Friday, March 30, 2012

Instagram / Pinterest Randoms

I have a bunch of random things this to share this week so this post is going to turn into a Pinterest / Instagram collage ....




1.  Hydrangea Wreath: This blog makes this wreath look so simple to make and very cheap! I would love to make this for Paula's bridal shower or even for my own spring decoration. Love!

2. I love painting my nails and doing nail art - I wish I had an endless supply of nail polish colors.

3. I took this photo for the bobby pin because it's a cute subtle way to spice up just plain old pinning back my bangs. And then the geniuses over at The Beauty Department posted this to show us all how to make the bobby pins stay. As a side note - this bobby pin is from a friend of mine's Etsy shop called Vintage Bobbie - they have some really cute hair and jewelery accessories - go check it out!

4. Mason Jar salads: I got the idea from Pinterest (of course!) and tried it twice this week for my lunches at work. It really keeps the salad fresh and the lettuce doesn't soggy since the dressing is at the bottom. Just shake it up and pour it onto a plate (or eat it right out of the jar like me) when you're ready to eat!

5. How cute is this old whiskey bottle vase? This was taken at happy hour in SF at Aventine. Their truffeled popcorn is TO DIE FOR! Plus it's only $3!! yum.

6. Something fabulous happened this week. Marc and I booked a 5 night cruise to the Caribbean!!!!! It was so cheap and we both are in desperate need of a vacation, so we booked it on a whim! We will be cruising in paradise at the end of May. This worked out perfectly because it's the week after our 3 year anniversary <3 SOOO EXCITED!!!! 58 days! :)


My next post will be: how NOT to spray paint vases... so come back soon!

Happy Friday!!!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Pins of the Week

Since Pinterest is another latest obsession of mine, I will start a new weekly post to share my favorite Pins of the week from Pinterest. But for this first one, I am just going to highlight my favorite Pinterest projects that I've either completed or hope to do soon! The titles of each one link to the pin on my pinboard, happy pinning!!

If you don't follow me on Pinterest already, click my button to the left!


 
1.   Makeup rack out of cake stands. I have this cool gold charger plate that I found at a thrift store that I would love to use for this. I could either spray paint it white or leave it gold for some flair!

2.   Neclace holder out of door knobs - I made this one actually! It looks very similar to this and I love it, I love that it serves as decor and a jewelery rack. Here's a pic of the one I made:


3.   Spray painted vases: I have 2 vases (in obnoxious orange and purple) that I will be spray painting white this weekend!

4.   Detailed spray paint: I am contemplating adding these designs to my vases before painting them for an added touch of creativity... we'll see how crafty I'm feeling!

5.   Dry erase calendar with paint chips: I picked up some paint chips in all shades of blue at Home Depot this week when I was buying the spray paint for #3/4. Now I just need to find an old frame I can use for this and it will be super cute! I love to be organized with a big calendar and this one is way cuter than the ugly white dry erase one on our fridge currently.

6.   Braids: I was bored after work one evening and tried out this do from thebeautydepartment.com. Loved it! This one is actually of my hair, not the pin... :)


Happy Friday!!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

A bit of an obsession.

I have a new obsession. I think I have adopted it to attempt to ward off other obsessions creeping into my brain...but that's a whole other post.

New obsession: house hunting!

Now this is a little premature as Marc and I both know we aren't going to buy a house as bf/gf, but it is just so fun to look! This week, I took it a little too far. I went ahead and got us pre-qualified for a loan... yes, I did. My reasoning for this was so that when I do my daily browsing for the perfect house, I will know what price range I can look in.

After taking a step back and realizing I might be freaking a certain someone out by this...I am putting on the brakes!! Now, I am not slamming on the brakes, I'm just lightly stepping on it :) Home ownership is definitely a big step and I know we will make it someday, but I want to make sure I'm not rushing it. Let's face it, when I get excited about something you have to all but chain me to the floor to keep me from marching full speed ahead! I just like to be working on a project - to plan and make decisions. I think it's a sort of thrill ride for me, maybe I'm addicted to planning? Maybe I'm the last one to realize that about myself too...

With that being said, I will try to keep my HGTV watching to a minimum (or to just when I'm home alone), stop showing poor Marc my "dream house" of the day, press pause on my loan application process, and stop emailing our realtor. Yes...I even found us a realtor. Obsess much?!

Needless to say, my mantra for the week is:

Good things happen to those who wait.

Be patient, self!

Maybe I should go out to Chinese food so I can try for a fortune cookie with this message inside...? It would surely be a sign from above!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Scatterbrain

I have been so scatterbrained this week. I don't know what it is, but something just has my brain going a million miles a minute. I guess you could call this my "Thursday Randoms" - even though I didn't make it to Thursday:
  • I know Courtney on the Bachelor is crazy... but it was recently brought to my attention  that she reminds me of someone I know! Someone who is a friend! And not because she has portrayed herself as a nut case (with the help of some editing on behalf of ABC)!! More like her body language. It made me like Courtney way more when I thought of her like my friend :)
  • The time in my life has officially started where everyone around me is getting engaged, married or having babies and I LOVE IT!! I am obsessed with all things wedding and baby so I couldn't be more thrilled to have more love and happiness in this world.
  • SVUAA. I have relapsed. My freshman year in college I became addicted. Not to the usual type of thing college kids get addicted to, but to the one and only Law and Order: Special Victims Unit!!! I had started to wean myself off this show the past few years but during the past weeks, I relapsed. I am watching 2-3 every night after work. Somebody needs to stage and intervention.
  • Disneyland really is the happiest place on earth. I was in Anaheim for work last Friday (across the street from Disneyland to be exact!) and I was in such an ecstatic mood all day long. I think it was osmosis.
  • I love babies. I got to play with the cutest little 6 month old baby girl ever on Saturday. As lame as it may sound to some, it was the highlight of my week! She is so cute and she's already crawling and pulling herself up on things to stand up! Her parents are going to have their hands full!! Marc and I get to babysit her next week, I am so excited to play with her and have her all to myself for a few hours! :)
  • Draw something!! This is such a fun game on the iPhone. I just started playing and love it already!
  • I am SO excited for One Tree Hill to be on tonight! I can't believe there are only 4 episodes left of that entire show!! It has been with me for many years and I don't know what I will do without it. A big thanks to Rene for introducing me to the show!! :)
That's all I can really think to let out right now... that is ok for me to be sharing with the world at least. There's always more, but this helps to just type out some things.

Happy Hump Day!!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Another year older


No, not me -- this week, Marc turned 26! To celebrate, I took Monday off and we headed to the snow for some long overdue tubing at Squaw Valley. This was our first trip to the snow together and we had a blast! I hadn't been to the snow since high school! The weather was beautiful. It was so warm that I ended up taking off my jacket and gloves and just tubing in my ski pants and a long sleeved shirt. Top it off with a little sunburn and the trip was a success!


Birthday boy!

When we got home that evening, we decided to invite his twin brother over for some birthday dinner. Marc and I made a delicious meal! Mexican Tortilla Chicken with sides of Mexican rice and refried black beans. The chicken was totally invented on the spot and turned out delicious! The recipes are below if you want to recreate them! Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos - probably because we gobbled it up so fast - I found this photo on the internet and it looked sorta similar to this, but without the sour cream on top:


Allrecipes.com

Mexican Tortilla Chicken:
 
3 chicken breasts
1 c. salsa
1/2 c canned corn
1 tsp cumin
hot sauce (to taste) – we like Tapatio
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips

Combine salsa, corn, cumin and hot sauce in a small bowl. Place chicken breasts in a baking dish. Top each breast with salsa/corn mixture, crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then broil for a few to get the cheese/chips crispy.


Refried Black Beans:

2 cups whole cooked black beans (or canned)
3 tbsp water
1/4 cup shredded cheese
hot sauce

Put black beans in a sauce pan on medium heat with water (use as much water as you need to make them the consistency you want), when it heats up, give them a good mash. After they're the consistency you like, add a little cheese and hot sauce and stir and let simmer for a few minutes to meld flavors. That's it!


Grammie's Mexican Rice:
Grammie taught me how to make this when I was just old enough to help in the kitchen. It never fails to impress dinner guests with my Mexican flair! :)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup white rice
1 chopped white or yellow onion
2 cups hot water
2 tablespoons Caldo de Tomate - tomato boullion powder (or 2 cubes)

In a sauté pan, heat olive oil. Add rice and onion, stir frequently until browned. This just gives it a little extra flavor, don't burn the rice! 5-10 minutes is plenty. While the rice is browning, dissolve caldo de tomate in hot water. Transfer rice/onion and broth to rice cooker (or sauce pan on stove top), push the button and let it cook!


Needless to say, it was a great birthday! I always say "thank you for being born!" because I always love an excuse to celebrate and do something fun!

Happy (belated) Birthday Marc!! <3