Holiday Housewarming

I am not ready to post “finished” pictures of my living room yet but I thought I would give you a few sneak peeks so I could show off my holiday decorations. Sound fun? Okay.

First up is the hand-carved Nativity my Mom brought me back from China. Thanks to a suggestion from Kara, I decided to put this up on the middle shelf of my bookcase.

Pretty right? I love the little sheep.

Then of course, I had to get a tree.

I’m not a huge fan of fake trees…I know they are cheaper and cleaner and easier and better for the environment but I just can’t let go of real trees yet.

I am a total sucker for Christmas lights. Light anything up with little fairy lights and I am pretty much in heaven. So it is not surprising that I liberally use lights when I decorate for Christmas. Going through my old decorations I found this berry garland. The perfect size for my entry way.

Of course I had to wrap it in lights.

And then there is the window in my kitchen. I bought these lights on the streets of Thailand years ago but hadn’t ever used them before.

Washing dishes has never been so festive.

And finally, what do I see when I look out to my balcony?

I am just waiting for it to snow again so I can sit, knit, stare at pretty lights, drink hot chocolate, and watch the snow light up the night. Like I said, heaven.

A new me

So all I have are poorly lit photos taken by me on my cell phone at work BUT, I thought I would share anyway.

Before:

After:

It is like it is a whole new me.  (But still totally me.)

These pies are too good for those spies*

*This title won’t make sense unless you are familiar with a certain commercial run in Hawaii in the late 80’s/early 90’s.  Points to anyone that can place it (no points to Kara though – I already know you know.)

So I made my first pie today. Actually, I made two.  (I am pretty much a pro now.)  I was most intimidated by the crust.  Not really sure what was so scary about it, but I was convinced it was going to be the hardest part.  I guess you could say I was right, but only because the rest of the pies were so easy to make.  So it was a little scary and I wasn’t sure I did it right but I am really quite pleased with how it turned out.  Want to see?

I am kind of in love with it.  So I made two pies, a pumpkin and an apple.  The end result didn’t look perfect by any means but they sure tasted yummy.

The other fun thing I got to do on Thanksgiving was wear this super cool turkey headband:

Jealous?

So my thanksgiving was great.  Lots of family and good food.  If nothing else however, my day of pie making opened up a whole new world of cooking that I hadn’t yet explored.  For that I thank you Thanksgiving.

Crash

So what is the last thing you want to hear one morning as you are getting ready in the bathroom,  just one week after you move in to your newly purchased home?  That would be a loud crash followed by glass shattering.

Yeah.

I walked into my craft room and there on the floor was the glass light fixture in many, many pieces on the floor.

My light fixture after plummeting to its death.

I have decided to see this as an opportunity.  I didn’t really like the light fixture and was thinking down the road I would replace it anyway.  I wasn’t wanting to spend the money now but now that I have to, it is fun to think about all the possibilities of what I could do.

Speaking of the craft room, want to see how the color turned out?

I LOVE it.  It is called Vintage Yellow by Glidden and it turned out perfectly.  It is bright and cheery without being either too pastel or overpowering.  I really do feel more creative every time I walk in the room.  Now on to the putting away, organizing, and decorating.  I have great plans for this room…

I miss knitting

I know it is a silly thing to say, seeing as how I am perfectly capable of picking up the needles at any time.  But the past 6 months…life has been busy.  An unsettled kind of busy.  And when life gets like that for me, during my downtime I seek less release in my more active and creative pursuits and tend to fall back on easy and mindless activities (like browsing the internet or playing word games on my phone while I watch TV.)

I spent some time on Ravelry tonight, browsed patterns and projects, took a look at my queue, and started remembering.  I remember what it is like to see a design or a finished object and get that flash of inspiration/obsession.  To carefully choose yarn and colors–usually spread out on the floor of a friendly local yarn store.  To rush home and make a hasty effort of a swatch (just so you can say you did) and then excitedly cast on.  Then there is the actual knitting process, watching something grow and seeing how the colors and texture take form.  Setting mini-deadlines and reaching mid-way milestones of finishing the back, or a sleeve.  Finally being able to block the finished pieces and always forgetting how long it takes to actually seam the garment.  Trying it on for the first time and taking that first “I just spent over 100 hours on this project and what if it is hideous” look in the mirror.  Then of course there is the awkward photo shoot to show the blog what it looks like on even though you feel like a huge dork and hate having your picture taken because you over smile and feel self-conscious and worry others will think you are a wannabe model.  Yeah, I remember it, and I miss all of it.

So, all this to say, I haven’t been knitting.  Or I haven’t been knitting much.  I’ve had the same project on the needles since before I moved from Colorado.  And it is no where close to being done.  See?

When I started this top I was so proud of myself for the season appropriateness of it all.  I reasoned, by the time I finished, summer would be here.  Although now that I think about it, by the time I finish NEXT summer will be here.  So I guess it is okay.  This is such an interesting knit.  I mean, it is constructed diagonally! I have never seen a sweater knit this way and don’t know what it means in terms of fit.  In fact, I have no clue how it is going to fit and probably won’t until it is done.  I have gotten good at adjusting a sweater to my body but on this one I have no choice but to follow the pattern as written.  I just have to have faith in my gauge…although it is hard.

Crazy, crazy top.

Even though I haven’t spent a whole lot of actual knitting time with this project, I am still feeling the pangs of boredom that come from looking at the same pattern and colors for months on end.  So, sadly, I doubt I’ll finish this any time soon.  Just don’t let me put it off too long.  In the mean time…winter knits anyone?

Project Home(owner) – the “before” tour

So it is official, I have the keys to my new home. Yay!

I love when other people document their creative and decorating process, and so I am going to do the same.  Over the next months I will update the blog and show “before”, “during” and “after” pictures as I go along.  Taking pictures of an empty space is a challenge but I needed to get some before shots completed before I move all my things in.   So, here is my attempt at the “before” tour.

The living room:

The kitchen:

The entry way:

The bathroom:

The workroom:

The master bedroom:

I know it all looks pretty plain at this point but it is a great canvas and a space I am excited to fill.  I move my stuff in Saturday so I have basically spent every night this week hanging out at the empty place, cleaning, patching walls, and painting.  I have never painted walls before and had a very ambitious plan to paint the accent wall (hallway and kitchen wall), bathroom, and spare bedroom this week but when I finally got in and gave the walls another look I realized that I don’t yet know what (if anything at all) I want to do with most of the walls so I am leaving them as is for now.  The exception to this is the spare bedroom.  Or as I will be calling it, the workroom.  Yes, this is my craft/office/storage/creative space.  And I am painting it yellow. Stay tuned…

News

Last time I wrote I promised news.  Now I am aware that from time to time I have promised things on this blog and didn’t deliver.  This is not one of those times.

So you ready for it?  My news…

I am buying a house!

Actually a condo, but I hate the word condo (for some reason it feels like a very cheesy 80’s word to me.)  I don’t like the word apartment either because that word=renting in my mind.  And I will be a renter no longer.  So if you have a great word I should call my place please let me know.

This whole buying a (insert great word for property I am buying) is a pretty big deal to me.  I know, many of you have already done the ‘buy the house’ thing but it is new for me and I can’t help but be terrified and at the same time very impressed over my grown-up self.

Sure, there is the chance that this doesn’t happen.  I don’t close for 2 weeks and something could go wrong.  (Please don’t go wrong.)  But it feels like it is going to happen and so I feel relatively safe making this announcement.  Plus I am just so excited I can’t stand holding it in any longer.  In fact my reasons for being excited are so many I feel an itemized list coming on…

Reasons I am excited for my upcoming move/purchase:

1. My new neighborhood: the Avenues.  I love the history and charming homes, the proximity to downtown and yet the feel of a neighborhood.
2. Hatch Family Chocolates.  My new place is within two blocks to my favorite chocolate shop in all of SLC.  Say we are hanging out at my place one night watching Gilmore Girls on DVD.  I could turn to you and say “Hey, you want 1000-calorie-but-best-I-have-ever-tasted hot chocolate right now?”  You would say: “Um, yeah!”  And then we would go and be back with said deliciousness in like 10 minutes.  I am not saying the close proximity of Hatch’s is good for my healthy diet but I am certain it is good for my soul.  In fact, I am contemplating a change jar which will serve as my slush fund for Hatch’s and nothing else.  Am I a little too much of a superfan?
3. Decorating.  Really it is just another creative outlet that I am tapping into.  I watched my sister Kara have so much fun making her “flat” (her chosen word) hers by searching for deals, painting, and finding accents that has made her place truly envy worthy.  These things take time though (and money) and so I will have to pace myself but I am having fun so far with visions of what it could be.
4. I get to be with my stuff again. For the past 5 months, 95% of my things have been in storage.  I miss my stuff.
5. My new commute. Remember my 1-hour-each-way commute to Loveland from Denver?  Now my commute will be 5 minutes by car, 20 by foot.  Yeah, I could walk to work if I wanted.  And then walk downtown on the weekends, you know, for fun.
6. Finally, the apartment itself which was found pretty quickly. I did a lot of research and looking online but on the first night of looking in person I found it.  It was the last place we went to and I am pretty sure my real estate agent knew what he was doing saving it for last.  I love it.  Hardwood floors, french doors opening to a “balcony”, open kitchen and living room space, awesome views of the mountains and valley.  It is not a huge place (about 900 square feet: 2 bedrooms, 1 bath) but it is perfect for me.  I promise to take lots of pictures as soon as I can.  It is going to be awesome.

Don’t get me wrong though.  I will miss my roommies Mom and Dad and the fun times we’ve had living under the same roof.  I’ll miss having disposable income.  I’ll miss…um, I think those are the only two negatives.  My tentative move in date is Halloween.  I am totally dressing up as a homeowner this year.

P.S. All this house stuff has really put a damper on my other creative pursuits.  I haven’t been knitting.  Or sewing.  I know I will get back to it but for now my mind is otherwise occupied.  I will post pictures soon though of what I have been able to accomplish this summer.

Catching up

Not posting for a while is kind of like taking too long to email a friend back (of which I have way to much experience with.)  You keep meaning to write but every day/week/month you wait, all the things you have to cover just grow exponentially.  The more you have to write, the harder it is to find the time to write until you either never write or you break down, skip all the fun details, say “life has been busy”, and start from scratch.  I am trying to fight the urge to do either one of these things.

I really do have stuff I want to share. The summer was crazy….I moved!, started a new job!, went to China!, sewed 3 skirts + 3 shirts+ 1 dress!, started a new fitness plan!, became roommates housemates with my parents!, frogged and casted on again for the carp!, watched the 1st season of Big Bang Theory on DVD! (okay, so maybe I did have some time to blog.)  Anyway, crazy times for me.  When I move to another city I feel a little like I am hitting the reset button on my life.  It is kind of an awesome/strange feeling.  I like fresh starts for the same reason I like new year’s and birthdays.  I like taking stock, making changes, and the promise of the unknown.  But it takes a little time for me to feel comfortable in my skin, to settle.  And even though this time I moved to a familiar place, I still felt unease that for me only calms with time. I miss my apartment and my supermarket and my neighborhood and my restaurants.  But most of all, as my dear friend Shelley would say, I miss my people.  (My Denver people that is, thankfully, I do have Salt Lake people that I don’t have to miss any longer.)

All this to say that thanks to this angst-y adjustment time, I have gotten out of the blogging habit.  But, things are changing.  Pieces are falling into place and it is starting to feel normal that I live here again.  And of course…it is October.  I LOVE October.  Good things happen in October.  So maybe it is my calming down life or the magical month of October that is bringing my blogging mojo back but either way, here I am, and I will be back soon with some fun news and maybe a peek at what little knitting I have gotten done.

Someone loves me very much

I had another post planned but I had to preempt it for very important breaking news.  Denver is home to many things I love, one of which is Smashburger.  Most of my Denver friends (and every friend that came to visit me when I lived in Denver) knows how much I love me some Smashburger.  The decision to move was made more difficult when I realized I would have to leave behind my BBQ Bacon & Cheese, Mushroom Swiss Smashchicken, and Haagen-dazs ice cream shakes.  With great reluctance I said goodbye to Smashburger vowing to return soon.

Well folks, soon may be closer than I thought…

No, your eyes do not deceive you (as they did mine at first.)  Smashburger is coming to Utah!!!  The Sugarhouse location is opening in mid-August.  Um…can you believe it?  I am kind of freaking out here.  I am not sure what it says about my life that this is the best news I have heard in a long time but whatever…I get to eat Smashburger!  Any time I want to!

Now all that is left is if my Denver people moved to Salt Lake.  Smashburger did it, why can’t you?

Oh, hello.

I know, it has been a while.  Sorry about that.  In the last 6 weeks I have moved states, started a new job, and just got back from two weeks of this:

Hiking the Great Wall of China

Viewing history unearthed

Cruising the Li River

Floating down the Dragon River

Shopping at Vickie…shoes!

Helping these two say goodbye to the crazy beautiful Hong Kong skyline

I am a little tired but filled with a lot of awe and gratitude for both surviving the last two months and for the very blessed life I get to lead.  I have plenty of things I could (and have been meaning to) post about.  I will try and get my act together very soon but I just wanted to post and see if anyone was still reading or not.  I wouldn’t blame you if you weren’t…but I hope you still are.