Assembling The New Bed

Once Ian got home we were able to put the bed together. I am absolutely in love... (minus the nailheads). These are just camera phone pictures in bad lighting. When there is better light I will take some pictures with my regular camera. /swoon

The high profile box spring fit perfectly with the rails of the bed.

Somehow we managed to put the giant heavy pillow that is our mattress onto the box springs. Love it.

This is the end result. Yes, we are those people who have a million pillows on our bed. That's exactly what we wanted. Our favorite hotel in Seattle has a bed just like this one. King Size. Fluffy. A million pillows. The best part of the bed was being able to sit up and lean against the big pillows. They're not "decorative". We can lean against the white Euros. The king size blue pillows are the normal side sleeper pillows. The shams that match the duvet I will use to prop myself up at night as usual. Ian will probably push his aside. It is a giant comfy "grown up" bed. Finally.

Almost Perfect New Bed

I'm not going to let it spoil my special new bed day... But the headboard was slightly not what we ordered. I ordered it without "nailheads" and guess what it came with? It just doesn't go with the style I was going for. The nice thing is.. Pottery Barn is on top of it. They allowed us to keep the bed until the new headboard comes in.

Here are the stupid nailheads. Otherwise, it is perfect!!

It's Here!

This truck needs to be permanently parked in front of my house.

Insert New Bed Here

Today is the day! Our new bed from Pottery Barn will be delivered. The mattress was delivered yesterday and was so comfy even on the floor. I'm beyond excited. The pinched nerve in my neck is excited too.

Coop Scoop: Making Pizzas!

The key is the tongue.

Max Quacks: I'm Bringing Sexy Back

Dear Red Sox

Please win tonight. I will give you a dollar. You're going to give my husband a heart attack. Thanks.

I'm In The Hall of Fame!

Time Flies

I am currently at a work event that happens every September. I cannot believe how much has changed in a year. EB is no longer here. A creepy guy that followed certain women around is no longer here. My old Boss From Hell is no longer here. My big project was mentioned in a opening address presentation. Only bad part... we're staying at the same hotel that I got bitten by bed bugs at.

It's hard when you're in a situation that you think it will go on forever. I thought my Boss From Hell and EB would never leave my life. EB has moved to a different part of the company. The Boss From Hell transferred back to the US. In fact... he left almost a year ago today. It's amazing how time flies and life changes. Yay. The unfortunate part comes now... an 80's themed dinner. Shoot me.

First Fire In The House

(first safe fire that is)

YUMMY

We got corn from Herrle's today. Amazing.

Stud Finders

The part of this comic that made it really funny to me was the Alt Text. It said "According to every stud finder I've tried to use, my walls contain a rapidly shifting network of hundreds and hundreds of studs." Ian would wholeheartedly agree, after many adventures with our stud finder, that our house is the same way."

Drunken Lamppost Epidemic

Our neighborhood has a serious problem. DRUNK LAMPPOSTS. Almost every street light leans precariously one direction. Maybe the city will fix them one day.

Chef Ian & Brittany Present: Spicy Shrimp Tacos

After moving into the new house, I found myself with a conundrum. What do I have to post about after the constant stream of information regarding our build? Ian suggested we start up this series again... so here it is, a new Chef Ian & Brittany Presents.

A few weeks ago we decided to experiment with shrimp kabobs. I made up a pretty basic recipe and it turned out to be delicious. Spicy Shrimp Tacos were born. Here are the players:

Starting Lineup:

• Shrimp - Large, Raw, Deveined, Tail-Off
  
• Garlic
  
• Olive Oil
  
• Red Pepper
  
• Onion
  
• Lemon

Backup Team (Optional Players):

• Crushed Red Pepper
  
• Salt & Pepper

Start by having your sous chef (Ian) chop the onion and red pepper into chunks.Throw them into a mixing bowl.

Drain any liquid from the shrimp and add to the bowl. Toss in 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. We like the big jar of minced garlic from Costco but fresh is always better. If you like the tacos to have a bit of a kick, add in 1/2 teaspoon of Crushed Red Pepper. Add salt and pepper as desired... I feel it doesn't need it. Pour in 3 tablespoons of Olive Oil.

Yummy Lemon. Zest half a lemon and squeeze a few drops of juice into the bowl. Mix well - I use my hands since I am going to be putting the shrimp onto skewers anyway.

Skewer Up! (How I Met Your Mother Reference - *LAUGH*) Tip: Best way to make sure the shrimp doesn't fall off - poke the skewer through the large portion and the tail. Throw on the barbecue over medium heat.

My sous chef was careful not to set the house on fire... we are currently grilling out of our garage. =] The skewers took about 8-10 minutes to cook on each side.

Warm up some tortillas, de-skewer the shrimp and chow down. We like to have Spanish Rice wrapped up with the shrimp. I'll share that delicious recipe later. To combat the heat, Ian adds some fresh lime juice and I like a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!

Ian Performing Surgery On The Sod

A corner of the boulevard grass was not growing. He lifted up the section and found at least part of the problem. A plastic strip was embedded in the dirt. Unable to pull it out, he ended up cutting it. Hopefully the sod comes back.

Max Quacks: I DON'T LIKE RAIN

Awww poor baby! Clearly, he does not take after his Aunt B.

Coop Scoop: I'm 3!

My nephew Cooper turned 3 yesterday. I got to webcam with him while he opened his present. Sadly, he screamed "BOOK" when he opened it, only to find that we didn't include our usual gift of books. /auntbanduncleianfail.

My sister filled his bedroom the night before with balloons and taped a sign to him. Awesome.

Here he is enjoying his hot new ride that GMa got him. Personally, I like the big flag on the back. Can't wait to get action shots and video. (hint hint)

And what kid wouldn't love pancakes with birthday candles in them?

December is too far away... can't wait for the little bugger to be here. Happy Birthday Coop Scoop!

Go Neuton!

We gave our grass it's first haircut yesterday. This is a Neuton. It is a cordless electric mower. It did a pretty good job considering our grass was super long!

Ready To Run

A Storm Is Coming...