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!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
A home tour for all the messy people!
A thought about home tours.
Well the desk is here* (accompanied by three more boxes of dear husband's stuff. Joy.) and I STILL don't want to do a tour.
Because here's the dirty little secret about this blog.
Looking for cute decorating ideas/housekeeping/diying? I'm not the red head you want.
I am just not one of those cute diyers. My apartments look...messy most of the time.
And you know what? That's ok.
So for all of the messy people out there...this tour is for you!
I don't know about you, but I read *a lot* of blogs. And they all seem so shiny and happy and their houses are so clean.
And while I have wanted to show off my cute little studio since we moved in, I was waiting.
"I don't want to do a tour until it looks pretty."
"I'll wait until everything is unpacked"
"Oh I'll wait until the desk gets here"
Well the desk is here* (accompanied by three more boxes of dear husband's stuff. Joy.) and I STILL don't want to do a tour.
Because here's the dirty little secret about this blog.
Looking for cute decorating ideas/housekeeping/diying? I'm not the red head you want.
I am just not one of those cute diyers. My apartments look...messy most of the time.
And you know what? That's ok.
So for all of the messy people out there...this tour is for you!
*Actually it was here about three weeks ago. I've been a neglectful blogger guys sorry.
 |
| Welcome to our lobby! To the left you can sort of see the built in bike racks, and that door in the left corner is our front door. |
Welcome to our messy studio!
 |
| This is our "pass through" kitchen (I think that's the fancy name for it) Please note our gas stove (We are THRILLED :) ) and in the corner you can just see our knife rack. Better picture here: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/86dd/ .We call ours Fred :) |
 |
| This is our lovely built in island with heater underneath. My computer live here much of the time because I like to watch tv while I cook/do the dishes. :) |
 |
| This is our other island, next to the built in. Please note the Tardis Cookie Jar. :) |
 |
| Our Kitchen Guardian |
 |
| Immediately after our kitchen you enter the living room! (With crazy tv system mounted to the wall) |
 |
| Our "Dinning Room" which is conveniently located about a foot away from.... |
 |
| The Study! Also, a little lesson in being a messy person. This desk is a sectary desk. When open, it adds more mess to the room. However.... |
 |
| Once shut you look a (teeny) bit cleaner! Yay! |
 |
| This is the "nothing" corner (admit it, you have one too). The chair is where laundry gets thrown, or one of us sits when we want to work alone. (The chair back faces the sofa table you can kind of see in the living room picture :) ) |
 |
| Our lovely bedroom. (Yes, we are fond of Ikea) |
 |
| And one of my favorite features of the apartment, the built in shelves. These border the left wall of our bed and are GREAT for storage, as you can see |
 |
| Ok this is probably my most favorite part of the apartment. Our deck. It's lovely to be able to step outside and sit in the sun with a book, or have a glass of wine out there. We had dinner out there a few weeks ago, and it was amazing. :) |
And now: Some Studio Vignettes/Tips
 |
| Short on bookshelves, but have lots of windows? Make one of them a bookshelf window. This one stores my library books. |
 |
| WIndow sills are also great for storing knick knacks If you're like me and want to be able to open the window though, make sure you only store things you don't mind getting a little damp if it starts to rain. |
 |
| Cats always warm up an apartment. :) |
 |
| And our time's up folks! Thanks for stopping by! |
Monday, September 24, 2012
fall decorating: one at a time
I love fall. No, seriously. Best season ever.
But how in the world does a crafty girl decorate a studio apartment for fall without buying any more stuff or overwhelming her husband (and herself) with so many things just "sitting around not picked up"?
By gathering ideas and working one step at a time.
Last week, I decided I simply must have some fall decor in my teensy apartment. I don't care if it means I have to rotate my knicknacks or dust more frequently.
So, after checking out some adorable and easy ideas in BHG, I knew the perfect place to start.
Like every girl obsessed with mason jars, I've made my own beeswax candles in mason jars. (We'll save the details on creating these candles for another post.) I took leftover orange scrapbook/craft paper, cut it in half, cut out pumpkin faces, and taped it into a cylinder just large enough to fit around the candle with a little breathing room.
Easy peasy. And it's one tiny bit of halloween decoration. Since we have such a small apartment, there's no way we could do real pumpkins this year. But these cute little candles are enough for me for this year!
But how in the world does a crafty girl decorate a studio apartment for fall without buying any more stuff or overwhelming her husband (and herself) with so many things just "sitting around not picked up"?
By gathering ideas and working one step at a time.
Last week, I decided I simply must have some fall decor in my teensy apartment. I don't care if it means I have to rotate my knicknacks or dust more frequently.
So, after checking out some adorable and easy ideas in BHG, I knew the perfect place to start.
Like every girl obsessed with mason jars, I've made my own beeswax candles in mason jars. (We'll save the details on creating these candles for another post.) I took leftover orange scrapbook/craft paper, cut it in half, cut out pumpkin faces, and taped it into a cylinder just large enough to fit around the candle with a little breathing room.
Easy peasy. And it's one tiny bit of halloween decoration. Since we have such a small apartment, there's no way we could do real pumpkins this year. But these cute little candles are enough for me for this year!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
disaster!
So... I realized today that I hadn't given you all a proper post in a while. Last night, I thought I would make a delightful snack, take pictures, and tell you how to make it.
Unfortunately, I failed. Miserably.
See?
Fail.
It was such an epic fail that I set off the smoke alarm at 10:15 at night and almost forced the entire apartment building to evacuate. It was...exciting. Quite an adrenaline rush, I must say. For about 45 seconds, I ran around opening the windows and turning up fans and opening doors while envisioning hundreds of people standing outside our apartment building blaming me for setting off the smoke alarm.
I shall attempt said lovely snack again soon. I've made it before, so I don't know why it was difficult this time.
C'est la vie, I suppose.
Unfortunately, I failed. Miserably.
See?
Fail.
It was such an epic fail that I set off the smoke alarm at 10:15 at night and almost forced the entire apartment building to evacuate. It was...exciting. Quite an adrenaline rush, I must say. For about 45 seconds, I ran around opening the windows and turning up fans and opening doors while envisioning hundreds of people standing outside our apartment building blaming me for setting off the smoke alarm.
I shall attempt said lovely snack again soon. I've made it before, so I don't know why it was difficult this time.
C'est la vie, I suppose.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Wait you're moving into a studio?!
This was the reaction of pretty much everyone we knew after we told them our moving plans. Even after we explained all the perks of the apartment: spacious, lovely deck, good location; they would still almost universally shake their heads, and say "I could never live in a studio with my significant other"
Which is fair. I can't really live with anybody other than Anthony, no matter how big the apartment. (I am a TERRIBLE roomate) But we did have some pretty good reasons about why we moved, and why we're excited about our new cute studio that we thought we'd share.
Sarah's list of reasons why I'm glad we're out of our old apartment:
1. There were mice. A lot of them. We estimate that we killed at least 20 in the year we lived there.
2. Our old apartment was wicked expensive. Between the utilities and the rent, it was eating up a ton of money. Our new apartment? So affordable I almost feel bad telling other people what the rent is. And it's cute!
3. Our neighbors were...colorful.
4. We couldn't walk anywhere, except to the metro stop.
4a. The area was kind of gritty. Used car lots, loud music on the street, no trees, broken glass on the sidewalk.
5. It never really felt like our "home". While I didn't realize this until we moved into our new place, our apartment just never really felt like us.
6. Our dryer NEVER dried clothes the first time around. This might sound minor, but it jacked up our electric bills like no one's business.
7. Iron spiral staircases look super cool, but when you're half awake in the morning, walking down them is not so fun. Also, I found excuses to not go up or downstairs. I.e. I'd be upstairs, need something downstairs and ask Anthony to get it for me.
8.Our walls were paper thin. I got way more intimately acquainted with our neighbors personal life then I was comfortable with.
9. Our landlord was not responsive at all. We were once locked out of our apartment for almost 3 hours, because the service people had locked a lock we didn't have a working key to. (Oh yeah, we didn't have a working key to our deadbolt for the first 6 months we lived there.) We finally called--and paid for--a locksmith ourselves.
10. Mice. Everywhere. I realize I've said this once but it bears repeating. The mice figured out how to climb things so in addition to there being mice everywhere; there were mice droppings everywhere. Gross.
Sarah: Why I'm glad we moved to our new place:
1. Our deck is fabulous.
2. I feel so much more at home here. I call this the "Hippy, crunchy, mom's with strollers" part of the city. If you know where I went to college you know why this makes me happy. :)
3. Our apartment, while tiny, feels like us. It feels like a home. Which I didn't even realize I was missing until we moved.
Anthony's Top 6 Reasons Our Last Place Sucked
6. The neighborhood was on the edge of a very seedy part of the city.
5. Living near a metro stop, and only a metro stop, does not solve your city transportation issues.
4. Our building neighbors matched our 'hood (the very edge of seedy).
3. We had our property stolen from a "locked" garage.
2. Building management were easy to reach, but often slow to address our requests.
1. The literal mice infestation. And the worst part was I was sure they were nesting in the adjacent apartment.
Anthony's Top 6 Reasons Our New Place Rocks
6. We live in a lively, walkable part of the city.
5. I can now ride my bike to work.
4. We have a deck... Labor Day BBQ anyone?
3. Our landlord is an awesomely chill guy (e.g. he stopped by on a Saturday to replace some lightbulbs)
2. We have built in wall bike racks in building entryway.
1. We can live really comfortably without AC thanks to our wall-to-wall windows and two amazing ceiling fans. edit: He's not joking. There's maybe been 2 days since we moved that I've escaped to the library for air conditioning.
Which is fair. I can't really live with anybody other than Anthony, no matter how big the apartment. (I am a TERRIBLE roomate) But we did have some pretty good reasons about why we moved, and why we're excited about our new cute studio that we thought we'd share.
Sarah's list of reasons why I'm glad we're out of our old apartment:
1. There were mice. A lot of them. We estimate that we killed at least 20 in the year we lived there.
2. Our old apartment was wicked expensive. Between the utilities and the rent, it was eating up a ton of money. Our new apartment? So affordable I almost feel bad telling other people what the rent is. And it's cute!
3. Our neighbors were...colorful.
4. We couldn't walk anywhere, except to the metro stop.
4a. The area was kind of gritty. Used car lots, loud music on the street, no trees, broken glass on the sidewalk.
5. It never really felt like our "home". While I didn't realize this until we moved into our new place, our apartment just never really felt like us.
6. Our dryer NEVER dried clothes the first time around. This might sound minor, but it jacked up our electric bills like no one's business.
7. Iron spiral staircases look super cool, but when you're half awake in the morning, walking down them is not so fun. Also, I found excuses to not go up or downstairs. I.e. I'd be upstairs, need something downstairs and ask Anthony to get it for me.
8.Our walls were paper thin. I got way more intimately acquainted with our neighbors personal life then I was comfortable with.
9. Our landlord was not responsive at all. We were once locked out of our apartment for almost 3 hours, because the service people had locked a lock we didn't have a working key to. (Oh yeah, we didn't have a working key to our deadbolt for the first 6 months we lived there.) We finally called--and paid for--a locksmith ourselves.
10. Mice. Everywhere. I realize I've said this once but it bears repeating. The mice figured out how to climb things so in addition to there being mice everywhere; there were mice droppings everywhere. Gross.
Sarah: Why I'm glad we moved to our new place:
1. Our deck is fabulous.
2. I feel so much more at home here. I call this the "Hippy, crunchy, mom's with strollers" part of the city. If you know where I went to college you know why this makes me happy. :)
3. Our apartment, while tiny, feels like us. It feels like a home. Which I didn't even realize I was missing until we moved.
Anthony's Top 6 Reasons Our Last Place Sucked
6. The neighborhood was on the edge of a very seedy part of the city.
5. Living near a metro stop, and only a metro stop, does not solve your city transportation issues.
4. Our building neighbors matched our 'hood (the very edge of seedy).
3. We had our property stolen from a "locked" garage.
2. Building management were easy to reach, but often slow to address our requests.
1. The literal mice infestation. And the worst part was I was sure they were nesting in the adjacent apartment.
Anthony's Top 6 Reasons Our New Place Rocks
6. We live in a lively, walkable part of the city.
5. I can now ride my bike to work.
4. We have a deck... Labor Day BBQ anyone?
3. Our landlord is an awesomely chill guy (e.g. he stopped by on a Saturday to replace some lightbulbs)
2. We have built in wall bike racks in building entryway.
1. We can live really comfortably without AC thanks to our wall-to-wall windows and two amazing ceiling fans. edit: He's not joking. There's maybe been 2 days since we moved that I've escaped to the library for air conditioning.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
On Name Changing.
No two ways about it.
This is a toughie.
I always thought I would change my name when I got married. Never even crossed my mind to consider othewise. When I would mention how difficult it was going to be to decide which names to keep (I have two middle names) when I changed my name, people would always say "Well, you can just keep your name" and I would say "No, I want to change it."
And I do. I can not stress that point enough. I love my husband, and I want to be Mrs. Hislastname.
And yet.
I haven't done it.
Legally changed my name I mean.
I didn't realize how attached I was to being Sarah French until I was about to give it up.
I mean, for one thing roughly half of the people I met during college still call me "Sarah French". I have never been Sarah, always Sarah French. I'm not even entirely sure how it came about, but it did stick. And while I realize changing my name isn't likely to change what they call me, it still resonated with me.
Also, (and I'm playing couch pyschologist now aren't you pschyed?!) it took me a really really long time to be happy with who I was. It took me a long time to like myself. And my name was part of that, and is still a part of me. Perhaps on some level, it feels like regression. Like taking my husband's last name (which is unquestionably prettier and more exotic then mine) is saying that I didn't like who I was, and was waiting for him to change me into someone I do like.
This is coming out badly, excuse me.
I guess it boils down to identity. And what I didn't realize was how much I idenitfy who I am with "Sarah French". I've been Sarah French for 26 years. That name has taken me to foreign countries, survived heartache I thought I would never recover from, saw both my parents go through major life threatening illness, and been shouted by friends (in both joy and not joy) more times then I can count.
And while I know intellectually that just because my name is changing it isn't changing who I am (let's get real, it's just a name, and if you met me during college, chances are good you're going to be calling me "SarahFrench" for the rest of our lives) it feels...big. Like it does mean I'm becoming someone brand new. Which is kind of fun, and kind of scary. Like I said, it took me a long long time to like who I am.
But after this weekend, I just feel a kind of peace about it. It's time. I'm ready.
And I finally came up with a solution about my myriad of name that makes me happy. Which is probably a large part of it too.
But if you ever address mail to me "Mrs. Anthony Hislastname" I might send it back to you.
Cause dude. I am "Sarah French Hislastname". Not an appendage.
Edit: I'm still working on the paperwork. But hey. At least I'm working on it?
This is a toughie.
I always thought I would change my name when I got married. Never even crossed my mind to consider othewise. When I would mention how difficult it was going to be to decide which names to keep (I have two middle names) when I changed my name, people would always say "Well, you can just keep your name" and I would say "No, I want to change it."
And I do. I can not stress that point enough. I love my husband, and I want to be Mrs. Hislastname.
And yet.
I haven't done it.
Legally changed my name I mean.
I didn't realize how attached I was to being Sarah French until I was about to give it up.
I mean, for one thing roughly half of the people I met during college still call me "Sarah French". I have never been Sarah, always Sarah French. I'm not even entirely sure how it came about, but it did stick. And while I realize changing my name isn't likely to change what they call me, it still resonated with me.
Also, (and I'm playing couch pyschologist now aren't you pschyed?!) it took me a really really long time to be happy with who I was. It took me a long time to like myself. And my name was part of that, and is still a part of me. Perhaps on some level, it feels like regression. Like taking my husband's last name (which is unquestionably prettier and more exotic then mine) is saying that I didn't like who I was, and was waiting for him to change me into someone I do like.
This is coming out badly, excuse me.
I guess it boils down to identity. And what I didn't realize was how much I idenitfy who I am with "Sarah French". I've been Sarah French for 26 years. That name has taken me to foreign countries, survived heartache I thought I would never recover from, saw both my parents go through major life threatening illness, and been shouted by friends (in both joy and not joy) more times then I can count.
And while I know intellectually that just because my name is changing it isn't changing who I am (let's get real, it's just a name, and if you met me during college, chances are good you're going to be calling me "SarahFrench" for the rest of our lives) it feels...big. Like it does mean I'm becoming someone brand new. Which is kind of fun, and kind of scary. Like I said, it took me a long long time to like who I am.
But after this weekend, I just feel a kind of peace about it. It's time. I'm ready.
And I finally came up with a solution about my myriad of name that makes me happy. Which is probably a large part of it too.
But if you ever address mail to me "Mrs. Anthony Hislastname" I might send it back to you.
Cause dude. I am "Sarah French Hislastname". Not an appendage.
Edit: I'm still working on the paperwork. But hey. At least I'm working on it?
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
a thought.
"I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life."
-- Rita Rudner
Taking a moment to appreciate my hubby today.
He's a keeper.
Anyone have some inexpensive, creative date night ideas to share?
We've done a picnic in the park (with a little soccer or frisbee tossing, of course) and a few other inexpensive dates like netflix movie with wine, etc.
xoxo Susannah
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
found: blog post
Find of the day: another blog by an adorable newlywed couple. They've been blogging for about a year, and I came across their blog through Pinterest, of all places.
Anyway, check out this post:
It's a whole post on advice for newlyweds, from newlyweds. They have some lovely things to say, and I love the suggestions.
See for yourself!
xoxo Susannah
Anyway, check out this post:
It's a whole post on advice for newlyweds, from newlyweds. They have some lovely things to say, and I love the suggestions.
See for yourself!
xoxo Susannah
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
birthday fun
 |
| via |
For my birthday last week, we spent the whole weekend doing fun things. Friday night was dinner in with the husband and my birthday presents from him. Saturday was a day in town visiting the big flea market. Saturday evening, we went bowling with a few friends, and Sunday afternoon was a baseball game! It was a lovely weekend, and one of the only times the hubby has had a three day weekend, which made it even better.
So, I was thinking.
How, exactly, are we (those of us watching our budgets) supposed to celebrate birthdays in a fun way that doesn't stress the wallet? A few ideas for your consideration!
1. Do those things you always say you're going to do but never have time for.
2. Stay in town instead of taking a trip, but act like a tourist.
3. Do an activity like bowling or game night with friends.
4. Check out deals on Groupon, LivingSocial, or TravelZoo.
4. Check out deals on Groupon, LivingSocial, or TravelZoo.
Have any other ideas to share? This was only our first birthday as a married couple and we have lots to learn, but these are our preliminary ideas for this go around.
xoxo Susannah
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
birthday!
I have learned that only two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy. First, let her think she's having her own way. And second, let her have it.
--Lyndon B. Johnson
Hah! Hilarious, no? Is it true? (Maybe you shouldn't answer that...)
This week is my birthday! Hubby is planning most of the birthday things, so I have no idea what's on the menu, but I do always love celebrating birthdays. And not just my own birthday, if that's what you're thinking. :)
Birthdays are a chance to celebrate, to spend time with people you enjoy, and to eat inappropriate amounts of dessert.
So, for this week, I do believe I'm allowed to have my own, if only in the dessert department.
Apologies on the short post this week. This is a week of big life changes for me, and not just because of the birthday. Updates soon!
xoxo Susannah
Friday, August 10, 2012
The Moving Saga Part 2
So yesterday you heard the story of how the studio came to be.
Today I shall share with you the lengths the husband and I will go to for a good apartment (More then most if my friends' reactions are any indication)
Also I promise no more grand language.
So.
The lease on our old place was going to end 10 days before we could get into our new studio.* As fate would have it, we were scheduled to be out of town anyway over the weekend because I was running a wedding, and my husband was assisting me.
So that left us with about 7 days where we needed to sleep somewhere, and store our stuff.
First up: The stuff
While we explored the idea of a POD (basically a portable storage unit that you park on the street), it proved wicked expensive. So we thought about renting a UHAUL for the 10 days and parking it in front of our new apartment. Also wicked expensive.
This is where my lovely husband stepped in (possibly to keep me from tearing my hair out). A storage unit was found with a great deal and good review.
So it was decided. We would pack up our apartment, load it onto a UHAUL, unpack it at a storage unit and re-load it onto a UHAUL in 10 days.
Stuff done.
Next up: Where to sleep
So. We are nowhere close to being the Rockefellers. So while this might be easy enough for some people "Just rent a hotel room for 10 days!" Yeah. Not happening. We are newlyweds and money is tight**
A plan was created.
A friend generously offered to let us stay on her living room floor for the first few nights of our odyssey.
Tip: A twin air mattress is only meant to support the weight of one person, not two.
Then we trecked out to the wedding site for a Sarah French Events wedding( :D)
Which left us with a five day, four night period of where to sleep.
Which is where the lovely site www.airbnb.com comes in.*** If you've never been to that site, airbnb is a website that allows homeowners and renters with extra bedrooms (or, apartments that they're never in) to list their rooms. You can stay there for a day or multiple weeks. It's a super great site for when you're moving to a new area, have a lease overlap, or are budget traveling. They also have reviews about the owners/rooms so you have a better idea of who you're sharing a house with.
We found a room to rent that was in the same neighborhood as our new place. It was pretty, affordable, and conveniently located.
Done.
*Whew*
And now, it's D-Day. And it's raining. Lord be with us.
See you on the other side!
UPDATE: All of our stuff and us are in the studio. I can't find the hardware for the bedframe, and we are exhausted. So essentially, all is right with the world. :)
* Originally, it was going to be 15 days, so this was actually good news.
**Those two things don't have to go together, but they often do.
***This is not a paid advertisement, airbnb doesn't know me from Anne of Green Gables. They're just awesome.
Today I shall share with you the lengths the husband and I will go to for a good apartment (More then most if my friends' reactions are any indication)
Also I promise no more grand language.
So.
The lease on our old place was going to end 10 days before we could get into our new studio.* As fate would have it, we were scheduled to be out of town anyway over the weekend because I was running a wedding, and my husband was assisting me.
So that left us with about 7 days where we needed to sleep somewhere, and store our stuff.
First up: The stuff
While we explored the idea of a POD (basically a portable storage unit that you park on the street), it proved wicked expensive. So we thought about renting a UHAUL for the 10 days and parking it in front of our new apartment. Also wicked expensive.
This is where my lovely husband stepped in (possibly to keep me from tearing my hair out). A storage unit was found with a great deal and good review.
So it was decided. We would pack up our apartment, load it onto a UHAUL, unpack it at a storage unit and re-load it onto a UHAUL in 10 days.
Stuff done.
Next up: Where to sleep
So. We are nowhere close to being the Rockefellers. So while this might be easy enough for some people "Just rent a hotel room for 10 days!" Yeah. Not happening. We are newlyweds and money is tight**
A plan was created.
A friend generously offered to let us stay on her living room floor for the first few nights of our odyssey.
Tip: A twin air mattress is only meant to support the weight of one person, not two.
Then we trecked out to the wedding site for a Sarah French Events wedding( :D)
Which left us with a five day, four night period of where to sleep.
Which is where the lovely site www.airbnb.com comes in.*** If you've never been to that site, airbnb is a website that allows homeowners and renters with extra bedrooms (or, apartments that they're never in) to list their rooms. You can stay there for a day or multiple weeks. It's a super great site for when you're moving to a new area, have a lease overlap, or are budget traveling. They also have reviews about the owners/rooms so you have a better idea of who you're sharing a house with.
We found a room to rent that was in the same neighborhood as our new place. It was pretty, affordable, and conveniently located.
Done.
*Whew*
And now, it's D-Day. And it's raining. Lord be with us.
See you on the other side!
UPDATE: All of our stuff and us are in the studio. I can't find the hardware for the bedframe, and we are exhausted. So essentially, all is right with the world. :)
* Originally, it was going to be 15 days, so this was actually good news.
**Those two things don't have to go together, but they often do.
***This is not a paid advertisement, airbnb doesn't know me from Anne of Green Gables. They're just awesome.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)