A place to rest your head - A DIY Project (PART 3)

Here is the finished project :O)



Getting closer....that was one heavy bed!




Almost there.....




I even got some pretty new pillows celebreate completing the project - Thanks Target!!


We still need to hang something over the bed and move some artwork around but its looking pretty good there!  New nightstands are certainly next on my "honey-do list".  The randomness just looks silly!!

A place to rest your head - A DIY Project (PART 2)

I'm getting excited now, it's really starting to look like a bed!!  You can see pictures from a few days ago here.  I didn't get many pics of the majority of the pre-work because honestly, it didn't look like much.  But, you can tell that it's finally starting to come together and Ryan said if everything goes well we should be sleeping in it tonight!

I'm feeling to urge to head to Target and get some new throw pillows for the bedroom (every guys dream right??).

Anyways, here are some pics of how its coming along.  Don't worry, we aren't harboring E.T. in our garage (although thats exactly what it looks like).  Ryan hung huge plastic tarps in the garage because he is spraying the finish onto the bed instead of painting it on with a brush.  It's much faster and makes for a better, more even, finish.  Check it out! 



It looks like he is working with hazardous materials....not really, but it is VERY stinky!




He's using that sprayer to spray on the finish of the bed.  We went with a Semi-gloss and I am so happy we did. 




A picture of the head and foot boards.




Cute Husband!



Fingers crossed I will have completely finished pics for you to see later today or tomorrow!!

Check back later for this finished project.

A place to rest your head - A DIY Project

Ryan has been hard at work for just over a month now with a pretty big undertaking.  He is making his first bedroom set.  We are starting out easy, with the bed, and will eventually make the remaining nightstands (the next project on my "honey do list") and the dressers.  He has been working on it on his down days and on weekends and its finally almost finished.  Once it's all done and set up in our bedroom I will get some better pictures along with a few before pics, but, for now, this is just a little sneak peak for you. 

It certainly might not look like much yet...but I love it already!!  (Please excuse the messy garage!)

P.S.  That blue is just painters tape...it's coming off :O)

A beautiful dress for a beautiful girl!! SPOILER ALERT!!!!

Saturday I spent the day with some of my favorite ladies.  We shopped til we dropped (or at least were exhausted) to find a wedding dress for Jamie, and bridesmaid dresses for us.  After a bad first appointment we landed at Demetrios Bridal in Schaumburg and we found the perfect dress for Jamie. 


Don't scroll down any farther if you want to be surprised.....Dress pictures below.....

Sorry!!  The picture has been removed..... :O)

Check back later for pics after July 23!

Ski Trip 2011

Ski Trip 2011 was another success!  Our annual ski trip in Galena, IL didn't disappoint.  We had 15 people this year and had an another amazing house!!  We started the weekend off early when Jamie, Zach, Chris, Brenna and Ryan and I headed out the Freeport on Friday night.  We had a few cocktails but made sure to call in a relatively early night since we knew it wasn't a sprint this weekend...it's a marathon.  Our crew left around 9 am to head to the slopes where we met up with Lindsay and Greg.  Here are some pictures from our ski day.



Chris and Brenna on the lifts.





Awww....what a cute group.



 I do have to pause to give out a few awards for the day:
1.  Best dressed - Goldie of course.  Lindsay was stylish as ever in her gold outfit.  Gold bindings and boots, gold goggles, and a gold face scarf. 



Best Dressed!


2.  Longest slide - goes to Zach!  I nearly peed in my pants when watching Zach slide down 50% of Crazyhorse on his stomach...hands in front with his snow board dragging behind him.  He wasn't hurt and was laughing most of the way but Ryan thought I was hurt because I was crouched up laughing so hard.
3.  Best Fall - Greg.  While Greg was trying to funny he bounced his way right into a 6 foot tall snow drift.  The drift was behind some trees and right under a ski lift so everyone on the lift thought he had fallen off the lift but really, he was just being a dope and ended up in a pile of snow.  It took him a good 5 minutes to get himself out and he made quite the scene doing it!



It's hard to see...but here is Greg, chest deep in snow!

 Then, after a ton of laughs, a few good falls and quite a few hours we headed to our house which was beautiful of course!!  We had catered food and quite a few beers and of course some of us partied til the sun came up.



Vince and Irina




Everyone's hungry





A good picture....except for that wierdo in the back!




Just hanging out!




The aftermath....oh....the aftermath.

 And finally...here is one to commemorate Lindsay and my first anniversary as friends.  Great friends...but on this Packers/Steelers Superbowl day...also great enemies:

Fiddlehead Mittens

Have you ever started a project and known right off that you were going to fall head over heals in love with it?  That it would soon become all encompassing and that you wouldn't be able to think of starting anything else (or finishing anything else either) until you are finished with it? 

Well....here is my new most favorite project:
http://helloyarn.com/fiddleheadmittens.htm

I just love them...don't you??  They are so beautiful and perfect it was like love at first sight when I stumbled on this pattern.  Ok, I will pause for a second and let all of those who want to tease me for loving to knit.  Go ahead, tease away, because I really do enjoy it.  Just don't ask me to knit for you later on (smile!). 

These are my first attempt at quite a few knitting skills.  I've never done colorwork before (how it changes color throughout the pattern) and I've never done a mitten before.  But I just loved the pattern so much that I decided I would just start it and see how it went.

Here are a few pictures to show you how its coming along. 



Don't you love them too?  I can't wait to show you a finished one!

 Anyways, I will blog the yarn colors and specifics later but I was so excited about by how great they are coming along that I just couldn't resist a little sneak peak to brag a little.

Oh...and I'm nearly finished on my first attempt at a 3D project...my first sweater (I started these mittens just 2 days ago, LONG after the sweater).  I will blog that later on as well....

I just can't wait to show you everything I've been up to!!

Snowmageddon 2011

Of course, it's the story on everyone's tongues today......the snow!  According to NBC news yesterday was the 3rd largest snow storm on record in the city of Chicago.  Every report has the storm totals slightly different but we got about 16 inches here in Aurora.  16 inches is alot, but the bigger story was the drifting and blizzard like conditions.  It was CRAZY here for the last 24 hours and I am so appreciative that I was able to work from home today instead of trying to brave the roads to get to work. 

I took the dogs out for awhile today to let them play in the snow.  They loved it and they were so tired when we finally came back in but it was certainly a sight to see.  Staley made it her job to make sure there were no areas of snow untouched.  She romped and roamed all over the entire field.  Lily on the other hand cleared out a little area for herself and just laid down :O)  Oh Lily!!!

Pictures just don't do it justice, but here are a few for you too see.  There is a 6 foot drift outside our back door.  The doggies will be using the front door for quite awhile I think!!



The view out our back door




Soooo much snow!!




I didn't realize those spray cans of snow (that you use at Christmas time) actually happened in real life! 




There were at least 20 guys plowing and shoveling our street today.





Told you!  She just couldn't sit still!




Holy Sh*T...this drift is bigger than me!  But....I REALLY want to go over there mom!!




I'm fine right here (in an Eeyore voice)




BURR!!  Why are we still out here right now...its getting really cold really fast!!





Oh bother....I'm all covered in snow. 

 The snow is gone...to be replaced by the cold.  The weather just said that the low for tonight (not including wind chill) is -13.  Burr is right Lily!!!