A little spacey

It all started yesterday. Saturday morning Cory woke up early to meet a friend for a round of golf (the ONLY thing in the world that could wake Cory up early on a Saturday morning is golf.). 

He kissed me goodbye as I snoozed, and I heard him open the door to leave. Then I heard "LIN-dy!"

(Its a very particular gaspy tone Cory has of pronouncing my name when my behavior has really shocked him. I hadn't heard it in a while. I heard it a lot while we were dating. I suppose he's grown accustomed to my ways...(name that movie, and we're going to be great friends. Bosom buddies!))

Back to the point...

Yea. Apparently I forgot one key step (Ha!) when I was coming home on Friday night. Namely, bringing the keys with me. I'm just glad they were still there in the morning.

I had some other stories to tell you about things that I forgot about, but, very appropriately, I can't remember them right now. Just know, it's been happening a lot lately.

Oh, I remember one! Today I forgot to feed Cory dinner. 

He has a huge test on Tuesday, and he's been a little distracted with that. He was gone for a large portion of the afternoon today, and I ate a late lunch while he was out.

Cory came home, we talked for a minute, and then he went right back to the books (and youtube videos that teach "Signals and Systems" from a man with a heavy Indian accent. He pronounces "third" as "turd". And "thirdly" as "turdly." And, it turns out, a lot of the concepts come in sets of three.)

Anyway, Cory comes out at 10:00, and mentions that he's hungry. Oh yea...dinner.

He forgets to eat routinely, so this isn't out of the ordinary for him.

 So, I made him some dinner. Just whipped it right up.

I'm reallly awesome.

Speaking of orange juice, I bought  a gallon of it yesterday.

This is what it looks like today.

It's not even the GOOD orange juice!

Impressive, yes? I don't think we're going to have to worry about the October 21st expiration date. What a relief.

Love at Home

So, the other day I saw this cute little printable on pinterest.

via

And it's true. Cory is definitely the best part of coming home. 

But I like other things about our home too. Especially this new place.

For instance, if I use the centrally located bathroom plug, I can vacuum the whole apartment without unplugging even once. This makes me so happy.

And did I mention it's the perfect jogging (maybe biking??) distance from work? Two miles. Perfect work out.

Also, I feel safe. Which is a really nice, previously taken for granted, perk.

Most of all, we're finally starting to be really settled in. It is awesome.

Ready for a before/after? If not, prepare yourself.

This was the view right as you walked in the door on moving day:

It's only taken a mere 3.5 months (ha!) to get to this: 

I found the rug at Target on clearance a few weeks ago. I had some birthday money set aside just for such an occasion. That bad boy came home with me, and Cory loves it too.

I know that Cory loves it because he protects it as if it were our first born child. "Don't spill on that the carpet!" is his battle cry. So far the rug has escaped unscathed.

And I'm just dying to tell you that our curtains are really table cloths. The cheapest kind you can buy at Wal-Mart. I just had to get it off my chest.

The little clips are also from Walmart. 3ish bucks a pack. Now anything clippable is curtains!
This was a game changer for me...

The pictures in the corner are the very same wedding pictures of our parents and grand parents mentioned in this post. I wanted a grid of pictures, and these were the lucky winners.

The 11x14 frames were $5.00 each at Walmart. Which adds up pretty quickly, but it was the cheapest I could find. 

I "matted" the pictures with poster board and tape because I used up all my monies on the frames. ($30.00 total project budget. Well, actually I used monies from the "grocery budget" for this one. And Cory hasn't even missed the cheese and bread.) 

The real mats would have cost me $7.00 EACH at Micheal's. $42.00?? For mats?

 Too rich for my blood.  Maybe I can save up for them, and have real mats in a few years.

So, I'm loving this mostly finished room. I have one little, tiny problem. It's called "this whole entire wall above the couch."

I don't know what to put there. I thought the shelves were a great idea but..nothing I put on them seems to work. So, I turn to you. Ideas?

A few tiny things.

My basil is growing up. I'm so proud of it. I watch it change a little more every day, and my chest swells every time I walk in the door and see that it's not dead yet. I imagine this is what parenting feels like, only quieter. And with less poop involved.

Anyway, the following story happened a few months ago, but I forgot about it. And, it's been a while since I've shared a "Cory's take on interior design" story. So, here's a little gem, from me to you.

Just before he left for his mission, Cory's younger brother, Brendon, purchased a new watch. The watch came wrapped around a fancy little pillow that fits into the palm of your hand.

Brendon gave this little pillow to Cory. Maybe because it said "Denmark" on it. (Cory served his mission in the Netherlands. (Update 9/23/11: Cory has since informed me that Denmark and the Netherlands are in no way related. My bad.) Maybe because its just the type of random thing that would appeal to Cory.

I honestly don't know.

Regardless, Cory accepted his gift.

I can only imagine the thought process that transpired as he tried to find the perfect place for his new little friend.

 A few days later I discovered this:

Look closely. It's there. Tucked ever so gently between the yellow doily pillow, and the orange leafy pillow.

I guess he figured every other pillow we own is here, so why should this one be treated any differently?

Why indeed.

P.S. I left it there. It makes me smile every time I see it.

We put the "Labor" in Labor Day

My parents were in town for Labor Day weekend. Although they live in North Carolina most of the time, their beauuutiful house in Marianna hasn't sold, so they stop from time to time. 

I love going to visit them.

There's no internet/cable at their house, so I was going to write a post about "unplugging" and "relaxing" for a weekend. But, that post never happened. Mostly because hanging out with my parents is not exactly relaxing. I love it, but I think you have to grow up with it to really appreciate the types of entertainment we enjoy.

I arrived pretty late Friday night (sans Cory. Cory can't "unplug" when mountains of online homework beckon. He made his appearance on Sunday) 

My parents had been driving all day long, and you'd expect to find them tired. Not so. 

When I walk up to the house I hear the gentle hum of machinery coming from the garage. Dads busy.

Then, my mom is in the kitchen juicing a million weird grapes, while simultaneously tearing apart my newest trashy treasures in preparation for our weekend reupholstery project. 

Friday night thrills, yes? Yes.

11 quarts of weird grape juice. Almost FOUR gallons. She's good. Very good.

Bright and early Saturday morning (I "slept in." I was up by 7:00 AM.) my mom and I drag our little chair project out to the garage.

My Dad tsks and shakes his head. Endearingly, I'm sure. "You've always got a project going, dontcha Ruthie? Can't just leave it alone? Tsk."

This, from the man who spent all night and morning underneath the lawnmower.

You can be the pot, Dad. Mom can be the kettle.

And me? I'll be that nearby acorn, thank you very much.

New blog header, maybe?

Birfday

Birthdays are fun. Today is mine.

I like planning parties for other people, but not so much for me. I really prefer a nice quiet simple birthday. And by simple, I mean I want lots of nice quiet little things sprinkled through out the entirety of my birthday month.

Cory is such a sucker/sweetie about it. And really, its his own fault. I was never this way before he got involved in the birthday planning. You see, if I say I want something within a 6 month period of a gift giving occasion (read: Anniversary, Birthday or Christmas. (read further: it's ALWAYS within a 6 month period of one of these occasions)), he'll say "Why don't you just wait and ask for it for your birthday/Christmas?" And so I do.

And so I end up asking for a million things, and Cory will say, "Well, okay. It is for your birthday, after all."

This was not my intention, really. But sometimes things just work out.

We both like using occasions as an excuses to get what we really want. It works for us.

 Maybe some people would find it sad that I tell Cory exactly what I want, then get on the internet and order it for myself while yelling out to Cory, "I'm buying my birthday present!"

But I don't feel sad. I actually feel the complete opposite of sad. I get what I want, I'm never disappointed ( I very rarely let myself down), and when it gets here I get to love it and hug it and rock it to sleep...

Would you like to meet my precious?

Oh you glorious bag. How do I love thee? Shall we count the ways? 1) Your pretty color matches my favorite pair of flats exactly. 2) You look so chic. 3) You come with two straps. 4) You have lots of pockets. and 5) You're really a camera bag.

That's right. This bad boy has effectively solved the issue I was having regarding bringing my other precious out into the world. Our camera came with it's own very nice, very big, standard issue black bag. A bag that wouldn't fit into my purse. So, if I wanted to bring the camera, I had to carry two cumbersome bags around. Annoying.

Also, I felt the black bag sent a message along the lines of: "Expensive technological equipment inside. I would be an excellent choice for mugging, if you felt so inclined."

Safety first, right? I needed the bag. So Cory told me I could have it. So I got it. And I love it.  And it was my official birthday present.

I also got some shelves this month. I've planned on getting them since we moved in, but I got them this month so in our house that makes them a birthday present. Cory complained less than usual as he put them up, seeing as how it was my birthday month. And that, my friends, is truly a gift.

I looooove these shelves. They sit over my desk, and hold crafty supplies, and books, and knick knacks.

A lot of knick knacks. I have a problem.

Even on top of that, he wanted to celebrate yesterday! He said, "We can go to the mall and get you some new clothes for your birthday!"

Ummm...who are you? Where's my Cory?

We went. It took me four hours to find one shirt I liked. I don't think Cory will ever go with me again. 

So, Happy birthday to me! 22 years and still going strong. 

Now, you'll have to excuse me while I go eat some cheesecake.

P.S. On an unrelated note, ever since we watched The Music Man with my parents Cory has been randomly shouting, "Not one POOP outta you!" It's hilarious. And awkward sometimes. Also, it should be known that his favorite song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is "Toot Sweets." I'm sensing a theme here...

Cooking Up a Storm

A while ago I found a copy of my Mom's classic Betty Crocker Cookbook at Goodwill. My mom got hers as a present from her mom, and it's the cookbook we grew up with. It pretty much tells you how to do everything. Here's an excerpt from the front pages:

Its been tested people. By Betty Crocker herself. It's one of my most favorite cookbooks. Many a dinner has been loosely based on one of these recipes. (Very loosely.) And every time I see it I'm hit with the urge to put on an apron and cook something.

Speaking of cooking something, we made some homemade pizza with our friends Chris and Kendal the other night. Kendal made the most delicious dough from scratch. Scratch! She's awesome.

Chris broke out the ol' Chuckie Cheese skills, and taught us how a real man rolls out pizza dough.

He makes it look so easy!!

And then we spread on the toppings.

Kendal's side vs. Chris's side.

Pepperoni, onion, bell pepper, and mushroom.
Pretty much anything goes over here.

Dinner was delicious, and it reminded me, yet again, of how much I like cooking things. 

A few weeks ago I bought a five pound bag of green apples. I wanted some apples, but buying a few single apples was just as expensive as buying a whole five pound bag! So I bought it.

Turns out, that was a little excessive. Also turns out, Cory doesn't eat apples.

The combination of our newfound Betty Crocker confidence, Chris and Kendal's homemade pizza inspiration,  and half a bushel of leftover apples made for what some would call, The Perfect Storm. You know, if you liken kitchen experimentation to a storm. Which, over here, we most definitely do.

I told Cory we could make some apple empandas. When he asked what an empanda was, I told him I wasn't sure, but I think its kind of like an apple turnover. When he asked what an apple turnover was, I told I thought it was kind of like a hot pocket and apple pie had a baby.

Finally, we were on the same page. And so I looked up "Apple Pie" in the good ol' Betty Crocker bible, and very loosely came up with this.

Then we took a four hour break to have Sunday dinner at Cory's parent's house. So...yea. The lighting is significantly worse from here on out.

We broke out those crescent rolls. Ready to bake is how we decided to go here. We'll go real home made next time. Maybe.

I love the "pop" of the crescent rolls. Always have. Cory wasn't expecting it though, and when the tiny explosion happened he was very concerned. "Are you okay??" he asks.

My method of filling was, haphazard at best. Plop some apple slices down, roll up the dough, and call it good.

Cory was not having it. "Haphazard" is not how he rolls. The sounds of general consternation were unceasing from his end.

I thought it was going swimmingly. I got excited about one of the more perfect of my little apple-crescent balls o' happiness, and said, "Ooo, this is gonna be a cute one"

Cory holds up the mangled, oblong pile of dough and apples with this disgusted look on his face.

He says, "Lindy. I don't think these are going to be as cute as you think they are."

But, they totally were.

They taste alright too. 

An herb update and rose colored dishes.

My herbs are growing!! 

The basil sprouted about five days after I planted, and is really taking off:

And the parsley has finally decided to make a showing.

The chives have yet to make an appearance. I haven't given up on them yet though.

When I was in Utah in June, we hit up the DI. It was awesome. I found this little pink cup.

I bought it (For like, fifty cents) and told my mom I was going to start collecting pink depression glass. She told me that sounded nice.

Then a few weeks ago I was thrifting with my girl Kristen, and saw this little beauty:

I bought it (Ninety nine cents. Sold.) My collection was moving right along!

A few days ago, my mom called and asked me for my address. I gave it to her.

This showed up a few days later:

My mom mentioned my fledgling collection to one of her friends in North Carolina, and then when her friend was thrifting in Minnesota, she saw the little beauties above. She bought them and mailed them to me!

I jumped and squealed and maybe even did a little dance in the kitchen when I opened the box.

Cory says that "now I'll never win."

That's right. Filling up my house with junk has now become a national pastime. Coast to coast, baby.

Now it's a real collection.

If you're first response to this is, "That's nice, but WHY, Lindy?" You should know that it would look
really cute in a baby girl's room. Yes, the one that doesn't exist yet. 

Its kind of fun to have a specific "thing." I've never really had one before that I know of. Well, some people would count random ceramic animals as a thing. Then maybe I have two "things."

But sometimes they overlap.

Matchsies!