Sometimes You're the Windshield....Sometimes You're the Bug!

Are you all familiar with this song by Mary Chapin Carpenter?  I tried to find a link the a music video for you all, but the best I could do was the lyrics.  Well, I think the "bug" pretty much sums it up for Ryan and I right now.  Remember a few weeks back when I posted pictures of a million boxes, packaging tape, and just about anything you would need to start packing up a house?  Well, you'd be surprised how little you need to start UN-packing a house.  Long story short, we are staying put here in the townhouse (for awhile).

It's a long story, and an emotional roller coaster of sorts, but after falling (mostly) in love with a house in Elburn we found out that there was a mix-up at the bank and we didn't qualify for as much as we were originally told.  It doesn't really matter whose fault it is, but there was a mix-up and we are lucky we found out sooner rather than later.  It's a little scary to think of what could have happened in this whole process.  Ryan and I had already met with 2 renters and had a third appointment scheduled for this weekend.  We planned to choose our renter early next week and sign a contract with them for a June 1st move in.  We then planned to move in with friends until we found a place for ourselves and closed on it.  The good news is, we found out before all of that happened.  We would have been homeless, for real, and probably would have found ourselves renting a place to live in, while renting out this place.  A crazy silly mess!!!

So, we were sort of disappointed last night when we figured all this out, but, I truly believe that things happen for a reason and maybe this just means that we just aren't ready to move.  Maybe it means that we will find a house that is everything we've dreamed of and more in a few years, instead of having to settle for something that we were (mostly) in love with.

Yesterday we felt like the Bug, maybe tomorrow we will feel like the Windshield.  That's life and we are ok with it.  At the end of the day, Ryan and I are safe, healthy and happy.  We wish the same for you!

Crossing Our Fingers for Things in 3's!

A lot has been happening in our lives lately.  Big things!  Ryan and I are keeping our fingers crossed that good things happen in 3's.  Isn't there a saying about that??

Anyways, to get you up to speed here are two things we are excited to share:

#1:  New Job at Sears

I will be leaving my current role in Merchandise Planning and will now be on the training team for our Inventory Management division, for both Sears and Kmart.  Essentially, I will be facilitating and developing training for our Inventory Management team.  I've never held and official "training" position and am very excited to add some new tools to my professional tool belt and can't wait for this newest phase of my career.  On top of the excitement of getting to try and learn some new things, this is also a promotion for me so I'm super jazzed about that!

#2:  A picture is worth a thousand words right?  So, I'm going to let the camera do the talking and see if you can guess what we are up to with #2 on the list.

Did you guess it yet?   I'll give you another photo:

WE ARE MOVING....Soon!!

I'm probably committing some huge karma no-no right now, because it's not completely official, but we have most likely rented out our town house.  Ryan and I have decided to purchase a single family home but before we could get really serious about looking, I wanted to rent out our current town house.  My concern was that we would make an offer and close on a home before being able to find renters and we would be strapped with 2 mortgages. 

We listed on Monday morning and by today we had 5 showings scheduled.  This place is going like hot cakes.  Again, with the Karma thing, but we have 4 offers on the house as of today and I'm officially starting to stress.  So, tonight I started packing.  We don't know where we are going just yet, or really when, since we haven't officially signed a renter, but I know we are on our way out!! 

Now, all we need is #3 to happen.  We need to find a house, and close on it...soon.  Really soon.  Our current plan is to move in with friends (Thanks Betsy and Pat) through maybe June 15th.  Then, we don't know where we will be next.  So...let the house hunting begin!!!

Goodbye to the Barren Wasteland (ie: our back yard)

I am going to openly admit that I am embarrassed to show you these "before" pictures, but let me start by saying 2 big dogs and less than 400 sq feet of grass = a really bad backyard area.

Ryan and I are about to rent out our townhouse so that we can buy a new place.  So, inevitably, that means fixing some things that we've just been "living with" to make our house more appealing and more desirable.  One of those project involves our back yard.  With both Lily and Staley we've found that our little patch of green grass isn't so green anymore.

BEFORE:


From the screen door looking out




Looking back at the house

 Not ideal right?  Actually, it's horrible.  Certainly not someplace where you could see yourself getting a tan and reading a book, or enjoying a nice beer while grilling.  Like I said, I'm embarrassed to show you these.  But, you will love our after pictures!!

OUR SOLUTION:

So, after 3 trips to Menard's, 36 roles of sod, and 1 bag of fertilizer, for a total project cost of just about $120, we have a brand new back yard!



These make every home improvement project that much more fun!





Better right!!!

 It was a pretty cheap fix and only took us about 3 hour including all the trips, and we are hoping it will make a big difference to potential renters.  And, the best part, we get to enjoy it until we move out.  The only though part is going to be being diligent enough about letting the dogs out on leash so we can control where they do their "business".  All in all, a pretty simple fix, with great results!!

Staley - 2 Dog Bed - 0

We've taken a leap of faith this week and tried leaving the Staley Dog out of her cage while we were at work this week.  A big risk, but she's got to learn sometime right?  Monday and Tuesday she did so good.  Nothing was torn up, no accidents in the house....she was just a little angel.  Well, I wasn't crazy enough to believe that we were through the woods, but I had hope!!

WRONG!!!  This is what I walked into when I got home.  Now, keep in mind, that is her dog bed, and the brown stuff is just the stuffing....but none the less, I wasn't too happy!

She's getting better....but she isn't grown up just yet.  Oh well....no crying over torn fluff?? 




I'm sorry mom!  I know I was bad, but maybe if I lay here you won't be able to see the mess around me.

 DUMB dog...but I guess I love her anyways.

Shamrock Shuffle 2011

Inevitably the year that I decide to boycott the Shamrock Shuffle it's 80 degrees out, sunny and amazing weather!!  The last two years have been pure misery so I decide I would fore go my entry fee and be the official Sherpa for our crew.  I don't have official times yet, by Ryan thinks he finished with a personal record and was pretty happy with the run.  He finished in just about 34 minutes!!  Too bad the first place winner finished in just over 23 minutes :O)  Guess we aren't ready to go pro just yet.

In any case here are a few snapshots for you to enjoy!



Sorry Chris!  I don't  have one with you in it too....




I am hot!??  :O)




Enjoying a post race beer with Lindsay



Another knitting blog post...beware!

That's right folks...THE FIDDLE HEAD MITTENS ARE FINALLY DONE!!!  Don't they look great?  I'm so happy with them.  There are a few things I plan to tweak with the next pair (yep, there's gonna be a next pair), but I'm so glad that I took a risk and tried this pattern out.

Here's some specifics (so feel free to skip this part if you don't care, but keep scrolling because there is more).  Yarn:  Cascade 220, 6 skeins
Colorways (top to bottom):  Summer Sky, Azure, Unknown (I lost one of the bands...dang!), Plum, Misty Lilac and the Fiddleheads are Chocolate.  Lined with Plum.
Needles: Size 4 DPN's

I think I got the gauge right on this one, but will make the insides slightly smaller next time, maybe pick up a few less stitches from the I-cord and definitely make them shorter since they have to fit inside the outer layer.

Anyways, the took me a little longer than I wanted, and it's going to be 80 degrees on Sunday so I probably won't need these babies for a few months, but they will be there, ready for me in the closet when the weather starts to turn cold again. 

It was a good idea to use the same yarn on the inside, but it sure was a close call:

Check out just how little I had left when I finished up the insides!

One more gratuitous shot for you (just because Staley was so stinking jealous the pics weren't about her :O)
Finally, here's a little sneak peak of where that Daily Sweater I frogged should have started:

Doesn't look like much does it?  But it is....it's the difference between a really large sweater and one that fits just perfect.  It's called swatching and I've learned my lesson pretty early on.  Always swatch...always.  Simple.  It took me about 30 minutes to do it and it will save me hours (and hour and hours).  It's a simple concept.  Knit a small sample to make sure that your specific knitting, your yarn, and your needles make what the pattern calls for.  Makes total sense right?  Why wouldn't one always start with this?  I chalk it up to inexperience and excitement.  In any case, that the beginning of the perfect Daily Sweater fit for me...and only me!!!

Finished!! (well...almost)

My newest project is just about finished.  I was hosting Lauren's Bachelorette Party at my house on Saturday night so I wanted to get all those crazy papers off our walls.  It took me about 3 hours and WAY too many holes to get the final product but I think it looks great.  Now, all I have to do is get some great pictures to fill all the frames.  Take a look at our photo wall....



Doesn't it look great?  You can see I still need to hang that large frame in the middle and we need to get a few more for the top, but not bad for now.

 Here's a few work in progress photos for you all too.


Frames, frames, and more frames.  It sure doesn't look like many when they are papers hanging on the wall, but it sure took a lot to get the finished product.



I think I had about 5 frames and 12 holes at this point.  Hehehe.  The templates were perfect for making sure I had the frame where I wanted it.  They didn't however help me to figure out where the nail hole goes.