Been on an Etsy shopping spree lately…I’ve always loved to window shop on their site, but for some reason I’ve been pullin’ the trigger on way more purchases these days. I keep telling myself that it’s OK since I’m supporting those small, independent businesses š
Mr. & Mrs. Mugs from The Printed Surface
Ummmm…how much fun are these? Tots going to use them in our engagement photos. The fiance is a total tea dude – these are just too good to pass up!
Custom Return Address Stamp from Yellowfishpaperie
Now that we are officially back to one home, I thought we’d better step up our addressin’ game and get one of these bad boys. It’ll make it way easier to address those wedding thank you cards š
Everyday I’m Hustling Pillow from Michelle Dwight Designs
Saw this as part of a living room on Pinterest the other month and I’ve been mad about this pillow ever since. A bit steep in price (it doesn’t even include the actual pillow), but oh so much fun! One day, it’s going to be featured in our living room…..
What have been your favorite finds on Etsy lately?
As of this past Monday, I’m back to officially being a one home homeowner! Thank you Jesus (and Michael Lee, my realtor and Cobalt Mortgage)!!! It still really hasn’t sunken in yet….the process had been such an emotional roller coaster that I tried to shove it deep into the back of my mind so I wouldn’t lose my $hit on a daily basis. I’ve never experienced such intense stress around one single life event – like crippling, physical stress that really trumped everything for a good two months. That ‘ish is not healthy, lemme tell yah.
After all of the madness and chaos around the first “almost” sale, I was pretty skeptical that we’d even be able to unload this thing. The condo itself is in great condition, but there were a myriad of building financial issues that didn’t make loan officers too excited about financing. I gave it about a 5% chance of selling again if we re-listed, but re-list we did and somehow it all worked out. I’m still a bit shocked to say the least.
Within 10 days of re-listing, we got a full price offer with an extremely strong buyer and the closing actually went the way it should. Though I do want to point out that we did have one kind of big hiccup – the appraisal came back way below the sale price so we did have to contest it. In the end, I had to knock off $8k of the sale price, but it is what it is and I still came out ahead. As I was signing the final docs, I did have a little twinge of pissed off-ness for not getting that full amount. I mean, we do have a wedding coming up……that $8k would have been mighty nice. Sigh.
BUT the relief of not having to maintain two properties is pretty maj for this gal, especially with all of the excitement that is going to happen next year. Thinking about the upkeep of not only our fab new home but a condo way over on the Eastside was a total bummer. I’m beyond thrilled that we’re a one house family again. A one house family livin’ it up in Seattle! Who would have thought?!
Bagel-mobile. My car smelled like a bakery for days.
The empty food sorting table. So lonely.
Unloading the trucks!
The full food sorting table. So happy!
Well sorted soups.
Been so caught up in “Wedding Planning 2014” that I failed to share this killer JFS event – our annual Food Sort – which happened the morning after we got engaged. I was in charge of hospitality and spent the morning picking up the 25 dozen bagels and making sure our volunteers were caffeinated and snacked up throughout the event.
The event included food delivers from local community groups as well as a large sort where volunteers went through the TONS of food and box them up according to categories ie. soup, vegetables, noodles. I’d say it’s by far one of the most popular events we host and I’m always glad to partner with our Food Bank staff to make it happen. Those guys (and gals!) rock!
As a self proclaimed TV junkie, getting rid of cable was a bit of a painful process for me. I liked nothing better after a long day at work than plopping down and watching my fav housewives or a home improvement show. When we purchased our new home, it was agreed upon that we would no longer be slaves to cable (and the $200+ a month bill!) and would become an internet-only household. Fine, fine…..but this gal needed something to watch every now and then so Netflix was quickly purchased! Although it doesn’t have fully updated episodes of most of my fav shows, I’ve enjoyed exploring other new shows that I normally wouldn’t have watched.
Top of my list is Sons of Anarchy. OMGeeee….I can’t get over this show! It is SO FREAKIN GOOD. I was originally drawn to it when I found out that the lead charater, played by Charlie Hunnam, in SoA was also cast as the lead in the 50 Shades of Grey movie. I know, I know…what a lame arse reason to watch a show. But damn, I’m glad I discovered it (and him for that matter. Hot stuff.) Hands down, one of my top shows of all times. Other shows I’ve been enjoying:
Land Girls
Call the Midwife
House of Cards
Orange is the New Black
Documentaries – especially ones about hunger and food insecurities – depressing right?
Problem is, our neighborhood is notorious for S-L-O-W internet. I’m talking the slowest internet possible ie. light surfing is just about as much as it can handle. Trying to stream a show takes mucho patience and even when you get it going, it’ll still stop and buffered 2 or 3 times. First world problems, right???
What are your fav show on Netflix? Do you like to skip around and watch a few of everything or are you a marathon series watcher like the BF (whoops, I mean fiance!) is?
There seems to be so many options for breakfast these days, but so little time in the AM to make them happen – especially when one likes to get as much sleep as possible – you’re talking to the Queen of Sleep right here……Most days, just getting out the door with coffee and a banana and hittin’ the instant oatmeal at work is about as good as it gets for this gal. But recently, I’ve been trying to step up my b-fast game and have been testing out some different things to liven up this early morning meal.
Eggs are usually a go to and can be made and eaten in minutes. Throw some mashed avocado on toast or a bagel and you are good to go! I’m also a fan of cutting up the previous night’s dinner (taco items especially) and making a quick scramble. Easy peasy.
Smoothies are also a staple in our house. I’ve come to love adding extra spinach, chia seeds, plain non fat greek yogurt and spirulina to beef up the frozen fruit. If you want to keep yours less on the fruity side, I’ve found that adding 1/4 cup of frozen pineapple will still give it a bit of sweetness without breaking the sugar bank.
And for the occasional treat, nothing beats a doughnut with some extra hot coffee (I picked up that bad habit courtesy of my Grandma. Love that lady.) I recently found a doughnut pan while thriftin’ at the local Goodwill and have been recipe testing ever since. Nothing fabulous to report back on yet, but know that I am working on it š I take this sort of research very seriously.
BUT my new fav game in breakfast town is this sort of hot porridge using ancient grains and seeds. We all know that quiona is the bomb and polenta just tastes darn good. Add to that some amaranth seeds which are gluten-free, a source of complete protein, high in fiber and a good source of magnesium and iron and BAM you’ve got yourself a hot bowl of health goodness. Cook it up on the stove top, kind of like how you do oatmeal, top with walnuts, berries and a splash of coconut milk and you are good to go. This makes enough for a few meals too! Check out the recipe I used HERE.
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