Girls Traveling

confessions | 5 on friday

Friday, February 28, 2014

1 | baby food

~~sometimes~~ all the time, kaye will drop her food on the floor. rather than pick it up and throw it away, i pick it up and eat it. what's wrong with me?

2 | snot

with cold season hitting us hard this winter our turtle has had a non-stop runny nose. it's been more than a little disgusting. i have seven boxes of kleenex stationed around the house (and two in my car) strategically so that i don't miss a single drip. unfortunately, sometimes they are just out of reach. guess where that snot goes?

no. you're disgusting. i don't eat it. i wipe it on my hand and then wipe my hand somewhere on her clothing. i'm certainly not going to wipe it on my clothes.

3 | cooking

i have to do all our dishes by hand because of our hard water issue. sometimes…i just don't feel like washing them so they'll pull double duty.

take today for example. i used the same pan to cook pancakes for breakfast and then later brown the sausage for our soup.

or i'll make scrambled eggs and later use that same pan to sauté veggies. it's kind of gross.

4 | weird quirk

i absolutely, 100% cannot walk on cement barefoot, unless it has some texture to it. then it's totally fine. but if it's smooth…it literally makes me gag.

5 | shoplifting

i have more than once made it out of the grocery store with unpaid milk, soda, paint…really anything you might put on the bottom of the cart. i've even loaded it into my car and driven all the way home (35 minutes) still not realizing i've shoplifted.

i guess it's the honest face and a baby that allows me out of the store.

now go get your link on...

move that boo-tay | my top running songs (these days)

Thursday, February 27, 2014

i know i know. you guys probably thought i submitted to the frosting in my pantry and gave up on running altogether. you would be correct and incorrect.

i run for frosting.

the other day i put frosting on graham crackers and i thought i was in heaven for like…seven minutes. (seven minutes in heaven, anyone? remember…in the closet? who am i kidding…nobody wanted to kiss me in junior high, high school, and a solid majority of college. thank god for farmers.)

anyway, today i'm bringing your ears the musical delights of some of my favorite running songs.

i'm not the type that listens to angry music when i work out. i need the feel good stuff.

starting things off...

timber | pittbull featuring ke$ha

i could probably listen to this song on repeat for at least three miles.

if the song alone isn't enough to get your legs moving, just watch the music video. that's some serious motivation to get my boo-tay and legs in running shape. i'll probably need to throw in some squats and quite a few lunges.

at the very least…this song makes me want to go to a bar in the shortest shorts i own…and cowboy boots, of course.

source

and does anyone else find pitbull oddly attractive? apparently he and willie geist, of the today show, are really doing it for me these days.

thriftshop | macklemore & ryan lewis

these guys. i mean…they are pretty rad. but that beat…it makes me want to move.

blurred lines | robin thicke featuring t.i. & pharrell

how do we feel about songs that make us feel sexy? because this song does it. are you ever running and a song comes on and it gives you a swagger? almost like you have fresh legs? that's this song for me.

black betty | ram jam

this song is basically telling you to move your ass. like…right now. i'm not typically one for guitar solos, but this song brings it in a big way. i don't recommend you start your playlist with black betty, but it's a great one in the middle after you've settled in.

and a few others you should just work into the rotation -

should i stay or should i go | the clash
here it goes again | o.k. go
work b**ch | britney spears
best song ever | one direction (you bet i went there.)
locked out of heaven | bruno mars (may as well throw treasure in there too.)
some nights | fun
cups | anna kendrick

a walk with winter cows

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

the weather here has been impeccable. like…60º and you just can't beat that at this time in idaho.

i mean…tomorrow it could be 25 degrees with winds at 75 mph…but for today we have 60º and i'm in love.

each winter, ranchers rent our corn fields to put their cows on. this is a particular treat for our kaye who is absolutely smitten with cows. she moos at them every morning.

we took advantage of the nice weather a few nights ago and took a walk to see the winter cows.

if only they were baby cows. i would just die of sheer delight.

did you know baby cows don't have top teeth?

you can pop your four fingers right into their mouths and they'll just suck away and it's the cutest thing.

right…it's the cutest thing? or am i the only one?

anyway…there's an electric fence surrounding our field. you can barely see it so i was convinced i was going to walk into it at any moment.

when we approached, my farmer (with turtle on his back) just walked right over it. he's a long-legged thing. dancer legs for miles.

for about 45 seconds my farmer had me convinced that i could jump it.

and you know what? i really thought i could. i even gave it a running start two different times, but stopped short twice.

thank god i'm not a fool. i surely would have been electrocuted.

instead, i crouched down.

how low can she go? can she go down low? all the way to the flo? (dj casper anyone? cha cha slide? college…anyone?)

i was terrified i was going to brush my back on that wire.

you see, one time when i was a young gal (like eight or so) i clipped my back on an electric fence and i'm mentally scarred for life. i have zero recollection of what it actually feels like to be electrocuted, but i very clearly remember i didn't like it. and now i'm as scared of electric fences as some may be to heights. i have issues.

anyway…once safely within the confines of the fence my farmer informed me that we needed to be very quiet and he crouched down.

i didn't know what he was doing so i followed suit.

the cows started gathering and getting closer and closer.

i was still clueless.

then…in a burst of speed he jumped up and started chasing the cows with my turtle in tow.

you guys…this is farm living, i guess?

cow chasing?

there really is nothing like seeing 500 head of cattle peel out all because your farmer and turtle are after them.

i'm sure the ranchers appreciated us burning a few calories off their cows too…said no rancher ever.

spring cleaning | our refrigerator was disgusting

Monday, February 24, 2014

you guys. my little blog here reached 600 readers this weekend on bloglovin!

that's a big, damn deal to me.

granted…there are blogs out there that have 1000, 4000, 20k and more…but a humble 600? i'll take it.

but enough about that…i cleaned out my fridge this weekend for the first time since we moved in.

now, before you think i'm absolutely disgusting. let me tell you…i'm absolutely disgusting.

we moved in two years ago.

i've always considered myself a clean person. like…clean clean. not OCD clean, but clean.

as in, i own a pair of yellow, rubber gloves and have pumased the toilet ring.

so last week when i asked farmer if we could get a new fridge, instead of impulsively buying one, we made a list of our priority wants:

+ king bed
+ dining table and chairs
+ filtration system to put on our well which could cost more than…a lot. it could cost a lot.
+ backsplash our kitchen and bathrooms

basically, i want each of those things way more than i want a new fridge.

it was a very responsible moment.

i was left to clean it out and scrub it down.

i was shocked at how absolutely disgusting it was. it took the better part of an hour.

if you were to look at it, you never would have thought it was dirty.

take all the food out? gag-worthy. i can't believe we ate food out of there.

but now it's sparkling, organized, and i'll be able to live with it for at least three more weeks.

it's a five-spot | loving that it's friday

Friday, February 21, 2014

happy day to you fine fine ladies. (and maybe some dudes…but mostly gals.)

in honor of my post from last night…i stuck with the wedding theme. i mean…i didn't have this blog when i was planning my wedding/getting married and it's time to start sharing some of those amazing stories.

1 | did you happen to read p. 1 and p .2 of what REALLY happened on our wedding night? i think about it like it happened to someone else, but no…it really did happen to me. of course. because that kind of stuff happens to me ALL. THE. TIME.

2 | keeping with the wedding theme…you guys…i spent two hours at the social security administration office yesterday to change my last name to match my farmer's...just three and a half years late is all. but two hours?? no wonder i waited so long. i knew it was going to take forever.

3 | another wedding fun fact? i totally did a keg stand in my dress. classy? no. proud of it? absolutely. you will NEVER catch me doing one of those again. NEVER.

back ribs look good on no one. i repeat: NO ONE. please see #4.

4 | something else i'll never do? a carb free diet. i may have been the skinniest i've ever been on my wedding day, but i was also mean (and we're talking MEAN), a total airhead and i would cry hysterically at the drop of a hat. people…you need carbs. you do. i swear. bless my farmer for sticking by me.

5 | now? we've been successfully married for 3.5 years. he's my absolute rock and i love him more and more every day. he's epically wonderful. my parents even wonder how i snagged such an amazing man.

it's what we do on fridays…linking up…

what really happened on our wedding night | p. 2

Thursday, February 20, 2014

i'm going to get right to it since i have the nervous sweats right now. it's a true PSA (public service announcement) for not drinking…or at least not drinking too much on your wedding night.

i am literally sweating as i type, thinking of people reading about what really happened on our wedding night.

if you have yet to read p. 1, you're going to want to run over to the daily tay to snag that. she's graciously allowed me to share the first half of my story on her blog.

|pause|

great. have you read p. 1? then you're all set for p. 2…

where did we leave off?

oh yes, the elderly gal shot up in bed and exclaimed…"what are you doing in my bedroom?!"

(please remember, i'm in the elderly gal's bathroom getting sick.)

my farmer, from what he has told me, stumbled backwards with our bags in hand and said, "we rented this place for our wedding night."

at this point, my sister could kind of hear what was going on and quickly cleaned (god love her) and ushered me outside.

my farmer, on the other hand, was receiving a tongue-lashing from the OWNER of all the bungalows.

we had broken into her personal home, obviously. she lived in 121 and we were supposed to be resting our sleepy heads in an unmarked 121 1/2.

friends…i didn't marry my farmer for his land. he's a silver-tongued devil if there ever was one.

he charmed that old gal right out of prosecution and into an invitation for breakfast the next morning.

he simply explained that the door was open and it was our wedding night and blah blah blah. i can't imagine the conversation went exactly like that, but i know how his talents of persuasion work.

basically, he's just about the most charming farmer ever.

she showed us to our bungalow and we got all settled in…

except for the screen was still off her window. a dead giveaway that we had broken in.

at about 4 am (the most ungodly of hours), my farmer snuck to her home again and replaced the screen.

and that, my friends, is exactly what happened on our wedding night.

it's also exactly how i knew i'd married the farmer of my dreams.

a few more pictures? sure…

what a hangover looks like the day after you wedding…

what having to face your friends and tell them the story the next day looks like…

that's my sister on the left. she was already privy to my shame.

what it looks like before you're charged with breaking and entering…

thanks for stopping in for this two-part series.

should you be feeling generous don't hesitate follow along!

inspiration board | for a very fine gal + her groom

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

i know a gal. and she's one of the best.

if you can believe it…i can be pre-tty…oh, what's the word? bitchy. yes, that's it. bitchy.

only sometimes.

but this gal, she just knows exactly how to put me right back in my place.

and that my friends…that's special.

i certainly don't think it's "special" at that particular moment.

more so like i want shoot her a dirty look and play a quick game of passive-aggressive.

i'm a real sweetheart.

i digress…she's one of the best. she's also getting married this summer.

there have been all sorts of ideas tossed around. two venue changes. multiple color pallets. a wedding dress here…a wedding dress there.

i thought i'd snazzy up a board for my gal in hopes of creating a clearer picture of what she wants for her (and his) big day.

true to form…she's not in love with the board. there are some images that need to be adjusted to represent an evening summer cocktail party. don't worry gal. i'll get it done for you!

but how could i not post this board? i think it's lovely.

mood | late summer, simplistic preppy

colors | ivory, greens, navy, natural wood + golden lighting

credits
row 1 | dress // envelope // whiskey // tie
row 2 | wine // artichokes // cork // chair
row 3 | j.crew // berryhill // cake // boutonnieres
row 4 | suit (that's jake gyllenhaal, i just cropped his face off. swoon.)

as always…i'm taking requests!

are you planning a party? a wedding? a shower?

i'd just love to toss around ideas with you to create your own custom board to help you pull off a beautiful celebration!

e-mail me HERE.

xo

a weekend with my valentine(s)

Monday, February 17, 2014

friends…do you ever have those days when your chest feels full…like maybe it's a little hard to breathe?

not from anxiety, but from pure happiness?

that's how this valentine weekend was for this farmer's wife.

my little girl and my farmer…i cannot get enough of them.

i'm a little more than a little obsessed. and i don't think it's a problem. (maybe when kaye gets older…but for now…i'm obsessed.)

even when she cries for every picture ever.

this time i thought i'd outsmart her with two animal crackers.

she outsmarted the smart, evidently.

in this family…we don't believe in crying (lie) so we loaded up our turtle and hit the road for the ski mountain…we FINALLY have snow.

and when there's snow, you find some hipster glasses and take duck-face pictures.

farmer and i have been tossing around whether or not it was a good idea to set our little gal on skis this year.

i mean…they say "if they can walk, they can ski." plus, turtle is athletically gifted (i just know it).

we couldn't do it, but can you imagine the amazing pictures that would have provided me? plus it would have been the most adorable blog post…a 15 month old on skis. i swoon.

so instead farmer and i got on skis and our gal jumped in the backpack.

i'm not sure if it was the snow in her face as we skied down or the wind or just the new sensation…but she kind of whimpered. not such a fan this day. we'll try again, i'm sure.

for being the best little gal on the mountain we decided to grab some lunch.

there isn't a corndog our turtle has met she hasn't liked. big fan.

farmer and i lucked out after lunch and farmer's mom was able to snatch kaye away for some play time while we snuck off for a few runs.

even through the sleet, we had a great time.

and those skis farmer got me for christmas? they are absolutely dreamy.

happy monday. i wish i was skiing.

babies should never be sick

Friday, February 14, 2014

i have a pretty hard heart. we've always known this.

i don't cry at movies. i've never really enjoyed other people's babies. i just never felt mushy-gushy about anything (except my farmer).

that is…until i had kaye.

my heart aches for this little girl.

i swear there's a point to this…

each friday i link up with some very fine, southern ladies and this week the ladies have challenged us all with a theme.

1 | #teamteddy

team teddy is in regards to a 10 month old boy that was diagnosed with "kinky hair syndrome." visit his caring bridge page here.

#teamteddy is an opportunity to not only grow the awareness for "kinky hair syndrome" but to also show support for teddy and the ones who love him dearly.

we also need to celebrate the health of our own children and remember every day how fortunate we are in that moment.

please keep the thoughts of those less fortunate close to our hearts.

and maybe even give your babies an extra hug or seven today. squeeze them tight and kiss their faces off.

//////

now…some light-hearted cooking.

here are some of my go-to dinners.

i'm no whiz in the kitchen; but these, my dears, you can't go wrong.

2 | one skillet pasta - this involves chicken sausage + quinoa or whole grain penne. yum.

3 | pomegranate spring mix with goat cheese - i made this as our salad for christmas dinner and it didn't disappoint. throw some grilled chicken on this business…you have yourself a meal.

4 | tortilla soup - i've been making this for years…like three years…not 20. if you keep a solid pantry full of canned foods, you're probably going to enjoy this one. it's more of a taco soup, really. i call it tortilla because i used to use crunched tortilla chips as a topping. add in some shredded cheese + sour cream + cilantro…it's a win ever. single. time.

5 | chicken sausage + mushroom spaghetti w / goat cheese sauce - i go to heaven a little each time i eat this. if you're a fan of the goat cheese you're a fan of this spaghetti.

as a reminder…visit team teddy's caring bridge page and give your kids some extra lovey love on this wonderful day of love.

getting linky with it...

blog facelift | so fresh and so clean (clean)

Thursday, February 13, 2014

did you know that i contain exactly 0 ounces of style? zero.

this trickles into all aspects of life.

clothing…

decorating...

wine…

blog design. blog design? yes…blog design.

however, i did know that i was ready to change it up.

i mean…i spend enough time on this blog obsessively checking my daily page views that i wanted something fresh and new.

so fresh and so clean clean. (outkast anyone? anyone?)

change it up i did. well, i didn't. but the kinch life designs did.

i'm pretty positive i'm the only person jazzed for this, but i wanted all y'all to have a heads up when you visit farmer & the bell the next time.

we've got a new color scheme…and a new name.

sneaky peaky

i can't show too much. i'm a lady.

oh my gosh…and you guys should also check out some glorious valentine printables from one of the blog's sponsors this month - jane heinrichs.

aren't they the sweetest?

the sweetest.

source

valentine's treat | it makes my mouth water

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

i don't know what has turned me into a sugar monster, but it's a problem.

you know what's not a problem?

double chocolate chip cookies with cherry frosting smothered all over them complete with sprinkles.

it makes me want to crawl right in-between those two cookies and eat my way out.

yeah i just said that. no shame in my game.

i started things off with martha stewarts outrageous chocolate cookie recipe.

the only thing i smudged in this recipe was i left the chocolate chips out of the first half of the cookies i baked. i was pretty positive this would work better for frosting them and i was right.

however…it was a mistake. i repeat…it was a mistake. why leave chocolate out of anything? insanity.

because of all the melted chocolate in the recipe (and the lack of chocolate chips) the cookie batter flattens quite a bit. don't be alarmed, but do space them at least two inches apart.

also, martha's recipe calls for a heaping tablespoon. i would say a tablespoon is plenty for the non-chocolate chip version.

i then added the chocolate chips to the second half and you can see the chips held the batter together much better.

now your cookies are baked! take the cookie you'll use for the bottom half of the sandwich and plop down about a tablespoon of canned cherry frosting.

now, i was going to get fancy and make my own frosting with almond extract and maraschino juice…but why bother when that canned frosting was 100% jumping off the shelf into my cart?

you're last step is to pour sprinkles on a plate and roll the edges of the pie around.

if your sprinkles aren't sticking squeeze the cookies together to make the frosting push over the edges a bit.

now…didn't they just turn out perfectly pink and picturesque?

excuse me…i'm going to go enjoy this tasty treat now.

tips from my kitchen

only bake your cookies for about eight minutes, rotating them halfway through at four. i over baked mine and they are slightly crunchy. lame.
this recipe yields about nine pies.
you'll need two cans of cherry frosting.

weekend without our farmer

Monday, February 10, 2014

while the farmer is away…the girls will play, right?

except for when it snows eight inches in a single day/night and you're paralyzed in fear of driving on those snow-covered, farm roads.

seriously…eight inches. normally we're lucky if we get two inches on the farm.

not going to happen.

so we did a lot of house time. yay.

plus, people say i don't write about kaye enough…said no one ever.

well…we started things off with a new outfit.

i bought this little number for valentine's day, but i was aching to get her in it.

there is just something about a one-piece that suits that belly of hers.

the next day, the snow had settled and the sun was shining so we knew it was time to get some fresh air.

girlfriend loves fresh air.

except for when there's any snow in sight. no thanks.

i got her to stop crying long enough to show her that she could eat the snow.

girlfriend loves eating, so i knew this was right up her ally. plus it's calorie free. there's a win.

mere moments passed and girlfriend took a dive on our slippery walkway.

i'll be writing sorel a strongly worded letter about their traction on their toddler boots.

unfortunately (or fortunately) there is just something about the way kaye cries that cracks me up. there are about 50 of this same shot while she laid there.

maybe the crying doesn't bother me anymore because she does it ALL. THE. TIME.

this morning we had to try our cowboy boots on because girlfriend had a farm party to attend this afternoon.

as it turns out, she likes the way the hard soles click across our hardwood floor. she clomped around the rest of the day in this exact outfit.

is this a preview into high heels across our hardwood? doubtful. girlfriend is a tomboy.

god love her.