Ouch...

Excuse the crappy blackberry picture. This is what I spent last evening doing. By hand, with a shovel. This is the half-way point. By the time I dug this much again and got everything that would fit planted it was too dark for pics with the good camera.

But... pumpkins, check. zuchini, check. yellow squash, check. spinach, check. lettuce, check. Yay me!

Tonight... mowing grass and planting peas and string beans. And maybe some grocery shopping and purchasing a cheap hoe. I know those weeds will be growing soon!

OH... and this morning, I tried working out with Jillian. I got through the first circuit and had to stop. My body said no. It didn't hurt, I just couldn't do it. My arms flat out told me, "no ma'am".

I NEED to start sewing.

This awesomeness came in the mail while I was home in Pennsylvania:

M6031

M5847

M5591

M5525

M5388

B5469

B5378

B5331

B5029


A few for summer, a few for next fall. I'm not taking classes first session this summer so I'm hoping to do some serious sewing during that time. Except for the week I'm in the Dominican!

A little catch up... and I'm finally home

First a little catch up....

So the Shamrock Marathon. This is how early I had to get up to have the runners at the starting line with plenty of time to get their minds in the right place before the shotgun start:

Very beautiful. Very early for a Sunday morning. Especially when we didn't get to bed very early the night before.

This is the sand sculpture that was in front of the Yuengling tent. Such talent.


I received some beautiful peach-colored roses from the bf for no reason at all... At least I hope! This is the first time he's given me flowers in over a year of dating. Things have been a little rocky lately and I appreciate the gesture.

Check out the awesome color!


My office went to mandatory four day weeks starting last week. I was pretty perturbed until I realized that it provided me with the opportunity to head home for Easter. I hadn't been home since Christmas and it was looking like I wouldn't be able to get back before fall. The weekend was well needed.

We spent most of the time chasing puppies. Molly loved having playmates her size!

This is my dad's new puppy, Speckles, giving my sister, Melanie, kisses.


Here's Bowser, my dad's yearling pup. I swear he has more teeth in his head than any dog I've ever seen! They go all the way back to his tonsils...


Speckles was completely fascinated with the exploring the porch stairs.




This is my dad counting Speckles' spots. She has both blue and red ticking which explains her name.


Molly came with us to haul some wood down to fill the wood house. She found a piece just her size and decided to bring it back with her.


Speckles decided she'd give Molly's piece of wood a try.


And now... why I finally feel like I'm at home. I inherited my grandmother's Franciscan Apple stoneware dishes. She's still living and when she moved into a retirement community she took 8 perfect pieces with her. The rest came to me. I was only 16 at the time so they went into storage in my parents' basement. After I graduated from college, I asked my mom if she would hang onto them for me until I found a place of my own and wasn't moving into a new apartment every year.

And so... last night I unpacked my dishes.

Excuse my cluttered counter... I'm still trying to find a place for everything.





These shelves are going to be moved to the garage very soon since they didn't fit in my kitchen. For right now they're doing a great job holding some of my serving pieces that don't fit in my kitchen cupboards.

I've gotten onboard

So one of the women in my office started the 30-Day Shred March 1, and has had incredible results so far. I'm talking, 4 inches in her waste and 6 pounds! She's teeny to start with so she's just looking to tone up and get in shape. She's also totally changed her diet. ...I'm not so willing to do this... I learned during my study abroad in Italy that eliminating junk food and preservatives from my diet means I can't keep weight on. No matter how much pasta I ate and wine I drank!

So anyways, because of her awesome results, several of the rest of us have jumped onboard with Jillian.

Four days in, and I'm feeling great! 20 minutes in the morning really hasn't added much to my daily routine and I start the day even more bright eyed and bushy tailed than normal. Which, some may find scary. There are many days I wake up laughing. No idea why.

Other than that, not much to report. I've been focused on preping for the exams I took Monday and Tuesday night. And now that they're finished... hopefully some crafting and yard work! And maybe a trip home for Easter. If I can find my snow boots...

Whirlwind of a weekend

Life has been a little crazy here the last few days. My best friend, her mom and her aunt stayed with me this weekend. She and her aunt and her boyfriend, who did not stay with me, ran the Shamrock Half Marathon on Sunday. Her boyfriend is an elite runner. I didn't quite comprehend what this meant until we watched them start at 41st Street, walked back to the finish line at 31st Street, on the way stopped at Starbucks, and 10 minutes after we found a spot at the finish line, Andy finished the race. Ummm... in the time it took her mom and I to walk 10 blocks and pick up coffee, he had run 13.1 miles. I kinda get it now.

My girlfriend, Amber, kicked some serious butt on the course as well. She had hoped to run in 1:50 and ended up running 1:47:26! She's a rockstar. And she's my best friend. I feel cool by association.

Here are the happy and triumphant runners after the race, on their way to the beer tent. Gotta love Yuengling sponsorship.



I've also been fairly productive over the last few weeks.

This:


Now looks like this:


This:


Has a home here:


My broccoli has germinated:



Since this photo I now have a whole lot of coleus, a sweet pea, and two 4 o'clocks. And I may soon have a zucchini. I'm hoping a few more come up in the next few days. Especially the peppers.

And my front porch now looks like this:



This is just a start, I'm hoping to add many more flowers as the weather gets warmer.

Check!

So now that I'm all moved in, I'm dealing with this mess:

Closet and storage space is definitely an issue in this house but I will find a place for it all. I just need to get creative. I'm also moving slowly because I want to paint before I put things away.

Molly, however, has made herself right at home.

She's decided having a house with a yard is a good thing. Any time she doesn't need a leash she's a happy dog.

Since I haven't been making much headway with the unpacking I decided I needed to work on something that I could finish. And sooooo...

Last night these,


Became these:


And then were turned into this:


Molly approves. And I can check something off my Spring Break To-Do list!

I need a diet.

A fabric diet that is. I have boxes of fabric that are screaming to be made up into something fabulous and here I am purchasing more. But... they were on sale!

First up, a medium black linen that I'm picturing being made into Butterick 5331:




Next, a navy blue linen that I'm hoping will make a fabulous little dress. Maybe out of a Built by Wendy pattern.



Then, a green linen that I'm seeing a cute little safari style dress with pockets made out of.



And last, a turquoise matte jersey. I have got to find a sun dress pattern. I keep collecting these jersey knits for sundresses and I need to start making a few. This will be so pretty for my trip to the Dominican in June.



Who wants to think about unpacking and studying for grad school when you can start planning summer wardrobe additions?