Neat and Tidy

I am a fan of neatness, order, and organized bliss. I am NOT a fan of cacti that require weeding. I don't even need to write that one down for future reference because I have permanent scratches on my forearms as a constant reminder. People formerly close to me now raise eyebrows in suspicion...is she using heroine? I wish such an excuse could be used! These scratches are just part of the fun of maintaining a yard that I mostly have no control over.

John took the day off yesterday to get a ton of homework done for school (3.5 weeks and counting). He came out from studying around 4:30 PM, dressed in very tight jeans and an old ratty t-shirt. I got excited because I knew what this meant...yard work! (Explanation: this outfit was previously John's normal day-to-day clothing, but I introduced him to a whole new world of comfort when we bought a waist size bigger than his ones that he was still wearing from high school. His previous jeans wore a little high on the waist, anyway, so it was a pleasure all mine to bring this guy into the 21st century. I may very well be the best thing that ever happened to John).

My husband refuses to show me how to properly operate the lawn mower and weed whacker so that I can help out when he doesn't have the time. For those of you who think I fly airplanes and therefore should be able to handle operating light machinery such as lawn equipment...I agree. And I've tried. Because of previous improper operation of the lawn mower (not by us!), the engine burned up which required the entire machine to be replaced. I don't dare risk using the new one without a formal education from my husband (which he refuses to do, since he feels it is his job as a man). The weed whacker? I have tried on several occasions just to get the stupid thing started, to no avail. After numerous failed attempts, I am just going to have to trust fate on this one. Maybe John is supposed to do that stuff, allowing me to come behind him and weed all the cacti. I feel bad for the guy because he has severe allergies to freshly-cut grass, which usually goes hand-in-hand with a recently-mowed lawn. But he plugs through and always makes it look so nice. I follow with a rake to get all the clippings for a mulch pile of which (I hope) we will not be here long enough to enjoy the results. We spent three hours outside last evening getting everything in tip-top shape. I just had to take some pictures to remind myself that it can look good. I just wish I could play a bigger part in keeping it that way!

Successful Date Night 101

It is no laughing matter that my husband and I look forward to Date Night all week. Usually, if I am home from work before midnight, we knock this special event out on Friday evenings. We usually head to a fine eating establishment like Chipotle or (occasionally) Taco Bell when we are feeling particularly special that week. However, thanks to a coupon for a free appetizer, this week we found ourselves at Red Robin. Yummmmmm.

I consider it a great moral accomplishment when the words, "I'll have a water, please...no lemon," come from my mouth. Red Robin is home of one of my favorite beverages in the world, The Freckled Lemonade. A bottomless drink of sparkling lemonade, sprite, and crushed strawberries? I would go there just to drink six gallons of the stuff. And the only bad thing is the occasional chunk of strawberry that gets wedged inside the straw. I sidestep that problem in advance by asking for seventeen straws. Nothing should slow me down when I am trying to get my $3.99-worth! This drink is such a thirst-quencher and so sweetly delicious. But because it is so cold and because I drink it in large gulps because it is irresistible, it is easy to fill up on such summery goodness. For the past three months, I have been trying, not always successfully, to be careful on eating a certain amount of calories a day. Sometimes I throw this out the window (on Date Night, for example), but I still couldn't justify getting all that sugary liquid AND bottomless fries. So I picked one over the other, secretly contemplating a couples trip to Krispy Kreme later on for dessert (and luckily for our waist lines, we were both too full from dinner to make this a reality).

Our free appetizer arrived, and just in time for our ravenous appetites to growl so loudly that the table next to us left the premises in a hurry. The Tower Of Onions, with accompanying ranch and Cowboy Sauce for dipping. Ironically, neither of us are huge onion ring fans, but this stack of greasy, crunchy goodness is so crave-able and yummy that we kept looking towards the kitchen in anticipation. I had made up my mind to only eat a few, as I had a great meal on the way. However, something like heavenly onion rings (and a Tower of them at that) are not good the next day for leftovers. So I pulled my weight as a team member to help John devour the entire thing. I stopped counting as I pulled them from lower and lower on the metal pole, just so I wouldn't feel badly about myself later. We'll just say that he ate more of the rings than me, and that might possibly be true. They were incredible! The batter wasn't too thick but has such a perfect consistency. And the Cowboy Sauce is BBQ sauce combined with a little bit of mayonnaise. For someone who doesn't really like mayonnaise, this stuff was too good to skip! I am sure it helped that we hadn't eaten for eight hours in preparation for our Date Night. We would get them again and would highly recommend a Tower Of Onions appear on your own table in the near future.

John's main course was the Burnin' Love Burger. He likes spicy things and made no exceptions tonight. Well-done meat topped with deep-fried jalapenos (he insists these are NOT considered vegetables because they take a swim in oil first), pepper jack cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and spicy chipotle mayonnaise, all on a jalapeno-encrusted ciabatta bun. If ketchup wasn't too spicy for me, I may have tasted a bite of his burger to inform you how delicious this particular monstrosity was. Being the burger-snob that he is, John approved and ate the entire thing.

I ended up surprising myself by ordering my favorite thing on the menu, despite expecting all day to get the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Wrap. I went back to my all-time favorite selection, the BaconLettuce Tomato/urkeyAvacado Croissant Sandwich. Lovingly known as the BLTA to us regulars. It is a rare sandwich that I actually enjoy sliced turkey, but it may have something to do with the gigantic slices of avocado that make me forget turkey exists on there somewhere as well. Holy cow, it was good. And with hot and seasoned bottomless steak fries dipped in ranch dressing? I was set for the evening. We accidentally ordered some more fries towards the end of our meal but almost finished them, just to be polite!

We rolled out of the restaurant and into the car to go to Wal-Mart for some errands. Walking around was good, however, since we probably burned off 1/1000th of our Date Night intake.

Date Nights can always successfully me measured by how full we feel afterwards. This particular night? An 11!

House Wishes

Considering how much time I spend in my day thinking about our future home, it's probably a miracle that I haven't made a Wish List Post prior to today. I am so house-hungry. I can't wait until I don't have to share a laundry room with the neighbors. I can't wait until I have an outdoor space all my own to keep meticulously weeded and watered. I can't wait until I have my dream kitchen. Some of these may actually be a reality some day! I thought it would be fun to share things in my head as to what I hope we have some day. It can't come soon enough!

Location is key. We love the Dobson Ranch area in Mesa near the 60 and 101 freeways, but it will be harder to find a house in this neighborhood since most of them have an HOA. John refuses to pay someone to tell him what he is allowed to do on his property, and I agree! So just east of Dobson Ranch is a beautiful area called Dobson Woods with no HOAs but same great location! We will probably settle in this area.

Two-car garage. Can I be so lucky as to have windows on the top of the garage door? I love that look!

Curb appeal. Being the self-proclaimed perfectionist that I am, I would love a beautiful front and backyard that I can feel proud of. I particularly like these two little numbers.

Kitchen. It might be the most important thing to me, since I love spending so much time in this room. I would love to have everything updated so we don't have to worry about it. Dark wood cabinets? Yes, please. And stainless steel appliances would make my heart go pitter-pat. Counterspace is important, since I still have that dream of doing some dessert catering some day. I would love a gas range to cook up a storm.

And double-wall ovens. Did I mention I would love to do a small amount of baking in the future? These would be a must! Convection ovens, if I have the ability to be really picky!

I would love a pretty view out of my kitchen window. I think it would be wonderful to watch the kiddies play in the yard while I slave away at dishes or cleaning inside. (Who am I kidding...if they are outside, it's to do yard work, and then they will be inside doing the dishes and cleaning while I prop my legs up in a comfy chair!).

A bathroom to die for. I know houses are sold because of kitchens and bathrooms, and this is another area in the house I hope is already done for us. I would love to add a personal touch of my own, but new fixtures and floors would be ideal. Tile showers would be nice, with a beautiful seamless glass door. I have always wanted a squeegee...

For me, an outdoor entertaining space is crucial. I would love a huge covered patio with enough room for our grill (non-existent as of now), an outdoor lounge set (also on the wish list), and a dining set perfect for all kinds of parties (I drool every time I am at the store). The weather is so nice here in The Valley eight months out of the year, and I can see an outdoor patio simply becoming an extension of our living space.

A pool. It's actually not important to us, since I think we are both intimidated by the maintenance of one. But if we found the perfect house and it happened to have a pool in the backyard, I don't think I would let it stop me from buying. In a perfect world, it would have a fence around the pool so as to prevent future children damage.

A yard is key. If we get stuck with a pool, there has to be enough lawn and grass for the kids to play in (mow, weed, fertilize, etc.). I can't wait to roll around in my own grass! Please forgive such a brash statement!

French doors. This is one of those things I have discovered is important to John, though not spoken plainly. He refuses to have sliding doors to any outdoor space, so French Doors are a must.

A great room. I never want to be stuck cooking in the kitchen with the party happening elsewhere in the house. I imagine a perfect, large room with enough space for a sitting area (perhaps near a fireplace?) and room for my desired gigantic dining table (I have about thirty possibilities picked out at twenty-nine stores). I want to be able to be a part of the action while I finish getting dinner ready, and a great room would provide that opportunity.


Kitchen storage is a must for me. And if you know me well, you know I can totally make my pantry look this good! I can't wait to have room to store everything my little heart desires!

I would love to have tall ceilings, simply because of the illusion created of more space. I like space. And I would love to have lots of light in that space. Neutral paint with white baseboards and recessed lighting? Well, alrighty then!

So there you have it. My dream home in a nutshell. I know we won't find a perfect house, but I have high hopes of finding the perfect house for us. Did I mention I can hardly wait?