Your Dad is Pretty Awesome

Dear Future Kids,

As you read this, the person you know as your dad is a different person than I knew when I first met him. You've grown up seeing him cook, paint, build things, do yardwork, keep the pool sparkling blue and clean the house... probably more than I do... but it hasn't always been this way. When we bought the house four months ago, he'd never really used a power tool, he wasn't one for baking, and he'd never touched painters tape in his life.

My favorite part of my life with him is seeing him turn into a family man. Without me having to ask, a wall of handmade shelves appeared in the garage, the dishes were done every night before bed, laundry was no longer a foreign task. This weekend we spent all day Saturday painting our kitchen and dining room- and he had a blast. He even chose the color (it's so pretty, isn't it?)!

He is so proud of our home and that makes my heart smile. I am so proud of the man he has become. He has always been so sweet, so kind and just a truly GOOD person, but this house has made him a family man. He is the most generous man I've ever met since my Papa. While our family only consists of him, me and our dog, it makes me so excited for the future- for you guys. You are some really, really lucky kids <3

A work in progress

It's not finished and in the process we have destroyed the house, 

but we are already in love with it.

My Beautiful Bridal Shower

My mom, sisters and best friends threw me the most beautiful bridal shower I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. The only instructions I gave was that I wanted everything to be ivory and gold- lots of glitter! They definitely outdid themselves, and it was the perfect day. Please excuse the blurry-ass photos... iPhone fail.

First thing I saw when I walked in... PERFECT.

Created by my sister (and for sale in the shop!)

Such a cute banner made by my best friend (also for sale!)

The BEST pastas ever... so many amazing dishes!

Perfect.

Cupcakes from Jenna, flags from Aysha!

My mom blows my mind with how much of a Martha Stewart she is!!

My sisters!

My besties!

Family.

Friends (let's all take a moment to look at my cute ass dress!)

Laughter is the best medicine!

Thankful. Grateful. Fully stocked.

The Dotted Line

I recently started an Etsy shop and in a week, I've gotten three custom orders! It's an amazing feeling, and I want to keep the momentum! Please help me spread the word! 

Click here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/thedottedlinesignco

Golden Hour Portrait Session

We recently took some amazing photos with a woman I babysit for, who also happens to be a pretty badass photographer. Here's her site: Thank you Sara Field Photography!

Mothers Day Weekend / Brunch Casserole

We spent Saturday at the Giants game with my parents who always have the BEST seats! (Pretty good for someone like me who is BLIND!)

It was the perfect day in SF.

For Mothers Day, I spent all night and morning cooking up a storm, doing my typical "find a recipe, look at the ingredients, and then do whatever I want" thing. This was the final result:

I still don't have any real dishes yet- I am waiting for my bridal shower, which is why I am still serving everything on paper plates- super classy.

My menu for lunch:

Croissant sandwich spread

French toast and fruit kabobs

Mac and cheese muffins

Potato and ham muffins

Peanut butter cookies (from scratch, duh!)

Sugar free brownies with super sugary yummy frosting and sprinkles

And the most popular dish was my brunch casserole cut up into tiny cubes- it was devoured! It's super easy:

Preheat oven to 375. Spray baking dish with a light oil. Cut up ham or Canadian bacon into cubes and spread over the bottom of a baking dish. Chop up some fresh spinach for the next layer and them sprinkle with shredded cheese.

In a bowl (or cup, since I have no bowls!) mix a cup of cottage cheese with about 5 eggs. If you need more mixture to fill the pan, use egg whites to cut back on those yolks.

It will look like this:

Bake until firm- I baked mine about 25/30 minutes. Serve warm in slices or cubes. 

Project Wisteria

There is no place in the world to me quite  like my backyard, with all of its possibilities and endless need for mowing and watering. Since the heats picked up to an atrocious degree, it's been harder for me to keep up and I feel like everything around me is wilting, but I hate the heat! I hate hate hate it. Keep me 75 at all times and I'll be good to go.

Anywho, my wisteria is going insane- it's all over the damn place and I love it. 

This was what it looked like a month ago: 

Now its like a completely different plant! It reminds me of magic hair that just grows wherever it wants! I didn't even know what to do without besides wrap it around my sign so my mom suggested having it crawl along some wire.

I bought a spool of green wire and drilled screws into the fence, then wrapped the wire around the screws. 

Then I lead the vines to the wire and looped them around til they stayed- some have died and some are slowly creeping. It looks really neat- now lets see how long I can keep it alive! 

Ever Ours.

I didn't start this blog with the intention of getting personal about my relationship, but I did start it as a gift to our future children. That being said, I want them to know from the very beginning what an amazing man their father is. There are times in your life when you pray for a sign, for something to come along that isn't just perfect for now but for always, and Matt has always been that sign. He is the kindest, funniest, most intelligent man and the idea of spending my life with him is the least scary thing I've ever imagined. He makes me laugh so hard I snort or cry, and he isn't even phased by the crazy shit I do on a daily basis. I am probably one of the strangest human beings he's ever encountered and he just watches and laughs, and I've known from the beginning he would always be my best friend. We were raised very differently but have the very same values, morals and desires in this life. Starting this new chapter has made me realize it isn't about how many people are present, what food is served, the colors, the gifts, the dj... I thought I would be a Bridezilla when in actuality, nothing seems more exciting than taking his name and laying on the beach next to him. Sigh. I just can't wait. Three months and counting.

I always steal his cups and use them for my own drinks... one day he apparently almost drank my apple cider vinegar and this is how he decided to deal with it.