VDAY BEAN DAY

V-day can seem like a pointless Hallmark holiday but HEY, for me it's an excuse to see bean. With baseball, work, school, and everything life throws at you it can be tough to fit in quality time. Thank you St. Valentine for creating a day that you can be extra cheesy and no one can mock you :)

We decided to meet before work for coffee on the beach. He had bought me a mug with a bear on it (that's what he calls me) awhile ago so I thought I'd do the same! But finding a mug with a bean on it....not gonna happen. Fortunately I had a design I had made for him (it says I Love You Deerly with a deer on it), so I had it printed on a mug so we could match. kinda.

After work and practice we went to dinner and people watched. A big thanks goes out to the man in the red suit and feathered hat for making the people watching part a bit more entertaining.

THE SMALL THINGS

I decided to start a new aspect on this blog called The Small Things. I will post a few details from my week that have inspired me, helped me, or just put a smile on my face. :)

a chalk drawing from my favorite class in college

Some patterns from these Tracy Reese Dessert Plates 

“A man who fails well is greater than one who succeeds badly.”

Thomas Merton quote from No Man Is an Island

a favorite Neruda poem

happy new week!

SEED SPITTIN' TIME

look at that bean.

Captain chat

YAY. It is baseball season. 

I've never been a huge fan of baseball. I mean, how slow can a game go. And why does the coach whistle and slap his forehead and arm a bunch of times at his players. Drove me nuts. But now I have an incentive to watch baseball. I know the people playing!

 It is a whole different game when you actually care about who wins. Especially when bean is the captain on one of the teams...

small detail.

Westmont baseball games are weirdly enjoyable for me. Maybe because it's an excuse to have a laid back afternoon watching bean in his element. And eat. And socialize. And try to learn what the heck the signs mean. Wish me luck on that one...

DIY COFFEE FILTER FLOWERS

The crafty decorator in me doesn't always agree with the budget that comes along with living in the most expensive city in the world Santa Barbara. That said, when we moved into our apartment I was searching for cheap ways to spruce up the living room. 

Since coffee is .a l w a y s. in my budget I put my coffee filters to use. 

FIVE THINGS

Trying to start a business while you have multiple jobs, commitments and people to see is not an easy task. Holy moly it's not. And I don't even have kids to worry about. Sometimes I swear God gave some women 36 hour days without telling anyone else. 

My goal to open my own etsy shop/business has been interesting. I have realized I have a hard time making mistakes. This process has (very forcefully) slapped that right out of me. With a big gorilla sized hand. 

I've been trying to learn to take every road bump as a learning opportunity, but I have had some help with that! I want to share some things that have encouraged me along the way, and assisted in keeping me on the path to achieving little dreams. 

1. SET GOALS

If you are wanting to achieve something, a plan is necessary. Make it realistic. Set daily, weekly and monthly goals that are attainable. You will no doubt face hardships, so account for that! Don't set daily goals that are nearly impossible, or else you will continually feel defeated. 

For example, I have a daily goal of reading the bible so I can finish it in a year. A weekly goal of mine is to workout a minimum of 3 times. My monthly goals are focused on my business. Create 5 new pieces, have the etsy shop up, create a workspace, etc.  

2. DISPLAY YOUR GOALS 

I'm a visual learner, so if something isn't printed in big block letters in front of my face, I tend to forget it, ignore it, or make up excuses as to why I didn't do it. I made a sign in my room with my list of daily goals I will not sacrifice. (Bible reading plan, take vitamins, drink water, workout.) I force myself to accomplish this small list before I go to bed. (Personally, I function best when they are done immediately after I wake up.) I have to tell myself I will do these things even if it is 11pm.

3. LEARN FROM PROFESSIONALS

I used to view this as discouraging. I would research women who were doing what I wanted to do, and get mad that I wasn't in the same place they were. But they had to start somewhere! One of my favorite sources for encouragement is Lara Casey. She is the Editor of Southern Weddings magazine. She is a mother, believer, and entrepreneur. Boom. Her blog is motivation at its best. 

laracasey.com

4. THIS BOOK

A Beautiful Mess: A Perfectionist's Journey Through Self-Care by Kristin Ritzau

Bean got me this book and it is unreal. For those of you who don't like making mistakes, saying no to people, or letting anyone down, READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT. 

...now.

5.  PRAY

Sometimes I just pray for the desire to pray.  

:)

WODFORGOD

My extremely driven boyfriend recently decided to join a friend in starting a program called 

WOD FOR GOD. 

For anyone who is familiar with Crossfit (a workout program that views fitness as a sport), a WOD is a "workout of the day." Crossfit is popular among Christian athletes, so they decided to create a program that combined fitness and faith. WOD FOR GOD is now located in Santa Barbara and Arizona, and is rapidly growing. 

Their vision involves a weekly biblical curriculum coupled with a WOD. The Santa Barbara group meets at Westmont College on Sundays, does the weekly bible study, and then finishes off the day with a WOD.

http://wodforgod.wordpress.com/

Here are some photos from the first Santa Barbara meeting!

GREEN SMOOTHIE

 

I have been known to want to eat fruit for every meal. Only fruit. All the time. But the sugar crash that happens after a fruit filled smoothie is not worth it for me. I found a  g r e a t  alternative for the produce craving in the morning at every meal. GREEN SMOOTHIES.

{they look gross, and taste great}

A plus side of these is that you can put in almost any ingredient. almost.

My personal favorite...

big handful of spinach

the juice of half (or whole) a lemon

chopped pieces of ginger root

1 cup water

handful of ice

1 spoonful full fat plain greek yogurt 

1/2 frozen banana

options:

frozen berries

cucumber

kale

Mango slices

strawberries

almond milk

apple

*I recommend you blend for a longer time than you normally would, just to make sure the spinach doesn't separate.

PROGRESS

{MELANIESTUART}

getting so excited.

MELANIESTUART

SNEAK PEEK

MELANIESTUART coming soon!

{a variety of hand designed products and prints}

I will update new items as they are made and post them on  
melaniestuart.com

Any requests? Email melaniestuartdesigns@gmail.com or comment below!

PALEO BREAKFAST HASH

One of my FAVORITE parts of paleo friendly food is that most of them taste amazing just mushed together on a plate. You know someone discovered this when the recipe ends in "hash." It's the fancy way of saying "I didn't want to make an elaborate meal, so I threw ingredients together and called it a day." 

Thanks to Juli at paleomg.com for inspiring this hash :)

I read a paleo quote that said "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a servant" in regards to portion sizes. So that's what I did :)

Paleo Breakfast Hash

Brought to you by the random ingredients in my fridge.

1 chopped sausage (I used chicken apple, you can use Italian or any other flavor)

Handful of kale

1/2 a medium sweet potato

1/4 of an onion 

2 eggs

I don't measure anything. So you don't have to either. Use any amount of breakfast items for this.

In a medium skillet, cook your sausage and onions on high in the fat of your choice. 

While these cook, grate your sweet potato to create a pile of hash browns

Add handful of kale leaves and pile of sweet potato to the sausage/ onion mixture.

Once everything starts to sizzle and brown, add your eggs and scramble it all together. 

Cook until eggs are the way you want them!

DONE.

Pile on a plate. Eat. With coffee.

LET'S TRY THIS

Since last summer I have been following the Paleo lifestyle. My mom mentioned she was trying it, and that it could help with some of my many physical ailments. After about a month I already started feeling better! My teeth were whiter, my cramps went away, I began sleeping better, and my body felt cleaner overall. Of course there are people who speculate whether the Paleo lifestyle is worth it, but I believe each body is different. I found extreme success with going primal, so I stand behind it! 

It has been a long journey so I thought I would share some tips and resources that I have discovered along the way.

Helpful websites:

whole9life.com

paleomg.com

nomnompaleo.com

civilizedcavemancooking.com

Favorite Ingredients:

Blanched Almond Flour

SweetDrops

Everyday Seasoning from Trader Joes

Unflavored Coconut Oil

Cocoa Powder

Staple Foods:

Ground Beef (or any meat)

Almond Butter

Apples

Eggs

Almonds

Sweet Potatos

Green Veggies

Onions

Bananas

IDAHO

I was trailing far, far, behind.

My trip to CDA, Idaho had some great moments. ^ that being one of them. Every year people participate in the Polar Plunge on New Years. Let's just say I was freezing in pants and a coat, so I don't know if I'll participate in this any time soon. I'd like to think I would...

Besides the snow shoeing (w o r k o u t) adventure with bean, I enjoyed most of the snow while drinking coffee on a couch. Much more my style :) My conclusion is that the weather is BEAUTIFUL when you are properly dressed.

SEATTLE LOVE

I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of two amazing people last weekend in Seattle, WA. Bean was part of the wedding party, so I made the trip with two close friends. I had a blast navigating around an unfamiliar city with some great travel buddies. We probably walked two miles in the rain through downtown Seattle just to get to our hotel. Whew. 

  I haven't been to too many weddings, but now I'm at the age where there seems to be one every few months! Celebrating is always fun, but it is that much better when you know the couple. Not to mention the bride did a fantastic job of putting together one heck of a day. The venue had a romantic and rustic feel, filled with candles and succulents. I couldn't believe how she managed to add so many details that were handmade but elegant.  

The day had the theme verse of Ruth 1:16.

"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God."

LOVE this. What a beautiful covenant. 
 

Congrats Trev and Brooke, we are all so happy for you two and your adventures to come!!

 

 Beautiful building. Sodo Park.

 Altar for communion.

 

Bride and groom!

 

 

 

 My date :)