Haaaappy New Year!

Source: etsy.com via Erin on Pinterest

Catching up on some blog reading and thinking of things that seem really important to me right now for the new year.  Must write them down immediately so I can laugh at myself next year...

*For crying out loud...wear more lipstick please.  Every day you look at that plain face and intend to put lipstick on.  Work on follow through... (you have two lovely shades of red rolling around at the bottom of your purse you know)

*Quit pinning and start doing.  You even pinned a poster that said just that.  DO it.

*If you ever make it on House Hunters....do not ad lib.  Later you will want to smack yourself in the face, stick to the script

*Find shoes that you can wear with socks for work.  You figured out that you lose more heat from your feet than your head, now stop buying flats you idiot!

*Get more pedicures/manicures...and for goodness sake, brush your hair more than once a day.

*Figure out where those lines around your eyes keep coming from...stop smiling because they're showing up around your mouth too...

*Buy a proper laundry basket...piles hide spiders

*Don't feel sorry for that daddy long legs in the corner.  You give them a pass once and they procreate all over your house. 

*You must garden in the rain, or you will never find time to garden.  And plant some veggies this year lazy. 

*Roadtrip and go camping.

*Buy some bright colored pumps and skinny jeans and wear them.  Don't give me that look, black is wonderful but you've reached your limit.

*New running shoes too...you needed them 10 years ago.

*Return your Netflix and use your Groupons.  They are winning and you are not.

*Shop local

*Paint that back step, it is hideous and you can't ignore it any longer.  Same with your bedroom...don't listen to Bryan, you're not moving any time soon.


Any fun plans for Saturday night?  This could be the last one if the Mayans are right ;)  Have a wonderful, safe and fun long weekend.  Happy New Year!   XOXO

Those aren't resolutions, be back next week to share...

House guest

We have a house guest this week.  Her name is Bella and she likes to sleep under the Christmas tree.  She is an attention hog just like our dogs and Charlie is insanely jealous whenever I ask her if she wants kisses.  Yesterday he was sitting on the other side of the laptop from me and when I gave Bella a little love Charlie jumped over the laptop into my lap. 

Bella look at the camera

I'm done

Bryan spends his time getting her howl.  It's very confusing to our dogs

(sorry Alecia ;)

Here comes trouble...

Chuck Norris....

Last weekend we got effectively schnockered with friends, in which Bryan can not remember a thing.  Lucky for me I was chasing wine with water and I do....mostly.  I gave him a pass because he is light years behind the rest of us in embarrassing nights "like that".

The next morning he asked me a lot of questions...

Bryan:  Did I deliver any Chuck Norris quotes last night?

Me:  Uh no, thank God....why?

Bryan:  Shoot!  All night I was trying to work in "a giraffe was just a horse until Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked it in the neck"

Me:..... yea, guess there was never a good break in the convo for that one

Okay then...back to work!

Well, it's all over...back to work!  Unless you're lucky enough to have this whole week off, color me jealous. 

We had a wonderful, low key Christmas this year.  Low key in that we had two less places to run off to and you know what?  I sort of missed the chaos.  I am one of those cram it all in sort of people because why the neck not?  It's only two days a year and we can handle it.  But alas, traditions are changing with age and I should probably learn to accept it rather than fight it.

Although I really did miss the lack of yorkshire pudding...

Christmas Eve we hung with Bryan's family, clam dip (which is basically a guest on its own) and orange cranberry vodka tonics.  Then we went home and watched A Christmas Story...and ate more clam dip!!

Bryan and Jim, and Kathy's gingerbread cake

One of those new traditions I will now refuse to let go...

See? Embracing!

 

Christmas morning I enjoyed a PW Cinnamon Roll my SIL made

and finally started reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I read all day Monday too...never got dressed,

and wished I had more cinnamon rolls ;)

Then we went to Bryan's Dad's for seafood and presents!

We had mulled wine, crab and steamers

Sufficiently stuffed and spoiled before taking off

for dinner at my parents

(undid one button on my pants right about here...)

 

Guess who's back in town!

My Grandmaman...don't you know her by now?

 

 

Opening the last of the gifts

Jackson couldn't decide what to play with

Ava finally gives her Uncle Bryan the time of day...and likewise



Snuggling her new baby



Great, Grand and Parents and their Grandchildren

How was your Christmas?

 

Silent night (blog)

Hello there!  Sorry for the lack of posting this week (yep it is only Tuesday)  but I think I'm going to call it quits for this week.  I haven't recovered from the septic saga, and I managed to jam pack my week with very selfish things like 6am yoga and dinner with friends.  Feeling lucky to have Bryan to take care of the snow bunnies.  Not to mention I promised myself I would have everything wrapped before the 23rd...and well I haven't wrapped a thing yet!

I hope you have a fantastic week and holiday weekend.  I'll see you next week!

Merry Christmas!

a very shitty weekend

Whelp, we had the weekend from hell...how was yours? ;) 

It started out with the toilet not flushing correctly and evolved into a getting our septic pumped, our lines augured, then crossing our fingers we wouldn't have to have our drain field replaced.  That's exactly what happened to our neighbor who then couldn't pay the contractor and had to foreclose.  Luckily I live with a handy man and he was able to troubleshoot the strangest things and figure out that our problem was electrical.  Whoo hoo!  I had to man the electrical panel flipping the breakers on and off on command.  It felt much like Christmas Vacation when they're trying to get the Christmas lights to work, only with a less exciting outcome.  I still did sing Hallelujah the first 5 times...

We still had to dish out some cash, but not as much as we feared.  Thank God for Christmas bonuses...even if that's not what I had planned for it.

We were without a toilet for Friday and Saturday, then we bought a new toilet (kinda exciting), but the lid was missing parts...so we had a toilet but no lid, which is very confusing in the middle of the night. 

Bryan was in such a lovely mood dealing with all this shit (that's what the house smelled like), I got out on Saturday to do some Christmas shopping...and I lost my cell phone.  I never found it, but on the bright side it was giving me "no sim card" errors the day before and not working so I might have had to replace it anyhow. 

I went to a family cookie exchange on Saturday but skipped out on photos because I was in a foul mood.  I made a batch of gluten free samoas that failed and had to be thrown away.  Then I had to bake my gluten free ginger molasses cookies at my neighbors because I couldn't run the water at my house. 

Merry Christmas to us...a new toilet, empty septic tank and a cell phone.  I feel truly blessed...no really ;)

Christmas 1983

Happy Friday!  I am so happy to see it...even if today is going to be a long one.  You guys were so excited by my Dad's flowing Jesus locks last week that I thought I'd share a little video from our Christmas collection...in 1983.  If this isn't vintage I don't know what it is. 

By the way...are you surprised at all that I am stuffing my face with candy canes?

If there were a Santa

I remember when Northface fleeces became popular.  Bryan and I had been dating for a year and he bought me one for our anniversary.  We had matching black ones ;)  Nerd alert!  We picked it up from Nordstrom and headed down to the beach, where I was pooped on by a seagull.  Christened if you will.  I've had that fleece for 9 years now and Bryan has had his for much much longer.

If Santa were doling out gifts at our house this year...Bryan would be getting one of these.  They have hoods...finally!

Really it's just the colorful embroidery that reeled me in

What are you getting your partner??

The tree

Bryan finally committed to a tree and it is lovely...I think.  One of the best ones we've ever had!  When we talked about getting a tree this year he said "do we even have lights for one?"  Uh, yes...what do you think I've been decorating with for the past 6 years?  This year however the top strand stops working occasionally.  Sort of like those blinking tree lights but in half hour intervals.

We don't have an angel either...we have a peacock!

Next house I'm picking based on where the Christmas tree will go...hindsight!

Can you believe we're almost a week away from Christmas?

I'm not even close to being done with my shopping.  How about you?

Through the eyes of a cashier

This weekend we had a rowdy Saturday night...grocery shopping.  Then we swung by Home Depot to get some insulation for our pipes and a quick stop by Fred Meyer for ceaser salad dressing, because Bryan is a ceasar salad dressing snob.

When we got to Fred Meyer he remembered he forgot to buy a hatchet at the hardware store...

Me:  I'm sure they have one here, why don't you go look

Bryan:  Okay

Me:  I'm going to see if they have any Captain America underwear for Jackson

Bryan:  Yea that won't look bad...let's buy little boys underwear and a hatchet!

The boots wit da fur

Saturday we had a little girl's day and hit the 2nd Saturdayz Flea Market with my Sister, Mom and Ava.  First stop, Flying Apron for gluten free goodies, coffee and girl talk.  Well baby talk really...

Pumpkin muffin

Ginger molasses and lots of baby love

Apricot shortbread

Shorty had those cheetah print fleece, boots wit da fuuuurrrr

Look what I bought Mom!

What did you do this weekend?

The reason for the season

I was looking for some great ghosts of Christmas past to share with you today, but really Jesus is the reason for the season right?

Or my Dad, circa "blast from the past"

Jesus or Sons of Anarchy?

Want: color block coat

Thanks for your support in banning Santa hats for non mall employees.  Did you sign my petition?  I should start one ;)

In other festive news, I am currently coveting this adorable coat from Old Navy.  It's on sale...but it's still $65!  That's crazy.  It's cute though right?  I want it.

{Old Navy}

Santa hat rant

I haven't told you guys yet, but I'm making use of my neighbors 30 day unlimited bikram yoga Groupon she passed on to me.  I'm going 5 days a week at 6am before work..I've made it a week and  half so far!  Feeling pretty confident I can make it to December 28th.

Anyway, the past few mornings I have seen a woman heading to the studio wearing a Santa hat.  The first time I just thought it was a random thing...like she found it in her car or something.  Every day now I see her...in her Santa hat.  I don't like it.  For some reason it makes me angry.  Maybe because in College there were far too many sexy Santas at the sororities, or that year I really hated my job and they wanted us to wear Santa hats to deliver gifts (we refused...).  I don't know what it is that I dislike so much, but I feel strongly Santa hats are not for every day wear.  I'm tempted to leave a hat on her car so she stops wearing that thing!

I think I'm dehydrated...

Catalina vs. Rolo

Our neighbors got a puppy for Christmas. A beagle named Rolo. I've warned you guys about this...a long long time ago, remember? He is adorable though, and the cat is pretty happy to have someone to play with too.

I apologize for the obnoxious music....it was either that or our squeals of delight.  This is better, I promise.

Finding a Christmas tree is serious business

This weekend we went to a Christmas Tree farm with Lauren and Josh.  Of course Bryan had watched Earth 2100 before we left so I was feeling guilty about cutting down a tree (yes I know it's from a farm and they replant).  I may have even practiced seeing how quiet the dogs and I could walk through the woods to see if we would be able to travel by foot without looters and gangs noticing us.  Looks like if it comes to that we might have to eat the dogs.  They are not quiet at all!

Anyway, we went searching for our Christmas tree at a sustainable tree farm in Carnation ;)

If I had to have a farm...I think a tree farm would be it.

There was no tree poop to be scooped and you can leave the trees while you go on vacation.

 

Checking out the legs

These parents were genius...make them carry their own damn tree!

 

Bryan contemplating children for this reason.

 

Lots of trees bundled and ready to live a short life in captivity.

 

Lauren and Josh's tree

 

We marveled at all the plaid and then went to find a cookies and coffee.

 

Oh look, I wore plaid too ;)

We didn't find a tree.  Bryan didn't want to commit until we found one we really liked.

So we went Sunday to another farm where we killed a nice one.

What did you do this weekend?

 

I want to be a cheerleader

19 years later I would be.  Well dance team, but we still got poms.  I wonder if my Sister knew when she was singing "go banana" over and over and over...  so young and impressionable those babies.  I wonder if they knew my head would stop growing that year too ;)

I like to look back at moments in my life and think "oh, that's why that happened", because I swear there is a traceable path.  Like why you met a certain person, or took a certain job.  So strange.  Do you notice patterns like that?  Or do I just over think everything?

Obnoxiousness that is my life..

There are certain words you know you can't use around your dog...or this will happen.  Our words include: walk, hike, beach, grandma and grandpa, treat, cookie, bird, cat.  Issy has quite the vocabulary.  Words she pays no attention to include: sit, stay, no, come, stop...