So Simple, So Sweet

Happy Valentine's Day my lovely readers. =)

I had grand plans to do another installment of the color series, but those were swayed by two early morning conference calls and a general lack of motivation. Instead, I leave you with this:

Woke up this morning to these funny little surprises from my husband. Whether you're single or taken, may your day be filled with reminders of just how loved you are.

Video Round-Up: Curls, Whales, Babies and Poetry

Like most of you, I encounter a plethora of media on a daily basis that I think might be interesting to share with my readers. Most of the time it's articles, however I've come across a lot of really great videos lately. Here's what made the cut this week:











*thanks for pointing this one out Jolene!

Have you come across any interesting videos lately? Feel free to share the link in the comments below. =)

Super Bowl Sunday: Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ahhh...football season. The fragrant scent of fresh cut grass, the stark white glow of stadium lights, the joy of a winning touchdown. It's all so...boring.

Even though I'm not a fan of football, I understand why it's such a big deal to so many people. So when Sarah of SarahFit posted a recipe last month for "Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip" in honor of the NFL playoffs, I bookmarked it right away. I may not have a desire to watch the Super Bowl, but I'd tune in if this spread was in front of me:

See what I did up there with the beer glass? That's my attempt at making the dip appeal to the men in my family. I think I may have squashed my chances by delicately layering stalks of organic celery in it. ;-) The chips are for the whiners who "don't like vegetables." They shall go unnamed. For now. 

I followed Sarah's recipe almost exactly, with a few notable changes:

• Rather than boil the chicken, I simply put the frozen chicken breast, ~1/2 c. water and a sprinkle of pepper in the Crock Pot on high for a few hours. 

• I topped the dip with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, as that's what I had on hand

This one's a winner, folks.

Which team are you rooting for this Sunday?

Simplicity List: Setting the Table

Here are some simple things that have made me happy lately:

• The howl of the wind on a lazy morning

• Adding cinnamon to my morning tea and watching the tiny dots swirl around the mug

• An empty kitchen sink

• Setting the table for breakfast on a Saturday morning

• Spending time with my sister

What's on your simplicity list this week?

The Sweetest Surprise

As I continue to celebrate my husband's birthday, I thought I'd stop by the blog for a quick post about the sweetest video I've seen in a while:




I tear up every time. =)

Tigerlily: More Tiger than Lily

My cat...

...sweet little nugget that she is, has suddenly become fascinated with my hair. Let's rewind a bit, shall we?

Imagine a sleepy Thursday morning around 7:30 a.m. You're wrapped in a soft blanket, hanging on to the last moments of your dream...
Gradually -- almost as if it's part of the dream -- you hear "chew, chew, slurp, chew, chew, slurp."* You're not so sure it's real, so you let it go. But then there it is again, almost brushing your ear. "Chew, chew, slurp..." You lift your head up, but feel a slight tug on your hair,  which is still slightly damp from your shower the night before. You jerk your body to the left, toward the nightstand. And there she is -- your sweet grey tabby cat -- eating your hair.
You're offended. Go away stupid cat, you think as you shoo her away dazedly. That's so gross. But THEN...then you look just past your pillow, slightly to the right. It's a little hard to see so you grab your glasses.
And that's when you notice the CHUNKS OF YOUR HAIR that the precious furbaby has gathered in a neat little pile. Cue scream.

Yes folks, my cat gnawed off my hair. Not all of it, thank goodness. Lucky for her, my long hair hides it well. Also lucky for her, I'm forgiving.

*Onomatopoeia, of course.



P.S. I took a "before" photo today. Tone It Up, here I come!

Oh Yeah, That...

Remember how I said I was excited to decorate my house...like yesterday? I forgot that I have to unpack first.

Somebody send help.

Bright and Sunny

Now that we're still unpacking and living out of boxes all moved in, I'm ridiculously excited to decorate our new home. While I've always appreciated my mom's knack for interior design, terms like "modern minimalist" and "art deco" aren't really in her design vocabulary. Needless to say, I'm craving something a bit different for our home. No set plan yet, but here are the inspiration photos* I'm eyeing at the moment:

I'm really loving bright, sunny shades to go with our navy blue couches. We have a mirrored starburst piece (similar to the first photo) hanging above our white brick fireplace. We're working with tan walls -- which is way better than a stark white, so no complaints there. And I'm thinking of adding some paper lantern-like lights, mustard pillows and who knows what else... Ikea, here I come!

What's the color theme in your living/family room?
 



*I'm far too disorganized today to remember where I picked up these photos. If they're yours, and you would like me to take them down or credit you, please email me at swift.as.shadows@gmail.com

Movin' On Up...

My husband and I got married more than two years ago. We started off living with roommates (a family of four). It was nice, and we had a small part of the house to ourselves. It was kind of like living on our own. After seven months, my parents convinced us to move in with them so we could start saving up to buy a house. Keep in mind I have three siblings. We knew it would be difficult, but saving for a house was important to us. So we packed up our stuff and moved back home. Since November 2009, husb and I have lived in a four bedroom house with my dad, mom, two sisters and brother. It's been...interesting. I love my family so very much. But as a 25 year old married woman living at home, I became enveloped in some sort of identity crisis. I was treated as "wife," "daughter" and "big sister" all under the same roof. I am -- of course -- all of those things. But there's something tremendously challenging about answering to all of these labels at once.

Now here we are, May 2011:

We're moving!! That's why I've been MIA from the blog. =)

Did we save enough for a house? No. In a nutshell, we managed to save a lot. But not enough for the 20% down payment and a 15-year mortgage. We decided to rent. "But houses are so cheap right now!" you say. We know, but here's why we decided not to buy after all:

1) We have debt. Some credit cards, a car, etc. Not a ton. But it's there. We're following Dave Ramsey's financial plan -- so we will absolutely not buy a home until we're debt free with an emergency fund in place + a 20+% down payment, etc. Not everyone gets this -- including my parents.

2) We're not too keen on living in this town long term. So why would we buy a home here? This market can make it difficult to sell a home. We don't want to get stuck. We're young. No kids. Let's travel! =)

Have you ever moved back home?
What are your packing/organizational tips?
Any ideas on accent colors for navy blue leather couches? 

Marriage Advice from a Newbie

Today is my grandparents' 49th wedding anniversary. They got married on Cinco de Mayo because my grandpa won my grandma's heart much to the dismay of her then-boyfriend, who was French. So, just as the Mexicans defeated the French on May 5, 1862, my grandpa "defeated the French" on May 5, 1962.

Although I still consider myself a newlywed, I have picked up a few tidbits of helpful info during these last two years of marriage.

• Don’t be rude.
• Listen to him.
• Laugh at stupid stuff together.
• Trade massages.
• You’re not always going to like each other. That’s ok.
• Do not laugh at the way his ear lobes are attached to his head. Apparently these things are normal.
• If you do happen to laugh at said ear lobe deformity trait, compliment him on something else.
• Hold his hand in public.
• Learn his love language. Make sure he learns yours.
• Discuss money. Establish mutual guidelines. Finances can be boring, but they’re important.
• Don't finish the bag of Trolli sour gummi worms
• Be honest.
• Never forget your identity. Even though two become one, you are still unique. Celebrate this.
• Embrace the butterflies from the early days of dating.
• Remind him that you’re proud of him.
• Don't underestimate him.
• Spray his cologne in the air when he's not around. 
• Figure out ways to have fun together.
• Figure out ways to have fun separately.
• Establish traditions. Advent calendars at Christmas, quesadillas on Saturdays, etc.

What is one thing you've learned about marriage, or relationships in general? 

I Heart Mickey. And Marshmallows.

...annnd we're back!

Disneyland was insane. The good kind of insane, not the straitjacket kind. I laughed. I cried. I ate chocolate and caramel covered marshmallows on a stick. This park is completely synonymous with "my happy place." Sure, tropical destinations are cool too, but Mickey > beach (most days at least). Here's the recap. Mostly in pictures because I'm lazy cool like that.

Thursday: Worked. Drove for hours. Watched live Royal Wedding coverage when we got to our hotel. We were exhausted, but I'm into fairy tales. ;)

Friday: The big 2-5. Opened the gift my sister sent with me. Had a blast at Disneyland and California Adventure. Wore a "Happy Birthday" button and felt special.

Sunglasses with a bow on the side. Cutest ever. Thanks sis!

Birthday OOTD

Oh hey Walt.

"California, California...Here we cooomme"

Saturday: More Disneyland magic. Wore a "Happy Anniversary" button and felt special again. Ate the best tacos in Downtown Disney. Continued my love/hate relationship with Hollywood Tower of Terror. Bought a Jack Skellington caramel apple.

Went from "happy to see this building" to...

"holy crap. Get me out of here!"

Bye Disneyland. =(

Sunday/Monday: Bask in the sadness that comes from leaving Mickey behind. Celebrate two years of marriage with Thrifty ice cream. It's what we do.

Sunbeams.

Pistachio and Chocolate Malted Crunch. Love.

Where is your happy place?

Checklist of Champions

Birthday Nails?

  Check.

Mickey Bracelet?

Check.

The happiest t-shirt on Earth?

Check.

See you in Disneyland!

Weekend Recap: No Shame

Friday night: Mom's birthday party. I ate three too many pieces of focaccia bread. It is what it is.

Saturday: Visited the adorable niece and gave her an Easter basket filled with Gerber banana cookies, purple socks, a kitten beanie baby and a Cookie Monster book. She gave me a dozen drooly besitos for it. Love. Later that night the husb and I met his grandma, aunt and cousin at a local arcade/buffet type place for my 25th birthday (which is next week). Yes -- the place was full of ten-year-olds and sticky hands, but going there is a tradition. Plus, I rule at skee ball.


Sunday: Churchie. Family time. Agua de arroz. Coconut cupcakes. And an epic Easter egg hunt for ALL the grandkids. Forget the quarters and Skittles -- these plastic spheres were stuffed with five and one dollar bills. $16 later, and I'm completely unashamed. =) Here's my outfit of the day:

Again, mediocre iPhone photo because my camera sprouted legs and walked away. Hate it when that happens. ;)

Details
Coral boyfriend tee: Target
Skinny brown belt: Forever 21
White lace skirt: Target
Long brown cardigan: American Eagle
Nude pumps (not pictured): Cathy Jean

What did you wear for Easter?

Earth Day OOTD

I had major plans to deck myself out for Earth Day in blue and green...but time got in the way. And my love of butterflies. And the pizza that arrived right when I was about to pick out my clothes. But there's nothing wrong with going for an old standby. Slouchy top, bright tank, sequins, comfy jeans. Yep, it's the weekend.

Apologies for the poor quality photo and messy setting. Oh, and the wrinkled shirt. But I used Instagram, so that makes up for it -- right? ;) I was left to take the photo myself, so that's why the bottom half is missing. Ah well...such is life. We all know what boot cut jeans and mismatched socks look like anyway. ;)

Off to go celebrate Con-dizzle's birthday! That's my mom's name. Don't wear it out.