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Need decor inspiration? Go house hunting
A few months ago, we decided to make the jump from renting to actually looking for a house in the Bay Area. Guess what? We BOUGHT a house. I’m from Texas, so imagine going from houses where big walk-closets and oversized bathrooms are the norms, to houses where the closet is the size of, well, a shower stall? The struggle is real, and let’s not forget the cost of living. Uff. The one thing that I’ve really liked about going house shopping is seeing how they are staged. The decor is so pretty. You walk into a house and the warm color pallet and clean floors make you think, if…
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the priority shift for families when buying a house
We bought a house!!! I can’t believe that in a few months we’ll be officially homeowners. Buying a house in the Bay Area seemed like an impossible task (both financially and emotionally), but the cards were ever in our favor. After a little over a month of looking, we saw one that checked all the boxes and made an offer that was accepted pretty quickly. I am repeatedly told that this does NOT happen here. I guess the house was just meant to be. We debated going outside our area, and glad we decided to stick around here. It’s been such an interesting rollercoaster- mostly emotional- throughout the process. My…
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You can do it, put your back into it
Has your posture changed since you had kids? Mine certainly has, taking a toll on my back in more ways than one. My spine tends to do a reverse c-shape because of the way I carry both kids (in the middle, on my stomach versus on my hips). My husband has a history of back problems so tweaks and stretching to avoid tweaks is an ongoing battle. We have foam rollers, pressure point thingamajigs, and ice/heating pads. But my favorite one of all is one I got for Christmas. I LOVE IT. I’m usually looking down at the computer to work or at my little ones when they need something.…
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Do you do crafts with kids?
I’m not one to do crafts. I have friends who are crafty, my MIL is crafty and my sister can hold her own in a DIY situation. Me, not so much. The photo above is a creation that involved a pinecone, glitter paint, pipe cleaners, and random miniatures to make a crown, head and vail. We call her the “Pinecone Princess”. I had no hand in any of it. I went to a maker space event with my sister for Christmas one year and they had a make-your-own ornament station with sewing tools. There were 8 and 9 year-olds that were breezing through it. I sewed the ornament onto itself…
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The New Year’s Eve Conundrum
What are you doing for New Year’s Eve this year? It’s so easy to treat the day like any other day, only to wake up on January 1st to do the same thing you’ve been doing for 8 months. So why celebrate? I’ll tell you why. My family has been celebrating NYE for as long as I can remember. When we were kids, my sisters and I would put on a show and perform a lip-sync and group dance to my parent’s friends. We would eat, dance, watch fireworks and go to bed really, really, really late. Ah, those were the days. When we got older and lived in Dallas,…
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Tea: my favorite gift for all
Tea is always a great gift to give. Whether for the holidays, a hostess gift or for teachers, tea really is a no-brainer. From pretty packaging to variety, you can’t lose. For those of us shopping last minute (hi, over here!), tea hits the mark. Growing up, my mom always had a collection of teas in the pantry. Whether we wanted something sweet, caffeine-free, holiday-themed or to soothe an ailment like tummy-aches or sleeplessness, my mom’s tea stash was always plentiful. You might also be wondering why I’m talking about tea when COFFEE is literally in my blog name. Well, I don’t discriminate. Any hot beverage including hot cocoa and…
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the 2 yoga apps + 1 meditation app I’m using right now
When I lived in Dallas, I joined a small yoga studio I loved so much I would go every single day. I bought the professional mat, auto-renewed my membership, and was all in. I could feel it in my bones if I missed a day (literally). The music, the instructors, the owner, and the other members are some of the best people I’ve met and some still show up on my Facebook feed since I left Texas 6 years ago. I haven’t been able to find that in the Bay Area, which is shocking since CA is home to some would argue the best yoga studios have to offer. I…
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Pandemic Baking: I made a lot of things
True Confession: I’ve been using a lot of baking flour lately. When quarantine first started back in March in California, I didn’t know what I was going to do with myself. It was the month where we were buying toilet paper like crazy, stocking up on bananas, making schedules for the whole family (and we are not schedule people) and buying 25 lbs. of flour from Costco. So when my mother-in-law dropped by to give me some sourdough starter chips “just for fun”, I quietly set it down on the counter and didn’t think about it again. Only I did. After reading the lengthy instructions on how to make the…
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hey moms, let’s talk about the holidays at home
I was planning to go home for the holidays. We were going to make it happen even if that meant quarantining for a week, getting tested, and doing everything else that needed to happen in order to be as safe as possible. It would have been almost a year since I’ve seen my parents, a rare occurrence since I moved to the Bay Area 7 years ago. After multiple conversations and Google research, we came to a decision that this year, we are doing the holidays at home. So here we are, doing all the things without the usual traveling. This year has been everything but normal. While I usually…
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How are you doing?
It’s been 7 months. 7 months of figuring out what our days looks like. What work, school, kids and connection with friends and family looks like. Some poured their energy into working out, others (ahem, me) decided to get on the sourdough baking wagon. It’s been almost a full year of uncertainty, adjusting, settling and then adjusting and settling again. Where do we go from here? What habits have you found comfort in? For me personally, I’ve embraced my natural waves, re-started my blog and have been journaling my story. I take the most comfort in letting it out on paper (or screen) as I can express myself best with…
