48 hours and counting…

 

i can’t wait!  i can’t wait!  the daily news cafe is hands down my favorite spot for breakfast!  carlsbad has easily become my favorite get-a-way place!  i LOVE north san diego for all it’s cute little shops and restaurants and even though i don’t surf, it’s such a little surfer town.  i love how the beaches aren’t crowded like orange county beaches and i love that there is REAL mexican food!  i think i really am 1/8 mexican you just can’t tell on the outside.  carlsbad here i come (and mattie, i promise not to have too much fun without you)!

i like summer.

today is july first and i’m feeling refreshed.  a new month.  a good month at that.  lots of fun things planned for this month and a month full of summer-ness.  a trip to san diego.  matt & my’s 3 year anniversary.  project runway.  a trip to seattle & portland.  two weddings (or maybe 3 or 4…i lost count).  a bridal shower for my baby sis.  and a whole lot more.  i like summer.

 

on another note…i drank 2 cups of coffee this morning and i have the jitters. 

and i went tanning yesterday (to get ready for my trip to the beach on friday) and got fried.  some girl at the tanning place asked me last week what ethnicity i was cause i looked tan.  so i got confident in my semi-brown body and didn’t use lotion and my whiteness turned pink.  why can’t i be 1/8 mexican or something that tans at the drop of a hat?  whatever.

i’m curious…

i fill out forms a lot where you have to know important information about your spouse, but it’s not information that is necessarily common knowledge.  so i would like to propose a quiz called “how much do you REALLY know about your spouse? “  (and you have to know this information off the top of your head - not by looking it up or at a calendar.) 

1.  their social security number?

2.  their mother’s maiden name?

3.  their mom’s birthday (if you know the year too, you get an extra point)?

4.  their dad’s birthday (if you know the year too, you get an extra point)?

5.  where they were born (the city)?

6.  their shoe size?

7.  their favorite band?

8.  their cell phone number (you can’t look it up in your phone!!)?

9.  the last time they went to the dentist?

10.  the first boy/girl they ever kissed?  (first name = 1 point, first & last = 2 points)

there are a possible of 10 points with 3 possible extra credit points.

insert the number of how many you knew in the comments section (not the actual answers!) - i’m taking a poll and the more responses the better!!

a spectacular summer weekend in nor cal

we had a fabulous weekend!!  a death cab show, an afternoon in san fran, lots of bbq-ing on our new bbq, triple-digit weather (104 on saturday and some ungodly temperature today), and a great movie!

a wholesome breakfast on saturday made by my top chef…

omelets - and they were awesome!!

embarcadero

ghirardelli square

yummy!

mmm…cupcakes!!

the cannery

the famous cable cars and the bay - hardly any fog!

waiting for the show

death cab for cutie at the greek theatre in berkeley

sweetness - the show was awesome!!

and we went and saw “get smart” tonight.  2 thumbs up!  it was worth $20!  

the hair-ball from hell

intro:  

our vacuum cleaner has been loved.  it was passed on to jasen sometime long ago and then was passed down to amanda and me when we were roommates from ‘03-’05.  matt and i inherited it when we got married.  needless to say it’s at least 6 years old, my guess is it’s closer to 10 or 12.  let’s just say it’s so old that i had to buy replacement bags on the hoover website because they don’t sell them in stores.  

insert dilemma last saturday:

i’m vacumming the house like any good wife would when it started to make some squeaking noises and smelled like something was burning.  ”eff!”  so i turned it off and examined the problem at hand.  it appeared that the bag was FULL - like SUPER full!  so i proceeded to hunt for replacement bags to no avail.  on sunday i go to linen’s and things with my 20% off coupon and well…they don’t sell the bags i need because all the vacuums that they sell are bagless - hmmm….looks like we need to move into the 21st century with our vacuum cleaner, but that’s foolish - our vacuum works fine, it just needs a new bag.  so i came home and found them online for $7 for 3 bags and proceeded to wait by the mailbox until my bags came so i could finish vacuuming my dirty house.

almost 2 weeks later (today):

vacuum bags arrive in the mail!  i’m thrilled!  i remove the FULL vacuum bag and replace with the new one and start to vacuum my humble abode.  it’s STILL squeaking and STILL smells like smoke!!  ”eff! now i’m going to have to go out and buy a whole new vacuum cleaner!!  this sucks!!”  

the lightbulb goes off:

i have a funny feeling that the squeaking noise is the belt in the vacuum that’s stuck.  and sure enough… this is what i proceeded to CUT OUT WITH SCISSORS that was wrapped around the belt of the vacuum cleaner:

conclusion:

let my mistake be something you never have to go through… make sure the belt of your vacuum is clear of all hair, string, thread, etc and remember that if you smell smoke, 99% of the time it’s NOT a good sign!!

dear husbands…

i would like to take a minute to explain to you yet another quirk about us women. 

we LOVE undies (aka underpants, underoos, underwear, etc).  every single pair is different unlike you men who like your particular style (briefs, boxers, or boxer-briefs), brand (hanes, fruit of the loom, emporio armani if you’re david beckham, or banana republic if you’re my husband) in one of 2 colors - black or white OR the occasional gray if you’re feeling adventurous.  however, we women have hundreds of thousands of styles, brands, and colors to choose from!!!  SO when victoria’s secret is having a sale (which started yesterday) we FLOCK to find our new collection. 

also, you should know that there’s something about a new pair of underwear that just makes our day.  no one else has to know, but to us it’s fantastic!!  so when we rack the credit card up during the semi-annual sale, please know that it ONLY happens twice a year and we’re sorry in advance for what may seem like out of control spending, but now you understand why. 

love,  your wives

p.s. wives, if you don’t agree, i apologize for speaking on your behalf. 

i heart chocolate

that’s all.  nothing profound.  just thought you should know.

my laundry marathon

i have a friend that thinks it’s strange that i go grocery shopping on wednesday or thursday nights.  for people who work 8-5, errands and household chores are typically done on the weekends - it’s when most people have free time.  

well…let me introduce you to a paradigm shift that will change your life:  

finish ALL your errands and chores BEFORE the weekend.  your weekends can be THAT much more relaxing and enjoyable.  instead of wasting your 2 precious days in line at target, you get to enjoy doing things that you really WANT to do.  

so… tonight i’m in the middle of a laundry marathon.  you might be asking yourself, “how many loads of laundry classifies a marathon?”  to which i show you:

diagram 1:

note:  this does not account for the load of whites that is in the washing machine in this photo. for 2 people - this is A LOT of laundry.  1 load whites, 1 load jeans, 2 loads darks, 1 load down comforter, 2 loads sheets/blankets, 1 load towels, 1 load of dark delicates, and 1 load of light delicates = 10 LOADS OF LAUNDRY.  people… this is NOT okay and hence is called a marathon.

how to endure a laundry marathon:

#1 - febreze detergent and dryer sheets will change your life!!

diagram 2:

i was introduced to febreze prodcuts by amanda and i do have to say they make laundry enjoyable.  i’ve never had a problem with doing laundry - it was one of the chores that i told matt i would willingly do.  as long as you have your own washer/dryer and don’t have to lug 10 loads of laundry to a laundrimat and then have to pay for it, it’s really not that bad.  but i’m telling you, febreze makes all the difference!!  try it!!

#2 - someone to guard your items that need to be taken to the cleaners!!  this is vital for enjoying your laundry marathon!  you become stress free when you know that your items made of fine wools and cottons are in good hands.  i searched high and low for the BEST guard and this is what i came up with.  be afraid…be VERY afraid:

diagram 3:

     

and yes…there’s a good chance i will be doing another 5 loads of laundry next week!  i know…i have issues BUT my sheets smell amazing!!

a hot mess

so this post has 2 completely separate things that are classified as a “hot mess”:

1)  christian siriano, the winner from project runway season 4 used the word “fierce” all the time during the show, but when something was hideously awful he called it a “hot mess”.  speaking of which…project runway season 5 starts in july!!  they started filming this week in new york!!  AND season 6 will start in november on lifetime (instead of bravo).  YES!!!  i freaking CAN’T wait!! 

2)  my friend, lauren, made this FABULOUS chili this week and invited me over to enjoy it - mind you she used 4…yes FOUR jalapeños in her pot of chili.  i nearly died, but it was so good i went back for seconds.  so…i decided to try the recipe for myself and i used ONE instead of her ridiculously spicy four and yes…i made a hot mess (in a good way) in my kitchen.  dad!!  i turned a new leaf!!  i cooked with jalapeños!!  i should make this amazing pot of chili when we see you in july!!

life is precious

this news is so devastating.  steven curtis chapman’s youngest daughter, maria, was killed wednesday night when her older brother accidentally hit her in the driveway with his car.  what a tragic thing to happen right in front of your eyes.  life is so precious.  his daughter was so full of life that this video will make you laugh and cry.  may God continue to pour out His peace upon this family.