stilettos & bubblegum

SISTER WEEKEND

2012-02-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

Last week my sister came to stay at my house for the weekend. It was a true sister sister weekend. A few highlights...

Friday: U of U gymnastics meet

Saying goodbye to virgin hair

(you don't even know how long I've wanted to share my love of bleach with Alyson)

Saturday: friendship bracelets, breakfast & smoothies.

A full day of shopping & shenanigans.

My legs ached for about an hour after I got in bed that night. Old?

Sunday morning: homemade berry syrup on french toast.

It was fun to hang out with Alyson, and to maintain my status as "cool sister". I am doing everything I can to hold on to that as long as possible. I dread the day when she says "Is that what you're wearing?" Shudder.

ON INSPIRATION

2012-02-07T10:59:00.001-07:00

... new (thrifted) dresser waiting for some inspiration

Do you ever hit a road block when it comes to feeling inspired?

I feel like inspiration can come and go so quickly. For me, it's drained from my piles of unfolded laundry & lack of adequate sleep. At the first of the year I was fully charged, ready to take over the world, and I can honestly say a lot of it was attributed to how much rest I got over the holidays, and my room was basically spotless. Crazy to think about how these two things can really stump my creative juices from flowing.

One thing that helps me to hold on to creative inspiration: I keep a tiny notebook in my purse. Anytime I have a thought or idea that I want to remember, I jot it down. It's mostly full of ideas for my house, food, & craft projects. I refer to it a lot now, and it's becoming second nature to grab the book and scribble ideas.

SUNDAY RITUAL

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

this week's color

I love having my nails painted, but they can get chipped so fast, and nobody likes a chipped manicure do they?

Uh-uh. So I've designated Sunday mornings (thanks 1:00 church) to painting my digits all fresh like. That way my nails never get too gross & I don't get sick of the color.

Bonus: Cat has an OPI addiction so she lets me dip into her rainbow supply.
Anybody have a beauty ritual you'd care to share?

SHELVE IT

2012-01-25T08:49:00.001-07:00

ready to go

the (mostly) finished shelves, waiting to be filled up

I bought the wood to make some shelves about... a year ago. I put them in Tyler's garage hoping they would materialize into shelves. I painted them over Thanksgiving. And last night Tyler came and hung them up for me! I was going to do three but the ceiling just wasn't having it. The only thing is the brackets are not the right white. So should I paint them white? Or another color? Or let them be? Share your thoughts!

I love that I now have about 30 excuses to buy pretty overpriced dishes from Anthropologie.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: WEEK THREE

2012-01-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

Water

Something I bought

My morning

Happiness: relaxing with no guilt!

Sweet: making this chevron pillow & chatting with the ladies.

Reflection on my purchases at MAC (thanks in part to a Nordstrom gift card).

Someone I love: Elder Taylor John Jardine.

Fatmumslim just posted February's challenge.
Taking a snapshot of everyday life, I love it. I also enjoy peeking into everybody's lives. I guess I have stalker in my blood. Last, but not least, I really think my photography skills are improving- not that they're anything to write home about.
Instagram it, facebook it, blog it, or keep it for yourself.

Who's in?

A QUICK MONDAY HELLO

2012-01-23T14:01:00.004-07:00

This is exactly what I will tell my daughters someday.

(Please bless I have at least one)

"Hey young ladies. Keep your boobs in your shirt, your butt in your pants, your head in your books and your eye on your dreams and be happy."

-Paula Pell

DELICIOUSNESS DEFINED

2012-01-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

One of my top five favorite recipes of all time would have to be this version of alfredo sauce. I got it from an old boyfriend's sister, probably the best thing to come out of that relationship... just kidding, mostly.

While I was at the gym Monday night, I was thinking about food (naturally) & realized I had all the ingredients for it. I jumped off the elliptical immediately.

This recipe is a definite indulgence because it is just straight up not good for you. Which is why it's a favorite.

Alfredo Sauce
(found this one on allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 cups milk
6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.

This recipe is all about the order in which you add the ingredients. If you throw it all together the butter just sits on top and the sauce will come out lumpy.

Cheese goes last, people.

I threw some fresh basil on the top, and all was right with the world.

Let me know if you try it!

SCENES FROM THE WEEKEND: DATE NIGHT AT THE ICE RINK

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Waiting for Tyler to find my missing glove

Denys & Sarah

No noses

Super grainy but we're happy

Bruges Waffles & Frites

Cinnamon waffle with strawberries & creme fraiche

The frakendel

We only lasted about an hour on the ice, but it was fun to do something out of the norm. We treated ourselves to dessert @ Bruges Waffles & Frites. It is insanely delicious. I'm going to have to practice major restraint not to eat there every day since I work just around the corner from this establishment.

Thanks Fedotovs for accompanying us! A special thanks to Denys for all of his tricks out on the ice.

LOVE AFFAIR WITH SATURDAY

2012-01-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

I bought this hat months ago & finally dared to wear it.

Miss Alyson post-recital

Sisters

Saturday was the best. In the morning, my friend Ashley & I went thrifting all over downtown SLC. It was highly enjoyable & it's officially tradition. Directly after that I zipped on up to Brigham City where I watched my little (barely 1" shorter than me) sister perform in her dance recital. She did amazing & I'm jealous. Shortly after that: I drove home, Tyler & I went to our friends Lexi & Gabe's for the weekly viewing of the AMA Supercross races(I am rooting for Chad Reed this season) & rummy. Lexi taught me how to play & I think about it almost every day.

It was a busy day full of all fun things and ZERO laundry, hooray!

PHOTO A DAY : WEEK TWO

2012-01-16T12:13:00.003-07:00

Favorite : freshly painted nails

Morning routine

Childhood

Where I sleep

Close-up (this is my hand. I am suuuper wrinkly)

In my bag

I'm reading the Hunger Games (need to refresh before the movie comes out!)

Anybody else out there doing this? I am loving it.

DOMESTICATE: MOD PODGE

2012-01-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

before:

after

(in the form of blurry photos-I was running late!):

This sewing machine cover I got for Christmas was practically begging to be covered in a ton of paper and mod podge. It was a perfect canvas! I actually probably over did a little bit, thanks to my new circle cutter & my love of the mod. My favorite way to do projects is to just start them. I get super stressed out planning & placing & matching.
Not something out on display, but it's fun & handy when I need to tote ole' Sally along.

Tuscan Bean Soup

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

One of my goals this year is try 52 new recipes. This is the first!

I'm a pretty new reader of Pioneer Woman's blog, and I've been obsessed ever since my discovery. I have tried a bunch of her recipes and they are all relatively simple to make, always turn out, & are DELICIOUS. Not like, "hmm, is this how it's supposed to taste?"

Sunday I tried her tuscan bean soup. I used spicy italian sausage instead of shrimp, and it was quite heavenly. BONUS: I got to use my new dutch oven I got for Christmas. Thanks mom!

I ate it with a fresh loaf of bread. Did I tell you that another goal is to make bread every week? Do a lot of my goals revolve around food?

Click on the picture for the recipe, it's a perfect winter soup!

PHOTO A DAY: WEEK ONE

2012-01-11T15:53:00.001-07:00

DAY 1: Me

DAY 2: Breakfast

DAY 3: Adore. My electric blanket is one of my eternal loves.

DAY 4: Letterbox

DAY 5: Something I wore.

DAY 6: Makes me smile.

DAY 8(oops out of order): My sky

I joined the January Photo A Day Challenge! I am posting through Instagram, but thought it would be fun to post here as well. If you're on instagram look for me: @andreakj

There's still time to catch up if you want to do this! Post it on your blog if you don't have Instagram, it's fun!

2012 GOALS

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is my list of 26 things I want to accomplish before I'm 27. I did a list like this last year & really liked it. Although I only finished about half- I don't think the list was visible enough to remind me daily. It was still 12 things I might not have done!

I love writing a list like this because I get to include all the fun stuff as well as the life improvers (equally important).

A few fun ones:
finish 52 craft/sewing projects
take a class just for fun
sew an entire outfit that I'll wear
travel to TWO states I've never been to
go on a girls trip!

The life improvers:

pay off a bunch of my divorce "therapy" (AKA a huge credit card. this needs it's own post!)
visit the temple twice a month
save a bunch of money
be healthy: go to the gym three times a week
become a volunteer somewhere

Really excited for 2012 & I'm full of the motivation to accomplish my list! I'm going to photocopy the list & hang it in my room to see when this motivation slows. How do you make/keep your goals?

MORE CHRISTMAS

2012-01-05T10:15:00.000-07:00

CHRISTMAS EVE

(my favorite day of the year!)

...really good family pictures...

... impromptu dance party. it was uncoordinated hilarious madness.

...on our way to do secret Santa!

CHRISTMAS MORNING

...sleepy happy.

... & then my camera stayed on a shelf for the rest of the day.

MY IDEAL WINTER UNIFORM

2012-01-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

... is comprised of all of the above. I love the basics so I can have more options with accessories and layers. Options are a girls best friend, am I right ladies? AM I RIGHT?

Sidenote: I LOVE black jeggings/leggings, they go with everything.
Is it obvious I'm not over my love of gold watches yet? I think that Nixon( bottom right) actually might take the cake over the Michael Kors one I've been eyeing for a year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2012-01-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

... Celebrated low key this year (just how I like it). We went to dinner @ Tona with Meg & Adam , then headed back to their place for a movie and a lot of snacks.

I was sure to drink my soda out of a wine glass to ring in the new year. Is there any other way?

I love the beginning of a new year, it is full of potential and no mistakes :)

Posting some New Year's resolutions soon...

Farewell to Taylor + my birthday

2012-01-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

November 20th

Taylor's Farewell Talk @ church

Approximately 100 people stuffed in the house, just how I like it.

There are probably 50 pictures just like these ones below on my phone. Mikayla & Jane definitely rival my love of self portraits.

impromptu mani/pedi's in the loo!

****

December 4th
MY BIRTHDAY! ... & Taylor's last Sunday @ home.

a birthday scavenger hunt from my 'mates!

Oh Kitchen Aid. I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.

****

December 7th

Taylor's last meal in free Utah (aka before the MTC):

Park Cafe (so delicious)

It's so weird to say goodbye to somebody for two years. "Bye, I love you.. I'm going to go back to normal life and you'll leave the country and we'll talk twice a year...?" haha it's hard to explain I guess... Anyway.

Auf Wiedersehen Elder!!

And can we not talk about me getting older? But we can talk about celebrating me anytime.

Beautiful Life

2011-12-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

I want my life to be beautiful...

reading lots of books
time spent with friends
eating good food
quiet moments of gratitude

That's not all I want (hello lonely left ring finger), but I am going to make an effort to add more of the simple things to my life... New Years Resolution?

image

Winter Activists

2011-12-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

During December there's always a ton of Christmas themed activities I have to look forward to. But that's over quicker than a hot flash & I'm left with the rest of winter to keep busy.

This is a little list of fun things (aside from my favorite-dinner & a movie) I've come up with to keep the cabin fever at bay:

Ice skating
Sledding
Sugar cookie party (didn't get to this one before Christmas)
Natural History Museum
Hill Aerospace Museum
Laser Lights show @ Clark Planetarium
Leonardo exhibit @ the SLC Library
Grizzlies hockey game
Bowling. I love bowling!

So... this pretty much looks like a museum tour! Which is fine with me, since I love museums.

What else am I missing?

* image via

(DID YOU) HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS

2011-12-28T10:24:00.001-07:00

Scenes from Christmas Eve.

This whole Christmas felt like one huge gift to me.

I got to:

hang out with my family (+ Tyler)

eat tons of delicious food

stay in my PJ's for two days

laugh 'til it hurt

read the story of the Savior's birth

be grateful for my knowledge that Christ lives.

I wrapped this Christmas up and will forever keep it.

*But don't think these are all the pictures I'm posting from Christmas*

walk in the park.

2011-12-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

Pictures from a walk to my favorite park in Brigham City on Halloween.

The photo above is one of my favorites. It just screams childhood! Pure joy on Katie Anne's face.

It makes me miss Taylor a little bit too.

mixing textures

2011-12-21T15:10:00.001-07:00

I have New Years Eve on the brain. This would be the perfect outfit for my celebrations.. Comfortable without losing the wow factor. Now if somebody wants to buy me those $1200 pants for Christmas...

PS. Do you like my cheesy background & snowflakes? sometimes polyvore is too much fun.

mixing textures by stilettosbubblegum featuring heeled sandals

Yes, these are just pictures of my meals from my phone.

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

(JJ's sandwiches make it on to my instagram a lot.)

(typical Sunday snack. x's 3)

(apple crisp)

(cranberry delight!)

(homemade chicken strips)

... Just in case you were worried that I haven't been eating. I have.

11.11.11

2011-12-19T06:30:00.000-07:00

Reasons for a party on 11.11.11

My Dad & Taylor share this day of birth.

Taylor would be leaving on a mission in 3 short weeks.

11.11.11 was a Friday.

I like planning parties.

11.11.11? Coolest date ever.

THEME:

Twinkly lights

Turquoise, white & silver

H'ordouevres

Fancy beverages

General fun-ness

(So mostly the theme was "party")

INVITES:

(designed by sweet friend Ashley. Don't you love this?! )

DECORATIONS:

(I don't have a super fance camera, this is the best I can do!)

In real life, the lighting was perfect and dare I say dreamy.

PEOPLE:

There were so many people that showed to support my Dad & Taylor. When I had a minute I snapped some photos.

This picture makes me miss Taylor

Thanks to Meg, Adam, Sarah & Denis for keeping Tyler company while I refilled punch bowls.

I love my friends!

Beautiful ladies

PHOTOBOOTH:
Photobooths will never be overdone because they are so much fun. So many of my parents friends wanted their picture taken and I LOVED IT.
Can you tell we added the date last minute?

I said, "parents, act like you're at prom!"

My brothers worked hard to coordinate their attire. So handsome!

little hearts

my girfs!

aww shed a tear!

11:11 PM

Nobody knew what to do so we made wishes & shouted hooray!

Limone!

2011-12-16T12:33:00.001-07:00

A few weeks back we checked out Limone, a new pizza place in the Fort Union area. You order it Cafe Rio style( I don't know what the real way is called), everything is fresh and suuuper tasty delight-delicious. We got the Salsiccia pizza & Caprese salad. I've also had the Limone & it is amazing!

(I have to sneak pictures around here to avoid major eye rolls.)

Limone never disappoints. You have to go there!

breadwinner

2011-12-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

BEFORE:

(rising just perfectly)

AFTER:

(perfectly golden & delicious. PS. Do you love mini bread pans like me? )

I dont' think it's any secret that I love making bread(I use this recipe). For some reason it is SO MUCH FUN. You mix it, you knead it, you watch it rise, you EAT IT. What's not to love?And, news flash, it just got a whole lot better thanks to the wonderful birthday gift of a Kitchen Aid mixer from the boyf. This was definitely the best batch yet. HOLLA.

Caroling, caroling garland

2011-12-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this little beauty of a DIY & made my own during craft night. I love how it turned out & it was the perfect addition above the lights.

YAY for Christmas crafting, right?

I have one more I'm working on, and then I'm cutting myself off. We are on the countdown now.

I wrote my own will at 11.

2011-12-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

I've always been a sentimental gal. In my old bedroom I signed my name on random cracks and crevices on the walls. I dedicated my diary to about 50 people. I needed to preserve my legacy!

My dad put together a dresser for me when I was around 10. I was certain it would be an heirloom. Little did I know it was a KMart special.

No matter.

I left my mark.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2011-12-13T00:27:00.001-07:00

paper trees:
1. sew some pages together.
2. fold in half.
3. cut in tree shape.
4. fluff.
I got my idea HERE.

Today was particularly long & stressful for me. Crafting, listening to music & reading Christmas stories by the tree were just what the doctor ordered to unwind.

Oh, & this dude shaking ping pong balls out of a box strapped to his backside helped too. (what are work Christmas parties for?)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

OH MARTHA... OH CHRISTMAS!

2011-12-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

... the shadows make my face look squishy. or maybe it's the cinnamon rolls. either or.

...a few photos of the holiday whobilation that's been going on in my neck of the woods. Every year, once the tree goes up life is magical. I don't remember every specific detail of Christmases growing up, but I do know that there was a lot of magic involved.

I love that it never changes for me!

PS. I totally bought Roxy Christmas PJ's. A tad snug which just made it all the better.

PPS. You see those hot pink streamers? Those are from my birthday last Sunday. I will post pics of it all soon. I actually have a whole month of exciting events to post about, the goal is by 12.31.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Glamour

2011-12-01T14:51:00.001-07:00

I randomly picked up Rachel Zoe 's book the library last week and flew through the pages. It was so much more than I was expecting.

Yes, there are tons of great tips about your wardrobe, but also injecting glamour to your own home and even your life. She talks about putting your best foot forward all the time, no matter what.

It's about attitude and the confidence that comes when you invest in yourself & in everything that you do. Rachel lives by the mantra "The meaning of life is living it."

She talks about chasing your dreams, and not because of the money or status, but because you have so much passion about what you do.

"Dreaming is an absolutely required activity!"

-my favorite quote from the book

I would highly recommend this book.

Seriously uplifting and infused with inspiration that everyone can draw from!

Mercury glass

2011-11-30T23:56:00.001-07:00

During craft night with the girfs I finished these mercury glass mason jars. I'm going to stick in some white branches & put 'em up on a shelf.

I love them and now nothing is safe in my house from the mirror paint!

Honestly craft nights are the best. You eat lots of yummy snacks, make something awesome & chat around with a chick flick happening in the background.

It's not too much of an overshot to say I live for these nights!

feeling inspired for... home edition

2011-11-22T14:52:00.001-07:00

...florals + stripes ...

(materializing a la pillows for the bedroom)

...pretty posters of some favorite bands for my walls...

...now I just need to act on these inspirations while the motivation is high....

Design*Sponge book party!

2011-11-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night was spent with some friends @ the D*S book signing. I was so excited about it & I acted really awkward around Grace Bonney.

Loved this photobooth backdrop!

For some reason Ashley is the only one that made it into my pictures... sorry other friends!

Yeah, I am basically sweating & looking really nervous. Why am I so weird?

paparazzi shot! + Ash's glam profile.

It was so fun doing something out of the routine. Need to do that more often.

SOLD

2011-11-09T14:41:00.002-07:00

(click on pictures to go to the Joules website)

Oh man, how fun are these rain boots? I think they would make the perfect addition to my Hunter wellies.

halloweenie

2011-11-09T09:12:00.001-07:00

Don't act like you're not jealous of me posting about Halloween over a week late. Don't!

The Saturday before Megan hosted a party at her new house. It was so fun & Meg decked it all out! I forgot to pull out my camera until the party was pretty much over, so I only got pictures of T & me.

Tyler went as a certain former N'Sync member, I was a witch. Not my best year for creativity, but what do you do?

I loved these Frankenstein cupcakes.

Halloween night:

Halloween is Roxy's birthday! She asked me to put a hat on her & sing.

I carved a pumpkin. I wanted Tyler to help me, & he said "why do people always make you do stuff you don't want to on holidays? Holidays are for doing what you want!"

So I took care of bid'ness.

I was so proud I had to get a picture with it.

Maybe I shouldn't be so proud? (it's a bird with a hat on it... you can't really see the outline)

In between trick-or-treaters Roxy asked if she could wear my hat.

After trick-or-treating we went back to my hous, hung out with Cat, Amy & respective boyfs. We watched Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes. I thought it was more funny than scary, but entertaining nonetheless!

Hooray for fun nights!

I celebrated the crap out of this holiday, & I was 100% ready to say adieu. Until next year spooks!

THE RIDE HOME

2011-11-08T11:31:00.002-07:00

you guys! i have lots of pictures to share, my internet was down last week, and basically if internet is down, laptop does not open.

last weekend we went to the UT county to hang out with some friends. while we were talking i was reminded of some classic tales i really must share.

......

The summer between my junior and senior year of high school, I went to Hurricane(basically St. George) for three weeks to help babysit my cousins & hang out while they were remodeling their home. My Uncle Mark is the king of hooking you up with a ride if you need it up north by the way, so when time came he tapped into his bank of connections. I honestly don't know if he really knew who I would be riding with, but I feel like it was a friend-of-a-friend type situation.

The minivan pulls up, I toss my bags in the back and get in the minivan with a group of strangers. Before the sliding door is even slammed I am clamoring to get out. There is a horrible smell and it needs to be identified & exterminated. It didn't take long to get to the culprit. Driver's daughter is in full out rebellion of modern day society, some refer to her as a hippie. she had hair coming out of her armpits, no shoes, dirty clothes and dreads for days. she was estinky. At least I'm all the way in the back so I'll just catch occasional whifs. I will survive!
As I put my discman headphones on, Driver's son (about 10) starts talking to me.

Son: Do you have a lot of weeds?
Me: uhh, sure..
S: Do you have a weed eater?
M: No.
S. Does your dad have a weed eater?
M: Yes.
S: My dad has a weed eater, it's green! It is so powerful, and better than your dad's.

Son: Do you have a lot of weeds?
Me: uhh, sure..
S: Do you have a weed eater?
M: No.
S. Does your dad have a weed eater?
M: Yes.
S: My dad has a weed eater, it's green! It is so powerful, and better than your dad's.

REPEAT FOR SIX HOURS.

I finally pretend to be asleep so he'll stop talking. I really do fall asleep, during which Driver's son pillages the bag of snacks my aunt prepared for me, mostly consisting of cheese and crackers. I am awakened by the aromatic scent of 10 year old farts, and superbly bad breath 4 inches away from my face.

As if I am not mad enough at my uncle for purposely planning my torture for six hours, Hippie full on vomits all over the front seat. No problem, I think everyone has worked up quite the appetite by smelling BO & pre-teen gas. This really just sealed the deal. Let's stop at ARBY'S!

... I've never jumped out of a car so fast.

2011-11-02T12:04:00.003-06:00

I can't believe forgot to post about this!

A couple months ago, Jordan had me make her & her daughter matching aprons.

She told me the colors she liked and just let me run with it!

I was pretty pleased with the results, but when Jordan posted this picture on facebook, I was over the moon excited.

Cute mom+cute daughter+cute aprons = a whole lotta cute.

Just check these two out!

(I love that little T even has a matching headband!)

Thanks Jordan! I loved making these.

Happy Weekend!

2011-10-28T10:33:00.002-06:00

The time is here to celebrate the ever anticipated Halloween! What is everyone doing?We're going to a costume dinner party on Saturday & carving pumpkins. Not exactly sure what I'm dressing up as, it's a hard decision.

Especially when you came out with this home run two years ago:

You've probably seen this before on my blog, but I can't get over it. I look EXACTLY like Dana Carvey.

Which is disturbing on a lot of levels.

What is more disturbing than that, you ask?

I showed this picture to a girl at the Buckle, and her face blanked. "Who are you supposed to be?"

Have a spoooooky weekend!

2011-10-27T00:14:00.001-06:00

Taylor went through the temple today.

It was so amazing being there with so much of my family, I will always remember it.

I can't believe Taylor's leaving in a little over a month!

The whole crew

(It was FRIGID.)

Tay & my parents

Kenny, me, Taylor & Brian.

I am so proud of my giant younger brothers!

After party:

Dinner @ Cheesecake Factory

Delicious as usual, but an insanely long wait (as usual).

this is my new favorite picture by the way.

It was a near perfect evening. I am really blessed to have the family I do.

getting to know me

2011-10-26T09:59:00.000-06:00

Nobody has seen these for ages, but remember how much fun it was reading about everyone back in the tag days? Well I saw this on Lauren's blog and thought it would be kind of funZies. Bonus fact about me: I love using z's inappropriately.

Age: 25.... trying to be excited about 26!

Bedsize: She's a queen.

Chores that you hate: Mostly just putting laundry away. I kind of love cleaning the kitchen actually.

Drink: Diet Coke with fresh lime.

Essential start to your day: Drinking a huge glass of water.
Favorite color: I love them all !! Right now I would have to say Kelly green, & any combo involving gray. I love wearing black though!

Gold or Silver: Gold. But also silver has it's place.

Height: 5'5"

Instruments you play: The piano. I really need one!

Job title: Receptionist

Kids: I love everyone's kids!

Live: Salt Lake City

Mother's Name: Stacy- Stace for short.

Nicknames: Dre, Drea, AJ (mostly high school), Annie (just my grandpa J calls me that), weirdo.

Overnight hospital stays: When I was born.

Pet peeves: while eating: loud chewing/smacking/swallowing/eating/talking before swallowing.
while on facebook: sexy pregnant pictures(the half nudie ones), really long fake stories attached to weird pictures, statuses that say "if you've ever cared about _____ post this as your status."
while breathing: people who stand super close to me in lines, people hacking up a lung but not going to take care of it, smelling breath from the deep.

Wow I thought I was easy going! Apparently I hate a lot of things.

Quote from a movie or tv show:

"Tom: Zerts are what I call desserts, tray trays are what I call entrees, sandwiches are sammies, sandoozles or Adam Sandlers, air conditioners are cool blasterz with a "z" ... I don't know where that came from. I call cakes big ol' cookies, I call noodles long a rice, fried chicken is fry fry chicky chick, chicken parmesan is chicky chicky parm parm, chicken caciatore is chicky catch, I call eggs pre-birds or future birds, root beer is super water, tortillas are bean blankets, and I call forks... food rakes!" Parks & Recreation.... I just finished watching them all on Netflix, so my mind only thinks in P & R.

Right or Lefty: I am a lefty living in a righty's world.

Siblings: 5 younger sibs. 4 brothers, 1 sister.

Time you wake up: The alarm is set for 6:50, but really I get up at 7:30.

Underwear: ?!

Vegetable you hate: Lima beans are not very tasty.

What makes you run late: being Andrea.

X-Rays You've Had: none.

Yummy food you make: Right now I will say bread since I'm obsessed with making it!

Zoo Animal: Anything that is small and furry & seems like it would be my bff.

Well! Don't you feel like you really know me now?

getting down on the weekend!

2011-10-24T12:27:00.004-06:00

Glorious weekend events included:

1.Painting curtains using this tutorial

(her picture-even though mine is the same exact color!)

2.Eating the best roast & mashed potatoes I've ever made from pioneer woman's recipe.

Pioneer Woman's photo....so good!

3.Seeing Tyler after two weeks, and hanging out all day. sigh. It was cute.

4.Sleeping with my electric blanket on high all night. Have I ever told you how much I LOVE my electric blanket? Pretty sure I pulled it out mid September.

5.Working at the Buckhell. Regretting my decision to work two jobs. Murderous rage!

6.Going to a friend's surprise birthday party ! I was full on sweating waiting for the birthday boy to come downstairs. I love surprises!

7.Remembering I was speaking in church when Catherine picked up the program (luckily it was only 5 minutes)

... and that's about it! Sometimes I go crazy with my camera, sometimes I can't even get it out. You know how it is.

Happy Monday!

DIY Campaign Style Side Tables.

2011-10-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

I have been dreaming up the perfect solution for a coffee table in my living room. I should say, I've been dreaming up the perfect, most inexpensive solution. Then I saw this idea on LGN & am in love. It fits the bill! think I'm going to go with the classic white tables though.

I already bought the brass corners on Amazon, so... I guess I'm committed!

to the max!

2011-10-20T11:09:00.005-06:00

Isn't Pinterest the best? I just bought a black maxi skirt and wanted to get a few more ideas of how to wear it for the winter. These are a few of my favorites.

dolman sleeves

untucked button up-belted

can't go wrong with a basic T

lots of layers. I love this one!

Ahh, these next two are simple styling at it's best.

Click on the pictures for sources.

Do you pin?

we can be pinning friends!

PS. I just figured out how to make my pictures big. hooray!

Other scenes of my weekend, via le'phone

2011-10-17T17:00:00.000-06:00

#1. I spray painted this mirror gold. I can't decide if I love it or not. What is your opinion? silver? pewter? antique gold? white? oi.

#2. just some sketches of what i want to wear this season...

#3. Sunday best (sorry about the hairspray on the mirror!)

# 4 & 5. I learned this IKEA tray is the perfect size for my snacks when I want to sit on my bed & watch netflix. (PS watching Parks & Rec right now... LOVE!)

#6. Sarah entrusted me with little Sasha for a couple hours on Saturday. I set a timer so I could check on him every 10 minutes during his nap. Maybe I had to pick him up a couple times just to hold him too. :)

check out my swaddling skills.. haha

#7. What? how did another witch pic get in there?

NOT PICTURED:

Sunday, Catherine & I loaded up the tables and chairs we had borrowed from the church for the party. Cat asked "should we try to put the tailgate up?" I said, "no, we're not going on the freeway or anything. DUH!"

Within 3 blocks of leaving & one very steep hill, we lost all the chairs & tables (the chairs were on top of the tables, so they just cascaded out). It took a lot of honking and Catherine saying, "We are losing everything!" for me to pull over.

It was so hilarious and only embarrassing at first. Two girls in heels & skirts picking up chairs strewn about the intersection. Classic. Shout out to the sweet couple that helped us, thank you! When they were leaving, the wife said "you guys are not in charge of tables and chairs anymore!"

Point taken. We seriously laughed the whole way to the church. And a little bit in church.

Oh, and today, I realized that my hazard lights have been on ever since the incident. NICE!!!

bewitched

2011-10-16T22:05:00.004-06:00

The much anticipated witch party happened on Friday night! It was so fun.

My favorite 3 things:

1. Everybody dressed up. Even a little bit.

2. All of the candles/decorations.

3. Hanging out with a bunch of fun girls.

We had a spooky dinner, made caramel apples, chatted it up and listened to "Halloween Party" on Pandora.

After everyone left, we tried watched Hocus Pocus. One or more people fell asleep for that portion.

But lets get down to the nitty gritty and wow your eyeballs with these photos.

THE SET UP:

THE WITCHES:

your hostesses

Catherine is such a model in this one!

yeah my shiny face & sad hat really throws this whole thing off.

check out that girl's sweet hat!

Sarah you were such a cute witch!

Witch parties are great, because when else do you get together with 20 girls, dress up and have tons of funnin' around?!

See you next year, witches!!

In the doghouse

2011-10-15T12:26:00.000-06:00

The boyf has been working in WY forever. By forever I mean he was gone for 2 1/2 weeks... home for 2 days, and now he's gone again for 2 weeks. The pup Roxy & I have to stick together! I go over there twice a day to walk/feed/love on the Roxster. Although Tyler has 4 roomies that are always around, if I don't make it over there one day, his heart breaks for the gal and he gets all sad. Its funny & I will admit cute.

The pictures below are from the weekend I spent at my parents' house for Conference. She is usually such a good dog and seriously never barks. But these two days about killed me.

A few reasons:

1. She is not allowed in the Jardine household.
2. She is an inside dog. Such an inside dog in fact, that she cannot even stand to be outside by herself. I would have to sit by the window so she could see me, otherwise she would bark & cry nonstop. It broke my heart and infuriated me.
3. She thinks she is ~~a human~~ royalty.
4. My little sister's bunny was torturing Roxy by being in his cage(bottom left picture), safely out of Roxy's grasp. It drove her NUTS.

I think we were both really happy to get Roxy home so she could lounge on her bed all day long.

I just had to throw this picture into the mix. My mom & sister color-coordinated their stash of markers, crayons & pencils, perfectly arranging them on the table.

Not one hour later, does my mom try to wipe the table off with this result:

...oh Jardine clumsiness, what would we do without you? :)

in preparation...

2011-10-14T15:00:00.000-06:00

So many halloween preparations at my house! We are actually having a witch party (tonight, woohoo), so the house is decked out to the max!! I will share some photos after the festivities so you can rejoice with me.

Here are a few things I've been working on:

Halloween garlands (I got the idea for the black bunting banner here)

The next two pictures are from our spoooky craft night, held at Brynn's new flower shop, Blooms & Co. You seriously need to get over there! Not only does she do amazing work with flowers, but she has tons of pretty decorations & jewelry. This is the place to get gifts for your girls this holiday season!

Lastly, I have really been working hard to get these taken care of. This is actually the second bag I've polished off so far. But I've been eating TONS of vegetables to counteract the sugar... no, no I haven't.

Bring it on, Halloween!

alms for the hair

2011-10-14T10:16:00.002-06:00

Ladies, THIS is the hair color I'm dreaming of!!

I snapped this little gem from a magazine while waiting in line at target.

I love everything about this photo. It even makes me want to cut bangs again (WHAT?).

so...

Any recommendations of a phenomenal colorist?

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

just that brotherly love.

2011-10-11T23:56:00.000-06:00

so much to say, not enough time but what am I saying I've been drinking my bengal spice tea and having a twitter war with my brothers (i'm new on the twitters! @andreakjardine). basically they would kill me off an island first if we were stranded. it was unanimous. no discussion. I can't believe it.

(but since we are not on an island, they will keep me alive for now.)

also, just so you know, i had a horrible case of self induced pre-teen acne on my face last week that you would NOT BELIEVE. It's because I waxed my face. yeah, the whole thing! you know why? At the football game (where the picture was taken), Taylor & Kenny were touching my face making fun of me saying I had tons of facial hair. I played it cool, but instantly called my waxing bff and she waxed it right off.

so i have sensitive skin apparently.

every pore of my face reacted in red bumps and broke out. over a FIVE day span. and then got better.

please remind me not to listen to my brothers anymore!

They think I'm hairy and want me dead.

How to make your teacher fail you.

2011-09-30T20:00:00.000-06:00

The components:

Math teacher... didn't like me. seriously. he was even rude to me in front of my dad!
Math... didn't like me.
Me... didn't like math teacher. or math. or paying attention. mostly liked goofing off with Evan.
Evan... good friend that was my partner in the goofing off business. and was always drawing fat cats.
Cat socks... pair of socks i owned with cats on them. one cat had a speaker inside of it. making cat meow noises.

The story:

I wore these socks to the dreaded math class, and crossed my ankles. If I pushed them together just right, I could make my sock meow! I did it a couple times during Math Teacher's lecture. A quizzical look came upon his face, he would concentrate intently, listening... and then would go back to lecturing away. Well after about 5 rounds of this and my silly stupid grin he figured out it was me. He pulled Evan (I'm actually not sure his part in this, but he was there!) & me out of class and gave us a huffy lecture out in the hall. I have no idea what he said because I thought I was so awesome for getting him riled up.

The moral:

Looking back, I could pretend like I learned tons of life lessons from this experience, but mostly I still think it's really funny. (um, because I'm really not that mean!)

Oh my. I blame it on hair dye, acrylic nails and tanning.

Pie Night

2011-09-29T21:13:00.000-06:00

K now this was a fun night! Amy, Catherine & I all made pies last Tuesday. I had never made a pie before so I was pretty excited about it.

Amy went with the rhubarb pie.

making oatmeal crumble topping for my cherry pie!

(there was something burning my eyeball right then)

starry crust for the rhubarb

Cath went with the classic apple. So good!

I may have gone a little overboard taking pictures of my pie making process...

trying my hand at making the crust

filling...

it is harder than it looks to make that lattice! at least for me.

Can you tell I'm ecstatic? super cheese over here.

Catherine and the beloved apple.

It was so fun. The entire house smelled so good. I thought it the perfect way to welcome fall.

And only 3 of my teeth fell out from the sugar intake.

I smell a tradition!!

(my finished product. that I ate for breakfast, dinner and breakfast.)

Elder Jardine (Round 3)

2011-09-28T20:54:00.000-06:00

Hey party people!! miss me? if you didn't, don't tell me!!

I've been busy biz this week. I'm not in school this semester and I feel like a bum. So I told my old manager at the Buckle that I would work part time. So three nights a week you can find me selling the crap out of clothes at the Gateway. Come say hi to me!

ANYWAY. My brother got his mission call last Wednesday. What? My 3rd youngest brother got his mission call. He is going on a mission. I can scarce take it in because he is so old. But I'm still really young and hip so it doesn't make sense.

Taylor in anticipation

I've loved watching all my brothers open their calls, I can't really describe the feeling of anticipation and excitement that is in the air. But it's awesome.

You might get a good idea just looking at my mom's expressions below...

A couple weeks ago I asked him where he wanted to go and he said, "I want to go to Germany." And since we all know that Taylor gets EVERYTHING he wants, he's going to

FRANKFURT, GERMANY!!

Taylor & Dad

Kenny joining in on Skype

Everyone staring at Kenny on Skype. I thought they were all looking at the camera when I took this!

Checking out the mission

Taylor trying to "fill the canteen"

Sierra & Taylor

Brian loves peach cobbler!

The after party-watching this video that Brian was in (2.8 million views too by the way!).

my mom is so happy he's ~~moving out~~ going on a mission!!

...

Brian (insert "he's single" plug here) & Taylor

Kurt (next on the family list to get his mission call!) & T

Taylor & Aly

I love you Taylor!

after school camp.

2011-09-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

Pretty much I have never felt like I'm really good at one thing. (Besides being weird I guess. Honestly, I am told that I am weird every day of my life. I can't figure it out, because to me I'm totally normal...)

I am just okay at a bunch of little things. I always wanted to be a dancer, but lo, I am completely and utterly uncoordinated. If you were at BEHS cheer tryouts 2002 you know this to be a fact.

Anyway, to figure out my niche I've been doing something different every day. It's like after school camp! Or boy scouts!

Here is a sampling of this week's efforts :

Li'l birdie on a tea towel

polka-dottie bag

(complete with inside pocket, how do you like me now?)

the "do not judge me" painting

If you don't think you have many talents (it couldn't possibly just be me?), you should do something like this. None of my projects are that fantastic, but they're things I created and I know I can get better.

I think it's important to feel like we can accomplish things. It is, gosh danget!

weekend edition.

2011-09-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

1-2. my first homemade loaf of white bread. i don't know if you guys realized, but I am obsessed with making bread. It is so fun to me for some reason. and I ate one loaf by myself.

3. My sweet country dancing shirt from the D.I. A true tray-sure.

4. My first pair of sunnies that cost more than $5.00. I really love them. You don't even wanna know the extent of the photo shoot I had with these.

5. Bike ride to the local creamery (aka Coldstone). This is not my bike, but I aspire to have an Electra one day.

6. Being an idiot.

As displayed by these photos, you are very jealous of my fast paced lifestyle. Other fascinating happenings included cleaning my room, washing my sheets, PUTTING AWAY all the laundry (uuuge!), sweeping and spray painting.

Beat that!

peach days!

2011-09-18T22:58:00.001-06:00

this post is a week late, but magnificent nonetheless.

Oh my gosh I love Peach Days!! For some reason (the fact that PD is awesome) this year, I was counting down the days until I could be with the beloved celebration.

And celebrate I did. I spent the whole weekend @ my parents, so I could just fun around without any worries.

If you are ready for some honest-to-goodness, hootin-tootin good times then you best make yourself a reservation for next year!!

Being a stalwart personage of Brigham City I participated in the following activities:

Fruit stand shopping (with some "tourists" from davis county)

Rides

Carnival food

Peach cobbler

Car Show

Parade

Peach Queen Pageant (which, yes, thanks for noticing I was in the 2004 pageant. As requested, a photo has been posted below.)

Walking around.

I will be sure to make it a annual tradition to stay at Peach Days all

weekend every year. That is a promise to you Brigham!

please understand my humor and know that nobody requested a photo of this.

work it girl

2011-09-14T23:58:00.002-06:00

Hey y'all! I've been busying around and I will update for real soon, but I wanted to share the goodness with you.

One of my new favorite things is working out in the late PM. It's the best. Nobody's around so I can prance around the ladies workout room and take up as much room as possible.

I found out I used to practice a different method to get my heartbeat up:

11.26.97 (6th grade)

Dear Diary,

Today was our last school day of the week, because Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and then we get 1 “vacation” day off... I played with Charisse until 9:10 pm. We played at her house. Charisse & I exerguysed. It’s where you watch an aerobics tape and talk about boys, or else you turn on romantic music, exercise and talk about boys. We also watched a movie called Beautician & the Beast. It’s a pretty good movie. I also made angels with hersheys kisses, pipe cleaner and ribbon. They turned out really cute!

Love,

Andrea Jardine

Back to school week

2011-09-01T17:00:00.000-06:00

Please enjoy a few of my diary entries from my younger years gearing up for school.

07.13.96

Dear Diary,

I decided to change back to Diary instead of Kitty(I named my diary for that for 3 days).

I didn't see much of Kyle today. :( I went to ZCMI and Kmart.

I got at Kmart: shorts TB(training bra) shoes, slip.

ZCMI: swimming suit.

I <3 2 shop,

Andrea J.

08.11.97

Dear Diary,

This morning I went school shopping in Ogden. First we went to Midas Car Shop. Mom said it would only take half-hour. It took 2 hours and we only had 5 hours 2 shop. So we only had time for Fashion Bug and Fashion Gal.

What I got at FG. 3 shirts, scrunchies and a pair of earrings.

FB. pair of pants.

I'm all done with school shopping EXCEPT: gymsuit, bra, school shoes, gym shoes. I would add OVERALLS but my mom made a point: If you have everything, there won't be anything to want!

My <3 for Kyle is Everlasting,

Andrea Jardine

08.02.00 (please keep in mind I was a weirdo 14 year old)

Hey wusup? less than a month till school. Me & Stephanie went to Park City for school shopping. It was a blast! I got a pair of Docs(!), a pair of pants, and 3 shirts! It was awesome.

Today was a pretty good day I went to X-Men the movie with Matt & Tyler & Shalee. I never knew how cute they were! Especially _____! (basically everyone is from Brigham so just don't worry about it). Holy cats! I'm gonna flirt with him!

I lost my curling iron so my hair has been put in a ponytail for like a week:)

-Annie

ha!!

1. I love that I wrote TB. & the explanation in parantheses. I was so excited. Too bad I'm still wearing them...

2. ONLY 5 hours to shop? And we only went to two places? sorry mom!

oh and can you tell i had an obsession with a boy named Kyle?

I will have to share more later, I found some good stuff!

lake powell 2011.

2011-08-31T18:17:00.007-06:00

our view from home base.

tyler in his life's work

savannah "driving"

the ONLY photo of t-pain & me. last day. super sweaty. awes.

emily & i tubing before i caught major air, landed on top of her, got sucked under her tube and was dragged around for a bit.. all in the same occurrence.

gabe & tyler

that's my boiiii. with a CIA agent following.

woohheee you are looking good! hairstyle courtesy of the wind.

i want to go back.

the malibu skier ( it needs a proper name)

I cannot believe i never made it down here before my 23rd year of life. this was my second venture and first time on a houseboat. it did not disappoint. hot hot sun, warm water, tons of food (seriously, i could not button up a pair of my pants on monday. seriously. btw i'm going to the gym right now), fireworks and games.

my two favorite things had to be:

1. the group bath(in our swim suits of course) in the lake every night- it's a real party!

2. never wearing anything else BUT a swimsuit. i think i changed out of one for like 2 hours. and then put another one back on. it was too hot.

SO MUCH FUN!

I am screaming that inside of my head right now at the top of my lungs.

aside from 3 new trailer tires (before we left), a new water pump and a minor scratch on the boat(i'm not at liberty to go into detail if you can even believe the nerve), the trip was top notch and a fantastic memory.

thanks to lexi & gabe for inviting us!!

2011-08-30T22:44:00.003-06:00

I put this outfit together tonight. I am really loving all the color mixing this season. What do you think?

autumn staple by stilettosbubblegum

Open Happiness

2011-08-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

I am in St George with most of the ladies on my mom's side. We are partying it up, you better believe it.

We are going to see the Little Mermaid at Tuacahn tonight, and I am pretty excited about it. I hope she sings aaaahhhh, aaaahhh, aaaahhhh, ahahahahahaaa, aaahhaaaaa!!! you know what part I am talking about right?

happy weekend birds!

yes. i am posting a picture of my diet coke. but it looks quite glorious, you can't deny it. You can't!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

baby fedotov

2011-08-18T19:00:00.000-06:00

One of my best friends, Sarah, had her baby on Monday! He's 6 weeks early, and he is TINY. But so beautiful, and doing really well!

I am the luckiest. I visited Sarah right before it was time to feed little Aleksandr, so I got to join her in the NICU.

He was so so tired after his feeding. It was basically the cutest thing ever.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

probably the best beauty tip ever!

2011-08-18T08:25:00.001-06:00

don't have a mirror handy? need to put on mascara at work? just use your iphone camera-you know, where the lens faces you?

It works really well.

plus, get a load of that "mascara face". hot!

just some things.

2011-08-17T07:00:00.001-06:00

1. the beginnings of a new sewing project.

2. another bedsheet creation

3. t changing my oil without even saying anything. awww.

4-5. bright eyes @ pioneer park. so good!

6. fresh divinity. i love divinity!

7. about to see the HELP. loved it.

how is everybody else doing these days?

FYI my internet is still on the fritz and it is TICKING me right off. also i'm home alone for 12 days and i NEED the internet to keep me distracted from every freaky noise.

( i might have bailed at about 10 pm the other night...)

not to mention:

the SWAT team was a block away from my house having a stand off with a mentally unstable man. welcome home!!

in the middle of the night...

2011-08-08T23:14:00.005-06:00

This post should be titled the midnight from hell!!

But I didn't want you to freak out. But FYI it was the worst middle of the night of my life (and I've been married, so... ).

Let me break it down for you.

FRIDAY NIGHT

(technically Saturday morning)

1 AM

Just got home from a date. So excited to put my fresh sheets on my bed so I could fall asleep instantly.

I started to pull the duvet cover over the comforter, and notice a teeny, tiny spider. Killed it. 10 seconds later, I saw another one. Killed it. 30 seconds after that I see a spider hanging in front of my face.

What is going on?

I look up and there are literally ONE HUNDRED teeny spiders all over the ceiling, some coming down and others crawling around frantically.

EWWWWWWW!!!!!

After multiple swears and mini screams (it is the middle of the night, after all) I pulled myself together. I spent the next hour spraying the crap out of the little demons and smashing them all.

2:30 AM

SAFE!

My sense of security was quickly dashed. I have a duvet cover full of RUFFLES. Meaning, for hours before I got home, little spiders were just nesting in all of them.

I rip off the duvet, shove it in the washer and pour as much bleach as I can into it. I go back to the bedroom to scour the space for any creepy crawling thing.

3:00 AM

When I feel safe, again, I go into the bathroom (where the washer is) to wash my face. While my back is turned, the washer is in spin cycle. All of the sudden I hear a SMACK followed by a SPLASH. Half of a bottle of bleach has just poured all over the floor, me and the rest of the bathroom.

Are you kidding me?

Luckily I have white towels so I just pulled them down as fast as I could to soak up the bleach. There was so much bleach in the air that my eyeballs were burning.

My pj's didn't make it out so hot:

3:30 AM

Put a ton of clothes on (to protect my body) play some random movie so that I will fall asleep to it and not think about all of the spiders that will probably be hovering over my bed all night.

9:00 AM

I wake up and think, was that a nightmare?

No.

No it wasn't.

I lived it.

That was for real.

Yes, I had to tell myself that many times.

Turning house into home

2011-08-03T11:59:00.002-06:00

Just a couple details to spruce up the abode.

Can I tell you how excited I am about those knobs?

I'm kind of obsessed with all of Anthropologie's hardware, and my dresser has 10 drawers to feed the hunger. Are you guys opposed to mismatched knobs?

A struggle and a victory.

2011-08-02T22:29:00.001-06:00

So I went to Target to get some supplies for the new pad. PS. It's been really fun so far, thanks for asking!

I couldn't remember everything on my list so of course I wandered around aimlessly until I hit the shoe aisle.

There was a lone pair that mysteriously, miraculously, was my size & on sale. Say whaaat?

One look in the mirror and I said "feet, you look adorable!"

So the sandals came home with me, instead of all the other things I forgot to buy (bleach! food!).

... and come on, you have to agree. My one foot does look totes adorbs.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2011-08-01T17:42:00.001-06:00

This weekend was FULL of moving, moving, moving with a baby shower and a drive-in movie somewhere in the mix.

But what you really need to know is that I made my first real loaf of French bread. And it is so good.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

the itch.

2011-07-27T23:13:00.002-06:00

tonight i was painting a huge craigslist-find dresser (i can't wait to post it on here once i finish!).

i needed a snack.

i proceeded to put 7 starbursts down my shirt. you know, so i could have easy access.

mysteriously, my bosom was itching all the live long night. oh well, carry on.

...

i just changed into my pj's.

turns out i also used the shirt for the wrappers.

don't be afraid to scratch the itch.

aprons.

2011-07-26T23:26:00.001-06:00

I made these matching aprons for my aunt Kathryn and her darling little girls.

From 100% winging it, I'm so happy they all fit!

It doesn't hurt that I have some of the cutest models showing them off either...

Know anybody else I should make these for?

It's good practice for me and they are really fun to create.

the bottom line

2011-07-25T23:07:00.000-06:00

My life is consumed with moving. I am sick of it and ecstatic at the same time.

Every time I come to Brigham I have to pass this beautiful place on Main.

3. I didn't shower today, and I don't even feel bad about it.

My favorite feeling is the one of exhaustion after a perfect day spent on the lake.

Plus, check out T's sweet addition to his toys! The colors are p e r f e c t.

There is no limit on these this summer.

my favorite combo: tigers blood + blue/red raspberry

Confession:

I just watched all SIX seasons of The Hills in....

TWO WEEKS!

It makes me want to be completely dramatic. About everything.

It's all fresh in my mind, so if you want to talk about it (and I've basically been bringing it up every five seconds)... I'm here for you girl!

To July:

2011-07-24T22:44:00.000-06:00

You are the best. Please don't leave me.

avocado corn salsa

2011-07-19T22:25:00.003-06:00

Make this and be the hero of your next party. Every time I do, I always come home empty bowled( not to be confused with empty boweled. errr...).

I have had many a request for the recipe, so I will just take care of all y'alls right here and right now.

ok, so this is not my picture, but it looks delicious, no?

Avocado Salsa

adapted from my Aunt Kathryn's recipe

Chop the following ingredients and throw into a large bowl:

4 avocados
4 roma tomatoes
2 cans black beans
1 can corn
1 bunch green onions
3 jalapeños (not seeded!)
1 bunch cilantro

Stir, then add:

Juice of 2 limes
Garlic/garlic salt
Salt & pepper
3/4 bottle of Italian dressing (I make the Good Seasons brand. The best!)

Stir all together and season to your taste.

Pass out of happiness.

you'll have to let me know if you make it!

PS. this is the best recipe because you can add anything that is mexican-y and it will probably be really good.

PPS. I know that 3 jalapenos seems like a lot, but for the size of the dip, it adds a perfect kick. TRUUUST me.

the singles ward. activity.

2011-07-18T23:33:00.001-06:00

Since I've been in a singles ward (for the second go-round), I've declared myself as a "back-row" mormon. I go to church, I'm nice to the people that are sitting in my vicinity.... but I rarely go to any activities. like, I think I've been to one in two years. I still get people that ask if I'm one of the new ones! I am very comfortable in my little bubble of "bolt as soon as the last 'Amen' is said".

So, just try to imagine my excitement, when I was called to the ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE.

(warning: diva moment)

UGH.

go out of my way?

get out of my comfort zone?

attend an activity?

Well, this last weekend was our huge, multi-ward river rafting trip. Camping for 3 days in Wyoming with 168 people I hardly knew.

I registered about... 2 weeks ago.

I was called as a group leader as well, so that really sealed the deal.

....

SURPRISE!

It was a total blast. I fully enjoyed myself. really. I met a ton of new people. I laughed harder than I have in weeks. I made really good friends who were strangers just 24 hours before.

I am an idiot.

I am humbled.

I get it, I'm not in charge!

sometimes you don't know why you are where you are,

until you do what you have been asked to do.

::: p i c n i c ::: p. I :::

2011-07-11T23:13:00.003-06:00

a few of the ladies decided to have a BBQ.

dreams of hanging candles from trees, picnic blankets & colorful pillows filled this girl's mind.

mother nature, on the other hand, had other plans in store.

after a mini-internal pity party, she decided what to do.

the boyfriend had a perfect room with tons of windows and practically zero furniture.

the indoor picnic was born!

homemade candles in lemons. so easy and super festive!

jars filled with shells and tealights

hard to see, but there's a picnic basket holding all the plates/utensils

i have to admit, i love how it turned out.

it was fun to add a few details that transformed it into a real party.

thanks to the ladies that helped me set up at the last possible moment and @ the height of my stress. lifesavers!

i see many parties in my future.

someone declared this to be the "girliest BBQ" they've ever attended.

mission accomplished!

music + an outfit

2011-07-10T22:57:00.004-06:00

friday night we went to see sarah's husband sing @ the local eatery slash wingers. he has a great voice and it was fun hanging out with friends.

and then...

sometimes i really like what i'm wearing and i want to share it with you. but with your unfortunate luck i don't have anyone on call to take the photos. so self portrait in mirror it is.

i love tan feet. i actually love feet in general. i think they're TOTES ADORBS. just like abbreviating all your words.

i am super cool!

in other news...

i start my new job tomorrow. i'm excited!

lagoon

2011-07-10T10:54:00.000-06:00

My employers had their annual lagoon day and we all got two free tickets. Tyler wasn't invited because he hates lagoon(it's driving a wedge). I invited my girf cath to live it up with me.

We really really enjoyed our time. Even though I seem to have contracted a mysterious rash from lagoona beach. Also the rides are much more frightening and dangerous than when we were kids.

frozen pink lemondades ya'all!

this ride is completely unsuitable for children! in fact, it is the source of my first nightmare.

BONUS: lagoon is also the source of my first "naked in public" dream. i actually peed on everyone from the paratrooper. why i love lagoon so much is beyond me!

the bottom line

2011-07-08T16:03:00.002-06:00

2. My favorite parts of my body are my eyelashes.

3. I don't take kindly to interrupters of my sleep.

4. Handwritten notes are priceless.

5. Life's problems are usually solved with diet coke + lime.

6. I take my body for granted too often. It is incredible what it can do and I have been blessed with great health.

7. I didn't read my scriptures or pray (or blog for that matter) very consistently in May. Because maybe I was a little bit mad my life isn't working out on my very set schedule.

I woke up one morning and realized it's not my schedule to keep.

Turns out I am right on time. & have a lot of apologizing to do.

That pretty much sums up what's been on the bottom line of my thoughts this week.

have the best weekend! Summer really is the greatest.

HELLO! Let's not forget the fresh veggies.

courtesy of my parents' garden.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Independence day

2011-07-06T23:35:00.001-06:00

Currently we have no internet at our apartment, so I'm blogging from the phone(thank goodness for for technology, yeah?).

I'll share the nitty gritty with you from iPhone pics. And they are out of order. Get over yourself already!

Highlights:

My aunt Betsey took me along with her family to the stadium of fire. It was my first time, and it was so so fun! Thanks for taking me out Bets! :)

I L O V E fireworks. Like clapping the whole time.

Tyler saw this pic and said, "girls are always taking so many pictures of how cool they are."
Well, we ARE cool Tyler. Learn to deal.

Perry Celebration- parade and breakfast. We met up with my aunt Chris, her family, & my grandparents to share the joy in the event.

Breakfast: just ok

Parade: um, hello! You can't go wrong with parades.

Grandma & mikayla

Brian & Kurt the flirt.

BBQ at my aunt Kathryn's. I crashed their party, ate tons of food and slept on her couch.

Pretty much my aunts took really good care of me over the weekend.

Playing in the creek

Mikayla and me @ dinner before SOF.

Aunt Betsey & Morgan

Thank you family, for making my holiday the greatest!!!

PS. My parents and 3 sibs were in NYC for the 4th. Biggest fireworks in American history. Little bit jealous.

PPS. Tyler is absent from all photos because he was at a family reunion in CA. Don't be worried and don't set me up on any dates.

PPS. all my photos from the brigham city fireworks are on my computer, so I will be blasting you with those soon.

PPPS. Kthanxbye

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

there was his birthday.

2011-07-01T04:00:00.000-06:00

tyler turned 30! but... don't make jokes. he's sensitive.

on his actual birthday, i took him to the copper onion & midnight in paris at the broadway theatre downtown.

i also painted these canvases for his walls.

then over the weekend, we had a little b-day BBQ @ tyler's. it was so fun.

i love having people come to hang out with me(oh and tyler) and eat my food. i really do.

will tyler take a normal picture with me tonight?

danny & hannah

emily, racie & jackson.

ratha, boston & matt

boston is so cute!

cath & jason. check out that dog fight!

sarah & denis.

sarah is pregnant with a little boy due this september!

barry & naomi

kenny

some mingling.

you might think the one below is a good one.

look closely at tyler's face.

peanut butter trifle.

i heard it was good, but RICH.

i didn't have any because i hate pb.

there was some paparazzi there.

hannah & me

we were trying to say "prune" instead of "cheese".

you know, like the olsen twins!

but i can't be serious.

who doesn't love a hammock?

the birthday boy.

deep in thought for a man in his thirties.

Just the things.

2011-06-30T04:00:00.001-06:00

are you guys sitting around wondering about all of the intimate details of my life?

does andrea have diet coke on tap 24/7?

did andrea contract a mysterious rash from Lagoona beach?

is andrea way brave by buying a groupon for a brazilian wax?

i know. calm down!

i will tell you the things.

I got a new job! I am really excited about it. I'm also nervous and a bit anxious. There's always an adjustment period when you start a new job where you feel like the idiot.

"how do i answer this phone?"

I've loved a lot of things that i will miss about my current job, especially my coworkers.

This new gig will be less stressful, so much better for my school schedule and my sanity. I'm going to be like joan on madmen. Secretary extraordinaire.

I'm moving into a house with two of my friends, cath & amy. Eeep! I am really excited about this.

1. Living with hilarious and crafty girfs. Yes being crafty is a plus. Ha!

2. No more apartment living(a million exclamation points)

3. new carpet. i had to put it on there.

4. living really close to the 7-11.

I have a weird affinity for that place. slim jims. nachos. diet coke.

tip: don't squeeze the slim jims, or the fat tubes will come out.

I said that I wouldn't leave my apartment til I was swept away by a man.

But lets get real. I couldn't resist this.

Maybe I am weird, but I like change. Gets me all out of my comfort zone. real loosy goosy.

it is good to learn how to adapt because YOU WILL HAVE TO.

now you know all the things.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

jackson.

2011-06-29T04:30:00.001-06:00

jackson is gorgeous.

we decided to rent bikes for the day to explore the town. i highly recommend this.

jackson museum

(it's only 2 rooms!)

i had the most delicious boysenberry gelato. YUM.

a sweet park with rock climbing walls.

i know i am way graceful, yeah?

basically, i got to the top and didn't know how to get down.

a ride up to snow king resort.

lounging at the park.

i am obviously sick of the camera.

1. it was the best weekend.

2. i want to go back when i'm not freezing my A off.

3. i wish i was a mountain man. (don't question it)

yellowstone

2011-06-28T05:00:00.010-06:00

sunday we had the whole day to ourselves, & already held a pass to the tetons/yellowstone in our hands (we had to buy one to get into the wedding).

started the day off with some breakfast:

i don't remember what this was but it was the bomb.

i drank lots & lots of this while i mapped out our route (we did the bottom loop!)

first stop: a moose!

i love moose.

lewis lake. half of it was still covered in ice.

you get this picture in sepia to hide (some of) my flaws. no makeup allowed in yellerstone!

went on an interesting tour around old faithful with ranger brian.

me by a stinkalicious hot spring

tyler taking in the glory of ole faithful

the prismatic spring.

my favorite.

funny story about this pic. i was trying to pose like i was falling off, tyler snapped a pic and said "that wasn't a good one". and some SAFARI-HAT-WEARING-MAN said "it's probably because of those boots!"

so i just did a fake laugh and put a hand on my hip.

i don't know.

ps. sorry my outfit is lame. my personal stylist couldn't make it.

....

paint pots.

this is tyler's favorite pose btw. but who cares. a real smile here!

bison.

or tyler trying to point at bison.

a sweet waterfall.

standing at the edge of a cliff.

a HUMONGOUS waterfall. it was the first one i've ever seen that size!

bison galore..

mud pots (?) i am forgetting names already.

the stankiest.

we had a blast.

1. yellowstone is a science fair!

2. we wished we could hike around the tetons. but there was so much snow.

hooray for small trips.

next... we explore the vast city of jackson.

a wedding in jackson.

2011-06-26T23:40:00.002-06:00

my beautiful friend megan got married last week. the wedding was beautiful and she looked absolutely stunning. i was so excited when she asked me to do her hair & makeup. i've never been able to spend so much time with a bride before a wedding, and there was magic in the air (just like lion king). i will keep that memory forever.

a few photos-courtesy of the iphone.

(obvs the photographer got amazing shots of everything.)

megan getting ready. gorgeous.

....

and then a couple from the after-party @ the million dollar cowboy in jackson, wy.

(we look a bit sleepy since we took a 2 hr nap in between wedding & this)

the happy couple. people went crazy over the bride!

so much fun!

the next day we traipsed around yellowstone... i'll share pics tomorrow!

you're like an open book

2011-06-23T04:00:00.001-06:00

one of my goals this year has been to read more books just for the sake of reading. i forgot just how much i love to read! i used to stay up all night just to finish the latest boxcar children or babysitter's club book. somewhere along the lines of teenager=boys mean everything, i lost the love.

well, the love is back, and baby, it's a bad romance. i never get to sleep before 1 am anymore. really, it's crazy. i feel like my little brother nathan, who can ALWAYS be found with his honker behind a book.

first things first. i joined a book club with some friends. the books, well, they haven't been that great for me. but the social part makes up for all of that.

second. i got a library card. the library makes my heart sing. something about all of those books smells so good to me, bringing back all the best memories of elementary school and the bookmobile.

sidenote: the absolutely most scary librarian works there. someone tried to check out a book at her desk, and she snapped. "i am a librarian, not a clerk! librarians do not check out books! can't you see the sign that says 'check out'?" her skin is the color of frodo's skin after the spider sucked out all the blood, and her hair is the color of flames ready to engulf you in librarian rage (this description could just be me because i am so terrified of her).

moving on.

the books.

(not including the book club books. don't bother)

the help.

all of the characters in this story had the greatest voices, you can almost hear them speaking! i was sad for this one to be over, and i can't wait for the movie this summer!

the hunger games.

i finally gave in to the hype and picked this one up. and read 300 pages in one day! and looked up all of the actors that will be in the movie next year. i'm hooked.

bossypants.

i just lo-ove tina fey. everything she says attacks my brain and sends it into hysterical laughter. the perfect airplane/pool read. tyler & i actually read it together on the way to AZ.. fer cute!

warning to tender ears and eyes(and my mom): there is a bit of harsh language.

hiding in plain sight: the incredible true story of a german-jewish girl's fight to survive in nazi-occupied poland.

the title says it all. AMAZING. it is a big book (over 500 pgs) but captivating, heartbreaking, and TRUE. even though this is written by the survivor, i read it thinking, "this girl is not going to make it!"

sidenote #2: WWII is by far my favorite period in history.

that's all i can think of right now. currently i am reading pride and prejudice( i think i have to read it to be a woman. watching the movie 100 times doesn't count?1), and mockingjay (third book in hunger games series).

any good recommendations out there? i'd love to hear!

adventures in sewing: the dark side.

2011-06-21T03:30:00.000-06:00

this has been SUCH a hard experience for me, that i can barely even write about it after all this time.

i found this true gem at the DI for $4. the color was beyond perfect, and in great condition. i just needed to take in the sides a bit and wahlah! we would have magic.

of course i decide to do this 30 minutes before church. first mistake.

i take one of my favorite skirts and lay it on top. trace it. pay no mind to the difference in material between the two skirts. second mistake.

sew it up. cut off sides before trying on. third mistake.

surprise! the skirt is much too tight. somehow i finagle it on my body. in my most logical brain i decide to wear it anyway, because it's not like i'll be moving around that much. fourth mistake.

tyler's here to pick me up! i gingerly walk down the stairs and try to get into his truck. rrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiipppppppp!!!!

another surprise! this 30 year old skirt's just not gonna give, and ripped right along side my new seam. idiot!

at least it was cute for 2 seconds.

i am still going to try to re-sew the sides, i just haven't figured out exactly how or with what yet.

this weekend...

2011-06-17T04:30:00.000-06:00

(photos from our trip to NYC together 2009)

i'm going to jackson hole for megan's big day!

we have been friends for a long time, and we've been through a lot (good, bad the ugly) together.

meg is one of the funnest, sweetest and genuine people i know.

i'm so excited that she & adam found each other, they are absolutely perfect together.

not to mention their little boy logan.

i have honestly never seen her so happy.

she glows. it's a real thing!

congratulations megan marie!

i'm so excited to be part of your special day.