We Do Not Always Sleep With Dogs

When I was looking through photos of the puppies the other day I noticed 1) we have a ridiculous number of photos of our dogs, and 2) that Husband really likes taking photos of the puppies and I snuggling together. In case anyone else finds themselves with overly loving, snuggly dogs, I wanted to share so you felt less alone.

These are just a few that I found (what, this is my blog and I can withhold all the ones with weird drool and not enough clothing if I want to). It was fun to see all of the changes in the last three years--starting with my old house, to the Husband's house when I first moved in, to now.

Welcoming the New Year

I am not a big proponent of new year's resolutions. It surprises me every year, since I like very few things more than making a nice, tidy list. Perhaps it's stubbornness... why should I make a resolution list just because other people are? It could be that I avoid introspection whenever possible. Maybe it's fear of failure.

Most likely it's just that I don't want to, so I don't.

I am, however, looking forward to this new year in a way I rarely do. 2010 was a good year... the best I've had to date. But it was a hard year. We celebrated our first anniversary. We did not have a honeymoon period like so many seem to have. We struggled. Hard. Things have been easing up lately and I hope that continues into this year. Maybe our two hard heads are learning to avoid smashing into each other as hard.

We've made strides this year on leading a more simple life. I want to surround myself with things that I love. That are beautiful. I want to rid myself of everything else. We have so much stuff. Too much stuff. It's too much clutter, takes too much space, too much money, too much time. This year I plan to weed through as much as possible with a ruthless purpose.

We are beginning to re-learn to garden and this year we have big plans to expand and improve upon our fledgling front-yard garden. Perhaps I'll finally make time to add additional landscaping to help it blend in, rather than stick out.

The end of 2010 saw me completely and utterly burned out, in a way I can hardly remember ever being before. That cannot happen again. I don't know how to keep more balanced, but I hope to learn. I want time to read a book, or take a long walk, or cook a complicated meal with the Husband. I NEED that time.

This year looks to be a continuation of that last, and the one before. A year in which to grow. To become more wise, more patient, more kind. To continue building our family and our life. And that's all the resolution I need. 

Blessings of Food

Husband loves to cook. He caters events on the side and every week be makes a meal for 30 or so people from the local university for their meeting. He's rarely happier than when he's aproned up, buzzing around the kitchen, tasting little bits of this and that.

This works out well for me, as you can imagine. 

The last few months have been horrible. I've been swamped at work, so much so that I often want to walk out at nine in the morning and crawl into bed at home because I'm drowning under the weight of what must be done right away. I'm teaching a class--for the first time ever--and find myself woefully unprepared for the task. My jewelry business is requiring massive amounts of time and the to-do list continues to grow. The organization for which I am chair of the board of directors is having a big event in one week. The house is messier than I like it and I have dozens of half-finished projects laying around. I'm so overwhelmed that simply functioning is becoming more than I can manage on some days.

But. But. The point is that I stumble downstairs each morning to find porridge ready or toast buttered. I have hot coffee or tea in a to-go mug by my purse. Many times I find a lunch packed and placed IN my giant purse ready to be carted to work. In the evenings I mumble something that I have a craving for and an hour later (or often less), it shows up, nicely plated, in front of my computer or on my studio desk. It's a miracle. And it's delicious.

I married a cook. And it's the best decision I've ever made. 

September in Retrospect

Life is busy. The months are flying past before I even have a moment to enjoy them. The Husband let the puppy and I sleep in yesterday, which was much needed.

Work is becoming overwhelming and I'm not sure how to catch up, though the upcoming projects are very exciting.

This is my third week of teaching an upper division public relations class at a local university. Teaching is super hard work. Any university professors out there--how do I not feel like such an idiot while speaking to a bunch of students? Also, how can I make a two-hour evening class more interesting?

We canned a bunch of things from our garden and the farmer's market. I've never canned anything before so the jars of garden salsa, blackberry and peach jam, and the peach slices make me feel like quite the amazing housewife. The fact that Husband was equally involved makes him pretty amazing too.

Physical therapy has been helping my shoulder but I re-damaged it doing the assigned exercises and my PT has canceled the past two weeks for emergency reasons. Now my head and shoulder are hurting so bad it's hard to concentrate. I miss yoga.

It's finally almost cool enough to wear my favorite boots. I love warm socks and boots and once it finally gets chilly (if you can consider 60 degrees chilly) I put them on and don't go back to pumps and other work shoes until May. 

We went to Disneyland, which has always been my favorite place (blame my parents for that). It was a weekday at the end of September so the park was virtually empty except for all the moms and strollers. Mostly locals who can come for part of a day for a playdate. This is near the end of the day when things diminished into my modeling an awesome pirate hat that I couldn't justify buying.

And now. Now it's halfway through October already. And I want to start fresh.

A Perfect View

The puppies love sitting out on the hot tub in the evenings. It's out on a landing outside our bedroom and looks as though it's on the roof of our house. I often find Loki laying with his head hanging over the edge of the roof, looking at... something. Lyla likes to spy on the squirrels.

Just wait puppies. Only a few more months and it will be cool enough for me to actually sit IN the hot tub. Then you'll be out of luck. 

A Summer Walk

I like taking walks. I never used to, but when I got a wiggling bundle of energy named Loki I started walking--every day. At first it was really hot and he used to plop down in any puddle of water he could find or try to escape into the neighbor's sprinklers. And then it was really cold and we'd bundle up and get sopping wet and come home and cuddle until we warmed up.

When Husband and I first started dating Loki was the entire focus of my life outside work* so we spent many a date walking. My house is in an old part of town so we'd walk through old tree-lined streets looking at the architecture and landscaping and talking about houses we'd like to have someday. I loved that we could walk, and talk, and hold hands.

Then we got married and I learned that Husband hates walking. Really. Can't stand it. Fusses every time anyone says the word "walk" and pouts whenever we start out. We live in a not-nearly-as-nice part of town now and there's not as much to look out.

But sometimes, just sometimes, we go out of town and we walk, and talk, and hold hands. And it's nice.

*long story. Maybe I'll get there someday. 

Growin' Tomato Trees

See this tomato plant tree? I'm holding it up because it got too heavy and flopped over. See how it's taller than I am... even while two feet on the top are actually leaning over onto itself? Yeah, we are going to have a TON of tomatoes.

This weekend I plan to do nothing. Ok, so I actually plan to do a lot of things but none of them are vital and none of them require long trips or house guests or staying overnight anywhere, which will be a fabulous change from the last six weeks or so. Ahhhhhh, weekends.

Backpacking

I'm feeling like a lazy blogger this week so here are pictures of our backpacking trip this weekend.

 Fun times.

Weekends

Things weekends should always include:

BBQ
Picnics
Friends
Walks
New shoes
Good sermons
Coffee
Mexican food
Tired puppies
Gardening
Exciting books
Organizing part of the house
Apricot cobbler

What else should we have done this weekend?

Things I Have Learned and Relearned this Week

1. Dogs don't like it when their people forget to buy dog food before the old food runs out.
2. Husbands like plump wives as much as skinny ones.
3. While buying/making Father's Day gifts it is never a good idea to forget about the mother-in-law birthday that precedes it.
4. P90X makes you sore. Really sore.
5. Dinners should always be eaten on the deck.
6. You get more done when you neglect to sign into TweetDeck.
7. If you don't want a third dog, don't send husbands pictures of cute puppies at the shelter. Apparently they are just big marshmallows when it comes to puppy faces. (I should know this. It's how I ended up with my second dog.)
8. Neighbors can make you very grumpy.
9. Good haircuts are always worth it.

Image of napping husband and Lyla by me and my iphone.

Summer BBQ

Today it's raining. AGAIN.

But last night was just cloudy and a bit breezy. Warm enough I could wear pants, sandals and a tank top and only be a little goosebumpy.

 So we barbecued on the little gas grill and ate on the patio. Tofu kebabs with sweet onions and mushrooms and red pepper and zucchini (not yet from the garden) marinated in a yummy teriyaki sauce.

It was my idea, but the Husband made it.

And then we took the puppies for a long walk. It was a tiny slice of summer but it should hold me over until all this stupid rain goes away. 

A Blogger Music Swap

Awhile ago A. from Accordions and Lace decided it was time to go old school and make a mixed tape. But even better, she decided to get a bunch of lovely bloggers in on the fun. So 40-ish bloggers signed up for her Mix CD Exchange and carefully arranged songs, created cover art, and sent music flying around the world.

I received a cd from Anna in the UK. You can see the mix she sent me here. 

And my music went to the lovely Jessica of Valetsine fame. I pulled together the songs I've been listening to the most recently. Many of them were also on our wedding ipod playlist.

 "Washed by the Water" by Needtobreathe
 "I Feel It All" by Feist
"Lemonade" by Chris Rice
"The More" by downhere
"It's Good to Be in Love" by Frou Frou
"Such Great Heights" by Iron & Wine
"Over the Rainbow" by Ingrid Michaelson
"Paris" by Yael Naim
"The Riddle" by Five for Fighting
"The Way I Am (live on WERS)" by Ingrid Michaelson
"Painting by Chagall" by The Weepies
"Let's Do the Things We Normally Do" by Dido
"Sweet Pea" by Amos Lee
"Above You, Below Me" by Badly Drawn Boy
"Endless Song of Hapiness" by Yael Naim
 "Divine Romance" by Phil Wickham
"World Spins Madly On" by The Weepies
"Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot
"Feels Like Home" by Randy Newman
"Awake" by Josh Groban
"Stones Under Rushing Water" by Needtobreathe

Thanks, A., for the great idea! And what do you guys think? Anyone who listens to music similar to this... any good artists I don't know about yet?

Just Living

I have absolutely nothing exciting going on right now. And nothing to say.*  I've worked the last two weekends, I've been annoyed at the dogs and the husband, the house needs to be cleaned, jewelry needs to be photographed, and there are literally no plates or bowls in the cupboard. And all I want to do is sit down and finish the book I'm reading. Ugh.

But here is a picture of the place we go to walk the mutts. Loki likes nothing better than to chase tennis balls around until they're horribly slobbery and gross. Although normally terribly clumsy, he makes some fantastic leaps to capture the elusive ball. I tried to catch them on my iphone and this was the best I could get--and of course, it was the one where he missed the ball. Silly dog.

*Truly. Husband has been amazed at the quietness. 

Boy Razors

I shaved my legs this morning with the Husband's razor. That is only notable because I shall never use another razor again. Why is it that the men have such superior tools in this area? Are my legs not supposed to be smooth and soft?

Husband, you should stock up on razor blades. We're going to need them.

A Stampede of Balloons

 Very early in the morning on Mother's Day each year a dozen giant balloons launch into the sky. This annual Balloon Stampede is one of my favorite spring events so I was super disappointed when I woke up at 4 a.m. Sunday morning with a headache so bad I thought I was going to throw up. By the time I was able to drag myself out of bed two and a half hours later the early morning launch was over.

We chased a few balloons out of town and managed to capture a few pictures before my unwieldy camera battery died.

 
The launch really is the best part. Here are a couple of pictures from two years ago.

Wet Weekend Walk

Ahhhhh, the Northwest. Although I live in the dry deserty part of Washington State, we are still prone to wet weather that tries to ruin our weekend plans. But this time we won.

We took our new car (YAY! New car! Big enough for the mutts, us, and friends) for its first outdoor adventure this weekend. It started to pour as soon as we arrived so we picnicked in the back.

Our brave friends Summer and Michael trekked through mud puddles and on-again-off-again showers.

This is the flat part. At the beginning. When we were still mostly dry.

Loki tried to avoid having his picture taken with me.

And miles later when we returned Husband showed his love for the new car by... licking it?

And then we went home and drank hot drinks, took a nap, and played a new board game. I'm sure we won the day afterall.

What She Said

You know how sometimes you want to say something, but you can't quite figure out how to make it sound right? And then someone else says it way better than you would ever be able to?*

Yeah. So the always-eloquent Lauren wrote this post that I've been muddling around for awhile. So I'm going to stop pretending to write it and send you there instead.


*And on that note, MWK:  "The Nest" showed up in my box this week. I have half a dozen rants I've started but none of them quite so well as you could do. Please, please, please tell me you found the same articles as horrifying as I did. In fact, email me and we'll commiserate.

Too Many Identities

I started this blog just after I got married. I had been so blessed in the month or two prior to our wedding when I found amazing blogs by amazing women who were just getting married, or who had recently walked through the experience. I wanted to join in, even though I didn't know what I would have to add. Now I've made super amazing friends and I love sharing pieces of my life with otherwise total strangers.

Shortly after the wedding I also jumped into selling my jewelry on Etsy. (What? Take on too many things all at once? That doesn't sound like me AT ALL). I'm really trying to make a go of that because, 1) it allows me to be creative in a way that doesn't involve tearing our house apart; 2) it's fun; 3) I get to share pretty things with people; 4) wouldn't be awesome if I actually started to make money on this?

Now I have my regular life, my blog life, my jewelry business life... and they all have their own set of friends and responsibilities and rules. Twitter accounts, email accounts, facebook pages and fan pages, shop sites, flickr and picasa... there's too much!

So what's the point?

They're going to have to meld before I go crazy. I need to be one person, with one identity, in all those spots (a little hard, mind you, because I use my maiden name in everything except my jewelry business). That means I'll have to give up some anonymity on this blog and that I'll have to share some jewelry-related things here as well. I promise not to turn this into a marketing piece and I hope we can still be friends. I'll be just the same... just with the extra post here and there about stuff I'm doing to run my business, the creative process, and the occasional update about new products. I hope that's ok.

Breakfast at the Lake

This weekend as I was snuggling with Husband in the morning, he asked if I wanted to get up and walk the dogs. If you don't know my husband you may not be as surprised as I was at the question. He loves our dogs (I think) but he bitches and moans about them constantly... especially their incessant need for TONS of exercise.

On the way to the lake we drove through Starbucks to pick up coffee and oatmeal as a special indulgence (not because it's necessarily good, but because it involved no cooking or cleanup). Halfway around the lake we stopped to eat on a little bench overlooking the water.

A Delightful Day

I woke up early, but then lounged in bed for an hour while Husband ran to the store for bread to make french toast. He also took the puppies for a gallop by the creek and when he returned I had tired puppies to snuggle with and fresh Dutch Bros. coffee to enjoy.

Later I spray painted a bunch of random fixtures and hooks. The people he bought the house from must have LOVED gold, for it's everywhere. We're slowly changing it everything to brushed nickel, which seems small but has a huge impact--on the house and our wallets! So I spray painted a bunch of things a matte silver today and they look quite lovely. Hooray for thriftiness!

I made some changes to my Etsy shop and fashioned a few pieces of jewelry that I'm quite proud of. Trying to actually make something of this shop is time-consuming. But occasionally, like today, I make something really lovely!

And finally, I read a book and ate the homemade pizza that Husband made (and cleaned up after later!!!!).

And now, it's off to bed.