Sneak Peek... Baby Shower Centerpiece

Can't believe July 1 is this Thursday! When my coworkers and I started talking about throwing our friend's baby shower that date seemed really far away, but it's this Thursday!

Here's a peek at the centerpiece, not 100% positive if this will be the final incarnation of her Princess and the Frog centerpiece, but I've got five of these suckers and I'm thinking they'll be cute!

The Bar Jar

Today is Monday... but kind of an awesome Monday filled with stuff I wanna blog about.

• The official announcement went out that I will be leaving my current position as a Marketing Manager for a new spot at my company... as a Senior Consultant... That's right, go me! It's kind of a scary move, I've been in the marketing trenches for a while now, and this is an opportunity to be a bit more strategic. I can't wait to grow into this new position, but I have a feeling it's going to be quite the transition.
• I got to the gym today. Not an accomplishment? Okay, you're right, but it's my blog and I'll write it if I want to!
• Today is the first day of week six of clean eating. No sugar, no wine (but I kind of fudge that one a couple days a week), no grains, no beans, no processed anything. Protein, fruit, and vegetables only. I am down 12 pounds, all of my clothes are loose... and the crazy part, I had baked trout with steamed broccoli and cauliflower for dinner, and it couldn't have been yummier.

So in honor of the last item, I'm saying good bye to a dear possession of mine, the Bar Jar. I bought this beauty at Home Goods for five bucks. And for three years I've kept an ever rotating supply of bars inside... Think Thin, Kashi Go Lean, Zone, I even threw in some granola every now and then for kicks.

But it's been empty now for six weeks, and I'm officially retiring it from it's spot on my counter.

Good bye bar jar. Thank you for your service. I hope you enjoy your retirement in my cupboard.

AZ Smith Celebration

June is a special month in our family... My nephew, Ross, was born on the first day, and my brother, Will, was born on the last. And then in between, there's a whole mess of goodness happening with the "AZ Smiths."

Their birthdays are the 17th and the 21st, and their wedding anniversary is the 25th. This year, it just so happens to be their FIFTH wedding anniversary. We have a no interstate gift policy in our family, but I couldn't just let it go by without doing something for them, so I created this little video.

Had to share.

It's Almost Lion Cut Time!

Two years ago, while away at a bachelorette party my husband took our gorgeous Maine Coon cat, Cisco, to be groomed.

The groomer asked him, "would you like to have her hair cut?"

My husband, knowing summer was coming, and thinking Cisco would appreciate a little relief, said "sure!"

The groom asked him, "would you like a lion cut?"

My husband, not knowing what one was, said "sure!"

So a day later, I came home, to a shaved cat! She was shivering and completely indignant that we had cut off her coat and left her cold and naked.

But the thing is, we kind of got used to it. And more than that, the look started growing on us. And even more than that, it reduced the times per week we had to de-hair our home by a million and a half.

So, it's that time of year again. In the next week or so (as soon as "June gloom" is well past us) our little kitty is going to go get her annual haircut.

And she will look like this.

Fabulous!

Words of Wisdom

"Live passionately, even if it kills you,

because something is going to kill you anyway."

~Webb Chiles

Quote sent to me by my husband today... he thinks I worry too much. And he's right. I think these are some pretty good words to live by!

Theodore Payne Nursery

My fabulous sister-in-law gifted me the best planter for my birthday. It's an enormous rugged barrel, that she picked up in wine country. The inside is stained a gorgeous dark purple, and when it arrived it still smelled of cabernet - needless to say, I love it!

But the first step to loving it more was to fill it with dirt. So sad to cover up that beautiful stain, but it was necessary.

I want to fill my garden with native sustainable plants, so I went to the once native sustainable nursery I know of... Theodore Payne. While there, a wonderful woman helped me and my mother make sense of all the plants. Because they're natives, they weren't all in bloom, so it took a little imagination to put together an arrangement (unlike commercial nurseries where plants are purchased in bloom.)

I decided on four plants:

• Salvia "Allen Chickering" Sage - a tall, purple, fragrant bloom
• Firecracker - a mid-height red flower
• San Bruno Mountain Golden Aster - a low, yellow daisy-like bud
• and Manzanita

After planting them in a mixture of cactus soil and gardening soil, I gave them a good soak.

And then sat back and enjoyed how pretty it looks! I can't wait to see all the colors in bloom!

Wednesday Night Randomness

The strongest of all warriors are these two—Time and Patience.

~Leo Tolstoy

I'm in the middle of doing homework this evening and ran into this quote from War and Peace. I think this might be my new favorite.

Oh, and here's a picture of my cat, she's definitely a favorite as well... and has lots of time on her hands... but isn't really patient.

Alright, that's enough procrastination - back to homework!