a spring of teal

Long time, no see

2008-09-30T20:09:00.002-05:00

These photos are of two friends who had not seen each other in over 10 years! This is Susan...and she was one of my BFFs in college. After college, I ended up in Missouri and she ended up in Maine. We tried to stay in touch over the years with the occasional phone call and Christmas cards but these things are not the same as being with someone in person.

In college I always wanted to be just like Susan. She was super smart, confident, creative, beautiful and compassionate. Well, it turns out that she is still all of these things (no surprise!).

She was recently in St. Louis for the weekend and we got the chance to catch up on the last 1o years. We talked weddings and introduced husbands. We talked about jobs, homes and families. I took her to see the Arch and to my favorite place, The City Museuem. It was like no time had passed at all, as if we picked up right where we left off.

The older I get the more amazed I am by how people come and go through my life. I never really thought I would get to see Susan again, but now that I have, I can't believe I let so much time pass between us. It is actually really comforting to know that no matter how much time passes until the next time we can share a meal, a walk or a slide (wink, wink, Susan!), I know that I will be happy to see her and that she will be happy to see me. I know that even if another 10 years pass I can always call Susan my friend.

My goal is to not let another 10 years pass. I have always wanted to see Maine and Andrew and I have a deep appreciation for lobster so with a little planning I think we will see Susan again very soon. Thank you for tracking me down Susan! I miss you and love you lots!

W

2008-06-25T21:26:00.002-05:00

How sad that I forgot to talk about the hotel we stayed at in Chicago...considering I can't go anywhere in public without staring at the floors, walls, ceilings and furniture for at least 10 minutes before I can breathe or have a conversation.

Check out pictures here...

I really liked our room but the lobby in this hotel was over the top, way too trendy for me... I must be getting old.

Windy City

2008-06-24T20:08:00.005-05:00

First off....my hubby of 366 days has a new blog (his fourth). As he is a much better writer than I, I suggest you go and visit his blog to read about our little weekend getaway to Chicago this past weekend. The trip was mostly to get out of the house, since we haven't traveled for fun since our honeymoon, however my other motivation was to see the Smart House at the Museum of Science and Industry. Other side benefits, my darling friend Rachel lives in Chicago and it happened to be our first anniversary.

While Andrew's recap is great I'll throw in my two cents. We decided to take the train to Chicago to 1. save money and 2. be good to the earth. The train ride up wasn't so great, but mostly because we were delayed 2 hours and didn't get to Chicago until 1:30 am. The train ride home was great! We had our own sleeper room, had dinner with a very interesting 78 year old German gentleman from Toronto and had a great time watching the scenery pass by.

The Smart Home was disappointing. They rushed you through the house in groups of twenty and only gave you moments to take everything in. It was way too rushed and I thought our guide was not very well educated on all things "Green". She couldn't answer any off script questions and explained VOCs incorrectly. The only highlight of the Smart Home were the bathrooms. Andrew and I are planning to renovate our main bath soon and both baths in this house were exactly what we were envisioning. We ended up getting a great list of resources to look into.

The architectural river tour was awesome, an unexpected treat.

Seeing my darling Rachel was also awesome! You look great Rachel and we loved spending time with you!

For opinions on our meals....see Andrew's blog.

Other things going on.....

Andrew started fixing the plaster wall in the dining room. Lesson learned: take the time to cover your furniture before sanding plaster for 30 min. There is still white dust covering parts of the living and dining room...
I was very surprised by all the cards and phone calls we got for our anniversary. So, so sweet to know that there is so much love and support out there for us.
Getting ready for a family visit. My mom and two aunts are on there way to St. Louis soon. Got to clean up the plaster dust!

Some items of interest:

I found this musician via Dooce and have been listening nonstop for the last few weeks.
Get rid of your vinyl shower curtain! It is full of toxic chemicals. Get a nylon curtain that you can wash, over, and over in the laundry.
Found this bag designer over the weekend in Chicago...I'm lusting after this one for the work days and this one for the weekends.

Chateau V

2008-06-12T21:02:00.004-05:00

A lot has been going on here at Chateau V.

As some of you may, or may not know, St. Louis has had the wettest spring on record. And strangely all of this rain started showing up in our basement, in very large amounts. Then last Friday we had a heavy storm and Andrew ran to the basement to see water gushing out of two drains in the basement floor. Gushing so hard that the water blew the grates off of both drains! Ankle deep water filled the basement and Andrew rushed to Home Depot to get a pump to help get the water out. Needless to say, it was a stressful event and we realized that this wasn't a home repair we could ignore. On Saturday morning a very nice man with a very large roto-rooter came and cleaned out our pipe. He said that phosphorous from our laundry detergent built up in the pipe and created a clogged artery of sorts. Such an easy fix for so much worry! Thank you, thank you universe for not being a broken pipe and just a clogged pipe!

The pipe cleaning inspired us to keep the home improvements going and this week we have had some men tuckpointing the front of our house. This is something that has been weighing on my mind a great deal because there were a lot of spots where there was NO MORTAR left between the bricks. These men grinded out the existing mortar and replaced it with new mortar. Despite the HUGE amounts of mortar dusk covering the front (and BACK!) yard I have to say that the front of the house looks much, much better. And now I don't have to lose any more sleep thinking about the front of the house falling down.

The contractor that we found to tuckpoint the house is also helping us get a carpenter and painter to finish some more repairs to the front of the house. We don't have a final bid yet, so I'm not sure how much we will get done but it feels so good to see things getting done.

Mom...the house is going to look beautiful when you come in July!!!

I've been SUPER busy at work the last two weeks, working late and on the weekends. I was also busy coordinating my team for the Relay for Life which was last Friday. We raised over $3500.00 for the American Cancer Society! WooHoo! It was a really fun event, although it was moved indoors and shortened to 6 hours due to severe weather (hello water in the basement!!).

But after so much work and fundraising I am fried. Andrew and I decided that next weekend (our one year wedding anniversary!) will be spent in Chicago. We really want to see the Smart House by Michelle Kaufman, we will also visit my dear friend Rachel, and I'm sure eat lots and lots of good food. Here is to working and playing hard!

the knot

2008-06-01T08:46:00.001-05:00

Yellow Iris

2008-05-19T17:39:00.005-05:00

The St. Louis spring has been so wet and cold this year that Andrew and I haven't planted a signal thing in the yard, but for some reason irises must like wet and cold weather because they bloomed in full force! We had about 4 irises last year....and this year they were out of control! So pretty and I love that they are all yellow expect for one....

Andrew and I made it to Belleville Art on the Square on Saturday and purchased an oil pastel by Jeff Condon.

Here is a peek at what is going into baby quilt #3.

Cinco de Mayo

2008-05-11T19:16:00.004-05:00

Cinco de Mayo was one of the very few nice evenings we have had this spring. We made it out to the St. Louis downtown Public Library to hear our friend Jeff's Jazz Trio. I forget how much I like his band. They take modern music and arrange it into jazz which turns out to be such a refreshing combination. A lovely evening out with friends.

I finished the book I was reading and it was a very good read. I found myself actually wanting to go upstairs early each evening just so I could fit in a couple chapters before going to sleep. It was very hard to put down at the end.

I want to go and visit this house in Chicago.

Doing some online shopping
Martin and Osa
Shabby Apple

Reading
Urban Country Style
Green Building and Remodeling for Dummies

Working on baby quilt number 3 (pictures of #2 still to come...)

And trying to introduce exercise to my lifestyle.... I've run 5 out of the last 7 days and did yoga one of those days. I'm trying to sign up for a yoga class for the summer with some of my design school friends and researching some more yoga DVDs. I figure if I write about it maybe I'll have more motivation to keep going...since it would be sad and embarrassing to have to tell everyone reading this how I'm too lazy to get off my couch.

Next weekend Andrew and I are heading to the Belleville Art on the Square to look for our first anniversary present. The first anniversary is paper so we decided that this was a good way for us to both get something we want for our home. It will be our first time to this art fair so I hope they have some good stuff.

The Business of Being Born

2008-04-29T17:46:00.003-05:00

So life is crazy busy.... I'm not complaining but my social calendar is very full, which makes blogging difficult, since I'm not home most evenings.

Here is what I've been doing:

I watched the documentary "The Business of Being Born" twice this weekend. It was excellent! I'm sure some will say it is biased but for someone that is considering having kids I thought it was very enlightening. If you are of child-bearing age and you don't know much about the baby "system" of hospitals, I highly recommend this movie.
I have started a new blog obsession...green building/remodeling...(please see right hand column.) I am studying to take the LEED exam and we also just found out that our new neighbors are doing a green renovation to another house in the neighborhood. Andrew and I are dreaming about doing our own green renovation someday so I'm gung-ho to get educated.
I made a new baby quilt....except I don't want to show it to you until the new owner gets it. Wait in suspense.
I am reading "The Memory Keeper's Daughter".
Oh, and Saturday Andrew and I went to hear Martin Sexton on his latest tour and it was awesome!! It was just him and a guitar, which is how I heard him the first time. He is extremely talented....and he is from my "home"...NY. When he mentioned Syracuse I gave a loud hoot and got all home sick. Check him out.

That's it for now! I have to eat dinner, take Andrew out to buy the new Grand Theft Auto game before he bursts and then learn some more about LEED.

ciao!

April

2008-04-13T18:48:00.003-05:00

makeovers

2008-03-23T19:58:00.002-05:00

Absolutely in love with these two home makeovers at DesignSponge.

bungalow makeover

beach makeover
(Love, love, love this house!.... I hope Andrew and I have a house like this someday...)

Toy Story

2008-03-23T19:07:00.005-05:00

So, I managed to find a new obsession this weekend....

I've been really stressed out the last week and Andrew thought I needed some retail therapy so Saturday we went on one of our antique outings. At the second place we went to I saw a small bead maze and I thought, "Hey! We really need some toys in the house for all of our friends' kids...let's get this!" And then two steps later I found a vintage Fisher Price dog pull toy...so I grabbed that too. You see where this is going....

The next antique mall we really scored.... vintage playskool stacking thing, blocks, cobbler bench, camera, puzzle and vintage phone! It was awesome! There is nothing better than going to an antique mall looking for something specific and finding it.

We also got a vintage Fisher Price xylophone but we gave that to Jeff and Leslie for baby TBA... since Jeff is a xylophone player... it was the only sensible decision.

So now this new obsession has transferred itself to ebay (I'm trying to keep the high going!). It is so sad.... and expensive!

Now... the only thing I have bought so far is a vintage 1980 Fisher Price Dump Truck... (remember this mom??)

Sadly it is missing the front shovel piece but it was the only one I could find. I also bought one of the little men who go in the truck.

Now for those of you who think this it is odd that my first ebay vintage toy purchase would be a dump truck ....take a look at this....

THAT'S ME! On the side of the box! Playing with the dump truck! I was 2 and a half. Pretty sweet huh? I can't wait to get this truck!

Stay tuned for more vintage toy purchases.... Goodbye purses.. hello toys!

Peek

2008-03-16T19:37:00.003-05:00

Sarah and Chris have approved of my wedding invite design...so here is your peek.

Daylight Savings

2008-03-09T16:05:00.004-05:00

Look at this...three little babies in my house. My, how life has changed in the last couple years.

Besides entertaining babies and their parents, I've been busy nursing Andrew back from the flu and from a badly cut finger; my third work trip to Omaha; and creating some mock wedding invitations for Andrew's sister.

I have really enjoyed making invitations again and I can't wait for her to see them (they should be in the mail tomorrow!) Once I know she has them I will post a peek for the rest of you to see.

In other news, the Schaus's are expecting baby #2, Baby Scott is due in 3 weeks and tonight is the third annual Seed Exchange Potluck.

I am:
reading the book The Tenderness of Wolves.
lusting this purse.
and studying for this test.

Taco flavored kisses...

2008-02-24T20:38:00.009-06:00

First, Congrats to my sister-in-law and her boyfriend who just got engaged this weekend! Very exciting that we will have another official addition to the family and another party for all the cousins to dance, sing and partake of many, many tequila shots.

Friday we found a great new Mexican restaurant El Paisano where we celebrated Leslie's birthday, complete with a personal mariachi serenade.

It was followed by bowling and an impromptu modeling session with Wendy's sweet hat.

Check out my new specs!!!

Saturday was my dear, sweet Australian friend Sonya's baby shower. Baby expected early April.

Sunday was tea with Leigh, my other dear, sweet friend who is expecting, at The London Tea Room. I love this place!

Weekends go too fast....

Children are not Decor

2008-02-21T19:36:00.005-06:00

[photo via NYT]

Andrew started getting the New York Times sent to the house a few weeks ago. I came home one day and saw this story Parent Shock: Children are not Decor. I found it to be a very humorous article because as many of you know...I am a bit of a design whore. This has become more apparent to me as all of my friends have had babies in the last two years and those babies are starting to come over to my house and climb on my vintage Lane coffee table; throw their food on my Interface Tile carpet and drool on my Intaglia couch. (I love you friends and babies!!)

My point is that times are changing and I need to adapt...which is exactly what this article was about. How do grown ups like me....who love design, adapt to having kids around. If Andrew and I want to keep our friends it is obvious that we are going to have to either baby proof our house or get used to the idea that our design fancy things are going to get some good old use from kids. I think it might be a combo of both. Stay tuned.

Stainless Steel

2008-02-21T18:20:00.009-06:00

So there was a bunch of stuff on my Christmas list that didn't make it under my tree last year, so I decided that I needed to get it for myself. The first item on my list was this Timolino vacuum infuser bottle. I got it from Amazon but first heard about it from Oh Joy. There were a couple reasons this bottle caught my attention.

I like to drink tea and this bottle has a built in infuser so you can put loose tea leaves in it but still drink out of it without having to remove the leaves.
It's made out of stainless steel. I'm not sure when this scare started...but it was sometime last fall when I started reading everywhere about the dangers of hard plastics (such as the plastic that Nalgene bottles are made out of). Something about bad things leaching out of the plastic and the more time that passed, the more articles I read in the design and magazine world about people switching to stainless steel options like Sigg and Klean Kanteen.

What really sold me was one of the Amazon reviews from a solider who took his Timolino to Iraq. You really can't beat that kind of endorsement.

I have to say that I am a satisfied customer. The bottle has a great design - sleek, clean and light. It is made of double walled stainless steel but has a coating on the outside that keeps it super cool to the touch. I have gotten several compliments and questions about it at work. Best of all it works really well. It keeps your beverage SUPER HOT... for a LONG TIME! If I make tea in the morning it will still be hot 3-4 hours later. Also, the lid really is leak proof.

Since all of my friends have been having babies lately, the next two products caught my eye.

One is a baby bottle that claims to be free of BPA (the bad stuff that they claim comes out of hard plastics).

They also have a stainless steel bottle design for adults. I like the design of this one...I might get it to use for water.

The other product is a stainless steel sippy cup.

I guess I just wanted to put this info out there to educate my friends and family about the possible risks of BPA and to educate my friends and family about their options. While the risk is still disputed...why not err on the side of caution and use a safer alternative.

Here are some articles about BPA. I hope some of you find this helpful.

Renovating

2008-02-16T15:14:00.005-06:00

Well as you can clearly see I've been doing some renovating around here.... Blogger has come a long way in the last few years and it's about time that I took advantage of it...plus I'm hoping that it will inspire me to start posting again on a regular basis.

January was full of cosmetic changes...in the house and to myself. We moved our TV to the living room and changed the use of our room off the kitchen into a mudroom/breakfast area. We have big plans for this room...but it won't be for awhile. (still paying for that great wedding...)

Speaking of the wedding...if you live in Missouri or Kansas, check out your newstands around the first week of June. Andrew and I will be in The Knot magazine. If you don't live in the midwest we are also supposed to be on the website. Obviously I'll post more details in June.

Back to cosmetic changes.... I colored my hair (although it's faded a bunch already); and I got new specs! This was a birthday gift from A. since I have been dying for a new pair for 2 years. It was the only thing I really, really wanted. I will try and post a picture asap.

VOTE!

2008-02-04T20:33:00.001-06:00

Yes We Can!

Vote for Change!

2008-02-04T20:23:00.000-06:00

Don't forget to vote tomorrow!

Obama 08'

Feb. 3, 2008

2008-02-04T20:16:00.000-06:00

Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.
Lao Tzu [via ali edwards]

Happy 2008!

2008-01-01T06:44:00.002-06:00

[May 2007, Me and Andrew toasting after "tying the knot" at City Hall.]

December 20th was my birthday and in my circle of dear friends it has become customary during every birthday for the Birthday Boy or Girl to answer the Schmidt-Baker Birthday Questions.

The first question is: What happened this year? Give your year in review.

2007 was a HUGE year for me (hence why I had no time to blog!).

January - May I was busy finishing up my wedding plans and completing my Associates degree in Interior Design.
In June I got married.
In July and August I anxiously searched for a job.
In September I started my new career as an interior designer, saw my brother-in-law get married and started yet another class (I can't get enough of school!).
October - Present I was busy finishing my class, learning a new job and trying to get my life back to a normal pace.

It was a whirlwind but I loved every minute of it. It was really a very, very blessed year.

The second question is: What did you learn? (This one is always the hardest for me...)

I learned how to plan a wedding
I learned how to knit a hat
I learned that I can't eat pork
I learned how to "run" at 80% instead of 120% (a.k.a. RELAX!)
I learned to face some of my fears
I learned that dreams can come true

The third question is: What are you looking forward to for your next year?

Our wedding is going to be in "The Knot" magazine and website! (how cool is that!)
Hopefully attending a wedding in Napa Valley
Hopefully attending a wedding in Austin, Texas
Meeting Baby Parker and Baby Scott
Spending quality time with family and friends
Doing yoga regularly
Getting better at my job
Sewing more
Fixing up my house
Cooking more with my husband
Being a better blogger!

As for New Year Resolutions Andrew and I picked 3:

No more eating on the couch
Exercise more
Paying off our debt

I'm feeling pretty confident about the last one....but the first two are gonna be a challenge!

Actually last night I read Ali's one word for 2008 - vitality. "Vitality is the state of being strong and active; energy.

I couldn't have picked a better word! I have been sick most of the last month and it sucks! In 2008 I want to feel strong and I want to have energy. That's my most important goal. I figure if I can do that, everything else will fall into place.

In order to start the year off on the right foot I am going to spend part of my day today with my meditation group for a special program. I just hope I can keep myself from coughing through the whole thing.

Sending you wishes for a fantastic first day of 2008 and many more fantastic days to follow!

3rd Annual Tour de Moose

2007-10-28T08:32:00.000-05:00

First some background: The Tour de Moose was started by Moose (a.k.a. Kevin) as a way to celebrate his birthday. It is a 20 mile bicycle "race" through south city neighborhoods and downtown St. Louis traveling between Moose's favorite neighborhood bars. At each bar there is an activity (contest) with a prize and you are awarded 30 seconds off your overall time for each beer that you drink. There are several trophies to win including the "taking it easy" award for the slowest time; the "most moosed out" award for the most moose decorations; the "crash and burn" award for the best bike crash of the day, etc.

This year Andrew and his friend Jeff decided to step it up a notch by renting a quadcycle. This was a very ambitious endeavour considering the quadcycle only has ONE gear and is HEAVY! Andrew and Jeff were troopers and only had to get out once to take turns pushing the cycle up one long difficult incline. They decorated the quadcycle to the nines, including a mini Heineken keg. Andrew and Jeff won TWO trophies, the best decorated bike and the "kick-ass" award (obviously won for riding a quadcycle!)

I, on the other hand, attempted to knock Reverend Bob from winning the "Taking it Easy" award for the third year in a row. Unfortunately it didn't work (that pesky Bob!) but I did win the tricycle race at the TapRoom! 15 seconds! Woohoo!

It was a gorgeous, sunny fall day and it was really a great time. The tour once again doubled in size this year, up to almost 60 riders. We even had people show up to ride who none of us knew. I think a Tour committee is being formed to consider changes to be made to accommodate so many riders. The end of the tour party was a bit unruly.

Andrew and I are considering recumbent bikes for next year. Andrew wants to decorate his like a rocket.

You can view more pictures of the tour here, here and here.

It's our wedding date! June, 23!

Me (in my official Tour shirt), Leslie, baby Madeline, Denice and Nancy

Gina, the Most Moosed Out and MOOSE!

Baby Update

2007-10-16T19:55:00.000-05:00

Andrew was in New Jersey last week and met Baby Zach and delivered the little knitted cap I made for him. A bit big but it was supposed to be...it is sized for a 1-2 year old. Hopefully it will fit better in the spring when he will really need it.

I love this photo....Zach looks pissed!

Baby Landsbaum has given us two false alarms. His mom says that they may have to induce very soon. (You are in our thoughts and our 'strength' candle is ready!)

Baby Jaiswal had a shower a couple weeks ago. I am still finishing her knitted blanket. I have only a couple more rows to go, but I ran out of yarn...so I think it will be done in another week.

Baby Rainsford is due Nov. 19. Mom looks good and she thinks the baby will come early just like the first one did.

I haven't heard any updates on Baby Huypen lately. I can't remember her due date but it has to be soon.

Baby Scott is expected in February and mom is doing well. She has the cutest little belly in the entire world!

and there is another expected baby to add to the list (NOT MINE!) but I'm not sure if the mom-to-be is ready for me to advertise yet, so I'll wait for another time.

Holy cow!! That is a lot of babies!! I guess I have some more knitting and quilting to do.

I'm off to Florida for the rest of the week for work but when I get back it is time for the Tour de Moose! It will be my first time participating and I have a feeling that I am going to be exhausted from traveling but I'm sure it will be a good time. Look for photos next week.

America's Next Formica Model

2007-10-07T15:59:00.001-05:00

Wow, life has been busy.

My first week of work I was thrown in with both feet, working on several projects right from the start. On top of learning the ropes I decided to take care of 4 chihuahuas while my friends were out of town. Don't let their cute faces fool you....they wore me out!

Daphne, the princess

Chico, the elder

Jimmy, the shaky one

Oliver, the trouble maker!

After the chihuahuas it was on to making a dress out of Formica. Yes, I said a dress out of Formica. In the first hour of my new job I was asked to fill in as a model for a fellow designer who had broke her ankle. The IIDA (International Interior Design Association) has a fashion show that consists of design teams matched up with manufacturers. We were paired with Formica. Since I had the most time and the best sewing skills I ended up making a lot of the dress myself.

I am sad to say that my dress was the most amateur dress at the event. I was disappointed that I didn't have the time to make something more spectacular but in the end I was mostly concerned about making sure that the owner's daughter, who modeled with me, had a good experience and a lot of fun.

Here are my favorites:

This is carpet!

Life isn't slowing down in October:

I am traveling for work the next two weeks, Indianapolis and Floridaa.
Oct. 20 is the third annual Tour de Moose (which will be my first! since I am not working on Saturdays anymore, woohoo!) (website built by Andrew!)
I am also still taking a class on Tuesday nights and doing my homework on Saturdays.
My maid of honor is moving into the neighborhood on Oct. 26 and we will be helping them settle in.
Baby Landsbaum is expected any day now! We will be cooking meals for the parents, trying to keep them strong and rested.

Enjoy your October!

Out with the knitted baby blanket

2007-09-17T21:24:00.001-05:00

Over the last couple years I have knitted many, many baby blankets. Don't get me wrong I have enjoyed each and every one, but it was time to move on to something new. Plus I was sitting around at home without a job and I needed something to focus on.

Therefore I decided that Baby Landsbaum was going to get a baby quilt instead of a knitted baby blanket. I started it about a month ago...but of course, as soon as I started it life decided to get busy.

Amazingly I was able to finish it just a few hours before the baby shower started. (Whew!) It was my very first complete quilt, start to finish. I machine quilted it and the binding was finished by hand. I must say I really loved the end result and I was almost sad to see it go...but I know it will be in a good home with a great family and I will get to visit it often.

The pattern was from Denyse Schmidt Quilts.

From one Sara(h) Veety to another...

2007-09-17T21:21:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Sistah!

It's Official

2007-09-06T10:04:00.001-05:00

I have accepted a job offer from a commercial interior design firm in St. Louis.

I AM SO EXCITED!

I have really been blessed this year and I want the universe to know how grateful I am. Things could not have worked out better...

While I struggled with being unemployed this summer it gave me time to coordinate and enjoy my wedding and honeymoon; it gave me an entire summer off to enjoy my new husband and spend time with my friends; and it gave me time to think about what I really wanted out of my new career.

I could not have asked for a better opportunity. I will be working in a beautiful office with really lovely people and doing work that I'm proud of. (Eventually I'll be designing in the field of Senior Living).

I start on Monday!

I HUGE shout out to my dear friend Karen who made this all possible for me by giving me someone to contact. I owe you BIG TIME!!

And thanks to everyone that listened to me worry and stress over the last three months (especially Andrew...). I couldn't have done it without your love and support. XXOO

Wedding Extravaganza 2

2007-09-03T19:49:00.000-05:00

We are back from our wedding weekend in Charlotte. It was a long weekend of manicures, motorcycles, food, family and dancing! It was so nice to get a chance to visit with Andrew's family since we didn't get a chance at our own wedding.

Matt and Elena got married in the sweetest little church.
Here is the beautiful bride with her Grandmother who came all the
way from Romania for the wedding.

Here is the groom (my brother-in-law) with his parents.

At the reception the "cousin's" table wasted no time ordering rounds of shots. Once the dance floor opened it was non-stop dancing, shaking and singing! I had a total blast and let loose. I got several comments the next day about my dancing skills. I guess Andrew's family really hasn't seen me "party" before. (I was sober, of course... I had one beer and one glass of champagne).
I can't wait for a cousin reunion!

Saturday Night

2007-08-29T07:15:00.000-05:00

Andrew and I spent our Saturday night learning how to entertain 4 month old Benjamin. We gave his parents time to go out on a movie date. Turns out that Andrew has the magic touch. Each time Ben would get upset Andrew would figure out a way to calm him down.

Life for me has gotten really busy. I'm juggling an internship with a Residential designer; an evening class to learn Revit, an architectural computer program; still job hunting and trying to finish my office remodel.

My office is in shambles. Somehow in my rush to get it done I've ended up doing everything backwards. The walls are painted but the ceiling is not. I still have to hang my new shelves and eventually repaint the trim. All of my stuff is still scattered throughout the second floor. Unfortunately it's going to have to wait yet another weekend.

Andrew and I are on our way to North Carolina this weekend to see wedding #2 for the Veety family this year. Andrew's brother Matt is about to head down the aisle. It should be a great wedding since the bride is Romanian and we get to be a part of a different culture's traditions.

I've added some links of my favorite new blogs to the right; absolutely beautiful things, bloesem, housemartin and stylecourt.

And if I haven't mentioned it already Andrew is blogging at slowdownandeat. Check it out and see the fun food we ate this weekend.

A shout out to JonBoy, Reverend Bob and Arnaud who are all celebrating birthdays this week. Happy Birthday Friends!

Lessons from Barbara Barry

2007-08-16T08:21:00.000-05:00

[via Kohler Interiors, Barbara Barry furniture line]

Feeling defeated this morning.... I thought for sure I would be on the path to my dream job by now, and my ego is having a hard time understanding what exactly went wrong. Insecurity is creeping in....

I have an interview this morning for an unpaid internship. It is in residential design, which I have been avoiding because of its attachment to socio-economic status.

Through the grapevine I found out that the firm I am going to see this morning has a new client that wants the look of Barbara Barry. Barbara Barry is an extremely talented designer of interiors and furniture and I really love her work. I went to her website this morning to do some "research" and I found something on Barbara's "About" page that both surprised me and spoke to me.

"style has nothing to do with money and everything to do with how you feel about yourself."

Residential design is an industry that has an expectation for style and an attachment to where you live, what you wear and what parties you attend. All of this has bothered me from day one...but I've never been able to find a way around it. Barbara's insight reminds me that I can exist in this industry I just have to look within myself, not outside myself.

My other big insecurity in this business is when people call me a decorator. For me it is an association with being uneducated and insignificant. But really, deep down, I know that decorator or not, living in a space that is functional and beautiful is a blessing. I shouldn't be embarrassed to believe that it is important to have a beautiful space, private or public; expensive or not.

Barbara says:
"good and thoughtful design can affect our lives profoundly, and hold us in quiet ways. I believe that beauty is healing and inspiring; I want to help others see beauty in all areas of their lives."

So really all I need is confidence.... sounds easy, right? Confidence in how I feel about myself and confidence in how I feel about design. Guess I've got some work to do....

Here's to a new adventure... Residential interview number 3 (the third one is the charm right?) I hope this one is better than the last two...and I hope it changes my outlook and opens my mind to new opportunities.

Joint Compound

2007-08-15T11:59:00.001-05:00

Wow...another week has flown by. I've been busy.

I've been spending most of my time smoothing out the walls of my office. They used to look like this

A horrible decorative/textured plaster job by someone that was obviously an amateur. Some spots were swirled, some flat, some just ugly. And for some awful reason the previous owner did a really bad paint job in this room with a grayish, off-white paint. It was as if they wanted to highlight the ugliness of these walls.

I really can't believe I've lived with it this way for two years. I've spent the last couple weeks covered in joint compound doing my best to smooth out the swirls. I just have to sand one more wall and I'm ready for paint, FINALLY!

This past weekend we were busy with lots of friends. Thursday was softball; Friday was dinner with Leigh and John to hear about their mountain biking vacation to Asheville; Saturday was outdoor movie night at Grand Center (we got to use our new table and the movie was Goonies!); Sunday we drove out to Augusta to hang out at a winery and a brewery with friends (not so fun in 100+ degree heat!)

I have two interviews this week. One for an unpaid internship and the other for what I hope is a full time job. Although the internship is unpaid...I will learn a lot and I can add it to my resume; AND it will keep me out of the house a couple days a week. PLEASE keep your fingers crossed that I don't need the internship and I get one of the jobs I'm waiting for...ever so patiently!

And a quick congrats to our friends Adam and Kelly who just purchased a new home, built in 1875, in the village of Fayetteville, NY. Adam was inspired by our 1907 home in St. Louis and our surrounding community of friends, parks, shops and restaurants. He wanted to find a similar community for his family. I can't wait to see it! I hear they have a tin ceiling in the living room.

card for the day: Be Humble

2007-08-08T13:48:00.000-05:00

"Don't allow the approval and attention of others to destroy you. Remain humble and grateful for all your accomplishments, and know that a force greater than your ego is always at work in your life"

~Dr. Wayne Dyer, Power of Intention Cards

This hit the nail on the head today.... Still struggling with the job search, or lack there of... It is very difficult to keep from feeling defeated and insecure every time I get a "we are not hiring" letter. This "lack of approval and attention" is "destroying me..."

The current saying that I have been repeating to myself is: "good things come to those who wait". This makes me think about something greater than myself having plans for me... and to just enjoy the moment while the bigger picture gets taken care of without me. This can be comforting but I also have my moments where I just feel crazy like my hands are tied and I have no control over my future. I just want to go in the back yard and scream as loud as I can..."I JUST WANT TO WORK!"

I had my suspicions that finding something would be difficult....but somehow this process is turning out to be worse than I was prepared for...

As my mother always says, "Whatever is meant to be, will be." I'm just not sure what to do in the meantime....

Actually I take that back, despite all my frustration and angst I have found plenty of time to enjoy life while I've been waiting and staring at my phone...

I've been listening a lot to Regina Spektor's new CD. You can listen to it online.

Last night I watched an interesting documentary on the Sundance channel called Blue Vinyl that I read about via Apartment Therapy:Green. It was good and I definitely learned a lot of good information that I was not aware of....but it also left me with a pit in my stomach. There is a LOT of stuff in this world that is bad for us...and sometimes it just feels overwhelming to try to keep track of it all, much less replace it all. While this director focuses on vinyl siding, vinyl is used in a TON of other household items. It seems almost impossible to get away from it all without making it your full time job.

Tonight I am hosting a punyatithi (auspicious lunar day) at my mediation group because it is Bhagavan Nityananda's mahasamadhi (when a great being leaves his physical body). It's been a LONG time since I hosted but I figured maybe it would be good for my karma...(come on universe! work with me!) I've been attending meditation more often this month and it is nice to have it back in my life.

I'll leave you with my horoscope that I stumbled upon today...
Sagittarius Your power is fully engaged this week as you struggle to express your needs. Although it may be totally inappropriate to just put your feelings out there, you must find an acceptable way to get the energy moving. Don't worry if you don't know what the future holds. Let your highest ideals guide you through a process. Ultimately, your integrity will have the greatest impact on your happiness.

Ring, ring...

2007-08-02T18:29:00.001-05:00

[via art.com]

Praise the heavens I got a phone call today!!! (don't get too excited....it's not THE one I've been waiting for....)

I don't want to say too much because it always seems to jinx the whole situation....but considering I have been waiting an entire month it is worth noting.

I have contacted over 20 design related companies in the last four weeks and not ONE single person has had the decency to call me back! Today someone finally called me back...RELIEF!

Now I'm not sure if this phone call will mean that I even get an interview...but it's a step in the right direction and that is a direction that I have been dying for.

I didn't call them back today because I just wanted to enjoy it...relish in it...feel the satisfaction of knowing that I might have at least one opportunity out there! So tomorrow I call. (I'm glad I took my suit to the dry cleaners.)

(P.S. thank you Karen!!!!)

Circular Logic

2007-08-01T08:17:00.001-05:00

Photo from House & Garden

I am SOOO in love with this picture. I first saw it when I was quickly thumbing through the latest issue of House and Garden at the grocery store on Monday. Then I stumbled upon it yesterday while doing my blog roll. Turns out the interior design is by Thom Filicia (of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy fame...AND a graduate of Syracuse University, close to my home town). I should have known... I have always really admired his work.

Being stuck in my house looking for a job has really given me decorating fever. I have several projects floating through my head at the moment but it looks like I'm going to start with my room/office/studio. I made the mistake of mentioning to Andrew that I wanted to fix it up and being the awesome husband that he is...he immediately drove me to Lowe's to start the process.
I have already made a mental note to make sure to take before and after photos. I'm taking my inspiration from a layout in Blueprint magazine from last fall.

Stay tuned!

Honeymoon: Part 2

2007-07-26T13:51:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the goodies we got on our honeymoon...

Fun poster from Knitting Mill Antiques in Chattanooga, TN

A photograph from a Chattanooga photographer, who we
actually bought a print from earlier this year at
an art festival in St. Louis.

Andrew actually made his own corned beef a few weeks before
the wedding... so this picture was made for him..we had to have it!

A new glass ball for my collection, also from Chattanooga.
It looks like a tree inside...I love it!

And our big purchase of the honeymoon...
an antique stained glass window from St. Augustine

Buying Used

2007-07-26T09:31:00.001-05:00

I found a great blog this morning over at Apartment Therapy:Green (which I highly recommend as a daily read!). The post is about compact fluorescent light bulbs. You have to read the comments though because that's where most of the good info is...learning from others knowledge and experience. Here's another good one on the same topic.

I also liked this one about the benefits of buying used furniture. "Buying used not only reduces demand for raw materials, it also cuts down on the energy costs associated with production and transportation." Andrew and I actually buy a lot of "used" (I like to say "vintage") furniture. Mostly because we like how it looks but it is a great way to "Reuse" instead of consuming resources.

Speaking of used furniture here are some recent purchases we have made....

Vintage Lane coffee table, from TFA Warehouse

Look at the detail!

Vintage mirror for foyer, from Blend

Mirror frame detail

Vintage EAT! sign from TFA Warehouse...
Andrew wants to use it to serve chips and dip!

Practice Unbending Intent

2007-07-25T14:39:00.000-05:00

"When you practice unbending intent, you match up with the intent of the all-creative universal mind. So keep a solid picture of the task you want to accomplish in your mind, and refuse to let that intention disappear."

~Dr. Wayne Dyer, The Power of Intention Cards

So....

I haven't had a job since May 23...

It's been two months...

The first month was a blessing in disguise because it gave me time to finish pulling together my wedding, having a wedding and going on a honeymoon without any distractions (except of course...being unemployed...). And it was a very nice month indeed.

This second month has been a tad more difficult. I am not good at looking for jobs. Or rather, I should say, that I just really HATE and LOATH looking for jobs. Everyday is a struggle for me and while I do get to enjoy some of this great time off, I spend most of my time worrying, feeling guilty and generally freaking out. I have never wanted to go to work so bad in my entire life.

Now, you have to remember that I have been waiting to start this career for about 8 years.... That is a long time coming....and I am ready to start!

I am keeping a solid (or maybe the texture of silken tofu) picture of the task I want to accomplish (job offer!) in my mind.... and I am trying my hardest not to let that intention disappear.

Anyone else who has some spare room in their mind to keep a solid picture of my intention, it would be greatly appreciated.

New Life: Part 3

2007-07-17T14:14:00.000-05:00

Before Andrew and I got married we had a little pre-marriage counseling with Reverend Bob and I promised Andrew that after the wedding I would help cook more.

Two weeks ago was my first big night and I made a pesto pizza which was delicious! Last Tuesday I went crazy and tried risotto with asparagus and shrimp. Apparently I shouldn't have picked risotto because it is heavy on the labor side.... but it actually turned out quite excellent if I do say so myself.

Now I do realize that the ingredients I used for my last dinner were not local but I am having a hard enough time learning how to cook without restricting myself to certain ingredients. So for now I'm trying to be patient with the fact that I am not the ultimate earth friendly cook.

I just started reading The Omnivore's Dilemma to keep our new found food motivation going.

Also I wanted to let you all know that Andrew has started up a blog again... you can find it here,
http://www.slowdownandeat.com/

New Life: Part 2

2007-07-15T17:32:00.001-05:00

We've shed some hair....

And a peek at one of Andrew's latest dinners...local, pasture fed steak; local and organic potatoes (twice baked); local and organic green beans and onions. Yummm...

Baby Update!

2007-07-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome baby Sena Heron, October 3, 2006

Welcome baby Makena Marie, March 27, 2007

Welcome baby Benjamin Schmidt, April 27, 2007

Welcome baby Liam, June 27, 2007

Welcome baby Zachary Frank, July 3, 2007

Still expecting.....

baby Landsbaum
baby Russo
baby Huypen

Making Cheese (and another soap box...)

2007-07-10T09:49:00.001-05:00

In continuing with our new found inspiration from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Andrew and I attended a cheese making class on Sunday. It was also to celebrate my Matron of Honor's birthday. (Friends who make cheese together, stay together!)

It was a very interesting afternoon. One, because it seemed relatively easy and fast. Two, because Millie the dog was adorable. Three, because our teacher was very cool. She really loves her goats and really loves making cheese. She also has pretty strong opinions about processed dairy products. Her family has goats, chickens and quite a large garden. She is living the farm life in the suburbs of St. Louis.

Warning... Soap Box ahead.....

You also may have noticed that I added a link to Michael Moore's new film Sicko, over to the right. Andrew and I saw this movie last week and it was very good. Sad, infuriating, funny and scary. By the end I was ready to move to France. I realize that some may think Moore's movies are full of bias.... but I find it hard to argue with Americans who have experienced the horrors of Health Insurance Companies first hand... to the point of losing their loved ones. It is maddening to know that our congressmen continue to use fear to keep the American public from demanding a better system. I just hope that one day I don't lose a friend or family member because a health insurance reviewer was trying to meet their quota for "denials" that month.

Ok, enough soap box..... just see the movie and decide for yourself.

New Life: Part 1

2007-07-08T10:32:00.000-05:00

When Andrew and I were getting ready for our honeymoon we each bought some books to read on the beach. One of the books that I brought with me was called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Interestingly enough one of the books Andrew brought with him was called Twinkie Deconstructed. There was a definite theme emerging that each of us was interested in learning more about what and how we eat.

Since we were both interested in the subject matter I started a new tradition of reading to Andrew while he drives and I pretty much read the entire Animal, Vegetable, Miracle book to him on our trip. This book was fantastic, eye-opening, scary, funny, sweet, and inspiring. It is a true story of Barbara's family becoming "localvores" for an entire year, trying to live off of food within a 100 mile radius of where they live.

One of the biggest benefits of living as a localvore is reducing your carbon footprint. Each time you eat a food that has to be shipped from across the world you are contributing to a huge proportion of petroleum consumption --> carbon emissions --> global warming. Also, many of the foods we eat are made of mass produced ingredients or toxic ingredients that deplete and poison our land. I URGE all of you to read this book and educate yourself on how you can help the world, your neighbors and yourself live a healthier life.

Andrew and I were so inspired (and scared...) that we wasted no time making changes when we got home. Thursday morning we went to a new grocery store that opened 3 blocks away called Local Harvest Grocery. We bought all locally and organically grown vegetables, bread and meat.

Thursday afternoon I got a new bicycle that I can ride around town to run errands, complete with it's own uber-cool basket on the handle bars. Saturday morning we both rode our bikes to the local farmers market and filled my basket to the rim with local veggies, fruit, meat, chocolate, eggs and more bread. The food tastes great and we feel healthier already.

We also spent Saturday watching Live Earth. Please visit their website and find out what you can do to help stop Global Warming.

Honeymoon Part 1

2007-07-07T18:13:00.000-05:00

Our honeymoon was a road trip...from Chattanooga Tennessee, to St. Augustine Florida, to Gulf Shores Alabama, back to Chattanooga Tennessee and then home to St. Louis.

We picked a road trip honeymoon for a few reasons.
1) it was cheaper than flying
2) we couldn't afford Hawaii
3) we like to go antiquing and we wanted to be able bring stuff home with us.

The honeymoon turned out GREAT! It was everything we were looking for, beach time, relaxation, shopping, site seeing and good food.

The real start to the honeymoon was in St. Augustine. We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast called Our House of St. Augustine. It was absolutely perfect!

Our host was Dave and he was wonderful. The breakfast was gourmet and our room was totally comfortable. It couldn't have been in a better location. All the antique shops were at the corner of our street and we were within walking distance of the center of town.

In Gulf Shores we stayed at another B&B called The Beach House. It was in a nice and secluded part of the town, right on the sand dunes. We did more shopping and did a lot of sitting on the beach and in hammocks.

Our honeymoon ended with a visit back to Chattanooga. We liked it so much on our brief stop at the beginning of the honeymoon that we headed back. We stayed at yet another B&B, The Mayor's House Inn. Chattanooga is a lovely city. It's very clean, pretty and people were very friendly. I could definitely live there.

Now we are home and trying to get the house back in order after throwing a wedding and being gone for 9 days. It's nice to be back but we are trying to keep the vacation attitude as long as we can. More to follow soon.

Honeymoon

2007-06-28T16:58:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!

Andrew and I have offically made it through our wedding and we are currently in Florida enjoying our honeymoon. We just wanted to let everyone know that our photographer Stephen Seward has posted some of our pictures on his blog. He (and his helper Michelle) took absolutely amazing pictures and we could not be happier!

More pictures and blogging when we get back from the honeymoon!
xoxo
Sara & Andrew

129 days until the wedding...

2007-02-14T11:25:00.000-06:00

[Andrew, Sara and Maggie, July 2006]

Happy Valentine's Day!

Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray. ~Rumi [via ali edwards]

Update

2007-02-09T08:05:00.000-06:00

Well everyone...I can't believe it is February already! Only 134 days left until the wedding!! Time is ticking fast and I am super busy finishing my last semester of school; finishing wedding plans, working and thinking about finding a new job!!

As most of you already know, the invitations have been sent. Yesterday we received our first two RSVPs!! It is making it all so much more real!! (FYI, not to toot my own horn but I made the invitations all by myself. =) )

We got the wedding bands last week and Monday we are going to taste food for the reception. I'm still working on flowers, cupcakes, getting contacts and finding shoes. I had a nightmare last night that it was the day of the wedding but I didn't have my dress sized yet and I had no shoes!

Last night we also had our first "marriage counseling" meeting with Reverend Bob. It was really nice and insightful and I'm glad Bob made us do it.

Well I have to run off to do some homework. I hope to see a lot of you in June!

Dress status

2006-12-31T18:09:00.000-06:00

There's good news and bad news...

The bad news is I tried on cloudberries and it wasn't a winner. It was a filmsy jersey material and didn't look great on me. It was ok....but not for $200 bucks.

The good news is I'm eyeing this dress from Ann Taylor Loft. I'm currently watching one on ebay. You can't tell from the picture but is navy blue with white polka dots. I like it's retro feel.

My wedding dress is in (it's actually a bridesmaid dress)but I haven't had time to call and make an appointment for a fitting. Here is a picture of it...but imagine it in ivory...with a big brown sash...and some sparkle.

Shopping for dresses

2006-12-22T14:00:00.000-06:00

It's raining, raining, raining in Charlotte.....so I'm catching up on reading all my blogs and shopping for things I can't afford to buy.

Loving these three dresses at Anthropologie.... do you think any of them would make a good rehearsal dinner dress? I was hoping to find a dress that matched the wedding color scheme of blue and brown...but maybe that's a little over the top. Tell me your favorite.

florida room sheath

cloudberries dress

gypsophila dress

Welcom Ryan James!

2006-12-20T09:57:00.000-06:00

My good friends Charlotte and Randy were expecting in February.... but their son has a mind of his own!! Ryan joined us on December 18 in Tennessee where Charlotte was visiting family. He is only 3 lbs. but is breathing on his own and doing well.

Unfortunately Randy and Charlotte have been renovating their house for the last 6 months and it is far from finished. When Randy returns I think there is going to be a big push by all their family and friends to get the house ready for Ryan. Charlotte told me I'm the official designer =) and I have full authority to select paint colors. So it looks like I know what I'm doing after Christmas. =)

Congratulations Randy and Charlotte!!! I can't wait to meet Ryan and I can't wait to get his room (and his house) ready for his arrival!!

Holding

2006-10-26T15:53:00.000-05:00

"Suffering is not holding you. You are holding suffering. When you become good at the art of letting sufferings go, then you will come to realize how unnecessary it was for you to drag those burdens around with you. You will see that no one else other than you was responsible. The truth is that existence wants your life to become a festival."
~ Osho

[via superhero]

Karole's wedding

2006-09-17T08:10:00.000-05:00

Attended Karole and Bruce's wedding last night. Karole is one of my Siddha Yoga friends. See that lei around Bruce's neck....you might see a couple of those again sometime next year....

Karole had a friend do henna on her hands and feet...SO BEAUTIFUL! They did a really good job. Bruce's name is hidden in there somewhere. This is something else you might see sometime next year....

Gary cuts up a rug with Melelani and Andrew creates ambiance with bubbles.

Our beautiful friend Nidhi rocks Gary and Cate's baby Leah to sleep.

Me and sweet, sweet Denise the matriarch of my little siddha yoga group. She had a second heart attack this week!!! Pushing herself to0 hard at work! Thank God is she ok but we are all trying to convince her that it is time to retire and take it easy.

Little Angel

2006-08-27T18:14:00.000-05:00

As an "honorary Wellbrock" I was invited to attend little Madelyn's baptism today. So very honored to be there and be included with Denice and Stephen's families. Madelyn is so, so sweet and adorable.

I made her a little guardian angel for the occasion.

School is back in session so I will try and keep up with blogging when I can.

End of Summer

2006-08-08T12:53:00.000-05:00

Busy trying to enjoy my last bits of "summer vacation" before I have to go back to school and be a grown up again. Also using this time to get as much wedding stuff done as possible.

Sent out Save the Date cards. 176 very special people were invited....

Ordered paper to make wedding invitations.... (finally decided to stick with blue and brown color scheme) I started printing yesterday!

Andrew is busy making pickles again.... and playing with his new toy...

And we found a pair of these beauties antiquing this weekend...I sprayed them yellow.

Can

2006-07-28T21:26:00.000-05:00

[maggie and giraffie, summer 06]

Been thinking alot about this video that I came across on Ali's blog the other day.

Thoughts about gratitude, perspective, attitude, joy, living life to the fullest and living life in the moment, what can I give myself and what can I give to others....

Very amazing 4 minutes.

Order of Events

2006-07-25T10:24:00.000-05:00

Wednesday 7 pm - a right turning SuperCell makes its way toward St. Louis. I'm in my car on my way to meditation.....and I know something is not right when the car stars to shake in the wind.

Wednesday 9:30 pm - Traffic signals out, multiple trees in the street, trees on houses, trees everywhere.... No power at the house. Tomato cages at an angle. A balmy 80 degrees for sleeping....

Thursday 6:30 am - still no power, call friend Aileen, she has power!!! drop off Kula.... get ready for work; leave the cat lots of water.

Thursday 5:30 pm - a warm 120 outside, about 81 on the first floor, probably in the 90s upstairs. Cat is hiding in basement. Back to Aileen's for AC!!

Friday 11:00 am - head to airport....another storm! Parking garage no power.... Flight delayed, delayed, delayed. Finally on plane and circling over Newark....circling, circling....nothing landing in greater NYC area because of another f-ing storm!!! We are headed to Cleveland.

Friday 7:00 pm - back on plane with supposed "new crew" to fly us.

Friday 8:00 pm - wait a second....same flight crew... sorry we are "timed out" can't legally take off and fly you to Newark.

Friday 9:00 pm - one agent at service counter....lots and lots of angry, tired passengers.

Friday 10:00 pm - Holiday Inn Express....very smokey room

Saturday 9:00 am - check back in at airport

Saturday 2:00 pm - finally taking off!!!!

Saturday 4:00 pm - Finally landed in Newark!!!!

Sunday 4:00 pm - 24 hours after arriving... heading back home.

The time I was actually in Newark was very nice. CJ and Deb were wonderful hosts and Adam and Kelly have a very beautiful baby with really big eyes!! This is what I made for her.

I started it on Wednesday when I still had power and finished it at Aileen's when I didn't have power. My first stuffed toy ever. Inspired by this, this and this.

I'm glad to be home....

Storm of the Century

2006-07-20T15:26:00.000-05:00

Been dealing with this since 7 pm last night. It was pretty scary but I'm fine and the house is fine. Andrew's garden didn't really look fine. The tomato cages were at a 90 degree angle.

I love how this stuff always seems to happen when Andrew is out of town and I'm here alone.

Sleeping in the house without AC last night was not fine.... I didn't sleep.

Luckily my dear friend Aileen still has power so Kula is there keeping cool. Della is on her own in the basement.

The neighborhood looks like a war zone. Trees down everywhere!!

More storms to come tonight...... stay tuned....

Reunion

2006-07-17T13:54:00.000-05:00

[clockwise from left: CJ, Adam, Andrew, DK, Kelly, Jimmy]

This weekend we are headed to New Jersey....

We will be getting together with Andrew's best man, Adam, his wife Kelly, and new baby Gisele, and with groomsman, CJ and his wife Deb. [Please note: DK is a groomsman too (see picture above) but he is too busy being a master chef to join us...=( ]

The funny part about this weekend is that Andrew, Adam, CJ and I all went to junior high and high school together. In fact I went to pre-school with Adam...and I believe I attended his 5th birthday party...although I have no photographic evidence.

It has probably been 11 years since I've seen Adam and 13 years since I've seen CJ.

If you had asked me 3 years ago if I ever thought the four of us would be getting together to celebrate marriage and babies I would have said you were on crack.... but life is funny that way and here I am.

I will admit that I am moderately anxious and nervous about the reunion but I am also pretty excited. I can't wait to see Gisele (most gorgeous baby ever!), play with lots of dogs, see if Adam and CJ have changed or stayed the same... and have lots of girl talk with Kelly and Deb. Most importantly I hope the weather is nice so we can take full advantage of CJ's patio and pool.

Cupcakes and other assorted details

2006-07-17T13:20:00.000-05:00

We will be having cupcakes..... something like this:

[via www.maganda.org]

So I am trying to decide what to do about the display of said cupcakes.... Here are three options.
I like the ones from Target the best but I wish they had 3 different sizes instead of just two....

Target has 2 sizes...

Crate and Barrel...

Amazon....

I also sent some bridesmaid dress ideas out to my girls this week. They are all from Anthropologie. I like the first one but yellow wasn't really in my color scheme....but I think it can work. This one is also on clearance so it has a great price! Too bad one bridesmaid is in Denver and one is in Europe at the moment.....

Ordered our save the date cards from www.ofoto.com yesterday.

Andrew is working on the website.

www.saraandandrewswedding.com

He plans on adding a bunch of info on Wednesday. He is calling hotels, airlines, car rental places trying to get deals. Unfortunately I think June is an expensive month. Lots of weddings, conferences, travelers, etc.

Waiting for a sample for the invitations to make sure I can print them at home.

Still debating on favors.....

That's it for now!

Photographer

2006-07-10T18:18:00.000-05:00

[ via Stephen Seward Photography, http://www.stephenseward.net]

Andrew and I have talked a lot over the last couple months about how and if we wanted our friends to "work" for our wedding (i.e. go above and beyond simply helping us with ordinary preparations). Our friend Cate (proud momma of Leah) is a photographer, our friend Steph makes cakes, and our friend Jeff has a jazz band. While it is tempting to ask all of our friends for their services to save money, Andrew and I decided we didn't want to make our friends "work" on our wedding day. We want them to be there to celebrate and relax just like the rest of our family and friends.

So today we hired a photographer. His name is Stephen Seward. I found him through the Wedding Photojournalists Association. He won a third place award for one of his photos. Check out his portfolio and/or his blog.

Congrats Cate and Gary

2006-07-10T17:34:00.000-05:00

[Daddy Gary and Leah]

Introducing....Leah Gita Skolnik (I hope I got it right!) This summer has been so busy I just got to meet her this weekend and she is already 4 weeks old! She is a cutie pa-tootie! Congratulations Cate and Gary!

[Aunt Melelani and Leah]

Our dear, dear friend Denise is recovering from having a heart attack last week. That was a scary phone call!!! She seems to be doing well and, as always, was in good spirits. I am SO, SO thankful that she is ok!! Andrew and I have asked Denise to help officiate our wedding. Please send her your good thoughts and blessings for a full recovery and many more years of good health. We love you Denise!

Here is Andrew testing Melelani's new bike.

SqWires

2006-07-07T07:48:00.000-05:00

It appears that Andrew and I have decided on a location for the wedding/reception and a date.

SqWires Restaurant & Market, Historic Lafayette Square, St. Louis Missouri

June 23, 2007

Here is a shot of where the ceremony will be outside the front of Sqwires.

Visitors

2006-07-07T07:39:00.000-05:00

Well I think I have had more visitors this summer than I have the entire 8 years I've lived in Missouri. It's amazing what having a house and a guest room will do! It's been wonderful to see so many people but also very busy!!

After my family left my friend Arnaud from Belgium (see above) was in town and hung out with us a couple evenings. He also brought us a FABULOUS bottle of REAL french champagne for our engagement. We love you Arnaud!

Then it was the Marconi brothers on their way from NYC to LA. Unfortunately I was so excited to hear authentic NY accents that I forgot to take any pictures...=(

Then this week my long lost cousin Corey stopped in. I had not seen Corey in 10 years....to the day!! It was awesome to see her!! She has my dream job as a theatre technician doing electrical work and carpentry. I can't wait to visit her in NYC.

Color Theory

2006-06-29T10:38:00.000-05:00

Well if anyone has taken the time to look at all of my links over on the right ---->
you would know that I am a bit obsessive about reading design blogs. It's my own little world that I live in and love. I go through withdrawal without it...as I'm sorry to say, Andrew's family witnessed when I was in North Carolina this year.

One of my favorites is Decor8. The other day I sent Ms. Holly an email to ask her some questions about one of her posts on color theory. Low and behold she asked me if she could create a thread out of my question!

Here is my design blog debut!!

The information Holly provided was awesome and so totally helpful. I should ask questions more often. There is so much to learn!!! and so much confidence to be gained. I am thankful that people like Holly take the time and energy to share what they know. Thank you Holly!

Embrace Imperfection

2006-06-28T07:31:00.000-05:00

Doing lots of reflecting these days...

There's nothing like a wedding to make you contemplate expectations, validation and perfectionism.

My new shirt... [via Ali Edwards Design]

And I highly recommend watching this movie, The Winter of the Dance. It's only 10 minutes but it has an important message. [via Keri Smith]

Joke is on me

2006-06-26T15:31:00.000-05:00

Well.... today was not a good wedding planning day after all. =(

The time and place we want for the ceremony is not available. Now I don't mean to sound like a bridezilla......but I am super bummed about this. I had the whole "day" planned in my head....and now I have to change my plans. Not cool.

I went to try the dress on....by myself...(how sad). It actually fit....but I don't think it was "the one". Although at this rate I'm not sure "the one" exists.

Could I sound more pathetic? It's right about now that eloping sounds so romantic and enticing.

I think all I have the energy for today is some more pouting.

Vegas, here we come.

Joke

2006-06-26T11:01:00.000-05:00

So you all know I was joking on that last post....right? I'm not a Hello Kitty or Precious Moments kind of girl.

I think one of these dresses is more my style, except the fact that they cost between $2,000 and $10,000.

I am actually going to try on another dress this evening at Neiman Marcus. I found it on their website and they don't actually carry it in the store but they happened to have one that was returned. It's a size 8...which might be too big but I'm hoping to just get an idea of whether I like it or hate it.

I think Andrew and I have decided on the locations for the ceremony and reception. We are acutally about to go over to our choice for the ceremony to see if we can talk to someone. Once we have a date for the ceremony we will contact the reception location. Hopefully everyone has the same date available.

I'm getting closer to deciding on the invitations. I think I've decided to order the paper from Paper Source but I'm still deciding on the exact design.

I ordered three more milkglass vases from ebay this weekend. That gives me a total of 7. I think I will need 3-4 more.

Well keep your fingers crossed. I'm going to go try and pick a date.

Hello Precious Moments!

2006-06-21T17:54:00.000-05:00

Here is my perfect dress..... [via weddingbee.com]

And the perfect location.... (this is actually in Missouri! Ack!) Hey Mom, do Amy and Marybeth know about this place? [via preciousmoments.com]

Look who came to visit me!

2006-06-19T18:37:00.000-05:00

My mom, brother, sister-in-law and two nieces! All the way from upstate NY.

We had a full weekend of the Botanical Garden, City Museum and Circus Flora and the Arch. Good times were had by all. Thank you family for driving all that way!

French Country

2006-06-12T13:04:00.000-05:00

Here is the project I have been working on for the last month. It is for a couple building a new house and they wanted help with colors and fabric and creating a french country style. I didn't finish as many of the details as I wanted to but I think it turned out ok. Hopefully they will keep in touch and I will get to go shopping with them to pick out some of the furniture.

Here is the whole board

Formal dining room

Formal living room

Breakfast area

Family room

The perfectionist in me is having a hard time dealing with not feeling like I did a perfect job. But I am trying the best I can to remind myself that this is a learning experience. I have learned a lot so far but I have a ways to go.

Mostly I am just totally distracted by wedding thoughts 24/7. Here is the newest blog that I am addicted to: www.weddingbee.com

Andrew and I are going to visit our fourth venue tonight and another on Wednesday. Hopefully we can narrow it down to one by the end of the week.

House without it's lid

2006-06-11T18:45:00.000-05:00

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

2006-06-05T18:11:00.000-05:00

"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

2006-06-04T08:19:00.000-05:00

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

2006-05-30T09:11:00.000-05:00

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

2006-05-29T16:56:00.000-05:00

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....

2006-05-26T07:19:00.000-05:00

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!

2006-05-25T06:26:00.000-05:00

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

Commercial Project

2006-05-22T13:49:00.000-05:00

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

2006-05-18T20:41:00.000-05:00

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

2006-04-28T22:41:00.000-05:00

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

2006-04-24T21:51:00.000-05:00

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

2006-04-17T20:49:00.000-05:00

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!

2006-04-05T21:15:00.000-05:00

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!

2006-03-30T14:33:00.000-06:00

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....

2006-03-26T17:11:00.000-06:00

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

2006-03-23T13:33:00.000-06:00

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!

2006-03-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

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

2006-02-24T18:19:00.000-06:00

You have to see this. =)

Tree

2006-02-23T13:54:00.000-06:00

"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..."

This post goes out to my long lost little sister...

2006-02-17T09:19:00.000-06:00

Where are you sweetie!!!!???

Dana was my first little sister in my sorority at Cornell and in the last few years we seemed to have lost touch. Then suddenly her name showed up in the Comments from my blog on Tuesday!

Dana,
I was in Colorado, gosh...back in May 2004, for Stefanie's wedding and I called you when we were in Boulder but it told me the phone number was disconnected??? I didn't know how to find you!

email me: sarakaminski at hotmail

Can't wait to hear from you!

Get well soon

2006-02-16T09:14:00.000-06:00

[Bill and his beautiful wife Denise]

My dear friend Bill went into the hospital for his THIRD hip replacement surgery yesterday. I wanted him to know that I am thinking of him and sending him wishes for a quick and COMPLETE recovery this time. I hope all is well.

Floorplan

2006-02-14T19:27:00.000-06:00

Well it's been a whirlwind of a week for me. Sorry I haven't written sooner. I've had four interviews in the last week; a furniture store, Design Within Reach, a temp job with Professional Office Environments, and a hardwood flooring showroom. Good news is I was offered one today and I took it... The bad news is (if you can call it bad news...) is I got a call for another interview next Tuesday. My Dad will tell me that I should be glad...this is a "good problem to have..." somehow I still feel awful. The guy at the new job is awesome...very nice and there is even a yellow lab there!!!! I start Saturday. (I can't believe I have to work Saturday! I've gotten used to having weekends again...) But... I can't wait to have money again! Yeah!!

So other than job hunting I've been throwing myself into my school work. This is my first project for Interior Design II that I handed in on Monday. The point of this project was to learn how to draw one-point and two-point perspectives.

Here's the whole board:

This is the one-point perspective:

This is the two-point perspective:

Now not to toot my own horn or anything..... but I've gotten a crazy response to this board! My classmates gushed over it; telling me that they didn't want to stand up in front of the class and put their board next to mine; my teacher said great things about it; the other Interior Design II teacher used it as an example for her class.

When I saw my own teacher in the hall this afternoon she complimented me again on a good job and she mentioned entering my board into an Interior Design competition my school is hosting this spring. =) I think this would be pretty exciting. Although I don't really expect to win, but it's nice to be considered.

I've been really obsessed with school. I worked on floorplans for 5 hours last night....when I didn't really have to. And then I didn't sleep all night....dreaming about floorplans. More hours spent on a different floorplan this afternoon. Maybe I suck at floorplans if it is taking me this many hours. Then again I just like to think that I'm a perfectionist....and I like working on them.

Andrew has been busy brewing more beer.

His latest experiment has been making a "starter"....what I call growing yeast. Did you know that yeast get so crazy feeding on sugar that they create their own current? Go yeast! Next beer is ready this weekend and two more are brewing. And more kegs are on the way to our house!!! I bet my brother never dreamed I would live with a brewer. Maybe this will get him to visit me.

Kula is busy napping....in my vintage Milo Baughman chair. Della is busy meowing. Well I'm off to work on more floorplans.....or clean the house, which is a disaster area..... or watch the olympics.

Happy Valentine's Day

Mentor

2006-02-03T11:16:00.000-06:00

This is Sarah Richardson. This is my mentor. Well, at least in spirit. She lives in Canada so it would be hard to get her to mentor me in person....although that would be a dream.

She has two design shows you should watch. Room Service was her first and Design Inc. is her newest one. Design Inc just started airing on HGTV in the U.S. I love it!!! Mostly because it gives me a feel for what my career might actually look like someday. Sometimes it scares me; sometimes it looks exhausting!!; and sometimes it looks like a dream. She also just started her own furniture line.

What I would give for an ounce of her talent. For now I'm just going to imagine....and try to use her to motivate me to work my hardest (especially since I'm having some trouble getting started today...)

Melts my heart

2006-02-02T15:45:00.000-06:00

[My niece, Maggie, 2 years old, Jan 2006]

Ruler

2006-01-31T18:31:00.000-06:00

Look MOM! I'm using my ruler!!! I did a little floor plan for the Baby Schaus room last weekend. But I will be using it tonight and I'm sure I will be using it a lot in the coming months.

School is busy, busy, busy already. As I slowly try to motivate myself to look for a new job I wonder if I really have time for a job. I feel as though I'm doing school work 24 hours a day. It takes a lot of energy to be creative.... and to find the right coffee table for your first project.

Architecture Design and Production is definitely my favorite this semester. I get out of bed anxious to get to class. I hope that feeling continues.

School is back in session

2006-01-21T12:54:00.000-06:00

It was a good first week but I must admit that I wasn't nearly as peppy as I was the first semester. I think I'm settling back into it though...I just tend to get a bad case of the "doubts" when I have too much time to sit around and think.

Since I'm still not working at the moment I'm spending my time trying to get organized. I want my magazines and magazine clippings to work for me and hopefully someday work for my clients.

And here is my first Design and Production assignment.... Chair design. It's not really the most beautiful or creative thing in the world...but I love the cushion. =)

DKNY

2006-01-15T10:41:00.000-06:00

Listen up people, DK is in the house! (that's him on the right)

Dave Koon that is, one of Andrew's bestest friends from NYC and the infamous culinary student that we've been bragging about to our friends for the last 2 years. He just finished school and came to drop us a visit.

We've got some more bragging to do though. DK recently got a job at the new Morimoto restaurant opening up in NYC. Morimoto is a famous Japanese chef from the show Iron Chef that Andrew and I love to watch on the Food Network.

Of course Andrew and I decided to "gently encourage" (a.k.a. force) DK to cook for us. (how often do you get a gourmet cook in town?) I didn't really have any expectations for the meal but it was WAY BEYOND what I could have imagined. We are talking about a three course meal that was plated so beautifully I didn't want to eat it! And it tasted even better than it looked!! It was totally gourmet and fabulous!

Course #1

Course #2

Course #3

Andew and I are feeling guilty for working DK so hard in the kitchen during his short lived "vacation" to the midwest. We are trying to think of some way to repay him for such an incredible meal but have yet to come up with a good idea. And to make matters worse I think I may have given DK my cold =(.

Thanks DK!!! For an awesome and outstanding meal, but also for coming to visit us in St. Louis. It's been a long time since I've seen Andrew so happy and excited. It meant a lot to have a friend willing to come all this way to see him. You aren't nearly as quiet and scary as Andrew made you sound. =) I hope you come back to visit us again or I hope we make it to NY to see you soon. Go teach Morimoto a thing or two about cooking! Good Luck!

Bedroom

2006-01-11T12:58:00.000-06:00

I'm feeling yuck... sore throat, heavy head... Maybe it's stress... worrying about not having a job.

Here's the bedroom:

Before: "Baby Pink" (old owners)

After: "Rainwashed" (Sherwin Williams)

Still trying to decide on what to do with the headboard, new bedding, window treatments, etc. More updates to come in the future.

2006, Week 1

2006-01-10T12:22:00.000-06:00

[Dad and Me, Tower Grove Park 2006]

I can't believe a week of 2006 has already come and gone!

So far in 2006:

I painted my bedroom (I will post pictures of the bedroom later today...I'm waiting for my camera battery to recharge. )
Repainted the kitchen
Got a new cell phone (dropped mine in the basement and the screen on the phone went kaput. =(
Entertained my Dad and his wife Ann with dinner, the zoo and the art museum (Thanks for visiting Dad! It was good to spend time with you.)

This week:

I had lunch with old co-workers from my former corporate job
I got my new parallel rule for my drafting table at home (Thanks MOM!!)
Running lots of errands and getting ready for school
Getting the house ready for more visitors....Can't wait to meet you DK!

Happy 2006!

2006-01-02T17:11:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year everyone!

Andrew and I had a fabulous evening. We started out with a happy hour at our place and then we moved the party to another friend's house about 4 blocks away (perfect walking distance). It really turned out to be a fun, happy and good time.

Pre and post New Years, I've been working on our bedroom...fixing the ceiling, priming the walls and trying to decide on a color! Here are some pictures of the ceiling before I fixed it up.... stayed tuned for the "After" pictures....hopefully tomorrow.

Thanks to Andrew's parents for sending me the Scottish purse I had mentioned on my blog for Christmas. It's awesome!!

insomnia

2005-12-29T03:43:00.000-06:00

I lay in bed listening to:

Andrew breathe
Kula shifting on the bed in the guest room
the furnace kicking on... and shutting off
the ice maker kicking out ice in the refrigerator
the sound of a dying battery in one of the smoke alarms downstairs

I lay in bed looking at:

the clock
Della curled up between me and Andrew
the way the street lights illuminate the curtains
the enormous hole in the ceiling directly above where I sleep (more on this later)

I lay in bed thinking about:

the enormous hole in the ceiling directly above me is creating bad feng shui
if only I hadn't been depressed all day and sat on the couch for most of it I would be sleeping right now
how I really hate being depressed
what to write on my blog

If there is one thing I have noticed about getting older, it's insomnia. It seems to have become a regular condition rather than an occassional annoyance. However, for this particular bout I have several theories:

Theory #1: The enormous hole in the ceiling above where I sleep.
It's not really a hole... it's actually a spot where the drywall tape was coming off the ceiling and causing the paint to crack. I've been thinking about painting the bedroom because: #1, it's still pink from when we moved in and #2, my dad is coming to visit in a week. (whenever someone comes to visit I go crazy trying to finish projects.) Anyway...if I'm going to paint the walls I need to paint the ceiling and I can't paint a ceiling with a bunch of sagging drywall tape. So, Tuesday I decided to tear off the loose pieces which left a large area of exposed drywall...directly over where I sleep. I truly believe this has created a source of bad chi in the room that is keeping me awake...or please see theory #2.

Theory #2: Being slowly elimnated from my job.
When I returned from my Holiday vacation I was greeted with the news that my employer had essentially layed me off for the month of January. Apparently business is so slow in January (and February) that there is not enough work for part-time employees. It would have been nice of them to mention this when I was hired for the job back in September.... But instead I'm on winter break from school...a time when I should be raking in the money (to pay for school), but instead I have absolutely no income at all. The real kicker is that I got a phone call yesterday morning to tell me not to come in...and not to come in today...and that Friday and Saturday were up in the air... My last week of work, that I was TRULY counting on to help pay my bills...is essentially gone. If this isn't enough to keep a person up at night...please see theory #3.

Theory #3: You never really want your X's to be happy.
This one isn't even worth getting in to.

I was already a mess yesterday morning from theory #2...I was deep in pity party mode when theory #3 happened. Not a good combo. Hence, entire day on the couch and a night of tossing and turning.

But I want to end this on a good note...(because really...where else is there to go? It's 4:30 in the morning and I'm pouring my heart out to a computer...something I'm probably going to regret by 5:32 am. )

I really have to thank Andrew. He was a trooper yesterday....for putting up with my pity party...for making me laugh, for taking care of me, for being my eternal optimist.... I could not make it through this life without him....

Here's to hoping that 2006 is filled with baby-smooth ceilings (and other smooth home renovations; part time jobs that give you hours; straight A's in school; lots of home-brew; a garden; "sparkle"; a trip to the beach; long walks with Kula; friends with new babies; lots of knitting and quilting; lots of love, happiness and good health.