80th birthdays...

the husband and i have already had the morbid death talks. i've made it clear that i don't want to be kept alive if my quality of life is gone. i will make sure my children understand that. if, however, i am as with-it and fun to be around as the husband's step-grandparents, then keep me alive!! they're adorable, and are such sweet people to be around. memaw, as we call her, had her 80th birthday yesterday, and we had a dinner for her at her daughter's (the husband's step-mom) house. here are some pictures from sweet memaw's 80th bday party!


the dinner table...

memaw's celebration table...

memaw and bebob...

i caught bebob being a party pooper and reading the newspaper...

birthday cards...

the celebratory clan...gotta love self-timers on cameras!

 lighting the candles...

80!!

sweet sweet memaw...

i got a picture of her with teeth!!

blowing out her candles...

it was such a wonderful night, and I'm so thankful that I get to call her my own!!

kids

mom, don't panic. i'm not pregnant. i'm not planning on kids anytime soon. one day though, i plan on having really cute children, even if they're so ugly that they're cute...i apologize in advance to my kids who may one day read this. as most readers know, i'm anxious to move far away from this awful city, memphis. the husband has had some very positive and encouraging news from a company in wyoming, and i can't begin to tell you what a dream come true that would be for us. ahhhh! wyoming! how wonderfully free, open, and non-ghetto! well, my idol, the pioneer woman, is currently holding another photo contest, and the theme is 'favorite pictures'. well someone posted this one, and it has made me warm inside. i have already warned the husband that no matter what our kids look like, i will take a picture of them just like this one day.

enjoy, and have a fantastic weekend.

once again, lust

so i may have mentioned that i'm obsesed with these boots...

well, i still am. size 8 please, in redwood. thankyouverymuch.



i have another obsession though...and i can't get it out of my head!
i really do need another purse. i don't have a good long-lasting year-round bag like this, so technically it's a necessity. i might not be able to live much longer if i don't have it. christmas is almost here, so come on people!
it's called sabine leather satchel, and the sienna color is to die for! here it is. i just can't justify spending this much on a purse, even though i'll use it forever and will be buried with it. it's totally worth it, at least in my book.



i mean really. why can't i have it?



yolo

so on saturday, john and i spent the afternoon together. i came up with this adorable plan to go to collierville, mosey through the antique mall that we love, walk around the town square, and get yogurt at this fancy new yogurt bar. cute, right? well, i thought so. of course the husband says that it's too hot to walk around the square, collierville is so far away, we can't eat yogurt in the middle of the afternoon because then we won't be hungry for dinner, yaddah yaddah yaddah...

well, we went. i won. but i wanted yogurt as soon as we got there, but he didn't. so we went and looked at cowboy boots on the square, we went to the antique mall, we went to dinner, and we didn't get yogurt. i pouted as we drove out to get wood for the husband to build things. finally, around 10 that night, the husband got us both back in the car and we made our way to the other location of yolo. that's the yogurt bar! yolo ... short for yogurt lovers.

so you go into yolo and grab a bowl. there's only one size, and i was grateful it was a big cup...i wanted yogurt! then you go and get your own yogurt...you choose from 8-10 different flavors. i picked california tart and pomegranate energy. YUM! then there's a whole counter covered in toppings. everything from local granola to animal crackers to refrigerated cookie dough and fresh fruit. it was so wonderful. so of course, i loaded it all on! then you take it to the register and they weigh your yogurt. it's only $.45 per ounce, so it's totally affordable. and wonderful :)

here's my yummy creation...

i have granola, chocolate chips, and cookie dough on top of my yogurt. even though the husband refused to go early in the day like i wanted, it was well worth the wait. we'll be going back again!!

hiatus

i've been on a hiatus. who knows why? i've been cooking, taking care of kiddos, cleaning, redecorating, and basically doing everything but this. oh well. we live on.



the cooking part...i made a WONDERFUL strawberry shortcake cake, thanks to my friend pdub. yummy i tell ya...it was perfect for our YL get together last weekend, and everyone loved it! here's the recipe in case you're feeling lucky...http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/05/strawberry-shortcakecake/

i've also been nannying all summer long, and the kids are adorable. they hate me sometimes, but you have to lay down the law. i'm not about to let a 4 year old tell me what to do, even if she refuses to be nice for the rest of the day.

the cleaning hasn't necessarily been extensive. i vacuum occasionally, and i clean what needs to be clean. i've never been a fan of cleaning...ask my family. i'm a rarity in the kostka household.

i'm slowly and inconspicuously trying to redecorate the living room. yes, the ducks are still on the walls, but we now have bright cheery green curtains, floral pillows, and a number of pictures around to make me happy. it's coming together quite nicely, and still remaining somewhat masculine. i'm proud.


we also made a trip to the cape this summer. that was our big adventure! kat and mamie were both there, and the husband has never been to cape cod, and doesn't see the sisters all that much, so it was a great trip for him. i'll leave you with pictures for now, until i return again, which hopefully won't be too long this time! much love.

lobstering!! 

the fam in front of mom's pond

at joe's

the sisters

cookout on the beach

sunset

mark.

i don't know about you, but i've never been one to buy makeup if they don't sell it in walgreens. i'm not always satisfied with the stuff at walgreens, be it maybelline, cover girl, or whatever, but at least i didn't have to pay $25 for a mascara that doesn't really do anything for me.

well i have changed my ways! for a few years now i have been intrigued by the brand of makeup called mark. lauren conrad is a spokesperson for it, and i think she always looks fresh and great. well, i was looking at it again a few weeks ago, and decided i should just go for it. i bought some. and i'm now a rep! the makeup is really great! i'm not just saying that so you'll be tempted to buy from me...it's seriously really good! it's light on your skin, but it really brightens your face and just makes you look fresh and wonderful. i just ordered more for myself last night! they're very inexpensive, and if you do order through me, you get free shipping if you spend $25, and it's totally worth it! the colors are perfect, and you don't have to worry about your shade. it's so easy to pick! see for yourself... http://afarley.mymarkstore.com/

enjoy looking around, and hey, you might even find something to buy!!

more bragging

so i've bragged about my wonderful and adoring husband before, but i must do it again. he has been working on a corner cabinet for me, and he finished!! here's the start of it...

he was not happy that i got him in the picture. but isn't the white on the boards just so cute? i think so.


well so i said he's finished...here it is...

AHHH!! it's just wonderful, although i am a little partial to the builder.

this is the latch on the bottom...and it couldn't be better

the bottom part

little shelf inside the doors




i've also been baking a bit, and our garden has been growing.

i made caramel for the first time, and it didn't go so well...

looks good huh?

well then i had to put gelatin in it, and pour it on top of homemade brownies...the gelatin was a big mistake.

oh well...at least it looks ok


look at how just stinkin' adorable my jalapenos are...have i shown you yet?

they're actually bigger now, and i'm anxiously awaiting the day when we can harvest them and eat them!!

wedded bliss

the husband's step-cousin is getting married this summer in montana. his fiance, anna, is from montana...anna montana. ha! well they are getting married, and they are just the sweetest couple ever. seriously. garrett is a minister, and anna is just cute and skinny and nice, and only about my little sister's age. well not even as old! she's a youngun, but they're wonderful together, and i know that God will bless their marriage and life together.
this weekend, the husband's step-mother, step-sister, and i threw a shower for the wonderful couple. we baked and cooked all morning, and decorated all night before. the shower was great, and all of anna and garrett's friends were delightfully kind, just like the couple! here are some pictures from the event...

sweet anna and garrett

anna, me, and kasey (garrett's brother's girlfriend)...love them both!

gifts galore

I'm Famous!

It's true...I've been discovered! well my picture has at least...p-dub, as you all know i love her, has a photo contest that i recently blogged about. well i was accepted into the finalist group! my picture of my sister and grandfather was posted just this morning...go look! it's the first one on there. i feel so special :)

i haven't updated on my little garden in a while. there are the cutest jalapenos growing, and we even had a bell pepper!! but that fell off...oh well. i do have pictures though, of course.

i was tempted to just pull them off, because they're just so darn cute, but i want them to grow, being the good farmerette that i am!

AHH! how adorable!? then it just fell off. such is life.

more tears

the video from cary and justin's wedding. i cried. go figure...


vandevenders

p-dub

for those of you crazy people out there who aren't avid pioneer woman stalkers, you'll soon regret it. every so often she has a photography assignment where she gives you a subject (happiness, green), and then you have to submit a picture that falls into that category. she selects the top ones, and posts a bunch each day until the contest is over. well this one might be the best ever. i seriously cry each time i look at the submissions. this contest is "coming home". it's all pictures of troops coming home and seeing their family. it's amazing and awe-inspiring. enjoy.

how does this not bring tears to your eyes? it's just so heart wrenching and warming at the same time!
here's the link...
coming home

weekly scoggins

at least once a week we try to go and see our sweet friends the scoggins.

they're wonderful people, and the mr. even married us! anyway, we try to go at least once a week, and we'll cook, play with their kids, and then just spend time with the adults. it's always entertaining to go over there. there's always a kid trying to climb into the dishwasher, saying she needs to be wiped on the potty, crying, doing forward rolls, or asking to do a curious george puzzle. their oldest daughter LOVES curious george.

well anyway...we used to go over every week to watch the bachelor, but for those who aren't avid followers, the bachelor is over. he picked the wrong girl, and i thought the world would end. it's still spinning though.

even though the bachelor is over, we have found a new show...get ready for it...THE BACHELORETTE!! well it started last night, and of course, i already have favorites. here they are. hold on to your britches...

this is frank. i think he's my very favorite. he's just so nerdy looking, but not too much. he's sweet and smart and just adorable! i hope he wins. i have a good feeling about frank.

oh chris. he's from cape cod, and i feel like i now him. except that he's from kinda a loser town. i'm convinced that i can meet him though, and that my sister might meet him first because she's single, and she's a landscaper, just like chris!

and then there's ty. oh those ears...i don't know that i could look at them forever, but he's from franklin, tn, and he has just the cutest accent, and i think he could go far. he's a good southern gentleman with a cute little nose. he's a sweetheart, and he's my other favorite.

there are some ugly boys, and boys with weird voices or hair (my children are cursed), so i think these are the best. but we'll see if ali (the bachelorette) agrees. wish my boys luck!

blogging in the ghetto

ever have that feeling where you're sleeping, wake up, and wonder if what you just heard really happened, or if it was just in your dream? welcome to my world. on thursday night/friday morning around 4 am, i woke up startled, wondering if i was only imagining the horrific sound i had just heard. since the husband seemed to still be sleeping soundly, i assumed it was only in my dream. then he reached to grab his phone, told me those things i thought i had dreamed were gunshots, and he was calling the police. i haven't slept well since then. i'm thinking of covering the exterior of our house in kevlar.

the husband has still been hard at work, even if those horrible neighbors next door are throwing bullets around like it's no big deal. he has been building again, YAY!, and he has just been wonderful :)
here's our new tv table...

i love the tongue and groove in this table!

and the legs...oh the legs...i'm in love with the front.

isn't that just beautiful? i'm glad you agree.

just perfect!

thank you, dear husband, for giving me such beautiful tables to fill my house with. they're wonderful!

our garden might just be a failure...we aren't sure if those super awesome lowe's buckets were really the best idea, but alas, it's what we're stuck with now. here are the little blossoms on our squash plants...

they're kinda cute, huh? 

well i must end this with a shout of love to my dear heather, and i wish you all wonderful weekends. i will leave you with a heart-warming weber grill video. everytime i see this commercial, i am tempted to immediately jump up and commence dancing. it's just so contagious

enjoy!!

happy saturday.

love from my kevlar vest,

a.far