Funky Fall Decor

Most of you are already aware that i absolutely love the fall season. I always dreamed of living somewhere that had a legit season change every fall, but then I moved to Texas. Regardless, I love the change in weather, because summer in both Texas and Florida is rough. Fortunately my good friend MC shares my sentiments regarding fall. Remember when she did this awesome guest post? Well now she has offered another guest post about her other specialty, fall decor! I'm excited. She's is one of the craftiest and most creative people I know, she just has an eye for those things. I do not which is why I'll stick to baking. So everyone pay close attention to what she has to say because this is probably the only worthwhile decorating post you will ever see on my blog. Plus she's also just really funny, or at least I think so, which is probably why we are friends. And for some strange reason she thinks I'm funny too. 

And when you're done please go to the nearest Michael's/Hobby Lobby and decorate for fall, it'll make you a happier person. 

............

Ok everyone. It may only be September 21^st, and I may be a resident of the great ole non-seasonal state of Florida, but I have a slight, alright major, obsession with fall. Once September 1^st rolls around, not only is crisper, cooler weather on the horizon, but it is also time for the pumpkin craze, Halloween, boots, sweaters, Gator football – the whole shabang! How could this NOT be your favorite time of year? That said, Meghan and I have taken our obsessions to the next level and are sharing them via blog post for the whole world to see. Meghan, nurse by night / baker by day, has written a blog post on baking fall goodies and embarking on fall adventures, while I have chosen to write about Halloween and fall décor.

During my time in college, I never really decorated for the holidays – not even Christmas! I don’t know if it was the fact that I was a starving college student, or that I felt like the home that should decorated was my parents’ house, or what. I just don’t know. What I DO know, is now that I have my own place and bit more money, I can’t stop thinking of ways to decorate – especially for the upcoming holidays. I’ve been trying to find two things: 1) cheap decorations that I can craft myself and 2) autumn decorations that can span September through November. And, lemme tell ya, with Pinterest, that is definitely NOT a problem. Let’s start off with the crafty side of this year’s fall décor. What I’ve seen a lot of and fully intend to create are fall wreaths. I have seen so many different varieties of these things, I can’t even begin to go into all of the options, but here are a few that I think are super cute and pretty doable:

In addition these to these Halloween-inspired wreaths, another way to be cheap and crafty this season is to work with pumpkins! Pumpkins are obviously the staple of Fall, Halloween, October, Thanksgiving etc and we must take full advantage of them. Here are a few simple, yet totally clever ways to use pumpkins to spruce up your place, autumn-style: 

Pumpkin Bowl

Perfect for that Halloween-themed dinner party you're planning or for when you're just having a few friends over for drinks. All you need to do is carve out a pumpkin and place a bowl in the center, and voila! You've got yourself one fine serving dish. 

Pumpkin Votives

This is the perfect way to use all those cute little pumpkins you see everywhere. All you need are a few baby pumpkins and some tea candles. Again, carve out a place in the center of the pumpkin and place the tea candle in the center. This is a cheap, easy way to get that cozy, fall look!

Painted Pumpkins

By the looks of things (or I may have just been way out of the loop in past years), painted pumpkins are all the rage this season. I've seen pumpkins painted like candy corns, gold spray painted pumpkins, pumpkins painted with chalkboard paint and then written on, I mean, seriously...what hasn't been thought of? the great thing about painting pumpkins is that you can tailor it to your space-have crazy colored walls? Paint your pumpkin the complimenting color. Want to keep a classy, elegant look around the house? Paint your pumpkins gold, or silver...or even white! The options are endless. 

Using Pumpkins in...umm...unusual places?

Like on top of a candle holder, per say. This is one crafty piece of decor I HAVE tackled- and it turned out awesomely. All I did was buy three different sized candle holders at Ikea, and some fall "berry" branches at Target to wrap around the base of the holders, on which the baby pumpkins will be placed. Super easy. Super cozy. The perfect fall decoration. 

You will see below that there are actually candles on top of my candle holders- well, sadly (and embarrassingly) I have searched for baby pumpkins and they are no where to be found- YET. As soon as I find some, they will replace those candles...or I may keep one candle just to keep that spooky feeling alive. We'll see. Mix and match as desired. Add as many candle holders as you want. Get creative with the base decorations! Fall "berries" are not the only option. 

Finally, I'd like to leave you with some Halloween/Fall/Autumn/Thanksgiving interior decor inspiration photos: 

The orange flowers and orange pumpkins against the black backdrop make this the perfect Halloween table setting!

If only I had a front porch like this!

For all of you with fireplaces and mantles!

Love those black flowers mixed with the pumpkins

If you have a million wine bottle, why not? Uber spooky.

Alright folks, that's all I have for you today. Meghan and I, of course will be collaborating in the future because we're just awesome like that and have the same weird obsessions. Like, our next post will probs be all about Garden State...or LOTR elves...or something totally riveting like that. Who knows. But you'll definitely want to stay tuned. 

Happy Fall!

ACL

As previously mentioned I went to Austin this past weekend for Austin City Limits, a 3 day music festival that takes place every fall. I've attended plenty of concerts in my day but this was my first festival and it was awesome. I was really excited for this, especially after hearing countless stories of Nick's experience at Bonnaroo in 2009 (seriously, I've heard them all, you can stop now, thanks). However, I realized something very important, music festivals aren't for everyone. Compared to some ACL is pretty tame, it occurs during normal daytime hours, usually ending around 10, everyone stays in hotels and you can easily leave and walk to a restaurant down the street if you need a break. Even with all the luxuries of a festival in the city, it is still pretty rough to stand for 2-3 hours straight with no bathroom break because you want a good spot for a show. The relentless sun beating down on you doesn't help either (I have a pretty intense burn on my scalp to prove it). I also came down with a cold at the end of the first day, which is really my own fault since I never sleep. All of that is pretty negligible considering how much fun I had.

It was about 95 degrees with very little cloud cover when this picture was taken, I think I was a pretty good sport, right? I also have coffee, a cocktail of various cold medications, and maybe some other cocktails to thank for that (I'm referring to water and lemonade of course). I was also really stoked on seeing the Antlers play. 

The heat eventually gets to you though so napping becomes a necessity 

They look like they needed it don't they? Trust me, they did. Some of us were barely hanging on just a few hours into the second day. Let's just say they were really fortunate to have a nurse with them. 

All the stress and heat was worth it for some really awesome shows. Yes, Coldplay was there but since I've already seen them I opted to see Kanye's show instead and it was really awesome

It was difficult to get good pictures with all those hands and iphones in the air but we got a good one of his surprise entrance. If there's one thing that I'll take from his performance its that if I love someone I should hold on to them tight. He was really feeling the importance of this statement. Thanks for life lessons Kanye.

In total we saw about 11 bands. We planned to attend more shows but extreme exhaustion will make you do weird things like take naps on picnic tables, or in trucks, or in the middle of a field and it tends to be time consuming. 

So if you need tips for a future trip to a music festival here they are:

1. Hydrate. No, a "Jolly Delicious" doesn't count, nor does beer, or warm rum (I wish someone would've told the 17 year old that was trying to offer that to us, yuck) 

2. Wear sunscreen 

3. Beware of camelbaks, they make you drink a lot more than you expect, which also means more bathroom breaks

4. Never say "I'm really feeling this music bro." It's obnoxious. 

5. Just suck it up and stop whining

6. Never wear a strapless dress if there is a possibility for even a very tame mosh pit. Trust me, it gets sketchy. 

7. Rain is your friend. I'm not just saying that because we're in the middle of a terrible drought, it's really just because you get so sick of the sun. 

I've been asked by a few people what bands i saw and it's difficult to fit in one text (ok, I'm actually just lazy, give me a break). Instead I'll list them here in case anyone is actually interested:

Friday:

Wild Beasts, James Blake, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Kanye West (awesome show with some really awesome choreography)  

Saturday:

The Antlers (definitely one of my faves), Twin Shadow, TV on the Radio (another fave-ok I'll stop using "fave")

Sunday: 

The Walkmen, Broken Social Scene, Fleet Foxes (fun fact: Christian Bale was actually on sage for this because he was filming something with this crazy girl who was dancing in front of a camera. I essentially have no idea why he was there, but I saw him and the show was really good), and Arcade Fire (which was also awesome and another favorite) 

Of course my very awesome group helped make the experience so awesome

Nick was of course included in this awesome group but is not pictured because he was taking all these beautiful photos for me since I'm lazy. I'm working on changing my bad habits, starting tomorrow or whenever I'm caught up on sleep which will be never. 

I would definitely go again next year, especially since it'll be in October which is a very nice month with very nice weather. I like October, can it just hurry up and get here already? I could use a day where the temp is below 90. And speaking of October, stay tuned for a fall related post later this week by my favorite (and only) guest blogger, MC. But now its time for sleep and by sleep I mean I'll pretend like I'm going to bed but I'll actually wait another 2 hours before I really get into bed. 

Growth

Remember this?

No I'm not referring to the day when my 3 closest friends and I wore our graduation gowns and ran around the football field making silly faces and acting like children. Although that was one of my favorite days. No, I am actually referring to how long my hair was. This picture was taken a month before I chopped off about 13 inches of hair and donated it to Locks of Love for the second time in my life. Since then I had gradually taken off more hair each time I got it cut until I finally settled with a length that I liked. The problem is that in order to maintain that length I have to cut my hair every 6-7 weeks. I know I told pretty much everyone that I loved my short hair, loved how low maintenance it is, and that I never wanted to have long hair again but I changed my mind. Impulsive, I know. But just in case you were wondering, yes it is extremely expensive to get a hair cut every 6 weeks. The funny thing is that I really like saving money, almost as much as I like spending it. So I figured that now if I'm getting my hair cut 4 times a year rather than 8 or 9, I could use the money to treat myself to more pedicures, more Starbucks, maybe a standmixer? Or I could just save it, we'll see. 

Now, you may be wondering how much influence Nick has had in this decision. He did actually prompt me to grow out my hair but it wasn't because of him that I decided to go through with it. A few months ago he started talking about how much he missed my long hair, I of course completely blew this off and basically told him to get over it because it was never coming back. But the idea stuck in my head, not to mention that i was really getting sick of the whole financial factor. So once I reached the 6 week mark last week I thought about it some more and just didn't make an appointment and still haven't made one for this week. I'm barely 2 weeks in and the length in the back is starting to annoy me but I am really loving the fact that I can actually get my hair into a ponytail which is extremely rare. There will be plenty to distract me from the annoying in between length of my hair these next few months, like working 3 in a row starting tomorrow (blah), or all the online shopping I did last night, unfortunately I spent way more than the cost of a haircut, lets end this discussion before I decide to hate myself. It's going to be rough but please, don't worry about my emotional state during all this, I'll survive. 

I'll keep some updates regarding my hair growing process (because I know everyone really cares about the state of my hair). And I'm trying to update the blog more often, yes I know I've made similar promises before, but now I have a post planned regarding my awesome experience at ACL this past weekend, I'm just waiting for Nick to send me the pictures (like maybe today????). 

Things I'm lovin' - End of Summer

Hi folks. Look at me posting a second time in the past 2 weeks. I know, I'm sooo motivated. Anyway, the three of us are all moved into the new house and its glorious. I took some pictures but I've spent most of the past week cleaning and organizing so its not quite settled yet. Also Nick refuses to give me permission to use a drill or touch/move the TV's so some things will just have to wait. Honestly though, can you blame him? However, since I'm awake and feeling halfway inspired I'll do a short post about things I'm loving lately.

1. Rainier cherries

Seriously these things are like crack. My obsession is definitely nothing new but a few weeks back I was at Whole Foods and picked these up since I knew they would be gone by the end of August. I paid $9 for a bag of them and then proceeded to eat more than half of that bag while driving home. It was a dangerous and expensive day, and totally worth it. 

2. My backyard is awesome, just ask Willow. It also helps that we have had amazing weather the past few days. It was actually 60 degrees when I got home from work Tuesday morning. This picture doesn't really do it justice but its all I have so far. I haven't take many pictures outside because I unfortunately slept through most of this week's beautiful weather. I'm not too upset though because I feel like there will be plenty more over the next few months. 

3. I did not take this photo. It was taken by the genius who created these heavenly cookie dough balls. I find it difficult to get good photos every time I make them (which is often) because I'm too busy eating 3 at a time. They're the best thing that ever happened to my life. They're also vegan which does not mean they're healthy but I don't care because they are amazing. Make them and see for yourself.

4. This is nothing new, I'm always lovin' on this dog. 

5. I am most definitely loving this house. Maybe someday soon I'll have enough motivation to actually take pictures. We'll see. 

Ok that's it. Now it's time to eat way too many peanut butter cookie dough balls. See ya

Moving on

I just took a serious blogging hiatus this month. I really only have laziness to blame. But now that I actually have things to do I decide to return.  You may call it procrastination, I just like to think of it as inspiration. That's kind of the same thing, right? What I really mean by all this is that Nick and I decided to move. On Saturday night we talked about it, on Sunday afternoon we put our plans into action, and on Monday everything was confirmed. It was a very spontaneous decision but the truth is we had gradually begun to outgrow our current house these past few months. It was perfect when we first moved: small enough to not need too much furniture, low rent, and a fenced backyard for the baby. Lately, however, we've been unhappy with the persistent bug problems that come with a old, not well maintained house, not to mention the one bathroom, and lack of closet space, or just lack of space in general. When we first moved we were living off one income and were fresh out of college. Now with two incomes and having acquired more possessions , I think we are ready to move on. Another reason we jumped into moving so suddenly was that we found an awesome house, in our price range, that was just a few blocks away. The house is newer, the neighborhood is nicer, and it has walk-in closets and a master bath with two sinks!

There's only one problem I have with moving: I hate packing. Who knew boxes and packing paper were so expensive? Plus I really don't like packing away my kitchen with the realization that I may spontaneously decide to bake before Tuesday morning. This may cause problems. The one positive aspect if packing is that I now have an excuse for my house being so messy. Excuses like that are hard to find especially, when I'm trying to convince Nick that I have a perfectly reasonable explanation for not cleaning before he returns home at the end of every month. Our dialogue is usually something like this:
Me: "I know its messy, it's just that I was working the last few nights and I was tired and I only found out you were coming home 4 hours ago"
Nick: "Well I was working for the last 28 days and I found time to clean within the first hour I was home"
Can you tell which one of us is the OCD, neat freak, overachiever in our relationship? Is it pathetic that I sometimes fantasize about hiring a cleaning lady even though I have no children and only work 36 hours a week?

Anyway back to moving. Even with my complaints about the old house I still have been happy living here. I will definitely miss my awesome neighbor, Betty, as well as the big backyard with too many squirrels that has kept Willow so entertained. However, I will not be missing the bugs I have to squish because Nick is gone and its just me at home, or the room that I thought I was painting light green and ended up being lime green (sorry to everyone that had to spend the night in there). I have a lot to look forward to, including no carpet to vacuum (yay!), TWO bathrooms, and fruit trees in my new backyard! I promise I'll post pictures once we're moved in and settled. For now its back to packing, ugh.

Snuggle Dog

It's pretty clear by now to pretty much everyone that I love dogs. One dog in particular, but also all dogs. I was inspired to write this post after I walked by the window today and saw Willow sitting under a tree in the backyard, waiting for squirrels. She's crazy. 

About 2 weeks after Nick and I started dating we went camping in Georgia. There was a sweet black lab that was timid and wouldn't approach people but he would stand across from our campsite and stare at us until we gave him food. After that we could not stop talking about how we wanted a dog, especially when we dropped food on the floor and felt too lazy to pick it up. Eventually I couldn't stand it anymore and was browsing Craigslist one day and found a 6 month old black lab mix who was being given away for free. Yes, it sounds sketchy which is why I made Nick call them. I happened to have a week off from clinicals so the next morning at 9am I was standing in the parking lot of my apartment complex with two crazy, backwoods, redneck people from Palatka. The owners were not very impressive but they seemed nice and genuine enough and the dog was so sweet. Nick told me that its best to get a dog thats smart, fast, and capable of catching frisbees. I told him that its best to get a dog thats cute and snuggly. Anyone who has met Willow knows who won that argument. She'd rather tear a frisbee to shreds and then go lie down on my bed and be loved, but I'm pretty sure Nick is more than ok with that. 

Look at that little baby

After having Willow for a day I decided I needed to break the news to my parents. I called and told them that Nick got a dog and she was just staying with me for the first week because I didn't have to be at school. They saw right through that and were not happy at all. Three days later they met Willow and the conversation never came up again. Now they spoil her and send her stuffed animals that she mutilates in the backyard within minutes. 

She may seem vicious when she's barking at squirrels or tearing the stuffing out of pretty much anything but she's actually really sweet. Just last night I got sent home early from work because we didn't have enough patients. I arrived home at 1:30 am. I unlocked the door and expected Willow to start barking, instead there was silence. I opened the bedroom door and watched as she stretched her head up from my bed, yawned, and wagged her tail, waiting for me to approach and give her a belly rub. Such a good guard dog. The best experience ever is coming home to Willow after 12 hours of work, which, for her means 12 hours of sleeping on the couch. Her tail wagging is out of control, she always yawns and makes loud, obnoxious, high pitched sounds,  and walks under my legs at least 5 times before walking to the back door to go outside and investigate all the sounds she heard outside overnight. I highly recommend witnessing this ritual, its adorable. I also highly recommend getting a dog in general. They love to love you, they're always entertaining, they snuggle, and you can talk to them when you're alone for long periods of time and not feel like you're talking to yourself (not that I do that very often or anything). 

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that you can dress them up during the holidays.

I also recommend that you watch this video. It's a day in the life of the Willowdog. 

I also forgot to mention that Willow has about 5 million nicknames. This includes: Willowdog, Littledog, Babydog, Willowface, Crazyface Angelface, Dogface, Animal, Willowhead, Dogbutt, Crazydog, and the list goes on. 

I know that most of this information is old news to everyone but I couldn't not have a blog post dedicated to my doggie. Also I'm very excited because one Willow's best friends is coming in a few days. She and Lia will be reunited and there will be a lot of this going on: 

Yup, I definitely found the perfect snuggle dog. 

Things I'm lovin' - New Hampshire

Ok let's be real its not like I just happen to be lovin' NH right now. It has and always will be my absolute favorite place ever. My mom grew up in New England and just happened to have some really cool parents who decided to buy a vacation house on Lake Winnipesaukee. Yes, after all these years (23 to be exact) of visiting the lake I still had to google the spelling, sorry Mom. Let's not talk about that. So as I was saying, my grandparents had several different vacation houses on Lake Winnepesaukee throughout my mom's childhood, but when she was in college they finally found a winner and have kept this house since the 70's. While the house itself is old, kind of musty, and probably in need of some new decor, but nobody really cares because it holds so much sentimental value, not to mention that it sits on one of the best lakeside lots in the area. Although I may be biased. Anyway, every summer we venture up to NH for at least 5-7 days of relaxing by the lake, swimming, canoeing, eating way too much pie and ice cream and, if we can wake up early and feel motivated, a hike in the surrounding area.

Sometimes we go a little early in the summer. For those of you who have never been there the summer starts in July, seriously. June is still known to be rainy, cold, and not anywhere near ideal swimming conditions. Last year we had to take vacation in early June because Nick and I needed to be in Houston by July. I don't think anyone really cared, but I know it took a lot of contemplating before jumping in the lake. Fortunately, aside from the chilly lake temps, we had beautiful weather and were able to stay for about 2 weeks. 

I don't know if the pictures will do it justice but maybe this will give everyone an idea of why this is my favorite place. 

The house is sort of a barn style. And the yard is shady and covered with pine needles.

And there are plenty of places to just sit down, relax, and just look out at the lake and the mountains in the background.

Last year Nick and I arrived early and went for a 3 day backpacking trip with Willow.

We camped in the woods on the side of a cliff, which had particularly chilly, but breathtaking sunrises. 

We also spent the next day hiking above the tree line.

Willow was amazing. She stayed with us the entire time, was always alert, and never stopped hiking. She proceeded to sleep for the next 2 days straight after we got home.

My family is always down for a day hike, and we usually have plenty of good weather to take advantage of. 

Unfortunately this crazy dog won't be joining us this year. Nick and I figured it would be a little too traumatic to have her fly. Oh and it costs about $400, no thanks. She will be missed but I have a feeling she will have lots of fun hanging out with a certain dog and cat here in Houston. 

It's been increasingly difficult for my family to coordinate vacations so that we can all get a chance to go up there but we still find a way to make it happen every year. On Friday, around 3am we will finally be arriving for a brief trip. We'll all be exhausted but it will be worth it to wake up and see this the next morning (or afternoon): 

Cookin' with Lidia

It's been a goal of mine to cook more meals rather than just cook food. When Nick is home from his weeks of oil drillin' I find it easier to actually do this. This is mostly because he is there to help me wash the dishes, but also because he helps me eat the food. But let's be realistic, we know I have no problem doing that on my own, the dishes on the other hand are annoying. Regardless, I sometimes feel motivated enough to suck it up and cook something worthwhile.

Earlier this week Nick's mom, Kathy, who also happens to be a big supporter of my blog, sent a cookbook to my Kindle: Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes. First I have to say it is really fun to be able to download your own gift. But more importantly, it should be noted that Nick's entire family is Italian, part Italian on Kathy's side and about 500% Italian on his Dad's side. My family is 0% Italian which means I still have quite a lot to learn about Italian food and cooking. Anyway, the book is awesome and really enjoyable to read. Lidia breaks each section into different regions of Italy and gives some history, as well as some personal accounts of the lifestyle, local foods, and her travels to the area, which I absolutely love. Another important aspect of the book is that there is quite a lot of variety in the food. Italian food is so much more than just pasta and I was really excited to see so many recipes with beans. Of course I also love that most recipes include cheese. I could care less about putting cheese on my burrito at Chipotle but when I get some really strong parmesan or gorgonzola I'm a happy camper. Fortunately our HEB happens to have a large section of specialty cheeses. For those of you who don't know, HEB is a grocery store found only in Texas that was once described by Nick as "a mix between Sam's club and Walmart." This description, of course, kept me from venturing inside of one for at least the first few months that I lived here until I went and realized that, while the description is true, they also carry pretty much everything you could ever need and actually have a lot of good stuff. Plus you really can't beat the prices.

Since I was determined to have my first dish be pasta free, I looked for something that was still somewhat traditional Italian and the gorgonzola risotto caught my eye. The ingredients were simple and I knew I would have no problem cutting the recipe in half. So on my day off I opted not to clean my incredibly messy house and instead made my kitchen a little more messy. The end result was worth it. Here's the recipe:

Risotto with Gorgonzola 
by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich


Ingredients:

6 to 8 cups broth (I used vegetable but chicken or beef works too)

1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cup chopped onions

Salt (approximately 2 tsp)

2 cups short grain rice (I used Arborio)

1 cup white wine

8 ounces Gorgonzola, cut or crumbled into small pieces

1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano

Heat stock in separate pot almost to a boil. Keep it hot, near the pan.

Put Olive oil in pan over medium heat. Add onions and 1 tsp salt. Cook until onions are slightly wilted. Add rice and turn up heat, stir for a couple of minutes, until toasted but not browned. Pour in wine and cook, stirring continuously, until nearly all absorbed.

Ladle in 2 cups of stock, and stir steadily. When you see the bottom of the pan as you stir (about 5 minutes) quickly ladle in another couple of cups and remaining salt. Cook, stirring, until the stock again is almost completely absorbed, and then ladle in another cup or so. Continue until about 6 cups have been added, or add more if needed. Cook until risotto is creamy but still al dente.

Turn off heat and add gorgonzola (reserve a few spoonfuls for garnish) and sprinkle over some of the grated parmesan, stir until both cheeses are incorporated. Spoon into bowls and add more cheese if desired.

Lidia also suggests adding pealed and sliced pears, which I did, and I highly recommend. I also decided that some pecans would also taste pretty yummy with this combo. Just add as much as you like of either after the heat is turned off.

Also this is the exact recipe in the book, I used half the ingredients which still produced a lot of food.

The end result is amazing and it looks like this:

All the flavors complement each other well, and although the cheeses are strong, the blend perfectly. I also recommend eating this dish outside (which I obviously did) just make sure you eat it fast, otherwise it may be consumed by a curious little black dog. 

I really enjoyed cooking this, even though I made quite a mess in the kitchen. It's also nice to have something other than a pb&j or a microwave meal to bring to work tomorrow night. Willow was also very happy since I let her sample some of the cheese. She has a strong affinity for fine cheeses thanks to a certain member of my family who began feeding her jarelsberg cheese when she was just a puppy. 

I am happily full right now and looking forward to a night of kitchen cleaning and relaxing with my sleepy little dog. Thanks again Kathy for the awesome gift! 

Twins

I am ridiculous

Nick is also ridiculous

The Houston Galleria Apple store loves us for being ridiculous

Yes. I did it. 

Earlier this week, while blogging at Brasil I noticed it was dark and thought about how nice it would be to have a backlit keyboard. I also thought it would be really nice to sit wherever I want without worrying about needing an outlet because my battery was retarded. It only took about two days and a discussion with Nick to convince me that it was time for a new computer. You know, one that isn't 6 years old, bulky, and with a tiny harddrive (90GB was a lot 6 years ago). I had saved the money but couldn't quite justify getting a new one when, honestly, the 6 year old one ran perfectly. But when I get something like that stuck in my mind it's incredibly hard to get it out (Nick doesn't help either). 

So off we went to the Galleria (the 7th largest mall in the US according to Wikipedia). The Apple store was insane, per usual, even on a Tuesday afternoon. I found a sales associate who got the computer, recommended a case, and had me checking out almost instantly. When I left the counter I found Nick who was on the phone with a friend, who has been a Mac user for about 4 years; they were discussing whether it was worth it for Nick to get one as well. It took about 3 minutes before Nick was talking to another sales associate. I have never seen anyone look so disappointed about purchasing a computer. I think he hated himself for a few minutes. No worries, this quickly wore off once he got in the car and immediately opened the box. 

We left the apple store with some very well designed bags (read: backpacks) which came in handy because we also had to make two "quick" stops for shoes. "Quick" isn't always what you want it to be when you're in a four story mall and extremely anxious to get home (for obvious reasons).  But let's face it, I really didn't want to return to the Galleria for a while. I went last summer for the first time, I returned this summer, and hope to continue this yearly trend. Malls stress me out, not to mention I have to spend money when I'm there. No thanks. 

Finally we returned home to set up and play with our new toys. It was like Christmas. We actually ate lunch standing up and in record time before settling down to an afternoon and evening spent on the couch. 

Meghan meet Macbook 

Needless to say we hit it off immediately. We were made for each other. 

We've been having a lot of fun. 

And I really have to say it is an awesome computer. Yes, it's not a PC so there are some things I need to get accustomed to, but I am really surprised at how easy the Mac OS really is. I'm retarded when it comes to computers but I've still managed to navigate my way around, with Nick's help at times. It's actually been fun. 

Yes, I did a photo booth session with Willow. No big deal. 

Let's hope I blog more now that I have some new incentive to be in front of the computer. 

We basically live like this now: 

  

Trust me, I thought we both used to spend a lot of time in front of the computer...that was nothing compared to the past two days. I'll take a break when the honeymoon period wears off, although that may take a while. 

Zhen Zhen

I'm so in love with baby animals and just animals in general. I think my parents actually worried about me when I was younger. I'm not surprised, I was probably draining their bank account with all my stuffed animals that I just absolutely had to have. I just can't help it, they're so cute, I just want to snuggle all of them. I die every time I see cows, goats, or horses on the side of the road (which happens often when living in Texas). Pinterest does not help either. Although one of my most intense obsessions is pandas. They're so fluffy and sweet. They just love playing and the babies make such cute noises. I die. So for those of you who have Windows 7 I recommend the Panda Cam gadget. Its a live streaming video of the pandas living at the San Diego Zoo! They have several cameras so there are always different shots. Its amazing.

Sometimes they just like to hang out and munch on some bamboo

They also nap...a lot

That picture kills me. He's in a bamboo coma! I love it so much.

They also have a very well planned habitat with lots of trees to hang out it

I die every time I get on my computer and see a close up view of those little cuties

Can you tell I just used my phone to take pictures of my computer screen. Yes, I do it often, and then I send them to Nick. 

But sometimes when the pandas aren't around I just hit up youtube and watch videos of the little baby pandas playing

This is also one of my favorites

How can such a big sound come out of such a tiny little thing?

I also suggest you check out the San Diego Zoo website: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/pandacam/index.html

I also discovered that you can send email postcards from the panda cam...Sorry Nick.

Trendy Texas Treasures

So one of my very favorite people ever is here in H town! Ms. MC Wickham and I have know each other since kindergarten. We were little Catholic school girls together until high school when I went to the big bad public school and she stayed sweet and innocent for another 4 years by attending a Catholic high school (OK, that is slightly exaggerated). We coincidentally lived on the same dorm floor freshman year and finally realized how much we had in common and instantly became friends. 

MC is one of the most fashionable people I know. She always finds awesome clothes at awesome prices and puts together stylish outfits. Yes, actual outfits. This is something I am completely unable to fathom. If I can get clean clothes that actually fit me and can somewhat match then its an achievement for me. So I asked her to do a celebrity fashonista blog post with all the new items we acquired today. You can also see her blog (which is awesome) here. I love her, I love her blog, and you all are going to love this post. 

The fashonista herself...look how stylish she is. 

.........

Hey frands! Fashionista MC here. I'm in Houston right now and so excited to be hanging with MDiamond. Only seeing her twice in the past year nearly killed me. Seriously. I arrived yesterday morning, and after getting up for the airport at 4AM, our day, due to complete exhaustion, consisted of eating, a movie, and bed. Today though, we woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on big bad Houston. After some Texas BBQ at Beaver's Icehouse, we decided to take our oh-so-thrifty selves on a shopping spree. Meghan took me to Buffalo Exchange, a place that I'd never heard of before, but loved instantly as soon as I stepped through the door. For those of you from Florida, it's very similar to Plato's Closet except with a way better selection and a little more retro. Determined to add some critical pieces to our wardrobe, we began our hunt. 

Items we were looking for: 

1. Blazers: After seeing Bridesmaids last night and seeing Kristin Wiig's totally cute, yet totally do-able outfits, we knew we each had to have one.
2. Scarfs: I know what you're thinking: It's summer, what are you....crazy?! Yes, I know it's summer. And if any of you know me at all, you know that I have a new obsession: Summer Scarves. Summer scarves are typically light and airy with brightly colored patterns that can be mixed and matched with tank tops and t-shirts. My wardrobe tends to consist of tank tops, jean shorts and flats during the summer. Add the summer scarf, and voila! You have yourself a fashionista.
3. "Going Out" Dresses: A must-have for any 23 year old gal. 
4. Shoes: wedges, flats, TOMS
5. Anything else that catches our I eye that we can't resist! 

Between Buffalo Exchange, and later trips to Blackbird Trading Co. (another local thrift shop) and the local Forever 21, we each walked away with items we completely love, and stayed completely within our budget! 

Item #1: The Summer Scarf, $10.50, Buffalo Exchange

As I said before, summer scarves are the perfect way to snazz up an outfit instantly. Pair them with a tank top or tshirt and shorts and you've got yourself quite the outfit. 

Item #2:  Black Wedges, $25.00, Blackbird Trading Co.

Wedges are our new favorite things. They are easy to walk in, and can be easily dressed up or dressed down.  The perfect addition to any summer outfit!

Item #3: Blazer (jcrew), $35.00, Buffalo Exchange

Ok, I just LOVE blazers. Pair them with a tshirt, jean shorts, jeans, a tank top, basically anything and voila - cute outfit.

Item #4: Turquoise Necklace, $4.00, Forever 21

Does turquoise ever go out of style? 

Item(s) #5: "Going Out" Dresses, $11.50 (Meg) & $17.00 (MC), Buffalo Exchange

Meg and I were so lucky to find these! At only $11, Meghan's blue dress was a lucky find. It's so comfy and can be dressed up for a night out or down for an afternoon of shopping. My dress had me at the criss-crossed back straps. Love them! PS - as you can probably tell, we adore dresses with pockets - another selling point for both dresses! 

 

Item #6: Pencil skirt, $10.00, Buffalo Exchange

Although I did not model this pencil skirt, it is absolutely perfect for a day at the office or a night out! I can't wait to debut this skirt back in FL.

And that's all folks! I'd like to thank Meghan for letting me take control of her blog for the night. I could have completely sabotaged her, and was so tempted, but....I didn't. Maybe next time. If you're interested in celeb blogging for Meghan or I, let us know! We're always looking for a some extra blog flair. 

Over and Out, Meghan followers. We're off to continue messin' with Texas.