Category: Lifestyle

Valentine’s Date In

~ Carrie ~ 1 Comment

I’ve never been a huge Valentine’s Day fan, especially when it seems to call out those who are single but these days, we all need something to look forward to, right? Whether you’re single or spoken for, I love the idea of a date night in. Since we have nowhere to go here in California anyway, the hubs and I are planning a no tech night. This means we put away our phones, turn off the TV, and figure out what the hell to do with ourselves sans technology. We actually did this a few times back when covid first hit and it made for some fun, engaging nights. Here’s what we have planned:

  • Dinner: my mouth started watering once I found this french onion soup recipe. It’s delicious, easy, and relatively quick. A perfect winter meal.
  • Entertainment: we’re huge gamers over here and by we I mean me and I just force my husband to indulge me. Monopoly Deal is a fun, competitive game that can be played with just 2 people and usually concludes by me not speaking to my husband for the rest of the night. Competitive? Yes. Skilled? Eh.
  • Social: remember when we had to talk to each other before technology came around? Me neither but I suppose it’s something you must do once in awhile. I bought this couples quiz book that a blogger had mentioned and thought it could be a fun activity to find out little quirks and random tidbits about one another. Single? I feel like taking this Enneagram test could be a great way to discover more about yourself, your habits, & your personality. I got hooked on the Enneagram several months ago- learning about my type (6w5) and it’s uncanny alignment with my personality was almost spooky!
  • From the heart: Now that I have a daughter, much of the gift giving has been transferred over to her. I’m not that big on exchanging gifts with your significant other on V-day anyway but I have always cherished handwritten cards on every and any occasion. Anybody who knows me is aware of my chicken scratch/serial killer handwriting but Punkpost has come to the rescue in helping me send beautifully crafted cards in my own words, just not my horrendous writing. After you choose your card and concoct your message, a handwriting artist will beautifully write the card in the style of your choice. This is just a great way to support a small business, the USPS, and show some love to someone you love!

XOXO,

Carrie

Guest Room Refresh

~ Carrie ~ Leave a comment

I was appointed “Head of Design” within my household (self-appointed but that’s neither here nor there) and I was tasked (again, self-imposed) to give our spare bedroom a little revamp. So here I give you the new & improved guestroom!

We are currently kinda house poor so the design projects within our home have a tight budget but I love the challenge of reworking items you already have or hitting up places like estate sales, the Goodwill, and FB Marketplace to find some hidden treasures. Most of the items pictured were things we had used in our previous guest room with a few exceptions:

  • Throw pillow covers: I found these through a blogger I adore and I absolutely love the quality & wide variety of styles she has to offer. These pillows were originally on our living room couch so re-purposing points for the win!
  • Rug: I was drawn to the colors of this rug, especially since it perfectly tied in with the mint green dresser.
  • Vase: I wanted a little something tall to add some design dimension (I say this like I know what I’m talking about LOL) to the dresser top. Enter this ceramic vase which I added faux pampas to. I think it gives it a little something extra, dontcha think? (said in an Elle Woods voice).
  • Daybed: I scored this beauty from FB Marketplace for $150. Since it’s a small room, the bed works great in here and I love the versatility of having it fold out into a king bed for guests.

Although I love this room, when it inevitably turns into another nursery, I know that I can simply re-purpose most of the items in this room to other areas of the house. So there’s another design tip for you: consciously purchase items that have staying power and can thus withstand time in your home. Write that down.

Well, this concludes my design session. Thanks for coming and see you next time.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

In Between

~ Carrie ~ Leave a comment

True to form, here I am 6 months later trying to write on this blog again. Life sure was busy since the summer ended and I resumed my duties as an OT graduate student, taking on a 3-month internship working at a school. But now that has ended and here I am, trying to find joy and inspiration in my downtime before I start my final internship (who knows when that will be, thank you COVID).

This in-between is a struggle for me. It’s uncomfortable. I’m sort of a dormant student right now and not yet an employee and while I absolutely love my role as a mom, my identity has always been closely tied with productivity, hard work, meeting goals, and making that $$$. So I come back to writing because it makes me feel sorta accomplished. Maybe I just need something tangible besides a happy baby and a clean house to show I’ve still got it and I can contribute something to the universe.

So let’s give this blog another go and where it takes me…

Can You Be My Mother?

~ Carrie ~ Leave a comment

Today is the anniversary of my mom’s passing and after 16 years, you’d think it’d get easier. As I reach life milestones though (getting married, buying a home, completing grad school, having a baby girl), it feels like a fresh wave a grief knocks me down and keeps me there. This has been especially true this past year, as I’ve had to navigate being a new mom with no guidance or direction from the most maternal, loving, and nurturing woman I’ve ever known (I may be a little biased). And for 16 years, I feel like I’ve been walking around like that little bird in P.D. Eastman’s book, “Are You My Mother?” Except I’ve been looking for some kind of fill-in; someone who will take me in and treat me as their own and give me that unconditional love that I’ve longed for since my mother’s passing. If a woman was especially nice to me in a store or if I met a sweet neighbor, a little voice inside asks, can you be my mother? A sort of surrogate mom. But I’ve yet to meet her. Or maybe my tender heart just won’t allow it. I guess the only thing I can do at this point is give all the love and comfort and safety to my daughter. And maybe that will be enough.

A3358795-C0CC-46C8-B496-B5F3F1ED8AA1

Mom Shorts

~ Carrie ~ Leave a comment

Mom Shorts

I believe the correct term to use here is “paper-bag shorts” but I’ve officially dubbed these things mom shorts. Just tuck in those loose odds & ends, tie that puppy up and fuhgettaboutit. I often used to wear denim shorts pre-baby but now I find myself doing the fingertip rule and wondering if I should just toss those shorts that don’t pass the test because I’m not a regular mom nor a cool mom, just a mom who’s worried about her extra junk falling out. Ya know? Anyway these shorts just work cause they’re high-waisted yet appropriate in length and despite those two features, they don’t feel frumpy. I call that a win!

1. 2. 3. 4.

Up & Moving

~ Carrie ~ Leave a comment

We have 3 more nights left in our place before we move about 10 miles down the road and I’m not feeling very prepared. So naturally I’m hopping on here to chat about it while the sweat on my husband’s brow continues to accumulate. (You’re doing great sweetie!) Part of the reason I’m feeling ill-prepared is my lack of focus. Not too long ago, I had 9 months where I reminded people that I was a dingbat due to pregnancy brain. What is my excuse now? I’ll head to the kitchen intending to pack up some dishes and 20 minutes later I’m knuckles deep in a new cookie recipe I had to try at that very moment. I miss my old organized, on-top-of-things self but at least this version of me will be able to instruct my new neighbors on how to bake the perfect chocolate chip cookie, right? I must be going now as I have another box to pack up that my engineer husband will likely “audit”. And by that I mean, I’ll be packing up my box, minding my own business and I begin hearing some heavy breathing over my shoulder. I pause, see my husband eyeing my work and then he’ll give it the shake test, making sure the contents of said box are secure. This is the audit. Okay now I really need to go but below is a picture of the cutest moving helper in town!

IMG_0117_Original

*Note: post not sponsored by U-haul but I wish it was cause I love me some freebies.

Beauty on a Budget

~ Carrie ~ 1 Comment

Beauty Staples (2)

Since I’m currently jobless and internship-less, mama ain’t got room in the budget to spend the big bucks on a quality skincare regime. However, I’ve made do with the products above and based on feedback from my clueless husband and the unintelligible babble coming from my 9-month old, I’d say the results are pretty stellar. Allow me to provide a little rundown of each product:

  1. I try to do this mask once a week to remove impurities from my skin and unclog my pores. You can quickly feel it start to work as your skin really pulsates. Your face will be red post-mask so be sure to use this at night (and make sure you use apple cider vinegar vs water- just feels more effective with ACV) Anyway, I call this thing a mini face lift because in the morning my skin is always noticeably tighter and smoother.
  2. Highly recommend buying a daily moisturizer with SPF so that your face doesn’t look like a road map by the time you’re 50. This is my first Kiehl’s product and I’d say I’m pretty happy with it. A small amount goes a long way and I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of sunscreen-y scent (smells like nothing). My only complaint is it is a bit oily so I’d advise those with oily skin against this product.
  3. When I heard Nivea Creme being compared to La Mer, I knew I had to try this stuff out. I’ve been using it for the past month and I love how rich and luxurious it feels as a night cream. I love slathering stuff on my face at night so that my skin has several hours to absorb it and my skin just feels more plump (in a good way) in the morning. I would love to say that I’ll eventually do a follow-up post comparing this cream to La Mer but ain’t nobody got $180 to spend on a measly 1 oz of product!
  4. I bought a jade roller when it was the popular thing to do cause I’m a follower like that and used it for like 2 days and then it sat for about a year. Now that I’m a mama and the under eye bags are real, I dusted that puppy off again and took it for another spin. I’ve noticed I’m less puffy (something about lymphatic drainage) and I look more awake post-use. Also, it just feels good doing it and I’ve gotten accustomed to viewing it as a little “me time” in the morning before everyone wants a piece of me.
  5. When my Clarisonic broke, I didn’t have the stomach to shell out another $200 for a new one so in my quest to find something similar, I stumbled upon this wizard brush. I typically use it with my everyday cleanser and I’ve noticed my pores are less clogged and my skin is softer. Just feels like a deeper clean when using it.
  6. I don’t what else to say about this stuff other than it’s magical. Although I don’t experience any major skin issues, I’ve heard of people using this cream as a sort of cure-all. Don’t be intimidated by the thick, oily consistency. It is magical.
  7. Saved the most basic for last. I’ve been a diehard Cetaphil user for years…maybe because it doubles as a makeup remover & a cleanser which gives ya more bang for your buck. Anyway, it’s gentle, non-irritating, and has yet to cross me so I’m keeping it around.

 

 

Big Magic

~ Carrie ~ 1 Comment

In order to get my creative juices flowing and maybe add some inspiration to my life, I started reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic. This is my second time reading it and I know it’s one of those staple books I’ll keep on hand forever because it has so much good info/advice/tips inside. I specifically wanted to start writing again because it brings me joy and I think blogs are fun, however there are SO many times I’ve set out to create a blog and commit to regular posts but end up writing about one post every 6 months to a year.

So this is typically my cycle: You know what? I’m going to start a blog › Tells friends about said future blog (like get ready to read it friends, it will be super interesting + engaging) › Start looking at other blogs for inspiration. Wow these blogs are good. Great content, visually pleasing. Umm why am I creating a blog again? › Creates blog that feels lackluster and plain but oh well it’s going to have incredible content › “Content” is composed of 2 posts over the span of 1 year (LOL!)

Anyway, to bring it back to the book, Gilbert makes some great points about creative living and discovering what hidden treasures lie within us. This entails following our curiosity which can result in Big Magic. Some of my favorite highlights:

  • Originality: yes everything has pretty much been done before but it hasn’t been done by YOU! You have a unique/authentic take/voice on whatever you’d like to share so add your hat to the game (is that the saying?)
  • Rejection: she is so candid about acquiring rejection letters from various publications yet she persisted in her writing because she loved it and couldn’t imagine not living a creative life. AKA let rejection be a learning process. Learn from it, grow from it.
  • Perfectionism: Gilbert mentions how many perfectionists think their end product is going to be crappy so they just scrap plans of even creating the product in the first place. Perfectionism is such a road block for many of us and it could really suck the fun out of the creative process.
  • Nobody cares: Possibly my favorite point, Gilbert talks about the fact that so many people are so consumed with their own lives, they don’t really care or think about you. So if you want to create, do so fearlessly because nobody is watching and nobody cares!

So what was my point again? Ah yes, going to try to take Gilbert’s advice and allow curiosity to be my guide in this little writing journey of mine instead of letting fear or perfectionism or comparison to get in the way. Nobody’s reading this anyway, right?

Start Here

~ Carrie ~ Leave a comment

It’s been almost a year since I’ve written here and my life, along with the world, has changed quite a bit. Pre-COVID-19, I would have been on the verge of starting my first fieldwork II placement and most likely filled with lots of anxiety and a tiny bit of excitement. However, due to the circumstances, I, like many of my classmates have had a cancellation of my internship. Although I was initially pretty bummed, I’ve now realized that having a slow summer is exactly what I needed, especially after a grueling 2 years of graduate school (during which I also managed to have a baby- more on that later!)

I’ve been relishing the slowness and while I love spending my days watching my daughter grow, experimenting with new recipes, and organizing our home, I tend to feel rather listless at night. Perhaps it’s because the future is so unknown and I’m a control freak who is now left with lots of uncertainties. So, rather than continuing with my recent bad habit of aimlessly scrolling through my phone for hours at night, I thought I’d be a good (future) occupational therapist and revisit some of my long lost occupations.

I’ve always loved to write and be creative so I’m hoping this will serve as a creative outlet and overall fun space to retreat to. I’ll start here and see where it takes me…

00100dPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20200418104206290_COVER

Random Musings

~ Carrie ~ 1 Comment

 

IMG_20190723_132732_730.jpg

Lately I believe:

  • Everyone should try this banana cake recipe. Moist. Flavorful. Crowd pleasing. The key is to bake at a low temperature and then place the pan in the freezer immediately after pulling out (that’s what she said).
  • That being pregnant and trying to get out of bed in the morning is what I imagine a rollie pollie must feel like while stuck on it’s back.
  • That it’s perfectly okay to check nothing off of your to-do list. Tomorrow’s another day.
  • Frozen yogurt should be classified as a health food. Gut health people!
  • That my time as a temporary housewife should be extended at least a month or two longer but you know, grad school awaits.
  • That I need to binge watch one more series before my life turns into a frenzied, exciting, stress-filled school/baby vortex. Now to my 2 blog readers: any suggestions?
  • That laughter is the best medicine!