay area to San Francisco), is currently being built and contracted by China! The UGGS I just got for Christmas say Australian wool, made in China! The bottom of your dishes, China! Your TV, China! The tags on most clothes you wear, China, China, China! You'll also find Vietnam and other Asian countries, but USA or even Europe, is slim to none. The reasoning behind all of this is because the people in these countries will work for cents, and it's all about the green. Money is the number one priority and it's a shame because this is where slave labor comes into play. That Louis Vuitton purse I walk by every day, yup, slave labor. This is such a jumbled entry, but it's frustrating because the reality is that if you want to shop locally for good quality things, you have to pay more. Paying more isn't always feasible for some people, which is why Wallmart (which we have boycotted for a number of reasons) is a safe haven. Wallmart has run so many business out of business it's disgusting, not to mention the life insurance they take out on their elderly employees, ah! I could rant non stop about that corrupt corporation but for your sake, I'll stop.
My very last point ends at stores like Forever 21 and even Victoria's Secret, both of which I'm leaning further and further away from. Of course you won't find any of the junk in F21, made in America, but I've known that all along. It used to be a great store to buy a cheap dress that you'll only wear once because it will fall apart after one wash. But I'm OK with that because it's cheap crap. Now, it's expensive crap, no joke! I was in there last week and low quality tops hanging together by a couple threads are now double the price. I called a girlfriend right when I left (empty handed) and she agreed. We can't believe our once "go to" store for a night out is so over priced but the quality is still just as bad. Then, I order a $60 cotton dress from Victoria's Secret. When I got it, I couldn't believe what I had paid. It was super thin cotton, almost see through with a tag "Made in China". Not to mention their bras that used to hold together so well before it was such a huge franchise, now loosen up and fall apart after a wash or two. All of this circles back to the money and I get that. This world, unfortunately, is run in a lot of ways based on the quickest and cheapest method.
Do I have a solution? Not really. Will I still shop at both of these stores? Probably, but not as much as I used to. I prefer to pay more for higher quality, and I've turned that way almost completely now. Although, even a $400 Burberry jacket I saw at Nordies the other day wasn't made in the USA either, clearly the quality was better. (cough cough slave labor) :( **Watch this documentary, "Santa's Workshop" on slave labor for a better understanding, we thought it put heaps into perspective.**
I guess all we can do is to try to put forth the effort to buy here at home when we can, because it will absolutely make a difference for local business. Just having the idea in your head is a step up from just buying buying buying, not caring at all who's hands are tediously (or not so tediously) working to make it. That is all. :)

DIY: Christmas Card Hanger

I titled this Christmas card hanger because it's that time of year when the cards start pouring in. I'm planning on hanging black and white photos on this after the holidays are over, so really, anything you would hang on your fridge you can hang on this. Adam and I took apart a pallet and individually dry painted them with white paint. Our walls are cream with white crown molding so I thought it would be a nice match.

After you have your slabs of wood, all you need is twine or a thick string of some sort, staple gun, wire and a hook. Adam added a hook to the wall and wire to the back of the wood to hang. (Just like you would hang a picture frame). Then, we stapled the twine to the back of the wood and wrapped it over and over again, stapling as we went to keep it super tight. Tighter the string the better, so the cards don't slip out. And 2 people for this really helped so one person could staple and one person could hold the twine tight. We put these on a bare wall in our hallway, next to our kitchen. Hope you like it too:)

Looks like a botched job but we couldn't get the large screws out! Still hangs straight though;)

I zig zagged a few times to fit the twine snug around the cards.

Here's the hook we used on the wall.

And there you have it. 

52 reasons

This has been the most meaningful gift I have ever given anyone which makes me extremely excited to share it! Something I haven't shared on facebook or talked to anyone about except my close friends and family, is that recently, a very close family member was diagnosed with a super scary form of cancer. I won't even go into depth on here because it's too painful and for me, being private about family things is important. If you have ever had the "C" word bombard itself into your family, you understand how hard it is just to feel like you're helping. For weeks, I didn't know what I could possibly do to help her. Then, lovely pinterest gave me a great idea.

I found a blue deck of cards (Blue because for us, it's a fighting color. All of our toe nails are painted blue:) and asked my entire family and her closest friends to help me in what I think is such a remarkable gift. Everyone gave me reasons why they love her. The outpour was bigger than I ever imagined! I ran out of cards and even debated using 2 decks. I wrote out the reasons on pieces of paper, and glued them on each card, punched a hole in the top, and found an old shower curtain ring to hold them all together. I cried while receiving email after email, both from those who raised me and those I had never met. This whole time I knew I was doing something special for someone I love, but really, she was doing something in me I never would have expected.

The BEST Irish Coffee

I really didn't find the time to write any Thanksgiving posts, so today I'll try to make up for it. We absolutely love Irish Coffee, probably because we are obsessed with whiskey and Bailey's (preferably together)! These are pretty over priced at most restaurants, so we went to Costco and bought huge bottles of both. ;) We also found a set of coffee mugs for $1 each, at Ross (talk about a bargain).

We try never to skimp on our coffee, grinding only as needed and freezing the whole beans to keep them super fresh. Adam and I love World Market & Trader Joe's coffee best, as both are really yummy and affordable. Also, we don't own a coffee maker, we press it each time and I promise you, with these 3 steps (freezing, grinding, pressing), you will absolutely taste a difference and may even obtain a new appreciation for the stuff! So here are the proportions we found to work best for Irish Coffee:

Pour yourself a healthy cup of coffee. Add 1 tablespoon of whiskey (we use Jameson because that's what the Irish do!) and 1 tablespoon of Bailey's. Top with whip cream. (you can make your own using heavy cream which we didn't do in the photo below, but have before). There you have it. Super easy, the proportions taste just perfect, definitely not too strong but just right. This just reminds me of the holidays so we've been drinking it most Saturday mornings for the last few weeks now. Hope you like it too. :)

current playlist

It's a rainy Sunday here in San Francisco today. Crock pot dish cookin as I type, and a little bit of cleaning is what I'll be doing. Here are a few songs on my playlist.... Enjoy :)



Create a MySpace Playlist at MixPod.com

Apple Crisps

   These are such a healthy and easy snack. All you need are apples and cinnamon, bake at 250 for 2 hours, maybe more, since not all ovens are exact. Be sure not to slice the apples too thin, as they will burn and cook much quicker than the rest. Cut out the center core, sprinkle cinnamon and bake!
   As always, I try give credit back to the original blog when it wasn't my idea. BUT, I have been searching everywhere and can't find the original recipe! Silly Pinterest, with all it's recipes that we love so much;) Some call for a higher baking temp for a shorter time or white sugar to be mixed with the cinnamon. I will admit that this is harder than it looks and I attempted this 3 times before getting it right. Here are a few hints that I wish I knew first: *Don't slice too thin, even though some recipes suggest to. Mine burned right away and cooked much faster than the thicker slices. *Don't add butter or even oil... it burned mine almost instantly, and that just adds way more calories. *I didn't add any white or brown sugar, as apples are sweet enough and cinnamon is pretty overpowering. (And, I'm a dental hygienist).

And I promise they taste much better than they look ;)

fav things

*Necklace/Earring hanger I bought in Barcelona. Just the right amount of color ;)

*Moroccan Oil- This is an absolute Godsend. It makes your hair smell like you're on a tropical island and keeps it's super soft after you straighten. I apply it before I blow dry and after I straighten for shine;) 

*Bio Oil- I watched an interview by Jessica Alba when I was in high school talking about her flawless skin. She said her secret was to simply apply oil to her body every single day after she took a shower. Go look at her skin and see how radiant and healthy it always looks! She didn't give a specific brand (I know Neutrogena is much cheaper and works well), but I love Bio Oil. It claims it works against wrinkles, stretch marks, scars, dehydrated skin, and uneven skin tone. I wipe it all over my body every single time I get out of the shower, and sometime blot it under my eyes before bed. It's especially good in place of a lotion, to be rubbed all over your hands. They age quick, you know!

* Silver bracelet from the North of Africa. Our 2005 trip to Tunisia, Africa to be exact. I bought this for the equivalent of 50 cents for me and a girlfriend; it goes with just about everything;)

*Nirvana Candles~ they come in lots of scents, sizes, and encouraging words. I have a couple on my bedside table and if you light a few, it's just the right amount of light for reading. 

Shabby Chic

Excited to show you all our new purchase! There are only 2 items of which I have spent a lot of money on, but felt 100% happy and satisfied I did. There is nothing worse than splurging on something way too over priced, not being able to take it back, only "sorta liking it", and living with the guilty feeling of "I never could have afforded that in the first place, WHY did I buy it?", and now you're eating rice until you get paid again. Well, this is the 3rd item I've spent that was probably a bit 'out of our budget', but that I know I will take to every home we move to, and will keep forever:

I've had my eye on these 2 side tables for our bedroom at my fav store, for at least 3 months. When I went back to find them about a month ago, Donna the owner, told me they were already purchased and on hold in the back. Well, last weekend, Adam and I saw them in the window again and got really excited but I knew they were out of our price range (the pair for $400). We went in anyway, looked around, and decided we really couldn't spend that much. So today, a week later, we went back and saw them still sitting in the window. I told Adam how much I still loved them and could picture them in our bedroom. Adam decided to bargain with her since we have already spent so much money in her store, his girlfriend really loves them, blah blah. Well, it worked! She took $100 off . She informed us that the woman who put them on hold, never came to pick them up, and that she felt they were meant to be in my hands since she could tell how much I wanted them. Sometimes it's hard to not let money get in the way of something you really love, but we decided to cut back on other things in order to make the splurge. I hope to be able to distress furniture as well as this artist did, but we sure did a good job HERE, when I go back and compare. If you're a shabby chic loving person like me, good luck in your search! Try inputting "shabby chic" in your craigslist search and see what you come up with... we have had good luck with that too, but that's another blog spot.... ;)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Our rainy and chilly Friday night included us eating a delicious bowl of chicken tortilla soup, Adam playing "Call of Duty" (his bday present to himself;), and me blogging and sipping on pinot! Sounds pretty perfect to me. This soup is so yummy and super easy, but you'll need a crock pot. We finally bit the bullet and bought an 8 quart for around $60, which is about middle range. There are so many recipes you can do in this thing, we are obsessed!

I knew I wanted to try making chicken tortilla because it's always been one of my favorite soups. After searching on Pinterest and google, this recipe came up the most. So we gave it a try and it was amazing. Yes, AHHHHmazing. Click on the link for all the ingredients and how to make the tortilla strips. We started ours when we woke up, went out and ran errands, and it was done it about 7 hours when we got home. We added a mexican cerveza to the mix, from Trader Joes, appropriately called Trader Jose's. Enjoy!

getaway

   It's been awhile since I just rambled, so tonight is the night. (Lucky you)! I don't know how many times I've wandered off into lost thought about dropping all of my priorities and taking off. Escaping and making a drastic change of scenery to a place I've never been and where no one knows my name. My absolute dream would be to spin a globe around in a circle and lightly drag my finger on it until it stops; booking that plane ticket wherever I land. (As long as it's nowhere near the middle east or North Africa, Nepal-ish area, or North Korea of course;) I'm sure I could x-nay a few more countries where single women should not be traveling alone, but you get the idea). No cameras would be allowed, because this trip would be for my memory only. A journal would be the only way to document anything, and when I got home, I wouldn't share it with anyone. As you can see, I've mapped this out a few times.

   I'm so fortunate to have a man who allows me to have these far fetched ideas while still knowing how much I love him as well as holding onto his own confidence. Our bond is stronger than anything and he knows there's nothing that could ever break us. Adam gives me a sense of security, confidence, comfort, and just that feeling that "we can do anything as long as we're together". I'm blessed, and thank God every single night of my life, for giving this perfect man to me. None of that takes away however, the pure fact of just how independent I really am. I'm extremely self sufficient and have never had the feeling of dependence on another person. My parents taught my sister and I to be strong women and that "no man will make you happy, if you're not happy first!" I have found a world of truth in that.
   I have no problem going to a bar in the middle of the day, ordering a drink and sitting alone with a really good book. (cough cough -aussie land)! I have definitely hopped in my car while being bored, with absolutely no where to go, listening to my favorite CD, while heading north on PCH 101. Being totally alone is a necessity for me, and a part of me that I enjoy tapping into at times.
   Although my getaway plan is highly unlikely to happen at this point in my life, it is still fun to get lost in day dreams. But we think it's really important for each of us to have our space and alone time, not referring to girls or guys nights, but just being totally solo. There are heaps of things you can figure out about yourself when both your computer and cell phone are turned off. A book, or a walk to a new place, no music or distractions... now I'm going into my happy place again. Where's yours? Try a media off approach. We've made a pact to start doing this once a month, for at least a couple hours. May sound odd to others, but to us, we're actually really excited about it. :)