Mary Blair Mural

I became absolutely obsessed with a set of Mary Blair postcards on a recent trip to Disneyland in March, but decided not to buy them since I couldn't think of a practical use for them. After I got home, I realized that I could hang them on the wall in our baby's nursery (until the ultrasound tech told us otherwise, we were convinced Rory was a girl). So I couldn't wait until our next trip in May so I could pick them up. Sadly, they were no longer available and I was devastated. Randomly, on our trip in June, I was looking at all of the window displays in the Hollywood Backlot and saw a set in the back corner of a window display! A few minutes and a very helpful cast member later, I was the proud owner of a set of 14 Mary Blair art postcards. A few weeks later, we found out Rory was a boy, and the postcards went into the back of the closet.

SO, long story short, I just came across the postcards while unpacking, and decided to make a mural to go above our computer desk. I've just scotch-taped them together on the back for now, but I'll do something a little more permanent once I give it a trial run.

I also bought a whole lotta boxes from IKEA this weekend.
I had an adorable helper, who was very chill for his first shopping trip.

Progress, or something like it.

So this whole blogging once a week thing is harder than I thought it would be. But here is an update on how our apartment is coming along so far.

Office Space Before:

Office Space After:

I'm definitely not finished with it, but I'm glad I have everything cleaned up and put away.  I'm thinking some cardboard taxidermy for above. I was so excited to have 9' ceilings, and now I realize its kind of a pain, cause there is that much more space to fill.


On a completely random side note, a friend asked for some Disneyland tips so I started typing up some of my knowledge, 2 hours later and only about halfway finished, I realized I have a lot of info rolling around up in my brain. So I've decided to do a big fat Disneyland post, but it is taking a very long time to compile all of the info, sources, photos, etc. So stay tuned.

Embarrassing 'Before' Photos

Below are photos of the current state of my kitchen/dining/living/office areas. Since Dalan was here for a month by himself, he got everything unpacked, but now we need to find a home for everything.











Please forgive the piles of recycling all over. We are in search of a garbage/recycling combo bin. Any suggestions?

I'm going to tackle to desk area today, wish me luck!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Why, Hello 2013

I've decided to officially list my New Year's Resolutions. Hopefully sharing this information will make me more accountable, and more likely to keep them.

1. Start a new blog - post at least once a week.
My original blog unfortunately lost all of its images awhile ago when I attempted to merge 2 google accounts. I've been attempting to restore it for over a year now, and I tend to use its unorganized state as an excuse to not write. I've already started this one, hence our new URL TheHiltonHerd.blogspot.com.
2. Enroll in some sort of exercise class.
I need to be sure to get out of the house and exercise. I'm hoping a class environment will be more enjoyable for me than my regular 'go to the gym' approach.
3. Document and share my fertility and pregnancy experiences over the last 2 years.
I've written about it a thousand times in my head, but never been confident enough to actually document this. I think it will help me resolve some emotions that still come up from time to time, and hopefully my words could one day help someone else going through a similar experience.
4. Take walks with my dogs
This should be fairly easy considering all of the mountain trails accessible from our new apartment, and the fact that we are yard-less and need to now take our dogs out on a leash every time they need to relieve themselves.
5. Everyday document something that happened to everyone in the family.
I plan to just record one quick item for each of us on index cards, and keep this going every year. We will add on to the same card in following years and get to re-visit what happened on the same day the year before. I plan on making this part of our dinnertime routine.
6. Create and stick to a menu at least 6 nights a week.
This is probably going to be a hard one for us. I would like to have at least one vegetable every dinner, and shop no more than one week out so we are using fresher produce.
7. Minimize my wardrobe - only purchase future items that I love.
I tend to buy things just because they are on sale. I want to get away from this mentality, and only purchase items I love. This will mean that not everything I buy will be on sale, and I will have to save up for the things I really want. I hope to cut the amount of clothing I own in half. I want more quality and versatile items that also make me excited to get dressed in the morning.
8. Carry my camera with me more often - photograph something new at least once a week.
I want this photo to be taken with an SLR and not my phone. Phone photos are a little too easy, and I want this to be a challenge. I want to focus more on landscape and still-life, I've really only done portraiture in the past.
9. Chill out.
Stop thinking of being with my baby as work and stop trying to manage him as if he were an employee. I've gotten so used to my job over the past 8 years, that I have begun to use it to define who I am. I need to step back now and stop trying to manage everything. I need to let my baby be a normal, messy, and sometimes fussy baby. And I need to let go of some control and just let things happen in their own time.
10. Make friends.
I need to be more friendly and step out of my comfort zone. I need to be ok with casual conversation, and make a bigger effort at small talk. Take interest in people I've just met. Ask leading questions and learn something about those around me. Attend Relief Society, and enjoy the spirit, instead of being defensive.

There are many other things I would love to work on, but I fear that this small list may be difficult to accomplish already. Most of the items listed above, I believe, will better our family, and help us live a healthier happier life. This all comes at an ideal time for change, new baby, new occupation, new apartment, new city, and many more adjustments in our lives. Most of all, I just want our home to be a happy place, and I'm excited to do my part in achieving that.

Morning Routine: Schnauzer Edition

On days when I'm not in a rush, the schnauzers and I have a wake-up routine. First thing is Tobey will crawl up close and snuggle with me


She will stare at me with her big brown eyes as I pet her. She can be pretty darn cute sometimes. This will usually last for 10 minutes.

By this time, Scout (a ridiculously heavy sleeper), is just starting to become coherent. She will roll her massive body over, and slowly army crawl her way up the bed. When she gets to Tobey, she doesn't change course, she just goes right over the top of her. Tobey will get offended by this, sneeze a few times and march down to the foot of the bed to pout. Scout continues her awkward army crawl until she is right in my face (and usually positioned in the absolutely most uncomfortable place for me, like with her pointy schnauzer knees in my pregnant belly). Scout will then 'nudge' my hands/arms so I will pet her. I'm not sure if nudge is the appropriate word though, one time one of these "nudges" was so forceful, I ended up throwing my iPad on the ground.


My poor highly allergic doggy likes to have her ears and head scratched. If one hand disengages for even a second (say to read an email on your phone), Scout will run, jump, and belly flop on face so you can't possibly focus on anything but her.

After 5ish minutes Tobey decides it's her turn again and will back up to my face so I will scratch her 'bum' (it's actually on her back right above her tail). I thought about sharing a picture, but a face full of schnauzer butt is something Tobey does special for me :). Tobey will growl at me while I'm scratching her (no idea why), which makes Scout think its time to play. Then there is an entire UFC fight going on somewhere by my knees while I'm trying to work, or email, or blog from my bed.

And that is my schnauzer filled morning. Not really sure how they will feel about life next week when Dude drastically upsets their schedule.

On a side note, apparently I type 'the schnauzers' often enough that my iPad has decided to remember and store it. It kinda sounds like a band name or something.

On a second side note, there are about 8 million things going on right now that I probably should have blogged about instead, but I think I will just ignore all of our life changes and watch Alias in my pajamas today.

Instagram Photos

Just messing around with embedding Instagram images for work, my personal social platforms tend to be bombarded every time I work on something new.

Withdrawals

We have now just crossed over into what has been our longest time without Disneyland in the past year (2 months, in case you were wondering). Apparently I am officially addicted, pretty sure I'm going to develop the shakes soon.

Our next trip is tentatively scheduled for May, since I am such a planner (especially as far as travel is concerned), I decided to check prices with my favorite hotel today.


I don't think even I will be able to negotiate our regular price of $80/night this time. I have a suspicion that their prices are this high to discourage me, so I will focus on things like laundry and work, instead of planning a trip 9 months in advance.