we're having a(nother) nephew!!

it is official - my sister & brother-in-law are having another boy!!! we are all so excited. there is something about finding out the sex that just seems to make things "official"(at least for those of us who aren't actually carrying the baby).

i can't wait to see how this little boy loves his new brother


crosby nelson, we can't wait to meet you!

onions

i think everyone in the blog world follows 'a cup of jo' (and if you don't, you should!) but her post today provided a little trick to keep you from crying while chopping those mean onions. can't wait to try it! check it out here.
picture via

greatest hits - trying to be like my sister

although i spent most of my childhood trying to be as 'cool' as my sister, i'm not quite sure i succeeded. however, we are definitely two independent people, both cool in our own right... :)
today i am stealing one of her weekly blog post ideas and creating my own "greatest hits" - sorry cort. if you haven't checked her blog out lately you certainly should!

so, although i have again been under the weather this week, lots of fun and festive things have taken place! here is the documentation of a few of them:

1) zach and i traveled 30 minutes west to the great city of ft.worth last weekend for a little get-a-way. we saw a country concert, ate yummy bbq, visited the zoo, and caught up on much needed sleep.





2) as tradition would have it, the wednesday before my dad's birthday, the family visits a local dive bar to eat burgers, drink beer, and listen to "red" sing old waylon and willie songs



3) as for christmas traditions, the women of my family have been getting together for the past, i don't know...10+ years, for brunch at the festive neiman marcus store downtown. it is something we all look forward to every year.




4) for the past few years, my lovely friend elizabeth has hosted a christmas cookie decorating evening for all us girls. this year we combined it with our potluck dinner and white elephant gift exchange. it was wonderful.



5) and finally, zach and i were able to keep the tradition alive, courtesy of texas paint, by attending a yearly cowboy's game!



i just love holidays, and the traditions they bring. i hope everyone else is enjoying this christmas time of year!

he asked me a question...

yesterday marked three years since zachary got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. and yesterday, he surprised me with these at work:

and we spent our evening decorating for christmas


my sister's words of wisdom when we got married was to write everything down. such good advice.
the day he proposed i remember;
-we arrived in new york city (with my family) to snow and a very delayed rent car arrival
-he was unusually tense
-he tried on at least three outfits, all of which he complained about
-the parents rented all of us a limo for my dad's birthday
-he excused himself from the dinner table to go to the bathroom
-he tapped on my shoulder and i turned to him on one knee
-i hit him, and said shut up
-then yes
-he fell asleep in the limo shortly after dinner (stressful day, i suppose)
-we sat up most of the night trying to decide who would be in our wedding party
-i was so very happy

such a great memory!

pictures needed

so it has been a while, to say the least. i have been super busy at work and once i get home and go to the gym, all i feel like doing is lounging on the couch mindlessly watching tv. sad, i know.
lots has happened since i wrote last...thanksgiving, christmas shopping and decorating, fun times with family and friends....all of which have been undocumented due to me "misplacing" our NEW camera. uuuggghhh. i shouldn't be trusted with expensive things.
so without any fun pictures to post i will simply provide you with a link to one of my bestie's blogs where she has the cutest post on a hanukkah project. her little video makes me miss her more.

miyan

home sweet home

making a house a home.
sometimes i catch myself feeling so proud of my home. don't get me wrong, most of my minds thoughts revolve around what else we "need" to do to our house, but every once in a while when the house is fresh and clean i stop and realize how much of a home it is. i had one of these moments a few weeks ago as zach built our first fire of the year and we cuddled up on the couch. i just felt so at ease and comfortable in our home.
my parents have what i consider the best 'home-y' feeling home, if that makes any sense (and yes i realize i may be a bit partial). people have always felt welcomed and relaxed in their house. growing up most of my friends spent as much, if not more, time at my parents house than at their own. i hope to one day have a home as comfortable and inviting as theirs.
here are a few pictures of living spaces that seem to me to exude a wonderfully 'home-y' feel
this living room, with its tall arched windows is awfully inviting

paintwork by barry a. martin painting, design by cathy kincaid interiors

i would love to host dinner parties in a kitchen like this one

paintwork by barry a. martin painting, design by cathy kincaid interiors

this soothing bathroom invites a good book, bubbles and a glass of wine

paintwork by barry a. martin painting, design by cathy kincaid interiors

what do you think makes a house a home?

highs and lows

when i was young my family would sit around the dinner table to eat each night. most of the time we randomly talked about the various events that happened that day, but on some nights my mom would start a 'conversation game' called highs and lows. she adopted this game from our church youth group and it simply entailed taking turns telling each other the high points of your day along with the low points.

so i decided to share, with you, my highs and lows of the week. enjoy.

HIGHS

-dressing up like this for the annual mandell halloween party:

(kat von d & jesse james)

seeing my friends dressed up like this:


attending a friend's beautiful wedding

"i love going to weddings, it reminds me to love my husband" - molly

seeing this little elephant (my nephew) on halloween:


-eating a yummy dinner at my mom & dads with my great aunt who just moved back from colorado.

-catching up at work and having my grandma come in and help organize

-the start of true wedding festivity planning for one of my besties

-having the sun return to help me handle the cold weather a bit better

LOWS (by the way, 'lows' don't deserve pictures):)

-getting sick, coughing, sneezing, running fever, etc

-leaving my ugg boots in the bathroom floor where bella (our dog) found them and removed part of their amazing lining.

-the cold rainy weather. this week was the first true 'fall weather' week we have had around here and the beginning of it was accompanied by nearly 48 hours of solid rain. yuck.

-missing my normal workout routine b/c of the sickness.

under the weather

picture via
i am stuck at home today, sick. my time has been spent curled up on my couch with a dog at my feet and a roll of toilet paper by my side. i have been sneezing, and coughing and simply feeling like poop. being 'locked in' is not something i am good at. my mind reels with all the things i could/should be doing. i do not like missing work and when i spend time at home i want to be doing something productive around here. but, the two successful loads of laundry i did this morning wiped me out....so here i sit, miserable.
in attempt to be positive;
+i've caught up on my blog reading,
+the weather outside is rainy and cold, making my 'lock in' a bit easier,
+and it was kinda nice eating waffles for lunch.

taken for granted

the husband and i spend a lot of time together. we live together (obviously), we work together, and we spend most of our free time together. it has only been about a year since we have added the 'work together' part, but it never seemed to affect us one way or the other. spending all our time together feels natural, as if we shouldn't have it any other way. however, i am currently realizing that because we spend all our time together when we are apart i miss him lots. he is away for a night and two days for work and it just seems weird without him. i have realized that i may take some of the little things for granted.

today i missed:
finding sticky notes on my keyboard
his welcome kiss when i arrived at work
walking in the back of the shop and checking him out in his painter's overalls
coming home to him lounged on the love seat
his "hey momma" greeting
him playing with the dogs
him throwing dirk's (our dog's) stick - a chore i hate doing
tonight i will miss:
eating dinner with him
him wanting to go get tcby
taking the dogs outside together and enjoying the cool evening
him playing with my hair
his arm around me as we sleep

he may only be gone two days, but it sure does make me realize how much i love all the things we share together.
hurry home babe.

obviously i am not the only one who misses him.

eat, drink, and be merry

so this weekend the girls came over to my house for the first of what i hope becomes a monthly potluck dinner. it was so very nice to eat, drink, talk and laugh with the girls. (no offense z.). we all have such busy schedules these days. the teachers are hard at work molding young minds, others are pulling off two jobs, some are busy being newly weds while others are planning weddings. i guess that is why it is so very nice (and necessary, if you ask me) to make the time to get together and enjoy each others company.
*i absolutely could not ask for a better group of girls to call my own.*

-i love you ladies!

wood ceilings

i often dream of owning a home with grand ceilings stretched by beautifully finished wooden beams.

picture: barry a. martin painting contractors

i've never really thought of completely covering the ceiling with wood, but after seeing these it seems like a wonderful idea...

eclectic home design

picture via

time flies when you're having fun

two years ago today we said i do. we promised to share this life together as husband and wife. i can't believe it has been two years since that day. i love him more now than i did then, and look forward to celebrating this day for the rest of my life.
he makes me one happy woman!

lists

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i love lists. well, to be honest i'm not sure if i love them exactly, it is more so that i find them utterly necessary in my life. at the end of each work day re-write my day's list eliminating the items i have accomplished/checked off and adding ones that need to be accomplished the next day. the only problem with my little system is that my list never ends. there has never been a time where i have looked at my little note pad and seen all my items checked off. it is almost as if when i see myself getting close to accomplishing the 'complete check off' i search for more to-do's to write down. yes, i may have a problem.
on the personal life side of things i make many little lists. my house is scattered with them. i am sad to admit that there have been many a friday nights where i have said something along the lines of "okay babe, what all do we want to get done this weekend?", while holding a pen and paper in my hands, as if we would do absolutely nothing if i didn't write out a 'plan' first... again, i may have a problem.
none the less, it is what i do.
i just recently made a little list of things i want to get done in the near future (to be honest the heading is 'october')here it is:
*update all framed pictures in the house
*change my workout schedule to primarily before work instead of after
*host a girls dinner party
*find new side tables for either side of our bed
*finally start organizing wedding mementos into a book (it's only been 2 years)
*find and finish a good new book (sadly i haven't been reading lately)
*create a good halloween costume (instead of throwing something together at the last minute)
*add decor to the guest room
*go kayaking at the lake
*ride outside in the fall weather!
*cook a roast
*dig up our wilted garden

does anyone else rely on lists like me?
i sure hope so.

lets celebrate!

picture via
every moment should be a celebration, don't you think?
in just a few moments i am going to begin my weekend of celebration! you see i have lots to celebrate:

my birthday. well, really it is more like my 1/2 birthday, which i usually do not celebrate, but back in march (on my real birthday) the husband presented me with concert tickets for september 23rd, so tonight he and i are going to lay/sit/jump around on a lawn and watch the kings of leon perform!. i can't wait!


our 2nd wedding anniversary. well, there is a catch here too. our actual anniversary is october 4th, but due to the previously mentioned concert, we decided to take friday off of work and celebrate our anniversary a week early!


the state fair of texas. worthy of lots of celebrating, the great state fair begins this weekend. we are planning to go and eat fried food, drink cold beer, and walk around until our legs give out.



oh, and of course fall. today was the first full day of fall, which i say is cause for celebration! fall marks the start of cooler weather, football sundays, pretty color changes and cute cardigans...all of which i am extremely fond of.


i hope everyone else out there will take some time to celebrate too!

tid bits

i thought tonight i would share a few tid bits of the goings around here lately.

*i participated in a outdoor yoga class (cleverly called: "downdog & drinks") which helped raise money for two beautiful and brave women who are walking in the susan g. komen 3-day for the cure.


*i saw (what i think) was my 12th dave matthews band show. crazy. and it was still as good as it was the very first time.

*my sweet husband surprised me with a new yoga mat, i then convinced myself that having a pretty new mat justified purchasing myself a pretty new yoga outfit...oopps.

*i also tried out another new studio which i am very fond of, and supported a yogi who just became certified by attending her awesome class.

*i rearranged and reorganized my sparsely visited upstairs.

*i laughed lots with the husband, sister, brother-in-law, parents, and friends.

*i have decided that our dining room is in need of a fresh coat (or two) of paint in a fresh new color.

*i replaced the American flag that hangs outside our house with a proud Texas flag for a change of scenery.

*i watched my beloved cowboys play an awful game, then got mad.

*i ordered 2 amazing furniture books i have been eyeing for the business

*i listened to lots of welcomed rain fall

bed bliss

the husband and i have lived together for approximately 4.5 years now. for the past 4.5 years we have also shared a full size bed. our first home together was a small duplex, where the full sized bed fit myself, zachary and stevie (our tiny cat)perfectly. then we moved onto a cute little rent house where zach surprised me with a cute little lab, who in turn became a BIG spoiled lab that felt it necessary to sleep in bed, next to me, every night. and then we bought our first home. we kept noticing how small our full sized bed looked in our new big bedroom. within the first few months after moving we rescued our second dog. while she is not quite as big as our first she still made her presence felt when she squeezed herself onto our little bed every night. so, there we were one big happy family (zach, myself, both dogs, and one of the two cats we have)sharing a full sized bed. when i say we were a "happy" family i mean we thought we were happy. it wasn't until this week that we discovered how ignorantly happy we had really been. sunday afternoon we picked up a KING SIZED BED we purchased from some friends who were moving out of state, and oh. my. goodness. not only does the new bed look huge, it is huge! on our first night spent in this king bed we cheerfully called up the two dogs and all sprawled out. we were absolutely blissful. this may not seem like a big deal to most but let me tell you in our house it has made all the difference in the world!

our bed mates:


i know, i know... our dogs are too spoiled...but look at them.

strength

picture via
i heart yoga. it seems as though i am certainly not the only one who appreciates this practice, as yoga has becoming ever so popular these days, and i am by far no expert on the teaching nor practices, however, i am a participant who thouroughly enjoys the challenge and movement yoga provides my body. i have been attending classes regularly for a year or more now. the class i most often attend is lead by a teacher i have grown particularly fond of and comfortable with. recently she left to travel and study in india for a few months which has led to numerous other teachers leading her class. although i miss the familiarity of her teachings these past few weeks have definately broadened my yoga horizons, if you will. last night one of my favorite people took me to visit one of her favorite studios for the first time. this was the second 'new' studio she has introduced me to and i certainly hope it was not the last. it amazes me how each new class challanges me in such different ways. we left last night wondering why everyone doesn't practice yoga. it is such a calming and cleansing exercise.
needless to say these past few weeks have affirmed that i want to continue to try new places, new classes, new positions and new practices. the strength and solidity my whole body feels after a yoga class is unmatched, and while i am very comfortable with my current physical routine, i hope to continue to branch out and challenge myself.
ill keep you posted...

a city life

it has been a while, i know.
zach and I were lucky enough to enjoy a WHOLE week in new york city and although a week long vacation is a-mazing it has taken me a WHOLE week to catch up.
none the less, lets talk about new york!
we had the most amazing time. because of the generosity of some extended family friends we were able to 'live' in the city instead of simply vacation there. we arrived to a small but overly adequate apartment in the lower east side of manhattan where we were greeted by two precious kitties, a detailed and personally written guide to the neighborhood & city, five flights of stairs, sunny weather, and limitless possibilities. most other vacations are confined by the pressure of time limits, but this one was long enough to eliminate the desire to cram everything into each day. after referencing 'miranda's guide to nyc' and a few other published guides we made an agenda which consisted of one 'must do' a day. but, in general, we woke up without an alarm clock, went walking for hours, had mid afternoon naps, ate really good food, drank expensive beer, laughed lots, saw lots, and took lots of pictures.
here are a few of the highlights:
walking the brooklyn bridge

having drinks at this "new to us" bar

moseying around chelsea market, and union square,


and taking the ferry to the statue of liberty and ellis island

but most of all - spending time relaxing. together.


oh, and after extensive testing and examination - we still can't decide if pinkberry or red mango is better.

always on my mind

i sure wish real money was as easy to come by as monopoly money. i have so many ideas for my house and so few dollars to spend on them. i have a small notebook in my purse where i write down ideas as they come to me. the only problem with this little idea book is the fact that there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to it. i have notes about the house, work, gifts, food, you name it, all stuffed onto a few pages in a small notebook. SO, i have decided to prioritize.
lets talk house:
the first area in need of improvement is my dining room. we spend very little time in this room, but its bare walls are always on my mind. although we do have some great pieces; my parents passed down chandelier and buffet, a new and large table, and a painting passed to us via my grandparents, much of the space (wall space in particular) is bare. So here are some ideas i have for whenever my "home improvement savings account" somehow acquires moolah.
I have thought of mirror backing old shutters to hang on the wall

picture via

or displaying beautiful plates/china on the walls


design by and painting by

or finding large sconces of some sort.


picture via

other rooms on my "top priority list"

master bath -looking for a large piece of framed photography that takes my breath away.

patio - longing to add a cover of lattice and vines and hanging lanterns, like this:

patio design by new york architect SchappacherWhite Ltd.

we should start playing the lottery, to increase our chances of becoming rich...
because i haven't even let myself begin to think of ideas for our upstairs...