St. Patty's Day...kind of.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Confession. I didn't wear green today. On the rare occasion that I come up with a cute outfit, I have to go with it (because I can wear scrubs to work and trust me, if I had more than 2 pairs, I'd wear them EVERY. DAY). So I decided to actually try to look put together (curse working in a department of all women who dress up). As a result I got pinched even after trying to explain that because I have Irish blood, I should get a free pass from pinching (Dude. Hello. Red hair and freckles. Need I say more? Well. Apparently that's not good enough. Lame). 

Also I realized that I didn't have any idea what I was making for dinner tonight. I mean I have about a zillion dinner ideas pinned on Pinterest but nothing "St. Patty's Day" appropriate. And, I don't do corned beef and cabbage. I am just not a huge fan. So I was zipping through Pinterest seeing what everyone else had pinned and whattayaknow but sister pinned shamrock pasta with pesto (thanks B!). GENIUS. So I decided spinach pasta with pesto and chicken topped with fresh parmesan cheese it would be! Friends. The smell of pesto. That aroma. Oh yummmmmm! So my impromptu-thrown-together dinner actually turned out well. And can I just say how much I love garlic bread? Holy catscans I could've eaten the whole loaf by myself. Whoever thought of garlic bread, thank you, you rock my taste buds's world.

I needed a break for a few minutes today and googled miniature schnauzer puppies for sale and I found THIS ADORABLE guy. For sale. In San Antonio!!! Have I mentioned how badly I want a miniature schnauzer?

OHIWANTHIM!!!!!!!!!! I died from his cuteness. I just want to squeeze him he's SO cute!!!

*sigh* Anyway.
Last Monday I came home from work early because I felt horrible. I was reading up on some blogs I hadn't read in a while and I happened to be reading this post from NieNie where she talks about comfy, soft leggings from The Jean Girl and I don't know if it was the cold medicine or the exhaustion but I decided to check it out and all of the sudden I realized that I had bought leggings. What? Here's the thing. Crazy, patterned leggings are a stretch for me. Women who wear them amaze me because I just think it's too much for me. I tend to keep my style conservative. But since I've gotten married I have discovered I'm a little more bold and risk taking with clothes. I guess being married gives me confidence. So when I got home I had a lovely package waiting for me! 

NO joke. They are WICKED comfortable. As in I could wear these 24/7. I even made Mark feel them. So I bought them with the intent that I could work out in them, ya know like yoga, but I think they may also be my new favorite lounge-wear. I don't know if I'm brave enough to wear them out. Yet. Or ever. I just don't know. I mean what shirt do I wear? And what shoes? Friends I'm not a fashionista. I guess I can go google what to wear with leggings. I mean do you dress them up? Heels, really? Really? Eh...I don't know. But anyway, I'm so in love I bought--eh hem--3 more pairs. Check them out. You won't be disappointed. 

 Next.
For Christmas I got Mark a drawing table. Mark is an INCREDIBLE artist. He's drawn me a few pictures and they are amazing (and I have several more for him to draw; I keep him busy!). He's too modest about it and far too critical of his work, but he's truly talented! So I walked into the room to see what Mark was doing and he was sketching away. I love to watch him draw. Oddly, I find it very relaxing. And cool to see him at work. 

Off to bed! Cheers!

Saturday successes

 First of all I have a bone to pick. You know how they say if your child is sick don't send them to daycare or school? Well, similarly, adults, if you are sick DO NOT COME TO WORK AND SPREAD YOUR NASTY GERMS!!!!!!!!! People like me get sick and when I get sick it's horrible because it's not a one and done deal. I'm sick and it lingers for weeks. I felt it coming on yesterday afternoon and I woke up, wide awake, at 4am and then finally fell back asleep and woke up with what felt like a swollen, scratchy throat. Yuck. Bring on the cough drops (gah-ross).

Despite this, today was a great day. It was gloomy and overcast this morning so we had croissants and hot chocolate. I love croissants! And they were tasty! 

Then we headed out to run some errands. Our apartment is finally coming together. Our guest room has been full of empty boxes and half unpacked things. Last night I did some cleaning and condensing so we finally put the empty boxes in storage and then headed to Target to look for a possible coffee table, and some storage bins. Well. I've been looking for a basket to put our blankets in and Mark picked up a large basket (with a lid) on clearance and we got it. When we got home, I realized the corner I wanted to put it in was too small for the basket. Mark is a GENIUS. GENIUS! He recommended using the basket as our new coffee table. We tried it and it's PERFECT! I married a genius. Here's a panorama of our living room. I love this room. It's so cozy. The lighting isn't great in this picture but at least you can see it!

Then I left Mark to study while I headed out on the hunt for something to put our printers on next to our desk. Well, at the first antique shop I walked into, I found it! 

It's actually made of crates but it looks really cool. And it's perfect! We will sand it and either stain it or paint it. 

Then I went into one of my favorite antique shops, just to browse, and found these! A mini-cake plate and yellow-ware. 

Everyone collects something and I collect yellow-ware. I just love it. Especially when I can find it at a decent price because sometimes they are outrageous! 

And, I've decided my Lent restrictions are temporarily waived since the only things that sound good are soup and ice cream. They feel wonderful on my throat. So...off to eat ice cream. Oh darn. 

Shopping rules, super glue fixes, and DIY torches, er, candles

I have a rule.

When I find something, whatever it may be, and decide not to buy it, but continue to think about it for days, then I know I should have it. Such was the case. I found a pair of pants that I really liked at The Loft, which is very rare because I've never liked pants from The Loft. Well, surprise!, I do now. They are orange! A pretty orange. PERFECT for fall! I tried them on during my shopping last weekend, but didn't buy them. Liked them, may have loved them, but decided I didn't want to pay full price. BUT THEN!, I got an e-mail on Monday that The Loft was having a sale so I went back and had a horrible pants experience (for whatever reason I was feeling bold and decided to try on some jeans...no dice), so I bought nothing and vowed I would never buy jeans or pants again. Never. It was the emotion of the moment. Don't lie, you've been there. Then I called my mom and we talked about shopping and pants and ranted and vented about how awful it is shopping for pants and I felt better....aka my self esteem was back in tact. Bruised badly, but back. 

Despite the rollercoaster of emotions regarding pants this week, I decided that since I could not stop thinking of those orange pants, I needed to see them again. So I headed back to the mall today (this is the most I have ever been to the mall in...ever?...twice in a week?!!? Yeah, I know. I'm that girl) and tried them on and I loved them. I started envisioning fall outfits, and that alone made me giddy, and they were still on sale so I bought them. Done. I am very pleased. 

AND!!! I have been told from at least 6 people in the past week that American Eagle jeans are awesome. Since I am not longer in high school, I didn't feel I was "of age" to be shopping there but feeling bold after my success at The Loft today, I went in and tried on some jeans. I was very pleased. No purchases were made as I had other things to buy today, but I will try them out again.

AND!!! I got a coupon in the mail for 40% off at the Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy outlets and what do you know, I just happen to live near Tangor Outlets. So after my mall excursions, I headed to the outlets and got some wicked deals. Love it! 

All this and I saved $96! YAH! 

Now, I did have one minor casualty today. I was wearing my new shoes that I got for a steal of a deal last week. Please see my previous post for details. Well, as I was exiting the mall, all of the sudden something felt weird on my left foot. My shoe felt loose. I looked down to check the strap and it seemed fine so I kept walking. But it still felt weird!!! Once I got outside, I sat on a bench and upon further inspection, and to my dismay, one of the straps on the left side of my left shoe had come OUT of the shoe and that's why it was feeling loose. Basically my shoe was partially broken. I was devastated, but it looked fixable. And since you couldn't really tell, and the shoes were still functional, I decided instead of going home and switching shoes, I would continue on with my shopping endeavors. Once I got home I busted out the super glue, which got all over my fingers of course, and poured heaps of glue onto the strap and shoved it back into the slit of my shoe. And then poured more super glue over it just to make sure that bugger wasn't ever coming out again! 

I let the glue dry and then a little while later tugged on it. It seems to be stuck but we'll see the next time I wear them. Hopefully this did the trick or I will be very, very sad.

My pals Amy and Jen, and I like to have Ladies Night, which usually consists of dinner and a Pinterest craft. This past Friday we decided to make our own mason jar candles. They seemed simple enough. We even added some essential oils (lavender!) and they turned out great. 

The only thing is the wicks are HUGE. About as big around as my middle finger. That's fine and dandy and all, but apparently it's safest best to shove the wick down as far as you can before you light it. Amy did not do this initially, and her candle was our guinea pig, so when she lit her candle, it was like a torch. I'm NOT even kidding you. The flame was probably 6-8 inches high. Jen and I were on the floor laughing as Amy tried to carefully carry her torch candle to the sink to blow it out without singeing  her eyebrows. Again, Jen and I were holding our stomachs on the floor laughing. Ah Ladies Nights are always a blast. 

And let it be know that this week I will finally get to see my fiance after almost 2 months of being apart. THANK. THE. STARS. I am ready to burst with excitement! We will be taking our engagement pictures!!!!!! But seriously, I'm just happy to see Mark again. 

Holy blogging slacker

Bad Gabe, bad! Bad blogger. 

In my defense...wedding planning does take a bit of time. And I'm studying for a huge exam. Just sayin'. But holy catscans I haven't blogged since June. Geez Louise. Where did the time go?? Prepare for another picture overload.

July. Mark came to New England. I have only be waiting for this for forever. Finally I got to show him my turf, my heaven on earth, my happy place!!!!!

Scotty slept with me during my visit. It was sweet to cuddle with this furball again. I miss him. 

 Now try as I might, friends, I just cannot plan a leisurely visit to New England. It's impossible. I love this place too much and there is FAR too much to see and experience. I tried to go easy on Mark, but alas, I failed. I surely tired him out! But there was many a good time had by all. 

Directly from the airport I took him to one of my favorite eateries on the coast: Petey's. This is one of my family's favorite seafood places. It's also one of the first places when went out to eat when we moved to New England. It's all about the tuna melts. Mark got crab cakes and wished he would have gotten a tuna melt with me. Told ya...

Mark went on his first (debatable...does the BART count? I saw no but DR says yes)train ride into my favorite city ever, my beloved Boston

 

Naturally we had to see as much of the city as possible. From Mass Ave and Fenway to Copley Square, Boston Commons, Beacon Hill, Government Center,Quincy Market, and the North End. He saw it all. Too briefly, but he saw it.

I personally have never taken the Fenway Tour, and being that we are both avid baseball fans, I thought it would be a blast to experience it together. Oh it was!!! I love Fenway. And I love Mark. So it was grand! 

A very happy Mark. I love this picture. 

Also you should know, and of course this would happen to me, it was one of the hottest days of the summer on the day we went to Boston. Ah well. It didn't stop us! 

 

And since I've only been talking up Regina's since we met, we had to go. It was deeeelicious! 

And, of course, he had to have a fresh lobstah. He did well! Very little coaching needed. 

We also went candlepin bowling with the family. I think this is mostly a northeast/New England thing, as I've never seen it anywhere else.

My darling friend Becca came over for cookies, meet and greets with Mark, and to chat. It's always a delight to be with Becca!

And then the horrid day came where Mark had to leave. So afterward, my mom and I sought out Shake Shack and indulged. 

FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to go back!

Next. The Redheads (Amy and Gabe) had a long overdue day trip. We went to Charleston to get gelato, hit up Whole Foods and Trader Joes. 

I've come to the conclusion that gelato and homemade New England ice cream are my favorite treats in the world. Don't faint when I say...I'm a little over froyo. Now that it's "the thing" and there's a blasted fro yo shop every 2 miles, I'm kind of over it. It's good. I still eat it. But the magic is gone. But put hazelnut and chocolate gelato near me and watch out...

Amy and I stopped and had a splendid light lunch at a place called Five Loaves. Quaint and yummy. 

 My loot from the trip. Carbs. Bread, cheese, pasta, cookies, and a dessert. Yup, sounds about right!

I just had to share this because my heart melted and I almost teared up one Sunday morning, when during church Heath and Emma sent this to me. What an adorable pup. I miss him but I'm so happy that he is happy in New England with HEmma. 

Yesterday I was walking to yoga and I bubble with pure happiness when I saw this! I am SO very ready FALL. SO READY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm done with summer. Yes. I am. Summer and I do not see eye to eye. It's too hot and humid. I crave cool temps, sweaters, hot chocolate, fall colors, leaves, and that smell, you what I am talking about? The smell of fall. Oh gosh I love it. Now it's not as pronounced here in SC...but I manage. Lots of Gilmore Girls, cups of Ghirardelli hot chocolate, and crunching every leaf I can! 

Today.

Here's the deal. I am not a retail shopper. I don't have the stamina. Shopping is a work out in and of itself, mentally and physically, and sometimes emotionally. All that walking, sorting through clothes, every designer/brand fits differently, trying them on, being horrified/discouraged and sometimes pleased, carrying bags, over and over and over. Gosh it's exhausting. I prefer to go in with an item in mind, find it or don't, and be gone. In and out. Plus. You know what, I don't know what happened, if the amount of cotton/rayon/polyester/silk available on the planet is in short supply but all of the clothes these days are SEE THROUGH. Excuse me. First of all, I don't feel the need to have everyone see my bra. Trash was never in style and I don't intend to encourage it. Yeah I went there. *scowl* Second, I HATE layering. I HATE wearing camisoles under shirts. It's bulky and uncomfortable and annoying. Either I have to tuck it in or keep pulling and adjusting. NO! No. I want a shirt that requires just that, itself. When did upscale stores start selling clothes as cheaply made as Forever 21? NOT. A. FAN. I was so angry today. I found tons of cute shirts, only to pick it up and realize I could see my hand. Through the back. And then the price was $58. Ridiculous. 

BUT. I did have a shopping success. I had reached the end of my shopping stamina and decided I'd pop into Belk real quick and then leave. Seeing nothing good clothing wise, I headed over to the shoe section, which was a MAD HOUSE. Back up. When I went home in June, my mom had these cute wedges that were SUPER comfortable. I found them online...and they were ridiculously priced. Well never mind that. I was so sad. Well. In Belk, I immediately recognized the style of several pairs of wedges sitting on the clearance table. Could it be?!??? So I scurried closer and to my delight, the wedges were there!!! The price said $40, so I greedily snatched them up, marched over to the cashier and bought them. The final price? $26. HA! SUCCESS! I WIN! Cute shoes and for a fraction of the price. Man, I love a good bargain. And goodness they are so comfortable. 

 

And (my original intention for going to the mall in the first place) I bought a Yankee Candle. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you I lamented over which candle to buy for about 15 minutes. The fall candles are my faaaaavorite (shocker). They didn't have the Pear Spice one (yet??) so I was trying to choose between 2 or 3. But you know, after you sniff 8 candles about 3 dozen times, they all begin to smell the same. Thank goodness for coffee beans. I finally decided on this one, and it's yummmy!  

And now I want to bake something. I really am craving banana bread but I only have on banana right now and that really won't do. Drats. Time to thumb through my cookbooks. YAY!

Yay it's May!

So. 

Let's recap. 

This may be a long post BUT it has lots of pictures (and yes, a lot of food pics. Don't pretend to be shocked)!!! That means it'll mostly be pictures with my commentary. Muahaha!

Ye have been warned. Birthdays are kind of A HUGE deal for me. The bigger I can make it, the better. My pal Amy had her 24th birthday on the 23rd and the day before I had brilliant ideas poppin' out of my brain cells. I couldn't wait. These are the results:

*Eh hem* FIRST of all friends, let me just say I made my own caramel...WITHOUT a candy thermometer. WHABAM! And it was great! The author of the recipe said I could do it and she was right. Boy I felt like a million bucks. Also I'm glad because otherwise I would have had to make a late night trip to Wally-world (eh...) for caramels to melt (aka the cheapo way). Well, thank goodness it worked. 

 I felt it completely necessary that I "taste test" some so I put it atop some leftover brownies I had in the freezer and then thought, "what the heck?" and topped it with some sea salt and whipped cream, or "keem" as my darling nieces used to call it. Delish friends, DEE.LISH.

Now the point of making the caramel? Well, Amy's favorite candy bar, or one of, is Twix and I had pinned (I will admit, I am a Pinterestaholic. Yup. *no shame*) a homemade Twix recipe months ago and now had a reason to make them! YES! So I made 'em, cut up in attempt to make them kinda, sorta look like Twix bars and then got all crazy (this is what happens when I am scheming, the ideas just FLOOOOOW. It's amazing) and decided to wrap them up so they looked like candies. 

AND THEN. I decided that Twix bars weren't enough, because, like I said, I like to go ALL OUT on birthdays. I decided to make some peanut butter pudding cookies. Amy and I had made these together months ago and I remember us both devouring them so I thought these would be a hit. Instead of peanut butter chips, which I didn't have because I kind of decided to make them on the fly, I just used Reeses Pieces, peanut butter M&Ms, and chocolate chips. 

SOOOO YUMMY! And you know I taste tested that dough about 5 times. I gave her 24 cookies and she was kind enough to share. Mmmmm! 

THEN. And this was the AHA! moment I had right before I left work on Monday and decided to gather all my goods to super surprise Amy on Tuesday: decorate her desk/half of our office. Oh I was bursting with excitement! I got to work super early and decorated and was so nervous she would come in extra early (she always beats me) and I would be in the middle of decorating. Well, as it turns out she was running late and ended up getting in loooong after I had finished. Thank goodness. She was surprised and I was pleased. 

Now we decided to throw a birthday bash on Saturday and I got all crazy and made spinach dip (from a packet but it was from Mark from this fabulous store in Texas!) with homemade pita chips, and, now this is a big deal, guacamole. For the first time. By myself (which means without the guidance of Mark, who showed me how to make it). Now I realize it's not rocket science but I'm a baker, ok? This means I like specific amounts with specific ingredients and clear cut instructions. Cooking is a little more lenient in amounts and ingredients so I was a little nervous making this for the first time, and for a party no less. Fortunately, Mark is amazing and walked me through about 5 times. He even Skyped with me while I made a test batch. Yes he is that awesome. And yes I am pathetic. It's the curse of perfectionism. 

THEN. In my attempts to get back into making dinners more consistently that are a little more wholesome than a PB/honey sandwich, cereal, or a Greek yogurt, I found a super easy salad recipe which involved black beans, corn, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and a homemade cilantro-lime dressing. Friends, it's off the hook good. I added some spicy tilapia and whoa buddy it was good. YAY for leftovers! 

This shouldn't be anything new but I just am not feeling running as of late. I don't know why. Actually I do. April, well, after April 10th, April and I were not on good terms. No siree. Work sucked the life out of me (you work 3 weeks straight sans a day off and tell me how you feel. Yeah that's what I thought), I was recently asked to be the director of a girls camp my church does every year and usually the director is given this assignment months ago and I have kind of been thrown into the whirlwind of planning (with a mere 2 months to go until camp) while trying to get myself up to speed, plan, etc. etc. etc., while trying to maintain my personal sanity. This is no small task. I believe many of you would say, "Welcome to being an adult" or "Welcome to reality. Yeah well...fine. At least hand me some more cheese for my whining. Provolone preferably. Or sharp Havarti. 

I was talking to Amy, who is running a marathon this weekend and another in Philadelphia in November. I was telling her I didn't really want to run the Myrtle Beach mini-marathon (half marathon; I don't know why they call it a mini-marathon because there is nothing mini about 13.1 miles thankyouverymuch) in October. I didn't like the course and, I donno, just wasn't feeling it. Amy suggested I run the half marathon in Philly when she runs the full. 

DONE. I am slightly more motivated though probably not until after the chaos of June is over. But still. Now I have a goal. AND it's my first distance race. We're making a little trip out of it and driving up with a group of friends, a few others who are running the half and a few coming to cheer us on. I am pumped! And you better believe I will be running up the Rocky stairs! 

Next month this cutie will be back in NH to live with my brother and sister-in-law permanently. I'm a little heartbroken because I love him so, but I think it'll be better for him: more room to run around and two people to care for him. So I busted out his dreaded carry-on bag to get him ready for the flight home. I can already feel my stress level rising. 

Per the request of Amy, I made rolo cookies for her because this week has been a bust for us both. Like I'd turn down a request for cookies and the opportunity to bake. NEVER! 

And now for today. I had yesterday and today off. Yesterday was devoted to errands and today was my fun day. I let my mane go free--and it was windy so I looked like a human Mufasa--and busted out my mint cords and loafers, and you know that means I'm in for some serious fun. 

The fun started with Iron Man 3. Dude. First showing of the day cost me a whoppin' $4.75. That pleased me GREATLY. And hooooooly catscans it was a GREAT flick. Robert Downey Jr. is one of, if not my favorite actor. This role was made for him. Go see it. You will not be disappointed! Then I went to get froyo for lunch. It's been awhile since I had some. I got hazelnut, chocolate, and vanilla froyo and topped it with--ready for this??--chocolate chips, brownie bits, chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds, cocoa puffs (why not??) and topped it off with chocolate jimmies (or for those of you not from New England, chocolate sprinkles). Ooooooh yes I loved it! AND this makes me SO excited to go home in June to a) see Heath and Emma and my New England family and b) go to Lagos, the best ice cream place EVER. I'm drooling already. OHMYLANTUSIMSOEXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then I decided to "pop in" to Anthropologie. Right. Pop in. Ha. I don't shop at Anthro for their clothes. Not quite my style, though cute. I shop for their kitchen stuff, sometimes home stuff, and random books/literature/note pads/writing stuff. I honed in on this cup and plate (pictured left) when I walked and I ended up walking up with that plate because I have an obsession with nautical stuff and therefore I had to have it. I also loved these little ceramic sailboats (pictured right), but what would I really do with them? Eh. Not worth $24. But still cute. 

LOVED this tape dispenser.  

And my eyes popped out of my head a little when I saw these AH-dorable sticky notes. And hello! There were 480 in there! But I told myself I have enough stationary/sticky notes (For now. But that's a lie. It was a tactic to talk myself out of them and it worked...this time). 

 Then I got home and the top I had ordered for my new bathing suit had arrived!!! My new suit is ready! Now, woman to woman--or hey if you're a man, woman to man but let's face it, what I am about to tell you is probably more exciting and understood by a woman--I had to order a smaller size in my bathing suit bottom. Yeah. I almost died with happiness. You know that feeling right? Oh yes. AMAZING. 

Now. May I please just tell you how much I adore my brothers. I can't even tell you. There are no words except to say I am the luckiest sister ever. I love and adore and admire these fine men. They are some of the best friends I will ever have. 

Heath (on the left) graduated from Brigham Young University the end of April in Electrical Engineering (WAHOO!!!!!), was accepted to the University of New Hampshire's law program, and got a scholarship. I am SO freakin' proud. And I get to see him and his fabulous wife in a month. We're going to have some serious sibling time. I CANNOT wait. 

Dane (on the right) is rockin' and rollin' as a missionary for our church--The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is doing very well and I am SO proud of him. You can read about his experiences and adventures here.  

Finally, OneRepublic came out with a new album in March and friends, it is AAAMAZING. I LOVE IT. Michael Buble also came out with a new album in April, but, to be honest, I like OneRepublic's better, at least right now. And I found a really cool recipe for homemade rosemary soft pretzels. I think I'll give 'em a try tonight. And I thumbed through a macaroon recipe book at Barnes and Noble today (and used my iPhone to snap some of the recipes; does that make me a bad person? I did't want the whole book!), and I think I might try to make some macaroons tonight, or tomorrow. Hmm...baking and listening to OneRepublic? Yup that sounds like a swell evening to me!