{Peter and Ashley}

First Christmas

2012-01-04T20:07:00.000-05:00

No, it wasn't our first Christmas together, but it was our first Christmas alone. In our own house.

And it was wonderful.

Our First House

2012-01-02T00:23:00.001-05:00

After months of anticipation (and fighting with underwriters) we closed on our first house Wednesday, November 23, 2011. Closing happened to be the day before Thanksgiving, and we had painters paint through the night (and well into Thanksgiving - big shout out to The Right Touch Painting) so we could move in the day after Thanksgiving.

I am so grateful for great friends and family that helped alleviate a lot of the stress. Closing happened very last minute, thanks to some uh, interesting, underwriters and bank managers. Our Real Estate agent told us that the hoops we had to jump through were completely abnormal. Lovely.

Anyway, its been a month and we are in love with the house. Peter had me take pictures of the interior, but I haven't done any decorating. In fact, the only 'real' decorating I have done was for Christmas, and I was so tired of unpacking that I didn't even do much for Christmas. Now that Christmas is over, I need to brush up on my interior decorating skills and get to work :)

Here are some pictures of my undecorated, slightly messy, house...


Master Bed Room

My favorite part of the master bath

View from the stairs

Nook by the stairs

Upstairs hallway.

Guest bedroom, so far.

Laundry room. On the second floor :)

View from Kona's room.

Dining Room

Dining Room/Entry.

Entry/Living Room

Living Room

View from the living room into the kitchen.

Kitchen - my favorite room

I haven't taken pictures of the office yet - it was still in boxes, ahem, Peter. And I figured there was no point in posting pictures of the spare room we have designated Kona's room, just the incredible view. Once I 'finish' a room, I will update the pictures.

MIA

2011-07-17T17:38:00.001-04:00

Yes, I have been missing in action. Again. I started my summer job, and haven't really had the time, or desire, to blog. Not that I have completed any of my projects, anyway. I have this coming week off for a family reunion, and since we aren't leaving for Williamsburg until Wednesday, I plan on using these few days to work on some of my projects that I've been scheming.

I've been making a list of the funny (to me) things kids I babysit say. Now, most of these are 'you had to be there...' or 'if you only knew the person who said it' quotes. I realize this. Also, these quotes are compiled from several families, over the past 6 months, and there are several kids that fit each age. Trying to keep this somewhat anonymous, obviously.

Age: 5
"I love vineyards."

Age: 3
Her: "This is yellow baby.
Me: "She's pink."
Her: "She had an identity crisis."

Age:4
Me: "I'm so tired today."
Her: "You should take a nap."
Me: "You're my favorite."

Age: 5
Her: "There's a lake, so we must be there."
Me: "Do you know how many lakes there are in Virginia?"
Her: "Yes. But I want it to be this one. Its so lake-y."
Me: "That's a stream."

Ages: 5 and 3
3 y/o: "I like to sit on lots of people. "
5 y/o: "That's not normal."

Age: 3
"When my mommy was a boy she drove daddies car. When she was little."

Age: 3
"You be the mommy, I'll be the daddy, and I have a baby in my tummy. It will be my sister."

Age: 5
"What's wrong with you? You're so whiny."

Age: 5
Me: "You need patience. "
Her: "I dont have my patience today. It might be back tomorrow."
Next day...
Me: "I thought we talked about having patience?"
Her: "We did. It's in my drawer. I might take it out tomorrow."
Me: "That's what you said yesterday."

Now on to sleeping in for the next week :)

What Three Years of Marriage Has Taught Me

2011-05-24T13:19:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday, Peter and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. Three years, people! I know, in the grand scheme of things, three years isn't a whole lot - and next year, I will probably freak out about it being 4 years - but it still feels unreal. I have never been attached to another person, immediate family aside, for this long.

Anyway, we celebrated by going to Richmond and having dinner at The Tobacco Company Restaurant. I fell in love with the old time charm of the building, as well as the food. Seriously, check out the pictures on their website. After dinner, Peter bought roses from a street vendor, and we walked around the Capitol. Peter and I sat on the steps of the capitol building and talked - and that was, honestly, the best part of the night.

For the past few weeks, I considered writing a post listing some of the things that marriage has taught me. Maybe I can keep this up for anniversaries? Hmm...

-When dating, you do things for each other because you're in love. Your first year of marriage, you do things for each other just because. The second year, you find bribery works well. The third year, bribery doesn't work as well as it once did...I expect that by next year, it wont work at all?

-Anything can be put off if it means you get a few more minutes together.

-Laundry will not fold itself and dishes will not put themselves away like they magically did in high school [thanks, mom!]; Chances are, the hubby isn't going make that happen, either.

-You really do need to keep 'dating' once you're married.

-Waking up next to someone is far better than waking up alone. Even when that person snores, talks in their [her] sleep, and steals the blankets [her, again].

-It will be rare that the toilet paper, or paper towels, will make it in the dispenser [not just on, next to, or in the same room].

-Laugh. At everything.

I'll probably add more as I think of them :)

DIY Photo Collage

2011-05-20T14:31:00.000-04:00

I've wanted a photo collage in our living room since last fall, but have been turned away for several reasons:
           - Photo collage 'kits' (I guess you can call them) only had select frames. I wanted most frames to
             be matted, and I didn't want frames that fit several photos.
           - Frames are expensive! At $15+ each, it was a little more than I was willing to spend.

After months of debating and searching, I finally had the frames that I wanted. This is where my OCD kicked in. I knew that I wanted the collage to cover the majority of the space on the wall, but I wanted to make sure it was generally centered, and that they didn't look exactly spaced out.

I arranged the frames on the carpet to get a general pattern and to avoid placing several of the same frames next to each other.

One of several attempts.

After, I found an extremely helpful tutorial on how to hang them. You trace the frames onto cheap paper (I used moving paper that we have for projects, but paper grocery bags work well, too), and cut them out. Label each cut out with a short description of the photo. Line the cut out to fit the back of the frame. With your fingers, feel for the loops where the nails will go and punch holes into the paper. (I didn't get a picture of this step). With blue painters tape, tape the cut outs in the pattern you want. This makes it easier to move the cutouts and make adjustments. When you are satisfied, locate the holes you punched and nail the cut outs to the wall. Replace the cut outs with the frames.

Sorry for the poor quality; It was evening.


Final result - slightly different than my original template.				**Sorry for the weird spacing of the pictures. Blogger is such a pain when it comes to loading pictures, and then heaven forbid you have more to type...

Puerto Rico

2011-04-21T17:25:00.002-04:00

Peter made Rosetta Stone's "Circle of Excellence" for 2010! As a reward, we received a week-ish long, all expense paid vacation. This year, the location was the St. Regis, Bahia Beach in Puerto Rico.

I'm so proud of him! Hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on some of the pictures from the award dinner.

Here are the highlights: (I suggest you look at the pictures I posted on my Facebook. Blogger makes the process of posting pictures unbearable)

Beach in Rio Grande


The narrow streets of Old San Juan

Zip lining in El Yunque Rain Forest


I love the bright buildings

Smitten Kitchen

2011-03-31T11:00:00.000-04:00

Smitten Kitchen

Their recipes are pretty amazing.

Check 'em out!

5 Things Friday

2011-03-18T19:42:00.000-04:00

Oy. It's mid March and I have yet to post anything.

I'll just get to the gist of things and post my 5 things - it's been a couple weeks since I last wrote a '5 Things Friday' post. This week I've tended to concentrate less on actual things - quite a change for this shop-a-holic - and more on the rest of my life.

1. The Early Bird Catches the Worm - It's official. I'm a morning person. Yes, I just admitted that and the walls are still standing around me. I've had to get up early (+ Daylight Savings) to nanny all week and some of last week, and managed to get up over an hour before the time I needed to leave by. I accomplished so much in that hour!

2. The Return of Peter - He's been gone all week - no surprise there - and he comes back tonight/tomorrow; either way, I'll be asleep! No, it's not an accomplishment, but it's worth noting that I haven't been bored all week, and I haven't killed Kona [maybe that is an accomplishment...] Yay for staying very busy :)

3. Chocolate Milk - I love chocolate milk, but I am so picky about which brands I like that I often don't get any. The family that I have been with this week had the best chocolate milk. Looks like I'll be making a trip to Whole Foods this weekend. It's not only organic, but comes in a glass bottle :)

4. Walks - I am so grateful that the baby I watched this week loved going on walks just as much as I did. As soon as I walked in the door, he would grab his jacket and hobble over to the door waiting to go. Super cute :)

5. Warm Weather - It hit 80 degrees today. I love spring/summer :) Broke out the sandals and capris today.

Five Things Friday

2011-02-25T12:35:00.000-05:00

I am so grateful for this break from winter weather the past 2 weeks. Though this week wasn't as nice as last week [today is the first day in a week where the sun has really been out], not having to worry about snow, ice, and the freezing cold has been wonderful.

[Tomato paste in a tube] I hate opening a can of tomato paste to only use a tablespoon or two. Though I intend to use it in another recipe, I rarely do and it gets thrown out. I finally found this at our local Martins.

[MacBook Pro Charger] My oh so sweet dog, Kona, ate my charger on Valentine's Day. A week later and my new charger arrived. So grateful to be able to borrow one from a friend, but it's nice to have my own again.

[Bamboo Silverware Organizer] I think my obsession with bamboo has gotten a little out of control. From cutting boards to organizers, I love it all!

[Sandals] I love sandals, esp. wedges. This pair from DV by Dolce Vita makes me even more excited for spring.

Other things from this week: Kona was able to have a raw hide without getting sick, meaning her explosive upset stomach wasn't due to her love of raw hides. Peter was home the whole week [though that is very likely to come to an end next week].

Couponing

2011-02-24T12:21:00.000-05:00

Growing up, my mom went through phases of couponing - and I dreaded it. I didn't mind trips to the commissary [military grocery store on base], where we could easily fill up two full grocery carts upon my dad's return from a deployment, but that was actually 'normal.' Going to a grocery store off base, which was where a lot of the 'special' deals were, drove me nuts. I hated waiting for the cashier to scan all the coupons and watching everyone stare at us because it took an extra couple minutes - not to mention, sale items weren't anything that I had any interest in.

Now fast forward 10-15yrs.

While I hate paying retail for most things, I never thought I would get into couponing. And I guess I don't really 'coupon' [with the exception of Michaels coupons], but rather skim the ads for weekly VIP-type savings where you just have to have the individual stores member card [which is free]. It allows me to stock up on a lot of things that we go through pretty regularly. So, it's not couponing like my mom would do, but the same concept. Anyway, it's saved us a lot of money :)

5 Things

2011-02-20T17:17:00.002-05:00

Too bad "Five Things Saturday" doesn't have the same ring to it as "Five Things Friday." The point is that I did it, right?

[Bamboo cutting boards] Who would have thought that I would be obsessed with cutting boards? But seriously, I love them.

[Fancy cupcake liners] After holiday sales make $3-4 cupcake liners a little more justifiable. Michaels and Target's had some great deals on Valentines Day stuff; Michaels also had select cake decorating supplies on clearance. This is also a great website for some awesome cupcake liners as well.

[Flip flops] 70+ degree weather this week warranted wearing flip flops for the first time this year.

[A dozen red roses] The hubby bought me roses for Valentines Day and we went to the Joshua Wilton House in Harrisonburg for dinner.

[Blueberry Muffins] Probably the best blueberry muffins that I have ever made. And I got to use my fancy new cupcake liners!

At some point I will actually figure out how to add pictures, I swear.

Word of the Week

2011-02-16T11:51:00.001-05:00

em·u·late [v. em-yuh-leyt; adj. em-yuh-lit] –verb (used with object)

1. to try to equal or excel; imitate with effort to equal or surpass: to emulate one's father as a concert violinist.

2. to rival with some degree of success: Some smaller cities now emulate the major capitals in their cultural offerings.

*A word that seems to be slipping into my vocabulary a lot this past week. Or month.

5 Things Friday

2011-02-12T13:26:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite blogs, Cupcakes and Cashmere, does a "Five Things Friday" post every week highlighting 5 things from the week that made her happy, essentially. I love reading her Friday posts specifically, because she not only gives great recommendations (she often posts products, decorating ideas, and recipes), but it makes me think about what made me happy as well. I know, that statement sounds really lame and stereotypical, but it's true :)

I've hesitated posting because, well, I'm terrible at keeping up with my blog for starters, and posting pictures of the 5 things makes the post better, but since getting a new computer a few weeks ago, I haven't figured out how to do that, exactly. If anyone with a Mac wants to give me a tutorial, feel free! None of my uploading techniques have worked.

Finally, I realize that today is Saturday. I began this post yesterday - a day late is better than nothing at all, right?

[New green kitchen towels] I'm switching our kitchen colors from red and black to green, off white, and black.

[Light My Sapphire] OPI nail polish.

[New green teapot] Stove top teapot that matches the new kitchen colors. Great way to add more color to the room when you can't paint the walls.

[Chicken with Rosemary Sauce] While I tweaked it a little, this chicken was amazing.

[Maebel's birthday card] I will have to post a picture of it after her party today, because I was a dork and sealed the envelope before taking a picture of it. Happy first birthday to my little BFF, Maebey baby!

Something Fresh

2011-02-02T22:09:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned that I love having a mini herb garden in my kitchen? Because I do. An herb garden has been on my mind since early fall, but I was reluctant. The thought of weeding was enough to completely turn me off, but renting our place also makes it a little more difficult.

In one of my more recent trips to Martins (local grocery store), I saw locally grown, organic herb plants $3/ea. Awesome. No weeding! I found mini washtub-like bins at Target for a couple dollars, thanks to the [almost] dollar section. So, now I have an awesome mini herb garden in my kitchen.

Something that I never really thought about was fresh vs. dried herbs. I mean, really, who does? It just seemed like something that would help me experiment with more cooking [see my NYE regarding this], and get something fresh into the house.

Just don't get me started about picking all the little leaves off the stems ;)

Busy [Queen] Bee

2011-01-27T13:21:00.003-05:00

You know, it's so weird. Life can be busy without it really being busy. I guess it seems inaccurately busy. I measure how busy my life is based on how much I accomplish, not really the effort of time spent. I will spend an entire day grocery shopping (going to multiple places depending on weekly specials and Walmart for everything else) and then look at what I bought and think to myself "I did one thing today, and there's not even that much here. I needed to get _____ done too." When in reality, I went to up to 3 or 4 stores and battled the lines (I swear the stores always seem busy), and it took 4-5 hours on top of it all. Not a whole lot accomplished; it just feels like I should have gotten a lot more done.

'Queen' was used in the title because I am definitely not a worker bee (that would be Peter, since he does most of the work), while the queen bee does relatively little in comparison. I have no idea how people with kids get anything done. I find it difficult with a dog.

Anyway, this isn't the post that I intended to write. I should work on becoming a better writer by using the word "I" a lot less. Just a note to self.

New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-12T13:51:00.003-05:00

I've had Blogger open on a tab all day, hoping that I would get around to a post eventually. It's taken me a while to come up with a few resolutions, since in the past I've mainly done it as a fad-like thing my friends were 'doing' (but never followed up with). For some reason, I don't know why, I've felt the urge to follow through this year as much as I can. So, I guess I need to make a few that are actually realistic, huh?

1. Read 1 book a month from the 'Great Classics' list. Maybe 2 months, depending on the book. [Alison, you'll have to help me with this one!]
2. Learn more about cooking. [Julia Child, anyone?]
3. Be more patient. With Kona, Peter, life...It is a virtue, after all ;)
4. Take more pictures. Of the almost 3 years we've been married, we have taken almost no pictures. Part of that is due to not having kids, and part can be attributed to laziness.

I'm sure I will add to these...we'll see when that happens. Happy 2011!

Welcome, 2011

2011-01-09T20:51:00.003-05:00

...So long 2010, it's been great, but don't let the door hit you on the way out!

A lot happened in the last year. Looking back, my biggest accomplishment was graduating college, hands down. While I can look back on other things Peter and I have done, no need to re-list any, I am looking forward to what the next year has to bring.

I know, this is a week-ish late...but that is apparently how I do things :)

Falling Behind

2010-12-12T21:06:00.006-05:00

Once again, I find myself playing catch up. I spend a decent amount of time reading various blogs throughout the day [how awesome would it be to get paid to blog?], yet I never seem to have the right motivation to work on my own blog; even when I have something awesome to write about. Here's what I [we] have been up to since September:

Traveled to Bogota, Colombia - Peter spends about 50% of the time in Bogota, so I went down to visit him. And I must say, I love Bogota.
Photo Shoot - I realized a few months ago that Peter and I haven't really had any photos taken since our wedding, two and a half years ago. We had a fun photo shoot with Angie from Angie Brement Photography.
Made bread with my friend, Lesley - I seem to struggle with this on my own.
Thanksgiving with the Mantell's.
Black Friday shopping - Pretty successful, if I do say so myself.
Decorated the house for Christmas, including a real tree [that I'm allergic to]
Christmas Coke - It's not Christmas without Christmas cans of Coke. Yeah, it's weird.
Saw Mannheim Steamroller in concert - While I was expecting more of their rock-influenced songs, it was enjoyable. We had great seats thanks to my in-laws.
Peter's birthday - I made Peter a sushi-themed fondant cake, thanks to Lesley! Not having my own Kitchenaid makes things difficult, as well as having never actually worked with fondant before. Lesley made it happen :) I also got Peter a soda maker, so he can make his own soda and flavored water. Also, thanks to Lesley. His birthday present turned into his Christmas present since it couldn't get here in time [and I freaked out].

Worthless Women

2010-10-28T16:25:00.000-04:00

This is an article that every man, and woman, should read. A few people have pointed it out, and I'm glad I took the time to read it. While the article is very self explanatory, I would love to hear some of your opinions, please :)

Worthless Women and the Men Who Make Them
Single Dad Laughing

Apple Picking

2010-10-04T16:40:00.003-04:00

Every fall, we go to Carter's Mountain in Charlottesville for some apple picking. The mountain is fairly steep, and going back up with a ton of apples can be tiring. This year, I was smart. I got Kona a dog saddle backpack :) She hauled two loads up! We received many compliments on our ingenuity. Now, I just have to figure out what to do with a couple dozen apples...

Coming up the mountain.

Milk and Cookies Baby Shower

2010-10-01T15:56:00.011-04:00

My friend asked me back in June, to throw her a baby shower. After many hours of planning, prepping, and a lot of frustration, it came together. The original theme was 'Milk and Cookies', but we added polka dots to match the nursery. I made all of the decorations, with slight help from my mom, so it could be unique. I'm a very crafty person and don't care much for 'boxed parties'.

I started out with one polka dot design, shown in the invitations, but Michaels didn't have the same paper when it came to making the "It's a Girl!" sign. Oh well. The Mom of Honor, I guess you could say, wanted to be very involved, and she provided the food and games. The shower was going to be outside in the park (perfect for fall), but I took pictures in the house ahead of time to make sure I actually took them. Here are pictures of what I was responsible for:

Invitations

"It's a Girl" before I added the ribbon to hang it up with.

Pom-poms
Easy to make, but you can also buy them on Etsy. Yes, I found pink polka dot tissue paper to match the plain pink and brown.

Thank You Boxes
I made chocolate chip, snicker doodle, and sugar cookies with pink and brown M&M's, wrapped in tissue paper to match the pom-poms. I put them in Chinese take-out boxes, and attached mini pom-poms to the handles.
The Cake
Oh dear. The cake is white with pink and brown polka dots. I had originally planned to use fondant, but because of rainy weather (moisture makes fondant nearly impossible) I wasn't able to make any, and the store was out of the pre-made stuff. I ended up doing butter cream frosting with polka dots, and a ribbon on the bottom. Not what I had hoped for, but still turned out pretty well :)
Drinks
White and chocolate milk to go along with the milk and cookie theme, and pink lemonade for those who didn't care for milk. It also cleverly goes alone with the pink, white, and brown color scheme :) I also provided water bottles that matched the rest of the paper-products.
I had a lot of fun coordinating the papers, colors, and ideas :)

Last Week's Find

2010-09-13T22:04:00.004-04:00

A lady that I occasionally babysit for has excellent taste in home décor. I love skimming through her decorating books whenever I can. In her laundry room, she has a starburst mirror that I have admired for well over a year now. I was pleasantly surprised to find that same mirror at Michael’s last week! Anyone who knows me knows how much I love to shop, but love a good sale more. The purchase of a few items for a feather headband left me with a 50% coupon on any full-price item. Slightly outside the price of what I could justify for a mirror, the coupon easily justified the purchase.

I’ve never really been a fan of star burst mirrors, and this one is certainly one that you either love, or hate, which is why I was surprised by how instantly I fell in love with it.

This picture certainly doesn't do it justice, but I had to use my iPhone camera. And it's obviously not hung up...that will happen when we get the proper wall anchors and hook.

DIY

2010-09-12T14:31:00.006-04:00

Recently, I have been feeling extremely crafty. I get it from my mom, who is beyond genius with her projects. She always made a lot of cute things for around the house, and now I feel more satisfied with homemade decor, rather than purchased - although, I do love a good shopping spree :)

For archive purposes, I have decided that this post is going to be a list of links to some of the projects I have been working on. This way, searching for key instruction websites will be kept down to a minimum. I'm lazy that way.

I have been put in charge of the decorations, cake, and goody/thank you boxes for a high school friend's baby shower. While I completely intend on blogging about it when it is all finished, here is a sneak peek of the pompoms that will be a focal point:

These are 2 fabric flowers that I'm trying to figure out a reason to make. They're absolutely adorable! If anyone has any suggestions regarding what I should do with them, let me know! They would be cute for headbands, bag accessories etc, but nothing that is applicable for me at the moment. The first is a regular flower, and the second is a rose.

Something I have wanted to make for a while now is a wooden sign with a phrase on it. Simple enough that I don't need to post an explanation - just a wooden plaque painted, with vinyl letters or stickers saying the phrase. I might decoupage some patterns with scrapbook paper on the plaque before adding the phrase. Now that it is planned, the search for the perfect phrase continues.

My current project is a feathered headband. I found a cheap headband that I could rip the accessories off of, got new ribbon, and found some scrapbook feathers and a charm on sale. $6.50 total. Hopefully I'll post pictures of it when I finally make it.

Mellow Yellow

2010-06-08T12:49:00.003-04:00

When we failed to receive a US Census form, a representative came in person. The representative, who completely lacked a sense of humor, rolled down the list of questions - asking me my race. Instead of responding "white," I asked if there was a category for "ghostly white" - he stared blankly at me, not sure how to respond. I said I was joking and just to check the "white" box. Except I wasn't exactly joking. I am ghostly white.

There are some things about summer that are true no matter where you are. Girls flock to the sun (or tanning salon) to get their summer tans, rightfully earning the melanoma that is sure to come.

Except I stay white. Well, I turn a gorgeous shade of red, add a few new freckles, and return to my usual ghostly self. I don't spend hours in the sun expecting to gain some color - I slather myself in SPF 100. And I'm okay with that - usually. The difference this summer is I am a bridesmaid in my brother [and soon to be sister] in law's wedding, where the dresses are yellow. Don't get me wrong, I love yellow. I own several tops bearing the hue. But yellow only looks good when you are tan.

So this summer, I am experimenting with spray tans. I know, the sound of those words send shivers down my spine as horror stories of orange, streaky skin blow through my mind. Which is why I will have plenty of acetone handy in case the experiment goes horribly wrong. A neighbor recommended I go to a salon that she's been to, where they recommend a clear spray tan that adds a hint of color - enough to make me less ghostly, and more human.

Banana Pudding!

2010-05-27T18:49:00.007-04:00

If I had my way, I would visit Manhattan as often as humanly possible, if not live there. I am one hundred percent in love with everything about it, including (and often emphasized) the food. Anyone who has ever been to NY has visited Magnolia Bakery. Or at least they should have. I have an undisclosed source that provided me with the recipe they use for banana pudding - one of my favorites!

Magnolia Bakery's Banana Pudding

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups ice cold water

1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

3 cups heavy cream

1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers

5 cups sliced ripe bananas

In a small bowl, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. I like to add about a cup (measured before) of pureed banana to the pudding. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble the dessert, place 2-3 semi-crushed up Nilla wafers in the bottom of a clear plastic cup (the recipe calls for the entire dessert to go into one large glass container, but I prefer individual servings). Place several banana slices on top of wafers. Scoop a generous spoonful of pudding on top off wafers and bananas. Continue layering until cup is full. The recipe should yield about 18 individual serving cups. Cover cups tightly with plastic wrap and allow to refrigerate for at least four hours (but no more than eight).

New Recipes

2010-05-23T18:06:00.009-04:00

I am no chef. Nor do I want to be. But I do love finding new recipes and playing with them to make them better. This week, I decided to try 2 new recipes. And so the search began. I have been an avid Food Network user to find something new, but I've never fallen in love with any. I've watched a few episodes of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and decided to look up some of his recipes for something new. The man is amazing. Finding dishes that both my husband and I would like (we dislike what the other likes, generally) is simple, and the cooking directions are easy to follow. There is always a description of the origin of the dish, which is interesting.

The first dish I made was Beautiful Courgette Carbonara, and it was a hit.

The pasta sauce is a great change from the usual Alfredo, Vodka or tomato sauce. The raw eggs kind of weirded me out, but you couldn't taste the egg. I used half and half instead of whole cream, and half the bacon it called for. I would recommend you allow the pasta and veggies to cool down to about about a luke warm temperature, otherwise the eggs scramble. I thought it had cooled enough, but they still scrambled a little. Overall, the dish was a success!

The second dish I made was Hunter's Chicken Stew (pollo alla cacciatora).

It's not much of a stew, but rather a sauce for the chicken. It takes a little while to prep, but if you space it out, it's really not that bad. I only marinated the chicken for about 5.5 hours, and only used chicken breasts. This is my new favorite dish. I was concerned about the anchovies, but you couldn't taste them. I would also suggest skinless chicken, because the marinade didn't reach the meat underneath.
Overall, it was amazing.

I would recommend using Jamie's recipes, and I am actually considering buying several of his cook books.

2010-05-11T19:51:00.010-04:00

I've recently fallen in love with Crate and Barrel, and coincidentally, I'm redecorating our bedroom. After doing some research, I've come to the conclusion that I want a bright patterned duvet cover with some coordinating accents. Our new bedroom set is espresso colored, so anything against it would really pop out and look great. The reason I mention my new found love for Crate and Barrel is because I found a duvet cover that matches my requirements:

Crate and Barrel - King Duvet - $119
(Pillows and additional bedding extra)

I'm hoping the yellow will be as bright as it is in the picture, though comments on the website imply otherwise. Also, I wont get all the pillow covers in this pattern, some will be plain white, along with the bed skirt. Or a complimentary color. What is across from yellow on the color wheel?
Peter and I have decided to buy a house once I get a job (it would be dumb to buy a house and then have to move to a new location for work), and when that happens, I want to paint the bedroom walls a light gray. Thanks to jetsetmeg for pointing out this great idea! Since seeing it on her blog, I've noticed gray all over the place.

And I've fallen in love with gray.
I like this sample, but would probably go with a shade lighter.

Completely unrelated to gray or duvet covers, here are some random accessories that I have also fallen in love with...

World Market - Metro Clock - $49
(Ive wanted a big clock for the bedroom since we got our new furniture set)

Crate and Barrel - Savana Candle Holder - $18.95

Crate and Barrel - Canteria Mirror Set of Three - $189
(I know I can find a mirror set for a little less elsewhere)
But a set of mirrors like these are a great idea.

Anyway, these are my ideas, which are most likely subject to change :)

Oh the Places You'll Go!

2010-05-07T13:54:00.006-04:00

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go.”

I GrAdUaTeD!!!!

May 1, 2010

Some Inspiration

2010-04-18T22:00:00.002-04:00

After reading the blog of a high school acquaintance, and becoming admittingly hooked, I have decided to switch it up as far as blogging goes. I am so tired of writing a blog about what were up to - especially since we don't have kids - so I am going to follow the trend and blog about whatever I want. Hopefully this will get me more into blogging since I won't feel as if I am bragging (unless it is necessary for monumental events), and it will be more about what I really am thinking/feeling. For my first "new" blog, I am listing some of my favorite blogs that I follow, using Megan's blog as my template.

The Inspiration: JetSetMeg
http://jetsetmeg.blogspot.com/ She has fun ideas and really tells it like it is.

The Laugh: FMYLIFE
http://www.fmylife.com/ For those of us who are lifted up by others' misfortunes. Okay, so it's kind of mean, but the fact that none of mine have ever been published make me feel good too, lol.

The Dream: Chris Around the World
http://caroundtheworld.com/ Because you really would have to be paid to travel to be able to afford the amount of traveling she does. Plus, it helps me get out of the middle-of-nowhere funk.

So these are only really a couple of the blogs that I follow. The almost religious following of the NYTimes and the Economist don't really count as "blogs," exactly. Oh well, that's generally where you can find me anyway :)

Valentine's Day and So Forth

2010-02-16T20:15:00.003-05:00

Well, I'm not going to do a massive catch up of everything that has gone on in the past month or two, because it's been interesting, but there's no need to relive it. You can connect the dots :)

Anyway, Peter left for the airport around midnight after Valentine's Day. He did the greatest job with Valentine's Day this year! We got a new puppy! She was supposed to be part of my gift this year, but I got her a week early. Her name is Kona, and she's an all black German Shepherd (Samantha was a red and black sable, for comparison). Miss Kona is really cute and a lot of fun! On Valentine's Day, Peter gave me a "Love's Embrace" heart necklace from Kay's! I LOVE it! We spent the day together at home since he had to leave that night.

On another note, Peter got his cast off! And no need for physical therapy! It came off just in time, because this week he is in Columbia for work. Imagine going through customs after being in Columbia with a cast on...haha.

Playing Catch-Up

2009-12-02T19:51:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been forever since I've updated - woops! I haven't been in the mood to write about anything, not to mention the lack of time...

Anyway, This semester has been pretty intense. One more week until classes are done, and then all I have to worry about is finals. And after the semester Ive had, finals are very welcome! Though I NEVER thought I would say that! lol. Between all of the papers, projects, and presentations I've had this past month, I'm pretty worn out. And brain fried! :)

I turned in and presented my senior paper today! I am so glad it's OVER! I enjoyed the process, but the deadlines were pretty horrible. And it figures, it rains the day I have to dress nice and wear heals...haha. That's my luck on display for you :) Oh, and I had to print off a total of 97 pages today in the library, and 27 yesterday for various copies and handouts.

Peter and I got a gym membership at Gold's in Staunton. It's so nice to be able to go and work out! Not that I've had time to use my membership lately, but I definitely love it. They have a ladies only section that has a variety of machines and free weights to use. It's nice when the gym is packed and you need some personal space. the hydromassage machine is my favorite, though! I get a nice workout and spend a few mins on the hydro bed and I'm not sore the next day!

Peter went to Mexico on business for 4ish days a few weeks ago! I enjoyed having the house to myself, though I did miss him. I only got to talk to him for a few mins a day when he was there, so it was really weird. Hopefully he'll get a promotion out of it :)

Thanksgiving was nice and quiet. We went to Peter's parents house, and it was just his parents and little brother. Not too crazy. Sunday we went to the Cheesecake Factory with his parents, which was amazing! I love that place...not to mention that I love Short Pump.

Peter's parents gave us a Christmas themed night light, and Samantha is trying to eat it.

That's our recently updated life. Tonight is my first night without having to work on a paper, presentation, or project. I don't know what to do with myself!

The Crazy Life We Lead...

2009-08-17T18:56:00.004-04:00

Or does it lead us????

I know it has been forever since the last time I blogged...woops! There has been a lot going on lately...

I drove to Austin, TX with my sister in law, Katrina and spent a couple of days hanging around there. It was a blast! I really got to know Katrina during the 20 some hour packed in a car. It was a much needed break from the craziness that has consumed us. Being hubbyless was a first, and it was weird. Austin, as I discovered, is a really cool place! We had so much fun exploring and eating, two of my favorite things. :)

My lovely cousin, Robyn, came to DC to visit one of her friends and I got to meet up with her for a few short hours. I hadn't seen her since my wedding over a year ago, so it was nice to finally catch up in person.

Other than that, I've just been working and keeping busy. I'm not excited for school to start...at all. I have certainly enjoyed my summer.

My 21st Birthday

2009-07-14T18:55:00.012-04:00

I have the most wonderful hubby ever! Because he couldnt take yesterday, the actual day of my birthday, off, he made plans for the weekend!

We went to Maddie's 1st birthday party at Norfolk, which was a ton of fun! Maddie is so cute, I cant believe its already been a year! I even got to decorate her cake, but was stupid and didnt take any pics of it. Woops!

From the party, we drove to Williamsburg and stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge. Its an indoor water park/resort. It was a blast! There were so many things to do that we ran out of time. I loved the raft slide and the wave pool the most, and Peter made me go on the Tornado slide thing a couple of times. I liked the outdoor pool as well, and it wasnt as crowded.

This is one of the kids areas...

They had a create your own slush station, which made Peter very happy...he LOVES slushes!

I convinced Peter to take this picture...it took a lot of convincing!

After we left the water park, we went to Historic Williamsburg.

Peter made me a confetti birthday cake!

Since yesterday was my actual birthday, we went to this bistro that Ive really been wanting to go to in Staunton. I would really recommend it if I could remember the name...haha. I also got to go on a shopping spree at Short Pump! This was definitely my best birthday yet! Thank you baby!

P.S. Blogger is being a pain downloading pictures, so the rest will be on my facebook.

And So Fourth....

2009-07-06T12:10:00.003-04:00

I know this is a little late, but Happy 4th of July! I love BBQing and watching the fireworks! This year we didnt go see any fireworks, instead we watched Peter's brother, Brandon, lite some off after a BBQ. They got some really cool fire works, so it was fun - minus the bugs. Overall it was a good day, and I know Peter enjoys spending time with his fam damily.

Other than the 4th, life has been full of working. The kids I nanny have had swimming lessons, so its nice to get to hang out at the pool for awhile. Even with screaming, splashing kids, its pretty relaxing! Who would have thought? haha. Peter has been working an insane amount, but what can I say, hes good at what he does :) He'll be going to Mexico in a few weeks to meet with some high ranking officials of the Mexican Government, which, needless to say is pretty cool. This is an unbelievable opportunity, and I'm sooo proud of him! I know I sound like Im bragging, but I'm allowed to brag about my awesome hubby every once in a while, right? hehe.

Anyone have any dinner ideas for this week? We need some new ideas - Im in the mood for a change :)

This was a really random post, but it's all what's on my - very - disorganized mind! I'll try to be more organized next time.

45 Lessons

2009-06-17T14:33:00.001-04:00

This was emailed to me, and I thought it would be cute to share.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio
To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.
My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Congrats, Angie!

2009-06-17T11:41:00.002-04:00

The lady that I nanny for, Angie, was featured on the news yesterday! NBC 29! She's a local photographer in Crozet, and was interviewed for cvilleentremom! Congrats!

And the kids I nanny are beyond adorable! Just to stick that in there...hehe :)

Another Week Gone By...

2009-06-12T19:10:00.003-04:00

I love meeting up with the hubby for lunch! It makes my week. We had Panera, which is one of my favorites, and then Cold Stone, which I havent had since I worked there 2 years ago. It definitely tastes better when I get a 50% employee discount, lol. Anyway, I love getting to see Peter for an hour or so during the day.

The puppy decided to eat a pair of my wedges this week. I'm still not speaking to her.
I'll have more updates later...

Soaring, Flying!

2009-06-08T11:17:00.004-04:00

Peter and I struggle trying to find new things to do together that we are both interested in. Yesterday, we met up with our friends Ben and Laura in Charlottesville for some wings (yum!). On our way home, Peter decided to stop by the small hobby airport in Waynesboro because we've always wanted to go on glider rides - you know, the planes that get towed up in the air and you fly around for awhile and then land in the grass. It was really expensive to go on a ride, but you can take lessons, get a pilots license, and do it yourself, which in the long run is a lot cheaper. So, we decided to take flying lessons together! There are commercial pilots who just do this on the side for fun, and they said that all Air Force pilots are required to learn to fly on a glider first. Im interested in getting my glider license, and then going on to a commercial pilots license so I can fly other planes.

We're sooo excited!

I stopped taking the cake decorating classes after the first course was finished. I realized that I already knew how to do the majority of what they were teaching, and it was kind of expensive to not really be learning anything. It was a lot of fun, though! And, Im excited because I get to make the cake for Maddie's first birthday in July! Yay for princess cakes! It's going to be a lot of fun!

I guess thats about it for now. I've gotta get some stuff done around the house before work tomorrow.

My Sicky

2009-06-01T10:51:00.003-04:00

I'm pretty sure that if Peter didn't have bad luck, he would have no luck at all!

He has been hit with just about everything in the past week; as in cold shivers, cold sweats, nausea, shakiness, sore throat, exhaustion, and a few other things. The past week has been spent in bed, for the most part. He thought he was getting better until he noticed his eye turning red, which he assumed was pink eye. There was also a rash near the outside corner, which I thought looked like the shingles. Yesterday, he decided if he had pink eye, he finally needed to go to the doctor since that is so contagious. We went to the only clinic open on Sunday, in Charlottesville, of course, and spent a good 3.5 hours there. Besides the initial waiting, Peter was sent to a room, was looked at, they started freaking out, almost sending him to the ER, then sent him to another waiting room, and then had to have several tests run.

He for sure has the shingles on the outside, but they weren't sure if it was in his eye. This meant a couple of tests. If it had attacked his cornea, he could end up blind in that eye. Good news, it wasn't. They ended up giving him both pink eye meds and meds for the shingles to be safe. Yay for health insurance! lol. I dont know what we would have done without it!

Luckily for me, I didn't get sick from any of this. Let's just hope it stays that way...I hope this is the end of his sickness for a while.

Rain Drops Fallin' on my Head...

2009-05-26T18:21:00.005-04:00

I dont know why, but whenever there's a holiday or something that involves being outside and BBQing, it rains. It's getting really old. Really.

Anyway, on Sunday, one of my friends from high school came to visit for and early Memorial Day! She's stationed at Norfolk in the Navy, and I love getting together with her. She brought her incredibly cute baby, Maddie, her hubby, Jacob, and their puppy, Daisy. It was great to have some much needed girl time, and Peter got some man time also. It was really crappy weather-wise, but we were still able to have a lot of fun!

Yesterday was Memorial Day, which is one of my favorite holidays. Since my dad was a Marine, patriotic holidays were always a lot of fun on base. There were always BBQ's honoring those who have served, and the base always did something special. Plus, I love watching all the war movies on TV. It's great to think about those who have given their lives so that we could enjoy the freedom that we have today. I am so grateful to them.

Today, I had the last class of the first course of my Wilton cake decorating. I love these classes! I love making roses out of frosting, and have learned some neat techniques. Hopefully I can take the next course in June. I haven't taken any pictures of any of my 'projects' because I generally don't finish them. That, and I'm a perfectionist when it comes to decorating...so I haven't really liked any of my run-throughs. It's hard to color coordinate everything that we have to do. But, I did take a picture of my final project.

Here are the roses we had to work on...

Our New Couch!

2009-05-22T11:42:00.003-04:00

Our new chocolate brown faux suede sectional that we designed ourselves arrived yesterday! We designed it a couple of weeks ago on homereserve.com. It's a really cool website, because you can literally design each piece of your couch! They have a bunch of different options for arm rests and the back pillows etc, and hundreds of fabrics to choose from! Were planning on ordering a couple pillows from there in a few weeks - once again, TONS of options. You can design sectionals, couches, chairs, 1.5 chairs, armiors, wall art to match, automans, etc. They have example ideas that are really cool too. And, you can always send any of it back if its not what you expected.

But anyway, we designed a sectional with an automan attached to one end. All the setions have storage under the cushions, which will come in handy at one point or another. I love the chocolate brown, though its not quite as dark as i had thought it would be. The only catch is that it comes completely unassembled. They literally send you the pieces of wood, the pillows, cusions, and fabric in stacks in the boxes. It only took us 3.5 hours to put together though, which was impressive.

We LOVE it!

Before...

...after.

Our First Anniversary!

2009-05-21T22:29:00.003-04:00

One year ago today, Peter and I were married in the San Diego Temple. I cant believe how fast time has gone by! So much has happened in the past year. I love spending time with my awesome hubby, and I'm so glad we had today together

Peter took the day off from work so we could spend the day together without any distractions, which is very uncommon. Peter made an awesome breakfast of bacon, eggs, hash browns, and English muffins! YUM! After breakfast, we folded a mountain of laundry together. Not too exciting, but we got to talk some more, and I always like it when he helps. Shortly after, UPS dropped off our new couch! Ill have to write more about that later when we have more pictures. This couch came - literally - in 5 boxes and we had to completely assemble it on our own. But we had fun doing it. Great anniversary gift! Though it wasn't really intended to be lol.

We went to an AMAZING restaurant in Charlottesville called Cassies. It has a fine dining atmosphere, and because the weather was great, we sat on the patio. The dishes come in smaller portions so you can pick 2 or 3, and the prices range from $10-15 each portion. I loved this because I can never pick just one dish! I chose the pesto salmon with a wonderful citrus orange sauce, and mussels with English peas in a garlic butter sauce. Peter chose a garden salad with roasted pistaschios, goat cheese and balsamic dressing, and a duck breast in an amazing sauce (he doesnt remember what it was called). For dessert, I had an apple tart with homemade ice cream and carmel sauce, and Peter had cream brulee. All in all the food was absolutely wonderfull. You could tell everything was made from scratch, the service was great, and they paid attention to us, bringing our food when we were ready for it. We cant wait to go back again! After dinner, we walked around the downtown mall for awhile. During the summer, there is a lot of nightlife - unlike the winter completely - so its a lot of fun to walk around and 'people watch.' Everyone brings their dogs too, which is always fun to watch. I love going out at night; it was a lot of fun!

Im so glad that I married Peter, and it has been a great - yet trying - year! We have learned so much from each other. I cant wait to see what the future has in store for us!

Fresh Cut Grass

2009-05-13T11:24:00.002-04:00

It just doesn't feel like summer until you can smell the aroma of fresh cut grass in the air! Living here is great for that, because the gardeners come here pretty often. Combine that with sunshine, and it's a perfect day!

I've started taking a Wilton Cake Decorating course, which I absolutely LOVE! The instructor is wonderful! So far we have learned how to make frosting into different consistencies, and what techniques use each consistency. I will never use store bought frosting ever again! We have also learned different techniques to frost a cake - most of which I already knew from Cold Stone. My project that was due yesterday was a standard tort cake - which means it has a filling - and we had to use a star technique, choosing from 2 options in the book. I did the rainbow option - lame, I know - and it turned out pretty well!

It was Samantha's first birthday on Sunday. We took her to Petsmart to buy treats and puppy food. When we were checking out, there was a cardboard picture of a puppy against the window and Sam was afraid of it. She barked at it and it was pretty amusing. She's pretty much nuts.

Hopefully we'll have a few more updates later this week!

Summer To-Do List

2009-04-28T14:28:00.002-04:00

So, every summer I make a list of goals/things I want to do over the summer and even though I'm not done with all my finals yet (2 down, 2 to go!) I decided to make the list now.

In no specific order...

1. Take cake decorating classes
2. Keep up with going running
3. Take the philosophy course online
4. Go to Busch Gardens a bunch (We got season passes, I wanna use them!)
5. Spend tons of time with the hubby
6. Get a summer job...
7. Go on a couple day/weekend trips to DC
8. Eat LOTS of gelato!
9. Go on a mini vacation (or 2 hehe)
10. Go somewhere nice for our anniversary
11. Go on a picnic
12. Figure out what I want to do with my life, and how to do it
13. Go swimming
14. Take Sam to the lake
15. Go to the Holocaust Museum again
16. Get a mani/pedi or 2 hehe
17. Get a much needed massage
18. Get a new couch
19. Watch all of my favorite movies
20. Do something fun for my birthday

At the end of the summer I'll try to remember to send out an update of how many of these things I actually got done, lol.

Home Stretch

2009-04-21T21:50:00.003-04:00

Its finally the home stretch with classes. Next week is finals week, which I am very much not excited for at all, but Im excited for summer. Still looking for a summer job, but not having much luck. Any suggestions? Im going to take a cake decorating course, which is great. I Loved decorating cakes when I worked at Cold Stone, so this should (hopefully) be fun!

The puppy has a new hobby: taking her giant raw hides (the ones that are 3 feet long), chewing them in half, and rolling each half down the stairs, which then hits the hall door. After sending them both down, she runs down full speed and brings them both back up. Repeat. She's a crazy one.

Rosetta Stone went public last week, which was exciting for Peter. He was given some pretty sweet company stock, which is really nice. It's had a really great response! He's waiting to see what stock options Rosetta Stone is going to offer employees, and will most likely buy some more stock. He's pretty happy with that.

That's about all that's been going on lately. Pretty boring, I know.

Through the Eyes of Kids

2009-04-10T23:35:00.002-04:00

A friend emailed this to me and I though it was really cute! Ive seen these types of things before and theyre so much fun to read!

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY? (written by kids)
You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.
-- Alan, age 10

No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with...
-- Kristen, age 10

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?
Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.
-- Camille, age 10

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.
-- Derrick, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
Both don't want any more kids.
-- Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?
Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough...
-- Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure?)

On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
-- Martin, age 10 (isn't he ready for the world of dating?)

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?
I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.
-- Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
When they're rich.
-- Pam, age 7

The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.
-- Curt, age 7

The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them... It's the right thing to do..
-- Howard, age 8

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.
-- Anita, age 9 (bless you child)

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
-- Kelvin, age 8 (I like this kid)

And the #1 Favorite is ....

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.
-- Ricky, age 10 (He'll be married forever)

YUMMMMM!!!!!

2009-03-30T22:46:00.002-04:00

Tonight, Peter and I made angel food cake and homemade whipped cream with fresh strawberries! It was so amazingly good! Its one of my favorite desserts! We used the castle shaped bunt cake pan that we got for our wedding, and it turned out pretty well. I think that it would work better if we used a cake that wasn't so sticky though. We discovered tonight that Peter is excellent at making whipped cream! We will have to make it more often for sure! I also made puppy chow as a snack for us tomorrow. Puppy chow makes me feel like I'm a little kid again, I love it! It was great to spend the time with Peter tonight, we had so much fun.

About a week ago, Peter ordered a waffle iron for me and it arrived this weekend! I LOVE waffles! So I'm planning on using some of the left over strawberries and whipped cream for a waffle tomorrow. I can't wait! I feel bad, but every time that I have made waffles, Peter hasn't been around, so we might do that for dinner or something so he can have some. Sometimes the most simplistic things make me incredibly happy! Plus, they're a lot of fun to make! Gotta love it!

I know, I'm such a dork for writing a blog about it, but it is, after all, totally amazing! haha!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!!!!

2009-03-17T17:30:00.003-04:00

Happy St. Patty's Day!!! It's one of my favorite holidays of the year! I could eat corned beef and cabbage EVERY day, seriously. Plus, I think I look pretty good in green, not that I actually wore it today, lol.

It's not much of a stretch to say that I miss spring break! No matter how boring it may have been. The puppy is pretty upset that she has to stay at home alone all day while we're gone. Our front door is the type that has a giant window in it that we cover up with a curtain...well, she's been sticking her head in the window and jumping up on it while barking. I'm pretty sure that she is going to rip the curtain down one of these days, lol. Her new game that she likes to play, and shes getting pretty good at, is where she goes to the top of the stairs and I throw the ball up so she can catch it. If she misses it, she pushes the ball down the stairs, with her with her paw or her nose (it's very cute), so I can throw it again. If she catches it, she runs down the stairs and does a victory dance. I know, I talk about my dog like she's a kid...but she kind of is, right? Just a hairy version...

I am very excited to only have a month and a half left of this semester! I enjoy most of my classes, but I'm completely lacking motivation. Plus, I'm kind of excited for a few classes next semester (no, I'm not a nerd, lol.) I'm trying to figure out what I should do this summer job wise, but I'm not really sure. I might get my notory license and do that, but it's just something I'm considering at this point. Any recommendations would be nice :)

Just a little note...

2009-03-08T21:37:00.005-04:00

I am so happy that it is finally spring break! Spring semester always seems to take forever, and spring break means that its closer to being over. I don't have any plans for the week, but I'm thinking about going on a few day trips, along with the mountains of homework that needs to be done. I don't understand why professors think that spring break is an excuse to assign more work... I'm sad that Peter doesn't get any days off work, though. It would be so much more fun with him around.

Yesterday Peter played paintball for a few hours and I hung around the house. I contemplated seeing a movie while he was gone, but it's no fun by yourself :( When Peter got home we went to a BBQ with the guys he played paintball with and their wives. It was okay, but my favorite part was the banana split I got after. We found this cute gelato shop in Staunton that makes really good banana splits, so we've been going there a lot lately. It's all so good!

I always feel so much better when the house is clean, so I'm happy that I was able to get the house clean, or at least the downstairs, lol.

We've gotten a few requests for updated pics of the puppy, who isn't so little anymore, lol. So here you go! :)

She's big on comfort, lol

She likes to sit in front of the oven until we give her a treat...

2009-02-22T19:08:00.002-05:00

Though I LOVE weekends, I am definitely glad that this one is over! Life is pretty stressful right now: Peter with work, and me with school. Friday night we were able to get out and socialize by going out to Massaki's for dinner with some of our friends. I love Teppanyaki (sp?)!!! It's fun to watch the tricks they do with the food! And the sushi at Massaki's is so fresh that it's really good!

Anyway, Saturday Peter went to play paintball, and Sam got sick. We ended up having to take her to the vet for the second time in two weeks. I am getting soooo tired of cleaning up dog poop in the house. I do give her credit for going on the tile instead of the carpet though. Now she is on medication to clear it up, and hopefully she will get better and stay that way for while. The medication does make her tired and somewhat loopy, but its cute (Im sure thats not what she thinks of it though!).

Today we slept in and took it easy. We really needed it. I hope this week is less stressful!

A Little Piece of Heaven

2009-02-13T21:44:00.002-05:00

Today was amazing! I have wanted a waffle for over a month now, and frozen waffles don't count! No, I am NOT pregnant, I just go through phases where I want something...Anyway, I got my waffle today! It was no less than heaven! Thank you Sarah!

I am so glad it's the weekend, because this week seemed to drag on forever! And I am very excited for Valentines Day with Peter. He already gave me my Valentines Day candy and I cant wait for tomorrow! It's one of my favorite holidays because I am hopelessly romantic, and everything is pink!

Happy Weekend!

House HUnting and Other Adventures...

2009-01-25T19:05:00.004-05:00

Peter and I looked at a couple of houses today. Though he is more excited about buying a house than I am, it was nice to spend some time together. The houses we looked at today aren't going to work for us, but they were both nice. Hopefully we'll be able to find something we like sooner than later, because Peter is going nuts here. Whenever we tell anyone we rent from PPM, they all respond with "Oh, I'm sorry!" and a rather amusing facial expression.

On another note, Peter was a great husband last night and went to the store at 1am to get me sparkling grape juice (because he drank the sparkling pear juice I really like). It made me happy and I have quite enjoyed it. :)

2009-01-21T22:36:00.000-05:00

We (mainly me, Ashley) set this up months ago, but never really used it. So, I figured it would be a good thing to keep up with this year, I guess a New Year's resolution. I got an email this week listing 50 things you did in the last year, so I thought it would be a good way to start...

1. Got married
2. Peter Graduated
3. Got a puppy
4. Got our first apartment together
5. Went to California
6. Went to Minnesota (twice)
7. Played video games (Peter)
8. Got a job (Peter)
9. Bought a Christmas tree
10. Carved pumpkins
11. Had a computer hard drive crash (Ashley)
12. Went on a picnic
13. Got new cell phones
14. Drove through the parkway
15. Hiked up Humpback Rock (Ashley)
16. Went to a movie
17. Went to the beach
18. Body surfed
19. Had wallet stolen (Peter)
20. Had a flat tire (Peter)
21. Gone to D.C (Ashley)
22. Been pulled over and accused of smuggling drugs (Peter)
23. Had baggage lost by the airline, both ways (thank you, United)
24. Went to school (Ashley)
25. Went to Disneyland
26. Ate Mickey shaped pretzels
27. Ate a smoked turkey leg, a personal favorite (Ashley)
28. Went to Bush Garden's Halloscream
29. Went shopping at Short Pump (Ashley)
30. Went to Trader Joe's :)
31. Taken an art class (Ashley)
32. Visited Kami, Spencer, and James
33. Went to the homecoming football game
34. Went to IHOP!
35. Stayed at a beachfront hotel
36. Ate REAL Mexican food
37. Watched the Inaguration of the first Black President
38. Went to the Holocaust Museum (Ashley)
39. Gotten a speeding ticket (Both...)
40. Seen a sunset over the ocean
41. Had a pillow fight
42. Spent time with family
43. Tackled the puppy
44. Made/decorated cupcakes (Ashley, though Peter did eat them)
45. Made a gingerbread house
45. Built a snowman
46. Had a snowball fight
47. Went on Lacrosse trips to NC and TN
48. Been stuck in an airport
49. Bought a wedding dress (Ashley)
50. Got a grill (For both of us...Peters favorite)