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Holiday Roses and Bouqs Review

Such a pretty dining room, but something is missing... I have something to add to my list of Christmas gift ideas . It's an idea that can be sent to your friends and family near and far, or ordered for yourself if you're having company over. There's actually still time to have it delivered by Christmas, if you can believe that! This holiday season, I had a little surprise for my Sexy Nerd. No one had ever sent him flowers before! Biscuit was very jealous. But she was still better off than Pica, who was banished to the opposite side of the doggie gate for constantly being underfoot. (Seriously, she's going to break my neck one of these days!) I went with a bouquet called "Fortified", which contained a dozen long-stemmed red/yellow roses. How could I resist flowers that match our decor? The answer: I couldn't. The flowers were delivered by mail from theBouqs.com, which grew them on a volcano. I'd nev

Special Touches to Improve the Comfort of Your Guest Bedroom

Alternate title idea? Finally Ready for Thanksgiving! (Yeah, I'm a bit behind.) Guest Bedroom #1 - remember how it looked before? I sweat the bedding didn't look this wrinkly in real life! The new flooring makes such a difference. The last time I shared photos of our house before Thanksgiving , it was a disaster. I told Sexy Nerd before our guests arrived that we should iron this tablecloth. "It will be easy," I said, planning to iron it right on the table. His response? "Nah. I don't see any wrinkles." Tom Turkey, our official guest bedroom ambassador. Light makes his wings and head move. Most amazing of all? He was ONE DOLLAR! Can you believe this amazing time we live in? Guests could find our wi-fi info on the card.   And a Cheryl's cookie on the pillow! Have you seen these Oliver plates from CB2? So cute. The guest bathroom, complete with cleverly placed mirrors. Did I have you fooled? G

Sexy Nerd Quote of the Day

I found a great deal on Groupon for our recent visit to Salt Lake City. For about $30 per person, it included admission to 12 attractions, including the Clark Planetarium, Red Butte Garden, Hogle Zoo, and the Tracy Aviary, as well as a tasty lunch at The Lion House Pantry Restaurant. One of the activities we redeemed was for tickets to an educational IMAX movie. There were many options to choose from and, knowing my Sexy Nerd, I was surely going to end up watching Hidden Universe 3D (the most educational-looking one of all.) Imagine my surprise when he wanted to see Island of Lemurs, suggesting it with so much out-of-character enthusiasm that I at first thought he was being a sarcastic punk. We received our tickets, picked our seats, and waited for the movie to begin. "You're not just watching this because you know I'll like it, are you?" I asked. "No," Sexy Nerd assured me, smiling. "I love lemurs! Who doesn't love lemurs?" The lights

Sprin...errrr...Fall Cleaning

Sexy Nerd and I actually cleaned our house last week. It has been said that our home cleanliness standards are "below average", which I would take offense to, except that it's 100% accurate. (Also, we're the two people who have been going around saying this. We have no shame.) What do you do after cleaning your house from top to bottom? You take photos and document it, of course! From now on, whenever I'm feeling down about the dishes piled on the counter or the muddy paw prints across the floor, I'll just look at these photos. Sooo much easier than cleaning again. We removed about two dogs worth of Pica hair from beneath our kitchen island. If I were craftier, I could stuff a set of throw pillows. Note the fresh roses on the island. Damn, we're fancy. Do not note the giant wooden giraffe, whose head is chopped off by the dining room light fixture and who is not fancy.

How to Make a Pumpkin Latte

(A recipe for lazy people.) Have you noticed every blog has posted a Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte copycat recipe lately? This one is different. I promise! It's so good that I've been making a regular one with my breakfast each day and another decaf pumpkin latte every evening. At work, I shared the recipe with two patients last week! When those pumpkin latte recipes started popping up, I couldn't wait to try them. They all had the same problem though - too much time and effort. Ummm, I want a pumpkin spice latte recipe that I can actually pull off before work in the morning, when my brain is still mostly asleep. Have you seen what some of these other recipe creators expect you to do? Boil down 3 cups of sugar until you have a simple (yeah right) syrup, shave fresh cinnamon from the stick you got from the farmer's market this morning, and have a unicorn spit into the mixture. Who has time for all that? Easy Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe (for LAZY people!)

Crock Pot Apple Cider Recipe

I looove hot apple cider! It's so easy to make, it makes your house smell amazing, and it seems fancy if you serve it to company, especially in a charming mug with a cinnamon stick. This is wonderful to drink in cold weather, which makes it perfect in our house, which I keep at a brisk 60 degrees during the winter. (Sexy Nerd adores  60 degrees - our agreement used to be 50!) I make this every time Sexy Nerd puts up our Christmas lights. He's starting early this year. It seems a bit unfair to Thanksgiving, but here we are. Our $5 Crock Pot is working hard! The Best Slow Cooker Hot Apple Cider Recipe (approximately 8 servings) Make a simple syrup by bringing 1/8 C water and a 1/4 C sugar to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and add 1/8 tsp each of allspice, cinnamon, and ginger . Whisk well and let simmer for 5 minutes before removing from heat. In a separate pan, bring the following to a boil: 2 C water , 1 can frozen apple juice , 1 cinnamon stick , 9 allspi

15 Decorating Tips from the Summit County Parade of Homes

A beloved annual tradition of ours is an autumn drive from Albuquerque, past golden leaves and through winding hillsides, to Breckenridge, Colorado to view the stunning dream homes on display during the Summit County Parade of Homes.  This year, there were so many great ideas for when we build our dream home (this spring, I hope!) that they couldn't possibly all fit into just 1 post. Be sure to check out the second post,  10 Decorating Ideas for your Modern Mountain Home . Bonus tip? Build your home on a lake! Can you imagine seeing this from your kitchen window? *swoon* Tip 1: For a grand, stately first impression, two front doors are better than one. Tip 2: If you can see the ceiling of your covered patio from inside, continue it in the same style for a seamless indoor-outdoor vibe. Tip 3: Sliding barn doors are in. Waaay in. Almost every house had at least one. Some were small... ...and some were huge. I really had to muster my strength to push this

What Is Wrong With People?! And a Giveaway

It's a beautiful day for a Del Taco gift card giveaway! What can you get at Del Taco? Oh, I don't know. Maybe a taco. Maybe a burrito or a breakfast sandwich. Or, just maybe, the yummiest (and actually somewhat healthy, if you can believe it!) fast food item ever, the new Del Taco Fresca Bowl. There are 3 Del Taco Fresca Bowl varieties to choose from: Southwest Chicken & Veggie, Pollo Asado, and Fire Roasted Veggie. Each is only $4 and there are coupons available to make them an even better value. There's a free drink coupon available through the Del Taco email club, an online instant win game , which is pretty much impossible to lose, and the Del Taco Facebook page. I even received another coupon for $1 off my next purchase with my receipt. But before I continue any further, take a look at this:   Bah! At my most recent Del Taco visit, it was about 1pm on a weekday and I was on my lunch break from work. The perfect time to be out in public IN YOUR PAJAMA