A Weekend Away: The Oregon Coast

Last week Tyson and I, along with my sister and her fiance, all stayed at the cutest little house in Arch Cape. The weather forecast was rainy and stormy, so we packed the car up with board games, blankets and some good books. If you haven’t been to the Oregon coast in stormy weather, I highly suggest it!

We bundled up in the house, listened to music, played games, made some fancy cheese plates, and lit one of my sisters candles. Her “earthly dwellings” candle was a perfect fit to our night. And naturally, when you are in such a cute house, you take photos of everything. Like candles and dogs and such…

The next morning we woke up to a big break in the clouds and some sunshine and spent the morning drinking mimosa’s and walking along the beach…

The Oregon coast is always a good idea.

Until next time! x

Au Naturale: 4 Products I’m Loving

I have been exploring natural products since I was pregnant (so a little over two years now). And I will say, this has been a total hit or miss. At one point I even gave up for a month, bought Clinique products and just said, screw it. Then, after two weeks of switching to Clinique not only did my skin go a bit crazy with all of the changes, but I didn’t feel right about it. I will never be perfect at this “natural” routine. I’ll still slather on self tanner here and there and I’m still having a hard time with natural shampoos and conditioners, but I really felt like there are enough great natural products out there now that I can’t really give up.

So, after more time and money, I’m finally finding things I like. And I will be posting about these products that are working as I go in hopes that I can do all the hard work for others trying to switch over to natural products.

Here is the deal with my skin:

I have dry skin/combination. Mainly dry though. I also have sunspots and pigmentation from all of my previous “no sunscreen” days. I get occasional breakouts, but nothing crazy. And my skin is somewhat sensitive; not to where I need sensitive products, but certain products can really irritate it. So, with that said, I tend to look for hydrating and brightening products that aren’t too harsh when it comes to my face.

These are a few of my favorites lately:

1. Andalou Naturals Brightening Beauty Balm: Okay, I’m slightly obsessed with this stuff. I use this as my moisturizer in the morning because it is super moisturizing, has a sheer tint and also has SPF 30. Since I’ve been in California this has been a lifesaver. If I’m at the beach or headed outside for exercise I don’t love to put makeup on, so this has been a nice replacement. It looks like your face just had a big glass of water 🙂

2. COOLA Guava Mango Sunscreen SPF 50: COOLA is such an amazing brand. I really love all of their stuff. For me, I prefer a spray sunscreen because it is a whole lot easier to put on. And this stuff smells amazing (major plus). Their sunscreen definitely lives with me during the summertime.

3. Josie Maran Pure Argan Milk Intensive Hydrating Treatment: This as a moisturizer at night has been so helpful to hydrate my skin and give it a nice glow. Contrary to what you might think, the oil will actually not leave your skin feeling oily. My skin soaks this stuff right up (in the best way possible).

4. LaVanila Sports Luxe Deodorant: I used to use their regular version, but I wasn’t quite sure it completely helped with odor after a workout. This sports luxe version is a much better option if you are active. I’ve been loving it! One thing to remember is that most natural deodorants won’t really control sweat however.

Are their any natural products that you love? I am still on the search for a good shampoo and conditioner so I’d love any recommendations!

Friday Favorites

I am in full Spring swing right now! How about you? We have been having beautiful weather in the Northwest (this is a big deal up here) and sun is practically my coffee equivalent. I always get inspired to do all kinds of things when the weather is nice. So, off to the garden I go. And I’m leaving you with some of my favorites this week.

1. Sakara Cleanse (above): This is a major spring clean for your body. I did the three day plan and I loved every bite, which you might have seen on my snapchat (lindsayinpdx).

2. Barre3: I finally bought the membership. I struggled to justify spending $160 a month on this, but my husband kindly reminded me that the health of my mind and body is worth it. Love you, babe.

image via Barre3

3. Spring Gardening: Just as I do with having pets, I whole heartedly believe that this is important for your general wellbeing. I went all out at my favorite local nursery, Cornell Farms and stocked up on a bunch of new herbs and flowers.

Have a great weekend everyone!

xx
Lindsay

Fashionably Late to the New Year

new cascadia bread, sunshine burgers, suja juice and purely elizabeth granola

While physically it is now three weeks in, I am mentally just starting the new year. It has been chaos in our home. Lot’s of exciting changes and things happening, but I haven’t had time to sit and really focus in on what I want out of 2016.

I personally like making goals and/or things to strive for each year. I like to look back and say, “Okay, what did I accomplish?” I also go through these thoughts on my birthday each year, because technically those are really what hold you accountable. And well, since I’m going to be 30!!!! this year, I realized that I have a lot to think about.
One of my most important goals this year is to shop more at our local healthy grocery store, New Seasons and/or Whole Foods. I’ve been a big fan of Trader Joes for a long time, for many reasons. Its affordable, they have good organic options, and well…they are awesome. However, I find myself there buying non-local and non-seasonal foods. Not to mention, I tend to buy more items that are packaged.

So far this year, we’ve averaged an extra $15/per week on groceries by shopping more local, seasonal and organic. And frankly, I think that is quite reasonable considering the long term effects you gain.

As for some other goals:

-Eat less animal products
-Eat less sugar
-Travel more
-Create a more flexible schedule so I can spend more time with my family
-Take more photos
-Fear less, strive more
-Find something new and fulfilling to take on

Happy belated New Year everyone! May this be your best year yet!

Boston, I Love You

Last week I jetted off to Boston for a work trip and decided to sneak my husband in my suitcase. Boston was GREAT, but leaving our little man at home with the grandparents for 4 days was rough. I knew that it was good for us though. You know, some “us” time.

Do you remember as a little a kid, looking at a map or an encyclopedia (yep, back then) and going, “I think when I’m older, I’ll live….. THERE (skimming over the map)?” Well, that is pretty much what I did when I was younger and Boston was my “there.” Clearly things changed because this was my FIRST visit to the city and yes- I’m in love!

We had some pretty crappy weather while we were there, but we still managed to venture around in between my meetings.

And we ate. We ate a lot of great food. If you haven’t checked out Well + Good, I highly recommend you do! They have some awesome healthy city guides that take you to the “best of” healthy spots.

One in which, was sweetgreen. YUM!

And being the fish lover that I am, you better believe I had just about every fish dish possible. I’m still dreaming about the delicious lobster, mango tacos from Row 34.

I also got to meet with the folks at a few different big companies. New Balance was one of them and since I have always been a huge fan of their shoes, I geeked out at their new HQ. The team there also couldn’t have been nicer…

When in Boston:

Stay in Backbay or close to Newbury St! The Taj and The Liberty Hotel would be my first choice when I go back again!
Shop on Newbury Street.
Walk through the Public Garden.
Run along the Charles River bike path.
Eat lobster tacos at Row 34.
Grab a cannoli at Mikes Pastry. So worth it, but prep for a stomach ache
Visit Boston Harbor and walk through the Boston Tea Party Museum.
Drive through Cambridge, walk around Harvard.
Visit the infamous Acorn Street. The neighborhood is Boston perfection.

Next time I’m not on a work trip, I’ll be excited to see so much more!

Until next time, Boston!

Weekend Getaway: Bellingham, WA

The other weekend was a magical one. We left behind the 100 degree weather in Portland in search of a cool ocean breeze and the smell of salt water. Washington I tell ya; what a stunning state.

We began our trek at the crack of dawn, hitting the road at 5:30am. Car: packed with snacks, pack n’ plays, bottles, a tent, the stroller… this how we roll nowadays. Leaving early enough thankfully let us beat traffic. We stopped once for a mini stretch break outside of Seattle and then made our way towards Bellingham.

We decided to take the famous Chuckanut drive route into Bellingham. Think Portland’s Forest Park drive meets the beginning part of the sea-to-sky highway in BC. Pure beauty.

Next stop: Food. We headed straight from our drive to Rock N Rye for some brunch.

This place has the most amazing food and also has a great back patio to enjoy when the weather is nice.

On the menu: A mushroom spinach quiche with a side salad and a peach bellini for me. Tyson indulged in some chilaquiles and local brew. And little Parker enjoyed his all time favorite, Earth’s Best.

After a tasty brunch and a little buzz, we headed over to Hotel Bellwether for an early check in.

One thing I love about this hotel is that even just a standard room is a great one. The room came fully equipped with robes, a massive bathtub with jets, open doors from the bathtub to the room, a fire place, and the comfiest bed I think I’ve ever been on. The hotel is charming, on the water, and well priced in my opinion. Not to mention, it is pup friendly.

After getting settled into our room, we took off to soak up the perfect weather and explore.

We drove to Teddy Bear Cove for a short hike and a brief visit. Most things tend to be brief with a baby, right? And while the hike to the cove was a major butt burner, it is easy to do with a baby on your back and is definitely worth the scenery.

At this point I felt badly having Parker in the car forever, so we headed back to the hotel to do what we ultimately drove up there to do; relax. After a quick clean up, we went to dinner right next to the hotel. Up until that dinner, Parker has successfully never disrupted us. We have taken him to so many dinners out and have been able to take our time eating while he’s either slept or just sat there looking around at everyone. But this was our first “meltdown” I suppose. Luckily it was as we were getting the check, but wow. Hello 7 months old? I quickly had a daydream about the trip without a baby. I would have been able to actually go into a few stores, maybe go for a nice run along the bay with Tyson, and eat/drink our heart outs until the restaurant closed.

But no. Really, after dinner we just went back to the hotel at 6:15pm (yep) and got the jet tub ready for the ultimate family bath time. We then threw our bathrobes on, poured some champagne and all watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I’m pretty sure we were all asleep by 8:15pm…

The funny thing is, I really wouldn’t have it any other way.

Bellingham, we will back! You were well worth the trip.