la jolla marine bio beach teach

 

la jolla 2.21.2013

miss smartypants 8th grader was invited on our homeschool co-ops high school marine bio beach teach lab. the younger brownsugars went to the Birch Aquarium with their sitter & big sis & i spent the day together exploring the beach & tide pools with the high school kids. (btw - i loved this awesome group of teens!) 

the day started out chilly but by the time we hit the water it was much warmer, sunny & absolutely beautiful!

 

*note to self*- the red wellies were a fantastic choice! i would have been miserable with wet jeans, socks, shoes & freezing feet!

 

SUCH a fantastic day & another fave field trip

(the younger girls had a fantastic time too!...bummed i missed it)

weekending. idyllwild.

Jeffries Pine tree bark smell like vanilla

 

 2.2.2013 Idyllwild

 

"get everyone ready...we're going on a road trip."

hubby's text to me in the morning. after a 1 hour & 45 min car ride to the mountains we arrived at one of our new fave places! we have been wanting to visit Idyllwild for a while & finally got our chance.

 

we checked out the Idyllwild Nature Center, hiked the grounds & did some geocaching. we drove around sight seeing & then got out to explore the downtown on foot. we found a campsite to bring our Airstream back too (excited!). & of course my battery died with so much left to see.

 

it was a crisp & chilly evening & we grabbed a hot drink at Higher Grounds coffeeshop. students from the Idyllwild Arts Academy were outside performing (such awesome talents!). most of the businesses were closed but we walked up & down the streets looking in windows, chatting with friendly people taking their doggies out for an evening stroll (such a dog friendly town) & picking out places we can't wait to visit on our next trip.

 

this quick post does not do Idyllwild or our visit any justice, but this is how i described it : "such a cool funky artsy hipster urban country mountain town...love the beauty, the vibe the whole thing...sooo much more to explore". we decided that this will be our spot & will be spending much more time there!

 

ps. this post took 3 weeks to fully upload...Grrr!

nest notes{my current fave winter beauty products}

my current fave winter beauty products.

 

 

1. nail tek II (sally's beauty supply. use after the primer)this winter made my nails so dry that they would not stop splitting & peeling. CURED! this is such an AMAZING product!

 

2. gud vanilla flame (target) by burts bees. i'm in LOVE LOVE LOVE with this subtle warm vanilla scent for winter (or anytime really). i can't handle strong fragrances & this one isn't overpowering, it moisturizes & i smell super delish w/out all the yuckies!  

 

3. neutrogena naturals (target)i just started experimenting with this line but so far i'm loving it. basic, gentle, clean & again not so many yuckies.

 

4. boots radiance renewal night serum (target) my winter skin was extremely dull & extremely parched. although it's not AS clean as i'd like, this serum under my moisturizer has help brightened me back up! (along with homemade scrubs with ingredients such as honey, oatmeal, avocado, brown sugar & facials oils with vitamin E, jojoba, olive oil, etc...)  

 

5. shea moisture (target) both of these products have helped moisturize & condition our dry brittle winter hair. no yucks & we love the yummy smells!

 

6. nature's gate tea tree & blue cypress deodorant stick (whole foods i think???) i switch deodorants during the seasons (i think it helps product to not lose the effectiveness btw). this is my fave for winter when my body doesn't perspire much. it does the trick, it's clean, again i love the smell & no yuckies!

 

my {totally necessary} fave & un-fave reasons i failed being coffee free

Source: allthingzyellow.tumblr.com via Judy on Pinterest

so on day 11 & 13 of being coffee free i failed for two necessary reasons.

day 11 - sunday...weekend coffee date. {my fave reason}
until day 11 i totally rocked...all tea, even on our long road trip! weekday mornings, hubby usually makes a pot of coffee, pours it all in his thermos & takes it all to work with him (when i was drinking it daily, he'd pour & leave my little cup out for me & take the rest). on weekends though, for years my sweet hubby has made a morning pot of coffee. after breakfast, we'd both pour our cups, linger at the table together, read articles, chat, catch up & re-connect over this weekend cup of coffee. it has kind of become our sweet little weekend coffee date tradition. our weekend coffee used to be the only cup of coffee i'd drink all week but i always looked forward to it for the date-y date part. yes, i suppose i could drink tea instead & i have but it's just not the same. this weekend even though it was only a fourth of a cup, it was again, my 1st coffee of the week. i added a little cream, i sat at the table with my man & enjoyed our little weekend coffee date. with our schedules being ever more crazy, sometimes he's gone on weekends or we are too busy, so its cherished & necessary couple time. these weekend moments are what the taste of coffee reminds me of, why i love & crave it (oh & YES how i savored the taste i've missed!)

day 13 - today...migraine day 3. {my un-fave reason}
once a month i get a regularly-scheduled-hormone-induce migraine. never fails. a coffee & tylenol cocktail is my migraine remedy. after 3 days of this sucker enough was enough & thank goodness for my migraine remedy cocktail! bleh.

so there it is...two reasons i failed & probably will never be completely coffee free. reason number one will always be my fave & reason number two will always be my un-fave, but both reasons are totally necessary.
so yes, moderation & i already can't wait until next weekends coffee date! *smoochie face*