April 19, 2010
Been awhile, eh?
Whoa it's been a little while since I've been on here. It was fun to stumble across this old blog of ours though, and revisit some of the fun we had a couple of years ago. It seems crazy to me that we've been married for almost 3 years now. Since last writing, so much has changed in our lives. We have a baby! Well, a toddler more accurately. Patricia is 13 months old and awesome! We moved from our apartment into my parent's house thanks to a disasterous moving adventure last May, and we're pretty happy it worked out the way it did. Things are good. :)
June 11, 2008
FOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!
Joe and I are fat kids. We LOVE food. We love eating out at almost fancy schmancy places, adore the hole in the wall chinese, taco stands, and most deserts ever invented. Recently, we made a burger that definitely makes the top 5 burger list. SO EASY! And sounds so fancy, but it's super simple. Pork stuffed burgers with blue cheese. AWESOME. Tonight I'm trying it with chicken. We'll see if this is as great. I hope so, because the ground chicken is about a buck/lb, vs. $4/lb for beef. I will always love eating beef, but I also love saving money. :) Oh, and the blue cheese is "Stella" and we buy it crumbled from GucciEB (aka, HEB Central Market), but we buy the chicken/pork from regular HEB as it's much cheaper.
Oh, and yay for summer. LOVE IT! Hate the cooling bill, but love the long days, swimming, being outside, BASEBALL, and everything else summer brings.
The trip with mom and grandma to New England over Memorial Day weekend was really neat! I know they're famous for fall color, but it was GORGEOUS and I just don't see the reason to go in fall when things are dying and falling off the stinking trees, when the spring has soooo much (prettier) color! And holy freaking moly, if you're ever in Portland, ME..... EAT OUT FOR EVERY MEAL! Such amazing food!
And finally, why in the name of everything good in life does gas cost $3.89 (and yes, I know that's "cheap" in comparison to the rest of the country)?????!?!!?!!!! CRAZY. As soon as a viable gas free car (preferably minivan) comes along for not a billion dollars, I'm all over that bandwagon like a fat kid (well, me) on chocolate. ;-)
OH! One more thing. The wii fit is nice. Except when you're sore from a freaking video game. :)
Oh, and yay for summer. LOVE IT! Hate the cooling bill, but love the long days, swimming, being outside, BASEBALL, and everything else summer brings.
The trip with mom and grandma to New England over Memorial Day weekend was really neat! I know they're famous for fall color, but it was GORGEOUS and I just don't see the reason to go in fall when things are dying and falling off the stinking trees, when the spring has soooo much (prettier) color! And holy freaking moly, if you're ever in Portland, ME..... EAT OUT FOR EVERY MEAL! Such amazing food!
And finally, why in the name of everything good in life does gas cost $3.89 (and yes, I know that's "cheap" in comparison to the rest of the country)?????!?!!?!!!! CRAZY. As soon as a viable gas free car (preferably minivan) comes along for not a billion dollars, I'm all over that bandwagon like a fat kid (well, me) on chocolate. ;-)
OH! One more thing. The wii fit is nice. Except when you're sore from a freaking video game. :)
May 19, 2008
Happy Anniversary My Dear
On this date, at this time (11:23 am), I'm pretty sure I was leaving Bill Miller's with Maria. Because that's where everyone goes for an early lunch on their wedding day with their maid of honor, right? :)
Our wedding mass started at 1 pm, and after a detour to marriage island on the riverwalk, our reception followed at the Mainstreet Ballroom. Our wedding was so awesome, I looooved it, and I miss it. My super-sweet husband has been working really hard to get the ballroom people to make our amazing BBQ reception food again for us for our anniversary(yes, I did indeed eat BBQ TWICE on my wedding day... and both times it was really good)! Sadly, they weren't able to do it today, and we can't make it tomorrow when they offered, but I looove that he has spent weeks putting this plan together! And it's no worry, we're going out to dinner on the river tonight. :)
I'm amazed that an entire year has passed since the wedding. Being a newly-wed is wonderful! We've had a really great first year of marriage, and I'm very excited for year two.
So My Dear, here's why I love you:
You eat my food and think it's really good.
You give my foot rubs often, and without my asking.
Your hand is nice to hold.
You're HILARIOUS when you're sleeping.
You're pretty much a giant two year old.
You have really nice hair.
Your "hubband dance" is so funny.
You are very sweet and very sensitive.
You are incredibly smart.
Your made up words much needed in the English language.
You're a "tough guy" and you're hands aren't lotion-y, and you could grip a tackle box.
You name EVERY animal we see, and speak to it...
You get along with my family really really REALLY well. (ok, so I'm slightly jealous I'm not Grandma Wood's favorite).
You help me decorate.
You actually enjoy shopping with me.... even when I make you go a ton!
You are a very good video gamer.
Your science geekness is pretty cool.
You want to save the world.
You're an eco-hippy.
You like minivans, too!
You let me borrow (ok, steal) your comfy clothes for pajama's.
You're the best husband in everything, always.
:) I love you. I have loved you for a long time. I will love you until ever.
Our wedding mass started at 1 pm, and after a detour to marriage island on the riverwalk, our reception followed at the Mainstreet Ballroom. Our wedding was so awesome, I looooved it, and I miss it. My super-sweet husband has been working really hard to get the ballroom people to make our amazing BBQ reception food again for us for our anniversary(yes, I did indeed eat BBQ TWICE on my wedding day... and both times it was really good)! Sadly, they weren't able to do it today, and we can't make it tomorrow when they offered, but I looove that he has spent weeks putting this plan together! And it's no worry, we're going out to dinner on the river tonight. :)
I'm amazed that an entire year has passed since the wedding. Being a newly-wed is wonderful! We've had a really great first year of marriage, and I'm very excited for year two.
So My Dear, here's why I love you:
You eat my food and think it's really good.
You give my foot rubs often, and without my asking.
Your hand is nice to hold.
You're HILARIOUS when you're sleeping.
You're pretty much a giant two year old.
You have really nice hair.
Your "hubband dance" is so funny.
You are very sweet and very sensitive.
You are incredibly smart.
Your made up words much needed in the English language.
You're a "tough guy" and you're hands aren't lotion-y, and you could grip a tackle box.
You name EVERY animal we see, and speak to it...
You get along with my family really really REALLY well. (ok, so I'm slightly jealous I'm not Grandma Wood's favorite).
You help me decorate.
You actually enjoy shopping with me.... even when I make you go a ton!
You are a very good video gamer.
Your science geekness is pretty cool.
You want to save the world.
You're an eco-hippy.
You like minivans, too!
You let me borrow (ok, steal) your comfy clothes for pajama's.
You're the best husband in everything, always.
:) I love you. I have loved you for a long time. I will love you until ever.
April 30, 2008
Hooray!
Man, there has been lots of stuff to be happy about recently. My sports teams are doing pretty good (i.e. Pistons and Red Wings.....wake up Tigers.....and lions....psh....please). Work is going awesomely well, chugging along through my projects and learning tons of stuff along the way. Steph and I are happy and in love.
Beyond all of that comes some of the best news since moving to Texas........I FOUND A PLACE THAT SELLS VERNORS!!!!!!!!! I know that many people have absolutely no idea what Vernors is. To those who have had it and love it, they realize how much of a Godsend it is to find Vernors outside of Michigan. For the uninitiated, learn about Vernors here. I am already 4 cans through my six-pack, and will definitely be making future trips to obtain more of the best ginger ale on the planet. Ever. In the history of life. Hands down. Everything-Always.
That being said, there is more exciting news.......My brother (Martin) is coming to visit. He will be in town for 2 weeks. During the first 5 days of his visit, Steph will be on a "girls trip" with her mom and grandma to New England. Sooooooooo bring on the ridiculous video game, pizza eating, up all night extravaganza (but not on weeknights.....kinda have to do that whole "work" thing still). It is going to be really awesome. I haven't seen him since February so it will be nice to catch up and hang out.
I have so much political and eco-tastic stuff on my mind right now, but I will save that for later.....and leave everyone on the edge of their seat.....in complete suspense. :P
-Joe
Beyond all of that comes some of the best news since moving to Texas........I FOUND A PLACE THAT SELLS VERNORS!!!!!!!!! I know that many people have absolutely no idea what Vernors is. To those who have had it and love it, they realize how much of a Godsend it is to find Vernors outside of Michigan. For the uninitiated, learn about Vernors here. I am already 4 cans through my six-pack, and will definitely be making future trips to obtain more of the best ginger ale on the planet. Ever. In the history of life. Hands down. Everything-Always.
That being said, there is more exciting news.......My brother (Martin) is coming to visit. He will be in town for 2 weeks. During the first 5 days of his visit, Steph will be on a "girls trip" with her mom and grandma to New England. Sooooooooo bring on the ridiculous video game, pizza eating, up all night extravaganza (but not on weeknights.....kinda have to do that whole "work" thing still). It is going to be really awesome. I haven't seen him since February so it will be nice to catch up and hang out.
I have so much political and eco-tastic stuff on my mind right now, but I will save that for later.....and leave everyone on the edge of their seat.....in complete suspense. :P
-Joe
Eco Hippy
We're eco-hippies. Here's a list of the steps we've taken to help good ole mama earth:
-traded in our awesome, useful, survived-a-lightning-strike-on-the-highway-in-Arkansas, in need of lots-0 work '92 minivan (thanks Mom and Dad Fraley) for a Honda Civic
-use cloth bags instead of HEB plastic bags (soooo much easier to haul stuff)
-buy 7th generation paper towels
-keep our a/c off as much as possible in our super hot apartment
-Joe carpools w/ a co-worker several days a week to/from work, or to/from lunch
-wash clothes and dishes only with super big loads, and use regular settings (everything still comes out clean, no worries)
-bought energy star washer/dryer
-use dryer sheets to clean other stuff after they've done their dryer duty
-cook at home a lot more than we eat out
-buy modal or organic cotton products when available/cheap
-buy from half price books instead of new prints when available
-buy from goodwill for furniture, kitchen wares (and hello! $0.49 wisk, awesome!) and glass canisters
-keep glass jars to re-use for other things instead of buying plastic storage boxes and tossing it
- we're setting up a recycling system, though our apartment currently doesn't offer it (hopefully mom and dad won't mind when I haul stuff to their house... lol, still have to ask about this one)
-keep cardboard boxes (i know, i'm totally my mother's daughter. if you don't know what i'm talking about, go visit my parents and see how many of their storage devices are really just fancied up boxes)
-garage/estate sale hunt
-buy at outlets (yay pottery barn $19 scratch/dent hutch turned awesome bookcase; would've been thrown out if not for their outlet)
-use lots of hand-me-downs (aka... couch, 2 chairs, etertainment center, clothes, etc)
- try to buy in bulk to save $$ and packaging materials (cat food/litter especially)
-open blinds instead of turning on lights, until it gets too hot, then shut them to keep a/c off
-wash/re-use plastic bags
-use flock's eco browser
-play on freerice.com
-changed driving habits (we go slower, accelerate slower, combine trips, keep our tires inflated, etc)
-switched to cfl's
-buy recycled wrapping paper (Why chop down a tree to make something that's only thrown away?)
Those are the things I can think of right now. There are several other things we'd like to do, and are planning soon, so I will update this list later.
Most of the eco-friendly things we do also save us lots of money. And given that we're like any other family in America who needs $$ help with rising prices, living cheaper (or frugally if you prefer) is necessary. I wish more eco-hippy products like shoes, furniture, cleaning supplies, etc would hurry up and drop in price so we can expand our eco-hippy-ness, but for now, we just can't afford to spend three times as much for hippy-tastic dryer sheets. Soon though, we will be buying neat dryer balls we can use 500ish times!
My favorite eco-hippy shops, blogs, news:
Flock(eco)
Treehugger
Ecorazzi
Gaiam ($$$$ for lots of stuff, but great sale site... waiting on new $25 duvet cover)
Eco-Chick
Planet Green
For more $$ savings, use ebates. Ask me for a referral for free $$. It's real, awesome, and gaiam is one of the partner sites.
So that's our current save the world status. We still do plenty of harm to the world, and we need to slow our consumption, switch from bad-for-earth cleaning products to good ones, and do a whole lot more, but we're excited about the things we've done and our plans for future eco-hippy-ness. :)
-Steph
-traded in our awesome, useful, survived-a-lightning-strike-on-the-highway-in-Arkansas, in need of lots-0 work '92 minivan (thanks Mom and Dad Fraley) for a Honda Civic
-use cloth bags instead of HEB plastic bags (soooo much easier to haul stuff)
-buy 7th generation paper towels
-keep our a/c off as much as possible in our super hot apartment
-Joe carpools w/ a co-worker several days a week to/from work, or to/from lunch
-wash clothes and dishes only with super big loads, and use regular settings (everything still comes out clean, no worries)
-bought energy star washer/dryer
-use dryer sheets to clean other stuff after they've done their dryer duty
-cook at home a lot more than we eat out
-buy modal or organic cotton products when available/cheap
-buy from half price books instead of new prints when available
-buy from goodwill for furniture, kitchen wares (and hello! $0.49 wisk, awesome!) and glass canisters
-keep glass jars to re-use for other things instead of buying plastic storage boxes and tossing it
- we're setting up a recycling system, though our apartment currently doesn't offer it (hopefully mom and dad won't mind when I haul stuff to their house... lol, still have to ask about this one)
-keep cardboard boxes (i know, i'm totally my mother's daughter. if you don't know what i'm talking about, go visit my parents and see how many of their storage devices are really just fancied up boxes)
-garage/estate sale hunt
-buy at outlets (yay pottery barn $19 scratch/dent hutch turned awesome bookcase; would've been thrown out if not for their outlet)
-use lots of hand-me-downs (aka... couch, 2 chairs, etertainment center, clothes, etc)
- try to buy in bulk to save $$ and packaging materials (cat food/litter especially)
-open blinds instead of turning on lights, until it gets too hot, then shut them to keep a/c off
-wash/re-use plastic bags
-use flock's eco browser
-play on freerice.com
-changed driving habits (we go slower, accelerate slower, combine trips, keep our tires inflated, etc)
-switched to cfl's
-buy recycled wrapping paper (Why chop down a tree to make something that's only thrown away?)
Those are the things I can think of right now. There are several other things we'd like to do, and are planning soon, so I will update this list later.
Most of the eco-friendly things we do also save us lots of money. And given that we're like any other family in America who needs $$ help with rising prices, living cheaper (or frugally if you prefer) is necessary. I wish more eco-hippy products like shoes, furniture, cleaning supplies, etc would hurry up and drop in price so we can expand our eco-hippy-ness, but for now, we just can't afford to spend three times as much for hippy-tastic dryer sheets. Soon though, we will be buying neat dryer balls we can use 500ish times!
My favorite eco-hippy shops, blogs, news:
Flock(eco)
Treehugger
Ecorazzi
Gaiam ($$$$ for lots of stuff, but great sale site... waiting on new $25 duvet cover)
Eco-Chick
Planet Green
For more $$ savings, use ebates. Ask me for a referral for free $$. It's real, awesome, and gaiam is one of the partner sites.
So that's our current save the world status. We still do plenty of harm to the world, and we need to slow our consumption, switch from bad-for-earth cleaning products to good ones, and do a whole lot more, but we're excited about the things we've done and our plans for future eco-hippy-ness. :)
-Steph
April 25, 2008
Sleeping... at night??
So apparently my body has decided this is one of those random "Hey! I don't want to sleep until 3 am (or later... like 7 am)" weeks. BOO!
In random news... I actually went shopping yesterday for myself and actually bought things! I am a great shopper, but only for other people. I suck at shopping for myself. But yesterday, I finally went to the mall and left with less birthday cash, and make up (real, grown up kind), new pants, and TWO new shirts! And get this, I came home, got online, and found more stuff to buy! I bought a really pretty duvet on sale from a new eco-hippy favorite: Gaiam. We also bought a neat recycled aluminum small knife set and plastic baggie tree thingy for drying them for reuse. We got a $10 off coupon thanks to Ebates, and will get 5% back. The duvet worked out to a whopping $25! SWEEEEET! And their all good for the world and junks.
So back to that lack of sleep thing: I'm going to toss in some laundry and take a nap. Naps are definitely a favorite.
Oh! One more thing. Another new eco favorite: flock browser. Check out www.flock.com/eco for the eco friendly news infused, easy social networking edition. Joe and I are suuuuch eco hippies now.
AND finally.... GO SPURS GO!! And something about octopuses and red wings?
-Steph
In random news... I actually went shopping yesterday for myself and actually bought things! I am a great shopper, but only for other people. I suck at shopping for myself. But yesterday, I finally went to the mall and left with less birthday cash, and make up (real, grown up kind), new pants, and TWO new shirts! And get this, I came home, got online, and found more stuff to buy! I bought a really pretty duvet on sale from a new eco-hippy favorite: Gaiam. We also bought a neat recycled aluminum small knife set and plastic baggie tree thingy for drying them for reuse. We got a $10 off coupon thanks to Ebates, and will get 5% back. The duvet worked out to a whopping $25! SWEEEEET! And their all good for the world and junks.
So back to that lack of sleep thing: I'm going to toss in some laundry and take a nap. Naps are definitely a favorite.
Oh! One more thing. Another new eco favorite: flock browser. Check out www.flock.com/eco for the eco friendly news infused, easy social networking edition. Joe and I are suuuuch eco hippies now.
AND finally.... GO SPURS GO!! And something about octopuses and red wings?
-Steph
April 18, 2008
Birthdays, cakes, baseball and Grandma
My 24th birthday was wonderful! Yesterday was filled with a fabulous time with Frank, my favorite stylist in life and a good hair cut, a great lunch with my husband and my dad (my two favorite men), a relaxing afternoon, a super-fun baseball game (even with the awfully rude/drunk longhorns in front of us), and my AMAZING 12 chocolate brownie bottom cake. The well wishes from old friends and random family that helped celebrate were awesome. Thank you everyone for the best 23rd year, and awesome 24th birthday.
-Steph
-Steph
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