End of the Week Roundup

This week has been a great week! Dave has been an awesome husband all week, between getting me flowers, tuning my ukulele, bringing home my favorite dinner and so much more, I could do the roundup all about him. But I'm sure you don't want to read all about that, so here are some other great things that happened:

1. Sunday I hung out with my mom and sister and helped my sister pick out bridesmaid dresses for her wedding. Then we went back to my mom's house and I did some trial makeup runs on the two of them for Jess' wedding. I'm definitely no makeup artist but it's kind of a unspoken tradition that I do the makeup on family members for their weddings. I did my mom's makeup for hers, my aunt for hers (and then again for my own), and now my sister's. It's such an honor. 

2. Tuesday was such a gorgeous day I decided to take a walk on a trail near my job at the end of the work day. It was a really good walk, but a bit too long. I decided to walk for 45 minutes and then turn around, which probably wasn't the best idea. I'm still hurting! I snapped this pic on the walk:

3. I guess you could officially consider me a grad student, since I'm accepted back into school and just need to enroll in some classes for the fall. I'm really enjoying my time off so it's probably not going to be fun going back.

4. Speaking of school, I was selected to be in two honor societies. It was a bit of a surprise to be admitted into both, but very exciting.

5. And of course, here is your weekly pic of the boys

How was your week?

Life is Good

My very first post on this blog was a personal one. It was a moment I wanted to capture in time, and I'm really glad I did because I probably would have forgotten all about that simple but sweet evening with Dave if I hadn't posted about it. Moments like that don't happen often but when they do I need to record them to have the opportunity to relive them all over again. This is one of the many reasons why I blog, so I am able to smile and remind myself of the blissful moments that spring up in our lives.

Monday night was one of those nights that I need to relive again. After watching The Big Wedding, the song at the end of the credits that came on made me want to dance but I didn't want to ask Dave to since his ankle was really hurting him (for those of you that don't know he fell a few years ago and shattered his ankle bone. Thankfully, he is able to walk but most days it really hurts him). He got up from the couch and said "dance with me" and while we really just kinda swayed side to side so he didn't have to move too much, it was probably one of the top five moments of my life. Just laughing with my husband as we swayed to the music.

Afterwards, I went into the kitchen to clean up from dinner while he tried to tune my ukulele that I just bought. Over the sounds of the running sink, I can hear him strum the uke and singing along to the accompanying CD, which included "Row Your Boat". I couldn't help but smile as I heard him croon, "life is but a dream".

I always like to think and say "life is good" because when put into perspective, my life really is good. But when moments like this pop up I really truly know what it means to say that. So for today, I post this to remember the feeling of know what having a good life truly means and to remember to save the last dance for Dave.

 

Favorites- Kitchen Edition

One of my favorite past times when I'm sitting watching TV is to look at home websites like Bed, Bath and Beyond and look at all the home decor and kitchenware. Another favorite past time of mine? Creating favorite boards and posting them here! 

Today's favorite board is all about my favorite kitchen items that I use on a regular basis. Without further ado...

1. Salt Box

I've been wanting a salt and pepper box for a while before purchasing this one from Target. I've had it for a few months now and when I walk into my kitchen it still catches my eye. There is something about salt boxes, at least for me, that scream "I'm an adult!"

2. Mixing Bowls

I put these bowls on my wedding registry and they are one of my most used items. I love these things. The non-skid bottom is awesome for holding the bowl in place while I mix. Whether I'm making pancakes on a Sunday morning or tossing some salad for dinner in the evening, these are my go to bowls. 

3. Lined Journal

I like to write down recipes that I find in magazines or online. It's easier than trying to store the printed versions in a binder, and it's something I can pass down to my children one day, a little keepsake of me and some good recipes. Plus, the size of the journal means I don't have to deal with the bulk of a cookbook, which makes cooking a meal and following the recipe much easier on my tiny counter tops. 

4. Silicone Spatulas

My friend Rebecca bought me one of these after she accidentally melted the tip of a crappy plastic spatula I had when she was making me an omelette on the morning of my wedding. Seriously though, girlfriend was doing me a favor. Free breakfast and one of these silicone spatulas? She's a keeper! 

I love using this any chance I get. If I have to stir something while I cook or make eggs, I'm using this. 

5. Quick-Stir Pitcher

I make homemade tea all the time, I love this pitcher. It has a plunger type thing (so scientific) that you pump via the handle to mix everything up. Plus, the polka dot design is eye catching. I've had this pitcher for over 8 years and I still use it everyday. Money well spent!

6. Dutch Oven

Get your giggles out now, yes I said dutch oven. I love cooking meals in this, and the turquoise blue color still makes me really happy. It's a bit pricey but it's completely worth it, I've made so many incredible meals with this pot. 

7. Salad Set

I need this. Enough said. 

What are some of your everyday favorite kitchen essentials? 

End of the Week Roundup

This week flew by super fast, which was kind of refreshing. It flew by so fast I didn't even have to wish for the weekend! Even though it went by super quick, not a whole lot happened that was noteworthy, so I figured it was time for another EOTWR Nibbler and Squish Edition! 

Try to conceal your squeals of delight, I dare you. 

1. First up, my aunt and uncle came up for dinner on Saturday night. The boys love my aunt and uncle, even Nibbler, who runs from everyone, hangs out with us. Squish makes it a point to showcase how much he loves my Uncle Chuck at every chance:

2. Another shot of Squish (he was on a roll this week). I tried to take a picture of Dave for my 100 Happy Days Challenge and Squish decided that wasn't going to happen. 

Just in case you think it was just coincidence, I'd like to show you this next picture in which I'm fairly certain he's mocking me.

3. Ignore Squish in the bottom portion of the next picture. What I really want you to do is look for Nibbler...who thinks he's hiding. No I swear, he really thinks he's hiding. He doesn't realize his ears are deceiving him. 

4 I really should have called this round up the Squish edition. Cause he's literally in every picture. It's been three years and I still think it's freaking adorable that he sleeps with his mouth open. 

5. Monday morning, we had our usual cuddle session. Then the boys decided to take the cute, love factor up a notch by holding paws. It started with Nibbler holding Squish's paw, then Squish put his on top of Nibbler's. Pretty sure my heart exploded. 

Lastly, I'd like to share this little (non-cat related) gem with you: 

The other night I was scrolling through Buzzfeed (which by the way, am I the only one that can get lost on this website for hours?) and I took a quiz to see if Dave and I qualified to be parents. One of us did not laugh and the other laughed so hard she was crying and nearly peed her pants. 

Apparently Dave is going to be a great father and I'm going to be heartless and sadistic. Here's the video one more time, just in case you want to laugh your ass off again, like I did. 

How was your week?

Easy Housewarming Gift

A friend of mine recently moved into her own place, I wanted to do something nice for her to celebrate so I stopped at my local Walmart and grabbed a few items to give her a meaningful gift. 

The entire thing cost me just a little over $15 and only took a few minutes to put together. I could have easily spruced up the jar a bit more by adding a ribbon to the handle, or putting a few decorative items inside the jar. For this particular gift, I really wanted to keep it simple.

What I really like about this gift is that you're giving the person things that they may need when they first move into a place, but may not necessarily have readily available. Dish soap and sponges are probably the last thing on anyone's mind when they're moving, but probably one of the first things you need when you're trying to unpack your kitchen (trust me when I say I've moved into plenty of places that needed a thorough scrubbing before I could start storing my own items). And the candle in a relaxing lavender scent is a great way to relax after a long day of unpacking. 

I think the only thing I would have done differently was buy a larger glass jar. I debated between the half gallon and gallon jar and ended up going for the smaller of the two. If I had gone a bit bigger, I could have put the dish soap in the jar with the rest of the goodies and it wouldn't look so much like a side note to the gift. 

Here is the total price for this super simple, but nice gift:

Half gallon glass jar- $4.97

Wash cloth- $1.77

Sponge- $0.96

Candle- $4.97

Dish soap- $2.83

Total spent-$15.50