something that made me LAUGH OUT LOUD.

Sometimes in life, you might just get a very suspicious box that looks as though it contains a body part.


And you should open it, obviously.

WHAT. IS. THIS?!?!?!
Oh my goodness.
I was not expecting this.



Sometimes in life, you just win a giant box of pasta and a book written and autographed by someone who is more than a little crazy. And that book might be called "Permission Slips: Every Woman's Guide to Giving Herself a Break".

Thanks, Sherri. You really inspired me to give myself a break and eat some low-glycemic pasta. Mission accomplished.

goodbye, valentines. hello, spring!

Sometimes I call Joel my big teddy bear. So I thought it was funny that he got me this:

[literally, a big teddy bear] ;)

For valentines dinner I made salmon because it was a special occasion and also my favorite food of all time besides ice cream. Joel made these twice-baked potatoes and they were amazingly huge...and delicious.

So what if I wanted pink, glittery, heart-shaped plates for dinner? They only come out once a year...don't judge me.

the good news...

is that my mom's famous chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven still seem to make the world better no matter what.


also, I would like to thank and hug whomever invented the SILPAT. seriously this thing has changed my non-stick life.


in other news, I have an appointment with vanderbilt's school of nursing tomorrow. I've given up on MTSU because that school is the bane of my existence.

you want bad luck?

okay, I'll give you some.
on Saturday morning Joel left for an office meeting at 7:45 and when he came back at 10:45 someone had crashed into the back of my car and left this lovely surprise:

with no note or anything.
oh, that's not the good part.
the best part of all is that this happened the day after we changed our insurance to liability only. hopefully we'll still get it fixed because we filed a police report like the insurance lady told me to do.

sometimes I get mad and I just hate how much dishonesty is in the world today.
and sometimes joel gets mad and just wants to punch somebody in the face.

so much pink, so little time

I would like to blame, I mean thank, the many craft blogs out there for my recent Valentine's inspiration. This may or may not also have something to do with the fact that I am slightly obsessed with hearts, anything and everything pink, glittery, or pink and glittery, chocolate, sweets, and over-the-top sappy romance. Don't tell Joel. All of these things combined into one holiday and two aisles of shopping fun is almost too much for my self control to handle. Almost.
Meghan and I made these felt heart wreaths and I think they are just adorable! Even though we don't have any neighbors on our floor yet, I wanted to share the love with everyone. I found the perfect Valentines wreath holder at Target!



My newfound passion: homemade cards.


Threading ribbon through cardstock with a tiny needle produces very cute cards and very painful fingers.




In other news, I made this bed warmer for my poor cold feetsies every night. Also because I think it annoys Joel when I put my iceberg feet in between his superextrawarm feet every night. My lovely, beautiful friend Meghan really helped me with this because I don't know how to work a sewing machine. So anyways you just pop this thing in the nuker for 3 minutes ("NOT FIVE MINUTES, JOEL! ITS GOING TO EXPLODE!") and it gets all warm and cozy inside. Then, you place this little lover at the bottom of your bed under the sheets. Now, go comb your hair and take out your dentures, and when you finally snuggle in between those stiff, cold sheets....well, at least your feet will be toasty warm. Sleep good, you ol' grandma, you.
Pattern here...thank you for the idea, keeks and sweet cheeks:)

our new home

Joel and I moved to murfreesboro in december. here are some pics of our new apartment...more to come later!

the top level is ours











can't wait for summer to get here so we can actually use our balcony...