Picnic Day And A Wet Kitty

Matt and I had a great weekend. Saturday was Picnic Day here in Davis. I'm not exactly sure where the name comes from, but it is basically just a day of celebration and activities in the town. Over 50,000 people from out of town come to visit! As you can imagine, it was pretty intense especially around our downtown apartment. We had some friends come and Matt made some extremely delicious sangria:) The parade went right in front of our apartment so I got pictures from the street and our balcony. It was a lot of fun!

My favorite thing about Davis is that it has a little of everything. It has the distinct small farm town feeling of where I grew up, but it also has the rich diversity and life of a larger city. Although it is largely a college town, it really has much more to offer than just the university... There is so much culture and prettiness everywhere. I hope these pictures will give you a pretty good depiction of what I mean:)

When I woke up Sunday morning I saw this:) I definitely didn't write it. I'm not sure who did, but whoever it was has some pretty amazing letter writing skills!! Keshnee, was it you? ;)

Today I only had to work a few hours in the early morning and then I had to run a few errands. I was back before noon, and I was all ready to crawl back into bed and read more of my book. It was raining and thundering really badly. Perfect suspenseful crime novel weather! When I walked into my bedroom Oliver was sitting on our bed... I picked him up annnndddd (drum role please) there was poop smeared all over our bed and all over him!!!!  UGH! He didn't seem like he felt sick, but clearly it wasn't his best day. He made it to the liter box at least, but his bad-time poop stayed on him. Poor little guy:) Between Oliver and Kiddo I'm getting a pretty clear idea of how much bad smelling situations I'm going to have to deal with when and if I'm ever a mother. I give all moms major kudos for all the poop cleaning up that you are subjected to. It's a mighty dirty job. 

The inevitable happened and I was forced to give Oliver his first bath.

 It was pretty awful for both of us. He, like most cats, doesn't care too much for water. I, like most people, do not care too much for screaming and clawing. The clawing wasn't as severe as it could have been. I think he knew I wasn't trying to hurt him. Poor little guy was just miserable. We got through it though:) Oliver has never looked so fluffy or felt so soft. Maybe we'll make this happen more often, but probably not.

It's a Good Start to the Weekend When....

my hubby brings me sunflowers,

and I finish a project that turns out just how I wanted it to:)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

Learning Patience

Most of you may already know that I take care of a child with autism for a living. Well, I say child but in actuality he is a teenager. I don't talk about it often on here, but it has really been an unexpected blessing in my life. I wasn't sure at first if I was even going to apply for this position. I just didn't know if I had it in me... I have never been a patient person, my parents and Matt could corroborate that fact:) However, somehow I have found that somewhere inside me there is patience that knows no boundaries when it comes to this boy. I will forever be amazed at how much he has taught me even though he can't say a word. Anyone who has ever been a part of the life of someone with a developmental disorder will surely know exactly what I am talking about. I have endless respect for this boy's family. I can't imagine what it would be like, but they have such a remarkable outlook on life and a love for him that I wish every child had. Being with him isn't always a walk in the park. There are many nights when I come home with a splitting headache, but I am so happy that this is what I am doing. I think it's a wonderful peak into what motherhood might be like:)

I never call him by his real name; to me his name is Kiddo so that is how I will refer to him. Kiddo and I go to a nearby ranch once a week. It's a therapeutic and rescue ranch and Kiddo adores going there. I am always in such awe at how the horses and ponies (we take care of the pony stables) respond to him. Really all the animals completely ignore me and follow Kiddo everywhere:) I think they can sense that he is special, and somehow they seem to connect with him. It is so fun to watch him with them. He loves them all but I think it's so cute that he has his favorites. Amongst his most favorites is a llama! I couldn't get a good picture of her because she kept getting too close to the camera but I got lots of pictures of our other favorites:) 

This is our area. I'm not sure but I believe some of them are miniature horses and not all ponies. They are so cute.

This is one of Kiddo's favorites:)

The beauty of this place is such a treat. It almost makes up for the smell;) 

This little guy is my absolute favorite animal there. Isn't he hilarious? He bites your clothes and makes crazy noises. I wish I could take him home with me!

Until next time...

Gettin' Creative - Magazine Style

Whenever I get a shiny, new magazine full to the brim of wonderful ideas and inspiration I get super excited and motivated, I rip out all my favorites little ideas and tab big idea pages. My clever little sis-in-law calls these "rippy bits". Cute eh? :) I do not organize my "rippy bits". I also almost never follow through with my initial big plans for all these projects. Can anyone relate? 

Well today I decided I'm going to change that. Obviously I wasn't going to run out and make my own headboard or reupholster a piece of furniture... I had to start with something small to get my juices flowing. I flipped through my bits and found the perfect, quick project! In the March issue of my decorating Bible, Country Living they had a little how-to article on making a little grocery list booklet out of recycled paper grocery bags. Such a fun idea, right!? I just happened to have the exact same Trader Joe's bags that they used so I took half and hour out of my day and did it! Yep, pat me on the back;) 

Super easy! All you do is carefully open the seams on the side and bottom. Then you remove the handles and iron on high to flatten it. Use a ruler and utility knife to measure out six 12-by 8-inch sheets. Lay each sheet on top of one another plain side up and fold the stack in half. Then mark dots with a pencil in half-inch increments along the edge. I used a tapestry needle and red embroidery thread to stitch a running stitch up and then down the spine and voila! Adorableness completed!

I'm really going to start getting my act together and do all those little things I find that I love. I'll keep you updated as I go! My next project is this awesome coffee can wine rack that is in the latest issue of Real Simple! This looks soooo easy to do. I think it's one of the coolest wine racks I've seen and definitely the cheapest!! Well, if you have as many coffee cans as we do that is:)

Also, off the subject, have any of you read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson? 

I just started it today. Matt has read it and loved it, but we don't always have the same taste in books. It's a little slow in the beginning, so far. If you've read it I'd love to hear your thoughts:) Thanks!

Shopping Leads to a Serious Meltdown.

Yesterday could have been better. Here's what happened...

I woke up super excited because Matt and I were off to shop the day away. We needed to run some errands and I needed some new springtime clothes, especially jeans. We started off by going to Anthrolpologie, which was our first mistake. UGH!!! Why, dear God, why do they have to be so stinking expensive? Seriously though. And if they're going to be so expensive I wish they would only have ugly stuff. I left empty handed. I made Matt promise me that one day I could shop there to my heart's content. Yes, I am sometimes mean, selfish, and materialistic. I know, I'm horrible. 

I was still smiling though, and I was ready to go somewhere I could actually purchase something. First I have to tell you I am refusing to spend over $50 on any jeans or pants until I have lost my goal weight. This is a hard thing to do because being a larger size and almost six feet tall, I tend to have to buy expensive jeans otherwise they are too short and never fit. It's been a problem my whole life.  Mistake number two; we went to Old Navy. This is wear I had my meltdown. I tried on like 7 different pairs of bottoms; boyfriend jeans, linen capris, bermuda shorts, you name it, I tried it. Not one pair in any size I tried fit right. In fact, they all looked HORRIBLE.

 My poor husband. He knows if I go into a dressing room with arms full of clothes and come out empty handed it's bad news. I saw the look of "Oh no, here we go" on his face when I walked out, but I was too overwhelmed to care. I stormed right past him and left the store, got into the car and started to cry. I then started my infamous meltdown speech about how when we met I was thin and he made me fat because he must hate me and wants me to be miserable. I know, I'm a rotten mess.  Matt told me how beautiful I was and how sorry he was that he did that to me. He never once told me how absolutely psycho I was and to get over myself. This is why I married him. He just loves me. Even when I'm crazy:) 

Later I went to Forever 21. The Sacramento store is small and extremely over-crowded and disorganized. I had a minor panic attack in the dressing room. I think I've mentioned before that I feel I'm too old to shop here, but their prices keep me coming back. Have I mentioned I'm prone to panic attacks? I hadn't eaten anything all day especially after the Old Navy incident so I had a bad headache. Also there was like twenty 15 year old girls screaming around me. I felt like the walls were caving in on me and I practically ran out of there, squeezing through crowds of teenagers as I went... I ended up at Macy's and everything was better. Good sales, adult clothes, friendly people and better fits. Ah, relief. I also went to Target and felt better there too. Target's clothes tend to be a little more "forgiving", at least in my experience. All in all, I ended up finding jeans:) Of course, afterwards I was in a much better mood. This is why it is better to go shopping with moms. They're used to their daughters acting like lunatics.... Also, they can go into the dressing room with you. Having a dressing room buddy is imperative for me.

 I spent nine hours shopping and only bought two pairs of shorts and one top. Matt didn't complain once. I realize that there are far worse things going on in this world than my self loathing and unfortunate shopping trips. I realize that whining because I think I'm fat is absurd when I have only been dieting for three weeks and have yet to join the gym. Of course, I apologized to my Matt and he acted like he didn't know what for. He has the patience of a saint. Honestly and truthfully (not just because I love him) I have never met anyone with more patience and kindness. I'm the luckiest woman alive. I hope he will always show me more grace than I deserve, and I hope God helps me give him the grace he deserves more than anything.  Even more I hope I become less crazy and more excepting of myself and, more importantly, a better wife. I'm guessing it takes more than one year of marriage to master it. :) 

Don't Doubt The Sprout!

Against all odds, our seeds have begun to sprout. I feel like a small child about it.. You know, like when you grow grass in kindergarten? :) Our tomato seedlings have been transfered to a slightly larger container, and the only seeds that have yet to spring up are my begonias. They should be up in another week or so! My spirits have risen concerning out little garden.... It looks like our patio may get a new nickname after all. 

I hope you all have a beautiful weekend:)

Unexpected Treats

When we were at my parent's my mom had some treats for me from my memaw and my wonderful cousin Connie! Is there anything more exciting than getting unexpected surprises? Absolutely not:) 

Memaw had sent me a woodpecker toothpick holder! Apparently she has one just like it and she found me one too. I have never seen anything like this; how did she manage to come across two?!! I love it! When you put the little bird's head down he picks up a toothpick! Isn't it adorable? 

She also gave me this cracker tin. I'm obsessed with old tins. I think they are so neat. I never buy them though because they are kind of pricey... This one is about 80 years old! I love the colors:) Yah!!

Connie gave my mom this gold table cloth and this pretty little white apron to give me. The table cloth is perfect for our table because it's square, and will look so cool for Christmas! How did you know we had a square table, Connie? :) I love this apron too. I think I might embroider some colorful flowers on it. What do you think? It is perfect to hang from my rolling-pin apron hanger! 

She also gave me this little bird. Connie collects birds, and I am following in her footsteps. Birds make me so happy. I love this little guy. Isn't he pretty? My mom has three like him from Connie. I don't think anything adds a prettier touch than a little birdie:)

On a side note, I found this frame at Homegoods the other day for $3 on clearance! It was my treat to myself! I thought it was so cool. I'm kind of a frame freak. I have too many and yet not enough....  I put my family photo from our wedding in it. That's my little brother standing by Matt. He's quite the little hunk of the family:) It's weird when your friends start thinking your baby brother is "hot"... I guess he's not that much younger than us, lol. We're only two years apart:)

I love roses.

Easter Weekend

We had such a great time spending the weekend at my parent's. My brother and Amy were there, which made it extra fun:) My mom hid eggs for us to hunt and my dad made a riddle to solve for the golden egg hehehe. It was hilarious! It was actually really hard to figure out, but we all eventually did and I was by far the best at it! My parents came to Davis yesterday too and we had a great time. I wish they lived closer. Two hours isn't that far, but sometimes it seems like it is. Anyways, here are a few pictures of the fun...

Did everyone else have a great weekend? How did you celebrate Easter?

Easter Cupcakes!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter tomorrow! Matt and I headed to my parent's last night. We stopped at the store on the way and got stuff to make our Easter cupcakes and some Easter lilies for my momma:) Our cupcakes turned out even cuter than I imagined they would! Aren't they fun?! We used shredded coconut with green food coloring for the grass and yummy Cadbury egg candies for the Easter eggs. The cupcakes themselves are carrot cake:) They are not only adorable but delicious!! We used Matt's Aunt Norma's carrot cake and cream cheese frosting recipes and I must say they are the moistest, most delicious little bites of yumminess ever! You should definitely try this recipe and try this easy decorating style! I like to think they are a show-stopper;)

Have a wonderful Resurrection Day everyone!

Aunt Norma's Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 c. sugar

1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

3 c. carrots 

Directions:

Beat eggs till fluffy. Blend in sugar, oil and flour. Blend in remaining ingredients. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:

Blend one 3oz. package of cream cheese, two cubes butter, one 16oz. box of confectioner's sugar and one tsp. vanilla. Adjust to taste. Optional: Add one c. chopped nuts.