We Bought a House!

I’m sure you’ve heard that buying a home can be very stressful. We just went through the arduous process of buying a home on a short sale which made this process even more difficult. We waited 7 months for this house and finally closed on February 2015. We couldn’t be happier. We have yet to move in, but at least we can call ourselves homeowners. That’s one dream I can check off my list!

We had been researching the market for about 1.5 years and when we were finally ready to start looking, we already had a very good idea of what we wanted and what we could afford. This made the actual home search much easier. If you’ve never bought a home before but you’re looking into it, I have some tips below. If you are not looking for a home now, but want to read a bit more about our experience then you are welcome to read on. Continue reading “We Bought a House!”

Shifting Gears

Hello 2015!

Well hello there! It’s been a very long while!! Lots to talk about and wonderful things to share.
This blog became a huge part of my life for about a year and a half and after starting a new job in June of 2014 I purposely stopped blogging. Why? My priorities shifted and blogging was not in the forefront. That leads me to this post’s topic…

 

Priorities and goals can change. Have you noticed that sometimes we insist on focusing our time and energy on following through with certain goals that no longer make us feel excited and happy? Instead they feel like an obligation. This can happen with small situations like making green smoothies on a daily basis, to more significant life-altering events such as a career change. The instant you feel that pressure weighing you down, then that’s the moment when you have to decide if continuing to pursue that goal is worth your time and energy. While your answers may vary, it is only you who can make that decision.

Continue reading “Shifting Gears”

The Stars Aligned: 2014 MLB Draft

WARNING: What you are about to read is a full-on proud baseball wife post. Enjoy!…

I was at my brother’s office farewell party talking to a friend of mine at the time when the Arizona Diamondbacks announced that they were taking my husband’s prospect in the first round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. Everyone else at the bar was paying attention to the Miami Heat play against the San Antonio Spurs and I could care less. I was focused on hitting “refresh” on my phone just about every six minutes until I saw the news; “The Arizona Diamondbacks pick Touki Toussaint RHS (right handed starter) from Coral Springs Christian Academy” as the 16th overall pick! (Actual image of that precise moment is below).

Touki_1I couldn’t believe it. I jumped out of my seat, excused myself and quickly ran out of the bar. Just as I get outside, my husband, who was at the draft room in Arizona at the time, sends me a text message that simply says, “I got him.” I could feel his shock and disbelief. I replied with ALL CAPS and numerous exclamation marks trying to somehow express my overwhelming joy and immeasurable excitement through the means of a simple text message. I then got a call from my mother-in-law and then from my mother since they had both heard and/or seen it happen too. It was amazing. I had yet to speak with my husband and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to immediately. Continue reading “The Stars Aligned: 2014 MLB Draft”

2 Dogs vs 1 Tattoo

FF & Z Marriage Negotiation: Case Study #001

Since the beginning of our 9 year relationship my husband, FF,  and I have talked about getting a dog. We haven’t gotten one yet because the circumstances just don’t make sense at the moment. We travel, we work, we don’t have a back yard, our building doesn’t allow dogs etc… At first, FF didn’t  just want any dog, he wanted a great dane. You know, the one that toddlers ride for Halloween? That one. I think they are beautiful and make good pets but guess what? The “horse” also has a big apetite with big bathroom breaks, know what I mean? The drooling is also out of control and let’s not even talk about the big expenses. So I vetoed that breed immediately.

Since my hubby is away so much, one of my doggie conditions is– If I can’t lift the dog with my own arms, then we can’t get it. God forbid something happens to the dog and I can’t carry it to my car. Is there such thing as pooch paramedics? Maybe I’ll dial K-911. See what happens. Thankfully FF understood the concern at hand and has settled for a rescue greyhound. I love all rescues but I’m not too convinced on the idea of a greyhound.
{Keep reading… this story gets really interesting… I promise}


There’s another thing we’ve always spoken of… A rather thoughtful but macabre tattoo that my husband wants to get on his back upon the death of the influential people in his life. It’s his tribute to them and their legacy inked on his skin… Forever. If you are a close friend of ours you know what the tattoo design is and it’s his idea to tell, not mine, so I will refrain from discussing the actual design here.

I have never been a big fan of his tattoo idea. Let’s just say, it’s big and wide and uhg, just not what I want to see on my hubby’s back. I understand the meaning behind it so I wouldn’t mind him rethinking the design but the overall original idea (while clever) is not sexy, cool, or attractive. I don’t have anything against tattoos and have actually contemplated getting a tasteful one myself on the back of my neck but I don’t think I’ll ever do it simply because I like my naked neck just the way it is.

With all of this said, I leave you with the following conversation that surfaced recently…

FF- You know we’re getting a greyhound rescue dog when we get a house.
Z- I don’t know about getting a greyhound.
FF- But they are cute and you can carry them because they are skinny!
Z- I know, I know. They deserve some love too but I’m not convinced I want a greyhound. I’ll tell you what… If you CONSIDER not getting your tattoo, I’ll seriously consider the greyhound.

FF- Oooooohhh.
(long pause)

FF- How about this… I WON’T get the tattoo if we can get TWO rescue greyhounds.

(long pause)

Z- Mmmm. This just got interesting.

Now this is what I call a negotiation! Bring it FF! In the meantime, we’ll leave the conditions of this deal marinating while we focus on getting a house. We’ll keep you updated on the outcome of this deal. It might be a while.
Thanks for reading!
Signature_Zania

Tutorials: Ombre Nails, 3 Ways to Arrange Flowers & How to Pose for Pictures

Hey everyone!

Last week I shared with you how it’s been a year since we debuted the first episode of Miss Ideas on Yahoo! Español. In that post we show how to tie a scarf, make place mats out of magazine pages and creative ways to wrap gifts! Check it out HERE! This week I’m sharing another set of 3 episodes with you. Please enjoy these tutorials: Ombre nails, 3 ways to arrange flowers and how to pose for pictures! Continue reading “Tutorials: Ombre Nails, 3 Ways to Arrange Flowers & How to Pose for Pictures”

Whoa Networking!

Hey everyone!

About a year ago, I attended the Women’s Success Summit in Miami with the intention to create connections, learn about the event’s production and find some inspiration. There, I met a wonderful young woman who was telling me all about her vintage furniture rental company. I was initially captivated. We had lunch together, sat next to each other and later met her business co-owner and husband at the cocktail party. We had a few laughs, exchanged business cards and that was that. Fast forward to today, that same woman will become my new boss. Whoa networking!

It works people! You just have to go out there and do it. If you’re the type that fears it, I’ll tell you my secret… Be yourself. That’s pretty much it. You are your own business card. Job opportunities, leads and connections are primarily driven by your personality and then by your knowledge. You may be a genius at what you do, but if you don’t tell people about it, you’re not going anywhere. Or you might tell people about it, but you sound like you are bored to death. No one wants to work with a bore! I’ll tell you a little more…

Continue reading “Whoa Networking!”

Banana Mini Muffins

Hello amigos!

Hope you had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend! But now… It’s time for another recipe! Like every other recipe on this blog, I try to keep things easy and this one is no exception. Thanks to my friend Yanaice and her hubby for sharing this recipe with me some years ago. I’ve been baking it ever since! The recipe was originally intended to be a cake but I decided to turn it into mini muffins yielding to about 48. That said, you could do either. For this particular batch, I only made half of the portion that I mention below in the ingredients because I only had one banana to work with. Make sure those bananas are ripe! That’s very important! Hope you enjoy it! Continue reading “Banana Mini Muffins”

Scarves, Recycled Place Mats & Gift Wrapping Tutorials

Hi everyone!

Exactly a year ago we launched Miss Ideas on Yahoo! It was a very fun project that included many DIY tutorials, beauty tips and much more. I am going to re-post them during the next several weeks so that you can get a refresher! If you haven’t seen these you can click on them below to view or you can go to this link here for all 22 episodes. Here is the scarves, recycled place mats and gift wrapping tutorials! Enjoy! Continue reading “Scarves, Recycled Place Mats & Gift Wrapping Tutorials”

How to Make an Envelope Pillow With Glue

Hello there!

I have great news! This post right here marks Zania.net’s 100th blog post!! Woo hoo!! And to celebrate, I’m sharing with you one of my favorite DIY projects EVER!!! This is how to make an envelope pillow with glue!

I love changing things around my house all the time and one small item in any home that can immediately alter its style are the decorative pillows. Would you agree? Using these pillows in your home is a very simple way to update a room or change it’s mood. However, some of these covers and pillows can be ridiculously expensive. Being a DIYer at heart, I wanted to take on this challenge. However, since I don’t know how to sew, I wanted to find a tutorial where I didn’t need to use any needles, threads or sewing machine. So… I set out on a mission. Finally, after some digging, I found this wonderful post on LiveLoveDIY that changed my life!  I knew there was a way to do this! Now I share this with you because it’s too good not to share!

Materials

  • Fabric
  • Scissors
  • Measuring tape/ruler whatever you want to use
  • Liquid Stitch glue or Unique Stitch glue

Envelope_Pillow_1 Continue reading “How to Make an Envelope Pillow With Glue”

Cake Batter Cookies

Hi sugar lovers!

Here’s a recipe from PureWow.com that I just had to share. I love anything that tastes like cake batter and these cake batter cookies are an incredible discovery! I am sooo excited! Big thanks to PureWow.com for sharing with their readers! (You have to check them out if you haven’t done so already). And like they say… Eat with ice cream for an added wow factor! Follow their recipe below and indulge!

Ingredients

1 box vanilla cake mix
1 teaspoon baking powder
1¼ cup sprinkles
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla

baking_corner_cake_batter_cookies_1 Continue reading “Cake Batter Cookies”