steph kunze

Our problem child.

2010-12-08T20:31:00.000-08:00

Do you remember this post?

Well...Ellie is also responsible for chewing a corner of our couch and ottoman. She started on the ottoman back when we lived in San Diego, then moved over to the couch a few weeks later. It really was due to the fact that they weren't able to get out that much (pretty ghetto 'hood). Well, today, I finally got around to fixing up the corner of our couch after months of huffing and puffing every time I'd walk past the chewed up corner.

Turned out pretty nice.

We still struggle with this cute little one. This morning, she chewed up a few ornaments for breakfast.

ELLIE!!!!!

We're really going to have to work on this.

P.S. I have to share that while I was hand stitching these little hearts, I began to taste this really bitter, yucky, taste and couldn't figure out where this taste was coming from until after I was finished. I realized it was the "Bitter Yuck" spray we had used on the couch to get her to stop chewing it...must have gotten on my lips when I re-threaded...still kinda there.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T07:50:00.000-08:00

It was the first Thanksgiving Tyler and I have been away from our family. Were we going to have a Thanksgiving dinner or were we going to just have a regular night by ourselves? I have never made a turkey or made a ton of food. So I decided to invite friends from work who also are away from their families to come over and celebrate Thanksgiving with us. Let's just say we had way too much food, a lot of great conversation, and one of our friends who came over entertained us with his pro card tricks for about an hour. It was a great time...and my turkey was awesome!

I am so thankful for my husband, my family, and my friends. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

...more photos.

2010-11-15T13:27:00.000-08:00

So, the antique mall was very good to us. What did we bring back? Nothing yet. Payday is Friday and awaiting our ownership is a very sweet mid-century night stand and a friendly, walnut with mustard-yellow vinyl padding. little arm chair.

With that, I share with you some more photos...

The Parthenon at Centennial Park

Inevitably...

My little niece is growing strong...

Love these people filling up my home...

Possibly the coolest dogs ever...

Ty bought Adrian a kids paintball set for his arrival to Nashville...they got my parent's rental car...

Oh, did she love all of the attention...

Papa's first vegan burger...

...and my love...

...now off to some lunch.

Urked.

2010-11-15T09:29:00.000-08:00

I am so urked,

not only that I am not living up to my blogging potentials, but, I am not fulfilling my daily desire to do so! As much as I love to share with you all, it really mainly is for my very own satisfaction and fulfillment...and I get every bit more satisfied when you get fulfilled, even in the slightest, through my posts. I just love documenting life...it just seems that sometimes I lack the effort.

I'm about to leave, though, because my awesome husband had the brilliant idea of heading over to the Gaslamp Antique Mall, (wait...now that I think of it, it's right next to Guitar Center...I think I see where he is going with this...he knows how to get me).

So before I venture off to the land of antiques and trinkets...I'm going to post a few photos I took when my family was in town a couple weeks ago. These are in no particular order of events.

Handmade mukluks!

...more to come...blogger is just so darn slow.

Grace and peace be with you.

Life.

2010-11-08T22:57:00.000-08:00

What's ahead of us?

I don't know.

I'm just happy to be alive...

...happy to have a great husband and family...

I am in the palm of Your hand God.

Take us where you want us to go.

We've got a blank slate...

Lazy vegan/really really hearty tasting little dish.

2010-11-08T08:22:00.000-08:00

Jenna, you and Paul will love this...and so will everyone else because it's DELISH.

Wasn't able to take a picture because by the time I thought of it, I ate it all.

THREE INGREDIENTS:

(TJ's has 'em all, if you wish)

Veggie Chili

Toffuti Cream Cheese

Sprinkle some shredded Soy Cheese

BAM!

Seriously...quick and easy and is such a yummy delight. Tastes like you ate something you probably shouldn't have...but because it isn't meat or dairy, it's fine!

Can you believe since I've started this V thing alone I've lost almost 15 lbs? It's crazy! I haven't even started working out. I feel great. My parents and Ty have been doing it for almost two weeks...I'm so proud :)

Occupé.

2010-11-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

I have been so occupied. I'm so sorry. I miss the blog world and all the joy and peace it brings me. Next week should hopefully be a lighter load...and I promise, as soon as it gets light, I will be back.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-10-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

So while my fam was in town, I informed them a bit about my vegan diet and all the benefits. My parents are going to try it for a month.

I made these cookies for everyone...not only did they love them the first time, my brother requested I make more one night when we were sitting under our porch, watching an amazing thunderstorm. I whipped some up and we continued enjoying the storm with some yummy cookies!

I wrote down the recipe for my sister-in-law and mom (feel free to print the photo and add it to your recipe book!)...

My dad helped me and put in some expert baking skills...

Soo yum...no eggs, no butter!

More to come of the family visit!

...fine!

2010-10-12T17:19:00.001-07:00

I haven't really been wanting to blog.

I haven't really been able to tear myself away from life!

That's a good thing!

So, I'm forcing myself to update.

I've been working a lot of evenings...so I've been able to enjoy my mornings and take the dogs for lots of walks.

I've enjoyed Vegan baking and have found some awesome Vegan restaurants. Have I mentioned I lost 10 lbs? Who would have known? This Friday will be 1 month since I've changed my diet.

I've been meeting up with a lot of new friends.

Enjoyed having our cousin Scott last week.

Got some walls in the house painted.

Our patio repainted.

Baggie and Ellie have been sick but are better now.

Getting ready for my mom to get in town this Saturday!

Then the rest of my family the following Thursday!!!

Doing a friend's hair for her wedding this Saturday, too.

Work's been crazy...but lot's of great relationships formed.

The thing I hate about not blogging for a while is having to update on LOTS of things.

I'm going to cheat, and instead of doing that...I promise to update you on future things that are going to take place. Deal?

Alright, I put my time in...be back soon ;)

one week.

2010-09-21T23:44:00.000-07:00

I can say that I've been a vegan for 1 week.

There's great satisfaction in knowing that what's going into my body is good for me...not just something I'll need to take of later.

I can also imagine how crazy this all seems compared to my heritage of amazing French culinary.

Cheese...brie, boursin, feta, goat...I do miss you...I just don't miss what you do to me. Don't worry, I think of you often.

Speaking of my heritage...I wonder what the vegan culture is like over in France? Is there even one? I can't even imagine it existing with all of those pastries and rich foods. I miss cooking with extravagant rich foods...boy oh boy if my grandparents were still alive they would frown upon me.

...but now, I have a new challenge...

I'm excited to find exotic new foods to cook with.

Do I feel any different?

Well, I've maybe lost 2 pounds. Who knows though...us women fluxuate so much.

I think my limbs feel a little bit lighter...

But I can't be too sure yet. It's only been a week and I'm sure my body is still ridding of the old me eating pulled pork sandwiches.

I'm really encouraged that some friends around me are trying with me...let's keep it up!

Oh...and I'm so excited! My family got a tickets to come out and see us next month! I can't wait!!!!!!!!!

Night!

Girlfriends.

2010-09-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

I just got off skype with Kaylyn. Ahh...I miss that girl and good quality girl time. There's nothing better than an amazing girl friend...Kay, you are that.

Speaking of that...I have met some really great girls out here...have yet to hang out with them, but I sure am ready for some meet-ups and coffee dates.

My friend Adri, she works with me, has become my best bud out here in Nashville. We pretty much are exactly alike, except that she has blonde hair and is much taller than me. Other than that, we both love owls and want black Elements...which says alot.

Anyway, she did something really sweet for me since I'm a Nashville newbie. She put this cute little package together...

She made some really helpful lists of some hotspots she thought I'd like...

(her writing looks just like yours Kay!)

And this is her and her fifi, Chad.

They're getting married next month!

Isn't that just the sweetest thing anyone could do?

I smiled the whole time I was looking through it.

Can't wait to hang Adri!

ahhhh...

2010-09-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

Bad day.

Murphy's law. Me and that guy Murphy...yeah, we don't get along.

(Valerie. Project runway. My favorite quote.)

I worked a solid 9 hours, which isn't the part I'm complaining about...without getting into too much detail, so many things went wrong...including the dreaded (but thankful) time of month. Wait, that's a lot of detail.

Big deal, nothin' new under the sun.

Anyway...I get home, spent, and I noticed candles lit in our bedroom (our bedroom is at the very right of our entrance.) I thought, "how sweet...well, he probably lit those because he stunk up the bathroom...which stunk up our room."

I snack on some food, and he comes out to the kitchen and asks me to do him an important favor and take a bath and relax. At that point, I don't think I really told him what a terrible day I had...

I walk to the tub...

How sweet!!!

Wait...he wrote something in it!!!

Do you see it? Hehe...

Wait!!! There were so many bubbles...he had to scoop some into the shower!!!

Ohh...this is what he used to scoop...my salad bowl and a piece of cardboard...

...good one.

What a sweet love...he even set me up with the Real Simple that came in today and some Bible...

...no really, he really did that...I didn't stage this, I promise.

I just had to brag...he deserves a good brag, more than I deserved this sweet set up, because he didn't even know how bad of a day I had, he was just being thoughtful.

That really turned my day around...I mean of course it did.

We've been really busy lately...and Ty's a sweet guy, but just like every marriage, life takes it's toll and not every night is an amazing romance with candles, music, champagne, and hors d'oeuvres, nor does it need to be...but this really was so lovely...

I just had to share.

I beat Murphy in the end.

good morning.

2010-09-16T09:04:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Papa!

2010-09-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

Today is my papa's birthday...

My dad is the most amazing, honest person I know. My whole life, my dad has done everything in his power to give us the most amazing life...and he has. I hope he knows that he is over-successful in that. I love my dad so much...and I miss him so much.

Papa, I'm sure you'll read this because maman looks at my blog everyday...I think about you all of the time and am so very grateful for you. You are the best papa...I can't wait to see you next month! Bisous!

for Cole and Amy.

2010-09-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

As I was searching some websites for vegan cookbooks and recipes...I ran into fitfortwotv.com and thought it was really cute. It reminded me of my friends Cole and Amy who I think should do something like this with their amazing cooking skills ;)

Vegan? Me? No way!

2010-09-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

So there is a huge vegan/vegetarian culture out here.

I've never really known too much about it except that they don't eat meat or dairy products...

...and that Ty and I would sometimes make fun of it because it's the "cool" thing to do...and some people are just always out of their way to let others know they're vegan...

I think for some it's a fad.

Just like the organic movement was a fad for some people...for me, I knew why I chose organic vs. non, and now I think it's really come to light for all that organic is better.

Today, I watched a video on Netflix called "Change Your Food, Change Your Life," (by vegangal.com) which started off looking like a cheap 90's documentary...and in the end, I still think it was maybe a little outdated...but the facts and information were a slap in the face about my own diet...and Jill, the documenter-ess, was sweet.

It's not even about "saving the animals" which, no offense, is a good thing that I often think about when eating meat, but I think for some people, it's not enough to change their diet completely (and so far, it obviously hasn't been enough for me)...it was about what meat and dairy does to our bodies, and looking around at America, it all made sense.

So...without getting into much detail and trying to persuade anyone else to do it, (although I think you should look into it for your own health), I'm going to try it.

I'm going to commit to one month. October 15th will tell all...and then I'll take it from there.

It's going to be hard, definitely...but if my body can reap the benefits, I'm all for it.

Here I go...

"Hey broccoli!"

an update of sorts...

2010-09-11T14:09:00.000-07:00

This morning, I woke up to a beautiful clear blue sky.

I was a little sad that it wasn't raining anymore...It rained all day yesterday and it was so cozy.

Ty and I went and tried a new cafe, Calypso. It was good, healthy food, but not anything like Fido. I'll tell you about Fido one day, It's my favorite thus far...

Ty and I decided after brunch that we should go see a movie. We decided on Toy Story 3 which actually was a perfect idea for a perfect occasion. The occasion? Well, right when we were buying the tickets, I got a text that I'm going to have a niece! Abbigail Rose...I can't wait to meet her and hold her.

The movie was stinkin' adorable, I even shed a few tears...and as soon as I got out of the theater, I bought a toy for my niece.

I think I'll call her Gigi.

Maybe she'll love it as much as Andy loved Woody? :)

Anyway, the day got better not only after finding out I am having a niece, and not only because Toy Story 3 was so fun, but because when we got out of the theater it started pouring!!! How is that not cozy?

Anywho...that's that. Baggie is walking around so cute in her October wear.

She's our walking pumpkin...Ellie's sweater was way too small so I need to get her another one. Speaking of the pups, they got stylish new bed.

It's by Molly Mutt, and the inside has a net that you put all of your old clothes or blankets, etc...and instead of throwing them away (if you're not going to donate them), you can just add to your dog's comfort :)

Aaaand...remember that messy bookshelf a few weeks back? Well, it's all organized and I put some art on that bare wall.

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend. I'm going to enjoy the rest of this gloomy, but very lovely, day at home. Let me know if you want to ichat or skype, I'm really in the mood :)

Wednesday morning.

2010-09-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today, I have off. I suppose it's time I start getting back into the groove of blogging. I realize I haven't been the best updater on my new life out here in Nashville. Nashville is so interesting. You have this amazing city, where wherever you go, you find yourself eavesdropping on the person next to you at the coffee shop, having a meeting about music, design, art, etc, and then right outside, about 10 minutes, is where I live, there is just this beautiful wet greenery...I feel like I'm living in Costa Rica, but instead of monkeys, there are squirrels. (that was a long sentence.)

So what is life out here like for me? I am often busy running my store, but loving it, because I have never met so many amazing and creative people. I have yet to encounter a really grouchy customer. Taylor Swift is my regular and Kelly Clarkson has come in twice. I saw Reese Witherspoon drive by the other day, and I'm waiting for Jack White and Nicole Kidman to stop by.

When I'm not working, I'm at home with 5 other people and a baby. Home life is a little bit crazy because it doesn't feel like it's mine yet. I haven't really been quite able to put together the other side of the house where everyone else is dwelling...but that's okay. We're helping out our friends and their company is nice. We play a ton of boggle and dutch blitz (have been undefeated for a very long time).

But again, the main reason we moved out here is for music, and that's where my extra time is spent. In about three weeks, some really exciting things will be happening for us. Life may change drastically...

In the meantime, we remain focused on the Lord because, since we've been here, we've been battling spiritual attacks. I really believe that as long as we try to serve the Lord in ways that may be very impacting, the enemy will be right next to us, trying to break us down...but lately, he couldn't be more obvious about it, and it's not working.

We're going out today, on my day off, and I will take some pictures to share the beauty of Nash.

Gros bisous.

day off.

2010-08-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

I believe it is a true luxury to be able to have

time to sit down and read

a good magazine.

Happy Wednesday.

I'm just gonna say it...

2010-08-21T15:25:00.001-07:00

For some reason, today, I really miss having my hair longer. The end.

"Would you like a wottle of bater?"

2010-08-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

My gosh. My words have been so jumbled lately. I think my brain is close to mush. There's a lot going on...

My work is amazing...really I've never enjoyed Starbucks the way I do my store. It really has to do with the fact that the people I work with are just so special. I'm so excited to be here but torn at the same time because I know my position as an assistant is a transitional position and I wish that for the remainder of my Starbucks career, I could stay at this store forever. Who knows...I don't need to think that ahead in the future anyway. The people are great, yes, but the store itself, the actual building and such, is kind of a wreck right now. The previous manager I think gave up a long time ago...so, naturally, loving the morale at my work, I have been working really hard to make everything aesthetically perfect, for me, for my coworkers, for my district manger, for my manager (who rocks), and it's all very tiring...and sometimes I wish I didn't care as much as I do about a store...

Ahhhh....I just got out of my first bath here. There's jets! I couldn't do them for too long though because the bubbles were getting out of control...I'm very relaxed.

My house. Nathan (our drummer), his wife, Josie, his baby, Abigail, and Josie's brother, Dan, (that's alot of commas), just got in a couple days ago (they, too, are moving here) and are all staying at my house until they can find a home. I love having them...they're really great company...not to mention Abigail is one of the cutest, chubbiest babies. I'm really glad they are who they are and I don't feel the need to entertain or be a good host because right now I'd be a bad one.

Organizing is kind of at a halt. There is so much to do in this gigantic house I'm just a tad overwhelmed with where to start...the patio? the living room? my bedroom? the guest bathroom? the other guest bathroom? the garden? the dining room? I don't know!!! So instead, I bought some new things because that's easier than thinking and re-arranging at the moment :)

I got this little owl yesterday. Tyler said I was allowed to buy this particular bird (because he thinks there are too many bird decorations in the house) since he thought it was pretty neat himself.

Here's my new kitchen mat. It's really not a big deal...it's a flippin' kitchen mat, but I like it!

AND, for watering my plants (because every day it's not raining, I have to water my hydrangeas and get dirt all over my feet) and future vegetable garden (and I just liked them), I got some gardening clogs!

Pretty exciting huh? :)

Good night my friends...it's really time for me to go to sleep...I fear my sharing of clogs and kitchen mats is the product of my dwindling brain.

Beautiful day.

2010-08-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

This morning, Ty told me, "It's your day off. Let's go get some coffee and go to the movies." So, I put on a dress and went on a sweet matinee date.

We went to our local Starbucks, had a little chat with Ang, she's the manger, about getting together for some girls nights. She's really lovely and reminds me of my friends back at home. Ty and I enjoyed our coffees and pastries and talked about how crazy it is that we're living in Tennessee!

Then we headed to the theatre and felt good about only spending $7.50 a ticket to see Eat Pray Love. I really liked it, Ty thought it was okay and said, "Of course you really liked it, you're programmed to like chick flicks." I thought that was cute, and true. Might I add, there are some really good chick flicks coming out that I saw in the previews...gotta round up some girls over here.

Then we came home and we used our new grill to make some grilled salmon tacos...so yum.

After lunch, Ty left with Brad to go buy a weight bench he found off Craigslist.

I did a load of laundry and actually sat down in front of the washer and stared through the door to see how my new machine worked...sat down for like five minutes, really intrigued, then realized that I'm spending time looking at my washer...

...so I got up to do something productive and made my bed.

Now I'm going to sit, drink some herbal iced tea I made yesterday...

and read this book my dear mother-in-law sent to me...

with Baggie at my feet...

then organize my book shelf...

...which is totally a mess right now.

One small step at a time and this house should be all moved in soon, I hope.

I need to write a couple thank you cards to my neighbors for being so welcoming, bringing us fruit, cake, potpourri, all that good stuff. On top of being so thoughtful, they've been a great help to Ty and I living in a new state!

I hope you're all having a great Monday.

Happy Sunday!

2010-08-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

I love Nashville.

Not everyone has a Southern draw, but I can't help but smile at the people who do.

Green green green. It's so lush and beautiful.

Everyone seems to be so creative. After all, it is the music capitol and that draws more than just musicians.

I'm a about a 6-8 hour drive from amazing surrounding states. We're gonna do a New York drive in the near future!

I LOVE everyone I work with. Seriously the coolest people.

The storms. Oh, the storms. Californians, you have NEVER experienced anything like storms out here. They're not very long in the summer, but rain like a waterfall (I'm not kidding), lightning bolts galore, and the pang of thunder sounds like the earth is splitting. It truly is exciting.

The Farmer's Market downtown is HUGE.

I have lots of videos still from our trip and some from our house. I promise to spend time today to put one together.

Soon, I'll post about my every day life. So far, there hasn't been too much consistency in my work, sleep, home-time, etc. I've just been going non-stop. Still have a lot of organizing to do in mi casa. We'll get there.

Here's a photo I snapped from our patio this morning. It's a beautiful day.

Have a lovely day.

We're here! We're here!

2010-08-06T09:55:00.002-07:00

It's beautiful.

It's lovely.

It's green.

It smells good.

We love it so much already!

I'm at Starbucks using public internet, once I get internet at home, this blog will be loaded with updates and pictures and video! If you haven't seen any video yet, check my facebook, there are a few uploaded from our trip.

So far, it seems like we entered band camp. Everyone asks, "Where are you from? What do you play?" It's the beautiful land of musicians!

And I might add that southern hospitality really does exist! Here's my ground coffee I got this morning.

2.

2010-07-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my last day at work.

Thursday I will pack like a crazy woman.

Friday morning, we do a walk through at 10 am...

then hit the road.

Eeee!

3.

2010-07-27T00:32:00.000-07:00

Yep. 3 more full days and we leave on the morning of the 4th day. I'd consider that 3 more days...

AND, I'm sure you haven't noticed that the math is off...our move date has been pushed up a date and we're leaving Friday instead of Saturday as of yesterday.

We spent the whole weekend with friends and family. I will have to do a separate post for this weekend. I won't delve into it right now...it was really special, all those people.

I took tons and tons of photos that I simply do not have the energy to post, but I will when I get some time in the business of all the packing. As prepared as I thought we were, packing over a month ago, we are somehow behind!

Tomorrow morning, I'm going to wake up at 7.

Get a coffee.

Go to Ikea and get a few last pieces I love (because they don't have Ikea in Nashville...sooo lame).

Fold and pack the rest of our clothes (they seem to be everywhere)

Clean up all the papers on my desk.

Pay the last of the bills for this month.

And finish packing our road trip bag (all the goodies!)

...all of that before 2pm because I have to work!

Going to sleep. Wish me luck!

9.

2010-07-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

Still have quite a bit of packing to do.

Trying to sell Tyler's car.

Thank God I'm being transferred as an assistant manager :)

Gotta make an appointment to get the dogs a good groom lest they stink the van up on our 4 day journey.

Come see me this Saturday before I leave!

12.

2010-07-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

12 more days.

I'll be able to finally start a vegetable garden.

Get a library card and enjoy reading book after book on our porch.

I can't wait. This is a dream.

16.

2010-07-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

16 days away is bitter sweet.

In 16 ~~sweat~~ sweet days...

...we'll have a house with air conditioning.

...our pups will have soft green grass to play on.

Other than that...

I will greatly miss my friends and family...that's the bitter part of the sweet.

p.s. I'm really hooked on 24 and it's taking a lot of time away from packing! Netflix...I love you!

18.

2010-07-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

Today, Brad did the honors of tearing off 19 to reveal 18.

I love the guys I live with...they are amazing. I know I couldn't have lived through these last 7 months have it be any other two guys in the world. It has been difficult finding the balance between guy hang out and wife time for my husband...but it hasn't been all that bad.

As excited as I am to be living in a gorgeous house alone with my husband (eeeeee!)...there's something I can't pin point about living with Brad and Mike that I'm going to miss...I guess I just love their company too. They'll still be around a lot because the studio is going to be in our 1900 sqft basement! That's right...we'll have a basement...I guess they're common over there because of tornados? Noooo!

Something we did today was plan our route to Nashville.

We'll be driving for 4 days. I sure am excited. I am also sure that some parts of it may be a drag, but i'll keep positive!

Baggie is doing really well considering they took out her uterus two days ago. Ellie has been a great support to her—staying gentle and giving her kisses. It's so sweet. Baggie has grown accustom to her elizabeth collar but i'm sure it'll feel amazing when she gets it off the Sunday after this one.

I, on the other hand, am still recovering from my cold. I feel tons better but still feel a little weak.

18 more days.

19.

2010-07-12T16:58:00.001-07:00

19 more days until we leave for our brand new adventure!

We found out just a few moments ago where we are going to be living. It's absolutely amazing...it's ridiculous and not for one second do we believe we even deserve it. It really is a dream house. SO thankful.

I've never been so excited and sick at the same time.

Time for a nap.

waiting for Bag.

2010-07-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

Who's missing in this photo?

Here we are, Baggieless.

Today, we dropped off our little Bag at the vet to get spayed.

I have a cold...but I don't want to stay indoors all day, sometimes, that makes me feel worse.

So while we wait for Baggie to get out, we're going to take an easy stroll through Ikea. That'll make any sick day lovely :)

I have the next 3 days off...I hope I'm not sick for the rest of that time.

Toodaloo!

Self Portrait.

2010-07-02T17:45:00.000-07:00

Here you have a woman...

Who worked late last night and woke up 3 hours later to work another 9 hours...

Who got home and washed two dogs...

Who can't stop day dreaming of an unknown land...

Who wants to get out of the house and grab a cup of coffee and just read a book...

Who loves her family so much...

Who is just so happy to have her husband come home in a few minutes...

Who wants to seek God deeper...and deeper...

Who is tired...

but very excited about life...

Who appreciates all the different people out there...

That's me right now. These are my thoughts.

I feel serene and melancholy (in a good way), perhaps a nap would be perfect right now.

Oh, dogs.

2010-07-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

I love my dogs. Really, sometimes Ty and I talk about how weird life would be without these little joys trotting around and craving attention 24/7.

Here are Ellie and Baggie right now. Both recovering.

Ellie...has been having really terrible breath. I brush her teeth but still...I was like "Oh well, we just have a dog with bad breath, bummer." But when I was brushing her teeth today...I noticed a stick horizontally lodged at the roof of her mouth! Ellie! Why do you keep getting yourself into these kinds of trouble?! That's where the stench came from. We immediately made an appointment for the vet because that's what the online forums were saying to do (this apparently happens to other dogs) because you might bust your dog's tooth if it's really jammed in there...but after we made the appointment...we took some pliers and went for it...and it came out really easily! Thank God! The roof of her mouth was pretty raw where the stick was and there was a little blood...but she's okay. I think she's just sad because we were restraining her and she was struggling a little. She's really sensitive. :)

Baggie...well Baggie is in heat...again. And we made an appointment for the big fix on July 12th. So until then, and I guess after, too, she's going to be mostly caged because we don't want her running around while in heat...it's just gross. AND we don't want her running outside getting preggers.

With our backyard being all dried out and lots of sticks and foxtails...the dogs won't be spending a lot of time there anymore...only to do their bodily duties, and that's it. Those sticks and foxtails are more serious than we thought.

Have a great day and love your dogs!

A few things...

2010-06-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

Today is my brother, Adrian's, 29th (!) Birthday!!! How I wish I could be there to celebrate with him! I love my brother so so much and I just can't believe he is 29 AND going to be a daddy in February! I remember when we were really young and he used to taunt me and break my Barbies and as much as I felt like I hated him in that moment, I've always loved my brother and wanted nothing more than to be like him...and annoyingly imitate him as a little girl :) My favorite memories are his jokes and him always making me laugh...him letting me stay in his room if I was scared of thunder, earthquakes, heavy rain, bad dream, etc...up until I got married! I'm a chicken. I love you Adrian!

I finally just bought myself a new camera. It was time. I'm starting with the Cannon Rebel...I actually really love it...and for the price, you can't get a better camera :) Ooo, ooo! And I also got the new Adobe Suite and that includes the latest Photoshop! Cha-ching! My only problem with the new Photoshop is the ugly icon for the application...it used to be a pretty feather but now it's just an ugly "Ps" in a blue box...how un-inspiring...come on! This is creative software! Now I need to find an inspiring camera bag...any suggestions where to find one?

I'm a bit overwhelmed with this whole packing deal. We didn't really pack much from our first place to the house we are now because it was pretty much down the street...so we took many trips. Actually, I like packing...I get to organize everything...but it's still a little overwhelming when it seems to never end. The bright side is we still have a month! So my goal is to pack 3 boxes a day and see where I'm at during 'crunch time'...probably two weeks before we leave.

Although my sewing machine is packed away...I just couldn't resist this fabric I found during my visit to the farmer's market on Tuesday. I think I may make a blanket out of this...or...something else?

This is Kristen. She's such a great friend. She let me snap some pictures of her to experiment with my new camera. I'm so lucky to have Kristen come out to Nashville with us! She'll moving a month or so after we leave...I'm so thrilled to have her out there...to have a girlfriend to explore a new city with! Cant wait!

That's pretty much all I have for today...I've been verrry busy. Work has been kicking my butt...lots to do. Of course packing...and taking care of the dogs...Ellie (if you didn't see on my facebook) had to be rushed to the pet ER late on Monday night because she sniffed up a foxtail and was violently sneezing out blood and banging her head on the ground every time she'd sneeze. My poor baby...she's all better now and back to sitting on Baggie's head...have I ever mentioned she likes to do that? Next time I'll snap a picture :)

Right now...I'm going to get a cup off coffee and design a baby blog for my sister-in-law.

I miss you, friends.

Time for shopping...again?

2010-06-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

Remember how I got a whole new wardrobe of make-up? (because someone lost my make-up bag?)

Well it's time for a little shopping spree of clothes...because someone shrunk my collection of new clothes, some of them from my birthday, too. It's a fact in this household that we hang all of our clothes minus, socks, underwear, or frump wear. I thought someone knew that since they're so particular about it. I decided to put all of my new clothes (because they're in the same color realm) all in one beautiful wash load so I could hang dry them side by side and have them all clean.

This morning, I wake up, and find them all dried, and shrunken big time on the couch. Yeah...I know it's just clothes, but we don't have a money tree in our backyard to replace them. Someone dried them.

I was mad. I was poopy. Now they're all in a Goodwill bag so someone 3 sizes smaller than me can enjoy them. Hope you do whoever you are...it's all brand new...and a couple things never worn. Enjoy.

I've cooled down...I'm okay...

I've forgiven that someone.

Ahhh the sacrifices of marriage...it's worth it...I guess ;).

(do you think these people ever forget to hang dry?)

Moral of the story: Make your laundry guidelines clear.

Road Trip!

2010-06-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

I've never taken a road trip across the United States. A few things I need to do now is prepare for it!

I mean, we're not going to go across the country and not go sight seeing on the way. Plus we'll have the doggies so we'll have to make frequent stops. So I need to do some research on where we'll stop!

I have already started on a packing list to make the trip easy(er)...

Dog bones and treats

Dog food

Dog water

Books on tape (CD, actually)

Yarn and crochet needle to start making things for my niece or nephew...oh, I haven't mentioned my brother and his wife are having a baby!!!

Snacks

Water

A few magazines

Great music, of course

Fill out my "new address" cards to send out.

...and that's all I can think of right now.

Any suggestions?

I really think an iPad would be awesome :)

Oh, and we're planning on leaving a little earlier than planned...August 1st!

Where's my make-up bag?

2010-06-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

So...last week, Tyler somehow lost my make-up bag. The bag was in my car, and then he "took it out" and now it's absolutely no where to be found. I wasn't that mad because that meant....

...make-up shopping, and more.

So, I spent probably an hour and a half carefully choosing my new enhancements and I'd like to share with you my new finds! (I was inspired by parisbreakfasts framboise post, I just needed to get some framboise in my palette!)

1. Boots Botanics Virtually Weightless Colour-Adjusting Foundation, Light - I'm not really a foundation person, but I like using it as a concealer. This one is amazingly light but provides really even coverage and it's all natural ingredients that are GOOD for your skin.

2. Boots No7 Cheek Tint Blush - Peach Silk - I favor creamier blushes because I love that kinda dewey look on my cheek bones...and peach tones have always been great for me.

3. Sonia Kashuk Eye Shadow Quad - Smoke in Your Eyes

I love that this little pallette of four has black smokey and brown smokey shades and a shimmery highlight hue as well...the possibilities are endless and I love the variety.

4. CoverGirl LashBlast - Wow. All I can say is WOW! I've never had a mascara really fullfill it's promise in making my lashes longer and fuller...until now.

4. (there are two number fours and I don't feel like fixing it) Sally Hansen Nail Pen, White!

Yep...goin' white and loving it!

5. Sonia Kashuk Powder Brush Number 1 - I had this one in my lost make up bag...and I have it again in my new one...it's a staple piece.

6. L'Oreal Paris Colour Juice Sheer Juicy Lip Gloss in Pink Grapefruit and Raspberry (framboise) Smash - After trying 6 different brands...this not only looked amazing, but taste pretty yum unlike that make up clay taste, yuck!

7. Botanics Lighter Than Air Loose Powder - all natural, gotta have my loose powder...goes so great with that powder brush.

8. New Wallet - Yippee! My current one had been in use for about 4 years...and finally broke.

9. Coin Purse (in framboise) - Lately, I've been seeing a lot of ladies with really cute coin purses and I thought it was time for me to have one...and now that I don't have to put change in my wallet, it'll probably last a lot longer.

10. Eco Tools 5 pc. Brush Set - great brushes at a very affordable price in a cute little hemp tie-up.

11. Scarf - And last but not least, I fell in love with this lightweight floral (framboise) scarf. Perfect for summer.

...all in a framboise make up bag!

I feel like a refreshed woman. I've never really done a complete make-up make over like that, and I recommend it!

Latest thoughts...

2010-06-16T21:12:00.001-07:00

Remember how I said that the doors are wide open to go to Nashville?

Well, let's just say we're being pushed through those doors.

This last week a few things happened, both good and bad.

Our trailer got graffitied on. Tyler and I saw the three guys who did it...we secretly got in my car and followed them as we were on the phone with the po po. Yeah, they got caught. We finally got it all off today.

I'm not sure if they were really part of a gang or not, but the sign they graffitied sure was. I'm not sure if they saw us following them in my bright car, but it's okay because I sold it a few days ago.

Yes, my little blue jelly bean is gone. I'm kinda sad. It was the car my parents got me for my 16th birthday. All my closest friends were there and surprised me right after church on a Sunday. I have many memories with that car. But now we don't have to drive it across country and we have money to move :)

Then I had to set my blog to private because we got a creepy e-mail that may have been the result of a creepy blog reader. So, we'll keep this way for a while.

We just really wanna get out of here. We're uncomfortable in this neighborhood, especially with all of the trouble maker kids out of school now...eeeek.

Our date is September 1st, but if there is ANY way possible, we would really like to move August 1st. So now we're praying for that.

So yes, we still are moving to Nashville, friends and family. The opportunities that lie there for us are really good. We are so excited and have received nothing but support...even our local gang kids want us to leave.

That's my little update...thanks for following <3

losing weight...

2010-06-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

I'll say it. I want to lose weight. I've gained a lot of weight with marriage. I have a gym pass, but don't really have any accountability, I try to eat healthy, but don't have that much accountability either with a husband that wants to eat Mexican food 24/7.

Some of you out there are blessed with being able to eat whatever the heck you want and not exercise and are still as slim as ever...but for me, that's not in my genes. So...tonight, I browsed some weight loss programs, lose 18 lbs. in 4 days crap, yaddy yadda, everything is expensive and/or unrealistic.

Then, I came across sparkpeople.com. It's this really cool website where you track your food, it gives you recommendations of what to eat in ratio to your weight loss goal, keeps track of your exercise, calorie intake and how many calories you burn with certain exercises...it really is amazing, and it's FREE! I love that :) If you want to lose any amount of weight or just simply eat healthier, I would suggest you give it a browse.

Anyway...I'm starting tomorrow. I've got my meals all packed up for work tomorrow and I'm more motivated than ever! Yippee!

Doors wide open...

2010-06-09T18:32:00.000-07:00

Because...

of my parents support...

the support of our family...

the fact that we are able to get out of our lease without a fee...

my meeting with my district manager went well when I told her...

the whole band is on board...

our dog's are definitely on board...

financially, it'll be tight (isn't it always?), but doable...

we all feel a peace at the root of our nervousness...

we dislike Escondido...

and...

we felt trapped here because our producer lived here and we needed to stay next to him for an easy album recording, but we secretly wished we could move out of state...

...because...

our producer moved...

he has a studio for us...

the record company is out there...

everything is much more affordable...

Because we want to...

WE WILL be stepping out in faith, through those wide open doors, and will be moving out to Nashville by September first!

Now, God definitely could close those doors and guide us on another path..We will keep our hearts open to hearing that if He does. In the meantime, we go with our little community of Mike, Kristen, Brad, Nathan, Josie, Baby Abigail, Tyler, and me...we will have each other out there, and it will be an adventure.

And boy oh boy am I ready for an adventure to say the least.

Me?

2010-06-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

I was interviewed :)

This...

2010-06-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

may be our new home...

This is Nashville friends.

Please be praying for us as we make this huge decision.

Have a lovely day y'all!

While my laundry is on rinse cycle...

2010-06-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share with you some of my embarrassing secret moments...I don't know why I'm doing this. Perhaps to cleanse my mind and hopefully, by admitting these things, I won't do them ever again. Well, maybe just a few.

Please, let me know if you've ever done any of the following. It'll make me feel better...I hope I'm not the only one.

Once...

I was really in a rush to meet Tyler for a date and had forgotten to put make up on and cover up those zits, so I ran into ULTA and secretly applied some of the testers right before I saw him...phewie, he almost saw my imperfections! Now he sees them all the time.

...did the same thing for perfume, at the mall though...

...I bought a cute outfit at the mall and changed as soon as I got in my car because I couldn't wait to wear it.

...I secretly put all decaf grounds in our coffee jar so Tyler wouldn't stay up late. Sorry honey. I won't do it again.

...I stopped by a gas station to buy a razor because I didn't realize how hairy my legs were when I put my skirt on earlier. Dry shave...it hurt later.

...I had a great big spoon full of Nutella...come on, I can't be the only one who's done that.

...I tried killing a cockroach with Comet...I know someone else who was there doing it with me.

...found $20 on the ground and kept it :( What!? No one else was around!

This one is just ridiculous...last Christmas, Tyler and I drove to at least 4 different Starbucks' on the way to our parents' house just to find an open one to satisfy our cravings...pathetic...but let me tell you, I KNOW i'm not alone one...how do I know? Because the place was packed!

...I prank called a friend using the computer voice...I still don't think he knows it was me.

...walked out on a guest speaker's sermon because it was so dreadfully boring, it was bad...sorry!...

...that's about all I have for now. How about you? Come on! Just tell me!

Night!

Paris Breakfasts.

2010-06-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

So yesterday, I went shopping with my very knowledgeable fashion friend (more knowledgeable than I could ever be in fashion), and we talked blogs. I first spurred her on to start her very own (which is under design construction), not only to share her fashion knowledge, but because she's also a professional pastry chef and it would be very inspiring to read, and she told me about a blog called Paris Breakfasts...

If you love France, love French, etc. etc., you'll just love this woman's love for France. Oh, and she has amazing watercolor art for sale on etsy.

Yesterday I posted a comment about eclairs on paris breakfasts' blog , and this morning I get an e-mail from the author, Carol, telling me that I inspired her to write a post about eclairs! I was overjoyed! Carol, you're just too adorable. We should meet in Paris one day and have some coffee and, of course, an eclair.

Cheers to beautiful day...I'm going to meet a lovely girlfriend today...maybe we'll share an eclair?

...la fille qui ecrit...

2010-05-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

Well helLO!

Man oh man...it's been a couple weeks...already.

I've been Tylerless since Friday...it stinks. I really miss him a lot...I've been doing a lot of cleaning and relaxing...and I thought now would be a good time to post again.

Since my last post...

I turned 23. Ty took me to my favorite, The Pannikan, for breakfast, drove around Encinitas (hopefully our next home), then downtown for some shopping, got a lot of cute things...and later hung out with friends over sushi. I really loved that day.

My mom's dad passed away with Leukemia...I never really knew him that well...I just remember visiting him a few times as a little girl when we went to France. I wish I could have known him more...rest in peace...

I re-arranged my living room a little bit and organized our built-in shelves.

Got a new comforter, it's the softest, most comfy one I've ever owned...it's like sleeping in your favorite old comfy T-shirt...mmmm...and it's not WHITE!...good-bye white one, we'll keep ya around for later use, but for now, you're too hard to keep white all the time.

We had a show and showcased for EMI records...aaaaaand...there is a contract in the making!!! Woohoo! It was such a great night...we opened for our friends who were having their CD Release show, Ladies and Gentlemen is there name, you should check them out on iTunes.

So...we (with the help of my freaking amazing parents), bought a van and trailer for tour!

Ty's dad passed away, as I shared in the last two posts. Tyler is doing well, bonding with his family in Michigan... (that's Tyler's brother, Jordan, 20, he met for the first time right next to him, and his sister, Bre, 13, at the very right...and the others are his cousins.)

I have been adjusting to my new position...it's been quite interesting being a manager...things are definitely a lot different. It's a challenge...but one that I'm excited to take...hopefully not for too long?

I've become excited about perfumes...thanks to Amanda, who will be starting a fashion and food blog we can all delight in...I can't wait! Today, I tried Flowerbomb by Victor & Rolf...and I MUST get it. I can't stop sniffing my wrist. I'm just loving all the pretty perfume bottles out there!

Cut my hair...more.

...I want to start my Antrho book collection...they're sooo pretty!

...Baggie got some weird lump on her nose...pretty sure she got a spider bite, but it's all gone now.

And that's pretty much a quick run down of what's been going on...I'm off to a night all to myself...staring at the walls in my house. j/k.

I hope all is going well with you...life here is really awesome. I'm so thankful for this season of life...life is sweet, and I'm really enjoying it.

Bonne nuit!

...more Greg.

2010-05-29T20:03:00.000-07:00

This is a video the family put together.

Greg Kunze.

2010-05-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

There's a lot going on right now in my life...a lot of great things mainly. But I'm just going to focus on one thing right now...and that's Greg Kunze.

Greg was my father in law that I have never met. He passed away last Sunday. An array of strange emotions have been going through our hearts...mainly sad...but also confused. I just want to remember Greg as the fun crazy dad that Tyler has told me stories about when he was a little boy...I can't bring myself to tell you their true relationship. I'm just very sorry he couldn't know Tyler the way most of us know him...and I'm very sad that I was never able to meet him and fulfill the hopes of maybe one day having a good relationship with him.

Tyler's uncle, Steve, got him a plane ticket out to Michigan today. This was all decided at 3am this morning while I was half asleep...it didn't really kick in that my husband was gone until I got home from work today...and all I've been doing since 3 is just sitting around, thinking, staring...I really miss him and I so wish I could be there with him and his family...my family...I wish I could be there supporting him, wiping his tears, and holding his hand during the funeral tomorrow...I feel terrible that I can't be there physically for Tyler. Unfortunately, tickets are way out of my finances right now...and I wish money wouldn't be a barrier for situations like this. But it really is a blessing that Tyler can be there...and he'll be there until Wednesday. He'll be meeting a brother and a sister for the first time.

Life is crazy sometimes...but God is in control.

Honey, I miss you so much. I don't look forward to not waking up to you the next 5 days...I'm praying for you and your family.

Love you so much,

your wife.

P.S. Just letting you know our dogs will be sleeping with me while you're gone :)

I've been wanting to...

2010-05-25T22:20:00.000-07:00

...update what's going on in my life...

but haven't found any time...except for these couple minutes before bed...and I must go to bed because I work mighty early tomorrow...

so, I will post this reminder for myself...to share about...

work.

birthday.

music.

van.

decorate.

relatives passing away.

pictures.

I'll try to get around to this tomorrow.

G'night!

Now that the dishes are done...

2010-05-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

...I can share this with you...

A quick meal I canNOT believe I haven't made before...only because it's my favorite burger...

Mushroom swiss burger!

We had some extra buns left over from the salmon burgers I made a few days ago (I know, burger galore over here)...

So...I decided to bust out m.s. burgers...

If you don't like mushrooms...you're weird. Just kidding...that's okay, but really, you're missing out. Our roomie Mike hates mushrooms, but he wasn't here tonight, so it was the perfect opportunity, although I probably would have made them either way for myself.

Here's the run down...

-Sautee onions (cut into rings) for a couple minutes, then add the chopped up mushrooms...

Sautee those on medium to low until browned to your liking..

-In the meantime...get those burger patties out (I used Turkey patties for a few reasons...1. they're cheaper. 2. they're healther 3. I like the taste.) Put those over medium heat...

-Once those are done...set them aside and put the buns on the skillet for a few seconds so they get warm and a little toasty inside. Then slap on a little mayo...

-When you're about ready to assemble...put a slice of swiss cheese on the patties over low heat...

-While that's melting, put the sauteed mushroom/onion love on the bottom bun, covered by a couple spinach leaves so everything is held in place (trust me, without the leaves, the mushrooms will fall right out). Then put the patty over it with the melted cheese gooing over all of the goodness, top it with the bun...and voila! A sinch.

So excited to eat it...I forgot to take a picture before I took a bite (or a few bites)....

The boys...Tyler being gross...they loved it :)

My belly is satisfied too...

Now I shall get my clean work clothes out of the laundry...tomorrow is my first day at my new store, in my new position. I'm wondering how I should wear my hair...although it is short...there are just so many ways to do it...and my mind really is wondering what would be the best first impression. I'll figure it out in the morn.

Nacho Libre quotes have been racing through my head all day. Have you ever seen it?

Aaaand...I'm really excited because this Friday, we're playing a really fun show in downtown San Diego...and a major record label is going to be there checking us out...we're stoked! Thank you Lord for this opportunity!

Alright...time to get ready for sleep time.

something simple.

2010-05-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Today is Saturday, it's 9:45am, and my husband is at work.

I work later today, so I decided to have a solo morning date.

I'm out having a misto in my favorite (100% recycled) mug (50 cent refills! Woo!),

with a cranberry orange scone...

Checking e-mail, reading some really nice e-mails :). Charging my ipod for the gym, after this, reading some Good Words, some reflection, and perhaps find some good recipes in my monthly Cooking Light mag I just got.

I feel great. I love this.

I haven't really had much updating to do...life has been pretty simple.

Work. My last day as a shift supervisor is today. Then I start assistant manager on Monday at my new store. I'm really thankful for this promotion, God knows I need it...and He always provides. Although there are many times I can't wait to quit my job and just play music for a living, this time, I'm excited to stay at my job for now, and take a new challenge...I have a few personal goals I wish to achieve at this new store...and it will be a challenge. I know it's just Starbucks, but it's also a place where many people go, especially the one I'll be working at, and it's also a place where 23 people will be working under me. The morale is currently low and I hear a lot of people don't really care about their job, but I'm excited to work in the hearts of my co-workers and be uplifting. I pray that God gives me the strength, patience, love.

Music. I can't describe in words how excited I am. I give all of the credit to Tyler...he is a musical genius, and without him, this band wouldn't exist. I have never met anyone with such motivation to be so diligent in any task. Tyler NEVER does a crappy job in anything. For instance, if I have to hang up a picture or painting, I'll just eye-ball it, put the nail in the wall, and hopefully it'll be balanced. Tyler would never ever do that, he will pull out the tape measure and level, make sure the wall is strong enough, if not, he'll get an anchor for the wall, so that way it's done right the first time, and he will be happy walking past it because he knows it was done right. In other words, he is a perfectionist. Sometimes it's hard to keep up with, but that's because of my own iniquities. I'm truly grateful and inspired by my husband.

Baggie and Ellie are doing great. I took Baggie to the vet for a check up...I figured it would be responsible of me since her ear was bothering her last week...I wanted to make sure she was okay. She's really healthy...except she is a number 6 on the doggie chart, which means she is just a tad bit over weight, she should be a 4...it's time to get her off that puppy food. So now, we always call her number 6. "hey number 6! you're so cute number 6!" Ellie is just as sweet and dopey as always...she reminds me of Eeyore.

That's really all I have for you right now :)

What a lovely morning.

...more pictures.

2010-05-06T18:44:00.001-07:00

I put his gifts out early the day before his birthday so he would get in birthday mode (because we all love birthday mode)...So I had to write this...

I opened at the store early (4:15am) on his birthday, got off at 8:30am, perfect time to bring him his favorite drink, in a brand new RE-USABLE iced cup, because he goes almost every day...so less waste!

Then we went shopping...Ty was in much need for some clothes and shoes. Thanks mom and dad :)

Then we went out to lunch...thanks to my other mom.

Came home, relaxed, watched a movie.

Then, we got up and headed to...

One of our favorite places...Orfila winery...it's soo beautiful!

Had to bring my favorite cheese...Boursin for life! My parents raised me right!

Taken by Brad.

And here they are, silly boys walking through the vineyard...

Then later, we joined back at our house where some friends came and surprised Ty as we sang happy birthday to him with his cake (sorry, no pictures! I was too busy dragging him out to the dining room where everyone was standing.)

We have these ridiculous lights for our live show at our house, so we had to bust out the dance moves for a few minutes before we left for dinner. (Don't mind Tyler's dance, he was a little wacky)

Dinner was nice, we just went right down the street to R.O. Sullivan's...a couple other friends met up with us, it was just such a nice day, Ty was really grateful...I'm so glad.

Thank you those who love on Tyler, called him, wrote him cards, even gifts, celebrated, and posted a comment on his facebook...he was so cute, he asked me, "Did you tell everyone to leave a comment on my facebook?" He really was so happy...he got so many birthday wishes :) Thank you friends.

Ty's Birthday

2010-05-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

Wake up. It's you'r birthday!

Breakfast.

Coffee.

Gifts.

Shopping.

Movie.

Nap.

Winery.

Dance Party.

Friends.

Cake.

Hang out.

Dinner.

More pictures to come...

amazing news.

2010-05-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

So today, I got off work early because I completely lost my voice and was struggling so much to help the customers...I had to call someone in to work the rest of my shift. I mean nothing is there. I've been sick for the past couple of days...at least I had my voice for Tyler's birthday...

So I get home, pull up under our carport behind Tyler's car...and I see a bird on Tyler's antenna...the bird is looking up under the carport where the old bird's nest used to be...my eye's follow the direction of his eyes, only to find that mama bird has collected more twigs and is building another nest in the exact same spot!

So I sat in my car for a good 10 minutes and observed as they would fly away together, come right back, papa bird on the antenna, looking out for mama bird while she weaves quickly. Amazing. Seriously, I'm blown away and so thankful.

I think God knew how broken my heart was when the nest was torn down the first time by a crow...He knew that I truly loved and was thankful for His little gift...I wondered immediately after the fall of nest I if nest II would ever be possible, to have the gift again...and it's here and being built!

So as I'm home today, alone, not a word coming out of my mouth, I look forward to checking in regularly on the status of the nest, maybe sit and watch for a little while, she still has a lot of work to do.

Thank you, Lord!

happy birthday to my husband.

2010-05-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

"May fourETH!" is what they say you said as little Ty when asked when your birthday was. I'm sure you were just the cutest. This is my favorite picture of you.

Today, you are 25!

I'm so glad you were born my love...born to be my corresponding shape, my intricate form, my matching blinker, my moon. Who knew when I was younger that I was writing about you in my old blogs? You were in my town, a few minutes drive away as I wrote these words.

I love how God works...He's always knows exactly what He's doing. Shame on us for ever worrying. He's done such an amazing work in you, and in us.

All the experiences you've been through year after year, good, bad, stupid, super crazy, etc. have made you the man I love today.

25. 25!

We're getting older...together.

May you enjoy this quarter century of a year and delight in the Lord.

Let's go enjoy your day.

true soul.

2010-05-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

Have you ever met someone with just an amazingly sweet spirit? Someone who makes you feel right at home, right at ease, someone who you feel you could have been friends with for years? There are few things I could appreciate more than a true soul. I feel lucky to already have friends like that...so so grateful.

And today, I have added one more to my very dear collection. My cup is very full.

I feel like I need to take better care of my friendships in general...I truly cherish them...but life happens, and we get busy. Still, that's no excuse. I think you understand...I hope you do!

Have a lovely lovely week...appreciate the true souls in your life.

happy May.

2010-05-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

May is my favorite month. It may have to do with the fact that I was born in May, but I don't believe that is the sole reason.

I love the feeling of May, I love the flowers in bloom.

I love Mother's Day.

Tyler's birthday, too.

This May in particular is going to be very busy...

I'm really looking forward to...

celebrations

playing more shows

our EP release

Mother's Day

my new position as an assistant manager

getting used to my hair

hanging out with girlfriends

loving my husband

playing with my dogs

baking a cake

buying flowers

Mmm...I love May.

green.

2010-04-29T14:28:00.000-07:00

I recently watched a video that made me feel ashamed...it presented the facts about how much plastic America consumes and how bad it is for our environment and for the sea life.

I've known this in the back of my head, but today, I vow to make a conscious effort to use the least amount of plastic or possible.

Here are a few ways I am going to do that (I encourage you to as well, it's easy)

-For water: Use a glass, or get a bpa free re-usable water bottle (I have two from Starbucks that I fill up every day and bring home). If you DO use anything else, make sure it's recyclable...and RECYCLE IT! Don't be lazy.

- For coffee: Ditch the paper cups and bring your own coffee tumbler! If you forget to bring it, go to plan B and ask for a ceramic mug (for here). If you'r not gonna stick around and are forced to use a paper cup, don't use the cardboard sleeves, come on! If you're a whimp that thinks the drink is too hot to hold without a sleeve...okay, I can be a whimp too sometimes with americano's, coffee, or tea... carry some re-usable coffee sleeves made out of fabric. Keep a few in your car or your purse. But try to bring your tumbler!

-For groceries: the obvious...bring your re-usable grocery bag. But also, ditch the plastic bags that you put your veggies and produce in...either make fabric bags, or just don't use a bag and put the two avocados or bunch of bananas straight into the cart. It's not a big deal. If you forgot your reusable grocery bag, ask for paper...either re-use it, or recycle it.

Those are just a few tips...just remember "biodegradable." Yeah, that means that it can be broken down and not harm the environment! So try your best to consume less plastic, look for biodegradable (even in chemicals), re-use (but be careful if you do re-use plastic, it probably has bpa in it and that's harmful) and just be more responsible. That's my goal.

If these few tips can be mastered, that's such a great start...imagine how much, already, we are cutting out! How many of you grocery shop, drink water, and go to coffee shops? That's almost all of you out there...keep this at the forefront of your mind when it comes to these places!

Have a green day!

...a few hours later...

2010-04-27T17:38:00.001-07:00

thats it!

2010-04-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

the creative room.

2010-04-26T00:58:00.000-07:00

Today was bitter sweet...I slammed two fingers in my car door today...they feel really sore right now as I type. Another bitter and very sad story I'm forcing myself to share because I really am not in the mood to write about this is that yesterday morning, we found the birds nest empty on the ground. We think a crow came and ate the chicks...I've been really sad for the past couple days...my little friends are gone...the nest isn't there anymore for me to look at everyday, every time I think about it I want to cry. It just makes me so sad.

The sweet for today is that my husband is amazing and loves me so much, my God loves me so much, and I got to finally clean up my creative room.

I must admit, my creative room has been more of a junk room for the past couple months.

I decided to put my foot down and finally make it a room that I would use often. I finally cleaned it out and re-arranged, added some things.

What better than a post of pictures to show my accomplishment of productivity. It feels great...

Finally...did something with our honeymoon polaroids...

some of my favorite details...

I just love this birdcage shelf thing...I found it at UO for $10 a while ago...

Oh, this is the not so creative part of the room...the dog's cages. I'm thinking they're ready to get some comfy uncaged beds pretty soon. Plus it'll make it that much cozier in here.

Now i'm on the look out for a round rug and a side table for the couch...and some dog beds...maybe I can make those.

birdies.

2010-04-21T14:41:00.000-07:00

"Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?"

-Luke 12:24

God has totally romanced me with this gift...He knew that I'd love it.

I have this nest of birds right out my kitchen door for me to see every day...the chicks have grown so quickly...I'm wondering when they're going to take flight! I hope they don't fall too hard the first few times.

I hear the mother feeding them about ever 30 minutes or so...it's a high pitched, "tweet tweet tweet tweet..."

This is a constant reminder for me to stop worrying...God will take care of everything. These birds somehow made this wonderful nest for themselves, sleeping outside in the cold, scrounging up food, and they're surviving! The mother isn't just giving up on her babies, she's making it happen!

If you ever have a worry in the day, just know that God has you in the palm of His hands and will take care of you...even if the situation seems impossible to fix or too unmanageable! Nothing is too great for God, and sometimes it takes patience and timing to see the good that will come out of it!

Thank you, Lord, for this visual reminder. I know you will provide...we wait on You.

I am excite.

2010-04-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

This week so far has been quite productive...working out (feels so good!), cooking a lot, farmer's market with friends, but mainly, getting on top of our music.

I don't really talk about the music very much because it has been a very long process...patience has been the test. To update you...Tyler and I have had songs for about a year and a half but were never really in love with our style of music. We kind of wrote everything in haste. As time went by...we were able to find a sound that we absolutely love and makes us want to dance. With all of the changes, we never were able to release our E.P. We knew that if we released songs we didn't like, we wouldn't enjoy playing shows nor enjoy being in a band.

The wait was well worth it.

After many weeks of fine tuning our live show, our producer came to check out our practice on Monday...I guess he was really impressed and wants us to play ASAP! So on May 14th (mark your calendars...seriously, take out that planner of yours and write it down "The Dandelions") we are having our E.P. release show. The part that is super exciting is that a well known record company will be there checking us out. Eeee!

SO! If you live in a reasonable proximity to San Diego, I want YOU to be there to support us...the more there are, the much much better. May 14th is a Friday night...

That is only ONE month away. Finally...it's all coming together!

If you can't imagine me rocking out, you'll just have to come see it for yourself :)

Have a great evening friends.

New Hues

2010-04-11T16:41:00.001-07:00

Just had to do something new.

Mini Salmon Burgers

2010-04-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

We try to eat fish at least once a week. We loooove salmon...but it can get boring if I just keep making it the same way: baked. So, I picked up these salmon patties, prepped at TJ's, to spice up our fish life.

This recipe is especially good if you don't really like fish, but you want to 'intake' some, because all of the ingredients in it have tons of flavor, so the salmon isn't at all overbearing...and it's healthy!

SO...

Mini Salmon Burgers

-Salmon Patties from Trader Joe's

-Mini Sesame Buns also from TJ's

-Baby Spinach (Organic! Spinach is one of the veggies with the highest pesticide use!)

-Lowfat Feta Cheese*

-Kalamata Olives*

-Dijon Mustard*

-Mayo

Cooking the Salmon Patties:

The only cooking in this recipe is the Salmon Patties. Get a skillet and oil it lightly with your choice of oil. Put on medium to low heat.

All you do is cut two patties in half (so it's two halves a person, making two mini burgers).

Roll up the halves and flatten them a little bit, put them on the skillet, flip them a couple times until they brown on both sides.

Making the sauce:

I used this sauce in the burgers and also as a dip for our asparagus that we paired with this burgers.

1/3 Dijon Mustard to 2/3 Organic Mayo...and voila! It's very simple, but very delish...even if your the type that doesn't like mayo or dijon, it balances out perfectly!

Constructing the burger:

After the patties are done, set them aside on a plate and using the same skillet, brown the insides of the mini buns.

Then, spread a little bit of the sauce on the bottom bun.

Then squish two or three kalamata olives on there...try to flatten them.

Add a baby spinach leave or two for texture.

The place the salmon patty on there.

Sprinkle some feta cheese...

and top bun it!

This pairs well with asparagus and grilled veggies.

I got a lot of ,"Mmmmm!"s from this wonderful guy...

*If you're hesitant to buy the following in fear of having no other use, they last forever in your fridge...

Feta: you can use it in salads and sandwiches and it's so good.

Kalamata Olives: great intense burst of flavor, so good in everything...from salads to sandwiches, to putting some in rice.

Dijon Mustard: really good to add in a vinaigrette use in sandwiches, or even a glaze over herbed chicken...really!

Food manor.

2010-04-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

Hello, hello.

So, I've been going to my new gym for the past few days...I feel great!

I have been inspired to eat lots of fruit and healthy snacks...with that, inspired to use my saved mason jars/random jars/to store my little snacks. I've just recently re-fallen in love with this health foods store down the street called Jimbos...they have so many great bulk foods...like everything natural/organic. They also have every single bulk spice you can or cannot think of.

So I'm going on a thrift store storage jar hunt within the next week to revamp my cupboards. Not only do jars look cute and keep you organized, but it keeps everything fresh and you can be a part of re-using!

Here is a snapshot of my countertop right now...

Clementines, apples, avocados, dried currants, orange cranberry crunch granola, seasoned almonds, mangos, kiwis, pears, banana chips, bananas, blueberries, and a cantaloupe!

I guess I'm bragging about food? All of this was surprisingly cheap...and the guys in the house are pretty excited about it.

Anywho, I went to TJ's yesterday and the little lady who was sampling food very easily talked me into buying their frozen chicken wontons...they were so good! But then, I got home and wondered how the heck I would make them, like we're not gonna eat these dry, you know? So I winged it! Wung it? Whatever...it tasted amazing and I really want to share it with you and think you should definitely try this very easy recipe!

(not sure if this picture does it justice, it looks all thick and gooey but it's not...it appears that way because the soup was boiling.)

RECIPE

-Trader Joe's frozen wontons

-O Chicken Broth

-O red onions

-O Baby Spinache

-Low Sodium Soy Sauce

-Hot sauce of your choice...doesn't have to be fancy...I used an Organic jalapeno sauce.

-(If you have any kind of peanut oil or sesame oil, that makes a great addition, but not necessary.)

Measure out how much broth you think you'd like per person and put it all in a pot. Add the red onions. Bring to a boil.

Throw a few wontons in there...I did 7 for me, 7 for Ty (they're little) Let those babies boil for about 2 minutes.

After that, you can turn down the heat a few notches...

Add in the baby spinach, pour a couple tea spoons of soy sauce (you can always add more to your liking), and I just did a few drops of hot sauce, a little goes a long way, and I'm a whimp.

Let it heat for about 5 more minutes so the spinach saturates a little...

I also put a little bit of peanut oil in there just because I had some...but it's expensive, I wouldn't go out and buy it unless you would use it for other asian inspired foods...it just gives it that extra something.

And ta da! A yummy homemade wonton soup! Whip up a bowl of rice on the side and you've got a perfect sized dinner...not too much, not too little.

Off to a shower and some toe nail painting, thanks for the reminder, Kay.

Have a splendid evening! Don't forget to thank the Lord today for His love!

Ellie.

2010-04-04T19:58:00.001-07:00

As esteemed and well-postured as she looks...she's so goofy and clumsy.

She falls over really easily. Hope this photo makes you smile...and...

Hope you had a great weekend.

Thrify Flowers

2010-04-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

I love having flowers in the house, as most women do. I feel fresh, inspired, and cozy when I simply pass them, smell then, or just see the color in my peripheral vision.

Today, I got some of my favorites from TJ's; tulips, ranunculus, and deep violet stock. I was inspired by my thrift store purchases yesterday (vases) to play florist and use a couple of my new (and old) vases to flower up my pad. So after I was done...I decided to go around & photograph...

My new blue vase...

Found this little vase too,

I tried one of those arrangement where leaves wrap the stems in the bowl...I think I did okay...

My kitchen sink sill...

and of course, flowers in my bathroom...

Also, I found these plates...the flower one being a Ben Sebeil plate which I could not believe I got for $0.99!

...and bowls...

And this Christmas tree skirt that I was eyeing last Christmas but didn't have the 60 bucks to get it...and just yesterday, I found it for $3.99 at the t-store!

$14 shopping spree baby. Love a good deal.

And while I was walking around, taking pictures, I just had to snap this photo of my pups.

It definitely feels like spring around here...have a happy Easter.

Guess what I got?

2010-04-02T16:51:00.001-07:00

Well, there isn't too much guessing involved. I got a gym pass! Woot woot.

Finally...an outlet for my physical energy!

It's this new gym seconds away from my house, only 10 bucks a month, in the same complex of all my grocery shopping needs, so convenient!

Summer...here I come!

Would like some coffee or tea?

2010-03-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

I want to share one my favorite places in the house. ONE of my favorite. I visit it at least twice a day. Sometimes I'll have coffee, sometimes I'll have tea.

Today, I took something away from it...

My coffee/espresso machine. I never use it! So we stored it in the cabinets for possible later use.

We coffee press. Yeah, it tastes better than any other brewing method, but it's also easier, quicker, and prettier.

What's your favorite coffee or tea?

Homemade frozen dog treats!

2010-03-28T23:21:00.000-07:00

Very easy, very cheap, very happy dogs, keeps them occupied for a good 30 minutes.

I'm going to start recycling any little containers to use for these treats (yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.) They have to be kinda small though so your dog doesn't overload on sweets.

We got these little pinch bowls for our wedding that I rarely ever use, mainly because I forget I have them. Also, I have a couple other containers I've saved for some kind of use.

The Goods:

1 jar of peanut butter

Microwave the peanut butter (remove all aluminum!) so it's soft enough to mixt with...

Warm water... slowly add water and mix/fold peanut butter until it's the consistency of watery pancake batter. (Sorry I didn't measure)

Then divvy it up.

Put the bowls in a casserole and saran wrap.

Put in the freezer...and that's it!

Here are my dogs hours later. (I snapped a photo of Ellie mid-lick and eye blink)

Enjoy!

Palm Sunday

2010-03-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

Story time:

Kings back in the day would ride two animals...a donkey or a horse. They would humbly ride a donkey into town to be approachable and show the people that he is on their level, whereas if they would come in riding a horse, it was for war or trouble.

Jesus, coming in on a donkey to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, lowered Himself to be approachable by the people...the people knew who He was and put their cloaks and palm leaves on the ground and said, "Hosanna!" What a sight that must have been...everyone touching and approaching Him, little children touching his clothes...I bet Jesus had a great big smile on His face.

I love the fact that Palm Sunday was the day that the people would get a lamb to sacrifice on Passover...and that they would observe the lamb for the next 4 days to make sure the lamb was without spot or blemish to be a worthy sacrifice.

Jesus was entering the temple for 4 days after he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, being questioned and observed by the Pharisees so they could hopefully find some spot or blemish and get Him out of their way. There was no fault or blame in Jesus, and He was crucified anyway...little did the Pharisees know, He became the perfect ultimate sacrifice. No need for those little lambs anymore.

Now we're just waiting for Him to come riding on that white horse.

So today, I pick my Lamb. And I will observe Him very closely in my heart for the next 4 days, and remember this story. Then I'll remember The Sacrifice on Friday, and rejoice on the 3rd day, Sunday, because He was and is risen!

Our new job...

2010-03-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

I brought Tyler lunch today and then we walked over to Cold Stone's to get some ice cream. While we were chatting outside at the bistro tables, we were talking about how much we watch movies (every night) and how hard it is sometimes to find a good movie to watch. We feel like we've seen every movie, which of course, we haven't.

Then the idea came that we should become movie critics and share our opinion on all the movies we watch. So...we are called The K Critics. Visit our site frequently (as in probably daily) because we watch a movie a day.

Enjoy.

Bad, bad, girl.

2010-03-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

That pretty much sums up my day in more than one way. This isn't the first time she's taken laces out of our shoes. The weird thing is, our shoes are perfectly fine, just laceless. The bright side...laces are replaceable

Plans.

2010-03-25T19:53:00.001-07:00

We're talkin' about a west coast road trip at the end of May :) We'd like to see some lovely friends...who's available?

Tea time.

2010-03-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

It's another relaxing afternoon at the house. Today, I brought home some vanilla rooibos tea. Have you ever tried it? Well, you must. It's simply delicious. I feel like my mom...she drinks tea if not once, twice every day. No matter what variety of teas I have ever introduced to her, she's stuck to her Lipton black tea with milk.

Today I look forward to getting some things done. Somehow, my creative room has become not so creative. It has kind of become that junk room. After today, I hope it'll be re-inspiring.

I hope you all enjoy the little things in life like tea, cleaning, or just sitting still for 1 minute.

Au revoir.

oh, babies.

2010-03-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

Last night, we had a couple and their 2 1/2 week old baby over for some chat and dinner. The daddy is interested in drumming for our band...but the focus of this post is the baby! I haven't seen a newborn in a very very long time and I forgot how little they are...

I've alway loved babies, always been infatuated, always have easily fallen in love...

Tyler, on the other hand, would delay having babies until he was 40 if he could...I think he thinks any talk of it means I want a baby NOW which is not the case...guys. He's afraid that it would really set him back on what he wants to do and set back the band.

But last night, Tyler held the little baby and was soo intrigued by her, and her by him (probably his hair and mustache). I think he finally grew a heart for babies and finally understands why I think they are so darn precious. So we're thinking of trying to get pregnant this summer.

Just kidding...really, totally kidding. I'm sure my mother is freaking out reading that last statement. It was a joke. I just feel relieved that Tyler loves babies now. The end.

My husband...

2010-03-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

bought me this beautiful bouquet of flowers...

...just because he loves me (that's what he said).

He told me, "They smell like spring!" And they absolutely do! I was so touched and romanced.

He's so sweet, this Tyler of mine.

Every night, he tucks me in bed.

Every morning, (even at 4:15am, seriously) he walks me to the car when I'm off to work.

Everyday, he works hard for us.

Every hour, he tells me he loves me.

Every time I cook, he says he's amazed.

Every time I make something, he brags about me like I'm the most talented person.

He's great...and I love him.

Here he is, last night, in the penalty box, at his winning hockey game...

Enjoy the love of your life.

I feel...

2010-03-22T15:37:00.001-07:00

very feminine in this skirt today.

An adventurous day.

2010-03-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

This morning, we decided to take our dogs for a walk from our house to Starbucks. We stopped by Trader Joe's before we sat down (which is in the same parking lot) to get the girls a treat. This Starbucks is special because they keep dog bowls in the back for water when people bring their dogs. That makes me happy :) We sat for a while, read, and met a nice older couple who just got their dog, Jonah, yesterday. Baggie and Ellie were very happy to meet a new friend. Hopefully we'll be seeing them again soon. They were a sweet couple. Here are some pictures of our walk.

Baggie and Ellie kissing while we were waiting to cross the street...

My handsome Ty (carrying my bag the whole way...what a gentleman)...

Little Bag...

AND...check out what this person decided to do with all of their old toilettes, I had to bend down and pretend I was fixing Baggie's collar to take this picture because the owner was out in his front lawn...(kinda weird...but at least they're re-using, right?) And there were about 5 more.

Then we got home and had the idea of going wine tasting because there are so many vineyards around here. So, we looked online and found a two for one deal a few minutes from the house. We went and tried a few before we agreed on one we both liked, bought it with some cheese and crackers, and sat there for a while, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. It was pretty romantic, I must say...

This is the tasting room

Outside having a wine picnic..

Walked through the vineyard for a while...

pretty flowers...

us...

As if that wasn't enough to our day...we decided, since we have passes, to go to the Wild Animal Park right down the road. Everything is in pretty close proximity to where we live. So, we went and finished our afternoon there with some monkey watching and safari tours.

here are the real gorillas...

what we came for...the relaxing safari tour,

but of course, you have to walk for a long time before getting to the safari tour, so we ended up seeing far more than we originally wanted to, but that's okay. We were really really tired at the end of all of it.

I decided, if all else fails in my life, I would like to work with animals in the zoo. They're just all so lovely.

Ty is now taking a nap, I'm blogging this, with my eyes barely staying open, and I think we're just going to stay in tonight. It was quite the eventful day, wouldn't you say?

Have a good evening.

Spring cleaning.

2010-03-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

Before I get into anything...let me just say sitting down in my new chair with a black tea lemonade and being able to blog is such a treat for me after everything I have just done and it gives me such a relaxed feeling...amen.

(getting into it now...)

I got home from work today (at 1:15pm), and was sooo tired. I knew that taking a nap would just delay, if not, make non-existent, all the cleaning I've been itching to do. So to get a little energy, I played with the dogs in the back for a little bit, tried to train Ellie to ,"Go getcher ball!", she got it the first couple of times but then decided licking my hands and legs was more satisfying than a ball in her mouth...okay, okay, enough of that...

I knew I needed to start cleaning, but I was still a little tired and didn't have much motivation...all I wanted to do was take a nap outside or watch a movie...

So I thought, well, maybe I'll make it fun and take a few pictures of my cleaning adventure and make a blog out of it...and as cheesy as it is that I've taken pictures of chores, I find it really satisfying and productive-feeling to be able to post these.

Let's say just say that this whole idea of photo journaling as I went definitely worked...wonders. (You should try it if you're not feeling like cleaning...and you really need to.)

I first started to do a little cleaning...some dishes here (handwash...yep, no dishwasher in this house)...

Some laundry there (love nothing more than hang drying most of my clothes)...

Then to cleaning some rugs (love nothing more than drying these outisde)...

To tidying up my linen closet...

To cleaning my whole living room, ( I mean shaking the curtains out, vacuuming behind, under, on the couch, getting the big rug really good, emptying the vacuum YUCK)...by this point i'm really sweaty...

I mean, things get gross really quickly.

...and then I realized I just wanted to clean every. single. inch. of my house...and another realization with that was that it's spring cleaning time! I mean, probably time to do the whole shabam. I've never really been a part of spring cleaning...last year, there wasn't much to clean because we had just moved into our new apartment with all of our new stuff a couple months before spring.

I remember in the past wondering, "So, when is spring cleaning? The beginning, the middle, the end of spring? Is it an actual day? Do I have to really set aside time to do everything? What all does it entail?"

Today, I realized, for me at least, that it's just a feeling. An urge. An awakening of the cleaning spirits. I've had this feeling in every season actually...perhaps we should have a summer, fall, and winter cleaning? So, with my huge leap of motivation now, I plan to clean everything this weekend.

Clean out the fireplace. Mop everywhere. Deep clean bathroom. Re-organize closets, drawers, cupboards. Have boys mow the lawn. Wash dogs, dog beds, dog toys. Dust frames, mirrors, books, everything! Etc.

I have my work cut out for me but I'm more than happy to get it all done! In the end...I'll reward myself with a little something...i'm thinking a pedicure.

For today, I shall take a break from it all and slip in a little nap. Then I'm going to pick Tyler up from work and we get to have date night tonight! Have a lovely day and a lovely spring cleaning!

Now that the sun's out...

2010-03-18T14:09:00.001-07:00

...I've really been enjoying my backyard.

My orange tree as beautiful as ever...(well what I've seen of it since December)

I think it's time to mow the lawn. (We don't own a lawn mower so we borrow...stinks.)

The rose bush isn't lookin' so bad...

...and right outside my kitchen door is a little family of birds getting ready for the spring under our carport, I'd say it's a pretty luxurious home...

...hope you enjoy the rest of your day.

Thrift store lottery.

2010-03-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

So, after the last post, I went to the thrift store, as I told you I would...

...and as soon as I walked in, I saw these two mid-century, vinyl, beauties and bought them immediately (little did I know, they had just put them out right before I got there, it was meant to be)...

And I also found this piece of art, hand-drawn by some guy named Jacque, in 1967, for my kitchen (I put it up next to the door Ellie was posing in front of in the previous post...pardon my flash)

Some people are weird about getting stuff at thrift stores...but I say,"give it a shot!"

'night.

Also, I will not approve any anonymous comments for a few reasons. Just tell me who you are...I'm more curious than George. Thanks!

Afternoon Delight

2010-03-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

My work schedule has changed quite a bit, involuntarily. The schedule which was so bitter at the beginning of my marriage has somehow become sweet.

There are some perks to working at 4:15 am. No, really. I don't think i'm talking myself into them either.

Sure, I miss the usual morning dates with my hub and the great breakfasts he conjures, but I still get to enjoy that on my days off...Sunday/Monday.

But the days I do open aren't so bad either...After spending the morning with lots of people over coffee right before they go to work, I get to go home and it's only late morning. I got work out of the way and I still have a whole day! The days that Ty doesn't work, I get to spend the rest of the day with him, the days he does work, I get the house all to myself. I usually take about 30-45 minutes to nap, and when I wake up, I feel great...ready to restart my day. I clean, read outside, hang with the dogs, and I get to make lunch and dinner which I just love to do and hate to miss out on. Of course, somedays I'm a little groggy, but for the most part, i'm good.

Today, my afternoon consisted of putting on a tank and some shorts, reading outside (hopefully getting some color) while a load of laundry was a spinnin', got to listen to the birds chirp in the nest they have created within in my nest, and after a little nap, I felt like being creative with my left overs and made this beautiful vibrant dish...

And while I was heatin' up the goods on the stove, I had to snap this sweet shot of Ellie by the kitchen door...

It's 5 pm and it feels like i've had the whole day off, yet, I got to work and make some money while most of you were still sleeping :)

This delightful afternoon has put a smile on my face and on my heart...Ty gets home in about an hour. I'm gonna hop in my car, cruise right down to thrift store for a bit and see what's new (or not so new).

Hope you have some afternoon delight!

Join me on March 29th...

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What do you say?

Happy...

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St. Patty's Day (of course), but more importantly, Happy Birthday to my updated blog.

After switching to wordpress for a while, I missed my blogger . . . now I can say blogger is better than wordpress. No hard feelings.

I hope those of you who followed "onehourcoffee" enjoyed the days of reading those posts . . . it'll be another book on the world wide web shelf.

As we know sometimes we need that change . . . along with this change, there has been a change in my heart for life . I can't quite explain what that change is, but I feel it in the way I walk, in the way I inhale, in the way I stare off into the lives of old couples at work or a little child so intrigued by the stickers on his little hand. Some part of me has been taken into a different level of life . . . God is doing something.

In the meantime of searching what that is,

I promised myself to keep my legs well shaved (for a while) because as I'm trying to tan my legs, I'm really liking not looking like a man, although it takes a little extra effort in the shower, it's well worth it.

Aaaand, for those of you who get zits on their face, as if there aren't any of you, I have a really great solution. I've been experimenting with tea tree and rose essential oils in the past few months, I know they're great antibacterial agents and healing skin from scars (or zit picking . . . eww, but we all do it). You can buy those oils at Henry's, but you'll need to buy some kind of oil, jojoba or grape seed . . . I prefer grape seed. You can't put the essential oil directly on your skin because it's really harsh on skin, so you need a 'carrier' oil (grape seed). Anyway, I've been using it after every time I wash my face...and spot it on zits and it's been really awesome. My skin has never looked/felt so nice and zits don't ever get out of control or embarrassing . . . of course that also takes effort on my side in not picking.

Off to watch a movie with my Ty.