Stella and Dot Launch

Hey guess what!?

After a little thought, a lot of online window shopping, and just a small investment...

I've decided to embrace my hidden entrepreneurial spirit...

And become a Stylist for Stella and Dot!! 

Stella and Dot items are the PERFECT Christmas gift for any lovely lady in your life! Your Mom or your Grandma who love you unconditionally, or your Yoga teacher who has perfected your downward facing dog, these gifts are perfect for anyone.  

Half the line is under $50

Flat Shipping rate of $5.95

Free Returns

And arrives within 4-7 business days

Who could complain about that!?

I'm so incredible excited about this new venture. I had my first trunk show last Saturday which I hosted myself but don't you worry, it's available online until 12/7.  Just click HERE and go bananas! Trust me, this stuff is amazing...

fitbit

fitbit?? yes, fitbit. 

 

i've never been one to go crazy with dieting, or been one to count calories or log my food, but i have always been fairly conscious about what i put into my body.  i'm not an organic or bust type person, and i definitely put far too much artificial sweetener into my body in the form of cold delicious diet coke. but i do like to balance my meals, and with my upcoming nuptials, i wouldn't mind losing a couple of the lb's. 

 

fitbit is my answer.  a couple weeks back when my dad and i took a pre-wedding father/daughter trip to sin city, i noticed that he always knew how many steps we had taken (20+ miles in 2 days in vegas, not too shabby), and i kept noticing him take his phone out after every meal to do something... no, he wasn't instagramming his french onion soup at the paris hotel restaurant like i was, he was "fitbitting"...! i just made that word up, but i'm confident it will be in the dictionary soon.  as far as i know, and so far i only have basic knowledge of the fitbit, but it motivates you to eat better, sleep better and manage your weight.

no, i don't actually have a fitbit yet, but my dad being the great man he is said it would come as a 28th bday gift in a week. so yay! i have started using the free app though, which allows you to log your food and exercise per day, and i gotta tell you, it works! i feel accountable now, knowing that i have to log everything i eat and all of my exercise per day.

just take a look at the food i've been eating.
that.is.proof.

 

summa

 since the weather has looked like THIS lately (read: we VERY rarely ever reach 90 degrees here in seattle, let alone OVER 90!), we have been out and about as much as our busy schedules have allowed us to be!

 

 beautiful cascade golf course, nestled at the foothills of the mountains // a new colorful recipe that consisted of these ingredients plus some quinoa

matt and i at a friend's bbq where i ate my weight in pulled pork...

 

 some cold jon daly's on a hot summer day.

refreshment at it's finest.

 

 kelp anyone?? // ethiopian food...please do yourself a favor and try it.

 

favorite lunch hour spot.  i could sit here for hours. 

back porch livin'

it's official, we finally have a back deck that is big enough to put STUFF on! and not just a little bit of stuff...

so far we have managed to put 5 flower pots, 1 mini garden, one topsi turvey with a tomato plant that already has 4 of the cutest tiniest green tomatoes already growing on it, outdoor living room furniture AND a little bistro table for us to enjoy the beautiful northwest summer sunsets that seem to last all night.

we have spent every moment we can so far this spring in our little outdoor oasis and i'm so excited for summer the months to come...everything from resting on the couch in the setting sun after a long day of work, to enjoying a cup of coffee on one of the chairs on a saturday morning.  i'm definitely someone who needs a little dose of vitamin d on their skin every once in a while so this has been a dream.  a dream that is usually not possible in an apartment in seattle..... so saying i'm thankful for this little space is a vast understatement.

 

anywho, enjoy a little tour below!

 

so easy to say i'm busy

my poor poor blog, so neglected and sad. 

life has gotten in the way and it's so easy to say 'i have no time for this, i have no time for that.'

blogging inspires me to really focus on the beautiful things unique to my own life...just as the blogs that i have followed for so long now taught me to do.

so let's start again.

but right now it's late and i'm going to bed.

so i'll start tomorrow. :)

grow garden grow

with a warmer sun slowly peeking out each day, and daffodils showing their vibrant yellow, and even the possibility of sleeping with the window open tonight, one thing is clear - SPRING is in the air! my love of spring is the exact opposite of my love of fall.  switching out pumpkin spice lattes for iced tea lemonade, the most comfy brown leather boots for strappy sandals with mint toenails, and finally, switching the cozy indoors for the vitamin-d filled outdoors! 

this spring, i am so excited to start planting some flowers on our deck.  it's the first time in my adult life that i have had a space large enough to actually maintain living things.  i have dreams of eclectic pots with flowers of every shape and color, and maybe even a garden of tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, and whatever else i can keep alive (which could be very limited, i've never been known to have a...green thumb? yeah that.).

here are a couple of pictures that i couldn't help but share. enjoy!

all images via better homes and gardens

i'm on a boat!

60 degrees in seattle in march - is that even possible???

it sure is, and these pictures are proof.  my brother, his (pregnant!) wife and their 3 year old son came to visit from phoenix last weekend, excited about the thought of a weekend in the doom and gloom of the northwest rain... but it ended up being the most beautiful weekend of the year! an argosy cruise around lake washington ended up being the perfect saturday afternoon activity, complete with a a straight on look at none other than mr. g's humble abode. (above)

otherwise known as bill gates' gargantuan mansion.

maui WOWEE

 matt and i's most recent topic of conversation regarding all stuff wedding has been....

wait for it...

THE HONEYMOON!!!

oh the thought of sand between my toes and sun on my face makes this seattle girl go CRAZY.

our only pre-requisite for the honeymoon is SUN.

lately we've been tossing hawaii around,

mainly because it's close proximity to seattle and the ease of traveling would increase our time in paradise by at least a day...which is equivalent to much more than a day when talking about sun, sand and the utmost relaxation.

so here you go, some lovely pics of maui that i found,

to take your mind off the doom and gloom, 

otherwise known as february.

 source

harbaugh hamburgers

hope everyone had a fantastic superbowl sunday!

we sure did!

here are a couple pics of our little (actually big, crowded, and fun) party we had yesterday at our new place complete with a new grill cooking up some 'harbaugh hamburgers'.....

this is the view i was hoping for last night...

this was reality...

wedding tips you just can't keep to yourself

on the front lawn of our wedding venue.

ahhhhhh the view.

THE VIEW! 

any of you hitched bloggers out there with wedding planning tips you just can't keep to yourself...

do tell!

2 weeks with olympus

Well, a very happy belated new year to everyone. My life is so very busy right now and I miss the blog world like heck. I gather so much inspiration from the blogs that are on my daily read-ar (ha, like radar? Ok maybe not) and catching up on a lazy Sunday night feels so gratifying. Everything from design to recipes to fashion to humor - I love it all!

Anyways, I hate to admit it but all of my pictures up until now have been taken with...wait for it...my iphone. Yep. It's true. It was all I had, mainly because of my consistent poor camera handling skills that made me swear off any "big girl" camera until I felt responsible enough to actually take care of it.  That left me with an iphone camera, and just an iphone camera. For a phone, it's a fantastic little camera, but for the pictures that I will be taking at pre-wedding/post-wedding/everything else events, I reeeeeeally wanted a real one...a real one that takes real good pics.

So here we have it, a pretty little (actually big and beautiful) Olympus Pen E-PL2 that I received on Christmas morning from the best fiance ever. I screamed, I really did.  And here's a little preview of the randomness that I have captured these past couple weeks since I've had it...

the cutest little teapot we gave matt's grandma

decadent german chocolate cupcakes - perfect for a cold post-christmas montana night

small town montana morning in the snow, from the kitchen window

a good view

camera fun, plus christmas tree fun AND ring fun. just FUN.

pretending like i know how to work the cam-er-a

self-timed pre nye pic