hot chocolate, tacos, magazines, and cribs

We have been havin' ourselves a lot of fun lately! This last weekend we went all over Portland looking for a dresser for Evy's little room, with no luck. We won't give up though! We saw a couple things we really like, so that's a start. We also found some cute fabric for a crib skirt and maybe a couple pillows, so we'll go back in few weeks with a pattern so we know how much to get. When I say "we", I really mean "I", because I don't think Ben really loved the fabric store. That's kind of a girl thing :-)

♥

My cute husband treated me like a million bucks this weekend. I ended up being really sick on Sunday, so I got a sweet surprise...breakfast in bed! ♥ I forgot to take a picture because I was so hungry, but I will say he even put a little flower on my tray! Then he touched up the paint in the baby room, and even vacuumed it and totally cleaned it out.

See, cute guy.

We made our way out to Ikea since we were disappointed by not finding anything on Saturday, so we bought Evy's crib! Look at this handy man.

Ta Da!!! Our little blueberry will sleep in here. I can't believe it.

There is no purpose of this picture. I just think its funny.

♥

We have been trying to find fun things to do to get out of the house without spending a ton of money or going out to eat, since we're trying to save as much as we can. One of the things we have found that is so fun is going to Borders, grabbing stacks of books and magazines, and reading while sipping on something yummy. My sipping is usually a little yummier than his (this is obviously mine). Look closely and you'll see he is reading some crazy books about stocks and mutual funds, and I am reading a pregnancy book, Making Magazine, and Whole Living.

Another fun thing...taco night. Always a favorite. Just look how happy it makes this guy...


The spread.
We usually don't go with crunchy, but we loved it this time. Pretty classic. Adding a little bit of super food to them...black beans, plain Greek yogurt, and of course avocado.



muy bueno.
Enjoy Evy girl!


Being married is the best. I can honestly say I have so much fun with Ben, I would rather be with him than anyone else in the world!

A Couple Weekend Happenings

Just a couple pictures from my favorite happenings last weekend.

It was filled with the cutest niece alive, sunshine all day Saturday, antiquing, tiny baby slippers, biscuits and gravy, and lots and lots of washing and folding towels. There aren't very many pictures because once again, I forgot to document the fun because because I was too busy enjoying it!

Avery hiding under the table.

Yes, I am huuuuuuge! ♥

We found these adorable little booties at an antique store and snatched them up.

I can't wait to put them on Evelyn's little feet!

Can every day please be the weekend?

Cowgirls and boys

Its already Wednesday!!!! That is an amazing fact that I just had to share, and also the fact that I have not posted anything since last Friday. woops. Well, Friday night for TJ's Birthday we had ourselves a gigantic homemade southern dinner of the following:

fried chicken.

mashed potatoes.

corn bread.

watermelon.

baked beans.

sweet tea.

cupcakes.

Then I got to go pick Ben up from the airport after his week-long trip to AZ for work. I missed him!!! I had such a full tummy when I went to pick him up I thought I might fall asleep on the way to the airport...I even made him drive home. :-) (for safety, of course).

Saturday we headed to the beach for some AMAZING weather which we were not experiencing at home. There was not a cloud in the sky and we caught the most amazing sunset after some pizza and arcade games...yes we are awesome, and ten-year-olds. (i have no pictures because i was having too much fun to take any. sorry. use your imagination, kids.

Sunday, for the 4th we put on our boots and bandannas and went to the St Paul Rodeo! I have been to some Rodeos before, but boy did we stick out like a sore thumb at this one! HA! I was informed multiple times my "boots were outside my jeans", and that I "can't ride a horse with my boots like that", and that my "boots have silver trim on them".

Thank you.

cheese.

hipster rodeo?

cowboys.

"please do not take photos with our hats"

uhhh.

seester

(the iPhone takes way better pictures, huh?)

We caught the fireworks from the parking lot right over this HUGE wheat field...we were so close I thought debris would fall on my head.

Oh, and I ate a corn dog, which was the highlight of my night obviously.

Looking forward to a HOT rest of the week and a beautiful weekend!

Have a fantastical Wednesday.

joy. ful.

What a joyful weekend!

This weekend was pretty incredible! Absolutely beautfil weather in Portland.

cough cough...finally...cough cough

We had tons of fun in the sunshine. It was a weekend of celebrating..Ben passed his series 7 exam on Friday so now he is one step closer to being licensed to sell securities! I'm married to a stock broker...weird! So proud of him, he got a 90% and its one of the hardest tests you can take. YAY HUSBAND! We went out to dinner with our families on Friday night to celebrate Ben's test and my daddy's big fat raise! ...and I almost passed out at the table because I was so tired from the week.

Anyway, on Saturday we got up and did one of our favorite things to do on Saturday mornings...Went for a drive out in the country and looked at old houses and dreamed of buying them and fixing them up and putting babies and dogs and cute furniture in them.

♥

(told you I would wear these this weekend)

We stopped at the cutest little place called SouthStore. A little cafe in an old house on the way to Newberg. I got an iced americano and a quiche. Ben got a turkey bacon and brie sandwhich (yum) and an iced tea. We sat out on the porch with Tangle who gets super tired in the sun. Its great. (and i got a new hat which is also great)

We went to champoeg park and laid out in a clearing with Tangle

(on the Pocahontas blanket, stylin').

We finished off the night with our friends Jeremy and Katy. Had (gigantic) burgers and watched The Departed. Not good. Well, good, but so much ridiculous language.

♥ ♥ ♥

Sunday morning it was beautiful again, and Ben went to play tennis with his bro, so I went for a run and to the gym, and came home and made the most delicious oatmeal with fresh fruities, yogurt, honey and cinnamon. I cheated on my iced coffee and made it with Starbucks Via.

Not bad actually!

laid out in the hammock and read for a little while...




Then went to Allison's pool and met up with Stephen & Rachel and baby Avery. Her first pool experience. It was pretty stinkin precious. She loved it! Ben loved it too. I think he needs one.
(a baby, not a pool)


Said farewell for now to my dear sweet little friend Laura. She is moving to Eugene and I will miss her sweet face! I love you Laura!


An amazing weekend! I am super blessed :-)

PS...its supposed to be sunny for the next 7 days. Praise Jesus!

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!

.Happy Monday.

This weekend went by too fast! I thoroughly enjoyed the infrequent bursts of sunshine though! We got a chance to do our most favorite of things...BBQ. Ben's birthday was a couple weeks ago, and the family surprised him with a tiny little party and big fat new grill.

a little birthday banner

made out of a $.25 book
and some twine from the $1.00 bin at target

a proud man and his grill
(complete with bottle opener).

and a happy, muddy puppy.

Hopefull the sun sticks or around (or should i say, comes back) so Ben can try all his fancy-schmancy recipes on tips from his "BBQ Bible".

Got any good grilling tips or recipes to share?

Love love love love today

I love today.

(toasty)

I am a happy girl. I am sitting on my couch with a cup of coffee, Ben is taking Tangle puppy to daycare (yessss), i have a new vacuum, there are daffodils on my kitchen table, i have four new springy items in my closet (OK lets be honest, they haven't made it to my closet yet, they truthfully still hanging over my dresser mirror so i can admire them), i have grainy, seed-filled, spelty, flourless delicious toast in my belly, and I have some marvelous things on my agenda today:

**not necessarily in this order**

1: rid my floors, dresser-tops, guest room chairs, and all other non-laundry-holding-intended items of unwanted laundry. Yes, i will be folding and hanging and sorting and singing in my pj's whilst doing so.

2: Home Depot trip for the following items:

♥ cabinet latches to prevent puppy intrusion under the sink where the garbage can is.
♥ one large can of chalkboard paint for the wall behind my kitchen table...which now is green and holds a much smaller chalkboard from ikea which never has enough room for all the things i need to remember in a day.
♥ one light switch cover, hanging lamp cord kit, and a wire basket for a little homemade lamp action (we'll see how that turns out...we all know i am bad at following directions).

3: A special anniversary drive in the country with miss Annalore.

(drive)

4: Coconut macadamia nut crusted Mahi mahi. delish.

5: A life-changing (not really), way too hard work out with Jillian Michaels, who I am growing to hate more and more. check it out here. prepare to have leg tremors.

Happy Saturday to y'all!

"M" is for Monday...and Monogram

This past weekend I went to my friends Katie and Dan's wedding. I met Katie at OSU and loved her instantly, you can't possibly NOT love her instantly. Anyway, she is super creative and spunky and unique in every way. Needless to say I was excited to see what was in store for her wedding. Besides the fact that she is naturally creative, she has spent some time working at anthropologie and now is a product assistant at Keen Footwear...so I knew we would be in store for some cuteness.

D is for Dan

can you tell she

worked at anthropologie?

stinkin' cute

and look what we got them!

what a coinkydink!

cute little lacy wrap action

by yours truly

Other than one of the most adorable weddings I've been to in a while, the weekend was full of reuniting with old friends, lots and lots of deep house cleaning (i mean scrubbing bathroom floors and ceilings with a toothbrush), a little sunshine, a cute date, homemade BBQ chicken pizza, and self-serve frozen yogurt adventures with family.

Now its back to the grind. Trying out four ten-hour days this week so i can have a day off by myself in the middle of the week to get things done around the house. We'll see if i make it through! It's spirit week at the retirement home where I work and today is slipper day...so i am feelin' cozy and warm today. Should make it a little easier :-)

Happy Monday,

enjoy whatever you're doing,

wherever you are!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥