what we did in february

Maybe I'll make blogging a regular part of my life in March.  For now, here's what we did in February . .

We went to the Creamery.  Just once.  We are looking forward to the warmer months ahead when we can make visits to the Creamery a weekly habit.

Another flu bug passed through my work community, so activities were shut down to prevent germ spreading.  When activities are shut down, I have nothing to do, and I happened to get a Saturday off!  Ben and I took advantage to grab some good eats in Berkeley.  This is cremini mushroom, onion, mozzarella, arugula in a lemon vinaigrette, ricotta salata pizza!  Talk about a mouth-full.  The ice cream flavors are Rosemary Pine-nut Praline and Rose Vanilla . . . different, yet completely delightful.

We celebrated Valentine's Day!  Ben bought me one pound of See's Candies Nut & Chews.  That gives him 1,000 husband points a day for a whole month. 

Some residents and I had fun dancing during our Valentine's Day social at work.  I got a big hug after this dance.

I had surgery!  I had a laparoscopy last week to remove some cysts.  Mom came up and took such good care of me.  Then I came down with a cold and I was just miserable!  I really hate that kind of stuff, and I don't know what you think, but I'm pretty sure the hospital look is just not my best . . 

Ben and I finished season 3 of Downton Abbey.  I really love Downton Abbey and I can't wait until season 4.  After finishing season 3, though, . . REALLY, DOWNTON ABBEY, REALLY!?

Ben and I will just have to be content in our love and calling each other "dahrling" in English accents.

Ben had a fantastic time at some work training in NYC.  It was more like a workation because he got to see a show on Broadway, visit Rucker Park, and eat at lots of yummy restaurants.  He even brought me some macarons from La Maison du Chocolat, one of my fav places from Paris.

Here's to March!  :)

what we did in January

It seems as though I have made an exit from the blogging world.  This is me . . making an entrance!

Here is what we did in January.

I bought myself an iPad!  And, well, . . I love it.

We moved!

Just about one mile away.  I'm even closer to work now, and we didn't think that was even possible!

If you need our new address just let me know . . to like, you know, send us a housewarming gift or something.

I've had a couple of fun projects keeping me busy.

These curtains were about 7" too short so I bought some fabric and lengthened them.  I am super pleased!

Most of the frames are still empty and now I'm on a hunt for the perfect prints to fill them.

We joined a gym!

A brand-spanking-new 24 Hour Fitness opened up the weekend we moved about 1/2 mile from us.  We got a great membership deal and we are loving the gym!  I have become a religious "BodyPump"-er . . can you imagine me in a class with a dumbbell?!  *Enter grunting noise here.*  

This month is now more than half-way over . . sometime I'll let you know what we did in the month of February.

merry little christmas

  There are a lot of really good things about my job, and quite a few not-so-good things . . one of them being no vacation days and another being any time the residents are sick, I get sick too (I am just now recovering from two days with the flu)!  BUT, I managed to smile/beg/coax my way into getting three days off for Christmas and we just had a splendid time with my family in Merced!

For our Christmas presents to each other, Ben and I bought tickets to see the San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker.  It was awesome, if I do say so myself!

It was my parents' turn to host the Rowan Family Christmas Eve party and Ben and I were in charge of games.

Aunt Ellen won this Willie Mays "The Catch" Christmas ornament and Uncle Creed was so happy.  The game was "Who Can Name the Most Christmas Songs in Two Minutes" and Aunt Ellen was a shoe-in.

 The next game was two teams against each other in a race to unwrap all the Hershey's Kisses first . . while wearing mittens.

Then we played "Throw the Marshmallows Through the Christmas Wreath" and whoever got the most through in 30 seconds won.  Good times.


The usual "program."

Tommy wrote a *very lengthy* poem about his favorite soccer team - Manchester United.  It was hilarious.

Ty played the bagpipes.  Did you have that at your Christmas party?

Grandma read from Luke 2.

Then it was time for presents.  All the ladies received stained-glass pendants hand-made by Grandpa.

Christmas 2012

Christmas morning - I think we set a new *late* record with 8:00 AM.

Mom & Dad both bought each other new sheets.

Traditional Nerf guns in the stockings.

Emily bought everyone a present at the "Secret Santa Store" at her school.  Dad got a new tool set!  It was tender.

I got Ben this Colts Huddler.  No, not Snuggie,  Huddler.

My adorable new apron from Randy & Sandra.

We got to Skype with Elder Rowan, all the way from Pascagoula, Mississippi.  He's doing great, folks!

Before we drove back to Walnut Creek, I wanted to go "shopping" at Grandpa's Glass Shed and pick out a few more pendants.  Pretty awesome, huh?

~

The day after Christmas, my old roomie, Mckenna, had her wedding open house just down the freeway.  She looked totally gorg and it was awesome to see her and Joanna/Jack/new baby Molly!  Sometimes I wish my roommates and I could all live together again for just one week and it would be so much fun.  ...  But then I remember how I got annoyed by them and I'm glad we are happily married, living with our husbands, and still great friends!  ;)

Christmas Beginnings

Christmas time is here!  And it is so fun to decorate!

We love our little pre-lit four-footer!  At Christmastime last year, we gathered all of Ben's personal Christmas ornaments and when we unwrapped and put them on our tree this year Ben was so happy I thought he might cry!

Also, Ben's sister Kristi made this angel tree-topper and gave it to us last year.  Isn't it so perfect?

Kristi also made us these Christmas stockings and gave them to us when we got married.  They are too cute!

Ben's other sister, Ashley, made us the advent calendar.  Apparently it was a pretty big deal in their house growing up because I have heard so much about it!  The poem reads:

December first to Christmas is the longest time of the year.

Seems as though Old Santa never will appear.

Untie a candy every night when the Sandman casts his spell,

And Christmas will be here by the time you reach the bell.

Ben can recite it by memory.  You should ask him.

I sewed a piece of candy to each date's little circle thing and we get to take one off each night.  Attached to the final date is a bell that we can ring on Christmas day!

I am super impressed by Ashley's cross-stitching; the advent calendar is gorgeous.

I made this pennant banner one night and I am really proud of it!  Just a little ribbon, some cute paper, some hot glue, and a brown colored pencil!

I love our Christmas centerpiece, too!

Okay new topic.

Ben's company had their Christmas party on Saturday!  It was at the Exploratorium in San Francisco - how cool is that?  The dress code was cocktail attire/black tie optional and that proved to be a bit of a struggle.  I borrowed a dress from Mom and two from a friend in the ward, as well as some jewelry and tights.  I decided to actually try things on the night before which wasn't smart because nothing was really working.  Two of the dresses, I couldn't even zip up!  That has never happened to me before.  So it was like 9:30 the night before and I'm swearing off of ice cream (but not really) and wondering what to wear.  We decided we could go out shopping the next morning before I went to work but that was kind of stressful, so we were looking online to get an idea of where we could go and what we would find.  Then we saw that Kohl's is open until midnight, so we got out of our pajamas and back in our jeans and did some late-night shopping!  We had such great luck!  We found an adorable, affordable dress.

The party was fun.  Good food, good live band.  It was just so fun to have a dressy night out with Ben, and of course, I got to meet all of his co-working and they all raved about Ben's work.  No surprise there!

And last but not least, on Sunday we had our traditional Christmas sugar cooking decorating evening.

YUMMY!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in pictures.  [I'm too sick to write anything clever.]

BYU vs. SJSU

BYU football came to San Jose!  Ben said it's like we're being slowly weaned off our BYU experience.

We were on TV!

Ben is cute, even when he photo-bombs.

I Got Crafty!

Ben had to travel last week for work (I don't know how you women with husbands who travel every week do it), so to keep myself busy after work I made some things to help me organize my jewelry.  I'm totally pleased.

For my necklaces, I covered a cork-board in a pretty frame with some fabric I bought last summer when we lived in the Sunset District.  I think the fabric is to die for.  I also had some flat pearls I bought last summer at Michael's and I hot-glued those onto the top of white thumb tacks to hang my necklaces on.  It probably would have made more sense to secure the fabric onto the cork-board with thumb tacks, but I just hot glued  it on in a few places around the edges.  Ben says it looks like something you could buy in Anthro and that is the ultimate compliment.  The bracelet stand is from Target.

For my hair accessories, I did a similar thing.  I hot-glued fabric onto a cork-board and then hot-glued ribbon cross-ways on top.  I hot-glued the ribbon at the ends and whenever it crossed another ribbon.  Now I can just slip the clips onto the ribbon.

Earrings.  Okay I couldn't get this picture to rotate so you'll have to turn your head.  I just used the same fabric I used for my hair clips (also from the little shop in the Sunset District) and secured it tightly in two embroidery hoops.  Totally easy and totally cute, right?

Our apartment contract is up in January and we are hoping to find another, less pricey place to live so I'm not going to bother putting holes in our walls for these now, but when we move I will hang them all up gallery-style and I'm excited for that.

And at the end of the week, I was done crafting, and this is how I knew Ben was home.  Within the first hour he was home we had popcorn.

I was also a little artsy last month and I entered this in an art contest for art work to hang in the new Zachary's location in Pleasant Hill.  Totally out of my comfort zone to enter an art contest.  Even more so to blog about it.  Eeek.  We'll find out this week if my art gets to go in the new restaurant and if it doesn't, Ben wants to save it for his future "man cave".

And speaking of Ben . . in case you were wondering what the two of us are going to look like in old age, here you go!