Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy birthday to the most loving mom in the world. Whether it be surprising me with treats from Home Goods, dropping everything to help me shop for plants or hosting the most welcoming dinner parties for both old and new friends of mine, she is nothing short of amazing. 

I love her so much and I am so glad we live four miles apart. I did that on purpose so she can never get rid of me. 

P.S. She made our costumes in the picture above. I am the adorable brown mouse and Lisa is the distracted white rabbit.  

Mini Puddin' Cups with Graham Cracker Crust

One of my best girlfriends came over for dinner the other night and I wanted to make a dessert that was diabetic friendly, but not diabetic friendly obvious. Does that make sense? I mean, I didn't want to pull out a bag of sugar free candy and say "have at it." I was at the store picking up the pollo asado Jared was going to BBQ for dinner and wandering around looking for dessert inspiration. I thought pudding would be fun because it's sugar free and who doesn't love pudding?! Next to the pudding are the pie crusts and I discovered these miniature graham cracker pie crusts! I have never seen them before! They're like 3 inches in diameter and freaking adorable. On my way out I grabbed some strawberries (for a killer deal at $.99) and dessert was a go. I probably don't even need to tell you how I made them because it's pretty obvious but I will anyways:

Have I Told You Lately?

Have I told you lately...

that I made Jared go with me to this great nursery in Mission Hills to pick out some new babies? Their succulent selection is divine but we left empty handed because I seriously could not decide on just one.

that my brother-in-law barbequed up some ah-mazing pollo asado from the Mexican market? I sprinkled mine with cheese and avocado and it was heaven in my mouth and low carb!

that this girl has been seriously cray as of late? She has to sleep not just in our bed but on our heads and completely freaks out if you try to move her. Plus, she likes to sit on top of our headboard like a complete weirdo and just stare down on us during the night. Where's her boyfriend? She probably scared him away, that's where. Can't say I blame him. 

Rustic Baby Shower for Jack

In honor of my baby love Jack's 6-month-birthday today, I wanted to share some pictures of his baby shower last year. My mom and I went for a rustic theme, naturally. Everything in my life, whether it be design or decor, tends to incorporate the elements of an old barn. I can't help it! It's what I love.

For my sister's shower I had mason jars filled with fresh flowers EVERYWHERE. If you are ever at a loss of how to spruce up an empty space, flowers are your best friend. I used reclaimed wood pieces and vintage blocks and shoes to make the centerpieces which gave the party a very natural, earthy vibe.

Take a look at what else we did:

Pillow Project

I told you back in this post that I was on a mad hunt for pillows. It grew into a pretty ridiculous obsession (just ask Jared) and I was starting to get incredibly overwhelmed. Everything I liked was so ridiculously expensive. And given the fact that I change my mind a lot, I just couldn't justify spending more than $20 on a pillow cover. 

I gave Jo-Ann's fabric department a once over a few weeks ago but couldn't find anything I liked. I went back last week, however, with a new mindset and started putting some stuff together. This is what I came up with. The grey southwestern fabric is SO soft and the pattern on the blue pillows remind me of this Hmong pillow I have been coveting.

With a couple of coupons, my total for all the fabric came to about $7 per pillow! Can't beat that. And my mom made them for me because I couldn't sew to save my life. They grow on me everyday and this way I won't feel bad if get the urge to change them out again because I didn't spend a fortune! Winning.

Have I Told You Lately?

Have I told you lately...

that my mom and I went to Home Depot and got some beautiful flowers for the front of the house? I've been looking for a whiskey or wine barrel to fill with flowers and put by the front door. We found the next best thing and I love it! More pics to come soon.

Outdoor Lounge Space

I joke with Jared that I'm the interior designer and he's the landscape architect. I know my place and he knows his. I recently went creeping into his territory, however, when I made this nice little lounge outside the back of our house. You see, the way our property is laid out we always enter the house through the back door (just because of where the driveway is). Call me weird, but I wanted to see something pretty as I walked from my car, not just a wall of house.

I ended up getting this bench at Vintage Revivals - the same place we had our table custom made, and the rest kind of fell into place from there. I wanted pillows (Pottery Barn) to camouflage the metal windows and the rug adds color and character. The antique milk crate is filled with fake foliage because this area is covered and doesn't get too much sun. And bonus, I shopped it at my mom's so it was free!

Here are some other pics of the lounge...

Wish List: Wood Beamed Ceilings



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I've always been really drawn to loft-style architecture. I love all of the exposed fixtures. While our house doesn't exactly represent this style I still want to incorporate one of my favorite elements into the living room: wood beams. I originally thought you needed sloped ceilings to pull this look off but I was wrong! I've found all sorts of inspiration for traditional flat ceilings.

Take a look:

Have I Told You Lately?

Have I told you lately...

that our tomato plant is producing the cutest little babies? I don't eat tomatoes unless they are in the form of ketchup but Jared loves them. I just use them for decoration.

Currently Stalking : Little Attic

I'm still on a mad hunt for pillows, as explained in this post. The problem is, I change my mind SO MUCH. Pillows set the mood for the entire room so how am I supposed to decide what I want if my own mood keeps changing? I've narrowed it down to one thing: color. I want lots of color. I'm still super in love with these hmong pillows, however, I was scoping out Etsy the other day and came across this beautiful little shop: Little Attic. Her pillows are gorgeous and include practically every color under the sun. This means I can mix, match and add other pillows until my heart's content. Or until I change my mind again.

Take a look at some of her beauties for sale right now...

The Great Farmhouse Table

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I think in my past life I lived on a ranch. Which would explain why I am not at all outdoorsy in this life! I have a weird fascination with bull skeleton heads, horseshoes and anything comprised of reclaimed wood. 

I knew before we even moved into our house that I wanted a farmhouse dining table. I love that they are bulky and distressed and no two are the same, unless they're from Pottery Barn. I started looking for inspiration on Pinterest (see above) and then I started calling around to some independent carpenters in San Diego to price out what we wanted. Mind you, we weren't looking for anything too intricate; just a six foot table with two benches. I almost went into a diabetic coma when I started getting quotes back and they were averaging $1,300.00! 

Even though the tables were beautiful I couldn't justify spending that much money so I went to the next best thing: Craigslist! I ended up finding some stuff at this shop in Ocean Beach called Vintage Revivals. Jared and I headed down there one Saturday and met with the husband and wife owners to discuss our ideas. Their prices are incredibly reasonable for the custom work and it was ready in two weeks! Here it is...

Have I Told You Lately?

Have I told you lately...

that Jared sprained his ankle on New Year's Eve? Yep. He fell off his bike riding these bad boys. He's such an active guy so the sedentary lifestyle he's forced to adapt to while his leg heals does not make for a happy boy. He's been self-medicating with Ibuprofen and wine. 

Ridiculously Easy Egg Casserole

Back in this post I talked about the fact that I cannot eat a lot of carbs in the morning. My blood sugar goes insane.  I cannot so much as look at a bagel between the hours of 7:00 am and 11:00 am. I needed something for breakfast that would fill me up, keep my blood sugar stable and not be loaded with fat. Enter the egg casserole. This is the simplest and easiest thing to make and it's actually super tasty. I make one casserole on Sunday night, cover it with aluminum foil, put it in the fridge and it lasts me through the entire work week.

Here's what you need and how to make it:

First To Arrive In '85

Happy Birthday to the best big sister in the whole world! I would be a second child mess without you and I love you with all my heart.