Meet Snickers & Twix; my two guinea pigs who have been part of my life for the past five to six years. Their names were recently changed from Gypsy & Tipsy because I thought their new names were cuter. Today I want to share my story with you all on how I met my little babes and what life has been like being a guinea pig mama. It's been interesting for sure, with the occasional moments of stress, but it has all been worth it. As unusual as it may be to have guinea pigs as an adult, I couldn't have asked for a better pair. 

     Growing up, my Dad always made having pets an essential for my sister and I. It allowed us to prove our responsibility to not only care for another species, but also because we genuinely enjoyed having pets. When my older sister moved to Texas though, she left my sister and I her guinea pigs to take care. Mine was brown and I had named him Fluffy, after one of my favorite books.

Fluffy's Valentines Day

    Well, one day we ended up having to move and we couldn't take the pets with us; I was so upset about it because I had found out in the worst way possible. I had come home from school and discovered that the guinea pigs were gone. Just like that. So, I told myself from that point on that when I was able to, I'd get a guinea pig of my own that no one would be able to take away. Years later I found myself at Petco, a local pet supplies store in the USA, and I was introduced to two older piggies that were up for adoption.

    The sales associate told us that the two were brothers and that the owners insisted that they were adopted together. They were much older than the rest of the guinea pigs in the store, but they were cute. We were also told that the darker guinea pig was a bit "wild," since he was known for biting if he didn't get his way. Weirdly enough, they were also free and came with accessories and food; all I needed was a cage. So, I signed the adoption papers and the Associate put them in a box carrier  for me to take them home.

    I still needed a cage for them and I had no intentions on buying one from the pet store; they were way too small! Instead, I was going to build a C&C cage but I needed the supplies first. So after dropping the piggies off at the house, we went to Home Depot to get our supplies. For the first week, we made their C&C cage small - just until we had time to make it bigger. It was definitely an upgrade from their pet store cage!

First week setup

Final cage

    The piggies loved their new home; they ran around, popcorned often, and made noises that I had no idea guinea pigs could make. I was so pleased with their setup because I could see how genuinely happy they were. Store bought cages have nothing on making your own cage, and I will always be the first to tell any first time guinea pig owner that it's best to make a C&C cage; they're cheaper, customizable, and so much better for your guinea pigs well-being. 

    I learned quickly though that my piggies would catch on to treat time; or any feeding in general. There were times where Snickers would wheek at me if I made the slightest movement at my desk, giving me the impression that he was hungry despite having a full rack of hay, so I'd feed him pellets. After doing some research, I learned that guinea pigs are great at guilt tripping their owners, and mine were no different. Even today, they still try to guilt trip me and of course I give into it every now and then.

    Also, my piggies weren't used to being outside of their cage. There were times where I'd set up an enclosure outside of their cage for them to explore on their own and each time I did, they would be completely frozen. If there were any tubes out for them to play with, they would both just hide inside of them. I tried coaxing them with treats and veggies even but it didn't help them move much. So I gave up on it.

Twix & Snickers hiding in their tube

      After several years of having them, I had a scare with Twix. He had stopped eating and would keep to himself all fluffed up. I monitored him for a few days to see if he would make any improvements but he only got worse, so I finally took him to an Exotic Animal Clinic. After all the possible tests the Veterinarian could do, they were dumbstruck and found nothing wrong with him.

    At this point, I had already spent over $500 for tests and lab work, so I decided to take him home and care for him myself. It was nerve-wracking because I had never cared for a sick pet before and I had read horror stories that made me fear the worst. When I got home though, I set a schedule to tube feed Twix every 3 hours and gave him double the amount of Vitamin C daily. I also secluded him from his brother every day for an hour just to see if his stools were improving. 

    After two weeks of keeping up with this schedule, Twix had finally gained weight and was back to his usual piggie self; a pooping/eating machine. I was so relieved!

Look how chunky he is!

    There are times where I will watch them both from a distance and it will shock me how loving and affectionate Snickers & Twix are to one another; they really are brothers and I'm only saying this because at first, I didn't believe they were. If one goes to the other side of the cage, the other one will follow behind. If one is sleeping, the other will sleep right next to him. They regularly check up on each other too, and while they do occasionally fight, it's rarely concerning and they're always great about "working it out."

    The best part about being a guinea pig mama is how they greet me. If I come home from being out, 9 times out of 10, they will know it's me and Snickers will do his usual wheeking. Sure, it's probably because he's hungry and wants to be spoiled, but they know my schedule just like I know theirs. I never had the opportunity to build such a unique bond with my previous guinea pig before, so I'm blessed to be able to do so now. 

    Some time before moving, I had injured my back and it was hard to clean their cage; it was two levels after all and took roughly 20 minutes. My back was out for a good month and while Dimitar was able to help me clean it, I had no choice but to get rid of the second level so I could recover. It was upsetting since I knew how much they enjoyed running up and down the ramp, but it would only be temporary. Since they are older though, I often wonder if not having a second level would be easier on their joints; still not sure yet. 

Temporary cage setup

    Six years later, I am still happy to have them part of my life. They cheer me up when I am having a rough day and they make me laugh with their silly personalities. When I tell people I have guinea pigs as pets, they will often mistake them for hamsters or ferrets even, but I shake it off. To me, they're special in their own unique ways and any guinea pig owner will tell you the same. I really am a happy guinea pig mama.

Happy brothers

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah

    As I write this, the temperature outside has dropped and it's starting to feel more like Winter. If all goes well, we may even get some snow this year! I may be getting ahead of myself, but it's healthy to have a bit of wishful thinking. Christmas is only in a few days and I thought I'd quickly share some of my weekly activities with you all. 

    To start off, I have been walking around town a lot because as much as I used to come to Old Town before I moved here, I never had the chance to really see the neighborhood in depth. Since I like to dress up when I am out and about, I've taken this opportunity to wear my new loafers that I bought from SHEIN; they're so comfortable and stylish. It's pretty hard for me to find shoes my size so I was thrilled when these shoes were a perfect fit for me. They're my favorite pair of shoes right now!

My new loafers!

    On one of our late night walks, we heard Carolers singing from somewhere nearby and Dimitar and I were afraid that we'd miss them. Just as we were finishing up our walk though, we found the group of singers near the water, singing Christmas classics. It was amazing to hear such talent up close and it was also the first time that I was able to listen to Carolers too. I was honored to have been able to see such talent in person, along with the crowd of people that were watching with us. It really made Christmas extra special.

The Alexandria Harmonizers

20ft Christmas Tree In Old Town Alexandria

The best Christmas lawn decoration

    Speaking of decorations, I had to make a payment for a bill and on my way to the bank, I  came across this historic building that had beautiful arches. I've shown it before on one of my vlogs, but this time the building had put out their Christmas decorations that really inspired me. I always told myself that if I were to build my own house, I would build it with the same arches and ornate designs because they really are stunning. It's architecture like this that make me wish more homes were designed that way. 

Victorian Arches

Hangry Burger

    At home, the Christmas tree is looking mighty packed this year with presents which has left me contemplating a lot. I think after this year though, Dimitar and I will focus less on buying gifts and instead focus more on making gifts ourselves or spending our money on experiences instead. As much as I love the idea of wrapping presents and the appeal it gives a Christmas tree, I am not very materialistic and I really enjoy the simple things in life. Traveling is by far worthy of splurging on, in my opinion. Plus, I think by focusing on the deeper aspect of what the Holidays are really about, it helps us appreciate what matters most in our lives.  Little things like a new house decoration, watching your favorite movie, pampering yourself, or just spending more time with those you love can really make a difference in our lives compared to material things.

    

First Poinsettia plant - so pretty!

    I am making Dimitar another art piece for Christmas. I made one for him last year of a bull with Tribal designs on it since he is a Taurus, so this year I am painting him a Mandala that has Bulgaria colors on it since he is Bulgarian. It is taking me awhile to finish it because of all the small details on it, but I am excited to see it completed. I am painting the Mandala on a wooden black board so the colors stand out really well. I am always nervous about gifting hand made items to friends or family because I never knew if they will like it, but I am sure that is just my inner artist critic breaking out. What do you all think of it so far? For those wondering, I am using my Artistro fine point paint pens.

   

Mandala designed by Sarah Lucas

    Since I am cat-sitting this Christmas and dog-sitting for New Years, I will make use of my time by pampering myself and working on my business. This year has offered me so many challenges, but also many opportunities that I am grateful for. I hope you all are enjoying your Holiday so far and I wish you all a Merry Christmas, from my home to yours! Cheers!

Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas!

   Usually when I feel this way, I snuggle on the couch and I watch one of Secret Shaman Oracle's videos; I've been watching her videos for quite some time and each video leaves me empowered. Her video reminded me to let my emotions be released naturally and to be more spiritual, so that is what I've been up to. I've been meditating a bit more, praying more, spending time in nature, and just over all detaching from my usual routine. I even stopped making art for some just until I felt better.

    I've also started practicing the Law of Attraction again, which you can read more about from my most recent post. I've been listening to more Binaural beats to reset my frequency because I believe that everything is energy - including us - and our bodies are practically sponges. If we aren't careful enough, we can absorb some pretty nasty stuff!

    When I was finally felt ready to make art though, I decided to draw something Christmas related because it is December after all; I drew a North Pole House. I colored the illustration in with my Prismacolor Markers but I think next time I will use my color pencils instead for a more texture look. What do you think?

North Pole House Illustration by Sarah Lucas

    Dimitar and I have also been decorating our flat since there are still some spaces that need to be filled in. For starters, we bought a few paintings and even some faux plants. For the longest time we held off on buying any artwork because it was so hard to choose from majority of them, but, we finally decided to order some from Wayfair, and a few from one of my favorite artists, Leonid Afremov. Please check him out because his paintings are so beautiful! 

    It took several weeks for some of the paintings to arrive since we didn't order them at the same time. The first painting to arrive was from Wayfair and it was packed very well - a Styrofoam frame inside the box to keep the artwork stable during shipment, while the painting itself was wrapped in a thin bubble wrap. 

    When we unboxed the painting, the colors immediately popped out to us, and Dimitar and I both knew we had picked a great painting. Since we both love fall because we first met in October of 2013, we wanted to get a painting that symbolized our love and our love for nature. This painting was definitely the one for us.

Pretty heavy but well packed

Arrived in a Styrofoam frame

So pretty!

Finally hung up

Faux Ficus Tree

Great detail work on leaves

Faux Palm Tree

    Since the weather is much colder now, I have been spending a lot of time walking around town too; after all, I do love being cold. It's December now though, so many homes have already put their Christmas trees up and their Christmas decorations; it looks so lovely at night! During the daytime though, I managed to stop by a home that had this little guy on their front lawn and I nearly had a heart attack. 

A Corgi! I need this!

Lavender - My Favorite

My little babes! Please excuse the poo

French Toast for breakfast

Homemade Pizza!

    Dimitar came up with a brilliant idea of me starting my own Corgi pet care business. It sounded weird at first, just because of how tightly niched it was, but it made sense after thinking about it long enough. In less than a week, I had my own website up and running and I was advertising on Facebook and Instagram. I even ordered a set of business cards which will come before Christmas. 

    Dimitar even helped me break down the numbers of how to make the business work out financially and I put all the information together into a final product. I even bought an appointment book to help me figure out what my daily schedule could look like and it has really helped me bring this whole idea to life. I never thought about starting a Corgi pet care business, but now that I think about, it's perfect for me. So, if you live in Old Town Alexandria and you have a Corgi, feel free to visit my official website for more information. 

    Well, I hope you enjoyed this post and please look into the Law of Attraction; it's a game changer! Happy Holidays!

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah

    The first time I heard about the Law of Attraction was when I was in Middle School and it was the day before Thanksgiving break. My Social Studies teacher put a movie on for everyone to watch, but we were all too busy talking to each other about our holiday plans. I hardly tuned into it myself and only remembered bits of it.

    Years later, I met Dimitar and he wanted to show me a movie that he said inspired him. As the movie played that night, I realized I had seen the movie before; It was called, The Secret. The Secret changed my life, and yes, in a dramatic way. It's concepts made me aware of my thoughts, both good and bad, and it helped me take control of my life. The movie itself inspired me to focus on my own self-development, something I had seriously lacked.

    If you haven't watched The Secret yet, watch it today! It's a movie you really don't want to miss. It's a chance you don't want to skip out on. It's the answer you may very well need to set you free from all of your worries and obstacles. It's the start of a beautiful journey. 

The Secret

    The Secret covers the Law of Attraction, simplified for beginners. It states that we are energetic beings, surrounded by energy that can be found in everything - so we must utilize our own inner energy to create a world that we enjoy being part of. Plain and simple; like attracts like and negative attracts negative. That's it. 

    As the movie explains, the more we think negatively about something or someone, it backfires onto us and we get more or the same thing that we dislike. However, if we were to live our lives appreciating everything and everyone, and focusing on our deepest desires, greatness will only come our way. The best way to describe human beings is that we are magnets; attracting either good to us or bad, depending on our thoughts and feelings. 

    I was inspired by The Secret immediately. Growing up surrounded by hardship myself, there were times where I refused to be a victim of my own past and it was because of my own perseverance that made me rise above my challenges. It was my way of thinking that helped me see past all of the trauma I had endured growing up, and it helped me take charge of my own strength. 

    To practice the Law of Attraction, I made a cautious effort to be more mindful about my thoughts, feelings, and actions. I was normally optimistic in general, but there were times where the three would get to me. The more I practiced though, the more I started to see the world before me as a product of my own imagination. It sounds silly, yes, but what if we lived our lives more like we were the writers? What if we lived our lives like we were the ones writing the script and we could change it at anytime? That's how I started to feel when I began to practice the LOA.

    This new way of being made me feel like I was in control of my life and it was amazing. I carried myself differently, I was able to achieve more of my goals, I learned to let go of negativity, and my relationship with money even improved. Yes, it did take some time to see the hard work pay off, at least a year, but the dedication was worth it. 

   So you may be asking yourself, how does the Law of Attraction help me in my daily life? Well, if you're looking for a job, the LOA helps you stay positive and brings you more opportunities because you believe they will come. If your health is low, the LOA helps increase your immune system since stress is the number one cause of our immune system failing us. If your romantic relationships have all but failed, the LOA helps you appreciate yourself more because in return you know you can only get love back if you're also giving it to yourself first. The Law of Attraction isn't just a saying about magnets; it really is a lifestyle.

    After you have watched The Secret - there is also a book too if you enjoy reading - take time out of your day to identify your deepest desires and write them on one side of a blank piece of paper. Afterwards, divide the paper in half and write down your concerns on the opposite side of the paper. You may find that you have many concerns and little desires. You may find that you have equal amounts of both. Or, you may see that you have many desires, and little concerns. The point of this exercise is to realize your current mental state so that you can eventually let go of your concerns and focus on your desires.

    Once you have identified your desires, you can now focus on how you can achieve them. Some people think that just by thinking alone your desires will manifest, but this is far from true. Our thoughts and our feelings are equally one with our actions. For example, if you're looking for a job and you're optimistic you'll find one, searching and applying for jobs daily will make it easier for you to get positive results. If you don't however, how will any employers find you? You see, you have to put action into the LOA to complete it's cycle. Just like the LOA gives back to us, we have to give back to it as well.

    So, if you have some time to spare today and you watch The Secret, or you can read the book, do commit yourself to it. It really is a life changing experience that I know you will be grateful for.

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah

    I wouldn't call myself an avid wine drinker. Occasionally, I will have a glass of wine here and there or I'll find myself browsing through the wine section of my grocery store, clueless of what I'm looking at  before grabbing the cheapest wine I usually get.

    Lately though, Dimitar and I have been thinking more about wine and how we can enjoy it while watching X-files from our new couch; the only problem is that we didn't have any wine glasses and usually drink from our coffee mugs; tough times indeed. Well finally after looking hard in the mirror, we decided to do some shopping around to find the perfect wine glass set for our first apartment.

    It actually wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be and it took several shopping trips for us to find the one. We shopped around at several stores like; Marshalls, TJmaxx, Ross, and even Walmart. Majority of the wine glass selections had glasses that were too thick and heavy, the bowl of the glass itself were too large and looked awkward in my hands, or I just didn't like the shape. Who knew I could be so picky?

    One day we were inside HomeGoods, a home department store in the USA, and we were close to giving up our search for nice wine glasses until I decided to look at one last set before leaving the store; we found the one!                                                      

Bormioli Rocco 18oz Red Wine Glasses Set

    The Bormioli Rocco Red Wine glasses comes in a set of 6 glasses which is perfect for us and any guests that may come over. You can use these wine glasses for many red wines including; merlot, cabernet sauvignon, pinot, and even Bordeaux. Whether they'll be used for simple gatherings, parties, or just having a relaxing evening while watching your favorite movies, these elegant glasses are ideal for all lifestyles.

    Another great feature of these wine glasses is that they're made in Italy too; a country I so desperately want to go back to for it's beauty, delicious food, and hospitality. 

Bormioli Rocca Glasses Made In Italy

    When it comes to cleaning, I always hand wash delicate glassware last. I have a very bulky sponge for washing dishes, but even my sponge was able to wash the inside of these glasses with ease. I found being very gentle while gripping these glasses to be vital to avoid breaking them. After washing them, I leave them out to air dry upside down, away form high traffic areas.

    I have read many reviews of buyers complaining that their glasses break in the dishwasher, or that they're flimsy in general, but I haven't found this to be the case for me. If you take extra measurements when handling and cleaning these glasses, these glasses are actually fairly sturdy. Since I bought these glasses in store, I didn't have to go through the shipment process, so if you want an ease of mind, you may want to try shopping at your local HomeGoods store.

Look at the design - so lovely!

    Overall, I am quite impressed with these glasses and I am more excited than ever about drinking wine. I now take the time to be more involved when it comes to buying wine so I can truly find wine that I can enjoy with these glasses; so far, I discovered that I really like bourbon barrel aged red wines, specific brands being; Layer Cake and 1924.

    So, if you're looking for classy wine glasses that look and feel great with every sip, Bormioli Rocco Red Wine glasses are perfect for everyday wine drinkers. 

Enjoying our new wine glasses

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah

    To everyone who knows me, I love, love, love taking care of my hair. I keep my hair long because I feel my best that way. For the longest time, I rarely dyed my hair and trimmed it pretty regularly so it was healthy. Every week I'd spend an hour blow drying my hair on the lowest setting so that it was silky throughout the entire week. Two years ago though, I went blonde for the first time ever and it did a ton of damage to my hair. Now that my hair is growing out and I'm giving it extreme TLC, what matters most to me now is my water source. 

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* This post is not sponsored.

    Around the time of going blonde, Dimitar came to me and asked me why we didn't have a filter for our showerhead. After all, we use a filter for our drinking water, it only made sense to have a filter for our shower head. So, we bought an Aquabliss Shower Filter and the results left both my hair and skin feeling completely renewed. My hair felt smoother, it blow dried much faster, and my skin appeared less irritated. 

    Now that we've moved though, we've completely forgotten about getting a new filter and it couldn't have come at a better time. The water in our apartment reeks of chlorine (commonly used as an disinfectant) and we also have hard water on top of that - as a result, my hair is left dull looking and my skin has become more sensitive. For those who don't know what hard water is, hard water is found in most households and has an abundance of minerals in it to make water safe to drink. Even though hard water is not harmful to our bodies, I honestly would prefer to live without it; plus, I'm not a fan of fluoride. 

Aquabliss Shower Filter: infused with beneficial properties

    The Aquabliss Shower filter comes with a range of beneficial properties worth having. It's filter is divided into parts that serve a specific role to help aide in giving you a cleaner showering experience without the harsh chemicals. The filter has infused Vitamin C which is great for combating aging and uneven skin tone, Zeolite which is a volcanic mineral used for detoxing the body of heavy metal exposures, Tourmaline stones that have unique healing properties, and other beneficial minerals. 

Aquabliss Shower Filter restores your hair, skin & nails

Unboxing the Aquabliss filter

    Setting up the Aquabliss Shower Filter is extremely easy. Inside the box you'll find; the showerhead filter, plumbers tape, two screen washers, an adapter head, 2 replacement bands for the filter itself, and a small pamphlet with instructions inside. You may also need a wrench to unscrew and tighten your preexisting shower head.

    

Aquabliss Instructions

       Next, with your plumbers tape, wrap it around the base of the shower arm 2-3 times clockwise. This will help prevent any water from exiting the showerhead. From there you insert one of the screen washers on the base before you screw on the Aquabliss filter. Once the filter is attached, you then insert the second screen washer on the other end of the filter before you screw on the adapter. Last, attach your shower head to the adapter and make sure it's tight enough to prevent any leaks. 

    

Aquabliss Filter Attached

    And that's it! During most of my shower routines, my skin is normally wrinkly within a short amount of time due to the excess amount of chlorine in the water, but now that I have a filter on, I don't have this issue. Plus, I can hardly smell the chlorine! 
    The Aquabliss filter will last anywhere from 3-6 months depending on how hard your water is and how much chlorine is present in your water. So if you have any doubts, it's worth buying a kit to help you measure the hardness of your water and chlorine levels.
 
    All in all though, it's worth investing in filters such as the Aqualbliss Shower Filter because who wants to be exposed to harsh chemicals? I know I don't. 
Until next time! xoxo - Sarah