Friday, May 30, 2014

Coffee Table goodbyes

So we made peace with our coffee table. It was a sad goodbye, but we are coping. Our coffee table was actually our friend's coffee table hand me down type thing. It was wonderful it had these gigantic built in baskets and it was pretty big which I loved because I got to throw a bunch of cool stuff on there and gawk at it every time I watched bad television.

Our love for our coffee table ended when Lola just recently got sick, like terrible sick last week. We like to camp out in the living room when she is sick so we can keep a close eye on her in the middle of night. Not to get off track or anything, but this is always the best because we get to snuggle our hunny in the middle of the night and living room camp outs are simply just the best thing ever.
Anyway, so since our mattress takes up our entire living room, moving the dreaded coffee table out of the way is a must. The next morning when Ryan packed up the mattress and all, Lola and I spent the whole day exploring this new found space that once was home to our coffee table.

She was able to move freely around the living room and honestly so was I. I never realized what a nuisance the big block of wood was. It also was becoming a catch all to just about everything and it wasn't in the best condition possible when we got it. So that was irking me relentlessly.

Our solution? A nifty behind the couch table. It's literally genius and I am in so much love with it. Ryan got like 2 pieces of extra thick extra long wood, got them cut into three pieces, slapped some orange (yes, I said it: orange) paint on them and pieced them together. It fits so snuggly behind our couch and it's hidden. We have a place for things upon things, and it doesn't get in the way. Hopefully this means less forehead bruises for Lola and more simplicity for us.
 photo 95c2f50a862e4eeea205f6815cf60d36_zpse0611e53.jpg  photo 107c287ec5429db79954fa4c03959938_zps1c2d110b.jpg  photo 3de9e674ad61bdebd185b134b9d60ef8_zps62df090b.jpg  photo be3f79e0281c8ea881af2bf0c27c9598_zps2161c66a.jpg
Ryan's next challenge...a dining room table to rule all dining room tables.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Summer Candles are here!

Our Etsy shop is currently blooming with new summer smells! We have been in the process of getting them into the shop and now they are finally seated in their rightful spots.
Along with the premier of these fresh summer scents we are also introducing 4 ounce jars to the mix. This gives our online buyers a chance to take a virtual walk through our store, twist off a cap and enhance their senses. All 4 ounces candles can be transformed into 8 ouncers and vice versa. We toyed with this idea a lot, worried that people wouldn't want to purchase a smaller candle, but this week we have gotten 4 sales so far. That may sound small but it means the universe to us!
Our summer collection has also heightened our views in the shop, on Facebook and Instagram, we are finally gaining some followers that aren't just people we know!
Here's a preview of the first few summer candles that we released last Tuesday, if only your computer had a scratch and sniff mechanism because these babies are magically delicious.
Also, check out our shop and like us on facebook here.

 photo photo2_zps87f15dbb.jpg  photo photo_zps1a9054cc.jpg  photo photo1_zpsabc0e5d7.jpg  photo photo3_zpsbd87ddc9.jpg
 photo photo4_zps373ba487.jpg

We wanted to go a nontraditional route when it came to "summer" in candle form. The usual sun and sand beachy smells are great and all, but we wanted to zoom in on the little details of summer that make it worth the scolding hot weather.
So these little guys are just the beginning to our new collection, keep your eyes peeled for some of the new summer scents that will be entering our shop in the new few weeks.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Year 22

Here's a huge shoutout to birthdays that fall on Monday. This year I got a birthday weekend, I'm talkin' Saturday-Monday people! All because my birthday fell on a plain jane Monday.
So here's 22 (in honor of yours truly) reasons why I'm giving two thumbs up to my birthday this year:


  1. Ryan decided to blow my mind and bring me to see Disney on Ice this year.
  2. This means, I got to be a four year old again and sing every song at the top of my lungs.
  3. Buzz Lightyear and Woody on ice....enough said.
  4. Meeting friends at Applebee's at the only appropriate time...after 10pm.
  5. The lovely creation of BOGO drinks and half price appetizers.
  6. Ryan decides to be a hero and steam clean all the carpet in our apartment.
  7. I get front rows seats to the madness.
  8. After our carpet is a wonderland, he rolls out the giant rug I've been swooning over at Home Depot.
  9. We lay on it together and make rug angels if those are really a thing.
  10. My family takes us out to Kobe for the second weekend in a row.
  11. I smother all my food in yummy yummy sauce because why not?
  12. Birthday cake for breakfast on your actual birthday should probably be a tradition everyone follows.
  13. My best friend, my Lola, and I take a trip to the Florida Aquarium.
  14. It's like the place was rented out for us because who actually goes to the aquarium on a Monday? WE DO.
  15. Lola was completely in love with just about everything and was excersizing this new pointing mechanism that she has learned recently.
  16. I took too many pictures for my own good. Scroll down.
  17. Ryan surprises me yet AGAIN with the kitchen aid pasta attachment that I could only dreamily stare online at until now. I was in total shock and I think I hugged him about a hundred times.
  18. A trip to a giant walmart garden center.
  19. Came home with a Roma tomato plant and a Bell Pepper plant WITH baby tomatoes and bell peppers! There's something about baby produce that makes me impulsive.
  20. My lovely parents took the little hunny for the night and Ryan made reservations for The Melting Pot.
  21. The melting pot was the best experience I've ever had as far as restaurants go. Dipping things in
  22. cheese and chocolate can always always be a thing for me. They also sent me home with chocolate covered strawberries for my birthday because the manager loved us so much. What gets better than that?





This year I can say I have a clear head and this year so far has been nothing shy of amazing and this birthday is just the beginning to many more to come. I think I've finally started accepting adulthood...in my own way of course. Things are changing and I actually like it.

 photo 9b7f12292d65f18d20401d67c11505bd_zpsd99fa6cf.jpg  photo 9efa3dad7abdd96155eeab44035ed860_zps45f44cce.jpg  photo 91c991e53b0938ffc25e396c8bb485ea_zpsaaa2c8c1.jpg  photo 9ab9559181af4c9bed98148ef188483e_zps1c29998f.jpg  photo 084b95b41c3fa152afcb78c7884d1e70_zpsc15150d2.jpg  photo 0b79665ec3a7a07c36b8e7f57db48902_zpse01db90e.jpg  photo 13ec5b9896096cd6c3f88c20e9008808_zps6fb62b4c.jpg  photo ec6cb3d1fde12ead78a04befdc367b87_zpsf4f5732f.jpg

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

25/52

Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos
*A trip to the aquarium means showing off new pointing skills.

Friday, May 16, 2014

A Happy Home + Baby Proofing Tips

Baby proofing.
 photo a86311cff683d3ffabb3b40aebd511f4_zpscc4fbb62.jpg
Just the sound of it makes me wanna steer clear and proceed with caution. I mean that's also kind of how we as parents feel when our kids decide to become rebels with no cause.
When Lola hit 6 months I was pretty sure she would just be one of those babies that all of sudden started sprinting marathons around my living room. So I did a lot of research on styles of baby proofing and whatnot and got absolutely no where. But it was okay because Lola wasn't "getting anywhere," either. I had LOTS of time to figure it out in my head...and more clicking away at the keyboard for more worthless parenting tips.
I decided about two months ago to give my own swing of things a whirl. I also got this unrealistic fantasy in my head that Lola was going to stay stationary until she was punishable. I got crowned one of "lucky ones," when Lola celebrated 10 months of life with crawling around and around our living room. I now hope that all the future kids I bear decide to wait as long as possible to become mobile. I can't imagine attempting to discipline a 6 month old. Dear goodness.
Anyways, with all that aside...I'm going to share with you my little perspective of baby proofing. I almost want to alter the name of the damn word because I think it's rather intimidating to new parents. Especially when you're staring at a whole aisle of thingamobs and thingamajigs to pretty much turn your home into a giant safe...and then soon enough you're locked out of your own bathroom potentially wetting yourself in humiliation.
SO let's not even go down that road.

1. Minimize

I don't mean to completely dump out all your favorite fragile goods, but if there are certain things that are just not doing it for you anymore then just get rid of it. I took this new transformation for our home as a way of clearing out all the junk in our lives. If you're not in love with it, just say goodbye to it.

 photo 2549da3f81782c7701710c420a24f1b4_zpse25216a9.jpg  photo 4e6dc0ba9b4b7aeb3633486694fc0edb_zpsd1aab1fc.jpg  photo 10e591a908e89ccefa8525abb0d058ce_zps182cca19.jpg

2. Re-organize

Your baby is little. We are not so little. So just work accordingly. I have two bookcases in my living room. One that holds an infinite (I swear) amount of books and the other ones is a trinket collector. In the actual book case I left the last shelf for all of Lola's books. The trinket collector has four stages (shelves) 
The first (top) stage: blu-ray and cable box home, tall and top heavy items, extreme breakables
The second stage: little trinkets, slightly heavy items and more breakables
The third stage: Picture frames and more decor that is light and unbreakable
The fourth stage: four box cubbies filled with Lola's toys
My old set up would have been a destroyed in seconds. And the funny thing is, I enjoy this set up so much more..it's cleaner and more functional. I also had to eliminate a bunch of breakables and heavy items from my coffee table as well, so just don't forget every surface. Crawl around like a baby if you have to and you will begin to see the lovely world through your baby's eyes.
 photo 85c4d662fd60c457a0bb8a563652bb2b_zpse378a9d2.jpg

3. The Baby Proofing aisle

This really is different for every household. All I know is that back in the day they didn't have an exorbitant amount of gadgets to prevent your child from every little thing. I think it was actually called discipline. I just hope the next thing they come out with isn't a lifesize bubble because I think that's what the expectations are nowadays. I bought the plug in shields, not sure if that's the correct terminology, but it'll do. I also bought this oven lock thingie because I have a major fear of the oven myself. I think I've just been burned too much for my own good. I have NOT opened it yet...so not sure how it does it's duties. And that brings me to the kitchen....
I went through a mental list of all the places in my home that are on the "not so baby friendly" list. The number one for me is the kitchen. 
1. My laundry room is connected to the kitchen. 
2. Cleaning supplies are a no no.
3. The oven...period.
So I definitely say YES to baby gates, especially the ones that you can latch and have a little walkthrough. I actually plan on building our own baby gate out of wood..well talking Ryan into building it. But they have many many different baby gates all over the internet and in stores. 

 photo ee5e257f61eac97f76a68c0cc8d20bd1_zps49030e76.jpg

4. Playpens

They work for some people, especially the ones that have a lot of space for that kind of stuff. My apartment isn't suitable so I've went to extreme measures to get Lola's room as baby friendly as possible. So her bedroom walls act as a "playpen" of sorts. So if I'm choppin' up carrots or vaccuming or doing the dishes and whatnot she can freely play in her giant sized, built in "play pen." I actually have grown to like it this way because I don't have a big obstruction in my living room and it brings me back to the word minimize. Just keep it as simple as possible. Lola's bedroom has a toy chest, a cubby book shelf with more cubby blocks filled with toys and more of her book collection. Her room is totally accessible to her and gives her full range to play and explore. 

5. Disicipline

I think a lot of people forget that the origin of baby proofing comes from discipline. Although your baby may be young they can sense a change in your voice. A stern "no" a few times can go along way. I have this small owl votive holder on the third stage of my trinket bookshelf. Lola will go to grab it and I say "Lola, that's not a toy," and her hands instantly go back to her sides. Sometimes it's not the case and it takes a few no's and me pulling her away to get her to understand, but she's slowly understanding. I show her where her toys are and the difference. It may sound crazy people, but it really works. Lola doesn't have much interest any more for the other stuff on the shelves and when she does find interest in it she looks to me before she reaches for it and I always follow with a slight no and she knows not to. That applies for everything. I know discipline can be tricky sometimes, but if you want something to stick with your kids just be consistent and it will click with them. 

 photo eeb217d9b638bcb67487b417a23b4626_zps335a9bac.jpg

6. A Place for Everything

This is a little off topic, but I think it also slightly falls under the baby proofing thing to me. Not only is baby proofing a way of making your home safe it also is making your home a home for your little one. I am an organization freak...so everything that I own has a place. I know this so why can't Lola know this? She has a wicker basket filled with toys, a metal bin filled with her favorite stuffed animals and a whole corner for her in the living room. If you start at a young age to keep her stuff organized within your stuff then I think it makes for a happy home. 


These are all the things that I searched the internet for and couldn't seem to find. These are all the things that saved my house from becoming a baby jail. I hope some of these things help you save your house and save your sanity!

Monday, May 12, 2014

24/52

Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos
*a Mother's Day evening in the ocean. Complete with sandy bottoms, baby sunglasses and watching the sun set from the car ride home.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Keep Good Going

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of New York Life for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

In November of 2012 I was a 20 year old living in an itsy bitsy apartment with my boyfriend of 3 years. My life was simple and slightly ordinary. My life was set up according to plan because I'm that type of person. I was working a part time job and going to school to get my degree in Nursing. I had three cats and a hunger for creating lovely things involving art and food. When I hit 20, like most of you I was at a point in my life where I had a drive for just about anything and I was growing and changing at a rapid pace.
A dim, chilly November morning I woke up with a strange suspicion. My body was telling me something and so was the stick laced with a plus sign before my eyes. I broke out into tears. Tears of fear, mostly. The following two weeks I was still in shell shock, because I honestly can't begin to recall those beginning weeks. I do remember the first time I heard the thumping of a miniature heartbeat against my own. That day changed my life, and every day after that changed my life. I was 20 years old and pregnant.
I was never certain I wanted children before. There wasn't a hidden secretive reason as to why. I just had different plans and I never could picture myself in a mother's shoes. Instead I had so many fears of letting the baby down, not being good enough, and also not being mature enough at this age to sacrifice my life for a soul human being. It was a mountain that I never thought I would climb. And then July 5th I conquered the mountain of worries and fears that I never thought were possible to reach.
Lola was born and our lives changed rapidly. I've learned more about life in the last 10 months than I have in 21 years. I learned that to be good parents we must form a team together and support each other through the whole process. I've learend that the smallest things in life can be the biggest deal if you just open your eyes. I've learned that deep breathes every once in a whole can solve most problems. I've learned that when you bring a life into this world you begin to understand the importance of every single day and to cherish every second.
So I'm turning 22 this month and some things have changed, but most have stayed the same. We live in a slghtly bigger apartment with a fairytale nursery included. We've celebrated 4 years of love together and are still going stronger than ever. My life is a mixture of simplicity and chaos and not the slightest bit ordinary. I work 2 days a week, and the rest of my days are spent being a stay at home mom, which I surprisngly have fell in love with over the past few months. My cats are Lola's siblings and my hunger for art has increased.
It's funny because althought Lola is the focal point of my life now, I still have the same drive I did as a 20 year old. The only difference is the fact that I want to experience it all with her now and let life carry us down every single road of discovery.
So although life can throw a few curve balls your way, find the good in it all. The world never works according to the master plan that's formulating in your head. The Keep Good Going project zooms in on life and the lessons and challenges that push you through to the finish line. It helps you find the good in the scary situations that seem impossible to conquer.
Learn more about how New York Life can help you and your family Keep Good Going and Watch "The Happiest Daughter video," above to get insight on what keeping good going means to her. The video will make you smile and hopefully inspire you to keep the good going in your life and leave the negative behind.
New York Life is also celebrating the irreplaceable amounts of good that seem to wisp there way into our lives around the holidays. This Sunday is Mother's Day, New York Life hopes you will be  Celebrating Good to all the Mothers or Mother figures in your life. One of the things I will be cherishing my mom for this Sunday is being the best role model I could have ever asked for. She has taught me the ins and outs of Motherhood and was there when I told myself I couldn't do it. Being a  young mom I think it's so important to keep your own mother as close as possible and that's exactly what she did she stayed close by my side through it all. I know that I am the person I am today because of her.

Visit Sponsor's Site

Monday, May 5, 2014

Cinco De CrunchWrap

In honor of Cinco De Mayo we chowed down on some Crunch Wrap Supreme's straight from our very own kitchen. Well, we actually chowed down last night, but that's okay because our bellies are still thanking us today for it, which means we are really thanking Mexican culture, in turn celebrating Cinco De Mayo with happy bellies. This revamped Crunch Wrap will quite possibly make you shun Taco Bell for the rest of your life...with the exception of late night food runs. Damn you Taco Bell, I'm sure we all have our own love/hate relationship with the place.
 I decided it was about time to replicate this beauty and I really really think you should too.
Grab your Sombrero and let's get started!

 photo 8e10650946c5d0fd8bd176ef9e4117cf_zps578b117d.jpg

Ingredients:

  • Large tortillas
  • 1 pound of beef
  • Taco Seasoning
  • Tostadas (those flat hard taco shell thingies, FINALLY a use for them)
  • An abundance of cheese that reminds you of Mexico (I choose Cheddar and Monterrey jack)
  • Small block of Velveeta
  • One can of Rotel
  • Sour Cream
  • Onions
  • A few Roma Tomatoes
  • Shredded Lettuce


 photo PicMonkeyCollage_zps0c49249c.png  photo cb145a52507475b0c6f4cb3db1363a50_zps0c12d275.jpg  photo 35ecc47a0c1ec538638473cc385ee54e_zpsab9732de.jpg  photo aa6015e207785c51d0b2bc9171061c17_zps84994e70.jpg  photo a1a10a08e81f63e4eaffe87e677f6c4e_zps480939b7.jpg Crunch Wrapping Time:

  1. Start by slicing up your Roma tomatoes. Whenever I do anything Mexican food related I always use Roma's because they are a bit harder rather than slushy. I always take out the center of the tomato and use the outer shell of it. Just trust me here.
  2. Now get your beef browning, and follow the directions for using the wonderfully delicious taco seasoning. 
  3. While that's browning, grate your cheeses and slice up your onion and gather all the other fix ins that suit your fancy (olives, peppers, etc.) 
  4. If you have ever experienced a legit Crunch Wrap Supreme, I'm sure you are very familiar with the signature Taco Bell cheese sauce that oozes out of mostly every bite...if you're lucky. I decided that Velveeta would work it's magic here, so I made the classic rotel/velveeta cheese dip. You can also use a jar queso or cheese sauce or potentially rob Taco Bell's cheese sauce gold mine in the middle of the night. Just an option here.
  5. So make up your cheese gold of choice and get out the sour cream and shredded lettuce. Set up a Crunch Wrapping Station.
  6. Lay a large tortilla down, put some cheese down in the middle along with the cheese sauce. Slap down a tostada. 
  7. On top of the tostada smear sour cream on first and then the rest of the goodies. 
  8. You can purchase small tortillas at the store, but I'm a little cheap sometimes. I just trace the tostada on a large tortilla with a pizza cutter and cut out my small tortilla. Do whatever suits you best :)
  9. Take your small tortilla and place it on top of the small mountain of ingredients. Smush down a bit to flatten it for the folding part. This may get a bit tricky. At this point the outside large tortilla is bordering the ingredients and your small tortilla. Take one side and start folding diagonal flaps all the way around. 
  10. Butter a griddle, and slap that baby down with folds facing down. This part helps sort of press and glue the flaps down to make a nice compact Crunch Wrap. Flip it over, get a nice brown on each side and there you have it...a reason to never step foot in Taco Bell ever again.    
I'm sure you have all noticed that Taco Bell has introduced a breakfast form of the beloved crunch wrap, and I've been meaning to try it, but the thought of going to Taco Bell when the sun is rising just sounds so totally wrong...but it will happen and I will probably be replicating that shortly after. 
I mean why can't we just put everything we eat in a crunch wrap? 

Sunday, May 4, 2014

23/52

 photo 1b3641dc7e4b3a0b3820c54b603cde47_zpsbbfea685.jpg
Lola and her inflatable best friend conquer the middle of spring which is pretty much summer for us floridians.