Richmond VA

Husband and I spent 4th of July weekend in Richmond, VA. Nice little town and an overall nice getaway. The fireworks display claimed to be the only show in the country to have fireworks, live music, and cannons to perform the 1812 Overture (which is Russian, by the way. Go figure...).

We had a great time and every moment of that weekend made me so happy to be married to this man. I don't think that there is anyone else with whom I would want to spend the good times and bad times. We got word that his 'Oma' (grandmother) had died during our vacation. It was upsetting news, but she's off to see Jesus now; no longer dealing with cancer and old age. We worry about Opa; how her death will affect him. Many times we remarked to each other, 'You are not allowed to die'.

So, today, on our 3rd anniversary I just thought I'd tell you all (and him) how much Andy means to me and how greatful I am for such a wonderful partner. Below are some of my favorite photos from the weekend in Richmond.

During the car-ride there. Horrendous traffic with a smile on his face.

Winking at yours truly before the fireworks started.

My happy husband. He's got a very happy wife. Happy anniversary, babe!

Five Years

Last week marked five years of togetherness (and 26 months of marriage) for Andy and I. I love this man. As Beccs wrote on our wedding frame, 'To think this all started with a piece of cake' [actually it was a glass of milk that just happened to come with cake, B]. A glass of milk, a Ben Folds concert (and many others that followed; Ryan Adams, Sleeping at Last, Sondre Lerche, etc., etc.), road trips to nowhere, nights at Borders, breakfast at Ikea, bike rides, camping trips, afternoon naps, hot date nights, adopting our little kitten Zoe; we have created so many great memories in these five years and I can't wait to see what the next five years bring us.

Freezer Paper Stencils

Freezer paper stencils... where have you been all my life?? Today I whipped up this BEAUTIFUL tote. One yard of unbleached cotton ($2.50) and blue fabric paint ($1.49) and an hour of my time and I had ABSOLUTE PERFECTION! This is, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful bag that will ever grace the grocery store [yes, it will leave the door handle, Nate] with its presence. Easy directions from Amy here.


Anyone want to guess what a pain it was to cut out all those little branch details? And this was my first ever. EVER! Husband also got in on the crafty fun. He's always said that it would be interesting to screen print his own t-shirts. Here's the t that he made yesterday. He's a picky guy, so I know the bumpy edges might drive him crazy. Good thing he used white ink; nothing a black Sharpie can't fix!


Both of these designs are from Stencilry.org. Mom and I have been having an ongoing discussion about homemade grocery totes, and when I told her about these she specially requested one with a tomato slice on it. Such a great idea! Stay tuned for at least two more of these beauties this week.

Wifey

I love my life as a wife. Most likely because I have such a wonderful husband. And it turns out that I do a damn good job (according to 1930's standards).

74 As a 1930s wife, I am Superior Take the test!

I'm loving this quiz, too. Hilarious. Only... I can't tell if these phrases that describe me are supposed to be good or bad.
"Corrects husband's speech or actions before others."
"Has spunk--will defend her ideals and religion."
"Keeps snacks in refrigerator for late eating."
"Puts her cold feet on husband at night to warm them"
"Wears red nail polish."

I suppose 74 is a good score. Too high and I might worry! And don't worry... there is a version for Husband to take, too.

The [Almost] Perfect Evening

Chips + Trader Joe's Fresh Hot Salsa + Margaritas + the Daily Show + the Colbert Report = What a great night!

Husband is working late tonight. Every now and then it's nice to have some me only down time. I was going to come home and sew... the couch was calling my name instead. More sewing will ensue in a few days.

Sounds Take Flight-Or-Reason #408 Why I Love Husband

I'd like to introduce you all to the most incredible person I know. Husband has a blog!

Husband is a 'think and then speak', whereas I am definitely a 'blurt it out and then consider the consequences'. Don't expect him to post as often as I do; but lookout when he does. I love this man!

A Charming Day

This morning, while husband perused the music blogs (he does this a LOT), I cleaned up the sewing table. Well, I started cleaning the table but then decided sewing is always time better spent, so I started another Charming Handbag from BTRS. It was half done when I left for work and quickly completed in less than an hour this afternoon.

Made entirely from scraps, and totally matching the placemats I made for the BTRS swap, this is another perfect little bag. Outside is green home dec, dotted inside is cotton. Orange is ribbon.

I've discovered that I always have music playing. Always. At work, during yoga, while sewing. Music focuses my mind on something other than the million things I'm constantly thinking about! Here's what I listened to while sewing (Husband's Indie Acoustic mix from iTunes; click for a larger photo.).

It was the perfect low key list for this afternoon. And as Conor sang the last lines of Lua I was threading the handles into place. Perfection.

P.S. Hey all of you reading in Google Reader or the like... pop out and check out the new layout and the *beautiful* new banner Andy made for me. As Paris Hilton would say (how many thousands of times have we all seen her new campaign video?) LOVES IT! What a great (and creative) hubby!

Buy Nothing August

Husband and I have decided that August will be free of new, unnecessary stuff at our house. We already have everything we need to live (and more). And it sucks to admit, but some of the stuff we own was bought at the expense of our credit card balance. Redirecting money not spent on stuff to credit card balances is really the best solution for our family.

AND... it was great this morning to open my Google Reader and see this-

One of my favorite bloggers (and queen of monthly challenges), Crunchy Chicken is heading this one up and I invite all of you to take part as well. Her rules are as follows:

• No new clothes
  
• No new gadgets
  
• No new furniture or housewares
  
• No salon services (except haircuts)
  
• No new makeup
  
• No new tools
  
• No whatever the hell else people buy
  
• No eating out
  

As is, these rules will not work for us. So we're modifying a bit. Husband gets a $20 fast food stipend for the month (damn you McDonald's sweet tea!) and we're allowing ourselves to eat out three or four times this month (but no more!). We are also not just holding off on purchases until May; we are really not buying stuff we don't actually need. I really hope that we'll get used to not buying unnecessary crap and this will have some lasting results.

In other news (eh em... good thing it's still July!), we bought this orange duvet cover and a couple shams from Pottery Barn last week. Organic cotton, on the clearance rack. Duvet was normally $130, bought for $20. Shams were $25 each, we paid $6. Not too shabby, and a great reasonable purchase to say goodbye to buying and hello to saving resources and $$$!

On Emotions -or-Reason #317 Why I Love Husband

Funny things, those emotions. Funny how for some of us (eh em... ladies) emotions are not always something to be enjoyed and expressed, but rather something to be controlled, tolerated, and waited out. And while I would guess that most women are in tune and understanding of their emotions, it's the people in her path that are left wondering 'what just happened?'.

Perhaps it's not the emotions that are so hard to understand. We all get sad, angry, jealous, excited, happy. It's the combination of them all in a rapid succession that disorient and destroy. A punch in the face you understand. 'I just got punched in the face.' But how do you reconcile a punch in the face, a pat on the back, a kick to the groin, and a kiss on the lips in rapid succession? Again, the questions 'what just happened?' comes to mind. (By no means am I beating up Husband. Don't worry.)

A good friend and/or partner is one who can keep up. Maybe not reacting to each and every rapid fire feeling, but always moving forward, not stuck in the previous emotion, because, let's be honest, it's long gone (only to return in a few hours). Isn't that what we all want? Someone to understand us where we are and say 'I am here for you.'? And 'here' could be in any number of places; a sadness, an anger, a love, a tear, a rage. Knowing that you are not alone in your emotion gives you the strength to move through it, to face it, to shove it out the window, to live in it; whatever the appropriate response might be.

Let me get through this week without beating Husband with ridiculous requests, tears, death stares, needy embraces, or any combination thereof.

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(Totally 100% unrelated... I wish I could give all the guys in My Morning Jacket tips on how to enhance the natural curl in their hair. They need my help. You can thank Austin City Limits for that one.)

A Charming Evening

Yesterday I was lucky enough to have the perfect evening with Husband. We enjoyed a nice dinner at home (not fast food, not frozen pizza- that doesn't happen too often for us). After eating and cleaning up, we spent a few hours in the office; me working on my sewing projects, Husband checking out his favorite music blogs.

I've begun working through my Amy Butler fat quarters. One down, 14 to go. Last night I made the Charming Handbag from Bend the Rules Sewing. No problem at all finishing this one in an evening. Word to the wise... it's little! Such a cute little bag, and one fat quarter is all it took for the outside and handle. I will most likely by making this again, maybe even out of another ABfq. Next up... a set of fall-ish placemats.

The Week In Review

This week was an absolute lovely one... my birthday was Friday and it seemed as though I actually had a whole week devoted to me. The celebration included birthday Mexican dinner with B, birthday pedicure with Steph, and (actual) birthday trip to Ravinia with Husband, friends, and Feist. There was also a birthday flower delivery from Andie... GORGEOUS! And fragrant, too. Really, really fragrant.
I also received my BTRS swap from Danielle. Nothing beats birthday gifts from strangers. How great are these placemats? Nice and bright, covered in one of my favorite summer treats. Two are as pictured and two have pink edging and napkins. I really love the way Danielle adjusted the pattern. I would imagine that this simple switch would shave off a lot of cutting, sewing, and ribbon folding time. It would also solve the fabric wasting problem from the original design. I will be replicating these, for sure. Danielle also mitered the corners of the napkins... another design idea I will be using. It was a great week spent with lots of friends and goodies. This week is looking to be just as good. Our 2nd anniversary is Monday. 2 down, 75 to go, right Andy?

A Week's Worth of Posts

So it has been almost a week since I last posted. Seems like forever. Things around the Cultivated House have been the same, yet different. Husband is out of town for work. This week at work has been incredibly stressful for me. On top of that I've been sick and doped up on cold medicine. Overall, it's been a normal week with a sort of Twilight Zone feel.

I don't like the fact that Husband is away. My schedule is thrown off, my house feels half full, the cat knows something is up. I haven't been sleeping well (as you can tell by the timing of this post). It is incredibly reassuring to me that I'm off kilter because he is away. As strange as I've felt this week, it just affirms the fact that Husband is a positive force in my life. The only thing I like about his absence is the fact that I've been subsisting on a diet of fruit, bread, and ice cream. Carbs!

Sickness has slowed my progress in several projects. Swap #1 is half done. I don't have any ideas or any beginnings on Swap #2 yet. I've got a sort of odd color scheme to work with. Both MUST be finished by next week when we head to St. Louis for vacation with some friends. Hopefully I will have some progress to report in the next few days.

Reason #288 Why I Love Husband

Friday night was hot date night. Out to my favorite restaurant around (Mexican) and then to see 'The Happening' (feat. one of my favorite young actresses, Zooey Deschanel). It was a nice night out; thoughtful and fun.

Today we're off to a bbq. I'm going to attempt a slab pie, since I don't have the time to make and cool a normal one. This is what happens when you accidentally spend $$$ on pounds and pounds of cherries. Pies for weeks. Not a bad life, huh?

Reason #529 Why I Love Husband

Last week I mentioned that I wanted to stop storing my fabric stash in big boxes and instead display it on shelves so that I could actually see what I had. Saturday rolls around, I go out with some friends, call Husband to let him know I'm on my way home and he lets me know there's a surprise waiting for me. What could it be? A set of shelves! He actually listened to me droning on about sewing AND he bought me the exact shelf I wanted. Sunday shows up, I go to work that evening, come home, and there, in my living room, is the fully assembled shelf! This morning I moved it into the office and sorted my fabrics by type. Husband is way more color conscious than I am (his closet looks like a menswear shop) so I'll let him do the color sorting.
Taking this photo reminded me how useful my 18-55mm lens is. To think I've kept the 'bigger better' 55-200 on for so long, when sometimes all I really needed was 18mm. I think I might have to get reacquainted with this lens. For all you detail lovers... check out Flickr for way too many notes about what exactly is going on in this photo.

Tonight I'm going to try and finish up the muslin of McCall's 5619 and sew an apron for Lucy's Apron Angels idea. I found the perfect fabric (that I had forgotten about) while sorting fabric this morning.