So Tuesday morning around 1 or 2AM, I woke up with an insanely terrible ear ache in my right ear. I decided right away that there was no way I could go to work, and called my supervisor first thing in the morning. To be totally honest, I was kinda happy about having an ear infection-I got to spend the day with Olivia! So, I decided I would actually get a bit done while I was off and recovering. I cleaned the house up a bit, we're still recuperating from Olivia's birthday party.

It's really nice seeing the living room back to normal after the insane amount of people we squeezed in the house haha.

 

So I was actually listening to Sucre the entire time I was cleaning and something about Stacey's voice is just absolutely soothing and dreamy.

I could not go a sick day without my tea! This is actually a tea that my bff Carrie got me for Christmas. (Click her name to check out her amazing and inspiring blog!)

This is a chai tea, which is my favorite. Definitely helped me feel a bit better. 

What helps you feel better when you're sick?

I have to admit, I absolutely love staying home from work, ever since the time changed I feel like I never see the sun unless its on the weekend. Aka, I never have enough time to do the things I want, like lay around and take a couple pictures. Granted, the only thing I can't do is take pictures because I rely 100% on natural lighting. But I could totally do anything else I wanted, I just don't have the motivation when it's not sunny haha. One day I'll be able to just take a vacation and not have to go anywhere but be able to just lie around the house, that's my idea of a fun vacation anyways!

Why worry?

When I started this blog I had an idea of how I wanted to present it and how I want it to be perceived, that doesn't always mean its going to happen. Part of me wants it to seem professional-like I have myself together and know what I'm talking about, and another part of me wants it to be realistic and messy-how my mind really is lol. I really wanted this to be a beauty/lifestyle blog. Mostly cos I wanted to post about my growing obsession with makeup. But I keep giving myself the "I have too much to do" excuse. Everything I post is about my daughter, because lets get real, of course she takes up most of my time unless she's asleep-as she should. But when I started this blog I was pregnant, sure I was working full time but I didn't have a real excuse not to post other than I was "too tired" or just blatantly-too lazy. Which is probably the main reason.

I'm not a resolution person, I can't even stick to a hobby(something I love) for more than a week, how could I stick to something for an entire year? When it seems like we set these goals because we have to do certain things, not because we want to. I want 2015 to be the year that I stop worrying. Stop stressing. Just let things be~

Easier said than done for me, I've been planning my daughters first birthday party for about 4 months now. It's in about 3 weeks. Just try to imagine how much I'm freaking out right now. But, everything honestly does fall into place for me. Doesn't mean mistakes won't be made and I won't have a disaster just cos I decided to relax the week before. I'm counting on burning at least one batch of cupcakes. So I took the day before her party off from work just in case lol.

I'm writing this while I'm at work so I don't have some inspiring photo to share with this post.

Just thought I would share whats been on my mind in the first week of 2015, worrying about how much I worry haha.
I guess I'll do a few realistic goals;
1. Take more pictures
2. Post only about things/people I am passionate about
3. Stop worrying
those were the only things I felt I would actually stick by and actually pursue the entire year.

Christmas tag!

So I stole this tag from Elegant Chances cos I loved her answers and wanted to give you guys my answers and encourage someone else to also do this tag!

1. Do you like to stay in your PJ’s, or dress up for Christmas? 
Pj's! The last thing I want to do is dress up after spending who knows how long just stressing about this holiday.

2. If you could only buy one person a present this year, who would it be?
My daughter, and I would get her a gift card and then use that to buy more gifts. >:)

3. Do you open your presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
Both! We open a few Christmas Eve and then open the rest Christmas morning.

4. Have you ever built a Gingerbread house?
I honestly don't think I have, unless I just can't remember.

5. What do you like to do on your Christmas break?
Well, the last time I got a break for Christmas was when I was in school. And I enjoyed being lazy.

6. What’s your favorite Christmas meal or treat?
Tamales!

7. What’s your favorite holiday movie?
Elf! Ahh I could watch it everyday in the month of December.

8. Candy Canes or Gingerbread Men?
Candy canes

9. Have you ever made a snowman?
Yes! I used to live in Wisconsin and it seemed like that was the only thing to do.

10. Which do you like better, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Christmas EVE! Who wants to wait to celebrate?!

11. White lights, or colored lights?
White! I love the elegant look of them.

Fall baby outfit!

Geez, where did this year go? I had Olivia in January, and it's almost her first birthday! I feel like I just blinked and this year flew by. I'm happy and sad. Sad cos my baby girl is about to be 1. Happy because I had the best year of my life. I PRODUCED A HUMAN. Still the absolute most rewarding thing I've ever done. Besides get married. ;)
Here are a few little things I'd love to purchase for my lil mama if I had the extra cash!

How adorable is this slouchy beanie? You can find the pattern here. And I think Target may have one similar!

Ugh, I would ABSOLUTELY love to get her a heavy knit sweater like this. HOW COZY does this look? I may have to pick one up for myself when I get her one. ;)

Leggings have just become a must for me during fall. I'm so used to wearing them with tall socks and boots. (How original) hahah. If I can find some decently priced leggings you better believe I will be purchasing them. You can find these here. They're sold out I believe, but there are some similar!

Ugh, I've been debating when to get these. They're pretty pricey so I'd like to get the most wear out of them and I just know if I buy them now she won't wear them very much. Olivia doesn't exactly like wearing shoes. She'll do what she can to get them off ASAP. I think I'm going to wait until she can walk, then she may like these and they'll be comfy as well! You can find this beautiful pair here!

Hope you enjoyed these items as much as I did! How adorable is this little fall outfit?

Why vent to a friend when you have the Internet?

Problem is, some of us vent a little too much to the Internet. I know I'm guilty. It can be hard. Especially when you don't wanna bug someone. You don't wanna be that person that only contacts someone when something is wrong.

But how nice would it be to have someone solely for that? I used to be that person to a few of my friends. And I didn't mind. I know what it's like to need someone to talk to. They don't even have to give advice, just listening is enough most of the time. 

How much is too much? 

We all post status' or tweets about someone we don't like. Indirectly. Hoping maybe just maybe they'll see it and know it's about them. But I've seen a few people take it too far. Mentioning a few things here and there seems to be okay these days. But some people literally just sit there at their screens posting things to intentionally hurt someone. Why? What good does that do? It took a while for me to realize just how shitty I was being. Honestly. What kind of person just posts negative things about people? To make fun of someone? Why did I do that? I have no idea. I deleted my Twitter for a while. Kept a lot to myself. And you know, it's helped me. I don't feel the need to waste my time talking about someone that I honestly don't care about. I'm not going to invest my time on them anymore. I'm better than that. Next time you want to post something about someone you "don't like", try to just realize that you do care about that person. Enough to think about them, and post about them. Get over it. Move on. Grow up. You'll be a lot happier when that person just isn't in your life at all. Find something to distract you. Just remember that

1. What Susie says of Sally says more of Susie than of Sally.

The other thing I see is relationship posts. Which I am also guilty of. I try not to anymore. Do we not realize that social media is like the #1 cause of separation now? The worst thing is seeing one parter complain about the other. Talk about embarrassing. I've done it. We all have. Or not. Some of us are better than that. THEN the next post is about how much they love their partner! It makes the relationship seem unstable. It's okay to bottle certain things up. If your man/woman is being a turd, then let them. So be it. Let them be a turd. You know the person better than all of your followers. You know if it's going to last forever or not. I know a few people might get upset about this. But if it's not something you realize then there's a bigger problem. You don't have to post every high and low of your relationship. If you're happy, you're happy. No one needs justification. There are only two people in (most) relationships. And the Internet is not included. 

The last type of venting I see is personal problems. Let's be real, we complain about how much life sucks to see who cares enough to text us and ask if we're okay. Bottom line is, we want attention. And we cry on the Internet like its our own personal diary. Why not text a friend and say "I need someone to talk to?" I've done it. I wasn't embarrassed at all. Sometimes that's all we need. Just to complain and cry. Most of our friends understand that and they're willing to listen. I have an amazing group of friends that are right there as soon as I need to talk. And they know I'm there for them. It's not the end of the world. Someone does care.

The Internet is not a diary. (I'm a bit of a hypocrite here writing this in my blog) 

I'm here to listen. And I'm sure you have a couple people that would love to help you out as well. 

What inspires me?

I get inspired from nearly everything around me. I think the most inspiration comes from other bloggers. One can post something as simple as a picture of a candle and tea. Those seem to go hand-in-hand. I currently have my eucalyptus spearmint candle form Bath & Body works burning. Its part of the aromatherapy collection. Stress relief to be exact.

I get decoration inspiration if someone posts a picture of their desk setup. Or their living room. I love to see how people organize their things. Then I like to imagine what I would change if those things belonged to me. It actually inspires me to clean my house and rearrange. Whether I do it or not is a different story though. ;)

I get style inspiration from Instagram mostly. I know that a lot of people like to shy away from whatever is "trendy", but why? Is it to be different? Or because you really don't like the trend? The things that I've seen become trendy lately have actually been pretty cute. But that's my own personal opinion.

I get writing inspiration from other bloggers like I said. After I read a post, it always makes me realize how passionate I was about writing and how bad I wanted to do it. I guess that's why I've picked this up.

I have this friend, Carrie,

beautiful from the inside out. She inspires me to go outdoors and experience nature. To always adventure and expose myself to as much as I can. Challenge myself. To have faith in something, trust, find something to believe in. Something to fight for. And of course, find the best in everyone.  Carrie has been my best friend for quite some time now. I love her so so much and I can actually see us being life long friends. She has the biggest heart in the entire universe. She travels the world and conquers her fears. Who wouldn't want a badass friend like that? She's seriously so amazing and I hope one day you get to meet her. I always get so sad when she tells me the country/continent she's going to next. But I'm also so happy for her cos I know its what she really wants and deserves. And she knows we'll be here waiting for her as soon as she gets back.

The next person that inspires me is actually Sherri DuPree-Bemis.

I don't know her as well as I'd like. I actually first heard of her from a girl I worked with at Barnes & Noble a few years ago. Who also happens to be her new sister in-law! Karsyn recently married into the DuPree family! I had always seen people I knew "like" her pictures on Instagram, but I had no idea who she was. Turns out she's this incredibly sweet and humble woman that lives a few blocks down from me. I met Sherri at a cafe called Tazza while Karsyn and I were catching up. After that I started listening to her band, Eisely, wowza. I spent my entire pregnancy learning every single lyric.(Don't quiz me, I have a bad memory) Even listened to them on our way home from the hospital! Anyways, Sherri inspires me cos lets just be honest, she may as well be Superwoman. She's living my dream life, with a few tweaks. She's so creative, if I could harness like half of her drawing talent I would be content. I've always loved art and took it for years in school. I was never any good, but that didn't stop me. She could dye her hair any color in the world and it would look amazing on her. She dresses her daughter insanely cute. And she still finds time to make it seem like her and her husband are in their "honeymoon stage". Who said it doesn't last forever? How does she do it all? Her house(what I've seen from pictures)looks like its from a magazine called "warm and cozy". And to top it all off, her personality is one of a kind. I really really admired her while I was pregnant, it was SO hard feeling good about how I looked while I was pregnant and Sherri just lit up. Granted, she absolutely loved being pregnant, and I was ready to pop my baby out haha. But she was just so positive and it just made me see/enjoy the remainder of my pregnancy. I was lost and felt alone and I messaged her and she was just so encouraging and ugh, she was the sweetest.

Last but not least, my family. Some of you may or may not know, I am married. I have been for two years now. My husband and I have a beautiful baby girl. These two probably inspire me the most. Olivia, you inspire me each and every day.

I'm always thinking about your future. How I want to raise you, how I want you to behave, how I want to manage things, how I want our relationship to be. You inspire me not to worry. To take life as it comes and not plan so far ahead. To just enjoy what's in front of me. Which we all know, I never do cos I worry about tomorrow. -sorry!- You inspire me to be the best mom I can be. I really am trying, baby love.

Jose, we've been through hell and back together.

I can't tell if you inspire me more or push me. ;) You make me want to be a better wife. Who knows how much longer I can say "I'm new to this" to stop an argument. You inspire me to be more positive, although I'm not sure that'll ever happen. You inspire me to be more patient. To be willing to learn. To stop being afraid. To be honest. To keep to myself. And above all, to remain myself. I'm easily influenced, and you know that more than anyone. And I just want to thank you for allowing me to experiment with different styles and mindsets, cos you know I've just been trying to find myself. I hope I'm just as accepting as you are. I love you.

Olivia is 8 months

Ah, how nice. My baby can finally sit herself up, and do an army crawl. She's mobile! Sorta. She hasn't learned to bring her tummy off the floor but we'll get there. I'm in no rush at all. At 8 months, Olivia loves water in a sippy cup, cereal snacks, cookie snacks, yogurt snacks, sweet potato gerber, all fruit gerber, chicken and gnocchi soup from Olive Garden and beans! Its been amazing watching this kid grow. Every day my heart grows more and more with the love I have for her. Unfortunately she has learned of the iPhone. And she's not easily fooled! She knows a fake phone from a real one. Another reason I need to lay off the phone, Olivia grabs it every chance she gets. I think its time to break out the books and start reading to her. She has an appointment in the middle of October so we'll find out how much she weighs. She's turned into a lil chunk, that's for sure. I forgot to mention that she also loves babies! She's so playful and giggles so much any time a baby is around. It is so precious.

This is one of my absolute favorite pictures of my little queen. She's so silly like her daddy. Ah, I miss her so much I may just wake her up from her nap! ;)

So, as always, I changed my mind after about a week, and decided I'm much too lazy to keep up with buying film for a camera. Especially since I'll have to order it online and wait for it to come in. Not to mention its a bit expensive for me. So, I decided to get this instead! It's the Intuos Creative Touch and Pen Tablet! and I loooove it. I'm so terrible at using it, I know it'll take some time to get used to. But it came with so much great software and I have so many things I've been wanting to draw. PLUS, I'll be able to create my own header...eventually haha. Anyways, this was my Christmas present from my husband. He's always so so supportive of every hobby I take on, this is an old one I'm just trying to revive. I hope I actually stick to this. Seeing as how I can draw, use it as a touch pad, and to edit photos, I think it'll definitely be used on a daily basis. Or when I have free time. I was supposed to just spend all day relaxing and drawing today, and instead I spent the day cleaning. We took on dog-sitting two boxers for 3 weeks so our hands are pretty full! They belong to Max and Sherri Bemis, and we're watching them while they're on tour. Good thing they're very well behaved since we have a little dog of our own and that could get overwhelming with 3 dogs in our little apartment haha.