fire up the grill

This summer has already been incredible.

When Dusty picks me up at work, he always has his sunglasses on, the windows down and the sunroof open, and some music blasting.
We've gotten in a habit of yelling, "Summertiiiiiime!" while we pull out of the parking lot.

We go to Caribbean Snow about once a day, on average.
Not really...more like 3-4 times a week. Is that better? No. No, it's not.

It's our new summer spot. It's a little shaved ice hut in the parking lot of our grocery store, and lemme tell you, as soon as you pull in and hear that festive Caribbean Bahama-Rama Music coming from the hut's speakers, you can't help but be in a good mood.

Good moods.

Kiwi and White Coconut are by far the best flavors. Throw a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the center, and you might as well call yourself Gilligan because you've found yourself right in the middle of paradise.

In other news, the warmer weather has allowed us to break out our grill! My dad got us a fantastic Cuisinart grill, and it made its debut on Memorial Day. :)

I'm letting Dusty take the credit for these little burger baskets and festive napkins -- he was pretty excited when he saw them at Michael's :)

All the fixins for a good time! Burgers, brats, "hint of jalapeno" chips, corn on the cob, little medallion potatoes, baked beans, and homemade mint Oreo ice cream and American cookie pie for dessert!

The boys were outside during the prep time, enjoying the hot, sticky weather and watching the hamburgers and brats roast away. :)

Corn on the cob is pretty much the best thing ever.
Slathered in butter, with chili powder and garlic salt is how I like it best.

That little strip of buttery burn is the best part of all.

After our feast, we got to enjoy some super creamy mint Oreo ice cream.
I'm excited to really get the hang of this ice cream maker, and experiment with flavors and textures!
The weather is hot and the taste-buds are a-callin for some freezer foods.

Yum!

Apart from having friends over and eating a lot of sugary cold substances, we've also been doing a lot of renovations to our little apartment!
Why?
BECAUSE I'M A WIZARD at collecting whosie-whatsits for the home.

Exhibit A:

This wooden fiend grabbed my attention before I could even recoil at the pile of old sheets behind it.
Good Will is sometimes a home owner's small apartment renter's best friend.
$15 later, I couldn't wait to get it home and have Dusty sing my praises.
Hopefully with "You're So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker or the theme to Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Not sure why, but I think if he sang that when I came in the door it'd somehow translate into a stellar compliment.

 Luna's version of approval:

Voila:

We love it! We're finally getting to the point where our apartment feels complete.
We've thrown around the idea of moving to a bigger place, and it's still a slight possibility, but I think things have really begun to click with us and this little home of ours.

The next BIG change all took place within about 20 minutes yesterday afternoon.
As I was getting ready to get off work, I was trolling around Craigslist. I've been hoping to find a tall and skinny dresser-type unit to replace my giant plastic bin of fabric in the craft room.
(That's the saddest, most sporadically decorated room in the house).
Instead, I came across 2 most intriguing listings.
In this case, "intriguing" means "cheap".
Now, I know. Thomas Jefferson advised never to buy something just because it's cheap.
But if someone offered you prime rib for 50 cents, wouldn't you take it?
No, scratch that. That's gross, and you might die. What about...what if someone offered you a bouquet of red roses for $1? That's better, and far less dangerous. The moral of the story is, don't buy 50 cent meat from anyone. Ok, kids?

This listing said TWO wooden chairs for $5.
The next listing said a dining room table for $2!
Surely I was hallucinating.
It didn't occur to me until later that this person could be luring strangers to their home with evil intentions, but by then, Dusty was already on his way there and I was in the Chiropractor's chair.

While we still aren't sure about the details, the owners of this fantastic furniture were obviously moving in a hurry, and just needed to get the furniture out of their home. They seemed to be a nice family; the husband was from Africa, and they had several cute (according to Dusty) little kids.
Dusty gave them $10, and somehow managed to get the table and chairs in our little car.

I'm absolutely kicking myself that I didn't get any pictures of it. I had to wedge myself underneath the table in the back seat, while both front seats were lying flat, and Dusty was sitting up with his side squished up against the door by the table.
We drove very carefully, and very slowly. We also said "I love you" a lot in case we died on the way home.
Worth it? Absolutely.
If we had actually died on the way home, well...then no. No, it wasn't worth it. Lesson learned.

But I'm still pretty amazed at how nice these are!! We updated our apartment furniture this week for $25!
Beat that, Martha Stewart!

It was perfect timing too, because we were having some friends over for dessert and games that night!
We now have a table fit for any game. It can comfortably sit more than 3 1/2 people, and still works perfectly with the space we have.

I cut up some fresh mangoes for homemade mango ice cream this week
(See below for how to easily cut a mango!)

And Dusty fired up the grill once more, and made some kick-tush Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs.
He's a pro.

YUMMO.

I can't wait to get home, have some mango ice cream, and enjoy our apartment.
Next on the list is that craft room...

Wish me luck!

In love,
Cait

the beginning of a beautiful friendship

What a beautiful day. Here I am, at my new resident Starbucks. I am now on a diet, so I only ordered a grande instead of venti today. I find myself very proud. :)
Lynchburg and I are on a first-name basis now, although it may be some time before we're besties. Regardless, I am beginning to see the budding blossoms of a beautiful friendship. Particularly now, when it's cloudy and sweet, as rain droplets trickle off of my favorite green and white umbrellas.
I have now, in this wi-fi zone, applied to five more jobs on Liberty's campus. Let's hope these applications are fruitful.



Day 1 of Lynchburg life went splendidly! We got the keys to our place, and began to move in. It's a two-story townhouse apartment, and in short, it's our little fun house. The entire building slants, laughing at you as you practically tumble across the floor. When you open the front door, you fall right in! We've had fun laughing about our diagonal fridge, our slanted staircase, and our crooked kitchen. All in all, it's ours, and we're in love.

The thrifty shopping has been a great success. I cannot wait to show you the things we bought. Our first day, our stop numero uno was Good Will. Immediately, we saw it. THE COUCH. The one we will nap on, pig out on, watch movies on, play games on, entertain guests on...the list goes on, and on. It's big, ugly, purple, and OH so comfy. It has been steam cleaned, and we shall most likely continue to clean it every day until we're convinced it's ours, with no trace of its previous owners. However, since I am speaking of day 1, there will be no picture yet, seeing as my dad and husband are actually picking it up as we speak. We had them hold it for two days, while we shopped around for other options. But if anyone asks, I will say, we knew it right then -- love at first sight!






Also at Good Will, we picked up these other treasures.



This chabby chic mirror for 5 bucks! One of my favorite things.




Two little tables, for 6.50 each, that we are going to completely fabulify. We also got an old vanity seat frame (or at least that's what we're going to call it and use it for!) for 5 dollars, which we will be making/purchasing a cushion for, a square dining room table (totally diner style!) which is great, sturdy, and surely will delight in holding our delicious things, for 20 dollars! And, last but not least, two most-likely-incomplete board games based on our favorite show, Friends. What a great stop. :)




We then hopped over to Big Lots, where we purchased the PERFECT room divider, a 5 shelf bookcase that will serve as a sectional to our living room and dining area. It was on clearance for 75.




We then grabbed two smaller 3 shelf bookcases, in the "black forest" color. These will be perfect for displaying dishes in the dining room, and for Dusty's school books and binders upstairs with his desk. 20 dollars each!

What a great day. There were even some things we liked, but did NOT get...



We ended our successful Day 1 by travelling to Alta Vista, to fellowship with some friends of ours from when I was young. The O'Callaghans lived in my hometown many years ago, and their son played soccer with my brother. Their daughter was also named Caitlin, and we used to play together, despite her being two years older. My mom and I visited them four years ago when I was planning on attending Liberty for my undergrad. It was wonderful to once again see their beautiful property, but in August, not February! We were able to relax, and enjoyed a wonderful meal and great conversation in their beautiful country home. They have a field full of goats, and will be having more goat babies this year! We are still in the middle of our discussions to take one as a pet in our apartment... :)

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We have been hard at work, and even now, I must return to paint up some tables and rejoin the decorating process!

P.S. I made the first meal in our kitchen today, a delicious sandwich with pesto and pepperjack cheese. I used our toaster oven for the first time ever, and I was extremely excited for such a simple task!

Talk to you soon.

In love,
Cait