Weekend in Picture

That's no typo. This one picture is from Matt's iPhone. The rest from the weekend are held captive on the memory card of a new camera Matt got my for my birthday. For some reason we can't get the camera to sync up with the computer. Doh!

At least the one we do have is a cute one.

Matt was a groomsman in our friends' Shawn and Mary's wedding.

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Holland!

What I Wore Wednesday

Brace yourselves.

Have I mentioned that "style" is not my strong suit?

That would be putting it mildly.

Fortunately, I have Heidi to consult for events and parties, but the rest of the time, I'm left to my own devices.

I thought it would be fun (for me) to get out of my comfort zone, be challenged, and do a "What I Wore Wednesday" post. Uploading these pictures knowing I intended to post them was, indeed, uncomfortable and I was definitely challenged. The nice thing is, I did learn a few things! First, the (very poor quality) photos, so here we go...

I actually started with Tuesday, which was my day off last week. I drew some inspiration from my Stylish board on Pinterest (are you sick of hearing me talk about Pinterest yet?) and put together this ensemble. It was raining that day. And I'm a dork. So I included the umbrella. Go ahead and laugh, I am!

The jeans are my Real Straight's from Gap

Ruffled tank and black cardi from Old Navy

Pink pom scarf, silver bracelet and earrings from Old Navy

Ballet flats from Gap Outlet

I had to include a gym outfit, because I don gym clothes as often as I do work clothes, and I still want to make an effort. You're lucky I spared you the "flexing" picture.

Layered black and white tanks from Old Navy

Dark grey yoga capris from Old Navy

My trusty Vibrant cross trainers

Armitron watch I jacked borrowed from Matt

Ipod on my left arm (behind the camera)

Gym towel and Nalgene bottle

And yes, even a black head band to keep things contained

Next, work attire. I can only wear company-branded tops to work with black bottoms and shoes. And this picture was taken at the end of the day, hence the "What are you looking at?" expression on my face.

Work cardigan layered over a black lace cami from Old Navy

Skirt is Banana Republic Outlet

Black heels from Forever 21

Pearl beaded necklace and pearl earrings from... no clue

Accutron watch I wear every day

And glasses, because I'm blind from staring at the computer

Here's where it gets interesting... and proves I need help.

(Although Matt loved this outfit)

Real Straight denim

Black cami from Old Navy maternity (I am TALL. They are LONG.)

Grey top from Forever 21

Silver bracelet and necklace from Old Navy

No idea where I got the biggest sunglasses ever

And the "I need to run some errands but don't want to look too much like a slob" outfit...

Way too-big Seven's

Black cami and yellow striped cardi from Old Navy

The Gap Outlet ballet flats again

Thrifted black acrylic bracelet and necklace

The giant bug-eye sunglasses again

And the church outfit-- with a picture of me thinking, "I am so glad this is the last dumb picture I'm taking of myself in the bathroom mirror!"

Dark plum ruffled dress from Banana Republic Outlet

Black leggings from Old Navy

Tan flowy cardigan from Target

Tan shoes I've had forever

Felt flower headband I made for our engagement shoot

A few observations:

- I need to branch out from Gap Inc. stores. Seriously.

- Accessorizing is key. And it's also really hard.

- The outfits I liked the best were the ones that involved layers and big jewelry. I should stick to those.

- We need a full-length mirror in our house!

- Finally, I have a lot in my closet. Like, a LOT. I just need to get used to combining pieces I haven't ever thought to combine and I'll have infinitely more to wear.

Um, okay. I did it. Your turn! Obviously, I need to steal your ideas. :)

Meal Planning Monday

I'm making up my own day-of-the-week blog feature. You know, like a "Wordless Wednesday" or "Insta Friday". Except this is one I'll probably be the only person participating in, and it's only for my own benefit (sorry). Meal planning is always one of those things I intend to do, and then I don't do it and find myself on Allrecipes.com at 5:30pm, searching for something to make for dinner with whatever ingredients I can remember we have at home. I figure if I try to blog my meal plans every once in a while, it will help me stay accountable, be creative, and maybe you'll find a good recipe or two.

I gravitate toward recipes that are simple and I can either prepare them the night before (or morning of). I also have to take into account nights where I work later than usual, so slow cooker and cold meals are my favorites for those nights. I also try to go meatless one night a week.

These days I've been collecting recipes I want to try on Pinterest, so I spent a few minutes today browsing my Edible board and compiling a meal plan and grocery list for the next two weeks...

Monday: Lettuce Wraps
Tuesday: Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls + Quinoa Salad with Lime
Wednesday: Tomato Soup + Grilled Cheese
Thursday: Mel's Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken
Friday: (Date Night-- dinner out)
Saturday: (Rehearsal dinner for a friend's wedding)
Sunday: (Wedding)

Monday: Spicy Honey Chicken + Garlicy Mashed Potato Cakes
Tuesday: Chicken Meatball Subs + Baked Parmesean Fries
Wednesday: Greek Style Quinoa Burgers
Thursday: Barbacoa Beef Burritos (this makes awesome leftovers)
Friday: (Giant's game-- garlic fries!)
Saturday: Chicken Enchiladas (these are the best EVER)
Sunday: (Date Night-- dinner out)

Do anyone else actually meal plan? Where do you find your recipes? Please share.

Weekend in Pictures

Graduation party. Way to go, Katie!!!

Love restaurants on the river. I am so ready for summer.

Poker night (I lost, but Matt won about $60!)

Bacon Pancakes. Thank you, Pinterest.

A walk to the park with my three M's.

A gorgeous, relaxing weekend. And I'm ready for another week...

Weekend in Pictures

Saturday we had a birthday dinner for a friend...

Which makes for a fun play date for Mase...

Meet Moby! Our newest addition.

He is a 4 year old lab mix from the animal shelter. He loves racing cars...

Playing with Dad...

And naps...

We love him. :)

And now, for your viewing pleasure, a duet by the V&M Band...

I heart Pinterest

I'm not on the Twitter bandwagon. I do have a Facebook and will occasionally post some pictures there. Obviously, I'm addicted to my Google Reader. But THIS? This is awesome.

Let me explain.

I have always been one of those tear-it-out-of-the-magazine people.

Always.

My high school bulletin boards were full of horoscopes, newspaper clippings (with my water polo highlights, of course), and pictures of Tim McGraw. After college I discovered Martha Stewart Living and Real Simple magazines and my bulletin boards turned to binders full of recipes, paint colors, and decorating ideas. More recently, I've learned to bookmark sites, or just email the links to myself and keep them in different folders in my Gmail.

Not any more, thanks to Pinterest.

There, I can keep folders with images labeled:

Decorative

(For decorating ideas, duh)

Creative

(For things I want to make)

Festive

(Party ideas)

Stylish

(I need style help, desperately)

and, Edible

(Easiest meal planning EVER)

You can "follow" other users and stuff they've pinned will show up on your Pinterest home page, or you can just follow certain boards. Or don't follow anyone and just do your own thing.

For me, Pinterest is full of inspiration, an awesomely organized and efficient way for me to store things I want to remember or refer back to, and just a lot of fun! Check it out, but it's invitation-only, so if you want to join, let me know and I'll invite you.

Are you already on Pinterest? What do you think? And let me know so I can follow you!

10 on 10 :: May 2011

I did it! I remembered and took 10 pictures of our day today to share. Here we go...

You know it's going to be a good day when 7:15am looks like this:

He'll eat pretty much anything served on licensed "Cars" dishes.

Technically two pictures, but the build-a-fort meets hide-and-seek game is better represented with both.

An early birthday present for Jaime. Chocolate chip pancakes in a basket. Just add an egg and a cup of water.

Nanna, graciously fixing Mason's new crew cut.

Nap time! Mostly wasted spent on Pinterest and Blogger. Please note the laundry waiting to be folded in the background...

Mason's "cupcake" (a blueberry muffin with whipped cream on top). And yep, dirty dishes in the sink. Let's be real here.

The last of Matt's birthday week. Mel's Oreo Cookie Cupcakes I made and dropped off at work for him.

4 months from TODAY I'll be in a wedding dress! So until then, you can find me here at least 3 days a week. Thank goodness for the massive and well-staffed Kids Club.

Finally, a little silliness to be found on the kitchen floor while I made enchiladas for dinner tonight. My favorite part is how you can see M's cars perfectly and meticulously aligned. That child is no doubt his mother's son, wouldn't you say?

And how was your day?

29

That is how many days I have left of being 29 years old.

I can say I'm in my 20's for only 29 more days!

So just for fun, here are 29 things I want to do or accomplish in the next 29 years. (A shout out to two of my favorite math teachers, Veronica and Mel, who will appreciate todays numbers post. P.S. This post is scheduled for 5:05PM on  05/05. :)

Ready? Here we go...

29. Shark dive. (It WILL happen.)
28. Climb Half Dome. June 27th!
27. Have my tatoos re-inked or re-designed.
26. Marry the man of my dreams. (Only 4 months to go!!!)
25. Have more babies.
24. Travel to Ireland.
23. Learn to play the guitar.
22. Visit Washington, DC.
21. Scuba dive in Australia.
20. Read through the Bible in a year.
19. Road trip across the United States in a summer.
18. Complete a marathon. (Don't ask me why.)
17. Backpack through Europe.
16. Take a vacation with my girlfriends and our families.
15. Take a vacation with just the girls-- someplace requiring a passport.
14. Be a "Team Mom" for my kids' sports teams.
13. Learn to speak sign language fluently.
12. Play in a co-ed softball league.
11. Sew a quilt.
10. Earn my masters degree.
9. Get a DSLR and be able to use it manually.
8. Grow a garden.
7. Start an annual family camping trip tradition.
6. Learn to make really good apple pie with crust from scratch.
5. Master homemade cinnamon rolls.
4. Get out of debt.
3. Learn to use power tools.
2. Give birth naturally.
1. Learn to surf.

I think that's enough to keep me busy and distract me from the fact that I'm getting older.

What is on your list?

It started out so innocently...

Mason's hair has gotten long.

Like, in his eyes, looks like a mop, long.

I think to myself, "How hard can it be to trim it?"

The answer? Way harder than you (I) think.

What started out as an attempt to clean up the mop, ended up with Matt's clippers and a vow to Tage that I would never again try to cut anyone's hair.

Oh, how these pictures make me laugh though...

More pictures to come of the newly bald toddler.