Counting today, there are only two Saturdays left before Christmas. CUE FREAKOUT. Or maybe not? If you celebrate Christmas, are you all prepared for the holiday? How’s your wallet holding up with all of that holiday spending? To help you out this holiday season, I have a $25 gift card to Grocery Outlet. If you’ve…
Stories
How the Pour Over Brew Method Made Me Slow Down and Savor The Moments
I ran out of flat bottom coffee filters. That’s how it all started. Thrust into a morning without the familiar pattern of rising to the smell of time-brewed coffee in my trusty old coffee maker that I normally set the night before, I panicked. I needed coffee. The day ahead was long and the To…
Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon
Oh dear. What have I done? I’m an adventure junkie who (foolishly) says yes to most things I’ve never done before because I like – no, I LOVE – trying new things all the time. But this time, I fear I may be in over my head. The adrenaline rush from being on a working vacation…
Soul Sunday: Balancing Good Health
I haven’t done a Soul Sunday post in a while. Not that I haven’t had a lot to say, I just have had so many other things to post while I cleared my head enough to write this post. If you’re not interested in my personal story, don’t feel bad about skipping it. I’ve been…
A Smart Home for Everyone: Check out the #BuzzAboutHive!
This week has been non-stop busy, and of course, it is during this busy time when things seem to get all wack-a-doodle. I’ve spent a few meetings wondering “did I remember to lock the side door? Did I turn off the heat?” I’ve come home to find some lights on that I swore I turned off before I…
Best of Urban Bliss Life 2014
2014. It’s been a good year, a blessed year. And when I say that, I don’t mean it’s been a year without challenges; there is never a year without challenges. But it has been a year with no regrets. I’ve got a round up below of YOUR favorite blog posts from the year, but first…
Tips for Taking Your Teen to Warped Tour
Let me begin by saying what needs to be said: I never in a million years imagined ever writing an article titled “Tips for Taking Your Teen to Warped Tour.” I might have imagined writing a kickass article sharing with you tips on How to Convince Your Parents You Should Go to Warped Tour, or…
Birthday Bliss: Chocolate Tart, a Special Dinner, a Crazy Night of Karaoke, and a Sweet Ride
Woohoo! Break out the confetti and bring on the cake! It’s Birthday Week in our house! This past weekend, we celebrated my husband’s birthday. Later this week, we celebrate my son’s birthday. We have a lot to be thankful for, our little family, and I’m always grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the lives of…
Cirque du Soleil TOTEM
My daughter celebrated her seventh birthday this past week. Seven! What the WHAT?! I was so excited that we were able to see Cirque du Soleil TOTEM on her birthday. It was a late night for us on a school night — the show started at 8pm, which is normally her bedtime — but she…
[Soul Sunday] Spring Break Adventures
![[Soul Sunday] Spring Break Adventures](https://i1.wp.com/www.urbanblisslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/SpringBreak7.jpg?fit=650%2C488&ssl=1)
Spring Break snuck up on me this year. Seriously: where did February and March go? How can it be that we are only two days away from April? We kicked off Spring Break on Friday night (the 21st) with a last minute visit by a cousin I haven’t seen in a while. Although our time…
Forty Ways to Live Your Bliss
Today. Today, today, TODAY! I am forty years old today. BOOM. 40. I feel as if I’ve been forty years old forever. I don’t dread it, but I’m not all “YAY! Forty! WOOHOO!” So here I am. Forty. I can dig it. In honor of my forty years of being blessed with this gift of…
[Party Bliss] LEGO Friends Birthday Party
![[Party Bliss] LEGO Friends Birthday Party](https://i1.wp.com/www.urbanblisslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/LegoFriendsBirthdayPartyMain.jpg?fit=650%2C950&ssl=1)
It’s my birthday week, and do you know what that means? It’s Birthday Bliss Week on Urban Bliss Life, too! WOOHOO! All this week, I will be featuring birthday parties that I have hosted for my own kids, plus one fun birthday party inspiration post featuring printables. I hope these help inspire you with your…
[Soul Sunday] Makers Gotta Make
![[Soul Sunday] Makers Gotta Make](https://i1.wp.com/www.urbanblisslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/I-Just-Want-To-Make-Things-Poster-by-©UrbanBlissMedia-22.jpg?fit=650%2C813&ssl=1)
Sometimes all I want to do is lock myself in a room and just make things. Crank up the tunes and build, design, create by hand and computer. Just let it all flow and not give a damn about the market and the promotion and the P & L sheets. Most of the time I…
Soul Sundays: Snowmageddon 2014
Starting a new segment on the blog today: Soul Sundays. Who knows if it will stick, but if y’all like it enough, I’ll keep it around. The purpose of Soul Sundays is to get a little more personal. Beyond the glimpses of our vacations, DIY projects, recipes, reviews, and whatnot. When I first started blogging…
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving! I love this time to spend with friends and family, and reflect on all of the amazing gifts and opportunities we are given each day. This year, I am thankful for so many things, including: my sweet children, who amaze me each day with how incredibly loving, smart, cuddly, kind, giving, thoughtful, and…
[Food Bliss] Feast Portland, Part Three: The Speaker Series That Moved Me Into Motion
![[Food Bliss] Feast Portland, Part Three: The Speaker Series That Moved Me Into Motion](https://i1.wp.com/www.urbanblisslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Feast-Portland-Speaker-Series-business.jpg?fit=650%2C650&ssl=1)
For my third post in my 2013 Feast Portland series, I saved the best for next to last: the Speaker Series. True: the food at Feast Portland was absolutely phenomenal, and certainly a massive draw for attendance. From the Grand Tasting to the Sandwich Invitational to the media events and more, Oregon’s bounty of food,…
[Monday Bliss] Life Coming Into View
![[Monday Bliss] Life Coming Into View](https://i2.wp.com/www.urbanblisslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Coming-Into-View.jpg?fit=650%2C433&ssl=1)
Monday musings… Sometimes life seems so fuzzy, doesn’t it? It’s like you’re walking along minding your own business, taking in the colors, the scents, the emotions of your surroundings. Suddenly, the road goes away. You’re left with this weird sense of tunnel vision: you keep walking because you see the light ahead, you sense the…
[Food Bliss] Mocha Double Chocolate Chip Cookies #OXOGoodCookie
![[Food Bliss] Mocha Double Chocolate Chip Cookies #OXOGoodCookie](https://i1.wp.com/www.urbanblisslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/OXOGoodCookie-Mocha-Double-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies.jpg?fit=650%2C433&ssl=1)
Cookies are the ultimate anytime, anywhere comfort snack. They are soft, sweet blankets that wrap my children in a warm welcome home alongside mama hugs after a long day at school. They are Sunday afternoon treats while enjoying a day at the park. They have the ability to soothe sad souls after heartbreak and also…
Always Remember. Never Forget.
I had made a conscious decision not to post about it today. But then, this morning over breakfast… “Mom, is it 9-11?” Pause. “Yes. Why?” Panic. He wasn’t born yet. How much have we talked about? How much has he heard? “That means the new app comes out in 8 days!” And do you know…
[Family Bliss] First Day of School Traditions
![[Family Bliss] First Day of School Traditions](https://i1.wp.com/www.urbanblisslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/First-Day-of-School-Traditions.jpg?fit=650%2C929&ssl=1)
The Bliss Kids went back to school last week. We had a lovely, full, blissful summer vacation. And yet… it felt so odd. I couldn’t believe the first day of school was upon us. Even that morning, it all seemed surreal. We took the traditional first day of school photos, with my son just wanting to…