you guys sure write a lot.

(image from here, comic from the always awesome toothpaste for dinner)


So I got a surprise day off yesterday.

The power was out at the college I work at for most of the weekend and school was cancelled on Monday for 'non essentials' (which means me, which I don't exactly like being referred to but that's another topic for another day). The rest of the week may be a little nuts since the freshman are here, the upperclassmen are back, classes start and general insanity ensues for a couple weeks. Then it is the lull before students start being reported to our office for not attending class, not doing assignments, etc.

Anyways, I am way off topic. My day off, that is what I meant to write about here. So I decided that I wanted to spend it either sewing or catching up on blogs (I spent the hurricane with power, so I played on pinterest and did some sewing). I ended up playing on the internet, I even wrote a couple posts for my blog which I've neglected all summer. I did tear myself away from my reader and facebook long enough to get to catch up on some of your blogs though.

In conclusion: you guys write a lot. I'm impressed. Also, I'm atleast 2 months behind on commenting. I am now up to date on a couple of you and will hopefully finish the rest this week.

Feel free to skip posting a couple days to help me out*



*I kid, I kid. I really love your posts!

crunchy cakes + shopping trips

(image from here)

Confession: I have a been a little nervous recently.

Now don't get me wrong, I am so so very excited. But after having a miscarriage, I am constantly anxious I will have another. Or that something will go wrong. I know I am doing everything I should: no alcohol, no caffeine, no soft cheeses, taking vitamins, trying to avoid scary websites. I am even pretty excited that I feel nauseous because I know that is a good sign. And now that I am over 13 weeks, I am slowly letting myself get more and more excited about the fact that we will have a son or daughter in March. While I have been bookmarking little items I love for a while, I recently started looking at all the 'stuff' in stores. Me and my mother even made a trip to IKEA and I swooned over all their adorable items. I am partial to the greens, rather than pinks or blues, and IKEA has some great designs for any gender. I didn't end up buying anything, just browsing, but my mom did buy a package of the frozen princess cakes for us to eat. She suggested we break them open in the car.

My mom: 'Hey! This is still crunchy! They should really think twice before freezing these!'
Me: 'I think they assume most people can make it home before breaking into their princess cakes'

It was totally worth it though. I am really glad I had napkins in my car too since my fingers were covered in lime green marzipan.

being nice.

(image from here)

Last night we went out to eat at Chipotle (side note: can't do beans (I tried) but I think they might think I'm gross if I order a burrito with only sour cream, lettuce, guac + cheese in it). When we pulled into the shopping plaza, we saw the guy who usually rings us up there, trying to cross. I turned to Ryan and said 'hey, there's our friend!' we stopped and the other line of traffic kept going, going, going. Eventually someone stopped for him going the other way, he waved to us and crossed. After we ordered our food, he refused to charge us, gave us an extra bag of chips and thanked us for letting him cross.


it's nice to be nice and even nicer when it results in free burritos*



*and a chocolate milk!

heroes & dog shows

I was actually going to post about the baby but then I was distracted by two things:

1. deputy butterbean
2. the purina dog show

#1 is a show about a pro wrestler or boxer or fighter of some kind who goes back to his home town to become a deputy. yes that's right, deputy butterbean. they are currently trying to set up a drug suspect. I love that his fellow deputies call him 'bean'.

#2 my husband just said to me 'I hate dog shows but I love you' kissed me and went into the room to read. I don't blame him. I think dog shows are a blast but can see why people don't love them as much as me. my personal favorite category is the toy category because it contains the most ridiculous breeds like this:


(pomeranian from here)

or this:

(maltese from here)

but nothing compares to the sheer insanity which is a show pekingese. please watch this video to truly appreciate it. the best part is the first minute or so. also, the soundtrack is key here. this dog truly is a hero.

a very sweet day

(found on pinterest*)

While on vacation last week, I had the pleasure of hanging out with a dear friend of mine and her now three year old son. We went to Dairy Queen. We got blizzards (chocolate xtreme and french silk pie if you're wondering) and her son got an artic rush (cherry?). In between our ice cream melting all over us (it was a very hot day) and her son taking sips of his sweet drink and running running running, she sat him down to whisper a secret to him.

"Guess what?"
"What???"
"Lisa is going to have a baby. There is a baby in there!" (she said pointing to my belly)
"Oooh! There's a baby in there with the ice cream!? The baby is eating the ice cream?!"

Then he agreed he would play with the baby, drank more artic rush and continued running laps.

So yes, there is a baby in there with the ice cream.

And yes, Meghan, your kind words and well wishes were very helpful. Thank you.



* I know this is not dairy queen-esque ice cream. However it is pretty.
** Please forgive me for being so very behind on commenting on your blogs. I am hoping to be back soon now that I feel less like vomiting every moment of the day.

3-2

My better half turns 32 today.

I spent the morning looking at photos; of the two of us, of him in high school, of him as a baby. Seriously, look at this guy! I can't get enough.

So happy birthday, Ryan. Me and the cats love you to pieces.

1 year? for realz?*

*yes for realz.

(I guess that's a good sign because it flew by since we are having so much fun. Also, the lack of fabric flower garlands I have made lately should have been a tipper too.)

Ryan, thanks for being such an awesome husband and for loving, me even when I am completely ridiculous and trying. I adore you so much and cannot wait to see what the next years have in store for us!


(by the lovely Kate Rose)

...and a happy anniversary one day late to Angie + Josh too!

by product meal, a dilemma

(snoozers, at the old apt.)

So I'm thinking about changing the type of cat food I buy our cats. Woah, I know right? Can you even prepare yourself for the awesomeness of this post??? In all seriousness, I am trying to make more of an effort to be more green and natural, switching out our toothpaste (Toms), my deodorant (also, Toms brand), cleaning products (Method). I have always tried to buy pretty healthy foods for us and love shopping at Trader Joes and buying an item or two at Whole Foods. When I go to the bigger chains, I try to buy the cheapest organic or atleast more affordable healthiest options. So now I'm onto trying to buy better food for the furry members of our family. I was a total crazy person at Target the other day, reading the ingredient labels of all the cat foods and I don't know if it is just me but they all look the same? They all seemed to have by product meal as their first ingredient and that sounds like bad eats to me. I ended up buying a small bag of Purina One 'Indoor Advantage'. I don't know if I like the sound of it, with a name like that it seems like it will give my cats super strength and if we got into a fight, they would win.

What do you feed your animals? What do you recommend? And do I have to spend $30/bag to feel good about their food or am I just being silly?

Tinker, Beto and Pirate thank you for your feedback.

droppin' beets.

(found on pinterest, original from here)

The other day my good friend came over to get some vegetables from my garden. It is producing lots these days but too much for just me and Ryan. She took some squash, zucchini and some beets. I have never grown beets before so I was unsure when to pull them (like I am with all root vegetables). I googled it and learned that I can pull them as soon you can see 'the beets' shoulders'.

I thought that was just about the cutest thing I ever read.

If you're interested, I could see all their shoulders.

If you find yourself with some beets, here are some lovely recipes I've stumbled upon: here, here and here.