December 7, 2016

Jasmine Tea Infused Vodka

Gift giving changes a lot as we get older. We’re not children huddled around the tree waiting (impatiently) for their turn to open presents. We’re adults managing more than we’ve ever had to while figuring out how to muster up a satisfactory amount of holiday magic and sparkle during the home stretch of another exhaustingly full year.

No?

Just me?

What does it mean to give a gift?

(I actually googled that and found this really good article).

It means that you were thinking of someone else. You were putting energy into make someone feel happy and special. You were taking a moment to be thoughtful and spread cheer. You gave the gift of your time.

What it really comes down to, and what my parents said to us kids when we got gifts like Miss Piggy bow biters from my Auntie Toni:

It’s the thought that counts.

Sometimes we don’t give gifts because we don’t have enough time.

Time can be carved out if you’re thoughtful enough.

This Jasmine Tea Infused Vodka is one of the simplest ways to show you’re thinking of your friend or family member who appreciates spirits as gifts. If you’ve gotta see someone in the afternoon or evening, all you have to do is let jasmine tea steep in vodka for about 2-3 hours in the morning, strain it and package it up and you’re good to go! Just put effort into the wrapping + packaging. That’s a gift in itself!

Inspiration

December 5, 2016

Homemade Holiday Gift Ideas 2016

What have I done for the holidays so far? Hmmmm. Let’s see. I’ve decorated half of our tree because the cats are getting into EVERYTHING. I found out that my cat can open up a tupperware container with her paws. COOOOOOOL. I’m just starting to organize my brain re: homemade gifts. Are you making anything fun for gifts this holiday season? If you’re stumped/looking for ideas let’s dip into the Shutterbean archives and HOOK YOU UP!

Homemade Holiday Gift Ideas in

my everyday life, Photography

December 4, 2016

My Everyday Life: Week 48

Here’s what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life Week 48

My sunny boy.

Sunny girl, Ella.

It’s gonna be ok.

Magic Eye books after dinner.

Yoga x 2 this week.

Make this viral on Pinterest. Lol.

December 2, 2016

I love lists

The lost art of letter writing. Sigh…..
Food styling tricks for movies
Illustrations of what goes on inside an introvert’s brain.
This is much better than email.
I want to take some fog wave photos! WOW
Can you guess these puns?
Art + sheet music (LOVE)
If you need to track habits in the new year….
Coping with loneliness.
My friend Sarah James lives in the most amazing home.
A very powerful read. Thank you for speaking your truth, Molly!
Some really good farewell coworker cakes!
Books for your book club that will get everyone talking.
Oh my god I can’t believe this is real.
Twelve Unhealthy Dishes in SF.
The worst questions flight attendants get asked
The reality behind National Park photos
This made me lol.
Disciplined Free Spirit. I loved listening to this podcast this week.
I am 16 years old and have red hair based on my Subway Sandwich preferences. LOLz
These aerial photos make me sooooooo happy!

Recipes I have my eye on:

Super Cute Pins for Christmas Stockings:

Inspiration

November 30, 2016

Currently: November 2016

Currently: November 2016.

Currently the last day of November!

For some reason the way I am sitting is making it hard for me to type.

Hold please. Ok, we are good.

NOVEMBER.

Did you realize that there’s a NO in November?

Is there anything you said NO to this month?

I definitely didn’t say NO to Thanksgiving carbs.

Whole30? What Whole30??!

I ate so much during the Thanksgiving break that my body was like SALAAAAAAAD NOW PLEAAAAAAAAAASE. I had my mom’s green salad a few times this week but without avocados cuz they’re all so bad right now. I haven’t had a good avocado in months. The other day I was at the grocery store trying to find an avocado that wasn’t wickedly overripe. They all were so mushy on the inside. YOU KNOW THAT CAN’T TASTE GOOD. I looked at the sign and was like 2 for $1??? Please. They should be free. So yeah, I’m back into eating green things. Just not avocado. Gonna put this reset button salad back in the rotation soon! There’s also a national avocado shortage, right??!

Inspired by:

My yoga classes. I’ve been taking a couple yoga classes weekly since the beginning of November. I really hope that I can keep this routine since it helps me get my bearings in the day. It’s great for stress relief and I’m hoping that I’ll find a good tribe through the process.

Watching:

Casey was gone for a whole week this month and I was in Jamaica so we didn’t see each other a lot 🙁 While he was away, I started watching the show- Casual on Hulu. I really like the writing and the characters intrigue me. My brother is one of my best friends so it’s neat to see the brother/sister dynamic on screen. I think the daughter looks way too old to be in high school and that bugs me but other than that, I’m into it.

We finished the second season of Red Oaks on Amazon this week. Casey was super excited to see that the new season was out, so we had ourselves a nice little binge. It’s one of his favorite shows. It kinda reminds me of Caddyshack but way less goofy. I love the 80s vibe…but sometimes I get distracted by Jennifer Grey’s character. They make her look way too cute to be an 80s mom. Makes me want to watch Dirty Dancing and see what her old nose used to look like.

Started Search Party last night! We are two episodes in. Her friends bug me but I LOOOOOOOOOOVE Alia Shawkat. I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops. It really makes me miss Bored to Death (another one of my favorites).

Reading:

Been reading this book that I found the communal bookstore in Bolinas called Active Dreaming. I should say the book found me. Books have a way of popping out at me….I think the lion on the cover spoke to me first. I’ve had a bunch of things happen recently…signs…synchronicity…really weird coincidences. The book talks about signs and how they’re part of active dreaming…and how we dream while awake. It’s just the right amount of woo-woo for me (thus far).

Also, I’ve been doing some research/reading on Mother Teresa right now. Picked this book up at the bookstore the other day and have been reading it off & on. I remember being really fascinated by her when I was a kid, so reading about her as an adult has been really interesting.

I have this on the wall of my workspace:

Thinking About:

The holidays. This is the last day of November and then WOOOOOP! It’s December. Christmas stuff kicks into full gear. We have our tree up, but there are no ornaments or decorations are on it. I found out that I am not hosting Christmas this year. It makes me kinda bummed that we’re not gonna be sitting around the tree at my house, so I suppose I’m not super motivated to decorate it right now. I also have to order my holiday cards and I’m behind on that. Is this the year we don’t do cards? I can’t break an 8 year streak can I?? Don’t worry. I’ll power through.

Listening to:

Missy Elliot. My instructor in dance class (also another thing I tried this month!!) played this song this week and we did this arm/shoulder/fist pump/squat/booty shake move and I WAS IN THE ZONE.

Cooper and I have been listening to the Stranger Things Original Music soundtrack on the way to school. Sometimes it’s super creepy. We’ve been discussing sound design (did you know I used to work in a recording studio in my 20s?!) and how you can play with emotions through sounds.

I love our conversations in the car. They’re the best.

I’ve already started listening to my Christmas Playlist. It gives me life.

Dream Life:

Takes place mostly in Oregon and sometimes in upstate New York? There’s still a summer camp/hotel vibe to my dreams. Did you know that I want to organize a Summer camp (for adults) one day? That’s one of my dreams. That’s where that book comes into play….cuz I literally have been dreaming about camp life for the past year and a half.

Eating:

We finished the Thanksgiving leftovers. HOORAY! I’ve been on a salami sandwich kick for the past week. It goes something like this:

toasted sourdough bread
salami
yellow mustard
dill sauerkraut
potato chips
lettuce

Maybe I just really want a hot dog.

Drinking:

La Croix– Passionfruit is my new jam. Have you had that one? What are you favorite flavors? I’m mostly a Lime and Grapefruit kinda gal. Honestly though, I’m not drinking enough water. Gotta do something about that. Especially during this DRYYYYYYYY time of year.

How are you? What’s up with you??!!

You know the drill.

Type your stream of consciousness in the comments below!!

gift guide, Inspiration

November 28, 2016

Favorite Things Gift Guide 2016

It’s CYBER MONDAY!!! Don’t you just cringe when you hear the word CYBER? I dunno. Maybe it’s just me. So, you’re probably going to see a TON of gift guides today. It’s Monday. We’re headed into December. Take a deep breath. I just took 5.

If you’ve been here for awhile, you know that I do things a little bit differently re: gift guides. I play Oprah and share some of my favorite things that I’m into this year, in the hopes that maybe they’ll be your favorites too! Everything on this list is approved by yours truly.

Now that I am looking at all of this stuff, I could call it

TRACY’S COPING MECHANISMS aka MY FAVORITE THINGS GIFT GUIDE of 2016:

1. Leuchtturm 1917 Dotted Journal– This is my bullet journal. I can’t do anything without it. You’ll always find it near me and I picked orange so I could spot it from far away. I have so many black journals….they all get lost. Take this advice from a 37 year old.

2. Everything is Going to be OK– I have this cute little plate hanging up on my wall. We could all use this reminder, couldn’t we? I love this Work Hard Stay Humble plate too!

3. Tombow Pen – I LOVE THIS PEN. GET YOURSELF 20 of them. 2 for people’s stockings and then the rest for YOU.

4. Big Sur Room Spray – Last year Casey and I went on the most amazing trip to Big Sur. This room spray smells like our vacation. There’s something so magical about that area, and I love that I can remember our trip every time I spritz our room with it. I also really love their collection of incense.

5. Leopard Vans– I love them. They go with everything…at least I think they do. They’re the first shoe I grab when I’m running errands. Definite game changer.

6. Triangle Day Bag– You know I’m always on the search for the perfect bag. I’ve been using this bag since July and I have no intentions of retiring it. It’s the PERFECT size for me for everyday use. If I am traveling or I have more to carry, I throw it in a tote. What I’ve learned about myself is that while I love bags with a LOT of a pockets, I don’t always put things back in the right place when I’m on the go, so one inner pocket is perfect for me. Wearing this purse also has earned me quite a few compliments!

7. Mill Valley Sweater– I’ve been living in this since I bought it in September. It’s soft like a blanket that makes this introvert feel super protected when she’s out in the world. Sometimes I catch Cooper wearing it while he’s snuggled on the couch watching cartoons. I don’t blame him….it smells like his Mama and is COMFORTABLE AS HECK.

8. Amazon Echo Dot– Casey bought one of these for our home last month. I was reluctant and then all I had to do was say, “Alexa play Fiona Apple Pandora Station!” and it started playing one of my favorite Fiona Apple songs immediately. How do I use it most? I set timers while I’m working in the kitchen, I ask her cooking & baking questions like how many tablespoons are in a stick of butter? I’ll have her add stuff grocery list that I can check on my phone. But mostly, I have her put on music in the kitchen. Her name is Alexa by the way.

9. Electronic Typewriter– I’ve been using an typewriter at my desk to type my feelings/thoughts/lists, etc. this past year. It cost me way less than going to therapy and for that I am grateful. There’s something about the sound when hitting the keys that makes me happy.

10. Ultrasonic Essential Oil Diffuser – I think this might have been on one of my old lists, but I have reunited with my diffuser now that I need some extra humidity in our bedroom during the Winter. Some of my favorite scents to use- Lavender, Eucalyptus, Lemon, Douglas Fir, Orange & Mint. This is the perfect time of year to bust out your Thieves oil!

SUBSCRIPTIONS TO GIFT!

Stitch Fix– Get your friend a gift card so they can try the service out!

Get a 3-Month Creativebug Subscription for $1 I love being able to access great tutorials & classes on my computer. Cooper and I have taken a few classes together and it’s SO MUCH FUN.

Curated Music + Food= Turntable Kitchen Subscription Box– For the music & food lover!

Bluebottle Coffee Subscription– We have our beans delivered every other week. The beans are super fresh. We love Bluebottle!

Birchbox Subscription– If you love trying samples of perfume & beauty products, you’ll love this.

If you plan on doing any shopping online, you should sign up with EBATES because you get cash back from your purchases. They also will give you the good promo codes for shops online. All of you have to do is login to your account and go through their website and earn. They’ll send you a “big fat check” quarterly. A lot of big online retailers are on there, so I ALWAYS make sure to see if I can get cash back from a sale. It costs nothing to sign up and you’ll love being surprised in the mail with checks!