{homebody} garden goodies

it's our first summer in our new house and it seems like every time we turn around something new is growing in the yard!  we've planted a few things, but everything you see here was already growing {and those strawberries are the absolute sweetest strawberries i've ever tasted!}...

{holidays} christmas in colorado

this has been one of the best christmases ever! my mom and stepdad came to visit and stay with us in our new home, A got to cook christmas dinner {with the help of the grown-ups of course}, and we hosted our first holiday {for my parents and some of our favorite friends}!

{holidays} happy halloween!

it's our first halloween in the new house - A and i couldn't be more excited for trick-or-treaters and a mini-halloween-housewarming with friends {and chocolate of course}... 

wishing you a safe and spooky all hallow's eve!

{homebody} play time with little jay

one of the best things about going back to dallas is that we get to spend time with our friends and family {especially our sweet beautiful niece jayden!}...

{homebody} happy new year!

happy 2012! we spent our first colorado new year's eve in with friends, playing games and making resolutions for each other and drinking lots and lots of champagne.


we've spent all day today being lazy hermits and ignoring said resolutions, but i fully intend to get out of my pajamas tomorrow... in the meantime i'll be playing around with this fun resolution generator and anxiously awaiting my black-eyed peas!

{thirty days of thanks} decking the halls

this is one of my most favoritest days of the year: christmas decorating day! we listen to christmas carols, rediscover all of our treasured ornaments, and try to keep the cats from eating the tree {p.s. i think scoop loves this day more than any of us}.

{thirty days of thanks} home sweet home

we spent this weekend in dallas for our friends' wedding {more on that to come!}. it was a super-quick whirlwind of a trip and we had such a good time. 
yesterday we drove A's truck {sally mae} home...unfortunately, we didn't head out until after lunch, and it's a 14+ hour drive to our little home on the front range.  by the time we got home at 2:16 am, we were exhausted and delirious. it was really really nice, though, to sleep in my own bed and wake up {at noon} to the sound of my own kitties purring in my face. i am eternally grateful to A's parents for opening their house to us and feeding and caffeinating us, but it sure is good to be home sweet home!

{thirty days of thanks} laundry

i never in a million years thought i'd be writing about how thankful i am to be doing laundry, but our 20-year-old washing machine broke on monday, and the dirty clothes have been piling up ever since. on tuesday we bought a fancy new one, and this morning it was delivered!


so now i am thankful. thankful for clean towels. thankful for not having to wash my clothes at the laundromat in the freezing cold. thankful that we had the means to buy a new {super efficient!} washer without it breaking us. and certainly thankful to the two strong men that carried it upstairs to our second floor apartment and hauled away the dinosaur.

{thirty days of thanks} happy cats

our cats are happy cats. the kind that remind you to appreciate the little things: sunshine, small treats, warm blankets, cuddles. we should all be so lucky.

{homebody} happy halloween

we've never waited this long to carve our pumpkin, but on halloween night, after giving up on getting any trick-or-treaters, we finally created our scary black cat jack-o-lantern. then we cuddled up on the couch and watched a super-scary movie. while eating too much candy. because that's what you do on halloween.

{homebody} happy easter

happy easter!

the mister and i spent today at his parents' house with the whole family {mom, dad, grandma, brother, and niece}. it was a lovely day overall but naturally our ridiculously adorable niece stole the show {it was her very first easter egg hunt}!

{sticker shock}

{homebody} february snow day #4

it snowed last night! and yes, there's still lots of scary dangerous ice underneath it and no, we won't be driving on it, but it sure is pretty! 
we got all bundled up {seriously, i felt like the kid in a christmas story} and went for a walk in our pretty snow-covered neighborhood. fat fluffy snowflakes were still falling all around us. we walked around our little pond and then up to the shops. when our shoes and the bottoms of our jeans were sufficiently soaked and covered in snow, we took refuge in our local starbucks and sat for a while, savoring the day and our warm drinks. 
after defrosting and discussing our weekend plans, we went to a cafe for some provisions {aka lunch to go} and headed towards home. snow angels were made and someone may have started an epic snowball fight. by the time we got home we were ready for a nap...

{homebody} february snow day #3

day three. we can't take it anymore {mostly, we  need cat food}.


we ventured out and it took us forty-five minutes to get to the cat food store. luckily, the cat food store is conveniently located next to the shoe store, which is conveniently located next to the grocery store. success! we will live to see another day!


to celebrate, we opened a bottle of wine and spent the evening coloring at the dining room table {like grown-ups do}.

{art by A, from left to right: our cat; redskins logo}

{art by O: illustrated map of barcelona}

{homebody} february snow day #2: cabin fever sets in...

so yesterday, fully expecting to be going back to work today, we did all of the productive stuff there was to do around the house. and now it's done. and there's nothing left to do. and we're snowed in again.
so here's how my day has gone: slept in. did a little bit of work. watched more nate. photo shoot with the cats. feared for my sanity. workout video. now, back to the couch i guess. i'm exhausted.

{homebody} february snow day!

it's crazy cold out there with a wind chill factor of -1 and ice on top of snow on top of ice... according to my mom, it's colder in dallas today than it is in buffalo - and it's only getting colder!


{the good news} no work today!
{the bad news} it is way too cold to even try to play outside!


so far, A and i have cleaned the entire apartment from top to bottom, gone through our closets to sort out clothes to donate, done two work-out videos, and watched three episodes of the nate show {compliments of the dvr}. now we're about to enjoy an early-bird dinner and finish watching our netflix dvd before turning in early!


stay warm and be safe!

{homebody} snow day!

an unexpected sunday snow day turned our neighborhood into a postcard-perfect winter wonderland! {you can tell that texans don't have much experience with snow by the height of our snowmen...} 

hope you had a fantastic weekend!

{homebody} happy new year!

"some of the most life-shaping decisions you make

in this season will be about walking away from good-enough, 

in search of can’t-live-without."

we rung in the new year at our friends' house last night with a small group of good friends, way too much yummy food, and a very respectable amount of champagne. it was low-key and exactly what we needed after the crazy few weeks we've just had. 
today i'm feeling so thankful for another year with my husband, my family, and my friends. i'm thankful for both good and bad, for celebrations and growth opportunities. 2010 was a good year for us, and i have high hopes for 2011. resolutions have been made, black-eyed peas have been eaten, and the entire day has been spent in my pajamas {after all, it's tradition}.


happy new year! may 2011 bring you all the best!

{homebody} holiday decorating

every year right after thanksgiving we decorate for christmas. we put on christmas movies, decorate the tree, bake sugar cookies, and generally just get all christmasy.

{scoop's favorite day of the year!}

{gubs helps make paper snowflakes}

{the finished product}

{A gets creative with leftover dough}