Happy Halloween! + What I Have Been Doing Instead of Blogging This Week

Happy Halloween everyone! What are your plans for tonight?  I made a giant batch of crockpot chili and we have having a few friends over to hang and then we are making the rounds around our neighborhood to trick-or-treat with the kids.  As you can see... Max is a Ninja Turtle and Ronin is Spiderman (he takes it very seriously by the way haha).  This is the first year where I totally let them pick whatever they wanted to dress up as without any influence and these were their first choices :)

So why have I not blogged at all this week?  Well it's because I have become awesome and jumped on the Walking Dead bandwagon.  Guys I am so hooked! Best show ever.  I have become completely obsessed and stay up way too late watching it.  So there you have it :)

I will be back next week!  Have a great weekend!

Things That Make Me Say Yeay

Yesterday the boys and I started our first indoor herb garden.  Max is certain that his Cilantro is called "salami" and insists that it is going to produce little sausages ha!  He is going to be in for a rude awakening :)

A console table made purely of seashells, which was even more beautiful in person.

After searching for the perfect pair of reasonably priced distressed black jeans and having no luck, I decided to just improvise and do it myself to a pair I have had forever.  I just marked with chalk where I wanted the distressed rips, placed a magazine rolled up into the jean leg and sliced away with a razor. Easy and I love them.

We took a spontaneous trip to Del Mar last weekend and it was so nice to get away with just the two of us.  And if this selfie looks forced it's because it is haha! My husband hates taking pictures, so this is rare.  Also I am currently loving those clogs/heels.

Skinny Margaritas + Oysters = perfect combo while away with my husband.

I am off to pumpkin patch (again) this am with Max's Pre-K class and then we are having a much needed relaxing family weekend.  Happy weekend everyone!

4 Ingredient No Bake Brownie Bites (Paleo)

I would say that I am an impatient baker.  When I want something sweet,  I tend to get all Veruca Salt like and "I want it NOW!"  I pretty much do not have the time or patience to sit around waiting for things to bake for hours with millions of steps.  So it's no wonder that quick desserts like Apple Pie Energy Bites and The 2 minute Pumpkin Pie are some of my all time favorites.  I recently stumbled upon this recipe and I knew it was something that needed to be made asap.  Not only did these take 5 minutes to make (one time I had a reader say..."well you are not accounting for cleanup" ughhh there is always that annoying person...so okay maybe 7 minutes in total if you account for cleanup).

What you will need:

• 1 1/2 cups of walnuts 
• 1 cup of pitted dates
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder + a pinch of salt 

Directions:

1. Add all of the ingredients to a food processor. 
2. Process until everything is mixed together.  Your brownie mix will seem a little dry so at this point add a few drops of water to help moisten it up a bit. 
3. Once you have a sticky consistency, transfer the mixture to a bowl. 
4. Roll out tbs size bites and place them in a container and place in the fridge. 

These are best cold so give them a few minutes to chill and then enjoy!

Things That Make Me Say Yeay

Baked butternut squash fries with a tuscan herb sauce.  Ohhh I sound so fancy right?! Haha I'm not fancy at all but these were amazing.

We got "BOOed" by our cute neighbors.  They left this on our front door with a bunch of fun goodies inside for the boys.  The whole idea is you pass it on within the neighborhood.  Such a fun and festive thing to do!

Last week the boys and I went pumpkin patching.  We visited 3 different patches in one day, because why not?  I do not recommend doing this again unless I have a bottle of wine waiting for me at home.  I told the boys they could pick out whatever pumpkin they wanted as long as they could carry it.  So here is Ronin trying with all his might to pick up this giant one.  He ended up with a little baby one about the size of his head, which he named "Baby" :)

Scenes from our favorite patch located in the wine country.

As the boys get older it is impossible to do any sort of project (like this one) unless I involve them.  Soo the other morning we made little tiny polymer clay figures and this kept them entertained for a good whole twenty minutes...you would be surprised with what I can do in twenty minutes ha!

These little wrapped chews are called Greens and I am obsessed!  They are made by the same company who makes the wraps I have been using.  I eat them in-between meals to help curb hunger.  Each little chew contains the antioxidant strength of 20 cartons of blueberries!  Some of the ingredients in the chews are: apple, acai, broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, beet, blueberry, kale, raspberry, cherry, leek, onion, papaya, blackberry and spinach...just to name a few!  They are also Non GMO for those of you who care about that.  LOVE them.

Have a great weekend!

And on a side note: Thank you for all of you who took the time to leave feedback on this post.  I really appreciate it! xo

How Personal Should a Personal Blog Really Be?

How personal and transparent should I be here and how much should I really share? This is the one question that I ask myself almost every time I go to write a family or personal post...and the longer I blog the more I question it.  In the beginning of my blogging journey I shared pretty much everything (maybe too much).  Now that I have been blogging for almost 5 years and my audience has grown, I tend to hesitate more when it comes to sharing but I would love to hear from my readers what you like to read.  Plain and simple.

Do you like reading about my personal life and my journey/trials as a mom? Or should I save that more for Instagram, where I have decided to make it less of a blog promoting space and more of a personal space.

I would love to hear your opinion, whether you are for the personal/family posts or not.

And that is all for today :)

How To Make Gold Bar Beads With Polymer Clay

The boys both woke up yesterday with little colds, which meant it was going to be a sucky day for sure haha just kidding (sort of)... it meant that we were staying home and relaxing and not doing much.  I decided to get out my clay stuff and try to recreate the gold bar look, which I have wanted to do for the longest time.  I love how this turned out and the ways you can wear these are endless.

What you will need:

• Translucent polymer clay 
• Gold powdered pigment 
• Razor blade
• Waxed cotton cord for either bracelets or necklaces  
• Bead making tool or toothpick

Directions:

1. Rip off a little chunk of clay and condition it in between your hands so that it is soft and pliable. 
2. Pour a small amount of gold pigment into a dish.  Place the ball of clay in the dish and roll it around thoroughly coating it.  Then mash up the little ball and repeat.  Do this until the translucent clay is evenly a rich and vibrant shade of gold. 
3. Roll the piece of clay into a ball and then using your hand roll it into a tube bead (see picture instructions here)
4. Place the tube of clay onto the bead making tool, use the palm of your hand to roll out any imperfections and to make it smooth. Wiggle the metal tool around until you have a nice size hole.
5. Take a tiny bit of gold pigment and gently rub it onto your bead on last time to give it a little extra boost of gold color. 
6. Place your beads on a designated craft baking sheet and bake according to your clay directions.
7. Before beads completely cool, use the razor to slice off each end of your beads to give them a more finished look.
8. Attach the beads into the waxed cotton cord and wear them as a necklace or bracelet!

I love how these turned out.  You can make one and keep it simple or make multiple beads and layer them up! 

See also:

DIY Ombre Polymer Clay Beaded Necklace

DIY Half Circle Polymer Clay Necklace

DIY Braided Polymer Clay Bracelet 

Roasted Apple & Butternut Squash Soup

Okay ladies and gentlemen this is one hell of a soup...and it is one of the most delicious things that I have made for dinner in quite a long time.  It was gobbled up by all the boys in my house big and small before I could barely get a bowl of it myself.  And a bonus was it made my house smell like fall was truly in the air...well in my kitchen at least.  This is a recipe keeper for sure!

What you will need:

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled and chopped into cubes
• 2 green apples, cored, sliced and chopped 
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 tbs of olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tsp of garlic salt
• 1 tsp of salt 
• 1 1/2 tsp of chili powder
• 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
• 3 tbs of grass fed butter or ghee
• 4 cups of chicken broth 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl combine the butternut squash, apples, onion and carrots.  Add in the olive oil, cinnamon, garlic salt, chili powder and nutmeg.  Mix throughly and make sure to evenly coat all the veggies. 
3. Place the seasoned veggies onto a cookie sheet, spreading them out evenly. 
4. Roast veggies for 40 minutes. 
5. In a large saucepan, heat up the butter with 1 tsp of salt.  Add in the roasted veggies and chicken broth.  Simmer for about 20 minutes. 
6. Place all of the ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor.  Blend until you have a nice smooth soup consistency. 
7. Serve with whatever topping you like (I used roasted almonds)
8. Enjoy! 

*Recipe slightly adapted from here, with a few tweaks based on personal preference. 

I would love to chat more about this bomb diggity soup but mom business has been on high demand as of lately so gotta run but please make sure to come back and let me know how much you loved this :)

Weekly Happenings + Pictures Are Better Than Long Wordy Posts Sometimes

I am feeling super ADD lately so instead of fighting it I am just going to post like my mind is feeling...so here ya go!

Pumpkin pancakes, which I have added a touch of turmeric to for added color effect. These have been a regular morning routine must-have around my house with the boys.

Lorikeet feeding at the Safari Park...and I think we have all concluded the giraffes are our favorite.

An after school frozen yogurt date with friends.  And why the heck is it still so hot here in California?!

The fact that this still happens...ahhhhh love it.

Feeding the chicken's at my Dad's house.

Picking up fresh eggs.

Ronin has been asking for a "doooogiiie" for the longest time and after seeing how he was with my Dad's chicken I think I may need to make that happen ha!

A text between my mom and I about her wraps.  See the post here if you have no idea what I am talking about.

Firefighter visiting day at Max's Pre-K.  I have never seen him so attentive to something! He loved every minute of this.

Seriously how cute is my friend's daughter?! I mean really.  She was having way too much fun at our pumpkin painting play date.

Ronin is happiest when he is concentrating and making magic happen with a paint brush.

So if you feel dizzy after reading this post just imagine how it is inside of my brain everyday :) Hope you have an awesome day!

Things That Make Me Say Yeay

The softest new bedding for Ronin.  It is handmade and hand printed on knitted sweatshirt fleece.  I love it and so does Ronin!

Sunday brunch and mimosas at our house this last weekend.  This is way too fancy to do every weekend (hey I didn't even have 4 champagne glasses ha) but I definitely would not mind it being a regular thing.

The best thin crust, gluten-free (and organic woo hoo) pizza from our favorite local little pizzeria.

A pottery painting date with my boys.  Ronin is now at the stage where he has to do everything Max is doing or he has a complete melt down.  So they both decided to paint Ninja Turtle Piggy banks :)

A chilly day that I took full advantage of and dressed the part.  Now if only it would staaaayyy chilly I would be one happy camper!
(shirt, boots, sweater, purse)

Have a wonderful weekend!