Good Food:
Good Drinks:
Good Friends:
Good Times:
Oh and by the way...
You all know how much I (don't) love Ed Hardy, and Sarah was kind enough to grab me a cup to drink out of all weekend.
Such insightful advice, Ed Hardy. hahahahahahaha
June 30, 2009
Weekend: At A Glance
I think this weekend at The Cabin can be summed up best in a few pictures.
Good Food:
Good Drinks:
Good Friends:
Good Times:
Oh and by the way...
You all know how much I (don't) love Ed Hardy, and Sarah was kind enough to grab me a cup to drink out of all weekend.
Such insightful advice, Ed Hardy. hahahahahahaha
Good Food:
Good Drinks:
Good Friends:
Good Times:
Oh and by the way...
You all know how much I (don't) love Ed Hardy, and Sarah was kind enough to grab me a cup to drink out of all weekend.
Such insightful advice, Ed Hardy. hahahahahahaha
June 25, 2009
Summer Reading List
Heading to The Treehouse for a weekend of reading and relaxing. I've got a ton of magazines in tow and of course a few choice selections from my stack of Summer Reading books.
Best Food Writing 2008 by Holly Hughes
Things I Learned About My Dad (In Therapy) by Heather Armstrong
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Testimony by Anita Shreve
The Likeness by Tana French
The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper
A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberger
Can't wait for the relaxing to begin!
June 22, 2009
Best Summer Ever!
So about 2 days into our most recent vacation, Garrett and I declared that this summer was going to be the Best Summer Ever! I’m sure that’s not a surprising declaration while you are on the front side of a 10 day island vacation; however, we have been working to keep that attitude alive even back here in Sacramento. (Though there were definitely a few days of vacation hangover when we got back from Maui-- we aren’t superhuman, yo.) It probably sounds kind of ridiculous that we have already decided this is the Best Summer Ever, since summer technically just started yesterday, but it’s more of an attitude that we have decided to adopt this year, rather than a specific event.
We got to talking one night about all of our summer memories as kids and how much fun that used to be. The last days of school, sunshine, playing all day, swimming, hot nights, barbecue’s with family – just those random things that as a kid make everything seem right in the world. Since it’s been a long time since we have felt that kind of unadulterated bliss, this summer we decided to make a conscious decision to try and savor everything summer related -- in short, trying to make every day fun. And trust me, this will be no small feat, seeing as my hatred of the heat is right up there with my hatred of Black Widows, Ed Hardy, and People who say “Expresso”.
But even though the heat here in Sacramento can get unbearable, there are lots of fantastic things about summer. For example, I absolutely love waking up in the morning when it’s already light and beautiful outside. It’s almost an invitation to wake up, and I find myself being even more of an early riser during these months. Also, we are lucky that where we work offers generous vacation time so we are taking advantage of being able to have a mid-week day off here and there to enjoy ourselves, or taking a long weekend to visit with friends and family.
Next weekend we are heading to Calaveras with all my cousins to The Treehouse and there is NEVER a dull moment there. I can't wait to sit on the balcony of the cabin and go into magazine trance with some Apricot Ale from Snowshoe. Then for Fourth of July we are off to Monterey for Moto GP, but the Best Summer Ever is not only about traveling. Mainly we are just want to participate in summer. I know that sounds silly, but instead of letting the time pass us by and bitching about the heat for 3 months, we are going to go out and create that blissful summer feeling as much as possible.
So with that being said, the following is The Official Best Summer Ever To-Do List
Go on a picnic
Have friends over to BBQ even though our yard isn’t in perfect shape. (Who cares? They aren’t coming over for the landscaping!)
Plan a few “No Cook” menus
Have ice cream for dinner at Gunther’s Yum!
See a mid week matinee to beat the heat
Finish planting my garden and watch it grow
Wear more skirts
Head out to a You-Pick Berry Farm and Make Jam
Wear all of my fun dresses to work
Spend as much time as possible in a bathing suit
Take some fun hikes (Maybe revisit Feather Falls)
Write!
Make Mint Juleps and watch The Great Gatsby
Just Sit and Read
Speaking of reading, one of the most relaxing parts of Maui was just how much reading I was able to do and, honestly, I’m so much happier when I am reading. I just love pouring through a new book, getting to know a new story, meeting new characters. But the funny part is that Garrett loves when I'm tearing through books just about as much as I do. Since he is a much more auditory person, he doesn’t read as much as I do, but is constantly asking me to tell him what’s going on in my books. I mean, down to the detail. You could ask him a fairly detailed question about the plot line of New Moon and he’d probably give you a pretty accurate answer without ever having flipped a page, which I think is pretty hysterical. He certainly has his preferences – he’s not quite as interested in some of the fluffier books I read - but beyond that he’s always game to hear a story. Actually the other night I was laughing out loud while reading one of the essays in David Sedaris’ newest paperback When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and I ended up spending the next hour reading outloud to him while we were both rolling around in fits of giggles. It was a beautiful night and it was relaxing and fun to just sit there and read together. Even though it was probably the most sickeningly yuppie thing we have done in a long time – it was also such a blast.
I’m looking forward to many more of those nights to come!
We got to talking one night about all of our summer memories as kids and how much fun that used to be. The last days of school, sunshine, playing all day, swimming, hot nights, barbecue’s with family – just those random things that as a kid make everything seem right in the world. Since it’s been a long time since we have felt that kind of unadulterated bliss, this summer we decided to make a conscious decision to try and savor everything summer related -- in short, trying to make every day fun. And trust me, this will be no small feat, seeing as my hatred of the heat is right up there with my hatred of Black Widows, Ed Hardy, and People who say “Expresso”.
But even though the heat here in Sacramento can get unbearable, there are lots of fantastic things about summer. For example, I absolutely love waking up in the morning when it’s already light and beautiful outside. It’s almost an invitation to wake up, and I find myself being even more of an early riser during these months. Also, we are lucky that where we work offers generous vacation time so we are taking advantage of being able to have a mid-week day off here and there to enjoy ourselves, or taking a long weekend to visit with friends and family.
Next weekend we are heading to Calaveras with all my cousins to The Treehouse and there is NEVER a dull moment there. I can't wait to sit on the balcony of the cabin and go into magazine trance with some Apricot Ale from Snowshoe. Then for Fourth of July we are off to Monterey for Moto GP, but the Best Summer Ever is not only about traveling. Mainly we are just want to participate in summer. I know that sounds silly, but instead of letting the time pass us by and bitching about the heat for 3 months, we are going to go out and create that blissful summer feeling as much as possible.
So with that being said, the following is The Official Best Summer Ever To-Do List
Go on a picnic
Have friends over to BBQ even though our yard isn’t in perfect shape. (Who cares? They aren’t coming over for the landscaping!)
Plan a few “No Cook” menus
Have ice cream for dinner at Gunther’s Yum!
See a mid week matinee to beat the heat
Finish planting my garden and watch it grow
Wear more skirts
Head out to a You-Pick Berry Farm and Make Jam
Wear all of my fun dresses to work
Spend as much time as possible in a bathing suit
Take some fun hikes (Maybe revisit Feather Falls)
Write!
Make Mint Juleps and watch The Great Gatsby
Just Sit and Read
Speaking of reading, one of the most relaxing parts of Maui was just how much reading I was able to do and, honestly, I’m so much happier when I am reading. I just love pouring through a new book, getting to know a new story, meeting new characters. But the funny part is that Garrett loves when I'm tearing through books just about as much as I do. Since he is a much more auditory person, he doesn’t read as much as I do, but is constantly asking me to tell him what’s going on in my books. I mean, down to the detail. You could ask him a fairly detailed question about the plot line of New Moon and he’d probably give you a pretty accurate answer without ever having flipped a page, which I think is pretty hysterical. He certainly has his preferences – he’s not quite as interested in some of the fluffier books I read - but beyond that he’s always game to hear a story. Actually the other night I was laughing out loud while reading one of the essays in David Sedaris’ newest paperback When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and I ended up spending the next hour reading outloud to him while we were both rolling around in fits of giggles. It was a beautiful night and it was relaxing and fun to just sit there and read together. Even though it was probably the most sickeningly yuppie thing we have done in a long time – it was also such a blast.
I’m looking forward to many more of those nights to come!
June 17, 2009
Lists
My own To-Do lists have been curiously suffering this week but I found the time to come up with these:
Things I love that make me an absolute walking cliche:
Good Coffee
Farmer's Markets
Microbreweries
Organic Food
David Sedaris
Whole Foods
Indie Music
Public Radio
Facebook (duh!)
Hating People Who Wear Ed Hardy
Things most people get all hot over about which I only get lukewarm:
Banana Splits
Fancy Cell Phones That Do Tricks
Chowder Type Soup
Brad Pitt
Lost
Jodi Piccoult Books
Facebook Games
Disneyland
Pasta
Highlights
Robert Pattinson
Wes Anderson Movies
Harry Potter
MAC Makeup
Things I pretty much hate with a fiery passion:
Pizza with Chicken On It
Gwen Stefani's Wardrobe On Any Given Day
Nickelback
The Taste Of Toothpaste
Ed Hardy (...so awful it deserves another mention)
Fruit Vinaigrettes
Uggs
Chain Restaurants
UFC
Crocs
The Idea That "Dressing Like a French Woman" Is Somehow Extra Chic
Shiny Collared Shirts With Any Kind Of Bird/Phoenix Imagery
Bourbon
Styled Facial Hair
Pennies
Slipknot
The Following Words: most, mung bean, puss, incentivize, scamper, panties, or nautious when what they really mean to say is nauseated (Yes, there's a difference)
The Entire Lohan Family
...What about you. Tell me about your lists!
Things I love that make me an absolute walking cliche:
Good Coffee
Farmer's Markets
Microbreweries
Organic Food
David Sedaris
Whole Foods
Indie Music
Public Radio
Facebook (duh!)
Hating People Who Wear Ed Hardy
Things most people get all hot over about which I only get lukewarm:
Banana Splits
Fancy Cell Phones That Do Tricks
Chowder Type Soup
Brad Pitt
Lost
Jodi Piccoult Books
Facebook Games
Disneyland
Pasta
Highlights
Robert Pattinson
Wes Anderson Movies
Harry Potter
MAC Makeup
Things I pretty much hate with a fiery passion:
Pizza with Chicken On It
Gwen Stefani's Wardrobe On Any Given Day
Nickelback
The Taste Of Toothpaste
Ed Hardy (...so awful it deserves another mention)
Fruit Vinaigrettes
Uggs
Chain Restaurants
UFC
Crocs
The Idea That "Dressing Like a French Woman" Is Somehow Extra Chic
Shiny Collared Shirts With Any Kind Of Bird/Phoenix Imagery
Bourbon
Styled Facial Hair
Pennies
Slipknot
The Following Words: most, mung bean, puss, incentivize, scamper, panties, or nautious when what they really mean to say is nauseated (Yes, there's a difference)
The Entire Lohan Family
...What about you. Tell me about your lists!
June 15, 2009
Not That You Asked....
...but I am still living out of my suitcase from Maui.
I know.
My ability to adapt in favor of laziness even amazes me sometimes. So yeah, did not get a whole lot done this weekend. I actually started feeling a little under the weather on Saturday night and it seemed to get progressively worse as Sunday wore on. I managed to sleep away most of the afternoon, but I did eek out next week's menu which, depending on how I end up feeling, may be a little ambitious.
The chili is based on this recipe except I add squash, zucchini, and extra peppers. It is full of veggies but has the spicy delicious flavor you expect from chili.
The Orzo Stuffed Peppers are a Giada recipe. The way she insists on pronouncing everything in her darling little Italian accent sort of drives me nuts, but her recipes usually turn out well.
Everything else pretty is pretty much recipe-less I guess and more of an experiment (like the homemade refried beans...yeah, I have no idea how those will turn out. We'll see!.) Sorry I'm sort of a lack of inspiration this week, but hey, at least you don't have to be my guinea pig like Garrett does.
Ha!
I know.
My ability to adapt in favor of laziness even amazes me sometimes. So yeah, did not get a whole lot done this weekend. I actually started feeling a little under the weather on Saturday night and it seemed to get progressively worse as Sunday wore on. I managed to sleep away most of the afternoon, but I did eek out next week's menu which, depending on how I end up feeling, may be a little ambitious.
The chili is based on this recipe except I add squash, zucchini, and extra peppers. It is full of veggies but has the spicy delicious flavor you expect from chili.
The Orzo Stuffed Peppers are a Giada recipe. The way she insists on pronouncing everything in her darling little Italian accent sort of drives me nuts, but her recipes usually turn out well.
Everything else pretty is pretty much recipe-less I guess and more of an experiment (like the homemade refried beans...yeah, I have no idea how those will turn out. We'll see!.) Sorry I'm sort of a lack of inspiration this week, but hey, at least you don't have to be my guinea pig like Garrett does.
Ha!
June 11, 2009
Food for Thought
I am so excited I am to finally see this movie!
Check out the trailer:
It's opens July 3rd at The Crest and I can't tell you how important I think these issues are. I promise not to get up on a soapbox here, but seriously, the food industry is so much more complicated than it appears to be and I don't think the average American even thinks about where their food comes from or how it is made when they walk into the grocery store. And if they do, half they time the labels on things and "nutrients" being infused into foods become so confusing that it is hard to tell heads from tails when it comes to what is "Good For You."
If you are interested, I absolutely love this article by Michael Pollan, which is actually an excerpt from his book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, which is quite possibly one of the best books I've read in the past couple of years.
(Certainly not in a smutty, beach read kind of way, but you know -- eye opening.) A quick warning -- the article is pretty long (but so worth it -- Go read it, I'll wait.)
Ahem.
Anyway, he also wrote a significantly shorter article called Six Rules for Eating Wisely that is equally as interesting, if not quite so time consuming. (Ha! I tell you after I make you read a 12 page article...do you hate me?)
Both have really influenced my opinions over the past couple of years when it comes to the food Garrett and I eat. I'm not saying that I am perfect or that Pollan, for that matter, has all the answers -- I mean, obviously if I was doing everything right I'm sure I would certainly look much different (and truth be told, probably wouldn't be eating this Twix right now...haha...True confession...DAMN working in an office environment!)
But it's about starting somewhere.
It's about baby steps.
And when you add those all up in the end, I feel like those efforts and those concerns will be much more influential on my long term good health than a smaller dress size.
And honestly -- the long term -- that's really what we're all really hungry for, right?
Check out the trailer:
It's opens July 3rd at The Crest and I can't tell you how important I think these issues are. I promise not to get up on a soapbox here, but seriously, the food industry is so much more complicated than it appears to be and I don't think the average American even thinks about where their food comes from or how it is made when they walk into the grocery store. And if they do, half they time the labels on things and "nutrients" being infused into foods become so confusing that it is hard to tell heads from tails when it comes to what is "Good For You."
If you are interested, I absolutely love this article by Michael Pollan, which is actually an excerpt from his book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, which is quite possibly one of the best books I've read in the past couple of years.
(Certainly not in a smutty, beach read kind of way, but you know -- eye opening.) A quick warning -- the article is pretty long (but so worth it -- Go read it, I'll wait.)
Ahem.
Anyway, he also wrote a significantly shorter article called Six Rules for Eating Wisely that is equally as interesting, if not quite so time consuming. (Ha! I tell you after I make you read a 12 page article...do you hate me?)
Both have really influenced my opinions over the past couple of years when it comes to the food Garrett and I eat. I'm not saying that I am perfect or that Pollan, for that matter, has all the answers -- I mean, obviously if I was doing everything right I'm sure I would certainly look much different (and truth be told, probably wouldn't be eating this Twix right now...haha...True confession...DAMN working in an office environment!)
But it's about starting somewhere.
It's about baby steps.
And when you add those all up in the end, I feel like those efforts and those concerns will be much more influential on my long term good health than a smaller dress size.
And honestly -- the long term -- that's really what we're all really hungry for, right?
June 09, 2009
What's For Dinner?
I know, I know -- you were expecting some fabulous Maui pictures. And I promise that I will recap The Great Maui Adventure this week, but this morning I had two overflowing suitcases and an empty fridge staring me down and that took priority over going through vacation photos. Is there anything more depressing than an empty fridge post-vacation? We had coffee but no cream. Cereal but no milk. ARGH! It was a rough morning. Though not as rough as tomorrow will be when I have to wake up at 5am....which, btw, is 2am Maui-time. Hoo boy! Wish me luck.
Anyway, I did some menu planning today before shopping,as I do pretty much every week, and I thought I would start posting some of my lists just in case you were looking for some menu inspiration. I know I get quite a bit of mine on-line, so I think I might start doing it regularly.
How it works at my house is I usually post some sort of fridge inventory that looks something like this:
Nothing fancy, obviously, just handwritten....And if I am really lucky I actually do a whole menu. This week's looks like this:
Monday -- Airplane Food (eek!)
Tuesday -- Bisquick Chicken (straight from the side of the box though this recipe is pretty identica. I add garlic powder too.)
Israeli Cous Cous and Frozen Veggies (I pretty much abhor frozen veggies but the Freezer needs a little clean out)
Wednesday -- Veggie Steamer with Kielbasa (This meal pretty much makes itself and we will certainly be zonked on Wednesday night being that it's our first day back at work) We chop up carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower and steam them with Turkey keilbasa on the top. The serve with a dipping sauce of soy and asian chili paste. Sounds weird, I promise it is DELIGHTFUL! And easy, which is key.
Thursday -- Grilled Vegetable Tostadas (I'm adding Chayote Squash too because I love it and it was on sale. Score!)
Friday -- Hamburgers and Spicy Sweet Potato Fries
Saturday -- Pasta with Pesto, Potatoes, and Green Beans
Sunday -- Teriyaki Wings (This is my mama's recipe and it is so simple that if I told you, you would laugh. So it's now my mama's SECRET recipe!)
So....What's for Dinner at your house this week?
June 04, 2009
The Sun Will Come Out....Tomorrow
So much to tell but it has been a long day and, again, I can barely keep my eyes open. In the past couple of days we have done the Road to Hana, I have (sort of) conquered my fear of snorkeling and subsequent sea-sickness, and we have come up with a top ten list of things that would make you totally embarrassed if you were travelling with us. Including the fact that when people say "Mahalo" to us, we put on our best Paula Deen impersonation and say "Ma-HAY-lo, Y'all" just because it makes us giggle.
We are having the best time and I can't wait to tell you all about it!
Tomorrow is another day.
June 01, 2009
You had me at Aloha...
It's been a fantastic few days in this little piece of Paradise. We spend our mornings drinking coffee and listening to the waves crash and our evenings sipping cocktails and listening the waves crash, and I can't think of a better way to bookend the day.
Speaking of bookends and reading, I've poured through two memoirs since being here and I can't think of anything more decadent than boatloads of spare time to read and nap and write when the inspiration hits. We've grilled up some fantastic meals (YUM! Chinese Chicken Salad), and honestly, we have yet to venture out of our lanai to dine. We plan to hit up the Maui farmer's market later this week to find some other local ingredients to experiment with, but don't you worry we're also planning to grub on some sushi (Sansei, Sarah, for sure!), some lava flows at the Hula Grill (Hi Gina!), and of course some HULA PIE (Kelly and Gee, we may even call you when we sit down)...so we will certainly get around to eating out on of these days.
Yesterday was by far the fullest day of adventure we've had and we crawled into bed last night absolutely exhausted from a day full of sun, sand, snorkeling, exploring, and a late evening swim. It was one of those nights where you lay down feeling salty and sunkissed and even though you can't stop smiling, you also CAN'T. KEEP. EYES. OPEN. ANY. LONGER---ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
We got up early for snorkel practice in the pool and a swim right here on Sugar Beach, and then in the afternoon hit up a little cove near Makena beach to put our snorkeling skills to the test. Being a scuba diver, Garrett didn't really have his skills in question, but since I had been flailing in the condo pool earlier that morning trying to figure out how to morph into a dirty mouth breather (haha), I was definitely looking for an opportunity to prove myself. As soon as we picked a spot to jump in, a sea turtle came over to greet us, and we dove in to see what other mysteries lurked below the surface.
In a few words, it was beautiful. And Garrett assured me that was nothing compared to what we will continue to see.
Since my skills increased slightly, I definitely felt ready for our trip to Molokini later this week. After swimming in the cove for a while we headed up to the lava rock surrounding it and busted out the picnic lunch that we had packed. With the waves crashing around us we grubbed on sandwiches and soaked up the sun while enjoying all the beautiful scenery.
Of course, leaving a few moments to ham it up for the camera. Trust me, I know, face masks are a GREAT look for me. haha
We headed back that afternoon to barbecue and relax by the pool and honestly, we could not have had a better day. As I drifted off to sleep last night to the sounds of the ocean, I thought to myself, "I can't believe we get to get up and do it all over again tomorrow."
May 30, 2009
Conversations From The Lanai
Me: I think I just saw and alligator face come out of the water
Him: Genius, there are no alligators in Maui.
Me: But it was huge. Maybe it was Nessy....
Him: (Shakes Head) Are you sure you even saw something?
Me: Yes it was HUGE!
Him: Oh hey, it's a sea turtle. I just saw it. Wow, and it's amazing how slow it's moving.
Me: Uh, genius -- it's a turtle.
May 21, 2009
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
So if this blog was a child, CPS certainly would have been called by now. Talk about neglect! Let the record reflect, however, that this is why I do not have kids. (YET...calm down, Mom, I'll get there).
ANYWAY.
Part of the reason I haven't been around these parts is because I've been getting settled in my new home! And by settled I mean, turning a pretty nice bachelor pad into a chic new home for the both of us, while not making anything too girly, too foofy, or high maintenance. Oh, and did I mention on a budget? This is tougher than it sounds, yo.
So last weekend I did some major overhauling while Garrett was out of town and coincidentally my mom and aunt were in town. And the fact that I don't have any before pictures for comparison is honestly a travesty. I seem to keep doing this (especially with recipes that I have cooked lately like this and this, or this and this ). I take all sorts of pics so I can blog them and then begin eating before I take a picture of the final product (FAIL) -- so following suit, I could hardly wait to get at the boxes and piles of crap overflowing in the extra bedroom that I just left it completely undocumented. You will just have to take my word that parts of our house were a mess! But really, aren't the after pictures always more fun anyway? So allow me to show you this...the finished Guest Room:
I particularly love that I had enough space to make a mini-library (which has totally been a fantasy fulfilled after all these years!) Let's just keep it between you and me that said library is filled with such masterpieces as the Twilight Saga and old Cliffs Notes though, mmmmkay? (For the record those Cliffs Notes do not belong to me!)
Also, I made a little reading nook out of Garrett's old twin bed that we were going to rid of. And can I just tell you -- I am so happy that our absolute procrastination kept us from Craigslisting this bed because seriously, I have already spent hours reading in this little area and just LOVE it! Also, it gives us another bed in case we have extra folks over, which is nice.
And since I was working on the Guest Bedroom I figured that I might as well finish sprucing up our Master Bedroom, which ended with this as the final product:
Green seemed to be the most gender neutral color and I know Garrett was relieved come home and not have his man-chamber all shabby chic'd out.
My favorite things are the prints above the bed and finally finding a home for the large silver framed black and white photo. Can you believe I bought that like 5 or 6 years ago from Ikea for $9.99? It's gone with me everywhere.
Fret not though, I left the rest of the house alone as it looks acceptable for the most part:
Anyway, with all the settling and redecorating I've been flying under the radar here in blogland, but I promise that our trip to Maui (in T-minus 8 days...SQUEE) will provide plenty of update worthy fodder. I'm also hoping it will help me chill out a bit because this morning on the way to work I honked at the guy in front of me, who was blocking my ability to get through a green light FOR NO REASON, about 11 times and perhaps inserted a hand gesture or two before I realized that it was not his left turn signal that was flashing but his hazard lights. Yikes! In my defense though, it was a BRAND. NEW. MERCEDES. without license plates. This is not exactly the car you assume is breaking down in the middle of the road and really more often it's the car that is doing whatever-the-eff-it-wants in the middle of the road, AM I RIGHT?
I swear as I finally drove around him he looked at me and mouthed "Someone here clearly needs a vacation."
(You know, or something else similarly pleasant, I'm sure.)
Either way I got the message loud and clear.
Alooooooooha!
ANYWAY.
Part of the reason I haven't been around these parts is because I've been getting settled in my new home! And by settled I mean, turning a pretty nice bachelor pad into a chic new home for the both of us, while not making anything too girly, too foofy, or high maintenance. Oh, and did I mention on a budget? This is tougher than it sounds, yo.
So last weekend I did some major overhauling while Garrett was out of town and coincidentally my mom and aunt were in town. And the fact that I don't have any before pictures for comparison is honestly a travesty. I seem to keep doing this (especially with recipes that I have cooked lately like this and this, or this and this ). I take all sorts of pics so I can blog them and then begin eating before I take a picture of the final product (FAIL) -- so following suit, I could hardly wait to get at the boxes and piles of crap overflowing in the extra bedroom that I just left it completely undocumented. You will just have to take my word that parts of our house were a mess! But really, aren't the after pictures always more fun anyway? So allow me to show you this...the finished Guest Room:
I particularly love that I had enough space to make a mini-library (which has totally been a fantasy fulfilled after all these years!) Let's just keep it between you and me that said library is filled with such masterpieces as the Twilight Saga and old Cliffs Notes though, mmmmkay? (For the record those Cliffs Notes do not belong to me!)
Also, I made a little reading nook out of Garrett's old twin bed that we were going to rid of. And can I just tell you -- I am so happy that our absolute procrastination kept us from Craigslisting this bed because seriously, I have already spent hours reading in this little area and just LOVE it! Also, it gives us another bed in case we have extra folks over, which is nice.
And since I was working on the Guest Bedroom I figured that I might as well finish sprucing up our Master Bedroom, which ended with this as the final product:
Green seemed to be the most gender neutral color and I know Garrett was relieved come home and not have his man-chamber all shabby chic'd out.
My favorite things are the prints above the bed and finally finding a home for the large silver framed black and white photo. Can you believe I bought that like 5 or 6 years ago from Ikea for $9.99? It's gone with me everywhere.
Fret not though, I left the rest of the house alone as it looks acceptable for the most part:
Anyway, with all the settling and redecorating I've been flying under the radar here in blogland, but I promise that our trip to Maui (in T-minus 8 days...SQUEE) will provide plenty of update worthy fodder. I'm also hoping it will help me chill out a bit because this morning on the way to work I honked at the guy in front of me, who was blocking my ability to get through a green light FOR NO REASON, about 11 times and perhaps inserted a hand gesture or two before I realized that it was not his left turn signal that was flashing but his hazard lights. Yikes! In my defense though, it was a BRAND. NEW. MERCEDES. without license plates. This is not exactly the car you assume is breaking down in the middle of the road and really more often it's the car that is doing whatever-the-eff-it-wants in the middle of the road, AM I RIGHT?
I swear as I finally drove around him he looked at me and mouthed "Someone here clearly needs a vacation."
(You know, or something else similarly pleasant, I'm sure.)
Either way I got the message loud and clear.
Alooooooooha!
April 20, 2009
Last Week: In Review
Monday: I'm not gonna lie, last week started with the traditional 'Fun Hangover'. We spent Easter and the night prior up in Chico with my family and had such a good time. Saturday night we went to this cowboy bar because my cousin Jim had just dropped a few hundred bucks on a hat, boots, and wranglers, and he wanted to see if he could pull it all off. Yes, that's right, he is NOT a cowboy -- he just plays one on TV -- or apparently at bars in Chico. It was hysterical! When I showed up and he was donning his regalia I said to him "Jeez, when did you become a cowboy?" And he looked at me with an absolutely straight face and said "One day last week, why?" He cracks me up! Of course the brunch the following day was more of the same. Come Monday, I was not ready to be back at work.
Tuesday: Honestly the most exciting thing I did on Tuesday was revel in the fact that my taxes have been completed since January. I got a very tiny refund and I was SO STOKED about it. I know most people love getting a big refund, but Garrett and his Economics Major brain has taught me to hate it. If you get a big refund, that means the Government has been holding your money for a year and you haven't been making any interest! Boo! So ever since he told me that (I had never really thought of it that way) I have been doing my best to never get a refund. This was my best year by far!
Wednesday: This was kind of a weird day. I turned in my keys to the studio, which prompted me to freak out just a bit, like "OMG, I really have no where else to go-- Garrett's house is, like, officially my house now." Which felt weird. But good weird, ya know? Then I had an absolutely CRAP-TASTIC day at work, getting some really shitty news right before I left for the day. I decided I was going to go home and feel totally sorry for myself, but instead when I got home the new shoes that I had ordered were on my front porch. And then when I went to grab the mail, the next door neighbor came over and said "Hey, welcome to the neighborhood officially!" and she was totally sweet and neighborly, and it just made the whole thing feel more real! So sometimes the Universe just won't let you feel sorry for yourself, which actually was good because we had tickets that night to see Jenny Lewis play at Empire and it was AWESOME! Great show, great crowd, and the best part--- it started at 6:30! So we were home and in bed by 11 (What? We're Old!!!)
Thursday: I went to a jewelry party at a co-worker's house and bought myself some FUN new jewelry (hi kelly! haha) that I'm really excited about. Still being kinda down from the previous day's bad news, retail therapy definitely helped.
Friday: I headed out to my mom's to have a little Ladies Night with my mom and grandma. I jokingly updated my Facebook Status on Friday that I was "drinking a Rockstar in anticipation" and seriously -- I was still asleep by 11. We had dinner and just chatted for a few hours outside (and hello, the weather was soooo nice!) and it just felt really good to catch up. Sometimes a girl just needs the grounding force of her mother, and I'm lucky that I can access mine with only a 30 minute drive.
Saturday: I had one of those moments where I woke up in a panic thinking I was late to work, only to realize it was totally the weekend. God, I sort of love when that happens. There is no better sleep that the few hours one gets knowing the alarm will NOT be waking you up. Aaaah! Got a pedicure with my cousin Saturday afternoon and boy were my P.W.T feet grateful. My new toes made me happy all weekend, and I seriously can't wait for a Summer full of tan pedicured feet and sandles! Speaking of, I bought some new ones at Target this weekend and I'm dying to wear them. The fact that it heated up this weekend was perfect timing.
Sunday: I got up super early, which was sort of annoying, but when I had a few million things done and looked at the clock to find it was only noon, I stopped feeling so annoyed. It was a beautiful day, I got prepared for the week, I relaxed, and we ended up BBQ'ing, so all in all, pretty much a great Sunday. And actually, a pretty good week, now that I'm reflecting on it.
***Hoping for a good one this week!
April 02, 2009
Slow and Steady
So I reserved a U-Haul for Saturday and I guess that means this thing is really happening! This move has been somewhat less traumatic than moves past because I have had the luxury of taking my sweet time. Basically every afternoon when I get off work I just drive home past my old place and pick up a load, drive home, unload, and that's it. It doesn't feel exceptionally laborious, and all of a sudden the only things left in my studio are large items of furniture. It's been sad packing up and leaving my cute-bachelorette space, but I'll tell you what, I am happy I did all that purging 6 months ago when I moved in!
The more stuff that I move into the Carmichael house the more it starts to feel like my home too and that's exciting! Not to mention I get to think about things like furniture! and paint! and decorating! all over again. Obviously those fun things will have to wait a little bit because with Maui coming up at the end of May all of our extra cash is being budgeted for that excursion and not so much for new furniture, but even just browsing for design inspiration gets me all giddy! I've been cutting things out of magazines and keeping all my ideas in a notebook at home and I can't wait to start working on it.
Speaking of notebooks, since I've been packing things up I have found A LOT of old journals that chronicle my pre-blogging life as well as a number of old photo albums. It's funny to note that even before I started this blog I obsessively documented the most random aspects of my life. It's actually been tons of fun to go through and read about exactly what I was feeling even just 4, 5, 6 years ago...because although it seems like practically yesterday, my life has changed SO MUCH! The other night I read my way through my life in Los Angeles, my move up to Sacramento, meeting my new roommates, subsequent moves, my thoughts on my future career, my laundry list of items I was looking for in a partner -- just about everything you can imagine. And the best part was that the writing was totally unencumbered. It's made me feel like I need to get back to a little bit more personal writing, and probably by hand. I've gotten so used to the quick blog update, and although that is also good documentation, and a great way to stay connected to my family and friends, sometimes I just need a place to let out some of the other important ideas that I'm stirring around. I'm not saying things are distilled here, but in some ways that have to be because of the broad readership. The idea of jotting down thoughts only for myself feels just perfect right now.
Speaking of old journals and photos, I decided the other night that I'm going to take some of the photos I have lying around and using them in our house. Garrett and I have had a ton of great adventures over the past few years and the other night we spent an hour sitting on the couch reminiscing and looking through old photos and had such a fun walk down memory lane! It made me think that we should have those pictures out and about, because some of the photos really capture fantastic moments. I definitely don't want our house to turn into tchotchke photo land, but I think we could find more ways to artfully incorporate some of those moments into our decor and I'm looking forward to finding a way to do that. (My only fear is that dealing with things like hanging pictures involves measuring and I HATE measuring...although not more than I HATE crooked picture frames, but I guess that's not something I need to reconcile right this very minute.)
Doing this move at a slower pace has really made me feel pretty inspired and creative lately. I can't wait to start working some of those impulses out, not only on paper but on the walls. I love being absolutely submerged in possibility!
The more stuff that I move into the Carmichael house the more it starts to feel like my home too and that's exciting! Not to mention I get to think about things like furniture! and paint! and decorating! all over again. Obviously those fun things will have to wait a little bit because with Maui coming up at the end of May all of our extra cash is being budgeted for that excursion and not so much for new furniture, but even just browsing for design inspiration gets me all giddy! I've been cutting things out of magazines and keeping all my ideas in a notebook at home and I can't wait to start working on it.
Speaking of notebooks, since I've been packing things up I have found A LOT of old journals that chronicle my pre-blogging life as well as a number of old photo albums. It's funny to note that even before I started this blog I obsessively documented the most random aspects of my life. It's actually been tons of fun to go through and read about exactly what I was feeling even just 4, 5, 6 years ago...because although it seems like practically yesterday, my life has changed SO MUCH! The other night I read my way through my life in Los Angeles, my move up to Sacramento, meeting my new roommates, subsequent moves, my thoughts on my future career, my laundry list of items I was looking for in a partner -- just about everything you can imagine. And the best part was that the writing was totally unencumbered. It's made me feel like I need to get back to a little bit more personal writing, and probably by hand. I've gotten so used to the quick blog update, and although that is also good documentation, and a great way to stay connected to my family and friends, sometimes I just need a place to let out some of the other important ideas that I'm stirring around. I'm not saying things are distilled here, but in some ways that have to be because of the broad readership. The idea of jotting down thoughts only for myself feels just perfect right now.
Speaking of old journals and photos, I decided the other night that I'm going to take some of the photos I have lying around and using them in our house. Garrett and I have had a ton of great adventures over the past few years and the other night we spent an hour sitting on the couch reminiscing and looking through old photos and had such a fun walk down memory lane! It made me think that we should have those pictures out and about, because some of the photos really capture fantastic moments. I definitely don't want our house to turn into tchotchke photo land, but I think we could find more ways to artfully incorporate some of those moments into our decor and I'm looking forward to finding a way to do that. (My only fear is that dealing with things like hanging pictures involves measuring and I HATE measuring...although not more than I HATE crooked picture frames, but I guess that's not something I need to reconcile right this very minute.)
Doing this move at a slower pace has really made me feel pretty inspired and creative lately. I can't wait to start working some of those impulses out, not only on paper but on the walls. I love being absolutely submerged in possibility!
March 23, 2009
Our House
I would like to be sitting here reporting on life's latest events as if everything is fine and dandy but for some reason I have been sort of incapable of forming complete sentences lately. I have emails to write, facebook messages to return, a blog that is begging for attention and I have fingers that are suffering from emotional arthritis and if it is more than a 'status update', then they just aren't budging. I wish my life was exotic or exciting right at this moment, but the truth is that I just have ALOT going on and to actually think and reflect and write about all of it is sort of overwhelming, but I'll settle in for a few minor updates.
So I'm moving again, which is pretty much common knowledge at this point, so I'm sorry if you are thinking "Newsflash, we already knew that. Give me some actual juice." But I really haven't expanded on it too much. Garrett and I are moving in together and I am simultaneously ecstatic about it and exhausted by the thought of it all. I'm not sure if I should make 100,000 lists of all the million things that I have to do before April 15th and FREAK the EFF out, or if I should just sit back and enjoy the fact that Garrett and I are in the process of carving out a life together, our life together, the life that we started carving out together years ago and just go with the flow and revel in the fact that these are pretty exciting times. I know far off in the future we will look back at these days with nostalgia. The newness of it all! We'll probably laugh at the stress it caused. How we freaked out over the possibility of having too many slotted spoons. What to do?!? The Horror! But as you know, I'm not so much of a go-with-the-flow type. And honestly, the whole process just makes me want to lie down and take a nap -- but there is NO TIME! There are lists to make! and houses to clean! and things to pack! Chop! Chop! And that is pretty much the pace of my life right now.
...and speaking of packing. I hate it! And I'm totally awful at it. I wish I could enter a contest to be the world's WORST packer. I throw breakable things in laundry baskets, heirlooms in weekender tote bags, I just HATE it. And no amount of preciousness that an object possesses will make me want to be any more careful in how I wrap the item and place the item. It's truly a character flaw. However despite my distaste for packing, this weekend Garrett and I packed up my ADORABLE kitchen (RIP. I'll miss your adorableness) and moved the bulk of my kitchen-y stuff to Garrett's house, er...I mean, our house. (Note to self: Work on that. It ain't the Bachelor Pad, no mo'! Holla!) Oh my god, and can I tell you what I discovered? If there is one thing I can promise you right this very minute, it is that when Garrett and I get married we will not register for One. Single. Item. of kitchen paraphernelia because we have already got it covered. So you know, there's that to look forward to if you're coming to the wedding. Unless of course you would like to purchase the Martha Stewart Easter Egg Blue Kitchen Aid Mixer that I LUST FOR or something. But we can talk about that at another time. Like when I am actually engaged. You see how I get ahead a bit ahead of myself? See: Character Flaws.
So anyway, when we got home Garrett basically told me to have my way with the kitchen since I am definitely the manager of the inventory and operations in there most of the time, and let me tell you, it was kind of thrilling! Yeah, I'm a dork like that, what? Organizing a kitchen on a Sunday afternoon thrills me, once I got away from the initial WHERE THE HELL ARE WE GOING TO PUT ALL THIS STUFF anxiety. I'm sad to be leaving my adorable and stylin' acid green kitchen with all of it's charm and character, but I keep reminding myself that there is a lot to be said for, oh I don't know, drawer space! and counter space! and cabinets! OH MY....even if it does come with a Harvest Gold Range. (And a cherry on top?) Yes, I did say a Harvest Gold Range. (However, in its defense, in the last 13 years that I have lived on my own, Garrett's Harvest Gold GE Range is the best oven I have ever cooked in, hands down...so I guess aesthetics will have to take a back seat for a bit until we can afford the dream Viking Range.) Anyway, that's kind of where my head is at lately. Packing up and moving again. I feel like I could have a second career as a gypsy -- but I guess I won't put that on my resume, eh?
In other news, I started working out again and it feels FANTASTIC! If someone could bottle that feeling into like a cute little vitamin water bottle so I could just have a few sips when I was feeling lazy and wanting to skip out on my work out, that would be great. Could one of you get on that? Because I feel so much better when I'm working out (scratch that, after I'm done working out), but honestly the only thing that is keeping me motivated right now is that I signed up for a class that is costing me money and Good God Damn, I'm gonna get my money's worth. But I'm looking for perhaps, some other motivation...so if you've got any, let me know!
Also, speaking of suggestions, if you have any about Maui I am actively planning my May/June vacay, so please chime in. I did the math today and it looks like I am working about 8 days in the month of June with all the rendezvous (how do you make that plural?) that I have planned, so I'm thinking July is gonna be a rude awakening. But hey, at least I will be waking up in a fantastic house that will be all ours!
So I'm moving again, which is pretty much common knowledge at this point, so I'm sorry if you are thinking "Newsflash, we already knew that. Give me some actual juice." But I really haven't expanded on it too much. Garrett and I are moving in together and I am simultaneously ecstatic about it and exhausted by the thought of it all. I'm not sure if I should make 100,000 lists of all the million things that I have to do before April 15th and FREAK the EFF out, or if I should just sit back and enjoy the fact that Garrett and I are in the process of carving out a life together, our life together, the life that we started carving out together years ago and just go with the flow and revel in the fact that these are pretty exciting times. I know far off in the future we will look back at these days with nostalgia. The newness of it all! We'll probably laugh at the stress it caused. How we freaked out over the possibility of having too many slotted spoons. What to do?!? The Horror! But as you know, I'm not so much of a go-with-the-flow type. And honestly, the whole process just makes me want to lie down and take a nap -- but there is NO TIME! There are lists to make! and houses to clean! and things to pack! Chop! Chop! And that is pretty much the pace of my life right now.
...and speaking of packing. I hate it! And I'm totally awful at it. I wish I could enter a contest to be the world's WORST packer. I throw breakable things in laundry baskets, heirlooms in weekender tote bags, I just HATE it. And no amount of preciousness that an object possesses will make me want to be any more careful in how I wrap the item and place the item. It's truly a character flaw. However despite my distaste for packing, this weekend Garrett and I packed up my ADORABLE kitchen (RIP. I'll miss your adorableness) and moved the bulk of my kitchen-y stuff to Garrett's house, er...I mean, our house. (Note to self: Work on that. It ain't the Bachelor Pad, no mo'! Holla!) Oh my god, and can I tell you what I discovered? If there is one thing I can promise you right this very minute, it is that when Garrett and I get married we will not register for One. Single. Item. of kitchen paraphernelia because we have already got it covered. So you know, there's that to look forward to if you're coming to the wedding. Unless of course you would like to purchase the Martha Stewart Easter Egg Blue Kitchen Aid Mixer that I LUST FOR or something. But we can talk about that at another time. Like when I am actually engaged. You see how I get ahead a bit ahead of myself? See: Character Flaws.
So anyway, when we got home Garrett basically told me to have my way with the kitchen since I am definitely the manager of the inventory and operations in there most of the time, and let me tell you, it was kind of thrilling! Yeah, I'm a dork like that, what? Organizing a kitchen on a Sunday afternoon thrills me, once I got away from the initial WHERE THE HELL ARE WE GOING TO PUT ALL THIS STUFF anxiety. I'm sad to be leaving my adorable and stylin' acid green kitchen with all of it's charm and character, but I keep reminding myself that there is a lot to be said for, oh I don't know, drawer space! and counter space! and cabinets! OH MY....even if it does come with a Harvest Gold Range. (And a cherry on top?) Yes, I did say a Harvest Gold Range. (However, in its defense, in the last 13 years that I have lived on my own, Garrett's Harvest Gold GE Range is the best oven I have ever cooked in, hands down...so I guess aesthetics will have to take a back seat for a bit until we can afford the dream Viking Range.) Anyway, that's kind of where my head is at lately. Packing up and moving again. I feel like I could have a second career as a gypsy -- but I guess I won't put that on my resume, eh?
In other news, I started working out again and it feels FANTASTIC! If someone could bottle that feeling into like a cute little vitamin water bottle so I could just have a few sips when I was feeling lazy and wanting to skip out on my work out, that would be great. Could one of you get on that? Because I feel so much better when I'm working out (scratch that, after I'm done working out), but honestly the only thing that is keeping me motivated right now is that I signed up for a class that is costing me money and Good God Damn, I'm gonna get my money's worth. But I'm looking for perhaps, some other motivation...so if you've got any, let me know!
Also, speaking of suggestions, if you have any about Maui I am actively planning my May/June vacay, so please chime in. I did the math today and it looks like I am working about 8 days in the month of June with all the rendezvous (how do you make that plural?) that I have planned, so I'm thinking July is gonna be a rude awakening. But hey, at least I will be waking up in a fantastic house that will be all ours!
March 10, 2009
Currently...
Excited About...moving in with Garrett! It's about damn time, actually, but beyond that I am really just looking forward to feeling settled for a while.
Worried About...um, the actual moving part. Have I mentioned how sick of moving I am? I pretty much hate it!
Reading...Okay so I totally just finished sTori Telling by Tori Spelling and honestly, it was pretty darn good. Like a 300 page UsWeekly and honestly, I'm kind of a fan. I'm not sure what I'm going to pick up next. War and Peace, I'm sure.
Creating...the longest list EVER of Things To Do when we go to Maui in June. Suggestions? C'mon, give me the scoop!
Loving...how my body feels the day after working out like a maniac!
Hating...that my allergies are already starting and Zyrtec costs $20 for a months supply. That's highway robbery!
Wondering...why more people aren't outraged about pharmaceutical companies and drugs they peddle.
Craving...Sushi, as always. I could have it anytime, any place. Well, okay maybe not any place, but I could destroy some right now.
Listening to...Beirut's March of the Zapotec/Holland EP
Renting...My 2 week free trial of Netflix has yielded Nights in Rodanthe (only ok), American Teen (which I kind of loved), Dexter Season One (meh, didn't get through it), and on the way... Role Models and Kinky Boots. Woo hoo. I also just saw Taken and He's Just Not That Into You at the theater and loved them both.
Watching...the clock.
Worried About...um, the actual moving part. Have I mentioned how sick of moving I am? I pretty much hate it!
Reading...Okay so I totally just finished sTori Telling by Tori Spelling and honestly, it was pretty darn good. Like a 300 page UsWeekly and honestly, I'm kind of a fan. I'm not sure what I'm going to pick up next. War and Peace, I'm sure.
Creating...the longest list EVER of Things To Do when we go to Maui in June. Suggestions? C'mon, give me the scoop!
Loving...how my body feels the day after working out like a maniac!
Hating...that my allergies are already starting and Zyrtec costs $20 for a months supply. That's highway robbery!
Wondering...why more people aren't outraged about pharmaceutical companies and drugs they peddle.
Craving...Sushi, as always. I could have it anytime, any place. Well, okay maybe not any place, but I could destroy some right now.
Listening to...Beirut's March of the Zapotec/Holland EP
Renting...My 2 week free trial of Netflix has yielded Nights in Rodanthe (only ok), American Teen (which I kind of loved), Dexter Season One (meh, didn't get through it), and on the way... Role Models and Kinky Boots. Woo hoo. I also just saw Taken and He's Just Not That Into You at the theater and loved them both.
Watching...the clock.
March 03, 2009
Decisions, Decisions
I'm going to talk about my hair now. You've been warned.
So I'm about to rip my hair out of my head because it is so irritating. I'm trying to "grow it out" just because I wanted to do something different, but it's seriously not worth it anymore. It's about time for me to accept that long hair and I just aren't meant to be. I need to go shorter but I am stuck with these bangs that are irritating the hell out of me. So instead of growing them out I think I'm going to trim them.
I googled chin length bob with bangs, and wouldn't you know it...katie holmes' face appeared about eleventy billion times. I think I'm just going to quit trying to swim upstream and go with the look on the right. Thoughts?
I'll update you soon, since I know you are all DYING to know how it turns out.
Okay, I'm done talking about hair now. As you were.
So I'm about to rip my hair out of my head because it is so irritating. I'm trying to "grow it out" just because I wanted to do something different, but it's seriously not worth it anymore. It's about time for me to accept that long hair and I just aren't meant to be. I need to go shorter but I am stuck with these bangs that are irritating the hell out of me. So instead of growing them out I think I'm going to trim them.
I googled chin length bob with bangs, and wouldn't you know it...katie holmes' face appeared about eleventy billion times. I think I'm just going to quit trying to swim upstream and go with the look on the right. Thoughts?
I'll update you soon, since I know you are all DYING to know how it turns out.
Okay, I'm done talking about hair now. As you were.
February 24, 2009
It starts and ends with palm trees but that is pretty much the only evidence of coherence...
Today I am pining a bit for my L.A. life. The days where I would work a full day, be off by noon, head over to Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, park my car, grab my new US weekly and a Blended from Coffee Bean and head over to the grassy knolls and watch the waves crash. Sometimes I went by myself, sometimes I was lucky enough to be in the company of my cousin Kelly (and THANK GOD! because she would assure me that we were not going to get killed by a tidal wave that particular afternoon and always brough good trashy magazines). Most of the time I would just sit and relax, people watch and think about what my life would be like in the future because, heck...life was incredibly simple then (though it seemed SO COMPLICATED at the time) so full of possibilites and I was surrounded by beautiful people and things and I really didn't have any major responsibilities. All I had to do was live in the moment and do exactly what I wanted when I wanted.
Whenever I have a lot of chaos in my head I go back to those years where I was living on my own in a city where I could drive around every day and discover something new. I wasn't attached to anything and it really was All About Me All The Damn Time (Ha! Those were the days). But the ups in life are always punctuated by the downs and most often we don't always appreciate the present. It wasn't always the best of times down there, I remind myself-- I was constantly wondering why I hadn't met Mr. Right, I hadn't completed my degree which was hanging over my head like some major unfinished business, and I was working in retail and just KNEW that I had something else in me to give career-wise. So whenever I pine for that time, I try to remind myself to be present in my life now because what seems crazy now, will just be tomorrow's nostalgic memories.
God, I don't mean to sound so ominous. I mean, in general, my life is really good right now -- especially compared to the awful tales that you hear everytime you listen to the news or read anything on the internet. I have a job that I am ::knocks wood:: not in danger of losing, I have found a partner that loves me for all of my crazy quirks, and we have built a life together that brings me so much joy on a daily basis that it's silly. I wake up laughing, I am always ready to come home after a long day of work and the two of us are making plans for the future that involve big, exciting life changing things. We are only responsible for ourselves right now -- we don't have kids, we don't have mortgages -- but holy hell, sometimes deciding to forge a life with another person can feel like such a huge deal.
I didn't make a lofty list of New Year's Resolutions this year. For me, this year it is really important that I prioritize my own stress management. I guess you could call that a resolution, but really I'm sort of staging my own intervention. Part of being a good life-partner in my opinion, is knowing how to manage yourself long before you go and trying and join a team. I want to do my best to make sure I am taking care of myself, so I can be there for Garrett when he needs it.
Last year I took the Myers-Briggs Assesment as an assignment for work and discovered I had an ENFJ personality type. Honestly, the depiction is pretty much right on par with me as a person. Especially the part where "[ENFJ's] get excited about possibilities for the future, but may become easily bored or restless with the present." The way this manifests itself in my life is that I am constantly on the go -- planning, doing, seeing, producing, exploring -- NONSTOP -- until I get to a point where the inertia of my life is overwhelming that I am forced stop. Everything sort of falls to the ground and then when I get bored and restless I pick up the pieces and start juggling everything over again. This is obviously not a good long term strategy and I'm trying to figure out how to cope -- especially this year of all years.
There are a million things changing this year: Garrett and I are taking the plunge and moving in together, we are mapping out our future, I am taking on a new professional endeavor, and OMG have I mentioned, I will finally get to see Hawaii?!?!? I have been bitching about my parents promising to take me there when I was 10 for like two decades, so I really can't believe that I am actually finally getting to go, and we are spending just about two solid weeks relaxing on Maui and I absolutely can't wait.
But all these things? I want to be present, ya know? I need to be present. They are all too important to just be another ball I'm juggling.
I guess I'm babbling about all of this because it helps me feel accountable. I know we all have days when we long for a simpler time in our lives, but I want to work on trying to enjoy the complexity of my life where it's at right this moment. And sometimes that might mean slowing down -- but that is hard for me. Everything worth figuring out in life seems to be a bit of a challenge though, doesn't it? My hope is that those strategies I'm working out now will bear fruit for me and of course our lives in the future.
And I'm not totally positive, but it think it might be of Pineapple and the Passion Fruit variety! Here's to hoping...
February 09, 2009
Best Weekend Ever***
Well it's been a while since I wrote anything of substance here, would you like to make some small talk to catch up? Could you believe the weather this weekend? I mean...the rain! the wind! It just made me want to curl up on the couch and stay in the same outfit for 3 days while not leaving the house watching awful Lifetime movies and eating frozen pizza! Doesn't that sound delightful?
Oh, hey -- speaking of weekends, how was yours? Oh wow, that's great. I'm so jealous, because mine? JUST ABSOLUTELY SUCKED.
I bet you would think it would be great because on Friday night I was supposed to pick Garrett up from the airport after his 6 day work trip to Des Moines, Iowa, right? Well you would think wrong, unfortunately, because Friday afternoon while I was on my way back to work from lunch, the temperature gauge in my car started acting a little funny. And by funny, I mean spazzing the hell out and then ending up in the "Red Zone" and we all know that there is nowhere in the world that the red zone is a good thing -- well except maybe in football or perhaps an Old Spice commercial but that's not the point my friends, we are talking about my car -- so stick with me here, k?!?
Obviously, car troubles are not that fun. But it especially sucks when you and your boyfriend have been driving your car (which by the way is actually his second car) to avoid the enormous oil leak and slow tire leak in his car (which is his first car). So I have a car (again, his car) that is basically boiling over at work and another car at home that really isn't begging to be driven. Fantastic! The problem? Aside from the obvious, is that I also have somewhere to be 30 minutes after I get off work and then need to pick Garrett up at the airport at 8:30. Oh wait, scratch that -- 10 PM BECAUSE HIS FLIGHT IS DELAYED! Wonderful news, right? And it was wonderful news that I was informed of when I phoned him to discuss the car situations.
I want you to truly have an understanding of this conversation...so let me help you out a bit:
Imagine, if you will, you are on a 6 day business trip where you are having super long work days, even longer "networking" type nights (as a total sidebar: ALWAYS say no to sushi when you are in a state that is nowhere even close to the ocean), and then factor in a wee bit of personal drama on the side. Are you imagining the mindset that this would put you in? Now imagine that you are on your way home from said trip, and your layover flight that you have just boarded is filled to max capacity and someone has just informed you that you will be delayed (because there isn't a pilot to fly the plane! Earth to United, get your shit together!) which means you get to sit inside said airplane for another hour, IN THE MIDDLE SEAT, without the air conditioning system turned on.
...and then your cell phone rings.
NOW, I want you to imagine you are me and have to be the person on the other line telling them that one of their cars is super broken and basically sitting out in front of the house in a puddle of radiator fluid, and you are going to take their other car that is only "sort of broken" to run your errands, and see ya at 8:30 -- whoops-- I mean 10 pm -- and hey, hopefully they turn on those air vents soon, KTHXBAI.
So, would you want to be me in that situation? SWEET BABY JESUS, that was not the most romantic phone call I have ever had in my life.
And I'll have you know once I picked Garrett up and we headed home, I immediately concocted 3 very delicious Belvedere and Tonics in a row, and then drank them like they were ice cold water and our kitchen was the SAHARA EFFING DESERT. And then, making not the best decision I have ever made, I promptly went to bed.
And that was only Friday.
Saturday morning (shocker) I awoke about noon with a gigantic throbbing headache and could not find a single bottle of Advil, Tylenol, Motrin or any other EVER LOVING PAIN RELIEVER in the house, which immediately put me in a fantastic mood! I was a chipper chicken, in fact. And did I mention that the PMS I was experiencing was like on ORANGE ALERT! So we did some errands, did a little trouble shooting with the radiator in Car Number One but then we realized that we had lost the radiator funnel and couldn't put the fluid into the car until we found it. So because I was trying to multi-task, while Garrett was looking high and low for this funnel, I threw a load of laundry in the washer. Ten minutes later, our Laundry Room floor was covered in water for absolutely no apparent reason. We're talking a sea of detergent, fabric softener, and color safe bleach from the BRAND NEW WASHER all over the BRAND NEW LINOLEUM. Honestly, I thought my head was going to explode right at that moment, and I can only assume Garrett felt the same way because his only response was to hand me car keys and to say "Please go to any auto parts store right now and just find me a radiator funnel and I'll deal with this."
I have to be honest, in that moment, all of my retail experiences flashed before my eyes and I can say with the utmost certainty that if someone had put a gun to my head and made that same request, today I would be dead (and frankly, probably in a better mood). UM....WHERE THE HELL ARE ALL THE AUTOMOTIVE STORES? I'm still not so sure, but I did drive around aimlessly for awhile thinking about all the shitty stuff that had happened this weekend, and then finally ended up at Target. Target, who by the way only carries "universal funnels" and not "radiator funnels" and whose "Automotive Section" really only consists of car wash accoutrement. WTF, Target? Who the hell even knew there was a difference in funnels by the way?
By the time I got home Garrett had cleaned things up and luckily the washer had not started leaking again, so after a few subsequent "safe" loads we left that problem alone because we had to get ready to go to the incredibly conveniently scheduled Annual Junior League Crab Feed. And as much as I wanted to skip the whole thing ($80 worth of tickets and all), I knew it would make us feel better, if for no other reason than all we had to do was show up and we were going to be served dinner. And I think if I had had to think about or even cook dinner that night, I might have just passed out and died from the effort of that single act. So right before we walked out the door I snapped the following photo and said to Garrett, "You know, years from now when we have kids and pets and houses and lives that are far more complicated than we are living now, we are going look back on this photo and laugh at the things we thought were so stressful."
And although Sunday didn't hit us with quit the same amount of URGENT DRAMA (though we did find out that Steve's Pizza is all but closing all of their locations...boo!), now that I am back at work this morning and feeling totally unrefreshed I am hoping more than ever that my pre-photo sentiment on Saturday was right.
-------------
***Yeah, not so much
Oh, hey -- speaking of weekends, how was yours? Oh wow, that's great. I'm so jealous, because mine? JUST ABSOLUTELY SUCKED.
I bet you would think it would be great because on Friday night I was supposed to pick Garrett up from the airport after his 6 day work trip to Des Moines, Iowa, right? Well you would think wrong, unfortunately, because Friday afternoon while I was on my way back to work from lunch, the temperature gauge in my car started acting a little funny. And by funny, I mean spazzing the hell out and then ending up in the "Red Zone" and we all know that there is nowhere in the world that the red zone is a good thing -- well except maybe in football or perhaps an Old Spice commercial but that's not the point my friends, we are talking about my car -- so stick with me here, k?!?
Obviously, car troubles are not that fun. But it especially sucks when you and your boyfriend have been driving your car (which by the way is actually his second car) to avoid the enormous oil leak and slow tire leak in his car (which is his first car). So I have a car (again, his car) that is basically boiling over at work and another car at home that really isn't begging to be driven. Fantastic! The problem? Aside from the obvious, is that I also have somewhere to be 30 minutes after I get off work and then need to pick Garrett up at the airport at 8:30. Oh wait, scratch that -- 10 PM BECAUSE HIS FLIGHT IS DELAYED! Wonderful news, right? And it was wonderful news that I was informed of when I phoned him to discuss the car situations.
I want you to truly have an understanding of this conversation...so let me help you out a bit:
Imagine, if you will, you are on a 6 day business trip where you are having super long work days, even longer "networking" type nights (as a total sidebar: ALWAYS say no to sushi when you are in a state that is nowhere even close to the ocean), and then factor in a wee bit of personal drama on the side. Are you imagining the mindset that this would put you in? Now imagine that you are on your way home from said trip, and your layover flight that you have just boarded is filled to max capacity and someone has just informed you that you will be delayed (because there isn't a pilot to fly the plane! Earth to United, get your shit together!) which means you get to sit inside said airplane for another hour, IN THE MIDDLE SEAT, without the air conditioning system turned on.
...and then your cell phone rings.
NOW, I want you to imagine you are me and have to be the person on the other line telling them that one of their cars is super broken and basically sitting out in front of the house in a puddle of radiator fluid, and you are going to take their other car that is only "sort of broken" to run your errands, and see ya at 8:30 -- whoops-- I mean 10 pm -- and hey, hopefully they turn on those air vents soon, KTHXBAI.
So, would you want to be me in that situation? SWEET BABY JESUS, that was not the most romantic phone call I have ever had in my life.
And I'll have you know once I picked Garrett up and we headed home, I immediately concocted 3 very delicious Belvedere and Tonics in a row, and then drank them like they were ice cold water and our kitchen was the SAHARA EFFING DESERT. And then, making not the best decision I have ever made, I promptly went to bed.
And that was only Friday.
Saturday morning (shocker) I awoke about noon with a gigantic throbbing headache and could not find a single bottle of Advil, Tylenol, Motrin or any other EVER LOVING PAIN RELIEVER in the house, which immediately put me in a fantastic mood! I was a chipper chicken, in fact. And did I mention that the PMS I was experiencing was like on ORANGE ALERT! So we did some errands, did a little trouble shooting with the radiator in Car Number One but then we realized that we had lost the radiator funnel and couldn't put the fluid into the car until we found it. So because I was trying to multi-task, while Garrett was looking high and low for this funnel, I threw a load of laundry in the washer. Ten minutes later, our Laundry Room floor was covered in water for absolutely no apparent reason. We're talking a sea of detergent, fabric softener, and color safe bleach from the BRAND NEW WASHER all over the BRAND NEW LINOLEUM. Honestly, I thought my head was going to explode right at that moment, and I can only assume Garrett felt the same way because his only response was to hand me car keys and to say "Please go to any auto parts store right now and just find me a radiator funnel and I'll deal with this."
I have to be honest, in that moment, all of my retail experiences flashed before my eyes and I can say with the utmost certainty that if someone had put a gun to my head and made that same request, today I would be dead (and frankly, probably in a better mood). UM....WHERE THE HELL ARE ALL THE AUTOMOTIVE STORES? I'm still not so sure, but I did drive around aimlessly for awhile thinking about all the shitty stuff that had happened this weekend, and then finally ended up at Target. Target, who by the way only carries "universal funnels" and not "radiator funnels" and whose "Automotive Section" really only consists of car wash accoutrement. WTF, Target? Who the hell even knew there was a difference in funnels by the way?
By the time I got home Garrett had cleaned things up and luckily the washer had not started leaking again, so after a few subsequent "safe" loads we left that problem alone because we had to get ready to go to the incredibly conveniently scheduled Annual Junior League Crab Feed. And as much as I wanted to skip the whole thing ($80 worth of tickets and all), I knew it would make us feel better, if for no other reason than all we had to do was show up and we were going to be served dinner. And I think if I had had to think about or even cook dinner that night, I might have just passed out and died from the effort of that single act. So right before we walked out the door I snapped the following photo and said to Garrett, "You know, years from now when we have kids and pets and houses and lives that are far more complicated than we are living now, we are going look back on this photo and laugh at the things we thought were so stressful."
And although Sunday didn't hit us with quit the same amount of URGENT DRAMA (though we did find out that Steve's Pizza is all but closing all of their locations...boo!), now that I am back at work this morning and feeling totally unrefreshed I am hoping more than ever that my pre-photo sentiment on Saturday was right.
-------------
***Yeah, not so much
February 03, 2009
February 02, 2009
Not much going on 'round these parts....
...um, I got a new haircut, how's that?
yeah, I didn't think it was that interesting either. But there are BANGS! And I love bangs!! Well, until they get too long and then they drive me crazy, which makes me grow them out, and then when they are finally long enough to not be irritating as hell, what do I do? Cut new ones.
It's a vicious cycle, I tell you.
Well, Garrett is in Des Moines, Iowa this week for work and thoroughly experiencing the fabulousness that is the mid-west. Actually when I was back there in 2006 I found it to be a pretty charming little city, so I am hoping he has the same experience and from what I hear thus far he likes it.
Besides enjoying Super Bowl with my mom, cousins, Aunt and Uncle (which was a freakin' blast) I didn't do a whole helluva lot this weekend. I'm hoping this week is mellow and relaxing and full of lots of sleep. I felt like I was getting sick this weekend and I am so OVER that! I spent a week last February with the worst flu ever and do not need a repeat this year. No siree!
What about you folks...what are you up to???
yeah, I didn't think it was that interesting either. But there are BANGS! And I love bangs!! Well, until they get too long and then they drive me crazy, which makes me grow them out, and then when they are finally long enough to not be irritating as hell, what do I do? Cut new ones.
It's a vicious cycle, I tell you.
Well, Garrett is in Des Moines, Iowa this week for work and thoroughly experiencing the fabulousness that is the mid-west. Actually when I was back there in 2006 I found it to be a pretty charming little city, so I am hoping he has the same experience and from what I hear thus far he likes it.
Besides enjoying Super Bowl with my mom, cousins, Aunt and Uncle (which was a freakin' blast) I didn't do a whole helluva lot this weekend. I'm hoping this week is mellow and relaxing and full of lots of sleep. I felt like I was getting sick this weekend and I am so OVER that! I spent a week last February with the worst flu ever and do not need a repeat this year. No siree!
What about you folks...what are you up to???
January 13, 2009
Split Pea Salutation
Gee, have I mentioned that Garrett has been out of town for what feels like an ever-loving eternity quite some time?
Well, guess what? He's coming home tonight and that puts a big, fat smile on this face! He will be travelling pretty much all day today (3 hour drive to the airport, 5 hours on a plane with two stops--eek! that's a lot of take offs and landings!) So I thought it would be nice to welcome him home tonight with a big hearty bowl of split pea soup! And I love this recipe so much I thought I'd share.
You can find the original recipe instructions here and the only modification that I made was that I added some ham because I happened to have some left over. YUM! But it is also quite delicious without the ham, so feel free to omit!
So for starters, the first step in any good soup recipe in my opinion is as follows:
1. Grab Your Favorite Beverage
Mine happened to be a delicious bottle of Apricot Ale, and I'm telling you, it is Nectar of the Gods.
2. Start the Sizzlin'
Saute your onions and garlic with a little Olive Oil, Oregano, Salt and Pepper (the smell is super dreamy!) until the onions are translucent (about 10 mins).
3. Add the Goods
This includes your carrots, potatoes, 3/4 of the split peas you are using (reserving the other 1/4 for later) and of course your stock of choice. This is also where I added my ham.
4. Bring this baby to a boil!
Then go ahead an simmer, uncovered for about 40 minutes and make sure to skim off the "foam" that rises to the surface from the split peas cooking. After about 40 minutes add your remaining split peas. This will give the soup some texture and then of course simmer for another 40 minutes.
*As a total sidebar. Make sure to stir FREQUENTLY otherwise your solids can burn to the bottom of the pan, which makes for icky soup (trust me, I've done it). So just keep skimming and stirring and don't get too sucked in to that riveting episode of Law and Order because burnt soup is No Bueno!
5. Lastly, Enjoy!
And frankly, this is the easiest step. It is a wonderful treat on a cold, winter night and I can't wait to serve it to Garrett this evening after a long day of travel!
Hope you enjoy it as much as we will tonight!
Well, guess what? He's coming home tonight and that puts a big, fat smile on this face! He will be travelling pretty much all day today (3 hour drive to the airport, 5 hours on a plane with two stops--eek! that's a lot of take offs and landings!) So I thought it would be nice to welcome him home tonight with a big hearty bowl of split pea soup! And I love this recipe so much I thought I'd share.
You can find the original recipe instructions here and the only modification that I made was that I added some ham because I happened to have some left over. YUM! But it is also quite delicious without the ham, so feel free to omit!
So for starters, the first step in any good soup recipe in my opinion is as follows:
1. Grab Your Favorite Beverage
Mine happened to be a delicious bottle of Apricot Ale, and I'm telling you, it is Nectar of the Gods.
2. Start the Sizzlin'
Saute your onions and garlic with a little Olive Oil, Oregano, Salt and Pepper (the smell is super dreamy!) until the onions are translucent (about 10 mins).
3. Add the Goods
This includes your carrots, potatoes, 3/4 of the split peas you are using (reserving the other 1/4 for later) and of course your stock of choice. This is also where I added my ham.
4. Bring this baby to a boil!
Then go ahead an simmer, uncovered for about 40 minutes and make sure to skim off the "foam" that rises to the surface from the split peas cooking. After about 40 minutes add your remaining split peas. This will give the soup some texture and then of course simmer for another 40 minutes.
*As a total sidebar. Make sure to stir FREQUENTLY otherwise your solids can burn to the bottom of the pan, which makes for icky soup (trust me, I've done it). So just keep skimming and stirring and don't get too sucked in to that riveting episode of Law and Order because burnt soup is No Bueno!
5. Lastly, Enjoy!
And frankly, this is the easiest step. It is a wonderful treat on a cold, winter night and I can't wait to serve it to Garrett this evening after a long day of travel!
Hope you enjoy it as much as we will tonight!
January 11, 2009
The Little Studio: Bathroom + Kitchen Edition
So I realized that I had showed you the before pictures of my new little studio (emphasis on the little), but I hadn't yet posted any update pictures so I thought I'd show you what I did with the kitchen and bathroom.
(Bedroom/Office/Closet Pics to Come!)
So here is the Main Area where I spend a good portion of time. It houses the kitchen, the dining area, and off to the right you get a sneak peak of the bathroom.
The thing about a studio is that there is very little space. This challenge has probably been my favorite part of living here because often I have had to really streamline my material things and be creative about storage. Part of my solution has been to repurpose some items like this bar from Pottery Barn:
This actually functions as a home for my favorite cookbooks, but also instead of storing bottles in there it has become something of a dry goods pantry. And because the space is limited, I really have to be organized about the food I keep on hand, which I love. I took some great ideas from this website about what to keep on hand, and it has really made my pantry not only more organized but healthier! When you don't have much room for storage, I am more likely to store something that will make up part of a delicious, healthy meal rather than some impulse buy snack food purchase.
One of the other storage solutions I have found instrumental in this space is my Ikea Expedit Bookcase. I turned it on its side and, voila! Insta-storage!
With little cabinet space, I had to find a solution to the question of where to put a lot of my cookware. It also made me realize that the things I stored needed to function in multiple different ways. For example, the bottom right corner stores my All Clad Multi-cooker which is a multi-tasking lifesaver, as it only takes up as much room as a stock pot, but it also includes a strainer for cooking pasta and vegetable steamer basket. This guy may seem big, but in the long run saves me SO MUCH SPACE!
In the actual prep area you will see that the space is limited (are we seeing a pattern, yet?), but I actually found some creative solutions, again from Ikea that really helped me fit everything I needed in there without taking up all my counter space.
The first was maximizing my wallspace with the Grundtal line of rails, hooks, and holders. It really allowed me to keep the things I use all the time within arms reach but without having them take up valuable prep space.
Yum...Coffee.
I also used that same line of products on the other kitchen wall to maximize my knife and spice storage.
Since I cook A LOT, I still store some spices on the counter, but this obviously helped keep that to a minimum!
Lastly, in the kitchen, I made sure to keep all my accessories bright and cheerful to reflect the vibe of the house. How great is the acid green and light turquoise paint on the walls? I never would have chosen those colors myself, I'm just not talented like that, but I love, love, love them! It's helped inspire my choices of colorful cookwear -- I mean how could you have a plain white tea kettle with such fabulous paint on the walls?
And even though it can get a little cluttered, I love posting my favorite pictures on the refrigerator. It inspires my photography, and reminds me of how lucky I am to have such great friends and family in my life!
So that's the kitchen and dining area, onto the Loo!
The bathroom, like everything else, is small, but it's the perfect size for me and I have found some creative storage solutions to make sure I have all my favorite girly products available. Can't scrimp on those! The paint is a little more neutral, but the tile in here is the real showstopper! Full of greens, browns, and even some purples, it is definitely a great detail.
I absolute LOVE the pedestal sink! But that also came with it's own storage challenges. The previous tenant left the plastic drawers to left of the sink, and even though they are not the prettiest, they have been super useful. And the apothecary jars on top are from (where else?) Ikea and they allow me to keep my most used items at my fingertips at all times.
And last but not least I thought I'd give you a sneak peak of the Little Shower. Not because it is particularly fabulous or anything, but I thought you might want some photgraphic proof that I do actually use the products I recommend here!
So there you have it! That's my Little Studio -- well the kitchen and bathroom, at least. Next up I will give you a little tour of the other half of the house, so Stay Tuned!
(Bedroom/Office/Closet Pics to Come!)
So here is the Main Area where I spend a good portion of time. It houses the kitchen, the dining area, and off to the right you get a sneak peak of the bathroom.
The thing about a studio is that there is very little space. This challenge has probably been my favorite part of living here because often I have had to really streamline my material things and be creative about storage. Part of my solution has been to repurpose some items like this bar from Pottery Barn:
This actually functions as a home for my favorite cookbooks, but also instead of storing bottles in there it has become something of a dry goods pantry. And because the space is limited, I really have to be organized about the food I keep on hand, which I love. I took some great ideas from this website about what to keep on hand, and it has really made my pantry not only more organized but healthier! When you don't have much room for storage, I am more likely to store something that will make up part of a delicious, healthy meal rather than some impulse buy snack food purchase.
One of the other storage solutions I have found instrumental in this space is my Ikea Expedit Bookcase. I turned it on its side and, voila! Insta-storage!
With little cabinet space, I had to find a solution to the question of where to put a lot of my cookware. It also made me realize that the things I stored needed to function in multiple different ways. For example, the bottom right corner stores my All Clad Multi-cooker which is a multi-tasking lifesaver, as it only takes up as much room as a stock pot, but it also includes a strainer for cooking pasta and vegetable steamer basket. This guy may seem big, but in the long run saves me SO MUCH SPACE!
In the actual prep area you will see that the space is limited (are we seeing a pattern, yet?), but I actually found some creative solutions, again from Ikea that really helped me fit everything I needed in there without taking up all my counter space.
The first was maximizing my wallspace with the Grundtal line of rails, hooks, and holders. It really allowed me to keep the things I use all the time within arms reach but without having them take up valuable prep space.
Yum...Coffee.
I also used that same line of products on the other kitchen wall to maximize my knife and spice storage.
Since I cook A LOT, I still store some spices on the counter, but this obviously helped keep that to a minimum!
Lastly, in the kitchen, I made sure to keep all my accessories bright and cheerful to reflect the vibe of the house. How great is the acid green and light turquoise paint on the walls? I never would have chosen those colors myself, I'm just not talented like that, but I love, love, love them! It's helped inspire my choices of colorful cookwear -- I mean how could you have a plain white tea kettle with such fabulous paint on the walls?
And even though it can get a little cluttered, I love posting my favorite pictures on the refrigerator. It inspires my photography, and reminds me of how lucky I am to have such great friends and family in my life!
So that's the kitchen and dining area, onto the Loo!
The bathroom, like everything else, is small, but it's the perfect size for me and I have found some creative storage solutions to make sure I have all my favorite girly products available. Can't scrimp on those! The paint is a little more neutral, but the tile in here is the real showstopper! Full of greens, browns, and even some purples, it is definitely a great detail.
I absolute LOVE the pedestal sink! But that also came with it's own storage challenges. The previous tenant left the plastic drawers to left of the sink, and even though they are not the prettiest, they have been super useful. And the apothecary jars on top are from (where else?) Ikea and they allow me to keep my most used items at my fingertips at all times.
And last but not least I thought I'd give you a sneak peak of the Little Shower. Not because it is particularly fabulous or anything, but I thought you might want some photgraphic proof that I do actually use the products I recommend here!
So there you have it! That's my Little Studio -- well the kitchen and bathroom, at least. Next up I will give you a little tour of the other half of the house, so Stay Tuned!
The Time Of My Life?
Is this for real?
I'm so tempted. But I'm pretty sure it will be an 11 out of 10 on the Look-Like-An-Asshole-While-Doing Scale.
Although has that really ever prevented me from doing anything in the past?
I'm so tempted. But I'm pretty sure it will be an 11 out of 10 on the Look-Like-An-Asshole-While-Doing Scale.
Although has that really ever prevented me from doing anything in the past?
January 08, 2009
I'm about to get a little whiny...you've been warned.
So Garrett has been out of town for 7 days now (BABY COME BACK!) Wow, I hope I just got that song in your head for the rest of the dayfrom those obnoxious Swiffer commercials where the old school brooms and mops beg to be "taken back" while a surly housewife rolls her eyes. Argh! I hate those ads. So, yeah, you're welcome.
Anyway, since he's been gone (oh god, now I'm hearing Kelly Clarkson -- Jesus, Calgon Take Me Away!) I have observed that my life really is pretty different when he is not around. It's not that I am lying around on the couch, eating bon bons, and pining for him -- but there is just a whole different vibe (especially on the weeknights) that I've been noticing during the last week So I have noticed the following:
1. I grocery shop A LOT less.
When you are are only cooking for one person, you do a lot less meal planning. My kitchen creativity has definitely suffered in his absence; however, my bank account has been singing HALLELUJAH! Also, I hate the grocery store between 5 and 6pm, which always seems to be when I go there during the week when I'm cooking for us both. This week, I have totally avoided that! Woo Hoo for stress relief! So I guess that's okay, but...
2. Apparently, I turn into a vegetarian!
Speaking of cooking, I have not cooked meat since he left! And this one was kind of a shock to me, because I like meat just fine. Actually, this isn't entirely accurate, seeing as the enormous batch of split pea soup that I made did have some left over ham in it, but in general my entrees have been meat free in the interim, and I also have been shopping around on the internet and bookmarking delicious looking vegetarian recipes. I think my inner vegetarian is trying to get out. Ack! What's happening to me?
3. I really commit to some AWFUL television.
It's not like I don't watch TV when Garrett is around, I certainly do. And he definitely watches his fair share of silly TV with me (Top Chef, CSI: Miami, etc). But in the last week or so I seriously have not missed an episode of Oprah, Rachael Ray, Real Housewives of Orange County, The City, The Bachelor (hello! the worst offender!) Gossip Girl...I mean I promise you I have left the house, but my DVR has been working overtime to record my girly guilty pleasures. And I have "made time" to watch them all...while filing my nails, to boot! And I know this sounds great, but seriously...
4. I laugh ALOT less.
And really, folks, this is the fact that I have tried to deny but it so much of the reason that my life is so differnet when he is gone! And I hate that. I like to laugh. God, do I sound like a bad internet dating ad? "Likes to laugh and likes long walks on the beach." Seriously though, Garrett is one of the funniest people that I know and he keeps me in stitches pretty much from the moment he wakes up (sometimes even when he is sleeping!) until we go to sleep at night. And even though I have a pretty good sense of humor and I definitely look for reasons to laugh throughout the day, there is such a shortage going on as of late, and that is a downer!
Which is why I'm so happy there are only 5 days to go! Because clearly, when Garrett is out of town I get over analytical and write posts that have absolutely no point except to say "Get back here, boyfriend! I need some snuggles!" But you know, the wordier version.
Anyway, since he's been gone (oh god, now I'm hearing Kelly Clarkson -- Jesus, Calgon Take Me Away!) I have observed that my life really is pretty different when he is not around. It's not that I am lying around on the couch, eating bon bons, and pining for him -- but there is just a whole different vibe (especially on the weeknights) that I've been noticing during the last week So I have noticed the following:
1. I grocery shop A LOT less.
When you are are only cooking for one person, you do a lot less meal planning. My kitchen creativity has definitely suffered in his absence; however, my bank account has been singing HALLELUJAH! Also, I hate the grocery store between 5 and 6pm, which always seems to be when I go there during the week when I'm cooking for us both. This week, I have totally avoided that! Woo Hoo for stress relief! So I guess that's okay, but...
2. Apparently, I turn into a vegetarian!
Speaking of cooking, I have not cooked meat since he left! And this one was kind of a shock to me, because I like meat just fine. Actually, this isn't entirely accurate, seeing as the enormous batch of split pea soup that I made did have some left over ham in it, but in general my entrees have been meat free in the interim, and I also have been shopping around on the internet and bookmarking delicious looking vegetarian recipes. I think my inner vegetarian is trying to get out. Ack! What's happening to me?
3. I really commit to some AWFUL television.
It's not like I don't watch TV when Garrett is around, I certainly do. And he definitely watches his fair share of silly TV with me (Top Chef, CSI: Miami, etc). But in the last week or so I seriously have not missed an episode of Oprah, Rachael Ray, Real Housewives of Orange County, The City, The Bachelor (hello! the worst offender!) Gossip Girl...I mean I promise you I have left the house, but my DVR has been working overtime to record my girly guilty pleasures. And I have "made time" to watch them all...while filing my nails, to boot! And I know this sounds great, but seriously...
4. I laugh ALOT less.
And really, folks, this is the fact that I have tried to deny but it so much of the reason that my life is so differnet when he is gone! And I hate that. I like to laugh. God, do I sound like a bad internet dating ad? "Likes to laugh and likes long walks on the beach." Seriously though, Garrett is one of the funniest people that I know and he keeps me in stitches pretty much from the moment he wakes up (sometimes even when he is sleeping!) until we go to sleep at night. And even though I have a pretty good sense of humor and I definitely look for reasons to laugh throughout the day, there is such a shortage going on as of late, and that is a downer!
Which is why I'm so happy there are only 5 days to go! Because clearly, when Garrett is out of town I get over analytical and write posts that have absolutely no point except to say "Get back here, boyfriend! I need some snuggles!" But you know, the wordier version.
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