Life, Love, and a little bit of Aloha

It is not winter anymore and since Hawaii likes to skip steps we are right back into our summer weather. Hot, hot, hot and all I want is for Alex to get a little bigger so we can go to the beach and wade in the water. Other news: I officially fit into a pair of my pre-pregnancy pants!!! I will admit these jeans do have a little stretch but whatever, they fit!

I am not going to lie, I love that Dane has been home the past two weeks. He has been so helpful with Alex and even enabled me so get 2 photo shoots in (building a photography website/portfolio). With that said, I would love some new photography accessories like a new body and a new lens. A girl can dream right!?




This week I have two different and both wonderful things about Hawaii. The Honolulu Night Market which is held once a month in Kaka'ako with wonderful food, art, fashion, and music. It is very family friendly and there is so much to see and do. While at the last night market I stumbled upon a cute little store named Paiko whose motto is creating art from nature. So many cool planters, plants, and ideas here.

Reuse Hawaii

Whenever there is a project I have in mind, I always start it the cost saving way. I start at Reuse Hawaii. Reuse Hawaii is a non-profit organization working to reduce waste through building material by reusing and recycling. So pretty much, when buildings or homes are going to be demolished or re-vamped this crew comes in and takes what is still salvageable. Then they sort it and put it out at there warehouse in Kaka'ako for you to get crafty with.

My latest project is building a veggie garden planter for our patio. Since we don't have any land to plant in, I figured I needed a planter since my pots all over the patio just didn't cut it last season. As much as I wish I could put it together myself, I need a little help so we headed to Reuse to pick up some lumber.

Reuse Hawaii has everything. They have tile, sinks, small windows, big windows, lights, etc. and it is all nicely organized. They have very helpful staff that is out and about and willing to point you in the right direction should you need it.

This is our cute little helper. 

And the best news... we only spent $50 on lumber to build a 7ft X 2ft X 2ft planter box! Now I need to start reading up on "companion planting" so that hopefully my garden will be a lot more fruitful than last year.

Carrot Muffins

 If you are like me and are looking for something quick and easy for breakfast because you are still half asleep then this is perfect! Not only is it perfect because you can just peel off the paper cup and put it in your mouth but they are healthy. My normal quick and easy breakfast is a bowl of cereal. These muffins are a lot more hearty. They are filling and tasty, and really easy to put together. So make a batch yourself and thank me later!

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats + a couple extra tablespoons for topping
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup milk
• ¾ cup applesauce
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups carrot, grated

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease or place cupcake wrappers in a standard-size, 12-cup muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, 1 cup oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, applesauce, brown sugar, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract.
4. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and whisk just until all ingredients are incorporated. Stir in the carrots.
5. Divide the mixture between the muffin cups. Cups should be filled just about to the top.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until muffin tops spring back when poked and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool for 5 – 10 minutes before removing from the muffin tin. Serve plain with butter and honey, if desired.
8. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 – 3 days, or freeze.

Losing the Baby Weight: Food

In an effort to still eat healthy for me and the baby, here is a sample day of food I have been eating. I will admit, last week I took a little break. We had family in town and were eating out a lot while they were visiting. But now I am back on track- and my gym membership just got re-instated!


For Breakfast:

Carrot and Oat muffins with a banana

These muffins are amazing, recipe is soon to follow.










For Lunch:

Wasa crackers with mayo, avocado, my favorite lunchmeat: Applegate roasted turkey, and tomatoes










For Dinner:

Honey chicken, hapa rice (brown and white), and bok choy

3 months

Alex Marie is 3 months old today!

She has been grabbing with her hands a lot. She loves this blue octopus my mom gave her because it is one of the few toys she can wrap her little hand around.  She holds it by one of its tentacles and it eventually ends up in her mouth, as do most things lately. Her hair is growing at an uncontrollable rate. It seriously has a mind of its own. She has really good head control now and looks around while on her stomach. She is such a happy baby, she talks to us everyday (definitely a talker like her dad).

Life, Love, and a little bit of Aloha

This week Alex has met a lot of new faces. Spending time with her great-grandparents while they are in town and old friends visiting as well. I had my first beach day without the babe (she is still too young) and it felt amazing to relax and get in the ocean- the water is so cold!

Though it may seem easy, nursing in public is extremely hard. As much as I would love to just flash everyone to make it easy on myself I try my hardest not to make everyone uncomfortable. This week we have been out of the house a lot and finding clothes to wear out of the house that are easy to nurse in is actually pretty hard to come by in my closet. But a definite nursing essential is a Bravado bra. I picked mine up at Target. I have tried so many other bras but these are the most comfortable and also easy to sleep in too.

Alex was given a very beautiful Hawaiian quilt that we now have hanging in her room. If you are ever interested in simple and colorful quilts, pillows, etc. take a look at Hawaiian Quilt Company. They are a little pricey but they are known for their great quality.

Winter Weather

I saw this picture and it made me laugh because I have been hearing so much about snow and blizzards this winter and, well, its just been the same here. Sunny and warm.

Lucky we live Hawaii.

not sure who to give credit to for this picture but thanks, it made me smile!

Life, Love, and a little bit of Aloha

Can it be possible that my 2 month old has a tooth coming in? Alex has been rather fussy lately, drooling like crazy, and I see a little white under the surface of her lower gum. Well, I think I see white, every time I try to feel it with my finger she starts sucking on it.

As the weather is getting warmer and all I can think about is how little clothing I want to be in (according to my car 88 degrees yesterday). I came across this breezy dress. I love this vintage aloha print and how comfortable it looks.

Maybe I have just been craving it this week but a definite Hawaiian must is always Giovanni's Shrimp truck in Kahuku. What I would do for some shrimp scampi and rice right about now...