Let my love open the door.

So the hubs and i just had our 2nd anniversary this past Monday and it was an awesome day for us.  We decided that since we never really had a honeymoon or special vacation together (aside from a wkend away, or as my pals would say mini-break, here and there) that we would book a B&B in the finger lakes on the Sunday night before our anniversary.  It was called The Acorn Inn- it was the first and only place I liked when we were looking at B&Bs.  Hi, I'm Meg and I have a slight o.c.d about clean/nice hotels and inns.  We stayed in the Barn Suite which is the detached structure behind the Inn.  It was fab.u.lous.

Front of the Inn (better pic on website)     The Barn Suite, behind main house. 

The lady who owns and operates it was super nice and friendly and obviously has great taste.  Thanks Sheryl!  And sweet mama, breakfast was to die for- creme brulee, brioche french toast sprinkled with powdered sugar and strawberries.  I wish we had gotten a picture of it... it was a thing of beauty!  We had such a relaxing time- but as most parents know, we were itching to get back to our peanut!!  

While we were there we realized how much we are zooming through life and not really taking the time to appreciate all we have.  Some days we are so engrossed in the routine.. work, lunch, gym, home, errands, dinner, tub, bed... it's like we are going through the motions sometimes.  The time away made us realize that we need to be present in every moment and switch things up to keep us all feeling refreshed and aware of all we have to be so grateful for. And once you make a realization like that, the universe brings it home with all sorts of hints.  On the radio this morning I heard a psychic/author talking about the importance of appreciating.  If we aren't appreciating the wonderful things in our lives... they may not be yours for very long.

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly." 

-- Buddha   

Song of then day: Let my love open the door, Pete Townshend
dedicated to my awesome hubby, our song and our first dance together as a married couple.

i'm a regular paula freakin dean

It's taco night!! and i forgot the taco seasoning at the store today..(WAH WAH) so i used this recipe from allrecipes.com and it came out super yummy and i had most of the ingredients on hand!  Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

(allrecipes.com)

couple of things, i did not have oregano, so i added a pinch of parsley instead.  i didn't add any salt (although i'd like to say it's because i'm so healthy, it's not, i just forgot. ha) and i didn't have paprika either.  Even with some missing ingredients, it came out really good!  And doesn't it just seem healthier/yummier when you make something from scratch?

needless to say, i was a happy lady on this delicious taco night!  Anyone else have a good taco seasoning recipe they want to share?

Song of the day:  Mumford & Sons, The Cave

and the video is so good! yea, i actually caught this video on tv the other day, someone must have sat on the remote and accidentally turned nick jr. off!

bring it on swim suit season!

So the hubs and i have been on a serious workout/eat better kick lately.... since January actually!  Time flies when you have a one and a half year old!    And we have really yet to weigh in!  So last night we got on the scale and what do you know- i have lost 8 lbs and he's lost an astonishing 27 lbs!!! WOW!  

Ok let me just preface this with the fact that when we met 3ish years ago, we were both in pretty good shape and have slowly slipped into fatty, happy comas together.  After the birth of our lil peanut, we also put exercising on the back burner (and i mean the WAY back burner haha) and after some health issues and a general feeling of yuckiness we decided to join the Y and get moving.  Best. Decision. Ever.  Not only are we getting in better shape and feeling healthier, but our lil one is having a blast in the child watch center with all her new friends.  

As for dieting, we are two people that enjoy good food.  We don't deprive ourselves of anything really.  Just getting moving at the gym has seemed to trigger the healthier eating thing subconsciously.  We seem to snack less and binge WAY less.  And my favorite thing from this whole experience is the protein shake i have after my afternoon workout.  I use Garden Greens Protein shake- toss in some banana and peanut butter and omg it's delicious!  (and it seems to curb my appetite until dinner time!)  

Organic and your daily amount of greens! 

Now, i'm no fancy trainer or anything.  Just an excited blogger mommy that feels like I need to share this with my pals :)

before and after pics to come!

tick this one off the bucket list..

is there anything more fun than making something happen that you have been thinking about for ages?  i am so excited that i have finally started making bottlecap bows!  you'd think that i have just run a marathon or became the first madam president, i'm so excited!  the process is surprisingly do-able and i had some really lovely sellers help me out.  i asked around on facebook for any tips to starting this process and i got ZERO response haha- too much competition i suppose.  well, thank you to the shop owner from fizzy pops on etsy!  i purchased the epoxy dots (clear, dome-y things that cover the image) from there and the owner was so nice and gave me some tips to help get started.  

so here are some of the abby (from sesame street) designs:

single abby bottlecap clip 3-

abby loopy bow 5-

abby twinkle think bow 7-

i am in love.  if it were legal in NY to marry a hairbow and i weren't already married, i'd be calling the caterers.  so my next project is making some pink yankee ones.  any other sports teams that you are looking for?  just give me a shout!

what i am is... tired

it's wednesday and i feel like it should be friday!  i feel like my life is so jam-packed right now that i couldn't possibly squeeze in another thing- so i am making a vow to try and take full advantage of the little chunks of downtime that i get.  like, in the morning before i head off to my part-time job, sometimes i turn on sesame street for the lil one while i go start the coffee, check my email, unload dish washer .... when i should just grab my coffee and plop on the couch with the babygirl and enjoy the moment.  *note how the coffee-making is non-negotiable ;)

so i did that this morning and what was i rewarded with? besides some cuddles from my favorite lil lady was an appearance of will.i.am. (from the black eyed peas) on sesame street!  how adorable this video is!  love it, but beware- it will get stuck in your head!

speaking of getting songs stuck in your head..

the hubs always seems to have Dr. Stringz in his head from nick jr's, jack's big music show.  does anyone ever get their kid's songs stuck in their head for an unreasonable amount of time?   which ones are the worst offenders?  

so i heard this amazing song on pandora today and i need to share it:

Heather's Song by Misty River 

so beautiful and such amazing lyrics, especially for the mamas <3

crabby candle co. giveaway!

I first saw Crabby Candle Co. on facebook and I thought what a great logo! and i just love the name.  Amid a sea of corporate owned candle/tart pages here is a refreshingly fun and independent company.    So when I saw that they were having a flash sale, i jumped on it.  I ordered 2 tart packs and after much back and forth in my mind about which scents to pick, i chose brown sugar and fig (from the baked category) and wild flowers (from the floral category).  when they got here i noticed they had thrown in 2 mini samples one of which was hawaiian breeze and oh man-i cannot wait to try that one-smells SO pretty!  Their website is super clean and user-friendly.  

here is a pic of my tart packs and 2 very generous sample tarts.  love em!

Rebecca from Crabby Candle Co. generously offered to donate 2 tarts (scent choices can be found here: http://www.crabbycandleco.com/Tarts_c3.htm ) AND a tart sample pack in the winners choice of scent-type (Baked, Floral, Fruity, Clean, or Mixed) to the winner of this giveaway!

how awesome is that?  very awesome.  

And all you have to do is:

• Head over to crabby candle's facebook page and click like!  (tell them c.l.b. sent ya!) 
• comment under this post to enter.  Let me know what your fave crabby candle co. scent is or what scent you're dying to try!
• for extra entries, keep posted on our facebook page!

winner will be picked Friday! 3/11  Good Luck!!

hi there!

WOW!  welcome to all my new g.f.c. friends!! what an awesome surprise to see that number jump up so high!  thanks to my new friend at 'we read barefoot' for hosting a lil mini weekend giveaway!  i am always pleasantly surprised to meet such awesome people/business owners on facebook.    so for all my new friends, this is my blog that started out as my sole way to get my bow business out there and now that i have the facebook page and etsy shop well underway i use this blog to reach out to my fellow mamas/indie crafters/shopping addicts/music lovers/home decorators about everything under the sun.  i love to hear from you!  comment away!  don't be shy!  

and my posts are sporadic... when the baby's sleeping, i'm typing :)

i'll leave a pic of my current fave clippie set:

the counting birdies set so cute and current-love the color combo.  

for my very special blog friends, i will run a 5.00 special (includes shipping in the US) if you want a set... this is only to celebrate my new blog friends.  How VIP is that?!

comment with paypal email and i'll send you an invoice :)

georgia on my wall.

i am just getting WAY too excited for spring.  we had an unfortunate doggy illness the other night (someone please tell me how our little terrier got the flu!?) skipping the yucky details we had to do a midnight cleanup and open the windows to waft out the funk.  something about hearing the wind through the trees and all those relaxing sounds that you start to miss over the winter- and i slept like a baby.  there is nothing that compares to that weather where the heat is off and the windows are open and it's just comfortable.  counting. down. the. days. 

so needless to say, i have been getting the "i've been cooped up in my house all winter and i've got to change things up" bug.  you know, that one.  i've had this poster i got from our local art museum on our family room wall for-EVER and although i love you, georgia o'keefe, i no longer want you hanging over our couch.  so i popped over to pier one imports and got this piece i have been eying for a hot minute.  i know some people think that wrought-iron inspired pieces are boring but i love them.  i like that they don't break up the wall too much like a big painting/canvas/poster does.  and this particular one is kinda free-flowing and delicate.  we have really pretty windows with little shutters in the top corners of that wall that get a lot more attention now.  so, in short.  i love it.  and drum roll please...... it was 20 flipping bucks. here it is:  

now, i know that probably looks a little bare to some but i love me a bright & simple house.

***

 here is the offending culprit.  we'll have to retire her to the office.  

i'll have to dig up a before pic.  things were so dark and bulky.  my new goal is to brighten things up and pick things that i LOVE so my house will be happy and as oprah says, "will rise up to meet me".  

song of the day, something quirky and fun:

anyone else but you by the moldy peaches :)

meet the new easter babies!

Hi friends!  So did anyone watch that charlie sheen interview on 20/20 last night?!  holy shnikes!  that man is crazzzzzzyyyyyy beans!  the hubs and i were peeing our pants laughing.  some of the gems that rambled out of his mouth wow.  and the part were he held up a random key chain and looked through it at the poor reporter.. what the what!

So on to some other crazy things.  crazy CUTE, that is ;)

 i thought i'd share some of my fave new clippies for spring/easter-y season!  I am loving working with all the pastels, it's making me desperate. for. spring. don't get me wrong, i'm a lover of all seasons and i get annoyed when people whine about the cold weather (especially when you choose to live in NY!)  but i feel that you need to know the cold in order to appreciate the sunshine.  ok, enough chit chat.  here's the goods.

lil bunny girl clip 3.50

now behold the cuteness that is ms. chick:

and yes, she's rocking the feathery pig tails :) 3.50

and for you smaller clippie lovers:

this would make a great gift too! 

easter pastels clippie set 4-

i hope you all have a lovely night! 

song of the day was for sure:

Katy Perry, E.T. what a great workout tune!!