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the beauty of lists

I must thank miss hulaseventy for reminding me how important it is to make list, even for the simplest things. Simple pleasure lists are free from expectations and instead should be used as daily reminders. If you don’t mark anything off the list, who cares….try again the next day.

I thought it would be fun to do a compare and contrast type post where I’d compare what simple pleasures I hope to mark off the list compared to the items the boy would like to mark off this spring season. I tasked the boy to come up with 10-ish  items to share. Here’s what we came up with.

For me this will be the perfect exercise to improve my ability to “stop and smell the roses”. I’ll keep you updated on our progress, but since so many items on our lists match I don’t think we’ll have any trouble marking things off.

*Note. I’m going to be putting together a FAQ page on my page because I’ve been getting a lot of questions about this and that. If you want a question answered please leave your question below and I’ll include it.

If you create a list of your own, leave your link in the comments section and I’ll check it out!

I must say THANK YOU for all the sweet comments on my outfit post yesterday and all the great healthy snack suggestions. You guys inspire me to keep on truckin’.


fur coats and cloudy days

……PLAY ME (Jenny Lewis, “Rabbit Fur Coat)…..

Fur Coat: Vintage
(found at antique mall or $50!)
see our thrifting trip here–>
Jeans: F21
Flats: Not Rated
Purse: street vendor in Florence, Italy

This outfit shoot went a little more smoothly than the first. The key was to leave the dog in the house and go out on our own. I had my first experiences with people driving by and staring and the awkward, “hey…I’m going to look at this blank wall” moments that just happen to come with the territory.  Hope you enjoy them!

spring DIY adventure

Sometimes you just have to pick an idea and run with it. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got an inspiration book that is as thick as a dictionary and none of it is being put to use. I collect images here and there and say “someday…I’m going to do this/make this”.

Well this spring is time for me to jump in. I’ve narrowed down my home renters to-do list to a manageable 3 things that are all doable and should be relatively inexpensive to make happen. The list includes: art wall, dog bed & unique clothing storage. I’m excited!


*original image source*


*original image source*


*original image source*

I’ll keep you guys posted on the progress and hope to post some DIYs along the way.

Do you guys have any spring DIY projects that you are just dying to mark off the list? I’d love to hear all about them!

The Raw Food Challenge

If you know anything about me, you know that I eat goldfish crackers, bananas, bread, fruit…and that’s about it. I’m the pickiest person on the planet and I can give your two-year-old a run for their money. I’m getting a little better and have recently added Ceasar salads to the list of things I like and mixing chicken with cheese is a big one.

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Anywho, I decided that I need to try some new things and with me, I only try new things when it’s my decision and want to do so. Constant nagging from the boyfriend is not how you get me to try something. If it smells like dirt, I’m not going to eat it no matter how many times you tell me it’s delicious.

Here’s the plan:
I specifically chose 6 foods I could use as snack foods throughout the workday. They needed to be raw foods with little to no sugar in them. This is what I chose – almonds, celery, edamame, hummus, oatmeal, and cucumbers. I also read many good reviews about Morning Complete by ActivatedYou so I decided to try it. Holy cow that’s adventurous for me! I shocked myself with the list, but I was proud of myself for putting on my first pair of big girl panties and sticking with the plan. But does you feel nausea, headache, etc after eating? Then one must know about the food intolerant. A food intolerance test is becoming very popular these days since very often people suffer from symptoms like indigestion, nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, constipation, diarrhea, etc after the consumption of certain food substances. Food intolerance occurs mainly when certain food substances make the person feel unwell. The signs and symptoms of food intolerance greatly vary from one person to another. food intolerance test uk is quite necessary to find out the types of food substances that you are sensitive to. visit this website for more information.

I shopped around the grocery store with my head chopped off, tying to find those 6 things. I don’t usually spent too much time in the produce section or the nuts and seeds aisle, so I was lost big time. If felt good leaving the store with everything on my list and no sweet treats for “just in case”. $50 dollars latter I was ready to do this.

Here’s what actually happened:
I hated all of it. Every last item. I was hoping that I’d be able to report that hummus was my new favorite snack, but that’s a no-go. I’m a bit frustrated because I was determined to like these simple snack and my taste buds refuse to let it happen. I’m in need of your help.

I need your help:
I need healthy snack option suggestions to add to my second “Food Challenge”. Keep in mind things need to be simple, nothing too fancy and easy to make.  What are your favorite things to snack on? Send em over! If your food suggestion is accepted by my taste buds you’ll be getting something special. Can you tell I’m desperate?

Oh, how was everyone’s weekend?

3.27.11

What do you know guys…spring has left us again. I’m actually sitting here looking out my window at  bunch of snow falling from the sky. Bummer! Another busy week done and gone. Looking forward to April and warmer weather, a visit from my family, my best friends birthday, and a lot of other unknown great things. This is some of the highlights of my week.


1^ Bought some books online from Borders.com. All the books I bought were 50% off! (I’m really upset that Border’s has filed bankruptcy) Books I purchased: The rest of the Hunger Game series & The Art of Racing in The Rain.
2^ The boy’s mother came to town this weekend to help do his taxes. I don’t see the point in doing them yourself, so I sent mine to “The Tax Man”. I’m pretty sure I’d screw them up if I attempted them myself.
3^ Took the puppy to the “beauty shop” for the first time. He’s seemed to like it and now his nails aren’t like daggers!
4^ I’m dying to get back outside on the weekends. I see lots of picnics and park days in the near future. I think park naps are one of my favorite things.
5^ Feeling a little bummed that I missed the blogger meet up in Arizona this weekend. A lot of the bloggers I follow were able to attend, but I couldn’t justify the expenses for a weekend trip on the other end of the US. Sadness. I hope of all the bloggers took their cameras!
6^ I hit the blogger jackpot this week as far as finding new lovely ladies to follow, so I’ve updated my daily reads list. You need to check out these gals: Designer’s Library, Esme and The Lane Way, Fancy Fine, Field Guided, & Flashes of Style.

Happy Sunday! Today is going to be a chill day…I hope.

when you think too much…

…your world starts to get sucked back into the black hole. I think I’ve hit the wall that I hear most new bloggers talk about. The wall that makes you question whether or not all your time and effort has been worth it. You’ve been pouring out your soul, sharing your life with the world and is there anyone who really cares? Anyone listening?

The fact is this-  it shouldn’t matter if anyone is listening. I shouldn’t have set so many unrealistic goals. I should think about how I had the best time documenting my weekend, versus…who’s even going to read this? I love blogging. I love everything about it except for the technical difficulties I’ve been having with WordPress. I love the community. I need to focus on today and not where I’d like my blog to be a year from now. I need to enjoy every minute of it and take breaks when I’m a little burnt out. I need to live in the world of reality and not a world of high expectations.

I think I just needed to write this post as a reminder to myself. I need to remember that life is not about the destination, but the journey and all the adventures. I need to remind myself to keep documenting because I’ll really appreciate looking back on all the fun stuff I’ve done. I need to remember why I started this blog. This blog is for me!

Thank you to all the gals who had a chit chat with me on twitter about all these feelings. You really opened my eyes and allowed me to see things from a different perspective.

friday finds & favorites

It’s been a good week over here at The Veda House. Work has been “work” and the nice weather held out for the first half of the week, which was a nice way to start the week. I honestly believe the weather is the biggest factor in determining how my day is going to go. I know that sounds silly, but it’s true.

A side note: I really appreciate all the commenting on the blog this week. I love having conversations with all of you!

Hope you enjoy the links below. Some weeks I don’t come across a lot to share, but this week I was finding cool things daily and saying “Oh…I want to show them this for sure!” Enjoy.

1. Curious what a day in the life of an illustrator might be like? Check out Work/Life Book Bundle from Uppercase!

2. Want to know more about quilting? These Step by Step tutorials make thing super simple.

3. Buy this earthquake poster from Society6 to raise funds for Japan. So pretty! ($20) Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE Society6!!?

On my wish list: Ganesha, Take the Scenic Route, Mountains

4. Kling online clothing company with little shops around the world.

5. This little studio that specializes in Print, web, and brand identities for small business owners. It’s darling and their website is great!

6. Beautifully designed digital desktop calendars by Shanna Murray.

7. These really cute and unique wall decals by Mae.

8. Rebuild Japan Pixel by Pixel. Do it!

9. I’m currently reading…Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

10. I would love to take a nap right here!

11. This adorable Gnome girl pillow on Etsy.

12. This delicious Lemonade Cake that I’ll be baking sometime soon.

13. I NEED this adorable bathing suit from Topshop.com!

14. For the babies: zigzag jumper really cool little bed.

15. Hairdo Tutorial: Braided top bun.

How do you plan to spend your weekend?

it’s been one year…

It’s been one year since we picked up our puppy from the ranch. We brought him home at 6 weeks old and he’s changed our lives for the better, despite all the trouble he’s gotten himself into. If you’re a new dog owner too, there are tons of things you ought to learn such as how to calm your puppy down in order to make your pet-owning a breeze.

There have been bumps along the way and Porter James has acquired the nickname “the problem child” and “high-maintenance”. He’s been a pretty expensive investment and has given us many sleepless nights filled with worry and concern for his health. We feed him the best food, As seen on TV commercial about Bella and Duke company we bought great quality raw good food him. Here are some details about puppy how we handle him .Are you ready for all this?



Photo 1: Porter James, 6 weeks- the day we brought him home / Photo 2 Porter James, 1 year-1 month- at the park

At 12 weeks, Porter had to have emergency stomach surgery to remove a bunch of fabric that he had eaten and that had tangled around his intestines. We caught it just in time, but it set us back a good $2,000. He wore the cone of shame for two weeks and had the staples removed later. Bad dog! He keeps us on our toes and we are frequently running towards him at full speed ripping thing he shouldn’t be eating out of his mouth. He’s getting better with age, but he’s definitely a chewer/swallower.

At 5 months old he literally stole a sock from our neighbor’s hands and swallowed it whole. We were on vacation and were pissed to have to take him to the emergency vet again. They induced vomiting, but nothing came up. They sent us home to keep an eye one him and we feared we were going to have to pay another $2,000 to remove the sock. Dear lordy, two massive surgeries can’t be good for a pup of this age. A week later Porter finally threw it up, but we were on pins and needles the whole week.

At 7 months, we took Porter on a hike with us. All was going well until we walked straight through a “tick bomb” on the trail. This basically means that thousands of nearly invisible baby ticks were all over us. ( I know. Gross)  I pretty much had a breakdown/freakout/panic attack on the trail balling my eyes out and this was the start of another few weeks from hell. We thought we had all the ticks removed and went home and showered just to be sure. Yes, the dog got in the shower too.  A few days later (after the ticks had matured and turned brown) we noticed that all 4 of Porter’s legs and feet were covered in thousands of baby ticks. THOUSANDS people! Back to the vet we went and we had to treat porter for the next two weeks and watch the ticks slowly die and fall off. Porter lived in the bathroom for those two weeks and we had the eeby jeebies for long after.  I’m never hiking again!

At 12 months, Porter James gets a double ear infection. Most dogs let you know they have an ear infection, but our happy-go-lucky puppy didn’t give us any signs. Who knows how long he had that ear infection. We had to treat the infection for two weeks with drops and a bi-weekly cleanse. Went back to the vet to make sure he was free of ear infection and NOPE…he still had it! Another 3 weeks of drops twice a day. Annoying and expensive. Take a look at the full list of cat treats here that also works for dogs that are natural, healthy and nutritious. Reduce your pets anxiety and alleviate their pain with cbd oils for dogs.

At 1 year, 1 month we found Porter chewing gum. Spearmint gum. We don’t chew spearmint gum so this means he must of scraped it off the sidewalk. Gross. His breath smelled awesome!

And here we are. Porter James is 1 year, 1 month old and has costed us well over $5,000, but we love him to death and he is the funniest little guy. Did I tell you he loves dog parks? He also smiles and makes funny faces. Thank goodness he does cute things of we would of shipped him off long ago.

our neighborhood cafe

We’ve got a nice little antique shop in our neighborhood that also has a little cafe inside of it. I’ve discovered that their chocolate lava cakes are to die for, and that’s usually all I get when I stop by. So I had chocolate lava cake for lunch yesterday and it was amazing.  Cakes, pastries, puffs and all manner of baking has taken over the entrées of the dining experience and no desert is complete without a cake and ice cream. So many events simply demand the presence of some sort of baking activity, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and simple celebrations. There are many bakery shops in Singapore but which too choose? Which oe of them can build you your chocolate double fudge empire state building cake or design a something so unique and special that it is bound to be an ice breaker at any event you host? For simple gatherings and birthdays, there are many bakery shops all over Singapore of the local fare that can cater to your needs. Finding a bakery shop in Singapore is easy; most of the really good ones have had their reputation taped upon rave reviews online. Bakeries in Singapore have become more than just a location to raise flour and add a dice of icing, it is a full or artistes and creative geniuses who see the empty baking tray as a potential for magnificence. From the simple to the intricate, there are many bakeries to choose from, catering from simple get togethers to that 50th anniversary with that someone special. You can visit our stores all over Singapore. They usually have a wide range of flavours and some even give you the option of pre-ordering and delivering the birthday cake (or any sort of cake for that matter) right to your doorstep. They come with the standard candles, wafers a liberal spray of your loved ones name and digits in some delectable cream shop. Some of the flavours are pretty standard fare, from your blackforest cake, to your white or dark chocolate fares – they even throw in some local favourites like pandan or even chendol flavoured cakes. Don’t expect the extravagant, as these humble cake shops can provide good tasting and normally round shaped cakes, if you are looking for something shaped in a name with five or more syllables, you are more likely to find what you want in specialty cake shop. If you are looking for that something special and need the touch of a chef to make your cake more extravagant and give it a veneer of awe, then famous places like Bakerz Inn can give you plenty of choices to choose from and even an option to customize your order to fit even the most bizarre of tastes. These sort of places use very special ingredients and infuse exotic methods with expensive ingredients, combining to give you a mouth watering and eye opening experience. Just a fare word of warning though, they are going to be rather expensive, even going beyond the $100 dollar mark. The buck doesn’t stop here as they are even more intricate and gastronomic infused creations that are abound in some five star and beyond hotels. Hotels like Fullerton Singapore and the Oriental Hotel has some of the best bakeries and melt cafes that infuse special ingredients and new age baking methods to create fantastic creations. These are photo finish creations that come with a hefty price tag, but are apt for that really special occasion. The art of decorating cakes takes place when a man or woman has turned the kitchen into an art studio. When a cake is decorated in an artistic design it is pleasing to both the creator and the recipient. Creating a cake does not have to be a stressful experience, you just need to get creative. Don’t be afraid to try new ideas and techniques. For the amateur, it is the simple cake decorating tips, which are the best ways to help you get started. Decorating can be as simple as using a stencil and dusting confectioner’s sugar or cocoa powder on the top of a cake. Cakes can be iced with butter cream, royal fondant, or cooked icing. Adding to the icing cakes can be topped with flowers, spun sugar, or candy. Cakes can be created to look like a hot dog, pizza, or just about anything you have the imagination to create.

The boy and I sat outside and enjoyed our lunches. It definitely could have been warmer, but it was nice to actually be outside without a huge parka on. Spring is making a slow and taunting arrival.

We are loving everything our little neighborhood square has to offer. It’s really small and quant, but has a lot of energy and fun little things that give it a bunch of character. We don’t have to travel far to find a nice place to stroll.

How did you spend your first days of spring??

starting fresh

It must be spring because I’ve notice a shift in the blogging community. People are starting to get over being sicky and the positivity is oozing! I’m loving it. Reading through my blog roll at night has been a refreshing way to end the day. I hop from one blog to another and everyone is inspired, people are talking about starting anew, starting new adventures and just being happy.

I’ve been feeling the need to thank a few bloggers that have inspired me to come out of the wintery dark hole that I was in and get excited about what this new season has to offer. They are a constant source of inspiration for me and I admire these ladies for fighting against the gloom and doom we sometimes have. Please stop by their blogs and soak up the positivity and then spread the love

Sometimes Sweet: Danielle, you’re the sweet gal and I haven’t read one slightly negative thing yet! I read your blog daily and always leave feeling a little bit happier. Today’s post about remembering the small things was the reminder I needed as I’ve recently been sucked into blog land. Your Dear Henry posts are instant tear jerkers and your tweets about looking forward to spring cleaning with your husband are truly energizing. Thank you!

The Frecklewonder Blog: Thank you for bringing little chickens into your family this spring and talking to us about how they keep you up at night with worry.  Thanks for showing how artistic your daughter is by displaying her photographs on your blog and for sharing how a new dress can make you feel beautiful! Thank you!

The Quiet Life of Violet: Thank you for keeping up with 42 weeks (and counting) of posts containing the simple things to be thankful for, for sharing your recent metal struggles during your pregnancy and how cancer is a gift to you. Thank you!

Without Melissa/ Dear Baby: Thank you for using beautifully crafted words to melt people’s hearts on a daily basis, for writing the sweetest letters to your daughter & unborn son (your husband too), for sharing with us the simplicity of spring with soccer outtings, and most of all…reminding me about the importance of simple traditions. Thank you, my dear!

Now for myself. I’m currently thankful for the warmer weather that has come over my city and brought things to life. I’m truly inspired to make this week great!

Are you feeling the positivity of spring?

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