twelveOeight

My favorite zucchini muffins

September 17, 2016 By Tanya 1 Comment

Our garden began as a next year project.

Then the kids brought home some parsley seeds.

Knowing how busy work would be this summer, and still sticking to my we-don’t-have-time-to-garden-this-year plan, I agreed to the planting of the parsley.

As you can imagine (and the reason I am writing about leftover zucchini and what in the heck to do with them) we lost our minds and planted a full garden.

Just like that, then we were committed and watched our tiny baby plants grow all Spring.

Into what I now refer to as the Little Shop of Horrors because it has gotten completely freaking out of control.

But I suppose when I learn to prune and cut back that will be another post, maybe next year.

How to Have a Big Girl Garden we could call it. Or perhaps How to Garden Without Going Insane. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Easy DIY boho necklace + tending to our gifts

July 17, 2016 By Tanya Leave a Comment

I love jewelry.

And other than my wedding ring my jewelry is usually from Charlotte Russe or Forever 21.

There is something about buying a bunch of new bracelets and accessories to breathe some new life into your wardrobe.

I have been in a huge style rut for a while now.

A bad one.

It’s not that I don’t care, because I do, and I love the way I feel when I like my outfit and feel confident.

I think it’s just my head space, and being tired from work, and letting other things get in the way.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Craft Ideas, DIY, Jewelry Tagged With: DIY, diyjewelry, necklace, twelveOeight

How to make the best Spanish Rice ever

July 11, 2016 By Tanya Leave a Comment

Rice seems like an easy enough thing to make.

For whatever reason, mastering how to cook rice has eluded me.

I love it, it’s gluten free (yay, makes grumpy tummies happy) and easy on the budget.

Enter my desire to make Spanish Rice.

I thought it was the recipe, so I tried every single recipe out there. And I have had zero success in achieving the fluffy, non-sticky rice at our favorite Mexican restaurants. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Gluten Free Recipes, Thrifty Living, Uncategorized

Vintage find of the week + thoughts on semi-hoarding

July 3, 2016 By Tanya 2 Comments

The thrill of the hunt.

Scoring the deal of the Century. Or perhaps the week depending on how much you like to search for treasures.

You see it across the thrift store/yard sale/antique fair/place you can find cool stuff and it will be yours.

As you weave your way over to the item-that-will-change-your-life-if-you-have-it another shopper stops to look at it.

#worstfeelingever

You want to scream NO, YOU DON’T WANT TO BUY THAT, IT IS TERRIBLE AND YOU WILL BE VERY, VERY UNHAPPY IF YOU BUY IT.

Self-control kicks in and you hold yourself back (while quickly walking over to your new find) and once the other shopper has set it down and barely turned around, it is now in your possession.

You turn it over, and it’s EXACTLY WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR.

The price is right, and you do a happy dance, maybe on the inside of your head or a full-on happy dance.

I’m not going to judge.

Your new lovely, wonderful, fantastic item is placed lovingly in your vehicle, and you smile all the way home as you think of the 1,000 different ways you can use it.

Or, you know exactly where it is going to go.

And this, correct me if I am wrong, is the #bestfeelingever.

That is exactly what happened while my friend G and I were recently hitting a few local yard sales. Kids in tow we felt brave, and with a burger and a Coke under our belts we could find anything that day.

I saw this metal box, the above reaction kicked in, and I was drawn to it.

It looked pretty old, and my suspicions were correct, pre-WWII made by a company that was based out of Louisville, KY in the late 30’s. [Read more…]

Filed Under: craft, DIY, home decor, Uncategorized

How to make watermelon juice (jugo de sandia)

July 1, 2016 By Tanya 2 Comments

I don’t know about you, but when the watermelons begin to come into season I get giddy.

Especially when the first wave of semi-anemic looking melons have passed and the big, juicy watermelons we have waited for are ready to be brought home.

I live in the Pacific NW so many of our watermelons come from the Yakima Valley and Hermiston, OR.

We may not be growing any watermelons in our teeny garden this year, but I will share a few pictures of what we are growing.

Have you planted and grown fruits and vegetables with your kids? This is really our first year and they are loving it! They loved picking out the seeds, tilling up the soil, planting and even tending them (yes, the part that I thought would go to the wayside first) I think I am having more fun watching their excitement than if I were doing all the gardening myself!

I used to think I could not grow anything, and if someone gifted me a plant I thought to myself “I give this one three weeks.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Clean Eating, DIY, Garden, Gluten Free Recipes, Recipes

hand stamped clementine tea towel

January 13, 2016 By Tanya Leave a Comment

This time of year I find myself buying boxes and boxes of these sweet, petite little orange like gems.

The kids gobble them up and we just cannot seem to get enough of them.

Having said that, the massive consumption of them around our house inspired this diy hand stamped tea towel so long after they are out of season we can enjoy how pretty they are as well.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: craft, Decorating, DIY, Thrifty Living

Siracha + Sesame Zoodle Salad

January 11, 2016 By Tanya Leave a Comment

I have to admit in all honesty that the sound and idea of making “noodles” with anything other than good old fashioned pasta (even gluten free pasta!) I was unsure about at first.

After receiving a vegetable slicer for Christmas, I knew that this would be my next low-carb, gluten free project.

And they are yummy.

I am a convert and I am not sure I will miss pasta now that I can sneak even more veggies into my own diet (yes, almost 45 years old and I have to trick myself to eat more of them.)

This is any easy recipe so I am not even going to use that fancy little recipe thing on the blog today (I am trying all kinds of new things!)

Here is what I used to make my Sesame + Siracha Zoodle Salad (this serves 2) [Read more…]

Filed Under: Clean Eating, Gluten Free Recipes, Low Carb Recipes

chalkboard globe + be mine banner

January 4, 2016 By Tanya Leave a Comment

You may remember this globe from my Christmas 2014 tour.

I knew I wanted to use it again, and it has moved, and moved again multiple times but not been right.

Do you do that too? Keep tweaking and moving things? I am not sure if it falls under some sort of condition (especially coupled with the need to stop at thrift stores VERY often!) or just a love of fluffing our nests.

Either way, I have regretted many things I got rid of and few that I have kept. So there she sat.

I pulled out some craft supplies a few nights ago and looked at the pale pink glitter and pink and white striped letters I just found at Jo-Ann’s recently (all for $1.00 each too, perfect January prices!)

[Read more…]

Filed Under: craft, Decorating, DIY, Valentine's Day

hello 2016 + my fave things from 2015

January 2, 2016 By Tanya 1 Comment

hello 2016.

The past year has in many ways gone by so incredibly fast.

My kids are taller, we’re all a year older.

I closed a painful chapter in my life and walked into a healthy, new life that I love.

I met a wonderful man & a best friend that would change my life forever.

I had zero time to blog, but I have a job I love, and I am trying to eek out time to begin blogging again because I feel like part of me is missing when I don’t write.

I think the part of the year that I love the most, is looking back and seeing God work things out.

In the quiet times when we have no idea how an impossible situation will be resolved.

In noisy times where we just need five minutes to ourselves so we don’t feel crazy.

In the painful moments where it doesn’t feel like hurt could ever be healed.

He has shown up and handled it. Handled it when I could not, and gone before me not to pave a perfect straight road, but to remind me that He’s got this and I am His daughter.

And I have learned that I can survive those tough times that are no fun, and really appreciate the seasons of quiet. That is new for me because I fee like I’ve always been in a hurry to get to the next thing.

I used to make a New Year’s Resolution each year, or choose a word.

I have decided to put zero pressure on myself and just enjoy having another year, more time and living a peaceful (yet crazy/loud/busy) life with my family.

Here are a few things I loved working on this year, and I hope this finds you blessed, at peace, and seeing the good. Because it is everywhere and wants us to find it.

No matter what.

So here we go, a new year, and some of my favorite stuff from last year….

All You Need Is Love Free Printable twelveOeightblog.com #loveprintable #allyouneedislove #freeprintable #valentine #twelveOeightblog

love is all you need free printable

How to bring fragrance into your home

December 14, 2015 By Tanya Leave a Comment

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Unstopables through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated by POPSUGAR to write a post about Unstopables, all opinions are my own. I am so in love with the Unstopables quality that I am super excited to share how I am using them in my home!!

I love candles. And scents for my home.

And warmth, layers of blankets & pillows ready to snuggle in and relax any time.

Sometimes you bring a new candle home or spray into you home only to find that the scent you loved so much disappears too quickly. Or it smelled great in the store, but not so much at home.

Not the case with the line of Unstopables for the home. I tried the In-Wash Scent Booster in Glow, the beautiful candle in Lush (my home smells EXACTLY the way I wanted it to). Soft, welcoming and a cozy layer of vanilla and with some cedar undertones. And the Unstopables Air Freshener rocked those spots in the house that admittedly, can still smell a little bit like dinner the night before!

I really love that the focus is not on a giant logo either, the containers (if we are anything alike, the container is really important too) are chic and understated. No giant logo and well, when something just smells this good it will not only be integrated into my home all the time, I don’t have to hide it behind a plant or vase.

Let’s start with the laundry first. It’s not my favorite.

Like, I really am terrible at actually getting laundry done and put away. But after all of that work, I want it to not only be clean, but smell good too. I love pulling a sweater from my closet and it still smells good long after the laundry has been put away. I could not believe the difference that Downy Unstopables In-Wash Scent Booster made! My laundry smells wonderful not only when I am folding it, but many days later too. Score!!

Oh, the candle. I love the Unstopables candles so much. My house smells amazing, clean, and pretty.