Monday, September 26, 2011

Anniversary Date

Ryan and I just celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary! I can hardly believe it, we've been together 81/2+ years and married for 4! I can still remember our first date (don't ask me what movie it was). When I look back at all of the events we've celebrated together, it's crazy. I mean, I was dating him when my brother graduated high school!!!! My brother is married and a father of two boys now. I am astonished that I was able to find the love of my life so early on; it allows me to spend more time with him & enjoy even more memorable events.

Anywho, enough with the sappy stuff right? lol.  We decided to celebrate our anniversary in style. Typically we go to PF Chang's, which is my all time favorite Chinese restaurant, but instead we ventured to a place we've never been. We decided to dine at Bone Fish Grill!




We had an amazing time! The food was delicious, I had the Imperial Longfin which was pan-seared, baked, stuffed with shrimp, scallops, crab meat and lemon caper butter. It was positively scrumptious. And to complement my dinner I had a nice glass of red wine. What? Red wine! I ate fish. I know, I broke the "rules" on that one but I wanted a nice glass of dry red wine & damn it I was going to have it! ;)

So here is the bottle of red wine I tried...

It was called Hayman & Hill Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Selection Napa Valley 2007





In Bone Fish it was $7 per glass, as a surprise my hubby bought me the bottle the night after for about $15!! I just finished the bottle yesterday and it was bold, complex, and structured, yet smooth on the finish.I really enjoyed it and will be adding it to the "list".

After dinner we grabbed Dairy Queen (I'm a sucker for their blizzards) and headed home to watch "our shows". Big Bang theory was all new and it was a requirement to watch with the Baileybear!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Super Cute Printables


What are Printables you ask? A printable is something that's ready to print from your web browser. They are popping up everywhere on the internet and in all sorts of really cool fashions!

Take a look at my Pinterest friend Shaunna West (I like to think we’re friends because we have similar tastes, plus she’s pretty awesome…just like me!) :) She shared this awesome site, Chicabug, which has tons of really great printables for any occasion you can think of!

What if you want something for your home? I love what Eighteen25 has shared:



Or if you have a cool party you’d like to add a bit of glam to (example Cinco de Mayo), check out the printables that TomKatStudio so graciously shares on Scribd.com:



With the upcoming holidays, get your own creative gift tags from Chicabug!

I don’t have any plans for a holiday party at this time, but should any friends of mine want to throw one (hint, hint) I’m game for lending my skills in the printable department. :)

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Projects for the Weekend

I've just gone done traveling to Arizona for a work conference and I'm ready for my weekend to come. I have a lot on my mind in the way of DIY projects. I went to Lowest the other day to try and accomplish this one project that I saw on the Crafty Scrappy Happy blog, but I didn't see any racks that would work. But sadly it didn't work out, none of them were "wowing" me with the character of the one pictured. So I moved on....



That being said, I recently saw this idea on Pinterest (we all know it's my  latest obsession) that I think would be a perfect solution. It meets the criteria of being funky as well as functional, and I'm sure I can score some awesome frames from my go-to place T.J. Maxx. It's from a crafty blogger, MyUncommonSliceofSuburbia.com



So that's on the agenda for this weekend. I've already assembled a shopping list, which I'm sure Ryan will be pumped for; this girl just returned home & she's ready to get moving! Hope this energy lasts for all the projects I have in mind for the weekend. LOL :)

Monday, September 12, 2011

International Delight Chats

I'm really starting to get more involved in chats online, I've attended an #interdesignchat on Twitter and now I'm going to try and sit on the Internation Delight Chats online. Here's some information about the one tonight!

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Thursday, September 8, 2011

Pinterest: My latest Obsession

Pinterest is a new obsession of mine.  Pinterest lets you “pin” things from around the web on virtual pin boards.  You can create as many boards as you want and share them with others.  My boards are Chihuahuas, I love the Beach, Home Decorating, Entertaining, Just too Skin Cute and DIY crafts. Each time you pin something you can give it a description and tags if you want. Pinterest does the rest and automatically cites the source and provides a trail to get back to the original.  

I really like Pinterest because I come across random crafts or pictures that spur an idea for something I want to do. This site really helps me grab all of the great ideas I find and keep them around so I actually put them to use…someday soon!

In addition to finding little “to-do” projects, Pinterest is a great place for to collect images that says something about yourself. Kind of like an identity board.  It’s really cool all the pictures you can “pin” to keep inside your board. 

If you’re on Pinterest or looking to join, be sure to hit me up! It would be nice to see all your pinning items. :)

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

If I Were Knocked Up

Okay, so before everyone sends me comments, Facebook messages, Tweets, emails or texts-I am NOT pregnant!!! But I do know some people who are (Congrats to all of them!) and as such I've thought about how I would tell people if I were knocked-up. I saw this photo on YoungHouseLove.com, which I pinned as a reference, which totally sparked my desire to do something like this when I tell Ryan.






So I googled "big brother dog shirts" to see what kind of options would be available if/when it comes time for me to be knocked up. And the selection is HILARIOUS!! Here a couple that would be great ideas, should you want to use  option:






These are from CafePress.com but I'm sure there are others out there. Just a neat little idea, if I say so myself. :)

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

The One that Got Away

The other day I was on my morning walk with Bailey and I saw on the side of the road these two blue shutters. I remember thinking 'hum, I can do something with those.' But I kept walking Bailey and forgot when I got home. I'm sad to say that those shutters are no longer there and I keep thinking about all the fun DIY activities I could have done with those shutters. Man, what ashame I didn't grab them. Could have been a sweet addition to my house, even though Ryan would have flipped!

So while I did not get to do my DIY shutters, I thought I'd share some ideas I've found online, from eHow.com & AllAboutShutters.com, to recycle them:

Shelf - Two shutters can be attached vertically at a 90 degree angle. Then screw several triangular shaped boards to create a corner shelf. Three shutters can be put together as with the pedestal, but with rectangular shelves inserted into the space for a wall or floor shelf.

Fireplace Screen - Place hinged panels on the base of the fireplace. Shutters offer a great cover to add interest to an otherwise unattractive area.

General Decor - Old shutters can be used to frame mirrors or any other item that you would like to highlight. Use of window shutters as design components can be used with eclectic, cottage, or shabby chic decors.

Message Board-Create a message center using old shutters. Mount shutters to the wall in a kitchen, laundry room, foyer or other area where there's a lot of family traffic. Use slots in the shutters for storing mail, invitations and memos.

Friday, September 2, 2011

DIY Desire-Laundry Nook

I have a very small laundry nook....it's almost a closet to be honest. It's positioned in a hallway right outside my kitchen and it has two shelves that really don't do much for storage. It probably wouldn't be such a huge issue, but since it's right off the kitchen and we lack a pantry this space has been taken over by multiple items that don't belong.

Given the misuse of space, it has become an eye sore. So much so I had to install a curtain to hide it from my sights (see below)...



But that's not what I want it to look like. My ideal laundry nook would be pretty enough to stand on it's own. No hiding for it! But sadly that is just in my dreams...the hubby doesn't think it's an important part of the house to dedicate attention (and financial resources) to. I disagree, of course, as I am the one who goes in it at least twice a day! (Again, it has many functions which makes it unavoidable in every day life.)

Here is what my ideal kitchen nook would look like (if it was ideal, ideal I'd have a laundry room which would have a heck of a lot more stuff but let's be real...nook is all I've got):



I would have to remove the washer and dryer and take down the shelves. I would put up grasscloth wall paper to give it some texture in addition to the outdoor element. I would get cabinets put up to hide the random items while still looking clean. The shelves in the middle would be for small items that aren't terrible looking and need easy access, like my dogs treat containers! The addition of the drawers at the bottom would be for storage of my laundry supplies and socks whose partners have run away.

It's not the best looking thing in the world, but I like the simplistic look of it. I would even have a cute little sign like this (below) to spruce it up decor wise!






A girl can dream..... :)