Friday Favorites Vol. 2

Hello hello!  Happy Friday friends!  Lets talk about some of my favorite finds this week!

Emily from Em For Marvelous has a great post on 60 things to do before you turn 30.  I am turning 27 in a couple weeks which gives me 3 years to complete my 30 things.  I love this idea so much and I am super grateful that I found her blog.

Ally from The Pencil Path shared some great tips on keeping marriage focused at its core: being best friends.  Two imperfect people trying to love one another.  We are on the same team-and oh what a beautiful truth that is

For anyone wanting a little upgrade to their blogger blog, I found some pretty sweet Blogger Templates on Etsy.


A Beautiful Mess shares some great products from their Happy Mail collection.  I don't know about you, but I am tired of getting super expensive and generic cards for birthdays or showers.  These beautiful people have solved that problem.

Have a wonderful, intentional filled weekend!

Monday Mama Montage // Confess + Self Care (Vol. 13)

I haven't been all that honest with myself lately.  Sure that may seem a bit silly to say; but how often do we feel the weight of something on our hearts that we can't put our finger on and then all of a sudden it hits us like a ton of bricks?  Something in our lives becomes off balance and we were either not listening to ourselves, the busy-ness caught up, we were faking it, or just didn't care enough to notice. Being present in our own minds is a hard task to do, and adding work, school, husband and a couple of kids and you will find it almost impossible. But when did taking care of others take precedence over taking care of  ourselves?  At what point did we say, no to us and yes to everyone else?

The other day I was reading up on a few of my favorite blogs when I came across an interesting post by  Hayley from the The Tiny Twig Blog.  The post title really caught my eye: "Mother yourself."  My immediate reaction was complete intrigue, and as I began to read I was pleasantly surprised as to this new found terms' definition.

Mothering yourself is 'self-care.'  Taking care of yourself the way a Mother has taken care of you, and if you are a Mother, the way that you would care for one of your own.  This fresh approach was heart-warming because I have been feeling lost in this department.  Motherhood is so vast-with its incredible highs of warmth and love, and deep lows when your kiddos are sick, or date nights(what date nights?).  Being a mother encapsulates a wide wide range of responsibilities-which always take on new emotions as well.

This idea of self-care has been near and dear to my heart, but putting it into practice has been few and far between.

I have not been caring for myself the way that a Mother would care for me.

Identifying that you have not been taking care of yourself is the first step.  If you know that you are not caring for yourself, you are sacrificing too much, you are emotionally drained by caring for another human, you are neck deep in paperwork, dissertations, or relational friction-this post is for you.

It is the example I am sure you have heard if you have ever been on an ariplane:  Secure your own oxygen to make sure air is flowing before helping those around you.  If you are out of oxygen , it will be IMPOSSIBLE to care for others.

I want to lay out 5 ways that you can Care for yourself:

1. Buy candles and scented hand soaps.  If you are like me, those things make you happy, awaken your senses and make you stop to be in the moment.  Little items like this make all the difference during the mundane tasks such as cleaning and folding laundry.

2. Get Away.  Ladies, get that alone time.  Especially if you are an introvert, go and recharge.  When we push and push so hard and have so much going on, stopping and pausing for a few minutes will help shift your perspective.  It will help you gain another viewpoint from life and enlarge your horizon.

3.  Get yourself a friggin' Latte or tea.  Seriously go.  Just get it decaf if you have anxiety. ;) Sometimes a little cup of joe can really just scream, 'hey, its going to be okay.'  There is something about that frothy hot goodness that puts your worries at ease.

4. Get Some friends to do life with.  This one has been pretty up and down since college.  I had the most amazing support group/life group during college and I wished I could have made all of them move here with me, but unfortunately that did not happen.  Friends are incredible and help engage you in community.  Without community, we do not thrive.

5. Schedule day around prayer.  I want to do this one day and see how it goes.  I really want to schedule my day around praying to the Lord and really make time set apart for that.  I feel like caring for ourselves is starting with commitment to the Lord.

Friday Favorites Vol. 1

Meagan from "All The Joys" shares her picks from the week of bloggers that she loves every Friday, and I decided to finally link up.  I try to read up on all of my favorite bloggers during the week and find a new blog that may be hanging out on a sidebar.  This week I found a few blogs that I would love to share with you.  Here they are:

1. Daisy from Simplicity Relished shares her heart on blogging and work and the balance between the two

2. Summer from Coffee With Summer shares how she asked her bridesmaids to be in her upcoming wedding.  Now I am already married, but I was super inspired by her creativity and intentionality. 

3.Madison from The Wetherills Say I Do share an amazing peanut butter pretzel cake she made.  Wow.

4. Lara Casey from Lara Casey on goal planning

5. The video below has been on repeat a lot this week. Enjoy.

Monday Mama Montage Vol. 12

Having a sick kid is never fun, and it can be so challenging figuring out what they need when they cannot communicate yet. At this stage you kind of try whatever you can to get them in a happy mood again,  So if your kid gets this strain of cold this season, here are a few different things that I did that seemed to help.

1.  Fluids-we cut out milk from her diet the last few days, because it contributes to the phlegm and congestion.  We replaced her milk bottles with pedialyte.  If your kid is like mine, they are not to inclined at drinking water from a sippy cup yet, so I really had to keep her hydrated with warmed up pedialyte.

2.  Cool Mist Vaporizer-My pediatrician recommended a cool mist vaporizer as opposed to the commonly used 'humidifier' which causes the room to steam and potential mold to occur. The cool mist really is a cool mist and allows the room to have moisture without the heat. Awesome device and great investment.

3. Eucalyptus Oil- I used this in the vaporizer and it really seemed to help.

4. Vicks Vapor Rub-Rubbing this on back and chest helps to relieve soreness caused by coughing as well as congestion.

5. Inclined Bed-I propped Riley's bed up with pillows so that she would not get extra stuffy during the night by laying flat.

6. Pouches-I had posted on Facebook what to give your kid when they have a limited appetite due to a cold, and many people suggested pouches.  Those were a hit!  Riley had three in a row-sucked they right down! We used the beechnut brand!

7. Prayer-When our littles are sick, and we as parents cannot just take their cold away, it puts us in a place of humility.  I again was reminded of the little control that I really have, and the infinite control that God has.  He hears us and He hears when you lift your child's sickness to Him.

8. Love-It is super easy to overlook the sickness and see the annoyance in the whining and crying.  Riley was very needy and clingy and in a 'hold me' mode, but I was reminded in those moments how small this time is with her like this.  It will not be long before she is taking her own medicine, not needing to be rocked to sleep, or wanting me to hold her.  Taking in that truth in those moments where my patience was thin, extended grace and understanding.

Having sick babies is so hard as parents, and hopefully some of these things will help if your little happens to get sick.

Monday Mama Montage Vol. 11

"Take a deep breath." I love this theme for the month of January for the Influence Network, a site created by one of my favorite bloggers Jess Connolly. January is all about taking a deep breath. It is so easy to allow the hustle and bustle of the holidays to carry over into January with the hype of 'resolutions' and all that we actually never pause and reflect. January is the month to stop, breath, reflect, plan, and be thankful. I know I am super thankful.

Over the past six months I have had the great pleasure of getting to know some amazing women. . When my daughter was first born, I was definitely not in the 'pause and take a deep breath' phase-nor was I anywhere near that.  I reached out to a couple different Mom groups in my area at first, but just didn't seem to connect. I then found a couple groups a few months later and was super stoked that they were small and were just starting out.  These two groups have now since merged into the group it is today.  

The power of community is so inspiring and powerful-it lifted me to higher ground for sure.  I was in a pretty scary place during the first few months of motherhood, but having this lovely community of women by my side has helped me stand, thrive, and truly helped me take a deep breath.

This year I am looking forward to growing with these women and their beautiful daughters (yes, we all have girls in this group.) We are looking forward to some 2nd annual festivities this year, as well as our 2nd Mom's night out!  Woop woop!

I encourage you to take that leap into community-finding like-minded individuals and people on the same page as you.

Community is 

beautiful, 

messy 

and completely worth it

Doing life together

Why Bring Religion into Your Marriage?

When Drew and I were dating, it was really important to the both of us that we understood one another on many different levels-one of those being spiritual.  Throughout our relationship we have made it a point to go to church and to have 'real' conversations regarding faith in the context of daily living and possible hardships. Over the years, we have come to know and understand each other in fuller, more robust ways because we have a spiritual/religious connection.

Relationships definitely take on so many forms, and I have seen and been friends with people who have such deep connections with their spouses, and yet do not affiliate with any such religions or religious practices.  I am not here to say those relationships are somehow less-than in the least bit because I think they are genuine and have seen them last.  I am however here to say that from my own personal experience I have been enriched, enlightened and connected to Drew through our spirituality that I never thought possible.

Hardships-
We have been together for 5 years and married for almost 3-throughout that time we have had our fair share of trials.  We have been able to lean on someone higher than ourselves in those times that not only grew our faith, but enriched our marriage.  We were able to see how we deal with struggles personally as well how to come together as a unit under God and seek Him in the midst of it all.  Having the spiritual connection allowed us to see beyond the temporary and as a couple look towards the future and find hope for the present.

Family-
Now having Riley, it seems like conversations about the future have increased tremendously.  Talking about what sports she will play, schools she will attend, and the age we will let her date! I know it has been overwhelming at times for sure, but knowing that we are on the same page about where we will take her to church, that we want to pray for her and talk about God with her makes for a smoother transition.

Stepping into the Unknown-
Risks present themselves everyday, whether you choose to take them is your choice.  I find that risk-taking is a little easier with a partner in crime by your side. Lately we have been opening up our home to some outside religions, because we can, and we like it.  There are a couple Mormon missionaries roaming the streets at night here in my town and we have had some pretty great conversations lately.  This right here is another connection for Drew and I.  Having religious conversations with other religions is really awesome-great way to make friends, and draw closer with your spouse.

Love-
We all at the core of us want to lover better.  I think so.  I know I do.  I love that what Drew and I share is rooted in something deeper.  Something that has helped us love one another better.  I am all for that because marriage is tough!  If we can gather more and more things that help make marriage that much easier and helps us love better, I am all for that!  Finding a common goal within our spiritual connection through Jesus together has allowed us to love deeper and understand more fully.

“The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.” -Noah Calhoun

Cooking Through W I N T E R *Butternut Squash Ravioli*

I started a little series called 'Cooking through F A L L' in November, but honestly because I am from Southern California, I really didn't make a whole lot of 'cold' weather foods.  I am now re-titling my post to be cooking through winter, since we are now finally experiencing some cold weather. :) #40degress.

I had been looking online for some great butternut squash recipes, since I love butternut squash, and came across a ravioli recipe that sounded perfect.  I hope you can enjoy it as much as my family did!
(This recipe would also be great for a date night for those of you looking for a fun cheap date) :)
Here is the recipe for those wanting to look at those pictures as well.

My beautiful butternut squash

Wonton wrappers with mixture inside

The finished product!

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash (1lb-about 5 cups peeled, seeded and chopped)
1 clove of garlic (peeled and smashed)
28-30 whole wheat wonton wrappers
1/2 cup water

Sauce:
1/4 soy sauce
6 slices ginger (smashed)
1/4 sliced green onions
4 tbl sesame seed oil


Honestly the longest part was pressing the sides of the wonton wrappers together.  The garlic, chopped squash, and water boil for 20 minutes.  Take off stove and mash. Return to stovetop for 3 more minutes stirring constantly and set aside.  Take a tbl of squash mixture and place in the middle of the wrapper and wet all sides with water and your finger.  Take another wrapper wet all sides and press together forming a ravioli style.  (I folded mine so mixture would not come out when being boiled.)  After doing 30 or so, place in separate pot of boiling water for 3-4 minutes and then they are done.  Go ahead and make the sauce and enjoy!

Goals: *January*

Happy New Year everyone!  I cannot believe I am already writing another goals blog post.  How quickly December went by.  I am excited though to really see my goals through this year.  I talked about Lara Casey's powersheets in my last post and I am really excited to share some of them with you. Here are my goals for the month of December.

1. Purchase a yoga Pass
2. Pray about Adoption
3. Christmas shopping done by mid Dec.
4. Build up blog post repertoire
5. Jan-Dec Goals made
6. Finish 2 books
7. Turn in volunteer application to my church
8. Savings for Influence Conference
9. Send out Christmas Cards
10. Substitute teach once
11. Find a Marriage book to do together
12. Be consistent with Riley feeding herself with spoon
13. Look up mini triathlons in area
14. Print more wedding photos to put up
15. Be present / be still / be Jesus to the best of my ability.

I have learned so much through working through many of the prompts provided by the powersheets.  Many of my goals have changed or do not have enough priority to actually make them happen.  I have found that goal making is primarily found in knowing your core.  Who you are at the very depth.  Focusing on a certain word for the year and letting those goals flow out of that place.

      Consistency                                     Community                                     Cultivate

I created my goals based on the above three words, and out of my core. Figuring out your core takes time.  I had to sit with questions like: why do I do what I do?  Why do I want to make things happen?

At my core I am a lover of community and collaborating.  I love to encourage and be encouraged.  I want to be consistent in life with things I set out to do.  Above it all I want to love, show love, be love and be loved. 

Goals:

1. Net over $100 on Ebay
2. Livescan and volunteer at church
3. Company solidified for adoption // intentionality
4. Research instructor certs. (yoga, spin)
5. Build 10+ repertoire blog posts
6. Send out 3 encouragement cards to 3 friends
7. Make a friend date plan
8. Deep clean hosue
9. Start marriage book with my husband