DAY TRIP | OJAI | Shop Summer Camp

My sister and I desperately needed a little getaway and took a drive out to downtown Ojai this weekend. Victoria had been following this adorable shop, Shop Summer Camp for some time, so we took a visit. The small shop is located in an old fashioned gas station, displayed with the most adorable trinkets, housewares, vintage clothes, custom framing and gifts. As you can imagine it was super hard to leave with only a few items! My phone images don't do it justice, much better to see in person. If any of you find yourselves nearby, you should definitely check them out!

RELAXED WEEKEND

This past weekend I celebrated my birthday by shopping and did lots of relaxing at home. Sometimes I feel we over exaggerate and have very high expectations about how our special days should do. My sister and I had many options of what we could go and do, but when the day came I was just not in the mood to go and do them! So we have a couple of maker shops that we want to try and visit this weekend and I think it will be a fun little getaway. Cheers to 28 years of life, ha!

Also, are you guys following me on Pinterest? If not you should. I got way too over inspired today and pinned away.

DAY TRIP | THE FARMSTEAD | BUTTONWOOD FARM

My madre, sister, niece and I took a short day trip up north. We always stop through the farms to check out the local produce and today we were able to check out the farmstead shop. It was SO cute inside, the owners were the sweetest and the strawberries were so so sweet and delicious. My sister was able to stock up on that sweet wildflower liquid gold and we were also able to feed the animals, which was my favorite. :)

We also stopped through Buttonwood Farm and my sister is going to try canning some peaches for the first time tomorrow! Very excited to see how it turns out... might just have to share with everyone later. ;) 

It was a fun stop through, even though we practically melted in that 105 degree weather. And it's nice to get away from the traffic and overly crowded area that we live in. We just need to move and encourage my sister to follow her dream of homesteading. Anyway, everyone have a good weekend and stay cool.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON | PERSONAL

Life lately. Well... I started a part-time summer internship which has been really great. It literally fell into my lap and I started the week it was offered to me. I'm learning more about different styles of photography, product photography, lots of photoshop (which I barely know anything), social media, and surprisingly fashion. And the people are really sweet which is even better. Very fortunate to have people who look out for me and suggest that I try new things... even if I don't feel like they would be for me. Trying to motivate myself to keep on learning and not staying stuck. It's hard.

Anyway,  just a little update from me. This was my afternoon in photos. Nova is growing everyday in length and vocabulary. And one of her favorite things to do is watch the sky change colors every night. It's cute. 

NOVA TURNS THREE | PERSONAL

I apologize for not owning up to my word on my previous blog posts about blogging weekly. Let's just say I've been overly tired. Within the last two weeks I started an internship with an awesome company, celebrated Nova's birthday, my aunt's birthday, my dad's birthday and father's day all in one. I also have been busy working on projects and photo sessions and helping family out like normal. And everything usually happens all at once... am I right? Right.

So here's just a little peek into Nova's third birthday! We normally just get together with family and celebrate at my grandparents. It's a tradition. My mom gets us cake, we get food and celebrate. One cool thing about living with this one is it's exciting to see what makes her happy, like her favorite food, toys, shows, etc. She requested Disney clip dolls for her birthday and cake. If any of you are familiar with the Disney Collector on YouTube, you understand our dilemma! Clip dolls galore. And PlayDoh. She also loves Lilo & Stitch, which was the story behind our little Hawaiian theme. It was fun watching her reactions, and I still can't believe we have all kept her alive for three years. ;) HA! 

SMOOTHIE MAKING WITH NOVA | PERSONAL

^ And now introducing Nova's first school portrait. ;) 

Sharing some photos from our smoothie making time on Tuesday morning. We normally buy extra fruit and freeze it to use for smoothies. And then occasionally throw in fruit that's about to go bad with water, yogurt and honey. And if your kids won't eat their veggies, or if you don't eat your veggies, I'd recommend throwing in some greens with a berry smoothie. 

On a side note, this little turns 3 on Saturday!! It's been a long and 'sometimes' stressful haul as we raise her. Some days are harder than others, but we love her and her little personality more than anything. While living at home and helping out my family in hard times, she teaches me daily whats important. Love, sacrifice, discipline, letting go and having fun in the smallest ways. God gives us the ability to see even when we loose sight.

NOVA IN THE KITCHEN

Hello there! I'm really trying to blog more than just once or twice a month. I would love to make this more of a personal space as well as sharing images from photo sessions. It's been hard to keep up with ha! But I am going to try and share bits and pieces of my life weekly with those who follow. Both visually and on a real level. :)

Today my mom had the bright idea of making homemade m&m cookies. You can always count on my niece to help bake or prep for our dinners. She loves to put all of the ingredients together. She will be three in a couple weeks. THREE! Time is flying. And I am learning more and more about what life is like living with and raising a toddler haha! Anyway, here's just a few images I got from the day. Everyone have a peachy start of the week!

SUNSETS WITH THE FAMILY | PERSONAL

It would be comical to share the day to day occurrences that unfold in our household. The moments when we're all ready to punch each other because things are literally, too hectic. To moments like these where everything seems ok, but only for moments! ;) Those rare moments are special. 

We love this little guppy! To all of you mommy's and single dad's out there, happy mother's day! You're so appreciated! Love you mama!