Merry Christmas and Happy Valentine's Day!

I realize that this post is late, but we did not get one of our gifts until Saturday, so you can see why there might be a delay.

Holidays and birthdays and anniversaries around our house go a lot like this:

J:What do you want?
E: I don't know. I don't need anything.
J: Well, what do you want but not need?
E: Nothing.

Which, in reality is nice. With the exception of my wish for smaller thighs, I have all I want. So we decided this year that instead of exchanging needless things, we would buy ourselves something for the house. This is why people get married, I am thinking. So they don't have to buy this stuff themselves.

Whatever.

Anyway, we exchanged little gifts at Christmas and were debating between new pots and pans (Hey, have you heard that eating the nonstick surface of your pans isn't good for you? Crazy, right?) because ours were hand me downs or cheapies and needed to be introduced to the trash. Or we were considering a down-alternative comforter. Because, you know. That would be nice.

We chose the pots and pans because there was a fantastic set at Cost-co and we couldn't pass it up. Seriously, awesome set. Stainless steel, copper bottom and along the sides, wonderful.

This picture was taken right after Christmas which explains all the munchies and treats on the counter. Sort of.

My dad said they were nice, my brother called me a lucky bitch, and my mom said they were too nice for my stove.

Thanks, y'all.

For anyone interested, it was the Cost-co brand (Kirkland?) and it's a huge set with lids and a steamer and everything. They all cook things evenly and once they get heated up, shit stays HOT.

Then we decided on Valentine's Day that the same thing applied. We wanted nothing. We needed a new toaster oven, as the one I had got in college had seen better days and only worked on the top side, not the bottom. So you had to flip everything you put in there. Plus, we don't own a microwave, so a toaster oven is truly our go-to counter top appliance.

So here is the old one:

 It's the Toastmaster deluxe. From the year 2000. It didn't even come clean anymore. It actually had to be tossed and could not be donated. Jeremiah suggested that I open and close the door one more time, for memories. I did.

We replaced it with this:

There are positive and negative reviews for this, but there were positive and negative reviews for all the ones we looked at. KitchenAid is the brand, and I knew once I saw it, I wanted it. Mainly because it is three pronged on the outlet, and most toaster ovens ARE NOT. Which is crazy, because think of the power they got floating through there. So the three prong means that I most likely won't get electrocuted. Yay. Also, the wire trays hook in the back so they don't slide all the way out and you find your food on the floor. Plus, this beast can cook a whole bird, people. It came with two wire racks, a broiler pan, and something that hooks up a bird.  So far we've used it to do a mess of potatoes and some toast...AT THE SAME TIME! Everything cooked up superbly and evenly.

So there you go. Two wonderful purchases and two wonderful reasons why you should get married and register for gifts.

I Will NOT Be the Grinch.

I have not been blogging as much.

We have done stuff around the house.

Walls are painted. New lamps. Art on walls.

Here's the deal:
Both of my computers are completely full. Meaning, there is no memory space for me to upload pictures. I delete stuff, but somehow still no room. This makes it frustrating as I like to share the going-ons here.

So I am feeling grinchy because I just took pictures of our holiday decor. Quick and easy. Then I tried to load them onto my computer. For AN HOUR. I got rid of over 100 pictures. Plenty of space to upload twenty or so shots.

Just kidding.

So after much stress, here are some tree pictures. Which started out as fun, but now I am ticked.

Deep breath.

I am going to do what I usually do. Highlight some new favorites. And sometimes some old favorites.

 The theme on the small tree this year was blues, greens, pinks, and purples.

Crate and Barrel, Glass, Love!

Handmade by a friend of my mom.

Reminded me of Jeremiah. Crate and Barrel.

Crate and Barrel. Glass.

 While I like the star on my mantel, I am not loving the mantel decor itself. I think I need to move some things that are on the right. I've got some ideas.

Any extra ornaments always find a place in a container.

The bottom of this lamp from Salvation Army is open, so I slipped some ornaments in there, too.

Have you met the pig? I found him over a year ago. I love him. We don't eat pig or cow here, and I take an odd delight at having this little porker hanging around the kitchen. I have a bird that is the same style, but he has yet to find a home on the walls. 

 The front tree has the same theme as last year - metals. Golds, bronzes, silvers, whites, and ivories.

The little birdhouse is new. Clearance from Target.

I actually bought this at Jo-Ann's. Not on clearance, just liked it.

World Market, this year. He was just too cute to pass up.

Glass ball from Crate and Barrel.

Maddie has done her best to destroy Christmas this year. She only goes after the big tree, which is awesome, because most of the breakable ornaments hang on this beautiful beast. So far she has only destroyed the one bird, which was felt, not at all breakable. Odd. The tree looked better the first few days, before she began climbing it. There will be some rebending of branches come January.

I guess that's about it. Friends, I hope that you all have trees that are withstanding children and pets.

If I Could, I Would Marry This Room. Just Saying.

Awhile ago I mentioned that I/we had been working on my studio. My Special Place. It is with a completely and utterly adoring heart that I share these updates with you. Sometimes, even though it is not even close to being finished, I just go up and sit in there. It is such a calming and happy space for me.

First update is the shelf. We actually have four that we acquired at the end of May. They were going to be thrown out. So instead, we stuck them in the back of the Forester. Two immediately were hung in their current condition out in the garage. The other two I sanded, primed, and painted white. One will go in a guest room and then one went in my room.There are little hooks that Jeremiah took off while I was fixing the shelves, so at some point those will be screwed back into their proper places.

It is directly above my gorgeous desk (which is not being shown due to the fact that it is a disaster and has not been organized yet). The shelf obviously is not filled yet. For awhile Maddie Vache slept in the bigger basket.

The next update is the lighting. Sadly, the three guest rooms are not hardwired for any ceiling lights. They all have one switched outlet. Any light that is to be hung must be swagged. For about three years, I have coveted this capiz chandy. Dreamed of it. Whispered to it every time I saw it at the store. For Christmas, Jeremiah's parents graciously provided the funds to get me the light of my dreams.

I can't even describe how much I love it, but I will try. When it lights up, it looks like shimmery gold.

If the AC is running, it almost sounds a bit like wind chimes. I love it.

The framed picture is a print that Jeremiah gave to me for my graduation present in December. I had seen the artist's work up north in a gallery and loved it. The girl is in the woods and is slightly whimsical looking. I identified with her. The wall to the right will be filled up with more art/posters/photographs.


Lastly. Holy crap. The Borders shelves. I purchased three (and fit all three of them in the back of Old Red). When we got them home, Jeremiah liked them so much he immediately bought one from me for his music stuff.

Two of them are going to go in my room. They are huge, reaching almost all the way to the ceiling. I need a foot stool to reach the top shelf. The process for sanding, priming, and painting is a long one. They are so big that only one can be done at a time. In addition, this one was done during the summer and the garage was easily one hundred twenty degrees while I was working on it. I think it took maybe five coats of paint? I am nothing if not a perfectionist. Totally worth all the work, though:

I have books grouped by genre so far, and I am sure to keep it that way, but the second book shelf will help immensely. I am almost out of room already and I still have books throughout the house.

So those are the updates. I seriously am so happy with it. I wish you a space that makes you as happy.

p.s. I have read two exceptional books lately. The first one is Her Fearful Symmetry, which I could not get out of my head when I was done. The second was Homer's Odyssey, which is about a woman who adopts a blind kitten named Homer. Incredible. I cried numerous times. Any one else reading anything good? I have been reading like crazy since I finished my degree.

Wakey, Wakey Part 3 - The Final Episode

The final part of the trip lands us in Petrified National Forest. All my normal exaggerations aside, this place was incredible. Humbling.  I might have gushed a bit. Jeremiah's response to my gushing? "Dirt is 225 million years old. Do you feel humbled by dirt?" I think he was just cranky because he had been driving so long.

We started at the park entrance and then headed through, following the map and narrow road for the twenty-eight (?) mile route. At first we didn't see much petrification of wood around us and I was getting miffed. We only had an hour before the park closed and I was feeling discouraged. The painted mountains were gorgeous, though. So some perks.

In the above picture, I'm not sure if there was a fire and the stuff on the rocks was ashy stuff or if it was mossy stuff. Didn't really seem to be an environment conducive to moss.

This was totally intimidating to drive next to. Especially when you could see huge boulders that had already slid down the side.

Finally on the side of the road, I saw some petrified wood. I screeched to Jeremiah that he should "Stop the damn car!" and I hopped out and took some pictures.

All around the chunks of petrified wood are little (pocket-sized) pieces. I have never in my life wanted to steal as badly as I did at these moments. I'd get back in the car and Jeremiah would say, "Did you put some in your pocket?" All accusingly like. My response was "Do I look happy like I just stole something? No. I do not." Jeremiah's nature/park motto is "Leave only footprints, take only memories." which is posted at Effie Yeaw near where he lived in California. So he is my annoying conscience. Not that I would really steal, but holy crap it is tempting to take a piece of 225 million year old history.

The pieces don't look huge, but they are:

A little background for you:

We stopped at this tourist shop to get a postcard for my grandma. I get her a postcard on every trip I take.

We spent the night in a shady hotel. I actually saw a man smoking a non-plant-based material in a pipe outside while I was waiting for Jeremiah to get our room. I have never hopped over into a driver's seat so fast in my life. Seriously, I could have won a medal. I wanted to be able to leave the scene if I needed to.

I should mention that the dogs did fine on the travels, but it would have been much easier to travel without them, especially Spike. In the car, fine. In the hotel, barking. Not so great. Although, I don't think that that was the biggest concern with regards to our hotel.

The next day we headed for home, this time through Flag.

We are celebrating our 100 year birthday this year in Arizona.

Liars. Big fat ugly liars. I didn't even believe them on the way home. I scoffed at their signs.

I might have screamed a bit on the way home. Mountain driving is a beast. You are right next to the rail, where you can see little crosses put up in memory of those who did not make it back down the mountain.

Plus, you can see the semis heading north UP the mountain. One wrong move, and you are toast. I hope those drivers think about that. My life is in their hands.

When they redid the highway, they decorated/arranged the rocks to make it look pretty.

Here's our sign celebrating Arizona's birthday. Palm trees replace the mountains from the earlier shot.

Home sweet home.

Anyone else take any trips lately?

p.s. Dairy Queen story - On the way home, we stopped at a DQ that we visit nearly every time we head up to Flag/Sedona/Jerome/Wherever. The guy asked us if we wanted dog dishes. They were free, he told us. Not knowing exactly what a dog dish was, we said yes anyway. Mostly because I am in love with free stuff. He gave each of the dogs their own little dish of ice cream. Good Lord, those were some happy dogs. Spike was like the owl in the Tootsie Roll commercial, where the owl says "How many licks to the center of a tootsie roll pop? One, two, three!" and then the owl bites the pop. Spike took about three licks and then just ate the whole ice cream at once. Atticus, on the other hand, did delicate little licks while sitting on my lap. He kept looking up at me and his little whiskers and chin had ice cream all over. Took him a good five minutes. So cute.

Happy Anniversary!

Jeremiah and I have officially been together for six years.

Holy crap, that's a long time.

We had an anniversary weekend, which is fun. Always extend holidays and celebrations to allow for maximum good times and good eats.

On Saturday, we started up the fun by walking to the neighbor's house down the road and begging for permission to take pictures of his cactus. It only flowers once a year and the blooms last only for a day or so. I had a lot of fun taking pictures, but there were a ton of bees.

Like, a whole bee colony.

I had to go to a happy place while I took the pictures. I tried to not think about what might have happened if I got stung. I'm sure that there would be an allergic reaction.

 So I just took a deep breath and then I did not take any more breaths after that. Okay, so maybe I did breathe after that, but I tried my best to remember everything I read in The Secret Life of Bees. So I respected the bees. I wasn't making any sudden movements.

 I think the bees had their own things going on, anyway.

After the near-death experience, we drove to Goodwill to return a shirt and Salvation Army to buy books for ONE QUARTER EACH. Seriously. I got five books.

At this point, I mentioned to Jeremiah that a friend had suggested we go to this park and he agreed that it sounded worth checking out. In all honesty, it did not matter what he thought, but it always helps when one comes along willingly. It's like with my students. You need to make them think they have a choice.

Kidding, Jeremiah.

All of the roses at the park were in bloom - it was gorgeous. The second that we got out of the car, the smell of roses and orange blossoms hit us. Very fragrant.

The historic part of the park focuses on these old buildings at the ranch. Something like 13 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. 

 Mostly I just took pictures. I did not really look around the buildings much. Most of the people were focusing their attentions on the buildings and plus there were a lot of kids running around. The human kind, not the goat kind. So I stayed near the roses.

 They smelled fabulous.

 At one point I heard "Cocka-doodle-doo" or whatever it is that chickens make and I got cold & sweaty. Freaking HATE chickens. They are the scariest bird, am I right?

 The peacock was a bit full of himself, sitting on the picnic table and making the weird peacock noises. Since I am incapable of making or typing chicken noises for you, I won't even attempt the peacock noise.

On our way out, I snagged a picture of the cool arch over the road entering the park.

We then went to Smashburger, where we treated ourselves to sandwiches, milkshakes, rosemary & garlic seasoned fries, and a split order of fried pickles. We aren't really fried food type people, so this was a bit of a test on our digestive systems. One of our systems held up, the other one failed later in the evening. Too much information. I know.

Ooh, we also hung a chandy in my studio! I picked it out a few weeks ago and yesterday it went up. It looks fantastic and the second I take my camera upstairs I'll get some pictures posted.

What did everyone else do this weekend?

P.S. I am starting to watermark some of my pictures. Lately I have had people image searching certain pictures on the blog. I'm cool with the looking, but not the taking. I'm possessive. I don't share with others very well.

p.p.s. I just found my old pictures of us throughout our couple-dom. Not you and I. Jeremiah and I.

Here goes:

Once we had been dating long enough, I made Jeremiah get rid of these jeans. Not all jeans are created equal, and these poor jeans were...no words. I have no words.

Kayaking.

We ate here. One year later, we ate at the same place and I was sick for two days. It's like this picture was a premonition of what was to come.  I am not sure if it was related to the food or not, but I will never go back.

First of all, I might be bossy about my camera. Secondly, this guy won't win any photography awards. That's one of my favorite coats, just fyi.

Tahoe.

This was the next year, after I had eaten pizza of death. I had spent two days in the bathroom. The frown might be because I am facing the sun, or it might be because I am wondering where the nearest bathroom is. Jeremiah looks good, though. This is after I started dressing him.

Jeremiah took me up north in CA so I would not miss Michigan's fall season. We picked pumpkins.

Jeremiah looks like a naughty little boy. I can't believe he made me put that damn hat on.

I'm posting this one because I think Jeremiah looks GOOD. My ensemble was a last minute scramble after he announced a surprise trip to Tahoe. Leaving Phoenix I had not packed for the snow, JEREMIAH. That's not even my coat. That is my hat, though. Ear infections, remember?