Domestic

I always knew I loved creating food products.  This is not news to anybody that knows me.  But the amount of cooking I do now that I have a husband for whom to make meals, and a kitchen that is all my own, I just cook constantly.  Like, so constantly.  I really really love it.

Baking our own homemade bread has become a pretty good habit that I really enjoy.  It's amazing how much better the bread is when you've made it yourself.  My loaves aren't as tall and light as the store brand stuff, but it's hearty and healthy and comes with a heaping side of self-satisfaction.  My favorite recipe so far is a Julia Child recipe, but I like to sub in some wheat flour.  Also, that same recipe made these beauties.

Homemade cinnamon rolls are so, so pretty.

All that being said, guess who has to help make a crapton of dinner rolls for Thanksgiving for my mom's family?  Guess who bought a big bag of Rhodes frozen dinner roll dough?

This morning, whilst getting dressed, I was like, I want to look nice, but I want to wear a t-shirt all day...?

I mean, is this allowed?  Is it okay that I'm wearing a baggy Janis Joplin band tee with a nice pearl necklace and pencil skirt?  I'm already wearing it, so your answer doesn't really matter much.  But some validation might be nice.

Lastly, I created an art project for myself.  We needed kitchen art.  And I went through thirty different possibilities and variations on possibilities in my mind and on the internet.  I finally decided on a crazy idea that I dreamed up myself, and I recruited the Lowe's, D.I., Amazon, and my Dad's wood cutting expertise, along with a $3 glue gun from Michaels, to create these awesome things.

I'm really quite proud of how they turned out.  They make me happy.  I just hope the wood glue and glue-gun glue holds up.

And lastly lastly, I got a subscription to rdio.com that allows me access to all the music ever made of all time.  It's super awesome and I definitely feel like I'm getting my money's worth.  Give it a shot if you like!  They have a limited access free subscription, I think.  And while you're there, give Milo Greene a listen.  New favorite band.

Weekend

Married weekends seem to always be busy.  But good busy.

Like going to college-hockey-games busy.

And buying pink cotton candy to support breast cancer.

(By the way, Ray apparently hates mascots.  He does not trust them.)

And we've been go-to-theme-parks-busy!

 Oh man, oh man, I LOVE Lagoon and was so bummed we didn't go this summer.  So imagine my delight when Megan invited us out for her birthday celebration.

AND Pioneer Village was open!  Oftentimes, if it's too cold, they keep that section closed.  Which is what has happened for the last two or three years I've been.

 We had a lot of fun exploring the old "shops",

discovering juke boxes, and the carriage house, which I never knew was there.

And we both LOVED the old post office.

 

Ha.  Ray was so excited about the faux meat shop.

(This pictures shows his excitement.  And makes me happy even though it's blurry.

Oh, and yes, we went on rides.

 Rattlesnake Rapids, since the day was surprisingly warm.

 Swings!  And Ray serenading me:

And of course, Samurai.  My very very favorite.

We had so much fun!  And Ray was a champ for riding rides and NOT throwing up.  (He had to skip a couple in order to be prepared for Samurai, which I told him he HAD to ride.)

So happy.  With our evening churros.

And then we went home and crashed HARD.

 

Pumpkin!

It's Fall time!

 

So, ya know, we make pumpkin things.  As you do.

From HOMEMADE pumpkin puree!

This is a big deal because it's the first time I've ever made my own puree,

and I expected it to be the scariest thing of all time.

Guess what, I was severely wrong.

Husband's favorite item was pumpkin chili made from this recipe.

Did you know the Smith's deli will cut you half-inch-thick deli turkey if you ask?

Did you know that it's pretty much the best thing?

Guess who's not making turkey dinner from scratch ever.

Ooh, ooh, but I also made Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins.

And husband (you all know Ray's name, but my affectionate term for things is almost always the generic word of whatever they are, so I'm sorry if that's annoying) said we should sell them.  Like, professionally.  So I think he also liked them a lot.

 

Ingredients:

Licked clean bowl:

Dipping the muffins in cinnamon-pumpkin pie spice-sugar:

Sneaking bites:

 Also, I homemade a mason jar of pumpkin pie spice, so I'm adding that to pretty much everything that doesn't already call for it.

Outfit Post: Keys and Bells

Hair:  Ponytail

Earrings:  Target (last season)

Necklace:  L.A. Flea Market find

(does that make me look cool?  also, it was supposed to be a gift that I decided to keep for myself.  Sorry Lacy)

Tank Top:  Kohls in Logan, when I forgot to pack my tank top,
and had to make an emergency purchase for Katie's wedding.

Cardigan:  I... don't know.

Wait, I just checked the tag.  It's Mossimo brand, so apparently Target.

Trouser pants:  Target

I'm rethinking these pants after this photograph.  The bells are too big.  It makes me thighs/butt look giant.  And short?  Please affirm to me that these things are actually not true...

Wedges:  H&M find on couples spring break to Vegas
Belt:  Same H&M trip

Goonies shirt hanging on wall:  Husband's nostalgia piece

iPhone case:  c/o Lacy

How to: Halloween Decor on the Cheap

See cute decor at your neighborhood Target.

In this case, a felt ghost pillow:

Consider the purchase.

Recognize that $15 for a felt pillow that will be used for a mere 30 days is unacceptable.

Tell your husband, pfft, I can make that myself.

Commit to your offhand remark.  Make a trip to Jo-Ann for supplies.

(1 yard black flannel fabric, 2 sheets white felt, 1 spool black string that you won't end up using, 2 14x14 travel pillows)

Spend three dollars more than the original pillow would have cost.

Justify spending more because you bought TWO pillows.

Crib Target's design.  Draw a general outline on the white felt.

Scrap the design and free-hand cut that crap.

Center your felt.  Realize you centered it on the wrong portion.

Re-center on the correct portion.

Pin the ghosts with safety pins, as you don't have any straight pins.

Hand-stitch on your ghosts while you watch General Conference.

Marvel at your handiwork.  Force compliments from your husband.

(It's cool, mine thinks sewing is hot.)

Cut your flannel to match the size of your pillow.

Fold over and sew the top and bottom to make 1 inch hems.

Fold and fold and re-fold until you're satisfied with the sizing.

Hold all things together with safety pins.

Sew your pillow sides with one quick stitch on each side.

Do this while watching Terminator 2.

Trust me.

It'll make the process 3,000x more enjoyable.

And, be stoked with your finished, knock-off Target pillow!

 

Oh, and the skull and crossbones one you free-handed, just for kicks.

Married.

I have officially been a wife for seventeen days now.

Those seventeen days have included:

-Dancing on the beach
-Awesome Mexican food
-Sex
-A Muir Woods exploration
-Eight airplane flights
-Three hotel stays
-Two rental cars
-Chocolate on chocolate with raspberry cake
-My very favorite people in the world
-A return to work. Twice.
-Returning of gifts
-Purchasing a food processor
-Two baths with bath bombs
-One meal overlooking the entirety of Aruba
-Two sailing excursions
-Countless iguana and lizard sightings
-So many presents (people are so generous, it warms my heart!)
-A temple dedication session
-The perfect SNL with JoGoLev and Mumford
-A new Mumford & Sons album
-Wonderings on how to be a good wife
-Fears that we'll slip into old-married-couple territory too soon
-Morning makeouts
-Eating two different cakes in one evening
-Third-season Community watchings

Seriously, and so much more.  It can't be real that we've only been married for slightly over two weeks.  It already feels like a lifetime.

An awesome lifetime.

Out Into Nothin'

I feel like I'm free falling.

And I have a firm knowledge that I'll land on my feet...

But in the meantime, I'm not sure whether to laugh or to scream.

So... Apparently, my aversion to change is still firmly in place.