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!!