Happy Easter!!

I took about a million pictures today but I'll spare you. Here are just a few of my favorites :)

He makes me laugh :) He's clearly annoyed that I'm taking pictures and distracting him from his 5 Easter baskets.

I just love him. He is so sweet :)

Jordan was hell-bent that we dye eggs at the crack of dawn this morning before he went into work....Which is all well and good but I think he's so excited for Baby to be older than he is, he kinda thought he'd be a part of it so he brought in his highchair and kept trying to get him to watch when he'd dye one. A just wanted to eat Cheerios I hid in some plastic eggs haha Poor Jordan :) Next year!

Well, the adults had fun anyway <3

XOXO

Vegas, Baby!!

Along with our trip to Alabama, we were home about 3 1/2 days before Jordan and I headed off to Vegas! We had been planning this trip FOREVER so I was soooo ready for it when the time finally came. My parents came to take care of Babykins and off we went for 4 glorious days.

The first day was SO hard being away from our kiddo but after we got into the swing of things of sleeping in, staying out late, and relaxing A LOT, it got a lot easier to get over lol (oops!)

It was so nice to be able to focus on each other for a few days.

I think the Hubby appreciated it most of all. I tend to be obsessed with our little one and give him LOTS of attention and I think Jordan misses the days when all that attention was directed at him haha! 

My stomach was not behaving most of the trip so I really can't talk much about great food or drinks we had however, we had saved our last night (Saturday) for the ultimate date night, non-Vegas style. We went out to dinner and I was soooo excited because my stomach was finally being good and we had one of the best meals of my LIFE!! No joke. Phil's Italian Steakhouse in the Treasure Island Hotel (where we stayed). This is like a best-kept secret that I'm now exploding. I was nervous when we walked in because it was completely empty! Granted we were there at like 5:30pm but still. We couldn't get a single reservation at N9NE regardless of the time so you get what I mean. BEST MEAL EVER!! I had a caprese salad and the petite filet with a baked potato. I'm not a steak girl by any means but wow. I'd eat that every day if I could. Topped off with an awesome glass of Pinot Grigio and this girl was a happy camper to say the least!

After that, we went to the Palms movie theatre and saw 21 Jump Street - HILARIOUS. Loved it! I was laughing out loud so freaking much! We finished the night at my favorite bar in all of Vegas that I'm not going to repeat because it's not overly well-known and that's one of the many reasons I love it :) Needless to say, we spent our last night in Vegas well. The rest of the time, we did a lot of lounging, people watching, and spent a lot of money at the craps table (we thought we were complete badasses for some reason).

This is what we look like after a few car bombs :)

XOXO

Fight Against ALS

A big part of our trip to Alabama was spending time with Jordan's grandfather who is suffering from ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). Before his diagnosis, I really didn't know much about it. ALS is a disease where the motor neurons that control our muscle function die: slowly the individual is unable to move sections of their body. While their brain functions normally, they may not be able to speak any longer or help themselves around until eventually, they are completely paralyzed. This is VERY difficult for him and for our family as I can easily say that it is one of the worst diseases I've ever witnessed (and I've seen some pretty terrible ones). It's absolutely heart-breaking but we are SO happy we got to spend so much time with him and he got to spend so much time with his great-grandson :) We just absolutely love him to death and continually pray for a cure to help him.

If you're interested in finding out more about, I encourage you to research it or to read about it here ~ http://www.alsa.org/about-als/. Jordan's grandpa, despite his limitations, is very involved in the ALS community to help find a cure; if not for him, for those after him fighting this same disease. 

If you're interested in the helping him support the cause to find a cure, it would mean so much to us to get people involved or to donate. Any amount helps. If you do donate or if this hits home for you, please contact me and let me know who you are so I can thank you. It would mean so much to us to know other people are out there helping fight this terrible disease. 

Please go here to donate: http://www.alsa.org/donate/

Or here to help fight against ALS: http://www.alsa.org/fight-als/

XOXO

Vacation

Hey Boys and Girls, :)

I haven't been blogging really over the last few weeks because the hubby, baby, and I have been all over the place! Baby and I spent a week up at my parents house while my hubby was working like a mad man at work. We got back to the OC and two days later, the 3 of us were boarding a plane to Alabama! Jordan's family lives there and we haven't gotten to visit since our move out here so it was SO great being back. We really had been missing everyone!

There's never a dull moment when we visit! Our first day there, Baby had gotten a really nasty diaper rash that spread FAST so off we went to the ER (it wasn't serious but it was the easiest with insurance) to get it taken care of. Along with medicine, their biggest suggestion was we let him be naked as much as possible so this is how he spent a lot of his time. He peed about 5 times in their house and pooped once on their kitchen floor. My MIL thought it was hysterical but I was absolutely MORTIFIED!! In retrospect, it was pretty hilarious :)

A big highlight of our trip was getting to see one of my absolute besties and her entire family. I miss them SO much and it's been almost a year since we've seen them! We met up at Zoo Atlanta. :)

Boat time with Neela <3

We got him some serious tiger slippers from the zoo that he thought were pretty awesome :)

XOXO

Easy 2nd-Day Hair

Ok so I'm not going to pretend like this is super novel or complicated...but I just wanted to share a cute hair-style I did while we were on vacation. We were visiting the hubby's family and let me just say, they are early risers and we are...not so much. Therefore, I was trying to come up with ways to get ready faster while I was there so they weren't always waiting for me. This is a cute little thing I did really quick with 2nd-day-hair and my hubby actually noticed it was different than normal and complimented it so I thought I'd pass it along :)

Pretty basic: French braid starting right at the top hairline. When you get to where your hair is roughly half up, hold in place and set with bobby-pins. I ran my straightener through the bottom a few times to fix the squiggles where I slept and that was it! 10 minutes tops! 

XOXO

Gluten-Free

Well, I don't know how many of you out there are struggling with stomach issues like I am but since getting pregnant, my stomach has never been the same. I have been battling nausea and upset stomachs for nearly two years now and finally made my way to a GI doctor recently. While I tested negative for Celiac's, a gluten-free diet has really helped me. It's THE WORST DIET EVEEERRRRR.

But for those of you who are thinking about going with this diet for nutrition reasons or to save yourself from stomach pain, I'm going to try to pave the way a little for you as some other bloggers have done the same for me! I'll be posting new foods and gluten-free brands that I love or hate and different menu items at restaurants.

So far, here's what I've got:

Top left: Trader Joe's GF Chocolate Chip Cookies; 

Bottom left: Udi's GF breads; 

Right: Redbridge GF Sorghum Beer

These are 3 fantastic products that have saved me. I hate to give away my CC Cookie secret but honestly, these are so freaking good, I'd demolish them whether I was GF or not! I buy them in bulk because I pound one of these bags in a matter of a day or two. They are THAT good. 

Udi's is a brand that makes gluten free breads. I was really hesitant to try them as bread made without wheat-flour did not sound appealing. I bought their multigrain bread, bagels, and hamburger buns. So far, I've only tried the bread but wow is it good!! I am a carb-o-holic with the majority of that being breads so I consider myself quite the connoisseur...this stuff will not disappoint! 

Finally, we have the Redbridge gluten-free beer made by (I believe) Anheuser-Busch. My husband picked some of this up for me at Bev-Mo before our trip to Vegas (I'm not big on hard alcohol and was dreading not being able to have a beer). It was not bad at all! It tasted like a good amber beer. Nothing too light but not too heavy and quite honestly, I never would have guessed it was GF! There are a few brands out there that have tried the GF thing and have failed so I was pleasantly surprised by this one!

Another big challenge of this diet is eating out. Holy moly what a pain in the butt! Here is a short list of things I've ordered and really loved at various restaurants (keep in mind, this list is currently short as I've only been on this diet a few weeks and was on vacation for the majority of that time but I'll keep posting my finds):

Islands: Baja Chicken Tacos (with corn tortillas substituted) - SO GOOD. I actually crave these randomly now

In-n-Out: Hamburger (and fries! Yay!) protein style - Thank God we don't have to give up on our In-n-Out! All this is is a regular burger wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun. It's not nearly as good as a regular burger but it definitely satisfies and gets the job done!

Chipotle: Chicken burrito bowl (burrito without the flour tortilla)- now don't hold me to this that this isn't entirely gluten free as I've never asked but I'm only assuming as there's nothing obvious in it and this is one of the few foods I can eat a TON of and not feel like garbage. 

Outback Steakhouse: Grilled Chicken on the Barbie (with baked potato instead of veggies) - I'm not a big Outback fan but my dad and hubby are so this is the best thing I've had. It's a little plain but the BBQ sauce (I get it on the side) is really, really good so it definitely makes it a good meal. Add a salad (sans croutons) and it's a pretty healthy meal!

Macaroni Grill : Pollo Caprese (with gluten-free penne - go MG for offering this!) and a Caprese salad - the salad is especially good!

Another benefit because so many consumers are now on the gluten-free diet, most of these places offer gluten-free menus on their website. 

I also highly, HIGHLY recommend shopping at Trader Joe's. They offer a large amount of items that are gluten-free (including the cookies mentioned above and this is also where I found Udi's breads...as well as some really great frozen tamales I'm obsessed with- pictured below).

They take pride in the fact that they can service those of us on this diet - you can even print out a list of every item in the store that is GF! Check out the site here ~ http://www.traderjoes.com/lists/no-gluten.asp

Feel free to email me or comment if you have places and items you want to add!

XOXO

Bunny Slippers

Happy Easter!

In honor, I made these little slippers! They're ready to order for $25 a pair ~

Baby Gladiators

For those of you who may or may not know, a friend of mine is opening a new store in Julian, CA (San Diego area) in a few weeks called Apple Blossom and has asked me to be a part of it by selling some of my knits and other things I've made. I'm SO excited to really start sharing my love of cute baby hand knits with a bigger community!

Anyway, I've been working on some new things to bring to the store and I just finished up these little babies today. I'm SO excited about them!

Baby Gladiator Sandals 

Hope you love them as much as I do!

XOXOX

Sweet Garlic Chicken

I made the BEST CHICKEN EVVVEEERRRR the other night from a recipe I found on Pinterest and let me tell you...it's my new stand-by when I don't want to do much cooking. The prep took about 15 minutes at most, minimal clean-up and only 15 min in the oven. Made some minute rice and a quick spinach salad...dinner is done. Now we're talking!

Sweet Garlic Chicken

4 chicken breasts
4 garlic cloves
3 tbs olive oil
4 tbs brown sugar

(I used 6 little chicken tenders/cutlets. They cook quicker and there's less yucky stuff to clean off of them because they're so small)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place chicken in a greased baking dish and set aside. Heat oil in a small skillet. Add garlic until brown. Remove from heat and add brown sugar. Stir together and completely combine. Cover chicken with garlic/sugar mix. Season with salt and pepper and put it in the oven. Cook for 15-30 minutes depending on size of the chicken. (The cutlets took about 15 and were perfect!)

SO GOOD!

Happy Birthday!

This last week, my parents came to visit to celebrate my mom and the hubby's birthdays! It was so great to spend time with them even if it was short. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the weekend!

*Walking to the car with Daddy/Playing in the sand with Poppa/Relaxing with Grammy/Tate enjoying his walk from the beach*

<3

We went to Newport to the dog beach (which apparently really isn't a dog beach...and it's illegal to have dogs there...but whatever). It was awesome! Nothing makes me happier than seeing my little guy with people I love :)

We got some really great food in Costa Mesa at this place called Plums which I'm really kind of obsessed with right now. If you live in the area, GO! Highly recommend the crab omelet! (I'll post a pic of it next time I get it).

There's also a really cute store about two doors down from the restaurant that sells upscale knick-nacks...soaps, candles, books, etc. and since I knew Hubby's birthday was coming up, I couldn't help but to pick up a few things...

 I'm in love with these. I have so many things from the company who made the post-its (a company called "Knock Knock") including note pads that say "Dear Douchebag," "WTF," etc. I like to casually leave them about the house ;) My mom actually tried to make me feel REALLY bad for buying J the card and even embarrassed me at the register but I had to get it. He's so far from a jerk it's comical that I would ever seriously get him something like that, so I just had to do it. He actually loved it! And the note cards! DUH!! 

Count, Dagmar!

Holy moly, is this a hit in our house!! A was about 3 months old when we first got him this book around Halloween. He used to love looking at the awesome drawings while I read to him.

Now, at 18 months, he asks me to read this to him over...and over..........and over again in just one sitting. There are tons of flaps which he is ALL about right now and he's even learning some counting basics as we count the different objects on each page. We are so in love with this book that it's nearly falling apart after only a year (I've already super-glued some of the flaps back on lol!) and the hubby and I have discussed buying a few of these to have on back up and even to keep at the grandparents' houses.

It is SO awesome to see someone so little love reading so much. It warms my heart every time he runs to me with this book or when I find him sitting in the corner by himself flipping through and talking to himself ..."reading." ;) It's definitely a must-have, especially for boys!

Skull Slippers

Baby's new slippers :) Getting the size right was a pain in the BUTT but they're done and I really love them! I can't wait to get a picture of him in them.

Sock Monkey Love

I don't know about you but we have a sock monkey obsession in this house. I had no idea they were popular right now but we have always loved them! We even have one that my grandma made for me 20-something (yes, I'm staying vague ha!) years ago that we got to put up in Baby's room. So when I saw this pattern, I about died of joy.

My baby wanted to model it, too. Ha!

Penny's Sweater

 This is probably one of my favorite things I've gotten to make so far. I know I say this every time but this one could be true. 

L.O.V.E.

Ok so I know this is WAY late as Valentine's Day has passed but I wanted to pass along something cute I got to make for our mantel! 

This was SO easy and I knocked it out in about an hour (excluding dry time) using my Silhouette.

I made the letters in the Silhouette program and just cut them out of white cardstock. I modpodged one side of them and then covered them in glitter.

I let them dry overnight, shook them off, and then hot glued twine to the back. Done. 

The little banner above the LOVE sign was done essentially the same way without the glitter - cut out the shapes using the Silhouette (I believe the hearts were free...I just made them different sizes, and I paid $0.75 for the little bird cut-out..totally worth it!) Hot glued them to twine and taped it up! 

I was so giddy about how they turned out. I'll definitely be saving them for next year and if they get ruined during storage somehow, no biggie! 

Thank You

I came across this picture on Pinterest a few days ago and I just had to share my feelings about it. I wanted to share this picture because it is such a beautiful reminder of how grateful we should be for the men and women who serve our country. I think, too often, we forget to thank them and to thank their families for what they do. 

My husband is in the military and most days, I hate what he does because of how it affects our family. I want my son to grow up with him there and I know that won't always be possible. That kills me. But for now, he's home and safe and while he still risks his life every single day, I can still hug him every day and see that he's okay. The fact that I complain about his schedule or I complain about what life may be like when he is away from us is just...selfish. This picture reminds me that I have it so good right now compared to most military families. Their sacrifice truly floors me. There are SO many men and women who aren't able to see that they're safe every day. There are so many women in this country who give birth without their husbands by their side because he is serving to keep us safe and free. I was fortunate enough to have my husband with me when we had my son. He was supposed to be gone, but he got to stay. THAT is why this picture makes me cry. I was SO fortunate. 

To all of the men and women who serve our country and to all of their strong families, THANK YOU. Thank you for what you do and for teaching me to be stronger when I'm not. I am so grateful for what you do because you are far stronger than I am.

XOXO

Newborn Hats I Love

I LOVE making hats for babies...especially my own baby :) I love the satisfaction of seeing him run around looking in cute in something I've made for him. Another great joy of knitting is getting to see them be used and looking so cute on someone I love. Here are a few I got to make for my little niece  Kalen. 

If I've made something for you, please feel free to send me pictures! Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than to see something I've hand made be modeled by beautiful little people :) 

Chocolate Banana Bites

Today, I was in one of those moods where you want to bake but you don't want to spend your whole day doing it, yanno? So, I decided to do some "fake" baking and came across this recipe on http://nomnomnomblog.com called PB 'Nana  Cream Bites. They are SO easy and SO good! I made them in about 20 minutes. Please excuse my pictures (as mine did not turn out nearly as pretty). 

Here's the recipe according to "nomnomnom":

Chocolate Banana Bites

2 large bananas

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I just used milk chocolate)

2 tbsp-1/4 cup milk

Cut up bananas about an inch tall and swipe some peanut butter on each slice.

 Combine milk and chocolate in bowl and microwave at 15 second increments until they are able to stir together smoothly. (I think it only took two separate increments for me).

Dip the bananas in the chocolate, using fork, until they are covered and set on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper.

Put cookie sheet in freezer until bananas are completely frozen (3-5 hours).

Personally, I found that the recipe called for too much milk...I.E. the chocolate was too thin. (See above). I actually threw them in the freezer like this for about 20 minutes and then went back, melted more chocolate with less milk and covered them again for a thicker covering. Yum!

Baby Pant Mania

I've had people ask me from time to time what my favorite things to knit are and honestly, I get REALLY excited over a lot of different projects. Usually, I love things that are new that I've never tried before (I'll post some of my favorites in another post) but I've discovered that one of my all-time favorite things to make are pants for babies. They are so fast and every single pair I've made has turned out so different from the other and soooo cute. They seriously have the cutest patterns out there for babies (even boys!! go figure!). 

Here are some pants I made for one of my closest friends who was expecting a little girl. 

How sweet are these things?! I wish I was brilliant enough to make these patterns myself, but that is something I hope to accomplish one day! Until then, I'm SO grateful for the genius people who come up with this stuff. :)

Aspirin Anti-blemish Face Mask

For years, I have been using this glorious and wonderful face mask. It is so easy and ultra effective!! It's so great for those days when you're breaking out.

I absolutely love it. The main ingredient is aspirin. Weird, I know. 

I don't recommend doing this more than you need to (I do it maybe once a month at most)  and I wouldn't recommend doing this more than once or twice a week if absolutely necessary as it does have a drying effect. I also do not recommend doing this while pregnant because your skin may absorb some of the aspirin.

However, that being said, TRY THIS! It is brilliant. I do it at night before bed and, no joke, my skin is gorgeous the next day.



Aspirin Mask
4 regular aspirin pills 
2 drops tea tree oil (You can find this at a health food store. I buy mine at The Body Shop)
1-2 tsp. water (Just enough to create a paste)

Instructions

Put 4 aspirin in a bowl and grind up with the back of a spoon. 

Add just a bit of water to create a paste.

Add 2-3 drops of tea tree oil. 

With your fingers, rub all over your face to create a light mask. Leave on until it dries, about 10 minutes or so. When it dries, add some water to your hands and as you start to wash it off, use the mask as a face scrub. Rinse.

Enjoy your pretty face! :)