August 19, 2018

My Everyday Life: Week 33

Here’s what this past week looked like: My Everyday Life Week 33

This week we’ve been on the road! My family blew out the last week of Summer vacation on our yearly trip to Tahoe.

This was our first trip to Tahoe without my Mom.

She would be happy that we’ve carried on the tradition, I’m sure.

Been reading You’re on an Airplane by Parker Posey while on this trip.

I’ve been staying off the computer to give my brain a reset.

We’ve been going out to eat & eating at home. I’ve had fish tacos twice this week.

Our family friends came to visit for part of the trip. It was wonderful!

Cheese plating with Eileen.

Caprese with burrata, forever and ever AMEN.

The view is unreal.

LISTS

August 17, 2018

I LOVE LISTS

Nurturing adult friendships
This is weird.
The Food Hall is the New Food Truck
Old photos from Coney Island for your daydreaming imagery.
Another level of technology has been unlocked.
Products with hidden messages
I’d like to work my way through all of these books.
This whole outfit organization excites me.
Didn’t realize some of these things were that big.
Have you heard about the Tip the Bill challenge?
The most beautiful libraries I would love to get lost in.
A diorama life for snails.
The correct way to open a can with a can opener. Umm. Whoa.
Some nail art to inspire.
Girls have always done more chores.
Facebook birthday fundraisers are making a lot of money
Dealing with creative failure?
For the David Lynch fans
Remembering Aretha
You should totally make this tomato & watermelon salad this weekend.
Food museums are the new way to make a ton of money.
Birthday wishlist: a banner / this magical cardigan / anything for a leo
Vacation reading: How to Break Up with Your Phone / You’re on an Airplane

around the home, favorites, featured, Inspiration

August 15, 2018

Current Favorite Pens

Cooper is entering 4th grade and that means he’s moving from using pencils solely to pens! He’s so excited about that. Welcome to the club, Cooper!

Whenever I’m posting lettering work on my Instagram account @thehandwritingclub (be sure to follow!) I am asked what pen I’m using, so here it is all in one place. These are my Current Favorite Pens! If I was to put together an ultimate pen case filled with all of my essentials, this is what it would have in it right now. I’ve written about my favorite pens here and here before!

THESE ARE MY FAVORITE PENS. Follow me as I show you how/why I love them.

This is my most used pen. It’s the pen I show everyone when they wonder how I write the way I do.

It takes a lot of finesse, but DANG IT’S GOOD.

Tombow Dual Brush Pen in Black:

This pen is a hot commodity in my pen case. The problem is, I usually wear out the brush pen side before I get to the other side. So it feels wasteful at times. My rules for this pen are: NEVER LET A CHILD USE IT UNLESS I LOVE THEM. But seriously though. When you love the brush pen and someone ruins it, you’re not happy.

This is the pen I like to use in my bullet journal system:

LISTS

August 13, 2018

Intentions for the Week:

Happy Monday, friends!

This weekend we worked around the house. We went to a dinner party. We cleaned. We lounged. We watched The Great Outdoors. Remember that movie?

I made banana bread and Mediterranean Pasta Salad for my friends. I’m on a bartering plan right now. My friend did a ton of artwork scanning for me and I am repaying her with homemade food. We need more of this in our lives, don’t you think? You never know how you can help someone out unless you ask for help yourself!

This is the last week have before school starts and my family is taking a break from life and heading up north to Tahoe. This will be our first holiday up in Tahoe without my Mom. It’s also going to be my first birthday without her presence. It’s going to be heavy for a bit, but I’m focusing on the good and building some good Intentions for the Week.

Intentions for the Week:

spend quality time with my family
do very little laundry
read a book
happy hour with cheeseboards + spirits
put my feet in a lake
have an ice cream cone at Dairy Queen
play board games with family
celebrate my birthday!
go into Reno, get my fortune at Circus Circus
send a few postcards
take pictures
spend time writing
spend time daydreaming
write down my Intentions for the School Year
be kind to myself as it’s my first birthday/Tahoe trip with my Mom
map out calendar for new bullet journal
go on a boat
put my feet in sand
put on a bathing suit and swim
have a coffee date with my dad
figure out if there’s anything left to do on my Summer Bucket List
get my steps in with my Fitbit
drink plenty of water (loving this water bottle rn)

Last Week’s Intentions:

~~laundry~~
~~have a date with my calendar~~
~~workout 3 times~~
~~take photos for~~ etsy~~/edit/post~~
~~drop off donations at Salvation Army~~
~~send mail / trip to post office~~
~~make kombucha~~
~~bookkeeping~~
~~catch up on social media~~
~~work on new content for the blog~~
~~grocery shopping~~
favorite pens post- finish/post
~~work on a new recipe or two~~
~~get my steps in with my Fitbit~~
~~drink plenty of water (loving this water bottle rn)~~
~~library visit~~
~~playdate with Helen Jane~~
make an appointment for car
~~wash~~ car ~~(inside & out)~~
~~back to school shopping~~
~~break down cardboard outside~~
~~continue reading Slow Love~~
~~eat outside~~
~~play a board game with Cooper~~
go to bed earlier/focus on getting enough sleep

Mantra for the Week:

Sending You:

Have a great week! DO YOUR BEST! And don’t forget to write down your own Intentions for the Week to hold you accountable!

xo

Tracy

my everyday life, Photography

August 12, 2018

My Everyday Life: Week 32

Here’s what this past week looked like: My Everyday Life Week 32

The highlight of the week! Sleepover at my friend Heather’s house with my friend Helen Jane!

My friend was on a trip and lent us her house. I am so grateful!

We did some drawing and brainstorming.

Much giggling!

IT WAS DELIGHTFUL!

The sun is being filtered through the smoke of all the California fires.

Perfection.

LISTS

August 10, 2018

I LOVE LISTS

I LOVE LISTS:

I’ve learned that I cannot walk around barefoot in my house anymore. My feet need a tremendous amount of support. As a result, they hurt constantly! This foot massager is helping. I love that it squeezes my feet. Each session lasts for about 15 minutes which is 14 more minutes than I get from my in-house masseuse (husband).

A lot of you asked me where this dress was from when I posted it on my Instagram Stories. I’ve been having really good luck with the dresses I ordered from eshakti.

They always have pockets, which is really the best part! That, and you can customize them to fit your body. Very helpful for us pear shaped ladies.

Use the code: TRACYBENJAMIN to get $35 off your first purchase!

recipes

August 8, 2018

Simple Mixed Berry Crisp

There are three main reasons for me to make a Simple Mixed Berry Crisp.

I bought too many berries
I don’t have much time
I want to make my Dad happy (he loves crisps!)

Last month I made this mixed berry crisp for my dad’s birthday. I served it at the end of a BBQ and it was well received!

See what was left when I went to sneak in a second helping (everyone beat me to it!).

The fruit in there is a combination of strawberries and blueberries. You are welcome to use whatever berries you have laying around. Maybe you picked some berries on the side of the road? That sounds romantic. That should have been on my Summer Bucket List.

Without further adieu, here’s a very simple way to pull together a crisp in a short amount of time.