this side down.

its been a busy week, as usual, but i figured i was taking a break to post photos to flickr, i may as well write about them. first of all... july?? how is it july already? my birthday was just last week, wasn't it? sigh.

in spite of everything thats been going on in our personal lives, we've been wanting to keep busy. busy-ness is a good distraction. ian has been a real trouper and is getting a lot done on the stairwell. we have a 3 floor house [plus basement] so we have a 2 level stairwell [main floor to top; main floor to bottom] and each has a landing in the middle. right now we're focusing on the top stairwell so we can finish putting the floor down in the spare room and landing. confused yet? last year when we remodeled the master bedroom, we stopped the flooring at the doorway and have been patiently waiting since then to finish it. its going to be a continuous floor over the 2 bedrooms and hallway. the floor was really gross before moving in:





the stairwell wasn't in much better shape:




those lumpy patches on the wall? we found out those were cereal box patches. no wonder the wall was all wobbly and squishy feeling.

over the past few days, ian has given up going to the gym after work to patch the stairwell and skim coat it. talk about dedication!





we need to re-drywall the ceiling on the top floor hallway before we can do anymore drywall finishing. if all goes well, we can get this done over the next few days [especially if the forecast calls for rain], and have it skip-trowelled and painted soon. i'm just anxious to get the extra flooring out of walk-in closet and installed in the hallway/spare room.

and while we'd like to finish up the hallway, we're praying for no rain this weekend so we can finally get back to work on the patio, but the forecast isn't looking good so far. its getting frustrating waiting for a full day of sunshine to finish it. more than likely we'll have to put in a 12 hour day on the next sunny day just "in case". yay!

and on a completely unrelated and totally embarrassing [for me] note... haim and "feldog" share the news that they were both molested/raped by a friend of feldmans??? hmm... any thoughts on this one? sadly, probably no, because i highly doubt anyone else watches this show. its like watching a train wreck, but highly entertaining. ok, not really entertaining....

and the night is as black as the sea

its been a busy month. and sadly, busy doesn't always mean good.

we went up to erie father's day weekend to visit my family, and to be there for my nephew's dedication at church. the church was also doing a memorial type thing for my dad, acknowledging all the work he did for the church. father's day would not have been my ideal choice, but, then again, when would have been a good day? we spent time with my sister, and visited my mom and aunt. we made it back to pittsburgh in time on sunday for a father's day picnic at ian's parents. it was a difficult and emotional day. the fact that fathers day is just a week after my dad's birthday... well, that doesn't make things any easier.

after arriving home,we get the news that my aunt lois is in the hospital with pneumonia. mid-week, she isn't doing well. i don't think the word "dying" was used, but it was understood. she passed away friday afternoon. she was 79 years old, unmarried with no children. other than my parents, i've never really talked about "personal" aspects of my life, but this may need a little explanation. my aunt moved in with us when i was 5 years old. she lived with us until she moved into a nursing home several years ago. she had to be in a wheelchair at that time and couldn't maneuver thru our house. needless to say, she was like a grandmother to us, and often told us that we were like her children. [my only living grandmother died when i was 5; my aunt had lived with her, and thats why she ended up moving in with us.] of course, we visited her whenever we went up to erie, even when my father was getting bad. at the very least, we'd always manage to squeeze in a stop before we got on the road, many times visiting with sydney. the elderly *love* sydney :)

the funeral was held on tuesday. i had been up there awhile, to help with the final arrangements. because of her closeness with my parents, they had all pre-planned their funerals at the same place. to make a long story short, the funeral was held in the same room as my fathers had been. it was just a little too soon :( we had her brother and 2 cousins sing "i'll fly away" and "peace in the valley" which was really beautiful. other than some annoying family bullshit, it was a nice ceremony and i know my aunt would have been pleased.

having another family funeral brings up alot of sadness and memories, but i won't get into that now.

we needed a little happiness. or at least "fun". thursday night we headed down to the strip district to see alkaline trio play at metropol, er, i mean, the ridiculously named club zoo. we started off the night by having dinner at kaya, the setting of our first date. after being seated, we were asked to move to the next table over, and given a carafe of sangria on the house. unnecessary, but a nice touch :) we enjoyed our meals of paella and burger and then made the rainy walk down to the club.

we had purposely missed the first 2 bands and worked our way thru the crowds to find a good spot. [this was after realizing that even tho alcohol is normally served at all ages show in a separate area, there was no separate area or alcohol. i was much more looking forward to the separate viewing area.] so anyways, the lights dim and i hoisted myself up to sit on the tiny ledge of an uncomfortable industrial pillar, as others on the pillar were doing. this was met with shouts of "sit the F down" from the 15 year old emo kids behind us. and while i normally don't have a problem with perfectly coiffed whiny emo kids, i was more in the mood to just enjoy the show from my perch. which i did. and it was a great show. very loud, but enjoyable. however, i do find it somewhat distracting trying to watch a band thru all the camera phones being waved around. between that and the flailing legs and arms coming from the mosh pit, but... maybe i'm just getting old. well, definitely too old for all ages shows!

my sister came down this weekend to visit for a bit. she went out for a few hours on saturday which left ian and i to do a little more work on the house. i finished removed the old flooring in the spare room and we got a coat of paint on half of it. [thats basically to seal it before we put down the new flooring]. this week we will need to patch the walls in the stairwell/hallway. we have a continuous floor joining the top floor bedrooms + hallway so we need to finish the walls before installing the floor in the hallway and then into the bedroom. luckily, its a fairly small hallway, so it shouldn't hold us up too long. because of the rain the back patio is still on hold, but we're hoping for sunny skies this coming weekend.

thats it for now. time for me to get back to my day job :)

35

so last sunday [the 1st], i turned 35. yes, 35. i feel old. i am old. it sucks. to cheer myself up [and to get myself out of a rut], i decided to cut off my hair. i've been debating this for the past year or longer, after "growing my hair out" for the wedding. [which, i don't even understand, because my hair, as usual, was pulled back]. so i went to the salon and emerged an hour later with 10" less hair, and possibly 2 pounds lighter. i have very thick, heavy hair. i am donating the ponytail to "pantene's beautiful lengths" hair donation program.



after having my hair straightened at the salon, it looked sleek, swingy and light. i have not quite been able to duplicate it yet. i even bought a new wigo flat iron at ulta to replace my shitty one. i've been whipping out all my hair products and trying them out, but this humidity is killing me. and having naturally wavy hair isn't helping. this morning i let it air dry and it looked like rhona mitra's from doomsday. decide for yourself if that is a good or bad thing ;)

my birthday celebration was low-key, exactly what i wanted. ian and i went to casbah for sunday brunch and, as usual, it was delicious. i had the brioche french toast with carmelized bananas, while ian tried the hanger steak. both were delicious. we also had appetizers of cheese + fruit plates and granola. and mimosas. and complimentary little muffins. its always too much food, but so worth it.

i received some wonderful gifts, including some craft books, some "green books", a few movies that i love but for some reason didn't own, some cute clothes, godiva chocolates, and some random other stuff that i can't remember at the moment. ian also got me some screen printing + block printing supplies as i've been wanting to try out some ideas on clothes that i've made.

we took that weekend off which was really nice, but it meant we had a lot to catch up on this weekend. we resumed work on the patio first thing saturday morning. armed with iced coffees, coppertone, and some wendy's breakfast frescuits, we started working in the 90 degree heat. it took awhile, but once we developed our system things went smoothly. we are using the quickrete walkmaker mold in the country stone pattern. ian mixed 2 bags of concrete with 1 box of charcoal colorant. then we would pour it into the mold and i would level it off and make adjustments while ian would work on the next batch of concrete.





we finished about 1/3 of the patio on saturday, which was maybe 6 hours of actual work on the patio. we stopped when we ran out of concrete. we'll need to pick up some more this week and then get back to work! once we finish setting the patio, depending on how the color finally dries, we may spray a concrete stain on it. then we'll add sand between the pavers and start setting everything up. here's how its looking so far:



i'd like to rearrange the "firepit" so it is lower and not open in the front... more like a pit than an oven. i also need to finish potting my plants and rearrange everything in the gravel area. its alot of work but its going to be totally worth it. for us to enjoy and for selling the house :)

so needless to say, its been a busy week. i'm still bummed about being 35, but i did get carded the other night, so it can't be all that bad. plus, with all this adorable cuteness at home, how can i possibly stay bummed out?

3 day weekend

phew! we had a crazy busy weekend. since i moved in back in 2003, one of the things on the house to-do list was "something" with the backyard. it was always very uneven and lumpy, kind of in 2 levels, but neither of those were even. you couldn't level a picnic table, and mowing the lawn was a bitch. so the past few rainy weekends, we started planning. we made a few trips to lowes for pricing + ideas, watched some episodes of desperate landscapes and home gardening shows, and came up with some ideas. last weekend, we had a few hours of sunshine and started digging.

before:


we decided to divide the backyard into 2 levels, making a wall out of railroad ties. its 3 ties high.... which really sucked for ian. those timbers weigh 250#s each, and sadly, i could not help him carry them. i dug out + leveled the trenches while he picked up the timbers. we had 2 truckloads of 6. that was a painful weekend. we placed what we could before the rain started, then had a mud pit for a week, until the sun came back out this weekend. thats when the real fun started :)



the weekend is a blur, but i'll see what i can remember. saturday morning we woke up early and drove out to lowes. of course we made a pit stop at starbucks and then sadly, at mcdonalds as i needed to have a mcgriddle [egg + cheese, no meat]. then off to lowes to stock up on dirt, some edging stones, drywall mud [another project going on], and random other crap. ian finished installing the railroad ties while i moved onto another project.... removing the concrete walkway. it was badly made, uneven, and about 2-3" above the lawn itself. out came the sledgehammer, and the upper body workout. it was alot of work, and i could barely move on sunday, but the walkway is out. i broke it up, while ian moved all the rubble to fill in behind the wall. we disassembled then reassembled a concrete lincoln-log type firepit on the top level. after that, we called it a night. we headed over to harris grill for dinner then decided to grab dessert and a nightcap at casbah. we had raspberry chocolate bread pudding, with a warm vanilla sauce. it was delicious and just what we needed after a long day of work.

walkway removed:


sunday was more of the same. digging + leveling the top level of the yard. marking off the area for the patio. re-working the stepping stone walkway we had in place. mowing the lawn [as a break from hard labor]. late morning we had to make another trip out to lowes and ended up stopping at rock bottom for brunch. yes we were dirty and in our work clothes, but we were hungry! the staff recognizes us, so it wasn't a big deal, just the looks we get from the other diners. then it was back to work again. in between the yard work, ian would go work on our other project, the spare room. he patched all the walls, and skip troweled this weekend. the next step is sanding the baseboards + trim before we can paint. we did as much as we could on sunday before sheer exhaustion took over. i can't even explain how exhausting the weekend was.



monday was our day "off", where we ran errands and picked up some more supplies at lowes, found some 70% off gardening pots at joanns, then had a relaxing outdoor lunch at mad mex. [i really don't like their new website.] it was really nice to just relax and take a day off. ian did a little more work on the spare room when we got back home, plus we spread some more grass seed over the bare areas of the lawn. no photos of the spare room yet... photos of blank walls are pretty boring.

its going to be a busy week, so i'm not sure when work will resume on the backyard, as the coming weekend is my birthday. hopefully i will have more progress shots soon. our realtor is coming over tonight to take a look at the house to see all of the work we've done. we're hoping to get a good estimate of what we could sell the house for. i'm not sure when we would be selling, but i know its in the not-so-far-off future. we go to open houses and see whats out there... we're keeping our eyes open.

i'm it

so i've been tagged. normally, i ignore these ;) but hey, its been awhile since i've posted, so why not? i've got a weekend recap post on the way, so i'll be back sometime soon.

The Rules:
Once you’ve been tagged, you have to write a blog with 10 weird, random, facts, habits or goals about yourself. At the end, choose 6 people to be tagged, list their names & why you tagged them. Don’t forget to leave them a comment saying “You’re it!” & to go read your blog. You cannot tag the person that tagged you, so since you’re not allowed to tag me back; let me know when you are done so I can go read YOUR weird/random/odd facts, habits and goals.

so here we go....

1. i love DIY projects. obviously. i love the satisfaction of knowing i made something, plus its usually cheaper to do it yourself! while i can knit, sew, and garden, i can also hang drywall, tile and electrical work. and thats just the start of the list!

2. most of my pet peeves are sound based. windshield wipers left on after the rain has stopped, gum chewing, nail biting, mouth breathing, loud eaters,... i could go on. ian says i have super sonic hearing. maybe thats my super power?

3. i have an indescribable fear of needles and blood. this had led me to pass out 15+ times, walk out of 3 movies [for fear of passing out], and waiting until i was 28 to get my ears pierced [i passed out the first 2 times].

4. when i'm really sick, one of my ears [usually the right] turns bright red. this made it very easy for my parents to tell when i was faking it when i was little.

5. the only thing that calms my stomach when i'm sick or upset is a wendy's iced tea.

6. in high school i worked at dairy queen brazier. one of the first things you learn is how to make the signature "curl" on the soft serve cone. i think i could still do it. i also made ice cream cakes, dilly bars and blizzards. even though i'm not a huge fan of soft serve ice cream, my all time favorite sundae from there is the old school peanut butter, made with chocolate syrup, peanut butter syrup, marshmallow syrup and spanish peanuts.

7. back in '99, i developed a blood clot in my eye. i was driving home from work and lost my peripheral vision. it lasted through the night and i thought i was going blind. pretty scary shit.

8. i studied french for over 12 years. i am semi-fluent and can read and speak french, but still have a hard time understanding someone speaking it. i'm a little rusty. i've been to france twice and montreal 3 times. hoping to go back soon :)

9. i met chris carrabba of dashboard confessional after a solo show in los angeles a few years back. he is at the top of "my list". the most i could manage to say was "thank you" when he signed my so impossible cd. im such a dork.

10. i don't drink soft drinks [pop, soda, whatever]. i hate the taste and fizziness. i always have, even when i was kid.


i have no idea who to tag tho, so... hmm... bob, you're it again. and sheila, amy, jane, and whoever else reads this, feel free to play along :)

baby quilts3

this will be an almost entirely sewing related post, so come back in another week if you [bob, ian, joe, etc...] are looking for something more interesting ;)

i think there must be a baby boom going on or something, because almost everyone i know is having babies. normally, i break out the knitting needles and make a cute sweater or blanket, or if they are having a girl, make a cute little dress. when ian's sister was due to have her baby in january, i thought, hey, why don't i try to make a quilt? i had just picked up "last minute patchwork + quilted gifts", and thought i would try one out. she was having a girl, so i looked thru my fabric stash and found some fabric remnants that would work, plus part of a new white sheet that was in my dad's quilting stash. [and i would have to agree with that... sheets seem to produce a much softer quilt than cotton fabrics from the store.]

baby quilt #1:
pattern: chinese stacked coins from last minute patchwork + quilted gifts
size: approx 36 X 45 ish
gifted to: kellie's baby samantha





i used some soft colored fabrics for this one, with a backing of a purple-ish floral. i machine-quilted it on a diagonal. this was my first attempt at any of this, so there are a few mistakes [some puckers on the back of the quilt] but i think it turned out well :)



baby quilt #2:
pattern: my own; a simple quilt of blocks on a white grid
size: approx 36 X 45 ish
gifted to: penny's baby boy-to-be





my sister wanted more of a traditional quilt [something that "looked like quilt"], so i decided to go with something simple and somewhat traditional. i picked up a few fat quarters, used some stash fabric i had, and backed it with leftover fabric from the bumper pad + crib skirt i had made her. she was very happy with it :)


baby quilt #3:
pattern: my own, in shades of pink, chocolate + coffee. double sided, machine-quilted on the diagonal with pink thread. self binding by wrapping back side around to front as binding.
size: 40 x 40
gifted to: gary + ann's girl-to-be







i think this has been my favorite quilt so far. i love the color scheme and design. i designed it in illustrator which was very helpful and made the actual piecing of it very easy. this was my first solid color quilt and i am very happy with the results. i discovered that my machine has a walking foot attachment, which made quilting so much easier! no puckers on the back! even stitches on both sides! you can't even tell which side was right side up when i quilted it. i was inspired by the color's of yaiann's quilt, but of course, didn't want to copy it! it was gifted on sunday morning at a warhol museum baby shower, and the couple was happy with it.

finishing up this last quilt has made me seriously re-consider my sewing/knitting hobby as a side business. i've been thinking of opening up an etsy shop [to start, before i can actually make the website + market items] focusing on infant clothing and bedding type accessories. i've got a lot to think about before i can start planning, but with any luck, it will happen :)

smile

the warmth of the sun does wonders for the soul. and today, i needed that. its the 6 month reminder of a very sad day. and while i miss my dad every day, i still can't believe its been 6 months without him.

so today, i'm taking notice of the little things that make me smile, because today, i really need it.

- springtime. its finally here. the sun is warming up the ground, and i was able to plant some bulbs and groundcover this weekend. i find gardening to be calming and relaxing, so i'm glad that i'm finally able to do it again.

- watching the birds and squirrels from my office window. the birds check out the numerous bird feeders we have, while the squirrels dig holes in the mulch and scurry all over the yard and across the fence.

- random text messages from ian, i.e. "my name is seth. i like to dance." or "he's a master of karate". ok, these make me giggle too :)

- waking up in the morning, with sydney at my feet and a cat [or 2!] curled up beside me, as if i'm spooning them. its almost as cute as falling asleep with tan cat draped across my rib cage as i'm curled up on my side. and yes, he does that every night.

-realizing, 5 seasons into monk, that leland stottlemeyer is none other than buffalo bill, the creepy, transexual, womens-skin-wearing, it-rubs-the-lotion-on-its-skin, serial killer. wow! i'm really going to have a very hard time watching the show after re-watching the silence of the lambs infamous dance scene.

- bell's oberon. its that time of year again. enough said.

- homemade chocolate pudding. oh wait, i didn't make that, but i do *love* it, and it sure sounds good right now. i'll have to wait till we finish up the chocolate zucchini cake that i made earlier this week. its my moms recipe and it is tasty! maybe i'll share that someday.

- did i mention it was spring? my lilac tree is blooming :)



[hopefully my next post won't be too far off, and i'll have some photos of the cute clothes i've been making, along with the handknits, and more info on my fabric de-stashing.]

enjoy the sunshine. life is too short not to.