Last day of February

February is a great month. First of all, its really short, which is always nice because by about this time, I want to get the heck out of winter and into a warmer month. March starts to bring that. The end of Feb also means the end of working at the Podiatrist's office. With everything that we've been working on, it just wasn't really worth it to stay there, so I put in my two-weeks notice.  Feb is also great because it contains my half birthday - but only once every 4 years. That's right, my half-birthday is on February 29! Conrad said we should celebrate half as much. I think he's about right. Here's what I'm thinking: Wake up, go to the nursing home (for the last time!!), make these froggie cupcakes for New Beginnings, do homework, maybe tutor, go to mutual and share the cupcakes, and do homework until 1 in the morning. How celebratory, right? Meh. I guess it was a pretty sad day in my life when I learned that grown-ups have to work on their half-birthdays. Here is my half-birthday/warm weather wishlist.

White Merona swimsuit from Target, The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (Expanded and Updated), Nikon D3100, Swingy Chambray Tunic from Anthro.

Hail? In San Diego?

It hailed on Monday afternoon for a couple minutes, and the ice melted right away. This only happens every few years, and it's never less unusual. You can see the little ice chucks that look like rock salt. I think the whole world was rainy yesterday. You know you're from California when a couple little bits of ice falling from the sky stresses you out. I made meatloaf for dinner (sometimes the husband makes really random meal requests), which was good and weird, but mostly good. Any meal that you prepare by kneading raw meat with raw egg is weird. I'll post the recipe soon. 

Sunday morning walks

Our church starts at 1:00 on Sundays, so we have nice long mornings to do whatever we want. Lately we've been hitting the beach for a nice walk. This week we went to Beacon's in Encinitas, and it was so beautiful! We were only there for an hour and a half, but it was perfectly sunny and breezy. I wore shorts in an effort to expose my pasty legs to the sun. Right when we got home, it started to cool down. We got ready, went to church, and enjoyed the meetings. I got peed on by one of my favorite babies (who actually belongs to Janean). A good day, in my book.

Dan the Man

Happy birthday to my father-in-law Dan! We love you so much!

Take the Long Way Home

Last night we went to the Pechanga Showroom to see Roger Hodgson, the lead singer from Supertramp, to celebrate Dan's birthday. It was so good! We got amazing Mexican food, had red velvet cupcakes that Brittany made, then went to the concert. The performance was so good. I got a sugar-free Red Bull with cranberry juice (don't knock it 'til you try it), and we danced and sang along to all of Supertramps best songs. I wore my hair in a giant bun right on top of my head, which is my favorite way to wear my hair lately.

You know it's a good day when...

...you get a package in the mail that you've been waiting for! Today my Olive Oil package came. It has two bottles of olive oil, one regular, one habanero (!), and a package of wild rice. I can't wait to cook with it.

To sign up for the quarterly olive oil club, visit Temecula Olive Oil Company.

This is how we spend time together

So for the last couple days, Conrad's been getting home really early, like at 5, and it's been so fun! When he gets home at 8, the day's totally over, and we're just ready for bed. Last night, he walked in, took a look in the fridge, and ran out to get take out! What an angel. He picked up some Italian from our favorite place, and we sat and computered for a couple hours [3, count 'em, 3 computers going], and giggled a lot, and went to bed really early. It was magnificent. 

I guess I should really take better advantage of his free time, since soon he'll be spending all of it studying for his Civil PE exam coming up in October (woohoo! for a professional husband!). Can anyone say "50-pound books"?

In case you didn't see yesterday's post, Janean from How I Keep Sane posted an awesome asparagus recipe, and I hopped over to her blog and posted a paper wreath tutorial! It was my first guest-blogging experience, and I'll definitely be doing it again.

Guest Blogger: Janean from How I Keep Sane

Today, Janean from How I Keep Sane is visiting, and I'll be posting over on her blog! Janean is a super hilarious mom of 2 boys. She's an amazing crafter, and incredibly stylish and artistic. 

Hello! Frame Tales readers.

I am so excited that Tess has asked me to 

guest blog over here.

Today I am going to share 

a super delicious way to make 

Asparagus.

Its my, "Easy & Delicious Asparagus Recipe"

Every time I make this vegetable,

(which is all the time, now)

everyone seriously, raves.

I am not joking, people are like doing 

the "mmm" thing when they eat my food.

(a vegetable at that)

I only thought people made those sounds

at the dinner table, in the movies.

Surprisingly, it is not so.

Its so simple its ridiculous, and so worth trying.

So worth it.

I start with 2 bunches of Asparagus,

(I really only buy them if they are $3 ea or less)

And then rinse them off and, 

chop about 3 inches off the bottoms.

Then I arrange them on my pan,

like so. I drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

(EVOO if you're a Rachel Ray fan)

Then sprinkle salt, about 1tblsp.

Then I cook them in the oven at about 

350 degrees for aprox 20min, 

but I like mine nice and crispy at the 

tops and super soft on the stem.

These are seriously divine.

I usually pair mine with rice

and chicken or fish, or steak if we're 

feelin really fancy.

But really, they are so good, and the flavor

is soo versatile (think heavenly broccoli,)

 that they could be used as the veggie side for any meal really.

My husband and I will eat all of them.. 

They are that good.

Oh, and my 3 year-old even eats them!

Now, that, is a good veggie recipe.

Hope I have inspired you to eat healthier (sorta.)

The boyfriend blazer

For Christmas, I convinced myself that I needed a bold item added to my closet, so I told my Nana - that's right - to get me this certain red blazer from Brass Plum. It was 80's-tastic. And I absolutely couldn't pull it off. Plus, when can you where a red blazer and not feel inappropriately dressed? Almost never, guys. Except maybe twenty five years ago. So I never even wore it once, not even to the family Christmas party (to which I promised Nana I'd wear said blazer). I just hung it up and stuck it in my closet and tried not to think about what a wasted purchase I put my poor Nana through.

And then one glorious day, I had a brilliant idea: take it back. It's Nordstrom's, after all. They ask no questions. So I exchanged it for a black blazer, and suddenly my wardrobe expanded! I'm obsessed. I was feeling so good that I promptly hopped over to Sprinkles cupcakes and spent way too much money on cupcakes. Which were amazing. Even the next day. BAMF.

Tutorial: Infinity scarves

So here it is: my first vlog! At first, I was super nervous and excited, and then I just started to feel like "I'm talking to a computer, this is weird." I hope you guys find it helpful! My main reason for posting this was because I discovered that you can make an infinity scarf out of an old scarf and save a lot of money. I'm all about practicality. Except for when I go out and get a massage and a crab lunch.

I posted the tutorial on Tip Junkie. Post your own homemade projects, too!

 

Rodent Love

I had some quality snuggle time with Ninners last night. We wrapped up in a blanket, and were two hooded lovers, just enjoying some Iron Man on Netflix. Wouldn't you just buy a Kia Soul from him?

Last luxuries for a while

So today I went and grabbed a massage with a friend, and we went out to lunch after. This lunch. It was my first time eating crab this way, and it was so fun! What a sensory experience. Wrap your papery bib around your neck [warning: do not take pictures with the bib on; it definitely adds ten or fifty pounds]. You have to grip the long, spiky, elbow-y leg, and crack it. You'll have juice all over your hands. Then you can peel away the shell and pull out the soft, sweet meat inside. Squirt some fresh lemon or butter on it, and you'll be in heaven. We got zucchini and mac and cheese on the side. One pound of crab meat was enough to share (if you're with another girl, probably not if you're with Husband). Then you toss your hollowed out crab legs into a bowl and take the above picture. I must say, I'm glad that this splurge day of pampering was my sendoff to a more frugal, but somehow equally social life.

Be mine

So, all the blogs I follow are posting super cute Valentine's Day posts with their festive decorations [homemade cards and doilies and hearts] and foods [heart-shaped pizza, heart-shaped/pink everythings] and activities [you know what I'm talking about]. 

Here's how my Valentine's Day is going: 

Work all day

Come home at 6:00

Do homework and watch Downton Abbey (but let's be honest, we know which one I'll be doing more of)

Wait for Conrad to come home after working late

Sit on the couch with our laptops

Go to sleep early

I'm considering making a fort in my living room. By myself. While I eat my store-bought oven-cooked pizza. Alone. 

How romantic!

Ok, so it's not as pathetic as it sounds. To be fair, we already went out last night. We didn't want to have to fight for a parking space and a reservation, so we beat the crowds and went to sushi and a movie with some friends. They brought their little 3-month-old, and Conrad and I had some quality baby-holding-time. 

And I told him that every time he holds a baby, we're going to make out later. 

And a post on the Frame Tales isn't a post without a gushy mention of my super-sweet husband who is amazing and let's me order too much sushi even though he know's I won't finish it. And he takes the trash out. And he always snuggles me in the morning when he's about to leave for work. And he is going to love the fort that I just decided to build. 

And we're going to make out in it.

And that, my friends, is what we call a Valentine's Day Marriage, where everyday is disgustingly romantic, except on the day that's supposed to be.

Giant mug of hot chocolate with five thousand marshmallows?

On an 80 degree day in February? 

Don't have to twist my arm.

Hey Mama

You and me. Taken by Dad, who was so mad that we didn't win the Mommy and Me contest with these pictures. 

Love ya, Guuurlll.
You've done so much for me - particularly making my little baby body and such.
So thanks for that and everything else.
Happy birthday to you.

Guess who's Bishop?

This guy.  

So my dad was called to be the Bishop of my family's ward up in LA. Pretty big. 

But that was only one of the awesome things that took place this weekend. 

For starters, I had a pretty great lunch with my sister at the Cheesecake Factory...

...and a pretty awesome (hilarious) dinner at Domenico's with the whole family...

...where there was a quincenera upstairs, blaring heavy-beat hip hop and pop. Such a family atmosphere. 

And I accomplished one of my best buns ever, which I sadly only documented as we were on our way home.

Has anyone else noticed that almost all of my greatest moments revolve around food? No? OK.

Mom's Birthday

Monday is my mom's birthday, so Conrad and I are going to spend the weekend in LA with my family. We're planning on slathering on sunscreen and basking in the lovely 75 degree weather, eating out, walking the hill that my parents live on, going to church, watching the Food Network, giggling with my siblings forever, and eating lots of yummy food.
I'm thinking about making a birthday basket for her, containing:
-Chocolate Poppycock (I know the name is a little unfortunate, but seriously, have you tried this stuff? There's no reasoning with the person who's tasted it.)
-Fresh bread
-Homemade infinity scarf

Love this lady.