the big finish.

Valentines Day can be over-rated, right? We spend so much time anticipating a day of flowers, chocolates & romance and then the actual day comes and we forget to make reservations, the flowers don't get delivered and you wake up with a zit on your forehead. I have had a few Valentines like that.

"I'm setting myself up for failure" I thought as I drove home on Friday night. I was SO excited for Valentines Day this year (could you tell?)... There was really no way it could be as wonderful as I was imagining. Luckily for me, a rare (and I mean RARE) thing happened and the actual event was as great as all the build-up.

Friday night we went out for a steak dinner & then home to open presents. Saturday we picked up a heart-shaped pizza & stayed in with our pups, homemade treats and some great rentals. It was a fabulous weekend...better than I even hoped for. G loved his gift (a handmade tie with his initials on the tag) and I loved mine (gorgeous hydrangeas & a necklace from Whimsy). Most of all, I loved spending time cooped up in this darling home with the city lights twinkling outside our windows. I loved spending time with my G.

This year, I felt really lucky to be so genuinely happy. I felt lucky to be so in love.

Hope you did, too.

PS. I am the proud new owner of one of these. Can you believe it? A dream come true. Photos & explanation coming soon. (Get excited).

the best thing about me is you.

happy valentines day!
from the olsens.

red velvet, baby. part 2.

here are the recipes i found. we will see which one i end up making; if i still feel this lazy when i get home it will most definitely be the cupcakes.

red hot velvet cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting

red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting

and i have to give credit to marta, i found both of these recipes via her blog.

don't you just love a reason to celebrate & especially a reason to bake? i do.

i love you, cookie.

once upon a valentines day, i received a box of homemade fortune cookies with messages meant just for me. i wish i knew how that x-boyfriend put the whole thing together, because husband and i will most likely be hitting up our favorite chinese dive for valentines day & wouldn't that be a clever way to end the night?

big. mac.

tried a big mac for the first time in my life today.

it was a promise i made to a lovely friend. she is leaving our office today & swore i would eat my first with her before she left.

it was delicious. every heart-attack inducing bite...but, i can still feel it sticking to my ribs like plaster. and afterwords our office masseuse told me she swears they put worms in the patty's "for added protein"?! most likely not true, but still made me dry heave. i think i'll wait another 21 yrs to eat my next one.

and seriously, none of you have tried red velvet cake?! i am shocked! how have you lived so long without sampling this luscious dessert?! i found a recipe on smitten kitchen & i expect all of you to stop by for a sample. seriously, crazy people.

a night with mo.

friday night we took our little dedee on a date
dinner at chili's & home to watch harry potter.

she learned how to use my camera
and took some brilliant pictures of the floor, the ceiling, a tennis ball and my boobs.

the highlight, for both of us, was building a tower on uncle g's head
and sitting on his face during the entire movie.
lucky her, he never complained.

we love you, little mo.
thanks for being our date for the evening.

re posted: gjo's favorite treat.

the lovely sharalee noticed that i can't stop talking about carmelitas and asked me to post the recipe. carmelitas, carmelitas, carmelitas...what can i say, they are amazing. go here to find the recipe & try not to eat the whole pan yourself. i dare you.

do you do this with your babies?

My dogs watch TV. Do your dogs watch TV? I am learning that this is a very rare thing for dogs to do, but mine have both watched TV since day one. They are definitely more interested in the Animal Planet than anything else, but will usually watch The Discovery Channel, too. Any time a dog comes on TV, they run up to the screen (as pictured) and either move their heads from side to side, in that "curious dog-look" or bark if the dog pictured poses a threat.

The other day I was making carmelitas, and between Ober trying to jump in the oven & Jack sitting on my feet every time I stood still, I needed some serious alone time (I am laughing as I write this, I talk about them like they are kids). Anyways, I turned on the 2009 Dog Championships & the pups watched it for an hour and a half straight...Toby, from the couch & Bubs, front and center.

I realize that this basically means I am already a mother who shoves her children in front of the TV in order to get them out of her hair, but whatever, my dogs are the coolest.

**and Mom's who shove their babies in front of the TV are the coolest, too***

february is for lovers.

In the past, I have never been very excited to give G his Valentine's day presents, because I have never thought of anything great to give him. He is a notoriously hard person to shop for (those Olsen men...have everything, want nothing) which makes birthday's & holiday's tough.

But this year, I found the perfect present & I can't wait to give it to him. It arrived in the mail today & is even better in person than I thought it would be. Obviously, I can't tell you what it is on the off chance that my husband might decide to read my blog (not likely) but just in case, I am keeping it under wraps.

So, with the arrival of his present (which came wrapped with pink ribbon & a lace heart), I am officially in the Valentine's mood! Here's to February, one of my favorite months, and to celebrating the love in our lives. I am so glad G asked me out on our first date on Valentines Day all those years ago. I'll never forget him taking me to Market Street Grill, (where we discovered that the wait was an hour long) and climbing the stairs to the top of the restaurant to kill time. I'll never forget what he wore, what music we listened to in the car, what we ordered....and, I'll never forget when he kissed me at the top of that winding staircase, either.

Happy February.

meet the couple.

he.

1. Sitting in front of the TV, what's on the screen? the o'riely factor. prefers fox news over almost any other channel.
2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? ranch dressing.
3. What's one food he doesn't like? hates tomatoes, peas & raw veggies.
4. You go out to a restaurant, what does he get to drink? water most of the time. dr. pepper if splurging. diet coke, recently.
5. Where did he go to high school? west jordan high.
6. What is one phrase he says all the time? "i'm trying to decide...", "that's the thing...."
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? he collects mail. he has piles & piles & piles & piles of un-opened mail. besides that, i can't see him collecting anything on purpose.
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? turkey cranberry, especially the dutch store's turkey & ligdonberry
9. What would this person eat everyday if he could? salt & pepper chips, carmelitas, cheeseburgers.
10. What is his favorite cereal? it really varies. he goes through stages. usually, he gets really boring, super-healthy cereal (think kashi, wheaties, grape nuts, etc), but lately he has been doing honey nut cheerios (my fav).
11. What would he never wear? skinny jeans or a sweater that buttons all the way down the front.
12. What is his favorite sports team? the raiders & the utes.
13. Who will he vote for? the most conservative candidate.
14. Who is his best friend? me, tyler & bryan.
15. How many states has he lived in? utah & norway.
16. Does he have any nervous habits? biting cuticles, playing with mouth, moving his foot, fidgeting.
17. What could he spend hours doing? yard work, house work, home improvement...work of any kind. he will not spend hours doing anything that is non-productive. he likes to work, work, work all the time (opposite of me, obviously). the only thing i can see him spending hours doing that is not work in some form or another is playing poker.
18. He is: hard-working, inappropriate, funny, smart, my bff.


she.

1. Sitting in front of the TV, what's on the screen? gossip girl, 90210, jon & kate + 8, the real world (i am loving this season).
2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does she get on her salad? ranch dressing. always.
3. What's one food she doesn't like? blue cheese. which, by the way, appeared in a wrap i bought the other day & i wanted to die right then & there.
4. You go out to a restaurant, what does she get to drink? diet coke
5. Where did she go to high school? bhs
6. What is one phrase she says all the time? "although....", "i'm so tired", "gentlemen"
7. If she was to collect anything, what would it be? jackets, shoes, bracelets, journals.
8. What is her favorite type of sandwich? tuna melt or a club.
9. What would this person eat everyday if she could? southwest chicken wrap & fries from citrus. and i would bake a treat every single night.
10. What is her favorite cereal? honey nut cheerios with a banana sliced in.
11. What would she never wear? tevas. (sorry to any & all who love the teva)
12. What does she always wear? jeans, boots, bracelets.
13. Who will she vote for? it depends.
14. Who is her best friend? greg & everyone else. i love everyone.
15. How many states has she lived in? only one! (tear)
16. Does she have any nervous habits? picking all my nail polish off!
17. What could she spend hours doing? blogging, watching tv, painting my nails, baking, reading a magazine, reading a book, staring out the window...i have the rare ability to be extremely happy doing nothing.
18. She is: happy, organized, silly, sarcastic.

i tag: kiersti, jennie, lindsay, mckenzie, heidi, holls and everyone else. all of you!