Ahhh (sigh), Monday

I am thoroughly enjoying my morning! Elsa's back on track which means I'm gonna be too. With my girls gone at school, I've got my music going... I'm cleaning house and gettin' it together.

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I wish I were the type to just be completely self motivated, a "go getter," a busy body.. but truth be told... I need a little kick in the hiny to get me moving. This kick is called "my girls on a school schedule" which forces my free spirited, go-with-the-wind Gemini self to buckle down and keep a schedule too. I welcome it with open arms. If I had my way, I'd play my guitar all day under a shady tree in the warm sun, eat cookie dough til my belly hurt, go to the gym for some exercise classes (I've been loving the heck outta my step class with rap music- laugh all you want {wink}.. it kick's @$$) and craft for a while.

twirly care free fun (in a 60's number that will be available soon in my shop)

 So I put on some not-so-wild music by Ray LaMontagne, because something about it just agreed with my soul today. I have played the last song in the album about 4 times in a row!!! 

This morning my Mama and I started back again on Jorge Cruise's "8 Minutes in the Morning" which is a kit that gives you two exercises each day (four sets and 12 repetitions for each exercise) Monday through Saturday. He claims you'll loose about 2 pounds a week, since you are using weights and muscle burns fat... and by golly, the man is right... I did loose about 10 pounds over about a month and a half when I really stuck with it! We are heading to Mexico this July for my grandparents 65th wedding anniversary!!!!!! (quite amazing- their sweet love and the fact that they haven't killed each other yet- haha- that's a long time to be with someone!!! :D  ). Thought we'd shape up before we go enjoy our all-inclusive stay in Playa Del Carmen on the beach!

So here's to getting fit! I'm also taking a guitar class right now and LOVING it... it's just to stay current at my school til I get into the RN (registered nursing) program. That way I get priority when registering for classes (more importantly clinical sites- hospitals where we practice)! We are learning how to read music, basic strumming, some arpeggios and the like. I play decently now, but just wanna learn more and move past the stale spot I've been stuck at for a while now. 

I hope you are off to an equally motivating start this week... time to plan some dinners and vacuum! 

xoxo

Nicky

Shelter from the cold

DAY 1: Roof frame

Elsa and Erick hard at work

I made acorn squash soup and a chicken salad. We ate in the backyard by the fire

after stage 1 of the dog house was accomplished :D

I wish I could be more exact about the recipe for this... but I totally "winged" this one.

Acorn Squash Soup

2 acorn squash

butter

olive oil

1 medium or half a large yellow onion

2-3 cloves garlic

chicken stock

sage

rosemary + some for garnishing

salt and pepper

cream optional

-------------------------------

 Preheat oven to 400F

Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds and strings. Place flesh side up on cookie sheet that is covered in foil (cause easy clean up is so fantastic!) you can brush the squash with butter if you like, I didn't this last time. Bake for about 45 minutes- an hour. Or until a fork pierces the squash easily!

While squash are roasting, use a dutch oven or big pot and saute garlic and onions with olive oil. Add salt, pepper, sage, rosemary and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, stir. 

When squash are finished roasting, let them cool a bit and then use a spoon to scoop out flesh and add to soup. Now if you didn't get a blender wand for Christmas like I did (one of my FAVORITE tools- and yes I highly recommend it) then you have to start scooping out the soup and blending it in the blender in batches. If you have the wand, blend away!!! :D

Add cream if you like a creamier soup and serve. Rosemary sprigs add "fancy" garnish :D hehe

ENJOY!

Our pups have been lacking a dog house, so we have been leaving them in our

house when we leave. If we forget to close our bedroom door, our Jack Russell likes 

to let us know how upset she is by eating entire gourmet chocolate bars

(a stocking stuffer that never did see a stocking), or peeing on a pile of clothes on top of the bed!

But look at me getting off subject... point is- they gotta get outside when we leave!

And... though Molly and I have this "thing" between us I still love her!

DAY 2: Roof

My man's in the "dog house"... hahha

 Banana is lending her support in this project! 

 And a little more support...

 Elsa's been a little helper-bug! :D Here she models what the dogs are

gonna look like in their new cozy house!

 Didn't get a shot of Olivia- she was off playing something else!

And now... our project has been on hold due to rain! 

More soon...

Also I wanted to give a warm thanks to you lovelies who read and comment on my blog.

 I left a short blurb on my last post about feeling

somewhat down and reading your lovely comments really helped perk me up! I really appreciate your 

kind words and thoughts! Such a RAD community of friendly peeps!!!

Have a wonderful Saturday!!!

xx,

Nicky

Reversible Wool Cape

Remember that estate sale I told you about recently where I scored those 

super cute little valentine's? 

This is the vintage reversible wool cape I found...

and this is me, toying with photoshop. I'm learning- slowly :D

Here are some of the other goodies I found.

As soon as I can snap some real shots, they'll be available in my shop :D

 I'm always drawn to the hankies for some reason!

And here's a pink scarf that I picked up from Anthropologie

a few days ago- Gift Cards are THEE best!!!

Hope your weeks coming along alright.

I'm in one of those funks- probably since it's just kinda blah and gray

outside! Crazy how much weather affects my mood :( along with all the other

fun-ness life brings along. This too shall pass.

xo,

Nicky

Something(s) Old and Something New

Etsy Update: 

Blue Surfy Vintage Housedress

Short Black Leather Vintage Pencil Skirt

Yikes... 80's sassiness to the hilt

and actually a really cute skirt!

 Off White Short Shorts

I just learned something new the other day about blogger.
Well... I've seen it before- I just never used it to my advantage!

If you know it already, roll your eyes, smile, and say, "OH, Nicky!!!"

If not, here we go. If you have a blog with blogger,

you can click a button at the top right of your screen that says "dashboard"

it takes you to a screen where you see info about your own blog including

a list of all those blogs you followed. 

You remember!?? 

You were searching blogs, and 

their friends blogs, and kept stumbling upon new blogs and pretty soon there's no humanly 

possible way to remember all the blogs you thought were cool?!?!?!

In comes your dashboard.

The newest posts appear at the top.

 It takes you to that persons blog, and it only shows you their most recent post.

(Yay for forced limitations!!!)

Ya read it (comment if so desired!), close the window down

and get to the next one! 

This is a handy tool for people like me who get LOSSSSTTTT in blog-land for 

countless hours sometimes. (UGH- I said it).

In other news:

I'm blogging over here now too! 

I joined up with and am helping lead an Etsy Team called 

Vintage Fashion Team.

We are holding a Banner Contest, so if you're the creative type and wanna participate,

please stop by and check it out :D

Free advertising is the prize!!!

xx,

and Happy Sunday!

50¢ Fun!

photo source

Why I don't own this movie yet is still a mystery.

I fell in love with it the first time I saw it and haven't seen it again since.

You gotta play this music while looking at these shots- adds to the wonky-ness of it all

We decided to grab some Mexican food the other night and 

lo and behold. They had a little toy machine that spits out toys for 

50¢

The girls were checking out hello kitty and I wanted the moustache!

(No, I don't normally buy toys from vending machines... ;)

On the way out I bought one and stuck it on real quick. 

We all burst out in laughter and ran back in to immediately purchase

 fuzzy caterpillar 'staches for 

everyones upper lip!

Except the men folk... theirs are al nat-real!

OH the cheap thrills in life.

Max is getting into it, and I don't think Erick's too afraid of my stache

Anne and I have never been afraid to have a fun time...

even if we look like... well? bearded women.

I've never shown you the brownie pictures, have I?

J/K Anne, I won't!

Ruben's a bit unsure of bearded ladies... 

but they are actually highly sought out by some...

There are more that one ways to wear a stitcky 'stache!

This moustache is actually an accessory...

look how well it matches my purse!!! hahahha

xo

I really wish I had footage of this glorious event... 

maybe some dancing in the parking lot???

Perhaps retarded fun is the most fun!?!!!

Ya just gotta have the right people along :D

Winter Beach

I'll let these pictures do most of the talking :D

a favorite tune of mine... 

slideshow music :D

Though we live in Sunny Southern California and the sun does shine

most everyday of the year... it gets a little chilly from time to time.

We were freezing at home with crisp air and a cool breeze, 

but were desperate to get outta town and do some adventuring. 

I took my girls to my longtime escape/relaxing place... Laguna Beach.

Climbing around the tide pools

This was a fascinating little critter display! 

The little crab guy on the bottom of the picture was fighting this homeless hermit crab.

The one with the shell was carrying an empty shell

which I can only guess belonged to our curly tailed friend in the top of the picture.

Look at me already siding with the unfortunate crab!

Just when I think our world can be so dang crazy violent,

I just look at mother nature and realize that 

even hermit crabs are being kicked out of their home during this recession...

and guess what? Fluffy bunnies to get eaten alive by coyotes...

Seals by whales.... you get the point. It's a gnarly way of life out there.

Still, I wish humans were way more civil with one another!!!

Where's the love people???

 ah, yes. here's the love.

private cove. sheet to lay on, sunshine/shade.

shells to gather and ocean view.

we even took a little cat nap

 But then the littlest one insisted on climbing more rocks... ok... let's go

we packed up and headed back

 over the muscles and through the clams... to the sunny beach we go!

they look like they're holding hands :D

Sneakers and jeans felt a bit odd for the beach, but worked out great

for the bit of rock climbing we did. (I've done it barefooted many times- ouch!!!!)

running from the tide

It was the most relaxing, perfect temperature-d, lovely adventuring/lounging time

with my babies that we've had in a while.

ps.. just in case you watched my stem stitch video recently here
and wondered what I was thinking with that itty bitty video...
I upgraded it to a you tube version that is much more viewer friendly! :D
Cheers!