20 Random Facts About Me

1. My absolute favorite time of day is the "golden hour", the first and last hours of daylight. Soo dreamy for photographs and just nice to look at period.
2. So far I've been to 24 states and 8 countries, but I'm not anywhere near done, I want to travel as much as possible.
3. I love to cook and if I could go back in time, I would have gone to culinary school instead of learning about computers and such.
4. I have OCD and also Misophonia, which is where everyday sounds trigger a strong emotional reaction...for me it is eating noises that cause me to feel rage. I only recently found out this was an actual disorder, thought for the longest time I was the only one and it was because I was crazy, haha! I have to have music or some kind of distraction in the background during meals.
5. Ranunculus flowers and peonies are my favorite flowers.
6. I was home-schooled for grades 8-12.
7. My favorite word is wanderlust. If you follow me online at all, you probably figured that out already ;)
8. I am an insomniac and am on two different meds to sleep. I tried natural remedies but absolutely nothing worked :( I have always been pretty wired at night and was always the last one to fall asleep at sleepovers as a kid.
9. I could drink iced chai all day long every day and never tire of it.
10. I love music from the 1960s and 70s and always have at least one oldies station programmed on my car radio.
11. I dislike pretty much all sports, unless you count hiking which I love. But seriously, I am bored to tears by any ball game on TV...fortunately for me, my husband isn't really into any sports either :)
12. My favorite types of cuisine are Indian and Middle Eastern. My favorite desserts are baklava and cheesecake.
13. I still have the key to my first apartment from 12 years ago. The key is tie-dyed. The apartment was a studio in an old Victorian house built in 1903. It had gorgeous high ceilings, a fireplace and wood floors. There was a Japanese magnolia tree outside my window.
14. I used to be in awe of big cities when I was younger. While I still find them fascinating and fun for a little while, I now would rather be out in nature, preferably in the mountains.
15.  I have recurring nightmares about tornadoes and tidal waves.
16. I had never broken a bone until last month when I fractured a metatarsal.
17. I admire the minimalist lifestyle and am trying to work my way towards it.
18. My husband and I eloped and we have been married for almost 9 years now.
19. I named my daughter Aurora after the northern lights and because it means "dawn" in Latin...it drives me crazy when people think it is because of the Disney princess, haha!
20. Autumn is my favorite season. 

x

Book Love

Sharing our current story-time favorites:

one/two/three/four/five/six

Fab Etsy Finds

Memory card holder by KettiHandbags

Squirrel brooch by Kishboo

TowelTea  by witandwhistle

Wooden Apple Harvest Toy by applenamos

The Best Dress in the World by LetsBackTrack

Letterpress Calendar by 1canoe2

Raw Vegan Chai Cheesecake with Pecan Ginger Crust

This was so yummy and perfect for autumn!

Ingredients:
{crust}
6 dates soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
1/4 cup candied ginger cubes
1 1/2 cups raw pecans
2+ tbsp coconut oil

{filling}
3 cups cashews soaked for at least 6 hours
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup hot water
2 chai tea bags
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves


Directions:
Grease the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with coconut oil. In a food processor, blend all crust ingredients, adding more oil if necessary. Scrape down the sides as needed. Mixture should be crumbly and sticky. Press this mixture into the bottom of the springform pan. Bring the 1/3 cup water to near boiling and steep teabags for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, blend the cashews, coconut oil, and maple syrup in the food processor until smooth.* Gradually pour in tea and sprinkle in spices and continue to blend until completely creamy. Spread filling layer on top of crust. Chill in freezer for 2 hours to set. Then store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.


*If your food processor is not big enough, you may need to blend in two batches.


Enjoy!!

                               

                               

Product Review: The Orange Owl's Body Butter and Lip Balm

I was in search of a chemical-free body butter when I stumbled upon The Orange Owl. I ordered the Zingy Luxury Body Butter and couldn't resist adding in the Cinnamon & Spice Lip Balm.

The Body Butter-

So much to love about this. First of all, it smells AMAZING. It reminds me of chai, which is pretty much my favorite thing ever. The consistency is whipped and airy, but it goes on rich and smooth. It feels slightly oily at first, but then absorbs to leave your skin super soft. The ingredient list is pretty impressive: mango butter, organic almond oil, organic olive oil, arrowroot powder, grapefruit seed extract, and essential oils of cinnamon, ginger, pepper and cloves. That's it. No nasty petroleum products here. Price-wise, I found it to be a good value, it's $10.99, I've had it now for about 2 months and there is about 1/4 of the container left. I highly recommend it and will be back for more!

The Lip Balm-

The same praise goes for this luscious lip balm...nice spicy scent, all natural ingredients, good value. It does a superb job of moisturizing too, smooth lips with a subtle shine. 

So there you have it. I'm so excited to have found a good source for my natural beauty regimen needs :) I'm looking forward to trying some of their other scents as well...Thai Surprise and Lemon twist sound delightful!

Have you tried any products from the Orange Owl? 

Maine Trip, part 2: PORTLAND

"Yes. Life's good here". That is Portland's slogan and I can see why. We enjoyed exploring this city. Lovely architecture with lots of very old brick buildings, gorgeous lighthouses, Casco Bay, tree-lined streets with plenty of unique shops, and soo much good food! I think Congress Street was my favorite downtown area, it had several eclectic/vintage stores and an amazing little co-op restaurant called Local Sprouts. Their kombucha was out of this world. The Portland Headlight was such a fun stop too, postcard beautiful. Here are a few of my favorite pics:

Maine Trip, part 1: ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

Last week we returned from our vacation in Maine. It was my first time visiting and I absolutely loved it! Beautiful scenery and amazing food :) This trip was also little A's first time on a plane, and she did pretty well overall...A few tantrums on the way back but it was naptime. I bought several little toys from the dollar tree store and brought them out one at a time as needed, and we had lollipops and plenty of snacks which helped. I am sharing here some (ok, a ton of) pictures from the first 7 days of our trip which we spent in Acadia National Park. It was so incredibly picturesque I filled up 2 memory cards, which is a bit much, even for me lol! I highly recommend visiting the park if you have the opportunity, especially in autumn. It's really difficult to pick a favorite spot in the park, but a few of my must-see places were Bass Harbor Lighthouse, Jordan Pond, Ocean Path, Dorr Mountain trail, Hunter's Beach (technically outside of the park but still on Mt. Desert Island, off of Cooksey Drive), Thunderhole, and of course Cadillac Mountain. Also, my favorite places to eat in Bar Harbor were This Way Cafe (quirky cute place with bookshelves lining the walls and some good vegetarian options) and Morning Glory Bakery (seriously good quiche and homemade chai).