Natural Wreath DIY

I am usually a freak when it comes to Christmas trees and I always have to have the perfect tree and it must be real. Miguel grew up with a fake tree so he doesn't care but one of my favorite things about Christmas is picking out the tree as a family and the way real trees smell! So we went to get our tree this week and when we got there I was too busy freezing my butt off and talking to the man selling the trees to pay attention to the actual tree (I also think that having a child has made me a lot less of a freak about things because I don’t have the time or the energy to care haha). So I picked the first one I saw and thought it looked great from the front. We don’t have a lot of room in our house for the tree so I picked a smaller one but didn't bother to look at all the sides of the tree. So, we got it home and put it up and it was the ugliest tree ever. Seriously it was completely empty on one side and the sides that did have branches were way too long and lopsided. Anyways it was a total disaster so we had to figure out a way to make it work. So I literally trimmed the tree and made it work, but because I had so many left over branches I decided not to let them go to waste.

I love natural wreaths so I wanted to make one but I didn't have the wire circle or foam or anything like that around the house so I just used a glue gun, the branches, a ribbon bow, and some leftover ornaments we didn't put on the tree.

So the first step is to get a table or something you may get glue on (I used a cardboard box so I could throw it away after) then I did an outline of the first layer of the wreath. 

Then I glued the two ends of each branch together.

Just keep adding layers until you feel the wreath is thick enough. Then trim any stragglers branches so that the wreath is how you want it to look and the circle is even.

Then grab some decorations to add to the wreath. I had some extra ornaments and ribbon we didn’t use on the tree so I made a bow with the ribbon and because the wreath won’t last longer than this year I didn’t want to glue the ornaments on so I can keep them for next year. So instead of glue I used the regular ornament hooks and used them to hook the ornaments on the wreath, I did that for the ribbon also.  

Now you just hang the wreath wherever you want to put it and you’re all done! Looks like our tree disaster ended up being okay in the long run. The best part about a natural wreath is that they smell amazing!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year for Thanksgiving my sister and I can’t make it back home to California so we are cooking for the first time ever. Since we are newbies we have been trying to make the necessary preparations to get ready. One of those preparations is calling my Mom every day to ask her another question so after telling my mom that I was making a pie for the first time she decided to help me out and Face Time with me while we each made a pie so she could talk me through it, I know I have the best mom ever! So as we made the pie I had a feeling it wouldn’t turn out that great but hey, looks aren’t everything! So here is my first failed attempt at a pie, let me tell you it was yummy but not pretty! But an A for effort, right? 

 I have so many things to be thankful for this year, but probably the most important of them all is my little family. We have been so blessed this year with Zeke being born and he has brought so much joy and love into our home. He is the sweetest, most active, funny little man and I am so thankful to be his mom. I am thankful for a husband who works so hard to provide for us and allows me to stay home with our son. He not only works outside of the home but he also always helps me with everything while he is at home as well. I could not have asked for a more wonderful husband, best friend, and partner in crime. I am thankful to have the BEST parents, grandparents, in-laws, and siblings ever. I am grateful to have a brother serving a mission in the Dominican Republic, and to have a sister and brother in law that live close to us and who we get to see often. I am thankful for good friends and family who will never know how much I love and appreciate them. My life is better because of the people that are in it. 

I have so much joy and happiness in my life amongst all the craziness and I wouldn’t want it any other way.  So I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and may your pies all be prettier than mine!

6 Tips to Surviving Morning Sickness

One of my closest friends just found out she is pregnant and she has been throwing up constantly and having the worst case of morning sickness. She recently asked me what I did for my morning sickness and I remember those first few weeks being so sick and miserable and I spent hours and hours researching things to help with morning sickness. I decided to write down all the things that helped me, so that hopefully I can help someone else. I first want to start by saying that every pregnancy is different. All the things that people told me happened to them are so different from what happened to me so you just have to remember that each person like each pregnancy is unique. Just keep in mind that things that worked for me may or may not work for you. But, I tried a ton of different things so if you are having morning sickness I hope that something will work for you like it did for me. So, for me I didn’t really throw up but I did feel nauseous ALL THE TIME for the first 12 weeks. Since I was working and in school I did not have time to lay in bed all day and do nothing to get through it so here are some things that worked for me:

Preggie Pop Drops- These are amazing and so helpful. I sucked on these at work a ton and they really saved me a lot when I would feel sick during the day.

Canada Dry Ginger Ale-I drank this especially on planes when I traveled and it helped make me feel better. 

doTERRA Peppermint Essential Oil and doTERRA Ginger - It sounds strange but I would heat a mug of water and add a few drops of ginger oil and a few drops of peppermint oil. Just holding that mug up to my face and smelling the steam would make me feel so much better. I still do this from time to time when I am feeling sick and it clears out my sinuses. 

Prenatals- originally I took these in the morning but I read somewhere that if you take them at night it helps. So I tried taking them at night and it made such a big difference! 

Saltines- I had Saltine crackers by me at all times. In my purse, in my desk at work, on my bedside table, etc. these helped so much! There was one point in my pregnancy that I didn’t want to eat anything so saltines were something small that I could make myself eat. I think the most important thing for me was to not let my stomach stay empty or I would feel worse. So find whatever works for you and make sure you are eating so you can give your baby the nutrients they need. 

Zofran- My doctor prescribed me this and I took it throughout my pregnancy when the nausea wouldn’t go away with anything else. Let me tell you this was a lifesaver!! Not only did it help me feel better but it actually helped me feel like a normal person again and that to me was so great.

Pregnancy can be tough so just try to remember that it is totally worth it.

Look at this cute face and think of how wonderful it will be when your little bundle of joy comes into this world. You will feel so much love and joy for this little person and it will make all the terrors of pregnancy worth it! Also I want to note that most morning sickness goes away after the first 12 weeks, but this is not always the case. I hope this helps!