We've been looking high and low for a set of new wheels, and can I just say EWW? Car shopping blows. In between visiting different dealers, burying our nose in Consumer Report, realizing the havoc this purchase is going to wreak on our savings, and a {potentially} promising trip to Round Rock to check out a car, we hit up Central Market for lunch and hung out in the park for a little while. Dance parties to the tune of Merle Haggard ensued, as did a lame tree climbing attempt. Don't seem to have the same knack for it that we did as kids...not so LIMBer anymore. HA! Terrible pun #12455343 on the blog. I can't resist. Dumb puns are to me like bacon is to eggs. Mmmm. Bacon.

Now, for the real star of the post.....Humpy the Squirrel! This little guy was HILARIOUS. He lived for lovin' and I'm pretty sure his only goal of the day was to lay spread eagle on every surface. He's just livin' the dream.

Mildew. Not a normal topic of conversation on this here blog. Everybody's got mildew lurking a shower somewhere, but it's not really the type of thing us gals care to chat about over lattes and macarons. It's gross, it's stubborn, and our shower had it BAD. I happened to discover a little cure-all that I had to share with y'all, so....try not to be bored to tears with this post, mmmkay? I tried zillions of bottles of cleaners promising to banish the black stuff from our pristine white shower. Nothing worked. Just when I thought we were going to have to rip the caulk about and redo it (annoying), I tried one last ditch effort: a bleach pen. I just squirted that gooey bleachy goodness along the caulk, let it sit for about 14 hours, and scrubbed it away in the morning. Squeaky clean and white caulk was all that remained. Yeehaw!

One step towards a clean shower, one giant leap towards my wifely domestication.

Image courtesy From Scandinavia With Love via Kasia K

Hello, my name is Kirsten and I am a font addict. I have been for as long as I can remember. When I was a youngin', I would write these looooong dramatic stories that were usually about Sailor Moon....yep, I was HUGE into manga as a kid and adored that series. Eeek, why am I confessing this incredibly nerdy tid bit? Oh yes....now I remember. I would spend hours practicing how to draw manga, imagining crazy plot lines, scanning in pictures, and feverishly typing my stories out.  After my mini novellas were written, my most favorite part was picking the fonts. I would spend hours - literally - going through different types on the computer and finding the one that felt just right for the scene when Sailor Moon was rescued by Tuxedo Mask. I think I used and abused comic sans a lot back then. Don't judge. Wow...after reading that entire paragraph aloud to myself, I just realized I was (still am?) a TOTAL weirdo.

Anyways, these days my hoardy ways have gotten the best of me. 5000 fonts and counting. Gah!! At least I have "graphic design" skills added to my resumé now, so that serves as a great excuse to support my font-o-holic habits. Since there's no stopping my insatiable appetite for lovely typography, here are a couple fonts I'd like to add to my design arsenal. 

In order of appearance in that purdy little picture above:

Aire, $20-$270

Jacques & Gilles, $34*  

Veneer, $0-$39

Libby, $0

Nashville, $0

Centeria Script, $0

Znikomit, $0

*I am SMITTEN with all of Emily Lime's fantastic fonts...haven't bought one yet (how do I pick just one when they are all SO beautiful?), but my mind is already reeling with all the projects I could use them for! Be sure to check them all out!

Where do I start when there is so much I just love about you??? I love the way your hair sticks up in the morning. I love the way you kiss my forehead, cheeks, chin and lips before you go to work. I love that you call me on your lunch breaks just to say hi, or nothing really at all. I love how you put God and family at the forefront. I love that face you make when you discover I bought you TWO boxes of Captain Crunch. I love the way your butt looks in those sexy dark jeans (I will say no more about that....this is a family-friendly blog, after all). I love how you work so hard and with such long hours so I can pursue my dreams...but I love spending time with you even more though. I love how you sometimes pretend to be a steam roller and squash me. I love how you are the only person that can make me laugh so hard my abs hurt. I love listening to you work up new melodies on the guitar and sing goofy improv lyrics (especially "Cous Cous"). It's those little things that I never want to take for granted. Those everyday details, the ones that aren't straight out of a romance novel, but instead the ones that show you know a person wholly and completely....and love them even more for it. So, my sweet husband, here's to 2 years of marriage and many more to come.

This past weekend, John and I were feeling kinda idle so we went to our new fave hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese joint to stuff our bellies full of bun ga nuong (I think that's what it's called, at least). Halfway through our late lunch, John asked if I wanted to go on a road trip. Surprisingly, I said yes but just not a long one. Fredericksburg? Meh...didn't feel like going that far. Bastrop? My parents had visited there and told us it's a fun day trip, but we didn't know anything about it aside from the devastating fires from last summer. After 10 minutes of wondering, we decided to just do it.

A quick shot down 71E, and we landed in one of the most adorable towns in Texas! It was one of those serendipitous days where everything just falls into place perfectly. We got there around 3:15, hit up some thrift stores, drove to the historic district, and walked around for a while. After about 15 minutes of walking around in the scalding Texas heat, I kind of looked like that scene in X-Men when the Mayor guy turns into a gelatinous water blob (aka covered in sweat). High Cotton, an adorable antique shop, posted a sign saying they were celebrating America with free lemonade. Say no more - we were there in a jiffy. This was actually our fave part of the day because we happened to meet four of the NICEST, FRIENDLIEST, MOST AWESOME people ever. The two shop  owners and their friends were literally the kind of people that make you want to move to Bastrop, and invite them over for dinner....like every night. We chatted about all sorts of things...even mini potbelly pigs. We even got to look at some pics they took with it. I mean, come on. Cool points through the roof already. They told us about the patriotic fireworks show that was going on that evening (cha-ching!), and recommended a burgers-and-fries dive up the road called The Roadhouse. That place DID NOT DISAPPOINT, by the way. We got the jalapeno cream cheese burger (sounds gross, tastes like heaven). I swear, I think they spread crack cheese instead of cream cheese on it. So delicious. After that, we hit up a couple more of the shops and then took a little tour of the historic homes from the1800s. After dinner, we walked to the car, started driving down the main road, and BAM! Got front row seats to the fireworks show. Super romantic. And of course, you can't talk about Bastrop without mentioning those horrible fires. As we drove through the pine tree forest where families once lived, all that remained were charred trees and crumbled bits of homes. I snapped a pic of the remnants of one home that burned in the fires - a foundation slab and chimney are all that's left. Driving around those parts of town was just so sad. Most lots were filled with double wides, and we even spotted one yurt-style set-up. You can't help but feel so blessed, lucky, and guilty about all we take for granted after seeing that.

So...bottom line: Bastrop. Do it. While you are there, stop in to say hi to the lovelies at High Cotton. You won't regret it.

PS You'll have to excuse my ridiculous poses in some of these shots....I've recently uncovered my Calvin and Hobbes book (yep...I'm 25 going on 8) and can't help but mimic that little rascal when it comes to photos.

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Leave a comment (with an email address if it isn't tied to your commenting profile already) telling me an outfit you'd like to wear with those earrings.

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AND THE WINNER IS...