enduring, sacrificing & so many blessings

one of the biggest parts of our move was my husband's new job. he  adjusted to his new work place, quickly got into the groove & moved things right along. the thing we were most excited about was FINALLY no more crazy traveling...BUUUUT of course that didn't last long! an opportunity fell into place that has & continues to bring immense benefits for him work wise & to us as a family. it really was too good to pass up. 

the biggest bummer is that he lives out of town on the job site four days during the week & comes back home towards the weeks end. oh my gosh being a single married mama is tough! especially me being new to all this crazy public school biz & both our teen & tween's pace of life has changed. even though its (supposedly) only for 6-8 months which seems like a small time frame in the long run, our brownsugars are doing ALOT of growing up & each doing their own things. there's a lot of life going on to miss but he's been doing a fab job of trying to make their events & spending a lot of quality time with them when he's home. (FACETIME IS A LIFESAVER!!!)

all our little fams current enduring & sacrificing is opening the door for so many blessings. thats what we keep reminding ourselves of. its reaffirming to be able to experience current benefits & to see future ones come into fruition. 

shortly it will all come together & it will all pay off & will be worth it...even though shortly sometimes seems like forever away!

life. an adventure.

adventure is the perfect word to describe what's been going on over here lately! too many details to try & catch up on but its been one thing after another without pause to adjust. as much as we would love a little more consistency & time to catch our breath...we are accepting that this is just the way our little fams life is currently.

when we 1st moved back here to our hometown in july (which we never ever in life planned too but my daddy's incident changed that!)

we couldn't figure out WHY?!?!?!!! why Lord do you want me back here...waaaah! 

but after 8 months the bigger picture is unfolding. we are starting to see the WHY & the exciting things that are in the works for us. we are embracing the pathway our new journey is leading us on.

after all this very well may be our little fams BEST ADVENTURE EVERRR!!!

a glimpse into my [simple] summer kitchen

GF pasta with olive oil, butter, garlic & sea salt sauce topped with melty cheese. turkey meatballs & slices of ripe tomatoes from my daddy's garden.

chunks of melon & fresh juicy fruit of all kinds.

my daddy's tomatoes & veggies of all kinds. cool refrigerated hummus to dip them in.

i thawed out some brown rice & lentils i previously cooked & froze. topped it with cauliflower lightly sautéed in olive oil, curry powder & turmeric (quickly as to not over heat). 

lots of big salads topped together with anything cold & raw.

 

it is sooooo stinkin' hot here!

we are trying to re-acclimate ourselves to the heat we've been away from for the last 7 years. with no ocean breeze to blow away this awful heat...no one feels like cooking much around here. so we have been eating simple meals.

thankfully though we have moved back to the perfect climate for growing amazingly delish local fruits & veggies. 

 

bonus: i've located the kitchen boxes with my dishes & other kitchen necessities. once i figure out where everything fits (or does not fit), i will be back to good.

 

urban country fix: DIY compost bin

there are a few things i just could not live with any longer in this house. the one that drove me the craziest was throwing perfectly good compost specimens in the trash bin (especially with my neighbors owning a farm stand!). we were used to throwing our compost directly on top of our compost piles on the ground at our other home.

but in this home we needed more of an urban country solution :)

my husband was heading to Home Depot today for some light bulbs or something & asked if I needed anything. YES...supplies to make my own compost bin. using this post as a guide i literally put this baby together just a few minutes ago. pretty much BY MYSELF (hubs carried the bag over for me). start to finish...20 minutes (including picture time) & only $23 in materials.

another thing i couldn't live with was having no garden. i miss my garden & my little container herb garden is temporarily doing the trick until I get the rest of my garden figured out.

 

*I added about less than half the bag of organic compost to add weight & a little boost to the bottom of the bin to get things going faster & to catch some of the goopy compost drip.   

"be near family" life season

WE MOVED!!!

loooong story short: 

for the last couple of years my husband has been working & traveling like 90+ hours a week at least & the girls & i were home alone most of the time in this beautiful but isolated little country town with few friends, nothing exciting to do & very little conveniences. just me & the girlies in our huge house, on a huge lot with a huge yard, huge citrus/avocado grove, too many animals, too much driving all over to get to activities (let alone run errands & daily life stuff), no family support, etc...blah blah blah. for some people the country lifestyle is paradise but for us...not so much. i like a little more city in my country, i love small (house, car, yard...) & being mostly alone to care for everything all at once, the girls & i were quickly becoming completely overwhelmed & not enjoying it!

my husband & i decided a couple of months ago that it was finally time to downsize (hence the summer: becoming minimalist project 1 2). good thing i got started early because this decision set in motion a ton of huge lifestyle changing chain of events! all of which happened so fast & to which we are still trying to adjust. so fast in fact that i did not have time to get everything purged. we had to pack some unwanted items up & bring them with, but no worries, i'll be setting up a goodbye pile as i unpack boxes. 

one of the biggest events was rushing my daddy to the ER over a month ago & spending a week with him in the hospital. afterwards we decided we wanted to be here for his long recovery & it was quickly becoming clear to us that we are in the "be near family" life season (we were too far away for emergencies). my husband had a few job offers but the day after the initial news of my daddy's health issues (before the hospital stay) he got a job offer from back home & we accepted.

*(this job has turned into a true blessing for our little fam especially in the life season we are in with our girls ages & them growing up so quickly...no more insane hours for my husband & if/when he has to travel the girls & i have family near for support)

this is all very last minute & our heads are still spinning but here we are:

back where we started, in the "be near family" life season, life literally & figuratively purged, focusing on the "stuff" that really matters & waiting to see what God's plan is & why he brought us back home.

really hope you continue to join us for this new chapter in our sweet little fam's journey. it will be different. yes...exciting different! if we've learned anything in this little fam it is that change is constant, change is good & as long as we are together as a fam & focus on the positives we will adapt. 

the pic is from the house we will be in for the rest of this year at least. we went from a 3200 sq ft home in the country to a 1800 sq ft home in the city. i, the lover of things small & a little more city...am loving it! once we recover from the move i plan on making it cute cute cute! thanks for sticking around :)

more & more good byes!

a summer becoming minimalist progress report: 

more & more good byes!!! (previous posts 1 2)

this was our amvets donation last Friday, felt so good to clear this extra stuff out of our house & give it to someone who may actually NEED it. (the black bags are filled with clothes & shoes of all sizes & seasons)

our life has been C R A Z Y since then^^^

happy weekend & be back with what's new!

summer project: becoming minimalist // an ugly update!

an ugly update on my summer becoming minimalist simplifying project.

 

 i've been working long & hard almost everyday & this is still what every room in my entire house currently looks like!

YIKES...BUT SERIOUS PROGRESS!!!

this looks far from progress, but the majority of this stuff is leaving my house!!!

FEELS SOOOO STINKIN' GOOD!

along with keeping up with a little bit of summer schooling, we've had a couple of family emergencies that required taking long road trips. one involved a family members extended hospital stay so I've kind of gotten thrown off track a bit. this has been a tedious process as i sort, purge, & organize each & every item as i go.

 

due to one of the fam emergency trips I missed our neighborhood yard sale so my current frustration is figuring out what to do with all these discards! for my sanity, i need to get it all out of the house to make it at least appear like i'm accomplishing as much as i am. (& so the kids wont go treasure hunting in the piles, or dogs & kids wont play in them & ruin my organization, etc...) 

 

a friend aptly labeled this as "THE GREAT PURGE OF 2013"!

tremendous progress...still a long ways to go BUT i now have a july 31st deadline & my mind is focused on attaining my goal of finally becoming more of a minimalist & having a drastically simplified life!

sorted, purged & organized so far:

(i'm trying to keep notes as i go)

 

1. each & every single book on the shelves. we had books in every single room including bathrooms! (i should have counted before i started!)

 

2. craft closet & supplies. down from approx. 15 bins to about 6 so far (still editing) 

 

3. my entire clothing collection, handbags, shoes. each of the girls closets & storage bins of clothes, shoes & bags. we got rid of everything out dated, barely or never worn, disliked, stained, too small (tried each item on), etc... most of the items were barely or never worn & had expensive price tags, some of the girl things i thought were super cute but not their tastes, some of my stuff was cute even, $$$ & barely worn also, but just not my style anymore. no matter...let it all go!

 

4. everything hanging on wall (art, photos, bulletin boards etc...) pottery barn? anthropologie? target? fave thrift store? love it? NO??? then who cares? its all just

" EXTRA STUFF"...let it go!

 

5. china cabinet, knick knacks & sentimentals...see above!

 

6. i tested sorted, purged, organized each & every pen, highlighter, marker, paint bottle, tub of clay, etc...making sure it's good & made an inventory list of  school & art supplies we have on hand & that needs to be replaces. i also examined school books, old school work etc...(* i have the old school work boxed, dated & marked to sort & reorganize in a more efficient system than what i previously had...another project & post for another day.)

 

7. i put all our photos in black photo boxes to sort & organize later also (* again new more efficient system...more later) in doing so i eliminated the big bulky containers they were in. the new photo boxes sit nicely & look much cleaner on the bookshelf.

 

8. sorted, purged & organized board/card games & puzzles. out with all the "baby-ish" games & puzzles, anything missing pieces or damaged. made an inventory list to replace only our faves that were damaged or incomplete.

 

9. cds: i set up a station to listen for skips, music tastes etc...as we go thru our day. we also upload them to our computer & make copies, putting the originals back on the shelf (to keep them clean or from getting any further damage).

 

10. purged kitchen cabinets & drawers. out with anything damaged, useless/unused, duplicates or not my fave. i really hate having too many kitchen gadgets, so this wasn't tough.

 

11. in the pantry i purged expired meds, including things like sunscreens, ointments, etc...we've have been cooking with stuff that needs to be eaten 1st in the fridge, pantry etc...makes for some interesting meals :)

 

12. we are using up any partially or unused body products 1st before we open or buy new. tossing anything old or outdated.

 

13. in the yard i've (drastically) reduced my "collection" of pots & plants that i did not particularly love...(waste of space, time & water!). this includes yard ornaments & figurines also. 

summer project: becoming minimalist

only the beginning

 

this summer we decided to SERIOUSLY SERIOUSLY SERIOUSLY purge, downsize, organize & drastically simplify our lives. finally a dream come true for me! I HAAATE having extra junk & purge often, yet our fam of 5 seems to still always have tons of STUFF. I never seemed to be able to get rid of enough & have never been able to do so on such a large scale. using this becoming minimalist post & many others around the web, as a catalyst I got busy before summer break officially began.

 

I started with the books (& the school supplies that belonged to our charter). we have books in every single room of our house (yes including all 3 bathrooms). i'm not a huge collector, overly sentimental about things, & have no problem letting things go, but OMG our books were hard to go thru & hard let go of. we LOVE LOVE LOVE our books! each & every book has been gone thru, I maaaay have even gone so far as to catalog each title in my ipad & they are pretty much done. but they were only the beginning.

 

after much avoidance & anxiety I've tackled the craft closet supplies. of which the contents took over my entire kitchen & sat there for days (& NOPE no pix...no way!). I completely avoided the storage container mountains full of fabric (I barely even know how to sew...& HATE it), yarn & knitting/crocheting tools (I barely even know how to knit or crochet), scrapbooking & paper crafting supplies (no time...nor any desire anymore)& ALL the other STUFF. for days I seriously ignored the big mass of stuff like it didn't even exist: stress eating junk, taking naps, leaving the house, avoiding eye contact with it by not looking directly at it, etc...

 

BUT this weekend I hit the coffee & the crafting purging pretty hard & got most of it cleaned out & organized. the yarn ball tangles seriously almost killed me. the girls were bummed because I dismantled the little houses they made inside the mountain of stuff (like with different rooms & walls & furniture & cubbies & stuff...that how much extra STUFF we had). 

ok, in my defense (kinda), i'm more artsy, but the girls are pretty crafty they do sew & knit & actually use those supplies for projects, but we did not need it ALL.

 

we have a HUGE yard sale planned with the neighbs at the end of the month. for the next few weeks of the simplifying process (& our summer vacay), my house will be complete chaos & I will be obsessively putting in the time & focus required to achieve this goal. purging & organizing have become one of my all time fave things to do so i'm trying to be ok with it all & bite it off in small chunks as this huge of a project is equally as exhilarating as it is overwhelming.

 

it will all be for the best & i'm sooo super excited for the final outcome. EVERYTHING MUST GO & I cannot wait ...I just hope I don't gain too much stress eating weight in the process!

goodbye our sweet girl Lu

this past week started out hard & got even harder.

thursday we said goodbye to our sweet 12 year old chocolate lab Kahlua.
we got her when she was an lazy 8 weeks old pup & she matured to be the best dog in the world. her health had been declining for years, but she was still happy & wanted to keep on trying. 
(that's my Lu!!!)
thursday...she just couldn't anymore.
we said our goodbyes in love & miss our sweet old friend Lu terribly but it brings peace knowing that she lived a good life & relief that she is no longer suffering.
we gave her the final rest the best dog in the world deserves & said goodbye to our old girl Lu in love.

nest notes{current fave health products}

 

   

last year it seemed we were sick every single week.

SO FAR, this year we have been fortunate enough to maintain our health for most of this cold & flu season.

a couple of weeks ago we had our 1st sniffles of the season, nothing to bad though other than a mild sore throat &nasal yucks.

we got a jump start on the season with these products

(& healthy foods!)

1. yogi echinacea immune support tea (Fresh & Easy) & tons of hot liquids.

 

2. emergen-c (Costco size jumbo pack)at least one pack a day.

 

3. clean well warm vanilla hand sani spray. (Fresh & Easy) cleans hands & kills germs without all the yuckie ingredients. (actually smells more like thyme)

 

4. fisherman's friend lozenges(Amazon)these concentrated tablets are amazing at clearing nasal passage ways & soothing sore throats.

 

5. LOTS of raw garlic thrown into everything possible (paired with (olive)oil or fat to prevent stomach upset).

i even used both of these both of these raw garlic methods to cure an ear ache. within 20 minutes of using the whole clove in my ear the pain subsided & with the garlic oil it was almost completely gone the next day. super happy about this one since i get a earache with my hormone induced migraine every month.

 

other tips:
*decreased sugar consumption
*warm brothy soups with raw garlic added last, ginger & fresh herbs
*hot liquids i even drink mugs of warmed water, lemon water, ginger water or combination
*plenty of rest
*layering & bundling up
*sunlight & fresh air (open windows for a few chilly minutes, or go for a walk in the sunshine & fresh cool air).

 

fave winter beauty products here

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!

 

nest notes {roasted brussels sprouts with garlic aioli}

Source: lifestylethreesixfive.com via brownsugarhoney on Pinterest

WE HAVE A NEW FAVE!
 
i made this for dinner & it was sooo fantastic!!!
 
the brownsugars love love love brussels sprouts & this garlic aioli was a great dip (we spread it on our french onion turkey meatloaf even). i used fresh raw garlic & lemons from our grove. i also used olive oil instead & let it sit a couple of hours before serving.
 
a quick, easy & SUPER tasty way to get your veggies in! it will def be one of our fave snacks. i will experiment with other veggies... but the girlies are already asking for more!

nest notes {weekending}

cute new iPad cover & a hot mug of green tea.

i have a grey kinda boring screen cover flap thing but excited i found this super cute iPad carrying case. It's cushy, has compartments inside for all the little accessories i always worry about losing, a ring for keys & is already the color of dirt. LOVE & just in time for a little road trip test. hubby & the brownsugars are in a wedding this weekend & we are hitting the road. i'm happy my little iPad will be traveling in style as well as being doubly protected.

i've been super fatigued the last few weeks & thought i must be coming down with something. then i dawned on me that with this cold weather i was drinking more coffee than usual. which for me was only one small cup (not huge mug) but the problem was it became daily. coffee & me are an odd pair. sometimes & i never know when but it makes me instantaneously feel like i have taken a sleeping pill. weird.

i used to only drink green tea, but now sometimes i just really like the taste of coffee & usually only drink it during the winter. but the taste is really about it...i don't NEED it. i still love tea the most though. tea makes me feel so much better & doesn't have any of the crazy affects that coffee has on me. so, two days later coffee free & some extra self care, just in case & i'm getting back to good.

ok so...yes goodbye to coffee & yes i am rambling when i should be packing.
ok bye.

HAPPY WEDDING!!! HAPPY EARLY WEEKEND!!!

hello 2013...more unplugging & more enjoying.

warning: this post is a little long so grab a cup of tea, make yourself comfie  & enjoy!

 

this was last Friday.

the girlies happy little zombie faces were glued to their brand new handheld video games all day every day since they got them.

i was on the internet on various screens for hours doing my yearly bargain stock up shopping online along with trying to keep up with everything & everyone else online. bleh.

 

after breakfast the Saturday morning of our unplugged gadget/technology detox i lit a candle, poured some tea & sat in front of my kitchen window with a years worth of magazines i was always too busy to get too & began purging. peace.

 

i was EXTREMELY giddy when i came across this article about the Unplugging Lifestyle in Sunset Mag, January 2013 issue. YES! i didn't realize this unplugged-ness i was craving was an actual thing, like an actual movement! as much as i would love my entire household to be this unplugged, it's a dream. but as for myself i have no problems with & look forward to powering down.

love this quote "i think TV and internet and phones become such a time suck that people feel that they don't have time for anything else..." Corliss.

 

i also love this post Do You Ever Think About Breaking Up With Your iPhone. as much as i LOVE my iPhone, the novelty of my cool new iPhone has worn off (Phaby my phone baby as i named "her" when i 1st got her) & i've been having these EXACT same thoughts. realistically going back to a non-smart phone is also a dream. aside from being a phone (if you even dare call it that, i rarely use it as an actual phone), it has been a handy & sometimes necessary device ex: fab educational apps, paperless organizer (list maker, calendar, alarm, reminders), being able to look up directions or recipes immediately, answer questions or important messages immediately, take photos & work sample etc...esp all on the go.

 

BUT i limit the amt of apps, games, etc & as a result i have the most boring iPhone ever. i have become disciplined with the amount of time i spend on it & about putting it on the charger in the closet, in the gadget basket during the day & checking it only a few times.

 

& i also love this post Does Your Life Need A Good Edit? (timely as i have spent the last month purging, cleaning & getting tons more done in general, but i applied it to technology too).  

 

don't get me wrong, i think technology is fascinating, very useful & even necessary at times, but i HATE having a lot of it, depending on it (except my GPS!) always being connected, accessible, or having a electronic device or screen of some sort in front of my face or in my hand (my poor wrist).

 

i also love connecting with, keeping in touch & seeing what's going on with everyone online all in one place, especially since i live so far away. BUT i've learned that i just cannot keep up with every single status update, tweet, IG pic (& liking them all), each pin on pinterest, blog posts, etc. & for me just TRY is super anxiety producing let alone time sucking. nor do i feel the need to share each of my life's details or thoughts etc with everyone...so i don't anymore. & also i now don't allow myself to feel guilty about being a bad friend (cyber or real life)...it's just impossible & its ok.

 

a few days before i started the hello...2013 posts i considered shutting this blog down for good. i'm too busy, there are sooo many other ways to share, i had bloggie writers block blah blah blah...maybe i was just done.

 

but then i came to a few conclusions:

 

*i'm just not a consistent blogger & never will be. that's that & that's ok (no pressure).

 

*i will no longer doing super long detailed homeschooling work sample posts. they take forever & i never looked forward to them. it's much faster to print out a pic & do a handwritten write up. easy.

 

*this is just going to be my little space to share whatever. i love this the most. posting whenever i want, whatever i want & not what i don't.

 

*i'm just gonna enjoy my little bloggie with my few followers & my few regular readers that drop in from time to time (according to the stats)...& I THANK YOU ALL!

 

hello...2013.

here's to more unplugging & to more enjoying.

if that makes any sense.

nest notes{seasonal favorites}

seasonally flavored teas are one of my fave things this time of year! during these cooler months we seem to have a hot mug of coziness in hand thru out the day. cozied up on the couch, knitting, snuggling, reading (esp a cup of herbal Honey Vanilla Chamomile in quiet after the girls bed time) watching a movie, etc...the brownsugars & i have tea in the afternoons sometimes with a sweet treat & maybe a little cream. if visitors stop by i love to have a hot cup of tea to offer.

last year i became obsessed with the Nutcracker Sweet tea but couldn't find it again this year. i tried the Trader Joes Vanilla & Cinnamon black tea & was super surprised that it came pretty close in flavor!

the very next day of course...i found my teas at my fave local grocery store & stocked up! {bummed i didn't realize the Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea wasn't gluten free & didn't get to try it...was so looking forward to it!}

*testing out mobile posting with the new update :)

Elfin Forest Hike...kicking off our hiking season

 

elfin forest unit

acorn naturalist

plant identification cards from the kit

crossing Escondido Creek

 

 

Elfin Forest Interpretive Center
Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve 10.27.12

 

yesterday kicked off hiking season for us (we are wimps in the summer heat).

even though we are currently experiencing the warm dry October Santa Ana wind weather, our weather starts to cool off soon after.

we've been here about 6 years & this was our 1st time hiking the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve & the brownsugars & i had such a great time doing it with our homeschool co-op group.

 

i purchased a unit study specifically for the Elfin Forest from one of my fave resources, Acorn Naturalist & brought it with. along with the parents guides, it was a very handy resource. i'm loving that the kit is reusable because aside from hiking the Elfin Forest again, our area is filled with similar local chaparral & we can easily reuse the kit to expand on the hike & finish some of the activities we didn't get to.

 

the hike was fun & very informative, the kids were super excited about spotting a coyote down by the creek BUT the preserves amazing Interpretive Center was by far the highlight! we could have spent hours!

it was beautifully done inside & out. the displays caught & kept everyone's attention. there were so so many FANTASTIC hands on activities but i will just mention a few (A MUST SEE).
the microscope with camera & TV screen set up was def a fave. we were able to collect & view samples of the Escondido Creek water we crossed on our hike & discover some of specimens that were present in it such as fresh water flatworm planaria, algae, mayfly larvae & more. there were also other samples prepared for viewing.
the center provided owl pellets to dissect, tons of real-life or realistic habitat specimen samples were on displayed which helped identify what we saw & what we missed, beautiful art work, fantastic docents...a very rich real life educational environment for all ages.
way too much to see & do...we cannot wait to go back!