December 15, 2017

I LOVE LISTS

Hello friends! If you need some homemade HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS check out this post! Now here’s a list because I LOVE LISTS:

National Geographic’s 2017 Photography Winners
Outdoor signs that stopped people in their tracks.
My grandma always had these cookies. I LOVED THEM.
A photographer who makes puns come to life.
Frost flowers are gorgeous.
Guerilla flower art! I would love to stumble across one of these.
Living cliffside.
What the end of net neutrality means for you.
If you want to make a pie crust by hand.
Overheard conversations….illustrated!
Productivity is really about what you DON’T do.
Family Favorite recipes! Thanks for the love, Mother Mag!
This pleases me greatly.
Tech Tips from Entrepreneurs!
How to host a sleepover
Time management for creatives.
How Instagram has changed the way we experience ART.
Some signs that your third eye is open.
My friend Helen Jane wrote this 5 years ago. Things have only gotten worse.
I broke my arm twice between first and second grade.

Last Minute Holiday Gifts:

Amazon Echo Dot (we have 2!)
Paperwhite Kindle (the easiest way for me to read on a screen)
Weber Propane Grill (the grill I learned how to grill on!)
Instant Pot (how I make hard-boiled eggs, stock, rice & applesauce)
Kombucha Brewing Kit (for your crafty friend! here’s how I make kombucha)
Fuji XT1 Digital Camera (this is the camera I use! I LOVE IT)
Cuisinart Grill (how we make THE BEST TOAST EVER)
Gift Card to Thrive Market

White Elephant Gifts under $25

recipes

December 13, 2017

Spiced Pineapple Rum Toddies

During the holidays, you really can’t show up at someone’s house empty-handed. That’s why I like to bring something boozy because even during the busiest time of year, I still have the time to make a special alcohol infusion.

Invite me over and I’ll bring the ingredients to make Spiced Pineapple Rum Toddies. I’ll stop by Nugget Market (one of my favorite Bay Area grocery stores!) on the way to pick us up some cheeses for a nice cheese plate or I could order one of their epic cheese platters to pick up instead. They do such a nice job that I can pass theirs off for one of my own creations 😉

Not drinking alcohol? No problem, I’ll add some mulling spices to hot pineapple juice and we’ll have warm pineapple ciders with maple whipped cream.

Just promise me that we’ll do something artsy during this holiday season while we’re hanging out together, OK?

Art aside, I know you’ll love the toddies!

They’re a combination of pineapple juice, hot water, and Spiced Pineapple Infused Rum. The toddies are topped with a maple whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon. The sweet/spicy combo feels like being in the tropics for Christmas.

They’re a great dessert drink! The whipped cream makes them extra indulgent. It’s the holiday season!!! You know how we do!

LISTS

December 11, 2017

Intentions for the Week

Hello Friends! Happy Monday to you. This week is the first week in awhile that I have to focus on getting my household/life/work back in order. I have so many paper piles all over the house and my office looks like a tornado hit it. Ye olde laundry pile is getting outta control as well. It’s all proof that LIFE CARRIES ON even when you’re not fully there. I’m hoping that someday I’ll be fully there but my brain is still processing all that has happened since Thanksgiving. Don’t worry, I’m working really hard on being good to myself and my family. Thank you so much for all your support since my mother died. We all really appreciate it 🙂 So let’s see what’s up with my Intentions for the week.

Intentions for the Week:

sweat it out at dance class
trip to the dump
trip to the thrift store
have coffee with friends
organize paper piles
LAUNDRY
work on pineapple rum post
clean up my office
make some dinners for my family
get back into making art
take the books back to the library– they’re so overdue!
take a picture for our holiday card/order it
get lost in a book
go for a long walk
go through Holiday Gift ideas and see what to make for teachers
cry when I feel like it
remember to take good care of myself
be present with Cooper. Give him as much love & uninterrupted time as possible.
figure out Christmas/presents/all that jazz

Mantra for the Week:

What about you? What are you up to this week? Leave your intentions in the comments. Get your head in the game!

my everyday life, Photography

December 10, 2017

My Everyday Life: Week 49

Here’s what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life – Week 49

This week all of my energy went into working on my mom’s obituary and the service for her.

I wore pantyhose at her service and everyone gave me a hard time.

I really should have worn my trusty overalls.

When you’re in an elevator in the city that has a chaise lounge in it, you gotta pose.

He’s also wearing my socks. HA

Self-timer family shot! It was fun to seeing the trees with my boys.

We tried to get a jumping shot.

I have been through so many tunnels in the last few weeks. Back and forth between Marin and San Francisco. A lot more motion than I am used to. I’ve been enjoying being driven around though. My daydreaming brain is satisfied. Thank you, husband.

Traffic on Stockton.

A church with a sense of humor.

This week Joy came to visit to be there for me & my family.

I am so grateful for that. She made me a gorgeous paper flower magnolia.

So inspiring!!!!

My dining room table is making me happy right now.

Being around a lot of people at the funeral and dealing with a lot of different emotions at once was very hard for my introvert brain. I am so thankful for my family though. We have all been working really hard to be there for each other and I know that would please my Mom.

I’ve been in self-care mode this weekend.

I got to go on a few introvert/maj adventures!

It was so good to laugh again.

LISTS

December 8, 2017

I LOVE LISTS

Here’s a list because I LOVE LISTS:

LISTS

December 4, 2017

Intentions for the Week:

Hello Friends! Thanks so much for all the love. I really appreciate it during this emotional time. This week is all over the place. This week is my mother’s funeral service. We have people coming in from all over the country and I am working hard to ground myself before I have to dive right into extrovert/emotional time. The fact that I haven’t written my TO DO list and feel lost only proves that this Intentions for the Week practice I started almost a year ago really works for me. Here are my Intentions for the Week: