Secret Garden
We got our house about 3 months ago. Now, when I say we “got our house” I mean “finally moved in” because we waited 8 freaking months for this thing.
Everything was dirty, dusty, overgrown and dead. If you have seen what it looked like when we “got it”, then you know it was pretty much looked like the Jumanji house.
One day I walked outside and noticed my own secret garden – something that you would’ve never thought existed. Flowers so colorful, so vibrant. Gardenias that smell like an expensive perfume. Plants we never knew that lived here, but somehow showed their true colors right before our eyes.
From dead to damn amazing…
Fancy Footwork
A friend of mine recently shared this with me, and I just had to show you guys. (Thanks Gary Kost – I told you I’d give you a shout-out)
Now, I am mostly a “plain jane.” And even though I love fashion – styles, trends, etc. – I almost always prefer jeans and flip flops any time.
However, when I saw these shoes – all my “plain jane-ness” went out the window. Although some are odd and look wildly uncomfortable, my intrigue far outweighs any trepidation I may have for sporting some of these bad boys…
{‘chewing gum’}
{‘toucan’}
{‘contemporary chinese’}
{‘swan’}
I think you’ll agree these are pretty outrageous, and totally awesome!
Check out more designs from Kobi Levi here. Let me know which one is your favorite!
Picture Perfect
That’s my picture-perfect picture window in our master bedroom!
In case you didn’t notice, I missed yesterday’s posting due to that. Good excuse? Perhaps.
Here’s the lowdown: A week before we left on our cruise, the bay area was hit hard with storms. Storms that didn’t stop – it literally poured for 4 days straight and never let up. We knew coming into this house there was a small leak in the bedroom, most likely the window. No big deal, we thought. Ha, well after Noah and his Arc came to town, that small leak became a huge problem.
I noticed the laminate wood was extra warp-y around the window, so I went to inspect. As soon as I walked over there, it sounded like I was walking in puddles. Water was coming up through the floor.
Being that we’re new homeowners and don’t know anything about owning a home, let alone taking care of a home, we kind of let it go until after we got back from our cruise. Within 2 months of owning this house, we filed our first insurance claim. Is that a world record?
Three weeks later, meaning yesterday, we got a insurance check and the General Contractor let the wall have it.
Yes, those are bugs. In my house. Near my dog.
Ripping the wall out revealed bugs. Lots and lots of bugggggssssssss. Flies, roaches, ants, carpenter ants, things I don’t even know but I don’t ever want to see again. Clearly this has been here a while, which of course made us mad. But, being that we are such good homeowners and take pride in that fact that we finally have our own, we are fixing this situation.
There’s been significant water damage, but we don’t know to what extent yet. Hopefully that’s all the wall we’ll have to remove, but we’ll know more once it’s dried out a little more. For now, we have 3 fans running nonstop. And we’re sleeping in the guest bedroom. Away from the bugs.
I have to look on the bright side – at least we don’t have termites. Now I just hope it doesn’t rain….
Happy Weekend
As usual, this week went by fast. Thank goodness, because I can hardly wait until tomorrow – when the big Kentucky Derby Party shall commence.
And then, Sunday of course is Mother’s Day. ManFriend’s mom is fully aware of the effects of the Derby Party, so thankfully she’ll be understanding if we are a little “slow.” We plan on cooking her our famous Chicken Carbonera – photos and recipe to come.
I hope you all have a wonderful and fun weekend!
And while you’re at it, enjoy a picture of the sunset from the patio of our backyard…
The Kentucky Derby (Party)
This Saturday is the Kentucky Derby. Now, I’m not that into horse races, but we have friends that throw a huge bash every.single.year. This year is number 37. Yes, 37 YEARS!!! (but it’s only my 5th) Most of their neighborhood, family, friends and everyone else and their mother will be there. We talk, we bet watch the race, we drink, we eat blue crabs, crawfish and pork – and mostly, we have fun. A blast in fact.
One particular thing that makes this party unlike any other is that each year, the party hosts have all the guests stand in a giant circle in the backyard (it’s a huge backyard), then with the video camera rolling, each guest takes their turn toasting to the camera while taking a shot of Yukon Jack Bourbon. Keyword:Yuk. But it’s awesome, and the party definitely takes a different turn after that. I look forward to it every year.
‘Yuk’on Jack
Kentucky Hot Brown
(recipe here)
Mint Julep
(recipe here)
Famous Derby Hats
salted chocolate | life with a dash of flavor 