a week's review: 7/24/2011-7/30/2011

on wednesday my cute neighbor & her grandson brought me this present:

cinnamon bread

it was delicious.

here is the recipe:



Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons margarine

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan.

1. Measure flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, salt, buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla into large mixing bowl. Beat 3 minutes. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Smooth top.
2. Combine 2 tablespoons white sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and butter, mixing until crumbly. Sprinkle topping over smoothed batter. Using knife, cut in a light swirling motion to give a marbled effect.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes. Test with toothpick. When inserted it should come out clean. Remove bread from pan to rack to cool.

then on thursday my package from krista at the girls mom etsy shop arrived:

i ordered this adorable pillow and a fabric garland to hang on the old shutters above our bed. the package reminded me of something my grandmother dicey would have mailed me. that alone made me happy for the purchase and the time krista put into wrapping the items up.

my precious frup bella bell got her stitches out and now her eye looks like this.

graphic, yes, my apologies if you have a weak stomach.

she is such a trooper. her attitude has not changed one bit, she is still running around, being hyper and happy. we (blake & i) are so thankful for her to have survived this.

we are praying that the swelling will go down soon and the eye won't be stuck up in the corner like that.

finally, my sister gave birth to my parents first grandchild and my first niece.

such a doll. mommy & baby are now home, resting and adjusting comfortably.

mr. dryden got the chandelier up on the front porch :)

working on his car (yes, we are a cadillac family)

today blake  is building a white fence out front for the dogs, it's finally raining here, hallelujah, and i am spending my saturday watching reruns of ghost whisperer and hoping to have an evening bike ride with the frups and the hubs.

how are you spending your saturday?

the lie: 7/30/2011

yesterday i posted two truths and one lie. although i didn't get many responses the lie is that...

3) i don't believe in ghosts

i totally believe in ghosts! i have had my own experience and am and have been fascinated with the possibility of an afterlife.

yep, i ain't afraid of no ghost



two truths one lie: 7/29/2011

kate at every mile a memory blogged a great post yesterday. i had to participate.

two of these three statements are true and one is a lie.

guess the lie!

1) i made it to the third round to be 'one of the seven strangers' on mtv's the real world

2) i grew up with blake & he was my middle school & high school crush

3) i don't believe in ghosts

what's my lie?

fill in the blank friday: 7/29/2011

it's friday & i am linking up with lauren, as usual.

1) my favorite color is: turquoise and i love light pink.

2) my travel destination of choice is: somewhere with a lot of history, preferably the beach or new orleans.

3) my favorite food is: veggies and fruit (avocado, apples, celery, squash, peaches, watermelon)

4) my happy place is :  remembering my grandmother, dicey. i go back to a summer where we were at a dock, she was holding my hand, we were feeding ducks. memories involving her take me to my happy place.

5) my favorite saying is: "go confidently in the direction of your dreams! live the life you imagined. as you simplify your life the laws of the universe will become simpler. - Henry David Thoreau

6) my dirty little secret is: i like lauren, only wash my hair truthfully once a week and it's done at a salon. dry shampoo is my secret. i can't help it. no judgement.

7)  something friends might say about me is: i say very awkward things. plain and simple, i make people uncomfortable sometimes. but you all love me anyways.

* very happy it's the weekend. i have some shopping errands i need to do so i can finally show some pictures of this palace. *

i am so happy today is friday! planning on a morning walk & then i have two stools to sand and prep for painting. i will post photos soon.

what i'm playing thursday: 7/28/2011

linking up with sarah elizabeth again for today's post.

dirrty....christina aguilera

creep....tlc

kerosene...miranda lambert

feeling this...blink182

pink....aerosmith

what are you listening to?

*i saw bad teacher yesterday. funny. predicted it would be funnier. worth waiting to redbox.*

what i am loving wednesday: 7/27/2011

link up

happy hump day! wednesday is becoming my favorite day of the week. wa-hoo. so here's what i am loving:

1)

rachel zoe's baby style

2)

mila kunis' shoes.

even if they aren't a real life couple they play one on t.v.

3)

this etsy print

4)

messy braids.

i hate washing my hair (gasp!) yes it's true i am a dry shampoo fanatic and i wish i knew how to braid my hair, yet another girly thing i am incapable of doing...sigh.

5)

shelby from etsy.

her designs are amazing, fresh, and handmade with love.

she is such a doll that she has agreed to a 20% OFF COUPON to her store!

use the code: LIVEBYTHESUN

check out her designs and creativity here

6)

my first niece, duh.

born 7/24/2011 @ 5:05 p.m.

7)

my younger sister, caroline.

she is what i consider a real life carrie bradshaw.

i love her.

don't forget to visit shelby's etsy store & use the coupon code (score!)

what are you loving this wednesday?

glittery nails tuesday: 7/26/2011

sally hansen salon effects nail polish strips

i am such a girly girl but there are a few things that i just am not capable of doing. for one thing i will spend $10 per week getting a manicure all because i seriously cannot paint my nails to save my life. well i found these little gems at walmart for about $6 and thought 'why not?'. best decision ever!

these are easy breezy. you just peel, place, and pick off extra. i was boasting to blake, 'look, i just painted my nails! oh, don't my nails look good?!'

doesn't take long at all either and comes off with regular nail polish. ten strips per pack so you have extras for touch-ups.

have any of you tried them?
any other easy breezy products out there i should try?

an engagement story: 7/24/2009

two years ago today blake & i got engaged. we were in colorado, he was living there, i was there for a job interview and obviously visiting him. he picked me up from the airport and we drove straight to golden for my teaching interview. i thought the interview went awful so to cheer me up we went to the golden city hotel (one of our favorite places) for breakfast. we then discussed my big move to denver. the rest of the day was spent shopping, decorating blake's house, and walking around what was sure to be my new city.

later that night blake and i decided on a night in because the following day we would visit some mountains that were sentimental to blake and probably go camping. blake had been cooking a vegetarian dish in his slow cooker for me. he is the master chef in the relationship. we sat eating a delicious meal and watching the show weeds. blake got up to use the restroom while daisy (dog) and i continued watching the show. daisy starts barking at the back door, blake runs out, looks outside and urges me to 'come look, omg'. i get up, look outside and see nothing but a pool and the clear denver skies. i was actually annoyed, i turned around saying 'i don't see a BLEEPING thing' and there he is. down on one knee ring box open. first words out of my mouth, 'are you drunk?!'

just said yes!

next came the most beautiful words spoken, tears, kissing, and happiness. i had been waiting for this moment all of my life. it was such an amazing night. i was going to be mrs. robert blake dryden.

i am so thankful for that night, my life, our dogs, and our new house. it really is all happening for us. i love you, blake.  oh and in case you were wondering, yes i did get the job! but blake decided to move to boerne instead. secretly i think he knew my plan to just move u there, 'try it out' for in my mind what would have just been one month, then move back home. hey, i cannot be that far away from my family. god is so good, all the time.

*update* my sister just text me and her water broke! baby riley is on the way.

do you have an engagement story to share?