Opinions Needed! Please and Thank you :)

HI! Ahhhhhh I miss sharing here on a regular basis.  Renovation life has been crazy to say the least, and no one could have prepared us for how it would be living in the actual renovation while everything was going on.  Some days drinking wine at 11am sounds like a good idea and other days I just want to eat all the snacks in the house (I'm talking to you fishy crackers)... and some days I want to do both. Stress will do that to you, ha!  But more on renovation life and progress of our barn later, I promise!

So anywhoo! Today, I would love your opinion.  We are getting to the point where we have to start making decisions about certain things like what type of flooring is going where etc... I have narrowed it down to these three samples and I would love to hear your thoughts.  Which is your favorite?  If you need a little more of a visual, the walls will all be white and the exposed beams are going to be stained a light to medium walnut color.

Beauty Favorites From the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

I'm a huge online shopper.  Maybe it's because going shopping with my two minions is pretty much impossible nowadays, but regardless I love the convenience of online shopping while I sip coffee or wine in my own home with no rush at all to hurry up and leave a store because one of my kids is over it.

You may or may not already be aware that the best shopping sale of the season is now here at Nordstrom.  The sales are just ridiculous and if there is something that you have been eyeing, now is the time to buy. Since some of my favorites beauty tools and products are being featured in the sale (we are talking big discounts on them) I decided to share some of the things that I love and recommend.  This way you don't even have to leave your favorite spot in your house. You're welcome.

1. Cheeky Baby Butter - This organic (and not just for babies) butter is truly incredible. It can be used on scars, stretch marks and dry skin.  It is gentle and extremely hydrating.

2. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Studio Set - Your brows will thank you for this.  Up until last year I had no idea as to how much brow filler-inners could actually make a difference, and this product was a total game changer.

3. Swiss Foot File - Okay I totally get that talking about cracked heels is not the sexiest of things but I assure you that this will solve all your cracked heel problems. No more searching the aisles of your local drug store for the best foot scrubber. This is it by a landslide.

4. iluminage TOUCH Permanent Hair Reduction System - This is the next thing on my beauty tester list! I have heard SO many amazing things about this and I can't wait to try it!

5. Mario Badescu Glowing Complexion Kit - This enzyme cleaning gel + glycolic acid toner will leave your skin feeling flawless and fresh.

6. NARS Cheek Palette - All of my favorite NARS blush colors in one compact!  What's better than that?

7. PMD Personal Microderm - My all time favorite beauty tool to date. I even did a whole review on it here.

8. The Bombshell Rod Curling Iron - I recently upgraded to this baby and I love it!  It gives me those perfectly soft beach waves that last all day long.

9. Smashbox Studio Pro 10 Piece Brush Set - Not only does this set include all the brushes you will ever need for a flawless face, but each brush is labeled with what exactly it is used for, which I find incredibly helpful.

10. Kiehl's Creme de Corps Home & Away Duo - A recent everyday lotion discovery that leaves my skin feeling soft and moisturized all day long.  I can't get enough of this stuff.

Our Real Life Fixer Upper: Update!

I'm not gonna lie, renovation life has been pretty nuts and the constant sound of sledge hammers, tractors and power tools, which starts at about 6:30 AM everyday has become our normal. But seeing all the progress that comes along with the chaos is pretty exciting without a doubt!

Currently all the horse stalls downstairs and the walls upstairs are being removed.  The flooring  upstairs will eventually be opened up to the downstairs creating a giant open concept. The wood poles that you see with the metal footings are actually steel and those will stay since they hold up the underlying support structure for the outer walls and roof (the non structural poles will be removed).  Some might consider those a design challenge since they are every 12 feet but I absolutely love them and feel like they give our space so much character.

Here is a little update of what things currently look like around here...

The ceiling above the stalls is the next thing to go. Can't wait for that!

Every 12 feet we have poles that look like this. Some will be disguised within walls and others will be left exposed and wrapped with a distressed wood.  I am actually really looking forward to incorporating them into the design of our home.

This is the current state of the upstairs. Eventually all that will remain here are the poles. The floor will be gone and the space will be completely opened up to our living and dining room downstairs.

And there you have it! So much has happened since the last time I posted. I will try to be better about sharing updates here, but in the meantime you can always follow along on Instagram to see more week to week happenings.

See the before pictures of the barn here.

A Few Things I Feel Compelled To Share + New Family Pictures

Hello! Life has been INSANE with the barn renovation and at the moment blogging seems almost impossible at the end of the day.  So instead of trying to play catch up here, I decided it was best to just update you with a bunch of random thoughts you may or may not care about but I felt compelled to share anyway...

• We recently had some family pictures taken at our barn (well minus Ian because there is not enough bribes in this world to make him take pictures more than once a year) by Karen DeMamiel, who just so happens to be the sweetest and most patient gal ever. The boys were running around like complete nut jobs the entire time and she still managed to capture some pretty amazing shots.  

• Snapchat. Why would I want something to stay up for only 10 minutes or whatever? I don't get it.  Plus I feel like I'm too old for it.   Do you have one? Do you get it? You are more than welcome to explain why you think it's awesome below if you would like.

• I turn 30 in a few weeks and I am freaking out about it!  I know it's just a number and blub blub bluuuubbbb but it's still freaking me out regardless. We spent my husband's 30th in Vegas last week with our good friends and had a blast! And now that I think about it, he didn't freak out so maybe I just need to chill a little bit. 

• When someone interviews you (me) for a pretty big article and they say they are going to record you so they can go back later and quote you, refrain from using the word "totally" over and over and over again. I learned, ha! 

• Bipolar blogging. Pretty sure it's a thing and I am almost positive I have it. Some months I am so stoked to blog and then others (like recently) I have zero interest. So instead of fighting this constant bipolar blogging battle, I am just going to blog when I have something to say and not blog when I don't. 

• For those of you who were wanting an update regarding the castor oil for eyelash growth, it is doing WONDERS! My lashes are now thicker and longer than they have even been before! My mind is blown. 

Be back soon! xo

Our Real Life Fixer Upper: Demolition Time!

As of this week we have officially started demolition at the barn...yeay!  The first things to go are the horse stalls, and since we plan on repurposing all of the wood that is lining the stalls it's more of a careful demolition but nonetheless it's still so much fun to watch it slowly start to transform into our home.  This whole process takes some serious vision, but I'm pretty sure we've got plenty of that.

Here are a few pictures of what is currently happening at the barn...

The space already feels so much bigger and brighter, making it just a little bit easier to envision where everything will eventually be going.

Hula Pie Cookies (Paleo)

There's no denying that for the past couple of months I have been in a complete recipe slump.  Hence the reason for zero recipes around here lately.  So when my best friend recently sent me a little care package complete with handwritten recipes, spices, and nut flours, which are all locally made in Maui (where she lives) I was ecstatic!  She really is the best!

My boys have been begging me to make something sweet, so over the weekend I figured it was the perfect time to test out the Hula Pie cookie recipe she sent me. OHHHHHHH MYYY goooooodness.  These are freaking unbelievable and so simple to make.

What you will need:

• 1 cup of macadamia nut flour (mine was from Tutu's Pantry) 
• 1 tbs of coconut flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup of coconut oil
• 1/4 cup of honey 
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract 
• 3/4 cup of shredded coconut *
• 1/3 cup of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips *

* Stir in these ingredients by hand. 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Place all of the ingredients (except the shredded coconut and chocolate chips) into a food processor and process until smooth. 
3. Place batter into mixing bowl and stir in shredded coconut and chocolate chips. 
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop rounded tbs size cookies onto the sheet. Flatten each cookie out slightly with the bottom of a spoon. 
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are slightly golden. 
6. Enjoy! 

Deeeelicious!



Come back and let me know what you think if you make these!

Swim Lessons That Can Save Your Child's Life

This week is the final week of Ronin's swim lessons with Infant Aquatics.  Today he will jump into the pool with all of his clothes and shoes on as a final test. I have no doubt he will swim and float like a champ despite the extra weight.

His instructor, Kris Battista has just been incredible. I have completely entrusted her with Ronin, and day after day she has continued to blow me away with her patience and passion for teaching. Ronin now loves the water and we can't get him out of the pool at home!

With our lessons now coming to and end, I am fully confident that Ronin is swim safe.  If he ever fell into a pool when I was not around he would know exactly what to do in order to save himself.  This was the best investment I could have ever made.  If you are unsure what swimming program to put your child in (there are so many and I know it can be overwhelming), I highly recommend doing a quick google search for an Infant Aquatics instructor in your area.  You will not regret it!

See Also:
Week 2 Video Update of Ronin's Swim Lessons 
Ronin's Secondary Drowning Scare