Date Night: Planetarium

Since Brett and I had a mid-week lunch date at Grimaldi's, we decided to have lower key date nights this weekend.  We decided to take up the opportunity of the MCC Astronomy Night.  Every first Friday of the month, they have a free event where they have telescopes set up outside (we saw Saturn!) and a really cool presentation inside the planetarium.  Every month the theme changes.  The one we saw was called "Tour of the Universe" and it was put to the "Dark Side of the Moon" soundtrack by Pink Floyd.  They have a presentation every 30 minutes from 6 pm to 9:30 pm.  And if you have to wait, you can peruse the posters and information everywhere or color a coloring page (like I did!).  As we were talking about space, we were discussing the order of the planets.  All I could think of was Uranus (remember those dumb 7th grade science jokes?  Ha, I'm so mature!) and Brett proceeded to ramble off all the planets in the right order--including where the asteroid belt was.  He credits his Willcox education to his amazing knowledge and memory.  At least one of us is smart!

I've been sporting a scarf in the hair lately.  Yay or nay?
I can't decide.  But I do like that it hides dirty hair!

After the presentation, we had to get a treat.  So we jetted down Dobson over to Angel Sweet, the gelato shop in Riverview Plaza.  Not the most authentic Italian gelato (or so I hear from those who know), but tasty all the same!  I got half mango-half coconut and Brett got chocolate oreo.  And the post wouldn't be complete without some food pictures!

As you can see, we enjoyed the gelato!  A very fun and cheap date!  For information on the planetarium, click here!

Weekend Getaway

Our brother and sister-in-law, Matthew and Maren, and their three kids were heading to Sedona for a camping trip and invited us to join.  It ended up that the same day they called Brett found out that he had Saturday off.  So right after he got off work on Friday evening, we headed up to Sedona to meet up with them! 

Brett holding our nephew Travis.  We woke up to little voices outside of our tent saying "Happy morning!  Are you awake in there?"  We loved it!

Maren and baby Cooper.  He can be bashful, but it is so cute



Right before the yummy breakfast Matthew made for us.  Sorry for more pictures of no make-up and pajamas. 

After breakfast, we headed to Slide Rock.  It was a blast!  Neither of us had ever been, and we are so glad we were able to make the trip! 

Travis and Morgan a little chilly in the cool water

Cutie-pie Morgan

Love Travis

Just hanging out

Matthew, Maren, and Cooper (I just can't get enough of Cooper!)

About to go down the slide (gotta love my shorts and coordinating swimsuit!)

Snack Time!

The whole crew

We had a fabulous time and hope to plan another camping trip soon!

What We've Been Up To

Mid-week lunch date with Brett near his work building.  We went to Grimaldi's Pizzeria.  So yummy!  We would really reccommend this restaurant. 

We order a pepperoni pizza (the pepperoni has a great kick) and a Mediterranean salad.

We celebrated my Great-Grandpa Breinholt's 92nd Birthday!  

Apparently he was distracted, and didn't look at the camera 

Brett whipping up some of his "Killer Omelets" (named by himself, but they really are!)

Seeing Harry Potter opening weekend down in Sierra Vista.  We went with Brett's two brothers and their wives (Matthew and Maren hadn't arrived yet). 

The giddy Allred Boys: Michael and Brett

Kami, Michael, Brett, Me

Pizookies in Pajamas!  We recently purchased a new air mattress and put it to good use by blowing it up in our living room and watching "Back to the Future" while eating pizookies.  I love fun, free dates like this! 

Please excuse the no make-up and granny nightgown (but I love my nightgowns!)

Tennis Time

For the past couple weeks Brett and I have gone to play tennis with Cory and McKenzie.  We have been having so much fun!  McKenzie and I actually met in high school doing tennis clinics and we have been great friends ever since!


McKenzie and Cory

Me and my Man

The crew--Gotta love the self-timer setting on cameras!

Too bad Cory and McKenzie keep smoking us, we need to step up our game!

A Fun Twist on a Summer Treat

My Great-Grandma Meldrum had a favorite treat--cantaloupe and ice cream. 

She would cut it in half and scoop out the seeds which creates a bowl.  Then, fill it with ice cream!

Brett and I decided to try it last week.  It was actually really yummy!  You just scoop up a bit of cantaloupe with your bite of ice cream and yum! 

I still haven't perfected the art of picking out melons, so it would have been even tastier if I had picked a better cantaloupe.  And the cantaloupe was huge, so we opted to share!  We would recommend this fun semi-healthy treat to take advantage of the produce that is in season!

Mason Jar Meals

Lately the heat has been getting to me.  117 degrees isn't what you'd call ideal weather.  And after the infamous "haboob" dust storm hit the valley and no rain has followed, the weather is even nastier (if you can imagine that!).

So I have been dreaming of going on a picnic.  And while perusing the internet, I came across the coolest thing ever: Mason Jar Meals

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Is that not the coolest idea?  The possibilities are endless!  You could even make a beautiful parfait with shortcake, strawberries, and whip cream layered (although it would get soggy quickly, so it would need to be made right before the picnic).  There are so many creative ways to make a mason jar meal, and they are perfect for a picnic.  Throw these in a picnic basket with a few mason jars full of lemonade and a couple filled with ice to keep things chilled, and you have a phenomenal and fun picnic!

To see how to assemble them and for more ideas, check out The Decorated Cookie Blog, here.

I had to post these so that when it is picnic season here (come mid-November), I can try these out with Brett.  Maybe my fellow cousins in the Utah area can give these a shot, since picnics aren't impossible in the summertime!

Before and After: Secretary's Desk

For those who don't know me well, I love crafting.  And refurnishing furniture.  And reading craft blogs.  However, I am basically a big copy-cat, I look at what other people do and then recreate something similar.  Brett is very creative.  His first major was industrial design, so he can draw very well and is a great problem solver. 

After we got engaged, I was determined for us to have a somewhat furnished home once we were married, but on a very tight budget (which has been a success!  We do have furniture).  So I frequented the Goodwills around town on the 50% off Saturdays.  I scored some good things!  My most favorite was this secretary's desk.  I got it for $6!

I first saw it in the store, and loved it.  But I was with my mom, and I thought she might think I was crazy.  But then she noticed it and thought it had potential.  It was really scratched up and had gunk all over it, but it had such a cute shape and was the perfect size for a small home! So I bought it!  I immediately knew what I wanted to do with it.  I loved the shape, but I felt like the little door covered up some of it's beauty, and I couldn't have the door open all the time.  So, I took the door off of the hinges, wiped off, sanded down, painted, distressed, and glazed.  Brett helped me a lot on this, we had good times laughing on the back porch doing this project. 

One night we were working on it and I was frustrated at how it was looking.  Brett turned to me and said "Tia, it looks like it came right out of Pottery Barn".  Does he know how to make me happy or what?!  I think it looking from Pottery Barn was a stretch, but I am very pleased with how it turned out.  It is one of my favorite pieces in my house. 

Remember how I took the door off?  Well, I couldn't just let it go to waste.  And since chalk-boarding things is all the rage right now, I decided to add a little chalkboard paint and cork to hang on the wall above the desk.  Here are the results!

I use it as a desk/hutch in my kitchen.  It is great keeping pens and tape close and handy near the calendar.  As well as those big beautiful white serving dishes I received for my wedding but do not use very often.  I love that I can use it as storage and decor all at once!  Plus it gives me room for a small lamp and a place for my cookbooks and clean kitchen towels.

It was a great investment at $6, plus the supplies were minimal.  I bought a quart of off-white paint and a quart of glaze, and a sample of brown paint (to tint the glaze).  I have a ton of the paint and glaze left, so they will be used on many more projects. 

Just one of a few refurnishing projects from Goodwill.  Stay tuned for some shutters, a nightstand, and wreaths!