Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Wednesday Wish List

Accessories are slowly making their way into my closet as the need to change up daily outfits becomes necessary. As a simple girl, a top & pants is my usual go-to, but who wants to wear the same thing on a week's rotation? Not me!Anthropologie's Tea Rose Belt is a great solution when you want to add something to your everyday outfit, but still keep it relatively simple. And for under $30, this is an easy purchase that will transform a number of pieces in your closet.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Weekend Recap

  • This weekend marked the beginning of a string of busy weekends.
  • Friday brought Matt & Krista (Sam's brother & brothers' girlfriend) to stay the night at our house.
  • We made potato soup & homemade bread (yum!) .
  • And followed it up with brownies & ice cream while watching The Dark Knight.
  • Saturday came early...
  • Krista & I were on the road to George Fox by 8am.
  • We were meeting Donna & Laura (MIL & SIL) at George Fox for the 6th annual Selah Conference.
  • An overall great day filled with over 700 women listening to several speakers speak on the subject of change.
  • Very impacting & powerful!
  • Pizza & movies were on the agenda for Saturday night.
  • Plus a great phone conversation with my mom.
  • I love her!
  • Sunday = lazy day.
  • We skipped church (sorry God) and opted to work on the last of our home projects before the weather changes.
  • We weeded, mowed, organized the garage, cleaned off the front porch, and vacuumed the house (upstairs & downstairs) .
  • I also dropped off books & picked up a few more from Kali.
  • She's like my own personal library :)
  • Then it was Sunday night and the weekend was over.

Upcoming (busy) weekends include: visiting Portland to see two of my best friends, having dental surgery, going to Bend to see my mom, and carving pumpkins with the Grables. It feels like a lot, but I'm excited to do it all!

Friday, September 25, 2009

You can find me... at the dentist?

So as I mentioned here , my teeth are once again keeping me from living a happy, dentist-free life. From age 10 to 18, I spent a couple hours a month visiting some form of dentist. You name it, and I’ve had it done: Braces. Wisdom teeth removal. Retainers galore. And yet, my mouth STILL needs work!

It has been a couple years since my last dentist appointment (yes, bad me!) , but between graduating college, going to India, planning a wedding, and moving to a new town (not to mention just sick of the dentist in general) , the dentist was not far up on my list. I finally decided it was time to go and made an appointment for both Sam & I. Sam passed with flying colors, but I will be going back to the dentist as frequently as our insurance will pay for.

I won’t go into too much detail of what my future dentist appointments will entail, but basically I need a (second) route canal, several cavities filled, and a mouth guard for sleeping to just name a few of the procedures. Plus, on top of those, I also have to have 5 gum surgeries so that my teeth don’t fall out completely. Fortunately, the surgery will not be as bad as I pictured (I thought I’d have to have my mouth wired shut for several weeks…) and I really like the dentist who will do the procedure!

Nonetheless, I will once again become a reoccurring visitor to the dentist. Will this ever end?

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Wednesday Wish List

Following the same lines as last week, I still have Fall on the brain!


The Button Jumble Hat from Anthropologie would be great for those cold days where you need to keep the heat from leaving your head. And at $34, this hat would look great with almost any outfit, especially those boots from last week ;)

Monday, September 21, 2009

Weekend Recap

  • Another great weekend (of nothing!) .
  • These are becoming more frequent and we are definitely thankful for each of them!
  • Friday brought dentist appointments for both Sam & I.
  • Sam has almost perfect teeth; I, however, don't.
  • Future post to come of the horror which involves my upcoming dentist appointments.
  • Following the dentist, we got groceries and went to the mall to pick up our FREE $10 gift cards!
  • If you're asking yourself how did we get lucky enough to both be given $10 gift cards for free, then the answer is following thrifty blogs pays off.
  • We also signed back up for cable and Comcast threw in HBO until they can come add the channels.
  • Therefore our weekend consisted of mainly laying on the couch watching lots of movies!
  • And not a lot of anything else (i.e. cleaning) .
  • I did sew a few iPhone Sleeves after church on Sunday.
  • And put them up on my NEW Etsy shop!
  • Shoutout: Thanks Kali for the header and if you need a custom blog design or Etsy header, she's your girl!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Wednesday Wish List

With Fall just around the corner, the impending colder weather has me thinking of the season's classics: layers, scarfs, and boots. And with plenty of the first two in my closet, I would love to add a pair of boots to my wardrobe.


Introducing Old Navy's Tall Faux-Suede Boots. Simple style + classic colors + low price = triple threat! For $35, who wouldn't want a pair of these in their closet?

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

To open my own Etsy shop or not?

A few weeks ago, Sam & I made the switch to AT&T and bought ourselves iPhones. Since this isn't a cheap investment, we took the necessary procautions to protect our new cell phones with cases almost immediately. The cases we chose (iFrogz Luxe Case, here) are excellent, but I was still wanting a little more protection from some of the dangers within my purse (i.e. keys) . As my go-to site for crafts-galore, Etsy provided me with pages of possibilities and choices. But then I realized that I could, maybe, possibly make my own sleeve for my iPhone. Enter my crafty feeling yesterday.

I didn't have a pattern going into this, just faith & an idea. I cut the fabric carefully, played around with it for a few minutes, and in less than 30 minutes I had my first finished iPhone sleeve. I couldn't believe how easy it came together and how inexpensive it was for me to make my own! Definitely a great learning experience of trusting my own instincts and practice with my sewing machine.

As with every project I've completed (total: 3) with my sewing machine, I wanted to show anyone (& everyone) who would listen. So, I posted a picture on Twitter & Facebook and received a couple comments back mentioning how I should think about selling my own sleeves on Etsy. While I love that idea of making something for someone else, I'm torn on whether mine would actually sell. See, when I was searching Etsy, I found various iPhone/iPod sleeves that were all awesome in their own ways, but do I want to add one more shop that sells the same thing as several others out there?

And this is where you come in, readers. What do you think... Should I make a few more & open my own Etsy shop? Or should I just make them for people I know/who ask for one? I'd love for your honest opinion, so thanks in advance!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Weekend Recap

•No set plans = bliss!
•Lately, we've been on a TVonDVD kick and Grey's Anatomy is currently making its rounds (ha!).
•Thus many hours this weekend were spent in front of the TV and crying at least once an episode.
•We did take a break from the infamous Seattle hospital to clean house, workout, go swimming, and see Up!
•Northern Lights shows movies with a meal - what a concept!
•I am a big fan of McMenamin's theatres so I love that we have a knockoff right in Salem.
•We also made time for church and had the privledge of having Mexican food with the Weathers' after.
•Sunday afternoon had more Grey's and a lovely phone call from my best friend!
•All in all, a great weekend in my book!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Weekend Recap: Lots of Driving

If you would have asked me last week what our plans for the long weekend would be, I would have probably said hanging out at home (oh, what a dream!) , but as usual, plans change. After a long day at work on Friday, I was more than ready for the weekend and due to the weather, a perfect Friday night was executed: watching a movie and baking bread.

Per the last few Saturdays, we weren't scheduled to sleep in. My mom had some things for us and we had a pile started for her, therefore we decided to meet half way between Bend & Salem. Enter Detroit, Oregon. A little town with not much to it but a huge dam. Sam & I began our trip early & met my mom in Detroit at 9am. We ate breakfast and traded piles and were on our way home again. Once home, we spent the afternoon watching old Grey's Anatomy episodes & making potato soup.

Sunday was yet another early morning. We got up and headed north to Sandy to spend the day with Sam's parents. We attended Sandy's Church in the Park and although it was rainy, it was a good time of worship. After church, we went back to the house & ate pizza (a Grable favorite!) . And after lunch, we got to work. Now that Sam's parents are empty nest-ers, they are in the process of making their house more livable for them. We spent the whole afternoon moving furniture around & setting everything back up again. It was long & tiring, but fun to spend the time together.

With Saturday & Sunday filled with family, Sam & I had hoped for a Monday at home. Once again, plans changed when we got home on Sunday and realized Sam had forgot his wallet at his parent's house. And another trip to Sandy was planned. But first, we made a stop at the Woodburn Outlets. Yes, this is a crazy stop to make on a weekend like Labor Day, but I had a return to make & the sales were a little irresistible. We just made my return at J.Crew and then headed into Eddie Bauer. $30 and 6 items later, we were out of the outlets. When we got to my in-law's, we moved a couple more things around and had some lunch. We also picked up a huge zucchinis from their plant and I can't wait to make some recipes with it!

Although we were on the road for a lot of the weekend, we enjoyed the time we spent together & with family. I wish we had a long weekend every weekend :).

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Pink

Well, I think I can honestly say I have a pink problem. I don’t know when it started; I wasn’t too girly growing up. But somewhere over the years, pink has taken over my life!

Seatbelt bag. Coin purse. Cell Phone. iPod. Water bottle.

Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. Mixing bowls. Scale. Pitcher.

Flowers from our wedding.

And if I could find one, I’d totally buy a pink New Beetle like this one!


In my (dream) world, pink might take over my whole house, but luckily (for everyone else) my husband has kindly steered me otherwise. Thank goodness for accessories!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Weekend Recap: Grable Family Vacation

Last weekend, our house turned into a makeshift bed & breakfast when Sam's parents & siblings all convened at our house for a mini vacation together. The weekend began at about 8pm on Friday in typical Grable fashion - games! Charles & Kristi joined us too, creating a house full of great sound. Needless to say, we didn't get to bed until well after midnight.

Saturday came all too soon, but we had a big day ahead of us. My MIL made eggs & cinnamon rolls for breakfast and then we were off to the beach! Once in Lincoln City, we made a quick stop at the outlet mall (for my SIL) , then we found a beach to play some Bocce ball. It was a little windy, but still a little sunny. After a few hours, we decided to grab some lunch at an Oregon Coast landmark - Moe's. Following lunch, we decided to travel a little south to Depoe Bay to walk around the store front & watch seals beg for fish. A few more coast stops were made before we made the trip home. The night ended on a good note - with ice cream sundaes!

Sleeping in was #1 on our agenda for Sunday. When we got up, we made breakfast & lounged around. We had a minor glitch in the day when we had to go do some phone errands, but once we got them done, we got back to playing! The day turned out to be much nicer than our day at the beach, but our game of choice was the same. We split into teams and played around Bush Park for a few hours. Then we went back to our house for pizza & more games. The perfect ending to a great weekend. We can't wait for the next family trip!

Lunch at Moe's - Phil, Donna, Meaghan, Sam, Laura, Krista, Matt, & Josh.

Walking around Depoe Bay.
Sam & I at the coast.

Bocce ball in the park.