Obligatory Resolutiony Post

I commented this on the Twitters but I've noticed this year far more "resolutions are nonsense" posts than I have "here are my resolutions" posts.  This doesn't surprise me, since it's true that most people (myself included) tend to forget our resolutions after the first few drinks on New Year's Eve.

But since 2012 is going to be a year of such upheaval in the land of Caitlin and Rob (still waiting for an awesome celebrity-like portmanteau of our names) I thought that creating a few goals, we'll call them, wouldn't be such a horrible idea.  And now they'll be in print, meaning that you all will need to keep me in line.

 

Goals for 2012

1. This move will not get the best of me.  I will not collapse on the floor in heaving, stress-filled sobs (more than once). We will find an apartment or a house and though it may not be perfect, it'll be a place to live.

2. I will not stress about money.  We have plenty of funds to get us through moving and rent-paying, and if something goes wrong we can use our credit cards (not ideal, but we have no other debt aside from student loans) or we have family that could help us in a pinch.

3. Once we are in Santa Fe, I will not let myself become a hermit and hide inside watching 30 Rock and MST3k episodes.  I will join the Crossfit gym, I will find some groups on meetup.com, I will make friends.

4. I will not take out my frustrations and my loneliness on my husband when he leaves for fire assignments. I know that this is how I've reacted in previous occasions but it's not acceptable.

5. I will not let our communication to waver or stop letting my needs known, even if Rob is gone for weeks at a time and we can't talk at all.

Seems like a simple enough list.  What are your goals for 2012? What are you doing for New Year's Eve?

Also, who is super duper excited for the Twilight Zone New Year's Day marathon on SyFy?!

Our Florida Trip: Space Shuttles, Oceans and Beach Villages

Well here you are, the quick run-down of our trip to warm, sunny Florida.

On Friday night we drove to New Hampshire so we could make the early flight in the morning.  I won't go into the entire travel day because it was pretty uneventful; basically, we made it on time and I don't really like Southwest Airlines' "prison rules" seating methodology.

On Saturday we hung around the pool with Rob's mom and later went out to dinner with her, Rob's stepdad, and some of their friends.  We had a lot of fun (and a lot of drinks, whoops!).  It would've been a great night but for the massive gluten attack that hit me when I got home.  One of the worst feelings in the world is throwing up and not feeling better.

The next day Rob and I frolicked about on the beach.  It was too cold for me to go into the beach (yeah yeah, I'm from Maine and I'm a wuss) but we sat for a good 45 minutes just watching the waves and enjoying each other's company.  We went on a goofy little nature walk which was more like a wooden walkway to nowhere, and then ate a delicious homemade meal before going to bed early.

 

On Monday, Rob and I did our first and only tourist-y thing: toured the Kennedy Space Center.  If you are ever in Florida and you are a nerd, you should definitely go to the Kennedy Space Center.  It was nuts, yo. We paid a little extra and got to go inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, where they assemble freaking shuttles.  We even saw the remains of the shuttle Endeavour! WHAT?! I've never been all that into space, unlike my nerd husband, but this tour was freaking amazing.  We also got to see the launch pads from which Apollo 11 and the Challenger took off, got to sit/lay down in models of moon capsule things, went into the shuttle simulator (which was kind of lame, admittedly), and saw the original mission control consoles from the Apollo flights.  Funny story: they told us that there was more computing power in a digital watch than in the entire room of consoles.  Anyway, it was totally worth the money we spent on it and I highly recommend it.

 

The next day (Tuesday) we spent on the beach, and it was finally warm enough to go swimming.  Rob told me that as a child he always built sand "dams" to see if he could stop the waves.  We built a "wall" together, along with our "castle" and "serf houses" to see how well we could protect them.  Spoiler alert: not well.  But it was fun anyway and I love being a total goofy nerd with my husband.  I'm pretty sure everyone walking by thought we were just that. Also, if you're wondering why I'm prancing around like an idiot, it's because Rob wanted to capture a picture of me prancing around like an idiot. Also, appreciate my muffin top.

 

Tuesday was also the day that Rob got the call from Santa Fe confirming that he had the job! It was very exciting and in a way, I think pretty cool that we found out while relaxing and sunning ourselves on the beach.  After that happy little piece of news we drove into Cocoa Beach, where we had lunch with my friend Dorrie.  Dorrie and I have known each other since 4th grade and were always the best of friends.  I hadn't seen her since high school graduation so it was pretty awesome to catch up again.  We also opened our Christmas gifts from Rob's mom and chatted about our beasties.  

On our last day I intentionally bought a later ticket so we could enjoy the day without having to rush to the airport.  We built yet another sand village which was quickly destroyed and scratched ourselves up on some rocks in the ocean.  We tried to go to Orlando early to eat P.F. Chang's, but we couldn't find it in the ridiculous, labyrinthine mall in which is was located, so I ended up dining on potato chips, carrots, and candy. Yay, gluten-free diets.  After lots of flying and driving we got home by 12:30 am or so and totally crashed.

All in all we had a really good time.  When Rob and I go on vacation we tend to do a lot more relaxing than tourist-ing.  Honestly I'm a lot happier just sitting alone with my husband in front of the ocean than riding roller coasters, and I was reminded of this simple joy many times throughout our trip.  I'm a very lucky girl.

Anyway I hope you all had a great week and enjoyed the guest posts!

Things I Love Thursday

I can really relate to this - I Am So Not Sorry About My Vagina, And Other Apologies We Should Retract. What's the silliest thing you've apologized for?

I posted this on Twitter, but this article depressed the crap out of me, and I hope it does you too.

I Like Your Flaws.  The subject of this article sounds a lot like me, so much so that Rob laughed out loud when I read it to him.

Chalkboard wine glasses!

Incredible wildlife photography.

20 Captivating Photos Shot at Exactly the Right Moment.

I really want to buy this book.  Thanks for the heads up on this, Betsey!

The 18 Most Viral Photos of the Next 12 Months.

These cinemagraphs are stunning!

Amazing book carvings.  Though it breaks my heart a little that they're cutting them up.

Can someone buy me a CottonMonster please?

Are you on GoodReads? Because I am.  Find me here!

What I'm Honestly Wearing Wednesday

Want to know what I'm honestly wearing [on] Wednesday?

 

The exact same freaking thing I wore on Tuesday. With a pink sweatshirt.

Don't forget to check out Maryam, whose layering is just too cute for words.

9 Years

 

9 years ago today, Rob and I played a game of online rock-paper-scissors and confessed that we loved one another.  Though so much has changed, in a lot of ways we are still those two awkward, angsty teenagers; madly in love, acting like children together, and feeling so grateful for having found each other.

Rob, back in 2002 at age 16, I thought I knew what love really was and I thought my love for you could grow no stronger.  I was so very, very wrong.  I love you more and more with each passing day and I thank you for being so inexplicably willing to share your life with me. You are my everything.  Happy Anniversary.

CONFESS

Every so often I see "confession" posts (like here and here) and I'm always amused by them.  After all, we each have our own little idiosyncrasies that we are loathe to admit, am I right?  I know I've had a lot of "look at how honest I am" posts but since I feel like I haven't blogged in 8 million years or so I thought I'd share some more weird Caitlin-things.

1. I hate my feet. Hate them. I don't even want to tell you why I hate them. Suffice it to say that I once told Rob that I would rather get a tattoo on my naked buttcheek than my bare foot just because of the embarrassment of having to show my foot to a tattoo artist.

2. Sometimes I pick my lips so badly they bleed.  Rob has tried various techniques to get me to stop this habit, the latest being mockery and shame, but so far nothing's really worked.  He told me a few weeks ago that my lip "looked like the surface of Jupiter." Ah, marriage.

3. One of the things I'm most excited about when we move to New Mexico is being near a Target.  I have never lived in an easy driving distance to Target.

4. I have a serious fear of money. I'm terrified of losing financial security or getting into debt.  In my head if my bank account goes below a certain amount I get stressed and worried.  Yet I still find the ability to make stupid impulse buys.

5. When I get really nervous, I'll grab the extra skin on my ribs and pull at it.

6. I look like a kidnapped 7-year-old hipster today, and if you follow me on Instagram you already knew that:

7. I am terrified of this move.  I'm afraid of completely losing it and not getting everything done in time and spending all of our hard-earned savings. 

8. My husband is hotter than I am.  Why a 9 fell in love with a "normal 6, drunk 7"* I'll never know.

*30 Rock reference, for those of you who didn't catch it.

9. I'm currently dealing with a massive inferiority complex when it comes to my blog.

10. The only reason I created a number 10 was because I didn't want to end on an odd number, especially my least favorite odd number.

Christmasy Things

Hoo boy, Christmas is over! Did it go by far too quickly for anyone else?

After a day of rest following our vacation (post about which is forthcoming), we drove to my sister's place to have Christmas with my mom on Friday.  We bought my 2-year-old niece some of those giant cardboard blocks which was pretty awesome sauce to watch.  My mother bought me a neat piece of photographic art that spells out our last name with beautiful architectural and natural photographs.  Rob and I are always looking for new art pieces to put on our wall and I'm sure it'll look fabulous in our new place.

After Christmas #2, we drove to Rob's parents' house.  Rob got really sick due to a gross buffalo chicken wrap he had eaten earlier in the day, so suffice it to say he has somewhat of an idea what it's like to be Caitlin eating gluten.  My mother-in-law kept feeding Cypress huge bits of ham and then was wondering why she was being followed around all day:

On Christmas Eve I attended mass with Rob's parents and sister, which was a first for me but I enjoyed it regardless.  I'm not religious, nor do I believe in God, but it's interesting to me to watch and listen.  Afterward we watched "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," which is Rob's family's Christmas tradition. The temperature dropped insanely low, which on a normal day would piss me off.  But Christmas Eve is best suited for winter, am I right?

Christmas morning came and yes, I was the second or third person awake at around 7:30.  I love Christmas morning.  We opened our gifts, which included an awesome camcorder for Robbie and I and some new MST3K episodes.  The harbor was stunning and I'm amazed at how well my iPhone 4S captured it. Also, Cypress is adorable.

After a very successful Christmas morning #3, we drove to my dad's house.  It was great seeing my sisters and dad again, especially since this is one of the last times I'll see them for awhile once we move (sad face).  I got the keyboard for my iPad that I wanted, a new knife set from my younger sister, and an awesome handmade iPhone doc from an amazing book of Russian prison tattoos from my older sister:

How cool is that?  I told her she should sell them. Because she knew we'd love the book as well as the dock, she bought us a pristine version too! Extra win.

Today was Christmas hangover day, one of the roughest days of the year in my humble opinion.  We made the long drive home, and once we got home I opened Robbie's gift to me: a really nice hiking rucksack specifically made with a spot for my camera once I get it fixed.  He's magical. 

I also let him open his gift for our anniversary on Wednesday, the perfect shave kit!  Yes, we are old. 

Anyway reality begins once again tomorrow, as does all the stress of our upcoming move.  I told Rob to expect at least one all-out crying fit but hey, I guess we'll see.  

Was Santa good to you this year?

Tagged with Lots of Elevens

I'm sure you've seen the following meme go around and, as you all know well, I sure do love a good meme.  I was tagged by the lovely Jess, so you should go read her facts/answers/etc.

Rules:

1. You must post these rules.
2. Each per­son must post 11 things about them­selves on their blog.
3. Answer the ques­tions the tag­ger set for you in their post, and cre­ate 11 new ques­tions for the peo­ple you tag to answer.
4. You have to choose 11 peo­ple to tag and link them on the post.
5. Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her.
6. No tag backs.
7. No stuff in the tag­ging sec­tion about ‘you are tagged if you are read­ing this.’ You legit­i­mately have to tag 11 people.

 11 Things About Me:

1. I have synesthesia.  Numbers have personalities, people and words have colors.
2. One of the things I'm most excited for when we move to Santa Fe is that there are a lot of free-range doggy daycares for my Cypress-beast.
3. I'm a gadget whore. In the last 6 months I've gotten a MacBook Pro, iPad (this was a gift, admittedly) and an iPhone 4S. It's embarrassing and disgusting and awful, and it motivated me to make a ridiculous donation to the ASPCA.
4. I hate being chased. If I feel like Rob is chasing me up the stairs I squeal and run really fast, like a four-year-old.
5. I grew up in a town with a population of 140 people. My dad still lives four miles down a mostly dirt road on the shores of a beautiful lake. We were half an hour from the nearest gas station or grocery store, 45 minutes from school, and 2 hours from the mall.
6. I tend to plan things a little psychotically and way too far in advance.
7. I don't think there's ever been anything about myself that I've been afraid to tell my husband, even the first day we started dating.
8. Watching suspensful or stressful movies is really difficult for me. I'd rather watch a television show that I've seen 8 million times.
8. I love my own handwriting and I love filling out forms.
9. I hate doing dishes. HATE.
10.I see myself ending up pretty tattooed by the end of this journey.
10. I'm not religious, nor do I believe in God, but I am fascinated by church services. I attended Christmas Eve Mass this year with my in-laws and good news, the church did not explode.
11. Because of my synesthesia I hate odd numbers. It's really bugging me to end on one.

Questions from Jess at IROCKSOWHAT:

1. If you could get paid really well to do what you totally love, what would it be? It could be anything! Writing whatever I felt like writing on a particular day.
2. Who is your celebrity crush? Oh goodness...Johnny Depp, Dave King from Flogging Molly, Mike Ness (all those tattoos, swoon), Brad Pitt of course.
3. What is your dream car? A fully-loaded Lexus sedan. Call me crazy but I live in a state where the the snow and salt tear up your car, and I need a car that I know is going to survive.
4. What do you wish you were better at? Not becoming so attached to people.
5. What is your food weakness that you will over eat every single time? It changes...generally brownies, cookies, candy, any sweets.
6. What latest fashion do you hate and wish would just die? Rompers. Sorry, I freaking hate them.
7. Your favorite iphone/andoid app? I'm rather partial to Instagram, but I've only had my iPhone for a short time. Any ideas for apps?
8. What is the your most favorite website? http://www.fyeahtattoos.com, Ugliest Tattoos, blogs I enjoy.
9. Your top 3 favorite stores to shop? NY&Co, Target, Express
10. What was your favorite childhood toy? Dollhouses and the like.
11. What really freaks you out/scares you? Trains. Yep.

My Questions

1. If you had to be any cartoon character, which would it be?
2. Are you a dog, cat, gerbil, or no-pet person?
3. Imagine that at 12 years old, you had to decide all the tattoos you were ever going to get in your life. What would you have wanted to get tattooed at that time? If you don't like tattoos just suspend belief and tell me what you were really into at age 12.
4. What is your favorite breakfast food?
5. If you could have any animal as a pet, with no concerns for personal danger or money, what would it be?
6. What TV show could you watch over and over again?
7. What movie did you watch over and over again?
8. What are your top 3 favorite blogs to read?
9. Who is your least favorite actor/actress?
10. What's the furthest distance you've ever driven on one trip?
11. If you had no concerns about what you looked like or how people would judge you when you walked out the door, what would you wear?

I apologize if I tag people that have already done this or have already been tagged: Holly, Danielle, Liz, Sandi, Jessica, Michelle, Nova, Danielle, Amber, Olivia, and Donna.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas this year. I had an amazing time spent with both of our families and of course with my amazing husband and beastie. I feel so fortunate to get to spend this holiday with those I love most.

On another note, I really miss blogging and hope to get back to it soon. I hope you all enjoyed the guest posts in my absence.

Lots of love!

Guest Post: Kimi Makes White Chocolate Cherry Shortbreads

While Rob and I are on vacation in Florida I thought I'd share some awesome blog writers with you.  This is my first guest post extravaganza so I hope you enjoy!  Today's post is from Kimi of lovely magic stars!  Kimi is a pretty cool cat and has shared some delicious-looking cookies with you below.  I'm already trying to work out a way to make them gluten-free. :)

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heyo! it is kimi from lovely magic stars. i am so excited to be guest blogging on caitlin's super duper awesome blog!

last week, i attended an annual cookie party. if you don't know what a cookie party is...it is a party were you make a certain amount of cookies - take them to the party and come home with more cookies than can be eaten in ANY given time!

i made 2 different types. first one's were supposed be buckeyes, but i mangled them and they ended up being peanut butter balls with chocolate splattered across them. it is all the same in your mouth right? :)

the second were better home and garden's white chocolate cherry shortbread's. i didn't realize how much work these cookies were going to be and trying to make them on the friday before the party was probably the most slacker idea! but they turned out so pretty and delicious!

white chocolate cherry shortbread

ingredients1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained and finely chopped2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1/2 cup sugar1 cup cold butter12 ounces white chocolate baking squares with cocoa butter, finely chopped1/2 teaspoon almond extract2 drops red food coloring (optional)2 teaspoons shorteningWhite nonpareils and/or red edible glitter (optional)

 directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spread cherries on paper towels to drain well.2. In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in drained cherries and 4 ounces (2/3 cup) of the chopped chocolate. Stir in almond extract and, if desired, food coloring. Knead mixture until it forms a smooth ball.3. Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar, flatten balls to 1-1/2-inch rounds.4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until centers are set. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.5. In a small saucepan, combine remaining 8 ounces white chocolate and the shortening. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Dip half of each cookie into chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. If desired, roll dipped edge in nonpareils and/or edible glitter. Place cookies on waxed paper until chocolate is set. Makes about 60.
these are my stinker doggies kai and lucy who wait for anything to drop on the floor when i am cooking...

these are the final result! they didn't turn out as round as bhg's...but i think those are fake anyway!

hope you enjoy them and hope you stop by my blog to say hi!!

Guest Post: Danielle's Awesome Family Christmas Tradition

While Rob and I are on vacation in Florida I thought I'd share some awesome blog writers with you.  This is my first guest post extravaganza so I hope you enjoy!  Today's post is from Danielle of Little Spindle!  Danielle emailed me awhile back to talk about our mutual "I love a military man" experience.  She and her blog are lovely, and I adore the story she's shared with you below.  Thanks Danielle!

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Hello To Make Love Stay readers! I'm so excited to be here today and hope that you'll come visit me at Little Spindle sometime :)

Caitlin asked me to write something holiday related and after thinking about it for awhile I decided to share the strangest (and probably most long lasting) family tradition that I could think of.

OK, so the story starts 52 Christmas Eves ago with this woman:

Gram

Picture it!

It's Christmas Eve and the family has just finished a big dinner around a beautiful dining room table at my great aunt and uncle's house, who my grandmother is staying with while my grandfather is away in the Army. She is 8 months pregnant with my mom at this point, but Gram has always been quite the prankster. But apparently the joke's on her this time because later in the evening while the family is opening gifts Gram is presented with a beautifully wrapped package and she can't wait to tear into it.

But to what do her wandering eyes appear?! Take a guess...you'll never get it!

Remember how the family had just finished a beautiful holiday feast? Well, apparently after the meal someone took it upon themselves to completely clean the turkey carcass (with bleach and everything) and wrap it up for my grandmother to open. Please, take a moment and imagine receiving what's pictured below wrapped beautifully on Christmas Eve 1959.

Ok, so that'd be a pretty strange story - if it ended there...but of course, because my family is insane, it's far from over!

Gram received this darn thing wrapped up beautifully three more times in the next two days. They all traveled from house to house visiting all of the cousins and every.single.time they sat down to open gifts, there is was AGAIN!!!

How is this silly story a family tradition you're probably asking?

Ever since, every few years the carcass (which has 1959 written on it) resurfaces, wrapped as a gift and passed to a different member of the family. The trick is, when you pass it along to the next person you have to do it on the sly. Two years ago when my mom turned 50 (the turkey's 50th anniversary) someone placed a "gift" into the backseat of my parent's locked vehicle during a family Christmas party and later on when my mom opened it we all DIED laughing.

Alright, awesome - so now that you know how strange my family really is how about you try not to judge me too terribly and hop on over to Little Spindle because I promise you that this is the only post I have ever written that has anything to do with well preserved bones of any kind.

Thanks Caitlin for having me and I'll understand if you never ask me to guest post here ever again...

Guest Post: Melisande Makes Yummy Spaghetti Squash

While Rob and I are on vacation in Florida I thought I'd share some awesome blog writers with you.  This is my first guest post extravaganza so I hope you enjoy!  Today's post is from Melisande of sweet honey.  Melisande was one of my first blog friends when I restarted blogging earlier this year, and I love reading about her life with her boyfriend in California.  She also eats gluten-free, so she's a girl after my own heart! Today she's sharing a pretty yummy-looking recipe with you, so enjoy!

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Hi To Make Love Stay readers! My name is Melisande and I blog over at sweet honey. I live in a small California beach town with my sweet boyfriend where we enjoy adventures, riding bikes, and eating clean and gluten-free. Today I want to share one of my new favorite recipes with you, because it's the perfect winter-time meal and it's healthy and gluten-free. We've been obsessed with making spaghetti squash for dinner lately because it's so easy to make and it's delicious.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the squash in half length-wise. Drag a fork over the surface of the squash and dig most of the seeds out. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and rosemary over the squash. I like to add a big pat of butter because butter is awesome and delicious! My boyfriend likes to chop fresh veggies into the squash and bake them in it, and I like it plain. Either way is good and it's fun to try out different recipes! Bake the squash for 40 minutes. I like to add extra seasonings after 20 minutes of cooking. Remove squash from oven and let cool. Drag a fork through the squash. If it's cooked thoroughly, the squash will unravel and look just like spaghetti. You can eat the "spaghetti" right out of the squash, or spoon it into a bowl. Enjoy!

 Thanks Caitlin for letting me guest post for you! Happy Holidays!

A Super Exciting Announcement

Hi everyone!

I wanted to take a break from your regularly-scheduled guest post programming to let you guys in on some super exciting news over here at Chez Roblin.

A few months ago Rob informed me of his desire to pursue a position with a Hotshot crew.  You can read more about Hotshot Crews here, but in a nutshell he wanted to be a wildland firefighter.  Naturally this admission met with some hesitation from me (I'm not sure why the man enjoys finding new and creative ways to make me worry), but ultimately I know my husband well enough to know that when he wants something he is damn well going to get it.  It's one of the many things I love about him.

Anyway he applied to several locations and as of yesterday we found out that we will be moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico this coming March.   I for one am thrilled, as Santa Fe was my preferred location due to more daycare opportunities for Cypress and more "keep Caitlin busy" opportunities when Rob is out on assignment.  Rob is just excited to be getting out of Maine and out of school, and to be doing something that he will certainly love.

So my blog is about to get hopefully more interesting as I chronicle life in a new state and life as a wildland firefighter's wife. 

I hope you all have had a wonderful week and Happy Holidays!

Guest Post: Maryam Decks the Walls

While Rob and I are on vacation in Florida I thought I'd share some awesome blog writers with you.  This is my first guest post extravaganza so I hope you enjoy!  Today's post is from Maryam of Pamplemousse1983!  Maryam has been a blog favorite of mine for awhile, and of course, my partner in crime for What I Honestly Wore Wednesday.  She has a pretty damn cute little girl named Margaux and she gives some really awesome art tutorials.  So if you've been hiding under a rock and haven't visited her blog yet, go do so now!

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Hi there!  My name is Maryam and I blog at Pamplemousse1983.  I'm here to talk to you lovely readers about art.  Namely, decorating with art.  Decorating can be intimidating and choosing what to put on your walls can be even more intimidating than picking a couch or rug or TV stand.

I think a lot of people love art but are not sure how to pick art that will go with the rest of their decor.  I find that there are a few rules to go by that make it a lot easier.  I find that the two easiest kinds of art to decorate with are abstract art and typographic art.  

First, abstract art.  Since you don't really have to worry about the subject, concentrate on the colors.  If the colors in your house are mainly neutral you can pick art that is more colorful.  If your decor is colorful, there are a ton of options in monochrome.  That could be black and white or just a single color. I also love pieces that are a neutral (gray or black) and one other color.  

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Now for typographic art.  This type of art is easy to decorate with because it is usually just one color.  I especially like typographic art that is plain old black and white because it makes a statement and works with just about every single color scheme.  It could work in a black, white or colored frame.  It's basically the little black dress of wall art.

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These two types of art also work well together.  I love to hang art in clusters and it is supereasy to do so when you stay within a color scheme, be it black and white or all bright colors, just make sure the tones match.

One last thing that is great about either of these types of art is if you're broke it's easy to make your own!  I have a series on my blog where I have little easy art tutorials, a lot of which you can do with things you have on hand, or on the cheap.  As far as typographic art, all you need to do is find a cool font (I like to find free fonts here) and type up a favorite quote or even a symbol like that ampersand up there.  Print, frame, done.  You could even make it really big and print it at Kinko's for poster sized art.  How cool is that?!  Or if you have nice handwriting you could even use some paint and a canvas.  The possibilities are endless!

I hope that helps and gets you on your way to covering up those lonely walls.

Guest Post: Sandi of Adalou Makes Pumpkin Donut Muffins

While Rob and I are on vacation in Florida I thought I'd share some awesome blog writers with you.  This is my first guest post extravaganza so I hope you enjoy!  Today's post is from Sandi from Adalou Vintage.  Sandi is one awesome, talented lady, and I love her blog, which is jam-packed with her awesome collections, lovely vintage things, inspiration, and her life with her family.  She's sharing a delicious-looking recipe today, so enjoy!  

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Hi friends, this is Sandi from over at the AdaLou blog and I'm honored to be popping in today to guest post while Cailtin enjoys some time away. For those of you who don't know me, I blog about my love for vintage, art, everyday inspiration, and general life. Among everyday life, which is kinda a broad topic, we (my mister and I) enjoy baking tasty treats for the family and then sharing this yumminess with all of you. Well, today I wanted to share some delicious Pumpkin Donuts Muffins, which were highly enjoyed by all of us especially the kiddos. Thanks again Caitlin for letting me share this recipe.

Enjoy!

PUMPKIN DONUT MUFFINS
Makes 12 // Total Time 1 Hour 20 Minutes

for the muffin:

10 Tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) of unsalted, room temp, Butter
3 cups of All Purpose Flour (**Gluten Free friends, substitute mixture below)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground all spice
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/ 1/4 cup pure pumpkin puree (from 15 oz can)
3/4 cup light brown sugar 2 large eggs

 **Gluten Free flour this would work well, if not this recipe is actually quite tasty for a flour substitute.

for the sugar coating :

3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted, melted butter

also needed:

muffin tray
muffin cup liners
electric mixer

DIRECTIONS

1.) Preheat over to 350. Place muffin cup liners in tray. Make batter by mixing in medium bowl, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. In smaller bowl whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree. In larger bowl, using electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in one egg at a time scraping down mixture in bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with 2 additions of pumpkin mixture. Beat to combine.

2.) Spoon 1/3 batter into each muffin cup and bake till golden brown, approx. 30 minutes. For sugar coating mixture, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Let muffins cool for 10 minutes on wire rack. Working one at a time take melted butter and brush tops of muffins and roll or toss muffin into sugar mixture. Then let cool completely on wire rack. Store in airtight container up to a day, freeze muffins up to 3 months.