Babalou

Chihuahua, It's Cold Outside

2012-01-25T11:31:00.000-06:00

It is a cloudy, rainy, wintry day and although I enjoy any reason to cuddle and drink coffee while wrapped in a blanket with cozy house socks comforting my rice paddy feet, Miss Harley does not like chilly weather whatsoever. She is wondering when Spring is going to arrive! Her little Chihuahua body is in need of sunshine! Keep on Keepin on.

Martin Luther King Jr.

2012-01-16T14:09:00.000-06:00

Martin Luther King Jr. January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968 Image via here Martin Luther King Jr. was always a historical figure that intrigued me and one that I respect greatly. I don't know if growing up in a mostly white community made me a little more aware and interested in the history of racism since I'm only partially white, or if the gravity of Martin Luther King Jr.'s power and

A Little Treat: Rice Cake w/Peanut Butter & Apple

2012-01-10T16:35:00.000-06:00

I am naturally a BIG SWEETS lover. I'd be dandy just eating sweets, mostly dark chocolate, all day long if it was good for me. Unfortunately, it is not as good for me as I like to sometimes justify in my mind. Also, I pretty much like food in general and love to eat...constantly. I crave and think about eating something literally ever hour on the hour. When I first moved out on my own and

Top 5 of 2011

2012-01-08T15:23:00.001-06:00

<!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name

New Posts On Their Way

2011-12-11T16:18:00.000-06:00

It has been so long since I last provided a new post. At the same time, so much has happened and changed that I can't wait to share it with you all. I have some new posts and things in the works that I think you all would be so excited about! I promise to start sharing soon. Keep checking back for some upcoming excitement! Meanwhile...enjoy some laughter while I'm away creating some

Yellow Potato & Squash Curry

2011-07-07T14:54:00.001-05:00

Lately I've been trying to cook meals that use more fresh products rather than processed foods. One of our new favorite dishes is a curry dish I got from Kathleen. I started with her recipe and adapted it to fit what we have hanging out in our kitchen. I've also made it a point to shop at the Farmer's Market to get some of my goodies. Our dinner last night - Yellow Potato & Squash Curry

My Birthday Present

2011-07-06T07:14:00.001-05:00

So my birthday isn't until later this month, but my wonderful husband informed me of what we are doing for my birthday. And this totally DID NOT come about by me calling him yesterday morning and telling him exactly what he could get me for my birthday if he didn't already have something clever up his sleeve... I'm going to see "A Chorus Line"! EEEE! My nerdy show choir heart is all a flutter.

Long Weekend Rundown

2011-07-05T15:09:00.001-05:00

Sparky and I had a long holiday weekend jam-packed full of greatness. We took advantage of the 3-day weekend by making it a 4-day weekend instead. It was glorious. We played hard and got a little bit of rest somewhere in there. Our weekend consisted of (I'll try to go in order if possible): 3 barre3 workouts 140 miles of bicycling Home depot looky-loos Antique shopping Being a landlord

Apples and Ginger Juice

2011-06-21T16:21:00.001-05:00

Recently, I have been changing up my diet to be more healthy and conscious of what I'm actually putting in my body. No, I'm not on a diet. I don't believe in diets for many reasons but I won't delve into that subject because it can be a very personal and sensitive topic for many. But, for me, I'm all about trying to do what's right and best for the one body I have and sticking to it. My goal

Inspiration: Kitchens

2011-06-20T13:41:00.000-05:00

I have been dreaming of a new kitchen for a long time. I frequently pine over other blogs and websites that feature beautifully renovated kitchens. Oh to have new functional cabinets and more storage for organization. sigh. Sparky and I have two rooms in our house that need some serious reno-love. The master bath and our kitchen. The master bath is smaller so Sparky says that room needs to

Handmade Hanging Planter Boxes

2011-06-18T16:29:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, Sparky and I were perusing one of our local greenhouses when I spotted a super cute and simple hanging planter. I am not normally one for hanging flower planters but I really liked the one I saw that day. It had a modern and Asian feel to it. It was just wooden slats stacked to form a box. The problem? It was pricey...and I didn't really care for the flowers already in it.

Herb Garden

2011-06-02T12:12:00.000-05:00

This year I decided I wanted to try having an herb garden. Sparky and I normally go all out with our homemade garden every Spring, filling it with various tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and a fruit here and there. We haven't been too lucky in the vegetable garden department since last year's hail storm wiped ours out completely and we never really recuperated our garden afterwards. So, this year

Mini Banana Muffins

2011-05-30T11:14:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite and relaxing hobbies is baking. Unfortunately, I really only know how to bake banana bread. Why? Because I end up having to bake a banana something all the time. You see...I have a really odd love-hate relationship with bananas. I LOVE bananas when they aren't ripe. In fact, green means good in this case. I buy and eat bananas green and once they get one little bruise on

Planter Boxes

2011-05-06T11:57:00.000-05:00

The Start. You can see that Sparky had already stained the deck and the "big" pergola. The front was left alone after the "vision" of planters popped in Sparky's head and he was determined to build large planter boxes on the front of the deck. Sparky first started by building a frame along the already existing step. We had so much left over decking wood from the deck and pergola that we

Royal Wedding Guest Name

2011-04-28T14:25:00.000-05:00

In continuation of being silly and enjoying The Royal Wedding coverage and anticipation, we are not only speaking in English accents, we are finding our Royal Wedding Guest Names. Because you know we are all guests....right. Here's what you do: 1. Start with either Lord or Lady 2. Your first name is one of your grandparents' names. 3. Your surname is the name of your first pet,

What's Your Happiness-Success?

2011-04-28T12:04:00.000-05:00

About every 6 months or so I get in a mental mode of self evaluation. I get really critical about my life choices and I analyze all my levels of success in terms of happiness and all the factors that make up my own definition of happiness. My dad once told me, "You really need to lighten up or else you're going to give yourself an ulcer." There may be some truth to that, but I prefer wigging

Anthropologie Quilt

2011-04-26T11:49:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that I am one of those people that love to change out bedding. I am obsessed with bedding. What I am not obsessed with is bedding prices. So, I don't get new bedding near as often as I would love to primarily for this reason. The other reason? I live with 4 dogs and a gross boy. Just sayin. All the bedding I drool over are typically white or grey and those colors and

Barre3: It's All About The Pants

2011-04-25T12:03:00.005-05:00

While having dinner with friends the other night, my girlfriend and I were discussing a little bit about the Barre3 class we take in OKC. We were trying to explain to our husbands that "it's all about the pants". We laughed hysterically about this concept...but there is quite a bit of truth and validity to it. Since I started Barre3 at the end of February, I have been obsessed with searching

Royal Wedding = Royal English Accent

2011-04-25T11:31:00.001-05:00

I've decided since it's "Royal Wedding Week" that it's also "Speak in a Pretentious Royal English Accent Week"... I started this pretentious royal accent yesterday and I've already driven Sparky insane. I might have to be careful about this... BUT, I just can't help myself. The accent just comes out all on it's own. It's like I have an English accent turrets. It's boggling really. (Said to

Makes You Go Hmmmm

2011-04-20T15:24:00.000-05:00

As I was enjoying my afternoon java and a teeny tiny weeny itsy bitsy little reeses cup scrumptious healthy snack, I started making the yummy noises. You know. The outward large sigh with slumped shoulders of defeat that quickly lead to the "hmmmmm, hmmmm, hmmmmm, hmmmmm, hmmmmmmmmm!!" In other words, that was exactly what I needed in that very moment to make all my worries go away for a few

A Task Filled Weekend and A Treat

2011-04-18T15:14:00.001-05:00

Sparky and I mostly Sparky accomplished a lot off of our "to-do" list this past weekend. I can't wait to share the photos of all the goods. For now, here is a list to get you excited: Cleaned the house (not too exciting; but very necessary) Got some new "grasses" that are drought tolerant to put in our newly finished planter boxes attached to the deck!!! Huge accomplishment. Finished staining

Purple and Full of Pride

2011-04-18T14:21:00.001-05:00

One of my very many many goals in life (and trust me, there are a plethora; note to self: blog post on goals), is to be a photoshop wizard. Now, whether that be self taught or taking a class or just in my dreams, this photoshop wizardry will be accomplished someday and somehow. I play a lot in photoshop and accomplish very few ah-ha moments. (note to self: have more ah-ha moments). I also

Macy

2011-04-15T15:33:00.000-05:00

Sparky was making his hanging planter boxes this past weekend when I snapped this cute little pic of our Macy girl. I can rarely get a cute photo of Macy so this was extra special that I finally got one that wasn't all blurry. Plus, of course, there are all the beer bottles in the planter as well. Makes for a good photo if you ask me! Have a beautiful weekend! Keep on Keepin on.

Sparky and His Sunflowers

2011-04-06T14:48:00.001-05:00

Sparky loves him some Sunflowers. I know. Random. As Spring has arrived, Sparky and I have been anxious to pretty up our yards once again. We love planting and gardening and building a better home and Spring has shown to be the time when we get all "ba-jig-adee"...yeah. bajigadee. Our recent trips to TLC and Lowes have brought us colorful and sustainable plants and flowers. I finally got

Our January Wedding Video

2011-04-05T09:16:00.000-05:00

Our wedding video is done and I am so happy with it! Aimee Adams Lovebirds Artistic Weddings has it all! She is so amazing to work with. She's creative, patient, understanding, a good listener, a great communicator, and a professional. Basically, she's the whole package. It is so obvious that Aimee loves what she does and truly cares about her clients. One of my favorite parts is when the