I truly believe each and everyone of us is destined to have an exceptional life. I also believe providing for yourself, emotionally, financially and physically is the key differentiator. A large contributor to me struggling to get out of bed last summer was financial. It got so bad that I had to go to the Salvation Army because I couldn’t afford groceries for my brother and I. I was living in scarcity which naturally hindered my drive, creativity and ability to show-up in my own life.

Here are 5 ways to start saving money today!! It takes a series of small change to see a lifetime worth of results and to shift your perspective. One daily action (or maybe we only pull it off 3 times a week, maybe only once a week to start...) reminds us we are in control of the money we spend and can curate our budgets however we deem appropriate. You got this curators!

Self-care isn’t something that comes naturally to me. If given choices of what’s best for me or others’ I love, I choose them… not trying to sound like a martyr, it’s because I often fail to set boundaries.

The reason I’m writing about this is because when I make these seemingly ‘selfless choices,’ they bubble up and attach themselves to unresolved pain like maggots on dead flesh; possibly also know as PTSD. I carry them around deep inside of me in a pressure cooker until all that stress causes me to lose my mind, exploding into a depressive human no one wants to be around. Mental health is a thing!

When I first moved into my new apartment I had this wild idea about cooking and baking with items that are in season. There's this lovely breakfast place, Eats, in San Francisco that changes their menu every season and exclusively cooks with in-season ingredients. That idea is amazing to me. 

I took it upon myself to conduct an experiment. Instead of using lemons in this recipe. I used limes. 

Traveling left very little time to cook or add recipes to my homemaking series. However, I was able to squeeze in one quick cooking/photographing shesh when I was in LA a couple weeks ago. 

When I lived in Pittsburgh, the differences in food was a major culture shock. Being from California, I grew up blissfully unaware of how easy it is for West Coasters to have access to fresh fruits and veggies year round. The food culture of California is eccentric compared to, say, the 'meat and potatoes standard' of the mid-west. 

I stood at the doorstep of Ryan Lammie and Maddison Fyffe’s house, with a coffee tray in one hand and pastries from our favorite Lawrenceville bakery, La Gourmandine, in the other.  

Our previous dinner party was sooo well organized compared to this last one. The menu was chosen days ahead of time. Groceries were in the fridge and the food was prepped the night before. That is the key; plan everything at least two week in advance with shopping dates and food prep schedules.