Red Jacket

We went to the park today and tried out my new lens. I love it!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADDIE!

Ok- so, we know that Maddie will not be able to read this... but

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADDIE!!!!

We are planning to throw her a "big" party with friends in January when it is less crazy for the holidays, so we played it very low key at home. Well- low key for her. She was sick and grumpy which made it very challenging for me. I tried to make things special (cheese on her broccoli, home made tamales for dinner)... but she winced at everything I put in front of her.

I was very tired by dinner time and asked myself, what was the point!? Until- Steve reminded me that we hadn't given her "the birthday cupcake yet!" I decided that a cake would be way too overboard for a 1 year old- so I made a little cupcake:

I thought after wincing at everything else that day- she would wince at the cupcake, but boy was I wrong- and it MADE MY DAY.

A couple of days earlier, Steve made her a purple chair- and she immediately sat on it and started giggling. It was a perfect throne for her birthday.

Last Christmas...

Every Christmas, I look forward to one song. It is the best. It is so utterly cheesy, but I sing it at the top of my lungs every time it comes on in the car. I think it comes from my obsession with George Michael (ok-- when he was a lot less sketchy).... but you have to admit, it is hands down, one of the best "rock"Christmas songs out there.

And- the 80's video is just horrible! Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUJeUAmfr6w

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Enjoying Fall

Maddie and I spent the afternoon enjoying the Fall season. We wandered around, took pictures, picked up leaves. It was a nice relaxing afternoon.

She knows that sunglasses are supposed to be on your face- but she couldn't quite figure it out. Unfortunately, she broke my glasses after this shot, but it was worth it. It just amazes me that her little brain knows how to wear sunglasses!

She didn't always like swings, in fact she hated them. But- today, she really liked it- and it was so fun to push her.

We won!!!

We are in the planning stages of building our house, and it has been painfully slow. One of the major hiccups was the "pitch" of the house. Because its a one story house- it looks better with a steeper roof. So, we proposed a 5:12 pitch. But our planner didn't like that, and told us we had to do a 6:12 pitch..... we refused. We were in code, and the aesthetics of the house will look better. Well, after three weeks of letters, pictures, visits to the neighborhood (all by Steve's part)--- we WON!!!! Yipee for us. Now, we can finally move to the next step... hiring a structural engineer. This is basically what the house is going to look like:

This is the floor plan-you probably can't read anything because its too small... but I'm very excited about the prospect of more than 1 bedroom!!!
We are really into fiber cement board as the siding-- in a dark color as below-- with white trim around the windows. I think it looks elegant, and will fit into the neighborhood.

We liked this dormer (the little architectural element above the garage)-- and the idea of a white garage against the dark background of the house. I'm not sold on the "curvy" garage doors- I think we are sticking to square... we love craftsman style houses.

Okay- I could post pictures for hours... I must stop.

College friends

Recently, two of my college friends came back after leaving for too long. I am so excited. Some of us got together a couple of weeks ago and ate dessert. I had such a good time and felt like I was in high school again.

Turkey

It's that time again, where the best food is eaten at one dinner. I love everything about Thanksgiving. It is delicious. Although I'm not the biggest turkey fan, Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving without turkey.
The only tricky part is figuring out how you're going to cook it. It always turns out the best when you "brine" it-- and I'm going to try a new recipe for tomorrow. (We are cooking two turkeys for a pre-thanksgiving dinner for the youth at church)

Last year, some of my co-workers and I deep fried the turkey- and it was pretty good-- but most importantly, it was fun to stand around the deep fryer all night waiting in anticipation for it to come out. I never saw this type of cooking before, so it was pretty cool-- and very fast.

I hope my turkey looks as good as this, but its okay if it doesn't. I still vote that stuffing is the best thing for Thanksgiving dinner. I could eat it by the pound fulls.....

My Dream

My friend let me take pictures of her toddler for a little "photo shoot." I am in no way a professional, but I really really love taking photos. I bought Adobe Photoshop CS3 and lightroom a while ago, and had so much fun playing with the photos.

Why didn't I know of this love affair before? I guess our lives unravel in unexpected ways and you find things out about yourself that you never knew.

So- if I could- I would go to THE BROOKS INSTITUTE to study photography. That would be really cool. But- 100% not going to happen since it's in Santa Barbara and pretty expensive (I don't want any more school loans).

Or- the Rocky Mountain School of Photography. They have a summer intensive course where you move to Montana and eat, breath, and sleep photography until you come out a pro. Now, that is awesome. I would love to do that someday.

Isn't life so great when you find something that you love???

Shopping Frenzy

Steve and I went to the mall the other day to find some shoes for Maddie and it was a real disappointment-- either they were too expensive, or we didn't like them. Why is it that the nicest things cost the most?!!! (hee, hee)

After 6 stores and no shoes in hand, we walked through Nordstrom back to the car. We remembered that they had a children's department- so we checked out the shoes. Talk about amazing selection of shoes?! But- of course they were too expensive. Is there anything on sale I asked? "No. But- there is the 1/2 yearly sale on Wednesday. Maybe you should check it out..." And so I did....

I got there when when the store opened, and there were already 50 + women and children yanking shoes and clothes off the racks. I felt like I had to get in there as fast as I could. I quickly grabbed 5 pairs of shoes and yelled "do you have this in a 5 1/2???" IT WAS RIDICULOUS.

Who goes to Nordstrom at 9 in the morning on a Wednesday? I guess I do, as embarrased as I am. This is what I bought:

At least I got them for a good price.

12 Hours To a Great Marriage

Steve and I have decided to read "12 hours to a great marriage." I know it sounds completely cheesy, but it's actually a good read. We figured that we spent many hours on learning how to do everything else in our lives, that maybe we should spend some time on something that we take for granted-- our marriage.

We started the "first hour" last night- and I fell asleep because of the time change! I'm such a bad wife!

But- we made it up this morning.... I really recommend this book aside from the color of the cover which needs some improving :)

Last weekend and Halloween

Last weekend, Steve's mom came to visit us and we had a great time. Every time family visits, we go to the Sunnyvale Farmers Market. We love buying corn on a stick, tamales and the fresh strawberries. Actually, there isn't anything that we wouldn't buy here- it is so much fun.

Check'n out the produce.

Waiting in line for some baked potatoes.

Alie's mom sent us a Halloween bib and hat-- it was so cute for Halloween.

Maddie was an octopus- I was so excited for this costume (I bought it 2 1/2 months before Halloween)-- that it was almost too small when she put it on. We had a fun night and loved walking with her in the street watching her 4 little tenticles bounce up and down.