I’ve mentioned a time or two that we’re Alaska bound. Our trip will begin in Seattle, where we’re scheduled to spend a couple of nights prior to departing on our cruise aboard the Disney Wonder. We’re {almost} set for the trip. We’ve got reservations for accommodations and activities in Seattle. We’ve got a full line-up of adventurous cruise excursions booked (more on that to come). We’ve even got all of our cruise paperwork completed. What I’m struggling with is wardrobe. Here in Tucson, we’ve been at or near 100 degree temperatures for weeks now. So–as you might imagine–packing for a glacial, snow-capped mountain trip is just a teensy bit outside of my box at the time being. Not to mention the fact that we really don’t even own cold-weather gear. That said, I’ve done my research and learned that the key to packing for an Alaskan cruise is to bring layers. The weather up in that neck of the woods can be quite fickle, apparently. I’ve had difficulty in trying to find outfit suggestions that are both suitable for the weather and somewhat stylish. And so I’ve done what any good blogger would do: I turned to polyvore and built my own. In spite of the fact that we are indeed headed into summer months, I am sharing my cold-weather creations here on the off chance that you, too, are headed North for the summer.

I put this one together as an example of something suitable for a floatplane excursion. Or maybe a whale-watching excursion. 

This outfit would be ideal for a day of light shopping in a quaint little port town, or maybe panning for gold and taking in the infamous lumberjack show. 

How cute is this? We’ll be visiting a dog mushing camp during our trip and I hear it’s quite cold. An outfit like this would be perfect for the occasion. 

And just for good measure, I thought I’d include a cute example of something to wear to dinner aboard the ship. Something like this would be great because it doesn’t leave too much skin exposed to the (often times) cool temperatures in the dining room but it’s still super cute.

So, how’d I do?

Tell me: which one most suits your style? And if you’ve ever been to Alaska, what was the one piece of clothing you found most valuable during your trip?

There came to pass a moment on Sunday during which my hands quite literally flowed over with paper flowers and crayoned cards and alien handprints, clumsily traced and cut.  Torri had to work that day so her present came before breakfast, letting loose the floodgate of gifts and faces upturned and Mommy, look what I made you!

Whereas once Torri’s were among the construction paper variety of gifts, they are no more.  She has a job and a car and off she zips to choose something she knows I’ll love and I remember the joy in that.  The satisfaction of giving something with perceived value.  I gave my own mom a ring once–from an actual jeweler.  My birthstone alongside hers.  And then–when I was sixteen and pregnant–a poem penned over the bulge of my belly, paper all I could afford at the time.  The last line lingers in my head still: I hope that I can be the same wonderful mommy you’ve been to me. I wonder if she still has either.  If one meant more than the other.

In the gift bag from Torri, atop the spring green maxi dress (just my size) and the earrings to match, there were three pink heart soaps.  Handmade in Chemistry class.  I can’t place the scent.  Strawberry, maybe?  Flecks of glitter show through and I’m so thankful she added it.  Holding those little hearts, I close my eyes and see the pixie version of her, holding up a goopy glitter rainbow with cotton clouds.  Mommy!  Look!

Years and years from now there may come a day when she’s home visiting.  Mom, I forgot my toothbrush, she’ll say.  Under the sink in my bathroom, I’ll answer.  And when she goes in search she’ll come across three glittery pink heart soaps, sealed away in a baggie.  If–by then–she is still childless she might question why I never used them.  Didn’t I like them?  But if–like mine–her arms overflow with the stuff dreams are made of, she’ll know: I keep them to remember her glitter days.  The sticky remnants of a girl slipping right through my hands, becoming who she will be.

{Just Write}

One of the best perks of Jeff’s job (besides his actual income, I mean) is that he gets every other Friday off.  It’s awesome for me because I do the grocery shopping on Fridays and so twice each month I have a handy helper to load all those perishables into the cooler.  It’s awesome for him, too, because as a reward for all his hard work he gets a lunch date with one hot mama, er, um, me.  Win win, right?  Totally.

We have a pool of five local restaurants that we frequent.  Two are Mexican, two are pizza, and one is a burger joint.  Only on the rarest occasions do we venture beyond our tried and true favorites; it seems every time we try someplace new we experience lousy food, lousy service, or lousy both and that’s just no fun for anybody.  Recently, though, I was asked to visit a local restaurant not on our short list of approved places.  What’s more is that it’s a fast food place and you all know how I feel about those.  After checking out the online menu and reading up on the yelp reviews I decided to give it a go.  Rubio’s it was for our bi-monthly lunch date last week.

This particular location is relatively new.  As such, the place was super clean, which is a non-negotiable criteria for me anytime I’m eating out.  It was cute, too, with a beachy feel.  The thatched eaves and brightly-colored countertops go a long way in conveying the ocean-side fish taco stand theme.

Rubio’s recently introduced a handful of new menu items.  It didn’t take Jeff long to choose his entree; he’s a total sucker for mango.  The lure of the Mango Habanero Ono tacos was too much for him to resist.  I went with a new item, too: the avocado corn fish tacos.

Mango Habanero Ono Tacos

Avocado Corn Fish Tacos

The burning question: how was it?  Let me just say that I was pleasantly surprised.

What I loved was that they didn’t serve me food that had been sitting beneath a warmer.  My meal was only made after I ordered it.  The sides (black beans and spanish rice) were easily on par with those of sit-down Mexican restaurants, which is pretty impressive, I think.  The avocado corn relish on my tacos was fresh and flavorful.  My only complaint would be with the fish; it was kinda greasy.  That very well may be normal for fried fish tacos (this was my first time trying them) but I could only eat one of them because I was afraid my stomach would revolt.  In all fairness, as a rule I don’t eat fried foods so I probably should have ordered something else (they have burritos, salads, etc).  The taco I did eat, though, was definitely an indulgent treat; I really enjoyed it.  Jeff devoured both of his {grilled} fish tacos before finishing my uneaten fried fish taco.  He thought his meal offered the perfect balance between spicy habanero and sweet mango.  He said he’d order it again in a heartbeat.

Would we return?  Yes.  While we tend to opt for sit-down restaurants for our rare dates, Rubio’s would be a viable alternative if we found ourselves pressed for time.  Also?  It would totally suffice for a quick meal on the road if we were looking for a fast bite from a trusted chain.

Tell me, have you ever eaten at Rubio’s?  Wanna?  I’m giving away $20 worth of “Free Eats” cards.  To enter, just leave me a comment on this post telling me your favorite Rubio’s menu item, or what you’d order if you went.  A winner will be randomly chosen from among all eligible entries on Monday, May 21st.  Good luck!

*Jeff and I were treated to complimentary meals at Rubio’s for review purposes.  Rubio’s is also sponsoring this giveaway.*

You might remember me having posted about the fish extender before.  If not, this post and this one detail how the Disney cruise fish extender gift exchange works, as well as offer pictorials of the gifts we’ve given in the past.  Because they are two of my most popular posts to date, I decided to put together a comprehensive list of five great gift ideas for fish extender participants.

Coming up with this list was no easy task; the best fish extender gifts have a steep checklist of criteria to meet.  For starters, they should be fairly inexpensive.  They also need to be portable.  They should be relatively small and lightweight.  Lastly, I’ve found that most participants want to give something unique that will be appreciated.  Now, I’ve been on the receiving end of these gift exchanges a time or two, and I can tell you from experience that the most appreciated gifts can fit in one of three categories: compact, consumable, or valuable.  I know, I know.  You’ve done your research and you’ve read online that “any gift is appreciated, blah blah blah”.  But c’mon.  You know as well as I do that nobody wants to lug home a suitcase full of Oriental Trading Company junk.  Which is why I’m coming to your rescue and suggesting gifts that are practically guaranteed not to end up in the stateroom trash bin.  So without further ado, here are five fun fish extender gifts.

1. Disney Gift Card - This fits into both the valuable and consumable categories and I can assuredly tell you that even a $5 gift card would make a great gift.  More so if you add a bit of pixie dust in the way of presentation.  Something like this is sure to make any Disneyphile smile.

2. First Aid Kit - Ouchies happen, even on vacation.  A small kit containing some essentials is definitely a valuable asset in any stateroom.  Components could include: tubes of Chapstick, ginger chews(to fight queasiness), tweezers, travel Advil or Tylenol packets, and mini bottles of hand sanitizer.  For a touch of Disney, buy a cute box of Band-Aids and add three or four to each kit.

3. Movie Snack Pack – Most families will make some time to visit the Buena Vista Theater to see a first-run movie during the cruise.  While movie snacks are available for purchase, they would also make a great {consumable} fish extender gift.  Simply stuff brown paper lunch sacks with traditional movie favorites like Red Vines, Junior Mints, Whoppers, Sour Patch Kids, M&M’s and Skittles.  Slap a cute logo like this one on the front and call it done!

4. Kiss Goodnight – You could also take a downright Disney approach to your gift by giving a “Kiss Goodnight”.  Any Disneyphile would be able to tell you that the kiss goodnight occurs at park closing in the Magic Kingdom.  It’s when the castle acts as a canvas to a beautiful light display all whilst When You Wish Upon A Star plays in the background.  For the fish extender take on the kiss goodnight, you could purchase a Disney night light (always useful in the stateroom bathroom) and gift it along with a small bag of Hershey Kisses.  Adorn the gift with a special “Kiss Goodnight” tag and voilà: you’ve got yourself a perfectly pixie-dusted gift.

5. Disney Trading Pins – These are super popular with many Disneyphiles, my family included.  There are plenty of online resources for buying them in bulk for a fraction of what you’d pay individually should you purchase them at Disney.  As a fish extender gift, you could fasten four pins to an inexpensive lanyard or even a shoestring.

6. Pixie Dust -  For another downright Disney gift, you could create small vials of pixie dust.  These are especially appreciated by preschool and early elementary children who are fans of the Disney Junior show, Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  They’re easy to make, too!  Just fill small vials with glitter.  Slip each vial into a gold organza pouch and finish it off by fastening it to a loop of suede or leather.  Voilà, you’ve got yourself a pixie dust pouch just like Izzie’s.

Hopefully these ideas will give you some inspiration as you prepare for your next (or first!) Disney cruise.  Enjoy!

The place was tiny.  No garage.  Washer and dryer in plain sight next to the kitchen sink–quickly we learned that laundry during dinner would drown out the hope of conversation.

The redhead toddled, pacing between dinner dishes at the sink and the exersaucer, it’s bottom disk overflowing with kid-version chew toys that rattled and popped and whizzed.  I remember that penguin walk, all-in, one foot at a time.

Nestled somewhere in that bottom disk she found a single Golden Graham.  A stowaway hidden there, forgotten and staled.

In a momentous turn of unfortunate timing a plate was dropped to the kitchen floor.  Shatter echoed in waves and pierced her ears.  In turn she drew in a sudden frightened breath, sucking in that perfect little square.  It smoothered the pulse of her, flat against so tiny an airway.

There were no sounds, just the deafening gape of her tiny mouth below two perfectly helpless eyes.  It was the only time I’ve ever seen so desperate a plea.  Such inherent trust in eyes wide open.

The water was left running in the kitchen.  Suds bubbled over as the steady whir of it it blended in with the murmur of cartoon voices, laughing from behind.  Mocking such sudden change in circumstance.

I couldn’t do it.  I wasn’t trained.  I watched as–like a ragdoll–he flipped her over his forearm, delivering blow after blow between her tiny shoulder blades.  So unforgiving a space.  No room for a slip.

Time grew muddy.  Sludgy seconds piled up, thick with the weight of urgency.  There was but one option so how could it be that another–the unthinkable one–came closer while she slipped slowly away.  The blows grew more frantic.  Time wouldn’t give.

As long as I live I will never lose the memory of what it looked like when she gave up.  When her lips went blue and her eyes rolled back, too tired to stay locked on mine a second more.  Still, I was calm.  Fists gripped–fingernails digging tiny trenches in my palm.  There were four words that I spoke, the trail of them piling up like a car wreck on so treacherous a road: you can do this.  You can do this.  I know you can.

So why aren’t you?

I never even bothered to pick up the phone.  No nine one one.  There was no hope of time for that.  Just a redheaded baby girl–fresh from inside me–slipping silently away.

But then something gave and as instantly as it started it finished and she gasped and coughed and cried and a wave broke free in my chest and I did, too.

Truly I tell you that not another box of Golden Grahams has passed our threshold since.

{Just Write}

In spite of the fact that I’ve never been one to excel at math, I find myself dealing with numbers on a daily basis.  And it’s not all about balancing the checkbook, though there is that, too.  On Facebook, I jokingly listed my occupation as COO of Domestic Endeavors, Inc.  Domestic Endeavors, of course, the managing of a bustling household.  Truly I tell you that in doing so I come across more than my fair share of numbers.  I’m sharing just a fraction of them today, purely for entertainment value.  Enjoy.

Household square footage per person: 500

Sum of our ages combined: 115

Average age: 19

Age at which my first gray hair appeared: 34

Rolls of toilet paper we use in any given month: 24

Temperature at which our thermostat remains in winter months: 68

Temperature at which our thermostat remains in summer months: 81

Pounds of produce I purchased at the grocery store last week: 32  (for reals!)

Last month’s electric bill: $100.79

Weekly grocery budget: $250.00

Days left in the school year: 14

Pairs of shoes currently stashed in both front and back door collection baskets: 12

Monthly allowance dollars paid out: $64

Amount we have saved for college to date: not nearly enough

Loads of laundry I will do by close of business Monday: 4

Jars of homemade chicken stock currently in the freezer: 7

Today’s forecasted high: 89

Average high in Juneau during the month of our vacation: 55 (brrr!)

Number of books we checked out at the library yesterday: 9

How much we have to pay our house-sitter to keep watch during our upcoming vacation: $250

Times each day the word ‘mommy’ or a variation thereof is uttered: 8,930,561,392,193,564 (or close)

Cashback bonus dollars earned from the credit card last month: 60

Percent of those dollars that will be spent on gifts come December: 100

Number of land-line handsets (phones) in our house: 5

Number of those phones that end up back on the charging base: 1, but it’s corded so it doesn’t count

Number of facebook friends I have: 292

Percent of them I haven’t hidden from my feed: 15

All those numbers are enough to make Sesame Street’s Count von Count’s head spin, right?  I could come up with more, but alas, that fourth load of laundry beckons.  Humor me and share a number or two of your own, would you?  Happy Monday!

**Congratulations to Melinda J, the winner of Wedding Cake for Breakfast**

I didn’t have a wedding cake.  Instead, we opted for a dessert reception to include eclairs and chocolate-covered strawberries.  Oh.  And there was wine.  Of course there was wine.

The morning after our wedding, Jeff and I joined up with my family and traipsed across the border down into Mexico, solely because my brother’s baby mama was celebrating her, ahem, 18th birthday and there was a certain novelty in visiting a country where she could legally order a margarita.  We found a “bar” that welcomed children (we had four in tow) and paid a buck a piece for barely diluted cheap tequila in salt-rimmed glasses.  My brother’s baby mama took a single whiff and pushed her glass to arm’s length.  The rest of us followed suit.  The remainder of my first day as Mrs. Maranich was spent puddle-jumping through the streets of Nogales, fending off persistent and overtly perverted carnation/silver bracelet/Viagra peddlers.  I kept a death grip on my children–heeding the advisory that locals could fetch a fortune for blonde-headed children at the kidnappers auction.  It was a hoot.

And that was only the first twenty-four hours.

The next 364 days would usher in a whole slew of mountains to climb; deployment and the blending of a family accounting for only the tip of the iceberg.

There is a new book–Wedding Cake for Breakfast–that features essays on the unforgettable first year of marriage from twenty-three “acclaimed women writers.”  Wait a minute.  Make that twenty-two acclaimed women writers.  Plus me.

I received my copy of the book on Tuesday and–during every spare moment–I’ve been devouring the essays contained therein.  The stories are candid.  Funny.  Relatable.  But more than that they capture snapshots of lives in motion, dropping the reader headfirst in the midst of those often frustrating, but equally exhilarating, first 365 days of  wedded bliss {or utter lack thereof}.

I’m giving away a copy of the book.  I trust that, should you win, you will flip immediately to page 73 to read my essay, All the Time in the World.  And that you will be so enamored by it that you will proceed to order a hefty supply–enough to stock your gift closet and enable you to proudly present one at every shower, wedding or anniversary party you attend over the course of the next fifteen years.  Those of you that don’t win should feel free to do likewise.

No but really, the book is a thoroughly entertaining read, even for us old married folks.  All the single ladies, too.  Oh, and bachelors.  They might learn a thing or two.

To enter, just leave me a comment that sums up your marriage (or your prospective marriage, or the marriage of your parents, or anything marriage related) in exactly six words. Here are some examples:

• Annoyed me then, annoys me still.
• Love is patient.  Very, very patient.
• True love finds us every day.

Normally, I despise those giveaways in which extra entries are granted for tweeting and facebooking a link.  But in the name of shameless self-promotion, I’m going to offer:

• one extra entry for tweeting a link to this giveaway
• one extra entry for posting a link on Facebook

Just leave separate comments telling me you did so.

A winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entries and announced on May 11th.  Good luck! PS. Cute cover, right?

Are you a Pinterest junkie like I am?  If so, you’ve probably been inspired by a pin.  Maybe you’ve even replicated something you’ve pinned.  Cooked or baked a pinned recipe?  If you’ve done any of the above, you’re a girl (or guy) after my own heart because, lately, I’ve found a ton of inspiration on Pinterest and have even gone to the trouble to getting those projects and recipes off of my boards and into my home.  The front porch makeover I’m about to show you is one of them.

Our front porch wasn’t too shabby to begin with.  It was, though, incredibly dull.  It exuded absolutely zero character and really didn’t serve as a warm welcome to guests who come to visit us.  Here is what it looked like:

{Yawn}.  Ho hum, right?  Right.  But it truly didn’t take much in the way of effort or funds to completely transform the space into a far more inviting entry, chock-full of character.

HUGE difference, right?  Huge!  Here’s what we did:

We started by jazzing up the outdoor seating area.  By adding a palm (tree – Costco $39, pot – Target $39), some outdoor pillows (Costco – $16 for the pair), and an outdoor rug (Target – $50) we created a cozy little {Such The} Spot where Jeff and I enjoy retreating to in the early evening with a couple glasses of porch-drinking wine.

We also added a splash of color and whimsy to the space by creating an outdoor chalkboard.  It was easy peasy.  We simply transformed a discarded decoration from Kennedy’s old bedroom by painting it with chalkboard paint (Home Depot – $10).  We then painted lengths of trim (Lowe’s – $7) a fresh yellow color that coordinated with the pillows.  Jeff used his miter box and saw to cut the corners and then adhered the pieces to the board with liquid nails.  I was responsible for coming up with a cute saying and printing it onto the board using a chalkboard pen.  I chose a Walt Disney quote – Surprise!  The garden stake (Home Depot – $12) pays homage to our football team. Go Cardinals!

I painted the front doors a super high-gloss black (Home Depot – $20) and I think that single update alone packed the biggest punch.  FYI, the paint was specifically meant for front doors.  Not sure that a regular gloss black would yield the same results.  The front doors now anchor the space and make a lovely, bold statement.  You can see my tutorial for creating the spring wreath HERE.

Lastly, I made this cute but also very useful sign.  It hangs just above the doorbell and serves as a friendly reminder/request that ours remain a shoe and dust free home.  I LOVE this thing in part because it’s cute but mostly because it totally works and now I don’t have to feel uncomfortable asking people to take off their dirty shoes before they come into our house.

So there you have it.  What do you think?

“Mom!” she says.  I look up to see an OMG expression that matches her tone.  “All the couples at my school are going to have the same anniversary.  Seriously.  Everyone changed their status yesterday.”

Prom.

I remember those quote, unquote anniversaries, celebrating months of togetherness.  I remember straddling that cusp–staking claim on acts that were beyond my years, as if the act itself dictated readiness.  I do, therefore I am.

You fake it long enough and then bam!  Reality sneaks in and grips tight.  No turning back.

In games of kindergarten tag there is base.  Base is black!  Swings are base!  Base is grass! they call, identifying that which is within reach at the moment when “it” gains way.  I’ve watched them play and here’s the thing: no one calls them on the sudden proclamation of base–on the shifting goalposts.  They just go on, chasing and laughing.  Laughing and chasing.

Sometimes my feet get to spinning beneath me and I fall.  Without even thinking I pick back up again and start the chase.  I stake claim as if it proves something.  I fake base until my feet are steadied.

Eight weeks into studying Daniel and the deeper we get the more truths I find.  People ask–in jest–why there isn’t a guidebook: How to Live, for Dummies.  Oh, but there is.  There is!

Those playground kids are on to something: base is always within reach.  You just have to know where to look.

{Just Write}

Good Monday morning, friends.  How was your weekend?  Ours had some ups and downs.  Mostly ups, though.  The down was a doozie: an expensive speeding ticket (not mine, ahem).  While I didn’t capture that one with Instagram, I did manage a few other snapshots of the moments that came to pass.

Jeff had the day off on Friday.  We ran errands (read: shopped for groceries) in town.  Knowing that we would be enjoying dinner out later that night we opted not to stop for lunch but instead to head to Barnes and Noble to take advantage of a BOGO Starbucks coupon (combined with a gifted Starbucks card – Score!).  While we were there, my Mister bought me a book that I’ve been wishing for.

En route home we happened upon an officer of the motorcycle variety, who just so happened to have his radar aimed in the right direction.  Or wrong, depending on who you asked.  Dinner out that night was at our hands-down favorite: Blanco.  Fresh and flavorful Sonoran Mexican food at its finest right there, folks.

And then, of course, the obligatory Saturday morning calorie walk-off.

Saturday was prom.  Torri spent the entire morning preparing.  Oh!  And, just when I thought I was obsolete, she even allowed me to do her make-up.  No pressure.

Not to go all Miss America on you or anything, but for reals, isn’t she lovely?

So…how was your weekend?