five.

 I've been dating this hunk of a guy now for FIVE years. And what's more interesting to know is that I've been friends with him for the past nine.  In honor of our awesomeness and my super love for him I'd like to share the following five stories // one from each year we've been together.


 one // when we began our relationship we knew we'd be doing it apart. It wasn't until after this begun that I knew how challenging it would become for us and how many obstacles we'd face. But every time I visited you it felt like we were just where we were supposed to be. Like our relationship was a book and each new visit was just turning the page and seeing what was next. I'll never forget how excited I was every drive I made to your house and how much closer I felt to you every time I traveled back home. 

two // In true Oregon style, the first time we made a trip to the pumpkin patch together it poured rain. But that didn't stop us from getting hot cider, riding on the hay truck, taking goofy photos with our faces in the holes of the scarecrows and picking out a pumpkin! It was during this trip that I saw us doing this together year after year, that I saw your sweet spirit to stay with me and pick out a pumpkin in the pouring rain and that I saw you could have fun no matter what the circumstance. And also.... that I like to close my eyes for pictures.

 

three // The move to California. Through every other challenge we've faced together this one definitely almost broke us. But I stand by the fact that we made the right choice for ourselves and for "us" together and it's brought us to the BEST part of our relationship. We've learned to live together, support each other and take time to have fun together. Packing our bags and leaving home behind and friendships behind wasn't easy but it's brought us to our best selves. 

four // Our first Christmas tree. It's not a secret that the holidays aren't your favorite. But you are the VERY best at making things special for me when you know it's something I love. So we got a tree. And dragged it down the hall, into the house and fought with all those sticky branches to stand it up. Then we had a glass of wine, vacuumed the entire apartment building and got to decorating. You helped me hang a giant box of sparkly, glittering green and red balls on every available branch and then you even let me turn off all the lights and just gaze at it for forever when we finished. That tree will ALWAYS be such a special memory for our Christmases to come. It only had a few small gifts under it but the soft twinkling lights and the warm smell of pine were gift enough. You even loved it. 

 

five // On the same page together. Knowing that you make me laugh, you keep me safe/supported/happy and we want the same awesome moments from life. That I can count on your soft kiss on my head every morning and your sweet smile as you climb into bed each night. That you fight for your happiness, my happiness and OUR happiness and I can trust in you as my partner. That no matter what kind of craziness I get myself into or when I'm doing the ugly cry.... you'll hug me and help me past it. And most importantly that you cook like a god. I love you everyday. And I hope we get to grow old and stinky together. Thank you for being my best friend. xo.

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taking stock.

 

Making: lots of hoop art for lots of lovely people. I'm rather slow sometimes but I love seeing the happy recipients. feel free to custom order as well (if you're ok with waiting) ::smiles::
Cooking: more homemade meals because things just taste better when you marinate/bake/saute/love them
Drinking: La Croix sparkling grapefruit water... water CAN taste amazing.
Reading: Tim's Gunn's Life Lessons. I just believe every person should read it because he's so sweet and truthful. Such a rich and rewarding read.
Wanting: to just lose those 20lbs while still eating all things delicious. or to just not care.
Looking: at a very quiet space that needs invigorating.
Playing: too many songs in my head... i should probably turn on some real music.
Wasting: time not doing something i love. time to focus on my future and what i want.
Sewing: many hoops. and one awesome cowl. slowly.
Wishing: that it were already friday so we could go on our anniversary trip to Vegas and be in that huge Venetian hotel bed watching free cable while drinking wine. whew.
Enjoying: late night chats with the fella in bed. we always come up with the silliest conversations that make me melt all my stress away and just smile.
Waiting: for answers. it's all out there. now we have to wait.
Liking: that fall is happening (even if it's not quite the same in LA) at least I get to see scarves, leaves and cold air in all of your photos. keep 'em coming.... says me.
Wondering: if engagement is in our near-ish future
Loving: that it's about to be five great, challenging, growing and incredibly wonderful years with fella and i can't wait to see what the next five bring us.
Hoping: for more time to accomplish everything 
Marveling: at how positive my man always is through how hard he works. i'm pretty lucky.
Needing: a dog. this is the month. here's hoping we find just the right rescue.
Smelling: the delectable chocolate brownie that i may or may not have eaten all by myself when it was large enough to share.
Wearing: leggings, chambray and my favorite leaf necklace from junghwa that i just MUST show you sometime soon
Following: my heart in every risk i take moving forward.
Noticing: my scratch and dent in my pretty new car. knew it would happen eventually; guess i'm glad i wasn't the one who did it? #silverlining #maybe
Knowing: i don't use proper grammar, i haven't had a haircut in almost a year and my nail polish is three days past removing....  but it doesn't really matter.
Thinking: about what sounds amazing for dinner (any suggestions?)
Feeling: sore from too much work 
Bookmarking: lovely photos on pinterest of course
Opening: all my favorite blogs in tabs so that there are many happy moments in my day
Giggling: every time he sings to me 
Feeling: hopeful and encouraged


You can find lots of good version of this list from Ashley, Sydney, Ilene and now yours truly. The original is found with Pip. If you make your own; leave me a comment with the link so I can read it. 

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Home is wherever I'm with you.

It's definitely true. Finding a home that suits your almost every desire, after 8 months of searching, can be the very best feeling there ever was. Especially when you find out it was right down the street from your current place AND across the street from your good friends; all along.

We found a house! After nearly two years of living in an apartment after our big move from Oregon to SoCal... we are finally going to be settled in our own HOME.

For the past few months (since we've been on the hunt) I've been buying little items here and there so that our new house would truly feel like OURS vs the odd collection of items we've each brought into the strange little apartment we moved to in a hurry.

And patiently I've waited for just the right place with all our desires met and location ideal so that we could create that comfortable home and really start living here in L.A.

I cannot contain my excitement at finally having it. And although the house is on the smaller side; I'm just so happy to have a washer and dryer of my very own that I'd live in a studio apt if it meant no more trips to the laundramat.

Keys are ours today. We're moving stuff in two weeks. And life is awesome. How was your Memorial Monday?

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Insta-life (and one other announcement)

{Left to right} My new job. Check it out here if you live near me. So darn yummy. // The newest hoop creation made for this pretty momma. You can get yours here. // My #julyloveclub package arrived and I'm pretty happy about it. Want the hookup? // I once again did the #noheatcurl and it turned out fabulous. Seriously if you haven't tried it you should probably get on that. Instructions here. // Just soaking in my one day a week with this guy. We used to see each other daily but alas my nanny life had to end at some point. // Oh, my man just surprises me during my Saturday morning class with yummy things like crepes. What? // Just the MOST DELICIOUS ice cream ever. Flavors such as Lemon Basil Sorbet and Honey Lavender. Holy yum. Go there. // Uhm, just utterly obsessed with these four Little Liars. May have watched the first two seasons in like a week and now having withdrawals. You know you need to watch on Netflix. // Rocking my JustLovelyThings from my #loveclub box. Oh and some bokeh thanks to PicFx. Love love love that app and my sweet friend Heather for the hair bling!

Are you following me on Instagram? You should. Find me: @beautifulblendings


Also I must note that I waited a very long time for the winner of this giveaway to contact me and haven't heard a peep. That makes me sad. Cause I've totally been there and missed out on winning before too. But the point of a giveaway is that you are an avid reader and therefore winning a goodie for being a friend. But if you missed my numerous shoutouts here and on Facebook and the Twitter... then alas I must give the reward to another.

So.... I will be picking another winner for the SHOES. Whaaat? You thought your chances were up but no! Hopefully this winner will contact me and I won't have to choose AGAIN. Cause it really does hurt my heart.

And the winner is..... THIS CHICA! Please, for the love of all things shoe.... EMAIL me. I want to give you those beautiful Rulla's.

Xo my lovely readers.

Happy Monday

I feel like working two jobs always means that the weekends go by so FAST! I'm usually trying to relax, spend time with my man, clean the house, catch up on emails, make shop orders or attend lots of crazy events!

Getting ready for the dreaded pub shift

But yesterday I really wanted to take a day off from everything and just have fun. So where to go in California for fun? Well Six Flags Magic Mountain of course!

We slept in till about 9am, grabbed delicious empanadas from Red Ribbon bakery (if you haven't had these an live close to one of these bakeries I highly recommend you get your booty there and eat some) and then headed out to the park.

via

Now I'll admit, the park IS in the middle of the desert and I hadn't fully thought through exactly HOW hot it would be or that we'd literally have sweat dripping between our boobs (oh wait, that was probably just me) BUT nonetheless it felt great just to be outside and flying through the air on some pretty crazy coasters.

There's something I just adore about being at an amusement park. Feeling like a kid with no worries or fears and just feeling the adrenaline and excitement pump through you as you travel quickly through the air. It just makes me so happy.

Enjoying a frozen lemonade, soaking wet

AND to be there with my fella, NOT talking about work and hearing his laughs as we fly upside down… well that's just pure joy.

 And although we lost a pair of sunglasses on the rapid ride, couldn't stomach a FULL day of coasters like when we were younger and had to wait in some hot lines; it was TOTALLY worth it to just let go.

Oh and the sushi date we had when we got home was pretty amazing too! I just adore spending a day with my man, acting like a kid and not worrying about anything else.

Cause in the end, these are the days we'll remember and talk about.

Introducing..... Hoop Art

Owning an Etsy shop is quite an interesting experience. You pour your heart and soul into creating beautiful works of art to sell to others and hope they love them as greatly as you. As I say, "Do what you love, love what you do."

Well when I started my shop I was thrilled about the pieces I was creating. Beautiful hair clips and headbands for lovely ladies and children. And each one I made, I was so excited to list and send home to someone, for them to adore also.

But it doesn't always work that way. Items weren't selling like I had hoped and I lost my spirit for creating for a bit.

But then something happened. I started crafting again for fun. I did a few projects here and there for friends and even sold a couple pieces. Encouraging words were shared and I felt excited about creating pieces for others again.

So I'd like to introduce....


Beautiful Blendings Custom Hoop Art

Only $15 for a custom design

Only $20 for a custom design

Only $25 for a custom design

Only $30 for a custom design

I hope you are as excited about this new venture as I am. If you are interested in your own custom hoop design... just click on any of the pictures to be taken to listing for that size. Or just visit my shop.

I'd love it if you shared this with someone you love.  Thanks for your support friends!
Xo.

cold hands. warm hearts.

This year I lovingly participated in Much Love illy and Sandy a la Mode's COLD HANDS, WARMS HEARTS exchange. If you haven't heard of it, don't worry cause I just stumbled upon it and was WAY happy to have. Basically it's a swap with another fabulous blogger where you trade mittens and other cute items (if you wish) and most definitely make a new friend.

I was paired up with the beautiful Jacqui from BabyBoyBakery who just happens to live about 10 mins up the highway from me in SoCal. She has a fantastically adorable 18 month old son (with gorgeous red curls) and she's an adorable baker who makes delicious delights. If you want to learn more about my friend Jacqui you can follow her tweets or send her some love on facebook.

Jacqui not only gave me the sweetest gifts for our exchange but she hand-delivered them to me by inviting me out for coffee and shopping! Not only did I LOVE my sweet gifts but I also met a new friend! Best gift of all. Thanks so much to Sandy, Illy and Jacqui. xxx.

Words cannot express.

Today has been unreal. Today is why I live. Today has left me with a warm heart and a permanent smile. And while I'm feeling this exuberant joy.... I had to tell about it. So I can always remember why I must work hard.

Today I had coffee, aimless shopping and the BEST conversation with a fellow blogger---Jacqui. Jacqui blogs at BabyBoyBakery and reached out to me to see if I wanted to meet up. I've never met any of my friends from this community "in real life" so although exciting... this was also scary in a way. But we absolutely had the BEST time together. We are so similar and can really relate to each other. This new friendship is something that is so invaluable to me especially if you read this post from awhile back. 

I also found a PERFECT xmas surprise for fella and cannot wait now to give it to him. But sorry, can't share a photo of that just yet. ;)

While purchasing said gift, the cashier told me she loved my headband and asked where I got it. When I told her I made it {best feeling to be able to say that} she asked where she could shop and I got to hand her one of my new cute business cards from Moo.com.

THEN, I came home to check the mail {one of my favorite activities ever} and found that my first published article had arrived!!!

I cannot ever describe to you how it feels to see your writing in print and then to also have someone paying for those words. And other people reading them! It was IS the best feeling. I am accomplished and I CAN do THIS.

And just to top it off I found that my friends at ShopKempt have me featured on their site from this post and I just feel so overwhelmed with appreciation to be considered a "fashionable blogger". If you've never visited their site you MUST. They have the CUTEST clothing at the BEST prices. Love love love THEM.

It's such a beautiful day. I'm going to keep the happiness flowing by getting some new products listed in my shop. Who cares if I don't have a swanky nice camera? That's not what matters.

And you should smile too. Tomorrow I will have a giveaway for you from one of my fabulous sponsors, Poshlocket. You will love it.

how to grow an avocado.

When I was little my dad and step-mom used to always have avocado pits, toothpicks in the sides, sitting in cups of water around the house. I think this contributed to my determination in adult life to getting one to grow. And I've got it figured out. So now I want to share with you.

{Eat your deliciously healthy avocado and gently pull out the pit and wash it well with water. You can gently scrub it with a sponge if needed}

{Place 2-3 toothpicks gently into the center sides of the pit and place over a cup of water with the "pointed end" facing up} 

{Be sure to water frequently.... always keeping 3/4 of the pit saturated and place cup in a sunny windowsill} 

{Water for many weeks-months and watch the roots grow from the bottom and the stem from the top. When leaves begin to grow, plant into rich soil. Make sure to leave at least 1/2 of pit out of the dirt}

{Sometimes you will grow a short plant, with BIG LEAVES} 

{And sometimes you will grow a TALL plant, with short leaves}

{Either way, with an occasional watering, lots of sunshine (from inside), and love....

You can grow an avocado}

----------------------------

I hope that was helpful and that you get growing soon! Seriously, I can't even throw a pit away anymore without feeling TOTALLY guilty about the plant I could've had. And I eat A LOT of avocados. So please, someone..... help me out. Grow a plant. 

And then send me the pictures. 

disneyland.

Sunday the 9th was our 3 year anniversary. This officially makes this man my longest relationship thus far. Not to also mention that we've been friends since my first year of college. So really, this story has been building for the past 6 years. And that's pretty amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better day. Even though it got off to a rough start. {Google maps thought that Disneyland was in Beverly Hills, and this girl didn't question it}

We made it! In line for Indiana Jones. Whoot. 

Just being silly. 

Pirates was closed {super sucky} but we headed to Haunted Mansion and to my GLORIOUS surprise they had re-done it in the theme of "Nightmare Before Christmas" for Halloween and it was awesome.

Next we got a GIANT pickle {my fav, thanks babe} and waited patiently to get soaked on Splash Mountain. BUT the ride got shut down for maintenance about 35 mins into our wait and we had to leave. IT was sad.

These were our rocking shades for Star Tours. We waited in line for about 90 mins and it really wasn't that awesome of a ride. Just some advice from me to you. 

After some resting and dinner we headed back to Splash to try and get on and discovered it was AGAIN shut down for repairs. But we were determined to get on and waited outside Haunted Mansion till we were able to run through the open line and .....

We got SOAKED. I had NEVER sat in the front of a roller coaster and GUESS WHAT seat I got? Yep, at 9pm in a tank top and jeans I was drenched multiple times with buckets of water.

It. was. awesome.

We then ate a delicious Churro, and got to ride the Matterhorn in like record time. I forgot to take a picture there but it was definitely one of the BEST rides of the day. Also fireworks were happening at this time so it was pretty great. 

After Matterhorn we rode Buzz Lightyear and loved it.

We take shooting Zurg pretty seriously. 

 And finally at 11pm we were able to ride SPACE MOUNTAIN! Cole really wasn't sure if he was up to waiting in line {the wait was supposed to be 80 mins} but we got in after about 50 mins and I'm so glad we did it. We both had forgotten how fun it was. 

I don't look super thrilled but it's just cause it's super dark in there and you have NO idea where the coaster is headed next. LOVE it. 

I wish I had a better camera but it's still a goal I'm working toward so for now I had to make due with the iPhone. Either way I was so thrilled to be in such a magical place with the man I love. I'm so grateful to my friends for providing us the tickets. Thank you so very much. Xo.