Pinterest Finds

Remember how I recently had issues with my computer? Well, one of the issues is back and making it nearly impossible for me to use it. Great. Derek is awesome and is letting me use his, so this is going to be a short post.

If you have't heard of it- in which case I'm not sure we can be friends (kidding)- Pinterest is a fabulous place to waste time perusing oodles of ideas, recipes, fashion trends and just about anything else under the hot sun. Yes I inserted a link for the Tucson weather forecast so you would feel bad for me. But I digress. I have a slight obsession with Pinterest. I'm pretty sure I've spent about a zillion hours on there looking for nothing in particular, but on the upside I've found some great ideas that have been used over and over around these parts. I thought it might be fun to share some of my favorite finds.

I love food. I love cooking it. I love photographing it. But mostly I love eating it. My Yummm board has been used so much it's ridiculous. Here's some of my faves:

Easy Crusty Bread. I made this about a million times over the winter. It's super easy and stupid good.

Easy Pizza Crust. I'm noticing an "easy" trend. Love this recipe. It's my go-to for pizza nights. I've even used it for calzones and cinnamon buns.

Tasty Vegetable Curry. This is insanely good. I mean, like really insane. 

Lime and Coconut Chicken. Again, insanely good. It's fairly easy too. You can make it a couple of hours ahead of time then toss it on the grill. Add a salad and some rice and you've got yourself an awesome meal.

The DIY board is pretty self-explanitory. 

$15 Wine Rack. I plan to make one of theses babies for the dining room.

His+Her Coffee Mugs. I made these for my brother and sister-in-laws this past Christmas. Super cute and easy on the wallet.

Wireless Router Restyle. Love this. I found a couple vintage books at the thrift store for like a 75 cents each. It hides the modem and the router and looks chic.

The Homey Stuff board is all things home related that are supposed to make life easier. 

Homemade Stain Remover. This is the best stain remover I've ever used. It removed coffee stains, dirt stains, and baby poop stains like nobodies business.

DIY Dining Table. This is the table that plan on building. I really like how simple it is, and the hairpin legs add a little whimsy.

How to Clean Gas Stove Grates. We had a gas stove at our rental house. I can be a tad OCD when it comes to cleaning the kitchen. This really works. For reals.

I have tons more pins on all these boards and several other boards but I'm feeling generous today and won't bore you with ever single one of them. That and I need more coffee. Right. Now. Feel free to take a gander over at my Pinterest profile. And maybe if you feel so inclined you will follow me and I'll follow you? Like a friends type thing. Just a thought.

 

Happy Birthday Tobias

This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but Toby is dealing with some fabulous teething (molars, ick) and thus has been Mr. Clingy. Thanks for being so understanding of my backposting.

Yup, the little dude hit the big 1. I can't believe that a whole year has gone by. I thought I'd share a few snippets of his short little life, because we all know that I have a tendency to overshare but you all are gracious enough to humor me so here we go down memory lane...

Note: some of the pics are from before I knew how to use Derek's fancy camera. I do apologize for the quality.

Fresh out the oven.

 First Father's Day. Aw, bonding time.

The onesie sums it up.

Happy Birthday, Buddy. It's been a crazy awesome year learning to be your mommy. Thanks for being so patient with me. Can't wait to see what other fun adventures we go on as a family. Love you Tobias!

Congrats to Mom and Dad

Whew! Last week was crazy, but alls well that ends well. My mom and dad renewed their vows and we partied hardy. It was such a beautiful event, and I'm so proud of my parents for doing what they did. These days it's scary how couple just throw in the towel when things get bumpy (although I do understand that there are times when things just won't work out), and it's so encouraging to have my own parents be an incredible example of two people who love each other and are willing to work hard for their relationship. It was particularly special for me; my mom was married once before my dad, hence me. I was a flower girl at their wedding in 1995, and it was a privilege and honor to be able to witness Mom and Dad commit to each other again this past weekend.

It was a crazy maddash to the end to get everything ready. So crazy, in fact that I didn't really get a chance to take pictures. Bummer. Derek, however, got some video footage and clicked a few pics.

Earlier in the day, I took some pics for one of those frames where you sign the frame for the special couple. My parents are just so photogenic.

I was trying to capture some candid smiles, so I told them I had monkeys flying out of my butt. You gotta do what you gotta do, right?

Pretty people.

My mom had an amazing knack for creating beautiful outdoor spaces, so I had to snag a few clicks of the flowers.

They did the ceremony in front of the house, in the gorgeous courtyard my mom has worked so hard to create. Did I mention it's gorgeous?

The lovely bride.

They got married under a chuppah, smashed the glass, and jumped the broom. Way cool.

We had dinner in the backyard. My mom and I cooked everything, and had the help of some wonderful friends serving it for everyone.

Centerpieces. And butter. One can never have too much butter.

Mom and Dad created and signed a Ketubah, which my mom placed on a painting she made. Yeah, she's just that awesome.

And of course we got down and boogied late into the night. It was a blast! #blurry.

I don't think I can stress enough how beautiful everything was. Everyone had a great time and Mom and Dad are excited to have a "new beginning".  Love you guys!

Current State of the Union

I just realized that the title could totally pass as a  "Before and After" phrase for Wheel of Fortune. Yes, we watch that show around here. It's awesome.

So yeah, things have been super busy around here (what else is new). My parents are renewing their vows this weekend! I'm so proud of them for doing this and very excited. The whole thing is going to be at their house so they have been working hard to get the place ready for the ceremony, dinner and dancing. It's going to be really beautiful, but there's so much that has to be done. I've been trying to be as helpful as possible, thus the state of my home.

Folding laundry? Ain't nobody got time for that! (my new favorite phrase)

Well at least we're not starving...

Hello half of a lady. Please park yourself on the dining table.

Okay, let me explain. For my wedding, we made all the flowers for the bouquets and boutonnieres by hand (crazy much?) and they turned out really nice. Plus it was special to be able to keep my bouquet and not have dead flowers. My mom wanted the same thing for the vow renewal so I'm making her bouquet and the boutonnieres for the guys. My sis and I will have live flowers; we won't care if they die later. Hence the mess of fabric.

We started a project in the living room, which meant that we had to move all our books and dvds into our bedroom. Derek says it might make us smarter in our sleep.

"Oh you're taking my picture? Let me get closer for you".

Anyways, the whole thing is really exciting. I know I'm all talk about how crazy things are, but it really is a privilege to be able to help my parents and be there to support them as they recommit to each other. *Sniff* I promised myself I wasn't going to cry...

BT-dubs I started a Twitter profile so check it out because we all know that you just can't live without knowing every little thing that I do.

Out of the Mouth of Derek

There is never a dull moment living with Derek. God has blessed him an awesome sense of humor which compliments my being prone to laugh at everything. I was inspired by Grace's hilarious posts of her husbands quibs to try and record these beloved Derekisms. Here are just a few recent quotes that happened to particularly tickle my funny bone....

As I was trying to help Toby smell a candle. Toby must have thought I was offering him food, he just opened wide: "He smells with his mouth".

After I likend his gas passage to a Lord of the Rings crepper creature:"If my farts are like Ringwraiths, than yours are like that giant spider; they wrap you up and leave you to die slowly"

"GPS stands for Giant Piece of Sh... uh, nevermind"--- during a recent trip to Phoenix.

Twu wuv.

And the Winner Is...

Oriental Eggplant!

I really love how this color turned out. Like I said before it's bold without being too overwhelming. I think it sets the tone for the inside of the house and what our style is- eclectic, artsy, and just plain cool. Okay that last one might have been a stretch. I need to do one more coat of paint, just to make the color a little richer. I'm not sure what to do about the trim... thoughts? Suggestions?

I also planted a few living green things.

Philip the Ficus. Yes, I named the tree.

Some of them are adjusting well to their new home away from Home Depot. Others, eh, not so much. Looks like I'll have to have a plant funeral and replace some with other plants that have a greater will to live.

Oh and guess what!

I'm back in business people! My hubs is awesome, he worked every night this week to fix my computer. I didn't realize how attached I was to this thing until I didn't have it (addicted much?). I just need to reinstall a few things, like Photoshop, hence the reason the pics in this post aren't as great as I'd like them but I won't complain because I GOT MY COMPUTER BACK!!! Sorry, I got a little carried away there.

Happy weekend everyone!