Baby Bump

I'm finally starting to really notice the bump. It is kinda unavoidable. It's there in the morning when I want to roll over onto my tummy. It's there when I bend over to pick up something off the floor. It is even there when I lean over the sink to wash dishes. And it's only going to get BIGGER! I'm not really complaining, it looks adorable; ) It's just that I am having to find new ways to get everyday things done.

It has also occurred to me that since I am at the halfway point, it's only another 20 weeks until I meet the little guy; and boy did those first months go by fast! It's fun to imagine what life will be like, but I know I really have no clue. What will it change between Ricky and I? Will Judah adapt well to being in 2nd place? Will everything be okay? I am the type of person who likes to research and prepare, but with something as life changing as this, I don't think you really can.

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

This is another baby vintage reconstruction t-shirt I made last week. I am getting pretty quick at banging them out now. I had actually made a few more, but forgot to photograph them before I gifted them to our friends Sean & Stef. I like to call this one our Jimmy Buffett onsie. He's definitely going to have to wear it whenever we go on our sailboat.

Ever since I was little I grew up listening to Jimmy Buffett tapes in the car, VERY reluctantly at first but then grew to love it as I got older. Since then my family and I have made it to 3 or 4 Buffett concerts over the years. You could definitely call my parents "parrot heads". So much in fact that a few years ago my Dad asked me to draw him a parrot for his very first tattoo, it turned out amazing! I drew the parrot and another artist (Dean, from Elm St Tattoo in Deep Ellum Dallas, TX) did the background that looks really tropical and rainforesty.

Good Weekend

We had a really nice weekend with lots of friends and get-togethers. On Friday our friend Chad and his girlfriend Marissa stayed the night in their rad pop-up VW van. They are on a cool So-Cal style Vacay just traveling the coast and hitting up all the good surf spots along the way. We had a great time, very chill.


Saturday we hit up the Roots & Folk Festival. Just your typical arts/craft vendors lining a few blocks with music stages setup on every corner. Adams Ave is a really hip part of town and Ricky and I decided that we need to hit it up more often. I also stopped by a couple of garage sales and scored some awesome deals. I picked up a Baby Bjorn baby carrier in navy blue, excellent condition, for only $3! I also got a few story books, baby toys, and onsies; but unfortunately both sales were all girl clothes, and tons of them.


On Sunday we drove up to Huntington Beach for our good friends Sean & Stefanie's baby shower for the girls and BBQ for the boys. It turned out to be a beautiful day and we both had a great time. We also found out that they are using one of the names that we had on the top of our very short baby name list...FORD!!! It is such a cool/cute name that I'm glad they are using it. Great minds think alike!

Recommended Reading

Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. I read every night before bed, when I layout at the beach, and anytime I get a free moment to relax. Being that I am currently knocked up, most of my reading material is focused on baby related topics. I have checked out plenty of books from the library and found most of them to be just "fluff". Some good/funny stuff here and there but nothing that I would want to recommend to friends.

When I first found out I was expecting my friend at the San Diego Hydroponics store, Kelly, loaned me a book called Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin. Kelly had spent time on the farm in Tennessee where this hippy community/farm was established in the 70's. An advocate for natural birth this book takes place on the farm and shares birth stories of the women who live there as well as a guide for midwives in training. The book is a pretty good read although I am not considering a home birth myself.

A few weeks ago I was at the library and picked up a book by the same author called Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. Now this is the book I would recommend to ANYONE preparing to give birth. It gave me some great tips and perspective on labor that I had not heard anywhere else before. I will definitely be re-reading this book in the months to come. Buy a copy for yourself and read the stellar reviews on Amazon.com HERE.

Registering for Baby

I know that I still have 141 days to go, but how can you resist picking out cute little baby necessities when you have a free afternoon. Buying for baby can be very overwhelming at the store, so I decided just to go at it online at Baby's R Us. You can check out My Page Here. By registering online I am also able to check comments and ratings from parents who have used the product themselves thus hopefully preventing any dud purchases. It also gives me a reference point when I am garage sale shopping or browsing on craigslist.

Being one of the first moms out of my group of girlfriends living in San Diego it can be tough to get tips and recommendations from first hand experience. But I've come across some pretty cool blogs like RookieMoms.com that have put together helpful articles on some of the must haves. They list some of the Must Haves, Nice to Haves, and Total Luxuries as well as some other useful topics.

Ricky and I are planning on traveling/moving to Costa Rica after the baby is born so that adds another little hurdle as far as collecting to much stuff. I want to be smart in my purchases but at the same time it is hard to resist that "nesting" urge that makes me want everything to be ready for when baby arrives. So if you have any tips/recommendations on great stuff to buy or pass on please bring on the advice!

Welcome to My Neighborhood

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I LOVE living in San Diego, but I especially love our little community Ocean Beach. It is just North of Downtown and has great Hwy access. Though it feels separate from the city because we are blocked in by Point Loma/Harbor Bay to the South and Mission Bay to the North. Ocean Beach is an eclectic mix of all types of people and has a definite "hippy" vibe. Lets have a look...


This a view looking West towards on our downtown main street Newport Ave. It's where the famous OB market is held every Wednesday afternoon. I always get kettle corn, flowers, and cookies!



Here we are at the end of Newport right next to the parking lot next to the pier, you can kind of see it to the left. This is where the bums and street kids love to hang out and come up with clever little signs to ask for money.



Now we are looking East towards Ocean Beach above the Ocean. Our house is located in the upper left corner of this shot if you could zoom in.



Hey Mr. Pelican! A view from the end of the fishing pier.



This is an aerial view of Sunset Cliffs where Ricky LOVES to surf and I love to layout on the private beach. It was gorgeous this weekend so we hit up private beach "garbage" and the main beach by the pier as well.



Here's the close up view of the beach called "No Surf" from the aerial shot above. We love to go here because it's usually just locals and you have to take a "goat trail" to get down to it. Judah even gets to go sometimes, and once in December he even pointed out an Octopus to us at low tide!

Succulent Planter

Succulents are my favorite type of plant and since we live in beautiful San Diego I am able to enjoy many different types growing in my own backyard. Succulents are water retaining plants that usually grow in dry arid climates. They store water in their leaves, stems, and roots and that gives them their fleshy swollen appearance. Most people will recognize the cactus as a succulent although it is just one of many different breeds.

I've found that succulents are very easy to grow since they require little to no reminder to water them often. So last year when I couldn't keep all my potted flowers alive the whole summer I switched them out with cuttings from my yard and they are still thriving today. I made this succulent dish using a few different types of cuttings from my backyard and It took all of 10 minutes or less. Here's how to make your own.

1. Select a shallow dish, I used the water collector part of a pot I wasn't using. Fill it 1/2 an inch from the top with potting soil.

2. Choose a few different types of succulents from either cuttings or potted plants from your local garden center. If you use cuttings like I did, all you need to do is shove them in the soil and your good to go. For potted plants, dig a little hole and cover them as needed.

3. Vary the placement of the plants putting low lying plants near the edges and taller ones near the center. Mixing textures and colors throughout.

4. Water after you get all the plants arranged to your liking, then only once a week or so thereafter.

5. All done, Now you can enjoy your beautiful succulent centerpiece!

Custom Creations

You can purchase our designs at our store DUST FACTORY or custom design your own on our Zazzle website by clicking on the following link...

"For the past 10 years we have been sifting through thousands of pounds of recycled clothing a day to pull out perfect gems that can be resold in the ‘vintage clothing industry’. This by no means makes us experts in the fashion industry, but it does make us experienced. We see what fashion has done, good or bad, and through the years have developed a style of our own inspired by these relics from the past. We don’t feel that our Original designs are even on the same playing field as authentic vintage clothing. However we feel, as many do, that there is a ridiculous amount of companies that are putting out new t-shirts each year with designs that are just crap. We know that by the time they hit the used market, if they don’t end up in a land field there is no other place for them to go put be turned into a rag. We knew it was time to help bring t-shirt design back to its roots where it is focused on an element of design, not a brand, or a shirt that makes the person wearing it look like they were sitting under a flock of seagulls after they just ate. We know that most of our customers are creative so we felt it was important to give you a platform to decide where and how you wanted our design to appear on your tee. We also wanted you to be able to choose what color and type of t-shirt blank our design would appear on. We would prefer that everyone use the organic and bamboo t-shirt blanks, but we understand that in today’s economy not every body can afford them. Regardless a small portion of proceeds for each item in Dust Factory Original Collection sold will be donated to the Surf Rider Foundation in supporting their cause to keep the ocean clean.

Rocking Out

After sitting in one at a baby shower in December, and talking with our friends with a new baby, the glider is where its at. It is a great place to sit to rock the baby for late night feedings when you want to be sleeping yourself, and it can be used up until the baby's arrival. Being the bargain hunter that I am I waited until I found the top brand at the best deal online. I scored this Dutailier Glider and Ottoman originally purchased for $600 (she had the receipt) for only $75 in Perfect Condition!!!

Scrabble Night

For the last few months a couple of my girlfriends and I have been getting together every other Thursday night for a game of scrabble. Each week a different person hosts at their house and makes something yummy to nosh on.

We've had baked ziti, a couple types of fresh bruschettas, Asian style egg rolls with sweet & sour soup, pear & Gorgonzola pizza (my night), and last night was an all raw menu, it was DELICIOUS! Abra made "tacos" using all types of nuts and beans to make the mock meat and cheese. Dessert was equally tasty as a nut based coconut pudding with fresh berries, I have to say I was quite impressed...and FULL: )

So far it had been some super fierce competition with some really good words, one game Katie scored 50+ points for one word! We've deducted that the person who plays first usually wins the game. Not true last night though, Brooke came in first but I WON THE TOURNAMENT!!! We have played about 5 games to date and because I have come in 1st and 2nd in two games I won a gift certificate for a pedicure in North Park, SCORE! I can't wait to go get pampered!