fun – Page 3 – emerald city diaries

my weekend in pictures.

{my grandmother sends all of her sheets out to the cleaner. & they come back packaged in saran wrap. she is the only person on the planet that I know who does this.}

{marinating some salmon for dinner guests on saturday night.}

{sadie is so proper with her little paws crossed like that.}

{finally got some crafting done for a baby shower gift.}

{caramelizing the squash & grating the cheese to make this pizza.}

{sadie doing yoga in the kitchen this evening. #downwarddog}

{this is sadie’s “please mom will you feed me dinner now?” look. it melts my heart.}

{after seeing the broncos win, our nerves were up for the seahawks game. we are ecstatic that the hawks were victorious. superbowl here we come!}

what a great weekend catching up with family & friends! on friday we saw the secret life of walter mitty which we both really enjoyed, on saturday we had friends over for dinner & a much-needed catch up, & this morning sadie & I strolled around greenlake with a friend. despite the weekend being at its end {& me being so bummed that we don’t get tomorrow off!} it was a bit of a change that this weekend felt slow. at least to me. it was nice to feel like life slowed down for the past two days. definitely a contrast to the way the work weeks have been feeling recently. how was your weekend? M

p.s. you may notice some changes to the blog. I have been wanting to make some changes to the blog design for a while & finally found some time to start. I hope to have all of the changes finished soon!

my weekend in pictures.

{sadie’s post-surgery meds cocktail. we found a lump on her when we got home from the holidays & she had a lumpectomy on friday morning.}

{we had monsoon-like conditions of wind, rain, & sleet on saturday afternoon. crazy.}

{after a very rough friday night, sadie was able to rest by saturday. its not a wonder given that enormous incision on her belly. luckily the vet was able to internalize the stitches, so no cone-of-shame necessary.}

{aaron & ben went to the seahawks play-off game on saturday afternoon. it was rainy, wet, & cold but the hawks were victorious!}

{sadie & I watched the game from the comfort – & warmth – of home.}

{saturday night brought us a last-minute dinner & a movie double date with our neighbors. girls won the movie vote with father of the bride. a classic! not exactly the action film aaron had in mind.}

{finally went thru all of the christmas cards we received & updated the contact pictures in my phone. best idea!}

{grocery shopping on sunday isn’t very fun since everyone else is also grocery shopping too…}

{sadie was like this most of the weekend. I think she wants to just become an appendage. so needy!}

{there was lots of football watched in our house this weekend. the colts may not have advanced, but we are definitely payton manning fans in this house!}

this weekend was lovely, mostly because I had so little planned & so little I “had” to do. why can’t all of my weekends be like that? something to work on in the new year. we are feeling refreshed going into the coming work week, though the winter weather is starting to get old. sadly, we are looking at lots of weeks of cold weather as we always have such a late spring in the pacific northwest. oh well. someday. there was a lot of snuggles & naps for sadie this weekend as she recovered from a minor surgery. we don’t have the test results yet from her lumpectomy, but the vet is optimistic from he removed. fingers crossed! how was your weekend? M

highlights of 2013.

{via}

happy 2014!

i’ve said it before, & i’ll say it again!, yearly recaps are always my favorite kinds of blog posts. its a small way to sum up your year & to see how much the last 365 days have brought. as i look forward to the New Year, i am humbled & grateful by all of the wondrous events of 2013. here’s the rundown of ours:

january: I started out the new year with a bout of the flu. we hosted our first blog giveaway! we installed the west elm hanging capiz chandelier over our dining room table. I framed my diy polaroids for our bedroom walls. amanda & I met john & sherry from young house love during their book signing tour! I diy-ed campaign dressers for our bedroom.

february: I did lots of diy-ing for valentine’s day {here, here, & here} I celebrated my birthday! we bought a kitchen island. I tried to be better about getting in front of the camera!

march: I tried my hand at painting an antler {& was so impressed with the results!}. we took my 91-year-old grandmother to target for the first time! amanda & I diy-ed framed house keys on maps. we sold jez the jetta & bought a new car.

april: we updated our bathroom vanity with a converted antique sideboard. we updated the closet doors by stripping off the old paint in a crock pot. we celebrated our one year anniversary in our house & I reviewed all of the house diys!

may: we finally got some good weather in seattle! I painted the ceiling & hallway walls. we celebrated aaron’s thirtieth birthday with a beer tasting party! we had a fun-filled memorial day weekend. we were featured in west elm’s blog front & main.

june: aaron replaced our toilet. sadie was featured in the seattle dog spot blog. my parents visited for a long weekend en route to the olympic peninsula. my diy his & hers maps were featured. we finally got some summer weather!

july: we celebrated the long Fourth of July weekend with a holiday parade, fireworks, & time with friends. I made a nine layer ombre cake! we replaced our kitchen track lights with globe pendants from west elm. we road-tripped to idaho for my ten-year high school reunion. we started growing our first eggplant.

august: we celebrated our three year wedding anniversary. the blog got a Liebster Award Nomination. I diy-ed the tiniest baby hats for our friends’ new baby. we road-tripped to hood river, oregon to celebrate my cousin’s wedding.

september: we went to the husky vs. bronco game to kick-off labor day weekend complete with husky-style tailgating {via boat}. we took advantage of the warm weather & cleaned up the front yard with a fun game called love it or lose it. we celebrated sadie’s ninth birthday! I attended the Alt Summit for Everyone blog conference.

october: I attempted to start doing fashion posts again. we celebrated our two year blog anniversary at emerald city diaries! I finished up with the #embracethecamera challenge. we went to the pumpkin patch & carved pumpkins with friends.

november: aaron joined a team for movember 2013. we snuck off to hawaii for thanksgiving.

december: I reviewed some of my favorite weekend in pictures pics. I participated in A Pinterest Christmas for the third year {see this year’s projects here, here, here, here, & here}! we celebrated Christmas in indiana with aaron’s family.

reflecting back on this year, i am reminded how blessed we are & also how different this year has been than the year previous. it has been such a wonderful year & ringing in a new one is a bit bittersweet.

how was your 2013 – was it a year to remember, or are you itching to start 2014 already?

see past yearly highlights for 2011 & 2012.

my weekend in pictures.

{caught the end of the fight hunger bowl game. go huskies!}

{saw our cousin kait’s new house. aaron & oliver had fun launching arrows everywhere.}

{we drove out to lafayette to see tim, meg, & silas yesterday.}

{si was such a ham at lunch. this is his new squishy face!}

{pool party at our hotel with all of the little cousins!}

{happy birthday cari!}

{all of the littles in one pic – amazing!}

we are wrapping up our indiana christmas vacation & fly back to seattle today. it has been great to unplug & catch up with family & friends over the holiday. it seems like we have had no less than 6 christmas celebrations! plus, we finally got some snow this morning! hard to believe we are in the final days of december – where did the year go? how was your christmas week and weekend?

my weekend in pictures.

{we woke up to SNOW on friday morning. it was very, very exciting!}

{sadie does not at all look comfy, does she?}

{got a festive holiday mani on saturday morning.}

{packing…}

{sadie’s dog walker becca gave sadie her christmas present. it was a 3 foot bully stick. sadie is obsessed.}

{we had a crepe brunch with our friends cale, jessica, & their daughter jazmyne. jaz & aaron took sadie for a little stroll afterwards.}

{lounged on the couch sunday afternoon & caught some of the seahawks game.}

{again, not at all comfy sadie…}

{we went to the drug store with my grandmother before seeing a movie this evening. this is what was in her cart. all of that is candy.}

{a movie isn’t a movie without popcorn & junior mints!}

we had a fun last weekend before the big holiday which was spent spending a lot of time with friends & family. that is how the holidays should be, right? we are gearing up for some more family time & are very much looking forward to spending the holidays with lots & lots of family this year. but, geez, can you believe it is christmas already? how was your weekend?

aloha! {our trip to hawaii}

{I know I promised photos last week, but I blinked & the week was gone. did that happen to anyone else?}

as I mentioned in weekend in pictures post two weekends ago {here} we spent our thanksgiving {& the week after} in hawaii, just the two of us. while we originally had ambitious plans to visit more than one island on our trip, we ended up sticking just oahu & splitting our time between town {honolulu & waikiki} & the north shore.

we didn’t have much on the agenda to be honest which was a great way to go into a vacation that you want to relax on {there are so many vacations – all of them – that we come home so exhausted that we need another vacation!} so we fit things we wanted to do into our days once we got there & spent the rest of the time being spontaneous! {I am telling you that I had to have been in vacation-mode in order to get thru so much spontaneity!}

here is a random sampling of our trip. enjoy!

{at ho’omaluhia botanical garden in kailua // with our friends hannah & russell // start of hike up diamond head // enjoying shave ice after our hike // aaron with the huge banyan tree in waikiki}

{me with the duke kahanamoku statue – he is known as the father of surfing // out to dinner in waikiki // the climbing of the coconut tree for the shower of flowers at a luau // climbing diamond head // aaron throwing a spear // waikiki // thanksgiving dinner at duke’s in waikiki}

{at the luau // aaron learning the hulilau hula // the kalua pig coming out of the imu (oven) at the luau // more hula // hula // hukilau hula on the beach // hula // fire dancer at the luau}

{me throwing a spear // me at mokulua island // honolulu from the air // a kayaking break at lanikai beach // lanikai beach – spectacular! // pearl harbor memorial // inside the uss arizona memorial at pearl harbor}

{the first draft of roosevelt’s date that will live in infamy speech // kuhio beach park in waikiki // hawaiian-style spam // hawaiian suns – lived on those! // toes in the sand // the pink hotel – the royal hawaiian // waikiki beach from the top of diamond head}

{dukes for thanksgiving dinner // mai tai happy hour // a plant that looked a lot like a guy with a mohawk // mmm… cheeseburger in paradise // sunset on thanksgiving // aaron shaving after movember // sushi is the best in hawaii // the triple crown of surfing at sunset beach}

{signs at the luau // on the bus ride to paradise cove for the luau // triple crown at sunset beach // sunset beach // the whole island had a downpour of rain the day we went to the north shore // triple crown at sunset – surfing way off the point in the distance}

{triple crown at sunset beach // drinking lots of coffee to keep us warm while we watched surfing in the pouring rain // the finals of the second jewel of the triple crown at sunset beach // the best pineapple I’ve ever had // shave ice // matsumoto in haleiwa has the best shave ice in the world // the soap factory in wailua}

{walking on the beach in wailua // the beautiful flowers everywhere // tiny islands off the coast of oahu near kaneohe // driving by kualoa ranch – where jurassic park was filmed // rubber duck at the soap factory // aaron enjoying his first ever shave ice from matsumoto // the flag flying high at the uss arizona memorial at pearl harbor}

{kailua beach // landing on mokulua island via kayak – a sacred bird sanctuary // mokulua island // strong current at pipeline // pretty flat waves at pipeline // sunset in haleiwa}

{pineapple fields near the north shore // the uss arizona’s final resting place // oil leaking from the uss arizona // how the memorial sits over the uss arizona // crossroads of the pacific // iolani palace in honolulu // king kalakaua’s phone from the 1800s // the likelike highway – pronounced leaky-leaky // the court house in honolulu – also the hawaii five-0 headquarters}

{the original supreme court chairs // the beautiful carpet in iolani palace // the entry of the palace // my old apartment building in honolulu // aaron walking near the ala wai canal // shouldn’t every street in hawaii being named aloha street? // waikiki beach & diamond head // soaking up the vitamin D in waikiki // kuhio beach park // I will take that weather in december anytime}

have you been to oahu or another hawaiian island – what’s your favorite thing to do?

my weekend in pictures.

{loving that we can turn on the heat remotely with our nest to warm up the house before we get home. hating that it is in the low 30s however.}

{which wich for dinner on saturday night. keeping it classy by eating on real plates!}

{sadie was all snuggles this weekend. it was cold enough that we put on her sweater & she didn’t seem to mind.}

{picked up our christmas tree today. what, you don’t put your christmas tree in a shopping cart?}

{tree atop the car. nice work husband! it didn’t fall off, not even once.}

{the view of the christmas tree from the sunroof.}

{loving the winter dream tea from the coffee bean & tea leaf, & my new mug from the SBUX + alice & olivia collab!}

{I have learned the hard way in years past what happens when you try to string christmas lights without stretching them out first. no fun. this year was so much better!}

{while decorated the inside of the house, aaron was out putting up our outdoor christmas lights.}

we returned on saturday afternoon from a week & a half in hawaii {which is why we were noticeably absent from social media the past few days} so the first half of our weekend was spent sitting on a plane over the pacific. this was a trip that was months in the making as we started planning last spring! it was awesome to get away just the two of us for a while for a much-needed break from the real world though it was a little weird to be away from family over the thanksgiving holiday. we soaked up the sun & unplugged {well I did} which was lovely. I will be sharing pics from our trip over the next few days {once I get the photos uploaded & lightly edited}. now we are back to a very, very cold beginning of winter! brr. on the plus side, I can get to decorating for christmas this week! how was your weekend?

my weekend in pictures.

{starbucks oatmeal & latte. breakfast of champions. & pretty much the best way to start off the weekend.}

{we went to a friend’s 30th-and-a-half birthday party this weekend. it was go-karts & a pinata FTW. aaron won one round of go-karts & broke the bat trying to get all of the candy. not a bad saturday night. happy half birthday jeff!}

{on sunday afternoon we swung by the airport to pick up my mom & dad who are in town for the week. excited to get to spend some time with them!}

how is it possibly the end of the weekend already? another weekend blog post with a shameful amount of pictures, my apologies. we had family start to come into town starting on friday night & ended sunday evening with an early thanksgiving dinner thanks to my uncle bill! we won’t be attending either of the familys’ thanksgiving dinners this year, so it was nice to have some tradition a few days early. but seriously, where did the weekend go? I feel like it went so, so fast & I didn’t nearly get enough done. or have time to kick back & enjoy. maybe next weekend, right? how was your weekend?

movember 2013.

aaron, who is normally a clean-shaven guy, decided to join in on the movember festivities this year. not only is it fun for him – I mean look at those faces – it helps raise awareness & funds for prostate cancer, testicular cancer, & mental health.

if you are interested in making a donation, please visit aaron’s page here. you will be able to see his progress, rate his moustache, & see the rest of his team – mark spitz. {that’s funny, but if you didn’t laugh click here.} we thank you in advance for your donation, or at least reading the post this far!

happy movember! do you know anyone participating this year?

halloween festivities {pumpkin patch, carving party, & décor}

we kicked off the halloween season with a trip down to a pumpkin patch the weekend before last. it was fun to pick out the pumpkins right from the field, though we should have gone a few hours earlier as there were so, so many people in the afternoon when we were there. we picked up three different colored pumpkins – orange, green, & white – & a little kettle corn. all in all a fun trip!

this past weekend we drove up to see our friends cale and jessica for a pumpkin carving party. I have carved pumpkins every halloween (that I recall) but have never had or attended a carving party. so fun, I didn’t know what I was missing! I worked on scraping & carving with jessica’s adorable daughter jazmyne, & aaron cleaning & roasting the seeds. in the end we ended up with two carved pumpkins & about a half gallon bag full of delicious pumpkin seeds!

I also decorated the house a bit this year as our neighborhood is apparently quite popular with the local kids. while we don’t get too many trick-or-treaters as we don’t live on the “main drag,” there are hundreds & hundreds of kids in costume running around the neighborhood on halloween. there is even a neighborhood costume parade. it is awesome! anyways, I like to decorate the house for holidays & halloween isn’t an exception.

we are planning a pretty low-key halloween this year by staying home, hosting a few friends, & trying to bribe kids to trick-or-treat at our house. yep, the first 20 kids that trick-or-treat at our house will get a full size candy bar!

did you partake in any halloween festivities? do share!