Friday, May 16

Homemade Vanilla

Do you wanna make some delicious homemade vanilla?
Don't get excited or used to this because {as you well know!} recipes are not my
forte. However, I'm making an exception for this vanilla post. It is heavenly!

   
Every time my mom visits my aunt in Cali, she comes back with something awesome.
This last time she came back with a homemade journal & some homemade vanilla.
Like, what?! Why am I never invited?!

After getting instructions from the master, I made my own.
Here's my how-to in 3 easy steps!

what you'll need:
buy the cheapest bottle of vodka you can find.
i bought barton vodka. it was like $7. bottom shelf.
~
buy 6 vanilla seed pods. whole foods is the cheapest, bulk area.
if you live in utah, whole foods does not carry them in bulk. so we ordered them online locally here.
tip: DON'T buy them in the jar. it's a waste of money & you don't want them dry.


step one:
first & foremost, scratch off the tacky label & clean the outside of your bottle.

step two: 
take your vanilla pods and cut them open from stem to end lengthwise, but not in half!


step three: 
after you cut open your pods, put them directly into the vodka bottle.

{pretend you're a creative cathy & decorate the neck}
~
put your bottle in a dark cupboard for 3 months.
the vodka will take on a lovely dark caramel color and turn into the most delicious vanilla extract you've ever tasted.
every few weeks shake the bottle before it's ready.
resist the urge to drink straight from the bottle!

This is not only great for you to have, but it's great for gifts!
Snag some tiny bottles from Hobby Lobby & you can fill each one to make the cutest last minute presents.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was written as guest post for Miss Mama Me!
Whit asked me to guest post for her while she & her family vaycay in Cabo. 
WHAT a bitch.
While she is basking in the sun, drinking Mai Tai's & getting massages by a shirtless, toned Juan Pablo, I 
have to write a guest post so her blog doesn't sit dormant as she frolic's about in Mexico.
It's fked up.

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Wednesday, May 14

Mother's Day Brunch



This was my first year as a mom going to a preschool Mother's Day Brunch.
Seriously, talk about sweeping me off my feet by little man!

First thing walking in I was handed a picture book of this year's activities they had done.
And a necklace that Drey made .
It's my favorite thing in the world right now. No joke, I'm in love with it.

Second we had to find our paper on the wall that describes us, in our child's eye.. so cute.
Then there was a small program & they sang us songs, swooon!

After that we did a mini craft, planted a flower & then ate some brunchy.
I honestly loved it so much. Dreydan was so sweet & I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry a little.

 She likes to give me noodles haha... and the picture of me is spot on.

 my necklace! it's mine. be jealous.

first page in his all about me book. love every piece of him!
~
It's all about the little things in life that we need to cherish.

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Sunday, May 11

being a mama.

i have to tell you guys, when tyler & i first found out i was pregnant, i was totally unprepared & a little upset. we were newly married, in the middle of finals, tyler being recruited for football, swapping schools... it was a little bit of a mess. adding a baby? ahhh!

tyler was so sweet & strong about our news. we were sitting on the bathroom floor staring at the pregnancy stick with those obvious double pink lines staring right at me. he stood up & said, well. we're going to have a baby. it is what it is, em. he smiled, helped me up and gave me the best hug ever.

fast forward 9 months {+1 week, he was late!} and i'm holding my sleeping baby boy in arms. i was a mom. it felt so perfect & natural. why did i ever doubt myself? why did i think i wasn't capable of loving a child so much? and i kept thinking how does anything compare to this? this new life i brought into the world. it's simple. nothing compares to that. you can sure try, but good luck!

fast forward a couple years & here we are now. i'd be lying if i said motherhood was easy. it's the hardest thing i've done in my life thus far. it's messy, it's stinky, it takes every piece of you. with that being said, it's the hardest thing i've ever done with the sweetest rewards i could ever imagine. my 3 {almost 4!} year old son is the center of our world. and our undying love for him makes me want to cry.  before i was worried about not being capable of loving him enough. now, i wonder how any human is able to love someone so much

he's the first thing i think about every morning and the last thought before i drift off to sleep at night. teaching your child. raising your child. watching your child grow. it's surreal to me sometimes. i made him! my heartbeat was what kept him alive while inside me those 9 short months. now, his heartbeat is what keeps me alive. and that smile! swoooon.

i tell drey i love him about 100+ times a day. but what is love to a 3yr old? i've asked him what he thinks love means or is and these are things he's said:

"it's like...when I get a new dinosaur"
"it's what you do to me, mom! you love me!"
"love? to the moon & back?"
"when i watch jurassic park! i LOVE jurassic park!"
"love is when i love my candy. i love candy. do you love candy?"

and my personal favorite, i asked him if he knew what love was...
"i think it's when you & dad say you love me & i say 'love you too' and then we are happy"

pretty much, he nailed it.


happy mother's day to all you special mama's. especially mine, the most special of all.
~~~~~~
and she loved a little boy very, very much. even more than she loved herself.
-the giving tree, shel silverstein
photography via
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Wednesday, May 7

Taking Stock.


I've been seeing a couple of these floating around and thought it would be fun to join.
Original I think came from here.

Making : grapevine wreaths decor. obsessed. 
Cooking : vegetables like a mofo.
Drinking : dr pepper. always.
Reading : A Good American, Alex George - Inferno, Dan Brown - And The Mountains Echoed, Khaled Hosseini
Wanting : hot weather & everything from this list.
Looking : through my recipe box for dinner idea's this week.
Playing : dinosaurs.
Wasting : mangoes. i didn't mean to.
Sewing : not a damn thing.
Wishing : i could write the book to my own life.
Enjoying : my newly rekindled flame with my boyfriend, Legolas. #thehobbit
Waiting : to share some unexpected news!
Liking : the idea of a new blog design.
Wondering : if butter is a carb.
Loving : my homemade fried zucchini chips.
Hoping : i get my flabby ass toned up before cancun.
Marveling : at my 3 year old & his memory.
Needing : sushi.
Smelling : popcorn, yum!
Wearing : my air force ROTC training shirt & VS sweats.
Following : not the crowd! they're fking bat shit crazy these days.
Noticing : my easter decor is still up...
Knowing : my life as we know it is about to get cuh-ray-zay!
Thinking : i need hostess chocolate donuts within my reach
Feeling : like i shouldn't have chocolate donuts within my reach.
Bookmarking : nothing. unless it's inside of a book.
Opening : a box of tampons. yup... fml.
Giggling : at very inappropriate moments because i can't help it.

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