daily life

Daily Life

March 28, 2019 · 5 Comments

I’m thinking that I need to up the Daily Life posts to two or three times a month because things have been changing quickly around here!

We’re about a month into living in the new house now and I can honestly say that it truly feels like home (and as you see above, Punk feels the same). We had our first family dinner here on Sunday and it was really wonderful to have everyone together in this space. I didn’t want a house just to have a house.. I saw it as my place to gather family and friends, entertain, cook, and share our space with them. When you want something for so long, you find yourself in disbelief and overwhelming gratitude when you realize it’s finally happened. I guess this is just my general PSA for you to stop in this moment and to look back at all you’ve accomplished and overcome.

If you follow along on Instagram you may have seen the news I shared earlier in the week..

We have our first farm dog!

Chris and I had just had a conversation about animals, particularly about getting a dog, to which I said, “No way!” At least not right now since we have so many house projects we need to get done. I’m not kidding when I tell you that the very next day I was home on my day off and look out in the backyard to see this big white dog running around. She was super friendly and I figured must be our neighbor’s dog that lives just down the road, but he said she was a stray. She hopped right in my car and we drove around to nearby houses trying to find her owner, but didn’t have any luck. She stayed overnight for two nights in our walkout basement until Chris had a day off to take her into the vet to check for a chip.

Sure enough she was micro-chipped which was disappointing news for us since we had gotten a little bit attached, but good news for her and her family. Chris contacted the owners, but they were out of town until Sunday so we happily agreed to keep her another day. After they showed up and we got to talking, we discovered that we’re neighbors AND I had actually started following their Instagram about a month prior. They run an amazing and inspiring flower farm called Pepper Harrow (go check them out). They said they had been trying to find a new home for Kita, but hadn’t found anyone yet. They offered to let us adopt her and I think we both thought they might have been kidding so I didn’t say yes right away. When we realized they were serious we accepted and went in to tell our family the good news.

Before we knew her name I started calling her Wednesday since she has a fondness for dead things, so we call her Wednesday, Kita, or Cha-Kita Banana. She’s a Great Pyrenees and Black Mouth Cur mix so she’s an amazing guard dog and I already feel safer having her here. She likes to bring us a slightly alarming amount of deer legs, furry hides, deer tails, and skulls. I of course, love her immensely already.

I’ll do my best to share a Daily Life in a few weeks instead of a month from now because who knows what animals we’ll have adopted by then! 😉

For more updates in the moment you can follow along on the Tattooed Martha IG or on my personal page!

Daily Life

January 31, 2019

Goodness gracious.. how is it still January?! By this point I thought I would be writing, “I can’t believe it’s March!” but something about this month has just stretched on for an unnecessarily long time. Perhaps sliding my car into a ditch twice, the white knuckle drives home in the snow, and/or that I’m just two weeks away from hopefully/maybe/possibly/ CLOSING ON MY FIRST HOME!

I’m waiting to hear back about the appraisal, but as long as that’s good, we’ll close on Valentines Day.. which will finally give me a good reason to celebrate it! The tricky part about this home is that even though it will officially be mine, we cannot move in full time until the new septic is installed. I’m looking at the silver lining of the situation and waiting to move in will give us time to thoroughly clean, paint, and repair some of the major things needed first (like maybe that gutter that’s dangling off the back of the house). Utilities are also higher this time of year given the arctic temps so it will all work out for the better that we’re forced to wait a bit longer.

That hasn’t stopped me from obsessively watching Fixer Upper and then looking at photos of my house and saying, “Yep, we’ll just knock out this wall here, add a second bath there, put French doors in here, and shiplap on everything!” I’m certainly no Joanna Gaines (probably more like Chip than anything), but I’m most looking forward to sharing this home with you all too. I’ve been wanting to expand the topics and structure of this blog into something much more and a big part of that will be adding home renovations, DIYs, sustainable living tips, and sharing more of my lifestyle and personal insights.

This might be a good time to gently introduce you guys to an idea that’s been rolling around in my head for awhile and that’s to say goodbye to Tattooed Martha..

I’m not talking about the blog, but the name itself I’m ready to part with. Tattooed Martha was born from a kitschy pun of being a Tattooed Martha Stewart.. cooking, baking, crafting, and entertaining, but I really don’t want to stay pigeon holed to just that. I also feel like it was identity created with another part of my life. A life when I was married, living in Portland, traveling around to tattoo conventions, and doing pin-up style photo shoots. It’s just not really who I identify with anymore and I’d like to be known as Sasha and not this “character” that people have envisioned. I hope that when I make the transition to something different, you, my readers, understand that we all evolve throughout our lives and it’s okay to let go of parts that no longer serve us.

The blog will remain a big part of who I am and what I do (and don’t worry.. all the content that’s on here now will still be there after a name change), but I’ve got a vision so much bigger than just a blog.

I’m certainly curious to hear everyone’s thoughts on this change, just know that my mind is made up on the matter! Haha just not the name, so perhaps you’ve got a few ideas of your own. Comment below and let me know what you think or tell me about a time where you were at a crossroads of letting go of something that no longer felt true to who you are.

Be sure to follow along on Instagram for sneak peeks at the house, recipes, and more!

Daily Life

January 7, 2019

We’re a week into 2019 and things are already off to a great start. We took off this past weekend to get out of town and spend some time at a cabin with family and friends. It was a nice way to blow off some steam after a hectic holiday season and there were plenty of good meals, good laughs, and good times shared. The real highlight of the weekend came right before we left town though, when I received an unexpected and yet very anticipated phone call from my realtor..

After months of waiting, we finally got a yes on an acreage I offered on. It’s not a signed and sealed deal just yet, but it’s moving along at least. I know way more about septic systems than I ever thought I would and I’m sure purchasing a fixer upper as my first home is going to school me on a whole lot of other things I never thought I would possess knowledge of. Like everything in my life, I like to jump in with both feet and couldn’t be more excited to take on this challenge. I see a lot YouTube DIY demos, paint, and wine in my future. Feel free to send me bottles of reinforcement!

Becoming a home owner was my one big goal (aside from Europe) that I wanted to tackle last year, but the right home/price/seller just didn’t allign and it hurt not being able to check that one off the list. I set myself timelines and deadlines for “THE” house to come to fruition and was met with disappointment over and over when things fell through. After reminding myself to look at everything I DID accomplish and also realizing I was standing in my own way, I let go of that timeline and expectation. One week and one day later exactly of releasing my grip on that goal and things are finally becoming a reality.

This is not to say you should just visualize or swing crystals around and your wildest dreams will come true. You absolutely need to prepare, work toward, and get your hands dirty when it comes to accomplishing your goal. Just remember to allow things to happen on their own timeline after you’ve done all that you can on your own.

Push yourself this year, work harder than you ever have, bring about healthy change, and remember to be gracious to yourself. You may feel like you’re running in quicksand most of the time, but I promise that you are moving in the right direction nonetheless.

Cheers to a promising New Year!

Daily Life

December 1, 2018

Alright it’s the beginning of the end (of the year that is) and I’m ready to end it strong! I don’t know if it’s just the right culmination of stress, anger, energy, and determination, but I have this fire to make things happen right now. I’ve been creating more regular content, reviving my newsletter, and writing out some concrete plans on how to navigate from the life I’m currently living to the one I want to be.

I realized that when I share with people some of my stories and struggles, the message I try to leave them with is to not live a life of mediocrity. Do not settle for anything less than extraordinary. We are not here to live out the same broken story of our pasts, relive the history of our parents’ bad marriage, or to keep working that safe yet soul draining job because it’s “all we know.” We all deserve better and I suppose I have to remind myself of that now and then.

One of my anchors to mediocrity has been my search for the dream farmhouse. I keep telling myself that things will change when I find the right home, but finding it isn’t happening as smooth or as quickly as I would like it to. I know, I know… “Everything will come together as it should.” but trust me, it doesn’t make the pill any easier to swallow in the meantime when you’re living almost 40 minutes apart from your partner, working opposite schedules and lucky to squeeze in a date night every other week, majority of your belongings are boxed up in your parent’s basement still, and you have Pinterest ideas and magazine clippings just piling up for that dream kitchen you’ve been trying to design for 2 years.

Letting that go and realizing I have the ability to change other areas of my life while I’m waiting has felt liberating. It’s one of those things that is written right in front of you the whole time, but you’re so focused on this ONE goal that you lose sight of everything else. And if you’ve found that you’ve done this too or might currently be.. here’s a bit of honesty for you to feel better about it..

Just a few weeks ago I was screaming into the phone at my boyfriend (thank you for loving me even through moments like that) that I was either going to give up and get an apartment in town or move to another state (again) because things weren’t happening here. I’ve also threatened to buy a ridiculously pricey motorcycle with my down payment instead of saving it for a house since the house thing isn’t happening. Let me point out that I don’t even know how to ride a motorcycle, renting an apartment would make me miserable, and moving to another state would solve absolutely nothing. But hey, I’m only human and we all have a drama queen living deep down inside of us that comes up with these “plans” when things aren’t going our way. Thankfully I was able to come back to Planet Reality and develop a plan that doesn’t involve zip code changes and learning how to ride an expensive motorcycle.

Onto some blog updates! A newsletter is maybe a bit antiquated for some, but playing the algorithm games with Facebook and Instagram posts so that my readers can actually see my content is exhausting. I try to grow authentically and by word of mouth so I don’t pay to boost or sponsor my content. My email list is the only platform where I can reach everyone organically and I think the best way to engage with you all one on one. I read each and every comment, email, and direct message and truly value the connections I make with everyone. So if you find you’re missing out on some of my posts, just simply subscribe to my newsletter and you won’t miss out ever again. You’ll receive a roundup of new posts at the end of the month, get access to exclusive recipes that will only be shared in email, and be the first to know about new projects and updates (like if I buy a house and/or motorcycle?). And not to worry.. I still love writing Daily Life posts and connecting with you all here, so these will be a regular feature.

Comment below and share with me one of your favorite Drama Queen Freak Out Moments or helpful tips on how you overcame a big goal or challenge! And to keep up with future posts, subscribe below!

Daily Life

November 2, 2018

Hello November! Last month was full of travels, straight back to a full work schedule, and house shopping. If you followed along on Instagram you saw that I celebrated my 30th birthday in Paris, traveled through to the south of France, and then across Italy. It was my first trip abroad and we packed in A LOT over the course of 3 weeks. Friends and family keep asking me about the trip and I still don’t know if I’ve fully processed everything we saw and experienced, so I’ve been answering with a lame and vague, “It was great!” and not much else. I’ve been trying to set aside a little time each day to write about each place we were so I can share each city in a separate post. There are a lot of great moments from the trip, but I will tell you my 3 highlights from Italy and share some photos NOT on Instagram yet down below!

Taking that much time off meant we flew back and immediately went back to work the next day. Winter is coming (GOT fans, where are you?!) and living in the country with a long commute to work means you have to leave some vacation days set aside for when you inevitably get snowed in. We’re also still searching for a house, so I will gladly jump at the chance of working long weeks since I have a fondness of old houses in need of lots of TLC and money to restore them. We have one in mind currently, but we’re in the fun negotiation phase so keep your fingers crossed for me!

Since I was MIA on the blog for all of October I’m thinking of some Halloween/Christmas fusions for recipes and crafts towards the end of this month. What would you like to see? And who would like a home tour on the blog of my dream shack when/if we close?

Alright I’m doing my best at keeping this fairly short for now. As promised, a few highlights from the Europe trip include:

Beppe – the 83 year old owner of the bed and breakfast we stayed at in Corniglia. He didn’t speak any English and did his best to understand my terrible Italian. He showed us everything in the entire apartment, lifted my massive luggage up the steps while proclaiming, “Forte!” (strong), over and over, and even made a joke about Chris being too tall to stand up in the bedroom loft. He was adorable and I’m unofficially adopting him as my Grandpa.

Hiking from Corniglia to Vernazza along the Cinque Terre trail. We went through olive groves, passed by farms with chickens, wild lavender and grapes growing, took in the most stunning views of the hillsides and Mediterranean, and enjoyed our first Italian pizza when we got to Vernazza.

Taking a pasta making class in Rome. We learned how to make three different types of pasta from a professional chef in the most beautiful loft space that once was an old pasta factory. Not only was it the most delicious pasta I’ve even consumed in my life, but the people we met in the group were amazing as well. It was the perfect night of delicious foods, wine, conversation, atmosphere, and communion. And I picked up a new skill and some recipes that I get to share with you all!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Get out and try something new!

Daily Life

September 6, 2018

I know the official start of fall isn’t for a few weeks, but in my mind it has already started and I’ll be the first to say BYEEEEE SUMMER! Don’t get me wrong, summer has it’s moments, but when you have a vacation planned for the fall, humidity is not your friend, and you’re basically a vampire and fry up like bacon anytime the sun hits your skin.. you kind of can’t wait for summer to get over with. I’m also slightly biased with my birthday being at the end of September, but it’s definitely my favorite month. It just seems to bring about an air of change, reflection, and creativity.

Since I haven’t been able to post a lot lately I wanted to touch base with you all on the blog. I kept toying with this idea of re-branding or relaunching it in hopes that I will be able to create more content or that it would spark something new, but the reality is.. the same amount of time (which is little) would be left to work on it and if anything I’d be creating even more work starting from scratch. So rather than scrap everything and start over, I’m going to return to it’s original purpose. Regardless of name or how often I’m able to post to it, will always be a creative outlet and platform for me to share and connect with you. I’m doing my very best to stockpile some new content to share over the next few weeks!

So speaking of sharing.. I have some really fun news to tell you! This is usually the part where someone announces an engagement or baby.. but for me that baby’s name is Europe! I got my passport in the spring and have slowly been booking flights and arranging hotel/AirBnb stays throughout France and Italy. This is seriously a dream come true for me and I am damn proud of myself for making it happen! My gentleman friend (I hate the word boyfriend) and I will be leaving on the 29th of this month and taking an overnight flight to Paris. I will arrive in the City of Lights on the 30th on my 30th birthday.. and yes I totally planned that.

I’ve already received so many recommendations on what to see and do, but I’m all ears if you have anymore ideas. I don’t do museums.. maybe someday, but I don’t want to spend the majority of my limited time standing in lines for my first visit. I just want to explore different cities, eat amazing food, have great experiences, and see beautiful things. If you have any suggestions that fall under those categories, comment them below!

Daily Life

July 19, 2018

Summer seems like a season where you get to kick back, work very little, and live a playful, stress-free life. My summer seems to have missed that memo and has been quite the opposite.

I’m at one of those annoyingly frustrating, emotionally exhausting plateaus in my life. I don’t want to say it’s a downhill point because I’m generally happy, grateful, and optimistic for a lot of things in my life.. I just happen to be hitting a rather hard brick wall in a few other areas.

The biggest obstacle so far has been finding a home. I thought I found one and things were going well until the inspection, which revealed that this home wasn’t going to be a quick, easy, fixer upper as we initially thought. My offer was contingent upon the inspection and appraisal allowing me to respectfully decline and get my earnest money back. Unfortunately the seller seemed to be out to make a quick buck and didn’t want to return my money to me or release me from the contract. My realtor negotiated a deal and I’ll be getting all of my funds back, but he had to take a hit in the pocket book because of them. It was a souring experience with something I’ve been looking forward to and left me leary of looking at/making an offer on any future homes.

In the end I know that things have happened as they should. I was going against my own intuition with buying this home. Everyone tells you that you have to start somewhere and get a “starter home” so I just kind of went for it. I thought it was just the fear of making such a big decision, but I think it was actually my gut saying.. “THIS ISN’T THE ONE!” I’ve been waiting for so long and it’s frustrating to see no proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, but I refuse to just settle.

After throwing myself a little pity party over the last few weeks I’m finally feeling strong again and ready to move forward. I’m working really hard to generate more content for the blog, launch an Etsy shop again, and nail down the rest of my reservations for Europe. My home will find it’s way to me in the process, so I’m going to focus on the things I can control in the meantime.

Thank you to everyone that has shared words of encouragement and kind messages over the last few weeks. Most of you didn’t even know what was going on, but somehow knew I needed some love and kindness to get through.

Until the next time..

-Sasha-

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