An Experiment in Poverty

A Week Later

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:32:00 +0000

It's been about a week since my miscarriage started, and I just wanted to post a little update on how we're doing.

First of all, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the love and prayers everyone has sent my way - comments, emails, tweets, Facebook messages, text messages, phone calls, care packages at my front door. Thank you so much. You'll never know how much it all meant to me and Levi. It has helped so much. In ways that I didn't know it could. As soon as I pressed "publish" on my post, I felt immediate relief. There's something about getting things off my chest that helps me. Hearing stories from those of you who have gone through the same thing helped a lot too. There's something really isolating and almost shameful about a miscarriage. It made me feel inadequate as a woman. I know I'm not, but that's still how I felt.

Once the miscarriage was completely over, I started to feel a little bit better. I felt like I was carrying death around inside of me, and it really weighed heavily on my heart. I just wanted to get the whole thing over with. I feel really fortunate that I was able to miscarry naturally. I don't think I could have handled surgery since I really wasn't fit to be around people all week. I'm still not quite there. I wish I could wear a little sign around my neck telling people not to mind me because I'm grieving. That's one of the benefits of older social customs like wearing all black while in mourning... southern California doesn't really observe many social customs.

The thing that offered me the most comfort was how many people told me I would see my baby in heaven. It made me feel better to know that so many people believed my baby's very short life still counted, that she still had a soul and God still acknowledged her. One of the first things I pictured after this realization was Levi's mom holding our baby and loving her in heaven. She's the first grandchild Julee gets to meet. There's something really sweet and comforting about that.

Levi and I decided to name our baby. From the second we found out I was pregnant, we were both convinced our baby was a girl, so we named her Poppy.

(image by i.Anton on Flickr)

We're going to keep the little bunny we bought for her so that we have a physical reminder of our little Poppy.

Poppy's bunny:

Again, thank you so much for all your support during this difficult time. I know this post was mostly rambling, but that's about all I'm good for right now. I'm also really good for watching The Big Bang Theory, eating horrible food, and not washing my hair. ;) We're starting to reestablish a routine, and I'm starting to heal. I'll have a few good hours, then it will all come back and smack me in the face. I'm sure it will be like this for awhile. I feel so fortunate to go through this all with Levi by my side. His first response when I told him we were losing our baby was to lay down and weep with me - heavy, heart-wrenching sobs. It was awful and horrible and painful, but this is what going through life together is all about. This has brought us even closer together, and I love him more now than I ever have before. As Levi told me this week, "I'd rather lose a baby with [him] than have one with anyone else."

God is giving me hope that our next pregnancy will result in a healthy, happy, perfect little baby, and that's what I'm going to hold onto right now.

My Miscarriage

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:50:00 +0000

I had a miscarriage this week. And it was devastating. We hadn't even known I was pregnant for very long, but it still tore both our hearts apart. I can't help but feel that I did something wrong, that I caused this to happen. I can't help but feel that it isn't fair. I can't help but feel that nothing good can ever happen to me without something horrible happening first. And this was truly horrible. To go from total joy to total despair is an absolute nightmare. I couldn't even believe I was pregnant in the first place, then to have it ripped away from me... I don't even know what to say. Every time I felt a cramp and every time I saw the blood were fresh, constant reminders that my body was taking my baby away from me.

And now I'm really scared to get pregnant again. I'm scared that I'll have to live this nightmare again. I'm angry that my joy will be tainted next time because I know what can happen. I know what this loss feels like.

The day Levi and I found out I was pregnant, we went shopping and bought a little stuffed bunny for our baby. I keep picking up the little bunny and rubbing it against my face, holding it to my chest. My heart is broken, and I don't know what to do. I feel empty and hollow and overwhelmed by grief. I know that it will get better, but right now, it's awful, and I'm just really really sad.

Wolfie's Dedication

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

A couple weeks ago, Wolfie was dedicated at my brother and sister-in-law's church. We all went to watch. He's such a little grownup man now!

(That little stinker loves beards. The pastor tried to move his hand away while he prayed, but Wolfie was very persistent so it stayed.)

I love that sweet little boy.

Our Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Levi and I celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary two weeks ago. We spent the day in LA doing a few of our favorite things.

Our day started with the drive to LA... obviously. Levi had put together a special playlist to listen to on the way, full of "our songs."

While in the car, we played the read-all-the-fake-names-on-the-sample-stationery-in-the-paper-source-catalogue game. For some reason, that always cracks me up. Sometimes, I'm very easily amused.

Our first stop was the Abbot Kinney Intelligentsia for macchiatos and pistachio lemon cake.

I always feel like such a dork taking photos in there because it's always so full of hipsters. Highlight of our Intelligentsia stop: seeing Kevin's mom from Wonder Years. I recognized her in an instant!

After breakfast, we wandered in and out of shops on Abbot Kinney.

They have some really awesome shops. We had so much fun looking at books, baby stuff for Wolfie, stationery, Swedish stuff, and vintage furniture. I love window shopping... almost as much as real shopping.

By the time we were done looking in shops, we were both starving, so we headed to our next stop: Beverly Hills. We had to pick up some macarons. Of course! We saved them for later and ate at a really yummy pizza place on Beverly. Then we browsed the newsstand and peeked in Anthropologie.

(That's Levi demonstrating that he can walk with a bag in his hand without swinging it. I never let him hold bags of fragile food because he's a notorious arm swinger.)

Next on the agenda was a movie at the Landmark. We had been dying to see Carnage, but our Fandango tickets didn't work for the Landmark, and I didn't want to spend the money, so we ended up laying around on some benches in the lobby for awhile instead. Levi ran to the bathroom, leaving me on the bench, browsing through books on my Amazon app. It's funny how many strangers want to come up and chat with you when you're lounging on a bench.

When Levi came back, a man walked by and said we were "art directed within an inch of our lives" and that he needed to take a picture. Haha!

Since our movie plans were delayed (we ended up seeing the movie later in the week - it was so good. I highly recommend it.), we were at a loss for what to do with ourselves, so we headed over to Culver City for a snack. We went to L'Epicerie Market and feasted on a very strange and random snack of baguette, coffee, bananas, and the best roasted potatoes in the world.

By the time we finished, it was dark. I still didn't really want to go home so we headed back to Abbot Kinney and ended up meeting a really nice man named Reggie. He was living through a really difficult time so we chatted with him for awhile. When we parted ways, I hugged him. That's how awesome Reggie was.

We couldn't think of anything else to do, so we just headed home. It was kinda cool that the only thing we did on our second Abbot Kinney stop was chat with a man named Reggie. I thought it was a good way to end our anniversary. :)

Recipe: Mexican Pie

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Do you ever make something for dinner and think, "My future children are going to LOVE nights when I make this"?

This is one of those recipes: mexican pie.

It's certainly not the most attractive dish (especially when it's photographed in my ugly, yellowy-beige kitchen), but it's very delicious and decadent... and easy to make!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

about a pound of chicken breast

salt & pepper

1.5 cups store-bought salsa verde

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

4 large flour tortillas (cut into wedges for a square dish; circles for a pie dish)

3 cups raw baby spinach

2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. The recipe says to cook the chicken in a large skillet with the olive oil, then shred. However, I actually cook the chicken in the crockpot because it falls apart when it's done, and I think it tastes better. Crockpot directions: add chicken breast to crockpot. Season liberally with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Cover with warm water. Turn the crockpot on low, and cook for about 6 hours. If you're using really thick chicken breasts, it may take 8 hours. Really thin, pounded breasts take 5-6 hours. If you want it to cook faster, put it on high for about 4 hours. The high heat just makes a bit drier and tougher. When done, shred and set aside. You can prepare this ahead of time and keep it covered in the refrigerator if you'd like.

3. Whisk together ricotta and salsa verde. Season with salt and pepper (I find this step unnecessary). In a greased 9-inch square baking dish (I use a pie dish), layer a tortilla, 1/3 of the chicken, salsa verde mixture, spinach, and cheese (in that order). Add a tortilla, and repeat twice more. Save some of the cheese to top the final tortilla. I'm only able to get two layers, so I don't use as much cheese (I do load on the chicken and spinach though).

4. Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

*You can also add other vegetables if you'd like.

**Vegetarians, try subbing beans for the chicken.

San Francisco: Day Two

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

I have some news! A few months ago, Levi and I made a firm decision that we're going to move to the bay area, specifically Mill Valley. Since Levi's income depends on his clientele, and since his clientele isn't likely to follow him up north, this is a really big move that will require a lot of planning and a lot of saving. We'll have to move up there with enough money to live off of for at least six months, preferably a year. It will probably take us 3-5 years. I wish we could move tomorrow, but I'm really excited that we have this huge goal. It's really nice to have something to work toward. Also, I'm not ready to leave my family quite yet.

Anyway, I've been to Mill Valley before (and fell IN LOVE with it), but Levi's never been. Everything I told him about it, he loved, but he obviously needed to see it for himself. So on the second day we were in SF, we rented a zipcar, a little orange Mini Cooper to be exact, to drive over the bridge into Mill Valley! The zipcar membership is in my name, so I had to drive, which doesn't sound like a big deal, but here's the thing: I have three recurring nightmares. One of them features me driving up and down insanely steep hills... you know, like the kind you find in San Francisco. My stomach has always twisted into knots at the thought of this. When the first steep hill came for me to drive up, I got sweaty and out of breath. I demanded silence and open windows from Levi. I gripped the steering wheel like my life depended on it. And I shrieked and yelled and cursed. BUT I didn't die!!! But then there was a really steep hill to drive DOWN. Yeesh. I did it though. By the end of the day, there wasn't quite as much cursing, sweating, panting, and shrieking. I passed the test!

Our first stop of the day was breakfast at MarketBar at the Ferry Building. It was divine. We shared crepes with caramelized apples and the baked egg, persimmon, and bacon flatbread. Ahhh, everything was so good.

After breakfast, it was time to drive over the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge. I've driven over the bridge tons of times, but I've never been the driver. This was a momentous occasion. The second the bridge was in sight, Levi and I became positively giddy. He was snapping photos. We were chattering a mile a minute. It was perfect. The car had a moon roof, so I told him that he HAD to look up as we drove under the towers (don't tell the DMV... but I sneaked a peek too. Bad, Jasmine!!).

When we got to the other side of the bridge, our excitement only escalated. Levi was in awe. Marin County is so spectacularly beautiful. It seriously takes my breath away. The drive to Mill Valley was beautiful, and I kept checking to see if Levi was loving it as much as I do. He was. :)

Our plan was to spend a little bit of time in Mill Valley before we headed over to Sausalito to hang out with Camilla, Damir, and company. We got to the downtown area and stopped at Depot Café for a snack (breakfast was delicious, but teeny). Then we wandered in and out of shops for a bit, until Camilla told us that they were all settled back at home.

Camilla and Damir are now living in the sweet little guest cottage of her parent's GLORIOUS home. Their house is probably my favorite house in the world. I'm really not exaggerating. Their view is heavenly, and Camilla and Damir get to share the same exact view! Check out Stacey's post on the house for more pictures.

We hung out at Camilla and Damir's, drank the BEST Turkish coffee and snacked on potato pastries (all made by Damir's sweet mother who flew in all the way from Slovenia for the wedding), laughed, and shared stories about the wedding the night before. It was perfect. I'm so grateful that I got to spend a couple hours with Camilla after the wedding.

After we left, we headed back to Mill Valley for a bit more exploring. We popped into Mill Valley Market to pick up snacks to take back to the hotel. We were really trying to get a feel for the place, to imagine what it would be like to live there. Sometimes when I'm trying to fall asleep at night, I picture the future, shopping at Mill Valley Market with my children. It helps me fall right to sleep.

We explored the surrounding area a bit (including checking out the closest Anthropologie in Corte Madera... I have to get the lay of the land after all!) before heading back to the city for dinner... and a mighty fine dinner it was! We feasted on warm goat cheese and arugula salad, moules mariniere (mussels), and steak frites at Gamine. Camilla introduced me to Gamine back in September, and I will never visit San Francisco again without a meal there. It's my favorite restaurant anywhere. After dinner, we returned the car and took a walk down to Union Square where we found some dessert, tried to go ice skating (the wait was soooo long), looked at pets who were up for adoption in store windows, and talked about our day.

Sunday was so most perfect. It was a glimpse of our future... what a serene, beautiful, exciting future we have.

The Day After Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Ever since we got home from San Francisco, Levi and I have been trying to recreate the feeling of being on vacation with little day trips, so on the day after Christmas, we headed to Pasadena... for coffee. Yes, we drove all the way to Pasadena for coffee. We're devoted. It turned out to be the perfect day to go - absolutely NO traffic. Empty LA freeways are glorious.

I love the drive to Pasadena. The 110 freeway is so old and cool. When we got off the freeway, we drove past all the Rose Parade bleachers on the way to Intelligentsia, where we had some delicious coffee.

After coffee, we walked around and looked in shop windows. I was sad that 'lette was closed for the day...

The day was mostly spent wandering around: grocery stores (Gelson's is the best), sidewalks, little shopping centers.

We capped off the evening with dinner at Bottega Louie.

Perfect day.

We're going to be doing lots of this today...

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

because it's our one-year wedding anniversary!

Happy happy!

San Francisco: Day One

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:04:00 +0000

Before Christmas, Levi and I went to San Francisco for Camilla and Damir's wedding.

We woke up early Saturday morning for our flight, and a couple hours later, we checked into the Fairmont Hotel! The Fairmont is such an impressive sight. It's located at the top of Nob Hill and has incredible views. Being on top of Nob Hill also means that it's quite the hike to get there. We took about 20,000 4-minute taxi rides on Saturday... lots of running around.

Guess who we ran into while checking in. If you guessed Camilla, gold star for you! I thought the next time I saw her would be as a married woman, so it was fun seeing her before the wedding while she was still technically single.

Our room at the Fairmont was incredible - big, gorgeous window, huge bathroom, even huger walk-in closet. It was such a treat to stay there.

We spent the day running between Union Square and Nob Hill. It was very hectic. And when I say running, I mean it. We literally ran up Nob Hill... I don't recommend this. Stupid SF taxis... nowhere to be found... EVER.

Finally, the evening arrived. We were all dressed up and ready to go. We had an early dinner at Scala's Bistro (where we ate on our honeymoon every single day) before heading up to the Fairmont's penthouse suite for the wedding reception.

THE PENTHOUSE SUITE - OOHHHMYYYYYYYGOSHHHHH.

This place is unreal. I never got over how incredible this place was while we were there. There really isn't anything I can say to explain it, which is really saying something because I'm never at a loss for words. You can look at a few photos of the "suite" (it's like a house) here. You know how some hotel rooms/suites look way better in photos than in real life... not so with this place. This place was about a kajillion times better. We took a few photos of the view and the rooms, but they're pretty much crap compared to the real thing, so we'll all just have to wait 'til Camilla gets her wedding photos back! For now, here are some pictures of me, Levi, the bride, and a few other guests (I really wish I had taken more photos. oh well):

(upstairs in the library)

(peeking into one of the secret passageways hidden behind a wall of books)

(We met Ashlee and her husband, Brett. Here they are smiling down at us from the library. Check out all the constellations on the domed ceiling!)

(me and Jenny May's husband, Jonas... don't we look like brother and sister??! I couldn't get over how related we look. I must be Swedish.)

And finally, me and the gorgeous bride, Camillaleila:

I LOVE that photo on the right. It needs a frame.

Camilla said it was her dream wedding. It makes me sooooo happy that she had such a wonderful time and that the wedding was exactly how she imagined, better than she imagined! Levi and I were so honored that we could celebrate with those two. It was incredible.

On Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:30:00 +0000

I decided that I really needed to start the new year with new pens, so Levi and I went to Target on Sunday to buy a pack of my favorites. As we were perusing the aisles, it occurred to me that I used to write things by hand every single day when I was in high school and college, and now, many days go by when I haven't even looked at a pen or pencil. This struck me as really strange and inspired one of my resolutions for 2012:

Work with my hands more.

I love using my hands (you know, beyond my pointer fingers and thumbs). It's really gratifying. It makes me feel connected to my humanity. Sometimes it even makes me slow down a bit. These are all good things.

I love new year's resolutions. I know some people don't because resolutions are often hard to keep, and they can make you feel like you've failed, but I don't look at them that way. Resolutions seem very hopeful to me, and I like hope. Hope is good.

Levi and I lead a Bible study every Wednesday night. Last week, we discussed new year's resolutions and came up with some spiritual goals as a group. We looked at this passage:

Summing up: be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving,

be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you,

no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm.

Instead, bless - that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing

and also get a blessing. Whoever wants to embrace life and

see the day fill up with good, here's what you do: say nothing

evil or hurtful; snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace

for all you're worth. God looks on all this with approval,

listening and responding well to what he's asked; but

he turns his back on those who do evil things.

1 Peter 3:8-12

(The Message translation)

How's that for a list of resolutions??!

This is what I want for my year, my life. This is a picture of the woman I'd like to become. I know I won't be able to keep all my resolutions this year, but that won't stop me from making them and from trying. Even though I'll never be able to get it all right, I can get some of it right more often. I can become a little bit more loving, agreeable, humble, compassionate. I can recognize and take more opportunities to be a blessing to others. I can inch towards the woman I'd like to be.

To me, that's the whole point of resolutions: to get closer to your goals, to try, to constantly desire growth and improvement, to constantly move towards the good, to press on, to dream, to change. I never want to get to a point of stagnation. I'd rather always walk the line between contentment and striving for better.

The Latest & Greatest

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:59:00 +0000

My current favorite:

Jo's Candies peppermint crunch cookies - they're like Thin Mints... 2.0.

Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:20:00 +0000

An Experiment in Poverty got a makeover!

I'm kinda sad to see the old look go, and I will forever love my old banner, but it was time for a change.

You'll probably see a few more changes in the days to come.

Hope you like it! :)

A Fresh Start

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 01:06:00 +0000

I just LOVE ringing in a new year! It feels like a fresh start, a chance to improve and grow and change. Levi and I are making A LOT of changes in 2012. Some are very scary, but they're all very exciting. I plan on savoring this year and watching how everything unfolds, watching how God takes care of us and blesses us in 2012, watching my faith in Him grow. This year will be incredible!!

And now a little recap of 2011, which brought plenty of changes of its own:

Our year started out with a wedding, which I did all the beautiful flowers for.

We took our honeymoon in our favorite city, San Francisco.

We celebrated our first Valentine's Day as a married couple.

I saw Tangled.

We took a mini-moon to Cambria (and went to the central coast twice more later in the year).

I invented grapefruit pizza (speaking of, I really need to make this again. Soooooo good.)

I had a blogger weekend with Camilla, Stacey, and Jenny May, and it was awesoooooome.

We sat.

We tried Intelligentsia for the first time, and it was really really good.

We sent out lots and lots of thank you cards (and I'm pretty sure we lost a list of people to thank, which makes me feel like a horrible person), and we received the best thank you for the thank you ever.

Stacey came down in April, and we had a really fun friend date. I love that girl. She is seriously one of my very best friends. She came down again in November, and our husbands got to meet.

I joined Instagram (username = @avec_la_fleur).

We celebrated Easter, and I kicked the crap out of a piñata.

We had our picture taken by Kim and André in Abbot Kinney.

I helped throw a baby shower for my sister-in-law and brother.

I turned 29 and had a Tangled birthday party.

Wolfie was born!!!!!

We went to Portland.

I started doing the Blossom feautres for The Violet.

We got a king sized bed!!!!

Stacey and I went to the Bay Area to visit Camilla (Stacey's posts on that trip: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).

I had an important epiphany at a Bon Iver concert.

We also went to San Francisco to celebrate Camilla's wedding (posts on that trip are coming in 2012!).

And lots and lots of other things. Happy New Year to you all!

Christmas Day

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 04:00:00 +0000

We have always spent Christmas morning at the house I grew up in. When I lived there, we woke up super early, ate breakfast together, went through our stockings, and opened presents. Now that I don't live there, we get there early and do all the same things. It's the best. Sadly, this was our last Christmas in that home. It's going to be torn down in the new year, and the thought of it makes me really sad, so let's not talk about it anymore for now, okay??! I'm just really happy that Wolfie got to spend his very first Christmas morning in the home his daddy grew up in! :)

Speaking of Wolfie, he's really into chewing on water bottles:

And I'm really into him:

Every year, my mom bakes muffins for us in little flower pots:

But this year, there were also donuts, so I got a little sidetracked:

(sorry there's a hook blocking your face, Ivy!)

After breakfast, it was time to open some presents! We drew names this year. I got my sister. I ordered all of her gifts online (a little late), so I wrapped up pictures of the things she would be receiving in the mail. Haha! It meant that I could give her more though because I was able to get great deals on things! And who doesn't love mail??! (To read about the best gift I received this year, click here.)

(Wolfie loved the drum my mom gave him.)

My brother, Zachary, gave Levi a Nerf gun (the boys always get Nerf guns at Christmas), so they had fun playing with those. About five minutes after unwrapping them, they took them apart to modify them so they could shoot farther. Haha!

I couldn't decide which photo I liked best of me and Levi, so I'm just throwing them all in:

(Yes, I wore the exact same outfit on Christmas Eve...)

It was a great last Christmas in the Hunter family home! :)

Candlelit Christmas Eve

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:34:00 +0000

On Christmas Eve, we went to church with our friend, Ray.

Church was awesome. We sang lots of Christmas carols, there was a shadow puppet show, and we celebrated the birth of Jesus with tambourines and maracas. My favorite part was towards the end when we lit candles and sang my favorite song of all time, Oh Holy Night.

It was beautiful.

After church, we included Ray and my sister, Ivy, on our Christmas Eve tradition of dinner at a dive restaurant (think Coco's, Spires, Hof's Hut, etc.). This year, we went to Hof's Hut and feasted on extraordinarily mediocre food in the lounge, which probably hasn't changed at all since 1973.

Next, we went home and wrapped presents while listening to Christmas music... it didn't take long since we only had three presents to wrap.

Levi and I didn't exchange gifts this year since we went to San Francisco the week before Christmas. I cheated though and gave him a little teeny gift (the awful drawing you see represents the Radiohead decal that is coming in the mail for our car this week - told you it was a teeny gift).

Oh, Christmas Tree!

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 20:07:00 +0000

This year, we got a little 4-foot Christmas tree. He is so cute - all skinny and short. We had to put him on top of an old drawer to give him a little bit of a boost.

The fact that our tree is only four feet tall didn't stop Levi from dressing him in 800 lights. 800!!! Each branch is wrapped in colorful lights. I love looking at it without my contacts on... I can't see the tree anymore; all I can see are big, blurry balls of colorful lights.

Decorating a Christmas tree with Levi is a serious business. He had to redo the lights three times because he couldn't get them just right at the top of the tree. He also asks that we only decorate with one type of ornament at a time... so that they're properly spaced on the tree. Levi is a very laid-back, easygoing man, but when it comes to decorating a Christmas tree or making something look nice, he is so meticulous and OCD. It never fails to surprise me and crack me up. I guess I'm not the only perfectionist in this family.

I love this little tree. I have a feeling he'll be with us far into January.

The Nativity

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:56:00 +0000

Happy Christmas Eve Eve to you all!

I hope you're having a very blessed Christmas season so far.

Our nativity is my favorite part of our Christmas decorations:

And here's a fun little video on the nativity:

(Here is a link to the video if you can't play it from your smartphone on my blog.)

Besides the fact that my Mary has angel wings (I tried to rip them off... it's not happening), it looks like my nativity is fairly accurate! It doesn't really matter as long as Jesus is in there. :)

Enjoy the next few days leading up to the day we celebrate the birth of our savior!

Huzzah!!!

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:34:00 +0000

Bright and early tomorrow morning, Levi and I are flying to San Francisco!!

Not only do we get to stay at the historic Fairmont Hotel, eat at all our favorite restaurants, and soak up all the wonderfulness of our favorite city... we get to go to the wedding of one of my very best friends!!!

That's right! Camilla is getting herself a husband! And a very good one at that. I can't wait to see what a gorgeous bride she'll be.

We love you, Camilla & Damir! See you tomorrow! Eep!

My Uniform

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:59:00 +0000

For the past few months (seriously), this has pretty much been my go-to outfit. The shirt varies, but everything else pretty much stays the same.

Boyfriend jeans? Check.

Clean shirt? Check.

Espadrilles? Check.

Sunglasses? Check.

Zebra purse? Check.

Toddler tails? Check.

And then, it's out the door I go.

Now that it's starting to get colder, I'm transitioning into wear my tights-boots-skirt-coat-scarf uniform.

As much as I love clothes, I'm just kinda lazy at heart. ;)

Trying to Steal Boppy's S'more

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 06:44:00 +0000

I think this might be my favorite picture of all time.

Things I Really Like Right Now

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:42:00 +0000

1. wearing tights again

2. my new scarf

3. lemon rose tea from Peet's

4. gingerbread lemon cupcakes

5. Wolfie's new fake cough

6. setting goals and meeting them

7. the fact that we still don't have a comforter for the king size bed we got in July (just a quilt and two thin blankets), and our house is freeeeeezing. The only way to stay warm is to snuggle together in the middle all night. I kinda don't want a comforter...

8. the super sparkly shoes I just bought to wear to Camilla's wedding in TWO WEEKS

9. the fact that Camilla's wedding is in only two weeks!!!!

10. our Sunday tradition of church followed by the French omelette at Pain du Monde

Levi's Birtheve Date Night

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:17:00 +0000

On Levi's birtheve (aka the night before his 31st birthday), we did a little celebrating at Red Table, a new restaurant in Huntington Beach. Levi and I were really excited when we heard that my friend Taylor's mom was opening a new restaurant nearby! Long Beach is in desperate need of new, good restaurants.

Red Table is awesome. It has a really eclectic style with both its food and its décor (btw, the women's restroom has a mirror that is oh so flattering... don't you LOVE those??).

(LOVED this chandelier cluster. By the way, the lighting was very romantic, so our pictures are a bit soft-focused and dark.)

All the staff was super friendly. Taylor was there when we walked in. She showed us to our table, made a few recommendations, and brought us some wine. Hospitable? Yes!

(my dinner game face)

We started with soup - tomato bisque for me and clam chowder for Levi.

I miss my soup. It was so delicious.

Then we had our main courses - pan roasted chicken for me and braised beef short ribs for Levi.

Now, I loved the chicken and the short ribs, but my very favorite part of our entrées was Levi's roasted carrots in that yummy sauce and the mashed potatoes... I'm such a side lover. If I could, I would order roasted carrots and mashed potatoes everywhere I go. I'm pretty sure Red Table had the best roasted carrots I've ever had. I want some right now, please.

After dinner, we moved on to our dessert courses... yes, that's right. I said courses, plural. There were too many good options on the menu, so we decided that we needed to try several - the Red Table cupcake (which literally comes out in a cup), the broken banana cream pie, and two chocolate truffles - espresso and chili.

We both agreed that our favorite was the chili truffle. Our server told us that they use a little bit of ghost chili pepper in the chili powder that tops the truffle. Have you heard of that stuff? It's craaaaaazy. Super duper hot. They only used a teensy bit on the truffle though, and it gave it just the right amount of slow burn. Chili and chocolate is such a delicious combination. If you're local, go try Red Table!!! And tell Taylor I say hello!

After dinner, we stopped by Peet's for some tea and took a walk.

(Levi's blogger pose)

It was a superb birtheve.

OHHHHH!

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 06:21:00 +0000

How is this boy's existence fair to all the other babies in the world??! He's just the cutest thing I've ever ever seen. And I'm not being biased one teensy bit.

Wolfie's lots of fun to be obsessed with.

(all photos stolen from my brother and sister-in-law)

More snippets of conversation. Because I love them.

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Found this gem that Levi had written down and saved in his phone:

While trying to figure out why the bakery wouldn't sell her the last piece of wildberry cake:

Jasmine: They probably wanted to eat it themselves, huh?

Levi: It was a dream. I'm sure they didn't have any motivation.

Hahahahahah! WHY AM I SO FUNNY?!

In Bed.

noreply@blogger.com (jasmine) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:44:00 +0000

This is what my life has looked like for the last week:

I caught that super nasty cold that's going around. I don't want to point any fingers, but it was his fault. That little monster.

The worst part of this malady has been the night coughing. Ugh, pure torture. I CANNOT STOP coughing as soon as bedtime rolls around. I describe them as "powdery coughs." It's like I inhaled a powdery substance, and it keeps puffing around in my chest, tickling my throat, making me choke.

A couple nights ago, at 2:00 in the morning, the coughing was so bad that Levi and I started desperately searching for new remedies online (I had already tried every NyQuil type medication, two different kinds of cough syrup, cough drops, tea, hot water with honey and lemon, hot showers, cold walks outside, everything). One website recommended putting Vick's VapoRub on the soles of your feet and sleeping with thick socks on. Another site recommended dark chocolate. So, at 2:30 in the morning, Levi went to CVS to purchase Vick's and the darkest chocolate he could find.

As I waited, hacking my brains out and seriously gasping for air, I started noticing a fuzzy little aura in my vision. I was getting a migraine. Seriously, body? A migraine? Now??! I had already taken two Benadryl to try to knock myself out, so I was deliriously tired. And my stomach ached from all the coughing. I was dreading the nausea and brain-splitting headache this migraine would bring. The hole in my vision kept getting worse, and the coughing would NOT stop, so I hobbled to the kitchen with my eyes closed and decided that I would eat until Levi got back. Eating seemed to be the only thing that kept me from coughing. I sat in the living room in my robe with my eyes closed, forcing myself to eat gingerbread cookies (I hated adding more sugar to the mix, but they were the only thing we had in the house). Then I decided to make myself some hot honey water with lime squeezed into it... all with my eyes closed. It was seriously comical.

When Levi got back at 3:00, he rubbed the Vick's on my feet and put my socks on for me. I crawled back into bed and shoved some 86% dark chocolate in my mouth (sooooo bitter), forcing myself to choke it down (coughing is a great appetite suppressant). We started laughing at the ridiculousness of the whole thing - me blinded by a migraine preparing drinks in the kitchen with my eyes closed, Levi frantically running to the pharmacy in the middle of the night, then driving to 7-Eleven for lemons shouting at the employee in the parking lot on a smoke break, "DO YOU HAVE ANY LEMONS? I NEED LEMONS!" Everyone needs a little frantic midnight drama in their lives to spice things up every now and again.

So what have I learned from this cold?

1. The Vick's on the feet thing does actually work. However, I prefer it on my chest.

2. Coconut oil is the best thing in the world for a nose rubbed raw by Kleenex... even the lotion kind beats my nose up. I've been dragging a little bowl of coconut oil around the house with me, rubbing it on every time I blow my nose.

3. A bed littered with used Kleenex, cough drop wrappers, nose spray, and dark chocolate wrappers is super sexy... not. The sight does make me laugh though.

4. My husband is the best nurse in all the land.

5. Chocolate is good for everything.