happy mother's day

a little late i know, but i hear late is better than never. so, happy mother's day! the lovely nicole from her and nicole had the wonderful idea to ask a bunch of women what their mom, and being a mom, meant to them. this is what i answered.

my mom:
...is the source of my inspiration. she made me who i am today and sets an extraordinary example for me. she always believes in me and gives me all the support i could ever wish for. merci maman, je t'aime beaucoup!

being a mom:
...has put my entire existence back into perspective. it makes me understand what life is really all about; and i rediscover it through the innocent eyes of my child. as a mom, i learned what true happiness is and to love unconditionally. i also discovered my inner strength, and my ability to put another being's needs before my own. i am so fortunate to have an angel in my life.

what does your mom mean to you? what does being a mom mean to you?

diy: jewelry organization display board

i'm starting to have a lot of jewelry. i have a really beautiful jewelry box, but it's not big enough, and my necklaces were getting tangled up. i tried hanging them on a clothes hanger but that idea was a total fail. then i remembered the previous owners had left cork boards in every room. my husband had taken them down and insisted on keeping them... i'm so glad i found a use for one. you can use the board as a decorative item for your room if you add a nice frame, paint it or add ribbons... but mine is in my closet, so i kept it simple.

Materials:
cork board
push pins
jewelry


first, place the pins on the board.


second, hang your jewelry.

note: i filled in gaps with more pins to hang earrings and bracelets.

yup, it's that easy!

note: i used colored push pins in the tutorial so you could see them better, but on my display i used clear and white pins.

what is your favorite kind of jewelry? what is your favorite jewelry store?

spinach, lemon and avocado salad

i've never been the type of person that enjoys cooking for hours (unless sugar is involved). this is probably why most of my recipes only contain 3 essential ingredients. now that i'm a mom, i have even less time to cook and often end up forgetting to eat because i'm so concerned about giving my son all he needs. lately, i often resort to this quick salad for lunch. it's packed with nutrients, and boosts the immune system to boot; what more could a new mom want?

ingredients:
1 avocado
1 lemon
1 handful of baby spinach


first, cut the lemon & avocado. squeeze the juice of half the lemon on the spinach. decorate with the leftover lemon slices and add diced avocado.

Note: i added a touch of salt. Yum.

second, enjoy your quick healthy meal packed with nutrients and immune boosting goodness.

strawberry syrup

i don't drink alcohol. i don't like it and i never have. yes, i've tried it (the accepted 3 times), but the after taste just kills it for me. people keep telling me it's an acquired taste, but i don't feel like forcing myself when it's not good for me. i much rather drink milk, juice, coffee or bubble tea (cause you know, bubbles are fun).

all that being said, it saddens me when i go to restaurants & all the cool looking drinks are alcohol based. i know, i know, you can order virgin drinks, but wouldn't it be more fun if there was a menu for non-alcoholic drinks? well, there will be at my house! at least that's the plan...

in order to make a menu, i need some basics. things like syrups. so here is my very first syrup recipe.

ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup cut strawberries

note: i actually used 2 cups of water but it took too long to evaporate to the desired consistency, so i recommend using 1 cup.

first, clean & cut the strawberries


second, boil all the ingredients for 20 minutes

note: or as long as it takes to get the desired consistency (it will thicken if you let it sit on the stove as it cools down)

third, strain & put in container

note: keep the strained strawberries for other recipes... ;)

what kind of cool non-alcoholic drinks do you make?

lately, according to instagram

[ my son's favorite plush toy | i've been playing with my son a lot | my son's first pair of shoes ]

[ i created my first nail art | i found one of my unfinished oc | still working on my new jewelry collection ]

[ i ate figs for the first time | i've been drinking lots of tea | quick & easy lunch ]

[ i visited the local nursery | spring finally arrived | we started taking long family walks ]

spring is finally here! the weather is warming up and it makes me seriously happy. i have so many amazing plans for the summer like planting a garden & camping. i will be posting my summer bucket list soon, with a free printable! my son and i spent some time outside on monday, it was really warm out. he crawled around on the grass and tried to eat some. it was so adorable.