2013 In Passing

I would say forgive me for my absense, but I'm not exactly apologizing. Since the last time I shared anything here life got intense! I fully meant to elaborate on what really brought about the change in my frequency here, when it became obvious but I was so wrapped up in it that I never did. You'll understand after I sum up the many ups and not so many downs of this year.

I suppose we'll start with the downs. At least what I can remember, which is not very much.

1. After too many complaints from neighbors of the noise coming from our apartment during our Thursday night grocery trips, we were forced to find a new home for our Miniature Schnauzer Edith, who was our first baby together. **This has an upside that will present later, in the goods part.**

2. At the very beginning of the year David's mom suffered major injuries from falling on ice at work and is STILL having surgeries to recover. **There is an upside to this too. Balance**

3. David's family's dog Obi went out to the backyard, fell asleep, and never woke up.

4. Someone who was very dear to our family and my grandmother in particular was taken from this earth.

Then there were all of these amazingly good things!

1. David's mama was able to quit smoking because of her stay in the hospital. She had been smoking for over thirty years, as I recall. She has also done a lot to get healthy, including eating mostly plant based food.

2.We went to Portland for our third anniversary, an epic first date without our child who was then just over two. This is when I weaned her as well.

3. David received a promotion at work which has made life a bit more comfortable (ie. not living paycheck to paycheck, being able to splurge on hobby stuff, the ability to throw out old holey sheets, etc.)

4. My dad started working a stable job with growth opportunities for Jackson's convenience stores. He's completed manager training and hopes to get a transfer and management position here in Washington sometime in 2014.

5. My sisters and I all got to see each other for Kitty's 20th birthday, in Idaho.

6. Lorelei became more or less potty trained. Accidents still happen every so often in the form of minor leaks and during the night, but she is a little rockstar!

7. My aunt and uncle opened a small family run business in Nampa, Idaho. This is something a lot of my dad's family always dreamed about.

8. We purchased an espresso machine and started our coffee business on the blogging/education/review side of the coffee industry. Our website Purista Coffee Co has been a really rewarding and fun project for us to do together. We've met the most exceptional people through it and feel great about it's future. In 2014 we plan to start selling our home roasted coffee!

9. Edith was taken in by David's dad who has always loved her and is a lonely long-haul truck driver. They are the best companions for each other we could have hoped for and they take such good care of each other as well. In fact, Edie saved his life one night while CO2 leaked into the cabin of his truck and he slept. The girl usually sleeps quietly through the night, but woke him urgently so that he could get them both out. He said when he woke up he had a horrible headache and felt the worst he ever had. We're so happy that she was there for him.

10. We started home roasting coffee, see #7. ;)

11. David's best friend moved into our apartment building (from Idaho) and started working with David as well.

12. My mom started working her dream job as a labor and delivery nurse at the hospital she works at. Next step midwifery, I hope.

13. David and Lorelei got to see the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker for the first time. It was MAGICAL!

14. We got health insurance!!!!!!!! To each their own opinion about the Affordable Care Act, but  we couldn't be more happy. No more worries about whether or not we're falling apart. We'll be choosing a naturopath as our primary care provider and are thrilled about our wellness checks. Weird?

15. We found a house! Closing should be any day now and I can't wait to share our homeownership adventures here.

16. Last night we adopted a four month old Ausky (Australian Shephard/Husky mix) as an early birthday and housewarming present. She's a little not so little dream come true. We're looking forward to playing in our yard, hiking, swimming, and doing all kinds of active stuff with her. Her name is Gesha (pronounced like Geisha, but it's a rare and delightful coffee varietal, not a courtesan).

17. I'm still growing my hair and bangs out, and no-pooing. I'm shocked, really.

18. We have made some great plans and goals for 2014. I'll be back soon to share those.

I hope that you all have a great time saying goodbye to 2013 and ringing in 2014. For Auld Lang Syne...

Hello!

Between that little angel face not taking naps, me trying to be more engaged in real life, and a lack of anything substantial to write about I've been pretty absent around here. I can't promise that this is going to change, but I will hopefully at least find time to share snippets and say hi. I miss this place!

Lately we've been drinking iced coffee a lot, though it's not hot here yet. We plan on making an iced chemex brew guide video soon, and perhaps a cold brew video as well. That will be a few weeks down the road though because...

We're driving to Idaho on Thursday and will be there until Monday morning. My middle sis and her hubby are over there visiting from San Bernadino right now for her 20th birthday and we haven't seen her since Lorelei's first birthday. We're really excited about it, minus the hot, hot heat they're sure to be having. We also get to see my best friend, whose second baby I haven't ever met, so our littles will get to play together for the first time ever! Oh, and also, snow cones...because in Seattle there are no shaved ice stands. What?!?!?!

So aside from not napping Lorelei is now memorizing lines from movies (yeah that says a lot about how awful I am for letting her "watchy" too much, but seriously I would accomplish nothing otherwise). Her favorite is "Eating green is a special treat." From Bambi. So...my favorite Disney movie, and the most vegan baby line I ever did hear. I die. Also, see that fake toothy "for the camera" smile up there? Those kill me too. I love that silly little bug. :)

How are my lovely readers doing?

I No Longer Work In Sales, But...

Instead of haranguing myself, or spending a lot of time sitting at the computer picking my brain and trying to muster the motivation to catch up on 6 (it's been that many *gasp*) BEDM posts, I'm going to let it go. I'll keep up now, but this past week it's been pretty difficult as far as finding time for blogging. My parents drove from Boise last Saturday in order to watch our kidlet while we skipped on over to Portland for our third anniversary. We didn't leave until Monday so we were kept busy spending time with them until then. Then we were in PDX for two days. My parents left Wednesday morning and since then I haven't felt the desire to spend as much time at the computer. Also, Lorelei and I quit nursing, cold turkey, while I was gone, so she's been extra needy the past six days (read: every time I sit down at the computer, or anywhere she wants to snuggle, which I love) so I haven't had much time for writing either. On those lines, aside from being super sore and full of milk, we're handling it VERY well. Lorelei has only asked one or two times, and other than that she's just reiterated what I told her before I left for Portland, "Boodies are broken, all gone." Once she is set on something it's crazy how well she takes to it, like potty training. The girl is going to be a pretty successful in life methinks. :)

Anyways, here's Day 11: Sell yourself in 10 words or less.

1. Passionate
2. Objective
3. Sympathetic
4. Optimistic
5. Determined
6. Abstract
7. Progressive
8. Humane
9. Vivacious
10. Prudent

Looking at those now it would appear that I'm very future-centric, which I find slightly strange seeing as how I feel very present. Maybe I can be both?!

On another note, Happy Mother's Day weekend to those of you who are mama's and to your own mama's if you aren't one yet!  I've had good coffee, a nice breakfast, good sleep, and now I get a tiny bit of me time to pop in here while I wait for David and Lorelei to get back so we can take a hike. :)

Well And Cheaply

Spending time with family today, living this quote. Hope you're all having a lovely weekend! 

Blog Every Day In May, An Intro

This month I'm doing something different, for me, and link up with other bloggers to *gasp* blog EVERY DAY in May. You can read more about it, and see the prompts here. I figured that since I am doing my first sponsorship this month, and hopefully gaining some new readers, it would be a good way to maintain momentum. Plus I love a challenge! And it will be a challenge because at least two of the days I will be off the internets, away from my computer. I will be enjoying PDX eats with my man for our 3 year anniversary. So, I just wanted to give you a heads up! Expect the first post soon. Maybe you'll try it too?

Place To Be

"Now I'm weaker, than the palest blue. Oh so weak in this need for you." - Place To Be, Nick Drake
Photo courtesy of Photography by David L. Clark

There is something about places, the significance, the nostalgia, the memories, the beauty, that elicit so much emotion in the human spirit. Maybe a place holds significant because it feels like home, maybe you fell in love there, maybe you found out something about yourself there, or perhaps it just stirs something up that you can't explain. This waterfall is one of those places for me. I was born and lived almost half of my life in Snoqualmie, Washington the place that this beauty falls from. A lot of my fondest memories of my life come from this place, along with a romanticized notion about my father's young life, and my grandfather's. My family lived in "The Valley" forever. 

Yesterday David and I took Lorelei there to just jaunt around a little bit. I was struck by this oily, woody smell in the air the other day while I took my dog outside that reminded me of the train depot I used to visit regularly with my grandmother and aunts, and I felt like I just needed to go home. Sometimes it's so gratifying to go back to where your life started. 

So many memories, buried deep, sprang forth while we walked the streets. Memories of picking up fallen apples to take a bite, as we walked past my great, great grandparent's old home that once had an apple tree in the front yard. A home that also housed a very tiny me and my young parents for a while. Where I could remember the smell of the garage. A place where my aunt later lived and fed me Cookie Crisp for breakfast, baked lemon cakes, and let me try to jump on her water bed. I smiled at the Railroad Museum at the memory of the feeling of the brick walkway under my own stroller wheels when I was Lorelei's age, a sensation I didn't even know I remembered until I was there. Seeing flashes in my head of the sights on the train ride from Snoqualmie to North Bend. Remembering the festivals and parades that I attended on those streets. Hearing the music played by 90's folk and grunge musicians, including my dad's various music projects. Smelling the river. Pointing out houses I loved as a kid, and noticing charming ones I never took notice of before. I had this overwhelming sense of familiarity, security, and of being rooted there. Seeing, hearing, and feeling the spray off the waterfall made my heart flutter. It's like this every time I go back. I feel like I'm home, but it also feels like magic.

Sometimes I catch myself dreaming of raising my own daughter there. It still feels so wholesome and welcoming to me. I would have been incredibly happy to grow up my whole life there. Even as a child I imagined myself going to middle school and high school where my parents did. Maybe it feels so happy to me because I was still young and oblivious to the crap that happened there and threatened to tear my family apart, but I can't help but think maybe those things could have been worked out without leaving. I will never know, and that chapter is behind me, but I can't help but wonder...Maybe there are more chapters for me to make there...

What places have special significance to you?

Presently 1.0: A Tuesday Sort of Feature

Technically this isn't my first Presently post, but it's going to be a regular Tuesday fixture around here now. I'm excited! Sometimes it's nice to just jot down what's going on in your life right now, mundane or not, to look back at it later, and that's why I'v decided to do it. Other bloggers do "currently" posts on set days or in link ups, but I chose Tuesday because it's the middle of my week and the best representation of what's going on in said week. Also, it's "presently" for me because currently is one of those words that looks weird to me written out. Do you have any words that screw with your eyes? Anyways, here we go.

Reading: Mindfulness in Plain English, a book on meditation, though I'm not getting in as much reading time as I would like. Lorelei has been making me read This is Not My Hat and I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen on repeat lately as well (he's my favorite children's book illustrator, Lorelei really prefers Oliver Jeffers).

Writing: Lists! I've been following the 52 Lists project over on Moorea Seal's blog and really loving having a way to tap into "me" and being forced to practice my penmanship. I've also been blogging a lot more lately (weird!). Oh, and all of those children's books I've been reading have me thinking, "I could totally write children's books." So maybe I'll be writing little's literature if I get some time and inspiration.

Listening: Right this minute I'm listening to the Decembrists, but lately we've been listening to a lot of Youth Lagoon, Hammock (for yoga), and on the weekends I can't help but play The Beatles.

Watching: Downton Abbey. David and I are hooked! We're in the middle of Season 2 right now and the tension between Matthew and Mary is killing us. We watch an episode almost every night while we drink tea. Haha. Nerds...

Thinking: I can't get our anniversary trip to Portland off my mind! We leave in thirteen days that are going to fly by. We have been planning our activities and food adventures for four months and now I feel like we're not prepared enough. So far we have plans to stop at no less than four coffee shops (all with their own roasts), eat some donuts, visit Pittock Mansion (where I will nerd out and pretend I'm in The Impassible Wilderness, Wildwood reference...), and we'll be staying at the ACE Hotel. Pretty exciting stuffs!

Smelling: LUSH's Sultana of Soap. Their scents really permeate! The smell lingers on the skin forever and just having the bar in the bathroom acts like air freshener. The scent is intoxicating. I like to think of it as smelling like ambrosia...

Wishing: That I had more me time. Yesterday my anxiety was through the roof because Lorelei wouldn't give me space to do anything. We ended up going to Target because getting out of the apartment usually helps, but she ended up really cranky after a while and I lost my new cardigan. Imagine a crying mom frantically pushing a stroller harnessing a wailing toddler all over the store thinking that her life is over because she lost a sweater... The good news is that I found my sweater and she crashed out when we got home. If I could have like an hour of uninterrupted time to do yoga and/or paint my nails everyday I would be so much calmer and happy to cater to her every whim. Sometimes being a stay at home mom is really trying.

Hoping: That I can get my kitchen clean and vacuum today. I have the hardest time doing simple, necessary cleaning tasks and my apartment is a cluttered mess all the time.

Loving: My husband. I don't say it enough, but that guy...he's wonderful. He just is. :)

Wanting: To be on a schedule! I have this overwhelming desire to be more structured lately. I think I'm in a good place to initiate more routine right now. I have some good ideas about how to structure our day so that we are more productive and do more things that we enjoy at the same time. I keep eyeballing calendars and planners when I go to Target. Mostly I want to schedule workouts so that I actually do it more than once or twice a week. Also, I need to do more meal planning so that everything else in the day flows easier as well.

Needing: Nothing that I can think of.

Feeling: A little grubby. Today is the first day of this week that I haven't been dressed and made up before doing anything else.

Clicking: Um, the regular social networking stuff...Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin...nothing too interesting. Well, I've spent way too much time on LUSH's site since we visited the store, but I wasn't going to admit that...

Shop Without the Drop

1. Sleeveless Blouse 2. Sultana of Soap 3. Shorts 4. Long Sleeve Blouse 5. Cardigan 6. Jeans

Yesterday I had a hankering to go check out H&M because I've been in serious need of a wardrobe makeover since, well before I ever got pregnant with Lorelei. I decided this was the place to go because not only are their prices super duper good for new clothes, but the company is also pretty socially responsible as far as fast fashion goes. Like, did you know that you can recycle bags of clothes at all of their locations? They can be pretty much any type of clothes, ripped, stained, whatever, and then people sort everything to be resold, recycled, or used to create energy. You can read more about that here. We got really incredibly lucky in that Lorelei decided to take a 3 hour nap starting right before we got to the mall, so I got to try things on (gasp!). I needed to find a few staple pieces of clothing that would work well with the little bit I already had, and the pieces above fit the bill and were cohesive. My entire wardrobe consists of the pieces above (though the long sleeve blouse is actually a really gorgeous berry color, and that isn't the exact black cardigan), a white and a gray v-neck t-shirt, a white and a black camisole, a black turtleneck bodycon mini dress, a black chiffon maxi skirt, a pair of low rise worn in Levi's, a button up chambray dress, a navy lace high-low hem dress, a pair of black moccasins, a pair of black booties, a pair of converse, a yoga outfit, a wool coat, and three pairs of tights. That kind of sounds like a lot written out, but if you see it hanging in the closet it isn't and I'm okay with that. Sometime soon I plan on playing dress up all day to figure out how many outfits I can get out of the pieces. The only items I feel I'm missing are a scarf, a cool statement necklace like this one, and a fedora. 

Anyways, during our trip to the mall we realized that Teavana was right next to H&M, and we'd been dying to go in, so with the dragon sleeping we traipsed on in. We got to sample 6 different teas that were delicious to say the least, ogle some gorgeous tea pots and kettles, and escape empty handed even with the sales people on their A-game. We were on the home stretch to get out to the car when I spotted Lush. Savannah at Maiedae did a review video on some of their products a week or two ago that sparked my interest, so I jumped over to their site to find that a lot of their products were vegan. Also, remember that I have a beauty product problem? We ended up inside, our nostrils rejoiced, we were given little hand arm treatments, and we walked out with the Sultana of Soap. I'm already scheming my next visit to get some henna for my hair!

We're not usually mall people, so it was surprising to us that we had such a good trip. We spent under $85 and loved the loot. So we shopped, and we didn't drop, weird. Oh, also this weekend I made cinnamon rolls, and pan pizza. So look for the recipes soon. ;)

The Evolution of a Consumerist Beauty Product Whor(der)

A lot of my life I've thought about, used, and loved an array of beauty and hygiene products. When I was two I started dancing and by age four stage makeup at recitals was required. When I was seven my grandma brought me violet parfum from her travels in France. Once I turned nine I quit ballet, but was basically a preteen immediately after and wanted to wear makeup and scents regularly. In fifth grade I had a tube of silver/blue Wet and Wild lipstick that I used on my eyelids, cheeks, and lips (gag!) with glitter caked on top. By middle school my mom helped me apply eyeliner some days and I was obsessed with body sprays. I received my first bottle of designer perfume (RALPH by Ralph Lauren) for Christmas right before I turned 14. In high school every dollar I earned doing odd jobs went to face washes, lotions, new makeups, blow dryers, etc. Then when I had my first steady job I spent about half of my money on food, and the rest on beauty supplies and magazines. I started box coloring my hair every couple months. It was out of hand! I would buy new foundations, shampoos, and anything that was new before I even ran out of the last one. I had a rotation of *at least* 4 designer perfumes. All that to say I've loved beauty products my whole life... but that is just a lot of crazy when I think about it now!

I still really love beauty products and get super excited to try new ones and experiment with them, but my love is much more rational now! Around the time I moved in with David in 2009, and had bills to pay, I stopped buying any new face paints and concoctions unless I was completely out. In the last few years of doing things that way I've still been able to try out different products (always looking for what's best for my skin, coloring, style, etc.) and have not once felt deprived of anything. 

When we moved to Washington in February of '12, my outlook on the stuff I was putting on my body changed again. I was more interested in finding products that were still affordable but not as harsh on my skin and environment. We stopped using body washes and started using organic handmade bar soap, and then Dr. Bronner's. I bought into products like Covergirl Nature Luxe and then Physicians Formula Organic Wear foundations and Organix Shampoo and Conditioner, which were frankly still too expensive for our small budget and as I later learned here still pretty toxic. 

And then there's the present...It seems like there has been a steady progression towards knowledge and care about what I do to feel pretty/clean/presentable. 

Currently in my makeup bag: e.l.f. mineral powder foundation, blush, lip tint and mineral mascara, and e.l.f. studio corrective concealer which are surprisingly low toxicity for their small price tag and vegan friendly. E.l.f. makes a very cheap nail polish as well in lots of trendy colors that is free of toulene, formaldehyde, and dbp (the top offending ingredients in most nail polishes), so I collect those when I can. I'm also a huge fan of Naked Eye Beauty's products. The Vegan Organic Rose Tinted Lip Balm looks, smells (passionfruit and rose), and feels so nice, but with a steeper price tag than I really like I use it sparingly.

Currently on my body/skin: Dr. Bronner's Tea Tree Liquid Castile Soap, Tom's of Maine Naturally Dry Antiperspirant, and Naked Eye Beauty Organic Vegan Sandalwood Vanilla Body Lotion (which like the lip balm smells and feels freaking amazing) For my face I rotate using oil cleansing methods with washing with this Rocky Top Soap Shop Cambrian Blue Clay bar soap. I've tried 3 of his other soaps and I would happily use no other brand of soap ever! They have a luxurious lather for bar soap and are unscented plus he has a pretty impressive selection based on your needs (even a dog shampoo soap bar!).

Currently in my hair: If the baking soda and apple cider vinegar no 'pooing routine is leaving anything to be desired then I'll wash my hair with the Dr. Bronner's Tea Tree soap and do a vinegar rinse. I don't use any other hair products.

Currently in my mouth: Tom's of Maine Propolis and Myrrh Fluoride Free Toothpaste, it tastes like a ginger mint and it's mild enough in flavor that Lorelei uses it too!

So those are the products that are cutting it for me right now. Maybe farther down the road I'll end up using less or at least gentler products but for now these ones make me pretty happy. At least I know that if I can ever afford to take up a hobby or start an etsy shop it will be in formulating natural beauty products because I love them, and also chemistry.

What are your favorite beauty products? Do you put much thought into what you're putting on your largest organ (that would be your skin)?

Things on a Thursday

Photo from my family's visit in March. 4 generations of women.

Thing #1- I'm really, beyond excited to go to this PNW blogger meetup at the end of April. It's doing a little to inspire me to write more posts and network better/more.

Thing #2- Did you hear about the president signing an act protecting Monsanto? If you don't know about Monsanto and the fight against GMO's in our food I cannot recommend more highly that you educate/arm yourself against the ugliness being induced upon us. I don't know about you, but I don't want a company who deals in chemicals having their foot on every farm growing the food that I eat and feed my child.

Thing #3- I haven't mentioned lately that I am STILL no 'pooing and I'm still really loving it. After 3 months my ends and scalp are a bit drier than I care for, but I think with all the rain and weather warming up that should get better. I'm currently looking for natural/homemade hair masks that won't mess with my progress on naturally regulating my oil production. I'm looking into getting some oils and such from Mountain Rose Herbs to try my hand at more homemade beauty solutions.

Thing #4- This is a little superficial and materialistc, but it's a big deal! I found a perfect bathing suit...and I haven't been keen on wearing one since Lorelei was born. This one can be custom made to your measurements which is great because not very many women have a waist that is exactly 10 inches smaller than their hips. Also, the high rise bottom will hide the stretch marks I like to keep under wraps and there's no risk of a visible c-section scar...Woot!

Thing #5- I really missed blogging the past few weeks...

What are some things you're up to/thinking about/wanting/loving?

Spring Fever

It's hitting hard. We've had a few wonderfully sunny and not too chilly days here in the Seattle area, and all of the stores are decked out with Easter goods and Spring fashion. I love Spring. I feel like Ruche's spring lookbook video does such a good job showing the essence of the season, so I decided to share it here, along with my favorite pieces from it. :) The models sweet 40's hair styles totally sweeten the deal!

These outfits with their swingy, high waisted, ladylike cuts (1 & 2) with ultra feminine blouses (1 & 2), have me wanting to play a game of croquet or bocce ball myself.

This dress, with it's vintage looking Hawaiian print, easy silhoutte, and collar make it the ultimate throw-on-and-look-fabulous-without-any-accessories spring/summer dress. And her hair... don't get me started!

MaeLiveFree is 1!!! And Midweek Music P.14 City Bear ft. Molly Clark "Nell"

A year ago today I published my first post here at MaeLiveFree. I was off to a rocky start and didn't have any idea what direction this blog would go, and to be quite honest I still have a million different ideas for things I'd like to post about here. More on that later... It was slow going at first, as in my parents, sisters, and grandparents were probably the only ones reading, but now I have some followers outside of that and I think you're all awesome!

I've decided that I would really like to focus on green and frugal living here on MaeLiveFree. I think that it's broad and encompassing enough for me to still blog about the things that I already do, and to inspire some new dialogue. Green and sustainable living are becoming increasingly important to me as I get older and see the consequences of my choices and the choices of the rest of our planets inhabitants. Since I already made my goal for this year to be greener, I've been working at it and have picked up on a few things that I'm excited to write more about later.

For now, thank you so much to everyone who has made MaeLiveFree a part of your life in the past year!

Here is a little bit of Midweek Music to dance in your ear drums:

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

Photos courtesy of Photography by David L. Clark

This last Monday we were extremely happy and very excited about seeing some friends that go way back, to times before I even existed. It's a familial friendship that started back with my grandparents. My grandparents made friends with one unique, artistic, kind, and smart man and his darling, good humored, sweet, and also quite intelligent wife. I can't say exactly how the relationship came about, but I know that they all went to church together. Both families had 4 kids, went to church together, took camping trips together, and have remained friends throughout life even with geographical distance between them. One of their daughters was close friends with my aunt in their very early childhood, and is the long time best friend of one of my cousins. Technically I'm part of 3rd generation of this long story, but I feel more tied in with the second. I came around when all of the second generation was pretty young, as in my dad was 19 and only younger than two of his own siblings.

For many reasons I relate better to the generation that came before me, but mainly because we all have little ones around the same age. It's funny because my daughter is technically generation 4, while the other's kids are generation 3. Lots of math and explaining I won't go into here. My cousin lives nearby, as do my grandparents friends, but their kids live all over the place, and the one we got to see (with her hilarious husband, and spunky little girl) currently lives in New Mexico. We felt really special to get to see them on their vacation in our neck of the woods! I think I can say that we were all looking forward to our kids playing together. They didn't disappoint in  providing good entertainment and lots of cute. :)

Testing the bounciness of a foreign couch.

Couch jumping dominos, two year olds are great at inventing new games.

Never a toddler picture that isn't an action shot.

Butterfly nets are also great bandit masks. ;)

Toddler Norwegian death metal band, Garn Sommerfugler. Lots of screaming  shrieking  ear piercing.

The evening was particularly good for my soul, since we have been here in Washington for a year now and haven't made any friends (it's not my strong suit since I'm a home body and hardly relate to many people of our own age and situation) and don't really see much of my local family. I desperately needed the adult interaction. Also with the roots of these relationships going so far back and interspersing so much throughout my family history, it really just felt like home. Most of my family is in Idaho and I really miss being a part of big dinner's, birthday parties, and the like. Monday night was a lot like those much missed family activities.

Of course the food was nothing to scoff at either! We all decided on a Mexican themed potluck. There was a build-your-own taco bar with three different main fillings, one consisting of all veggies for us not so strict or well behaved vegans. I tried the fish in a taco with shredded cabbage and the veggies and it was fabulous! I made homemade tortilla chips and a layer dip with black beans, pico de gallo, and guacamole, and horchata coconut lime donuts, all of which I think went over pretty well. There was also a quinoa salad, several salsa/dips, almond pound cake, brownies, and fresh berries. There might be more that I'm forgetting, but it was all delicious.

The lone ranger, not sleeping yet.

 We stayed way too late, and our kid was the last one standing (of course), but it was so much fun. I wish I could have more nights like it.

I'm Not Dead, Just Good-Busy

Not above embarrasing myself y'all. P.S. I make A LOT of crazy/idiotic faces all the time. I don't know how my husband deals...

Just thought I'd pop in and let you all know that I haven't vanished, I have just been busy doing fun, good things. I'll be sharing some of them when I get the time to really sit down and write, but for now, just a quick hello! I turned 23 last Friday, and it feels like a good age. Not too blah like 22, not a significant age at all, but it feels like it fits, and it's going to hopefully be a good year for me. My sweet hubby realized that in order for my wardrobe to remain minimal, in circulation, and in good shape, I needed to protect my clothes from my messy kitchen activities, so the dear bought me a pretty apron with matching mitts for my birthday present. We also went to IKEA to buy some dressers that I put together, a drying rack so that we can slash our power bill and impact by not using the dryer, and some nice matching hangers since we now have few enough clothes that we could afford enough hangers for them.

Just to keep you interested, here is a rundown on what you may find here in the next week or two (God and toddler willing):

1. Baked Vegan Whole Wheat Brown Sugar Grapefruit Donuts Recipe
2. Playing catch up on my 52 Weeks of Life With Lei Lei.
3. A glimpse into one of the best evenings we've had in a while.
4. A preview of City Bear's album that released yesterday.
5. My 23 Before 24 Goals
6. The Best Freaking Chili Recipe
7. Results of my no-pooing journey, and why I hope it works forever.
8. Baked Vegan Whole Wheat Horchata Lime Coconut Donuts Recipe
9. Possibly a peek into Lorelei's "Room" if I can do what I want to in there in a timely fashion.

For now, I just leave you with that there photo up top so that you can laugh at me like I do myself. See you around friends. :)

February Birthdays #2, The Hubs

Today a really special guy turned 25. That's right it's my hubby, a quarter of a century old. Since we're planning something big for our anniversary this year and we got his camera already we aren't doing anything special today. I took it upon myself to mess around in Garage Band instead of cleaning the apartment (which he would REALLY love) to sing him a birthday song. It's really dorky, and nothing special, but I'm going to share it anyways because it's 100% me. Extreme nerdiness, totally off task, and well whatever...

A Quick Hello!

I just wanted to take a minute to let you all see something I've been working on today. My little sis has joined the blog world, and writes a personal/journal type blog as an outlet being a newlywed hundreds of miles from friends and family. If you like that kind of blog maybe follow her? Either way, go see my design at The Kitty Wumpus. She hasn't even seen it yet, but I can't wait for her reaction! Just a heads up, I actually found her background and header on the interwebs, so if you feel like you aren't any good at HTML and design, do some searching! There are lots of customizable resources out there. I'll be back later with Life With LeiLei. ;P

Presently

Photo courtesy of Photography by David L. Clark

This is my attempt at a fun post modeled after Danielle of Sometimes Sweet's Currently. feature. That lady has so much talent for writing and passion for her life, and I seriously admire her. Plus her kid is stinkin' cute! Here it goes...

Watching: a regular rotation of Nashville (who isn't watching it, it's strangely addicting even with the auto tuning and divas), Parenthood which my husband and I have watched from the very beginning and always makes me cry, and Grey's Anatomy with all the dark and twisty turns. We also watch Mad Men on occasion when there aren't new episodes of our other favorites. I think we're on season 3 right now. Every time we watch it I want to browse ModCloth for midcentury fashion and listen to the swing, standards, and crooners. We are also excited about watching some holiday movies, Elf and Home Alone being at the top of the list. Oh, and we just watched Leon the Professional, Natalie Portman's breakthrough role. I guess we sit in front of the screen more than I'd like to admit, but what else do broke folks do?

Listening To: right now, as in while I type, I'm listening to a Little Hurricane session on Audiotree. I've also been listening heavily to Ben Gibbard's solo album Former Lives, A Fine Frenzy's PINES along with the accompanying video, A Very She & Him Christmas, and David listens to Mumford and Sons A LOT (not complaining). Lorelei is digging Sucré, because it's her kind of dance music.

Planning: our weekend. My dad will be in town for the NFL PPK competition he has volunteered to work at for the past 7 or 8 years. He loves it because it means he gets to see a Seahawks game and have a mini vacation. He's only here for two full days with not a ton of free time, so we'll be going to dinner at Plum Bistro, a vegan restaurant in Capitol Hill and hanging out with him downtown. We really want to squeeze in going to Kerry Park so David can photograph the iconic Seattle skyline view. I'm also planning our christmas menu and trying to figure out how to decorate our tree without spending money.  So far I think food wise we're going to go nontraditional and make homemade thai food (!!!). As for decorating, David found clear string lights in the trash when we moved here last February, I grabbed some paint chips from Lowe's to string and hang for color, and I want to scavenge some pine cones to paint the edges of.

Thinking About: How I need to filter my language/behaviors/reactions better. I've been noticing how much Lorelei is picking up on them and feeling that she can act and speak the way I do when she's upset. The other night when she was not going to bed, every time I put her in her crib she was screaming "Damn it, Mommy. Come here," and that was eye opening for me because it's something she obviously picked up from me. I haven't always used strong language or reacted strongly to things she does, but she's a toddler now, very near two, and there seems to be less time when she's not doing something to push my buttons than not. That sounds like me making excuses, and it kind of is, I'm just growing more and more exhausted with all the lack of sleep, her busy-ness, and never, ever having a break from her. I am with her 24/7 with no other company or activities. We're both bored and under stimulated and we're both growing weary of each other.

Reading: gardening books and cookbooks. I really, really love cookbooks. We recently acquired Veganomicon, that I have tried two recipes from and loved. I'm also currently digging Pure Vegan, which I checked out from our local library and can't wait to own someday. It has beautiful photos and the recipes are organized by time of day. I'll be sharing a recipe I love from it this week! I've also been putting a bunch of books on hold at the library, I think sometimes I check out more than I can feasibly read or look at before they are due. I just get so excited about books. Like, I've been trying to read The Idle Parent for almost 2 months and I just have so much else I want to do all the time I forget about reading it.

Making Me Happy: life in general, despite how I seem to complain. I feel pretty content lately, as in I'm comfortable with the life I have and not really in a place where I'm constantly wishing for change. I feel like I'm getting better at living in the now and it's really liberating to not always be thinking about or hoping for whatever is next. I've stopped stressing out about how much Lorelei still wants to nurse and am letting go of notions I had of weaning her on my time. I no longer mope about my physical appearance (read: 15 pounds I still need want to lose from pregnancy) because I realize that changing it is completely in my hands, and that I can do it if I just try. I've been going to the gym whenever I get a chance and doing between 2 and 3 miles of interval training on the elliptical. Doing this makes me feel good, and I've lost 5 pounds in the last 2 weeks.

Other things I've been up to or enjoying this week: Bekah's post on water conservation. Drooling over these adorable and obscenely priced kids clothes. Conversations with Birdie. Looking at cute cases for my hand me down iPhone 1/ & 2/. This gorgeous blog and this post on meditating with children. Oh, thanks to Kelly Ann for sharing this design she did for this blog that I am really digging. And the Totally Awesome Blog Hop, giving bloggers like myself a chance to connect with other bloggers and bring in more audience. :)

What are you up to lately?

Thanks 2,000!

This week I am excited that MaeLiveFree hit over 2,000 views, and had my most views on one post yet! I wanted to say thank you to those of you that follow and/or regularly read here, and also a very big thank you to Reddit vegans! It seems that the direction I've started taking here is paying off in many ways. For one, I'm more inspired than ever: to get out of my cooking rut, to create (recipes that is), to write more, and to share my life here. If it weren't for those of you who take any interest, for whatever reason, I would have given up on blogging a long time ago! I'm also very excited for the more active role my husband is taking in making this blog what I want it to be. He has always been supportive, and by default takes more pictures than me (therefore it's always been mostly his images here), but now nearly all of the images seen here will be his photographic work. I think it will be fun to document his evolution in photography skills in this space. So anyways, big, BIG, thank you to all of you. I hope this holiday season is looking merry and bright. Cheers!

I'm Eating Pancakes

Lunch is the difficult meal for us in this house. We always seem to have enough food for yummy dinners and decent breakfasts. Most mornings we eat farina or oatmeal because it's more substantial than most cold cereals and because it's pretty quick to make (I struggle to get up when David's alarm wants me to after being up at least once, usually twice, in the night with miss LeiLei). Dinners are usually something with tofu or meat replacements and lots of veggies and flavor.  But lunch, well if we don't have any leftovers (we only ever have any when I make soups), lunch is real chore. Half of the time I can't remember what I finagled for us to eat at lunch time. I've started trying to keep track by taking iPhone pictures. Yesterday we had a delicious concoction of pasta, homemade tomato sriracha sauce (way more delicious than it sounds even if you are a rooster sauce junky like me) and spinach.

Today I wasn't sure how I was going to manage. We don't buy bread, I make all of it from scratch which takes planning (and let's face it, I am way to scatterbrained, not to mention tired, at 9:30 in the morning to remember to make some dough) so sandwiches are usually out of the question. Also we generally only have things for PB&J on the sandwich frontier. Anyways, today I made pancakes. 

I've been experimenting with homestyle vegan pancake recipes and struggling to find one that I'm truly happy with. I just wanted some tasty, traditional pancakes without eggs and butter. After trying enough to know what things I did and didn't like about the recipes, and about how much of a flour to moisture ratio I needed I came up with my own today. It rocked our socks! Perfect, for us, pancakes (pancake preferences are a sensitive matter, David didn't even like pancakes before I made them for him). Not too fluffy or too dense, and very moist. If you've never made pancakes without a mix, you should try some ASAP, whether you use this recipe or not.

Ingredients:

1 cup + 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat bread flour (regular would be okay, just a little more dense and dry)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons vegan sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon egg replacement powder* =ERP, plus 3 tablespoons warm water

2 tablespoons vegan shortening (ie: Earth Balance), melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup soymilk

1. Mix the dry ingredients (minus the egg replacement powder) together until well combined. 

2. In a small bowl whisk ERP with water until dissolved.

3. Mix the shortening, vanilla, ERP mixture, and soymilk into the dry ingredients until fairly smooth. Some lumps are okay.

4. Pour desired pancake sizes into a skillet with vegan shortening and cook on low-med heat. Flip the pancake when bubbles uniformly cover the batter-up side.

Serve with any toppings you like. We used organic agave nectar this time around. Blueberries and powdered sugar would be amazing with these! 

Firing Up the Canon

Right now I am not so patiently (patience is not something I'm good at) waiting for the UPS man to deliver our awesome new toy. Upgrading from iPhone 3GS photos to Canon DSLR is a huge deal, for me anyways. I'm freaking stoked!

Last time we received a package, it showed up a few minutes shy of nursing Lorelei to sleep for her nap and the knock on the door startled her awake. Unfortunately because of the interruption she never napped that day and it was a long evening! Crossing my fingers that UPS doesn't show til after she falls asleep today, but in enough time for me to hit the gym.

Here's to better pictures than the high school-ish bathroom selfie above in my Canon owning future!