Lately

Just a few pics of what we've been up to lately!! A few weeks ago, we attempted to go to this "eco fair" that apparently didn't exist so on our way out, we made a last minute decision to go to this international flea market instead! It wasn't quite what I expected/hoped it to be but whatev, it was an experience right?! I don't know if you guys keep up with Nasa news but recently the shuttle made a pit stop at this air base about 5 minutes from our house before heading to California (?). I, unfortunately, had to work but Brandon and my brother took Eliza to go see it and took lots of pictures for me (:  Apparently she wasn't in the best mood, look at that face!  Gah, she's so cute. Last weekend we made a trip to Austin for a friend's Birthday. It was fun and relaxing. All the friend's we usually visit when we go there moved over the summer so it was really weird to go there and not have them around. But it was fun, nonetheless. It was just nice to have a weekend without Eliza and work. Pretty stress-free (: I only got a few pictures at the surprise party:  SUPRISE!! It was an Adventure Time theme... 
Gettin' serious ;)  And gettin' silly!  I've had a good last couple of weeks. We're settling into a nice schedule and things are going well. I've also been trying to network a bit for the biz and it's really paying off! I'll elaborate more on that later but I've got some fun stuff planned (: 
Hope you guys are having a good weekend! It's a rainy one in Houston but I don't mind. More of a reason to stay in and get some work done!! Anyways, enjoy the rest of your weekend. 

DIY projects

I wanted to share a few projects I've done this past year that I haven't posted on the blog yet! Our apartment is pretty tiny so our furniture is really important. In the beginning, we were able to borrow everything we needed but as we settled in, I wanted furniture that would be super functional and would fit our needs. We'll start off with the easiest of the bunch, our coffee table!  This one was super easy to make. We used this tabletop from Ikea (only $5!!), got some tapered legs and leg plates to screw them into the table (mine are angled). The last coffee table we had was beautiful, don't get me wrong, but it was so large and dark and the little ledge on the sides made it hard to clean up messes. This one is white and SO much easier to clean. I wanted it to be bright and simple but a little retro, hence the tapered, angled legs.  It's perfect and when it comes time to move, it'll be a snap to disassemble and store. (excuse the paint stains on the edge there ;) )
This is just a little something I made for our window sill to put plants on. Our old hydroponic system sat there but it was kind of wonky and oversized so I have plans for a new one that will fit perfectly on this little top. I made this from a scrap piece of 1x12 and then cut two pieces of 1x1 to hold up the other side (the farthest side is resting on the window sill). And, as I found out, it's a perfect spot to store all of our boots too!!  Remember my old book shelf? Well in my crazy simplifying scheme, I decided it had to go. It just wasn't useful enough and we needed more storage space. That's actually what I used for the thing above ^^ and the little crates have been dispersed through work and home areas. I got rid of Eliza's bookshelf too and made us all one giant one to house our books, movies, records, trinkets, etc. I got the idea/plans to make my own expedit looking shelf here. It didn't come out perfect but I'm pretty sure it cost me under $30. So was it worth it? For sure. (and it doesn't have those nasty chemicals that particle board furniture has, goodbye formaldehyde!!) Now, here's the big one. Our bench!! I've been stalling on posting this one because I was dreading having to explain how I made it. I lost the plans I had and didn't take too many pictures of "in the making". But basically this is just a square box with a plywood lid that is covered with fabric and stuffed with padding/cotton. It does have a bottom and the lid was at one time on a hinge with arms that supported it when it opened. However, due to a malfunction (on my part) it is no longer on a hinge... or arms. So now, I have to take the whole top off to get to the inside. But that's ok.  Here is a picture in the process of attaching the fabric You can see here that I used some padding and then a bunch of cotton around and on top of it.  This is what it looked like almost a full year ago! Look how clean and pretty!!  We wanted something that was comfy and easier for Eliza to sit in. Now we can corner her in when it's time to eat and we're all comfy. The only thing I wish I would have done is make the fabric removable. It's gotten kind of dirty (see picture below) and I might have to make a little slipcover for it. I also added a nice comfy pillow for behind it as you can see below. So far, it's holding up pretty well! We can store lots of things inside which is part of our purpose for making it. And we've gotten rid of our desk so this how now become our study/work area. I'm so glad I decided to stuff the heck out of it, my butt is so thankful! 
Everything has been made/built with simplicity and functionality in mind. I was getting really frustrated with all the useless things we had so I just got rid of them! And now we have so much more space and less clutter and it's great. (so much easier to clean!!)
Man, looking back at the Home Tour, our place sure has changed. I've done a lot of getting rid of things and re-arranging. Maybe I'm due for an updated home tour? Yes?

In other news, I can't believe it's Thursday already! I've got a packed weekend that I'm excited for. In the mean time, I've got some Glee to watch!! Any other Gleeks out there?! 

Sam Wish Giveaway

  That's right folks! Today you can have a chance to win one of my headbands and perhaps even a custom one! Here are the rules: 

• Open to all contestants- worldwide 
• Will end next Wednesday, October 3rd. 
• I will randomly draw a winner from a random number generator. 
• On every comment, please leave your email address in case you win! 
• You must follow this blog to be apart of the giveaway

Here's how you can enter: 

• First, you must be a follower of My Latest Obsession! Next, visit my store Sam Wish and tell me what Sam Wish item you would wear this fall! Or perhaps, something you'd like to see in my store? This will help me when gathering/making more products this fall! Leave it in a comment with your email address! 
• After you've done that, you can follow me via these other social websites. Simply follow me and then leave a separate comment (for each one) saying that you are following me and add your email address: Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram (username is samwish3), Facebook, Tumblr
• Also, one more thing! If you want to tweet/facebook about my giveaway, you can add another entry! 

That's that! I will pick a winner randomly one week from today. I'm excited to see what you guys have to say! Good luck to all! 

Asian Style Quinoa

Quinoa has quickly become a favorite around here. I thought I would share this awesome recipe I whipped up. It's got green onions, corn, and an asian style sweet sauce to go on it. Mmmm mmm. The sweet sauce was from this recipe but I changed it a bit.

Sauce: 

1-2 tbsp  green onions

1.5 tbsp sesame oil 

1/2 tbsp soy sauc 

1 tbsp rice vinegar 

1 tbsp honey
1-2 tbsp cilantro

a dash of salt and pepper

1. Combine ingredients in small bowl and let sit about 10 minutes to enhance flavor. I usually

Quinoa:
1-2 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup quinoa (I added a little bulgar to ours too)
1/2 cup water
1- 1 1/2 cup corn
3 tbs green onion
Anything else you'd like to add- this is kind of like fried rice, I usually use whatever I have on hand. I think I also added some onion and garlic to this one. Also, some serrano peppers on mine only.

1. Make your quinoa according to the directions.
2. In a large sauce pan, add in your canola oil.
3. Toss in whatever veggies you want- corn, green onion, onion, garlic, etc.
4. Saute until onions are soft.
5. Then, when your quin0a is done (I usually cook mine for about 12 minutes), throw that in too.
6. Let cook for a few more minutes and add in the sweet sauce!
7. Mix it it up really well and give it a few minutes to cook in.
8. Remove from heat and serve!!

I LOVE quinoa. It's so healthy and really simple to cook. I usually cook it like fried rice (saute veggies first, then throw the quinoa in to cook for a few minutes, and last add in whatever sauces/seasonings you like). I also like to mix it with some bulgar (like rice), it's pretty yum. You can add so many different things in it too, it's a great way to clear out the fridge.  Here are some other ways to cook it:  Quinoa with kale and roasted tomatoes  Shrimp topped quinoa Red quinoa with avocado, beans, and corn Pesto quinoa with tomatoes and corn (a favorite) This is like the pesto recipe above except it has cashews instead of tomatoes!! Do you guys like quinoa? What do you put in yours? 

Girlish Garb: Fall Beginnings

This is me pretending getting excited about fall. Although it's still too warm for any kind of cardigan, I can get away with a maxi skirt and scarf!! Right?!! Outfit Details:  Top- Thrifted  Belt-Thrifted  Skirt-Thrifted  Shoes-Thrifted  Wow, an all-thrifted outfit!  It was a good hair day so I took a few extra pics (:  By the time you read this, this mamma will be on a much needed vacation! I'll tell you all about it when I return. Until then, hope you guys have a fabulous weekend. September's almost overrrrr. 

Belly Dancing

I have a firm belief in hobbies. I mean, this blog is based off my belief in hobbies. My last huge hobby has now become my career so I have been kind of in need of a new one! One that doesn't involve things or spending money. And I decided, while I'm at it, it might as well be one that's physically active! Ok, that might not be how it came about but somehow I stumbled upon belly dancing and apparently have a new found excitement for getting fit!! We are going to the Renaissance Festival in about one month's time and I am determined to be a belly dancing pro, extremely fit, and have an awesome, amazing costume. So that's that. And I've really been enjoying myself. Here are some inspiring videos of exceptional belly dancers.  Rachel Brice and Illan Shakira (had to put her in here, this video is awesome) Joline Andrade Alia Mohamed  Vorobiova Gala
I've been interested in belly dancing since I was little. But it wasn't until after I had Eliza that I really got into it. Belly dancing is what I did to lose weight after Eliza. It's quite a work out and something I really enjoy. It's dancing and it's fun! It also helps with self-confidence, it makes you feel really good about your body and it's so sensual and well.... sexxxxxay! Which for a mother, or me at least, is an awesome bonus for a new hobby. Plus, helllooooo, the costumes are totally awesome.
Youtube has been a great source to find beginner lessons on belly dancing. If you're interested, this whole series is great for learning all the basic moves. These are a few of the lessons, they go by moves:  The twist, instructions begin at 2:50 Hip bumps  Shimmy  Figure eight Vertical figure eight (or as I like to call it, the Snake)  Chest shimmy/wave Rib/hip circles Hip snaps Do you guys have any fun ways to get fit? Have you tried out belly dancing?Tell me about it! 

Good Foods We've Been Eating

  Hatch Chile Pizza- DELICIOUS   Lettuce Wraps- SO GOOD, we've had these twice in the last two weeks. It's a great way to use lettuce if you're not really a fan of salads. Soba Noodles with Sweet Ginger Sauce- I really liked the potential in this. I have changed a few things about the sauce (I'll do a post on it) but overall, pretty good.  Honey Jalapeno Roasted Squash   Parmesan Crusted Pesto Grilled Cheese   Chickpea Patties-these are great for lunch and to make extra for freezing! I made some with celery, green onions, and jalapenos today. Yummo!   Avocado White Bean Wraps Mini Blueberry Pies