Gilsters are getting festive.

What is the Christmas countdown to now, 26 days? Who knows…the only thing I do know is that I freaking can't wait. Although we aren't getting our tree till this weekend it's already beginning to looks a little like Christmas at the Gilster home.

Vest: F21, Sweater: F21, Boots: Steve Madden, Jeans: Volcom

By next week I'm sure we will be all decked out! Especially with all this rain coming in the next 4 days. For some reason Rain = Christmas in Southern California. Chai tea & hot chocolate, you're already calling my name..

a new challenge.

I've never been a naturally a clean person, just ask this girl, she was my roommate. I'm pretty sure my mom passed it on to me because she isn't either. This is going to sound spoiled which I promise I'm not but my mom always prioritized having someone come deep clean our house every couple weeks. When I was younger I thought it was great, never having to clean my room thoroughly?! An 11 year olds dream! Now that I'm older I'm realizing that it actually wasn't the great blessing I thought it was, because now that I have my own place I am a horrible cleaner! Paul is completely the opposite, he grew up having to help around the house which has made him a great cleaner. He is so thorough and I know it drives him crazy that I'm not.

So I'm putting my foot down, it's time to get down to business and master this art of cleanliness. If you are a Pinterest junkie like me you may have seen this "pin" titled "Keep your house clean with one chore per day." I clicked the pin, read her blogpost and was immediately on board. No more overwhelming days of deep cleaning our entire pad for hours! This schedule breaks everything down by day and only takes about 30 minutes (depending on size of your home). Her schedule is awesome, but I customized it a little to fit what we need.

MONDAY - Pick up house, each room. Vacuum all rooms.

TUESDAY- Bathrooms (deep clean everything) & Balcony.

WEDNESDAY- All surfaces, ex: Kitchen counter & floor, stovetop, microwave, dusting furniture.

THURSDAY - Organize & clean out any current problem area. This week it's our closet. 

FRIDAY- Pick up house, laundry, windows. 

So far I'm on "all surfaces" day and our apartment is already feeling so much better! Last night I tackled our bathrooms (tuesday nights getting crazy up in here). It's amazing how great a deep cleaned bathroom is. I told Paul about this new venture and he isn't holding his breath ;-) he is called this a new phase of mine but I'm out to prove him wrong! Happy Wednesday you guys, here is a new 618 film for your enjoyment :)


morgan//jordan - emma estate from 618 Studios on Vimeo.

iPhone life lately.

Well we are back in Orange County after 4 great days of visiting family & partaking in lots of eating. It's always bittersweet to come back to our home after a few days of spending time at our old homes. It's so refreshing to get away from the busy life of OC, but it's also refreshing to get back into your regular routine! Thanksgiving was uneventful for the most part, no turkeys on fire or any other craziness which was great. 

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1. Our new mid-century clock from none other than Target!! We've been wanting a clock for awhile but hadn't found the right one or one that we could both agree on. I love it!

2. Call us little kids, we spontaneously found a Ninendo 64 on craigslist and bought it! Last night was our first night battling each other on Mario Kart. Very healthy for our marriage.

3. The stache is gone!! Hallelujah. 

4. You know…my typical to-do lists. (yes I do both paper & digital). I hate that "pick up apartment" is always a part of them. If you have any tricks on how you consistently keep your pad clean I would love some help!!

5. Pizza with friends.

6. My amazing sisters hair stills. I can basically show her any picture on Pinterest and she will master it!

7. AND FINALLY.. #7. While we were in San Diego I ran another 10k!! Second one in 4 weeks, I don't even know myself anymore..

A Cali Thanksgiving.

A California thanksgiving must always include a post-thankgiving beach walk. It's been a tradition ever since I can remember. A perfect way to split up that "linner" feast & dessert. 

Paul's parents. I die.

Paul..feeling a little cranky, but cute in the mix. He.hates.pictures. 

AND if you noticed, don't mind his chester mustache. "Movember" will be over soon..or at least that's what I keep telling myself. Hope you had a blessed turkey day!

Happy (almost) Thanksgiving

What are your Thanksgiving plans? Tonight we are picking up Paul's little sis + roommate and all heading to San Diego. I plan on indulging in piles of mashed potatoes & stuffing, my two favorites! Skinny jeans please forgive me. ooohh! We also got some highlights of our Christmas shoot, our friends shot both digital and film, i.love.film. We're so lucky to have such great friends :) Check out their work.. www.blog.troygrover.com

We are also watching their little Kean this week while they are thankgiving-ing in Seattle. This dog is something else, we love him like our own. Yesterday we took him to the park to burn some energy, he thought rolling in the mud was way more fun. 

My sweet Lilly, I love you

Things are about to get emotion for today's blogpost which is rare because overall I'm not an emotional person. Yesterday I got a call from my mom which was usual because we chat everyday, we talk about basically nothing but it's always good to hear her voice. I expected an ordinary conversation like always. She soon broke the news that they are planning to put Lilly my childhood dog town today. The situation wasn't something that was out of the blue, it has actually been a long time coming since she is 14 and is basically blind now. The past couple years we've really noticed that she is slowly going downhill and even had times when we thought it was the end but would miraculously bounced back. Well, it looks like she was not coming back this time, she had been recently diagnosed with liver failure and was only suffering at this point :( Lilly my little fighter had given up (tearing up as I write this). I was only 9 years old when she became a part of our family (wow.), I still vividly remember the day we went to go pick her out. When we first met, I loved that she would playfully fight with the other puppies to grab my attention and made sure that I picked her up to hold her. Out of all the puppies, I knew she had to be mine. Sweet little Lilly.

Once my mom broke the news, I thought I was fine, no lump in my throat, no tears. Everything was ok, I just let out an "awe really? where are you going to do it?" (home or vet). We finished our conversation and I was still ok when Paul & I got to our apartment. We were hanging out in the office, Paul watching the Charger game and I was on Pinterest looking at crock pot mac & cheese recipes. All of a sudden it just hit me. My eyes were full of tears and as Paul turned to say something to me I tried to look away so he couldn't see. Unable to hide my tears I said in my squeaky i'm trying not to cry voice, "I'm just thinking about Lilly" .2 seconds later, I immediately buried by face in the nearest pillow to cover my face (I'm the world's ugliest cryer) and let it all out. I thought of all our times together starting in Elementary school when life was so simple. She came with me everywhere, horse shows, vacations, sporting events, camping, she was a part of so many childhood sleepovers, birthdays, holidays and family outings, I never realized it in the moment but looking back she was a part of so much of my childhood. I wasn't just going to be loosing a pet today, but a great friend. Something you never think about when you have a great pet in your life is the moment when you have to say good-bye.  **Ok had to take a break, Paul walked in and saw me as a blubbering hot mess** Blubbering hot mess basically sums up my afternoon/evening, maybe minus the hot. I never thought it would be this hard!! Especially since I haven't lived at home for 5 years now. I'm really going to miss my Lilly but will always looks back on our time with her fondly. We plan to bury her near the barn which was her favorite place in the entire world. I will always remember her face when we said, "wanna go see the horses?" All those hours I spent at the barn, I could always count on Lilly to be by my side soaking every minute in. Alright, I'm in need of a bath right about now, something about long baths and puffy crying eyes go together. I apologize for the long post, I'm sure you all think of me now as the crazy dog blogger now, but I'm justifying this as the daughter of a veterinarian, animals have always been a part of my life and she was the best companion I could ask for.

Sunday Love.

Scarf: F21, Chambray: Target, Jeans: Nordstrom Rock, Boots: Nordstrom, Watch: Nixon

I cant even remember the last time we had a weekend off at home. Normally when we do have a wedding-free weekend, we head down to San Diego to visit our families, but with Thanksgiving IN 4 DAYS?!? ..We decided to stay home :) I worked a minimal amount and experimented with new recipes. Also in recent news, we tried out a new church! Keep in mind that we weren't necessarily planning on looking for a new non-demonimational church, we love our current church, but have talked about it in the past couple months as we are wanting to find a place where we can become more involved. Our friends moved near us recently and they were in search of a new church in the area. It's a newer church that started a couple years ago, the congregation is small (only about 100 people) and full of lots of young families :) Coming from a large Christian church, Rock Harbor (members in the thousands), it was so refreshing to be a part of a small community again. We met in a High school multi-purpose center and fellowshipped. God's presence was so abundant. I feel so grateful that the Lord gives us the freedom of being able to experiment with checking out new places of worship. If you think of us, please pray that God leads us to where He wants us and where we can better serve & glorify His kingdom. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Make your house smell like pie.

Last night, after Paul & I got home from school (him school, me gym). I didn't have any plans for dinner (meaning nothing excited me on Pinterest) so Paul popped in a pizza, his go to dinner. Men. He somehow spotted my 10 pre-made pie crusts in the freezer that I bought out of hunger at Costco the week before. *Jusification* Holidays are coming and I thought I could make some pies for friends & family, Okay? I'm in the office & I hear, "Kelley, you should make some pie tonight." hint, hint. Minutes/debates later we had both decided on Pumpkin. We so festive.

This was my first time attempting pumpkin pie and let me tell you, it is no joke! Or as I companied out of frustration in the kitchen 2 hours later…"this 'ish is hard!" Pre-made pie crusts? You are not all you are made out to be. Pumpkin pie finally was ready 4 hours later, meaning it was midnight. Perfect timing. Honestly, it was just ok, the crust didn't do too well but this was just a side story to the real gem I made over-night. It's a Pinterest find and let me tell you, it's like heaven in yo mouth.

Image/recipe via Hungry Hippie blog

Cinnamon Apple Crock pot oatmeal - devine. 

Find the original recipe here. It's much more healthy than mine ;-) Here's what you do!

1 cup of steel cut oats

1 apple (peeled & cubbed)

2 tsp ground Cinnamon 

4 ounces of liquids (I did, 3 water & 1 2% milk)

Raisins to taste 

Basically just combine all that goodness into your crockpot, set it to low and wait 7 hours. We cooked it over night and our house smelled like Pie in the morning!! To give it some sweetness I sprinkled my bowl with brown sugar. All done!

First Christmas project.

I know I'm supposed to wait till after next week but I just can't help myself, the Christmas crafting has started in the Gilster residence! It's not a finished product, but here is the base of it and I think it's fun that you can even add some of your own personal details to it and make it your own.

Our DIY Christmas table runner :) 

What you will need…

- 15" faux wreathes (found these at the dollar tree!)

- Quart size mason jars (smart & final)

- Wire cutting scissors

- Small votive candles

- Any other fun accessories for your arrangement

You will find that the 15" wreathes are a little too big so we used heavy duty scissors to cut the wire & form it around our mason jars. In doing this it will make your wreaths look much fuller! 

Whalla!! You are basically done, it's a clean/easy project & looks really good. It's not 100% complete yet, I still need to go buy some candles to place inside the major jars & some sort of runner for our table. I'm hoping of scoring some lace doilies to use or just grabbing some burlap :)

Later, I added some of these bark candles that I got as a gift from Crate & Barrel. Pine cones could also be a fun addition to your Christmas runner! Now get crafting :)

We're going international!!

Now..I never ever in my wildest dreams thought this would happen. It was something Paul & I hoped and wished for, something that we would have never guessed a little over 2 years ago when we started our little business would happen. We are going to Australia! Traveling international for a wedding next November. Someone pinch us because we are still in shock..

About 3 days ago Paul & I were on our way to run errands, my phone email ding went off and my email robot-self immediately went for it. It was a new inquiry, always exciting. Opening one of those emails is always like a Christmas present, you never know what it's going to entail. I skimmed the form and my heart stopped. "Ceremony + Reception location? - Adelaide, Australia" I remember getting really quiet and all of a sudden I bust out loud to Paul, "Oh my gosh we just got an inquiry from Australia." My heat stopped again, I knew I couldn't get my hopes up. Paul often reads my mind and responded with, "Kelley, don't get too excited about this." ppsshh.. and he think he knows me. I wrote back a couple hours later basically convincing myself that we would never hear from them again, a day went by and I was now talking myself out of being disappointed. Until, we got a response the next day!! After looking over our they were still serious, they loved our work and had to have us even if it meant a 17 hour plane ride. A few emails later and it's official! We are feeling overwhelmed by God's amazing plan, we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into when we started 618, but he did. I imagine Him up there now looking down on us, shaking His finger while saying, "I knew of this all along."

Please tell me I'm not the only one.

Saturday marked our last wedding in 6 weeks and although I was hoping to feel a weight lifted from my shoulders immediately afterwards, instead I'm feeling the weight of our backlog resting on them…After spending too much time looking at our calendar, I came to terms with the fact that I'll be working thru our 6 week break. Ok, I think this is my 'I haven't gotten out of our apartment today' talking. Time to look at this in a positive light, "God thank you for blessing me with this wondering job and for the fact that I do have work on my plate" One thing that continually keeps me sane is "to do" lists. I love 'em monthly, weekly, daily? I'll take them all please! I actually find myself originally starting a monthly, only to break that down each week, and once I start that week, I'll break the week down to days. I don't know why, but I do.

I also…now please tell me I'm not the only one, but if I've completed something that wasn't originally on my "to do" list for the day (ex: cleaned the bathroom on a whim). I add it to my list to make me feel better! Sick, I know. I think this working from home alone is getting to me, haha.
Have a great week!! Here's a wedding film for you to enjoy :)

lookie..we've got Christmas card photos!

Well..just an iPhone snapped image ;-) It really pays off to have sweet/talented photographer friends! Troy & Aimee captured a few images for our 2012 Christmas card this afternoon. Can't wait to share some with you soon!

this & that. iPhone dump!

Time for a little iPhone dumping randomness. 

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1. Pinterest helps my inability to put together any outfit on my own.

2. THE LIME TRUCK? Have you had it? Sooo good. Food trucks are our favorite right now!

3. Breakfast for lunch? It just felt right. Oh hello pretty table, you're beautiful.

4. We did a little 2nd b-day party for sheepadoodle Kean, he's basically my nephew. 

5. Target did it again!! These chevron rings had to be mine.

6. Going back to a small purse changed my life. So light and convenient, I thrifted that guy!

7. Who knew how much my husband enjoys picking out the perfect card! Papyrus, you win.

our rainy night in.

RAIN!! Oh lovely rain, how I love thee. And what is the best part? It's staying around for the next 3 days. I made an impromtu spaghetti & meatball dinner tonight. Never made meatballs before in my life so I decided tonight should be the night. Next I lit an anthro candle and & waited patiently for Paul to get home from golfing, all while catching up on the latest "my drunk kitchen" Thursday when did you get so awesome?

be happy. make enchiladas.

Make these, eat these, love these. My step-dad's enchilada recipe, now passed down to me are basically is cat's meow (what does that even mean?). May I add that they also make for excellent leftovers too!

Ingredients

2 thawed chicken breast

1 can of cream of chicken 

1 can of large black olives

1 can of corn

2 cups of sour cream 

1/2 chopped onion (optional)

Cheddar cheese, the more the better!

La Valencia red mild sauce <-- it's a must

Corn tortillas, also a must

Directions:::

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring pot of water to a bowl, once boiling add both chicken breasts and cook until complete. While chicken is cooking MIX cream of chicken, corn, sour cream, onion, black olives (chopped), and however much cheddar cheese you want into a large bowl. I would say at least 2 cups (because I'm a cheese lover). Once chicken is cooked thoroughly let cook and begin to shred. I've found that using two forks to shred chicken is easiest. Once both are shredded add chicken to your mixture in the large bowl. NOW begin stuffing those tortillas. First coat your pan with a thin layer of La Valencia sauce (add flour if you want your sauce thicker). Once all tortillas are stuffed or when you are out of your mixture pour a generous amount of La Valencia sauce on top of all tortillas. Finish with more cheddar cheese, however much your heart desires! Cook with foil on top for 35 minutes, then remove foil for the remaining ten. These are seriously amazing!! Let me know if you try them :)

things to look forward to..

It seems like we have a lot to look forward to this week! First, this Saturday will be our last wedding our year. We've been blessed to be a part of 27 great weddings & this weekend will be #27. After that we will start our 7 week break till our next wedding of the new year! Between you and me, I'm really ready for it. I love shooting weddings, but around November my brain is praying for a break.

Second, is kind of a long story..if you've followed our blog for awhile you know that I grew up riding/showing horses. I come from a horse family so I was literally born into it. The first 7 months of her pregnancy my mom continued to ride with me in her belly. I love telling people that fun fact :) Well,  Paul & I have been throwing around the idea of having me lease a horse. It's been something that we have had to think about a lot mainly because of the financial aspect of it especially since we are entering our slower season of work. WELL...I'm so excited to be trying a potential horse for lease this Sunday! I'm trying hard to not completely get my hopes up because the opportunity seems too good to be true, I know that there are lots of factors that go into trying a horse, but my fingers are crossed that they all line up!

Third, we will be working on a new DIY home project this weekend. Here's our inspiration..

Framed chalkboard wall art.

Monterey weekend.

Each short trip of ours I always prepare Paul for the amount of pictures I'm going to take in order to capture our travels as a whole. I've yet to actually follow thru with my threats. These work trips are always such a blur, these were basically the only images we captured on our trip. So here you go! It was a great mini vay-cay, we snacked and listened to Bon Iver on the way up, dined on clam chowder & shot a great wedding. On Sunday we made sure to grab breakfast at our favorite Old Monterey Cafe before hitting the road back to Orange County. It was stress free and actually really fun. Paul promised me that one day we will actually travel to Monterey for pleasure and get to see things like their famous aquarium and explore more. Already looking forward to that future vacation!