Saturday, December 31, 2011

not yet the new year and already longing for spring

Surely I am not the only one who is already itching for spring before we've even undecorated the christmas tree.

Perhaps part of that was buying slightly wilted and over-priced basil at the supermarket for our New Year's Eve Dinner and longing for the days when I had a little boxed herb garden on the sill of my kitchen window.

So to appease my longing for spring I've pulled some rather inspiring shots of indoor "gardens."






Hopefully soon enough our kitchen will be less of a construction zone and better lend itself to putting up my own new windowsill garden.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Holiday countdown

Just a week left before Richard is back to school, and just six days till I'm back at work, but we're still making the most of our time.

Richard and Chris hung the microwave over the stove and have thus cleared out valuable counter space in the kitchen.  We finished painting the inside of the pantry (aka former broom closet) yesterday and Richard cut and installed the shelves today so we can finally put away all of our groceries and get one step closer to a fully organized kitchen.

Tomorrow Wicket gets her second haircut and I'll try to get some errands done while I'm on that side of town.  Then we're having some family time and a triple date with my parents, sister and her boyfriend, and going to see the new Sherlock movie tomorrow night.  I love going to the movies during holidays, its just one of those things that's enjoyable to do with the family when the weather has turned cold.

Hopefully after tomorrow I can get around to taking some house progress shots to share.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Happy, Happy Christmas

I'm sure we're not the only ones who feel like we could settle in for a long winter's nap after the excitement of yesterday's Christmas festivities.

We had an amazing time with family, and even Wicket spent all day playing with her "canine cousins" Daisy and Muffin.  Needless to say - all three of us are completely wiped out.

Today I was able to spend time with my sister who is home from college for break and I'm looking forward to seeing her again on Wednesday before she heads out again.  Otherwise we anticipate fully utilizing Richard's time off from school to work on house projects and get started on the basement, so wish us luck.  The pantry project has begun, and I certainly hope that by this time tomorrow I'll be safely stowing our food away and off the kitchen counter.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

And Winter Break Begins!

Today was the last day of school before winter break which means there's one prominent feeling in the air around our house: relief.

Aside from some last minute shopping we plan to get done tomorrow morning we're looking forward to some lovely downtime.  Our breezy tomorrow will also consist of some dog sitting for a friend, and we can't wait for Buddy to come over - he and Wicket always have a grand time playing together.  And when tomorrow is said and done we're just looking forward to spending the holidays with our friends and families and giving numerous house tours to out of town visitors.

There really aren't any photos to share from the past weekend as we spent most of the time doing little projects around the house like hanging shelves and organizing kitchen cabinets.  We did get started on the kitchen pantry, but it still has a few steps before our food can reside there.  All in all this home feels more and more like our home with every passing day.

After some much needed rest today I'm now feeling a bit on the restless side so I'm listening to some holiday music and tackling some paperwork and general tidying up at my desk until its time for bed... which isn't as far off as I think it is.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Getting ready for Christmas

Buying our first real Christmas tree!

All lit up and ready for presents.

Post-decorating snuggles.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Adventures in Applesauce

Yesterday we cracked into the very last jar of applesauce from last year, so it's a good thing Richard used the last of our bushel of apples to can eight more jars last weekend.


 Wicket was very interested in getting some of those apple scraps.

The finished jars, all ready to store in the pantry... as soon as we put shelves in the pantry.

Friday, December 9, 2011

The beginning of the end

As the end of the year approaches the days just get busier and busier!

We spent Thanksgiving in Michigan visiting grandparents and cousins.

We ushered for opening night of Christmas Carol at the Pabst with Grandpa W, Chris, and Tia.

This weekend we're continuing our tradition of dinner with friends and walking Candy Cane Lane before retiring to a fire and some Tom and Jerrys.