notes

1. items from my last ikea run (all for about $20!)

2. decorations at the mexican restaurant miguel & i tried out (disappointing food)

a few little notes:

i've been busy planning my sister's 22nd birthday : ) i just got off the phone booking facials & massages for her & a few friends at the spa. i found a great place for lunch where they have three different vegetarian taco options. and i'm searching the web for a reasonably priced nikon dslr for her to take with her to thailand as a birthday gift. i hope everything turns out great! i'm excited  : )

i bought two of west elm's favorite throws today as they are having free shipping today! for both, it was only about $20! i was a happy lady.

i discovered a new photo app today called studio! it's like "over" & tons of fun. plus it's free!

i found the best homemade mushroom soup recipe. i made it & my tummy was so happy. it is such an instant comfort food!

this post seems a bit skimpy, but that's ok. i just had to share those things with you : )

ikea date with mom

my mom & i took a day trip to ikea on monday. it's always so fun to look around there. they have so many neat things. we even had a bite to eat while we were there. my mom is half swedish, so she enjoys having the "swedish" food at ikea ;)

in other news:

target is carrying all kinds of washi tape now! (it's the scotch brand)

h&m (another awesome swedish store!) has a home collection now! i'm so excited about it!

miguel showed me this baby yoga video. we were both shocked. maybe you've seen it. i'd really like to hear what you have to say about it.

lizzie & i are starting up our arts & crafts class again! we have a(nother) trip to ikea planned to pick up some decorative stones for our first project of terrariums. (the stones at home depot are more than twice as expensive!)

weird moods & other things

1. cheese & pimento bites i picked up from the filipino bakery one morning on my way home from my morning walk.
2. grapefruit for breakfast.

life has been feeling strange lately. i can't quite place it. i've been in a weird mood & not sleeping well. I hope it passes. i think it has something to do with feeling like i am in an "in between" stage in my life. i'm transitioning into a full-fledged "adult," but i'm not there yet. i'm still in my "in between" stage & i'm not liking how it is feeling. i have no more schooling to do (which is so weird!) and only a full-time job to find. it really is such a strange transition for someone who has been going to school full-time for over twenty years.

i've been looking at several positions & have sent out requests for letters of recommendations so i can apply to the positions. i don't know how to say it, but i just feel so weird. like i know i'll eventually get a job (but now it's not just a job - it's more of a career), but when? what kind of job will it be? where am i going to work? it all just makes me really nervous & i don't like the unpredictability of it all.

in other news, i attempted kaylie's hairstyle! i loved how awesome she looked while in texas with her braided updo, & i wanted to see if i could pull it off. it's a bit messy, but i think with some practice it could look better. i just loved how nice it felt to have all my hair up without feeling too heavy on top of my head : )

i still have a thing for clutches & these are top on my list.

i've been watching parks & recreation on netflix with my sister lately & we love the show! it's so funny. i don't know why i had never watched it before! that show never fails to put me in a good mood.

this dining room before & after is pretty impressive. the table & bench were made & miguel has told me many times that he wants to make a good portion of our furniture ;) makes me all happy inside.

i leave on the train tonight to visit miguel. i'm really glad i get to spend a couple of days with him, because i really need it. being apart is tough.

currently

currently:

1. i love the lady bird johnson centennial stamps i picked up at the post office the other day. there are only five, but it was just the amount i needed. lady bird johnson was an advocate for beautifying america's cities & highways, so the stamps portray beautiful flowers & trees in cities.

2. i'm eyeing these clutches/pouches.

3. i want to make this.

4. & this.

5. the restaurant i celebrated a friend's birthday at was designed quite nicely.

6. i wrote to an instagramer for the first time & i received a cute little package from here. it's neat to be branching out from blogging to find friends & pen buddies.

7. i've been enjoying the chia seed "pudding" i've been making lately. chia seeds are a great source of omega 3s & only one once contains 11 grams of dietary fiber!

this is how i make my "pudding":

1 cup almond milk (i use almond breeze vanilla)
3 tablespoons of organic chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

add all ingredients to a mason jar, screw on the lid, & shake to mix. place in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes. take out the jar & give the ingredients a good stir. place the jar back into the refrigerator for at least an hour to set. the chia seeds will get a bit gooey & it reminds me of tapioca pudding! anyways, experiment with the measurements to get the sweetness you prefer. you can also use agave as a sweetener! enjoy!

8. i've never seen annie hall before & i want to see it.

that's it for now...i'm sleepy.

one & a half year anniversary trip!

 miguel & i went on a trip to the coast & to visit his family for our year & a half anniversary this past week : ) we started the roadtrip with breakfast from starbucks. we stopped a few places along the way & did some shopping & eating.

 we ended up checking into our hotel around 7pm, changed (well i changed haha), & headed out for our anniversary dinner. the food was delicious & the dessert was just as good (if not better!).

 we spent the next day around town shopping & sight-seeing. miguel & i had taken a trip here before & it was nice making new memories in familiar areas. we stopped at this bakery coffee shop for some drinks while strolling the shops.

we were searching for a particular shop where miguel bought a swiss army knife at last year. he lost it when it was in his car that was stolen. i wanted to get him another one : ) we found the shop! he didn't like any of the swiss army knives they had, but he did find another knife that he fell in love with. it was like watching a kind in a candy store. he was so excited about his new knife. later we stopped at another store & i ordered him exactly the swiss army knife he wanted ;)

we stopped to have sandwiches on the beach & miguel carved our initials in a wooden bench with his new & beloved knife hehe.

then we headed to the fisherman's wharf for more shopping & dinner with a window seat of the bay.

later that night we gave each other foot scrubs from lush! haha. it was fun & a definite memory maker!

 the next day we checked out of our hotel early & headed to miguel's parents house for fancy breakfast of french toast with berries & powdered sugar. we spent the day visiting, watching movies, & cooking & eating together. also, miguel's sister, adilenie, treated me to a manicure - fun girl's time!

 i even got to help out with rolling the enchilada's with miguel's mom & her sisters (miguel's godmothers). i really enjoyed cooking with them : )

in the evening we said our goodbyes & started the long drive home. miguel sang to me in spanish while we drove home ;) i would say that is the perfect end to a great trip.

catching up

 well, life has been a bit of a whirlwind since austin. i had no time to take a breather after getting back home. the next morning i was at work, bright & early! i've been trying to enjoy the little things - like enjoying a neat lychee drink from the asian market on the way home from work. also, i've been enjoying the apple app "calm" to relax with.
anyways, that next weekend after coming back home, i had plans with my sister, raquel, & melissa to go to the city for lunch at melissa's boyfriend's restaurant where he is the lead line cook and the renegade craft fair.

 melissa was nervous to see her boyfriend at work ;)

i got some fun goodies! my favorite is the lovely yellow pouch/clutch from slide-sideways.

i've been using it a lot lately & love the size of it. i didn't think i was very much of a clutch girl (i don't think i've ever owned one before), but i'm liking this one. i took it with me when i dropped off my terrarium to the county fair (i got second place! i was beat by a much larger terrarium.)

 miguel came to the fair to see my terrarium, the cookies i baked, & the beef jerky he entered. i think it's neat that we both entered things this year.

 in other news, i picked up moonrise kingdom & pretty in pink during a trip to target for q-tips...

 & my tee from everlane came in the mail. i recommend the tees! soft & not see-through ;)

 my sister

my sister is leaving to teach english in thailand in the beginning of september & will be gone for much of the next year. i'll miss her, so i've been trying to spend as much time as i can with her. this was taken at a coffee shop while we were on our sister date ;)