Things To Look At

Well, I am aware that I have been m.i.a. in the blogging world lately. Sorry 'bout that folks. Sometimes I get so busy in real life that by the time i sit down to blog, all my thoughts have left me, and i don't really know what to talk about anymore. You know what i mean? Anyone? (you're lying if you say no)

Anyway, it seems like I always get on here on Friday and do fill in the blanks with Lauren, but today its all about TV, and really, I wouldn't have much to say...since i basically hate TV and think its a big giant waste of time and most of it makes me sad for our world. Call me out of touch. R.I.P. Lost. :-( So, since its Friday, and I won't be filling in blanks, I will just leave you with some lovely things I enjoyed seeing in Blogland throughout the week.

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Becca's sweet family shoot at life at 1521
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a DIY s'mores bar at Dandelion and Grey

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A french country wedding at Design*Sponge

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creating my own version of these

Goat.Cheese.Stuffed.Turkey.Burger.with.Homemade.Roasted.Red.Pepper.Longest.Name.for.a Burger.Ever.Burger...Burger.

its friday, ok? I'm allowed to be a little off my rocker.

I hope my weekend is as yummy on my eyes and my tummy as the week has been. Seriously, you need to make those burgers. So good. I didn't use the pepper relish, i just roasted some peppers and slapped them on there. easier. thats what I'm all about.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

a long friday.

Its been a long week! A few things that are getting me through my twelve hour Friday work day...

cousins.

dreaming of this vacation.

my oregon print.

i ♥ my state.

yes, even now.

wishing for this dining spot.

an art project.

my mantle with a little inspiration.

my birthday present.

(which i will don again when the flood in my backyard dries up)

Annnd THIS video. which i'm sure is old news by now, but i just love it!


well, only elevn hours to go until an 80 degree weekend!

enjoy your Fridays!

year #2: Cotton

In honor of our 2 year anniversary coming up on Monday...

Cotton.

in a cup

in style

on my feet

in a frosty field

sleepy time cotton

in the sky

on my taste buds

not sure if we will go traditional this year on the anniversary gifts. Pretty versatile though...maybe i'll come up with something fun.

Any good ideas?

( ♥ all images from weheartit ♥ )

Dos (2) things I love Around My Home

Happy Tuesday!

Today is already off to a better start than yesterday for three reasons:


1: I got to sleep in until 6:15 :-)


2: Tonight is the final season premeire of...

dun dun dun...LOST.

any lost fans out there?

3: Today is Tuesday, and that means I get to share

Two Things I Love Around My Home.

Thanks to the lovely Kassi at Bacwoods Fern. Share what things around your home are making you happy today, and link up here!

K, here goes.

The first thing I love today is this spice rack that we registered for when we got married. Its Martha Stewart and I am in love with it. I always loved the spice tins, but this one has the tins with cute little antique looking labels and a sweet little wooden frame. Also it has some spices that wouldn't normally come in a standard set, like ground fennel and tamarind. In all the last places I have lived we have had a kitchen peek-a-boo window where they would sit. Our current place does not, so I was a little sad, but I still have them proudly displayed on the counter where you can even see them from the living room. I looooove.

mmmmm.

And secondly, I am loving my (free) dresser. Yes, I said free. I told Kassi I would post about this one, because she got one for her daughter's room that is very similar...also a steal.

see it here. This we got from our church when we first got married. I don't know why they had it or what they were using it for, but they changed their minds and were getting rid of it. So here it sits, in our bedroom, full of love and socks and pajamas. Our bedside tables match it (we also got those for free, by the way). I would include them in the picture but then you would see the 4-5 half full glasses of water that are cluttering my side of the bed. Did I tell you i'm kinda messy sometimes?

Anyhoo, I love this. And if you look closely in the mirror you can see our lampshade from Ikea that we flipped upside down and turned into a pennant lamp. Just a side note.

That is what I love today, along with many other things! Maybe I should do a two things I love around the office post...but that would probably be waaaaay harder. :-) Right?

Take a picture. it lasts longer.

Meet Tyler Gould...

eye candy.

Today I am going to share some amazing photos from my friend Tyler Gould.

Tyler did our wedding and engagement and he is super fun and talented. His shots are so beautiful and I love how he sets up and captures these epic scenes. Here are some favorites. Definitely check out his site and see for yourself. To top it off, he's a stellar guy! An hour with his camera in your face and you'll have a new best friend.

Check out his full website here.

Forest Animals

Why?

Well, they're cute.

That's really all.

(see)

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(see)

Enjoy the little babies of the forest.

(or whatever else makes you giggle today.)

I love branches?

Free and Easy.

Its winter time in Oregon and lots of people are pulling their hair out, flying to sunny places, counting down the days until summer, and bombarding the social networks with their longings for 80 degree weather.

Me on the other hand, I find Oregon in ALL its seasons to be lovely. I adore the season changes and think there is something nice about all of them. Right now, I am loving the free decor I am finding laying all over the sidewalks and backyard from the windstorms. Branches. Lots of free, twiggy bare branches. I take full advantage of them in my house during this season. Overkill? maybe! But oh well! I think generally people like to use flowers to brighten up the winter gray in their house, but i kinda loooove it! So why not embrace it?

*baby twiggies*

*branches on the mantle*

(on top of Gone With The Wind, which makes them better, I think)


*sharing his home*


*serving a purpose*


*hangin' from the ceiling*


*Just taking up space*

Do you like to bring nature from all the seasons inside?

Does winter make you sad
or do you appreciate it?

copy cat

I'm a copy cat and I'm ok with that. Well, not always, just in this instance. And some others. Its ok, I know the person I'm copying won't care :-) I am stealing this idea from Lauren over at *the little things we do*. Two things I love around my house. Its hard to pick!

#1: pointless bookshelf.

Pointless because, as you can see, all the book spines are turned in, making it impossible to tell what the books are. Silly. I know. BUT, they look so nice and neutral and so aesthetically pleasing. Ben's reaction when he came home and saw my shelf rearranging went something like this:

Ben:"what the heck, why on earth? That's so weird."

Amanda: "but its cute, they all match"

Ben: "ok? whatever you say?"

Amanda: "thank you"

Well, I like it. Nobody has commented on it so far, maybe people think its weird and don't want to say anything? The only person who has said anything about it is my dad. he thinks its stupid. but he still loves me. When we painted out living room i took pictures of it so I could remember exactly how to put it back on there when i put the books back up, and he teased me relentlessly. I heart him.

# 2: ancient cookbook

This cookbook is from my mom. She picked it up at an antique store somewhere and passed it on to me because it matches my kitchen. There have been several re-printings of this one. But mine is special. It has all sorts of notes from the previous owner, additions, even little clippings cut out and taped in of other recipes that she loved. Its cute, and it does match my kitchen, and its super useful. Everything from perfect chicken pot pie to how to properly melt butter. Thanks Betty and unknown previous owner of this book :-)

I really love a lot of things around my home, but mostly that its my home and the fact that I have one.

I Went Pretend Shopping

Its ok to pretend sometimes...

Today I pretended that in America instead of using money, we could barter with mismatched socks and partially chewed up dog toys (which is what i have a surpluss of in my house), and i went pretend shopping at my most favorite of all stores, anthropologie. I put all these things in my pretend shopping basket and then right before checking out, i emptied it looked in my real wallet and discovered that I sill had all my real money, and that i felt just as fulfilled and satisfied with my dreamy treasures.

*all pictures from (anthropologie.com)*

I bought this:

this:

this:


oooo, and this:

then, i bought this:

this here:

this too:

I needed a bed:

and I LOVED this:

this:

and then I had to get this too:

I heart pretending.

Where's your favorite place to shop?