distracted.

i think distraction is an understatement. "life" has taken over and i haven't had any time to blog about it.

to sum up.... we finished the master bedroom some time ago. here are some pics to ooh and ahh over. we're still figuring out the furnishings; we need to make a decision on new dressers and nightstands, and then finish "decorating". the chair in the corner is the old pink damask slipper chair that i reupholstered. and, the quilt on the bed was handmade by my dad as a wedding gift for me and ian.





what else... i finished the central park hoodie just in time for the summer heat wave. i still need to sew the closures on, but i'm in no real hurry now. on the plane trip back from france i started on "sahara" from stitch diva and wendy bernard. the construction is very unique and the fit is wonderful, but i've had to re-knit the collar several times. i have very narrow shoulders, and didn't take that into the measurements and fitting. this was pushing the collar up into a mandarin-type style, so i reknit it using short rows so the back of the collar is shorter than the front. i've got a few other projecs in the works, but i'll save those for the next post, along with some photos.

over the long weekend, ian and i finally had a chance to do some more work on the house. home depot was having a great sale on slate [1.25/sq ft !!], so we picked up enough for the main bathroom and porch. taking advantage of the beautiful weather, we tiled the porch on sunday. we'll need to grout sometime in the next few days, but it already looks 100x better than the painted concrete.



time for me to get back to work. hopefully we'll have our back deck underway soon so i can take the laptop out and enjoy this beautiful weather :)

ahhh paris....

the city of lights and romance. kir royales and steak frites. crepes and café au laits. subways and smoke. what a wonderful city :) we really had a great time. we left on thursday, and arrived in philly around 6pm and rushed to the next gate for our connection. we found out the flight was behind, and decided to grab a bit to eat. little did we know as the hours passed by we wouldn't be leaving until 12:30am, 4 hours behind schedule. it was really disappointing; we were supposed to arrive in paris at 9am and have the whole day ahead of us. we ended up reaching paris around 3:30pm. we took the metro to our hotel and had to walk a few blocks in the rain, but we were troopers :) by that point, it was close to 5, and it was really too late to do any of our planned activities, so we grabbed a coffee to go and explored the neighborhood, walking towards the seine and notre dame. funny thing is, the first coffee shop we passed was a starbucks, and we really needed a coffee by that point....soo.... it appears that starbucks in paris is still completely american, and they spelled my name "amy" on the cup. sigh. and the coffee sucked, so we stuck to real cafés over the rest of our trip :)



our first full day there it was still a little chilly and rainy, so we killed a few hours at the louvre. we had our game plan of what we wanted to see, which is a very good idea for anyone going. the place was crazy, and very easy to get lost in. its a beautiful museum with alot to see; you could easily spend a full day there. after finding our pieces [in about 3 hours], we decided to see the rest of the city. over the course of our vacation, we visited the typical spots... the eiffel tower, rodin museum, sacre coeur, and the catacombes. we also tried to enjoy the parisienne lifestyle and wander thru the neighborhoods of saint germain, the latin quarter, the marais, montmartre and montparnasse. it was fun and relaxing [after all of our walking!] to sit at a corner café and enjoy an afternoon snack and just watch the city.







everyone we came across was very pleasant, and although most people spoke at least a little english, we always tried to speak french whenever possible. we enjoyed the food for the most part... tomato/mozzeralla/basil salads were very popular, along with steak frites, duck a l'orange, and onion soup, which we tried all of. we found that the steaks were mostly cooked on the medium rare side, and the onion soups we tried weren't as tasty as we were used to. water was never served at a meal unless asked for. then you were given a bottle and charged about $5 for it. it cost about the same to order a wine/beer as it did to order an iced tea or soft drink. beer selections were fairly limited... usually a choice between a few belgian beers or kronenberg 1664. aperitifs were very common, such as a kir cassis, which was dry white wine with a splash of creme de cassis. very tasty. of course, we stopped at many crepe stands and had our fair share of croissants. one note of interest... when we ordered a coffee [they would always ask, "avec lait?"], and the little pitcher of milk they brought to the table was always hot, so that your coffee would stay hot. odd at first, but it was enjoyable :)

everything in paris is very expensive... from shopping to dining. a coffee usually cost 3.20 euros, which is about $4.25 US. and that does not include a refill. we still enjoyed ourselves and did alot of walking and window shopping. prior to our trip, i had surprised ian with a birthday gift that he would receive in paris.... a tattoo from an artist who he admired the work of. we had sent him a quick sketch and a general idea [a skeleton/skull with a heart]. we arrived at the studio, and he freehanded his idea onto ian's back. five hours later, the tattoo was finished.



we loved the city so much, we decided to stay an extra day! errr... i mean... hmm... the day before our flight, we checked at the hotel front desk to see what time to be at the airport. they said to arrive 1 hour before our flight. so we did. but.... we were not even allowed to check in :( apparently, you need to be there *2* hours early, so we were told to come back the next day to fly standby on the *1* flight a day that goes to philly. we tried to make the best of it and enjoy the rest of our day. luckily we left the airport by 11 am, so we had a full day ahead of us. the next day we were able to make the standby flight [and sit together :)] and arrived in philadelphia around 3 pm, slightly jetlagged. we were on standby for flights to pittsburgh, and of course, all 3 of them were oversold. by 8:30, we were finally headed back home for some much needed sleep.

i miss the croissants and delicious coffee, but its good to be home. check out the rest of the photos on my flickr set.

beautiful

i'm taking a small break from my current project and just got back from taking sydney for a walk around the neighborhood. its beautiful out there! sunny, warm, and the hope that spring is just around the corner.



i also noticed quite a few "for sale" signs on the walk. we try to check out the open houses in the neighborhood to get an idea of what others are selling for in comparison to ours. there have been several on the market over the past year in the range of 120-150, with one on the market now for 180. [haven't hit that open house yet]. and seeing these houses, that are either smaller than ours, with outdated or poorly remodeled rooms, or only 1 bath ... it just gives me a big smile on my face. because that means that when our house goes on the market, we'll be able to sell for more than we had originally planned and budgeted for. which means a larger profit than estimated :) i love our house and what we've done, but we both know we'll be moving on and starting again. we'd eventually like to renovate an old tudor house, a ranch house, and who knows what else. we enjoy the hard work and seeing how it pays off.

once we get back from france [woo hoo! 1 week away!], we'll get back to work on the bathroom. plus, our new offstreet parking spaces will be started this week. we're certainly keeping busy :)

now, back to work for a few hours.

remembering

my grandfather passed away 24 years ago today. i was only 9 years old at the time, but i can still remember that day vividly. he lived with us since before i was born, so my sisters and i were lucky to have a closer relationship with our grandfather than most kids. i figured today would be the perfect day to tell a story about my dad and his father.

on veterans day last year, my father made the trek to wellsville, new york [where he grew up], and donated my grandfather's military medals. the story was well told in the speech introducing my dad, which i'll share with you now ....

----

charlie sanford grew up in the scio area during the 30s and early 40s. in 1945, he was old enough to volunteer for the united states army and signed up in the officer training program. the army thought he was bright enough to learn japanese and be sent to the pacific theatre as an interpreter, but, charlie told the army he couldn't understand latin in high school, so he didn't think japanese would be a good choice either.

so, in the military way the army gave him a lesser grade of T-5 clerk/typist and he finished the rest of his military career in occupied germany as a mud dog. but.... this presentation today isn't about charles sanford, its about his father, horace w. sanford.

horace sanford had one of those military careers that books could be written about or documentaries are made of.

the *exact* details, of course, are mostly lost to history, but we do know that at the age of 17, horace enlisted in the U.S. army in 1916 and became a medical corp man and as charlie says of his father, "when my dad enlisted, i'm not sure of his qualifications as a physician, he must have been standing in the "volunteer" line where the medical corp men were chosen".

one of horace's first adventures was to drive his mule team drawn hospital around the hills of texas and mexico chasing the mexican bandit poncho villa. for this, he was awarded, however, never received, the mexican punitive expedition medal.

immediately after that, in 1917, horace was assigned to medical duties in europe. in france, horace was involved in trench warfare and eventually was the victim of a mustard and chlorine gassing incident, which led to his returning to the states.

again, horace was awarded, but, never received, a very prestigious combat medal, the purple heart.

after a healing period from the dreaded mustard gas, horace worked at the alexandria base hospital in norfolk, virginia. eventually, he moved to the scio area where he married and went to work at the worthington plant, here in wellsville. when charlie came home in 1947, charlied moved mom and dad to the erie, pa area.

horace passed away in 1983, and like so many veterans, past and present, never got to see the prestigious awards he had earned through valor and patriotism. the short history that i have told you of the veteran, horace w. sanford, does have a positive ending.

in 1988, after years of diligent work of writing letters and making phone calls, then state representative of pennsylvania, thomas ridge, wrote to son charlie and stated that all of the military medals that had been awarded to horace w. sanford would soon arrive in the mail, which would include the mexican punitive campaign medal and the coveted purple heart.

i now present to you charles sanford, a WWII veteran himself, who will donate on behalf of a veteran of days and wars ago, the military medals that were awarded posthumously to his father, so that posterity may retain a small, yet significant symbol of america's military past.

----

my dad was so happy the day those medals arrived. other than his father's and daughter's funeral, its one of the few times i've seen my father cry. i'm proud of you for seeing this thru daddy. and i miss you grandpa.

catching up

its time for a little catch up, isn't it?

last i wrote, we were just getting hit with the "big" storm. growing up in erie with "lake effect snow" being an every day word, the snowstorms in pittsburgh still don't compare. on the plus side of all the snow, ian stayed home from work on valentines day, which was also his birthday. he made me a tasty surprise breakfast, then did some work on the house. because of the roads, we stayed in that night and had dinner at home which was really nice. i took him out on saturday to tusca in south side works. it was.... ok. it wasn't bad, it wasn't great... it was average.

this past weekend, we finished the master bedroom. finally. well, its about 90% finished. we still need to install the skylights, which depends on the weather. it didn't make sense to wait until then to move back in, so we did that on sunday. i LOVE it. it is so spacious, and airy. very modern feeling. we made a custom headboard which looks really great. we still need to do some finishing touches... then i will post photos of everything moved in. the animals also love the new room. sydney is in awe over all the space she has on the floor now, and the cats are enjoying the window seat.





i am also in the process of reupholstering a chair for the bedroom. [yay! we actually have room for a chair!] when ian's parents moved 2+ years ago, they gave us a set of antique slipper chairs that had been their grandparents. they were covered in a pink moire fabric... not exactly our style. in a few days i should be able to post the new and improved modern yet vintage bedroom chair.

so what else has been going on? i've been working on the central park hoodie for awhile now. i'm using a yarn called mister joe: blanket. its a wool blend, thick/thin yarn. it adds a bit of texture to the sweater, and its a nice lightweight sweater... not too heavy. i decided to work the sweater flat on circulars instead of a back, right and left front. this means no seaming for aimee :) i have that knit up to the underams, and i've started work on the sleeves. those are also being knit in the round, 2 up on circulars. unfortunately, i had those knit up to the elbow when i finally admitted they were a bit too snug and i had to frog it all and start over the next size up. frustrating, but better in the long run. the sleeves will be roomy enough for a long sleeve t underneath.





i also whipped up a cute little odessa hat. on my last trip to the local yarn store, on a whim i picked up some rowan cashsoft aran and thought i'd try a little project and see how i'd like working with a soft wool blends. my mind has been completely changed on wool yarn. i am in love with the cashsoft aran! now i want to make a sweater out of it :)

thats it for now. i'll try to post again soon.

26 staples

i'm back from my week long vacation in erie. i was happy to leave all the snow behind, only to wake up to see i need to shovel and clean my car off once again.

my sisters surgery went very well. we were told to show up 2 hours before her 12pm surgery. after waiting those 2 hours in her hospital bed, they didn't actually take her into surgery until after 1:30, with the surgery starting at 2. after the surgery and recovery, i could finally go visit her around 7:30. lets just say it was a long day for everyone. she came home on friday and is slowly recovering. most people know my aversion to [and by aversion i mean complete fear of] hospitals, so this was a huge step for me. and it wasn't as bad as i thought. i even [gasp], took a look at her incision on sunday when a friend came over to change her dressing. she has a 10" long incision down her back with 26 staples. instead of passing out, my heart went out to her and the pain she must be in. i felt guilty for leaving her, but i had to make it back to pittsburgh before the storm, and shes lined up a few friends to come over and help her out as she needs it.

it was a strange week away from my husband. still getting used to saying that ;) he brought me flowers on his way home from work yesterday and it was like i had never been away. we settled into a cozy night at home, watching heros and catching up on our time apart.

thats also the weird thing about erie. sometimes it feels like i'm back in time. hopping on the bayfront parkway and taking the long way from my sisters house to my parents, it was as if every mile i drove, i went back a year in time. flipping the channel to the local college radio station and hearing electronic's 'get the message'. driving thru old familiar neighborhoods, memories of high school with my best friend megan, random memories flashing back. its odd the things that stick with you.

but then when i arrive at my parents house i'm painfully brought to the present realizing that they aren't who they used to be back then. that my dad is turning 80 this summer and hes a frail shadow of who he used to be. and wondering if, everytime i hug my mom goodbye, how long til she doesn't remember me? when do the tables turn, and children start taking care of their parents? i'm glad i was able to come up for a week and help out and spend time with my family, but it was really a wake up call. its heartbreaking to see my mom's memory slowly slip away as my dad's health deteriorates, even tho he's too stubborn to admit it.

on a brighter note, i got a lot of knitting time in while in the waiting room. more on that in the next post.

un latté avec le lait écrémé s'il vous plait

same old, same old, too busy to post. we've made major progress in the bedroom. hehe, now *that* sounds interesting. since i last posted, we've painted, built and installed the wardrobes, redid the walls and ceiling in the closet, installed the floor, new outlets and ceiling fans, etc.... phew!






i've been keeping busy with some freelance work and i'm also in the progress of redesigning my website, which is much overdue. next week i'll be up in erie while my sister recuperates from back surgery, so i should have plenty of time on my hands. i have a few knitting projects underway; i'm working on another pair of fingerless gloves, a gift item, and trying to find the right yarn for the previously mentioned vogue sweater. i picked up a few thrift store sweaters this week and will be frogging those for some new knits. possibly the central park hoodie if the yardage is right.

in other news....



we're going to paris :) we love to travel, and once we start having little murphys running around.... well, it just makes sense to go now! we're going at the end of march, so i still have a little time to brush up on my french. and it may be time for me to make the camera upgrade i've been considering.

au revoir!

not enough time

home remodeling, freelance projects, the gym, knitting.... its been a very productive start to the new year :)

we've made some major progress on the master bedroom. status: ian finished framing in the new wall and doorway to the walk-in closet, insulated the ceiling, framed in the placement of the 2 skylights (yes, you read that right... jealous? hehe), hung the drywall, installed the ceiling, etc.... yep, some major progress. too bad he goes back to work tomorrow. our next steps are finishing the drywall and painting the ceiling. hopefully the weather will clear up this weekend and we can get the skylights installed. this morning we ran around town picking out some flooring samples for the bedrooms and bathroom which we'll need to decide on soon.





did i mention ian also built and installed a fireplace over the holiday? just need to connect the gas line and we're set.



as for the bathroom, the demo is complete! now we just need to get the old tub out and take it to the scrap yard, and then pickup the new tub and get moving on it in our spare time. hehe... spare time.. whats that?? last sunday we ran out to ikea looking for some lighting fixtures, and decided to stop at lowes. we took another look at some vanities we've been debating for the bathroom. at $278 each [plus faucet], we were still debating. i turned around and .... ta da! there were a few boxes of the same exact model marked down to less than half price. we couldn't pass that up, so its now in the back of my scion :)



i've managed to start a new knitting project... but its a gift so i can't write too much about! i'm going to start on my green raglan soon... maybe this week. i also need to find a new yarn for the central park hoodie. cotton wasn't really the way to go, so i'm hoping to find a non-scratchy wool blend. i've got a list of other projects i want to start... i just picked up the new vogue knitting and love the cover sweater, but think it may work best in a lighter weight yarn for my small frame. maybe this week i will get around to photographing my current works and uploading. no promises :) i'm also going to break out the new sewing machine and start some of my sewing projects that have been on the back burner.

sunday morning we had a deliciously filling brunch at casbah, then a long day of work ... well, ian worked and i cleaned and baked muffins [i pulled a muscle in my back so i am out of commission for a few days]. afterwards, we did some grocery shopping at trader joes, picked up some fresh seafood at whole foods, then stopped at a redbox to pick up talledega nights. for $1. thats it! very convenient and well priced... i see us stopping there often.

tonight we're heading back to the gym. our goal is cardio and abs every day, and adding strength-training on T, TH, and SA, and trying out a few yoga classes on sundays. i think the rule is it takes 21 days to form a habit, so .... i'll let you know how its going in mid-february :)

so this is the new year

finally finding a minute to post. it seems like the past month has been a whirlwind, as usual. in a nutshell....

christmas: went to erie for christmas eve weekend, then came back sunday evening to celebrate our first "married" christmas together. we made a yummy breakfast, opened gifts, watched its a wonderful life, and all that fun stuff.

new years: had a really nice romantic dinner at dish, then stopped by a few parties before calling it a night.



house stuffs: the past 2 weeks we have been moving my sewing room into my office, so that we could put the contents of a master bedroom into the former sewing room/guest room to start the demo work on the master bedroom. we're quite cozy in there... queen size bed, 2 wide dressers, 1 tall dresser and 2 wardrobes. we have very little walking room, as its a tight fit. lets hope the renovations go smoothly so we aren't crammed in there for *too* long.

yesterday was our major demo day. suited up in our work clothes, respirators and eye gear, we removed the ceilings and started tearing down the wall between the 2 rooms.

before:


during:


after:


today ian is going to frame in the new wall, and then we need to finish carrying out all the garbage to the dumpster. fun! after that... a LOT of cleaning, then the actual remodeling can begin.

on to the knitting front: nothing. i don't think i've touched anything since before christmas. i haven't really had the time to sit and relax and start any new projects. i still need to block my swallowtail shawl, start on my green raglan, and post photos of the in-the-round baby sweater. i think it turned out great :)

other than that, we've been hitting the gym pretty regularly after meeting with a trainer to set up a new workout. all in all, i think its going to be a good year :)

happy new year!

12 more days

i'm back in town from my trek to erie, and we've had a busy 2 weeks since then. between errands, working, and house stuff we managed to find some time last weekend to go ice skating at the PPG rink with our friends matt + kerry. it was surprisingly crowded, but we still had fun. i definitely want to go back in the evening... it would really be beautiful. after that, we headed over to harris grill for some dinner and were not disappointed. i highly recommend the ebony + ivory brownie dessert :) we also found time to hang out with gary + ann and many other friends at a tree-trimming party over the weekend. much fun was had by all [along with some yummy lasagne and chocolate fondue!]

we missed burger night for the 2nd week in a row to visit joey3shirts. the first week it was to see his newly purchased home; last week... ian schooled joe in the art of plumbing and gas lines, and hooked up his washer and dryer so joe can get to work on his 18+ bags of dirty laundry. ahh... the joys of being a homeowner.

speaking of, i've hit day 4 of bathroom remodeling. all the tile surrounding the tub is out and the kneewalls are out. we still need to remove some of the crumbling drywall and get the old vanity, toilet, and medicine cabinet out of there. next step will be getting the old tub out of there and purchasing a new tub to replace it with, while ian will be working on the built-in storage units that will go in the kneewalls. bit. this is going to go on hold for another week as i'm busy with some freelance work. in the meantime, i'm hoping to get all of the before & after photos up on flickr.

that should mean.... photos in the next post, including house stuffs, knitted FOs, and more!

now if only i had time to finish up my xmas shopping....

updates.

time for a quick post. i made the trek up to erie today to play nursemaid to my sister ;) she's having some medical type tests done tomorrow and being the sweet sister i am, i am driving her to and fro, and waiting on her tomorrow while she recuperates. on the plus side, she made brownies tonight :)

its been a busy week since thanksgiving. i won't be able to post photos until i get back home, as i don't have my camera connector on me. i managed to get some more work done on the bathroom. all of the tile, tileboard, and old insulation is removed from the tub surround; i just need to remove all of that from the ceiling above the tub, and then we can get the old tub out. we're planning on installing a jacuzzi style bathtub... i think it will be a nice, yet affordable luxury. we've narrowed down our tile and paint choices, and have a good idea of what we're going to do. i still need to demo out the knee walls... we're going to build in some storage space where those are now.

we've been discussing starting the remodel of the master bedroom as well. that will be a slighter larger project as we're going to be knocking down a wall and combining 2 rooms to have a large master bedroom. currently our house is a 4 bedroom, so we'll still have a very marketable 3 bedroom / 2 bath house to sell when the times comes ;)

in knitting news, i finished the baby hoodie in the round protoype. i'll post photos this weekend. its cute, was much easier to knit, and came together pretty quickly. the hood itself is a little too big i think, but that can easily be modified on the next one. i've also made alot of progress on the swallowtail shawl. i'm really enjoying working on this one. its very easy to follow, but looks intricate. i have also ordered the valley yarns longmeadow to start my raglan sweater i mentioned in a previous post. it shipped today, so i'll be able to start that once i get home. i'm also starting work on the much blogged about central park hoodie. this is going to be another recycled knit... i'm using a thrift store l.l. bean mans sweater in a light grey. i think it'll be a fun quick knit, and will replace a favorite wool hoodie i have that is showing its signs of wear. and yes, i know ... its wool. if i wear long sleeves underneath it doesn't touch my skin :) . maybe i'm not allergic to wool. i'm not sure. i know some of it irritates me, some does not. oh well!

i also received a package from my "secret" SP ;) she sent some nice blue scarf yarn, and the redwood knitting needles to make it with, and some yummy dark chocolate. mmm... thanks!!!

i think thats it for the updates. time to hang with penny for a bit, enjoy some brownies and watch tv. more this weekend....

turkeys and such

not much thanksgiving news to talk about... ian and i went up to erie to visit my family and have thanksgiving dinner. luckily it wasn't too chilly and we had a good time. my dad seemed to be feeling alot better which was also good :) when we got back into town, we met up with ians friend mike who was visiting from japan. the monkey hoodie turned out to be a great gift... here's the finished pic:




it was a quick knit and fun to do except for the seaming. i hate it so much that i have started on a prototype for a baby hoodie knit in the round. we'll see how that goes. i don't have any progress to show on my other sweater as i still need to seam it. :\ i have started on the swallowtail shawl from interweave knits... not much to really show until its blocked to show the lace, but here it is:




before the holidays, i was able to get a little more demo work done on the bathroom; here it is, day 2 of renovations:



i will probably get back to work on this tomorrow or thursday. even wearing a mask and gloves, i still need to take a few days in between because of all the black dust. we've got a ways to go...

not much else is really going on. we're settling into married life, updating all the paperwork for name changes, and just trying to relax. i know i always say it, but i'm really hoping to get back to the gym this week. its been way too long. its just hard to find the motivation when its dark at 5pm. wish me luck :)

coziness and knitting [now with photos!]

maybe i was wrong in the last post. it looks like fall returned for a short spell :) the bad news is that meant we had to catch up on our yardwork this past weekend with raking all the leaves and mowing the grass one last time. the good news is that the leaves have been beautiful and the weather has been nice enough for us to want to be outside. and of course, its the perfect time of year to knit, bake, and enjoy a cup of tea.

so what are my current projects? i finished the baby sweater trellis; this shot isn't so great, but i don't have any babies accessible for the shoot, soo.... this is what you get.




i'm working on another baby sweater... a friend of ian's moved to japan a few years ago and will be coming home for thanksgiving, so i need to finish this by then! its a cute hoodie that i put an anime monkey on :) the monkey chart is from the stich n bitch books, and i thought it would be perfect on the hoodie :)




i'm about 75% finished with a sweater i'm knitting for myself, the looking glass top from interweave knits summer issue. i'm using recycled yarn for that top. i'm finished with all the knitting, i just need to graft the top and bottom front halves together and seam up the rest. here's a pic of the top 1/2...




i do have some projects lined up. i'm going to do a little lace knitting and work on the swalltail shawl [also from interweave knits], after seeing and falling in love with jared's version. i'm doing it in the same yarn and color scheme, because i really like the simplicity of the ivory, and it will go with most colors.

i ordered a few samples from webs as well, and i am coveting their longmeadow yarn in olive. its beautiful! i even started working on a design for a new sweater in it. here's a sketch of what i'm thinking...



its going to be a top-down or bottom-up raglan in the round... but with the front left seam left open. i'm going to try to find some interesting closures for it. i also want to incorporate some sort of lace/open work pattern down the middle. thoughts?

i have promised myself i won't order the yarn until i have finished my current sweater and have made a little progress on the shawl. i'm also loving the jaeger trinity in 445 [or 449 :/] and the elsebeth lavold silky tweed, but... i'm not sure what i'd use them for, so i should wait til i decide on that. :) i think the trinity would make a great deconstructed hourglass sweater... with some on purpose runs/snags, and more exposed raglan seams. * mental note to start on sketch of that.

but anyways... i'm sure on boring my non-knitting readers :) and i know i promised that wedding post, but... not yet. it is in progress, just not finished. in the meantime, enjoy the wedding and honemoon photos.

other than knitting, this week is going to involve a lot of cleaning and organizing. depending on how long that takes, we may officially start the main bathroom remodel. we're still working on the plans for that, but i can start the demo work as we finalize what we're doing. then, on to the bedrooms... before you know it, we'll be ready to sell!

*updated*... we have officially started the bathroom remodel, because i can't have less than 12 projects going on at once :)



time to make some tea...

brrr.

i love autumn and the changing leave, except that it is way too short of a season. pennsylvania has beautiful foliage, but its over before you know it. ian and i traveled up to erie this weekend, and the drive up was beautiful. the changing leaves, the scenery... a warm coffee, it felt warm and cozy. then we hit meadville. snow. and lots of it. as we arrived in erie, i'd guess there was at least 5 inches? i'm not ready for it! luckily, it had pretty much melted by sunday when we left... but it was a sad reminder of whats to come in the next week or two. time to get my knitting into gear and start on my list of cold weather knits.

it was nice to see my family again, and we brought up our wedding album to show everyone. [post coming soon!]. sadly, when we got back into pittsburgh last night, i received a call from my sister saying my dad had been taken to the hospital by ambulance... he is in intensive care now, with a bad case of pneumonia. my dad has emphysema and asbestosis and is on oxygen, so when he gets pneumonia, its a little more risky for him. everyone who met him at the wedding knows thats he's a fighter, but lets all cross our fingers and pray that he'll be out of ICU soon.

now its time for me to get back to my freelance project and try to concentrate. once i'm finished with that, i've got another long to-do list of post-wedding business to take care of, namely finishing the thank you notes and finalizing the rest of my name changes. who knew there was so much work *after* the wedding? maybe i'll even find some time to get back to work on my weekender bag.

one more dirty banana, please

as i'm still sorting thru all the wedding pics, its time for me to finally post about the honeymoon in st. lucia.

it started off with a 4am ride to the airport, then waiting around til 5 for the delta booth to open :( and then, having to check my knitting stuff [i wanted something to do on the 6+ hour plane ride]. the flight wasn't too bad, other than it being at 6:30 in the morning. flying into st. lucia was just amazing... we could already see the pitons in the south from the plane [we would be staying in the northern end of the island for the 1st half of the trip].



after departing and making our way thru customs, we were greeted by a driver holding a "mr. and mrs. aimee sanford" sign. i was laughing so hard, i didn't get a photo :) we had a 1.5 hour drive up to the north of the island, through banana plantations, rainforests, and beautiful scenery. we arrived at our hotel and were presented with a bottle of wine and a welcome card. we unpacked, freshened up and took a little walk to see what was nearby and ended up taking an early dinner, followed by a stop at an ice cream stand for some chocolate rum icecream. yummy :)

after catching up on our sleep, we had breakfast on the patio of our hotel [delicious banana bread, fresh fruit, coffees, etc.... perfect], then made our way to the hotel pool for a nice swim and an early afternoon drink. at the hotel, i *always* had the dirty banana... a wonderful concoction of banana, light + dark rum, creme de cacao and coconut milk. i could live on these.

while swimming, a staff photographer was around taking photos of the couples and then came over to shoot us. apparently, he wanted us to be models for a brochure they were doing, and asked if we could stop back that afternoon for a photo shoot! we're awaiting the photos in the mail, and once they arrive, i'll post 'em.

during the days we would usually walk to the nearby reduit beach [voted 2nd most beautiful beach in the caribbean], and did alot of snorkeling, swimming, and relaxing. it was beautiful :)





the 2nd half of our honeymoon, we decided to stay in the southern part of the island. while the northern end was a little more lively, we wanted to relax for the remainder. we stayed in a beautiful resort, where we had our own private villa. when we arrived, the driver took our bags to our villa, and we were shown to the outdoor restaurant to have a light lunch, and were in awe of the view:



it was beyond beautiful. every morning we'd come have breakfast here, occasionally an afternoon swim + drink to watch the sunset, and dinners. every night was a different theme, so eating at the same place every night wasn't so bad. after lunch, we were escorted to our villa, and once again, it was perfect. this was our front porch :



the view was amazing, and we also had a hammock to the right of the table + chairs. having our own privacy pool was great, and we could take a dip whenever we wanted. we also had an outdoor shower which was suprisingly relaxing.

we did a few excursions, visiting a volcano and then a botanical garden and waterfall:



we also visited a few beaches, and did more snorkeling. i still need to get the underwater shots developed and hopefull those will turn out :)



we went horseback riding thu a cocoa plantation, shortly after a light rainfall, so of course there was a rainbow. how silly is this photo?



but here we are, our first times riding:



here we are our last night, after watching the sunset, with a little bit of a sunburn. the food was amazing, i think i had fresh seafood every night :)




all in all, we had an incredible time. i'm so happy we chose a smaller resort, and not an all-inclusive sandals-type vacation. [i think that would have drove me crazy]. our honeymoon was active yet relaxing. the weather was perfect, everyone was friendly. i can't wait to go back :)




wedding recap next week?

SP9

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
hmm.... i do not use 100% wool too much. its itchy and makes my skin blotchy. i wonder if its certain types or all types? i'm not a big fan of novelty yarns or acrylics.... i've been using alot of cotton/rayon/microfibre-y blends from my past SPs; i think i'm ready to venture out and try some new stuff.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
i have an interchangeable needle set that came with a case; i store other needles in a mason jar for easy access.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
15+ years; intermediate bordering on advanced

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
amazon, not entirely knitting-related, which is on the sidebar. i need to update that.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
raspberry, vanilla, coffee

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
i *love* chocolate... dark especially. oh, and french martinis. :)

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
i'm trying everything. currently remodeling/renovating my house that was a foreclosure; also an accomplished seamstress: hoping to get that website up and running soon; i'm a designer by day, that must be where all the DIY-ing comes from :) i just finished DIY-ing more or less my whole wedding..... dresses, flowers, invitations, etc...

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
ipod, computer + car stereo play mp3s. usually on rotation... dashboard confessional, r.e.m., death cab, alkaline trio, shins, postal service, mates of state, cake. currently enjoying say hi to your mom, arcade fire, rogue wave, hot hot heat, inxs, nada surf, say anything etc...

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
i love blues, greys, black, olive/basil-y greens, burgundys; i really do not like yellow, red, purple, bright primaries.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
i can now say i am happily married [2 weeks!], living in our house with our deaf dog sydney, our 2 cats black & tan, and a handful of fish.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
yes on scarves + mittens/gloves, occasionally hats. i kind of like ponchos but they do not like me. they overwhelm my small frame and i just look silly :P

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
hmm... just finished up a handful of summer tanks; i want to make a few sets of fingerless gloves; some winter sweaters...

13. What are you knitting right now?
working on a simple sweater from IK summer 06

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
only if they're super cool and unique :) hehe.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
aluminum over plastic. i use circular alot for knitting in round, or fronts + backs at same time, but use straight for smaller projects.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
yarn winder & meter.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
hmm.. prolly over a year or 2.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
i don't really have a favorite holiday...they're all important for one reason or another. i *love* fall tho.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
hmm... not really...

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
i love alot of the new phildar patterns, but haven't found in the states. i just started an IK subscription. i'll try to think of some others!

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
can't think of any right now.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
knit a pair last fall but it took so long.. a little tedious for me knitting on #2/3 needles. maybe i'll do a bulky pair next. i'm a size 6.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
06/01

we are back...

... from paradise :)



i will be posting shortly with more photos, stories and more from our honeymoon to st. lucia, and of course, the wedding :). but wouldn't you know it, i have a freelance project waiting for me that i need to finish up :(

but i'll leave you with this, and *many* thanks to everyone who helped us out, came to the wedding, and enjoyed themselves. we had an amazing time because of all of our friends and family who shared our day with us. thank you!!



its official :)

this is it...!

... off to the hotel for the night... wish us luck!
check back on the 16th for all the good news :)

its about time

for an update, isn't it? it seems that the month of september [along with summer weather] flew by overnight. i'm sitting here working on a freelance project i need to finish up, i've got a dog sleeping directly behind my chair, and a nosy black cat exploring the office. wrapped up in a sweater with a nice cup of tea, its suprisingly stress-free. well, for the moment, at least ;) i've got an endless to-do list this week, [with the exception of finishing this project] the main item being finishing the wedding dress. i know, i know... 2 weeks!

let's see.. skimming over the past month, what do i have to recap on? we went to a friends wedding early this month; had my 2nd shower in pittsburgh, a lovely high tea; made a quick trip to erie to grap my parents cake topper and serving knife; finished up my tivoli sweater + trellis [just need to seam]; received a great package from my sp8; had our bachelor/bachelorette parties this past weekend. phew! its been a busy month. see for yourself...

fancy high tea, where yes, hats where required:

[this is for ian, right??]

girls night out:

[and while i look both pregnant *and* drunk in this photo, i assure you i am neither! just being all slouchy and mid-blink :)]


we've also managed to get work done on the house as well, but we didn't do all the work. we broke down and hired someone to finish painting the outside of the house; it needed to be done, and we really had no time to spare. on the plus side, it looks *really* great. now we just need to either re-paint or tile the front porch....




in other news... we have a great new addition to the household. and no, its not the cute little kitten i keep seeing in the backyard. we got this lovely ipod hi-fi as a shower [!] gift.



its currently housing my old ipod mini, which i have recently replaced with a black nano. which also has a new partner.... i finally bought the macbook pro i've been coveting :) with the amount of freelance work i have, and the traveling that i do, it made perfect sense.



here it is on my new desk in front of the window. i promise.... office photos *will* be coming... sometime.


hmm... what happened to that stress-free feeling? i've just made a mental list of all the things that need to be done before next friday, and i'm realizing i am a little stressed ;) i just need to focus and remember that in 2 weeks we'll be lounging at our private plunge pool at our villa right next to the pitons on st. lucia.



ahhhh.......