Curtain Love!

I've been obsessed with Pinterest lately. So many awesome things and rad ideas in one place -- I could waste a whole lotta time just browsing. One of my favorite finds lately is this shelf/curtain rod idea, originally from Martha Stewart:

As soon as I saw it, I just had to have one for my kitchen! So, here is my take (please excuse the screws.....I just got impatient and wanted to show you my handiwork before it was actually done -- haha):

Perfect for holding my great-grandma's cookie jar.

I also made the curtains. We recently painted our kitchen light yellow and put in new counter tops, sink, and lighting. It looks so fresh and happy in here now, but with bare windows we had no privacy from our neighbors or even passers-by on the street. Now we can walk around the house in our underwear without causing a scandal. :)

Because I can't survive without the crazy.

Apparently, simplicity is not my thing. I shouldn't be surprised, though -- why else would I go out of my way to make things I could just buy, take on multiple home reno projects at once, and spend a bazillion hours every day trying to squeeze in every last errand/workout/snuggle? I guess it's time to embrace the madness. And January looks to be just the month for that.


I'm sure glad Scott has a great mind for conciseness and simplicity -- and that he loves me enough to put up with me! I know I sometimes drive him nuts with my compulsive need to complicate things, but he is so patient. I sure hope his patience is eternal, because after January 28th he'll be stuck forever. We are getting married!


(cute picture taken by my sis)

I feel so lucky to have Scott. He is sweet, gentle, and smart. He loves his kids and is a good daddy to them. He works hard and loves to take care of people. And he is super-determined to make this relationship last forever. So, while the prospect of getting remarried is sometimes overhwhelming (especially w/ stepkids!), I am really excited and optimistic. I think we'll make a great team.


And, just to make things even more interesting....I'll be making another huge change in January --namely, quitting my job at the credit union and going to work as a full-time dental hygienist (FINALLY)!! I am SOOOO nervous, but am really excited at the same time! My job at AFCU has been great to fall back on and keep the bills paid, but it's also been a crutch. Changing things up scares me, and since I've had a decent job I haven't pushed myself as hard as I should've to find the one I really want. I think this will be really good for me, despite my anxiety.


So you see, I just can't keep things simple. I think my mind would explode without some degree of madness in my life -- and since I can't have that, I'll just have to embrace it whole-heartedly!

Empty

That is what my apartment is right now. Totally empty. All that's left to do is scrub the bathtub and the kitchen floor and leave my keys with the neighbors, and then I'm out of here for good.

It's so weird and echo-y in here without all of my stuff. I've lived here for four years and had everything decorated and organized just exactly how I wanted; packing everything up and hauling it away has been strange and jarring for me. My emotions are starting to surface, and admittedly I am procrastinating just a bit. Endings can be hard, and change isn't always easy.

But this will be a good change. I'm moving on to a whole new, awesome stage in my life. Well, for now I'm moving into Andrea B's basement.

But then I'm moving on to this guy:



And on to these guys:



And on to a dogged determination to get it right this time around.

My apartment may be empty, but my heart is full. <3

Today I Felt Like Super Mom...

...even though I'm not even a mom. :)

Scott brought his girls over this morning so he could go to a meeting, and Aimree (9) was stressed because she couldn't find her shirt for church! I was working on a lesson for Relief Society, but since church doesn't start until 1 p.m. I knew I had time to come to the rescue.

It's times like these when I'm especially grateful for my excessively large fabric stash.

I used the t-shirt Aimree wore yesterday as a pattern and whipped up this cute tee (cutie?):







She loved it, and it went great with the skirt she and I made a few weeks ago.

The best part? It only took about 30 minutes. I had to ask the girls to do their own hair, but I was able to finish my lesson and get to church on time -- makeup on and everything. :)

Giant Chess

Last weekend Andi and Steven were here, so we went to the Scera to play giant chess. There's a huge "chess board" on the south side of the theater, and you can check out the giant pieces from the concessions stand for free, as long as you get there before 9:00 p.m. (Maybe I shouldn't be telling you all this; I don't want it to get too crowded over there!) Steven and Scott were, of course, the strategists. Andi and I mostly just had fun moving the pieces and making strange noises, and admiring our dudes' sexy intellectualism. The Jakemans ultimately won...but that's the most fun I've had losing in a long time!

Bittersweet

Today is a happy-but-sad kind of a day for me -- I just said good-bye to Rocky.



Rocky was my car. My parents bought him brand-new when I was a junior in high school, and my then-five-year-old sister chose his name. I have no idea where the name Rocky came from. About four years ago, I bought him from my parents. Since he's been in the family for so long I feel like I'm losing an old friend. It'll be a good thing, though; I've been anxious for an upgrade for a while now -- something with fewer miles that needs a little less TLC. Still, I feel like my security blanket is gone. I'm venturing out into the frightening realm of used car shopping, with nothing to fall back on.

I'm also walking to work today.

Hungry Mungry

If you're familiar with Shel Silverstein's kid-friendly poems (I qualify that because some of his poems are...umm...), you'll know what a "Hungry Mungry" is. Or just picture Scott's kids, and you'll probably still get the idea.

I'm not kidding. For three little kids, they can sure chow down! And lately they've been spending a lot of time at my house during their every-other-weekend visits, which means I'm fighting to keep my fridge full. We easily go through an entire gallon of milk and a dozen eggs in two days when they're here, and between the five of us (Scott, me, and the kiddos) we can put away an entire large pizza in just minutes. They eat as much as I do -- sometimes more!

But the best part is when I let them do the cooking -- like a few weeks ago, when Aimree wanted to surprise her dad with a "secret recipe" for dessert.

This is the secret recipe:



Giant marshmallows, dipped in melted chocolate, then rolled in sprinkles until they become an explosive, sugary-crunchy conglomeration of tooth-rotting wonder.

Silly kids.

One kitchen tradition I've really come to enjoy with them is our Sunday morning muffin-making. Because Scott has Elders Quorum meetings on Sunday mornings, the kids usually sleep at my house on Saturday nights. I like to do something fun for Sunday breakfast when they're here. Muffins are easy, and the flavor possibilities are endless, so I really can't go wrong there. The kids love to help, too, so it's fun for all of us!

This week, we made two pans of banana-chocolate chip muffins....and proceeded to eat all but 3 of them by the time dinner rolled around. Madness. Good recipe, though:

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 large) mashed ripe bananas
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips (I think I used half a bag of regular-sized ones)

Heat oven to 375. Line 12 muffin cups with paper baking cups. In large bowl, combine margarine and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add bananas, milk, vanilla and eggs; blend well.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 to 3/4 full.

Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 3 minutes; remove from pan. Serve warm.



Hmm. Same plate, same spot on the counter, same angle...I need to work on my photography skills.

The kids all said these were their favorite muffins so far...as if I couldn't have guessed!

Do you have a favorite?