a month in photos {March}

Well life seems to have gotten in the way of blogging these past two weeks. Of course you can always find me updating every here and there on Twitter (@RW_blog) and instagram. But that’s just not the same, and since I’m constantly bursting with ideas for the next diy tutorial, the next best way to organize, and the next story of my life… the blog calendar has certainly grown longer and denser! I can’t wait to get back to sharing my ideas!

I originally wrote this post via my phone’s WordPress app in an attempt to multi-task during my daily commute. Unfortunately my phone and I don’t have the best relationship so today it was a swell surprise to find that my phone had tossed the completely finished draft of this post. And by tossed, I mean this post used to be a lot longer and a lot more fun. If you have ever created anything on any form of a computer, then you know this feeling. This feeling of wanting to throw a tantrum until you ultimately sit in the middle of the room crying. But instead tell yourself you’re an adult and it’d be far more mature to eat your remaining Easter candy while cussing a few times about how the user was not in error. Yes, that’s definitely more mature.

So to avoid dwelling over my attempt to recreate what I had originally written for this post, I’m simply going to cut to the chase. Here’s a look at my life in the past month both on and off the blog…

waffles for dinner

chocolate curls… for the waffles. for dinner.

oh Easter tree…

my little nephew is getting so big!

peacock feathers… from family-raised peacocks!

mounted jewelery tree

decorating my home with bandannas

ice cream party!

gold paint. enough said.

photo gallery diy tutorial

coloring 7 dozen Easter eggs from the family farm!

Lila’s 3rd Birdthday!

feathers? why not.

walking along the Mississippi without freezing!

vegetable stir fry in the wok

Happy April folks!

February Favorites {Week 4}

{ONE}

This month has flown by in such a frenzy that I even missed my friend’s birthday. Ugh, how horrible! It wasn’t until the day before her birthday that it hit me and being that we live in different states… well there was just no avoiding the fact that I missed it. So if you ask me, it’s one thing to be late but it’s another to be fashionably late. Me? I am never late. Fashionably late? Yes. ALL THE TIME.

Anyway I missed my friend’s birthday and what better way of being fashionably late than by sending her a fashionable headband from the Gussy Sews shop?! PLUS on your birthday, everyone you cross paths with is wishing you a happy day – so why not spread the love out and try to make that person feel special on some random, not particularly exciting, March day?

That’s right, I wasn’t late. I was just doing my part to spread the love. This was allll intentional.

PS. If you don’t follow the Gussy Sews blog yet, then you should check it out. She and her husband used to live in the Twin Cities, Minnesota but have since taken a crazy adventure and are now in California and due to have their first baby — this weekend! It’s been so fun to follow along as she posts pictures of both her growing tummy and handmade business.

I loove the new product line by Gussy Sews! (image courtesy of shopgussy.com)

{TWO}

This past weekend I went crazy on the strawberry smoothies. Seriously, I used an entire pound of strawberries for these two glasses of smoothies. Ohhh yum.

I love mixing and matching when I make smoothies and for these ones, I used an entire pound of strawberries, about 3/4 cup of plain yogurt, about 1/2 cup of skim milk, about 4 Tablespoons of honey, then a dash of both cloves and allspice, plus two dashes of cinnamon and nutmeg. I like to use honey as my sweetener in smoothies since it won’t get overly sweet, which is nice when paired with syrup-coated french toast!

Breakfast of Champions: strawberry smoothie and French toast

{THREE}

Have you fallen victim to the washi tape craze? Meee too. I can’t help myself, the stuff is so cheap and versatile. Seriously, it’s so handy for jazzing up gift wrapping and handmade cards. I’ve even used it to toss a little style around the frame of my bulletin board, desk drawers and furniture!

I may have a problem.

{FOUR}

Here’s a funny story. First though, you need to know two things. one – I am a coffee snob. I won’t detail it any further than that for fear of falling into a rant. two – I created an Amazon whishlist by demand of my mother. Don’t ask why, just go with it. Okay, now that you know those two wonderful details, we may continue…

So I have several coffee making devices such as a french press, a stovetop espresso maker, a Costa Rican coffee maker… just know that if you were to visit me on any given Sunday morning, I’d have PLENTY of ways to brew you an excellent cup ‘o joe. Since none of these coffee making devices include the basic, in a hurry, coffee maker where all you do is dump the grounds and push a button (and since I’m generally running fashionably late in the morning) I thought it’d be nice to have a basic coffee maker (which I therefore requested on my Amazon wishlist).

So for Christmas, Brandon’s mom asked him what I wanted. Brandon did some research online and found this strange looking device that supposedly “makes a clean cup of coffee in mere seconds.” Now, when I received this gift I thought, why on earth would Brandon think I need yet another coffee maker that’s not from my actual wishlist and is going to make me un-fashionably late?! I have plenty of those and I’m running out of cupboard space for pete’s sake!

Well I just have to say that I have never been more wrong.

If you like coffee at all, then you will love this. It’s called an AeroPress coffee maker and yummm-o! Without getting too technical I’ll sum it up by saying that it extracts the coffee’s flavors similar to the way those $15,000 espresso machines extract the flavors. Also, unlike the french press, it really does leave you with a clean cup – meaning you won’t have a mouth full of grounds after every sip and the flavors aren’t as muddled as they are with a French press. Best of all, from the time I scoop my coffee grounds to the time I am taking my first sip… 45 SECONDS! Whaaaa?!

I know this thing looks crazy and it may seem complicated or too involved but trust me, it is quick, basic, and makes better coffee than ANY OTHER at-home coffee maker I have ever used. Honest. It’s unbelievable. Don’t bash it until you’ve tried it.

my morning coffee on the run, using the AeroPress

{FIVE}

Now, if you’re from the Twin Cities metro, then you’ve probably heard of City Kid Java. If you haven’t, then get your butt to the nearest food cooperative or basic grocery store and buy some! This organization is great; all of their profits go to Urban Ventures Youth Leadership Foundation, an organization aimed at “breaking the cycle of generational poverty in the city.” This is an organization that connects both kids and adults – families – to role models and mentors while also teaching them the skills they need to achieve a financially stable life. How wonderful. So not only are you getting a superb cup of coffee and the boost you need every morning, but you’re also a crucial part of something awesome. Talk about starting the day off on the right foot!

image credit: citykidjava.com