Saturday, October 27, 2012

Late to the party

I am what technically savvy people call a late adopter of any popular gadget or gizmo. I waited until Apple came out with the iPhone 4S to decide that maybe an iPhone would be an ok thing for me to own. (It's extremely useful by the way. I'm even typing this post on it.)

So as an avid reader and card carrying library patron, it took me a while to warm up to the idea of ereaders. Nook, Kindle, etc. didn't really tempt me. Then I ran out of reading materials before my return flight from a business trip and succumbed to the temptation of purchasing an overpriced book at the airport.
Don't worry friends because the happy ending to this story is that I received my very own Kindle paper white and I will never have to buy a book at the airport again. All my wonderful husband's birthday presents to me this year were books-a new thinline Bible, The Complete Works of (none other than) Shakespeare, a decoratively bound Bronte sisters collection, and the Kindle.
So far my cheapskate heart is glowing because I have uploaded dozens of books, free samples, and even some games without spending a penny. I will enjoy reading free samples and then adding the books I find interesting to my library hold list.
And when we travel for the holidays, look out, because I will be showing up at your house with a suitcase less the weight of 2-3 books and my Kindle in hand. Happy reading!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Pinterest Inspiration

The past two weekends have been filled with successful Pinterest projects. My sister-in-law is nesting, and I'm reaping the rewards. Last weekend, I used a bathtub cleaner she field tested and recommended, and my bathtub is still shiny, which is good because I don't like cleaning my bathtub that often. Look for it here, and then thank me later.

Then, I covered a canvas with leftover scrapbook paper and created art for my new home...once we find and buy it. The inspiration is this:



Mine looks like this. It still needs a layer of Mod Podge, but I'm happy with the results.



Then I ordered a picture of husband and I in Prague on canvas, and I love it! Canvas4life was recommended by Emily of the Anderson Crew, and I heartily second her endorsement.


Then, this weekend I made a big sister gift for my niece, which I can't show until she receives it (which should happen a week from Thursday when I get to meet my new nephew if he comes as scheduled).

And then I helped hostess a baby shower, and I had a ton of fun carving up fruit for this masterpiece:

All in all, I had a very creative two weekends. Here's to exciting events, people I love, and craft projects to help celebrate it all!

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Since I last posted...


  1. I had a successful business trip to London.
  2. My client scheduled another business trip to Amsterdam.
  3. Husband and I planned a vacation to Europe (based around the business trip).
  4. We house hunted, were disappointed, and learned a lot of real estate lessons.
  5. My client cancelled the business trip to Amsterdam.
  6. Husband and I went to Europe for 2 fantastic weeks anyway.
  7. We continued house hunting, put a house under contract, and then learned it was a money pit.
So, here I sit in our apartment, where we have decided to stay for a few more months, amazed with the whirlwind that has been our lives this past few months. In between the big events outlined above, we also managed to wrap up another school year, go to work regularly, attend a few sporting events and concerts, and celebrate a couple of American holidays. 

In the midst of the craziness, we're counting our blessings, and I figured it was time to check in with the blogosphere. No promises, but maybe I'll post some pictures from Europe someday. Have a blessed week, no matter what craziness life is sending your way.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

March Madness

Fear not, this post has nothing to do with basketball, and I have not suffered a personality transplant that would cause me to write about the NCAA tournament. It's simply a reference to how insane March has been. And, this evening, I fly to London, so I figured I'd better play catch-up on here before sharing news from across the pond. I'll split the events of the last 4 weeks up for ease of consumption.

At the end of February, I hosted Girls' Night for our small group at church, which was a much needed reason to clean our apartment and finish some decor projects I had been working on.

We visited, watched a movie, and ate fondue. Oh my word, where has fondue been since the '70s? Sam and I went to Simply Fondue for my birthday, and if I had known then how easy it was to do at home, I would have tried tons of recipes before now. Try the Weight Watchers cheese fondue for a real treat without worrying about tons of fat.

Up next, pictures of my latest artistic endeavor.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Business Trip

Sorry I've been MIA this week. I got some exciting news at work on Monday, and the week kind of spiraled into busy preparation from there. I get to travel for work...wait for it...to LONDON!

If you know me, which is probably the only reason you would be reading this blog, you know that I love to travel, especially when it involves traveling over a major body of water (i.e., international travel). I spent a semester in college living outside of Florence, Italy, and I fell in love with Europe. To be fair, I was in love with the idea of Europe before I signed up for a study abroad program, but spending three months there sealed the deal.

So, basically, this has been a week of counting my many (career-related) blessings - I enjoy my job, I am appreciated by my managers and clients, and I get to spend a week in London doing work that I feel confident in my ability to do.

It's crazy to think that two years ago, I didn't know anything about the field of technical writing. I knew that it existed and figured that people who made a living doing that job spent their time in a cubicle writing instruction manuals for DVD players. Oh, how very wrong I was. I'd love to catch you up on what I actually do if you care to continue the conversation, but for those of you readers drifting off to sleep with boredom, I'll leave you with a picture of the souvenir I've already decided to purchase for myself.
Have a joyful, surprise-filled week! Coming soon, a post about my new painting and fondue-chick flick girls' night.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Valentine's week

I'm a bit behind, but we had a happy Valentine's Day around here. We spent the weekend in San Antonio for the music educators convention and then came home to continue celebrating.
On the 14th, my sweet husband made a delicious dinner (chicken parmesan with pasta and breaded zucchini) and my gift is a trip to a B&B in Fredericksburg this summer! I bought him a card and pink Starbursts because that's what he asked for, and I am nothing if not good at complying with specific requests.
Hope you're surrounded with loves ones this week!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Reading for Fun

Since my days are no longer filled with professor-mandated reading, I picked up some reading material at the library this weekend. So, working my way blissfully through this stack is what I'll be doing with my evenings this week.

In other news, I got to see a local high school production of Beauty and the Beast last night with my niece. She loved it, and I loved watching her reactions.

Also, husband and I are doing Weight Watchers, and their recipes make me excited about eating healthier. So far, we've eaten lots of deliciousness that is better for us than the junk we were eating.

Have a healthy week filled with the joy of a small child and lots of good reads!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Cough Syrup and Crafting

I spent this weekend taking a couple doses of cough syrup to ward off a cold and spending some time in the aisles of Hobby Lobby. Since Husband had to work all weekend, I had a chance to watch some TV and engage my inner craftiness.

For less than $10, I created unique wall art. And by unique, I mean one-of-a-kind because the only edition is hanging on my wall.

First, I bought a 2-pack of canvases on sale at Hobby Lobby, and then I browsed at Goodwill for an interesting, aged-looking black and white book (preferably a children's dictionary with pictures). If you find one, I'm still interested. That search was a failure, but I did find an atlas from the 1960s, which inspired me to create a map-themed collage.

Next, I tore out map pages that adhered to a similar color scheme. Then, I applied a healthy layer of Mod Podge to the canvas and layered the maps at different angles. I find it helpful to only apply Mod Podge beneath the paper until the first layer dries. For those of you who know me well, or who lived with me during college, you know about my love affair with Mod Podge. It has my whole hearted endorsement for all things crafty.

After the first layer of Mod Podge dried, I used another beloved craft tool, my hot glue gun, to glue the paper around the edges of the canvas. Then, I trimmed the edges with scissors so that the paper just covered the frame of the canvas.

Then, because I love Mod Podge, I applied another thick layer over the top of the maps. And, I used some scrapbook paper to add a catchphrase to my crafty canvas display.

If, like me, you don't have a Cricut, you can always find a boxy font, (to make it easier to cut out the letters) reverse it, and then print your letters. Or if, like me, you forget to reverse the letters, you can just use them to trace your letters on the correct side of the scrapbook paper. I added the words with another healthy coat of Mod Podge, and voila, I have a new addition to the henceforth empty walls of my stairwell.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Happenings Around Here

There have been some big developments around here:

1. I joined Pinterest as my graduation present to myself where I have found several brilliant ideas, including my new favorite cookies.


2. I received an iPhone for Christmas. Siri is a fairly impressive personal assistant, although she has punctuation issues and sometimes gives Husband attitude when he asks "arbitrary" questions. Some favorite apps include Angry Birds (yes, I have bought into the hype) Words with Friends, the Reminders that I can set to go off when I arrive at a location, and the photos in this post are courtesy of my newest app, Instagram.

3. We got a piano, which Husband has been playing faithfully for hours each evening since it was delivered on Tuesday. I need to rearrange the pictures hanging above it, so don't judge.

I'm looking forward to a fun and relaxing weekend! I hope your Friday is a great end to the work week and an auspicious beginning to the weekend.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

That Much Closer to Thinking of Myself as an Adult

Happy belated New Year! I'm making my way back into the blogosphere as I take the next step in my gradual transition into adulthood. I've decided that it's easier to take one step at a time. Here's what my adult milestones have been thus far:

In 2009, I earned a Bachelor's degree. In 2010, I got married, which is a lifelong commitment and thus to be taken seriously, but in many ways it's a super fun perpetual adventure that includes living with your best friend and having someone to come home to every night. The latest event is my graduation with a Master's degree (2011) and beginning to work full time.

As long as I was balancing work and school, there were vestiges of college life (read: late nights studying, attending class, and homework) that postponed the feeling that I was really grown up. There are definitely milestones that I haven't reached yet, (like home ownership and having a kid) but working full time seems like a significant step toward my tenuous claim on being an adult.

So, forgive my continued absence from the blogging world as I adjust to the exhaustion of sitting at a desk all day. I've been told I'll adjust to it and someday have more energy in the evenings, so here's to hoping that's true and I can devote some time to writing on here!

On another note, (pun intended) Husband and I bought a piano today. We both used Christmas money to make purchases to further our careers: he got a piano, and I got some new work clothes. Expect a future post with pictures of our new musical addition!

In the meantime, have a blessed weekend and productive week.