LIFE LATELY

October 5, 2013 Laura Mazurek

A few days after getting home from our vacation I got to keep little miss Laurel again. I'm officially a part time babysitter now... I'll be watching her every saturday, and eventually, two days a week! I'm excited to see how I can work in keeping her with my busy schedule, and so far its been pretty easy. I was able to still get alot done this time. I brought her swing into my studio and she happily and contentedly swung next to me while I worked. This stage may not last long, so I'm relishing it while its here! She is just a joy to be around though, always smiling and always talking. You just look at her and she smiles! Its the cutest thing. She really gives me baby fever. Her mama is so lucky to have her!

This week I started taking Feathering the Nest, the ecourse by Stephanie and Leah that I recently had a giveaway for. The first day we were to pull 8 things from our home that we loved, and 8 things that drive us crazy. It was super easy for me to pull 8 things I loved, but not so easy to pull 8 things that drive me crazy, b/c I don't really keep things that I don't love. But what I noticed right away that drives me crazy about my house sometimes is when I let it get cluttered. Most of the time Im pretty good at keeping a straight house, but sometimes things pile up and it totally affects my mood. When my house is clean and organized I feel so much calmer and lighter in spirit. Being a cancer, I'm such a homebody, and my space needs to be my sanctuary, a place I feel calm and inspired in, and I feel so out of whack when its not. Something about messes frazzles me, like an overstimulation or something. I'm such a visual person too, so if I can see it, I'm stimulated by it, in one way or another. Even though I feel like I'm pretty good at feathering my nest, so to speak, I'm excited to learn from Steph and Leah, b/c I always think you can learn more from others, no matter how good you think you are at something. It's a humbling experience to allow others to teach you something.

I've had an obsession recently with pesto, goat cheese, greens and tomatoes on EVERYTHING! I have been finding so many different combinations and I just can't get enough.

Little peeks at what I wore for a photoshoot collaboration with Soulmakes.

I went to my doctor to find out my blood results... Lets just say it was an emotionally challenging day. I already wrote a huge lengthy post here on this twice and it failed to save, so Im taking that as Im not suppose to go into it just yet... So Ill just leave it at that for now.

James and I started The Ultimate Yogi this week. So far its amazing! Ill keep you updated on our progress with it. Thank you Mae and Marissa for making this a reality for us! xo

OUR VACATION // PART TWO

September 30, 2013 Laura Mazurek

Eeee... So excited to share the second half of our vacation adventure! We finally got to go see my friend Katelyn's new(ish) house! Ever since she moved I've been impatiently waiting to visit her new pad, so it was a joy to finally be able to do so. And oh my is it cute! She had decorated so wonderfully! I felt at home with all of the nature elements and alters... a common thread we have in our home decor.

I have tons of pics! You can click on all of the smaller images below to see them larger.

First of all, I was so excited to get to spend some time with these two munchkins. They are the best! Penelope (the littlest) has grown so much since we saw her just a month or so ago. I love watching her personality change. And Leena is just growing up so fast! We got to watch her in her ballet practice. I love the last image of them making faces. So so cute!

The first night we got there Katelyn was throwing a Mabon party with all of her friends. So we got to meet all the wonderful people she calls friends in her hometown. Some I knew from online and most I didn't. I wish I had felt more social that night, but after traveling I was a bit on the quiet side and my introversion came out a bit... but it was still really nice to chill and watch everyone and their kids. We made apple prints and leaf prints. Drank mulled wine and had amazing vegetarian gumbo! Along with many other treats. At the end of the night I went outside with several of the little kids and sat on the concrete, and mentioned something about the mesquitos, and they all started circling around me chanting about the magic they were giving me to keep the mesquitos away. It was so cute!

Pieces of Katelyn's home... I love all the color in her house. My house is so neutral and earthy, which I love, but its always exciting to see color in other's spaces.

The second day we were there we went thrift shopping, went to the mall so we could go to Earthbound Trading, got starbucks, and went to a tiny little beach that had awesome seashells. Katelyn gave me her top from Earthbound Trading that I was in love with!!! And I found another really cute top there when we went. Then on the way out we had to stop in the photobooth!!! I think they came out so fun!!! I especially love the one where Katelyn is picking my nose, that's friendship!

On the way home we decided to be total goofy tourists and stop at the visitors center for Texas. We missed it last time on our way home. I'm so glad we stopped b/c these are just about the best Texas pride photos ever!

The trip went by so fast! And I came home with a soar throat (a true testament to the fact that I don't travel much, at all) . Luckily it's almost completely gone! And James is still on vacation this week. Yesterday we took a looooong drive in the hillcountry, scouting for the perfect location for a photoshoot. We saw some of the most beautiful countryside out towards Hunt, sadly there were miles and miles of fences and you couldn't get to any of the pretty spots!!! We were getting so frustrated, but it was still nice to take in all the beauty. We finally found a tiny creek with a little area we could shoot. In comparison to everything else we saw, it wasn't that great, but we were at the settle for anything point. We also got excited to see the place we found when we were on our honeymoon that we one day dream of staying at... only to find out its almost $500 a night with a two night minimum!!! whoa!!! (insert total sad face)

We are also going to spend some of his time off getting serious out at my parents house. We need to get their place ready and on the market to sell asap! We are digging ourselves in a hole with their land taxes and it is just time for me to move on and let go... (insert another big sad face)... but I know it is what needs to happen.

(whoa, totally didn't mean to end this on a sad note!)

OUR VACATION // PART ONE

September 27, 2013 Laura Mazurek

We are back from our mini road trip vacation, although vacation itself is not quite over! James is still off this week, so we have a few more things we would like to do while he is off. It's almost weird being home again already, and I don't quite know what to do with myself. I have so much I need to do with work, but I know if I let myself get back into it, I will just be immersed and my vacation will be over. But when I am at home, I can hardly keep myself from working, so well see how that goes! These pics are from the day we left, and of a few of the tunes we listened to on the way to Galveston.

Some of my family happened to be taking a little vacation at the same time as us, so we decided to join them in Galveston for a day to play on the beach. When we got there it was raining, but luckily it cleared off. We were back and forth on what we wanted to do for our vacation. I really wanted to go to a beach, but I also wanted to go visit our friend Katelyn in Louisianna, so we got to do both! Although I must admit, Galveston was not at all the beach vacation I had envisioned in my head! The last time I had been to Galveston I was about 14, so I didn't really remember much about it. But it was still nice to see the ocean, get sand in my toes and look for seashells. I could spend days on the beach just looking for seashells.

We went to dinner that night at a very interesting restaurant. From the outside it looks like a hole in the wall and then inside its like a weird time warp with a fancy presentation with folded napkins and red roses on the tables. The entrance had this mirror the length of the hallway that was dimly lit and quite eerie looking, I loved it. It was odd, friendly, comical and well, just interesting... But I was able to have a Stella Artois there.

We also drove around and saw the wood carvings in the trees that they did after the hurricane. They were amazing. And we walked around the strand a bit, looked in some shops, had lunch, and I ooooed and awwwed over all the textures of the buildings. I could of spent a day just taking photos in back alleys.

We snuck down to the beach just about every chance we could get. I picked up shells, made a little turtle in the sand, did some Roots and Feathers representing in the sand, ate the yummiest and biggest ice cream in my life, and simply just enjoying the wind, salt and sand.