A Year of Dates (DIY Gift)

March 17th is around the corner, which is my wedding anniversary! Tradition says that the first anniversary is paper so that's exactly what I did! I got this idea off Pinterest and made it my own. The original "A Year of Dates" package includes gift certificates or money so the dates are essentially prepaid. However, Bryan's orders are up in July and we don't know where we are PCS-ing to until sometime around May. I didn't want to pay for something then we leave Florida and we can't use it! 

Also as I've mentioned before, Bryan & I are expecting our first child in April. The earlier dates are more family-oriented such as the Day at the Beach and the Picnic at the Park date. I thought it would be fun to do things together as the family we're about to become. I saved the babysitter required dates for when my son is a bit older and it won't be as difficult to get a sitter. An example would be Night at the Movies and the Classic Date Night (dinner & dessert at a new restaurant).

Below are pictures of the finished project! I hope you like it! It was fairly easy to create. I went to my local craft store and bought scrapbook stickers, a pack of card stock paper & envelopes, and I chose a single piece of scrapbook paper for the outside cover. AC Moore was having a great sale so my finished project only cost $20 for me to make!

Pregnancy & Raspberry Tea

It's been awhile since I've last updated, January has been a busy month for me! I've had so many great visits from relatives.

Now that my husband and I are back to our normal, daily routines, I'd love to share whats been going on with me and my pregnancy so far! Since I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to have a natural birth. Everything I have read compares it to a marathon, in which you must train for. You wouldn't show up to the Honolulu Marathon without training, would you?

So far I have watched countless documentaries and read numerous articles. I'm registered for 3 childbirth classes (the first of which is tomorrow) and I'm meeting my doula on Tuesday. I've been feeling great so far! Aside from being tired and hungry, I didn't have morning sickness, I can still fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans, and I'm not craving any pickles! Haha

But what I do want to share with you is my (on-going) experience with Red Raspberry Leaf tea. I read on a blog by Genevieve on MamaNatural (mamanatural.com) about this tea and decided to try it. It is said that Red Raspberry Leaf tea is a uterine tonic and helps strengthen the uterine muscles. Well let me tell you, I can feel them strengthening! I've been drinking about two cups of tea a day and since I started a week ago I've felt more Braxton Hicks contractions this week than in my whole pregnancy! I really hope it's working because I've read that strong muscles help in an easier labor! I'll have to come back to this post after I give birth to confirm if it was worth it or not.

I'm drinking Bigelow Tea - mixed with some honey, I really enjoy the taste.
But I've read Traditional Medicinals Tea works well too!

In addition, I've also read that making a nice strong batch of this tea and drinking it while in labor will help you even more. I can't yet confirm if this is true or not but it can't hurt to try!

This is me at 31 weeks, happy belated Valentines Day!

About Me!

Let me start out by saying a little about myself! My name is Alyssa and I’m 23. I graduated in December 2013 with a Bachelors in Elementary Education from Hawaii Pacific University.

My husband is Bryan and he’s in the Navy. I grew up in Hawaii (although it doesn’t look like it) and very recently moved to Jacksonville, Florida to be reunited with my husband. He’s stationed here until he finishes school in July.

In addition, I’m pregnant with our first child and I’m due in mid-April. I’m having a boy and I couldn’t be more nervous! Yet I’m extremely excited as well! 

I enjoy reading books, painting my nails and experimenting with different nail art, taking pictures, spending time with family and exploring the outdoors. I hope you follow along with me on this new journey in my life!