Project Simple Life

love poems from my great love.

2012-02-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

you radiate brilliance

side effect: stupor

symptoms: dry mouth and nervousness

_________________________________________________

what did you do to me?

you made me complete.

when did it happen?

still taking place as we speak.

________________________________________________

i dream of you

it puts me fast asleep

you don't need to move to knock me off my feet.
______________________________________________

i believe when our hearts met

it was more than random.

now going a day without seeing your face

is something i can't fathom.

but if i make it through a few

it means i'll see you soon

because simply being in your presence

can heal any wound.

in the mail.

2012-02-12T23:56:00.001-06:00

Question: Do any of you still send Valentines to your loved ones?

I'm sure my love for Valentine's Day mail stems from my immersion in early childhood + the day care kiddos I'm with every year: I look forward to getting 'miss amanda' scribbled all over the front of a valentine with characters from Cars 2 on the front and chalky love hearts attached in a baggie.

My valentines to siblings and schoolmates aren't covered in glitter and they don't have a tootsie roll pop sticking out, but they do come from the same place in my heart that they did when I was in elementary school and gave cards during my class party. I want to make my loved ones feel special and loved since they do the same to me.

________________________________________________________

Curious where I got these? I dug them out of my craft box a couple weeks ago and remembered that I bought them when chronicle books was having a sale. Find your own box here: the little box of I love you.

p.s. Just have to say... best new artist! so proud. :)

five senses.

2012-02-03T21:14:00.000-06:00

seeing // my new February meal calendar. This month, I'm learning the great skill of organization + planning ahead that was perfected by my mother. With some of my school days lasting from 7am all the way to 8pm I have to pack my lunch + backpack + life with me into the car. So, I had to plan an entire month of meals that we can whip up when we walk in the door home from the gym or work.

hearing // Bon Iver on the radio. Bon Iver on SNL (tomorrow night!) and the Grammys (next week!).We are thrilled for our hometown band!

smelling // sweat. at the gym. (does that gross you out?) That really isn't my intention but I have to share my proud fitness moment with you --- out of the past 34 days, I have gone to the gym + gotten my sweat on (whether it's at classes or the elliptical) 28 days! (eek! Is this really me?) For a newly conformed regular at the gym, this is an amazing feat. I don't know where my inspiration is coming from, but I want it to last!

tasting // mint chocolate chip frozen yogurt. Yes I know that I just said that I'm a gym-goer, but it's our favorite weekly guilt-free (almost) that we share...in small bowls of course.

touching // the laptop keys. With school in full speed again, I am tied once again to my favorite/least favorite slave driver. Sprinkling a pinterest session into reading education articles is the best way I learn. :)

what I like about... // february.

2012-02-02T15:51:00.000-06:00

The next installment of my 'what I like about...' series is about February.

Now, my husband and I used to be very melancholy about this month, wishing for its swift departure out of our lives and just bring us to March. But not this time around. This time, we've got events, things, and to-do lists to conquer.

what I like about... // February.

01. Melting (as of right now). Even if there might be more three more huge snowstorms here in Wisconsin, it's nice to know the sun can still warm the frozen snow.
02. My trip to a professional development conference next week. This is my first one for my career and I'm kinda excited. Which is really nerdy. But I'm still excited. :)
03. A wedding in three weeks. Family. Food. Pretty dresses. My neice and nephew. Photo possibilities galore -- what more could I ask for?
04. Valentine's Day. I love pink, remember?
05. Getting one month closer to student teaching. It can't come soon enough.
06. Lip balm. Silky smooth.
07. The beginning of Lent. An important time to reflect on sacrifices.
08. It's a short month. Not as short as it usually is, but it's still short...

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Curious about my desktop background picture? Check out Smashing Magazine -- they do really fantastic monthly installments of new backgrounds. View February's post here.

Here's the rest of my what I like about series.

when class gets cancelled...

2012-01-26T15:32:00.001-06:00

you make muffins.

I don't care who you are, but if someone gives you two free hours during the day that were unexpected and completely welcomed, you take advantage of them. You hang out with the dog, turn Spotify on, and dance + mix your way to these delicious muffins.

Blueberry Lemon Zest Muffins

(from How To Boil Water // page 32)

get these ingredients together:
*2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
*3/4 cup white or light brown sugar + more for sprinkling
*1 T. baking powder
*1/2 tsp. fine salt
*pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
*1/2 cup vegetable oil
*1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
*2 large eggs, at room temperature
*1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
*2 lemons
*1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (about one pint)

then do these steps:
01. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line twelve 1/2-cup muffin cups with paper liners.
02. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Whisk the oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla together in another bowl. Finely grate the zest from the lemons into the wet ingredients.
03. Make a small "well" or space in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients and blueberries into the center. Stir wet and dry ingredients together with a spatula until dry ingredients are moistened but still a bit lumpy. Divide batter evenly among the muffin liners and sprinkle the tops generously with sugar.
04. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Cool muffins in the pan on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes. Turn the muffins out of the pan and cool on the rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

_________________________________________________________________________

I made these adjustments -- used 1% milk instead of whole milk, used 1/2 cup of white sugar and 1/4 cup of brown sugar instead of 3/4 cup of white sugar, and squirted a little of the juice from the lemon into the wet ingredients.

I also can pass on this "muffin wisdom" to you that I read in this book -- "We can't stress it enough: Mix the batter as little as possible. Overmixing leads to tough muffins and collapsed tops." "Keep leftover muffins in the freezer, then warm them up in the oven or toaster oven when you want them."

How to Boil Water is one of my favorite cookbooks. I use it all the time for basic recipes and prep tips. If you want to buy it, Amazon is selling new and used copies.

leaning.

2012-01-23T21:55:00.001-06:00

pin no. // 240731542551284871 original source: jennifer eileen

Sometimes in our marriage, Chad will say something that will jolt me awake and help me better understand my role as a wife.

"I just need my home life to not be stressful right now" Chad said to me.

This started two weeks ago when he was working an extra hour or two every weeknight and bringing work with him to our house. Mister is stressed. And has reached a level of exhaustion and frustration with his job that I don't remember him ever being at before.

Enter Superwife. I put on my non-existent pink sparkly cape and did things around our house that made his life less stressful -- meals on the stove top, dog fed and watered and a gin + tonic waiting in a glass with a lime. Snow shoveled. Coffee in a mug.

But...

before I start patting my back and give myself and high-five, there's a lesson that I'm learning from this whole experience.

This is my role.

This is part of me being his wife. No, it's not about having dinner made or the dishes done the second he walks through the door. If I looked at it that way, I would be anxious all the time trying to please him. It's not about that.

It's about being a partner to him. Recognizing the weakness and struggle that he's going through and being a light to him. Being someone he can rely on -- lean on. I'm starting to recognize that my resolution to be his partner is happening right now.

his + hers: what is your roller derby name?

2012-01-17T06:30:00.000-06:00

Let's start the day off with something fun, shall we? Let's talk roller derby!

Last month, Chad and I spent a fun couple of hours watching our local roller derby team, the Chippewa Valley Roller Girls. While we were sitting there watching our friend, Coley (the blur of a girl in the below shot), we thought of some pretty killer derby names.

His: Chad thought of Chad Medicine (a play on "Bad Medicine" by Bon Jovi)
Hers: Amanda thought of AmandaSlaughter (like manslaughter did I need to explain that one? .... Chad was the one who actually thought of that for me).

I wanted you to go out into the world today knowing your roller derby name, so I searched through Facebook and saw this link: Roller Derby Name Generator.

What's your roller derby name?

xo,
AmandaSlaughter :)

P.S. I know that our town is super cool and hip to have a roller derby team and if yours doesn't -- might I suggest Whip It to fulfill your roller derby needs? It comes highly recommended by me and my sister, Hannah.

what I like about... // my older sister

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-06:00

Before 2011 was over, I sat down one night and wrote down blog ideas and features that I wanted to do here on project simple life. One of the ideas that I wrote about was what I like about... and every week I would post about one topic that I like in my life from great to small or recent to older -- if I like it, then I want to celebrate by sharing it with you.

___________________________________________________________________

The first what I like about... is in honor of my sister, Laura, who is celebrating her birthday today! Happy Birthday Lo!

I'm pretty sure birthdays are an excuse to share old pictures. Here we have: older brother Kyle in the red, me in the white sweatshirt, and the girl in the pink is Laura!

what I like about... // my older sister

01. She's already done everything that I plan on doing. And has done it well. Married for (almost) four years. Been pregnant. Two kids. Maintains a house. Driving manual. Proper application of liquid eyeliner. Changing a diaper in 23 seconds flat... you get the idea. So whenever I have a question with the aforementioned topics, I know she's my girl.

02. Inside jokes were invented by and for sisters. A few of ours are "Howard...Censored!" and "Don't estomp your last season Prada shoes at me honey."

03. She taught me valuable things in life. I owe her for my knowledge of how important it is to keep a to-do list, how vital the role of a wife and mother is to a person, how to properly pluck my eyebrows, how to balance on the middle part of our old swingset, what Walgreens register rewards are, how wonderful Amelié is, how to make tissue pom-poms, and basically how to care for other humans every day.

04. She's a bookworm. It seems that every book I like she's told me about.

05.We share a common love for peanut butter on graham crackers, diet soda, wavy Lay's potato chips, and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

06. She's the only one in my family that will eat the dark meat of chicken or turkey.

07. We think the same when taking pictures. If we are shooting the same subject, we'll be standing or squatting right next to each other.

08. She created the two most beautiful children on the planet.

09. People say we look the same when we smile.

10. Every single girl should have an older sister. This I know for sure. I'm sorry for those that don't. Truly. I look up to mine so so much.

making life a little easier for your readers

2012-01-15T06:30:00.000-06:00

I'm about to give you the secret to blogging. Well, it's certainly not the secret to blogging -- as there is none, but it will make your readers thank you and help make their daily blog reading a little simpler. And that's how we operate here over at project simple life.

I'm talking about the mobile version of your blog.

If you blog with Blogger, we all have one. But very few of us use it. I only discovered the mobile version of my blog this week and already Chad has told me how much easier it is to read my blog on his smartphone. Since the smartphone has come into my life, I've found myself on bloglovin' checking out all of your wonderful blogs while I'm doing mundane tasks like waiting in the checkout line, burning calories on the elliptical, and sitting in my car during my break. I've noticed that I am spending most of my time zooming in, scrolling from side to side just to read the post and look that the comments.

After making the switch myself, so to speak, I worked up this little 5 step tutorial for you. Feel free to do this on your blog page while reading this post! It goes a little something like this:

family photo shoot

2012-01-10T07:30:00.000-06:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend, my sister asked me if I could take some pictures of her and her family for their Christmas card. After getting over the surprise "Are you sure? I'm not a professional?" monolougue I had with myself -- I agreed.

And, I mean -- how could I not? This children are the most adorable I'm not biased at all children on the planet and they are so good in front of the camera. They have had plenty of photo shoots in the past, so taking pictures out in my parents' backyard while they sat on the piano bench was no problem for these old pros.

Seriously...how cute are UJ and baby Z? :)

Now that I've done one 'session' with the new camera, I am eager to get my hands on more experience and tips from professional photographers. I save as many tutorials as I can on one of my favorite pinterest boards: picture-taking business.

his + hers: christmas gifts

2012-01-09T16:08:00.000-06:00

Before we wrap up 2011, put it behind us as just a memory, and start rolling in 2012, I wanted to share what Chad and I got each other for Christmas. Because...it's eerily scary how similar we thought when buying these gifts for one another.

Chad and I don't do Christmas gifts big and plentiful -- usually it's just one gift that we share or one gift that I buy for myself and one gift that he buys himself (see last year's: kitchenaid mixer and new golf clubs). Nothing too complicated or expensive because a) we like simplicity and detest standing in lines in December and b) I'm a working college student living on a budget.

This year's gifts reflected our trip to Paris and London that we took in July/August. We made so many memories during this trip and took plenty of pictures, too. But we each (unknowingly to the other) chose something special from the trip to give the other.

Hers to him: On the first full day we were in Paris, we had dinner with my cousin and her husband who live in Germany and work for the Air Force. Before we left the states on our trip, we arranged to meet up with them somewhere to have dinner. Little did we know that we would meet at Chez Georges (which is a fancy restaurant in close distance to the Lourve // read an npr review here). We ate incredible cheeses, drank French wine and ate entrees that were covered in béarnaise sauce.

After spending several hours talking and drinking, we knew we didn't want to leave them so early, so we jumped at the chance to spend more time together and took the train down to the Eiffel Tower. This was the first time we had seen the Eiffel up close, so Chad and I were pretty giddy. We took turns with the camera and Chad took the above shot.

For his gift, I blew it up to 8 x 10, changed it to black and white and set it in this thrifted frame I found at my favorite local thrift store.

His to her: That same cousin of mine told me that while we stayed in London, I should try a Strongbow and Blackcurrant. Of course me being the tourist who is easily impressioned ordered one the very first night we were there in our hostel above the pub. Then a tradition was born -- every night after we were done wandering in London stopping at all the sites, we would come back to our hostel, change into our comfy clothes and go down to the pub where we would watch cricket (or attempt to understand cricket), eat pizza, charge our phones, and plan for the next day. Every night we did this -- I would always get a Strongbow and Blackcurrant while Chad ordered whatever interesting ale or beer that he could find.

Chad wanted to surprise me with this drink for Christmas and set out to find some in our local stores.Well, funny thing about Blackcurrant -- you can't find it in the United States. (Well, maybe it just doesn't exist in Wisconsin). He found some on (where else) Amazon and told me if a package arrives not to open it. Then, one day after work, I come home and Chad tells me to sit down, close my eyes, and take a sip of something. I was pleasantly surprised to find my drink... my London drink, sitting right in front me just as if we were sitting in our pub in London.

Do share: what did you get your mister this Christmas? And what did you get from him? :)

2012 // one word.

2012-01-03T11:53:00.001-06:00

I'm finally getting the ball rolling on 2012!

It's exciting to start a new year. I think that everyone feels that excitement and freshness that comes with the new year. Everyone thinks good thoughts and strives to resolve their lives. New things are coming and it's too sweet to think about anything bad. Only good, right?

Last year, I decided to focus the start of another year and think of one word that I strived towards. That word was harmony.

This year's word is BE.

as in...
BE mindful of how my actions are affecting the people around me. Particularly Chad. I'm not his mother -- I am his partner, his equal, his best friend, his wife. We have to work together to build our life here.
BE present. All too often I dwell on one of two things -- the past and the future. Rarely do I focus on the present...what's happening to me and around me right now.
BE friendly. On this blog (meaning -- I want to share myself with you through my writing and post all those ideas I have swirling around finished and unfinished). To my friends far and near me. To strangers.
BE respectful. courteous. aware. gracious. considerate.
BE faithful to Christ. One way that Chad and I have done this is through our only resolution that we made: read through the entire Bible together this year. We hope this exercise will help us see His hand in our lives and see joy every single day while reading and reflecting. I just want to rely on Him when thinking about the decisions we are faced with and really focus on what my role is and who He made me be.

That's it -- one tiny word. big hopes.

my legs are jelly.

2011-12-29T13:49:00.000-06:00

pin no. // 68257750571820505

Yesterday...I found my personal hell.

Spinning class.

Chad and I go into the gym, not realizing that Zumba is at 6:30 instead of 5:30 (which is when we got there). We check in at the desk and the employee says "So what are you guys doing tonight?" "Oh probably just gonna do some cardio" we replied. "You guys should go to spinning -- it starts in fifteen minutes!" she says eagerly. And then this cute little blond energetic woman bounces up to the desk "Yeah! Do it!" Little did we know that woman named Brittany would be kicking our butts for 45 minutes.

Now, I am not a very athletic woman. Yes, I do my walking and my elliptical machine, but spinning class? Never thought I would do that. This was my very first time spinning, and I just wanted to remember the thoughts that I had tonight:

Minute 2: Well this isn't so bad...

Minute 5: I hate Ke$ha. Why is she singing so loud?

Minute 7: I'm going to barf.

Minute 8: I can't believe we have only been doing this for eight minutes.

Minute 11: I hate looking at myself in the mirror while I'm doing this.

Minute 17: Am I the slowest one? I feel like everyone else is doing so much better than me.

Minute 26: I want to sit down.

Minute 30: I HATE position two.

Minute 33: I want my mommy.

Minute 38: Why was Chad excited to do this?

Minute 40: I don't want to run up a steep hill anymore. Please let me sit down.

Minute 41: I. am. going. to. barf. and. kill. someone.

Minute 42: Why didn't we go to Zumba?

Minute 44: Yay! We're sitting down. And going slow.

Minute 45: Done! Let's never do this again!

And strangely enough, Chad and I walked out of there and he said to me "We should do that again. Even though our legs feel like jelly, we should do that again. We should go several times a week."

And...I agreed with him. Call me psychotic, but we are going again, no matter how much it intimidates me. I am going to endure position 2 -- if it kills me.

day off.

2011-12-28T11:43:00.000-06:00

Days off are unheard of in this house.
Days off mean slowly waking up and making a quality breakfast of granola, toast, and fruit (opposed to sugary/cavity-inducing cereal at work).
Days off are for stamps, Juno, walks with Leo, and chores.
Days off are for Zumba and grilled cheese.
Days off are a rare gem -- which we completely treasure.

Happy Wednesday, whether you are working or not -- enjoy it! :)

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The winner of 2012 weekly planner is Michelle H. who said: I'm thankful that in 2011, my boyfriend passed the Bar Exam and was able to get a new job as a lawyer. Here's hoping that 2012 has other exciting developments for us...
Michelle H.! Congrats! Since I can't get your contact information from your link, please email me at: projectsimplelife@gmail.com and we'll get you your new planner!

there's nothing like being an aunt.

2011-12-22T10:40:00.000-06:00

I went back into the archives to see how long it's been since I shared pictures of my neice and nephew // Baby Z + UJ. It was September seventh . I know. My apologies.

But, today is the perfect day to take a mental break from all the to-do lists and look at five pictures of them on Thanksgiving, right?

So thrilled I get to snuggle with them all weekend! Who are you looking forward to seeing?

crunch time.

2011-12-21T12:04:00.000-06:00

There are 4 more days until Christmas -- are you guys feeling it yet? Are you still wrapping that gift for your nephew or are all those gifts neatly and orderly in laundry baskets waiting by the door for when you go to the grandparents' house? Have you sent out those Christmas cards to your loved ones or are ~~some of them~~ all of them sitting in your backpack because you haven't bought stamps yet?

Okay, so I'm the guilty party. I haven't wrapped any of my gifts and I haven't sent out any Christmas cards...I know. I'm chalking this Christmas prep fail up to school work and finals and how they owned my soul for the entire month of December.

But, even though it appears like I have forever failed Christmas, it sure hasn't failed me. I have done all the Christmasy things -- sampled my mother-in-law's vast cookie collection, watched the quintessential holiday movies for me (Elf, White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, Love Actually), and we've read through the Christmas story. And, even though some of our Christmas decorations are still in boxes and most likely won't be making an appearance this year, we still are in love with Christmas.

One of my favorite things to look at this year is our Christmas card tree. I have cards from friends and family arranged on the door right next to my television so that I can glance over and look at all the Christmas greetings that we've gotten. My favorite Christmas decoration by far! _______________________________________________

Meghan, from The Perfect Compilation Tape was in need of some blog posts last week, so I thought I would lend a hand and did a guest post for her. Read about my thoughts of Christmas music and enter to win a Christmas music cd: here.

making monday a little sweeter // giveaway from alex

2011-12-19T00:00:00.000-06:00

Hey Monday readers...how are you today?

Excited that there are six days until Christmas?
Thrilled that the semester is almost over?
Ecstatic to see loved ones this week?

If you answered 'yes' to all the above, then you + I are in same boat. This week is going to be crazy busy, but let's just sit back and take it one day at a time, shall we? Grab a cup of coffee and read on to find out about a sweet deal from a sweet friend of mine.

I first heard of Alex who blogs over at defteling when we were paired up for the calendar swap hosted by design crush + greedy girl. She kindly offered me a 2012 weekly planner in addition to a 2012 calendar, but since I already have an academic planner that goes into the new year (filled to the brim with assignments), I asked her if I could offer it up on the blog...

Luckily for you -- she agreed!

One of you will start out 2012 with a brand new handmade weekly agenda planner!

How to enter (open to all readers -- U.S. and beyond!):

01. Leave a comment on this post sharing your answer to this: I am most thankful that _________ happened in 2011. (Mine is my trip to Europe and my niece, Baby Z, coming into this world!)

02. As a special thanks + bonus to my subscribers, those who follow are allowed an additional comment (just leave one telling me that you follow).

**A winner will be announced the Monday after Christmas (the 26th). That way, it's like I'm prolonging Christmas gift opening for one of you! :)

**Even if you aren't the lucky one, you can still save! Alex created a discount code // PSL2011. If you use it in her etsy shop during checkout, you will get 20% off your entire order (excluding shipping).

For more of Alex's work:
etsy | Alex Wijnen
blog | defteling
website | defteling.com

calm before the storm.

2011-12-14T20:38:00.002-06:00

My little distraction during my late night paper writing last night. Can't get enough of this pup.

Consider this, tonight, my one-night-to-relax.

I'm giving myself a one night only pass to do whatever I want before I have to do three take home tests and two finals tomorrow through the weekend. This week has been sprinkled with late-night paper writing (my least favorite thing about paper writing ever). Last night alone, consisted of me staying up until 2am alone on the couch with my snoring husband in the bedroom and observation notes on my lap. The worst part of being a student.

But...one of the best parts of being a student is that I get to declare tonight my relax night. I pledge to sit on the same couch that saw me stressing last night and do absolutely nothing. If I want to go on twitter, I get to go on twitter. If I want to watch old episodes of Parks + Rec (the Christmas episode) I get to. I can browse etsy to my heart's delight and 'pin' as much as I want. It's my prerogative to be lazy for one. night. only.

Do yourself a favor -- if you can, declare a relax night sometime.

Tomorrow, it'll be a different story :)

yay december.

2011-12-05T06:44:00.000-06:00

wow.

I am already loving this month even though it's only day five. I know that it is the busiest, most stressful month to end the year with, but it's also the most special to me. Sure we have our hands full, but I am loving it.

And it also helps that I now live in a marshmallow world. It has been snowing the last two days -- those big, fat, fluffy flakes that I told you I loved. Those flakes create a wonderland and a perfect excuse for staying in which is exactly what we did -- except for the tree-getting (before the storm hit).

Captions:

1. Friday night. hot glue gun. 4 glue sticks. 6 boxes of clearance ornaments from last year + wreath form.

2. Saturday morning. oh Christmas tree. finding the perfect tree for the corner of our little living room. all tree pictures now require a high-kick when posing for your sister-in-law.

3. Saturday afternoon. flaky chocolaty croissant from a local bakery split in two. cold glass of milk to wash down. well-deserved treat after signing a worthy petition and browsing our local co-op.

While browsing the blog posts today, please check out my friend Celia! She featured my butternut squash soup that I happen to love and make monthly. If you're looking for a good soup, check this one out...

preparing for december.

2011-12-02T06:00:00.000-06:00

For the first time EVER, I am linking up to lovely Lauren's Fill in the Blank Friday! As a long-time blog reader of hers and a self-proclaimed Christmas enthusiast, I thought I would share some of my Christmas thoughts....

1. The holiday season is (in my humble opinion) the best time of the year. seriously. This time of the year you will often see me grinning stupidly when I see an endearingly sweet Christmas commercial or nudging Chad and saying (over and over) "Do you know I love Christmas?!!!" "Seriously, Do you?!" "This is my favorite time of the year!!" To which my dear husband replies, "Yes honey, I know."

2. Snow makes me stinkin' happy. That soft, quiet snow steals my heart every time. As long as I don't drive in it. I am from Wisconsin, so we get our fair share of snowstorms and I have this really irrational fear of driving in the icy snowstorms....I think it might have to do with the fact that my parents used to have this van that didn't have 4-wheel drive + I spun out several times while driving it. Did I ever tell you that, mom and dad?

3. The best comfort food to eat when it's cold out is something from the oven -- hotdish, bread, cookies, chili. I think when I made my meal plan for December, we are making 5 different chilis/soups which is basically perfection in our house .

4. Winter is the best time for being together. and also, some reflection. since it's nearing the end of the year, I always go back and think about what has happened to me and how much we have to be thankful for in our little life. we are truly blessed.

5. I can hardly wait for my weekends with Chad. I have always had to work every weekend in December (once I had to work on Christmas Day...) and I can't wait to do all our Christmasing together this year. we have big plans -- sledding, playing with Leo, watching probably 10 holiday movies, quiet advent devotions, hot cocoa, shopping, decorating, being together!

6. When it comes to holiday gifts I prefer to give ones that matter. My parents have instilled in their kids that it's important to not put the focus on the gifts, but on the valuable gift that God gave us on Christmas. We are all starting our own families now, so we give gifts that are really thought out and something the person can truly cherish. One of the most exciting things that happens when we are opening presents is when I see people like what I've found for them -- the look they get. I completely LOVE that.

7. If I were to rate my excitement about the holiday season on a scale from 1-10, I would say I am at about a 5 (right now). I have put Christmas on the back burner so far (all our decorations are still in the basement next to Leo's food) since schoolwork has consumed every spare second of mine...but after this weekend + our decorating extravaganza, I think that number will be bumped up to a solid 10. Even though I still have finals week...

Did you Fill in the Blank? (If you'd still like to, link up to the current one here.)

In other news --
01 | The calendar page is the last one (obviously) in the calendar that Danni gave me, so I felt it needed the proper recognition. Along with our Anthro initial mugs that we bought in London.
02 | If you like that calendar, the other ones paper source might interest you. I think this wall calendar looks most like the 2011 one I have.
03 | While writing this post, I listened to the beautiful Christmas playlist Arielle made. And then listened to it again the next morning.
04 | Katie featured a highly entertaining video called: Mall Santa Musical. super funny.
05 | As Thy coming was in peace, Quiet, full of gentleness, Let the same mind dwell in me that was ever found in Thee. -- something to pray for during the advent season.

wake up + go.

2011-12-01T13:57:00.000-06:00

pin no. / 242425966

Happy December. Am making it a point to enjoy this merry and bright season through all the muck of studying, cleaning, laundry, and the like.

Right now the sun is shining, the to-do list is shrinking and I owe some of it to the tunes playing in the background. Yes, it's true, I have been playing Christmas music since the beginning of November, but... sometimes you need a little break from Band Aid + Mariah Carey + The Beach Boys.

Recently, I asked you readers if you had any 'on the road'/energizing music suggestions and thanks to you, I can drive to my 8am classes with a little more pep.

Listen to Project Simple Life // for the road:

Project Simple Life: for the road. by Amanda on Grooveshark

I do still love those cozy Christmas carols while I snuggle on the couch, but I'll be playing these songs when I'm hurriedly wrapping the last of those presents and studying for finals. With a cup of hot cocoa, of course.

Happy Listening. :)

listing some thankfuls.

2011-11-09T21:23:00.000-06:00

Little Leo looking cute while taking a nap yesterday. Of course.

__________________________________________________________

I am thankful for...

8. Quiet moments like the one I captured above.

9. "This is what the Lord says -- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: 'I amd the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.'" Today's passage of the day on my phone.

10. School friends. It's always nice to have someone wait for you outside the door to walk with you or be your partner on assignments (and never have to awkwardly ask 'Will you be my partner?').

11. Cooking in a clean kitchen. Finally finding my rhythm in a brand new kitchen (to me). Still trying to figure out that oven though...

12. "I walk the line" by Johnny. Especially when I can crank it up, be silly and do my best Cash impression in the car. (Thankfully by myself).

our pulp fiction halloween.

2011-11-03T20:24:00.000-05:00

No, we didn't party exactly like mia + vincent from Pulp Fiction but we did spend last Saturday night impersonating them. Pulp Fiction is one of Chad's all-time favorite movies, so there was no question that when we put these two characters on the idea list, we would have to find a way to make it work.

Here's something that we weren't expecting: a majority of our crowd having no idea who we were. We were so surprised when we'd say "We're Mia and Vincent!!" to which we'd get "You're who?". So I've gotta ask you, bloggers -- Have you seen Pulp Fiction? (Do you have any idea who we are?) :)

The costume rundown:

On Mia -- black leggings. black cami. white men's dress shirt. black wig. red nails. red lipstick. fake cigarette (thin cigar wrapped in paper) that we didn't smoke. (you're welcome, American Lung Association...and mom.)

On Vincent -- black pants. white men's dress shirt. black tie. black wig. gold clip-on hoop. fake 2.99 gun.

Oh yeah, we did the dance...

__________________________________

I am thankful for...

4. 1st graders. They are hilarious and completely adorable. They make me want to be a teacher tomorrow instead of in a year and a half.

5. Mornings + the feeling of productivity. Feeling like you are rocking the face off of Thursday because you are done with school at 9am instead of 8pm? Yep.

6. Weekends. No work + Chad being done with 16 hour days all week = selfish Amanda. Not letting that hard-working boy out of my sight for two whole days.

7. Parenthood. For giving me Lauren Graham again.

i am thankful for...

2011-11-01T20:44:00.001-05:00

11.1.11 (That is a lot of 1's, don't you agree?)

I don't know about you, but I am not ready for it to be November first. I am still hoping that I'll look at the calendar on our wall in the kitchen + it'll say September. But no, Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner which means that so are those busy holiday weeks. Shopping, homework, planning -- you know.

In order to make sure that I attempt to focus on the positive in my life instead of all the stress and ba-humbug-ness, I will be stopping by my blog a few times a week and sharing the things I am thankful for. (Taking a page out of Jess's book always seems like a good idea -- loved those thankful posts of hers.) I remember doing this in elementary school with the hand prints and the turkey feathers, so let's think of this as a modern day bulletin board full of those toilet paper roll turkeys, shall we?

I am thankful for...
1. Leo's puppiness. Even though he eats the drywall like it's candy, when he curls up on his puppy bed with his little butt hanging off the side, I just can't help fallin' in love.
2. Apples and the yummy snacks they make. Tonight I made a salad of candied walnuts, diced apples, gorgonzola cheese, balsamic vinaigrette, and spinach leaves and it was delish. Perfect for fall.
3. Cozy socks and cozy blankets. No explanation needed.

Feel free to join up in this celebration of those simple things you are grateful for!

Photo Credit: Apples in a Vintage Basket by Lynda Naranjo

twelve by 2012 // goal project by danni

2011-10-20T07:31:00.000-05:00

Mornin'.

Bloggers come up with the best ideas, don't they?!

Danni from oh, hello friend is so splendid. Not only is she dreaming up 12 goals by 2012, she is giving other bloggers the chance to participate. This is exactly the push I need to get some projects done around here. Lately, I have had no drive to complete anything on my to-do list. Sure, I've been busy. Too busy, in fact. Working on teachers' to-do lists, tests, assignments, lesson plans...you know how it is. No time to focus on the goal that I will feel empowered doing + more importantly, finishing.

So, these 12 to-dos are for me. Focused on areas of my house + agenda that will help me feel just that -- accomplished. I will come back to this list and update the process I'll be making. Feel free to join me, Danni, and all the others!

twelve by 2012.
Bold = done. Hurray!
italic = in progress.

01. remove wallpaper from our bathroom and kitchen.

02. paint at least one of those rooms.

03. do two projects off my want to create pinboard.

04. make a complete november + december meal calendar.

05. buy new flats and a pair of TOMS.

06. start my e-portfolio for school.

07. edit the europe trip pictures.

08. create an advent calendar for c + me.

09. cut + dye my hair.

10. go to thrift stores (with a edited eye, of course) at least four more times (x2 a month).
(1 of 4 times done)

11. visit laura + family once -- just the two of us.

12. get a desk and bookcase for our office.

i wore mittens today.

2011-10-19T14:14:00.000-05:00

It's true. The high today in Wisconsin is 45. Which means that we are getting Chad's sweaters out of storage and onto hangers and I am seeing how long I can last before I wear long underwear under my jeans. The drive to school isn't so pretty anymore -- it's at that awkward part of the season where almost all the leaves have fallen and everything that is left is now this rusty brown color. And, every time we have to take Leo out (who is doing great, by the way), we either wear a jacket or stand there shivering.

And while this semester's workload has left my fall to-do list virtually untouched (I haven't even carved a pumpkin yet!), I did drink a pumpkin spice latte earlier this month and we have a bowl of candy corn sitting on the coffee table. So...not a complete fall failure. Right?! :)

some past fall posts of mine:
what I like eating on those cold days.
sunday nights + slippers.
pros + cons of sept./oct./nov.
i like wearing plaid.
autumn leaves sung by nat.

P.S. I was going to apologize for the lack of time I have spent on this blog and talking to you all, but I decided against it. If I apologized for every time I took a 5+ day leave from here, I'd constantly be throwing out 'I'm sorry's'. Just know that of all the commitments I have going on and of all the things on my plate, blogging is the one commitment that I want to keep up and yet can't all the time. I do miss you so, so much! :)

leo.

2011-10-10T22:52:00.000-05:00

I have a list a mile and a half long of things I want to tell + show you about our new house, our new neighborhood, and all things in between. But for now, I'll show you the newest member of our family. The sunshine of our day(s).

Leo.

This sweet little boy came to be ours yesterday afternoon and is never leaving (since we love him too much). The way we got him is one of the saddest stories (it still makes me tear up thinking about it): my mother-in-law heard from a former coworker that Leo (then Bentley) was in a foster home because his owners were going to put him under since their cat didn't get along with him! Can you imagine putting that sweet boy under?? Neither could we. So we got in contact with the right people, did a major shopping spree at Walmart + Petsmart, and took him home and introduced him to Karma (our cat).

Needless to say, he has completely turned our lives upside down. We now have to wake up early to take him out, come home for lunch, and give him treats after he listens to us say "Sit", and snuggle with him. :) It's been an adjustment...

but a good one. :)

wake. work. rinse. repeat.*

2011-09-26T06:54:00.003-05:00

good morning, bloggers.

I had big plans to end this blogging break with a show + tell of all the marvelous pieces I got at Saver's several weeks ago. I'm super excited about them all -- particularly my new globe, but that post will have to wait. Because all those marvelous items are in banana boxes and pear boxes.

That's right. We're moving!

I should mention that we signed the year-long lease on Thursday night and are expecting to get the keys to our new house on Saturday morning.

That gives us only six full nights to pack up our entire apartment.

So, please excuse me while I fill my next week with school in the morning, work in the afternoon, and newspapers + boxes in the evening. rinse. repeat.

*Just curious if you know, who once titled her beloved blog this exact phrase? :)

12 on the 12th // september.

2011-09-12T07:05:00.002-05:00

love of books by a life through the lens

01. Lots of interesting books to read right now, in addition to my textbooks -- hard to pick just one. So I don't. :)
02. Nothing better than spending the entire weekend with Chad. I love that boy.
03. Football season is back -- wahoo! Now we just need those cooler temps. to go with it.
04. Mitch Hedberg on Youtube. Chad + I spent 20 minutes on Saturday night watching his stand-up. I am saved by the buoyancy of citrus.
05. BKFST might have the most delicious eye-candy I have ever seen. I have saved so many recipes to my files.
06. One thing that I can't wait for during Christmas: She + Him announced a Christmas album.
07. Saw Crazy, Stupid Love on Friday night. Loved it. It's lives up to the hype.
08. My hair is at this awkward stage where I don't know whether to wear it up or down since I don't like either. I do like this one though.
09. Baking bread is one of my favorite things about having our own kitchen.
10. Still thinking about 9/11. Everyone reflected differently -- blog posts. facebook updates. tweets. Bible passages. Staying quiet + reading all those personal stories worked well for me. As a 13 yr. old when it happened, I didn't understand the magnitude of the events that day until much later.
11. This print is so true. So true. Hard to not panic + freak out from school, so I wrote it down in my planner to glance at during the day.
12. A little tired of listening to the same ol' tracks -- any music recommendations for my daily 22 minute drive to school?

the state fair.

2011-09-10T07:44:00.000-05:00

Not our state's state fair. The Minnesota State Fair. You know, the second-largest one in the country. Chad + I have never been to the state fair before, so two Sundays ago, we went with my sisters, brother-in-law, and baby Z. I have never had a state fair experience quite like this, and I don't think I ever will. We said farewell to summer the best way: eating + laughing with our families. It was pure, late summer magic.

eggs. deviled.

2011-09-09T07:40:00.002-05:00

When I think of deviled eggs, my mind wanders to backyard barbecues, football games, and potlucks. Pretty much any meal that requires a 'dish to pass'. I, personally have never made deviled eggs in my life, so the ladies meeting at my church seemed like a perfect opportunity to try it out. It also gave me perfect opportunity to debut my Fiestaware deviled egg platter + my thrifted Pyrex bowl. (Check out how grown-up I'm being: going to a ladies meeting -- that I used to avoid like the plague, and bringing something? So out of character for me!) :)

The original recipe for these deviled eggs is created by Tasty Kitchen member Calamity Anne.

get these ingredients together:

*8 Large hard-cooked eggs
*2 tablespoons, ¾ teaspoons mayonnaise
*2-¼ teaspoons dijon mustard
*1 to 2 dashes hot sauce
*salt and pepper, to taste
*paprika for sprinkling

then do these steps:

*Remove shells from eggs and slice each egg in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and place in a bowl. Arrange whites on a serving plate.
*In a bowl, mash yolks with mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into whites. I used a ziploc bag with a corner cut out of the bottom to do a sort-of piping, but if you have something else, you can use that.
*Sprinkle paprika over the eggs.

P.S. Did any of your grandmothers call them angel eggs? Maybe that was just in our church...you know, since we don't like talking about the devil. :)

my jumbled thoughts.

2011-09-07T22:54:00.001-05:00

re: the first day of school...

01. I frantically called Chad during one of my breaks completely panicked about the 3 syllabi (syllabuses?) that I had just gone through during the morning and he lovingly reminded me that this is my last real year of school (the next one is student teaching!) which freaked me out even more.
02. I spent 20 minutes sprinkled throughout class breaks on pinterest which sort of relaxed me. I didn't realize that looking at pretty images could calm me so much. (I also figured out how badly I want the cool fall temperatures to come so that I can make maple blondies and baked macaroni + cheese.
03. Sometimes at the end of the day, you just need to spend an extra five minutes in the shower. It's a rule.
04. Sometimes you also need to spend a three hour lunch with your best friend talking about everything from old boyfriends to future goals. Perfect.

Happy Almost-the-Weekend to you! :) Lord knows I'll enjoy mine!

labor day, i loved you.

2011-09-07T07:01:00.003-05:00

i loved that I have no idea why you exist.
i loved that you make my first week of school a four day week instead of a five.
i loved that I didn't have to work + that you gave the daycare an extra "stay-at-home" day.
i loved that you made it possible for me to spend the whole day with my family at the park.

Yep, labor day. i loved you.

productivity + preparedness

2011-09-06T07:31:00.002-05:00

There is nothing like having the weekend to yourself to make you feel super productive -- to make you feel like you made the most out of every day. That is exactly what I needed; just two days to myself to get the house ready for autumn and myself ready for school.

This time of year, this transition into hectic school days from lazy and carefree summer days always throws me off and makes me a little spastic. But the organizing and getting my house (almost) completely under control helps me feel more ready to face the school year head on -- my school supplies waiting in my backpack by the door, and my planner waiting for my scribbles.

While my living room and dining nook underwent a total face-lift on Saturday night, I'll wait for its own separate post to show you pictures. Instead, I'll leave you with my sunny sunflowers that I picked up from the farmer's market on Saturday morning. Hopefully they brighten up your morning. :)

my +none friday and saturday.

2011-09-02T08:20:00.000-05:00

print credit: emrick123 // for the laundry room

Chad woke me up at five a.m. this morning with some kisses and a hug. I returned the kisses and hugs with a "drive safe and i love you". He's traveling up to (I actually have no idea what direction it is) a river with his cousin and canoeing 66 miles in two days. Yeah, that's my ambitious husband for you.

I on the other hand, will be having one of those weekends. A weekend all to myself that I welcome with loving and open arms -- it's a precious gift that I don't want to scare away. (past all-alone weekend posts are here and here.)

bread baking. shirt ironing. paper organizing. farmer's market. garage sales. thrift sales. corn husking + freezing. mad men. exercising. toenail painting. bubble bath. vacuuming. flower arranging. reading. bathtub scrubbing. blog reading. blog writing. cardigan washing. hair curling. crafting. movie watching.

cheers to the long weekend. whatever you're doing and whoever you're with. :)

p.s. While I was putting the credit for the above print in, I was reminded of the post about crediting that my pal, Bethany wrote today.

something pretty for your morning.

2011-08-31T07:48:00.000-05:00

Good Morning! :)

Wow. Where did I go? Sorry about that. Sincerely. I didn't mean to leave for that long since I do have events + posts I want to share with you. Before I tell you how I've been filling my time, I have to get business out of the way. The winner of the very london giveaway is: Eleise of One Artsy Mama! (Congrats Eleise! I wish I could keep the goodies for myself, but I'll mail it to you shortly!)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the midst of jotting down blog ideas and topics, I was filling my time with other things.

Simple things like...
crafting rosette flowers like a mad woman last night. Seriously. I loved working the fabric with my hands and burning my fingers on hot glue. Sometimes you have to have a night where you forgo the chores and just craft (amiright?)

finally figuring out simple things at my work (a daycare center) like how one child likes her back patted at naptime and how to handle arguments at blocks -- it's all about celebrating the little victories.
cleaning my apartment. I'm getting my post-vacation life back in order and that involves cleaning every inch of the house until it sparkles.
falling in love with Mad Men all over again. Thank you, Netflix. :)
driving around with Chad and listening to the most ridiculous songs imaginable -- ('Shots") is one of them.
seeing my nephew + niece again after a 53-day absence. (Pictures of mr. UJ and baby Zara will be shared soon).

P.S. The tutorial I used for the flowers can be found on pinterest.

now i want a puppy.

2011-08-21T23:17:00.001-05:00

In my family, we aren't big pet people. The closest thing we got to was a beta fish named Obadiah, that we lived with when I was 13. We always asked my parents "Why can't we get a dog or cat?" to which they'd reply "Because Dad's allergic." (The real truth is because he didn't want to pick up after the dog...you know, poo-wise. Which we found out later when my parents felt like we were ready to handle it. :) ) I never ever considered myself to be a "pet person". Little Amanda was more than happy to have brief encounters with her best friend's big black dog, Shadow. And leave it at that.

Then I met + married into Chad's family -- these people are all about dogs. and cats. Since Chad was a baby, his family has always had at least one dog (sometimes two) in the house. Chad tells me that the fondest memories that he has of his childhood was playing around with Rocky or Bear. Dogs will always be a part of his life.

Imagine Chad's surprise when the love of his life, his wife, says "Well...honey...I'm not really big on dogs. I like 'em, I just don't know if I could ever own one". Would that just crush a dog-lover's heart? He has always said to me, "Honey, we can just get a medium-sized one...right?" (Chad: always the compromiser.) which keeps me right on the fence about the whole Amanda-being-a-dog-owner discussion.

Braunie. This little guy might have just pushed me onto the pro-dog side of that fence, though. On Saturday, Chad's parents brought this little cutie home. And on Sunday, when we went over for our weekly supper, I got to meet Braunie. The sweetest, warmest, rolliest, softest puppy I have ever seen. How can I resist his warm body snuggled against mine as we lay on the couch? How can I not get a puppy since now I know it comes with giggling at the way he runs or how utterly adorable he is when he lays down on his paws? Slowly, I a warming up to the idea of having a dog on a more permanent basis -- just as long as he stays in the puppy stage for a while.

How about you -- are you from a "pet family" or not?

P.S. Tonight + Monday are the last days to put your name into the very london giveaway!

sometimes.

2011-08-15T06:30:00.001-05:00

sometimes... you take a step back from the computer, the iPhone, the tv, and the Netflix and take a friend's offer to 'go camping' on a Saturday.
sometimes... it feels good to get your feet dirty (filthy dirty) and sit around a campfire.
sometimes... you spend 23.5 hours with the exact same friends and you love every single second of it.
sometimes... for the first time (ever), you are in a tent, and snuggle in your sleeping bag while breathing in the intoxicating fresh air.
sometimes... a morning canoe ride with your husband is required.
sometimes... all you eat for dinner, breakfast, and lunch is made on a campfire.
sometimes... you come away from a camping trip with new inside jokes, new games, and a renewed love for outdoors.

a very london giveaway.

2011-08-12T00:53:00.000-05:00

On the second-to-last full day we were in London, we did a little shopping. The morning was spent at Buckingham Palace wiping tears away when staring at Kate Middelton's dress (truly...does that make me the biggest sap in the world?). But, the afternoon was spent doing a little shopping on Regent Street -- which is exactly what Chad wanted to do! ... kidding. (I'll explain our deal in a later post.)

We started walking down the street looking for one store in particular -- Liberty of London:

Is this the very first picture of our trip that I'm showing you all? Eek...must remedy that soon.

This street is right in the middle of a shopper's dream (near Picadilly Circus and Oxford Cricus) and has the best of the best when it comes to quality shopping. Which means, of course, that we went to two stores and stayed in the 'affordable' section. Right when you walk into Liberty, they have all the stationary + notebooks. (Then you walk through the doors and they have the really expensive stuff -- the vintage Alexander McQueen and the Stella McCartney). I overheard one girl mention that she thought this area was "the Liberty of London gift shop". Girl, you might be right, but I was still squealing to Chad: "Look at this notebook!" "Oooh, look at these adorable stamps!"

But while we were there, I picked up some things ... for you. I wanted to find some souvenirs while we were over there not only for myself + Chad, but for a blog friend as well!

Call this giveaway what you will: a belated birthday giveaway, a beating the post-adventure blues giveaway, an almost-end-of-the-summer giveaway, a 101 followers giveaway, or a culmination of all four. It's my way of spreading the vacation joy to one of you. And to say, "Thank you for coming by my blog!" Here's what one lucky blog reader will receive:

From Liberty of London:
01. Two rolls of polka-dot masking/washi tape.
02. Eight studio pegs designed and made by Sarah Hough.
03. Two mini notebooks, back to school style, by Cavallini & Co. (very similar to these.)

In addition to the goodies I snagged in London, I wanted to find a little more Liberty love. So when we got home, I scoured etsy and beefed up this giveaway a little bit. The winner will also receive:
04. Liberty of London fabric pack (from alice caroline supply).
05. Liberty of London fabric magnets (from misschief).

This bundle of 5 pretty sweet goodies will be sent to one of you! If you are interested, please comment with an answer to a question of mine:

How are you spending these last few weeks of "lazy-crazy-hazy days of summer"?

This giveaway is open until Monday, August 22nd and the winner will be announced Tuesday, August 23rd. As a special thanks to my readers -- if you are a follower, you can leave an additional comment letting me know you follow. :)

P.S. The question was inspired by this clip of Gilmore Girls. :)

post-vacation jumble.

2011-08-09T22:40:00.000-05:00

I honestly have no idea where to start. How does one bounce back into the daily grind and the 9-545 schedule after a trip like the one I had? So many people have asked us "What was your favorite part?" or "What did you like the best?" and I really don't know how to answer that. How can I make the answer simple enough so that it doesn't have traces of "haha, we went on a trip and you didn't"?

Because to us, we are still in post-vacation fog. It took us four complete days to recover from jet-lag, and blog/mail back-up. We are finally feeling like we have a handle on our daily life -- instead of having sensory overload like we did when we darted in and out of museums every day.

We still have the topic of recaping to discuss. So many family + friends (and you!) have been asking about the trip and the pictures. 1029 pictures doesn't seem like it would be that fun to rifle through, photoshop, and do a write-up of each picture. I don't think I have the energy to clock in all those man hours. But I do want to show you all. I want to go through all the pictures and tell you about the amazing experience that we had.

I just don't know how to go about it. How would you recap a trip? Tons of pictures + posts or edit it down? What do you want to see?

Later this week come back for a very London giveaway...

not officially back...

2011-08-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

This is my siblings and I on my 18th birthday. At home.

(I had to borrow this picture from my Facebook archives due to the fact that I typing this from Chad's iPhone in our hostel.)

When I was a teenager, our family summer vacation always seemed to take place during my birthday (Aug. 4th). While it completely made sense because of my dad's summer teaching schedule, I always found a way to see the negative. The whiny teen in me used to complain profusely to my dad "I hate that we are always gone for my birthday. We're always home for everyone else's birthday, why can't we be home for mine?" (My dad & everyone else in my immediate family can attest to me saying this).

But as I turn one year older this time around, I'm realizing that it doesn't matter where I celebrate my birthday. It's true that I'll be spending much of this birthday in Heathrow and over the Atlantic, but it truly doesn't matter. I'm glad that this birthday is a little less traditional (although, mom if you are reading this, I can't wait to eat birthday cake out of your metal 9x13 baking pan that has had so many birthday cakes in it over the years). I'm glad because it means that this birthday is just the icing on the cake (pun completely intended) of a truly spectacular and surreal trip. I'm waking up in London and falling asleep in my own bed with my husband by my side. Pretty great birthday if you ask me...

And, you better believe we'll be finding some cake to eat before we leave London. :)

a traveler's love letter... // michelle from i ripple. i dance.

2011-08-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

While Chad and I are away wandering the streets of Brussels, London, Paris and beyond, I gathered some of my favorite bloggers and asked them to write a guest post/love letter to their favorite place on earth. These ladies are graciously babysitting my blog while I'm eating macaroons and taking postcard-worthy pictures of the Eiffel Tower + Big Ben. Thank you for reading and I'll see you when we get back!

xo -- Amanda

Bella Italia

Ours was not just any holiday romance. When I met you last year it was that cliche of love at first sight. You were warm and welcoming and so beautiful, full of culture and wisdom. I feel like you have so many stories to tell me and just want to sit in the sun with you and listen to them all. You seem to have so many different personalities too. In Bologna, it was relaxed and quiet. Few people were around and I felt like we were alone wondering the porticoed streets. In Rome it was exciting and you were full of suprises, around every corner there was something 'new' (but actually really really old).

In Tuscany we were able to relax and lounge by the pool and explore old towns on hillsides. We discovered some antique markets too (that stuffed squirrel we saw still makes me giggle, we should have bought it). Together we discovered beautiful Renaissance art - Piero della Francesco frescoes on the walls of churches, Michelangelo in the Vatican, Carvaggio in Florence. In Naples you showed your edgier side and were a little bit more, shall we say, carefree.

We shared some great food together. The gelato was heaven. The peach + lavendar and ricotta + cherry were my favourite. The pastas, the gnocchi, so rich and delicious. Oh, and the pizza in Napoli. Stuff that dreams are made of.

Mostly, I love how you love as though your life depended on it. Sunshine, food, friends, family are all precious to you and the passion you show everyday is contagious.

Don't think I have forgotten you. I am coming for a visit again this year although it is brief. Unfortunately I have promised Croatia that I will come and see her but we shall meet in Bologna for a few days. Perhaps next year I can stay for longer. I would love to discover Venice with you.

I promise that one day I will be able to stay with you permanently. I imagine our life together, la dolce vita. A little piece of land in the mountains of Tuscany where the light is so special. I can't explain how it is different, golden doesn't do it justice, but I can understand how it inspired so many great artists. The idea of this day is making me smile.

Ciao mi amore, until we meet again.

xx
Michelle
i ripple. i dance.

a traveler's love letter... // megan from time after tea

2011-08-02T08:00:00.004-05:00

xo -- Amanda

Dear Edinburgh,

I had been on a plane for nearly 24hours and then sat in Heathrow airport for 8 hours before getting on another plane to finally make it to see you. I sat on the bus from the airport to my hostel completely exhausted, barely able to keep my eyes open. But then the gorgeous old cobblestone homes began to run alongside the bus and the green landscape spread out before my eyes, covered by a light hazy mist. Suddenly I became more alive and felt like I had truly stepped back in time. When the bus pulled up and I got out and saw the castle sitting over city I was completely awestruck and really felt as if I had entered a magical land. To go to a place that has castles and cobblestones streets was such a completely different experience for me.

You were the first city I visited on an amazing six week trip with my best friend and we had the best three days. We ate fried mars bars and lots of potatoes, dressed up in a vintage clothing store, went on a ghost tour and shopped along Princes Street. Thank you for giving me such an amazing experience and so many wonderful memories. I look forward to when we meet again.

Yours Sincerely,
Megan
:: time after tea

a traveler's love letter... // courtney from vintch

2011-08-01T08:00:00.001-05:00

xo -- Amanda

It was a quarter to seven in the evening when we arrived.

We pulled into the hotel parking lot, but we didn’t go in. We parked quickly, probably a little sideways, opened the trunk to grab our coats, and ran. It was a short walk, made shorter by our brisk steps and hurried movement. On the way to the coast, we climbed down cobblestone steps and into a brush thicket, a mini forest of deep sage green branches bent into a makeshift cave.

Robert grabbed my hand and pulled me along. The sunset was quick on our heels and we had to make it to the ocean before it sunk into the sea. As we walked out onto Cannon Beach, Oregon, Haystack Rock was the first thing that caught my eye. I’ve read books where the protagonist loses his breath when he sees the girl of his dreams. Where the wind is literally knocked out of you and a whisper makes it way out of your lips. That’s exactly how I felt.

There were teenagers roasting marshmallows by a campfire, and pieces of driftwood washed up on the shore. The sun set quickly and we only had a moment. But oh what a moment it was. It was freezing. My vintage white coat was so pretty, but it was thin and didn’t shield me from the blustery winds that grow fiercer when blown off the water. But I had Robert’s arms around me. I had 3,000 miles between where my feet were planted and home. I felt God there in my smallness. In the infinite height and glory of the Rock. In the European, whitewashed, gray haze that swept over the sand and gave a foggy mist to the evening.

We continued down the west coast that week. We saw the golden gate bridge, the Hearst castle, and the Hollywood sign. We sat in our car on the side of the road and looked out onto the unbelievable Pacific Northwest, and for two twenty-somethings from North Carolina, seeing the mountains jut up against the ocean like that was a sight to behold.

But I’ll never forget that moment on Cannon Beach. The time we raced against nature and beat the sunset to catch a glimpse of something bigger than life. Because that’s what travel should be. Feasting your eyes on something new and unknown. And sometimes, in the very best of times, you stumble upon sheer brilliance and remember why you left home, traveled across the country, and drove hundreds of miles down a road unfamiliar. For those twenty minutes of Heaven, you’d do it all over again.

From Amanda: Thanks Courtney! For more of Courtney's lovely writing, check our her blog.

a traveler's love letter... // erin from pugh's news

2011-07-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

xo -- Amanda

Hello there lovely readers of Project Simple Life! This is Erin from Pugh's News. Isn't it exciting that Amanda and Chad are off on their European adventure? I'm so happy for them! I have a special place in my heart for London, where I have spent a lot of time over the past ten years, and Paris is a dream destination of mine. One day...

I'm off on a slightly less exciting, but still very fun, holiday of my own. As I write this, I'm madly packing my family's suitcases. Tomorrow morning we are catching the first ferry off Vancouver Island and heading up into the interior of British Columbia to spend a week in a cabana by the lake. It's going to be blissful! I'm excited about hitting the open road with my family in tow, and looking forward to the new places we'll discover along the way. I've always had a serious case of wanderlust, ever since I was a little girl, getting happily lost in the imaginary lands of my favourite books.

image via pugh's news tumblr

When I was about 8 or 9 years old, I wrote a letter to C.S. Lewis, begging him to tell me how I could get to Narnia. I never mailed the letter, and I always sort of regretted it. But now look what I've found! A sign-post that will lead me to all sorts of wonderful places. Just imagine...

Tea with Mr Tumnus.

Shopping for school supplies in Diagon Alley.

Following the yellow brick road.

Visiting Frodo and Sam in the Shire.

Studying and scheming in the Gryffindor Tower with Harry, Ron and Hermione.

How amazing would that be? I'm sure the signs I can't quite read say things like Green Gables. The Secret Garden. Zuckerman's Farm. Wonka's Chocolate Factory. How would I ever choose where to go first?

What wonderful world from children's literature would you like to visit? Let's plan to go there together, shall we?

PS: Come visit me at Pugh's News. I love to make new friends...

a traveler's love letter... // kim from fill your well

2011-07-30T00:00:00.001-05:00

xo -- Amanda

hi there, this is kim from fill your well. i am so honored to be doing a guest post for amanda's sweet blog while she's off on her adventure! traveling is one of my favorite things and i'm still riding high on the greatest adventure of my life, which was my honeymoon in thailand last september. there are about a million different spots around the world that i can't wait to visit, but at this point, my absolute favorite spot is a little village about an hour north of bangkok. here i spent some time living and working among the mahouts {sort of like the thai version of a cowboy} on an elephant kraal {or ranch}. that's right, elephants!

now some boys, while planning a honeymoon, might think, "hmm... where should i take this beautiful lady of mine after our wedding? maybe someplace relaxing, maybe where there's a spa or a beach for lounging? yeah, that sounds nice." but not my boy. nope, he thought "where can i take this beautiful lady of mine where we can not only touch an elephant, but where we can feed, scrub, ride, and clean up after them?" not every girl gets to say she raked elephant dung out of a field on her honeymoon, but let me tell you, i wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

of course it wasn't all hard work. we got to ride our elephants through the village and down to the river where we swam with them in the cool water. we also got to play with the babies during our free time, who were pretty much the cutest things i've ever seen!

mornings were my favorite time on the kraal. we would wake up around 4:30am to a jungle full of life {don't worry, we were jet lagged so we didn't mind one bit}! i'd sip my morning tea while watching a one-armed monkey play lovingly with his pet rabbit and listen to the parrots sing "hello" in their australian accents, all while elephants meandered past by my door. we would spend the day caring for 6 retired she-elephants who had been assigned to us, then relaxing at night as powerful thunderstorms rolled in {it was monsoon season at the time so massive thunderstorms would blow in every evening, even taking out the power some nights... which isn't a problem at all when you're on your honeymoon}.

fun facts i learned living with elephants: did you know elephants talk to each other in such low tones that we can't hear it? we can, however, feel the rumbling of it in our bodies! and did you know elephants are so aware of our fragility, and love their caretakers so much, that they are extra gentle with all of us humans? how about the fact that they walk on their tippy toes so you don't hear them coming? these giant beasts would constantly sneak up on me like ninjas... enormous, big-eared ninjas, but ninjas all the same.

yes, it was by far the most amazing experience of my life, and i often wish i could pop back over on a weekly basis to get my elephant fix. not to mention, a food fix {oh the food!}, which was the best i've ever eaten anywhere - truth. oh if only it were a shorter flight!

a traveler's love letter... // sarah from fairy tales are true

2011-07-29T08:00:00.003-05:00

xo -- Amanda

Dear Venice,

I hope you're well and not feeling so droopy these days. I love, miss, and hope to see you soon. This was not always the case though. Upon our first meeting I was terrified you. My family boarded a water taxi and we cruised through your canals but all I could focus on were your dilapidated buildings and the rats that occupied them. I admit I missed the shimmer of your sea, the entire whimsy of a city built on water... at first. forgive me, I was young. I hadn't yet developed my love for all things old just yet. I remember trying to find our hotel. I was shaking in my sam and libby flats. Each hotel looked scarier than the next. Dirty, old, smelly. But thankfully we found ours and it was pretty, shiny, new-ish even. You must have known I wasn't quite ready for a hotel with lots of character quite yet. Then much to my surprise the next few days were some of the best. We wandered your streets, bought murano glass, rode in a gondola, and ate at every turn.

In 2010 I revisited you. Gosh, I am sorry for the length of time in between visits. Life really got in the way. But to make it up to you, I brought my husband (yes, I'm married!) who had never seen your splendor before. We had the best time getting lost. Your streets are truly magical, your canals sparkle, your food is mouthwatering.

Thanks Venice! You've shown us some very good times. Enclosed are some pictures of our trip (:

Love,
Sarah

fairy tales are true

a traveler's love letter... // natalie from the soho

2011-07-28T00:00:00.003-05:00

xo -- Amanda

I Heart New York.

New York City can be a cruel mistress. The winters are brutal, the summers are sweltering, and when you're on a crowded subway car, you begin questioning the life choices that led to this particular uncomfortable moment. But in spite of all that, I still love her so. There's nowhere on earth like this incredible city.

It's the world's biggest social experiment -- a tiny, exciting island packed with people from every culture, race, religion, and walk of life. There's basically whatever kind of food, art, activity, sound, vibe suits your mood right outside your door.

A walk through a neighborhood is never boring. You'll always come across something you never noticed before.

New York and I have an on-again, off-again relationship. After three years away, I came back, and I'm glad that I did. I'm not from here, but it always feels like home.

Find more of Natalie's writing here: The SoHo.

a traveler's love letter... // bethany from rinse. repeat.

2011-07-27T08:00:00.002-05:00

xo -- Amanda

Dear Paris,

I love you. Or in your tongue: je t’aime. It’s always prettier in your language, I’ve learned.

From the very moment I spotted you this summer, while cruising above you at an altitude of several thousand feet, I knew we were meant to spend the most beautiful vacation together. And we did. I’ve never cried so many happy tears as I did while I was with you. Beautifully inspired, in-love-with-life kinds of tears.

You hugged my birthday tight, cuing your epic tower to sparkle at the beginning and end of my day, making it the most memorable birthday a girl could have. You even welcomed a proposal + my engagement…the inhabitants of your city noticing my dazzling ring, wishing love and long life to my fiancé and I. Kind hotel staff delivered your luscious Laduree macaroons and a heartfelt handwritten card to me the next morning. Does it get sweeter?

Yes, you are expensive. Yes, you are crowded. Yes, you are a tad cliché. But you gosh darn deliver with views like this:

And museums that house beautiful pieces like this:

And stairways with more romance than entire cities in the US can boast:

What people say about you…that your people are unkind towards visitors? Well, it just isn’t so. Most everyone I encountered was warm, kind and helpful. Well, save that one spicy waitress who rolled her eyes at my attempt to request the bill in French. But, given that I spotted her there at 10am and later at 8pm? Perhaps she was just having a rough day.

Paris, you made my dreams come true. Infact, our week together exceeded my most romanticized, ridiculous dreams. Au revoir, my love. Until we meet again. And we will.

XOXO,
Your biggest fan.

a traveler's love letter... // lauren from aspiring kennedy

2011-07-26T08:00:00.003-05:00

While Chad and I are away wandering the streets of Brussels, London, Paris and beyond, I gathered some of my favorite bloggers and asked them to write a guest post/love letter to their favorite place on earth. These ladies are graciously babysitting my blog while I'm eating macaroons and taking postcard-worthy pictures of the Eiffel Tower + Big Ben. Thank you for reading and I'll see you when we get back!

xo -- Amanda

Dear India,

Today I find myself longing for you.
The summer days in England are just too cool,
and I'm longing for your oppressive heat to press against my skin.

Some people may not be enchanted by your endless seas of people,

but I'd gladly push my way through your crowds

to beat with the pulse of your country.

Your flavour is like heaven to my lips.

Hot naan, spicy curry, sweet juices

leave me longing for more.

The funny thing is, dear India,

is that I have never actually met you.

But my true love is currently there with you...

and I'm opening up our relationship to include you.

So come July 26th, it'll be you, me, & the big guy.

The exciting thing is-

if you look this good in pictures,

I'm sure you'll be a real knock out in person.

xo-

Aspiring Kennedy

images via // Aspiring Kennedy's pinterest

a traveler's love letter... // micaela from dolce vita

2011-07-25T00:00:00.010-05:00

xo -- Amanda

hi lovies! it's micaela from dolce vita so happy to keep you company while amanda and chad are off on their exciting european holiday. thank-you for letting me share my 'love letter' with you. xo

Dear D.C.,

i was excited to finally meet you. As our Nation's Capitol, you did not disappoint. I think what made you even more magical was we met on mine and my husband's first road trip together. Of course at the time he was just my boyfriend (it was during the 20+ hour road trip from Texas to Virginia where i also met his parents). We took a detour to see you and meet up with one of my childhood friends who was working at the Washington Post.

I remember me and Max sitting at the bar of Busboys & Poets, dreaming of living in a city like yours. There was a thrill about our future together. We stayed out til the early hours, laughing with people we just met (a late night that included a stop to the famous Ben's Chili Bowl).

And the next day walked around seeing all the must-see's of the district. We only had time to visit one Smithsonian and Max knew instantly what my choice would be. i will never forget seeing my first Van Gogh and how patiently he waited while i stood in awe.

D.C., my husband will tell you that it was on this trip in the summer of 2009 that he knew he was going to marry me. The nearly 3,500 miles of interstates and small towns in a car was filled with our laughter, conversation (or even comfortable silence), our signing, and dreaming of our future together.

i thoroughly enjoyed the lights and glamour of NYC. i found my heaven on the beaches of italy. i ate to my hearts content and stood in awe at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

but when i think of writing a love letter to a place... D.C. you are it. It's where my love story truly started.

no other place will hold my heart with special thanksgiving than your streets.

with love and affection,

Micaela

a traveler's love letter... // sam from young people in love

2011-07-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

xo -- Amanda

Hello! My name is Sam and I have a little bloggy called Young People in Love. I'm happy to be guest posting for Amanda because I get to share with you all the magical land of Oregon. My husband, Chas, and I recently went on a glorious Oregon adventure and had a wonderful time!

See for yourself:

I used to live in Oregon.

I got divorced in Oregon. I got my Master's degree in Oregon. I found myself in Oregon.

I think when you live through something that is so different, unexpected, and emotionally evocative, you feel an indescribable and inexplicable sense of love and connectedness for the setting in which it all transpired. That's what Oregon is for me. No matter where I go, I doubt any other place will come close to the special, personal feelings I associate with those expansive green fields, mossy trees, and cloud-filled skies. The sunbreaks were my favorite.

a traveler's love letter... // jamie from lyrical journey

2011-07-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Kathmandu,

There I was, facing a milestone birthday in Delhi, a world away from my friends and family. Getting away from the miserable monsoon heat of India seemed like a good idea. With little money and only a long weekend available for travel you seemed like a good option. I thought spending my 35th birthday in Kathmandu sounded just adventurous enough to be memorable, and you did not let me down.

I fell in love with you from the minute I arrived. Everyone I met was gracious, helpful and smiling. You were exotic, chaotic and full of color. Everywhere I looked I saw something new and fascinating. I loved your old temples, the Newari windows, the pashminas, the rugs, the art and especially the food.

I fell so deeply in love I visited 2 more times that year and each trip was better than the last as I discovered more of your beauty. I met amazing people, thanks to my stays at the most perfect hotel, whose clientele seems to be made up of people who have the kind of travel stories I only dream of having one day. As much as I enjoyed walking through the streets and visiting the temples during the day, I loved the evenings sitting in the courtyard and having amazing conversations with the other guests, who may have been strangers, but felt like old friends. I can't imagine a more perfect location for a solo traveler.

Reminders of my visits fill my home, the hand carved window screen greets visitors at my front door. Paintings by Nepalese artist decorate my walls and bring images of your streets and people to my mind. Your scarves and pashminas keep me warm in the winter and your beautiful rugs brighten my floors. Everywhere I look, I see touches of your color in my home.

Thanks for the amazing memories and helping me celebrate two birthdays. I hope I get to return someday because I know my life is richer for having spent time in your land and with your people.

Love,
Jamie
Lyrical Journey

my bags are not packed, but I'm ready to go...

2011-07-22T13:28:00.000-05:00

image :: samuel owen gallery

I should have my bag packed. I should already have those darn cardigans washed. I should have my to-do list wiped clean and be satisfied and ready. I should spend the night going through the travel books highlighting the places of interest and learning a few more French phrases. But I'm not. Instead I dyed my hair darker and painted my toenails cherry red last night. Instead I am spending my precious 35 minute break writing this post. Instead I'm soaking up the last day of the job before our vacation with my children (who love looking at our world map and pointing out where Miss Amanda's going to go). Instead I'm going to dinner with two fabulous + lovely girlfriends who will make me stress-free + help me giggle my stress away. Instead I'll be packing tonight into the late night with Chad and Cheers on Netflix. Call me a procrastinator if you'd like...but it's how I roll. And that works for me :)

// An annoucement: Since I'll be gone for two weeks, and I would like you to stop by and visit my blog while I'm gone, I have some guest bloggers coming by and keeping watch over my blog. While my in-laws are picking up my mail and watering my plants, twelve ladies will be blogging on here. The theme of these guest posts will be: a traveler's love letter. And after reading through all of them, I must say -- you are in for a treat! Get ready to travel around the world (first post goes up tomorrow!)

Au revoir, my beautiful friends!!

the first year of marriage... // shannon from shannanigans

2011-07-19T06:10:00.002-05:00

Shannon is past bride No. 4 and is the coolest mama I know! Please visit her blog when you have the chance -- and get ready to laugh. Seriously. :)

Hello PSL readers! My name is Shannon and I author the blog Shannanigans. The lovely Amanda has asked for my thoughts on my first year as a married lady. As the mother of a nine month old, I have a hard time remembering basic things, like taking a shower, so my memories of five years ago might be a little dusty. But let’s take a crack at it.

I think the first time I came across the term Smug Married was in reading Bridget Jones Diary. I immediately identified. On September 9, 2006, I married John. As soon as we marched out of that church, I pictured myself sitting a little bit higher. I was married. I had a husband and a shiny new last name. I sported two rings now and like many young married gals, it gave me a smug sense of comfort. Hopefully I was never outwardly smug but inside, I was sitting up on a high horse. I no longer had to worry about silly things like the dating world or if I would get a plus-one on a wedding invite. Or more serious things like my sub-par health insurance. To me, marriage solved a whole lot of pesky problems and just made life easier.

Of course, there are always those people who can’t stop asking you how married life is going. It’s usually the same people who tell newlyweds that the first year of marriage is the hardest and that marriage is hard work. As soon as we got married, this is all I heard. After living together for a few years then after a few blissfully married months, marriage wasn’t hard. I thought there was supposed to be trouble or fights and when there wasn’t. So what did that do? Made me even more smug. I was excelling at marriage! Am super-smart! Am perfect wife! Can’t nothing stop me!

We lived life to the fullest. We stayed out late and woke up even later. We went on trips. We went mini golfing, wine tasting and Ikea-shopping. We spent all of our time together and it was awesome. After awhile I realized that this was how the first year of marriage should be, easy peasy lemon squeezy…when you’re married to the right person. Now, we look back on our first year with a bit of wistfulness for the lack of responsibility and a bit of nostalgia for our young and crazy ways. Sure, there’s nothing like having a solid history behind you at 5 years in, but that first year? That first year was oh so good.

this picture is brought to you by...

2011-07-18T10:11:00.000-05:00

last sunday morning.
my in-laws trusty little boat.
catching my first fish ever. (seriously, is it lame that at age 22 I finally caught a fish? my father-in-law believes it to be a sweet little bass.)
bologna + pickle sandwiches courtesy of my mother-in-law.
diet dr. pepper in can cozies.
discussing how Jesus fed the 5000. we were debating on how it was prepared -- sushi-style? fried? over a fire? roasted? how did he do it?
grinning from ear to ear as the boat sped through the wind + the waves.
oogling all the fancy lake side houses. and dreaming up our own. agreeing that it must have a second-floor deck.
sitting on the front of the boat with my feet dangling in the water.

perfect summer morning.

in disbelief.

2011-07-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

The past several weeks when doing errands or just simply hanging around our living room, Chad and I have thought "at this time in Europe we'll be (here)" or "we'll be doing (this)". It really hasn't 'hit' either of us that we'll be sitting there, looking at the above monuments, taking our own pictures after one short week. (No more typing into Google 'Eiffel Tower' and copying + pasting the picture into a post, we'll get to take our own pictures.)

What we do know is that every time we talk about getting the chance to visit international cities in the next two weeks, we always recognize how lucky + blessed we are. It's easy for us to be excited (duh) but it's more difficult for us to remember that God is the one who provided us the funds + time in order to spend two remarkable weeks abroad.

We've been talking about when our trip will really hit us. When we'll really feel like "yeah, we are going to Paris and we are going to actually be standing there staring at the Mona Lisa". Could be saying good-bye to his parents on Saturday afternoon, could be sitting in our terminal in the middle of our pre-flight beer. Could be waiting in line at Heathrow for customs .... who knows. All I know is that right now, as the countdown is getting shorter, we are still in disbelief that we. are. going.

Will it ever truly hit us?

30th anniversary party // the people

2011-07-13T23:34:00.000-05:00

When you are throwing a party, the most rewarding thing that you can do is look around mid-shindig and see the smiles + hear the swell conversation. You walk around cleaning the plates, refilling the drinks, making small talk, and snapping some pics of all their happy faces. For some reason, this was my favorite party. The attendees for my parents' party ranged from their brothers + sisters, nieces + nephews, mom + dad, kids, grandkids, and friends old and new.

Eli on the left and UJ on the right, both playing some croquet. (UJ loved playing with the 'hemmer').

My Grandma with my niece, Z (isn't this is sweetest?!).

We had a hammock out in the backyard for relaxing. Clearly, Chad is taking advantage of the break between fruit skewer and chicken salad duty.

One thing that I love about having a niece is that now I have someone in my life who wears headbands on a regular basis.

My favorite ladies: Laura, Rachel (our adopted sister), my Mom (super pretty, right?!) and Z.

I spy a cute little grumper-pants in this family....

This is what I meant before -- seeing people have a fun time at the party you are hosting is the best. I loved seeing all their happy faces!

Not as much as I liked seeing their happy faces. I love this picture of my parents laughing that Chad took from right behind a tree.

It might have to compete for top billing of the night with this other picture that Chad took of my grandparents (who have been married 57 years) leaving their son's 30th wedding anniversary holding hands. I mean, does love get any better than this? In 57 years, I hope Chad and I are still holding hands and walking home from a family party, as blissfully in love as we are now.

12 on the 12th. (july).

2011-07-12T18:13:00.000-05:00

01. Just finished Bossypants. And recommend it to any 30 Rock, SNL, new mother, comic fan on the planet. (I'm looking at you, sister...)
02. We are 12 days away from Europe Adventure! (How fitting that it's the 12th!) :) Chad has been working tirelessly trying to get all the arrangements figured out.
03. Zara baby + her chubby chin. She is now 3 months old! Can't believe the only pictures that I have posted on this blog were from the day she was born -- must remedy that soon.
04. Old pictures of my parents. I wish I would have known my dad when he was 23. Didn't he look groovy? (I felt the need to say "groovy" right then...don't judge.) :)
05. We are learning all about Paris (well, as much as possible from a travel book).
06. Found a new home for my paper lanterns I made.
------------------
07. Being at the new job for a whole month! Definitely the most rewarding + challenging job I have ever had.
08. Learning the ropes of our new Canon SLR. Thank you pinterest for linking some posts full of tips.
09. Hard-boiled eggs. Organic popcorn. Cheese wedges. (Just a few of our latest snacks).
10. Summer = staying up late and spending more time outside. We like.
11. I caught my first fish ever on Sunday! Will post a picture so my bro-in-law can be proud.
12. Just saw back to school commercial yesterday. boo. not yet. Off to enjoy the sunlight!

30th anniversary party // the details

2011-07-11T00:19:00.000-05:00

The 30th wedding anniversary party that we threw for my parents (three weeks ago) was a success! It was the perfect blend of DIY crafts (made by my sisters and me), loving family + friends, and that homey warm atmosphere we achieved by having it in my parents' backyard. While it rained for a little while, it was a good thing my parents have hanging branches that we were all sitting under -- we didn't get rained out which was quite a relief (for the nail-biting, worried, party planner in me).

This party was such an event I have to break it down into different posts. This one is all about the details. The little, DIY touches that made the party cute + special from their children. We wanted it to feel as homemade as possible. Every detail, down to the grapes on the fruit skewers were handled with care by the kids.

Here's what we did:
//The fabric bunting was made by my sister, Hannah without the use of a sewing machine. Talk about dedication! This girl stayed up late during the days leading up to the party and hand-sewed each flag onto the fabric. We wanted the theme + colors to reflect their wedding as much as possible, which is why we went with light blues, pinks, and yellows. We must have been pretty close because one of my aunts commented that she thought the fabric was from my mother's bridesmaids dresses!

//I made the embroidery hoop K + S (Kevin and Sandy) by finding patterned fabric and hot gluing it to the hoop. Then I used Word to print off a 'K' and 'S' and traced the letters onto black felt. It's one of the most simple handmade gifts I have ever made. A perfect wedding (or anniversary) present.

//The most rushed craft was easily the paper lanterns. I knew I wanted to have them, but we didn't actually buy all the supplies until Thursday night (the party was on Saturday). On Friday I made all three lanterns (based on this tutorial) while Chad mixed together the chicken salad. They turned out so pretty and I got several compliments on them, which I was a little embarrassed about since they were so simple.

//One of the most fun craft projects we did was the photo wall. Most of the responsibility fell to Hannah since she had the most access to their old thick photo albums in their basement. The photos ranged from the early days (wedding, honeymoon) of my mom and dad right up to this past year. We love looking at our parents when they were our age (!) so this was definitely a treasured part of the day. (And a big hit! People seemed to like seeing Kevin with a mustache and Sandy carrying my brother as a baby -- 29 years ago).

Next up is all about the attendees! Stay tuned! :)

my interview with justin vernon.

2011-06-30T21:01:00.000-05:00

Kind of.

One of the things that I really like about my town is our local magazine Volume One. They write about amazing small-town events and things to do; and more importantly, they write about things that matter to the people in this area.

About a month ago, they posted a fun project on Facebook that they wanted us, the local everyday people, to come up with questions to ask our celebrity, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance to ask some questions. The full interview is here.

It's kinda cool, isn't it? This talented man has been featured in The New York Times, SPIN, and Billboard. But I was the one who got to ask him these questions. Just little old me and not some big reporter who works for a mega company.

Speaking of which, do you have the new album yet? It's been on repeat at this house for days...

P.S. Two years ago, on of the first posts I wrote on this blog was about Justin/Bon Iver. Read it here.

photo credit: D.L. Anderson.

canon 2.0 pictures (part two)

2011-06-30T00:09:00.000-05:00

Part two shows that we pretty much didn't do much of anything two weekends ago. (We did go to a childhood friend's wedding but didn't want to take baby Rebel out of the house so early on).

Breakfast smoothie (strawberry + mango to be exact).
Samantha Brown's Passport to Europe. Bonus Points to whoever can figure out what country she is in.
Saying good-bye to my dear friend of four years. We've been everywhere together, but now she'll sit on a shelf. (Sad how much that last sentence reminds me of Toy Story 2 + 3 somehow).
Sleepy girl.
Snapping a quick self-portrait on our way to church.
My favorite view of Chad via the passenger seat.
Stoic Karma hanging out with me on Sunday night.

//On a sidenote, I miss you ladies (and the few fellas). It's not that I am apologizing for my absence from here because I am not. Teaching preschool and falling in love with this job is more fulfilling than blogging could ever be. It's in the real world -- where I truly am. With that being said, I feel like you are all girlfriends that I know are busy and I see once in a while, but I want to text you so that we can meet up for a coffee date. soon dears.

canon 2.0 pictures (part one)

2011-06-26T21:58:00.000-05:00

It's official. Last Friday, we upgraded to the wide & wonderful world of D SLR. With one trip to Walmart and one trip to Best Buy (we got a price match!) we ended the night exploring our living room with our Canon Rebel T3. I love the Rebel -- the name is so bold; even the packaging was a little flashy. We spend the whole night relaxing on the couch and taking random pictures (see the picture of Ron Swanson and us being goofy outside). This camera will be traveling all the way to Europe with us, so we are spending the next few weeks perusing our camera manual literature and learning all about exposure, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, etc.

Tune in tomorrow for more of our baby Rebel in action!

P.S. Yes, my first picture I took with this new camera was of Ron Swanson. Seriously. I love that guy....

the first year of marriage... // Meghan from The Perfect Compilation Tape

2011-06-22T08:25:00.000-05:00

Past Bride No. 3 is Meghan. She is one of the first blog friends I ever had and her blog is definitely a daily read for me. This guest post is so fitting today since she'll be celebrating her anniversary in about a month and she just got done doing these really fun posts about her wedding memories (alphabet style) that you can read here and here.

My name is Meghan, and I blog over at The Perfect Compilation Tape. Usually, you can find me discussing the three C's: Chicago (my hometown!), cupcakes and coffee. Sometimes, however, my husband Mike makes an appearance (hereafter known as "Mikey"). Mikey (he hates it when I call him that!) and I have been married for almost two years. We will be celebrating our second wedding anniversary on July 24th, and I cannot believe it! These first two years of marriage have FLOWN BY, and I've definitely learned a lot about myself and my husband.

Since one of my weekly blog features is "Top 5 Thursdays", I thought I'd put together a list of the top five things that I have learned about marriage.

5. While marriage is a partnership, it's important to operate independently.
Mikey and I love spending time together. There is never a shortage of laughter and goofiness, no matter where we are. But even though we have daily coffee dates on our way to work, as well as weekly date nights, we aren't afraid to do things without each other. For instance, Mikey loves concerts. I hate standing on my feet. Therefore, when he wants to go see a band, he will call a friend or go on his own. This way, he doesn't have to deal with my constant complaining about how uncomfortable it is to stand for three hours in heels, and I can watch the "Real Housewives".

4. Men leave socks everywhere.
I think this is really an analogy for "choose your battles". My husband is a hybrid of a dog and a toddler. He leaves his socks in the couch cushions. He spills his milk. He loves to cuddle when I am trying to grade papers. I love him, but yes, he can annoy the hell out of me sometimes. Is it worth fighting over, though? Personally, I'd rather roll my eyes, and then smile at his child-like cuteness rather than make an issue out of it. Except for the socks. THAT drives me nuts.

3. Date each other.
It's really easy to fall into a rut. A typical night in our house goes something like this: come home from work, work-out, eat dinner, watch TV, go to bed. However, at least once a week, we do something special, like go out to dinner or grab dessert (our dates always revolve around food). That way, we can keep the spark alive as we gain weight:)

2. Communication is KEY.
I know this isn't anything new, but let's be honest. Relationships are hard work. There are bumps in the road. And so when there are, Mike and I do our best to cool off, and then discuss the issue at hand - all before bed. Because going to bed angry causes wrinkles.

1. There's no such thing as a "perfect marriage".
I hate to cook. Sometimes, I cry for no reason. I really love to shop. And my home, while always clean, is nowhere near Martha Stewart status. I am not perfect, but neither is my husband. And since we all have faults and we all make mistakes, it's important to understand, as a result, that there is no such thing as a perfect marriage. I truly believe that recognizing this, and adjusting accordingly, is half the battle:)

dad.

2011-06-19T22:45:00.000-05:00

My dad this morning. Doing what he loves: reading the paper + being outside with a cup of coffee.

I have had the above quote (from Pushing Daisies) on my blogging clipboard, waiting for the perfect occasion. I think Father's Day is just the day, don't you? This is the quote that bottles up how I feel about my dear dad. He is the best human being in my eyes and I go to him when I need comfort, assurance, and guidance.

Remember how, when you were a kid, and your dad would do something that made you think he was the greatest + strongest + bravest man ever? For me (and my three siblings), it was the little things: building us a dollhouse, teaching all of us how to ride our bikes, singing silly songs while making dinner, or praying with us before bed.

I love you forever.

so we're throwing a party.

2011-06-16T22:46:00.000-05:00

01. 02. 03.

04. 05. 06.

07. 08. 09.

I've hinted. I've mentioned it here. But I have now finally gotten around to posting the inspiration board for my parents' 30th anniversary party that is coming up next week already! I'll give you the rundown: parents backyard, siblings and I hosting (which means refilling drinks and pointing out where to sit), sandwiches + fruit + desserts. Everything handmade and created by us kids. I've dug through my parents old wedding book and photo albums and can't wait to help them remember all those event through the years. Can't you believe that we've (and by 'we' I mean 'me') have never through a party this size before?

Still so many DIY projects left to do...good thing weekends are free around here. :)

01-12.

2011-06-12T20:08:00.000-05:00

It is officially the 12th of June. Wowza. Doesn't it always seem like the first half of the year flies by?

01. Eating more produce. Above is the black bean + mango tostadas that Chad and I have made several times (recipe here) and we somehow seem to eat more veggies/fruit and less meat in the summer. Are you like that too? Why is that? Is it just because I don't want to turn on my stove or is it because fresh food tastes soooo much better in the summer? I'm not complaining though--I kinda like looking down and seeing my grocery cart filled with those clear produce bags.
02. Ending my run at the hotel front desk last night. Celebrating with a Summer Shandy.
03. Starting the new job tomorrow morning. Let the butterflies start their fluttering dance in my stomach...
04. Finding lesson plan material for said job. See, that's why I like what I do. In addition to browsing pinterest for more dreamy house inspiration, I get to find crafts for father's day.
05. Chad smoked ribs yesterday. He said they were heavenly. And he took pictures. Instead of getting to eat with him, I munched on a turkey sandwich. :)
06. Bethany is engaged! I can't talk about her kindness and friendliness enough -- she is one of the best ladies I have ever had the privilege of calling my friend. Am so delighted that she is getting married to her love! YAY!
07. Having my faith restored in the X Men franchise -- which was depleted after the 3rd flick. Bonus: Yum x 2 (McAvoy + Fasssbender).
08. Chad in his new "Europe" jeans. They make his butt extra yummy. Ladies, get your fellas some 1969 straight leg jeans from the Gap. Stat.
09. Mavs v. Heat. I don't know why I'm so into the NBA finals right now, but I have watched all these games. Maybe because Micaela is so passionate, she's rubbin' off on me.
10. Making decorations for the 30th party (one of my favorite things to do). Have I still not shown you the plan? Will do that this week...promise.
11. The Business of Being Born. Wow. This documentary completely opened up a new way of thinking about child birth for me.
12. New music to be excited over. Thursday, I listened to Bon Iver's new album streaming and sent Chad a text: "Justin's new album is streaming -- you want in?" (Since I live in Justin's town, I guess I feel like we are on a first name basis...even though we've never met). Do yourself a favor and listen here if you wish.

**play along with Amy + Miranda.

in the backyard.

2011-06-09T08:20:00.000-05:00

I live in our backyard as much as possible in the three precious summer months. It's perfection right now, without those pesky mosquitoes. The patio of concrete and surrounding grass turns into our everything -- kitchen, laundromat, dining room table, and living room couch (for those afternoon naps after work).

Everything is so much calmer when living out here: meals are eaten slower, books and blog posts written by friends (i.e. you!) are read with more purpose and thought, laundry is folded right from the line, and more breaks are taken in the day to escape and lay out on our blue comforter feeling the bumps of dirt underneath me and the sun warm up my pale arms and legs.

Fewer distractions. That's what I'm striving for this summer.

Photo Credit: Chad + iPhone.

on getting a new job.

2011-06-06T20:33:00.000-05:00

Hip, hip, hooray! I can eat solid foods again!
(I'm still a little wary of straws since I heard that dry sockets are so horribly painful). Thank you a million for the encouraging words and the well-wishes during my absence from the blogging world. I spent my time on the couch with my best friends -- Karma, pudding, and Netflix Instant.

I think it's time to share the other important news that is going on in my life besides the lack of teeth. I got a new job! In one short week, I'll leave the hotel front desk that I have worked at for 3 years and 12 days. While I leave behind some of the best ladies that I've ever worked with, I start a job I have been working towards for the past four years. Bonus: I work the same time that Chad does, so we'll be able to spend nights and weekends together. God is so good.

What's in the new job description, you ask? Well, I will be the head (and only) teacher at a child care center in the 4 + 5-year-old room for the summer (then, once school starts, they'll work around that schedule, of course). And I can't wait to get started. I am nervous, excited, delighted, and just so happy. This week will be spent doing block plans, filing out paperwork, and writing up an introduction letter. I feel like the quote above puts how I am feeling in a perfect quotable package.

Start date is next Monday...wish me luck! :)

P.S. With all the hotel stories that I've told my family over the years, I can't believe I've only shared one with all of you. Read it here.

wisdom teeth recovery.

2011-06-01T21:02:00.000-05:00

What my diet consists of as of yesterday...yum.

No, this is not the first post I want to have welcome the month of June, but unfortunately I have to face the truth. I got my wisdom teeth out yesterday and I am in recovery mode. While I am still on the mend, I thought I would share with you a few details of my experience (not the gross-out stuff, though):

01. People will share gross stories with you before you have your surgery. I think this is kind of like being pregnant in a way -- people have stories/tips and they want to share with you. For the last two weeks, every time I have told people that I am getting my wisdom teeth out, I hear experiences about dry sockets (cringe) or how to ice your cheeks.
02. Vicodin makes you have trippy dreams. The first day, I had two dreams that I remember...one, I was in a cartoon (complete with speech bubbles) and the other, I was writing a blog with my mind with someone from high school (who I haven't seen in two years!).
03. You can't eat the food you want to. I thought it was going to be such a treat, getting to eat pudding and frozen yogurt for a couple days. But it's not such a treat when that is all you eat. I was shooting Chad dagger eyes watching him eat tacos last night.
04. General anesthesia leaves you saying and doing weird things. According to Chad, right after I woke up, I sang along with Prince's 'Kiss' and Backstreet Boys 'As Long as You Love Me'. Very loudly. I also proclaimed "I can't believe it's OVER!" about 50 times. Chad so wishes he had his phone out.
05. Having a surgery like this really shows how much Chad cares for me. He changed my gross, bloody gauze pads, he heated up spaghetti-o's for me, and he even woke up at 3:15 am to give me my medication. What a guy...

Hopefully I'll be back in full swing in about a week. For now, I'm brushing my teeth very carefully and staying away from straws. :)

my recent days in (ing).

2011-05-26T20:15:00.000-05:00

drinking this tasty concoction: the Arnold Palmer. Ever since Cole posted about it on her blog it's all we have been drinking. Which is saying much considering that I had never heard of one before. Hello new favorite summer drink!

breathing a sigh of relief. I passed my benchmark on Wednesday. This doesn't probably mean much, but I can finally drop the 'pre' from my education title. Love it!

playing Angry Birds of course (free download on Google Chrome) and Clockbusters (thanks for the tip-off, Jessica!).
reading the interesting discussions about blogging/sharing that with real life people over at Danni's blog and smoothie recipes and how good/bad they really are for you over at Celia's blog.
befriending new people through bloglovin. My new discoveries are: desserts for breakfast, always with butter, my pencil box, busy bee lauren, little white whale, atlantic pacific, and vintch.
planning our Paris +London + Brussels stays during our date tomorrow. Figuring out which hostels we are going to stay in and how we are going to get there. 58 days to go! (Lemme just tell you...Rick Steve's guidebooks are becoming our new best friends.)
sending out my parent's 30th wedding anniversary party invites! Will show you the darling invites and the party inspiration board soon (I promise.)

wishing you all a Happy Memorial Day weekend! How will you be spending it?

the first year of marriage... // Claire from a peachtree city life

2011-05-26T00:09:00.000-05:00

Today, I am pleased to bring you the second guest post in my series: the first year of marriage. (You guys liking it so far?) Claire from a peachtree city life is the next guest blogger and I am so pleased that she wrote such an amazing post for you to enjoy. She is one of my new friends and I invite you to read her honest post about the worries + joy found in each other during their first year. She actually just celebrated her three year anniversary with her husband, Tony, this past Tuesday (the 24th). Happy Anniversary to Tony + Claire (and a million thanks, Claire!).

May 24th marks my third wedding anniversary with my husband Tony. It's amazing to write that sentence, considering it feels we've been together for a lifetime, yet the day itself seems much more recent in my mind. Marriage is a crazy combination of comfort, boundless love, tension, support, hope, and, let's be honest, a little boringness! When Amanda asked me to write about our first year of marriage, I stupidly thought, oh! that's easy! I remember it like it was yesterday... we were in love and everything was awesome! Turns out, it's much more complicated than that.

In the spirit of honesty, I should say that Tony and I "lived in sin" (as we Southerners like to say) for a year before we were technically married. We got engaged in the last few weeks of college, graduated and quickly got jobs. We were ready to magically become adults (why the rush?? I ask myself now!). We decided where we wanted to live and took the plunge to buy a new house.

So when I think back to our first year of marriage, I am really thinking back to our first year of engagement. To me, marriage is all about the beauty and chaos of two people merging their lives and their selves together into their own little version of a family. It's not a paper stamped and filed away (ok, fine, technically it is....). Regardless, we lived as a married couple that first year.

You can know a person and you can love a person, but you cannot do that wholly until you share the same roof and the same bed and the same laundry basket. Our first year, not unlike many other couples, was filled with ups and downs. We were under added stress in that we had just made the major life change of graduating college and starting careers and buying a new home and planning a wedding - struggling to find our own new identities while discovering and developing our identity as a couple. We had big dreams and infinite energy - tackling home projects and diving into work. We were young and naive and each other's best friend.

We were determined to make it on our own, taking only the help that we really needed from our parents (which they gave readily, bless them). We wanted to be independent. I wanted a blogger's dream home (typical, right?). I spent many hours frustrated that our dream life was just taking too long to build - we were starting from scratch. We didn't have a can opener and we didn't have the money to buy one. ...Slight exaggeration, but it often felt like our lack of "things" sometimes became insurmountable.

I should note here that Tony and I aren't necessarily the lovey-dovey type. We share our love through laughter and support but you will rarely catch us smooching in public or waxing poetic about our love for one another. Not to say I take any issue with those who show their love that way - but this is simply the way we are. We are the quiet nonchalant type. So I find myself relating to our first year of marriage in terms of our daily existence together - the struggles, the challenges, our environment - instead of focusing on the love we felt and our intangible "relationship" - and every crazy thing comprising it. We got along beautifully, only small squabbles interrupting the tranquility of daily life. I regret that I treated our marriage complacently, not thanking God every day that I had been given such a perfect match in Tony.

I'm reminded of an experience right at the end of our first year of faux marriage that is painful to remember, even now. [Side note - don't you just hate when you say something stupid or react impulsively and later that scene replays itself like a video stuck on rewind in your mind? Thanks brain, I needed to be reminded of my idiocy!]

A friend of a friend asked me causally over dinner what the greatest lesson was that I had learned in my first year living with Tony, and I stupidly responded with the crass answer of "We need to make more money" - followed up by a cynical laugh. Brilliant, Claire. The questioner laughed politely and turned away. I burned with the shame of my answer, and I am often reminded of that moment, wishing endlessly that I could rewind and re-answer that question more truly, more thoughtfully, more honestly.

I was so focused on material worries and how we weren't "getting it right" that I was overlooking what was most important - each other. We weren't exerting the effort we should have been on building the foundation of our marriage, taking for granted that we loved each other. There was no question in my mind whatsoever that Tony and I were meant to be. Our love was solid. Our love was expected, a constant - I was unable then to see it as something to be nurtured and cherished.

I will say that our early misdirection has impacted the way we are as a couple four years later. If you've read my blog you are undoubtedly sick of hearing about this - but our recent focus as a couple has been to live more simply and focus on the important things in life - love, family, friendship, happiness, laughter - not on money or things. The lessons I learned in that first year have indelibly changed the way we live. We don't take our relationship for granted. Tony is my rock, as cheesy as that sounds. When nothing else seems to be going right, I know he is there for me and is inextricably wound up in my future. I want it no other way.

day two of summer vacation.

2011-05-20T14:42:00.000-05:00

Starting off my summer vacation with:

these blackberry-lime muffins. They are all kinds of good.
laundry hanging on our makeshift clothesline (a.k.a a yellow rope tied to our posts). Still gets the job done.
curled hair. Celebrating the end of the school year tonight with Chad's family.
one summer class. Never fear though, it's online so I get to finally save on gas money!
a graduation party for my cousin's husband tomorrow who graduated from seminary.
a whole afternoon being outside (playing Angry Birds on my computer). Love the feeling of the warm sun on my pale legs and arms.

I ask you--Is there any better smell in the spring than that of lilacs? There is a big bush right behind our house's privacy fence that is just starting to flower and it is di-vine coming out on the patio and write a blog post while sniffing the lilac-filled air.

the first year of marriage... // Krysten from After 'I Do'

2011-05-19T06:32:00.001-05:00

Krysten from After 'I Do' is kicking off the guest series with her tales and thoughts. Krysten has the best series on her own blog like Wedding Wednesday and her simply perfect Happy Saturday so I knew she'd be perfect for my little series. We live so close to each other in Wisconsin (I think we might even share the same area code!) and she + Dustin seem like the perfect laid back couple to hang out with!

Hi all!

My name is Krysten and I blog over at After 'I Do'. My husband, Dustin, and I have been married for over two and a half years now and when Amanda approached me about what our first year was like I knew I had to be part of this series!

Dustin and I were married on September 27th, 2008. At that point we'd been together as a couple for over 3 years and we'd lived together for over 2. In that way I suppose you'd say I already knew what to expect once we'd exchanged our rings. After the wedding we went back to the place we lived together and we settled back into our usual ways.

The thing about being married is that it makes everything seem more real. When Dustin and I were dating and even when we lived together everything was fun and carefree and in the moment. Sure, we talked about the future but for some reason it seemed more like one of those fun dreams and less like actual plans that we could make.

I know they say that the first year of marriage is the hardest but for us that wasn't true. We had some really wonderful times, like our honeymoon cruise in January 2009 and adopting our dog Monte. We move into a sweet little apartment and it was the first place we lived in that was just the two of us (previously we'd lived with Dustin's cousin and then with his sister). I surprised Dustin with a trip to Duluth, MN and it became a place that we love to go together.

During my first year of marriage I realized that marriage isn't this magical thing where everything is perfect and falls into place. Marriage isn't always easy and sometimes it can be downright hard. Exchanging rings isn't going to make things perfect. However, during my first year I found that even when things are hard when you have the right person next to you it feels like you can get through anything.

I think after our first year it really hit me that Dustin is going to be the man next to me for the rest of my life. And that is about the most comforting thing I can think of.

Happy first anniversary, Amanda and I wish you many more!

year one.

2011-05-18T18:27:00.000-05:00

Trying to gather all my thoughts on marriage into one blog post is proving to be rather difficult. I simply can't believe that Chad and I were married one year ago on the 15th. I sometimes have to stop what I'm doing and marvel to myself--How did God know he was my match? How did He know I needed to have this man be mine for my whole life?

-----------------------------------------------

When we were first married, admittedly, I got very nervous about marriage and being so independent with him. The only other examples I had of married life were my parents, in-laws, grandparents---people who had been married for 29+ years (some even more than sixty!). These wives were remarkable in my eyes. They had all the kinks smoothed out: they knew which day was 'laundry day', how to tell if a roast is done or not (heck, they know how to make a roast), how to sew a button onto a blouse, how to work with yeast; how to make sure their husbands go out the door with full bellies and happy hearts. To me, these were all things that so-called married people do. Yeah, I thought that married life was a little intimidating.

It took my several crying meltdowns in the first few months (one complete with wailing on the couch saying to Chad "I just can't do it all!"--pathetic I know) to realize that learning how to be a wife takes time. It didn't come naturally right away for these women. I don't see how the Proverbs 31 wife would have made coverings for her bed and linen garments straight outta the gate.

I had my own task at hand: How to be Married. What worked for the moms and grandmas in their marriages just wasn't going to work for us (right away at least). We had to find our groove, settle into our marriage and use the guidance of our parents and God's Word to set us on our path. We have had to create our marriage so that we are both happy.

It's true that no one gives you a handbook entitled "How to Be a Wife". I just had to figure it all out on my own. The biggest blessing I have is that Chad is my husband. He is the one who is level-headed, patient, full of compassion and love for me and our marriage. Without him, I would be one miserable half of a whole. We pray every night that our life together is (and will continue to be) full of blessings.

And, I am happy to report that after one year of being married I know that we do laundry whenever we have time & the basket is full, I have successfully roasted a chicken, sewing a button is not difficult, we have not bought sandwich bread for the last six months (thanks to Summer!) and my husband goes to work with a smile on his face because he kisses me right before he's out the door.

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I thought it would be interesting to get insight into other bloggers' first years of marriage so I've rounded some up and will be sharing their experiences once a week on my blog. Check back tomorrow for the first post in my guest series: The First Year of Marriage...

one through twelve.

2011-05-14T00:18:00.000-05:00

Ga! What was Blogger's issue? I know this affected almost all of my blogger friends, so you guys know what a hassle it is when Blogger isn't cooperating. Hopefully you are not too upset that I am posting this from Thursday, but I just can't recover it from wherever Blogger dropped it. I do know that from now on, I'll be saving every single draft before, during and after I start writing in order to avoid this feeling of complete paranoia. Happy reading! :)

01. Enjoying my springtime rag wreath and my kitten by the door...
02. Banana bread with greek yogurt. It's awesomely moist.
03. The Voice. (Do you watch?)
04. After seeing these spring dresses I decided I need more navy, moss, coral, and cream in my closet.
05. Saying goodbye to my preschoolers on Monday.
06.My own version of this messy bun at a going-away party on Tuesday.
07. This picture of peonies at the market that Jordan took are delicious. Makes me want to go to Paris sooner than 71 more days.
08.Sleeping with the window in our bedroom cracked open the last couple nights. It makes both of us sleep so much better.
09. Picking out new sunglasses with Chad (our yearly tradition).
10. Nightly devotions with Chad are my new favorite.
11. Trying out new fonts for special party invites...they are my new weakness. I've downloaded probably a dozen this week.
12.Shopping for summer duds. New blue polka dotted wedges, anyone?

P.S. I used this tutorial that Jessica posted to make my rag wreath.

Link up your own 12 on the 12th at Miranda's blog.

for the moms.

2011-05-08T16:10:00.000-05:00

I'm not part of the mom's club yet. I don't take my kids to school, read them stories, answer all their questions, teach them about Jesus, and love them to bits, so I get to enjoy this mother's day as a kid. And reflect on why moms are so worthy of having a day devoted to them.

I do have some pretty great examples of moms in my life: grandmothers, aunts, cousins, friends, sister, mother-in-law, and my own mother. I have seen all these women raise their children and as I get older and closer to becoming a mother myself, I am in so much awe of them. For instance, it's one thing growing up with an older sister and play with her, cook with her, teach Sunday School with her and watch her love for children. But watching my own sister become a mother to two children and watch her love for UJ and Zara beam out of her is something truly perfect. It's watching that bond between her and her children that makes my heart happy.

The same goes for my own mother. Our relationship now is more than curfews, chores, and watching TV together--it's deeper. As a daughter, I am able to appreciate her as a person and as a friend. Yes, I still do call her about why my bread doesn't look right and what cocoa powder is, but I am starting to talk to her more about things I talk about with my other girlfriends--relationships, marriage, religion, the future.

So happy mother's day, mom. my mom + my friend.

today i will...

2011-05-05T10:29:00.000-05:00

dream of the next time avocados are on sale so that I can make avocado on toast.
eat ginger steak salad leftovers for lunch.
try to stop looking at pictures from the royal wedding. My favorites have to be this one and this one.
begin the countdown to the end of school.
email Meghan, no. 19--the winner of my participation prize for the curd survey.
finish reading Ree + Marlboro Man's love story. and then go home and kiss Chad.
go on the back of Chad's motorcycle.
listen to Simon & Garfunkel.
do my not-so-interesting homework.
open the porch door and let the breeze in.

The avocado toast is super simple: toast with 1/2 avocado mashed, drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes, and s + p.

top five and a sidenote.

2011-04-28T12:43:00.000-05:00

For as long as I've know her, Meghan at The Perfect Compilation Tape has created a little brightness at her space on Thursdays with her Top 5 Thursdays. This Thursdays topic of Top 5 Dream Vacations was too tempting to pass up, so I'm linking up to her.

I think the dream vacation that we are going to at the end of July (eek!) is about as dreamy as can be since we will be staying in Brussels, Paris, and London during our 10-day journey. Regrettably, we did have to cut some locations that were just too far away for us. We couldn't justify spending our precious hours on a train or plane for that long.

So if we had more time (and more money for that matter) here are the Top 5 European Vacation Stops We Would Add to Our Dream Vacation:

Rome, Italy

Berlin, Germany

Edinburgh, Scotland

Prague, Czech Republic

Vienna, Austria

You see?! There is no way we can get to all the places on our must-see list. We are so blessed with the chance to go on such an incredible honeymoon (as Chad likes to call it).

Link up with Meghan if you wish and share in all the wanderlust...

Sidenote: Before I close on this fun topic that Meghan dreamed up, I wanted to send out prayers to all those in the South who have had to go through this devastating series of tornadoes. (Click here for the full story from CNN.) I have never had to go through a weather-related experience like this, so I can only sympathize will all those who are without power, food, and a home today. Makes me all the more thankful to God that I do have these things today.

royal wedding party.

2011-04-27T12:40:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know I'm not the only one out there who can't wait to watch the royal wedding Friday/early Saturday (although I do admit--the coverage is getting crazy!). Fun fact: Will's picture (ripped from Seventeen) was on Laura + my wall for probably two years. He was our crush for the longest time! :)

For my sisters, mom, and I, it will actually be breakfast time since, of course, we don't live anywhere near London. But, thanks to my sister's DVR, we'll get the best of both worlds on Saturday morning--sleep and snuggle time with nephew + niece followed by scones, muffins, orange juice and tea in front of the TV (pajamas optional). The family is already going to be at my sister's house for the birthday parties of my BIL and nephew, so I figured why not throw a breakfast party for the ladies? Now the guys have to figure out what they are going to do...

How about you: Will you be watching the wedding this weekend?

*If you don't know which channel you'd like to watch, here's the rundown of all the coverage from the Huffington Post.*

images 1/2/4/5/7/8 all from pinterest. image 3: here. image 6: here. image 9: here (printables).

his + hers: a curd survey

2011-04-25T11:27:00.001-05:00

image

Before getting to the heart of this post: my cheese curd survey, I just wanted to say Hey and Happy Easter Monday. Are you back at work or do you get one extra day off (today) like me and my fellow Stoutians? It is so refreshing to take a break like the one I am finishing (from the blog and from homework) and get back on track, which includes finishing mountains of laundry, cleaning the inside of our microwave, and completing a research project plan.

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Now, I wasn't originally going to have my second his + hers post be about anything food related (again) but this topic fell into my lap. Yesterday morning we went to our church brunch before the service. The typical foods were all there: pancakes, french toast, fruit, muffins, eggs...and cheese curds. For this raised-in-Minnesota-girl, the bowl of curds on the table threw me off. That's when I made a statement to Chad (who had curds on his plate): "People in Wisconsin love cheese curds. If you're not from Wisconsin, you don't like cheese curds."

These few words sparked an afternoon of surveying family members from both sides of the Wisconsin/non-Wisconsin camps. After getting support on my side from my parents (both not from Wisconsin) Chad said "Having 3 people agree with you isn't a very large poll" and he was right. I need a larger audience.

So I'm opening this innocent, not-professional-by-any-means survey up to you, hoping your answers will support this hypothesis. All you have to do is answer these questions in the comments section:

1) What state are you from? (Or country for those of you not in the States)
2) Do you like cheese curds?

I'll even make it a little fun....I'll pick one person randomly at the end of the week and send them a little prize just for playing! :)

officially.

2011-04-14T16:45:00.000-05:00

It's not spring around here until Chad and I have grilled brats, had a beer, and watched one Brewers game together. It's our little tradition. As of Friday of last week, it was officially spring.

Other ways we know it's spring in our house:

*Our screen door will stay open until I complain of being chilly around 930 at night.
*I get to buy new flats (today!)
*Chad takes his motorcycle to work.
*Chad will go to the driving range after work (it's dangerously close to where we live which means he goes there tri-weekly)
*When it's a little nicer out, we'll start walking to the grocery store and walking around the river
*Blueberries and asparagus are on sale. hooray!

How do you celebrate spring?

the most simple Easter craft.

2011-04-13T08:56:00.001-05:00

I'm not even kidding. It took me two episodes of Sex and the City to complete this colorful Easter garland. It is just such a cheery piece of Easter in my kitchen. I like it because you can use any colors you want and it includes a trip to the hardware store--which is a bonus if you have a husband that doesn't really get in touch with his crafty side ("But honey, we're going to Menards!"). :)

Here's what you need:

String // I used thick white thread and a needle and I was set. I've seen other people using dental floss and a needle. Pretty much whatever you have lying around.

Paint Samples // Whatever colors you want and whatever amount you want. If you want them to be close in color, pick out a rainbow of shades (which is what several others have done in addition to me). Figure that two egg shapes can fit onto one sample.

Scissors, Egg Shape, Needle (or something to make a hole with--you want the hole small).

Giving credit where credit is due...the reason that mine doesn't look so uniform is because I didn't cut the paint samples in half which means I don't have the white line running through the middle. Mine's a little more eclectic and I kinda like it. :)

So if you are looking for a new Easter idea--give this one a go. Plus, it's free!

P.S. Anyone else love reading the paint colors? Wouldn't that be a cool job...

falling in love once again.

2011-04-12T13:35:00.001-05:00

"A new baby is like the beginning of 

all things wonder, hope, 

a dream of possibility"

--Eda J. LeShan

We are in so much love with our new niece who was born yesterday. Please don't mind the radio silence as I will be holding her for the next week. (Okay, not really--school frowns upon taking personal days just to hold babies, but a girl can dream.)

We love you, Miss Zara Magdalene! 

XOXO: Uncle Chad + Aunt Amanda

two recipes that will make your guy happy.

2011-04-10T16:09:00.000-05:00

Before I divulge my secrets to your man's stomach, let me just tell you how awesome your comments have been as of late. It makes me happy that so many of you agree with me (we pulp-free lovers have to stick together!). It makes me even more happy and delighted that I can write about such a trivial thing as pulp-free/pulpy orange juice and you'll still read. (I love you guys!)

I know it's been over a week since Chad's birthday, but these recipes are not late...you want to know why? We are still eating Guinness cake + drinking glasses of milk even though his birthday was two weeks ago:

The Marlboro Man Sandwich

When I told Chad I was going to make sandwiches for his birthday dinner, he gave me this look like "Really. I get sandwiches for dinner...like turkey/cheese/mayo sandwiches?" Ree helped me change that opinion very quickly.

Guinness Cake via Design Sponge.

This cake is everything you imagined it would be. Moist. Chocolate-y. Delicious. Simply put: It's awesome.

You (and your man) will thank me for these recipes. And by me, I of course mean the people that actually created them. I followed them to a T (because I don't mess around with baking measurements at all--I'm a cooking wimp like that).

In other news: Tomorrow I will be going to see my new niece on her day of birth. My sis, Laura has had to be on yucky bed rest for about a month, so we all can't wait to meet the little girl (I think her especially). We are playing a fun game in my family called "Name the Baby Contest". Laura told us that the baby's name is in the Social Security's Top 1000 Girl's Names of 2009 (thanks for narrowing it down, sis) :), so we are all picking one and seeing if we are even a little close. The winner doesn't really get anything, but we all get to see our new family member so we're pretty excited. Be back on Tuesday with pictures and her name. :)

his + hers: how do you like your o.j.?

2011-04-04T15:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday afternoon!

My first Monday in April has been good--at daycare we had pizza for lunch & went for a walk on campus. I'm going to finish the night with ravioli, a workout, and watching the NCAA championship with the boy (like I would do this by myself...)

Today's fun little post is inspired by Brooke at pure and noble and Alli at hooray. They do a weekly/monthly post on Mondays documenting little randoms in their lives with their guys. This might appear more and more over here, so stay tuned (and play along if you wish!)

So today I ask you: Do you like your orange juice pulp-free like me, or are you like Chad who thinks the-pulpier-the-better? :)

28 facts about the birthday boy.

2011-04-01T13:05:00.000-05:00

My husband, Chad, ten years ago on his 18th birthday!

01. He loves to cook. (He is especially fond of cooking meat. Which is good, because I completely fail at cooking meat--mine always comes out dry or undercooked. He is able to get any piece of chicken, turkey, fish, or beef well-seasoned and perfectly moist.
02. He gets excited about new things on the web, all thanks to his Twitter feed. Without him, I wouldn't know about Rebecca Black.
03. He knows every fact about the NFL without looking it up. What college Reggie Bush went to? (Knows it.) How many touchdowns Aaron Rodgers threw last season? (Knows it.)
04. He looks good in his glasses...while I look like I'm not even trying when I wear my glasses.
05. He takes his wedding ring off right before bed and puts it on his nightstand.
06. He's the one in our house who drinks his coffee black and his orange juice pulpy.
07. His work day isn't over until his socks come off. (To him, it is the greatest feeling after a nine hour shift.)
08. He loves planning trips. Our European adventure would not happen if it was up to me to plan it. But he loves figuring out which hostels are close to the British Museum or Buckingham Palace.
09. He is Karma's papa. Karma will leap off the couch (while she's sitting next to me, thank you very much), run to the door, and meow until he opens it. Every. single. day.
10. He knows if Paul or John is singing the Beatles song we are listening to. When we drive home from church, our favorite game to play is "Guess the Beatle" (I always lose).
11. He never forgets to read our devotion before we go to bed.
12. His hair changes with the seasons: winter = long and shaggy. summer = clean and short (my favorite).
13. He is number 2 on my speed dial (second only to my voicemail).
14. His impression of leave Britney alone is spot on.
15. I know when he's watched the TV in the living room when I flip it on and ESPN is on. (On the contrary, he knows that I've been watching TV when he sees that Bravo is on.)
16. He holds our hymnal in church.
17. He holds my hand while he drives.
18. He has a palette that prefers dark beer...I tried a Guiness the other day (you know, in order to prepare for London) and I couldn't even finish it. There's no hope for us to ever share an Indian Pale Ale at the end of the night...
19. He will find a band that is amazing, rave about it, buy their album, and tell me about them Five months later, I'll jump on the bandwagon.
20. He knew of Arcade Fire, back when they were The Arcade Fire.
21. He likes spicy food. We've had to compromise on meals we make...it'll be spicy enough for me, and then after I take my helping, he puts the cayenne on his.
22. He checks the golf course by work everyday he drives past---he will golf every free Saturday until October.
23. He is the one who know how much money we have in the funds and when the bills are due.
24. He watches Beavis and Butthead and Futurama on our Netflix.
25. He wants to open a restaurant or brewery someday.
26. He watches Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives when I'm stuck doing homework.
27. He's the one who calms me down when I'm riled up, and comforts me when I'm feeling crappy.
28. He is the best.

april's list.

2011-03-31T10:21:00.000-05:00

photo credit: martha stewart. pin #: 8317497.

I always think the previous month is going to be the busiest month around here. And then the calendar gets turned to the new month, and I'm mistaken. So far in twenty-eleven, April is the busiest month. I bring to you...April by the numbers:

Five birthdays in my immediate family. 5 out of the 10. Yeah, we are spring babies around here. March used to be our birthday month, but now with the addition of in-laws and nephews + nieces, the torch is passed to April. The people blowing out candles this month include: Chad (tomorrow!), my sister Laura's soon-to-be-born baby girl, my brother Kyle, my brother-in-law Eli, and my nephew UJ (he and Eli--the dad, share the same birthday...isn't that cool?!).

Two weddings. One I'm invited to...one I'm not. The one I'm not invited to is pretty exclusive (not to mention far away). It doesn't bother me that they didn't think to include me on the guest list, I am still planning on celebrating their wedding with my sisters and mom. We are going to record the wedding at Laura's, I'll bring the English tea + sandwiches, and we'll all sit on the couch and watch some royalty (just like my mom did for Diana + Charles' wedding). We do have to find something for the men to do...
The one I am invited to involves a crafty gift I plan on making/sharing with you when it's done. Stay tuned.

One garden planning session. And by garden, I mean herbs only. We can't dig into the ground (renters unite!) but we can find cute terra-cotta planters (a la Martha). We've never exercised our green thumbs, so hopefully we produce something this season.

One Easter. With Easter approaching, I'm thinking of making spring-related crafts...of course. Am also thinking of spring cleaning, spring mixes, spring vegetables, spring flats and cardigans, and spring meals.

Lovely April: I welcome your rain showers, your spring flowers, and your sunny days.

in my mind and soul.

2011-03-30T13:01:00.001-05:00

image by: HeyZee. pin #: 1257115.

Among all the lesson plan assignments, the bread baking, the laundry folding, the dish washing, the recipe making, the Top Chef watching, one thought is above all of these. No matter what I'm doing today, our devotion reading last night is sticking out in my brain. It was exactly what I needed to hear yesterday and today. I had to refocus on Jesus and his extraordinary death....

An excerpt below:

"His (Christ's) mind was clear, and at the very end, he cried with a loud, clear voice. This indicates that he did not die as a result of his wounds. He did not die because he had to. He died because he willed it. Death did not come to him, but, uniquely, he came to death. ....He voluntarily surrendered himself to such a death.

His was no ordinary death."

spring book sale.

2011-03-24T16:37:00.000-05:00

Check it out people! Rachel over at Black Eiffel posted that Chronicle Books is having a little sale right now. 30% off + free ground shipping! I might have to pick one of these up:

Apartment Therapy Presents: Real Homes, Real People, Hundreds of Real Design Solutions // $27.50
Eric Carle Animal Lacing Cards // $14.95 (perfect for the nephew in your life who is going to be two at the end of April)
City Walks: London 50 Adventures on Foot // $14.95 (perfect for our European adventure this summer)
Forests Eco-Keepsake Notecards // $14.95

Promo Code: SPRING11
Valid through April 4th.

Happy Book Browsing!

(all images via Chronicle Books)

when you just don't want to cook meat...

2011-03-24T11:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday it snowed here. And not just a couple small snowflakes...it snowed so much that my school shut down at noon (which almost never happens). So, I spent the day inside cooking and cleaning and snuggling on the couch with Karma (who in three hours didn't move once...she's such a lazy kitty I tell ya).

When I thought of what to make for dinner I just didn't want a heavy, full meal. I think stems from the fact that a. I wasn't about to go outside and be with the three other people at the grocery store and b. I am not in the winter mood anymore. My tastebuds are craving light, spring meals. I know I mentioned that I wanted to put more vegetarian meals in our weekly routine, and we love cooking meals like this. Simple, full of veggies, and great leftovers.

Whole Grain Spaghetti with Garlicky Kale and Tomatoes
(from Real Simple February 2011 p.113)

get these ingredients together:

*6 oz. whole-grain spaghetti
*2 T. olive oil
*medium red onion, thinly sliced
*2 cloves garlic, chopped
*kosher salt + pepper
*bunch of kale, thick stems removed, leaves torn in bite-size pieces
*2 pints of grape tomatoes, halved
*1/3 c. chopped roasted almonds
*1/4 c. pecorino (and more for serving)

then do these steps:

01. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1/4 c. of the cooking water, drain the pasta, and return it to the pot.
02. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 4 to 5 min. Add the kale and cook, tossing frequently, until tender, 2 to 3 min. Add the tomatoes and cook, tossing frequently, until the tomatoes begin to soften, 1 to 2 min. more.
03. Add the kale mixture, almonds, pecorino, and reserved cooking water to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve with additional cheese.

3 steps.... That's it. Enjoy :)

the middle of spring break.

2011-03-17T15:33:00.000-05:00

The past couple days included (but are not limited to) :

clementines for three dollars and ninety-eight cents.
eating three clementines a day.
and, when taking this picture, noticing how much the snow has melted off our patio. (Just look at that! In January and February, it was completely covered almost to the door handle!)
watching The Fighter.Chad and nephew UJ ~~playing~~ plunking on the piano together. And having a blast.
UJ loving to talk on cell phones and getting my mom's purple cell-phone shaped magnet to talk with.
Beatles marathon on the way to my sister's house to visit my pregnant/bed-rest ridden sista and give her back her son who we had kidnapped at G + G's since Saturday.
Johnny Cash Ring of Fire and Bright Eyes on the way back home. On the same radio station that I talked about here.
monster cookies + diet Sierra Mist.
Rachael Ray magazines.
discussing moving plans and future dreams with mom and sister.
discussing the Walker Bill and how it impacts the teachers in the family.
soup + sandwiches + shamrock cookies right before Lent service. Every church should do this. It was fabulous.
the March Madness invasion that happens every year. Seriously. I just searched my blog and I posted about MM + us in 2009 and in 2010.
hilarious/unfortunate baby names. Last night we talked about the truly real names in history--Ima Hogg and Harry Baals.
thinking how badly I do not want to go back to school on Monday.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

jotting down some thoughts.

2011-03-15T15:46:00.000-05:00

This break is doing me a world of good. I am getting a vacation and I love it. There is nothing like waking up without an alarm clock and getting to drink an entire cup of coffee for breakfast. There is also nothing like cleaning out the craft space and coming up with new ideas....

______________

:: I have been so inspired by bloglovin these past couple days. There are some really incredible engagement photo shoots that people have discovered. Bobbi and Mike featured their annual top 50 and Lillian found this holi color engagement shoot. (Kinda want to do this for a party sometime soon. Throwing color on people seems like it would be a good time.)

:: When Chad + I are together all we talk about is Europe. Our friend Danielle came by last week and gave us tips + suggestions on what to do when over there. We've narrowed it down to London (and surrounding areas), Paris, and Brussels (with a day trip over to Bruges). We will spend most of our time in London and will probably do some day trips in England. All we do is look at plane routes, browse spotted by locals, record anything England-related on the Travel Channel, and compose a lengthy document of what we want to see when over there. We are completely excited. :)

::All I did the past 48 hours was read this book. Anyone else heard of it? Book report to come soon. Let me just say I was pleasantly surprised how engrossing it is. I kept telling my dad that he has to read this book.

P.S. When browsing blogs this week, go ahead and stop by Jamie's where she announced a swap (a favorite thing of mine about the blogging world). I am signing up...will you?

print found at this pin.

ingredients for a happy morning.

2011-03-09T11:20:00.000-06:00

number one. Have the day off. See that it's snowing outside. Make half a pot of coffee and drink it all with vanilla caramel creamer. Eat toast and grapes while browsing your bloglovin. Comment on your favorite posts.

number two. Watch the SATC series finale. Love Paris + that beautiful language. And Carrie's fashion in part deux. My favorites: the black and white striped ruffled flower shirt, the seafoam green tulle dress, the red + black polka dot dress, and of course the gray dress.

number three. Do your schoolwork. This doesn't seem like it would be something you enjoy, but then you realize you only have three days left before spring break. And you realize that some of your homework involves going through Scholastic order forms like you are in second grade again. :)

1. 2. 3. 4. picks of the week.

2011-03-07T22:15:00.000-06:00

I can't stop browsing pinterest . As I mentioned before, it's my one-stop when finding goodies I want to save. I do it in between classes, at lunch, before Chad comes home, during Arrested Development, while eating Cheerios before school. You get the picture...I'm obsessed with pinning. As Marta would say, I "la la la love pinterest."

This week in between papers and midterms, I'm dreaming of...01. the major spring cleaning project headed my way during spring break....02. trench coat weather so I can wear the new trench coat I bought on Saturday...03. the day I get to drive to the grocery store with the moon-roof open and the birds sweetly chirping above me...04. the bakery in Brussels that Chad and I want to have breakfast at one morning this summer.

I pin, do you?
If so, let me know in the comments.
I would love more eye candy.

P.S. My trench coat is olive green and from Old Navy. I have never owned a trench before, so I'm pretty pumped. Old Navy had amazing winter clearance deals this weekend, so get your little selves over there and stock up! :)

my date(s) for the weekend.

2011-03-04T12:54:00.000-06:00

You might have thought based on the title that I have a date with Chad this weekend. But, poor me doesn't even get to see Chad this weekend since he left today with his bros to have a guys weekend down in Milwaukee. Now it's not really a poor me couple of days because I have some dates planned.

I'm having dates with--

my netflix queue. I get to watch all the b + w classics that Chad never wants to watch with me.
my homework. I am shutting myself in my house on Saturday morning and not leaving my laptop until I have completed everything I need to for next week.
my tweezers. The eyebrows are getting outta control.
my gym. Hittin' it up with my iPod on Saturday.
my oven. I make Summer's oatmeal sandwich bread exclusively and have been slacking on making the next loaf. We haven't had toast for weeks!
my europe plans. As you can probably guess, even since we decided to plan for our Europe getaway, it's all we are thinking about (see video above. Actually don't because then you will probably be dying to go too.) I even recorded the Paris episode of Samantha Brown on the travel channel.

Are you going on any dates this weekend? :)