Hi blog readers!! (picture me waving here) Long time no see! Sorry about that. The holidays were crazy, I was felled by the flu.from.hell. (Seriously kids, get your flu shots, this thing is terrible) and I was not feeling terribly creative. But. The blog drought ends today!
Blogs are great.
And then your in-laws find them.
Thhehehee. But seriously kids.
So remember that earlier post 20 things about my husband and me? Remember how I wrote "Large families freak me out.
--- This wouldn't be an issue, except for the fact that my husband has a large extended family. Most of whom I'm meeting for the first time in oh...18 days. Yeah. Super fun. And when I say freak out, I mean my panic attacks trigger and you're liable to find me with my head between my knees taking deep breaths.* ".
Well, my in-laws found this post, read it, and passed it around the family...before I'd met them.
Yeah. That was a fun moment of my face matching my hair (Rick, I'm looking at you!)
So I did what any self-respecting red head would do. Took a big gulp of wine and rolled with it. Because at that point, there's really not a whole lot else you can do.
As a side note: My in-laws are thoroughly delightful people who made me feel very welcome. And no, I'm not just saying that because there's a good chance they're reading this. We ate good food, drank good wine and laughed a lot. Which really, is the best kind of family gathering in my opinion.
Moral of this rambly story? While it's great to be honest on blogs, be sure that you're ok with anyone--family, friends or strangers--reading it and talking to you about it later.
Bye!
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
on traveling with a spouse
My family and I are super experts at road trips. We started with pillows and radio surfing (...this was before iPods...) and now we don't need pillows, we don't taunt each other (much), and no one asks "How many more miiinuuuteess?" Each winter we make a journey to a place to snowboard or ski, which means at least 12 hours of driving time each direction. Most years, it's 16. That's a lot of car time, folks.
This Christmas was the second time the hubz has come back to my hometown with me (the first was as a boyfriend -- THAT was exciting), and I think I feel qualified enough to share a few ideas for easier travel with the spouse.
1. Travel in the same car. Honestly, it's good to be forced into close company. It's good bonding, it's good family time, everyone gets a chance to rotate seats, and you get to know each other in a whole new way. Mostly, it's just a good fun.
2. Maintain your caffeine and food schedules. This seems silly, right? Every person in my family has a caffeine habit. Coffee is considered the Nectar of the Gods at my parents' house. When one person doesn't get their regular Nectar, things could get rather touchy rather quickly. There is also such an emotion as "hangry." Hungry + moodyfrombeinghungry = hangry. Both you and spouse do better with regular food and regular legal addictive stimulants. So do siblings. Usually.
3. Set aside together time. Without family. Just you two. It's nice, trust me. Sitting in front of the tv having coffee counts. So does shooting each other in Halo. As long as it's time to be together without having to share.
4. Don't panic. You like each other.
xoxo Susannah
Friday, December 14, 2012
20 things about the husband and me
So. I LOVE lists. I also love over sharing. ;)
So listing random, quirky facts about my hubs and me is basically my idea of a good time.
1. We met in high school, but we are NOT high school sweethearts.
---Really. This is always super fun to explain at parties. Don't worry, I'll do a post about this soon. ;)
2. Large families freak me out.
--- This wouldn't be an issue, except for the fact that my husband has a large extended family. Most of whom I'm meeting for the first time in oh...18 days. Yeah. Super fun. And when I say freak out, I mean my panic attacks trigger and you're liable to find me with my head between my knees taking deep breaths.*
3. I suffer from panic attacks. I'm also prone to depressive episodes.
---Let's just say it's a good thing I've got a realtionship with Jesus, or my coping mechanisms would be a whole lot unhealthier.
4. My husband and are the goofiest people you will ever meet.
---But you'd never know this unless we are best friends or you're a fly on the wall of our tiny studio. We play adult real well. :)
5. The hubs is about a 100 times neater then I am.
---That sound you hear is every friend I've ever had laughing/nodding their head.
6. Without coffee I am not a human.
--I'm not exegerating. It's a fact. Early on in our realtionship, I had to establish the ground rule that he couldn't talk to me unless I had a shower or a cup of coffee. Otherwise, I am not responsible for my actions.
7. If I could inject coffee into my veins, or snort it without killing myself, I probably would.
8. My husband is a crazy good gift giver.
--For Valentine's Day one year he gave me something practical, useful, and pretty. He basically knows how to make a woman swoon. (Or at least this woman)
9. I once told him that I was perfectly happy to elope** but I wanted a damn good proposal story. And oh buddy did he come through. His proposal was epic and amazing and to this day makes me giddy.
10. Playing off 9...I wanted to elope to Florence. We would fly there, I'd buy a pretty dress and we'd say vows in a language we didn't understand then start the honeymoon. He vetoed that idea. Said something about how I'd be disapointed if I didn't have everyone at our wedding....ok he was right. But still. My plan would have been a whole hell of a lot less stressful. Plus. You can't beat Florence.
11. While parts of having a husband in grad school might suck (read: Often not home until 1 a.m., not a ton of money) I try to appreciate the nice things. Like, yesterday I was off of work and we both slept in and had a relaxing morning together. We couldn't do that if we both had real jobs.
12. I am in full on mid to late twenties crisis mode of figuring out what you want out of life. It's not real fun all the time, but it's good for me. (Can you tell I repeat that to myself a lot? )
13. I really appreciate a well decorated space, but my apartment is more likely to be cluttered then cute. I think it's because I really believe that a space should look like people live there. I.e. there should be dishes drying, or shoes tossed in a corner, or books in a stack by the bed. For me, if those little things aren't there the space--while beautiful--doesn't feel authentic.
14. I'm trying to figure out what my life as a wife looks like.
--This is probably a post in and of itself, but for a girl who never ever thought she'd get married, being married is strange. (And wonderful, don't get me wrong). But when you've spent your entire life planning a life where you weren't a wife, becoming one throws you for a wicked loop.
15. He almost always does the dishes.
--This varies based on how much work he has, but for the most part it's true. Partly because I usually cook, partly because I HATE doing the dishes, and partly because about 60% of the time the dishes I do aren't clean enough for him. (Dude, if there's a spot of dirt on the decorative edge or the back of my plate, I'm not going to worry about it.)
16. We try to divvy up chores based on whose better at/likes them more.
--Except for rare fits of organizing, I am TERRIBLE at it. So he organizes the apartment and tells me where everything is. I love to vacuum and iron so I do those. He sweeps because I have an odd passion about hating it.
You get the point. Frankly, I think it's genius because things (mostly) get done and no one resents anyone because they're doing chore they like!
17. I swear our cat is training us for children.
--She wakes us up multiple times a night. She won't let me use the rest room in peace. She wines. We talk about the best way to discipline/train her. Seriously. It's an issue. But we love her.
18. I believe that there is no such thing as too many books. My husband belives that if you haven't read it in a year and don't have an emotional attachment to it, you should give it away. I'm still trying to make him understand that I have an emotional attachment to all books.
19. I'm really proud of the way we fight. It doesn't happen often, but when it does we work hard to fight cleanly, without name calling and such, and lovingly. I never want the hubs to think that I don't love him...even when he's annoying the heck out of me. And we always ask (and grant) forgiveness quickly and freely.
20. We sit in the baby section at church so we (ok mostly me) can make faces at the cuties. It's super fun, and I highly recommend it.
There you go! 20 random things about the hubs and me. Doesn't everyone feel closer now? :)
*Ok, the head between the knees bit is an exaggeration, but the deep breaths is not. Panic attacks suck man.
**I'm an event/wedding planner...weddings are STRESSFUL dude.
So listing random, quirky facts about my hubs and me is basically my idea of a good time.
1. We met in high school, but we are NOT high school sweethearts.
---Really. This is always super fun to explain at parties. Don't worry, I'll do a post about this soon. ;)
2. Large families freak me out.
--- This wouldn't be an issue, except for the fact that my husband has a large extended family. Most of whom I'm meeting for the first time in oh...18 days. Yeah. Super fun. And when I say freak out, I mean my panic attacks trigger and you're liable to find me with my head between my knees taking deep breaths.*
3. I suffer from panic attacks. I'm also prone to depressive episodes.
---Let's just say it's a good thing I've got a realtionship with Jesus, or my coping mechanisms would be a whole lot unhealthier.
4. My husband and are the goofiest people you will ever meet.
---But you'd never know this unless we are best friends or you're a fly on the wall of our tiny studio. We play adult real well. :)
5. The hubs is about a 100 times neater then I am.
---That sound you hear is every friend I've ever had laughing/nodding their head.
6. Without coffee I am not a human.
--I'm not exegerating. It's a fact. Early on in our realtionship, I had to establish the ground rule that he couldn't talk to me unless I had a shower or a cup of coffee. Otherwise, I am not responsible for my actions.
7. If I could inject coffee into my veins, or snort it without killing myself, I probably would.
8. My husband is a crazy good gift giver.
--For Valentine's Day one year he gave me something practical, useful, and pretty. He basically knows how to make a woman swoon. (Or at least this woman)
9. I once told him that I was perfectly happy to elope** but I wanted a damn good proposal story. And oh buddy did he come through. His proposal was epic and amazing and to this day makes me giddy.
10. Playing off 9...I wanted to elope to Florence. We would fly there, I'd buy a pretty dress and we'd say vows in a language we didn't understand then start the honeymoon. He vetoed that idea. Said something about how I'd be disapointed if I didn't have everyone at our wedding....ok he was right. But still. My plan would have been a whole hell of a lot less stressful. Plus. You can't beat Florence.
11. While parts of having a husband in grad school might suck (read: Often not home until 1 a.m., not a ton of money) I try to appreciate the nice things. Like, yesterday I was off of work and we both slept in and had a relaxing morning together. We couldn't do that if we both had real jobs.
12. I am in full on mid to late twenties crisis mode of figuring out what you want out of life. It's not real fun all the time, but it's good for me. (Can you tell I repeat that to myself a lot? )
13. I really appreciate a well decorated space, but my apartment is more likely to be cluttered then cute. I think it's because I really believe that a space should look like people live there. I.e. there should be dishes drying, or shoes tossed in a corner, or books in a stack by the bed. For me, if those little things aren't there the space--while beautiful--doesn't feel authentic.
14. I'm trying to figure out what my life as a wife looks like.
--This is probably a post in and of itself, but for a girl who never ever thought she'd get married, being married is strange. (And wonderful, don't get me wrong). But when you've spent your entire life planning a life where you weren't a wife, becoming one throws you for a wicked loop.
15. He almost always does the dishes.
--This varies based on how much work he has, but for the most part it's true. Partly because I usually cook, partly because I HATE doing the dishes, and partly because about 60% of the time the dishes I do aren't clean enough for him. (Dude, if there's a spot of dirt on the decorative edge or the back of my plate, I'm not going to worry about it.)
16. We try to divvy up chores based on whose better at/likes them more.
--Except for rare fits of organizing, I am TERRIBLE at it. So he organizes the apartment and tells me where everything is. I love to vacuum and iron so I do those. He sweeps because I have an odd passion about hating it.
You get the point. Frankly, I think it's genius because things (mostly) get done and no one resents anyone because they're doing chore they like!
17. I swear our cat is training us for children.
--She wakes us up multiple times a night. She won't let me use the rest room in peace. She wines. We talk about the best way to discipline/train her. Seriously. It's an issue. But we love her.
18. I believe that there is no such thing as too many books. My husband belives that if you haven't read it in a year and don't have an emotional attachment to it, you should give it away. I'm still trying to make him understand that I have an emotional attachment to all books.
19. I'm really proud of the way we fight. It doesn't happen often, but when it does we work hard to fight cleanly, without name calling and such, and lovingly. I never want the hubs to think that I don't love him...even when he's annoying the heck out of me. And we always ask (and grant) forgiveness quickly and freely.
20. We sit in the baby section at church so we (ok mostly me) can make faces at the cuties. It's super fun, and I highly recommend it.
There you go! 20 random things about the hubs and me. Doesn't everyone feel closer now? :)
*Ok, the head between the knees bit is an exaggeration, but the deep breaths is not. Panic attacks suck man.
**I'm an event/wedding planner...weddings are STRESSFUL dude.
Monday, November 26, 2012
decorative garland
Got crafty over my Thanksgiving holiday break and made a little garland/lights that should work for the entire holiday season. Christmas is coming!
xoxo Susannah
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving!
Scenes from a marriage:
Husband: You should wear the fuzzy pants today
Me: *Blank Stare* (This is pre-coffee)
Husband: If you're going to stuff yourself, you should be comfortable!
Me: Awwww.
Happy Thanksgiving from us! We are holed up in our tiny studio cooking too much food for two people, with a cat who thinks we are terribly cruel for not feeding her every hour.
*Please note: The "fuzzy pants" are my husband's flannel pajama pants and they are insanely comfortable.
Monday, November 5, 2012
date!
Two weeks ago, hubby and I went on a new adventure date. Do any of you other newlyweds try and find creative date ideas? Well, I do. I enjoy going on new adventures, and so does the mister. It only makes sense to go on adventures together.
The most recent adventure was to a colonial farm!
I wrote a little more about it here.
Have any other creative adventure date idea?
xoxo Susannah
The most recent adventure was to a colonial farm!
I wrote a little more about it here.
Have any other creative adventure date idea?
xoxo Susannah
Thursday, November 1, 2012
using buttermilk
Remember that time I tried making butter?
Yes, well, I made some more, then decided how I was going to use the runoff milk. Buttermilk pancakes!
mmmm...
They were so delicious!
Especially with some of my accidental blackberry syrup on top!
Friday, October 26, 2012
she's famous!
The other redhead (Sarah) of this red-haired duo recently had an article published in the Huffington Post! How awesome is that?!
Take a look and let us know what you think. I'm sure she would enjoy some feedback, and we always love to hear the thoughts of readers!
Find it here.
xoxo Susannah
Take a look and let us know what you think. I'm sure she would enjoy some feedback, and we always love to hear the thoughts of readers!
Find it here.
xoxo Susannah
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
On loving a mad scientist.
I married a mad scientist.
I mean, I knew this when we got married.
But certain nights it hits home more than others.
Father Octavian [about the Doctor]: Dr. Song, I've lost good clerics today. You trust this man? River: I absolutely trust him. Father Octavian: He's not some kind of madman, then? River: [pause] I absolutely trust him.
Leonard Hofstadter: Penny, you don't want to get into it with Sheldon. The guy is one lab accident away from being a supervillain.
I mean, in my husband's case, he's one lab accident/discovery away from being Iron Man not The Joker, but the point remains.
Oh my mad scientist. How I love you.
I mean, I knew this when we got married.
But certain nights it hits home more than others.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Lazy girl DIY
So remember the last post when I said I wasn't a DIYer? That not *strictly* speaking true.
I do like to make cute things and spruce up my apartment with little touches.
I just don't want to spend more than about an hour (30 minutes is ideal) doing it.
Basically, I have your classic case of lazy DIY. Where you want to make cute things, you just don't want to devote your life to it.
But I'm guessing there's more then one of you out there who is like that to, so I introduce to you: Lazy girl DIY! Where I will show you my quick, cute projects. All of which can be done with minimal skill and minimal time.
Lazy Girl DIY 1st Edition: Ugly wall-->Pretty Wall!
I love contact paper. A lot.
It's pretty, it's removable, it wipes up easily And the new contact paper has really pretty and trendy designs. When we moved in, I bought a roll for the kitchen shelves, but I had a ton left over and wasn't sure what to do with it. Enter: The brown wall of dooooooom.
When you live in a studio, you make "walls" out of some crazy things to separate the spaces. For my husband and I, we made a bedroom wall with a dresser, a bookshelf and a wardrobe. It borders the study/eating area of our apartment.
So armed with a roll of contact paper I decided to cover the back of the dresser (the one in the middle). The wardrobe and the book shelf have porous backs so I decided to do a "spot" test (you can kind of see it in the photo) to see if the contact paper would stick or fall off.
I forgot to take photos during the process (lazy DIY remember) but essentially:
1. Measure Contact paper on dresser.
I taped a section in the middle and then rolled it down and cut it off at the bottom. I then did the same thing for the left and right side.
2. Stick Contact paper on dresser.
For this, I suggest help, but you could absolutely do it alone if you wanted to. Peel off the top bit of the contact paper and stick it to the top of the dresser. Press down to smooth and stick it to the dresser and keep peeling the backing off bit by bit until you reach the bottom. Repeat for the other two sides.
At this point my dresser looked like:
Pretty good right? But I didn't like the top bits that were blank and there were some spots on the side where the contact paper didn't quite meet up. Mainly because I can't cut in a straight line to save my life. So I decided to use some scrap contact paper cut into strips to cover up the blank spots. Like so:
Please notice all the care I took into cutting these strips. (You have to read that in a deadpan voice) After cover up all the blank spots, this is what I had:
Yay for pretty dressers and non-ugly walls to look at! And because I believe in showing the goof ups of DIY, I present the below:
Yeah. The edges of this dresser are porous and the contact paper doesn't stick terribly well to it. So I used tape to stick the loose edges to the side of the dresser. Will it win me any awards? Nope. But it's functional and I think you can hardly notice it. :)
Happy Sunday!
I do like to make cute things and spruce up my apartment with little touches.
I just don't want to spend more than about an hour (30 minutes is ideal) doing it.
Basically, I have your classic case of lazy DIY. Where you want to make cute things, you just don't want to devote your life to it.
But I'm guessing there's more then one of you out there who is like that to, so I introduce to you: Lazy girl DIY! Where I will show you my quick, cute projects. All of which can be done with minimal skill and minimal time.
Lazy Girl DIY 1st Edition: Ugly wall-->Pretty Wall!
I love contact paper. A lot.
It's pretty, it's removable, it wipes up easily And the new contact paper has really pretty and trendy designs. When we moved in, I bought a roll for the kitchen shelves, but I had a ton left over and wasn't sure what to do with it. Enter: The brown wall of dooooooom.
When you live in a studio, you make "walls" out of some crazy things to separate the spaces. For my husband and I, we made a bedroom wall with a dresser, a bookshelf and a wardrobe. It borders the study/eating area of our apartment.
 |
| Exhbit A. Functional? Yes. Pretty? No. |
So armed with a roll of contact paper I decided to cover the back of the dresser (the one in the middle). The wardrobe and the book shelf have porous backs so I decided to do a "spot" test (you can kind of see it in the photo) to see if the contact paper would stick or fall off.
I forgot to take photos during the process (lazy DIY remember) but essentially:
1. Measure Contact paper on dresser.
I taped a section in the middle and then rolled it down and cut it off at the bottom. I then did the same thing for the left and right side.
2. Stick Contact paper on dresser.
For this, I suggest help, but you could absolutely do it alone if you wanted to. Peel off the top bit of the contact paper and stick it to the top of the dresser. Press down to smooth and stick it to the dresser and keep peeling the backing off bit by bit until you reach the bottom. Repeat for the other two sides.
At this point my dresser looked like:
Pretty good right? But I didn't like the top bits that were blank and there were some spots on the side where the contact paper didn't quite meet up. Mainly because I can't cut in a straight line to save my life. So I decided to use some scrap contact paper cut into strips to cover up the blank spots. Like so:
Please notice all the care I took into cutting these strips. (You have to read that in a deadpan voice) After cover up all the blank spots, this is what I had:
Happy Sunday!
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