Exclusive Pumping

This is not just one of those posts where I tell you how busy I've been to excuse a delayed absence on my blog, although it is that as well. This is a post where I tell the story of one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. It's personal, it's intimate, but it's not embarrassing for me to talk about it.

Baby Shower Hostess Gifts

A lovely group of family friends decided to throw a shower for our baby on the way. I wanted to give each of them something to say thank you, but I wasn't sure what to do at first. After scouring Pinterest and Google Images, I found lots of great ideas, but ultimately decided to go with something homemade to give it a personal touch without costing an arm and a leg (I had ten gifts to make, so I couldn't spend $20-$30 each, as much as I wanted to!)

Homemade jalapeño jelly seemed fitting for this group of Texan ladies. I designed the packaging myself and included a recipe card and a small spoon and knife for serving the jelly with cream cheese and crackers.

The Next Big Adventure

Four years ago today, my life changed forever when I hosted a tall, scruffy CouchSurfer named Sam. He was riding a motorcycle home for Christmas, from San Francisco to Charleston. His last minute request almost went unanswered because the CouchSurfing website would not load a reply page, but I managed to get in touch and let him know he was welcome minutes before he left an internet cafe in New Mexico.