Projects!

Thought I'd take a minute to share the latest fruits of my labors. My super-rad friend Kristen has been teaching me how to knit, and I've finally managed to squeak out some actual projects.

Blanket for my cousin Amber's baby, Sarah:


Bikini for my other cousin Laura's baby, Zoey:


Back view of the bottoms (how much do you love butt ruffles on babies??):


I also dragged out the ol' sewing machine and whipped up these two sofa pillows with some fabric that I actually ordered for a different project but decided it wasn't quite right for:


All these projects took way longer than I ever would have supposed, but all in all, I had a blast making 'em. I've never considered myself particularly crafty or domestic, but I'm finding it surprisingly satisfying to have a creative outlet.

The Big 3-0

So. Yeah. I'm not really big on talking about it, but I turned thirty the other day. Here are a few pics...



At the Cheesecake Factory. FYI, the kobe burger and the lemon roasted chicken with mashed potatoes are DA BOMB!




Some of the super cute cards I got on the mantle. Thanks to my peeps for sending them. My fave is the Twilight one featuring a (as always) very hot Edward on the front, courtesy of my super cool co-worker, Kristen.




My hunny got me this cake. Very sweet of him, although I can't help but point out that he got me HIS favorite flavor (red velvet)... but it's the thought that counts, right? It's not his fault that he's a boy.

All in all, I had a pretty good time. And I've decided it's not so bad entering a new decade in my life. I'd certainly rather be thirty than fifteen again. And the alternative to aging is death, so I guess I'll keep on aging as long as I can.

Our House -- Interior Photos

At long last, here are some pics of our new home! I got it as clean and decorated as it's gonna get for a while since my mom and grandmother were coming for a visit, so I managed to snap a few pics before it could get messed up again. The photos are pretty poor quality thanks to my crappy camera and lack of light (it was about 10pm when I took these), but I hope you enjoy them nonetheless!

Master Bedroom:













Master Bath:




Guest Room #1:




Guest Room #2:




Upstairs Guest Bathroom:




Front Entryway:


Dining Room:


Living Room:






Kitchen:




Downstairs 1/2 Bath:


Laundry Room:

Tick Tock...

Let me assure you that pics are coming!! However, I'm still in the process of decorating our house so that it actually will look a real place where people actually live and one that will be worth showing to you. Most of our rooms contain little to no furniture and nearly every wall is bare at the moment, but I'm working on rectifying that situation little by little as our budget allows, since we have guests coming next month (and hopefully many more after that)!

Thanks everybody for your interest and compliments!

Our New Digs

We've been in the process of purchasing the above home for about a month, and now it's finally ours! After much scrambling on the parts of ourselves, our real estate agent (the fabulous Lisa Smith of Keller-Williams), our mortgage lender, and the hardworking contractor under their employ who worked tirelessly until the eleventh hour to make our not-quite-finished house liveable, we were finally able to close on Friday, Jan 22nd. The process was pretty much as I thought it would be, with the minor exception of the final handing-over of the keys. Turns out the keys were hidden on the property and we were informed that we'd have to retrieve them our own darn selves. Oh well. A bit unceremonious perhaps, but all the same, we got the house and now it's ours forever (or at least until we default on our mortgage, heaven forbid).

We moved in the following day, which was surprisingly manageable since we decided for once to spring for some professional movers. What a inspired idea that was! All our stuff arrived safely and our freshly-painted walls are virtually unmarked. And best of all, my piano is in one piece. Ever since, however, we've been enjoying the seemingly endless thrill of unpacking. I will post some photos of the interior of our home as soon as we can get all our stuff squared away and start decorating a bit.

My sister, Amy, and her husband, Andrew, are coming this next weekend to help us get that process started. Bless their kind hearts for being willing to help us line shelves, paint, wallpaper, hang pictures, etc.--i.e., all the stuff that we dread doing ourselves.

In the meantime, we are loving all the new space that we now have, Kenneth included. He is having such a blast exploring every nook and cranny and has been so busy, in fact, that he's nearly forgotten to bite us during the last 48 hours. Here's hoping that this is a trend that sticks.