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!

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. 

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.

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.