Gardening 101: Green thumb or bust

We've been in our house just over two years now, and we've had a list of ideas and to-dos since before we got the keys. No, we don't have a plush, furnished office with an executive desk and scotch selections on a nearby side table à la Mad Men. Yet. Yes, we've only accomplished painting one room something other than the boring beige condition that we had no say over. And, no, we haven't done the flowers-bushes-mulch, repeat, around the front of the house like everyone else on our street. But I will say, our lone little maple looks pretty darn amazing this year.

Spring cleaning

Last Monday I took a day off work. I was so excited for a three-day weekend and at the possibility of accomplishing so many things around the house. I had plans (the most important one was to not go to work).

Clean the kitchen. Take out the trash. Get a colorful rug for our entryway. Pick up, vacuum and rearrange the living room. Do laundry AND put it all away (lofty goal). Work in a run. Replace the Winter Wonderland mantle décor with something springy and colorful. Enjoy a beer on the deck at some point during the supposed 50-degree day. Write a blog. Yes, all in one day. It would be equally restful and productive. I threw in a load of laundry, folded some towels and did some time on the treadmill. After cleaning up, I was ready to cross something bigger off the list. And, wow, it was already 10 a.m.

Giving a little love

I really don't get into holidays much. I don't have boxes of decorations for all seasons that I unload out at the most precise times of year. Maybe now that I'm a homeowner, I'll eventually start collecting and decorating...if my husband will let me.

We had some holiday spirit at work for Valentine's Day. I'm part of the company's art department. We're creative types, so for the second year, we decided to exchange DIY Valentines.

Last year, I used porcelain pens and made personalized XOXO heart mugs for all the girls. The best part is they all use them still, some daily for their coffee or tea. So my challenge this year was to come up with a gift that was equally original and still useful. I struggled for a few days until I remembered a pin I had come across during wedding planning.

Fuel me up

It's no secret that I'm a fan of coffee. I probably started out earlier than I should have. Grandma and Grandpa brewed a pot every morning for breakfast and every afternoon for 3:00 lunch. My dad and Grandpa would dip their cookies and sandwiches in it, drink it down and then head back out for more chores. When I got curious enough, maybe around age 12, I would wait to see what was left over, pour a cup, heat it up and dip Rice Krispie bars in it. Something about the marshmallow and coffee really worked, and I that's how I began to love coffee. Seriously.

Carpe diem

It's January. In Nebraska. And guess what? This past weekend it was 65 degrees. Hey-O! So, we did what any sane couple would do: fire up the grill.

Sipping on the sidelines

One day I had a craving (says every woman).

I had wanted tacos for a meal for probably a good week and a half. Fish tacos, specifically. But with the new house and summer activities, Devin and I just didn't have time for a detailed dinner. Finally we had an available evening, and Devin whipped up some yumminess. You just wait and see.

Sold

It started with an innocent look. Devin saw "model homes" signs on his way back from work one day. We decided to take a look, just for fun. They were small, split level houses that were nice but not suitable for us. The agent in the office suggested that we visit another model location close by to check out a few models that had more to offer.

While Devin grabbed a brochure outside, I walked right in the first house. I immediately fell in love with the space, motioning excitedly for Devin to catch up to me. He turned the corner, saw the kitchen and open layout, and immediately talk went from "This is nice" to "This is what we could do for this room."

Plans are falling into place

How amazing is it outside? Fall has to be my favorite season, despite the allergies that naturally tag along with it.

I'm incredibly excited about today and not just because it's Friday. In just one year Devin and I will be getting all spiffed up for our wedding. Oh, yes, we're engaged, remember?

Tonight is alright

The kitties and I are hanging out at home tonight. We (I) got some dishes put away and another load in the dishwasher, laundry washed and dried and tiny bit of tidying up accomplished. They're both so helpful.

Then a craving hit, and I had no choice but to give in.

Ice cream topped with toasted almonds and drizzled with Amaretto. This is my life, and it is good.

Here's to a truly happy Tuesday. *Cheers*

PIN ALL THE THINGS!!

Work will be busy again soon. It had been fairly uneventful until this past week or so because we're starting up our regional print cycle again. When I walked in one morning last week, I was greeted with a 2.5-inch stack of ads (yes, I measured them), and before I could get through them all, the designers brought another pile to be proofed. And that marks the beginning of it all.

Midsummer nights in the middle of winter

January ended much like December, and it was just as memorable.

***

On New Year's Eve afternoon, Devin and I celebrated the unseasonably warm temperatures (and lack of holiday snow) to get the motorcycle out one last time in 2011.

A good friend and a glass (or three) of wine

Monday night Devin came home and asked if I was ready to go out. It's not a common question lately because Devin has been cooking again, and it's all pretty healthy to complement our gym routines. Well, I wouldn't call my on-again-off-again appearances a routine, but I'm making a half-hearted effort, so I deserve points for that.

I'm comfortable with my effort

I put in almost six miles tonight. Between the elliptical and the treadmill, it took me about an hour with only a couple breaks. I survived. Need I say more?

Goal for tomorrow: Write an actual blog post.

For now, here's to Devin, who put in three times as many hours and is still at the gym. At almost 10 p.m. Ridiculous. I'm going to bed. *Cheers*

The four-day weekend (part two)

Devin and I aren't huge on the shop-til-you-drop Friday madness, but we did end up going out (really without thinking about it) that afternoon to a bookstore. We're really cool people. Really.

They had some nice deals, and we ended up getting a few books, one of which is this huge cooking textbook (seriously) that Devin couldn't leave on the shelf. I really don't blame him. I'm excited to see what new levels his cooking takes on as he makes his way through the pages.

The four-day weekend (part one)

The holiday was pretty low-key this year. Since our families' get-togethers were both scheduled on the same day, we decided driving a half hour to my family in Lincoln was more appealing than a two-hour drive to Carroll. It's so hard to split time with each family anyway, and we also wanted to have some time to do our own things around the apartment.

A story FORE! you (aka The day I beat Devin)

This is going to be a first for those of you who read this, so consider yourselves special or privileged or something.

I kind of like golf.

*crickets chirping*

Yeah, that's about it. I know, you're totally enlightened.

Delayed brew

This past weekend was nice. Relaxing. A little Saturday golf, a few beers, another round of Friends DVDs, seeing a little more yellow and orange in the trees south of our place. Sipping coffee in front of the fireplace early in the mornings, only to later sip some wine and cook great meals. Devin even baked his first pie from scratch, and I can say that I'm incredibly impressed with the result.

May I kiss the cook?

As I mentioned in a previous entry, I don't cook much. It's not that I can't; I just don't enjoy it as much as Devin. He's my chef, and I love it.

We (I mean he) finally got back into cooking real, hearty meals recently. He planned a menu that fit into our grocery budget, and we purchased lots of fresh veggies and other items to get us through the week.

Putz in a box

She enjoyed the early stages of unpacking after the move to Omaha.

Have you ever seen Simon's Cat on YouTube? It was either my former boss or a former co-worker who shared it with the office one day.

Simon's Cat is a series of cartoony videos that portray random behaviors that make cats so awesome. One video, "The Box," has always stuck out to me because the portrayal fits our cat perfectly.

Nap time.

Empire, or Putz, as she's now more commonly known, has an obsession with boxes...and bags for that matter. I'm sure most cats do, but we get a total kick out of her. I swear she would spend her whole day boxed up if we provided her food in one.

Spending time with Devin's sister's hamster, Missy.

She takes naps in them, chews on them and spits out little cardboard pieces, plays "I'm undercover and I'm gonna scare the crap outta you when you walk by" and even crawls in one at night like it's her bed.

Really, she'll claim anything box-like as her own. If she judges the item as too small because she's only able to squeeze her head into it (like a 12-pack box), she will then plop herself on top of it.

In the purse.

Bringing bags home from the grocery store is like heaven for her. She pretty much tries to crawl in them before we get a chance to set them down. She can't resist. Any female visitor who leaves an open purse on the floor is giving her an open invitation to rummage through it before she rests on top with her front paws tucked inside.

Putz claimed the box as soon as the shoes were removed.

I mentioned she sleeps in a box? It's true. Recently, Devin's mom stayed with us, and she had two pairs of new shoes...still in the shoe boxes. Putz scored double that day. She has since chewed off one corner of each of them, essentially breaking the boxes, but she still uses them as beds. One is on top of a dresser next to the window where she begins her sleeping routine at night. At some point she often makes her bed on my legs until morning.

Note the chewed upper right corner.

Maybe she just needed a little more room?

Putz retreats to enjoy a weekend sunrise in her bed after I wouldn't feed her before 6 a.m.

Such an odd creature. But she will crawl out of her box and be sprawled out on the floor in front of the door, just waiting for a belly rub, when I get home. I treasure this because that's about all the petting I'll be allotted the rest of the night.

Here's to having someone (or something) waiting to greet you at home at the end of the day. Maybe we should curl up in the chair and enjoy some vino while we wait for Devin to come home. What do you say, Putz? *Cheers*

End of the road for this set of wheels

Lost that back hubcap somewhere between Wayne and Wakefield one night.

I've wanted a new car for years. It's an easy item to wish for; however, it's not as easy to just go out to the lot, point and say, "I'll take it. Here's all my savings, plus my earnings for the next few years.