Housesitting

Spent the last week house-sitting for my parents and taking care of their three dogs, my youngest sister's dog, and my dog.  Here are some random pictures from the week.

My scarf matches the wallpaper

Pad Thai = happiness

Wreath on the carriage house

This started as an omelet but clearly had a higher calling

Dogs napping while I knit/watch Arrested Development

Callie gets more comfortable

My most recent home improvement (inspired by Brenna) - finally getting some stuff up on the walls!

Before...

and after

Spring

Celebrated Easter with brunch at my parents' house and brought these (and roasted broccoli) with.

Resolutions are just going "eh" - have made two new recipes in three months (cranberry pineapple upside-down cake and Smitten Kitchen's chocolate chip cookies), haven't finished a book (sigh), and workout the same as I did before.  I took Callie for a jog on Friday and learned that what's totally doable on a treadmill feels like death when you try it outside.  Looks like we have some more outside jogs ahead of us.

Been busy with classes - registered for my Summer and Fall classes and, if everything goes as scheduled, I'll be graduating in December.  Graduation seems close and impossibly far away at the same time.

Welcome 2013!

My resolutions:
1) Strength training twice a week (and continuing aerobic workouts 3x a week)
2) Trying a new recipe every month
3) Reading a book every month


What I'm looking forward to:
Traveling to Italy!!
Finishing (or getting very close to finishing) my Master's Degree
Getting a fence for Callie
Doing my first 5k
Third season of Downton Abbey on PBS (less than a week!)


What I'd like to try in 2013:
Cross-country skiing
Taking pictures with my Brownie camera


Firsts from 2012:
Exploring NYC alone
Going to MOMA and the Museum of Natural History
Jogging in Central Park
Camping in the Black Hills
Going to Omaha (and the zoo and the Old Market)
Rewiring a lamp
Using a snowblower
Refinancing my house
Making chocolate-covered bacon (which I don't actually recommend)
Getting divorced (which I also don't recommend ;) )


Favorite things in 2012:
White Collar and West Wing on Netflix
Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast
Black bean burritos and fried egg sandwiches
Cute pictures of baby animals
Etsy seller Siiso (have two prints on my walls)
Hearing Sherman Alexie speak at SDSU
New job at DSU (with a huge window and dual monitors)

Christmas

My house all lit up.

The vintage ornaments that my mom let me borrow.  Love these!

The tree in my living room. 

Callie's stocking, my stocking, and the tree

Chocolate-covered pretzels and bacon (not recommended)

Callie on Christmas morning 

Erin made me an incredible crocheted afghan!

Calliedog

Callie and my yellow sweater, from November

Omaha Girls' Weekend

In October, Heather and I met up in Omaha for a girls' weekend. 

Pics from the Omaha Zoo (which was AWESOME!)

  Pictures from Old Market, Downtown Omaha

Mmm, sushi!

Birthday and Black Hills

Birthday presents

Hello, beautiful! My new boots :)

Corn palace!

Badlands

Taking pictures at the Badlands

My feet (still at the Badlands)

Firehouse Brewery, Rapid City

Our awesome campsite at Stockade South Campground, Custer State Park

Bison!

Jewel Cave

Me and the pig at the Purple Pie Palace, Custer, SD

Jason at Sylvan Lake

View of Stockade Lake from above our campsite

August Garden

Well, I got tired of weeding before I actually *finished* weeding, so I stopped and took pictures instead.

First beet harvest

Overall garden

Almost ready to pick!

Pics from July

Garden update

Today, I staked out the tomatoes (cages were falling over) and picked the first of the green beans.

 Banana peppers

Tomatoes

 

Home improvements

Last weekend, Mom helped me paint the entryway.  Here are the before and after shots

I am so excited to have this project done - and to have broken my streak of picking paints that I end up disliking once they're on the walls ;)  I got the paint from Ace Hardware and it is Charles Bridge Paint/Primer from Clark + Kensington.  Next up, curtain, fixed curtain rod, new light fixture, and something (?) for the walls.

Also - the first lamp I've ever rewired - now complete with lampshade!