Thistles and Pine

Carl and I have wanted to start a new adventure and open our own Etsy shop ThistlesandPine. We have been planning for a few months and now it's really happening (eeeekkk). We both love woodworking and nature so why not combine the two into some unique pieces of art.

Behind the name –

Carl is a born and raised Californian boy who grew up spending his summers out in nature fishing, hiking, camping, basically doing all things manly. I, myself am Scottish. Born in Glasgow and raised in London and Edinburgh. I moved to California nine years ago and fell in love with the laid back attitude, sun and of course a Californian. Living in southern california is magical because you feel like you live in by the beach, in the city, and in the mountains as they are all within an hours drive. Our brand name ThistlesandPine is a piece of us, our heritage and our passions. 

We continue to spend as much time in nature as possible, going up to Carl's old stomping grounds in the Sierras every summer. We are always looking for new adventures to go on, speaking of which this weekend we are off the Zion National Park for a four day camping trip to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. 

We are counting on word of mouth and social media to promote our hand crafted pieces of woodwork. This is a very exciting new adventure for us and we can't wait to see where this all goes. 

Follow us on;

Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/ThistlesandPine

Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_hansons

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Thistleandpine

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ghart87/thistle-pine

Thanks

The Hansons x

The year of me.

 After all of last years incredible shenanigans, the realisation that I am fast approaching thirty (sshh don't tell anyone) and beginning to start planning for a family has really made me be aware of taking better care of my entire being.  I like to think I am a fairly healthy person. I eat three well balanced meals (my mums a dietitian so I am constantly channeling all that she taught me about food) , don't drink a lot, go to the gym a few times a week, have healthy friendships and marriage but even with all that there is so much more that goes into being healthy. 

I've decided that after going through back to back sicknesses in the new year that this year I really want to focus on taking better care of myself. Most of it being very simple common sense things like;

• Eating my five fruit and veg a day (my mum always gets mad when people take vitamins because she says if your eating right there is no need to take synthetic products).
• Drinking enough water throughout the day (which is 2/3 of your body weight).
• Getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night.
• Working out at least 3 times a week.
• Being in the sun for at least 30 mins a day.

But then I decided it needed to be more than the simple things. 

I wanted to take better care of my skin so after much research I decide to try Rodan and Fields, which so far I have to say is working amazingly. I don't have acne or anything but I wanted to rejuvenate and balance my skin. A friend of mine happened to be a rep for them and so it was easy peasy and I can really say after two months my skin has really never been better [I even got Carl on board and he started using Dove for Men skincare products and he gets so many complements about looking younger and healthier]. I also decided to stop bleaching my hair as much. I have a naturally dirty blonde color but like most women enhance it making it blonder. So now I am letting it grow out but bumping my root color every six weeks so its not drastic and luckily balayage ombre is in style so I don't look lame. 

My next step is my heart and mind. I hate reading, it's just not something I enjoy but really wish I did, I bought Shauna Niequeist new devotional book 'Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are'. It's a whole year of short little devotionals. I didn't get started til recently (because I hate reading). I have a little me time on fridays at my local starbucks before starting work, so Carl encouraged me to start off there as it's a perfect time to get into it and so far its pretty good,

My husband and I are christians and believe that we have a very real relationship with the Father. So we made it a point to pray together every night, which we have always tried to do but always fell asleep or forgot). Honestly this has really been a game changer for us, it is so easy and sometimes we pray for a long time or sometimes just a few minutes because we are exhausted (we both have fallen asleep whilst the other one was praying, but thats okay). It has strengthened not only our relationship with God but also in our marriage. We have prayed and seen answers to our prayers for not only ourselves but for our family and friends who are in need but as we have struggled through situations it's so comforting to be able to be honest and come to our good God and feel encouraged. It's incredible!

All of this is not easy to keep up as life is never plain sailing but taking it day by day makes it simpler. I am on month two and can honestly I feel so much energetic, calm, healthier, weirdly whole and free.

Keep me accountable and thank you for joining in my journey of 'me' this year. 

MIA

Well I am back...

It has been quite a while since I last sat down and wrote a blog post, so let me catch you up.

 I took a break from my blog as last year starting in September was a very busy and overwhelming time for me.

I kicked off September as a bridesmaid in my most adventures friends wedding then quickly turned around and traveled home to Edinburgh to celebrate and be a matron of honor in my sisters wedding. Carl and I then took advantage of already being out in Europe and scooted off to Italy for a get away (that will be my next blog of adventures through Italy). Upon arriving home in November my parents came to visit for a week which was amazing and helped me readjust to homesickness. Mid november came so fast and I was yet again a bridesmaid in my roomies incredible wedding. The holidays hit with Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year full of family get togethers and traditions. I brought in the new year and rounded out my matron of honor duties in my best friends wedding mid January.  It was a crazy crazy five months and with no surprise when coming off such a busy few months I got so sick, then sick and the sick again. Sickness after sickness my body tried to fight my tiredness and lowered immune system.

 I can happily say that March is a new beginning. I have not been sick for over a week and my life has seemed to settled. I told Carl I am so excited to have 2016 be a year of zero plans (besides our holiday to Hawaii in August).

Stay tuned as I plan to be blogging a lot more and more on my real life and adventures.

Sparkle Sparkle

I just got back from an amazing bachelorette weekend away for one of closest friends. 

The bachlorette theme was you guessed it Sparkle haha. We stayed up in San Lius Obispo at the famous Madonna Inn in the pinkest sparkliest room. The first room was classy with chandeliers, pink sparkly wall paper, a pink ceiling and a cupid hanging above the bed. Madonna Inn lives up to its reputation with unique rooms, magical princess castle styled buildings, famous men's waterfall bathroom (yes, all nine of us girls storming the male bathroom to see the waterfall urinal). 

With mimosas in hand we kicked off the party with a lingerie shower then headed to the pool to relax and get our sun kissed skin. Next a bit lunch and siesta before we put our pretty on and hit the town. 

Can you imagine nine girls showering, styling the hair, putting on the makeup, getting dress and strapping on the heels. I'm not going to lie it was a little br of mayhem but so much fun helping one other getting ready. 

We head straight to the Madonna bar causing a little bit of discraction hello we were all in sparkly dresses. Asking the sweet bar tender what is your sparkliest drink a French 75. 

Starving we set out for Nova for dinner. Oh my goodness I ordered a green chicken curry and it was amazing!!  We sat outdoors under a covering of string lights and stuffed ourselves full. Nova turns from a restaurant into a club so we got to dance the night away under the stars and disco ball. 

Waking up in a sea of air mattress after little sleep and cinnamon rolls from Old West Cinnemon rolls was reminiscent of childhood sleepovers. 

The weekend was so much fun and we celebrated and showered the bride to be from head to toe in sparkle!! 

November 14th can't come soon enough where we leave behind our Cougars of apartment B and officially are all wife's to three incredibly handsome men. 

 

So here is what you all really want to know...where I got my what my husband calls sequin space dress. ASOS, literally my all time favorite online store. They carry so many different designers, offer worldwide free shipping and returns and have the most incredible sales. I am probably on the site five days a week adding to my wish list of not purchasing the cutest stuff. Go look them up! 

That Nanny Life

 A nanny, childminder, Au pair, child care provider, or mother's helper.

 I currently work to jobs as a part time as an office manager and a nanny, I have been a nanny for almost two years, with two separate families. Being a nanny doesn't just mean looking after a child, you really become a part of their families which usually includes other responsibilities like running errands, some chores around the home, pet care, going to birthday parties etc.

 My first nanny family was for a two year old little boy. He was a dream, so intelligent, well mannered, well behaved and so much fun to play with. I had the privilege of helping teach him new skills and watching him develop. We had a great time together going to the library, park, beach, getting treats like cupcakes or cake pops, play dates, music classes and so much more. He was so sweet but as he turned three at the end of summer, it was time for him to start school. I miss him!

I found my next nanny family through a friends recommendation. I currently take care of a 18 month old little girl, when I started she was only six months old. Since then I have loved watching her learn how to sit up, crawl, walk, and talk. She is developing characteristics and forming her little personality. We take long walks with her dog Oliver, play at the park, and take long naps. This nanny position is very different from the last, a lot less active and more care taking is involved but we are starting to step into a whole new world of learning.

Being a nanny has taught me a lot about my future self as a mum, breaking down preconceived ideas of how I will raise my kids and learning not to judge people's parental skills. It is not always fun and games dealing with sickness, tantrums, learning styles and helping them discover themselves. I really try to follow the same rules and styles their parents use so there is a constancy but it is hard to do sometimes when my style is different. I enjoy sharing the moment with these littles and especially enjoy the long two to three hour nap breaks. I really do see my job as a privilege.

Mums major props to you, it's hard work!!!

I can't wait to start my own family but I feel although being a nanny is different from having your own kids I have learnt a lot, to name a few.

 

1. I love rules (will be pretty strict with my future babes).

2. Routine is a HUGE deal.

3. Choose your battles.

4. Be active. Staying cooped up in the house makes you all crazy.

5. Be in the moment, they change so much.

I am excited to see who I am as mum one day.

Indy

If you haven't heard of Indy Brand Clothing then you must live under a rock. I have adored this brand for a few years and now have a chance to partner with them in this collaboration. Indy brand is run out of Utah and you can clearly tell their clothing is influenced by the beautiful nature that surrounds them and adventures they personally take. This small home based shop is family run and has such creative and unique clothing. 

They have been so generous not only to me but also extended our collaboration to my husband. When I told him that he had been invited to pick his favorite tee, he was like a kid in a candy shop full of excitement. It took neither of us any time at all to choose the tees we loved (as we are constantly drooling over there clothing). 

 I swear I wear this tee at least once a week and it was the first thing I packed on our recent camping trip to the eastern sierras over Labor Day weekend. While fishing at Ellery Lake on our last day, we were both wearing our Indy tees so I of course turned it into a mini photoshoot whilst waiting for the fish to bite (I fact whilst taking photos we had to run back to our spot because a fish was on the line). This is the first time ever that Carl has willingly let me take his picture for my Instagram and allowed me to post him on a blog. Isn't he so handsome? So if you didn't know already from my Instagram this is Carl, my wonderful husband. Ignore his "fishing pants" that are covered in rips, power bate and fish guts. 

P.s if you have never been to Ellery lake over tiaoga pass you need to go!! It's so beautiful and my favorite lake so far that I've been too (I've only been twice, but I'm a huge fan). 

Follow them on instagram @Indybrandclothing // or go straight to there shop www.indybrandclothing.com

{Keep an eye out as they have giveaways and competitions}

Foxy

My husband, since he can remember has gone camping every year in the Sierras, California. This year with two big trips to Scotland and Italy we just haven't been able to get the time off or afford to go and he has been so sad about it. Well on wednesday night while laying in bed half asleep my husband whispers "we should pack up and go to the sierras this weekend" and I half jokingly said "sure why not". I just so happened to have Friday off work and obviously it's Labor Day weekend so we have Monday off too. I texted Carl the next morning and said "I think we should really go this weekend". You see earlier in the week my husband received a bonus from work so boom financially covered, I happened to have Friday off and my husband can set his on schedule. But here's the clincher randomly my father in law calls Thursday afternoon to see if we had plans this weekend, Carl said "well we think we might shoot up to Lee Vining for the weekend". Low and behold his dad had had the same thought and we all decided to go together.  That's not the end of the story, we go to get our fishing licenses and they said "oh you only need to pay for a one day license because Sunday is free fishing"... WHAT!!!! I stopped and thought to myself God really loves my husband and I because Carl's been pretty sad about not getting up their this summer and over the next 3 months (besides our trip in October) I am slammed with bridesmaids/matron of honor duties as I am in four weddings in the next 3 months plus I have all life's normal errands and stuff. Carl and I will most likely only see each other when we wake up and when go to sleep over the next few weekends, so this is a much needed little get away. 

When in the middle of the mountains what better to wear than my fox peak apparel tee "good things happen on mountians", it perfectly describes our weekend getaway. Fox Peak apparel are from Eugene, Oregon and are a rad etsy shop discovery. I am a complete sucker for anything outdoors and there brand has sweet mountain slogan and animal print tees for men and women. 

Find them on Instagram @foxpeakapparel or check out their shop on etsy. 

Infinite Youth

On the way to work this morning my husband made the observation that it's been super hot here in Southern California isn't helping our drought. With all the water limitations so much of grass has died and thatched, our trees leaves are browning and have began falling is making it look like we are in the middle of fall. All the locals are hoping for El Niño to hit this coming fall and revive our sunny state once again. 

I am in love with my new ' locals only' re from Infinite youth LA  which is based out of LA. They are an  independent etsy shop with sweet apparrel that you'll fall head over heels for . This 'Locals Only' tee is so rad!! It's not just extremely cool but it is made from organic materials. I love to support companies with good ethics and integrity and Infinite Youth fits right into that very small bracket within the big fashion world. 

This locals only tee is so easy to pair with all kinds of styles. Hit it yet there Instagram @infiniteyouthla or check out their etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/infiniteyouthla

Temecula Sunrise Hot Air Balloon

My husband and I have a bucket list things we want to do (just like anyone else). So far in the three years we have been together we have crossed off parasailing, wine tasting and now hot air ballooning. We are also crossing off in October a trip to Italy where we will travel to Venice, Florence, Pisa, Tuscany and Rome. 

This weekend we woke up bright and early at 4:30am (well I did, a girls got to look cute) and off we went into foggy back lane of wine country to meet up with the flight crew. The whole experience was incredible as we watch them fill the balloon with air to hopping in the basket. Standing in the basket feeling the heat of the burners above you and seeing three men putting there whole weight on the outside of the basket so it stays grounded makes you feel an anticipation for flight. Taking off was such a trip! I can only equate it to how you feel watching the movie UP, as you see him float away up into the sky. You literally feel like your floating on thin air and it's overwhelmingly peaceful. Knowing there is only a wicker basket between you and a 6000 foot drop gives you quite a thrill. We watched the sun fully rise through the clouds and watched the fog recede, revealing miles of orchards winery's and family farms. One of the most amazing moments was looking out on the horizon and seeing at least six other hot air balloons taking flight, all at different altitudes. After about an hour of flying high and drifting a few miles we began our decent which I assumed would be the scariest part which it was. It was quite surprising how quickly we floated back down but that wasn't the scary part, it was the question of where do we land? Gliding over houses, lakes, cattle pens and vineyards, we came to a farm where our pilot literally shouts to someone standing outside in there yard "Is it okay if we land here?" they yell back "Sure". Coming in to land we bent our knees and held on tight...thump, slide, bump, slide, bump, slide and then the same three guys come running and jump on to the sides of then basket, finally we are grounded!

Ungracefully existing the basket we end our flight with a glass of champagne (or three), the pilot recites an old Irish flight prayer that is tradition after safely taking a balloon ride and hearing a little history of hot air ballooning.

Wow, what an experience that everyone would should try.