My new apartment!

I know this is kinda belated (well, I've only been living there for about 6 days now - so I guess it's not THAT belated - ha!), but here is my new apartment!

This is the view when you first walk in the "front door" (it's in an early 1900's house that was divided into apartments).  Eventually I'm going to get those drapes on the couch up soon!  One of these days...

Pivot to the right, and that's the little closet there, and my little make-up station!

Turn all the way around, and there's the kitchen / bathroom / desk area & all that fun stuff!  It's small and cozy, but I've tried to brighten it up in my own way with lots & lots of colors. :)  That's just how I roll!

My itty-bitty bathroom just off the kitchen.  It actually does contain a "bath", which would be the perfect size for me if I were about 3-feet tall.  Haha!  But that's OK - I don't need much!

And my abnormally large kitchen for a studio apartment!  I really do need a decent-sized kitchen.  It's hard having no kitchen space and loving to cook.  So this worked out great!

I absolutely LOVE all of the light I get in here too.  I have a big window in the kitchen, and two more big ones in the living / bedroom.  It's just gorgeous.  Makes me feel sunshiney and happy inside!

I did have to give away some things (knick-knacks, clothes, etc.) because there just wasn't enough room for everything.  But I was OK with that - it's just stuff.  And it was kind of cleansing in a way!  Starting clean, right?

Also, my lovely friend Nikki stopped into my work yesterday and dropped of this beautiful bouquet of flowers for me.  Aren't they just gorgeous?  They really are helping my new little place feel like home.

I think I can be very happy here!

New Piano / Holiday Teas!

Oh-Em-Gee - the piano is HERE!! :D 

She came yesterday, and I am just completely in love.  Fudge has already found a new favorite spot (sprawled across her bench), and I've already begun plunking away on her keys, trying to refresh my memory of the years of lessons through my youth.  

I rented piano books from the library, and holiday music books as well.  I'm hoping that with a little regular practice over the next few weeks I'll have a few Christmas songs nailed down for the holidays!! :) 

I can't even tell you how wonderful it is to have a piano in the house.  I feel very lucky that I got to grow up with one in our house, and that my parents had me take lessons so that I could learn how to play it.  I remember how wonderful it was on a lazy afternoon to just sit and play beautiful songs to my heart's content.  My heart is just swelling!! 

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On a completely different note (haha, note - get it?), HOLIDAY TEAS ARE BACK!!  

Oh my goodness, I could not WAIT for these guys to come out again!!  I made John stop at TWO different grocery stores just so that I could get some of them!  Nutcracker Sweet is my favorite (it's a very vanilla-ey black tea, and oh so good), and I haven't tried the other two yet, but I will very soon!  

I just adore this time of year, and I know it may seem a bit ridiculous but I just love these teas!  There's something so warm & comforting about their flavors, it just makes me so happy. 

Be forewarned, not all stores sell them!  But luckily, you can go to the Celestial Seasonings website and search for stores near you that do.  They might not be in the actual tea aisle either (since they are a seasonal item, they could be in a separate location), so don't be afraid to ask!  They're worth the extra work, trust me. :) 

New Living Room Arrangement - With room for PIANO!

On my day off this week, I decided to rearrange our living room to fit our new-ish upright piano that's coming in just a few days!!

I'm SO DARN EXCITED!  I rented a bunch of books from the library (piano for beginners, Piano for Dummies), so that I would be ready to get started when we finally got it.

I kind of like my little book nook on the side now too.  I still have my office in the back room, but I just love the light out here - and it's nice being close to the kitchen in the morning so that I can make breakfast and blog / pin / Facebook at the same time.  You know, really important work stuff. :)

We got a bunch of Honeycrisp apples at the last farmer's market, and man, that was all I wanted for breakfast that day.  I had some peanut butter with it for protein, and a cup of coffee (that I really don't have that often, even though I've been Barista-ing at work)!  It was delicious, and filled me up just right. 

Fudge has a new favorite place to sit too (he's sitting there right now as I'm typing this in fact).  I think he just loves that he can be close to someone AND look out the window if he wants to!  

And man, those bookshelves were dirty.  It was good to go through everything and clean up during the process as well - there were a lot of books / movies I was hanging on to for no particular reason.  Oh how easily our lives get cluttered.

Pics of the piano to come soon!  I can't wait!

Outdoor Party Decorating

My little sister is graduating from college next weekend, and we're throwing a backyard barbeque party for her at our place!  

I'm so happy that I finally live somewhere that has a backyard, but it definitely needs some improving.  I really want to make it bright and happy and fun for our first cookout of the year, so I've been searching everywhere for a bit of inspiration! 

I remember this idea from Real Simple Magazine - it's so cute and simple!  You just use drinking straws to make the flowers stand up straight - it's so bright & happy.

I'm in love with these triangle banners - I've been seeing them everywhere lately.  They look REALLY easy to make, and I'm thinking of using old magazines instead of fabric so that I don't have to buy anything that I don't already have.

I think this idea is adorable, but I probably won't do it for this party.  I don't own any globe lights anyway!

I love the idea of using long drapes or sheets to create a "room"outside.

Obviously we won't be as formal as this, but I love the look of this porch!

Love the colors in this - and again, the banners!  They really make the space look bright and cheerful!

Such a cute & simple idea.  I have a lot of old jars I've saved, so maybe I could create my own version of this.  I may even paint some of them so that the light shines through the colors.

I love a couple of these ideas - the thought of making S'mores - AWESOME!  We have a fire pit in the backyard & everything (the only thing right now that makes our backyard awesome), and what a fun idea to have supplies for making your own S'mores.  I definitely think I'm going to do that.

I love the idea of using wildflowers as part of the centerpiece of the table too.

So many ways to incorporate all the bright & beautiful colors!

This is the backyard I'm starting with....

Ugh - isn't it BORING!?  Haha!  I love the fire pit that John dug out in the middle, but everything else.... ick.  I gotta spice this baby UP! 

Any thoughts on other ways to make my backyard pretty for the occasion? 

Easter Sunday - Dinner with the Family

My family celebrates Easter in a pretty laid-back way since we're not very religious.  We just enjoy having dinner together!  :)  So Sunday evening, John, Taryn & I headed down to the parent's house to help with the cooking, and to enjoy a lovely dinner. 

Deb & Mom prepping some of the goodies!

Mmmmm - wine.  I may have had one glass too many, but wine + holidays = fun!  I do love me some wine!

Gabbin' in the kitchen while getting the rest of the meal together...

This is us "helping".  I swear. ;)

My lil' sis, Taryn.  What a cutie-pie!!

Mmmm-yum!!  Dinnertime!

My mom made Meatless-Loaf which I absolutely MUST get the recipe for.  It was super delicious, and she topped it with fresh basil from her plant in the kitchen.  YUM!

A simple (yet oh-so-delicious) seitan recipe - topped with my famous vegan gravy!

Overall a wonderful evening with family & friends. :)

That night we headed home and watched Unchained Reaction on the Discovery channel, then the making of Frozen Planet (which was fascinating).  I got 1/2 way through Mythbusters before I couldn't keep my drooping eyelids open anymore.  

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend too! 

The new pad! (teaser)

I couldn't take photos of the WHOLE house, as we don't have everything set up yet, and I want it to be ready before showing it off! :) 

John and I were hard at work last night though: hanging pictures, rearranging, and in general just getting the place in order.  We managed to get a decent amount done, but I'm hoping to be fully ready to go after this weekend!  I guess we'll see how motivated I can be in one week!  

This is part of the living room area (by the front door).  We have the couches in place too, but I just like how this corner looks.  The windowsill between my two plants is Fudge the Cat's favorite place to sit.  

I'm hoping to get started on my dream front porch soon!  When it's done, this little window will look out onto the loveliness.  And Fudge can meow at us while we're out there. 

This is the wall facing the living room.  I was super excited to get all of these hung up!  I'm hoping to just keep adding too, and making it a big hodge-podge of awesome photos.  John and I just started hanging all of these up randomly together - it was some pretty rad teamwork. 

I didn't actually change much to the kitchen, but isn't it pretty?  Look at all that counter space - AND the new appliances!  There's a big counter to the left too, but you just can't see it in this photo.  Last night (when we were taking a break), John made homemade salsa, and I cooked us up a couple of quesadillas.  It was really fun cooking in tandem with somebody! 

My little desk area!  This is the room where John has his desk set up.  Basically we're back-to-back.  He works from home, so I think it's nice that he has a lot of space.  I really like my little set up here, and to be honest, I'm not really at my desk all that often!  Maybe sometime when I become a full-time blogger?  Oh wouldn't that be nice!! 

The hallway.  This is where ALL of my purses will go!  I may have to downgrade a bit... otherwise people will probably have trouble passing through this area.  I LOVE this painting too - I bought it off an artist selling his work on the street during the First Friday Art Walk that they do all year round here in Denver.  It's one of my most favorite things!

My "Beth" room.  It's a 3-bedroom house, but the rooms are pretty small.  We're using 1 room as our office, 1 room as our bedroom, and this room I got all to myself!  I have some of my things in there, but in general I'll use it as my little sanctuary when I need some me-time.  We set up a small twin bed, and John is going to hook up my old TV and VCR (yes I still own a VCR and VHS tapes).  We'll use it as a guest room too! 

And this is Fudge.  He seems pretty OK with me staying, so that's nice!  He made a little bed for himself behind my head on the couch when we were watching a movie a couple of nights ago.  He's so cute.  Even with the cat-boogers, and the 5am meow-ing, and the laying on the kitchen table... 

He must be really cute to make up for all of that! :) 

More pics to come!

Motivated Maniac

Although I should probably be motivated to workout more regularly, do my laundry & all that - I've actually been more motivated to COOK and be a bit creative! Well, I guess those are all good things too, right? :)

Last night I made me a thrown-together pasta dish since I was STARVING after derby practice. It was super easy, and really yummy!

I just threw together some chopped zucchini, mushrooms, onion & minced garlic in a pan with olive oil & cooked 'em 'till they were tender. Meanwhile I boiled just under a cup of spiral pasta. Once the veggies were just about done cooking I tossed in a diced tomato and about 1/4 cup of pasta sauce.

Serve the veggies over the pasta (I topped mine with some grated mozzarella rice cheese). Super yummy, and exactly what my tummy was looking for after a challenging workout!

I just picked up the 6th season of Reno 911 from the library so I've been watching that pretty regularly. It's SO hilarious, and Trudy Weigl is pretty much my favorite character ever - she's so friggin' funny!!

I got a bit distracted with that, but then thought "I really wanna make those vegan muffins from my favorite cookbook" - so turned off my TV to make me some muffins.

I know I've mentioned it before, but I will say so again - go out and buy How it All Vegan! I kid you not, it's the best cookbook I've ever owned. Not only are the recipes simple, but they are REALLY delicious! Every one I have made has turned out really good, and easy to adjust to my liking. I'm totally in LOVE with this cookbook!

But I digress. I decided to make their Lovely Carrot Soup (which I don't have pics of), which I turned into my own Pink Soup, as I didn't have quite enough carrots and decided to throw in some leftover beets instead. It turned out really yummy, and I brought it to work for lunch today!

These muffins are the Maple Nut Soup Muffins - so named, as they accompany a hearty bowl of soup quite well I've discovered. They were really easy to make (and I am no baker that's for sure). Just basic ingredients (flour, baking soda & powder, salt, cinnamon), a mashed banana to substitute for 2 eggs, maple syrup, oil, and nuts. YUM.

One last weekend tidbit - I decided to do a big ol' magazine cut-out collage on the back of my bedroom door on Monday when I had the day off. I used to do this stuff all of the time in high school, but my mom hated that I was putting tape all over the walls.

Then I realized - hey, I don't live with my parents anymore... I can do whatever the heck I want! WOOHOO!

Yeah, I think it turned out pretty stinkin' rad. It makes my apartment all the more colorful, which is something I greatly enjoy. You couldn't tell, right?

A little place I call home!

I submitted my apartment for a "Cool Small Spaces" competition online, 'cause I love love love my little pad! I don't think I got in, but I don't really care. I love my little place, I love color, and most of all I love how comfortable I feel when I'm there. My apartment is actually the attic of a house (hence the reason why the windows meet the floors, and why the ceilings are curved). They divided the house into apartments, which I think gives my place a lot of character. It's not a square unit in a big tall apartment building - it's a real house.

I'm no interior decorator, and a lot of my furniture was either donated from parents/friends, or found at Goodwill. A lot of things don't match (in the traditional sense), but that's part of what I like about it! It's all mine, full of color and expression. I think it's a pretty darn good reflection of myself too! :)