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Happy July!
This summer is flying by for me—more so than normal, I think, since I’ve had a kiddo! I’m sure the same is true for you. So before summer leaves us completely (sob), I thought it would be fun to have a quick catch-up session!
If we were having coffee today, I would tell you:
That my husband and I just got back from Hawaii. We left our four-month-old daughter with my parents, which was hard to do, but I think it was the right decision. We missed her like crazy, but she loved her time with her grandparents!
Hawaii was truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. We started in Maui and ended up in Oahu. The sunsets and scenery were unreal:
(The fresh juices and ALL THE FOOD were pretty unreal, too!)
We absolutely loved our time in Hawaii and can’t wait to go back sometime. It’s such a relaxed, friendly place and I would recommend it to anyone.
If we were having coffee today, I would tell you:
About an awesome company you will love just as much as I do! This Bar Saves Lives has a fantastic mission: for each box of granola bars sold, they donate a live-saving packet of food to a child in need. Recently, they came out with a kids’ line of gluten-free, non-GMO bars that are sold exclusively in Target. Buy a box, snap a photo of you (and your kid if you have one!) with the bars and post it on social media with the hashtag #thiskidsaveslives, and they will send you a free box of bars! Pretty cool, right?
(Don’t worry, I’m not feeding her the granola bars, even though her little rolls may suggest I am. #thiskidhasthunderthighs)
If we were having coffee today, I would tell you:
Nepal is still in a state of devastation after the earthquake in April. A great way to support artisans in Nepal and show our support is to buy one of our best-selling felt birdhouses (back in stock)! These fair trade wool felted birdhouses are made with sustainably harvested materials near Kathmandu, Nepal.
Wherever you are today, hope you’re enjoying your own (potentially iced!) coffee and a lovely summer day!
XO,
Casey
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Hello and Happy weekend! How about a little catch-up session “coffee date” today? (Decaf for me and my 8 months pregnant belly!)
Isn’t that a beautiful quote above? I’ve heard it before, but something about it struck me in a new way recently. As many of us are struggling through a long, cold Winter, just waiting for Spring, I try to remind myself that seasons don’t have to be looked on as something to endure. Seasons—in weather or in life—-are inevitable, and resenting the inevitable is as pointless and frustrating as tapping on a brick wall and expecting it to give way. Maybe the way to view seasons is that they hold a treasure of their own, lessons to be learned, if we’re just willing to be students for a little while.
I’ve been (semi!) patiently waiting for my little girl to arrive in March, and already I find myself worrying about how fast she’ll grow, how her birth will be, how our family will cope with a brand new little person in our world. But every time I allow myself to dwell on these thoughts, I know I’m missing out on the excitement of rubbing my belly here and now, and appreciating who she already is right at this moment. I don’t want to miss the fun of reading stories to her as she’s snug in my belly while I’m busy worrying about how safe she’ll be in her crib later.
I often find myself getting restless to move to a bigger house—new baby! We need more room!, to a different city—surely somewhere Winter doesn’t exist!, to somehow vaguely try to control all of my surroundings and circumstances so they will match my version of what the American Dream should look like. But then I remember that every moment we’re given is a gift, and none of us are “owed” anything—especially not the perfect house, the perfect city, or the perfect possessions. And that “perfect” is a man-made concept that doesn’t exist.
When I find myself in these type of “wanting” moods, the best way I know how to fix it is to remind myself of how blessed I really am, then go out and bless someone else! Just picking out a gift to brighten a friend’s home instead of my own just feels right sometimes.
What about you? Are you going through a “season” of your own and just waiting for Spring? The good thing is, even though it’s often not as soon as we’d like, it always comes!
XO,
Casey
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It’s been a while since we’ve had a virtual “coffee date!” Let’s fix that! If we were having coffee today—I would tell you that my mug is a little less full than I like it and I won’t be going for seconds. The reason? My husband and I are expecting our first baby! She’s due in March, and we can’t wait to meet her. 
If we were having coffee, I’d tell you I’m grateful to still have my one cup of caffeine goodness a day, even if I’m making it a tall instead of a grande. I’d tell you that I’m excited, nervous and a million other emotions that I’m sure all of you seasoned mommas can relate to!
If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I’m apprehensive about the slow creep of “stuff” that I know comes with having a baby. I’m grateful that there are now many options for fair trade baby items that I can mix in when I buy things! I’m excited to be able to purchase some items for our little one, but I also want to be mindful that not everything is a necessity. So I’ve created a short list below of my favorite tips for avoiding the money trap that I know having a baby can turn into!
1. Borrow, borrow, borrow! Even if these “tips” are a bit obvious, I had to stop and remind myself of them before running to Target and buying every baby item I saw! I made a mental list of friends I have who have had baby girls (or boys, for many of the items!). I plan to ask them if they have extra baby “stuff” lying around that I can either borrow or take off their hands completely. For my friends who have said, definitely, that they aren’t planning to have more children and are out of the baby stage, I don’t mind asking this question at all. In many cases I think they are grateful to make more room in their basements or storage closets!
2. Make the effort to search out good deals and sales. Thrift stores, garage sales, fair trade online stores—all might require a bit more effort than heading to the mall, but will be so worth it in the end! Babies grow so fast; I really want to be mindful of not just accumulating piles of clothing that might have been made by child laborers in other countries. Buying second-hand and fair trade items will help with this goal tremendously. I’ve mentioned this shop on the blog before, but how cute are these rompers from Baby Theresa? Their motto is “buy once, give twice”—which I just love! All of their items are fair trade and 100% organic cotton. For every romper sold, they donate one to a child in need and for every accessory sold, they donate formula.
3. Remember that all my little girl will truly need for the first few months is somewhere safe to sleep, food and clothing, and all the love we can give her!
If you have any other suggestions for avoiding the baby “money creep,” fair trade baby stores, or any other momma advice, I’d love if you’d chime in in the comments!
XO,
Casey
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Hola from Argentina!
If we were having coffee today, I would first tell you that I’m not drinking my usual American coffee. I’m either having espresso (which I always need at least 2 of :)) or the traditional Argentinian drink, mate. Mate is served in that lovely container you see above and is a strong, herby blend of tea. One of my favorite things about traveling is eating, drinking, and doing like the locals do!
I would also tell you that while I’ve been here, I’m done some fun things. Such as going to the zoo, where I saw some different animals that I’m used to in the states:
And these little guys roamed the grounds freely. I decided they were a cross between a rabbit and a deer:
Besides the zoo, we’ve done some other traditional Buenos Aires activities, like seeing a tango show!
Tango is a very big deal around here! We learned a bit about the history of tango and even took a quick lesson ourselves (let’s just say, we have a bit of work to do in that area.)
Other “typical” Buenos Aires favorites:
Leather goods, steak, and red wine—all great things from my perspective.
Tomorrow we are headed to a traditional “gaucho” show and barbecue, and after that we’ll be on our way to Chile and Peru. I’m most looking forward to hiking Machu Picchu! I’ll be back with some more photos and stories from our trip soon if you’re interested! Have a fantastic weekend wherever you are!
XO,
Casey
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Hello to you!
It’s finally Friday! For me, that always means my Keurig gets the day off, and Starbucks picks up the slack. Usually just a tall coffee with cream is good enough for me—but sometimes I go for the fancier varieties. That’s what I refer to as a “Friday Treat.” Grab a Friday Treat of your own and join me for a virtual coffee date?
If we were having coffee right now, I would tell you how excited I am that today is officially the first day of summer! {Also known as the “Summer Solstice,” which just sounds all-around better, don’t you think?} I’m a Midwestern-girl-turned-California-transplant, so I’m still grateful for and amazed by beautiful summer scenes like this one:
{From a Sunday night hike last week that was all fun and games until we saw a rattlesnake. Then it was back to walk around our safe neighborhood we went.}
If we were having coffee right now, I would tell you that my closet needs some summer updates, and our Seven Hopes Sseko sandals are just begging to be added to my shoe rotation:
A girl can never have too many pairs of shoes, right? Especially fair trade shoes!
If we were having coffee right now, I would tell you that I’m thrilled to see that the fair trade movement is growing and catching the attention of bigger corporations. Check out this encouraging article for more.
If we were having coffee right now, I would tell you that my new puppy has stolen my heart. This face makes up for a multitude of behavioral “issues,” including but not limited to chewing furniture and pottying on rugs:
What would you tell me if we were having coffee right now? Hopefully that you have fun plans for the weekend with loved ones! Until next time, friends!
XO,
Casey
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]]>At Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, we believe in giving back – to the farmers and to our own community. We’re actively involved in almost every community event in Bird Rock because it’s important to be part of something bigger than ourselves.
I have to admit, I also believe they make one of the best cappuccinos I’ve ever had, second only to a little cafe in Venice, Italy.
Did you have a good Easter? I felt all grown-up this year, hosting and celebrating Easter with my husband and a few of our friends here in San Diego. Even our favorite little schnoodle – Bailey, and our friends sweet new addition – Cohen, joined us! We had the best time. I made my favorite French Toast Casserole, and we all enjoyed morning mimosas & bloody mary’s out on the lawn.
Can you believe it’s already April 1st!? The beginning of this year has just flown by! Our new niece, Abigail Elise, is already a week old – she was born last Sunday, and is already quite the facetime guru. We are excited to get to meet her in person when they are in California in a couple of months.
I hope you had a blessed Easter & have a great week! Hopefully we can do this again soon.
xo Ash
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and the beautiful coffee artistry…
that keeps me wanting more…
If we were having coffee this morning, I’d tell you that Seven Hopes United is now at a couple more farmers markets in San Diego. In addition to the Little Italy Mercato and Rancho Santa Fe Farmer’s Market, we are now at the new Carmel Valley Farmer’s Market (Thursdays), La Jolla Open Aire Market (every other Sunday), and the Welk Resort Farmer’s Market (Mondays). Whew! We’ve been busy!
If we were having coffee this morning, I’d tell you how excited I am that Easter is next Sunday, and that I’m hoping to celebrate with my husband and some of our closest friends. I would tell you that a couple of years ago, after church, we went to Easter Brunch at The Westgate Hotel in downtown San Diego and it was delicious! Then I would ask…what you’re doing to celebrate Easter?
If we were having coffee this morning, I would tell you that the STUCK Documentary about the heartaches and challenges of International Adoption is playing at the Gaslamp Cinema tomorrow night. I would love to go see it as adoption has always been something on my heart.
Click here to watch the trailer ->
If we were having coffee this morning, I’d tell you I’m obsessed with these felt birdhouses right now. These adorable creatures are being crafted out of wool by women in Nepal & they just make my heart smile. Be forewarned, I plan to give them as gifts to everyone I know!
Before we go, I would ask if you have ever been to Ecuador, and where you went? I am planning a trip there in June and would love to hear about your favorite adventures!
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]]>If we were having coffee, I would probably take you to one of my favorite coffee shops in Pacific Beach – 976 Cafe. I would order a Macadamia Blanco with soy milk (just because I think it tastes better). I would tell you that I have been a little heavy-hearted lately, but am trying to remain positive.
I would tell you that I went out with the guys for St. Patricks Day this weekend and ended up having a great time.
I would tell you that I spent the morning picking out some super cute fair trade accessories for our spring line. And I want them all in my house immediately!
I would tell you that I need to go grocery shopping. And that I’ve been wanting to make my own granola.
I would tell you that I can’t believe my husband and I have been married for almost 6 months already. He makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world and his unconditional support is the thing I love about him most.
I would ask you how you’re doing and what is happening in your world.
I would tell you that some days I feel like I am doing everything right, and others I feel like I am desperately failing…
I would tell you that having a shortbread cookie and coffee for breakfast was exactly what my soul needed this morning.
I would tell you that I am thankful, and we should do this again soon.
xoxo Ash
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