c. jane create

together {7 years}

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:07:00 +0000

Yesterday Steven & I celebrated our seventh anniversary. And while I've been completely present for all 2,555 days, it is honestly hard to believe it's been that long. But then when I think about all the things we've done, places we've lived, milestones we've celebrated... it all comes together. What an awesome seven years it has been.

We've lived in five places together (almost six, yay house! boo moving). We've graduated college, found our first and second jobs, bought a house, and somehow gained three ~~annoying~~ sweet cats. We've celebrated many birthdays, holidays and life events with each other and many awesome friends.

When I think about how strong our relationship is, I always go back to how it all started. Literally two weeks after we officially started dating we left school to go back home for the summer. We spent the whole summer actually getting to know each other and learning how to communicate with one another. If we hadn't have done that, we might still be sitting on my twin bed, pretending to study for finals while watching infomercials and eating giant bowls of cheerios...

Communication is maybe the single most important part of a relationship and ours is built on it. To be honest, on a rare occasion when we have a disagreement, sometimes it works better for us to go into separate rooms and text each other. It gives us both time to think and not blurt out things we don't mean. Whatever works, right?

He would truly do anything for me, as I would for him. We've gotten good at the give and take a relationship needs. And I couldn't imagine anyone else putting up with my controlling-craziness as gracefully as Steven does. ;)

At the end of the day, I'm proud to call Steven my best friend. And soon I'll get to call him my husband and best friend - what a magnificent combination.

I love you Steven. You're quite necessary to my delight.

xoxo, christa

our new house: the before tour

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:54:00 +0000

{the front, lacking a little curb appeal with the dead bushes...}

Finally. They have been edited... I've got a ton of pictures for you today! Probably too many, so grab a cup of coffee and settle in.

Here is our first house. Soon to be home! During our first visit as official homeowners {Saturday, April 13} I went through and snapped some quick pictures - nothing professional here, folks!

{better picture of the front bed. pretty ugly.}

{the garage, open door leads into the laundry room}

{behind the double doors on the R is the furnace and hot water heater}

{L: blur alert! the laundry room. door on the right leads to the garage.}

{R: looking back into the laundry room from the hallway}

{L: the tiny hallway. laundry straight ahead, master to the right}

{R: turning left from the picture above, you'll see the entryway}

{standing in the entry, here is the living room}

{kitchen to the left, built-ins and fireplace, hallway to other bedrooms}

{one of my favorite things about this house... the built-ins are so dreamy.}

{steven's gallon of water to the left, my coffee to the right. ;) }

{the kitchen!}
{let me point out the one, tiny blue light hanging in there...}

{view of the kitchen from the dining area}

{view of the dining area from the kitchen}

{tied with little blue light for worst thing about the kitchen is the layer of stuff on the floor}

{looking back into the living room from the dining area}

{hallway leading to second bath and other bedrooms}

{hall/second bath. it's pretty spacious.}

{more angles of the bath.}

{the medicine cabinet isn't sunk into the wall... and there isn't a toilet paper holder or towel bar}

{looking back into the hallway}

{living room L, bathroom R, the girly purple bedroom will now be our guest room}

{check out that ceiling fan!}

{it's a smaller room, but it will serve it's purpose.}

{L: looking from the purple room, bath to L, door on R leads to the 4th bedroom}

{R: the 'big blue room'}

{big blue room. you can see the 'red roof house' out the window}

{the door swings closed and there is a fun string to change the fan speed...}

{the 'little blue room' will become the office}

{the 'little blue room' is little - but it will work perfectly for what we need.}

{looking into the living room from the hall}

{L: looking into the master from the hallway}

{R: master has nice tall ceilings and gets nice, but not direct, light}

{the other side of the master. door on L goes into bath, door on R goes into the hall}

{looking into the master bath}

{door on far L is the water closet, door in the middle is one of two closets!}

{again, no towel bars or toilet paper holder in here.}

{L: water closet and one of the His & Hers closets}

{R: the other closet and the shower, door on R goes back into the bedroom}

{the nice big vanity with two sinks! and weirdly placed outlets}

{and more medicine cabinets that are just screwed onto the wall, not sunken in}

{and the backyard. we have a little covered area with a ceiling fan}

{back of the house. window on L is in the kitchen. bay window is the dining area. door and window inside the covered area is the living room, window on R is the master bath.}

{another view. we hope to fence in the yard sooner than later.}

{the yard slopes up in the back, but we have quite a bit of flat space. and the slope actually gives us more privacy from the neighbors behind us. the building on the R of this picture is a service center for a telephone/internet company. the service people get their supplies from the building, so it doesn't see too much traffic. we plan to plant trees to help hide it a bit.}

So the inside is pretty much brown box after brown box, followed up by a couple bright blue boxes and one purple one. I mentioned this in a previous post, but this house was a forclosure. There are some things that were ignored, some of those "what were they thinking?" moments, but still an opportunity to make our new house a home.

It's been two and half weeks since we closed. {has it really only been that long?!} A lot of progress has been made already and I'm excited to share it with you. I'll share some more pictures soon.

Have to give my parents a huge shout-out here... they just spent a week making some of our dreams a reality and I can't even being to imagine how long it would have taken us without their help. We could never express our gratitude enough!

So obviously the lack of posting has to do with the fact we've been spending all our time either at work, at the new house, working on wedding planning, or in bed - very little time for anything extra. :)

xoxo, christa

homeowners.

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000

{about to become a homeowner}

I woke up Friday morning mostly excited and slightly nervous. But who isn't a tad nervous when they're about to do something new? I managed to make my way through the work day, though I'm not sure much work actually got done... I remember searching the Lowe's website for mulch, shovels and wheelbarrows. :) I left the office at three to meet up with Steven for our closing.

{right after we got the key!}

The closing was interesting. We obviously didn't really know what to expect, but it seemed far too easy. Sign this tall stack of papers, and we'll give you a house! Our mortgage banker, realtor, closing broker and a notary were all present. The notary was representing the sellers, or the bank in our case. Our awesome mortgage banker went through all the paperwork, we signed our names approximately one million times each, the notary signed his parts, the realtor and closing broker each had one thing for us to sign, and then we walked out with a giant folder of papers and a single key.

We got in the car and looked at each other. "Well, that's it. We're homeowners." "Yeah. It's weird."

And then we promptly went to Lowe's and spent the remaining few dollars we had in our bank accounts buying gardening stuff, door hardware, toilet seats, paint... so many homeownery things.

Side note: have you seen the wall of toilet seats at the hardware store?! It's a seat with a hole in it and a lid... how many options does there need to be?!

{I drank this giant organic cider in record time}

Then we celebrated with our other married / engaged friends, both couples are also in the middle of the first-time-home-buying process. Steven and I were talking about how lucky we are to have such awesome friends who are in the same stage of life as we are. We obviously love all our friends, but having a few who really understand what's going on in each others lives is so important.

But back to the story of our first weekend of home-ownership...

{one of my first projects}

Saturday morning we got up bright and early and took our cars full of cleaning supplies, gardening equipment, painting equipment and other miscellaneous stuff over to the house. Steven's first project was to dig out the front garden bed. The previous owners had so much extra dirt and mulch in the bed it was at least six inches too high and inviting bugs and termites into the house. We also pulled out four or five dead bushes. The weather is supposed to be nice again this weekend, so hopefully we can finish preparing the bed so we can plant some things the following weekend!

I'll keep you guessing as to what the turquoise paint is for. I have a whole round of "before" pictures that I'm sorting through and editing. I promise I'll share soon. :)

{Sunday morning large coffee}

We got up early again on Sunday for round two. I ran out to get coffee and breakfast while Steven was getting ready. We were a little slower, but still made some progress. We have a good list of things to do this coming weekend. Hopefully we can get them all checked off!

I'll try to post a little photo tour and the before pictures soon!

xoxo, christa

tomato, cucumber & feta salad

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:39:00 +0000

I ate at a local restaurant with a friend a couple weeks ago, and he ordered the 'red, white & green salad' as an appetizer for us to share. It was so good, the whole time I was wondering why I hadn't ever seen the combination before!

I bought the ingredients to make it at home the next day. I made a big bowl to share with friends while we watched the basketball game. It's a bit healthier than our usual fare... and we're all trying to watch our waistlines.

tomato, cucumber & feta salad
2 pints of cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 large cucumber, deseeded and diced
2 cups of crumbled feta
3-4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar reduction {try this recipe. I make a bunch and keep it in the fridge}
Salt & Pepper to taste
Serve with toasted pita bread

Super simple. Super delicious. I think we'll be making this one all summer!

I think this would be good with some lettuce in a pita as a sandwich. You could even add some chickpeas, or a side of hummus. Oh, the possibilities! :)

Enjoy!

xoxo, christa

spring, is that really you?

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:22:00 +0000

Last Sunday was the first glance of this year's spring weather. I stepped outside and immediately smiled. I honestly felt 1000 pounds lighter. Warm, sunny weather brightens my mood and decreases the chances that I'll bite someone's head off, or break into tears.

This year I was especially aware how blah I felt during the cold, snowy weather. Combine that with some stressful situations at work, and all the busy at home {home buying & wedding planning}... I was getting pretty miserable.

Sunday healed me. Or began the process anyway. :) I stepped outside for a second, turned around and went back in for a blanket, coffee and my kindle. I wanted to lay in the grass, in the sun, but it was too soggy from the heavy rain the day before. I settled for the shade, still warm, and stared up at the puffy clouds. Watching them drift by was peaceful.

Warm, sun-shiny days are exactly what I need. They feed my soul with happiness.

When it started to get chilly, I added some layers. When I couldn't stand it anymore, I reluctantly drug the blanket back inside and opened the blinds on the front windows to let the sun stream in.

So, dear sun, please stick around for longer than a couple days. Warm my soul and make me happy.

xoxo, christa

organizing & sorting

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 11:33:00 +0000

{packing up the craft room & office}

I have been a sorting, organizing and purging fool the past few weekends. Since our move will inevitably sneak up on us faster than we anticipate, I have started to go through some of my craft 'stuff' and organize it into tubs. And I'm throwing a ton of stuff out, or donating it possible.

All of my craft room supplies are now organized by categories into tubs, and my space looks much cleaner! :) I even boxed up some stuff that I know I won't use before we move.

A little while back, when I first got the organizational kick, I updated my recipes page {link at the top!} to make my posts easier to find. I have been wanting to do this forever, but I thought I would have to make each image/graphic individually and then link them one by one... and that just didn't sound appealing at all. But! I found InLinkz.com and it does exactly what I wanted! It took me maybe 45 minutes to an hour to set the whole thing up and add in each of my links. I adore it. :)

Hopefully if you're looking for something in particular, you'll be able to find it much easier than before. I even use it when I'm making my grocery list... much easier to decide what to have for dinner!

And, some housekeeping... I want you to know that I have turned off anonymous comments. I was trying so hard to leave it as an option, but I've been getting several spam comments a day and it takes a lot of time to go through and delete them. I'd rather spend my time replying to the real comments I have. If you don't want to make a google account to leave a comment, you can always hop over to my facebook page to comment or ask a question.

Packing is probably my least favorite thing, but it's gotta be done... because unpacking and organizing is my favorite thing about moving. :)

xoxo, christa

our house {buying during a winter storm}

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:41:00 +0000

{a peek at our new house!}

Before we knew about the prospect of getting 20+ inches of snow in a week's time, Steven and I were back on the house hunt and looking at lots of houses. We came across a 4 bedroom ranch, which is exactly what we had been looking for and are practically unheard of. But - it couldn't be that easy. No part of our house-hunting story has been! It was a government-owned foreclosure.

We decided it would be worth looking at, mainly because we both couldn't stop looking at the pictures! We saw it the day it was listed. Of course we fell in love with it. In my head I rationalized that we probably had a good chance to get it because the word 'foreclosure' can be scary and many people would avoid the house all together. We were the only people who had seen the house in person. After debating the best route to go, we placed a full-price offer on Valentine's Day. Two days after the house went on the market. We knew that in the case of foreclosures the process can get quite finicky and they love to take their time, so we were prepared to wait.

We didn't have to wait long! On Thursday, February 21st, one week after placing our offer, we learned that it was accepted! We were thrilled! Only problem was that we were now in the middle of a winter storm, getting 10 inches of snow and sleet. And we needed to somehow get across town to sign the paperwork. The government sets a deadline on when they need to get the items signed and received by, so we had a very short window of time to get the papers overnighted back to them.

On Friday we dug Steven's car out so we could get to the bank and the realtor's office. We got out of the neighborhood and made it to the street where the bank is, but the entrance to the bank was full of slushy snow, so I told Steven to go up the street to the gas station because I could see that the entrance was clear. We parked at the gas station and walked back to the bank... only to discover it was closed. {enter panic mode}

I'm texting our realtor {who was in another meeting at the time}, freaking out because we had to sign the papers and submit other documents by Monday. We had no choice but to go home and hope that the bank would be open the following day.

Of course Steven's car got stuck again getting back into the neighborhood and I was a nervous wreck. I did not want to have to worry about getting his car out again the next day and hoping that we wouldn't get stuck anywhere along the way. So I decided to pay for a cab the next time around.

We got up early on Saturday and walked to meet the cab driver on the main road. He took us to the bank, which was actually open this time. Of course the bank messed up the document the first time and we had to wait for them to re-do it... see, nothing has been easy! Then we got back in the cab and went on to the realtor's office to sign. And then we let out a huge sigh of relief because we had met the deadline.

We had to sign some more things on Monday. But our road wasn't plowed yet. I was making plans to walk to meet our realtor a couple streets over when the plow appeared and saved the day!

Despite the challenges, we've made it through the process and we close next week. We have some overlap before we need to be out of the rental, so we'll take the time to clean and paint and get a few projects done before we move over.

Now you know part of what's been going on behind the scenes over here. I apologize for the lack in activity over here, but I haven't had the energy to blog! Buying a house and planning a wedding and working full time will keep one busy. :)

I'll be back with more pictures of the house soon! Have a wonderful week!

xoxo, christa

creamy tomato tortellini soup

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:49:00 +0000

Steven loves soup and one of his favorites is a thick and creamy tomato tortellini soup from our favorite grocery store. Sometime last year it disappeared and I've been trying to find a promising substitute since. This one might be it.

It was so easy that this recipe will definitely make it into our meal rotation. And it's one of those recipes we can change up - use beef tortellini instead of cheese, add sun-dried tomatoes instead of fire-roasted. Little tweaks that can change up the whole soup.

I started with my hearty tomato soup base and just changed up the seasoning and the additives. We have made so many variations to the hearty tomato soup, it has quickly become a staple!

creamy tomato tortellini soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 26 ounce jar marinara sauce
1 15 ounce can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups half & half
1 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 9 ounce package of cheese-filled tortellini
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese for garnish

Warm a large pot on medium heat, adding the olive oil and minced garlic. Let the garlic brown for a couple minutes, then add in the marinara sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, vegetable broth and half and half. Stir to combine, then add onion powder, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.

Allow the soup base to simmer for 15-20 minutes, or longer if you want thicker soup. You can also add half of the the vegetable stock initially and decide to add more or not depending on the consistency you'd like.

Drop in the tortellini and cook according to the instructions on the package.

Sprinkle with some shredded parmesan and serve with warm garlic bread for dipping. Enjoy!

xoxo, christa

{save the date}

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:24:00 +0000

Our save-the-dates were all mailed out and received successfully! Way back in January actually - my how time flies.

We decided to do magnets and I love the way they turned out, despite the challenging process... I had several issues with a couple different companies, but after asking friends for their favorite places to get magnets, it was smooth sailing. I ended up getting them printed by Pear Tree Greetings. They are not paying me for this - I was just really happy with the process, timeline and final product. :) {If you have more questions about what product I used and other details, please feel free to email me!}

I wanted to do something fun for the envelope, so I ordered a bunch of kraft paper bags off etsy and printed the addresses right onto the bags. Then I stuffed them with the magnet and a piece of coordinating card stock {since the paper bags were kind of thin}, used a glue stick to seal them up and decorated a bit with washi tape.

The tape adds a little pop of color and some fun to the envelope. And I had to use washi tape somewhere... pretty sure there is a rule about using it for any project. ;)

There is a story about the stamps... I really, really wanted to use the floral love stamps {like the three up there with the blue background} for all of my wedding stationary. But I had no clue that they were being discontinued. So when I went to buy them in January I was so upset that they were sold out! I even searched online and almost bought a bunch that were selling for double or triple their worth. But Steven talked me off the ledge by telling me that no one else would pay attention to the stamps and that I was being crazy.

I still think they look better with the blue stamps, but I'm over it. Kind of... :)

Did you send save-the-dates when you got married? It seems to be more of a new trend, but I love mine!

xoxo, christa

snowed in

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 16:32:00 +0000

{Thursday mid-storm, after round one of shoveling}

I thought we were done with winter. Trees were blooming and plants were sprouting. And then we got 10 inches of snow on February 21st. Knowing the predictions of snowfall and the lack of snow plowing that occurs on our street, I planned to stay home and work remotely on Thursday so I wouldn't end up stuck at the office.

{elliott was my co-worker on Thursday... as I worked from bed}

Steven went in to work but left after an hour and his car still got stuck coming into the neighborhood. A very kind MoDOT plow driver brought some gravel over from the back of his truck to help him gain traction. And he never did make it to the driveway. I did a lot of shoveling that day. And had a very sore back the next.

{our backyard neighbors were playing Hunger Games or something...}

The next couple of days were calm and cold, but there was no plow in sight. We had something we had to get out for on Friday, so we dug Steven's car out and made it out of the neighborhood only to find that where we needed to go was closed due to the snow. But the main roads were perfectly fine and clear of snow. But we trekked back home and then got stuck again coming into the neighborhood. Luckily there were some bystanders who helped push us back into our shoveled spot.

Some friends were gracious enough to drive us around that weekend so we were able to get out of the house, eat something not from the pantry, and get some groceries to gear up for round two.

{Toby was my coworker on Monday, but he just wanted to play}

Monday I was stuck working from home again. They hadn't plowed the streets and I didn't want my car to get stuck since the next storm was rolling in. During the blizzard in 2011 we never got plowed, but it also warmed up quicker. This time we didn't have a break between storm one and two, and the forecast indicated that it would be sticking around a while...

{finally, Monday afternoon at 4:00, the plow came through!}

So I started facebook-ing and tweeting at the public works group begging them to plow our neighborhood. And they did! I was able to take my car to fill up on gas and run a quick errand before returning home for the start of the next round.

{Tuesday as we started to shovel out again}

And we were hit with another 10 inches. We spent a lot of time shoveling the thick, wet snow off the driveway and waited again for a plow to come through. We finally did on Wednesday, so we shoveled the pile of icy snow that they left at the bottom of the driveway and we were finally free to go to work on Thursday.

{my mom took this picture of me on our snow mountain on Sunday}

My parents were in town over the weekend after the storms to do some wedding stuff... I had to shovel the street so they had a place to park!

And then, as they were leaving town, I got sick with a horrible cold and I've been offline for far too long.

Friday, March 8th {fifteen days after the first storm} it was finally warm enough to melt a good amount of the snow, but a lot still lingers. I think some of the giant piles around town will be there for quite some time.

No longer snowed in, no longer off line. :)

xoxo, christa

the lemoniest lemon cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:19:00 +0000

Our good friends hosted us for the super bowl on Sunday and I promised to bring cupcakes. I asked for a flavor vote and got one response - that we should have lemon cupcakes in honor of Liz Lemon since 30 Rock just wrapped up it's last season. I had no reason to disagree, I love anything lemon!

And these were quite lemony! Hence the super creative name for these cupcakes. :) The icing was tangy and the cake was moist and sweet. Perfect for a lemon lover like myself, but you can certainly adjust the lemon elements to be more your liking.

lemoniest lemon cupcakes
1 box lemon cake mix, prepared following box directions
the juice from 1 large lemon
zest from 1 large lemon

lemoniest lemon icing
1 container of lemon frosting
zest from 1 lemon
1 Tbsp of lemon juice
zest from 1 meyer lemon {optional}
1 Tbsp of meyer lemon juice {optional}
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Reserve another tablespoon of each lemon's juice for later.

directions
Prepare the cake mix as usual, but add in the zest and juice from one large lemon. Bake according to package instructions.

While the cakes bake, prepare the icing. Add the zest from one large lemon and one medium meyer lemon, and a tablespoon of juice from each. This will thin out the icing, so I added in about a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar to thicken it back up. Check the consistency - add more if you think it needs it. Cover the container you mixed it in and pop it in the fridge until you need it. This will help the flavors meld together.

{Side note: This icing is really tangy. Really tangy. If you super love lemon like I do, shouldn't be an issue. But you might want to halve the amount of lemon zest and juice in the icing if you'd like it to be a little more mild. Or start with half and give it a taste and go from there.}

Right after the cupcakes come out of the oven, use a pastry brush to douse them with a little of the reserved lemon juice. The hot cakes will soak up the juice and keep them nice and moist.

{Side note: the cakes are obviously lemon, but not extremely so. So only adjust the icing if you're afraid of the tang factor.}

After the cakes have cooled completely, pull the icing out of the fridge and give it one last mix before topping those cupcakes.

Keep cupcakes stored in the fridge before serving. And in the extreme event that there are any extras left over, make sure you put those back in the fridge too. :)

Enjoy!

xoxo, christa

phew! {life is busy!}

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 13:34:00 +0000

{breakfast in the car while house hunting one saturday}

So, as it turns out, house hunting and wedding planning at the same time can be just a little time consuming! All of a sudden we're halfway through February... still not sure how that happened!

A general update: Work has been mostly normal for both of us, after work and weekends have been full of house hunting and wedding planning. The cats have been noisy as usual. We watched the super bowl with our friends, feasting on delicious snacks and playing with their new puppy.

{steven & I sipping on our drinks while waiting for a table}

Steven and I had a quiet valentines day - perfect for our currently crazy, hectic lives! We exchanged cards {saving our money for the house!} and went out for pizza and drinks at our favorite place. We had a couple reese's hearts for dessert, it was lovely. :)

{might you be our new house?}

A house update: We're still on the house hunt... We were having a hard time finding a house that we really liked since we lost our 'dream house.' Well, we've found one that some features that were on our wish list that we never thought we'd get this time around, so if you don't mind crossing some fingers or sending some good thoughts our way, we'd really appreciate it! Hopefully this is it and we can refocus ourselves on wedding prep!

And speaking of the wedding... we're at exactly 130 days from the wedding. Uhm, what?! How is it so close already? We've been meeting with florists and nailing down specifics... time to figure out all the details, now!

I actually have some posts scheduled to go up throughout the week - I found some time to edit photos and write a bit over the weekend. I've missed it.

I wish everyone a wonderful week!

xoxo, christa

our first offer

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 13:08:00 +0000

{our first written offer}

We looked at 15 houses total - number fifteen was the magic house! It was perfect. Had what we wanted and the space we're craving. We asked lots of questions, turned on every light switch, ran every faucet, walked every tiny little square inch of the house.

The seller's agent told our realtor that there were no other serious lookers. We decided to meet a day later to submit our offer. Two weeks ago we submitted a solid offer and started picking out a new paint color for the living room and discussing where furniture would go.

{how dreamy is this foyer?}

Then, about an hour later, I got a text message that another offer had been submitted minutes after ours. My heart sunk, and I think Steven's did too. The sellers weren't going to make a decision until the following evening. Did we want to submit another offer? We talked about putting in a higher offer, but opted not to in case of negotiations. We didn't want to go over our budget.

So we waited. And waited. It was a long, sleepless night for me. I kept thinking about all the possibilities, what the other buyer's offer might be, how we could have adjusted our offer to make it more appealing... I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Finally at 10:00 the next night we got our answer. The sellers chose the other offer. We lost the house.

It was rough. I mean, they tell you not to get attached to a house - but how can you not when you're also supposed to picture yourself living there at the same time?

There is really nothing else on the market right now that appeals to us, so we wait. It's been two weeks and I think I'm finally coming around to the fact that there might be something better out there. But, we wait. And we hope we have a house to move into at the end of May/beginning of June.

We shall see.

xoxo, christa

new year, new house?

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:58:00 +0000

{wearing an extra necklace for the occasion}

Eek! I am so excited. Steven and I are in the midst of the home-buying process!

After renting for what seems like forever {which is really six-ish years}, we are more than ready to buy our first home. The leasing/renting process is weird in this college town. Our lease starts and ends in June, but we have to sign our paperwork in January. Makes decision making all the more difficult.

Since last January, when we signed our lease for the June 2012 - June 2013 term, we have been discussing what we would do this January. Before even knowing if we'd find a house we love, we would have to decide if we were going to buy or keep renting. Sign for another long, loud year, or get out the rental and hope to secure our first home.

{house hunting}

Back in August we took the first step and visited with a home loan expert to learn about the ins-and-outs of a mortgage. We got some numbers and set goals to work towards and pretty much decided then that we would give up the rental and buy. We've been doing our best to eliminate frivolous spending so we can save-save-save every last penny, while still enjoying our lives and our friends.

In December we met our realtor for the first time. She is great to work with - prefect for our house-hunting style, and she is confidant we will find our first home! We've already been out a couple times, and I have to say that the shopping part is quite fun! Especially for this HGTV addict.

To make things slightly more complicated... our current lease ends four days before our wedding. I was NOT about to move and get married in the same week, or month even! Luckily, our neighborhood is very popular with the college kids, and we're able to give up our unit earlier for a new tenant.

So now we have a hard deadline. We either have to find a house, or risk moving into a temporary, tiny apartment with a bunch of boxes and three cats. Send us some positive vibes, please. :)

Now. Who has house hunting or moving tips to share with me?!

xoxo, christa

gettin' fit {an update}

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:11:00 +0000

I've now been a member of the gym for five months. I've lost around ten pounds! And managed to keep it off through the holidays and during my knee problem. Going to the gym has definitely become a habit and I miss it when I can't {or, lets be honest, choose not to} go. I never thought I would be at that point, but I'm happy to be here!

I know the key to my 'success' was finding exercise I enjoy doing so it didn't feel like a chore. I still go to Pilates twice a week {that's me in the studio up there!} and hit the treadmill a couple times. I also do some weights and machines every once an a while... depends on how many guys are clogging up the free weight area, ha!

Back to that knee thing... to make a long story short: I'm having issues with my iliotibial band, something that is commonly known as runners knee. Here is what I understand: the band is a thick tendon that runs on the outside of your thigh, from hip to knee. Mine is tight, so the tendon is pulling my knee cap slightly to the outside of my leg. My knee obviously doesn't like that, hence the swelling. It has never been painful, luckily, just uncomfortable. {knock on wood!}

I saw a sports medicine doctor who diagnosed me and gave me a list of stretches and exercises to help relax the band. It was pretty bad for a week and I recently had a little flare up, but I'm doing better and I've gotten back to my usual gym routine now. I noticed that when I'm being active and doing my normal workouts my knee is mostly fine. It's when I sit and don't use it that it gets bad.

Another change that has really surprised me - I don't really crave sugar and sweets like before. I used to want dessert every night. I needed something sweet to complete my evening. Now I might want a little snack before bed, but I'll go for a couple cheese cubes and crackers or some almonds instead of cookies or ice cream. Even with the plethora of holiday sweets in the house, I pretty much eat one and am done.

My goal weight is about five pounds away. At this point I'm more focused on toning up and staying fit than really losing weight - that's just an added bonus! I have a few fitness related goals for 2013 that I will share along the way.

What exercise do you enjoy? I'm going to branch out a bit in the coming weeks and try some new classes - I'll let you know how that goes!

xoxo, christa

{savor}

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:22:00 +0000

My word for this year is savor.

I really want to enjoy, preserve and take delight in every single moment this year,
there will be a lot of stuff happening.

I have a few goals that I will be working towards, some personal and some with Steven.
A couple obvious ones are to keep up with my gym routine and to continue making healthy choices.

I wish you all the best in 2013.

xoxo, christa

happy 2013!

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 15:47:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

2013 promises to be an exciting year for us!

xoxo, christa

merry, merry!

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 15:05:00 +0000

I hope you all are having a very merry day surrounded by the ones you love.

Merry Christmas!

xoxo, christa

brown paper packages

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 13:51:00 +0000

I love wrapping up gifts. The best part of christmas for me is handing everyone their gifts and watching their eyes light up as they unwrap. And they look so pretty under the tree waiting for their owners. :)

In 2010 I used red paper with big white polka dots, lime green paper with white flourishes and I tied them all up with brown twine.

Last year I bought a GIANT roll of kraft paper, 30 inches wide and 40 feet long, I believe. I found it on amazon for a really good price and knew that it wouldn't be wasted! I love me some kraft paper. I knew it would be easy to change up the little embellishments over the years.

So for 2011, I used a variety of fabrics cut into strips to make ribbons.

For this year, 2012, I combined a few things. Fabric strips, red jersey, twine, washi tape, ribbon, a little bit of everything. :)

Here's a little more inspiration for you. They are all so cute! I might add some doilies and alphabet stamps next year!

{1: fabric & yarn} {2: hand-stamped with ribbon} {3: festive washi tape}

{4: hand-stamped doilies & twine} {5: hand-stamped with washi tape & twine}

{6: decorative paper with ribbon & a hand-stamped tag}

Definitely a style for everyone!

How did you wrap up your gifts this year? What is your favorite part of the holiday season?

xoxo, christa

veggie pasta with lemon cream sauce

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 19:21:00 +0000

It's been a weird winter so far. At least here in mid-Missouri. The forecast for today is 57* and sunny. On one hand, I'm very glad. My car doesn't drive well in the snow and I'd like to avoid it at as much as possible! On the other hand, I want to be snuggled up in the house, watching the snow fall with a hot bowl of stew and a christmas movie.

It's just been to warm for me to consider stew, I really wanted something light with fresh veggies. I know cream doesn't usually lend to the lightness of a dish, but the lemon really adds a brightness. It doesn't feel heavy, there is just enough sauce to lightly coat everything.

veggie pasta with lemon cream sauce
1/2 pound of penne pasta
1 bundle of asparagus spears, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium zucchini, cut in half long-ways, then into slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Saute the asparagus and zucchini with salt and pepper {and what ever other seasoning you prefer} for 3 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the warm skillet, combine whipping cream, a little more salt and pepper, and the lemon zest and juice. Bring to boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Once the mixture is reduced, turn off the heat, add the Parmesan cheese and drained pasta, stiring to coat. Add the vegetables back to the skillet and toss lightly to incorporate.

This was exactly what I was craving! Crisp, fresh vegetables on a warm winter's day, ha! We some garlic bread on the side - perfect combo.

I hope your winter is more wintery than ours!

xoxo, christa

pumpkin & cream cheese frosting whoopie pies

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 16:24:00 +0000

The end of the semester calls for another "food day" at work! I usually make a few things because everyone knows that free food is the key to a college student's heart. :)

I really, truly appreciate each and every one of my student employees. I could not do my job successfully with out them. They are also the favorite thing about my job. I love working with them, mentoring, providing feedback and advice... they motivate me to go to work every day.

Okay, enough of the sappy stuff... so I've made these pumpkin cookies for them before, but knew that they would be the perfect start for some whoppie pies. I flattened them out a bit using a butter knife, baked as usual and added a yummy cream cheese frosting to turn them into delicious sandwich cookies. So amazing.

pumpkin cookies
1 box cake mix
1 15 ounce can of pumpkin
dash of pumpkin pie spice {optional}
splash of vanilla {optional}

Combine well. Use a 1/2 inch ice cream scoop to portion out the cookies. Using a butter knife, or offset spatula if you're fancy, spread out the batter so they are flatter and larger - but still round! Bake at 350* for about 10 minutes.

cream cheese frosting
1 package {8 ounces} of cream cheese
half a stick {4 ounces} of butter
4 to 6 cups of powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons of milk

Use a hand mixer to combine and whip the frosting.

Scoop the frosting into a piping bag and add some on to the bottom cookies. Top with another cookie and serve!

Let me assure you, students {and full-time staff} love pumpkin & cream cheese frosting whoopie pies. :)

xoxo, christa

a little break

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 01:22:00 +0000

{steven & I at our friends wedding}

What a crazy few weeks it has been! I took off the whole week for Thanksgiving and went to my parents house in Dallas for the first time in a year! It was a much needed break from the madness at work that only got worse once I returned this week. We were busy and I want to document it all.

On Saturday, the 17th, a couple of our good friends got married. Steven was in the wedding and he looked pretty adorable in his suit. :) We had a blast with our friends - eating, drinking, dancing... our best friend broke out in happy tears during an aerosmith song, we'll never let him forget that moment! We danced, jumped and sang long into the night. So much fun.

{killing time at the airport}

I left for Dallas the next morning, totally exhausted. Chili's helped perk me up with a pom margarita and their yummy chips and salsa. I had about two hours to kill at the airport, so I sat at the bar reading my magazines and playing on my phone.

Speaking of phones... I finally got my new iPhone! My previous iPhone 3 was on it's last legs and it's really nice having a phone that actually works and has a batter life of more than 6 hours.

{steven & I practicing cake cutting at our little engagement party}

The night I picked Steven up from the airport, we arrived back to the house and found a surprise... my parents, very kindly, threw a little engagement party so we could celebrate with my Texas family and friends. It was so nice to see everyone! And the snacks were delicious. :) Thanks, Mom & Dad!!

{using an antique tool to make some lattice strips for my pie}

In preparation for Thanksgiving dinner, I helped my dad make some pies and brine the turkey. My mom and I made broccoli salad and candied sweet potatoes the morning of. And of course my Dad and I made deviled eggs... it's not a holiday or gathering without deviled eggs!

{my sister and our might-as-well-be-sisters sisters, courtney & kaylee}

{dinner! starting at the top: brined then smoked turkey, sweet potatoes, riced potatoes, corn, deviled egg, roll, broccoli salad & sweet potato casserole in the middle. YUM!}

My family had dinner with three other families on thanksgiving. Everyone made part of our delicious meal and we had a lovely afternoon together.

{plate o' pie! don't worry - I was sharing with Steven!}

I was SO looking forward to some pecan pie! The first time I tried it was last thanksgiving and I couldn't wait to enjoy another slice. The slice on the left is chocolate chip pie. The whip cream is homemade, it was perfect and just had a hint of sweetness.

{happy :)}

On Friday we skipped the shopping and went to Top Golf instead. {I don't know how to explain it, so google if you're interested.} It was a lot of fun and now we wish there was one closer to us.

{lemon & sugar crepe. oh em gee.}

I spent a little time with my sister shopping and we stopped in to a creperie and cafe. We shared a couple of crepes - our first ones! I'm pretty sure we fell in love and have a new favorite stop when we go home!

{why did you stop petting me, ma?}

It was a great week, but we were glad to get home to our boys. This kitty has been attached to my hip since we got back. Such a sweetie.

This week didn't slow down at all! I even went in to work at 6:30 on Thursday morning. Was not pleased about that, but I did what had to be done and my day ended on a higher note. I'm really hoping next week is a tad slower and I can settle back in to some normalcy at work.

I have some fun posts are are in the works - hoping to finish them this weekend!

I hope you all had a lovely November and Thanksgiving. I can't believe it's already December.

xoxo, christa

pies, pies, pies

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:02:00 +0000

Another item to cross of my thirty-before-thirty list! With guidance and assistance from Dad, we made three pies for thanksgiving! Two are semi-homemade, one is completely from scratch.

First up is cherry. We used pre-made pie filling, but a homemade crust.

We tried two types of crusts - one all butter and one half butter, half lard. This was the all butter crust and I think the butter steamed and made the crust puff up and crack. It was still tasty, but I think we preferred the half and half crust.

Of course we had to have a traditional pumpkin pie! This is also semi-homemade, we use the filling directions from the can of pumpkin puree.

My dad has these little leaf cutters that we use to make the cute little topping for the pie. I think they are from Williams-Sonoma if you're wondering. :)

Last up is my all-time favorite - strawberry rhubarb! This one is made from scratch.

I got fancy with a lattice crust, we used the half and half crust for this pie. Here's how we made it:

pie crust {enough for three pie rounds}
3 cups flour
1/2 pound lard
1/2 pound butter
1 cup cold water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Cut the butter and lard into the flour and baking powder. Add the water and combine. If it seems dry and won't hold together in a ball, add more water, about a tablespoon at a time. Allow to refrigerate before rolling out.

strawberry rhubarb pie filling
1 pound of frozen strawberries
4 to 5 stalks of fresh rhubarb
1 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons of corn starch

In a large pot, bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer to soften the fruit and thicken the juice. Once you have the texture you want, allow the filling to cool before putting into the pie pan.

Bake at 425* for 35 to 45 minutes. Cool before serving. Enjoy!

Fun and tasty! I can't wait to try some different fillings and share my new skill with my friends. :)

What is your favorite kind of pie? After strawberry rhubarb, I like pumpkin and pecan.

xoxo, christa

thankful

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 15:55:00 +0000

This year I am thankful for:
   · a loving husband-to-be
   · a fabulous family
   · super wonderful friends
   · a paying job
   · three adorable cats - they teach me patience
   · a toasty, warm bed on a cold night
   · long phone conversations with my mom
   · delicious meals
   · technology - specifically my new iPhone
   · creativity and inspiration
   · the privilege of living in a free country
   · learning new things
   · the ability to be with loved ones during the holidays
   · building and cooking with my dad
   · a strong and healthy body
   · blogging and online friends
   · a workout routine that I'm enjoying and sticking with

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving surrounded by family, friends and the ones you love.

xoxo, christa

schoolroom hook rack {anthro knockoff}

noreply@blogger.com (christa) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:44:00 +0000

I was browsing anthropologie for wedding registry items and dream-home furnishings and came across the schoolroom hook rack. I thought it would be the perfect 'storage' solution for our jackets and coats, because right now they end up hanging on the dining room chairs. The only problem - it's selling for $88!

After examining all the pictures, I decided that I could my own version to exactly fit the space I had in mind. I headed to the hardware store to pick up the supplies. Here is what I used to make my rack:
      · two 8 foot long 3/4 x 3/4 inch unfinished pine trim boards - $4.69 each
      · six 8 x 2.5 steel wood screws - $.24 each
      · four coat/hat hooks - about $3 to $4 each
      · two picture hangers with teeth - $.40 each
      · brown paint/stain - free {hand on hand}
        TOTAL: $25.62 {before tax}
        SAVINGS: $62.38 {before tax}

I apologize for not providing step-by-step pictures. It was a gloomy day and I had horrible lighting. If you have a question about the process, please comment or email me and I'll further explain.

I had the friendly guy at Lowe's cut the trim for me. I told him to cut one piece in 32-ish inch sections and the other in 31-ish inch sections. I specifically said "I don't want them to be perfect, so a quarter of an inch one way or the other is great." He did exactly as I asked. :)

When I got them home, I sanded down the edges and mixed up a paint-stain. That's a technical term. :) I used acyrlic paint and little water to stain my wood. I had the brown paint on hand and I didn't want to spend money on a stain that I might not use again. I used a brush to spread a layer of paint on, then a damp paper towel to even it out and create more of a stain-like quality.

Once all the pieces were paint-stained and dried, I stacked them on top of each other in a length - staggered order that I liked and I used painters tape to keep them all together. I drilled three pilot holes across the top and three across the bottom, one on each end and one in the center.

I used screws that were long enough to go through three and a half boards, so I made sure that the pilot holes were off-set so the screws wouldn't bump in the middle. Then I used a drill bit the size of the head of the screw to make a little divot so the screw sat flush against the wood.

Once the base was all screwed together, I measured and marked where my hooks would go. I drilled more pilot holes and then screwed each hook to the board. You may need to use different screws than the ones that came with the hooks - mine were too long and would have stuck out the back.

I used four different hooks because I liked that about the anthro version. I got the three plain black ones at Lowe's and the one with the ceramic details at hobby lobby. As the final touch - my screws were silver, so I painted them black or brown, depending on where they were screwed into, to help them blend in.

It was pretty simple, I completed it in an afternoon - most of that was drying time!

xoxo, christa