DIY: Super Easy Pink & Green Ribbon Wreath

Many, many moons ago I found this ribbon wreath tutorial on a blog and decided that I'd like to do a "Spring-y" version in pink and green. 


Fast forward almost TWO YEARS later and as I'm digging through my craft bin up in the attic yesterday I found this:

So once Trey went down for a nap today I decided to finish it up! I love how it turned out! 

Let me know if you make one! They are SUPER easy - just slightly time consuming and dangerous*.


*Warning: Fabric shears are VERY sharp. Ouch. 

Recipe Obsession: Kale Chips

This recipe was given to me from the oh-so-sweet Day Old News - I'm just sharing since so many have asked me about it!! 


Ingredients:
1 Bunch of Organic Kale 
EVOO (I like organic, in a Misto sprayer) 
Seasoning Salt 
Pepper
Garlic Powder 


Directions:

• preheat oven to 300 
• wash and dry kale (no need to use a salad spinner - I just use paper towels and I'm not too particular about it), chop into "chip" sized pieces
• line a cookie sheet with parchment paper & place kale on (it can definitely touch because it will shrivel up some)
• spray with EVOO, season with pepper, seasoning salt and garlic powder
• bake at 300 for around 17-18 minutes (you will know when it is done, be careful not to over-bake!)
• No need to cool - they aren't super hot when they come out. ENJOY!!! 

Let me know if you make these! I'd love to hear other recipe variations too! 

Some Funny Ish

Like the time I got pulled over after a fun morning at the park and library? 


Oh wait. THAT WAS'T FUNNY! (Thanks a lot jerk cop for being so rude. Apparently my plates were expired. Whoops.)

So for those of you that need a smile and a laugh like I do ~ here you go!! 

Source: flourishinprogress.com via Beach on Pinterest

Source: someecards.com via Beach on Pinterest

Source: blahbethany.com via Beach on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Beach on Pinterest

Source: i.imgur.com via Beach on Pinterest

Source: someecards.com via Beach on Pinterest

Source: iwastesomuchtime.com via Beach on Pinterest

Two On Tuesday: Dance Dance Dance

Today I'm linking up with the fabulous Andrea over at My Chihuahua Bites for Two on Tuesday!

What is the song you play when you want to get pumped up?

Bombs Over Baghdad - Outkast (don't hate - you know it's the most "hype" song you've ever heard too!) 

What is the song you play when you want/need to cry?

Comfortable - John Mayer

What is the song you play when you’re cleaning?

Big Sean - Dance, Dance, Dance (sooooo obsessed with this right now!) 

What is the song you play when you’re exercising?

Pitbull - Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor) ft. T-Pain (My kettlebells teacher uses this in her class and I LOVE it!) 

Review: HANAair Professional Hair Dryer

I was recently contacted by a representative from Misikko.com to see if I would be interested in reviewing one of their blow dryers: a HANAair Professional Dryer, to be exact. 

It took me about .02 seconds before I immediately replied with an enthusiastic "YES"! 

The package shipped VERY quickly, within a couple of days I had this huge box on my doorstep. 

I couldn't wait to try it out, pardon my beach-bum-sweatshirt.... see - this obviously is not a staged photo. This was what I threw on after I immediately washed my hair the day that it arrived! HA! 

The dryer is heavy and POWERFUL! I was shocked when I first turned it on. I wasn't sure if I would like it because of how heavy and strong it seemed but boy was I wrong. I LOVE it. Take a look for yourself. That is my hair without being straightened (and I ALWAYS used to straighten my hair!). I just used a paddle brush and the HANAair dryer! 

This is one of those times when the old saying is true: "you get what you pay for". This dryer has not only made my hair shinier and easier to manage, but it has cut down on my drying time IMMENSELY! And as a mom, that time is important these days!! 

Thanks so much to the folks at Misikko.com for letting me try this out! Now if I could only convince them to somehow send me one of the best hair straighteners that they sell my way! 

I was given this dryer to review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own. 

Monday Randoms

So, I thought I'd take today to just post some randoms of what has been going on in our little corner of the world. I feel like I haven't blogged in forever (um besides a picture of my nails.... I kinda haven't). So here we go:

I'm actually so glad that the holidays are over. I feel like I have my house (and my life) back and I'm really enjoying it. I recently put this picture on Instagram. I need some Valentine's Day accessories for my dining area. I really want to make some crafty type things but my Pinterest obsession is really cutting into my craft time. 


Trey has moved up from a "bird" to a "beast" (hate the name, HATE it) in Little Gym and seems to be doing pretty well with it. This whole trying to transition to 1 nap a day thing has been a challenge so we had to find some new class times that worked better and the switch just made more sense. Some of the kids in his class seem super advanced since they are a lot older but I know he will get there soon! 

We have also started a new story time at a different library and we are LOVING it. I am so pleased with the teacher and the actual facility. This library is 100% "youth focused" so they understand when the little ones aren't super quiet and they have tons more games and toys than the last library that we were going to. Oh! And I also want to explain story time a little more here because everyone asks me about getting an almost-18-month-old to sit still. Um, no. It doesn't happen! The classes that we do are at a library but they are more rhyme focused and we have individual book time during the class. It's full of singing, dancing, cuddling and reading together. It's very interactive and the  teacher does a great job of explaining "why" nursery rhymes are beneficial to little ones. 

Speaking of books, Trey is starting to fill in the words that he knows and I am loving it! I usually hand him a book when we get in the car and on this particular day it was Blue Hat, Green Hat ~ all of a sudden all I hear from the backseat is "Oopsh" "Oopsh" "Oopsh"! Ha I was dying. I love this age and all of the talking - I LOVE that he is finally able to say things like "milk, peas" (peas = please), asking for whatever food he would like or things like "ABC" if he wants to sing the ABC's (he's able to fill in a bunch of letters when we sing it - so exciting to watch him learn all of this!!) We've been doing a bunch of rhymes like "ring around the rosies" and having a blast spinning and falling down on the floor. 

So yes, aside from the tantrums that are starting. This is quickly becoming my favorite age - we are having so much FUN. And learning so much too. We've been doing a lot of arts and crafts, coloring, painting, etc at home as well as while we are out and about and at Mom's Day Out too! (Yep, also new, post to come on this!) 

Yes, we are still LOVING our trike! 

Luckily the weather has been pretty mild here so we have still been able to hit up the parks a few times a week. We both usually need a nap afterwards now though - the BIG slides, the RUNNING. Makes mama tired too!!! (Why am I not thinner? I feel like all I do is RUN! Ha!) 

So... really no exciting news in our world. Just lots of little fun things and milestones for Trey going on here. J.D. is back in school (LAST SEMESTER! Woo!) and I'm holding down the fort with the little one. Days have been going by so fast and when night comes I'm finding that the lack of sunshine has me aching for my bed. How many days until Summer?

The Nail Files

Y'all know that I am nail polish obsessed so when I saw that my partner in crime  was linking up with Tara from Fabulous But Evil I decided to join the fun!  This week I did a self-mani with OPI in Dulce de Leche and an accent nail with Sally Hansen Complete in Golden Ticket. I LOVED the way that it turned out. It's nasty and cold here but I am so sick of dark "wintry" colors. This helped brighten my mood but didn't scream "SPRING" because we are so not even close folks, this beach bum is dreaming of sunshine on the regular these days!! 

Like Birchbox ~ but for Babies! & A *HOT* Deal!

note: I paid for these with my own moola. I was in no way compensated for this post! :)


For the past three months I have been getting these awesome Bluum boxes in the mail. The best way to describe them is like birch box for babies! You get deluxe sample size, baby-related products in a box, delivered right to your doorstep. 


**And today they are on Plum District - 3 months for $18! Which is awesome because they are usually $9 per month and up!**


If you aren't a Plum District member already - you can head there through this link and you'll receive $5 off of your first purchase!! 


Here are the boxes I have received so far:

Box #1

Box #1

Box #2

Box #3 

It's so much fun to get a new surprise in the mail every month that Trey and I can both share! I let him help me open the boxes and give him whatever I can to play with or eat! He loves it and so do I!!! 


Let me know if you have any questions!! 

A Post for Me

I know a lot of bloggers have mixed feelings about "year in review" and "resolution" posts. So I'm going to call this post like I see it: a post for me.


I just feel like this is one of those times when I need to "blog for myself"


I'm not writing any of this hoping that anyone will comment, read or even care. I'm doing it so that next year I can look back on this. 


Laying in bed last night J.D. and I were reflecting on this past year and talking about goals and hopes for 2012. He said something that made me cry. 


He told me that I "really turned into a mom" this year. 


The funny thing is I actually knew what he meant by that too....


I went from being worried about every little thing and learned how to go with the flow. I found a love of singing nursery rhymes, trips to the park, reading children's books, and laying on the floor just playing. Trey and I truly formed a bond. I can tell what he needs without hearing or seeing - I can just feel it now. I learned how to deal with tantrums and falls and "bad days". I learned how to nurture while still setting rules and having boundaries. I learned how to truly love. A different love. The kind you can only know from having your heart walking around outside your body. 


And then this fall, it happened. A new mom friend asked ME for advice. And you know what? I was actually able to help her. It was a defining moment for me. For months I had feelings of "am I doing this right" and sometimes feelings of "OH MY GOSH! WHAT am I doing?". 


As almost ALL new moms do.


For once I was finally doing something right. And it felt amazing. 


I finally found part of me again too. I lost weight, got some new clothes and did some things for myself. I found *mom* friends and joined playgroups. I built a whole new schedule and routine that works for us. I kept my "no fast food" resolution for all of 2011, which may sound silly but was a huge deal to me! I learned how to tell J.D. "I need help". Albeit a work in progress, it was a very big deal, and very needed. 


And with all of this I found some confidence in myself that I hadn't seen in years. All of these things helped shape me into a better mom, wife and just all around person. 


J.D. had a huge year too! He passed the CPA exam (I am unbelievably proud of him!!), went to college at night, perfected how to run on no sleep, just coffee, and really grew miles as a father himself. He was able to walk in the door at night and drop each and every little thing to fall right onto the floor and go straight into playing with Trey. And never fail, each time it made me fall more and more in love with him. He helped me when I needed it, and times even when I didn't, just because. He worked with me to make our life as a family happy, secure and FUN! 


Trey obviously has the most exciting year of all! He started Little Gym and storytime last January and has been enjoying both ever since. He became a true "beach bum" with an absolute love for the sand, sun and water. He grew teeth, lots of hair, started crawling and then running walking, talking. And is just really growing into an actual little kid. The baby days seem forever ago. 


He loves reading books, his bike, blocks, running, songs, car rides, Christmas lights, elmo, laughing, swings, BIG slides, all sorts of foods, the park, the aquarium, bath time, laughing, doggies, his friends, mon-chi-chi and best of all... his mommy and daddy. 


I don't know exactly what 2012 has in store for the Beach Bum family. I'mexcited for it. I'm hoping for lots of experiences, maybe a trip or two, definitely more time as a family & learning new things, together. 


I hope to be more organized, more frugal, more loving & thoughtful of not just Trey & J.D. but my family and friends as well. I'd like to give blood more often, write more snail mail, get back to yoga (at home and at the studio), and to turn off the tv at night and open a book on my nightstand instead.  


And most of all just enjoy this time right now with my amazing family of three. To live in the moment. 


Carpe Diem and Happy 2012 to all of you!!