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Things I Want to Remember

June 2, 2014

Funny I ended the last post with “and things went back to normal” because as you know, they’ve been anything but normal. I figured it’s about time for an update lest I forget everything as I am prone to do. I’m not really sure where to start! Let’s start here:Yippeeeee!! I’m so very proud of this pee stick. You must know, I’ve wanted to be a mom probably since I came out of the womb myself. I literally planned my whole life around it. I chose art, ya cause it’s awesome, but mostly cause I could do it from home *kids*kids*kids* Had any guys I dated known I was thinking this way, they’d be running for the hills but luckily I got a rockstar husband whose gunna be the most amazing dad there ever was (besides my own of course). Oh my. I can’t wait to meet this little one. We have a long way to go but it’s been so crazy following this kido’s progress so far! Already, at just eight weeks, he or she is the size of a raspberry, has taste buds forming (how they know this, I don’t know), has pretty much shed that funky little tail, and is getting closer to losing the webs on his or her hands and footsies! We do hope he/she sheds these. I’m pretty sure it’s a girl but Greg thinks it’s a boy. Who knows – it’s basically a 50/50 guess : ) We got to hear its little heartbeat a couple days ago which made me unbelievably emotional throughout the day. Greg kept asking me, do you even know what you are crying about? and I didn’t. I guess I was just ridiculously happy. Here you can watch too:

That’s my I’m not crying face/voice. I guess it just made it all so very real and exciting. They say you’ll gain 1-5 lbs in the first trimester and I’ve already gained 4 just in between doctor visits :’ ( So, that’s been fun. I’ve always been pretty skinny so I can see when I put any weight on, pretty quickly. Greg says he’s noticed too. I suggested he keep that to himself. But besides feeling chubby all over, I swear I have a bump! Albeit tiny. I show you next time.

I found out early cause of my super duper cheapo tests I ordered online that came in a, yes, 50 pack and obviously needed to be used whenever possible. Plus I really felt like I had almost every symptom in the book, so, naturally I started testing the day before the day they said you could possibly have a result and nothin. IIIIII actually feel like a saw somethin but Greg said it was all in my head. So, as soon as he left for work the next day I tried again and sure enough! there was somethin there. I knew husband wouldn’t believe my discount strips so I headed to the store to get a real one and sure enough, same result. And then I tested again and again and probably eight tests later, I thought I had enough evidence that he would believe. Now I had a whole day to keep the biggest secret of my life all to myself. It. Was. Awful. Naturally, I baked a cake (Costanza style).

This pathetic creation is sadly the height of my baking skills. But it worked to tell the news since Greg walked in and was thrown by the fact that I baked a cake from scratch and it was not, in fact, funfetti, although now that I think about it, this would be the one time my beloved cake would be appropriate. Nevertheless, he swept me into his arms, kissed my tummy, and told me he needed to sit down.

We got to successfully tell both our moms on Mother’s Day which was awesome. We made it through a whole cocktail party the night before without anyone getting suspicious, thanks to my juice mocktails and Greg’s ninja sipping skills when the wine came around. It’s awfully hard to keep such things a secret. I hate secrets to begin with so this has required quite the effort. I have the cutest little pregnancy announcement (well I think it’s cute – yes it’s of my dog) that I’ve just been waiting and waiting to post but alas, my wise husband says we should wait on more public forms of social media. Sigh. Anyways, I’ve been feeling alright. Little bouts of nausea but not too bad and thank the Lord no vomiting yet. I. Hate. Throwing. Up. I’ve been ridiculously tired and hungry all the time (which probably explains the oncoming thunder thighs). And the cramping parties have been fun. Let’s see, I’m sure there’s loads more news but it’s been so long it’s hard to remember it all. Overall, I feel like our future and everything about it is once again completely in the Lords hands so I’m excited to see what He has in store. If you think of us, we’d love all the prayers we could get to have everything fall into place in His timing. We sure love you guys a lot and I promise I’ll keep this updated with little beans news! Eeeeeee! WE ARE HAVING A BABY!!!

He has Risen!

April 24, 2014

by hillywoohoo

comments 4

terrific trips / that dog Bentley / the daily life / wedded bliss

So, if you have just been gripped with suspense as to whether Greg liked the outdoor addition, well, I’m happy to report, he did. Yippee!! Just look how happy.He was awfully cute bringing out as many candles as possible so we could have a candlelit dinner instead of turning on the dreaded outdoor light : ) I have trained him so very well. I love warm nights and that one was one of our favorites. Kinda one of those days where everything tastes amazing and was just what you were craving, and the stars are extra bright and the bugs leave you alone. Magical. I’ve so very much enjoyed our new plastic addition. Bentley especially loves when I go outside and sit with him. He curls up right next to me and entertains himself nicely like a good dog should. Plus, the weather has been heavenly and hot lately which logically sounded to me like a good time to knit a scarf on the two days it was pushing triple digits. But hey! I’m so ready for winter now! Even if each part of the wool is strewn with sweaty hand sweat. In other news, Greg let me get some gorgeous spring flowers which certainly brightened up my week! Aren’t they just lovely? I just love flowers. I can’t wait to have a place that we can invest in the garden : ) : ) Someday, someday… or maybe in heaven : ) You are probably most wondering how that dog is doing. Just kidding. Only I wonder that. Alas, I shall tell you anyways. We’ve probably become best friends. We watched his friend Lulu all weekend two weekends ago, which was a little slice of hell, but once she left, Bentley went into a deep depression and has been the best mellow dog! I knew this would fade once we went to Santa Cruz but I had the most wonderful week with him before that! He even became a real part of the family and got a tag with his name : ) He’s very proud of it!

^^See! My loyal companion that refuses to leave my side. Best friends are we.

Annnnd guess what guys! I finally went to my first art gallery since we’ve been down here! I met a friend in BSF and we went together to the Getty! And oh my is it gorgeous up there. Lookit!And I got to see a giant Jackson Pollock!It was funny cause there was a whole room devoted to theories on what kind of paint was used… whether the canvas was up or down when certain strokes were applied… whether the paint was brushed on or dribbled etc… You just gotta love what thrills certain people ; ) I do love seeing art in person though… it’s kinda like seeing a celebrity for me. I get all shaky and excited : )

And thennnnn off to Santa Cruz for Easter! We weren’t going to go this year but my husband is dear and loves to spend holidays with family. We have yet to spend one alone ; ) Obviously, there were pretty drinks involved. I swear this isn’t all we do but comeon! He makes the most lovely cocktails : ) It’s always so very lovely to see my family.. if not a little nerve racking now that Bentley has proven he can lift up tables and allow burning candles to slide around atop the angled surface. Luckily, we spent Easter at my aunts beautiful little house and they have a high energy dog too which is always a relief. He can be a bit of a bully to get little dogs to play with him : [ Exhibit A: The Kiss

But anyways, look how pretty!

^^dad apparently has glowing capabilities

^^Greg protecting us from all things bug

I just love their house. It’s so warm and cozy and filled with loads of love. Anddd thennnnn on Monday, Greg and I got the most lovely treat! We got to go on a day date to Carmel without the dog of stress and didn’t feel bad about leaving him behind cause he had his Uncle Lory to play with! It was ever so nice. Obviously, there was cheese. And coffee..And oysters and martinis and each wonderful thing. And it was gloomy and beautiful and ahhh.. I just love it down there. I once took a boy to see the beauty that is Carmel. He drove down one street and said, “I don’t see what all the fuss is about..” and turned back around and went home. THE CHARM THE CHARM! Some people… And then we had to leave. But God is good and sent us a little bit of happiness upon our return home : ) And things went back to normal. Just with better cheese.

The Sun Is Coming, The Sun Is Coming!!

April 7, 2014

by hillywoohoo

comments 2

that darn house / that dog Bentley / the daily life

Okay, it’s always sunny here, but even in a place of constant sun, I’m looking forward to summer and backyard barbecues and running through our freshly mowed weeds with my ever perky pup. This weekend we conquered our great fear and took Bentley to a dog park. I’ve heard horror stories of such places and have avoided them like an Egyptian plague but when my friend invited us to join her and her dog, well, a couple aching for social interaction must not waste such opportunities ; ) We got there and sat in our car, dreading the confrontations from other dog moms about how our dog is bullying their dog (he has a horrible habit of giving WAY too many kisses. Incessant kisses, one might say). But we rallied and decided to walk him around the perimeter to, I don’t know, get him use to his surroundings I suppose. Then, deep breath, in we went and holy rockin cow! My boy did SO good! I was soooo proud of he! Running, playing nicely with the other dogs! Biggest smile on his golden face! Greg and I looked like parents who just dropped their kid off at kindergarten for the first time. It was pathetic but oh so happy. I really can’t wait to take him back cause, let’s face it, we’ve talked about the lack of socializing that guy before…

His favorite friend is obviously Lulu. She’s my friends dog and sometimes she comes over to play while Kat is at work. Lookie lookie – they even visit the watering hole together <3

Yesterday was a lazy day which was lovely and oh so needed. I’ve been getting up real early to get the dishes done and the house straightened before Greg goes to work so that I can work on my stuff too! It’s been quite fun, minus the early mornings, but even those help me get going so I suppose that is a good thing. In true artistic style, I painted over my last lady again and have been working all week to get her back hehe. She was too dark before so now she looks freakishly white. Awesome. Not. My big task for the day was painting our little number sign out front. It’s been the most awful red color and has bothered me all these months, so it has been painted the only color we own – grey – the color of our dining room table, chairs, side table and now sign out front. Soon our whole house shall be painted this color, simply because we have it. But, I like it. It makes me happy. To wrap up our laziness, we decided, the grocery store is not necessary, even though our food supply has run short. One can always have breakfast for dinner! And so we did. And we finished our Harry Potter marathon which was nice because I couldn’t for the life of me remember what happened so it was quite exciting.

The weather has been HOT lately. It’s currently 88 right now! So naturally, that makes me want to be outside more. This has led to a lot of meals sitting in our driveway BUT NOT ANYMORE!! I’m constantly wrestling in my head over saving for something I love or getting something cheap and temporary so yesterday, I finally broke down and said no more to the meals on the floor. I ordered the cheapest plastic adirondack chairs I could find AND a picnic table and I got a call today saying they were on their way to be delivered! I can’t wait to surprise Greg with a meal outside that didn’t take place on the ground : ) : ) It’s been so very hard for me to not tell him they came : ) I couldn’t believe how fast! Oh my. What a difference. I just sat out there for a second and soaked in the sun and listened to the rustling leaves and the birds wings flapping as they flew over and ahhhhh its was magical. OH I forgot to tell you the best part! Our backyard is mostly, no, entirely weeds. I knew they would ask where I wanted the picnic table and went to check the area full of overgrown-ness and dog umm droppings, and was so embarrassed. Had I known they would be delivering the next day, I would have had Greg mow it yesterday when he mowed the front lawn. I had no clue how to start up that man machine and had heard Greg complain about how difficult it was each time it was used. But! I tried a couple things and on it came! Seriously, I am beyond proud. And I got it mostly mowed before it died, so that’s another thing I can be giddy to show that guy when he comes home. I will not attempt to fill it with gas again. I remember my parents not being pleased the last time I tried that. Who knew all gas wasn’t the same :-> I saw, in all it’s glory, my full artistic brain while mowing this space. I see Greg (and everyone else in the world) approach such a task with methodical accuracy. Back and forth, back and forth. That approach didn’t occur to me till later as I zigzagged here and there approaching those weeds like a Jackson Pollock painting. Let’s go over here! Oh, over there looks overgrown! Hmm now over here! Ah well, it’s mostly mowed : ) And how happy it makes me. See, Mondays can be happy. And look! We can even see a smidge of the mountains now! Oh, hallelujah.

Happenings in the Home

March 31, 2014

by hillywoohoo

The Worst Place To Bring A Dog

March 19, 2014

by hillywoohoo

Oh Mr. Time, where do you go?

March 14, 2014

by hillywoohoo

comment 1

family days / terrific trips / that dog Bentley / the daily life

This last weekend, we headed up north for my cousin Lauren’s 30th BIRTHDAY PARTY! Naturally, it was an 80s theme party. Not one to brag, but….. I kinda won the costume contest… Actually my other cousin, Ashley, and her husband, Ricky, won first place cause they showed off their inner Madonna and Hammertime side (ugh if ONLY I had worn my cone bra), but I got next runner up which won me some Airheads and other chemical treats. So proud. Of course, this came with feeling hideous for most of the night but alas, you can’t have everything. So that was that.. in other news, does anybody want a golden retriever? Mine is available. He’s really bad. If I hear one more person say, “Oh! Golden Retrievers are so loyal and TRAINABLE! What a wonderful companion!” I will kick them in the shins. My dog, is the WORST dog and is totally having me rethinking the whole “we should be parents one day” thing cause clearly, we suck at it. I’m very tempted to send him away to Colorado for a month to see if he comes back a good dog but somehow I think we would fork out the money and he would return as the same ol rebellious dog we have today. I read just this morning that if your Golden is skittish or hostile, then something is not right. Oh great. Bentley is scared of everything and well, not necessarily hostile except if you tell him no, then he’ll lunge and nip at you and look at you with those eyes that say, “don’t you be telling me what to do.” It. Is. Awesome. We raised this pup, folks. Anyways, I’ve concluded training him is pretty much a full time job and it doesn’t help that there is little advice on the inter web for what to do if you can’t devote every moment in the day to such a furry creature except the good ol how dare you bring this sweet, wonderful creature into your home and NOT put in the time to train him properly! How SELFISH! Sigh. These are the things we didn’t fully realize prior to our blissful purchase. Anyways, any tips or suggestions are much appreciated : ) I’m not really sure how to get anything done anymore with the “make sure your dog is getting plenty of exercise – two, one hour walks a day should be fine” or “make sure you are spending at least 45 min a day working on training with him!” Not to mention the frequent play breaks you must take throughout the day so that you can bond and also the need to socialize with other tolerant animals you are magically supposed to know. Conclusion: a sad, frustrating future. But he’s REALLY good when he sleeps! Best dog.

oh ya, say the word and he’s all yours..

Welp, I finally got my office set up! I’m excited about that… only took 6 months.

It’s still pretty ugly but I love having all that room on my desk and being just a bit more organized. I put up one of those shelves all by myself. I was so proud and so excited to show Greg but made the mistake of mentioning how odd it was that when I drilled, yellow stuff came out, and ended up getting scolded for going into the insulation rather than receiving the heaping amounts of praise I was expecting. So, we’ll probably hear a big crash one night, but for now, my stuff is up off the floor and my little heart is happy. The other thing that makes me excited these days is our new juicer! I took back one of my outfits from our last after taxes shopping excursion, and was able to put it towards my health instead. How very mature of me! I love juice and I love making my juice. I just don’t like cleaning it up ; ) But! At least I feel a bit more healthy these days since I see allllllll of those nutrients going into my formerly unhealthy body (big fan of gluten) so that’s one less burden on these little shoulders. I hate making breakfast and lunch so I normally skip them which obviously makes me grumpy with a headache and other complications ; ) so drinking such meals makes my brain oh so happy! Andddd that’s pretty much all that’s been going on with us lately! Tonight I think we’ll be heading out to an art walk with some friends from our bible study so that should be fun… This time change has made mornings particularly sleepy so that whole social agenda might just go out the window. We shall see. Cheerio!

PS I just talked to Greg and he said I can’t get rid of that dog. Sorry if you happened to be interested based on my lovely description of him. : )

Bubbles and Bikes

February 28, 2014

by hillywoohoo

comment 1

that dog Bentley / the daily life

RAIN!!!! Finally! I kept seeing all these posts on Facebook about how cozy Northern California was the last couple of weeks so naturally when I saw the little rain symbol on my weather app, I did an over the top happy dance. That was supposed to happen yesterday. Instead, yesterday had the tiniest sprinkling I’ve ever seen in the morning and rounded out the rest of the day with a heaping does of sunshine. Lying weather app. But! good news! Back up – the night I finished my painting, Greg was out with the guys so we couldn’t carry on the family tradition of CHAMPAGNE! CHAMPAGNE! So the next morning, he snuck out of bed and went and got some OJ and that delightful bubbly just for me! Sweetest of mens. Now, I was determined the rain. was. coming. which meant that dog was going to be cooped up with me inside for days and days. Meaning of course, he was in desperate need of some hardcore exercise (as if one good session lasts for more than an hour afterwards). Now, I am not a runner. I wish I was but I most definitely am not. I do love to walk or hike but sadly this dog, well, to get him tuckered out, you have to go for a couple hours which I don’t always have time for. Therefore, insert angel songs from above, a bike can come in handy! I love my bike! I got a boy to build it for me back when I was young and manipulative, and it’s white and pretty and perfect, WITH a bell and a basket : ) Bentley, well, he’s a big scaredy cat. So, we’ve been going real slow and he’s been getting real good about goin with the bike. Slow for a bike is a nice trot for him so it seems like the perfect solution to our exercising problems! There have been some times where he gets going, looks away, seems to forget the bike, remembers the bike, freaks out, and we end up lurching into a bush or something, but so far, no big deal. But yesterday, instead of getting scared and running away from the bike, he ran in front of the bike which may have caused me to swerve a little too hard and umm crash : ) I remember bike crashes when I was a kid. They hurt. But MAN they hurt more when you are old! I think I fell on my hip cause it hurts like a mutha but the scariest thing was seeing my dog get even more scared and take off. I was so very afraid he wouldn’t use his highly intelligent brain and instead run in a panic in front of a car or something. I must have hit kinda hard cause things started to get kinda dark and blurry but maybe it just caused that whole half glass of champagne to go straight to my head. Who knows. My body is weird and fun and likes to lie down in places where there is nowhere to lie – usually the grocery store. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started to black out in the grocery store. I think it’s the awful lighting. Just kidding. I have no idea what it is. Anywaysss, luckily I was able to call him and he waited for me to walk over to him and there was a nice patch of grass to collapse onto : ) Noted: always bring your phone with you when you go on a bike ride by yourself. Especially when your husband has just left for work and could probably turn around and come give you a much needed hug. I knew I couldn’t stay on some nice persons lawn all day without it getting weird, so we mustered up all our strength and by the grace of God got home, albeit with a touch of blurred, darkening vision. So, we’ll have to come up with a new solution to get that energy out cause that wasn’t very fun. But! Today it’s RAINY and dreamy and wonderful. And I have an excuse for not moving very fast so I get to enjoy it fully : ) I think that dog knows he hurt me cause he’s been real good and has been staying right by my side all day and keeps looking up at me with the saddest of eyes. Willy good. Happy Friday everyone!!

^^ Eeee! He always waits at the window to watch dad leave for work. Good dog.

^^ Eeee! He always gets up and waits at the window to watch dad leave for work. Good dog.

Finito!

February 26, 2014

by hillywoohoo

comments 4

paintings and progress

So, as it turns out, stripes take flippin forever! But, I am happy with how she turned out yet still excited to keep learning and practicing : ) Here’s my story behind this lady.

I call her The Housewife simply because I wanted to do a portrait of my experience of being just that. So, a little background.. I had a job as an Interior Designer that I quit with the full intention of seeking a new job. The day after I said goodbye to Chelsea Court and plunged into the lovely world of unemployment, Greg dropped to one knee and proposed. This meant that once we got married, we would be moving up to San Francisco which was still an hour (no traffic) away from where I was living at the time. This also made me wonder if I should look for work in San Jose or San Francisco and either commute for six months or quit after six months to look for new work. Plus, since Greg was traveling so much for his work, I seemed to be the only one in the available position to even think about planning a wedding in that amount of time. All that to say, we decided that since I had enough saved up to live without any income till we got married (then I was all his..muhahaha), he would rather me focus on my art cause ultimately that’s what I’ve always wanted to do anyways. He’s the best. SO on came five and a half months of intense wedding planning, then honeymoonin, getting our new and very grownup (if-I-do-say-so-myself) apartment set up and trying to figure out how to keep everything clean and orderly, cook nutritious and delicious meals, keep up with the laundry, grocery shop, continue to entertain on a weekly basis and still find time to lug out the paints and start to get inspired. When I was single (and much to my mothers horror), I would basically cook one thing and eat leftovers for two weeks. This not only saved money : D but lots of time too! Granted, it was disgusting. I could leave my room in a state of disrepair for weeks and weeks and ignore it until I found out someone was coming over and go into hyper cleaning mode. Although Greg says he would be fine with a gross house and eating leftovers for days, I feel a strong sense of responsibility to have that not be the case. However, ironically, while I was trying to get this painting done in time, our house got pretty grungy and we’ve been eating tortellini soup for days and days. I’ve noticed him trying to stifle his face of disgust when I come into the room as he tries to find a spot on the counter to place another dirty dish. Anyways, it’s very hard to work at home when you don’t have an office to shut yourself away in and you are forced to work in filth. Hence, why I found myself painting very little and focusing primarily on being a housewife. We both were very content and loved what we did. Greg loved to provide, I loved to keep a home, so it worked out nicely. The only problem is, that wonderful eye of the observant spectator. As much as you shouldn’t let other peoples opinions of you get to you too much, having every. single. person. you meet ask when you are planning on getting a real job, or give you that look of pity or disdain when they found out you don’t have a career to attach to your worth, well, it starts to get to you after a while. This is, by the way, the wrong time to suggest having kids so people stop looking down on you so.. Greg didn’t fall for that : ) Thus we began many many months of me struggling with the whole worth in life thing and if this was really enough etc, etc. I finally came to the conclusion that I was perfectly happy being “Greg’s wife” and proudly stated it to the next person that asked me what I do for a living. That person happened to be an elderly lady who looked at me rather shocked when I happily answered, “I’m his wife!” Then smiled and said, “Honey, if you do it right, that is a full time job!” Finally! The first person that didn’t look down on me but treated me with grace and respect. My insides were sufficiently warmed by such an answer ; )

Well, as you know, just as we were getting into our groove up in Sausalito, we (ahem I <– seriously, Greg’s got it good too) packed up our stuff and headed to Pasadena. This house, has let me have the wonderful experience of not caring so much if it gets a little gross and, as you know, I have a space to lock myself away and paint! So, that catches you up on how I became a housewife… and now onto the painting.

Greg had left for work one day and I was trying to muster up the courage to attack the endless dishes once again. I actually do love cleaning, but come on, it gets a bit mundane every now and then. So, I found myself as I often do, dreaming of making something of my life – getting that career that is so valuable to the world. I wouldn’t have to feel so vulnerable every time the subject of work comes up. I could be presentable to onlookers – brushed and dressed and ready to go and not in the “cleaning clothes” or half dressed state I often find myself in cause darnit if every nice shirt I have doesn’t have a hole in the front from rubbing against the counter! So that’s my lady – dreaming of that seemingly lovely world, but vulnerably giving her life to something that isn’t regarded highly by the society in which she is living. She remembers the dreams of past but willingly puts them aside to establish a peaceful home.

PLEASE NOTE: I do not in any way think that women who have full time jobs are not capable of peaceful homes! This is simply my personal experience that I wanted to try to portray : )

That’s all for now!

Days of Love and Paintings

February 20, 2014

by hillywoohoo

comments 2

hikes! / home / paintings and progress / wedded bliss

Valentine’s Day is the one magical day a year where the color gods came together and said pink and red shall be put side by side and actually make people happy, not angry. It seems like such a happy holiday, however subconsciously I think both Greg and I dread it a little. You see, our first Valentine’s together was a bad one and I think we both fear that it will happen again. That was the day that my mom came out and carefully knocked on the window of the car, jubilantly asking if anyone was kissing and Greg coined the phrase in a sad, despairing little voice, “…there’s no kissing going on in here…” The main problem of that Valentine’s Day was, well, forgetting to plan, thus eventually leading to eating dinner at an empty Chinese food restaurant and causing one of the subjects of this story to therefore forget it was Valentine’s Day which might have caused her to suggest they hang out with an old friend which may have made the other subject feel unloved.. or something. Anyways, all that to say, I got started early this year and decorated our house with Valentine’s cheer. It didn’t take quite as long as my Christmas crafting fiasco but I still finished thinking, “why do I ever think crafts are a good idea??” But! Greg liked coming home to a house with little hearts strung in each window and gave me a wonderful sympathy hug for my efforts. Because of the above story, we have learned to keep our expectations pretty low for this special day. All I asked for this year was for my bike tires to have been magically filled up over night. And they were! Not only that, but I woke up to red flowers on a tray with coffee in my Valentine’s cup! And flowers in each place all over the house! I loveses flowers : ) : )He arranged each one all himself and they looked so very pretty. And then! in our jamies with cups of coffee in hand, we snuggled up and watched that romantic, ahem, cartoon, Cinderella and it was just as good as when I was a kid and so relieved I got the other kids to watch it instead of those other terrifying princess movies cause it was the only one that didn’t have a super scary villain. The best news of all though, was that he surprised me by taking the day off work to hang out and duh, finally use our awesome picnic basket! We would set up right next to a man working with a personal trainer the whole time. I didn’t know whether or not to feel guilty as we made a meal out of cheese, or feel sorry for him and offer him some of our unhealthy lifestyle. Nevertheless, it was such a delightful afternoon and that dog got to run and run and be happy.And thennnn! that night, my sister came!!! and the Valentine’s party continued. She got a full dose of how boring these Nettles can be. Saturday was spent mostly in pajamas, reading our new subscription to Martha Stewart and giggling at how ridiculous her calendar is (but secretly wishing our lives were so organized and thorough) : ) : ) Our big event for the day, was going to Whole Foods cause it’s kind of the most spectacular grocery store I’ve ever seen and I like to show people so they can ogle too. It’s two stories and their meat counters look like they were put on display by the hands of angels – as if the fish were lifted from the waters and placed gently into the cradles of ice you see behind the freshly cleaned glass. It. Is. Awesome. If you’re as weirdly into food as I am : ) Anyways, most of her trip was spent lounging around and being lazy which obviously equals vacation! We did make it on a hike up my favorite mountain in these parts! So we weren’t so lazy : ) Sunset was a fun time to go cause there are interesting characters, bats, and the urgency to get down the hill before it is completely black. How delightful. I loved having my sister here. I still can’t believe she drove all this way, just to see us! I felt so very special. She even got to stay until Monday and I got to show her around Glendale. I was so happy because we got there just as the fountains were doing a dance to some dreamy Frank Sinatra song which obviously made our hearts swoon : ) We confirmed more than ever that Taylor needs to be in some sort of water or landscape design – seeing how her eyes light up whenever a burbling fountain was nearby. Isn’t she the dearest though? I love her so. Sadly, she had to go back home and we were left with sadness in our hearts. As for this week, poor Greg has been ever so sick and has apparently dropped his former way of “just getting up and going” while sick for my, “stay in bed and rest until you can’t rest anymore!” And I’ve just been painting away! One more week till I have to have this thing done but luckily it’s mostly blocked in. There is a story behind her, but I’ll tell you about that later. I hope you all have a wonderful week and are staying well! Love love love you!

HEY-O marriage paid off!

February 13, 2014

by hillywoohoo

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home / that dog Bentley / wedded bliss

At least for taxes! This was the first year Greg actually got money back (cause his sneaky, resourceful wife was hiding money away muhaha). I was so very sad because I’ve always gotten money back in the past which made me oh so happy (perks of having a low paying job and filling out your tax form incorrectly!) but it was always a nice little reward at the end, er, beginning of the year. So! I’ve been stashing away a little here and there and hip HIP hooray we got to enjoy a lovely little shopping trip because of my sneakiness. I have learned that I do not like shopping. I love clothes. I hate shopping. And I don’t like spending money ( ! saver ! ). I most certainly always will have buyers remorse and I cannot enjoy my purchases. EXCEPT this time, I got two new little desks from Ikea so that my office can be nicely organized anddd I can have my sewing machine out at all times! This way, I’ll actually use it : ) We bought a BBQ when we moved to our house with a yard and guess who has never used it because someone insists it live in the garage so it stays new looking (mission accomplished on that regard). ALAS this shan’t be the case for little red (that’s the sewing machine). She will be making me custom quality garments in no time! Anyways, so we went shopping…… I’ve noticed these blogs have become terribly boring : ) Sorry bout that! BUT let’s see… OH! Yesterday, my charming husband turned THIRTY ONE!! I know

^^that’s what I said too!

So we celebrated with breakfast in bed (we never learn from past spills)I did include a tray this time… and the cutest man in the world headed off to work to provide for our little family, bless his soul. Meanwhile, I lazily strolled around the house thinking how nice it is to take a day off work and get the house cleaned up for Greg’s birthday party. Dagnabbit, that didn’t last long when I remembered I had BSF that morning and I had already missed two weeks on account of being sick (I think they may kick you out after missing three or four). Off I go sweaty and discombobulated, hoping I locked up the house and the dog was actually inside, only to arrive an hour late, just in time to catch the last question of the discussion notes and the prayer. Ah well. I’m very glad I went because the lecture afterwards was awful good (normally my ADD self finds it terribly hard to sit still and focused for such an extended period of time). So clearly, it was good ; ) Anyways, back I come to enjoy my semi relaxed day and think, I’ll take that dog for a walk! Poor guy has been terribly neglected as I’ve been trying to get this painting done in time and have been working non stop for the last couple of weeks. Consequently, he’s turned into a very bad dog and has become willful and disobedient. BAD DOG. Cesar says “exercise, discipline, love.” We’ve been doing those in all the wrong order and it shows. He’s started a fun new habit of proudly bringing the biggest sticks he can find, into the house and continuing to chew them up on the carpet. He also likes to get his paws nice and muddy and then go for a house tour, which consists of checking out what’s happening in each and every room, complete with several turns around these spaces. I know he does this because I can easily follow his footsteps. Anyways, so we went for a hike so that he would be a good dog when dad came home. He was not. He still wormed his way in between us whilst hugging and jumped and barked and bit. BAD DOG. He’s still a really good dog too though. Anyways, after running loads of errands that made me angry (one of those days where everyone is mean and all the cars on the road seem to not want you on it :'( …) I arrived home, again sweaty and exhausted and so mad at all the mean people in the world. Ah well, the house may not have been as clean as I wanted it to be but that’s what dim lighting is for, right? My problem was, I set the “mood” too early and even turned it down a bit lower than normal so I was getting angry just cleaning cause I couldn’t see anything. No, I didn’t have the brains to turn on the lights whilst cleaning cause Greg would be home any second and I wanted it to be cozy and perfect! So, the anger continued to rise, as did the sweat as I feverishly tried to feel my way around on the dark floor, scrubbing up the dirty paw prints that had been there for days and days. But! The Lord was good and didn’t let him arrive until the sweat had sufficiently dried and I had cooled down a bit : ) And we had a marvelous evening!

^^ most handsomest birthday boy!

Most of all, it wasn’t as perfect and relaxed (at least the prep part) as I had imagined but he said he felt oh so loved and woke up sad this morning cause it wasn’t his birthday anymore, so I say that it was a success. I sure love that guy a lot and am so so so SO very thankful that he was born on that day many many moons ago : )