rub-a-dub-dub, makaela in the tub.

 

miss makaela is so much fun to be around.

we got together for a family dinner this week and it ended

with makaela splashing around in the sink. she loves it.

the bottom right photo is her new "smile" or "say cheese" face. hilarious.

i dare you not to smile back.

my parents finally captured scrap's famous smile on film.

remember me telling you about oregon scrappy & his adorable smile in this post?

healthy dinner in 7 minutes.

if you're lucky enough to have a Trader Joe's close by, grab a bag of Quinoa Duo next time you're shopping. we always have a bag in our freezer. it's our go-to meal when we're not in the mood for cooking. it couldn't be easier: empty the bag into a skillet with water for 7 minutes and serve. we typically add frozen shrimp and any veggies we have in the fridge plus a little Sriracha for spice. 

quinoa is super filling, so we split the bag as our entire dinner. per person: 330 calories + 9 grams of fat + 9 grams protein.

 

oh, bic! thanks for the laughs. what are you thinking?

 

I saw this in one of my daily marketing emails and I have to share. I got the biggest laugh out of it. "Bic for Her" pens, which are actually described as "beautifully smooth" in the technical specs as being "designed to fit comfortably in a woman's hand" with an "attractive barrel design available in pink and purple," are getting some hilarious reviews on Amazon.com and other consumer sites. Real reviews below:

 

—When I saw these I just had to have them, so I asked my Husband to buy them for me. He refused, as he said that owning a pen might make me Think, and then have Ideas Of My Own. Then I might start to Write, which would take time away from my wifely duties such as Cooking, Cleaning, and Bearing Children. Of course he was Absolutely Right, none of these tasks require a pen, and so I have to give these one star.

 

—Oh. My. God. I've been doing it all wrong. There was me thinking I didn't need to worry about whether my writing implement sufficiently reflected my gender. Thank you so much Bic for showing me the error of my ways. Perhaps Bic will also bring out a new range of pink (or purple) feminine spanners, screwdrivers, electric drills and angle grinders so that I can carry out my job as a bicycle mechanic without further embarrassing myself? Luckily my male colleagues have managed to keep their disapproval of my use of their masculine tools to themselves. I'm so ashamed. And re-educated as to my place in society. Thanks again Bic!

 

—I bought this pen (in error, evidently) to write my reports of each day's tree felling activities in my job as a lumberjack. It is no good. It slips from between my calloused, gnarly fingers like a gossamer thread gently descending to earth between two giant redwood trunks.

 

—This pen is great. I bought it for all my female friends and relatives. It enabled them, finally, to write things (although they may not yet know to do so on paper; but you can only expect so much, really). I thought they were just a bit slow. My mother, a hard-working woman who raised twelve kids single-handedly whilst doing all the ironing (as nature intended), was furtively abashed by her illiteracy. Long would she gaze upon her husband and sons' scrawlings and would dedicate five minutes a day (which she really should have spent making sandwiches) to pray that one day she would be granted the ability to create such scribbles of her own. She's still a little slow on the uptake, but this product has definitely helped start the ball rolling. We tried to give her men's pens but she used to rip the cartridges out and drink the ink. Typical woman. Anyway, it's good that BIC are finally doing something to aid the plight of women. Hopefully a range of 'for her' paperclips is on the horizon - my wife has an awful time keeping her recipes together.

 

—I tried these on a whim, and I have to say I wasn't very impressed. The applicator mechanism is far too fiddly, and the plastic tampon inside far too thin (not to mention uncomfortable and non-absorbant) - I'm sure there must be a knack to using them, but I couldn't find it. They also stained my knickers blue for some reason. I really wanted to like these, but it's back to pads for me.

rum & angels.

the weekend kicked off for a lot of phoenicians at the opening of downtown's newest ale house - angel's trumpet ale house. we went with rachel & mikis and bumped into a handful of friends.

the new spot (across the street from film bar) boasts 36 beers and 6 wines on tap. the four of us sampled a few of each along with some food - flatbread pizza, quesadilla and grilled cheese.

the inside space is cool, but we can't wait for the temperatures to drop to enjoy the huge patio and unobstructed downtown views. rumor has it the back patio will be setup like a traditional beer garden. 

angel's trumpet ale house

bustling with people.

danny & mikis busy discussing the next venture

outside patio.

downtown phoenix from the back patio. 

from the outside in.

next stop

we ended the night sampling all kinds of authentic island rum drinks at a little downtown phoenix gem.

perfection on pierce street

we did a lot of sampling.

rum, rum & more rum.

rum happy.

bike ride to a big breakfast.

on saturday morning danny got an intense craving for "a traditional breakfast with hash browns." not potatoes -- hash browns. okaaayyy. so we jumped on our bikes and headed to the famous matt's big breakfast to get him his shredded potato fix. during the wait  (there's always a wait thanks to multiple appearances on the Food Network, etc.), we checked out the downtown farmer's market. 

puppy checkin' out the morning loot.

a must: misters. lots of misters.

a few of the phoenix food trucks. 

matt's big breakfast

{big wait // little restaurant}

that brick box is the whole restaurant.

cruising with our homemade iced coffees.

waiting in the shade.

teeny tiny diner. 

anxiously awaiting his hash browns...

... which did not disappoint. 

dig in, d. 

the ride home

the wrap around gallery wall.

of course the minute we decided to bite the bullet and spend the time to hang a gallery wall in our old home - the place sold. it was for only a few months that we got to enjoy the look, so we decided to do it again in our new house... but with a twist. we decided to wrap the gallery onto two walls and give it a continuous look by taking the frames all the way into the corner.

we laid it all out, got ready to hang and then i got really nervous. is this going to look terrible? i majorly hesitated, but danny pushed me along and i'm so glad he did. i love the way it turned out. it's so many of our favorite pieces and prints each with their own meaning special to us, and has already proved to be a fun conversation starter with guests.

the sitting room. danny's favorite room in our home. 

i need some more art for a few of the frames. going to dig through our archived photos.

view out to the front porch from the couch.

view from the front porch in (+ a frenchie tush)

jenny's bachelorette // the last six standing.

for those of you who love bachelorette party posts... i'm sorry to tell you this is the last one from jenny's fabulous party. for those of you who are totally over them, well, this is the last bit of ridickulousness you have to endure.

on monday morning - yes, monday - the final six of us gathered in the bride's bed to talk about plans for the day. it went something like this:

me: "so what do you want to do today? we could go to the pool? have some cocktails?"

jenny: "or we could go to the strip."

me: (in the most sarcastic voice) "seriously? you really wanna get a yardstick and cruise around the strip?"

jenny: (in all seriousness) "um, yeah... kinda."

alright, the strip it is! we showered the last bits of encore beach club and temporary tattoos off our skin, tore down the inappropriate bachelorette decor, packed up the disco ball (oh, and in the process i managed to severely burn my leg on a curling iron), and we were off to the strip!

there were shots before noon, use of the pink paddle, the world's biggest party foul (resulting in two enormous yardsticks), and a trip to the carnival court - literally the cherry on top of the weekend. cherry with whipped cream that is - wink. wink.

we started at the cosmo for lunch & cocktails. 

on the hunt for the world's largest yardstick...

pretty in pink & so excited!

success! for a few seconds... 

...the damn "cross body" yardstick strap busted.

jenny got spanked by the pervy security guard for her giant spill.

aaaannnnd she's back!

twisting around the yardstick.

at carnival court... bartender tricks!

squirrel pound shots for shmer!

sisters!

jenny! we love you girl. 

hope your pre-dewey retro & raunch bach bash was everything you dreamed of and more!