CURRENT PINS

1. Love not only seeing art in progress but the same image in sequence//idea for a layout. 2. Replace draw with make//that's me. 3. Toddler advice I need to read//quiet time for toddlers who no longer nap. 4. I can't say that I'm a huge lover of pb&j's but in the form of a donut, well now that's a different story. 5. Color inspiration//pops of pink. 6. Light. Light. Shadow & light. 7. The wonton soup I made & put up on my IG this week//SO GOOD. *added less ginger to the wonton mixture and a little more cabbage. also added soy sauce + Sriracha to the broth. 8. More color inspiratoin//pastel + pop. 9. Couldn't be more perfect. (can't find the original source. pin)

Happy Weekend. xot

Currents//eating

This donut recipe has been sitting in my "like" Pinterest page for awhile. It boasts (the descriptoin of the Pin) that it's the original Krispy Kreme recipe which it is not. Not to say they're not delicious and that there isn't one left from the batch I made this morning. Well...we made.

The boy automatically pulls out a chair when he sees the big tub of flour come out. I've come to embrace it. It gets messy but I love seeing how into it he is.

I wanted to make something special this morning so I started the dough first thing. I liked what she said about this being an easy recipe and the tip on keeping the room well ventilated.

These donut holes were SO GOOD. I had the oil a little too hot so they browned really quickly but they still came out fine. The boys enjoyed them a lot. The outside had a light crispy texture and the inside was soft and slighty dense + chewy. That's what made it different from a Krispy Kreme donut.  Definitely keeping the recipe for future use.

* a few personl notes I used just under a 2 cups of flour which was perfect. I let the oil get too hot, may need to invest in a thermometer. This recipe made the perfect amount for 2 adults + 1 hungry toddler. I liked that it wasn't a recipe that would feed an army.

XOT

Currents

time: 2:18 pm location: my side of the couch mood: reluctant, indecisive eating: spring rolls drinking: gatorade watching: Grey's, season 8 reading: Amy Tan's new book - available at Studio Calico today loving: the Apple TV we got for Christmas learning: to embrace the good with the bad thinking: that I'm in desperate need of a new hair style or at least a cut wishing: I knew the answers to everything

XOT

Current Pins

What do your latest pins say about you?

3. Loving charcoal colored walls. I've been contemplating this for a wall in our living room to sort of detract from our slate fireplace. Our home is definitely a cozy one and our living space is limited. Why the builders put a huge slate fire place in the living room is beyond me but it's here to stay and I need to find a way to work around it.

5. I've been really interested in making more of my own baked goods and these crackers look simply awesome.

6. This lasagna soup recipe was really really good, especially on a chilly winter day served with good home made french bread. I halved the recipe & used a half jar of spagetti sauce instead of diced tomatoes since we were out. Love being able to improvise a recipe with good results.

7. Purging A TON OF NEEDLESS STUFF lately and loving it.

14. The combination of a tidy workspace and beautiful natural light has me redecorating my office again.

You can find the links to these pins on my Pinterest board.

XOT

Where'd ya go?

My love for blogging. Totally lost. I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate that. I remember when it all started. I would write about the most mundane, random bullshit and I was happy with that. At least I have Instagram. Currents has totally gone, hasn't it? I do still jot it down in my journal and sketchbooks. But I haven't shared in awhile so here we go.

time: 9:05 pm location: couch (or as Kristi would put it, "couchin it") drinking: water eating: nothing but I'm jonesing for a bowl of ice cream watching: Louie (love.this.show.) feeling: apprehensive loving: my arse planted on this couch (I don't think I ever sit while the boy is up. I'm even scrapping and making standing up now. He keeps me on my toes people., it's no joke) thinking: so many things to do and make, so little time making: just completed a special project for a special project wanting: to be somewhere else (I desperately want to get out of the state for awhile but how do you travel with a toddler?!?!) needing: see above

And because it's Friday, gotta throw in some girl loves.

I'm so inspired by this, not only for the pretty typography but the overall message.

That's all. Happy Friday- XOT

currents.

                                              (polaroid sx 70, 600 film)
 

??listening: to some random mix on Pandora.
eating: a breakfast burrito with salsa.
drinking: peppermint hot chocolate 
wearing: leggings, Uggs, long t, sweater, scarf.
feeling: nervous, scared, excited, not ready.  
weather: COLD.
wanting: for him to wait a few more weeks.
needing: to do some last minute baby shopping.
thinking: REALLY?!
enjoying: the excitement.
wondering: am I going to have a Thanksgiving baby?

So.
OB says it could be anytime.
ANYTIME.
I was not prepared to hear that yesterday at my check up.
What happened to my December due date?
I had maternity leave plans with work.
I have more laundry to do. Meals to make and freeze. A bathroom to remodel. Christmas shopping!
Oy.
I know, I know...you can only prepare and plan so much. I hear your thoughts as you're reading this.
I guess I was just really hoping for a baby with a December birthday.
But I don't have any control on when he'll make his fabulous debut.

Other than that, it's a pretty typical Wednesday. Just trying to stay warm!
xot.

currents.

??listening: The White Stripes. 
eating: about to have a bowl of frosted mini wheats.
drinking: ice decaf coffee. I woke up with a huge craving for ice coffee. The idea sounded better though, I'm not enjoying it one bit.
wearing: The only pair of jeans I can fit my big bootie into, black sweater & my fake Missoni scarf.
feeling: puffy.
weather: cold & dark.
wanting: some one to do my Christmas shopping for me.
needing: a boost of energy when I get home from work.
thinking: 4 more weeks, 4 more weeks, 4 more weeks. holy shnikies
enjoying: love.
wondering: are these Braxton Hicks contractions I'm feeling?

The shower was absolutely fabulous.
I could not have asked for a better party. It all came out as I envisioned which was kind of like a vintagy carnival type theme. Old fashion candy, popcorn machine, soda bottles, yummy food, face painting for the kids.....it was all perfect.
And of course I didn't get one photo in. Something I was afraid would happen. Ronalyn was kind enough to take photographs, you can view a few of them here. Her and her partner Paula who shot my maternity photos gifted me with the most wonderful photo book. It's amazing.
Another thing I wanted to do instead of the usual sign in book was to take a polaroid of all my guests that would later go into a scrapbook that will hold baby cards and other memorabilia.
I found that Polaroid actually makes something really similar to Fuji's instax camera and that I could find it locally here at Target. I'd so much rather pay for something here than order it online. I haven't had a chance to play with it yet but the photos are fun.

Thanks for all the anniversary love! Dinner was delicious...especially the crab legs dipped in copious amounts of melted butter.....mmmm....

xot
 

currents.

 
 

??listening: The Sea and Cake. 
eating: Melon and grapes.
drinking: Water.
wearing: Nothing special.
feeling: very very tired. my eyes are so heavy this a.m.
weather: foggy, icy.
wanting: to snuggle back in bed with my 5 pillows.
needing: haircut. desperately.
thinking: about my upcoming baby shower. hope all goes well.
enjoying: the return of eggnog steamers.  
wondering: how I will ever manage.

Finally started working on the nursery. Pictured above are the only 2 items besides our crib and dresser that we have for our very non-traditional boys room. I really wanted to do something different. I was first inspired by this rug from UO.

I immediatly new this would be the color scheme. 
Jamaica was super kind and made me a quilt based on the rug.
I absolutely adore it. What a talent to be able to quilt.  
My photo really doesn't do it justice.  The backside is one of my favorite fabrics which is the teal/blue woodgrain from Joel Dewberry. LOVE.

 
The little elephant was given to me by my 3 year old niece. What a sweatheart. She and her mom where reorganizing her room and toys and she came upon the little elephant. She told her mom..."I don't need this anymore, I want to give it to Aunt Tina's baby". It's so soft and snuggly. I can't wait to have our son play with it.
These are the types of gifts I will treasure forever. It's so nice to have such supportive friends and family surround me at such a huge turn in my life.
Even my interweb friends who leave me supportive comments here and make me feel like I'm not crazy for thinking the way I do.
The text messages I get from Vee.
The emails I get from my SC friends.
It's all meaningful and taken to heart.
Thanks to all of you reading and listening.

xot

currents.

 

??listening: Ingrid Michealson
eating: nothing at the moment.
drinking: Nantucket Peach Orange juice.
wearing: you guessed it, skinny gray jeans.
feeling: a little on the grumpy side.
weather: dark, cool.
wanting: a winter coat that I can zip up.
needing: a Tums. love oj but man does it give me acid reflux.
thinking: about my tasks for the day and how much I can accomplish.
enjoying: nothing at the moment. It's too early in the morning to be joyful.
wondering: what errands I need to get done on my lunch hour.

I posted those who are in on my Dare swap this morning. Head over to the blog and check it out. Be sure to email me your mailing address no later than the 24th. My goal is to get swap goodies out by Monday.

Will hopefully have a few November SC sneaks for you this week. As thrilled as I was receiving this kit, I'm having a hard time finishing layouts. I know this is because my scrap-room is a complete disaster right now. I may have mentioned this before but it seriously looks like a room straight out of a Hoarders episode.

xot

currents...two posts in one.

October 12, 2010
I spent a whole 3 days away from the computer and emails.
It was amazing and something I recommend for anyone who is or has been overwhelmed with life and everything in between.
Last Friday ended with a bang. A very non-welcoming bang. The kind of bang that sends you over the edge and makes you want to crawl into a hole. Drama is as drama does I say.
But I feel better after taking a few days for myself. No photo shoots, no editing..well, a little editing but only because I wanted to scrapbook. Finally started on the nursery which was taking down the shelving and spakling over the millions of holes. Paint will commence this Saturday. Not to worry. The man is taking care of it. I took 2 naps yesterday. Yes, 2 and it felt sooooo good.
Now I feel like I'm ready to take on the world again. Or partially. Maybe like the US and part of Europe.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Day 6: Something you hope you never have to do.

This ones a toughie. My mind is drawing a blank at the moment.

October 13, 2010

 
? 
??listening: The Decemberist
eating: grapes
drinking: water
wearing: a cowl neck gray knit maternity dress, tights, boots. super comfy.  
feeling: hungry for lunch
weather: bright and sunny but cold
wanting: my old shoe size back
needing: a hair cut
thinking: about  a lot right now. my cup runeth over.
enjoying: assembling my baby shower invites on my lunch break.
wondering: if it's going to snow this weekend. hoping it doesn't snow this weekend, especially since I have to drive out to the valley for a photoshoot in my civic that it not yet equipped with studded tires.

Frost already. It's normal I suppose.
I thought long and hard about the day 6 truth. I don't really want to take so much time thinking about these truths. I'd like to just spit out the first thing that comes to mind but I can't always post those things here. Many of you have family who read your blogs, right? Well, that is why I'm going with my second choice for today's..er...yesterday's truth. And while I know a lot of you enjoy reading my deep hearted truths, I have to keep some of them light. Especially since I've succumbed to my pregnancy hormones as of late and cry at the drop of hat.

?Day 6: Something you hope you never have to do.

I hope that I never ever have to give a speech in public again. NEVER. I can teach a small class of 6-8 but I will never be able to walk up on a stage and give a speech. NEVER I tell you. I was humiliated at the age of 13 during a pageant. Yes, I was in a pageant. It was the first and the last and it was just a small pageant for the local Air Force. Miss Elmendorf. Oh god, it was horrible. The only thing I enjoyed was meeting an older group of teens who got me into a little trouble with my father. Nothing major but good times.

xot

Currents

listening: The Weepies. I'm so loving the Weepies right now.
eating: just polished off a bowl of chicken & wild rice soup.
drinking: strawberry lemonade. I know, kind of weird lunch combo.
wearing: boots, gray skinny jeans, super soft flowy tee. (I seem to wear my gray skinnies on Wednesdays)
feeling: good.
weather: blue skies, cool air.
wanting: the cookie that's waiting for me to gobble.
needing: to get the nursery started!!
thinking: about my sc kit that should be arriving on my doorstep tomorrow.
enjoying: the season
wondering: why are some teenage girl so rude to pregnant women? wait...could be their rude to everyone. I just don't remember being that way myself when I was that age.

Said cookie is gone.
I've swapped my ice cream addiction for a cookie one. The Nordstroms cafe has the best buttery shortbread cookies. Kind of sad that I only go to Nordstroms for the cookies but it's not like I can fit into any of their clothes. :)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Day 4: Something you need to forgive someone for.

This ones a no brainer for me. It's something I did a few months ago.
Some of you may know about my situation with my mom.
Here's a brief summary.
Mom leaves family heartbroken for a supposed better life far away from us.
Mom calls once in a blue moon the first year.
Mom stops calling.
Girl goes on with life and gets pregnant at 32.
Mom finally calls after 15 years of no communication.
Mom regrets not keeping in touch and wants to pick up where relationship left off.
Girl is confused and doesn't remember where relationship left off.
Girl is cautious with her heart but no longer wants to hold onto any ill will towards mom nor does she want her son to harbor these feelings.
Girl lets go and forgives because we all deserve forgiveness.
Now girl enjoys weekly convos with mom.
Girl does not expect anything more.
Girl has learned that expecting things from people only bring on disappointment.

 (polaroid sx 70, 600 film)

xot

currents.

 
listening: The Smiths
eating: an apple
drinking: ice tea
wearing: boots, gray skinny jeans, white sweater, fave scarf
feeling: better
weather: looks promising
wanting: a bagel
needing: to get to work
thinking: how lucky I am
enjoying: saving money this week by bringing my own breakfast & lunch
wondering: what I'm going to wear for my maternity shoot this weekend

monday's post was such a downer. still can't pinpoint why exactly I was so irritable but I did go home and make chocolate chip cookies. that helped.

the latest Dare should be up sometime today. Jamaica sent a amazing array of papers for us to work with. my Wear mini is still a work a progress as you can see....
 
just need to add some journaling and it'll be done. I'll post more on it later.

I do have one more Studio Calico sneak, actually 2. the polaroid image above is part of a 2-page layout. yes, I actually completed a 2-pager. didn't flow like I wanted it too but the personal challenge was welcoming.

now I have to dote on a few things, one being an item that's currently in the Studio Calico shop. 
it's the American Crafts This to That tape runner. 
I LOVE THIS PRODUCT.
I recently ran out of the last refill of my old beloved tape runner from Glue Arts....I thought I loved this one until I used the AC runner. it handles beautifully and I highly recommend it. 
second item is a particular add on with a particular rubber stamp in Octobers line up. I've used it in the sneak above and in my Wear Dare. The add on is called En Plein Air.
I LOVE THIS STAMP.
and it's exclusive to this add on so be on it when the time comes to buy. 
last is the Mister Huey Warm Calico mist available at Two Peas and will be available in the SC shop soon. 
I LOVE THIS MIST.
it's an awesome shade of gray and I can't get enough of it. I also used it on the above sneak.

alrighty, that's my sales pitch for today. :) I hope you know that I would never endorse anything i didn't use and love. 

xot

currents.

listening: Bon Iver
eating: nothing
drinking: hot chocolate
wearing: new fall boots, black leggings, plaid shirt
feeling: restless, worried.
weather: thick fog
wanting: nothing
needing: nothing
thinking: about my glucose test I have to take this week.
enjoying: being busy at work, makes the day fly by.
wondering:will I have to give up carbs?

I can't stop thinking about the possibility of having gestational diabetes.
I'm told this is fairly common during pregnancy but is it really?
I'm already on a low sodium diet and now I have to worry about sugar and carbs?
And then I make the mistake of googling the symptoms and read about the side effects it may have on my boy.
Sucks.
But I may be worrying prematurely as I haven't taken the glucose test yet.
My baby is a big one. 3 lbs already, long legs and arms like his daddy. :)

The OctoberStudio Calico kit has become a fave of mine and by the looks of the other sneaks, a fave amongst the dt. Here are few sneaks.....

 
The stamps in the kitand add ons is enough to make my knees buckle. No joke. 
 
Vee and I are hosting theSC blog this week. Vee's got a little "Neutrals" challenge posted. You could win yourself a $5 SC gift card if you get your Neutrals layout posted to the SC gallery by Saturday! 
Here's my take: 
Head over to theSC blog for my quick tip and product review of the new Mister Huey. 
 
xot

currents.

 
listening: Jane's Addiction
eating: an apple
drinking: just finished my delicious hot chocolate
wearing: cargo pants/tee
feeling: ok
weather: cool, cloudy
wanting: another hot chocolate
needing: a good laugh
thinking: about how long it'll take jeff to complete the floors downstairs.
enjoying: the thought of having new floors downstairs. no more stinky old carpet!
wondering: why so many women are having thier babies early.

I am loving all the current dares I'm seeing from the past week! Be sure to check the dares blog to see if you are one of the lucky 15. If you see your name, be sure to email your address! Swap dares are due on the 21st!

Studio Calico is having a fabulous deal on they're nifty rub ons. TODAY ONLY. Please remember to enter the code at the time of checkout.
 

Paislee Press has released a new set of gallery frames.
Being the digi newbie I am, I have yet to figure out how to use them but like my other digi layouts, it's all about trial and error. Hopefully I have something up this weekend.

xot

currents.

in the form of a Dare.

 
Totally different vibe doing currents in the comfort of my home rather than at work.
My mood seems to be a lot more relaxed, especially when I'm in my clean scrap room, windows wide open and feeling the cool  breeze on my skin. I take a deep breath and dive into paper and paint. 
It's a great feeling. One that I need to experience more often. 

This Dare is a special one. Be sure to check the Dare's site later this evening and get ready to scrap. 
I promise, you'll want to.

xot
 

currents, a day late.

listening: Iron & Wine.
eating: a banana.
drinking: hot chocolate.
wearing:a yoga skirt and a stretchy tee.
feeling: pretty damn good.
weather: the sun is out! holy shiz! after 30 some days of rain, I kid you not.
wanting: a new laptop. not only is my laptop acting up but my work computer is down. poo.
needing: to visit my aunt who has maternity clothes from korea.
thinking: happy thoughts.
enjoying: a lot. too many to mention.  
wondering: what materinity clothes from korea look like.

I leave you with my favorite quote this month:

xot