well, I would blog more...

except I'm currently buried in a couple feet of snow! It is getting a little ridiculous here in Wisconsin. We have run out of room to pile it... My back is broken from all the shoveling... And I have got a mean case of cabin fever... But enough complaining! I have been busily making lots of cookies. My favorite molasses cookie recipe, lime meltaways, peanut butter cookies, and Angelettis.
I also made buckeye bars last week for Eric's family's Christmas. And it's funny. Because my favorite is still the molasses. You cannot beat that recipe. Thank you Martha. Although I do have to say I did not like the Angeletti cookie from her website very much... So she's not right all the time!

So tonight we're having Christmas eve here with Eric's immediate family. Although it might just be a few of us, because (of course) it's snowing again. I think I may go out and take a picture of our mailbox (it's buried in a 5 foot pile) before the freezing rain that's coming this weekend washes it away. It truly is a sight to see!

it's all christmas-y up in here

Yay for first real tree! And pretty outside lights!
Almost feels like I'm a real adult?? Scary...

Wedding updates...
I almost feel like I need to do a checklist on the blog or something. Because I have gotten a ton of stuff done... but nothing that I can really take pictures of. Hmmmm...

Well, I can say that I have reserved the reception hall, reserved a block of rooms at the site, ordered invitations, ordered most of the stuff for decorations and favors, picked out a dress (maybe), finished the wedding website, and narrowed down the cake decision... So that's a start, right?? I also delegated flowers to my mother (thanks mom!) and the DJ choosing to Eric (he needs to feel helpful, right?). So I have a small sense of accomplishment. For now!

So what's left? I need to find a guestbook, finalize photographer stuff, figure out ceremony stuff, find somebody to marry us(!), order rings, find something for Eric to wear, think about hair and make-up, and talk to somebody about what I'm forgetting!! Not to mention addressing all of those lovely invitations that are on their way. Yikes!

something in the air...

I haven't talked much about wedding plans... But the time is drawing near! We finally set a date. May 9, 2009. So that gives me less than 6 months! So as I go along here with my planning, I will try to post some of the fun stuff. First off are my first attempts at Martha Stewart pom-poms. I'm planning on making a bunch of them to hang all over at the reception. Should be pretty!

I stole this quote from Obama's website. Because I feel like it epitomizes why I care so much about our new president. Now I may end up being way off base, but I truly feel that this man has the integrity to do what IS RIGHT FOR THIS COUNTRY. What is good for all the people that live here. What is right for this planet. Not just what lines his pocketbooks, or helps special interests. What truly is right and just.

I told Eric last night (between tears) that I finally feel like it would be OK if we had kids now. That they could at least grow up in a country where someone is trying to do the right thing for them. And thinks of their future. I cannot say how excited I am to see the direction this country will move in now.

Yes we did!

pyrex and all-wheel drive

These are the latest and greatest... I especially love the snowflake dish. And speaking of snowflakes...Now that I traded in my car for something with all-wheel drive... I'm sure we won't get any for a long time! No, seriously according to all the best sources (The Farmers Almanac), we're supposed to get more snow this year than last. And since I got stuck in my own driveway several times last year... I decided it was time to suck it up and buy a grown-up car. Although I guess you can't really call it a "car" per-say. It's an '08 Nissan Rogue. Used though. And with my trade-in and everything, between the payment and insurance we'll save almost $200/month. And hopefully stay out of the ditch! I was SO sad today to leave my car behind though. I really loved it :(

Ah well... The sacrifices we make to live in the suburbs!!

curtains

More from the Ikea trip. I love this fabric because it lets a nice amount of light through. Almost like a printed shear. Kind of busy next to the Amy Butler fabric covered lamp shade. That might be my next project...

a new project

Eric's mom moved a couple of weeks ago, and we inherited some stuff. One of the things was this dresser. As you can see by the first picture, I couldn't leave well enough alone. I sanded and painted it, and changed out the knobs. I like how it came out, although it's not what I originally intended. I had painted the dresser part a green color a couple of shades brighter... And it turned out horribly. I still think I may paint the dresser part a different color eventually. I do like the color of the drawers though. I was thinking maybe navy for the other color? I would like to eventually tie it in with the color of the little bedroom, and put it in there. Maybe with fabric like this? It's from Amy Butler. Hmmm...

there's a cake in there

And it has 7 minute frosting on it... yum!

Do you know what I'm celebrating?? Brewers made the playoffs of course! Go crew! A delicious cake on a brewers blue plate should help them make the world series, right? Right.
Now if you don't hear from me for a few days, It may be because I'm sleeping off my sugar coma...

pyrex update

Eric picked this one up tonight... What a sweetie!

This one was thrifted last weekend, I feel the need to make bread...

And these lovelies were a serious splurge. For my birthday, I'll tell myself!

ikea-ized

Success.

I am wondering however, if the stripes are too much with the floor... But the chair, oh, the chair is perfect. And it's actually comfortable! I need to sew a cover for that cushion quickly though... That white is mighty boring. I got a few more trinkets too.










And this isn't even all of it :)

happy birthday to me!

Wanna see what I got??

An iPod touch! Fantastic! It's a really cool little toy... I just need a wireless router now to see what it can really do. Pretty bad-ass though, huh??

newest obsession

You may be asking yourself... Is she overly concerned with hydration? Perhaps, perhaps not.
But either way, they sure are pretty, no?

I want a whole flock...

LOVE this pattern.

Tucking this away in the back of my brain for someday... Sigh.
For now I can live with just this one!

(and maybe some of these, and these too!)

cough, cough, cough, sneeze, sneeze, sneeze

I have no idea what my problem is lately. I don't get sick for literally years, and now I have some kind of crazy cold/cough/sinus horrible thing. And I just had strep-freakin' throat in June. So I apologize for a post that looks about how I feel. Crappy. I had intentions of posting pictures of the rib-smoking that went on here last weekend, but I'm just too lazy to go find my camera. In the meantime... Send wishes of vitamin C and sweet nyquil dreams...

wanting...

To go to Ikea!




Desk chair (cushion is begging for some fun fabric)









Matches my kitchen table and chairs












Love the black and white one ($12.99!)











Fabric for curtains??






Looks like a trip down I-90 may be in my future...

Carsten Charles

Strangest thing. I was listening to AM 1310 on my way home from work the other night (weird, right?). And I won Brewers tickets. It was trivia, even! I guess now I'm an "official" fan? So anyways, we're going to another game tonight. Hopefully it will turn out better than the last game we went to...

I NEED photoshop.

Seriously need it.

You can see that I was trying to blur the address on this really cool stamp I ordered to celebrate homeownership. Which is a huge pain in the ass to do with any of the editing stuff I have. I'm not even sure why I care, because I'm pretty sure about 2 people read this blog, but you just never know what kind of internet werdos are peeking at it. Anyways, I digress. I NEED photoshop. And a DSLR camera. Seriously.

What really got me thinking about photoshop was thinking about the wedding (pictures). Right. Did I mention I'm engaged? I think I did once back in March, but then moving, new job, home-buying, etc. kind of kept me busy. So now is the time to start planning and such. We're going to look at a place tomorrow to maybe have the reception. It's a different kind of place. A barn of all things. It seems like it might meet our needs though. More updates soon.

Stauffachers :)

"C" is for...

I guess "kitty" doesn't really start with a C.

Been a busy week so far... Summer has a way of doing that, doesn't it? Sunday we went to a going-away party for Eric's sister Jenni. She's moving to Texas! Brave girl. I couldn't move out of state... Had a hard enough time with Milwaukee, obviously! We got to spend time with the whole Stauffacher family, and that's where we got to see the cutie above. Yesterday we drove to Milwaukee after work to catch the Brewers get beat by the Cubs. Nice. It was embarrassing. Then we got to finish cleaning our apartment there. Last time we ever have to worry about a security deposit! Yay! And tonight we're going to see the newest Stauffacher... He was born Monday, so he's still a brand new little one. Hopefully I'll have some pics later. He's a cutie from what I've seen so far.

And it's only Wednesday! This week seems like it's 2 weeks long!

sheets are here!

They rock! Now I just have to figure out what to sew with them...

I was thinking maybe an apron, maybe the edging on a valance, maybe a wristlet... Many possibilities. Elizabeth is posting new projects on her blog too, so I may have to try some of those! Even the card she tucked in the package was cute!

The little wire it's hanging on is something I finally got Eric to help me put up. It's from Ikea. Supposed to be for hanging curtains, but works beautifully for pictures and such. Thanks, Amber for the idea... Now I just need to work on making my craft room look as good as hers!

this corner makes me happy!

I can finally put out my treasures! I LOVE how everything is turning out in the kitchen...

sewing corner

Ahhhh...

Finally, a little space just for my sewing stuff. It doesn't have to share with anything else! I can't wait to do some projects. This room is just begging for curtains, but I think I'm going to wait and get some of Heather Bailey's new fabric when it comes out later this month. I also need a little valance or something for the kitchen. I'm going to wait on that until I paint in there though. I'm worried it might end up looking really dark in the kitchen with the new paint color, so I might need a lighter window treatment. We'll see. I haven't quite worked up the nerve to start painting the kitchen yet. There's SO much trimming and edging to do in there. Cabinets, countertops, weird wall angles, etc. Should be loads of fun!

2 down, 4 to go

I'm so proud of myself! Yesterday I got a bug up my ass and painted the entire spare bedroom upstairs myself. It's the room for my sewing machine and our computer right now. I picked another Martha Stewart color and the match is pretty good. It is a little overwhelming right now, just a lot of green with nothing to break it up, but I'll hang some stuff up and add some curtains eventually.

I am LOVING a couple of new fabric collections right now (for curtains). Heather Bailey has a new collection, and Anna Maria Horner has a new one as well. Check out the link for Heather Bailey's... I love the music that goes with her slideshow! Now I just have to figure out which fabric stores in Madison will carry these beauties, maybe I can save myself the shipping costs.

I was noticing how it looks kind of goofy just having a picture of the paint color with nothing else in the picture the last two posts, but you'll have to bear with me. The rooms are still a MESS... Once I have this place put together a little more I'll put up a bunch of "after" pics.

Progress.

For the first time either of us have ever painted, I think we did pretty darn good. We decided to do our master bedroom first. Here's the color. It looked green as it was drying, but it turned out pretty darn close to the chip. I'll post some more pictures once we put the room back together.

In other house related news, Eric mowed the lawn for the first time today. I love the smell of fresh cut grass, and even more when I know I don't have to cut it!

Happy Birthday dear Eric,

Happy Birthday to you!

what a week...

Well, we closed on our house Wednesday and moved Saturday. I finished working in Milwaukee yesterday. Yikes. I feel like I haven't sat down in a week! Our house is a disaster, boxes everywhere. I'm going to try to make a dent in them this weekend. Have to start painting too!

I think the thing that I have learned so far about owning a home is that the work will never stop. There's a yard to mow, weeds to pull, things to fix, walls to paint, etc, etc, for 30 years! But at least it's ours, right?

I think I have a problem...

more pyrex of course

Just a pretty dish I picked up this weekend. I have guilt though, cuz it's just one more thing to pack!

We went to Ikea today to pick up a kitchen table and chairs. We ended up getting a different one than I had planned, but it's bigger and even has a leaf! We were laughing on the way home because I said that having a table with a leaf made me feel more adult than being engaged or buying a house...

vintage fabric swap

As I've been hunting for pyrex lately at various thrift stores, I've also been looking for fabric for a swap over at Oh Fransson. I finally found a piece of vintage fabric (it's not a sheet), but I love it and I'm mailing it out tomorrow! I only had enough for 8 fat quarters, but I figure 8 in return will be plenty. I have enough fabric as it is! I'm hoping to get some really great stuff in return though. There are some really cool ones in her Flickr pool. I love this one the most, but there are a lot of really cool fabrics. She also promised some projects on her site, so I'm looking forward to that as well.

I'm also looking forward to being able to sew something again! I can not wait to move and have my life (and house!) put together again. We close Wednesday. I can't believe it's less than a week now. Yikes!

pyrex and such

More Goodwill finds.

Can you see how dark it is behind these pictures? I took them at about 3pm today. There are hella thunderstorms and tornadoes here today. Fantastic! Hopefully we won't get blown away :)

*edited to add...
Well, we ended up spending about 45 minutes down in our underground parking area. I HATE tornadoes! Thank god Eric was with me :)

I covet these.

Seriously.

Via Apartment Therapy ohdeedoh.

this is how much I love him...

And all his many hats...

I'm missing you, honey.

technology...

So my computer crashed the biggest crash possible last Sunday. Had to go to Best Buy and get special discs ordered and get COMPLETELY wiped off. Yuck. Teaches me for not backing up my stuff, huh? Ah well, what are you going to do? But anyways, it's back now, not too much harm done. I think most of the pictures I love the most are salvageable from one web place or another (thank god for Flickr and Picasa). I'm still in the process of putting all the settings back to where I want them. But other than that... Not too much is new.

I did manage to read two books from the library this week between working 14 hours of overtime. Amazing what you can done when you're not sitting in front of your computer, huh? I also managed to find out that one of my co-workers' brother is a manager at Sherwin Williams, so we're getting a great deal on paint. And I'm having them color-match my colors from the Martha Stewart line at Lowe's (which are soooo gorgeous). So that's a nice piece of news. Now I just have to figure out how to paint! It can't be that hard, can it? Always looks easy on those HGTV shows, right? Hmmm...

wanna see it?

It's lovely.

It doesn't seem real yet, we don't close until July 3rd. I just hope everything is OK with the inspection and final financing. So nerve-wracking, you know? The yard looks much better now than in this picture. The grass is greener and the trees are budding. I'll take more pics (I stole this one from the MLS listing) when we go for the inspection this week. We went to Home Depot yesterday just to walk around and price stuff, and all I could think was that it was finally appropriate for me to be in that store... Being a "homeowner" and all :)

We'll see how happy I am in a couple of months after painting the thing and paying a mortgage payment!

who's a homeowner?

I am!!!

new obsession

As you may have noticed, I've taken up a new hobby... Collecting vintage pyrex pieces. Just what I need, right? More breakable stuff to have to move! But really, when you have a fiance like Eric who enjoys frequenting flea markets, auctions, rummage sales, thrift stores, and so on... You almost have to find something to poke around for too. While he's looking at records and ugly (don't tell him I said that) furniture from the 70's, I'm pawing through 5 million old plates, mugs, vases, etc. to find...
These lovelies. I have a bunch more, but these are my current favorites. You like? We're going to this awesome rummage sale in Brookfield this weekend too, so I'll post more if I find some. Check out the Pyrex Love pool on Flickr to see other people's much cooler pieces too...

House update: No news is good news? They have until midnight tonight... *holds breath*