this weekend, i...

This weekend was my favorite kind of weekend, which is relaxed and low-key.  Even though I should have been doing something productive like packing for our upcoming move, instead I let my procrastination instincts kick-in and told myself I'd do that stuff next weekend.  I really will, I swear!

This weekend, we had a celebratory dinner at Moctezuma's on Friday after signing our final house paperwork with the title company.  It was warm enough to eat outside on the patio, and I had my favorite happy hour item, the squash taquitos.  So yummy!

This weekend, I did a little shopping at Target, Kohl's and Famous Footwear.  Technically I'm supposed to be penny-pinching right now since we need to buy a bunch of stuff for the house, but I couldn't help it.  It's sort of like a sick addiction.

1 / Boyfriend Cardigan
2 / Yoga Pants
3 / Knit top
4 / Roxy shoes

This weekend, I spent a little lot of time catching up on Teen Mom 2 thanks to the fact that there was a marathon playing all weekend.  It was even on at the gym, so I didn't have to miss a minute of it.  If you're a fan of the show (Christi!), I know you'll appreciate this:

This weekend, I stopped by Ken Walker Jewelers to have my right-hand ring cleaned.  It was filthy!  And since there's nothing on my left hand yet (*ahem, Tony), I needed to satisfy my sparkle craving.  It came back super sparkly, although it's hard to tell from this picture.

Tony gave this ring to me for V-day two years ago, it's aquamarine and black diamond.  Love it!

EDIT:  I forgot to mention one more thing I did this weekend.  Tony and I watched Django Unchained, and it was SO good!  It's a Quentin Tarantino movie so of course there are some disturbing parts and lots of blood, but it was honestly the best movie I've seen in awhile.  Go watch it!!

What did you do this weekend?  Did you watch as much tv as I did?

Happy Days

I have the cutest new friend to share with you today, and her name is Happy.

A while back I won a give-away on Hena's blog for a custom made "creature" from Create My Creature,  a super cute etsy store by Amanda.  She uses children's (or adults!) drawings and transforms them into stuffed animals.  Chloe was so excited to design her creature, whom she named Happy.

Amanda was amazing to work with throughout the entire process.  We emailed back and forth about different fabric colors and textures, and she was really great about asking for Chloe's input on all of the details.  Chloe had so much fun helping in the design process.  Check out Amanda's blog for details about Happy!

Yesterday, a very important package arrived in the mail for Chloe!

She turned out incredible!!

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Chloe absolutely LOVES Happy!  Amanda even made her a carrying bag, a tutu and two lace skirts as accessories.  And since Happy likes to swim (according to her DNA sheet that Amanda gave us to fill out), she also has her own beach towel.  She's hooked up!

Chloe was so ecstatic that she wanted to make a video all about Happy.  I'm not sure why she keeps referring to Happy as a "he" in the video, but most of her stuffed animals tend to change genders all willy nilly so I guess it's to be expected.  Enjoy!

I highly recommend Amanda's custom creatures for any kid in your life.  They would make awesome birthday and Christmas gifts!

Have a great weekend!

throwback thursday - college edition

Today's throwback is a compilation of photos from my "college" days, and I use the term college loosely because although I lived with a bunch of awesome girls that went to WWU, I didn't actually go to school there.  But I definitively partied like a rockstar college student, so I still like to think of them as my good ol' college days.

I lived in Bellingham for two years, the first year with four other girls and the second year with three other girls.  As you can imagine, a house filled with so many girls was bound to have it's fair share of drama.  But the fun times outweighed the bad by far, and those two years were some of the best ever.

See that black wrist band I'm wearing in the last picture?  Yeah, I thought they were pretty cool at the time, and I had three of them.  Hey don't judge, this was 10 years ago.  Which is so crazy because I still remember it like it was yesterday.

Fun fact: Tony lived in Bellingham for a brief time before I moved there, but we missed meeting each other by just a few months.  It's just one of the many times when we "almost" met, but circumstances kept it from happening until the timing was just right, i.e., when we were both single and ready to mingle!

what i've been up to

It's such a sunny day here in Seattle!!  I feel sad for you if you live in a state that's still cold and snowy.  Sending sunny thoughts your way! 

I snapped this blurry picture on my way to work this morning.  I love crossing the Narrows Bridge each day, the views can be so amazing.  (What I don't love is the $4 bridge toll, but I digress.)

Remember that little ol' house I mentioned, way back here?  Well, things are moving full steam ahead.  Our financing has been approved, the appraisal has gone through, and all that's left is to sign a bunch of paperwork at the title company.  I'm hoping we can close on house within the next week.  Whoohoo!!  Things are starting to get real, people.

Why yes, the house is pink, thank you for noticing!  Or "salmon", as Tony calls it.  Don't worry, we'll be changing that.  Along with 5,394 other things...

We found an awesome fridge on craigslist and picked it up on Saturday.  She just needs a good wipe down and she'll be good to go!  It's a full-sized fridge, it just seems dwarfed when Tony and his equally tall step-dad are standing next to it.

In non-house news, I've been changing up my diet lately by having fruits and veggies for every meal & snack except for dinner.  For dinner I'll just have something "normal", which is basically whatever I feel like eating.  My dinners could use some improvement for sure!  My inspiration for all the fruits & veggies comes from the "low fat raw vegan diet", which you can learn about at fullyraw.com.  Although I can't see myself following such a strict lifestyle, it has inspired me to cut out as many processed foods as possible.

If you need some convincing on why you should be eating more fruits and veggies, just watch this video about how Kristina's eye color actually changed once she went raw.



And here are some of her tips on how to get more fresh produce into your diet.



That last video is really making me crave a smoothie!!

Bunco!

 Ever played?  If not, you're missing out on a mighty fine time!

Contrary to what you might think, bunco night does not always look like this:

Or maybe you're picturing something entirely different, thanks to RHOC?

The bunco parties I've been to fall somewhere in the middle of these two extremes...but probably land a little closer to RHOC, if we're being honest!  P.S. Slade's mullet is....wow.

A little over a year ago, my friends Laura and Lynsey decided to organize a monthly bunco party, and I'm so grateful that they did!  It has been so much fun, and such a good excuse to get all the girls together at least once a month.  You need 12 girls (or guys) to play, and we rotate each month so that everyone gets a chance to host.  The host serves dinner and/or appetizers, and each girl brings a bottle of wine and $5.  The winner walks away with $40, and the girl with the most buncos gets $20.  At least I think that's the breakdown. I wouldn't know since I've never won.  Yep, that's right.  In the 14 months we've been playing, I haven't won a single dollar.  I must be cursed!!

 I won't bore you with the rules of bunco, but you can read them here if you want.  But I will say that I never thought rolling a pair of dice over and over again could be so fun!  It's a super fast-paced, high energy game, and the never-ending flow of wine only makes things all the merrier.  Seriously, I think we normally go through all 12 bottles by the end of the night!!

Now doesn't that look exciting??

To mix things up a little, we started having themed parties four months ago.  Our first was a "snow bunny" theme in January.  Pssst - if you look really hard, you'll notice someone opted to wear boy shorts instead of pants!

And then of course we had a Valentine's theme.  I gotta say, I expected more pink!!  Don't mind my awkward crouching pose...

Our most recent theme was St. Paddy's Day.  Loved all the green!!

The only thing I don't like about bunco is the guaranteed hangover at work the next day.  But you know what, that is just the price you have to pay sometimes!  So go out, grab some friends/co-workers/family members/strangers off the street, and have yourself a rowdy night of bunco!!  It is so much more fun than it sounds, I promise!

Sarah at Midwest Pillowtalk

You are in for a treat today!  Over the next few weeks I'll be featuring interviews with some of my favorite bloggers.  (Let me know if you're interested in being featured!)

This week we'll start with the lovely Sarah.  I started following her blog Midwest Pillowtalk in June, and was instantly hooked thanks to her cheery personality and totally honest posts.  She's like a little ray of midwest sunshine!  You're gonna love her!

Hi, I’m Sarah!  A 26-year-old, newlywed / newly pregnant / stay-at-home wife livin’ in the Midwest! The WAY TOO COLD Midwest!  My husband and I live with our two shiba inu’s (Lambeau & Lucy), are huge Green Bay Packer fans, and go on a thousand dates. We’re also very obsessed with cruising. On Royal Caribbean. :)

First of all, describe your blog.  What made you start blogging?
I originally started blogging when Isaiah and I got engaged, but after a few short posts from the two of us, it kind of died. It wasn't until I was having major struggles with my lack of getting pregnant and lack of support within those around me IRL that I started a new blog. It was where I wanted to vent & connect with other women who were experiencing the same emotions as I was. Not long after I began blogging though, we got pregnant with the help of meds, injections and our RE (reproductive endocrinologist)! 

Describe your favorite project you’ve blogged about or favorite room in your house that you’ve decorated, or ideas for one you plan to decorate.  

Oh boy. Now that we’re married, we’re beginning to do so much to our house! It was built in 2006 so it is in great shape, but I have big plans for painting and changing up the color ensemble around our home! We're also in big plans for the babe’s nursery! This is our inspiration board – if only we could find the right “calming soothing” shade of aqua for the room!

UPDATE!  Sarah and Isaiah did finally decided on a paint color, but they didn't go with aqua.  Find out what color they chose, and check out the progress they've made on the nursery here.  Spoiler:  It involves chevron!!

You’re home alone and have total control of the remote.  What do you spend your evening watching? 

Grey’s Anatomy – without a doubt!

What’s a beauty product you love that you think we should all rush out and buy? 

Okay, I honestly am the worst with makeup. And hair. I suck at both. I only wear foundation and mascara, but I am VERRRRY much in love with the B.B. Cream by Boscia! It’s the best of the best and since I only wear foundation, I've spent lots of money and time trying to find the perfect one. It’s been a miracle during this pregnancy too! I love it more than my MAC foundation. 

via Amazon

Sidenote: Everywhere I go, I keep hearing about B.B. cream!  I think it's time I pick up some of my own and find out if it's as great as people are claiming!

Time to get a little mushy.  Give us the scoop about Isaiah.  How did you meet, and what do you love about him?  

I am the ultimate creeper of creeps. It was December 2010. I was living with 7 girls that i went to college with, there was a huge snow storm which meant we couldn't park on our street until after 11pm, so my friend B and I went to hang out in our college library until at least 11pm when we could park at home again.  Apparently B met Isaiah downtown the summer before then, so they were random facebook friends but never spoke or stayed in touch. Isaiah was a super private person on facebook... but posted pictures of him and his brother at Lambeau field for a green bay packers game.  My friend B always makes fun of me about my love for football and the Packers so she immediately showed me his pics.  They were the first pictures he ever put on his facebook & I was actually going to Lambeau the following weekend with my cousin for my first time.  So i stalked his pictures and decided to add him!  B said NO WAY DON'T but I said I have nothing to lose, I wanted to be friends with another Packers fan!  Monday morning I woke up and saw that Isaiah sent me and B a FB message saying he hasn't spoken to B in so long and has no idea who I am... Sent me another private message saying he'd love to get to know me, asking if he could call me. I said you can TEXT me. lol. That night he called me!  We spent the entire Mon-Fri talking and texting non-stop. We met up Friday night at seven ultra lounge, apparently B says we kissed but I don't remember. SHE INVITED HIM HOME WITH US. I was like um, what?? He didn't make any sexy moves and I was hooked. I dropped him off Saturday morning and he came back over Saturday night. Tuesday was our first ACTUAL date and we've been on a date ever since!  We ended up going to the super bowl together at Lambeau when Green Bay won & he asked me to be his official girlfriend at the field with all the fireworks after the game.  AAAAND I later found out that Isaiah’s daddy played for the Packers!  We got engaged 9.25.11 and married 8.11.12.  He is my best friend and my soul mate. I’m so in love!  {damn that was long. so sorry y'all!}

What’s your favorite piece of advice about fashion, beauty, or decorating? 

"Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world” – Marilyn Monroe

Time for the cliche question, if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? 

There are a few places I think I could be really happy. I absolutely love Germany, and I was born in Berlin. We’re going back in October when our son is 3 months and I cannot wait. I always thought I’d move back there someday. I could also live on a cruise ship, seriously folks – the hubby and I are OB.SESSED! He always jokes about retiring and then becoming a cruise director so we could live on the ships, hehe. Overall though, I love the warmth and the ocean. There are a lot of warm tropical places I've been (and haven’t been) but I’d gladly take up in Hawaii or St. Martin!

Sarah, thank you so much for giving us a glimpse into your world!  You and Isaiah are so in love and I couldn't be more excited for your bundle of joy to arrive.

Be sure to stop by Sarah's blog and say hello, or you can stalk her here: Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram

mirror, mirror on the wall

I wonder if I'm the first blogger to come up with that title?  Unlikely...

Two posts in one day, this is insanity!!  I'm just super excited about a new project idea I just came up with and wanted to share it.  As you probably know by now, I'm a bit obsessed with John & Sherry and their blog Young House Love.  (I even got to meet them!!)  It is what made me start my own blog, after all.

They have two white mirrors in their house that I'm completely in love with, both from Joss & Main.

What I'm not in love with is the price tag on these puppies.  $169 for the first one, and $221 for the second.  I have no clue why mirrors are so expensive!  You also probably know by now that I'm a cheapskate and love a bargain.  So I turned to ebay, of course.  And lucky me, I found this mirror for $19.99.

It's nothing special...yet.  But I think it would be pretty easy to transform this mirror into the first mirror above!  I'm thinking about gluing small pieces of wood directly to the metal part. Or maybe something besides wood?  Any ideas from you crafty folks out there??  I'll take all the advice I can get!

I probably won't tackle this project until summer, but I'll be sure and post about it once I'm finished!

movin' on up

I've spent more time on Craigslist this week then a Real Housewife spends in her plastic surgeon's office.

I don’t think I've officially announced this on the ol’ blog yet, but the bank accepted our offer on the house I told you about here (yay!).  If everything goes as planned, we'll close at the end of April, and move in at the end of May.  It's really happening!!  That means we get the month of May to paint, replace the floors, and all those other fun projects that will make the house move-in ready.  Which brings me back to my Craigslist hunt-a-thon.  The house doesn’t have a refrigerator, dishwasher, or oven, so I've been searching the interwebs for hidden jewels.  Ok, technically that’s not completely true.  It does come with an oven.  Just check out this lovely piece of work:

Out of fear of burning our house to the ground the next time we make a grilled cheese sandwich  we’ll be replacing this monster with something new and sleek.  We want stainless steel appliances, but we aren't super picky about them being brand new, as long as they are in good condition.  I haven’t had any luck on Craigslist so far but I’m determined to not pay full price!

I've also been searching Craigslist for a cheap dresser for Chloe, since she’s outgrown her Ikea Rast dresser that we painted for her about two years ago.  I'm tired of battling its drawers every time I want to put a pair of her jeans away.  The dresser is just too tiny!  Or maybe the girl has too many clothes?  Anyways, I don’t care what the new dresser looks like, because I’m planning to paint it with an ombre effect, like these, to go with her aqua & coral color scheme.

1 / 2 / 3

This morning I realized we actually have an extra Ikea Malm dresser in the closet that’s currently used to store toys.  We can just use that one, duh!  My only worry was that we won’t be able to paint it because it’s black laminate.

Luckily, I turned to Google (as I always do in times of need), and found this blog post by Tiffany about how to paint a…wait for it…Ikea Malm Dresser!!  Here's her awesome "after" photo:

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How did people survive before Google, seriously??

In other house-related news, I’m getting closer to deciding on paint colors.  I do not trust myself to come up with a color palette on my own, so I pretty much completely copied most of the colors John & Sherry used in their new home.  Here are some of the colors I'm considering:

The next step is to pick up some paint swatches to see how they look in real life, but so far I’m liking this palette.  Our house won't have as much natural light as John & Sherry's, so I’ll have to keep that in mind.

We also decided we’re going to use Allure TrafficMaster vinyl flooring for the kitchen, dining room and entry way.  It has great reviews, is reasonably priced, and I love that it comes in so many different colors.  Our kitchen cabinets are dark brown (and we’re keeping them that way, per Tony’s request), so we’ll probably choose a rustic-looking floor that’s lighter but also has some dark shades mixed in, like Northern Hickory or Apple Blonde.

1: Northern Hickory / 2: Apple Blonde

And here's our kitchen again, so you can see the cabinet color.

I am so excited to see everything come together, but am also starting to get stressed about the move itself, with all the packing, heavy lifting, unpacking, etc.  But I know it will all be worth it when my many, many Pinterest boards for the new house are finally brought to life!

Happy Friday!!

a letter to my job

Dear Job,

Thank you for letting me wear jeans to work, every day.  It's always casual Friday around here!

Thank you for providing me with unlimited amounts of ice water.  I seriously can’t  get enough of the stuff.

Thank you for letting my cubicle-mate be a cornucopia of knowledge in both celebrity gossip and office gossip, so I’m never behind on the dirt.

Thank you for the letting most of my meetings with my boss revolve around the previous week’s episode of Walking Dead.

Thank you for finally, finally giving me a window seat with an awesome view of downtown.

  

Thank you for the bowl of candy that’s always kept stocked in the file room.

Thank you for letting me leave at 4pm every day.

We’ve had our ups and our downs.  Our rocky times.  I haven’t always been faithful to you, but I’ve kept coming back. I love kinda like you, job!

What are some of the little things that make your job bearable?