Husband Says...

It's been a while since i've done one of these, but its been a while since Husband has really cracked me up and i remembered exactly what he said.
So short back story time. Husband decided he wants to go to this years Coast Guard Holiday Party. I'm not so thrilled about this because every time i get dragged to one of these Coast Guard functions i never know anyone. But he kept bringing up this party, so i agreed to go.

Christmas Party = New Dress for Me

There's a dress code for this party: Business Casual at a minimum. So basically they're saying this is not a jeans type of party. Business casual looks a lot like this, with the skirts and accessories and the cuteness.


But since getting married and not having to work, my wardrobe of business casual has gone down. And i've been to my own work Christmas parties, so i have an idea of how women dress for these things -- especially when the venue is at a swanky boat/hotel on the river. Husband said i could just wear my church clothes for this. Ha!! I told Husband that i'm going to need a new dress, something a little dressier then what i wear to church because those clothes are more for comfort while playing on the floor with the kids in nursery.
i was trying to explain to Husband the different degrees of dressing up for girls -- casual, date casual, business casual, professional, cocktail, then the full out formal. He just shook his head and said "Girls are like the Navy. They have a different outfit for everything."
He would turn girl stuff into something about the military.
But as far as the dress goes, i have found one. Have you ever noticed that when you're shopping for something specific, its the one thing you can't find? I shopped online first then i drove around to 4 different places when i realized i didn't have enough time to get something shipped. I can't count how many different dresses i tried on. But yesterday i went to Ross and found the perfect Little Black Dress that was actually modest. It was the only one of its kind that i found on the rack in any of the sizes, and amazingly it was my size exactly :) Now i need to find a little purse and some jewelry, but that's the easy part compared to the dress shopping. I also need to figure out what to do with my hair....

Someone Had A Good Birthday

My birthday was over a week ago, but my lack of blogging about it before now has nothing to do with how great it was. i just haven't been wanting to do the sifting through and editing of the pictures. Husband took about 200 pictures, and vain person that i am, i can't just post anypicture of me. I have to find the ones that make me look cute...or at least not scary and fat. But i finally got around to it because i really do want to tell you all how my big day/trip went.
My wonderful husband for some crazy reason loves and adores me. i haven't figured out why, but he does, so i take what i can get. One of his goals in life seems to be making my every wish come true, and on my list was to go to the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. Who wouldn'twant to visit it?

It is a maze of rooms and craziness, but i love the whole story of it, and the idea that it's haunted is just a plus for me. So birthday morning we threw the suitcase in the car, hit the gas station and Jamba Juice, and then we were on our way. We did the tour of the Winchester house, with the VIP behind the scenes tour that goes into the extra areas not on the regular tour, including the basement. My #1 hope was that i would see/hear a ghost on the tour, but i was disappointed on that one. But its ok, we can't have everything we wish for.
After checking into our hotel, he took me out for some of my favorite food: Greek. I'm happy to say i've been able to expose Husband to Greek food this last year so i can have it without him making a face at the idea now. He'll only order a Gyro, there's no adventure in trying anything new, but he'll never say no to baklava so i'll take it.

Tuesday we went to San Francisco. We walked around through the park and down to Ocean Beach, and i let Husband take his time taking pictures along the way.

We went over to the Golden Gate bridge and took more pictures.

We wanted to go over to Alcatraz Island to do the prison tour, but we decided we're going to need to take another trip to San Francisco so we needed to leave some things to do for next time. Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, and riding the trolley will be left for next time too.

We did go to the Exploratorium Museum though.

We promised each other we would only stay for 2 hours so we could go do some of the other things on our list for the day, but some how 2 hours stretched out into 6 and they were kicking us out the door for closing. There were so many things to do and see, and we still weren't done when it was time to go.

So after getting some dinner and checking into our hotel, we called it a night. We were so tired from the day, we were asleep by 10 i think.

Wednesday morning we slept in, got ready for the day and decided we were ready to head home. We drove down Lombard St. and then headed over real quick to stop to see the "Painted Ladies" aka the Victorian Houses you may recognize from the opening credits of Full House.

And then we got out of there. But since Fairfield was on the drive home, we had to stop at the Jelly Belly factory and take the tour.

We may or may not have left with several bags of Belly Flops... Our plan for those was to send some bags as gifts to people, but we both have a sweet tooth i don't think either of us have the the ability to give them away any more.

So yes, i can definitely say i had a good birthday. Probably the best birthday i've ever had. I've never taken such a great trip for a birthday before, and just the fact that i got to spend it all with Husband, my best friend ever, made it all the better. I'm going to have to do something really great for him soon i think.

Busy Girl This Fall

Ok, i admit i haven't been busy doing a lot of anything the last few weeks. Lame right? Husband and I were both sick with an annoying cold/flu one week, and we're in the midst of a major push to pay off debt (we paid off my car!!!), so we haven't been out doing things like we would normally. No going out for movies or fun adventures, and except for Husbands desperate need of McDonald's to win the Monopoly million dollar prize, there hasn't been a lot of going out for food on my end. After 2 days in a row of Husband coming home with McNuggets and large fries for me, and stomach aches to follow that evening, i requested he just buy fast food for his lunches and not bring it home ever again. I think i can live without McDonald's for the rest of my life. The pain isn't worth it to me.

But in my down time i found a new addiction. I'm having a little bit of a hard time admitting it, but i think i should share. On top of my admitting this, i'm admitting that i'm hoping to get all of you addicted too.... :] So here it is, my addiction :

Veronica Mars. It was a tv show they had on the CW a little while back that lasted 3 seasons (sadly). Who would have guessed this was actually a good show? Well, my mom of all people did. She kept telling me about this show, and I didn't believe her until the other week when i was looking through the Netflix instant watch library, i added it to my list and gave it a try. And then I couldn't stop watching it once i started. I took over Husbands Xbox and watched all 3 seasons in just a few days. I woke up every morning at 8 (sometimes 7) and parked myself on Husbands favorite chair over the weekend. Yes, i got up at 7 on a Saturday, though i can hardly do that on a week day, and stayed up until 1 at night watching episode after episode. I neglected poor Husband during my marathon too. i don't think i cooked a single meal. It was all PB&J or cereal. But thankfully he's not the type to complain about food. His biggest complaint was that i had taken over the Xbox so he didn't have anything or anyone to entertain him. He survived though.
So yeah, i was addicted and in the end felt very unsatisfied when i got to the last season and it wasn't completed with the continuing story into season 4 to finish the series. But i have a whole new respect for Kristen Bell as an actress which i thought would never happen. Any way, i think you should all watch it and take part in my addiction when you have some time.
I'm happy to say that Fall is finally here in CA. Its beautiful, again. This time last year, almost to the day, i was able to go up to Apple Hill, without Husband because he had to work, and i was hoping to go again this year with him. We just haven't had the chance. We had planned to go with some friends the other week, but Husband managed to get some tickets from work to a football game the same night so we all went to that instead. But chances are good that we'll still be able to go this year. There's still time. Unlike Utah, with its ridiculous snow the last week of October (who would want to jump seasons from summer straight to winter?!). Utah, you have my sympathy....
Halloween is a day away now. Who can wait?? Our ward had our Trunk or Treat 2 weeks ago. We helped with one of the booths, fishing for prizes, and i was actually able to talk Husband into dressing up with me to go. I dressed up like a dental hygienist, and i was able to drag out of husband that the last time he dressed up for Halloween he was Napoleon Dynamite. Since he still had the Vote for Pedro t-shirt, i just had to pop the frames out of some crap sunglasses for him, and he was set. For candy this year we're skipping chocolate and going with suckers.

These loverlys are heaven. I decided, since i usually eat through all the chocolate every year when i purchase candy before the big day and have to buy 3 times as much as i would have if i could just hide it from myself like a normal person, suckers were the way to go. They're impossible to eat through a whole bag in one sitting. I wanted the Caramel Apple Pops, but amazingly i couldn't find them anywhere in the stores here. i have no idea why though. So i resorted to buying 2 boxes of them online, thats how determined to not buy chocolate this year i am. The first box we handed out for trunk or treat, the 2nd box will go for Halloween.

Halloween...

Even as i'm writing this, my enjoyment from this holiday is going down. Why do people have to be dumb? Earlier this week, Wednesday night, just as it was getting dark out, i heard a hard thwack on the front window. It wasn't a new sound because i've heard birds fly into the top windows over the main windows a few times this summer, so i didn't think too much about it other then the fact that it was kind of late for the birds to not realize the windows have glass in them. But Thursday morning when i left for the day, while i was locking the door behind me i looked over and saw this:

Someone decided to throw an egg at out house :[ Why are people that rude? We haven't had the chance to clean it off yet, 2 days later. But its ok though, because tonight as i started my blogging, we were hit again, by the front door this time. Angry Face! Husband didn't hear it, but i did and told him, and he got out the front door just in time to hear a car take off down the street. We'll have to clean it off tomorrow morning for sure now. We don't know anyone in the neighborhood, and we don't have enemies, so who knows why we're being singled out here. Punks.
So that's our month. Nothing too exciting going on, like usual. Really looking forward to November, for my birthday....and for Harry Potter :]

Frame Jewelry Display

I am not the type of girl to wear a lot of jewelry or accessories. I'm sure that makes me weird for a girl but oh well. You'll usually find me in just my wedding ring and a simple necklace when it comes to accessories. Nothing frilly or chunky or large for me. But don't get me wrong, i love the frilly/chunky/large stuff that everyone is wearing. I just don't know how to wear it myself. I'm terrible with accessories. Trust me, i wish i could be good at it because i really do love it. And oh how i wish i could wear headbands, but i'm pretty sure i have the biggest sized head you can get for a girl and the headband just digs in behind my ears causing major headache...but headbands aren't jewelry, which is what we're talking about today. So anyway, as far as earrings go....i almost never wear them. I have a bunch, but my ears are just too sensitive to metals most of the time that i hardly ever try to wear them. But when i stumbled onto this Earring Display over at Kevinandamanda.com, i fell in love.

That's adorable right? I couldn't pass up this idea, so i went and made it myself :]

It was SO easy to make too. PLUS i already had everything i needed, i didn't spend a single dollar. But even then, if you don't have some of the supplies, it's still a very inexpensive project. I had a bunch of frames i didn't know what to do with from decorations for our wedding, but i got all of the frames in the first place from DI and Goodwill for a $1 each, some of them for less. So like i said, very cheap.

What you'll need:

Picture Frames

Picture Hanging Wire

Craft Paint

(i used Vintage White & Calypso Sky, but your colors are up to you)

Paint Brushes

(the foam ones worked great to give the paint the streaks so it wasn't so polished with the white)

Thumb Tacks

Ribbon

Staple Gun & Staples

I started out, for this frame, painting it first entirely with the Calypso Sky and letting it dry. It doesn't take more then a few minutes. I wanted this to be the color to show through when i painted the white over it with the 2nd coat.

When i painted the white over the 1st color, i just brushed it over, i didn't try to get the white into the detail and corners. That's the look i was going for, the shabby chic look, and i got what i wanted :]

Next was the hanging wire. I used 2 pieces of hanging wire and twisted them together so post earrings can be hung from the display as well.

So, you can slide the post earrings in between the wires and put the backs on, or hang the hooks over the double wires.

When stapling the wires to the back of the frame, you have a choice. You can staple the wire directly to the back of the frame. But if you do this, i realized after the fact, the wire will be directly against the wall if you decide to hang the display.

So the other option is to staple the wires to the side of the inside of the frame where the glass and backing slides into.

I spaced the hanging wire about 3/4 of an inch from the top of the inside of the frame, and 3 inches apart for each additional wire below that. It depends on the size of the frame you use for how you space it though.

This is what the ribbon and thumb tacks were used for. Because the backs are taken out of the frames, there is nothing to use if it's going to be hung up on the wall. So this is what i came up with.

Amanda, the one to inspire this whole project, was inspired in the first place by Ruffles And Stuff with this:

She had used an old frame with the original hanging wire to string up her necklaces.
I didn't want to have to unclasp my necklaces to get it off the wire, so i decided the hooks were the way to go. I realize a necklace has to be unclasped to put it on your neck....but i just thought it was easier to slip a necklace over the hook when it comes to taking it on and off the frame.

The only thing you need extra for this is the Hooks instead of the hanging wire. You can find them in the hardware aisle. I used 7, and equally spaced them across the top on the inside of the frame.
If that isn't enough hooks for you though, you can use 2 hooks on either end of the frame and slip a dowel inside the hooks to hang the necklaces from and -- i would think -- that would be easily removed to take a necklace off the dowel. Or you can just use the picture hanging wire if you like that idea :]

So there you go. A simple, inexpensive DIY project you can do to display your jewelry.
I actually didn't keep this project for myself.... Husband thought i was silly to spend so much time for something that wasn't for me, but when i told him i was sending it to his sister, he said i was really sweet :]

My sister-in-law Leah makes earrings, which she has given me several pairs of, and has lots of pretty jewelry, so i figured she would put these to better use then i would.
So Leah, these Frame Jewelry Displays are all for you.

I hope you like them!

Hey There!

You've missed me right? I'm warning you right now, there are LOTS of words in this post, but not a whole lot of interesting ones. If you read all of it, you're a good friend. If you don't, you're still a good friend because i won't blame you for not reading. So yeah, there's my warning.
I know some of you are wondering what happened to me. i used to be so much better at keeping this up to date. I know i should be doing this better. Its like free therapy some days, cheep entertainment other days, and like having friends around the rest of the days. I like sharing things with everyone so i don't know what my deal is..... i'm sorry. Life just gets busy and distracting some times.
I recently spent 2 weeks in Idaho visiting my family. It was much needed for me, but the hard thing about it was that i did it without Husband. Gasp! I don't know how either of us survived 2 weeks apart.... i especially don't know how Husband survived living alone for that long. He's never done that before. He grew up the middle child. After high school he served a mission for our church for 2 years and always had a companion with him then. When he was going to school he had roommates. Basic training, he lived in barracks. When he was on the boat, its was like living in barracks. No privacy. There's always someone around. Then, we got married and he's been sharing a room with me since. He's never lived alone. But while i was gone he had to feed himself, entertain himself, and keep the house clean...He survived though, and i came home to a clean house. But he called every night to tell me to come home because he was so bored and he missed me. I felt bad doing it to him :(
But I stayed the whole 2 weeks in Idaho with my family, and i'm glad i did if only because i love my family so much. When Husband and i visit there together, Husband wants to go visit Utah right away and see all his friends from school and from growing up, so time seeing my family is cut short. He feels bad doing that, so it was actually his idea for me to go alone in the first place. I probably wouldn't have stayed so long except my younger brother was visiting the first weekend i was there, and i hadn't seen him in over a year. And then my other little brother turned 7 on Sept. 1st and he wanted to have me there for his party.

So i conquered my fear -- or at least survived it -- and drove the 12 hours by myself to make the trip. Yes. I have a fear of driving. I used to make drives like that, no problem, back in the days when i was single. But after i developed a vertigo issue a few years ago, conveniently around the time we got married, driving turned into a stressful scary thing. i only say conveniently because i have Husband to do the bulk of the driving when we travel. I won't go into how hard it is for me, but i got past it -- i did it! -- all by myself. I was going to meet my family up at Yellowstone National Part, but Husband and i decided making that part of the trip was pushing it for me. So i missed out on that with my fam, but oh well.
Getting to spend so much time with my little brother Jared was fun. He started 1st grade while i was there, and it was exciting to send him off for that. His poor mom though. Cindy, my step-mom, was at a loss of what to do with her days that first week. She spent every hour wondering what he was doing, missing him, and trying to think up excuses to go see him at school. And then when he came home, he didn't go running into his mom's arms like she imagined and hoped he would. He would walk in and ask where i was instead. She said it was like getting stabbed in the heart with a knife and having it twisted it in a little deeper every day. I felt bad about that, but thankfully she knew it wasn't intentional on my part. He just loved having me there. When i'm not, he usually calls at least once a week to tell me how he plans to build a guest house onto theirs so i can come live with them. He says bringing Husband is an option left up to me if i really want him to come, thank goodness. He just loves his sister.
His birthday party turned out to be a lot of fun. I spent a few hours filling up water balloons for him and his friends to have a war out in the front yard that only lasted a few minutes. But i got to throw a few of them myself, so it was all worth it in the end. His birthday present from mom and dad was his very own kitten. Cute right?

I was so jealous. Well, at least i was until she pooped on my bed in the middle of the night right next to my head. *Seriously???* I about puked all over her. After that she thought we were best friends though. She followed me everywhere, i couldn't sit down without her in my lap. blah. i started locking her in the garage every night so she would always know where the litter box was at night.
While i was there, i got to run into Logan UT a few times to go to Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby is one of those places i can spend hours wondering around and getting ideas for crafts and art projects and decorating. If we had a Hobby Lobby here in Cali, i would probably spend all our extra money there. Something i picked up while i was there, something i've wanted to do for a while but didn't have everything to make it, was supplies to make this:

Antiqued Candle Holders. Its glass vases sprayed with mirror spray paint and water to make it look antiqued. I like candle warmers, but I'm not a huge fan of candles in my home. I don't care for the fire part. But it really is SO pretty, i couldn't resist wanting to make it. But i couldn't make it because i wasn't able to find the mirror spray paint. I have tons of glass vases that sit in my kitchen windows because i don't know what else to do with them, but now i'll be fixing them up nice and pretty :)
But really, the things that really made the whole trip worth it was spending time with all of my parents. My step-mom Cindy is one of my favorite people in the world. She's always so easy to talk to when something is bothering me, and she's the last person to judge. She's such great example. I love her. With my dad....i'm probably considered a daddy's girl. We're complete opposites though. We have different ways of looking at the world as well as how we do things, but we both want those around us to be happy. I love my daddy though. I got to spend hours just sitting around talking with him. And then my mom :) i love her too. I was able to go over to see my mom when she wasn't busy. I actually got to attend church with her, which is something i haven't done in a very long time. I can't even remember the last time... But it was nice. I enjoyed her ward, and i loved going to her Sunday school class she teaches for the 12-13 year old youth. It was fun seeing all her work she's done in her garden too, and cooking with fresh picked vegetables from the garden was so yummy.
So, that's about it. It was a great visit, but i'm glad to be home. I've been cooking, and cleaning, working on some crafts, and enjoying Husband. I'll be posting a craft i made in the next day or two that i'm pretty excited about, so that's something you can look forward to from me soon.



Oh, and P.S. Happy 1st Day of Fall :) I love this time of year!

Best Taco Salad Ever

While we were on family vacation to the Outer Banks this year, everyone in the family took turns making dinner over the week. We were warned ahead of time by several months so we could make plans. Since Husband is such a fan of my Taco Salad (its one of his top 3 favorites to request when i ask him what he wants for dinner for the week), and it feeds so many with just one recipe, i figured it would be my best choice to go with. It turned out i was right too, everyone was happy :] ...at least they said so anyway. After getting back from vacation i promised i would post the recipe, but procrastinator that i am, i still haven't. I'm sorry.

Taco Salad
1 lbs. hamburger (i use ground turkey though)
1 taco seasoning mix
1/2 bag Doritos
1 bag salad mix
1 can Black beans (drained)
1 can Kidney beans (drained)
1/2 bottle Catalina dressing (i use the fat free kind)
Shredded cheese

Brown the hamburger meat and cook with the taco seasoning according to directions. Poor the Doritos into a big salad bow and crunch them a bit, but not into crumbs though. Poor in the bag of salad and the beans and cheese, and then mix in the Catalina together with everything. Yummy!
This does make a lot for 2 people. The chips will get soggy though, so it doesn't do well for leftovers. When i make it for just us, i don't include the chips and salad in the big bowl, i put them in our individual bowls and mix it all together then. So for leftovers, i send husband to work with sandwich bags of chips and salad so he can heat the mixings and not have soggy stuff.
Let me know if you ever give it a try. It really is amazing stuff :)

I Clicked There

This is just something i found funny today. I admit it, i'm a sucker for commercials and adds some times. There are sooo many times i crave and covet things i see on tv. Its terrible. And if there's something i find half interesting that has a web site, i'll check it out. We've all seen the Zappos.com commercials right? The *puppet* ala Muppets style workers taking call center orders for the site. They were funny, so i had to look at the site. Their ploy to use humor with puppets worked on me. I'm not in buying mode right now, that comes and goes every few months or so, i was just waisting time this afternoon online so i checked it out. Honestly, I don't like to buy shoes online too often because i want to know how they fit before i buy them.
Then i stumbled on the this towards the bottom of the page:

You may have to click on the picture to see what i have circled in red here. Something you don't usually see, it says Don't Ever Click Here. What would you do if you saw that? Duh. You can't NOT click there. So i did it. And i got Rick Roll'd. It sent me to the funniest thing i had seen all day. So, now you can go to Zappos and check it out for yourself. But if you don't want to, you can just click where i said *don't ever click here* and it'll take you to where Zappos sent me.
I'll be blogging again this next week. We had our anniversary this last Sunday, and today we went through the Star Trek exhibit at the Aerospace Museum. We weren't supposed to take pictures of that, but i'm a rule breaker :) So those posts will come soon.