water

i've promised myself to always try to live near water. it's just so...therapeutic. calming. soothing. i love how it makes the air feel. i grew up near the water & i plan on staying near it. i took these photos with my iphone after having coffee after work with my coworker, kelly, at my favorite local cafe, just 5 minutes from my house. it was a beautiful evening.

i love working with kids. working at an elementary school is such a fun job. i love it when i walk down the halls & the students greet me & wave, "hi ms. gonzalez!" with a smile. it melts my heart when their eyes become so wide with excitement while they discover something new in my science lab. it's so encouraging, to witness the excitement & amazement of children when they learn a new, amazing thing. they are discovering everything for the first time & it's fascinating to me. i feel honored to be there while they are making these discoveries.

while it is such a rewarding job, it also can be a draining job. i am an introvert, & to rejuvenate & build my energy back up, i have to be alone. so, when i am surrounded with up four classes a day of up to 30+ kids, answering questions, moderating arguments, comforting cries, etc., it can be exhausting. so this week, i was pretty tired when i came home from work. i didn't want to talk to anyone. i just needed to be alone. i took some time to myself, & after a few hours i felt so much better. i've been really learning more about myself lately. learning about what i want, what i need, how to take care of myself, etc. it's really been a season of self-discovery.

link love:

• i'm kind of in love with this tiny home.
• i've been in such the diy mood lately & am really tempted to make this speckled gold phone case.
• i love my plants, but this faux cactus is the cutest!

theo

i adopted an orphan kitten in october. he was about 3 months old. now he is 6 1/2 months old & so big! the two photos show how fast he has grown. i named him theo & he is so mellow & sweet. he loves to watch the birds outside & loves loves to eat. when i am home, he is my shadow, following me everywhere. when i take a shower in the morning, he waits for me right by the shower curtain. when i leave for work in the morning, i say goodbye to him & tell him to be a good boy. when i come home from work, he runs to greet me at the door. i love having a kitten : )

new

happy new year. it was a nice night in last night. alisa & i made mocktails & watched new year programs on tv in our pjs. we bought 6 small poppers for a dollar & welcomed the new year.

it is time for new calendars! i recently learned about midori traveler's notebooks & decided that i wanted one for my calender this year. they are about 8.5" x 4.5" with leather covers & elastic which make it easy to insert many different types of notebooks, folders, & pockets. instead of spending about $50 on one, i decided to make one out of some leather we had lying around the house from when we made moccasins with my american girls class :). i used ray blake's diy video & the inserts that he provides for free on his site. i used paper i saved from an old 2013 anthropologie calendar for the grid & calender inserts & gold elastic to secure them inside. i was really impressed with how it turned out. as usually, theo wanted to be in the middle of everything. (also, sorry the photos aren't the greatest...)

i was pretty proud of myself for just going for it & making my own notebook. it had been a long time since i had worked with leather & i am excited to experiment with other ways i can use my leftover leather.

today was a lovely lazy day where i spent over half the day in my pjs. i started personalizing my midori, watched the grand budapest hotel on my ipad mini, had a tasty brunch with alisa, & then headed to the movies with my parents to see the last hobbit movie. i liked it. tomorrow i have to get caught up with letter writing. i think i have about 4 letters to write! that will be fun : )

link love:

• these hair clips are just so cute. beary cute ;)
• i usually don't like cake, but this cake is just so perfect. & as a part swedish gal, i love it even more.
• gold & white polkadot bowls that you can make?? yes please.
• i know it's not definitely (& thankfully) not summer, but i would love to use these creative fruit kabobs as place cards at a luncheon. 
• even though this west elm doormat isn't available anymore, i still would love one just like it for when i have my own place. 
• speaking of having my own place, wouldn't this just be so beautiful?