Friday, November 18, 2011

Friday 5 {Weekly Gratitude List}



  1. Wine & TV: I got this idea off of Pinterest to save the cork from each bottle of wine you drink, then date it and write what you were doing when you drank it. Last night, we had a “Revenge-a-thon”. Yes, Sebastian and have somehow gotten sucked into the show “Revenge”. Yes, we are blushing. Does it help that it’s based on “The Count of Monte Cristo”? No? Okay, then we’ll just call it our guilty pleasure.
  2. The Medicine Man: Also known as: Daddy. Aliyah is on antibiotics and she will not willingly take it for me. I’m supposed to give her a tsp and half of this stuff, twice a day. See that dropper? That’s half a tsp. Last night, I decided to let Sebastian try...and wouldn’t you know it, she took it like it was no big deal. Thanks hubby...you’ve just received a new job.
  3. Kitty Love: This little guy has a daily routine. It consists of sleeping most of the day, then hiding from Aliyah when she gets home, and finally coming back out to lay in my lap while I relax for the evening. I think he’s pretty cute.
  4. Loose Leaf Tea: I stepped inside Bunna Coffee this on Wednesday to satiate my once-every-few-weeks-I-think-I-need-a-caramel-macchiato cofee craving (read: pure sugar). As I was leaving, I noticed they sell loose leaf tea by the ounce. I love finding hidden treasures like this place.This week I bought some Oolong Plum Tea. Delicious. Can’t wait to go back after this bag is done and take home another flavor. 
  5. Stuffed Bell Peppers: I decided to try my hand at cooking something new this week, thinking that with my cooking skills it might be hit or miss. They were delicious! I didn’t even know l liked stuffed peppers until I ate these. You can find the (super easy) recipe here. I substituted vegetarian chorizo (or “soyrizo” as the package states), only because Sebastian wanted to eat two vegetarian meals this week. (Dad, if you’re reading this, look the other way. We’ll eat pork this weekend, okay?)



Digital Sketchbook

I've been reading a lot of design blogs lately and it has inspired me to get back into designing for fun, not just for work. It's nice to be able to create something with no restrictions, no limitations and no expectations and seeing what comes of it in the end.


I've also created a printable, card version.



All you need to do is download the link here*, fold your piece of paper just like you did in grade school and viola. You're one step closer to brightening someone's day. Because really, who doesn't love to get snail mail? I know I do!

*Just a hint about the download--you'll be directed to a site called Ge.tt, which is just a free, snazzy google app for sharing files. No need to install anything, the PDF should load in a few seconds and give you the option to download to your computer. Enjoy!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

What Do I Want My Blog To Be?

I want my blog to be inspiring, in its own unique way. 
I want this blog to force me to put things out there in the world and accomplish them, rather than keeping them to myself and wishing I did more. 
I want this blog to focus on my successes in life, but also on areas where I want and need to improve. 
And to show that life isn't always a good photo where everything looks perfect, but that it's the imperfect parts in between that really make it up. And that that's a beautiful thing. That's life.
I want it to encourage Aliyah, as she gets older, to dream and aspire for the future, and look back fondly on childhood. Even the parts she can't remember.
I want it to freeze little moments in time so I never take them for granted.
I want this blog to be clean and easy to navigate, and fun to look at aesthetically. 
I want it to be a digital journal of my design and photography skills so that someday I can look through the archives and see that I really have improved. 
I want it to be a place where I can write about what's bothering me and what I'm happy about, and what I'm grateful for and what I'm feeling at the moment. 
Where I can write about my "life revelations", no matter how silly they might be. 
I want this blog to be honest. 
I want it to enable me to become more outgoing and less self-conscious about who I am and what others think of me. 
I want to have a theme or style to how I write and how I present my photos, graphics and designs. 
I want to find my voice and not feel so awkward at moments when I write a post and wonder who I'm writing it for and why I'm writing it and if I'm trying to be too funny or too sweet or too philosophical. 
I want this blog to ultimately be for my family. Myself included, but also for grandparents, aunts and uncles who live across the country, so they can feel that they are even more connected to Aliyah's and our everyday life.  
I want this blog to inspire me so that I can become more aware, more present and to fully enjoy this wonderful, beautiful life that God has given me. 

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

She's Happy Even When She's Sick

Aliyah has been fighting the sniffles on and off ever since we've arrived in Arizona. Yesterday, I took her to her 15th month, well-baby appointment (the first visit with our new, Arizona pediatrician), and she had to receive four shots. Poor kid. She wailed after it happened, but seemed good to go afterwards when I dropped her off at her daycare. When I arrived to pick her up, it was an entirely different story. She was dressed in an over sized t-shirt because she had soiled her clothes, her eyes were red and puffy and she was so sad when she hugged me.

And so today I was able to stay home with Aliyah  and give her some extra TLC. Only once have Aliyah's happy spirits changed as a result of being sick, otherwise she can have a fever, a runny nose and puffy eyes and she'll still be laughing and giggling. Today was no different and come late-morning I wondered if maybe I should have just let her go to daycare as she seemed to be doing much better. I'm glad I stuck with my instincts to keep her home, considering she she took a nap from 11:30am until 3:15 this afternoon. And tonight she was ready to go to bed by 7:30. So she is definitely feeling a bit under the weather. While I hate to see my baby girl not feeling up to par, I'll gladly take the time spent with her any day.



Monday, November 14, 2011

Notes from Daycare

Every so often, I get handwritten notes from Aliyah's daycare that tell me of something unique that Aliyah did that day. In early October, I traveled back to San Jose for a week for work. Perhaps the daycare providers sensed that I needed a little extra information since I was missing my girl because Sebastian called with two adorable notes about Aliyah.

The first one appeared on 10.19.2011
"Aliyah was so sweet to her friends today. She was sharing, hugging and helping them. One of her friends laid down on the pillow and she patted his back and put him to sleep."

The second note appeared the following day on 10.20.11
"Aliyah was dragging the drum behind her everywhere she went today. She would stop, sit down, then pick the drum up and off she'd go. I guess it was her way of putting on a concert for all of her friends. (One friend at a time.)"
These gave me such happiness when Sebastian read them to me aloud over the phone. It surely made the week away go by much more quickly.


Sunday, November 13, 2011

25 Things

Remember the facebook craze of 25 things? I was on a digital cleaning kick and was trashing some of my older files, when I stumbled upon one that I did a few years back but never had the courage to actually post on facebook. Since that one is a bit outdated, I decided to try my hand at another one...and actually publish it this time. Here goes....

25 Things About Me:
1.)    While I can muddle my way through a Spanish conversation if necessary, I still am not fluent. One day I hope to be if only to become more connected to where I was born and the traditions that surround it.
2.)    I’ve never been back to my birth country of Guatemala, but it is something I would like to do in the next five years.
3.)    Aliyah is one-half Guatemalan, one-quarter German and one-quarter black. One of my big hopes/goals for Aliyah’s education is to enroll her in a Spanish immersion school so that she is fluent in Spanish. I would also like her to be immersed in German so that she experiences all parts of her heritage.
4.)    I loved living in California and am so glad I was able to be there for five years. Living in California made me much less naive. Most times my experiences there left me more open-minded about things, but sometimes they also left me a bit apprehensive and cynical about what is truth and what is not and whether is it possible to distinguish the two confidently. I sometimes think I would like things to be either right or wrong, but I know that this isn't really how the world works...and for good reason.
5.)    I have a sentimental attachment to green corn and bean fields and green grass. 
6.)    When I first met Sebastian, as instructors/Assistant Directors at a summer camp, I thought he was just another over-confident guy and I had no interest at all. Three seasons later, my mind was changed forever.
8.)    I wish I talked to and saw my brother and sister-in-law more often. They are two of the nicest people I know.
9.)    I have the cutest nieces in the world. They will melt your heart in less than 15 minutes after meeting them. This, I can guarantee.  
10.) I have such deep respect, admiration and love for my parents both in business and family life. I know I can go to them for anything and they will provide me with insight and guidance. I’m extremely grateful for this.
11.) My dad always joked that I needed to marry someone who knew how to cook. Lucky for me, Sebastian is phenomenal at this task.
12.) Sebastian also loves to do laundry. How cool is that?!
13.) One day, I’d like to start and run a chartable event or organization that makes a difference in this world. I am completely aware that this is a monumental task, which is also what makes this aspiration quite daunting.
14.) I’ve come to admit that I am somewhat messy. I am absolutely bewildered at my Mom’s ability to keep a clean house ALL the time. I think I try to hide my semi-messiness by cleaning every weekend, but really, my cleaning habit is more of a way to get rid of all the germs I don’t like.
15.) I love foreign films. I think there is something beautiful in listening to a language you don’t speak fluently.
16.) I fly quite frequently, but each time the plane lifts off the ground and each time it lands, I am always amazed at how a huge chunk of metal can fly. In the air. At such a speed. It’s pretty amazing.  
17.) I love being a designer. But I love being a Mom even more.
18.) My super power is the ability to sleep. If I put my mind to it, I can sleep almost anywhere in less than 10 minutes. I also have very vivid dreams when I sleep.
19.) As I get older, I think my attention span becomes shorter. I also believe that technology breeds this attribute.
20.) Whenever I come back home to Minnesota, one of my favorite things to do is watch late-night tv re-runs with my Dad. It’s father-daughter bonding at its best.
21.) My Mom is one of my best friends. She is also one of the kindest people I know. I hope that as I get older, I can become more and more like her.
22.) The older I get, the more difficult I realize it is to make best friends. I miss my good friends in California and I miss my good friends in Minnesota a lot these days. There is something very special in having a friend whom you can call at anytime to talk or to hang out with and have no reservations in doing so.
23.) I never, in my wildest dreams thought I would like living in Arizona, but I do. It’s actually a pretty nice place to be.
24.) It’s true what they say. A good marriage takes work. I used to think a good marriage meant living in complete bliss all the time. But Sebastian and I fight passionately. We also love passionately and we know we’re both committed to one another forever. Agreeing on that is exactly what I always wanted in a husband.
25.) I’m addicted to HGTV and Pinterest. They consume way too much of my time these days. 


Tuesday, November 8, 2011

It's beginning to feel a lot like...fall

The temps in Arizona have dipped to a crisp, fall-like temperature this past week. I've celebrated by finally completing my Thanksgiving decorating, drinking lots of tea and baking muffins.

These are organic, cinnamon apple muffins just from a box, but they are delicious. Bought for Aliyah for breakfast, it seems she may have to eat these quickly, or they'll be gone. I've already had three. And I just baked them 20 minutes ago.



Being that this is our first time experiencing Arizona's seasons, I have no idea if this weather is typical or unusually cool, but I will welcome the slight change of seasons any way I can get. The best part, in my opinion? Enjoying the cool, autumn temps, while knowing that I don't have to anticipate freezing temperatures for the next four months. :)