Simple Weekend DIY's

Hello friends! How was everyone's week? I feel like it went by far too quickly- I'm not ready for AJ to go back to work. I was supposed to post this yesterday, but the day got away from me, so here it is today!

Evie caught my cold from last week, so she has been quite the handful. We spent most of the week taking turns snuggling with her, rubbing oils on her feet and chest, and catching up on Downton Abbey (AJ finally decided he likes loves it, so we've been binge watching it to catch up). I'm ok with that.

E's never really been this sick, so seeing her so miserable with a fever, cough and runny nose broke my mama heart this week. Luckily, I think she's on the up and up- colds take forever to get rid of :( I'm sure she'll be back to her normal, bright, happy self soon though!

Since it's a new weekend, I wanted to share a few of the projects I have planned for my weekend once again. I like having goals going into something- there isn't anything more satisfying than crossing something off of a list!

1. Recycling coffee grounds! This is something I've been researching a lot lately because, who doesn't waste pounds and pounds and pounds of coffee grounds everyday? We may have a small addiction in our house, so finding ways to reuse our old grounds would definitely make me feel better than throwing them all out. Here are a few of the ideas I've run across:

• This tutorial is for a coconut oil/coffee grounds body scrub. It's probably the first one I'll try since I love making body butters and scrubs, and I've read a lot about how good of an exfoliate coffee grounds are.
• This post shares lots of ways to use coffee grounds outside. Since AJ and I plan on planting a garden in our new home, when we buy one ;), this is something I'll save for the future. Coffee has LOTS of benefits outdoors, not just in/on your body. 
• One last post has 15 uses for coffee grounds like unclogging drains, freshening your fridge, and cleaning your dog.

2. Figure out how to roll my own sushi! This one I'm particularly excited about. I've been craving sushi from our favorite Japanese restaurant CONSTANTLY (don't worry, I always order veggie sushi), but since we aren't made of money and my cravings were starting to necessitate their own part-time job, I decided to try my hand at making my own. Here goes nothing!

• This recipe is for a basic California roll. Looks simple enough.
• Here is one for veggie sushi, in case there are some raw fish haters or preggo friends among us ;)

Are there any veteran sushi chefs out there? I'd love to hear tips and tricks for making it at home!

3. Give our boring TV trays a makeover. I don't have any links for this one, but I'm sick of looking at the plain, wooden tables that we use so regularly. I figured I'd spice them up a bit so that when we eat dinner during Downton Abbey I can at least be excited about it ;) I'm thinking something geometric, colorful and dip-dyed for the legs. Wish me luck!

That should keep me busy for the next few days. What fun projects are you all working on? I'm always looking for inspiration...

here

Simply,

Liv

My Life isn't Pinterest Perfect

I've written before about my struggle with comparison and the fear of missing out that we all struggle with, but something different has been bothering me lately. It took me a while to "pin"point it (I crack myself up...), but I think I've finally put my finger on what it is.

My life isn't like Pinterest.

That seems like the most obvious statement, but it took me a few days of feeling constantly messy, stressed and confused before I realized that all of the "inspirations"- perfect homes, perfect hair, perfect outfits- that I pinned daily were actually weighing me down, causing me to be dissatisfied with my real life.

*Disclaimer* I am in no way saying that we should give up Pinterest or stop trying to better our lives or find inspiration online- I'm only writing about a revelation I had that has enabled me to use it with more freedom and less angst.

You see, online we are given fake (or at least 1/2 true) versions of life- a gorgeous, minimalistic, fully styled living room with everything in its perfect place; a flawless face/body on Instagram after an intense workout; a beautiful loaf of homemade bread that didn't sink in at all....

But we forget that these are images. They're not real life. That living room doesn't look like that 90% of the time. Her flawless body does, in fact, have trouble spots and flabby areas. And that loaf of bread took 6 tries to perfect.

As great as Pinterest is, and trust me, I use it A LOT, it is easy to get discouraged by what we see there and think our life is somehow less valuable or worthy since it isn't "picture perfect".

Take my home for example:

(I find it ironic that this is the post I chose to show you photos of my home. I've been waiting till it gets just a little more organized, decorated and clean to do a home tour...but now at least you'll get the "real life" version.)

This is our living room. Notice the dog smashing the couch and the diaper on the floor.

Yes, that's a dog toy next to our breakfast. And a completely bare, huge wall...

That pile of dishes was much bigger this morning.

Why there are three coffee mugs on her dresser? I couldn't tell you.

And this one because I love how her little wall turned out.

Feel better about yourself yet? That took some guts to post, let me tell you. I'd love for you all to think that my house looks like a Pinterest board, but I've just shattered all of those dreams in one fell swoop.

So the moral of my story is this:

Real life is messy.

I'm not a perfect mom. Sometimes Evie goes two days without a bath. Sometimes I raise my voice at her and don't count to ten before I react. Sometimes I let her stay in her crib for an extra 10 minutes so I can lay in bed just a liiiiitle bit longer.

I'm not a perfect wife. AJ and I argue about pointless things. The other day we argued about Bruno Mars lyrics; he thought it said Saturday and I thought Friday. He was right. Sometimes I forget to say thank you for the way he provides and how hard he works to be a good daddy and husband.

My body isn't perfect. Sometimes I wear the same pair of sweats for an entire week. Sometimes I don't wear a drop of makeup for an entire week. Sometimes I don't leave the house.

My house is (obviously) not perfect. Whenever my mom comes over and I apologize for the mess she says, "its not messy, its just lived in". I love that.

We learn in the mess. We would never be able to get that beautifully decorated home if we didn't have a few faux pas first. We can never have a picture perfect dinner without making a mess out of the kitchen before hand. But life doesn't have to be Pinterest perfect after all- because it's real. And that's what matters.

Fluffy Gluten Free Pancakes

Another Friday- another week almost under our belts. What are your fun weekend plans?

I plan on being not nearly as productive as I was last weekend. I've been sick this week and so my motivation levels are a little bit on the low side. I think I'm over the worst of it though, but in all honesty I'll probably just work on my blanket (which is coming along well!) and cuddle with my baby all weekend. Sounds productive enough to me.

Today I want to share a recipe that has quickly become a favorite at our house. I LOVE pancakes, and lately I've been craving breakfast for all three meals of the day. Since making the switch to eating gluten free, however, I've struggled to find a recipe on Pinterest or in cookbooks that actually lives up to the glutenfull-fluffy-melt-in-your-mouth-pancakes that I was used to. Kind of a let down. But I would never let a small road block like that get in the way of my undying pancake love- or my pregnancy cravings for breakfast food.

I started to experiment with recipes and tweak things that I didn't like about them. There were some inedible failures, trust me. But in the end I think I came up with something that we all love and I hope you will too! AJ says he likes them better than my normal, "glutenfull" pancakes we used to make, so that should tell you something ;) My man likes his pancakes too.

Give them a try this weekend!

Ingredients: (makes about 4 servings)

- 2 cups almond flour (or regular wheat flour)
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup coconut milk (or any kind of milk you prefer- we use coconut so Evie can eat them too)
- 1 1/2 tbsp coconut sugar or honey
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp of cinnamon (optional)
- Fresh berries or chocolate chips

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and milk.
3. Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture.
4. Drop about 1/4 cup of the batter onto a hot, greased skillet and add the fillings of your choice. We love blueberries and chocolate chips.
5. Allow to cook for a few minutes- flip- repeat :) You know the drill.


There you have it! Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Happy weekend, friends.

Evie- 14 Month Update

Happy Monday, lovely people. How was everyone's weekend? I at least got started on all the projects I had planned, and I'm about to pull my first gluten-free loaf of bread out of the oven as we speak, so I'd call that a successful three days. What fun projects did you all accomplish/start?

On a completely unrelated note, in honor of Evie's 14 month-hood, I wanted to share the rest of the photos that we had taken of her (semi-)recently. These were for her 1 year photo shoot, but I haven't shared them yet, so why not? Again, these were all taken by Amy at A Moment Photography. She's the greatest, and they definitely capture Evie's silly personality.

 

Likes: 

- Walking where she wants to go: She has been taking steps on her own for over a month, but she's finally getting to the point where she thinks walking somewhere is more efficient than crawling there. Seeing her walk makes her seem so grown up! 

- Car keys: She definitely chose one of the more dangerous/unsanitary options for her favorite things. 

- Wearing her winter jacket everywhere: Even when we are inside she will say "brrr" and point at her coat. It's probably her Colorado blood ;)

- Wearing bows: If you follow me on Instagram, you read about the time a few weeks ago when she woke up early and was inconsolable, until I realized she was pointing at the container of hair bows we have on her dresser. Girly girl already? We'll see.

- Her belly button: she loves to find her belly button and giggles anytime you touch it. She will also lift up other people's shirts to try and find theirs. Once she does she will kiss your belly. 

 

I think this one is my favorite :)

Dislikes: 

- Sleeping in: it's ironic that her mother is opposite of a morning person...

Firsts:

- She can now say more, yes, papa, nana (as in banana), nona (for Grandma Chris), mama, dada, Jess (she just says the J), yuck, poop, tickle tickle, soft and socks.

- She knows where her eyes, nose, knees, hair, head, tummy, toes and belly button are. It is so fun to watch her learn things; some she just picked up on her own.

I can't believe my sweet girl is already 14 months old. I'm trying to treasure every moment with her and write the cute little things down, since I know it won't be just her for much longer. It will be so fun to go back and re-read these posts when she is all grown up and bossing a little brother/sister around. ;)