Domestically Unemployed

Anniversary

2012-03-05T07:34:00.000-06:00

Today marks the day where we made the best decision of our life.

We solidified our love, set our foundation.

Never in my life did I imagine I would end up with someone so perfect. Not just perfect for me, but possesses all the qualities I could ever dream up and more.

You never cease to make me feel loved, beautiful, + completely content.

We have grown so much together in this short year. We have learned that marriage isn't as big of a change as expected.
We have learned to laugh at ourselves and enjoy the moment.

We have learned that no matter what our struggle may be, it can never conquer us and our love.

You make me want to be a better person through and through.

You have taught me how to be more selfless, understanding, and confident.

I could live my life without any possessions except for your heart.

My heart has come to know a peace that has never before existed.

Your love secures me.

You have been the greatest partner through this lovely life of ours.

Thank you for being you and for loving me through it all.

Tu és o meu coração e alma.

-K

Wendy's Art

2012-03-02T11:49:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I received a lovely package from the postman.

It contained a unique and beautiful piece of art.

Wendy was generous enough to host a giveaway of her beautiful art and I was lucky enough to win!

She does amazing murals for any room in your house as well as artwork to match the decor.

You can check out her business page Wendy's Walls as well as her Facebook page!

-K

Wedding Day

2012-02-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

This Monday is our first anniversary. It's incredible how quickly it went by. I know people always say that, but honestly, I cannot believe it has been an entire year.

It seems like just a few months ago I was planning out our wedding. Trying to calm my nerves, finish the tasks, and enjoy our company.

Since I started this blog after we were married, I never showed the details of the day. So here are those pictures of that fateful {and stormy!} day.

He is the cutest.

I am truly lucky and happy to know his soul.

-K

Ceremony - St. John the Evangelist, Panama City, FL

Reception - The Boatyard, Panama City Beach, FL

The Dress

Cake Topper by buttoneyedteddybear

Haircomb by annapanik

Shrug by WearableArtz

Makeup by Robin Klag

Hair by Fusion Spa Salon - Pier Park

All photography taken by Woodland Fields.

Monday Motivation

2012-02-27T08:17:00.000-06:00

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Sometimes we all need a little motivation to get us up + working hard for the week.

Keep this in mind.

This website is a great tool. BodyRock has daily workout videos and maintains a fitness schedule for you to keep up with.

Eat well.

Beach season is coming.

And don't forget to stretch it out everyday.

-K

Snippets

2012-02-22T10:09:00.001-06:00

Here is what I have been enjoying lately in my part of the world.

Making bracelets for the beach.

This cat attached to me.

Our cozy "fire".

The cool, morning fog.

Hodge-podge of miniatures.

-K

Health

2012-02-21T08:10:00.000-06:00

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Almost all of my life I have had issues with nausea. Most days I wake up in the morning feeling sick to my stomach. This has been a constant in my life for about 10 years now, as well as daily heartburn. My husband urged me to finally go check things out and fix them. So these past few months I have been in and out of the medical center meeting with doctors and running some fun tests. The good news is that I am overall healthy. My stomach acid is high and has caused some ulcers to form which is why I battle with heartburn. To fix this, the doctor prescribed me some Prilosec.
Then when a month later I did all of my gallbladder testing, the doctor said it was slow functioning and that removal would fix this. This sounded way too severe of an option for me and he suggested to change my diet for three months to see if it helps any.
So we have decided that we should further restrict our diet to see if we can fix both my nausea and heartburn.

{source}

Now our diet is pretty healthy, the healthiest it's been probably my entire life. We eat out once a week and try to avoid fast, fried food at all costs. The new diet would have to be a really lean one, avoiding most beef and only low fat meats. We have decided to have more nightly meals that are strictly vegetarian {Lent season is starting}, but I don't have as many vegetarian recipes as I would like.

Here is where I need some serious food inspiration. If you have a dish that you love and want to share, please post it!

-K

Ready for the Beach

2012-02-15T10:26:00.000-06:00

About two weeks ago, the weather was nice and sunny. It wasn't hot or cold, but just right. When you stepped in the sun, you felt the perfection of the rays.

But now it is cold. Out of nowhere we went from 75° to under 50° {I know, I am a Florida girl, we are wimps when it comes to cold weather}.

I took that warmth for granted. So when it comes again, I will be at the beach! Sitting in the soft sand, staring at the cool, clear water, and basking in the sunshine.

So for all of you who are also ready to get some sun in your life, here are some beach essentials:

I will be making a load of these to wear to the beach! Tutorial here.

Your absolute favorite bathing suit.

Adorable lace shorts as a cover up.

A great pair of Havaianas. {Necessity}

Don't forget your camera..

Summer will be here before you know it!

-K

Love Day

2012-02-14T17:08:00.000-06:00

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Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope your day is full of love, happiness, + warmth.

My Valentine bought me a special present. I ♥ my new Toms.

It has been cold all week. Really cold.

The cats are ready for warm spring. And maybe a new home..

I made pink-ish blondies. I had to give them away or I would have eaten the entire pan. In an hour.

They're amazing!

Keep on loving.

-K

Pretty Little Rooms

2012-02-08T08:52:00.000-06:00

It has been almost two weeks since we put in our offer and I am going crazy with anticipation. I feel like I am dating again. Every time I come to our apartment the first thing I do is check my messages. When I see that little red light blinking, my heart skips a beat {too bad it's always solicitors!}.

Some nights I lay awake wondering how I would like to decorate our future home. I want something warm, cozy, true to the home, and something with real personality. As I have been scouring the internet for design inspiration, I have collected a few pictures of rooms that I adore.

These rooms are unique, effortless, and have a warm eclectic feel.

{source 1}{source 2}{source 3}{source 4}{source 5}{source 6}{source 7}

-K

French Onion Soup

2012-02-07T08:12:00.000-06:00

Soups are not my favorite food type. It may be the fact that it's usually way too warm for hot food in Florida. The past few days have been a bit darker and colder (by cold I mean under 75°F) so eating soup was not out of the question.

French onion soup is a dish that I had never made before at home, but this recipe was really great and has encouraged me to make more soups - until summer time that is.

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter

2 Sweet onions - sliced

1 garlic clove - chopped

Salt + pepper

5 cups beef broth

1-2 tablespoons flour

French bread - stale or toasted

4-5 slices provolone cheese

Place large saucepan on medium heat and add half a stick of butter and the sliced onions. Cook onions about 20 minutes until they begin to caramelize. Then add the garlic, salt, pepper, and other seasonings you prefer. Add one cup of the beef broth and let it boil until the liquid has evaporated. Mix in the flour into the onions to give them a nice coating. Cook for a few minutes.

Add in the remaining beef broth and cook on the stove for about 10 more minutes.

While this is cooking, slice your stale or toasted bread and place them into your serving bowls. Place the serving bowls on a cookie sheet and set the oven to a low broil.

Spoon the soup into the bowls with the bread in it

Place a slice of provolone on top of the soup and bread. Place into the oven and watch closely until the cheese begins to bubble and brown {about 5 minutes}.

You can make the soup before hand and refrigerate it, but you will need to bake it in the oven on a lower setting for a longer time.

We really enjoyed this dinner and hope you do. too!

-K

Decisions

2012-02-03T07:39:00.001-06:00

So we have pulled the trigger and put in offer in on a home.

Scary.

We won't know for a month or two {or three} what the outcome is.

We are being optimistic, but trying not to get our hopes up. Occasionally I get a restless night where I lay there thinking about all the details in this house and how intimidating it is to have property. Then I think about how nice it will be to have a yard, a neighborhood, a home to call ours.

We continue to hope for the best; If it doesn't work out, move on and find something else.

...

But I really hope we get this house!

-K

Brazil Shots III

2012-01-30T09:16:00.000-06:00

This is my last group of photographs from our trip. It is a bit of a Hodge-podge of random shots that I enjoyed taking.

Beauty in the details...

{1 - brigadeiros}{2 - lovely vines}{3 - night lights}{4 - mini chucks}{5 - new year}{6 - stones}

-K

Keeping Resolutions

2012-01-27T08:29:00.000-06:00

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Its almost the end of January and this is the time when all my goals for the year start fading. This year is different because I have help! The internet can be a huge distraction, killing your plans, or it can be a tool for good.

Reading More

One of my main goals for this year was to read more books, at least one a month. I recently found this great website Goodreads that is like your virtual library. You pick out what books you are currently reading and set up the ones you want to read and it will find new books that you may be interested in. It reignites my desire to consume books every time I visit the site!

{You can add me here!}

Being Healthier

Another tough goal to keep is working out and eating better. I always want to eat better food and less processed, higher fat foods that have become the norm of our society. I use the online log Fitday to track every thing I eat as well as my daily activity. This way I am forcing myself to be aware of the nutrition I am putting into my body. It's nice to see your progress in their graphs as well. This helps to keep me motivated on days when I feel like quitting.

Also I keep my browser's home page set to Pinterest's Fitness page. Seeing these pins every time I sit down really helps motivate me to do more.

Better Budgeting

Since I don't bring in a paycheck, our budget is very important. We have a lot of financial goals to reach and if it wasn't for our budget, we would never reach them.

We have been using Mint for a few years now and love it. It helps us create and maintain a budget that works for us and keeps us on track. Every week we can see where our expenses came from and track our overall trends. The graphs on Mint help us to visually see where we can cut back on things we don't need and increase our overall savings.

{No, this is not our personal graph, but an example}

Those are my web based guides that are helping maintain my goals and keeping me on track for a better 2012!

What do you do to keep motivated?

-K

Home Buying

2012-01-26T08:50:00.000-06:00

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We have officially started the house hunting process. And it is indeed a process. Granted, we have only been at it for about a week now. Things have moved quickly and we are very close to putting an offer in.

For the past two years I have been online looking at listings on a weekly basis. Imagining life in a home and daydreaming of making it ours. Now things are financially and emotionally right for this endeavor. As much as I can't wait to jump into this, I am cautious. There are so many things that can go wrong. So much responsibility in owning a home.

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We have a great support system that wants us to make a good, solid decision and will be there if we need them. This decision weighs heavy on the both of us as it is intimidating, yet exciting. Here's to hoping for the best.

Any support/advice you can offer us is appreciated!

-K

Laundry Detergent

2012-01-25T13:11:00.002-06:00

Since making my own dish detergent turned out so well for our home, I decided to go ahead and switch our laundry soap out. I searched the internet and found various recipes. This is the one that I love the best!

Ingredients

1 bar of Fels Naptha
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax

Grate one whole bar of Fels Naptha. This took me two sittings to finish.

Add 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of washing soda and stir together until mixed. Then put it in a pretty container

I wasn't so sure about switching out laundry soap because I like our clothes to smell really good. I had been buying a natural {but expensive} brand before that I loved. Since switching, I love the way our clothes smell. It's less of a perfume smell and more of a clean one.

And also, it is really cheap to make!

While I had my supplies out to make this, I went ahead and made another batch of dish detergent. {You can see my recipe here}

The first batch lasted me almost 6 months and still works great. I do have a bit of an issue with the powder clumping. To combat this, I have used more absorbent packs and kept it out of a moist area.

-K

Brazil Shots II

2012-01-24T08:07:00.003-06:00

This second batch of photos from our trip shows the greener side of São Paulo.

We spent a day out in the country side of São Roque. It was a nice break from the noise and traffic of the big city. I loved being out in the fresh air and seeing all the different flora, hearing the wildlife, and absorbing the sun's warm rays. Here we relaxed with the family and enjoyed delicious homemade barbecue.

The country near São Paulo is so much different that what I am used to . The mountainous areas are completely covered in plant life, unlike the rocky ones we have in the states. It is a beautiful and unique sight to see.

Another scenic day was spent at the local country club where we played some more, pet some friendly horses, and ate yet another delightful meal {no we definitely didn't go hungry on this trip!}.

There is so much beauty in nature, and I am grateful to have been able to enjoy it in such great company!

-K

Weekend Meals

2012-01-23T08:56:00.000-06:00

This weekend I took a picture of every meal that I cooked for the Hubs and I.

Breakfast

Raisin + Orange blossom honey oatmeal.

Friday/Saturday Lunch + Dinner

Quinoa Chili with red peppers, fresh black beans, tomatoes, corn and onions.

Dessert

Fresh strawberry parfait with "Bear Naked Fit" granola and yogurt.

Sunday Dinner

Tacos with homemade tortilla shells, Mexican rice, grilled onions + peppers, black beans, lettuce, cheese, + sour cream.

I didn't plan for all of these meals to be vegetarian, they just happen to be. But I love not having as much meat in our diet.

The Quinoa Chili is a new addition to our favorite meals. I highly recommend you try it out if you haven't already. {I loosely based our dish off of this recipe}

You can find my other favorite Quinoa dish here.

-K

7 Pretty Things on Sunday

2012-01-22T04:07:00.000-06:00

I'm joining the "7 pretty things on Sunday" link party for the first time today! I usually do an occasional post about adorable things that I find, but today I am linking up with many others. These are all from Pinterest.

I hope these inspire you like they do me!

{source 1} {source 2} {source 3} {source 4} {source 5} {source 6} {source 7}

Too much pretty!

And if you'd like to join:

-K

Brazil Shots I

2012-01-12T08:45:00.000-06:00

I've worked through a couple of the photos on my camera. There are a few more to get through, but I'd thought I would share some!

These are mostly from my day as a tourist. We went to the historic downtown part of São Paulo and walked around. We stopped to visit the cathedral which is in the middle of everything. I love the quiet contemplation that cathedrals foster, especially in the middle of so much commotion from the city. I hope you enjoy the sites!

[1] In flight meditation [2] Sunrise over the city [3] Crosswalks [4] Catedral da Sé

[5] Pretty bricks [6] Glow of stained glass

-K

Finest of the Year

2012-01-10T07:31:00.000-06:00

Last year I entered a ~~few~~ lot of link parties, including the weekly one over at To Sew With Love. I was lucky enough to get the "Finest of the Month" twice. They are having a new contest to win the Finest of the Year! I would be so honored and appreciative if I won this.

If you Click Here scroll down a bit and vote for me "August - Cheesecake Cupcakes" I would love love love you!

Thanks!!

-K

Home Again

2012-01-06T10:37:00.000-06:00

Our trip to São Paulo has come to an end. This was one of the first vacations where part of me didn't want to leave. After spending two weeks there, I had expected to be anxious to get home and back to our normal life, but I had such a splendid time, that it was hard to say goodbye.

We owe a huge thanks to our family. Without them, this trip would not have been possible. Thank you for all of the amazing meals, comfy beds, and special memories that will never be forgotten! I can't wait to come back and see everyone again.

And yes, there are many more pictures to come, once I finish them up!

-K

New Year

2011-12-31T10:00:00.000-06:00

Source

So much has happened in my life in the year 2011; Marriage, unemployment, growth, & travel.

People change over time, whether they want to or not. One of the biggest lessons that I learned this year, was that I choose everything in my life. I think we tend to accept ourselves, our flaws and all, as a package deal that can never change: "I've been stubborn since I was born." One thing I learned was that even when I am not making a decision, I choose to do that. I can wake up in the morning feeling grumpy, which is usually the case, but I can decide whether to force myself into a better mood, or I can choose to accept my morning unpleasantness and continue in such fashion. We are dynamic animals, and whether or not we want to take responsibility for our own actions, they are ours. If you aren't happy, change something inside of you and figure out how to attain that. This year and the next, I am trying to be more aware of my unconscious actions.

New Year's Resolutions in Pins

[1] Go to the beach more.

[2] Be kind to everyone, especially when others make it hard.

[3] Go to mass with the Husband.

[4] Be content with less.

[5] Read more books!

Source 1, source 2, source 3, source 4, source 5.

Cheers!

-K

Feliz Natal

2011-12-24T12:47:00.000-06:00

Our first week here has almost come to an end. Tonight we are celebrating Christmas with food, family, & friends. My time here has been great. Lots of sights and experiences!


What do you know of love?

Did I mention we are eating lots of delicious and new food?

Feliz Natal!!

-K

Arrival

2011-12-19T12:14:00.001-06:00

After a lonnng flight we have finally made it here! I snapped a few pics on Instagram while we were driving into town. You can follow me as "jkhf".

-K

Domestically Unemployed

Anniversary

Wendy's Art

Wedding Day

Monday Motivation

Sponsors

Snippets

Health

Ready for the Beach

Love Day

Pretty Little Rooms

French Onion Soup

Decisions

Brazil Shots III

Keeping Resolutions

Home Buying

Laundry Detergent

Brazil Shots II

Weekend Meals

7 Pretty Things on Sunday

Brazil Shots I

Finest of the Year

Home Again

New Year

Feliz Natal

Arrival