Ramblings

A few things...

First, because Jess and I are unable to endure long days, we decided to forego seeing The Help tonight with Nora, but we did make it to DeFalco's. I opted for the meatball sub this time because several people recommended it, and it did not disappoint. Plus, I have half a sub left for lunch tomorrow. Perfect.

Also of note, the fence is FINALLY done. The guys who made the gates came and installed them today. Apparently the design that Dylan gave to the gate men was much more complicated than they had realized it would be, and thus it delayed the installation by a week or so. This project that we thought would take a week or two ended up taking a month or two. I am so impatient, and I am so glad it's all done. As we speak, D is out shoveling the excess dirt that was created when the foundation was dug. We still have some work to do in terms of chicken-wiring the holes for drainage so the dogs can't sneak out, but this is definitely a landmark event.

Some day we'll landscape the backyard. But some day we might also get a pool, which would mean the landscaping would be torn up. But we just built a fence, so we can't afford a pool yet. So you understand the dilemma. The backyard will remain unlandscaped for the foreseeable future.

And just a funny coincidence to share with you, since you know how much I love coincidences. Jess mentioned at dinner tonight that she loved looking at the Thrifty Decor Chick's blog after I mentioned it in my mantel blog post. It inspired me to peruse her sight tonight, and when I did, I noticed that she mentioned Dave Ramsey in several of her posts. She even created an acronym, BDR (before Dave Ramsey). Do you know who he is? He's the Total Money Makeover guy, and Dylan assigned me to read his book a long time ago. I think I mentioned it before. He basically tells you how to do a financial plan/budget. Some of the people that are examples in his book make absolutely awful decisions and go into debt for the stupidest reasons. So don't get me wrong, I'm not an indebted idiot, but Dylan thinks Dave has some pretty insightful ideas and useful budget tips from which we could benefit. D is a smart guy, so if he thinks Dave Ramsey is helpful, then his book is probably worth reading. The only problem is, my brain hurts when I get home from work, and the only reading I do is reading for pleasure by that time. But with the long weekend coming up, I told D I would finish the entire book. So we will see if Dave changes my life and my spending to the same effect as he did the Thrifty Decor Chick. I don't take well to dramatic change, so let's hope not.

**Why did Blogger suddenly smash the entire content of my post together, forcing me to learn HTML code for paragraph breaks and spaces? And where's all the stuff on my sidebar?

Some semblance of normal

It's just after 8:30 on Monday morning, and our house is already looking almost normal. We have only one party-goer still hanging around, the dishes are cleaned, and the garbage is out to the curb. I've wiped up obvious crumbs and messes and put the chairs and tables back in their proper places. I'm sure I'll stumble upon some sticky patches on the tile and counter before it's all over...and, of course, some things just can't be fixed. Like the stucco outside where the boys rammed the patio chairs into the wall. And who's the five-year-old who smashed their hot pink gum into my outdoor rug? It's so smashed, there's no hope of getting it up. But if that's the worst of it, then I guess we fared pretty well. It's a small price to pay for D to host one of his favorite weekends of the year. And we've officially cut the Super Bowl out of our party line-up, meaning I only have to deal with the headache and expense of Football and Rowdy Men but once per year.

So, now that it's all over, I'll share with you some of the very few photos of the afternoon and night. I really did have a decent time once I was done cleaning and everything was set to go.

Max was banned from the kitchen for the football draft because of his ridiculous methods. Yes, that is an iPad, laptop, and an additional monitor, all just for him. That way he could communicate with his paid Fantasy Football Advisor during the draft while he made his picks.

Here are some more images of the men taking what they do very seriously. Notice my dad calling my brother some sort of profane name.

Even Ramona gets exhausted during party prep. Big chair, tiny dog.

I didn't really catch many shots during the actual party, but afterwards the real party animals gathered outside [in the 900 degree heat] with the goal of floating the keg, which they did indeed accomplish.

H and K shared a tender moment when saying good-bye.

The last ones standing [or sitting].

Aunt Lu and H time.

Everyone wants to party with the little guy!

Dylan demonstrating his witching stick abilities. It's really quite cool. If you have the special power, you just hold the sticks straight out. Then when you cross over a water or power line underground, the sticks will turn to opposite sides by some crazy force.

Overall it was a really good weekend. On Saturday I got together with the ladies for a lunch at Pita Jungle, and then that night I had make-your-own-pizza night again with the Palmers while the rest of the guys were at the Diamondbacks game. Max made a horrendous looking taco pizza...and it actually ended up tasting pretty good. I might have to try that next time. Thanks for looking after me again, K & M!

Relative to other years, it was a very brief draft weekend but was still considered a success. Everyone was happy.

Loud and Busy

I finally finished my over-the-mantel project, with the help of D. So, here it is.

The moss letter idea came from a design blogger...I think it was Thrifty Decor Chick. Artists on Etsy had moss letters of all different shapes and sizes, but I decided to do it myself, and it really wasn't too difficult! You may be thinking that I am staking a claim on the letter M a little prematurely since my last name is actually, and legally, Palmer. But we are, in fact, the Miller family, and this is the Miller home.

The vintage-like candlestick holders and frame did, however, come from Etsy.

The mason jar I spray painted myself and then added some cheap plants from the dollar store. I also had an un-spray-painted mason jar with the same weeds and flowers, but with the sconces stretching from ceiling to mantel, I just couldn't find the right place for it.

And the float, of course, is a Gleneden Beach/Lincoln City original that Tilly was kind enough to send to us a while back. Dylan found it on the beach near his house when he was younger.

If you think that my house decorating style is kind of busy and colorful, then you are absolutely correct. And if you are just now realizing this, then you probably forgot about the other corners of my house that I've decorated and re-decorated. Here, I'll remind you.

Now that I'm looking at this picture, I think it might be time to take some stuff off the table...

I've been meaning to put all the camera and computer equipment to good use for months but had a hard time finding the motivation until this morning. It's amazing what 11 hours of sleep will do to your energy level...

OH, it's FRIDAY!

Today, for reasons you don't care about, I woke up dreading the day ahead of me. My pissy attitude may have been due to the fact that I was up before the sun for the second day in a row and also because somebody has hit me with the tired-and-feel-like-dog-poo-run-over stick every day since Tuesday. Well, Fridays are incredibly hit-or-miss in my line of work, and today was a hit, depending on how you look at it. In fact, it was a home run in my book! It was a very slow day, which is a rare treat. And you know how much I love being lazy. I was scheduled for an extra hour due to our short-handedness, but I actually left 15 minutes early! I foresaw myself getting the s*** beat out of me and then coming home and collapsing on the couch, where I would drink wine from the bottle and fall asleep prior to 8pm. Well, not even close. You can just see the look of mischief on my face, right? I'm ready to stir things up!

Here I am with a very full glass of skinny girl margarita, and we now have plans in the pipeline to visit the local pizza joint (AKA Rosati's). Our Rosati's is a full restaurant with a bar and everything, in addition to the amazing pizza. I'm not promising to stay awake past 9pm or anything, I'm just saying that I'm embracing the greatest moment of the week in full. It's Friday, and I'm ready to live life on my own terms for the next 2.5 days!

Socialite

It's been a jam-packed week around this place. While D has stayed home and taken care of projects around here, I've gone to work and followed it up with afternoon get-togethers. Jess L. and I chose Baja Fresh as our quick, cheap, and easy dinner destination last night. Even though I've seen her the last two weeks in a row, we still had plenty to talk about. And I expect the same for next week. Today I snuck over to Nora's house to hang with her and the kids. I hadn't seen her new place yet, but I love it. The kitchen is huge and awesome! The kids were delightful, and Nora is always a wonderful hostess. She even sent me home with a chilled bottle of wine with a huge, yellow smiley face on it. Just my style...thanks, N!

By the time I arrived home, D had already taken off for the second of three Fantasy Football drafts. Tonight was the Diamondback Druggies draft. He commissioned it last year, and it was a big hit. I sacrificed my position in the league this year so other people could be involved, and this did not make me sad at all. I was never very good at Fantasy Football, nor was I very interested in it. I had considered attending the draft just for fun since I always have a good time hanging with my co-workers after hours, but I just couldn't fathom arriving home 16 hours after leaving this morning...only to sleep for a few hours and do it all over again. So, I sent Dylan to this event on his own, and I think he was excited for it all the same. I'm sure I'll hear about every tiny detail of the draft ALL DAY LONG tomorrow, so it's not like I'm missing anything anyways.

Friday Night Lights

In my opinion, it was the best TV show in the last 10 years. I finally finished the entire five-season series last week after beginning it only a few months ago. But really, who couldn't love a show with this good ol' boy as the lead actor and coach of the football team?

(photo credit: the naked hero)

...or this not so good ol' boy as a star football player?

(photo credite: JesseAmelia)

Along with the dreamy male cast, the show also told a great story about a family and marriage (that of the Taylors) in a small Texas town. Any normal person could relate to some aspect of this show, and relatability always earns high marks from me. I'm not saying you should wholly trust my opinion when it comes to choosing a television show, since I can't stand many award winners like Lost or Fringe (or maybe it's just that I don't have the mental capacity to process these types of shows), but if you're looking for a feel-good, wholesome show, then you'll love FNL. Though I'm sad it has ended, I'm also slightly relieved that I won't have to add yet another show to my already busy Fall line-up. I think I'll finish off the last four episodes of Grey's Anatomy from last year, and that should bring me right to the start of premiere week!

Does something look vaguely familiar?

It's because you're viewing my blog in it's old format, via Blogger, but at the same address as the new blog. Well the new blog is no more. The reason I created it in the first place was to have my own domain name. But it made blogging way more complicated, which was just not very convenient for me. So, I set my husband up to put in a call to Go Daddy and manipulate things on some of my online accounts...and Voila! Back to the easy peasy way to blog but with the honestlyLu.com domain name. Now I'll just have to update the look of this blog in the coming days.

While I am here, I'll tell you a little bit about my week. First, Dylan saw a snake on our patio today. I am glad it wasn't me. He was at home patching and painting the drywall (again) and saw the slithery creature through the window. Very frequently I put nails or drywall screws into our walls to hang things, and then three months later decide to change it all around, necessitating some wall repair work. For this reason, I am very lucky to have a handy, and also agreeable, husband. Thanks for patching my walls and doing it with a smile, Delta! On that note, I'll just say I've been very busy with spray paint, glue guns, and shopping on Etsy, so expect some changes next time you come to our house. Since things are constantly changing around here, I'm sure this doesn't catch you by surprise.

Last night I watched a preview of the Pioneer Woman's upcoming Food Network Show, so when I fell asleep I had a dream that I won a trip to her Oklahoma ranch and got to meet her family and see all the cool things she does. Imagine my disappointment when my alarm went off, forcing me to drag my groggy self to the J-O-B. I'd have so much preferred to continue hanging out with a popular blogger/author/chef/mother/homeschool teacher/photographer in my subconscious, but I guess waking up is just part of life. Because otherwise you'd be dead. I am really excited for the show this weekend, though.

And lastly, I'd just like Jess L. (vs. Jess E. who staycationed with me...I will be using last initials from now on) and I to pat ourselves on the back for making our THIRD CONSECUTIVE Wednesday night dinner date a reality. I can't wait to dine at Baja Fresh with you, JL!

Vacation

Well, not for me. But kind of. I’ve got Dylan home all week! It’s a wonderful treat to have my main squeeze by my side for more than three days in a row. He has three fantasy football drafts this week, which will keep him very busy. One is on Sunday. At our house. Followed by a BBQ with many people. This means that various friends will be flying in from all over the place to stay with us. And since one of us is working this week and one of us is not, the one who is not will be doing the party preparations.

Yes, my friends, it’s that time again. Draft Party Weekend is upon us. However, with the party being on a Sunday this year rather than a Saturday, things may not get too out of control as they have in years past. In my old age, I am welcoming the semi-calmness of this particular party. But Dylan warns me to not get my hopes up so soon. It’s been a while since these gentlemen have channeled their inner (obnoxious) teenager, and it may just happen at our very residence. If it does, I’ll take it in stride. And put Dylan in charge of the clean-up afterwards.

Staycation

Sunday, August 21, 2011

A few weeks ago, Jess and I bought a Groupon for one night at The Clarendon Hotel in Phoenix. At the time, I had no idea what The Clarendon was. But I learned that it was an old, re-done boutique hotel, and it turned out to be really cool! The oldness of it made it very unique, and despite the broiling temperatures, we enjoyed hanging out on the rooftop at night as well as in the morning. They had a cool restaurant/bar in the lobby, and we munched on happy hour appetizers at the pool when we arrived Saturday afternoon. Pictured above and below are the views from the rooftop.

For dinner, we walked down the street to FEZ. The martini list was a mile long, so I indulged in just one (The Pom-tini), and we all thoroughly enjoyed our food. Afterward, I had one of my episodes that so many of you have witnessed, where I literally fall asleep sitting up in a public place despite having a great time with great friends. I’m not sure the reason for the uncontrollable fatigue, but luckily we were all ready for bed at about that time. However, the front desk had just begun hosting “munchie hour,” so we couldn’t call it a night before eating an entire Kit Kat and an entire Butterfinger (or maybe it was only Kevin who ate that much). Finally, we headed upstairs and everyone slept like a rock.

This morning we all thought it would be fun to ride the light rail since none of us had ever done it before. So we walked very far, rode the light rail a very short distance, and then walked very far again to Postino. It was right about the time we sat down to breakfast that my body began to fail me. I had sweated profusely (more than was necessary for a warm morning walk), my head was pounding, and I thought if I stood up I would faint. So needless to say I was not able to enjoy the lovely walk/ride back to the hotel in the blistering heat and instead waited with Jessica while Dylan and Kevin brought the cars to the restaurant. I’m sure you’ll be relieved to know that I never ended up fainting, and after popping a couple Aleve, drinking lots of water, and taking it easy for an hour or two I was good as new. Thanks for forfeiting your second light rail ticket and hanging out with a weirdo, Jess!

It was fun to spend some time in Phoenix because after living here my entire life, I’ve never really done much in that area except go to sporting events, concerts, or shows. I felt like a moron for knowing nothing about the big city, but now I can say I’ve dined, ridden the light rail, and staycationed there...so basically I’m a Phoenix expert.

Heavenly

Friday, August 19, 2011

A few weeks ago, I purchased a coupon on Living Social for a massage, simply because it was at a place nearby, and it was (of course) an unbeatable deal. Then, immediately after the purchase, I kicked myself because I hate scheduling appointments. It’s very difficult and stressful to make an appointment at a place that’s only open during normal business hours when you, for the most part, only work normal business hours. Hell, it’s even a pain to call and get the appointment during normal business hours. Then, when said appointment is made and it’s time to go, I usually wish I was just going home. That’s where my heart (and my husband) is, after all.

Well, today was my massage appointment, but it actually couldn’t have come at a better time. Dylan was home ensuring that the dogs were well cared for (haha), and I had had a stressful day. An end of the week rub-down was most definitely in order. And it was glorious! I may even go back to this girl, who was very sweet and good at her job...even at the full price!

Afterward, when I arrived home, Dylan was fully prepared to play defense on my crappy attitude with a chilled bottle of wine. But my attitude, by then, had improved by at least a few points. We shared a glass of wine, and things got even better. It’s amazing what a tinge of wine and a full-body rub-down will do for the soul. I also found out that he had the Internet man out here today to install some satellite thingy so that our Internet speed is 10 times faster. He said it’s so that I can stream videos online much faster and at much higher quality. Though I appreciate that, I am certain he also had his own ulterior motives for the upgrade. But I could care less. Upgrade away, love.

Have a great weekend, friends!

The Life and Times of Lu

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

I just want to take a short moment to update you on some of the goings-on in my life. You might not care, but I’d like to have a post for the diary of my personal life, which comes in the form of this blog printed into a book at the end of every year.

First and foremost, Jess and I were able to re-instate our “Every Wednesday” dinner. We came up with a plan to meet every Wednesday, and then every single Wednesday for two straight months one or both of us was busy, so we never met. But, we did do Sauce last Wednesday, and tomorrow we’re having Chipotle. As a special treat, the Westphals will be joining us!

What else? I saw the movie Crazy, Stupid, Love, and I loved it! I also snuck over to Herb and Bart’s new house to take a quick peak, and it is huge and wonderful. I get some weird thrill out of looking at houses. Sometimes I have Dylan drive me around our neighborhood in the Rhino just to look at everybody’s houses, and I love sneaking on the MLS to get all the specs on the homes around us.

Jury duty made for a pretty nice day. I sat in the jury assembly room all morning without being called to go up to a courtroom, and then I finally got called after the lunch break. I sat through all the questioning and was finally released at the very end of the day. As you can see from the picture above, I was one of the first to arrive and last to leave. But, I got some reading done, and I also thought it was incredibly interesting to hear the other jurors answer the judge’s questions. How very nosy of me to be so interested in random strangers’ dirt...but it is what it is. I ended up missing the entire work day, and I felt slightly guilty about leaving my co-workers high and dry, but mostly I was thankful for the government-imposed mental health day.

Then, it was off to Oregon for an amazing wedding weekend! We had a great and memorable time, and I think I even heard the Best Man say “This guy is definitely not a loser,” in his toast to the bride and groom, which Dylan and I will quote over and over again forever.

Wish List

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

I have found a wonderful outlet for my shopping obsession: The Amazon Wish List. I had always added books to the list, but recently, after much pestering by Amazon, I downloaded the Wish List Extension toolbar that lets you add items to your Wish List from any website. Actually, I now have five Wish Lists for items in every category. It’s very fulfilling to find things you like and know you can keep everything in one place. It’s like, if I don’t purchase it now, at least it’s not gone forever. It has really helped to curb my spending.

I read a blog post about people who work for the money by a girl who calls herself the Everyday Minimalist. I think I’ve made it abundantly clear that I’m not working for the creative outlet or the feeling of fulfillment that my work provides...which only leaves one selfish goal for punching a clock (and yes, I do in fact punch a clock). The Everyday Minimalist says that people who work for the money hate life most of the time and spend their money when they get home to justify their crappy life and make themselves feel better. Then they have to keep working to pay for all the stuff they buy, and they just find themselves in a vicious cycle. I certainly don’t hate life (Slightly disenchanted with it? Maybe sometimes.), and I don’t buy that much stuff, but I can relate to this.

I’ve always been very conservative, so I would never buy stuff I couldn’t afford...but I knew I bought lots of stuff for the short-lived happiness and satisfaction that it brought me. I don’t think it takes an expert to know that retail therapy brings a very short-term joy, and the items you buy have a very short-lived novelty, but it is a scientific fact. So I decided to halt the spending, and the Wish List has been an amazing aid in my quest.

You’ve probably heard lots about minimalism lately, and though I’m probably the opposite of a minimalist (take a look at any room in my house), I think there’s something to be said for it. I even overheard Ann Curry talking to some person on the Today Show while I was getting ready this morning, and they made mention to the fact that most people could get rid of 75% of their wardrobe. Now that’s downright ridiculous...but I did clean out my closet a month or so ago, and it’s very refreshing. Gretchen Rubin, who writes the Happiness Project book and blog, says that uncluttering her house and her life was great for boosting energy and relieving stress. I think lots of other people say that, too...it’s not an extremely novel idea, but it’s a good one.

So it is my mission, if not to be a full-blown minimalist, to at least accumulate less stuff and live amongst less clutter. I found an outlet for my online shopping, and shopping in physical stores has never really been a problem since I don’t like stopping anywhere to do anything. Ever.

So you’ll probably see less on the shopaholic Lu portion of my blog...which was kind of anemic anyways. I’m sure you won’t miss it. But, you should ask me how my pseudo-minimalist mission is going over the next few weeks. I have a problem with goals if I’m not held accountable...

Oregon...just real quick

Monday, August 15, 2011

We did another whirlwind 3-day weekend to the Oregon Coast. We have visited at least twice a year for the last five years...but never for more than three days at a time (maybe we stayed for four days one time). So, we’re hoping to possibly stay for an entire week in the next year. What a luxury that would be! And how pathetic that we haven’t been able to set aside an entire week to do anything, really, in five years (except get married). This teaches me that it’s time to live life on my own terms...I just don’t know yet how to do that. But I’ll figure it out!

Anyways, back to the topic at hand. It really was one of the greatest trips to Oregon. Unfortunately the Millers were renovating and the Fowlers rented their house out for the summer, so Dylan, Brian, Sandra, and I stayed in a humble little abode RIGHT ON THE OCEAN. It was awesome...except for the fact that the walls did not reach the ceiling. You’d have to see it to understand, but it was the source of much laughter. Thanks to Brian’s portable wireless Internet, we stayed well-connected with our four laptops, four iPhones, and one iPad.

We also had a couple at-home happy hours with a beautiful plate of Italian cheese prepared by Sandra, an authentic 100% Sicilian (I’m only 50% Sicilian...she’s so much more authentic than I am).

Saturday was Tara and Casey’s wedding at The Barking Dog Farm off the Siletz River. The local people buy their organically grown food at this farm, but it was the perfect setting for the wedding. The weather was perfect that night, as it was for the entire trip. I also got to pet a pig on the farm.

Dylan also found some time to do his favorite activity...play video games with Cody.

On Sunday morning, we had a delicious breakfast at our favorite place, the Wildflower Cafe. We followed it up with the late church service, where we got to watch Zealan having a blast banging on the drums. Our flight departed late out of Portland, so we roadtripped back in the afternoon and stopped to have a glass of wine with Brian’s grandmother in Vancouver.

I was so happy to get away from here for awhile and escape the heat. We got home in the middle of the night, so I’ve been spending the whole morning running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get my life in order before we begin the work week (barf). But, I couldn’t neglect the blog any longer, so I just had to sit down for a quick update. I have more to say, I promise, so check back this week for more Lu Tidbits.

Civic Duty and Dow Jones

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

I think I’m a jury duty magnet. I was one of three groups out of about 30 on my jury summons who actually has to appear tomorrow morning. But I’m extremely overdue for a random, mid-week break from the grind, so I’m actually okay with it. I remember my friend Steph told me a few months back that it probably wasn’t a good thing that I was happy to take a random Wednesday off work so I could get dental surgery, and the same thing applies here. I feel entirely neutral about it, and I don’t even get paid while I’m at jury duty. I understand that may sound demented, but it wouldn’t be very honestly Lu of me to pretend like I was upset about the situation. Plus, I believe it’s important to perform your civic duty. If you’re an adult, you have responsibilities, and this is just one of them. Some day, Steph, I promise to grab life by the balls and spend my days doing something even cooler than dental surgery and jury duty.

In other news, how relieved are you that the Dow made a bit of a recovery today? You probably don’t care, unless you’re retiring soon or you live in my house, where short-term effects may be realized with one specific transaction. I think D took a couple of tiny steps back from the edge of the bridge today, but I don’t think he’ll commit to not jumping until we’re out of the woods, which will hopefully be soon. Keep it up, investors, we want to see several repeats of today over the next week, and absolutely zero repeats of Monday. Please.

Oh, nothing, really

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Life has been low-key around here. Just the way I like it. The bad news is, I don’t have anything newsworthy to share with you. No news is good news, right? But in the interest of getting this writing bug out of me, I will give you a few small highlights of the week.

1) Last weekend I went to lunch and saw the movie “Friends with Benefits” with my mom and dad. They had just returned from a two-week getaway to Russia, so it’s nice to have them back. The movie was cute, or at least worth seeing if you like silly romantic comedies.

2) Dylan’s work awards vacation days when you don’t really need them (and forces you to resort to desperate measures when you actually need a day off), so he’s been home for the last 12 days on vacation. Yes, 12! But, he’s put his time to good use, flying at least three contract trips and one day of overtime at his regular job. Somebody’s gotta pay the bills around this place.

3) It’s birthday season. If you recall from last year, the end of July/beginning of August is extremely busy in my family with my dad, Max, Sumer, and Jaylen all celebrating birthdays in the span of two weeks. So far I’ve knocked off the list: Max’s birthday dinner with friends, Max’s weekend birthday camping trip, Max and Sumer’s all-family birthday gathering, and Jaylen’s birthday party. I had to miss Sumer’s girl’s happy hour because I worked late, and still on the agenda are Max’s birthday dinner at my parents’ house and Dad’s birthday dinner at my parents’ house. If you think our family needs to seriously re-evaluate consolidating birthday celebrations, then you are correct. But we always need excuses to get together since it’s so hard to manage to gather everyone in the same place at the same time, so I have a feeling we will proceed with celebrating as usual.

4) Jaylen’s party was yesterday. It was at some place in Desert Ridge that Sumer and John rented out for all the kids to play like maniacs for a couple hours. I had so much fun taking Hudson down the slide and eating pizza from Slices. I also did some shopping at DSW and some other places while I was there. You can’t go all the way to Desert Ridge and not shop...even if the parking lot is scarier than Costco on a Saturday.

5) I met teeny, tiny Kaylee Larson this week. She has black hair and is as sweet as can be. Congratulations Luke and Kris! It was fun to catch up with the Larsons...it had been way too long.

6) I have been doing some serious research and making some online purchases to get a couple crafty projects underway. First, I am re-doing my way-too-symmetrical above-the-fireplace area. Second, I really want to learn to sew bags. I’ve purchased so many homemade bags on Etsy, I figure I should just learn to do it myself. I told Dylan I might start my own tote bag business and call it “Totes Magoo.” I can’t decide if I came up with that name from “Totes Magotes” on the TV show How I Met Your Mother, or from the derogatory nickname “Tits Magee” (excuse my language) that I’ve heard one or two men in my life use to describe a woman with large breasts. I’ll let you know when I get Totes Magoo off the ground so you can be the first to purchase one of my original tote bags. So far, I barely know how to sew.

7) I promise to be more interesting next time.

With Love,
honestlyLu

Seatbelt burn

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

I know lots of people take pictures of the temperature inside their car and then post it on Facebook just to show how hot it really is here in the desert, and they think they’re unique and that their friends are simply astounded (and they’re really not)...but I feel compelled to follow in their footsteps anyways. Because today I got in the car after work and was very careful not to touch the metal part of the seatbelt...and then even the nylon part burned me when it touched my skin. I’ve always said that the best part of the work day is the part where you leave to go home [actually I’ve never really said that even though I do feel that way]. But when this is what greets you when you finally get out the door, it’s just really uncool. Both literally, and figuratively.

Finally, it's gone

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

I know you’ve just been dying to find out whatever came of that ridiculous stalk growing out of the aloe on our driveway. Well, the animals that managed to eat all of the landscaping in our front yard got to this plant also and ate off almost the entire bottom part, leaving it with a very weak base. The stalk had shed all of the yellow stuff, then it was naked, then it grew the green, leafy stuff. Then it leaned luminously for weeks (see above). Every time I pulled in or out of the garage I saw my life flash before my eyes, wondering if the stalk was going to crush me in my car. Dylan finally came to the rescue, tied the plant to the back of Vic the Volvo, and hauled the thing away. A new, tiny aloe is in its place, and it is also getting eaten alive. Why we bother to spend money on living plants anymore, I don’t really know. It just seemed like the right thing to do.