tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167779562024-03-07T14:53:27.305-08:00The Knittings of BreeThis is a blog all about my knitting, crochet, sewing, quilting and various other randomness.Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-45281034419287488432010-11-01T16:42:00.001-07:002010-11-01T16:42:17.446-07:00Last PostHi Everyone! This is going to be my last post here on The Knittings of Bree. I've decided to move over to a new blog, I figure I've been horrible about posting so I'd like to start a new. The new blog is <a href="http://stitchinmylifeaway.blogspot.com/">Stitchin' My Life Away</a>. Hope to see you all over there!Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-66258089428887311642010-08-27T09:27:00.000-07:002010-08-27T09:27:51.841-07:00Beautiful DaysI went out to a property the other day to change out a lock box, but I had forgotten that our lock boxes have timed access and I couldn't access the key until 9 AM and it was only 8:30. So being that I was in an area of Orange County that I really like (Old Town Orange) I decided to go for a walk. It was a beautiful day, albeit humid, but this is the view I had as I was walking:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4931902725/" title="IMG00085-20100818-0834"> </a> <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4931902725/" title="IMG00085-20100818-0834"> <img alt="IMG00085-20100818-0834" src="http://static.flickr.com/4134/4931902725_864798c19f_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span id="flock-breadcrumb"><br />
</span>Then after walking for a while, I came across this awesome house that had corn growing in the front yard:<br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4931902609/" title="IMG00086-20100818-0843"> <img alt="IMG00086-20100818-0843" src="http://static.flickr.com/4114/4931902609_4b31864202_m.jpg" /> </a></span>I love the idea of edible landscaping, I think things should be functional and beautiful. I think that's it for today, I'll update you all later, I have a few finished objects that I'd like to show off, but that'll have to wait for the weekend.Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-36589224220215350442010-08-12T09:52:00.000-07:002010-08-12T09:52:49.557-07:00Thrifting GoodnessSo we got a new property over close to <a href="http://www.cityoforange.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=7163">Old Town Orange</a> and I had to go put a lock box on it Tuesday. For those of you who don't know, Old Town Orange is one of the oldest parts of Orange County and has awesome houses, lots of Craftsman and Victorian Style houses. Steve and I love it there and that is our "if we ever win the lottory" place to buy a house. In fact, Steve and I met up again and started dating at the annual International Street Fair they hold 3 years ago.<br />
<br />
But back to my point. Since I was down there at the end of my work day and I wasn't going to get back in time to get any work done at the office (it was 3:45 when I finished with the lock box and I'm done at 4, it takes about 20 min to get back in afternoon traffic) I decided to go to one of the thrift stores and my favorite used book store, <a href="http://orange.ebookman.com/">Bookman</a>. Boy am I glad I did (though I'm not sure that Steve is)! So while thrifting I found these awesome crewel embroidery kits from the 70's, unopened for $2 a piece! Look how amazing they are!<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4882229479/" title="DSC_0142"> <img alt="DSC_0142" src="http://static.flickr.com/4119/4882229479_1144281c29_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span id="flock-breadcrumb"><a href="http://flock.com/"></a></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4882837014/" title="DSC_0144"> <img alt="DSC_0144" src="http://static.flickr.com/4094/4882837014_52a8559a37_m.jpg" /> </a> </span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4882835696/" title="DSC_0139"> <img alt="DSC_0139" src="http://static.flickr.com/4116/4882835696_fb2f5e1910_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span> </span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4882229319/" title="DSC_0141"><img alt="DSC_0141" src="http://static.flickr.com/4139/4882229319_7036e4692f_m.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4882229319/" title="DSC_0141"> </a></span><br />
<span> I want to make these and hang them in my house. Steve's response to this was, "Wow, I can't imagine why those were never opened." He's fine with them though in real life. He's a weirdo like me and likes random stuff up in our house. So excited!</span><br />
<span><br />
</span><br />
<span>When I went to Bookman I got the first book for our new book club, Watership Down by Richard Adams, for $2.95!</span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4882230231/" title="DSC_0147"> <img alt="DSC_0147" src="http://static.flickr.com/4097/4882230231_46b504f5bf_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4882228461/" title="DSC_0151"> </a></span><br />
<span>And then I got 2 books I just want to read, Post Office by Charles Bukowski, for $13.00:</span><br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4882228461/" title="DSC_0151"> <img alt="DSC_0151" src="http://static.flickr.com/4075/4882228461_9cee0c5138_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<br />
<span>And Visions of Cody by Jack Kerouac, for $2.95 also:</span><br />
<span><br />
</span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4882837476/" title="DSC_0150"> <img alt="DSC_0150" src="http://static.flickr.com/4114/4882837476_e607d74705_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<br />
<span>All in all it was an awesome day! </span><br />
<span> </span><br />
<span> </span>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-69148235868429099232010-08-02T17:50:00.000-07:002010-08-02T17:50:20.051-07:00My Momma<span> </span><br />
<span></span><br />
<span></span><br />
<span></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147625088/" title="Wedding_BreeKrisMonika"><img alt="Wedding_BreeKrisMonika" src="http://static.flickr.com/2521/4147625088_5a12d9203e_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span id="flock-breadcrumb"></span><br />
<span id="flock-breadcrumb">Do you ever have those days when you just want your Mom? I do, and today was one of them. It was one of those days that just starts out bad, you know the days you just want to go back to bed</span><span id="flock-breadcrumb">? I feel lucky that I get to come home to such an amazing man, but sometimes a girl just needs her Momma. I was pretty spoiled the last few years, I worked with my Mom (and Dad) and my parents only lived about 3 miles from my house. This last year, as I've talked about before, my parents sold the company I've worked for for the last 7 years and while it's had the normal amount of adjustment expected with new management taking over. The hardest part, by far, is that my parents have decided to move and to go on an amazing journey on the way. Right now they are in Kitale, Kenya until the middle of this month, teaching at a school for street kids and being house parents to a bunch of college age missionaries. I couldn't be prouder of my parents, and my Mom especially, this is a huge change for her, one that my Dad's been trying to get her to make for the last couple years.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="flock-breadcrumb"></span><br />
<span id="flock-breadcrumb"></span><br />
<span id="flock-breadcrumb"></span><br />
<span id="flock-breadcrumb">My Mom is the one who taught me how to cook, sew, and how to treat a husband with the respect he deserves. She's also the one who taught me how to love myself enough to find a man who is deserving of more respect than any one could ever possibly give them. She is an amazing woman, quite the entrepreneur and she is definitely my biggest role model, I totally want to be her when I grow up. Of course we had our ups and downs when I was growing up, and I could be pretty horrible at times, but overall we have an amazing relationship and I didn't think their moving to Kansas was going to effect me the way it has. </span><br />
<span id="flock-breadcrumb"> I love you Mom! </span><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/3809231297/" title="Picture 037"> <img alt="Picture 037" src="http://static.flickr.com/2495/3809231297_9beecd34bb_m.jpg" /> </a></span>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-13099993700768726682010-06-20T13:27:00.000-07:002010-06-20T13:27:27.270-07:00Hours 1-9, 10,000 hours projectSo in the last 2 weeks I've finished 9 hours of the 10,000 hour project. First I planned out some of my summer sewing, most of which you'll see here. I'm still trying to figure out a better organizational tool for up comming projects, I'll keep you posted on that. The planning was only a half hour though, then I worked on a robe, it is <a href="http://butterick.mccall.com/b5152-products-7797.php?page_id=371">Butterick 5152</a>, super retro and wonderful. Took me 7 and a half hours to complete from cutting out to the hem. It's full length short sleeved with rick rack trim, I love rick rack.<br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4718522910/" title="DSC_0033"> <img alt="DSC_0033" src="http://static.flickr.com/4017/4718522910_ffc374559c_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4718519790/" title="DSC_0042"> <img alt="DSC_0042" src="http://static.flickr.com/4069/4718519790_50ec2779db_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
Pattern: <a href="http://butterick.mccall.com/b5152-products-7797.php?page_id=371">Butterick 5152</a><br />
My Description: Full length retro robe with belt <br />
Difficulty: Low to Moderate<br />
Things I learned: I need to get better at sewn in trims, had a bit of trouble with the rick rack. Also, I need to mark the front and back sections better, I sewed the 2 fronts together and had to do a bit of ripping out.<br />
Is this something I'll wear: Yes, every morning in summer.<br />
Would I make this pattern again: Yes, I'm thinking I'll make the long sleeved version for the fall/winter out of something warmer, it's the perfect pattern for sipping coffee.<br />
<br />
The next thing I made was a super simple skirt, took me only 1 and a half hours from cutting out to hem. I think this is going to be a go to pattern, elasticized waist and a great length for work or the weekends. I also want to make the shirt that goes along with it, but I'm having some issues with the length of the bust, so I'm going to make up some muslins. I'm also thinking that I'm going to need to make a dress form here sooner or later. But with the whole wanting to lose weight thing, it's hard to put that much time into a dress form. I'll think about it.<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4717877733/" title="DSC_0027"> <img alt="DSC_0027" src="http://static.flickr.com/4070/4717877733_d7e986cfa7_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4718521992/" title="DSC_0028"><span></span></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4718521992/" title="DSC_0028"> <img alt="DSC_0028" src="http://static.flickr.com/4066/4718521992_9785c756f4_m.jpg" /> </a><br />
<br />
<br />
Pattern: <a href="http://www.simplicity.com/p-1569-misses-sportswear.aspx">Simplicity 2614</a> a Threads pattern<a href="http://butterick.mccall.com/b5152-products-7797.php?page_id=371"></a><br />
My Description: Simple skirt and bias cut shirt pattern<br />
<br />
Difficulty: Skirt: Extremely Easy<br />
Things I learned: While elastic waists aren't super retro, or professional, they are super comfy, but I do want to get something to make feeding the elastic through easier.<br />
Is this something I'll wear: Yes, super comfy.<br />
Would I make this pattern again: Yes, basically right now I want to make it in every color.<br />
<br />
<span id="flock-breadcrumb"><br />
</span>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-51777448710960267692010-05-31T20:45:00.000-07:002010-06-20T13:37:42.957-07:0010,000 Hours<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Sorry I’ve been away for so long, I’ve been way overwhelmed with work. I’m not enjoying my job at all, I mean I used to get frustrated at the way people in my line of work do things, but it was nothing compared with the way stuff is being run with our new owners. I’ve been trying my darndest to leave work at work, but it’s hard when you have a job where you’re on call 24 hours a day. In conjunction with the downward trend of my feelings toward my job, I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, I mean I know I don’t want to be an office manager/property manager for the rest of my life, but what is it I want to do. I’ve been trying to figure out what makes me the happiest and what is it I feel most relaxed doing. And the answer came to me while making a wedding dress for a friend of mine, I love sewing. Not just sewing, but creating clothing. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">In addition to all this reflection I’ve been trying to figure out how to make myself better at my craft. Enter Ms. Violet of the venerable Lime & Violet podcast, she’s been talking about her 10,000 hour project, so I went to her blog to find out more about it and the basic premise is that anyone who is considered an expert in their field has spent at least 10,000 hours practicing whatever their craft is. She’s made a resolution to spend 10,000 hours in pursuit of perfecting (as much as that is possible) her graphic design and perfume making. This got me to thinking. Wouldn’t this be the perfect way to figure out if this is indeed what I would like to do with my life? I know I’ve tried other things with a “do this everyday” theme and they haven’t worked out, but I think that if the end goal is to be self sustained in business and not have to work a full time office job that I can work on my craft for 10,000 hours. I realized that it doesn’t have to be sitting at my sewing machine for 10,000 hours, it would include learning new skills, designing, sketching, sewing muslins and wearable garments. I’m looking at taking some classes this fall at Santa Ana College in design and fabrication, I might go to OCC though instead. I’ve looked at design as a viable career before, right after Steve and I move in together in fact, but school was just too expensive. I’ve since figured out that by taking the classes at a community college instead of a private design school, not only can I afford it, but I can still work full time and support the fam and just take classes at night. I’m going to start my own personal 10,000 hour project on June 1, 2010. You may not hear about it here on the blog all that often, but you’ll see the fruits of my labor and I promise to update when I get to big milestones in my journey. I look forward to sharing this with you and as I’ve been typing this I am starting to feel an excitement about my life that I haven’t felt since Steve and I decided to get married. There are a few other projects in the works that I’ll let you in on as soon as they get underway, all I can say is that they are exciting.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Here's the wedding dress I made, I'll post some more pics when I get some of her in it:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4598877544/" title="DSC_0352"> <img alt="DSC_0352" src="http://static.flickr.com/1214/4598877544_9d36a0eece_m.jpg" /> </a><span id="flock-breadcrumb"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4598258821/" title="DSC_0351"> <img alt="DSC_0351" src="http://static.flickr.com/4009/4598258821_7560414ab7_m.jpg" /> </a><span id="flock-breadcrumb"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4598259345/" title="DSC_0354"> <img alt="DSC_0354" src="http://static.flickr.com/3327/4598259345_03fac59dda_m.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4598259345/" title="DSC_0354"> </a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></div>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-54769555473741230452010-03-26T11:32:00.000-07:002010-03-26T11:32:26.536-07:00A recipe to share and a couple announcements!Hey all, so it was my new boss' (more on that later) birthday a couple weeks ago and I got to make the cake. Well he wanted a chocolate cake but, I've made too many of those so I wanted to make something a little different, so I went searching on the web. I noticed that he likes coffee quite a bit, so I thought the <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/beattys-chocolate-cake-recipe/index.html">Beatty's Chocolate Cake Recipe by Ina Garten</a> looked awesome, and different! It turned out really great, just a couple things I'd do differently next time, it calls for freshly brewed coffee and I think next time I'd use a big Pyrex measuring cup to measure it since I managed to burn my hand trying to measure the hot coffee out. I forgot to take pictures before I served it, but here's some after it was half gone:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4459588365/" title="DSCN0682"> <img alt="DSCN0682" src="http://static.flickr.com/2759/4459588365_b83f3c6979_m.jpg" /> </a><span id="flock-breadcrumb"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4460367266/" title="DSCN0683"> <img alt="DSCN0683" src="http://static.flickr.com/4033/4460367266_0c8b228c68_m.jpg" /> </a><br />
<br />
I also wanted to announce that since my parents moved, they gave us their cat, Tinkerbelle, since cats don't do too well on road trips and they are planning on going to Africa this summer for 2 months, she'd get eaten by a lion. But here's my little lady:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4459588035/" title="DSCN0673"> <img alt="DSCN0673" src="http://static.flickr.com/2689/4459588035_676facec72_m.jpg" /> </a> Yeah, she's got a little attitude problem, and see the hair rubberband in the upper left corner there? Yeah those are all over the house now because she steals them to play with and will actually fetch them if you throw or shoot them for her. I'm hoping to get a video of that up pretty soon.<br />
<br />
<br />
The last announcement is the most amazing one to me. Last night Steve and I were at Sprouts getting some stuff for lunches and some stuff for his leg cramps and as we're standing in line he says to me, "How many days are in April? 30 right?" I say yes and he says, "I think we should go totally vegetarian for the whole month." I was flaberghasted, I mean as you may or may not know, I was a vegetarian for a while when I was younger and have wanted to go back to that way of eating lately, but it's hard with 2 meat eaters in the house. So it looks like starting April 1st, we're going to be vegetarians for 30 days. I'll update the blog a little more often as we've decided to call the experiment "Walking a Caveman Through the World of Veggies" or something like that. So now a question, what are your favorite vegetable recipes?Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-80068211960727298462010-02-26T14:50:00.000-08:002010-02-26T14:50:08.116-08:00New Purse and Other Things to Come<span> </span><br />
So I made a new purse, thinking I would make a smaller one that than the one I had been carrying. Well that didn't happen, but it's an awesome new purse. Everything I used including the batting was from stash.<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4346183995/" title="DSCN0651"> <img alt="DSCN0651" src="http://static.flickr.com/2793/4346183995_5890da1460_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span id="flock-breadcrumb"></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4346928084/" title="DSCN0653"> <img alt="DSCN0653" src="http://static.flickr.com/2684/4346928084_6884070a83_m.jpg" /> </a></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1267223843273"><span></span></a><a href="" title="DSCN0653"><br />
</a><span><a href="" title="DSCN0652"></a></span><br />
<span>I'm also starting a new way of eating on Monday, as of Monday, March 1st, I will no longer be eating, or drinking processed foods. I'm interested to see how hard it really is, I'm also going to give up sugar. I'll let you guys know how it goes. I'm pretty excited. I gave up coffee and soda about a month ago due to some acid reflux problems I'd been having, so sugar is the next step. I'm interested to find some cook books using things like sugar and apple sauce in baking.</span><br />
<span><br />
</span><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4346184383/" title="DSCN0652"></a></span><br />
<span>Also, I'm starting some plants from seeds this weekend. I'm going to have the munchkin go with me to the nursery this weekend to pick out some stuff to grow. That's about it for now. I'm going to try and update once a week, I think it's a good outlet for all the things going on in my life.</span><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4346184383/" title="DSCN0652"></a></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4346184383/" title="DSCN0652"></a></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4346184383/" title="DSCN0652"></a></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4346184383/" title="DSCN0652"></a></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4346184383/" title="DSCN0652"></a></span><br />
<br />
<span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4346184383/" title="DSCN0652"></a></span>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-41179905185642143362010-01-28T10:27:00.000-08:002010-01-28T10:27:29.318-08:00Knits and Beautiful DaysSo apparently I never blogged about the first lace shawl I ever made, so here it is:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3645/3350273912_7d7a23c84a_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3645/3350273912_7d7a23c84a_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3539/3349444219_6feccb0c65_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3539/3349444219_6feccb0c65_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
</div>My question is can I pull this off wearing it in either one of these fashions?<br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4311300905/" title="DSCN0645"> <img alt="DSCN0645" src="http://static.flickr.com/4018/4311300905_ce54dd6226_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4311300905/" title="DSCN0645"> </a></span><span id="flock-breadcrumb"><a href="http://flock.com/"></a><br />
</span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4312035734/" title="DSCN0646"> <img alt="DSCN0646" src="http://static.flickr.com/4002/4312035734_f7513c1176_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<br />
<span>So some other things I wanted to tell you about, after all the crazy rain, we had one of the most beautiful days yesterday, here's some pics I took as I was waiting for some clients yesterday at one of our properties:</span><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4312036380/" title="DSCN0641"> <img alt="DSCN0641" src="http://static.flickr.com/2795/4312036380_4876370f4b_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<br />
<span> </span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4312036052/" title="DSCN0640"><img alt="DSCN0640" src="http://static.flickr.com/4025/4312036052_671c227b5e_m.jpg" /></a> </span><br />
<span>And last but not least, did you know that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debbie_Stoller">Debbie Stoller</a> now has <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/search?query=debbie+stoller">her own line of yarns</a> with <a href="http://redheart.com/">Red Heart</a>? I was at JoAnn's yesterday and I spotted this:</span><br />
<span><br />
</span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4312036776/" title="DSCN0642"> <img alt="DSCN0642" src="http://static.flickr.com/2744/4312036776_2661aa5123_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span>Look how vibrant those colors are! And they're only $4.99 for about 150 yards of yarn! There are 3 different yarns <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/stitch-nation-by-debbie-stoller-full-o-sheep">Full of Sheep</a>, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/stitch-nation-by-debbie-stoller-bamboo-ewe">Bamboo Ewe</a>, and <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/stitch-nation-by-debbie-stoller-alpaca-love">Alpaca Love</a>! I'm thinking of getting some of the Full of Sheep to make the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sunshine-intarsia-bag">Sunshine Intarsia Bag</a> from <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/boutique-knits">Boutique Knits</a>. Here's the pic of the bag from the book:</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://images4.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Preciousknit/2482862/SunshineIntarsia_medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://images4.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Preciousknit/2482862/SunshineIntarsia_medium.jpg" width="213" /></a><span> <br />
</span><br />
<br />
<span> I think I either want to make it in pink and red for Valentines or yellow and green for bright obnoxiousness. Not sure yet, I'll keep you posted!<br />
</span>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-2875448510637407522010-01-13T14:23:00.000-08:002010-01-13T14:23:38.427-08:00New Year New HomeSo, right before the new year we moved into a new bigger house as I told you all we were going to. Now I'm gonna show you some pictures of what the house looks like empty and as soon as we're done decorating I'll post some pics of that.<br />
Here's the garage:<br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4272708252/" title="DSCN0606"> <img alt="DSCN0606" src="http://static.flickr.com/2703/4272708252_5ee49d34a6_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span>This is where our new washer and dryer are now <span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4272709300/" title="DSCN0608"></a></span></span><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4272709300/" title="DSCN0608"> </a></span><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4272709300/" title="DSCN0608"><span></span></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4272709300/" title="DSCN0608"><img alt="DSCN0608" src="http://static.flickr.com/2710/4272709300_b7daeb88c7_m.jpg" /> </a><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4272709300/" title="DSCN0608"><br />
</a></span><br />
Here's the Living Room <br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4271968371/" title="DSCN0609"> <img alt="DSCN0609" src="http://static.flickr.com/2731/4271968371_8de52afdfa_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4272720834/" title="DSCN0630"> <img alt="DSCN0630" src="http://static.flickr.com/4017/4272720834_1a0c2262d2_m.jpg" /> </a> <br />
</span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4271978597/" title="DSCN0629"> <img alt="DSCN0629" src="http://static.flickr.com/2718/4271978597_37bbec279e_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<br />
<span>Here's the stairway with the awesome sky light:</span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4271970387/" title="DSCN0613"> <img alt="DSCN0613" src="http://static.flickr.com/4053/4271970387_180bfbb802_m.jpg" /></a></span><span> <br />
</span><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4272712298/" title="DSCN0614"> <img alt="DSCN0614" src="http://static.flickr.com/4068/4272712298_406f9cb8ed_m.jpg" /></a> </span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4272712858/" title="DSCN0615"> <img alt="DSCN0615" src="http://static.flickr.com/2772/4272712858_f697d05e97_m.jpg" /></a></span><span> <br />
</span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4272712298/" title="DSCN0614"><span></span></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4271971833/" title="DSCN0616"> <img alt="DSCN0616" src="http://static.flickr.com/4043/4271971833_27de07b4b7_m.jpg" /> </a><br />
<br />
<span>Here's our Room and bathroom with the awesome Harry Potter closet that's going to be my craft stuff:</span><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4271972319/" title="DSCN0617"> <img alt="DSCN0617" src="http://static.flickr.com/4034/4271972319_a4a7c96073_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4271972853/" title="DSCN0618"> <img alt="DSCN0618" src="http://static.flickr.com/2740/4271972853_163f3656a9_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span> </span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4271973443/" title="DSCN0619"> <img alt="DSCN0619" src="http://static.flickr.com/2702/4271973443_7469056b83_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4271973443/" title="DSCN0619"> </a></span><br />
<span> </span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4272715336/" title="DSCN0620"> <img alt="DSCN0620" src="http://static.flickr.com/4026/4272715336_470500b034_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span> </span><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4271974517/" title="DSCN0621"> <img alt="DSCN0621" src="http://static.flickr.com/4002/4271974517_4f6b085e7e_m.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4271974517/" title="DSCN0621"> </a></span><br />
<span></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4272716484/" title="DSCN0622"> <img alt="DSCN0622" src="http://static.flickr.com/4026/4272716484_5ce5d9309e_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<br />
<span>And here's the munchkins room with a walk in closet:</span><br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4272719148/" title="DSCN0627"> <img alt="DSCN0627" src="http://static.flickr.com/4038/4272719148_45837cc5c8_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4271977029/" title="DSCN0626"> <img alt="DSCN0626" src="http://static.flickr.com/4015/4271977029_48772c0aa8_m.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4271977029/" title="DSCN0626"> </a></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4272719666/" title="DSCN0628"> <img alt="DSCN0628" src="http://static.flickr.com/4003/4272719666_8f3927e487_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4271976225/" title="DSCN0624"> </a></span><span>And last but not least the hall with the linen closet that we're using for books and the awesome up light:</span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4271976225/" title="DSCN0624"> <img alt="DSCN0624" src="http://static.flickr.com/4034/4271976225_aa37a58b0b_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4271975731/" title="DSCN0623"> <img alt="DSCN0623" src="http://static.flickr.com/4070/4271975731_3427c75b7a_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span> </span><br />
<span> </span><br />
<span> </span><br />
<span> </span><br />
I also wanted to show you all a great set I did for my parents Christmas party. Here it is fresh out of the curlers:<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4188882736/" title="DSCN0578"> <img alt="DSCN0578" src="http://static.flickr.com/2771/4188882736_eaf421e830_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span id="flock-breadcrumb"> </span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4188120333/" title="DSCN0577"> <img alt="DSCN0577" src="http://static.flickr.com/2571/4188120333_623027e605_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span>And then here it is brushed out and styled, sorry no pics of me in my dress and such.</span><br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4188121223/" title="DSCN0580"> <img alt="DSCN0580" src="http://static.flickr.com/2675/4188121223_b9aff2d496_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span> </span><span id="flock-breadcrumb"><a href="http://flock.com/"> </a><br />
</span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4188121543/" title="DSCN0581"> <img alt="DSCN0581" src="http://static.flickr.com/2722/4188121543_77b074f52e_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4188881812/" title="DSCN0582"> <img alt="DSCN0582" src="http://static.flickr.com/2520/4188881812_8594c5e2e9_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span> </span>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-33034635146548695452009-12-16T08:52:00.000-08:002009-12-16T08:52:30.697-08:00We're MovingHey all! Steve and I are packing up and getting ready to move. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/original/moving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/original/moving.jpg" width="286" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/magazines/time_out_dc_bureau_moving_from_12th_st_nw_117910.asp">source</a><br />
</div>As you may or may not know the owner of the condo we've been living in for the last 14 months is short selling the home. The new owners have no intention of renting the house out so we're moving. At first I was really upset about this, I mean I hate packing and moving. But it's ended up being a really good thing for us. We're moving out of a small 900 sq ft 2 bed 2 bath, horrbily designed upstairs condo that needed a lot of work the owner wasn't willing to do. The home we're moving into is 1132 sq ft 2 stories, 2 bed 2.5 bath with an attached 2 car garage and laundry in the garage. It's a huge step up for us, not to mention the areas a bit nicer than where we are now, it's all homes as compared to the apartments that surround us now. I also feel like we'll be able to have people over since all the living areas and such aren't right on top of each other. Now, I'm looking to paint the house, but we haven't decided what colors we're gonna do as of right now. So it looks like we'll be painting after we move in. Because of this I would love to use a paint with no <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_organic_compound">VOC's </a>if at all possible. I was trying to find a good paint, and had kind of given up, but then I happend on this<a href="http://high-heelfootinthedoor.blogspot.com/"> blog.</a> She's awesome, and she's having <a href="http://high-heelfootinthedoor.blogspot.com/2009/12/favorite-things-for-diy-er.html">this giveaway</a>! It's a perfect start to make the new house our home!Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-8913635859186394162009-12-02T11:19:00.000-08:002009-12-02T11:19:15.494-08:00I suckOk, I know, I know, I suck. I haven't posted in almost 2 months, but with the wedding and honeymoon and all that I got distracted.<br />
<br />
So the wedding was awesome! I would not recomend my coordinator to anyone however. There was one point at which we were lined up ready to go down the aisle and not only did she yell at my wedding party about smoking, but the caterer spilled some marinara sauce on the upper level of the cabin deck right in front of us and everytime they tried to wipe it up more spilled down, she did nothing. I had to ask them to stop wiping until we walked through. But it was a beautiful day, and I am so glad I am spending the rest of my life with my best friend. Now for some wedding porn, like I know you all are looking for:<br />
<br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147612244/" title="Wedding_1"> <img alt="Wedding_1" src="http://static.flickr.com/2597/4147612244_2890231475_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span id="flock-breadcrumb"><br />
Steve and his best lady Janice waiting for the entrence of the bride. That's Mike, Janice's brother, in the back ground, he was our officiant.Steve got teary eyed as I walked down the aisle.<br />
</span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4146856047/" title="Wedding_2"> <img alt="Wedding_2" src="http://static.flickr.com/2594/4146856047_a82b798f3e_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4146856767/" title="Wedding_3"> <img alt="Wedding_3" src="http://static.flickr.com/2721/4146856767_d1d34a5d64_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span>That's our awesome photographer <a href="http://leahleephotography.com/">Leah Lee</a><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147614286/" title="Wedding_4"> </a></span>in the background.</span><br />
<span> <br />
</span><br />
<span> <br />
</span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147614286/" title="Wedding_4"> <img alt="Wedding_4" src="http://static.flickr.com/2505/4147614286_361cb0570c_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<br />
<span>Ok so this is a lot of the wedding party right after Grace, the flower girl and Mike's daughter, and Richard, my cousin the ring bearer, entered. My maid of honor Lauren is in red and my sister Susan is in purple, you can kind of see Amanda in blue there too.</span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147615080/" title="Wedding_5"> <img alt="Wedding_5" src="http://static.flickr.com/2590/4147615080_95fa736d7a_m.jpg" /> </a> <br />
</span><br />
<span> </span><br />
<span> </span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4146858825/" title="Wedding_6"> <img alt="Wedding_6" src="http://static.flickr.com/2670/4146858825_fdbc0dbf1e_m.jpg" /> </a> <br />
</span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147616404/" title="Wedding_7"> <img alt="Wedding_7" src="http://static.flickr.com/2569/4147616404_dc40c6f50b_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<br />
<span>My sister doing her reading from Corelli's Mandolin.</span><br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147617140/" title="Wedding_8"> <img alt="Wedding_8" src="http://static.flickr.com/2544/4147617140_9ef2589f35_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span>Matt, brother of Mike and Janice and uncle to Grace, doing his reading from Oh The Places You'll Go! You can also see Jeremy in this pic.</span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4146871723/" title="Wedding_Kiss"> <img alt="Wedding_Kiss" src="http://static.flickr.com/2489/4146871723_f26e694e8a_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span> Our first Kiss. </span><br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147629822/" title="Wedding_Seeds"> <img alt="Wedding_Seeds" src="http://static.flickr.com/2545/4147629822_b78a63a393_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span>Our Exit.</span><br />
<span> <br />
</span><br />
<span> </span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147617812/" title="Wedding_9"> <img alt="Wedding_9" src="http://static.flickr.com/2576/4147617812_98021ac263_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span>Some of my family coming up the aisle after pictures, that's my Momma in the front with her head bent.</span><br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147618374/" title="Wedding_10"> <img alt="Wedding_10" src="http://static.flickr.com/2791/4147618374_319270232b_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span>The whole wedding party!</span><br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4146862129/" title="Wedding_11"> <img alt="Wedding_11" src="http://static.flickr.com/2557/4146862129_f054a6c5f6_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span>Lauren giving her toast.</span><br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147619562/" title="Wedding_12"> <img alt="Wedding_12" src="http://static.flickr.com/2755/4147619562_9ec0365977_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span> Janice giving her toast.<br />
</span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4146863707/" title="Wedding_13"> <img alt="Wedding_13" src="http://static.flickr.com/2605/4146863707_8f16364596_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span>Us toasting. <br />
</span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147621184/" title="Wedding_14"> <img alt="Wedding_14" src="http://static.flickr.com/2607/4147621184_0e412a1ccc_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span>Steve giving his toast, he got teary eyed again</span><br />
<span>.</span><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147629258/" title="Wedding_Pat"> <img alt="Wedding_Pat" src="http://static.flickr.com/2519/4147629258_1802e3f4db_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span>My Dad giving his toast.</span><br />
<span> <br />
</span><br />
<span> <br />
</span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147631496/" title="Wedding_Tom"> <img alt="Wedding_Tom" src="http://static.flickr.com/2514/4147631496_6893a2e4d8_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span>My Godfather Tom giving his toast, made everyone cry. </span><br />
<br />
<span> </span><br />
<span> </span><br />
<span></span><br />
<span> </span><br />
<span> </span><img alt="Wedding_15" src="http://static.flickr.com/2627/4146865005_35892cf79c_m.jpg" /><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147622472/" title="Wedding_16"> <img alt="Wedding_16" src="http://static.flickr.com/2681/4147622472_6cb1770601_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147623012/" title="Wedding_17Closeup"> <img alt="Wedding_17Closeup" src="http://static.flickr.com/2801/4147623012_3ff19df787_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147626740/" title="Wedding_Dance2"> <img alt="Wedding_Dance2" src="http://static.flickr.com/2739/4147626740_48b4443ae0_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147627290/" title="Wedding_Dance"> <img alt="Wedding_Dance" src="http://static.flickr.com/2536/4147627290_edfb60091a_m.jpg" /></a> </span><br />
<span>Our first Dance, we danced to I'm Your's by Jason Mraz.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span></span><br />
<br />
<span></span><br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147629822/" title="Wedding_Seeds"> <br />
</a></span><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147632136/" title="Wedding_Zack_sings2"> <img alt="Wedding_Zack_sings2" src="http://static.flickr.com/2712/4147632136_14bc1da69e_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4146875963/" title="Wedding_Zack_sings"> <img alt="Wedding_Zack_sings" src="http://static.flickr.com/2706/4146875963_4ab130800c_m.jpg" /> </a></span><br />
<span>My cousin Zach sang the processional, Such Great Heights and then I'll Follow You Into The Dark at the reception. It was awesome.</span><br />
<br />
<span>So that's the wedding, more later. </span><br />
<span> </span><br />
<br />
<span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4146865005/" title="Wedding_15"></a></span><span> </span><br />
<span> </span><br />
<span> </span><br />
<span> </span><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/4147614286/" title="Wedding_4"> </a></span>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-56681681862583873402009-10-07T08:28:00.000-07:002009-10-07T08:30:42.031-07:00Makin Me Happy!I was having kind of a crappy day today, then I saw this bracelet give-away! Just seeing this bracelet makes me happy!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKLWxLLswJmaU5gr0gwyPEs4DEgRExhCfqKlKVrCY99evEiL-Zykfc9RtUjTVPXcTSqVtSr58dS7mjxutFtcmlhAlk4oZKtk1JGt4yFHbDTNVsjewZSitpkMVss5PmHsVt7Whlg/s1600-h/fruit+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 245px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKLWxLLswJmaU5gr0gwyPEs4DEgRExhCfqKlKVrCY99evEiL-Zykfc9RtUjTVPXcTSqVtSr58dS7mjxutFtcmlhAlk4oZKtk1JGt4yFHbDTNVsjewZSitpkMVss5PmHsVt7Whlg/s400/fruit+1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />How stinking cute, right? Here's the blog post: http://talesofaretromodernhousewife.blogspot.com/2009/10/celebrating-150-followers-with-giveaway.html?showComment=1254929298662#c7933033757883244589. Take a look at the whole blog it's too cute!Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-89620214694075516112009-10-03T23:33:00.000-07:002009-10-03T23:45:30.459-07:00...Wedding stuff is starting to get me in a weird mood. But not a bad mood, or a cold feet kind of mood, just super sentimental. I am fully sure that Steve is the most wonderful man I've ever met and I'm also totally sure that I made the best decision I've ever made in deciding to spend the rest of my life with him. I just watched P.S. I Love You, Steve's at his bachelor party tonight, which means stupid girly movies for me and a cold bed to sleep in. But even so I'm glad he's getting to spend a night with the guys. But back to the subject of the movie, I don't know what I'll ever do if Steve dies before I do. There was a line in the movie that the Mom says, it's something like, "I know what it feels like to walk into a room and not feel like you exist until he touches your hand, or smiles at you, or makes a joke, even if it's at your expense." I never thought I'd be that girl. I never thought I'd be the girl who didn't feel whole without a man at her side. But here I am 3 weeks before my wedding and I can't imagine a day spent without him. Why does he put up with all my nerosis and my need to nest? Why does he seem to be the only man in the world that has ever fully understood me, more than I understand myself sometimes? If I never believed in soul mates before I met Steve, I'd believe in them now. I remember telling a friend in high school that I wanted to find a man who would love all the parts of me, not just the singer, or the seamstress or the mom, but everything, I've found all that in Steve. I love everything about him, I love that he gets so upset when people try to screw other people over. I love that he loves his son more than life itself and has taught me to love him more than anything I've ever loved in my life. I love that he has a favorite football team and doesn't watch any of the games until they make the play-offs. I love that he challenges me to be more and that he tries to be more everyday. I love that everyday at work I get an I love you text from him.<br /><br />Sorry for the rant, like I said, I'm a bit sentimental lately.Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-82924304928974585562009-09-21T11:31:00.000-07:002009-09-21T11:46:58.858-07:00Ready for the wedding to be over!It's not so much that I'm sick of wedding planning, I mean there's a little of that, but that's not the majority of it. It's more that I'm sick of having the wedding stuff on top of other of life's little fun things that get thrown in: a job I hate (with people that make my job about 15 times harder), football season for the munchkin, looking for a new home, losing the home we thought we'd be in for years. <br /><br />So we called the owner of our condo a couple weeks ago to see if we could renew the lease for another year and she says, "Oh, I meant to call you, my rate is about to adjust, so I'm just going to let it go into forclosure." Lovely, don't call us to tell us that, don't worry about the people who have made their home there. I'm a little frustrated that we are going to have to look for another condo, yet again. I mean it's one thing when you're ready to move, but to be forced out is another deal entirely.<br /><br />On a happier note, I'm totally enjoying being a football momma (well step momma, but you know). We had a game on Saturday, we were beat, but even still, the kids are really starting to play well and munchkin is super-cute with his football uniform. I am getting a little sick of people not understanding that I think of Chris as mine and regardless of whether or not I birthed him he's my little munchkin and always will be. <br /><br />I have my bachelorette weekend coming up and I'm really looking forward to it, but not sure about what to expect. I'll keep you all updated. Also, I'm doing my hair trials this week for the wedding so I'll post pics of that when it comes up.Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-1459629122692865212009-07-13T17:48:00.000-07:002009-07-13T17:54:28.972-07:00I Bought A Wedding DressSo, you all know I was planning on making my wedding dress. Well, my Mom decided that I really needed to get the experience of trying on wedding dresses. We went down to Mon Cherie Bridal in Costa Mesa and I tried on anything that my wedding dress consultant brought me. Well there was one dress I kind of liked and we only had a couple to go. The second to last dress was super cute and Marilyn Monroe-y, but it would have meant all of my tidle-bitties hanging out. So we get to the last dress, which I hated on the hanger by the way, and I was convinced it was going to look like crap. Now, keep in mind that there is just over 3 months before the wedding, so we were going to have to pay a rush fee if the dress I chose didn't fit well. So I put on the dress, she zipped it up, and it. was. perfect. I love this dress, I didn't want to take it off. It is made of silk taffeta so it's super light and it's gorgeous. It also had all the things I didn't want, a train, beading, lace and pearls. So enough with the talk here's the pics:<br /><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/3682269993/" title="P1020075"> <img alt="P1020075" src="http://static.flickr.com/2640/3682269993_cd66642966_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span id="flock-breadcrumb"><br /></span><a href="http://flock.com/"><span></span></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/3683083048/" title="P1020076"> <img alt="P1020076" src="http://static.flickr.com/3598/3683083048_6c4853255b_m.jpg" /> </a><br /><br />So there you have it, I also ordered the bird cage veil and the flower you can kind of see in these pictures.<br /><a href="http://flock.com/"><span></span></a><span id="flock-breadcrumb"><a href="http://flock.com/"></a></span>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-41494556525287697622009-06-19T04:41:00.000-07:002009-06-19T04:41:53.859-07:00Marseilles Dress SHABBY APPLE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!Ok so I know I haven't blogged in a super long time, but I had to post about this new blog I found, Grosgrain, she has super cute stuff and she's doing a give away for a super cute dress that I just had to post for a chance to win. More blogging later, but go look at this blog it's too cute:<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2009/05/shabby-apple-marseilles-dress-guest.html">Marseilles Dress SHABBY APPLE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!</a>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-30098769559865365892009-05-28T09:31:00.000-07:002009-05-28T09:45:44.145-07:00Those Blah DaysI've been having a lot of blah days lately. You'd think the fact that I'm getting married to my best friend in less than 5 months would have me in an overall better mood. But with my job and the economy I've just felt kind of melancholy lately. I feel like after doing a million favors for people at work they are never returned and I am treated as though I'm the one causing all the problems. Take last week for example, my parents took off work and I was in charge of the office. My Mom had this lady who works part time for us come in, which you would think would be a great asset, but she is the most co-dependent not self assured person I have ever met, and she's over 60, you'd think she'd have over come this by now. But some of my stuff fell through the cracks because she was constantly asking me about things and I was having to help her through her days. I don't know, I just feel like I can do no right, so why stay at this job any longer than I have to? I realize I work for family and this is the way it goes sometimes, but I just didn't see my life being like this at my age. I mean I literally have to make myself get out of bed everyday because I know that I'm going to get crap all day at work. Not to mention I can't even talk about my political views half the time because I work with a bunch of super conservative Christians and anything having to do with anything that may go against their beliefs is wrong and should be banned. I just feel like I'm the only one in this office held responsible for my actions and I'm rather sick of it.<br /><br />Sorry I haven't blogged in a while, but I didn't want you all to feel like this was a ranting blog, so I've avoided blogging all together. I'll post another blog later today with more knitting/wedding content. I promise, not so much bitching next time.Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-88774362238181309232009-03-27T10:51:00.000-07:002009-03-27T11:33:23.137-07:00Which witch is which?So I'm wanting to make the Buttercup Bag by Rae but I can't decide on a color scheme. Here's my two choices:<br /><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/3387334909/" title="P1010649.JPG"> <img alt="P1010649.JPG" src="http://static.flickr.com/3444/3387334909_d96b62a586_m.jpg" /></a><br /><br />These are the outside choices:<br /></span><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/3387335205/" title="P1010651.JPG"> <img alt="P1010651.JPG" src="http://static.flickr.com/3431/3387335205_b597aea488_m.jpg" /> </a><br /></span><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/3387335057/" title="P1010650.JPG"> <img alt="P1010650.JPG" src="http://static.flickr.com/3476/3387335057_e7a437cc97_m.jpg" /> </a><br /><br />So what do you guys think?<br /><br />FYI, Steve likes the skull choice.<br /></span><span id="flock-breadcrumb"><a href="http://flock.com/"></a></span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-65020452929573945622009-03-07T11:21:00.000-08:002009-03-07T11:36:02.615-08:00The Big ReadI was reading <a href="http://singsurfknit.wordpress.com">Tess' blog</a> this morning and she had posted this. I was sad to see that most people have only read a handful of these, but then I come from a reading family. So without further adieu, the list.<br /><br /><br /><p style="text-align: left;">The Big Read (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.neabigread.org/" target="_blank">http://www.neabigread.org/</a>) said that, on average, adults have only read six books on this list. So … copy this list, remove my yeses and nos, and add your comments (favourable or otherwise) about the ones you have read. Don’t forget to include a total.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen - Yep<br />2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien – Yep, the entire trilogy infact<br />3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte - Yep<br />4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling – All, and listened to the audio books, both British and American versions<br />5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee - Yep<br />6 The Bible - Yep<br />7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte - Yep<br />8 1984 - George Orwell - Yep<br />9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman - Nope<br />10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens - Yep, to see if any of Dickens' stuff was to my liking, it's not<br />11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott - Yep, one of my favorites<br />12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy – Nope<br />13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller – Yep<br />14 Complete Works of Shakespeare – Yep, my Mom had it in the house when I was a kid and I read through it in Jr. High.<br />15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier - Nope<br />16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien - Yep, had it read to me as a child and then read it on my own when I was older<br />17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks - Nope<br />18 The Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger - Yep<br />19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger - Yep<br />20 Middlemarch - George Eliot- Nope<br />21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell - Nope<br />22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald - Yep, also thought it was over rated<br />23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens- Nope<br />24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy - Started it, never finished<br />25 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams - Yep<br />26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh - Nope<br />27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Nope<br />29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll - Yep<br />30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame - Yep<br />31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy - Yep<br />32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens - Yep, see previous comment about Dickens<br />33 The Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis - Yep<br />34 Emma - Jane Austen - Nope<br />35 Persuasion - Jane Austen - Nope<br />36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - Yep<br />37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - Nope<br />38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres- Nope<br />39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden - Yep<br />40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne – Yep<br />41 Animal Farm - George Orwell -Nope, pretty sure I was supposed to in High School though<br />42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown - Yep<br />43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Nope<br />44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving - Nope<br />45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins - Nope<br />46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery - Yep<br />47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy - Nope<br />48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood - Yep<br />49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding - Yep<br />50 Atonement - Ian McEwan - Nope<em></em><br />51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel - Nope<br />52 Dune - Frank Herbert- Yep<br />53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons - Nope<br />54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen - Yep<br />55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth - Nope<br />56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon - Nope<br />57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens - Yep, first I read of Dickens<br />58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley - Yep<br />59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon - Nope<br />60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Nope<br />61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck – Nope<br />62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov - Nope<br />63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt - Nope<br />64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold – Yes, hated this book<br />65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas - Nope<br />66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac - Nope<br />67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy - Nope<br />68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding - Nope<br />69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie - Nope<br />70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville - Nope, want to though, Steve seems to like it<br />71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens - Yep<br />72 Dracula - Bram Stoker - Yep<br />73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett - Yep<br />74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson - Nope<br />75 Ulysses - James Joyce - Yep<br />76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath - Nope<br />77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome - Nope<br />78 Germinal - Emile Zola - Nope<br />79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray - Nope<br />80 Possession - AS Byatt- Nope<br />81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens - Yep<br />82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell - Nope<br />83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker -Nope<br />84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro - Nope<br />85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert - Nope<br />86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry - Nope<br />87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White - Yep<br />88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom - Yep<br />89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Yep, at my grandparents when I was young<br />90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton – Nope<br />91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad - Nope<br />92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupe – Yep<br />93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks - Nope<br />94 Watership Down - Richard Adams - Nope<br />95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole - Nope<br />96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute - Nope<br />97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas - Nope</p><p style="text-align: left;">98 Hamlet – Shakespeare – Yep</p> <p style="text-align: left;">99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl - Yep<br />100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo -Yep</p>I've read 46, but now I want to finish the list.Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-36326991502199057362009-02-24T16:43:00.000-08:002009-02-24T16:47:36.928-08:008 Months to GoHey all, it hit me just now, I only have 8 months until the wedding. We still have a lot of decisions to make and a lot of things to do. But, we got the Save the Dates today and I couldn't be happier with them. They are so us.<br /> <span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/3308052792/" title="140340-F.jpg"> <img alt="140340-F.jpg" src="http://static.flickr.com/3337/3308052792_5ff2dbba88_m.jpg" /> </a></span><span id="flock-breadcrumb"><br /><br />So those will be going out in a couple of weeks as soon as I can get everyone's mailing addresses nailed down. I am so excited and this wedding is feeling more and more real as the days go by. I can't believe that I'm going to be lucky enough to get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend.<br /><a href="http://flock.com/"></a><br /></span>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-86269151954352783052009-02-20T15:22:00.000-08:002009-02-20T15:28:14.859-08:00Crappy DayToday is just kind of a shit day. My favorite radio station Free FM 97.1 goes off the air at 5 today, no more <a href="http://www.frostyheidiandfrank.com">Frosty, Heidi & Frank</a>. Work was crap and I found out that the stupid tax increase got approved yesterday. Steve and I have to go to some lame ass thing for his work tonight. Basically I just want to beat the crap out of someone. I don't know why, I'm not really a violent person, but the fact that I'm going to end up working until at least 5 today and I have little to look forward to tonight makes me want to punch someone in the face. I've never punched anyone in the face, ever. I think I need to get out and go to a punk concert so I can take out some of my aggressions in the mosh pit. I mean really what else are they for? I just can't seem to shake my pissed off mood today. People I work with are increasingly stupid and I'd like to just quit as I hate my job, but I can't because no one can get work right now, so how am I supposed to assume that I would get work outside of this job. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I'd like to just move to the middle of no where and talk to no one outside of Steve. Sorry for the attitude, just a crap week. That's all, I'll post again when I'm in a better mood, I wore a super cute hat, but I can't get in the right frame of mind to post about it.Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-72809698425099489082009-02-13T09:11:00.000-08:002009-02-13T09:18:39.418-08:0006/365 Self Portrait and a Hand-knitI figured I'd do another Self Portrait today, I think I'll do one a week or so during this year. Today I wore my hair up and my neck gets super cold when it's not covered so I figured I'd wear the scarf I knit for my Chicago trip last spring. It's made out of Noro Silk Garden in a 1x1 rib and alternating balls every other row. I love it, but I wish I'd used 4 balls instead of 3, the sales lady at Strands and Stitches in Laguna Beach talked me out of it. Don't get me wrong it's a great length for California, but when I was in Chicago it wasn't quite long enough to wrap around my face and my neck and tuck into my jacket. But it's still one of my faves! Notice my cheeks are rosy from the freezing 50 degree weather.<br /><br /><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/3276209423/" title="06/365"> <img alt="06/365" src="http://static.flickr.com/3413/3276209423_dc5f0dcd51_m.jpg" /></a></span><span id="flock-breadcrumb"><a href="http://flock.com/"></a><br /></span>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-21378428018644355832009-02-12T16:07:00.000-08:002009-02-13T09:11:00.909-08:0005/365 ValentinesI think the idea of needing to get the person you love a big extravagant gift on Valentine's Day is way too contrived, but a cute card and an extra kiss to acknowledge the fact that you are in love is wonderful. I also like being a big 8 year old and giving cards to everyone for random holidays, I'm a gift giver, it's my thing. So this year I made little Valentine's for everyone in my office, the best part? I totally forgot to sign them before I sealed the envelopes, but I figure it's a small enough office I don't think anyone'll be confused.<br /><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/3276209663/" title="05/365"> <img alt="05/365" src="http://static.flickr.com/3111/3276209663_704403a9d5_m.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Have I mentioned how much I love Target for having awesome little DIY kits?<br /></span><span id="flock-breadcrumb"><a href="http://flock.com/"></a></span>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16777956.post-62938386793800365812009-02-11T08:42:00.000-08:002009-02-13T09:07:41.708-08:0004/365 CoffeeI love coffee, I've loved coffee since I was a kid. I love espresso. I love the experience of drinking coffee. I think coffee is a lifestyle. I know I've posted on here about my coffee love before, but I thought I'd share that my favorite coffee place is <a href="http://www.keancoffee.com/">Kean</a> followed closely by <a href="http://www.peets.com/fvpage.asp?rdir=1&">Pete's</a>. My normal drink is a non-fat, sugar free, vanilla latte, iced or hot depending on the temperature. So for my 4th day of pictures I figured I'd post about my pseudo- obsession with coffee.<br /><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20325108@N00/3277029608/" title="04/365"> <img alt="04/365" src="http://static.flickr.com/3504/3277029608_3a3ea15a16_m.jpg" /></a><br /><br />So what's your favorite coffee place and what's your drink of choice?<br /></span><span id="flock-breadcrumb"><a href="http://flock.com/"></a></span>Breehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14418996988589660194noreply@blogger.com1