daily life

Daily Life

May 15, 2018

I’ve been trying to spend as much time outdoors when the weather allows and Chris surprised me with a little nature date a few weeks ago. We checked out a state park we had never been to before and took Bella The Basset along for the adventure. We walked some trails and then ventured down to the Middle River Ford where you can drive across. I know that’s probably pretty lame, but I found it to be the coolest thing! The park was also in the town that I’ve been looking for houses in, so I’ve got my fingers crossed that my little dream farmhouse will become available any day now so we can spend more time at this park.

Always keeping a little Oregon with me ^

By the way you know you’re getting old (and loving it) when your idea of an exciting Saturday is visiting a greenhouse you’ve been wanting to check out. I’m like a 93 year old woman at heart. Nonetheless I had fun wandering around Harvey’s Greenhouse and picked up a little cactus to add to my growing indoor plant collection.

During the last few weeks I’ve felt like I’ve been in a bit of a funk that I can’t shake. I require a lot of downtime and alone time to decompress and recharge myself mentally and creatively and it’s not something I get all that often. With a job that requires me to be very social with the public, running errands, trying to carve out time to focus on the blog, making time for family, friends, and my relationship.. I’m left with very little time to myself. It’s tough to explain to the people you love without their feelings getting hurt because it can often come off that you’re irritated by them or that you just don’t want to make time for them, but it’s definitely not the case. I think that’s why I have such a strong desire to be successfully self employed. To be able to set my own schedule, work and create alone, so that I’m recharged and can spend more genuine quality time with the people that matter most.

Right now I’m stuck in that middle ground between Point A and Point B and it’s some of the most challenging and grueling ground to cross because you feel like you’re moving at a snail’s pace. As frustrating as it all is, I’m choosing to remain optimistic, do the work, take the time, and enjoy all the little moments in this middle area.

Speaking of which.. I’m going to get to it! I’ve got a thrifting day planned with a friend and then some garden time with Punk!

Thanks to everyone “stuck in the middle” with me. <3

Daily Life

April 17, 2018

I wanted to start the week out with a Daily Life post, not only to catch everyone up on the last several weeks, but to use this to hold myself accountable. I’ve been struggling with finding motivation and energy to focus on creative work, leaving me feeling even more burned out at my fulltime job. I want to get back to one of the very basic reasons of why I began my blog and that was to create every single day. Whether it’s just a small craft, large scale wall art, recipe, or a blog post I’m writing.. I want to get back to that feeling of producing something with my own two hands and creative mind.

I’m going to be setting my alarm a little earlier than usual (ask for mercy for those that have to deal with me being a tired grump this week) and to focus on something creative.. even if I can only spare 15 minutes. I’ll share a few of the projects or creations on my Instagram stories this week so be sure to follow @TattooedMartha to see more. If you would like to do the same, please feel free to tag me in your own creations so I can share some of them!

This year’s garden feels like it may never happen with the Game of Thrones-like never ending winter we’ve been getting. Tomorrow’s forecast: SNOW. I have all of my seeds started in the garage under a grow light, but my main concern is the garden itself. I’m changing the layout from last year and adding a few more archways for shade and a potting station. My days off are limited and don’t often sync up with the few nice days we have so I haven’t been able to get much work done. Fingers crossed that this is the last of it so I can sink my hands into some of that rich Iowa soil soon!

The hunt for the perfect farmhouse also continues. Last week we had a Mother/Daughter day and drove over to Winterset, a cute little town just 30 minutes from my parents. We spent some time exploring antique shops, eating at the famous Northside Cafe, and then looking at a few houses in the area. Of course the one I wanted most was this gorgeous 1860’s brick home that desperately needed a new roof, had extensive water damage, and looked like several murders had occurred throughout the decades. My list of dream home amenities are as follows: Big kitchen, farmhouse sink, claw-foot tub, and at least 2 ghosts.. preferably friendly.

It’s tough to save money long-term for a thing you don’t possess yet.. it sometimes feels like you’re saving for nothing so each month I’ve purchased a small piece of furniture or decor for my “farmhouse.” It may seem like I’m putting the cart before the horse, but it helps me stay motivated that I’m working toward something I’ll have very soon and not this distant fairy-tale goal.

How do you stay motivated on long term goals? What goals are you working toward currently this year? Leave your comments below!

Have a great week!

Daily Life

February 26, 2018

I think we’ve officially hit the point in winter where we are all ready for it to be over! When you can stay home and snuggle up with your favorite fat cat and a cup of tea it’s not too bad, but the reality is that I’m commuting in it every single day which makes for some white knuckle driving and me saying a lot of, “Oh shit oh shit oh shit” prayers along the way. One good thing that the weather brings is the desire for a lot of comfort food recipes and I think the most cooked so far have been my Spicy Butternut Squash Chili and Chicken Pot Pie Soup. If you’re in need of a hearty hot meal, check both of those out!

I want to thank all of you for your response to my Marriage post whether it be a Facebook comment, personal message, or email. I like to share pieces like that every so often, but it can be very nerve-wracking anticipating the response I may get. Thank you for always taking the time to read them and making me feel that I have a safe space to share them.

Over Presidents Day weekend we escaped the city and ventured to northeast Iowa to hole up in a cabin outside of Decorah. We were there for less than an hour and looked out the window to find our cabin surrounded by a herd of deer. It was such a secluded spot and we loved just staring out the windows to watch the wildlife and sunsets. We walked around town the second day to shop, grab lunch, and check out Toppling Goliath’s new brewery and taproom.

We also hiked around Dunnings’ Spring Park and the waterfall there, which we’re already planning to revisit this summer when more of the trails are open. I received a ton of messages about where our cabin was so I’ll include a link below for any fellow Iowans interested in staying there.

Our travel will be a little more limited to local trips this year with saving for a house and a Europe trip in the fall, but I’m excited to explore new places and find new reasons to love this state even more.

That’s all I have for you today.. I’m on day 7 of a 16 day work stretch so I just wanted to take a quick moment to share my recent adventures with you all.

I hope everyone’s week is off to a great start!

Link to the cabin: Luxury Cabin outside of Decorah

Daily Life

January 9, 2018

Well Hello 2018 and all the lovely optimism that comes with you.. and all the frustration of changing “17” into “18” every time I write the date.

My new year started out with celebrating my mother’s 60th birthday, which is odd to say because I still view her as a beautiful and young soul. And I promise I’m not trying to get daughter brownie points or anything. She’s truly an amazing mother and woman that I constantly aspire to be. My brothers and I got together to surprise her at dinner. We get caught up with our every day lives and can’t always coordinate to spend time together which is something my mom has always wanted.. all three kids together in one place.. getting along. She looked so happy and I’m glad we were finally able to make that happen for her.

The next day my cousin and I took her to the Des Moines Botanical Gardens. The weather here has been in the negative temperatures the past several weeks so it was really refreshing to walk around in a warm and humid environment with all the fragrant smells from the tropical plants and flowers.

Alright since this is a “New Year” post, it’s time to talk about goals..

Last year I wrote out several goals or things I wanted to work on for 2017. I’d circle 4-5 at a time and try to focus on those instead of attempting to tackle the entire list at once. Some of the items didn’t happen in 2017 and will carry onto this year’s list, but the majority of the goals have satisfying check marks next to them..

Solo trip (to Oregon)
Big summer garden
Nashville
Becoming debt free
Getting my last name back
Learning to love photography again
Horseback riding
New Mexico
Arizona to see the Grand Canyon

A lot of people made “Top 9’s” on Instagram, but I chose to throw together my own favorite 9 from last year to share some of my favorite 2017 adventures.

This year’s goal list is a bit shorter, but they’re some pretty big goals and I want to focus the majority of my energy and efforts there. I know that I’ll be adding to it as the year goes on.. like maybe purchasing a motorcycle and finally learning how to ride one? Whatever I end up tackling you can be sure that I’ll be sharing it here with you!

Any of these on your list too? I mean there has to be someone else out there that wants to adopt a pair of piggies! Comment below and share the goal you are most excited to accomplish this year!

Here’s to a successful shiny new year! Cheers!

Daily Life

December 8, 2017

The past few months I’ve felt really guilty about not posting as often as I should. Typically on my days off I would get called in, had a ton of errands to catch up on, or things just wouldn’t go as planned, leaving me with no recipes and no content to share. Over the last few weeks I’ve been spending a lot of time reflecting about why I started a blog in the first place and how I can get back to that. It began as a place to share my creations, my life, and voice. I wanted to inspire other people to create masterpieces and disasters, but to create nonetheless.

So let’s skip to where I am now: My creations don’t get to happen as often as I’d like with working a fulltime retail job, my life went through some major upheavals of change over the last few years (divorce + cross country move + moving again), and my voice became quiet as I needed the time and privacy to figure out exactly who I had become through that change.

I’m always waiting to be on the other side of things so that I can write about how to navigate through it all and in turn I’m not writing at all because I’m never fully breaking through to the other side. And no I’m not about to quote Jim Morrison here.. I’m just trying to say that we’re always striving for that next level in life or that next goal to tackle and to remain silent during the in-between process and instead waiting until we’ve overcome it all is just a disservice to everyone else out there in the “in-between.” It isolates us in a time of our lives that we need others to say.. “I’m down in the trench with you.. I’m here.”

What I want to create is a community of people that can bounce ideas back and forth, engage with one another, and support each other through all the weird interim times of figuring shit out. Careers, relationships, new business ventures, etc.. My friends and I love each other dearly and support one another through anything, but we’re in very different places in our lives. Sometimes it’s nice to have people in the same boat as you and eating the same “shit sandwich” of a path to pursue independence, entrepreneurship, and a life outside the norm.

I never wanted this blog to become some “Dear Diary” type space, but I think I just need to let go and let it become whatever it’s going to become. I still love cooking, creating, and sharing those experiences and recipes with you, so you can always expect that, but maybe it’s time I allow things to become a little bit more personal in between the main courses and cocktails.

It feels a little scary and unnerving to think about sharing some of the writing I typically reserve for personal never-to-see-the-light-of-day journaling, but every time I’ve pushed past my fears something amazing and transformative comes from it. So I suppose that means I just have to keep leaning into the uncomfortable and unknown.

Has there been a time in your life that you carried around a particular fear or hesitation? Who or what helped you push past it? I always love hearing from you so leave your comments and thoughts below!

Daily Life + My Southwest Road Trip

October 14, 2017

The last two weeks have brought a lot of change (good change), travel, and celebrations. I accepted a promotion at a new store, turned 29, and went on a week long 3,300 mile road trip through the southwest!

I kept my birthday low key and spent it at home with my family and boyfriend. Later we went kayaking at sunset (I’d never gone before) and enjoyed a few beers on the water. I’ll save the big celebrating for next year when I’m turning the Dirty Thirty. And why is it dirty? Can anyone explain that one?

Then last Tuesday we hit the road for our big road trip. We drove south through Missouri and Oklahoma so we could drive parts of the old Route 66 and camped overnight in Oklahoma. We were plagued by heavy rains the first few days, but managed to finally out-drive it to the southern part of New Mexico.

We camped all but one night (a Travelodge feels like The Ritz-Carlton when you’ve been camping all week). We ran around the white sand dunes in New Mexico, hiked Red Rocks State Park in Sedona, AZ, and finally got to enjoy the great wonder that is the Grand Canyon. I even fulfilled my goal of yelling, “PENIS!” as loud as I could which is what I wrote that I wanted to do at 17 years old on my original bucket list. I clearly had some great goals back in the day.. haha

It was perfect timing to take this trip before starting my new position and heading into the busy holiday retail season. We got to explore a lot in a short amount of time and managed to not get sick of one another or think homicidal thoughts after being in a truck or tent 24/7 for 6 days straight. I’ve been wanting to make this trip happen for many years and felt very fortunate that our finances, schedules, and planning all came together for a once in a lifetime trip. Although I don’t know if it will be a one time kind of thing because we’re already talking about plans to go back and see some of the places we missed the first round!

Reflecting on everything that has happened this year up until now.. I can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I have a wonderful and supportive group of people around me, every day I’m a few steps closer to my goals, and my entire perspective has shifted. All of which have resulted in dealing with stress better (okay.. I still swear like a sailor and have a few glasses of wine before calming down), and I’m able to curb that negative downward spiral thinking much quicker. I’m able to appreciate the good moments while I’m in them rather than focusing on where else I could be or what else I could be doing.

Life is just really good right now. Cheers to being another year older and wiser!

Daily Life

September 20, 2017

Oh Mylanta! I actually have a day off and a moment to write! I took a few weeks off from the blog at the beginning of this month while I was working extra hours at my full-time job before traveling and then of course a week off to enjoy said travels, so it’s nice to finally play some catch up.

So let’s get to it!

Any time the seasons change I feel like we have a need for change as well. Whether it’s a tattoo, hair color change, exploring a new hobby, or traveling.. there’s just something we need to shake up a little bit so we feel like we’ve evolving as well. I opted to stick with the tattoos and hair color I have and instead booked a trip back to Oregon for a quick visit.

Since the trip was short we made sure to make the most of it and packed in several of my remaining Oregon Bucket List items and then some. Within 72 hours I had been to the ocean, hiked through the Painted Hills, hiked Smith Rock, explored a mile long underground cave, hiked to Paulina Falls, walked through obsidian filled trails around a lake, and then sat in hot springs so hot they could poach an egg! I had one full day in Portland to see friends and then flew out the next morning.

When I flew into Oregon I had this sense of coming home. It felt like I had just been on an extended trip and was finally returning, but that’s also how I feel now when I fly into Iowa. Neither place is better or worse, they each have people that I deeply care about, and they both hold memories that have shaped me into who I am now. They’re both just home to me.

It was bittersweet to leave, but I know I’ll be back again soon and hopefully for a longer period of time. Next up on the adventure list: The Grand Canyon! All that hiking around the high desert in Oregon got me excited for hiking the desert around the southwest. I’ll keep you all updated on my preparation for the trip and of course you can follow along during the journey on my personal Instagram!

Daily Life

July 25, 2017

We’re in the midst of summer and I find myself wishing it were October already. The stifling heat and humidity have taken away the enjoyment of being outside and spending time in the garden. Even early in the morning I find myself pouring sweat and ready to pass out after just a few minutes of being out there. I blame the Pacific Northwest and their mild summers for making me weak. Another situation causing me to be an angry gardener is fighting a slew of creepy crawlies that have been ravaging my garden each day. My kale gets consumed down to the spine of the leaf and my green been plant sometimes looks like Swiss cheese after a swarm of beetles comes through. It feels like an uphill battle, but we’ve been able to salvage what we can and deter them.

When I’m not hollering every swear word I know at insects, I’m harvesting what hasn’t been eaten and putting it to use in recipes. Last week I shared two recipes using mint from the garden and I’ve already made several more. A delicious summer cocktail using the basil simple syrup recipe I shared on Instagram, cupcakes, and all things pickled! It feels great to be working on posts again and I can’t wait to share them with you.

On a more personal note..

It could be the weather or just having a full work schedule with not a lot of time leftover, but I’ve been feeling a little stagnant and drained of my energy. I was taking time once a week to do horseback riding lessons and volunteer at a local stable, but after one of the instructors left abruptly, the riding program kind of fell apart. All the work on the garden helped fill that time void, but with it being unbearably hot and gross out, I haven’t been able to sit down and truly enjoy it. I feel like I’ve put a lot of the things I was doing for myself on back burner leaving me resentful, exhausted, and unfulfilled.

After having this realization I’m happy to say that I’m slowly navigating my way out of this slump by reclaiming that time for myself again, but I want to at least acknowledge it so that I can move on from it. I often get comments on my Instagram saying that my posts are so positive and uplifting, so it’s only fair to share that it’s not always the case. Growing up my family were more realists and even now the majority of people I know think of the “what ifs” and worst case scenarios in a situation, goal, or idea. I suppose that’s why after any hiccup in my life, I easily fall into a pessimistic outlook that’s followed by a downward spiral of bad thoughts about myself. Being positive or having an optimistic point of view is something I have to practice on a regular basis to combat that learned behavior and thinking of a negative perspective.

I guess what I’m getting at is that we all wake up with the opportunity to choose how to perceive our life and the events happening within it. We also all have the right to ugly cry, hyperventilate, and feel like a sad sack of shit when life is seemingly beating us down. The point is not to stay down for long. Acknowledge it, be kind to yourself (because your love and kindness means the most), and move forward.

How do you pick yourself back up when you have moments of self doubt? What’s that one thing that you do for you and you only?

Daily Life + Garden Update

June 15, 2017

Spring seemed to just come and go with a whirlwind of road trips, concerts, work and garden projects. Things kicked off in April with a vacation to good ole Nashville (which I’ll share a separate post about) and then a few weeks later a quick 24 hours in Chicago. In between my mini-getaways and working I’ve poured the vast majority of my spare time into the huge 100 square foot garden I started in March.

It began as a place for me to create, work, and unwind, but it’s evolved into a beautiful and functional space that has allowed me to spend time with my family and bond over projects we’re working on together. My dad, Tracy, is an all around handy-man/wizard when it comes to… well, just about everything! He leveled out the ground we chose for the garden and built a retaining wall, complete with steps up into the garden so instead of raised garden beds, we have one giant raised garden! We installed a fence with additional chicken wire at the bottom to keep the adorable, but garden consuming, bunnies and squinnies out and used an old picket fence of my mom’s for the gate.

March

April

May

The next challenge was watering a space this big without running up the water bill every month. Tracy devised a simple and yet complex plan to redirect water that the pump in the basement would otherwise be pumping into the yard, into two 55 gallon drums instead. Clean, filtered, fresh, and most importantly, free, water every day to help the garden flourish.

I wanted to go vertical with my herb garden so we used two pallets and rebuilt them with shelves and weed fabric to hold in the soil and plants. We also added an archway that my mother gifted him several years ago that had rusted over. A layer of primer and some vibrant paint brought it back to life and attracts hummingbirds.

I built a trellis for the cucumbers out of leftover fence, used stones out of the creek to line the walkways, and now we’re in the process of slicing up some old trees that had been cut down to making stepping stones throughout the paths. We even found one that was slightly heart shaped! <3

I’m so proud of how much we’ve been able to re-purpose to make this garden come to life. I’m also very proud to have two loving parents that support and help me in accomplishing my goals and ideas.. even if they tell me I’m “off my rocker” when I first tell them my ideas. 😉

The garden is very close to being finished so I’ll share more photos once all the aesthetic parts are completed and stay tuned for some new cocktail recipes that will be rolling out this weekend!

Daily Life

May 12, 2017

It’s been a little difficult for me to do any personal writing lately because when I do finally have a moment to sit down and process it all, it’s just an intense outpouring of everything all at once. It ends up being a little too raw and personal or the reverse and I find myself “editing” as if everyone is reading it live, so I have to make sure not to say anything I’ll regret later. I realize that in doing so I’ve been depriving myself of expression to be who I am. Life is not a perfectly edited and filtered Instagram photo and life is not a phony upbeat blog post trying to make things sound different than they are.

So here it goes.. raw and unfiltered.

Several months ago I made the choice to move back home, but I felt embarrassed and pathetic about the notion of being twenty-eight years and starting over at home again, so I chose not to talk about it at all. Now it just seems a little ridiculous to be embarrassed or to omit that part of my life because someone somewhere could be in the exact same boat and why feel shame over something that has actually been one of the smarter moves I’ve made?

When I moved back from Oregon I needed solace and solitude. I found a rental house way out in the country and it provided exactly what I needed at the time. The lease was month to month, but I intended on staying at least 1 to 2 years. After moving so much I just wanted a place that I could call home, even if I was only renting. Unfortunately there were several ongoing issues with the house and the arrangement with the property and I realized.. this is not my home.

I had two options: #1. Be the same old stubborn and proud asshole I’ve always been and just put up with it until spring when I could move into another place during a better time of year or #2. Swallow all of that pride, move back home, and save the majority of my income to purchase MY OWN home instead of paying for someone else’s.

Option #2 seems like the easier choice, but making that decision was far from it because it felt like another gigantic failure in a long line of them that I’d already been recovering from. Just the thought of saying, “I live at home with my parents.” immediately gives me the mental image of some 40 year old loser smoking pot and playing video games in his mom’s basement while she makes him meatloaf and does his laundry. Then I realized that I am none of those things.. and I hate meatloaf for the record.. I am ME in this situation. I hit these huge walls of failure and instead of wallowing in it forever (I still wallow a little), I focus on rebuilding my life, a little wiser, a little stronger.

After I got moved and settled in I still felt pretty down about my situation (wallowing), so I grabbed a notebook, pen, and calculator and jotted down my three major goals for 2018. I assigned rough estimations of the cost for these goals and then broke it down into a monthly and bi-monthly savings plan. I’m a little bit of a control freak so making plans like these help me feel like I have a better grasp on things when life is seemingly spiraling away from me. My plan not only helped me get out of debt very quickly, but it has helped me put a comma in my savings account, something that I have NEVER been able to make happen in the decade+ that I’ve been working. It’s a small feat, but it’s one I’m extremely proud of.

I catch myself growing frustrated or placing more pressure on myself to make this savings goal happen even faster, but adding unnecessary stress won’t make more money appear in my account. My entire life I’ve been in this big hurry to do it all, see it all, and live a fulfilled life, but my pride and stubborn ways of doing it the hard way or doing it all without help has only hindered me in accomplishing more. Accepting help, making small sacrifices and compromises, and maintaining even just a little bit of faith and patience are my lessons I’m learning.

So there you have it.. I’m a 28 year old “loser” who temporarily lives at home with her parents (not in the basement I might add) and I am damn proud of it!