Monday, February 28

we collect popcorn.

Photobucket

and you wanna know something funny?
our new place doesn't have a microwave.
so we're popping away as quick as we can.
we might be giving away a few boxes...

wanna know something else funny?
our dishes are all packed up so we're eating off of a cookie sheet.

Photobucket

last night on mercer island!!
i'll be out for the next few days.
i know you'll miss me.
but hang in there.

xoxo
joy

Sunday, February 27

the time has come...

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

I'm tacklin' this bad boy today.
Don't judge.
I haven't had the time to be crafty [at all] for the last few weeks and i've been just piling things on my desk.
At least everything on it is supposed to go somewhere in this general vicinity. 
Now i'll organize and put everything into boxes.
That seems to be a perfect task for this wet and cold sunday..
Especially with this upset stomach that keeps me from moving too quickly.

Oh, and guess what?
We're moving into a [2 bedroom apartment]!!!
It's still a little unfathomable to me.
Can you guess what's going into room #2?
I'm excited.
ex.cited.

Alright, well, here it goes...

xoxo
joy

Saturday, February 26

chinese takeout...

Photobucket

...is a life saver at 8pm on my home from a very long day at work.
Okay, well, it was only 5 1/5 hours.
But after packing my little heart out all morning, it was the longest shift of. my. life.

Happy to be home for dinner, snugglin', and catching up on The Office episodes.
Seriously. Hallelujah.

what exciting things are you guys doing this fine saturday evening?

xoxo
joy

Friday, February 25

just checking in...

Photobucket

today is extreme home packing day.
i woke up realizing that we're moving.
like, in 3 days.
okay, well, it's not like i didn't know we were moving.
I've been talking about it for weeks, right?
yeah, but it didn't hit me until today.

so i freaked out and had to get organized.
i made this list and hung it where everyone can see what needs to be done.

Photobucket

i get stressed out that my house is a disaster.
it takes some mental pep talking before i realize it's okay.
Because the cupboards and closets are empty.
And the packed boxes that we have to weave around are actually a good thing.
And since i've been collecting boxes for the last six months,
we will not run out like last time.
See what I mean?
Pep talk.

Perfect timing for Miss Rachel to leave a list of tips for me.
How did she know?!

Okay, Ellen is over, which means off the couch and back to the boxes.

xoxo
joy

Thursday, February 24

another breakfast date?


more french toast, eggs, and ham.
oh, and handsome company.
how does a girl get so lucky??
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

and hubby is getting more comfortable behind the camera.
this is fun!!

xoxo
joy

Tuesday, February 22

anthropologie finds...

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

anthropologie has the. best. knobs. ever.
guess how much i paid for these??
$2.95 a piece.
believe me.

if you haven't found your love for hardware, it's right here.
you're welcome.

i don't have a definite plan for which pieces of furniture I'll put them on but for less than 3 bucks...i had to pick my faves!

which ones do you like the most?
oh my land...aren't they {gorgeous} ?!?!?

xoxo
joy

Sunday, February 20

remember when...

Photobucket

meet josiah.
he's got big dreams about forts by the creek, home made water wheels,
home grown grains and vegetables.
all to support the restaurant he wants to start in order to feed people
that are driving home from work/school.
  
it takes me back to when i was younger and my dad helped us build a tree house.
i think their were restaurant schemes back then, too...

anyways, when josiah came to visit us the other day, we got crafty.
i didn't even have to bribe him!

Photobucket

we decided to make a little owl.
he was very diligent about cutting just perfectly around the shape i drew for him.
very cute and focused.
here's how far we got before they had to head home.

Photobucket

i sent him on his way with some wings, 'feet', and filling.
i've asked him a few times how the finishing of this project is going.
he gets very apologetic and explains he hasn't had time.
mostly because he's been making sleeping bag army pants.
you know, army pants with sleeping bags inside them so you don't need anything
extra to keep you warm if you're sleeping in the woods.
:)

Photobucket

on the agenda today:
church
gym
baby shower
home
pack

forgive me if it's a bit quiet around here this week.
i've got 9 days.
let the count down begin...

xoxo
joy

Saturday, February 19

oh, did i tell you?

we found a new place to live!
man, as excited as i am for change, the thoughts of packing and 
moving are a bit daunting.
can't i just leave all this stuff behind and buy new furniture/clothes/dishes?
Photobucket{sigh}
i've made a list of things i'm thankful for to keep me pumped about 
everything going on:

there are {two} bedrooms (!!!!!)
it's sooo close to church/friends/school
the kitchen is so cute
pink tiles cover the whole bathroom floor
we'll be able to dance our socks off (no crazies downstairs)
we'll finally be in Seattle
moving again will help me purge our house of un-necessities 
camillo and i will both fit in the bathroom at once 
(no more fighting over the sink in the mornings!)
our landlord seems really nice
it's almost spring

yay!!

i'm sure you can guess what my weekend plans are...
pack pack pack
but first i had to relax after work for a minute and take a peak at 
my favorite bloggeristas..


what are you guys doing?

xoxo
joy

Thursday, February 17

wishlist!!

Photobucket

so, i think these shoes are totally amazing!
and the lovely miss sydney is hosting a giveaway from blowfish.
isn't that nice of her?
wish me luck!
and head over to her place to see what she has to say today.
very fun, i gotta tell ya.

tonight i'm packing,
eating rice, collecting a goodwill box,
and watching storage wars.
fantastic, i know.

tomorrow will be great, too.
i'll tell ya all about it.
do you have any plans for your friday?

xoxo
joy



Wednesday, February 16

day two...

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

it is windy here!
yesterday we took the bart to oakland.
we got off at city center but that might have been our first mistake.
we kind of didn't have any idea where we were and how to get where we needed to be.
if that ever happens to you, just call a taxi.

after walking through the park and circling a couple blocks a few times (all while camillo snapped some photos), we haled a cab and hopped in for a ride to fentons.
we found this place online and i guess it was featured in pixar's {up!}.
now i'm going to have to watch that movie again!
they served a decent burger and fries.
but we really went for the ice cream.

Photobucket

man, oh man.
what you see here is a massive pile of ice cream topping a large choco chip cookie and splattered with marshmallow cream and hot fudge.
what?!?!
yeah, we only finished about 2/3 of that bad boy.
delicious.

Photobucket

fast forward 10 minutes...
we're walking down the street towards the bart and camillo is talking 90 miles a minute.
i'm not even sure about what.
he then stops dead in his tracks and, with a goofy glazed look about him, says
'woah, huge sugar rush'.
hahaha 
 'at a boy.

xoxo
joy

Tuesday, February 15

warm cup of joe...

Photobucket

just so you know, starbucks tastes better here.
i might have to have a word with my barista as i've been told numerous times
that they don't have sugar free hazelnut syrup.
mmmm...delicious.

xoxo
joy

Monday, February 14

SEA to SFO

we made it.
safe and sound.
by 8am we landed in san fran.
it's dark. raining. and windy.
we're having a blast.

Photobucket

after taking care of business at the consulate, we found a starbucks
and popped in for a cuppa.
wait, did i even tell you guys why we had to come here?
geez, it came up so fast, i barely knew what was happening...
anyways, camillo has to renew his passport and enlist in the brasilian army.
as scary as that sounds, he's not going to the army.
don't worry.
just something he's got to do in order to get the documents he needs.
until he's a US citizen. 

okay, well, that's why we're here.
and until we can check into our hotel and drop our things off, we're footin' it around downtown with the equivalent of a small child's weight worth of bags.
it's a funny sight but we're really enjoying ourselves.

i may or may not be back with some more photos tonight.
hopefully you won't hold it against me if all my attention is on the hubs for the next few days.

xoxo
joy

Saturday, February 12

it's my wednesday...

Photobucket

look at this cute little guy and how happy he is.
not the best picture quality-wise but it still makes me happy.
this is joao.
or 'johnny' in portuguese.
he's our nephew and we miss him.
like, a lot.

this morning i ran a 5k.
howdya like me now?
tons o' fun.
kristie better send me the photos of the day soon.
and when she does, i'll show you!

the rest of my evening will be spent at work.
exciting. [sarcasm]
then tomorrow we prep for our san fransisco trip that starts monday!!
exciting! [genuine]

are you guys planning anything out of the ordinary for february 14th??

xoxo
joy

Thursday, February 10

Giveaway Winner!

Photobucket

and the winner is... [drum roll]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KaylaDon said...
How fun! You are so creative and you do such an amazing job! Love ya girlie!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

yay for kayla! 
any two of these will look so cute in your pretty, long hair! :)
pick the ones you love and email me your choices and your mailing info...
happycandidoAThotmailDOTcom
congrats (and love ya, too)!!

thanks for joining in the fun everybody!
i'm off to finish camillo's valentine's gift.
i've got two hours before he gets home from work..
i'm really getting down to the last second!

xoxo
joy

[new feature] note to self...

in the last few weeks, i've found myself making more mental notes than usual.
you know, those little realization you hope to learn from.
so, just to be helpful, i thought i'd share a weekly 'note to self'.
maybe you can learn from my mistakes.
ready?

note to self #101

Photobucket

if the ice cream in your freezer is called [cappuccino chip], 
there is probably a trace of caffeine in said ice cream. 
so don't eat two servings worth at 10 o'clock at night. 

lesson learned.
tired.

but heading to work.
when i get home at 6, i'll tell everybody who won the pretty little accessory!

xoxo
joy

Wednesday, February 9

paper mayhem...

poor camillo had to go back to work today.
but i have one more day off and i'm spending it with mi amiga, nichole.
we're getting crazy and crafty.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

and we made popcorn with coconut oil and sea salt
(yum!)
and gluten free muffin cookies.
it's fun to have a girly day every now and then...

happy wednesday!
xoxo
joy

Tuesday, February 8

day off together...

photo.php.jpg

me and this handsome guy are apartment hunting today!
it's sunshiney and beautiful outside.
wish us luck.

xoxo
joy

ps. giveaway is open until tomorrow at 5pm. leave a comment...hurry!!

Monday, February 7

diy finished project...

Photobucket

i didn't forget!
here's the project we made together the other day...
i was hoping to get some baking done so i could style it up with cookies or something sweet.
well, i didn't get around to baking.
so here's my breakfast :)

now i want to find some more lovely dishes.
and then maybe i could host a party with my new serving plates!
and sweets instead of english muffins.

Photobucket

xoxo
joy

Sunday, February 6

a bit sleepy...

it's 2pm.
i am just now making my cup of caffeine for the day.

Photobucket

and yes, i enjoy a little coffee with my milk and creamer.
i'm kind of high maintenance about how i'll drink it...
anyways, i'll save that for another day.
oh, and notice how the rim of my mug says 'i love you' in portuguese.
i made it.

hope you're enjoying your sunday.
xoxo
joy

breakfast date...

yesterday morning i didn't wake up until [9:30]
it was delightful considering we've been getting up at 6:30 and heading to the gym.
man, oh man.

i snuck into the living room to do my devotions and hubby woke up soon after.
after a good morning kiss he announced he wanted to take me to breakfast.
i did not decline.

we ended up at chace's pancake corral, a place we'd been wanting to try out for a while.

Photobucket

i ordered french toast and was so wonderfully pleased when i was given 2 slices that were about an inch think.
light and fluffy.
with wild blackberry syrup.
oh. em. gee.
heaven.

Photobucket

while i forgot to snap a photo of the deliciousness that was the french toast, this is what my plate looked like after i devoured it.
my mouth is watering at the memory.

wow...snap out of it!
sorry.

when i got dressed for breakfast, i felt daring and wore stripe on stripes.
again with the turquoise.

Photobucket

whatdya think?

this morning was not a sleep in day.
we're heading to the early service in order to make it home in time for the superbowl.
who's playing again?
all i know is, i'll be trying my luck with the crockpot.
and beef, potatoes, onions, and carrots.
that's probably what i should be doing now...
i'll let you know how it goes.

xoxo
joy

p.s. the giveaway is still open. leave a comment!!

Saturday, February 5

DIY - fancy plates

This project is so fun and easy!
And inexpensive!

All you need is:
a plate
candle stick
gorilla glue (or some other really strong adhesive)
q-tips
wet cloth

Photobucket

i get my pieces from goodwill!
this plate was about $2 and the candle stick was less.

test pieces to make sure the base is wide enough to support your platter piece.
you don't want something tall and skinny trying to hold a large, lopsided bowl.
get it?
Photobucket

if you're using gorilla glue, directions call for a damp surface.
a damp cloth works perfect.
when using any other adhesive, follow those directions accordingly.
Photobucket

apply a thin layer of glue to one of the surfaces.
sometimes, the rim on which you apply the glue is very narrow.
in this case, i have a large enough base to use a q-tip to spread it out, like so.

Photobucket

 Photobucket

now center your candle stick to the back side of your plate.
usually i hold it there for a second to make sure it doesn't slip around.

Photobucket

if you can, carefully balance a book or other heavy object to keep your pieces firmly together.
i've used a bowl of dry rice before when my candle stick was too narrow to hold a whole book :)
let sit over night while glue dries and in the morning you'll have a fancy new serving dish!
and since i made my project today, too, you'll have to wait until morning to see my finished prize!
next time you're at goodwill, wander through the dish section.
you can find really really pretty plates, bowls, and all sorts of other things to create.
if you try this project, i'd love to see what you make!
xoxo
joy

pretty little giveaway...

Photobucket

today i'd like to give one of you your choice of two of these handmade hair accessories!
they're so much fun to make, and so pretty to wear in your hair!

Photobucket


to enter, just leave a comment below with one (or two) things you would like to 
see/read/learn about on this blog.
comments open until wednesday so tell your friends to head over and enter, too!

xoxo
joy