Kitty Perfect

Papa and I are now truly "Mama and Papa" to this sweet little girl!!!


I am absolutely over the moon about her! She is a Seal Point Siamese mixed with Tabby, so not only gorgeous, but as soft and cuddly as they come. Maybe I am biased.. but she really has to be one of the prettiest kittens I've seen.. and to think up for adoption. She was rescued from a hospital in Escondido, Ca, where they Euthenize! I can't imagine anyone in their right mind killing something so tiny, sweet and innocent!

I got the kitty bug last week and had to get a kitten asap. (I don not know why I am like this, but once something is in my head.. it's a done deal.) I started looking online and in the PennySaver with my heart set on a RagDoll kitten, which are gorgeous cats, but it seems silly to buy a "name brand cat" when there are so many to save.

I came across an organization called "SPOT-Saving Pets One at a Time" and found a ton of babies that would melt any normal persons heart... and No, I do not consider cat haters "Normal People", I am convinced they must be missing a chromosome somewhere in the mix. On a better note, I really encourage anyone looking for a kitten or puppy to try and exhaust their adoption options first. There are TOO many loving babies that don't have the love and comfort of a home that they deserve.

We are naming her Billie, after the amazing Billie Holiday and as soon as she weighs enough to be fixed and can come home with us, we plan on spoiling this little joy... rotten!

Home Is Where The Heart Is.

Papa and I have already been in our place for over a month...I am kicking myself for not taking pictures when the place was bare and looked about as big as a sardine can. (not exaggerating) We have to space out our spending, so its a work in progress, but I really feel like everything is coming along.

*disclaimer-I have absolutely NO photography skills. 

-Welcome to our Home-




This is essentially the entire little nest... but it's pretty cute. Nick managed to find this coffee table off Craigslist for $45 bucks. (So thankful for him.. I never realized coffee tables could cost $300)
What I did realize is that I can spend wayyy too much money in Pier One Imports....but I managed to find the blue pillows and adorable throw on a pretty decent sale.




I had to take a picture of our bookshelf. I love that we ended up have the perfect space for one. All of my books happened to be boxed up and put in the garage...but we are hoping to fill this with records, cookbooks and a few of my favorite series.. "cough cough"...Harry Potter & Twilight.




Our kitchen! It's my favorite room!  I realize I may sound really weird getting this excited about having my own kitchen... but it IS exciting to have your own dishes, pots and pans!!
We found the perfect kitchen cart to give us some extra counter space. Seems to be a trend.. trying to make the most of what little space we have. I guess that's what you get trying to afford to live a block from the beach! And no, I am NOT complaining ;)

One of the little things I love about  Oceanside is the Thursday night sunset market which is held by the pier every week. Last Thursday was our first trip this year, I saw the sign below at one of the stands and couldn't resist!
-"Oh, I'm sorry. You must be confusing me with the maid we don't have."








Our room is cozy and that bed may not look like heaven, but it is! We've invested in a 3 inch memory foam mattress topper...and have a REALLY hard time getting out of bed on the weekends! Papa obviously let me pick out the bedding. I am mildly obsessed with the color orange right now.. I know this may be just a little too much for some people to handle, but I fell in love with it. 




This is the corner of the house I think needs the most work. My parents were kind enough to pick up this giant 9 drawer dresser at an Estate Sale, we had our clothes on the floor for 2 weeks.. great size and great condition.
We love Banksy... but aren't sure about the picture. To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out what to do with this area. I do love my flowers though. Papa, somehow got the "girls love flowers" memo. I lucked out!



Couldn't leave Papa's office our bathroom out of the tour. It's small but practical and dressed in white and and my favorite shade of green.

Thanks for stopping by!

I love our little home. I am dying to have summer beach BBQ's with our friends and family!

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Checking in...with a Tasty Recipe!

We have officially been living in our new little beach cottage for 15 days. I am not sure that life gets better than this. I have been on a constant high for the past 2 weeks just soaking in the fact that I have my own space, my own furniture, my very own pots and pans and a wonderful man to share everything with.

The initial move was simple.. maybe I say that because Papa moved everything in while I was working. I would venture to say we are about 70% done with the place at this point. I am kicking myself for not taking pictures of it when it was empty. It has much more potential than I thought it would. I remember our second walk through, the night we placed our deposit, I went back to Nicks and cried because it seemed so plain and tiny. I couldn't be happier with our decision though! I can't wait to post pictures! It truly is the cutest beach bungalow you will ever see!!

We went out and purchased a very sexy 46" LCD TV.  I had that gut feeling that I lost my boyfriend the minute we loaded it into the bed of his truck. I would have to say it's Nicks favorite part of the new place.. the TV paired with Netflix! Netflix is Genius. Simple as that.

Now..

MY favorite part of our home has to be my kitchen. It's all mine and soo cute (and small) but I have been really enjoying cooking. We've made home made meals almost every night we've spent at home. It's been really enjoyable and its nice to be able to use organic meats and locally grown produce.

Well the whole purpose of this post is to share a delicious recipe with everyone. My very best friend Ginny came over to see our new digs and stayed for dinner. I was all sorts of excited to have her over to MY home and make her a meal in MY kitchen. She is such a picky eater (and she will argue that she isn't.. but SHE IS) so when I came across this recipe on Our Best Bites I knew it was a pleaser.



Baked Chicken-Bacon Alfredo

8 oz. penne or bowtie pasta

1 recipe Guiltless Alfredo Sauce (1 16-oz. jar would work in a pinch)

2 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped (about 2 c. chopped chicken)

6 oz. (1/2 package) cooked bacon, chopped

1 14-oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 c. chopped green onions (about 1 decent-sized bunch)

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, prepare Guiltless Alfredo sauce. When pasta is done, drain and add to the sauce. Toss with chopped chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts, green onions, and 1/2 c. mozzarella. Season to taste.

Transfer mixture to an 8×8″ baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

I subbed out the Artichoke hearts for peas for my picky eaters and it was still delicious. Can't wait to try it again with the Artichokes though! Please if you take the time to make this....USE the recipe suggested for the Guiltless Alfredo Sauce...it is full of flavor, sooo easy to make and the whole "Guiltless" factor makes it a much more enjoyable dish. (if you have a crazy calorie counting troll in the back of your head like I do)

~bon appetit!

Changes...

So, its a day short of a month since I last posted. Although I love the idea of the blog, I haven't had much to write about. Lets see.. in the past month:

• I turned 25. That was fantastic. Spent the day in downtown San Diego with my dearest friends
• Put a deposit on an apartment.
• Our dear friends Nathan and Dana got hitched!! 3.5.11
• .........

Maybe that's why I haven't blogged. Although I could have posted a ton of stuff to do with the wedding and pictures from my birthday. I've just been BUSY with the boring stuff....and packing!!

The reason for this post! wait for it...

I MOVE TODAY!!!

I am overly excited. This is the first real time I am leaving the nest (not counting those 6 months I was a 19 y.o. rebel and couch surfed... my poor poor parents) and I am moving in with Papa which makes the whole experience that much more exciting!

I promise there will be pictures to come (before & after).. give me some time though. We will be settling in and enjoying the Pacific Ocean which happens to be .1 miles away according to Google Maps.

Wish me luck!