A Few Last Things V.5

A few last things with Megan- and when you're done reading be sure to hop over to her blog. She's one of my very favorites and I can't say enough great things about her. Her Instagram feed is super dreamy too. Prepare to be inspired!

Last thing you cooked: The weather is beautiful and our apartment has an awesome grill on the roof, so I have been grilling everything these days. My husband and I grilled a huge flank steak over the weekend and we've been having leftovers ever since! I marinated it in olive oil, garlic, and some gluten-free soy sauce and it was awesome (especially on a salad for lunch the next day with cilantro balsamic vinaigrette)!

Last time you felt nervous: I'm a huge Game of Thrones fan, and Tyrion and Oberyn are two of my favorite characters, so that trial by combat had me on the edge of my seat. I actually had to stay up really late to watch it because I went to see Saint Paul and the Broken Bones play in Minneapolis that night (which was awesome!), but didn't want to wait to watch it, and then of course I couldn't sleep--the entire episode was just too intense for me! But it's still my favorite show, even when it stresses me out.

Last big thing you splurged on: I bought a dress I totally didn't need a few weeks ago at an adorable little boutique in St. Paul, but even more recently, I got a new camera! I'm super excited for it to arrive next week so I can try my hand at some videos this summer.

Last gift you gave: I gave all of my bridesmaids a pair of Acute Designs' Swarovski stud earrings and a really pretty candle from Anthropologie with a note as a little wedding day thank-you gift.

Last place you vacationed to: The Dominican Republic! Last month we honeymooned at an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana and really enjoyed swimming, walking on the beach, and drinking out of coconuts all day.

Last time you laughed until you cried: Definitely on our wedding day! The entire morning and afternoon of getting ready with my girlfriends and my mom, then taking pictures and getting to see Rob for a first look before the wedding. The entire day was just so full of joy and laughter and tons of emotion. I laughed, I cried, I laughed until I cried! It was the best.

Last blog/IG accounts you really fell in love with: I may be biased because I write for them, but I really love everything The Eighty Twenty puts out there. I think the website is beautiful and I love our shared Instagram account. Blog: http://theeightytwenty.com & Instagram: http://instagram.com/theeightytwenty

A Few Last Things V.4

A Few Last Things with (the wonderful, beautiful, inspiring!) Allison of A Little Blueberry:

Last really delicious meal you enjoyed:  This may sound funny but I'm not really a person who eats food to enjoy it, I'm more of a person who eats it because I have to (but find that I am too busy to actually sit down and eat something I enjoy).  Anyone else out there like that?!  I do love to cook and made super yummy gluten free, free range teriyaki chicken with broccoli, peppers and onions over brown rice this week.  My daughter, Lemon, wanted nothing to do with it, but my husband and I enjoyed it while she ate leftover mac & cheese.  Oh the life of a toddler mom!

Last time you felt nervous:  I actually have a super fun girls trip coming up with a bunch of my best girlfriends and instead of being excited about it I am nervous!  We are going to Palm Springs, and I am looking forward to it, but am nervous to leave my baby for 4 days.  I have never been away that long, am still nursing (and realize that I probably won't be when I return) and am just a worry wart about the drive and if something happens to me while I'm away.  Any other mamas hate to leave their babes?  I know I will be happy once I get there, but it's so hard to be excited because I will just miss her so much!

Last big thing you splurged on:  My husband and I work our butts off (we are both high school teachers), but never seem to have any extra money.  We have a nanny, our friend, that watches our daughter, and most of our extra money goes to her - definitely money well spent.  We do have a little side business, making wooden rings and other jewelry at Spirit Bee Woodworks so this allows us to have some fun money.  I booked a 2 week trip this summer for Lemon's 2nd birthday and that's the last big thing I splurged on!

Last family vacation you took:  We actually went to Coronado Island during Spring Break, our favorite vacation spot.  It's close, it's the beach (my fav!) and a great place to take a toddler.  I dream of the beach when I'm sitting in my classroom staring at those teenagers - take me back!

Last time you were moved to tears:  I got a Mother's Day card this year with Lemon's scribbling in it, and it made me cry.  I woke up that morning to breakfast, a cute Toy Story card and a rose plant - but the best thing was that little scribble.  I just can't believe my daughter is old enough to scribble in a card for me!  I will keep it forever.

Last time you were wrong:  Wow this one is tough!  I am sure that I have been wrong many times just this week when grading students' work, entering grades and talking to them about their grades.  Of course all mistakes have been fixed and papers have been found (not lost by me, of course!) and we only have 3 days of school left.  Yippee!

Last person you missed:  I saw a picture on Facebook, the other day, of my Nani, my mom's mom, from Mother's Day in 2010.  It was strange seeing that picture of her, because it seems like just yesterday (and forever ago), all at the same time.  I miss my Nani so much and wish she could have met Lemon; I see her face every day in my daughter's face and they share many of the same mannerisms and expressions.

Last blog/IG account you really fell in love with:  I have an Instagram shopping problem (I'm sure other mamas can relate) and packages show up at our house every week.  I love all of the shops that sell vintage baby clothes; and it reminds me of the old days when I used to comb thrift stores for rare finds.  But, this time, I comb the internet to find cute, vintage baby clothes.  You definitely need the fastest fingers in the west to snatch something up, these mamas are quick!  But, here are some shops that I love, and have recently found, and that I managed to snag some items from: shopminiwhimsy, jandmcloset, moonbabyyvintage and hazelandgray.

**Be sure to check out both Allison's blog and IG- she's one of my favorites...and an AZ local!

xoxo

A Few Last Things V.3

This week I'm so excited to feature my friend Traci Barrett. We've known each other for over a decade, and we just spent a wonderful time together in Salt Lake City a few weeks ago, celebrating our Emily! Traci is a hair and makeup artist and I absolutely love following along on her adventures all over the world (just go check out her portfolio and you'll see what I mean). Her fun, sparkling, beautiful self is such a welcome refresher in my day and I'm so excited to have her here on Sometimes Sweet today.

Last place you vacationed to: Salt Lake City, Utah. Although, it was only for 24 hours, it was well worth it. I got to celebrate the coming of my new Goddaughter and see great friends from all over the country.

Last job you did: Album photos for the band Rise Against

Last dessert you enjoyed: A box of chocolates on Easter

Last person you said I love you to: My Mommy

Last time you felt nervous: When my dog's eye was injured. It was super red and had a dent in it. I freaked out.

Last color lipstick you wore: Candy Yum Yum by Mac. I'm obsessed with their mattes. They stay on forever.

Last Instagram account you fell in love with: Oh, I can't pick just one!  @themaniamania @nourishandevolve @thistlemilk @unifnightmare

Thank you so much Traci! Friends, be sure to check out her Instagram account, you'll love it. xoxo

A Few Last Things V.2

A Few Last Things with Kat of Ramble Kat Ramble:

Last movie you really enjoyed: I would probably have to say Captain Phillips. The past few months have been really crazy and I found myself watching more TV than movies. Captain Phillips is the last movie I was able to not only sit down and really enjoy but it is the last movie that really got to me. It was not at all what I expected and the performance Tom Hanks gives is incredible, as always, especially in those last ten minutes. I almost could not handle it!

Last album you bought: I recently bought a box set of the first five Elton John Albums. I had somehow lost these at some point and I realized I missed them (how they were not in my iTunes is beyond me.) They are some of my favorite albums of all time and being able to listen to them again from beginning to end is just what I needed. 

Last "me time" you enjoyed: While I normally consider going to yoga to me my "me" time, I am actually going to have to say that tonight is a real treat for me! I am going to re-watch old episodes of The Office (for the hundredth time) and snuggle with my puppy dog. I usually try and multi-task when I have the TV on but tonight I am just going to relax and unwind.

Last time you felt like a kid: I was hiking with the boy on my birthday and we ended up at this summer camp pretty far back on the trail. There were cabins all over and everything was very quiet and empty. We hadn't seen another person on the trail for at least an hour. We were all by ourselves in the middle of these cabins and I had a small breakdown about not feeling capable enough for the summits we are planning to do this summer. After my boyfriend talked me through it, he pointed to a giant swing tied to two huge pines and said "I bet if you swing on that you'll feel a lot better." He was right. I felt like a kid. It was amazing.

Last place you'd called home before this one: This is a tricky one because I worked in property management before I moved home to finish grad school. As a property manager I had to live on site at the apartment communities I managed in Orange County, CA. I moved around 5 times in a 14 month period and none of those places really felt like home though all of them technically were.

Last time you felt scared: My first job interview for a full time teaching position was a few weeks ago. It was intimidating and had me sweating buckets. I could barely talk through most of it and basically bombed the whole thing but it was an amazing learning experience. Now that I have the first one out of the way the other ones have not been anywhere near as scary!

Last blog you really fell in love with: I enjoy reading blogs that are grounded and authentic. With that in mind, I think I would have to say My Life As A Teacup. She is a great writer, has awesome taste in books, and she does this rad series called "For the Love of a Linguaphile" that I love!

Thanks so much Kat! Readers, be sure to check out Kat's blog- it's wonderful. xoxo

A Few Last Things V.1

So I was at the dentist the other day flipping through a magazine (a dentist appointment without kids tends to feel like a trip to the spa...) when I came across an issue of People that had a fun feature on the back page called "Last Word." It's basically a series featuring celebrities answering questions about the last time they did this or that, and I found it to be really interesting. It reminds me a lot of my Currently posts, and I thought it would be fun to adapt the series here.

For the first installment I wanted to start with a blog friend of mine, Tracy. Tracy is the author of Shutterbean, which is chock full of amazing recipes and fun tidbits from her everyday life. It's a favorite read, and I'm excited to have her here to kick things off.

So here we go - A Few Last Things with Tracy of Shutterbean:

Last thing you cooked: Big Sunday breakfast for my family. We had scrambled eggs, mushrooms with spinach and pesto, bacon, grilled toast and home fries. Weekend breakfasts are my favorite.

Last time you felt nervous: Waiting to hear test results from the doctor. My crazy brain can't help but reference all these Debbie-Downer scenes from movies while I wait to hear what's up. I'm wired to set myself up for disappointment so I've been working on being more positive and staying present.

Last big thing you splurged on: I just went on a Kindle book buying spree while I was out of town. They make it so dang easy! I hope to get through all of them by the end of the summer. We'll see...

Last gift you received: My husband bought me a super cute Kate Spade bag for Valentine's Day. I normally carry a gigantic bag and using this one has been a good practice in simplifying and evaluating the essentials. I love it.

Last song you listened to: Holding On for Life by the Broken Bells It's super catchy and has a Bee Gees vibe. My son Cooper and I play it on repeat while commuting to school.

Last place you vacationed to: Just got back from Ashland Oregon. It was a blog trip but I went by myself and getting out of my everyday routine made it feel vacation-y.

Last time you were moved to tears: Watching an episode of Oprah's Super Soul Sunday. Whenever I see Oprah get emotional, I tear up. That lady does things to me.

Last blog you really fell in love with: Dine X Design My friend Kristin re-branded and started a new website. I love everything she & her contributors post. The photography/design is impeccable. She has the most incredible taste.

Thanks so much Tracy!

xoxo