Weekend Roundup

I have no idea why I hadn't updated since last Tuesday. I guess I must have been busy, but I couldn't guess what the heck I was busy with.

Friday:
-Sleep in a smidge
-Breakfast while cruising some blogs
-Wash bedding and delicates
-Clean bedroom
-Make bed
-Vacuum
-Dismantle vacuum in search of strange noise
-Put it back together, strange noise gone though I really did nothing
-Clean kitchen counters
-Unload dishwasher & run with white vinegar
-Scrub cutting board & sinks
-Vacuum living room
-Welcome Josh home
-Head to thrift store, Target, and Walgreens to get costume finishing touches
-Hit Chick-fil-a for a quick dinner
-Eat at home
-Catch up on Ugly Betty episodes while working on home filing
-Wait up for Josh to get home from errands
-Head to bed

Saturday:
-Get up and have some breakfast
-Watch some of my PBS shows
-See Josh off to Rock School rehearsals
-Make some pumpkin bread
-Take a shower
-Iron costume clothes and work shirts
-Eat some dinner
-Start getting ready for party
-Stop at store for party supplies
-Have good times with old and new friends
-Head home pretty darn late
-Munch on some tortilla chips and pumpkin bread
-Hit the hay

Sunday:
-Sleep in, of course
-Grab some lunchtime grub
-Catch up on dvr'd shows
-Read some Newsweek
-Work on recipe ideas and menu plan
-Make pizza with Josh
-Eat and watch Mystery Science Theater 3000- The Killer Shrews
-Shower and dry hair
-Read some more Dorothy Draper brilliance in bed
-Attempt tp get some sleep
-Wake up repeatedly cause dumb Aunt Flo is punching me in my uterus

Only In My Dreams

Seems as though I wasn't the only person dreaming about fabulously organized kitchens today. All pics from The Container Store.

Porch Project

Mostly inspired by Mrs. Dorothy Draper's words in this book, but still feeling the after effects of that article in Blueprint, I endeavored to clean up our front porch this weekend. Thursday after work Mom and I went to Home Depot, Target and Michael's. It was too late to start when I got home, so after I had done some of my indoors chores on Friday I got to work. I honestly gave little care to the front porch for quite some time. Here are some before pictures.

Before:

























I trimmed back the viney ground cover that had creeped it's way onto the porch, swept the ceiling, walls, and porch, disposed of the old tennis shoes and towel, washed the front door down, and emptied the pot of it's former contents. Then I put to use some of the things I had picked up on my shopping trip.

After:

Weekend Roundup

Friday:
-Sleep in
-Have breakfast and read blogs
-Tidy bedroom
-Scrub bathtub & clean sink/counter
-Unload & reload dishwasher
-Clean kitchen counters
-Tidy living room
-Work on front porch
-Work on personal project
-Catch some BBC America TV
-Welcome Josh home
-Watch some Pantry Raid
-Order pizza
-Shower
-Eat while watching What Not To Wear
-Watch most of Most Haunted Live
-Hit the hay

Saturday:
-Get up
-Watch Rick Steves' Europe
-Make breakfast- turkey bacon and scrambled eggs
-Water plants
-Make smoothies
-Work on personal project
-Post piano on craigslist
-Catch up on some dvr'd shows
-Watch some of season 1, disc 1 of WKRP In Cincinnati- just as funny as I remembered
-Shower
-Get ready
-Head to Dallas
-Load in at Club Dada
-Nice meal at Cafe Brazil, mmmm Spinach Salad and Rosemary Potatoes
-Hang out with Steve & Meri back at Dada
-Enjoy The Hundred Inevitables
-Enjoy the hubster & comrades
-Visit with Toby, Mike, and Taylor
-Head home
-Watch more WKRP & eat chips and salsa
-Hit the hay

Sunday:
-Sleep in a whole lot
-Be very lazy
-Finish WKRP dvd
-Catch up on some dvr'd shows
-Work on weekly menu & grocery list
-Grab some Chipotle
-Eat and watch Transformers, wasn't impressed
-Work on some photo editing
-Piddle around
-Shower
-Read a little and enjoy some Waiting for Guffman commentary
-Go sleepies

I Heart Swap #1

I realize it's taken me kind of forever to post about this, but last week I sent off my package to my I Heart Swap partner, Kristin. When thinking about what I'd like to include in my swap packages I try to do two things- avoid repeating a lot of the same ideas, and have some sort of theme or cohesion to the package so that it is a pretty sight when viewed for the first time. This time since I new I wanted to include the fall season as one of the things I loved, that inspired the colors involved in my choice of items and packaging. Here's a pic I took of the things I heart before I boxed it up to ship off to Kristin. Thanks to Stephanie for hosting a great swap! Look for the follow post with what I received soon.














i heart:
cooking- an issue of everyday food
pancakes- homemade wheat pancake mix and maple syrup
fall- mini pumpkin
lists- orange notepad
photography- black & white disposable camera
memories- magnet refrigerator frame
reese's pieces- self explanatory, i think

Halloween

So, we officially have a Halloween party to attend, which means we have a reason to have costumes. After some deep thought we've settled on dressing up like the two squares pictured here. Josh didn't feel totally comfortable with the idea of wearing underwear as our costumes, so we'll be recreating the above outfits that Brad & Janet are wearing when they arrive on Dr. Frank-N-Furter's doorstep. I can't say I totally disagree with Josh, as Halloween is typically the first cold night of the year here. It just always seems to work that way. We went to a neighborhood thrift store Friday and was able to find a good jacket for Josh that was only $6. He should have pants and a shirt that will work fine, so we just need to find a blue sweater vest and some cheap black glasses that we can pop the lenses out of. I ordered the biggest part of my costume on Saturday. I normally like to put a bit more effort into my costume than just ordering it from a website, but since I can use this costume again for it's original intent I figured it was a good deal. And it will be nice to have a costume I can pull out in case of emergencies. Costume related emergencies, which are obviously a concern for me. So, someday I will be dressed as one of the classiest first ladies, but first I will be Janet Weiss. And now that I'm looking at the dress again, I bet I could probably make a pretty good air stewardess costume out of it eventually. So, what are you going to be this year?

Honeymoon Reminiscing

Nothing dirty, honest, ha. Just wishing I was doing and seeing the same things this year that I was last year.

Falling for Fall, The Sequel

Walking out the door this morning I was greeted by a cool crispness in the air. It was in the upper 50's, which meant I got to run back inside and grab my new trench coat. Yes, it might be somewhere in the 80's when I leave work today, but it definitely kept the chill off me this morning. And it cheered me up about accidentally sleeping in and being almost 2 hours late to work. But with my work schedule that put me here at 8:15, so it's not as bad as it sounds. And my boss is pretty forgiving about stuff like that, since I'm here at 6:30 AM most the time. The thing that sucks the most is I was just getting to the great part of a good dream. D'oh.

On the way to work I kept thinking about all the holiday activities I'd like to plan. I've got a lot of stuff to get done around the apartment before I'm ready to revv up my entertaining engine, but this book should help me get going. It's my paper gift for our first anniversary. I've just started reading it, and I'm also reading Newsweek and the Frank McCourt book at the same time, but it will no doubt help inspire me.

Our First Anniversary

Yesterday was our first anniversary! We've been having lots of fun just spending some quality time together. Tonight we're going to our friends Rob & LeAnn's house to celebrate our joint anniversaries, since theirs is October 1st. I walked down the aisle to this Paul McCartney song, "Calico Skies".

Vacation time!

I'm officially on vacation! Today we're going to the zoo, which I am really excited about. I'm a zoo member, so I get in free but it's been either too warm or too wet all summer to go. And I'm especially looking forward to taking some pics with my new camera, even if I haven't figured out everything it can do yet, ha. We're going to have hot dogs, laugh at the warthog, visit the hippos (my favorites!), and look up at the giraffes. Giraffes are my second favorite because sometimes you can see them from outside the zoo as you drive by. It's such a pleasant surprise to spy one! If I can manage to work my camera maybe you'll see some pictures from our animal adventure!

Harvest Moon

This year's Harvest Moon was last Wednesday, September 26th. I wish that I could have taken a picture because it simply was one of the most beautiful moons I've ever seen. It looked like it had to be a false image, a beautiful ball of shining light illuminating whispers of clouds from behind. It was like something from a Disney movie.

Weekend Roundup

Friday:
-Tidy house
-Watch How Clean is Your House? , You Are What You Eat, and Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares
-Grab Chipotle and chow down
-Watch What Not To Wear
-Work on next week's menu
-Snuggle
-Hit the hay

Saturday:
-Have coffee
-Eat breakfast and watch Rick Steves' Europe and Mexico One Plate At A Time
-Finish menu and grocery list
-Shower
-Go to Pottery Barn to finally buy the rest of our flatware
-Hit Target, but leave with nothing
-Grocery shopping at Central Market and Minyard's
-Put up groceries
-Organize toiletries and medicines in hall cabinet while watching half of Roman Holiday
-Make pizza for dinner
-Chow down while watching A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
-Watch episode of John Edward's Cross Country
-Play Monopoly and watch The Birds
-Prep baked french toast for next morning
-Night-night

Sunday:
-Sort laundry
-Start first 2 loads
-Finish and bake french toast
-Watch Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria
-Load dryers and next 2 loads in washers
-Read some Newsweek
-Start folding laundry
-Watch The Truth About Food episodes while finishing laundry
-Clean off piano
-Photograph piano
-Fiddle around on laptop
-Take a shower
-Dry hair
-Go to Target again, leave with organizers, new flatware tray, calendar planner, and magazine
-Make Southwestern Turkey Burgers for dinner
-Watch Food Network
-Finish photographing piano
-Research piano information
-Eat ice cream
-Get ready for bed
-Finish Al Franken book and Newsweek article.
-Fall asleep to The Muppets Show