lost in time...

So the past week or so has totally lost me... I left you with "Southwest cancelled my flight" and since then have been home in Arizona, watched at least 8 movies, celebrated Christmas, felt the lil baby move, ate Nick's Feed-Your-Face (a Prescott classic), received lovely gifts, ate my weight in homemade goodness, and alas have made it back to the Bay Area again!! Where has the time gone!? So to expand on the highlights...

Yes, we made it back to Arizona and had a lovely time with family. I love Christmas at my house. I love the stockings, the breakfast, the laid back feeling of it all... I just love being home. Josh and I received our first "adult" camera -- the Rebel -- my parents way of guaranteeing themselves lots of pictures of lil lop once she comes in just 4 short months! And what's funny is we tried practicing with it and taking pictures of any little ornament or knick knack around the house... and managed not to take one single picture of ANY of my family members. Wow... a great start to our camera adventure. Ey yi yi. We'll get there.

Baby news - yep, I've officially gotten to the point where I can decipher a baby kick from indigestion or gas or cramps... it's pretty fun. Pretty crazy - but really exciting. Can't wait for Josh to get to feel the baby move...

Belly news - it's a'growing... fast. But not fast enough for someone to look at me and say "she's totally pregnant"... so I'm getting self conscious about it and am constantly touching my stomach so hopefully people will assume I'm pregnant and not that I just overdid it with the holiday goodies... which I did... but that's beside the point. I'll post baby bump pictures at some point... maybe when it gets to the point of "she's pregnant!" and not "she's pregnant...? or eating a lot...?"

Anyway - one day of work and then we're off to Pasadena for New Years/the Rose Bowl Parade! HOPEFULLY pictures to document the weekend... with PEOPLE in them...

the long road home...

So we're going back to my hometown for Christmas today... everything has been set in stone for over two months now and we were good to go. Then I get a voicemail this morning from Southwest airlines letting me know that our flight was cancelled... Yes. They called me about T minus 7 hours before my flight was to take off to tell me "Sorry - you're not really going home, sucker!"

Luckily they had the next flight out available - granted it's a midnight arrival, but at least we'll be home sweet home for the holidays.

for me? you shouldn't have...

We did our little family gift exchange tonight (that way we don't have to lug our gifts to AZ just to unwrap them and lug them back... smart, huh?).

For Josh:

As of late, Josh has had a hankerin for his nightcaps... scotch on the rocks if you will. But as of late, he's been using our stemless wine glasses - so I opted for the whisk(e)y lover. Along with its mouthblown glasses, it has ice cube "stones" that you freeze to prevent the regular ice from watering down your drinks... so you really have scotch on the rocks. Now Josh can have his occasional drink in style... For Me:

Josh has promised me a jewelry box for... ummm... 2 years now?? He's built 2 of them himself but hasn't been fully happy with them. I finally said that I NEED one (mine is falling apart and holds about 2 rings and a chunky bracelet and then it's full). SO, we found one that looks just perfect for "the meantime"... until Josh can build the perfect box. BUT, since the box was promised to me 2 years ago, as a present, Josh got me jewelry to put IN the jewelry box. Good man... a beautiful necklace from J Crew and lovely earrings from Anthro... thanks baby!!

Merry Christmas!!

mmm. mmm. mush.

So our farm box came last Friday and we've put some good use to it... bok choy in pad thai, fennel and orange salad, fruits galore, and last night - cream of mushroom soup with leeks. And not just any cream of mushroom soup, but Ina's cream of mushroom soup. Which you KNOW has to be good because 1. it's got lots of butter. 2. it's got lots of cream. 3. it's got lots of love... I love that Ina. It's Josh's favorite homemade soup to date... and (bonus!) there's enough for a leftovers lunch!

lil lop

We've been referring to the bambino as "lil lop" (coined by the Olsens... very clever guys, thanks!). Well, now, we can refer to the baby as "lil LADY lop"... or at least they THINK. She (if she is a she) was being very modest and not opening her legs for the camera (good girl!), so the technician only got a quick view and is pretty sure it's a girl. Obviously they don't want to be held responsible for the whole switch-a-roo-out-pops-a-boy, so we'll ask our doctor to do another ultrasound when we go in January. But until then, we're saying GIRL!

Boy or Girl...?

Any votes on what the little bambino is? We find out TODAY! Well, hopefully... we go in for the anatomy ultrasound and hopefully find out if we buy pink or blue... well, moreso purple or green... or maybe yellow or red... oh goodness. So many options.

gettin old...

I love this commercial. I think it's so cute. The wrinkles, the dancing, the song. Just precious. Makes me excited to get old... well, at least not as scared to get that old... thanks Kaiser!

tea time

Twas tea time this past weekend... the ladies got together this past Sunday for a proper afternoon tea. The afternoon was filled with pinkie-lifting tea sipping, mini sandwiches and yummy desserts, and of course scones with jam and cream. Just lovely...

just shoot me...

Josh got a shot... the H1N1 shot to be exact. Best part? His Lightning McQueen band-aid burrowed in the arm hair... and he didn't even cry. He's such a big boy!

PS

PS- the boots came in the mail yesterday. Oh. My. Word. SO soft (sorry cow!), so buttery, so comfortable, the color? perfection. LOVE THEM.

BUT (and yes, there is a but) I have realized that most of my skirts that are the length and style that I would wear with such perfect boots are all in the black/grey tones. (I know! So why order brown?? I just love the color!!) So... question of the day. Do I try to exchange for the black or keep the brown and accumulate a whole new wardrobe?

Josh says I can't buy a whole new wardrobe to match a shoe... but to him I say, well, why not?? If the shoe fits...

tree hugger

There's nothing that can beat the smell of a Christmas tree in your home during the holidays. My family used to put on our sweaters and snow boots and go cut our own tree - those were the days. Josh was a tree planter back in the day, so I justify getting a live tree because he's planted so many... it makes up for killing a tree... right? But I can't justify getting one of those cute little 3 foot trees because they're just babies!! They're like toddlers in the world of trees and weren't even allowed to grow to their full potential. Tree hugger, I know. But I can't kill the baby trees or even support it. But at the same time we don't want a gigantic tree filling our tiny living room... hmm.

We're not opposed to a fake tree... a GOOD fake tree... my parents now have a fake tree that actually looks and FEELS like a real tree. I'm fine with that. But the good fakes are VERY expensive. So... want to hear our solution?

This year, we'll be leaving the trees planted in the ground and the fakes in the stores and purchase a wreath made out of real pine branches so we get the smell of Christmas and then wait until the holiday season is OVER to get a killer deal on a real-looking fake tree!! Brilliant, no? :)

confession...

I always wanted to be Tiffani Amber Thiessen. You know - Kelly Kapowski?? She always got to date Zach Morris and that was enough for me to be envious of her... not to mention her rockin bangs and sweet full length orange locker... She was so hip.

Well, although I've snagged my very own Zach Morris... but with a beard (he's so dreamy!), I've come to terms that I can't be her . But I think we would be really good friends... or at least we'd be able to bond at this point in our lives... why you ask?

Earlier this month Kelly... er... I mean, Tiffani drop-the-Amber Thiessen announced that she and her husband are expecting a baby in May.

Yep... Same here! Audrey and Josh are going to be a mom and dad this upcoming May! No, Josh isn't going to be my OBGYN, but YES - I am having a baby!

This Halloween picture is a look into the not so distant future... like, as in, maybe 4 months?? So there it is folks. You know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.... surprized???

shop... but not crazy shop...

I'm all about finding a deal. I'm the google search "j crew free shipping promo code" before finalizing my purchase. I'm the shop the clearance rack at Lululemon because it's an arm and a leg otherwise. I'm the "I'll wait and if I'm still thinking about it in 2 days I'll go and get it." I'm the "I'll wait until it goes on sale and if they still have my size it's meant to be." I'm all about bargains and coupons and all that jazz. But I am NOT the camp out to run into Target at 5AM girl. Heck no! Turkey coma = sleep in on black Friday.

Yes, I'd love that flat screen 50" TV for $100, but no, I will not bite, pull hair, trample, and run over people to get it. I will be comfortable in my bed and loving every moment.

Some people say it's fun and it's an experience and to them I say "More power to you... you're crazy... but more power to you." And I'm sure it is quite the experience, but my kind of shopping experience is a random Tuesday during the school year (preferably not close to a holiday) at around 11AM when it's just the moms, their strollers, and a few random shoppers surrounding me. Now THAT is shopping. To each his own...

Happy Turkey Day!!

I'm thankful for you, faithful reader...


Eat well, be thankful, and Happy Thanksgiving!!

open open open!

I'm daydreaming of stuffing... it needs to be Thursday already!!
Thanksgiving this year will be spent with the Bakers... as in Lindsey "formally-a-Baker" Olsen's family. We're mapping out our trip up to Sacramento, trying to plan the timing of it so we don't hit too much traffic, and are very VERY excited to be spending the holiday with our family away from family. Hurry up, Thursday!!

purchased.

So today we made a few fun purchases... one for me, one for we.

For me: a couple weeks ago I blogged about my obsession with J-Crew's shoe selection this fall. In my email today was an email from J-Crew announcing that all shoes are 20% off for a limited time. SOLD! I went for a non-high heel for practical reasons... not to mention comfort reasons... here she is:

Lovely. I'll be snuggling into those later next week hopefully...

For we: about a decade ago, Josh went with a then-girlfriend to the Nutcracker... little did he know it wasn't the toy soldiers fighting rats Nutcracker, but it was the Nutcracker Suite - which is JUST the orchestra. (Man - what a crappy girlfriend... good thing he upgraded :)) Which would still be lovely, but when you're expecting sugar plum fairies and, well, the Nutcracker, it just doesn't satisfy. I went to the Nutcracker growing up with my mom and other mother-daughter teams so I know that sugar plum fairy well.

So we decided to redeem Josh's Nutcracker mishap and go see the Ballet San Jose's The Nutcracker.

I didn't really think Josh would be super into it, but he's really excited and even suggested it... so mid-December we'll be dressed to the nines, watching the rats take on the toy soldiers... tis the season!

red is the new yellow.

In both Prescott and Santa Barbara, come fall time, the leaves change from green to yellow to bare. Welcome winter. But in our neighborhood we have maples galore and they turn from green to yellow to RED to most likely bare... and I LOVE the red. Josh loves the maple, well, for obvious reasons... (Oh Canada!) But what a lovely tree and what a brilliant color it is showing this fall season...

(Obviously I can say I love these trees because I don't have one in my back yard that requires me to rake EVERY Saturday... but I still love them!)

farm fresh to ME!

I love farmer's markets. I do. I love the people, the beautiful produce, the fun vendors, I love everything about it. The only thing I don't like: me being a scaredy cat when it comes to trying new things. I feel like I used to be more adventurous with my choices, but there were times when those adventurous choices ended up rotting in the fridge because I didn't know what I was going to do with it (hello swiss chard...). So now I stick to my onions, mushrooms, peppers, and... um... bread? Does that count? I want to reach out and try some new stuff! Solution?

Capay Organic Farms will deliver a box full of organic produce to my door step complete with recipes. Everything delivered is in season, from a local farm, and all organic. This week's selections included beets (Josh won't let me opt out of beets... he swears by borsch... yuck.), potatoes, cabbage, apples, pears, grapes, oranges, butternut squash, bok choy, chard, carrots, spinach, and cilantro. Holy cow! We're doing a "regular" sized box (you can specify) every other week... that way I can still use my farmer's market for the in-between stuff and of course all the local breads, pastas, and other yummy treats...

I think this will be a good solution. It will force us to step out of our comfort zone and yet give us the tools (produce and recipes) to be successful. Bring it on Capay!!

it's the freakin weeken!

FRIDAY!! I'm ready for it! I'm ready for lazy Saturday and it's sister, sleepy Sunday. Scheduled this weekend: nothing!! Opportunities are endless...
go on a walk?
hike?
sleep in (that's a given).
shop?
eat (again... a given).
sit?
movie marathon?
a book, blanket, and hot chocolate?

Yes yes and yes. Welcome weekend!

educate me

Last week I invaded sister time with Joanna and Julia and we went to go see An Education. An indie film about a brilliant 16 year old who falls in love with a man 20 years her senior. The cast is incredible and the acting is superb. "Jenny," played by Carey Mulligan, was amazing. She played the wiser-than-her-age 16 year old and her look reminded me of a younger (yet British and incredibly smart) Katie Holmes. Peter Sarsgaard plays David the late thirties something that steals young Jenny's heart... he walks the line of creepy and charming brilliantly. Don't take my word for it - go see it!

Marianne's

We found ourselves in Santa Cruz on Saturday night for some dinner/dessert with friends. Dessert happened to be a Santa Cruz tradition - Marianne's ice cream. It's been around for 50 years and has a gazillion flavors... including lavender and root beer and oatmeal raisin cookie dough and Mexican chocolate... it's so great. I went for the holiday classic peppermint stick. I'm not gonna lie - McConnell's may have them beat in the peppermint department. Marianne's was neon pink and didn't seem as natural as it could be. Next time, I'm hopping on board the oatmeal raisin cookie dough train. Booya!

too old for dress up?

Halloween has come and gone and Josh and I have gone another year as a pair... Year 1 - Kevin Federline and Brittney Spears. Year 2 - S'mores. Year 3 - New Zealand... they don't do Halloween. Year 4 - pregnant lady and OBGYN.

We hung out with a farmer and her ear of corn, Legends of the Hidden Temple contestants, a little birdie, and a few more awkward moments strolling around the party... overall, a very fun evening. Happy Halloween!

spooky, huh?

We sure have come a long way in the pumpkin world... I used to be a two triangles and a crooked smile kinda girl, but then I met Josh's wise co-worker, Shane, and he changed my pumpkin carving life. He trained me to kick ass in pumpkin carving contests which led to victory the last carving contest at work with LB (booya!). Winning design you ask? A haunted house carved and shaded to perfection, complete with bats and ghosts. I hope your Halloween is as fabulous as my carving skills... if I do say so myself... :)

Happy Halloween!!

tickets are booked...

We're heading home for the holidays! After a year in New Zealand and their lackluster approach to holidays, I am VERY ready for some Prescott "Christmas City" lovin. No real agenda, but I told my mom I DO expect a tree. We can decorate it when we get there, but there better be a tree. And stockings. And Christmas breakfast. And hot cocoa. And blankets. And Mariah Carey's Christmas album. And a fire every night. And Zoe actually being nice to me. And It's a Wonderful Life. And snow. And chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven. And dad's world famous stuffing.

Okay, Okay. Let's be honest... I could deal with just the tree and the fire every night... but seriously, mama... seriously... you know what I like... :)

twinkle toes

I am in love with J Crew's selection of shoes this fall. I pretty much love everything fall and most things J Crew, so it makes sense, but just looking through their pumps, boots, and flats makes me VERY happy. Where is your happy place?

he's so tyra...

First of all, Josh would hate the title of this post. Especially since this post is about him. And if he and Tyra Banks were ever in the same room in real life, Josh claims he would punch her. Now - obviously he wouldn't as that would just lead to a big lawsuit, but let's just say that she is not his favorite. At all.

Anyway - Josh got his Top Model on this weekend. My mom, the talented and creative woman that she is, has designed a line of t-shirts that are adorable and are on sale at etsy.com. They are mostly for women, but Josh is now the face of the men's line... or at least the burger t-shirt line. Check him out in all his glory...

Yep. He's ALL mine, ladies!

**And if I do say so myself, I make one hell of a Nigel Barker, huh?

no olympics for me quite yet...

So you know those speed walkers that compete in the Olympics? If you don't know - they're CRAZY. They do this swivel walk, toe flick, crazy arm move and they do it for a whole 26 miles! It's NUTS. Well, just yesterday I thought I'd go on a walk from Los Gatos to Campbell on the Los Gatos Creek Trail... and try to speed walk it. It's 6.5 miles. Today, my shins are KILLING ME!! I didn't do the whole swivel walk, crazy arm throw, but I'm still sore. My hip flexors and shins are burning today - but I'm glad I did it. A beautiful walk along the creek - leaves turning color and falling on the path... it was quite the sight. I would totally do it again - perhaps not speed walk it like the pros, but it would be a lovely fall walk to take with my hubby... but not today -- I'm still sore.

long time, no see...

Sorry dedicated followers! I know you have been frantically checking back at our blog in hopes of new, witty details of the lives of the Dunlops... I apologize for being MIA! Much time has passed, but there's not much to report on... we're boring!

• Our friend Dominic is still in town, but I think he's starting to get antsy about all his travels. My prediction is he'll probably take off next weekend to head towards Mexico... bye roomie!
• This past weekend we went to Campbell's very own Octoberfest... brats, beers, music, and lederhosen a plenty! (the lederhosen NOT worn by us... the beer and the brats... yeah, that was us...)
• We've started to utilize our coat/jacket closet a lot more due to the very fall-ish weather. Sweaters, coats, scarves... I love fall!!
• Soups, cassaroles, and anything that you can stick in the oven is on the menu! And yes - that includes lots of pumpkin baking...
• Speaking of pumpkins - we are pumpkin hunting this weekend - perhaps we'll have a USA vs Canada vs England carving contest!
• We are going to SLO (San Luis Obispo) for a friend-filled Halloween weekend... road trip!

I think that's it for us - like I said, we're pretty boring. Hopefully I'll be checking in a lot more frequently in the next couple weeks but no promises. Happy fall!!

the forecast...

So tonight/tomorrow is supposed to be the "first big storm of the season" -- EXCITING! It's supposed to rain over the ENTIRE bay area - from Napa to Santa Cruz - and be pretty consistent. I am SO excited for this.

1. I love the smell of rain.

2. I love hot chocolate and popcorn and TV.

3. I love to snuggle up in blankets.

4. I love to fall asleep to the rain (the most used app on my phone is "rain sounds" that makes the sound of rain falling on a timer of 45 minutes - just enough for you to fall asleep to and then it shuts off... genious!!)

Bring on the real thing!

spoiled kids vs hippies...

On Saturday USC came up to play Berkeley in some good ol college football. My dear friend Sam and her alum of a boyfriend came up for the game so we drove up to Berkeley to meet with them to tailgate and watch part of the game. Upon arrival to Berkeley it was madness. Just pure Blue/Gold and Red/Gold madness. Swarms of people flooded the streets, beer, hotdog, and pizza in hand, and it was... well... it was so NOT Westmont! I just didn't know what to do with myself. I think Josh was in "Find Sam/Jayson" mode and Dominic totally soaked it up. I mean, we walked by a fraternity and he immediately went into Old School/Will Ferrell excitement mode. Sam's tailgating crew had been there since 8:30 that morning, with 3 TVs/satellite dishes set up to watch NFL games all day, tons of food, and beer galore. We ended up watching some of the game at a restaurant/beer garden type place and overall had a great time. Berkeley lost big time, but did I even watch any of the game? Not really... it was just fun to catch up and see my Sam. :)

butternut squash... meet Dominic...

On Friday night I decided to utilize that 3 lb butternut squash staring at me since Sunday's Farmer's Market. What to do, what to do... When I told Dominic I didn't know what I wanted to do with it, his eyes got all big and said "I've never had butternut squash before! Can we put it in a soup like in the movies??" Now - I'm not sure what movie he's talking about, but apparently there are certain "American" things that Dominic has been trying to check off his list... root beer (which he HATES), meatloaf in a 50s diner-type restaurant, American sporting events, milkshakes, Costco, etc, etc. So butternut squash soup it was.


The soup was good, but what stole the show was the sage-parmesan croutons I made for the soup. A big hit. This, paired with some FNL...? Now THAT's a good all-American Friday night...

Santa Cruz baby!

On Sunday we made our way to the lovely coastal town of Santa Cruz. Granted, we hyped it up A LOT, but I think Dominic did enjoy this hippie-filled town... he fit right in with his long locks!

We walked around Pacific Ave, Zoccoli's on Seabright beach for lunch, fogged-in but perfect temp beach afternoon...

...Redwood Camp reunion (see below - Zipper, JBird, Rodeo, Kargo, Boss, Schnuke, Cricket, and CherB) See - Dominic was TOTALLY there in 2003... Zipper... remember him...?


...and then 99 Bottles for a little concert with the one and only Stow.

Santa Cruz done right... check!

Sharks Score!

On Friday night we went to the San Jose Sharks pre-season game against their rivals - the Anaheim Ducks (quack, Quack, QUACK! - love The Mighty Ducks! But I wasn't allowed to quack... for numerous reasons...). We won an impressive 6 to 0 which was so fun - here were our favorite parts...


I think Dominic's favorite part was the national anthem... Americana at its best! The digital flag images displayed on EVERY board in the arena, holding his hand to his heart, land of the free, home of the brave... Yeah. He loved it...


Josh's? The overpriced mini pizza he got. Yeah. He loved that.


Mine? The Sharks players skate out of a huge shark mouth!! Love it!

Overall, a great time. Sharks Win!