tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79740566752757034162024-03-14T08:05:44.542-07:00Casa de CavinessNikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-33933764642772317002014-08-15T14:41:00.002-07:002014-08-15T14:41:51.362-07:002nd Anniversary - Maui - Part 2So after a great first day in Maui, we woke up early again - but this time, it was for stand-up paddle board lessons! We went with <a href="http://hawaiianpaddlesports.com/">Hawaiian Paddle Sports</a> as they had the best reviews and were pretty reasonably priced. We were to meet our instructor at 8am - luckily it wasn't too far of a drive from our condo. He was ready for us with two great big boards and two paddles. He explained to us the paddle boarding boards are thicker than surf boards, which is especially helpful when teaching beginners like us since they are a bit easier to balance on. He gave us a quick lesson on the shore, and then we hopped into the water to try it out for ourselves. It was SO windy that morning, so it was definitely an arm and core workout to get the thing moving! The water was so cold too because it had rained overnight, so I was determined not to fall in. I only fell once, but I think Tyler fell 5 or 6 times. :) Here's a couple pics from our lesson:<br />
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Even after doing spinning every Tuesday and Thursday along with two additional days of working out each week, my legs were still KILLING me after we did this for two hours! I totally thought I was going to be prepared, but it took so much leg strength and core and back strength to do this. At least I got a workout in while we were in Maui. :)<br />
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All that paddleboarding made us hungry, so after we left we went to the Fish Market to grab lunch. The Fish Market is a totally unassuming little joint in a strip center, but we had heard good things so we decided to check it out. You can order lunch there, or you can go to the fish counter and purchase fresh fish, so we did both. I got a mahi mahi sandwich and Tyler got a mahi wrap. Both were SO good. Before we left, we purchase some fresh mahi from the fish counter so we could grill out that evening.<br />
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We spent the rest of the day lounging at the beach trying to recover from our strenuous activity that morning, and then we cooked out again so we could enjoy the beautiful weather and scenery. It was an early night to bed so we could get up the next morning to drive the Road to Hana! More on that in my next Maui post. :)Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-32206227119377654302014-07-23T20:26:00.001-07:002014-07-23T20:26:19.537-07:002nd Anniversary - Maui - Part 1Woah. So its been a while since I've sat down and written a blog post. We've had so much going on that I kind of forgot about it! Oops! I'll try to be better about posting. :)<br />
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So one of the highlights of the past few months was celebrating our second wedding anniversary in Maui! Tyler and I of course love to travel so we really wanted to go somewhere special that neither of us had been. Once we decided on Maui, I spent hours researching the best place to stay, the best places to eat, the best things to do, and had an itinerary for each day we were there - yes, I'm a little crazy - but I'm so glad we had everything planned out so we didn't feel like we missed anything. I'll start with our first day:<br />
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<b>Day 1</b><br />
We flew out at a decent time, so even with the 8 hour flight we landed in Maui early afternoon. It was a direct flight too, so that was awesome. It was the longest flight Tyler had ever been on, but gotta prepare him for when we go to Europe. :) Right when we got there we picked up our convertible and went straight to Costco to stock up on essentials for our week. We knew we didn't want to eat out for every single meal, and wanted to be able to just pack an easy lunch and bring it down to the beach so we didn't waste time going out for lunch and it ended up working out really well. Our condo at Honua Kai was SO nice. Stainless steel appliances, washer and dryer, huge lania - it was so great. We'd definitely stay there again or recommend it to anyone traveling to Maui. Its just north of Lahaina on the west side of the island on Ka'anapali Beach and really close to town and restaurants. Speaking of restaurants, we got unpacked and settled just in time for dinner and went to Star Noodle. It was AMAZING. Just a cheap little noodle place, but neither Tyler or I have ever had noodles that good before. Yummmmmm.<br />
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<b>Day 2</b><br />
Since we were still used to Dallas time, it was the easiest day for us to wake up early so we planned on driving all the way across Maui to see the sunrise at Haleakala. We woke up at 3am to make the 2 hour drive across the island. Getting to the volcano only took a little over an hour, but once we started traveling up it, it took about another hour and was a little unnerving. It was pitch black and hairpin turns the entire way. When we got to the parking area we were shocked at how many people were already there - people everywhere!! At the bottom of the volcano it was about 73 degrees, but once we made it up the entire 10,000 feet elevation, the temperature had plummeted to about 40 degrees with 40 mph wind gusts making it feel below freezing! Everyone was in down jackets with blankets and hoodies and gloves. We found a little spot by the edge and waited for the sun to come up. It was quite cloudy, which I was actually excited about because I knew the sunrise would reflect on the clouds and make for some amazing views. And, boy, was it amazing. I'm so glad we made the trek to see it. The pictures speak for themselves.<br />
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After the sunrise, we made our way down the volcano. And with the sun out, we could see that a lot of the side of the road had 90 degree dropoffs with no barrier - good thing we couldn't see it on our way up!<br />
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We then stopped at Hula Lodge for breakfast. I got hot chocolate (yes, hot chocolate in Hawaii!) and the views were amazing.<br />
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After breakfast, we drove to Ho'okipa Beach on the north shore to check out some windsurfers. Since this beach is on the north shore its quite rough so its really popular with windsurfers and boogie boarders - lots of locals hang out here. One of the windsurfer's dogs was on the beach and he kept us quite entertained. He'd grab coconuts and then shred them with his teeth! Such a beach dog!<br />
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After such an early morning, we grabbed lunch at Gestes Shrimp Truck (another must visit, SO GOOD) and then spent the afternoon at the beach. The beach at Honua Kai is so nice - white sand, clear water, and lots of coral so it was good for snorkeling.<br />
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Honua Kai also has really nice grounds and a grilling area with brand new Weber grills, so we decided to enjoy the scenery and nice weather and grilled out that evening. There were beautiful sunset views!<br />
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Such a great start to our trip. I'll finish out the rest of our trip in a couple additional posts. :)Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-57618071908876833802014-02-27T18:19:00.000-08:002014-02-27T18:19:21.996-08:00JambalayaWell hello there. It's been a while. I'm in the middle of 400 projects and I haven't been focused on updating my blog. Sorry. And since I'm in the middle of 400 projects, I don't currently have any before and after shots to show, so I'm just going to share a recipe.<br />
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Tyler and I love our house. But there is one thing we really dislike. Our freezer. We have this awesome SubZero fridge...but the freezer, well, it is small. And we don't like it. We have to shove things in there and rearrange like we're playing a never ending game of Tetris. We're about to break down and buy a deep freezer for the garage. Needless to say, I'm constantly trying to use as many of the items in our freezer as I can since we can't really fit anything in there. Some of our friends gave us some frozen venison sausage, and all I could think was where in the freezer was it going to fit! Well, it didn't fit, so it went in the fridge, which meant I had to use it.<br />
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Now I would typically use an andouille sausage or a turkey sausage in my jambalaya, but since we had the venison, that's what got used. I guess it was a good mix of Texas meets Cajun. You can use whatever sausage you like best. (Splurge for the andouille!) Here we go:<br />
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<b><u>Jambalaya</u></b><br />
2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided<br />
1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's<br />
Sausage (the recipe calls for 10 oz, but you can put in as much as you like)<br />
1 lb chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces<br />
1 onion diced<br />
1 small green bell peper diced<br />
2 stalks celery diced<br />
3 cloves garlic minced<br />
1 16 ounce can crushed Italian tomatoes<br />
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce<br />
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce<br />
1 teaspoon file powder<br />
1 1/4 cups uncooked white rice (not instant rice)<br />
2 1/2 cups chicken broth<br />
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Heat 1 tbsp of peanut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Season the sausage and chicken with Tony's. Saute the sausage first until browned. Remove and then add 1 tbsp peanut oil and then saute the chicken pieces. Remove.<br />
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In the same pot, saute the onion, bell peper, celery, and garlic for a few minutes. Stir in the tomatoes then add the red pepper, black pepper, salt, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and file powder. Add the chicken and sausage back to the mixture and cook for 10 minutes.<br />
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Stir in the rice and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. <br />
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Super easy, right? Enjoy!<br />
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Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-35438038906260548472013-12-29T20:36:00.000-08:002014-01-05T08:47:35.281-08:00White Elephant Gift ExchangeTyler and I decided we wanted to throw a little Christmas party this year, so we gathered a few of our friends together and had a White Elephant Gift Exchange. This was our first get together in our new house where we had more than 6 total people, all strangers, in the house, so we were a little nervous about how Stella would act (we ended up with 14 people!) Luckily, Collin and Meagan got here first, and since she's known them since she was a puppy, it made things much more comfortable for her. While I was busy getting all the appetizers ready, Tyler was having some sort of serious work emergency, so unfortunately, I was super busy and wrapped up in getting everything ready before everyone arrived that I took zero pictures. I suck, big time. BUT, here's the skinny on the appetizers I served:<br />
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<u><b>Caprese Sandwiches</b></u><br />
Hawaiian King Rolls<br />
Mozzarella log<br />
Roma tomatoes<br />
Salami slices<br />
Pesto<br />
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These were basically off-the-cuff, no recipe, but SO easy, and a huge hit. I got a package of Hawaiian King rolls and sliced them, not all the way, but so the top and bottom were still connected. I spread pesto spread on both sides of the inside of the roll, and then added a mozzarella slice to each, a tomato slice to each (sprinkled with salt), and a salami slice. HUGELY popular at the party, and super easy!<br />
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<b><u>Baked Brie Phyllo Cups with Craisins</u></b><br />
Adapted from <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/11/skinny-baked-brie-phyllo-cups-with.html#_a5y_p=1136335">this</a> recipe on SkinnyTaste (If you haven't checked out SkinnyTaste yet, you seriously need to!) I didn't have walnuts, and I was <strike>lazy</strike> rushed for time and just put the brie in the cup, topped with craisins, then drizzled honey. No mixing, still yummy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs505drQGRWPXRHsq3wtu1MNj4aizIWCMRRjQ0chMW3uzXNtjeW8uLqXzSCP0HsfAaGlljAk0nogZcsjNU1PlYNJ7ExIdMJRgQ_NbFj_QFRUVI41draWXW0pa0kmfEKr8k2qnjTyMKxhY/s1600/Skinny-Baked-Brie-Cups-with-Craisins-and-Walnuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs505drQGRWPXRHsq3wtu1MNj4aizIWCMRRjQ0chMW3uzXNtjeW8uLqXzSCP0HsfAaGlljAk0nogZcsjNU1PlYNJ7ExIdMJRgQ_NbFj_QFRUVI41draWXW0pa0kmfEKr8k2qnjTyMKxhY/s320/Skinny-Baked-Brie-Cups-with-Craisins-and-Walnuts.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image via SkinnyTaste</td></tr>
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<b><u>Puppy Chow</u></b><br />
This is a holiday staple, right? Luckily, I had premade a huge batch and given mason jars of Puppy Chow as gifts, so no prep was needed the night of the party. Perfect.<br />
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Recipe from <a href="http://www.chex.com/recipes/RecipeView.aspx?RecipeId=45860">Chex</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image via Chex</td></tr>
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<b><u>Chocolate Swirl Cookies</u></b><br />
I also made these ahead of time, so all I had to do was slice them! This recipe makes a pretty big batch, so I was able to bake several logs and just keep them in the fridge throughout the holidays. <br />
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Recipe from <a href="http://www.recipegirl.com/2008/07/31/bake-and-slice-chocolate-swirls/#_a5y_p=1087113">Recipe Girl</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjlGGJ6yS4HHT6xp_r2LmIzK50Ldq2DU0_8OoDE4A_Ie_ts90rifAc7ssc65AuRlRgmFSU8qIfk-ofZzcDhEhfhfHKcNX2feL2otNOFZSS2qDuWMRYxGAJ9eyIV4Dw-f0LIwVV1icRKvU/s1600/Bake-and-Slice-Chocolate-Swirls1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjlGGJ6yS4HHT6xp_r2LmIzK50Ldq2DU0_8OoDE4A_Ie_ts90rifAc7ssc65AuRlRgmFSU8qIfk-ofZzcDhEhfhfHKcNX2feL2otNOFZSS2qDuWMRYxGAJ9eyIV4Dw-f0LIwVV1icRKvU/s320/Bake-and-Slice-Chocolate-Swirls1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image from Recipe Girl</td></tr>
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<u><b>Spiked Apple Cider</b></u></div>
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I wanted to have a warm beverage option, and something different than wine or beer. This was super easy, and made a large batch. Easy to make virgin or with alcohol.</div>
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Recipe from <a href="http://laurenconrad.com/blog/post/lovely-libations-spiced-spiked-cider">Lauren Conrad</a>.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image from LaurenConrad.com</td></tr>
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We had several different groups of friends join us, but everyone got along really well and mingled amongst themselves. It was so great! We all had a really great time - even Stella was a rockstar and everyone was obsessed with her. She was so well behaved once we introduced her to everyone - we were definitely proud parents! We had some super fun gifts unwrapped ($10 value) - I think the two most popular were the Hot Booties (socks that you put in the microwave to keep your feet toasty) and a bottle of Crown Royal, half emptied to meet the $10 maximum value (we have some creative friends.) The party finally shut down at 2am. I'd call that a big success! We can't wait to do it again next year!</div>
Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-3902466927104424222013-12-15T08:39:00.000-08:002013-12-15T08:44:57.791-08:00Life with an Australian Shepherd<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In honor of our puppy dog's upcoming 1st birthday, I thought I'd put together a post of things we've learned about having an Australian Shepherd as a pet. We have so many people stop us when we have Stella out around town that tell us what a beautiful dog we have, how unique she is, how its so cool she has two different colored eyes - and of course we agree but we're partial because she's our pet and we love her! But there is so much more to having an Aussie than their good looks. Having an Australian Shepherd is definitely hard work!! Yes, everyone says she's still in the puppy phase, but from speaking with other Aussie owners and breeders, and reading (LOTS of reading) this "puppy phase" doesn't go away anytime soon. Here is a list of several things we had been told prior to getting Stella and have absolutely learned to be true about the breed (along with some cute pictures!) over the past 10 months:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_L30o5pjgW2f42UGbfmH7wmWxQMhMoMJpdsatOuda7KDq9KV-OzeeRvQtMGqox02CAclR-svX9Q8Jo__kGDNQ_EnPzQ2pvL5cv9I5sPlHr5K8NKZUu18Oa6UZv0sPPiv2yLu4N2H92Q/s1600/Stella_012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_L30o5pjgW2f42UGbfmH7wmWxQMhMoMJpdsatOuda7KDq9KV-OzeeRvQtMGqox02CAclR-svX9Q8Jo__kGDNQ_EnPzQ2pvL5cv9I5sPlHr5K8NKZUu18Oa6UZv0sPPiv2yLu4N2H92Q/s400/Stella_012.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 months old</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwue4xHbjyFvQqZgm_qcaEyDm4H9tWBMjTZP1eu-pA4OC39lL6FLdOg2N2z1n3L-fvE5TypZP0eDMwZtuuIHwYokXiIg5hGdHuwArAUaauq5d7sj6rDUKdQlv98bpyyf-zLn-3p4nsnU/s1600/Stella_043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwue4xHbjyFvQqZgm_qcaEyDm4H9tWBMjTZP1eu-pA4OC39lL6FLdOg2N2z1n3L-fvE5TypZP0eDMwZtuuIHwYokXiIg5hGdHuwArAUaauq5d7sj6rDUKdQlv98bpyyf-zLn-3p4nsnU/s400/Stella_043.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 months old</td></tr>
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<b>High Energy Dog</b><br />
Every breeder and owner that we talked to prior before committing to the breed warned us that Aussies are high energy dogs. And, boy, they weren't kidding! Australian Shepherds are working dogs and are born to run and run and run, and herd farm animals in rain, snow, and heat. Stella needs hours upon hours of attention each day. She enjoys running (several miles), playing fetch with tennis balls, chewing on Nyla bones (bacon flavor is her favorite), tugawar - non-stop from the second we get home from work until we go to bed. Our lifesaver has been bringing her to doggy daycare twice a week. She can run all day and also gets exposure to other dogs - socialization is very important!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_XlLyLOPIAmttwhOt35Qd2636-T_ROOCf6eX2eV0jquujR1uS3cNEIqvqWgAw5Lnx1TROHlMQiazdUPvbWmk_eXXgpeWJueAWHQjMeh8v1mcclUqJ_2Q4XMpZJPmXYxQpHQKm0UnsYc/s1600/Stella_013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_XlLyLOPIAmttwhOt35Qd2636-T_ROOCf6eX2eV0jquujR1uS3cNEIqvqWgAw5Lnx1TROHlMQiazdUPvbWmk_eXXgpeWJueAWHQjMeh8v1mcclUqJ_2Q4XMpZJPmXYxQpHQKm0UnsYc/s400/Stella_013.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 months old</td></tr>
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<b>Herding Dog</b><br />
As I mentioned before, Aussies are born to herd. Because of this, its a never ending battle to keep her from herding Max and it tends to get chaotic indoors. Stella also tries to herd squirrels in the backyard, the stray cats that live next door, and even me and Tyler! We often have Stella nipping on our heels!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgl8oI5hyphenhyphenzKfdIE2HD2S7d7oRQZO80juXgwk4FfEmVmGeEOX6kAnP3K5SXA_cdupgAZ-gGalbJaWuauGeq3uVW3wofLBiYsLPAshGEBIQkJsxlEDB-_M_pBYF8DHzcgOACqvS7fr928Y/s1600/Stella_001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgl8oI5hyphenhyphenzKfdIE2HD2S7d7oRQZO80juXgwk4FfEmVmGeEOX6kAnP3K5SXA_cdupgAZ-gGalbJaWuauGeq3uVW3wofLBiYsLPAshGEBIQkJsxlEDB-_M_pBYF8DHzcgOACqvS7fr928Y/s400/Stella_001.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 months old</td></tr>
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<b>Smart Dog</b><br />
Australian Shepherds are extremely intelligent and highly trainable. Stella was house trained by the 2nd day, was able to sit on command by day 4, and over the past 10 months has learned the following commands - lay, crate, place, and sit, and has learned to not move out of those commands until we tell her to. She also knows "inside", "outside", and "treat" (which also means 'get in your crate'.) She knows the diffence between "Dad" and "Mom", and we have to be VERY careful about saying the "S" word (School!) I've heard stories about Aussies being able to tell the difference between letter A and letter B on wooden blocks. We're not there yet. :)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6r2j3puKHJlmYrEqjY-8rky5MrP2NujGA3rNgLm6FxAbjSOBJEH0SpBhxGDKJQF5bdEa_7aSRwXsHtHEkEJr2K-d-xtmtxqtK7tuv-TE2NXjDbInIsV5ty0-E9kM9aNOtlUvy-ZRauZ0/s1600/Stella_006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6r2j3puKHJlmYrEqjY-8rky5MrP2NujGA3rNgLm6FxAbjSOBJEH0SpBhxGDKJQF5bdEa_7aSRwXsHtHEkEJr2K-d-xtmtxqtK7tuv-TE2NXjDbInIsV5ty0-E9kM9aNOtlUvy-ZRauZ0/s400/Stella_006.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 months old</td></tr>
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<b>Velcro Dog</b><br />
Along the lines of being extremely smart, Australian Sheperds have a nickname of "Velcro Dog" because they're obsessed with their owners. All they want in life is to please their owners, which goes along with being highly trainable. Stella will follow us around, and literally wants to be touching one of us if at all possible.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXkKDp_4bLYU_NC9aUu7t_q8fd2Z9EKG8ZkKpAGoQVvxo2bjr9SLDwWJzG1csmHNurxMuL7jxXkgcWZlg8nIGYQmL_IgQUBOl91Vp1gctACo9eLfK2QHtuI5iMRcdtQNL7ewjhKe6MnY/s1600/Stella_001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXkKDp_4bLYU_NC9aUu7t_q8fd2Z9EKG8ZkKpAGoQVvxo2bjr9SLDwWJzG1csmHNurxMuL7jxXkgcWZlg8nIGYQmL_IgQUBOl91Vp1gctACo9eLfK2QHtuI5iMRcdtQNL7ewjhKe6MnY/s400/Stella_001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11 months old</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgL1DKna_cRspKJ5x04jJkOq9Tt6h7XNkKDcqNzAXeOlaeuSJCbHvwP-BpfGJQNqFwn0cPrWJcqHK9Drm69J32wRLx7WNzEJtEBmkRb-Sw6gcRKK9gS3k71uEaF5k7zq28G4xSSbz_LQ/s1600/Stella_007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgL1DKna_cRspKJ5x04jJkOq9Tt6h7XNkKDcqNzAXeOlaeuSJCbHvwP-BpfGJQNqFwn0cPrWJcqHK9Drm69J32wRLx7WNzEJtEBmkRb-Sw6gcRKK9gS3k71uEaF5k7zq28G4xSSbz_LQ/s400/Stella_007.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11 months old</td></tr>
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<b>Guard Dog</b><br />
Because Australian Shepherds place such high importance on their immediate family, they tend to be a bit stand-offish to strangers, and very protective if they feel like someone is intruding on their home. Stella's bark is fierce, and is a great deterent for intruders. However, it sometimes makes it difficult to have friends and family over. We have to make it evident to Stella that these people are our people and that she needs to chill out. It takes a good 5 minutes for her to feel comfortable with guests, and we have to make a production out of it. She has NEVER been aggressive, and we don't think she ever would be, but we always make sure we are right there with her when she meets new people.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYadoagsBtng_Qh11yuqsVd_hohVSQ7yF6SlRJsv_aiPpSADUJJSbiUh6Iip_jFTeH6fL7NuvDeBEaCWduVU1yvEKU6hbcDrp_9nO8YR__jlkZCehkSYuvzcqqsgfCT0QMLfVhlZKQFo/s1600/Stella_012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYadoagsBtng_Qh11yuqsVd_hohVSQ7yF6SlRJsv_aiPpSADUJJSbiUh6Iip_jFTeH6fL7NuvDeBEaCWduVU1yvEKU6hbcDrp_9nO8YR__jlkZCehkSYuvzcqqsgfCT0QMLfVhlZKQFo/s400/Stella_012.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11 months old - my smiley puppy!</td></tr>
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<b>Fluffy Dog</b><br />
One of the items on my wish list for a dog was soft and fluffy - Stella definitely fits the bill! Aussies have an under coat and a top coat, which means she sheds a lot and must be groomed often. We have to vacuum daily and brush her at least twice a week so her hair doesn't get matted. One interesting thing we've learned about her coat is that it is waterproof (so they can continue to herd in the rain without getting weighed down) so giving her a bath seems to take forever because the water just rolls off her fur. However, she's perfect for petting and cuddling because she's sooooo soft and fluffy. :) Some other distinguishable characteristics of Aussies is that they have docked tails and no dew claws. They will not be recognized as Australian Shepherds if they have either of those things, and Mini Aussies are also not recognized as Australian Shepherds.<br />
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There are also several different colors of Aussies. Stella is a Blue Merle, which is evident by her spotted coat. They often have blue, or multi-colored eyes. It is also common for them to have an eye that may be half blue and half brown. Stella actually has a small brown spec in her blue eye. Aussies can also be tri-colored, red, or red merle. We've talked about maybe getting another one (when we have a bigger house), and we'd love to get a little tri brother for Stella!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTVekywBXff8NQ_pRtW_V1yQ5c8Djplze0EBmMfvxU4y7AxAEmn07GuAV-O6wDD8N9kP-h2wVGKP-iNlMHA04br8mFg-jH27P6xegk65cYcDZ0PcYF_wR_urTxcicduJFJwZ77k3I1l0/s1600/Stella_001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTVekywBXff8NQ_pRtW_V1yQ5c8Djplze0EBmMfvxU4y7AxAEmn07GuAV-O6wDD8N9kP-h2wVGKP-iNlMHA04br8mFg-jH27P6xegk65cYcDZ0PcYF_wR_urTxcicduJFJwZ77k3I1l0/s400/Stella_001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11 1/2 months old</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikagmpEh3ckz3joGGmMPkPG3pd89qIXviQAmujRUEnUE7o4rnXRQX5Wjad-kiiV2FMlRmHR_i7cKE-QNnv2tXXCk1jynp6tEFTNf8o6ZXZ-noVtW7kYLBYqOCS9vKxZNyKdh0RMkiscig/s1600/Stella_006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikagmpEh3ckz3joGGmMPkPG3pd89qIXviQAmujRUEnUE7o4rnXRQX5Wjad-kiiV2FMlRmHR_i7cKE-QNnv2tXXCk1jynp6tEFTNf8o6ZXZ-noVtW7kYLBYqOCS9vKxZNyKdh0RMkiscig/s400/Stella_006.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11 1/2 months old - no tail :)</td></tr>
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Stella has such specific personality traits. She's SUPER sweet and cuddley. She tends to worry (she gets that from her mom) but tries to look at the bright side of things. Sometimes she's mischevious and has her own hidden agenda, which usually means digging in the flowerbed in the backyard. But she always runs back to us and smiles and we forgive her immediately.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MdcP2wH3HvbiEgX_R_1Ar474n-9skfhSvYAaFvgeQH_ycjoL4XM_qjSfgiTnywNj-poQD8E_SnnXMATK5yUWy6m6IbKIl63GgRTVFS9FHJdYXJOxBCWt2JwFYl2K9VELbfZMf4PqvWs/s1600/0027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MdcP2wH3HvbiEgX_R_1Ar474n-9skfhSvYAaFvgeQH_ycjoL4XM_qjSfgiTnywNj-poQD8E_SnnXMATK5yUWy6m6IbKIl63GgRTVFS9FHJdYXJOxBCWt2JwFYl2K9VELbfZMf4PqvWs/s400/0027.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10 1/2 months - taken by <a href="http://www.ochoaphotography.com/">Angie Ochoa</a></td></tr>
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We would tell anyone considering getting an Aussie that they must have the time and dedication to give them as much exercise and activity, as well as mental stimulation, as they need to prevent them from becoming bored and destructive. Even when we're exhausted we make sure we try to wear her out because she could totally destroy our house if she had the opportunity. We've found that the best toys for this are Nyla bones for her to chew on, ropes (Target has tug-a-war ropes for $1, we go through them very quickly!), tennis balls, and the Starmark Everlasting Treat Groovy Ball - BEST $25 I've spent in my life. She also loves stuffed animals with no stuffing, but those get torn up within 1 night and then she insists on playing with the scraps.<br />
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Overall, Australian Shepherds are a lot of work, but worth all the effort. We're so glad she had one "grey spot" that prevented her from being a show dog so she would ultimately become our pet - we love our Stella Bear!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjezC01tjNmJQTEPLtSjCMHUXDqAbDrriNL603Pm65yVE0EGQngc6YPq-mYZ697ogiaYudZiU5jvNWlYWfoc_kMQi_cfc1PzR0QPSP84be2K-E54ejr-IWrT-A1zeySRF8LYZ1BtSFZo/s1600/0021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjezC01tjNmJQTEPLtSjCMHUXDqAbDrriNL603Pm65yVE0EGQngc6YPq-mYZ697ogiaYudZiU5jvNWlYWfoc_kMQi_cfc1PzR0QPSP84be2K-E54ejr-IWrT-A1zeySRF8LYZ1BtSFZo/s400/0021.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10 1/2 months - taken by <a href="http://www.ochoaphotography.com/">Angie Ochoa</a></td></tr>
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Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-7548472176768714782013-12-07T11:23:00.001-08:002013-12-07T12:13:09.773-08:00Homeownership project #5: Refinishing the hardwoods - Complete!Hi guys! Sorry for the delay on this post - things got a little busy with Thanksgiving. The floors are complete! They look so much better, and it wasn't even that big of an inconvenience to go through the process of getting them redone. It probably helped that I've been putting off buying furniture so we didn't have much to move! The color is a nice, medium brown - not too dark, not orange at all - and it looks so nice in the bedrooms. Here are a few pictures:<br />
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They look a little orange in the pictures, and I even tried adjusting the white balance on my camera but they still kept photographing slightly warm, but I promise they're just neutral brown! Next on the list:</div>
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<li>Repaint baseboards</li>
<li>Paint bedrooms</li>
<li>Fill with furniture</li>
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I've already ordered some chairs for the front room. They were custom order so they should be arriving towards the end of January. Also on the list is to get a new bed (king size!) for our master bedroom, and then move our current bed into the empty guest bedroom. After that I'll just have a few more key pieces that I really want, and then will be time to finish the decorating portion. So glad to have the wood floors done - now things will really start to come together!</div>
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<span id="goog_952329984"></span><span id="goog_952329985"></span>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-28267500636539854072013-11-18T19:47:00.002-08:002013-11-18T19:47:48.442-08:00Homeownership project #5: Refinishing the hardwoods - DuringWood floors are under way! The carpet was ripped up and all the floors were sanded down. Here are a few pictures from when I got home today:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85Xk21Ql6y_q4l7nM8yGK7Sg53lNdCROJL5_zixdbDjfwupVQ6VS_p5gn00x1tv5Md1PQIV1RRUG5iqDptceq2f7riAAs4Uk1mv3iJmWbEZ_l9sXQC3-RcMWsjZR6qQs2bPc_m4ItbfU/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85Xk21Ql6y_q4l7nM8yGK7Sg53lNdCROJL5_zixdbDjfwupVQ6VS_p5gn00x1tv5Md1PQIV1RRUG5iqDptceq2f7riAAs4Uk1mv3iJmWbEZ_l9sXQC3-RcMWsjZR6qQs2bPc_m4ItbfU/s400/photo+1.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb67B3cDR3fbvtTRDmnFtmRGO3FTrIqHSQIVe-mwOC2u33TA0kJliUQFgQLwOZbbJvpGymH17DUuKEBnOlUxqSNOTiXEKhSLKacmdNKG_uAFj3_CJv5L_3zndjcPENpzCsPDiQwCunf3s/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb67B3cDR3fbvtTRDmnFtmRGO3FTrIqHSQIVe-mwOC2u33TA0kJliUQFgQLwOZbbJvpGymH17DUuKEBnOlUxqSNOTiXEKhSLKacmdNKG_uAFj3_CJv5L_3zndjcPENpzCsPDiQwCunf3s/s400/photo+5.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGMbYEJ-SACN4YbITPVbf4luduppj4Wgn_YEGk1aLjh-CrLg79KWa3YkRW_bJCgnInj9DT9OdGw547p0tlzDsVY32RZKHiwRagRi-GR3Xm5wOchrbN-vQbHU0ar_h6CmywG-PxqaJluA/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGMbYEJ-SACN4YbITPVbf4luduppj4Wgn_YEGk1aLjh-CrLg79KWa3YkRW_bJCgnInj9DT9OdGw547p0tlzDsVY32RZKHiwRagRi-GR3Xm5wOchrbN-vQbHU0ar_h6CmywG-PxqaJluA/s400/photo+2.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No carpet!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmWToG48Slmpp4t2BTuFn_NY_L2oWGe0R1RUdczSbhaStQt2-KRucOzFFvhbETu4gAlYoilqqtJ7py5q_dsBDipTNOJUPIccJAdmSlH9XWUYMeAZmnF87T8FpaumxWb2XMCKNaoNi8Ag/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmWToG48Slmpp4t2BTuFn_NY_L2oWGe0R1RUdczSbhaStQt2-KRucOzFFvhbETu4gAlYoilqqtJ7py5q_dsBDipTNOJUPIccJAdmSlH9XWUYMeAZmnF87T8FpaumxWb2XMCKNaoNi8Ag/s400/photo+3.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So glad the carpet is gone! Can't wait to get those walls painted!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front guest room</td></tr>
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When the contractor got here this morning, we peeled back a corner of the carpet in the guest room to see the entire floor underneath. He realized that the carpet pad was not glued down, but there was glue on the floor. That means this is at least the second set of carpet that's been down on the floor. I can't believe it was in style to cover up those beautiful wood floors! I picked out a medium brown stain that will go down tomorrow. I can't wait to come home from work tomorrow to see how it turns out. :)<br />
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<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-40409489415382413672013-11-17T18:23:00.002-08:002013-11-17T18:45:07.384-08:00Homeownership project #5: Refinishing the hardwoods - BeforeI feel like a kid on Christmas Eve! Tomorrow is the beginning of the hardwood floor refinishing! Right now, the original hardwoods are covered by carpet in both guest bedrooms, as well as in a small hall, and the hardwoods in the formal living and dining aren't in the best shape. Our contractor will be ripping up all the carpet, sanding everything down, and will then refinish with urethane and a new stain. This is kind of dejavu - we actually refinished the hardwood floors in our townhome almost exactly a year ago. The difference is that refinishing those floors was FREE (thanks to State Farm) but I wasn't nearly excited about that process as I am about it this time around! We are going to switch up the color slightly so its a little bit darker (not TOO dark) and less orange-tinted. We also are going with a water based urethane because it is more durable than oil-based urethane, will yellow less over time than oil-based, and will also dry faster. Some people like oil-based because they believe it brings a warmer, richer feel to the wood floors. However, since we are going to go darker its a non-issue and with Stella running around, durability is our main concern!<br />
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Tyler and I have been working the past 3 weekends to empty all of the furniture and other items from the rooms. A big thanks to Collin for helping Tyler move the big stuff! We now have lots of furniture in our garage and our dining room table and chairs are in our family room, but, hey, its only temporary. Here are the before images (apologize for the iPhone quality photos):<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front room</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front guest room - don't worry, this room will be painted</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back guest bedroom - this room will also be painted</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hall</td></tr>
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Once we get all the wood floors done, we'll get our painter, Agustin, to paint the new baseboards and walls for us. I'm thinking one room I might do a stark white, and the other one possibly grey (shocking, I know!) I'm not totally decided on how I want to decorate our two guest rooms yet, so I've been scouring Pinterest and Houzz for inspiration. So excited to start buying some new furniture! I'll post some pictures throughout the process this week. Its going to be an interesting week plastic-ed in the back half of our house! :)<br />
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<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-39922161932024463112013-10-12T16:25:00.000-07:002013-10-14T15:43:10.057-07:00Scottsdale Trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For my 30th birthday, I really wanted to just get a suntan, have some cocktails, and just relax. So Tyler booked a quick weekend trip to Scottsdale to celebrate! We stayed at The Phoenician, which I would highly recommend. We flew to Phoenix, which is a quick and direct flight from DFW, and then rented a car to Scottsdale. Scottsdale is so cute! There are tons of restaurants and shops to keep you busy, but I really just wanted to relax at our amazing pool at the resort! We spent pretty much all day Saturday hanging out at the pool, got massages and even got in a little work out at the gym on Sunday (which was followed by more pool time), and then scheduled a hot air balloon ride first thing Monday morning! The hot air balloon ride was definitely the highlight of the trip. We had originally scheduled it for Saturday morning, so we woke up at 4:30 am and drove to the launch site which was in north Phoenix. However, there was incliment weather in the area, so after driving around with our pilot to several different locations, he cancelled it. Tears must have been welling up in my eyes, because he immediately came to me and Tyler and told us he'd try to get us in on another day during our trip, especially because this was for my birthday. Luckily, they had availability Monday morning, so we again got up super early and drove to the launch site. Here are a few pics from our hot air balloon outing :)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First ride attempt, which was unsuccessful....see the clouds? <br />
We go to the desert and it rains.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tyler's ready for the balloon ride! Too bad it got cancelled on this day :(</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting everything set up...attempt #2</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotting balloons!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmiNImTWeurVTivfPh_yh07VSc7rOju7FtwK9ceq4ruYwF3Qmk6fgsidseyJo6zXK5olUAEcDhAqbPTjQxEpKpYKPUMYPsKpkDftZhr_htZjcMRtuYNDRjSga1_Fxm7DYB27EydwMKqk/s1600/Scottsdale_018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmiNImTWeurVTivfPh_yh07VSc7rOju7FtwK9ceq4ruYwF3Qmk6fgsidseyJo6zXK5olUAEcDhAqbPTjQxEpKpYKPUMYPsKpkDftZhr_htZjcMRtuYNDRjSga1_Fxm7DYB27EydwMKqk/s400/Scottsdale_018.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super excited!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEktbW73ojikf97nCMumPDkd-ZDDIjXtpHziY7NKe5ZYvs1HDjG2hV4k6moCUTrMylcbhtmPU1rv-5_yqp4Irku92WRjSXWIncjL4mNi9j7p2s82Nmcgd1iZ8_4H7pr0ZQUCR8Vw-lgI/s1600/Scottsdale_028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEktbW73ojikf97nCMumPDkd-ZDDIjXtpHziY7NKe5ZYvs1HDjG2hV4k6moCUTrMylcbhtmPU1rv-5_yqp4Irku92WRjSXWIncjL4mNi9j7p2s82Nmcgd1iZ8_4H7pr0ZQUCR8Vw-lgI/s400/Scottsdale_028.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Balloon getting blown up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbDiufmvrcAXnrneA3GhFwCHaJ4fmgq3rosvltNvDxDtWrkt69aPuHCo7koXfymlDjquL_REJWtXXbuMLunV_KKkLGVLCvTmFLlqfWcOcNFEDeFEj4QXKyP47IYt7Z9pbMMBTLEpZiI0/s1600/Scottsdale_034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbDiufmvrcAXnrneA3GhFwCHaJ4fmgq3rosvltNvDxDtWrkt69aPuHCo7koXfymlDjquL_REJWtXXbuMLunV_KKkLGVLCvTmFLlqfWcOcNFEDeFEj4QXKyP47IYt7Z9pbMMBTLEpZiI0/s400/Scottsdale_034.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the basket, ready to go!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jIGgeqi-51QOYYH4M8b5W0DP2W_FfOZjV6fZpaImGkvv6OAkrvpan_cQbYcR7FWoWd_oJQK_B_UydMXiVXsUWJ1y7R_SQ_UcK7dvl1QaW9JXW755y2WtdhTuWIBbJSPbrDbkPjNKd-c/s1600/Scottsdale_042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jIGgeqi-51QOYYH4M8b5W0DP2W_FfOZjV6fZpaImGkvv6OAkrvpan_cQbYcR7FWoWd_oJQK_B_UydMXiVXsUWJ1y7R_SQ_UcK7dvl1QaW9JXW755y2WtdhTuWIBbJSPbrDbkPjNKd-c/s400/Scottsdale_042.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our way up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnmpZ1Ei_y85GgbQ-jf5Z7s0TTAe30mtuqmkwpcrmWJFqJfQCb-xqwa_K_5_3VDQYuGAPatYkP7mBhDZJqrd8BQhBt03miXviUM7e5lWcMexo4xhFYv96hJpIso9nvtrNP91V0xPASuU/s1600/Scottsdale_127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnmpZ1Ei_y85GgbQ-jf5Z7s0TTAe30mtuqmkwpcrmWJFqJfQCb-xqwa_K_5_3VDQYuGAPatYkP7mBhDZJqrd8BQhBt03miXviUM7e5lWcMexo4xhFYv96hJpIso9nvtrNP91V0xPASuU/s400/Scottsdale_127.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made it down safely!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mW7USeIQfuSmcZqMup7oL-FpuPmX36lVVYgETvsgl_TJuxZlonvMOENjjchKcfkNlNWq2A3KRzp8qGymT3AAnpvRdfexd7Jzelsjpc_P87yo3t0trI4thKwMQqhhSV1QPClu4oz_thw/s1600/Scottsdale_123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mW7USeIQfuSmcZqMup7oL-FpuPmX36lVVYgETvsgl_TJuxZlonvMOENjjchKcfkNlNWq2A3KRzp8qGymT3AAnpvRdfexd7Jzelsjpc_P87yo3t0trI4thKwMQqhhSV1QPClu4oz_thw/s400/Scottsdale_123.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't go to Arizona without <br />
getting a picture with a cactus!</td></tr>
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This was totally an unforgetable experience! I think Tyler was a little scared, but I thought it was so cool. I went into it thinking we'd be swaying from side to side, but it really felt like we were just on an elevator - it was really smooth and no scary pit in your belly feelings! I'm so glad we were able to squeeze this into our trip!</div>
Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-64864166637490327922013-09-24T18:13:00.000-07:002013-09-24T18:13:25.286-07:00Real versus steal!I've been a bad blogger! There have been lots of things keeping me and Tyler busy the past month and, unfortunately, keeping up with my blog has fallen to the very bottom of the priority list. I'll save another blog for all of those fun things and dedicate this entry to a very exciting online shopping delivery day! I'm going to focus on one of the items in my multiple UPS shipments when I got home this afternoon - the black jumpsuit. You guys may remember the Theory Black Jumpsuit I was lusting over a few weeks ago. Here it is for your reference:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNocHI2saxoRqkx6oijLNbjzK0hEgWQUWP60tsioqMskfl2etU20vhMYDm6No7hOA3rZ3nYGgTLRWFZ2Us47OnN1Sqt3PxhkWdsSTvGOjEsuKd52F7dShyUJ8JcUAgsRzK8UncrOgNJLU/s1600/jumpsuit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNocHI2saxoRqkx6oijLNbjzK0hEgWQUWP60tsioqMskfl2etU20vhMYDm6No7hOA3rZ3nYGgTLRWFZ2Us47OnN1Sqt3PxhkWdsSTvGOjEsuKd52F7dShyUJ8JcUAgsRzK8UncrOgNJLU/s400/jumpsuit.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
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Yeah, totally love this. But unfortunately, when I was ready to purchase, I couldn't find it anywhere!!! I was really disappointed because I hadn't been able to find any other jumpsuits that had the right bagginess (is that a word?) and that were fitted properly (think how awkward rompers can be.) I had almost moved on from the thought of owning a black jumpsuit until I saw this one:<br />
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Oh, my trusty standby, Zara. Always pulling through when I need you! I've recently discovered that a large handful of my friends aren't familiar with Zara, and it truly breaks my heart that they are missing out! And now that we aren't in Dallas proper anymore, I don't have a Zara close by but luckily they have free shipping, both ways. :) Now, I do have to say that Zara doesn't really photograph their clothing very well for their website and I really wish they would get a new art director, because their clothes always look way better in real life than in their photographs. However, I actually like this black jumpsuit better than the Theory one because it doesn't have that silly tie thing around the waist and the ankles are fitted. And it has just enough fabric so that it drapes nicely without any weird pulling or bunching. So pumped to get this little outfit in the mail today!</div>
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So, it must have been fate that the Theory jumpsuit was sold out, because it retailed at $335. What does the Zara jumpsuit retail at, you ask? Oh, just $79.90! That must have been the retail Gods telling me I needed to put that extra $250 towards refinishing our wood floors instead of towards the overpriced Theory onesie.</div>
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What do you guys think? Is the Zara jumpsuit a suitable replacement for the Theory version?</div>
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<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-73371270326446692092013-08-27T18:43:00.000-07:002013-08-27T18:46:45.054-07:00Mustache Bash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My group of girlfriends are all having babies, so we've passed the bridal showers stage and are now onto baby showers! Most recently, we threw my good friend and college roommate, Samantha, a baby shower for her little baby Jack! Planning this shower was so much fun. All of the hostesses have been friends for a long time, so it made it super easy and everyone had great ideas! I was in charge of decor which I was super excited about. We started talking about themes early on, and I had seen some super cute mustache themed parties on Pinterest, and luckily Samantha LOVED the idea. We wanted to incorporate blues for baby boy but also wanted to have plenty of fun little mustache things to get everyone involved. Here are some pictures from the shower:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catering from H-E-B, super yummy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loved this invitation</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to make a bunting, of course!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtH7TG3XVDjW1VJBmAvO_PKnx15e5VUJZn3C6_F5d9pi18YImKzoQkw41jp4Q5dgVjKGG9TFWnZMbwTNIFdySjwt3z87fvllvvdPxfFr0yXH3Z-DBYn0J9y_y2jRUOq_sRr-EDgqoFmlM/s1600/Samsbabyshower_012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtH7TG3XVDjW1VJBmAvO_PKnx15e5VUJZn3C6_F5d9pi18YImKzoQkw41jp4Q5dgVjKGG9TFWnZMbwTNIFdySjwt3z87fvllvvdPxfFr0yXH3Z-DBYn0J9y_y2jRUOq_sRr-EDgqoFmlM/s400/Samsbabyshower_012.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nae got these super cute koozies made. <br />
Knowing Scott and Samantha, Jack is sure to be a little party animal!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you know Sammy, this is the perfect cake topper for her!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hostesses</td></tr>
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Samantha had such a good time - I was so glad! Samantha has been such a great friend to me (and to our group of friends!) for so many years and she totally deserved to have a nice shower before little Jack got here! I made Sammy a scrapbook of all the photos I took which also included all of the guest cards that her friends and family signed at the shower. I didn't take any pictures of the scrapbook (darn it!) but it turned out super cute and Sam and Scott loved it. :) Jack made his appearance on Thursday, August 15 and Tyler and I got to meet him when we went to Houston last weekend. He's such a little cutie! Congratulations Scott and Sam!<br />
<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-48047348990626579872013-08-11T17:01:00.002-07:002013-10-12T15:37:42.986-07:00Recent happeningsThings have been busier than usual lately, but luckily Tyler and I have a weekend coming up with nothing to do - totally looking forward to it! Here are just a few updates of things that have been going on:<br />
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<li>I started with Pier 1 Imports 4 weeks ago. So far I love it! It really is a great fit for me - the position is a mix of media and brand management so I really am able to pull from my past experience in the agency world. I really like everyone I work with too, which makes it that much more fun!</li>
<li>Tyler's family was in town a few weekends ago, and we visited the Perot Museum in Dallas. A+ in my book, highly recommended.</li>
<li>Stella has been going to doggy daycare at Metro Animals for a few weeks now. Apparently she's the popular kid at school, not just among the workers but also among the other dogs. She made friends with a boy dog, Beau - he's some sort of black and white boxer looking dog and they were caught sitting in a puddle of water holding hands (or paws). They took a picture to show me, so cute. :) I've had two employees there tell me everyone is in love with Stella, and if we ever need to get rid of her, they would personally take her...um, yeah, no.</li>
<li>Now that some of my Rodan and Fields customers have been using some of their products for a few months, they've been giving me some REALLY great feedback! I'm so glad that my friends are enjoying such great results and are super happy with their skin. And I've seen pretty great results in my own skin - which if you know me, I've always battled with skin issues so for me to say I'm actually happy with my skin is huge!! I always have some sort of deal going on, so if you are interested in any of the regimens, let me know and I'll get you the hook up. Also, its seriously the best time to get involved in the business opportunity - I have time to train about two new consultants a month so if you're interested in making a little extra shopping money or if you want to put yourself and your family on the path to financial freedom, now is the time to get in!</li>
<li>My 30th birthday is a lot closer than I thought it was, and its sort of depressing! However, Tyler just booked a birthday trip for me to Scottsdale! We will be taking full advantage of the amazing pools, spa amenities, and 5-star service that our hotel offers. :)</li>
<li>Now that I'm back to getting a paycheck, I'm fully determined to finish all my house projects (and blog some before and afters!) Things currently on the list:</li>
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<li>Replace the ugly shades in the master with wood blinds, as well as hang curtains</li>
<li>Finish detail items in the family room - new rug, coffee table, and hang up prints on the focal wall</li>
<li>And the biggest project before the master bathroom reno - tear up all remaining carpet in the guest bedrooms and refinish the wood floors underneath, along with the wood floors in the formal living and dining area. Then I can start furnishing our empty rooms :)</li>
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Lots of things going on, but looking forward to a weekend with nothing to do and then a nice little vaca coming up!</div>
Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-58498227144739802292013-07-14T19:12:00.000-07:002013-07-14T19:14:02.153-07:00Currently Lusting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The past couple of weeks have been pretty busy for me and Tyler. Tyler has had a ton of work commitments (a conference in NYC, dinners with doctors, after work activities for work, etc.) and I decided I was ready to get back into a routine and get a 9-5. I literally had a record 4 interviews in 4 days, and accepted a position with the Pier 1 marketing department at their headquarters downtown! I'm super excited! I was so spoiled working at TRG on Central Market that I knew it was going to be difficult finding another job that I was as excited about, but I literally can't wait to jump right in. I start tomorrow morning! So in celebration, I went on a shopping spree - I couldn't help it! Gilt and DVF had some ridiculous sales going on so I went a little crazy. Oops, sorry Tyler! There were so many things I want right now but then I realized I should probably wait until my first paycheck. :) Here are some of the things currently on my wish list:</div>
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Love this Theory jumpsuit. It would be so comfy but also looks nice enough for the office. I just hope they don't sell out!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhQIMP-I_nXMcY3gug1874IfxxSh73VPwXbm534gHSExJZ0PQVOKR0tBpFX-GscQfLa1twNgumckYgeXlX8TPlgRwslAoBOK6qs2PXEGvJPNeDAD-nyAtS5dVLjN-mZZp2f8YymDK_bA/s1600/jumpsuit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhQIMP-I_nXMcY3gug1874IfxxSh73VPwXbm534gHSExJZ0PQVOKR0tBpFX-GscQfLa1twNgumckYgeXlX8TPlgRwslAoBOK6qs2PXEGvJPNeDAD-nyAtS5dVLjN-mZZp2f8YymDK_bA/s320/jumpsuit.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via Revolve Clothing</td></tr>
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So I've always been obsessed with the Alexander Wang Cape shoe (Google it, might be my all-time favorite shoe) and should have bit the bullet and bought myself a pair before they sold out. These Steven Maddens don't have the beloved cape, but they're still a nice strappy neutral sandal at an affordable price.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXUf35vd6g3tS1XqsxlvtxwvRuoV4ukyphJUY7kQH11Dokwlzyn-ehQbXgJ2h8MCiQREAfq21uHtcaUOfq5XFwmvVLgAh06I_7JZlFcImsWuj1CEGaWpqkBMe06UI66k1BG2dlSkS2Uo/s1600/steve+madden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXUf35vd6g3tS1XqsxlvtxwvRuoV4ukyphJUY7kQH11Dokwlzyn-ehQbXgJ2h8MCiQREAfq21uHtcaUOfq5XFwmvVLgAh06I_7JZlFcImsWuj1CEGaWpqkBMe06UI66k1BG2dlSkS2Uo/s400/steve+madden.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via Steve Madden</td></tr>
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While we're on the subject of shoes, there's two more that I'm totally eyeing but Tyler might lose it if he saw these pop up on the credit card statement....although, I DO have a big birthday coming up....<br />
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The Christian Louboutin Pigalles. I'd wear these beauties so much I'd get the price per wear down in no time. Classic, fleshtone pump.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu1mbl10D8hqlEP_V9aY62t04uwy3ArtkPX-yEJcRpE_X26B7j4GVVCxIevRSg1wNz-wo4kNwlqZQVLSj0fdgcPmdXUc0xcBDrk41VGOdNZc1Gx0WuZR_4vCJEVsQnlcAvQcTd5DBCXk/s1600/Pigalle+85mm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu1mbl10D8hqlEP_V9aY62t04uwy3ArtkPX-yEJcRpE_X26B7j4GVVCxIevRSg1wNz-wo4kNwlqZQVLSj0fdgcPmdXUc0xcBDrk41VGOdNZc1Gx0WuZR_4vCJEVsQnlcAvQcTd5DBCXk/s400/Pigalle+85mm.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via Christian Louboutin</td></tr>
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And then the Valentino Rockstud T-straps. I can't decide between the black patent or the nude. Can't a girl have both??<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy45EUQI5k2Wd4VMmIxebAHmt3hNw5dtPNXPx-HYzeWDkln_V1eImfAiNey_sQCluMm9Zb3dNqwmccNu92sjNoFDK3u2FPjF7aeVmJugv2633HTeYJt1TbKUbI1WnIotn5Izp7_dVMkW8/s1600/Valentino+Rockstud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy45EUQI5k2Wd4VMmIxebAHmt3hNw5dtPNXPx-HYzeWDkln_V1eImfAiNey_sQCluMm9Zb3dNqwmccNu92sjNoFDK3u2FPjF7aeVmJugv2633HTeYJt1TbKUbI1WnIotn5Izp7_dVMkW8/s1600/Valentino+Rockstud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy45EUQI5k2Wd4VMmIxebAHmt3hNw5dtPNXPx-HYzeWDkln_V1eImfAiNey_sQCluMm9Zb3dNqwmccNu92sjNoFDK3u2FPjF7aeVmJugv2633HTeYJt1TbKUbI1WnIotn5Izp7_dVMkW8/s400/Valentino+Rockstud.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via Nordstrom</td></tr>
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I'm also loving these teal track pants from Nordstrom. I think they could easily be dressed up for work, but I could also wear them as a casual outfit. Not a bad price either.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmt2Be6rVf6n501497Oese7SqWOjn51QRtDLBDNTo_RF4HlyfRn8NvOzXqrCVzxFltaKOXPkyTBfo3erughn-Ih0GN9sHwUwJklB9KaQGa7ebxTlqNZ7H7azdqvV_E6QMDZ_GPLND-Y90/s1600/track+pants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmt2Be6rVf6n501497Oese7SqWOjn51QRtDLBDNTo_RF4HlyfRn8NvOzXqrCVzxFltaKOXPkyTBfo3erughn-Ih0GN9sHwUwJklB9KaQGa7ebxTlqNZ7H7azdqvV_E6QMDZ_GPLND-Y90/s320/track+pants.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via Nordstrom</td></tr>
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I'm a sucker for a good hoop, and I love these from Anthropologie. Gold hoop with a twist.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj998FEr_ZIdbiasCwLxhJkg1uukhg1Hhcnn2X-hzxOq6wINIQ7YjvwNzRKSsTd7bGVuFPi2FpqaYZZHqVlw7gMs3o5iNCGBxK8QsDf31FXuZbBrN5YZOP2B-f9fTyqMjrvRngp334-F_Y/s1600/hoop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj998FEr_ZIdbiasCwLxhJkg1uukhg1Hhcnn2X-hzxOq6wINIQ7YjvwNzRKSsTd7bGVuFPi2FpqaYZZHqVlw7gMs3o5iNCGBxK8QsDf31FXuZbBrN5YZOP2B-f9fTyqMjrvRngp334-F_Y/s320/hoop.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via Anthropologie</td></tr>
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I'm loving Bauble Bar nowadays. They have some great, affordable statement pieces. Right now I'm eyeing this necklace. It is on-trend and I love the pave setting.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via Bauble Bar</td></tr>
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What pieces are currently on your wish list right now? Everyone have a great week! xo</div>
Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-10493308406539300422013-07-05T16:04:00.000-07:002013-07-05T16:04:15.841-07:00Charleston: 1 Year Anniversary Trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So Tyler was SUPER sweet and planned a surprise trip for us to take Memorial Day weekend (just a month after our anniversary.) I didn't find out where we were going until we got to the airport, which was super fun and exciting because I really like surprises! It did make it a little challenging to pack though, but Tyler was nice enough to tell me to bring a bathing suit, some sundresses, and things I'd be comfortable wearing in 75 degree weather. I dropped Stella off at the vet early on Thursday. She was real sad. She had no idea what was going on and why I was leaving her - she definitely gave me her best puppy dog eyes and cried when I walked out the door. She was getting fixed the next morning, so timing actually worked out perfectly so she could stay there a few days and heal while we were on vaca.</div>
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We had a late flight which was nice because we could just get to the hotel and go to bed and not worry about trying to squeeze some activities in when we got there. We decided that morning that we were going to make it a beach day. We went to Sullivans Island - there are some amazing houses, and the beach is HUGE! Now, we're not talking Caribbean clear waters here, but it was actually pretty nice.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Got my flippy flops and beach bag!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach houses</td></tr>
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<span id="goog_645340726"></span><span id="goog_645340727"></span>We went to dinner at Hall's Chop House, which is one of the top restaurants in Charleston right now. I'm not a huge red meat eater, but this filet was awesome. Would totally recommend this place.<br />
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The next day we had lunch reservations at Husk. This is where we celebrated our engagement 2 years ago, so it is a special place for us. They change up their menu everyday and all ingredients are locally sourced. The chef is a James Beard award recipient, so you know it is good! I had shrimp and grits (a Charleston staple!) and Tyler had fried catfish.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shrimp and grits</td></tr>
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We walked around a little after lunch and found the bed and breakfast we stayed at last time. This is the actual location of where we got engaged, so we had to take a picture.<br />
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The temperature started warming up a bit, so we changed after lunch and then walked across the street from our hotel to the Spoleto Festival. Spoleto is a huge art festival that occurs every year in Charleston and is a huge tourist driver for the area. There were lots of art vendors, and I even bought two prints for the kitchen. :)<br />
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Our friends Braden and Adriane also live in Charleston. Adriane is finishing up her residency program, so she was working all day Saturday, but we got to spend some time with Braden and their two adorable daughters. Braden picked us up and we went out to the Magnolia Plantation. Last time Tyler and I were in Charleston, we didn't have time to fit in any plantations, so this was definitely on our list for this trip. Magnolia Plantation has beautiful grounds. It reminded me of something you'd see in Gone with the Wind. So many flowers and plants - it smelled so fragrant!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, hey, random bamboo forest at the plantation.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJYxFdgQXjAb_PMHFsqPoHW9NwDtLHpUE9wnWt8IQHHpXkfdPtDOVSZyHoXjgDXFpTUNF7aQNKqLwH032mTx5aoALVIFArxtP5VlbwjkixCakAbl8Mqq9XCnR7M3fBtE5jOzyfCsF9UM/s1600/Charleston2013_048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJYxFdgQXjAb_PMHFsqPoHW9NwDtLHpUE9wnWt8IQHHpXkfdPtDOVSZyHoXjgDXFpTUNF7aQNKqLwH032mTx5aoALVIFArxtP5VlbwjkixCakAbl8Mqq9XCnR7M3fBtE5jOzyfCsF9UM/s400/Charleston2013_048.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The next day we decided to go to Toast for brunch. We waited FOREVER (okay, an hour and a half) but the brunch was money. I got a crab cake benedict and Tyler got a surf and turf dish. Best part of brunch? Unlimited mimosas! Our waitress even gave us to-go mimosas in a coffee cup. After being completely overserved, we decided to go to the market area and dropped a pretty penny on some sweetgrass baskets. You may have seen some pictures of these baskets from our last trip to Charleston. They are specific to the area, and its a skill that has been passed down throughout generations (starting with slaves back in the day) but skilled basketweavers are slowly disappearing because the kids of our generation just aren't into it. They take hours and hours and days and weeks to make (especially the big ones) and they're sturdy enough to put in the dishwasher, but even the small ones can cost triple digits. Luckily, I have some mad negotiation skills, and with my to-go mimosa in hand, I was able to get us two for the much discounted price of one! Super excited!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl39_OmRXywRboaPAtd4x6ju8t1QacouQ7m0N4IxZO2MsYTWUWasPxsVf5YOSToHJWGnTSKhRW4HOuyvyMOW1ECn5ZgJERJH6QY3iHOVhx-Jr3MaBY0oHR-PYJ0RdyugOBiacFXyITeKA/s1600/Charleston2013_069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl39_OmRXywRboaPAtd4x6ju8t1QacouQ7m0N4IxZO2MsYTWUWasPxsVf5YOSToHJWGnTSKhRW4HOuyvyMOW1ECn5ZgJERJH6QY3iHOVhx-Jr3MaBY0oHR-PYJ0RdyugOBiacFXyITeKA/s400/Charleston2013_069.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyrFu37uuryBWyEU3gtYBSwl3MO2aW0_K9bt0Yi_jrrXH4aFMdwlcxaLOemR6FlEvYHjhGzywkUcSn9lsyQzobKfzRG1MM9ILGlAjmtuq6iy-BHuJaC8RCJS_u9pLXB_Ti8tW2qmgT2M/s1600/Charleston2013_084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyrFu37uuryBWyEU3gtYBSwl3MO2aW0_K9bt0Yi_jrrXH4aFMdwlcxaLOemR6FlEvYHjhGzywkUcSn9lsyQzobKfzRG1MM9ILGlAjmtuq6iy-BHuJaC8RCJS_u9pLXB_Ti8tW2qmgT2M/s400/Charleston2013_084.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This sucker ran about $1500. Needless to say, this is not the one we bought.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizZdPYWegIp8TFIPwtpkIBPmDG-gY_6QJY-puTuthKFkV8qUJH4Zijxo1iGXDt3iYUIc81LSnff8WFRzA_qxshcc04dz-IrrOhOwpP_0ZlkpgT3pQsGUwkmHf7mYAtyNLGF8s3POeCa8g/s1600/Charleston2013_086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizZdPYWegIp8TFIPwtpkIBPmDG-gY_6QJY-puTuthKFkV8qUJH4Zijxo1iGXDt3iYUIc81LSnff8WFRzA_qxshcc04dz-IrrOhOwpP_0ZlkpgT3pQsGUwkmHf7mYAtyNLGF8s3POeCa8g/s400/Charleston2013_086.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got this little guy and a bread basket. :)</td></tr>
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We also decided to take another buggy ride. We were walking towards the barn when a buggy salesperson walked up to us, found out we were interested in a ride, radioed to the barn that we were on our way because there was a ride about to leave. We hurried over there, jumped on the buggy, and somehow didn't have to pay. Score! There are 3 routes in Charleston that are all mandated by the city. All buggies have to stop at this little house that has a bingo cage with 3 different colored balls in it. Depending on which color you get, that's the route you go on. Our ride ended up going into the old part of Charleston, which was different from the ride we took two years ago, so we got to see some different stuff.<br />
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Overall, a super fun trip! I'm usually the trip planner, so it was a fun experience to go into it not knowing what we were doing. I'm super lucky to have such a thoughtful husband that loves to travel and explore new places and foods as much as I do! Can't wait for many more trips to come!Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-40214702564731487872013-06-10T18:37:00.003-07:002013-06-10T18:39:48.813-07:00Easy Shrimp Pad Thai<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">When I worked at The Richards Group, my podmates and I would always have pod lunches at our favorite Dallas restaurant - Royal Thai. We knew what we all ordered because we had been going on these pod lunch dates for years and never deviated from our usuals. My usual was Chicken Pad Thai with extra egg, no bean sprouts. I always wanted to try to make my own Pad Thai at home, but for some reason, Asian food is just seemed so intimidating to make! I found a recipe on Pinterest that looked really easy, so I pinned it and decided to make it tonight. I actually had a lot of these ingredients on hand, so only had to pick up a few things at the grocery store to make this. Here's the skinny:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Easy Shrimp Pad Thai, makes 3-4 servings. I got this recipe from </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2013/04/easy-shrimp-pad-thai.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">, and made some slight adjustments</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">. They said it was loosely adapted from </span><a href="http://www.rachaelraymag.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">here</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 cup rice vinegar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3 tablespoon fish sauce</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 tablespoon soy sauce</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2 teaspoons ketchup </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2 teaspoons worcestershire</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 teaspoon sesame oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2 tablespoons brown sugar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">7 oz. uncooked rice noodles, cooked to package instructions </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 lb. uncooked shrimp (you could use chicken or beef if you don't like shrimp)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 red bell pepper, sliced thin</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 lb brussels sprouts, sliced thin</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2 eggs</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 cup chopped cilantro</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 lime for serving</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Stir together the first eight ingredients. Set aside. Cook the noodles according to your package directions. You want them a tiny bit under cooked. Next stir fry the bell peppers in a bit of butter until just softened. Now stir in the shrimp until almost cooked, and then add sliced brussels sprouts and cook until they are bright green, 2-3 minutes over medium heat. In a seperate skillet, scramble two eggs until almost cooked through, and then add to veggie and shrimp skillet. Add cooked noodles to veggie & shrimp mixture, and then pour the sauce over top and cook an additional 5-6 minutes until the sauce has somewhat evaporated/cooked into the other ingredients (you'll be able to tell.) Add chopped peanuts at the very end, and then serve with fresh cilantro and a lime wedge. Easy peezy.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Tyler proclaimed that this is a repeat recipe. Score. :)</span><br />
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<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-86932815034615967562013-06-07T09:04:00.001-07:002013-06-07T09:04:27.781-07:00Typography Prints<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My goal over the next year is to finish furnishing our house (well, with two more major house projects that hopefully will happen in the next year - year and a half...more to come on those later) I am a little ADD when it comes to things I like for our new home, so I've resorted to forcing myself to finish one room at a time. It is just taking me forever because I tend to change my mind a lot. :)</div>
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I'm currently working on our family room - it looks SO MUCH different than it did when we bought the house. Once it is all finished, I'll post before and after pictures, but right now I want to share something I'm sort of obsessing over - typography prints. I think it all started when Jeff, the lead designer I worked with on Central Market, gave me this amazing screenprint he had done of a woodpecker for Christmas. Here it is, currently hanging in our kitchen with a great view looking outside: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJe_TlxCBUakAttKtsqTI3pfQ7UTS2Gzr3i52i2yZwWp3n2qSL0x66U82KLAyTinMf0JzTvxoOugwVfPzD4CPbeu-4TSUTc3sPx8XmxOzgx6PCaJHA7-SfSalaYc9v2r5rzZ69ggPZXo/s1600/Ahstons+bday_001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJe_TlxCBUakAttKtsqTI3pfQ7UTS2Gzr3i52i2yZwWp3n2qSL0x66U82KLAyTinMf0JzTvxoOugwVfPzD4CPbeu-4TSUTc3sPx8XmxOzgx6PCaJHA7-SfSalaYc9v2r5rzZ69ggPZXo/s400/Ahstons+bday_001.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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I mean, doesn't it just make you happy? And I just love it that much more because it was made by a friend of mine. So cool to have this hanging in my house. :)<br />
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Now, all of Jeff's screenprints are pretty amazing (check out his Etsy page here - <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/beethings?ref=shop_sugg" target="_blank">bee things</a> - I really want one of his butterflies. If you're familiar with Crate and Barrel's limited edition teapots, he designed one of those with one of his butterflies!) but I didn't want to have a house full of cute birds and butterflies and puffins. I found this shop - <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/deanworks?ref=seller_info" target="_blank">dean works</a> - and she does a ton of things from posters to invitations to stationary. I plan on making a gallery wall surrounding our television - I need 2 11x14 prints and 5 smaller square prints - so when I saw her typography posters, I thought it might be a fun addition to this room since we spend a lot of time there. This is the one I ordered - just white background, black text:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7FN2qQ9NSBGB1-Cup_xVzdkRLYQGHMaw8AoIrm8CUK_jS8NFyKG6oB2j1lTZUscODpUt_sHQtQSi4Dl8YfKhia3o_zgsEWGBGeAZuDI7g-dDl1GOYCGM3ELGz7_7aERUPfUY2lQY2K8/s1600/print.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7FN2qQ9NSBGB1-Cup_xVzdkRLYQGHMaw8AoIrm8CUK_jS8NFyKG6oB2j1lTZUscODpUt_sHQtQSi4Dl8YfKhia3o_zgsEWGBGeAZuDI7g-dDl1GOYCGM3ELGz7_7aERUPfUY2lQY2K8/s320/print.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/123431516/home-is-wherever-im-with-you-chalkboard?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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You guys may have seen this next one floating around Pinterest, but I loved it and needed to have it immediately. I ordered it, but it won't be ready until mid-June. I think I may actually put it in the front room though - so much for doing one room at a time! Oops!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LjyrC38Cv0_HIRFlT-gkgMjkTAIRtNZ7pmSWJbzo5gUq8aRuAAqtpFWMZWuapDu-8OnfeBx75R00uHBwwdgpz1b8pYuwZZBmmCHpmWZo587982WwdzQVR0fFpw7wPYOla0NszMbdil8/s1600/yall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LjyrC38Cv0_HIRFlT-gkgMjkTAIRtNZ7pmSWJbzo5gUq8aRuAAqtpFWMZWuapDu-8OnfeBx75R00uHBwwdgpz1b8pYuwZZBmmCHpmWZo587982WwdzQVR0fFpw7wPYOla0NszMbdil8/s320/yall.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/113251294/pre-order-gold-foil-southern-sayings-11?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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I also bought these two little guys at the art festival in Charleston while we were there (not technically typography, but whatever) - these will go in our kitchen...yeah, not doing so well at the one room at a time.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYw93KJICgl0wIjbZPTAWwY2WEi30XNHTu6EoCKJ6cZrx_OITNKiDRhrhsD_6nqyuxaDMhehsaJRZft8UtOWTAoB8jcwc86GJuIwdfOPeUP35urSF3tsQ7DYIoRTVRR4esJpYplCpGh4/s1600/Ahstons+bday_001_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYw93KJICgl0wIjbZPTAWwY2WEi30XNHTu6EoCKJ6cZrx_OITNKiDRhrhsD_6nqyuxaDMhehsaJRZft8UtOWTAoB8jcwc86GJuIwdfOPeUP35urSF3tsQ7DYIoRTVRR4esJpYplCpGh4/s400/Ahstons+bday_001_01.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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Here are some other prints I like - what do you guys think about typography prints?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRBJtWu6DsWC3B0jG0Pvr9ZkDdFP8Sj0kUFvlCgxBlRbA3YLpzhFgokx6zKR1HWFaLAXArrO3hFhfwa5qnWx2EUu7jL7cpqHeDUiuJL-MN-NjwSLeM2OsfEWN8aEWMC2E_SxXqKb7P6E/s1600/rinse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRBJtWu6DsWC3B0jG0Pvr9ZkDdFP8Sj0kUFvlCgxBlRbA3YLpzhFgokx6zKR1HWFaLAXArrO3hFhfwa5qnWx2EUu7jL7cpqHeDUiuJL-MN-NjwSLeM2OsfEWN8aEWMC2E_SxXqKb7P6E/s320/rinse.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute for a bathroom - <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/128498127/pink-typographic-poster-bathroom-wall?ref=v1_other_1" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DrXGBfbWoVsRv30x-lU5CB5pgTQXWHoL6l_Uzswcmlo96LVxqRDW3yORh6y_S2_0_1x3ZF7phGS1XCzg7yLuKS87cw01QGXYKvsPQLeqnas_nbNivbYqUPcaHWmF8HG55URUeDiX3tY/s1600/paris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DrXGBfbWoVsRv30x-lU5CB5pgTQXWHoL6l_Uzswcmlo96LVxqRDW3yORh6y_S2_0_1x3ZF7phGS1XCzg7yLuKS87cw01QGXYKvsPQLeqnas_nbNivbYqUPcaHWmF8HG55URUeDiX3tY/s320/paris.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/116936002/audrey-hepburn-typography-poster-french?ref=sr_gallery_13&ga_search_query=typography+paris+is+always+a+good+idea&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQha9ZIEApwuLx_pyD137Cv__fGbw3mwMSICShha1NhGUqvpbXmOGASosS1ZhuBiTIrVtpn9PK5kfmUxksxRG2LLqTPqoJ6hxCZLQsyiy1k9XqYAwxoJUMmpSc5F86VM8QLNg5uhUZkYM/s1600/wedding+gift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQha9ZIEApwuLx_pyD137Cv__fGbw3mwMSICShha1NhGUqvpbXmOGASosS1ZhuBiTIrVtpn9PK5kfmUxksxRG2LLqTPqoJ6hxCZLQsyiy1k9XqYAwxoJUMmpSc5F86VM8QLNg5uhUZkYM/s320/wedding+gift.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Good for a wedding gift! <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/88262994/love-print-valentine-art-print-love-and?ref=usr_faveitems" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyQoJmfPR7mSvsJTbF1trSv55aDEkVfcS802qsMBmKqmmVhmREIxXRzkM4adUymoX3XzRFkQytuFTw9CRqUGrrlJGj0ZE0p1Idlc1A4jjAMlUZhK2UKrtZAs2kNymWMbI3yGuK5YLhQI/s1600/goodday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyQoJmfPR7mSvsJTbF1trSv55aDEkVfcS802qsMBmKqmmVhmREIxXRzkM4adUymoX3XzRFkQytuFTw9CRqUGrrlJGj0ZE0p1Idlc1A4jjAMlUZhK2UKrtZAs2kNymWMbI3yGuK5YLhQI/s320/goodday.jpg" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/119806787/inspirational-typography-print-quote?ref=sr_gallery_28&ga_search_query=typography&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=all" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHy15pfLJOvnssJJHnZbn1Pohy47y8OMe1QjYrZTgIBBcFQATEOUL8TwpGBNP6s7xqnntcIWlW2IRRhaRrHxdD2lP65Fg96PVTcQEKN87KhNhUcKCAifGnSn6Dr-03Noj4SmhMuIiuJ0/s1600/oohlala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHy15pfLJOvnssJJHnZbn1Pohy47y8OMe1QjYrZTgIBBcFQATEOUL8TwpGBNP6s7xqnntcIWlW2IRRhaRrHxdD2lP65Fg96PVTcQEKN87KhNhUcKCAifGnSn6Dr-03Noj4SmhMuIiuJ0/s320/oohlala.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Typography isn't just for prints! <br />
Loving this pillow by Alexandra Ferguson - <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/75746870/ooh-la-la-recycled-felt-applique-pillow?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.houzz.com/photos/25150/Leschi-traditional-dining-room-seattle" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://st.houzz.com/simgs/d37181d20a4a767a_3-1000/traditional-dining-room.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Typography also comes in the form of signs! <a href="http://www.houzz.com/photos/25150/Leschi-traditional-dining-room-seattle">via</a></span></td></tr>
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Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-57117086209941292552013-06-04T17:47:00.000-07:002013-06-04T17:47:30.692-07:00One Pot SpaghettiIt is no secret I'm a fan of Pinterest. I'm a big list maker, note taker, phone reminder person, bookmarker because I can never remember anything. So to have Pinterest where I can physically SEE all of the things online that I want to somehow replicate, want to use as inspiration, or things that I just like is a HUGE help to me. I typically am pinning things related to house decor, because that is my big thing right now, but every so often if I see a good recipe I'll pin it, and if I remember, I'll try the recipe. Good thing I pinned this sucker because this has become one of my favorite pasta recipes (this is almost as good as Jamie's meatballs - that recipe to come at a later date.) And you make it all in ONE POT. Now, I don't do the dishes, that is Tyler's job, so he should love me even more that I'm making his life easier with this recipe. And now I'll make your dishwasher's life easier because I'm going to share this recipe with you! Here we go:<br />
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1 lb ground beef<br />
1 onion, finely diced<br />
1 clove garlic, minced<br />
1 14oz can chicken broth<br />
1 26oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce<br />
1/2 cup water<br />
8 oz uncooked spaghetti<br />
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (use the real stuff!)<br />
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In a pot cook meat and onion until the onion is tender and meat is browned.<br />
Drain any fat off and return to pot.<br />
Add garlic and let cook for one more minute. (If you're a mushroom eater, you can add those here too. I don't do mushrooms.)<br />
Add broth, spaghetti sauce, and water, and bring to a boil.<br />
Add noodles and reduce heat.<br />
Cover and cook for 17-20 minutes or until noodles are tender. You will need to stir occasionally and add water as needed.<br />
Stir in parmesan cheese and serve!<br />
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That's it, guys. Now go cook yourself some one pot spaghetti and you, and your dishwasher, can thank me later.<br />
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<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-42089407658425540122013-05-23T08:02:00.000-07:002013-05-23T08:02:15.581-07:00Homeownership project #4, Part 6: We have a new bathroom!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It is FINALLY DONE! The bathroom turned out so nice. We are really happy with it! Gutting a bathroom is definitely not the most fun thing to live through - we constantly had people in and out of our house, there was always SOMETHING that didn't go as planned, our house was full of dust and had weird smells all the time, but I'm so much happier now that I'm not totally grossed out by our guest bathroom. I hope all of our guests enjoy it!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">For a reminder - here is what it used to look like:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAm7DBL90PM1Wn74n1ECavw0GfreMQptWuS8Pk4oVZPD1Ihz7HKruy2GKjmwp2AvdGTpwRZUcO5DsHEGLecc-MJuYtZ1tSQF-MIKt26GWvo_ZxPFj94Kmme4o6-nZQOagXT0rVc5EfgkA/s1600/bathroom+-+original.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAm7DBL90PM1Wn74n1ECavw0GfreMQptWuS8Pk4oVZPD1Ihz7HKruy2GKjmwp2AvdGTpwRZUcO5DsHEGLecc-MJuYtZ1tSQF-MIKt26GWvo_ZxPFj94Kmme4o6-nZQOagXT0rVc5EfgkA/s400/bathroom+-+original.png" width="271" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Here is my inspiration photo:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGIRUaKOGjrnjNE2HcKQCcNumXwDHFuxxn_eIIy5ROd9Gl3Vzuygn0vHF5QIf_SkBkyPX06-IJdU11DjUpWbuGXTURUaWNgAsy-9rU38tu-lM0iwab9u5oW1Odzx30-2IQGvdMkz00rE/s1600/bathroom+inspiration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGIRUaKOGjrnjNE2HcKQCcNumXwDHFuxxn_eIIy5ROd9Gl3Vzuygn0vHF5QIf_SkBkyPX06-IJdU11DjUpWbuGXTURUaWNgAsy-9rU38tu-lM0iwab9u5oW1Odzx30-2IQGvdMkz00rE/s400/bathroom+inspiration.jpg" width="263" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And here is our final bathroom!!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I probably should have ironed the shower curtain - oops! Overall, we're really happy with how it turned out! We went over budget on a few things:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Tile - I picked out tile that was above the allocated amount, but then again he only gave me $1.25 per square foot. When I went to the tile store, I hardly saw any tiles for under $2 that were worth anything. I think my subway tile was $2.25 a square foot and the floor tile was around $6 a square foot.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Subfloor - something was going on with the subfloor, so they had to use some cement to even it out.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Demo - the contractor thought it was sheetrock behind the original walls because the bathroom had been remodeled in 1992. Once they got in there they found out it was indeed CONCRETE behind the tile, not sheetrock. He wanted to charge me $250 extra in demo, but I got him down to $200.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Walls - because it wasn't sheetrock but concrete, they had to add an additional layer of backer board to get the correct thickness - he charged me for materials on this.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We ended up JUST over our budget for this, which is what we were expecting. Here are some more detailed pictures of the bathroom:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2R6JCLQNep45V6ZssalPcJrVxrXapwSia_DzC6sNPrxnsOxKgG3E5nwko9xvBrw-ZNgAUvGumVyLgIop12tx5wH3w2vgkpqdVwLIaBxK8dKTsDcP0YAB1k6RDu4vp4B76slQoIWNPSUM/s1600/Bathroom+remodel_002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2R6JCLQNep45V6ZssalPcJrVxrXapwSia_DzC6sNPrxnsOxKgG3E5nwko9xvBrw-ZNgAUvGumVyLgIop12tx5wH3w2vgkpqdVwLIaBxK8dKTsDcP0YAB1k6RDu4vp4B76slQoIWNPSUM/s400/Bathroom+remodel_002.JPG" width="265" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihtBuSZGkvTASmxGT8LkXCRuEH2xyDs1W7FVHVNLfnL5FJw_7RGV4HkG37t_fvPonmv0fYoo8yDRWxOy9OYz1KAKXQW52-MyzqyC7Ubx2Z589heLqBvxk2kuk1cn9FJNGjkykKnz63uw/s1600/Bathroom+remodel_005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihtBuSZGkvTASmxGT8LkXCRuEH2xyDs1W7FVHVNLfnL5FJw_7RGV4HkG37t_fvPonmv0fYoo8yDRWxOy9OYz1KAKXQW52-MyzqyC7Ubx2Z589heLqBvxk2kuk1cn9FJNGjkykKnz63uw/s400/Bathroom+remodel_005.JPG" width="265" /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArSgg8PH74BSv7V7tU4khrH9UDC_T8R_k6wAjNKse0uvDyjAoH1sAw8kixy_MNmFNkUUytLASieHn5U7v6NTrYfWXlqxEQr-9wWV1g-WooL3wrSCpaBIqQwGhouLdt_2VXAnoJfLONW4/s1600/Bathroom+remodel_004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArSgg8PH74BSv7V7tU4khrH9UDC_T8R_k6wAjNKse0uvDyjAoH1sAw8kixy_MNmFNkUUytLASieHn5U7v6NTrYfWXlqxEQr-9wWV1g-WooL3wrSCpaBIqQwGhouLdt_2VXAnoJfLONW4/s400/Bathroom+remodel_004.JPG" width="265" /></span></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Love this piece - its a photograph we bought at the </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Main Street Arts Festival. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The photographer shoots in black</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">white </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">film and then paints in the color.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsjHjodMwDQyC0JX4FJ-LWV4JSmXNbumxE29S5cJT6FrDczjz4nfTt5cR2sKLgQYIjfLSTIvQ4mo2-syA-6doSggaayf0t7yLSmp2bEwOnVVmA5bb_kcZNm-l5LdrzSaOXhLlE7ZLlqM/s1600/Bathroom+remodel_003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsjHjodMwDQyC0JX4FJ-LWV4JSmXNbumxE29S5cJT6FrDczjz4nfTt5cR2sKLgQYIjfLSTIvQ4mo2-syA-6doSggaayf0t7yLSmp2bEwOnVVmA5bb_kcZNm-l5LdrzSaOXhLlE7ZLlqM/s400/Bathroom+remodel_003.JPG" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Had to have my double towel rack! It holds so many towels! </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Perfect for multiple guests.</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2MXLI1o1DRs6plbaAvL_LIXxHEBG_KBnEWAO3nZQQaIKqfWrihWCjLNYKKWlS5iP8MByvMi15Iv7WprBUMaPUhVg7cIZ0ZX8BA4LppZIVlNW8CWQJm7sipSrmMxs12N3WO3R6yuWSb0/s1600/Bathroom+remodel_006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2MXLI1o1DRs6plbaAvL_LIXxHEBG_KBnEWAO3nZQQaIKqfWrihWCjLNYKKWlS5iP8MByvMi15Iv7WprBUMaPUhVg7cIZ0ZX8BA4LppZIVlNW8CWQJm7sipSrmMxs12N3WO3R6yuWSb0/s400/Bathroom+remodel_006.JPG" width="400" /></span></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Soap dispenser is from Target's Threshold line. So cute!</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85Lj8R-_1oFMsGbESFtr2tPYiOXUM2LVeJeNip_JKMKzP9yM4lj6gOL99QPasbEA5YlIsnwmlQUuH9zta-DlEeSVKbG9OY2rIhLuTJXBBTsZsdpTAgmeylkQXqiu4Cz2gY7GTED2d0OM/s1600/Bathroom+remodel_007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85Lj8R-_1oFMsGbESFtr2tPYiOXUM2LVeJeNip_JKMKzP9yM4lj6gOL99QPasbEA5YlIsnwmlQUuH9zta-DlEeSVKbG9OY2rIhLuTJXBBTsZsdpTAgmeylkQXqiu4Cz2gY7GTED2d0OM/s400/Bathroom+remodel_007.JPG" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Shower curtain rings are also Threshold. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Shower curtain is from Bed, Bath, and Beyond.</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We did all of the painting. Now THAT was a job, since all of the trim was new, we had to caulk all of the edges. The trim guy's work was subpar (I actually made him redo it all because I didn't like it the first time) so we had lots of cracks and nail holes to fill in. Once we finished caulking, then we could paint all the trim. At this point, the sink, new toilet, and light fixture were in, so that made painting a little challenging. The trim color is a latex paint color-matched to Benjamin Moore's Chantilly Lace. The wall color I decided on is Behr Premium Plus Ultra in Gentle Rain, eggshell finish.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Hope you guys like it! :)</span></div>
</span>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-40198541394432253162013-05-10T15:38:00.000-07:002013-05-10T15:38:13.951-07:00Glamour Shots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Some friends have been asking to see more grown up photos of Stella - she's definitely turning into a dog and is losing the puppy look! When we see her at home she looks so big to us because we compare her to Max, but when we take her out around town and see other dogs, she still looks tiny. :) She's weighing in at around 28 lbs, and still has a good 4-5 months left of growing. We love our fluffy puppy!!</div>
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Here are some pictures of her at 2 months old:<br />
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And here she is just shy of 5 months old:<br />
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She's so sweet and happy and cuddley all the time! Sweet Stella!Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-81324639158536030822013-05-08T11:30:00.001-07:002013-05-10T15:38:26.455-07:00One Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This post is a little late, but happy anniversary to my husband! I can't believe it has already been one year since we got married. That went by SO FAST. We've literally had so much going on the past year time has just flown. Right after we got back from our honeymoon, we had every weekend booked for months it seemed like, not to mention starting the house buying process, getting the townhome ceiling and floor fixed, living in a hotel, holidays, moving, quitting my job at The Richards Group, getting Stella - it has been a busy year! Its been so much fun though - so glad that Tyler is the person I get to experience all this fun stuff with. :)</div>
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For our anniversary, we kept Saturday kind of low key - worked on some projects around the house, and then went to Bob's for our anniversary dinner. You guys know I'm not really a red meat eater, but I'm telling you, that steak I got at Bob's was money. The entire time we lived walking distance from the Bob's in Dallas and we never went - what were we thinking!? It was so good. We wanted to start off with the calamari, but then saw a waiter bring out a plate of onion rings and they were HUGE! Biggest onion rings I've ever seen, so in true Tyler fashion, we got the calamari AND a plate of onion rings. I wish I would have gotten a picture, they were super yummy.</div>
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On Sunday, our actual anniversary, we decided that we were going to go to Dallas for lunch and to do a little shopping and maybe go to the Perot museum. Well, that morning, Stella went NUTSO and got super dirty running figure 8's in the backyard. All of her white fur was brown, so we had to bathe her. Well - our bathroom with the tub was still a disaster, so we had to bathe her outside with the hose, and it was cold so she was real pissed at us and it took way longer than anticipated. But at least she was pretty afterwards. :) She was going crazy over the hose - Tyler and I were in tears over how hilarious it was. When the water would shoot out she would try to eat it, but was super spastic about it. It doesn't sound that funny when I say it now, but I promise you it was, and we'll get her to do it again and video it next time.</div>
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We finally got to Dallas around 1pm and went to The Porch, my favorite! We got the spinach parm dip (of course) and had our fill of Starbursts.</div>
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After lunch we went across to Knox so I could stop at Z Gallerie and Crate and Barrel to check out some things I had been eyeing online, and while we were there Tyler mentioned something about the Fort Worth Zoo. That immediately sounded like a great idea, so we drove back and made it to the zoo with a good 2 hours to explore. It had gotten up into the 80s, so we went home so I could change, and that was a really good decision because it was quite warm when we got there! The Fort Worth Zoo is pretty legit. I wouldn't say its as good as the Audobon Zoo, but still pretty good. Here are some pics from the zoo:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKe_5Jy0C6P7Tld0ZtUjrwlwYiScArS84hKeNcl0g2HWb89gTwqHoV0f4e2yw3T-aOT6KWUHLFC-vHf0uahut8-Dtjcm0fN3dCJZyLgULQGqhqqpvVLDKvI2EFfsHr8c6JsVAmDPncfWE/s1600/Anniversary_001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKe_5Jy0C6P7Tld0ZtUjrwlwYiScArS84hKeNcl0g2HWb89gTwqHoV0f4e2yw3T-aOT6KWUHLFC-vHf0uahut8-Dtjcm0fN3dCJZyLgULQGqhqqpvVLDKvI2EFfsHr8c6JsVAmDPncfWE/s400/Anniversary_001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I mean, isn't this adorable? They're holding each others' tails!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spread your wings!</td></tr>
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Overall, a pretty successful zoo trip. When we got home, we decided to take a family picture (please note, Max couldn't be in this picture because 1. we were outside and 2. there's no way he would have sat still next to Stella long enough to take a photo.) Please ignore the fact that I look like I have zero makeup on in this picture - gross.</div>
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And then we had 1 year old cake for dessert. It was still pretty good!</div>
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And the best part of our anniversary - Tyler surprised me with a surprise vacation! We will be going to a mystery location over Memorial Day weekend - I won't find out where it is until we get to the airport! Super excited - we're due for some travel time! :)</div>
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Such a great weekend - looking forward to many, many more anniversaries to come!</div>
Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-5841186334287108792013-04-24T19:58:00.000-07:002013-05-23T06:47:22.694-07:00Homeownership project #4, Part 5: Walls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We're getting close guys! Sheet rock is done! And, yep, the random light is still hanging there.</div>
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I put a few paint samples on the wall. Tyler says this is the last thing I can paint grey. Fine.<br />
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Since I'm so indecisive, and since Tyler tells me to just pick whatever I want, I had to enlist the help of Jamie, who is my trusty paint expert friend, and Darlene, who knows my taste well enough that she can pick what I would like best. Both of them said 1 or 3, which were my gut choices too. Can you guess which one I decided to go with? :)<br />
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One thing was bothering me though.... texture. I mean, what the heck is going on here??<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woah. Now THAT'S texturized.</td></tr>
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Um, yeah, so I made them redo it. It put us back at least 3 days, but that texture was making me dizzy. They told me that this was the texture going up in all the new houses, but come on, our house was built in 1943 - nothing else in the house looks like that. Here's the new, normal texture -<br />
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The steps that are left are finishing painting, doing the trim work, finishing up the plumbing and lighting, and installing the vanity. Next bathroom post will be a brand spanking new bathroom. I literally cannot wait!Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-12359088934117302212013-04-23T15:50:00.001-07:002013-04-23T15:54:22.661-07:00New product obsession: Rodan + Fields Micro-Dermabrasion PasteAs a consultant, I'm loaded up on all of the Rodan + Fields goodies, and I'm slowly but surely getting to try them all out. I have a new favorite....the Micro-Dermabrasion paste! If we're friends on Facebook, you've seen that I'm obsessed with the Macro Exfoliator (which is on a super Flash Deal right now, let me know if you're interested!) but since I can only use the Macro E once a week, this micro-dermabrasion paste is the next best thing....seriously.<br />
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This paste is made with sugar and salt to gently exfoliate while improving your skin's tone and texture. A little bit goes a long way too. The product is a little heavy to the touch, but even with the heaviness my super oily skin felt totally soft and clean after I used it. Is it weird that I made Tyler feel my face aferwards? My skin was so nice and soft! This product has also been featured in Lucky Magazine and Allure - here's the feature in allure.com - <a href="http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/skin/2010/rodan-fields-microdermabrasion-paste" target="_blank">check it out.</a><br />
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Friends - I have samples of this that I can give/mail you. Let me know if you want to try it!! Or you can find it under Enhancements on my page. :)<br />
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https://ncaviness.myrandf.comNikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-91353267258034334032013-04-21T08:22:00.003-07:002013-04-21T08:22:34.072-07:00Brother & Sister<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Don't worry, Max doesn't have claws.</div>
<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-11700943825565656102013-04-21T07:32:00.003-07:002013-04-21T07:32:54.727-07:00Sunday Morning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974056675275703416.post-43438894656363513892013-04-16T18:42:00.001-07:002013-04-16T18:42:19.529-07:00Homeownership project #4, Part 4: ProgressToday was a long annoying day. I had to drive over to Grapevine to the Park Place Lexus to get my car serviced. I thought maybe I could get it serviced at the Park Place Mercedes over here, but apparently I have to go to Park Place Lexus dealership, so it was either Grapevine or Plano. Driving on 121 is miserable. The construction is such a headache, exits aren't marked clearly, the lanes are skinny, its scary! And I think Grapevine is further from Fort Worth than it is from Dallas. I made it to my appointment 10 minutes late, of course, but they didn't mind. When I had made the appointment, they had told me it was going to be a quick service, so I could wait there while they did the work. Well, my appointment was at noon, and I didn't get out of there until after 2pm. Then, I got slapped with a $170 bill - my 5k mile and 10k mile service appointments were free! Ugh. And to top it off, they said I had a nail in my tire that they couldn't repair, so they were going to charge me $350 for a new tire! I said no thank you and drove to the Discount Tire on 114. Apparently everyone else in Grapevine had nails in their tires, probably from driving on 121, so I had to wait over an hour to get my tire fixed. By time I got home it was past 5pm, and I accomplished absolutely nothing today other than getting my car serviced, $170 later. BUT, after all of that, I came home to find a lot of progress in the bathroom! Look at what I came home to:<div>
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They got almost all of the wall tile up, and all of the floor tile down. I'm so pleased! The two guys doing the work must think I'm crazy because of how excited I was. They really are awesome though - they are two young Hispanic guys....maybe 26 or 27 years old, but they are super nice, speak really good English, and are obviously really talented and really hard workers. Bless their hearts - the one guy, Robert, stays in the bathroom, while the other guy goes outside every few minutes to cut each piece of tile. It has got to be such a monotonous task. Yes, that's the light still hanging there - the electrician will come in the next few days to take care of that. The tile guys will be back here bright and early tomorrow morning to finish up. We are definitely making progress now! </div>
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Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09666488927760683774noreply@blogger.com0