To Ease the Pain

Great news..today the sun is shining here in the arctic and it is absolutely beautiful out. To the point where all the blinds are opened and the kitchen window is cracked..even though its still 20 degrees its very refreshing!

Being in school is currently my least favorite thing in life. However with graduation approaching in april I am finally seeing the end of this stage of my education. So to take my mind off of school work (which I shouldnt be doing) I have been filling my spare time with cooking, crafts, and girl time. I have a sudden desire to bake something new everyday ontop of the usual dinner and occasional lunch. I have also decided to revamp the office upstairs and finally give it some much needed finishing touches. Pictures of all this excitement will be coming soon! I cant find my camera cord.

Some exciting news...Were moving to Dallas, Texas for the summer. This will be a huge adventure especially for me, but we are looking forward to it. Jon will be working for a company there until he starts dental school in the fall, if all goes as planned.

So thats a little update on my whereabouts and recent projects and fun. Pictures will be posted soon of all this excitement...including the thrifted lamp I redid!

Snowflakes and Sprinkles

Life seems so quiet now that were home from the craziness of a big family Christmas. We had such a wonderful time but I must say that its good to be home. This year our Christmas was spent in Bonners Ferry with Jon's family. We spent the week cooking and eating everything and anything, taking the four wheeler out on joy rides, laying around talking, and just enjoyingthe spirit of Christmas with one another. Thought Id share some pictures I took throughout the week with my NEW and fabulous camera!

I couldnt take enough pictures of this old rusted tractor; I just loved it!

He's just so handsome! Jon took every opportunity he had to go plow the drive way (at least thats what he called it). He was mostly spinning doughnuts and sliding on the ice.

Christmas morning I glanced over and Bentley had his paws on a present and he was trying to rip the corner open. He learned quick!

Cardon just has to be the cutest little boy ever; he's quite the little model.

This dessert was to die for! It was a brownie peanut butter cup masterpiece! and it made for a great picture too!

Goodbye Christmas, until next year :)

Keep it Classy

Being a girl whose interested in fashion, I am constantly checking out what everyone's wearing and I have to admit I am slightly obsessed with the outfits sported by Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl.

What I would do to raid Blair Waldorf's closet....sigh....

But that's not going to happen so instead I have to get creative and pick up on her signatures...

The Musts:

*Keep necklines high; she is extremely conservative up top..
*Wear only classy colors; black, burgundy, cream, etc.
*Never underestimate the power of a headband
*Don't be afraid to add a splash of color via bright tights

Basically I'm obsessed...thank you Ms. Waldorf for the inspiration

Slightly Homeless

I always said that I would never be one of those people who is obsessed with their dog to the point that I treat him like my child....well here I am blogging about him so what does that mean? oh gosh Im totally one of those people...but no worries he doesnt sleep in my bed and he does not wear clothes...to this point at least. The past week Jon and I have been saying that we need to take him to the groomer...well days past and Bentley began to look more and more homeless. We would find dread locks in his fur daily that we would have to cut out..he was a total mess.

Ne ways last night Jon and I had the brilliant idea of rather than spending the 30 bucks...lets just groom him ourselves..OH BOY! So there we were dog on the kitchen island...slightly gross I know...with clippers in hand. Two hours later bentley had a nice hair cut, Jon and I were covered in dog hair from head to toe, and the kitchen was covered in fur.

That moment in our kitchen made me realize even more the power of laughter. If only we could have video taped the transformation. Hair everywhere, Bentley trying with all his five pounds to get away from us, taking turns holding him down, trying to not cut him or mess him up, talking him through it, tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard, hair in my mouth, ears, and nose, it was such a mess.

Today I woke up filled with gratitude for my husband and the fun we have together. and of course for Bentley too :)

By the way he doesnt look homeless anymore. I'd say we did pretty good.

What Christmas is all About

The Gift of Sage

Being finals time and snowy and cold outside I figured it was time for some R&R....I spent the afternoon at Sage Day Spa. I decided that I wanted to try something new and not just get an ordinary massage. I got the Aroma Steam Body Polish...best decision I could have made. The pampering began with a full body sugar scrub..then I experienced the aroma steam which was refreshing and relaxing. Then after that I took a hot shower followed by a 40 minute cocoa butter massage. WOW! It was quite the experience. I came home feeling like a new woman. When Jon got home I told him that it would be really beneficial for him and I if I got a massage treatment monthly...yeah right! Ill keep dreaming, maybe someday! I think every woman deserves some pampering here and there :)

Truth or a Lame Excuse?

Being a psychology major I am bombarded daily with perplexing ideas, and new theories on life. Sitting in Theories of Personality half asleep I perked up when my professor made an interesting comment (which doesnt happen very often, let me tell you), he said something along the lines of; When people say they cant give of themselves through serving others until they fully love themselves they are saying that they will never serve another as long as they live. For the rest of class I sat thinking about this comment.

How many times have I heard this; you cant give yourself to another person until you fully love yourself. Will I ever fully love myself? Life is a journey of self discovery, and I am always changing what is my "self". I then realized that I must love my everyday self that is always changing. Saying that you cant give of yourself until you reach that point of contentment in life is a lame excuse...lending yourself to others will bring you closer to self discovery and love for who you are. I realize that I must love the odd stages, sad times, happy times and girl I am everyday; and most imporantly give of myself and serve as much as I can.

Just some thoughts from today...

On a lighter note....I found the perfect black boots while I was in Boise last weekend and wore them today, they made my outfit :)