Friday Love! {7.15.2016}

one // Michael had off on Monday so the three of us went to Living Treasures Park and got to see beautiful animals. My favorites were the kangaroos, giraffes and of course the goats! It was a more interactive experience than a visit to the zoo because you had the option of feeding most of the animals, and I think Lydia would really appreciate that when she’s older, I know I did! 

two // I made 2 batches of eggless cookie dough ice cream this week, one for us and the rest for our Thursday night small group. Yummy. I love that the recipe uses malted milk powder which I actually had on hand for a chocolate frosting recipe. Do you guys have any other uses for it? I added also bourbon to our batch because it adds a nice flavor ;)

sources & here

three // I’ve been really inspired to redo our downstairs half-bath. I absolutely love the polka accent wall and this adorable mint green pedestal sink in the pictures above. I’m hoping to get started as soon as possible! Pictures to follow ;) 

four // Michael started a new job on Tuesday! We had been praying over the past few months for the Lord to open doors for him and to provide him with a better job opportunity. The company is much smaller and privately owned as opposed to his former job which is what he truly desired. Praise God!

five // I can't believe this picture was taken last year! The other night I was feeling nostalgic and started looking through all my old pictures of Lydia on my phone and it made me realize how much I missed her chubby rolls. Where'd all the chub go? At least it's still in her cheeks :) 

six // This weekend we're planning on cleaning out our basement aka the abyss. I'm a little scared because just going down there has been anxiety inducing for the both of us! Although I am looking forward to removing all the clutter and the relief that will follow. Please pray that we have a productive organizing experience!

Enjoy your weekend!

23 things for 2016

Cheers and an abundance of praise to another year of good health, happy memories, blessings and delicious food! I picked 23 things because I'm 23 years old. So here's my list of 23 realistic goals:

1. Memorize scriptures; I have a few favorites but want to add more to my memory to fall back on for encouragement, praise, peace of mind and strength.

2. Pray more; whether it is for praise, family, my congregation or big things that are going on in our country, I need to be praying more.

3. Commit more time to studying the bible; whether it’s in a group setting or on my own time.

This past year, I wrote a short list of things that trigger my anxiety and rated them on a scale of 1-10; 1 being very mild anxiety and 10 being “!!!!” anxiety. I got the tip when I was searching “how to overcome anxiety” and found it to be extremely resourceful. I decided the two that I wanted to overcome this year had to do with everyday encounters.

4.Get over my fear of calling people (that aren’t family) first, and not feeling like it is the scariest thing in the world.

5. Saying what’s on my mind (within context, of course), share my ideas with others and do it all without the fear of sounding stupid. And if I do sound stupid to them, then oh well! I may think I’m going to die from embarrassment but I haven't died from it yet.

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” –Julia Child

6. Hone my knifing skills… Relearn how to debone chicken, segment citrus, filet a fish, etc. 

7. Improve my pie/pastry and cake decorating abilities; I got the taste down, but presentation is where I lack and want to practice.  

8.Try to make more foods from scratch. Pasta, bread, stocks, and maybe even goat’s milk yogurt and ricotta cheese just to name a few...

9. Invest and use a kitchen scale for more accurate baking measurements.

10. Learn the basics of building delicious cocktails.

11. Throw dinner party or two! 

12. Take more pictures because there is no such thing as taking too many, and I did't take that many in 2015.

13. Develop recipes, perfect them and post them on this blog with confidence.

14.Create something lovely out of all the wine corks we’ve collected over the course of a year.

15. Learn a new creative skill. Perhaps sewing, pottery, or dancing? Decisions, decisions.

16. Seek out a hobby that Michael, Lydia and I can all do together. And also go on more dates with Michael, and be more present with each other.

17. Walk the Miss Zoe more. Poor thing is getting fat again.

18. Paint and decorate Lydia’s bedroom, and successfully wean her out of our room, have her sleep in the crib, peacefully and without force. Tell me, am I being overly ambitious with this one?

19. Organize the cabinets, closets and dressers. Make this the year be the year, I don't lose any important papers because they are neatly put away in their proper place! 

20.  Similar to the one above, organize the abyss  basement, get rid of the things we truly don't need and then figure out what we can do with the space.

21. Visit my grandparents in Puerto Rico sometime in the spring or summer.

22. Start a garden behind the shed in our backyard, know my plants and treat them with much love.

23. Create new traditions with Michael and Lydia for next Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

I'm feeling more inspired already!!

PS: Those are Michael's beautiful shelves in the photo above, and yes I am obsessed with them.

My Little List

I tend to create little mental lists in my head while showering or lying in bed. I know I should write these lists down but 99% of the time they never wind up on paper or in this case my blog. And now that I’m a new mama, the whole “mommy brain” phenomenon makes sense! It’s like my brain doesn't care how young I am, it just knows that I've become a mommy and now destined to forget what the heck I’m doing at any given time. Ever have a mission to do something and once you enter that room you forget what you’re doing? That’s become the story of my life. 

Anyway, let’s get back on topic… I need to write these little lists down. They are little thoughts that resonate in my brain and are quite important to me. So here’s my little list of the moment and perhaps by physically reading this it will help me accomplish rather than forget.

1. Read books, articles and short stories that impact, influence and inspire me!

I am so overdue for a good read…Got any suggestions?

2. Organize more day trips and dates.

Because we’re parents now, it’s been harder to go on spontaneous adventures together as a couple and that’s why I want us to organize dates for us to keep things fun and exciting.

3. Get business cards.

To help bring awareness to my private chef, catering and potentially fitness instructing business!

4. Challenge myself more in the kitchen!

I want to master baking a pie this summer… I don’t mean a semi homemade pie. I mean a real pie with scrumptiously flaky pastry made from scratch! I also want to make lobster and a vibrant paella with squid, mussels and clams… Deeelicious.

5. Host a party just ‘cause!

Michael and I will be living in our home for a year next month. Boy does time fly! I have this idea of us hosting our first get together by celebrating our home ownership with friends and family. It'll not only be a good time of fellowship but a valid reason for us to buy a grill, and an opportunity for me to make pretty food too!

6. Reestablish photography as a hobby. 

I miss this. A lot. I need to start making time for taking pictures, editing and sharing just like the good 'ole days!

7. And lastly, become certified as a fitness instructor (preferably Pilates and Barre!) and teach classes.

I can’t tell you how many times I've daydreamed of teaching a fitness class while I exercised. I suppose you could say fitness has been a hidden passion of mine for the past five years and much like cooking healthfully, I want to share this passion with others! I want to get certified for me, too. I think of myself as a strong woman on the inside but on the outside, I know I’m shy and one of those people who never puts herself out there enough. I guess I've struggled with social anxiety most of my teenage and now adult life. But you know what? I am genuinely tired of living up to that expectation and actually teaching classes would be out of character for me. I want to set an example to Lydia by not letting fear hinder my life.  I pray that she will be a little go-getter just like her daddy!

After overcoming avascular necrosis, getting my hips replaced and regaining strength, I feel this is my season to get certified in fitness. I hope to use it to glorify God, link it with my cooking business and of course help others become healthier!

And that’s my little list.