Wanna watch the Bachelor with me? Two in one week!

Ah, the two episode week.  After watching Monday's I think they needed something spicy on Tuesday because they knew it was just. so. boring.   Join Aubrey, Ashely and I in blogging about the crap we willing watch.

Hometowns

Nikki
There is no way sister eats BBQ regularly and still fits in those jeans.

This date is totally snooze fest.  Can we just get to the family part? 

And the family dinner follows the Bachelor script that has been laid out for them on seasons past. 

Andi
Her family calls her "Pookie"???  Gag.

Andi's mom asks JP to bust a move.  I think she wanted Juan Pablo to dance with her, but he asks Andi to come out and dance for her mom. 

I think Andi's dad's advice is totally backwards.  If you have a kid already, they have to be your priority.

Renee 
I think Juan Pablo needs to step back and give her a moment alone with her son.

I just realized that none of the girls have told JP they loved him!  Which is totally normal in the real world, but not for this show.

Clare
"We've been to places where I think anyone could fall in love."  This is the most intelligent sentence to come out of Clare's mouth.

JP: I can't wait to see why you are the way you are.  (WHY ARE YOU CRAZY)

I just do not know who Clare is related to in her family. . .

Rose Ceremony
I'm 99% sure that Renee is going home tonight.  I know that Clare and Andi make it to next week because of the ads, and between Nikki and Renee I think he has a stronger connection with Nikki.  Sadly, I have a stronger connection with Renee, so I'll be sad if I'm correct. 

I'm right.  Dang.  But I love Renee too much to want this for her.

St Lucia

Clare
Clare is thinking of not going to the fantasy suite because of the whole "swimming in the ocean" drama.  Haha!  That came back to bite him.

Clare starts talking about meeting Cameeela and suddenly *ding ding ding* now we know Nikki didn't tell any one that she already did!

For the love, can someone edit out the sound of the ocean???  That is all I can hear.

Andi
I am so bored I have nothing to say.

Andi tells Juan Pablo "You're easy"  You keep saying that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.  (said in Mandy Patinkin's voice)

Just an aside here, but can you imagine if people were grilled this much about being a parent before they got pregnant???  But I can see how step parenting is different, it's just funny to think about.

Andi is looking so good tonight.

Good for Andi for realizing that she deserves better.  I think so often the girls get blinded by this situation.

Nikki
What in the world is this girl wearing????   How many occasions can you find to wear an outfit like that?

I hope I walk into my doctor's office and see Nurse Nikki taking care of my babies.  After seeing her in this top.  Yep, I would love that.

Juan Pablo likes to point out when girls are "thinking a lot" and he tries to squash that asap.

I swear Nikki and JP are acting out the exact same scene he had with Clare earlier in the week.

Andi's confrontation
Good to know Chris Harrison is here.  We hardly see him any more, I wondered if he was even coming along for the ride.

Every now and then JP just starts saying words hoping that they're forming a sentence: Love, women, good, feeling.

JP is watching Nikki's video and I'm totally wondering what Andi's video is going to entail.  I hope she just looks and the camera and then walks away.  That would be awesome.

I'm so tired, I rub my eyes.  I just really hope that Adam doesn't think I'm crying.  Because NO.

Andi walks slowly up the hill like she heading to battle.  A battle she's going to fight in a silk shirt and lace shorts.

I laughed so FREAKING hard when Juan Pablo tried to play her game and asked "What is MY religion?"  "Catholic"  And then his face, totally blank.  Awesome.

Andi's exit speech is so hilarious as the back ground to the girls arriving.  

Rose Ceremony
Blah blah blah.

Adam would also like me to point out that he was correct about the final two women left.  I get it, you're a dude, you know what dudes look for in a girl.  

And of course you know, I'm off to check out my girls Aubrey and Ashley!

Vintage Toddler Sweatshirt

I might get a little attached to my clothes.  Not all of them, but I get weirdly attached to some things.  Like this sweatshirt.  I just love a thin, worn sweatshirt.  Plus I took this one to college with me, so it was a little sentimental to begin with.  I think my mom bought it at a thrift store and I don't really know how I ended up with it, but I did!

After the sleeves started getting a little tattered, I cut them off as well as the neck and wore it to work out in.  After several years like this, the waistband was even starting to tatter.  So I knew it was time to give this guy up.

Or not.

I decided to upcycle it for Olivia!  And thus one of my new ideas for my etsy spring line was discovered.  Vintage toddler sweatshirts.  I don't have boxes of awesome sweatshirts so I'll have to start frequenting the thrift stores more often.  But seriously, how cute is Olivia in this new top?

It's a little nerve wracking to let my kid walk around in this shirt, but it's already been spit up on, thrown up on and food splattered on it, so I think it's safe.

Wanna watch the Bachelor with me? Week 7

This week is fun because it's the week that Aubrey and I had our viewing party! Which just means we watched it together.  And poor Ashley had a car accident that prevented her from posting last week, but she is back this week! 

You kiss your daughter with those lips!?!

Do you think he's going to have each of the girls baby sit Camilla for a night to see how they do together?

How far do you think I could go on this show with out kissing the bachelor?  Because I need a vacation and this seems like a great way to get a free one.

1x1 with Sharleen
Sharleen opens the card as if it contains anthrax.

Adam takes note that while Sharleen gets ready for her date she has time for a pose on the balcony.

Clare: What is Sharleen?  Are we unsure if she's human?

If we keep saying the word "trouble" it's going to stop sounding like a word.

Juan Pablo asks about how her career will fit with his lifestyle.  If I don't know what Sharleen just said, there is no way that Juan Pablo does.

Juan Pablo says "You're more than welcome." And smiles as if he was impressed with how many words he was able to just string together.

Right in the middle of a major makeout session, Olivia's (my two year old) iPad game starts playing the song "Do What is Right" #CanWeSayPerfectTiming

"I like the words you use."  I don't understand them, but I like the way your mouth looks when you say them.

Sharleen gets home and runs to Renee, the house mama.

1x1 with Nikki
What are we doing, where are we going, what are you going to buy me?  (I added that last one, but it seems like something Nikki would say, no?)

Nikki says she's flattered to go to Camilla's recital but I think she means annoyed.

Nikki's shirt stays in place with the help of some seriously strong tape. 

Sharleen does the right thing
The girls frown on the outside, but jump for joy on the inside.

Group Date
Chelsie's mom tells her in her letter to keep her clothes on.  As Chelsie reads this to Jaun Pab, her clothes are literally falling off.

The story Clare is telling about her dad is seriously the only thing she can talk about.

And in the ultimate act of betrayal, Juan Pablo kisses Andi in the ocean while Clare and the other girls fly over head.

This fight between Nikki and Clare is the dumbest thing that I have ever seen.

Cocktail/Rose Ceremony
Sweet Chelsie tries to strike up a conversation about jewelry and for the first time I see Chelsie as more mature than some of the other girls.  At least she wants everyone to get a long.

Nikki is rocking a 1980's Barbie doll dress.

Juan Pablo sits down and wisely separates Nikki from the rest of the girls.  And Chris Harrison couldn't clink that glass soon enough.

I panicked for a second thinking that he might pick Chelsie over Renee.  Don't send Mama home!!!!

"It's nice to date a good guy for once."  I'm thinking she'll change her mind once she watches this season.

Once again, I think I was starting to like Chelsie right when she has to leave.

Woop woop, now go read what Aubrey and Ashley have to say!

What Would You Do With. . . a Target Cardigan?

Towards the end of January, one morning between sleep and awakeness, I suddenly realized Aubrey and I had totally forgotten our WWYD posts for January!  When I woke up a little more I realized that we didn't forget, we did actually post and that I was thinking of February.  So here we are, What would you do with a Target cardigan? 

My inspiration for this outfit was my sister Hannah.  She was wearing a cute boyfriend cardigan with her maxi dress at my cousin's wedding in January.  I usually think of maxi dresses as summer wear since they don't really lend themselves to warm shoes.  But it was unseasonably warm this January and so I thought it would be fun to change it up from my usual church attire of pencil skirts and boots.

Next month will be What would you do with 1 yard of fabric?  We would love to have you join in!!  Aubrey and I are going to shake it up by swapping fabric with each other. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Wanna watch the Bachelor with me? Week 6

 Aubrey, Ashley and I are once again bringing you the best in Bachelor.

I miss Chris Harrison introducing the girls to their hotel room.

So many of the girls are upset that Andi gets her first one on one before they get their second.  I can understand that this is a difficult situation, but fair is fair girls.

1x1 with Andi
I believe that this is the first one piece swimsuit that has ever been on the Bachelor.  I honestly thought they weren't allowed.

I'm getting claustrophobic just watching this. 

If a guy really planned these dates, all of the New Zealand dates would be Lord of the Rings themed. 

Andi doesn't care that her dinner got ruined.  She that's the difference between dating and marriage.  I would be pissed if my dinner got ruined.  I'm thinking about eating another dinner just to make up for Andi's missed meal.

Basically Andi wouldn't mind being homeless as long as she was in love.

Group Date
My grandparents used to live in New Zealand and I never went to visit them, but my cousin and I started planning a trip and zorbing was definitely on our list of things to do. 

When they exit the giant hamster ball, it looks like they're being born.  Ew.

Oh shoot, they totally pulled in Lord of the Rings.

"How do you think I'm feeling?"  Sharleen is preparing Juan Pablo for marriage.

Cassandra goes on and on about what a great guy Juan Pab is.  I'm guessing last weeks episode could change her mind. . .

Oooh kay, Cassandra goes home.  When they alluded to it I was worried it was Renee.

1x1 with Clare
Juan Pablo puts a blanket down on a field of ROCKS.  Why would they want to sit there????

Clare is talking in a sweet baby voice, that means she feels the opposite of what she's saying. "I totally understand" means "I will cut you".

"I like listening to you" means, Juan Pablo is only picking up every third word of this monologue.

Cocktail Party/Rose Ceremony
Nikki can't explain why she likes Juan Pablo.  That is a problem.  It reminds me of this:

Mad props for Chelsie and Kat for being so nice to each other during this tense time.

Chelsie explains the word "frazzled" and I'm thinking third graders could learn a lot of vocabulary words from this episode.  But obviously third graders shouldn't be watching. . .

I mean, are we really paying Chris Harrison to fly to these places just to say "this is the final rose, when you're ready."???  Because I feel like we deserve more hosting for our money. 

And it's Kat that is forced to take a moment and say her goodbyes.

Once again, this post brought to you by Aubrey, Ashely and ME!!! 

House Tour: Kitchen

My new friend in the neighborhood suggested we do a kid swap twice a week.  I take her daughter for a couple hours on Tuesday and she takes Olivia for a couple hours on Thursday.  While Olivia is gone, Axel takes his morning nap!  And I get a couple bonus hours of free time.  This week I used my time to deep clean the kitchen.

It only took 30 minutes!  It's amazing how much you can get done when you're not being pulled on every five minutes.

Then I used the rest of my time taking pictures and playing Frozen Free Fall on the iPad (try it!  It's just like candy crush but SO pretty because it's based on the movie Frozen!)

Of course I'm going to blog the pictures. Ha!  I'm a little bummed though that my paint doesn't look nearly as beautiful in the pictures as it does in real life.  I need someone to come take pictures for me.  Anyone want to practice interior pics with their DSLR?  This is what the walls actually look like:

Anyway, on to my kitchen.

BEFORE

AFTER

I decided to leave my sewing pile up because I didn't want to move it.  Also there is a vase of sticks above my spice rack that I took down after this picture.  I just stuck it there to see if it looked good and now two months later I'm deciding that it doesn't. 

BEFORE

AFTER

That white cup next to the sink is there all day.  If I drink 7 of them it's a little more than 100 oz.  I usually make it to 4.

BEFORE

AFTER

This is the most unkidfriendly (is that all one word?) dining room set of all time.  A new one is in the plans.  Also in the plans, a new light that we got for Christmas from Oilo, but haven't picked out yet. 

Maybe new tile someday.  And art on the walls, obviously.

I put some apples in a bowl just for these pictures.

Painting the cabinets white is in the plans for the summer, along with a new dining room set (my grandparent's vintage tulip style chairs!!!  I just need someone to haul them up from Orange County) and a new light fixture. 

How to have a Valentine's Day date at home

Two years ago we celebrated Valentine's Day by going out to eat.  It didn't go well.  We made an agreement that we would never celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14th.  There are so many other days we can go out that aren't going to be crazy busy. 

But I'm no Valentine Grinch!  I love the holiday.  Even when I was single I loved the holiday.  I would celebrate with some fresh salmon, steamed veggies and roasted potatoes.  After dinner I would eat a pint of Ben and Jerry's while watching a chick flick and painting my nails.  You know what?  That still sounds like a nice evening. 

So I've decided to make it a fun evening at home. 

1. First, plan a nice dinner.  Last year I did a London broil with stuffed mushrooms, fresh green beans and mashed potatoes.  Right when we were about to eat, Adam's parents came over with cookies.  So if you're planning a nice dinner, make sure company knows when to visit! 

2. Treat.  What is Valentine's Day with out chocolate????  Last year I planned to make Hot Fudge Pie, but made M&M blondies instead.  No matter what I choose this year, I know it will have chocolate in it! 

3. Activity.  It would be fun if you had some couple friends that wanted to get together and play games (the newly wed game would be so fun for V Day!!) but I'm thinking a movie night is more likely to happen for us this year.  To make it a little more special, set up your living room a la Bachelor style.  You know how they do, all those blankets and pillows and candles all artfully arranged. 

How do you like to celebrate Valentine's Day? 

Valentine's Day party for kids

Because I do not enjoy going out on Valentine's Day, I thought I would host a little party for my nieces and nephews on the 14th so that my brother-in-laws and their wives can have free child care that night (except for my 9 month old nephew, we decided to have a 2-year-old age limit on our cousin parties) But one of Adam's brothers is going to Hawaii that week with his family (wah wah, I feel so bad them!) so I decided to have the party a week early. 

So I thought I would share some of my ideas, and maybe see if you have any to share also?

First, we're going to assemble our personal heart shaped pizzas!!

VIA

Then after dinner I want to have a game.  I'm thinking Valentine's Day bingo or something similar to an Easter egg hunt.

Once I have (hopefully!) gotten them a little worn out, I'm going to hand out popcorn and we're going to watch Despicable Me 2.  I'm thinking it's got enough romance for V-day and enough silly for the kids who are less romantically inclined (all of them? haha!)

I'm thinking about giving them something to look for during the movie, like jumping jacks each time a minion is on screen.  But I don't want things to get that crazy, so I might need to rethink that one! 

So any great Valentine's Day party activities for kids?  Obviously I'll be checking pinterest in the mean time. 

Wanna watch the bachelor with me? Week 5

Despite the fact that the previews gave almost everything away, I'm super excited to watch the Bachelor again this week!  If you write a post about it, make sure you link up with us!!  (Us meaning, Ashley, Aubrey and ME!)

Juan says, One of this could be my wife.  Keep those English lessons going, Juannie

Leave it to the Bachelor to make me want to travel to Vietnam.

Holy scarves with tank tops.  I cannot wear scarves (with or without tank tops) because my neck gets SO HOT.  But that is neither here nor there.

1x1 with Renee
Juan Pablo is pushing Renee in a baby stroller.

I think Renee is perfect for JP, but I worry he's going to pick someone more like Sharleen, who wants totally different things out of life than him but is more exciting.  Renee and JP might just be comfortable, but that goes a long way in life once sparks have faded.

For Camilla they got a little dress.  I got almost that same dress in Fiji, so that tells you how authentic it is.

JP says about Renee: She looks good on those dress.

Renee thanks Juan Pab for the dinner, as if he made it.  

Group Date (OR 8 girls and a 1x1 with Clare) 
So they just wander into a random house to eat dinner?  Actually I think they just got hired as day laborers. 

I don't like Kelly for Juan Pablo, but I think she would be a fun girl friend for me!  She's funny. 

Who is this Allie person they just showed talking to the camera???

Adam calls Clare Giada Jr.  I don't think that's very nice to Giada.

Okay, off the wall question.  Do you think they have just one of those little black trays that the rose sits on?  Like maybe someone's job is to pack it up really safely while they travel around the world.  Maybe they have back ups.

Do you know when a baby giraffe is born?  No Clare, no, I don't know about zoo animals giving birth.

1x1 with Nikki 
Nikki's Katniss braid makes her look very young.

Adam thinks the last two standing will be Nikki and Clare.  Well, he says Jessica Simpson and Giada Jr, but I know what he means.

So evidently Nikki wrote "deep dark holes" on the biggest fears section of her bachelor application.

Nikki repeats what generations of bachelorettes have all recited on the show, that going down a deep dark hole is a lot like falling in love. 

When deciding to date someone with a child, Nikki says she really sat down and really thought about it. Really really, really really.

Have you ever stuck your finger in a light socket?  It does not feel like falling in love.  At all.

Cocktail Party/Rose Ceremony
Juan Pablo says he hasn't spoken Spanish in a long time.  If he forgets his Spanish, what on earth will he be left with?

Blah blah blah drama with Clare.  Because I have kids, I'm skipping my opinions on that one.

Nothing makes a moment more awkward than someone pointing out that it's awkward.  That one is on you Cassandra.

Chris Harrison always points out the worst part of the evening and then says "but that's a good thing".  Like if two girls got in a horrible cat fight, he would say, I know how serious you're taking this, and that's a good thing.

Oh my gosh, Renee already has a rose.  I forgot and I was freaking out that he hadn't called her name by the final rose.

Wow, if Juan Pablo is already crying at this point, there will be no escaping the Mesnick!!!

And that is a wrap.

Sleeping with my lap top by my bed so I can read what Ashley and Aubrey wrote first thing in the morning!  (except they don't post at 6am!  Get on it ladies!!)