phew...

its been a long week! and a tiring one at that. most of the time was spent putting the finishing touches on my new office. here are a few more photos today of the finished office, as i've started to unpack. i'll be posting more in the next few days as i get stuff set up on the new desk that ian built for me yesterday :)


[fireplace still needs to be painted]




[look at the nice cedar lined closets with chalkboard + magnetic paint!]


its going to take a few days to move things down 2 flights of stairs, and set it up, but i can't wait to start on my next project in my new space. it also frees up the current office to finish up the wedding dress :)

speaking of wedding stuff, the paper supplies for the invitations arrived on friday, and i was able to start mocking up some test invites.




luckily, i have some great friends and ann offered some time and came over today to help me assemble all [!] of the invites. tomorrow i'm off to buy some stamps, stuff some envelopes, and get these things labeled for mailing. with 10 weeks and counting, they'll need to be in the mail in the next 2 weeks. its crazy how quickly time is flying. i'm looking forward to all the fun extras like bridal showers and bachelorette parties, but its more that i really can't wait to marry ian. well, that and going to st lucia :) hehe, just kidding sweetie!

last night we finally went to silk elephant in squirrel hill to try out their thai tapas. i highly recommend this place! i was pretty irritated when zyng closed and this opened in its space, but i'm already over that! yummy food, strong drinks, and a nice atmosphere. i'm sure we will be back sometime soon :)

thats it for now, i'm ready to crash and its only 8:34. i think its time for some mindless tv and knitting to relax me for the night. oh, and maybe a foot massage....

more photos and house stuff, as usual :)

i finally have a few photo updates to post. not many, but its something :) first, we have the semi-finished walkway that ian and i worked on a few weekends ago:



i still need to plant a few hostas in the shade, and we may need to put a little more sand around the pavers, but its finished enough for now :) it will be nice to have a place to relax once it cools off a bit. once we pick up some more mulch, i'll be able to post photos of the rest of the landscaping in the backyard... not too much to show now.

next up, we have a few office-progress shots.






we have a new ceiling, new light/fan, we've painted the walls, and ian made a built in shelving spot in one wall, and installed 2 new windows [thankfully replacing a glass block one]. he's started putting down the floor, which should be finished this weekend and then we can install the baseboards. before i know it, i'll be able to start buying the new furnishings :) speaking of, anyone interested in buying an industrial vintage steelcase-type desk? i'm in the market for a more streamlined desk for the office, so i've got to sell the one i have.

on the knitting front, i received a lovely package from my SP8 today... it was a nice surprise while taking a break from mowing the back yard. she sent 3[!] skeins of knitpicks shimmer alpaca/silk lace yarn, 4 bars of yummy scented soaps, and a great debbie bliss book. once i finish up the picovoli t i'm working on, i think i may make one of these.

hmm... what else? keeping on track with the wedding planning, dress making, invite designing, etc. also keeping busy on the work front, with a few websites in the design stages and a press check tomorrow. looks like i'll have some time to work on picovoli :)

the 4th + seven

ahhh... finally a minute to post, sort of. its been a busy week, as usual. ian had an extended 4th of july holiday weekend, so we spent the time getting a lot done on the house. he took over inside renovations while i tackled more yardwork, in hopes of getting a bit of a tan. the progress on my new office is exciting... we'll be picking paint colors and hopefully painting an evening this week... [ hmm painting vs. burger night? ]. here's the status: i drywalled a bit during the week, and updated the electrical outlets/switches. ian finished up drywalling, plastered, and finished the cedar lined closets. he also installed the ceiling over the weekend and the new fan. next steps are caulking, painting, installing the floor, and trim work. yes, i'm glossing over alot of the specifics, but this gives me hope that i'll be moving into the space over the weekend :) [can't wait til ian reads this.. hehe]

as for yardwork... wow, alot of progess there as well. we finished the walkway with the pavers, sand and gravel. we mulched the torn-up grass between the walkway and fence, and we now have a nice sitting area to relax in. i see many days spent sipping a cool beverage and reading/knitting/sleeping.... :) i also managed to start edging the lawn and preparing for a small landscaping/butterfly/flower "space" to mask an ugly area in the corner. i'll be planting around the perimeter of the fence as well, so i've got about 50 more feet to edge. yay! [i'll post photos when i get home tonight.]

what else... we made it up to erie over the weekend for some family time; ian took my dad to get fitted for his tux, while my sister and i went dress shopping with our mom. it was a nice weekend, great weather, i just wish we had a little more time to relax. next time i'm hoping we'll find time for a short trek out to the peninsula, which is one of the things i really miss about home.

this week i'm freelancing "on-site" so its something to get used to. mostly the traffic. i haven't had any problems getting into work, but the drive home last night was not fun. but i did manage to make it home in time for ian and i to get to the gym a little after 6. had a good workout and hope to get back a few nights this week. its nice to see that bally's has opened up their outdoor pool. that will be nice next week while i'm working at home :)

its good to relax...

after a very productive weekend, the evening is ours to relax, grill and enjoy :) more tomorrow, hopefully with pictures.