Add Chocolate Writing to My Resume

This picture is terrible {taken with my phone in bad lighting} but these are chocolate covered oreos with Es on them.

For a special birthday girl.

The CupCake Kit

{i.e. super cute and you know I already ordered one}

image via CB

I saw this one today on a design blog and clicked on over to Chronicle Books and purchased one for me and one as a backup...er...as a gift option for whichever family member really really wants it for their birthday next. I think I have JUST the person in mind.

image via chronicle books blog

I wish I worked for Chronicle Books. I wish I were an editor of craft books, actually. I found a company the other day looking for freelance editors and I've gone back and forth in my decision to email them my resume. I don't have ANY experience editing, but I know I have a knack for taking other people's work and making it sound just that much better. I'm not so great at writing my own stuff...case in point. Which, inadvertently, is why I chose to major in English at BYU, with an Editing emphasis. Maybe I should finish that degree...

{by the way - if, by chance, anyone from Chronicle books is reading and needs a good book/product reviewer for honest-to-goodness feedback, I wouldn't mind...no, not at all}

So start drooling over these adorable cupcake liners, because that's what sold me on the kit. Not even joking. I'm a sucker, absolute SUCKER for packaging.

image also via

P.S (aside - my second PS in a row, maybe I should not consider it a PS, right?) I was lucky enough to find a discount code. If you really really really want it and can't find your own, leave me a comment and I'll email it to you. I don't feel right about posting it on my blog and then having a bunch of coupon-hungry interwebbers finding it and using me for my codes. I don't like being used, really.

Warning: Crude Language Ahead {and hilarious video}

I'm an out-of-the-closet fan of Flight of the Conchords. I may have blogged about them before {I know they were mentioned in a survey I did at least}. Season 2 started a few weeks ago and this is - by FAR - my favorite song of the season.


I don't know how long this will be available, so watch it as many times as you can, while you can :)

P. and S. To set the scene, Bret and Jemaine's band manager, Murray, just dropped them off to go clubbing and their ethnicity-ambiguous friend Dave is there to make sure they don't do anything stupid.

And I Enter My 27th Year

On Thursday of last week I started feeling anxious about my birthday. When I was little I'd always thought of myself as having accomplished so much more by the time I turned 27. I'm not sure why I didn't feel this same sense of ...urgency? no, that's not quite right...acuteness when I turned 26. Maybe it's because 27 is closer to 30 than 25, maybe it's because I have been feeling down lately. Maybe it's because I wish I had children at my ankles and tugging on my shirt, asking for more juice or wiping their goldfish cracker-encrusted fingers on my just-washed pants by now. Who knows.

Either way, I have some fabulous friends and family who know just how to make me appreciate everyone and everything I love and made my day truly spectacular.

My husband wished me a happy birthday in hushed tones early in the morning. I think it was before 6am, but both of us were rearranging or rolling over and trying to get more covers from the other. He's so sweet. And he's perfect for me.

Then my fab friends, Erin and Amber, completely spoiled me with lunch from my favorite Thai food restaurant, a cake and ice cream, and this beeeauutiful serving bowl and plate. I can't decide if I like the present or the box they came in more! They're both beautiful and JUST my style.

mmm...delicious! and it's already gone. devoured.

this box is huge! i'm thinking I'll use it to store plastic serving things - forks, spoons, napkins - you know.

While they were here for lunch I got another knock at the door and my in-laws had sent me this bouquet of flowers. EVERYONE should get flowers once or twice in their lives. It just makes you feel so special. Thanks Mom and Dad!


By this time I realized I'd gotten nothing done at work. If I took off a half day I'd feel obligated to work the afternoon and finish my morning stuff. Not much fun. So I ended up taking the day off. I have the best boss. Seriously. He's one of the funniest people I've met.

I was planning on just using my afternoon to paint the guest room or clean up the kitchen {which has yet to be touched - it's so disgusting right now} but I wasn't even given an hour before Amber called me again and told me I was being kidnapped at 3:30 and I MUST be ready to walk out the door. I was given a list of what to bring. I kind of figured they gave me extra things to throw me off the trail, but I'm a smart cookie and I figured it out. Amber is prego and it was something all 3 of us could do. I was told to wear comfortable clothes but bring something else to go to dinner in, makeup, a hairbrush {i wore my hair curly/wavy yesterday, so nixed that immediately} and something else I can't remember. I was thinking tanning - a guilty pleasure of mine - or massages. Well, prego girl can't go tanning, so massages it was! Hooray!

After my hour-long massage, Ryan picked me up and we headed to my dinner of choice and came back and hung out the rest of the evening. So even though Ryan and I make up our little family for now and we'll have to wait to add to it until later down the road, it was a great day and I really didn't have a minute to be sad, thanks to everyone.

I know I'm right where I need to be. And right when I need to be.

New Blog Look

For those reading through a feed service, I redid my blog background and header today. I love both elements but I'm not sure if they mesh well. Thoughts? Is the header too...retro feeling with the font?

Wall Color Indecision

We have two colors: Smoke vs Gray Owl. Both are awesome {because I picked them} and they'll be going in our house, but I can't decide which room to use which in. The blue-ish one is Smoke, and Gray Owl looks more cream in this picture than it will after primer and 2 coats. So here's the question: Smoke in the master bedroom or Gray Owl?

Saturation is a little off in the one above.
This is Smoke:

This is Gray Owl:


ANNNNDDDDD....tonight we ventured to Costco {I didn't used to be this excited about Costco, but it didn't used to be FORTY minutes to the closest one, either.} and look what I found!

I love pretty much any BBC Series and I really wish I had access to more of them. Even better, I paid less than $19 for it. Another 6-hr dvd to become obsessed about....life is goooood.

Finally, I found a place for my little boy silhouette. My wall is coming along. The brown at the bottom of the picture is one of the many un-hung pictures/frames/mirrors. Maybe I should do something about that.

I'm Enjoying

...these beautiful, after Valentine's Day tulips. Purchased at half price but fully radiant.


...and the works-in-progress bibs here. All they need is top-stitching and an applique.

{You wouldn't believe all the steps involved for each one!}

Oren Lavie

I can't seem to get this song out of my head. Not only is the song beautiful, but the video captivates me. Enjoy!

Baby William Edison Alexander

We're so excited to be an aunt and uncle again!

Baby Will was born on Friday the 13th. Cute lil guy. Ryan's brother Nate and his wife April live in Hawaii, so I don't think we'll be getting to see him anytime soon, but hopefully they'll be able to come to Ryan's brother James' wedding this May.

Here he is with Aunt Mandi {Isn't she gorgeous!} - I'm so jealous of Mandi!

Weekend Update with Chelsea

Laugh at me if you will, but I had NO idea today was Presidents' Day. I thought it was NEXT Monday. So you can imagine my surprise and delight when I also realized I had the day off of work. Yippee! I can't tell you how much I've wanted to take a day off, just to laze about and worry about nothing, for probably the last month or so. But who can afford taking a day off when their livelihood is contingent upon BEING AT work -- working! I slept in, took my time getting ready and was really excited to get out and just drive around...in fact, I was planning on heading toward Legends. I got as far as putting on my makeup and doing my hair before I remembered I had left my purse {and subsequently my keys} in the car that Ryan drives to and from school. awwww, crap. And I happened to be keyless/carless on a REALLY busy day of his. No time for him to drive home with my crud. Oh, well, another day, right?

We had a great weekend here. A baby shower, a dinner and a movie, dinner with friends {two nights in a row!} and an early birthday present for me!

First things first: Baby Shower Gifts. I made these bibs for a new wee babe named Kent.

Hence the upper and lowercase Ks. Kent made his appearance about a month ago and was present at the shower. SO much fun to do it that way, I think.

He also received this onesie.

The idea was not mine, rather, garnered from the hundreds of similar onesie-ties on Etsy.


Mommy loved them, which is all that truly matters.

We had a low-key Valentine's Day. I've mentioned before that we're not big on commercialized holidays, but we do like any excuse to go to dinner. Ryan and I went out on our own Friday night and saw Coraline and ate somewhere...I can't remember, actually...oh yeah! Jason's Deli.

On VDay we met up with our friends the Andersons and went to Old Chicago Pizza. Good company, good food...what more can you ask for?

Sunday night we invited the Andersons and the Barkers over for dinner so I had a good excuse to make these cute little rice crispy treats. My mom has/had one of these molds while I was growing up and we've made them many times. Usually we used a heart-shaped red hot for the nose and wrapped them up for valentines day, then mini M&Ms came out and we used brown ones for the noses, but I had neither on hand so I improvised.

How cute are they waiting for our guests {and their impending headlessness}? Probably the best tasting batch of rice crispy treats I've ever made. Seriously, they were SO good.

Sunday and today I watched some new movies that Ryan was soo sweet to order for me, while I worked on sewing projects. Sense & Sensibility, Miss Austen Regrets, & Persuasion. I LOVED these versions. I'd never seen Miss Austen Regrets because I missed it when PBS aired it originally {the fact we don't have cable makes it easy to miss things like that} but double bonus - you get all 3. Have I ever mentioned how I wish I were English? Colin Firth makes me swoon and accents are hot.

I guess today wasn't a complete wash, since I was able to watch tons of movies that I love and enjoy his early birthday present for me.

{I was almost tempted to wait until next Monday, my actual birthday, to open the package/mailer they came in...but I'm too weak!}

It's a good box set. If you're an Austen fan, I'd suggest purchasing one for yourself.

Embarrassing Overshare {don't judge me}

Last summer my parents were in town (we still lived in Utah) and we were all helping my sister move into her new house/apt in SLC. We'd just gone to dinner and I downed probably 3 waters and 2 diet cokes, so you can imagine how much liquid was in my system. Plan was to all meet at her house to help her unload her couches from my parents truck. We go there. We wait for the truck. And wait. All this time I'm thinking, where are they?! At least, where's Tara so she can let me in to go pee. I couldn't wait anymore. It was THAT bad. It was nighttime, probably 11pm and there was a large tree and some bushes in her front yard and I had the thought, if they don't hurry it up I'm going to have to pee in the bushes.

10 more minutes go by and they still haven't shown up. And they're not answering their phones. WHERE ARE YOU, TARA?!

Bladder bursting, I crossed my legs in the beginning forms of 'the potty dance' and went over to the tree and peed. In my sister's new front yard.

WHAT! I was just christening it for her.

A New Baby

My sister-in-law is at the hospital and little baby boy should be here soon!



Yay! I wish we lived closer!

February Blues

I just mentioned this in the comments of my friend's blog, but I think the month of February gets to people. Maybe that's why someone tossed in Valentine's Day mid month - a little pick-me-up for the soul.

For example, tonight my big accomplishment was actually making dinner and washing, drying, & ironing some fabric. Yup, that's it. I didn't even get around to cutting out my pattern, so the machines did all my work. And it's 11:30 and I'm really tired.

I'm not the only one, am I.

A {Big Knobhead with No} Knob

Can anyone name that movie? It's one of my faves. I think I'll watch it tonight.

Moving on.

Here are pictures of the knobs I chose to complement the drawer pull. The drawer pull stays. You can hate it but I don't. Now I'm trying to figure out what looks best with it.

As you can see in the next pictures, the wood is a little more dinged-up looking than yesterday's post would have let on. I didn't realize it either until these pictures {but it's probably because I had it on the macro setting}.



My question is, what do I use? I'm leaning toward oval for a couple of reasons. 1) It's the least expensive 2) it covers the most 'damage' from the old knobs and plates.

But I love the rectangle one.


And the round one is a good option, too.

Thoughts, opinions, hate it all?

I was going to share this last item last night but I hadn't yet put a sealer on the newly white frame and therefore it was not photographed. It's a silhouette from the 1950s of a boy named Richard. He's the boy whose information is filled out in the baby book! Just a few years older...


It's going to go on my mirror wall - which I don't think I've shown yet. I have a couple more mirrors to hang and one whose frame I need to paint white to fit in. Anyways, isn't it adorable? Wait until I actually have a baby on the way and I show you the idea I have for silhouettes and a nursery!

What I've Been Doing....

really isn't that exciting. Seriously. I'm kind of boring. As I type I'm waiting for The Big Bang Theory to start {love this show} and for Chuck to show up. Although, I am going to wait until Ryan gets home to watch Chuck. It's one of our shows.

Since Christmas, Ryan and I have been thinking about another storage solution for all my serving platters and my milk glass collection. Our kitchen isn't ideal for anyone who likes to bake or cook on a regular basis - storage is minimal and I'm having to store canned goods in my makeshift pantry {garage}. So I started looking for a china hutch + buffet. And I found the perfect one last Thursday on Craigslist. I love CL. This is a really nice, dark wood piece of furniture. I'm always wary about committing to buy something on CL, so I asked if I could come see it first. Off Ryan and I went. It was in Ft. Leavenworth [which is an Army base - WAY cool] an hour away. So we picked up the bottom part and had to come back for the top...twice.

It's beautiful, no? The family that owned it is moving to Korea. They purchased it in 1991 as newlyweds in Germany from the army post there. They've toted it around since then {from Germany, to the U.S, to Korea, back to the U.S.} and just can't take it one more time. They're paring down. We were glad to steal it from them. Yes, steal. We paid pennies compared to what others would have cost.


I'm going to change out the hardware. See? Just a little dated. I headed to Home Depot tonight and picked out a few options. What I really want they don't have, but I'll make do. I'll post options tomorrow when I have some good lighting.


I've been trying to get more projects done recently, but after I get off work the sun is already down and I don't want to do ANYTHING. I hate feeling that way. I didn't think I depended on the sun that much, but I'm finding a lack of it puts a damper on my mood. Maybe I'll try starting work earlier and taking off sooner. Which means getting up at 7...so maybe not.

Speaking of work, it's getting better. One step at a time, but at least it's in the right direction {if you don't know what I'm talking about a few of my recent facebook updates have been along the lines of 'i need a new job' or 'i hate my job' and the like}. If I didn't love the company so much, I'd have been out of there already.

This is getting a little long, so I'll leave a few pictures from a book I found at an estate sale on Saturday. I'm considering scanning a few of the pages in and reprinting them for my future use.



Its publication date is 1945 and is inscribed from 1946 from the couples first wedding anniversary.

Isn't it sweet! I love the graphics and they're just what's in style again.

OH! this page cracks me up. Click on the picture to read the text underneath it, but it's about 'training' your baby's muscles to poop on demand. Seriously. Other cultures still do it. I think it's awesome. The book is really fantastic overall.

I Know, I Know

It's been too long since I've updated. I suck.

check back mañana.