Three Tangent Tuesday (even though it feels like Monday)

I love Monday holidays. I love Tuesdays that feel like Mondays.  I love short work weeks. Even though it feels like Monday, don't worry, I didn't forget our Three Tangents for Tuesday!  Bring on the craziness.

1. Being tan is awesome because you don't have to wear makeup.  Tan foreheads are my favorite.  It's weird, but true.  The problem is you never really get tan enough in Oregon/Washington.  Now that we've almost wrapped up the house in the NW maybe we should work on a vacation house in Hawaii, right mister?

2.  This is what the inside of our current house looks like right now.  There is not much room to walk upstairs unless you have awesome maze skills.  Basically if we plan on sleep walking we better wear a helmet because we will no doubt run into a box or a vacuum or a bags of clothes piled somewhere.

Don't you hate it when you pack something you didn't think you would need, but all of a sudden can't live without?  Yesterday I packed my tape measure - you know the soft one you use for sewing and measuring your waist.  I picked it up and thought to myself, "there is no way I am going to need this for the next couple weeks". Oh boy was I wrong.  It just so happened that I found a skirt at 12am, while the mister was sleeping, that was to die for! BUT I needed my waist measurement.  I unpiled the boxes that were stacked right outside our bedroom and tried to quietly untape and open each one I thought it was in.  After about 15 mins I decided I was being too noisy and eventually gave up.  Super cute skirt bummer.

3.  We're moving.  Obviously you know that because it's basically all I talk about.  But did you know it's NEXT week!!  It's really crazy.  We haven't known what day for sure because the title papers aren't {enter something I don't understand here} and we haven't done the builder walk through yet.  But I am sick of saying "oh I dunno, some time the first week of June." So I've decided we are moving next Tuesday and come hell or high water we are moving our stuff in and we WILL occupy that house before I go out of town on Friday.  The other day we went to the house to look at the new mantle and carpet.  Ben stood in the living room asking how we should position the couch and I had my, "Holy Crap this is really happening" moment.  A house people, it's happening.

Happy Tuesday-Monday to you!

Sixth sense

I have a sixth sense.  Basically I can find awesome candy anywhere we go.  It's a gift.
The latest find is something I had never even imagined, but exactly what you need in your life.

COCONUT TWIX!  

I literally made a scene when I saw the spread of new, limited time, candy bars.  I immediately walked over and grabbed a handful to take home with us.  My candy partner in crime, Ben, was equally excited but reminded me that we may not need the entire display of candy bars.  Although my "what if I never see it again!" panic was setting in, he is usually right so I settled on a couple.

When we got it home we waited a few minutes {see we're not entirely insane}before breaking into the new find.  I was a little nervous to give it a try - not wanting it to ruin the goodness potential that it obviously has.  I wondered if it would just be coconut flavor hidden somewhere or would there be an added strip of coconut.  And if there was an added strip would it be flaky coconut goodness like the coconut kisses or would it be boring wanna-be coconut like the M&Ms.  After explaining my fear to Ben he insisted that maybe I should just open the package so we could give it a try.

It was delightful.  No flakes, no wanna-be coconut, just coconut flavored caramel.  {Which I could have found out if I would have actually read the package instead of debating the options for 10 mins.}  The cookie and yummy milk chocolate remain untouched and just as satisfying as you would expect a Twix to be. The caramel has an added coconut flavor which isn't over-powering or too subtle.  It was melt in your mouth awe-some. Thumbs up to Mars for the fun summer time treat.  Now, I should probably go back and get more...

Bow-tied Husband

Ben looked very dapper at church in his bow tie.  I just had to snap a few pictures. A few pictures actually equals so many pictures that my phone died while still in church. Whoops.

He's so handsome.

Kitchen: Before and (almost) After

My apologies for the lack of the  "three tangent tuesday" post yesterday.  I just wasn't really feeling myself.  I have been completely exhausted for a few days now and my stomach has been super nauseous.  I know what you're thinking... trust me, you're wrong.  Sticks don't lie.

I am feeling much better today although I still don't have the brain power to think up three whitty things that I am dying for the world to know. I would, however, like to show you the transformation that is the kitchen we have purchased.

Before:

I am not sure why the cabinets look so dark here. I blame it on the lighting, or the wonderful sun, or the flash - definitely one of those.

Enter Amber and Ben: "Um, I basically hate that backsplash with every bone in my body.  We will buy this house if you promise to rip it out as quickly as possible, let us pick out tile for a new one and allow me to keep the granite to make a cutting board (correction: a lot of cutting boards)."

Deal.

They had it ripped out in record time.

Enter the sweet men from Russia who spent many days doing beautiful tile work in the kitchen, bathrooms and laundry room.  They agreed that the previous backsplash was awful and seemed more than happy to send it on it's way.  

(almost)After:

I really wish I could give you an after picture that is beautifully decorated, but we don't move in for a few more weeks. Please don't mind brown the paper hanging from the wall where our new gas range will live. I'm not sure what the story is there.  It must be in effort to not get grout everywhere, let's just call it art.

Doesn't the tile look great though?  I am seriously in L-O-V-E.  You are cordially invited to see it in person when we move in.  Not now though, there are nails all over the floor - it's a danger zone.

Ponytail road trip

The other day I wore my hair in a ponytail.  Let's be honest, that happens way too often given my new longer length and the sheer laziness I have with washing and drying my hair every day.  That same day Ben and I took a little road trip to Lake Oswego.  While Ben was being responsible and driving,  I was playing with my new long pony realizing how much hair was there!  I immediately decided I MUST take a picture, while in route, to prove to myself the longness!  It took pictures with my cell phone the entire 30 minute trip. It was really hard to get one that showed the entire ponytail.  I really need to work on my road trip self portrait skills. Watching my struggles and occasional mentions of needing to puke Ben asked a few times, "Can I just take the picture for you?"  I responded with my usual, "No, I don't need help."  Needless to say I got really car sick and was on the verge of puking for the rest of the night.  All that just for the perfect picture, or a lot of imperfect pictures.
You're welcome.

When I got sick of trying to get a picture of the back of my head I moved on to better things.  Below Ben asked, "Now what are you doing?"  I responded.... "I have to document this ponytail road trip and I am showing that I am scared of your driving!!"  {I really am not though, I actually hate driving so I love when Ben drives.}

And then the awesome ones...

The sky was pretty on the way home.  Of course I had to take a picture of that too.

So there to have it, the ponytail road trip pictures from Washington to Oregon.  My hair is long though, right?!

T.T.T. - Wait, am I crazy?

It's time for Three Tangent Tuesday!
Today I would like to give you a glimpse into just a little bit of our day to day.  Somehow when all three came together I had to ask myself, Wait - am I crazy?

1.  An important member of the team is missing here...

I know, who cares about a stupid flower.  I know I am being crazy about this.  I can see it - that's the first step, right?   I was trying to explain to Ben last night how sick I STILL am over this flower and seriously wanted to cry.  I may or may not have had tears running down my face, but that was mostly from laughing because he wouldn't stop making fun of my delusional grief.  I know it's silly, I know there are bigger problems in the world, but I seriously loved that flower.  We decided I can grieve for 2 more days and then I have to get over it {if that is even possible}.  I have searched, with no luck, for an identical replacement. With some good suggestions from friends {thank you}, I have decided I will make the new flower.  I haven't found a pattern or tutorial that I absolutely love, so I guess I am on my own. {If you have a flower you make or a pattern you love, let me know!} Stay tuned....


2.  Our house is being worked on!!  We are making quite a habit of popping over to check on the changes that are happening.  I am sure the workers really appreciate our thorough review.  We are SO excited about the changes that are being made and the dream that is becoming a reality.

Yep, you caught me - sometimes I put on zero makeup and tie a sock around my head and leave the house.  It's the joys of working from home, people!
More importantly, they are tiling a new backsplash for us!  It's obviously not done, but looking good!  The previous backsplash was the same granite from the countertop just continued 18" up the wall.  I do appreciate the value of granite slabs and felt like a crazy person asking for it to be removed. However, the continuous granite backsplash reminded me of something you would find in the home of a 60 year old male bachelor.  It said, "pass me a glass of burbon and dim the lights".  We needed a backsplash more suited for Teal Kitchen Aides and the smell of baking cookies.


3.  Toy Story.  Ben and I watched  Toy Story 3 the other day.   I know everyone loves these movies.  I, too, think they have adorable characters and an entertaining story line.  That being said, these movies are a childhood nightmare come true for me.  I am not even kidding.
When I was young I used to get so worried that my toys, food, clothes, etc. FELT bad when I wouldn't choose them.  I used to make sure I would eat my food evenly and included even the toys that I really didn't like so no one was left out.  I always felt bad when I had to choose just a couple of anything not wanting to hurt the feelings of the ones left behind.  I mostly grew out of it, I still feel bad if I accidentally leave one of something behind - I try to make sure I at least leave a pair.

So the other day, after watching the 3rd movie, I went grocery shopping.  I stood in the produce section picking out fresh carrot sticks.  I do this every week.  But this time, I grabbed a carrot that looked good at first, but as I lifted it I noticed a little bit of carrot leaves leaves left hanging on the top, now all slimy and wet  from being watered by the grocery store sprinklers.  I immediately set it down thinking, "gross, I can't put that in my bag!"   Then came the visions of the sad left behind toys of Toy Story and I felt awful for picking the carrot up and immediately discarding it.  So I did what any crazy person would do, I picked up the slimy stemmed carrot, ripped off the slimy leaves {sorry those are still not going in my bag} and put the carrot in with the others making everyone feel better.

 Craziness confirmed - Happy Tuesday to everyone!

Sad and Broken Hearted

Basically my heart is broken and there is nothing anyone can ever do to fix it.

Two years ago I bought a gorgeous yellow flower from Anthropologie.  It was before the time that everyone and their dog were wearing flowers.  I like to say I started that trend {joke}.  It was huge and said, "look at me, I'm a huge yellow flower!".  It was amazing and beautiful.  I cherished it and wore it A LOT.  I loved it.  It was my absolute most favorite accessory ever. Ever.  Ever.  If I was stranded on a dessert island and got to bring 3 things, my yellow flower would have been one.

So WHY, you ask, would I be dumb enough to attach it to my cute pink purse and walk around using it as a purse accessory??? It's obviously going to fall off and be lost forever!

I.DO.NOT.KNOW.

I guess I wanted it to be with me always.  I didn't think it would really fall off!

I am not smart all the time and now my flower is gone.

I am seriously sick about it. 

I called Anthropologie {headquarters, not the measly Portland store} and asked if they could PLEASE send me one, they have to have an extra hanging around somewhere.  They were very apologetic and said they only have navy blue.  But navy blue can't heal my heart, I already have grey and pink.  

I NEED YELLOW!

I checked Google, and Craigslist, and eBay.  I did search after search on every shopping site I have ever known willing to pay big bucks to replace the missing piece of my heart.  

So there you have it.  My broken depressed heart on my sleeve.  My yellow flower missing for the world to take advantage of and my stomach sick over the love that can't be replaced.

I can't promise I will get over this.

Three {no} FOUR Tangent Tuesday

Happy Three Tangent Tuesday - today you get the special treat of an extra tangent!  You know Tuesday is my third favorite day of the week, so I am feeling extra generous today!

1.  Remember my squirrel Marv who had to be captured and moved into the wild because he was nesting in the attic? {Read here if you don't}. Well, today as I was making lunch I saw our new squirrel, Ted, enjoying a peanut while sitting in basket attached to the backyard tree.  "Hmmm" I thought to myself, "I bet he would like a treat." I looked around the kitchen and spotted some left over cookies!  I broke one into pieces and walked onto the porch and placed the cookie on the edge of the deck.  He watched me the whole way.  I went back into the house eager for him to take the cookie and hide it with the other goodies around our yard.  I watched through the window, and watched, and watched and watched.  Nothing happened! HE refused my cookie AND the piece of cupcake Ben added to the pile when he got home.  I can't believe it!  I also can't believe the biggest drama of my life is surrounded by the squirrels in my backyard. This is where I should insert that I work from home and sometimes get a little desperate for friends. :-)

 

2.  I must share with you our Monday night dinner because I was very proud of the display.  We had Cobb Salad and all the toppings too choose for our own personal salads were laid out on a serving tray in these cute little lines.  They were quickly destroyed, but not before I snapped a picture proud of my straight food lines.

3. I am officially 5 days without candy! Gushers, fro-yo and a couple bites of ice cream don't count. We are talking straight up candy here people.  This is a big feat for me.  No joke, I went from having one or 2 M&Ms once a day to convincing myself that entire meals of M&M's, gummy bears, hot tamales and sweedish fish had real nutritional value.  I was consuming wwwaaayyyy too much candy.  So much, in fact, that the last 5 days have been a welcomed break.  I haven't wanted any.  I ate so much I really think I got burned out of the sweet goodness and the last fews days have been nice.  Totally weird for me!  Am I giving up candy forever?  Ha, yeah right, now THAT would be INSANE.  But I am going to let my body de-tox itself from a serious overload of sugar and give the poor candy bowl a break!

You can't even see the candy hidden at the bottom of the bowl!
Or the candy treasures I have hidden secretly around the house.  Uh hum.... what problem?

4.  I am dying over this Giraffe head from Anthro.  Am I seriously lusting after it and will find a way to incorporate it into the decor of our new home.  Random, maybe.  Awesome, absolutely.

So there you have it, FOUR tangents, you're welcome.

A little gushing

The other day Ben and I were reminiscing about our childhoods.  More specifically, our favorite childhood treats we couldn't have lived without.

I started talking about the time summer that Shannon and I decided to open a movie theater in my parents basement.  There is nothing better than watching a movie with your friends.  We turned the movie watching experience up a notch and charged those young friends admission to watch a fantastic selection of Disney movies. We were in second, maybe third, grade.  Even as kids we knew a good movie theater couldn't survive without yummy goodies.  So, we did what any good entrepreneur would do and sold my family's food.  All the yummy snacks and eight year old pines after, we sold.  Needless to say, when my mom found out about our new business {of many} she insisted that we embrace the overhead and restock our inventory with our earnings instead of her pantry.  She took us shopping. I remember standing in the isle at the grocery store - looking at a yellow box of gushers high above my head, mouth watering, asking her to reach the box for me wishing I could sneak a few tastes for myself {which I am sure I did}.

Gushers are like fruit snacks. The center of each gusher is a thick sweetened liquid surrounded by a chewy gelatinous sugar covering. When one bites into the snack, the liquid inside gushes out, hence the name of the snack.

Ben and I agreed... Gushers are our number one favorite childhood snack food!

When Mother's Day rolled in imagine my surprise when that sweet Ben surprised me with none other than the reminiscent snack that had our mouths watering only days before!

Don't mind my creep-tasticly excited face and strange left hand! 

Tonight we broke open the box and let the record show that even at age 27 Gushers do not disappoint.  The yummy liquid center with the chewy outershell was fantastic.  Mandy and Paul told us Costco carries mega sized boxes of Gushers.  We should probably steer clear of Costco for a while. I tend to make strange decisions in that mega sized superstore - I would, for sure, walk out with 2 huge boxes.

Mothers.

How grateful we are for the wonderful mothers in our lives.
How willing they are to bless us with their support and unwavering love.

A Mother has such a power to influence good in this world.
She has the power to teach those around her to be better, stronger, more loving and kind.
She has the power to heal wounds with only a kiss and a band-aid to make it "all better".
She has the power to heal hearts with a promise that no matter what, she will stand by your side, she will never leave.

She has that smile that her children look for, even when they're all grown, that says, "I believe in you".
She is the absolute example of sacrifice, of service, of how to treat your fellow man.

What an overwhelming and important responsibility a mother has, but that is why she is your {and my} mother.  She can, and will, take on that responsibility. She knows the reward of influencing a child's life for good far outweighs the importance of a spotless shirt or a quiet house.  She knows the value of being a good, positive example and she, no doubt, will show you through her actions.  Because times are crazy and she wonders to herself how it could possibly get worse, it's then when she surprises even herself - because she smiles and teaches her children to keep pushing on - fighting for good.

Ben and I have both been blessed with amazing mothers. As well as, amazing grandmothers, friends, sisters, aunts and cousins who show, and teach us, every day the amazing power they have to influence lives for good.

Celebrating all of you and wishing you a very wonderful Mother's Day!

TRADING: big news for lots of luck

It's just a simple story.

A couple is searching for somewhere to lay some roots.  They search and search until one day they drive past a neighborhood that looks cozy.  They pull in and see a couple houses for sale.  They see a model home that looks open and let themselves in.  There, they find a sweet lady who appears to be on her way out. She asks if they would like to see the 2 houses for sale.  They hesitate and wonder if they should come back later, they - you see - were on their way to walk through a different house.  A house that they were trying to be interested in, but somehow it wasn't sitting right with them.

Finally, they agree. They walk though a gorgeous one story home that is filled to the brim with options and luxury, but with only 3 bedrooms and no room to grow they wonder how on earth the home will hold the 10 children the man promised the woman when they married.  They move on to the next house, now very late for their previous appointment.

They walk into a 2-story home with open spaces and room to grow.  The woman marvels at the incredible closet and storage space throughout the home.  They smile over the raised counter-tops perfect for the tall man.  They imagined BBQ's under their covered patio and a small vegetable garden on the side of their house.   They thank the sweet lady for showing them around.

Finally, they arrive to their previously scheduled appointment, very late - with much apologies, while visions of closet space and covered patios danced through their heads.

They loved the 2-story house.  They hardly needed to even voice the words to each other.  It seemed to fit, they wanted this to be the home for their 10 kids and the dog the man so badly wishes he had.

They made lists of things they need and requests they had.  They studied every detail of their soon to be home, went to their local church and drove the exact mileage to and from their favorite places.  {28.8 miles from Shannon and Dan.}  The drove by the house morning, noon and night.  They stood at the front door and watched the neighbors, looking back this may have been a little insane. Finally, they presented a list of wishes to the builder. Back and forth they went until everyone was happy.

That, my friends, could only mean one thing...

THIS:

PLUS this:

PLUS this:

EQUALS: 

Our first HOUSE!

We are beyond excited for this big new adventure in our lives.  TECHNICALLY, it's not ours quite yet. We aren't scheduled to close until the end of May since we made above mentioned list asked for some changes to be made inside.  But keeping my big mouth shut was getting WAY too hard.  I mean you should see the closets in this place!!  I could literally live in the hall closet - let alone the master.  My storage prayers have been answered.   Ben's dream of outside BBQ's will come true. I should mention that we do not truly plan on producing 10 children as my age, and patience, would hardly allow for that. Nor can I promise that we will stay in this home forever.  But it's perfect for now, and for growing, and I am crossing my fingers that the end of May comes without any hiccups.   

Wish us lots of luck, luck, luck!

Three Tangents for Tuesday

We missed out on triple T last week while I was in Iowa.  My apologies, but I am back and ready to introduce a new week of weird things from our lives... aka. Three Tangent Tuesday.  I very much encourage you to do the same.

1.Big news.  Tune in tomorrow.  Here.
{I should clarify that this does not have to do with a baby}


2.  We are a little bit famous...  http://www.utahcatering.com/wedding-catering.html.  Move over Royal Wedding because in case you didn't know, Ben and I had the wedding of the century.  I think the world stopped for even a few moments to recognize the magic that was unfolding.  Okay, dramatic, but honestly our wedding was awesome and we couldn't have done it without the amazing friends and family who spent months and endless hours smiling and listening to my very involved opinion. So, to me, it was the wedding of the century.  It was so great in fact, that our caterer has pictures of our wedding on their website -  most don't even have any relation to food, nor anything they did.   I will begin signing autographs now.

3.  Bic Bands. These things are GREAT!  I have heard from a lot of runners that they love these because they don't slip while you're running or working out.  I figured I had to have some and find out for myself. Turns out it's true!  They don't move one little bit and keep that annoying hair out of your face!  They have velvet on the bottom that prevents them slipping and sliding on your sweaty {or not sweaty} hair.  You can peruse the selection here.

I would like to add that I was wearing the above shirt, that Dan designed ,when Ben proposed.  This shirt should be framed in a shadow box on my wall and be passed on to generations to come... not be abnormally being sweat in, but such is life!

This tiger striped bic band is my absolute fave.  I say anytime you can add tiger stripes, DO IT! {I give you permission to borrow that as a mantra for your life!}

Hooray for a sunny Tuesday!