The magic of joint compound

Exhibit A: Textured plaster above my living room fireplace. Yuck..I hate it. I spent several days researching online and offline about how to get rid of it.





Exhibit B: Me spreading drywall joint compound over textured plaster.



Exhibit C: The finished first coat of joint compound above my living room fireplace. Go me!! I know it doesn't look that smooth in the close-up, but Hey...it's my first time! Not only that but after a little wet sanding this morning it looked much better. Tomorrow night is coat number 2 and hopefully this weekend....coat number 3, the final coat! Stay tuned!

Surround Yourself with High-Energy People

[Steph and me at the Parker wedding, June 2005]

"Choose to be in close proximity to people who are empowering, who appeal to your sense of connection to intention, who see the greatness in you, who feel connected to God, and who live a life that gives evidence that Spirit has found celebration through them."

[via The Power of Intention Cards, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer. I was already familiar and fond of Dr. Dyer but I first discovered these cards through Ali.]

Mr. and Mrs. Parker

Congratulations Leigh and John!!
What a gorgeous, GORGEOUS Day! 83 degrees, sunny, light breeze, low humidity. I love Missouri in June! The wedding was a blast! Here are some more snapshots:


[That's me on the far left, Michele, Leigh (the bride), Bridget and Rachel]


[Here are the groomsmen: Matt and my cutie pa-tootie Andrew]


[Here is a polarid of me and Andrew that was for the wedding guest book. For some reason Andrew and I are awful at managing to get our picture taken together. We've been dating for over 2 years and I swear we have like 3 pictures of us together!! Hopefully the one the wedding photographer took will come out well and we can get a copy. ]

The D Lounge

Friday....1:3oam.... Bachelorette girls night out.... Nice veil Leigh! =)

Oh...and note that I have no idea who the girl in the middle is. Steph, on the left, made friends with her in about 2 seconds and scored us a table in a standing room only bar. Go Steph! The night was actually a blast! It's been a long time since I had a girls night out. I have high hopes for the wedding reception on Saturday.

anxiety shades

[Kula and Della wait in the "safe zone" of the apartment as we move our stuff out. June 2005]

I feel, how Kula looks...

I'm sitting in the dining room listening to the neighbors across the street angrily yelling at each other, house (or maybe it's car) sirens going off down the street, my laundry tumbling in the basement. 2 of the sounds make me anxious, 1 sound comfortable... anxious wins.

I'm adjusting to this neighborhood faster than I thought I would. (excluding tonight...) I've enjoyed taking Kula for walks and looking at all of the unique, old homes. Sometimes it reminds me of being in Savannah, Georgia. So much character.

And then I hear stories from friends in the neighborhood about friends of friends in the neighborhood getting mugged at their door and shot in the head, although they manage to survive. These are not the stories I want to hear...although I try to stay rational and realize that this can happen anywhere...even in the suburbs...right?

I've spent the entire evening staring at shades and drapes on this computer....and still no decisions. This is why I tell myself I can not become a designer. I can not seem to visualize what will look good and what will not. Then the buyer's remorse kicks in just thinking about making a purchase. If only I was as good at decorating as I am at being anxious.

Before & After

I'm back online!!! (a big thank you to Andrew's brother Matt.... who assisted us over the phone from a beach in North Carolina) Oh how I've missed you blogger!

A super BIG thank you to our friend Alex who gave us the most valuable advice this morning. She told us to immediately go home and unpack everything, empty all the boxes and put things away. Then pick only one room at a time to renovate. Stay focused on that one room! Do not stray or else you will end up in a very dark and dreary place where you are yelling at each other over who got plaster in the bed.

We followed Alex's advice and I feel 1000% better! I was so overwhelmed this morning I was having a panic attack. But now the place feels so much more homey and functional and I am feeling way more positive and optimistic. Alex, you rock!

When I downloaded my pictures from the camera tonight it said I had 91 photos! Holy cow! It's already pretty late tonight so I don't have time to start from the beginning but I know everyone is dying to see photos of the house so I will start with what I think is most interesting.

Here is a before and after of the kitchen. It is the only room we have painted so far. (This is going so much slower than I imagined!)


Here is a before and after picture of the living room. The before is the seller's picture, the after is a picture I took tonight.


Check out the bounty from my hydragena bushes! (people pay $3.99 a stem for these at whole foods!) And the doggie was my purchase today from our weekly antique run.



Evidence of Sara's green thumb.... Andrew and I got 2 of these flower pots at Crate and Barrel last night and I courageously planted both a perenial and some annuals in the same pot... I have no idea what happens once winter comes but for now I think they look pretty good.

Hi, my name is Sara and I have no closets.

Sorry everyone! I know you are dying for pictures but the cableman stood Andrew up yesterday. =( He isn't coming back until Saturday! Actually....I'm already getting used to not having the TV around...and I kind of like it. =)

Yesterday the security system was set up and the fridge was finally hooked up with water! Now Andrew has all the filtered water in the fridge door that he could possibly want.

If you happen to be shopping for a house of your own soon....here are some things to ask yourself (especially if you are buying an older home.....(my "new" house is 97 years old)):
1. Do you like going up and down stairs?
2. Do you like closet space?
3. How many outlets are in each room and hallway?
4. Where are the light switches and what do they turn on?
5. How wide is the vanity sink in the bathroom?
6. Do you like having level floors?

These are all things I didn't think about when looking for a house but have become enormously bothersome to me in 3 short days.

Some things I enjoy that I didn't expect:
1. The large picture window in the living room.
2. The thought of having a living room without a TV
3. The fireplace mantle.

The house is still a disaster area. I have a feeling it is going to take quite awhile to get things organized. The lack of storage means having to be really creative and that takes time. We haven't even moved everything yet. Our pantry of food is still at the apartment!

Hopefully I'll be able to post pictures on Saturday. Until then send me good thoughts of fabulous organization and storage solutions.

2 days and counting

I had every intention of writing something wonderful last night but it turns out that they turned off our internet connection a little sooner than we were expecting. So, it looks like a won't be posting for a bit...hopefully not too long.

Things are going well. Andrew has had extraordinary amounts of energy and has been carting stuff down to the house every evening. I have been busy packing up the rest of the apartment and the stuff never seems to end!! We are both tired but excited.

Keep your fingers crossed that it does not rain on Saturday. Lots of our very wonderful friends will be coming to help us move all of our belongings and Saturday night will be our first official night sleeping in the new house.

I promise I will take lots of pictures and post as soon as I can!

Welcome to the neighborhood

Here we are at the house on Friday letting Kula check the place out. Dig the curved wall. I'm standing in what was the dining room looking into the living room.


So far we have only made 2 trips to Home Depot, 2 trips to the grocery store, 1 trip to the veterinarian's office and one trip to Sherwin Williams. (After a bad day on Saturday, Kula finally appears to be feeling better.)


I cleaned the bathrooms and kitchen while Andrew cleaned the living room and dining room. Andrew also used his mad skills to install a kitty door for Della leading to the basement (a.k.a. home of the litter box).


Today I pruned the Redbud tree out front, swept the basement and the backyard and trimmed the plants creeping into our parking area.... I'm not sure what Andrew did...

We also emptied my storage space, hung a flag on the front porch for Memorial Day and met many, many friendly neighbors.

So far the only down points for me have been the overly shady backyard and the overly active kids playing kickball in the alley. Oh wait..and the super disgusting bathtub I had to scrub for about an hour.

Tomorrow we are off to the Gypsy Caravan to look for treasure!

It's Time!!

[Andrew's moving truck, Fall 2003]

It's time!!! Tomorrow at 9 am Andrew and I will spend an hour signing our names over and over and at the end they will give us a key to a house!!

Tonight we went to the house for our final walk through. It was so weird to see it empty!!! It was kind of sad. I really liked the way the previous owners had decorated the house and it felt alot colder without any stuff in it.

I also noticed a thousand more projects I want to do!! Wow...I am going to have to learn really quickly how to pace myself and my bank account. So much to do!

I'm not even sure I will be able to sleep tonight...I am so scared and excited about going back to the house tomorrow! I can' believe I own something so big and complicated!!



It's been a rough week back to reality from the very peaceful Little Sugar River Farm. Kula came back from the kennel with a nasty rash on her back and acting really weird. She had the saddest face I've ever seen. She wouldn't eat, play, or get out of her crate. All she did was drink a ton of water.....and then Tuesday night about 1 am she peed all over the living room floor..... and then did it again Wednesday morning. Turns out she came home with a urinary track infection. =( I'm not sure if she just caught it out of stress....or if there was something about the kennel.....but between a rash and an infection I'm not sure we will be taking back there again. This is stressful because we are running out of kennel options. We've elimated 2 now that sent her home sick. I already felt guilty enough about boarding her....now I feel even worse.

Work has been stressful too. New boss...new project....new cube.... However one really awesome thing did happen at work this week. My coworkers surprised me with a Happy Housewarming card and a gift certificate to Home Depot!! They totally got me... I had no idea! I almost cried. =)

I will try to keep posting regularly...but my attention will be diverted to the house. I plan on taking tons of "Before" pictures....and hopefully lots of beautiful "After" pictures fairly quickly. However, there will be a week where I will be without an internet connection so please bare with me while we get the new place up and running.

Wish us luck!!

Little Sugar River Farm

Friday Andrew and I headed to the Little Sugar River Farm in Albany Wisconsin for our first vacation since Christmas. I discovered this little piece of heaven from Jen Gray. The pictures on the farm's website look great but the place is even better in person! The house is absolutely gorgeous!!! It's also so cozy, calm and relaxing. The farm had everything I was looking for and so much more.... two friendly dogs, funny chickens, blue sky, sunshine, sandhill cranes, ruby-throated hummingbirds, fabulous bike trails, tasty organic salad greens, a porch swing.... I think this may have been the most relaxing vacation I've ever had.

Thank you to the owners Frank and Nancy for making our stay so easy and comfortable. For anyone looking to get away from your phone, tv, computer, chores and errands, this is the place.

Here's Andrew making us dinner...


One of the chicks that provided us with breakfast...


A view of the house...


Me and Teva relaxing and knitting in the sun....

Hunger pains...

I am so tired..... and hungry... Andrew you must come home right now or I might starve to death before you make it back.....

Mother, cover your eyes...after all the nice things I said about you yesterday, one thing I didn't learn from you was how to cook. I am a disaster in the kitchen. I hate it. I LOVE to bake...HATE to cook. I can reasonably only last 3 days on my own. Baked chicken, pasta, and DiGornio frozen pizza. That has become the extent of my culinary skills. Very sad, I realize this....but we can't all be good at everything. Tonight I ate half of a yucky bowl of some sort of microwaveable asian noodle dish. It was not good...and I'm still hungry.

I'm thinking of buying this book. I found it at a fabulous home store I discovered tonight called French General. I've been thinking about having my own store someday for a couple years now. Remember how I was schmoozing the owner of Sycamore Moon the other day. Every so often this dream rears it's ugly head...and this is one of those times... maybe some day something will come of it.

A super big Yippee!! to Naima who won America's Next Top Model. She was my favorite all along. Now I normally try to stay away from learning life lessons from reality TV shows.... but I must admit that something from this show has stuck in my head recently.

If I don't believe in myself, no one else will either.

The biggest thing holding me back the last 5 years has been lack of confidence. I either need to pull myself together or end up being 80 and full of regret. Excuse my foul language, but it is time to "sh** or get off the pot". Yes, I can stay at the job I have and lead a VERY comfortable, safe and somewhat interesting life. But will it make me happy? It hasn't made me that happy for the last 5 years....chances are it's not going to get any better in the next 5. It's time to shake things up! Get out of my comfort zone!! Live life to the fullest!!!

1 day until vacation
8 days until a house is all mine....

Happy Birthday Mom

This is one of my favorite photographs of my mother. That's my older brother sitting in her lap. I don't think I even existed yet when this photo was taken but something about it...the lighting I think...how the sun is shining behind her, just makes my heart skip a beat. Maybe it's her hair...I don't think I've ever seen her hair that long. I think she still has those hexagone glasses hidden somewhere in the house.

Today is my mother's birthday and as usual I have been the delinquent daughter. I've known for weeks that this day was coming, watching it on the calendar, trying to plan a gift...and then the next thing I know the day is upon me and I haven't done a thing!! I'm so bad! I did actually put something in the mail yesterday but it wasn't exactly what I wanted to send.

First I thought about sending you my first set of batiked napkins....except when I hand washed them this past weekend the dye faded into the batik pattern and made it all but disappear. =( not such a good gift. Then I thought about sending you the collage you said you liked....but I needed to seal it and paint the edges and everything in the apartment is packed already and I couldn't find all my supplies, blah, blah, blah....it just wasn't going to happen. =( again, sorry for the poor planning...

So I figured the best thing I could do was write you a little blog.

You are a beautiful, strong, funny, smart and loving woman. Each day I see a part of you in myself. The way I scramble eggs in the morning, the way I fold my clothes, the stack of magazines I have next to the couch, the pile of half started craft projects piled on my table, the common sense I dish out to whoever will listen, and the love I carry in my heart. You taught me all of these things and lots more. I miss you very, very much living all the way in Missouri and I hope you know that. I know there is so much more I could learn from you and about you... I hope I get the chance.

I love you Mom, very much. I hope you have a wonderful birthday and I hope I get back home to see you soon.

xxoo

12 Days!

[Andrew and Della]

until we get the house!!! Andrew will be gone for the next 4 days.... =( He is in Providence for work. But then we get to take a vacation together. My first since Christmas!! I can't wait!!! Friday Andrew and I head to Wisconsin for a long weekend of deep relaxation. We get back Monday and then it is only 3 days until we close on the house!!! I am so excited and nervous I don't know what to do with myself. Andrew has also been suffering from awful cabin fever...we are both so ready to just get on with the rest of our lives...in a house!

Today I think I am going to do lots of house dreaming.... I might even create some storyboards for some of the rooms in the house. We'll see if I get that motivated.

Yesterday I visited my favorite home boutique and tried to schmoooze the owner so that when I come back and beg her for a job someday she remembers me as friendly and outgoing. Her store is SO adorable and has the best atmosphere. If only I can make my house feel that good.

I found a new blog I am in love with, Crazy Aunt Purl. This girl is definitely up there on the entertaining scale with Dooce. Love, love, love her. I have found myself craving more knitting blogs these days. As I get ready to finish my second project I am excited about starting a new pattern and it seems the best way to find cool patterns is from other knitters. In fact I think today I might go looking for a new knitting book that I've read about on so other blogs.

I miss you Andrew!!

Clover, no clover?

Ok, here you go. The finished green collage. I'm giving it to you 2 ways....you tell me which one you like better. The original idea was to do a series of the clovers but I think I might like it better on it's own.






And here is another to make up for being a day late.

Security system = big yellow dog

[niece Maggie, mother's day 2005]

Here we are again....Collage Wednesday and no collage. Last night I actually did finish the collage I started last week....but I'm too lazy to take a picture of it. It's already dark and I know the picture will come out awful.

It was kind of a hairy evening... I came home from work and had 10 minutes before the security system salesman showed up to talk to us. Then Andrew had to let Kula out of her crate so she could bark aggressively in the the security salesman's face.... (did I mention this dog will be the death of me?) Thank God she just growled/barked and didn't bite!

It wasn't until 7:15 that I finally got to take Kula for a walk and it wasn't until 7:30 that I finally got to make myself dinner. Then on top of it all Andrew is sick with a spring cold and needs some extra love and attention.

Meeting with a security salesman is interesting.... hearing all of his horror stories and scary scenarios and trying not to panic! I hope all of this fancy technology actually gives me peace of mind when I'm in the house.

Sorry for the hodge podge post.... Emotions are running high these days and it's a bit exhausting. Mother's day always makes me home sick....hence the picture of my niece Maggie.... I hope I get to see everyone soon. =(

16 days until we close on the house!!

I & the Poppy

Andrew and I attended the Laumeier Sculpture Park Art Fair as planned on Friday evening. It was an absolutely gorgeous spring evening in Missouri. The perfect temperature, just a touch of the setting sun, a light breeze.... wonderful....

A lot of the same artist were at the show that attended last year but many had new work. I found it interesting to see how their work had changed or stayed the same over the passage of time. Andrew and I ended up purchasing two pieces for the new house.


One was a photograph by Audrey Heller. Audrey's work is super fun and Andrew and I are looking forward to giggling when we see it each morning.


The other piece we bought was by Diana Stetson. This piece is made using a technique called collography. I can't explain it but Diana really exuded a wonderful spirit...and so does her work. I'm really glad that it will be in our home. The text in the top right corner says, "Just simply alive*Both of us*I & the poppy."


The piece that got away was one of these SUPER, SUPER, fun graphite art objects that you can write with just like a regular pencil!!

This is what I spent the rest of my weekend doing....

Kula is molting her winter hair...and has been for about a week now. The pile you see here is just one of MANY! I hope she is done soon!

You're getting warmer, #36

Sorry gang... no collage Wednesday...unless I get home tomorrow night and have a sudden burst of energy and motivation. We'll see...it's possible.

Today I bought my first Amy Ruppel!!

[You're getting warmer, by Amy Ruppel]

I'm totally excited! I love her work! I think this is really the first piece of official art I've ever bought. Amy is crazy popular. Her sale started at 1pm Central Time and everything was sold within two hours! The one I really wanted was gone in 30 seconds!

Andrew and I will also be attending the Laumeier Sculpture Park Art Fair this weekend. I went last year and had a great time. I got an awesome pair of earrings and my favorite St. Louis artist Caroline Huth was there. Maybe Andrew and I will buy one of her pieces this year. Something about buying a house has us craving new artwork.

I've been spending most of my evenings this week researching paint, refrigerators and washing machines. I'm trying to find a balance between being environmentally friendly, spending money and being stressed. Being good to the earth takes cash and energy. It's hard work. I did find a really awesome website though that has tons of great advice for home owners who are interested in being earth friendly. It's called eartheasy and I highly recommend it. I will be referring to it often in the next month.

Introductory batiking

Sunday was my very first attempt at batiking! I started gathering the various supplies over 3 years ago! Good Gracious! I started by buying several colors of RIT dye. Then last summer I started buying vintage linen napkins and last fall I purchased a electric skillet off of eBay. It all came together on Sunday and I was so excited!

Things I learned:
1. watch out for drips. Always give your stamping item a good shake before taking it over your fabric.
2. don't dye too many pieces at once. I put four napkins in the bucket at once and they didn't come out nearly as well as when I only put two napkins in the bucket.

I'm a little nervous about removing the wax with a hot iron because when I tried to do this for some of the drips I made....it seemed to just spread the wax out rather than really lifting it. I really need to read my batiking book but it's already packed and I don't know which box to look in! Damn this move! I'm trying to keep in mind that it is only the first attempt...so it can only get better, right?

Here they are in progress...




Oh, sad, sad looking napkin. I hope a good washing and ironing will improve things....

Martin Sexton

Well I'm officially old.

Friday night Andrew and I had tickets to see one of my favorite musicians, Martin Sexton. He is a blues/folk singer from Syracuse New York. I got home from work about 6:30 and needed a nap...I told Andrew to wake me up in an hour. Next thing I know, I wake up and Andrew is asleep next to me and it's 9 pm! Guess when the show started?! 9pm! So there is example number one of being old....a 2.5 hour nap on a Friday night.

We rushed out the door and stopped at Whole Foods on the way for slices of pizza. We got to the show just as Martin was getting onto the stage, perfect. But then out of all the places we could have picked to stand in the room we stand behind the three, loudest, drunkest and most obnoxious three college girls. They ruined the entire show for me. They were just totally distracting. Screaming over Martin the whole evening, grinding with each other, falling over drunk. Example number two and three of being old.... I was depressed thinking about how much I missed college and angry about having to be around drunk college students.

Martin is really an incredible musician. This was my third time seeing him live and he never disappoints. Check out his tour schedule.

Collage Wednesday

So I realized this evening that I really need to start preparing for Collage Wednesday on Tuesday evening instead of Wednesday evening.... sorry about that.

I did work on a new one this evening however I didn't get a chance to glue it down and I didn't want to rush myself and then regret it later. So here is a pre-rubber cement peek.

Lucky Coin

So life still feels like it is moving at lightning speed...or rather just a stressful speed.

There were lots of changes at my job on Friday that have me all worked up. They are probably good changes but any change at this time in my life feels uncomfortable and scary. Work changes, home changes, etc....too many changes all at once. But I've already complained about how much is going on in the next two months so I won't bore you with another pity party.

This weekend Andrew and I bought a new couch! We bought it at Intaglia but unfortunately the one we picked is not pictured on their website. It looks a little like this one, only smaller, with no back cushions and a lighter colored linen. I hope it works in the new house!


Books that my mom sent me this weekend:

• Folk Bags: 30 Knitting patterns and tales from around the world
• 25 bags to knit

They both have really good patterns but the directions seem complicated...especially in the Folk bags one... I think I will need a more experienced knitter to help me along.

Sunday Andrew and I watched Hotel Rwanda. An excellent movie but very, very, very sad and heart-renching.

I've been meaning to catch up on some quilting links.
Be Be Bold Quilts [via wee wonderfuls] are super cool. Lucky coin is my favorite.



Felt Wall instructions [via angry chicken] This is exactly what I want to create in my room in the new house. I can't wait!

Collage Wednesday #5

I made it! It is still Wednesday, 10:47 pm to be exact, and I am posting my Wednesday collage. I'm excited to say my idea worked. Having a Collage Wednesday motivated me to create a new collage....even though it is way past my bedtime. You can see that I have been busy making a mess of my desk... digging through all my old and new scraps.

Here is the result.


I'm not happy with how the Modge Podge is working. It is making the pieces wrinkle... I will have to try something else. I think I knew this already...but in my rush to get something done I obviously didn't think hard enough.

Thanks to my friend Shaili who commented on my previous entry. I've tried to express my internal conflict about my interest in design before but either no one seemed interested or I never really felt understood. Thank you so much Shaili, you totally got it! Your words were very inspiring. I already feel a weight lifted off my shoulders. =)

Decoration Final Exam

The apartment is an utter disaster area... I think I have pulled out every decorating magazine I own...and that's a lot of magazines! They are everywhere! Next to the bed, next to the couch, the dining room table, the bathroom, the office... I must figure out some way to organize it all...but nothing has come to me yet.

Today at lunch as I was sketching out the layout of the first floor of the house I realized there were way too many things I wanted and not enough money to go around. I started thinking about when Alex moved to L.A. and how she decided to spend her money only on the things she thought were most important to her. Is this something I can do?

For as long as I've dreamed about being an interior designer I've also dreaded the moral guilt I've created that goes along with it. The more I want to decorate the more I get down on myself for being materialistic and shallow. It is a completely self constructed problem I've created. I know in my heart that good design does not have to cost a lot of money and that there are millions of great designers out there who create beauty with the simplest of objects. Then again I read so many magazines and in these magazines I see so many beautiful objects that can only be aquired at a cost. I try to convince myself that interior design isn't about acquiring objects, especially expensive objects. It is about the visual imagery and emotional response that is created by the combination of interior elements. For some it is truly an art form. The room is the canvas and the fabrics, wallpaper, paint, pillows, rugs, pictures, vases, candles, floors, windows, etc are all just the paints put onto the canvas.

Then again, as someone who loves good design and someone who has coveted good design for so long there are some things I want to say visually that I can't do inexpensively....and that is frustrating. Sometimes having good taste is a curse! I do think my impatience also plays a large part in all of this internal drama, along with worrying about money. My favorite aesthetic by far is using vintage, antique and found pieces but finding those pieces takes time.... and it is never quite quick enough to satisfy me.

Thinking about decorating this house is causing all sorts of stress and excitment in me. I've been dreaming for YEARS about having a space that I could do anything I wanted. No more boring white walls!! I can paint any color I want! So many ideas are fighting their way out of my brain it just feels like chaos. And more guilt... worrying about re-sale value is another thing that has me thinking about censoring my creative urges.

Part of me feels like this is a long awaited exam.... that if I can't decorate my own home I shouldn't go back to school to be a designer. This is an incredible amount of pressure my ego is putting on me, no wonder I feel stressed to the max!!

Andrew leaves for NY tomorrow... it's not great timing because he will miss the inspection and we are still trying to work out things with the lender and insurance. However, part of me is looking forward to a little alone time.... After 3 intense weeks of house shopping and negotiations together I can have some time to myself to clean up the apartment, organize my internal decoration final exam, and organize my thoughts...

Obsessing over...

curtains
paint
couches
rugs
books
more books
faucets
wallpaper and more wallpaper
waiting for my Domino magazine to arrive! 8 more days!

Andrew and I got over zealous and started packing already! Kula and Della don't know what is going on. Now we get to stare at boxes for 6 weeks. Oh well...at least we are excited. The inspection is Thursday. I'm all ready to measure the space for the fridge, the height of the windows in the living room and the space for a bed in the guest room. I'm on decoration overload!

Guess what Andrew is signing....

It's bigger than a bread box...but smaller than the Mall of America....

It's our new house! (pending inspections, closing and lots of paperwork)

Take a peek!

Collage Wednesday #4 (a little late...sorry)

[butterflies, magazine collage, 2001]

I can't believe I missed Collage Wednesday! This house stuff has taken over our lives!! I kid you not...the apartment is a MESS!! Dishes in the sink, clothes everywhere, papers and magazines everywhere, no food in the fridge, piles of laundry, it's making me crazy! Tuesday night we didn't eat dinner until 9 pm! Everyone is feeling the stress...Kula hasn't been eating and Della is constantly meowing and wanting attention. I think there might be a light at the end of the tunnel...but it just isn't getting here fast enough.

Actually...I'm starting to think that things won't really slow down until the end of June. In the next 9 weeks we have a trip to Wisconsin, we might have to move into a house and out of an apartment, and be in a wedding. Not to mention that mixed in there will be work trips to NY for Andrew, birthdays, concerts, wedding showers, bachelor parties and all the regular stuff that makes life tick. Most of this stuff will be a lot of fun and I really shouldn't be dreading it....I just wish it wasn't all happening at what feels like the same time. I think maybe Andrew and I should have waited to buy a house until the fall...

Needless to say I probably won't be posting a lot of crafts for awhile. I have one knitting project I'm working on that I must get done soon and I'm also going to try and keep up the collages but other than that everything must be put on hold.

Stayed tuned...

Redbud

[redbud tree, Valley Park, Missouri; April 9, 2005]

Has is really only been a week? It feels like it has been a month since Andrew and I started the house search. We are two SUPER impatient people! What a stressful, stressful whirlwind.

It was gorgeous here in Missouri this weekend, sunny, high 70s. I had shorts on and took Kula for a big hike at Castlewood State Park with Andrew. I LOVE Missouri in the spring. All the plants and flowers are blooming like crazy. You can walk everywhere and smell the sweet scent of magnolias.

Despite the nice weather there really was a lot of stress this weekend. Andrew and I saw a nice house on Sunday but it's in a neighborhood that isn't my first choice. Ironically Keri Smith talked about the meaning of home on her page today. I'm sharing a lot of her feelings about being terrified and overwhelmed but also contemplating new spaces, new opportunities and new adventures. I have also been thinking about how it is time to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself. I have gotten boring and sheltered living in the suburbs for 4 years. It's time to shake things up, right?

I'm amazed that any couple actually makes it through the house buying process. We each have such different wants, needs, expectations, perceptions and opinions. It is very difficult to compromise on what feels like such a big decision.

So, I will try to keep up with my writing...but if I disappear for a bit you know where I am.

Collage Wednesday #3

I made this piece the summer of 2003 for my boyfriend Andrew. It is framed, matted in orange and hangs in his bathroom with the other piece I made for him.

I found these beautiful photo collages via Tania this morning. It looks like there are some more collages here too, but it's in another language so I'm not sure what I'm looking at or who the artist is. I can't wait to find some time to dig into them some more.

Home Sick

This picture makes me think of home. I grew up in Cortland New York. A small town 30 minutes south of Syracuse New York.

This picture is actually in Pennsylvania. It's from a wonderful new photoblog called A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania. [found via the 2005 Phoottobloggie awards] The photographer is Kathleen Connally and her work is absolutely breathtaking. It's no wonder she was the winner of 2 Photobloggie awards this year, best landscape photography and photo of the year.

I've been missing from my blog the last few days because Andrew and I have started the search for a home...and it's making me sick...with stress. Home shopping is exhausting, physically and mentally. We finally have a realtor so suddenly it feels like the race is on. We've probably seen 15-20 houses in the last 3 days. One is too close to the highway, another is too expensive, one is too small, another on a bad street. I can't believe we have seen so many houses and none of them feel right. I'm getting more and more anxious that I'm going to end up having to settle for something....and that is an awful feeling. We've only just started the search but our excitement is keeping us from being patient.

Lastly I'm homesick because I found out that one of my uncles died of a heart attack this past weekend. My Uncle Teddy. I probably haven't seen him since I was 10 years old but he made an impression on me. I remember him as a very large, happy, friendly black man. I always used to be so proud of that...telling all my grade school friends that I had a black uncle. He was a dedicated social worker, an avid golfer, raised two kids, and struggled with kidney disease for almost 30 years. I always wanted to go back and visit him in New Jersey to get reacquainted...but now all I have are my memories. I wanted to post a picture of him but I don't have any with me...they are all back home in NY.

This is the second uncle I have lost to a heart attack in the last 4 years. It's weird being at a stage in my life where I am starting to lose loved ones. It makes me miss the past and fear the future.

I miss you Uncle Teddy and I'm sorry I didn't get to see you again before you had to go.

sad day

What a sad, sad, sad day.... Andrew no longer has access to AOL Instant Messenger. =(

This may sound silly but I am really devastated. Andrew and I have been talking online 5 days a week for almost 6 years (minus 10 months when we were being stupid and having a tiff). I seriously don't know if I can function at work without being able to chat with him all day?

I'm sure you are all thinking.."Oh Sara...you will get more done at work! You shouldn't be talking online all day anyway!" You are probably right....but having Andrew online has always been a security blanket for me... It was a HUGE part of how we communicated everyday. We had our own language, our own humor, our own little daily dance over the big, bad, world wide web.

Each day started by logging on, opening IM and giving a little "xxoo" to my sweetie. No more "xxoo".... no more "=+".... no more instant fun, laughter, support and love.....

Ugh...so sad....