better late than never

Engagement photos! I am sooooo late in posting these, but for your viewing pleasure...

Some highlights from the very fun, very wet photo shoot.

The rain changed our plans - and for the better!

Did you see the wet cobblestone street?

It never would have looked that swoony on a sunny day.

I love the pics.

Hope you do too!

numbers

159  - days until I marry my best friend.

TheKnot.com says so.

I'm pretty excited about it - he is, in my opinion - quite a catch.

He deserves a whole post to himself, really. Maybe tomorrow...

Back to the wedding.

Big things already accomlished: venue, music, flowers, THE DRESS, menswear, photograher, various decor and accomodations.

Things I need to get to soon: catering, my shoes, wedding party gifts, finishing invites.

Lots to do...and 5 months to do it in. I know this is what I do for a living, but I'm always open to suggestions...let me know if you have any you'd like to share!

Note: The weather in Washington - the Seattle area specifically - has been completely nutso the past couple days. Defitely the kind of conditions that make a girl crave grilled cheese sandwhiches (with pesto!) and tomato soup. So have at it.

(I didn't take this picture...but its close enough...seen one grilled cheese, you've seen 'em all)

for the love of aqua

Its pretty darn gray around here.

No rain yet, but there's a definite gloom everywhere you look.

One of the joys of northwest winters.

And so, in an effort to brighten my outlook, I wore my spring-iest aqua sweater yestersday...

As you can see, it made me smile :)

The gray gloom is still here, so today, since I was too chicken to
wear the sweater to work again, I'm celebrating all things AQUA.

I love these super perky flats from Nordstrom....

...and this lovely pale aqua cardy from J.Crew...

...who said Valentine's decor has to be red or pink?

Not me.

...and if I had this aqua Anthro apron, I might never take it off.

I love how fresh and clean all things aqua feel.

(sigh)

changing subjects completely now...

Tomorrow we are having our engagement pictures

taken by my friend Maggie.

We'll use them for our save the dates and for some wedding decor as well...

Maggie does beautiful work, I'm excited for her to do the shoot!

I can't wear white, polka dots, stripes, or - as Maggie called it -

"RuPaul eye makeup".

I don't think she has anything to worry about.

If I wear more than mascara on these peepers, its a pretty fancy day.

The plan is to do some pics at the local park so that we can have

Sawyer (the dog) with us, and more pics at Borders Books...

since that's where we first met.

Awwwwww.

Sawyer can't wait!

a very dangerous idea

Today I took a lunch break, something I rarely do.

I dragged my co-worker Jenny with me and paid a visit to The Spare Room.

It's a great little antique / flea market shop in Everett, just a 5 minute drive from our office.

Like I said...danger.

I only took pictures of the things I wanted and did not buy.

Not sure how that happened...but I'll take pics of the two things I did buy later.

For now, enjoy these lovely items that are still in need of a good home!

All this pretty chalkboard needs is a new ribbon to hang from.

It has no obvious home in my house, so I couldn't do it.

Oh, it was hard to walk away from.

This pretty was there 2 months ago the last time I visited.

I couldn't believe it was still there!

It is the most lovely pale sea green.

It has all kinds of organizational potential.

Maybe next time...

Ah.....Paris.

GORGEOUS.

This would look fantastic over a side board or in a formal foyer.

I don't have either, so again - it wasn't for me.

But I love it, and I hope that one day, this mirror - or one much like it - finds it way back to me.

Pretty.

Nothing like a big bowl of glitter covered angels...don't you agree?

I did buy a small tiered basket for the kitchen and an adorable winter farm scene painting.

I'll post those pics later...I love them!

It was a fun trip to The Spare Room but I was once again reminded why I go so rarely.

It is a dangerous business, this treasure hunting.

One more thing!

Last night, I copied her great idea.

Jane Eyre is now a lovely paper Valentine wreath on the inside of our front door.

It was just as easy as Flower Patch Farm Girl

said it would be and took just 2 hours!

I love it.

a clean house is a happy house

Jason announced last night that he wants to hire someone to clean the house twice a month.

Perhaps I should have been offended, but I wasn't.

Sounds good to me. I like a tidy house.

And there are days when I don't have the time to keep it as tidy as I'd like.

Jason is so thoughtful.

So tonight we have people coming over to check out our home and give us a cost estimate.

And I feel like I need to clean before they get there.

I'll get over that... er, hopefully.

This is a pretty kitchen. Mine doesn't look like this.

But maybe someday!

I love Meg's blog. Her house and all her photos inspire me.

Other things I'm inspired by today:

this Valentines Day book wreath that Shannan made

this custom belt from Laura Bee Designs...I'd choose the WaterColorMums fabric.

And how cute is this? I haven't tried knitting since I was seven, but this makes me want to give it a go!

rainy days and Mondays

Today was your average Monday.

Woke up much earlier than I would have liked to and eventually made it to work...where there were meetings and a couple meetings topped off by more meetings. My tasks for the day weren't exciting. I printed 250 invitations, then stuffed, sealed, stamped and labeled them. Oooooo. Ahhhhhhh.

I was cranky. With no real reason to be.

But, then I made turkey sausage ragu for dinner and got to enjoy a lovely meal with my boy.

I had a glass of red wine.

I talked to a dear, sweet friend who lives much too far away.

I cut hearts out of red felt.

I watched a TiVo'd episode of Oprah.
And I reminded myself that I had a job to go to. I am so fortunate.
I got over myself.

And now, a full hour past my bedtime, I am getting ready to sign off.

So, all in all, today was good....for a Monday.

flower power

Since I couldn't pass on these lovely "pins with purpose", I thought I'd share.

Photo from Laura Bee Designs blog

Check out these gorgeous felt flower pins from Laura Bee Designs.

The proceeds from these cuties support Mercy Corps, an agency supporting Haitian earthquake victims.

Such a nice reminder that every little bit of help counts.

Here's her blog.

I think you need one...I know I do.

comfort food

Look no further for your next meal.

Make this.

Just ignore the faux wood countertop and the clutter you see here. Rest assured that pretty (all be it new) Fiestaware has replaced those sad blue plates.

Please also ignore the fact that the glasses of wine are maybe a little too generous...sheesh.

Just focus on how pretty and yummy this meal looks.

L.o.v.e. this dinner.

I've never been a fan of lentils, but after this dish, I am a convert.

Did I mention I love this dinner?

Because I really do.

The recipe is from the Eat-Clean Diet Cook Book by Tosca Reno and has become a staple around our house. It makes an appearance once every two weeks or so. Unbelieveably good the first night and almost as amazing the next day as leftovers.

Give it a try! I usually serve it with either green beans or a yummy salad ~ a kabob of roasted veggies would also be a fab choice during the summer.

Moroccan Chicken with Lentils

For the lentils:

8 cups water

2 tsp. sea salt

1 lb. dried lentils

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 tbsp. ground cumin

2 tbsp. chilli powder

2 minced garlic cloves

Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, cumin, chilli powder,
1 tsp. salt and garlic together in a small bowl.

Set aside.

In a large stockpot, combine water,
remaining tsp. sea salt and lentils. Bring this to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium, simmer for 20-25 minutes

until lentils are soft. Drain well, rinse under cold water,
and set aside in a large bowl to cool.

For the chicken:

1 large onion, chopped

2 lbs. skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon (I usually double this)

1 tbsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. chilli powder

1 tsp. sea salt

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup chopped cilantro (or parsley)

In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil.
Add the chopped onion and saute for 7 minutes.

Add chicken breast and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add sea salt, ground cumin, chilli powder and cinnamon.

 Saute for 2 more minutes or until fully cooked.

Puting it together:

Pour the olive oil and vinegar mixture over the
now cooled lentils and stir well.

Place 1 cup lentils on each plate and top with
chicken and cilantro.

Enjoy!

Note: This recipe supposedly makes 12 servings. I have found 8 or so to be more accurate when served with a veggie side dish. If you want the entire 12 servings, I would add an additional pound of chicken to make the portions more substantial.

a New Year, a New Outlook

Historically, the days (ok, really the weeks) following Christmas and New Years have been a time of year I truly dread. I know this is a pretty common feeling and I'm glad to not be alone in my gloomy state. But I'm sorta sick of the emotional-merry-go-round, so this year I'm trying to intentionally snap myself out of the post-holiday funk.


...There may no longer be a 24 hour Christmas music station on my radio, but I will create new playlists on my iPod full of upbeat tunes and sing loudly as I drive to and from work. I will strive to be one of "those people" you see drumming the steering wheel, rocking out with complete abandon.

(I heart my iPod)

...I may have to pack all the Christmas decorations away this weekend, but I will find other was to bring joy and beauty into our house. This will mean several weekends spent painting rather drab walls, repainting all the kitchen cabinets, etc. Consider this fair warning: you will most likely be subjected to many before/during/after photo shoot recaps and a considerable amount of hemming and hawing on my part as I make decisions.

(These are not my ornaments, but I have now made a mental note to buy pink Christmas decor tout de suite.)

...No longer can I justify whipping out the standard excuses for over indulging in sweets during the holidays - "Oh heck, it's Christmas - I'll just have one cookie!", "At least I don't eat like this all year" and my favorite: "I just CAN'T watch White Christmas without eggnog...blasphemy!"

"Mmmmmmm......."

Instead I will dive head first into healthy meal planning, trying new fun recipes and expanding my repertoire in the kitchen. I will take the dog on extra long walks, make good use of the Wii Fit and fall in love with the eliptical.

Still "mmmmmmm" worthy, but in a better-for-me sort of way.

So there you have it. I've got a lot of bucking up to do...but as a self proclaimed "cockeyed optimist" I certainly don't expect it to take too long. I promise to keep you updated!

And now I'm curious...what methods do you use to snap yourself out of post-holiday blues? Or any blues for that matter? Share your secrets!