Three peacock feathers

Yesterday we went to one of Florida's theme parks, like most children Ella loves parks and we got some free tickets so we had to go! In one of the shops I spotted beautiful peacock feathers and they were 99 cents each so I bought three, they're beautiful, but most importantly, they bring me back a very special memory. 

When I was little my mom used to have a peacock feather in her room and I always wanted to touch it, look at it or play with it. I don't know why it called my attention so much but for me it was a wonder. I guess I was surprised that such a peculiar feather could come from a peacock. Then I saw the peacocks extending their plumage and it was a much more peculiar rather beautiful thing to see. 

Get creative with your Christmas postards

Is so much better and more meaningful to create your own and original postcards. People know you took the time to make it and that makes it more special. Even better when they're personalized. 

Bill and mom have made these cards for friends and family, they're great!!! I just received mine in the mail today. They will receive one from us too but I didn't want to post it since they are readers of our blog and we wanted to surprise them.  

They recreated the famous painting "American Gothic". They improvised their costume and according to mom it was very quick and easy and a very fun thing to do too. 

Bill, mom, thanks again for the card!!!!!

A little Christmas craft

Yesterday Ella and I made these little Christmas tree ornaments to give to her teachers, she also made one for Abu (my mom). It was a very easy craft, and the best of all is that the main materials we used were a cereal box, a used red gift bag and some old cotton balls. No new materials and a very easy craft to hang on the Christmas tree.

Getting ready for guests

We are going to be visited by three Christmas ghost... Jejeje. Actually we are going to be visited by one of my long time friends and her husband and daughter (who is a charming little girl). They are coming to spend New Years Eve with us so I want them to feel at home and comfortable. I guess now is the time to do around the house some things I've procrastinated for some reason. I made a list of some of these things and others I have to do in order to get ready for that day.

For me is important that when my out of town dear guests arrive I already have: A clean house, food in the refrigerator, extra toiletries, and a plan of how I will be entertaining them, nothing fancy but surely all the conditions to have a good time together.

Christmas planning

For us, the most important thing to do in Christmas is to share and spend time with each other, family and friends. Even though this is the time of the year Ramon is the most busy, he still doesn't miss a family gathering.

TIP: Just don't focus too much on planning parties, dinner or presents, that's all part of Christmas but not the essence. Center yourself in spending great and special moments with your family.

Creative solutions

One of my parents in law greatest talents is their capability to solve problems in a quick, inexpensive and very creative way. I have always admired how in many occasions they solve problems using things they find around the house with no need to go to the store to buy special tools or supplies. 

Yesterday my father in law came to fix the kitchen door that had been broken for some days. The screws that hold the door where loose because the wood in the holes was too worn. This door was practically off the frame. I thought that maybe we had to get a new one but he came up with a great idea. 

 

This is what he did:

First he carved an old piece of wood he found in our garage.

Then he hammered it in the worn holes with some glue (I didn't have carpenter's glue so we used my tacky glue for crafts). 

After that he cut the rest of the stick with a saw and screwed through the hinges on the stick to fill the holes with wood.  

Isn't that a great idea?!

Our recent acquisition

Our two short bookshelves have been decaying with time, besides that they suffered a little damage when we moved. A new bookcase was on our list of things to purchase but we have been looking everywhere for the perfect one, one that was inexpensive, nice looking and good quality, like we would say in Spanish "Bueno, Bonito y Barato". Well... we found one.

Getting ready to ensemble the bookshelf.

Being big enough this bookcase can fit many of our Cd's and books, but we have so many that not even this one could hold everything!  

A warm house in the winter

Even in Florida the approaching of winter is cooling enough to turn the heater on and use double blanket at night. Yesterday was pretty cold, at least for us who are not used to cold weather at all. In the afternoon the house was chilly so we didn't turn the heater on, nope, we decided to bake. Ella and I made chocolate chip cookies that not only warmed up the house but also made it smell very nice.

December is a great time to bake!

Quick art

We didn't want to leave our bathroom frames empty and since we are a little busy with some of our freelance work we decided to put in those frames something provisional. I made a quick abstract drawing for the one on the right. Then, for the second one I decided to frame postcards and remembered I had some in an old box, but then I found in there some pictures I took with the Diana mini a time ago, I combined two of them with blue skies and framed them together.

TIP: Almost anything can be art. Photos, postcards, drawings, sketches, doodles, an ad you liked, a broken piece of paper, spilled coffee, music sheets ...anything.

Plain bathroom needs life

In our house, one of the places that we haven't paid a lot of attention to is the bathroom, in fact, we have totally neglected it in terms of design. I noticed this and wanted to put some details in there to see if I could make it a little bit cozy. We particularly don't like having a very ornate bathroom, we like to keep it simple. Yesterday we bought two 5x7 picture frames for the bathroom but now we have to decide what kind of art we are going to put in them.

Pictures from www.gettyimages.com

I have been searching on the Internet for some ideas of pictures "bathroom appropriate" and found that people usually use nature illustrations mostly flower, illustrations of animals or landscapes most of them look nice but I really would like to have something different, I just have no idea. This is something new to think about or a new fun thing to make.

When do you start decorating for christmas?

Today Saturday 26, just two days after thanksgiving, we began decorating for Christmas. We just finished decorating our Christmas tree and a little detail for the entry door, we don't overdo it.

Our christmas tree. Decorated by Ella and rearranged a little by me.

I know probably for some people this is too early but I had my little one pushing for Christmas and all I could do was take the Christmas tree out of the garage and start decorating it. Plus, I always think that putting the decorations is too much work to display only for one day or two weeks. For me this is a good time to start decorating. When do you start decorating for Christmas?

Stop motion at home

We have been watching many of those Christmas movies for children with stop motion animation. While watching them I felt the need to explain Ella how stop motion works and how simple it is, so I decided to make a little movie for her using some of her toys.

Each photo must have a very slight change in order to complete the movement.

We used Ella's dollhouse and made52 frames (pictures) for this animation. She kind of understands now how it works.

And now, here is the video we made.

We were so excited with this one that we definitely want to make more.

Today's...branch

For these thanksgiving days we have been having good company on our morning walks. Ella has been joining us, since she has no class for the entire week. For her is a fun ride in her old stroller, for us is exercise, but still a nice thing to share together. Today I didn't pick many flowers but the 4 yellow wild ones on the picture. I also found this fallen little branch from a small type of tree that I have always noticed its beauty. It has bright  red tiny rounded fruits which look as beautifull as some flowers do.

Im not sure if these are "Rose hips" but they certainly look lovely.

Artichoke-Parmesan dip

Being such an amateur in the cooking area I will always prepare the easiest recipes. Yesterday I said that I'm turning into a better cook, and I am, in fact, I'll share this recipe I finally master.

I made this is one last night... Scrumptious!

THE ARTICHOKE-PARMESAN DIP

1 Can of artichoke hearts (drained and chopped).

1 Cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

3/4 Cup of mayonnaise. 

1 Garlic clove (minced).

Mix well all the ingredients in a 1quart casserole dish. Then bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Arrange pita bread wedges or garlic bread on a platter.

That's it, an easy and quick recipe perfect to share with friends.  

Thanks Katie for sharing this recipe with me.

Cooking with melodies

I love to listen to music while cooking. That's probably the best way I get good results from my food. Only a few months ago, before we moved to our new house, I was actually a terrible cook, but I feel that lately I have been improving.


I'm daring to prepare new things a little more, and the foods I cook more often are reaching a better taste. Not that I master cooking yet, but I'm getting there. Anyways, I owe this accomplishment mostly to practice and to my  "cooking playlist".

The soundtrack for meat lasagna or garlic chicken breast definitively helps you cook better.
   

Soon I'll be posting some recipes, so keep visiting!

Another post about flowers

Wild flowers are underrated. Today, when Ramon and I went for a morning walk I picked some wild flowers on the road. Is incredible the variety of teeny tiny flowers you can find. I picked one of each I found and made a bouquet of wildflowers for Ella's small flower vase, perfect for these type of flowers. I will make her a bouquet everyday for her bedroom nightstand.

Ella will love these flowers when she returns from school.

Reading time

It seems that lately the closest I've got to reading is the children's books I read with Ella every night. But how about those books that I used to read before, those long novels or narratives with no pictures on. The books I have opted to buy recently are the ones with 80% images and 20% literature because it takes less time to read these fellas.

What's happening? I guess there is not much time to read lately. I remember I used to go through books quickly taking most of my night-times to read them so I could start the new one that mom had already introduced me showing me the cover and giving me a brief summary. 

Looks like there was more time to read while I was in college.

The power of flowers

This morning my lovely husband surprised me with flowers. Beautiful yellow mums, which I thought they were daisies, I really can't tell the difference. It was such an unexpected and lovely gesture, and the flowers were so beautiful that I couldn't stop taking pictures, so I made a video. I hope he'll check out today's post so he could see another thank you for him. 

These gorgeous yellow flowers brighten up the living room making it look sunny and shiny and happy. We love to have plants or flowers in the house, especially Ella and I. Is a little bit of nature inside our home. 

Our presentation card

How many times we find ourselves writing our phone number and address for a friend who is going to visit for the firs time. It happens very often, especially when you have moved recently. That's why I thought it was a good idea to create a personal version of the business card.
Everyone who owns a business needs a presentation card with the business address, fax and phone numbers. Why not have a family card with your phone numbers and address. So every time you make a new friend or need to give your information to somebody simply hand them out your family card. 

Add a photo of your family and have the information in the back of the card.

TIP: Besides address and phone numbers you can also add your personal or family blog and Facebook page too. You can create your card using your personal logo.
Create yours and hand them out to your neighbors or new friends. 

Show and tell

Today was another show and tell day at school for our daughter, Ella. Coming from the Dominican Republic I didn't know exactly what it was. Basically what she does is to bring an object from home to school and talk about it. 

The jack in the box sock monkey. Because is cool to be surprised.

One of her first show and tell items was her xylophone. She played Twinkle twinkle little star.

 We like to bring things that could be interesting and cool for the rest of the children. We need to keep the audience paying attention! We usually try to pick objects that appeal to the senses, allowing her to perform in front of her classmates, like for example, her small xylophone. When she played Twinkle, Twinkle little Star her teacher said that everybody was paying attention and applauded at the end. We felt so proud we had to share it!!!!

Goodbye branches

Today we are posting a little later than usual, but we couldn't wait till Friday to let you know that we finally trimmed the tree limbs that were over the house. Some of them were even a safety hazard like the ones of the tree leaning towards the house right over Ella's room. Now we feel safer, the house is much brighter since we are getting more sunlight and it looks nicer too.

There was a crew of about 6 to 7 people working on this. Some of them were trimming, loading a truck, others holding the branches with ropes and cleaning the leaves they left behind. It was a new experience for these new homeowners. Oh! Sorry for the rushed pictures friends. 

Now we can see the sky.

Routine login

The Internet, our XXI century slavery? Well I don't know if it enslaves us but between social networks, blogs, emails and many other sites we keep ourselves busy for many hours of the day and in front of our computers.  

We are actually a little old fashioned and we really don't use many technologies that are common nowadays, like texting or tweeting. Of course we do have our everyday login sites, mostly we use these tools to keep in contact with our loved ones that aren't close and for work. And of course, our blog to share our life experiences with others.

We all have heard about Internet addiction as a real health problem. I'm sure that most of us are not addicts but is really important to disconnect ourselves from our dear laptops for a while, go out and take a stroll through the park.

Doodles on your body

This is what happens when your kid doesn't feel like playing with toys? Well, you just have to improvise! 
I'm sure all of you drew on your toes, chin, hands and belly when you were kids. "La boquita" (which is how we called the mouth upside down) was a really funny one. 

I wanted to share this with Ella and show her how many characters we could create. There's the french chef, the family of five, the running lady in a towel, la boquita and the thing. And all of them talk, walk or move in a funny way. 


Another fun activity to do with your family. Oh!  And Ramon got some doodles on his belly too!

Quicker than I thought

On Monday I showed my dissatisfaction with our living room since it was missing places to sit. We are having people over for the next few days and we wanted them to feel comfortable.  But then... yesterday we took a trip to Ikea. We looked for chairs that were good looking, comfortable and most important affordable, and we found them. 

We found these two discount chairs. There's nothing wrong with them, they were displayed in the showrooms so they sell them as used furniture. We didn't mind, it was a good price, they look good and they were already assembled.    

You might think I'm crazy but I like all the patterns mixed in the living room and there's like a nature theme going on. We love how it looks!

How much would you pay?

I never thought that finding a chair was such a hard thing to do. We need more seating in the living room since all we have is the sofa. We really would like to buy two affordable and comfortable chairs with nice bright colors. We have found several nice ones here and there but the adjective they are missing is AFFORDABLE, at least for our budget. We don't want to overspend money in chairs. 

Solution? We don't know yet, let see what happens. Do you have any suggestions dear readers?

Dry clean only?!!

I got a very nice used winter coat from a thrift store, it's made of three materials: suede, polyester and acrylic. The care instructions in the tag tell you to only dry clean it by a leather professional, but I really didn't want to spend all that money in dry cleaning (yes...I'm that cheap). Plus they use chemicals that are harmful for the environment. 

I've been searching on the Internet and the material that should not get wet is suede. Suede is a type of leather with a fuzzy surface. Now, I spent a while considering taking it to a dry cleaner but didn't make up my mind, winter is getting close, the weather is getting colder even here in Florida. I wasn't going to wear it dirty ether, especially coming from a thrift store. I was also afraid to wash it myself, but at the end I dared to do it! I knew I could fail or I could succeed. 

I washed it in the machine with cold water, used baby shampoo and hung it to dry. I think it still looks good.

Outdoor family time

In order to complete Monday's post about doing things together with your child, I will be sharing the fun afternoon Ella and I had yesterday.

We began our outdoor time finding the hidden treasure (which was only a box I hid in the backyard, no big deal) but yet really fun for her. We went outside with props and toys and played many improvised games (made up by ourselves). We collected some leaves and seeds. We made bubbles and took many pictures of nature but the best thing of all... Ella took her own pictures too.

IDEA: Give your child the camera, let him choose and take pictures by himself, that way you can see what is interesting for them. 

It was a great day and great family time.

Do it together

Doing different activities together is one of the things that makes a family be happy and healthy. Like most kids, one of our daughter's favorite thing to do is paint and color. But she enjoys it the most when Ramon or I join her. 

Got my hands dirty painting with the little one. 

TIP: Display the things you do together, whether is a craft or piece of art, anything you and your child create. I display the drawings we make on her bedroom door. She is proud of the things she makes by herself but we also feel she is proud of the things we have done together. 

Timber!!!?

Don't worry, we are not bringing down any trees (I just wanted to give an interesting name to this post), but definitely we want to trim the branches of the trees around our house. Some of them represent a danger to our safety especially one that leans towards our house from the neighbors backyard. Because living in Florida we often get hit by hurricanes, we thought it was smart to trim the dangerous branches that are over the house. Also, the numerous amount of leaves they shed is killing the grass. 

This is a picture I took of a random falling tree in our area.

I started digging on the Internet and there are interesting things about tree trimming that are important to know:

Tree trimming is not used only for safety but also for aesthetics and even for health reasons. First of all, if a tree is causing damage to your property you're not permitted to go to your neighbors house and cut down his tree, but you're allowed to trim the tree branches up to your property line. You know who the tree belongs to by where the trunk is located. 

Also, if your neighbors fallen leaves are damaging your lawn know that there is nothing you can do about it but to trim the branches or rake the leaves everyday. 

The burning flame

Ahhh... candles. We love them, they make our homes look cozier, feel warmer, the scented candles make your house smell like many different aromas from lavender to apple pie. They create a mood that a light bulb will not achieve... candles are great for your home.  But at the same time they concern us a little since a burning candle in your home is a big risk of fire.

These rocks hold the wax that drips from the candles.

Here are some precautions:

The first precaution and the most important one for me is to never leave the candles unattended and always AWAY FROM CHILDREN. We prefer lighting them when our little one is asleep.

We light our candles in candle holders made specifically for candles, is the safest way to burn them.

Do not place candles near fabric or paper, there should be an appropriate distance between the candle and these materials.

Have the right kind of candle holder. The best materials are ceramic and glass (they don't melt like plastic or heat up like metal).

Keep your candles away from drafts.

We love them too much to stop using them so let's take precautions instead. 

What's in your bag?

Since I was a little girl I've always liked to hang around with bags full of all sort of stuff, even if I was staying at home. Now I'm older and my bag is still a big bag full of things but not precisely unnecessary things.

Always consider what items you really need to have in your purse. For every person these items vary (since each person is different) but there are always some essential things that everyone needs.

For people with beauty routines, make up, brushes and tissues are essential.

People with hygiene routines, don't forget the hand sanitize, toothbrush, soap or deodorant.

When you're on medication don't forget your medicine and of course a bottle of water. 

For adventurers a multi-task tool or a Swiss knife. 

For creative or inspired people don't forget art sources (music player, camera, and of course the handy notepad).

For people with children don't forget there is a whole other list: 

*Snacks (crackers, fruity snacks, juice box, etc).

*Something for entertainment (colors, paper, some toys).

*Neosporin and band aids (in case they fall).


NOTE: Don't forget your house keys and always remember your wallet with your ID...oh! And never leave the house without money. 

Do you work better in order or in chaos?

I ask this question because as strange as it may sound, actually some people feel more comfortable working in a chaotic and messy environment. Probably because keeping an organized work area or office is not an easy task. I mean, how do you keep everything in its right place when you have to work on the computer, call the client, take notes, print samples, and at the same time you need to grab a snack, and hold the doll your kid is giving you.

The work space (when it's clean).

I actually know people that say they have a system and are able to feel comfortable working in their own mess. They know where everything is...tossed!

If you are not messy because you like it but, like me, it just gets out of control, then here are some ideas that might help:

1. Keep a trash can close to the desk. 

2. Use a calendar, a planner and a notepad for to do lists or any information you need to write down.

3. Have a bin for things that don't belong in your work area. 

4. Have a phone line in the office. (If is the wireless then you might leave it there and forget to charge it).

5. Use shelves, bins or drawers for storing and organizing papers.

Good luck keeping that space clean!

Fun upcycling

We like to recycle the cardboard boxes and packages but once in a while we get creative and make up a game or a toy using our trash, especially cardboard which is our favorite.

The secret door in the tree made made out of cardboard trash.

You can upcycle your garbage and turn it into fun and useful items. Plastic bottles are great for many recycled crafts even for decorations for the home. We have used also those cardboard tubes that are inside the paper rolls, they are very popular for crafts and have many uses.

Here's an old project we made back when we lived in the apartment. The purpose was to control some wires in Ella's old room.

We covered the cardboard tube with fabric to make it look better.

And this was the result. Yep, I didn't get what I expected but... you get my point, convert the waste materials into items you and your family can use and at the same time have fun crafting these ideas.

Boredom

We know that today's life doesn't allow you to feel bored. But even that way we find ourselves involved in boring situations, like stuck in traffic, doing the dishes, waiting in the doctor’s office or waiting in line. Well, none of these activities have to be boring if you know how to take advantage of the situation.



Illustration of Ella and I made in a waiting moment.



For example, if you're waiting for the bus you can use this as an inspiration moment to look around you and realize the inspiring things you can find, study your surroundings and turn them into a creative idea. 

You can make it interesting using these situations to imagine ideas for a photograph, a TV commercial, a short film, ...something creative. Use this moment to sketch, draw or even write. Is fun and it also could be useful. Also try listening to music, which is very uplifting and at the same time helps you develop your creativity in many ways.

TIP: Hang out with a large purse or bag and fill it with everything you need and you think you don't need. Be ready for these moments of boredom. You should have pencils, notepads, a music player and anything else you think could avoid a void moment.

There should be no reason to feel bored, everything has its purpose find fun in everything you do. I know is hard to avoid routine and make every day be a different day. Then let's try routine with a twist. Carpe diem and appreciate every moment of your life, is the great gift. 

Doing chores

Doing chores is part of everyone's life. I clean a little every day so that way I don't have a lot of things to do on Saturdays. I scheduled Saturdays as official cleaning day, which sometimes varies depending on the circumstances.

Doing laundry is one of the things I hate the most because it involves IRONING and this is so time-consuming, it doesn't depend on your speed so there is no way you can do it faster... Nope, those wrinkles take their time to disappear!

After washing this pile of clothes comes the next step... my nightmare!

Looking on the Internet for a more effective way to do chores I found a "Weekly chore schedule" in www.home-ec101.com, see the link here.

Weekly chore schedule:

Monday: Laundry day.
Tuesday: Do the floors. Also pick up items that are misplaced and wipe down.
Wednesday: Errand day. Also clean the car and the entryway of your house.
Thursday: Bathrooms deep cleaning day.
Friday : Deep cleaning the kitchen and also dusting.
Saturday: They make it project day.
Sunday: Is plan the week day.

They also give you a very good tip: "The more stuff you own, the more it must be cared for, don’t be scared to get rid of items you don’t love".

I don't like to dedicate a lot of time to do house chores but at the same time I want a clean house and clean clothes. Do chores in a smart way so you can also enjoy time with your family and do the things you love.

Cleaning the closet

Many clothes and shoes Ramon and I have in our closet no longer fit us or we just no longer use. Instead of keeping these clothes is definitely better to make space for those that do fit us. So the first thing to do is to get rid of what you don't use. For me donating to someone who needs them is the best thing to do. You can also drop things off at Goodwill, Salvation Army or you can swap clothes with friends.

Take a peek into my closet!

I have always been advised to put away the winter clothes stored in a bag or a box when they are not in use, it makes sense but for some reason I like to keep all my clothes together in the same place. I just move the ones we use less to the end of the closet.

TIP: Put away for a while those clothes you hardly ever use but you think you need, if you don't miss anything then you really don't need them.

Cleaning your closet will save you time when getting dress, that way you don't have to go through everything else you don't use.

Inspiration everywhere

I talked a few posts ago about how being outdoors and right in your backyard you can find things that inspire you. I know I speak a lot about inspiration, but the thing is that people live with it everyday, it's around us and some people don't even notice. I believe that in order to generate creative ideas inspiration must be the first step. That's why is so important.

These are some of my dresses' patterns, which are also part of my everyday inspiration.

So inspiration is easy to find, you can find it everywhere. I also believe that creating brings more inspiration and it turns into a cycle.

 

The great laundry area

Yes! Now is the great laundry area, not the lame laundry area anymore, and it only needed a few changes. With a little cleaning and a low budget we made doing laundry a chore like any other, I hated it before but now it's okay, I can bear it.

I finally solve the problem with the sign and the best thing is that I was able to use the one I made myself, it feels better to have DIY artwork around the house.  I used the shelf to lean the picture against the wall, why not?!

Things you love but don't know where to put

We have this beautiful lamp my mom gave us when she was here a couple of months ago, the thing is that we can't find the right place to put it.

In our bedroom we already have two, and Ella's bedroom, the kitchen, and the living room are not an option for this lamp. I think that if an object means a lot to you then you definetly have to find a place for it. Somewhere you can display it or have it exposed, not in a closet getting all dusty, after all, things are to be used.

Anyways, we know we will find a place for this beautiful paper lamp which we love and means a lot to us!