Monthly Archives: March 2015

How To Use It: Coconut Oil

by Sarah | 2 Comments

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Hey all you nutty kids! Katie and I have a bunch of products that make their way into our daily lives in some form or another and one of those is coconut oil.  We thought it might be helpful to explain how we use coconut oil in case you’re at a bit of a loss.  Personally coconut oil is used so often in my house that I have a jar in my kitchen, bathroom and car!  I can’t get enough of the stuff and while I like other oils too like argon and olive, coconut is so cheap and versatile that I find myself using larger quantities of it than the others.

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Preparing for Baby #2 ~ Mamma Care!

by Katie | 2 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, we shared some of the gear that I consider essential for the first few weeks of a wee babe’s life. Today I wanted to share a few ideas for the new mamma, even if it’s not your first time to the rodeo. It was hard to break these ideas into two posts, because some items in the baby post may look like they’re for the mom (hello, nursing tanks), but really, few moms are excited to wear those things ~ we’re wearing them to give the little ones easy access to their food. Likewise, I have a few things on today’s post that seem like they are for the baby, but when you really think about it, we’re using them to make the mamma more comfortable, and that’s so important.

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I think that the best thing a mom can do after a pregnancy is to relax, make yourself comfortable, and give your body the time to heal. You’ll see that my priority items really focus on those ideas. I also believe that addressing every aspect of mamma care is equally important (from physical to mental), so don’t think of this list as being in any sort of order ~ all items would come first if they could!

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Two Bits

by Katie | Leave a comment

We want to break down these internet barriers and invite you into our lives and we’re hoping you’ll do the same.  You are welcome to share your a bit of your week or day in the comments, or if they’re better represented by a photo, tag us on instagram @liveseasoned

Katie here:

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What a week. I’m glad everyone in the house made it to Friday, people weren’t kidding when they thought moving while days away from my due date was a bad idea. All-in-all, it wasn’t *that* bad, but it really took us the whole week to start to feel like there was any sense of order in the house again. From storms knocking out our internet, to a cold knocking me out, and other technical challenges, we were a house full of first world problems, and it was rough! Luckily, today the sun’s shining through the windows and we’re looking forward to a more relaxing weekend of piddling around the new house and unpacking a few boxes as we enjoy the calm before the new baby storm, which is right around the corner!

Sarah here:

Hmmm, actually, it’s Katie again. I don’t know where Sarah is, but she’s been knocking it out of the water with her amazing posts lately, don’t you think? In case you haven’t caught them all, check out her list of not-to-be-missed Travel & Adventure Documentaries, and then her mouth watering profile, in two parts, of North Carolina’s Fair Game Beverage Company! And don’t forget to stop by their spirit release party tomorrow!

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*hours pass* Good Morning! Sarah’s here! I was asleep. Go figure 😉  I’ve been running around ALL week, but it’s been fun stuff so no complaints here.  I’m just really tired and want an entire day to sleep, which is going to happen on Sunday – can’t wait!!  This week, other than day dreaming about sleep, I went on a bachelorette party wine tour in the Finger Lakes region of New York.  It was a lovely trip with lots of ladies, which reminded me I should make an effort to plan a big get-together like that at least once a year.  Uninterrupted friend time is SO important and something that definitely gets pushed aside as you get older, get married, have babies, move to other states, etc.  There’s no way you can get into the conversations we touched by just meeting for a cup of coffee, you need days and wine. Lots of wine. So mental note: plan friend weekends!

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I also stopped by another friend’s home to visit her and her family, get a tour of their new (ok, new to me) house and watch her (six-year-old) baby blow out candles on a birthday cake.  It was such a nice celebration and I’m happy I was able to be a part of it.  Making a tiny bit of effort to see friends goes a looooong way.  It also reminded me how quickly SIX years can fly by. I was blessed enough to hold that little sweetheart on the day she was born.  I also loved seeing how this family’s birthday traditions formed over the years.  Simple, but really special stuff going on.  I may have to have her share them with Seasoned in case other moms out there want to do something a little bit different that focuses more on family, tradition and time well spent. Just a hint: no disney-themed parties were held.

Now I’m off to the pottery studio to do a bunch of packaging and studio shots for the day.  I hope you have an awesome weekend and like Katie said, join me tomorrow at Fair Game Beverage Company’s spirits release!

 

In The Field: Fair Game Beverage Company – Part II

by Sarah | 2 Comments

Every once in awhile we interview someone doing interesting work In the Field, where we tag along and pick their brain. See past In The Field interviews here.

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Yesterday we focused on Fair Game Beverage Company’s current products, but today I wanted to a dig a bit more into where Chris finds inspiration as head distiller.  If you didn’t catch Part I go ahead and read it!  Like any sustainable business, Chris looks at what is readily available to him.  Instead of getting hung up on fruit that isn’t local he thinks up creative concoctions for what’s around.

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In The Field: Fair Game Beverage Company – Part I

by Sarah | 3 Comments

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Last week I had the opportunity to take a tour of Fair Game Beverage Company and talk with Chris Jude, the head distiller.  I’ve been interested in talking to Chris for a while now.   I attended the Fair Game Beverage Company circus-themed grand opening last summer and it was such a good time! I knew I had to meet the minds behind Fair Game and get a better sense of what’s going on in their distillery.   Fair Game Beverage Company is having a spirits release this weekend, Saturday March 28th so it seemed like a great time to visit and learn a bit more about Fair Game Beverage Company.

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A Little of Our Lately

by Katie | Leave a comment

So, Sarah sent me the gentlest of nudges last night, that the blog looked “sleepy”, to put up a post already. I have to admit, the combination of pregnancy, moving, unexpected technical difficulties with cameras and a new internet connection, and a certain 2 year old made posting a challenge!

Anyway, I’m excited to share a little bit of what we’ve been up to lately. Last weekend Calder and I totally indulged in the calm before the storm(s) that are moving and new babies. So, we drove up to Nederland and happened upon Frozen Dead Guy Days! We knew nothing about it before then, and if you haven’t heard of it, take a moment to read the story of the crazy cause for the festival. While there, we always give Alex a ride or two on the Carousel of Happiness, and this time we tried to capture some shots of my big belly before it’s gone again :-).

This weekend was a whole different story, we closed on our new house and moved in! Saturday was our first night in the house, and so on Saturday we christened it with a french toast breakfast and the raising of our Jolly Roger flag.

I can’t wait to give you a full tour, but the aforementioned technical difficulties mean I haven’t taken many indoor shots yet. Until then, I have a sneak peak of the outside. The house is located in the foothills of the Rockies, just above Boulder (on a favorite biking hill for the hoards of road bikers in town – Calder’s in heaven). Our yard is basically the mountainside, but if you do a 180, we have fantastic views of the more gently sloping property of our neighbors’ with horses in the pastures.

I think that living on the side of the mountain would drive the gardener in me crazy if it weren’t for the fact that previous owners did a fantastic job of installing a number of large, tiered beds, both off of the deck and around the sides of the house. Most of these are filled with perennials, but there are a few open spaces for annuals and herbs/veggies. Calder’s only request or “house prenup” as he calls it was that I plant strawberries and raspberries, well, as luck would have it, we already have mature beds of both! So this spring I’ll likely take it easy and focus on the annuals both in beds and in pots around the porch and deck.

And there you have it, a little snapshot of our crazy life this past week. Like any good crafter/schemers, we have a few projects that we want to do in the house, so I can’t wait to share more details about the inside of the house and our project inspiration in another post. Until then, we’ll be busy unpacking boxes and waiting for our newest little guy to make his appearance.

Songs about Home

by Katie | 6 Comments

Today’s the day we close on our house in Colorado! Of course, we’re all kinds of excited. I’ll share more details about the place soon, but really, what makes us so happy is that we see it as the perfect place to stay for a long, long time. As such, we’re planning all sorts of ways to make this place our own, personalizing the house and back yard that we haven’t done before when our home seemed (and was) less permanent. Without neighbors, we’re also excited to play our music loud.

And so, I started a playlist of songs about home, whether it’s the physical space or the feeling of home when you’re with someone special, but I feel like this list is incomplete*. What are your favorite songs about home? Any that aren’t on my list? I would love to know, because this is going to be the soundtrack of our weekend as we pack and unpack boxes.

Welcome Home (that link will take you to the list on Spotify)

  1. Randy Newman – Feels Like Home
  2. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young – Our House
  3. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Home
  4. Talking Heads – This Must Be The Place
  5. Phillip Phillips – Home
  6. Brandi Carlile – Wherever Is Your Heart
  7. Josh Ritter – Love Is Making Its Way Back Home
  8. Simon & Garfunkel – Homeward Bound
  9. Dixie Chicks – Long Time Gone
  10. Bruce Springsteen  – Thunder Road

*For one, there’s no Bruce I added Thunder Road because I love the image of the screen door slamming and the radio playing as the song opens, but it’s a song about running away from all of that. WTF? Can you think of a more fitting one?

Potato Patties With Egg and Asparagus

by Sarah | 1 Comment

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I hope this post finds you well and just in time for the weekend. Why? Because big breakfasts are what my weekends are all about and precisely where these Potato Patties With Egg and Asparagus were born.  I rarely eat any breakfast during the week.  I’m not sure when that happened, but it did and I know, it’s not a great routine to get into, but so it goes.  Let’s forget about Monday through Friday and focus on the weekend, which is when you’ll be making this eggy, garlicky, asparagussy (<quite proud of that made up word) goodness.  There’s something about layering food that makes it taste that much better to me.  I like grabbing a little of everything in each yummy bite.  I know I could do that if these three ingredients were all sitting side-by-side on the plate, but it just takes the fun out of all of it.  I want everything snuggled together ready to be devoured in under a minute’s time.  This potato, egg and asparagus breakfast is extremely simple.  If you haven’t ever cooked a thing, try making this.  Everyone can make eggs, right? Can you use a spatula? Do you know how to shake a salt shaker? Sweeeeet! That means you can also impress your family with this super tasty take on breakfast.

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Garden Research

by Katie | 1 Comment

Doesn’t the first hint of warm weather make you excited to plant something? It could be something small like a pot of flowers on your stoop or in a windowsill box. Or, you may have bigger plans this year ~ are you dreaming of a full veggie garden with a bed of flowers for picking?

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If all goes according to plan, this time next week we’ll have moved into a new house (eek!). It has a huge deck, and many tiered beds for planting. Some of the beds have perennials, but from what we understand, some are open for annual plantings. With temps in the 60s and 70s this past week, I’m so excited to make planting the beds and flower pots one of my first new-house projects. And while I know it’s not time to plant yet, these early spring days are a great time to start doing research.

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Sarah’s Spring Uniform

by Sarah | Leave a comment

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Today I wanted to share my official spring uniform.  Sorry gents, this post is for the ladies, unless you wanna peep at my accessories and such.  I’m the kind of gal that finds an outfit she loves and then sticks to it religiously.  I like to call it my uniform.  Seriously, you’ll find me in this outfit for the next month.  I’ll switch up the shoes depending on the activity and the t-shirt obviously, but that’s pretty much it.  For instance, I photographed this yesterday, but I’m wearing the same jeans and sweater only with a tank top and my trail shoes this time.  I know this style post isn’t groundbreaking, but I’ve been wanting to do one for awhile.  It’s kind of tricky since I have to set my camera up on a tripod for the shots so it will be fun to see how these posts progress and improve over time, until then, here’s bar zero.

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