Valentine's Cards

Tomorrow is February first, which means that Valentine's Day isn't too far off. Now, I for one have never been a big Valentine's day person. I don't dress in head to toe pink or think that the hubs should buy me some cheesy heart shaped box of chocolates or feel the need to bring me flowers because of the date on the calendar. Most years we don't do anything differently than we would do the other 364 days a year. And I like it that way. The "romantic" Valentine's day is just not for me.

But I do think giving Valentine's cards is fun. And I'm not talking about one of the thousands of cookie cutter cards that are lining the store shelves. In my opinion, if the cards aren't homemade don't even bother. So on Friday, I had some friends over for a Valentine's card making extravaganza. We had a blast and made some pretty cute cards to send out this year.

{Dear fam,

Hi. How are you? Good, I hope. If you could look away for the next few pictures, or maybe just squint your eyes a bit so everything looks blurry, or at least act surprised when you open your mail next week that would be great. Thanks. 

Love, Emily}

Fun, right? Now go get some paper and make a card. I can almost guarantee you that whoever receives it will appreciate it more than something stamped with "Hallmark".


I'm linking to some of these fun blog parties.

Woohoo W-2!

Our W-2s came in the mail yesterday and let me just say I am excited! I love doing our taxes. I kind of always have. I know, weird, right? I am sure someday it will change when things get more complicated... when we own our own home, make more money, have more kids, or investments, or whatever it is that make taxes complicated enough that people pay someone else to do them. Or heaven forbid, when we actually have to pay something. But for now, I am going to enjoy every minute of the formulas and calculations and sending the form into the government that says please send me a big fat check.

Have a great weekend... I'm off to make us some money!

We have been going through a lot of these lately.

{source}

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audrey and I seem to be catching every cold going around. 

The first time around I gave it to her. This time she gave it to me. 

At least we're sharing...

I'm excited to get back to feeling healthy because I have a bunch of fun projects lined up. I just need to find the energy to actually work on them. 

Here's to hoping your house is a bit healthier than ours.

My Beautifully Organized Stash

Being a slightly obsessive, slightly type-A personality this is a bit tough to share. But here is what my fabric stash has been looking like lately.

{Don't mind the clothes hanging there. My fabric lives in my closet, which happens to be in the guest room, which also happens to be my craft room/sewing room. Talk about multi-purpose!}

It's pathetic, I know. 

What's even more sad is that I love, LOVE, good organization. When my sister and brother-in-law moved into their loft I don't know what made me more excited, that they had an amazing loft, that they were within walking distance to the world's coolest bookstore, or that Storables was just around the corner. So to have this mess of fabric drove me crazy. Lucky for me, I ran across this post over at Smashed Peas and Carrots and no longer have to look at my unorganized stash.

These "Golden Age Size Comic Boards" turned my very unorganized stash into this.

I'm in organizational heaven.

It is truly a thing of beauty. I could sit there and stare at it all day.

All I had to do was fold my fabric and wrap it around the boards and now I have one beautifully organized fabric stash.

Just In Case You Were Wondering...

This is what it looks like to steam 25 pounds of carrots:

And this is what 25 pounds of carrot puree looks like:

And this is what 168 ounces of pureed carrot looks like:

And this is what the cutest-little-carrot-eating-seven-month-old in the world looks like:

All for a little bit of work and $6.95. (Beat that Gerber!)

Just in case you were wondering!

Dinner Tonight

Are you looking for something to make for dinner tonight? If so, here is your answer and if not, put these on your "to make" list... trust me, they're worth it. Lemony Chicken Salitmbocca and Spinach with Garlic Vinaigrette (wilted version). Plus, as an added bonus, we were able to throw this whole dinner together in under 20 minutes. That's a win-win if you ask me.

Good Things Come in Cute Little Jars

Among many other fun things I found this jar tucked inside my stocking this year....

That would be almond (pronounced am-uhnd if you are my in-laws or al-muhnd if you are me) butter. And it is DELICOUS!

My in-laws live in an area packed with almond trees and this beautiful little jar comes from a local orchard. I had never had almond butter before, but I am sold. I've been eating it with a spoon straight out of the jar.

Composting {The Easy Way}

I love the idea of composting. The whole cycle of using vegetable/fruit waste to improve soil which yields better crops which produces more of the vegetable/fruit waste and starts the whole cycle over again kind of makes me a little giddy. However, in our petite little backyard we don't have the space to house a composting bin. Lucky for me that doesn't mean I can't compost, copying a trick of my grandpa's (and thanks to my mom for reminding me he did it) I just compost in the garden. This idea is truly genius. My grandpa would dig holes or troughs in the garden and as he collected waste would dump it in and cover with dirt. It doesn't take long for it to break down and work its way back into the soil.

No need for extra space for a separate compost pile and no hauling the compost to the garden... it really couldn't get any easier.

 

I just love this idea and am so excited to plant this spring knowing I have some very rich soil. 

p.s. My fall/winter garden is still working... maybe. So far I haven't harvested a single brussel sprout or cauliflower, but the plants are looking good, albeit small. Maybe someday they will produce something. I'm still holding out hope.

A New Year

It is hard to believe 2010 has come and gone. It was a truly life changing year for our little family. And I may be finding it even harder to believe it is already 2011. The whole computer-crashing-new-millennium-celebration seems like it was just happening. 

Driving on the freeway the other day I saw a billboard advertisement for a radio station that said it played the "oldies" which, according to them, included the "90's, 2k's, and today." Boy, did that make me feel unreasonably old.

I haven't made a resolution for the year, I usually don't. But I am excited to see what this year has in store. 

Happy New Year! 

{On a completely unrelated note. I ordered these today. Bryce laughed when I showed him what I was ordering, but I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am for the mailman to come in 5 to 7 business days!}