anniversary gifts are fun.

My sweet friend Bethany made this awesome frame for us for our anniversary.

I love it.

she kept several different paper elements from our wedding and decoupaged them onto a frame.

this is from our programs.

so is this... she also used our invites, our cd inserts (these were favors),  and leftover burlap from bridesmaids clutches I made.

thanks, sweet Bethany!!  You're the best!

puppy chow

have you ever made this before?

I used to make it all the time when I was in high school a century ago.  I kinda forgot about it and was in the cereal aisle the other day and remembered!  So I bought the Chex cereal and went to town!

1 box of Chex cereal (corn or rice.  I used rice)

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2-2 cups confectioners' sugar

(when I was young I omitted the butter and vanilla)

Melt butter, peanut butter and chocolate chips together.  Add vanilla.  Stir.

Pour chocolate mix over cereal and stir (or mix with hands) until coated.

Add confectioners' sugar to coat.  (if you put the mix in a bowl with a top that seals on tightly, you can put the sugar in and then seal the bowl and shake it up, baby!)

Next time I think I might replace the peanut butter with Nutella!

I know.  I'm wild.

;)

2011 memories.

January - a special party just for my man and me.

these girls are the most incredible hostesses anyone could ask for!

February - lots of wedding prep.  Don't know how I could have gotten it all done without my friend Bethany.  This is not Oscar, by the way.  Her kitty is his doppelgänger.

March - the most amazing day of my life.  I got married to my best friend.

April - I got chosen to be the page turner for Pete the Cat, a book reading and signing that my brother and I took my nieces to.  This is my awkward face.

May - we were kinda boring during May.  However, we did make it to a party.  So here we are with our friend Burgin.

June - at the park picnicking and listening to the symphony.  Ah.  We're so cultured... haha.

July - I got a stress fracture.  Rocked the boot the best I could.

August - hit lots of rocks floating down the river.  

September - the mister's birthday... his cake ended up looking like a glowing orb.

October - cheeky pumpkin month.

November - I took some fun pictures of the mister.  He started a blog.  AND he got a real grown up job!  It was a good month.

December - my family.  I love them.  I especially love cooking with them.  

It's been a spectacular year filled with love, new beginnings and great experiences.  I hope you have a really wonderful New Year filled with light and love.  Happy 2012!

my childhood art.

Since I have married, we have spent quite a bit of time going through all of our stuff and deciding whether or not to keep it, chunk it, sell it, or give it away.  Since both of my parents have already passed away, I am stuck with "sentimental" items such as...

Mother's Day 1987 plate... ha!  what is that green, red and black rectangular thing on the lower right hand side?  It looks like part of an animal cell (mitochondria or something?)

So what do I do with this stuff?  I have a lot of it and we just don't have the storage or need for it.  Do we keep it for sentimental value??  The answer to this question is no.  We do not keep it.  This is what cameras are for.  We take a picture of it and chunk it! 

winners aren't hoarders.

My quarter-life crisis 5k trophies...

... time to get rid of.

We're working on not being pack rats.

It's really difficult.