the un-post

This is not really a post… it is a brief late night shout to remind all of my lovely blog friends that I’m still alive over here.

It seems that the wedding planning that seemed to be so seriously easy and non-time consuming seemed so because A) I had been delaying starting some things at the appropriate wedding-planning-bible instructed times and B) I was blissfully ignorant of the fact that I was rapidly approaching the “LESS THAN 3 MONTHS LEFT” mark. I have now said hello to the 3 month milestone, I waved at it as it whooshed by a week or so ago. I must say things are still very under control and not at all insane, but I do have some decisions to make and projects to work on in the next few weeks. I think that for me, having a deadline that is actually visible on the calendar makes it easier to complete things without getting so easily distracted. Shocking, I know. I should also point out that this timeline is also mostly driven by my mother who, to use her own words “doesn’t want to be doing everything in August”. Take note that the wedding is at the end of September so there will definitely be things done in August, and probably September too. Being the good daughter that I am, I’m trying to do as much as possible early to ease my mother’s mind and come September I’m sure I’ll be looking back and thanking myself for it, so everyone wins.

Hmmm, other than that I have a couple crafty things in the works… to be posted when I actually complete some/one of them… I also have been seriously busy at work, reading my blogroll, watching reality tv and finishing my latest book. Gotta love those crazy Europeans.

On that note, it seems like time for bed again. Goodnight moon.

scooby snacks…

The title of this post is a song by fun lovin criminals… I would not know it but Adam included it on a road trip mix that I recently stole and have been listening to on the way home from work.  I do love a mixed cd. :-)  Unfortunately for me, once I hear a song - especially one with a catchy chorus - I pretty much remember the words forever… and they get stuck in my head like whoa.  And this is not really a song that you can sing along to except for the chorus, so I’ve been singing the only 10 words from it I know.  Yes, for the better part of the last few days I’ve been running around robbing banks all wacked off of scooby snacks, thanks Adam.

The point of the this post, however, is not to whine about the songs stuck in my head, but to share my recent crafty escapades.  First, I had a free night the other weekend, so at 9pm I started some pajama pants for Adam which had been cut out and were waiting to be sewn in my project bucket:

I think that for my first Adam sewing project they turned out pretty well.  He wanted them even longer but I had to stop the insanity at some point… if he really wants them to cover his feet I could always bust out some super-size footed pajama pants one day.

Next, I made a reversible tote bag from a pattern I found online at Loula Louise, I used some Alexander Henry fabric that I had won on Ebay and I have to say I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, being my official first bag and all:

Thanks for holding it up for the picture babe!  I took it home to show my mom and she thought it was cute, so I went ahead and passed it on to her, I hope she uses it!  Up next I’m going to draft my own pattern for some cushions for the chairs around our table (they’re a weird shape and nothing commercial fits).  I’m going to use some Ginger Blossom Fabric that I just bought and I think that when they’re done they will look lovely around the table.  After that, I’m going to work on the small version of Amy Butler’s Frenchy Bag before moving on to the bigger version and also work on my first dress for summer, out of a simple little New Look pattern I found at Joanne’s the other day.  Wish me luck!

At home for a weekend!

I have been busy and I haven’t posted anything here in a long time, so today is catch-up blog day. The past few weekends have been crazy busy, we’ve been to Gastonia, Jacksonville, all over Raleigh, etc. It’s nice to be at home for a weekend with no big travel plans to get in the way of my internet surfing or crafty time.

So anyway, in April we went to Gastonia for Adam’s step-mom’s 40th birthday and we got to stay with our friends Josh and Sharla and their new baby Jackson.

He is adorable, of course, and Josh and Sharla are awesome parents, of course. We had a lot of fun playing with him and hanging out with the new parents… I still think Josh needs a baby daddy shirt though! We also went to Applebee’s for lunch - where they not only do not offer the lunch special on weekends that we all wanted to order, they also didn’t offer what I ordered on Saturdays and so instead of asking what I wanted instead, the waitress handed me a plate of food and literally said to me “We don’t have what you ordered on weekends, this is the closest thing.” Seriously. It was not close. I still love going to see Josh and Sharla and in all honesty we’ll probably end up at Applebees next time we visit - it’s a love/hate relationship and we’re optimists about it.

Last weekend we drove to Cullowhee for Mikey’s college graduation - yay for Adam and his brother both being done with school!!

We had a good time, walked around Sylva Saturday afternoon before the graduation and shopped a bit with Adam’s dad and step-mom Diana, and went out to dinner afterwards with the whole family (Adam’s mom, step-dad, grandma, grandma’s husband Wayne, dad, and step-mom - his family is kinda large, but more about that later). Mikey seemed relieved to be done with school finally and seemed to be excited about the camping pack that we got him as a graduation gift. We had to drive home after dinner since we didn’t have a hotel room on Saturday night, and we ended up getting in around 2am. Needless to say we waited to do Mother’s Day until Wednesday when we wouldn’t be tired and grumpy.

Ohh, I was just handed scrambled eggs and bacon by my wonderful fiance… I’ll be back in a bit!

We booked our Honeymoon! :-)

We finally made a decision about our itinerary and got a quote we were really happy with, and a few days after our wedding Adam and I are headed to Costa Rica!! I’m just about to burst with excitement, not to mention the fact that it’s one more thing checked off the list which is always a plus in the world of wedding planning.

Wednesday we paid the deposit and officially booked our honeymoon with Cecilia at the AAA in Raleigh, who is really sweet and patient, I would definitely recommend her if anyone is looking to book a vacation in the future.

So now the fun part… details! We’re going to fly into San Jose and spend the night there in a luxury hotel, then transfer to Arenal (the site of one of the 10 most active volcanos in the world) and stay for four nights at the Arenal Kioro and then head to the west coast to the Guanacaste Province and stay for four nights at the Paradisus Playa Conchal, an all-inclusive resort on the beach. The picture above is actually from the restaurant at our hotel in Arenal, all of the rooms have panoramic views of the volcano! We have transfers and drivers arranged between all the locations and won’t have to rent a car and drive ourselves (apparently driving in Costa Rica is not the most relaxing experience in the world). While we are staying in Arenal we have already booked a Hanging Bridges tour and a Zip line tour, so we should have plenty of chances to explore the rain forest surrounding the volcano. Part of the reason that I like Costa Rica is that it hasn’t been completely engulfed by tourists yet and they’re doing a good job of enforcing sustainable tourism to preserve their natural beauty. It also doesn’t hurt that the dollar is strong there and they are famous for their hospitality. There’s still more research to do on side trips and restaurants, but we’ve got a lot done already and I think it’s going to be amazing. I just wish it was less than 5 months away!

We’ve also been working on the registry and we still have to pick out our formal china, which Adam graciously told me that I could pick out and if I need to I can just show him the two options I need help deciding between. Who saw that coming? He’s been awesome with all the other stuff and doing his hold the scanner job very well, so I have no problem taking care of that one on my own, especially since he recently told me that all flatware and china look the same to him. They’re all so different and it feels like there are at least 500 different choices! Men, gotta love ‘em.

This weekend is Adam’s stepmother Diana’s 40th birthday so we’re going to Gastonia for her birthday party and we’re going to stay with our friends Josh and Sharla and their newest addition to the family, baby Jackson! I’ve been reading all the updates on their blog but this will be the first time we see Jackson in person, and Adam and I are very excited to meet him. Don’t worry though, I will not be catching the baby bug until we have at least gotten married, have a house, and have maybe gone to Europe, haha. I might catch the Pottery Barn Bug though, Sharla has the best decorating skills of anyone I’ve ever met, her house is like stepping into a Pottery Barn catalogue and everytime we visit I come home wanting to buy all new furniture. This is where the house we’re buying next spring will come in handy, wink wink. Speaking of Gastonia and it’s natives, we’re leaving right after work tomorrow, so I suppose it would be smart to get my stuff together now… goodnight folks!

patchwork dreams and popcorn skies…

I bought a very interesting crafty book the other night at barnes and noble called Pretty Little Patchwork. It’s a collection of patchwork sewing projects from a handful of well-known and new craft bloggers. I’ve been interested in quilting and patchwork projects lately without a solid idea of what exactly I wanted to do or where to start. I was initially drawn to the picture on the cover and the fabrics used in the various projects inside. They are decidedly more modern and useful patterns than most of the ones you tend to see in craft books, not that I’m totally against all traditional projects - I think that they have their own special place - I just don’t like the idea of spending so much time on a project that doesn’t seem to fit my style/decor/etc. I want to make things that I will want to use and look at and appreciate even after I’ve spent all my free time constructing them, not throw in a corner and forget about. And there are actually useful things in this book! Like cute little patchwork sachets, placemats, clutches and lovely belts! Just look at a couple of the examples from the back of the book:

I can say that I’ve already pegged some things as possible house-warming/birthday/Christmas gift possibilities. I’m also excited about the clearness of the instructions, at first glance it looks like a lot of the projects are a good options for a beginner and not quite as time consuming as a gigantor life-size quilt would be. Since I have no experience with patchwork I think it’s a good place to start… I’m excited to make something lovely for myself, and now I’m off to peruse the fabric selections online for something just right to start my patchwork escapades with. Ta-ta for now!

I am a palindrome - and proud of it :-)

Palindromes are fun… basically, they are spelled the same forwards and backwards.  Some people take this too far, such as the person who wrote: “As I pee, sir, I see Pisa!”.  But it still makes me chuckle

The apartment cleaning was a success, mostly thanks to my awesome m0nky, who helped clean the kitchen and bathrooms and vacuumed and did all kinds of other wonderfully helpful things… thanks sweetie!  We had thirteen people over for dinner last night and since we had cleaned we had plenty of space for all of them.  Ginny brought awesome potatoes and jen brought green bean casserole and I roasted an elephant of a pork loin and wahoo, dinner!  That’s all for now folks! 

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It’s Spring! Clean everything immediately!

So I offered to host Tuesday night dinner next week a couple days ago for variety of reasons (someone needed to do it, we hadn’t hosted the weekly onslaught in a long time, I want to cook something tasty)… one of the reasons is also that I have an urge to get my living space cleaned up.  In a one bedroom apartment you get one living space, and it tends to fill up quickly with a book left here, a drink over there… 500 bridal magazines to which I go for inspiration for wedding planning.  These magazines are a collection of ones given to me by friends that are done with them and ones I’ve bought myself.  They are numerous.  They have taken over half the couch and an ottoman.  They are a problem.

 I had an interesting experience when I mentioned to Adam the other day that we really needed to straighten up the apartment this weekend and his response was ”Ok, it would be really nice if we could use the WHOLE couch again.”  As in, sit together and watch a movie without wedding paraphanalia crowding us to one side like homeless people at a bus station, or have people over and actually be able to offer them a seat.  Hehe… oops, sorry sweetie! 

 In my defense, we have hardly any storage space, it’s a great apartment layout, but lacking in interior storage, we don’t even have a linen closet… and hell no I’m not putting that stuff in the outdoor storage unit!  But there is a bookshelf that can probably be re-organized to fit the planning materials, and my sewing and crafty bits could be reigned in a bit as well.  Basically, things will sort of move around in a circle and the change will make me happy (and Adam too!).  My new Singer Touch and Sew that I got for Christmas will have a home that is not our dining table and the geckos will be out of their dark corner and closer to the computer desks, where they will get more attention and possibly feel more loved, which is always good.  There is a plant in the office area also, so maybe they will feel like they’re in the jungle.

It’s going to be a busy weekend with all this organizing and cleaning, plus a trip to AAA on Saturday morning to get some honeymoon quotes and a cooking class at A Southern Season.  I think the end result will be more than worth it though.  I hope to feel much more relaxed when I come home from work and am not surrounded by stacks of random things all over the place, a clean house is always lovely to come home to.  Anyway, that’s the plan… Wish me luck!

Hannah in Savannah!

Hello blog world! I signed up for this blog about a month ago, but I am a busy woman with less free time than would make me happy, so I am writing now. Besides, it’s hard to find something interesting enough to warrant a FIRST BLOG POST. No normal mundane “today I had a bagel” post will do, it needed more spicy. No worries though, I just got back from a 3-day weekend trip to Savannah w/ my best friend Cheryl, who is probably one of the coolest people I know, so here we go…

We had Friday off of work for Easter so we left in the morning and started the 5 hour road trip south to not only Savannah but the outlet mall of awesomeness at Hilton Head, which is about 45 min outside of Savannah. The outlet trip was not as successful as some others have been but I did score a lovely dress from the J Crew outlet and a couple shirts from Banana Republic without managing to put too big of a dent in my wallet, bonus!

Our hotel in Savannah was right on the line between happy fun city and scary creepy place, but it was very nice on the inside and clean, plus it ended up being within walking distance of everything we wanted to do so we didn’t have to try to find parking all over the city - double bonus! We went out to dinner the first night and were tired so we ended up back at the hotel before 12am and fast asleep, until 2:30 in the freaking morning when the fire alarm of death woke us up with a sound and strobe light effect that I’m sure was not neccessary, even in the event of a fire. So after grabbing our purses and hoodies we walked down four flights of stairs to stand in the street in our pjs and watch our hotel not burn down b/c there was no fire (there never is). It was interesting to see how many people decided to get fully dressed and even bring luggage down, instead of hurrying out of the hotel to safety… I know that the hotel is never really on fire, but I feel like everyone should hurry out to satisfy the 0.05% chance that the flames are coming. Nobody wants to be the one who has to jump out the window into the parachute, right?

So day two consisted of sleeping longer than we planned due to the fire drill the night before and then heading out to explore the city. Savannah is lovely, especially when the temperature is in the mid-seventies and it’s bright and sunny outside. There were gorgeous flowers everywhere and everything was nice and clean and most of the people we encountered were nice and friendly. We ate lunch in City Market close to our hotel and then took a trolley tour to see the sights and take some pictures. There were tons of really pretty older houses and parks, and our trolley let us hop on and off at all the stops all day long if we wanted too, so it ended up working out pretty well for us. My favorite highlights would have to be Forsyth Park and the houses, I’ve always loved the wide wrap-around porches and the pretty paint colors on the houses that towns like Charleston and Savannah are full of. Here are some good examples:

After we were done hopping on and off the trolley for most of the day, we shopped around for a little while on River Street and then stopped back at city market where we found a nice lady in a little art shop and I bought a print and a tiny painting to take home as my souvenir of Savannah (I’ll try to add a pic later). Pretty pictures are my favorite thing to take home from my vacations, that way when I am old and gray and I can sit at home and be surrounded by memories of all the places that I’ve been to over the years. We went to a Scottish Bar on the way back to the hotel for a beer and an afternoon snack and then we hung out and relaxed for a bit before we headed back out for shenanigans on our last night in Savannah. We ended up having a great time and Cheryl got loads of compliments on her new glasses, which are damn sexy if I may say so myself! That’s pretty much the end, since we had to get up and start heading home in the morning, over a huge bridge that I had to make sure to take pictures of for my M0nky (it’s what I do):

Disclaimer: Blog posts this long are not to be expected, they are to be savored… mmmm, tasty