short update

how has june flown by so quickly?? it seems like just yesterday i was unwrapping gifts, and now its almost the 4th of july. things have been really busy lately, so this may be a short post :)

ian and i went up to erie the weekend before fathers day to celebrate my dad's 79th birthday, and to have our first "pre-marital" counseling session with my pastor. that involved taking a long standardized test to measure our compatibility and views on a long list of stuff. i bet he's just entering our answers on match.com. :) we've also started going thru all of my belongings that are still at my parents house. that is going to be a huge task, since i haven't really "lived" there since the summers between college years. i won't even say how long ago that was. my parents have been discussing moving into a smaller home this fall. i'll admit a six bedroom house is a little too big for 2 people, but its also sad since i grew up in the house, and my dad + grandfather built it. anyone interested in a huge house in erie? :)

my sister that lives in erie called on tuesday night to let me know my mom was in the hospital overnight for observation. her blood pressure was really off, and there were some issues with her heart. they did a few tests yesterday and everything seemed ok, so she was sent home to rest. pittsburgh isn't that far away from erie, but sometimes it seems too far, especially when family is concerned.

in other news, freelancing has been pretty busy the past few weeks. ian and i have gotten a lot done on my new office. [photos will come later as the camera is charging now.] last night he started building a closet/bookshelf system in there, as it will be a "bedroom" when it comes time to sell the house. landscaping was put on hold for a bit due to the rain we've been getting, but i hope to plant some groundcover this weekend on the strip of dirt on the side of the house. still need to finish the stepping stone walkway, but we haven't had a chance to pick up the rest of the supplies for that.

wedding plans are coming along. i've started work on my dress [yay!!], but i can't really talk about that or upload photos. so you will just have to wait until the wedding. speaking of, i designed a quick site for the wedding, so if everyone wants to send us gifts, its all on there. jk :) i also want this, but its not at target, and we're still debating adding an amazon wedding registry.

i haven't been knitting much lately, since i've been too busy with other things. you know... work, life, etc. i'm hoping to get back into some new projects soon, esp since my SP sent me some lovely yarn and chocolate for my birthday. [i'll have to post that photo later too.] speaking of projects, i think its time for me to get back to work!

the countdown begins.

4 months + 2 days is close enough for a countdown right? this week is the official start of our 'lets hit the gym hardcore so we are in prime shape for the wedding and honeymoon adventure'. yay, lucky us! nah, seriously, its a good thing... i actually enjoy going to the gym, but sometimes its hard to find the time to make the trek out to ballys. [and by trek, i mean a 10 min drive in traffic.] its a little irritating that they got rid of their pilates class for now, and don't offer yoga... hmm... may have to try out the new schoolhouse yoga in squirrel hill.

i promised photos, so here they are.... photos of my latest FOs. the first is 'lelah', a nice summery top perfect for getting rid of tanlines. this was made out of a recycled gap thrift store sweater... totaling maybe $2? i still have 1/2 the sweater left...




next, we have 'sexie' from the stitch+bitch series, and yes, thats what they call it, not me. i substituted yarn on this one, and made it from some gifted berroco cotton twist. [thank you donna!] and it took less than 2 skeins! i also modified the straps so they don't tie at the neck. this was a super easy and quick knit.... i'm liking this one. but if i make another, i'll probably make it a few inches longer, and more snug, to show off the back lace work. this will be perfect in st lucia :)




here's an 'in progress' shot of my latest project... another tank. i just need to knit the straps. i'll post a finished pic in a few days, hopefully. i love this yarn! it is so soft and easy to work with; i may have to order another color [silver grey?] and make a lightweight hourglass sweater. plus, i am only on the 2nd skein... this is another great pattern :)




tomorrow i'll take some photos of the current state of my new office: walls are scraped and primed, and we need to patch in some drywall in spots then skip trowel. we decided to paint the brick wall white due to the difficulties we were having cleaning the brick and time constraints. this week we'll be installing 2 new windows and hopefully the ceiling. well, more than likely that will happen next week ;)

ian also started installing a new walkway in the back yard.. using some huge ass paving stones. so far its looking pretty good... we need to pick up some sand and gravel and fill everything in. normally, i love yardwork, but seeing how the stones weighed more than i did, i had to opt out. we're lining the walkway with inverted beer bottles... thoughts?




yes, the photo is taken out the kitchen window, i'll take some "outside" ones tomorrow :)

old

what's been keeping me so busy? celebrating my birthday of course! lots of parties, gift-unwrapping and yummy boston creme pies. enough to keep me slightly distracted from turning 33. no time to dwell on that tho... i've got a never-ending list of "to do's" that i need to tackle. i can cross one of the list tho... [drumroll please....] the honeymoon is booked! we finally settled on st. lucia [thank goodness for travel insurance in case of hurricanes]; hurricane or not, we'll have a great time! we're staying at a small hotel in the north end of the island the first few days, then traveling south to round out the week. we'll be staying in a private villa overlooking the ocean, and with our own private pool + garden shower, plus prime views of the pitons. jealous yet? :) photos will definitely be coming soon.

speaking of photos, i'll be uploading some this week, so much to show! we did some landscaping to the front and back yards and much progress has been made on my new office. i've also started on the bridesmaid dresses and fitted the first dress yesterday... things are looking great. the fabric i ordered for my dress arrived today and i'll hopefully be starting on it within the next week or 2. :D i've also been working on a few knit items and will be posting those pics soon, as soon as i finish my latest project, a cute little grey tanktop.

its been a long week, so time for a little relaxation, and finishing the last of my birthday beers. thanks sweetie ;)