highlights no.55

So, I feel pretty justified about missing last week's Wednesday post.  In celebration for getting home from work before the sun went down, David and I went out to dinner and watched The Amazing Race - so, no, a highlights post didn't happen.  But this week it will!  And boy am I happy it's Wednesday AND Halloween!  Dave and I are going to watch an old Dracula flick - Nosferatu - and maybe hand out candy to some trick-or-treaters if they make it up to us on the third floor!

Anyways, before the little hooligans arrive, here are some fun posts from around the web :

are you hungry yet?

these kids or, more likely, their parents, are hard core

fun party food!

some great parenting tips

the difference a little eyeliner will make

a little shine

I love these spoons

I think I'm overdue for a Target run . . .

and . . . this makes me smile

Happy Halloween!

the best laid plans

This weekend I was going to be SO prepared.  On Saturday, I sat down and made a two-week meal plan for us and then made David go shopping with me so I wouldn't have to carry all the groceries up our (4 flights of) stairs by myself.

In more efforts to be overly ready for another crazy workweek, I planned to make a lasagna on Sunday afternoon that we could pull out of the freezer mid week and enjoy.  Since I (most unfortunately) work til 8 in the PM on Mondays and Tuesdays, I was also all set with a tried and true crock pot dinner for dinner tonight. 

So PRE-pared.

This morning, being the pulled together and calm person that I was, I threw together all the ingredients for dinner together, tossed them in the slow cooker, finished getting ready for the day, left instructions for David to finish up the meal/ unload the dishwasher, and ran off to the office. 

. . . and around 5:45 in the evening I got a text

Um . . . did you forget to plug in the crock pot?  It looks like dinner will be ready in 6 hours . . .

No crock pot yummy dinner tonight for us. Good thing I made that lasagna!

Picture via A Blondie Day

happy Sabbath

We spent ours actually getting to church on time, enjoying great Sunday school lessons, hanging out with some cool folks, chatting with visiting teachers, making dinner/ prepping dinners for the week to come, playing with David's phone, talking with loved ones, watching Harry Potter, and munching on chocolates my mother-in-law was so nice to send out way wrapped up in a Halloween care package along with a pumpkin strobe light - which means we definitely need to carve a gourd by Wednesday.

I love Sundays, much, so much.

M.I.A.

So this week has been craaaaazy - the kind of crazy where I came home at 8:00 on Monday without a clue of what to make for dinner . . . so we had two bowls of Reese's Puffs cereal.  And then we scrounged for left overs the night after that, went out for dinner the next night, and made a quick batch of spaghetti the night after that - you get the idea.

I guess a new job will do that to you.

We've also been juggling both of us having different job schedules with one car.  That has been funny.  There has been lots of dropping off and picking up and waiting for one another and so on and so forth with me working on the other side of the valley and Dave working just down the street.  It's nutty.

In other news we had our ward Trunk-or-Treat tonight and had a blast - there are definitely perks to living in a family ward and our primary kids are one of them.  I've never been a big fan of Halloween, but I've found a reason to like it again - the kids!  They were beyond cute and so excited to be dressed up like Cinderella and Harry Potter.  We signed up to man a trunk for them to treat at/ do a little game with them when they came by.  We were among the three trunks that did a fishing game (where the kids toss in a string with a clothespin on the end and someone attaches candy to it for them to "real in" when you tug on their line).  Ours was surely the most humble trunk at the party - aka: we didn't have any cool Halloween decorations, dry ice, or a light show - but the kids could have cared less.  They were so excited, and when I tossed candy out from the back of our blanket-covered trunk they would get all wide-eyed, look at David, and ask, "How did that happen??"  So.  Much.  Fun.

Of course, being the smaller of the two of us, I was the one curled up in the back of the trunk, hooking candy onto kid's strings while David was out playing with them, but we still had a great time.

And you like our cowboy costumes?  I'm pro easy, on-hand costumes.  Cowgirl boots?  Check.  Gingham shirts.  Check.  Grandpa's Stetson?  Check.  We looked pretty snazzy if I do say so myself.

Happy Halloween y'all!

highschool throwback

This weekend was fun for lots of reasons, but mostly it was fun because I got to do the whole homecoming shindig with my little sister.  She was, hands down, the classiest girl at that dance.

Their dance theme was a Star Wars Clone-coming, and they were good sports and did Jedi Knight poses for me - thanks kids.  I gotta tell you, it was so fun to be on the other side of the camera this time around.  I might have gotten a little shutter-crazy, but they were up for it, and I couldn't help myself. 

It was at their after party that I started to feel old, though.  They showed up with sore feet and a lot of adrenalin for us to feed them pancakes and a whole lot of sugar . . . but then what?  I turned to my mom and asked, "Um . . . what do we do?"  Till then I'd always been the kid AT the party, not the chaperone.  That was pretty weird.  Honestly, I was tuckered out and ready for bed by 10, but they partied hard till midnight and we had to stay up and supervise.  Who knew being the grown-up would be so tiresome? 

It's for things like these that I am really loving living close to home for - just being able to pop down for the weekend when we want to be there.  Honestly, I'd rather hang out with my family than do most anything so we are soaking up the close proximity while we can.  Now if only the rest of the Tobler clan would pick it up and move closer I'd really be happy . . .

xo

real life

Well, it's official.  I'm off to my real, big kid, gown up, full time job this morning.  Dave and I are trying to figure out the graceful dance of getting us both to work and home with one car, and two jobs that aren't conveniently close to one another - I'm not sure how long that is going to work out, but for now we're banking on bumming a few rides off of co-workers . . . hope that pans out!

Wish me luck today!

a beach day

This weekend is all about the girls, and I've been excited about it all week.  Today started off with a mid-morning stroll down a beach trail with a fluffy dog in tow and it was fabulous.  I gotta tell you, San Clemente is one of my favorite beaches in the whole wide world and today it was so ridiculously gorgeous it made me wish we brought our swimsuits instead of our walking shoes.  SO. LOVELY.

After burning off all those calories we definitely decided to head over to the Ruby's Shake Shack on PCH for a bite to eat and an ocean view.  Great idea, right?  It was delicious - and that view?  Killer.

Sometimes it is great to live in sunny Southern California.

highlights no.54

Hey team - things have been getting a little busy over at the Nemrow casa today what with me training for my new job and being in charge of mutual tonight at church (managing the Beehive class no less), so that is why this highlights post is coming to you at 10 in the PM.  Better late than never, right?  Sometimes that's my life motto.

And, YES - you read that right!  I got myself a J-O-B!  It only took 4ish months and a few pity pleas, but I finally found something that will work (and I didn't even have to beg for it).  I'll be spending my days (and a few evenings) with these lovely people from now on and, honestly, I'm just really excited to get out of the house - I can only reorganize our closet so many times, ya know?

In other news, both David and I are very excited for this coming weekend for two different reasons - him to go to the Notre Dame/ BYU game this Saturday in Indiana with the Tobler boys, and me to go HOME for a weekend full of girl time, good food, and getting my little sis ready for here homecoming dance on Saturday night!  I can't wait.  We're both itching for it to be Thursday night already so we can make the trek down to Orange County and start having fun!  While we wait, here are some posts from around the web :

the most common lies

some great tips for staying svelte

guilty as charged (I definitely said wonky the other day after reading this)

coincidence??

the CUTEST proposal - after David's, of course (he had the perfect plan, you know)

a deadly utensil

is this really considered vintage?  I owned a folder with those ballerina bunnies on it in elementary school. . .

a great Halloween costume - and this one too
          (does anyone else remember those lazer beam backgrounds in their school pictures?)

the prettiest pumpkins

finally, a translation 

this room looks SO cool

romantics

what?? the best of both worlds - product here

this looks like the best museum . . . ever

I will be seeing THIS movie

AND . . . this is amazing - we love corgis over at this house - one day we will get one and name him Watson

xo

aches & pains

Dave's quote of the day:

"One day I'm going to make enough money for you to get a massage every week."

Boy, does he know the way to my heart (& lower back) or what?  He's a keeper.

Picture via Pinterest

my girls

Tonight I got to chat with BOTH of my favorite girls - a rare event indeed.  None of us are all that good at keeping up via phone calls, so this was a treat.  They are my college roommates and, honestly, every memory I have of my time at BYU involves one of them.

Talking to them tonight made me think about how much I miss Utah now days.  I can't decide if I just miss my girls, or David's family, or living practically next door to my brother & sister-in-law, or being a student, or the mountains, or going to football games, or watching the seasons change.  I miss each of those things separately and rolled together into one big ball.  Everything about Provo tugs a little at my heartstrings - I have memories planted all over that town from the Tanner building, to Smith's grocery store, to Rock Canyon Park, to the football field, to south campus housing, to Zupas, to Center Street, and on, and on, and on . . . I feel like every part of Provo holds some sort of significance to me even if it was just a building I drove by on the way to the market. 

Mostly I think what I miss is that time of my life.  Provo was the best time.  The most carefree and confident and exciting time.  Provo was a place for finding myself, and my best friends, and my husband.  Provo was a place I came to young, and impressionable, and timid, right out of high school, and I left a little older, a bit more experienced, holding a few more opinions, and with a college diploma. 

Sometimes I think about how great it would be to move back to Utah, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't fix my problems.  I can't really go back all the way.  Sure I can go to the same places and visit some of my favorite people, but life has moved on.  We have new jobs, new friends, and new places to explore that I really am excited for - I'm just feeling a bit sentimental tonight.

Tonight I miss you, Provo, and your snow-capped mountains.  We can't wait to come and visit you come Christmastime!

love, Carly 

sewing 101

Sometimes YouTube videos give me an unrealistic self confidence is my sewing ability. . .

Actually, today was the first time I've ever watched a YouTube video about sewing something, and the whole time she was explaining the ins and outs of making a pillowcase with French seams I was like, "Yeah, that looks easy.  Totally makes sense.  I can do that . . ."

Reality check:  The sewing machine and I haven't spent any quality time together since I took that quilting class in junior high, I hate measuring fabric/ always freak out about not getting the sizes right, and I have no idea what I'm doing most of the time.

But hey!  The girl on YouTube can do it!  Why can't I?

So, 10 minutes of looking for my thread & bobbin, 25 minutes of figuring out how to thread the machine, 1 episode of Chuck (paused many times), and 2ish hours of sewing later, here we are . . . with a perfectly finished pillowcase!  I know, that took a while, but it's done!  And I didn't have to rip out a single seam (mostly because I don't own a seam ripper so I made extra careful to do things right the first time).

 See those polka dots??  I MADE that without help (that is if a few google searches and calls to mom don't count)

Maybe I should try this sewing thing more often . . .

P.S. It kind of looks like a throw pillow in that picture, but it's a pillowcase for our bed, just in case you were wondering.

a grey(er) day

Today is a blissfully chilly-ish day and it's making me want to dance around the house.  I've got a vegetable beef and barley soup stewing away in the crock pot, the sky outside is sort of cloudy, and I've put on a long sleeved sweater for good measure.  Of course I have to keep all the windows open to merit the sweater because the crock pot is heating up our small space credibly well, but it's the fall spirit that counts!  I might even light a candle to make it feel cozy in here.  What??  The very thought of lighting candles in this apartment has made me start sweating until right now.  Fingers crossed for a spot of rain to make it up our way this afternoon!

Happy Fall!

highlights no.53

It's sorta starting to feel fall-ish around here!  IT'S 69 DEGREES OUT THERE RIGHT NOW!  69 degrees!  All our windows are open and I'm fully enjoying the cloud cover.  It'll be up in the 80's by the end of the week, but no matter, I'm going to take full advantage of the "crispness" and make some yummy cream of broccoli soup and a batch of cornbread tonight.  We love you fall.  Will you please come in full already?  I'm dying for some colder-ish weather around here . . .

In the meantime here are some fun posts from around the web:

how you know if you should check your email

looking for emerald rings?

some cute grooms

everything you could ever want to know about napping

an ode to Mark Shaw

a sweet idea

save the dates . . . underwater!

some personalized iphone cases

a beauty secret (that I've been doing all week and it works great!)

wish I'd thought of this for our wedding invites!

some interesting thoughts on hypnobirth

and . . . think what you will, but I thought THIS was fabulously hilarious

xo

the past few days

What a lovely weekend.  We spent time with family, ate (a lot of) good food, watched general conference, learned some great things, skyped with people we love, and just enjoyed every minute of it.

During the men's priesthood session my girls and I went shopping and had such a fun time.  My little sister got asked to her homecoming dance (!!) in a few weeks and we where on the hunt for the perfect accessories - - - and we came home with a whole new (adorable) dress.  She is going to be the belle of the ball and the classiest looking girl on the dance floor.  I can't wait.  While we were perusing the stores I kept making comments about how "we," as in my mom, my sister, and I, were going to homecoming, how "we" would do our hair, and how "we" would have such a good time.  It seems I'm reliving high school vicariously through her, and I'm pretty sure the same thing will happen when she goes away to college . . .

It still feels so odd to be going to my parent's home so often.  We really only get down there once a month at most, but for the past 4 years I only went home a few times a year; i.e. Christmas and summertime.  So now that we just jump in the car and run down south for the weekend, it feels like we're overindulging.  Like we're using up our precious home time because we only get so much!  I know that's silly, but when we pulled out of my parent's neighborhood last night I had this choking feeling in my throat like I used to get when we would leave to make the trek back up to Utah for winter semester and I wouldn't see my parents again for a few months.  I had to remind myself that I'm going to be back down for a long weekend in 2 weeks and that we only live an hour-ish away from them now.  It's still a treat I'm getting used to and loving everything about it.

P.S. I brought the majority of my last batch of pumpkin cookies down for the weekend and didn't come back with a one.  My dad is a pumpkin cookie eatin' machine.

Picture via Mormon Newsroom of Temple Square in Salt Lake

friday lunch

I hopped in the car in the early afternoon on Friday in time to get to Orange County and do lunch with my momma.  She suggested we go down to the coast to grab a bite and I, of course, couldn't say no.

We headed down to Laguna Beach without a set plan and ended up at Madison Square & Garden Cafe.  For the past couple of Christmas Eves we've gone just next door to a restaurant called The Cottage, but we've enjoyed it so much we've never made it next door . . . till Friday!   It was such a fun and quirky home decor store that just happens to have a kitchen in the middle of it and little tables out in the garden for noshing/ drinking in that buttery Laguna sunshine.  It was pretty great, and even if our salads weren't quite up to par, we rounded off the meal with a DE-licous coconut macaroon to share.  I mean, what meal isn't great that ends with a macaroon, right?

It really is just so lovely to be living close to my family now and how we can just pop down to see them whenever we please (traffic permitting).  We definitely miss being 5 minutes away from the Nemrows, but trading that in for being an hour & 20 minutes to the Toblers ain't too bad either.

Life is grand.

this weekend

Isn't this video fabulous??  It made me even more exited for General Conference this weekend:

 

General Conference is one of my favorite times of the year and I even picked up a new journal for note taking (p.s. isn't getting a new journal the the best?).  I can't wait to curl up in my PJ's, eat a home cooked breakfast, and listen to a prophet's voice.

For more information or to watch online, go here.

fall food

I'm not much of a pumpkin carver, and Halloween isn't my favorite holiday by far, but since living in Utah, fall most definitely became one of my favorite times of the year.  I loved that crisp autumn air, pulling on more layers, and, of course, our annual Halloween cruise.  But, arguably, one of the best parts of fall was getting the excuse to make ridiculous amounts of pumpkin cookies.

Now that we live in sunny (and HOT) southern California, that crisp autumn air is hard to come by, but I can still enjoy the smell of pumpkin baking festively in my oven (even if it makes our little apartment stiflingly hot).

Behold, the sweetest food of fall :

Last year I was under the impression that everybody knew how to make these delicious things, but I was sadly mistaken.  In case you missed the recipe, here it is again, in all it's ridiculous easiness :
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PUMPKIN COOKIES:

1 box spice cake mix  (any variety)
1 can of pumpkin
& as many chocolate chips as you desire

Mix together and bake at 350 degrees for 7-12ish minutes until cookies are golden and firm to the touch . . . and you're DONE!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It's too easy.  Go make a batch right now.
And eat them with a glass or cold, cold milk, because if you're anything like me, you'll be eating more than one.

Romney, Obama, & the Nemrow's living room

 David's comments during the presidential debate last night:

          "This is better than a BYU football game!"

          "Man, this is good crap."

          "I need to call my dad . . ."

          "THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!!"

          "It's not personal - it's business.  Fight!  Fight to the death!"

          "Give him a little jab!  A left hook!" 

          "That was a cheap blow Romney!  Playin' kinda dirty there . . ." 

          "Wa-pow!"

          "It's been a minute and a half Romney - don't take all the time!"

Now insert him jumping around the living room, boxing the air with his fists, doing karate chop moves, pacing back and forth, and standing on top of our stools :

Yeah,  he's just up there releasing nervous energy. 

You think this kid is a little invested in the election?

Me neither.

Picture via These Are Things

highlights no. 52

It's Wednesday!  Dave and I are going to Orange County for the weekend to hang with the fam and watch some General Conference - so I'm pretty impatient for Wednesday to be over, so it can be Thursday/ almost Friday!  In the meantime here are some fun posts from around the web:

the first decision of the day

the best way to watch the northern lights

a vegetarian shark??

these posters are great

Dave would love to hang this in our living room

I want to make this wreath

the truth about tupperware

pictures of food - really, REALLY close up

tardar sauce, the cat

a cool calculator

wow - this is a great idea

pretty prints (I want the breakfast table one)

some great skincare tips

you can laugh, but I think this is a cute idea

and . . . I'm pretty excited about this movie coming out in December!

xo