Life as a California Wife

Birthday Weekend Recap

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

Despite being slightly under the weather, CAhusband and I had a wonderful weekend celebrating my 26th birthday. I didn't really like the idea of my birthday being on a Sunday, so we kind of celebrated all weekend long!

Friday night CAhusband surprised me by bringing home some Sprinkles cupcakes from La Jolla! Ever since I found out they had a bakery there, I've been bugging him to bring me some home. My birthday weekend was the perfect time, YUM!

We had some amazing weather this weekend, so Saturday we went out to do some shopping, eating, and drinking! I was so happy to be able to wear one of my favorite spring tops, but still ended up being way too hot! I should have worn shorts and a tank!

We tried a new restaurant for lunch, did a little bit of shopping, and then ended up at our favorite Mexican place to grab one more drink before heading home!

We then spent the rest of the afternoon watching Hangover 2 (absolutely horrible movie) before heading back out to our favorite restaurant for a late dinner.

Sunday morning brought a major cough and a birthday girl that didn't feel so great. CAhusband got up right away and stocked the house with cough drops and cold medicine, and even brough me home some donuts! If that man has learned anything, it's that frosting and sprinkles are the way to my heart!

I didn't end up feeling so great all afternoon, so we watched Moneyball, which was fantastic. We both really loved it!

After the movie we went to a local Steakhouse with our friends for a fun birthday dinner. It was our friend Alan's birthday too, so it was fun to celebrate together.

Overall, I had a wonderful and relaxing birthday weekend, despite being somewhat sick once again!

CAhusband surprised me with the Coldplay tickets I wanted so badly, so we plan to pretend it's my birthday all over again when we go to the concert in May.

Odds and Ends

2012-01-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

My plans to blog a little more kind of fell through, huh? I think I'm struggling for blog material because this time of year is so blah! Anyway, here are some odds and ends that I've been meaning to share!

-I am on a huge Chobani kick these days! These are the perfect mid-morning snack at school, and lemon is my absolute favorite. I finally found the new blood orange flavor too, and can't wait to try it!

-I bought this Animal Print Ruched Dress from Loft last week during a 40% off promo, and it just came today. I love the pattern, and I think it will be perfect for church and dressier days at school this spring. I know I'll be tempted to order it in the cobalt too the next time Loft has a great promo!

-I am tutoring after school 3 days a week now. I absolutely love the extra money it brings in, but my goodness, that one extra hour at the end of a school day really takes it out of me. It is embarrassing how unproductive I am once I get home on tutoring days!

-I know the Colts had a horrendous season, which I've accepted. In turn I have been a pretty good sport about the rest of the season and have been pretty supportive of most teams... except the Patriots! The fact that the Patriots will play in the Super Bowl in Indianapolis kind of makes me sick to my stomach. We will definitely be rooting for the Giants next weekend!

-Melanie from Scout hosted a great Shopbop giveaway last week, and I won! I have never won a giveaway before, and hearing that I won a $100 gift card Monday morning totally got my day off to a great start! I instantly had plans to grab this fantastic Rebecca Pally dress, and after it was initially sold out in my size, I was shocked to see that it popped back in my size yesterday! I can't wait to wear this dress a ton this spring!

-Girl Scout cookies are on their way, and the mere thought of it scares me to death! The girl scouts at school are so darn good at selling these things, I think I bought over 15 boxes last year. I am powerless against Thin Mints and Tagalongs (which are actually Peanut Butter Patties here) and hate to see what they will do to my My Fitness Pal daily calorie totals.

-My birthday is just 4 days away, and you guessed it.... I'm getting sick! As of now it's just a minor cold, but I'm so scared it will turn into a full blown illness just in time for my birthday (making it the 3rd sick birthday in a row). Ugh, the joys of working with children!

Alright friends, I think that's it for now! I hope you're all having a great week!

My 26th Birthday Wishlist!

2012-01-18T19:12:00.000-08:00

My 26th birthday is less than 2 weeks away (11 days to be exact)!

Given how much I love to create a good wishlist, I just couldn't help but share what's on my list this year.

Spike the Punch Painted Necklace

I've been stalking this necklace in the perfect color combo for awhile now. I follow Elizabeth on Twitter so I can stay up-to-date on new releases, but no matter how quickly I try to snag one, they're already sold out. This is one birthday gift I'll likely buy myself as soon as there's one available!

Naked2 Palette by Urban Decay
I use my original Naked palette constantly, and this second palette has shades that looks even better.

Vogue Stripes Stationery from Minted
I've officially run out of my old stationery and it's time to get some more! I love this beautiful striped stationery from Minted. Isn't it just perfect?

Warmer Waters Bikini, Anthropologie
I fell in love with this bikini the second I saw it! I typically go for a solid suit, and I adore this beautiful shade of blue, and the fun cut of the top.

Clarisonic Mia
I have always had problematic skin, and after hearing wonderful things about the Clarisonic Mia for years, I'm determined to finally give it a try. I think it could make the world of a difference, and might even make me enjoy washing my face!!

Kate Spade Kindle Fire Case in Jubilee Stripe

I need a case for my new Kindle Fire, and I love this preppy Kate Spade version. Too cute!

Tickets to Coldplay at the Hollywood Bowl

I wanted to go to this concert the second it was announced, and am pleasantly surprised that the tickets on Stubhub aren't too crazy expensive. Coldplay will be in LA in May, and I'm really hoping to go! These tickets would make the perfect birthday gift! (CAhusband, this is your big hint!)

So there you have it, my 26th birthday wishlist! What's on your wishlist as we head into spring?

Golden Globes 2012

2012-01-16T07:14:00.000-08:00

Well, what can I say? I didn't intend to take nearly two weeks off of blogging, but these things just happen sometimes. I plan to be back with a little more regularity now, and there's no better excuse to start blogging again than some red-carpet fashion.

Last night we went to watch the Giants vs. Packers game with some friends, and I planned to be home right at the start of the Globes. We got home just at 5:30 which allowed me to watch most of the show boring acceptance speech free!

The Golden Globes are one of my favorites because they honor both TV and movies... 2 of my favorite things. Sadly, I watch or have seen nearly all of the TV shows that were nominated. I haven't done so well in the movie department this year, but plan to remedy all of that before the Oscars!

Here are some things I learned from the Golden Globes:

-I knew Homeland was an amazing show! It's 2 awards were extremely well deserved. If you haven't watched this, it's time you start!

-I absolutely must go see Descendants, and am going to remedy that on my day off today.

-My Week with Marilyn is the next flick on my must see list!

-I need to get season 1 of Downton Abbey on Netflix!

-NBC really wants us to watch Smash, and I'm completely falling for all of their ads. I can't wait for this show!

Now, here are my favorite fashions from last night:

Heidi Klum in Calvin Klein Collection

This perfectly simple nude dress with turqoise jewelry was perfection.

Salma Hayek in Gucci

Such a gorgeous dress. I love the beading on the top and the sparkle of the skirt.

Claire Danes in J. Mendel

This is black and white done in such a fun way. I love the back!

Jessica Alba in Gucci

I normally hate this color and it didn't do much for me on the carpet, but when she walked on stage to present her award I was blown away by how beautiful she looked in this dress.

Charlize Theron in Dior

I wasn't so sure about this at first, but I think I've decided I love it.

I think the hair and headband are what sold me on this look.

Paula Patton in Monique Lhullier

I'm not sure there's ever been a Monique Lhullier dress I don't love, and this

beautiful yellow looks amazing with Paula's skin tone and hair color.

Now, I have to say my biggest disappointment of the night has to go to Jessica Biel. I think she is such a gorgeous girl, and I was hoping she'd make a killer red carpet moment to really draw in the press after her recent engagement to JT. Sadly this was a huge misstep and I agree with the press, she looked like she borrowed her Grandma's wedding dress. Major fail.

Who were your favorites last night?

This January

2012-01-04T06:21:00.000-08:00

Aside from the fact that my birthday is this month, I kind of hate the month of January. It's just kind of a blah month for the most part, and it always seems like kind of a let down after the excitement of the holiday season.

We're having some gorgeous weather right now though, so I'm trying to find the fun in the month that lies ahead although things will be pretty low key around these parts.

This January I/we will...

Focus on getting my 2012 resolutions off to a good start! This year I an keeping it simple: exercise more, cook more, read more, save more!
Try not to get sick for my 26th birthday! If I'm sick this year, it will be my 3rd sick birthday in a row, and that's just not acceptable.
If I can come through on the previous goal, we hope to make some fun plans for my birthday on the 29th.
Go see Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I think this movie looks so good!
Plan our President's Day weekend getaway (we're thinking Scottsdale or LA, feel free to weigh in).
Enjoy a long weekend at home with CAhusband for MLK day.
Hit the half-point in the school year, and do a major happy dance!
Try my hardest to resist buying all of the darling new spring clothes I'm spying everywhere.
Try not to get sucked into too many of the new TV shows that are starting up.
Go to at least one new (to us) restaurant that's on our list.
Track my exercise and what I eat on my new My Fitness Pal app.

What are you up to this January?

2011 Year in Review

2011-12-31T10:01:00.000-08:00

2011 has been a pretty mellow year for us, with no huge changes. We've stayed in the same house, and although my job changed slightly, almost everything remained constant for us this year. We had some wonderful weekend getaways for fun and for weddings, we enjoyed a week in Michigan with CAhusband's family over the summer, and we enjoyed a lot of quiet time at home with our pups.

Here are some of my favorites from 2011...

Favorite Song of 2011: It just has to be Rolling in the Deep by Adele. I admit this song is as played out as can be, but it is truly a wonderful song that I will always love.

Favorite Movies of 2011: It's a tie between The Help, Crazy Stupid Love, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2. I enjoyed them all for different reasons, and will watch them each again and again.

Favorite TV Show of 2011: Parenthood and Homeland were definitely my all around favorites this year. I couldn't get enough of either of them, but could easily name 5 (or 10) more shows that I never miss.

Best Summer Project of 2011: This might not seem like a project, but watching the entire series of Friday Night Lights was by far one of my favorite things of the year. I loved this show!

Favorite Reality Show of 2011: I'm still big into all of my Bravo shows, but The Bachelor sucked me in this year like it never has before.

Biggest Accomplishment of 2011: The fact that I started exercising regularly again this year was huge for me. I joined the gym in February and have been going to spin, using the elliptical, and lifting weights regularly ever since. I'm so proud of myself for actually sticking with it, because I feel so much better.

Favorite Getaway of 2011: All of our getaways were wonderful this year! Our DC trip to visit Charlie and VABelle for the 4th of July was perfect. We always love time with them and it was wonderful to see their new house. We also had an amazing and relaxing week in Glen Arbor, MI with CAhusband's family this year and a fun trip to Louisville, KY for my sister's wedding in September.

Favorite Book of 2011: I loved so many of the books I read this year, but Bossypants by Tina Fey was definitely by favorite!

Saddest Moment of 2011: My parents moving to Virginia was definitely the hardest for me. I know it's for the best for them, and that we will likely end up closer to them someday, but I miss them a lot.
Best Purchase of 2011: This was the year I finally made the switch to an iPhone, and I'll never look back. I honestly don't know how I survived without it. Our iPad2 comes in a very close second though, I can't get enough of that thing!

Favorite Weekly Pastime of 2011: One of the highlights of each week is the Friday happy hour I have with my co-workers. I truly love the people I work with, and our Friday afternoon happy hour at the wine bar is the perfect way to start each weekend.

Favorite Beauty Purchase of 2011: I bought the Naked eyeshadow palette in June, and haven't worn any other eyeshadow since. It's wonderful! I also love my Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face wash. I highly recommend both of these products.

Most Popular Blog Post of 2011: My Erin Condren Life Planner review was by far my most read blog post of the year. My Life Planner also has to be one of my favorite things of the year. I know you've heard it all already, but it's the best planner ever.

Biggest Time Suck of 2011: Twitter or Pinterest.... it's a tie! I wasted an embarrassing amount of time on both this year.

Favorite New Recipe of 2011: These yummy lemon cookies I found on Pinterest are heavenly!

Favorite Moment of 2011: Our anniversary dinner in Laguna Beach was ideal. We has such a wonderful night together and shared the most delicious meal. It was just an all around perfect night together.

So there you have it, some of my favorites from 2011!

I hope you have a wonderful New Year's Eve! We plan to lay low and enjoy a yummy dinner at home with lots of champagne and some games.

Happy New Year, I'll see you back here in 2012!

My 2011 Book List

2011-12-29T04:00:00.000-08:00

I had it in my head that my goal was to read 30 books this year, and was so disappointed that I'd missed it. Luckily, I just looked back on my 2011 goals, and I actually only wanted to read 25! This may seem trivial to you, but this is one goal that I really wanted to make and I was going to be so disappointed that I missed it.

This year I caught up on a lot of James Patterson books that I'd been behind on. None of them were really all that special, but I just can't give them up. They're perfect beach reads if you like a mystery you can easily finish in a weekend. If you read Patterson, I think you'll enjoy them, otherwise I don't really recommend them. Other than that I read a lot of wonderful books that I would highly suggest you read. Overall I managed to read 27 books this year.

Here they are (not necessarily in order):

My Top 5 of 2011:

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest: I finally finished this series in 2011, and I'm so glad I stuck with it. Although the first book was kind of hard to get through, I loved the second one, and the last one was absolutely wonderful. I know this series isn't for everyone, but it you can make it through the first half of Dragon Tattoo, you won't be sorry you stuck with it.

Bossypants: One night I was reading this book in bed and got to laughing so hard that I was crying. I literally could not stop laughing, and CAhusband thought I'd really lost it. I highly recommend this quick and hysterical read!

Catching Fire and Mockingjay: I don't know why I put off finishing this series, I guess I just didn't want it to end. If you haven't read the Hunger Games series yet, I suggest you do in 2012!

Divergent: This was my very last book of 2011. If you loved Hunger Games you will love this book. I couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days.

Honorable Mentions:

These are all wonderful reads that I'd recommend to anyone!

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Look Again by Lisa Scottoline

Save Me by Lisa Scottoline

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

Now, I want you to let me know what your favorites were this year. I'm already assembling my list for 2012, and would love to hear what I'm missing out on.

Here's my 2010 list in case you're interested.

Our Christmas Recap

2011-12-26T22:02:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful 4-day Christmas weekend together here in the desert. I think that CAhusband and I were both a little nervous that Christmas wouldn't be quite as special this year since we weren't going to be with any of our family, but we still managed to have a wonderful time.

Our holiday weekend started off on Friday when we headed to Manhattan Beach. We had some friends that were having an engagement party in Palos Verdes, so we decided to make a night of it. We had a great time at their party celebrating their engagement and meeting their family and friends.

The only pic of CAhusband and I at the party is this one I borrowed from my friend, but I wore this emerald green pleated dress from ASOS for their party.

Christmas Eve morning we enjoyed brunch by the beach and walked around the town. It was the perfect little getaway that helped make our first Christmas alone a little more special.

On Christmas Eve we went to the early family service at church, then stopped by some friends for a glass of wine before coming home to a yummy dinner of filet and twice baked potatoes.

Although I will always miss having a white Christmas, one of my favorite Christmas moments was watching CAhusband outside by the pool and firepit, enjoying some eggnog, and playing with the dogs. I really think I could get used to 70 degrees at Christmas with moments like that.

We then finished the night watching The Santa Clause 3 and had a little photo shoot with the dogs by the Christmas tree.

Christmas Day was wonderful and relaxing. Although it was hard not seeing family, it was kind of amazing to stay in our PJ's all day without worrying about leaving the house. We both received some wonderful gifts, and CAhusband definitely spoiled me this year!

Please excuse the scary Christmas morning pics sans make-up!

CAhusband used my blog wishlist for my first 2 gifts, then managed to really surprise me with a Kindle Fire! We'd discussed the I might want to get one since he's going to take the iPad with him for work now that he's traveling a lot, but I never imagined there would be one waiting for me under the tree. I was so pleasantly surprised, and love that we're no longer fighting over our tablet.

We then played with CAhusband's new Keurig, and enjoyed a breakfast of egg casserole, cinnamon rolls, and mimosas! We then finished off our lazy Christmas Day by watching Christmas Vacation and The Help.

Our long Christmas weekend was then complete with a relaxing Monday at home with the dogs. We were pretty lazy all day (again) and then had a great little date night seeing Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol with dinner at Tommy Bahamas. We both really enjoyed the movie, and it was the perfect end to a wonderful weekend together.

Lastly I leave you with some pictures of our tree from this year, which I forgot to share until now!

Every year we fill in our tree a little more, which I love. Next year I hope to add some more bows and new ribbon, but overall, I think it's a pretty perfect tree.

I ordered our 2011 Family Ornament from Coton Colors. It is personalized with all of our names (us + dogs) and the year. I love how it turned out... too cute!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Cards

2011-12-22T12:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas cards are one of my favorite things about the holiday season. I love choosing the perfect card for our family, and eagerly check the mailbox each afternoon for more cards to display from our loved ones.

This year I absolutely fell in love with all things Erin Condren, so there was no doubt that I wanted to use one of her designs for our card this year. I really love how our cards turned out, and the quality of the cards is wonderful.

Last year we started framing each of our Christmas cards to display during the holidays. Although there aren't too many years to look back on now, I know that some day years from now we'll be so glad we started this tradition. I picture our kids getting a kick out of our old cards 15 years from now.

Here are the links for our previous cards: 2010, 2009

We also save all of the Christmas cards with photos that we receive each year in a file folder.
I just can't bare to throw them away and love looking back at them.

When it comes to displaying our cards, this year I tried something new.

I started by making some red and green glitter clothespins to display all of the cards we received.

I then strung some red and white polka dot ribbon on our cabinet doors and used the clothespins for hang the cards.

I love how it turned added some Christmas cheer to our kitchen, and it was super simple!

Do you have anything special that you do with your Christmas cards?

I Pinned It, I Made It: Picture Frame Wreath

2011-12-20T09:14:00.000-08:00

I saw this photo frame wreath on Pinterest ages ago and thought it was such a fun idea! It wasn't your traditional wreath in any sense, but it was colorful and fun! It was also a DIY project I could easily tackle on my own!

Original Wreath Inspiration from Blue Cricket Design

Here's what you need:

Large Picture Frame

No glass needed. I bought this plain frame for $7 at Michaels.

Spray paint

I chose a high gloss banner red.

5 or 6 Ornaments

I purchased this set from Land of Nod.

Thick Wire Ribbon

for the large bow

Thin Decorative Ribbon

to hang the ornaments from

From there its an incredibly simple project!

STEP 1:

Spray paint the frame your desired color.

STEP 2:

String the ornaments on the thin ribbon.

Cut the ribbon at your desired length.

You'll want all of the ornaments to fall at slightly different lengths.

STEP 3:

Make a large bow from your thick wire ribbon.

STEP 4:

Attach the large bow and ribbons to the frame with a staple gun.

I'm still keeping my eyes peeled for a thicker and more ornate frame to paint red, because I think that would really make it look even better. Unfortunately the only ones I've found were very pricey and way too large.

Also, CAhusband still needs to figure out a good way to hang this from our glass front door because our old wreath hook isn't doing the job. I'm hoping to get it up on our front door tonight, and although we're a little late for this holiday season, there's always next year!

Have you made any Pinterest inspired crafts this Christmas?

Monday Musings

2011-12-19T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today marks the first official day off of work for my Christmas break, which means I am one very happy girl. I don't have to return to work until January 3rd, and I plan to take full advantage of having the next few weeks off of work.

I plan to catch up on work around the house that I've let pile up in anticipation of this vacation. I also plan to spend some serious time at the gym. Other than that I want to read and watch movies and get lots and lots of sleep. Who knows, I might actually cook some real meals for CAhusband too!

This weekend we had two holiday parties to attend! Friday night we went to my school staff Christmas party and one of my co-workers homes. We had a great time together and enjoyed a fantastic dinner. It was a wonderful way to start our Christmas break!

I didn't take pictures at either party, but thought I would share my OOTNs for each party!

I planned to re-wear a dress from last holiday season to this party, but spotted this red shift at Loft while picking up a Christmas gift on Thursday and couldn't help but grab it. What can I say, Loft's amazing holiday sale really suckered me. I absolutely love this red mod shift with the black zipper up the back. I paired it with one of my favorite J.Crew statement necklaces, black tights, and black booties.

Saturday night one of the school families hosted CAhusband and I at a Christmas party fundraiser for the school where I work. I was really looking forward to attending this party, and it didn't disappoint. The house was the most amazing Palm Springs modern home I'd ever seen, and we had a fabulous time. We even went out to dinner with some of my students parents afterward and tried a new restaurant we'd been hoping to try. It was a fantastic night, and I think CAhusband and I were both surprised by how much fun we had at a work/school event.

I grabbed this ASOS dress awhile ago, and knew it would be perfect to wear to a holiday party. I wanted something colorful and long sleeved, and this dress was just perfect. I absolutely love how it looked with my tortoise and rhinestone J.Crew necklace and black tights and booties. I got lots of compliments on this dress, and highly recommend grabbing it! It's perfect for any cocktail parties you may have this winter.

After 2 late nights at fun parties, we layed low on Sunday. I was so tired and napped off and on all morning, before finally getting some motivation and making a grocery run to stock up before Christmas. I finally finished Mockingjay and the Colts finally won a game! We then ordered a pizza while catching up on Dexter and stayed up way past our usual bedtime for the Homeland finale.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Take Me to the Movies

2011-12-13T04:00:00.000-08:00

CAhusband and I never go to the movie theater... he simply hates to go, and all of the good theaters are about a half hour away, so we just don't put the effort into going as often as I would like to. Despite the fact that we don't make it too often, I love the idea of going to the theater and seeing 3 movies in a row. I desperately want to go and eat popcorn while all hopped up on sour patch kids and fountain Diet Coke for 6 hours straight. Anyone else?

There honestly haven't been too many movies I have wanted to see this fall, but now that the holiday season is here, the list of movies on my must-see list has gotten quite long. I plan to see as many of these as I can over my Christmas break, and am hoping I'll even drag CAhusband along to a few them.

The Muppets

in theaters now

I meant to see this over Thanksgiving, but we were just way too busy.

I've heard such good things about it, and can't wait to see it over break. It looks too cute!

Breaking Dawn

in theaters now

This is another one I had high hopes to see back in November! I already have plans to see this with some teacher friends the first week of Christmas break, I can't wait!

New Years Eve

in theaters now

Some people hate these movies, I'm just not one of those people.

You'll be hard pressed to find a rom-com I don't enjoy, and I can't wait to see this flick full of celebs!

Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol

in theaters 12/21

I love all spy movies, and let's be honest... this is my only chance of seeing a movie with CAhusband this Christmas. I can always enjoy a good action flick, and can't imagine I won't like this one!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

in theaters 12/21

Ever since I finished the book, I've been waiting for the American version of this film to come out.

I'm not sure Daniel Craig is who I pictures in this role, but I can't wait to see how it turns out.

We Bought a Zoo

in theaters 12/23

This looks like such a cute family film that will be perfect for the holidays.

I love Matt Damon, and think the story will be quite charming.

We've been to the theater on Christmas day the last few years, which I enjoy, but this is one tradition that CAhusband is reluctant to keep. Do you typically go to the movies at Christmas-time? What films are on your must-see list this winter?

Christmas Wish List, Part 2 My Closet

2011-12-12T04:00:00.000-08:00

Some people really struggle to put together a wishlist, which is kind of comical to me. I could honestly give you a list of 10+ things I want any day of the week! This probably sounds bad, but if you're buying for me, it's actually pretty helpful! My sister always just said "surprise me" as a kid, and I would always hand over the American Girl catalog with nearly every item circled in marker. What can I say, I love creating a good wishlist!

Here are a few of things I would love to see under the tree this Christmas...

Kendra Scott Danielle Earring

I've been wanting a pair of Danielle earrings for awhile now, and although they're my go-to gift when buying for other people, I've never purchased a pair for myself. I honestly think part of the reason I haven't purchased them yet, is that I can't decide what color I want. So many pretty colors to choose from!

Longchamp Large Tote, Nordstrom

These bags have been popular forever, and now that my tote bag has ripped and had to be thrown away, I've decided this is the one I need. This bag would be perfect to take materials to and from school, and would be an ideal carry-on for traveling. I really want the peacock color, but it seems to be sold out everywhere these days.

Scoop Neck Tank, Run Swiftly Short Sleeve Tee, and Run Swiftly Long Sleeve Tee, Lululemon

I've yet to purchase any Lululemon gear because it's just not one of those things I can justify buying for myself. Recently; however, my desire for some of these great workout clothes has reached it's peak! I know the pants are what people really lust after, but right now I'm loving these 3 tops!

Silk Pintuck Blouse in Cobalt, J.Crew

I was in love with this top the second I saw it, and after Natalie's great review of it, it's near the top of my list. I love this beautiful color!

Michael Kors 'Runway' Watch, Nordstrom

I have a watch I love to wear everyday, but the trend of a chunky gold watch isn't fading anytime soon, and I'd really love to have one!

Striped Nightshirt, J.Crew

Nightshirts are just too cute, and this navy stripe with the green trim is just perfect.

Who doesn't need a new pair of PJ's at Christmas?

Tory Burch Reva Clutch, Nordstrom

I need a black clutch so badly, and this is by far my favorite one on the market. I think I need to keep looking for a clutch that's a little more reasonably priced since this isn't a bag I'll be carrying everyday, but it is pretty perfect!

What is on your wishlist this Christmas?

I Pinned It, I Made It

2011-12-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

I'm notorious for pinning projects and recipes on Pinterest like it's my job, and then never actually trying them. I recently decided that this needs to change, and I've completed 4 little Pinterest inspired activities since Sunday!

Here are 3 recent Pinterest inspired recipes that I've tried this week!

Eggnog Cookies

via Your Cup of Cake

I found this recipe while randomly browsing the holiday section of Pinterest on Sunday, and knew they would be the perfect little treat to take to school for the teacher's lounge on Monday. If you work at all, you know Mondays are always a little brighter with a scrumptious snack.

Original Inspiration Photo from Your Cup of Cake

These cookies were really easy and fun to make.

I love to bake, and making these cookies definitely got me in the Christmas spirit.

After I made the cookies, I was a little unsure of the texture because I was afraid I under baked them. Luckily, everyone at school absolutely loved them. I've even had people ask for the recipe, which I think is the ultimate sign a dish was successful. I think these would be a great cookie to bake for a holiday cookie exchange!

Check out the recipe here to make these on your own!

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Chicken Rollups

via Jenna's Journey

This is another recipe that I stumbled upon while browsing Pinterest, and I knew instantly that I had to give it a try. I am one of the pickier eaters you will ever meet, and to be honest, I've beat my standard dinner recipes to death. This recipe looked super easy and it included only my standard ingredients (chicken, cheese, and bread). CAhusband also loves anything with Crescent rolls, so I thought it would be a big hit!

Original Pinterest Inspiration Picture from Jenna

This recipe was as easy as it sounds, and was really yummy. We both enjoyed it with a simple green salad, and called it a successful weeknight meal.

Given that I enjoyed this dinner so much, I'd say it's probably a perfect dinner for a family with picky kids too!

Check out the recipe here to make these yummy roll ups!

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Cookies and Cream Fudge Brownies

via Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers and Kevin and Amanda

Natalie raved about this brownie recipe on her blog this week, and I then saw it floating around on Pinterest. I'm attending dinner at a co-workers house tonight, and knew these would be the perfect treat to bring along.

Original Inspiration Photo from Kevin and Amanda

These brownies were really easy to make and smell delicious! I haven't cut into them yet because I'm saving them for dinner tonight, but I honestly don't know how these ingredients could come together and be anything less than fantastic!

Check out the complete recipe here or here to try these on your own!

Do you actually complete the Pinterest projects you pin? I'm trying to do a much better job, and am loving that I've found 3 new recipes this week that I know I'll make again!

Favorite Christmas Movies

2011-12-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season has to be Christmas movies. I love to curl up on the couch and watch my favorites by the light of our tree while eating freshly baked sugar cookies. Although we don't usually get to watch all of my favorites each year, this year I'm determined to watch each of them by Christmas day.

The Santa Clause and The Santa Clause 2

It had been years since I'd seen these movies until I had to play them while subbing at a high school a few years ago. I had forgotten how much I love these movies, and now stop to watch them everytime I see them on TV. I've never seen the 3rd one, is it any good?

Love Actually

I just love movies where all of the characters interconnect like in this one.

It's such a cute story, I can't wait to watch it this year.

Elf

I actually didn't really like this movie too much the first time I saw it; however, every time I watch it, I love it a little more. It makes me laugh, and I think the whole story is just so sweet. I've since decided, it's pretty impossible not to adore Buddy the elf!

The Holiday

I love that this charming romantic comedy can also help get me in the holiday spirit.

Home Alone

My entire extended family went to see this movie on Thanksgiving when it came out in theaters. I still remember waiting in line outside. I continue to enjoy this movie, and love that all of my kiddos at school know it so well. I was younger than them when this movie came out, so it cracks me up that they all have seen it.

Christmas Vacation

Christmas Vacation is without a doubt my favorite Christmas movie of all time. I don't remember a Christmas when I haven't seen this movie, and it's definitely the only movie that I can almost completely quote. I can be also be known to use phrases from this movie like, "I don't know Margo" year round.

I haven't watched a single Christmas movie so far this holiday season, but plan to definitely get started this weekend! What are you favorite holiday movies?

Piper is 2!

2011-12-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

How in the world our little Piper is two years old is a mystery to me!

The fact that she still behaves like a brand new puppy might be part of the reason for my confusion,

but God love her, she's still pretty wonderful.

It seems funny to us that we were so unsure about how Reilly would react to her "little sister" because these two couldn't love each other more.

They play and cuddle constantly, and I now realize how lonely Reilly must have been without her.

We've decided that Piper's name fits her spunky personality perfectly, and are also sure that there's no slowing her down anytime soon.

Piper is determined to be a puppy for life, and although she keeps our hands full, we love her to pieces.

Happy 2nd Birthday to Piper, the cutest little black boxer I ever did see!

Christmas Wish List, Part 1 Stocking Stuffers

2011-12-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is opening my stocking on Christmas morning! I always love all of the fun little surprises. My mom was always perfect at assembling the perfect stocking, and I absolutely love shopping for CAhusband's stocking now. Finding fun little surprises is so much fun!

Here are some of the items that you could definitely fill my stocking with this Christmas!

Emi-Jay Hair Ties
My SIL, VABelle, raves about these hair ties, and I've been dying to try them. I love that they don't leave a crease, and think they would make perfect stocking stuffers.

Voluspa Maison Candle Tin, Anthropologie
Voluspa candles are definitely my favorite! Their small tin candles are so pretty and all of their scents are heavenly. I also like to give these candles for hostess gifts.

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Now that I'm finally finishing The Hunger Games series, I think it's time to read Divergent. I've heard wonderful things about this book, and can't wait to read it over my Christmas break.
Yes, I read paper books, not e-books!

Joseph Joseph Spaghetti Measurer, Sur La Table
I love the idea of kitchen gadgets for stocking stuffers, and this year I definitely was a spaghetti measurer. We make pasta quite a bit, and I always make way too much or way too little. This little tool would definitely come in handy in our kitchen.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Lip Gloss in Black Pearl
Bobbi Brown lip gloss is my absolute favorite, and I'm dying to try this new shade.

Boscia Luminizing Black Mask and Purifying Pore Strips, Sephora
I could definitely use both of these Boscia products, and they're very high on my list.
I've heard great things about both and can't wait to try them.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, Sephora
My Urban Decay Naked eye shadow palette came with a mini size of this eyeshadow primer and I absolutely love it! Now that it's gone I definitely want to pick up a larger size. This primer keeps your eye shadow in place so well, I highly recommend it.

The Help on Blu-Ray
We don't typically buy a lot of movies, but I know The Help is a movie I'm going to watch again and again. I can't wait to add it to our collection.

Tea Towels, Studiopatro
I think beautiful tea towels in great colors and patterns make perfect stocking stuffers. My MIL also gives us the cutest dish clothes each year in our stocking, which I love.

Chocolate and Candy
Let's be honest, a stocking just isn't a stocking without lots of candy! CAhusband has definitely picked up on my love for chocolate and makes sure to top off my stocking with loads of my favorites. I think my absolutely favorite would have to be Peanut Butter M&M's!

What are your favorite stocking stuffers? Do you enjoy stuffing stockings as much as I do?

This December

2011-12-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

I feel like November went by with the blink of an eye, but I'm okay with that, because I love December and all of the festive holiday activities that come with it!

This December I/we will....

Obnoxiously count down the days to Christmas vacation.
Try to watch all of my favorite Christmas movies.
Buy the Michael Buble Christmas album and listen to it as we decorate the house for Christmas.
Send out our Christmas cards.
Make and decorate holiday sugar cookies.
Try to blog a little more regularly.
Attend my school staff Christmas party and CAhusband's office party.
Read and watch The Polar Express with my 2nd graders.
Make real dinners over my Christmas break! It's been far too long since CAhusband has had a homecooked meal in this house.
Finish all of my Christmas shopping, and send the gifts to our loved ones.
Attend my school Christmas program. I love seeing the kiddos all dressed up in their holiday best, so cute!
Make my mom's breakfast casserole for Christmas morning.
Finish 3 more books so I can meet my 2011 goal!
Play with our new camera, and start to figure out all of its bells and whistles!
Get a fun new holiday dress for our parties!
Attend our friends engagement party and enjoy a night out of town.
Enjoy Christmas here in the desert with my sweet husband. It will be our first Christmas with just the two of us, so we're going to try to start some fun new traditions.
See lots of holiday movies in the theater.
Try to make fun New Years Eve plans... easier said than done here in the desert!

What will you do this December?

Thanksgiving Recap!

2011-11-30T18:22:00.000-08:00

If you've been reading this blog at all, you know how excited I was to see all of my family and friends back in Indiana over Thanksgiving. We left last Tuesday night, and flew all night to arrive in Indianapolis on Wednesday morning. Once we arrived in our home town, the rest of our family started to slowly arrive and the fun began!

It was absolutely wonderful to see some of my favorite people and I loved being home in Indiana. The one downside was that I managed to get pretty sick right before we flew home. I typically get a really bad sore throat and cold on my birthday each year... well, this year it came during my Thanksgiving break... GO FIGURE! Despite being sick, we have an absolutely wonderful trip home. My only other regret is that I did an absolutely horrible job of taking pictures while we were home. I desperately wanted a new picture of CAhusband and I with my parents and sister, and it just never happened. A big thanks to my SIL, Virginia Belle who I borrowed a few of these pictures from!

Here are some of the highlights of our trip:

Getting to spend quality time with both my family and CAhusbands.
A Thanksgiving brunch at my grandparents house with my mom's side of the family .
A Thanksgiving feast at CAhusband's parents house.
My favorite decorated sugar cookies from my favorite local baker.
Leading a pine cone turkey craft for the whole family. (As the teacher, I was assigned this job to keep everyone occupied while the kitchen was cleaned. Leading this craft for 30+ non-2nd graders was not as easy as I thought it would be).
Royal Feast from Pizza King and Chicken Nachos from Qdoba: 2 foods I can't enjoy in CA.
Successful Black Friday shopping with my mom, dad, and sister-in-law Katie that allowed me to mark 4 people off of my list. I then was able to wrap their gifts and leave them in Indiana... so happy I got this done.
Meeting up with my friend Tracey for lunch in Indianapolis.
A Very Gaga Christmas.... what can I say? I loved this holiday special.
Turkey Burn at the YMCA with my MIL and SIL. It definitely felt good to exercise after eating so much on Thanksgiving.
The COLTS game in Indiana before heading home on Sunday night.
Non-hectic traveling during the busy holiday season. All of our flights were exactly on time, no stress at all!

Aside from being sick, it was a fantastic trip. We couldn't have asked for a better Thanksgiving with all of our loved ones.

Happy Things

2011-11-20T19:07:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving week is finally here, and if you ask me there's no better time then now to share all of the happy little things that I'm grateful for.

{via}

-It is a 1.5 day work week!

-I finally finished American Wife this weekend, and I loved it. Now I'm starting Mockingjay, I don't know how I've waited this long to finish the series.

-The butternut squash risotto from Fresh and Easy is finally available on its own. If you're not in CA, NV, or AZ you haven't likely experienced Fresh and Easy markets before, but this risotto is amazing. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

-I've picked up after school tutoring 3 times a week. Although it's not always ideal to add an extra hour to my work day, the extra money will definitely come in handy.

-Our flight home to Indiana is as close to perfect as you can get when flying out of the very small Palm Springs airport. We leave at 10 pm Tuesday and get in bright an early Wednesday morning. Although a red-eye flight isn't always ideal, we love it for trips to Indiana back because we don't have to waste a whole day traveling.

-Every pair of brown boots I have wanted this year have been over $400, which isn't an option, especially when I can only wear them for about 6 weeks out of the year. Well, yesterday I finally found a reasonably priced pair at DSW, and they're just perfect. I'm wearing them for the first time today with jeans... yup, jeans at work on a Monday. I'm a rebel.

-My school added an extra day to our Christmas Break last week! We now go back Tuesday, January 3rd instead of Monday the 2nd. The best part is that they didn't add another day onto our year. WOOHOO!

-CAhusband and I started watching Homeland last week! If you have Showtime, you absolutely must watch this show, it's so good!

-I get to see all of my favorite people this week. Between now and next Sunday I will have a chance to see nearly all of my family, and several great friends that I haven't seen in far too long.

What are some of the happy little things in your life this week?

Kids = Germs

2011-11-16T19:13:00.001-08:00

So, CAhusband has a small issue with children and their cleanliness.

A few summers ago I nannied for a little 2 year old boy for the summer. One day I invited CAhusband over to eat lunch with us. He had lunch free, and agreed to come over, but clearly stated....

"I'm not going to eat lunch where a baby lives,

there are germs everywhere."

Okay, great! I laughed and rolled my eyes, but he was serious. He came by, but he DID.NOT.EAT.

After this, I suppose our conversation from this evening shouldn't really surprise me.

ME: Hey, look what I have for you?

CAhusband: Nope, already saw it, no thank you.

ME: What I swear, no kids even touched it. Please eat it, they turned out so cute.

CAhusband: No, are you kidding? They probably put their hands in the candy corn bag or something and got their germs all over it.

ME: No, I swear they didn't. I made yours as my example, no second grade hands touched your cupcake. AT ALL! I sorted each of their supplies on to their individual plates, I swear, they didn't even come close.

CAhusband: Nope, they pick their noses, and cough in that room all day long. I am not eating that cupcake.

ME: Come on!

CAhusband: Actually, there are so many germs in your classroom that I should probably insist that you shower the second you walk in the door each night.

Scenes from Our Weekend!

2011-11-13T20:15:00.001-08:00

It was a glorious long weekend here in the desert! CAhusband and I both had Friday off of work in honor of Veteran's Day, and it was wonderful to have a short week at work and a long weekend together!

I normally do an absolutely horrible job of taking photos, but this weekend I tried really hard to capture what we were up to with my trusty iPhone!

Friday we attended the wedding for our friends who we've met through CAhusband's work. I always love an opportunity to get dressed up and do something fun with friends, and we had a great time. This was the first wedding we've been to in awhile that didn't require us to travel, so that was an extra bonus!

It was rainy and cold on Saturday, and while CAhusband went golfing with some co-workers I got to work organizing my closet. I finally traded out my summer clothes for my winter clothes, and got everything in order the way I like it. It's perfect for now, but I'm not looking forward to picking up my dry-cleaning or finishing my laundry because I'll have to re-organize it a bit again.

Once CAhusband got home from golf we had a relaxing afternoon on the couch watching football. Piper loves to snuggle with her dad!

Saturday night we decided to head out to dinner at our favorite restaurant, and it was so chilly and rainy I got to bust out my favorite chunky cardigan and boots! Yes, this monumental occasion deserves a photo, I was thrilled to be able to bundle up!

Sunday we did some major cleaning and organizing around the house! Piper and Reilly even managed to get lint-rolled in the process as a joke, and I was shocked by the amount of hair we were able to get off of them. Their hair is literally everywhere in our house, so it can't hurt!

Sunday evening our friends Brooke and Alan came over to hang out and watch football. CAhusband made these jalapeno poppers in a crescent roll that I found on Pinterest. Although we both loved the idea of them, they were only okay.

We also made our favorite fondue, that we've been craving forever! It is seriously the yummiest snack ever, and is always a big hit with guests.

Brooke and Alan brought over their adorable little dog and all of the dogs played like crazy. It was great to catch up, and Brooke even helped us take a Christmas card photo, which was no easy task!

Here's the fondue recipe:

1 c. White Wine

7 oz. Gruyere Cheese, shredded

7 oz. Emmentaler Cheese, shredded

7 oz. Sharp Cheddar, shredded

1 T flour

1 clove garlic

In a saucepan, bring white wine to a boil
In a mixing bowl, combine all three cheeses and toss with flour
Once wine is boiling, slowly add the cheese, stirring constantly
Rub the bottom on your warm fondue pot the the cut side of garlic
Transfer melted cheese into the fondue pot to keep warm

Our favorite dippers for this fondue are:

cubed french bread

mushrooms

green apples

little smokies

green peppers

We had a wonderful long weekend, and now I'm just trying to brace myself for the long week ahead!

Only 6.5 more work days 'til Thanksgiving break, YAY!

Did you have a long weekend in honor of Veteran's Day? What were you up to?

Patience

2011-11-08T21:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I read Megan's post on blogging, and it finally occurred to me why I've been lacking blog material lately. I haven't been able to really write about other things, because there is primarily one thing on my mind.

I haven't written this post because I don't know how to make sure it comes out correctly, but I feel like I've got to give it a shot. Otherwise I'm afraid these thoughts will keep bouncing around my head and I'll make myself nuts.

What it all comes down to is that I want to move. This may sound pitiful, but despite living here for over 2 years, I still feel like we're on vacation. When we moved here from Indiana, we were excited and thrilled for this adventure, but we always kind of agreed that we probably weren't moving out here forever. After growing up in the Midwest, we've simply never pictured ourselves raising a family here, our move to CA was going to be our fun time before settling down and having children. 5 years or so, maybe?

In retrospect I have to say that this mindset was probably my first mistake. Although my husband has fully embraced his career and life here, I find myself resisting. I'm extremely hesitant to put down roots here, because in my head it's all just temporary... but is it really?

I have a huge desire to be closer to someone. My husband and our life here is enough for me, but I do hate that it takes months of advanced planning and a whole lot of money to see any of our family and friends. I hate that we couldn't possibly meet up with some of our friends or loved ones for a long weekend after a brief road trip. We're just a little too far away from everyone we care most about.

Basically I struggle with this because I know it isn't fair to my husband. I couldn't wait to move here and now I'm wanting to bail. He is happy here. He is embracing our life here like it isn't temporary. My sulking is getting us nowhere.

I guess that more than anything I'm just hoping that typing this all out will help me find peace with our current situation. Are there a few things that are less than ideal? Yes. But that doesn't mean that I should waste our time in this gorgeous town pouting. I need to be thankful for the fact that we both have great jobs, that we have our health, and that we have each other. I need to enjoy life in the now, and stop worrying about where life will take us next.

I have a feeling that this is just one of many posts that will center around how I'm feeling on this topic because I feel so much better already, just having written it down.

Five Friday Faves

2011-11-04T06:08:00.000-07:00

Yay, Friday is finally here! Here are some of my favorite things this week...

1. Top Chef Texas

I recently eliminated 5-6 shows from my weekly schedule, and it's a good thing I did, because I've got another new show that's starting up again. For someone who doesn't like or know how to cook at all, I absolutely love Top Chef. My fascination with all things Texas also guarantees I'll enjoy this season. Are you watching?

2. End of Quarter 1

Although the beginning of the year was flying by, the last few weeks have been creeping by. We're officially 1/4 of the way through the school year today, which means we're making progress!

3. Suri's Burn Book

Have you guys seen this hilarious blog? The author writes as though she's Suri Cruise and critiques other celeb baby news. I just discovered this blog last week, and oh my goodness, I laugh out loud.

4. Christmas is Coming!

Don't worry, I'm not one of those crazy Christmas people....I do happen to love the beginning of the holiday season though. The local shopping area is putting out their beautiful lights, Starbucks has red cups, and my mailbox is constantly full of Christmas catalogs which I happen to love! It's still way too early for Christmas music in my book, but I love everything else!

5. FUN Friday

I must say, I'm pretty pumped about the day I have ahead of me! It should be a pretty painless day at school, we've got crazy cool weather allowing for a fun fall outfit, and CAhusband and I have plans to attend a cooking class tonight! I've been dying to go back to this local cooking school since we went nearly 2 years ago, and can't wait to go for their fondue dinner and a date class tonight!

What are your favorite things this Friday?

Have a great weekend everyone!

This November

2011-11-01T05:58:00.000-07:00

November happens to be one of my favorites months of the year. I love the cooler temps, the festive start to the holiday season, and the fact that we'll get to see so many of our favorite people in just a few short weeks. I still don't quite understand how we got here so quickly, but I'm happy it's here nonetheless.

This November I/we will ...

Enjoy 2 abbreviated weeks at school! Definitely a major highlight of the month.
Celebrate our friends' wedding on 11/11/11!
Wrap up the first quarter of the school year! This means report cards and parent/teacher conferences.
Try to find a new pair of brown boots that don't cost a small fortune (way easier said than done).
Go see Breaking Dawn Part 1. Back off Twilight haters, I've followed the series this far and am definitely going to finish it.
Teach my Thanksgiving unit at school.... it's one of my favorites!
Go see The Muppet's Movie! My husband is completely opposed to this, which I don't understand at all!
Travel to Indiana for Thanksgiving where we will get to see both of our families. This is the highlight of my month, and I'm already counting the days!
Finish my book, American Wife. It's so good, but so long!
Do a little Black Friday shopping! Even though we do have good shopping here, I always look forward to the chance to shop at my favorite mall in Indianapolis over Thanksgiving!
Try to get a head start on my Christmas shopping!
Attempt to start a few Christmas crafts I have planned.
Finish my Christmas cards! They're ordered, but still need a photo.

What are you up to this November?

Five Friday Faves

2011-10-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that this week has kicked my butt, I definitely wasn't running short on favorite things! The weekend is finally in sight, and aside from my hair appointment, we have no plans at all which will be joyous. I can't wait to relax with CAhusband and enjoy some of the beautiful weather we've been having.

Here are five of my favorite things this Friday....

1. Silk Boat Blouse from J.Crew
This is definitely my favorite new purchase of the season! I love the color and the cut, and absolutely cannot wait to wear it here in a few weeks once the temps allow it. If you can still find it in stock, I highly recommend you grab this blouse, it's perfection!

2. Favorite New Blog
Puttin' on the GRITS tweeted about this fantastic blog earlier this week, and I'm so glad she did. I'm in love with absolutely everything on Life in Grace, and simply can't stop drooling over her awesome home. It's bright and cheerful, and full of the most perfect details. I'm tempted to pin every picture, but think I'll just continue to stalk her blog instead.

photo via

3. Halloween
Although we aren't attending any parties this year, and our decor was seriously lacking, I love a good excuse to celebrate. The kiddos have a special dress day at school today, which is always entertaining, and we'll have an afternoon full of fun Halloween activities. Plus, who doesn't love a holiday that gives you a good excuse to stock up on candy?

4. Honeycrisp Apples
These apples are definitely one of my favorite things about fall. We've been buying them by the dozen at Costco, and are snacking on them constantly. I hate that the season for them is so short (at least around here), but I'll definitely be enjoying them as much as I can until then!

5. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer
I have insane dark circles, so concealer is definitely my best friend. I tried every brand out there, but my newest find, might also be my favorite. It's applies so easily and has great coverage. Plus, you can get it at the drug store, which means it's nice and inexpensive!

What are your favorite things this Friday?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Wednesday Morning Ramblings

2011-10-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

So that blogging rut doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon.... I do have a few ramblings that might be worth sharing though.

This Madewell Melodymaker Dress is currently at the tip-top of my wish list. I absolutely love the color, and am currently using up all of my willpower to not purchase it. Isn't it perfect?

My hair appointment is Saturday, and although I'm tempted to go both shorter and darker, I have a strong feeling that I'm going to chicken out and only do one of the two. I feel like my hair could use a serious break from the damaging highlights, so I'm thinking that going darker with just a normal trim might win out... I'll let you know!

I'm currently loving these adorable pumpkins my kiddos created for their Trick-or-Treat book reports. This at home project was a huge hit with their families, and the end result was great. Telling your kids that they get to decorate a pumpkin resembling the book character after they completed their book report was a huge bonus for them! (FYI for you teachers: I purchased Hope King's project on TPT for ideas and then tweaked it to fit the needs of my students. I highly recommend this project.)

CAhusband's current project at work has him working nights this week. I hate that we've only briefly seen each other in passing this week, but most of all I hate that our dogs will not sleep through the night without him here. They are definitely being great guard dogs, and I suppose it's cute that they're being a little overprotective since he's gone, but ..... IT.IS.GETTING.OLD!

I hate that I've been reading the same book since school started, and am nowhere near finishing it. At this point I'll be lucky to finish it by the end of Christmas break! I hate that school and new TV have derailed my frequent reading.

It's less than a week until Halloween and I never added to our holiday decor or painted the pumpkins I wanted to.... maybe next year I'll do a little better, time definitely got away from me this year.

I have recorded every single episode of The Chew since it premiered because I want that goat cheese and rosemary mac and cheese recipe that Carla mentioned in the teasers over the summer. They haven't showed it yet, and I'm starting to think the recipe just doesn't really exist!

All of this Jessica Simpson baby bump news really makes me long for the Newlyweds days. Someone on Twitter (I can't remember who) said they secretly hope she's carrying Nick Lachey's baby, and I couldn't agree more. Even though they split forever ago, I still miss them together. Also, she's clearly preggo, so I don't know why the announcement hasn't come out yet. She's not fooling anyone!

We'll be home in Indiana for Thanksgiving 4 weeks from today, and Christmas is now less than 2 months away. Let the countdowns begin!

Again, I apologize for the blogging rut, but thanks so much for sticking with me!

I hope you're all having a great week!

Our Reilly Painting

2011-10-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

For CAhusband's birthday in August I got him a custom dog painting of our beloved boxer, Reilly!

When we were in Indiana last July, we stumbled across an art showing that featured several local artists that do custom pet paintings, and grabbed the business cards of our favorites. Our goal was to one day get one for Piper and Reilly.

Our walls are completely bare, and CAhusband didn't have much on his birthday wish list, so I decided this would be the perfect gift. I don't think I know anyone who loves their dog like CAhusband loves Piper and Reilly, so I knew this was a gift he would appreciate.

I dug out all of the cards we'd saved, and decided on Mad Lab Studios out of Indianapolis. I sent over several pictures of Reilly so he could get a good idea of her personality and features, and Jim, the artist, responded with a request to use this picture as his inspiration.

When we first moved to California, Reilly was fascinated with the swimming pool in my parents back yard. We spend many weekends at their house, and Reilly was constantly in the water. She would jump in from all sides, and would even swim under water to get a toy. CAhusband would put these goggles on Reilly quite frequently for fun, and this is definitely one of my favorite pictures of her!

I was thrilled when Jim chose this picture, and CAhusband loved the idea of using it as the inspiration because we will never forget how much Reilly loved to swim!

Our 12 x 12 painting arrived this week, and we are in love with it! It turned out perfectly, and we couldn't be happier that I chose Jim of Mad Lab Studios! CAhusband absolutely loves it, and can't wait to place an order for Piper's painting soon.

A Day in the Life

2011-10-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

Although this isn't exactly riveting blog material, I thought I'd give you a glimpse of a day in my life! I have a feeling that one day I'll look back and this and will probably laugh about how silly I once was when I thought my life was busy.

Anyway, here's how my Monday went....

5:00 AM Alarm Goes Off... SNOOZE!

5:10 AM My alarm goes off again, and I actually get up. I hop in the shower, which happened to be freezing cold this morning... not good!

5:30 AM After my shower, I got dressed. I then fed the dogs, ate my breakfast, and then browsed the Internet while watching the news. This morning I had Apple Jacks... YUM! This is definitely my favorite part of the morning.

5:50 AM I blow dry my hair... this would be my least favorite part of my morning!

6:00 AM CAhusband and I walked the dogs together. I love this time where we can just chat about our upcoming day. Unfortunately, Piper got off her leash this morning and gave us quite a scare. It definitely didn't make for a relaxing morning walk.

6:15 AM CAhusband leaves for work, and I finish getting ready! I straighten and curl my hair and do my makeup. Yup, that's another summery outfit you spy.... it was 100+ AGAIN!

6:45 AM I tidy up around the house and pack my lunch for the day. I usually take left-overs or a Lean Cuisine, plus some fruit. I like to either have a cheese stick or granola bar for a snack, so I keep those stocked at school!

7:00 AM I put Piper in her kennel, give the dogs their treats, and head out the door for work! I take no less than 3 bags to school each day: the orange leopard one is insulated for my lunch, my purse, and my school bag that I take papers to grade back and forth in.

7:30 AM I arrive at work! I check my school email, and prep for my day.

7:55 AM The school day starts with our Morning Assembly in the gym!

7:55 AM-12:00 PM Morning with My 2nd Graders

-Monday mornings we have Chapel!
-We then covered reading, grammar, word work, and math throughout the morning.
-I get a short 15 minute break while the students have recess each morning.

12:00-12:50 PM Lunch! Today I had Lean Cuisine spaghetti, and just enjoyed relaxing with my colleagues!

12:50-3:00 PM Afternoon with My 2nd Graders
-I read aloud from a chapter book to my class after lunch.

-We made our October tasty treat of Spider Pudding Pies, and then wrote about them. This is a great idea I found from Sunny Days in Second Grade, you can buy her Tasty Tuesday Writing Program here.
-We then covered the next lesson in our Social Studies chapter.

3:00 PM The school day ends, and the kiddos go home!

3:15 PM I got some work done around the classroom. I hung some artwork and writing in the hallway and responded to some emails.

4:00 PM I left school, and head home!

4:30 PM I got home! The first order of business is always changing into come comfy clothes! Yoga pants and a t-shirt, followed by a ponytail, and washing off my make-up is always the first thing I do! I then finished watching the RHNJ finale from Sunday while working around the house a bit.

5:15 PM I fed the dogs dinner and then relaxed on the couch to watch The Good Wife and browse the Internet!

6:00 PM CAhusband gets home and I get back to work. I sorted and filed some mail, paid a few bills, and printed off some recipes to file in my Recipe Binders.
6:30 PM I popped an already made casserole in the oven, then CAhusband and I took the dogs for their evening walk while it cooked.

7:00 PM We ate dinner while we watched the nightly news. Yes, I admit, we rarely eat dinner at the table. Tonight we had Blue Eyed Bride's Bow Tie Fiesta!

7:30 PM We quickly cleaned up dinner, and then caught up on some DVR while I graded some papers. I attempted to make a dent in the pretty large pile of papers I'd accumulated since I avoided grading all weekend.

9:00 PM I pick up around the house, and then get all ready for bed.

9:30 PM Lights out, time for bed! We go to bed super early because our early wake up comes way too quickly, and we both require a FULL night of sleep! I fall asleep quickly, and we'll be up tomorrow at 5 AM to do it all over again!

So, there you have it, there's a little sampling of what my typical day looks like.

Odds and Ends

2011-10-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

I've pretty much got nothin' when it comes to blogging material these days, but I was able to pull together a few odds and ends to share with you!

-Adele's Someone Like You has to be one of the most heartbreaking songs I've heard in a long time. I absolutely love the song, but it also makes me sad every time I hear it.

-Is it weird that I look forward to some of my Bravo shows ending even though I love them? I really need to free up my DVR a bit, so the fact that the end of Most Eligible Dallas and RHNJ are ending oddly makes me kind of happy.

-Speaking of RHNJ, how awful did this season make Teresa look? I used to actually kind of like her, but she's just a mess. I'm so glad that Carolyn and Jacqueline are finally seeing her for her true self, just like we are. I would have never guessed that I would end up liking Joe and Melissa, but I really did.

-I can't seem to find a good fall candle that isn't way too strong! I had a delicious pumpkin cheesecake candle last year that was perfect without being too much, but can't find it anywhere this year. If you have any yummy fall-like candles, please pass your recs my way!

-My hair has been permanently stuck at shoulder length for about 3 years now despite my best efforts to grow it long! Now that it's fall, I've had it and am really tempted to chop it and go a little darker. I'm thinking about taking 2-3 inches off, and going back to my roots with just a few highlights. This Olivia Palermo photo is what I'm thinking for my color inspiration.

-I'm thrilled that I already have my Christmas cards purchased, but the problem about getting an acceptable photo is definitely starting to cause me stress. I've found a local photographer for super cheap that is willing to literally come just until we get one acceptable photo, but I feel like that's a very weird thing to do for the 2 of us with our dogs. I just know that using our point and shoot camera on a timer will be disastrous, but also know my husband will hate the idea of having someone come take it.

-I want to get some pumpkins to decorate our mantle with this weekend. I really want some white ones, but there aren't any pumpkin patches very close by, and I haven't seen any at the store. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that I can maybe find some at the Farmer's Market this weekend.

-I love this printable I found on Pinterest! I have the perfect white lacquered frame for it, and can't wait to add it to my pretty sparse Halloween decor!

-Tomorrow is Thursday, which means it is the most glorious day of my work week! I have an insane amount of prep time on Thursdays, which usually allows me to get all of my planning and copying done for the entire week ahead. I always feel so accomplished on Thursday afternoons, and the rest of the week is a piece of cake. YAY!

I hope you're all having a wonderful week!

Five Friday Favorites

2011-10-07T06:27:00.000-07:00

I'm finally back with my Five Friday Faves! I must say, blogging definitely hasn't been my strong suit lately, but I'm really trying to get back into the swing of things.

Here are my five favorite things this Friday....

1. Stereo Hearts by Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine

This song has been planned for FFF for weeks now, but I just never got around to finishing my posts. Luckily, I'm still obsessed with this song. No matter how many times I hear it, it doesn't get old. The video for this song could definitely benefit from some more Adam Levine eye candy, but the song is still perfection.

2. It's Below 100 Degrees!
Yesterday I got to wear a complete fall outfit: long sleeves, jeans, close toed flats, and..... A JACKET!!! We've been below 100 degrees since Tuesday and it is glorious! It's been sunny with a breeze these last few days with a temp in the low 80's. It's warming up into the 90's this weekend, but as long as it stays under 100 degrees, I'm thrilled! Given that we don't have humidity, it actually feels like fall. YAY!

3. Apple Cider
It's finally apple cider season.... one of my favorites! I've always loved to drink juice, but apple cider is the absolute best. I hate it hot, but love a small glass of apple cider once a day. YUM!

4. Pottery Barn Mercury Glass Pumpkins
I don't have a whole lot of fall decorations for around our house, but I bought 2 small PB mercury glass pumpkins last year, and a large one this year. I love how they look, and have gotten several compliments on them. I love that they aren't too Halloween-like, so they can definitely stay out until I switch to Christmas after Thanksgiving. Unfortunately I can't provide the link because they're sold out online!

5. 3-Day Weekend!

Although my weeks have been flying by pretty quickly, I'm thrilled that I've got a 3-day weekend this week! I plan to get a ton done today, so that CAhusband and I can relax and have fun together the rest of the weekend.

What are your 5 favorite things this Friday? Any fun plans this weekend?

Who Made the Cut?

2011-10-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

My enthusiasm for TV is nothing new on this blog, and I've already shared the 5 shows whose return I was the most excited about. I'm now feeling compelled to share some of the new shows that made the cut and are set to record for the season!

I didn't have high hopes for this show, but recorded it because I've loved Emily VanCamp since her days on Everwood. I'm absolutely in love with this show, and can't wait to keep watching. If you haven't watched this show yet, I highly recommend you give it a chance. The story is wonderful, and the mystery is definitely intriguing. If you missed the first few episodes, I'm pretty sure you can watch them OnDemand or online!

Although I thought this show would be funny, I don't really like Will Arnett and can find Maya Rudolph to be a little much sometimes. Given my issues with a few of the actors I really wasn't sure if I would be able to stick with it but, 3 weeks in I've loved every episode and definitely laugh our loud! Maya Rudolph's character of Ava is still pretty annoying to me, but everything else makes up for it!

Such a cute show! I love seeing how glamorous the airline business was back them, and am definitely intrigued by the 60's! This show is no where near as slow as Mad Men, and definitely has me hooked! I didn't see myself loving Christina Ricci nearly as much as I do, and the whole cast is just darling.

I'm still on the fence about New Girl, Ringer, and Hart of Dixie.

I love Zooey Deschanel, and am thrilled that New Girl was picked up for a whole season, but I just think they're taking her character one step too far and she borders on annoying. I'm going to stick with it, but hope they can keep the story entertaining.

I'm absolutely embarrassed to admit that I've watched Ringer and Hart of Dixie. To be honest I just wanted to see what they were like and was certain I would hate them... wrong! These shows aren't winning any awards, but the story lines have me hooked. I'm going to watch a few more episodes to see how they go, but can't decide if they're really worth watching. Please tell me I'm not the only person who is watching these CW shows??!?!

What new shows are you loving and hating this fall?

This October

2011-10-03T04:00:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or did October just completely sneak up on us. How in the world did September go so quickly?

I must say that I'm quite relieved that October is finally here! We will now finally start to enjoy some cooler temperatures, and I'll get to embrace a few more pieces of my fall wardrobe. October also means a few more weeks of school under my belt, which equals less stress!

Overall our month is actually pretty sparse, but I'm okay with that. I'm looking forward to the first full month of fall!

This October I/we will...

Try to root for our pathetic Purdue Boilermakers and Indianapolis Colts as much as I can! Lord help them, they're both pretty awful.
Decorate pumpkins! I'm not a huge fan of carving them, but would like to paint some this year.
Enjoy CAhusband's company barbecue with friends/co-workers.
Hopefully go see The Ides of March! I think this movie looks so good!
Find an apple orchard and go apple picking.
Take some weekend bike rides!
Be jealous of everyone who gets to experience gorgeous fall leaves.
Drink insane amounts of apple cider. I only like it cold, not hot!
Survive the week of Halloween at school! This week rivals the craziness of few other weeks at throughout the year, and will require all of my patience.
Find a dress for a wedding in November. I have a picture in my head of what I want, I'm just not sure it exists!
Clean out and organize our garage.
Use our pool a few more times before it gets too cool.
Try not to eat all of the Halloween candy before the trick-or-treaters come!

Saying Goodbye Stinks!

2011-10-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

6 weeks ago, I was absolutely ecstatic about my mom moving in with us. My parents were moving to Virginia, and my dad had to go in August while my mom needed to stay here a little longer to get things taken care of. I was thrilled that she was going to get to stay with us, but I had no idea how wonderful it would truly be.

I've had a heavy heart all week because I knew with each passing day, I was getting one day closer to my mom leaving. I know this isn't fair, and I'm beyond excited for my parents and their new life in Virginia, but I can't adequately explain how close I've become to my mom over these past few years.

Our farewell dinner last night!

Since we moved to CA a little over 2 years ago, we have lived within 5 minutes of my parents. Aside from one of us being out of town, I don't think we've ever gone a week without seeing each other. Although I know we will still both make the effort to visit each other, I will miss being able to call her at a moments notice to stop by. I will miss walking the dogs together after school, working on our tans in the pool, my go-to movie partner for all chick flicks, and Sunday night family dinners at their house.

I know that I'm a big girl, and I can survive without my mom and dad right down the street. I'm lucky to have a wonderful husband who does a fabulous job of taking care of me. I'm just going to miss grabbing a drink with them on a Friday night, and our casual cook outs while watching football.

I've also decided that it's a must to have my mom visit during the first few weeks of the school year from this point forward. As the year goes on, I become must less stressed, but long hours during the first month of school are a must. Having my mom here was such a huge source of support during this stressful and hectic time of the year. She walked the dogs for me each morning so I could sleep in a little longer, made countless yummy dinners, helped me clean the house, and was there to help me at night when I needed to cut out numerous game pieces for a spelling game.

More than anything I'm so thankful that I had my parents so close by for the last 2 years. It has been wonderful to be able to spend so much time with them, and I know that's not something everyone can have. I hope my parents both know how much I have truly cherished every spontaneous gathering. I will never forget the years when my parents were our go-to friends for a fun night, they truly were our best friends here in the desert.

I know we'll all do a great job of staying in touch, but Virginia is just about as far from California as you can get, and that makes me sad. I'm dreading the fact that now our absolute closest family members live in Indiana, when we'd gotten used to having someone just blocks away. I am going to miss my mom and dad more than I can adequately express.

My mom and mother-in-law (who happen to be great friends) left this morning, and are currently driving cross country so my mom can finally reunite with my dad in their gorgeous new home. I know it will be a wonderful new adventure for them, but I'm already counting down the days until I get to see them at Thanksgiving.

Fall Wish List

2011-09-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

I have avoided shopping for so long, and although I'm so proud of myself for the saving the money I have, I also now have a fall wish list a mile long! Unfortunately, wearing summer clothes is still a must around here. We're still above a 100 degrees and sweaters and boots won't really be an option for me until December, but that doesn't really stop me from pretend online shopping like it's my job.

I'm absolutely dying to load up my closet with loads of new fall apparel, but am trying to keep only stick to things that could be worn a little sooner. You'll notice that there aren't any sweaters, corduroys, or boots on this list.

Here are just a few of the things I'm lusting after...

Bubble Necklace, J.Crew

I have loved the J.Crew bubble necklace since the turquoise and coral versions came out a few summers ago! I am absolutely in love with the new black and red versions on this necklace that were recently released. Although I don't see myself spending $150 on this necklace anytime soon, you should know that I definitely want to!

Accordion Ruffle Top, Talbots

I need more cute t-shirt like tops that I can just wear with jeans, and I think this one is just perfect! I can't really wear sweaters too much here, so I think I would get loads of use out of this darling top. I might even grab a few colors!

Lulu Frost Bangles for J.Crew

I want this whole huge stack of bangles more than you know.
I love the colors and think they're just perfect!

Magnified Ikat Mini

Ahh, such a pretty skirt. Love, love, love!

Wool Spot Scarf, Boden

I've always had a thing for polka dots, and this color combo would definitely work well with my wardrobe.

Cece Glitter Bow Flats, J.Crew

I'm not sure if a 25 year old should exactly wear flats with both bows AND glitter, but I totally want to! All of my brown flats are dying to be thrown out, so these might just be a must buy!

What items are you dying to get your hands on this fall?

Fall TV Premiere Week!

2011-09-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

Fall TV premiere week is sort of like Christmas to me! Although a few of my shows started last week, and there are a few stragglers, recording all of the new TV that is starting this week on Sunday afternoon had me positively giddy!

Although I watch WAY more TV than the shows listed below, here are the top 5 shows I am most excited about this fall...

The Good Wife

Sundays on CBS

Gossip Girl
Monday on The CW

Parenthood
Tuesdays on NBC

Modern Family
Wednesday on ABC

Parks and Rec
Thursday on NBC

Of the new shows, I also think I'm really going to enjoy The New Girl and Up All Night, but am still waiting to see a few more episodes.

Which shows are you watching this fall?

Odds and Ends

2011-09-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

There are lots of odds and ends I've been wanting to share with you guys, but they're a little too random to deserve their own post. So, here's what I've been up to...

I kind of took a break from blogging last week after being away, so I didn't have a chance to fill you all in on my (already old news) Missoni for Target finds! I couldn't go until after school last Tuesday, and didn't get there until after 4. The only thing I really wanted to find were the flats, but I was certain they would be gone. Lucky me, despite nearly every rack of Missoni being wiped clean, I snagged the very last pair of flats... in my size! It was fate! They're so cute, and will be perfect with jeans and a black top this fall. I also managed to snag the very last candle and some headbands.

Although I was instantly in love with the idea of getting an Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planner, I held off because last year we had to do our lesson plans on Excel and I assumed I would have to this year too. Well, one week in, nothing had been said about it, and I hated doing them on the computer, so I ordered my lesson planner. I absolutely love it, and have gotten so many compliments on it since I started using it last week. It came with all of the same goodies that the Life Planner did (calendar stickers, a pocket, and customized labels) and actually makes me look forward to lesson planning. If you're a teacher, I definitely suggest you look into it, this planner is the best!

I made my absolute favorite cookies for a gathering with friends this weekend. These Reeses cookies from Real Simple are a huge hit. If you like peanut butter and chocolate, you must try them!

Friday afternoon our mailbox was packed full of new fall magazines. I spent my Saturday morning reading them all, and am completely ready for fall now! They were full of loads of great decor ideas and delicious recipes. We're going to change our house from summer to fall next weekend (despite the still 100+ temps), and I can't wait.

My mom made these short ribs from the new Cooking Light Sunday night. Despite burning off my arm hair in the process (scary) they were delicious! YUM!

This weekend we booked our Thanksgiving flights home to Indiana and ordered our Christmas cards. I'm loving how accomplished I feel. Don't think I'm crazy about the Christmas cards though, I simply wanted to take advantage of Erin Condren's 25% off Holiday Cards while it lasted. Thank goodness Erin is allowing us to order now and add our photo later because I have no acceptable pictures at this point. Taking an acceptable Christmas card pic to go along with my pretty cards is next on my to-do list.

Both of my football teams are sucking big time this year, and although I hate to be a bandwagon fan, I really don't enjoy watching my teams get their butts kicked every weekend. This, along with the fact that we hardly get any of the games for our Indiana teams out here, has made this football season pretty pathetic for us so far.

Alright, well that was random, but I think I covered everything I've wanted to! I hope you're all having a great day so far!

Emmy Fashion

2011-09-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

If you've been reading this little blog for long at all you know that I am TV obsessed! I also love all award shows and the fashion that comes with them, but I must say the Emmy's are the awards show that I truly enjoy watching the most. As opposed to the Oscar's and other shows I truly watch most of the shows that are nominated, so I actually have quite a strong opinion on who should be winning!

Overall, I thought the show was so-so. Definitely enjoyable, but not amazing.

I loved Ty Burrel's acceptance speech for supporting actor in a Comedy, and although I love Modern Family whole-heartedly, I was a little sad that they pretty much swept the entire comedy category. I would have really loved to see Parks and Rec win a few!

The other highlight of my night was seeing Friday Night Lights pick up 2 well deserved Emmys! The fifth and final season of the show was perfection, and Kyle Chandler definitely earned his Emmy for best actor in a drama for his role as Coach Taylor.

Now onto the fashion....

Aside from the fact that everyone under the sun wore red, I was a little "meh" overall about the fashions. Lots of pretty looks for sure, but not a whole lot that truly wowed me!
My Nominees for BEST DRESSED:

Cat Deeley in Monique Lhuillier

I don't think I've ever seen Cat in a dress I don't love!

Lea Michele in Marchesa (via)

I kind of wanted to hate this, but I just couldn't. Lea looked beautiful!

Nina Dobrev in Donna Karen (via)

This was my favorite red dress of the night! Loved the bottom!

Katie Holmes in Calvin Klein Collection (via)

Now, I know this is controversial because she definitely landed on some worst dress lists, but I liked the dress a lot. I didn't like her hair or how it was really styled, but I really loved the color, and the simple style of the dress. Is it red carpet appropriate? Maybe not. I still liked it!

John Krasinski and Emily Blunt in Elie Saab (via)

Talk about a gorgeous couple! I think they both looked fabulous and are just too darn cute together!

Jon Hamm and Jennifer Westfeldt

This is my second choice for best dressed couple of the night.

Jon Hamm always looks handsome, and Jennifer looked beautiful in this vintage yellow dress.

Now onto the WORST DRESSED:

Dianna Argon (via)

Gag, this was just awful! Talk about a pretty girl totally blowing it on the red carpet. This dress was not only ugly, but it wasn't age appropriate at all.

Gweneth Paltrow in Emilio Pucci (via)

I want to love everything my girl Gwennie does, but I just wasn't feeling this look at all!

Julliana Margulies in Armani Prive (via)

I love Julliana but this dress was one hot mess. It was wrong on so many levels, and her hair looks bad too. I'm afraid poor Julliana will top every worst dress list!

What did you think of the Emmy's? Who did you pick for Best and Worst Dressed?

Wrapping Up Wedding Season

2011-09-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

We are back in town from my little sister, Molly's wedding! We were in Louisville from Thursday to Sunday, and although I have next to no pictures to show for it, we had an amazing time!

Thursday night we threw a little Bachelorette party, and I have NOT 1 PICTURE!

Friday night we had a great rehearsal and dinner, followed by a fun night of cocktails, and I have only two pictures that I stole from my cousin Adam! It was a great night, and I had so much fun catching up with friends and family I hadn't seen in far too long!

Sarah and I after dinner!

My Aunt Brigette and I catching up in the bar!

Saturday we tried to relax and primp, and then we celebrated! It was a beautiful wedding, but I must say, my sister made one gorgeous bride and completely stole the show... as she should!

Molly's Gorgeous Dress!

The beautiful bride all ready to go!

Molly and I before the wedding!

Catching up with my SIL, Katie, and Sarah

My mom and I on the dance floor!

Overall, it was a great celebration for one great couple! I really wish I had more pictures to show for it, but I guess the fact that I don't proves that I was just too busy having fun!

I'll be playing catch up at work and at home 'til the weekend, because missing 2 days of work during the second week of school is no easy feat! I'm exhausted, but it was all well worth it!

Our summer full of weddings has officially wrapped, now I'm ready for fall!

Five Friday Favorites

2011-09-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

Here are my 5 favorite things this Friday...

1. Tousle Whip by Redken

When my mom moved in, she also brought a fabulous new hair product with her! I'm absolutely in love with tousle whip! I can't quite explain what it does, but it smooths my hair without making it greasy and gives it a great texture. I'm using up her supply quickly, and am definitely going to have to purchase my own.

2. Zara Now Has Online Shopping Available
I've been a long time admirer of Zara, but have never had a store close by! I'm so thrilled that their stuff is finally online, and can't wait to buy a few pieces.

3. Most Eligible Dallas
Wow, I had no idea that I would love this show so much. I had the first 3 episodes saved on my DVR, and almost just deleted them! I decided to give it a try over the weekend, and was instantly in love.

4. Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Gloss in Beach
I couldn't wait to try the new Bobbi Brown glosses that were recently released, and grabbed 2 new shades this week! I really love this shade, and think it will be perfect as we head into fall!

And last, but NOT least...

5. We're in Louisville, because my sister is getting married!!!
We got to Louisville yesterday morning, and have been celebrating my sister's upcoming wedding ever since! It's amazing how much cooler it is here, and I'm so excited for her big day tomorrow!

What are your favorite things this Friday?

Silk Blouses for Fall

2011-09-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with my new Hudsom Ferris jeans for fall, and can't stop seeing all of these gorgeous silk blouses that I'm dying to wear with them once we finally reach cooler temps.

Silk blouses in lots of different silhouettes and beautiful colors and patterns seem to be popping up everywhere these days!

Here are the beauties I would love to snag...

Dots Within Blouse, Anthropologie

Persian Floral Blouse, Anthropologie

Freya Blouse, Anthropologie

Silk Lucinda Blouse, J.Crew

Boy Shirt in Stripe Crepe de Chine, J.Crew

DVF Aquilina Top, Shopbop

Tbags Los Angeles Print Blouse, Shopbop

Dotted Henley 1/2 Sleeve Blouse, Loft

Recipe Binder Part 2

2011-09-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I shared my Must Try Recipes binder with you all, and today I'm back to share my second recipe binder. My second recipe binder is used for weekly meal planning and holds all of our favorite recipes. This binder took a little bit longer to make, but was well worth it!

Part 1 of this binder is for my weekly meal planning. I use Real Simple's Weekly Meal Plan and Shopping List to plan out all of the dinners for the week. I love how it organizes what you will make along with your grocery list for the week. I then add odds and ends at the bottom, take the page out of the binder and am set for my trip to the market. I keep about 10 of these printed off in the very front on this binder.

Next to each day I mark special evening plans with a pink highlighter. This way if CAhusband will be working late, or if I'm going to spin, I know not to plan a more complicated and time consuming dinner for that night.

We try to do most of our grocery shopping at Walmart to save money, but we also don't buy our produce or meat there. Therefore, I highlight everything that we need to buy at Fresh and Easy, Trader Joes, or Ralphs with a blue highlighter. I then make a second stop while grocery shopping at one of those stores to buy everything else I need.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 2 of this binder holds all of our favorite recipes that we like to make again and again.

To get started I started pulling all of my favorite recipes. I typed up the recipes I use the most often from various cookbooks and printed off lots of my favorite recipes from around the Internet. I then started the search for all of the recipes I love from my mom and mother-in-law. I had most of them already, but they were scratched down on paper, saved in an email, or tucked away in a notebook. This was my far the most tedious part, I knew that I had the recipes somewhere, and I wanted them all organized in one place.

One whole black ink cartridge later, I had typed up or printed off all of the recipes that we love to make.

Next, I sorted all of the recipes into 9 different categories and typed up labels for my tabs. I had to buy special extended tabs for this binder because everything was going to be in a page protector. They didn't use to make these, but the people at Office Max helped me find them and they're just perfect.

I then placed each recipe into page a protector, and placed them in the binder accordingly!

Now whenever a recipe from Binder #1 is tried and loved, it is added to this binder! I love having all of our favorites stored in one place.

So there you have it, my recipe binders are organized and complete! I love having everything at my fingertips!

Again, if you have any tips on how you organize your recipes I'd love to hear about them!

Recipe Binder Part 1

2011-09-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

You may remember that creating a recipe binder was one of my many summer goals.
Luckily, this is one of the goals that actually got crossed off the list!

I'd been saving loads of recipes on Pinterest and in my computer bookmarks, I had tons of magazine clippings crammed into a file folder, and I had recipes I was making again and again that I was searching for in various cookbooks that I could never find. I wanted/still want to start cooking more, and I figured a good organizational project was the perfect way to get started. (That may seem like backwards thinking to you, but I knew it would motivate me).

Now, I've got 2 perfectly organized binders for all of my recipe finding needs.

Today I'm going to share Binder #1: Must Try Recipes

I wanted this binder to hold all of the recipes I want to try! I had so many recipes piling up, and was quickly losing track of them.

First, I printed off all of the recipes I've been saving online and organized my magazine clippings into 9 separate categories.

Then I bought a 2 inch binder, some small clear Avery labels, and these awesome binder pockets at Office Max. After I did the shopping the rest was really easy to organize.

Since the recipes were already sorted all I had to do was printed the labels and then place all of the recipes in the appropriate pocket.

Now, whenever I'm looking for a new salad to try, I just look in my Soups and Salads pocket to flip through all of the yummy salad recipes that I'd been saving.

Finally, once I've tried the recipe one of two things will happen:

1. If I love the recipe, it will be typed up or printed off the website on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper to be added to Binder #2.

2. If we didn't like it, the recipe gets pitched!

So far, I am absolutely loving this organizational system for keeping track of my recipes.

Do you have a way you organize your recipes? If you do, I'd love to hear! If you've already written a post about it, please leave your link so I can see how you did it!

I'll be back tomorrow to share Recipe Binder #2: Tried and True Family Favorites!

Glen Arbor Family Vacation Recap

2011-09-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

I hate that I'm just now getting around to recapping our recent family vacation in Glen Arbor, Michigan! I do have a good excuse though.... I've been waiting to steal pictures from my other family members! I used my iPhone for most of the pictures I took while we were there, and although it was super convenient, they were pretty poor quality.

Anyway, after a few weeks of swapping and stealing pics, my photo recap is finally here!

Our home for the week!

M22 Tasting Room with the Girls!

Family Dinner at Boonedocks

A Day of Wine Tasting!

Cider Tasting!

The beautiful view from Willow.

The beautiful view of Lake Michigan from the vineyard.

Sparkling Wine Tasting at L. Mawby

The giant lawn chair that CAhusband spotted on our drive home!

By far my favorite picture of the trip!

CAhusband driving the boat!

CAhusband's birthday dinner!

The best cake I've had in a long time! YUM!

Sleeping Bear Dunes

A little windy once we reached the top!

The gorgeous view of Glen Lake from our house.

Family picture in our matching t-shirts!

CAhusband and I had a wonderful time on the lake with his family, and it was absolutely amazing to have a stress free week away from the work. Glen Arbor was not only a great place for a relaxing family lake vacation, but there was also a lot to do when you wanted to stay busy. The town was of Glen Arbor was just darling, and there are also several amazing wineries just outside of town. The cool temperatures felt amazing, and Glen Lake definitely has the clearest lake water I have ever seen. Overall, it was a perfect summer escape with some of my favorite people!

A huge thanks to CAhusband's parents for such a wonderful getaway. CAhusband and I both feel so fortunate to be treated to such a perfect family vacation. It was a great chance to escape the heat and catch up with family. Plus, we got to add another pin to our map! ; )

Let's Try the Accent Vlog AGAIN!

2011-09-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

*** Sorry for posting a private video earlier, it should work this time!

You know me, never afraid to jump on the bandwagon.... so I'm here to share my accent vlog with you all!

I swore to myself that I would NEVER do a vlog because I hate the sound of my own voice, and always think I have awkward mannerisms, but I changed my mind. I love watching other bloggers when they do a vlog because I feel like it helps me get to know them more, so I figured I should be willing to share as well.
Beware, I have a serious case of the sniffles this morning, so I keep doing weird things with my nose... I hope I don't really do this all the time?
Basically how this works is Jenna posted a list of words for us to read and questions for us to answer.
Here we go...

The instructions are to say these words:

Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught
And answer these questions:

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you use to change the TV channel?
Well, there you have it! Awkward me filming myself in the kitchen at 5:30 AM! : )

2 Year Blogoversary and This September

2011-09-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Photo from Oh Happy Day

Wow, I can't believe that I've been blogging for 2 years! I honestly never thought I would blog for this long, and would have NEVER EVER imagined that I would have more than 15 followers, let alone 300.

I feel like I've had a hard time making friends where we live now, and I can't explain how much blogging has helped fill that void. Reading all of your blogs makes me feel like I'm catching up with friends, and sharing things with you guys and then reading your comments is one of my favorite things!

Basically, I just want to say thank you so much for reading and commenting. I really hope to keep up with it, and can't wait to see where this little blog will go from here!

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Now, onto this September! I completely neglected this monthly feature over the summer, but love how it helps me look into the month ahead and anticipate fun things that are coming my way!

This September I will....

Get settled into the school year and our new routine.
Try to avoid going into school over the long Labor Day weekend.
Head to Louisville, KY for my sister's wedding.
Celebrate our dog, Reilly's, 6th birthday on the 28th.
Enjoy the month with my mom before she moves.
Go see I Don't Know How She Does It at the movie theater.
Schedule all of my fall TV shows on our DVR.
Try my hardest for snag the Missoni for Target flats that I want before they sell out!

What are you up to this September?

DIY: Pinboard Map

2011-08-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

I originally got this idea for tracking our travels as a couple from Young House Love. I loved their idea of using a map on a bulletin board to pin all of the places we've traveled together.

Vintage Map Pinboard from Young House Love

To be honest, I really just wanted to buy one on Etsy, but quickly realized that they didn't exist for pre-purchase. Then I snapped out of it... I didn't need to buy one, I'm more than capable, I can make one!
Once I decided to make my own I searched and searched for a vintage frame to spray paint white, but couldn't find anything that was the right size and right price. I then remembered a framed bulletin board that I had purchased from Home Good awhile ago. It wasn't just what I wanted, but it would definitely do the job.

The frame was initially ivory, with a grayish antique finish, so I had CAhusband paint it with high gloss white spray paint. I then found the perfect map at allposters.com, and bought some map pins at Office Depot.
Once I had the 3 things I needed, the final product took no time at all!

Overall, I really love how it turned out. Organizing and finishing our office is our project around the house for this fall, so it hasn't been hung yet, but I think it will look great.

The one problem is that CAhusband really dislikes that I am only pinning places that we've been together. I admit we don't look very well traveled this way, but I'm not caving. His argument is that we've both been to New York; therefore, we should pin it, but I disagree. This map will only represent the places we've traveled together. I think it will only encourage us to travel more, and can't wait to add more pins together over time.

What do you think? Do you have any fun ways to track your travels?

First Day = Sucess

2011-08-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

Well, 1 day down.... 178 to go!

I'm really only kidding, and promise I haven't started a countdown to next summer quite yet!

My first day was great, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be a great year!

CAhusband was gone when I left for work this morning, so I asked my mom to take my picture before I left. Talk about feeling like a dork... "Mom, will you take my picture for my first day of school?" Haha!

There were no major issues, all of my kiddos were there and happy, and I've decided that my itty, bitty class is going to be just perfect! They are such a fun group of adorable girls, and sweet and spirited boys, and I must say, their new uniforms are about the cutest things I've ever seen.

It was exhausting, as the first day always is, but I still managed to squeeze in a spin class on my way home.

Overall, I'm happy and tired, but thrilled that my first day went so well.

Last Day of Summer

2011-08-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

from One Charming Party

Although I've been working at school off and on for a few weeks now, tomorrow is my first official day of school with my students. That would make today my last day of summer... yikes!

Part of me wants to have a big ugly cry because I'm so sad that my summer is over, while part of me is excited to start a new year. One of my favorite things about teaching is that it allows you to start fresh every single year. After my summer off, I feel so much better and am ready to tackle a new school year.

I don't think I can adequately express how wonderful this summer has been. I got so much done, had plenty of time to relax, and nearly completed my summer to-do list. This great feeling doesn't come without some reservations though, because I've definitely gotten used to my freedom over the summer. My days of having plenty of time to read, make dinner, hit the gym, and keep the house clean with no stress are over. I know it will be much harder to fit all of this into my schedule again, but I've done it before and survived... I can do it again!

So here we go....

-I have 2 weeks worth of teacher outfits ironed and hanging in the closet
-My classroom in ready
-My first week is planned

.... ready or not, the school year starts tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Teacher Week: Three for Thursday

2011-08-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

This Thursday we're each sharing 3 different things: our favorite font, blog, and online resource!

Favorite Font

I'm not going to lie, I'm not big on downloading fonts. It's not that I don't like fun fonts, it's just not something I've ever put the time into doing. Due to the fact that I'm in a primary grade, I use Comic Sans a lot, but all of you teacher bloggers out there definitely have me wanting to change my tune. All of your lessons and units always looks so stinkin' cute! I've been looking into it, and I think I really love the font Wish I Were Taller from Kevin and Amanda. If I ever start downloading fonts, that's the one I'll start with!

Favorite Blog

Oh, how do I choose just one? There are so many wonderful blogs that I've discovered in the last few months, but I'd have to say my favorite is The Inspired Apple by Babbling Abby!

I also really love....

Lory's Page

2nd Grade Shenanigans

Favorite Online Resource

Beth Newingham's Third Grade Website

I have picked up more ideas from this website than I can count. If you teach 2nd-4th grade you'll definitely be able to pick up lots of ideas for your classroom from Beth.

I have also gotten tons of ideas from Pinterest lately! I never imagined Pinterest would spark so much creativity in my classroom when I joined, but boy was I wrong!

Teacher Week: Where It All Goes Down Wednesday

2011-08-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

Today is the day that we each showcase our classrooms, which is by far my favorite day of Teacher Week! I love to check out other classrooms, it's amazing how many wonderful ideas you can find!

We don't start school until next Monday, so my room isn't really finished yet, but it's close enough to share.

My room was just painted on Monday, my permanent teacher desk and media cart for my ELMO aren't in yet, and my Smart Board isn't completely installed.... so it's looking like it won't really be officially ready until much closer to Monday than I'd hoped. There are still some sparse walls too, but I'm not going to worry about that now... they'll be full of student work and anchor charts in no time!

First, I want to share a link to my classroom last year. I absolutely loved how I organized the space, it was a pretty perfect classroom all around.

Now for this year, be aware.... you are entering a very small classroom for a very small class! Being that we're a new private school in a tough private school market, my whole class size is similar in size to centers groups in my first classroom. It will be a growing year, and I'm just fine with that. I'm just so thankful to still have a job, and am looking forward to being able to accomplish so much with my kiddos! They are a great group, and I think we'll have so much fun together.

Let's begin our tour (please remember it's not finished)...

I stuck with my dog theme again this year. All of the materials I had held up really well and I liked it so much that I figured there was no point in starting all over again.

This is the front wall. The Smart Board should be finished tomorrow, and I will then have a cart on wheels with my ELMO up here too.
The bulletin board is for calendar, and our TOP DOG of the week.
The storage shelf below is for pencils (sharp and dull containers), turning in work, and other odds and ends.

This bulletin board will house our seasonal work. Our project that we complete on the first day of school will go on this board until October when I will switch it over to Fall/Halloween.
The tall bookshelf houses small sets of books for reading groups, some centers materials, and learning games.
The short bookshelves holds extra textbooks, dictionaries, and puzzles and board games for inside recess.
The drawers on top hold additional student supplies (erasers, rulers, glue sticks, etc) that the students can access as needed.
My behavior chart on the side is one of me favorite classroom discoveries. I used it last year, and it was just perfect. Let me know if you have any questions about my behavior plan or how I use this and I'll be happy to explain it to you.

I will use Beth Newingham's Common Themes in Fiction posters again this year, and really love them. As we read various picture books throughout the year I print off a color copy of the cover, and we add it to the board with the theme it fits best. We then compare books throughout the year with common themes. Once these posters fill up with book covers it looks really great!
These cabinets are pretty jammed full of supplies, and I'm going to try as hard as I can to keep the counter clean. The binders house my various reading and math units, and I will keep my teachers guides here as well.

These drawers are how I sort my work for the week. Once I make my copies for the week, I add it to the drawer for the day it will be used. Very simple, and effective!

This is my classroom library. I have all picture books and readers sorted by AR level. My chapter books in a series are all kept together, but the bin label also notes to overall AR level span for that series.
The small red bookshelf on the far right holds seasonal books. I will add the books for the current theme or season in the top, then out of season books are kept on the bottom. I currently have "Back to School" themed books on top, but will change them to fall books in a few weeks.

I think that's pretty much it for now. It's a cozy and colorful space, and I think it's going to be just great for my incoming class of second graders. I might add some more pictures next week once it's completely finished, but wanted to share as much as I could today in honor of Teacher Week!

Now I'm off to check out all of the other posts, maybe I'll get some more last minute ideas!