Just looking...

During lunch today, I went to Macy's and a local kitchen shop downtown to look at cookware. Ray and I have been wanting to replace and to buy some new cookware. The stuff I have is very old, I'm sure my pots and pans are older than Chloe. Ray has a few nice pieces, though. We're mainly looking for a dutch oven and pressure cooker.

With that in mind, I did some browsing. I found some really cute stuff (of course that I don't need, so I just took pics) from Martha Stewart at Macy's! I haven't been shopping there for awhile, and didn't realize she had a line there. I liked the displays of them. That robins-egg blue color is really pretty, and comes in appliances, too! (It's actually a bit lighter blue than the pics.)

I have a cobalt blue kitchen. I think kitchens should be blue. I have a cobalt blue Kitchenaid mixer that I like to have out on the counter, and Ray painted a toaster cobalt blue to match, when my old blue toaster died. But now I'm considering a change...! LOL

Oh, and Chloe and I got to go baby-gift shopping, which is always fun. I love looking at the little toys and clothes. Chloe's Step-Mom is going to have a little girl, so Chloe and I were getting some gifts for the baby shower that's coming up. I don't think Chloe's really excited about having a little sister, but I'm hoping she'll come around after she's born. I bet it's hard to be the only child and then have a new baby come into the family. Not that *I* would know! ;)

Sunday!

Again, it's Sunday...it's been a good day, even though I'm still recovering from another cold. I got some scrapping done - my pages for my 365 Project, and one of the weekly "52 Week Challenge" sketch pages on Facebook. On that one, I wasn't able to post my layout this week. It was so dark here by the time I was done, that the picture turned out badly. I was glad for the inspiration, though - I've been doing a lot more scrapbooking lately, and the sketches are such great inspiration.

I was looking at some of the other submissions in the 52-Week Challenge, and some of the digital ones were just gorgeous. Makes me want to get a copy of Photoshop and try to learn it.

Yesterday, Ray took me to the Shane Co. to pick out the setting for my engagement ring. The ring he gave me in Las Vegas was a very simple setting, as he meant for me to pick out a permanent setting later.

I had an idea of what I wanted, and one of the rings that I had looked at online was in stock and more beautiful in person. It turned out amazing with the diamond Ray had picked out:

Engaged!

Well, Ray surprised me on the trip to Vegas. We got there on Valentine's Day, and didn't have dinner plans. So we walked and walked around the Strip, looking at things, shopping, and checking out the various places to eat. Finally found a table at the bar at Circo in the Bellagio and had a wonderful meal.

After dinner, Ray proposed to me - on bended knee, even! He gave me a gorgeous diamond engagement ring. It was just like in the movies. I said yes, cried, and the people sitting nearby at the bar applauded. When the waiter came back, and found out that we became engaged while he was away, he brought out a complimentary dessert that said "Congratulations" on the plate.

Las Vegas!

Ray took me to Las Vegas for Valentine's Day. We stayed over Saturday and Sunday, and came home on Monday. We stayed at the Bellagio, and had a wonderful room with a view of the fountain and of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris hotel across the street.

Saturday and Sunday, we mostly walked around, seeing the sights, until my legs were sore. Sunday night we went to see the Wayne Brady improv show at the Venetian.

Above and below are the Forum shops at Caesar's Palace. I really enjoyed just walking around these shops, with the ceiling painted like sky, and the shops all looking like ancient buildings.

Below is Ray and me in front of the circular escalators. They made me kind of dizzy to ride up them!

Late Saturday night, after dinner, we went to the old downtown Las Vegas. It was very different from the Strip! Downtown boasts lots of interesting people, a covered walkway with a music light show, and a Krispy Kreme, among other things. We took one of the double decker buses back to the Strip. We sat up on the top, in front, and watched the city go by. It was probably around midnight or one, and the streets were full of people.


Below are some pictures from the small bakery in the Bellagio. They had gorgeous cakes and some really wonderful little pastries. We had coffee and breakfast there on Monday before we left for the airport.

Snow and Ice and Sun

Yesterday, I woke up to dire news reports of snow. As much as I love KIRO news, they over-hype the weather terribly. There wasn't any snow by our place, but there was some slush on the road on the other hill where I drop off Chloe in the morning.

However, my regular bus didn't show up due to the snow. Through the wisdom (ha!!) of Metro, the bus I regularly ride now originates in Maple Valley. If there are bad conditions, we do not get the bus. By the time I got to the Transit Center, there was a mondo long line of half-frozen commuters because the earlier bus hadn't come yet.

Fortunately, the milk run bus to Seattle DID come, and we all flocked over to that side of the Transit Center to board it. I got to work about about 45 minutes later than usual, and I counted myself lucky.

Today, it was icy, and there were quite a few accidents out on the roads. I had to put my anti-lock brakes into action today too. Good thing I got them fixed last week!

By lunchtime, it was sunny and in the 40's. It was so nice to see the sun! It wasn't very warm, but it was a welcome sight.

Lunch with Lori and Hannah

Lori is a friend of mine that goes way back...I think we started being friends in 4th grade, and kept being friends all through high school and beyond. We kind of lost touch the last 10 years or so, but we were reunited through Facebook!

It was so good to see her again and catch up. You know how it is with some friends, when you get together with them, it seems like the years just fall away and you rekindle that friendship that's always been there, just dormant. We have a lot in common, especially in our life views. It was surprising how parallel our lives have run in some ways.

I was especially pleased to meet her daughter Hannah, who is an absolute cutie-pie and was so sweet. It was a good time, and I look forward to meeting up again soon.

Night at the Movies - Inkheart

Above pic: my "365" shot of the day, Chloe and Ray hamming it up at the movie theater Saturday night.

Chloe has been wanting to see Inkheart. So last night, we went to The Landing to see it. I, for some reason, kept thinking that "Inkheart" was a book about dragons, and was pleasantly surprised at the actual movie (which is not about dragons)!

It was a pretty good movie. The only thing that bothered me was that Brendan Fraser played the DAD to the teenage girl in the movies. When did Brendan Fraser, the young, hip, heartthrob, get to be a dad! And not only a dad to a baby, or toddler, but to a teenager! Oh, I felt old. LOL!

And what really brought it home as to how old I'm getting is that Matthew Perry was in the previews of another movie...and he's the "old guy" that wishes to be young. I guess I shouldn't feel so bad...it could be worse, they could be playing the "grandpa" peripheral characters...

Birthday Week!

Ray and I were born 3 days apart, and this past week was our birthday week. It also was my first week on Weight Watchers, so that was a lot of fun too (ha ha).

The Keg restaurant is kind enough to send out free meal postcards on your birthday, so we went there twice this week! My sister also took us out to Thai food on Thursday night, and that was great. There's a Thai restaurant right near her place that's really good. Even Chloe likes it!

On my birthday, my friends Nicole and Carrie took me out to lunch at McCormick's and Schmick's, which is one of my favorite restaurants. The restaurant made up menus just for me that said "Happy Birthday Janette!!!" right at the top! It was so cool.

Then another of my friends, Jessica, took me out on break to the 2nd-largest Starbucks in the nation. I had never been there before, and it's actually pretty close to our building. I also got a lot of cards, and some pretty spiffy gifts, too. On Facebook, I had a ton of posts on my Wall from my friends to say "Happy Birthday", which was so nice to see. So all in all, it was a pretty cool birthday week.