Planting Seeds.

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I've been planting. Like, actually planting literal seeds. And I tell you what, there is a lot of parallel between learning how to grow plants and learning how to grow myself.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about dreams. Dreams in my heart. Ones I've had in the past, dreams I currently have, even dreams that have waned tired and heavy with the years. Those dreams start out as small as the slightest, most unassuming seed. FYI, poppy seeds are the smallest I've come across during my extremely short tenure as a gardener. I seriously can't wait to see those poppies burst forth out of my yard. But seeds! If they are allowed a mess of nutritious variables, they can grow as hefty and mighty as a California Redwood. It's a bit confounding, when the "duhhhhh" moment hits. Like, seeds are so tiny. They need a lot of help along the way. They're helpless if they can't get all their needs met. Absolutely every single need must be met, or else they absolutely won't bloom. They need really healthy nutrients and a lot of support and a substantial amount of tenderness. They need the brightest light to bring out all their best qualities and they need relentless amounts of water to purity their roots. They need love. Acts of service. They need someone looking after them.

Are you getting what I'm saying?

Seeds you guys. We are all little seeds. Our dreams. They are seeds. And as I've been carefully placing these poppy, tomato and rosemary seeds into individual trays and pushing soil over the top and watering them gently, as to not jostle their placement under the bit of earth they call home, I've been thinking about this. My dreams. They deserve this much attention and respect. Who knows. One of my dreams could blossom as beautifully as a peppy Icelandic poppy. Or even as vastly as the widest stretching Redwood in the forest. I don't want mine to be the ones that wither. And I'm sharing this with you because I don't want yours to be, either.

What about you, friend? Have you planted your dream? It may feel so tiny today. But it's pretty amazing to fathom the potential of that tiny little dream, especially if you give it everything it needs to grow.

Just my seeds for thoughts today.

How to Wear Milkmaid Braids.

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When you have a lot of hair, you have to get creative on the in-between-washing days. I try not to wash my hair everyday because it can get dried out and honestly, it can be a lot of work to fix it every single day. So I've started adopting my childhood method of braided hair, and I must admit, I am loving the throwback. It makes me feel childlike and girly, with a touch of Scandinavian :) It's easy to sweep my hair up into a bun, topknot or ponytail, but on some days, it's really fun to break out my old braiding skills (I learned how to braid practicing on my American Girl doll), and do something fun like these milkmaid braids. If you have a lot of hair and know how to do a basic dutch braid, then this is going to be the perfect style for you!

1. I start with at least day-old hair. I use 12 Benefits on my wavy hair days (when I don't blow dry), and by the second day it is usually settled into the hair nicely and doesn't need any other gel/pomade/mousse, etc. You want some dirtied-up hair for this style to work.

2. Part your hair down the middle and divide into two sections. I like to tie back one side with a hair tie or clip, just to keep it out of the way while I work on the first section.

3. Pull one section of the hair into a ponytail at about your ear. Begin braiding, doing a simple dutch braid.

4. Once you're finished, tie off the braid with a clear tie or one that is close to your hair color. Then braid the other section, using the same technique.

5. Once you have two braids (and you get finished pretending you're Pippi Longstocking) wrap one braid around the front of your head. I like to leave a little bit of the part showing in the front. Pin the braid using bobby pins, pushing them diagonally in.

5. Wrap the second braid in front of the first one. Tuck the ends under the first braid and pin it as well.

6. Next I like to loosen the individual plaits of the braid, to make it seem fuller and messier. If the braids are too tight and perfect, this look can come across a little dorky. So I make sure to mess it up a bit. It's more fun to be imperfect.

There you have it! This is a whimsical way to dress up your hair, even on days when you didn't take time to style it. But be aware - you might have some people call you Princess Leia. Some people really don't know their science fiction hair - hers was BUNS. Happy braiding, friends :)

Signs of Spring.

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I spent two days on my hands and knees back in the fall, digging holes in my front yard and dropping papery bulbs deep in the cool earth. I had no idea what I was doing. I was never taught how to garden. And I thought there was a mistake with these bulbs, because they looked strangely like onions. I didn't know bulbs were supposed to look like onions. Thankfully, they are, and I must have followed the directions somewhat correctly, because over the past week - my flowers have sprung alive! I absolutely love spring, and this year I am especially excited to be celebrating this special awakening of the woods from my own corner of the world. Watching the season resurrect in every plant and tree and yes, even the weeds, that surround my home has been the sweetest experience. This place feels so much like home that its almost strange. Because in reality, I haven't lived here for very long. But I absolutely love and adore my little home with its old cedar frame and weathered wooden fence. I love the odd exterior shade of green and the aged shrubs and the birds that spiral around my yard like the gentlest halo. I love watching my son roll around in the not-yet-lush grass and throw his ball in the yard and yelp with laughter when Stevie tackles him to the ground. I love all these moments, especially their recent increase, along with the rising temperatures and the growing flora and the longer sunshine in the sky. I'm sure everyone feels the exact same way about Spring. But I must say, I'm feeling those feelings. And it's even more fun to watch Everett experience the surprises of Spring. He tried to grab a fistful of my tulips. That was a teaching moment. About how hard mommy worked and how he needs to appreciate the flowers for their tender gracious beauty.

Being barefoot and drinking coffee on my front porch and feeling the balmy breeze and watching these flowers unfold. My son's extra-long hair. My unpolished toenails. His protruding toddler belly. My untanned skin. My husband's type-A plan for the lawn. These are signs of Spring in our little corner of the world. And for me, there is really nothing better than right now.

Pulled Barbecue Chicken Tacos (in the slowwwcooker!)

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I love this recipe because it's for the stupendously lazy. There are some days where you just don't want to chop, prep or cook. This is a meal for one of those days. This is virtually a 5-minute fix it and forget it recipe, and you will laugh when people take a bit and simultaneously trip over their words, complimenting this easy and yet somehow delicious meal. It's fool-proof. I'm serious.

Ingredients:
- 1.5 lbs. of chicken breasts or chicken thighs (or a mix of both!)
- 1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (I love Annie's Organic Original BBQ Sauce.)
- 1 chopped white onion (or if you're uber lazy, you can just quarter it and call it a day.)
- 1-2 tsp. minced garlic (I buy the jar of minced garlic, because I can't be bothered with the press anymore - who has the time??)
- tortillas (or if you're on the Whole30 train, you could swap these for lettuce wraps)
- salt and pepper to taste

Add-ons:
- Cole slaw
- sliced radishes (so peppery and crunchy!)
- sliced avocado (so creamy. so right.)

Method:
1. Dump your chicken into the crockpot.

2. Generously salt and pepper the meat.

3. Add the chopped onion, minced garlic and entire bottle of bbq sauce.

4. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4. I find that this chicken pulls apart easier if its cooked on low, but its still delicious either way.

5. Once it's ready, just shred with a fork (it should come apart easily) and dress atop a tortilla with assorted toppings. Enjoy!


I love this meal because it usually lasts us a few days (and a few meals!) and tastes better with each passing day. I also love that it can be easily converted into a Whole30-compliant dish with a few minor switches (swap the tortillas for lettuce wraps and make sure the bbq sauce you choose doesn't have any sugar in the ingredients), and I mostly love that it's just so easy and yet tastes indulgent. I love it so much that I'm making this for my people on Easter Sunday. Seriously. The Easter Bunny eats barbecue in the South, yall.

You're Still You (Guest Post with Lauren from Blissful Happenings!)

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Today I have a special treat for you. I'm sharing a guest post, courtesy of Lauren from Blissful Happenings, a blog about motherhood and fashion. She is a fellow mama and blogger, the big sis of my best friend from from my middle school days, and has recently relocated back to the East Coast from sunny Southern California. She has a little rugrat around Everett's age, and today we are taking over each others blogs, sharing some thoughts about the same subject - motherhood and identity! Be sure to show her some love and leave a comment below, letting her know what you think about her post!

There have been a few times in my life when I wasn’t sure who I was, wistfully floating from thing to thing unsure of my purpose or meaning. I’ve always been concerned with what I was “supposed to be doing”... my calling, if you will. Deep, I know. 

Being young is not all that it’s cracked up to be. I was never more unsure of myself than when I was younger. Luckily, maturity and time fixed that. In my early 20’s I moved away from the vast majority of my friends and family and I was left in a place so distracted and lost I barely recognized myself. In my case, new friendships, passions, and renewed faith ignited a confidence that helped squish the voices in my head that told me I wasn’t worthy of happiness. After years spent gaining said confidence, I worked towards a daily goal of being happy in the moment with who I was and where I was... and then I had a baby. 

As someone who would’ve never in a million years thought they’d identify as a stay at home mom, it’s easy to feel isolated after having a baby, to feel like you’re the only person going through this crap... literally, there are days you are covered in crap. You feel like your eye cream has taken a vacation because even your bags have bags. More likely, you’ve just forgot to order more or it’s possible you’ve never even opened the last bottle you ordered because you’re so tired you don’t remember the last time you washed your face.  Ahhh yes, I see you nodding in agreement. You get it. How does one stay true to who they are when they have put themselves last? Oh, you want me to answer now? Is that how this works? I guess in my limited knowledge of raising a tiny human I would say I’ve learned a few things about keeping my identity whole and mostly intact, do with it what you will. 

You do you boo boo. That hasn’t changed. You MUST do the things you love. Read, write, sing, create, dream! Why in the world should a kid stop you!? If anything, having a baby has opened my eyes to more amazing things than I could have ever imagined! How can you make, carry, and birth a baby and not believe in dreams? Now, this might be a good time to discuss managing expectations. It’s not all your time anymore! Can I get an AMEN!? But it’s about what you do with the time you do have! 

Be social. Get out and have lunch or breakfast or coffee, find whatever mealtime your nugget[s] are the most behaved and generally the least difficult and plan the heck out of them! Go on walks, plan play dates, do things that have you hanging around other ah-mazing mothers who get it! Loneliness is a killer of happiness, my friends, so isolation is NEVER the answer. 

Cry and eat Thin Mints. I recently read this article that was talking about how all these “honest” mommy posts popping up on the internet were killing the American family... Yeah. Seriously. And yes, it was written by a man. I was ready to do some face punching. Because let’s face it, being a mom is hard!!!! Raising a kid is freaking hard! And I won’t let anyone tell me that I need to censor that! I don’t ever want anyone, especially a new mom, thinking it’s possible to have it all figured out. No mom, no matter how together she seems, knows it all. She cries in her closet with Thin Mints and a glass of wine too.

Your life is irrevocably changed after you have a baby and that is okay. Accept it. Just remember at the end of the day, you are doing an amazing job! And if all you can muster is Netflix and yoga pants then you allow yourself that, but remember being a mom doesn’t make you any less you. You’re still you, just different...

Many thanks to Lauren for sharing her heart and encouragement about motherhood. Be sure to check out Lauren's blog, Blissful Happenings, and today you can see a post from yours truly about the same subject! Tons of love to you, friends!