Fall Fun Bonanza!

Posted on October 28, 2011 by morgangaunt

I like to use the word Bonanza whenever possible. Seriously.

October was whirl wind of activities! Bonfires, Antique Shopping in Lynden, Thrifting Dresses and sweaters, wearing tights, Eating Man Pies. How I love fall! I’m so glad it is taking so long for all the leaves to change. I’m so glad that the weather goes from rainy to sunny and back again, never too hot, never too cold. I’m so glad that Mr. Gaunt takes me on dates, and we eat outside in our coats. I’m so glad we switched our roadtrip snacks from Sunflower seeds to Pumpkin Seeds. I think November will just be another extension of October, and I will ride this pumpkin flavored, maple leaf smelling, puffy vest wearing coat-tails all the way to Christmas!

Forrest burning all our excess cardboard

$8 "Infinity Scarf" from Buffalo Exchange. Thanks Aunt. J for th pin!

A NEW USED WASHER! HIP HIP HOORAY!

Dress $4, "cardigan" is a thrifted J.Crew jersey tee I cut up the front, and cut the sleeves 3/4.

$6 at Value Village

$3 Skirt from Value Village. Didnt buy the sweater

Pumpkin Seeds for the road.

A Rainy afternoon in Lynden

Did you know Lynden is a Dutch Colony....weird.

Checking out the antique shops

Bought a cat for the Teal Cat Project! Check it out at http://www.tealcatproject.com

The Crazy Spider house!

Need a closer look?

Check out that HUGE spider on the side of the house!

Eating Man Pies...the ultimate comfort food.

Mamma Dont Hate the Cold

Posted on June 30, 2011 by morgangaunt

Today Mr. Gaunt and I ran two miles without stopping…woop. This is only the second time we have done this. I’m not one to reach a goal and then force myself to keep doing it. Sometimes I only run 1 mile without stopping, sometimes only a 1/2 mile.

In Washington right now we are having what some may describe as crappy summer weather. Yes I suppose I can see the downfalls of little sun. Obviously no one is tanning or swimming or running through the sprinkler. HOWEVER nothing is more pleasant than running in 57 degree overcast weather with a slight breeze…PERFECTION! Yesterday I had an interview, and I WASNT all hot a sweaty in my interview clothes. When Mr. Gaunt sits in his car on break he doesn’t have to turn on the air conditioning! I’m sorry, but mild = Awesome!

I’m seeing lawn mowing and gardening in my future! And anytime I feel like I may miss the Colorado weather, I look as this and can FEEL the uncomfortable blazing heat that never ends, and I’m glad I live where I do.

Today I have to go to the DMV before I go to work…lame. The DMV sucks so so so much. I promise this weekend to share some of the wedding goodies that have arrived in the mail this week! Plus I need to get my sister (who is a good sewer) to help me make some table runners this weekend!

Weekend With Tank

Posted on April 18, 2011 by morgangaunt

We babysat my sisters dog Tank this weekend while she was at a Hair Show in Seattle. Tanky is a pretty cool dog, only mildly crazy like most little dogs. We decided the best idea was to wear him out by doing a lot of outdoor stuff. Tank lives in an apartment, so he really loved being outside and running around.

The first place we took him was Larrabee State Park for a little hiking in the woods along the cliff. It was really beautiful even in early spring. The weather was really nice too.

The rest of the afternoon was spent working on the yard. Tank played with Hula, we weeded the blueberry bed. We got the rest of the patio area dug up and did the first round of leveling. Tank played fetch and got out and barked at EVERYTHING he could. In the evening after grilling up Chicken Sausages and Zucchini, we walked down to Little Squalicum Beach. We let Tank roam around and sniff things while we enjoyed the view and the sunset.

Tank went home this afternoon after we managed to lay the first half of our patio! We really enjoyed him being here.

This Old House

Posted on March 4, 2011 by morgangaunt

Oh hey, I moved!

Sorry that this is the first update, its been a bit of a transition moving to Washington (from Colorado) but I finally have something worthy of talking about.

So prior to us moving here, my mom found us a little old house to move into. For the last 3 years we had been living in very nice upgraded condo, but never had a yard or a patio or anything like that. We knew when we moved to Bellingham that we wanted a different sort of living situation. Something that well help us focus more on the lifestyle we want to live.

Now I will be the first to say that I had a minor freak out when my mom and I met with the landlords on day one. I knew the house would be older and wouldn’t have the brand new shiny appliances I had been a custom to. However I was not prepared for the dirty grimyness of the place. I felt overwhelmed by the amount of money and work that would need to go into a place we were just renting. On top of that, Mr. Gaunt is till in Colorado, and he is the one that keeps me focused, keeps me level-headed.

So I went back and forth on how I felt about the house. Was the work worth the benefits? Could I handle crazy unreliable landlords that felt it fine to leave a bathroom unpainted and house uncleaned? (note: I spoke with them about having it professionally cleaned, and they are giving me a $150 budget to pay someone to clean)

During all of this I am living at my moms on her couch with all my stuff spilling out of suitcases. I’m a bit in the way, and my 4.5 years of life in Colorado has definitely changed the way I look at life and things a bit. Its been hard. Not stepping on people’s toes, not freaking out. I’m not really a “go with the flow” kinda girl (I’ll add it to my very long list of NEEDS IMPROVEMENT). All in all my minor freak out turned into a balls out yelling and crying freak out…..ugg.

So I did what I always do, I called Mr. Gaunt. And we talked for an hour. Talked about the pros and the cons of everything. Talked about all our plans that we had. Talked about how to clam me down and focus. Needless to say I’m pretty pleased I am marrying his butt.

Last night (after said total meltdown) my sister and I went back over to the house to make a video for Mr. Gaunt. Being there at night actually made the place feel warmer and cozier than in the day. And my sister was really great at pointing out all the cute things, and agreeing at all the dirty things. I felt better overall. This might work.

So Mr. Gaunt (I say this, because although he is not here, we are a team) and I have hired a family friend to come in and do a good cleaning, using the $150 our landlords will pay, and then paying whatever else on our own. After that I have to get some repair supplies, paint, contact paper, etc. And spend the next few weeks making this funky old house a home.

So I leave you with the Video we made for Mr. Gaunt. Please ignore my dorky voice and commentary. Oh and because it was night I was unable to film the yard (which is almost the best part). I will do a 2nd video of that later….maybe today.

Could Be’s. Should be’s. Summer Plans.

Posted on January 25, 2011 by morgangaunt

There are plans in the works for our big move (6 weeks for me) that I’m getting pretty excited about!

I have 2 possible job options, both seasonal, but would give me until the Fall to find something different. Both sound equally appealing, I will be happy with whomever will hire me. Both would hopefully start in March/April.

My mom has also found us 2 possible homes! Both are owned by her landlord, one a funky downtown apartment (that will probably be rented by someone else) and one a “fixer-upper” two bedroom house! The house came as a bit of a surprise, as Mr. Gaunt and I have major down-sizing plans. However this house offers an entirely different set of perks than anything we have lived in before. Like a huge fenced yard with a nice big shop! The yard even has garden beds already built. It is also in need of repairs, which would give Mr. Gaunt and I the freedom to kind of make it our own. It’s not a for sure thing, but I’m getting all excited at the ideas and plans for the summer.

Here are a few things I would like to do this summer:

-Grow our own Veggies! (and flowers)

-BBQ every night that we could (we have owned a BBQ for 2 years now, never taken it out of the box)

-Go for walks around the neighborhood

-Have parties in the yard (might need to hunt out some patio furniture at Garage Sales)

-Drink more (I know this seems like a very funny goal, but I NEVER drink these days and I miss it)

-Dry my clothes on the line (woop such an eco friendly thing)

-Make sun tea

-Attempt to buy local and organic all summer long

-Eat more fish

-Learn how to use public transportation (I know, Im lame)

-Mow a lawn (not joking, Ive never done this)

-Go to a you pick berry farm

-Float the river

-Make curtains

-Finish planning my wedding

-BE HAPPY!

Eeek such good feelings about all of this! Come on good stuff! Very Very Pumped! Now if mom would just email me photos!

Im Back!

Posted on July 12, 2010 by morgangaunt

Well that was a nice long break, from everything. The worst part of Vacations is that they have to end…sad day. Lots of stuff has happened in the last week, so I’ll break it down for yah:

1. WE GOT ENGAGED!

Oh yes we did! Mr. Gaunt proposed to me the evening of July 10th on the boardwalk at Boulevard park in Bellingham Washington. It was late sunset and their were fireworks across the bay. We also watched the midnight Kayakers in the water just before. It was very romantic. He got down on one knee and I cried a bunch, I’m that kind of girl. At this point I have a temporary ring until we have one made for us. As far as wedding plans, we are thinking Fall of 2011 in Washington. So we have a good 14 months to save up and plan everything. I of course went out and bought my first Bridal Magazine…woop woop! Im very excited to plan it all, I just have to remember to stay calm and pace myself…lol! financially we plan on paying for most of the wedding ourselves, which will be a challenge. Did you know the average American wedding costs $22,000! Obviously we have NO intentions of spending that much money. However I do want it to be very special, and I want all of my friends and family to come and have a great time, so we will have to spend a bit. Traditionally the Father of the Bride pays for most of the wedding, but my father will not be contributing at all. My mom and Grandparents will be doing all of our food which is a big expensive, and I am so grateful that they can help. As for the rest we are just going to have to be creative and money savvy.

I wont bore you with tons of wedding stuff on this blog, so I plan to stick to “Wedding Wednesday” posts. Just updating on what we are planning and making and all that good stuff. So until then we are just enjoying being newly engaged!

2. MOVING

Mr. Gaunt and I had the most fabulous time in Washington. I was so glad that I got to show him some of the cooler sides of the state including a private island where we spent the 4th of July. He got to play in the ocean and eat good food and hike in the beautiful forests of the area. I think he is super excited to move now, at least I hope he is. Our plan at this point is to move in April of 2011 (about 6 months before the wedding) to either Olympia or Bellingham. Each city has its Pros and Cons, so we will just have to figure out which area offers us the best jobs and housing. Again we have 9 months to figure all of that out, including saving money. We figure we will need around $3,000 to move (moving truck, rent, time off work, etc) so that’s going to be a challenge.

3. THE CAR

So about 2 months ago I bought a used car, and after at least 5 trips to the repair shop and over $1500 (payed by the seller) in work, the car gives me bad vibes. It runs fine, but it’s just not what I want, and its caused a lot of stress for a lot of people. Also with all this money we need to save the last thing we want is a car payment. So after talking to our parents we have decided to sell the car. It’s a great car with low mileage (and a bunch of new parts) so I can’t imagine it will be a hard sell. The only problem is that will bring us to one car. Most of the time this isnt really an issue, except for work. I travel anywhere from 30-60 minutes each way to get to my job. Mr. Gaunt does about half that time. We both have to be at work at 6am, posing the problem. Mr.Gaunt is going to talk to his boss tomorrow about me joining his team so we can carpool.

4. JOB IS FOUR LETTER WORD

Although I’m not surprised, I am a little disappointed in myself the 9 months into my job, I’m pretty much over it. We just aren’t clicking anymore. It’s a number of things, supervisors, work load, mundane tasks, overall its just not a good match. Of course this isn’t news to me. I have never been good at working a job that I wasnt passionate about. I get bored and lethargic and bitchy. I’ve had a number of people tell me “But you get paid so much to change lightbulbs!” but to me, its just not worth it. This might sound ungrateful or naive, but that’s me. I’m a little extreme in my emotions, I’m always trying to improve my life and spice things up. In the long run I may be falling into unhealthy patterns, but until then I need to strive for more.

Mr. Gaunt and I are putting along on our little painting business. We are working on our 3rd example painting, and have 3 more lined up. WE talked a bit with my mom about prices and other such business topics. I’m really hoping that this will bring in some of the much needed savings we need to build up.

Until then I have to pull myself out of bed every morning and convince myself all afternoon to not walk out on my job. I have a family (Mr. Gaunt) that I need to be there for. I have to do it for us and for our future, I just need to keep my eye on the prize and know that I am capable of doing better if I put my mind to it.

5. WEIGHT LOSS

I need to lose 50 more pounds by my wedding…lol! Thats about all I have to say. We are back on track with a fridge full of healthy choices. I am looking up instant watch workout videos on our Netflix. Its gonna be tough, but I’m not trying on a single wedding dress until I feel good about myself.

For a weight loss blog you would think I would have more to say about that…lol!

WRAP UP:

So as you can see the next year is going to be a bit of a wild ride for us. I’m super excited and super scared. I am so thrilled to have such a wonderful man by my side to help me keep level-headed. I want to thank all of our friends and family for being so supportive of our relationship and life choices, we love you all! And so I leave you with a select few (of the 300 I took) of my favorite pics from our vacation!