House without it's lid

It has been a crazy week. Work, wedding planning, interior designing and school... I feel totally drained tonight.

Luckily Bob and Steph called and invited us over to the hot tub...just what I need to recharge for the week ahead!!

Hopefully I'll have enough brain power to post something more interesting tomorrow.

Perfectionism

"Perfectionism's function is to keep people busy and cut off from their authentic emotional experience. When the mind is occupied and moving at a frenetic pace, there leaves little room to feel. Perfectionism keeps us externally referenced, perennially attempting to achieve what our culture deems as ideal, perennially walled off from the mysterious churnings of our internal lives. We live in a culture where we are trying to out-run the mystery of life. Because Westerners feel tremendous anxiety when they simply sit still, we will go to great lengths to organize our lives so that all available time slots are occupied by meetings and activities. We believe that if we consume ourselves with acts of doing, we can avoid sitting with the contents of our being."

"Perfectionism is, primarily, a need to control. And control is a mask, or protection, against feeling difficult feelings. Any time we find ourselves trying to control a situation it is because we are unconsciously trying to defend against feeling our grief, fear, helplessness, loneliness. "

- excerpted from "The Conscious Bride"
[ via www.consciousweddings.com]

Summer clean-up

I've been doing some clean-up here at the blog. I posted a new picture over on the right in my profile. I also broke up my links into people I know online, daily inspiration, design blogs and interior design. The inspiration and design blogs are ones I visit everyday.

Wedding plans are on their way. Andrew and I are going to look at two places this week. I spent all day yesterday at work looking for photographers. Holy cow they are expensive!!! I'm also trying to work out a design for our invitations etc.

My summer school class starts tomorrow....yucko. It's pre civil war American history. I don't like history. Hopefully Andrew's love of history will help me get through the class in one piece.

First Impressions

Okay.... work with me here.... This is what the front porch used to look like. This picture was taken about a month after we moved in, June 2005. (can you believe we've been here a year!!) Notice the very, VERY ugly and filthy brass, colonial porch light. Also notice the very tacky, fake lead house numbers and flowers on the side window. (You can't see the numbers because they are behind me.... but trust me. They are ugly.)



Here is the porch now. New porch light and frosted glass with numbers. Much improved I say! Next step is a new door. (I am dying for a new door!!! I hate this door.)




Here is what Andrew has been doing with his time.

House before:




House After:
A finished stone wall on both sides of the stairs, hostas on each side of the landing, two new boxwood shrubs (via bob and steph's yard when they were making room for the new hot tub) and ivy in the rest. Can't wait until the ivy fills in.

Day 4

Had to go and introduce Andrew to the new bundle of joy! She is so adorable and smells so good!! Can't get enough of her.


Note: knitted baby blanket #5. Got this one done in record time... 2 weeks. 3/4 of it while we were on vacation in North Carolina.

Introducing....

Madelyn Clare Schaus
6lbs. 5 oz.
18.5 inches
Born, May 25, 2006 - 1:21 PM

Mom and Dad did AWESOME!!



I woke up Thursday with a message on my phone from 5AM. It was Denice telling me her water broke around 2:30 AM and they were at the hospital. I was up, dressed, walked the dog, and out of the house by 7AM. I got to the hospital about 8AM. I got to see Denice a couple minutes before the epidural and then it was the waiting room for me. It worked out good though because it gave me time to try and hurry to finish the baby blanket I'm knitting for this new baby.

After an 11:30 update from Stephen I went out for some lunch. When I came back from lunch I tried calling Stephen....no answer. Turns out it was exactly 1:21....when Madelyn was being delivered! By 2pm I couldn't take it anymore and asked the nurses station for an update. When I walked in there was the baby!!

She is totally adorable with dirty blonde hair with a hint of some curls. She slept and slept and slept.


Congratulations Denice and Stephen!!! And thanks for letting me be a part of it all!!

It's Coming!

Denice's water broke at 2:30 AM! The Baby is coming! Stay tuned!

Commercial Project

Here are the photos from my final project in Interior Design II. It was my first commercial interior design project, an 11,000 sq. ft. office.

Floorplan


Lobby and Workspace finishes


Lobby Close-up


Break Room finishes


Break Room Close-up


President's office and Executive conference room finishes

Time to catch up

Please excuse my absence...after the engagement I was in a mad dash finishing my architecture project, Interior Design 2 project and AutoCAD final. I'll post pictures of my projects this week.

Andrew and I have just returned from the beaches of North Carolina. We were there to celebrate his brother Matt's (and Matt's finace Elena's) graduation from NC State.



We had a fabulous time relaxing, eating, drinking, and laughing with Andrew's extended family. I wish the beach had been a little warmer...but the view was worth the cross-country drive. More pictures to follow...

April 28, 2006

This is what I was greeted with when I came home from work today....


I thought Andrew was trying to cheer me up from a crappy day.... turns out he was...but not how I expected.


He was on one knee and I said yes... here's the bling that sealed the deal! =) Andrew had it designed just for me...... ("one of a kind, like my girl" he says....) =)



To top it all off Bob and Steph graciously organized a last minute celebration that was totally awesome! All my favorite foods were there.... cheese burgers, macaroni salad, cheetos, mac & cheese and shirley temples!!! Steph was up until 2 AM making the most incredible cake!! It was fabulous and hopefully she won't have to stay up that late to make our wedding cake! Thanks Bob and Steph and thanks to all our friends who came to celebrate with us. It was truly special to have you all there!!




P.S. Happy Anniversary to Andrew's parents!

Happy Earth Day Baby Schaus

Andrew and I hosted a very important Earth Day Baby Shower for our dear friends Denice and Stephen this past weekend.

Rachel came from the far away land of Chicago for the occassion....


It was a girl thing of course...


but boys were there too...


don't forget the dogs....


or the cupcakes...and tulips...


Steph wins the award for most creative and excellent photographer!!!

A spring of flowers

Mother Nature has been busy blooming in our backyard...



the Redbud is busy blooming in the frontyard....



Andrew has been busy gardening.....



and building a new stone wall in the frontyard.....



Keith dropped by for a visit to tell us he and Shaili are expecting a baby in October!! CONGRATULATIONS KEITH AND SHAILI!



I'm busy keeping up with school. Less than 4 weeks left!!

Happy Belated Anniversary!

Andrew and I don't really have an "Anniversay" per say... We've never really decided on a specific day, so instead the entire month of March seems to become our anniversary. In his usual fine form Andrew got me a gift certificate to a spa... so I could get a massage after my mid-terms. =) AND, he even let me go out with a friend that night to see KT Tunstall (who rocks! you should all check her out!).

I suppose my point is that I didn't really recognize our special month for Andrew. I was too busy with school and my new job and getting a massage and hanging with my friends... (goodness I am an awful girlfriend.... )

So I just thought I would take the time to say Happy Anniversay Andrew. It has been 3 years and each year keeps getting better. I can't wait to see what this year brings us. =) hugs and kisses! =+ I love you very much.


P.S. I'd like to give a quick shot out to my friend Alex. (check out her blog, The Infertile Gourmet) She is in South Africa and has just had two healthy little fertilized eggs placed in her belly. Please send her (and her husband David) lots and LOTS of blessings so we can be sure that these two little eggs will keeping growing into two healthy little babies. Thanks!

Good News!

My mom called to tell me that she thinks she has talked my brother into bringing his family to see me this summer. YIPPEE! That means that I get to see my family...but most of all I get to see my little nieces!!

I can't wait to take them to the City Museum and the new Children's Garden and to see the super huge dinosaur at the science center!! Having them all in my "first house" all together is going to be awesome. Thanks Mom!! (and Mike and Kelly!)

This is....

Della watching the Nova episode on Bowerbirds.


the t-shirt my Dad sent me in the mail this weekend. It says, "Just Chillin' Purity Ice Cream Ithaca, N.Y." I love it. I've been feeling a bit homesick for N.Y. and this is a nice tidbit to remind me of home...


my new favorite co-worker.... Shamus. I was meant to work with a yellow lab. =)


last but not least... these are Andrew's raised garden beds...still in progress.

Condo/Small business

Here are some full pictures of my last Interior Design II project.





Hmm... I guess you can't see my drawings so well... maybe I'll take some close-ups later.

Feeling really run down this afternoon..... I have lots of drafting to do but I really don't feel like doing anything. Might go take a nap. Sick of this cold weather... Bah humbug....

Spring is here!

Sorry I've been MIA... Last week was mid terms and I was drawing, drafting, coloring, cutting and gluing up to my eyeballs! It's all over now and I'm relaxing...looking at the daffodils in the back yard.





I forgot to take photos of my boards before I handed them in but here is a little glimpse.


This project didn't get the response my last one did...=( Guess you can't be the star in the class every time. I really liked parts of my project..I was a little bummed that it didn't get more compliments... I'll post pictures when I get it back.

Our next project is my first commercial project. At first glance it seems a bit overwhelming...and I'm not that excited about it. I hope it gets better though because I think it would be easier to go into the commerical industry rather than the residential industry.

Andrew is busy planning our garden for the backyard. We have WAY more seeds than we know what to do with. He built some fabulous raised garden beds.


That's it for now...

Disco Dog

You have to see this. =)

Tree

"Praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and sorrow come and go like the wind.
To be happy, rest like a giant tree in the midst of them all."

~ Buddha

It's been a roller coaster the last two weeks. Interviews, offers, rejections, mismatches, matches made in heaven and disappointments. Looks like I'll be staying at the hardwood showroom for awhile. I've worked twice and enjoy it quite a bit.

I've had some heavy discussions with friends, family and myself in the past week. Something about interviews and having to "sell" myself brings up alot of insecurity (a.k.a. anxiety). At the same time I have been getting a lot of attention at school for my good work. I feel like I'm going from 0 to 60 on the confidence gas pedal every other day.

The best advice I've gotten so far was from my friend Hasmuk, who happens to be an architect (and a very wise yogi). I was telling him about all the guilt I carry around about my career choice. Struggling with the feelings of interior design being materialistic, shallow, environmentally irresponsible and often socially challenging. Hasmuk reminded me that when I feel this guilt it's really my "ego" talking. It's the ego who wants to feel like it is doing the right thing. It's the ego who worries about what it "should" do and what expectations it "should" be living up to. The EGO is BAD! This is something Siddha Yoga tries to teach it's students....but alas...I haven't been a very good student lately!

But this all really clicked for me. I get too caught up in defining myself with my career. Hasmuk says, work is work. Go to work, do a good job and then that's it. There isn't any more to it. It is what it is....it's not me... Which isn't to say that I can't enjoy it or be passionate about it. But I let my "ego" trick me into thinking that it's all there is. No more Ego...I've gotten smarter now. I'm going to "rest like a giant tree..."