our little snowball

Except for the winter that I spent in Steamboat Springs, CO, I have never lived in continuous snow for as long as I now have during this first winter in Indy! The ground has literally been covered in white for the past two months.

I realized the other day that Annabelle has never known the world any differently! When the snow finally melts away, it's probably going to weird her out!

So, in honor of this very white season of our lives, following are a few snow/dog pictures.

Hee hee. Annabelle sporting the adorable fleece-lined jacket that our neighbor let her borrow. While I probably would never have purchased this for her myself... it is pretty cute.

My hard-working hubby clearing the driveway from more than a foot of snow.

The snow on the driveway had to go somewhere... lucky little Annabelle got a winter playground in her backyard!

Queen of the mountain!

Snow video #1

Snow video #2

the meaning behind your favorite colors

Turns out that your favorite colors say more about you than you might think!

My dad discovered this scientifically-valid Color Career Test a few weeks ago. So far, its been pretty accurate for everyone we know who has taken it (except for maybe my sister, whom the test deemed to be an Organizer... laughingly, organized personality she is not).

I love tests like this that reveal things about myself that I might not have realized. Or tests that validate strengths or weaknesses that I already know I have. It's always fun to get to know your personality in a new way!

So go take the test - it's really fast and it's free! All you have to do is choose your favorite colors. And I'd really love to know what it unveils about you - please comment with your results!

If you're interested, here's what the test said about me:

Best Occupational Category: CREATOR

Expressive, Intuitive, Sensitive

These original types place a high value on aesthetic qualities and have a great-need for self-expression. They enjoy working independently, being creative, using their imagination and constantly learning something new. Fields of interest are art, drama, music and writing or places where they can express, assemble, or implement creative ideas.

Suggested careers: Web Designer, Interior Decorator, Librarian, Musician, Technical Writer, English Teacher, Photographer, Author, Editor, Package Designer

I'm A Good Girl I Am

Stemming from great admiration for Audrey Hepburn, particularly the memorable hooligan-turned-lady she portrays in My Fair Lady, we have chosen "I'm a Good Girl I Am" for the name of our new little girl.

Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle, the ruffian who insists, "Eeeewww! I'm a good girl I am!"

For those unfamiliar with the way that the dog world works, here's the scoop. There are so many dogs on record with the AKC that you can't register your dog as simply Fido or Rover. You have to pick a unique name or phrase to represent your pet; they allow up to 30 dogs with the same name before it is discontinued from use forever.

So in confident hope for our own little hooligan, we have dubbed her in faith of the magnificent lady we know she'll become.

Bear with me now - I have to share just a couple of stories...

When Annabelle first arrived, we put her crate in our dining room - about 10 steps from our bedroom. Every time we put her to bed for the first few nights, she would cry and cry. She'd literally cry herself to sleep. And then she'd wake up from her full bladder a few hours later, and the whole ordeal would start all over again. A few nights into this, Brian got up at 4 am to take her outside. After returning her to the crate, he shut our bedroom door to drown out the whimpers (this may sound heartless, but we were in desperate need of sleep)! When he got up for school at 7, he opened the door and tripped over a little ball of fluff lying right outside our door. He hadn't shut her door all the way, so she had escaped and come to sleep as close as she could get to us. Feeling like horrible parents, that next night we moved her crate into her room. And she hasn't whined at bedtime since. Doesn't that melt your heart?

Last week, on the snowiest day of the year so far, we got to make an emergency run to the vet. Poor little girl had woken us up at 3:30 a.m. crying. After taking her outside at least five times over the next two hours, she would not stop whining. We could not figure it out, so covering our heads with pillows, we finally fell back asleep. When I got up in the morning, her poor little ear flaps were swollen at least 1/2 inch thick (they should be 1/8 inch) and her face was swollen too. She shook her head all day and moaned until the vet could work her in. It turns out that she had an allergic reaction to something, but it's hard to know what, considering most plants are covered in snow and insects who might bite her aren't active in the dead of winter. The vet put her on benadryl and it worked like a charm! Good to know there is a $5 remedy that's usually stocked in our medicine cabinet, just in case it ever happens again!

Following are a few pictures and a video of Annabelle (aka: I'm A Good Girl I Am) as she has adjusted to life as a Smith.

Weekly pictures (taken next to her little golden toy for size reference):

8

9

10

11

And finally, here's a little tug-of-war video. Though the winner is predictable, its still pretty cute.

just in time for v-day...

There are few things I enjoy more than finding a good deal. I am a bargain-hunter, a coupon-clipper, a great-buy junkie.

And I've recently discovered a deal that sounds too good to be true. Except that it isn't.

If you haven't heard of it already, go to restaurant.com. RIGHT NOW.

This site offers restaurant gift certificates at a fraction of the regular price. And when I say fraction, I mean fraction.

Yesterday, I purchased a $50 gift certificate to Plum's Upper Room, where Brian and I plan to enjoy a romantic Valentines dinner this weekend.

Want to know how much I paid for it? FOUR DOLLARS. Which means we'll be saving FORTY-SIX DOLLARS when we eat there.

This is how that makes me feel.

It's so quick and easy. Just enter your zip code and the site will bring up all the participating restaurants in your area. The deals are mind-blowing. Plus, you can search for discount codes online that allow you to save even more. For my steal yesterday, I used the code HEARTS for 80% off the already-low price of $20 for a $50 certificate.

As soon as you complete your purchase, you can instantly print the certificate so you have it, in hand, to use right away.

Dining out will never be the same.

There are a few stipulations on the certificates that vary by restaurant. Some require a minimum purchase of two entrees, some require a certain amount to be spent. So be sure to look over the details before you buy. Now go check it out!!!

going blue

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge football fan. There are just too many terms and rules for me to keep track of - for some reason I have a really hard time grasping the game. However, Colts fever was pretty contagious this year, even for me. :) The hype was up all season long, but as the wins kept coming, the city-wide energy just kept growing.

So, as you might imagine, last week leading up to the Super Bowl was particulary insane! Everywhere you looked there was blue. Blue flags flew all over the place, from houses to business windows to government flagpoles. Many stores even offered special sales in honor of the coming game. What a fun time to live in Indy!

We watched the big game with our small group. I remembered to take my camera so I could get a picture of all of us together, but completely forgot about it once the game started. So, sadly, I only have pictures of the food I contributed to our party.

These cute little footballs are Oreo Truffles, Bakerella style. They were a huge hit and I would definitely make them again!

(It was funny - I got on facebook after the game was over and saw only ONE other friend rooting for the Colts. We were definitely in the minority! Everyone was pushing for the underdog, and really, we think its great that if the Colts had to lose to someone, it was the Saints. They played a great game.)

visitors

Still playing catch up here - almost finished.

Just before Christmas, my dear friend Ashley flew out to stay with us for a couple of days. I met Ash when we were in Wichita last year - she and her husband, Matt, lived in the townhouse right across the street from ours. After discovering all that we had in common, we quickly grew to be close friends. We have definitely missed having the Braeuers as neighbors here in Indy, so it was a real treat when Ash came to visit! We reverted back to our neighbor days and spent hours on the couch talking and just hanging out. We did so much talking, in fact, that we hardly left the house (plus it was FREEZING outside while she was here), so we don't have very many pictures. But we have a ton of fun memories! :)

Sweet Aunt Ashley letting Stryder snuggle - on the couch! - with her.

Right after Christmas, my great friends Val (from Kansas City) and Em (from Denver) flew out to visit. Like Ashley, we didn't take very many pictures, but we fit lots of great girl time into the few days that they were here. (I apologize that the few pictures we do have are very random!)

In honor of their trip, I made a gigantic chocolate cake - the kind you only make once a year for a very special occasion. And the kind you only make for serious chocolate lovers. Chocolate mousse, and ganache, sandwiched between two layers of rich chocolate cake, smothered in chocolate buttercream and topped with one more layer of ganache. Woooaaahhh. Here's the recipe if you want to try it - but let me forewarn you, it is a bit complicated and time consuming. But oh so worth it!

Val is a registered dietician, and Em and I are both serious foodies, so much of our conversations centered around food and recipes. Consequently, I was really excited to take them to Fresh Market, a local grocery store that I find amazing (ha ha - probably doesn't sound like fun to very many people)! Turns out I know my friends pretty well - we stayed for more than an hour, walking the aisles, oohing and aahing over their gourmet foods and beautiful displays.

Cheezy pic of Val and I checking out Fresh Market's lollipop selection (Em FORCED us to pose for this). :)

We also did some shopping and dining in Zionsville, a neat area nearby, and then I took them to eat at Ambrosia, our favorite Italian restaurant (but we forgot to take pictures at both places). One really fun part of their trip was that Em and I got to teach Val how to knit! We went to a yarn shop and all bought the same yarn so we could knit the same scarf.

Nothing beats quality time with girlfriends! I am so blessed by these three ladies, and so honored that they would come visit me. Love you girls!

Williamsburg

I've got a little bit of catching up to do.

Between our two-week visit to Wichita in December, houseguests and preparation for little Annabelle, I've gotten quite behind in my posts. I am determined to someday make a blog book, so even if the following happened two months ago, I just can't leave it out! I do apologize for the rewind.

For Christmas 2008, Brian's mom gave Abby (Brian's sister) and me a girls weekend getaway to Colonial Williamsburg. It's a quaint historical village in Virginia filled with homes, shops and government buildings preserved from America's early days. Every year at Christmastime, they have an old-fashioned Grand Illumination weekend that culminates in a fife-and-drum plus fireworks finale!

The special celebration this year fell during the first weekend of December. We all flew into Washington DC and spent one night with Renee, Roxie's sister, and her family. They live just outside of DC in Leesburg, VA, which is about 3 hours from Williamsburg.

We headed out early the next morning, and after stopping at a regional craft show, arrived at our beautiful hotel in Williamsburg. Even though it was cold and rainy the first day we were there, we still had a blast exploring the area together.

After dinner the first night, Abby and I opted to go back to our room and knit - it was freezing cold and nothing sounded better than sitting on our warm bed, watching Christmas movies and working on our scarves. It was wonderful!

The next morning, we were very happy to see sunshine and blue skies! We spent most of the day wandering around the Williamsburg square. Period-dressed actors walked throughout the crowds, either singing carols or acting out colonial skits.

These amazing fruit wreaths were hanging everywhere - they are Williamsburg's trademark, especially during the holidays (it's all real fruit)! Truly magnificent. I absolutely love magnolia (I used magnolia leaves everywhere in our wedding), so I was in awe of the thick garland drapings.

The last evening, we bundled up in our warmest gear and headed out to the Grand Illumination.

Thousands of people come in for this event every year, and after attending, I can understand why. It was pretty spectacular!

What special memories we got to make together - definitely a weekend we'll never forget!