(before I started cutting)

Last night, I cut Timmy's hair. I told him to trust me, because I'm an artist. 

I told him to consider his head the canvas for my next masterpiece! 

And then… after ten minutes of cutting… 

I told him I was just going to forget about 

the tutorials I had watched that afternoon, 

and just snip away and do my best to make it look pretty…

I think that is when his smile began to waver.

Post Edit - Hair Update:

I scissored and snipped and made lots of “uh oh” noises and, 

in the end… 

Timmy visited the salon on Saturday morning. 

He told his hair dresser than a “friend” had tried to trim his hair, 

and this sweet woman graciously commented that his “friend” seemed to do an ok job BUT…

she should have done this and this and should not have done that and well, 

his “friend” probably should stick to her real job.

 

some advice.

I dislike being scared, and I generally spend a good deal of effort ensuring that nothing terrifying enters my mind. I really am a silly little scaredy cat. But sometimes, I am tempted to take a teeny peek into something especially chilling because, at that moment, it seems bold and exhilarating. (Especially if this scary something is disguised inside the cover of a literary masterpiece.) Well, friends, even teeny peeks are enough to traumatize me into insisting we bar the basement door closed at night. 
(Just in case any vampires are lurking down there, you know.)
Advice: Don’t read 'Dracula'. Just don’t.   
It may be classic literature, but it is still scary.
Extra Advice: Vampires are NOT romantic. Twilight is icky. Don’t celebrate Halloween.

I’ve been desperately attempting to accomplish many jobs at the same time. And I’ve been desperately falling behind. Each day that passes seems to set me back a step as work continues to increase and my time is dwindling. I am constantly overestimating the amount of work I can accomplish in one night. As in, I write long, beautiful lists of things to do every Monday before I start my week. As in, every night I am usually only able to cross off one or maybe three things, forcing myself to move the things not accomplished to the next day. This cycle continues to continue.
Advice: If you have 20 dollars, don’t try to spend 21.  
(I learned this from reading Oliver Twist.)  

Similarly, if you have 2 hours, don’t try to jam 3 hours of work into them.

Timmy extra specially ordered in some boxes of Macaroni and Soy Cheese for me at Apple Wellness. I have been nearly beside myself with excitement, waiting for the order to be delivered! I have been dreaming and craving Mac’n Soy Cheese. Mac’n SOY CHEESE! This morning the shipment arrived and the back of the Mac’n Soy Cheese box, in the ingredients section, contained these fatal words: Casein (a milk derived protein). As in cow milk. As in, I can’t eat the precious meal I have been anticipating for weeks! Oh, and the onion rings we made for dinner last night? At the last moment I checked the bag to find that the batter had milk in it. Bum bum bummer.
Advice: Don’t hinge your happiness on the hope of dairy free dishes.

Tonight, in attempt to save money, I am going to cut Timmy’s hair. This act was inspired by a friend of mine who actually let her husband cut her hair. The fact that it turned out cute has given me confidence. I’d like to say that Tim is quite confident, too, but that might be untrue. He has bravely stated, “What is the worst that could happen?” Which I think is rather noble and trusting. I suppose the worst that could happen is that he ends up… bald? Hmm…  
Advice: None yet. We’ll see how Timmy’s hair turns out…

 Advice: Laura Zastrow takes amazing photos.

 

a conversation: about beef and agnes

 Me: What do you think of the baby name *Agnes?

Timmy: *completely serious* 

Babe, you DO know that is a type of beef?

Me: Umm... do you mean Angus?

*I was really only joking about naming a baby Agnes.

P.S. Timmy ate a veggie burger for the first time tonight and he loved it. 

hehe. My sneaky vegan plan is working! No Angus for us!

 Timmy says he couldn't have started Apple Wellness without me. 

And it is probably true.

But sometimes I feel like Apple Wellness is 

a little more his business

and a little less mine.

I mean, I've never been passionate about supplements before.

(Although my mom tried her hardest.)

And there was the instance yesterday, where I dramatically exclaimed,

"I hate vitamins!"

But I didn't really mean it. 

I just hate those big vitamins that are hard to swallow. 

(Don't you?)

Tim is the personality and face of Apple Wellness

and he kinda knows everything there is to know about supplements.

  But he consults me on every decision.

 Because we're business partners. 

And I'm the computer fixer, website designer, and promotion organizer.

The picture hanger, the kid corner setter upper,

and the interior designer.

 I know a lot about natural foods and healthy eating.

And I've always said that any business 

is only as good as it's graphic designer.

If I had a business card, it would say

"Becki O'Brien, Graphic Designer and Marketing Director

and Owner."

I'm one of the two owners of Apple Wellness.

One of the two people who made our little store possible.

That makes me feel pretty important.

Timmy says he most definitely, without question,

never-ever could have started Apple Wellness without me.

And it is certainly true.

Happy Three Months, Apple Wellness!

Bachelorette Soiree

Liz and I worked together to plan 
a perfectly purple party for our little sister. 
The focus of our efforts was to create an event that would celebrate love,
marriage, girlyness, and Rynn.
(No icky anythings allowed!) 

   

And the night was a glowing success because,
in addition to her amazing sisters, (if I do say so myself!),
Rynn has darling friends.

Each girl arrived in varying shades of purple,
and every girl received a pretty purple posy proclaiming
“Rynn Makes Me Grin” to compliment their festive apparel. 

(I have become an organza flower making expert!) 

And we made pretty Rynn a peacock hair piece

to place in her lovely tresses.

  Our first adventure was a scavenger hunt at the zoo.
I love groups of color coordinated people, 
and it was quite thrilling to flounce about in a matching purple parade, 
doing all sorts of silly things like…

  

After the zoo came dinner at Sai Bai Thong. 

Rynn entertained us over our Thai fare 
with splendid stories about her and Caleb.

We all adore Rynn.

And the most thrilling event of the evening was the underwear party.  

But it would be quite improper to discuss such intimate unmentionables here,  

 

It is good to be a girl, 

if for no other reason than high heels, pretty dresses, 

flowers, underwear, and bachelorette soirees. 

Especially bachelorette soirees.

pretty castle.

  

Thanks to Timmy, I spend the majority of my days believing that I am a princess.
And since I consider him to be the most charming of all princes,
I think it would be safe to call our house a castle.

I am happy to announce that

our castle has been transformed from this:

Into this:

Hooray!

I live in a pretty castle. 

*Meet my seasonal shelf. Inspired by this post from Jamie.

(I'm pretty much in love with my little scarecrow that I found for $1 at Hobby Lobby…)

*Rynn's bridal shower decorations turned out so cute, I haven't taken them down yet...

Like my paper bunting and playing card banner?

 (little Liz and little Becki)

 Having a big sister pretty much ensures that there aren't many things in life you'll end up doing first. By the time I reached pre-school, Liz had already graduated to second grade. When I lost my first tooth, Liz had already had many tooth fairy visits. By the time I reached high school, she was already contemplating college. Liz celebrated her two year anniversary just weeks before my wedding. With every step I take in life, she is always three steps ahead of me.

And I always have felt quite satisfied, knowing that she has already tested things out.

Because, in the end, there is something infinitely reassuring
about knowing that you're not the first.
  

 (*addresses, dates, and times have been changed)

Especially when you have an older sister like my Lizzy.

We'll see how this new adventure of hers turns out,  

and then, who knows? Maybe I'll give it a try myself.

Until then, I'll just design her baby shower invitations

and look forward to being an aunt!

P.S. Can you tell where I got the new look for my blog?

As I was cleaning out my closet the other day, I found this:

full of this:

 and this:

 Sad times.

A boy? Really…?

(I feel it is likely that there are people, to this day, who think my parents had a son.)

15 is better than 14.

Months are landmarks for counting life.  
Named and recorded, they continuously repeat –
in a valiant effort to stamp numbers on what we call time.  
They come and they go, 
and we can only watch those endless numbered days 
falling off our calendar pages,  
one by one by one. They fly.  
You must love them quickly, because in mere moments, 
they are gone.  
Each date is lived and archived in counted rows.  
Slipped away softly into the steadily growing bank of days left behind us,  
as we unceasingly step into each new tomorrow. 
Unstoppable and beautiful, 
they come without bidding and leave without asking. 

 But as the days are dwindling, the months are growing. 

Each fallen day finds us one happy step closer to new highlights,
as days become weeks, and weeks become months.
Fifteen months.
457 days gone, and fifteen months accumulated. 

 
How tremendously sweet it is to be fifteen months married.
And because 15 is better than 14, we celebrate.

Lessons Learned This Week:

 

 Timmy bought me new fuzzy slippers. Now we have matching slippered feet – except my slippers are grey and his are tan. He said that the grey seemed more luxurious, like rabbit fur. I immediately agreed and then wondered if that was a good thing…? Either way, my fake rabbit fur slippers came in handy yesterday when I accidentally dropped a large picture frame down the stairs and its glass shattered into a many sharp shards.
Lesson Learned: Slippers keep glass shards out of bare feet.

 

Mom came to visit. She came with freshly baked cinnamon swirl bread, peach cobbler, and dinner. She house-sat while our new carpet and flooring were installed, did our laundry, cleaned our house, and worked at our store. She also finished the bunting I had been struggling to complete in time for Rynn’s shower. Timmy and I both agree that mom is kind of like our fairy godmother.

Lesson Learned: Moms always make busy weeks better – even when you’re all grown up.

I painted our 15 foot cathedral ceiling. This isn’t a fun venture for someone who is afraid of heights. Especially when this someone is painting alone with a 10 foot ladder, and no one there to rescue her if she plummeted to her death. Especially, especially when this particular someone isn’t quite tall enough to reach the highest places, and she is therefore forced to stand on her tippy toes on the topmost part of the ladder that is clearly marked, “Do not sit or stand.” (All in all, I’d say it’s a miracle that this certain someone survived the week.)
Lesson Learned: Use the buddy system when painting tall ceilings.

 

We had new carpet and flooring installed! Since then,
I’ve been skipping and dancing and daydreaming about my new floors.
Yesterday I actually used vacation time to leave work and go home early… to mop.
Lesson Learned: New floors provide much needed cleaning motivation.

 

 

Lesson I Already Knew: I'm married to the most amazing man.    

 

 

(Amazing Timmy, ripping out our old icky carpeting.)

 

In This Photo You Will Find:

… my pretty brand new curtains.

… newly painted walls

…lovely new flooring

…a living room waiting for carpet

… a very tall ladder

… a mop

… a paint can

… a mom who is visiting (and made us dinner)

… a little sister with wedding plans on her mind

… and a Timmy leg

What you will not find:

… a happy, tired girl behind the camera

(It's been a busy week.)

Magical things will be happening at my house on Saturday night.

Girls, giggles, and underwear. Delightful! 

  

(Timmy has already informed me that he plans to disappear on Saturday night. Hehe.)

a conversation: about reality

Timmy: I love that you're a real person. 

And that you have cheeks and a chin. 

And that I can touch you. 

And that you're mine.

Dear Mom and Dad, 

It will interest you to know that I am painting the walls of my house cream.  

Buckwheat Flour to be exact. 

This may come as a shock to you because, well, cream is entirely boring and completely unlike any other wall color I have chosen. You could take this as a sign that I am growing up, and I finally appreciate the peace that comes from neutral shades. (But it would be accurate to say that the walls in my living room are high high HIGH and I only want to tackle painting them once. Ever. In my entire life!) Cream is the cozy kind of shade that matches everything, and I think it can keep up with my ever changing decorating style. I truly appreciate that in a color. 

Now that I have an adult perspective on paint colors, I’d like to thank you for 
letting me paint my high school bedroom bright pink and yellow.  
With stripes.  

And I no longer resent the fact that you repainted,  
quite literally, the day after I left for college.  

I understand.

I've always known you were the best parents a girl could ask for,

and I think this photo serves as further evidence to that truth: 

Let's just say that Timmy is glad I outgrew this phase.

 Love love love, Becki Bea

 It is a bittersweet moment to suddenly find that a little sister has become a blossom of the most beautiful kind. And that flower belongs to someone else. She is dancing, but no longer with you. 

The brightness in her eyes sparks into existence from an outside source, and her hands reach first for his. She is laughing and, for once, you’re not an exclusive part of the smiles caught up in her daydreams. But there, in the midst of her mirth, are reminders of the girl she used to be. 

There was a time when her hands were mine to hold, when she was my little bunny, and I was her favorite. There are memories beyond measure of time spent together, kindred spirits from the moment we met. Can we please rewind the days and hours and relive one more afternoon of tea parties in the garden? In the space of a second, when I get the teeniest peek of my baby sister underneath all the beauty of my grown up girl, in that second I think, “What are these bridal shower invitations for? My sweet Rynn is still a little girl!” 

 
 And then I glance back to see a ring on her finger and love in her smile. And I realize that now is beautiful too. I grew up first, and she followed swiftly. Our childhood is a beautiful treasure, but the adventure of married sisters, whose husbands are best friends, is sure to be equally magical.


 

Thanks to this box that arrived in the mail today:

Apple Wellness has new business cards.

Listing our new website - currently in the process of becoming amazing. (We also have a website that Yellowbook created for us for free. Click here and check out the super cheesy video. It cracks me up and the whole website definitely needs some tweaking!) 

 

Listing our blog - have you checked it out yet? 

 

And these new business cards also double as referral cards. (That was Timmy's brilliant idea.)

Apple Wellness has brand new promotional materials, too, like this little card (pictured above). This one is targeted toward gym members, and has a pretty amazing coupon included on the back.

Apple Wellness is keeping me busy, that's for sure.

And I love it. 

Not So Pretty:

Oh So Pretty:

1 Pretty old bottle + 1 bottle stopper topper thingy (found at Wal-Mart) =

a lovely replacement to a not-lovely plastic dish soap bottle

It looks so beautiful – I can't wait to do dishes!

Timmy just doesn't understand.