Earlier this week, I hosted a Galentine's dinner party...
Read MoreHow to make a Heart Wreath
It's not too late to make this quick DIY heart wreath just before Valentine's day. You can make the size of the heart big or small, depending on the wall space you want to fill up. It will be a darling piece of art in your home. I've already had mine on my wall for 5 days. My friend Ismerai made this one. To check out more of her floral arrangement creations, go to Ismerai.com .
Supplies Needed
- wire (from hardware store)
- 4 wall nails
- hammer
- floral wire or zip ties or twist ties (as used)
- greenery
- different shades of pink carnations
Instructions
1. Start with hammering 3 nails vertically from each other. Nail the fourth nail below and below the middle nail from above.
2. Unroll some wire and start creating a heart shape around the nails. Secure the wire with zip ties if needed. I started at the bottom nail, meeting both ends with the middle nail above.
3. Once the wire is secured, begin to gather some greenery branches and secure onto the wire with twist ties. Repeat until wire is fully covered. You can keep it full or thin of branches, depending on your style.
4. Finally, add the carnations with the twist ties anywhere you'd like. These were put on one side only and it really made an impact.
This heart wreath was use for a dinner party.... click below!
XOXO, Crystal Cara
Long Kimono
Who else is already casually browsing for their spring and summer wardrobe? That would be me! I purchased this long kimono last summer and it was the perfect piece to wear over a plain outfit just to add more of an edge to it. I also wore it while lounging at the pool and beach. I have a few of these pieces, and it's so convenient when packing for a trip. I got this one from She In so you know it was a good deal.
I found some kimonos that caught my eye while I was browsing. Take a look and scroll down.
xoxo, crystal cara
Breastfeeding Cookies
I found this receipe 5 years ago when I had Asael and I've shared it with my friends over the years. I recently made them for my sister who recently gave birth to my nephew. I believe that breastfeeding is one of the best choices you can make for your baby. There are nutrients that your body makes specifically for your baby, and that always amazes me. However, it's not so easy in the beginning, so it is good to get all the help you can get. For example, these cookies are filled with key ingredients that help you lactate, such as oats, brewer's yeast and flaxseed.
OATS (100% whole grain, not instant) are filled with iron and fiber. You may find out that new mamas need a lot of iron and the fiber actually increases the milk supply. Nursing mamas need more calories and oats provide those calories in a healthy way.
BREWER'S YEAST (debittered) also increases milk supply because it has Vitamin B and it gives women a boost of energy.
FLAX SEED carries an oil called galactagogue which increases milk supply and it also has fiber. Flax is filled with Omega 3 acids which is good for both mama and baby.
Side note: Do not buy into the hype that formulas 'fortified with DHA' are good for your baby. Rather, these artificial baby formulas with DHA have been linked with diarrhea, dehydration, seizures.
In addition to these 3 key ingredients, you may also put in a little bit of fenugreek which also increases milk supply. However, I sipped on Mother's Tea (found at Target) every day so that took care of that ingredient. It's recommended to eat about 2 cookies a day and you'll see an increase in your milk supply around the 2nd day. If you are looking into freezing your pumped milk supply these cookies will help you do that. From my experience, I've learned that it's best to always latch baby the first month and then later you can offer baby the bottle with your milk.
Please see the recipe below:
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of salt
6 tbsp of almond or peanut butter
1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 tsp of vanilla
3 tbsp of brewer's yeast
1 cup of flax seed
1/3 cup of water
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup of oats
2 cups (12oz.) of chocolate chips
1 cup of chopped nuts (any kind/optional)
Before you get started have these supplies ready: cookie sheet, mixer, measuring spoons, small bowl, large bowl, cooking spray
Directions:
1) preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) small bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt
3) large bowl combine peanut butter, butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, brewer's yeast, flax seed and water. Mix until creamy.
4) mix in eggs
5) slowly mix in the small bowl ingredients into large bowl
6) mix in chocolate chips and nuts
7) slowly add oats and mix the dough
8) Place balls (about 2 inches) of dough onto greased baking sheets. Press down each ball lightly with a fork.
9) Bake for 12 minutes. This batch makes 48-50 cookies small ones or 24-30 large ones.
*I usually bake a dozen and have the remainder rolled out and ready to go inside a plastic ziplock bag to put in the freezer.
Once you've made them for yourself, how about baking them for a new mama and giving it to them to show you support breast feeding? As new mamas, nursing our babies can be a challenge, but if you have the right support and you are determined to nurse, you can overcome any obstacle that comes with it.
Here are some helpful links to help with breastfeeding:
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/08/lactation-cookies-recipe-increasing.html?m=1
http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org
http://kellymom.com/category/bf/
Weekend in Dallas
I will use any excuse to travel, so when Adam is sent somewhere on business and I have a babysitter, you better believe I'm tagging along for the weekend. If it's during the summer then the boys will come with us as well.
It was our first time visiting Texas and since we only had a few days, we decided to use that time to only explore the city of Dallas. Although, on Friday, when I arrived Adam surprised me and took me to Fort Worth (about 45 mins away) to see country singer Sammy Kershaw at a place called Billy Bob's. I'd never seen anything like it, especially in California, but I loved it. It had everything country and I just soaked it all in. So what do you eat before going to hear country music? Barbecue...Texas barbecue that is. We went to the Pecan Lodge for dinner and it was so delicious I had to use the corn bread to clean up the plate.
Saturday morning we grabbed a coffee and pastry and went to the Sixth Floor Museum. (TIP: buy tickets online before to skip the line). This kind of history fascinates me, so seeing the street where JFK was assassinated made it all so real.
Let me talk about the hotel we stayed at for moment...it was so cute. The rest of the afternoon we spent it there. We had lunch in the dining room and some coffee in their fancy lobby. Part of me wanted to get out and explore some more, but the other part of me wanted to just relax, since that's not a normal thing for us to do. So, that's exactly what we did!
On Sunday morning, I was slightly dreading the part of waking up early to go visit TD Jakes' church...The Potter's House. However, that's what Adam really wanted to do. I'm sure glad we did, because that ended up being my favorite part of the trip. If you saw my snapchats, then you saw the new kid's building tour we took. It was pretty much the coolest thing I've ever seen at a church.
See below for all the links of the places we visited in Dallas.
Oh yeah! How did I forget to tell you about our "15 minutes of fame"? We were in the Bishop Arts District looking at all the cute shops, when we ran into a production crew from the Food Network. It was such a cool experience. I only know its The Great Food Truck Race show in Dallas. I'll snap about it if I see it air. #fingerscrossed
Hotel : Le Meridien Dallas, The Stoneleigh
Restaurants:
Pecan Lodge / Knife / El Bolero / Cafe Victoria / Lockhart Smoke House
Places:
Sixth Floor Museum / Billy Bob's / Potter's House
There's so many other places to visit if, we had time, what are your favorite places to visit in Dallas or in nearby cities?