~coldplay
It is a gray day in North Carolina. And I friggin love it. I must admit that I wish I were wearing shoes with socks instead of my flats, and I regret not choosing to wear my wool coat, but overall, this weather is RIGHT up my alley and it makes me smile.
PLUS as my amazing friend Courtney pointed out, this gray day makes the trees look that much more amazing. Matt said it made him think of our roadtrip to the Northeast. It's good stuff, people. Good, good stuff.
Thank you, fall, for arriving. I'm going to enjoy some more hot tea now, thanks!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
breads
Nearly every morning I have a green smoothie with an english muffin and egg white sandwich. I often add avocado, red onions or both to the sandwich. I always wait for english muffins to go on sale--and I had to look for a while before I found one that was nutritionally good and didn't contain HFCS, which I loathe.
I really want to try making my own though. I was thinking this recipe....save money, control ingredients..yes, please!
And while I'm at it, I want to make some of my own bread. I LOVE the bread from the farmer's market, but I want to make it myself so I don't feel like we can only have paninis on Sundays and Mondays (before the bread goes stale). I do not have a bread machine (and won't be buying one)--I was thinking I might try this recipe...or does someone have a better one?
Anything else y'all make at your house instead of buying? I'd love recommendations!
I really want to try making my own though. I was thinking this recipe....save money, control ingredients..yes, please!
And while I'm at it, I want to make some of my own bread. I LOVE the bread from the farmer's market, but I want to make it myself so I don't feel like we can only have paninis on Sundays and Mondays (before the bread goes stale). I do not have a bread machine (and won't be buying one)--I was thinking I might try this recipe...or does someone have a better one?
Anything else y'all make at your house instead of buying? I'd love recommendations!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
stuff. and things.
lookie, lookie, a picture!
this is our recently-made-over shelf. okay, well I just redecorated the top, but whatever. it was a clutter collector, so this is a huge improvement.
fun things: lacquer boxes holding (randomly) our vitamins which lived on that shelf, other odds and ends. the other box, which is cork (with the pumpkin) has the items that had accumulated there--some bobby pins, a bottle opener, bandaids, I'm not sure what else.
the F was driven allll the way from Augusta. Although the F is my second last name, I am kind of obsessed with it. Matt says no more "F" things in the house any time soon. (I think we are up to four!)
The brass swans will soon be painted. The place where we got married had two swans on the lake on the property. Swans mate for life, y'know, and they are beautiful. They share duties in life (they both take care of building the nest and sitting on eggs) and they work as a team. I'm trying to decide what color they should be (suggestions welcome) but I'm leaning toward yellow. I hope you didn't just faint in surprise. :)
The vase is full of beer bottle caps. We collect them. I think they look pretty, and I've always wanted them to be visible.
The little multicolored thing in front is a solar-powered lantern we got at G@rden Ridge a few months ago. I LOVE it. I'm a sucker for colored glass and a sucker for solar power. Woohoo!
The copper frame is just pretty. I need to print a picture for it. It also pulls in the copper from the item above it (which I recently painted--it originally looked like this) and the copper in my sunflower painting. Basically since this is one huge space I'm trying to pull yellow, green and copper in all over. I also really really want to paint our big piece of furniture copper or a metallic brown and use it for our TV stand. Matt might even go for it!
Oh, and the yellow pitcher is from my sweet sister in law, Tonya. I just love it. And of course that pumpkin? Seasonal. :)
And those bears on a bench are from our honeymoon in Sevierville, TN!
this is our recently-made-over shelf. okay, well I just redecorated the top, but whatever. it was a clutter collector, so this is a huge improvement.
the F was driven allll the way from Augusta. Although the F is my second last name, I am kind of obsessed with it. Matt says no more "F" things in the house any time soon. (I think we are up to four!)
The brass swans will soon be painted. The place where we got married had two swans on the lake on the property. Swans mate for life, y'know, and they are beautiful. They share duties in life (they both take care of building the nest and sitting on eggs) and they work as a team. I'm trying to decide what color they should be (suggestions welcome) but I'm leaning toward yellow. I hope you didn't just faint in surprise. :)
The vase is full of beer bottle caps. We collect them. I think they look pretty, and I've always wanted them to be visible.
The little multicolored thing in front is a solar-powered lantern we got at G@rden Ridge a few months ago. I LOVE it. I'm a sucker for colored glass and a sucker for solar power. Woohoo!
The copper frame is just pretty. I need to print a picture for it. It also pulls in the copper from the item above it (which I recently painted--it originally looked like this) and the copper in my sunflower painting. Basically since this is one huge space I'm trying to pull yellow, green and copper in all over. I also really really want to paint our big piece of furniture copper or a metallic brown and use it for our TV stand. Matt might even go for it!
Oh, and the yellow pitcher is from my sweet sister in law, Tonya. I just love it. And of course that pumpkin? Seasonal. :)
And those bears on a bench are from our honeymoon in Sevierville, TN!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
"carbonated water, natural flavor."
I appreciate that those are the only two ingredients listed on the seltzer water I just drank. Sometimes I want a cold, fizzy beverage without the calories, sugar or artificial sweetener. And that fits the bill. :)
I am having one of those days where I feel pulled in eleven directions at once. So. here's-a-what-I'm-a-gonna-do. Let's list it out to make me feel better. Ready? This is probably going to be mostly boring, but maybe you will have insight. And the last one will be fun, I promise.
being responsible:
-make time to get added onto the account matt opened at secu
-make a dinner menu and STICK TO IT (I am good about making it, not so good about sticking to it)
-talk to an accountant in oklahoma and an accountant in nc to figure out the legality of all of the money stuff. post haste.
-find out more about my options for short term d!sability. I am hopeful that I'll have to use that next year and we just got word that work changed it--we now have to take 2 weeks of vacay, not 1, before it kicks in AND we get 60% instead of 66% pay. While I'm thankful to get maternity coverage at all, I still think this is craptastic. Especially doubling the time before it kicks in.
workload:
-I will be working furiously to finish up all of my outstanding photography work. I have two weddings to finish, plus multiple sessions. And I have more coming up. Must. Make. Time.
-I will also be working on some photography blogs. My goal is to get at least six completed at then prepare them to be posted on a schedule. We'll see how this goes.
-Update ye olde website. This keeps getting back-burner-ed.
home:
-For the love of all that is holy, I MUST put some clothes away. My overflowing laundry basket of clean clothes is ridiculous.
-there's a long list here, for sure, but another priority for me is getting the living room finalized. I think we are about 70% of the way there. I'm having a heck of a time trying to slipcover the chairs (I may resort to the staple gun on the underneath of the back of the chair and just hope no one notices--but now I've told you my secret!). I just made the top of our shelf all pretty on Saturday, and I'm working on it.
money:
-confession--Matt and I are still working on a budget. We are actively spending less, saving more and paying down debt, but stupid walk-all-over-ya and the merger and all made things messy. hence the getting on the account he opened thing. we are working on it.
And I know that plenty of people love D@ve R@msey, but I gotta be honest--we are still reeling from that stupid book of his where it took us a zillion pages to get to anything remotely resembling instruction only to find out we had already done the first step. And, what I really want, in this age of digital awesome, is for someone to say--here you go, Carrie--here's an easy-to-follow, comprehensive spreadsheet that will help you and Matt assess your income, expenses and see how nicely your amount of debt is lowering each month, and when you will hit the point of zero debt. I want to plug in some numbers and run with it. We have a spreadsheet but I find it clumsy and complicated.
anyway, moving on.
-also, a few of my clients have paid me in cash recently (thank you!) and instead of depositing that, we are playing the see-how-long-it-can-stretch game.
FUN!:
-crafts are fun, right? This weekend's goal is a fall wreath! I love love LOVE the one from Renee last year but since it hung on our front door for like eight months, I feel like I need something else for now. :) I have some burlap and some yarn and I want to get some felt too.
I have some inspiration here.
-it's halloween weekend! Matt and I have our costumes all figured out, but I have to make them. hint: it involves, amongst other things, freezer paper stenciling and a trip to the liquor store. :)
-figuring out what to wear for work's halloween party on monday
-and going to the KD Initiati0n at Bet@Ch! will be fun too. Or, um, I hope so. Mostly that has been want-to-pull-out-my-hair-feeling-inducing, but oh well!
and the rest? well, it can wait. for now. :)
I am having one of those days where I feel pulled in eleven directions at once. So. here's-a-what-I'm-a-gonna-do. Let's list it out to make me feel better. Ready? This is probably going to be mostly boring, but maybe you will have insight. And the last one will be fun, I promise.
being responsible:
-make time to get added onto the account matt opened at secu
-make a dinner menu and STICK TO IT (I am good about making it, not so good about sticking to it)
-talk to an accountant in oklahoma and an accountant in nc to figure out the legality of all of the money stuff. post haste.
-find out more about my options for short term d!sability. I am hopeful that I'll have to use that next year and we just got word that work changed it--we now have to take 2 weeks of vacay, not 1, before it kicks in AND we get 60% instead of 66% pay. While I'm thankful to get maternity coverage at all, I still think this is craptastic. Especially doubling the time before it kicks in.
workload:
-I will be working furiously to finish up all of my outstanding photography work. I have two weddings to finish, plus multiple sessions. And I have more coming up. Must. Make. Time.
-I will also be working on some photography blogs. My goal is to get at least six completed at then prepare them to be posted on a schedule. We'll see how this goes.
-Update ye olde website. This keeps getting back-burner-ed.
home:
-For the love of all that is holy, I MUST put some clothes away. My overflowing laundry basket of clean clothes is ridiculous.
-there's a long list here, for sure, but another priority for me is getting the living room finalized. I think we are about 70% of the way there. I'm having a heck of a time trying to slipcover the chairs (I may resort to the staple gun on the underneath of the back of the chair and just hope no one notices--but now I've told you my secret!). I just made the top of our shelf all pretty on Saturday, and I'm working on it.
money:
-confession--Matt and I are still working on a budget. We are actively spending less, saving more and paying down debt, but stupid walk-all-over-ya and the merger and all made things messy. hence the getting on the account he opened thing. we are working on it.
And I know that plenty of people love D@ve R@msey, but I gotta be honest--we are still reeling from that stupid book of his where it took us a zillion pages to get to anything remotely resembling instruction only to find out we had already done the first step. And, what I really want, in this age of digital awesome, is for someone to say--here you go, Carrie--here's an easy-to-follow, comprehensive spreadsheet that will help you and Matt assess your income, expenses and see how nicely your amount of debt is lowering each month, and when you will hit the point of zero debt. I want to plug in some numbers and run with it. We have a spreadsheet but I find it clumsy and complicated.
anyway, moving on.
-also, a few of my clients have paid me in cash recently (thank you!) and instead of depositing that, we are playing the see-how-long-it-can-stretch game.
FUN!:
-crafts are fun, right? This weekend's goal is a fall wreath! I love love LOVE the one from Renee last year but since it hung on our front door for like eight months, I feel like I need something else for now. :) I have some burlap and some yarn and I want to get some felt too.
I have some inspiration here.
-it's halloween weekend! Matt and I have our costumes all figured out, but I have to make them. hint: it involves, amongst other things, freezer paper stenciling and a trip to the liquor store. :)
-figuring out what to wear for work's halloween party on monday
-and going to the KD Initiati0n at Bet@Ch! will be fun too. Or, um, I hope so. Mostly that has been want-to-pull-out-my-hair-feeling-inducing, but oh well!
and the rest? well, it can wait. for now. :)
Monday, October 24, 2011
buon compleanno. or "...and I'm a big fan of bartering!"
I now write to you as a thirty-one year old. :)
this birthday weekend was pretty wonderful, I must say. despite the universe seeing fit to give me a sinus infection for my birthday, and although I am not super happy with my hair color--my birthday was still a success. YAY!
thursday: food truck k!ng in raleigh. DISASTER-ish. The premise was amazing (food truck sales benefitting meals on wheels? awesome!) but the execution was sorely lasting. We bought the special get-a-taste-from-all-trucks-and-two-beers tickets, but their crowd control was terrible and we only got to taste food from 5 trucks. Bummer. Plus, my fave place only got second!
friday: I stayed home. I planned on sleeping in. Instead I went to my ENT and ended up with two prescriptions. Stupid sinus infection. BUT I am feeling much better, so I can only complain a little. Then I went to get my hair cut and colored and then took birthday nap #1. We had dinner at the fabulous N@ntucket Grill, I enjoyed some carrot cake, we ran a few errands and came home to hang out. Loved it!
saturday: farmer's market followed by Bruegger's and a trip to 0x and R@bbit to get a malt, because it made me happy. I also got a cool Durham mug (I will add in pictures later!) and some post cards. We came home and Matt gave me my birthday present early so I could enjoy them--I got some gold T0ms! Then Matt went to soccer while I went to the mall. I got some birthday goodies (and local folks, if you like scarves L!festyles in S0uthp0int has some cute inexpensive ones!), came home and got ready for Courtney and Derek's party.
I went there for about an hour, then we had sushi with Christy and her son Jack (who has been at all of my bdays since he was a baby in the belly!) and then went to Fullste@m. The fabulous Kl@usie's Pizza was there, and I got free birthday pizza. :) I also gave them some of my cupcakes, and I think I might be taking their baby pictures once their little girl arrives (they just found out the gender last week!). I gave them my card and they said they'll be calling me, but I don't like to count my chickens before they hatch! Matt teased me because when I gave my card I said "...and I'm a big fan of bartering!" Ha.
I also LOVED giving out the cupcakes. There was the singing and the blowing out of candles, and then when my friends had gotten their cupcakes I went to the food truck, the bartenders and then to some of the people in the bar sharing my cupcakes. I enjoyed it, for sure. And some people were SUPER happy to have gotten cupcakes. :)
It was WONDERFUL to have so many friends with me, phone calls, text messages and facebook posts on my wall on Saturday and Sunday. I felt very loved!!
sunday: church, brunch at Tyler's, a birthday nap and then I went to do a photoshoot. I normally wouldn't do a session on my birthday, BUT these folks are from Denver, their two-year-old son and I share the same birthday, and they were in town for a wedding on Saturday, so it was truly the only chance. I am SO glad I did it though. And I brought the little boy a birthday present--a small green plush dinosaur--and he LOVED it. It was super cute, and the parents were thrilled, too. Yay for birthday-sharing!
for dinner we went to PF Ch@ngs. Well, back up--we were going to go to one of the R0cky T0p restaurants because they give free dinners for birthday-folk on their actual bday. But, the closest one is 25 minutes away, so I nixed that idea. We were going to get PF Ch@ngs to go--but when we called at 7:25 they told us our food would be ready at 9:10. SERIOUSLY. It turns out they were doing some amazing to-go special, but whoa. Crazy.
so...after not finding a suitable substitute we decide to call and see what the wait was--and it was zero minutes. We ended up eating there, got an upgraded dessert for my birthday and were back home before 9pm. It worked out wonderfully, and now we know how to find out about the to-go specials (and call in our order early enough that we won't eat at 930!)
I do have some pictures--and I'm hoping to add them later. Just wanted to chronicle my birthday festivities! And I am excited because they aren't even over yet--I have more friends with whom to celebrate! I think my Aunt Candi hit the nail on the head--it's like the older I get the longer my birthday lasts, because I have more friends and family to celebrate with every year. Which makes me super lucky indeed. :)
this birthday weekend was pretty wonderful, I must say. despite the universe seeing fit to give me a sinus infection for my birthday, and although I am not super happy with my hair color--my birthday was still a success. YAY!
thursday: food truck k!ng in raleigh. DISASTER-ish. The premise was amazing (food truck sales benefitting meals on wheels? awesome!) but the execution was sorely lasting. We bought the special get-a-taste-from-all-trucks-and-two-beers tickets, but their crowd control was terrible and we only got to taste food from 5 trucks. Bummer. Plus, my fave place only got second!
friday: I stayed home. I planned on sleeping in. Instead I went to my ENT and ended up with two prescriptions. Stupid sinus infection. BUT I am feeling much better, so I can only complain a little. Then I went to get my hair cut and colored and then took birthday nap #1. We had dinner at the fabulous N@ntucket Grill, I enjoyed some carrot cake, we ran a few errands and came home to hang out. Loved it!
saturday: farmer's market followed by Bruegger's and a trip to 0x and R@bbit to get a malt, because it made me happy. I also got a cool Durham mug (I will add in pictures later!) and some post cards. We came home and Matt gave me my birthday present early so I could enjoy them--I got some gold T0ms! Then Matt went to soccer while I went to the mall. I got some birthday goodies (and local folks, if you like scarves L!festyles in S0uthp0int has some cute inexpensive ones!), came home and got ready for Courtney and Derek's party.
I went there for about an hour, then we had sushi with Christy and her son Jack (who has been at all of my bdays since he was a baby in the belly!) and then went to Fullste@m. The fabulous Kl@usie's Pizza was there, and I got free birthday pizza. :) I also gave them some of my cupcakes, and I think I might be taking their baby pictures once their little girl arrives (they just found out the gender last week!). I gave them my card and they said they'll be calling me, but I don't like to count my chickens before they hatch! Matt teased me because when I gave my card I said "...and I'm a big fan of bartering!" Ha.
I also LOVED giving out the cupcakes. There was the singing and the blowing out of candles, and then when my friends had gotten their cupcakes I went to the food truck, the bartenders and then to some of the people in the bar sharing my cupcakes. I enjoyed it, for sure. And some people were SUPER happy to have gotten cupcakes. :)
It was WONDERFUL to have so many friends with me, phone calls, text messages and facebook posts on my wall on Saturday and Sunday. I felt very loved!!
sunday: church, brunch at Tyler's, a birthday nap and then I went to do a photoshoot. I normally wouldn't do a session on my birthday, BUT these folks are from Denver, their two-year-old son and I share the same birthday, and they were in town for a wedding on Saturday, so it was truly the only chance. I am SO glad I did it though. And I brought the little boy a birthday present--a small green plush dinosaur--and he LOVED it. It was super cute, and the parents were thrilled, too. Yay for birthday-sharing!
for dinner we went to PF Ch@ngs. Well, back up--we were going to go to one of the R0cky T0p restaurants because they give free dinners for birthday-folk on their actual bday. But, the closest one is 25 minutes away, so I nixed that idea. We were going to get PF Ch@ngs to go--but when we called at 7:25 they told us our food would be ready at 9:10. SERIOUSLY. It turns out they were doing some amazing to-go special, but whoa. Crazy.
so...after not finding a suitable substitute we decide to call and see what the wait was--and it was zero minutes. We ended up eating there, got an upgraded dessert for my birthday and were back home before 9pm. It worked out wonderfully, and now we know how to find out about the to-go specials (and call in our order early enough that we won't eat at 930!)
I do have some pictures--and I'm hoping to add them later. Just wanted to chronicle my birthday festivities! And I am excited because they aren't even over yet--I have more friends with whom to celebrate! I think my Aunt Candi hit the nail on the head--it's like the older I get the longer my birthday lasts, because I have more friends and family to celebrate with every year. Which makes me super lucky indeed. :)
Thursday, October 20, 2011
oh, oh, oh, for the longest time
~billy joel
yesterday I had 3400 unread emails in my inbox. THIRTY-FOUR-HUNDRED. seriously.
it's my gmail I use for all sorts of things--I still get some photography emails there, personal stuff, logins for amazon and jcrew and everything else. you name it, I probably get it there (or used to, anyway!)
so, yesterday I cleaned that puppy out. turns out the oldest unread message was from EARLY JULY. Are you kidding me? It had been more than a HUNDRED DAYS.
right.
so. tomorrow I am taking the day off. despite trying to limit my PTO usage, I have declared tomorrow a "Carrie Day." I think I'm going to get my hair did, get allergy drop refills and try to get caught up on some aspects of my life that have been ignored. (laundry. cat litter. sewing projects. etc.) While this may not sound super-refreshing, I can guarantee that having a more put-together reality will TOTALLY help.
am I right?
hopefully.
today I am also leaving work early to go to F00d Truck K!ng. It should be fun. Pictures forthcoming, I am sure!
yesterday I had 3400 unread emails in my inbox. THIRTY-FOUR-HUNDRED. seriously.
it's my gmail I use for all sorts of things--I still get some photography emails there, personal stuff, logins for amazon and jcrew and everything else. you name it, I probably get it there (or used to, anyway!)
so, yesterday I cleaned that puppy out. turns out the oldest unread message was from EARLY JULY. Are you kidding me? It had been more than a HUNDRED DAYS.
right.
so. tomorrow I am taking the day off. despite trying to limit my PTO usage, I have declared tomorrow a "Carrie Day." I think I'm going to get my hair did, get allergy drop refills and try to get caught up on some aspects of my life that have been ignored. (laundry. cat litter. sewing projects. etc.) While this may not sound super-refreshing, I can guarantee that having a more put-together reality will TOTALLY help.
am I right?
hopefully.
today I am also leaving work early to go to F00d Truck K!ng. It should be fun. Pictures forthcoming, I am sure!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
i heart fall.
the time of the fair. and sweaters. and hot drinks and cool nights. of wearing socks and changing leaves and lots of orange and yellow and purple. gloves and coats, open windows, heavier blankets, apples!, pumpkins, butternut squash (now a fave. last year I had NO idea how delicious it was. mmm mmm mmm.)
it's my favorite.
and this year, while my family stuff is dragging me down, that's what I'm trying to remind myself of--that it's FALL. It's my favorite time of year. I should grab my not-pregnant self a delicious fall beer (Shipy@rd Pumpk!nhead is AMAZINGLY amazing), throw on my favorite pair of T0Ms and enjoy it.
so it's what I'm doing.
on the agenda...
-go the the FAIR! this Saturday!
-do some awesome fall photo sessions (I've given away three sessions recently--I must be crazy--but I'm SO excited)
-take some pictures of leaves. I LOVE that I can see some beautiful ones outside from my cube at work. I think I'm going to have to talk Matt into driving down the Blue Ridge Parkway (and maybe hiking) one day later this month or in November.
-celebrate my birthday. only twelve more days! :)
-enjoy more fall beer.
then? repeat. :)
it's my favorite.
and this year, while my family stuff is dragging me down, that's what I'm trying to remind myself of--that it's FALL. It's my favorite time of year. I should grab my not-pregnant self a delicious fall beer (Shipy@rd Pumpk!nhead is AMAZINGLY amazing), throw on my favorite pair of T0Ms and enjoy it.
so it's what I'm doing.
on the agenda...
-go the the FAIR! this Saturday!
-do some awesome fall photo sessions (I've given away three sessions recently--I must be crazy--but I'm SO excited)
-take some pictures of leaves. I LOVE that I can see some beautiful ones outside from my cube at work. I think I'm going to have to talk Matt into driving down the Blue Ridge Parkway (and maybe hiking) one day later this month or in November.
-celebrate my birthday. only twelve more days! :)
-enjoy more fall beer.
then? repeat. :)
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
I don't wanna.
I don't wanna hear that such-and-such and I could maybe be pregnant at the same time because they're thinking of trying in three-six-nine-twelve months.
I don't wanna hear (from faceb00k, no less) that my brother (who got married in july, who announced his engagement via faceb00k without a call/text/etc to me or TO MY MOM beforehand) thinks that if we don't hurry up, I might just be an auntie before I'm a mommie.
And I really don't want to hear "just relax." Or "it'll happen when the time is right."
It's not that I don't appreciate the support.
It's not that I don't looooove babies. ('cause I love 'em. a lot. they are cute and cuddly and wonderfully made)
And it's not that I don't want to talk about it.
It's just that right now what I really want to hear isn't positive or uplifting. This is difficult. It's thought-consuming. It's frustrating and I have zero control. And trying to get pregnant? Not a cakewalk. Especially when you're always hearing someone comment in one way or another. It's like hearing a constant "better luck next time!" A well-meaning, from-someone-I-love statement that is like rubbing salt in a wound.
Anyhoodle. Just on my mind. If you're reading this and wondering if you should just not talk to me about it--don't worry, you can. Just please don't come with lots of sunshine and daisies, or Imagonna have to rain on your parade a little. :)
next up, something WAY more positive, I swear!
I don't wanna hear (from faceb00k, no less) that my brother (who got married in july, who announced his engagement via faceb00k without a call/text/etc to me or TO MY MOM beforehand) thinks that if we don't hurry up, I might just be an auntie before I'm a mommie.
And I really don't want to hear "just relax." Or "it'll happen when the time is right."
It's not that I don't appreciate the support.
It's not that I don't looooove babies. ('cause I love 'em. a lot. they are cute and cuddly and wonderfully made)
And it's not that I don't want to talk about it.
It's just that right now what I really want to hear isn't positive or uplifting. This is difficult. It's thought-consuming. It's frustrating and I have zero control. And trying to get pregnant? Not a cakewalk. Especially when you're always hearing someone comment in one way or another. It's like hearing a constant "better luck next time!" A well-meaning, from-someone-I-love statement that is like rubbing salt in a wound.
Anyhoodle. Just on my mind. If you're reading this and wondering if you should just not talk to me about it--don't worry, you can. Just please don't come with lots of sunshine and daisies, or Imagonna have to rain on your parade a little. :)
next up, something WAY more positive, I swear!
a little crazy.
this year Matt and I have done some things that are a little crazy.
in June we drove up to DC to see little Lily, my good friend Mary Alise's newborn girl. We drove up on a Sunday (~4.5 hours of driving), hung out for 4 hours, ate dinner with them and then drove back! This was not our intention--we were going to get a hotel and they even offered us a room--but this meant that Matt could get back to school, so we did. I blogged about it earlier this year.
in, what was it, June? July? I drove to Asheville for the afternoon. There was TORRENTIAL rain, I got soaked while at a gas station (seriously I couldn't even get to the handle for the gas that was already IN MY CAR because of the rain, it was crazy) and I had my kindle read me book 2 of the hunger games series to keep me entertained. I went there to visit Renee before she moved back to OK from Atlanta. (it makes me sad that she's no longer in driving distance). We met up, hung out, walked around to the shops, ate dinner and then got on the road. I drove nearly 8 hours that day. Exhausting but totally worth it.
and then this weekend we went to Ohio. Well, let me back up. Wednesday little Caroline was born. I am her Aunt Carrie (not in the by-blood-or-marriage way, in the friends are the family your choose for yourself kind of way). Thursday I worked late, ran errands and made soup. Friday I spent 4 hours photographing a rehearsal dinner. Saturday AM I was supposed to have a newborn session that got postponed, I brought soup to the family anyway and I spent 8 hours photographing a wedding. I got home at 1130pm, backed up the photos, packed up newborn props, camera stuff and snacks and went to bed around 1am.
At 4:30 my alarm went off. We got up, finished packing, did the last minute things, loaded the car and got on the road at 6:30. Where were we going? Dayton, Ohio, that's where.
We got there around 3 am then the real fun began. I took like 800 pictures of Caroline. We had yummy Mexican food. I held her. And held her. And had fun with Jessica's parents. I met Cody's mom for the first time, I think, (I think I'd met his dad before, maybe) and then I took even more pictures. We slept at Jessica & Cody's friend's house, got up early, visited DLM for some "k!ller brownies" and groceries, went back to their house, made soup, took more pictures and then got on the road.
We drove for 17+ hours and were in Dayton for ~24, only ~15 of which were actually at their house. But it meant I got to take pics like this, so I'm not complaining. :)
And I got to see my little niece when she was just five days old. She is SO adorable, has a head full of hair and is going to be so much fun, I can tell. I love her so much! I actually got a little teary last night while editing more of her photos because I wish I could just drive to Jessica's house and cuddle little Caroline some more. :)
Thursday, September 29, 2011
irregular in my blogging, I know, I know.
I have discovered that I'm just not as good at doing this on a regular basis as I used to be. But I promise, I am trying...
I think part of it is because of photography.
And part of it is pinterest.
And the ever-present book-with-the-face.
Oh, and working. That too. :)
But, I have good news:
1. I am editing things at lightning speed right now. (knock on wood) I'm not sure what happened. I'm not asking questions. I'm just enjoying it. I'm sure the rehearsal dinner, wedding and two newborn session this weekend will slow my roll, but I like not stressing about the deadlines! I am actually allllll done with last weekend's sessions!
2. I will be sharing fun things on my photography blog today. Just you wait. :)
3. It is almost my favorite month! There are many amazing things about October, so I'm sure I'll be posting. (although, I'm also nervous about it being October. I'm not sure how I feel about turning 31. I liked 30. I'm not so sure about 31 yet.)
I think part of it is because of photography.
And part of it is pinterest.
And the ever-present book-with-the-face.
Oh, and working. That too. :)
But, I have good news:
1. I am editing things at lightning speed right now. (knock on wood) I'm not sure what happened. I'm not asking questions. I'm just enjoying it. I'm sure the rehearsal dinner, wedding and two newborn session this weekend will slow my roll, but I like not stressing about the deadlines! I am actually allllll done with last weekend's sessions!
2. I will be sharing fun things on my photography blog today. Just you wait. :)
3. It is almost my favorite month! There are many amazing things about October, so I'm sure I'll be posting. (although, I'm also nervous about it being October. I'm not sure how I feel about turning 31. I liked 30. I'm not so sure about 31 yet.)
Friday, September 16, 2011
"well, I live in durham but I'm actually from oklahoma."
I say this often. Like, really really often. pretty much every time I meet someone new.
I hated the question that warrants this answer for a looooong time. I still don't love it. But now I find it tolerable. Because it usually follows up with "what brought you here?" I am now comfortable enough to say "a guy who isn't in the picture anymore" or, sometimes "my ex-husband" depending on how well I think I will get to know you.
today as I was walking into work, practically doing gleeful cartwheels as I enjoyed this chillier weather (oh fall, I love you.) I was thinking about north carolina. And life. And just the random my-caffeine-hasn't-kicked-in-yet thoughts that were tumbling about in my noggin.
And somehow it occurred to me: not only have I lived in North Carolina for eight years (longer than middle and high school combined!) but it's official: other than the home on 36th street that I grew up in, I've never lived anywhere as long as I've lived at my townhome. We are well past the three year mark, what what!?
I hated the question that warrants this answer for a looooong time. I still don't love it. But now I find it tolerable. Because it usually follows up with "what brought you here?" I am now comfortable enough to say "a guy who isn't in the picture anymore" or, sometimes "my ex-husband" depending on how well I think I will get to know you.
today as I was walking into work, practically doing gleeful cartwheels as I enjoyed this chillier weather (oh fall, I love you.) I was thinking about north carolina. And life. And just the random my-caffeine-hasn't-kicked-in-yet thoughts that were tumbling about in my noggin.
And somehow it occurred to me: not only have I lived in North Carolina for eight years (longer than middle and high school combined!) but it's official: other than the home on 36th street that I grew up in, I've never lived anywhere as long as I've lived at my townhome. We are well past the three year mark, what what!?
Monday, August 29, 2011
hurricane #2.
the last time I experienced a hurricane firsthand was 2003. it was in september, and I had just moved here like two months before. It was crazy--no bread, no milk, no eggs, no bottled water to be had--all for some wind and rain and a few hours without power. I remember thinking that I didn't get what all the fuss was about (and I still stand by my point that the people should be prepared in advance and that buying milk and eggs when you're at risk of losing power for days is pretty foolish). But then I saw some of the devastation caused by Isabel, and I understood the crazy. Maybe not totally, but I understood to some extent.
well, this weekend marked hurricane #2. Irene. oh, those hurricanes that start with "I." there's been substantial damage to our coast. roadways torn up, people without power, coastal erosion.
(And I just realized that I typed "our" coast--guess I'm claiming NC now!)
We lost power for a little bit--and when it came back on we had to flip the breakers to get the whole house functioning (only the lowest level went back on). There were limbs down and the like.
But the worst part of it all has been reading the insensitive posts on facebook. People saying "I survived Irene--well, the media coverage" or saying that the east coast is made of a bunch of wimps if they're getting this excited over a category two.
People DIED. Hundreds of thousands are without power. Roadways are torn up, people are unable to get good and supplies. It's a big deal.
I'll be more positive tomorrow. :D Just appalled by some people!
well, this weekend marked hurricane #2. Irene. oh, those hurricanes that start with "I." there's been substantial damage to our coast. roadways torn up, people without power, coastal erosion.
(And I just realized that I typed "our" coast--guess I'm claiming NC now!)
We lost power for a little bit--and when it came back on we had to flip the breakers to get the whole house functioning (only the lowest level went back on). There were limbs down and the like.
But the worst part of it all has been reading the insensitive posts on facebook. People saying "I survived Irene--well, the media coverage" or saying that the east coast is made of a bunch of wimps if they're getting this excited over a category two.
People DIED. Hundreds of thousands are without power. Roadways are torn up, people are unable to get good and supplies. It's a big deal.
I'll be more positive tomorrow. :D Just appalled by some people!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
I have been having trouble sleeping...
but my dreams have involved beds.
the irony is not lost on me.
all I remember is that I was trying to pick out a bed. I think we were shopping for it.
which, amongst all of the other meanings, seems like it's about me needing to find peace. or escape.
and i'm-a-gonna go out on a limb here and suggest that might be family-craziness related. perhaps. maybe.
but? I am channeling all of my negativity and frustration and overwhelming blah into the following:
1. photos! lots of photos! I really want to do some fun photo shoots this year. I'm thinking about offering mini photo shoots at the fair. Is that totally nuts?
2. projects! lots of projects! up next: sew curtains. sew outdoor pillows. sew bed pillow(s). find curtain rods (I can foretell the future: matt and I will be visiting bed bath and bey0nd soon, armed with 20% off coupons galore and some remaining gift cards). then: identify items to give away, pack away and throw away.
3. decorating! lots of decorating! I have some fun plans for that too...little involving picture frames and screws. (my mom sent me a picture of something I want to recreate) and canvas prints. and floating shelves. etc.
right.
but first? I'd like to get more sleep. It's terribly important, methinks.
the irony is not lost on me.
all I remember is that I was trying to pick out a bed. I think we were shopping for it.
which, amongst all of the other meanings, seems like it's about me needing to find peace. or escape.
and i'm-a-gonna go out on a limb here and suggest that might be family-craziness related. perhaps. maybe.
but? I am channeling all of my negativity and frustration and overwhelming blah into the following:
1. photos! lots of photos! I really want to do some fun photo shoots this year. I'm thinking about offering mini photo shoots at the fair. Is that totally nuts?
2. projects! lots of projects! up next: sew curtains. sew outdoor pillows. sew bed pillow(s). find curtain rods (I can foretell the future: matt and I will be visiting bed bath and bey0nd soon, armed with 20% off coupons galore and some remaining gift cards). then: identify items to give away, pack away and throw away.
3. decorating! lots of decorating! I have some fun plans for that too...little involving picture frames and screws. (my mom sent me a picture of something I want to recreate) and canvas prints. and floating shelves. etc.
right.
but first? I'd like to get more sleep. It's terribly important, methinks.
Friday, August 19, 2011
perception is reality.
a guy I used to know taught me that phrase--perception is reality. It makes me think of two other important phrases I have learned in life--one is "it all pays the same." the other is "agree to disagree."
these little nuggets of wisdom come in handy pretty often. and I have gotten VERY good at agreeing to disagree, and I still work on remembering, sometimes, that it all pays the same.
I think about how perception is reality really often though.
A couple of days ago a gal I knew in Tulsa and I had lunch. She was telling me how hard it was to live in her previous city--because of other peoples' realities. Like, she has the same kind of crazy ass conversations that I have with my mother or sister (e.g., explaining why, when you have $200 to your name, it is unwise to have a burger and fries delivered to your door, eat half of it, realize it was made wrong, ask for a new one and when they decline to give you one, go ahead and order another one. that's a $45 meal. for a BURGER and FRIES.). And then she told me how, right after being on the phone with her mom, who was in the midst of a ridiculous situation, a gal came to her door, one of her husband's coworkers wives, if I'm recalling correctly, and was in TEARS. In tears because she had told her parents, very specifically, exactly what kind of yacht she wanted, and they had gotten her a yacht that wasn't what she wanted, that it was a terrible yacht, and she was unhappy with it.
hellllllllllo perspective. and perception. and two very different realities.
anyway, it just made me think--about how I know everyone has their own crap with which to deal, and how I thought, today, as I cried a little in my cube, that normal people don't deal with the kind of family bizarro-ness that I'm experiencing. but then I remembered that, to them, it's the same crazy in a different packaging. and somehow that was oddly comforting. :)
these little nuggets of wisdom come in handy pretty often. and I have gotten VERY good at agreeing to disagree, and I still work on remembering, sometimes, that it all pays the same.
I think about how perception is reality really often though.
A couple of days ago a gal I knew in Tulsa and I had lunch. She was telling me how hard it was to live in her previous city--because of other peoples' realities. Like, she has the same kind of crazy ass conversations that I have with my mother or sister (e.g., explaining why, when you have $200 to your name, it is unwise to have a burger and fries delivered to your door, eat half of it, realize it was made wrong, ask for a new one and when they decline to give you one, go ahead and order another one. that's a $45 meal. for a BURGER and FRIES.). And then she told me how, right after being on the phone with her mom, who was in the midst of a ridiculous situation, a gal came to her door, one of her husband's coworkers wives, if I'm recalling correctly, and was in TEARS. In tears because she had told her parents, very specifically, exactly what kind of yacht she wanted, and they had gotten her a yacht that wasn't what she wanted, that it was a terrible yacht, and she was unhappy with it.
hellllllllllo perspective. and perception. and two very different realities.
anyway, it just made me think--about how I know everyone has their own crap with which to deal, and how I thought, today, as I cried a little in my cube, that normal people don't deal with the kind of family bizarro-ness that I'm experiencing. but then I remembered that, to them, it's the same crazy in a different packaging. and somehow that was oddly comforting. :)
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
"I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now."
I am fully aware that things have changed a LOT since the heyday of my parents or grandparents.
I know that even people ten years older than I am found technology very strange when computers and the internet became a part of daily life.
It is not lost on me that I am lucky enough to have been bitten by the technology bug during my teenage years--so that I am old enough to remember what life was like without a computer, but that computers don't frighten me.
well...
Good news! We are switching from Allst@te to Nati0nwide and we are saving almost TWELVE HUNDRED DOLLARS over the course of the year. That's pretty kickin' I think.
But.
Poor Matt? He just spent 2 hours at the guy's office. Me? I have spent a minimum of, oh, let's lowball it and say seven hours on the phone with this dude. He's a nice guy. He could probably be the older brother to my father or something. But his technology? It SUCKS.
He couldn't email me a quote. Ever. He couldn't even email me the total amounts of the coverage costs.
He couldn't email me practically anything. I totally get needing a "wet signature" as they say it, but really? You would think that he could pull up the software, pull up the quote we'd already worked out (and the appurtenant policy), have Matt slap on some signatures and be done with it. I'd already given him the number for my card and the routing and account numbers for the monthly draft.
But, in his defense, he works on one of those old-timey computers with a dark screen and green writing, I think. His computer shut down in the middle of his work, he couldn't get the printer to print and basically everything went haywire.
But for REAL? The office needs to get new computers. They are going to lose business this way. Am I asking so much wanting a response to my request in 24 hours? Is it unreasonable for me to want a quote emailed to me rather than faxed (thereby wasting TWO printouts of it). Am I crazy thinking that we should be able to do all of this in advance and then I can just go in, sign it and thank him and be on my way?
I mean, we already went through this once for my business insurance. It took an hour. It was supposed to take twenty minutes.
Yep, it's official--unreasonable or not, I want it all, and I want it now.
I know that even people ten years older than I am found technology very strange when computers and the internet became a part of daily life.
It is not lost on me that I am lucky enough to have been bitten by the technology bug during my teenage years--so that I am old enough to remember what life was like without a computer, but that computers don't frighten me.
well...
Good news! We are switching from Allst@te to Nati0nwide and we are saving almost TWELVE HUNDRED DOLLARS over the course of the year. That's pretty kickin' I think.
But.
Poor Matt? He just spent 2 hours at the guy's office. Me? I have spent a minimum of, oh, let's lowball it and say seven hours on the phone with this dude. He's a nice guy. He could probably be the older brother to my father or something. But his technology? It SUCKS.
He couldn't email me a quote. Ever. He couldn't even email me the total amounts of the coverage costs.
He couldn't email me practically anything. I totally get needing a "wet signature" as they say it, but really? You would think that he could pull up the software, pull up the quote we'd already worked out (and the appurtenant policy), have Matt slap on some signatures and be done with it. I'd already given him the number for my card and the routing and account numbers for the monthly draft.
But, in his defense, he works on one of those old-timey computers with a dark screen and green writing, I think. His computer shut down in the middle of his work, he couldn't get the printer to print and basically everything went haywire.
But for REAL? The office needs to get new computers. They are going to lose business this way. Am I asking so much wanting a response to my request in 24 hours? Is it unreasonable for me to want a quote emailed to me rather than faxed (thereby wasting TWO printouts of it). Am I crazy thinking that we should be able to do all of this in advance and then I can just go in, sign it and thank him and be on my way?
I mean, we already went through this once for my business insurance. It took an hour. It was supposed to take twenty minutes.
Yep, it's official--unreasonable or not, I want it all, and I want it now.
Monday, August 15, 2011
"a girl can keep it together. a girl can keep it together..."
~the be good tanyas.
This song just popped into my head and I had to break out ye olde ipod. I suppose it makes sense, though.
I've been feeling a little roller-coaster-ee recently. It's overwhelming.
I've been realizing, too, that I am not overwhelmed by being busy. Instead, it is overwhelming that people have such high expectations of me. And it is hard to not feel overwhelmed when other people are commenting on how crazy you should probably feel. Y'know, because you're so busy. Except you feel kind of wonderfully relaxed about it all.
I mean...
We were home this last weekend!
We had no plans!
Next weekend we're traveling again, but we only planned it a few days ago, and it's to see my incredible in-laws (I am so lucky to think my in-laws are the bees knees, I know!) and it's a chill, not-scheduled, no-obligations or timelines kind of trip.
And I may have plans every night this week, but they are gonna be FUN and EXCITING or at least enjoyable--teaching a teenager about photography tonight, tomorrow I have softball, wednesday I'll be with Nicole and hopefully meeting little Sloan, Thursday is sushi with the gals and then it's the weekend. See? FUN! Exciting! Enjoyable!
Plus, I really liked this weekend. Or, really since last Thursday. Last Thursday my now-officially favorite brewery I've ever been to (and not just because of proximity) was having a special deal where they had mason jar glasses for their Summer B@sil beer for $8--and you kept the glass. Awesomesauce. Matt and I went as soon as he got back from soccer. I heart Fullste@m so very, very much!
On Friday Matt brought me lunch and ate with me downstairs. I worked a lot. And I had a photoshoot that went really well in the evening. And then I came home and Matt and I went out to Mell0w Mushr00m in Americ@n T0bacc0 in Durham. It's one of our go-to date places. The weather was gorgeous so we sat outside. We giggled. I was complimented on my choice of a dark beer. We are just the right amount of our favorite pizzas. The Mighty Me@ty and the G0urmet White. The two most opposite pizzas ever. But ever since our third date, when we ate at the one in downtown Raleigh and ordered the G0urmet White and got the Mighty Me@ty by mistake, it's what we order every time. :) After that we went right back to Fullste@m and had more of their delicious beer.
Saturday I photographed a wedding with the awesome Nicole. It had been far too long since I last saw her, so I was glad to hang out with her all day, even if we were working. And then I came home and took a nap (yes, at 645pm. It was Matt's idea. I am SO glad I did.) And then we watched movies, I sewed a pillow and we just hung out.
And Sunday? Sunday was nuts. And fantastic! Long story short, because of a sale that was going on and my asking a question (can you match the b*stbuy price on a similar TV?), and because I sat there and looked like I wasn't going to make the purchase, we ended up saving $404 total on our new 46' led TV and accessories. $200 of it is because of the question and the look on my face! We won't get to set it up and use it until Wednesday, but we are excited! And it means we can rearrange our living room :D It took us like three and a half hours to figure it all out and make a decision, but we did! And then, while we drove I got to catch up with Renee! We don't talk on the phone very often so it was quite a treat!
And then we went over to Derek and Courtney's new house which we hadn't seen yet. It is CUTE! And we love the layout. The four of us sat around enjoying caprese and Italian beer (and some pomegranate wheat by s@ranac) and watched the flip video of Italy. The part on the gondola is unreal! You can hear it so well! And parts of it were hilarious! We then ate Italian food (of course!) prepared by Courtney, and then just sat around and talked. There was also an episode with the gigantic spider outside. It's a garden spider, but it's BIG and kind of scary looking. Quite funny indeed.
Then Derek convinced us that we should all go outside and play PIG. Or maybe HORSE. And then the fun started--Derek suggested we instead play "ALLORA"--our favorite Italian word. Courtney was in the lead for a while, which was fun. I was the first out, though in the process I did make some pretty ridiculous shots. There was one where we stood behind Courtney's car, where Matt and I made it but C&D did not. And once Courtney and I were both out, there was one where Matt stood in the backyard and made it--and then Derek did too! That one was CRAZY!
Eventually Derek caught up with Matt. And then they started being all Harlem-Globetrotter-y with their shots. After 4 or 5 times of both making it (and a few changes of who made the one that had to be repeated) Matt said "Carrie's taking this shot for me. This one is all her."
So I did.
And I put it in.
And Derek didn't.
So Matt won! :D It was pretty cool being the first person out but still making the game-winning shot. :) Loved it. We've decided this is a tradition we'll embrace every time we go to their house. A Frychardson/K0cis game of Allora. YAY!
This song just popped into my head and I had to break out ye olde ipod. I suppose it makes sense, though.
I've been feeling a little roller-coaster-ee recently. It's overwhelming.
I've been realizing, too, that I am not overwhelmed by being busy. Instead, it is overwhelming that people have such high expectations of me. And it is hard to not feel overwhelmed when other people are commenting on how crazy you should probably feel. Y'know, because you're so busy. Except you feel kind of wonderfully relaxed about it all.
I mean...
We were home this last weekend!
We had no plans!
Next weekend we're traveling again, but we only planned it a few days ago, and it's to see my incredible in-laws (I am so lucky to think my in-laws are the bees knees, I know!) and it's a chill, not-scheduled, no-obligations or timelines kind of trip.
And I may have plans every night this week, but they are gonna be FUN and EXCITING or at least enjoyable--teaching a teenager about photography tonight, tomorrow I have softball, wednesday I'll be with Nicole and hopefully meeting little Sloan, Thursday is sushi with the gals and then it's the weekend. See? FUN! Exciting! Enjoyable!
Plus, I really liked this weekend. Or, really since last Thursday. Last Thursday my now-officially favorite brewery I've ever been to (and not just because of proximity) was having a special deal where they had mason jar glasses for their Summer B@sil beer for $8--and you kept the glass. Awesomesauce. Matt and I went as soon as he got back from soccer. I heart Fullste@m so very, very much!
On Friday Matt brought me lunch and ate with me downstairs. I worked a lot. And I had a photoshoot that went really well in the evening. And then I came home and Matt and I went out to Mell0w Mushr00m in Americ@n T0bacc0 in Durham. It's one of our go-to date places. The weather was gorgeous so we sat outside. We giggled. I was complimented on my choice of a dark beer. We are just the right amount of our favorite pizzas. The Mighty Me@ty and the G0urmet White. The two most opposite pizzas ever. But ever since our third date, when we ate at the one in downtown Raleigh and ordered the G0urmet White and got the Mighty Me@ty by mistake, it's what we order every time. :) After that we went right back to Fullste@m and had more of their delicious beer.
Saturday I photographed a wedding with the awesome Nicole. It had been far too long since I last saw her, so I was glad to hang out with her all day, even if we were working. And then I came home and took a nap (yes, at 645pm. It was Matt's idea. I am SO glad I did.) And then we watched movies, I sewed a pillow and we just hung out.
And Sunday? Sunday was nuts. And fantastic! Long story short, because of a sale that was going on and my asking a question (can you match the b*stbuy price on a similar TV?), and because I sat there and looked like I wasn't going to make the purchase, we ended up saving $404 total on our new 46' led TV and accessories. $200 of it is because of the question and the look on my face! We won't get to set it up and use it until Wednesday, but we are excited! And it means we can rearrange our living room :D It took us like three and a half hours to figure it all out and make a decision, but we did! And then, while we drove I got to catch up with Renee! We don't talk on the phone very often so it was quite a treat!
And then we went over to Derek and Courtney's new house which we hadn't seen yet. It is CUTE! And we love the layout. The four of us sat around enjoying caprese and Italian beer (and some pomegranate wheat by s@ranac) and watched the flip video of Italy. The part on the gondola is unreal! You can hear it so well! And parts of it were hilarious! We then ate Italian food (of course!) prepared by Courtney, and then just sat around and talked. There was also an episode with the gigantic spider outside. It's a garden spider, but it's BIG and kind of scary looking. Quite funny indeed.
Then Derek convinced us that we should all go outside and play PIG. Or maybe HORSE. And then the fun started--Derek suggested we instead play "ALLORA"--our favorite Italian word. Courtney was in the lead for a while, which was fun. I was the first out, though in the process I did make some pretty ridiculous shots. There was one where we stood behind Courtney's car, where Matt and I made it but C&D did not. And once Courtney and I were both out, there was one where Matt stood in the backyard and made it--and then Derek did too! That one was CRAZY!
Eventually Derek caught up with Matt. And then they started being all Harlem-Globetrotter-y with their shots. After 4 or 5 times of both making it (and a few changes of who made the one that had to be repeated) Matt said "Carrie's taking this shot for me. This one is all her."
So I did.
And I put it in.
And Derek didn't.
So Matt won! :D It was pretty cool being the first person out but still making the game-winning shot. :) Loved it. We've decided this is a tradition we'll embrace every time we go to their house. A Frychardson/K0cis game of Allora. YAY!
Friday, August 12, 2011
all she wants to do is, all she wants to do is [craft]. (and make romance)
no, really.
that is, quite literally, ALL I want to do. I want to work on our house. And I want to make things. I want to craft. I daydream about it. Pinterest isn't exactly helping. :) And I have PLANS.
I want to make the curtains for downstairs. The yellow chevron fabric I got on super sale (half off, so $8 a yard, which is pretty fantastic for 60 inch wide decorator fabric!) is calling my name. A few sundays ago I decided I wanted to go to Hancock's in Durham, and there it was. I bought it immediately. I did call Matt first, though. And he said he didn't hate it. And I also mentioned that it could potentially have a home in a future gender-neutral nursery, if we wanted. And so he agreed. And there was much rejoicing. :D However, we will definitely be putting those other curtains in storage and putting them back up when it comes time to show the house--because they fit the space well and we don't want to part with our curtains!
Anyhoo. So I have those curtains. And then...
I bought fabric (during that same half of sale!) for outdoor pillows. And fabric for some indoor pillows for both our living room and our downstairs (to further tie in the yellow). AND I have a fun idea for some freezer paper stencil art too. Basically, I am redecorating our house. I don't believe I have mentioned that we rearranged our basement, have I? I mean, I gave you a preview here...
-but now that desk is yellow.
-and the shelves are better organized.
-and we've (finally) integrated our DVD collection (I used to think that Matt thought my DVDs weren't good enough to be near his. ha!)
-and I have gotten rid of a LOT.
previously this room held, in addition to what you can see in the picture
-an ikea loveseat
-our old living room couch
-two side tables
-a WHOLE BUNCH of boxes--wedding presents we hadn't given homes to, some wedding stuff that we hadn't gone through (like decor from it), and lots of boxes o' random things that we had accumulated. I found a canvas thing Matt had given me when we celebrated Valentines day in 2009 that was still in the wrapping. Oopsie!
-assorted crap.
-and more assorted crap.
This picture is a few weeks old, but it gives you the gist. And now we can actually use this space, woohoo! You can see the fabric roll in there too! and my (almost) finished desk! We are going to buy some spacer things to put on the bottom to raise it up so the chair will slide under it. I am also thinking about repainting the desk a little milder of a yellow. With the primer under it that yellow is BRIGHT. But I'm going to live with it a little while and see how I like it with the curtains and THEN decide.
And next up:
--Matt still needs to go through the things under/on his desk, but he has been doing a lot around the house, so I am totally patient. :)
--hanging curtains! I want to go to Hobby Lobby to get the hardware. I'm hoping to talk some ladies into a road trip on the 20th. Or maybe get Matt to go. :) Any takers? It's about 45 minutes from my house.
--We will be donating Matt's big honkin' TV (of the huge, heavy persuasion) and moving our TV from the living room into that space, because we have decided it is time to buy a new TV for our living room. We are currently very limited by our TV size--it's on the smaller side, especially when the TV image is cropped on the screen, and if we move our arrangement so it's more open we will both be straining to see it. Considering that we are kind of tv-aholics (I would be ashamed to admit this, except at the same time it's pretty much the only time we're still when we are at home), being able to see is kind of important. :) And I hate how tiny our living area feels right now. So, yeah. We are going TV shopping on Sunday, wish us luck!
--We will be slipcovering that recliner. I hope. We aren't going to make our own for this one, though.
--At some kinda-distant point I'll be slipcovering our little Ikea chair. I am really hoping to do it myself. I need to find a super-forgiving fabric first. Which kind of conflicts with my desire to do a bold pattern. But I'm sure it will work out, right? Part of me hopes I'll have the time to do it this winter when photography slows down. Except then I remember that I have a wedding in January and (hopefully) two weddings in March. Ha!
--We will be getting rid of at least part of Matt's entertainment center. This thing has lived in many many houses. Owned by many different Frys and maybe even Fry friends, I'm not sure. But it's falling apart. And it's time. I tried to talk Matt into letting me paint it, but he said no. He thinks I paint everything. I think he might be right :)
--I hope to put some small shelves up over my desk. And eventually move my monitor down there. We currently have it rigged so I have my monitor on a TV tray in the living room since I do most of my editing in there. We also are keeping an eye out for a flat screen monitor for Matt.
and then I think that room will be done! In the meantime we're tackling the living room and the kitchen. It's gonna be like a whole new house when we are done!!
that is, quite literally, ALL I want to do. I want to work on our house. And I want to make things. I want to craft. I daydream about it. Pinterest isn't exactly helping. :) And I have PLANS.
I want to make the curtains for downstairs. The yellow chevron fabric I got on super sale (half off, so $8 a yard, which is pretty fantastic for 60 inch wide decorator fabric!) is calling my name. A few sundays ago I decided I wanted to go to Hancock's in Durham, and there it was. I bought it immediately. I did call Matt first, though. And he said he didn't hate it. And I also mentioned that it could potentially have a home in a future gender-neutral nursery, if we wanted. And so he agreed. And there was much rejoicing. :D However, we will definitely be putting those other curtains in storage and putting them back up when it comes time to show the house--because they fit the space well and we don't want to part with our curtains!
Anyhoo. So I have those curtains. And then...
I bought fabric (during that same half of sale!) for outdoor pillows. And fabric for some indoor pillows for both our living room and our downstairs (to further tie in the yellow). AND I have a fun idea for some freezer paper stencil art too. Basically, I am redecorating our house. I don't believe I have mentioned that we rearranged our basement, have I? I mean, I gave you a preview here...
-but now that desk is yellow.
-and the shelves are better organized.
-and we've (finally) integrated our DVD collection (I used to think that Matt thought my DVDs weren't good enough to be near his. ha!)
-and I have gotten rid of a LOT.
previously this room held, in addition to what you can see in the picture
-an ikea loveseat
-our old living room couch
-two side tables
-a WHOLE BUNCH of boxes--wedding presents we hadn't given homes to, some wedding stuff that we hadn't gone through (like decor from it), and lots of boxes o' random things that we had accumulated. I found a canvas thing Matt had given me when we celebrated Valentines day in 2009 that was still in the wrapping. Oopsie!
-assorted crap.
-and more assorted crap.
This picture is a few weeks old, but it gives you the gist. And now we can actually use this space, woohoo! You can see the fabric roll in there too! and my (almost) finished desk! We are going to buy some spacer things to put on the bottom to raise it up so the chair will slide under it. I am also thinking about repainting the desk a little milder of a yellow. With the primer under it that yellow is BRIGHT. But I'm going to live with it a little while and see how I like it with the curtains and THEN decide.
And next up:
--Matt still needs to go through the things under/on his desk, but he has been doing a lot around the house, so I am totally patient. :)
--hanging curtains! I want to go to Hobby Lobby to get the hardware. I'm hoping to talk some ladies into a road trip on the 20th. Or maybe get Matt to go. :) Any takers? It's about 45 minutes from my house.
--We will be donating Matt's big honkin' TV (of the huge, heavy persuasion) and moving our TV from the living room into that space, because we have decided it is time to buy a new TV for our living room. We are currently very limited by our TV size--it's on the smaller side, especially when the TV image is cropped on the screen, and if we move our arrangement so it's more open we will both be straining to see it. Considering that we are kind of tv-aholics (I would be ashamed to admit this, except at the same time it's pretty much the only time we're still when we are at home), being able to see is kind of important. :) And I hate how tiny our living area feels right now. So, yeah. We are going TV shopping on Sunday, wish us luck!
--We will be slipcovering that recliner. I hope. We aren't going to make our own for this one, though.
--At some kinda-distant point I'll be slipcovering our little Ikea chair. I am really hoping to do it myself. I need to find a super-forgiving fabric first. Which kind of conflicts with my desire to do a bold pattern. But I'm sure it will work out, right? Part of me hopes I'll have the time to do it this winter when photography slows down. Except then I remember that I have a wedding in January and (hopefully) two weddings in March. Ha!
--We will be getting rid of at least part of Matt's entertainment center. This thing has lived in many many houses. Owned by many different Frys and maybe even Fry friends, I'm not sure. But it's falling apart. And it's time. I tried to talk Matt into letting me paint it, but he said no. He thinks I paint everything. I think he might be right :)
--I hope to put some small shelves up over my desk. And eventually move my monitor down there. We currently have it rigged so I have my monitor on a TV tray in the living room since I do most of my editing in there. We also are keeping an eye out for a flat screen monitor for Matt.
and then I think that room will be done! In the meantime we're tackling the living room and the kitchen. It's gonna be like a whole new house when we are done!!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
not able to be controlled.
I sometimes worry about what to blog and whether or not what I am blogging is appropriate for my audience and/or if it's something that Matt would be okay with me talking about. This is one of those times.
My friend Christy and I were talking a few weeks ago about how the hardest thing about trying to get pregnant is that you have zero control over it. I mean, you can pee on sticks all month and time everything perfectly and you still only have a 20% chance of getting pregnant each month.
I've had many friends deal with difficulties getting pregnant--some are full on classified as having "infertility issues" while some just validated the statistic of it taking up to 12 months for your average couple under the age of 35. I've also had some friends get pregnant on the very first try. So, as much as I thought I could, I steeled myself for the reality that we probably wouldn't get pregnant on the first attempt. And I was/am okay with that.
But the things I haven't yet come to terms with are kind of driving me batty.
For one, that whole lack of control part. I am a very logical thinker. It is hard for me to understand that, well, let's put it this way...if you are baking a cake and you put in flour and sugar and eggs and vanilla and baking powder and milk and you mix it up and put it in the oven, you expect a cake, yes? That's not how it works for women. And I had no appreciation for that until this time in my life.
For two, the people. Oh, the people. Some are so, so well meaning. I've already had to explain to multiple people why it is that it is ill advised to ask a woman whether or not she is pregnant. I mean, either she is, and you've ruined the surprise, or she isn't, and you've just reminded her of this. Or, heaven forbid, she's in that window when you don't know. None are good options. I have had some sweet thoughts conveyed too--and I think one of my favorites was a friend who said she will never ask me about it, but that she was sending pregnancy vibes to me and was thinking of us and praying for us. And for that, I am grateful.
For three (which is kind of related to one), the timing. So. In ideal-land, Matt and I would like to have a child--a healthy, I don't care the gender child--whose birthday fell before Matt's summer break. Because in ideal-land, I would take my maternity leave, and then Matt would have the summer off, and we could delay childcare. We think this would be good for our as-yet-unconceived kiddo. And for our peace of mind. Only time will tell on this one.
But to end on a positive note, I do have something really great to say--which is that I am very glad to have my new boss. She had a little sit down with all of her employees, one on one, and I mentioned to her that Matt and I would like to have a family in the not-too-distant future because, well, it will affect my work. And it was SO amazing, because her response was happiness for us and our decision. Not considerations about workload or timelines. But instead, she made a little delightful squealy noise and told me that she was excited for us and our future plans, and then said that we'd just worry about work when that time came. TOTAL opposite from my old boss (who I do really like, but doesn't *get* it). And a huge stress relief. :)
My friend Christy and I were talking a few weeks ago about how the hardest thing about trying to get pregnant is that you have zero control over it. I mean, you can pee on sticks all month and time everything perfectly and you still only have a 20% chance of getting pregnant each month.
I've had many friends deal with difficulties getting pregnant--some are full on classified as having "infertility issues" while some just validated the statistic of it taking up to 12 months for your average couple under the age of 35. I've also had some friends get pregnant on the very first try. So, as much as I thought I could, I steeled myself for the reality that we probably wouldn't get pregnant on the first attempt. And I was/am okay with that.
But the things I haven't yet come to terms with are kind of driving me batty.
For one, that whole lack of control part. I am a very logical thinker. It is hard for me to understand that, well, let's put it this way...if you are baking a cake and you put in flour and sugar and eggs and vanilla and baking powder and milk and you mix it up and put it in the oven, you expect a cake, yes? That's not how it works for women. And I had no appreciation for that until this time in my life.
For two, the people. Oh, the people. Some are so, so well meaning. I've already had to explain to multiple people why it is that it is ill advised to ask a woman whether or not she is pregnant. I mean, either she is, and you've ruined the surprise, or she isn't, and you've just reminded her of this. Or, heaven forbid, she's in that window when you don't know. None are good options. I have had some sweet thoughts conveyed too--and I think one of my favorites was a friend who said she will never ask me about it, but that she was sending pregnancy vibes to me and was thinking of us and praying for us. And for that, I am grateful.
For three (which is kind of related to one), the timing. So. In ideal-land, Matt and I would like to have a child--a healthy, I don't care the gender child--whose birthday fell before Matt's summer break. Because in ideal-land, I would take my maternity leave, and then Matt would have the summer off, and we could delay childcare. We think this would be good for our as-yet-unconceived kiddo. And for our peace of mind. Only time will tell on this one.
But to end on a positive note, I do have something really great to say--which is that I am very glad to have my new boss. She had a little sit down with all of her employees, one on one, and I mentioned to her that Matt and I would like to have a family in the not-too-distant future because, well, it will affect my work. And it was SO amazing, because her response was happiness for us and our decision. Not considerations about workload or timelines. But instead, she made a little delightful squealy noise and told me that she was excited for us and our future plans, and then said that we'd just worry about work when that time came. TOTAL opposite from my old boss (who I do really like, but doesn't *get* it). And a huge stress relief. :)
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
yada yada yada--fifteen hundred posts.
hi. this is my 1500th post. it makes me kind of sad to realize that if you graphed my posting frequency, that graph would be a fairly level line for a long time and then peter out. oh well.
last night for dinner, on a total whim, I made this. I changed it up a little, but it was essentially this, and it was GOOD.
Matt and I have been playing this "game" where we try to use things we already have. Total shocker, I know. But some, um....let's go with the phrase "unfortunate family absurdity" [on my side] has made us decide to try to be much more intentional with our purchases, due to the likelihood of that absurdity weighing on our personal pocketbook in the not-crazy-distant-future. oh, life.
but anyway.
-we had sausage on hand from our weekly CSA. it was "hot" and I think that heat added a lot!
-I used rice we had instead of the kind they listed
-I added garlic (I always add garlic!)
-and I only used one can of tomatoes and then used up some ripe ones we had laying around. I am LOVING the summer tomatoes. I think that the dish could've had even more tomatoes!
-oh and I omitted the greens. it wasn't purposeful, I just forgot. but since I have green smoothies every day, I didn't feel so terrible about it. :)
I would've taken pictures, but honestly? I was hungry!
also, this little milestone (and the milestones I'd like to have happen in the next short while, and some recent events) have gotten me thinking about who I was in December of 2004 and who I am now. Of the many, many changes and adventures and terrible and amazing things that have happened in the interim. And of what I thought was right or wrong, and what could or should be...and it's just making me very thankful for all of the awesome that's come into my life in the last seven-ish years. (And grateful for the awesome that was there already and is still there today!)
I promise my next post will have pictures. pinkie swear!
last night for dinner, on a total whim, I made this. I changed it up a little, but it was essentially this, and it was GOOD.
Matt and I have been playing this "game" where we try to use things we already have. Total shocker, I know. But some, um....let's go with the phrase "unfortunate family absurdity" [on my side] has made us decide to try to be much more intentional with our purchases, due to the likelihood of that absurdity weighing on our personal pocketbook in the not-crazy-distant-future. oh, life.
but anyway.
-we had sausage on hand from our weekly CSA. it was "hot" and I think that heat added a lot!
-I used rice we had instead of the kind they listed
-I added garlic (I always add garlic!)
-and I only used one can of tomatoes and then used up some ripe ones we had laying around. I am LOVING the summer tomatoes. I think that the dish could've had even more tomatoes!
-oh and I omitted the greens. it wasn't purposeful, I just forgot. but since I have green smoothies every day, I didn't feel so terrible about it. :)
I would've taken pictures, but honestly? I was hungry!
also, this little milestone (and the milestones I'd like to have happen in the next short while, and some recent events) have gotten me thinking about who I was in December of 2004 and who I am now. Of the many, many changes and adventures and terrible and amazing things that have happened in the interim. And of what I thought was right or wrong, and what could or should be...and it's just making me very thankful for all of the awesome that's come into my life in the last seven-ish years. (And grateful for the awesome that was there already and is still there today!)
I promise my next post will have pictures. pinkie swear!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
I....I predict a riot.
~kaiser chiefs
my dear friend lisa b-w called me out on my lack of blogging last night, and I realized that she is right. :)
so here's what I'll tell you...
I read The Time Machine.
I'm now reading The Girl Who Pl@yed With Fire. And you know what? The front cover is CHEEEEESY. I didn't even notice how cheesy until yesterday. But it's cheesy.
Last weekend was very wonderful and very, very much needed. I went to Ohio to see Jessica. Jessica my bridesmaid, Jessica my friend of forever, Jessica the awesome. We decorated more of her little girl's room (Jessica's due in late September) and did a whole lot of sewing. Some of it I'll be putting on my photography blog, and some of it I have to wait to tell you about until after tomorrow because it's a surprise for her husband Cody.
we also made pi0neer w0man's watermelon granita. and it was DELISH. we really, really loved it. it was kind of hysterical getting the pans of granita in her freezer (she has the double-door fridge/freezer) and we almost got granita everywhere because I was laughing hysterically, but it made it in, and we ate it. and ate it. and ate it. mmmm...oh and the watermelon we got was amazingly ripe. and in the picture with the knife, all I had done was push the point of the knife into the rind and it split like this. crazy!
also, we went to the farmer's market (I have pictures, I'll add 'em later) and we found out about Ludlow cheese. It is UNREAL. And it's pasteurized. I liked it so much I got information from the farmer because they ship their cheese. We made tacos on Saturday night, along with guac and our watermelon granitas, and you know how usually in tacos it's the beef that steals the show? Well we had ground turkey, and let me tell you--I didn't even notice anything other than the deliciousness of that ludlow.
what else, what else....
yesterday we won our softball game, which made me very very happy! I love my team, but it's been a bit hard playing on it this season 'cause we've not been winning much. I firmly believe it's how you play the game that matters, but let's be honest, it's nice to win sometimes! So I was super excited to win! After our last game I told our team that if we won our next one I'd buy the first round when we went out to eat. We went to a Mexican food place in Morrisville, and I totally lucked out--because I give you Girl Scout's honor I didn't know, but draft beers were only 99 cents! Matt and I had dinner and bought a round of beer for $16.32! AMAZING!
tonight I'm going to the Bull's game with the KayDees and tomorrow I head to Charlotte for the wedding of the fabulous Thomas and Suzanne!
my dear friend lisa b-w called me out on my lack of blogging last night, and I realized that she is right. :)
so here's what I'll tell you...
I read The Time Machine.
I'm now reading The Girl Who Pl@yed With Fire. And you know what? The front cover is CHEEEEESY. I didn't even notice how cheesy until yesterday. But it's cheesy.
Last weekend was very wonderful and very, very much needed. I went to Ohio to see Jessica. Jessica my bridesmaid, Jessica my friend of forever, Jessica the awesome. We decorated more of her little girl's room (Jessica's due in late September) and did a whole lot of sewing. Some of it I'll be putting on my photography blog, and some of it I have to wait to tell you about until after tomorrow because it's a surprise for her husband Cody.
we also made pi0neer w0man's watermelon granita. and it was DELISH. we really, really loved it. it was kind of hysterical getting the pans of granita in her freezer (she has the double-door fridge/freezer) and we almost got granita everywhere because I was laughing hysterically, but it made it in, and we ate it. and ate it. and ate it. mmmm...oh and the watermelon we got was amazingly ripe. and in the picture with the knife, all I had done was push the point of the knife into the rind and it split like this. crazy!
what else, what else....
yesterday we won our softball game, which made me very very happy! I love my team, but it's been a bit hard playing on it this season 'cause we've not been winning much. I firmly believe it's how you play the game that matters, but let's be honest, it's nice to win sometimes! So I was super excited to win! After our last game I told our team that if we won our next one I'd buy the first round when we went out to eat. We went to a Mexican food place in Morrisville, and I totally lucked out--because I give you Girl Scout's honor I didn't know, but draft beers were only 99 cents! Matt and I had dinner and bought a round of beer for $16.32! AMAZING!
tonight I'm going to the Bull's game with the KayDees and tomorrow I head to Charlotte for the wedding of the fabulous Thomas and Suzanne!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
