Subpar Parks with Map Mat

If you’d like to see some of our adventures in RMNP, click here! One of our fondest memories is this winter van camping trip!

I love (LOVE) living so close to Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s the closest that I’ve ever lived to a national park, and every visit puts a big smile on my face. Needless to say, when I came across the Subpar Parks account, I couldn’t stop laughing.

Subpar Parks

Illustrator Amber Share pairs negative reviews of the national parks with her own illustrations. She’s created an illustration for each US national park and has now moved on to parks in other parts of the world. I mean, I guess her work is funny. Would you believe me if I said I’m super unimpressed?

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Waste Less Wednesdays : The Cup

If you like this post and want to read more about our uterus-related topics? Click here for Sarah’s Mirena IUD experience and click here for her 2+ year IUD update.

Waste Less Wednesdays

With the new year we’re starting a new weekly series called “Waste Less Wednesdays”. Our passion for preserving Mather Nature is pretty strong, but we recognize that we live in a consumer-driven society. As such, we try to be honest with ourselves about our own consumption, our needs vs. wants, and the opportunities that we have to reduce waste. Sarah and I are often sharing tips and tricks to reduce our consumption, and this series was born from those conversations.

We’re starting the series by bringing back one of my most favorite waste-reduction choices: the menstrual cup. Why start with this post? Well, I’ve used my cup for every period for 2+ years. I had heavy periods requiring both pads and tampons. There was nothing fun about my period, but switching to the cup paired with period underwear (more on that below) has been a game changer and a major waste-reducer! I haven’t used a single disposable period product since making the switch.

That’s right. Not a single disposable product in over two years! I can confidently say that I’ve made the money back that I spent on the initial cup + underwear investment,  and at this point I’m saving saving money that would have gone to more pads and tampons.

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To be honest, I’m much more bashful when it comes to talking about certain topics than Sarah is. Kudos to her! But, I’m so happy + excited about my experience using a menstruation cup that it’s time for a post…. happy enough that I’ll repost this information every year with the hope that it will help others make the switch.

I’ve become the crazy lady that will talk to anyone about it if they just mention the word cup…. Oh, you were just talking about Boulder’s awesome new cup-sharing program? Well, let me tell you about my new cup anyway. You were just asking about the difference between a question mark and a period, we’ll let me answer all of your questions about my period cup.

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Chocolate Cake with Buttercream and Rose Petals

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Hey Valentines!  We’re republishing an old favorite today: Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Icing and Rose Petals.  The Schu family loves this simple chocolate cake recipe. Spend a year of birthdays with us and you’re bound to have it at least a few times.  Fancy it up with some buttercream icing and the addition of dried rose petals and you have the prettiest Valentine’s Day (or any damn day) dessert. We like to share this cake a few weeks early in case you need to order the organic rose petals online. If cupid shot you with an arrow and you’re in need of more Valentine’s Day DIYs – check it! Continue reading

Katie’s 2021 Resolutions

It’s been a few years since we’ve shared resolution posts, but look at us getting it together for 2021! You can see Sarah’s list here.

I’m a big fan of resolutions, BUT I’m also not one to attach any guilt to them… at first glance, I bet a lot of my goals don’t look like resolutions, BUT, it’s all in how you frame them. Wearing more makeup? That’s really devoting a few minutes to myself and my mental health before the day starts, and maybe I end up with a bit of mascara on. Who knows.

I think it helps to look back on the past year, and list your accomplishments. Anything counts! Went to the dentist for the first time in 5 years? Attended a yoga class a month? Created your first piece of embroidery? It all counts!

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Good Stuff : Golden Milk

The beginning of the year is always a great time to re-evaluate habits and work on our seasonal routines. This post was originally published in 2019, and two years later, golden milk is still one of our favorite winter drinks. We hope you’ll give it a try!

Have you tried golden milk yet? You may have also heard it referred to as turmeric tea.What about making your own?

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We admit, this is one of those foods that seems to be trendy for the moment. BUT, after reading yet another article about it last January, we had to give it a try last year. That one cup 12 months ago turned into a peaceful and healthy ritual that’s lasted a full year. Today we wanted to share this drink with you.

About Turmeric

Turmeric is a plant in the ginger family. As a spice, the roots of the plant are used either fresh or dried and powdered. It is believed that the curcumin compound within turmeric can decrease inflammation within the body as well as providing other health benefits. As mentioned in this article, the spice has proven “anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial”, but as also stated by the NIH, it is difficult to find rigorous studies supporting many of the health claims associated with turmeric. Continue reading

Our Favorite Phone Camera Accessory (Macro Lens!)

Want more photography posts? Here’s a Photography 101 course from Sarah. You can find her favorite equipment here, and here’s what I use when not pulling out my phone’s camera.

I’m not going to claim that this post is going to change the world, BUT maybe if some people looked at things from a different perspective… I don’t know. Maybe we wouldn’t be in the situation we’re in?

Click on through for my favorite way to change my photography perspective.

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Make with Me : Wine Bottle Santa Sets

You can find more Make with Me posts here.

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Hey there. Get rid of those gift bags because we’re coming at you today with a quick little knitting project that’s the perfect topper for that bottle of wine or liquor you’re giving this Christmas (we have a few suggestions below).  Continue reading

DIY Christmas Decorations + Crafts

This post was originally published in 2015, we’re re-posting it today to inspire some simple crafting before Christmas!

Today we’re rounding up past Christmas crafts. While Sarah was busy ordering gifts yesterday, I was finishing up the decorating. I love to get everything up as soon as possible so that there’s plenty of time to enjoy it (plus, I need the decorating out of the way so that I have every extra moment left to think about gift shopping!). If you’re taking your time and in need of decorations, we put together a list of past DIY projects that we made, love, and we’re excited to put out again this year.

This list provides a range of projects from those that can be finished in 30 minutes to others that may take a few hours, and the skill-level required varies from the simple to the more complex. In addition to decorating your house, some of these projects like the felt and cinnamon ornaments make great gift tags. What we have here is a little bit of something for everyone.

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Make with Me : Embroidery Kits (again!)

If you’re looking for a new project or hobby, we have a lot of great ideas in our Make with Me and DIY archives.

I made a trio of nautical embroidered designs from Hook Line & Tinker this past summer. They were great traveling projects that are small and easy enough to start and stop, and left me with an itch to do more!

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