Indian Island adventures

My parents "kidnapped" Taylor me a few weekends ago to go play on the beaches of Indian Island. (We went once last year, too... it's becoming a favorite destination!) The sun was shining, it wasn't raining... so it was a perfect late winter day to be on the beach in the great PNW.

simple pleasures

I love buying flowers for myself.

i can u can: chicken stock

I made myself an amazing, delicious dinner for Valentine's Day last month. I buttered and rosemary-ed a whole chicken, baked it until it was golden brown...



And then stripped it down to the bone, throwing all the non-meat parts into a large pot. I tossed in some veggies, more rosemary (I love the stuff), and topped if off with water. Lots of water. I cooked it, boiled it, simmered it until my whole house smelled heavenly.

my make it, bake it lifestyle

I'm kinda sorta on this new kick... I wouldn't quite call it a "goal" or even a "diet" but it's something that I find myself thinking about and considering whenever I go grocery shopping recently.

I am trying to eat only what I make, limiting the amount of processed foods I buy/eat.



There are a handful of reasons why this appeals to me.

Health is definitely a huge factor-- if it's not worth taking the time to make myself, is it really worth putting into my body? This idea helps me say "no" to tempting breads, cookies, and other treats that might otherwise make their way into my shopping cart.

oh well

90% of the time I love being a homeowner.

I can do just about whatever I want to my home and property, I'm not paying rent to pay off the mortgage of a landlord, it's an investment, I feel accomplished when I tackle projects successfully, etc.

But then there are the rare occasions that it would be nice to not be the one responsible for maintaining a household and property.

Like when I am in the shower mid-cleansing routine with conditioner in my hair and cleanser on my face and I lose water pressure... and then there's no water at all. Fantastic.

treat yourself

I had a wonderful Valentine's.

I watched many men and boys wander Central Market with a lost look in their eyes. They varied in ages... some old, some young, many in between. The youngest went for the single roses--simple and romantic. Men wandered the produce section--probably getting the last few items for the romantic meal they planned to prepare. A few young families were there, too. Some men lined up at the florists--normally I'm the only one admiring the expensive bouquets. Then there were the really lost ones, looking at candy hearts made of chalk, hoping that "Be Mine" and "Text Me" would be enough.

I couldn't help but smile as I gathered the ingredients for my own Valentine's meal that I planned for myself-- chicken, fresh rosemary, beets, and Viking Feast ice cream. Oh, and fresh tortillas to hold me over.

Things That Make Me Smile, vol. 5

1. Trader Joe's Triple Ginger Snaps. OMG good stuff. I love ginger snaps--they taste delish, help with motion sickness/nausea, go great with tea, etc. TJ's Triple Ginger Snaps have three kinds of ginger in them... ground, fresh, and candied. The cookies have a distinct texture that I haven't found in any other ginger snap, with little bits of the candied ginger throughout. (They also come in a cookie thin version!) If you don't like ginger you really won't like these. Oh, and apparently I'm not the only one to love these... the Triple Ginger Snaps were the #2 favorite TJ product of 2010!

2. Antiquing/Thrifting. This really shouldn't be much of a surprise. I love the hunt for unique finds. I tend to go for the useful items and I try not to buy anything unless I know (or have a good idea) what I'll use it for or where I will put it. It might take me awhile to find the right item, but the hunt is more than half the fun! (Plus it is even more fun when I get to go with friends!)

a mad hatter tea party shower

My sister and I hosted a baby shower for one of her close friends, with help from two other friends of the momma-to-be's.

We went with an Alice-in-Wonderland/Mad Hatter tea party theme. The shower had been in the works for awhile so I was looking forward to finally putting our ideas into action!

Jayme and I made a bunch of tissue paper pom-pom flowers. We strung lines of them across the living room using fishing line so that it would look like they were floating.

DIY Kitchen Island, Take IV

Yes, another island post. I promise I am almost finished! (And I can't wait!!)

Since the last update the drawer faces have been made and the drawer slides have been installed--so I have working drawers! My dad got a bit creative and added a nice routered edge to the drawers... I love details.

it just needs a bit of paint

I made my mom stop at Goodwill with me a little while ago. I decided to get only what I could carry--we didn't have a ton of time but I wanted to see if they had a table lamp that would be appropriate for my living room.

It needed to be tall and bulky enough to balance out the hefty side table and give off enough light to function in the room without needing the overhead light.

I lucked out!

Post-A-Week 2011

Wordpress is hosting a "Post a Day/Week" challenge... and I'm signing up!

I decided to post at least three times a week (M-W-F) last June... and somehow I've managed to keep it up! And often with more than three posts a week!

I decided to commit to this challenge to help me keep up my posting for 2011. I hope to still post at least three times a week--everyday is a bit much for me. I'm afraid that my blog would turn into a few "real" posts intermixed with lots of photos of my dog and cat.