Sseko Designs- 12 ways/ 12 days...

I'm back and as usual...in love with summer...and my Sseko's. I feel so blessed to be involved with a company that has such an amazing goal...and passion. This year the challenge is a bit different...we are celebrating the 12 women who are graduating from the program in August. YEAH! Join us...the challenge is only half way through and everyday someone wins...FREE STRAPS for a YEAR! For inspiration check out my blog posts from the year I won. :)

Day 6-Rosey-Toe-sy

Day 5-My Version of Baylee's Simple Tie

Day 4-Classic with a twist

Day 3-how to-yes or no??

Day 2-Solstice Tie- how to coming soon

Day 1-Be-Weave in Me Tie

To learn more about Sseko Designs...their passion and the lives they are changing visit their website. xoxo

Chilled Aparagus Recipe

This is my favorite way to make asparagus, its so simple and fresh. I cannot believe I have not shared it on the blog so here goes. Its perfect for summer since its chilled or for a party since you can make it in advance. I love it and so does my 3 year old.

1 bunch asparagus
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Clean and trim asparagus, making sure to trim off all the woody end. Steam asparagus until tender, remove and toss in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, about a half tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and cracked salt and pepper. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour, most likely longer. You want it chilled.

New Homemade Shampoo Recipe

After reading 5 best essential oils for beautiful hair and the oil cleansing method I decided to re-work my homemade shampoo recipe (conditioner recipe too). The original works great but this one works even better. Not only does my hair look better, but my scalp feels better.

1.5 tsp baking soda
6-10 drops or 1/8 tsp tea tree oil
6-10 drops or 1/8 tsp jojoba oil
6-10 drops or 1/8 tsp sage oil
6-10 drops or 1/8 tsp rosemary oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup liquid castile soap (I used Dr. Bronner's unscented/baby)

Mix ingredients together in an old shampoo bottle, do not shake, just swirl it around a little bit every time before you use.

For ladies with long hair, I start from the base of my neck at the roots and work my way up to get all my roots washed, then squeeze extra shampoo into the rest of you hair. I let it sit in my hair for a little bit (10-30 second) and rinse out. It felt really weird using it the first time because your hair kinda feels greasy after but trust me it all turns out fine in the end. Also I only wash my hair every other day.

The tea tree oil is great for treating dandruff and psoriasis and has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. The jojoba oil is a great cleansing oil and is helpful in treating ache. The sage oil helps balance scalp oils and helps to normalize hormone levels. The rosemary oil encourages hair growth and is helpful for treating both dandruff and psoriasis.

So you might ask...why go no poo? read all about it on The Crunchy Wife!

Rosemary, Sage, Tea Tree and Jojoba oils

Bloggers for Birth Kits

Who knew that "Every minute a women dies of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth." I most certainly did not know it was that frequent. I learned about a way to help end this unbelievable tragedy when my mom shared The Mommyhood Memos blog with me. I read her post about creating clean birth kits and wanted to do something. I have been praying about how I would help and felt that I should make a donation. As much as I wanted to sit down and create a bunch of birth kits I felt it made more since to give money since I would need to ship them to Australia. $10 will buy 5 kits! Think you can a make a difference in 10 peoples lives for a donation of $10.

Photo courtesy of YWAM ships

For more information on how you can help to please visit The Mommyhood Memos, Bloggers for birth kits post.

Sseko Style 2

Sseko's and Keds for the little guy

I pretty much always have a dinosaur or a car with me...

Cardi-Banana Republic, T-shirt and capris-Target, Shoes-Sseko's

We went to a bakery by the water and enjoyed some coffe, hot choco and pastries. I have been trying to really pull myself together. I used to dress with my own personal style but over the last few years I have kind of just been putting on clothes. As a new mother, I felt like I akways needed to be stain proof. This new cardi is not something I would have usually picked out for myself but now its one of my favorite pieces. I love how it goes with everything and I really love the lace detail that adds something special without being to much.

The good old Classic Tie

And last but not least...my lovely Sseko's! I chose navy straps to add a little more color. We also went out shopping after and I was asked, "hey where did you get those, they are so cute?" I of course explained a bit about them and wrote down the website...I love sharing the Sseko story!

Roasted Golden Beets Recipe

I am absolutely in love with golden beets. We planted then in the garden and enjoyed the beet greens and now I am enjoying them roasted. I went out a grabbed a pack of seeds so I can plant more. I love the lighter flavor they have compared to red beets and the fact that they don't stain everything. I keep it simple...

2 medium sized golden beets
2 carrots
olive oil
Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and chop beets and carrots into chunks, toss in olive oil and a dash of Italian seasoning. Place on a baking pan and cover with foil. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Delicious, simple and healthy.

A new direction

I have mentioned in the past about how there are a lot of changes going on in my life right now but I was not ready to write about them until now. Part of me wanted to keep it off the blog because it doesn't fit into what I normally write about but things are changing and this blog is about our adventure. I will still be writing about some of the same things I always have but there will be some new things.

I am on a journey out of an abusive relationship and becoming a single mother. I do not believe that bashing others is helpful in any way, so I will only be writing truths, no bashing will be involved. I will be writing more about my adventures in being a newly single mom and my struggles with starting over. We were on a hiatus in Portland but it will now be a permanent move. Here's to our new adventure...moving forward step by step.

A Very Hungry Caterpillar Inspired Birthday Party

Happy Birthday to my little guy!

Papa Murphy's cheese pizza with pepperoni, mushroom, olive, and bell pepper caterpillars, with basil leaves.

funky but fun...a hungry caterpillar balloon

Leaf wine charms and straws.

Arranging cupcakes

Voila! Jellybean eyes/nose, gummy worm antennae and chocolate chip feet.

Butterfly favors.

We kept it small...just some family friends, but I still wanted to make it a bit special. I like to be frugal so this is what we ended up with...funky but fun. He had a blast and didn't end up falling asleep until around 10:30!

Pinterest was a major help in getting creative along with the clearance wall clings we found to decorate the windows...they are now on his bedroom window. Once we choose the theme it was hard not to get to carried away...so many fun ideas but we focused on keeping it frugal and fun.

The original plan for the head of the caterpillar was a doughnut with red sprinkles but when I went to pick it up from the store (I pre-ordered to make sure I would have it) they had made the wrong thing, a rectangle instead of a circle...annoying. I tried to come up with a fix by just getting another doughnut but they "were out" of any circle doughnuts! They offered to let me talk to the manager and my thought was..."what is he a magician?" Hearing sorry from another person is not going to change the fact that you messed up something really simple. Then she said "well do you still want it?" Really? Come on! Sorry for the rant. :)

So I went home to try and come up with a solution...I made a little cake I thought would work for the head but after it was done it just looked way to big so I just used another cupcake and turned the extra cake into a sun. We used those new frosting's that you choose the flavor and add it to it. We used Mint Chocolate Chip to get the minty green color. All the kids were happy and all in all it turned out great. I cannot believe my little guy is 3!

Sseko style

First chance to wear them this year...I love my Sseko's!

I am loving the weather up here, spring is spring not crazy hot! I am still working on finding a great spot to take photos with natural light that works well. It takes time and the camera I am using is missing the charger so I now basically have no camera except one on my phone. Not a necessity of life by any means though. I am working on remembering how to re-tie all the ties I came up with last summer so I can create how to videos. If you have not already checked out Sseko Designs, you really should. There are an amazing not-for-profit helping women and they create beautiful sandals and clutches.

Harvest Monday 4-30-12

Well I finally got to harvest something...some lettuce from our little backyard garden. I of course did not take a picture of it. I also planted some celery starts, along with beet and carrot seeds down at our little community garden plot. I checked it yesterday and the beets are coming up! I also have purple peas, kale, swiss chard, claytonia, and 2 types of lettuce coming up in the backyard. Lots of havesting to come! One thing I love about all this rain is the fact that I don't have to worry about watering as much. :)

Happy harvest Monday! We are linking up with Daphne's Dandelions, where others show off there harvests!

The tulip festival 2012

Please note this blog is no longer updated. (Click here to find my new blog address).

pure beauty

ducky races

My silly little guy was giving me a slow motion kiss

driving the John Deere, sound effects and all

We had an amazing adventure...we headed off for the tulip festival this morning with my parents, hoping for no rain. It was beautiful, the little guy had so much fun. They have so much for the kids, ducky races, slides, bouncy house, tire swings shaped like tractors/horses, tractors, and even a train with the cars painted into cows! Its shocking seeing so many tulips in bloom at the same time and we were not even there for the craziness. It looks like a lot in the pictures and it is but there are still fields and fields waiting to bloom. The little guy had his first carnival (festival) food, a hot dog, us adults had brawts instead. He took a short nap in the car ride home and we spent the afternoon in the wood shop helping grandpa with his project. A great day!

a fresh change

There are a lot of things up in the air right now in my life, I feel kind of like I'm in an in between place. I want to move forward but have to take it one step at a time. I would really love to just skip forward to the future, wouldn't we all sometimes. One thing I can change right now is my hair! I have been wanting to change up my hair for awhile now but just was not sure of exactly what I wanted. I love the natural color of my hair so dying it was out...so I chopped it.

from this...

to this!

I am loving it...its a long bob, slightly a-line in back. It takes a little more work but I look and feel better. Easy, cute and I can still pull it back to garden! Its kinda weird how a hair cut can make you feel so good...I feel free, fresh and like I cut off a bunch of dead weight. So here's to the new me...my step by step future...moving forward.

One more of me in the garden with the little guy

Garden update April 2012

the clay is dug out and the cinder blocks in put in place

two trips with the trailer to get a yard of blended soil

I have a place to get my hands dirty! The makeshift garden bed is somewhat complete. I still have to plant more and set up some way to harvest and plant in the middle, but its a start. My back hurts but my heart is full. I transplanted some Oregon snap peas and some mix lettuce. Later this week I will get more started. I am having trouble planning where to put everything. I am used to a lot more space but it will be a nice challenge. Happy Harvest Monday, we are linking up with Daphne's Dandelions.

DIY Easter grass: updated

My mom found this great idea at Carissa's Creativity Space. Its really easy, fun for kids and cute! Basically you are growing wheat grass so you could also add it to a smoothie when your done using it for its cute purpose. Its so quick to grow, the first and second pictures were only taken a day apart, and this morning its even taller. We made two to place on the table for decoration. The little guy really enjoied helping.

So here we go:

Buy some wheat berries, we got them at Fred Meyer's bulk section. We soaked them for a few minutes before we "planted" them. Spread at least a half inch of moist potting soil in the container you plan on using. Then sprinkle soaked wheat berries over the top, we placed cling wrap over the top to keep the moisture in. Make sure to give it air though otherwise you might develop mold. Keep them moist but not soaking. In a few days they will sprout and start growing. Check out her post for more info.

Beco Baby Carrier love...

I have been wanting a good baby carrier for a long time, I finally got myself a Beco Butterfly II a couple months ago. I love the Beco Butterfly II because I can still carry my toddler who is over 30 pounds comfortably. It seems weird to purchase a baby carrier for a 2.5 year old but it will hold up to 45 pounds. We shop at a bulk store that doesn't have carts, pretty hard to carry bulk items and a 2.5 year old but now he can just ride on my back. We love hitting farmers markets and boy does it help to just keep the little guy on our back. I really love that it has a lining between him and I, it makes putting him on easy by myself, plus it makes it easier switch person to person without taking the child out. I'm sure its going to be a big help on portland public transit in the future. I recommend one for any momma!

Creating a Place to Garden

The future garden

While I'm up here in Portland I still want to be able to garden! I'm at my parents house and this is really the only place that gets good sun. Its kinda hard to see but there is a line curving around the back were it will end. Its a lot smaller then what I am used to but I think that's for the best. I can really focus my time on learning more. The soil up here in their yard is clay so we will have to dig out a lot of it and replace it with some good stuff for growing.

Its a big project and we are starting a bit late but I grabbed a 12 pack starter and will get some seeds started this week. I will be starting claytonia, spinach, kale, swiss chard, red romaine lettuce, and deertongue lettuce. They already have a raised bed full of strawberries (I'm so excited for them...yummy) and we will have our herbs in pots on the deck. I have a lot to learn about growing up here but I am excited for a new challenge. My mom helps run a small community garden so I plan on helping out there and learning from other gardeners.

I did actually get to harvest something this week! Just a few twigs of rosemary to make some homemade conditioner...hey, its something! We are linking up with Daphne's Dandelions for Harvest Monday, a place for gardeners from all over the world to show off there harvests, check it out.

Vegetarian Chili with Lentils

We had an amazing friend over awhile ago who is a vegetarian, this is what I came up with for our dinner together. I love chili and making veggie chili makes it easy to adds veggies for the kiddos.

Ingredients:
1 cup dried beans
1/3 cup dried lentils
2 carrots, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 of an onion, chopped
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
3 med tomatoes, diced
2 1/2 cup veggie stock
1/2 cup beer
2 1/2 tsp homemade taco seasoning mix (click here for the recipe)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste

Soak beans overnight in plenty of water. Place rinsed beans, lentils, chopped carrots, veggie stock, and beer into a large pot. Bring up to bubble and then reduce to simmer until beans are cooked and carrots are tender, usually takes about 25-40 minutes. Then throw in the bell pepper, onion, corn, and tomatoes, these only take a few minutes to really cook. At this point add your spices, I usually add the the chili powder, and cumin and then 1 tsp of the taco seasoning. Then taste and add 1/2 tsp by 1/2 tsp until the flavor it just right. If it seems soupy or still has to much liquid, reduce until desired. Then take a taste and see if it needs more salt or flavor. Serve over rice with some cheese, sour cream or guacamole. Serves 4.

Today we are linking up with The Gardener of Eden for Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard, so go check out others wonderful recipes.

Homemade Baby Shampoo

Today I am guest posting on one of my fav mommy blogs, Mama Loves Papa! Go check out my homemade baby shampoo recipe!

Cheesy Veggie chowder with Sausage

I used these recipes to create a new recipe...it came out amazing! I love it!
Cheesy Vegetable Chowder from lulu the baker
Cowboy Potato Chowder from tastykitchen

Ingredients:
2 mild sausage
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/4 of an onion, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
3.5 cups chicken stock

for the roux:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour

1.5 cups broccoli, in bite sized pieces
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Start by pre-steaming the broccoli until barely tender, not quite done. Then saute onions, and garlic in a bit of olive oil in a soup pot until tender. Add sausage, breaking it up as you brown it. Toss in the carrots, celery and potatoes for a few seconds and then add the chicken stock. Bring up to temp and then reduce to a simmer until all the veggies are tender.

Now to make the roux...Start by bringing your soup back up to a bubble. Then heat up the butter in a large skillet and add the flour, whisking continuously over medium high heat until the mixture starts to turn a golden brown color. You will know when it is ready but be careful not to scorch it. Then carefully add the roux to your bubbling soup and stir it in well, this will thicken it up quite a bit.

Now for the last couple steps, throw in the broccoli and cheeses, stirring well so the cheeses melt. Then add the milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Now enjoy a yummy bowl with some crunchy bread!

Tips and Tricks: Cookie Dough

We love cookies but most of recipes make way to many. I try to control myself but I love them to much. This trick helps because we make one batch and divide it into three. We bake off the first third and then freeze the rest. Just plop out the other two thirds onto cling wrap, roll up and toss in a freezer bag. Make sure you mark it with the temp and time. Then you can pull it out, slice it up, then defrost and bake. It works great.

We also add oat flour to our regular chocolate chip cookie recipe, replacing 1/2 cup of the flour with oat flour. We make oat flour by food processing oatmeal, it works great. Now I want to make chocolate chip cookies!