Healthy Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

I started a new workout routine, and I have made it to my second week! I feel stronger and healthier already but last night I got a little crazy during my workout and pulled/strained my calf muscle. I think it is fine, but it feels like at any moment I am going to get a major charlie horse in my leg. I was looking up home remedies and of course it was suggested to eat a banana. I HATE bananas! To me they taste mushy and gross so I had to get creative. I decided to try to make a somewhat healthy smoothie using 1.5 bananas, cause honestly muscle cramps are the worst! Here is the recipe for my smoothie. 1.5 peeled banana, 5 whole strawberries, and 1 cup of honey-vanilla greek yogurt. Blend until liquified and there you go! It wasn't bad at all and I could totally stand the banana taste. The main reason I went a little nuts during my workout last night is because I have discovered some great music check out my top 10 workout songs below!

My Top 10 Workout Songs!

Animals - Martin Garrix

Chandelier (Plastic Plates Remix)

Feelings - Maroon 5

Five Hours (Deorro) 

Heart on Fire (feat. Elisabeth Troy)

Hideaway - Kiesza

I'm an Albatraoz (AronChupa)

Prayer In C (Robin Schulz Remix)

Some Chords (Dilon Francis Remix) - deadmau5

Sugar - Maroon 5

Coastal Time-Out | Pacific Beach, WA

When life gets rough I find myself wanting to press a nonexistant reset button unfortunately life just keeps moving forward, so what I find helpful is ducking out for a breather. This year has been very challenging in a number of ways and it has started to bog both Paul and I down. We decided that if we could find an affordable place to stay on the coast for a weekend that we would run away from life for a day. My family spends our holidays in Seabrook, Washington and we love it there so much! I gave Seabrook a call and was able to find a smaller inn they manage closer to the coast for an inexpensive rate SCORE! We loved it! It is called "The Sweet Alice Inn" The weather in Seattle has been AMAZING for February and although I am concerned what this means for the rest of the year in terms of a pending drought, we could not have picked a nicer weekend to runaway to the coast. 

This year I am trying to re-focus my attention on my health, spirituality, fitness, and emotional state. I think sometimes we can take for granted our emotional and mental health thinking that if our bodies are fit and healthy then everything else will just fall in line. I do not think that this is necessarily true and want to re-focus on my inner health and state of mind. So when things got a little crazy taking some time to reflect, cope, and reconnect was the healing that I needed. I would urge you to step back for a moment from your busy lives and take note of your inner health. Everyone has different ways of coping with stress, change, and this roller coaster called life but I would suggest the healing power of the Sea. When you get to the beach you may want to take a reflective quiet approach to your activities  but in case you are stumped on what to do with your time at the beach check out my beach bucket list below! 

My Beach Bucket List

antiquing

beach fire pit

bike riding

bird watching

clamming

coffee and conversation

exercise

fireworks

hiking

horse back riding

kites

looking for shells

photography

pick up driftwood for DIY's

puppy play-time

quads or sand dunes

rest and relaxation

s'mores

sketching

spa

sparklers

star gazing

yoga

*Links provided are from our two favorite beaches Yachats, OR and Pacific Beach, WA

Sky View App, A Beach Necessity!

You took some time off work, or maybe just planned a weekend to pack your things and head to the beach. You found your hotel, scouted out the perfect bonfire pit, and maybe even mapped out a hike or two. But now the sun is setting and you feel a little well, bored. I mean after all how long can you stand on a beautiful but somewhat empty beach? That's where I come in... you have to check out this app. After the awe of the sunset pull out your phone whether it's cloudy or not and download the Sky View App. Paul and I have so much fun with it, you just aim your screen towards the stars and the app lets you know what constellations, planets, even satellites are floating around in that area! It is really amazing and works even if there are clouds. It is so much fun and I love how it draws out constellations for you. So next time you find yourself contemplating calling it a night when the sun sets on your favorite beach, remember that phone in your pocket and give this app a try! Oh and just so you know its FREE! 

DIY Calligraphy Mug

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diting Day thats right, since I have started blogging, I have come to love editing photos. I think it has to do with the fact that photography for me is way more controllable than painting. When I paint, I always end up a little frustrated because my image is not what I imagined it would be... I guess that just come with the artistic territory. With photography however, I already have an idea of the image and what I can do to make it look better. I have been wanting to try the legendary Pintrest DIY Sharpie Mug for a while, but I have heard horror stories of sharpie pens that have smeared or washed off. So what I did was purchased the same Dollor Store Mugs and a sharpie pen for ceramic and glass. I washed the glasses, created my designs, and then baked them in the oven at 375 degrees. After I was done baking the glasses I let them sit in the oven with the door open so that they could slowly cool down to room temperature to prevent breaking. I think they turned out great! I have already washed them once and the pen did not wash off. You'll have to excuse my blogging partner, he was checking to make sure there were no treats in that cup.

DIY "UP" Theme Tote Bag

DISCLAIMER: I missed a letter not saying where ;)

Yes, I am celebrating Valentines day, and Galentine's Day all week! I decided to make some crafts that can be used as V-day gifts. I have been dying to try this project, a DIY potato stamped tote. This is my first time creating a real potato stamp, and you can definitely tell! lol I started by getting the cookie cutter stuck in the potato, and then some of the ink from the outside edges of the stamp touched my canvas while I was stamping. Overall I do like how it turned out, I feel like it looks raw and artsy. Ok THIS video feels dated but it is a great demonstration on how to actually cut the stamp... I found using a cookie cutter was a really simple solution. I chose the "UP" theme because I am obsessed with all things "UP", I mean my cats name is Kevin. It is my second favorite love story next to mine and Pauls. ;) Happy crafting ALL!

Valentine's Day DIY Candy Vase

Valentine's Day is this week! I am pretty excited for it because it marks the beginning of the end of this gloomy winter. Oh and Paul and I have a fun date planned! More on that later >>> I wanted to have some flowers around this week to brighten up our apartment and I just don't like roses... I never really have they seem very kitsch to me I guess. I love tulips though so I created a pretty candy jar vase using candy hearts and small tulips. This is a really easy project for anyone to do. I bought 3 bags of the hearts from the dollar store filled one of my storage jars, and put a small vase in the middle for the flowers. Right now tulips are really inexpensive you can get bundles of them at the grocery store for $10. Just saying - I think that this arrangement is really cute and budget friendly for anyone looking for Valentine's Day decor or gift ideas. I love this project because it has me thinking ahead to spring. I can't wait to visit the Tulip Festivals and on time this year hopefully to get a glimpse of these gorgeous flowers. Do you have any fun plans coming up for V-day?