Yer killin' me, SMALLS!!!!!

Oh man.  Little Bogey is THE CUTEST THING EVERRRRRRR!!!!  Ok, so he found Bunnypeep in with my knitting stuff while I was searching for the correct size of needles to knit some baby booties for two of my friends with brand new offspring... and he went all Terminator on his fuzzy fanny.  First he was all like "ummm, we're totally just friends...."

then he caught a whiff of Bunnypeep's intoxicating plushy scent...

which triggered some sort of primal need to satisfy his "sweet tooth"...

Bogeytron hath conquered the evil Bunnypeep!  Hah!

I think maybe his big sis inspired him to do some damage, check out Princess with Hedgehog the same night! DESTRUCTION!

Ok, wow.  That was sort of weird but still really cute pics of the baby.  This is what happens when my husband leaves me to my own devices.  Actually this is just part of what happens... I also go nuts on crossword puzzles and watch shows like "Will & Grace" and "Frasier".  I can't help myself.  I should be knitting booties, check out this awesome colorful baby yarn:

Yep, I took the time to "artistically" arrange the yarn and knitting sticks rather than actually knitting.  Hopefully this weekend I'll get the booties done.  I have a weird mental block towards knitting in the Summer... I like to sew in Summer and knit in Winter.  

On a side note, my dear friend, Erin, left Austin to head East to her home in Alabama to aid in the cleanup of the Ridiculously Large and Embarrassing Out-of-Control BP Oil Spill of 2010.  She'll be helping there for the next 3-6 months and I'm so proud of her!  I am also really mad at her for leaving me here in Austin to work at the newspaper without her.  I don't think she realizes how much I need her daily.  Who will I make faces at when people act all stoopit or wear something seriously crazy to the office?  Who will remind me that I'll feel better after my lunchtime run?  Who will I trade recipes and wine ideas with?   Damn oil spill.  Here's Erin and me at the Goodbye Happy Hour:

And since I call this webl "Hollyberry Jewelry, etc" here's a pic of the Farewell Necklace I made for Erin:

In happier news, my Mum and Sis were here last weekend and we had plenty of fun girl time!  Shopping at Target!  Shopping at Whole Foods!  Shopping at Hobby Lobby!  Watching Audrey Hepburn movies!  

Shark Baby

Well, the little Bogeytron had his surgery on Monday and had nearly an ENTIRE ROW OF TEETH removed... like he was a shark or something... isn't that nuts?  I mean, he weighs four pounds and is about the size of my stapler, where was he hiding an extra ENTIRE ROW OF TEETH!?  The poor sweet baby was swollen and drooling blood for a while but we're getting back to normal now... he's walking like a tiny robot, like usual... and sounds like a teapot, like usual.  These are very good things.  It's terrible to see your little fuzzy baby in pain.  He did not want his pic taken while he was under the weather but here's a recent one for your viewing pleasure:

and we can't leave out the others so here's a couple cuties from our last trip to Canyon Lake:

In Hollyberry news, I have not sewn a ding dang thing in weeks and my serger is still snug in it's box since my Serger 101 class.  I'm hoping I'll be motivated soon, I have some gorgeous fabrics and fun patterns just sitting around waiting for me to use.  I'm also working on a fun bag/purse design that I want to start making and selling on Etsy using fabric my bro brings back from Togo and Ghana... this way I can send more money back to the people of these countries and also help out the orphanage.  Woot!  I was motivated to make myself a necklace, however, which is something I rarely do but couldn't resist:

The two rings were my mom's she wore in high school and the cross my grandpa made for me when I was little and then I added a vintage skeleton key for fun.  

Ooh!  and look what Nate got me for my birthday!  

Yep, it's the best watering can that ever lived.  I've wanted a watering can since I was around 14 years old and now I have one of my own!  I ADORE it!!!!  

Ok, back to work.  My Mom and Sis are flying in tomorrow morning to keep me company while Nate is away in Amarillo workin' his fanny off!  Woot!!  FUN GIRL WEEKEND AHEAD!!!!  

Today is Ringo Starr's birthday...

and MY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOOO!!!!  Woot!   Soooo, my very sweet husband took me out to breakfast before work, what a lovely way to start a day!  I've been getting up every day around seven and going for a run before work and I tell you what, going out to eat with the one who's your favorite and your best is BY FAR better than a six-mile run in the 90 degree heat.  By.  Faaaaarrrrrrr.  

Also, in more 'I Am Soooo Blessed' news, my Dad had a dozen beautiful and scrumptious cupcakes delivered to my office!  How sweet, hee hee, SWEET, is that?!?!?  They are confetti flavor (which does not taste like small bits of paper, it tastes heavenly) with buttercream frosting!  BUTTERCREAM!!!  Thanks Daddo!!!!

Ok, let's talk birthday fashion!  So I made myself a birthday headband which should definitely be worn on birthdays but not limited to wearing only on birthdays, see how cute?!   Fun with hot glue and vintage appliques!  

Also, I am wearing a really cool pin that my Mom's Dad gave to his bride-to-be 77 years ago:

Lucky for me, her name was Helen and so naturally I was the lucky recipient of this treasure, having an "H" name myself.  My Grandma Helen ("Granny") was so dear to me and died while I was in high school but I think of her often and hope I inherited some of her smarts and fashion-sense.  I also thank her dearly for my Mom  :).  Here's the note Granny wrote for me when she gave me the necklace ("Baba" is the name I called my Grandpa Neal): 

It inspires me to keep special stuff around and in good condition because some day my own children or grandchildren might totally love something like this!  At this point, only having furry children, I haven't paid too much mind to this concept of keeping things to pass down but I'm going to start. 

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In Etsy news, a BIG GIANT thank you to my friend Megan who purchased TWO NECKLACES yesterday!  Woot!  Megan has a lovely family and a fun blog with great pics of her amazing daughters: http://peeples.wordpress.com/  ... Also, if you live in Austin and need a realtor, you need Megan www.MeganSellsAustin.com.  She helped us find and buy our house!  Thanks Megan!!

Lastly, I'll leave you with a few words of wisdom Nate spotted on a homeless man's cardboard sign: TOO BLESSED TO BE DEPRESSED.  Love it.  :)

Oh snap! A wedding's a-comin'! Woot!

Soooo it is JUNE and ya know what June brings?  WEDDINGS!  My dear friend Grace is gettin' hitched TOMORROW and I am super excited!  Here's a pic of Grace at my wedding (almost three years ago!!!):

*sigh*... what a beautiful day... 

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In Etsy news, I sold a necklace to a gal in New Jersey who doesn't even know who I am!  Ohmygoodness!  She liked a silver necklace but wanted it in gold so I made it in gold gosh darnit!

And THEN my friend Aurora (check out her blog! http://recyclefashionably.blogspot.com/ ) bought the Don't Be Scared of the Scarab necklace from my Etsy!!!  Big THANK YOU to Aurora!!!  Woot!!!

In family news, I'm heading home to Colorado in August for the Wild West Relay  which is a 200 mile relay from Fort Collins to Steamboat!  I'm hoping to run about 20 miles total but it will be in shorter legs and over 24 hours or so.  I can't wait!!!!  We'll be raising money for Jonathan's orphanage !  Yes!  I've been running my little fanny off every day and am having an interesting toe blister:

You're welcome.  

Ok now something cute to wash away the image of my toe blood blister (again, you're welcome):

Happy Friday! 

Summer in the city...

Austin is a beautiful place in the Summer with it's lush foliage and giant cacti and tropical flowers and it must also be a great time for visits and weddings and the like because we've been BUSY!  Two weeks ago our friend Damien visited and he ate this:

That is a mammoth piece of prime rib from Salt Lick .  It makes me full just looking at it.  AND since I'd bought Nate and I tickets to Neil Young months ago and Damien loves Neil too he came with and it was AMAZING!!!  Seriously.  The concert was insane.  Here's the best concert tshirt that ever lived:

So then, this past weekend Nate's dad and sis came to visit us and we went to Hamilton Pool, a magical swimming hole and nature preserve!  Here are a couple of pics: 

And now this weekend Nate's brother is coming to visit!  Whew!  AND THEN then next Saturday is Grace 's wedding!  OHMYGOODNESS!!!  I'll probably need a vacation in July...  

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Ok, look at this little man and how he's filling out!  Those little ribs aren't so poke-y anymore!  

Here's a picture of him smiling:

Finally, a giant thank you to my friend Mattie who this week purchased TWO necklaces from my Etsy store!  I made her a custom necklace out of vintage components inspired from one of Missy's bridesmaid necklaces (Mattie was Missy's make up gal).  Here's the necklace I made her:

  Thanks Mattiekins!  

New Baby Update!

Our precious little baby Bogey had his first real vet appointment since we've had him, and we're soooo excited to find out he needs $600-800 dental work.  SO excited.  :)  We have fallen head over heels for the boy so there's obviously nothing to do but fix him up.  Also, turns out he has a fontanelle (soft spot on his skull) which never closed up so we have to be really careful with his little head.  I'm seeing a tiny helmet in his future.  They took his blood and checked his poo and he's perfectly healthy otherwise.  Also, apparently he's five years old and weighs three pounds... not three years old weighing five pounds.  Here he is at the vet -- they put a little bandana around him to make him feel better after taking his blood.  Hello, handsome!

Except for a few little scuffles between Bogey and Princess (Bogey-incited scuffles I should add) the three dogs have been getting along pretty darn well.  Here they are through the screen door: small, medium and large :)

Soooo, Summer is basically here and our Cannas are back in action!  They're definitely my favorite lily.  I'm so excited for them to bloom!  Their orange blossoms are awesome.

AND our agaves are patiently awaiting our not-as-yet designed planting bed in the front of our house... don't they just LOOK like Texas???  Loving the agaves.  

Ok, that's all for now!  Hugs and kisses to all my peeps!!  

Have you read my little bio on the upper left of this webl?

If so, you may have noticed that little part about me liking to adopt animals?  and you may have noticed that in my last post I put pics of our two furry dog babies... and maybe I've mentioned that we also have two furry cat babies WELL WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT I HAD TO ADOPT ONE MORE LITTLE TINY FURRY BABY!  Sooooo, thanks to my dear friend Erin who emailed me this picture:

which was on the Humane Society website with the caption "Tiny Pie" and the info that he was three years old and weighed five pounds... WHAT ON EARTH WOULD ANY SELF-RESPECTING HUMAN DO WITH THIS INFORMATION, ERIN!?!?!?!?  So, now we have a little baby who we call Bogey and probably actually weighs closer to four pounds.  He had originally been at Town Lake Shelter and he was on the euthanize list (I mean, REALLY?) and the Humane Society took him and was trying to find him a home.  Well, find a home he did!  And now he has four brothers and sisters who are quite jealous of his good looks though are quite friendly to him... he, on the other hand likes to try out his growl (freakin a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e) on any other pet that tries to steal some of my affection.  

I should mention that I didn't just go willy-nilly adopting these animals without consideration to the cost of keeping them and the tiny living areas we share... and I should definitely mention that Nate was really a most excellent husband regarding this matter.  The poor man married into a family which already had one Princess dog (from a shelter), one Punkin cat (from a dumpster) and one Bebe cat (from a shelter)... then one day Nate and I found a "mini Princess" whom we call Hancho (from a shelter) and HAD to have him because Princess was probably really lonely without a baby dogbrother.  This logic makes perfect sense to a gal like myself.  


Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure -- there are no cats in these pics because they are still a wee bit wary of the new addition to the family:

See how unhappy Nate looks with all those babies?  :)

Bogey in the yard:

Bogey's boney lil' ribs that need some fattenin':

Bogey just chillin':

Bogey and his Pop:

For reals this time, the next baby we get will be a REAL BABY.  :)

Well, Hello There, Friday! I've Missed You!

Happy Friday!  Wooot!  So, my sweet friend Amy , who I worked with years and years ago at my favorite Italian restaurant (Canino's) sent me The Sweetest Owl Ever!  See!?

Amy lives in Myrtle Beach and has an amazing eye for design in the house and in the yard.  She's quite good with fabric and a paintbrush too!  Her photos are awesome and she has a very cool Etsy shop you need to check out: http://www.etsy.com/shop/HazyDayStudio .  

Y'all know I LOVE to cook and I found a really fun Spring recipe that requires no oven use and is awfully simple, here ye are:

Asparagus Pesto with Pasta

1 bunch asparagus spears (about 1 lb), trimmed of tough ends and halved crosswise

3 handfuls baby spinach leaves

2 cloves garlic, peeled (I used 6)

1 c freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

1 c pine nuts

1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for topping

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 t fine-grain salt

8 oz of dried pasta or 12 oz fresh 

Bring 2 pots of water to a rolling boil, one large for pasta and one medium for asparagus.  While the water is heating, put the pine nuts in a single layer in a large skillet.  Heat on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and lightly browned.  Remove pine nuts from pan and set aside.  You will use 3/4 cup of the pine nuts for the pesto and 1/4 cup to mix in whole.  Salt the asparagus water and drop the spears into the pan.  Cook for only 2-3 minutes, until the spears are bright green and barely tender.  Drain under cool water to stop the cooking.  Cut off and set aside several of the asparagus tips to use for garnish.  Add the asparagus, spinach, garlic, parmesan and 3/4 cup of the pine nuts to a food processor.  Puree and with the motor running drizzle in the 1/4 cup of olive oil until a paste forms.  If too thick, thin it with a bit of the pasta water.  Add the lemon juice and salt, taste and adjust seasoning.   Salt the water and cook the pasta until just tender.  Drain and toss immediately with 1 cup of the pesto.  Serve sprinkled with the remaining 1/4 cup pine nuts, a dusting of parmesan and a light drizzle of olive oil.  Serves 4 to 6.  

One last really cute thing for you... my great aunt made this awesome egg and when I was little I would just stare into it for hours and pretend I lived in the egg...

Ok, that's all for now!  I put some new necklaces up on Etsy so check out my shop for the latest if you want.  Have a grrrrrrrrrrreat weekend!  WOOOOOOOOOT!!!!  xoxoxoxox

It's in the SAUCE!

Ok, I've been a fan of chimichurri sauce ever since Nate and I discovered Buenos Aires, The Most Adorable teeny tiny Argentine restaurant down the street from our old house.   How cute is this?

Chimichurri is an herb-laden spicy gem of a sauce for meats or veggies or to dip bread or chips into... I just may even drink it out of a glass.   Last week our newspaper featured the sauce and had the best quick recipe for chimichurri I've ever made... typically I use only fresh herbs in my chimichurri but this recipe called for both fresh and dried and you probably already have all of these ingredients in your pantry.  Nate and I brushed it over tilapia filets and roasted them for 10 minutes and they were perfect.  Er, I should say they were perfect after I figured out NOT to heat our oven to 500 degrees or the smoke may fill the house and set off the alarms and the firemen may come.  For a side dish I tossed whole cherry tomatoes and sliced zucchini in the chimichurri and roasted them 20 minutes... what was left over I blended for pizza sauce - YUM CITY!  Here's the recipe:

6 T red wine vinegar

1/4 c water

2 T minced garlic (~ 8 cloves) - this is probably the one time in my life that I did not quadruple then amount of garlic in a recipe... didn't even need to!

1 bay leaf, broken in half

1.5 t salt

.5-1 t dried hot red pepper flakes

1 t dried oregano

1 t coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 c olive oil

1 c finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, including stems

In a wide-mouthed glass or jar or in a bowl, stir together vinegar, water, garlic, bay leaf, salt, red pepper flakes, oregano and black pepper.  Whisk in oil until combined then whisk in parsley.  Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature.  Makes approximately 1.5 cups.  

I say go start your grill, make the sauce, throw the meat on the grill, baste with chimichurri... when your meat is cooked, serve it with a little chimichurri on the side for dipping and you won't be disappointed! 

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Ok when I was home in Colorado for the Wedding of the Century I forgot to tell you two things.... first of all, Everyday Joe's hangs art for sale on their walls and while I was home they had paintings on fabric by this talented fellow:

Here's the info about him that is hard to read above:

and here's the painting I bought... only $25!  I'm guessing the money goes farther there than it does here and I was super excited that all of the money goes directly to him.  

Is that awesome or what?!?!?   I need to figure out what the instrument is that she's playing... please tell me if you know what it is.  It is NOT a hamburger with a fried egg on top and a fish skeleton coming out the side of it, of that I am certain.  

Ok, and then Thing Number Two that I forgot to share was that my new Sis-in-law was Super Brave and asked me to make the necklaces for her bridesmaids to wear IN THE WEDDING!  Can you believe it?!?!?  Here they are:

I laid them over the top of my sis's bridesmaid dress so that you could see what lovely taste Missy has.  Pretty, eh?  Thanks again, Missy, for including me and allowing me the honor to make these beauties for you! xoxo

Ok, final image for you is my babies enjoying an afghan I crocheted... I crocheted the afghan for people to use but you wouldn't know it... actually, I do believe the queen bed in our master bedroom is for people to use as well BUT the babies think otherwise.  I can't deny those babies, they're too ding dang cute.