Out takes

Last weekend we took a picnic to the park and did photos for my food blog. I hope to have it up and running next week - I just have a few more kinks to work out. When it's ready I'll let everyone know and show you the photo I chose to use for it! Molly was kind enough to take the pictures for us :)

Tinkerbell

I found these cute fairy print-outs here. Just print on heavy paper and use mini brads to put them together. It was a neat craft project and Gallie had fun playing with them today :)

Happy Birthday to me!

P.S. If I ever start to feel depressed about being 30, I'll just shop at online at Forever 21!

Repurposed Desk

Awhile ago I saw this desk that I LOVED in a pottery barn catalog, but it was $1499 - I don't think so. I showed it to my dad and he said he could build it for me. It practically looks identical - actually mine looks better! It even has the vintage glass knobs! And the best part is, it was made entirely out of recycled material (with exception of the paint). The legs are from an old bed, the doors are from old cabinets, and the other wood is from old shelving. Thank you so much, Dad!!! Also thank you to his friend Dan Draper who helped out with the cabinetry. If anyone has an expensive piece of furniture you have your eye on, these guys can build a quality replica for half the price! They can also make it repurposed, which I prefer! Can't wait to get it into my room :)

Over the weekend...

On Friday I got to skip out on work and volunteer (relax in the sun with my friends!) at my company's golf tournament all day. This was my 5th year in a row, and I have to say, we always have a pretty good time :)

On Saturday morning we went to Seattle to say goodbye to Elliot. Josh and Emily (and Elliot) are moving to Chicago in a couple weeks and we all got together for dinner. Gallie really adores Elliot - she was so grateful to spend time with him. It's sad to try to explain to her she won't be able to see him for a long time, but she's a good girl and understands. Gallie loves you Elliot!

Earlier in the day we were able to get a little shopping done (I really needed jeans!) and stopped by our friends house so Gallie could see Ella and Ady and stretch her legs. It was a pretty full day :)

Sunday was my unofficial b-day celebration (since I work on Tuesday) and Gallie and I got breakfast in bed while we watched Wonder Pets. Then we got ready and went to the park to take pictures for the banner of my new blog - I should have a sneak peak of them ready this week - they turned out pretty cute!

In the afternoon we went up to my mom & dad's for my b-day dinner. They live in Birch Bay and they were having some festivities at the marina. We were wanting to go on one of the free boat rides, but the waits were too long for the girls, so they opted for some bouncing :)

My dinner this year was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO delicious! It was the perfect summer meal: stuffed bell peppers, grilled zuchinni (from the garden), corn on the cob, cottage cheese w/ tomatos and cucumbers, hot dogs (for the kids, of course), and the highlight... homemade grilled JALAPENO POPPERS wrapped in bacon!!! I can't even put in words how good they were. My mom is going to be sorry for making them because now everyone's going to want them with every meal!

Hermiston watermelon!

And dessert :) My mom also made a rhubarb crisp... mmmmmmm.

The end of the evening was spent outside in the orchard eating apples, picking blackberries, and having races.

It was a pretty great early birthday! 2 more days till 30 :)

4 day weekends!

In finalizing my new work schedule this fall, my boss agreed to give me Thursdays and Fridays off - yay - 4 day weekends every weekend! Once I get use to that I don't think I'll be able to give it up :) I also will be pretty much keeping my same job (I thought before I would be doing more treasury work) - I'll be doing the same financial stuff and giving up retirement plan administration (which really didn't have anything to do with accounting anyway). So I'm happy about this because I won't really have to change what I've been doing. I'm also so happy to finally be able to find the right balance between work and home that I've been stuggling with for 4 years!

Since I will have a bit more time, I'm also working on a new blog about healthy eating for kids and families. It will be called "a picnic for three." Even though both Caleb and I work full time, I have still been able to put a healthy meal on the table every night (well, almost every night) and I want to show that it's possible to do even with a hectic schedule. I have a lot of good ideas for it and am excited to get it started! I'll still be attending to this blog as well - I wouldn't want to not post cute pictures of Gallie every week :)

Monday!

I had Monday off this week because I have to cover for someone at work on Wednesday. It was nice having a 3 day weekend :) We really did a lot! We started the day with some breakfast (blueberry raspberry muffins, scrambled eggs, and fresh picked raspberries) and then did some playing (house).

We headed into town because we had a few books to return to the library and ended up bringing home a few more. We are on a Berenstain Bear kick at our house - I think we have like 12 checked out right now!

We had planned on going to Great Harvest for some bread (and a slice for a snack!), but I guess they are closed on Mondays? So we went to the donut shop instead (not as healthy, I know, but equally delicious). Gallie and I split a rainbow sprinkle donut and we took Caleb one at work. We actually stopped by the park to eat ours and played for a bit. Gallie is getting really good at swinging on the "big swings." I really love swinging too.

We were starving when we finally made it home and Gallie requested oatmeal for lunch, so I said ok and made our second breakfast of the day - oatmeal w/ raisins, honey, and berries; turkey sausage; and grilled asparagus.

After lunch we decided to do some crafting - I had a recipe for some sidewalk chalk paint (just equal parts corn starch and water, then add food coloring) so we tried it out.

Our neighbors are gunna love us! Luckily it will wash away with the next rain, which around here won't be long.

It got kinda hot in the afternoon, so we went inside and did more crafting - shrinky dinks! I remember having a lot of fun with those as a kid and Gallie did too! It was just a little set I picked up on Amazon for $4.99 and it was really worth the price! It was a ballet jewelry kit. Gallie was really proud of everything she made - especially the earings that I'm going to wear to work tomorrow :)