Friday Fun post {links I love-AP happy}

Well the weekend in upon us lovelies. I am beyond excited. The Hubs has to work all weekend but I'm trying to forget that little nugget of information and focus on enjoying the beautiful weather, nice long walks, trips to the market to get some delicious roasted corn on the cob and some major park playing time. No worries, I will capture it all.

Best AP ever!

As I say goodbye to this crazy week. I wanted to share some of my favorite things out there in the Internet world with you guys. Here are some links I love.

I am debating if I can pull this swimsuit off. I'm dying over the anchors.
I want to order all of these picture props.
If you follow me on Instagram you know I am currently obsessed with this Ap. It may be the coolest Ap yet.
This cake topper project is genius.
I bought this summer shirt on sale last night and can't wait to wear it with some neon shorts in the Bahamas.
So proud of this friends design in the Minted.com contest.
Whales on Boots. Sign Oliver up!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and create some amazing memories together and get some mad relaxation on.

Sucky day {finding perspective}

Yesterday was the kind of day I don't feel like repeating. I found myself stuck on the side of the road in Sonoma with car trouble, our entire town was without internet, we had trouble with Direct TV and the not so great happenings went on and on. Believe me, I always keep in mind that things can be worse and some of the things that happened were trivial, but it was just one of those nights where I wanted to scoop up the boy &  find some positive balance in my day. I also may have indulged in a warm bowl of butternut squash soup and a chocolate chip cookie after a little retail therapy where I scored a $13 pair of polka dot tennies. It made me feel a teensie bit better.
So in the spirit of finding something that makes me happy and trying to kick off a better day, I decided to share some photos of my latest Oliver photo session. This boy just makes me laugh and smile.

For those who are wondering the shirt is from Target (on clearance), the orange shoes are from Gap, the red glasses were an Old Navy find...and the smile, well that's all my crazy Olly boy.

I hope all of you have an awesome day. I plan on making mine much better today except for when I pout during the last episode of The Office tonight. It will probably happen. See you lovelies tomorrow.

Make your own beach bag {want it for less}

I am getting so excited because three weeks from today my Mr., the boy, and I are headed to Texas to not only visit out family but to go on a week long cruise to the Bahamas. I cannot wait to feel the sand between my toes, wear ridiculous sun hats, and sip on some bright fruity drinks.
The only thing that has sort of thrown me back is the cost we are incurring just trying to get everyone ready to go. The little man needed an entire summer wardrobe because nothing from last year fits. The Hubs needed some nice shirts and pairs of shorts since he mostly lives in a navy blue Coast Guard uniform...and I...well, I am 70 lbs. lighter than last summer and have needed everything from sandals, to shorts (which I haven't worn in public since I was 12) and a swimsuit because I don't even own one. Not to mention travel gear, beach gear, passports, & even fun accessories.  So when it came to spending money on a fun bag to hit the sandy beach with, I decided I wanted it for less. So I made my own yesterday afternoon.

It only set me back four dollars to purchase a canvas tote. I already had black sharpie markers, fabric inspiration for my design, and yarn that I made extra little tassels with. Which is all that I needed to make my own bag. This is how I did it.

It only took me an hour to make and the best part is that it was cheap enough that it can get ruined, lost, or even crumpled and I am not going to be devastated because I saved my beans for other fun vacation splurges (like extra girly drinks).

So now that a beach bag is scratched off my list, I am going to start the great swimsuit hunt. I'm debating a wet suit...haha, just kidding kids! Wish me luck.

What would Gwyneth do {redefining my food mission}

For Mother's Day I was given an awesome cook book. It's a book I have had my eye on and I couldn't wait to pry the pages open once it was mine. It's Gwyneth Paltrow's newest cookbook It's All Good.

 And I must say I want to eat whatever she's eating that makes her look so unbelievably simple, healthy, beautiful, and glowing. I literally lounged around in bed for an extra hour skimming through all of the recipes on Sunday morning. I have been on such a mission lately to get my family eating as many foods that are rich in vitamins including as many leafy greens, vegetables, and fruits in every meal. We've been replacing meals with kale, banana, pineapple and almond milk smoothies. Eating lots of Greek yogurt, berries, fresh salads and trying to infuse simple things with flavor and color. Yesterday afternoon while taking a break from a DIY project I'm going to share this week, I decided to make a snack for the little man. After asking myself WWGD (what would Gwyneth do) and scouring my pantry and fridge for ingredients, I decided to make Kale chips which she says her kids gobble up. So here is a little glimpse of my culinary mission.

You simply wash some fresh Kale and break into small chip like pieces discarding the center stems. Toss in Olive oil, sea salt, (I added a little pepper). Then place on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for 12 minutes or until they are brown. And If i'm being completely honest, when I say brown...I mean looks rotten and somewhat burnt. 

Not the prettiest thing I've ever cooked....but remember I'm trying to trust Gwyneth. I decided to let mine cool on a layer of paper towels. I sat the little man on the counter, busted out a little bit of ketchup and told him these were chips. I tasted one and thought it was pretty good except it had a bit of an after taste. A cross between cabbage and spinach. He tried one and the look on his face was priceless. He was not interested. I must admit I was super bummed. I wanted to be the Mom who got her boy to love Kale chips instead of potato chips. I don't know what I was thinking....wait, I know...I was channeling my inner Gwyneth. So for now the Hubs and I are the only one trying to rock some Kale chips at meal time to get some extra greens into us...and I'll stick to hiding it in the boys breakfast smoothies without him knowing.
But I'm not giving up! I believe in a lot of these recipes and I am going to try out a new one (I'm hoping once a week) because I believe this gal has it all figured out when it comes to what we are putting on our plates and in our bodies.
I thought it might be fun to share the journey with you. So grab your own copy of the cookbook if you don't already have one and let's do this thing together.

Do any of you cook your Kale chips differently? I think I might try adding some lemon next time.
See you guys tomorrow!

Bling around your neck

I hope you guys had a fun filled weekend like I did. It was the kind of weekend that makes me want to do cartwheels down the hall and slip-in-slide in a pair of crazy socks. I spent the day yesterday enjoying the perks of being a Mom. We strolled around downtown Petaluma with some of our family friends and I snuck in one of my favorite chocolate shakes from LaLa's Creamery...to-die-for.
 And if you follow me on Instagram then you already know I played around with my camera on Saturday and shot some photos of my gal pal. She was rockin' an awesome bib necklace made by the lovely MimicDesign shop which is being featured in the May issue of Cosmopolitan.

  Can we say that we were lucky gals to get our hands on such a stellar necklace? I think so.

I love how it's neutral, it's sparkly and it's the perfect companion to any little black dress. If you want to get your hands on your own necklace email Mary from MimicDesign at maryann.mimicdesign @gmail.com and she will hook you up.

So let's all kick this week off right & show it who's boss! I also want to say a HUGE shout out to one of my readers Christine. Congrats on becoming a Mom! And a big thank you to MimicDesign. 

Love, Mom {a personal post}

Mother's day has changed what it means to to me since I have become a mother. I now can truly appreciate the sacrifices my mother made for me and recognize how easy it can be to lose yourself when taking care of so many other people. Growing up I had divorced parents and life seemed to be a bit rocky at times. Step parents, new siblings, moving...it can all be pretty tough to handle. Luckily, I had one thing to get me through all of those moments, I had my mother. 

When I was younger the one thing I looked forward to the most was opening up my lunchbox to see a note scribbled from her on my napkin...always ending with Love, Mom. Soon my lunch boxes became paper sacks...and paper sacks turned into lunch money. She would still leave me an occasional note sitting next to my lunch money telling me 'to have a good day'- Love, Mom. Those  two little words planted themselves into my heart without me ever knowing it. They were the two little words that stayed with me even though I would say I hated her in the heat of an argument. They were the two little words I took with me when I drove off to college and they are the two little words I depend on at the end of every letter, every card, every present, and every care package I receive from thousands of miles away. They are able to make a day seem brighter, the distance between us vanish, and the impossible seem possible. I believe every mother is far from perfect. I believe as mother's we do the best we know how which makes us pretty incredible. I believe in times where my mother was not too sure of much, she was sure of at least one thing....she knew how to love us. So today I want to say to my mother, who is busy in her flower shop creating beautiful bouquets for all the other mother's being celebrated this weekend...that you are one of the very best. You were exactly who I needed and that's why I was given to you. You've taught me some of the most beautiful lessons in life. So it only seems fitting after thirty years of hearing two reassuring words from you, that today you should hear three special ones from me. I love you. 

Happy Mother's Day to all of you amazing mama's out there! Enjoy your weekend and remember the beauty behind every nose you have wiped, every diaper you have changed, every eye roll you have received, every piece of advice you have given, every dressing room battle you have lost, and every tear you have caught on your shoulder. You are what's beautiful with the world. You are what make us all into better people. 

Make yo' mouth water {food photography tips}

I don't know about you guys but most of the time when I see a commercial on TV for a cheeseburger or fries I'm already dipping the little salty potatoes in ketchup and biting into the cheeseburger in my head. It's a flaw, I'm a sucker, I know. But one day I stumbled across a documentary on the staging of food and it was so beyond interesting I have never forgotten about it. They actually whip Crisco with food coloring to look like the thickest and creamiest shake. They glue seeds onto the bun to look beyond perfect and use toothpicks to give the buns a more fluffed up appearance. All in the hopes that it triggers a physical reaction to make you want to eat their food. This is sort of the approach I have when it comes to photographing food.

I don't make "fake" food or glue things together. However, I think with my eyes and imagine how the image will translate on camera. It has to look appetizing and make someone want to cook your recipe, otherwise it can turn them off from even trying it. Here are the tricks I have learned for photographing food.

1. Shoot close up and shoot in the natural light. I always try and photograph near a window to make sure I have as much natural light as possible. I also like to play with angles and capture "bites" as well as the entire meal.

2. Try to capture the temperature of the meal. Is it a nice steamy bowl of soup or a delicious cold icy lemonade? I am always trying to capture the temperature of the meal whenever possible, either by photographing the steam or the condensation on the side of the cup etc.

3.Think Clean. I always use a plain white plate or natural wood surface to present my food. And I take the time to wipe off any drips of sauce from the rim and not pile the food too high or make the portions too large.

4. Create color. I always want it to look bright. Yellow lemons, nice green accents of cilantro or mint....all of it feels fresh and by association, delicious.

My models for today were the southwest meatballs from last nights dinner (from Clean Eating magazine) and they were yummy!  But here are a few other food shots in-case meatballs don't do it for you.

Now all of this food talk has me hungry. I might need a midnight snack. What is your favorite thing to eat for snack?