This is what comes home to me every night:

This is also what dirties up the bathtub every night. I never knew someone could be so dirty!!!

Sometimes I miss the days when he worked for a big company. I miss the times when he sat at a desk all day and came home nice and clean. I miss the times when we had separate bathrooms. I miss the times when he came home at a decent hour every day. I miss the times when he didn't work on the weekends. Those were some good times. This man that I married hasn't taken a day off since the middle of May when we went to Yosemite. The days we actually eat dinner together are few and far between. He works harder than anyone I've ever met and I'm so proud of him.

It's taking some time to adjust though.

I originally married a procrastinator. Someone that did just enough in school to get by. Someone who needed me to take an entire class for him so he could graduate. Someone who would say "I need to go into the office this weekend", but would then stay home instead. Someone who would sit on the couch while I cleaned the whole house. Someone who needed his life to be threatened in order to get out of bed in the morning. Someone who made me look like an overachiever.

Now the roles are reversed.

Now he wakes up at 5:00am and sometimes doesn't get home until after I'm asleep for the night. Now I can't complain that he doesn't help with anything around the house because he's never in the house! He's working so hard for us and I'm so grateful. He's become the man that I always knew he'd be.

I look forward to the day when he can hire more people. When they can do the dirty work for him and he can go back to sitting in an office all day. When my bathroom will be clean once again. When there won't need to be a load of laundry dedicated to disgusting work clothes. When we can actually spend quality time together and go off on adventures. When we can take a real vacation together, like a honeymoon.

I'll wait patiently though. Okay, I'll try to wait patiently. Because any man that returns home with this:


after I've said "I want some spicy chips" is a man worth waiting for.

Big Time

I've mentioned the group The Lost Boys a couple times here on the blog. Remember? Here and Here. Well yesterday I was watching Gilmore Girls and during the commercial break I got up to get a snack. While I was in the kitchen I heard a familiar song. I ran into the living room, pushed rewind on the DVR and confirmed that it was The Lost Boys! It was the coolest thing ever. Here's the commercial:

Egg Caddy

Anthropologie

I've never made deviled eggs before, but if I had this egg caddy I would make them for every potluck from now until the end of time.

Is it weird that I thought of my freezer when I saw this? There is usually some form of a paint pallet in my freezer at all times. You can put unused acrylic paint in the freezer for a few days and it won't dry up. If you leave it for more than a few days then it goes bad and is worthless. I always leave it for more than a few days and it always goes bad. If you move around items in the freezer and the paint pallet falls out then you will end up with dried up paint chips all over your kitchen floor. I mean...I'm assuming that would happen. It most definitely hasn't happened to me multiple times.

Walmart Drapes

Walmart isn't typically the first place one would go to buy drapes, but I live in Lake County (i.e. there's nowhere else to go) and I'm cheap. I've purchased them at Walmart before when I got them for my craft room so I knew what I was getting into. Yes, the selection is limited and if I could have purchased anything that my heart desires, then I definitely would have shopped around for something more fun, but I took what I could get and I'm actually quite pleased with the outcome. This picture does not reflect how cute they actually look in the room. It seems that late afternoon is not the ideal time for taking pictures of a window. This picture also makes me realize how awful our TV looks right there, but it's our only option. In the near future, Jake is going to be hanging my plates that I got at the Salvation Army. I'll take a picture of that as soon at it's completed. Oh, I also have this cute print that mom #2 found at the SA. I'll post that as soon as it's hung too. Oh the anticipation is just too much!!

Tim and Jill's Awesome Wedding

Last Saturday our good friends said "I do" to one another during a beautiful ceremony. An equally beautiful reception followed and we had a fantastic time celebrating with them and all of their amazing friends and family.

Tim's parents live up on a hill in Kelseyville with a spectacular view of vineyards and the lake. They had the reception outside and although it was unseasonably cool for a night in the middle of June, the dancing and portable heaters kept everyone very warm.

The ceremony took place at the bottom of the hill in a vineyard. We had to take a short stroll through the vineyard to get to the ceremony site and it was absolutely breathtaking.

Jill's dad made this sign!

It was such a fun night and we're so excited for Tim and Jill. They are such wonderful people and we're so lucky to have them as our friends.

Places I must go during my TX visit

Besides all of my Diners, Drive-in and Dives restaurants that I must go to in the DFW area, I've also compiled a short list of other places I must visit:

The Soda Gallery

I found this place on another blog and followed the link to something that looks super cool. I'm actually not a huge fan of soda or anything carbonated, but I can make an exception for something that looks as fun as this.

Southlake Town Square

Photo Credit

While looking at the Southlake Town Square website, I stumbled upon this popcorn place, Le' Popcorn. I cannot wait for this. My mom used to take me to a popcorn place in Tulsa when I was really little and they had all sorts of fun flavors and colors. Speaking of popcorn, my grandparents often send us packages from a popcorn delivery place, The Popcorn Factory. We get all sorts of great flavors from them. I'm also obssesed with SmartFood white cheddar popcorn. Oh, and has anyone tried the Buttery Garlic flavor from Orvil Redenbocher? It's soooo good. Okay, I'll stop talking about popcorn now.

West Village

I can't afford anything in the stores in the West Village, but it's so fun to walk around. It makes me feel all urban and sophisticated. And they have a gellato place that is amazing.

Since we'll already be in Dallas we must also go to the coolest antique store ever in the West End. I don't even know if it's still there, but I'm hoping it is. I've loved this place even before I became obsessed with the Salvation Army and antique stores. I have no idea what it's called and the West End website didn't provide very much info.

My friend's new house

One of my best friends just bought this amazing house. She's such a grown up! She's been working hard at painting rooms and kitchen cabinets and she just moved in the other day. I can't wait to see it and person.

I think those are all the really important places that I must go. I'll probably think of more though. Stay tuned.

Odd Salon Experience

I hate going to get my hair cut. I don't hate the actual hair cutting part. I look forward to that. But I hate the small talk part. I especially hate the small talk part when it's someone that's cutting your hair for the first time. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy meeting new people and learning about their lives, but when I go to get my hair cut I'd prefer to sit in silence and avoid the "getting to know you" questions.

The experience I had the other day was especially awkward for several reasons. First, the stylist started off by telling me that she normally wouldn't have gotten me in so soon, but she made an exception since my boss recommended her to me. She also mentioned that I was her last appointment for the next few days because her daughter was graduating this weekend. She was going on and on about all the things she had to do so I knew the last thing she wanted to be doing at 5:15 that evening was cutting my hair.

While she was washing my hair she asked me how long I'd lived in Lake County and I went into the story of how long we've been here and how we got here. When I mentioned that I was from Texas she seemed especially surprised that I didn't have an accent. I actually get this response from just about every person I meet here in California. This is weird to me because I actually know very few people from Texas that have an accent. I think people also assume we ride around on horses and that cowboy boots and hats are our favorite accessories. But honestly, I see way more horses, boots and hats here in Lake County that I ever did in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

And here is where the real kicker came....several minutes later when she was about half way done cutting my hair she asked "so were you a cheerleader?" Uh...excuse me? I almost laughed out loud. Now, I'm not 100% positive that the question was generated because she associates Texas with high school cheer leading. There's a small chance that my extremely bubbly personality made her think I was a cheerleader, but since I was hardly talking and not jumping up and down or waving my arms in the air I'm assuming it has to do with the "Texas" thing. I'm sure I had the most confused look on my face, but I simply said "no" and left it at that. I almost said "no, I was in a book club", but I refrained. I don't have anything against cheer leading and was actually flattered that she thought I would be "cool" enough to be a part of that, but sadly I was not.

So just to clear up a few things:

• Not everyone in Texas has an accent.
• Not all high school girls are cheerleaders.
• I didn't ride a horse to school (My parents drove me. Every day. Alllll through high school. Thankfully I arrived at like 6:30 in the morning for cross country practice so very few people were aware that I was that uncool. Okay, they knew I wasn't cool, but for other reasons).
• Friday nights were reserved for high school football games, BUT our entire lives did not revolve around the game (unless you were our high school principal and then football was your life, but that wasn't the case for the majority of people).
• We do know what hockey is. And we have a NHL team. Gasp.
• Yes, they fry every food imaginable at the Texas State Fair, but we don't eat like that every day.
• I listen to more country music now then I ever did growing up in the Lone Star State.
• Not all of us are fans of George W. Bush.
• Most people to not think it would be a wise idea for Texas to secede and become their own country.

Let me know if there are any other misconceptions I can clear up for you :)

How did I not know about this?

The last time I went to the Salvation Army I got a used paperback book for a dollar. It was an "Oprah Book Club" book so I figured it would be great. And it was. I was about half way done with it when I mentioned the book to some people in my office. I started going on and on about how it was about an alcoholic/drug addict that went into rehab and wrote a book describing his experiences. Then I pulled the book out of my purse and my boss said "Oh, that's not a true story." I said "yes, it is. It says so right here on the back of the book!" Then she explained that there was this whole controversy about it a few years ago. So I googled it. Apparently Oprah had chosen his book and even had him on the show because she loved the book so much. Sales sky rocketed and eventually someone did some research and found out that the majority of the story was a LIE! Oprah was mad, the publisher was mad, the people who read the book were mad. The publisher even offered refunds to people who had purchased the book! I was heartbroken to find out this news. The book is excellent and I still recommend it, but just know going into it that it's NOT TRUE!

The Big 12 Break Up

I'm really torn about the Big 12 Break Up.

I don't know much about the politics of the change or even the general state of the Big 12 from the past few years. I've been out of the loop.

What I do know is that it feels like a family is breaking up. To be honest I'm mostly concerned with the Oklahoma and Texas schools. I realize they only make up 1/2 of the Big 12, but they're the closest to my heart.

There were always 3 definite things that would happen each season for OSU and I'm afraid to lose them.

1. Texas would always beat us.
2. We would always beat Baylor. No offense to Baylor fans, but come on...
3. And when we played OU, the stats from both teams were thrown on the window. It was always a wild card game and obviously the most important game of the year for OSU.

If all goes as planned with the Pac 10 then number 1 and number 3 will probably not change. But where is our free win going to come from?? Just kidding. That's actually not my biggest concern. I am concerned about Texas and Texas A&M though. How can A&M even think about leaving Texas? Their rivalry is the same as OSU/OU. I know the Texas/OU thing is a big deal and all, but these in state rivalries are just as important. I would be devastated if OU and OSU went in different directions.

I do take comfort in knowing that Texas, OU, and OSU will probably all go to the same place, but I'd rather stay as one big happy family in the Big 12.

Now, on the flip side of things....If OSU does join the Pac 10, then there's a much better chance I will actually be able to see some of their games on TV. This would be great and I'm sure in the end I will be happier with the fact I'll actually get to see them play, but for now I just need to mourn the loss of my Big 12 family.

One final note: If Mike Modano officially announces his retirement this year then I'm not sure what I'll do. I can't take two devastating sports announcements in one year.

My Favorite Dessert To Make

I don't really love to cook, but I love to eat, so sometimes it's a necessity. I definitely don't love to bake and since my moms keep me loaded up with baked goods it's really not a necessity for me to bake anything. Occasionally events occur that require me to make a baked good though and such an event occurred yesterday. We were having a "end of the year" celebration at work and we all signed up to bring things. I'm not great at making anything though and don't want to bring a disaster to a party so I signed up to bring a dessert and I had the following thing in mind:


It's a trifle. It's really the easiest thing to make and since I've made more than one in my life I figured I wouldn't mess it up too horribly. It did not disappoint. Here's how to do it:

Buy a box of cake mix. Follow the directions on the box. If I can do it, then you can do it. I used funfetti cake for this one because I thought it would be pretty and it was on sale.

Buy a box of pudding mix. Make the pudding.

Buy some type of fruit. Cut up if necessary.

Buy some whipped topping. Get the generic brand. It's cheaper.

Buy some cookies that you can crush up in a big ziplock bag. Again, I went for some Golden Oreos that were on sale.

Break up the pretty cake you just made and put a layer on the bottom of a bowl. Then put some pudding, some whipped topping, some fruit and some cookie crumbles. Repeat the process.

Then eat it. Yum yum.

New Table Runner

So Kmart has had this tiny little section with the cutest Better Homes and Gardens table linens for the longest time. I hadn't purchased any of the items though because I didn't want to pay full price for them. But then the other day I wandered by my beloved section and saw that everything was on sale! My coveted table runner was marked down to $10 (originally $15)!!! I snatched it right up. That's a lie...I actually stood there for several minutes trying to decide if I wanted to spend $10 or not. I'm frugal that way. Some people might think that it's ridiculous to wait for a Kmart item to go on sale because it's Kmart, not Williams Sonoma, but my mom taught me to never pay full price for anything. I especially do this with clothing. If it's not on the clearance rack then it doesn't end up in my closet. I still felt a little guilty for buying something that I really don't need, but look how cute it is:

And it's reversible! Two table runners for $10...that's hard to beat :)

I moved the table runner that was previously on the table to a new location:

The piano has never looked so cheery!
Oh, and see that cute little bird picture...here take a closer look:

My mom #2 found it at the Salvation Army. Doesn't it match the table runner perfectly? I love cheap things :)

The Gold Chain

Yesterday we were driving and Jake mentioned the gold chain he used to wear the first year or two of high school. We talk about this often due to the fact that it's so ridiculous. Here's how last night's conversation went:

me: OMG, I totally would not have liked you in high school!

Jake: I wouldn't have liked you!! HELLOOOO!! You make it sound like you would have had a chance had it not been for the gold chain. I've seen pictures of you!

me: whatever! those pictures were from middle school.

Jake: You were like one step above the kids that played Magic in the library during lunch.

He thinks he was just so much cooler than me. We also have this joke where he tells everyone we know that I was in a book club in high school. I wasn't. We didn't have a book club. I was in student council, national honor society, nation art honor society, and the mock trial team, but I WAS NOT IN A BOOK CLUB! Okay, I might have been in a book club if one had existed, but that doesn't matter. Wearing a gold chain trumps all of those other things.

Wicked

Was just so amazing. I think everyone should go see it right now. The music, the set, the story....all so wonderful! It was really one of the best shows I've ever seen and even though it's 2.5 hours long, it just flies by. I didn't want it to end! My favorite thing about it though was how it "explained" so many things from The Wizard of Oz. Like how the lion, the tin man, and the scarecrow came to be. And why the ruby slippers were so important. Oh and why the wicked witch is green! I don't want to spoil any of it so I won't elaborate. It's going to be in San Fran until September 5th and in Dallas until June 27th. It's in other cities too. Go here for other listings.

This has nothing to do with the show. There was a farmer's market going on right behind the theater and I thought the flowers were pretty.

I Have An Addiction

Taco Bell

I really cannot get enough of these two items. I've been a huge fan since they first arrived on the Taco Bell menu a couple of years ago, but lately I think the addiction has gotten out of hand.

I found this silly article that expresses my sentiments towards the amazing lava sauce.

It directed me to this website for a super secret reveal of the concoction, but then I realized I had to pay 99 cents for it and I can't decide if it's worth it or not. So I did some more research and found a recipe that requires a bunch of fresh ingredients and I thought to myself "I'm kinda lazy and I don't have any of these things so I'll continue my search. Besides, the Taco Bell sauce doesn't taste "fresh". It is obviously made of highly processed materials so I doubt this recipe will be any good."

So I searched again and found this recipe:

1 can of nacho cheese
10-15 packets of Taco Bell Fire Sauce or a bottle of Taco Bell Home Originals Hot Sauce
Mix them together and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes

This sounds doable.

I will try it in the very near future and report back on my results. If it doesn't meet my expectations I might consider paying the 99 cents for the "top secret" recipe.

Pictures For My Mom

A pile of clean laundry is one of her favorite places to be, but with a face like this I don't mind the fur all over my clothes.