three hour tour

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful trip
That started from this tropic port
Aboard this tiny ship..."


Amber's Day In a Nutshell: (<---haha! Nutshell. "Nuts in a shell." I made a funny.)
1. Get idea for a gift for BFF and her two baby girls.
2. Have this thought process: Gift requires a trip to Home Depot. Goodwill is near Home Depot. Boxes and bags piled up in new garage. Ooh! Two birds, one stone!
3. Talk husband into making the trip by promising to drive.
4. Get to Goodwill. Find out tire is low on air.
5. Go to gas station to fill up tire.
6. Realize there's a huge gash in tire.
7. Fear not! Tire store, a block down.
8. Tire store has my tires in stock ::happy dance::
9. Is going to cost $150 to have tire replaced.
10. Pout.
11. Decide that TJ Maxx across the street is the best place to kill time and make self feel happy again.
12. Step onto sidewalk.
13. Fall flat on face.
14. Get saved by husband and limp over to TJ Maxx.
15. $158.14 ($151.60 for tire, $6.54 for TJ Maxx) and three hours later, get home.

On the bright side, I got two big projects done today: the washing basin stand and the Ikea shelves. And...



I'm actually participating in my first ever Blog Party--by accident really. It just so happened I got these projects finished on the same day that Shanty 2 Chic was holding their "get together." The washing basin stand turned out beautifully. This piece is (at least) from the early 1980's so it was in need of a facelift. Buh-bye tarnished brass hardware. Buh-bye sticky lacquered wood. Hello beautiful!



All I really had to do for this project was a lot of disassembling, priming, painting, and reassembling (except for the few hours I spent fixing a leg that was falling off. Somewhere along the line someone tried to glue it back on, not realizing the bolt had simply come loose. I don't know how long I soaked the pieces in nail polish remover before finally removing a huge hunk of old glue). I gave a few pieces a light sanding, but the primer kind of eliminated the need for it.



I used all Rustoleum paint (♥) and actually gave their primer a try for the first time as well. REALLY love it! I used Rustoleum Heirloom White for the wood, which is a nice soft white color. Not too harsh, not too ivory. I used their flat black enamel spray paint for the brass racks because I wanted a good contrast between the hardware and the wood (especially since there's so little hardwood on the piece).

Now for the shelves. They did turn out very nicely but oh. my. God. what a pain! And really, they're still a little on the messed up side.



Yes, they are the same shelves! Complete transformation, huh? That's what makes me happy. I used a tutorial from Traci at Beneath My Heart and her Ballard Designs cafe shelves. The tutorial is great, but my execution is what screwed me up.

I bought a real lovely leaf trim from Home Depot to add a surprise visual interest to the shelves, and used Liquid Nails to attach them (Traci uses a nail gun as well, but at the time, all I had was my staple gun and staples. The LN works just fine). The corbels also got a couple smears of LN and plenty of drying time (I learned this the hard way when I popped one of the brackets off because the glue hadn't fully dried).


(Me learning the ins and outs of a miter box. Notice that I cut my perfect 45-degree angle the wrong way!)



The shelves had already been painted, but I went over everything again with a good dousing of Rustoleum paint in both satin and gloss spray paint. The satin was used for a base and the gloss went on top. The big issue arose when it came time for me to hang them. I bought the wrong corbels for the shelves; they have these little slots in the back that make it seem as simple as sliding them over a nail--but they pull away from the walls and tip forward with no real way to fix them. I kind of rigged them with some D-rings and large head nails for now but it really REALLY bugs me--hence the lack of super close up shots.

I'll get new corbels the next time I go to Home Depot and overall I will do this project again. I think after everything was said and done I ended up spending about $20 per shelf, but the cost will go down in the future since I'll have the necessary tools (if you subtract my miter box, saw, and Liquid Nails, the cost goes down to $11.50 per shelf).

One more time with the pretty pictures, eh?





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Coming up tomorrow, my $6.54 TJ Maxx purchase!

(What? You didn't think I went in there and came out empty handed did you?)

sinful vices

Do you have one of those decadent passions? One of those truly naughty, and even bad for you, temptations? Maybe it's buying a really expensive pair of shoes, even though you know you can't afford it. Maybe it's walking through an old bookshop, inhaling the fragrance of old texts. Maybe it's something as simple as smoking that forbidden cigarette that everyone thought you'd given up. For me, it's a large steaming mug of decaffeinated coffee and three day old Entenmanns glazed donuts. And yes, the donuts must be several days old. It gives the glaze a nice satisfying crunch and makes for a tasty donut when dipped into my coffee. Fortunately, for my hips and hind quarters, it's very rare when I get to enjoy these decadent treats together.

What are your sinful vices?

I'm appreciating these small delights more and more lately, as our days are filled with packing from morning 'til night. Aside from small breaks for meals and naps we stay busy. Most of the rooms in our house are packed, aside from our bedroom and the kitchen, but even those will begin seeing boxes this week. I can't believe by this time next Monday, Jason will be graduating and we'll be just mere hours away from hitting the road! I'm very ready to be done with this move and settled again.

time to make a change

Since "giving up" my vintage wardrobe, I've noticed that other things have fallen by the wayside as well. It's not unlike me to spend all day in my pajamas, hair undone, make-up un-put on. Jason and I tend to snack all day rather than actually making real meals. Our dishes will go several days before I make myself do them (or ask him to--shame shame!). Overall, I feel that when I gave up the hard work and pressures of making sure everything in my attire was vintage, I gave up the whole rest of the lot. The duties, the mind set, the general philosophies that go into being a good housewife.

This all came to my attention was when reading Jitterbug's post "Eating Out." In it, she talks about packing lunches, including the lunch-box staple of a thermos. Her book describes keeping seasonal things in it like hot chocolate and stews for the winter, and lemonade or even milkshakes in it for the summer (<---wouldn't that be a treat? A nice frosty milkshake for lunch?) Anyway, once we make this big move it's very likely Jason will start brown bagging his lunch as he may face a minimum of a 20-minute commute to and from work (we've been horribly spoiled by the four-minute distance he's currently traveling). Looking at 40-minutes without any traffic, that's a lot of gas every week just to have lunch at home. And in my current behavioral state, I doubt that I'd be packing him very good lunches.

Other little things have been neglected as well (ahem!--housekeeping), but it's just made me realize how far I've fallen from my Circa 1952 days. So, I'm making a new resolution to myself: just because I don't dress in the vintage fashion anymore, doesn't mean I should let the principles suffer. I will get back on this bandwagon. I will start reading all those books I bought. I will start acting more like a good little housewife again!

procrastination...

...is becoming a regular occurrence in this house. I can't tell you how long it's been since I've done a proper cleaning, which I keep blaming on the move (but really, if I'm going to hang shelves, I need to clean); my exercise has gone undone for a week (I made up for it by running a full mile last night, and walking another mile home); and now here it is Friday and I haven't packed a thing for my trip! It's so unlike me not to have a full blown list of what I'm taking, down to accessories and make-up bits. I think I've planned out maybe two outfits. I need to quit puttering around on the net, reading my favorite blogs, discovering new ones... such distractions, but what delicious distractions!

I'm hoping to do a blog or two from San Diego, but I've been filling up my days with all sorts of activities:

-Bad Kitty Photo shoot (Monday)

-Getting Padres tickets (we won four, Monday)

-Buying a gift for my BBF's daughter's first birthday (Tuesday)

-Buying myself a new top for said birthday party (Tuesday)

-Lunching with mom (Wednesday)

-Reviewing BK photos (Wednesday)

-Watching my mother attempt a zipline (Saturday)

-Attending one year old's birthday party (Saturday)

I also intend to spend some time running (I love those cold foggy mornings San Diego is famous for), some time on the beach, and soak up the rest of the time with family and friends. I really can't wait until we move and I'm close to everyone again!

Guess I'd better start making that packing list...

oddly quiet on the western front

I've been quite the little slug the past few days. I had to go for my yearly check up and my doctor decided I needed my booster shots. For four miserable days I laid in bed vainly stretching both arms in an attempt to work out my muscles--I had a tetanus shot in one shoulder, and a Hep A/B cocktail in the other. I was tired, cranky, and I didn't run for a week! Hence, I had nothing to blog about unless you wanted to hear my ramblings on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," my strong dislike for Faith, and how over the whole Angel-losing-his-soul-and-getting-it-back thing. The only thing I really discovered during that period is that you can actually buy a replica of the Vampyr book in the opening credits--I'm only slightly tempted as the price is more for hardcore fans. I'd keep a cross, some holy water, and maybe a little stake inside of it!

On the other hand, I did find a headboard that both Jason and I like! It's from Ashley Furniture (same as our coffee table) and when I go to San Diego next week (yay!) I'm going to swing by and see if they can quote me a price. Hopefully it won't be too bad as all I want is the headboard. We did agree though that once in our possession, we'd paint over those gold accents. Not quite our style.



However, all of our projects have been on hold because our assets are literally frozen. Jason didn't get a paycheck for an entire month (a huge to-do with the administration side of the Marine Corps) and we've wiped out a big chunk of our savings just trying to stay afloat. We took out a small loan, planning to use it for some home improvement projects, but now that money is hanging in our savings account should we need to use it. Thankfully, as of August fifteenth we should be back to normal and we're praying that Jason's signing bonus kicks in any day now. I've never been in this kind of financial hold, but I'm so thankful we were able to keep our bills paid and keep food on the table. It also makes me happy it's just the two of us!

So right now we're in a state of suspension, as we can't do much of anything unless it's super cheap (like seeing "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" on base--only $1 per person and free sodas)! I do have a big project that I'm trying to work on, but I'll save it for another post. God knows I may need all the ideas I can now that my life is on PAUSE! ;)

current favorites

The smell and images of lavender. Navy. The color and texture of wheat. The look of rope. Espresso and chocolate colored woods [and snacks!]. Fabrics like linen or duck cotton. The sumptious feel of white sheets and bedding. Copper.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

looking forward

You know what I can't wait for?

Clouds. Mist. Drizzle. Rain. Believe me, I never thought I'd be someone who'd actually miss the cold. However, the past week here in the high desert has consistently hit triple digits--and I'm not just talking about a mere 101-degrees F. I'm talking 110. 115. We even had one day where is was a blistering 128-degrees F here! My skin literally felt as though it was burning under the three layers of sun screen I was wearing. I even had to give up a water aerobics class I started taking because an hour in the pool [under four layers of sun screen] was still producing a sun burn!

I'm already thinking of gray foggy morning runs on the beach, splashing through puddles in wellies, and opening my windows to let cool air into the house! Is it time to move yet?

foody business

Welcome back--hopefully you're joining me from Circa 1952. I have no idea how Google works when you buy a new domain name. So if you're all here, I apologize for the rash of notes I sent. I'm pretty type-A, in case you haven't already figured that out.

I decided to go ahead and change the name of my blog to something a little more all-encompassing. This little name comes from a comment Hubbs made a few months ago. Our favorite thing to do is be absolute dorks with one another. If I tried to explain some of our antics I'd come off sounding half baked and you'd all be ready to commit me to a loony bin, so I won't even try.

On one such occasion, he looked at me and said, "We're not two peas in a pod--we're two nuts in a shell!"

Corny? Absolutely. But accurate? You have no idea...

Anyways, on with the blog! I'm so sad that Real Simple Magazine [which is the equivalent of Redbook in my little world] discontinued their "Fake It, Don't Make It" section. It gave wonderful ideas on how to make complicated recipes simple. One of my favorites was a woman who's son loved ice cream cakes on his birthday. Rather than pay the outlandish prices for an ice cream parlor one, she layered ice cream sandwiches, whipped cream, and his favorite candy together. Voila! Instant ice cream cake!

Another one I absolutely loved was this [like my trying-to-be-fancy photo?]:

Chocolate pastry rolls. Take Pillsbury Crescent rolls, chocolate chips [I prefer dark chocolate, because I think they offer better flavoring], roll them up together, and bake. If you knew how to make icing, you could probably drizzle some of that on there as well. This is one of Jason's favorite desserts now--he always makes sure I pick up Crescent Rolls and chocolate chips when I go grocery shopping.

And if Real Simple had a section for creative geniuses--well, I wouldn't submit anything because let's face it, most of my "amazing creations" come by pure accident. But in any event, genius or not, I wanted to share my own version of a "faked" dessert.

Lemon Bar Cookies

¾ cups granulated sugar
¾ cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 large egg
2 cups all purpose flour [if using self rising, omit baking soda and salt]
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon of salt
Lemon curd, desired amount [lemon curd is usually in the specialty food section, jam section, or I found mine at Cost Plus World Market]
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In large bowl beat sugars, butter, vanilla, and egg with electric mixer on medium speed [or mix with a spoon]. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Dough will be stiff.
3. Spray cookie sheet with light coating of cooking spray. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto sheet about 2 inches apart.
4. Using flour to coat your thumb, press down into center of each cookie to create a “valley” in the dough.
5. Bake 8-10 minutes until light brown [centers will be soft]. Let cool 1 to 2 minutes. Using a small spoon [or teaspoon] place desired amount of lemon curd in the “valleys” your thumb created. Use spoon to smooth in circular motions.
6. Gently remove and place on platter. *Top with powdered sugar if desired.
*The dough already makes these cookies rather sweet, so taste before powdering.

Oh these are so yummy! I took a dough recipe for chocolate chip cookies, topped them with lemon curd, and I swear to you they taste just like a lemon bar [which I happen to luvre]! I reserved some of the dough because I had no idea a.) how these would turn out or b.) if we'd like them; I didn't want 50 cookies laying around that no one was going to eat.

And before we part ways, I have to show you this as well.

Yes I know--why am I showing you an apple? Because this apple is over six weeks old! We bought it at Costco when we visited my family back in March. It's been residing in my Debbie Meyers Green Bags. When I saw them at the back of the fridge I was immediately grossed out by the idea of picking up the bag of apples and ending up with fermented apple cider. When they didn't liquefy on contact, I took one out, used my handy dandy apple slicer to open it up, and was shocked to find it without any discoloration! Then I figured it would at least taste rotten. No. Way. Juicy, crisp, just like day one. Since I bought these bags last year [and they're each reusable up to ten times] I'd say they've more than paid for themselves--three times over.

Oh! Side note: many of you e-mailed asking about Alana and baby Hunter--I'm happy to report mom and baby are doing amazing! This shot came to me courtesy of Layne back in North Carolina. Isn't he cute?!

musings on health & eating

You know those days where you feel so philosophic because suddenly things start making sense? Connections form in your mind, you feel worldly, and all of sudden you get "it?" I'm having one of those days.

I've mentioned the "allowance system" I'm on (by choice) that gives me $50 per week to put into my little section of our bank account. I can use it for whatever I want, but I can't borrow from it (so if the money's not there, it's not there). Hubbs has let me overspend only twice since being on it, but both times it was his idea (and who am I to argue when a handsome man wants to buy me nice things?). Today I came to start fully appreciating this little arrangement we have.

I'm a big fan of little purchases. The right little thing can make your whole day worth while (and let's face it, when you're a stay at home wife, nothing is better than getting the mail everyday). I purchased some cocoa butter body creme last night (thank you drugstore.com, only $6 for a 15 ounce tub) in hopes of salvaging this horrible lizard type thing I'm calling my skin. The desert climate is just killing me. Then this morning, after reading Donna's blog, My 50's Year (link on left hand side), I purchased a 1955 copy of Better Homes & Gardens Diet Book from Amazon for a whopping $3.



I'm really excited to get both, but the diet book is what I'm anxious to have in my hot little hands. I love learning about natural ways to lose weight--and I don't mean "all natural" acai berry pills. I admit I was a pill popper until recently when I started thinking what all those artificial metabolizers might be doing to my system. When Hubbs and I became vegetarians two years ago, I tried to really be aware of what into my body. Some days I'm better at in than others, but usually a skim through Skinny Bitch's chapter on sugar and junk food is enough to set me straight again (this also happens to be the book that changed me to a veggie, and for what it's worth I cannot wait to get pregnant and buy the next instalment "Skinny Bitch: Bun in the Oven." I own the first two already).



I have a feeling the BH&G book will be similar to Skinny Bitch, as Better Homes & gardens has a line in the book that reads: "You're fat because you eat too much. There isn't any other reason!" Testify!

So today I'm thinking about dusting off the vegetarian cookbooks we've be given for the past two Christmases and taking a long hard look at some of those recipes. We have all the substitutions from Morning Star Farms and Boca Burger (all of which are very scrumptious and have half the fat and calories of their meat counterparts), but I'd really like to try home cooking some vegetarian meals. It means a foray into the world of refined coconut oil (which they happily sell at the commissary, yay) but some of those recipes look and sound delicious. Peanut butter potato chip cookies? That's PMS food if I ever heard of it (and wouldn't that be the perfect combo when you're craving salty and sweet?)!

Wondering why we became vegetarians? Truthfully, it wasn't because of the whole cruelty to animals thing, although yes now that's a part of it. It's because I don't trust the farmers, the FDA, and the USDA. We no longer live in a world where small farmers take care and pride in their animals and product. Now it's who can make the most the fastest. While there are still some small farmers out there who still subscribe to this line of thinking, they are few and far between. Nowadays animals are pumped full of artificial hormones to make them produce more. ... I'm getting pretty heated up and I'm about go on a tirade of my beliefs that these hormones and such have a contributing factor in birth defects and auto immune diseases, so I'm going to step off my soap box and thank you kindly for reading today! My blog is a conflict-free area. :0)

♥ ♥ Thank you for letting me vent! ♥ ♥

viva las vegas! (pt 2)

Sunday.

Katie and Jason had to check out Sunday since they both had to be back at school and work. Before we left the hotel for more touristing, we had to visit the top of the Stratosphere for a peek! Here we are about 1,000 feet in the air here. Can you believe they have rides this high up and people actually go on them?! We all passed.

Katie really wanted to see the Secret Garden of Sigfried and Roy, so our first stop was the Mirage where we got to swoon over a baby dolphin (Bella) and a new baby leopard (Java).

Us girls wanted to take a cab down the strip to the MGM for lunch, but the boys forced us to suck it up and walk. We got to pass through Hermes, Prada, and the other lovely (over priced) forum shops, but we also tossed many pennies into the fountains outside of Caesar's Palace. Here's Hubbs and I enjoying the light mist coming off the water (it was all we could do not to jump in).

We enjoyed a lovely lunch inside the Rainforest Café. It's a gorgeous restaurant that's all themed out with animals, vines, and fish tanks. About every 30-45 minutes there's a thunder and lightening storm, and it rains (not on you). It was dark and cool, exactly what we needed after our trek.

Before Jason and Katie left, we shot over to the M&M factory for dessert (I was much more behaved this time) and to New York, New York so Katie could reminisce about home. We headed back to the hotel to say our farewells where Hubbs and I promptly fell into our bed for a nap before dinner. Thursday marks four years that we've been together, so along with celebrating Katie's birthday, we also wanted to kick up our heels in celebration of our four years! We made reservations at The Top of the World, the Stratosphere's restaurant.

Little black dress from Wet Seal (another high school purchase--though it fits much better now!), satin heels by Wild Diva, pearl jewelry set from Helzburg Diamonds, vintage black beaded bag.

Hubbs was looking mighty sharp too (forgive the bad flash--ahem!--some one's finger was in the way...).

We got to our table right as the sun was setting.

The special little butters, shaped like the Stratosphere.

The dessert tray, which I didn't touch!

We started to watch the lights come out in the downtown section of Las Vegas...

...and got all sappy looking at one another over the glow of the candle light. We were so entranced with each other, we didn't realize they'd brought us out a special anniversary truffle and told us to make a wish for the years to come. I started crying.

We ended the night winning $60 from the penny slots in the casino and passed out once our heads hit the hotel pillows.

Coming up next, our big payout on Monday...

viva las vegas! (pt 1)

Yes, part one. Our weekend was so fabulous, and so busy, and so full of goodness that I'm going to break it up into a few different posts. I'd rather leave you with three regular posts than one gargantuan one! ;0) So here we go--our weekend in (mostly) pictures!

Saturday.

This was the picture text all our friends and family received to let them know we were officially on our way! It was a gorgeous day outside.

Our first glimpse of Las Vegas--and you can see our hotel!

The "allowance" outfit, all raring to go!

Racer back top from Victoria's Secret, yellow skirt from Victoria's Secret, wedge shoes by Timberland, watch by Guess, straw tote by Coach.

First things first--we were hungry. There was no better place than Margartitaville to satisfy our appetites (and get our first bit of alcohol in us for the weekend)!

Hubbs had a Tropical Hurricane.

I sampled a Havana Banana (yum).

Dessert was this monster. I'm ashamed to say I gorged myself and with all the walking in the hot sun and elevator rides, I was miserable the rest of the day--but no one could tell.

I did change though so I'd be just a liiiittle more comfortable in the afternoon. Our friends showed up and it was time to do some sightseeing! This is my fail safe outfit as I can usually guarantee it will fit in anywhere! This is also the beginning of my ham-performance for the camera.

White top from Banana Republic, jean capris from Anchor Blue (purchased in my high school years!), linen flats from The Gap, purse by Coach.

With a new outfit prepped and our friends refreshed, we were off to the Venetian.

The big to-do on every one's list was Madame Tussuad's Wax Museum. It was ridiculously fun considering it's just a bunch of mannequins! We took about 40 pictures, but here's a few of my favorites. Here I am playing catcher for Babe Ruth.

Swooning over Elvis.

Dancing with Judy Garland (I loved this one--it was such a good resemblance!)

Fitting in with the Kennedy's.

Cooking with Ms. Lucille Ball.

After our sojourn to the museum, we all wanted to kick back and enjoy the balmy evening with a gondola ride--on which I got "sea sick." :0(

Hubbs and I kissing it up under the bridge for luck.

Our little group: Jason, Me, my friend Katie (the birthday girl), and her date Jason.

We ended the night by attending a show called "Bite," a very hot little vampire burlesque show, set to classic rock music by the likes of Styx, Led Zeplin, and Guns n' Roses. It was by far a very surprising and great show!

Gold top by Armani (bought from the outlet malls, thank you very much!), black pants from New York and Company, t-strap shoes by Fahrenheit, vintage black beaded bag from Grandma.

Thus ended Saturday. Stayed tuned for Sunday (click here) and Monday (click here)!