merry christmas!

here are some new house pictures for you to enjoy on your vacation. :D there is still a lot to do (especially in the kitchen) but at least it's starting to look cozy.

a home, for the holidays.

i spent several hours last night on the kitchen floor deglossing cabinets and stripping away three layers of tacky wallpaper. tonight we are ripping out the vinyl floor and starting the first coat of paint. my back aches, several of my fingernails are either chipped or broken, my spare pair of jeans are now my "work jeans" and everytime i walk in my house there's another project waiting for me.

it has been a pretty awesome week so far, and we've really only just started. :D

i'm an audrey. :)

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are an Audrey!

You are an Audrey -- "I am at peace"

Audreys are receptive, good-natured, and supportive. They seek union with others and the world around them.

How to Get Along with Me

• * If you want me to do something, how you ask is important. I especially don't like expectations or pressure


• * I like to listen and to be of service, but don't take advantage of this


• * Listen until I finish speaking, even though I meander a bit


• * Give me time to finish things and make decisions. It's OK to nudge me gently and nonjudgmentally


• * Ask me questions to help me get clear


• * Tell me when you like how I look. I'm not averse to flattery


• * Hug me, show physical affection. It opens me up to my feelings


• * I like a good discussion but not a confrontation


• * Let me know you like what I've done or said


• * Laugh with me and share in my enjoyment of life

What I Like About Being an Audrey

• * being nonjudgmental and accepting


• * caring for and being concerned about others


• * being able to relax and have a good time


• * knowing that most people enjoy my company; I'm easy to be around


• * my ability to see many different sides of an issue and to be a good mediator and facilitator


• * my heightened awareness of sensations, aesthetics, and the here and now


• * being able to go with the flow and feel one with the universe

What's Hard About Being an Audrey

• * being judged and misunderstood for being placid and/or indecisive


• * being critical of myself for lacking initiative and discipline


• * being too sensitive to criticism; taking every raised eyebrow and twitch of the mouth personally


• * being confused about what I really want


• * caring too much about what others will think of me


• * not being listened to or taken seriously

Audreys as Children Often

• * feel ignored and that their wants, opinions, and feelings are unimportant


• * tune out a lot, especially when others argue


• * are "good" children: deny anger or keep it to themselves

Audreys as Parents

• * are supportive, kind, and warm


• * are sometimes overly permissive or nondirective

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

finally...

...we're home. :)

james and brandi's wedding.

here's a few pictures from from my brother's wedding on saturday. sorry to make this post so short but right now i'm waiting for my grandparents to stop by and am packing in the meantime. :)












(james looks very TONY SOPRANO in this picture. valerie is also a bit mobsterish.)

shirt

this is my favorite shirt. i probably wear it about 2-3 times a week. if you've seen me recently, then you've probably seen me wearing this shirt. it's comfortable, soft and does a good job of hiding my "food baby" after lunch. :)

in actual news: wonderful things are happening! we finished signing the papers with our realtor and our loan documents are being drawn up. we hope to sign our loan, do our final walk-thru (either tomorrow or monday) and be ready to move in next week. sweeeeet!

also, my brother's wedding is this saturday and the rehearsal dinner is tomorrow. a hearty (and early) congratulations to them!

new favorite product.

i bought this lotion at target on sunday and really like it, it's a moisturizing lotion with a gradual color enhancer. the results are supposed to be noticeable in 3-4 days, but i noticed results in one day. i guess that's a cool perk of having an olive skin tone, we're very good tanners. :)



i've never really liked tanning of course because of all the harmful effects, but also it's not very fun sitting in the sun, worrying about tan lines and sweating, sweating, sweating.



if anything, i hope to avoid having shar-pei skin in my mid-40's. believe me, i would not be able to pull off that look as easily as this adorable puppy.

political optimism!

this morning i woke to a beautiful misty and rainy morning. it left me with a sweet nostalgic feeling (i realized i missed oregon more than i thought) but it also left me feeling happy and optimistic about many different things going on lately. today i voted and november 4th is a nationally optimistic day, so i guess it wasn't coincidence that today was meant to be a good day.

updates!

first update??? we finally got approval on our home! our projected move-in date is november 28, (my mom-in-love's birthday) so we could be there in time for christmas! we're meeting with our home loan officer today to get our paperwork in order and hope to schedule a home inspection next week. this picture is the original picture i found on the internet months ago, i hope to post my own pictures very soon. :) whoo!


my second update is that joey turned 6 years old on tuesday! now that's he's considered a middle aged dog, (although papillons have been known to live until 18+ years) i bought him some old man treats with glucosamine to help with that aging. happy birthday joey!


update number three is my new phone. it's pink! i don't know why having a pink phone is so incredibly enjoyable for me, but it is. i've never had anything other than the cheap flip phones you get with a new phone plan and i'm not a very "girly" girl, so i've sorta hit two birds with the same stone with this one. also, it plays music! (another completely new concept for me.)

oh, and happy halloween everyone!

oak glen.

my sister had her 30th birthday this past weekend so my brother, his fiance brandi, michael and i took valerie to oak glen on sunday. the trees were turning color, the air smelled sweet and crisp and the company was good. apple pies, caramel apples and pumpkin butter were for sale. fallen leaves were to be crunched, fresh BBQ to be smelled, parking spaces to be fought for, and pigmy-goats to be laughed at. i hope you had a happy birthday vallie!

here's a few pictures i took as well as a few that i snagged from my sister and brother. ;)








24 more days until their big day! awwwwwwwww...

pride in wrapping.

i LOVE wrapping presents for people. i love to try and coordinate the colors of the tissue, bow and wrapping/bag with whatever gift i'm giving. this present is for my sister's birthday tomorrow so i can't tell you what i got her yet, but i just wanted to give you a little taste of my passionate gift wrapping skills. :)

my (hopeful) thanksgiving ideas.

we've been waiting to hear about whether or not our offer has been accepted on our dream home since april, (APRIL!?!) and we now hear that we may be getting a call any day now with the news. (humpf, scoff scoff) i had planned to host a halloween party with friends, caramel apples and costumes, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen this year. :(

so instead, i'm going to focus all my creative thoughts on thanksgiving. :) with my grandparents, in-laws and brother and sister (with respective spouses!) planning on coming over, i have a few ideas to make it our first thanksgiving in the new house memorable.



okay, technically my thanksgiving ideas are actually martha stewart's ideas, but oh how i love to drool over her magazines. hehe. so far my menu ideas include green bean casserole, fresh cranberry sauce (my specialty), my grandma's delicious mashed potatoes, gravy, pumpkin and dutch apple pies, stuffing, and of course, turkey. a fairly traditional fare actually, but i'm not sure what my mom-in-love might have in mind. i'm sure i'll have some more dishes to add later. mmmm!


i love this idea of carving notches out of the tops of apples and putting tea lights inside. i think it would be very cute to line them down the table, or set one at each place setting. it's very easy, all you need is a melon-baller.










these pumpkin yarn balls are adorable, and easy! i love that you can use them all season long and store them away for next year.



are there special traditions or dishes that anyone wants to share?

;)

moo! cluck! oink! baa!

i'm not a political person by nature, but i felt i should say that i'm voting yes on prop 2 this november. some people may question laws surrounding protection of animals used for food and if they are necessary. yes i understand that the animals are doomed to die and end up in my carne asada burrito, but there is a humane way of keeping the animals until then. there are two ways i look at this: #1 God placed man in charge of the animals, with that i believe comes some respondsibility for them, #2 are you sure you really want to eat that carne asada burrito? i mean, do you know where that animal has been??

here's a fun video for you all. :) i hope that those of you who live in california will visit the website and learn a little something about proposition 2.


http://www.yesonprop2.com

chickens dig it too!

"i'm uncomfortable..."

joey has a "hot" spot which is dog-owner lingo for "uncontrollably itchy" spot. he's hates wearing his cone-collar but his hot spot is in the most uncomfortable spot ever, err uh, in between his legs. (let's just say it's a good thing he's neutered.) he doesn't want to walk around because it's just too itchy and it's just gotten too sensitive. i've bought him new cookie treats and given him lots of love but he still fills the apartment with drama. hopefully the evil cone-collar will help speed recovery.

san diego...

(well, coronado island actually.) with santa barbara, big bear and san diego all within a short couple hour's drive away, heat and traffic aside, living in riverside isn't too bad.

bridal shower photo op.

on saturday my brother's fiance had a bridal shower and we were able to take a few pictures together. here's one with me, my sister valerie, brother james, and future sister-in-law brandi. (look for wedding photos in november!!!)

fall meme!

thanks to lauren for doing her fall meme, fall is my favorite season!

When does fall begin for you?
when the stores start to carry their fall decorations, (even though this actually starts mid-august it still makes me happy, because then i'm reminded of how soon it's coming!) i usually buy a few pumpkin spice and apple cinnamon candles about this time so that the house seems more cozy.

What is your favorite aspect of fall?
the changing color of the leaves, the cool evenings, sweaters, the anticipation of the holidays.

What is your favorite fall memory?
when i was living on my own on the oregon coast. every morning the fog would hug the mountains and the trees would slowly turn color. i got a lot of use out of my peacoat that year. :)

What do you like to drink in the fall?
hot apple cider with caramel! hot cocoa with peppermint! chai tea!

What’s your favorite fall food?
turkey on thanksgiving and mashed potatoes.

What is fall weather like where you live?
it's very mild and dry. early in the season it's usually warm until the nights slowly get cooler and darker.

What color is fall?
orange and/or brown.

What does fall smell like?
pumpkin pie, turkey cooking in the oven, caramel apples.

Holiday shopping in fall:
it's always been my idea to get my holiday shopping done early, but i usually find better sales in december.

If you could go anywhere in the fall, where would you go?
maine.

What is your favorite fall sport?
football plays regularly in our house. :) i was never a big football fan before, but it's become a tradition with michael and i since we've been married. it now gives me a nice nostalgic feeling.

Do you have a favorite fall chore?
with the possibility of finally having a house this year, i've been mentally planning thanksgiving dinner and centerpieces. it will be nice to have my grandma, mother-in-love and sister to help with everything! (i'm so excited!!!)

What is your least favorite thing about fall?
the persisting heat. >:( grrrrrrrr!


What is your favorite fall holiday?
THANKSGIVING!!!

What’s your favorite kind of pie?
pumpkin pie, but dutch apple pie is a very close second!

Which do you prefer, the Farm or the Fair?
not sure, neither were a big tradition with my family. i do like to drive to tom's farms in corona and to look at all the cute homemade things. i don't buy anything, too expensive, it's great for ideas though!

Do you have a favorite fall book?
hmm, don't think so. i did see a cute children's book in borders a few weeks ago about a pumpkin that didn't get picked from the patch. eventually it was made into a jack-o-lantern and was happy.

How about a favorite fall poem or quote?
i don't have either, but i can think of a song: "autumn in new york" by ella fitzgerald and louis armstrong. check it out!

civil duty leftovers.

I'M SORRY! whenever i get lazy with posting on my blog, i always feel an apology is required. i myself get a little tiffed when others don't blog as often as I would like. in my early blogging days i decided to blog twice a week (at least!) but now i know life sometimes gets in the way of things, or more in my case, life sometimes isn't very interesting to blog about that often and i should just deal. sigh. anyway there, whew! got that out of the way...

i actually do have something interesting to share, this week i was on a jury for the first time. it was cool to experience court life, see how our city's jurisdiction works and of course, to have an excuse to have lunch downtown is fine too. (there's a nice coffee bean & tealeaf on mission boulevard that overlooks a commons area, it's great for people watching!) the case i was on was about a man convicted of possessing a manufactured weapon while in a state prison. we found him guilty. the case was only two days long, which i prefer because working as a substitute i'm considered temporary and don't get compensated. i'm looking forward to being called again though, it's very worthwhile.

well, my lunch break is over. i'm at the church today so i've been feasting on chips and salsa left from last night's study class. time to print the bulletin for sunday. :)

you failed me vitamin C!

i caught michael's devastating cold today. :( he usually catches a bad cold this time of year from one of his students, most of the time i'm able to fight it off. not this year. ugh...

wonderful.

it is 10:55am, the morning fog has not yet burned off and i am looking out my office window at trees and rosebushes...

what a wonderful morning it is. :)

networking and note taking.

this morning i created a facebook account, much to the delight of my sister. so far i've found it very addicting and have been adding friends and updating like crazy all morning. dang. that's exactly why i didn't want a facebook account in the first place. i try to keep my online network addictions to a minimum, (which is why i've ignored my youtube and goodreads.com accounts) so my total now is three: myspace, facebook and blogger... (unless you count flickr, which i don't because i use it only to store my photos and that totally does not count.) i do admit that i've found facebook to be more mature than myspace and i have not yet been asked if i would like to know what my kissing score is or if i would like to buy rihanna's latest ringtone.

i'm happy to say that i am the new church secretary for our parish! i start wednesday and am only working two days a week but it's a paid position, something i didn't know when i volunteered but am happy about none the less. thanks so much erin, you carry one heckuva recommendation! i was also all set to start substitute work again this morning but did not receive any calls. i'll take it as a sign that i should use my time to clean the house instead, (something that really needs doing) that is if i can ever successfully will myself away from the computer.

thank you teri,

...for giving away your beautiful center pieces at your reception. the orchid brightens my day and makes me smile every time i walk by.

new month, new season, new beginnings.

happy labor day! :) michael has the day off and we're going to a friends house for a relaxing barbeque tonight. our busy weekend is over and tomorrow i am scheduled for surgery. initially, it is not what i wanted, but i'm eager for it to be over and begin to feel healthy once again.

i've also been doing some serious thinking about taking a college course in library science and getting my associates degree. i felt it was time that i picked a vocation and i've always daydreamed of being a school librarian. i love books, i love kids and i would love to inspire students to read. i still need to find out who is offering classes since the community college here does not, i'm also considering online classes. i'm thinking of hopefully starting school sometime next year when michael has finished his masters degree and we're settled in a new place.

now for the weekend wedding wrap-up! here's a few pictures of my family at waller park in santa maria. it was great to see them and my extended family at my cousin tara's wedding. it was too short a time to spend with them, but i'm happy to have spent it. :)


james and dad sporting the mirror-shades.


valerie and i have the same smile. my sister and mom are too cute!

matt and teri's wedding was beautiful and i'm glad we were able to be there. my feet are still recovering from all the dancing we did! it was good friends and good food!


hannah found the cookies!


ha! matt looking murderous and teri looking beautiful.


michael and i taking a break from dancing. hehe, i love our prom date pose.

(sigh)

i'm ready for autumn. now.