yeah for mail

jovie our awesome mail lady came carrying oh so many gifts yesterday.  i arrived home to find not just one package but two.  don't  you just love getting something in the mail that isn't a bill?  i do!

oh the excitement.  JD and i opened our seed box and carefully went through our order.  4 types of sunflowers (for eating, attracting birds, and beauty), snow peas, snap peas, slam cucumbers, talon onions, sugar pumpkins, brussel sprouts, zebra tomatoes (and 4 other kinds) and zucchini (green and yellow) just to name a few of our purchases!  we went a little overboard this year and now need to dig new garden space to plant it all.   we also ordered a blueberry tree, a mulberry tree, and strawberries which won't come until the end of march when we can plant them.

for the strawberries we are thinking of building a vertical garden but don't have that fully designed yet.  i will let you know when we do.  next steps are building some cold frames and getting our gardening calendar all mapped out.  we have been pretty lax about this in past years, following a strict schedule on planting.  we have just tried to get plants in the ground with our crazy schedule; but this year JD is at the helm of the planting calendar and he is much more pragmatic than i am.

i also got the 2 black on black fir tree rolls of wallpaper that i ordered only a week ago - they were fast!  i am still waiting on the two rolls for the work room redo but hopefully they are on their way.  god knows we have the time, i mean we have a zillion steps to take care of before wall paper.  we are supposed to kick off the construction project later today (that is after puppy class and some more material shopping) but i will get back to that later.  oh there is never enough time in the weekends.  that is a fact.

until later.

being home

i was thinking yesterday about living so far away from "home".  i say it (well type it that way) because i grew up in PA and lived there until i was 25 - it is home to me.  there are so many things that i yearn for throughout the course of my days that are from PA; the yellow glow of the sky after a late afternoon thunderstorm, lightning bugs, crickets, and sunny cold days with piles of snow to name a few.

i spent the first three years living here just waiting to move back to PA or at least the east coast.  it wasn't that i didn't like it here, it was that it just wasn't comfortable and we were alone.  but since then JD and i have worked hard to create a home in a place we knew little about.  Ginkgo and Bamboo came to live with us soon after we arrived.  a few years later we bought a house and soon found Rainier.  now we are legally hitched, brought Baker into the family, and started focusing on turning this house we bought 3 years ago into a home.

each time we leave our house to visit family on the east coast i miss my fur babies and our home, our life.   but every time i get on the plane to fly back i cry because i miss my family and friends.  it's hard to be ripped in two, feeling like you belong in more than one place.

i have realized that although i have so many sentimental memories of my life there, JD and i are building new ones here.  so until the day we make the move to somewhere else all we can do is live in the moment and be the happiest we can be where we are.  this isn't to say that all those beautiful memories are lost, we just need to be cognizant of all the beautiful memories we are making today.

if you haven't already read about nienie please go check out her blog.  she got me thinking about the idea of "home".  her families story is one tragedy and daily triumphs.

JD always told his mom that his "roots" were in pots since they moved around so much as kids.  i don't know if i want my roots in a pot... i think i would rather stretch out like a big old tree.

the picture is from a family bbq at my parent's house - heaven.

work room redo

as construction is to begin next weekend, i have had the opportunity not only to think about the major redesign of the floor plan of our little house, but to start and think about how to pull the space all together with the decorating details.

with a house as small as ours i don't get a studio to myself thus the work room was born.  in this one room we will have my studio, our home office, laundry, storage, and pet stuff.  we bought a new door for the room (you have to go through it to get to the back yard) this weekend and i bought the new wallpaper last week.... now i want a wall decal to pull the room together a bit more and make it special.

all of the wall decals here are from one etsy store Single Stone Studios.  they have quite an assortment of decals and the only problem i am having is deciding which one.  i think it would be nice if it were something that could span above the doorway and just be a little something extra or it could be a vertical piece that stands tall next to the door way... i can't decide.  here are a few of their pieces i am considering.

a pine tree could be nice if the fir wall paper was located far enough from this room.

i LOVE this one but i don't think the room is big enough.  hmmm maybe i could think of another place for it.

this one might be a little too feminine for our shared work room.

i need to toss this around a bit before deciding... hmmm.

Step one - rip off drywall

this was step one - rip off drywall.  this was also last may.  yeah you read that correctly, last year.  we had big expectations then JD's sister got married, my sister had a baby, we were in PA for another wedding... oh yeah and we had that tiny task of planning our own wedding.  

well 2009 is a new year with new goals and expectations and this year baby those walls are coming down.  (please disregard all the crappy paint colors we selected NONE of them.)  today i ordered two glu-lam beams, some structural steel, a bunch of studs and some drywall.  oh yeah and a pocket door kit!  everything should be delivered next week and then it is game time.  i will be sure to update you with progress photos - because there will be progress.    

another weekend down

man oh man where do the weekends go? one minute i'm making a list of all the things that need done this weekend and the next i am taking stock of what was accomplished. there truly is never enough time even though we made a pretty good run this weekend.

JD and made a concerted effort on Saturday to FINALLY select our wedding photos.... whew does that take a long time. i will be placing the order tomorrow, i am proud to say. it may have taken us 4 months or so but we got some really great shots.

i also went and placed the order today for our first round of home improvement materials. we ripped the drywall off the walls separating our living room and kitchen almost a year ago and have made no progress in the project since then. well that has come to an end.... we will move on and soon. in a bonus note we found doors for our front and back door... so now the materials for the projects are starting to line up... whoooo hooo.

i also made progress on the stained glass projects i am working on.... and i finished foiling everything tonight. i will show you a prototype of what i am making this week.

puppy class was great. Baker took down a great dane (at least twice his size) during puppy play time and had to be picked up for a puppy time out. he has absolutely no idea how tiny he really is.

it was a great weekend. i need at least one more day though.... ahhh but i doubt i will ever feel there is enough time.

oh... and we ordered seeds and fruit trees too but i will save that for later this week. have a wonderful night all.

wren.

weekend todo list

remember when friday was the best day of the week?... it was the day of sleep-overs, riding the bus home to someone else's house, pizza, and staying up too late.  later in high school it was football or basketball games followed by a hanging out with friends (and eating pizza).  in college it was yet another night to go out with friends to the bar but now, although i look forward to fridays, it isn't as tantalizing.

now friday is a gateway to saturday and saturday's todo list.  the weekend contains all those things we just can't seem to get done during the week.  things on the list for this weekend (and i am about to warn you it is a completely unachievable list):

1.  select our wedding photos to order (yeah we got married in September)
2.  select photos for the new bedroom frame arrangement
3.  plan the late honeymoon to Hawaii (complete with booking airline tickets and reserving a place to stay)
4.  order the first round of home improvement materials
5.  work on stained glass - photograph for new etsy shop (not yet open)
6.  puppy class
7.  welding class
8.  quality time
9.  plan garden, select seeds, order seeds, build cold frames get supplies (yeah i put like 9 things in this one... but hey are you judging me)
10.  sew

that is just on the top of my head and doesn't include all the little things that need done like cleaning the house or doing the laundry.  really i truly believe we all should have 3 day weekends and get paid the same amount.  how am i to get all of this done?  really?

wallpaper - LOVE

ahh glorious morning.... don't you think?  no no i didn't win the lottery and yes i am at work, but i am also the new proud owner of some stunning wallpaper!  i have been hunting wallpaper for years but just balk at 100+ dollars a roll.  i mean... come on help a girl out.  then this morning as i was getting the day started (aka reading my daily blogs) Door Sixteen posted about a wallpaper sale at Ferm Living and i pounced.

i ordered two rolls of the black on black fir trees pictured above - well i don't know where those will be going but i am super excited to have them!  oh the possibilities.  i also ordered two rolls of the forest flower in silver (pictured below) for the remodel of the mud room into my studio.  oh happy day... wallpaper is on the way.  thank you  Door Sixteen thank you.  i too will now have awesome wall paper.

the sand, the sun, the surf

ahhh.... here i come.  JD and i just recently started planning for our late honeymoon.  we were married in september and drove from Seattle to western PA for the wedding so we could take Rainier.  i don't regret the decision to spend the majority of the two weeks on the road to and from the wedding, but it left us with no vacation left to take a proper honeymoon.  so here we are four months later planning out where to go... what to do... etc.  i love planning - i love lists, and charts, and options.  JD on the other hand doesn't understand why anything in life has to be planned more than one week in advance and then he grips when things "sneak up on him".  ahhh just one of those little quirks, or treasures of married life.

so back to the sun... we are thinking Hawaii.  i mean we live sort of close and is there a better place on earth to go for a honeymoon?  my requirements for the honeymoon were sun, beach, and cocktails to which JD suggested ICELAND (wtf).  i just looked at him with awe and then went back to tropic locations.  why a man would suggest iceland as a viable honeymoon location, i don't know but he did.

but we are going to be off to the islands in one of the next upcoming months.  it is crazy but it will be the first bonified vacation we have ever taken together - you know that isn't to visit the family, or for a wedding, or a graduation.  this trip will be just for us, and for that i am extremely grateful.

Smellin Good w/ Sweet Petula

i got some incredibly yummy Mediterranean mint hand and body lotion from my hubby.  he got it at a darling little shop here in Seattle Sweet Petula.  (she also has an Etsy shop where you can buy all sorts of wonderful bath and body luxuries.)  not only did i get lotion, but a wonderful hand made soap and a bath fizz thing (not its technical name but you know what i am talking about).  i am not a flowery lotion person so these clean smells are perfect.

Our President - Barack Obama

hail to the Chief!  the day is finally here.  new hope, new challenges, and a new outlook.  i welcome the change in this new year.  let's forge ahead and change this country for the better.

Here We Go!

Pittsburgh's going to the Super Bowl.  hip hip... Hooray.  I am ecstatic.  Go boys go...

baker update

i thought i would give you a little puppy update.

it has been two weeks since Baker came home to live with us... oh how i love that little monster.  this last week we have really started to find our rhythm and schedule and he is starting to get it.

Rainier is so loving and has become a momma bear.  she has been pretty patient with Bake and they do a lot (A LOT ) of playing together.  we have been continuing the walks and he loves them.  last night while on a walk we walked by a large St.Bernard and tini-tiny baker puffed up his chest and barked at the dog.  seriously what are you thinking?  that dog could eat you in one bite... he is way too funny.

the cat boys have come around to Baker much much faster than they ever did Rainier although he continues to push their limits.  he has already taken one cat punch to the face but still hasn't learned his lesson yet though.  i think we will keep him (as if it was ever an option not to).

tomorrow morning starts puppy classes which are 1 part for Baker and 2 parts for me.  puppy therapy i swear it works.  what could be better than 10 puppies of all different kinds in one room?  nothing!  i will report back and let you k now how we all did.  happy friday.

lucky me

lucky me... i received this print from my dearest hubby in my stocking this holiday season and i love... LOVE it.  this little baby has found a home on my bedroom wall on which i recently completed a nice grouping (don't worry i will show you later).  This print and the others below all came from Scarlet Beautiful 2 etsy shop.   and little did i know that she is located just down the road from me by about 35 minutes!  amazing.  not only did i get the bicycle print but this lovely forget me not as well.

 

all of these beauties are shot through a viewfinder which gives them this wonderful old quality.  now i want this one... come to momma.

 

the colors oh so vibrant i could go on and on showing you ones that i want next... but i have to stop.  so go check out her shop...and shop.

guilty confessions

as i was browsing blogs today i saw that Amy over at badskirt was confessing about her paint chip stealing habit.  which i think a ton of people do...  anyway she asked if we had any guilty little confessions...  so here is mine.  when walking the pups in the summer or fall i take seeds from people's garden.  i don't take them all... just a snip of one type here, another there.  all the while the pups sniff and i stash my new seeds in a doggie bag and no one notices a thing.  i figure if they are left there to blow where the wind might take them or a squirrl they just as well might end up in my garden.  who knows, someone might then walk by and assist the seeds in traveling to their little piece of the world.

stag hunting

seriously i love these and want them soooooo badly.  where can i get them?  anyone, anyone?  we have finally come together with an over all design idea for the house....  (no no we haven't finalized the plans yet).  however we do have a color scheme, we have some materials selected (in a very general way of course).  now we just need to start to implement our ideas... ahhh but that takes time and money.

so until we get the construction rolling - which should only be a few weeks away i want to find these plywood flat pack animal heads.  oh how i need them.

these metal deer / stag heads are pretty cool too.  they were found at Graham and Green.  they apparently had the plywood ones too but i couldn't find them.  girr...  so if you know where to get them... don't be shy... comment let me know.

30min... what would you take?

if you live anywhere near the pacific northwest you will know that we have been having crazy... CRAZY weather as of late.  first came the snow and it fell in record amounts.  now it's the rain and there is flooding and avalanches.  i went grocery shopping last night and many of the shelves were empty because we have been cut off from a lot of our food supply... not good.

so to get back to where i was originally headed...  because of all the craziness surrounding us JD and i were talking the other night, on the way home from work, about what we would pack if we only had 30 minutes to get out of the house because of some sort of evacuation.  i think we came up with a pretty good list.  our list is below.  What would you take?  What did we miss?
1.  the pets: Rainier, Baker, Ginkgo and Bamboo would be the first things into the car.  there would be no way i would leave them.  on an episode of animal cops Houston the other day they were showing rescues of animals after hurricane Ike... where people left their dogs etc and then had the nerve to say how much they loved them and wanted them back.... umm if you loved them that much you would have put them in the car...   ok sorry about that but geez.
2.  our computer: it has so many pictures on it and all of our stuff
3.  photo albums:  there are just too many memories in those photo albums to leave behind
4.  our camping gear: you know so we can have a place to live while escaping.
5.  food: for the pets and us.  yeah i know this should have been my number one but well these numbers can be moved around.
6.  water: everyone needs it.
7.  clothes: not any of the fancy things but the basic layers and layers.  items that can keep us warm and dry.
8.  christmas decorations:  yeah i know, i know.  JD said absolutely not... "if we are leaving we will need to pack every inch of the car for survival.  christmas decorations do not help in survival."  i completely understand that... but maybe i could take just one tiny box of the ones i love?  ha.  he just shook his head at me.

i guess i shouldn't even suggest that i take my fabric or my apron collection huh?  so that is what we would take, what would you take if you only had your car and 30 min?  would you pack for survival only or are there things you just couldn't part with?

jd's chicken fascination

yep you read that correctly.  JD has been trying to talk me into egg laying chickens for the back yard for about a year now.  he has a list of reasons why they would be the best thing since sliced bread... fresh eggs, great fertilizer, they only need a small area.

i am all about fresh eggs and great fertilizer (we grow as much of our food as we can in the summer) but we live on a small plot of land in the city.  i know, i know... there are tons of suburban farmers out there that plant their entire plot and have chickens - but i bet they don't have two cats and two dogs that would go nuts over chickens.

one day we will have a bit more land where the dogs can run and play, the cats can go outside, and the chickens can have a coop.  we will then have chickens.  until then he will just have to settle for store bought eggs and fertilizer.

in honor of JD's love of urban chickens i've created a little chicken wrapping paper for your use.  just download, print, wrap, and enjoy!  Click here for your free chicken wrapping paper

my version of the vogue closet dream

i am a fan of Martha Stewart, well the magazine anyway, and really i found tons and tons of inspiration in her wedding magazines for our recent wedding.  i can't say that i like everything they do and i think that a lot of the sets cater to those with more financial means than myself but hey that's how i have become inventive.

soooo she currently has this Behind the Scenes photo shoot to show all the little hidden stock rooms and inspirational areas for some of the major players @ the mags.  you can check it out here Martha Stewart - Behind the Scenes.

all i have to say is wow... this is so my version of the vogue closet.  i mean i like clothes, but no where near the amount i like house wares and decor.  if i had a day (cause i think i would need a day) to go through the different storage areas.... selecting the perfect pieces and decorations for my house... oh the joy.  i am just happy thinking about wondering through the storage rooms, sifting through the flat files, and trying to decide which type of decorative storage would look best in my new room.  it would be a day of heaven.

ahhh i will dream of it tonight and yes i know, i'm a dork.

tired eyes pillow

this weekend i am hoping to have enough down time to get back onto my sewing machine... i have a couple of started projects that need my attentions and i would really like to get some stuff sewn for that etsy shop i keep saying i am going to start.

these are some tired eye pillows i whipped up right before he holiday as presents for friends.  they are about 3"x6" each and i fill them with dried lavender (from my yard), flax seed, and barley.  they are wonderful when trying to de-stress from a long day and i store them in my drawer so i get the added bonus as a sachet.

puppyville

wow guys i have to tell you that i forgot about the sleepless nights with a tiny puppy and the clean up involved.  i know, i know they aren't kids but between last night and this morning it was a circus.

Baker has figured how to climb onto our platform bed and get up with us during the night... super.  So we have been correcting him and putting him back down.  He apparently needed to go out 3 times last night and still had an accident in the house... peeeuuuu.  Then around 5 this morning Rainier got sick and threw up from eating a house plant - super, and we had to contain the puppy... then Gingko also threw up around 7 once we were up... and to top it off Bamboo got in the fish tank last night and fried our DVR with the amount of water he spilled on it. So...a little recap

Baker had an accident... and 3 trips outside in the crazy pouring rain
Rainier got sick and threw up in our bedroom
Ginkgo also decided to puke...behind a chair in the living room
Bamboo broke the DVR

it was a fantastic night... JD is very frustrated with our animal population and i had to go to the dentist this morning.  man oh man do we need a weekend.  a big thanks to JD who does a lot of the clean up since my gag reflex is short tempered.

i will post a picture of the new baby soon... boy is he getting big and so quickly.  for now... back to work.

at work.

did you just ever have one of those days at work where no matter how hard you try and do work - other stuff just gets in the way?

that is today... as soon as i try and work, bam someone wants something non-billable from me.

ahhh but you all know what i am talking about cause well you are at work - reading this!

i will try again tomorrow - honest.

gardening time

no it isn't quite garden time... but i can't wait until it is.  we have now headed into what i think are the worst months of the year jan, feb, and march.  boring.... i mean seriously the weather is crappy, its dark (and we all know how i feel about the dark - blah), and it is cold.  so i ordered a seed catalogue which should be arriving soon.  when it does i am going to pour over its pages and dream about the fresh veggies that could be going in my yard.  i will scheme new ways to pack in more plantings and entice more birds.  i will have a better garden than last year.  bring it on seed catalogue i am ready for you... i will dream of green gardens bursting with veggies, fruit, and flowers.  when the first warm days arrive we will be ready.

the first walk

today i came home to find out that 6 week old Baker (well 6.5 weeks) took his first walk with Rainier today.  after inquiring about all details with JD he determined that i just had to see it.  so we ate some red beans and rice and then suited up for the 2nd walk of the day and his life... but his first walk with me.  our route was simple around two blocks... but the cuteness was overwhelming.  his little legs worked to keep up with Rains... if she stopped and smelled he stopped and smelled... if she stopped to listen he did the same.  he learned so much without even knowing what he was doing.  it was positively the best part of today.  this weekend when we go for what will be walks 7 or 8 people will point at us and giggle - it's just that cute.

step one... washer & dryer - check

so our slow crawl of a remodel took a step forward (i guess).  we purchased a new stack able washer and dryer for the house. (Ginkgo is modeling the dryer before we stacked them) they are super energy efficient and quiet (oh the quiet... thank you).  a quiet washing machine and dryer can't be over rated in a house as small as ours.  so the plan is to get the new w&d set up so that we could move forward with the remodel of the mud room which is to become my work space as well.  the issue is that i have our old washer and dryer in my tiny kitchen!  i do need the counter space but i feel like the house is filled up to my eyeballs.  we have posted them on craigslist but nothing yet... serenity now.

also as we have progressed with our house design we have made - oh so many changes to the mudroom to make it work better (all of which have yet to be implimented) move a door... reframe a wall... move the attic access hatch.  none of these changes are easy.  so we will start soon - but first please some one get this washer and dryer out of my kitchen!

Chocolate-Dipped Espresso Shortbread

i have had a couple of requests for this recipe so i thought i would share it with you all.  the recipe comes from "the best of fine Cooking - Cookies".

yields - about 7 dozen cookies (1.5" cut out shape)

for the cookies:
1/2 lb. (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. table salt
10 oz. (2 - 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. finely ground espresso beans

for the dipping chocolate:
9 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 Tbs. vegetable shortening

1.  Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), combine the butter, sugar, and salt on low speed until the butter combines with the sugar but isn't perfectly smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
 2.  Add the flour and ground espresso and mix on low speed, scraping the bowl frequently, until the dough has just about pulled together, about 3 minutes; don't over mix.
3.  Roll, cut, and bake the dough  - Roll: on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about an 1/4" thick.  Cut: cut out the shape of your choice trying to get one cut as close to the other as possible.  Press the scraps together, roll them out, and cut out more cookies.  (if the dough gets sticky - refrigerate it briefly.  Arrange the cookies on parchment - lined baking sheets and refrigerate until chilled, at least 20 minutes.  Bake: position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 300 degrees (F).  Bake the cookies until golden on the bottom and edges and pale to golden on the top, 30 minutes.  (Halfway through, rotate the baking sheets and swap their positions for even baking).
These cookies are done when the tops look dry and the color has darkened slightly. (pay particular attention during the baking of the first batch - since depending on the shape / size of your cut-out, baking time can very.

dip the baked, cooled cookies:
1.   set a sheet of parchment or waxed paper on a work surface.
2.  Put the chocolate and shortening in a small heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a pan of simmering water.
3.  Melt the chocolate, stirring, until it's smooth.
4.  Dip half of each cookie into the chocolate.
5.  Set the cookies on the parchment and let the chocolate set up at room temperature, about 2 hours.

Enjoy!  these are great with morning coffee or tea.

is there daylight anymore?

that is what i wonder these days.

i get up in the dark...
go to work in the dark...
leave work in the dark...
drive home in the dark...

the only time there is light is when i am at work... which means i take flash photography for this blog.  so i am sorry that i can't have beautiful naturally lit photos of food, projects, or the fur babies but i am at work then - my day job.  how do people in canada or alaska do it?  i need to move further south - not cause i don' t like the cold but because i need the light.

i am going to end up with one of those SAD lights... to get my vitamin D i swear.

happy new year!

hey everyone... boy are we off and running.  we started the new year with a bang, celebrating with friends and having a wonderful evening.  i hope all of you had a great time with family and friends.

yesterday we picked up the new pup and introduced him to the family.  ginkgo and bamboo aren't really sure about him at all and have been quite stand-offish.  only time will work that out.  rainier has been pretty accepting but this morning also pretty jealous.  ahhh but we will continue to work day by day to bring our little fur family together.

so happy new year.... here's to health, happiness, and family.