Happy Sunday

Happy Sunday friends!

{This is where I start the week off sharing a few things that are making me happy. Won't you join me?}

Chris' birthday was last week and he went on a trip with some friends. Since I wasn't able to join him, I sent him off with some cupcakes; although I did save a few for Bailey and me to enjoy!

I'm pretty sure a woman designed these.

I changed our sheets the other day and I was so happy to notice that the fitted sheet has tags inside that said side or top/bottom. This definitely made me happy because I didn't have to try the sheet one way then another to make sure it was on correctly (a tiring task with our cal-king bed!)

 

We were all trying to decide what to make for dinner at work and someone suggested nachos. We ordered 2 pounds of pulled pork from a local bbq restaurant and they were the perfect topping! Chips, meat, cheese, salsa, guac, and sour cream...Delicious!

One of the best parts of my job is finding out that someone gets to live a little longer because I picked up the phone. Unfortunately these occurrences happen less often than we'd like, but when they do, they make us remember why we do what we do. I've been given three of these awards and each one makes me feel great about what I do.

I was able to get a haircut on saturday. It has been a long time and I was SO thankful that my hairstylist was able to come in early {6am early!}. I rarely take time for myself, and even though it was early, I enjoyed sitting under the heat, catching up on gossip magazines.

 

I hope that your week is starting out with lots of happiness! 

Easy Dessert!

We were lucky enough to get together with some friends for a bbq last week and it was so wonderful watching the kids play while we chatted!

We decided to make it a potluck and I was tasked with bringing dessert.

 

My Mom is my go-to source of recipes (followed by my recipe books and pinterest) and she told me about a yummy trifle she had just made. It sounded perfect so I decided to whip one up myself.

 

I'm calling this the easy-peasy trifle.

 

Store bought angel food cake ~ vanilla pudding ~ fruit of choice ~ whipped cream

 

First dice up {or tear} angel food cake into pieces and layer half in bottom of bowl.

Slice up any fruit you want {I used strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries} and layer that on top of the angel food cake.

Mix vanilla pudding according to directions, I also added some almond extract to enhance it a bit. Pour half of pudding on top of the fruit before it sets up. Repeat layers top with whipped cream. If you make this one day before, the fruit juices with soak the angel food cake and make it softer.

 

This was so easy to make and delicious! You could easily use frozen fruit or any type of fruit you like. It could also be made with chocolate pudding and cherries or strawberries for a different taste.

 

Thanks for the suggestion Mom! 

 

A challenge and a challenge

Recently a good friend posted a sweet video of her 1.5 year old spelling her name. My first thought was "Oh my gosh, how sweet!"
My second (almost simultaneous) reaction: If she can do it, let's see if Bailey can spell her name. Bailey is 2, she should be able to do it! And as I asked Bailey to spell her name, I knew that she wouldn't be able to because we hadn't practiced it with her yet.

That initial reaction is how I want to react when I see other kids (or parent's posting) doing new things; joyful for them and seeing the beauty in their individual talent. I don't want my mind to immediately take stock of Bailey's (and my) abilities and compare them! 

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Often when seeing a child about the same age as Bailey, I watch them and end up being critical of myself because Bailey does things differently, or hasn't learned a certain skill yet. Nope, she's not potty trained yet, we're working on a timetable that works for us. Yes, Bailey watches TV, we all need a little break during the day. No, I don't only give Bailey organic food that I've made myself, we all enjoy the occasional fast food burger. Yes, she goes to daycare once a week, it benefits all of us.

And while these are some things we do, or don't do, I'm not going to judge you if your lives are the complete opposite of ours.

 

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It is a challenge raising kids. There is so much information out there on the "best" way to raise them and with blogs, social media, technology we are inundated with advice {and often negativity} in the Mommy community. I think the majority of us want our kids to grow up to be happy, responsible, productive members of society and we need to remember that our kids are all making their way to adulthood at their own pace {no matter how much we prod and push, cajole and coax}.

 

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This is my challenge to you: Let them be little, make your initial reaction when seeing a child {or parent} do something...be supportive. Not competitive. Don't beat yourself up over something that doesn't matter in the big scheme of things. Enjoy the little moments with your little one as we all know they won't be little for long.

 

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Sit on the floor and play with your kids. Cuddle on the couch and watch a movie {Shrek is the favorite in our house right now}. Ask your kids what they want to do, and go do it. Let the dishes remain in the sink a few more hours.

 

Being a parent is challenging enough without comparing ourselves to others. Let's challenge each other to see the beauty in different abilities and talents and let's embrace individually!

 

 



 

Happy Sunday

Hello friends!

I'm back with another Happy Sunday post.  

 

Our plumeria is finally blooming! It is really nice to see some life coming back to our plants. We've cut down on our watering due to the drought and maybe it was just want our flowers needed.

I found this oatmeal at Trader Joes and it is perfect for breakfast when I'm at work. There are two individually frozen portions in each box and it is easy to pop one into the microwave for 3 minutes. I add some dried fruit and a bit of honey to mine.

We were running errands the other day and Bailey insisted that Minnie Mouse was buckled in for safety too.

Wednesday we were able to go to the beach with our friends.

They took us to a new (to us) beach in Ventura and it was perfect! Small waves, bathrooms and showers near by, and lots of kids to play with.

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This song came on my iPod today. The first few words bring a smile to my face.

"Sweet Pea, Apple of my Eye"

It always makes me think of Bailey.

 

I hope your week is starting out wonderfully!

Happy Sunday!

 

 

Fair time!

 

It's fair time here in Ventura County!

I love the fair; the animals, the food, the rides, the people watching.

This year we were able to go twice.

 

Chris and I were able to have a date night at the fair and went to see The Beach Boys in concert!

Chris had just gotten off of work and was worn out, but we sure enjoyed being together!

It was a great concert! John Stamos played with them, and there was some great people watching!

 

 

 

After singing along to every song, we were hungry so of course we had to get some fried food!

We tried the French fries with chili and cheese (not so good) and a strawberry funnel cake (delicious!!)

Each night they end the fair with fireworks over the ocean.

 

A few days later we were able to take Bailey to enjoy the fair. She had a blast and I see some 4H in our future. 

 

Bailey loved looking at all the animals and was able to pet a few. She really liked the pigs.

She LOVES riding horses and was telling us she wanted to ride a black pony. She was just as happy with the brown and white one she got.

She went on a ride by herself for the first time and had so much fun.

 

Bailey got to ride on her black horse. She loves riding on carousels and Dada got to ride with her.

 

We had a great time at the fair and it was wonderful being together!

Bailey is definitely becoming a little country girl and it is so fun watching her discover and enjoy new things!

Shop Little Bee Workspace

Today I'm excited to share with you my workspace for my Etsy shop,

Shop Little Bee  

 

Chris recently helped me reorganize the garage so that it works better for us and I can work more efficiently.

 

Here is what the space looked like before:

 

Table in front of the hutch, garage "stuff" crowding in on the right and not much natural light coming in. (more garage stuff piled behind the hutch, out of sight)

 

The first step was to clean everything out of the garage and make a pile of things to donate.

{such a great feeling to have a clean floor and space!}

 

Chris and I painted some plywood so that I can have a clean backdrop for photographing my garlands. We had to hang it above the electrical outlet and piping, so that determined where it was placed.

 

Once the backdrop was hung, we fit the hutch right under our existing cabinets. I was very excited that it fit perfectly.

 

We were able to fit my table next to the hutch. It is really convenient having more space to store things in the hutch, instead of crowding them onto my work table. 

This really opens up the garage and gives me more natural light to work in.

 

Here's a closer look at my table space:

1. My Cricut.

This was a Christmas gift and I'm just starting to see all that it can be used for. It is fun cutting out new shapes and coming up with new designs!

2. My sewing machine.

I bought this a few years ago, although I didn't use it much. My Mom always had a sewing machine and would make me clothes and costumes, her large machine was intimidating for me, so when I saw this small one I happily picked it up. It might be small, but it sure gets the job done!

3. Storage under the table

I have most of my paper organized under the table in a rolling cart. I also have a Go! Baby fabric cutter {that I got an amazing deal on} for when I want to make some fabric garlands and other miscellaneous crafting items.

 

The Hutch:

1. Mailing supplies, hand punches, and file folders.

I've gotten most of my hand punches from Amazon and a few from Michael's. I keep my receipts and other notes in files from the dollar section at Target.

 2. The bright colander holds garlands to be sewn and my Cricut cartridges.

I love the pop of color that the colander adds. I keep my shapes to be sewn into garlands in Ziploc bags until they're ready to be sent out, keeping them organized and un-tangled. I love the different shapes I can create with the cartridges and I'm learning how to use them.

3. Thread and extras.

In the blue bin (another from the $1 section) I keep thread and filled bobbins together so I can easily switch my thread on the machine. In the pink bin is extra thread and thread that does not have a coordinating bobbin yet.

 

The other side of the hutch:

 

I have paper to be filed and organized, and on the top is my garlands that have been sewn. The pink bin is for garlands that have just been sewn, the gray is for garlands that have had their picture taken, and the black and white bins are for garlands that have been listed and are ready to be shipped.

 

I love my new, more efficient work space!

I am so thankful for the opportunity to do something creative and add a little beauty to people's homes/parties/events.

 

Thank you all for your support and allowing me to share this dream of mine with you!

 

xoxo,

Mallory