My wonderful husband bought me these wonderful flowers because…. It’s my birthday today!!!
I was going to post a recipe today, instead I decided to do a more personal post, which I’ve never done before, but am very excited about. Warning: lots of pictures ahead! Not only is it my birthday today, but there are also a few other things I’m celebrating this week. First, my Grilled Cucumbers with Pickled Feta Dip were featured in a magazine this month!! A real live magazine! I got an e-mail from them a few months ago saying that they might use the recipe, but I hadn’t heard anything since then. Yesterday, I decided to go out and look for the magazine and sure enough I found it!
I guess they decided that these grilled cucumbers would be a good snack if you are watching a Green Bay Packers game, haha! Fine by me!
This week is also exciting because it is the one year anniversary of us buying our very first house! The house hunting process was full of ups and downs. It was stressful, depressing, and frustrating, but we finally found our perfect house and we couldn’t be happier with it! We painted most of the rooms in bright southwest colors and it just makes everything brighter and happier. This is the kitchen where all the magic happens, haha! It is small, but cozy and I love it! (these house photos were taken last year around Halloween, hence the Halloween decorations)
This is Cheeto’s sanctuary, AKA the Arizona Room (as we Arizonians call our screened in porches). If it were up to him, he would spend all of his time out there. He even demands to be let out when it is 110 degrees outside. After having this room, I’m not sure if we will ever be able to live in a house without one of these! We are still working on sprucing this room up a little bit, so hopefully that will happen this year.
He also has a nice view out the front door 🙂 P.S- that big tomato plant that you see out the door is still producing tomatoes one year later. It must be the Arizona heat!
The yard was really well taken care of and landscaped when we moved in, but we have had so much fun adding new plants to it. Eric was on a walk through the neighborhood when he found this cacti pad just laying on the ground. He, carefully, picked it up, brought it home, and stuck it into the ground. One week later it started growing new pads! I guess I’m not the only one with a green thumb in this family.
I’m now thinking that I should have gotten myself a pedicure for my birthday!
One of my finest Goodwill finds!
I’ll be back in a few days with an awesome kale salad recipe that involves these grilled lemons!
In the meantime, Cheeto will be watching you!
Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the personal post, and love all the pics!
Thank you so much, Nicole!! I’ve been kind of obsessed with taking photos of the yard lately, so maybe I’ll have to do another post like this once fall rolls around!
Happy belated birthday! I love your blue kitchen, it looks nice and cheery. And congrats on having a recipe published! That is so awesome. Do you feel famous and stuff? 🙂
Thank you Katie! I love the blue too! It makes is so much brighter and happier! It did make me feel pretty good when my husband was calling his family and telling them to pick up a copy of the magazine 🙂 I bought two copies!
Happy Birthday Izzy!! Hope you enjoyed a wonderful and relaxing birthday!! 🙂 Congrats on the magazine post – woohoo!!
You garden is gorgeous by the way – I love all your beautiful plants! And that wooden kitty from Goodwill is a great find – I love finding great second hand items! Looking forward to your kale recipe!
Thank you,Ceara! I really did enjoy the day, sometimes it is nicer to sit around and relax than go out and party. I’m kind of obsessed with Goodwill lately and try to go at least a few times a month. We have three Goodwills that are close to us and I have been accumulating lots of stuff lately! I owe all the pretty plants in the garden to my husband, it turns out he has quite the green thumb 🙂
Happy belated birthday!! This cat is too cute!
Thank you, Ami!
Happy (late) Birthday!!! And a HUGE congrats on the magazine! You rock!
Thank you and thank you!! 🙂
Haaaappy birthday and house-iversary! 🙂
Thank you Medha!! House-iversary, I love it!
Happy happy birthday Izzy! Hope you had an amazing day! That is so awesome that your recipe was published in a magazine 🙂 Congrats on 1 year and thank you for the house tour! Love the pics, your house is so cozy and cute 🙂
Thank you Kelly! I really did have an amazing day that was full of relaxation! So glad you enjoyed the house tour! I used to think it was too small, but now I’ve decided that it is just nice and cozy 🙂
Happy Birthday IzzyGirl! Been crafty on the sewing machine, but it is way too hot to go out to the garagio. Gimme a call so we can get together and celebrate your success. Hugs Amy
Thank you Amy!! I have to admit that I haven’t been very crafty lately, but I have a table that I really want to paint and tile. I was just thinking about you the other day and how we need to get together soon! I’ll give you a call 🙂
Happy birthday!!! I can’t think of a better present for your birthday than being published! When I saw it on facebook I almost wrote “I am so proud of you!” But then I thought it might sound strange since we have never met I person! Ha! Nevertheless, I AM super proud of you! Awesome job! 🙂
Thanks so much, Annie!! I really can’t think of a better present either! Awww, that wouldn’t have been strange at all!! I definitely consider you a friend even though we have never met in real life! Thanks so much, your words mean a lot to me 🙂
Happy Birthday! Your husband must know you love that purplish color because the flowers he gave you match your shirt. nice.
Awesome on the magazine publication!!! How exciting for you. Many congrats =)
And I love your little kitchen….pure magic.
Thank you Laura! Haha, as I was posting this, I noticed that almost all of our flowers are pink! I do love my pink! Thank you!! The magazine feature made my month, maybe even my year! I’ve definitely learned to love my little kitchen!
So much good stuff going on!! Happy birthday and BIG congrats on the magazine feature!!
Thank you so much Joanne!! It was so exciting to see my photo in print!
Happy happy birthday friend!!! I hope you had an awesome day! 🙂
I love Cheeto’s room – that looks like a room Emma would love! And how awesome on the recipe in the magazine!
Thank you so much, Ashley!! My day included wine, the couch, and cooking shows and it was perfect! Emma would totally love that room too, I think that screened in porches were really invented to make pets happy 🙂
Hey, happy birthday!
LOVED the tour around your house … because I’m such a nosy person at heart – haha!
Love the blue kitchen and the view outside – it sure does look hot over there! And you have the cactus to prove it!
Really enjoyed this post, Isadora!
Thank you Helen! Haha, I’m such a nosy person at heart too! I always love learning a little bit more about people. It really is hot here, but I’m hoping we only have about two more months of heat and then it will be smooth sailing all winter! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, Helen 🙂
Happy Birthday Izzy! I hope you had a wonderful day. You are full of all kinds of good stuff today. That is so awesome that your recipe was published in a magazine!
Thank you Cindy! I had a nice relaxing day that involved drinking wine and watching cooking shows! It was just what I needed 🙂
Happy Birthday! I love your kitchen, so cute and adorable!
Thanks Danielle! I hope your kitchen is finished soon! It will be well worth the wait!
Happy Birthday Izzy and congrats on your magazine feature. How awesome.
Thank you so much, Kathy!
Happy happy birthday, Izzy! I loved this post—what a fun way to celebrate your birthday! And that is SO awesome that you’re published now! I still remember the first time I was published in Taste of Home magazine nearly a year ago—it was so exciting to flip a few pages and see my recipe in print! Congrats!
P.S. Can I have your kitty? 🙂
Thank you so much, Sarah!! That is so awesome that you were in Taste of Home magazine!! There is something about seeing your photo in print that is so exciting! You can only have Cheeto is you move here and cook for me all the time! Deal?!
Happy birthday, Izzy! I loved learning more about you, such a fun post! Congratulations on having your cucumber recipe accepted into a magazine. That is so exciting! Good thing you went to look for it! 🙂 And that’s a big milestone on your 1 year anniversary for your house. I love your kitchen, looks so cozy and bright! And Cheeto is adorable, too. I think I just might lay in the porch too if the weather was nice year round!
Thank you Gayle!! I’m not sure how many people read the magazine, haha, but I was still so excited to be featured! At first I was a little disappointed with the kitchen and thought it was too small, but I’ve definitely learned to love it and I think the bright blue color really helps! Sometimes (all the time) I wish I were a cat and could just lay around all day 🙂