Resplendent Wandering . . .

try it!

2012-02-01T22:22:00.003-06:00

Scramble With Friends is oodles of fun!

If you want to play me : Lesconner8

Thanks to Lee

2012-01-29T12:05:00.007-06:00

My wonderful corner-neighbor, Lee, knows I like to bake. The other day when I was getting mail he asked if I have ever made pudding because he had a bunch of bananas and wafers so I could make banana pudding. I gladly accepted his ingredients and made my first banana pudding ever. It was delicious (one of Austin's favorites now)!

Recipe & below photo via Martha Stewart.

I've also been eating up this tasty peach jam my mom gave me.

Made in Oklahoma!

where is winter?

2012-01-27T20:24:00.004-06:00

Today it felt like 80 degrees outside here in Texas! I need snow! But if we're not going to get any I guess I could welcome spring ... I do enjoy more pleasant outside time!

Anthropologie

dancers

2012-01-22T22:36:00.003-06:00

Dancers are beautiful people.

We've fallin in love with something that is

intangible and cannot bring us riches.

What a tribe!

-Kirstie Simson

happy birthday Alex

2012-01-21T15:18:00.010-06:00

Yesterday was my brother-in-law Alex's 20th birthday. It is strange that I've known him since... before he was even a teenager! We actually visited him last weekend in OKC to celebrate. He wanted to eat at Texas Roadhouse and then we had some delicious coca-cola cake I had made. I am fairly certain it is my favorite cake ever. You MUST try it if you haven't before.

In a saucepan bring these ingredients to a boil:

1/2 C oil

1 stick of butter

3 Tbsp cocoa

1 can coca-cola

Mix together the following and pour into boiling liquid:

2 C granulated sugar

2 C all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

Beat well. Add the following ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 C buttermilk

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pour into a greased, floured sheet cake pan (I used two 9x9" pans).

Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

For frosting, combine these ingredients in a saucepan and heat:

3/4 stick of butter

3 Tbsp cocoa

3(ish) Tbsp milk

Away from heat add in:

1 tsp vanilla extract (I used more)

1 pound confectioner's sugar (just add until desired consistency)

Let the cake cool about 5 minutes and spread the frosting on to let cool completely before cutting, serving, and enjoying!

pic via weekly bite since I forgot to take a pic

dancin

2012-01-19T22:02:00.006-06:00

I've been really enjoying my first week of my second semester. I have the urge to enroll in 2 modern classes and 2 ballet classes instead of just one of each... but being an extra 8 hours per week I probably shouldn't.

Often I'm tired or sluggish going into class or rehearsal. But once we get started I'm like "ooooh yeah!"

some wonderful pinterest finds... can I please have that arch?!

My courses this semester consist of:

ballet technique

contemporary dance technique

dance-making

performance

historical study of dance

producing dance in the professional realm

The last is going to be awesome I can already tell. A lot of useful stuff. In historical study of dance we will get to recreate historical dances... exciting!

semester 2

2012-01-16T21:09:00.005-06:00

tomorrow I begin my spring semester of grad school. It has been a nice, long four weeks of break but I do need to get back into the swing of things. I only took a couple yoga classes and one dance class over the break... yikes! And no ballet, so tomorrow will be interesting with ballet at 11am...

peddecord on flickr

i'm in love

2012-01-12T21:07:00.003-06:00

with Big Bang Theory!

The new episode tonight was hilarious, of course. Even if I've already seen a rerun that is playing, I have to watch it again. They make me laugh out loud even when I know what is going to happen. I highly recommend this show if you've (sadly) never seen it...

via google images

gotta work on my skills

2012-01-11T15:13:00.009-06:00

I really love good photography. It is something I would like to get better at, just for my own enjoyment. I already take pictures all the time but now I'm trying to figure out how to work more settings on my camera... and I'm trying to figure out photoshop. I'm not super tech-savvy so photoshop is going to take a while for me to figure out! But I'm workin' on it...

While I work on my skills, here are some neat Pinterest finds:

01. flickr 02. colossal 03. piccsy

new looks

2012-01-09T22:22:00.006-06:00

I think I'm going to dye my hair dark again before spring classes start.

Yep, it is decided.

I'm also liking these new looks:

via Banana Republic

I've been addicted to Destination Truth over my month-long winter break. I'm not gonna lie... I've watched the entire first 3 seasons and I'm on the 4th. I've still got a week before classes start so I think I'll be able to finish :)

I'm enjoying the cooler weather (and rain) here in TX. It is January... it is supposed to be cold! Enjoy your week.

Bahahahaha!

2012-01-07T12:47:00.003-06:00

I hope you love this as much as I do :)

Welcome, 2012!

2012-01-02T00:11:00.004-06:00

I had a fun night involving poker, fireworks, and champagne with Austin, Alex, and our friends Ali and Colter!

Ali & I made firework box hats :)

Welcome, 2012... can't wait to see what you will bring!

Happy Holidays

2011-12-31T17:39:00.012-06:00

I had a wonderful Christmas with my family and my husband's family in Oklahoma. I got to hang out for a whopping 5 days, then my parents stayed with us for 2 days. Now my bro-in-law is here for New Years. Fun fun!

I love the holiday season and all of the warm-fuzzies it brings... but I do think I want to keep my kids from thinking Christmas means getting all the presents you could ever want (when we do eventually have kiddos). I'm not gonna lie, I love my new martha stewart stainless steel mixing bowls with non-skid bottoms, pouring spouts, and measurements inside... but it shouldn't be about the gifts! I really enjoyed visiting with all of my close fam and extended fam, partaking in traditions, baking and eating, playing racquetball, watching movies, and sleeping in :) I also discovered I LOVE the tv show Destination Truth. I may have already watched the entire 1st season...

Enjoying the cozy fireplace.

Ponce loves grandpa Stan.

Christmas Eve after dinner:

Austin, Ponce, myself, my dad, my bro Aaron, Pete, his wife Katie, and my mom.

Ponce got a new reindeer toy from aunt Maggie & uncle Larry.

Nice day outside.

Christmas day lunch at my mother-in-law's:

Austin, bro-in-law Alex, mom-in-law Terri, practically family Gary.

Happy New Year's Eve!

holiday festivities

2011-12-21T17:14:00.025-06:00

Now that the semester is over I've had time for more fun stuff!

Made some bon bon cookies for a get together:

Cream together 1 cup butter and 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar.

Add one beaten egg, 1/2 tsp vanilla, & 1/2 tsp almond extract.

Sift together 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, & 1 tsp cream of tartar.

Add this to the first mixture and chill in the fridge one hour.

Form into small balls, flatten with your hand, dip in sprinkles.

Bake 10-12 min on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 degrees.

I've had time to crochet - I have been working on a blanket (still) that my great-grandmother started. She taught me how to crochet:

Exchanged gifts with Aust since we'll be out of town for the holiday. (Post about the craziness of gift-giving to come in the near future.) Ponce liked Austin's scarf :)

Pets have enjoyed snuzzling - Zoe voluntarily sleeps in Austin's jacket!

Had our friends, the Kings, over for dinner!

(Erin, Michael, and cutie Amos)

Finally had time to make bedroom curtains:

Today I made Christmas sugar cookies!

They were the best tasting sugar cookies I've made yet. Aust caught me beheading a ballerina.

We are taking some to Ali & Colter's house tonight for a holiday dinner.

Can't believe it is almost here! Ponce is ready to go to Ponca...

Happy Holidays!

listen to this:

2011-12-16T15:30:00.002-06:00

It's good stuff.

anthro update

2011-12-11T22:00:00.004-06:00

I know, I'm obsessed...

here is an anthro update!

this past weekend they had a 50% off sweaters sale

of course they were still like $80...

but I am glad they've been having more sales lately

like an extra 50% off sale items

perhaps more decent sales are to come

Kansai Bookcase

Hildasay Sweater

Oh To Dream Bedding

Gossamer Birch Shell

Agadir Twists Rug

cookies cookies cookies

2011-12-10T15:56:00.014-06:00

I just finished my 10-page research paper... whew! Break time = time to blog!

I've been in a baking mood lately.

I think it is due to the season upon us... as well as the fact that I often use baking as a procrastination tool when it comes to homework :)

I made the delicious choco-mint snappers.

Recipe via my mom.

Melt 6 ounces of chocolate chips in a saucepan

Add 2 caps of mint extract and set aside to cool slightly

Mix together 2/3 cup of crisco, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 egg

Add this to the chocolate mint mixture along with 1/4 cup karo syrup

Now add 1 3/4 cups flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt

Mix all together and roll into balls

Roll balls in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet

Baket 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees

As well as some spiced oatmeal raisin cookies when my dad was here.

Recipe via Epicurious.

In a large bowl, combine:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon (I used more)

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground ginger (I used less)

1 tsp ground cumin (I used less)

a pinch of ground cloves

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

In a separate bowl, beat together:

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Add flour mixture to sugar mixture

Stir in 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

and 1 cup raisins

Drop by tablespoonfuls 2" apart on ungrased baking sheet

Bake 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees

*I baked a half batch, which still made an abundance of cookies

And some tasty flourless peanut butter cookies.

Recipe via Real Simple.

In a large bowl, mix together:

2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp baking soda

and 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Shape into heaping tablespoons

Place 2" apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper

Flatten and pattern with the tines of a fork

Bake at 350 degrees 10-12 minutes

Rotate the sheets halfway through baking

I'm lucky my neighbors like my cookies, or I'd be gaining 5 pounds a week eating everything I bake!

terrain ...

2011-12-05T22:39:00.005-06:00

Anthro's sister-site, Terrain, has some cozy holiday inspiration:

time to make cider...

time to decorate...

time to light up the house...

And if you know some one who could put good use to a cookie jar, check out these fancies from Anthropologie:

Welcome, December!

2011-12-04T18:39:00.007-06:00

I am so happy - December is my favorite month of the year. My mom proposed after Thanksgiving we send each other a picture a day of something reminding us of the season. We've been enjoying it so far! Here are the ones I have sent my mom: (sorry quality isn't the best, they were all taken on my phone camera.)

December issue magazines!

Put up the wreath I made!

Dan loves snoozing under the tree :)

Advent calendar begins!

Holiday lights at TWU!

Our lit-up front porch! (not sure why I also had on the porch light...)

Invitations to the oak grove UMC Christmas program!

most wonderful time of the year

2011-11-30T08:04:00.006-06:00

Now that Thanksgiving flew by in a flash, it is time to enjoy the Christmas season! Austin and I put our tree up along with house decorations and outdoor Christmas lights. My mom and I started a fun habit: every day we send each other one picture of something that gets us in the mood for Christmas! Christmas music, decorated tree, light festivals, December magazines, and holiday bows! I am very excited for Christmas but I know it will fly by far too quickly, as always...

The tree is up! Zoe chewed through some of the light wiring the first night we had the tree up,

so we had to get new lights and sprinkle cinnamon all over the tree...

Enjoying cider and decorations at the Christmas Tree Farm.

We found a Christmas tree for Austin's mom and my parents found a tree!

Massive Christmas tree at the Galleria. Crazy shopping season... I prefer online shops!

Gobble Gobble

2011-11-27T23:46:00.008-06:00

Happy (late) Thanksgiving!

Hope you had a wonderful holiday.

Here was what my holiday was like:

Terri's chocolate meringue pie

Aust threw a sausage at Alex and missed. It toppled his pie onto the floor.

Ponce discovered he enjoys lemon meringue pie.

aunt Maggie's pumpkin pie

mom's green bean casserole

mom's frosted sugar cookies

Aust, me, and Ponce with our new buddy Pete (my brother Aaron's new pup).

How was your Thanksgiving?

Happy Birthday Dan!

2011-11-20T16:53:00.002-06:00

Today our eldest furry, Dan, turned 5 years old!

We have had him since November 1, 2007 :)

fall food

2011-11-13T22:46:00.009-06:00

I mentioned making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies yesterday, so here is the recipe. They are very soft and fluffy! Be prepared... it makes dozens and dozens of cookies, so you may want to half the recipe unless you're baking for a very large crowd. (I had to give away lots of them to friends and neighbors and we still have tons leftover.)

1 1/2 C butter, softened

2 C packed brown sugar

1 C sugar

1 15-oz can pumpkin

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 C all-purpose flour

2 C quick-cooking oats

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp salt

2 C semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine butter and sugars. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients together and add to the wet mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes per batch.

recipe via allrecipes

I have decided to become uncommonly good at baking.

It is fun, delicious, and makes myself and others happy.

Hope you enjoyed your weekend!

happy weekend

2011-11-12T16:52:00.006-06:00

Yay for fun weekends! Austin and I got to hang out with our friends Ali, Colter, Will & Elizabeth last night. (Happy birthday to Ali!) Today we went to the King's home for lunch. Erin made a delicious meal of quiche, tomato soup, and french bread, and I brought pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. We had a nice time and got to see Amos crawl! Now I am blogging before a crazy performance week ensues...

I love the clothing on Gorman. I thought it was odd they had new summerish looking items and swimsuits... but it is based in Australia... no wonder!

I also really like this 2012 calendar by dekanimal on Etsy:

I usually make a calendar with iPhoto, but I'll probably buy a second one for reference in the office. We'll see... we really only need one, huh?

any time now

2011-11-08T20:01:00.003-06:00

I would love for it to be like this outside...

(and while I'm wishing... that would make a nice home)

Too bad it is still not winter cold, but rainy and humid here in Texas.

01. Terrain

For Ponce

2011-11-03T20:36:00.000-05:00

Why I love dogs.

Year 25

2011-11-01T22:39:00.003-05:00

I am 25 today!

It wasn't the best day... up until Aust had one of my favorite meals ready when I got home: Panera mac and cheese and a smoothie... mmm! And then I didn't have to do homework tonight which was a great birthday present.

Goal for year 25 of life (a quarter of a century old... yikes!):

Enjoy!

happy halloween!

2011-10-30T14:53:00.010-05:00

I am Halloween posting today since I have a pretty full schedule tomorrow. I'm extremely sad because I have class until 8pm tomorrow night... I'll miss a good chunk of the trick-or-treaters... Hopefully they will stay out late though! Here is the jack-o-lantern I made last weekend:

We spent $50 on Halloween candy... ouch! But our neighbors said last year they got between 200-300 kiddos! I also went to a super fun Halloween party last night (mostly made up of TWU dance grads and significant others):

I am also excited for this week because I turn 25 on Tuesday. 25 sounds so much older than 24. I mean, I'll be a quarter of a century old...! Since we are fairly busy during the week we went out to dinner at Ziziki's recently to celebrate. It is one of my FAVORITE restaurants here in Texas! In other delicious news, Mom and dad gave us this on Friday and I made a batch today:

Scrumptious!

"As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists."

- Joan Gussow

rest in peace

2011-10-29T14:28:00.006-05:00

Shawnee, Okla. — William Robert Conner Jr., born Nov. 2, 1958, at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, passed away at home Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. He graduated from Shawnee High School in 1976, then served four years in the Army. He also graduated from Eastern Oklahoma State with a degree in horticulture. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Austin and Leslie Conner; his son, Alex Conner; and the mother of his children, Terri Conner; parents, Rita Tefertiller and Bill and Joyce Conner; two brothers, Randy Conner and Don Conner; one step-brother, Keith Branscum; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his grandparents and his brother, Danny Conner.

Austin and his dad in 2009.

much needed

2011-10-23T20:58:00.003-05:00

A new blog look.

Any suggestions?

I like this via my friend Melissa.

I also like this.

Or this.

yes to cold, yes to heat

2011-10-20T16:36:00.024-05:00

Due to the lovely cold weather that began a couple days ago (yes!),

we turned on the heat for the first time today (yes!)...

Finally feels like fall!

I also got my first sickness of the season :( I was sick at work and felt terribly queasy and weak... no good. Not sure what it is, but I'm guessing it has to do with the fact that I've not been getting consistent/enough sleep, I'm stressed fairly often, and I haven't been eating as healthy as I should (probably due to those other factors)...

Medicine, sleep, and fruits & veggies has seemed to help.

Now I'm stressed about the things I missed in class & rehearsal :(

Anyway, taking a break from homework, I thought I'd finally blog about our new place here in Texas. We live on Chisholm Trail in Crossroads...

very Texan sounding :)

Welcome... our living room.

I love these shelves... would like to do some more similar to this :)

Aust's elephants & my seahorses...

Living/Dining in between-ness... we'll call it the music space with my grandma's old piano!

Dining area. Dan & Zoe love watching out the windows.

Kitchen! Not as good as our old home's kitchen... but you can't have everything!

At least the curtain I made for the old kitchen fits the new one!

Hallway - perfect space for the "where we've been" map.

Main bathroom.

Master bedroom. Love the big windows! Now I need to get around to making curtains...

Master bedroom again- plus the 2nd bathroom. Nice for when we have guests over!

Guest bedroom. Decided to put the pink duvet in here instead of in our room-

for some reason Aust wanted something other than pink :)

Office - Ponce's room - Exercise room

Love the new desk we got from West Elm! The bulletin boards are handy too.

Had to include this - got this set for Austin for our anniversary this year. Cool, huh?

And that completes the tour (or most of it at least)!

Now off to do some more reading...

01. Pinterest 02. Sprightly Blog 03-15. Leslie Conner Photography :)

Happy birthday Ponce!

2011-10-13T22:22:00.010-05:00

Our own Ponce de Leon is 3 today!

He brings a lot of joy to our family.

He's not spoiled or anything...

For his birthday, he asked for

a human bed,

a super-long walk,

lots of kisses,

a new ball,

and family visits.

He doesn't know he will get to visit family this weekend :)

The kitties will be staying home while we go to Ponca for my dad's birthday.

(Shh, don't tell, we're surprising him!)

Sweet baby Z.

Sweet baby Dan.

Ponce knows who "Stan" is :)

Can't wait to visit our families this weekend!

Happy (late) Birthday Austin!

2011-10-11T19:50:00.008-05:00

So Wednesday, October 5th was Austin's 26th birthday!

Can't believe we've been together for all of our birthdays since 17 & 18 :)

Family & Friends came to visit from Oklahoma!

Austin, his brother Alex, his mom Terri

Terri brought this for our garden, as well as some pretty flowers:

We had fun touring the Dallas World Aquarium, playing a sushi card game, and eating at Palio's Pizza and Blue Mesa Grill.

We got to feed the toucans!

Seahorses and Seadragons...

and THEY BROUGHT CUPPIES & JOE!!!!!!! Oh how I'd been missing it.

Ponce was sad to see them leave...

For Aust's gift I gave him a new calculator watch (he can't find his old one since we moved) and I made him homemade funfetti cupcakes (he always has to have funfetti for his birthday). I also made some 'birthday coupons' redeemable anytime he chooses!

These days when at home I'm doing a lot of this:

Qualitative Research is actually very enlightening... just a little tedious as well.

So we take naps on weekends to enjoy family time :)

How is your October?

I'm ready for Halloween :)

success!

2011-09-29T16:15:00.008-05:00

I got a job (finally)! I'm the new office assistant in TWU's College of Arts & Sciences! I think it will work out great because it is only about 11 hours per week, the people are very nice, I can walk between work and class, and they even told me I could do homework if I wasn't answering phones, etc. Plus I'll still get weekends and holidays off... woohoo!

In other news, I saved a turtle today! Well, I suppose I'm not certain that he would've died without me, but he was crossing the huge, busy TWU parking lot. So I moved him into the grass that he may have been headed for... hope he didn't turn around and go right back to the pavement!

I've been learning some pretty awesome skills in my modern and improvisation classes. Usually by this time in a semester I'm needing a day off or something... but I am still loving going to my technique classes. Ok, so one or two of the theory classes can still be intimidating and overwhelming, but it's all (still) worth it!

This weekend Austin's mom, brother, and brother's girlfriend are all coming to visit! (Aust's birthday is October 5th.) I'm excited to have visitors, but wondering when I'll do all of my homework since I usually do it all on the weekend... maybe I should go do some now...

01. TWU 02. pinterest 03. epiphany dance

ruche

2011-09-28T11:04:00.007-05:00

I'm loving the fashion company Ruche. I've never ordered anything from them before but I could definitely see this happening in the future...

The only bad part about being in grad school for dance is not getting to wear "normal" clothes very often.

Weekends and the occasional evening will have to suffice!

News from grad school:

I'm super excited for the upcoming TX Dance Improvisation Festival!

I've learned more in the past 4 1/2 weeks than I ever imagined I would!

I love my technique classes so much I'm probably going to take 2 modern classes or 2 ballet classes next semester... however the schedule works out!

The schedule is terrible. It will be worth it. These 3 years are going to fly by!

inspiration...

2011-09-24T10:39:00.004-05:00

oh how i love the screen shot function.

hello fall!

2011-09-23T10:31:00.005-05:00

the mornings have been lovely here in Texas, though it is still too warm in the afternoons to feel like fall. please cool down, weather! I am ready to put on sweaters, eat pumpkin pie, carve a pumpkin for halloween, and see the leaves change. and where is my october issue of martha stewart living!? I hope it comes today :)

01. pinterest 02. pinterest

I'm ready...

2011-09-19T22:24:00.005-05:00

for winter!

Ok, so it is still in the 80s on average here in Texas, but I would be perfectly happy if it snowed tomorrow. November and December are probably my favorite months of the year. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas (and my birthday is Nov 1st!) and I love the general feeling of warmth and contentedness that comes with the season :) Bring it on!

01-05. Rifle Paper Co 06. unknown 07. all the beautiful things

yum yum

2011-09-17T18:16:00.004-05:00

Just FYI, this is delicious:

I bought it at a neat local grocery store, cupboard natural foods, in Denton!

They also sell this that I love so much:

Mmmmm!

01. quorn 02. healthy republic

belated

2011-09-16T18:40:00.017-05:00

Back in the midst of a huge change (packing & moving to Texas) Austin and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary. I can't believe it has already been 3 years, and at the same time, I feel like we've been together forever (over 7 years). In the 3 years of marriage we've done a lot and learned a lot. Can't wait to see what is in store for us...

Our wedding on August 8, 2008

Our honeymoon in Athens, Greece

Our honeymoon continued in Santorini, Greece

We adopted Ponce (de Leon) in December of 2008

Leslie graduated college in May 2009

Visiting Estes Park, Colorado for our 1st anniversary

Austin cooks, Leslie bakes

Our 2nd Christmas together (with a complete family) in 2009

We've enjoyed many snow days together

Our first home in Edmond, Oklahoma (I still miss it sometimes!)

We played ball with Ponce MANY times in this field

We celebrated many birthdays together

And many holidays together (including Thanksgiving!)

We have visited families many times (shoveling snow at my parent's at Christmas)

Traveled to Estes Park, Colorado (yes we love that place) with my family July 2010

Austin graduated college May 2011

Traveled to the Turks & Caicos with my family May 2011

Moved to Texas August 2011

Most recent picture of the both of us: Sept 11, 2011 at the botanical gardens with the Kings

It's going to be a good year #4

very interesting

2011-09-14T23:26:00.002-05:00

I jointed Pinterest recently.

Love it. Very cool, fun, and easy-to-use.

Try it!

Overwhelmed

2011-09-13T23:30:00.010-05:00

Wow.

Lately I have been absolutely overwhelmed. It may not seem like it from some of my blog posts, but I try to remain positive and upbeat when blogging :) It has been a difficult transition from being a full-time working adult making an acceptable amount of money and doing things I enjoy... to going back to school where homework (lots of it) and deadlines and exams exist. And where I currently have no income. I just have to keep in mind- this will bring me to a place in my life where I want to be MORE than where I was before I went to grad school! I do enjoy being in my classes and I have already learned a TON of stuff in 2 1/2 weeks... but sacrificing my 'free time' to homework is tough. Sometimes I don't want to read 5 different articles about finding and labeling a creative process. I'd much rather take Ponce on a walk, update my blog, and bake something. Does this mean I'm not supposed to be in grad school? I don't think so. It is just a change. A HUGE change. I'm still adjusting.

So anyway, I wanted to share a cool, completely irrelevant to anything painting I used for a recent assignment in my research methods class.

(My research professor would frown upon our measly blogger citations!)

Artwork by Angela Leopold.

I just finished one assignment that is due tomorrow.

You can check out what I was investigating here.

I've decided to get up early to do my other assignment for tomorrow... I'm too tired to write anything profound or read without falling asleep.

Good night!

Listen to this

2011-09-10T21:26:00.002-05:00

Zoe Keating.

Beautiful music, and it is simply her recording herself improvising and layering it over and over and over again. Amazing! I wish I played cello... but I do want to go pick up my violin now...

Side note: Happy birthday to my brother, Aaron, today!

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-06T19:49:00.010-05:00

My parents came to visit me, Austin, Ponce, Dan & Zoe!

Our weekend consisted of

dinner and show at Medieval Times

a game of canasta (girls won)

dog-walking new areas of the neighborhood

tv antenna installation (we weren't getting any channels... now we get 30)

putting together of the backyard swing mom & dad got us

visit to sprouts farmer's market (favorite yogurt was on sale, I stocked up)

delicious fall dessert making (recipe below) from this awesome cookbook:

And this weekend we said goodbye to the heat and hello 70s and 80s!!!

Let's hope it stays this way into fall.

While I was at Hobby Lobby yesterday I picked up this:

Full of fun ideas! Too bad I might have class until 8pm on Halloween :(

With my mom and dad before they had to head home to Oklahoma.

Thanks for visiting!

Now, you may want to try this yummy fall dessert from the cookbook above (which also has the chock-full chocolate chip cookie recipe).

pumpkin chocolate chip cake with cream cheese frosting

Sift together:

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground ginger

In separate bowl, with an electric mixer, blend:

1 C canned pumpkin

1 C sugar

1/2 C canola or corn oil

2 large eggs (one at a time)

Add flour mixture to this.

Add 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Pour into a 9x9 baking pan with buttered parchment paper.

Bake for about 40 minutes at 325 degrees.

Frosting:

Using an electric mixer blend:

1 stick unsalted butter

4 ounces cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 C powdered sugar

Let cake cool completely on a serving plate before adding frosting.

Success

2011-09-01T22:07:00.013-05:00

Scare you?! That's my Zoe, yawning :)

Well I have nearly completed my first week of grad school. It's going great!

Tomorrow I have modern for the third time this week and a meeting about performance/choreography. I enjoy every class, and I'm not lying!

My class schedule consists of:

modern technique

ballet technique

performance class

artistic process

research methods for dance

workshop: improvisation

All of my professors are great and I can see there are going to be many opportunities each semester for learning, performing, and dance making! I also love the facility:

4 large studios, 2 small studios

soma fitness center

mac computer lab

video editing lab

lounge room/locker rooms

Plus the university has a nice library, performance space, and brand new fitness center. Ya... it is awesome! My only problem so far is that I have been too darn introverted. I always tell myself I'm going to be outgoing to make tons of friends and connections, but I guess it is just my personality to be reserved at first. I'm going to try to change that though!

Other than that... happy September! Can't believe it... still feels too hot to be September :) The pets all adapted quickly to the new house. Ponce is tearing around the house as I type. Austin has been working his butt off at work, yard work, and car maintenance. I (in addition to school) have been swimming twice, got the house in order, scoped out all the local grocery stores, and made some delicious super chocolate chip cookies today!

And some fun September facts:

classical music month - go put on some wieniawski

self improvement month - go eat some spinach and get on the treadmill

sept 6th read a book day - I suggest "the creative habit"

sept 9th teddy bear day - I'll probably get a new one for Ponce

sept 10th - my brother's birthday!

sept 11th - take a moment to remember 10 years ago

sept 11th grandparent's day - give them a call or some candy!

sept 21st national peace day - is it me or does this seem hard to celebrate with the way our world is right now?

sept 22nd elephant appreciation day - my hubby will love this

sept 23rd FALL EQUINOX - yep, it will probably be 90 degrees here

Enjoy your labor day weekend- my parents are coming to visit!

recipe for chock-full chocolate chip cookies:

Sift together:

1 1/4 C all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

In separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat:

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 C packed light brown sugar

6 tbsp granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

On low speed add flour mixture.

Mix in 24 ounces (I only used 12) semi sweet chocolate chips.

Drop large spoonfuls onto baking sheets covered with parchment paper.

Bake one sheet at a time at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes each.

Cool completely before eating (they will flatten slightly).

goodbye adulthood, hello school (again)

2011-08-26T16:34:00.011-05:00

Texas is ok so far. At least the part I live in has lots of fun stuff.

My brother-in-law is visiting this weekend, and next weekend my parents are visiting! Austin and I used to go back to Ponca City fairly often, so it is weird that we may not go back until Thanksgiving and then Christmas. But we've always been lucky to live so close (it used to be only 1 1/2 hours away)... lots of families live far away. And if we'd have gone to New York like we had the opportunity to do, I think it was going to be 21 or 22 hours away... that makes 5 hours not seem so bad!

This is my last weekend before grad school begins- I am ready.

Tuesday we had an MFA meeting and Wednesday was a placement class. I got to move up to the most advanced classes for ballet and modern so that was exciting! And I have a job interview Tuesday... wish me luck that I will not only do well in my interview, but that my schedule will work out with what they need!

So nearly everything is unpacked and in its 'place' (for now). I realized as I've been placing things and trying to decorate (I say 'trying' because I don't consider myself a great decorator) I realized I think my personal decorating style is worldly/vintage looking/eclectic. Any one have any tips for making this work without looking like random crap and trinkets laying around? :) I like keeping little momentums and things from travels and special occasions, but it is hard for me to arrange them pleasingly, at least without buying a bunch of new furniture and shelves and painting every room, etc...

I think lots of the things I like about the following are their colors, walls, floors, furniture, decor and general design of the room. So everything? I guess these people just start from scratch when they move into a new place!?!?

This is the style I think mine would like to be:

Anyway... what's your style? Or what do you think it is anyway?

(I've realized I like lots of styles, just don't think they'd all work for me.)

01-02. vivaterra 03-04. roost blog 05. elle decor 06. brunch at saks 07. brabourne farm 08. elle decor 09. decorpad 10-11. cobbold du pont interiors 12. anthropologie

Love, Grandma

2011-08-21T19:56:00.013-05:00

As I've been unpacking I find fun things here and there to enjoy.

I ran across a book my great-grandma, Florence Rice, gave me in 1999.

It has lots of nice quotes and advice for motivation and peace, but in the back is space to fill in, and grandma wrote some of her own advice and memories in there for me to have.

I thought I'd share some of what she wrote:

"For all those born before 1945.

We are survivors!!!

Consider the changes we have witnessed:"

"We were born before television, before penicillin, before polio shots, frozen food, xerox, plastic contact lenses, and frisbee. We were born before radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams and ball point pens, before panty hose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip dry cloths, and before man walked on the moon. We got married first, then lived together. Bunnies were small rabbits, and rabbits were not volkswagens. We thought fast food was what you ate during Lent, outer space was the back of the theatre. We were before house husbands, gay rights, computer dating, dual careers, and computer marriages. We were before day care centers, group therapy, and nursing homes. We never heard of FM radio, tape decks, electric type writers, artificial hearts, word processors, yogurt, and guys wearing earrings. In 1940 'made in Japan' was junk. Pizzas, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of. We hit the scene when there were 5 and 10 cent stores, where you bought things for 5 and 10 cents. Ice cream cones were a nickel, for one nickel you could buy a pepsi, could ride on a street car, make a phone call, or enough stamps to mail a letter and two post cards. You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600. But who could afford one? A pity too, because gas was 11 cents a gallon. In our day cigarette smoking was fashionable, grass was mowed, coke was a cold drink, and pot was something you cooked in. Rock music was grandma's lullaby, and aids were helpers in the principle's office.

No wonder there is such a generation gap today.

But we survived!!!

What better reason to celebrate?"

I thought it was pretty cool. She was born in 1906 and I remember her telling me about hearing when the Titanic sank. She would also tell me about riding a horse to school and having class in a one-room school house. Grandma was awesome at making things, like dolls, blankets, quilts, hats, and popcorn (no one has been able to reproduce her delicious popcorn...). I feel lucky that she taught me to crochet. She gave me a blanket she started for me to finish along with some extra yarn. It is neat to have that passed down so many generations. The whole thing made me think a lot about how plugged-in we are these days. We don't make things from scratch anymore, like blankets, dolls, clothes, etc. We have a machine to do everything for us! And many times I think technology has become more of a hinderance than a help (I say this as I'm sitting in front of my computer blogging on the internet...).

Just some thoughts on how things are evolving...

tax free weekend

2011-08-20T12:37:00.009-05:00

Yes, it is tax-free weekend here in Texas. I could go to Anthropologie and a bunch of other shops in that mall, but I really only need pants. If I go I know I may end up spending money on something I don't need. So I'm not going! I don't need pants now anyway, just for the fall. Plus there are probably crowds and crowds since it is tax free...

Instead I'm going to try to finish all of the unpacking (I used a couple hours yesterday to make a peach pie instead of work on the house...!). Not the decorating, just the unpacking. I think I'll have to have everything unpacked and in it's place before I know where I want to put decorative things. We already put up our big living room wall clock and I'm already regretting where we put it. Oh well, thats not too big of a deal I suppose!

Side note: I started reading this book yesterday for one of my fall classes. It is awesome so far!

And don't you just love this photo of her for a Gap ad a while back?

I hope I am that mobile and dance-able when I get older!

In the meantime, check out some of these neat etsy finds I found while wasting time on the internet rather than unpacking boxes:

01. deargoldenvintage 02. granatina 03. firstlightphoto

And don't worry, once this place gets into shape I'll post some pics!

I need a haircut

2011-08-18T13:52:00.002-05:00

I totally wish I had the guts to do this:

But I don't have long hair anymore *tear* so it would look strange.

Plus I don't have the guts anyway...

01. going home to roost

ridiculousness...

2011-08-17T10:48:00.004-05:00

Well friends, I'm going to rant for a minute.

Austin has been applying for teaching jobs in Texas since he graduated, but there are simply so many arbitrary rules and regulations for out-of-staters I guess they only want to hire Texans.

First of all, he had to apply to get his Oklahoma license to transfer to a 1-year temporary Texas license (even though he has a standard certificate in OK, evidently its not good enough to have a standard certificate in TX). Then he'll have to meet guidelines to be issued a TX standard certificate. Then he was informed that even though he is qualified to teach business and technology in OK, in TX the license will only allow him to apply for business jobs. He'll have to take another test to be able to teach technology courses. In addition to the professional teaching test he'll already have to take to get a standard TX license (once again, even though he already has a standard OK license allowing him to teach business and technology...). Does this make sense? Not to Austin or myself.

I really just don't understand why people can't use common sense and judgement anymore. Everything seems to be determined by whether you have this piece of paper or that piece of paper. And in my opinion, a piece of paper most certainly does not mean you are the best fit for the job. Wouldn't it make sense if people just MET with other people, face to face, and interviewed to see who would be the best candidate? Evidently that is a ridiculous notion. I think the whole education system in this nation has many problems, and this is only one of them. Did I mention he is not being considered for numerous jobs because he doesn't have coaching experience? This is where our priorities are I suppose...

Anyway, I had to get that out. This whole thing is absurd and nonsensical. I hope it changes someday or else I'm not sure if our education system is ever going to improve.

wedding wishing

2011-08-15T09:34:00.006-05:00

I have been applying for different kinds of jobs here in Texas. The only problem I've run into is that people need full-time and not part-time, but with my school schedule I can only fit in a part-time job. It is a bit frustrating but I hope something will come along soon! I'm teaching a dance class tonight (but I can't regularly teach it due to my class schedule), I have an interview, and I sent my resume to several wedding planners because I received my IWPP certification in the mail a week ago! Wish me luck! In the mean time, here are some lovely wedding things I've been oogling over:

An old high school friend's lovely wedding.

The above 4 photos by Josh McCullock Photography.

Cake by Pat Smith (Oklahoma).

BHLDN mix and match.

Oh, and yesterday we found the nearest Anthropologie- only 30 minutes from my house... dangerously close...

Howdy Ya'll!

2011-08-13T11:19:00.006-05:00

Sorry I've been MIA for a while... I was busy packing and moving to Texas!

We just arrived Wednesday and have been trying to get somewhat settled since then. The place is still a total mess (that is why I do not have pictures for you yet) but I thought I needed to catch up on blogging :)

Had my last performance with Perpetual Motion :(

Austin started his transfer job in Lewisville with FedEx Office.

We discovered a delicious ice cream joint in Denton.

I ordered books and introduced myself to an online board for grad school.

We've made numerous trips to Wal-Mart, Target, and Home Depot.

And we had lots of help from my mom, Aust's mom, and Aust's brother.

Now if I could just find some doorknobs like this

that would be spectacular.

But maybe I should worry about unpacking boxes first :)

Come visit if you are ever in the DFW area! And let me know if you know of any good food or shopping joints in the area. I'm already missing things about OKC. And it feels so weird to know I'm 4 1/2 hours from our families (even though that is a lot closer than if we had moved to New York)!

01. pinterest

happy august

2011-08-01T08:45:00.006-05:00

summer is flying by - I move to texas and start grad school this month!

It is also national picnic month and national peach month ... I think that calls for a peach pie taken on a picnic sometime ... after we move!

packing is getting old and only about half of the house (maybe) is packed. why do we have so much crap? we are really going through stuff and putting it in the 'garage sale' pile if we haven't used it since we've lived here...

one thing I am REALLY looking forward to in our new place is the community pool!! I think I'm going swimming the day after we move :)

01. pinterest 02. pinterest 03. steven randazzo photography 04. my sparrow blog

Lately...

2011-07-23T21:04:00.025-05:00

I've been packing! Today Austin and I really made a dent in things. Though now I realize I still have some things to get in order for Arts Adventure that starts on Monday (I'm teaching dance)!

In addition to packing, I had my last day of work... I'll miss my kiddos!

These were 2 of my favorite kids :)

My friend from work, Kristen, gave me this for our new place in Texas:

Austin and I made some yummy foods:

strawberry salad (via Erin)

panera-style mac & cheese

kineret challah bread

delicious berry cobbler (also via Erin)

Dan is quite a beggar :)

Met up with Kristen for cupcakes:

Met up with AKat (Aaron & Katie) to try Cheever's... yum!

Traveled to Texas with mom to check on the house, do some things at TWU, buy this new desk, visit the aquarium, and go to the Texas Discovery Gardens. Of course we also made a stop at Anthropologie!

I've also been rehearsing with the company for the Oklahoma Contemporary Dance Festival. (Aug 5 & 6... don't miss it!) We are re-setting one of my favorite pieces, "Belonging", choreographed by Amy Querin.

What've you been up to!?

my dog...

2011-07-22T19:16:00.009-05:00

cracks me up!

every time I play my blog music Ponce does this:

(scroll down to the left and turn off my blog music to hear the video)

song: "miracle" by cocorosie

3 weeks from today...

2011-07-20T21:30:00.001-05:00

my husband and I will be Texans...

I'm excited for school and new opportunities for Austin

but I am not thrilled about the Texas part.

We did have made some cute moving announcements.

These were some ideas:

We finally decided we liked these:

If I've got your addy - look for it in your mailbox :)

01. minted 02 & 06. paper culture 03-05. tiny prints 07. pear tree

uncomplicated...

2011-07-17T16:33:00.008-05:00

you might think sometimes that I try to complicate things for myself.

I'm darn good at it.

found this post via bellamumma... much needed for me today.

maybe it'll do the same for you!

via brown button

Happy Birthday

2011-07-15T20:32:00.002-05:00

to my sweet baby Zoe!

She is 3 today.

change is coming...

2011-07-13T20:38:00.008-05:00

And I'm not exactly sure what this change is going to bring.

But I think it is going to be some good change!

Tomorrow is my last day of work at the daycare I've worked at for a year and a half... it is a little sad to be leaving lots of the kids I love and friends I have.

The pets don't seem to know anything is going on :)

To relax the other night I made some hot fudge,

recipe by my mom's mom:

It was delicious,

though I did not let the sugar dissolve as completely as I should have so the texture isn't as smooth as it should be.

melt 4 squares of baking chocolate and 4 tablespoons of butter over low heat.

stir in 1 1/3 cup sugar and 1 cup evaporated milk.

continue to cook over low heat until sugar dissolves and sauce thickens.

remove from heat and add 1 tsp vanilla.

makes around 2 1/2 cups of hot fudge sauce.

serve with vanilla ice cream.

01. yvette inufio photography 02-04. leslie's photography

July whizzing by...

2011-07-10T17:32:00.009-05:00

July 10th... seriously!?

My parents weren't kidding when they told me time flies when you get older!

We traveled to Texas recently and found a rental house to move to in August. Its nice to have something taken care of - lots of things are still up in the air.

We visited family in Ponca City for the 4th of July- Ponce loves taking trips:

I have been trying to enjoy my favorites of OKC for the last month we'll be living here (it is quite possible we may never move back...):

(okay... I was only going to get a couple of cupcakes that day, but I'd just had a terrible day at work!)

We went to a Ben Folds concert in Tulsa which was awesome.

Did you know he is 44? I did not know that. I think as I get older I think older people are younger (because secretly I wish I was younger still).

And we spent a nice evening with our friends Erin, Michael, and Amos.

She made some delicious veggie lasagna, strawberry salad, and we brought ice cream. Happy national ice cream month!

Perpetual Motion is back in full swing after a 3 week summer break.

I'm going to miss aerial dance when I move to Texas!

Maybe I can find a place to rig and start aerial classes at TWU :)

These photos are from Rebekah Hampton's new company Fall Dance!

(She used to be in Perpetual Motion with me)

How is your July flying by?

i need dance...

2011-07-02T21:39:00.007-05:00

today Austin & I visited the denton, texas area to search for august housing. the search is tough but I hope we make solid plans soon. we found two options today so hopefully one of them will work out (both of which have community pools which I am stoked about!)

while driving by the TWU dance building I got super excited about getting back into a daily dance routine in the fall. with perpetual motion we only meet 2-3 times a week for 2 to 4 hours so its not really the same as a full-time dancer.

all of my excitement about dance got me looking at diy.dancer and then to sophkuller's dance photos. beautiful!

Perfection...

2011-06-30T19:07:00.017-05:00

As you can see I have been busy and stressed lately ...

only 4 blog posts this month ...

and I've balled two times just this week ...

So yes, with that title you may think I was going to post about something happy and carefree and aesthetically pleasing... but think again. Head on over to THIS link and read the whole thing. It is very true - too true - sadly true.

Lately with all that has been on my mind

(relocating, going back to school, finding jobs...)

I've had to make peace with the fact that nothing is ever perfect and it never will be, no matter how much I want it to be perfect, I try to make it perfect, or I pretend that its perfect.

Luckily, my obsession with perfection hasn't led to any horrible things, as mentioned in the article, but sometimes the way this world works makes me so sad. It is terrible that people feel like they need to be some arbitrary 'perfect' in another's eyes.

So I'm going to try to stop reaching for arbitrary goals and traits that may be deemed socially commendable by many, but that do not make me happy (or that actually make me unhappy).

For me right now, this means:

exercise because I want to be healthy and feel good,

not because I want to look "good" in a skimpy dance costume.

find a place to live that is functional and suitable,

not the largest or most boastful we can possibly afford.

eat a cupcake (or two) if I want one... even in front of dancers,

not pretending I am a nutrition queen.

setting goals that are attainable and will make me & my family happy,

not goals that aim to impress our friends, family, or society.

I hope the article got you to think a little.

I am excited for the changes that await myself, my husband, and our pets. Hopefully I can keep these things in mind as we find a new place to call home, new friends, new jobs, and I start dancing every day again (!!!) ...

01. unknown (do you know?) 02. bellamumma

i'm loving...

2011-06-26T18:53:00.010-05:00

all of the summery paper art by Linda & Harriett:

(I couldn't resist- bought the crab notepad!)

as well as B H L D N (who is opening shop in Houston!):

I'm Alive!

2011-06-20T22:05:00.017-05:00

It's just been a bit hectic, as usual!

So far in June I have:

returned from a wonderful vacation

started a new class at work

had two perpetual motion shows in OKC

had a perpetual motion show in Ponca City

searched & searched for housing in Texas

spending quality time with friends & family

been enjoying our new Jeni's Ice Creams cookbook

had a spectacular Father's Day

The Turks & Caicos islands were beautiful! We stayed in Providenciales.

After vacation:

How has your June been!?

I'm back!

2011-06-07T19:56:00.004-05:00

And actually have been since last Thursday!

Vacation was AMAZING

(pictures & stories to come)

Because I don't have a ton of time right now, I'll just let you in on some vacation reads. The first I had started a long time ago but re-read/finished. The next I read on vacation- I laughed and cried. And the last one I started but haven't finished just yet. I would highly recommend the first two and I have a feeling I'll say the same about the third!

Since I've been back from the beach I:

had a 2-night show with Perpetual Motion!

said good-bye to my old class,

and hello to a new group of kids!

had dinner & a movie (X-men) with my husband,

on a week night!

adios...

2011-05-24T21:56:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow will be my last day of work before vacation. Thursday morning at 7am: leaving on a plane for the Turks & Caicos! You won't be hearing from me for a week... I'm not taking a computer :)

Enjoy your memorial day weekend!

P.S. These images are all from the beach we're visiting!

01-03. google images

babycakes...

2011-05-22T12:19:00.007-05:00

Being a dancer and having a love of both baking and eating sweets is a tough combo. To make myself feel not as bad about eating delicious sweets for no special reason, I purchased this wonderful cookbook from Amazon:

I was very excited because majority of the recipes are vegan, sugar-free, and gluten-free! And guess what!? After purchasing some odd ingredients at Homeland and Forward Foods, I made the chocolate cupcakes pictured above... they are delicious (even Aust thought so) and incredibly filling (infinitely more so than other delicious cupcakes)!

1 3/4 cup garbanzo-fava bean flour

1/2 cup potato starch

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup arrowroot

1 tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp salt

1 cup coconut oil

1 1/3 cup agave nectar

3/4 cup homemade applesauce or

store-bought unsweetened applesauce

3 tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup hot water or hot coffee

frosting of choice, if desired

Mis dry ingredients. Add moist ingredients. Stir until smooth. Pour 1/3 cup batter into 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, turn pan 180 degrees in the oven, and continue baking another 7 minutes (22 total). Finished cupcakes bounce back in the center when pressed lightly. Cool in tins 20 minutes, then let cool on wire rack. Frost and enjoy! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Tips:

Use this brand of all of the odd ingredients you can find- works well. It made a LOT of batter. My 12 muffin cups were overflowing (I didn't measure out the 1/3 cup), so I think next time I'll be more precise and probably make more than one batch. Also, the bottle of agave nectar I bought wasn't quite enough to equal 1 1/3 cup agave nectar. So buy a big bottle or a couple of bottles.

Now on my wishlist:

can't come soon enough...

2011-05-17T21:03:00.006-05:00

Although I love my kids at work and all of the girls I teach dance, and I'm super excited for our Perpetual Motion concert, I'm VERY much in need of our upcoming vacation to the Turks & Caicos...

We will be relaxing on the Caicos island of Providenciales!

First photo is just a lovely beach picture I found blog surfing, but the second is supposedly the rental we're staying in (my husband, parents, brother, and sister-in-law are all going on the trip)! If only I didn't have to come back to a crazy week after vacation... but I hope things calm down.

Though I don't think life ever calms down...

01. design darling 02. vrbo

national chocolate chip day

2011-05-15T09:53:00.003-05:00

Yes, it is! And in honor of this, last night I made some absolutely delicious brownie cupcakes with peanut butter frosting (they taste like reese's cupcakes!). Mmmm…

Over the weekend I traveled to Tulsa with Aust to see my sister-in-law Katie graduate from med school! Also got to see my fam and shop at Anthro.

Last night after making cupcakes Aust and I continued our Star Wars watching marathon with episode V. Good stuff :)

Now I've got to get ready for perpetual motion rehearsal… I can't believe our concert is in less than 3 weeks. Ahh! (Please come watch! June 3rd & 4th 8:00pm at the Plaza Theatre!)

01. Epicurious 02-03. Anthropologie

royal wedding...

2011-05-11T18:54:00.000-05:00

I know this it old news, but I must say... Kate Middleton looked beautiful on her wedding day! I'm not one to follow famous people, but the royal wedding topic was pretty unavoidable. I watched clips from it on YouTube- she had such a gorgeous dress!

images via google - check out the google logo today (Martha Graham!)

very proud...

2011-05-08T15:06:00.006-05:00

Austin is now officially a UCO graduate! He earned his bachelor's degree in business, marketing, and technology education. I'm very proud of him. Thanks to all of our friends and family that have supported him throughout college (the past 7 years)!

cake by sweete memories

Sea will be here soon...

2011-05-03T22:00:00.004-05:00

Boy am I ready for vacation! Leaving May 26th!

These would be wonderful for vacation:

(thanks Emily!)

And this would be nice to have in my home as a constant reminder of the beautiful ocean and all of the wonderful creatures in it!

01. Coach 02. Etsy

too true...

2011-05-02T12:47:00.003-05:00

via my cup of te

I'm loving

2011-04-29T22:24:00.004-05:00

BHLDN

So I know it is supposedly a wedding shop, but they have so many things that would be nice for things other than weddings! And just because I'm already married doesn't mean I don't love to oogle over gorgeous dresses.

Hoppy Easter

2011-04-25T22:09:00.009-05:00

(a bit late!)

So my mom's birthday is April 20th - always near Easter. Long ago we started an odd tradition of using peeps for her birthday cake (back when you could only get them at Easter time). Long story short- my grandma had nothing to decorate her plain, boring cake with... she had some peeps for Easter... so she plopped them on. It was pretty funny.

Each year my mom's sister makes up a theme for Peep Day- this year it was Egyptian! Check it out (notice the protestors):

After we divided the leftovers to be sent home with family, my hubby and my brother decided to eat frosting-topped peeps. It was rather disgusting!

It was a fun day - lots of fam + lots of cake!

01. Felt + Wire

energy!

2011-04-21T21:41:00.007-05:00

Lately I've had a LOT of energy. It has been wonderful! I think I'm getting excited because in about a month or so my schedule will let up quite a bit- dance studio recitals over, perpetual motion concert nearly over, and vacation time! And Austin found a summer job to work until we move to TX (so that is a big stress relief).

Anyway, I've been SUPER productive- its crazy! All the laundry is clean (ok, except what we wore from yesterday evening to today), dishes are done, I've been taking Ponce on daily walks (even on my 12-hour work days), I've had energy at evening rehearsals and I've been on a baking rampage!

For today's work potluck I made chocolate chip bars. Mmmm.

variation: add smooth peanut butter to the batter, use mini chocolate chips

Luckily along with all of this baking I've been doing lots of dancing. I've mentioned this company before because a guy I danced with in college is in it... I still want to see a performance some day, I've only seen rehearsal video! Are these photos not amazing!?

(Dillon that I danced with is the blonde on the left!)

01. Big Oven 02-03. by Satoshi

fresh look

2011-04-19T22:27:00.004-05:00

in more ways than one.

did you notice my new blog things? probably not. they're very small. but I added tabs! I'm very proud of this even though I think like 3 people read this blog :) maybe more followers someday... any tips for that?

and what about this for a new look:

via ban.do

It would be lovely for our upcoming beach vacation...