When Mice Poop In Your Slippers...

You buy a cat.

Last Thursday I did a deep cleaning in our home. The scrub baseboards and dust ceiling fans kind of cleaning. Our house is never really that dirty. I'm basically a cleaning Nazi and keep the home looking shiny and new. {Although, we currently do not own a vacuum cleaning. Which is terrible and drives me insane!} So when I was cleaning out our master closet and found mouse dropping  in Steven's slippers I freaked out. {Naturally.} Then Steven and I had a conversation that went something like this.

D - Babe, maybe we should get a cat to take care of the mice problem. 

S - Okay.

That was it! I know, very, very stimulating conversation we have. 

So, we searched Craigslist until we found the cheapest kitten available and ended up with this blue-eyed cutie. Everyone, meet Herschel!

He is so tiny it makes me nervous! I feel like I'm going to crush his ribs when I pick him up...

But if he ever does have an untimely death, I'm quite certain it will be because Huckleberry licked him to death.

He was cautious when first meeting Huck, but with a little coaxing he came out of the carrier and began exploring his new home. Huck just licked him. Everywhere. Like intense, slobbery licks. Herschel was thoroughly soaked within a few minutes from all Huck's kisses.

Hopefully, he will grow up to be a vicious mouse/rat/mole killer. I know he doesn't  look too vicious at the moment, but, trust me, all cats are vicious deep down. They are like secret ninjas ready to strike when you least expect it. 

Okay, maybe not all cats. But we do hope he has a high prey drive because mice are gross and moles ruin yards. True story.

All I have to say is that mouse is sure going to wish he never pooped in Steven's slippers. 

And I now own one freaking cute kitten.

Weekend in Review

This weekend was full of yummy recipes, beautiful flower arrangements, and quality time with my husband and pup! Oh, and the Olympics.

 Spicy Thai shrimp lettuce wraps.

 Raspberry picking that turned into a pie!

 Beautiful flowers from the farmers market.

Huckleberry! My little man is almost 11 months old!

It was one of those perfectly lazy weekends. Truly the best kind, don't you agree? Steven and I did finish our Pinterest desk (more photos of that later this week) and attend the local farmers market. And it was AMAZING! For such a small market, I was really blown away by how nice it was! We will be making a return trip there this coming weekend. But other than that, we simply indulged in snuggle time with one another and Huck while watching the Olympics. I tell ya, those Olympic games can really be addicting. Is anyone else completely submersed in the event??

I hope your weekend was as great as mine! And be sure to come back later in the week to check out our Pinterest inspired desk and the recipe for those spicy Thai shrimp lettuce wraps above!!

Happy Monday, friends!

Friday Letters.

Dear Wedding Photographer - You are AMAZING. Can you please move to Seattle right now and take pictures of me everyday for my blog? You can have the weekends off if you'd prefer. You see, the thing in my skin has never looked that good. Even my wedding day I know my skin did not look that good! So, I want your voodoo magic here with me. Now. Dear Job - Sometimes I like you. Sometimes I don't. Today I do because I didn't have to come in :) I could seriously get use to no longer doing the 8-5 grid. It makes me sleepy and cranky. A break away from you is necessary every so often. Don't take offense. I'm sure most people would say the same thing no matter how much they love their job. Dear Huckleberry - One of the best things about not working is spending time with you, my little man! You are too funny. I sometimes wonder what will happen when I am faced with the reality of having real human babies instead of a golden retriever. Truth is, I may still like you more ;) Dear Steven - I am so proud of you and how hard you've been working for the both of us. You are such a blessing to me! Another week down and I am still happy to be your wife. Let's keep this winning streak going, shall we?

Chewy Chocolate Coconut Cookies

I know I've mentioned my sweet tooth issues before, which ultimately leads to recipes like this one and this one. The problem is, Steven isn't much of a sweets guy. So every time I find a sweet treat to bake I'm left with the task of eating every. single. bite. all by myself! I know, I know, the HORROR.

Okay, so I definitely don't mind that...but I'm thinking my waistline might in a few years. So while I'm pinning away I try to find healthier dessert options (preferably loaded with massive quantities of chocolate), and ladies, find one I did! If you're a fan of chocolate and/or coconut this recipe is a must try! It is a completely dairy-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free snack! There is even an egg-free and vegan recipe option.

And it's soooo simple! See this little cookie? It only requires 5 ingredients and packs a lot of flavor!

 Here's what you''ll need. (Makes about 18 cookies)

- 4 cups finely shredded coconut

- 1 cup cocoa powder

- 1 cup unpasteurized honey

- 4 eggs

- 4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine all the ingredients in one large bowl and mix together until well combined. Scoop about 1/4 cup of the mixture and flattening it out on the baking sheet like a mud pie. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

I honestly think these cookies are my new favorites! They have a no bake, moist texture and a rich chocolate flavor with a delicious coconut kick! Perfection, I tell ya, perfection. 

Click here to view the original recipe and get the egg free and vegan version of these cookies! 

Hope you enjoy!

These Days, Happiness Is...

...in a kind gesture.

{A beautiful, surprise bouquet of flowers on the kitchen table from my mother-in-law.}

....a sleeping pup.

{Huckleberry after a play date with mommy.}

...an edible meal.

{Cooked by Steven, of course. My cooking is very rarely edible.}

 ...a sweet treat.

{A chocolate vanilla swirl ice cream cone... 'nuff said.}

...a captured moment with the one I love. 

"It's a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy." -Lucille Ball

What does HAPPINESS look like in your life these days? I'd love to hear about it :)

Honeymoon pt. 2: Lions, and Otters, and Polar Bears. Oh My!

I'm feeling a little better today. Just pretty lethargic. And, oddly, my abdominal and back muscles are really stinkin' sore! I guess my throwing up episodes were pretty intense...

ANYWAYS, moving on to more delightful things...

...............................................

After seeing the finery of Boldt Castle and the splendor of Niagara Falls (I know I'm so poetic), we headed south to Buffalo, NY to do a little shopping and go to the zoo. Of course. Because naturally, if there is a zoo nearby, this lady is stopping in to check it out --and buy all the stuffed animals in the gift shop and a zebra head ice cream bar. Just saying..

The weird (but amazing!) thing was that instead of the usual craning-your-head-and-peering-through-foliage-to-get-a-glimpse-of-a-tiger's-tail routine one has to use while at a zoo, all the animals here were easy to spot. I loved that! And I wanted to pet and cuddle and snuggle them all. But, alas, the damned bars are always in the way. However, I did stick my finger in most of the more non-threatening animal's cages and croon to them to come closer. It didn't work.

What do you think of this GINORMOUS beaver? Okay, so it's not a beaver. I have no idea what it is but I felt sad for him. He seemed lonely. And extremely upset that I was taking his picture. He is definitely giving me the evil eye here...

The polar bears cracked me up. They were floating on their backs in the pool until they had a bit of an audience. Then they came right out to strike a pose for the cameras.

 Profile shot.

Mufasa was simply chilling. Completely unamused. Seriously, have you ever seen the lions at the zoo this close before??

And my FAVORITE animal was this cute little otter trying to take a nap in the log. I truly wanted to take him home. I loved him. Am I being too weird for you guys today?? I blame it on my recent illness.

Thankfully, Steven was well aquatinted with my love  obsession for animals before we made our first zoo visit together. If not, he may have wanted to annul our marriage after this. My excitement tends to reach a level of hysteria when confronted with cute, furry creatures. Hence my obsession for Huckleberry, which you all are very well aware of :)

Hope you have a happy Tuesday, friends! 

The Toilet.

While my head was in the toilet expelling stomach bile (I know, a lovely morning visual), I noticed that that said toilet needs a good scrubbing. I also noticed that I obviously am far to sick to scrub it myself. Therefore, my husband who recently declared he would love me "in sickness and in health" will be assigned the duty.

Yes, I am sick. The throwing up simply will not cease. Anything that goes in comes right back out. And I cry and whimper, because throwing up is truly the worst feeling in the world. Steven's been great. Cuddling me and rubbing my tummy until I smack his hand away and rush to the toilet. Really, it's a high life we lead. Jealous, much?

So with that said, I will leave you with a pretty picture and hope to get back to the normal blogging grid in the morning.

This one is actually my favorite from the wedding so far :)

Friday Letters.

Dear Husband - There are few things in this world I love more than being your wife. Actually, at this moment, I cannot think of one. To hear you call me your wife makes my heart swoon. It truly is a remarkable feeling. The best I've yet to experience. Thinking back to when I was a little girl and the things I hoped for in a husband --someone tall, blonde haired and blue eyed-- makes me smile. I definitely was blessed with a man who possesses all those superficial qualities I thought would make me happy, but I feel outrageously grateful that the Lord gave me a man with so many more strong qualities I did not think to ask for when I prayed for my storybook knight. You are by far the most generous man I've ever met --nay, the most generous human being! I love your big heart and continually outstretched hand toward others. You are a giver. A leader. A hard worker. You are passionate. You are my encouragement. My biggest fan. My never wavering support. My comfort. My love. Thank you for all the character you possess. My prayer now is that I will continue to help you build on that character for which you already have such a strong foundation. I pray that I will lift you up and never cause you to stumble. I pray that our love for one another will continue to grow. You are my knight in shining armor. My storybook romance. My Mr. Darcy, if you will. 

Thank you for pursuing my heart and capturing my soul.

Always,

Your Wife.

Honeymoon: Niagara Falls

Instead of doing the typical honeymoon in a warm, tourist-y destination, we opted for staying in upstate New York and seeing the sights it had to offer. Because a) this was Steven's first time to N.Y. and there truly are a lot of neat places to go, b) this is technically our "busy season" at work so we wanted to needed to come back from our honeymoon a little early to recoup and prepare for the intense work load ahead, c) funds are skimpy at the moment due to wedding expenses, and d) we wanted to be able to take a second honeymoon in the near future; hence, we are calling this trip our mini-moon and we hope to take a MEGA-moon this winter. 

Sorry for the list. For some reason I felt it was necessary to defend our little honeymoon. Not sure why. Moving on...

Of course, being in NY we had to and I mean HAD TO go see Niagara Falls. Really, when one of the seven wonders of the world is only a three hour drive away how could you not go? I've been to Niagara Falls once before, but I was young so this time was just as, if not more so, exhilarating than the previous visit. 

Ready for a photo dump? My camera could not even come close to capturing how amazing the Falls is, but we tried.

At first, while walking along the water you can hardly see that there's a huge waterfall ahead. It just looks like the water continues all the way to those buildings (which are in Canada).

 And then BAM!

The waterfall to the left in the photo is the American Falls. You can begin to see the Canadian Falls (called Horseshoe Falls) though in this picture as well. Can I just say, the Americans got gypped on the Falls. Horseshoe Falls is MASSIVE! Just as a reference consider this, the water cascading down the American Falls hits the base of the Falls with 280 tons of force compared to the Canadian Falls hitting the base with 2,509 tons of force!

The Maid of the Mist is a boat ride that goes right underneath Horseshoe Falls. It really is an incredible experience. It's so beautiful you want to keep your eyes open the entire time but it's impossible! You come out completely drenched! It feels as if you've been transported into the frightening scenes of that movie The Perfect Storm with George Clooney. Remember that?? Okay, maybe not quite like that. But close.

Riding the Maid of the Mist was probably my favorite outing for the honeymoon. I am so glad Steven and I were able to experience it together! Actually, not just the Falls, but the entire Niagara Falls State Park area is beautiful. We spent two days exploring all the region had to offer before heading a little more South to check out Buffalo, NY. 

More on our honeymoon adventures to come! But if you are interested in checking out more amazing facts on Niagara Falls check out this website! 

Boldt Castle

Choosing to get married in New York meant every single one of my bridesmaids would be visiting a part of the country they've never seen before. Upstate New York is beautiful, and I really wanted my girls to see as much of that beauty as they could in the short time they were there. 

On the top of my list of places I wanted to take them was Boldt Castle in the 1000 Islands. Originally called Hart Island, George Boldt purchased this island out of the 1,864 islands in the 1000 Island region   for his wife. His goal: build a 6 story, 120 room castle complete with a drawbridge, dove cote, yacht house, and playhouse for his two children, all as a display of love to his wife, Louise. 

He changed the name of the island from Hart Island to Heart Island and spared no expense as construction began. Beautiful white and pink marble, an elaborate stained glass dome, millions of hearts etched in stone, and extensive Italian inspired gardens throughout the grounds are just snippets of the grandeur this castle possesses. 

Aerial view via

Sadly, one year before the castle was scheduled to be complete, Louise died. George sent a telegram to the men working on the island simply stating that his wife has died and to stop all construction. It is said that George never stepped foot on the island again, leaving this display of love for his wife untouched for 73 years. 

Now this piece of history has been restored to it's original state and opened up to the public for viewing. Stepping foot on this island is like walking into the pages of a fairytale. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't know any man who has built a castle for his wife. This just doesn't happen everyday, ladies! While walking though the castle, one feels as if he or she is caught in a romantic haze. The elaborate majesty and delicate detail is breathtaking, and then, coupled with the thought of such a romantic gesture, one leaves feeling dizzy; intoxicated by the rarity and depth of this man's love.

This coral room is my favorite one. Thought to be his daughter Clover's reception room.

As you move higher into the castle more of the rooms are left incomplete.

Truly, every time I've been to Boldt Castle has been completely worth it. The beauty is simply immeasurable and the story behind it is more touching every time it's told. 

Needless to say, me and my girls has a great time! Actually, I had such an amazing time I made Steven tour the castle a few days later while on our honeymoon! I hope you all enjoyed the little history lesson! But seriously, if you are ever in the area, I think Boldt Castle is well worth the visit! :)

Happy Day, Friends!