Photo a Day in November #6

6.  A Favorite Thing

So she's not a "thing," but we got this little lady a year ago!  She is named for Alice's cat (as in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) and for Guy Fawkes Day (we were originally supposed to pick her up then, and I'm a big T.S. Eliot fan [see "The Hollow Men"]).

Remember, remember, the SIXTH of November...
Happy Homecoming, Dinah Fawkes Pharr!

And don't forget to vote today!

Eating at The Owlery

Hello to all my visitors from Kelly's Korner!  I guess I should start by explaining why our home is called The Owlery.  We actually live in a duplex, but it feels much more like a cottage:  you cross a wooden bridge to enter the top floor, the bridge and the trees around the bridge are covered in ivy, and there are three owl decoys on the side of our chimney watching over our house.  We felt The Owlery was a very whimsical, fun name--something out of Harry Potter, if you will--and so it stuck!

I LOVE our kitchen.  It is easily my favorite (or one of my favorite) part(s) in our home.  I spend a lot of time here.  (Zach's isn't much for cooking though he will help me.)  Some of my favorite things to cook include chicken pot pie with lots of veggies; cobbler; French toast; roast beef; red, white, and black bean chili; and Cadbury chip brown sugar cookies.  Right now, as I recover from my most recent Crohn's flare-up/surgeries, I am trying to incorporate more fruits and veggies into our diets by trying ones I have never had or liked, or cooking old stand-by's in new ways.  Enjoy a look around the heart of our home!

 We seriously have three or four times the amount of counter and cabinet space we had in our first apartment, which was a teeny-tiny three-room apartment in a dorm.  (Yes, a dorm!)

 looking into our dining area

 looking into the kitchen from the other side of the living room

I forgot to show that wreath last week; it's faux lavender and was on clearance several years ago at Target, where I buy a ton of stuff!

 Our table is an antique Duncan Phyfe dining table!  A couple from Zach's parents' church gave it to us when we got married because they were switching from two residences to one. It needs to be refinished, but it is just beautiful.  It seats six, but we keep one chair in our bedroom for sitting.  I love imagining all of the different meals shared at this table and all of the different people who have sat down at it.  Zach's Momo made the lace tablecloth several years ago and gave it to me for my birthday.  The vase in center was made by Zach's mom who is very into pottery.  All of the birdy items were gifts from my birthday week that Zach's mom organized this year since I was recovering from surgery during that time, and the ironwork napkin holder was a wedding gift (I don't remember from whom.)  The rug, which you really can't see, was purchased with wedding gift money.  And I'm a new seamstress!  Zach got me this sewing machine for Christmas last year!

 the original needlework on the dining chairs

We wish we had the money to restore them to their former glory, but we can't right now.  We are planning to cover them with some fabric to protect the needlework and better match our decor at some point.

 I keep cookbooks, photo albums, yearbooks, photo boxes, picture frames, and scrapbook clutter on this shelf.  It needs to be better organized.  Our Willow Tree collection that we received from my mama, Grandma Byrd, and aunts on my dad's side are on top of the shelf along with a decanter that has been in my family forever.  The Alice in Wonderland bag was a birthday gift from my friend Katie; I used it in grad school, but now it holds fabric scraps.

 This china cabinet belonged to one of Zach's great aunts and was given to us by his parents to use since they weren't using it.  It holds my teapot collection, including our Alice in Wonderland collection.  (Alice was one of the first books Zach and I bonded over when we met, and we had a Wonderland-themed wedding.)  The horse paintings were Zach's uncle's; he passed away before I met Zach.  :(  On top are some plants from my mom, a set of candleholders that were left in our first apartment, and the tiered serving dish that was a wedding gift from some ladies at Zach's parents' church.  Our kitties sleep on the ottoman to the right; we store coupons in the basket.

Oh, and our chandelier can be dimmed, so we have MOOD lighting!

 The barstools were a gift from my mama; I need to redo the cushions because they don't fit.  Do you see our vintage microwave?  This was Zach's Gigi's many moons ago that was passed to his parents and then to us because ours went out...and we would rather use an old one than buy a new one.  That is an Entergy sticker on the front; Zach's dad works for them, and I am guessing he took this to work at one time.  The cookbook holder on top actually came from one of my professors who teaches Women's Lit.  (Oh, the irony!)

Our counter is a little cluttered right now because I had to hand wash some dishes and we are eating our way through that tin of cookies and container of homemade 7-UP biscuits!  (We should put the chips away so I don't see them...and thus eat them!)  I love the brown ironwork Love-Hope-Dream plaques by the cabinet.

And yes, our bottle of brandy has a sweater on...

 our lovely stove, my KitchenAid mixer, LEGO timer and shakers, new toaster (Zach killed ours by trying to make a grilled cheese in it--don't believe everything on Pinterest), the fruit bowl made my his mom, and a lovely candle from my friend Emily

 our vintage fridge with invitations, "Thank You" notes, announcements, fun photos of family and friends, menus and coupons, and lots of LEGO and bottle cap magnets

 This is a peek into our laundry room.  I used that memo board when I lived at home and when I lived in college to hold photos of friends; now I use it to hold a few photos along with cards and invitations and recipe cards as well as a picture with my cooking idol, Linda Adams!  (She is Zach's dad's cousin and used to do cooking segments on local TV stations when I was growing up, and I always watched her, and my mama had her cookbooks.  She is an Arkansas gem and so sweet.  I couldn't BELIEVE it when I found out I was now related to her after we got married!  She sent me one of her cookbooks that is out of print as a wedding present.)

I am especially proud of the collage I am putting together above our trash and recycling cans.  I was frustrated by the thermostat because you couldn't hang anything above or below it without it being too high or low respectively or without the thermostat looking awkward in the middle.  I found the idea for the frame around it on Pinterest and did it back in the fall before I was getting really sick.  I did the yarn "P" right after I had my first surgery.  I found the black frame at Hobby Lobby on clearance; it had an "American's Heros" mat in it--it was military-themed--so I removed it and mounted this picture that I love of us from our first married Valentine's Day on scrapbook paper.  We finally added these two pieces this week.  I can't wait to finish it!

I hope you enjoyed a further peek into our home!  Sorry I am so long-winded and kudos to you if you made it this far.  :)  See you soon!

Our Love Story

I saw this on someone else's blog today and thought it looked like fun. (Sorry for the long answers!)

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

Zach and I have been together a little over three years (dating, engagement, and marriage)--married for most of that. When you meet the one, you know!

2. How did you meet? {What’s your “love” story?}

WE MET AT A BAR!!! I know, I know, those types of situations usually do NOT work out! We met at The Flying Saucer on September 19, 2008. He was there with a friend he had made in grad school who had been in the same program as me as an undergrad, Brian (who had told Zach on the way that he would get along with me). Brian and his girlfriend Whitney, who was also an English major and grad, had no plans to play matchmakers...yet. ;) What is also funny about this situation is that one of my best friends (who was also an English major in undergrad and also in Brian and Zach's program), Katie, had told me she had met my personality soul mate during the first week of grad school after they had completed the Meyers-Briggs personality test. She said that every time my soul mate would raise his hand and say something in class, she couldn't help but think of me! (Zach is an INTJ, and I am an INFJ, which is why we are personality soul mates.) At the Saucer, we were sitting one person apart at the table, and when this guy left, we started talking one-on-one about grad school and the music, movies, and books we liked including Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Whitney said she had never seen me talk for so long to one person, especially a guy. (If you know me, this is sooo true.) We talked the whole night! When I was getting ready to leave, I went around the table to hug everyone. However, when I got to Zach, I didn't know what to do: say goodbye, shake his hand, or awkwardly hug him? I settled on awkwardly hugging him--I didn't want to leave him out!--and we ended up doing this weird, half-side hug. He had whispered to me earlier, and I quote, "It is very sexy the way you carry yourself." So bold, this guy was! I thought this was just something a guy in a bar would say to a girl, but if you know Zach, this is not something he would EVER do. *lol* (Usually, when he says the word "sexy," he half-sings it in this silly voice. But, of course, he wasn't just complimenting the way I looked, but my personality, intelligence, etc. so he said it in a serious tone then.) After I hugged him, he said that he was serious about what he said (See!) and hoped to see me again. So I told him I would look him up on Facebook. Well, the thing is things aren't always spelled the way they are pronounced. I got home and looked up "Zach Farr," who did not exist. I thought Zach was just another jerk in the bar after that! Only when he added me did I realize he is a "Pharr." We had some more funnies that happened leading up to our first date date, too...

3. If married, how long have you been married?

We were married on September 19, 2009, exactly one year after we met! So we have been married over two years.

4. If you are married, where did you get married? Big or small wedding?

We had a small Alice-in-Wonderland-themed wedding at Faulkner County Library (60-ish people). We had a reception at a former magic theater on December 20th for an even smaller group. (We would have had in on December 19th, but Zach was in a wedding that day!)

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!

Wooky and Pooks--they have evolved from rather common nicknames that we were initially using ironically. I guess the joke is on us! We have more than those, but we use them for a time and then discard them before picking them back up; Zach is constantly singing new nicknames at me like Ladyface. I have also tried on and off since I met Zach to give him the nickname Zaxby (like the chicken restaurant) because he is slightly allergic to chicken. These are probably the most interesting...

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

a) He can always make me laugh.

b) He is thoughtful of everyone in his life, which means everyone in my life, too.

c) He is so hardworking for our family.

BONUS: HE'S A CLEAN FREAK AND DOES ALL THE VACUUMING, THANK YOU LORD!

7. Tell us how he proposed?

I just wrote out this story for a contest, but I will keep it short and sweet. Zach proposed to me in Kansas City on July 19, 2009. We were supposed to be having a cheap trip since school was out and we weren't working, but after dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, he told me he had a surprise: we were going on a carriage ride! Around The Country Club Plaza! At sunset! Of course, the first thing I ask is how is he affording this. *lol* After the ride was over, I thought we were heading back to our friends', where we were staying, but he said he had another surprise around the corner. He pulled into the parking lot of Southmoreland on the Plaza, a B&B! He told me we were staying there for two nights, and I immediately asked about our luggage. (Our friends were in on the surprise and had brought it for us.) So we went inside and were led to our room. The key was given to me to open the door, and when I did, I was met with champagne and a "Drink Me" sign and chocolate-covered strawberries with an "Eat Me" sign. I thought the B&B had supplied them! After all, they had sherry in the rooms and appetizers every afternoon! Well, it took me a moment to realize there was an "Open Me" sign on a tiny door to the left. When I did open it, I found a shadowbox filled with photos and souvenirs and topped with a "Love Me" sign. I noticed there was another sign behind it--"Marry Me!" (I still thought the food came from the innkeepers at this point and hadn't made the Wonderland connection!) I was waiting for Zach to speak, but finally he blurted out, "Please say YES!" That boy was sweating bullets even though he knew I would say yes! So we hugged and kissed, and he told me there was a surprise under that sign: a diamond solitaire ring that shines like a snowflake! We spent the night sipping champagne on the balcony, planning our wedding and our future (I asked such practical questions as, "Where will we live?" "What will we do?" "How many kids should we have?" "What about our money?" Poor Zach!), and calling family and friends to let them know.

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

Zach tends to give very personal, thoughtful gifts for Valentine's Day, so I guess I would say he's a rose petal guy.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

Well, I'm not a beachy gal, but I do like the idea of a sunset dinner! However, we started dating with "movie and waffle" nights at his apartment because we were poor grad students, and he worked for res life as a hall director and was always on duty. So I have some fond movie-and-snuggling memories...

10. Tell us one thing you’d like to do with your significant other one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

We ARE going to England next summer! We've both been, but we haven't been together. We are thinking a week to a week and a half in a holiday cottage in the Lake District, and then a week to week and a half in Edinburgh, Scotland!

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine’s Day?

Well, we haven't made definite plans. We found out we owe taxes this year, which has forced us to change our budget after struggling to pay off my medical bills and buy a new car because Zach's transmission went out; we were planning to go to Eureka Springs and stay, but it's probably not in the budget now. :( I told Zach, though, I was happy just staying at home since I missed it for a month! And since I didn't get to bake for Christmas, I've had lots of plans for this holiday. I've already made heart-shaped gingerbread cookies with pink cream cheese icing, and I plan to make a strawberry lemonade cake and heart-shaped cinnamon rolls for Valentine's Day. I may make some Neapolitan cupcakes (chocolate and strawberry layers with vanilla icing) for this weekend!

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine’s day?

No, we never ask each other for anything. It's always a surprise!

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

Respect each other.

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

And just for kicks: the most recent photo of us from Le Chocolate Feast on January 28! It was an event raising money for breast cancer awareness, and participants got to sample chocolatey treats for over a dozen vendors from NWA. It was SA-WEET!!!

(Sorry my face is still puffy--thanks, prednisone!)