Le Pergola!

Day One:

Before

Hole Digging

Mr. Haire wins an award (to be determined) for digging these holes on his own. They are 2 feet deep and that is AZ soil you see. Basically concrete. 

Posts are in! 

(note: my cement carving did not last the next morning)

Day Two: The Dudes Arrive

Tools with Coffee...

These guys rocked that pergola. Pat almost lost a thumb to Richie's drill, but there was nothing but laughter, advice and good ol' chummin' that happens when hungover guys start on a project together.

Working hard for their beer

Mad props to Jackie and Megs for coming over and helping me make MASSIVE sandwiches for the guys, and helping me supervise and drink some booze. 'Cuz that's what you do on a Saturday afternoon at the Casa de Haire. 

Tools with Beer...

I am so thankful to have friends that will come over, kick some major lumber ace for a sandwich and beer. I hope we can repay everyone that helped with a similar act of kindness! Watts, your next!

No Longer Waiting...

I feel like we wandered into this new year, hoping for everything to change for the better. This includes our quality of life, reaching our goals, creating new goals, improving relationships with each other and our friends & family and everything in between. When we entered with all these hopes and dreams, we realized the only way to reach them is to stop waiting for them to happen and start making it happen ourselves! If people join in and help along the way, great!
So, to get to the point, we love to spend time outside, however, in the summer, the brutal AZ sun can prevent that from happening... unless you prune up in the pool the entire day slathering on SPF 90 and drinking cervezas (that actually doesn't sound so bad right about now she says at 9:19 am). So what are we going to do about that? How are we going to improve our quality of life? We are building a pergola this weekend and expand our living space 10x12 feet! We have been talking about this for over a year now... since we have moved into Casa de Haire really. So, finally, we jumped in feet first and started the project! Lumber was purchased, holes were dug and we already have the way too tall posts cemented in the ground. We are rounding up the troops to complete it this afternoon! Hopefully these tough dudes have it completed in enough time to enjoy the shade it will be creating, and maybe a celebration beer or two.

For right now though, I will share this little gem. It will be covered eventually I am sure, but we will always know it is there.

(note: this was destroyed the next morning by one Joe Watt. Thanks.)

Our new spot...

My dear sweet parents bought the Mr. and I a wine club membership to a local Wine Bar just a few miles away, Vine Expressions. The first time I visited this little spot was with my parents and I could not wait to share the awesome experience with Pat! The guy that helped us each time was VERY knowledgeable and allowed us to try some wines before we made decisions on buying bottles or drinking by the glass.

The atmosphere is pretty great, couches galore that create little semi private living rooms suitable for large groups or couples. The coffee tables offer reading materials and snugly blankets if you like (I have not used them... kind of freaks me out). The outdoor space is very nice with gas fueled fire pits and cozy seating too!
The wine selection is wonderful, they feature AZ wines too, but I have not had the opportunity to try one yet.

The food there, from what we have had (CHEESE) is good. We did order the Italian Flatbread, and well, not anything to write home about. The the "flatbread" was whole wheat... which was strange, because if we are drinking wine in excess and eating massive amounts of cheese, health is not at the forefront of my mind.

The last time we went we were more than a little disappointed with the slow service. I think if we had ordered a bottle of wine, and enough cheese with extra bread, we wouldn't have even noticed the lack of attention we were receiving because the live music was wonderful.

We left a little cranky, but I know we will be happy to go back and give it a go for a 4th (or is it 5th?) time.
I would recommend checking it out, but don't go with expectations of a fast meal, go to take your time, relax and buy a bottle!

New Year: Resolutions

I am not one to make New Year Resolutions because nobody ever keeps these resolutions, right? Well, I have decided to have a few, just for some motivation and hopefully start some habits. If I write it down, perhaps it will hold me accountable!

• Create crafts at least once a month
• Finish my afghan
• Finish my cowl 
• Start an Etsy Store - products to be determined
• Eat Cleaner and Healthier
• Workout more regularly / including yoga 2 times a month
• Blog at least 2 times a week
• Stick to a budget
• Answer my phone more often

Seems pretty easy right? 
Stay tuned.