inspiration friday

does this count as "inspiration"?? well whatever. i like it, so there it is.

who's watching the big game tomorrow?

{for those that don't know, it's the big rivalry game tomorrow - UofU vs. BYU}

go utes!

LAST DAY TO VOTE!!!

that would be today.

a HUGE thank you to everyone that has voted faithfully & supported us this last week.

it might sound kind of silly to some, but this would be such a big deal if we were to win.

i honestly have no idea what our odds are (there are a lot of entries!) and i don't know how we compare to others, but i'm just super grateful for everyone and your effort on our behalf!

one last time! #127!

thanks friends.

happy weekend.

garlic parmesan chicken

a couple of weeks ago i decided to pretend to be a cooking housewife again (i know, twice in like a month - it's kind of a big deal) and made some dinner. when Jae got home, he's like "what is that smell??"
it's a home-cooked meal, ya bum!
and now i'll share...

garlic parmesan chicken

you'll need:

8(ish) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup mayo

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

are you ready for the easiest recipe ever? well here it is:

mix all of the ingredients together (except the chicken of course), spread the mix all over the chicken, and put it in the oven at 375 for about 45 minutes.

done!

easy peasy.

and really good!

{pretty sure i originally got this recipe like a year ago
from this lovely lady :)}

i put some oil on the cookie sheet to help the chicken crisp up a bit in the oven.
(i know, it doesn't look super appealing in this stage of the process. i promise, it's good.)

i just paired it with some quinoa. kinda looks boring, but hey, this is a step in the right direction. i did think about making a veggie....baby steps.

***only 2 more days to vote!***

everyone has been so awesome to help us out with this contest, and we cannot tell you how much we appreciate it! you all rock. like rockstars.

#127.
go.
{please}

9/11

{never forget}

i remember i was in junior high. 14 years old - 9th grade. my mom was driving our carpool to school. we were listening to the radio about the first plane hitting the first tower. i didn't know much of what was happening or what they were talking about. i think first period was math. we just had regular class. second period, i had seminary. our teacher turned on the TV and we watched news all about what had happened. by that time, of course, both towers had been hit. i honestly can't remember too many details more than that. i was young and everything that was happening seemed so far away from us. i don't think i really understood it all and the impact of what had happened until years later. even though i wasn't able to fully comprehend everything on that day in 2001, it is true - i will never forget it.

God bless the USA.

don't worry. be happy.

is the song playing in your head yet?

cuz it sure is in mine!

"so, i've been thinking about this whole being happy thing, and i feel like people get lost when they think of happiness as a destination...we're always thinking that someday we'll be happy; we'll get that car or that job or that person in our lives that'll fix everything. but happiness is a mood, and it's a condition, not a destination. it's like being tired or hungry, it's not permanent. it comes and goes, and that's okay. and i feel like if people thought of it that way, they'll find happiness more often."

go ahead. be happy.

it just might make your day.

 

 

you know what else would make your day? {alright, probably more mine than yours..}

going to vote for us to win this sweet new room!!!

 

 

i don't ask much, but this week, i'm asking a lot. every day.

please, please go vote!

#127!

you know what to do.

 

thanks friends.

it's friday

we do lots of hard work. at work. every day.
especially fridays.

 

in case you are like us and don't like to do lots of hard work on fridays, you can waste some time and go vote for jae and i to win something really neat! missed my long, drawn out post yesterday about the room makeover giveaway? read it here! and then please GO VOTE FOR US! PLEASE!!

we're #127 - "mara & jae"

we'll love you forever and always and all that kinda stuff. 

you can vote once a day for the next week.

thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!!!! 

but in all seriousness....thank you.

happy weekend friends :)

vintage revivals: PICK ME!

so the lovely miss Mandi over at vintage revivals is doing this so super awesome giveaway.
and i cannot resist.

i mean, come on, it's a ROOM MAKEOVER people.
have you seen my house?
probably most of you haven't.
for good reason.
we've worked so hard on it, but the last couple rooms are just struggling to get done!
(yes, the rooms are struggling. it has nothing to do with the owners just not getting it done...)

so hey there (good looking) Mandi.....this one's for you!

we bought our house just over a year ago. when we bought it, our middle bedroom looked like this:

hoarders and cat people and smokers. need i say more? didn't think so.
and yes, that is WALLPAPER ON THE CEILING. i still haven't gotten over that, can you tell?

by the time we got our hands on it, it looked more like this:

panelling. carpet. wallpaper. etc. you name it, they used it. and for this particular room, they picked a most appealing thanksgiving/hunting/fall theme for the walls. lovely.

oh, and here's the pile of carpet (and other stuff) that we pulled out:

we've peeled, sanded, scrubbed, scraped, cleaned, pulled up, taken down everything in this room, and the rest of the house. you name it, we've done it. and it's been exhausting, to say the least. we have all the rooms (mostly) done except the last two bedrooms. it took us 7.5 months just to be able to move into our house, and the motivation to get these last two bedrooms done is dwindling.

today this room looks like this:

the carpet, wallpaper, curtains, nails, everything has been removed. the floors have been refinished. the walls/ceiling have been sanded, but should have another sanding prior to painting. we've even picked a paint color! but alas, the room is still sitting there. empty and unfinished. but a perfect bare canvas just waiting for an amazing makeover!!!

HELP! PLEASE!!

we are so tired. and let's get real here - we could use some help. i will love you forever Mandi. forever and ever. we'll be forever indebted. PLEASE.

{random}: having no specific pattern, purpose, or objective

*i'm fairly certain (especially after my cubicle neighbor Amy diagnosed for me) i have an abnormally large ear canal in my right ear. the earbud ALWAYS falls out of that ear. but stays nice and snug in my left ear. seriously, it's annoying.

*this september weather that utah has been having is spectacular. i approve.

*on the same weather note, that on/off thunderstorm last saturday? awesome! zoey wasn't so sure she agreed though.

*i have what i'm pretty sure (yes, another self-diagnosis) is a ganglion cyst on my wrist. today it is being a particular pest, and i'm about to dial up the hand MD this minute and schedule an appt to get it taken care of. (no Jae and Amy - not the Bible way.)

*i just had "Great Balls of Fire" come up on my Avril Lavigne Pandora channel. so that's weird.

*i love the Wreckers. listened of them?

*our dining room is about one corner cabinet away from being totally done.

*oh, i lied. it's missing the curtains i've been promising Jae i'd make for about the last 3 months. but that's still pretty close.

 *i also love safetysuit. like, a lot.

*after seeing commercial after commercial of olive garden's never-ending pasta bowl, we finally caved and went last night to celebrate our labor day holiday. i lost count after Jae's third bowl, but we definitely got our money's worth! and no, Jae, i'm not saying you're fat. so don't even.

*Chels and i took Zoey and Blue on a doggy play date at the park. it was cute. they're crazy. and had matching tiny tennis balls to play with. although i'm pretty sure neither of them cared about playing with them while at the park. Zoey did make a little boy cry though. she was just so excited to see a kid! plus the kid was like 8...he was kind of being a baby.

*yesterday marked my 6 year anniversary of working for Intermountain Healthcare. woo, go me!

*i got Jae and i new toothbrushes this past weekend. don't you just love new toothbrushes?

*i've been craving a pretty soft pinkish/cream nail polish color lately. i saw about 5 different options at different stores this weekend that would've worked perfectly. didn't buy any of them. go figure.

*i have a daily debate with myself about whether to keep or get rid of our cable. my mind changes multiple times a day. or i just decide that i can't decide. i was all ready to get rid of it and then football started....grr. and yes, it is me that wants to keep it because of football, not just Jae. thoughts on this?

*who watches so you think you can dance? we do. Jae loves Cyrus. i love Tiffany. although there is still a Utah girl on there, so i feel like we should be cheering for her. but i just don't love her. it is what it is. who do you love?

*22 days until vacation. eeeeeeeeeek.