Too yummy, er, beautiful not to share.
Orange Wedding Cakes
I love being married and I do not miss the stress of wedding planning. However, I am a HUGE fan of cake; especially pretty cakes. With that in mind here are some orange lovelies I spotted on The Knot.
Bad Ass Sink
I don't know where it came from or who makes it, but I need this sink.
The hubby found this picture and as soon as I saw it I knew that sink had to be mine. It is the perfect combination of sexy and functional. If we ever get around to putting in new countertops (white laminate = blech) I will hunt this sink down. That is all.
The hubby found this picture and as soon as I saw it I knew that sink had to be mine. It is the perfect combination of sexy and functional. If we ever get around to putting in new countertops (white laminate = blech) I will hunt this sink down. That is all.
Saturday Morning Treat
I am a creature of habit. I eat the same thing for breakfast every morning; oatmeal in the winter, yogurt in the summer. This morning I whipped up my usual oatmeal, but I wanted to jazz it up a bit.
On a side note, don't you love my mug? I don't drink coffee, ever; I had to have these mugs anyway. I love the typewriter font and giant size - perfect for soup, oatmeal or hot cocoa.
my standard oatmeal, hot from the microwave - that's right, i'm lazy and only eat instant oatmeal
a small handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips (i could have grated some ghiradelli chocolate like i did for my hot-cocoa, but it's early and i'm still lazy)
mix and stir - yummy!
On a side note, don't you love my mug? I don't drink coffee, ever; I had to have these mugs anyway. I love the typewriter font and giant size - perfect for soup, oatmeal or hot cocoa.
What do you do to spice up the every day routine?
New Year, New Hair
I easily get bored with my hair so I thought New Year's was a good time to shake things up.
I am not a fan of my natural hair color. I was blond as a kid but as I got older the blond gave way to this icky, mousy shade I like to call dish water brown. My eyebrows are fairly dark so I feel like I can go darker and not look too unnatural. Plus the dark hair makes my eyes look REALLY blue. As for the cut, I asked to have all my layers chopped off and I finally got the bangs I really wanted the first time. I like the new look and the hubby says I look like College Lily minus all the eyeliner... I think that's a good thing.
Speaking of New Year's, let's talk resolutions. Actually, let's not. I don't do resolutions. I do goals. Here are my goals - some big, some small - for 2011:
- Study for and take the AREs. In order to become a licensed architect I have to take 7 exams. I took (and passed!) the hardest one last summer, then I took six months off to have a baby and get a handle on being a mom. Now I am back on the ARE train and 2011 will be the year of studying, studying and more studying. The plan is to tackle all six this year, so keep your fingers crossed for me.
- Keep losing weight. I try not to bore you guys with my weight loss journey, but I wanted to take a moment to fill you in and give myself a pat on the back. Here's the short version:
Lard Ass = 185 pounds
joined weight watchers
Got Pregnant = 175 pounds
quit weight watchers, grew a baby
Ready to Pop = 200 pounds
had the baby, started nursing, found my ankles again
Post-Baby = 175 pounds
joined a gym, rejoined weight watchers, still nursing
Current Weight = 150 pounds
still gymming, dieting and nursing
Goal Weight = 135-145 pounds
Right now I'm at the point where my size 12's are loose but I'm not small enough for a 10. I think I will get down to a solid 10 and call it a day.
- Be a good mom and wife. I know I will never be perfect at either task, but I want to be the best I can be for my 2 favorite guys.
- Stop being so critical. I am super judgemental by nature. I also like to whine. A lot. There will always be room for a good, old fashioned venting session every now and then, but other than that I am going to try to keep my negative thoughts to myself. My new mantra is "Being critical doesn't make me sound funny or smart. It just makes me seem like a jerk." Don't worry, I still plan to be snarky on the internet. This goal only applies in real life.
- Go with the flow. I also tend to be tightly wound. It's not my fault; it's genetic. I will try not to create high expectations and I will try to stay calm when my expectations aren't met.
- Get manicures. I found a salon near my house that will paint my nails for $6. With prices like that, why shouldn't I pamper myself every now and then?
So that's it. What are your goals for 2011?
I am not a fan of my natural hair color. I was blond as a kid but as I got older the blond gave way to this icky, mousy shade I like to call dish water brown. My eyebrows are fairly dark so I feel like I can go darker and not look too unnatural. Plus the dark hair makes my eyes look REALLY blue. As for the cut, I asked to have all my layers chopped off and I finally got the bangs I really wanted the first time. I like the new look and the hubby says I look like College Lily minus all the eyeliner... I think that's a good thing.
Speaking of New Year's, let's talk resolutions. Actually, let's not. I don't do resolutions. I do goals. Here are my goals - some big, some small - for 2011:
- Study for and take the AREs. In order to become a licensed architect I have to take 7 exams. I took (and passed!) the hardest one last summer, then I took six months off to have a baby and get a handle on being a mom. Now I am back on the ARE train and 2011 will be the year of studying, studying and more studying. The plan is to tackle all six this year, so keep your fingers crossed for me.
- Keep losing weight. I try not to bore you guys with my weight loss journey, but I wanted to take a moment to fill you in and give myself a pat on the back. Here's the short version:
Lard Ass = 185 pounds
joined weight watchers
Got Pregnant = 175 pounds
quit weight watchers, grew a baby
Ready to Pop = 200 pounds
had the baby, started nursing, found my ankles again
Post-Baby = 175 pounds
joined a gym, rejoined weight watchers, still nursing
Current Weight = 150 pounds
still gymming, dieting and nursing
Goal Weight = 135-145 pounds
Right now I'm at the point where my size 12's are loose but I'm not small enough for a 10. I think I will get down to a solid 10 and call it a day.
- Be a good mom and wife. I know I will never be perfect at either task, but I want to be the best I can be for my 2 favorite guys.
- Stop being so critical. I am super judgemental by nature. I also like to whine. A lot. There will always be room for a good, old fashioned venting session every now and then, but other than that I am going to try to keep my negative thoughts to myself. My new mantra is "Being critical doesn't make me sound funny or smart. It just makes me seem like a jerk." Don't worry, I still plan to be snarky on the internet. This goal only applies in real life.
- Go with the flow. I also tend to be tightly wound. It's not my fault; it's genetic. I will try not to create high expectations and I will try to stay calm when my expectations aren't met.
- Get manicures. I found a salon near my house that will paint my nails for $6. With prices like that, why shouldn't I pamper myself every now and then?
So that's it. What are your goals for 2011?
This Is What Happens When Architects Play With Snow
The day after Christmas Raleigh had a snow day.
not my houseTo make the most of it, the hubby and I - along with his dad, mom and sister - built a snow cabin. Yeah, most people build snowmen or avoid the cold altogether, but we're not most people. Allow me to walk you through our insanity process.
snow bricks
The crew formed bricks on the driveway then used a skim board to deliver them to the job site. The bricks were made by packing snow into lightly greased tupperware. A quick shake was all it took to get them out.
leveling
We used bamboo poles (leftover from an old school project) to mark the foundation then I started laying bricks. I served as mason and then hubby came after me to stabilize and level everything.
spanning windows
Because building a house from snow bricks isn't crazy enough, we added windows - 3 on the back and 2 on the front. We spanned the window openings with leftover slats from our Ikea blinds.
ceremoniously placing the last brick
To support the roof we built up the short walls then we placed 3 bamboo "beams" - 1 at the ridge and 1 along each long wall to support the roof.
installing the roof
The roofing material was old bamboo mats we once used as a privacy screen at our apartment.
ta-da!
Leftover mats were used as an entry path. My father-in-law teased us for putting a tiki hut roof on an Eskimo house, but what could we do? The materials were free and light weight!
interior
All in all it took us roughly 6 hours and 600 snow bricks. It was hard work and lots of fun. Hubby is already planning our next snow structure!
Merry Caughmas and Hacky New Year
I apologize for the long radio silence. In addition to the normal holiday madness of shopping, wrapping and baking our family had 2 colds, back-to-back. We have felt like absolute poo lately so we've tried to stay in our den of germs house as much as possible.
To distract you from my terrible blogging I will dazzle you with a picture of my baby.
Ta Da! *jazz hands*
I may have missed Christmas, but I hope you and yours continue to enjoy your holiday!
Christmas Time Is Here Again
We are ready for Santa at our house! We put up our tree last Sunday and I spent this past week putting the final touches on the decorations.
When I bought our stockings last year I knew I was pregnant but for some reason I didn't buy a third one for the baby. I tried to find another one this year but no luck. Fortunately Steven's grandmother offered to buy Luke his stocking so I picked out this soft fleecy one from Pottery Barn.
The tree got decked out in the same lights and star as last year but this time I actually dug out our ornaments. We don't have that many - most of them represent our life milestones - so we'll build our collection as we go.
Also making a second appearance are the winter village houses under the tree. I love how they look nestled between the presents!
When I bought our stockings last year I knew I was pregnant but for some reason I didn't buy a third one for the baby. I tried to find another one this year but no luck. Fortunately Steven's grandmother offered to buy Luke his stocking so I picked out this soft fleecy one from Pottery Barn.
The tree got decked out in the same lights and star as last year but this time I actually dug out our ornaments. We don't have that many - most of them represent our life milestones - so we'll build our collection as we go.
Also making a second appearance are the winter village houses under the tree. I love how they look nestled between the presents!
You may have noticed pillow switcheroo for my white chair (the other one moved to the dining table to make room for the tree). This is a pillow my mom cross stitched for our family the year before I was born. Since my mom has gotten remarried - and doesn't have the last name "LANEY" anymore - she passed the pillow along to me. It makes me want to pull out my embroidery supplies and get crafty myself.
Speaking of my mom's embroidery, I put one of her holiday hand towels in the guest bathroom. The red fits right in with the existing color scheme, don't you think?
The hand towel is hanging out with our holiday air freshener. To be honest, this is one of the quickest, cheapest DIYs I've posted on the blog and I can't even take credit for it. After we put up the tree and trimmed the bottom branches - gotta make room for presents! - the hubby grabbed a few pieces headed for the compost pile and stuck them in this bucket so our guests could enjoy the scent of pine trees as they wash up. Well, he didn't do it entirely on his own - I rearranged the branches in the bucket to make them look better. But he was the brains of the operation. He's so smart!
To add even more holiday spirit to the guest bathroom I hung a strand of Wolfpack lights. Tacky? Probably, but I don't care. I love my Wolfpack almost as much as I love Christmas. So there.
Last, but not least, I whipped up a simple centerpiece for the kitchen table using items I already had. I grabbed my vintage cake plate, a glass cake dome, 3 star ornaments and - voila! - instant centerpiece. The cake dome lets me feel like I am participating in the hugely popular bell jar/terrarium trend and it keeps the cats from knocking the ornaments onto the floor. It's a win-win. I love this so much I might keep the cake plate all year and just swap out the contents.
What about you guys? Have you decorated already? Or do you put up your tree on Christmas eve?
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